Always Be Streaming - 23 November 2024
Whoa. What a ridiculously large number of viewing options this week - especially in terms of original streaming films.
A few thoughts:
The best thing I saw all week is the new Ted Danson comedy on Netflix. With the terrible, very forgettable title, A Man on The Inside, it has the former Cheers star going undercover at a retirement center to find a thief. It’s a very winning show held together by the always charming Danson. But what makes the show really sing is the rich supporting cast of character actors (mostly women) who you have seen in so many movies and TV shows over the years.
It is based on The Mole Agent, a Chilean film. Where the main character in that was exploring elder abuse, this has a lighter approach. They should have kept the title.
Max’s Dune: Prophecy has launched to a pretty muted response. I can’t help but feel this is the wrong show for the wrong time of the year and maybe it’d play a bit better closer to Christmas when viewers have a bit more free time (which includes enough time to stream the two movies before getting started on this prequel series).
Hands up if any of you knew that there is a Cruel Intentions TV series now streaming on Prime Video. Anyone? Anyone?
Interior Chinatown on Hulu is almost interesting as a meta exploration of following one of the everyday 1-2 line characters you find in Law & Order (you know… the guy who finds the body) and following them into their lives. It’s a funny idea, but is frequently confused on how committed to the premise it needs to be. It’s an entertaining enough, but disappointing mess.
Also, there’s some scenes in this that are a reminder that Hollywood screenwriters need to extend their understanding of romantic flirtatious banter beyond what they learned from Joss Whedon on Buffy. It was only ever barely charming then and 20+ years later it is embarrassing. No wonder the youth of today aren’t into sex.
Fresh Sago Mini Friends episodes is a huge deal in my house this weekend with little miss 3.
Night Court (s03), Based on a True Story (s02), The Sex Lives of College Girls (s03), The Empress (s02), Nothing to See Here (s02), Outlander (s07-B), Sago Mini-Friends (s03)
Dune: Prophecy - Max [US] | Binge [AUS]
Stars: Emily Watson, Olivia Williams, Travis Fimmel, Mark Strong
10,000 years before the ascension of Paul Atreides, following two Harkonnen sisters as they combat forces that threaten the future of humankind and establish the fabled sect that will become known as the Bene Gesserit.
A Man on The Inside - Netflix
Stars: Ted Danson, Stephanie Beatriz
A retired professor gets a new lease on life when a private investigator hires him to go undercover inside a San Francisco retirement home.
The Helicopter Heist - Netflix
Stars: Mahmut Suvakci
Two childhood friends decide to try one last heist — to rob millions from Sweden's safest cash depot without getting caught.
Adoration - Netflix
Stars: Alice Lupparelli, Noemi Magagnini
When a 16-year-old girl vanishes, secrets come to light and disrupt a small community as her friends and family try to re-create her last movements.
Cruel Intentions - Prime Video
Stars: Sarah Catherine Hook, Zac Burgess, Savannah Lee Smith
At Manchester College, step-siblings Caroline and Lucien work to stay on top of the social ladder. After a hazing scandal, they plot to seduce, Annie Grover, the daughter of the Vice President of the United States, to maintain power.
The Listeners - BBC One
Stars: Rebecca Hall, Ollie West
An English teacher is tormented by a continuous humming noise that seemingly only a few people are able to hear.
When The Phone Rings - Netflix
Stars: Yoo Yeon Seok
A rising politician and his mute wife's tense marriage begins to unravel after a call from a kidnapper turns their lives upside down.
Interior Chinatown - Hulu [US] | Disney+ [International]
Stars: Jimmy O Yang, Ronnie Chieng
A background character trapped in a police procedural discovers secrets about the strange world he inhabits and his family's buried history.
Tokyo Override - Netflix
Stars: Ryota Takeuchi
In a future Tokyo, a teenage orphan hacker gets embroiled in a murder case connected to a drug ring after assisting outcast bikers, revealing the city's dark underbelly beneath its utopian facade.
Press Start - Peacock
A dynamic brother and sister duo whose mysterious game controller gives them the ability to enter the world of their favorite fast-paced video game.
The Piano Lesson - Netflix
Stars: Samuel L. Jackson, John David Washington, Ray Fisher, Michael Potts, Erykah Badu, Skylar Aleece Smith
The Charles family grapples with family legacy and difficult decisions as they determine the fate of their heirloom piano, exploring deeper themes along the way.
Out of My Mind - Disney+
Stars: Phoebe-Rae Taylor, Jennifer Aniston, Rosemarie DeWitt, Luke Kirby
Melody Brooks, a sixth grader with cerebral palsy, has a quick wit and a sharp mind, but because she is non-verbal and uses a wheelchair, she is not given the same opportunities as her classmates. When a young educator notices her student’s untapped potential and Melody starts to participate in mainstream education, Melody shows that what she has to say is more important than how she says it.
The Merry Gentlemen - Netflix
Stars: Britt Robertson, Chad Michael Murray, Marla Sokoloff, Michael Gross
To save her parents' small-town nightclub, a Broadway dancer stages an all-male, Christmas-themed revue and meets a guy with all the right moves.
Nugget is Dead - Stan [AUS] | CBS [US]
Stars: Vic Zerbst, Alec Snow, Jenna Owen, Damien Garvey
When her family dog Nugget falls sick over Christmas, Steph Stool returns to her Australian hometown to confront her chaotic family.
Thomas & Friends: The Christmas Letter Express - Netflix
It's Christmastime on the rails! When Percy finds a letter to Santa on Christmas Eve, he and his crew do whatever it takes to get it to the North Pole.
Blitz - Apple TV+
Stars: Saoirse Ronan, Elliot Heffernan
In World War II London, nine-year-old George is evacuated to the countryside by his mother, Rita, to escape the bombings. Defiant and determined to return to his family, George embarks on a journey back home as Rita searches for him.
Joy - Netflix
Stars: Bill Nighy, Thomasin McKenzie and James Norton
A young nurse, a visionary scientist, and an innovative surgeon face opposition from the church, state, media, and medical establishment in their pursuit of the world's first `test tube baby,' Louise Joy Brown.
GTMax - Netflix
Stars: Ava Baya, Jalil Lespert, Gérard Lanvin, Thibaut Evrard, Jérémie Laheurte
When a notorious biker gang frames her brother for a robbery in Paris, former motocross champion Soélie must overcome her deepest fears to protect her family.
Maybe Baby 2 - Netflix
Stars: Mille Dinesen
When two couples learn that the fertility clinic didn't swap their eggs after all, they resolve to move in together and raise their kids collectively.
Pimpenero: Blood & Oil - Prime Video
Stars: Laura Osma, Alejandro Speitzer, Alberto Guerra
In the desert bordering Colombia and Venezuela, “pimpineros” risk their lives transporting illegal gasoline from one country to another.
Transmitzvah - Netflix [US]
Stars: Alejandro Awada, Gustavo Bassani, Karina Bazán...
After embracing her female identity, Rubén rejects her Bar Mitzvah. When tragedy strikes years later, she returns as Mumy Singer to celebrate it her way.
That’s the TV listings newsletter for this week.
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