The VOD debut of Martin Scorsese’s Killers of a Flower Moon, Netflix’s star-studded Leave the World Behind, and the local debut of Rian Johnson’s Poker Face lead a relatively quiet week on the streaming front.
SERIES
Poker Face S1
11 December 2023 – Showmax
With Knives Out and Glass Onion, filmmaker Rian Johnson showed just how brilliant he is at cleverly layered murder mysteries. And he took those big screen chops to the small screen with Poker Face, a critically acclaimed, twisty mystery-of-the-week series throwback starring Natasha Lyonne as Charlie Cale, a casino worker with an extraordinary ability to detect lies. As Charlie engages on a desperate cross-country road trip, she keeps stumbling across a new mysterious death she just can’t help poking her nose into. Think Murder, She Wrote or Columbo but for modern audiences, boasting a string of A-list cameos each week, and Lyonne turning in a captivating performance that saw her nominated for an Emmy. Poker Face has already been renewed for a second season.
Blue Lights S1
11 December 2023 – Showmax
When it comes to police procedural drama series set in the UK, Line of Duty is often touted as the modern gold standard. With that show last having aired in 2021 and talks of additional episodes petering out, you may be desperate for something else to scratch that itch. Enter Blue Lights. The BBC-produced series follows a trio of rookies, still fresh on probation, as they join the fictional Blackthorn Station in Belfast, Northern Island. Most notable among the newbie officers is Siân Brooke’s Constable Grace Ellis, a fourty-something mom who left her career as a social worker to join the police force and is already doubting her abrupt life choice after just two weeks on the job.
MOVIES
The Archies
7 December 2023 – Netflix
If you thought The CW’s Riverdale was a unique spin on the classic Archie comics, you haven’t seen anything yet! The Archies is a new feature film adaptation of the beloved comics, but transplanted to rocking-and-rolling 1960s India as it follows 17-year-old burgeoning musician Archie Andrews and his gang of friends as they navigate romance and friendship while trying to save their beloved small-town Riverdale from being overrun by developers.
The Umbrella Men: Escape from Robben Island
8 December 2023 – Prime Video
Did you know that Amazon Prime Video boasts a pretty decent selection of South African movies? I actually didn’t. Not until I saw that the streaming service got recent crime caper/comedy film The Umbrella Men: Escape from Robben Island, a sequel to last year’s The Umbrella Men, also found on Prime Video. In that original film, musician Jerome Adams gets into all kinds of trouble with the law and local gangsters when his deceased father leaves him a club crippled in debt and the care of the beloved The Umbrella Men minstrel group. Desperate, Jerome stages a daring heist to settle his debts. Now, Escape from Robben Island picks up a year after the events of the first film, as things continue to spiral out of control.
Leave the World Behind
8 December 2023 – Netflix
If star power is what you’re looking for, look no further than Leave the World Behind. The slow-burn apocalyptic thriller brings together the likes of Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali, Ethan Hawke, Kevin Bacon, and is written and directed by award-winning Mr. Robot creator Sam Esmail. That’s an insane amount of talent! Adapted from Rumaan Alam’s 2020 novel of the same name, Leave the World Behind follow a family whose vacation on Long Island is interrupted by two strangers claiming to bring word about a cataclysmic disaster, triggering a serious of increasingly tense events. The film had its debut at the AFI Fest in October and drew some great reviews, so this is definitely one to watch!
Merry Little Batman
8 December 2023 – Prime Video
“Jingle bells, Batman smells! Robin laid an egg!” Yes, it’s time to get festive with the Caped Crusader… but with a twist! And I’m not just talking about Batman’s new beard! In this new animated movie, Damian Wayne – the son of Batman – finds himself home alone for Christmas when his superhero dad is stuck out of town fighting villains with the Justice League. When the Joker launches a plan to steal Christmas from Gotham, it’s up to Damian to follow in his father’s superhero boots and save the day!
VOD RENTALS/PURCHASES
The following movies have recently become available for digital purchase/rental:
Killers of the Flower Moon
Purchase: Apple TV / Google Play Movies – R200 / R212
Rental: Apple TV / Google Play Movies – R170 / R170
Without a doubt the highest profile streaming release for the week, the critically acclaimed Killers of the Flower Moon is a sure favourite come awards season and sees legendary filmmaker Martin Scorsese team up with Leonardo DiCaprio for a sixth time (seven, if you count the flashy commercial they made together). This one also features another screen legend in Robert De Niro (his tenth collab with Scorsese), but most notably, the name you need to pay attention to is Lily Gladstone. The Native American actress looks set for a historic award season due to her riveting performance in this historical drama, which follows the FBI’s investigations into the brazen murders of the Osage people after oil is discovered under their tribal land in 1920s Oklahoma. This is not an easy watch of a movie, but it looks and sounds incredible.
Saw X
Purchase: Apple TV / Google Play Movies – R150 / R151
Rental: Apple TV / Google Play Movies – R45 / R45
And speaking of not being an easy watch… I’m not going to pretend to be a fan of the Saw franchise. After James Wan’s genuinely brilliant first film, I think the franchise went off the rails quite a bit, offering up mostly just torture porn and not much else. But, luckily for the filmmakers, not everybody feels the same way I do, and so here we are, 19 years later, with the tenth Saw film… which is actually a direct sequel to that first film and a prequel to Saw II. Does that mean it will be better than the other sequels since? Well, strangely enough, critics gave this the strongest reviews in the franchise since that original, with many claiming it to be long-time lead Tobin Bell’s best performance in the role as John Doe. Many even praised the fact that it dialed back the excessive torture gimmicks a bit to tell a coherent story. Maybe I’ll watch it then.
Expend4bles
Purchase: Google Play Movies – R151
Rental: Google Play Movies – R50
If you prefer your entertainment less dramatic or horrific, then maybe the latest chapter in the Expendables franchise is right for you? And the fact that it’s titled Expend4bles should tell you everything you need to know about how much brain power this movie will require. It’s Sylvester Stallone and Jason Statham once again leading a team of old school and new school action heroes as they skop, skiet and donner their way through a faceless army of bad guys. I’ll still give this one a watch though just because of the inclusion of a personal favourite ass-kicker in Iko Uwais.