House of the Dragon season two sets the streaming releases ablaze this week, also helped out by the star-studded courtroom thriller series Presumed Innocent, and recent Oscar-nominated drama Past Lives.
SERIES
Knuckles S1
14 June 2024 – Showmax
Note to self: You need to finally watch Sonic the Hedgehog 2! Especially since spinoff series Knuckles is now available on Showmax as well. The videogame adaptation sees – and I still can’t believe I’m typing this – Idris Elba reprise his role as the voice of Knuckles the Echidna from the 2022 film. This six-episode miniseries takes place in between the events of that movie and the upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog 3, and follows Knuckles as “he trains deputy sheriff Wade Whipple in the ways of the Echidna warrior”. While Sonic the Hedgehog 2 didn’t get as lofty a critical reception of the first film, Knuckles sees the franchise return to form. Not only did it get strong reviews, but it was also the most-watched original series when it debuted on Paramount+ in the US earlier this year.
Presumed Innocent S1
14 June 2024 – Apple TV+
Were it not for the release of a certain draconic big-budget fantasy drama in a few days time, Presumed Innocent would undoubtedly be the most high-profile title on this list. Boasting TV legend David E. Kelley as showrunner and produced by J.J. Abrams, the eight-episode limited series stars the likes of Jake Gyllenhaal, Ruth Negga, Bill Camp, Lily Rabe, O-T Fagbenle, Elizabeth Marvel, and more. That is a whole lot of talent right there! Adapted from Scott Turow’s 1987 novel of the same name, this courtroom thriller tells the story of a murder that ends up in the Chicago Prosecuting Attorneys’ office when one of its own is suspected of the crime.
House of the Dragon S2
17 June 2024 – Showmax
This is the big one! House of the Dragon is back! If you hadn’t watched the first season of HBO’s Game of Thrones prequel series based on how badly you got burned on the last two seasons of its predecessor, I can totally understand that. But now you need to fix that. While the first season of House of the Dragon was superbly cast and the production values top notch, it had a couple of teething issues. Not enough for me to not enjoy the season, but they were noticeable. As I mention in my review though, season two is off to a fiery start as the civil war between Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen and Queen Alicent Hightower kicks off in earnest after a series of devastating losses on both sides. Episodes will be streaming express from US (i.e. available directly in the early hours of the morning) on M-Net and Showmax starting this coming Monday. If the back half of the season is anything like the first four episodes I’ve already seen, then this is going to a big one come awards season.
We Were the Lucky Ones S1
19 June 2024 – Disney+
Starring popular actors Joey King and Logan Lerman, We Were the Lucky Ones is a limited series adaptation of Georgia Hunter’s New York Times bestselling novel of the same name. This drama tells the incredible true story of one Jewish family separated at the start of WWII, and follows them across continents as they do everything in their power to survive, and to reunite.
MOVIES
Past Lives
13 June 2024 – Showmax
Hailed as not just one of the best films of last year, but considered one of the greatest dramas of the 21st century by some, Past Lives was a remarkable debut by writer/director Celine Song. It may not have won its nominations for Best Original Screenplay and Best Picture at the Oscars last year, but with a 93% positive ranking on RottenTomatoes and a 94/100 average weighted ranking on Metacritic, I think it’s safe to say that this is a must-see. And now you can finally actually see it in the comfort of your home as the romantic drama makes its local streaming debut on Showmax. Semi-autobiographical and inspired by real events from Song’s life, Past Lives stars Greta Lee and Teo Yoo and follows two childhood friends, Nora and Hae Sung, who once inseparable until Nora’s family emigrates from South Korea to the USA. Twenty years later, with their lives having gone on completely separate paths, they are reunited by chance in New York for one fateful week as they confront the choices they had made in their lives and the notion of destined love.
Greatest Days
17 June 2024 – Showmax
And now for something FAR less deep! If you’re a fan of 90s British boy band Take That, you’ve probably heard of The Band. Yes, that’s a title not a noun. Debuting in 2017 at the Manchester Opera House before going a hit tour across the UK and Ireland, The Band is a “jukebox” stage musical featuring music and lyrics by Take That (think Mamma Mia! and ABBA). The show follows four women, who as teenaged best friends were obsessed with “the band” aka Take That, who have lost contact with each other as they grew older. However, 25 years later, the erstwhile friends reunite to fulfill their dream of actually seeing the band perform live. While The Band (that’s the musical not the actual band) is still being performed onstage for the next few years, it’s all over in the UK and Europe. But those of you sitting here in SA are in luck as a feature film adaptation, titled Greatest Days, was released laye last year. And now it finally makes its streaming debut next week!
Expend4bles
17 June 2024 – Showmax
Look, I’m not going to beat around the bush here. You know exactly what type of movie Expend4bles movie is going to be, especially after you look at how they’ve now included the number “4” into the title. Once heralded as the Avengers: Endgame of classic action stars, Sylvester Stallone and Jason Statham’s Expendables series started off solid with the 2010 first film then peaked with the ridiculously entertaining 2012 sequel. The Expendables 3 though, with its attempt to pull in the younger crowd, was a massive critical dud and a box office flop that couldn’t make its money back once advertising and promo costs were taken into consideration. Thus, it came as quite a surprise when Lionsgate greenlit another film and this time with a significantly reduced role for Stallone. But even the inclusion of Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson and Megan Fox, and reliable action director Scott Waugh behind the camera, could stop Expend4bles from bombing even harder than its predecessor, grossing only $51 million off a $100 million budget. All of that being said though, if you’re looking to just switch off your brain and watch people get punched and things explode, this is the movie for you. And it won’t cost you the price of a ticket.
Outstanding: A Comedy Revolution
18 June 2024 – Netflix
Eddie Izzard, Wanda Sykes, Tig Notaro, Rosie O’Donnell, Lily Tomlin, Margaret Cho. These are some of the more recognizable names in stand-up comedy both today and over the last few decades. And they all have one thing in common: being queer. Outstanding: A Comedy Revolution is a feature length documentary, the first of its kind, to explore the history of queer stand-up comedy. Featuring the names above and more, the doc looks at how queer comedians – whether they intended to or not =helped change the world, one joke at a time, as they challenged what was considered cultural norms.
Black Barbie
19 June 2024 – Netflix
Doubling down on feature film documentaries tackling social issues, Black Barbie tells the story of how the first Black Barbie doll came to be in 1980. A historic moment with significant impact, brought about by three iconic black women at Mattel, the creation of this one doll changed the toy industry and highlighted the importance of representation and how dolls can be crucial to the formation of identity and imagination.
Polite Society
20 June 2024 – Showmax
I am really annoyed that I missed Polite Society when it played in cinemas, especially after friends told me how much fun they had with it, but now I can finally make up for that oversight. Written and directed by debut feature filmmaker Nida Manzoor, this British martial arts action comedy (yeesh, that’s a mouthful) follows Ria Khan (Priya Kansara), a teenage martial artist-in-training with dreams of becoming a movie stunt performer. She lives out these dreams in martial arts short films she creates with her older sister, Lena (Ritu Arya), an art school dropout who now lives at home again with their very traditional parents. When Lena decides to give up her own dreams to get married after just a few whirlwind weeks, Ria becomes convinced that her sister is doing this against her will to please her parents. And after enlisting the help of her friends, Ria attempts to pull off the most ambitious of all wedding heists in the name of independence and sisterhood.
VOD RENTALS/PURCHASES
The following movies have recently become available for digital purchase/rental:
Ordinary Angels
Purchase: Apple TV – R170 / Google TV – R173
Rental: Apple TV – R45 / Google TV – R40
If you’re looking to feel some feelings this weekend, Ordinary Angels has you covered. Starring two-time Oscar winner Hilary Swank and the very popular Alan Ritchson, the faith-based drama is based on the true events that transpired during the 1994 North American Cold Wave that claimed over 100 lives. It follows Swanks’ Sharon Stevens, a hard drinking hair salon owner who may run a very successful business, but her life is a mess. After a particularly bad drinking session, she randomly comes across the story of Michelle Schmitt, a 5-year-old who lost her mother in the Cold Wave and is now in desperate need of a very expensive liver transplant that is absolutely impossible for her blue-collar worker father Ed (Ritchson) to afford. Making use of fundraisers and hardheaded resilience in the face of corporate capitalism, Sharon decides that the best way to get her own life right is to help out this family. Expect to cry.