This week’s streaming releases are about as varied as you can get. From martial arts action to music documentaries, comedy dramas to coming-of-age stories, thrillers to true stories. There’s something for everybody!
MOVIES
Fistful of Vengeance
Netflix – 17 February 2022
I must admit that I never really liked Wu Assassins. Starring some of my favourite on-screen badasses like Iko Uwais, Lewis Tan, and Katheryn Winnick, Netflix’s fantasy martial arts series seemed perfectly catered to me. But cheap effects and cheesy storytelling overshadowed the kung fu action too much. Despite the show’s shortcomings though, it proved popular enough that Netflix continued its story… but as a new standalone movie, Fistful of Vengeance! Let’s hope the film is an improvement despite that clumsy title.
Bigbug
Netflix – 11 February 2022
The robots are taking over! And it’s not just Hollywood that thinks so! Bigbug is a French sci-fi comedy film that sees a group of mild-mannered suburbanites trapped in their households by their robot helpers after an AI goes rogue.
Tall Girl 2
Netflix – 11 February 2022
Ava Michelle’s Jodi is back as everybody’s favourite lanky teenage girl. In 2019’s Tall Girl, Jodi found her self confidence (despite a lifetime of taunts about her height) as well as love. But things are not always so simple as high school life will continuously through curveballs your way.
Mr. Johnson
Showmax – 10 February 2022
If you’re looking for something dramatic and mature to watch this weekend, local drama Mr. Johnson should scratch that itch. Screen and stage legend Paul Slabolepszy stars as the eponymous Mr. Johnson, a 76-year old man who wakes up from a coma after five decades to a world that has changed dramatically around him and stolen his life.
I Want You Back
Amazon Prime Video – 11 February 2022
If you’re looking something more lighthearted, check out this rom-com starring funny folk Charlie Day and Jenny Slate as two thirty-somethings who both get dumped by their respective partners and decide to join forces in winning back their exes.
SERIES
Inventing Anna S1
Netflix – 11 February 2022
Emmy winner Julia Garner is best known as the foul-mouthed no-nonsense Ruth on drama Ozark, but the young actress is about to bring another memorable character to life. Produced by TV mogul Shonda Rhimes, Inventing Anna is the unbelievable true story of Anna Sorokin who shot to infamy after it was found that she had spent years pretending to be a super-wealthy German heiress (complete with thick fake accent) in order to commit fraud.
jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy
Netflix – 16 February 2022
Whether you think he’s a rap god or an unhinged loon, there’s no denying the impact Kanye West has had on not just hip-hop music, but the entire world of pop culture. This weekly three-part documentary series, 20 years in the making, takes an intimate behind-the-scenes look at just how “Ye” went from relative obscurity to becoming one of the most powerful figures in entertainment.
Young Wallander: Killer’s Shadow
Netflix – 17 February 2022
Having appeared in nearly two dozen films and a bunch of TV series, Swedish author Henning Mankell’s fictional Inspector Kurt Wallander is back on-screen once again. The second season of this reimagined prequel series – which sees a younger version of the character as opposed to the seasoned veteran in the novels and other adaptations – is subtitled Killer’s Shadow and picks up with Wallander after he’s solved his first big case.