Killer stories, killer adventures, and actual killers appear to be the themes of the new streaming releases, led by David Fincher’s thriller The Killer, an F1 docuseries focusing on Brawn GP, whodunnit series A Murder at the End of the World, a James Bond inspired reality show, the VOD debut of The Equalizer 3, and more!
SERIES
007: Road to a Million S1
10 November 2023 – Prime Video
We don’t normally feature reality shows around here, but 007: Road to a Million is slightly different. The first reality show ever to spin out of the James Bond movie franchise, it’s hosted by award-winning actor Brian Cox who “stars” as a mysterious character known as The Controller, tasked with getting two-person teams to compete against each other around the world in eye-catching locations and grueling physical and mental activities inspired by Bond and other famous on-screen spies, all for the chance to win £1million. Hilariously, Cox recently revealed that he quickly signed onto to the project because he actually thought it was a new James Bond film. And it appears that the discovery of this actually being a reality games show a la The Amazing Race has not deterred Cox one bit as early reviews peg his deliciously villainous scenery-chewing as reason enough to give 007: Road to a Million a watch!
A Murder at the End of the World S1
14 November 2023 – Disney+
Keeping things on the criminal side, we have this hotly-anticipated mystery mini-series starring The Crown’s Emma Corrin as a Gen Z amateur sleuth and hacker who finds herself caught up in a modern-day Sherlock Holmesesque murder mystery. Invited, along with eight other guests, to participate in a retreat at a remote location by a reclusive billionaire, the young detective’s skills get put to the test when one of the guests is found dead under puzzling circumstances. There’s an obvious similarity here with Rian Johnson’s recent Glass Onion, but they both actually lean into the tropes of the whodunnit genre which I am a huge fan of, so I’m all in for this one.
Brawn: The Impossible Formula 1 Story
15 November 2023 – Disney+
Netflix’s Drive to Survive was incredible for introducing laymen to the world of Formula 1, and I’m sure that these fans – as well as longtime petrolheads needing a refresher – will flock to this retelling of one of the sport’s most incredible tales. Led by the internet’s boyfriend Keanu Reeves, this four-part docu-series uses insights from various racing legends and personalities to track how Ross Brawn and his team, understaffed and underfunded, would go on to achieve impossible success in the most expensive and technically advanced motorsport around.
Lucky Hank S1
15 November 2023 – Showmax
If you’re missing some Bob Odenkirk in your life after Better Call Saul ended last year, Lucky Hank is here to provide. The six-time Emmy-nominated actor stars in this comedy-drama adaptation of Richard Russo’s 1997 novel Straight Man as William Henry “Hank” Devereaux, Jr., an English department chair at an underfunded college. As his students soon find out though – and then broadcast online for the world to see – Hank is walking a tightrope between a mid-life crisis and a mental breakdown, and it’s all now coming undone to chaotic and kind of funny results.
The Crown S6
16 November 2023 – Netflix
It may have lost some of the must-watch lustre it had in its early seasons, but The Crown still makes for some compelling viewing as it offers a quasi-factual account of the lives of the British Royal Family. And now the beloved/controversial award-winning drama series is coming to an end. Well, the beginning of the end anyway, as the four-episode Season 6 Part 1 kicks off next week, with this arc following Elizabeth Debicki’s Princess Diana in the final weeks leading up to her historic and tragic death in 1997. You should probably keep the tissues handy for this one.
MOVIES
The Killer
10 November 2023 – Netflix
With a filmography containing hits like Se7en, Fight Club, Zodiac, Panic Room, Gone Girl, and more, I’m yet to meet a David Fincher movie I haven’t loved. And I have a strong suspicion that The Killer will not be changing that winning streak at all. I mean, it stars Michael freaking Fassbender and did you see that trailer above?! Yes, the plot about a clinically professional hitman, who finds things getting very personal when a hit goes wrong, is nothing groundbreaking, but this one is all about the execution and the incredible talent behind it. And ooh it looks amazing!
Best. Christmas. Ever!
16 November 2023 – Netflix
Well, it may only be November, but it appears we’re already in Christmas Holiday movie season! Starring Heather Graham, Brandy, Jason Biggs and Matt Cedeño, this comedy follows Charlotte, who is convinced her college friend Jackie’s seemingly perfect life can’t be as perfect as the boastful holiday newsletter she sends out ever Christmas makes it out to be. And when a twist of fate sees Charlotte landing on Jackie’s doorstep on Christmas Eve, it sets the scene for the truth to finally be revealed! Expect this one to be silly and schmaltzy, just like every other Christmas movie you’ve seen before.
VOD RENTALS/PURCHASES
The following movies have recently become available for digital purchase/rental:
The Equalizer 3
Purchase: Google Play Movies – R173
I have to admit that after 2018’s The Equalizer 2, I didn’t think we needed another entry in the Denzel Washington “old dude kicking ass” action thriller franchise, but here we are. Director Antoine Fuqua is back with Washington’s retired ex-Marine/DIA agent Robert McCall now finding himself having finally settled down in a sleepy little town on Italy’s Amalfi Coast. Of course that peaceful bliss doesn’t last as the local mafia start causing trouble, and soon McCall back to his old precognitive ways, telling people how he’s going to dismantle them and just how long it will take him, right before he does it. By all accounts, The Equalizer 3 movie is exactly the type of low-commitment action movie throwback you would be happy to watch on a Sunday night at home. Right now you can only do that if you purchase the film, but rental options should pop up in the coming week or so.