There’s a LOT happening on the streaming front this week, headlined by the VOD debut of horror breakout Longlegs, Alfonso Cuarón’s star-studded Disclaimer, and the Josh Brolin/Peter Dinklage-led comedy caper Brothers. But don’t also miss out on other entries like The Exorcist: Believer, Five Nights at Freddy’s, the new Citadel spinoff, and even the original The Crow!
SERIES
Citadel: Diana S1
10 October 2024 – Prime Video
Last year, Joe and Anthony Russo, still riding high from the record-breaking successes of Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, launched a TV project equally as ambitious as their big screen directing work. Starring Richard Madden and Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Citadel was a mega-budgeted globe-trotting spy thriller following the exploits of agents of the titular organization as they faced off against a rival organization named Manticore. The $300-million six-episode first season debuted to massive record-setting numbers… and then promptly saw its viewership ratings crash out of the top ten within two weeks as audiences realized it was kind of meh, despite all the money thrown at it. This was very disappointing as the Russo’s plans had been for it to kickstart an international franchise, with spinoffs set in several countries, but that no longer seemed likely.
And yet, somehow, not only has Prime Video greenlit a second season of Citadel (soon to go into production), but the streamer also signed off on two planned spinoffs for Italy and India, respectively, the first of which is now here. Citadel: Diana follows undercover Italian Citadel agent Diana Cavalieri (Matilda De Angelis) as she finds herself trapped behind enemy lines as a mole in Manticore. When she finally sees a way out and the chance to disappear forever, the only way to do so is trusting the most unexpected ally, Edo Zani (Lorenzo Cervasio), the heir of Manticore Italy and son of the head of the Italian organization, Ettore Zani (Maurizio Lombardi), who’s vying for leadership against the other European families.
Disclaimer S1
11 October 2024 – Apple TV+
With all episodes written and directed by acclaimed Oscar-nominated filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón (Children of Men, Gravity) and starring Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Sacha Baron Cohen, Lesley Manville, and Kodi Smit-McPhee, Disclaimer is arguably the most star-studded new release this week. Based on the novel of the same name by Renee Knight, this seven-episode miniseries follows Blanchett’s Catherine Ravenscroft, a television documentary journalist whose work has been built on unearthing the dark secrets of long-respected institutions. But when a novel is published with her as a key character in it, revealing a story that she had hoped was long buried in the past, it kicks off a whirlwind of drama.
Shrinking S2
11 October 2024 – Apple TV+
One of the best shows on Apple TV+ is back! Shrinking follows a grieving therapist (Jason Segel) who starts to break the rules and tell his clients exactly what he thinks. Ignoring his training and ethics, he finds himself making huge, tumultuous changes to people’s lives… including his own. The first season was the perfect mix of comedy and drama and gave us the best performance the often-curmudgeonly Harrison Ford has had in years.
MOVIES
Challengers
7 October 2024 – Prime Video
I didn’t mention this last week, because there was simply no advanced warning. Challengers has been available on VOD rental since mid-July, but if you were looking to not have to fork out extra, it quietly snuck its way onto Prime Video this past Monday. Here’s what I wrote originally:
Love triangle stories are a dime a dozen in movies, but you don’t often find them in sports dramas. Definitely not ones as intense as acclaimed filmmaker Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers. In his 8.5/10 review, Sam calls the film “stylish and sexy to the core”, saying that “it takes a love triangle and upends the usual gender power balance and its depiction in eye-opening, impactful ways”. The film stars a never-better Zendaya as a former tennis prodigy turned coach, and her relationships – both professional and romantic – between two former doubles partners turned fierce rivals, played equally electric by Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist.
Uprising
11 October 2024 – Netflix
And now here’s a very different tale of two friends fighting over something. Uprising is the new big-budget Korean historical epic, set in the 16th century Joseon Dynasty, which two friends who grew up together, despite the class gap: one was the master and the other the servant. Inseparable as children, their social destinies eventually split them apart when an advancing Japanese army invades their capital. Many years later, the once-friends finally reunite post-war, only to find themselves as enemies on opposing sides.
Lonely Planet
11 October 2024 – Netflix
Looking for something more romantic? Have a look at Lonely Planet, which stars Laura Dern as a reclusive novelist who breaks out of private shell to attend a prestigious writer’s retreat in Morocco, hoping the remote setting will unlock her writer’s block. While there, she meets a young man (Liam Hemsworth) – what starts as an acquaintanceship evolves into an intoxicating, life-altering love affair. This romantic drama is the feature film directing debut of Susannah Grant, the Oscar-nominated writer of Erin Brockovich and Disney’s Pocahontas.
Five Nights at Freddys
14 October 2024 – Showmax
Historic epics and romantic dramas are nice, but this is October after all, so it’s time for some scary fare. Adapted from the massively popular series of horror video games by horror production studio Blumhouse, Five Nights at Freddy’s follows Mike (Josh Hutcherson), a troubled young man caring for his 10-year-old sister, Abby. Recently fired and desperate for work so that he can keep custody of Abby, Mike agrees to take a position as a night security guard at an abandoned theme restaurant: Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria. But Mike soon discovers that nothing at Freddy’s is what it seems as he is dragged into the black heart of an unspeakable nightmare.
Arthur the King
14 October 2024 – Showmax
If you’re in need of an inspirational pick-me-up, look no further than Arthur the King, a story so unbelievable it must be true. Adapted from Mikael Lindnord’s memoir “Arthur – The Dog Who Crossed the Jungle to Find a Home”, this adventure drama stars Mark Wahlberg as Michael Light, a pro adventure racer who sets out with his team to complete a grueling 700km ten-day endurance race in Costa Rica that had previously bested him. However, a chance encounter with a stray dog sees the start of a miracle that defied belief as the dog followed the team through all kinds of danger and forged an unbreakable bond.
The Exorcist: Believer
17 October 2024 – Showmax
Aaaaaand it’s back to the horror! Released in 1973, William Friedkin’s The Exorcist is arguably the most infamous horror movie ever made. The first horror movie to ever be nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars, its cultural impact is undeniable and in the half century since, it’s spawned several sequels. All of which was basically tossed out due to The Exorcist: Believer. Billed as a direct sequel to the original, ignoring the events of the other films, Believer saw director David Gordon Green attempt to resurrect this classic franchise just like he did with Halloween. Unfortunately, a poor reception on release last year meant that Green’s plans for a trilogy has subsequently been scrapped, and a new reboot from Mike Flanagan is now in the works. But if you still want to see what Green had in mind, you can check out The Exorcist: Believer, which follows Hamilton’s Leslie Odom, Jr as Victor Fielding, a single father whose daughter disappears in the woods with a friend, only for the two girls to reappear days later with no memory of what happened to them. As Victor investigates what happened, he is forced to confront a dark evil and, in his terror and desperation, he seeks out the only person alive who has witnessed anything like it before: Chris MacNeil (Ellen Burstyn).
The Crow
17 October 2024 – Showmax
Speaking of failed modern resurrections of classic movies… The Bill Skarsgård-led The Crow reboot just recently flew into cinemas only to crash hard due to terrible reviews and horrific box office earnings. As Noelle said in her review, it’s a “dull and brain-numbing” affair that’s “bland all around”. Know what movie doesn’t fit that description? The Crow. I am of course talking about the 1994 original directed by Alex Proyas, which became a fan-favourite cult sensation, immortalized even further by the accidental on-set death of star Brandon Lee during the final days of filming. Even without the dramatic gravitas of his passing adding to it, The Crow is still an incredibly cool movie. And if you’re too young to have seen it (or just missed it back in the day), you can fix that now as it will finally available locally for streaming. For the uninitiated, the film is an adaptation of James O’Barr’s indie comic about rocker Eric Draven who, along with his fiancé, is murdered on the eve of their Halloween wedding, only for Eric to be resurrected one year later by a mysterious crow to seek out his killers and force them to answer for their crimes.
Brothers
17 October 2024 – Prime Video
We all love a good odd-couple crime caper, and it doesn’t get odder than this. Star-studded action-comedy crime caper Brothers tells the story of a reformed criminal (Josh Brolin) whose attempt at going straight is derailed when he reunites with his sanity-testing twin brother (Peter Dinklage) on a cross-country road trip for the score of a lifetime. Dodging bullets, the law, and an overbearing mother along the way, they must heal their severed family bond before they end up killing each other. Brothers is directed by Max Barbakow, who made quite the splash with his fantastic time-loop debut film Palm Springs, and co-scripted by Etan Cohen (Idiocracy, Tropic Thunder) and Macon Blair (Blue Ruin, Green Room).
VOD RENTALS/PURCHASES
The following movies have recently become available for digital purchase/rental:
Longlegs
Purchase: Apple TV – R170
Rental: Apple TV – R45
One of the breakouts of the year, Longlegs took the horror world by storm to become distributor Neon’s highest-grossing film ever domestically, and the highest-grossing indie film overall for the year. This critically acclaimed film also boasts one of the most unnerving Nicolas Cage performances you will ever see as the titular villain, a satanic serial killer who somehow orchestrated several mass murders over decades without even being present for the crimes himself. Maika Monroe stars as Lee Harker, a socially awkward FBI agent with a seemingly supernatural gift for clairvoyance that may be the only person who stop the horrible Longlegs from killing again. As Noelle noted in her review, director Osgood Perkins (son of Psycho horror icon Anthony Perkins) “has a master’s grip on shot set-up and sound to cultivate a relentlessly ominous and uncomfortable mood” resulting in one of the most atmospheric horror films I’ve seen in ages.