I hope you all packed an… umbrella, as Netflix’s new live-action Resident Evil series is splattering its way onto this coming week’s streaming release. Also, if you haven’t been going to the cinema in the last few months, you’re in luck as a number of big releases are making their way to VOD streaming services this week, including The Lost City of D, The Secrets of Dumbledore, and more!
SERIES
Boo, Bitch! S1
Netflix – 8 July 2022
I will admit that I know very little about Boo, Bitch! past its lead and strapline – All the Boys franchise star Lana Condor plays a high-school influencer who wakes up one morning to find out she’s a ghost, but doesn’t let that stop her socializing and entertaining her followers – but I have a feeling that for a certain target audience, that is more than enough to check this out.
Black Bird S1
AppleTV+ – 8 July 2022
No, you’re not going crazy. I somehow got my dates wrong – SORRY! – and thought this one was coming out earlier and posted it last week. It’s actually out today! Here’s my original blurb for those who missed it the first time: If you were an aspiring young man with a bright future, but you threw it all away through bad choices and actually found yourself in prison with a 10-year sentence, what would you do to regain your freedom? In Black Bird, a new six-episode psychological thriller based on true crime memoir, Taron Egerton’s James Keene get’s that opportunity… all he has to do is coax a confession out of a fellow inmate who happens to be a deranged serial killer.
Resident Evil S1
Netflix – 14 July 2022
When it comes to Resident Evil, I lost interest in the movie franchise a looooong time ago as it devolved into a slow-mo cheesy mess. A recent reboot also did nothing to change my mind. However, I have to admit I am mighty intrigued by this live-action TV series offering from Netflix, and not just because it was shot right here in SA (several scenes in my actual neighbourhood and surrounding areas, in fact!). Besides for a solid cast, it is supposedly set in the canon timeline of the original video games (despite one central character’s head-scratching return), which has not been the case for any other live-action adaptations. Let’s see if that makes a difference.
MOVIES
The Sea Beast
Netflix – 8 July 2022
Over on Amazon Prime Video, the probably blood-soaked very NSFW finale of The Boys debuts today. However, if you’re looking for a Karl Urban fix of a very, veeeeeery different kind, look no further than The Sea Beast. Urban leads the voice cast of this animated adventure film from Chris Williams, the Oscar-nominated filmmaker behing Big Hero 6 and Moana, which follows a legendary sea monster hunter whose life is turned upside down when he discovers a very young but very determined stowaway on his ship.
Incantation
Netflix – 8 July 2022
It’s been a while since we’ve had a found footage horror film, but Netflix is putting a South Korean spin on the once-popular genre with Incantation. Standard Korean horrors are already especially unnerving affairs, so this one could be something to keep an eye on… from underneath a blanket, of course.
Dangerous Liaisons
Netflix 8 July 2022
The classic triple Oscar-winning 1988 period romantic drama Dangerous Liaisons already got a modern remake in 1999’s Cruel Intentions (itself an adaptation of a play, which adapted an 18th century novel), but that’s not so modern any more. Now it’s Netflix’s time to a crack at it, this time with French-language remake that sets the story in actual modern high-school culture of influencers and social media.
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore
Google Play/AppleTV+ – 6 July 2022
Irrespective of where you want to lay the blame, the fact remains that the Fantastic Beasts films have come nowhere close to reaching the success of the Harry Potter series that preceded them. The latest entry was doubly marred in controversy because of external factors with its cast, which meant that relatively few people actually saw it in cinemas. Were you one of those that didn’t see it? Well, you can now change that by renting it off either Google Play (or as it’s now rebranded, Google TV) or AppleTV.
The Lost City
Google Play – 6 July 2022
If you were a fan of Romancing the Stone back in the day… Well, then you should probably be taking an ibuprofen for that back pain around now because you’re getting old like me. But also, you will probably really appreciate this modern spin on the romantic-adventure novelist lost in the wild with a dashing handsome hero trope with Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum. And no things don’t play out the way you may expect, which includes Daniel Radcliffe as a really fun villain. The Lost City is available for purchase on Google Play with rental options sure to pop up soon.
Father of the Bride
Google Play/AppleTV+ – 6 July 2022
And speaking of old people… Father of the Bride has been a Hollywood institution for decades. Edward Streeter’s 1949 novel was first adapted to screen in an Oscar nominated 1950s film with Spencer Tracy, before being given a then-modern treatment with Steve Martin in 1991. And recently Warner Bros. did another remake, this time with Andy Garcia in the lead as the patriarch who gets a surprise home visit from his beloved daughter… only for her to introduce a fiancé, much to the surprise of her family – and especially her overprotective father – who now have to put together a crazy wedding. It’s now available for rental on Google Play and AppleTV.
The Bad Guys
Google Play/AppleTV+ – 6 July 2022
I’ll be honest, I kind of ignored The Bad Guys in cinema, despite this animated feature boasting one hell of a voice cast with Sam Rockwell, Marc Maron, Awkwafina, Craig Robinson, Richard Ayoade, Zazie Beetz, and more. But the reviews for this hijinx caper about a group of villains who pretend to have reformed about being caught was surprisingly great, so now I can finally check it out by renting on either Google Play or AppleTV.