Welcome to Boston. com’s weekly broadcast guide. Each week, we feature five must-see videos and TV shows available on streaming platforms like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, Disney, HBO Max, Peacock, Paramount, and more. .
Many of the recommendations are for new shows, while others are for hidden releases you may have missed or classics that are about to leave a streaming service at the end of the month.
Do you have a new favorite movie or show that you think we know about?Let us know in the comments or by emailing [email protected]. Looking for even bigger streaming options? Check out previous editions of our must-see list here.
Because American studios have been streaming Godzilla videos and presentations consistently for more than 25 years, I thought I had an idea of the difference between a smart Godzilla (the one from 2014) and a bad Godzilla (the one from 1998). It turns out that the new kaiju movie made in Japan, “Godzilla Minus One,” blows up each and every American edition at a fraction of the budget.
Set in 1950s Tokyo, “Minus One” follows the adventure of former kamikaze pilot Koichi (Ryunosuke Kamiki), who, not dying at the hands of Godzilla in World War II, lives in disgrace and is considered a coward. of a non-traditional nuclear family, raising an orphaned child (Minami Hamabe) with another woman who lost everything in the war (and the Godzilla rampage that followed). When the Japanese government seeks volunteers to help prevent Godzilla, Koichi sees a possibility in redemption, even if he’s (understandably) dealing with a fight-or-flight response.
“Godzilla Minus One” is much more than a popular monster movie: it tells the story of a hero and wonders about the evolution of Japanese social attitudes before and after the atomic bomb. But don’t worry: Godzilla is still huge, looks amazing, and smashes and roars with theirs.
How to watch: “Godzilla Minus One” is streaming on Netflix.
Richard Linklater’s new film has many of the director’s hallmarks: dark, comic situations, erudite philosophical ramblings, and a humanistic streak that unfolds from reel to reel. The only thing missing is a surrogate mother for Linklater who used to play baseball. Starring the star actor of Linklater’s 2016 film “Everybody Wants Something!!,” “Hit Man” loosely relies on a true story about a hazy school teacher (Powell) who works as a fake hitman for the New Orleans Police Department.
Gary, who is so afraid to break away from his low-stakes routine, takes his undercover tasks as a possibility to be something else. When he meets a woman (Adria Arjona, “Andor”) while having his hitman persona (this time a tough guy named Rod), the id and superego (also the names of Gary’s cats) collide. Powell, who co-wrote the script with Linklater, conscientiously modulates its functionality as the line between Gary and Rod blurs, though not necessarily in a bad way. “Hit Man” is sexy, challenging and funny. And for a movie about a fake hitman, it’s oddly grounded in truth when it comes to considering the nature of love, hate, and self.
How to watch: “Hit Man” is streaming on Netflix.
Although it never had the chance to unseat “The Zone of Interest” as Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars, Wim Wenders’ “Perfect Days” is one of the most productive films of 2023. It’s a calming and meditative feature film about finding the good looks of each and every moment of every day. Hirayama (Koji Yakusho) is satisfied with his regimen (full of tapes, nature photographs, and paperbacks) and proud of his work as a janitor in Tokyo.
The first hour of the film immerses the viewer in their everyday lives, showing how even the most sophisticated differences in everyday lifestyles can be considered life’s little treasures. Its closest analogy is Jim Jarmusch’s “Paterson,” in which a bus driver (Adam Driver) writes poetry about the daily rhythm of the city and its people. The moment part of the film turns this regime upside down, Hirayama never loses sight of the fact that, as she likes to say, “Next time is next time, and now is now. “
How to watch: “Perfect Days” is streaming on Hulu.
Judging by the 26% viewership score on Rotten Tomatoes, there’s something of an angry controversy among fans surrounding the new Star Wars series, “The Acolyte. “I probably wouldn’t bother looking into it (because those fan complaints are incredibly stupid faults). and I will warmly support “The Acolyte,” a series that is pleasantly disconnected from the Star Wars canon.
Set a century before the events of “The Phantom Menace,” the series is set in a world where the Jedi are omnipotent and in fact maintain order throughout the galaxy. Until an assassin begins to take down the Jedi Masters left and right. The Council, fearing poor optics, blames Osha (Amandla Stenberg), a defecting Jedi who has also been partially taught in witchcraft. With the help of his former Jedi Master Sol (Lee Jung-jae, “Squid Game”), Osha will have to make his call transparent and find out who, why, and how the murders are. “The Acolyte” moves at a steady pace, features some of the most productive action sequences in recent Star Wars history and tells a story that, while not triumphing in the heights of “Andor,” nevertheless breaks the popular Lucasfilm mold.
How to watch: “The Acolyte” is streaming on Disney with new episodes added weekly.
HBO, the channel that gave us “Game of Thrones” and “Succession,” is the best location for “Ren Faire,” a three-part documentary series about the king of a Renaissance fair in Texas that seeks to find out who will take over. the empresa. su death. The “king” of this ren faire is George Coulam, an octogenarian whose main objectives are to locate someone to take over his operations and locate a well-endowed woman with whom to spend his last days. The Tourist Charm (and His Habit) (Unlimited Ego and Libido) are reminiscent of Joe Exotic, the immodest and over-the-top star of the Netflix documentary “Tiger King. “
Watching the succession candidates carefully selected by George move slowly and plan to remain in his graceful grace seems like a fictional painting. But the fact is, when they dedicate their lives to a vocation, whether it’s a media conglomerate like Waystar Royco or a large amusement park in The Middle of Nowhere, the stakes are real.
How to watch: “Ren Faire” airs on Max.