Screen Crusades: Weekly Streaming Guide 4.23.21

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‘Mortal Kombat’ (HBO Max)

Mortal Kombat has remained one of the most popular and successful fighting game franchises thanks to its unique roster of fighters and forever controversial depictions of absurdly graphic violence. The series has gone from arcades to the latest generation gaming consoles, so it’s no wonder that film adaptations were attempted back during the franchises’ peak. However, following the failure of Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, further movie plans were put on hold until now, over two decades later.

This new reboot is produced by James Wan and directed by Simon McQuoid, and it’s looking to breathe new life into the martial arts genre by leaning hard into the series’ more fantastical elements and of course, putting the games’ famous Fatalities on the big screen in all their gory glory. The story follows a washed-up MMA fighter named Cole Young (Lewis Tan) seeking out the world’s greatest fighters to defend the realm and his own family.

‘Boys From County Hell’ (Shudder)

Boys from County Hell follows a young group of friends that wind up fighting for their lives against vampires during one very stressful night. There’s plenty of chilling undead moments and bloody action, but also a ton of laughs – think Shaun of the Dead but with vampires instead of zombies, and set in Ireland instead of the UK.

In the small Irish town of Six Mile Hill, Eugene (Jack Rowan), Claire (Louisa Harland), SP (Michael Hough), and William (Fra Fee) pass the time down at the local pub or pranking tourists at the town’s only place of interest: The memorial site of a supposed ancient vampire that inspired Bram Stoker’s Dracula. When the construction of a new bypass led by Eugene’s father (Nigel O’Neill) plows through the site, it angers both the residents of Six Mile Hill and the very real undead beast below.

Read full Knotfest write-up: Boys From County Hell Takes a Humorous Approach to Vampire Thrills

‘Shadow and Bone’ (Netflix)

Shadow and Bone is the first novel in Leigh Bardugo’s Grisha trilogy, a YA fantasy adventure series that follows a teenage girl named Alina Starkov. Set in the war-torn land of Ravka, the Netflix adaptation expands the world-building and offers impressive visuals and thrilling fantasy action.

When Alina (Jessie Mei Lin) unleashes an extraordinary power that could be the key to setting her country free she’s torn from everything she knows to train as part of an elite army of magical soldiers known as Grisha. But as she struggles to hone her power, she finds that allies and enemies can be one and the same and that nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. There are dangerous forces at play, including a crew of charismatic criminals, and it will take more than magic to survive.

‘The Stepfather’ (Shudder)

1987’s The Stepfather is a psychological thriller that also leans heavily into the slasher genre. It’s loosely based on real life mass murderer John List, a man who killed his family in the 70s. The film launched a pair of sequels and a 2009 remake, but still remains one of the lesser known horror franchises of the era.

Jerry Blake (Terry O’Quinn) is a family man, but he happens to have a series of families, with each one on the receiving end of his murderous ways. When Jerry sets his sights on a lovely widow named Susan (Shelley Hack) and her headstrong daughter, Stephanie (Jill Schoelen), it appears that his brutal pattern of killings will continue. However, Stephanie begins to suspect that there’s something wrong with the seemingly well-adjusted Jerry, and a violent confrontation is inevitable.

‘Sasquatch’ (Hulu)

Premiering at the Sundance Film Festival, Hulu’s new documentary series follows David Holthouse, an investigative journalist who’s working on a bizarre event – the brutal murder of three people that launched theories that it had to have been the work of some kind of animal. Occurring on a dope farm out in the California woods, many believe it to be the work of the legendary Bigfoot.

The documentary creates an unsettling atmosphere and Holthouse offers credibility to a rather silly story; at least that’s how it initially appears on the surface. It’s a surprising and wild journey to experience. Who or what killed those people? It’s best you find out for yourself.

‘Stowaway’ (Netflix)

Musician and filmmaker Joe Penna caught attention at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival with his directorial debut Arctic, a survival drama starring Mads Mikkelsen. His latest film, Stowaway, looks to maintain his sense of edge-of-your-seat thrills while moving into the realm of science fiction.

The film follows the crew of a spaceship headed to Mars, who discover an accidental stowaway (Shamier Anderson) shortly after takeoff. Too far from Earth to turn back and with resources quickly dwindling, the ship’s medical researcher (Anna Kendrick) emerges as the only dissenting voice against the group consensus that has already decided in favor of a grim outcome. The film also stars Toni Collette as the ship’s commander and Daniel Dae Kim as the ship’s biologist.

‘Thelma’ (Hulu)

Thelma follows a young woman played by Eili Harboe who has grown up in an extremely repressive and overtly religious family. Naturally, she struggles to make friends and is stricken by loneliness. When she begins to develop feelings for another student named Anja (Kaya Wilkins), she also experiences powerful and uncontrollable supernatural powers that are triggered by her desire.

It’s a quiet and thought provoking film, one that’s as full of sorrow as it is liberating. It had a very successful festival run and was eventually entered into the Best International Film at the Oscars. This Norwegian thriller leaves a sizable impact on all who watch it.

‘Secrets of the Whales’ (Disney+)

Executive produced by James Cameron and narrated by Sigourney Weaver, National Geographic’s Secrets of the Whales dives deep into the rich lives of the beautiful ocean dwellers. The series looks at the epicenter of whale culture to experience the extraordinary communication skills and intricate social structures of five different whale species: orcas, humpbacks, belugas, narwhals and sperm whales.

Filmed over three years in 24 locations, throughout this epic journey, we learn that whales are far more complex and more like us than ever imagined. All four episodes are available to stream now, just in time for Earth Day.

‘Housebound’ (Shudder)

Housebound is the 2014 directorial debut of filmmaker Gerard Johnstone, who injects the haunted house subgenre with some much needed humor. The film follows a tough young woman named Kylie (Morgana O’Reilly) who’s forced to return to her childhood home after being placed under house arrest, where she suspects that something evil may be lurking.

Directed with precision and confidence, Housebound is just as disturbingly gruesome at it is hilarious. It was nominated for Best Limited Release Film, Best Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actress for Rima Te Wiata at the 2015 Fangoria Chainsaw Awards.

‘Miss Sloane’ (Netflix)

Jessica Chastain just always seems to add a true sense of authenticity to political and crime thrillers, and she’s never been better than in 2016’s Miss Sloane. Chastain stars as Elizabeth Sloane, one of the most sought-after lobbyists in Washington, D.C. who joins the fight in attempting to pass gun control legislation. But this causes powerful enemies from the opposing side to dig into her personal life and try to ruin her entire career.

The script is sharp and exceptionally tense but most praise goes to the characters and performances. Directed by John Madden (Shakespeare in Love, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel), Miss Sloane also stars Mark Strong, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Michael Stuhlbarg, Alison Pill, Jake Lacy, John Lithgow, and Sam Waterston.

CONTINUED WEEKLY EPISODES:

‘Invincible’ (Amazon Prime Video)

Invincible is based on the groundbreaking comic book from Robert Kirkman, the creator of The Walking Dead. The story revolves around 17-year-old Mark Grayson (Steven Yeun), who’s just like every other guy his age — except his father is the most powerful superhero on the planet, Omni-Man (J.K. Simmons).

The hour-per-episode series also stars a powerhouse cast that includes Sandra Oh, Zazie Beetz, Gillian Jacobs, Zachary Quinto, Jason Mantzoukas, Melise, Mark Hamill, Mahershala Ali, Seth Rogen and more. The first nine episodes are now streaming with the finale, written by Kirkman himself, premiering on April 30th.

‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’ (Disney+)

After the very different style of WandaVision, the next Marvel Studios Disney+ series returns to the more familiar look and feel of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, The series takes place mere months after the events of Avengers: Endgame, and puts the spotlight onto Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) and Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) following the retirement of their friend and leader Steve Rogers.

The pair are tasked with taking on a seemingly dangerous group known as the Flag Smashers, but the new government-appointed Captain America, John Walker (Wyatt Russell), is determined to bring them to justice himself. The lines between what is morally right and wrong have become further blurred, and the finale is now streaming alongside all previous episodes.

‘Creepshow’ (Shudder)

The classic horror anthology series by Stephen King and George A. Romero was finally brought back from the dead in 2019 thanks to Shudder, delighting fans and capturing the spirit of the original films. 

Executive produced by showrunner Greg Nicotero, who is best known for his work on The Walking Dead, Creepshow’s second season features guest stars Kevin Dillon, Iman Benson, Josh McDermitt, Keith David, Molly Ringwald, Barbara Crampton, Justin Long, and D’Arcy Carden, among others. The first four episodes are now streaming with the final two premiering in the coming weeks.

Also streaming now:

Netflix – ‘Oloibiri’

Hulu – ‘The Place of No Words’

Shudder – ‘Thale’, ‘The Conspiracy’

HBO Max – ‘The Dark Knight Rises’, ‘A Black Lady Sketch Show (Season 2)’

Disney+ – ‘Baby’s Day Out’

COMING THIS WEEK:

Netflix – ‘August: Osage County’, ‘Things Heard and Seen’, ‘The Mitchells vs. The Machines’

Hulu – ‘Wild Mountain Thyme’, ‘The Handmaid’s Tale (Season 4)’, ‘Arrival’, ‘The Judge’

Shudder – ‘In Search of Darkness: Part II’, ‘Deadhouse Dark’, ‘The Similars’, ‘The Diabolical’, ‘Attack of the Demons’, ‘Horror Express’

HBO Max – ‘Dreamgirls’, ‘The Artist’, ‘Looney Tunes Cartoons’

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