Hi friends,
Two pieces of big news this week: the first is that Hulu’s Predator prequel, Prey, has now become the streamer’s most popular film yet. Despite not having a theatrical release, it debuts as one of summer’s biggest films, and deservedly so. It’s inventive and involving, a nice refresh of a well-worn franchise.
The second is that Disney+ has reportedly surpassed Netflix’s subscriber count. It only took a handful of years for the media conglomerate to unlock Netflix’s decades-worth of streaming secrets.
As always, I hope you have a good weekend!
OUR TOP TV SHOW OF THE WEEK
Never Have I Ever
Season 3 is new on Netflix 🍅 rating: 89%
It’s been a hot minute since a Netflix series made it to our top picks, but the latest season of Never Have I Ever is here to finally break that sorry streak.
The show, which centers on sexually curious high schooler Devi Vishwakumar (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan), is arguably even more riotous and tender than the previous seasons. Here, it takes more of its time hashing out Devi’s insecurities and identity, resulting in an entertaining and heartwarming watch. That’s kind of hard to come by these days on Netflix—as one review puts it, “In the end, Never Have I Ever offers a rambunctious good time in a sea of bad-to-average Netflix originals.”
OUR TOP MOVIE OF THE WEEK
Dope
New on Netflix 🍅 rating: 88%
Make sure you don’t miss out on the 2015 gem that is Dope. It follows trio Malcolm, Job, and Diggy, high school geeks whose lives take a thrilling turn when they unwittingly get involved in the underground drug trade. Despite mounting tangles, Malcolm hustles to get into his dream school, Harvard.
It’s “Superbad meets Boyz in the Hood,” as Bilal accurately describes in the recommendation we’ve made on the site—a cheeky comedy, a smart commentary, and as with both of the mentioned films, a tender coming of age story.
Top picks outside of Netflix and Amazon Prime
From the creators of Palm Springs comes another twisty-timey production: The Resort, an ongoing miniseries that streams new episodes weekly on Peacock. Cristin Milioti (How I Met Your Mother) and William Jackson Harper (The Good Place) star as a married couple who chance upon a true-crime-like conspiracy while vacationing at a resort in South America. The deeper they get involved in the case, however, the more cracks they find in their bond. It’s a mystery, thriller, romance, and comedy all at once—one of those multi-genre shows that’s an absolute delight to peel through with every new episode.
On Hulu, the aforementioned Prey continues to stream and surprise audiences. Director Dan Trachtenberg (10 Cloverfield Lane) sets Predator’s origin story in America, circa 1719, where the humanoid alien is hunted down by members of the Comanche tribe. One of the warriors, Naru, protects her people with nothing but handmade tools, expert skills, and a keen sense of what her abundant environment offers.
New titles worth your time
Except for the titles above (plus a hidden gem we mentioned in the premium edition of our newsletter), there are no new good titles to be found on Netflix this week.
But that shouldn’t be a problem for Amazon Prime subscribers. The streamer just released the documentary American Grindhouse, which explores exploitation films of the 20th century, and Beasts Clawing at Straws, a twisty South Korean crime thriller.
For football fans, the docuseries All or Nothing: Arsenal, a behind-the-scenes look at one of the world's biggest football clubs, is also new on Amazon Prime.
Great titles that will soon expire
Over at Netflix, the modern horror classic that is The Conjuring, which follows the exploits of paranormal investigators Lorraine (Vera Farmiga) and Ed (Patrick Wilson), will expire on August 20th.
Meanwhile, on Amazon Prime, the documentary Bob and the Monster, about rock musician Bob Forrest and his drug addiction, will also be leaving on August 20th.
That’s all for this week. This edition of the newsletter will be back on Friday, August 19.
Till then,
Renee