Stream on Demand: Relationships strain and stretch in this week’s streaming options
What’s new for home viewing on Video on Demand and Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, Disney+, HBO Max and other streaming services.
Top streams for the week
The romantic drama “Malcolm & Marie” (2021, R) stars Zendaya and John David Washington as a Hollywood couple who spend an evening debating art, representation and authenticity while the strains of their own relationship start to tear. Directed by “Euphoria” creator Sam Levinson. (Netflix)
A professional assassin (Andrea Riseborough) hijacks the bodies of innocent people in “Possessor” (2020, R), but when one of the possessed (Christopher Abbott) struggles for control, the reverberations are ferocious. The dark science-fiction thriller from filmmaker Brandon Cronenberg is brutal but fascinating. (Hulu)
Owen Wilson is a depressed divorced dad who is convinced that the world is just a computer simulation by a homeless woman (Salma Hayek) in “Bliss” (2021, R). That’s just the beginning of his journey down the rabbit hole . (Amazon Prime)
Katherine Heigl and Sarah Chalke play best friends through the decades in “Firefly Lane: Season 1” (not rated), a soapy drama that jumps back and forth through three eras of their lives, from teenagers in the 1970s through early careers at a TV station in the ’80s to 40-something women facing midlife crises in the early 2000s. (Netflix)
Binge alert: The hit sitcom “Modern Family” (2009-2020, TV-PG) won more than 20 Emmy Awards, including outstanding comedy series five times. The entire series – all 250 episodes – is now streaming on Hulu and Peacock.
Classic pick: Celebrated as the greatest ballet film ever made, “The Red Shoes” (1948), starring Moira Shearer as a ballerina torn between art and love, is a loving and lavish tribute to all the arts and one of the most sumptuous color films made. (Amazon Prime and Criterion Channel)
Pay-Per-View / Video on Demand
The science-fiction thriller “Little Fish” (2021, not rated) stars Olivia Cooke and Jack O’Connell as a Seattle couple trying to survive a global epidemic that makes memories disappear. Also new:
• Dark romantic comedy “Happily” (2021, R) starring Joel McHale and Kerry Bishé;
• “Falling” (2021, R), an intimate drama directed by and starring Viggo Mortensen;
• “The Go-Go’s” (2020, TV-MA), a documentary about the rock group original made for Showtime.
Netflix
The documentary “Strip Down, Rise Up” (2021, R) celebrates the liberating power of pole dancing for women reclaiming their bodies and lives.
Streaming TV: The two most recent seasons of the long-running Canadian family drama “Heartland” (TV-14) are now available.
Kid stuff: The intergalactic animated adventure comedy “Kid Cosmic” (TV-G) is from the creator of “The Powerpuff Girls.”
Standup: “Tiffany Haddish Presents: They Ready: Season 2” (TV-MA) showcases a new slate of upcoming comedians.
International Passport: A forbidden affair threatens the future of a free spirit in “The Last Paradiso” (Italy, 2021, not rated, with subtitles), a romantic drama inspired by a true story in 1950s Italy. Also new:
• “Little Big Women” (Taiwan, 2020, not rated, with subtitles), a drama about a family grappling with the death of their estranged father;
• Science fiction adventure “Space Sweepers” (South Korea, 2021, not rated, with subtitles);
• “Invisible City: Season 1” (Brazil, with subtitles), a crime thriller with a supernatural twist;
• “Hache: Season 2” (Spain, TV-MA, with subtitles), a crime drama set in 1960s Barcelona.
Amazon Prime Video
Catch up with the comedy “Coming to America” (1988, R), starring Eddie Murphy as a pampered African prince who travels to look for a bride, before the new sequel debuts on Amazon Prime next month. Arsenio Hall, James Earl Jones, and John Amos co-star.
Jackie Chan stars in the Old West action comedy “Shanghai Noon” (2000, PG-13) with Owen Wilson and Lucy Lui.
The first three seasons of the Showtime drama “Billions” (2016-2018, TV-MA) with Paul Giamatti and Damian Lewis are now streaming.
International passport: “Ida” (Poland, 2014, PG-13, with subtitles), a drama about a novice nun who discovers a family secret that dates back to the Nazi occupation, won the Oscar for best foreign language film.
More streaming TV: Amazon adds more classic sitcoms featuring African American casts, including “Moesha: Complete Series” (1996-2001, TV-PG) with Brandy Norwood;
• “Half & Half: Complete Series” (2003-2006, TV-PG) with Essence Atkins and Rachel True;
• “Sister, Sister: Complete Series” (1994-1999, TV-PG) with Tia Mowry-Hardrict and Tamera Mowry-Housley.
For the month of February only, Amazon will make the first season of numerous shows from other services available to subscribers, among them:
• Historical drama “The White Princess” (2017, TV-MA) from Starz, a limited series starring Jodie Comer;
• Showtime crime drama “City on a Hill” with Kevin Bacon and Aldis Hodge;
• PBS Civil War drama “Mercy Street” (2016, TV-14) with Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Josh Radnor;
• Sundance crime thriller “Safe House” (2015, TV-MA) with Christopher Eccleston.
Also available for the month of February are the documentaries
Hulu
Janelle Monáe stars in the horror film “Antebellum” (2020, R) as an author who finds herself in a real-life slavery nightmare.
The horror comedy “12 Hour Shift” (2020, not rated) stars Angela Bettis as a black market organ dealer racing the clock for a replacement kidney.
True stories: “The New York Times Presents: Framing Britney Spears” (2021, TV-MA) re-examines the pop superstar’s career in light of her battle with her father over control of her estate and career.
The comedy “Hello, My Name is Doris” (2016, R) stars Sally Field as a middle-aged cubicle worker who pursues a handsome young workmate (Max Greenfield).
The Oscar-winning “Sideways” (2004, R) stars Paul Giamatti and Thomas Hayden Church as buddies on a road trip through California wine country.
HBO Max
Jason Momoa is “Aquaman” (2018, PG-13) in the fantastical superhero epic about the Prince of Atlantis who must reclaim his birthright to stop a war between the undersea kingdom and the human race.
Gary Oldman is George Smiley in “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” (2011, R), the Oscar-nominated adaptation of the John le Carré novel. (All HBO platforms)
Originally made for Japanese television, “Earwig and the Witch” (Japan, 2021, PG) is the first CGI production from Japan’s legendary Studio Ghibli. Gorô Miyazaki directs the adaptation of the children’s novel by Diana Wynne Jones.
Sean Axmaker is a Seattle film critic and writer. His reviews of streaming movies and television can be found at streamondemandathome.com.