Hi everyone, here are our streaming recommendations for September.
Streaming recommendations are posted on the first Saturday of the month. And the next streaming recommendations post will be published on Saturday, October 1.
Andor (September 21) (Disney Plus)
The final Star Wars Disney Plus series of the year is Andor, which already feels like a great excuse to go rewatch the excellent Rogue One. This series starts off five years before that movie, and will give us more insight into how Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) became the man who helped steal the Death Star plans. But it’s about more than just his personal story, as Andor is also telling the story of the rise of the rebellion. Mon Mothma (Genevieve O’Reilly) plays a key role in all of this, and it looks like we’ll see a younger version of Saw Gerrera (Forest Whitaker) and possibly learn about how he got those robotic legs. Stellan Skarsgård and Fiona Shaw also co-star. – HTC, Tom’s Guide Overview
–
Blondie (September 28) (Netflix)
One of the most talked about films of the year is finally making its debut on Netflix this month. Adapted from Joyce Carol Oates’ 2000 novel of the same name, Blonde is a historical psychological drama film that offers a fictionalized account of the inner life of 1950s and 1960s icon Marilyn Monroe (Ana de Armas). The NC-17 rated film gives viewers a unique look at Monroe, taking us from her early traumatic years growing up as Norma Jeane Mortensen to changing her name and image as she made her move to Hollywood and the silver screen, to all of the exploitation, substance issues, and romantic drama she experienced through it all behind the scenes in her personal life. Fans of Monroe, Old Hollywood, and film in general need to make it their mission to see Blonde as soon as it drops towards the end of September, only on Netflix.- Decider Review
–
Elvis (September 2) (HBO Max)
To describe Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis as simply another biopic would not do it justice. This movie is a deep-fried, over-the-top ice cream sundae, and the movie leans into it. Everything about this film is too much—and it rocks.
The story follows the life of Elvis Presley, played with overwhelming stamina of Austin Butler, from the star’s impoverished birth to unglamorous death. It’s a story of addiction on many levels, namely Elvis’s endless need for the public’s love and adoration. It’s a big movie, one that suits a movie theater experience, but you can check it out in your own home right at the top of the month with HBO Max. – Lifehacker Review
–
Hocus Pocus Two (Disney Plus) (September 30)
The Sanderson witches are back! And it only took nearly 30 years this time, not 300. A sequel to the 1993 comedy/horror movie Hocus Pocus seems completely unnecessary yet also totally welcome by its now grown-up fans (who likely have tweens of their own). Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy look like they’re having a blast in returning as the sisters who first terrorized girls in Salem in 1693, then again in 1993. In the modern day, they appear once more when the Black Flame Candle is lit by unsuspecting high schoolers. They must work together to stop the witches before they cause complete chaos. – KW, Tom’s Guide Review
–
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (Amazon Prime Video) (September 2) *
It’s been a long time coming, but the prequel series that delves into the story of how those coveted rings were forged, distributed and ultimately destroyed hits Prime Video this month. Sure, there’s no Gandalf or Gollum to invest in when we return to Middle Earth, but at least we’ll see a few familiar elven faces as the episodes unroll. Spy Review
–
Los Spooky, Season Two (HBO Max) (September 16)
If you like What We Do In The Shadows, then you should get caught up on the absurd, critically-acclaimed Los Espookys. In the first season of this dark comedy we were introduced to a zany group of friends who are in the business of creating spooky, horror-inspired experiences for their clients. The new season finds Los Espookys leader and gore enthusiast Renaldo (Bernardo Velasco) haunted by the ghost of a murdered beauty pageant queen. Created by and starring Fred Armisen, Ana Fábrega and Julio Torres, season two is a long time coming due to a three-year pandemic delay. Plus, the series is bilingual (with subtitles) and features a predominantly Latino cast. – Lifehacker Review
–
Pantheon (AMC+) (September 1)
AMC’s first animated series drops this weekend to make us all think twice about the concept of artificial intelligence. The show revolves around a young woman who receives messages from an unknown number claiming to be her dead dad. But when she pursues the truth, a more sinister story emerges. Paul Dano, William Hurt, Taylor Schilling, Lara Pulver and Maude Apatow voice the series. Spy Overview
–
Reboot (Hulu) (September 20)
We’re suckers for meta Hollywood projects, and this comedy is as meta as it gets. Reboot revolves around a dysfunctional cast that’s forced back together to reboot (okay, technically revive) their comedy years after it originally aired. Of course, none of them have grown since their time in the limelight — they’ve backtracked, and now they need to learn to get along. Judy Greer, Keegan-Michael Key, Johnny Knoxville, Paul Reiser and Rachel Bloom star. Spy Overview
–
Severance, Season One (2022) (Apple TV+)
Mark leads a team of office workers whose memories have been surgically divided between their work and personal lives. When a mysterious colleague appears outside of work, it begins a journey to discover the truth about their jobs. – Radio Times)
–
The U.S. And The Holocaust (PBS) (September 18)
The U.S. and the Holocaust is a three-part, six hour series that examines America’s response to one of the greatest humanitarian crises of the twentieth century. Americans consider themselves a “nation of immigrants,” but as the catastrophe of the Holocaust unfolded in Europe, the United States proved unwilling to open its doors to more than a fraction of the hundreds of thousands of desperate people seeking refuge. Through riveting firsthand testimony of witnesses and survivors who as children endured persecution, violence and flight as their families tried to escape Hitler, this series delves deeply into the tragic human consequences of public indifference, bureaucratic red tape and restrictive quota laws in America. Did the nation fail to live up to its ideals? This is a history to be reckoned with. – PBS
–
Hoopla Streaming Recommendation of the Month
This new adaptation of the classic novel “The Darling Buds of May” by H.E. Bates follows the warmhearted, wheeler-dealer adventures of the Larkin family in the idyllic Kent countryside of the 1950s. Joanna Scanlan (No Offence) and Bradley Walsh (Law & Order: UK) star in a show capturing the warmth, optimism, and escapism of the Larkins for a modern generation.
Larkins, Season One Trailer
–
Have a great weekend everyone,
Linda
–
*If you’re watching The Ring Of Power this weekend and would like to read or listen to more of Tolkien’s Middle Earth volumes, especially the ones that feature stories set the Second Age that is covered in the TV series, like the Silmarillion; checkout all the Tolkien eBooks and audiobooks available for instant checkout through Hoopla!
All you need is your library card!
Here is the link to the catalog online: https://www.hoopladigital.com/search?artistName=Tolkien&page=1
And of course you can download the Hoopla app to your smart TV or mobile device.
–
References
Casale, M. (2022, September 1). New On Netflix September 2022, Plus What’s Coming Next. Decider. Retrieved September 2, 2022, from https://decider.com/article/new-on-netflix/
Dietz, M. (2022, August 31). 12 of the Best New Things to Stream in September 2022. Lifehacker. Retrieved September 2, 2022, from https://lifehacker.com/12-of-the-best-new-things-to-stream-in-september-2022-1849476519/slides/2
Staff, R. T. (2022, July 22). Best TV shows on Apple TV+. Radio Times. Retrieved September 2, 2022, from https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/best-tv-shows-on-apple-tv/
U.S. and the Holocaust. (n.d.). PBS. Retrieved September 2, 2022, from https://www.pbs.org/kenburns/us-and-the-holocaust/
Dowling, A. (2022, September 1). What to Watch in September: The 31 Best New Streaming Releases on HBO Max, Disney+ and Netflix. SPY. Retrieved September 2, 2022, from https://spy.com/feature/new-streaming-releases-1202830372/
Tech & Book Talk at SSCL 