Honestly, with a three-day weekend, you’re going to be looking for something to stream – and the streamers have definitely obliged.
This weekend’s lineup includes new movies like the “Jack Ryan” spinoff (with the very intimidating subtitle “Ghost War”) and the bonkers Sacha Baron Cohen/Rosamund Pike comedy “Ladies First,” as well as documentaries like “Kylie,” a three-part affair devoted to Kylie Minogue (watching it won’t make you gay, don’t worry) and “The Yogurt Shop Murders,” a feature-length follow-up to last year’s terrific series. Plus, there are a couple of ribald animated series – Netflix’s “Mating Season” from the “Big Mouth” team and a new season of “Rick and Morty” on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim programming block.
Here are the best new movies and shows you can stream this week.
“Jack Ryan: Ghost War” (Prime Video)
The same week that “The Mandalorian” makes the jump from a Disney+ series to a would-be theatrical blockbuster with “The Mandalorian and Grogu,” so too does “Jack Ryan” graduate from being a Prime Video series to a … direct-to-Prime Video movie. The evolution might not be as grand, but the thrills are just as noteworthy. “Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan: Ghost War” follows the hit series that ran from 2018 to 2023 on Prime Video. This time frame is pretty incredible since that is the same amount of time that John Krasinski went from former “Office” star to the creator of one of Hollywood’s most dependable franchises in “A Quiet Place.” The new movie, the first “Jack Ryan” since the Chris Pine-led “Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit” back in 2014, sees CIA agent Jack Ryan (Krasinski) pulled back into action to hunt down a rogue black ops unit that has a connection to Ryan’s past. Wendell Pierce, Michael Kelly, Betty Gabriel and Sienna Miller also star in the new movie, which Krasinski also co-wrote with Aaron Rabin. Andrew Bernstein, who has directed an episode of your favorite show, directs. Seriously. Look it up.
“Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed” Season 1 (Apple TV)
The new series starring “She-Hulk” and “Orphan Black” standout Tatiana Maslany follows newly divorced mom Paula (Maslany) as she falls down a dangerous rabbit hole of blackmail, murder and youth soccer. Convinced she witnessed a crime — while simultaneously struggling through a custody battle and an identity crisis — Paula begins her own investigation, one that could unravel a greater conspiracy while also holding the keys to rebuilding her family and sense of self.” Jake Johnson, Jessy Hodges, Jon Michael Hill, Charlie Hall and Dolly de Leon (yes, from “Triangle of Sadness”) co-star. Sounds like some darkly tinged fun to us. And, hey, haven’t you watched “Widow’s Bay” enough at this point?
“Kylie” (Netflix)
This three-part documentary covers the life and career of Kylie Minogue, the world-famous pop star who got her start on 1980s Australian soap opera “Neighbours” before becoming a true icon with over 80 million records sold. According to the official release, Minogue “opens her personal archives and reflects on a life that continues to captivate, inspire, and soundtrack multiple generations. Featuring footage from home movies, personal photographs, and new interviews with Kylie herself, the documentary shows the woman behind the hits. It examines how she’s faced public scrutiny, personal loss, and illness with grit and grace, earning respect far beyond her own fandom.” For longtime Minogue fans or those who have never heard “Can’t Get You Out of My Head,” this should be an illuminating delight. We just hope that a good amount of time is devoted to her cameo in Baz Luhrmann’s “Moulin Rouge.”
“The Boroughs” (Netflix)
Ready to meet your new favorite show? “The Boroughs” takes place in the titular retirement community, a nicely manicured property on the outskirts of the New Mexico desert. Alfred Molina is moving into a unit that he was meant to share with his recently deceased wife (Jane Kaczmarek). He’s understandably grumpy but soon falls in with a group of his wacky neighbors, including Bill Pullman, Geena Davis, Clarke Peters, Alfre Woodard and Denis O’Hare, which makes living in the Boroughs all the more palpable. That is, of course, until they uncover the fact that creepy monsters are crawling around and stealing people’s lifeforce.
That’s right. There’s something wrong with The Boroughs. To say anything more would be to risk imprisonment, but we will say that this new series, from “The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance” creators Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews, is scary, funny and occasionally quite sad. It’s about a group of people, at the end of their lives, who find hope and community in their threat to stay alive. There’s something strange and poignant about the whole thing, mostly thanks to a true murderer’s row of performers (we haven’t even mentioned Jena Malone as Molina’s put-upon daughter), some outstanding creature effects from Industrial Light & Magic, and a general atmosphere of Amblin-adjacent wonder, like an extended episode of “Amazing Stories.” (Even the score from John Paesano recalls the twinkly handiwork of John Williams or Jerry Goldsmith.)
It makes sense, too, that the Duffer Brothers produced “The Boroughs;” it’s easy to imagine the “Stranger Things” cast as septuagenarians running into similar troubles. “The Boroughs” is so fun, for sure, but it’s the series’ huge heart that makes it really special.
“Ladies First” (Netflix)
Loosely inspired by the 2018 French film “I Am Not an Easy Man” by Éléonore Pourriat, “Ladies First” stars Sacha Baron Cohen as a male chauvinist who, after a head injury, wakes up in a world ruled by women. In this new reality his put-upon underling (Rosamund Pike) is now running his company, lingerie shops sell seductive bras for your testicles and men are advocating for sperms’ rights. “Ladies First” feels like the kind of high-concept, R-rated studio comedy that used to regularly be released into theaters but now seems like a precious commodity. It also follows “Balls Up,” a similarly raunchy comedy on Prime Video, where Cohen had a small role as a threatening drug dealer (and nearly walked away with the entire movie). With a winning supporting cast that includes Richard E. Grant, Emily Mortimer and Fiona Shaw, “Ladies First,” from filmmaker Thea Sharrock (whose terrific “The One and Only Ivan” was shuttled to Disney+ before being removed entirely), could be just what the doctor ordered – the lady doctor that is.
“Mating Season” (Netflix)
Created by Created by Mark Levin, Jennifer Flackett, Andrew Goldberg and Nick Kroll, the same team behind “Big Mouth” and “Human Resources,” “Mating Season” is described as “an adult animated romantic comedy – set in the animal world – about love, sex, relationships, and the universal need to find a partner and perpetuate the species – starring bears, raccoons, deer, foxes and a host of other horny, lovable forest critters.” Those critters, by the way, are voiced by Kroll, June Diane Raphael, Zach Woods and Sabrina Jalees, with guest appearances by Sarah Silverman, Abbi Jacobson, Vanessa Bayer, Aidy Bryant, Jason Alexander, Lena Waithe, Jason Mantzoukas, Carlos Alazraqui, David Duchovny, Beck Bennett, Pam Adlon, Timothy Olyphant, Maria Bamford, Mark Duplass, Ana Gasteyer, Jack McBrayer, Natalie Morales, Clancy Brown, Drew Tarver, Annaleigh Ashford, Nasim Pedrad and Andrew Rannells. In other words, if you’re expecting “Bambi,” you’re going to be disappointed.
“The Yogurt Shop Murders” Episode 5 (HBO Max)
“The Yogurt Shop Murders” was a four-part documentary miniseries that premiered last summer on HBO. It told the story of Amy Ayers, Eliza Thomas, and Jennifer and Sarah Harbison, four teens who were murdered at an I Can’t Believe It’s Yogurt shop in Austin, Texas in December 1991. Four men (Robert Springsteen, Michael Scott, Maurice Pierce and Forrest Welborn) were tried for the crime, then their convictions were overturned (just this week they were awarded $35 million from the city of Austin). But something incredible happened just a few months after the original four episodes aired – DNA evidence at the scene of the crime linked the murders to a known serial killer. Documentarian Margaret Brown returned to the case and now, just a few months later, we have an all-new feature-length installment the walks through how the case was solved, and what the complete exoneration of those previously convicted means. Another jumbo episode of one of the most compelling true crime documentaries in recent memory? Yes please.
“Rick and Morty” Season 9 (HBO Max)
We’ll give “Rick and Morty” this – ousting co-creator and voice actor Justin Roiland from the series, while complicating matters endlessly, has done a lot to keep the show on schedule. Consider that only four seasons of the show aired between 2014 and 2020; the past five seasons have aired, like clockwork, every year since 2021. (Season 6 was the last season to feature Roiland before he was removed following domestic violence allegations.) And you know what? “Rick and Morty” is still pretty funny, even in its more consistent, less creatively tortured era, with solid jokes, nice new voicework (from Ian Cardoni and Harry Belden) and the same kind of unhinged sci-fi business that will make you giggle even when it is half-assed. New episodes air until the end of July. Viva “Rick and Morty.”
