Arnie’s first TV series and a White Men Can’t Jump remake lead streaming releases this week, alongside indie award-winners The Whale and Triangle of Sadness, blockbusters threequels Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania and Creed 3, and more!
MOVIES
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
Disney+ – 17 May 2023
If you missed it in cinemas earlier this year – and judging by the film’s relatively shrunken box office earnings, that would be a lot of you – you can now check out Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania on Disney+ locally. Just like Tracy, I found this Marvel entry to be a mixed bag. Jonathan Majors’ Kang was superb and there’s some gorgeous visuals and great character beats, but it’s also got rushed plotlines, teeeeerrible CGI (oh man, you’ll know it when you see it), and some really frustrating writing in places. It’s nowhere near the worst Marvel entry, but it definitely feels like a misstep, especially when sandwiched in between the brilliant Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
White Men Can’t Jump
Disney+ – 19 May 2023
Yo, where my fellow 90s kids at?! Originally released in 1992, White Men Can’t Jump starred Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson as a pair of basketball hustlers who reluctantly start off as partners only to end up as friends after a series of setbacks and triumphs. And now you youngsters of today get your own version. Written by Black-ish creator Kenya Barris this modern-day remake sees Sinqua Wallis take on the the cocky streetballer role originally played by Snipes, while rapper Jack Harlow makes his acting debut as the ex-college basketball player who hustles marks due to their assumption that he can’t play because he’s white and nerdy looking. Based on the trailer, the basic framework of the original’s plot is still there with the awkward duo having to work together to get out of their respective financial woes, but the original was praised for being more than just a sports film, as it had all sorts of personal drama and didn’t pull punches with a very bittersweet ending. Will this remake match up? Early critical buzz is overwhelmingly negative on that, but you can check it out for yourself and decide as the Hulu original film drops on Disney+ today.
Creed III
Apple TV – 19 May 2023
Let’s be honest: Nobody expected Creed to actually be good. Instead, the 2015 Rocky franchise revival would haymaker everybody’s expectations and go on to get several award wins and nominations, catapulting writer/director Ryan Coogler into mainstream success. And while Coogler didn’t return for its sequel, that follow-up ended up being a surprisingly good movie once again. And then quite recently we got Creed 3, a movie marking the first time in franchise history that original star Sylvester Stallone didn’t appear, with new star Michael B. Jordan fully stepping into the spotlight on his own. He is also stepped behind the camera making his directorial debut. And again, it was surprisingly good (though with some issues) as we witnessed the next stage in the career of heavyweight boxing champ Adonis Creed after a spectre from his past (played by Jonathan Majors) resurfaces to challenge him for the crown. With Creed III being released by the Amazon-owned MGM, it’s only a matter of time before it will be available for streaming on Prime Video (where the rest of the franchise resides), but for now you can rent it on Apple TV.
Asterix and Obelix: The Middle Kingdom
Netflix – 19 May 2023
I grew up on the books and cartoons of Asterix and Obelix, but I can’t say I was a big fan of the live-action film adapations. They’ve been popular enough for several to be made though, and the latest of these is Asterix and Obelix: The Middle Kingdom. There are two things that makes this latest French-language production intriguing though: 1) this is the first Asterix & Obelix live-action film not based on the classic comics but rather an original screenplay, and 2) alongside Guillaume Canet and Gilles Lellouche as the titular Gaul heroes (with Canet also directing), the cast boasts the likes of Vincent Cassel as Julius Caesar, Marion Cotillard as Cleopatra, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic (yes, that Zlatan!) as a Roman centurion named Caius Antivirus!
Triangle of Sadness
Showmax – 22 May 2023
Often spoken about in the same breath as the brilliant The Menu, Triangle of Sadness is 2022’s other critically-acclaimed dark and twisty drama-comedy in which food features prominently. However, whereas The Menu is all about consuming food, this Oscar-nominee is more about the violent expulsion of it. Well, at least for one now viral and infamously absurd scene that needs to be seen to be believed. With a scathing and unrelenting critique on the super wealthy upper class, Triangle of Sadness follows the crew and passengers of a luxury cruise when things go very wrong while at sea.
The Whale
Google Play Movie – 15 May 2023
This was nearly the big one that got away! Slipping in under the radar this past week actually, Darren Aranofsky’s multiple award-winning drama The Whale is now available for rent on Google Play Movies for just R35. The film stars Brendan Fraser as a morbidly obese and reclusive man who teaches English online, who attempts to connect with his estranged teenage daughter (Sadie Sink). For his heartbreaking performance, Fraser ended up winning the Oscar, SAG Award, and Critics Choice Award for Best Actor, while the film also won the Osar for Best Makeup and Styling for transforming Fraser for the role. The Whale was also nominated for more Oscars (including costar Hong Chau for Best Supporting Actress), Golden Globes, BAFTAs, and more. And now you can see what the fuss was about in the comfort of your home.
SERIES
American Born Chinese S1
Disney+ – 24 May 2023
If you’re still hyped after the multiversal awesomeness of Everything Everywhere All At Once, let me point you to American Born Chinese. Yes, it swaps a surreal reality-swapping sci-fi action-drama style for a mythologically-inspired comic book adaptation, but this new Disney+ series boasts the talents of Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, Stephanie Hsu and James Hong! They support lead Ben Wang as Jin Wang, a teenager struggling with both high school and family life. Forced to chaperone new Taiwanese exchange student Wei-Chen (Jim Liu), Jin soon has his life turned upside down when he discovers that the nerdy Wei-Chen is actually a demigod from the realm of Chinese mythology who needs help in completing his mission against Daniel Wu’s Sun Wukong aka the Monkey King. This one looks really fun!
Platonic S1
Apple TV+ – 24 May 2023
The duo of Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne were fantastic together in Bad Neighbours, and now they’re reteaming with writer/director Nick Stoller for Platonic, a new comedy series he co-created/co-wrote with frequent collaborator Francesco Delblanco. This new 30-minute comedy series stars Rogen and Byrne as former childhood best friends who reconnect years after falling out when each of them goes through turmoil in their adult lives – he gets divorced and she’s going through a mid-life crisis. They try to help each other out, despite the strain their crazy actions place on their current lives.
The Clearing S1
Disney+ – 24 May 2023
The Family was an Australian “New Age” group formed in the mid-1960s which gained infamy for being one of the few female-led religious cults to emerge. Adapted from In the Clearing, author J.P. Pomare’s fictionalized accounting of the real-life horrific events that took place five decades ago, eight-episode miniseries The Clearing stars Teresa Palmer as a woman forced to confront the nightmares of her past in order to stop a secret cult intent on gathering children to fulfil its master plan.
FUBAR S1
Netflix – 25 May 2023
It’s actually quite surprising given his long and storied career, but FUBAR marks action legend Arnold Schwarzenegger’s very first foray into the world of TV series. Despite the format change, the Governator is in familiar territory though as the upcoming Netflix series sees him starring as Luke Brunner, a recently retired bad-ass CIA operative who has kept his espionage job a secret from his family his whole career. Little does he know that his adult daughter Emma (Monica Barbaro) is also a CIA spy who has kept her job secret as well. The two uncover each other’s subterfuge though when Luke is forced out of retirement to rescue his daughter (who really doesn’t want to live in her father’s shadow) after one of her missions go awry. Both familial and spy-action chaos ensues!