The post-holiday go-slow is definitely over as local streaming services up their release game quite substantially this week. That includes AppleTV+’s star-studded comedy murder-mystery The Afterparty, Amazon’s R-rated animated fantasy romp The Legend of Vox Machina, and a bunch of Netflix offerings like family comedy Home Team, sci-fi spy thriller series In From the Cold, Korean zombie drama All of Us Are Dead, black humour thriller parody The Woman in the House Across the Street From the Girl in the Window (yes, thats the real title) and more!
MOVIES
The Afterparty
AppleTV+ – 28 January 2022
From the minds of Phil Lord and Chris Miller (The LEGO Movie, 21 Jump Street) comes this comedy murder-mystery set in a high school reunion afterpart. Tiffany Haddish leads the cast of comedy who’s whos, each of which get an episode in which the events of the night are told not just from their POV, but also in a character-specific genre style.
Home Team
Netflix – 28 January 2022
You know exactly what you’re going to get when you have a family comedy starring Kevin James as a suspended NFL coach who coaches his son’s football team. Don’t expect any surprises here but I’m sure you’ll get some joy out of it. Also, Rob Schneider is in this and has a top-knot. Do with that what you will.
Demonic
AppleTV/Google Play Movies – 28 January 2022
Neil Blomkamp’s horror about a young woman who “unleashes terrifying demons when supernatural forces at the root of a decades-old rift between mother and daughter are ruthlessly revealed” didn’t make much of an impact when it debut in cinemas last year mid-pandemic. But if you missed it then, you can now grab it for sale on AppleTV and Google Play Movies.
My Best Friend Anne Frank
Netflix – 2 February 2022
On the complete opposite side of the entertainment spectrum, comes this Dutch-language true story drama about the friendship between Hannah Goslar and famous diarist Anne Frank, following them as young girls in Nazi-occupied Amsterdam to their reunion years later in a German concentration camp.
SERIES
The Woman in the House Across the Street From the Girl in the Window S1
Netflix – 28 January 2022
Yes, that word salad above is the actual title of this new 8-episode series starring Kristen Bell which parodies the Hitchcockian trope of the reclusive and troubled woman who thinks they’ve spotted a murder in their neighbourhood. With a combo of dark humour, absurd comedy, and some chilling mystery, this could be pretty fun.
The Legend of Vox Machina S1
Amazon Prime Video – 28 January 2022
Are you a fan of Critical Role, the web-series which sees a bunch of voice actors recording their sessions of Dungeons & Dragons? Well, then you have to check out The Legend of Vox Machina which is Amazon’s animated adaptation of the group’s first D&D campaign. And it looks pretty damn cool. Be warned: This is not one for the kids at all!
In From the Cold S1
Netflix – 28 January 2022
We’ve seen this story before: The ex-spy hiding out in Middle America suburbia whose past catches up with them. But this one comes with a sci-fi twist as our spy also has very handy shapeshifting abilities that makes her the ultimate covert asset.
All of Us Are Dead S1
Netflix – 28 January 2022
South Koreans sure do love their zombie dramas. Luckily, they’re damn good at making them! This latest addition to the genre adds the wrinkle of setting this undead nightmare in a high school.
Feria: The Darkest Light S1
Netflix – 28 January 2022
Spanish-language fantasy/horror series Feria follows two sisters who have their world turned into a nightmare after discovering that their parents were part of a supernatural death cult.
Angry Birds: Summer Madness S1
Netflix – 28 January 2022
Angry Birds has not exactly been a thing for years, but I’m sure that the kids this new animated series is aimed at won’t care about what’s in the zeitgeist or not.
Raising Dion S2
Netflix – 2 February 2022
I’ve not yet seen the first season of Raising Dion, the Michael B. Jordan-produced comic book adaptation following a single mother and son whose regular familial drama gets dialed up several notches when the young boy starts manifesting several superpowers. Maybe now is a good time to catch up.