Only two movies in this week’s streaming releases with the early VOD release of Mufasa: The Lion King and the streaming debut of indie horror Late Night with the Devil, but plenty of series entries led by Steven “Peaky Blinders” Knight’s new British gangster drama A Thousand Blows.
SERIES
A Thousand Blows S1
21 February 2025 – Disney+
The Immortal Man, the long-awaited feature film conclusion to much-beloved British period crime drama series Peaky Blinders is currently in post-production, but that isn’t the only thing on creator Steven Knight’s plate. Inspired by the true-life stories of a group of characters battling for survival in the brutal East End of London in the 1880s, A Thousand Blows is Knight’s brand-new British period crime drama series, and much like his earlier hit, it’s also based on real historical figures from London’s seedier past. The show follows Hezekiah Moscow and Alec Munroe, best friends from Jamaica, who find themselves thrust into the criminal underbelly of London’s thriving bare-knuckle boxing scene, run by its self-declared emperor, Sugar Goodson (played by a burly Stephen Graham). Hezekiah and Alec also attract the attention of Mary Carr, the “Queen” of the Forty Elephants, an all-female gang of thieves, who sees in the Jamaican compatriots an opportunity to attain her lofty ambitions.
Surface S2
21 February 2025 – Apple TV+
Surface has been on my watchlist on Apple TV+ for some time now, and now that season two is out, I guess should probably get around to actually watching it. The mystery drama series stars the always-great Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Sophie, a woman who has suffered a traumatic head injury that has left her with extreme memory loss. The injury is believed to be the result of a suicide attempt, but nobody – including the amnesiac Sophie – seemingly knows for sure. As Sophie embarks on a quest to put the pieces of her life back together with the help of her husband and friends, she begins to question whether or not the truth she is told is in fact the truth she has lived.
It’s Florida, Man! S1
25 February 2025 – Showmax
The “Florida Man” meme is one that has been around for years, thanks to the endless supply of absurd news stories regularly published about residents of the American state. And now those stories are being turned into televised entertainment. Billed as “Too stupid not to be true,” It’s Florida, Man brings to life some of those unbelievable, ripped-from-the-headlines tales through interviews with locals, as well as dramatic recreations of events by a rotating cast of actors and comedians, including Juliette Lewis, Anna Faris, and Jake Johnson.
Red Eye S1
25 February 2025 – Showmax
No, this isn’t an adaptation of the rather fun Wes Craven thriller (which you can watch on Netflix). Starring Richard Armitage (The Hobbit) and Jing Lusi (Crazy Rich Asians), Red Eye is a six-part British thriller series that just happens to have the same name as its Hollywood counterpart. The series follows British surgeon Dr Matthew Nolan (Artmitage) who is extradited to China to face murder charges of which he vehemently claims he is innocent and the victim of a conspiracy. Detective Sergeant Hana Li (Jusi), assigned to escort Nolan, starts to suspect there may be something to his story when their flight from London to Beijing is rocked by a series of unexplained deaths. Now she must untangle a web of political and criminal intrigue that places all passengers at risk. (To be noted: Red Eye has already been renewed for a second season).
Running Point S1
27 February 2025 – Netflix
Created by Mindy Kaling, Ike Barinholtz, and David Stassen, Running Point is a new 10-episode underdog comedy series starring Kate Hudson, Brenda Song, Justin Theroux, and more. When a scandal forces her brother to resign, Isla Gordon (Hudson) is appointed president of the Los Angeles Waves, one of the most storied professional basketball franchises, and her family business. Ambitious and often overlooked, Isla will have to prove to her skeptical brothers, the board, and the larger sports community that she was the right choice for the job.
House of David S1
27 February 2025 – Prime Video
If you’re into your Christian movies, you may know the Erwin Bros, the sibling filmmaking duo behind such genre hits as I Can Only Imagine and Woodlawn. Now one of the brothers, Jon Erwin, is turning his attention to the small screen with House of David. The upcoming Biblical series tells the origin story of David, the shepherd who, according to the Bible, slew the giant Goliath and would go onto became the most renowned and celebrated king of Israel. In addition to David’s ascent, the series follows King Saul as the once-mighty leader who descends and falls victim to his own pride. The prophet Samuel anoints the outcast teenager as the new king, per God’s directive. As Saul loses his power over his kingdom, David finds himself on a journey to discover and fulfill his destined greatness.
MOVIES
Late Night with the Devil
25 February 2025 – Netflix
Some background here: We got a notification that indie horror Late Night with the Devil was to debut on Showmax later this month, which was great news as the movie never got a local cinema release. Only to be informed that this was a mistake, and it was only hitting the local streaming service in June. Bummer. And then, lo and behold, without any early warning, I noticed yesterday on Netflix’s media portal that the movie had been added for next week! Hooray! For the uninitiated, told through a mix of documentary filmmaking and found footage, Late Night with the Devil stars David Dastmalchian (or as Tracy calls him, “That guy from that movie”) as Jack Delroy, the host of a 1970s late-night talk show. In an attempt to boost ratings, Delroy invites an allegedly possessed girl onto his show, only for things to spiral out of control monstrously live on television.
VOD RENTALS/PURCHASES
The following movies have recently become available for digital purchase/rental:
Mufasa: The Lion King
Purchase: Apple TV – R200/ Google Play Movies – R200
Rental: Apple TV – R170
Disney’s 2019 “live-action” remake of The Lion King got a very mixed review when it was released, with various critics not impressed with how director Barry Jenkins adapted the classic animated film (special mention for the too-realistic CG visuals for the animals robbing them of all their charm). The film did go on to make a whopping $1.6 billion at the box office though, so here we are six years later with “live-action” entry in the franchise. Billed as both a prequel/sequel, Mufasa: The Lion King follows a young Mufasa (voiced by Rebel Ridge breakout Aaron Pierre) growing alongside his foster brother Taka (Kelvin Harrison Jr.), who is destined to one become the villain Scar. When their pride is attacked by a group of lions called the Outsiders, led by Kiros (Madds Mikkelsen), it forces Mufasa and Taka to set off on a grueling quest to find a new home for their family, straining their relationship. And all of that sounds like a solid setup, but again, like its predecessor, Mufasa: The Lion King earned mixed reviews. As Sam noted in his 4.5/10 review, “for all its attempts to expand the mythology and explore the story of one of the franchise’s most dramatic characters, Mufasa: The Lion King does little to justify its existence as a unique piece of entertainment” as it “still suffers from an inability to achieve the entertaining liveliness of the animated original”. If you want to judge the movie for yourself though, you won’t have to fork out a small fortune to take your whole family to the cinema though as for the price of a single ticket you can now rent it at home.