After a jam-packed first week, January slows down a tad on the streaming front, but we still get some big releases in the form of the new The Day of the Jackal TV series adaptation, the new season of Disney+’s Goosebumps anthology, inspirational biographical sports drama Unstoppable, and more.
SERIES
Goosebumps: The Vanishing
10 January 2025 – Disney+
It’s still another ten months until the official spooky season, but I guess Disney+ is kicking things off very early in 2025! The new season of the Goosebumps anthology series arrives today with eight new episodes inspired by the works of teen horror icon R.L. Stine. Much like the first season (which I actually really enjoyed!), The Vanishing isn’t a straight adaptation of any of Stine’s Goosebumps books, but rather a combination of elements from several of them. In this case, those would be “Stay Out of the Basement, “The Haunted Car,” “Monster Blood,” “The Girl Who Cried Monster,” “The Ghost Next Door,” “Welcome to Camp Nightmare” and more. Emmy nominees David Schwimmer is the big-name actor this season, playing a divorced dad, whose twins Devin and Cece Brewer are sent to spend a summer with him in Gravesend, Brooklyn. But dad is acting kind of shady about something in his basement, prompting Devin and Cece to look into things and inadvertently stumble into a dark mystery stretching back three decades to the unsolved disappearance of four teenagers in 1994.
The Day of the Jackal S1
13 January 2025 – Showmax
When I was a teen, I was obsessed with reading the books of Frederick Forsyth and my favourite was undoubtedly The Day of the Jackal. Hence, when Hollywood gave us a modern big budget adaptation in 1997’s The Jackal, I was kind of annoyed at how they screwed it all up (and having rewatched that movie just last year, I can say that movie is still silly even without the source material comparisons). Now the Brits are taking a crack at it and seeing as they’ve already given us a fantastic adaptation in the 1973 film of the same name, my hopes are much higher. Especially since this new The Day of the Jackal TV series is officially biggest Sky Original ever, boasting an 85% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, is already renewed for a second season, and received two Golden Globe nominations for Best Drama Series and Best Actor for Eddie Redmayne. The Oscar-winning British actor plays the titular assassin, a ruthless but diligent and efficient killer for hire who only works for the biggest fees. assassin known as the Jackal, who makes his living carrying out hits for the highest fee. BAFTA winner Lashana Lynch plays Bianca, the British intelligence officer hot on his heels.
With Love, Meghan S1
15 January 2025 – Netflix
And now for something completely different… I generally don’t feature lifestyle reality series on this blog, but when it’s a series led by Meghan Markle, the highly publicized Duchess of Sussex, then it tends to get some airtime. I’ll just let the official blurb do the talking though: “With Love, Meghan reimagines the genre of lifestyle programming, blending practical how-to’s and candid conversation with friends, new and old. Meghan shares personal tips and tricks, embracing playfulness over perfection and highlights how easy it can be to create beauty, even in the unexpected. She and her guests roll up their sleeves in the kitchen, the garden, and beyond, and invite you to do the same. Guests include Roy Choi, Mindy Kaling, Alice Waters, with additional acclaimed chefs and special friends.”
MOVIES
Breathe
13 January 2025 – Showmax
Despite featuring quite a bit of talent and award winners in its cast, I hadn’t heard about Breathe until it popped up on Showmax’s listings. With a screenplay by Doug Simon that was featured on 2022’s “Black List” (a collection of highly touted unproduced screenplays in Hollywood), this sci-fi actioner stars Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson, Oscar nominee Quvenzhané Wallis, genre staples Milla Jovovich and Sam Worthington, and Emmy, Grammy and Oscar winner Common. Set in a post-apocalyptic future where the surface of Earth is left uninhabitable due to lack of oxygen, a mother (Hudson) and daughter (Wallis) are forced to live underground, harbouring the groundbreaking tech designed by their missing husband/father. But when two desperate strangers (Jovovich, Worthington) come looking for this tech, it kicks off a series of dangerous events.
Unstoppable
16 January 2025 – Prime Video
From sci-fi action to real-life drama. Unstoppable is an inspirational sports drama telling the true story of Anthony Robles (Jharrel Jerome) who was born with one leg due a birth defect. Not only did Robles refuse to use a prosthetic leg growing up, but against all odds he had a dream of earning a spot on the Arizona State Wrestling Team and eventually becoming NCAA Champion. With the unwavering love and support of his devoted mother Judy (Jennifer Lopez) and the encouragement of his coaches, Anthony would show an indomitable spirit and unbreakable resolve despite numerous setbacks. In other words, probably best to keep the tissues handy. Unstoppable also stars Bobby Cannavale, Michael Peña, and Don Cheadle, and is the feature film directing debut of Oscar-winning film editor William Goldenberg (Argo, Heat, Zero Dark Thirty, and much more).
VOD RENTALS/PURCHASES
The following movies have recently become available for digital purchase/rental:
Saturday Night
Purchase: Apple TV – R170 / Google Play Movies – R135
Rental: Apple TV – R45 / Google Play Movies – R30
Saturday Night Live is a more than just a weekly comedy show. It’s an entertainment institution that has launched the careers of several up-and-coming comedians to Hollywood superstardom. But that’s not how this groundbreaking show started. When Saturday Night Live’s very first show aired at 11:30pm on 11 October 1975, it had absolutely everything going against it, from studio execs with zero faith in the vision of creator Lorne Michaels, an unruly troupe of completely unknown young comedians who had never done anything like this before, writers who could barely keep everything together, and a production crew scrambling to stop things from falling apart on live television. Directed and co-written by Jason Reitman (Juno, Thank You for Smoking, Ghostbusters: Afterlife), Saturday Night is a dramatic retelling of what happened behind the scenes in the 90 minutes leading up to that historic first broadcast of Saturday Night Live.
Babes
Purchase: Apple TV – R150 / Google Play Movies – R170
Rental: Apple TV – R45 / Google Play Movies – R35
If you were a fan of Ilana Glazer’s antics in Broad City, then Babes may just be the raunchy R-rated comedy for you. Written by Glazer and co-starring comedian Michelle Buteau, Babes follows lifelong friends Eden and Dawn, one single and wanting a baby, the other already a mother. When Eden decided to get pregnant from a one-night stand, it sets off a crazy series of events in their lives, challenging their bond and leading to outrageous circumstances. I intentionally posted the R-rated redband version of the trailer above, so you can know that this is no family friendly cutesy comedy.