It’s February, the month of love, but there’s nothing really in terms of conventional romances in this coming week’s streaming releases though. The closest we get is the VOD debut of Jennifer Lopez/Josh Duhamel rom-com action flick Shotgun Wedding and the fourth season premiere of twisted relationship thriller series You. As for the rest it’s a mix of drama, thrillers, horror, and more.
SERIES
The Reunion S1
Showmax – 1 February 2023
I have to admit I’m a tad bit out of the loop when it comes French psychological thriller novels, so I don’t know Guillaume Musso’s original international bestseller, ‘La Jeune Fille et la Nuit’. However, this TV series adaptation starring Ioan Gruffudd seems like it’s doing a great job of selling the mystery that kept readers turning pages obsessively. You can do the modern-day digital equivalent by just hitting “next episode” as the full season is out now to binge on Showmax.
American Gigolo S1
Showmax – 6 February 2023
Ever since his breakout role on The Walking Dead, Jon Bernthal has been nothing short of amazing in just about everything he does. And this time, he’s taking on an iconic role in American Gigolo, a TV series remake of writer/director Paul Schrader’s 1980 feature film of the same name starring Richard Gere. Bernthal takes over Gere’s role of Julian Kaye, a man exonerated 15 years after being arrested for a murder he didn’t commit, who tries to make a living as a sex worker in an out-of-touch modern-day Los Angeles while trying to uncover the truth about who set him up for the murder charge in the first place. Heads up though: The show was cancelled after a single season, but we’ll take all the Jon Bernthal we can get.
Alaska Daily S1
Disney+ – 8 February 2023
No, this is most definitely not a remake of Northern Exposure, as instead of comedy we get this intense drama-thriller starring Hilary Swank as a former high-profile investigative journalist from New York who moves to Anchorage, Alaska for a clean start both personally and professionally. However, when she and another reporter at the small Anchorage newspaper she joins start looking into a story involving the murder and disappearance of a string of indigenous woman, they start uncovering a grim, overlooked tale of human tragedy.
You S4
Netflix – 9 February 2023
Hey, look. Everybody’s favourite creepo boyfriend is back! It’s still a bit bizarre to me that a show about an obsessive serial killer has been as successful as this has been, but I guess we love our love stories very twisted and dark! As the title of the trailer above mentions, this is only Part 1 of the fourth season, consisting of just five episodes. The five-episode Part 2 will only be dropping in March.
MOVIES
Shotgun Wedding
Google Play Movies/Apple TV – 2 February 2023
Shotgun Wedding, the movie with probably the craziest plot twist in a trailer for 2022, is still playing in cinemas locally. However, thanks to the movie’s international release on Amazon Prime Video yesterday, us South Africans get the option of watching it home as well. So, if you don’t feel like carting off to the cinema to watch Jennifer Lopez and Josh Duhamel’s fairy tale tropical wedding ruined when terrorists attack the island, forcing the married couple to go all John McClane on them, you can grab it off Apple TV or Google Play Movie. Please note: It’s only available for purchase currently and not rental, but it will still cost you the equivalent of just one cinema ticket.
The Lost Daughter
Showmax – 2 February 2023
The Lost Daughter is another weird case of us missing out on a movie getting an international release on a streamer. In this case, it’s a rather noteworthy entry as actress-turned-filmmaker Maggie Gyllenhaal’s directorial debut notched up three Oscar nominations last year for Best Actress for star Olivia Colman, Best Supporting Actress for Jessie Buckley, and Best Adapted Screenplay for Gyllenhaal herself for adapting Elena Ferrante’s novel of the same name. Originally debuting on Netflix in other regions, it’s now finally hitting Showmax locally, allowing you to check out this psychological thriller about college professor (Colman) whose chance meeting and subsequent unexplained obsession with a woman and her daughter prompt the unearthing of unsettling memories of her own early motherhood.
Viking Wolf
Netflix – 3 February 2023
Viking Wolf. That name alone made me watch this new Norwegian supernatural thriller (originally titled Vikingulven). I mean, who doesn’t want to see a wolf that is also a Viking? Ok maybe that may not be too accurate a description for what happens in this gripping werewolf creature feature, but damn it, I want it to be.
True Spirit
Netflix – 3 February 2023
And on the complete opposite end of the movie scale, we have True Spirit. Based on a true story, this Australian biopic tells the story of Jessica Watson (played by Titans actress Teagan Croft aka Raven), a young Aussie sailor who at age 16 became the youngest person to ever sail solo, non-stop around the world.