PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Boy, January sure felt like a month, didn’t it?
Normally by the time February rolls around, we’re left with our heads spinning, wondering how it went by so fast. Not this year, however. January 2022 definitely took its time.
Fortunately, we had some great Philadelphia movies to pass the time. But now we’re back with a new crop of streaming arrivals. From airport novel heroes to real-life fraudsters, superboys to Batmen, we’ve got your weekend planned out.
But first, a little light murder.
Have you ever watched a cop show and thought, “What this needs is weird improv comedy?”
No? Just us?
Well, we’re excited about this new Netflix comedy series. Will Arnett (“Arrested Development”) stars as Terry Seattle, a cop saddled with a new partner in each episode. The catch is that each partner doesn’t have a script, so they have to improvise their way through the episode and try to solve the case.
His partners include Conan O’Brien, Sharon Stone, Kumail Nanjiani, Ken Jeong, Annie Murphy, and Marshawn Lynch. That last one is probably the one we’re most looking forward to, as we’d love to see if Lynch is as quick an improviser as he was a running back.
Currently streaming on Netflix.
“Don’t F*** with Cats” producer Felicity Morris directs this true-crime documentary about prolific con artist Simon Leviev, who posed as a billionaire playboy and took numerous women around the world for millions of dollars.
Leviev was arrested in 2019 and convicted on theft and fraud charges, but even though we know how this story ends, it’s the how and why that promise to be fascinating.
Currently streaming on Netflix.
From executive producer Michael B. Jordan, “Raising Dion” tells the story of a widowed single mother struggling to keep her son’s burgeoning superpowers a secret while trying to discover how he got them in the first place.
In season 2, Dion’s mother Nicole enrolls him in a special school to learn how to control his powers. But can he learn what he needs in order to save the city, and will she find love with his hunky trainer?
Currently streaming on Netflix.
Batman and Batman Returns
Later this year, Michael Keaton will return, at long last, as Batman in the new “The Flash” movie. That means it’s as good a time as any to revisit his original outings in the cape and cowl, in Tim Burton’s “Batman” and “Batman Returns.”
The latter celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. Audiences in 1992 didn’t quite know what to make of the movie, which mixed psychosexual tension into its superhero action. While it still made gobs of money, it didn’t quite match its predecessor financially.
But everything ultimately gets another look, and “Batman Returns” has been declared a classic in the years since. It’s filled with Burton’s signature weirdness, along with the pathos he frequently gives his monsters. After all, what’s the Penguin, but Edward Scissorhands without a chance at life and love?
Currently streaming on Hulu.
Whether you like it or not, the Pamela Anderson/Tommy Lee sex tape scandal changed pop culture forever, supercharging the burgeoning tabloid business and creating an environment where TMZ and its ilk thrive.
And since everything gets another look, we’re going back to that moment. “I, Tonya” director Craig Gillespie directs this limited series about the origin of the tape and its cultural impact. Lily James (“Baby Driver”) and Sebastian Stan (“The Falcon and the Winter Soldier”) star as the one-time supercouple, along with Seth Rogen, Nick Offerman, and Taylor Schilling.
First three episodes currently streaming on Hulu. New episodes every Wednesday.
And while we’re talking about second looks, Lee Child’s popular literary hero, Jack Reacher, is getting a reboot courtesy of Amazon Prime. This time, instead of Tom Cruise channeling Reacher’s larger-than-life aura, Alan Ritchson (“Smallville”) is playing a more physically accurate version of the soldier-turned-crime solver.
While we probably wouldn’t have gotten the latter “Mission: Impossible” movies without Cruise teaming with director Christopher McQuarrie on “Jack Reacher,” we’re still interested in seeing a version close to Child’s original vision of his modern pulp hero.
Premieres Friday on Amazon Prime Video.
We have a soft spot for comedian Guy Torry, who never failed to make us laugh in countless sitcom and movie appearances. So we’re on board for this docuseries from Torry and Reginald Hudlin (“House Party”), about how Torry started an all-Black showcase at Los Angeles’ famed Comedy Store.
Phat Tuesdays kick-started the careers of some of comedy’s biggest stars, from Chris Rock and Martin Lawrence to Chris Tucker and Leslie Jones. Stars including Tiffany Haddish, Steve Harvey, Snoop Dogg, Anthony Anderson, Regina King and Nick Cannon join Torry in reflecting on what became a revolution in comedy.
Premieres Friday on Amazon Prime Video.
Sam Claflin (“The Hunger Games: Catching Fire”) and Veronica Echegui (“My Name is Juani”) star in this romantic comedy about an English author whose latest book is a resounding failure.
Except in Mexico, where the book’s Spanish translator has rewritten it into an erotic tale of fiery passion. The two of them are paired up on the book’s Mexican publicity tour. But can a dour, sheltered young man truly learn about love? And can a movie like this escape being a parade of culture clash clichés?
We’re not sure, but the trailer has us wanting to find out.
Premieres Friday on Amazon Prime Video.
Uma Thurman returns to series TV for the first time since 2015’s “The Slap” (oh my God, remember “The Slap?”) in this thriller. Thurman stars as a media mogul whose son is kidnapped in London. Four people are identified as suspects by London police, and their lives are thrown into chaos in the process. But did any of them do it? And if so, who?
First two episodes premiere Friday on Apple TV+. New episodes every Friday.
Slapface
A young boy mourning his mother’s death lives in a rundown house with his abusive brother. His only “friends” are a gang of girls who routinely humiliate and debase him.
But in the woods nearby, he meets a new friend – a mysterious monster. In it, he finds a friend, even a mother figure. But their bond spells danger for his entire world.
Shudder’s latest acquisition is a critically acclaimed festival darling. More importantly, it looks like a chilling, emotional tale of woodland horror. These woods look lovely, dark and deep, and we dearly want to visit.
Currently streaming on Shudder and AMC+.
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