A pair of big VOD debuts courtesy of The Marvels and Five Nights at Freddy’s lead this week’s streaming releases, which also boasts Sofia Vergara’s Griselda Blanco drama series, among others!
SERIES
The Bequeathed S1
19 January 2024 – Netflix
Some of you may not know the name Yeon Sang-Ho, but you’ve probably heard of his work. The South Korean filmmaker is the man behind arguably the greatest modern zombie movie, Train to Busan, and was the showrunner on Netflix’s popular monster-filled horror series Hellbound. Now the writer/director has reteamed with the streamer for his latest project, which is something a little different. The Bequeathed is a six-episode limited series mystery thriller following a lady who unexpectedly inherits a family burial ground from a deceased uncle she didn’t know about it. Dealing with this inheritance gets tricky when her estranged half-brother shows up demanding his portion, but that’s just the mundane start of the problems as odd and unexplained events occur, hinting at something far more sinister going on.
Griselda S1
19 January 2024 – Netflix
If you only know Sofia Vergara as the loud, funny, and glamourous Gloria from Modern Family, you’re in for a big surprise with Griselda. A fictionalized accounting of the life of the real Griselda Blanco, this new drama series follows Vergara as the infamous “Godmother”, who in the 1970s/1980s, through ambition, ruthlessness, and street savvy, built one of the most powerful drug cartels in history. The show comes from Eric Newman and Andrés Baiz (who also directs all six episodes), co-creators of the brilliant Narcos and Narcos: Mexico, so they clearly know a thing or two about telling a story like this!
Hazbin Hotel S1
19 January 2024 – Prime Video
Here’s something a little different. Prime Video’s new adult musical animated series drops its curse-filled six-episode first season in full today. If you’re not a subscriber and want a better feel for what the show is actually about, you could go watch a trailer. Or you could watch the entire first episode, which Prime Video has made available on YouTube for everyone! What’s the show about though? Charlie Morningstar is the Princess of Hell, whose domain is unfortunately facing an overpopulation problem… that and nobody thinks her goal of rehabilitating demons is possible. But with the support of her partner Vaggie, Charlie is about to solve both problems with Hazbin Hotel, a hell-ish halfway house that can hopefully show that everybody deserves a second chance!
MOVIES
Sixty Minutes
19 January 2024 – Netflix
The plot for high-octane German action thriller Sixty Minutes is really simple. MMA fighter Octavio is about to have the biggest fight of his life, when a call from his ex informs him that if he doesn’t make it to his daughter’s birthday party on the other side of the city in one hour, he will lose custody of her forever. Octavio is now on a race against the clock… but also against the thugs he had made a deal with to earn them big money in the fight he was now abandoning, and they are not ready to let him go.
Shazam! Fury of the Gods
22 January 2024 – Showmax
With the release of the utterly disappointing Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, the DCEU is now officially dead. So, I could understand if you missed last year’s Shazam! Fury of the Gods in cinemas and didn’t put in too much effort to rectify that. However, the Zachary Levy-led superhero sequel is now available on Showmax, and while I think overall it’s a decent enough film to keep you entertained/distracted for two hours, I would say it’s worth watching for the letter reading scene alone. Yes, I know you don’t know what that is, but just trust me on this one. Of course, it features the great Helen Mirren and is possible the best singular moment on-screen in the entirety of the DCEU’s stunted existence.
VOD RENTALS/PURCHASES
The following movies have recently become available for digital purchase/rental:
The Marvels
Purchase: Apple TV – R170
Speaking of superhero sequels, the surprisingly entertaining The Marvels has just made its VOD debut. The film definitely has its flaws, but Iman Vellani’s Kamala Khan and her family are just hilarious perfection, Brie Larson’s Carol Danvers gets some decent development, and the dynamic action – the result of Captain Marvel, Ms. Marvel, and Monica Rambeau’s powers becoming quantum entangled, causing them to switch places every time they use them – makes for some truly inventive spectacle. Also, there’s a scene involving “cats” that just has to be seen to be believed. Unfortunately, if you want to do that seeing right now, The Marvels is only available for purchase at the moment. Rental options should be available within the week though, and a Disney+ release looks likely for the middle-to-end of February.
Five Nights at Freddy’s
Purchase: Apple TV – R170 / Google Play Movies – R171
Rental: Apple TV – R45 / Google Play Movies – R46
Having never played a single Five Nights at Freddy’s title, I honestly cannot tell you if the recent movie is a worthwhile adaptation of the popular horror video game franchise which follows a new security guard at an abandoned family restaurant/entertainment centers trying to survive after the animatronic mascots come to life with homicidal intentions. What I can tell you is that this was definitely one of those critics vs. general public situations where the film garnered terrible reviews but went on to become horror studio Blumhouse Productions’ highest-grossing film ever, earning $294 million worldwide on just a $20 million budget. That is a HUGE return on investment, which very quickly led to the greenlighting of a sequel, so I guess we need to watch this one now.