Stream on Demand: ‘Love’ is in the air in ‘Pursuit’ and ‘Resort’
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
Lily James and Emily Beecham play cousins – one rebellious and vivacious, the other shy and careful – who take very different routes to love in the limited series “The Pursuit of Love” (TV-PG). The handsomely mounted romantic drama, set in London between two world wars, is adapted from the beloved Nancy Mitford novel and directed by Emily Mortimer, who co-stars with Dominic West, Dolly Wells and Andrew Scott. The three-part series originally played on BBC. (Amazon Prime)
Two music documentary series debut. In the limited series “Watch the Sound With Mark Ronson” (TV-MA), the Grammy-winning songwriter and music producer explores the technology of music with artists such as Paul McCartney, Questlove, King Princess and Dave Grohl (Apple TV+). “Behind the Music” reboots the classic VH1 show with profiles of Busta Rhymes, Jennifer Lopez, Ricky Martin, Huey Lewis and others. New episodes on Thursdays (Paramount+).
A serial killer swaps bodies with a high school girl in “Freaky” (2020, R), a self-aware horror film with a twist of “Freaky Friday” and a heavy helping of dark comedy. Vince Vaughn and Kathryn Newton have a great time playing the swapped souls in unfamiliar bodies. (HBO Max)
“Resort to Love” (2021, TV-14) stars Christina Milian as an aspiring pop star whose latest gig is singing at the tropical wedding of her ex-fiancé (Jay Pharoah). The romantic comedy co-stars Christiani Pitts and Alicia Keys. (Netflix)
“Jungle Cruise” (2021, PG-13), a splashy adventure comedy inspired by a Disney theme park ride, stars Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt as partners on a quest through the Amazon jungle. Edgar Ramírez, Jack Whitehall, Jesse Plemons and Paul Giamatti also star in the film, which streams at a premium price same day as theaters. (Disney+)
Pay-Per-View / Video on Demand
Emily Blunt stars in “A Quiet Place: Part II” (2021, PG-13), the sequel to the alien invasion horror written and directed by John Krasinski. Also on DVD and at Redbox. Also new:
• Indie drama “Lorelei” (2021, not rated) with Jena Malone and Pablo Schreiber (on VOD same day as select theaters);
• “Twist” (2021, R), a modern take on “Oliver Twist” with Michael Caine in the Fagan role;
• Documentary “Hail to the Deadites” (2021, not rated) on fans of the “Evil Dead” films.
Netflix
The three-part series “Myth & Mogul: John DeLorean” (TV-14) chronicles the rise and fall of the automotive icon with new interviews and never-before-seen footage of DeLorean shot by Oscar-winning director D.A Pennebaker.
More true stories: “Fantastic Fungi” (2019, TV-14) is a playful and informative look at the world of mushrooms.
Jamie Foxx is “Django Unchained” (2012, R) in Quentin Tarantino’s Oscar-winning spin on the spaghetti Western. Christoph Waltz, Kerry Washington, Samuel L. Jackson and Leonardo DiCaprio also star.
International passport: The action comedy “The Last Mercenary” (France, TV-MA, with subtitles) stars Jean-Claude Van Damme as an agent forced out of retirement to save his son.
Streaming TV: The 10th season of the zombie apocalypse “The Walking Dead” (TV-MA) continues the fight for human survival. Also new:
• The second season of teen drama “Outer Banks” (TV-MA);
• Season three of college sports drama “All American” (TV-14);
• Season four of Western/science fiction/horror hybrid “Wynonna Earp” (TV-MA).
International TV: “The Snitch Cartel – Origins” (Colombia, TV-MA) follows the rise of two brothers in the Colombia drug trade.
Amazon Prime Video
Kate Beckinsale stars in the violent but derivative action thriller “Jolt” (2021, R) as a woman with a rare neurological disorder that causes her to fly into a violent destructive rage when annoyed and goes completely ballistic when the man she loves is murdered. Stanley Tucci, Jai Courtney and Bobby Cannavale costar.
Hulu
The Danish ambassador (Ulrich Thomsen) fights the Nazis from his American post in the World War II drama “The Good Traitor” (Denmark, 2021, not rated, with subtitles), which won three Danish Film Awards.
“The Artist” (2011, PG-13), starring Jean Dujardin as a silent-movie star struggling in the sound era, won five Academy Awards, including best picture, director (Michel Hazanavicius) and actor (Dujardin).
HBO Max
“The Immortal” (Italy, 2021, TV-MA, with subtitles), the feature-film sequel to the hit crime series “Gomorrah,” continues the story of Naples gangster Ciro Di Marzio (Marco D’Amore).
Streaming TV: Ryan Wilder dons the cowl in the second season of the CW superhero series “Batwoman” (TV-14).
Disney+
“Turning The Tables With Robin Roberts” (not rated) presents interviews with groundbreaking women in entertainment, music and sports. All four episodes streaming. (Disney+)
Two animated shows debut for young kids: the first season of “Chip ‘N’ Dale: Park Life” (TV-G) and the second season of “The Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse” (TV-G).
Other streams
The four-part docuseries “Dr. Death: The Undoctored Story” (not rated) delves into the real-life story behind the dramatic series currently streaming. (Peacock)
“Eden: Untamed Planet” (not rated) explores six of the last untouched locations on Earth. Helena Bonham Carter narrates. (BritBox)
The fifth and final season of the Australian medical dramedy “The Heart Guy” (not rated) with Rodger Corser streams in its entirety. (Acorn TV)
The short-form talk show “The Demi Lovato Show” (not rated) debuts its 10-minute episodes free with ads. (The Roku Channel)
Two adolescent boys have to rescue themselves from an abductor in the acclaimed horror film “The Boy Behind the Door” (2020, not rated). (AMC+ / Shudder)
”Film” (1967), the surreal short film written by Samuel Beckett and starring Buster Keaton, is presented with “Notfilm” (2015, not rated), Ross Lipman’s documentary on the collaboration. (Criterion Channel) Also new:
• The recently restored film noir “Too Late for Tears” (1949) with Lizabeth Scott and Dan Duryea;
• James Ivory’s “A Room With a View” (1985, not rated) with Helena Bonham Carter, Julian Sands and Daniel Day-Lewis, presented with two documentaries on the film from the Criterion special edition disc;
• Richard Linklater’s “Slacker” (1990, R) presented with multiple commentary tracks, featurettes, interviews and bonus Linklater films from the Criterion disc;
• Hal Ashby’s “Being There” (1979, PG) with Peter Sellers in his second Oscar-nominated performance, presented with featurettes and interviews from the Criterion disc.
New on disc and at Redbox
”A Quiet Place: Part II”
Sean Axmaker is a Seattle film critic and writer. His reviews of streaming movies and television can be found at streamondemandathome.com.