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Stream on Demand: FX shows get new home on Hulu

Karl Glusman and Nick Offerman in “Devs.” (Raymond Liu / Hulu)
By Sean Axmaker For The Spokesman-Review

What’s new for home viewing on Video on Demand and Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu and other streaming services.

Top streams for the week

FX on Hulu is now the streaming home for dozens of FX Original shows going back decades as well as with new FX shows (available to stream a day after cable debut) and streaming originals. The science fiction series Devs (2020, not rated), from filmmaker Alex Garland and starring Sonoya Mizuno and Nick Offerman, debuts exclusively on FX on Hulu this week (two episodes streaming, new episodes each Thursday). Also new are the debut episodes of the new FX comedies Breeders (2020, not rated) with Martin Freeman and Jayda Eyles as new parents, and Dave (2020, not rated) with Lil Dicky as an aspiring rapper.

Also on Hulu is the new documentary series Hillary (2020, not rated), an in-depth portrait of the life and career of the polarizing politician Hillary Clinton by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Nanette Burstein. Along with new interviews with the Clintons and others, the filmmaker had access to hundreds of hours of behind-the-scenes video footage from her 2016 presidential campaign. All four episodes now streaming on Hulu.

The new crime drama ZeroZeroZero (2020, TV-MA) takes a look at the global drug trade as it tracks a shipment of cocaine and the players involved, from an Italian mob family to the Mexican suppliers to a New Orleans shipping company to a ruthless Mexican anti-drug squad. Not a lot of heroes in this story, which is based on a novel by Italian journalist Robert Saviano. Andrea Riseborough, Gabriel Byrne, Harold Torres, and Dane DeHaan star. In English, Spanish, and Italian with subtitles, eight episodes streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

After a two-year wait, Babylon Berlin(Germany, 2020, TV-MA, with subtitles), the lavish, award-winning crime drama set in 1929 Berlin, returns to Netflix for a third season, which begins with a murder in a movie studio. A mix of hard-boiled crime, film noir and historical drama, the show is the most expensive ever made in Germany and one of the most popular imports streaming on Netflix.

Steven Spielberg revives his 1980s anthology series with a whole new slate of Amazing Stories streaming on Apple TV+. Edward Burns, Kerry Bishé, Dylan O’Brien, Josh Holloway, and Robert Forster (in his final screen performance) are among the guest stars of the first five episodes now available; new episodes roll out over the next five weeks.

Classic pick: Richard Burton plays a disillusioned British agent tangled in Cold War espionage in “The Spy Who Came in from the Cold” (1965), the superb adaptation of the John le Carre novel. Streaming on Amazon Prime Video and free on Kanopy.

Pay-Per-View / Video on Demand

Jodie Turner-Smith and Daniel Kaluuya are Queen & Slim (2019, R), who go on the run after killing a racist cop in self-defense and become folk heroes on the road. Melina Matsoukas directs the mix of crime drama and social commentary.

Mark Ruffalo plays a corporate lawyer in who takes on the DuPont Corporation in Dark Waters (2019, PG-13), a drama based on a true story. Todd Haynes directs and Anne Hathaway and Tim Robbins costar.

Available same day as select theaters nationwide is The Jesus Rolls(2020, not rated) with John Turturro reprising his role from the cult comedy “The Big Lebowski.” Also new:

· Escape from Pretoria (2020, PG-13), a prison escape thriller with Daniel Radcliffe;

· Run This Town(2020, R), a drama based on the scandalous fall of Toronto mayor Rob Ford;

· Psychological horror Swallow (2019, R) with Haley Bennett.

Netflix

Mark Wahlberg stars in the Netflix Original Film Spenser Confidential(2020, R), an action comedy very loosely based on the detective novels by Robert Parker. Wahlberg’s Spenser is a former Boston cop and ex-con and Hawk (Winston Duke from “Us”) is an MMA fighter who teams up with Spenser to investigate the murder of two cops. It’s Wahlberg’s fifth film with director Peter Berg and costars Alan Arkin, Iliza Shlesinger, Bokeem Woodbine and Marc Maron.

MMA fighter Gina Carano turns big screen action star in Haywire (2011, R), Steven Soderbergh’s mix of drive-in action movie, assassin thriller, and conspiracy thriller.

Martin Scorsese’s gangster classic GoodFellas (1990, R) with Robert De Niro and Ray Liotta, was nominated for six Academy Awards and won for supporting actor Joe Pesci.

Edward Woodward is a stiff Christian police detective investigating a disappearance in a pagan community in the original The Wicker Man (1973, R), an ingenious horror film from award-winning playwright Anthony Shaffer.

Comedies: Groundhog Day (1993, PG) with Bill Murray is still one of the funniest and most affirming films ever made about personal awakening; Dustin Hoffman stars in Tootsie (1982, PG) as a flailing actor who becomes a successful actress on a soap opera.

International affairs: A veteran detective investigates a copycat serial killer in Twin Murders: The Silence of the White City (Spain, 2019, not rated, with subtitles). Also new:

· I Am Jonas (France, 2018, not rated, with subtitles) a drama about a gay man at two key moments in his life;

· Guilty (India, 2020, with subtitles, not rated), a Hindi-language drama about a college lothario accused of rape;

· Velvet Colección: Grand Finale (Spain, 2020, not rated, with subtitles), a drama set during a company Christmas celebration in 1969 Madrid.

True stories: ZZ Top: That Little Ol’ Band from Texas (2019, TV-MA) profiles the iconic band and Lil Peep: Everybody’s Everything (2019, not rated) looks at the life and impact of the genre-busting artist who died at the age of 21. Also new:

· Voulez-vous rire avec moi ce soir?(France, 2018, not rated, with subtitles), a documentary on humor and stand-up comedians across cultures;

· International cuisine series Ugly Delicious: Season 2.”

Kid stuff: Tim Burton directs Corpse Bride (2005, PG), a gently macabre animated musical featuring the voices Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter. Also new:

· The animated Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011, PG) with the voices of Jack Black and Angelina Jolie;

· Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004, PG) starring Jim Carrey and Meryl Streep;

· The animated/live-action hybrid comedies Space Jam (1996, PG) and Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003, PG) features Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and other classic carton characters;

· The animated shows Mighty Little Bheem: Festival of Colors (India, 2020) and Go! Go! Cory Carson: Season 2 for younger kids.

Stand-up: Taylor Tomlinson: Quarter-Life Crisis(2020, not rated).

Amazon Prime Video

Benedict Cumberbatch produces and stars in the five-part miniseries Patrick Melrose (2018, TV-MA), based on the novels by Edward St. Aubyn and originally produced for Showtime.

Edie(2018, not rated) stars Sheila Hancock as an 83-year-old mountain climber.

True stories: QT8: The First Eight (2019, not rated), a survey of the first 21 years of Tarantino’s career, includes new interviews with his collaborators.

Classics: Roman Holiday(1953) is a frothy Hollywood romantic comedy starring Audrey Hepburn (in her first starring role) and Gregory Peck and the war drama Sands of Iwo Jima (1950) earned John Wayne his first Oscar nomination.

For the month of March only, Amazon Prime Video members can watch the first seasons of a number of shows otherwise available on rival streaming services. Mystery fans will embrace the 1920s-set Australian series Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries: Season 1 (2012, not rated). Also new:

· Showtime’s dark comedy Kidding: Season 1(2018, TV-MA), starring Jim Carrey as a children’s TV show host on the verge of a nervous breakdown;

· Starz pirate drama Black Sails: Season 1 (2014, TV-MA) with Toby Stephens;

· British dramaJamestown: Season 1 (2018, not rated) about settlers in 1617 America;

· The Restaurant: Season 1 (Sweden, 2017, not rated, with subtitles), a drama that spans decades.

Prime Video and Hulu

International cinema: “Cantinflas” (Mexico, 2014, PG, with subtitles) stars Oscar Jaenada as the Mexican movie superstar and comedy legend (Prime Video and Hulu).

Five friends find something unexpected in an unexplored cave system in the superb claustrophobic horror thriller “The Descent” (2006, R) from Neil Marshall (Prime Video and Hulu).

True stories: “Standing in the Shadows of Motown” (2002, PG) profile the Funk Brothers, the studio band of Berry Gordy’s Motown label throughout the 1960s (Prime Video and Hulu).

Hulu

George Clooney, Ewan McGregor, and Jeff Bridges are The Men Who Stare at Goats (2010, R), a satirical tale based on a true story of a CIA program to develop psychic soldiers.

Liam Neeson is Kinsey (2004, R) in Bill Condon’s portrait of the controversial sex researcher Alfred Kinsey. Laura Linney earned an Oscar-nomination as his free-thinking wife and Peter Sarsgaard, Chris O’Donnell, and Timothy Hutton costar.

Kid stuff: The animated adventure comedy Monsters vs. Aliens(2009, PG) features the voices of Reese Witherspoon and Seth Rogen and Charlotte’s Web (1973, G), the first screen version of the beloved novel by E.B. White, features the voices of Debbie Reynolds and Henry Gibson.

More movies: Seth Rogen stars in the comedies The Interview (2014, R) with James Franco and 50/50 (2011, R) with Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Also new:

· Romantic comedy Leap Year (2010, PG) with Amy Adams and Matthew Goode;

· Crime drama Righteous Kill (2009, R) with Robert De Niro and Al Pacino;

· Oscar-nominated drama Notes on a Scandal(2005, R) with Judi Dench and Cate Blanchett;

· Oscar-winner Good Will Hunting (1997, R) with Matt Damon and Robin Williams;

· Indie hit Swingers (1996, R) with Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughn;

· Romantic drama Waiting to Exhale(1995, R) with Whitney Houston and Angela Bassett.

HBO Now

Food Lore: Season 1 (2020), an anthology series featuring stories centered on the cuisine of eight Asian countries, comes from HBO Asia exclusively to HBO streaming services. Eight episodes available to stream.

Two big screen action thrillers are now streaming:Hunter Killer (2018, R) with Gerard Butler and Gary Oldman and Luc Besson’s Anna (2019, R) with Sasha Luss as a supermodel/assassin. Also new this month:

· Guillermo Del Toro’s Gothic thriller Crimson Peak(2015, R) with Mia Wasikowska and Jessica Chastain;

· Western In a Valley of Violence(2016, R) with Ethan Hawke and John Travolta;

· End-of-the-world comedy Rapture-Palooza (2013, R) with Anna Kendrick, John Francis Daley and Craig Robinson as the devil;

· Cult film Fight Club (1999, R) with Edward Norton and Brad Pitt.

Other streams

Chadwick Boseman is Prince T’Challa, aka Black Panther (2018, PG-13), in the first Marvel superhero movie built around black hero. Director Ryan Coogler adds his own sensibility with his creation of a hidden Africa kingdom that honors the past and pushes technology into the future. Michael B. Jordan is the villain who wants to use the resources of his mother nation to foment worldwide revolution and Lupita Nyong’o and Danai Gurira co-star as fierce warriors. Both politically engaged and visually exciting, it broke box-office records on its release and became the first superhero movie nominated for an Academy Award for best picture. Now streaming on Disney+. Also new:

· Chris Pine and Casey Affleck in The Finest Hours(2016, PG-13), a sea rescue drama based on a true story;

· Animated adventure comedy Ice Age(2002, PG).

Too Late to Die Young(Chile, 2018, not rated, with subtitles), a dreamy tale of growing up in a remote artists commune in the hills of Chile, makes its streaming debut on Criterion Channel. Also new this month:

· A collection of films featuring “Scores by Quincy Jones,” including Richard Brooks’ In Cold Blood (1967, R), Paul Mazursky’sBob & Carol & Ted & Alice (1969, R), and Sam Peckinpah’s The Getaway (1972, R);

· Nuclear Armageddon double feature Fail Safe(1964) and Dr. Strangelove, or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964);

· Greg Mottola’s indie comic drama The Daytrippers(1996, R) with Hope Davis and Stanley Tucci.

Mary Harron’s drama Charlie Says (2018, R) stars Hannah Murray, Suki Waterhouse, and Merritt Wever star with Matt Smith as Charles Manson. It’s streaming on Showtime Anytime. Also new is the second season of the nonfiction series The Trade,” this season investigating human trafficking and smuggling. New episodes each Friday.

The British mystery series Death in Paradise: Seasons 1-7 (2011-2018), starring Ben Miller as an Irish police detective who hates sunshine assigned to a Caribbean island, is now streaming on BritBox.

Suite Noire (France, 2009, with subtitles), an anthology crime series featuring lurid, pulpy stories, is now on MHz. New episodes each Tuesday.

Sundance Now streams the first season of Idiomatic: Season 1(Finland, with subtitles, a modern romantic comedy. All ten episodes available.

New on disc and at Redbox

“Queen and Slim,” “Dark Waters”

Sean Axmaker is a Seattle film critic and writer. His reviews of streaming movies and TV can be found at http://streamondemandathome.com.