The start of February really didn’t get off to an amorous start, but the Month of Love gets into full swing with Your Place or Mine leading a number of romantic streaming releases this week. There’s also love of a different kind – between a man and some unruly agriculture – with the return Clarkson’s Farm, and we have the streaming debut of the critically acclaimed The Woman King, among others.
MOVIES
Your Place or Mine
Netflix – 10 December 2022
I’ve learned a while back that when it comes to romantic comedies, plot predictability is not such a big deal. So, with that, this new Reese Witherspoon/Ashton Kutcher rom-com about two long-term polar opposite friends who switch houses and lives for a week, and then discover they actually want to be more than friends, probably won’t have any surprises. For rom-com fans just looking for that feel good buzz, that will barely be an inconvenience.
The Woman King
Google Play Movies/Apple TV – 10 February 2023
Notching up a number of nominations and wins at the Golden Globes, BAFTAs, Critics Choice Awards, and Screen Actors Guild, The Woman King was a surprise no-show for the recent Oscar nominations. But don’t let that put you off this thrilling historical drama led by a powerhouse performance by Viola Davis as General Nanisca, the leader of the Agojie, an all-female group of warriors in the 19th century West African kingdom of Dahomey (modern-day Benin), who liberated abducted women from slavers (Fun fact: The Agojie actually served as the inspiration for Black Panther’s Dora Milaje). The Woman King didn’t have much of a box office debut when it hit cinemas late last year – despite mostly positive reviews – so if you were one of those that missed it, you can now rent the film on Google Play Movies/Apple TV.
Alice, Darling
Google Play Movies/Apple TV – 10 February 2023
Probably not the most appropriate watch for a romantic movie night, Anna Kendrick stars in this taut psychological thriller as Alice, a woman pushed to the breaking point by her psychologically abusive boyfriend, who finally gets to breathe and unravel herself from his toxic presence while on vacation with close girlfriends. Unfortunately, her boyfriend’s wrath finds her again, leading to renewed conflict.
Somebody I Used to Know
Amazon Prime Video – 10 February 2023
Community and GLOW standout Alison Brie leads this rom-com which she co-wrote with actor-turned-filmmaker Dave Franco, who changes genre gears from his horror-mystery debut The Rental (which also starred Brie). Somebody I Used to Know follows Brie’s Ally, a workaholic who goes through a paradigm-shifting identity crisis on a trip to her hometown where a run-in with an ex and young woman who reminds her of younger self, has her questioning the person she’s become.
SERIES
Clarkson’s Farm S2
Amazon Prime Video – 10 February 2023
While Amazon recently killed off The Grand Tour thanks to Jeremy Clarkson’s tasteless public rant about Meghan Markle, Prime Video had already filmed the second season of Clarkson’s Farm. And now the hilarious docuseries following the British motoring personality as he tries to personally turn his 1,000 acres (400 ha) estate in the Cotswolds into a fully functional and profitable farm. And for season two, that includes establishing a restaurant, which I’m sure will go off without a hitch.
African Queens: Njinga
Netflix – 15 February 2023
If watching The Woman King leaves you wanting more, then look no further than this new docuseries produced by Jada Pinkett Smith. African Queens is set to explore the lives of prominent and iconic African queens, telling their oft overlooked stories. The first season focuses on Njinga, described by the official blurb as “the complex, captivating, and fearless 17th century warrior queen of Ndongo and Matamba, in modern day Angola. The nation’s first female ruler, Njinga earned a reputation for her blend of political and diplomatic skill with military prowess and became an icon of resistance.”
Dam S2
Showmax – 16 February 2023
After a first season that saw it become the most nominated drama series at the 2022 SAFTAs, psychological thriller Dam is back. Set three months after that critically acclaimed debut, Dam sees Lea Vivier’s Yola having to put together the pieces of what happened after the cataclysmic events of the season finale left her with no memory of what transpired. But as clues involving diamonds and a mass grave emerge, it seems that something far sinister may be lurking out there.