Good Omens is back for more devilishly good fun, while GOTG Vol.3 debuts on Disney+ in this week’s streaming releases. We also have John Cena teaming up with Jackie Chan, and the VOD debuts of The Flash, Fast X, and The Little Mermaid!
SERIES
Good Omens S2
Prime Video – 28 July 2023
Everybody’s favourite angel and demon duo is back! Martin Sheen and David Tenant return as Aziraphale and Crowley, respectively, in the much anticipated second season of Good Omens! With writer Neil Gaiman having already adapted all of his and the late, great Terry Pratchett’s beloved original 1990 novel in the first season, this one is a totally original story. And it looks just as good as the first, focusing on the fallout in both Heaven and Hell, when the Archangel Gabriel (Jon Hamm) suddenly abandons his celestial post and shows up in Aziraphale’s bookstore, much to Crowley’s sneering dismay.
Physical S3
AppleTV+ – 2 August 2023
I must admit that I’m yet to watch season two of Physical, but I need to fix that soon as the third and final season of the critically acclaimed show kicks off next week. The fantastic Rose Byrne is back in the 1980s set comedy-drama as the neglected-housewife-with-an-eating-disorder-turned-VHS-fitness-guru who saw her burgeoning empire hit all kinds of roadblocks in the show’s sophomore season, including her marriage and the rise of competitors, which may threated to undo everything she built with her literal blood, sweat, and tears.
The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart S1
Prime Video – 4 August 2023
I pride myself on keeping up to date with new TV series and movies, but I have to admit that I had never heard of The Lost Flowers of Alice Heart before yesterday, and I have no idea how that could have happened. Starring screen legend Sigourney Weaver alongside the super talented Alicia Debnam-Carey, Frankie Adams, and more, this seven-episode drama series adapts Australian author Holly Ringland’s novel of the same name about a young girl (Debnam-Carey playing the older version, while newcomer Alyla Browne plays the younger) from a violent upbringing who is orphaned in a fiery tragedy, and goes to live with her grandmother (Weaver) on a flower farm that doubles as a refuge for women. But there are some dark secrets and more than a little bit of emotional drama to be found among the flowers.
MOVIES
The Beanie Bubble
AppleTV+ – 28 July 2023
Yo, where my 1990s kids at?! If you were a fan of the Beanie Babies toys back in the day, then this one is for you. Actually, given AppleTV+ recent successes in turning potentially niche biopics about pop culture crazes into gripping viewing (here’s looking at you, Tetris: The Movie), this one is for everyone! An eerily beardless Zack Galifianakis, Elizabeth Banks, and Sarah Snook star in The Beanie Bubble, the untold story of one the hottest toy crazes of the ’90s, and all the behind-the-scenes personal drama that threatened to undo it all.
Hidden Strike
Netflix – 28 July 2023
Want to see John Cena and Jackie Chan kick ass in an action movie together? Of course, you do! Do you care that said movie is filled with more cheap-ass CGI than should be legally allowed, even for scenes as simple as people just standing around outside? Well, that’s a bit more tenuous. And we just won’t talk about that but will instead point out again that it’s John Cena and Jackie Chan kicking ass in a movie together!
Don’t Worry Darling
Showmax – 31 July 2023
Leading up to Don’t Worry Darling’s cinematic release last year, everybody was talking about the movie. But not actually about the movie. With director Olivia Wilde and star Harry Styles’ very public affair seemingly splitting the cast into those that sided with Wilde and those still in the corner of her popular actor fiancé Jason Sudeikis, the behind-the-scenes antics generated enough drama to make a whole other film. The one we got though, by the way, saw Styles and Florence Pugh star as Jack and Alice Chambers, a loving 1950s American couple who move to a remote company town founded by Jack’s charismatic boss (Chris Pine). But this suburbia is not as idyllic as it appears, and as Alice notices more odd events, cracks start to form in both her psyche and her marriage. Is the movie itself as good as the messy drama that surround its production? Well, you can check it out on Showmax and decide for yourself.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3
Disney+ – 2 August 2023
In my opinion, the very best movie Marvel Studios has done since Avengers: Endgame wrapped up the MCU’s first major arc, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3 is an incredible, inventive, fun, and HEART BREAKING (oh man, are you some of you going to need tissues for this one!) last hurrah for the lovable band of cosmic misfits led by Chris Pratt’s Star-Lord. The soundtrack is superb, the action is fantastic, the family chemistry is off the charts, and writer/director James Gunn clearly poured every ounce of emotion he had into crafting his final Marvel tale. And now, if you somehow didn’t watch GOTG3 on the big screen, you can finally experience all of that for yourself as the film will hit Disney+ next week.
VOD RENTALS/PURCHASES
The following movies have recently become available for digital purchase/rental:
Knights of the Zodiac (aka Saint Seiya: The Beginning)
Rental: Apple TV – R45
Purchase: Apple TV – R130/ Google Play Movies – R135
The Flash
Rental: Apple TV – R170 / Google Play Movies – R170
Purchase: Apple TV – R200 / Google Play Movies – R212
Fast X
Purchase: Apple TV – R150/Google Play Movies – R160
The Little Mermaid
Purchase: Apple TV – R150/Google Play Movies – R169