Here’s what’s new and ready to stream now on Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, HBO Now, video-on-demand, and other streaming services … The weekly column is featured in The Seattle Times, The Oregonian, The Spokesman-Review, and other newspapers.
“Spider-Man: Far From Home” (2019, PG) sends the web-slinging teenage superhero (played by Tom Holland) to Europe, where he takes on a new supervillain with a little help from his friends. It’s the first Marvel movie to take place after the epic “Avengers: Endgame” and deal with the complications of “the blip,” and it’s a spirited, good-natured adventure with plenty of humor. Samuel L. Jackson returns as Nick Fury and Zendaya, Marisa Tomei, Jon Favreau, and Jake Gyllenhaal costar. It arrives on Cable On Demand VOD the same week that Sony announced that Spider-Man will remain in the Marvel Universe for the foreseeable future. Also on DVD and at Redbox.
Aretha Franklin performs gospel in the concert film “Amazing Grace” (2019, G), shot at the peak of her career in 1972 at a church in Watts. Sydney Pollack originally directed the film but it remained unfinished for almost 50 years due to legal issues and technical issues. Now streaming on Hulu.
Robert Pattinson is a convict on a deep-space voyage in “High Life” (2018, R), a dreamy science fiction film from French filmmaker Claire Denis. Juliette Binoche and Andre Benjamin costar. Streaming on Amazon Prime.
“Raising Dion,” a new family friendly superhero series, follows a single mother (Alisha Wainwright) who must protect her nine-year-old son (Ja’Siah Young) when he manifests incredible powers, which attracts the attention of a dangerous monster. Michael B. Jordan and Jason Ritter costar. 9 episodes streaming on Netflix.
Pre-Halloween thrillers: siblings get lost in a seemingly harmless field in the Netflix Original film “In the Tall Grass” (2019, not rated), adapted from a novella by Stephen King and Joe Hill by filmmaker Vincenzo Natali, and “Into The Dark: Uncanny Annie” launches a new season of the anthology horror series on Hulu.
Free pick: the documentary “Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am” (2019, PG-13) honors the great American author with a deep dive into her life, her work, and her legacy. Streams free on Hoopla, available through most public library systems.
Pay-Per-View / Video-On-Demand
The documentary “Maiden” (2019, PG) chronicles the first ever all-female crew to enter the Whitbread Round the World Race in 1989. Also new:
- “Anna and the Apocalypse” (2017, R), a British zombie comedy set over Christmas;
- “The Silent Revolution” (Germany, 2018, not rated, with subtitles), a drama about school kids defying the communist government of East Germany in the 1950s.
Available same day as select theaters nationwide is “Nighthawks” (2019, not rated), a thriller starring Chace Crawford and Janet Montgomery;
- crime drama starring “The Parts You Lose” (2019, not rated) with Aaron Paul and Mary Elizabeth Winstead;
- documentary “Memory: The Origins of Alien” (2019, not rated) on the iconic horror film.
Netflix
Season 5 of the British drama “Peaky Blinders” follows the challenges of the gypsy crime family in Birmingham after the 1929 stock market crash. Cillian Murphy and Helen McCrory star in the acclaimed show created by Steven Knight.
Brian De Palma’s “Domino” (2019, R), a European thriller starring Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Carice van Houten, was taken from the director’s hands and reedited but still spotlights some of the filmmaker’s trademark style.
More streaming TV: “Gotham: Season 5” brings the superhero noir series set in the years before Batman to a conclusion.
Animation: “Seis Manos: Season 1” features manga-style animation for crime drama about martial arts-trained orphans fighting crime syndicates and demons.
International affairs: a jilted bride joins the dating game in the romantic comedy “Ready to Mingle” (aka “Solteras”) (Mexico, 2019, not rated, with subtitles).
True stories: the non-fiction series “Living Undocumented” follows eight families tangled up in the changing immigration policies.
Kid stuff: new seasons of the animated “Carmen Sandiego” (TV-Y7) and the live-action anthology series “Creeped Out” (TV-PG). Also new:
- animated series “Super Monsters: Season 3” and Halloween special “Super Monsters: Vida’s First Halloween” for young kids;
- animated features “The Rugrats Movie” (1998, G) and “Rugrats in Paris: The Movie” (2000, G).
Stand-up: “Nikki Glaser: Bangin’” (2019, not rated) and “Mo Gilligan: Momentum” (2019, TV-MA).
Also newly added this month: “Ocean’s Twelve” (2004, PG-13) and “Ocean’s Thirteen” (2007, PG-13) the George Clooney, Brad Pitt and friends;
- “Charlie’s Angels” (2000, PG-13) and “Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle” (2003, PG-13) with Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore and Lucy Liu;
- “Bad Boys” (1995, R) and “Bad Boys II” (2003, R) with Will Smith and Martin Lawrence;
- romantic dramas “The Time Traveler’s Wife” (2009, PG-13) with Rachel McAdams and “No Reservations” (2007, PG) with Catherine Zeta-Jones;
- superhero sequel “Superman Returns” (2006, PG-13) with Brandon Routh;
- live action graphic novel “Sin City” (2005, R) with Bruce Willis and Mickey Rourke;
- historical epic “Troy” (2004, R) with Brad Pitt;
- “Men in Black II” (2002, PG-13) with Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith;
- British cult film “Trainspotting” (1996, R) with Ewan McGregor and Jonny Lee Miller.
Amazon Prime Video
Billy Bob Thornton is back as the underdog lawyer in “Goliath: Season 3,” the Amazon Original series created by David E. Kelly.
Gary Carr plays the New Orleans coronet player Buddy Bolden in “Bolden” (2019, R), a biopic about a jazz pioneer who remains an enigma. Ian McShane costars.
Emma Watson and Ethan Hawke star in “Regression” (2015, R) a horror thriller from Spanish filmmaker Alejandro Amenabar.
“Holy Rollers” (2010, R) stars Jesse Eisenberg as a Jewish teenager from an Orthodox community who created an Ecstasy smuggling ring. Based on a true story.
Mel Gibson became an international star in the post-apocalyptic action classis “The Road Warrior” (1981, R) and reprised his role in “Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome” (1985, PG-13) costarring Tina Turner.
True stories: “God Knows Where I Am” (2016, not rated) explores the final months of a homeless woman who left a diary of her story behind.
Also newly added this month: the Coen Bros. remake of “True Grit” (2010, PG-13) with Jeff Bridges and Hailee Steinfeld;
- Christopher Nolan’s “Insomnia” (2002, R) with Al Pacino;
- Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan in the romantic comedy “You’ve Got Mail” (1998, PG-13);
- snappy crime thriller “Get Shorty” (1995, R) with John Tavolta and Gene Hackman;
- Oscar-winner “Witness” (1985, R) with Harrison Ford;
- Francis Coppola’s “The Cotton Club” (1984) with Richard Gere and Gregory Hines;
- cult drive-in movies “Hollywood Boulevard” (1976, R) and “The Great Texas Dynamite Chase” (1976, R) from producer Roger Corman.
Prime Video / Hulu
Johnny Depp taps into his inner lizard for “Rango” (2011, PG), an animated comedy about a pet chameleon who gets lost in the desert and ends up playing at sheriff in a spaghetti western world (Amazon Prime and Hulu).
True stories: “Project Nim” (2011, PG-13), about a seventies experiment in raising a chimp like a human child, is more revealing of human than simian behavior (Amazon Prime and Hulu).
Also newly added this month: “Much Ado About Nothing” (2012, PG-13), Joss Whedon’s modern dress take on Shakespeare’s romantic comedy (Amazon Prime and Hulu);
- science fiction invasion thriller “Cloverfield” (2008, PG-13) (Amazon Prime and Hulu);
- Steven Spielberg’s “A.I. Artificial Intelligence” (2001, PG-13) (Amazon Prime and Hulu);
- offbeat comedy “Ghost World” (2001, R) with Thora Birch and Scarlett Johansson (Amazon Prime and Hulu);
- thriller “What Lies Beneath” (2000, PG-13) with Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer (Amazon Prime and Hulu);
- thriller “The Talented Mr. Ripley” (1999, R) with Matt Damon and Gwyneth Paltrow (Amazon Prime and Hulu);
- high school comedy-turned-political satire “Election” (1999, R) (Amazon Prime and Hulu);
- John Woo’s high octane action thriller “Face/Off” (1997, R) with John Travolta and Nicolas Cage (Amazon Prime and Hulu);
- sci-fi horror “Event Horizon” (1997, R) with Laurence Fishburne and Sam Neill (Amazon Prime and Hulu);
- cult adventure comedy “The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension” (1990, PG) with Peter Weller and Jeff Goldblum (Amazon Prime and Hulu);
- the original “Total Recall” (1990, R) with Arnold Schwarzenegger (Amazon Prime and Hulu);
- cop show spoofs “The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!” (1988, PG-13) (Amazon Prime and Hulu) and sequels “The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear” (1991, PG-13) (Amazon Prime and Hulu) and “Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult” (1994, PG-13) (Amazon Prime and Hulu) with Leslie Nielsen;
- thriller “No Way Out” (1987, R) with Kevin Costner and Gene Hackman (Amazon Prime and Hulu);
- iconic dance drama “Saturday Night Fever” (1977) with John Travolta (Amazon Prime and Hulu);
- romantic comedy “Play It Again, Sam” (1972, PG) with Woody Allen and Diane Keaton (Amazon Prime and Hulu);
- classic western “High Noon” (1952) with Gary Cooper and Grace Kelly (Amazon Prime and Hulu).
Hulu
The new Fall TV season continues to roll out on Hulu. You can now see the series premiere of the Fox animated comedy “Bless the Harts” and the season debuts of “Fresh Off the Boat” and “The Rookie” and Fox animated shows “The Simpsons,” “Family Guy,” and “Bob’s Burgers,” among other shows.
Elle Fanning is a shy teenage who enters a singing competition in the drama “Teen Spirit” (2018, PG-13).
Streaming TV: the animated “American Dad!: Season 13” and new episodes of Hulu original horror series “Light as a Feather” are now streaming.
New horror additions for the Halloween season include the spooky The Orphanage” (Spain, 2007, R, with subtitles) from filmmaker J.A. Bayona;
- “Constantine” (2005, R), the first screen adaptation of the supernatural comic book with Keanu Reeves;
- haunted house horror “The Haunting” (1999, PG-13) with Liam Neeson and Catherine Zeta-Jones;
- “Saw” (2004, R) and sequels “Saw II” (2005, R) and “Saw VI” (2009, R);
- action-horror “Blade” (1998, R) with Wesley Snipes and sequels “Blade II” (2002, R), directed by Guillermo Del Toro, and “Blade: Trinity” (2004, R);
- the original “Hellraiser” (1987, R) from author turned filmmaker Clive Barker.
Also newly added: “Beautiful Creatures” (2013, PG-13), a young adult supernatural romance with Alice Englert and Alden Ehrenreich;
- “Blue Jasmine” (2013, PG-13) with an Oscar-winning performance by Cate Blanchett;
- “Winter’s Bone” (2010, R) featuring Jennifer Lawrence in a star making performance;
- “The Wrestler” (2008, R) with Mickey Rourke;
- action thriller “Snakes on a Plane” (2006, R) with Samuel L. Jackson;
- kid-friendly comedy “Mousehunt” (1997, PG);
- John Singleton’s “Boyz n the Hood” (1991, R) with Cuba Gooding Jr. and Ice Cube;
- teen comedy “Sixteen Candles” (1984, PG) with Molly Ringwald and Anthony Michael Hall;
- the original “True Grit” (1969, G) with John Wayne in an Oscar-winning performance.
HBO Now
Rebel Wilson is a cynic whose world becomes a series of romantic comedy clichés in the spoof “Isn’t It Romantic” (2019, PG-13) costarring Liam Hemsworth and Adam Devine.
Also new: young adult sci-fi thriller “Kin” (2018, PG-13) and documentary “Diego Maradona” (2019, TV-14) from Academy-Award winner Asif Kapadia
Available Saturday night is the darkly comic crime drama “Cold Pursuit” (2019, R) with Liam Neeson as a vengeful father with a snowplow.
The Criterion Channel
“The Complete Jean-Pierre Melville” presents every film by the defiantly independent French filmmaker, including the Criterion Chanel debuts of his crime classics “Bob le flambeur” (1956), “Le doulos” (1962) with Jean-Paul Belmondo, and “Le cercle rouge” (1970) with Alain Delon and Yves Montand. All from France, with subtitles.
Also on Criterion Channel: “Directed by Shirley Clarke” presents four features, including “The Connection” (1961) and “Portrait of Jason” (1967), and over a dozen shorts from the maverick filmmaker.
Facebook Watch
The second season of the drama “Sorry For Your Loss” with Elizabeth Olsen and Janet McTeer is now streaming.
Hoopla
Colin Farrell and Rachel Weisz star in the touching offbeat romantic comedy “The Lobster” (2016, R), the first English language film from Yorgos Lanthimos (“The Favourite”). Also new:
- “A Ghost Story” (2017, R), a haunting drama of loss and grief with Casey Affleck and Rooney Mara;
- Andrea Arnold’s epic American indie “American Honey” (2016, R) with Sasha Lane and Shia LaBeouf;
- comedy “Obvious Child” (2014, R) with Jenny Slate.
For a little action, you can see the crime comedy “Free Fire” (2017, R) with Brie Larson and Armie Hammer;
- action comedy “Kung Fu League” (China, 2019, not rated, with subtitles) with Vincent Zhao;
- historical escape thriller “Assassination” (South Korea, 2015, not rated, with subtitles) with Lee Jung-jae.
Hoopla is free through most public library systems.
New on disc and at Redbox this week: “Spider-Man: Far From Home,” “Maiden,” “Driven,” “Doom: Annihilation”
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