It’s another bumper weekend for streaming services, with the Ana de Armas-led Netflix thriller, Blonde, fronting the pack of new arrivals alongside a long-awaited sequel to Disney’s classic fantasy comedy, Hocus Pocus.
Subscribers to Prime Video, Apple TV Plus and HBO Max can get in on the act, too, thanks to the addition of Jungle, The Greatest Beer Run Ever and Hostages over the next few days.
Below, we’ve rounded up seven of the biggest new movies, TV shows and documentaries to sink your teeth into as we bid farewell to September.
Blonde (Netflix)
It’s only been out in the wild for a matter of days, but Andrew Dominik’s controversial Netflix movie, Blonde, has already caused quite the social media stir.
Based on the novel of the same name by Joyce Carol Oates, the film loosely chronicles the rapid rise to fame – and equally uncompromising demise – of Marilyn Monroe (Ana De Armas) during the 1950s and 1960s. It isn’t a biopic, per se, but plays instead like a psychological horror in which Monroe is the troubled protagonist; a young star, haunted by her past, who struggles to break free from an industry that seeks to control her.
Adrien Brody, Bobby Cannavale, Xavier Samuel and Julianne Nicholson also star in Blonde, which we described in our review as “a brutal journey through the life of a Hollywood icon”.
Now available to stream on Netflix.
Hocus Pocus 2 (Disney Plus)
Hocus Pocus 2, Disney’s long-awaited sequel-cum-reboot to its 1993 classic, is now available to stream on Disney Plus.
Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy and Sarah Jessica Parker all reprise their roles as one third of the Sanderson Sisters, a trio of child-hungry witches who, after being accidentally brought back to modern-day Salem, must find a way to remain in their new world.
Critical reception to Hocus Pocus 2 has been fairly unanimous so far, with most reviewers describing it as a harmless, largely inconsequential sequel that’s likely to please existing Hocus Pocus fans, at least.
Now available to stream on Disney Plus.
Entergalactic (Netflix)
Who says Netflix no longer pushes creative boundaries?
Entergalactic, an animated companion piece to rapper Kid Cudi’s new album of the same name, stars the artist himself as, uh, an artist who moves into his dream New York apartment only to find his ambitions complicated by a run-in with an unexpected love interest (Jessica Williams).
This feature-length Netflix special shares an animation style with Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and boasts supporting turns from Timothée Chalamet, Vanessa Hudgens, Jaden Smith, Macaulay Culkin and many more. It looks intriguing, to say the least.
Now available to stream on Netflix.
Industry season 2 (BBC iPlayer)
Having landed on HBO Max back in August, the second season of HBO’s acclaimed high-finance drama series, Industry, finally comes to BBC iPlayer in the UK.
Set two years after the show’s first season, new episodes find young investment bankers Yasmin (Marisa Abela), Harper (Myha’la Herrold) and Robert (Harry Lawtey) struggling to cope with the pressures of the job, their relationships and the global pandemic at a prestigious London finance firm.
A potent mix of Euphoria and Succession, Industry’s first season was praised for its sharp writing and bold storytelling choices – and by all accounts, season 2 continues in the same vein.
Now available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
The Greatest Beer Run Ever (Apple TV Plus)
Zac Efron returns to the (small) screen in Apple TV Plus’ handsomely-titled new movie, The Greatest Beer Run Ever.
Based on the true-to-life novel of the same name by John “Chickie” Donohue, the film chronicles the author’s extraordinary (but ill-advised) quest to deliver beer to marines on the frontline of the Vietnam war. Efron stars as Donohue, with Russell Crowe, Bill Murray, Jake Picking and Will Ropp in tow as the movie’s supporting cast.
Unfortunately, The Greatest Beer Run Ever hasn’t been quite as well-received as director Peter Farrelly’s previous films – we called the movie “unfunny and painfully simplistic” in our review – but it nonetheless looks like a mildly enjoyable tale of booze and brotherhood.
Now available to stream on Apple TV Plus.
Jungle (Prime Video)
If you’re keen to enjoy something a little different this weekend, Prime Video’s Jungle could be the series for you.
Not to be confused with the Daniel Radcliffe-starring thriller of the same name (which is, incidentally, also streaming on Prime Video), this six-episode show follows the overlapping stories of several strangers living in inner-city London. The twist, though, is that these stories are set to various rap, grime and drill scores from artists including Big Narstie, Unknown T, Tinie Tempah and IAMDDB.
Critical reception for Jungle has been fairly mixed so far, but like Entergalactic (above), the series looks primed to please music fans of a certain generation. All six episodes are available to stream now.
Now available to stream on Prime Video.
Hostages (HBO Max)
This week’s documentary pick is Hostages, yet another factual HBO production (like last week’s Escape From Kabul) that’s turning heads in 2022.
This four-part docuseries revisits the 1979 Iran Hostage Crisis, which saw more than 60 Americans held captive for 444 days in the US embassy in Tehran. Combining never-before-seen archival footage and interviews with both the hostages and hostage-takers, Hostages looks like it’ll provide the definitive account of an event that still maintains political resonance today.
The series is being released on a weekly basis for HBO’s cable viewers, but Hostages is available to stream in its entirety right now on HBO Max. We’d expect this one to arrive on Sky and Now for UK viewers in the coming weeks.
Now available to stream on HBO Max.