Top streams for the week
Zoë Kravitz stars as an agoraphobic tech worker who overhears what she believes is a murder in "Kimi" (2022, R). When no one believes her she investigates on her own. Directed by Steven Soderbergh and set and shot (at least part) in Seattle, it's something of a 21st century twist on "Rear Window" for the surveillance culture. Rita Wilson costars. (HBO Max)
Kristin Stewart earned an Oscar nomination for her performance as Princess Diana in
"Spencer" (2021, R), Pablo Larrain's intimate drama set over a troubled Christmas weekend as she suffers under the constant watch and criticism of the Royal Family. (Hulu)
"Flee" (Denmark, 2021, PG-13, with subtitles), the true story of an Afghani-born man in Denmark relating his escape from Taliban-run Afghanistan in the early 1980s, earned Oscar nominations in three categories: international feature, documentary, and animated feature. (Hulu)
Arriving in advance of Valentine's Day is "Marry Me" (2022, PG-13), a romantic comedy starring Jennifer Lopez as a superstar singer who impulsively marries a stranger (Owen Wilson as a divorced dad) when she discovers her fiancé (Maluma) cheated on her. The romance begins as they get to know one another. Streams same day as theaters. (Peacock)
Gugu Mbatha-Raw stars in the limited series "The Girl Before" (TV-MA) as a woman who gets eerie premonitions after moving into a modern minimalist house where the previous inhabitant (Jessica Plummer) died. David Oyelowo costars in the four-part Hitchcockian thriller based on the novel by J.P Delaney. (HBO Max)
Based on a true story, the limited series "Inventing Anna" (2022, TV-MA) stars Julia Garner as a German woman who conned New York’s elite she by posing as an heiress named Anna Delvey, and Anna Chlumsky as the reporter who uncovered the fraud. Lavern Cox costars in the Shonda Rhimes production. (Netflix)
The fifth season of the cult series "Rick and Morty" (TV-14), the animated comedy of weird science and dysfunctional family life, is on both Hulu and HBO Max.
Sunday's "Super Bowl LVI" streams live on Peacock.
Pay-Per-View / Video on Demand
- "King Richard" (2021, PG-13) stars Will Smith as the father of Venus and Serena Williams in this drama based on the complicated early life of the tennis champions and the father who drove them to success, at times to the point of obsession. Also on DVD and at Redbox. Also new:
- "Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City" (2021, not rated) a reboot the science fiction action franchise base on the video game (also on DVD and at Redbox);
- "Julia" (2021, PG-13), a documentary on the famed cookbook author and TV host Julia Childs;
- "Sweetie, You Won't Believe It" (Kazakhstan, 2021, not rated, with subtitles), a gory horror comedy set on a fishing trip gone wrong.
Netflix
Bill Murray stars as a curmudgeon who befriends a lonely boy in "St. Vincent" (2014, PG-13), costarring Melissa McCarthy and Naomi Watts.
Ava Michelle is back in in the young adult romantic comedy "Tall Girl 2" (2022, TV-PG), set around a school musical.
Domestic robots stage a revolution in "Bigbug" (France, TV-MA, with subtitles), a science fiction comedy from "Amelie" director Jean-Pierre Jeunet.
More international movies: "The Privilege" (Germany, TV-MA, with subtitles) is a supernatural thriller set at an elite private school where students uncover a dark conspiracy. Also new are the romantic comedies "Love and Leashes" (South Korea, TV-14), set in the S&M world, and "Anne+: The Film" (Netherlands, TV-MA, with subtitles), a feature-length spinoff of the LGBTQ TV series;
Streaming TV: new seasons of the animated fantasy comedy "Disenchantment" (TV-MA) and true crime documentary "Catching Killers" (TV-MA) arrive.
International TV: six different women in unhappy marriages look for love elsewhere in "Fishbowl Wives: Season 1" (Japan, TV-MA, with subtitles), a drama set in a luxury apartment tower.
Animation: an orphaned girl learns that she is a descendant of the Gods in in the adventure fantasy "Child of Kamiari Month" (Japan, PG-13).
Stand-up: "Ms. Pat: Y'all Wanna Hear Something Crazy?" (TV-MA) and the comedian showcase "Only Jokes Allowed: Season 1" (South Africa, TV-MA).
Amazon Prime Video
The romantic comedy "I Want You Back" (2022, R) stars Charlie Day and Jenny Slate as strangers who team up to win back their respective exes (Gina Rodriguez and Scott Eastwood) after getting dumped on the same weekend.
In the supernatural drama "Homestay" (Japan, 2022, not rated, with subtitles), a soul is put in the body of a deceased high school student and has 100 days to find the cause of the student's death.
The anthology-style documentary "Freakonomics" (2010), based on the nonfiction bestseller, features sections directed by Alex Gibney, Rachel Grady and Heidi Ewing, Seth Gordon, Eugene Jarecki and Morgan Spurlock.
Streaming TV: the first two seasons of the sketch comedy series "Key & Peele" (2012, TV-14) from Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele and the sitcom "Workaholics: Complete Series" (2011, TV-MA) with Blake Anderson, Adam Devine, and Anders Holm are now available.
Hulu
In the second season of the comedy "Dollface" (TV-MA), the best friends (Kat Dennings, Brenda Song, and others) face turning thirty.
True stories: "Clotilda: Last American Slave Ship" (2022) uses recent archeological discoveries to illuminate the crimes committed be American slave smugglers in 1860.
HBO Max
Ayesha and Stephan Curry host "About Last Night: Season 1" (TV-MA), a mix of game show and talk show featuring celebrity couples.
Keri Russell and Jesse Plemons star in the horror film "Antlers" (2021, R) from director Scott Cooper.
True stories: "Just Call Out My Name" (2022, TV-PG) revisits the 2010 world tour of James Taylor and Carole King.
International TV: "Adventure of the Ring: Season 1" (Taiwan, with subtitles) is a romantic comedy anthology series centered on the different couples who come in contact with an engagement ring.
Other streams
The limited series documentary "Everything's Gonna Be All White" (not rated) explores the many facets of racism, exploitation and discrimination in American history. New episodes on Fridays. (Showtime Anytime)
Joe Carnahan directs the violent crime thriller "Copshop" (2021, R) starring Gerard Butler and Frank Grillo as killers whose smackdown in a small town police station is interrupted by a corrupt cop, a garrulous serial killer (Toby Huss), and a whole lot of guns. (Peacock)
Tim Blake Nelson is "Old Henry" (2021) in the lean western about a widower farmer whose hidden past resurfaces when his farm comes under siege. Tracy Adkins and Stephen Dorff costar. (Showtime Anytime)
Lorna Watson plays a crime solving Catholic nun in "Sister Boniface Mysteries: Season 1" (not rated), a British murder mystery set in rural 1960s England. (BritBox)
"Agatha Raisin" (not rated) is back for a fourth season of small town murder mysteries. New two-part mysteries follow on two following Mondays. (Acorn TV)
"Star Trek: Discovery: Season 4" returns with new episodes. (Paramount+)
"The In Between" (2022, PG-13), a romantic drama with a supernatural twist, stars Joey King and Kyle Allen. (Paramount+)
The young adult romantic drama "Snowdrop: Season 1" (South Korea, TV-PG, with subtitles) is set against the 1987 Democracy Movement in South Korea. (Disney+)
"Amsterdam Vice: Season 1" (The Netherlands, TV-14, with subtitles), based on the novels of A.C. Baantjer, is buddy cop drama set in the red light district of Amsterdam in 1980. (MHz)
Seven films "Starring Harry Belafonte" celebrates the work of the actor, singer, and activist is such diverse films as the raw caper noir "Odds Against Tomorrow" (1959) with Robert Ryan, "The Angel Levine" (1970) with Zero Mostel, and Robert Altman's "Kansas City" (1996) with Jennifer Jason Leigh and Miranda Richardson. (Criterion Channel)
Acclaimed photographer Gordon Parks made his feature directorial debut with the coming-of-age drama "The Learning Tree" (1969, PG) set in 1920s Kansas. Presented with new interviews and archival featurettes. (Criterion Channel)
Set in the aftermath of the war in Kosovo, "Hive" (Kosovo, 2021, not rated, with subtitles) follows the lives of widows who band together to take care of their struggling families. It was the first film receive the Grand Jury Prize, the Audience Award, and the Directing Award at the Sundance Film Festival. (Criterion Channel)
Now available at Redbox:
"King Richard," "Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City"
Visit the paper's website online for more options and recommendations.
Sean Axmaker is a Seattle film critic and writer. His reviews of streaming movies and TV can be found at https://streamondemandathome.com.
Copyright © 2022 by Sean Axmaker
