The Film Fix: Previews, Reviews of What’s Streaming in September
By JONATHAN W. HICKMAN, Special to The Paper
Below are reviews and capsules of various movies or series streaming this month.
Review rating … A “Fix” is recommended with a rating between 6 and 10. A “No Fix” is not recommended with a rating between 1 to 5.
Streaming Selects
NETFLIX
Wednesday (season 2, part 2, now streaming) – After taking on a Hyde in season 2, part 1, and finding herself thrown through a window and left in a coma, the fearless, pint-sized, detective-in-training Wednesday Addams lives again in the second half of this year’s exciting, spooky, and darned entertaining series. The spin-off of the popular 1960s show stars Jenna Ortega as the title character, alongside Catherine Zeta-Jones as her mother, Morticia, and Luis Guzmán as Gomez. Steve Buscemi joins season two as Principal Dort, and Christina Ricci (who once played Wednesday in the 1990s film adaptations) returns from season one to play villain Marilyn Thornhill, a disgraced Nevermore Academy teacher.
APPLE TV+
Highest 2 Lowest (premieres September 5) – No Fix Rating 5/10: Quickly after a limited theatrical run just last month, Spike Lee’s latest collaboration with Denzel Washington finds itself available at home. There is an intentional falseness on display in “Highest 2 Lowest,” Lee’s experimental remake of Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 classic “High and Low.” While the flat soap opera approach taken by Lee is well-intended, it’s not the kind of filmmaking that will resonate with today’s modern audiences. The kidnapping narrative has Washington playing a music executive having to make a life and death decision on the eve of a big business deal.
HBO MAX
Warfare (September 12) – Fix Rating 10/10: “Warfare” is a riveting and essential cinematic achievement. Having made a limited theatrical run in April, HBO Max subscribers can now experience this Alex Garland (see “Civil War”) and Ray Mendoza (a former Navy SEAL) co-directed picture from the safe confines of their living rooms. By relying upon the tangible remembrances of U.S Navy SEALs, including the film’s co-director and co-writer, Ray Mendoza, viewers are taken inside the experiences of soldiers on modern battlefields. Home theaters will come alive with the excellent combination of immersive visuals and authentic sound design, placing the viewer at the center of a 2006 battle in Ramadi, Iraq.
PEACOCK
The Paper (Now Streaming) – This mockumentary-style sitcom is a spin-off of “The Office.” The story has the documentary crew training their cameras on a struggling newspaper named The Truth Teller. When Ned Sampson (Domhnall Gleeson) takes over the publication as the editor-in-chief, to save the business, he must deal with the oddball staff, who have minimal real newspaper experience. Oscar Nũnez reprises his “The Office” role, once again playing Oscar Martinez in “The Paper.”
Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare (September 5) and Screamboat (September 12) – These two films are part of a new sub-sub-genre referred to as “public domain horror” that preverts classic children’s intellectual property into something lurid and possibly creepy. Both films come from Jagged Edge Productions, the same low-budget company that gave us “Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey.” “Neverland Nightmare” is a slasher in which a villainous Peter Pan terrorizes Wendy and her friends. “Screamboat” is based on the classic “Steamboat Willie” that entered the public domain in January of last year. Nightmares are sought by turning Mickey Mouse into a gruesome killer.
Game Shows Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune (streaming for the first time starting September 9).
HULU
Only Murders in the Building (season 5, three-episode premiere on September 9, followed by a new episode dropping every Tuesday) – The podcasting threesome investigates the alleged murder of their doorman, Lester, this time around. Of course, the murder was thought to be accidental, but is it? New cast members include Renée Zellweger, Christoph Waltz, Keegan-Michael Key, and Dianne Wiest.
Chad Powers (two-episode premiere drops on September 30, followed by weekly installments) – Glen Powell (see Netflix’s “Hit Man”) stars and serves as a co-creator of this sports comedy series inspired by the viral Eli Manning “Chad Powers” sketch from 2022. The story features Powell playing a disgraced college quarterback who invents a fake identity named Chad Powers and walks onto a Southern college team.
DISNEY+
Lilo & Stitch (Now Streaming) Fix Rating 7/10 – The ongoing live-action repackaging of Disney’s animated library has produced uneven results. Earlier this year, we got “Snow White,” a movie that no one really wanted but a project the studio desperately needed. Its failure on numerous levels led to an estimated $115 million loss for the company, which is less than Disney shelled out to make “Lilo & Stitch.”
The good news for Disney is that the relatively bargain production of “Lilo & Stitch” paid off handsomely, grossing over $1 billion worldwide this year. This movie is terrific family entertainment, pushing “cutes” over larded-up social messaging. While a concentration on family values underlies this bright and whimsical narrative, the light-hearted tone is exactly what propelled Disney films of the past and will hopefully move them forward.
Jonathan W. Hickman is an entertainment attorney, filmmaker, college professor, and novelist. More about Jonathan can be found by visiting: filmproductionlaw.com.
