All The Cool Stuff Coming To Hulu In November
Christmas films clog up a good chunk of Hulu’s November programming. This Scrooge-like writer found curiosity value in one such film starring future DC Superhero TV stars Jes Macallan and April Bowlby. But frankly, a viewer’s time would be better spent watching Bowlby in “Doom Patrol” or Macallan in “Legends of Tomorrow.”
Fortunately Hulu in November does offer some entertaining surprises. How about an animated series featuring a snow monkey with anger issues seeking revenge on the Yakuza? Or the tale of two not terribly bright guys trying to train a giant house fly for criminal gain? Or Elle Fanning in a new season of a dramedy involving power plays and modernization set in 18th century Russia? Or else there’s always the entertaining dance movie with a nonsensical title that provided a very familiar punch line.
November may be the month for stuffing oneself full of turkey. But Hulu’s closest nod will be a film that might be best viewed with Rifftrax commentary.
November 1
Black Dynamite
Black Dynamite–In this loving retread of 1970s blaxploitation movies, Michael Jai White plays the titular Black Dynamite, a one-man army determined to Take Back The Streets. When Dynamite’s kid brother Jimmy is killed by drug dealers protected by The Man, this vigilante wants vengeance. Fortunately he has the lethal chops, fists, and a .44 Magnum to make good on his vow. Get ready to meet such colorful characters as Cream Corn, Tasty Freeze, and Back Hand Jack. Have some gratuitous female nudity (unless Hulu censors it). Get an eyeful of such 1970s fashion staples as oversized hats and bell bottoms. And watch out for the ultimate Man, Richard M. Nixon.
Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo–See the cult sequel film that launched a thousand pre-Internet memes. The plot, about a breakdance crew who breakdance to stop an evil developer from tearing down the community recreation center, isn’t important. What is important is the fun crazy stuff packed into the film. See someone dance up from the floors to the walls and even ceiling. Hear East L.A. kids utter G-rated curses. No, the title has absolutely nothing to do with the film’s events, but so what. Catch the movie that changed uber-geek Wil Wheaton’s life.
Cutter’s Way–Ivan Passer’s cult neo-noir drama about the depredations of the powerful and the powerlessness of ordinary citizens is definitely worth a look in these times of rampant economic inequality. One night in Santa Barbara, lothario Richard Bone (Jeff Bridges) sees a man stuffing a woman’s corpse into a dumpster. When Bone tells friend Alex Cutter (John Heard) about what he witnessed, he also floats his suspicion that the guilty party is local industrialist J.J. Cord. Cutter is an alcoholic Vietnam vet who lost an eye, an arm, and a leg in the war. Cord becomes for Cutter a symbol of the type of man who caused cannon fodder like Cutter to suffer in Vietnam. And the Vietnam vet is not willing to turn the other cheek.
Doc–Director Frank Perry got roasted at the time for his less-than-reverent recounting of the events that led to the famed Gunfight at the O.K. Corral. In Pete Hamill’s script, skilled sharpshooter Doc Holliday (Stacy Keach) rejoins old friend Wyatt Earp (Harris Yulin) in Tombstone. Earp has just become the town’s new marshal. However, his authority is rejected by the Clanton family and their gang the Cowboys, who have no intention of ceding their power in Tombstone. Needless to say, this clash will eventually need to be settled with a gunfight.
The Fly–Director David Cronenberg’s remake of the 1958 Vincent Price film turns the original pulpy tale into both a tragic romance and an effective horror film. Eccentric but introverted scientist Seth Brundle (Jeff Goldblum) is trying to develop a working teleportation device. Present to record Brundle’s efforts is reporter Veronica Quaife (Geena Davis), who also develops a romantic interest in the scientist. Disaster occurs when a housefly enters the telepod while Brundle attempts to teleport himself. At first, the incident seems like a minor glitch. But the combination of fly DNA and Brundle’s DNA slowly triggers a mutation which turns the scientist into an insanely gross combination of human and insect.
The Informant: Fear And Faith In The Heartland–Good Morning America anchor George Stephanopoulos produced this documentary special which shows once again why right-wing domestic terrorism in the U.S. is a real threat. It follows the take down of a right-wing terror attack that could have resulted in a death toll rivalling the Oklahoma City bombing. First person accounts from key players provide the program’s heart. The viewers will hear from an important informant as well as the FBI agents at the center of the case.
I, Tonya
I, Tonya–Margot Robbie gives a stellar performance in this mockumentary re-telling of working class figure skater Tonya Harding’s life. Harding has been publicly vilified for her complicity in her husband’s attempt to take out figure skating rival Nancy Kerrigan with a baton to Kerrigan’s knee. But given that Harding’s career has been marked by unfair treatment from snobbish judges as well as a lifetime ban on performing in a sport she loved, who’s the real victim here? Allison Janney gives a nearly scene-stealing performance as Harding’s manager/abusive mother LaVona.
Troll 2–Nothing says Thanksgiving better than this cinematic turkey that was intended to be an attack on veganism (seriously). All you need to know about the plot is that it involves vegetarian goblins trying to turn unsuspecting tourists into humanoid plants they can eat. What makes the film a Rifftrax staple and the basis of home drinking games is just how eye-bogglingly terrible the film is. The director, who wasn’t English-fluent, didn’t realize how unintentionally absurd the script sounded. The film score makes muzak sound like The White Stripes by comparison. And the literally amateur actors’ performances couldn’t redeem such crazed lines as “You can’t piss on hospitality.”
November 4
Taste The Nation With Padma Lakshmi: Holiday Edition–In a four-part holiday edition of Lakshmi’s critically acclaimed food and travel show, the food writer travels across America to see cuisines created to honor such immigrant holidays as Korean New Year in Los Angeles and Cuban Christmas in Miami. But these travels are also an opportunity to give props to the people who make unique dishes for these special days as well as to challenge the ideas of what it means to be an American.
November 5
Animaniacs
Animaniacs Season 2–It’s the new season of the reboot of the beloved animated slapstick comedy executive produced by Steven Spielberg. Join Yakko, Wakko, and Dot as they escape the Warners Watertower to cause comic havoc on the Warner lot, at an international beauty pageant, and even in outer space. Along the way, expect pop culture parodies, some hilarious songs, some historical baddies getting theirs, and even a safety tip or two.
November 11
3212 Unredacted–On October 4, 2017, four American Green Berets were killed in an ISIS ambush in Tongo Tongo, Niger. Left unanswered was why these soldiers were there in the first place or why rescue or reinforcement efforts were never mounted. The top military brass tried handwaving away these soldiers’ deaths by claiming the mission was a rogue operation to nail a top ISIS commander. But the three-year investigation conducted by ABC News suggests the Pentagon’s story smacks of a CYA effort to protect the officers responsible for ordering this ill-fated mission.
November 15
Deadpool and Deadpool 2–Want an alternative to being drowned in holiday schmaltz? Then you need to spend some time with this entertaining anti-superhero metacommentary double feature. For the uninitiated, this spinoff from the X-Men movies stars Ryan Reynolds as Wade Wilson, a former Special Forces soldier turned mercenary. As Deadpool, he possesses incredible hyper-athletic fighting skills, incredible physical healing abilities (except for his face), and an incredible gift for snark. In the first film, Wilson’s out for revenge against Ajax (Ed Skrein). In the second film, Wilson pops by the X-Mansion to help X-Men Domino and Colossus protect budding teen mutant Firefist from being assassinated by the time-traveling mercenary from the future, Cable (Josh Brolin). Expect lots of bodies and even some mocking of the Marvel Universe’s self-importance.
November 16
The Master–One of Paul Thomas Anderson’s masterworks is this tale of a traumatized World War II veteran and the semi-religious cult he accidentally becomes entangled with. World War II has left Navy veteran Freddie Quell (Joaquin Phoenix) so emotionally damaged that he’s become both sexually obsessed and an alcoholic. One day, he accidentally stumbles onto a yacht owned by Lancaster Dodd (Philip Seymour Hoffman), the leader of a cult-like organization known as The Cause. Dodd hires Quell on with the intent of harnessing and possessing the veteran’s personal devotion. But is Quell actually as much of a believer as Dodd wants?
November 17
Marvel’s Hit-Monkey–One of the stranger Marvel characters ever created gets his own adult animated comedy series. Monkey (Fred Tatasciore) used to be an ordinary Japanese snow-monkey…until the rest of his tribe got slaughtered by the yakuza. Now, under the mentorship of recently killed assassin Bryce (Jason Sudeikis)’s ghost, the duo set out on a trail of revenge through the Japanese underworld. But will Monkey’s strong anger issues derail his quest quickly? Also features the voices of George Takei and Olivia Munn among others.
Marvel’s Hit-Monkey
November 18
The Curse Of Von Dutch–Back in the 2000s, Von Dutch trucker hats were one of the hot fashion items worn by the likes of Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, and Justin Timberlake. But how did a brand inspired by a member of the Kustom Kulture movement turn into an object of infighting among the likes of Venice Beach surfers, Hollywood movers and shakers, and even European fashionistas? This documentary mini-series tells the whole sordid story, which includes backstabbing, greed, and even a little bloodshed.
Mandibles–Quentin Dupieux is the French director whose films have brought viewers everything from a man who develops a weird obsession with his deerskin jacket to a homicidal psychokinetic car tire. His new film concerns simple-minded friends Manu and Jean-Gab, who discover the car they just stole contains in its trunk a housefly that’s the size of a small footstool. They decide that training the giant fly (whom they name Dominique) to be a personal bank-robbing drone is a great way to become rich. Unsurprisingly, their plan quickly goes off the rails.
November 19
The Great Season 2–Hulu’s comedic/dramatic re-telling of the life of the Russian monarch who will eventually be known as Catherine the Great returns for a new season. Catherine (Elle Fanning) may have taken the throne of Russia at the end of Season 1, but her coup attempt against her doltish husband Emperor Peter (Nicholas Hoult) has reached a stalemate. So she turns her attention to another project: bringing the fruits of the Enlightenment to Russia. But what happens when such fellow Russians as Catherine’s mother (Gillian Anderson) aren’t keen on abandoning their old ways for something newer and better?
November 26
Pig–How about something offbeat from Nicolas Cage to spice up Thanksgiving weekend? For the star of “Mandy” and “The Color Out Of Space” among others, though, his offbeat would be other peoples’ normal. The title character happens to be a truffle-hunting pig that’s quite good at his job. Pig’s also the best friend of an introverted forest-dwelling hermit named Rob (Cage). But when criminals engage in porcine abduction, Rob’s hunt for his kidnapped friend and his desire to wreak bloody revenge on the culprits will lead him into Portland’s gourmet underworld.
November 29
All Light, Everywhere
All Light, Everywhere–Theo Anthony’s (“Rat Film”) new documentary on surveillance technologies and their social effects gets the viewer to consider the shared histories of cameras, weapons, policing, and justice. Is it possible, given such technologies, to have an “objective” point of view? Consider that supposedly detached surveillance tech can have its information manipulated, abused, or withheld. Or think about how peoples’ biases and cultural conditioning affect the way they interpret the data captured by surveillance technology. As Freddie Gray’s murder by police suggests, these questions are hardly abstract musings.
