It’s a STACKED week for streaming/VOD releases, headlined by the likes of The Super Mario Bros. Movie Creed 3, Black Mirror S6, Dungeons & Dragons, The Full Monty sequel, Tom Holland’s The Crowded Room, and more!
MOVIES
The Super Mario Bros. Movie
Apple TV – 6 June 2023
One of the year’s biggest (and honestly most surprising) success stories has to be The Super Mario Bros. Film. Somehow the animated feature film debut of Nintendo’s video game mascot went from huge audience hesitation and mocking memes when it was first revealed, to earning a record-breaking $1.3 billion worldwide, making it the highest grossing film of the year and the biggest video game adaptation ever. And if you, like me, somehow haven’t gotten to a cinema yet to watch it and discover for yourself what that damn catchy “Peaches” song is about, well, you’re in luck. While it’s not out for rental or free streaming yet, you can now purchase The Super Mario Bros. Movie on Apple TV for just R149, which is literally cheaper than a single IMAX ticket.
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
Apple TV/Google Play Movies – 6 June 2023
Another recent cinema release that you can now purchase on Apple TV to watch at home is Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves… and damn, you really have to! Unlike Mario Bros., this adaptation of the iconic tabletop RPG was not a box office success. In fact, despite glowing reviews across the board, it flopped HARD, dooming any chance of launching a franchise. That is a massive pity as Dungeons & Dragons is easily some of the most fun we had in a cinema this year. Always respectful of the source material but keeping things super accessible for newbies, writer/director duo Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley (Game Night, Spider-Man: Homecoming) assemble one hell of a cast led by Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, and Hugh Grant, and send them on a riotously fun fantasy heist adventure.
Beautiful Disaster
Apple TV/Google Play Movies – 6 June 2023
If you’re looking for something completely different, then maybe try out romantic-dramedy Beautiful Disaster, which is now available for rental on Apple TV and Google Play Movies for R35. Virginia Gardner stars as a college freshman trying to get away from her dark past, while Dylan Sprouse as the bad boy she’s falling for despite her better judgement. Pretty sure you can guess how this one plays out.
Creed III
Amazon Prime Video – 9 June 2023
Before being embroiled in controversy due to domestic abuse allegations/arrest, Jonathan Majors was having one hell of a 2023. Following on from his standout performance in Marvel’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Majors turned in another knockout performance in Creed 3 as Damian Anderson, a childhood friend of Michael B. Jordan’s retired boxing champ Adonis Creed, who resurfaces in the latter’s life many years after a fateful event saw their paths split, to give the titular Creed the toughest fight of his life. The film was a critical and box office success – much to the relief of Jordan who also made his feature film directing debut here – prompting talk of another installment in the franchise as well as numerous spin-off ideas. And if you missed it in cinemas, you can now catch it – with the entirety of the previous two films and the entire Rocky franchise that precedes it – over on Amazon Prime Video (this is part of Amazon’s acquisition of fabled Hollywood studio MGM)
Flamin’ Hot
Disney+ – 9 June 2023
Eva Longoria makes her feature film directing debut with Flamin’ Hot, a most unexpected biographical comedy-drama about… chips. Based on the memoir of Richard Montañez, it tells of how the California-born Mexican-American was working as a janitor at a factory for snack giant Frito-Lay when a series of coincidences, in which he realized that the spicy food-loving Latino community was not being catered to, led to him coming up with the hugely popular Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. Despite being criticized for some of the dramatic liberties it takes when accurately portraying what happened, Flamin’ Hot received good reviews when it premiered at the SXSW Film Fest in March, and now it’s hitting Disney+ directly.
The Woman King
Showmax – 10 June 2023
Another slightly skewed adaptation of history, The Woman King hit cinemas late last year to tell the story of the Agojie, the all-female warrior unit that protected the West African kingdom of Dahomey (modern-day Benin) in the 17th to 19th century, who are famously the real-world inspiration for the Dora Milaje in Marvel’s Black Panther. Despite that intriguing hook, and the fact that it earned lead Viola Davis several well-deserved award nominations for her role as General Nanisca, The Woman King barely broke even at the box office. That means there’s a good chance that a bunch of you reading this, never caught it in cinemas. Well, now’s your time to fix that as The Woman King has been added on Showmax. Personally, I was not as enamored with the film as others, finding it’s pacing a bit plodding and its action choreography more flashy than effective, but you should still check it out for yourself.
SERIES
The Crowded Room S1
Apple TV+ – 9 June 2023
Tom Holland has become so well-known for playing Marvel’s wise-cracking Spider-Man that it’s hard to forget how good of a dramatic actor the young Brit is. Well, you can get reminded of it with Apple TV+’s new psychological thriller miniseries The Crowded Room. Adapted from Daniel Keyes’ 1981 non-fiction novel The Minds of Billy Milligan by Oscar-winner Akiva Goldsman, the 10-episode series stars Holland as Danny Sullivan, a troubled young man who was arrested for his involvement in a fatal shooting in 1979. Through a series of interviews with interrogator Rya Goodwin (played by Amanda Seyfried), Danny details the tragedy of his life and the events that led to that fateful incident.
Bloodhounds S1
Netflix – 9 June 2023
Popular K-drama star Woo Do-hwan leads this action-packed new series as Gun-Woo, a promising young boxer whose family is deep in debt to a vicious loan shark and notorious local gangster. When a mysterious businessman who disappeared years ago, suddenly shows up to offer interest-free money lending to people in trouble, Gun-Woo teams up with the fabled philanthrope, and another talented young pugilist, to take down the loan shark gang boss that has made their lives hell.
The Full Monty S1
Disney+ – 14 June 2023
Looking back on it, it’s actually massively surprising that 1997’s The Full Monty became the huge global success it was. Working class British comedy-dramas don’t generally ignite the imaginations. But with its cast of likable actors and by touching on very relatable issues surrounding unemployment, depression, body positivity, and more, The Full Monty ended a massive fan-favourite. And now they’re trying to do it again. But longer. Boasting the same name (because why not?), The Full Monty is the new eight-episode sequel series on Disney+ that picks up more than two decades after the original group blue collar workers became the unlikeliest male stripper crew ever. Robert Carlyle’s struggling single dad Gaz and the rest of the cast are all back, all still trying to be better people despite their tough situations – which now includes rebellious daughters, mental health issues, and… maaaaaybe some stripping? The trailer is actually completely devoid of the latter, but it still looks like a bittersweet time.
Rosemary’s Hitlist
Showmax – 14 June 2023
Rosemary’s Hitlist is the new true-crime documentary series from the same crew behind the SAFTA-winning true-crime smash-hit Devilsdorp. This time, they’re tackling the shocking case policewoman-turned-serial-killer Nomia Rosemary Ndlovu, who between 2012 and 2018 brutally murdered six people (one lover and five family members) through various means, including beatings, poisoning, and strangulation, in order to claim over R1 million in combined insurance policies.
Our Planet II
Netflix – 14 June 2023
And because you will probably need a big change of pace after that grim tale… The second season of the acclaimed David Attenborough narrated nature documentary series Our Planet debuts next week Wednesday, focusing once again on climate change and humanity’s destructive impact on nature… Okay, so maybe this won’t be the pick-me-up you may be looking for, but this should at least be informative, engaging, and beautifully filmed. The first season a huge success, with Netflix reporting that over 100 million households watched it, and I’m sure this new season will be as successful.
Black Mirror S6
Netflix – 15 June 2023
Damn, I’m really going to go three-for-three when it comes to recommendations that make you question your faith in your humanity. To be fair, incredible, acclaimed sci-fi anthology series Black Mirror has always been more about questioning humanity’s faith in technology, but doing it in the most thought-provoking (and occasionally just plain f—ed up) way. Series creator Charlie Brooker has a genius knack for digging into the psyche of modern society’s relationship with our high-tech tools, and in the upcoming sixth season that even includes reality TV series on a streaming service! Meta! As is usually the case for the franchise, the five new individual stories in Black Mirror S6 boast a cavalcade of acting talent, including the likes of Annie Murphy, Salma Hayek, Michael Cera, John Hannah, Aaron Paul, Josh Hartnett, Kate Mara, Zazie Beetz, and more.