What to stream this weekend: 06 -07 Jan 2024

ALSO: Maybe it's time to revisit one of the best shows of the 2010s.

We are easing into a new year, which means TV is ramping up again. Well, kinda - the 2023 US writer/actor strikes have left schedules a little light. But there’s certainly a bunch of new and returning shows available now with a lot more coming in the next few weeks.

There are two Netflix titles this week that are a must-watch. The first is the original film Society of The Snow, which is another look at the survivors of the 1972 Uruguayan flight that crashed in the Andes. Yeah, this is the story of the downed football team who had to eat their fellow passengers to survive. You may have previously seen this as the film Alive.

The film is, as you might expect, bleak and harrowing and a really difficult watch. And the easy joke I am tempted to make is to not watch this film on an empty stomach. It’s also difficult not making that joke with one of the main characters named Nando. Weird product placement.

While the film doesn’t do a great job at providing enough differentiation around the characters (which does diminish the emotional heft of the films closing sequence), the point of the film is survival and what it takes for a person to survive the trauma (physical and psychological) of a situation like that. That absolutely translates to the screen, making it an incredibly compelling watch.

Lighter fare is the action comedy series The Brothers Sun. It’s an 8-part show about a pair of mismatched brothers (one is a Taiwanese Triad leader, the other a Los Angeles-based improv enthusiast) who are on the run from assassins. The show feels like a throwback to Jackie Chan films from the 80s and 90s, blending physical comedy, action, and stunt work. But, despite the heavy Asian influence on the show, it is also a throwback to almost every Hollywood buddy comedy from the 80s and 90s.

It’s pretty fun, even if it is yet another 2-hour film idea stretched out over the course of a season.