Unlike last week, there aren’t any blockbusters in the new streaming release schedule. However, there’s still good entertainment in the form of TMNT: Mutant Mayhem, romcom The Idea of You, Korean disaster series Goodbye Earth, and more.
SERIES
Goodbye Earth S1
26 April 2024 – Netflix
Over the last few years, you would be forgiven for thinking the world was ending. But what if it really was ending? What if a giant meteor was heading to Earth and you only had 200 days left before the ensuing extinction level event? In South Korean sci-fi drama Goodbye Earth, in the Korean Peninsula identified as ground zero it is utter chaos, with clashes between those who believe the reports of the impending impact and those who think it’s just a hoax. But when a young boy ends up dead during one of these protests, his middle school teacher, traumatized by his death, decides to do something about, knowing that there’s no tomorrow anyway.
Fellow Travelers S1
26 April 2024 – Showmax
I’ll be honest, I hadn’t heard of Fellow Travelers before this week. I feel like I should have though, given that the eight-episode miniseries adaptation of Thomas Mallon’s novel of the same name saw itself winning at the Critic’s Choice Awards, Satellite Awards, and GLAAD Media Awards, while also being nominated for both Limited Series and Best Actor at the Golden Globes. In other words, this is not one to miss especially if you’re interested in layered queer stories as it follows Matt Bomer’s Hawkins Fuller, a State Dept. official in 1950s US who vigilantly has to hide his homosexuality. A chance encounter with Jonathan Bailey’s young and idealistic congressional staffer Tim Laughlin kicks off a volatile, decades-long romance that spans “the Vietnam War protests of the 1960s, the drug-fueled disco hedonism of the 1970s and the AIDS crisis of the 1980s”.
Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story S1
26 April 2024 – Disney+
Bon Jovi is one of the greatest bands of all time (responsible for the greatest 80s rock song ever, in my opinion, with “Livin’ on a Prayer”), showing of an incredible longevity as they kept producing hits decades after debuting in the Billboard Top 40 in 1984. The band, fronted by Jon Bon Jovi, has won several Grammy, Billboard, MTV, VH1, American Music, and World Music awards across 16 albums and nearly 20 international tours as recently as 2022 (with a South African stint in there as well, which I was lucky enough to attend). But all that success has not been smooth sailing. There have been several bumps and a whole lot of hard work along the way. Thank You, Goodnight is an exclusive four-part documentary series taking an in-depth look into how this iconic musical outfit got started and how they achieved all their accolades. Described as a “40-year odyssey of rock and roll”, this is a must-watch for fans.
Shardlake S1
1 May 2024 – Disney+
Step right up and place your bets! How long until Sean Bean dies in this new drama series? Well, given the fact that the frequently killed off British actor happens to be playing the real-life Thomas Cromwell in this adaptation of CJ Samson’s best-selling novel series, I think he’s safe for now (well, until he wasn’t, historically speaking). The Shardlake historical mystery series follows Matthew Shardlake, a hunchbacked barrister in Tudor Era England who is sent by Cromwell to investigate the murder of one of his commissioners at a monastery in a remote coastal town. Surrounded by so-called men of God, Shardlake has to unravel who doesn’t really care for the Fifth Commandment.
A Man in Full S1
2 May 2024 – Netflix
I always find it odd that most of us really got to know Jeff Daniels as a braindead goofball in Dumb and Dumber, whereas the latter part of his career has been nothing but tour de force dramatic roles. And now he has another in A Man in Full, Netflix’s six-episode miniseries adaptation of Tom Wolfe’s acclaimed 1998 novel of the same name. The show follows Daniels’ Charlie Croker, a powerful real estate mogul who ruled his city but suddenly finds himself in an unexpected position: Bankruptcy. As his many enemies and even friends swarm in to profit from his fall from grace, Croker has to use all his business and political savvy to defend his crumbling empire.
T・P Bon S1
2 May 2024 – Netflix
If you asked me to tell you everything I know about popular long-running manga/anime series Doraemon, I would only be able to tell you that Doraemon is a popular long-running manga/anime series. Oh, and there’s a blue robot cat. Creator Fujiko F. Fujio’s sci-fi adventure tale has millions of fans worldwide and they’re all in for a treat with T・P Bon (yes, it’s annoyingly written like that), the long awaited first anime adaption of Fujio’s other story set in the same world as Doraemon. This one follows Bon, a junior high school student who by chance becomes a member of Time Patrol, the time-traveling organization tasked with saving those people who died unfortunate deaths but who don’t significantly alter the course of history. Just a word of warning: T・P Bon does a fantastic job of replicating the world of Doraemon, even nailing its 1970s art aesthetic, but according to fans, unlike the kid-friendly Doraemon, this story gets very sombre and dark.
MOVIES
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem
28 April 2024 – Showmax
Cowabunga, dudes! I missed visually striking Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem when it dropped in cinemas last year. That was despite Noelle declaring in her 8.5/10 review that it “delivers the entertainment goods for older animation enthusiasts and Turtles fans young and old”, and that director Jeff Rowe (The Mitchells vs. the Machines) and writer/producer Seth Rogen (Superbad) manages to give “a fresh, fun take on those heroes in a half shell, who actually feel like real, relatable teenagers for once”. Well, Mutant Mayhem finally makes its local streaming debut on Showmax next week, and I’m definitely not missing it then.
The Idea of You
2 May 2024 – Prime Video
If you like both romance and boy bands, then you’re in for a treat with The Idea of You. Directed and co-written by Hot Wet American Summer creator Michael Showalter, follows Anne Hathaway as Solène Marchand, a 40-year-old single mom, who – only on her ex-husband’s request – takes her teenage daughter to Coachella to see August Moon, a famous boy band (clearly inspired by the real One Direction) perform. Expecting to be bored, Solène very unexpectedly finds herself the romantic interest of Hayes Campbell (Nicholas Galitzine), the 24-year-old lead singer of August Moon. The age difference would already add complications to their budding romance, but throw in the fact that one is a global superstar whose every move is tracked by paparazzi, and things get really tricky.