Hulu’s March Lineup: From Oscar Winners to Bizarre True Crime

Hulu has won this month of March with its streaming premiere of one of 2024’s best films.  If you caught the recent Oscar broadcast, it’s the small (by Hollywood standards) film that swept many of the major awards…and has as its protagonist a young woman liable to make Christian Nationalist a**holes loudly screech about celebrating depravity.  

For those folks out there cool enough to have already seen the film referenced above, other offerings this month might float your boat.  How about a crime comedy concerning two Pakistani-American brothers who suddenly find out the hard way what their late father’s real business was?  Or how about a sleeper drama which sees a successful Black artist facing the tough lift of forgiving the father who traumatized his childhood?  If nothing else, there’s always a new season of true stories about weird arrests such as the truck theft by a naked woman.

So whether you’re watching an acclaimed drama about a chillingly close relationship with General Idi Amin or seeing a Korean crime drama involving online gambling and a cryptocurrency scam, Hulu remains a place to find films and television that don’t feel algorithmically vetted.

Now Available

Brooklyn–Nick Hornby scripted this John Crowley adaptation of Colm Toibin’s acclaimed novel.  Eilis Lacey (Saoirse Ronan) leaves her 1951 Irish small town for a chance at a better life in New York City.  Both her night school accounting classes and a romance with Italian-American plumber Tony Fiorello helps Eilis happily adjust to American life.  But when she must return to her Irish hometown thanks to a family tragedy, she soon finds herself torn between two different possibilities for her future.  

Deli Boys–In this new crime comedy, pampered Pakistani-American brothers Mir and Raj Dar get a rude awakening when their Philadelphia convenience store magnate father Baba suddenly dies.  As their beloved Lucky Auntie explains, Baba’s real business was processing and dealing cocaine.  Now with Baba’s death, the hardworking Mir and the slacker Raj soon find themselves drawn into a chaotic vortex of drug gang power struggles, FBI investigations, and Peruvian drug suppliers who insist on being paid…one way or another.

Jojo Rabbit–Taika Waititi’s satirical comedy takes place during the steady collapse of Nazi Germany.  Lonely ten-year-old Hitler Youth Johannes “Jojo” Betzler is heavily indoctrinated with Nazi ideals, yet his only friend is an imaginary buffoonish version of Adolf Hitler (Waititi).  When Jojo accidentally discovers his mother Rosie (Scarlett Johansson) has been hiding Jewish teen Elsa Korr (Thomasin McKenzie) in their home, the boy’s anti-Semitic beliefs soon clash with his growing friendship with the fugitive teen. 

The Last King Of Scotland–In 1970, Scottish medical graduate Nicholas Garrigan’s (James McAvoy) life changes dramatically after he moves to Uganda to work at a missionary clinic.  General Idi Amin (Forest Whitaker) has just taken control of the country in a coup d’etat.  More relevantly, thanks to Amin’s love for all things Scottish, Garrigan becomes Amin’s personal physician and even his confidant and assistant in matters of state.  While initially willing to accept Amin’s rationales for his repressive acts, what will happen when Garrigan becomes disillusioned by the dictator?

Notes On A Scandal–Lonely elderly comprehensive school history teacher Barbara Covett (Dame Judi Dench) doesn’t care that she’s socially unpopular.  When younger art teacher Sheba Hart (Cate Blanchett) joins the school, Barbara winds up becoming friends with Sheba.  But her sighting of the new teacher having sex with underage student Steven Connolly raises big personal questions regarding how she intends to use that information and why.  Is it possible Barbara is a closeted lesbian? 

Sensory Overload–The cacophony of modern life that many people take for granted is actually painful to those with enhanced sensitivity to environmental stimuli.  This film makes the case for accepting those who are neurodivergent or sensory sensitive and making more sensory inclusive spaces for them.  Among the subjects of the film is a dentist whose practice takes account of neurodivergent and sensory sensitive clients’ needs.

Wadjda–The first film shot entirely in Saudi Arabia tells the story of Wadjda, a rebellious 11-year-old girl living in the Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh.  She wants to get a green bicycle that will give her a sense of independence.  However, girls don’t ride bicycles in Saudi Arabia.  Also, her parents won’t give her the money because they’re too caught up in their own drama regarding the fate of their marriage.  Wadjda’s efforts to raise the money herself seem hopeless until she learns winning a Quran recitation contest will give her the money she needs. 

March 11

Last Take: “Rust” And The Story Of Halyna–Rachel Mason’s documentary concerns indie cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, who was tragically killed on the set of the Western “Rust” when a prop gun handled by actor Alec Baldwin fired a live round into her.  Beyond just recounting from multiple perspectives what happened that fatal day and its aftermath, the film aims to paint for viewers a picture of this talented woman and the life she led before it was snuffed out far too soon.

March 12

Am I Being Unreasonable Season 2–It’s the return of this British comedy-thriller about the relationship between grieving mother Nic (Daisy May Cooper) and kindred spirit (and untrustworthy best friend) Jen (Selin Hizli), both of whom carry secrets from their past.  As the new season begins, Nic has gotten thrown out of her family’s house after her hallucinatory panic attack at her brother-in-law’s memorial service.  She’s forced to shack up with Jen…who earlier had broadcast to the entire congregation a scandalous confession by Nic.  The stage is soon set for psychedelic paranoia.    

March 13

Control Freak–You think you’ve got dandruff problems?  Meet Valerie (Kelly Marie Tran), a motivational speaker who has an itch on the back of her head.  Yet no matter what she does, the itch is Still There.  Making matters worse, a parasitic demon from Val’s homeland soon infects her.

March 14

The Last Of The Mohicans–It’s 1757 in the midst of the French And Indian War.  The dying Mohican tribe (consisting at this point of Uncas, his father Chingachgook, and Uncas’ adopted half-white brother Hawkeye (Daniel Day-Lewis)) live in peace with the British colonists.  When the Mohican remnants save Cora (Madeleine Stowe) and Alice Munro (Jodhi May) and Major Duncan Heyward from a Huron ambush, they agree to help guide the British trio to Fort William Henry, commanded by the Munro sisters’ father Colonel Edmund Munro.  But the Huron Magua has a personal grudge against Colonel Munro, and he intends its settlement to be paid in blood.  

The Prestige–Christopher Nolan’s adaptation of Christopher Priest’s novel takes the viewer to 19th century London, where a cutthroat competition between two up and coming magicians takes place.  Robert “The Great Danton” Angier (Hugh Jackman) and Alfred “The Professor” Borden (Christian Bale) used to be good friends until an onstage trick led to the death of Angier’s wife.  Now both men are locked in a struggle to destroy each other via public sabotage of their opponent’s magic tricks.  But when one of the rivals successfully pulls off an on stage act of teleportation, their rivalry goes to a higher level.     

March 15

The Roundup: No Way Out—In this installment of a South Korean crime action series, Detective Ma Seok-do and his team’s investigation of a woman’s suspicious death leads to their getting caught in a struggle over a stash of the illegal drug Hiper, a dirty cop named Joo Sung-chul, and a war between the yakuza and the South Korean White Shark Clan syndicate.  Based on a true crime.

The Roundup: Punishment–In the most recent installment, Detective Ma Seok-do’s investigation of an online gambling worker’s death leads to his joining the Cyber Investigation Team.  At the center of the investigation is the Emperor’s Casino, an outfit seeking to monopolize the online gambling industry.  Chang Dong-cheol, the outfit’s administrator, is also plotting to launch a cryptocurrency scheme behind a front known as QM Holdings.  Based on a true crime involving kidnapped computer programmers forced to run an illegal gambling website.

March 17

Anora–Missed Sean Baker’s Oscar-winning Best Film of 2024 in the theaters? Now’s your chance to catch the streaming premiere of the month’s must-see movie, a modern day anti-Cinderella tale.  The film’s Cinderella is 23-year-old professional stripper Anora “Ani” Mikheeva (Mikey Madison).  Her supposed prince is Ivan “Vanya” Zakharov, college student and son of Russian oligarch Nikolai Zakharov.  An impulsive decision by Ani and Vanya to elope in Las Vegas may seem like a fairy tale come true.  However, when Vanya’s highly unamused parents find out, the order comes down to have the Las Vegas marriage annulled.  But to do that, both Ani and Vanya must be present, which is when the first of many problems comes up.

March 18

Exhibiting Forgiveness–Sleeper hit of the month honors go to Titus Kaphar’s powerful film about a successful Black artist wrestling with old family trauma.  Tarrell’s (Andre Holland) art finds beauty in memories of his traumatic childhood.  On the eve of his first solo show, the artist gets an unexpected visit from his estranged father La’Ron.  The former addict claims he’s cleaned up his act and wants to reconcile with his son.  But the childhood pain Tarrell has kept at bay to make his art threatens to burst forth and sink any possibility of reconciliation with his father. 

March 19

Gannibal Season 2–In the new season of this adaptation of Masaaki Ninomiya’s horror manga, Officer Daigo Agawa’s attempt to close in on the dark secret of a remote village puts him on a collision course with the cursed Goto family, who are determined to do whatever it takes to protect the village’s secret.  Will Daigo’s only avenue to expose the truth be to act madder than the Gotos?

Good American Family–When Kristine Barnett (Ellen Pompeo) and husband Michael Barnett (Jay Duplass) adopt Ukrainian orphan Natalia Grace, they thought she was a 7-year-old with a rare form of dwarfism.  Yet over time, the Barnetts think their newest adoptee is actually an adult posing as a child and a lurking threat to their family.  But is what the Barnetts did next an act of self-protection or one of child neglect?

March 20

My Strange Arrest Season 2–This documentary series recounts tales of people who’ve been arrested for committing weird and bizarre crimes.  Among the stories told this season: a man who takes an alligator grocery shopping, a man atop a skyscraper hurling furniture onto a busy NYC street, and the naked woman who swipes a sheriff’s pickup truck.

O’Dessa—Geremy Jasper’s original rock opera is set in a post-apocalyptic future.  O’Dessa (Sadie Sink) is a farm girl who’s embarked on an epic quest to retrieve a cherished family heirloom.  This quest takes her to a strange but dangerous city.  On one hand, the girl meets her one true love.  But on the other hand, his soul is at risk, and the only way to save it means gambling with the powers of destiny and music.  

Ol’ Dirty Bastard: A Tale Of 2 Dirties–Sam Pollard (“MLK/FBI”) co-directed this definitive documentary that looks back at the life of one of the founding members of the Wu-Tang Clan.  ODB nee Russell Jones managed in his short 35 years of life to develop a highly influential persona and rhyme style.  The film also features interviews with ODB’s closest friends and family as well as footage from wife Icelene Jones’ personal archive.  

March 21

I’ve Somehow Gotten Stronger When I Improved My Farm-Related Skills–All Al Wayne wanted was to live the peaceful life of a farmer.  But thanks to a lifetime of hard work (and Growth Promotion), his physical abilities such as strength and speed have accelerated to the point where he can make a dragon explode merely by tossing a carrot at it.  That talent makes him a useful tool for the country’s royal family, especially when the country suddenly gets invaded by a demon army.

March 22

The Jesus Music–This documentary offers a history of the changing face of contemporary Christian music.  Starting out in the 1970s as Jesus music, the genre would morph through such forms as Christian rock and Christian metal before becoming praise and worship music by the early 21st century.  Such genre figures as Amy Grant, CeCe Winans, and Lauren Daigle are interviewed.

March 25

Dandelion–Nicole Riegel’s sophomore film follows a romance between two aspiring musicians on the verge of giving up trying to break into the music business.  The title is the stage name of wannabe singer-songwriter Theresa (Kiki Layne, “The Old Guard”), who at film’s start abandons her unsatisfying hotel bar gig to try out to be the opening act for a major event.  Though Theresa doesn’t get the nod, she does meet scruffy Scottish indie musician Casey and falls for him.  Both musicians connect thanks to their mutual continued failure to break into the music business and their carrying of personal skeletons.  But will Dandelion’s decision to stick around for a week to perform with Casey’s band lead to both lovers finding the creative breakthroughs they need?  Features songs written in part by Taylor Swift collaborator Aaron Dessner of The National.

March 28

The Line–Tom and wealthy but slobby friend Mitch are members of the Kappa Nu Alpha fraternity.  Thanks to the fraternity’s reputation for student conduct violations, the new Dean of Student Affairs puts Tom on notice that hazing and off-campus retreats are verboten.  Despite that warning, Tom goes along with an off-campus retreat at Mitch’s family’s lake house.  When the inevitable hazing ritual happens, it ends very badly leaving Tom and the other fraternity brothers to deal with the dire consequences.