It’s the weekend! TGIF! It’s the first weekend of 2024 and after a busy, cold, wintry week it’s time to kick back and chill out with a new show or movie and some hot cocoa. Or whatever tasty beverage you choose to whet your whistle with.
I’ve been covering two shows weekly lately (now that Slow Horses is over) and I’m feeling pretty bummed out about both of them. Fargo Season 5 has had its moments, but I just don’t think it lives up to the earlier seasons. Meanwhile, Reacher has completely jumped the shark in Season 2, offering up the worst episode of TV I’ve seen all year—though, to be fair, the year is quite young!
Here’s everything else to check out this weekend. Also be sure to check out my list of upcoming shows to keep an eye on in the first half of 2024.
The Brothers Sun (Netflix)
Michelle Yeoh is always worth watching and this action-packed crime-and-martial-arts series looks pretty good! Critics seem to agree, with an 80% Rotten Tomatoes score. Audiences like it even better (90%). The blurb:
When the head of a powerful Taiwanese triad is shot by a mysterious assassin, his eldest son, Charles (Justin Chien) heads to Los Angeles to protect his mother, Eileen (Michelle Yeoh), and his naive younger brother, Bruce (Sam Song Li) — who’s been completely sheltered from the truth of his family until now.
But as Taipei’s deadliest societies and a new rising faction go head-to-head for dominance — Charles and Bruce must figure out what brotherhood and family truly means before someone takes them out.
All 8 episodes are streaming now on Netflix.
Good Grief (Netflix)
I enjoyed Dan Levy so much on Schitt’s Creek and I’m happy to watch him in whatever else he does. Good Grief was written and directed by Levy, and looks pretty heavy—as films about grief generally are. Critics give this a 78% on Rotten Tomatoes, while audiences like it less (72%). The blurb:
Marc (Dan Levy) was content living in the shadow of his larger-than-life husband, Oliver (Luke Evans). But when Oliver unexpectedly dies, Marc’s world shatters, sending him and his two best friends, Sophie (Ruth Negga) and Thomas (Himesh Patel), on a soul-searching trip to Paris that reveals some hard truths they each needed to face. Good Grief marks Levy’s debut as a feature-film writer and director.
The film is available now on Netflix.
The Golden Globes (Paramount+)
Sunday evening the 81st Golden Globe awards will stream live on Paramount+. Jo Koy hosts. Will they give a joint Best Picture award to Barbie and Oppenheimer?
FOE (Amazon Prime Video)
The premise for this film makes me squirm. The year is 2065. A man is told that he’s been selected to go on a two-year space voyage that will help ensure the future of mankind. While he’s away, his wife will be kept company by a robot-clone of himself, something he isn’t comfortable with. I can tell you right now I wouldn’t be comfortable with that, either. Also, does he get to bring a robot clone of his wife on the spaceship with him? Are couples in the future incapable of long stints apart? I’m creeped out by this one.
The Florida Project (Netflix)
Not a new movie, but definitely one worth watching, especially if you want a good laugh followed by a good cry. The Florida Project from A24 is a heartbreaking look at poverty in America, and the people who live in the shadows of Disney World—the most magical place on earth. Willem Dafoe and the rest of the cast are superb, but this is definitely a hard watch. I cried like a wee little baby at the end.
Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts (Amazon Prime Video)
I’m really not a big fan of the Transformers movies though I did really enjoy Bumblebee. This one did okay with critics (for a Transformers movie) with a 52% Rotten Tomatoes score. That’s rotten but not bad for the franchise (third best, actually, if you don’t count the animated 1980s’ movie) though well behind Bumblebee’s 91%. I haven’t seen this one, but audiences give it a 91% so that’s heartening. They only gave Bumblebee a 74% though, so I’m not sure we should trust audiences! Still, who doesn’t like mecha-gorillas?
Echo (Disney+)
Echo doesn’t actually come out until Tuesday the 9th, so it’s not technically this weekend—but it’s also not technically next weekend. So we will put it in both spots just to be sure. Whether the first TV-MA rated Marvel show will be any good remains to be seen, but it certainly looks very violent. Daredevil and Kingpin return from Daredevil and Hawkeye. That’s where Echo/Maya (Alaqua Cox) comes from. A deaf, Native American anti-hero is certainly a very different kind of protagonist for the MCU, and the MA rating is pretty surprising for Disney. Here’s to hoping that more Hell’s Kitchen-style Marvel offerings (like Jessica Jones) are in our future.
Delicious in Dungeon (Netflix Anime)
A reader tipped me off to this one—I’m rarely up to snuff on my anime, my bad—and says that since I liked the D&D movie so much, I should check this out. That’s good enough for me! The first episode is out now, with another out Thursday. What is this episodic release crap, Netflix? I love it!
What are you watching this weekend, dearest readers? Let me know on Twitter and Facebook.
