This week on streaming has everything: a sci-fi thriller! A superhero show! A sex comedy starring the absolute icon Emma Thompson! Suffice it to say, you have plenty of viewing options. Whether you’re a fan of romance or spy series, comedy reboots or bat mitzvah host stories, there’s something for everyone this week.
What to watch on Netflix
spider head
From Top Gun: Maverick director Joseph Kosinski and Deadpool writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick is coming spider head, a new sci-fi thriller for Netflix. This dystopian tale finds Chris Hemsworth as a powerful man who runs a prison slash lab where inmates can commute their sentences by being test subjects for mind-altering drugs; Miles Teller and Jurnee Smollett play two prisoners who struggle to maintain their feelings and free will. It’s a movie that needs a lot of sci-fi swings, making it the perfect fit for anyone languishing in the constant black mirror drought. spider head premieres Friday 17 Junee†
The Umbrella Academy
Superhero shows and their myriad tropes are inevitable these days, but at least The Umbrella Academy likes to shake things up. This time-travelling, mind-blowing series returns for its third season this week. After avoiding another apocalypse (but certainly about to ignite another), the Hargreeves clan is back together, albeit in a new timeline that sees an alternate universe version of their blended family. The family dynamic is at the center of this season, with a welcome amount of focus on Elliot Page’s new name Viktor. Season 3 of The Umbrella Academy premiere Wednesday June 22nd†
What to Watch on Hulu
Good luck to you Leo Grande
Emma Thompson has starred in more than her fair share of romantic movies, but Good luck to you Leo Grande puts a new spin on the romcom formula. The veteran actress stars as Nancy Stokes, a retired teacher who wants a little more from love and life after a difficult marriage. Her solution? Hire a sex worker for an evening of fun and sexual self-discovery. Part an exercise in sexual positivity, part intriguing character study between two characters from different rungs of the cultural ladder, the film is definitely a must-see. Good luck to you Leo Grande premieres Friday 17 Junee†
The old man
In his first role after cancer diagnosis and remission, Jeff Bridges dives headfirst into television by starring in FX’s The old man† The actor plays Dan Chase, a former CIA agent whose life outside the network is turned upside down by a ruthless hit man and a team of FBI agents seeking answers. It’s like a western outlaw story mixed with a spy thriller, complete with gray morals and the dirty consciences of those entangled in American intelligence. Jon Lithgow and Alia Shawkat are also featured. The first two episodes of The old man will be available on Hulu starting Friday, June 17e†
What to Watch on Amazon Prime
The summer I became beautiful
if To all the boys I loved before put some much needed life into YA romance, then The summer I became beautiful should give the genre a flying start. This new series comes from To all the boys author Jenny Han, and it concerns a similar kind of love triangle for teenagers: young Isabel must choose between two old friends (who happen to be brothers) during her annual summer beach trip. Amazon has already renewed the show for a second season prior to the premiere, so it’s definitely going to be something special. The summer I became beautiful premieres Friday 17 Junee†
What to watch on HBO Max
Father of the Bride
An updated, thoroughly Latino take on the oft-filmed Father of the Bride will be streaming this week. Starring Andy Garcia and Gloria Estefan, the film follows the classic story of a father coming to terms with his daughter’s impending wedding – with a few new twists. Garcia and Estefan’s long-suffering couple are about to announce their divorce when the much happier news arrives, and the possibly outdated premise is given an interesting nuance through the film lens of a close-knit Cuban-American family. It’s the kind of mid-budget comedy we rarely see anymore, and this film makes it clear that’s a shame. Father of the Bride is streaming now.
What to watch on Apple TV+
Cha Cha Really Smooth
This Sundance favorite forges together a “cozy movie blanket” that combines coming-of-age aimlessness with sharp humor. In Cha Cha Really Smooth, writer-director Cooper Raiff stars as Andrew, a recent college graduate who moves home with his family. To fill the void of passivity he finds himself in, he begins to hold bar/bat mitzvahs for his little brother and his friends. At some point in this career path, he meets Dakota Johnson’s Domino, a mother with an autistic daughter, and a sweet trio is formed between them. It’s a film that’s both sincere and smart, a rare balance. Cha Cha Really Smooth premieres Friday 17 Junee†
what to watch is a regular endorsement of movies and TV worth your streaming time.
