Highlighting this week’s streaming releases, the unlikeliest franchise revival of modern times keeps on ticking (or is that kicking?) as Cobra Kai returns for a fifth season. Netflix also adds the new over-the-top Cyberpunk 2077 anime spinoff, while Disney+ debuts some big movies such as Pinocchio and Thor: Love and Thunder as part of the Disney+ Day celebrations, plus much more!
SERIES
Cobra Kai S5
Netflix – 9 September 2022
Cobra Kai never die! And that apparently goes for this popular series as well, as reviews have indicated that the 80s revival has not missed a step in this new season. This time around, returning Karate Kid III baddie Terry Silver is taking the titular dojo into a dangerous new direction forcing frenemies Johnny and Daniel – with some help from another returning villain-turned-ally Chozen Toguchi – to take some drastic actions.
Mike S1
Disney+ – 8 September
Ex boxing champ and ear connoisseur Mike Tyson recently made headlines when he slammed Hulu for stealing his life story without payment. He was, of course, referring to Mike, a new unauthorized biopic of the man who was once the most-feared boxer on the planet, which we can now check out on Disney+. Moonlight star Trevante Rhodes stars as Tyson in this eight-episode miniseries which “explores the tumultuous ups and downs of Tyson’s boxing career and personal life — from being a beloved global athlete to a pariah and back again”.
Gutsy S1
Apple TV+ – 9 September 2022
Exec produced and starring Hilary and Chelsea Clinton, this documentary series draws inspiration from the mother and daughter duo’s The Book of Gutsy Women: Favorite Stories of Courage and Resilience, which features tells diverse individual stories of truly trailblazing women.
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners S1
Netflix – 9 September 2022
When the long-anticipated Cyberpunk released in 2022 it was – to put it mildly – a mess. However, CD Projekt Red’s sci-fi RPG received a whole bunch of much-needed technical polish to now make it a pretty great game. Somehow, I don’t think anime spinoff Cyberpunk: Edgerunners will need to go through the same teething problems though, as you can see by the absolutely bonkers and quite NSFW trailer above. This 10 episode series sees CDPR collaborating with acclaimed anime animation house Studio Trigger and the results definitely show!
The Staircase S1
Showmax – 15 September 2022
Inspired by a true story, this eight-episode crime thriller miniseries follows the story of Michael Peterson (Colin Firth), a successful crime novelist and family man accused of murdering his wife (Toni Collette), who is found bludgeoned to death at the bottom of the staircase in their family home. Firth and Collette have drawn rave reviews and both been nominated for the respective Lead Actor and Lead Actress in a Limited Series categories in the upcoming Primetime Emmy Awards for their work here.
The Handmaid’s Tale S5
Showmax – 15 September 2022
Just this morning it was confirmed that Hulu’s multi-award-winning drama The Handmaid’s Tale has been renewed for a sixth and final season! And local fans who don’t want to miss out on the penultimate stretch for Elisabeth Moss’ June and the other women in this emotional dystopian tale, you can watch the new episodes weekly on Showmax just one day after they air in the US. Season 5 kicks off with a double-episode premiere this coming Thursday.
MOVIES
Pinocchio
Disney+ – 8 September 2022
Given that Guillermo Del Toro is also releasing a Pinocchio film later this year, I must admit that I’ve been very baffled with Disney’s promotional strategy for its own film – which is it to say that there’s barely been one. This is a live-action/CG hybrid retelling of one of the most beloved stories ever by acclaimed multiple Oscar-winning veteran filmmaker Robert Zemeckis, starring his his multiple Oscar-winning frequent collaborator Tom Hanks, and co-starring the likes of Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Cynthia Erivo, Keegan-Michael Kay, Luke Evans, and more. And yet, there was a barely a murmur from the Mouse House prior to it debuting after yesterday’s Disney+ Day event.
Thor: Love and Thunder
Disney+ – 8 September 2022
If you missed the latest Marvel-ous adventure of everybody’s favourite thunder god, Thor: Love and Thunder debuted yesterday as part of the Disney+ Day celebrations. While not as good as its brilliant predecessor, Thor: Ragnarok, Love and Thunder sees returning filmmaker still give us a fun film that relies heavily on titular leading man Chris Hemsworth’s endless charm. Add some bad-ass (and jacked!) Natalie Portman into the mix as a new Thor, along with Christian Bale as the creepy baddie Gorr the God Butcher, and there’s more than enough here for a good time, even if it’s a bit shallow.
End of the Road
Netflix – 9 September 2022
If you prefer movie tastes much more down to earth, then Netflix is there with End of the Road, a small-scale road trip thriller starring Queen Latifah and Chris “Ludacris” Bridges. The pair star as siblings with Latifah’s Brenda on a cross country road trip with her family in hopes of starting a better life, only for them to accidentally stumble across a murder – and a whole lot of cash – putting them in the crosshairs of a mysterious killer.