Top streams for the week
The biggest hit movie in over two years and now the third-highest-grossing film of all time in the U.S., "Spider-Man: No Way Home" (2021, PG-13) brought audiences back to theaters with a lively adventure that brings two previous big screen incarnations of the webslinger (Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield) to help our newly-unmasked hero (Tom Holland) deal with villains from all over the multiverse. Benedict Cumberbatch appears as Doctor Strange and Zendaya, Jacob Batalon, Jon Favreau, and Marisa Tomei costar. You can now rent it on VOD.
The anthology series "Roar: Season 1" (TV-MA), adapted from the short stories of Cecelia Ahern, presents stories of the personal and professional lives of women in the modern world. Nicole Kidman produces and stars in a cast that includes Cynthia Erivo, Issa Rae, Merritt Wever, Alison Brie, and Betty Gilpin. It was developed by the creators of "GLOW." All eight half-hour episodes available. (Apple TV+)
Modern western meets supernatural thriller in "Outer Range: Season 1" (TV-MA), starring Josh Brolin as a family rancher at the edge of Wyoming's wilderness battling a takeover from rival ranch when a black void appears in a pasture. The series grounds the mystery in human drama. Imogen Poots, Lili Taylor, and Will Patton costar. Two episodes available, new episodes on Fridays. (Prime Video)
"Why Didn’t They Ask Evans?" (2022, not rated), a limited series mystery adapted from the Agatha Christie novel by director Hugh Laurie, stars Will Poulter and Lucy Boynton as amateur sleuths who investigate the cryptic last words of a dying man. (BritBox)
Craig Robinson plays a security guard who enters a state-sponsored snake-hunting contest in "Killing It: Season 1" (TV-MA), a satire of class, entrepreneurship, and TV competition shows from "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" creator Dan Goor. (Peacock)
Kid stuff: "It's The Small Things Charlie Brown" (2022, TV-G), the latest animated Peanuts special, arrives in celebration of Earth Day. (Apple TV+)
Video on Demand
Available same day as select theaters nationwide is "Paris, 13th District" (France, 2022, with subtitles), a romantic drama of four young adults based on a graphic novel and directed by Jacques Audiard.
Netflix
Sienna Miller, Rupert Friend, Naomi Scott, and Michelle Dockery star in "Anatomy of a Scandal" (TV-MA), a limited series based on the novel by Sarah Vaughan about a wealthy politician accused of sexual assault.
President Barack Obama narrates the documentary limited series "Our Great National Parks" (TV-PG).
Catherine Tate created and stars in "Hard Cell: Season 1" (TV-MA), a mockumentary-style comedy set at a women's prison.
International passport: the romantic comedy "The Taming of the Shrewd" (Poland, 2022, TV-MA, with subtitles) that has all the earmarks of an Eastern European version of a Hallmark movie.
International TV: the period drama "Heirs to the Land: Season 1" (Spain, TV-MA, with subtitles) follows an ambitious young man attempting to make a name for himself in 14th-century Barcelona. Also new:
- comedy "Smother-in-Law: Season 1" (Brazil, TV-MA, with subtitles) about a young married couple stuck with a meddling mother-in-law in the pandemic;
- romantic comedy "Falling Into Your Smile: Season 1" (China, TV-14, with subtitles) about a young woman who leads an all-male e-sports team to the world championship.
The dark neo-noir thriller "Nightcrawler" (2014, R) stars Jake Gyllenhaal is a ruthless video newsman.
Kid stuff: "Lego City: Complete Series" (TV-Y7) arrives along with two new animated shows for young kids: "Strawberry Shortcake: Berry in the Big City: Season 1" (TV-Y) and "The Creature Cases: Season 1" (TV-Y).
Hulu
Kris, Kourtney, Kim, Khloé, Kendall, and Kylie are back in the new reality show "The Kardashians: Season 1" (TV-14).
The Australian sitcom "The Family Law: Season 1" (not rated) is set in the comically dysfunctional world of a Chinese-Australian family.
The romantic comedy "The Hating Game" (2021, not rated) stars Lucy Hale and Austin Stowell as rival executives in a competitive company whose initial antagonism starts to throw off sparks.
"Compliance" (2012, R), an award-winning indie drama inspired by real events, pushes blind obedience to authority to extremes in a fast food restaurant.
HBO Max
The four-part documentary "Not So Pretty" (TV-14) is an exposes of the unregulated trillion-dollar cosmetics, beauty and personal care industry. Directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering, narrated by Keke Palmer.
International TV: a veteran detective, a rookie cop, and a city counselor are connected by a murder that echoes an unsolved crime in "Trinity of Shadows: Season 1" (Taiwan, with subtitles).
Disney+
"Scrat Tales: Season 1" (2022, TV-PG) is a new series of animated shorts featuring the nervous prehistoric critter from the "Ice Age" movies.
Amazon Prime Video
A dedicated lawyer (Camila Morgado) puts her ideals on the line when she defends a murder suspect connected to a criminal gang in "Verdict: Season 1" (Brazil, 2022, TV-MA, with subtitles).
Other streams
The stories of three women are told in the award-winning "Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy" (Japan, 2021, not rated, with subtitles), an anthology film of romance, mystery, and revelation from "Drive My Car" director Ryusuke Hamaguchi. (Criterion Channel)
Courtney B. Vance and Aunjanue Ellis star in "61st Street: Season 1" (not rated), a crime thriller wound around a drug bust and a police shooting that gets tangled in Chicago's criminal justice system. Two episodes available, new episodes on Sundays a week before their respective cable debuts. (AMC+ and ALLBLK)
The limited series crime thriller "Deceit" (TV-MA) dramatizes a real-life case of injustice involving the obsessive focus on a single suspect in a high profile murder in 1990s England. (Topic)
"Cecilia: Season 1" (Mexico, not rated, with subtitles) is a family dramedy of a woman who pulls her family back together after she suffers a stroke. (Paramount+)
"Starring Delphine Seyrig" collects 15 films starring the great French actress, from Alain Resnais' landmark "Last Year at Marienbad" (France, 1961, with subtitles) to Chantal Akerman's offbeat musical romance "Golden Eighties" (France, 1986, not rated, with subtitles). The collection spotlights such diverse classics as Joseph Losey's devastating "Accident" (1967) with Dirk Bogarde, Luis Buñuel's Oscar-winning satire "The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie" (France, 1972, PG, with subtitles), and Chantal Akerman's masterpiece "Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles" (France, 1975). (Criterion Channel)
Free with ads
A replica of the infamous ocean liner heads out on a fateful voyage in "Titanic 666" (2022, not rated), a horror movie from the producers of "Sharknado" starring AnnaLynne McCord and Jamie Bamber. (Tubi)
New on disc and available at Redbox:
"Spider-Man: No Way Home"
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
