Every week, Netflix adds films and series to its catalog, but it's not always easy to navigate. Écran Large is here to help you: here are the new features added by Netflix from November 22 to 28, 2024, films and series combined, in a non-exhaustive list.
What are the films and series not to be missed this week on the streaming platform?
The Piano Lesson
- Already available
- Duration: 2h07
What is it about? A brother and sister are torn apart over the precious family piano which evokes for them as much the pain of the past as the promise of a future.
Why should you watch it? Because it is the adaptation of the play The Piano Lesson by August Wilson, rewarded with a Pullitzer Prize in 1990. Malcolm Washington (son of Denzel, and for whom this is his first production) is obviously keen to preserve the dreamlike, even gothic, tone of the play, all carried by a very impressive.
John David Washington (his brother), Samuel L. Jackson, Ray Fisher, Danielle Deadwyler, Michael Potts, and even Corey Hawkins…the list is a dream, especially since most of them reprise the role they played on stage during the production of the play on Broadway in 2022. In any case, The Piano Lesson seems to retain its dramatic force around America's institutionalized racism, and those who have fought it for several generations.
JOY
- Already available
- Duration: 1h55
What is it about? The true story of three British pioneers and their struggle to develop IVF (In Vitro Fertilization) against all odds.
Why should you watch it? It’s a very interesting subject that deserved a film: the birth story of Louise Joy Brownthe first person conceived by “in vitro fertilization”. A feat described through three key characters: surgeon Patrick Steptoe (Bill Nighy), nurse Jean Purdy (Thomasin McKenzie) and scientist Robert Edwards (James Norton). A great casting led by Ben Taylor, specialist in the television series, notably on Sex Education.
Screenwriter Jack Thorne isn't unconnected to Netflix either, as he wrote both Enola Holmes. English production presented at the BFI London Film Festival, Joy enjoyed great critical success with the English and American press. It's our turn to judge.
Ellian and the spell
- Already available
- Duration: 1h50
What is it about? The adventures of Ellian, the reckless young daughter of the king and queen of Lumbria, as she embarks on a daring quest to save her kingdom and her parents, transformed into monsters by a mysterious spell.
Why should you watch it? Ellian and the spell is the first film in the collaboration between Netflix and Skydance Animation and inevitably, it's hard not to want to take a look. Skydance was not at all convincing with its first animated film Luck distributed with Apple TV+ (only 48/100 average on Metacritic), but visually, the feature film was rather successful. Its strange mix of worlds of Vice-Versa et Monsters and co., while having a maturity closer to Soulremained promising for the future.
This time, it's Vicky Jenson, the director of Shrek, who has completely returned to service for Ellian and the spell. And she surrounded herself with a great team with the lyricist of Rapunzel and the eminent composer Alan Menken (The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Pocahontas, Hercules…). The vocal casting is just as prestigious with Rachel Zegler (West Side Story) in the skin of the heroine, and the presence of Javier Bardem, Nicole Kidman and John Lithgow. Enough to reassure about the humor, the universe, the themes and the scope of the film.
The Last Journey of the Demeter
- Available November 23
- Duration: 1h58
What is it about? Sailing to London with a mysterious cargo, the crew of a merchant ship finds themselves trapped at sea by a vicious supernatural creature: Dracula.
Why should you watch it? Because The Last Voyage of Demeter East directed by André Øvredalto whom we owe, among other things, the sympathetic The Jane Doe Identity et Scary Stories. It is also an interesting rereading of the Dracula by Bram Stoker, or rather the extrapolation of a brief passage from the cult novel where the vampire travels from Transylvania to England by boat, and takes advantage of the crossing to sharpen his teeth on the other passengers. As a result a foggy quasi-camerawhich takes place mainly at night and takes great pleasure in tracking down its human prey.
On the casting side, we find several well-known names and faces, such as the talented Aisling Franciosi (great in The Nightingale), but also the actor Corey Hawkins (who we saw killing zombies in The Walking Dead and play the hero in the Macbeth by Joel Coen), without forgetting Liam Cunningham aka Davos Mervault in Game of Thrones.
The Madness
- Available November 28
- Duration: 8 episodes of approximately 50 min
What is it about? Journalist Muncie Daniels must prove his innocence and save his skin after discovering a body in the woods of the Poconos…
Why should you watch it? Because it sounds like the typical story of manhunt like The Fugitivebut with a note of conspiracy deeply rooted in modern America. Because in the series created by Stephen Belber, the journalist is black, and the body is that of a white supremacist.
That said, if there is indeed a reason to take a look at The Madnessit's Colman Domingo. The actor seen in Fear the Walking Dead, Euphoria et Candyman is on the rise, and this is only the beginning. Oscar nominee for biopic Rustinhe is expected in the film about Michael Jackson, and in the next Steven Spielberg. And given his talent, he will be able to carry effortlessly the eight episodes of The Madness.
BUT ALSO…
Our Little Secret, Meet the Malawas, Mafia Mamma, Mononoke the Movie: A Ghost in the Rain, Asaf, Chef's Table Volume 7, Dan Dan Dan season 1, The Empress season 2, The Helicopter Heist season 1…
