Let’s f–king go! Billion-dollar blockbuster Deadpool & Wolverine makes its VOD debut this week, leading the streaming releases alongside the new Hayley Atwell-voiced Tomb Raider animated series, and film festival horror-comedy breakout It’s What’s Inside.
SERIES
Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War S3
Disney+ – 5 October 2024
Anime fans, rejoice! After what felt like a thousand years (actually just been one), season 3 of Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War is finally here. The revival of the iconic 2000s anime series (which along with Naruto and One Piece formed the Big Three) has had two seasons on Disney+ thus far and we’ve now hit the halfway mark. Like its predecessors, season 3 will consist of 13 episodes, with a final season then dropping sometime later next year.
La Máquina S1
Disney+ – 9 October 2024
Three of the most talented Mexican actors in Hollywood today team up for this Spanish-language boxing drama. After a devastating loss, Esteban “La Máquina” Osuna (Gael García Bernal) is at a low point in his boxing career. Lucky for him, his manager and best friend Andy Lujan (Diego Luna) is determined to get him back on top. But when a nefarious organization rears its head, the stakes of this rematch become life or death. While struggling to mount a comeback, Esteban must also juggle his own personal demons and protect his family, including his ex-wife Irasema (Eiza González), a journalist who finds herself on a collision course with the dark side of the boxing world.
Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft S1
Netflix – 10 October 2024
In what is easily Noelle’s highlight for the whole month, Tomb Raider is making its way to the small screen. And it’s animated! Picking up directly after the events of the recent reboot trilogy (Tomb Raider, RIse of the Tomb Raider, Shadow of the Tomb Raider), this new animated series sees the perfectly cast Hayley Atwell voice intrepid explorer Lara Croft. The story follows Lar after she’s abandoned her circle of friends to tackle increasingly more perilous solo adventures. But when there’s a break-in at Croft Manor, and the culprit has an unexpected personal connection to Lara, she is forced to return home and confront truths about herself, and decide just what kind of hero she wants to become.
MOVIES
Hold Your Breath
Disney+ – 3 October 2024
Streamers have slowly been ramping up their Halloween month offerings this year, and the first from Disney+ is Hold Your Breath, a new original psychological horror starring the always reliable Sarah Paulson. Set in 1930s Oklahoma during the Great Depression, it follows Margaret Bellum (Paulson) and her two daughters, Rose (Amiah Miller) and Ollie (Alona Jane Robbins), who scratch out a living tending to the dusty and sparse family farm after Margaret’s husband has left in pursuit of work. As they struggle to survive the punishing Dust Bowl environment, a mysterious stranger (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) arrives, threatening all they know and love. But is the threat a closer one?
It’s What’s Inside
Netflix – 4 October 2024
If you like your Halloween fare a lot younger and wilder though, then be sure to check our It’s What’s Inside, the feature film directing debut for filmmaker Greg Jardin which made a splash when it premiered at both the Sundance and SXSW film festivals. The film follows a group of friends who reunite for a wedding. When one of the friends, whom none of the others have had contact with for a while, brings along a mysterious device to a pre-wedding party, promising a game like none of them have ever experienced, the night descends into an existential nightmare. As the players discover that the device if capable of swapping the minds of participants into each other’s bodies, the group uncovers hidden truths, suppressed desires, and deep-seated grudges that lead to explosive results.
Golda
Showmax – 7 October 2024
If you’re looking for something far more grounded in reality but nonetheless filled with nerve-shredding tension, then be sure to check out historical thriller Golda. Set during in Israel during the contentious 19-day long Yom Kippur War in 1973, the film sees legendary Oscar winner Helen Mirren star as Israeli prime minister Golda Meir (brought to life with incredible makeup and hairstyling that earned an Oscar nomination earlier this year). Faced with an attack by a coalition of Arab states led by Egypt and Syria, Meir had to guide her country through dangerous times, navigating a skeptical cabinet and a complex relationship with US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger (Liev Schreiber), or face potential annihilation.
Brasse Vannie Kaap
Showmax – 7 October 2024
If you were a young Cape Coloured kid like me in the 1990s, it was unmistakable how much of influence Brasse Vannie Kaap had. The hip-hop group exploded out of the Cape Flats, embracing rather than shirking the culture of the region like nothing else before them. Written and directed by Lauren Scholtz, this new feature documentary looks into history and impact of the iconic, game-changing 90s group who became an international sensation. More than that, they would go on to inspire modern South African rappers like YoungstaCPT, Jack Parow, Early B and more. From breakdancing on the Cape Flats to selling out shows in Belgium, BVK (as they were colloquially known) did it all, only to have their rise cut short by the untimely death of their frontman, Mr Fat, aka Ashley Titus, who passed away at just 36 years of age. But as a who’s who of the Afrikaans entertainment industry line up to pay tribute to the group in this documentary, it’s clear that their legacy will always live on.
VOD RENTALS/PURCHASES
The following movies have recently become available for digital purchase/rental:
Deadpool & Wolverine
Purchase: Apple TV – R170
Rental: Apple TV – R170
LET’S F–KING GO! AT HOME! Following a record-breaking $1.327 billion run at the global box office, Marvel’s R-rated blockbuster smash sensation is making its VOD debut. Deadpool & Wolverine is only available for purchase right now, with rental options following at an undisclosed later date, but if there’s one movie this year fans will want to own, it’s this one. As Noelle described in her review, “It’s the on-screen pairing [of Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman] that Marvel comics enthusiasts have been waiting decades for,” and this absolute rollicking rollercoaster of a film doesn’t just deliver on that premise but exceeds it. If you somehow, miraculously, haven’t had all the crazy cameos, twists, and incredible boyband dance routines (yes, you read that right!) spoiled for you by now, then go into this one blind and be prepared to have your chimichangas blown off.