Genre: Drama
Actor: Cleopatra Coleman, Clifton Davis, Corbin Bernsen, Ed O'Neill, Harriet Sansom Harris, J. Alphonse Nicholson, Jacki Weaver, Kelly AuCoin, Laurence Fishburne, Rich Sommer
Put the kids to bed before you go through this list of great titles to stream. These are the very best movies and shows with a TV-MA ratings, intended for mature audiences only.
Genre: Drama
Actor: Cleopatra Coleman, Clifton Davis, Corbin Bernsen, Ed O'Neill, Harriet Sansom Harris, J. Alphonse Nicholson, Jacki Weaver, Kelly AuCoin, Laurence Fishburne, Rich Sommer
In the sea of adult animation, Captain Fall floats in on a crime-packed cruise ship under the charge of the most unqualified man, Jonathan Fall. Although there are unsavory characters, the show never goes into the childish crass humor employed by many of its contemporaries. It also doesn't shy away from grotesque violence and pokes fun at the dangerous and exploitative things rich people willingly pay for. It's not all cynical though, as we mostly follow an earnest captain who just wants his parents' love. Captain Fall is a watchable crime-comedy that balances out its cartoonish parts with the impending countdown to expose this crime ring.
Genre: Animation, Comedy
Actor: Adam Devine, Alejandro Edda, Anthony Carrigan, Christopher Meloni, Jason Ritter
The selling point of the series Alphonse, apart from raunch and romance, is that it gets its talented lead Jean Dujardin to transform into a different character each time he meets with a different client. Sometimes, he’s a World War II soldier, other times, he’s part of the academic elite. Always, he’s the object of fantasy of Parisian women. His real self, however, the titular Alphonse, is a sad sack going through a midlife crisis. On paper, this sounds like a recipe for pure fun: a lost guy tries out different masks and costumes until he discovers his true self in the process. The execution, however, feels wonky and uneven, as if the series is unable to balance all the things it tries to be. To be clear, Dujardin is excellent as the chameleonic Alphonse and Charlotte Gainsbourg is arresting as his mercurial wife Margot. But there’s a murkiness and vagueness to the overall style, tone, and direction of the series that leaves you wanting more. It’s okay, but there’s a sense that it could’ve been great if it tighten its screws a bit more.
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Actor: Charlotte Gainsbourg, Claire Romain, Jean Dujardin, Laura Morante, Marie-Christine Barrault, Nicole Garcia, Pierre Arditi
Director: Nicolas Bedos
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Mystery
Actor: Choi Woo-shik, Lee Hee-jun, Son Suk-ku
Director: Lee Chang-hee
Following the success of the Zom 100 manga and anime, Netflix quickly followed suit with a live-action film, which begs the question: why? Why bother, when the freshly released series is barely a month old and already a vibrant interpretation of the comic book it was based from? Why bother, when you’re not going to bring anything new to the table? The film, more than anything, feels like a rushed cash grab that hopes to capitalize on its predecessors’ success. The premise is clever and relatable—after years of living like a zombie, a jaded employee regains a lust for life when an outbreak threatens to kill him—but the film milks it to death, so much so that by the ending, when the characters finally reach this conclusion, they can’t help but seem slow for spelling out what we’ve already known from the start. The film also looks drab and dreary, a far cry from the series’ experimental wonders. Instead of multi-colored blood bursting with every kill, we simply get metallic confetti in the movie. Instead of dynamic action, we get barely believable stunts that seem more awkward than awe-inspiring. Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead isn’t bad per se, but it doesn’t look so good next to its much-better counterparts on TV and in print.
Genre: Action, Comedy, Drama, Horror
Actor: Akari Hayami, Daiki Miyagi, Doronzu Ishimoto, Eiji Akaso, Jin Hisa, Kazuki Kitamura, Kenta Satoi, Kurumi Nakata, Mai Shiraishi, Mayo Kawasaki, Miwako Kakei, Mukau Nakamura, Reira Arai, Seijun Nobukawa, Shota Taniguchi, Shuntaro Yanagi, Yo Takahashi, Yui Ichikawa
Director: Yusuke Ishida
Yu Katayama lives in a remote village with a garbage disposal business that's slowly turning into a landfill. When his childhood friend Misaki Nakai returns to the village, she encourages Yu to make a better life for himself despite his mother's gambling and the village ostracizing him. The Village is a slow-burning film interested in Yu's struggles as an outcast and in discussing the takeover of small villages for capitalistic industrial motives. The film is shot beautifully with dark, brooding visuals and lingering shots of Yu's quiet intensity throughout the film. Unfortunately, secondary characters are not fully developed outside of their interactions with Yu, causing the film to feel flat outside of pivotal moments. An evocative idea with parts more memorable than the whole.
Genre: Drama
Actor: Arata Furuta, Daiken Okudaira, Hana Kino, Haru Kuroki, Naomi Nishida, Ryusei Yokohama, Sakuma Ryuto, Shidô Nakamura, Tetta Sugimoto, Wataru Ichinose
Director: Michihito Fujii
Even though the first season premiered this May, a second season was immediately produced for the Turkish Netflix series The Tailor and released this July. The series shines when focused on the clothes – the rock-n-roll rush of fashion week, the classically orchestrated imagined new creation, and the steamy blindfolded bridal fitting are lush spectacles that make the show look so stunning. And as the abused Esvet cares for Peyami’s father, the equally abused Mustafa, there’s an interesting theme of wealthy families that would do anything to cloak any secrets that would ruin their family’s reputation. However, it’s the clumsy handling of Mustafa’s illness and the inaccurate casting that drag the story down. The Tailor replaced nuanced depictions with too much stylish spectacle.
Genre: Drama, Mystery
Actor: Çağatay Ulusoy, Ece Sükan, Lila Gürmen, Olgun Şimşek, Salih Bademci, Şifanur Gül, Vedat Erincin
Genre: Drama
Actor: Ben Mendelsohn, Claes Bang, Emily Mortimer, John Malkovich, Juliette Binoche, Maisie Williams
As a fantasy romance series, Shahmaran feels like it could be something more. Blending in Turkish folklore and a steamy romance, the show is based on the legend of the titular feminine mythic creature and a prophecy promising Shahmaran’s return, if only they’re willing to make the same sacrifice she did long ago. There’s something here about coming to terms with your past, whether that be your heritage or your family’s history of mental illness and trauma. However, the show’s slow pace can dissuade viewers, and the series can’t help itself from leaning too far into the drama of it all.
Genre: Action & Adventure, Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Actor: Burak Deniz, Mahir Günşiray, Mert Ramazan Demir, Mustafa Uğurlu, Serenay Sarıkaya
Director: Umur Turagay
Genre: Animation, Comedy
Actor: Carl Tart, Charlie Bushnell, J. Smith-Cameron, Mike Judge, Zach Woods
With its gorgeous styling and unique premise, Eva Lasting is an interesting watch, though certain elements keep it from its potential. The Colombian coming-of-age drama is centered around Eva, the first and only girl in school, with Camilo and his friends getting into dumb schoolboy antics around her. Immediately, this promises fun situations that would bring the 70s nostalgia of formative high school experiences, and the show delivers. The cast has a fun dynamic with each other, and they evoke the same kind of teenage spirit behind classic John Hughes films. However, the writing employs many sexist tropes, and doesn’t make their dynamic feel real. It’s the cast that carries this burden, and it’s them that makes the show watchable.
Genre: Drama
Actor: Brandon Figueredo, Emmanuel Restrepo, Francisca Estevez, Julián Cerati, Sergio Palau
A Girl and an Astronaut is a series that wants to be science fiction, but can’t stop itself from diving into its romance. Starting from 2052, the series imagines a non-dystopian future, with successful versions of tech currently in the works. However, this is intercut with shots from 2022, where fighter pilots Niko and Bogdan have a Top Gun-esque rivalry, only with an added love triangle with Marta. Something here could have been done to make the sci-fi and the romance more relevant with each other, since the heart of the premise is a tragedy of lost love. However, the supposed stakes of the love triangle don’t feel real, as immediately, we know that Bogdan and Marta end up having a loveless marriage. The resulting show isn’t downright terrible, as the cinematography and visual effects are stunning. But the series feels like it should have been two separate stories, or at least made the romance feel compelling enough to watch.
Genre: Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Actor: Andrzej Chyra, Anna Cieślak, Grzegorz Damięcki, Jakub Sasak, Jędrzej Hycnar, Magdalena Boczarska, Magdalena Cielecka, Vanessa Aleksander
Director: Bartosz Prokopowicz
Based on a PlayStation game of the same name, Twisted Metal has a lot of the bullet-heavy, high-speed action of the original but with a lot more characters and backstory thrown in the mix. It certainly scratches a nostalgic itch for those who played the game growing up, especially once big names like Anthony Mackie, Stephanie Beatriz, and Will Arnet (or his voice at least) bring familiar characters to life. But beyond all the furtive action and winks and nods made to the video game, there is little about Twisted Metal that’s likable, much less watchable. Sure, it’s fun to see guns go boom and cars go vroom, but the core of the series never feels substantial enough to justify its existence. You might enjoy watching it, but you likely won’t remember much of it.
Genre: Action & Adventure, Comedy
Actor: Anthony Mackie, Samoa Joe, Stephanie Beatriz, Thomas Haden Church, Will Arnett
In the previous centuries, people were born into and died without ever being able to change their status. Nobles remained nobles and peasants remained peasants. But around the Renaissance, the idea of commerce and education allowed some leeway for men to reach a higher station, and for the Florios of Sicily, they’re able to reach higher spaces through the sheer force of will. This is an interesting idea, and The Lions of Sicily by Stefania Auci is able to capture it, but its show counterpart falters in depicting this. The sets and costumes are up to par, but the screenplay is unable to balance between the backstories, with the episode slipping confusedly in and between timelines.
Genre: Drama
Actor: Donatella Finocchiaro, Eduardo Scarpetta, Michele Riondino, Miriam Leone, Vinicio Marchioni
Director: Paolo Genovese
It would be unfair to demand the same things out of The Continental that the John Wick film series already does so well. And this three-episode prequel definitely works as its own animal; even if you haven't seen those increasingly elaborate Keanu Reeves movies, this miniseries easily finds a whole group of sympathetic characters worth rooting for and builds to a series of exciting set pieces full of personality and excellent choreography. The groundedness of The Continental's ensemble of heroes emerging from the seedy streets of this fictionalized 1970s New York works surprisingly well against the arrogance of the show's villains. And the world they all inhabit is rendered just as slickly as in the films.
But in its search for an identity of its own, The Continental becomes a reminder for why the John Wick movies work so well—and why this series just can't capture the same spark. Those are simple, primal movies that contrast Reeves' stoic, mythic protagonist against a bizarre world of colorful enemies. The Continental, in contrast, borrows from many hardboiled crime dramas but never actually provides any insight into the systems or rules that govern all the factions involved. Individual characters may achieve their goals by the end, but it's ultimately hard to see how they add to the grander ideas of revenge and redemption at play.
Genre: Action, Action & Adventure, Crime, Thriller
Actor: Ben Robson, Colin Woodell, Hubert Point-Du Jour, Jeremy Bobb, Katie McGrath, Mel Gibson, Mishel Prada, Peter Greene