SERIES
Blood Psalms S1
Showmax – 28 September 2022
Just last week I was saying how rarely we get local fantasy fare, and now we have one of the biggest yet. Set “in Ancient Africa, one thousand days after the fall of Atlantis”, Blood Psalms is a lavish new co-production between Showmax and Canal+ that tells of “the five surviving houses of Kemet [who] find themselves beset with fears of a prophesied end of days.” Created by Jahmil XT Qubeka and Layla Swart – the director and producer of multiple award-winning feature film Knuckle City – this fantasy epic boasts a huge ensemble cast led by Bokang Phelane, as Princess Zazi, “a fiercely determined teenage princess who must navigate primordial curses, long-standing ancestral vendettas, and her inexplicable role as the damning prophecy’s chief harbinger”.
Eat the Rich: The Gamestop Saga
Netflix – 28 September 2022
In January 2021, one of the most astonishing David vs Goliath battles ever recorded played out when members of a Reddit forum discovered that a bunch of Wall Street fat cats were planning to make a lot of money off the failure of long-ailing video game store Gamestop and decided to do something about it. The actions of those Redditors would spark interest from all corners of the globe and kick off a series of events that saw the rise and fall of millions of dollars in the process. This new limited-series documentary takes a look at just what actually happened.
Around the World in 80 Days S1
Netflix – 28 September 2022
Originally released on the BBC in the UK back in January, Around the World in 80 Days now finally hits local screens thanks to Netflix. This latest adaptation of Jules Verne’s beloved classic novel stars none other than fan-favourite actor David Tennant but this time he’s got no time-travelling blue police boxes to help him get around. He’s got to do it the really old-fashioned way!
MOVIES
A Jazzman’s Blues
Netflix – 23 September 2022
Tyler Perry may be most well-known for his Madea persona, but the multi-hyphenate is capable of much more than just being an “angry black woman”. And a Jazzman’s Blues is definitely Perry flexing all his creative muscles as he writes, directs, and produces this sweeping drama about star-crossed lovers set in the America south during the days of racial segregation. Joshua Boone stars as Bayou, a young black musician, who is forbidden from being with Solea Pfeiffer’s Leanne, a young black woman who can pass for white whose family see her as their means to a higher station in life.
Lou
Netflix – 23 September 2022
When Liam Neeson and director Pierre Morel released Taken in 2008, I doubt they knew they would be creating their own sub-genre of films featuring veteran dramatic actors taking on action movies in which they play seemingly unassuming characters with a particular set of skills. Now, 14 years later, we have the latest in this continuously burgeoning genre with Lou. This one stars Oscar winner Allison Janney as the surly loner neighbour to Jurnee Smollet’s young single mother. When the latter’s daughter mysteriously disappears from their home during a storm, she begrudgingly turns to the older woman for help, only to find out that she has a very deadly past.
Athena
Netflix – 23 September 2022
French filmmaker Romain Gavras shot to fame directing Grammy-nominated music videos such as Jay-Za and Kanye West’s “No Church in the Wild”, and now he’s showing his skills in the feature film department. Athena is his latest offering, a tense and gritty drama packed with social commentary which follows three brothers whose brother is brutally killed, triggering chaos in their neighbourhood.
Full Metal Alchemist: The Final Alchemy
Netflix – 24 September 2022
The first part of this two-part finale to live-action anime adaptation Full Metal Alchemist dropped last month, and now the The Final Alchemy is finally here. This trilogy ender completes the story of state alchemist Edward Elric and his younger armour-inhabiting brother Alphonse as they battle the forces of evil.
Blonde
Netflix – 28 September 2022
Few Hollywood stars have managed to capture the imagination and attention of the world such as Marilyn Monroe. But while the “blonde bombshell” actress/singer/model’s roles turned her into the most desirable woman in the world, her personal life was a tragedy of addiction, mood disorders, failed relationships, and abuse. In Blonde, director Andrew Dominik and star Ana de Armas shines the spotlight on this lesser-told side of the iconic sex symbol’s life… but with a spin. Based on Joyce Carol Oates’ 2000 novel of the same name, this is a fictionalized account of what happened in Monroe’s life, an approach which has drawn some criticism with claims of it being exploitative and overly dramatized. According to all though, it’s worth it for de Armas’ tour-de-force performance.