Hulu’s April Offerings: Indie Horror, Apartheid, and More
Took part in your local “Hands Off” protest? Reward yourself by mentally giving the Musk Rat the finger and engage in some self-care with Hulu’s April offerings.
Horrified by the chaos the Orange Felon has unleashed in America? Then “relax” with such indie horror films as an acclaimed “put yourself in Jason Voorhees’ shoes” slasher film or a tale involving a murdered twin sister and a sinister looking life-size puppet. Art lovers should check out a documentary narrated by Lakeith Stanfield concerning the life of a photographer who showed the world the true face of apartheid. Or maybe you could use a little gallows humor courtesy of Michelle Williams, who plays a dying woman who wants to truly get off before she bites the big one.
Whether you feel like watching hundreds of penguin chicks take a 50-foot dive into the ocean or want to witness the late Gene Hackman give one of his most memorable performances for director Wes Anderson, may Hulu’s April offerings deliver something unique to float your proverbial boat.
Now Available
American Monster Season 3–Being afraid of your next door neighbor or familiar family member might not be paranoia after all. The subjects of this true crime documentary series may look like supposed regular Joes, but their hearts are those of psychopathic killers. This season features such subjects as: how blind greed destroys the lives of a U.S. Air Force Sergeant and his family; a picture-perfect Utah marriage ends badly thanks to jealousy and control issues; and a secret sordid life that might explain a man’s disappearing before he started a new job.
Arrival—Denis Villeneuve’s first foray into cinematic science fiction adaptations used Ted Chiang’s “Story Of Your Life” as the basis for this thrilling science fiction mystery. Amy Adams is linguist Louise Banks, who’s been recruited by the U.S. Army to try to communicate with the alien inhabitants of a spaceship hovering above Montana, one of twelve that have appeared in skies around the world. But figuring out what the aliens want turns out to be a race against time thanks to rising paranoia displayed by various nations and/or their military personnel.
Black Swan—Natalie Portman stars in this Darren Aronofsky-helmed psychodrama set in the world of professional ballet. Aspiring New York City Ballet dancer Nina (Portman) gets her big break when the company’s artistic director Thomas Leroy decides to replace the troupe’s current prima ballerina for his audacious staging of “Swan Lake.” He wants the same dancer to play both Odette (the innocent and fragile White Swan) and Odile (the sensual and dark Black Swan). Nina winds up getting the lead role in a very-much not-innocent way. But her big chance gets threatened by new dancer Lily (Mila Kunis), who does a far better job of embodying the Black Swan’s personality. Nina’s mental state soon gets badly unbalanced by hallucinations, mysterious injuries, and even a twisted friendship with Lily. Will these stresses destroy Nina before opening night is over?
Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives Seasons 1 & 2–See the early days of Guy Fieri’s long-lived food travel reality show. Fieri travels across America to find the best greasy spoon eateries known to locals, whether it’s a roadside diner or an out-of-the-way dive. This set of episodes includes: a South Carolina diner’s A-Plenty item, which covers your meal or sandwich in French fries or onion rings; a burger made with peanut butter; and a California drive-in serving deep-fried falafel.
Dying For Sex—When middle-aged Molly Kochan (Michelle Williams) learns she has incurable Stage IV metastatic breast cancer, she decides to change her life in what little time she has left. That process involves leaving her unhappy marriage and setting out on a journey of sexual exploration to figure out what turns her on. Can Kochan have a satisfying orgasm of her own before she dies? Based on the real-life podcast of the same name co-created by Kochan.
Oddity—A year ago, Dani was bludgeoned to death. One of the last persons to see her alive was one of the patients from the mental hospital run by her husband Ted. Darcy, Dani’s blind twin sister, wants to know more. So she sends Ted and his new girlfriend Yana a gift from her curiosities shop: a life-size ventriloquist’s dummy with a disturbing facial expression. She also invites herself for a stay at the same fixer-upper where her sister was murdered.
Oklahoma City Bombing: One Day In America—This new National Geographic docuseries does a moment-by-moment recounting of the worst domestic terrorist attack on American soil. From trying to survive for hours while trapped in rubble to leading a state and a nation in the wake of massive tragedy to racing against time to finding the bomber(s) and bringing them to justice, these accounts of that fateful day offer a powerful portrait of a nation whose character is tested by a then-unimaginable criminal act.
The Royal Tenenbaums—The late Gene Hackman gave one of his most memorable performances in this Wes Anderson classic. Hackman is Royal Tenenbaum, the long-absent patriarch of a clan of former child prodigies who flamed out too soon in their promising careers for one reason or another. Will his return help his children get unstuck from the disasters and failures that have dominated their lives? The film’s amazing cast also includes Anjelica Huston, Ben Stiller, Gwyneth Paltrow, Luke Wilson, and Bill Murray.
Wall Street—It’s the Oliver Stone-directed classic that inspired greedhead viewers to become stockbrokers. Ambitious junior stockbroker Bud Fox (Charlie Sheen) dreams of working with legendary Wall Street player Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas). Fox’s insane persistence does eventually earn him an audience with Gekko, but it is only through the young stockbroker’s willingness to share insider information with the older investor that Fox establishes a working relationship with Gekko. Both the young stockbroker and the veteran financial shark prosper hugely off exploiting this special information. But what happens when one of Gekko’s schemes threatens the livelihood of people Fox cares about?
Widows—Director Steve McQueen (“12 Years A Slave”) and Gillian Flynn (“Gone Girl”) adapt the titular British TV series for the big screen. Veronica Rawlings (Viola Davis) gets an unwelcome visit from Chicago gang boss Jamaal Manning (Brian Tyree Henry). Manning wants payback on the $2 million Veronica’s late husband attempted to steal from Manning’s alderman campaign fund. When Veronica gets access to her late husband’s notebook, she discovers in it detailed plans for stealing $5 million from Manning’s opponent Jack Mulligan (Colin Farrell). Veronica joins forces with the other widows from the failed Manning robbery to pull off the heist and pay off the gang boss. But betrayals and an awkward secret or two may very well sink the plan before completion.
The World According To Allee Willis—The average Broke-Ass reader may not be familiar with the name of songwriter Alta Sherral “Allee” Willis. Odds are they will be more familiar with Willis’ hit songs, which include tunes for Earth Wind & Fire (“September”), The Pointer Sisters (“Neutron Dance”), and even the TV show “Friends” (“I’ll Be There For You”). But there was way more to this Detroit native’s life than writing cool catchy songs. Willis loved such offbeat and obscure stuff as weird road signs, unusual vintage pop culture ephemera, and even places to get the best hot dogs. She also worried about fitting established gender and sexual norms. The Orange Fascist and the repressive creeps who support him would loathe Willis, but the rest of us should take this cinematic opportunity to learn more about this incredible woman.
April 8
Small Things Like These–In this adaptation of Claire Keegan’s acclaimed novel of the same name, it’s the 1985 Christmas season in the small Irish town of New Ross. Coal merchant Bill Furlong (Cillian Murphy) discovers a pregnant teeanger locked in the coal shed of the local convent/orphan asylum. He knows something suspicious is going on, but also knows that pressing the matter would result in his incurring the wrath of the powerful Sister Mary (Emily Watson). Will memories of his own traumatic childhood guide Furlong to do the right thing?
April 10
Red Dog–In 1971, a stray dog eventually called Red Dog wanders into the Western Australian town of Dampier, where he befriends the miners of Hamersley Iron despite not having a real master. One day, that master shows up in the form of company bus driver John Grant. When Grant dies in a freak accident, the unsuspecting Red Dog sets out on a worldwide quest to find his missing human. What will happen when the truth hits the canine that his master is well and truly gone?
April 11
Magpie—Married couple Ben and Annette (Daisy Ridley) moved from London to the countryside to hopefully change their marital situation for the better. Ben would have peace to write a better novel than the last one, which badly flopped; Annette could focus on being a mother to their two children. But things have not worked out that way. Ben has barely done any writing on his new book while Annette is feeling stir-crazy and ignored. When one of the couple’s children gets cast in a film starring the alluring Italian actress Alicia, Ben starts getting off on fantasizing about a relationship with the actress. Meanwhile, Annette’s practical imprisonment with a screaming infant starts cracking her psyche and slowly fills her with rage.
April 12
MythBusters Season 5–It’s another season of using science and mechanical engineering to evaluate the truth of various popular myths. This season, the MythBusters gang look at such myths as putting out a fire using only your voice, whether a so-called Confederate steam-powered machine gun could actually fire 400 rounds a minute at a range of 300 yards, and using a grappling hook to make a 90-degree turn while driving.
April 15
Lake George—In this neo-noir dark comedy, middle-aged burnout Don (Shea Whigham) is so desperate for money that he reluctantly takes on former boss Armen’s contract to kill Armen’s allegedly duplicitous mistress/business partner Phyllis (Carrie Coon, “The White Lotus”). However, when the time comes to pull the trigger, Don can’t do it. Phyllis sells Don on her counteroffer: using her insider knowledge of Armen’s hidden riches to steal that wealth and using the proceeds to disappear into new identities. Don soon has reasons to regret taking Phyllis’ offer. Despite her protests of being a good person, she doesn’t seem to lose much sleep racking up a high body count.
April 16
No Man’s Land Season 2–Antoine Habert is a Frenchman whose search for his estranged and possibly still living sister takes him to the midst of the Syrian civil war. There, he joins a group of female Kurdish freedom fighters making incursions into ISIS-controlled territory. Their path will take them to Morocco and encounters with Westerners radicalized by ISIS.
April 17
The Stolen Girl—When 9-year-old Lucia Blix asks her mother Elisa for permission to do her first sleepover with her new best friend Josie, the older woman agrees. Meeting Josie’s mother Rebecca confirms for Elisa that this was a no-brainer decision. Rebecca is charming and she lives with her daughter in a gorgeous house. But when Elisa goes to pick up her child, she’s horrified to discover the house was a vacation rental and Rebecca, Josie, and her daughter have gone missing. As police and public scrutiny mounts in the wake of what’s now a high-profile international kidnapping case, some long buried secrets about the Blix family start coming to light. Could Rebecca actually have been justified in kidnapping Lucia?
April 18
The Order—It’s 1983, and veteran FBI agent Terry Husk (Jude Law) has moved to Coeur d’Alene, ID in hopes of an easier caseload after investigating both the KKK and the Cosa Nostra. Husk’s interest in the Aryan Nations group leads to the agent meeting local Deputy Jamie Bowen (Tye Sheridan), who’s been investigating the group for counterfeiting and a string of bank robberies throughout the Pacific Northwest. What connects the Aryan Nations, the bank robberies, and a mysterious group known as The Order? The answer involves a conspiracy to overthrow the federal government and a notorious book known as The Turner Diaries.
April 21
Secrets Of The Penguins—This National Geographic docuseries executive produced by James Cameron goes from the beaches of Cape Town to the desert caves of Namibia to capture rarely seen penguin behavior on film. Expect to see Galapagos penguins planning a heist of fish from pelicans’ beaks, penguins practicing egg transfers with a snowball, and the sight of hundreds of Emperor penguin chicks making a 50-foot dive into the icy ocean and then emerging unscathed.
April 22
In A Violent Nature—The cliches of “Friday the 13th”-style slasher films get turned on their head with this tale told from the point of view of the film’s monster. Johnny, the monster in question, stalks a group of teens who have stolen a locket precious to the killer. Just because there are long stretches where the film walks in Johnny’s shoes doesn’t mean gorehounds will be disappointed. After seeing this film, they’ll never look at yoga stretches or log splitters the same way again.
April 25
Azrael—This dialogue-free horror film is set years after The Rapture. The Burned Ones, demonic creatures with a taste for human flesh and blood, prey on the unfortunate humans left behind. Azrael (Samara Weaving) and her lover Kenan wind up being captured and prepared for sacrifice to the Burned Ones by a cult of mutes who believe speech is a sin. She manages to escape. However, Azrael wants to rescue Kenan while avoiding recapture by the cult or getting killed by the Burned Ones.
April 29
Ernest Cole: Lost And Found—Raoul Peck’s newest documentary recounts the life of South African freelance photographer Ernest Cole. His early photographs showed the world the horrors of Black life under apartheid and cemented Cole’s fame. But when the photographer fled South Africa for America and started plying his trade in New York City and the American South, the popular and critical response was more muted. Using Cole’s own writings (read by Lakeith Stansfield) and a trove of supposedly lost Cole photographs, Peck reintroduces Cole and his genius to a new generation.
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