Severance got renewed! While we begin the agonizing wait for the best TV show of 2022 to make a new season, there's plenty more streaming content to keep us going. In this edition of Tune In or Turn Off, we've got thrills in the form of a horror movie, a Marvel show and a time-travel series — plus an absolutely awful comedy about the pandemic.
The best and worst streaming shows and movies of this month are below.
Turn Off: The Bubble
(Netflix)
Filmmakers of 2022, I am absolutely begging you — please, please, please stop making films about how pandemic lockdowns are hard. No more softball jokes about washing groceries or touching elbows. It was never very funny, and it's definitely not funny now.
Tune In: Fresh
(Disney+)
Fresh is an uncomfortable collision of moods, as a romcom turns into sadistic horror while still retaining comedic elements. This strange mix of styles only makes the film's horror elements more upsetting, as the film parodies the "meat market" of online dating in an extremely literal way. Sebastian Stan once again proves his talent for disappearing into a role completely, channeling a smooth sadism that's miles away from other recent roles in the MCU or Pam & Tommy.
Tune In: Moon Knight
(Disney+)
The latest MCU series is part The Bourne Identity, part Me, Myself & Irene, as Oscar Isaac's protagonist grapples with multiple identities while acting as the earthly embodiment of an ancient Egyptian god. With some of Marvel's bloodiest violence, as well as a decidedly silly British accent from Oscar Isaac, it's a bit jumbled but mostly entertaining.
Turn Off: Moonfall
(Netflix)
The latest big, silly disaster epic from Roland Emmerich is underdeveloped, with actors who weirdly don't seem all that bothered about the impending end of the world. The idea of the Moon crashing down into Earth ought to be dramatic, but instead it's just a bit dull — at least until the pretty-decent second half, when the film's mythology gets fleshed out. The film barely made an impact in Canadian theatres earlier this year, when it landed during the first wave of Omicron, meaning that its arrival on Amazon Prime will finally give audiences a chance to watch it. If you're into this kind of thing.
Tune In: Olivia Rodrigo: driving home 2 u (a SOUR film)
(Disney+)
Fans of pop sensation Olivia Rodrigo will love this film, which revisits the making of her 2021 debut album SOUR in the form of a road trip from Salt Lake City to Los Angeles. It's more of a concert film that a proper documentary, with Rodrigo performing alternate versions of her songs in a manner similar to music videos. Non-fans won't get all that much insight into what makes Rodrigo ticket, but devotees will love hearing a new spin on these familiar songs; watch it or skip it accordingly.
Tune In: Russian Doll, Season 2
(Netflix)
Nadia and Alan get lost in time once again — this time by time travelling through some sort of a wormhole, rather than getting stuck in a Groundhog Day-like wormhole. There's time-warping weirdness, existential confusion, and a truly hysterical lead performance from Natasha Lyonne, who manages to be funny even with her wordless grunts and grumbles.
Tune In: WeCrashed
(Apple TV+)
Believe it or not, Jared Leto and Anne Hathaway's performances actually seem less bizarre than the real-life Adam and Rebekah Neumann, the WeWork weirdos who built a billion-dollar business on the back of wildly overvalued office space and cult-like philosophies. It's a solid entry in the suddenly prevalent genre of "corporate downfall comedies."
The best and worst streaming shows and movies of this month are below.
Turn Off: The Bubble
(Netflix)
Filmmakers of 2022, I am absolutely begging you — please, please, please stop making films about how pandemic lockdowns are hard. No more softball jokes about washing groceries or touching elbows. It was never very funny, and it's definitely not funny now.
Tune In: Fresh
(Disney+)
Fresh is an uncomfortable collision of moods, as a romcom turns into sadistic horror while still retaining comedic elements. This strange mix of styles only makes the film's horror elements more upsetting, as the film parodies the "meat market" of online dating in an extremely literal way. Sebastian Stan once again proves his talent for disappearing into a role completely, channeling a smooth sadism that's miles away from other recent roles in the MCU or Pam & Tommy.
Tune In: Moon Knight
(Disney+)
The latest MCU series is part The Bourne Identity, part Me, Myself & Irene, as Oscar Isaac's protagonist grapples with multiple identities while acting as the earthly embodiment of an ancient Egyptian god. With some of Marvel's bloodiest violence, as well as a decidedly silly British accent from Oscar Isaac, it's a bit jumbled but mostly entertaining.
Turn Off: Moonfall
(Netflix)
The latest big, silly disaster epic from Roland Emmerich is underdeveloped, with actors who weirdly don't seem all that bothered about the impending end of the world. The idea of the Moon crashing down into Earth ought to be dramatic, but instead it's just a bit dull — at least until the pretty-decent second half, when the film's mythology gets fleshed out. The film barely made an impact in Canadian theatres earlier this year, when it landed during the first wave of Omicron, meaning that its arrival on Amazon Prime will finally give audiences a chance to watch it. If you're into this kind of thing.
Tune In: Olivia Rodrigo: driving home 2 u (a SOUR film)
(Disney+)
Fans of pop sensation Olivia Rodrigo will love this film, which revisits the making of her 2021 debut album SOUR in the form of a road trip from Salt Lake City to Los Angeles. It's more of a concert film that a proper documentary, with Rodrigo performing alternate versions of her songs in a manner similar to music videos. Non-fans won't get all that much insight into what makes Rodrigo ticket, but devotees will love hearing a new spin on these familiar songs; watch it or skip it accordingly.
Tune In: Russian Doll, Season 2
(Netflix)
Nadia and Alan get lost in time once again — this time by time travelling through some sort of a wormhole, rather than getting stuck in a Groundhog Day-like wormhole. There's time-warping weirdness, existential confusion, and a truly hysterical lead performance from Natasha Lyonne, who manages to be funny even with her wordless grunts and grumbles.
Tune In: WeCrashed
(Apple TV+)
Believe it or not, Jared Leto and Anne Hathaway's performances actually seem less bizarre than the real-life Adam and Rebekah Neumann, the WeWork weirdos who built a billion-dollar business on the back of wildly overvalued office space and cult-like philosophies. It's a solid entry in the suddenly prevalent genre of "corporate downfall comedies."
