Stream on Demand: ‘White Lotus’ blossoms with social satire set in Hawaii
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 White Lotus” (TV-MA), a new limited-series comedy set at a luxury resort in Hawaii, uses collision of privileged characters and working-class employees to navigate issues of race, sex, class and identity swirling through contemporary American culture. Connie Britton, Steve Zahn, Jennifer Coolidge and Alexandra Daddario star in the sharp but compassionate social satire from creator Mike White. New episodes each Sunday. (HBO Max)
Adapted from the hit true crime podcast, the limited series “Dr. Death” (TV-MA) stars Joshua Jackson as criminally incompetent, sociopathic surgeon Dr. Christopher Duntsch and Christian Slater and Alec Baldwin as the doctors who battle the system to stop him. New episodes Thursdays. (Peacock)
“A Quiet Place Part II” (2021, PG-13) begins where the original horror film ends, with the mother (Emily Blunt) of two young teens and an infant protecting her family from aliens who use sound to hunt humans. The sequel expands the scope to include other survivors. (Paramount+)
LeBron James joins forces with Bugs Bunny and other animated characters in “Space Jam: A New Legacy” (2021, PG), a sports comedy that uses animation and live action to create a fantasy dream team basketball tournament. Available same day it opens in theaters, streams for 31 days. (HBO Max)
In the action thriller “Gunpowder Milkshake” (2021, R), a killer (Karen Gillan) teams up with veteran assassins (Lena Headey, Carla Gugino, Michelle Yeoh, Angela Bassett) to take on the crime syndicate that trained them all. (Netflix)
Legendary producer Rick Rubin interviews Paul McCartney in “McCartney 3, 2, 1” (not rated), a six-part limited series that delves into his groundbreaking work with the Beatles and his creative and professional life since. (Hulu)
Shark Week goes streaming. Discovery+ drops new shows and documentaries every day, including Eli Roth’s documentary “Fin” (2021), about the criminal slaughter of sharks, and Disney+ presents the “Sharkfest” collection from National Geographic.
Pay-Per-View / Video on Demand
Jason Statham stars in “Wrath of Man” (2021, R), a revenge action thriller from director Guy Ritchie. Also on DVD and at Redbox.
Netflix
“Fear Street Part 3: 1666” (2021, R) completes the horror trilogy with a story set in early colonial America.
The young adult romantic fantasy “Twilight” (2009, PG-13) and the entire “Twilight” saga starring Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson are now on streaming.
True stories: “Heist” (TV-MA) explores three of the biggest heists in modern American history as explained by the people who pulled them off.
Amazon Prime Video
Melissa Leo and Misty Upham play struggling women in an impoverished culture who join forces on an illegal project in “Frozen River” (2008, R).
Other streams
“Schmigadoon!” (TV-14) stars Cecily Strong and Keegan-Michael Key as a couple who become trapped in a magical town where life is a literal musical. (Apple TV+)
The limited-series drama “The North Water” (not rated) stars Jack O’Connell and Colin Farrell on a whaling expedition in the Arctic in the 1850s. (AMC +)
New on disc and at Redbox:
“Wrath of Man,” “Mortal Kombat,” “The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run”
Sean Axmaker is a Seattle film critic and writer. His reviews of streaming movies and television can be found at streamondemandathome.com