Stream on Demand: Paolo Sorrentino offers ‘The Hand of God’
What’s new for home viewing on Video on Demand and Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, Disney+, HBO Max and other streaming services.
Top streams for the week
Paolo Sorrentino writes and directs “The Hand of God” (Italy, 2021, R, with subtitles), a semi-autobiographical drama about a teenage boy (Filippo Scotti) looking to find his place in the world in 1980s Naples. The filmmaker mixes light comedy, family drama, big dreams and vibrant characters with the landscape of Naples and a tribute to Fellini. (Netflix)
The animated comedy “Ron’s Gone Wrong” (2021, PG) is a buddy film about an awkward kid who programs a giddily malfunctioning robot toy (voiced by Zach Galifianakis) to be his best friend. Along with the zippy comedy is a commentary about kids in the social media age. (HBO Max and Disney+)
“Station Eleven” (TV-MA), based on the novel by Emily St. John Mandel, is an epic limited series that spans decades, jumping between the years before a devastating pandemic to the post-apocalyptic world where the survivors try to create a new life. Mackenzie Davis and Himesh Patel star. Three episodes available, new episodes Thursdays. (HBO Max)
Oscar-winning actor Mahershala Ali plays a loving husband and father who hides his terminal illness with a radical proposal in “Swan Song” (2021, R), a science-fiction drama about memory, loss, sacrifice and identity. (Apple TV+)
A separated, often contentious couple (James McAvoy and Sharon Horgan) ends up living in the same house during the early months of the pandemic in “Together” (2021, R). (Hulu)
Will Forte and Kristen Wiig reunite for “MacGruber” (TV-MA), a spinoff of the “Saturday Night Live” spoof of the 1980s action-TV series “MacGyver.” All eight episodes available. (Peacock)
The fantasy adventure “The Witcher” (TV-MA) settles in with a more straightforward storyline in its second season. (Netflix)
Pay-Per-View / Video on Demand
Matt Damon, Adam Driver and Jodie Comer star in the medieval drama “The Last Duel” (2021, R), and Tom Hardy returns in superhero movie sequel “Venom: Let There Be Carnage” (2021, PG-13).
Netflix
Gary Oldman won an Oscar for his performance as Winston Churchill in “Darkest Hour” (2017, PG-13).
Amazon Prime Video
The romantic comedy “With Love” (TV-PG) stars Emeraude Toubia and Mark Indelicato as siblings looking for love across five holidays.
Hulu
The sci-fi thriller “Mother/Android” (2021, R) stars Chloe Grace Moretz as an expectant mother fleeing a war between humanity and artificial intelligence.
Other streams
“Crime” (not rated) stars Dougray Scott as a troubled police detective searching for a missing girl. Based on the novel by Irvine Welsh. All episodes streaming. (BritBox)
Connie Nielsen and Christopher Eccleston star in “Close to Me” (not rated) about a woman who loses a year from her memory. New episodes on Thursdays. (AMC+ and Sundance Now)
The horror series “Firebite” (TV-MA) follows two Indigenous Australian hunters fighting a colony of vampires in the Australian desert. New episodes on Thursdays. (AMC+)
“The Larkins” (not rated) is a new adaptation of “The Darling Buds of May” about a British family in the 1950s countryside of Kent. New episodes on Mondays. (Acorn TV)
New on disc and at Redbox
“Venom: Let There Be Carnage,” “The Card Counter,” “The Mitchells vs. the Machines”
Sean Axmaker is a Seattle film critic and writer. His reviews of streaming movies and television can be found at streamondemandathome.com.