The Cool Stuff Coming To Netflix In January 2024

Netflix may begin the new year with Jason Momoa’s first Aquaman movie, the first three John Wick movies, and both “Mamma Mia” movies. But the more interesting titles this month aren’t Hollywood blockbusters.

We’re talking about a tale of sibling artistic competition in the British rap world, which features some truly banging tunes. Or how about an anime take on the “town literally frozen in time” story? And if you need more righteous ass-kicking in your life, try an action comedy about finding out your family’s real business, especially since Michelle Yeoh has one of the central roles.

BTW, if the weather is already chilly, is watching Netflix in winter called “Netflix and warm?”

Now Available

Black Sails–This prequel to the Robert Louis Stevenson classic “Treasure Island” is set in 1715 Nassau, the West Indies island of New Providence’s highly contested pirate port.  Here, Captain Flint constantly struggles to keep Nassau free of the British Empire’s control, while the pirates constantly go out in search of treasure.   But his task isn’t easy given that civilized nations have declared pirates enemies of all mankind while the pirates have declared war against the world.  Appearing in the show are fictionalizations of such real-life pirates as Anne Bonny, Charles Vane, and Blackbeard.  The queer-friendly nature of the series also makes it worth a watch.

Fool Me Once–This new adaptation of a Harlan Coben thriller concerns two apparently disconnected cases.  Maya Stern still mourns the brutal murder of her husband Joe during a robbery…until a nanny cam reveals her supposedly dead husband very much alive.  Maya’s niece and nephew feel there’s something suspicious about the death of their mother several months earlier.  Detective Sergeant Sami Kierce may be investigating Joe’s death, but will his personal secrets affect the investigation?  

Jackie Brown

Jackie Brown–Quentin Tarantino followed up “Pulp Fiction” with this adaptation of Elmore Leonard’s Rum Punch.  Jackie Brown (Pam Grier), a flight attendant for America’s worst airline, supplements her crappy income by smuggling money for gun dealer Ordell (Samuel L. Jackson).  When she gets busted by the cops, Jackie knows her best option might be cutting a deal with the law.  However, Ordell’s the sort of guy who would have Jackie killed if she even thought of doing that.  That’s when Jackie has a better idea.  Pulling that idea off, though, will require a lot of fast thinking.    

One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest–Milos Forman’s acclaimed adaptation of Ken Kesey’s novel stars Jack Nicholson as convict Randle P. McMurphy.  Thanks to his excessive troublemaking, McMurphy gets sent to an insane asylum.  On discovering that his fellow inmates have been drugged to the point of lethargy, he becomes determined to lead the other inmates in a game of defiance against Nurse Ratched (Louise Fletcher) and the authority she embodies.  Yet how long can McMurphy get away with his small spontaneous rebellions until the Nurse puts her foot down?

Orange Days–This classic Japanese drama series focuses on a group of five college student friends about to enter the wider world.  Yet while some of them know what they want to do in life, others are still unsure of their next steps.  Compassionate senior Kai Yuki studies social welfare psychology but is having trouble finding a post-college job.  Sae Hagio is a talented violinist who’s become embittered since losing her hearing.  The series’ central focus is on the changing relationship between Kai and Sae, and how both of them become strong enough to find their goals in life. 

January 4 

The Brothers Sun—Charles Sun has followed his Taiwanese gangster father’s lead by becoming a ruthless killer.  But when Mr. Sun is shot by an unknown assailant, Charles goes to Los Angeles to protect the other Sun family members: mother Eileen (Michelle Yeoh) and younger brother Bruce.  But before the Suns can either move forward or avoid getting killed by enemies, there are messy things to do such as explaining to Bruce what the real Sun family business is.  Free survival tip: chili-dusted instant ramen noodles can be a literal life-saver.

Delicious In Dungeon Season 1–Call this anime series a blend of Dungeons and Dragons-style fantasy adventure with a food show.  A dungeon quest ends disastrously for Laios’ party with the loss of their supplies and belongings, the slaughter of most members of his party, and the dreaded Red Dragon devouring Laios’ sister Falin.  Accompanied by elven healer Marcille and halfling thief Chilchuck, the warrior’s determined to re-enter the dungeon and rescue Falin before the dragon fully digests her.  But without money or supplies, what will the rescue party eat?  Monster cooking enthusiast Senshi provides an unexpected answer, as he shows Laios’ remaining crew how to eat the dungeon’s monsters without killing themselves.   

Society Of The Snow–In 1972, a plane carrying the Uruguayan rugby team disastrously crashed in the Andean region known as the Valley Of Tears.  J.A. Bayona (“A Monster Calls”) directs this docudrama about the terrible decision facing the crash survivors.   Should they risk starving to death on a gamble that help will arrive in time or must they resort to cannibalism to stay alive until help eventually arrives?  There are no easy answers, even after the news about the survivors’ cannibalism leaks out.

Delicious in Dungeon

January 6

The Florida Project–Moonee (an incredible Brooklynn Pierce) and best friend Scooty live at the Magic Castle motel.  It’s one of those cheap motels that’s a place for both Magic Kingdom tourists looking to stay at someplace inexpensive and working class (at best) folks who’ve turned the rooms into permanent lodging because they can’t afford anything better.  Moonee’s unemployed mother Halley struggles to make the rent and keep a roof over their heads, but it’s starting to be a losing battle.  Moonee meanwhile tries to turn every day into a fun adventure despite her circumstances.  Her adventures include turning off the motel’s power just to see what happens or spitting on a car from a balcony.

January 9

Teen Titans Go! To The Movies–Robin is the de facto leader of the goofball hero group Teen Titans.  And he’s unhappy that everybody in the superhero world (except his team) has been getting their own Hollywood movie.  So the Titans head to Hollywood to get a film made about them by having the mind-controlling (and highly snarky) Slade be their film’s proposed villain   But the team’s plan hits such roadblocks as personal jealousy and a sinister “streaming service” called DOOMSDAY. 

January 11

Champion Season 1–British rap star Bosco Champion is fresh out of prison and looks forward to reclaiming the rap spotlight.  Thanks to a combination of industry sexism and the Champion family’s own toxic dynamics, he doesn’t recognize that his sister Vita is talented enough to challenge him..  But when Vita gets her chance to go up against her brother and make her own mark in the rap world, it’s “look out, Bosco” time.  The series is filled with battle raps, detailed looks at British Caribbean life, and some spectacular music. 

January 15

Maboroshi–Thanks to a literal sky-shattering explosion at a local steel mill, a rural Japanese town winds up being cut off from the rest of the country.  Here, the seasons cease to change and people stop aging.  In hopes of the world somehow fixing itself, town officials order residents to not make any changes in their lives.  Masamune, a middle school student who lives in the town, suffocates under such an existence.  But when Masamune’s mysterious classmate Mutsumi takes him to meet a mute feral girl living in the steel mill’s remains, the town’s static existence starts getting thrown off balance.  Written by Mari Okada (“anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day”).

January 17

Freaks–Why is young Chloe kept hidden inside a house that’s been boarded up by her Dad (Emile Hirsch)?  It’s because the child has super powers and the US government has been hunting down such “freaks” ever since a super powered tragedy resulted in a city’s destruction.  But Chloe’s fascinated by the outside world.  The ice cream truck man known as Mr. Snowcone (Bruce Dern) encourages the girl to step out of her house for reasons of his own.

January 19

The Bequeathed Season 1–This new Kdrama partly comes from the pen of Yeon Sang-ho (“Train To Busan”) and is an adaptation of Kang Tae-kyung’s webtoon.  When Yoon Seo-ha inherits the family gravesite from her uncle, she also inherits a mess of trouble.  There’s a series of mysterious murders which have taken place near the gravesite.  Young-ho, who claims to be Seo-ha’s half-brother, also stakes a claim to the burial plot.  But could his claim be related to a secret and mysterious ritual he performs?  And who’s the mysterious hooded figure that pursues people?

The Brothers Sun

The Kitchen–If you think life in present day San Francisco is bad, welcome to London 2040.  Thanks to a combination of rising home prices, computerized labor, and the elimination of the Welfare State, England’s capital has become a billionaire’s playground.  The lower classes are forced to exist in slum-like high rises such as The Kitchen.  Izi is an ex-smash and grab type who wants to go straight.  But when his son is felled by a devastating illness, the former thief reluctantly takes part in a heist that has far reaching consequences for The Kitchen’s inhabitants.

January 23

Train To Busan–If you haven’t seen one of the best zombie films in recent memory, what are you waiting for?  Divorced workaholic Seok-woo wants to rebuild ties with his alienated daughter Su-an by taking her on a train trip to Busan to see her mother.  Just before the train departs, an obviously ill woman boards the train.  When the woman takes out a conductor’s jugular, the unfortunate victim joins her in attacking the other passengers on the train.  Seok-woo and Su-an wind up being among the few normal survivors on the train.  But that might be meaningless given that much of South Korea has turned brain-hungry.

January 24

Queer Eye Season 8–It’s a new season of the reality show where a group of gay men give style advice to improve peoples’ lives.  This time, the Fab Five return to New Orleans to spread their brand of fabulousness.  However, this return to the Big Easy also happens to be bittersweet, as home improvement specialist Bobby Berk is making this new season his last one.

Six Nations: Full Contact–Just in time for the 2024 Six Nations championship comes this documentary series giving viewers a look at the teams who participated in the 2023 Six Nations rugby championship.  Rugby fans will appreciate the behind the scenes examination of the various teams’ preparations and the emotionally intense nature of the tournament.  Rugby newbies will like the explainers on rugby’s intricacies as well as the show’s window into the passion of the sport’s fans.

January 25

Griselda–This dramatic mini-series recounts the life of Griselda Blanco, a businesswoman who would build one of the most profitable 1970s and 1980s drug cartels out of Miami.  Griselda (Sofia Vergara, “Modern Family”) spent a decade serving as the brains behind her husband Alberto’s Colombian drug trafficking operation.  When she had the chance to escape to Miami, she took it, bringing along her three sons and her practical knowledge of running a drug empire.  Griselda would become a ruthlessly savage operator in building her own illicit drug organization, but would also be a caring mother to her children.

The Florida Project

Masters Of The Universe: Revolution–It’s the sequel to Kevin Smith’s reboot of the Masters of the Universe, “Masters of the Universe: Revelation.”  Melissa Benoist replaces Sarah Michelle Gellar in the role of Teela.  Will Prince Adam embrace his responsibility as a ruler or as a hero, when Eternia gets attacked by a reborn and mechanized Skeletor enhanced by the power of Motherboard?  Meanwhile, Teela has little time to settle into her new role as the Sorceress, for the despot known as Hordak has his own designs on Eternia.

January 27

Dr. Slump–Yeo Jung-woo has had a golden career: regularly placing first in academics, studying at Korea’s top medical school, and becoming a popular plastic surgeon.  Then one day, a mysterious medical accident pushes his life to the edge.  Yeo’s former rival Nam Ha-Neul’s combination of extreme intelligence and hard study led to her becoming a top-flight anesthesiologist.  Then one day, she realizes she’s no longer happy with the life she built for herself.  Can two people who meet each other at the lowest point of their lives eventually find happiness together?

January 31

Baby Bandito–Kevin Tapia is a passionate and charismatic skater.  One day he meets and eventually falls in love with the privileged Genesis.  Given their differing economic situations, Genesis would be considered out of Kevin’s league.  But the skater has a plan to give the privileged young woman he loves the life she deserves.  That plan involves stealing $7 million from the dangerous gang known as The Butchers.  The heist succeeds, but Kevin becomes Chile’s most wanted fugitive as both the police and The Butchers are after him.  Based on the true 2014 story of Chile’s robbery of the century.

Wil—This historical drama takes place in 1942 Antwerp.  The Nazis now occupy Belgium, and they expect auxiliary policeman Wil and his colleague Lode to help hunt down Jews.  But Wil’s also supposed to be a buffer between the German occupiers and the Belgian residents.  On top of that, both policemen secretly support the Resistance.  Something’s got to give, and a dramatic incident will force the two cops’ hands.

Champion

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