From an animated Elvis to a charged take on the BeyHive, this week is full of fascinating new genre forays. There are thrillers, comedies, and dramas, plus an Oscar-nominated documentary premiere, so get settled, get scrolling, and get streaming!
What to watch on Netflix
https://youtu.be/UCk3wHGJ3qs
Agent Elvis
Elvis meets Archer in this new adult animated comedy. Matthew McConaughey voices The King, but it’s hardly a role that demands Austin Butler-level realism. Instead, Agent Elvis sees the singer join a top-secret spy organization, working against dastardly villains dead-set on world domination. It’s a silly take on an American icon and a delightfully novel dip into new genres for Netflix. Plus, its cast is nothing to scoff at: Kaitlin Olson, Don Cheadle, Johnny Knoxville, and Niecy Nash join McConaughey as fellow agents. Agent Elvis premieres Friday, March 17th.
Carol
Awards season may now be officially over, but it’s never a bad time to watch one of Cate Blanchett’s all time great performances. She stars as the eponymous Carol in Todd Haynes’ sumptuous period romance. In the early 1950s, a soon-to-be-divorced Carol Aird catches the eye and the heart of Therese (Rooney Mara), a naïve photographer who has really considered her real desires. Stunningly shot and intoxicatingly acted, it’s like a film out of another era — but one that’s certainly passed the test of time. Carol streams starting Monday, March 20th.
What to watch on Hulu
Boston Strangler
Keira Knightley loves a period piece, but Boston Strangler sees the actress take on recent history. Knightley plays Loretta McLaughlin, the journalist who broke the story of the Boston Strangler. Discouraged by her male co-workers and threatened by the killer’s penchant for targeting women, she faces dangers to her career as well as her life. Carrie Coon plays her fellow female journalist in arms, and together they work to unmask the identity of the strangler — and the bed of complicity and corruption that allowed him to do so much damage. Boston Strangler premieres Friday, March 17th.
What to watch on Amazon Prime
Class of ’07
If you’re into Yellowjackets but wished it had a little more comedy and a little less cannibalism, then Class of ’07 is perfect for you. This new series centers on the ten-year reunion of an all-girls high school, but with a genre twist: an apocalyptic event leaves the women — and all of their unresolved teenaged tension — marooned in their old school. Former BFFs, bullies, and good girls must band together to survive with their rapidly dwindling resources, but some get a bit too drunk on the power of reliving their high school days. Class of ’07 premieres Friday, March 17th.
Swarm
Hot off the press from this year’s South by Southwest Film Festival comes Swarm, a buzzy new thriller series from Donald Glover. The show revolves around Dre, a young woman who grows a bit too attached to her favorite popstar, an icon who mirrors the oft-untouchable Beyoncé. As Dre gets more and more involved in the star’s obsessive fandom, things begin to take a dark turn. The superfan is willing to go to extreme lengths to protect her idol’s best interest, even if that means she has to cut a few people down along the way. Swarm premieres Friday, March 17th.
What to watch on HBO Max
All the Beauty and the Bloodshed
This documentary may not have won the Oscar this past weekend, but don’t let that stop your from watching this powerful piece of film. All the Beauty and the Bloodshed follows the recent work of photographer and activist Nan Goldin, who set out to hold Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family accountable for their role in the opioid epidemic. It combines her struggles with addiction and her undying passion for her cause as she helps stage major protests at some of the world’s biggest artistic landmarks. All the Beauty and the Bloodshed premieres on streaming Sunday, March 19th.
What to watch on Apple TV+
Extrapolations
This new anthology series boasts some big names and even bigger existential problems. Extrapolations looks several decades into the future to tell various different stories about the effects of climate change on our modern world and our modern lives. Some people have to escape the impending doom of the climate catastrophe, while others are happy to profit off of the chaos. Though the tales may start out as separate, they are all interconnected as we are with our planet. The sprawling ensemble cast includes Meryl Streep, Kit Harrington, Sienna Miller, Daveed Diggs, Gemma Chan, Edward Norton, and David Schwimmer, among many, many others. Extrapolations premieres Friday, March 17th.
What to Watch is a regular endorsement of movies and TV worth your streaming time.
