All The Great Stuff Coming To Hulu In September

Summer may be ending, but Hulu is helping viewers enter the new season with an interesting mix of material.  Premiering this month are new seasons of a biographical series about the Wu-Tang Clan and the animated misadventures of a family who’ve relocated to Alaska.  Will years of struggling through development hell finally pay off with a great live-action adaptation of a famed post-Apocalyptic comics series by Brian Vaughan and Pia Guerra?  For something unexpectedly lighter, how about a film that turns the middle-aged man taking revenge genre into the stuff of screwball comedy?  And for a month whose major American holiday celebrates uprising against the 1%, consider a film which shows in wincing detail the proverbial “equal and opposite reaction” to the 1% ’s continual socioeconomic oppression.

The Great North

For those who prefer revisiting the tried but true in Hulu offerings, viewers are covered there too.  There are films featuring Mickey Rourke as an over-the-hill wrestler, Nicolas Cage and Holly Hunter swiping a baby, and the mischief-making of Mossy Bottom Farm’s sheep.  Fans of the truly off-the-wall may want to check out the new season of a notorious evening “talk show.”

September 1

Bull Durham–Writer/director Ron Shelton drew from his own minor league baseball experience to create this classic baseball movie/romantic comedy.  Minor league baseball team the Durham Bulls of North Carolina have a problem.  Ebby Calvin “Nuke” LaLoosh (Tim Robbins) has an erratic handle on his noticeable pitching talent.  Veteran catcher Crash Davis (Kevin Costner) has been sent by the organization to help Nuke hone his skills.  Also interested in Nuke is local English teacher Annie Savoy (Susan Sarandon).  A self-professed worshipper at “the Church of Baseball,” she has an annual tradition of taking a gifted young player as lover and mentee.  But over the course of a very long season, things don’t always go where you expect. 

Election—A clash of egos at a high school provides the foundation for Alexander Payne’s satirical dark comedy.  Tracy Flick (Reese Witherspoon) runs for president of her school’s student government.  The post would make a nice addition to the mountain of other prizes she’s won at school.  Social studies teacher Jim McAllister (Matthew Broderick) both loathes the student and lusts after her.  McAllister feels people like Flick need to be stopped before they hurt others.  The teacher convinces dim-witted jock Paul to become Flick’s opponent.  But things get complicated when Paul’s lesbian sister Tammy enters the race as a spoiler candidate.  

Raising Arizona–Joel and Ethan Coen’s second film took a comical 90-degree turn from their debut “Blood Simple.”  Repeat offender H.I. McDunnough (Nicolas Cage) thinks marrying police photographer Edwina aka Ed (Holly Hunter) will help him straighten up and become a productive member of society.  The problem is, both H.I. and Ed want a child, but thanks to biological problems and societal prejudice the socially acceptable options aren’t available.  All seems lost until the couple learn the wife of local unpainted furniture magnate Nathan Arizona has just given birth to quintuplets.  As the Arizonas have five babies and H.I. and Ed have none, it only seems fair to “balance” things out by swiping baby Nathan Arizona Jr.  But the baby’s presence doesn’t keep H.I. away from the pull of criminality.  And then things start getting truly complicated.    

Shaun The Sheep Movie–Aardman Animations’ popular stop-motion animated comedy series makes its feature debut with a tale of a holiday plan gone very wrong.  To relieve the dull and monotonous routine of life at Mossy Bottom Farm, the mischief-making Shaun develops a plan to take a day off for himself and his fellow sheep.  At first, the plan goes swimmingly.  But then, circumstances result in an unexpected trip to the Big City, the Farmer accidentally developing amnesia, and a very aggressive Animal Containment Officer pursuing Shaun and his friends.  Wordless physical comedy doesn’t come better than this.

The Wrestler

The Wrestler–This Darren Aronofsky-directed film took home the coveted Golden Lion Award at the Venice Film Festival.  Randy “Ram” Robinson (an incredible Mickey Rourke) still works the professional wrestling circuit despite his increasing age and obviously diminishing fan interest.  He’s in love with the pole dancer Cassidy (Marisa Tomei), who’s also gradually aging out of her profession.  A very serious heart attack pushes Robinson to quit wrestling or die.  However, his attempts to rebuild ties with estranged daughter Stephanie (Evan Rachel Wood) go far less smoothly than he hopes for.  A big purse for a rematch with his old wrestling nemesis The Ayatollah convinces Robinson to take one more go in the ring despite the real chance of dying.    

September 2

The Unthinkable—Ready for a Swedish disaster movie that’s also a portrait of a broken family?.  Alex may have built a reputation as a famed electronic musician,  But he still regrets drifting apart from his temperamental PTSD-afflicted father Bjorn and leaving childhood sweetheart Ana behind. What brings the trio back together is a confluence of disasters.  There’s sabotage at the power plant where Bjorn works.  A series of mysterious explosions hits the entire country.  A toxic rain turns certain victims into violent madmen.  And Sweden faces aerial foreign invasion.

September 3

Undine–Acclaimed director Christian Petzold shifts aesthetic gears by creating this modern-day urban fantasy.  To most people, Undine (Paula Beer) is a Berlin City Museum historian.  However, she’s actually a water sprite able to take human form thanks to her falling in love with a human male named Johannes.  But by the time Johannes betrays her, Undine has already formed a new and satisfying urban existence.  Is she now pre-destined to murder Johannes and return to the lake she came from…or can she somehow alter her fate?

What We Do In The Shadows Season 3–It’s the return of the adventures of the three bloodsuckers and one energy vampire who live on modern day Staten Island.  The new season sees the quartet dealing with the repercussions of the Vampiric Council’s demise.  On one hand, his killing the Council means the vampire quartet’s familiar must die.  But other Tri-State area vampires may want vengeance against the quartet, so having a vampire slayer around might be an asset.  Meanwhile, Colin Robinson wants to know his roots, except energy vampires like him may be too boring to have their roots recorded.  Nandor the Relentless has an eternal-life crisis thanks to his realizing the suckiness of being an immortal bachelor.  And Laszlo Cravensworth finds a huge stash of the rarest pornography in the known world. 

September 8

Wu-Tang: An American Saga Season 2–The dramatization of the life of renowned hip-hop band The Wu-Tang Clan continues.  This season will focus on the creation of the group’s classic debut album “Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers).”  Along the way, get ready to see how Clifford “Shotgun” Smith became Method Man and Russel “ODB” Jones attained the title of “the one-man army Ason.”  Also, expect the role of Jason “Inspectah Deck” Hunter to be taken over by Uyoata Udi. 

Wu-Tang: An American Saga

September 10

The Killing Of Two Lovers–Robert Machoian’s film begins with a simple yet powerful image: a man is standing over a sleeping straight couple in their bedroom….and is pointing a gun at them.  It’s not a spoiler to say the titular event doesn’t happen at that moment.  But the viewer does eventually learn that the man with the gun is David, while the couple in the bed are Nikki (David’s estranged wife) and Derek (Nikki’s current boyfriend).  David and Nikki may be separated, and may have both agreed they could see other people in the meantime.  However, it’s soon clear that David is very unhappy with the situation even if he can’t articulate why.  When his unhappiness turns into toxic masculinity and is paired with a loaded firearm, watch out. 

September 11

High Ground–A botched 1919 police operation in Arnhem Land leads to the near extermination of a tribe of Aboriginals led by Dharrpa.  The now orphaned Gutjuk gets taken in by a mission.  Travis, who led the police operation, resigns from the force to become a bounty hunter.  But the ex-policeman gets drawn back to the area 12 years later.  Baywarra, Dharrpa’s descendant, has been ferociously attacking Arnhem Land settlers, and Travis is tasked with bringing him down.  The bounty hunter hires the now grown Gutjuk to become his tracker.  But as the search goes on, the three men must figure out where their tribal loyalties truly lie.

September 13

Colette—Keira Knightley plays the famed titular French novelist in this biopic.  The film follows the writer from her country schoolgirl days as Gaby through her marriage to a publisher named Willy.  But what begins as a loving relationship eventually sours thanks to Willy’s exploiting Gaby’s writing talent and claiming her work as his.  Willy’s continual marital infidelity also doom the relationship.  Thus begins Gaby’s long struggle to claim her artistic voice (via the stage), her personal voice (through affairs with women), and her public voice (via finally receiving public credit for the work Willy stole) as Colette. 

Y: The Last Man–This adaptation of Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra’s famed Vertigo Comics series is set in a post-apocalyptic world created by a worldwide plague that has wiped out all living creatures possessing a Y-chromosome.  The surviving women attempt to rebuild society and possibly make it better, but such human vices as bigotry and inequality aren’t problems solely possessed by men.  Complicating matters is the existence of one Yorick Brown, an escape artist (and son of the new POTUS) who’s also the planet’s last surviving male.  He wanders this post-apocalypse landscape incognito as he tries to find the causes of this plague.  This series is the month’s most hotly anticipated show, especially given the number of years of previous failed attempts to adapt the comic series.

 September 15

 The Dark Side Of The Ring Season 3A–This popular Vice Documentary series looks at the dark stories surrounding some of the greats from professional wrestling’s golden age.  The first half of the’ third season looks at such figures as Brian Pillman, Grizzly Smith, and The Dynamite Kid in hopes of finding the truths behind their stories.

 September 16

 The Premise–B.J. Novak’s star-studded anthology series uses comedy to wrestle with some big present-day issues.  What if an embarrassing sex tape was the major piece of evidence that could save an innocent man from prison?  What happens when a pop megastar inspires his old high school’s listless student body by promising to have sex with whoever becomes the school valedictorian?  Among the actors appearing in these stories are Kaitlyn Dever, Daniel Dae Kim, Jon Bernthal, and Tracee Ellis Ross. 

Riders Of Justice

Riders Of Justice--Tired of yet another tale of middle-aged men taking violent revenge?  Then you need this screwball take on the genre.  Emotionally distant military commander Markus (Mads Mikkelsen) isn’t having much luck dealing with either his wife’s death in a train crash or his daughter’s emotional distance.  Then maths geek Otto (Nikolaj Lie Kaas), who was on the same train as Markus’ wife, reveals that the crash wasn’t an accident but cover for a targeted killing.  But Markus’ plan to seek revenge spirals out of control in ridiculous ways.  Meanwhile, Otto and his two geek friends draw on such resources as experiencing 4,000 hours of therapy to provide counselling to Markus and his daughter. 

September 18

The Dark Side Of Football Season 1–This spinoff from Vice’s “Dark Side Of The Ring” examines the tension between Americans’ love for football and the sport’s continual ability to “corrupt and damage those who live and die for it.”  Subjects for this first batch of episodes include the origins of the Oakland Raiders’ notorious reputation, football’s “play with the pain” rule, and diva wide receivers.

September 22

Our Kind Of People—This new drama is set in the Martha Vineyard’s community known as Oak Bluffs (aka The Bluffs).  For more than 50 years, members of the rich and powerful black elite have come to The Bluffs to live and play.  Into this close-knit world comes Angela Vaughn (Yaya DaCosta).  She wants to reclaim the family name and shake things up with a new hair care line that brings out Black women’s innate beauty.  But what unexpectedly shakes things up for Angela and The Bluffs community is the hair care entrepeneur’s learning a dark secret about her mother’s past.

September 23

The Eric Andre Show

The Eric Andre Show Season 5–Tired of the boring ass-kissing talking head sameness of other TV talk shows?  Then you could use this surreal series that’s a demented mix of talk show and truly out-there public access television.  See the titular host trash his set to start off an episode.  See some real-life celebrities get some truly bizarre interviews and/or comedy sketches sprung on them.  In this new season, Andre may have upgraded the look of his set, but his mix of deliberate near-baldness, visible weight gain, and cheap cologne makes him look like a low-grade sleazebag.  In addition, long-time co-host Hannibal Buress leaves the show.  The unsuspecting guests who take part in this season include Naya Rivera (in her last television appearance), Dermot Mulroney, and even Stormy Daniels (or a half-bearable imitator). 

The Wonder Years—This reboot of the 1988 cult classic series follows a far different family from the original series.  The protagonists of this reboot are the Williamses, a black middle class family living in Montgomery, Alabama in the late 1960s.  Dean Williams (played as an adult by Don Cheadle) remembers the highs and lows of growing up as an imaginative 12-year-old child during that period.  Lee Daniels and Fred Savage serve as executive producers on the project.

 September 27

 The Great North Season 2–It’s the return of the animated series co-created by sisters and “Bob’s Burgers” writers Wendy and Lizzie Molyneux plus “Regular Show” writer Minty Lewis.  Single father Beef Tobin (Nick Offerman) has moved himself and his kids Judy (Jenny Slate), Wolf (Will Forte), Ham, and Moon to Lone Moose, Alaska and now runs a fishing boat.  Wolf’s fiancee Honeybee is also along for the ride.  Judy doesn’t want to be a fisherman and she looks for guidance from her boss Alyson (Megan Mullaly) and her imaginary friend Alanis Morissette (playing herself).  This season, expect some holiday-themed episodes, zombies, more inclusive storytelling with Alaskan natives, and even a full on musical episode.  In addition, expect guest appearances by the voices of Pam Grier, Patti LuPone, and Guy Fieri. 

 September 30

New Order

New Order–Ready to see a film where the 1% receive violent retribution from the downtrodden?  Then you need to make time for this film.  A citywide atmosphere of noticeable social tension can be felt at a near future Mexico City high society wedding.  Bride-to-be Marianne temporarily steps out from the celebration on an errand of mercy…which winds up sparing her from the vengeance inflicted by armed protestors on the other wedding guests.  Events soon get nastier as military leaders seize control of the revolution to extort and even torture the wealthy.  Director Michel Franco’s provocative film has been accused of reverse racism by Mexican viewers.   Whatever your feelings about the film, it will pale compared to the probable frothing of CNBC or Wall Street Journal types ready to denounce “New Order” as vile leftist trash.