A trio of recent cinema releases make their way to streaming this week in the form of Matthew Vaughn’s Argylle, Michael Mann’s Ferrari, and Nic Cage-led Dream Scenario. Also, Michael Douglas’ Benjamin Franklin series kicks off, and breakout horror It Lives Inside hits VOD.
SERIES
Franklin S1
12 April 2024 – Apple TV+
While he may be a popular figure taught about in American schools, I have a feeling that a lot of people outside of the USA can’t tell you much about Benjamin Franklin other than the Founding Father’s penchant for kite flying. With that in mind, I honestly can’t tell you how much of Apple TV+’s three-episode biographical miniseries is fact and how much is fiction. With Michael Douglas taking the titular lead, it certainly looks far less stuffy than I was expecting as it depicts the eight years Franklin spent in France in the late 18th century during which he tried to secure a crucial military alliance.
Tokyo Vice S1
12 April 2024 – Showmax
Acclaimed filmmaker Michael Mann makes two appearances in today’s article, with the first being Tokyo Vice, a TV series adaptation of Jake Adelstein’s celebrated 2009 book of the same name. Mann produced and also directed the opening episode of the series, which was created by playwright JT Rogers and stars Ansel Elgort and Ken Watanabe. Released in HBO Max back in 2022 already, Tokyo Vice follows an American journalist in 1999 who relocates to Tokyo and becomes the first non-Japanese-born writer at a major local newspaper. He’s taken under the wing of a veteran journalist in the newspaper’s vice squad where he’s introduced to the dangerous Yakuza-controlled criminal underbelly which stands in stark contrast to the city’s official logline that “murder does not happen in Tokyo”. Season two of Tokyo Vice premiered on HBO Max in February, so it should hopefully hit local services later this year
FEUD: Capote Vs. The Swans
17 April 2024 – Disney+
Prolific TV creator Ryan Murphy’s anthology series, Feud, is back. Feud: Capote Vs. The Swans is the star-studded retelling of how acclaimed writer Truman Capote was effectively banished from American society and sent into a devastating downward spiral after a controversial altercation with some of American society’s most elite women, nicknamed “the swans. Tom Hollander plays Capote while the swans are brought to life by Naomi Watts, Diane Lane, Chloë Sevigny, Calista Flockhart, Demi Moore and Molly Ringwald.
MOVIES
Dream Scenario
7 April 2024 – Prime Video
While he may not quite look it now, Nicolas Cage was once quite the heartthrob. For many, he was the man of their dreams. And now, decades later, he’s regained that title. Just not how you would expect. Getting a limited release in cinemas at the end of 2023, writer/director Kristoffer Borgli’s Dream Scenario saw Cage earn a Golden Globe nomination for his portrayal of a mild-mannered biology professor and family man named Paul who makes the alarming discovery that more and more people worldwide are seeing him in their dreams. As Paul becomes the centre of global media attention as a result of this unprecedented occurrence, his life is turned upside down.
Ferrari
11 April 2024 – Prime Video
As mentioned above, Michael Mann’s second release for the week is Ferrari. Based on the 1991 biography Enzo Ferrari: The Man, the Cars, the Races, the Machine by motorsport journalist Brock Yates, this 2023 biopic starred Adam Driver as the iconic motoring pioneer and founder of the Italian sportscar giant Ferrari. Set during the summer of 1957 as Ferrari prepares to compete in the Mille Miglia, a grueling 1500km race, the film follows Enzo’s professional and personal struggles as he and his wife Laura (Penelope Cruz) grieve the loss for their only son one year before, all while Enzo keeps an affair with his mistress (Shailene Woodley) from her.
Argylle
12 April 2024 – Apple TV+
Matthew Vaughn’s Argylle had all the ingredients to be a smashing success like the original Kingsman, but as I mentioned in my review, despite some big plusses, this rip-roaring spy caper just doesn’t come together as it should. That being said, with the film now finally dropping on Apple TV+ and no longer needing the commitment of a pricey cinema ticket, it may just be worth a look. In fact, the legitimately great action and very game performances from leads Bryce Dallas Howard and Sam Rockwell, supported by a bizarrely flat-topped Henry Cavill, may be enough to overcome some of the scripting and set piece foibles for some of you.
The Greatest Hits
12 April 2024 – Disney+
Ever feel like you’re transported back in time when you listen to certain songs? Well, in fantasy romcom The Greatest Hits, Lucy Boynton’s Harriet has the same experience… but literally. As listening to songs actually transports Harriet back in time to various points in her life, she finds herself reliving her romantic memories with her former boyfriend who was tragically killed in a car accident. But can that fate now be averted? Can music really save his life?
VOD RENTALS/PURCHASES
The following movies have recently become available for digital purchase/rental:
It Lives Inside
Purchase: Apple TV – R170
Rental: Google Play Movies – R45 / Apple TV – R45
Hollywood being Hollywood, notable American movies tend to skew towards a particular demographic. Which is why it’s very refreshing when something like It Lives Inside comes along. Written and directed by Bishul Dutta in his feature film debut, this horror film uses the filmmaker’s own Indian heritage as it follows, Sam, an Indian-American teen so desperate to fit in at school that she rejects her Indian culture and family to be like everyone else. But when a demonic spirit straight from Indian mythology threatens the life of her former best friend, Sam must come to terms with her heritage in order to defeat it. Upon release, It Lives Inside was praised for its combination of social commentary and horror scares.