Guy Ritchie’s WWII caper The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, Netflix’s YA mystery adaptation A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, and the hotly anticipated black-and-white cut of Godzilla Minus One lead this week’s streaming releases.
SERIES
The Decameron S1
25 July 2024 – Netflix
Living in 14th century Europe, in the midst of the Black Plague, was not what you might consider a fun time. Thus, it might seem like a very strange setting for a comedy, and yet that’s what we’re getting in The Decameron. Created by Teenage Bounty Hunters showrunner Kathleen Jordan (a resume that immediately got our attention) and inspired by Giovanni Boccaccio’s 14th century Italian short-story collection of the same name, The Decameron follows a number of Italian nobles who retreat to a Tuscan countryside villa with their servants to wait out the plague. Of course, as wine flows and libido’s rage, plans go awry!
Women in Blue S1
31 July 2024 – Apple TV+
There are a couple of “inspired by true events” titles on this list today, but this may be the most intriguing. Set in Mexico in 1970, Women in Blue aka Las Azules tells the story of four women who defy the ultraconservative norms of the time and join Mexico’s first female police force, only to discover that their squad is a publicity stunt to distract the media from a brutal serial killer. This leaves the women with no choice but to show up their superiors by catching this elusive target themselves.
A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder S1
1 August 2024 – Netflix
I’ve never read Holly Jackson’s 2019 YA mystery novel A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder or its four follow-ups, but I have it on good authority that it’s a fantastic book, having won and been nominated for a few awards. And now, as is so often the case with popular stories, it’s getting the live-action adaptation treatment. This one was done by the BBC and launched on 1 July in the UK, but Netflix is now airing the six-episode series everywhere else. Emma Myers (who was great in both Wednesday and Family Switch on Netflix) stars as Pip Fitz-Amobi, a young teen who has become obsessed by the killing of a local schoolgirl by her boyfriend, the latter seemingly taking his own life later in guilt. Pip is not convinced that events played out as the authorities claimed though, and with the assistance of Ravi (Zain Iqbal), the brother of the alleged murderer, takes it upon herself to solve the crime.
MOVIES
The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare
25 July 2024 – Prime Video
There was a time where it felt like director Guy Ritchie just couldn’t miss with his special brand of stylized action comedy, but then the British filmmaker went through a bit of a slump with a string of middling efforts. The brilliant Netflix series The Gentleman seemed to announce that Ritchie was back though, so does that quality carry over to his other project for this year? The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare certainly has all the right ingredients, starring popular beefy leading men Henry Cavill and Alan Ritchson in an action-packed tale actually inspired by the true story (Ok, veeeeery lightly inspired, is more accurate) of how Winston Churchill created the first covert Special Forces unit in WWII.
Godzilla Minus One/Minus Color
1 August 2024 – Netflix
About a month ago, Netflix managed to somehow sneak in a towering radioactive iguana without anybody noticing. The Oscar-winning masterpiece Godzilla Minus One got a surprise release on the streamer, allowing a much bigger audience to experience the best Godzilla movie since the genre trailblazing 1954 original. And now we get to watch the new Godzilla movie just like that original as Netflix is also getting the cleverly Godzilla Minus One/Minus Color black-and-white version! I’ve already seen this movie three times in the last year, and you can be damned sure I’m watching it again.
VOD RENTALS/PURCHASES
The following movies have recently become available for digital purchase/rental:
I.S.S
Purchase: Apple TV – R170
Rental: Apple TV – R45
Director Gabriela Cowperthwaite made her name with intense killer whale documentary Blackfish. Now she’s going from the seas to the stars to dial up the tension. I.S.S. is a new sci-fi thriller set in the near future aboard the Internation Space Station. Ariana DeBose and John Gallagher Jr, star as a pair of American astronauts joining their countryman (Chris Messina) and a contingent of Russian cosmonauts aboard the space station. But what begins with awe and camaraderie soon turns tense and potentially deadly as the group witness a series of nuclear explosions across the continental United States. As the American team leader receives a half garbled coded message that Russia has attacked the US and he needs to take control of the I.S.S. by any means necessary, it sets the stage for a dramatic standoff in a rather claustrophobic setting.
The Strangers: Chapter 1
Purchase: Apple TV – R100
Rental: Apple TV – R45
If you’re not familiar with psychological horror franchise The Strangers, allow me to untangle it. The first 2008 film, simply titled The Strangers, followed a couple who have their home invaded by three masked strangers. It claimed to be inspired by a true story (a running theme today), only to have writer/director Bryan Bertino admit he made it all up. The film made big money at the box office but got a mixed critical reception upon release. That critical estimation swung over time though to label it a cult classic and ten years later, it was followed up by sequel The Strangers: Prey at Night. This film also got a mixed reception on release which turned positive over time, which brings us to now. Announced in 2022, The Strangers: Chapter 1 is a remake of the original film and the first entry in a trilogy directed by none other than Renny Harlin, the filmmaker who made his name in the 80s and 90s with hits like Die Hard 2, Cliffhanger, The Long Kiss Goodnight, The Deep Blue Sea, and more. Harlin hasn’t had that level of success for a while, but he’s certainly taken on an ambitious project here as all three entries in this new trilogy were shot back-to-back over the course of 58 days. That is an insane shooting schedule. And judging by the 21% Rotten rating on RottenTomatoes for Chapter 1, that may not have been the wisest move. But will history repeat itself and see the critical reception swing the other way again? With the film now out on VOD, you can decide for yourself. Either way, Chapter 2 is set for release later this year, with the final installment expected sometime in 2025.