Welcome to Stream Scene, where we highlight any noteworthy new movies and series hitting online streaming services.
From catching a criminal to the rise of a criminal, from scary old people to bad old movies, from ninjas to nightmares – This week’s list of new streaming releases seemingly has it all and then some, headlined by the release of Jake Gyllenhaal-led thriller The Guilty on Netflix, long-awaited The Sopranos prequel movie The Many Saints of Newark on HBO Max, and moving drama series Maid on Netflix.
MOVIES
The Guilty
Netflix (SA) – 1 October 2021
Forget to cut your nails this week? Don’t worry, The Guilty is about to make sure you chew through all of them anyway! Starring Jake Gyllenhaal as a 911 operator trying to save a woman who has been kidnapped, the taut new thriller is directed by Training Day’s Antoine Fuqua and was written by True Detective’s Nic Pizzolatto and appears to combine all the best elements of that team-up. This film was amazingly shot in just 11 days during the pandemic with Fuqua, who at the time had come into contact with a a COVID-positive person, directing from within an isolated van kitted out with screens and radios from a block away.
The Many Saints of Newark
HBO Max (US) – 1 October 2021
The Sopranos was a seminal show that ushered in the “Golden Age of TV” as the small-screen started competing with the big screen in terms of filmmaking prestige. And now that entire process has come full circle with The Many Saints of Newark, a feature film prequel that shows us the rise of young Tony Soprano (played by Michael Gandolfini, the real-life son of the legendary James Gandolfini who originated the role) as he gets caught up in rival gang warfare, at the centre of which is Dickie Moltisanti, the shady uncle he idolizes.
Diana: The Musical
Netflix (SA) – 1 October 2021
In case you haven’t heard, there’s a new Hollywood feature film biopic about the late Princess Diana Spencer on the way. However, before that gets here, if you want to dive into the life of “Lady Di” – BUT WITH SINGING AND DANCING! – then this recorded version of the Diana Broadway stage musical should keep you going.
Bingo Hell/Black as Night
Amazon Prime Video (SA) – 1 October 2021
The first two entries in Blumhouse Productions and Amazon Prime Video’s Welcome to the Blumhouse four-film anthology horror series for 2021, Bingo Hell and Black as Night both tackle the series’ themes of “institutional horrors and personal phobias”. At least that’s what the official blurb says. What I see is one movie about old people getting caught in up some demonic scheme, and another that plays out like a black-centric cross between Buffy and Blade.
There’s Someone Inside Your House
Netflix (SA) – 6 October 2021
We’re officially in Halloween month so what better way to kick things off than with a slasher film featuring a killer wearing somebody’s face? Don’t worry, William Shatner, your face is safe this time. Unlike the all the high-school kids in this film who get targeted by a murderer to get them to spill their proverbial guts online before doing the literal act with a very sharp knife.
Escape the Undertaker
Netflix (SA) – 5 October 2021
Ever role played as a WWE wrestler? How about a WWE wrestler trapped in a spooky mansion while being hunted down by the Undertaker? Well, now you can thanks to a new WWW-themed interactive special that will have you decide the fate of The New Day. Will the “Dead Man” get his hands on them? It’s up to you and your choices!
Snake Eyes
Apple TV/Google Play Movies – 1 October 2021
If you missed the Henry Golding-led G.I. Joe prequel/reboot when it hit cinemas in August, Snake Eyes is now available on Apple TV and Google Play Movies. Unfortunately, it’s only available for purchase at R149 with no rental options yet.
Hercules in New York
Amazon Prime Video (SA) – 1 October 2021
Arnold Schwarzenegger is one of the biggest movie stars of all time… and that screen-stardom all started in 1969 with this really, really bad movie which you can now watch on Amazon Prime Video if you’ve ever been curious about it. Hercules in New York sees a young, barely legible Arnie (billed as Arnold Strong) as the titular Greek demigod as he explores the “modern” mortal world for the first time and inadvertently births a handful of future memes.
SERIES
Maid
Netflix (SA) – 1 October 2021
Real life mother-daughter duo Margaret Qualley and Andie McDowell team up in this dramatic and heartfelt 10-episode limited series about a young mother who flees an abusive relationship – and a troubled mother of her own – with her daughter, and gets a job cleaning houses to support her small family. Definitely one to keep the tissues handy for.
Resident Alien S1
Showmax (SA) – 1 October 2021
Billed as a “murder mystery sci-fi dramedy”, it’s hard to pin comic book adaptation Resident Alien down. What we do know, is that this tale about an extraterrestrial alien (Alan Tudyk) disguised as a small-town human doctor who gets roped into a murder investigation, was a huge critical smash when it debuted in the US last year. And now folks in SA can see what all the fuss is about.
Sexy Beasts S2
Netflix (SA) – 7 October 2021
I still haven’t seen the first season of this bizarre reality dating series – in which contestants are done up in super-detailed transformative prosthetics so that they only judge each other on personalities and not looks – and I probably won’t watch this new season. Dating shows are already iffy enough for me, that I don’t need to watch a tiger court an orc. But I guess here’s a market for this though, because here we are.