If you have spent the holiday weekend watching the Hamilton movie on repeat, let’s just say I’m not judging you. At all. Polygon has an interesting analysis about how different the musical is on film.
But if you’re looking for a break from Lin Manuel & co. and want something a little different to watch this week however, there are a few new originals on Netflix and Hulu worth checking out.
The Baby-Sitters Club (Netflix, now playing)
OK so maybe we’re not quite the target audience for The Baby-Sitters Club, but there is a great deal of nostalgia around this new show based on the beloved Ann M. Martin book series (that’s right, I said “beloved”). Polygon says the production meets the challenge of setting the series in 2020 “updating small details of the bigger plotlines to more effectively capture the present day. It keeps the essence of the characters, but little touches — like the rival league The Baby-Sitters Agency launching a social-media campaign — help keep the stories engaging.” The show also doesn’t treat the babysitters’ parents like the Walsh parents in Beverly Hills 90210, that is, they are not just props for the kids’ plot lines.
Palm Springs (Hulu, July 10th)
Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti star in this Groundhog Day-like romcom about two people trapped in the same day over and over. Palm Springs sold to Hulu for $17.5 million at the Sundance Film Festival, a new record. Rebecca Alter at Vulture calls it “a perfect metaphor for the tedium of muddling through a repetitive, trapped life in quarantine, day by day.” But it’s a romcom you guys, so maybe there will be some ideas for how to get along with your significant other for all eternity (as we get ready to enter another round of possible coronavirus lockdowns). But as Rebecca notes, at least they have a pool.
The Old Guard (Netflix July 10th)
Charlize Theron as an immortal, sword-wielding warrior? Why yes, thank you. This Netflix original is adapted from the graphic novel of the same name, about a team of crime fighters who die once, but are then rendered immortal (sort of). Variety calls them a “down-and-dirty crew of leather-jacketed renegades who find a way to do maximum damage with machine guns and windpipe-smashing moves…” which is the kind of escapist fun/violence we really need right now.
