Welcome to Stream Scene, where we highlight any noteworthy new movies and series hitting online streaming services.
Movies
Malignant
HBO Max (US) – 10 September 2021
From James Wan, the acclaimed filmmaker behind the Conjuring and Insidious franchises, and the original Saw, comes a whole new film to scare the poop right out of you. This one sees Annabelle Wallis as a young woman who discovers the creepy imaginary friend she has as a child isn’t so imaginary after all.
Minari
Showmax (SA) – 10 September 2021
When this hugely emotional drama about a family of South Korean immigrants pursuing the American dream debuted last year, it racked up accolades at the Oscars, Golden Globes, BAFTAs, Screen Actors Guild Awards and more. It also made history as 74-year-old Yuh-Jung Youn became the first Korean to ever win an Oscar for acting. Following a very limited theatrical release, South African viewers can finally see why Minari was declared one of the best films of last year.
Kate
Netflix (SA) – 10 September 2021
If you somehow still doubted Mary Elizabeth Winstead’s butt-whipping credentials after Birds of Prey, Kate is here to silence those doubts. With a bullet to the brain. The Netflix action film sees Winstead as the titular assassin who gets lethally poisoned while on a job with only 24 hours left to live… so she decides to spend that time hunting down the people who did it and raising hell.
Schumacher
Netflix (SA) – 15 September 2021
Arguably the greatest talent the sport has ever known, Michael Schumacher’s legendary domination of Formula 1 stands as a stark contrast to the horrific skiing accident that nearly claimed his life and has left him bedridden and in need of constant care since 2013. This new documentary, the first to be officially supported by Schumacher’s family, delves into the triumphs and tragedy of the legend.
The Voyeurs
Amazon Prime Video (SA) – 10 September 2021
Starring rapidly up-and-coming young stars Sydney Sweeney and Justice Smith, The Voyeurs is a Hitchcockian cautionary tale about why you shouldn’t spy on your neighbours. No matter how hot they are and how much sex they’re having.
Mario Puzo’s The Godfather Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone
AppleTV (SA) – 9 September 2021
When it was released in 1990, the final chapter in director Francis Ford Coppola and writer Mario Puzo’s mafia epic earned seven Oscar nominations but was still not as warmly received as its predecessors. However, 30 years later, the filmmakers decided to do something about that with an absurdly titled recut that changed the film’s beginning and ending as they originally envisioned it, while tweaking other scenes, music, etc. And after a very limited mid-pandemic theatrical release and a Blu-ray release, you can now rent the film on Apple TV for just R45.
SERIES
Lucifer Season 6
Netflix (SA) – 10 September
The devil is in the details. And in your TV screens… but not for much longer as the sixth and final season of the hugely popular supernatural procedural (which absolutely butchered its epic mythological comic book source material… but I digress!) drops on Netflix today. Go binge the hell out of it.
Scenes From a Marriage
HBO Max (US) – 12 September 2021
Stars Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain set tabloids (and a number of people’s underwear) ablaze this past week with the sizzling chemistry they displayed on the red carpet while out promoting Scenes From a Marriage. Now you can see where it all came from as this five-episode English-language remake of iconic filmmaker Ingmar Bergman’s 1973 original Swedish series. Scenes From a Marriage is about a couple whose marriage is spiraling out of control spectacularly, and debuts on HBO Max.
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe
Netflix (SA) – 16 September 2021
No, this is not deja vu. Netflix debuted Kevin Smith’s Masters of the Universe: Revelation just a few months ago, but the streamer is heading back to Eternia again. Whereas Revelation was a direct sequel to the classic Masters of the Universe cartoon that took the established story in unexpected directions, this new He-Man and the Masters of the Universe is an unrelated reboot, complete with CG animation and a much lighter tone. Now you can pick which approach you prefer.
Nine Perfect Strangers
Amazon Prime Video (SA) – 10 September 2021
Originally released by Hulu in the US last month before being distributed by Amazon Prime Video in other countries (now including SA), Nine Perfect Strangers is about as star studded as you can get. Created by David E. Kelley, the producer behind just about all your favourite shows in the 90s and 00s, this eight-part miniseries is about nine people who meet at a wellness retreat, only to uncover shattering secrets about each other and the venue. It stars Nicole Kidman, Melissa McCarthy, Michael Shannon, Luke Evans, Samara Weaving, Bobby Cannavale, and more!