From the horror of a gruesome slasher kills in Netflix’s new Texas Chainsaw Massacre, to the horror of corporate drudgery in Apple TV+’s brilliant looking dark humour series Severance, there are some great picks in this week’s streaming releases. This includes a wacky interactive cartoon from the creator of Black Mirror, a cartoon adaptation of a video game based on adaptations of cartoons, and more.
MOVIES
Texas Chainsaw Massacre
Netflix – 18 February 2022
Since it began in 1974 with Tobe Hooper’s iconic and grisly slasher horror classic, the Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise has seen itself reinvented and rebooted over and over again. And now, just like its fearsome villain, Leatherface, it’s back again and bloodier than ever! Co-written by Fede Alvarez (Evil Dead, Don’t Breathe) this new film is positioned as a direct sequel to Hooper’s original, ignoring the seven other films that have come in between. It’s an approach that worked really well for 2018’s Halloween reboot, so let’s see the same applies here. Either way, get ready for some really gruesome kills and lots of screaming!
Cat Burglar
Netflix – 18 February 2022
From the mind of Black Mirror creator Charlie Booker comes this zany (and a little disturbing) mash-up of classic cartoon and interactive quiz… and wait, what? That is definitely not a sentence I expected to be typing ever, but then again, Cat Burglar looks like nothing else I’ve seen before. It’s basically your very own customized 10-minute Tex Avery cartoon that can be rewatched/replayed over and over again to get hundreds of different combinations.
Downfall: The Case Against Boeing
Netflix – 18 February 2022
While it’s still fairly massive, Boeing was once THE name in civil aviation. That all changed in 2019 when the company’s fleet of 737 MAX aircraft was grounded worldwide following two fatal crashes that claimed the lives of 346 people combined. This searing documentary delves into how it was the company’s pursuit of Wall Street success over safety that led to not just these tragic incidents, but also a shocking cover-up.
The French Dispatch
Google Play Movies – 18 February 2022
It’s safe to say that you’re either a fan of filmmaker Wes Anderson’s special brand of charming hipster kookiness or not. I am very much a fan, but I missed the cinema release of his latest star-studded offering last year thanks to this pesky pandemic. Luckily, The French Dispatch has now hit Google Play Movies for rental so all us Anderson fans can watch it comfortably at home! Probably while dressed in a tweed jacket or red tracksuit.
SERIES
Severance S1
Apple TV+ – 18 February 2022
As the pandemic has resulted in more of us working from home than ever before, it’s become more important than ever before to maintain a healthy work/life balance. But if there was a way to completely separate the two. Like, COMPLETELY separate to the point where have no memories of your personal life while at work, and no memories of your work life while at home. That’s the original concept of Severance, the brilliant-looking new series from Ben Stiller which has already drawn rave reviews for the first two episodes which hits Apple TV+ today.
The Cuphead Show S1
Netflix – 18 February 2022
Hard-as-nails 2017 best-selling platformer video game Cuphead was inspired by the absurd musical stylings of classic cartoons from Walt Disney and Fleischer Studios. So it seems completely fitting that the videogame is getting its own cartoon series in the same style!
Space Force S2
Netflix – 18 February 2022
Despite being the much-anticipated reteaming of writer/creator Greg Daniels and star Steve Carrell, the two creative forces behind much-beloved sitcom The Office, Space Force didn’t quite have the liftoff fans had hoped for. The workplace comedy show set in a newly created branch of the US military (which is actually real thanks to Donald Trump!) pulled in enough viewers to warrant a second season though, and now it’s here. And hey, The Office’s first season was meh as well before the show found its feet, so maybe history will repeat itself with Space Force.
One of Us is Lying S1
Netflix – 18 February 2022
Although we’re getting better, South Africa still lacks access to a few streaming platforms. At least legally, that is. One of these is Peacock, the really dumb named streaming service of American broadcaster NBC. And with this omission, it meant that locals never had a proper way to watch One of Us is Lying, Peacock’s teen mystery series based on Karen M. McManus’ novel which follows five high school students who have detention together, only to have one die under very mysterious circumstances. Well, luckily Netflix has now picked up the show for international distribution, so we can also get to find out just what happened and who was responsible.
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel S4
Amazon Prime Video – 18 February 2022
The Golden Globe and Emmy-winning The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel was one of the original productions that put Amazon Prime Video on the map as a streamer, and the comedy-drama is still going strong in its fourth series. Now set in the Swinging’ Sixties, Rachel Brosnahan’s housewife-turned-standup-comedian Midge is back as she finds a gig with total creative freedom. But all that freedom comes with some serious drawbacks to family and friends around her.