All The Cool Stuff Coming To Hulu In February 2024

February on Hulu does the Black History Month celebrations with some great stuff. There’s a classic of African American cinema, a docudrama on the parallel lives of two Civil Rights icons, and a documentary going beyond “Hidden Figures” to trace Black involvement in the American space program against the backdrop of current events. And let us not forget Hiroyuki Sanada helming a new adaptation of James Clavell’s “Shogun” late in the month.  

For those who feel like checking out some smaller cinematic gems dropping in February, Hulu has you covered. There’s Ruben Ostlund’s dark comedy showing how a businessman’s act of self-preservation damages his relationship with his family.  Or there’s an acclaimed tale of a transwoman who comes back into her estranged mother’s life by pretending to be her professional caretaker. Or try a deeply intimate portrait of the life of a folk music legend. On the other hand, those having little problem watching problematic shows or series can choose from works displaying the involvement of Joss Whedon, Armie Hammer, and Amy Schumer. 

Whatever Hulu offering you decide to check out, remember to schedule time for a chocolate (or other favorite sweet of choice) break at some time. 

February 1

The Cabin In The Woods–Drew Goddard directed this mix of horror and dark comedy from a script co-written with Joss Whedon.  A group of five college students have come to a remote mountain cabin for a weekend of fun and debauchery.  However, their bacchanalian plans get seriously curtailed after they accidentally resurrect a family of homicidal zombies who proceed to kill them.  What the students don’t know is that these killings have been orchestrated by a group of technicians who see themselves as saving humanity.

Call Me By Your Name–In Luca Guadagnino’s acclaimed romantic drama set in 1983, precocious 17-year-old Elio Perlman (Timothee Chalamet) is spending the summer at his parents’ villa on the Italian Riviera.  Joining them as a guest is 24-year-old graduate student Oliver (Armie Hammer), who’s helping Elio’s archeology professor father with his paperwork.  Despite initially feeling as if he has nothing in common with Oliver, the younger man soon becomes romantically fascinated with the grad student.  Oliver eventually reciprocates Elio’s feelings, but the grad student’s closeted behavior threatens to break the younger man’s heart.

Feud: Capote vs. The Swans

Client 9: The Rise And Fall Of Eliot Spitzer–Eliot Spitzer was once a rising star in the Democratic Party.  During his tenure as New York’s Attorney General, he became known as the Sheriff of Wall Street for prosecuting powerful Wall Street fat cats.  His election as New York’s Governor seemed to be a stepping stone to an eventual run for the Presidency.  Then these dreams came spectacularly crashing down when Spitzer was publicly revealed to have secret $1,000/hour sessions with call girls.  Director Alex Gibney recounts Spitzer’s story and the strong likelihood that Spitzer’s fall was the product of a retaliatory conspiracy by his enemies. 

The Descent–Neil Marshall’s emotionally intense horror classic will entertainingly put viewers off everything from dark confined places to Spider-Man movies.  Extreme sports athlete Sarah (Shauna Macdonald) remains emotionally traumatized after a horrific personal tragedy.  To help her get back into the world, sister athlete Juno convinces Sarah to join an all-woman spelunking expedition to explore a set of subterranean Appalachian caves.  But the expedition soon goes horribly wrong when the women discover they’re not alone and the beings they encounter are not friendly.     

Feud: Capote Vs. The Swans–The new season of Ryan Murphy’s anthology series of tales of real-life high-profile feuds recounts the story of how acclaimed writer Truman Capote wound up alienating the high society female friends he called his “swans.”  When Capote attempted to get past his writer’s block by thinly disguising the swans’ sordid secrets for a story, not only does he get estranged from his former close confidantes but his life takes a long nosedive.  Gus van Sant directs many of the episodes, which take a few creative liberties with the facts thanks to some real-life grey areas.

Force Majeure–Ruben Ostlund (“Triangle Of Sadness”) directs this dark comedy about a model Swedish family’s French Alps ski vacation which goes horribly awry.  Thomas, Ebba, and their children’s outdoor lunch gets interrupted by the sight of an apparently out-of-control avalanche barreling towards them.  When Thomas chooses to save himself and leave his family to their fate, interfamilial tension sparks up and is worsened by his denial of wrongdoing.

Love Is Strange–Acclaimed director Ira Sachs directs what might be called an unofficial remake of the 1937 tearjerker “Make Way For Tomorrow.”  After 39 years together, painter Ben (John Lithgow) and music teacher George (Alfred Molina) finally decide to tie the knot.  But this public declaration of love results in George losing his job and the couple being forced to stay at various friends’ places as they look for new housing in New York City’s brutal rental market.  But you know that old saying about fish and guests… 

Soul Food

Soul Food–George Tillman, Jr.’s feature film debut became a classic of American Black cinema.  The large close-knit Joseph clan gets held together by their 40 years of Sunday soul food family dinners and the warm guidance of matriarch Mother Joe.  But when Mother Joe dies, this Chicago clan starts fracturing over such issues as infidelity, employing ex-convicts, paying medical bills, and the possible loss of the family home.

February 2

Genius: MLK/X–This docudrama series recounts the parallel lives of Civil Rights icons Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X as well as that of their wives Coretta Scott King and Betty Shabazz.  Both men may have had differing visions and methods regarding how to heal the rot of racism that worked itself into America’s body politic.  But ironically, when these two men met each other for the first and only time, it would be to accomplish the same goal.

February 4

Predator–Major Alan “Dutch” Schaefer (Arnold Scwarzenegger) leads a team of mercenaries into the South American jungle to rescue a foreign cabinet minister and his aide from insurgents.  But the rescue mission turns into something else entirely once an alien hunter known as a Predator starts picking off Schaefer’s team.  This science fiction actioner was directed by John McTiernan, whose next film was something called “Die Hard.”

February 5

Arctic Ascent With Alex Honnold–Remember the Oscar-winning documentary “Free Solo?”  Six years later, the star of that film is still doing death-defying ascents in far-off places.  In this series, Honnold scales the Greenland monolith known as Ingmikortilaq, accompanied by Hazel Findlay and Mikey Schaeffer.  There has been no recorded human attempt at scaling this 3,750 foot tall rock wall until now.  (El Capitan, the rocky wall Honnold climbed in “Free Solo,” is only 2,750 feet tall.)  But complicating this climb will be such hazards as falling ice and rocks and dangerous weather conditions worsened by global warming.

February 8

10 Things I Hate About You–Who knew Shakespeare’s controversial play “The Taming Of The Shrew” would provide the raw material for this popular teen comedy?  Kat (Julia Stiles) and Bianca are two high school-age sisters living in Seattle.  Bianca desperately wants to date, but her overbearing doctor father refuses to let that happen until Kat starts dating first.  Cameron (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), who’s hot for Bianca, wants to solve that problem by having Patrick Verona (Heath Ledger) hired to take Kat out.  However, Verona’s the type of student tough who smokes cigarettes in class and is rumored to have eaten a live duck from beak to tail.  And Kat’s the type of angry feminist who’d rather do anything other than go near Verona.

Joan Baez: I Am A Noise

Abbott Elementary Season 3–It’s the return of this acclaimed comedy about life at a chronically underfunded public school.  Gregory and Janine (creator and star Quinta Brunson) may not be proceeding with a relationship just yet, but it doesn’t mean either of them has stopped their maturing process.  The overarching idea for Season 3 involves something ambiguously described as an interesting thing that’s never been seen on TV before.

February 9

The Lost King–Philippa Langley (Sally Hawkins) is a British writer and TV producer who develops an interest in Richard III, the 15th century English king she feels has been unfairly maligned by history.  When Langley suspects Richard’s bones are currently buried beneath a Leicester parking lot, she sets out to uncover those remains.  However, University of Leicester administrators and archeologists fight Langley every step of the way as they feel Langley should be dismissed as a woman with no formal archeological training.  Based on a true story.

Suncoast–Fresh off its Sundance premiere comes this semi-autobiographical dramedy from director Laura Chinn.  It’s 2005 in Clearwater, Florida, the location of the Suncoast Hospice Center.  Here, the comatose body of Terri Schiavo lies while the courts decide whether her feeding tube can be removed.  Young Max, a new Suncoast resident, is in a coma thanks to brain cancer.  His mother Kristine (Laura Linney) isn’t grieving yet, but she recognizes her son’s not there. Sister Doris, on the other hand, is getting pissed off by this situation.  She’s been dragooned into caring for Max, without any leeway for growing up on a personal level.  Then one day she meets Paul (Woody Harrelson), a widower and supposed beach bum with strong opinions about dying and love, which he isn’t hesitant about sharing with Doris.

February 13

The Space Race–Directors Diego Hurtado de Mendoza and Lisa Cortes show in this new documentary that “Hidden Figures” provided only part of the story of Black American involvement in NASA endeavors.  The film shows the contrast between Blacks reaching for the stars and the country they served being seemingly determined to keep them earthbound second-place citizens.  From the story of how the JFK assassination nixed Captain Ed Dwight’s dream of going to the Moon to how the George Floyd protests played out within the confines of the International Space Station, de Mendoza and Cortes’ film brings a larger perspective to the story of American space exploration efforts.

February 15

Joan Baez: I Am A Noise–This documentary about the legendary folk singer uses the context of her 2019 farewell tour to let her look back on her life and career.  She recounts such highs as her proximity to Dr. Martin Luther King during the 1963 March on Washington and such lows as her decade-long quaalude addiction or her odd rivalry with younger sister Mimi Farina.  Supplementing Baez’ recollections are such archival sources as home movies, handwritten letters, and even personal drawings animated for the screen.

Shogun

February 16

Life And Beth Season 2–In the new season of Amy Schumer’s semi-autobiographical dramedy, Beth (Schumer) starts to think she’s finally found The One in John (Michael Cera).  But before she can even think about marriage or even family, there are some unresolved problems.  Communication difficulties still plague the duo.  Will Beth’s traumatic history with men and supposed childhood friends repeat itself?  And how can she both maintain a relationship and be there for friends and family going through their own emotional difficulties?

February 21

Will Trent Season 2–It’s the return of this series adaptation of Karin Slaughter’s novels about the titular Georgia Bureau of Investigation agent.  Will Angie’s spinal injury be serious enough to alter both her professional career and her relationship with Trent?  Will viewers find out who’s been illicitly selling GBI information?  What more will Trent learn about his mother?  And who’s the character guest star Clark Gregg (Coulson, “Agents Of SHIELD”) will play in this season?

February 25

Monica– Monica (Trace Lysette) left her home as a teen and had no reason to return.  In the interim, she became an out and proud trans woman…who’d be unrecognizable to the people who knew her pre-transition.  When Monica’s estranged mother Eugenia (Patricia Clarkson) falls ill, the traswoman decides to re-enter Eugenia’s life by pretending to be a professional caregiver.  But from this lie might come a path for these two estranged people to finally reconnect.

February 27

Shogun–Pre-civil war Japan in the year 1600 is the setting for this new mini-series adaptation of James Clavell’s historical novel.  Lord Yoshii Toranaga (producer Hiroyuki Sanada) fights for his life when his enemies on the Council of Regents unite against him.  Unexpected help comes in the form of John Blackthorne, an English ship pilot who bears secrets that could aid Lord Toranaga in tipping the balance of power.  But Blackthorne also hopes his secrets will take down his enemies: the Jesuit priests and the Portuguese merchants.  Holding the key to both men’s dreams and fates is Toranaga’s translator Mariko Toda.  She’s a Christian noblewoman, the last of the Toda line, somebody owing a duty to her late father, and someone who enjoys her companionship with Blackthorne.

February 28

Those Who Wish Me Dead–Taylor Sheridan (“Yellowstone”) directs this adaptation of Michael Koryta’s novel of the same name.  Hannah (Angelina Jolie) is a smoke jumper living by herself in a fire tower in the Montana wilderness.  Unexpectedly coming into Hannah’s life is Connor, the young son of a forensic accountant.  Connor’s father was murdered by assassins hired to keep news regarding the suspicious nature of the district attorney’s death from going public.  When Hannah and Connor evade pursuit by the hired killers, the assassins decide the best way to permanently take the smoke jumper and the child out is by setting a massive forest fire.        

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