What to watch on Netflix in March

March may proverbially come in like a lion.  But as far as Netflix’s March offerings are concerned, the number and variety of movies and shows premiering means that for the time-challenged, this month comes in like a lion and mauls the s**t out of the unwary viewer.  

In hopes of helping readers get through March in one piece mentally, here are some suggestions for promising offerings.  There are new seasons of “Bridgerton” and “Karma’s World.”  True-crime fans will love some series dealing with everything from a bad vegan chef to nightmare roommates.  

Come see what else is out there this month. 

Now Available

Contagion–Steven Soderbergh’s disaster drama shows how the rapid worldwide spread of a mysterious virus winds up eating away at the fabric of society.  The star-studded ensemble cast includes Matt Damon (as an ordinary joe whose wife is one of the first fatalities), Marion Cotillard (as a WHO epidemiologist trying to trace the virus’ origin), Elliott Gould (as a UCSF researcher trying to grow a cell culture that’s key to fighting the virus), and Jude Law (as a conspiracy theorist who hawks a fake homeopathic cure for the virus).  For those who wonder about the film’s scientific accuracy, go here.

Making Fun Season 1–In this whimsical reality show, grumpy New York-based builder/designer Jimmy DiResta (“Making It”) leads a team of fellow builder friends in bringing to life incredibly insane builds imagined by children. 

Making Fun

Midnight At The Pera Palace–Modern day journalist Esra had come to Turkey’s oldest hotel, the Pera Palace, to write a story about the venue.  But when the clock strikes midnight, the reporter suddenly finds herself back in the year 1919.  The region is rebuilding itself after the events of World War One.  Mustafa Kemal Ataturk will prove key to the region’s future by founding modern Turkey…but not if the political conspiracy against Ataturk that Esra discovers succeeds.  To stop the plot and preserve the course of history, this modern journalist must rely on the help of quirky hotel manager Ahmet.

A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984)–See how Freddy Krueger became a seminal horror villain in the Wes Craven original.  A group of teens are being stalked in their nightmares by a mysterious disfigured man with a fixed-blade glove.  The disfigured man is of course Krueger.  But how can these teens fight a monster who comes after them when they’re helplessly asleep?

The Shawshank Redemption–Banker Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) is serving two life prison terms in Shawshank State Prison thanks to a wrongful conviction for killing his wife and her lover.  His best friend in prison is fellow lifer and contraband smuggler Ellis “Red” Redding (Morgan Freeman).  Over the next couple of decades, Andy relies on hope to survive such injustices of prison life as rape, forced illegal labor, and a corrupt warden.  Frank Darabont’s Stephen King adaptation has gone from financial bomb to a much loved film around the world. 

Sorry To Bother You–Boots Riley, The Coup frontman, made his directorial debut with this demented satirical take on race, labor, and American capitalism.   Struggling Oaklander Cassius “Cash” Green (LaKeith Stanfield) finds his new telemarketing job at RegalView is about to end badly until he learns to use his “white voice.”  Cash’s flood of sales successes gets him promoted to “power caller.”  But his agreeing to help sell WorryFree’s glorified indentured labor contract to the poor soon leads to encounters with giant horse-men (and their giant cocks) and a TV show called “I Got The S**t Kicked Out Of Me”…among other things.  The incredible cast also includes Tessa Thompson, Steven Yeun, Danny Glover, and Armie Hammer.      

Sorry To Bother You

Surviving Paradise: A Family Tale–”Bridgerton” star Rege-Jean Page narrates this documentary set in the Kalahari Desert oasis known as the Okavango Delta.  The oasis serves as a home for an incredible variety of wildlife whose lives wind up intertwined in a place subject to such extreme events as drought, famine, and flood.   But with a worsening dry season, survival of these various packs and herds may depend on the power of family.

Worst Roommate Ever Season 1–Think roommates who don’t do their share of the chores or pay their share of the rent are bad?  Then you haven’t dealt with such roommates as a serial-killer granny or a violent con man who left his roommate for dead at a construction site.  This documentary series recounts these unfortunately true stories and more.

March 8 

Autumn Girl–In 1962 Poland, singer and film star Kalina Jedrusik enjoys Marilyn Monroe-level public popularity.  However, her free-spirited steamy extramarital affair and general joie de vivre offends the prudish officials of the Polish Peoples’ Republic.  One such official, who has an unrequited crush on Jedrusik, uses the very public sight of a pendant cross set against Jedrusik’s very low neckline to have her future TV appearances banned.  Is Jedrusik’s career over?  How can she remain independent?

March 9

The Andy Warhol Diaries–Starting in 1976, famed artist Andy Warhol dictated his diaries to journalist Pat Hackett up until his 1987 death.  Now those diaries come back to life in this documentary mini-series executive produced by Ryan Murphy.  There are talking head interviews with Warhol contemporaries such as Julian Schnabel and Fat Five Freddy as well as footage of Warhol’s art and life at The Factory.  But the real draw (or is it turnoff) of this mini-series will be hearing Warhol’s words from his diaries read aloud via AI reconstruction.

The Bombardment–On March 21, 1945, Britain’s RAF set off on a bombing raid to destroy the Gestapo’s headquarters in Copenhagen.  However, this World War II mission against Nazi forces turns into an utter cock-up when some of the bombers hit a school and kill 120 people, 86 of whom are children.  This is the story of a group of Copenhagen residents caught up in that tragic event. 

Blade Runner 2049

Byron Baes Season 1–Will this new Australian-set reality show become your new hate-watch obsession?  Byron Bay, for the uninformed, is an Australian beach town of beautiful sunsets and dreamy beaches.  Musicians, artists, and other creative people flock to this town.  However, if you’re an outsider trying to break into this close-knit community, your reception is likely to be less than pleasant.  The show follows a group of 12 social media stars of varying degrees of influence and popularity as they try to build up their celebrity and/or relationships.

March 10

Karma’s World Season 2–Rapper/actor Ludacris serves as executive producer on this kids’ animation series which follows the adventures of young Karma Grant.  She’s a talented and big-hearted aspiring musician and rapper.  Her dream is not only to share her music with the world but even use it to change things for the better. 

Kotaro Lives Alone–This animated “apartment comedy with laughter and tears” is set at an apartment complex whose rules forbid children from living there.  Single and unpopular manga writer Shin Karino is one of the complex’s residents.  A knock on his door announces the arrival of his new neighbor Kotaro Sato.  The trouble is, Kotaro is a 4-year-old boy who’s not accompanied by parents.  Yet he’s gainfully employed and, it turns out, is more put together than his strange neighbors.

March 11

The Adam Project–Ryan Reynolds produces and stars in this science fiction drama directed by Shawn Levy (“Free Guy”).  Time-traveling fighter pilot Adam Reed (Reynolds) accidentally crash lands in the year 2022.  He’s on a desperate mission to save his world of 2050.  To do so, he recruits the aid of his 12-year-old self and his father (Mark Ruffalo).  But completing the mission also means the adult Adam must deal with some personal issues from his past.  This film may be Reynolds’ passion project, but whether it works despite its obvious time paradox or becomes his new “Green Lantern” film is up in the air.

March 12

Dunkirk–(Viewer Warning: DON’T WATCH THIS FILM ON YOUR SMARTPHONE OR SOME OTHER TINY SCREEN AS IT’LL RUIN THE FILM’S INTENDED VISUAL EFFECT) In 1940, the abortive Allied attempt to repulse the German invasion of France ends with the British and French troops forced to retreat to the beaches of Dunkirk.  Unfortunately, these hundreds of thousands of soldiers don’t have sufficient ships to depart by sea.  Christopher Nolan’s film tells the story of what happened next via an ensemble drama that follows three different stories set in three different timelines.  British Private Tommy Jensen tries various ways to escape Dunkirk despite Luftwaffe strafing and U-boat torpedoing.  Civilian sailor Dawson takes his boat Moonstone to Dunkirk in hopes of rescuing as many soldiers as he can.  Spitfire pilot Farrier tries to provide air cover for the retreating soldiers.  

March 15

Adam By Eve: A Live-In Animation–Singer-songwriter Eve is known to anime fans as the singer of the opening theme for “Jujutsu Kaisen.”  Now she presents this “music film” inspired by the Adam and Eve story.  It blends some new songs by Eve, new animation footage, live-action drama, and newly shot live performance footage.  High-school student Aki searches Tokyo for her best friend Taki, who disappeared after telling her about a dream involving a  mysterious figure known as Hitotsume.  The student starts encountering other people who have also seen Hitotsume in their dreams.  Aki soon finds herself in a world created by Hitotsume, and Taki’s voice guides her into a fictional Shibuya.  But what’s dream and what’s reality?

March 16

Bad Vegan: Fame. Fraud. Fugitives.

A Walk Among The Tombstones–Scott Frank (“The Queen’s Gambit”) directs Liam Neeson in this neo-noir adaptation of one of Lawrence Block’s Matthew Scudder novels.  Scudder (Neeson) is an alcoholic ex-NYPD cop who makes a sketchy living as an unlicensed private detective.  His newest client is wealthy drug trafficker Kenny Kristo.  The job is to find the individuals who kidnapped Kristo’s wife, demanded and received hundreds of thousands of dollars in ransom money…and then brutally murdered her anyway.  As Scudder starts digging, the detective soon finds the men in question have done this to other women many times before.

Bad Vegan: Fame. Fraud. Fugitives.–In the early 2000s, celebrity chef Sarma Melngailis was the public face of pure vegan food.  Her NYC restaurant Pure Food & Wine specialized in vegan food cooked 120 degrees Fahrenheit or less, and became a celebrity magnet.  But by 2015, she disappeared after repeatedly screwing her employees out of their wages, and even not paying either her vendors or her landlord.  Eventually, the fugitive chef was found in a Tennessee hotel room with her meat-loving husband.  Director Chris Smith (producer, “Tiger King”) tells the strange story of Melngailis’ fall, which might involve a toxic male but definitely involves a “meat suit.”

Heist: The Great Robbery Of Brazil’s Central Bank–In August 2005, a team of robbers tunneled nearly 80 meters into the vault of the Central Bank Of Brazil.  They succeeded in escaping with 3.5 tons of cold hard cash.  But as this documentary mini-series shows, over the 5-year cat-and-mouse game between the thieves and the police, the ill-gotten gains weren’t really enjoyed thanks to the subsequent extortions, kidnappings, and murders that followed the heist.

March 18

Black Crab–Caroline Edh (Noomi Rapace) is a soldier in a war-torn post-apocalyptic future.  She and a small group of soldiers are sent on a wintertime mission to cross a frozen archipelago and deliver a mysterious package whose contents could end the war.  The mission’s also personal for Edh as its completion might mean being reunited with her daughter.  But it’s not clear if Edh’s fellow soldiers can be trusted.

Human Resources Season 1–-This animated spinoff from Nick Kroll’s popular series “Big Mouth” brings the Hormone Monsters, Shame Kitties, and other “Big Mouth” creatures into the world of adulthood.  If you thought these creatures were things you only dealt with as a kid, wait until you see how they’re involved in every adult activity from postpartum depression to standing like an idiot waiting to get off a plane.

Human Resources

Top Boy Season 4–It’s the new season of this crime drama created by novelist Ronan Bennett (“Zugzwang”).  Set in the fictional Hackney public housing estate known as Summerhouse,  the series explores the constant tensions between the estate’s drug gangs and the residents who just want to live honest lives.  In the new season, drug dealer Dushane Hill thinks he’s finally on the road to drug dealing success.  But the cops are persistently determined to bring Hill and his gang down.    

March 22

Principles Of Pleasure Season 1–Women’s sexual pleasure and its roots are one of the most misunderstood cultural phenomena ever.  This new documentary series uses modern science to educate viewers about female anatomy and what female sexual gratification really entails.  Along the way, expect more than a few myths about women’s sexual pleasure to get busted.  Comedian Michelle Buteau (“The Circle”) will provide the series’ narration.

March 25

Bridgerton Season 2–It’s the return of Shonda Rhimes’ incredibly popular adaptation of Julia Quinn’s historical romance series.  In the new season, the focus will be on Anthony Bridgerton, who thinks he’s found a woman who’s wife-appropriate.  However, that lady’s sister, Kate Sheffield, is going to cause lots of sexy problems which will probably scandalize high society.  While actors Rege-Jean Page and Julie Andrews aren’t listed as part of this season’s cast, some other old favorites such as Phoebe Dynevor and Ruth Gemmell will definitely return.

March 26

Blade Runner 2049–Denis Villeneuve (“Dune Part 1”) directed this sequel to Ridley Scott’s cult classic.  It’s 30 years after the events of “Blade Runner.”  Air quality has gotten worse, San Diego is now a literal dump, and bounty hunter Rick Deckard has disappeared.  Robotic blade runner KD6-3.7 (Ryan Gosling) aka “K” accidentally discovers something that could permanently destabilize the delicate relationship between humans and their android slaves.  That something could very well incite a replicant uprising.  But instead of following orders to destroy his discovery, K continues investigating and finds an old wooden horse which puts him on a trail that will eventually lead him to the missing Deckard.

Bridgerton

March 28

Thermae Romae Novae Season 1–In ancient Rome, architect Lucius Modestus has gotten totally depressed from his not being able to come up with new ideas.  To cheer him up, Lucius’ friends take him to a Roman bathhouse to relax.  But the noisy environment of the bathhouse gets to the architect and he dips his head below the water to drown out the noise.  Under the water, Lucius discovers a secret tunnel that leads him to an unexpected place: a modern-day Japanese bathhouse.  Seeing the wonders of this future bathhouse, he tries recreating them back in ancient Rome.  But with the evident technological gap between modern-day Japan and the architect’s home time, how successful can he really be with his recreations?

March 30

Trust No One: The Hunt For The Crypto King–Gerry Cotten’s Quadriga Fintech Solutions once operated QuadrigaCX, Canada’s then-largest crypto exchange.  But when Cotten died of Crohn’s disease in 2019, the $250 million worth of digital currency in the exchange became unobtainable.  Cotten’s wife Jennifer Robertson said only Cotten knew the password to the exchange’s offline crypto accounts and that information supposedly died with him.  Quadriga Fintech unsurprisingly went bust and the 100,000 ex-Quadriga clients recovered less than a fifth of their losses from Ernst & Young.  Some of the crypto investors soon turn amateur detectives when they notice suspicious details suggesting Quadriga may have been run as a Ponzi scheme or even that Cotten might have faked his death.  Certainly eye-brow raising is the fact that the will leaving all of Cotten’s assets to Robertson was written one month before his supposed death.

March 31

Casual Seasons 1-4–The complete run of Hulu’s original dramedy series is indeed going to be streamed by Netflix.  For the uninitiated, perpetual bachelor Alex Cole, co-founder of the popular Snooger dating site, is forced to move back home and share a roof with his older adult sister Valerie Meyers.  She’s a successful therapist who’s newly divorced thanks to her discovering her husband’s infidelity.  Laura, Valerie’s teenage daughter, lives with her mother and Alex.  The siblings may help each other navigate the waters of the dating pool.  However, all three have different reasons for ending up with only casual relationships.