Plenty of new additions this week, just in time for the weekend. Some new TV shows to keep your funny bone well tickled (pink?) and a decent selection of good movies, both classics and more recent fair. Who will be the ultimate winner though? There can only be one pick of the week.

Netflix

Don’t Trust the B—- in Apartment 23 – 2 Seasons – If you enjoyed Krysten Ritter in Jessica Jones maybe you’d like to get your Ritter fix here until Jessica returns. It seems pretty popular and the marketing material seems to suggest that Krysten spends a lot of time in just her pants which might or might not be your thing. The marketing department seem to think so.

June’s (Dreama Walker) plans of moving to Manhattan for her dream job and perfect apartment are ruined when the company that hired her goes bust. Broke and homeless, her luck turns around when she finds a job at a coffee shop and a roommate, Chloe (Krysten Ritter). The girls get off to a rough start when Chloe tries to take advantage of June’s Midwestern naivete, but June handles herself well and earns a place in Chloe’s circle of friends. James Van Der Beek also stars as himself

The Little Prince – An adaptation of the 1943 novel, The Little Prince looks like a great mix of Computer and Stop Motion Animation.

The Aviator introduces a girl to a world where she rediscovers her childhood and learns that it’s human connections that matter most, and that it is only with heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.

Other Netflix mentions go to talking chimp doc Project Nim, classic doll horror Child’s Play, skewed hospital comedy Green Wing and  confusing Sam Jackson/Christina Ricci pair up, Black Snake Moan.

Amazon

The Last Man on Earth – Season 1- Starring Will Forte (MacGruber) the pilot episode was written by Forte and directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (21 jump street, The Lego Movie) this is a cool little comedy about well, the last man on earth. Kristen Schaal (Flight of the Concords) is in it too and she’s just a joy to watch.

In 2022, a cataclysm strikes Earth, seemingly wiping out the population save for former family man and bank employee Phil Miller. Sad and very lonely, Phil travels the United States, Canada and Mexico in his RV searching for other survivors. Striving to hold onto hope that there is at least one other living person out there, he tries to make the best of circumstances until his path finally crosses with that hoped-for other survivor — and all the more comforting if that person happens to be a woman.

Divergent – Based of the Novel series by Veronica Ruth, this seems like another chance for Lionsgate to cash in on popular teenage sci-fi. By all accounts the first in the series is supposed to be pretty decent and if you like it then you’re in luck because there are like 11 more of these.

Tris Prior (Shailene Woodley) lives in a futuristic world in which society is divided into five factions. As each person enters adulthood, he or she must choose a faction and commit to it for life. Tris chooses Dauntless — those who pursue bravery above all else. However, her initiation leads to the discovery that she is a Divergent and will never be able to fit into just one faction. Warned that she must conceal her status, Tris uncovers a looming war which threatens everyone she loves.

The Corpse Bride – Tim Burton returns to the world of stop motion in classic Tim Burtony style. Not as good as The Nightmare Before Christmas but that’s a pretty high benchmark for any film, never mind stop motion.

Victor (Johnny Depp) and Victoria’s (Emily Watson) families have arranged their marriage. Though they like each other, Victor is nervous about the ceremony. While he’s in a forest practicing his lines for the wedding, a tree branch becomes a hand that drags him to the land of the dead. It belongs to Emily, who was murdered after eloping with her love and wants to marry Victor. Victor must get back aboveground before Victoria marries the villainous Barkis Bittern (Richard E. Grant).

Other additions to Amazon include mock doc For Your Consideration, Mel gibson’s Mad Max,  and swords and sandals CG epic, Wrath of the Titans.

 

Streaming Pick of the Week

Netflix – Sicario

Sicario has a pretty impressive cast behind it and has got some pretty solid reviews. It’s one of those films that I heard a lot about but ultimately missed in the cinema. The perfect offering from the Netflix Newt and a sturdy take down.

After rising through the ranks of her male-dominated profession, idealistic FBI agent Kate Macer (Emily Blunt) receives a top assignment. Recruited by mysterious government official Matt Graver (Josh Brolin), Kate joins a task force for the escalating war against drugs. Led by the intense and shadowy Alejandro (Benicio Del Toro), the team travels back-and-forth across the U.S.-Mexican border, using one cartel boss (Bernardo Saracino) to flush out a bigger one (Julio Cesar Cedillo)

Amazon 4: Netflix 3