Genre: Crime, Drama
Actor: Anne Dudek, Anthony Boyle, Brandon Flynn, Hamish Linklater, Lili Taylor, Lovie Simone, Tobias Menzies
Genre: Crime, Drama
Actor: Anne Dudek, Anthony Boyle, Brandon Flynn, Hamish Linklater, Lili Taylor, Lovie Simone, Tobias Menzies
Genre: Documentary
Actor: Alex Antetokounmpo, Ernie Johnson, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jason Kidd, Kenny Smith, Kostas Antetokounmpo, Marques Johnson, Thanasis Antetokounmpo, Veronica Antetokounmpo
Director: Kristen Lappas
With plenty of familiar elements, Flex X Cop should feel unoriginal. After all, a rich heir that plays at being a cop to capture bad guys in response to his mother’s death? That’s practically Batman. But the show is more fun and breezy, with Ahn Bo-hyun as the charismatic Jin Yi-soo pulling out chaotic mischief that somehow doesn’t get him in trouble, paired with Park Ji-hyun in her first action role as a more stern, by-the-book detective Lee Kang-hyun. It’s an interesting buddy cop dynamic that leans more on lighthearted comedy than serious thriller, but the opening sequence hints at a more serious side, still full of action sequences expected from the genre. Flex X Cop may have plenty of familiar tropes, but the way it’s remixed feels novel and entertaining enough to watch.
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Actor: Ahn Bo-hyun, Kang Sang-jun, Kim Shin-bi, Lee Na-eun, Park Ji-hyun
Director: Kim Jae-hong
With immigration being a vastly different experience across race, gender, and origin country, it can be easy to dismiss Amazon Prime’s Expats as just another melodrama about the rich, especially with the controversies surrounding its production. There’s some truth to this– two of the three leads live in glamorous, high-rise apartments bigger and more expensive than the standard Hong Kong shoe-box– but the show is much more than that. It grapples with the identity that must be remade for the move. It empathizes with the unresolved loss that haunts the day-to-day life of both mother and caretaker. And on top of that, Lulu Wang portrays how this grief-stained lens can still be short-sighted, when directed to those in the margins. Expats is a revelation with its slow and steady multi-sided portraiture.
Genre: Drama
Actor: Brian Tee, Jack Huston, Ji-young Yoo, Nicole Kidman, Sarayu Blue
When watching fantasy anime, there’s a wonderfully whimsical world that viewers can fully explore. Spectacular magic, brave warriors, and strange creatures are all expected, but every exploring troop needs supplies. Money, weapons, and of course, food are needed to survive the wondrous yet perilous adventures they set out to embark on. Delicious in Dungeon recognizes these practicalities, and creates a whole episodic adventure that focuses more on the possible food ecosystems of a fantasy world rather than the seemingly serious quests they embark upon. It makes for a slightly silly approach poking fun at the fantasy genre, but it’s definitely something unique, especially when it brings about mouthwatering exotic dishes made from monsters.
Genre: Action & Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Actor: Asuna Tomari, Hiroshi Naka, Kentaro Kumagai, Miyu Tomita, Rie Takahashi, Saori Hayami, Sayaka Senbongi, Shinji Kawada, Toru Nara, Wataru Katoh, Yuya Hirose
With the number of murder mysteries popping up since Knives Out, Death and Other Details can seem like a copy. However, the latest mystery show on Hulu has a few twists up its sleeve, as Detective Coteworth and Imogene Scott aim to solve two cases at once– the first, of course, being the luxury liner murder, and the second being the murder of Scott’s mother eighteen years ago. Because of this, the backstory has more personal stakes, as it puts into question human memory itself. While the balance between timelines sometimes falters, Death and Other Details has enough style to at least make the journey interesting.
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Actor: Angela Zhou, Hugo Diego Garcia, Lauren Patten, Rahul Kohli, Violett Beane
Genre: Drama, Mystery
Actor: Chris Walley, David Wilmot, Robyn Cara, Siobhán Cullen, Will Forte
Genre: Crime, Documentary
Genre: Action & Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Actor: Atsuko Tanaka, Ayaka Nanase, Kengo Takanashi, Saya Aizawa, Shogo Sakata
Usually, being swallowed up by a dragon means death. However, for Rentt Faina, The Unwanted Undead Adventurer, becoming a skeleton is just a little setback in achieving his dream of becoming an defender for the kingdom. That’s because in this world, dying doesn’t mean dying– it just means that he has to kill other monsters and absorb their spirit in order to evolve into more human forms, like ghouls and vampires. It’s a strange premise, and the first episode relies on internal monologues, because, well, he doesn’t have the muscles to speak, but it's intriguing to see someone persevere despite having to start all over again. After obtaining the respect of novice adventurer Rina, the show plays out in a fairly entertaining way, with decent visuals, coherent storyline, and a more cautious protagonist we haven’t seen from previous shonen fantasy.
Genre: Action & Adventure, Animation, Mystery, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Actor: Ikumi Hasegawa, Mikako Komatsu, Ryota Suzuki, Sayumi Suzushiro
Genre: Drama
Actor: Akari Takaishi, Ayumu Nakajima, Azuki Terada, Daiken Okudaira, Denden, Go Ayano, Hana Kino, Hiroshi Tachi, Kentaro Sakaguchi, Kotone Hanase, Lily Franky, Mai Fukagawa, Masami Nagasawa, Nana Mori, Ron Mizuma, Ryusei Yokohama, Shinobu Terajima, Shun Sugata, Suon Kan, Takuya Wakabayashi, Tetsushi Tanaka, Yuina Kuroshima, Yukiya Kitamura
Director: Michihito Fujii
Genre: Crime, Thriller
Actor: Alex Essoe, Barbara Crampton, Connor Paolo, Faizon Love, Gene Jones, Jim Cummings, Jocelin Donahue, Jon Proudstar, Matt McVay, Michael Abbott Jr., Nicholas Logan, Richard Brake, Robert Broski, Robin Bartlett, Ryan Masson, Sam Huntington, Sierra McCormick
Director: Francis Galluppi
Genre: Drama
Actor: Alex Hernandez, Amy Ryan, Colin Farrell, Dennis Boutsikaris, James Cromwell, Kirby, Nate Corddry
It’s kind of amazing how Johnson, who writes, directs, and stars in this feature, narrowly escapes narrative holes by being so darn self-effacing and likable. The female lead Maddy (Anna Kendrick) should be denounced as a Manic Pixie Girl, but because of Johnson and Kendrick’s overflowing charm, you don’t question the flimsiness of her character until much later on. The game itself should not make sense, but because Johnson is so committed in his physical performance, and so arresting in his charisma, all is forgiven. Self Reliance is like a tasty souffle that looks great at the moment, but left for longer, poofs and deflates. As long as you don't take it too seriously, the film should be a fun if forgettable ride.
Genre: Comedy, Thriller
Actor: Andy Samberg, Anna Kendrick, Biff Wiff, Bjorn Johnson, Boban Marjanović, Christopher Lloyd, Daryl J. Johnson, Eduardo Franco, Ely Henry, Emily Hampshire, Eric Edelstein, GaTa, Gloria Sandoval, Ilia Volok, Jake Johnson, Jeff Kober, John Hans Tester, John Ponzio, Karen Maruyama, Mary Holland, Miriam Flynn, Nancy Lenehan, Natalie Morales, Sky Elobar, Steven Littles, Theo Wilson, Wayne Brady
Director: Jake Johnson
Genre: Action & Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Actor: Jeon So-nee, Kim In-kwon, Koo Kyo-hwan, Kwon Hae-hyo, Lee Jung-hyun
Director: Yeon Sang-ho