This week’s streaming releases see Best Picture Oscar-winner Anora make its VOD debut, along with the premieres of Gareth “The Raid” Evans’ new action flick Havoc, star-studded dramedy series The Four Seasons, and more!
SERIES
Étoile S1
24 April 2025 – Prime Video
Created by Amy Sherman-Palladino, the six-time Emmy Award-winning creator of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, comes Étoile, a new drama series set in the world of ballet. Starring Charlotte Gainsbourg and Luke Kirby, the show follows the heads of two world-renowned dance companies in Paris and New York, respectively, who come up with a daring plan to save their institutions when both fall on hard times: Swap their top dancers for one year. As egos clash and relationships change, it sets the stage for all sorts of personal drama.
Tulsa King S2
25 April 2025 – Showmax
I will admit to never having watched a single minute of the first season of Tulsa King, despite the fact that I’ve heard nothing but good things about it. And now the Sylvester Stallone-led crime drama is back for a second season, so I guess I better catch up! For the uninitiated (which includes me), the show was created by acclaimed writer/director/showrunner Taylor Sheridan (Sicario, Wind River, Hell or Highwater, Yellowstone, 1923) and marked Stallone’s first leading role in a scripted TV series. It followed Dwight ‘The General’ Manfredi, a New York mafia capo who is released from prison after 25 years only to find himself cut off from his previous organization. Essentially exiled to Tulsa, Oklahoma, he sets about building up his own criminal empire from scratch.
Carême S1
30 April 2025 – Apple TV+
Long before the Julia Childs, Gordon Ramseys, and Jamie Olivers of the world, there was Antonin Carême. The so-called first celebrity chef, Carême rose from a poor childhood to cultural superstardom in early 19th century France. While pursuing his goal of becoming the most famous chef in the world, his talent and ambitions drew the attention of renowned and powerful politicians, who decided to us him as a spy throughout Europe. This eight-episode French-language biographical drama details Carême’s meagre beginnings and meteoric popularity, with all the drama and intrigue that came with it. Even if you probably should temper your expectations of this one being historically accurate.
The Four Seasons S1
1 May 2025 – Netflix
Looking for a good dose of heartfelt drama with some comedy? Check out The Four Seasons. Co-created by Tina Fey, the new eight-episode miniseries is loose adaptation of the 1981 film of the same name, and just like that original, boasts one hell of a talented cast. Fey, Will Forte, Steve Carrell, Kerri Kenney-Silver, Colman Domingo, and Marco Calvani play three couples, who have been best friends for decades. During a relaxing weekend away though, the group dynamic is completely upended when one couple reveals they are splitting up. Following the group over the course of one year during which they take four different vacations together, The Four Seasons looks at how this shake-up affects everyone’s dynamic, sending old issues and new bubbling to the surface.
MOVIES
Havoc
25 April 2025 – Netflix
Gareth Evans. Just that name alone is enough to get action movie fans all hyped up, seeing as the Welsh-born filmmaker is the man responsible for The Raid and its sequel, two of the greatest action movies ever made. And now Evans is back with another spectacular-looking explosion of violence in Havoc. Tom Hardy (no stranger to the “greatest action movie ever” conversation thanks to Mad Max: Fury Road) stars as Walker, “a bruised detective who must fight his way through a criminal underworld to rescue a politician’s estranged son, while unravelling a deep web of corruption and conspiracy that ensnares his entire city.” The likes of Forest Whitaker, Timothy Olyphant, Luis Guzman, and more co star.
A Complete Unknown
30 April 2025 – Disney+
Scoring itself eight nominations at the Oscars earlier this year (although it failed to win any), A Complete Unknown is the musical biopic about iconic American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. Directed and co-written by James Mangold (who knows a thing or two about Oscar-winning musical biopics with 2005’s Walk the Line), the film stars two-time Oscar winner Timothée Chalamet as Dylan, following his life story through his earliest folk music success until the momentous controversy over his use of electric instruments. And because this movie didn’t have enough award-winning talent in it already, it also co-stars Elle Fanning, Edward Norton, Monica Barbaro, Boyd Holbrook, Scoot McNairy, Dan Fogler, and more.
VOD RENTALS/PURCHASES
The following movies have recently become available for digital purchase/rental:
Anora
Purchase: Apple TV – R170/ Google Play Movies – R182
Rental: Apple TV – R45
The big winner at the recent 97th Academy Awards, writer/director Sean Baker’s Anora walked home with five wins out of six nominations, earning the Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Editing, and Best Actress for Mikey Madison. It also earned $59.3 million worldwide off a budget of $6 million, making it an indie film success story the likes of which we haven’t seen in ages. It’s especially impressive given that it’s an R-rated drama about a sex worker who impulsively marries the son of a wealthy Russian oligarch. Not exactly mainstream material. I will admit though, that for all its critical acclaim, I didn’t love it. Madison’s all-in dedicated performance is definitely fantastic, but I just felt it overly long and in desperate need of a tighter edit (ironic since it won Best Editing). You may feel different though, and you can find out for yourself in the comfort of your own home as Anora is now available for digital rental and purchase. A word of warning for the conservative though: The film definitely earns its R-rating with plenty of sexual content and a LOT of very loud swearing.