For many South Africans, it’s officially the start of holidays today. So why not take a break from all the Christmas prep by watching the new Percy Jackson series, Bradley Cooper’s Oscars hopeful Maestro, Indiana Jones’ final adventure, and more?
SERIES
Reacher S2
15 December 2023 – Prime Video
Everybody’s favourite stoic, bus-taking, ass-kicking, man mountain, former military special investigator is back… and again just stumbling his way into trouble. Or rather, trouble finds him this time as things get a bit more personal for Alan Ritchson’s Jack Reacher after members of his old military unit start turning up dead. And if there’s one thing we know about Reacher, is that you don’t mess with the people Reacher cares about or in you’re in for a world of pain.
Carol & The End of The World S1
15 December 2023 – Netflix
A quick glance at social media media will probably have you thinking we’re facing the end of the world. But what if it was the end of the world? Not some nebulous idea, but there was actually a mysterious giant planet in the sky, hurtling towards planet Earth on a collision course that will wipe us all out in under a year? What would you do? For most people, it means a license to do anything and everything their hedonistic hearts desire, shirking all responsibilities and going wild. For Carol Kohl, the star of the bittersweet new limited series Carol & the End of the World, it means… well, she doesn’t know what it means as she’s really never wanted to do much of anything and that hasn’t changed with certain pending doom hanging over our head.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians S1
20 December 2023 – Disney+
I always thought the Percy Jackson movies we got in 2010 and 2013 to be fun fantasy adventure romps, but I had admittedly never read Rick Riordan’s books on which they were based and had nothing to compare to. Seeing the reactions from fans of those books to Disney’s new TV series adaptation of Riordan’s works though, I think it’s safe to say that we’re about to get a significantly better version of this story on-screen. Already earning positive reviews from critics (particular for its faithfulness to the source material), Percy Jackson and the Olympians stars Walker Scobell as the titular 12-year-old, who makes the startling discovery that he’s actually the demigod son of Poseidon, Greek god of the oceans. Introduced into a magical world of creatures and myths and plenty of other young half-god offspring like himself, Percy’s awestruck wonder is cut short when he is accused by Zeus, most powerful of the gods, of stealing his fabled thunderbolt.
MOVIES
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
15 December 2023 – Disney+
This is it. The final whip crack. The final doff of the fedora. One last great adventure for the great Indiana Jones! As Noelle noted in her review, The Dial of Destiny is fun and entertaining with big ideas and set pieces (the opening is incredible), and it boasts several moments of that iconic gruff Harrison Ford charm as he sends his beloved archaeological hero off into the sunset. It’s just how that proverbial sunset plays out that will prove divisive as filmmaker James Mangold swings for the fences with how he ends it all. Personally, I actually like what they do, but I understand some folks won’t. What everybody can agree on though is that this is a significantly better and more triumphant send-off for one of cinema’s greatest heroes than the misguided Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
The Family Plan
15 December 2023 – Apple TV+
There’s honestly not much new to be seen The Family Plan. Mark Wahlberg plays Dan, a mild-mannered family man, whose wife (Michelle Monaghan) just wishes their routine stereotypical suburban life could be more exciting. Except, Dan is actually a former assassin who’s been lying low this entire time. And when his cover is blown and his action-packed past catches up to the doldrums of his present, he’s forced to take his unsuspecting family on a road trip away from danger. It’s a setup we’ve seen a bunch of times, so don’t go into this one expecting a bunch of originality, but it does seem to be a fun time with Wahlberg and the always dependable Monaghan.
Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget
15 December 2023 – Netflix
It’s been 23 years since Aardman Animations’ brilliant Chicken Run saw rooster Rocky lead hen Ginger and the rest of the chickens on a daring escape from Tweedy’s farm. Now the pair, their lovely daughter Molly, and the rest of the flock are living their idyllic lives on a peaceful island sanctuary. However, when Molly’s curiosity overrules her parents’ rules on avoiding the mainland, she finds herself captured by an insidious group of humans with a dire (but tasty) new plan for chickens. And now it’s up to Ginger and her crew to get daring once more. Where they once broke out, they now need to break in, if they want to see their daughter again!
The Super Mario Bros. Movie
18 December 2023 – Showmax
It’s a-me, the record-breaking The Super Mario. Bros Movie, which became the highest grossing video game adaptation of all time with $1.3 billion worldwide earlier this year, and the second highest grossing film overall for 2023 (only beaten by Barbie). That’s pretty great for a film that faced plenty of backlash for its casting of Chris Pratt as the voice of the iconic titular plumber. Not to mention, the last time that Mario Bros. was on the big screen, it was basically the stuff of nightmares. However, what the partnership between Nintendo and Universal’s acclaimed animation studio Illumination has resulted in here is a charming, colourful, and hugely entertaining animated adventure. Not to mention, Jack Black as Bowser giving us what I believe should be the front runner at the Oscars for Best Original Song with the incredible “Peaches”!
Maestro
20 December 2023 – Netflix
Bradley Cooper was always a great actor, but with the absolutely phenomenal A Star is Born, he showed us he was also an astounding filmmaker. Now the multihyphenate is back behind and in front of the camera again for Maestro, which once again is being buzzed to net him some Oscars gold. Billed as “the towering and fearless love story chronicling the lifelong relationship between cultural icon Leonard Bernstein and Felicia Montealegre Cohn Bernstein”, Maestro been praised by critics and already earned itself four nominations at the Golden Globes for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor and Best Actress for Cooper and co-star Carey Mulligan, respectively. Film afficionados, this is definitely not one to miss!
VOD RENTALS/PURCHASES
The following movies have recently become available for digital purchase/rental:
Mafia Mamma
Purchase: Google Play Movies – R182
Rental: Google Play Movies – R46
If you’re looking for a far less serious palate cleanser after the dramatic Maestro, how about a Mafia Mamma. This action-comedy sees the always-great Toni Colette as a typical American mom who gets the news that her estranged Italian grandfather has passed away, with his “assistant” (Monica Bellucci” prompting her to have to suddenly fly to Rome to settle his affairs. There’s just one catch: Her grandfather run a full-blown mafia empire and has left it all to her run, much to her frantic dismay when the bullets start flying.