The Mexican Crime Drama MAGA Fans Will Hate Is on Netflix
Have the unsavory allegations against writer Neil Gaiman killed viewer interest in the second and final season adaptation of his comic masterwork about Dream of the Endless? While this writer can’t make any predictions there, he’s on safer ground suspecting that MAGAt jerks’ heads will explode once they hear the title and premise of a new Mexican crime series premiering this month on Netflix.
For those who prefer tamer fare on Netflix this July, new possibilities this month include: a new season of a popular “Lord of the Flies”-like thriller; the much-belated sequel to a popular action film involving immortal soldiers; and recountings of a clothing brand’s collapse as well as public Facebook invites that get way out of hand.
Why not also make time for a different Korean spin on the reality dating show genre? Or see what happens when muay thai gets pitted against the zombie apocalypse? Not everything new this month will be of interest, but take this guide as a starting point.
Here’s all the great stuff coming to Netflix in August
Now Available
Attack On London: Hunting The 7/7 Bombers–This docuseries looks back at the 2005 attacks on London’s transportation system, one whose initial strike killed 52 people and injured more than 700. It also follows the UK’s largest criminal investigation of what would be the first suicide bombings on British soil. These bombings didn’t happen in a sociopolitical vacuum, so everything from the connection between the bombings and the invasion of Iraq to the scapegoating of Muslims will be discussed.
A Hundred Flowers–Genki Kawamura’s adaptation of his own novel concerns an aging piano teacher named Yuriko, whose mind is slowly disintegrating thanks to Alzheimer’s. Izumi, Yuriko’s adult son, finds his mother’s old diary and learns how she’s been haunted over the years by her relatively brief encounter with a man named Asaba. How do these revelations clash with Izumi’s own memories of his past?
Mr. Robot Seasons 1-4–Cybersecurity engineer Elliot Alderson (Rami Malek) connects with people by hacking them. Given his problems with social anxiety, dissociative identity disorder, depression, and drug abuse, cyber vigilantism serves as a safe social outlet. After Alderson becomes the newest member of fsociety (a band of anarchist hacktivists led by the mysterious Mr. Robot), trouble brews when one of the hacktivists’ targets happens to be his day job company’s biggest client.
The Old Guard 2—Andi (Charlize Theron) leads a group of immortal mercenaries secretly protecting humanity. Mysteriously losing her immortality hasn’t stopped her from diving into life-threatening situations. But her life’s gotten more complicated with the appearance of the revenge-seeking immortal Quynh (repeatedly dying and being reborn in an underwater prison will do that) and the mysterious immortal Discord’s (Uma Thurman) plan to destroy all of humanity. Based on the comic by Greg Rucka and Leandro Fernandez.
Portlandia Seasons 1-8–-Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein star in this sketch comedy show spoofing the eccentric hipsters of Portland, Oregon. In these episodes, meet an artisanal light bulb maker, see a band thrown into crisis when their cat gets kidnapped, and watch Fred and Carrie’s attempts to fit Joanna Newsom’s large harp into a small car. Guests include Aimee Mann, Gus van Sant, Kumail Nanjiani, and Glenn Danzig.
The Sandman Season 2–For those who decide to watch the series about the immortal being known as Dream of the Endless’ efforts to atone for his past acts of really bad behavior, know that the storylines to be adapted from the comic will include “The Season Of Mists,” “Brief Lives,” and “The Kindly Ones.” In addition, Death fans can look forward to the adaptation of “Death: The High Cost Of Living.”
The Summer Hikaru Died–Yoshiki and Hikaru are friends who live in a rural Japanese village. During a solo winter mountain hike, Hikaru is fatally injured. An eldritch being which consumes Hikaru’s corpse possesses all the memories and feelings of the original boy, but it’s its own separate being. Yoshiki realizes his friend is a different person yet wishes to stay with him despite his fears. However, the presence of other eldritch beings and the people who hunt them may make that wish impossible to fulfill.
Tangerine–Sean Baker’s low-budget masterpiece concerns an eventful Christmas Eve in the lives of two Los Angeles trans sex workers. After her release from jail, Sin-Dee Rella is greeted by her friend Alexandra with some bad news. Chester, aka Sin-dee’s pimp and boyfriend, took advantage of her absence to cheat on her with the cisgender Dinah. While Sin-Dee searches high and low for Chester to slap him upside the head (among other things), Alexandra is hustling and publicizing her musical performance at a bar.
Trainwreck: Cult Of American Apparel–This installment of the docuseries on human disasters and the media takes viewers to the fall of the titular hipster chic clothing brand. American Apparel publicly claimed the clothes it sold were “ethically made” and “sweatshop free.” However, the store’s rank and file grunts saw sexually explicit behavior (founder Dov Charney walking naked in front of female employees) and sweatshop-like abuse (36-hour work shifts).
Yellowjackets Season 2–The talented high school girls soccer team players who survive a plane crash in the Ontario wilderness continue their descent into cannibalistic clans. In the new season, as they say in “Game of Thrones,” winter is coming. Can these girls survive shrinking supplies, turns to madness, and a readiness to resort to physical violence?
July 8
Better Late Than Single Season 1–This new Korean dating reality show asks the question “can a group of motae solos actually fall in love for the first time?” Motae solos, for those who don’t speak Korean, refers to people who have been single since birth. These eternal singles live together for nine days. With the help of a quartet of “cupid experts,” they’ll get makeovers, coaching sessions, and other things they’ll need to connect with others. Can these contestants learn and grow as people?
A Star Is Born (2018)–In the fourth version of this classic Hollywood drama, country rock singer Jackson “Jack” Maine (Bradley Cooper) quietly battles his drugs and drinking problems. One night, he sees waitress Ally Campana (Lady Gaga) perform an impressive Edith Piaf tribute at a drag bar and later learns she’s a talented songwriter who’s been unsuccessful in breaking into the music business. After Jack offers Ally a spot on his tour, the subsequent exposure opens up the professional opportunities the aspiring artist had sought. Yet at the same time, Jack’s addictions worsen and threaten both his career and his relationship with Ally.
Trainwreck: The Real Project X–Back in 2012, a Netherlands teen from the small Dutch town of Haren posted a Facebook invite for her 16th birthday celebrations. That harmless act would lead to trouble when she accidentally made the invite public. At the time,.having open Facebook invites to personal events just to see how big the event would get was considered an entertainingly risky act. Also, contemporary hit teen movie “Project X” involved plans for a historically epic party which goes way out of control. The result: the girl’s invite turns viral and garners thousands of teens RSVPing. From there, things turn disastrous.
July 9
The Gringo Hunters Season 1–What does Mexico do when America lets its bad hombres sneak south of the border to evade the consequences of their crimes? Tijuana’s International Liaison Unit takes care of the problem by arresting white people with a criminal record and deporting them back north of the border. This unit is colloquially known as The Gringo Hunters. In this cop drama, the unit faces an important case which threatens to compromise the security of their operation. Yet at the same time, a group of local business people and politicians want their Nueva Tijuana project to succeed and bring more people to the city.
Under A Dark Sun–Alba is a struggling young mother who just wants to give her son a better future. She thinks things are looking up when she gets hired to pick flowers at a prestigious Provence flower farm. But when the company head (who’s also the family patriarch) is murdered, Alba becomes the prime suspect. Things truly turn ugly when it’s revealed that not only is Alba the prime beneficiary of the murdered man’s estate…she’s also his daughter.
Ziam–It’s muay thai vs. the zombie apocalypse! The world’s gripped by food shortages, and former professional muay thai fighter Singh wants to protect his lover Rin. However, when a zombie outbreak hits the hospital Rin works in, Singh will have to rely on his hand-to-hand combat skills to fight his way through the zombie hordes to save her.
July 10
Leviathan–This anime adaptation of Scott Westerfield’s alt-World War One novel trilogy comes from Studio Orange (“BEASTARS”) and Qubic Pictures. It’s 1914 and the world is on the brink of war. The Clankers (aka the Central Powers) use such mechanized war machines as mechs and walkers. Meanwhile, the Darwinists’ (aka the Triple Entente) war machinery happens to be genetically fabricated living creatures. Fugitive Austrian prince Aleksandr and Scottish aviator Deryn (a girl disguised as a boy) are on the living airship HMS Leviathan. The duo get involved in an unexpected quest to prevent war from breaking out.
Sneaky Pete–Con man Marius Josipovic (Giovanni Ribisi) has just gotten out of prison. But the vicious gangster Marius once robbed is definitely not willing to let bygones be bygones. Hoping to find refuge, he takes on the identity of his cellmate Pete Murphy and reunites with Murphy’s long-estranged family. Yet learning the Murphy family’s own secrets and lies could be just as dangerous for Marius as catching a bullet from a gangster’s gun.
July 14
Apocalypse In The Tropics–Your Must-See of the month is this new documentary from Petra Costa. Ever wonder why intertwining church and state is a Really Bad Idea? Look no farther than Brazil. Close to ⅓ of the country’s population are evangelical Christians, and the church has been used as a platform for publicly spouting right-wing propaganda. Silas Malafaia has been using his TV pulpit for over three decades to attack the LGBTQ+ community, reproductive rights and even Indigenous rights. Is it any surprise that he’s a close adviser to Brazil’s version of the Orange Felon, Jair Bolsonaro?
July 15
Trainwreck: Balloon Boy–In October 2009, the Colorado family of 6-year-old Falcon Heene claimed the child had been accidentally carried away in a homemade flying saucer-shaped balloon. The Heenes’ announcement set off a frantic search for the boy by police and the National Guard. Meanwhile, the national media treated the search as real-life drama. What really happened and why?
July 16
Amy Bradley Is Missing–How does a 23-year-old woman disappear off a Caribbean cruise ship? That question has been tormenting the Bradley family for nearly three decades. On March 21, 1998, Amy Bradley celebrated her recent graduation from college by going on a weeklong Caribbean cruise with her parents and younger brother Brad. The college graduate was last seen resting on her balcony after a night of partying. By the next morning she was gone without a trace while the ship was en route to its next destination. Amy Bradley has never been seen since. Could the missing woman truly still be alive after all these years?
July 21
The Steve Harvey Show Seasons 1-6–Back in the 1970s, Steve Hightower (Steve Harvey) made his mark as a funk legend. Because he can’t find a satisfying job, he’s become a vice principal and music teacher at Chicago’s Booker T. Washington High School. Now he has to deal with such realities of the 9-to-5 world as budget cutbacks. Hightower’s working life is made more interesting by his dealings with such students as wannabe ladies’ man Romeo Santana and the vacuous Bullethead.
July 22
Trainwreck: P.I. Moms–Cleveland, OH suburban mother Chris Cavallo decided to reinvent herself after going through a really rough life patch. She got trained to be a licensed private investigator and built a business employing mothers in situations similar to hers. While handling school runs and soccer practice, these mothers also took on such P.I. jobs as surveillance and child custody matters. Investigation Discovery producers decided to turn Cavallo’s business into a reality show. But the wheels started falling off thanks to suddenly sketchy investigations and accusations of drug trafficking.
July 23
Critical: Between Life And Death–This docuseries follows Royal London Hospital ICU consultant Dr. Marie Healy and the four hospitals making up the NHS’ London Major Trauma System. Over the course of 21 days, viewers will see the staff at these hospitals deal with such crises as a head injury resulting from an assault, post-trauma personality changes, and a motorcycle accident which results in an open leg fracture.
July 25
Trigger–Buying, selling, or even owning a gun is currently illegal in South Korea. But in this thriller’s near-future setting, a mysterious flood of illegal guns has caused a sharp spike in formerly rare gun-related crime. Detective and former military sniper Yi-Do wants to shut down the source of these illegal firearms. However, key underground arms broker Moon-Baek is calculating enough to avoid easy takedowns.
July 28
The Lazarus Project–The new series from Joe Barton (“Giri/Haji”) takes on time travel. Aspiring app developer George feels he’s living July 1 twice, especially after he becomes obsessed with a Mers pandemic outbreak. But he’s not crazy. He has a special talent of interest to the Lazarus Project, a secret group of time travelers who use their ability to remember traveling through time to pull the world back from annihilation. But how long can a person bear the stresses of remembering repeated near-fatal misses? What can George do when the Lazarus Project turns out to be less than an unfettered force for good?
July 29
Trainwreck: Storm Area 51–This docuseries wraps up by recounting an Internet joke that gets out of hand. 20-year-old Matty Roberts creates a public Facebook invite to storm the notorious Air Force facility known as Area 51. What begins as a simple s**tpost turns into something else when thousands and soon millions sign up to attend the “siege.” The US Military responds by declaring a willingness to use deadly force on potential base trespassers.
July 30
Conversations With A Killer: The Son Of Sam Tapes–Director Joe Berlinger’s newest installment in his acclaimed true crime docuseries revisits the story of David Berkowitz aka the Son Of Sam, the serial killer who terrorized New York City in the late 1970s. Berkowitz committed a series of seemingly random shootings beginning in July 1976 supposedly on orders from a mysterious figure. This docuseries recounts the investigation into the killer’s crimes as well as the widespread fear his acts generated. But the highlight will undoubtedly be hearing from Berkowitz himself courtesy of recently unearthed recordings of prison interviews he did with journalist Maury Terry back in the 1980s and 1990s.
Unspeakable Sins Season 1–What’s summer TV without a hot steamy thriller set among Mexico’s social elite? Helena Rivas silently suffers in her marriage to Claudio Martinez thanks to his controlling nature. Starting an affair with the younger Ivan provides her with both emotional escape and a sense of rebellion. But when Claudio starts suspecting the truth about her activities, Helena’s attempted reclaiming of her life may very well end with at least one person winding up dead.
July 31
Glass Heart–When aspiring drummer and college student Akane Saijo suddenly gets ousted from her band before her debut, it seems her musical dreams are over. But then brilliant but reclusive musician Naoki Fujitani surprisingly taps her to join his band TENBLANK. Thanks to the combination of Fujitani’s compositions and the band’s performances, TENBLANK’s star soon rises. But will the emergence of Fujitani’s secrets and Saijo’s own conflicted heart bring TENBLANK’s ascension to an end?
Marked–In this crime drama from South Africa, Babalwa is a devout cash-in-transit security guard. When her beloved daughter Palesa comes down with a terrifying illness, she and husband Lungile discover they lack the financial resources to pay for Palesa’s life-saving medical care. The money Babalwa needs might be forthcoming if her “uneasy alliance” with local hustler Zweli and his colleague Tebza leads to a successful robbery. But will it be at the price of endangering her loved ones?
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