We round up everything coming to streaming services this week, including Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, Apple TV+, ThreeNow, Neon and TVNZ+.
If you love local architecture: Maurice and I (DocPlay, January 30)
It’s hard to imagine Ōtautahi without the work of acclaimed architects Sir Miles Warren and Maurice Mahoney. Known for their elegant, brutalist form and sophisticated interiors, the partnership of Warren and Mahoney transformed the Garden City in the 60s and 70s. The documentary Maurice and I traces their lives, their legacy and their fight to save the iconic Christchurch Town Hall from demolition in wake of the devastating 2011 earthquake. Described by The Post as “a terrific wee film“, Maurice and I is a moving love letter to the city and a reminder of the enduring importance of architecture in shaping and enriching our lives.
If you love local social history: Queer Aotearoa: We’ve Always Been Here (TVNZ+, February 1)
Local comedian Eli Matthewson hosts Queer Aotearoa: We’ve Always Been Here, an enlightening docuseries about the untold history of Aotearoa’s queer community. Guest-starring local legends such as Mike Puru, the Topp Twins and Anika Moa, the show explores the victories, spaces and stories that fostered and sustained queer culture in Aotearoa. Combining side-splitting humour with powerful personal testimonies and extensive archival footage, Queer Aotearoa: We’ve Always Been Here celebrates the trailblazers who bravely fought for a more inclusive Aotearoa.
If you like family-friendly fun: Bookworm (Prime Video, February 2)
You might recognise the name Ant Timpson, the mad genius behind Come to Daddy, the 24-hour movie marathon and the Incredibly Strange film festival. His sophomore feature Bookworm is set in the rugged plains of the South Island, and follows precocious tween Mildred (Nell Fisher) and her estranged father Strawn Wise (Elijah Wood) as they head out in search of the mythical black panther. Inspired by the decades-old Canterbury urban legend, the film has been described by critics as “a delightfully quirky father-daughter adventure with the perfect blend of childlike wonder and grown-up bite“. Be sure to check-out this future classic of Aotearoa cinema.
If you like taut political thrillers: Paradise (Disney+, January 28)
Dan Fogelman penned some of the biggest mainstream hits of the 2000s and 2010s in Cars, Tangled and Crazy, Stupid, Love. But Paradise, a riveting thriller about the shocking murder and subsequent high-stakes investigation of a former president, is an intriguing change of pace for the A-list screenwriter. Assigned to the protection detail of Bradford is Xavier, a secret-service-agent-turned-prime-suspect played by Sterling K. Brown. With the series tagline “read between the lies”, expect anything but Paradise, a must-watch for fans of 24 and Bodyguard.
If you enjoy crime comedy capers: Analyze This (Neon, January 27)
Robert De Niro is Paul Vitti, a New York mob boss with a problem: he’s riddled with anxiety after a near-death drive-by shooting. In a farcical meet-cute involving a rear-end collision and a bound and gagged hostage, Vitti encounters Ben Sobel (Billy Crystal), a disillusioned psychiatrist. The most feared criminal in America then secretly visits Sobel to get in touch with his feelings. A quick-witted satire of the very gangster films which De Niro is known for, Analyze This packs “wit, bite and bona fide classy acting” into “a picture of rewarding novelty“. The film is an offer you can’t refuse.
The rest
Netflix
Six Nations: Full Contact S2 (January 29)
The Hooligan (January 29)
Mo S2 (January 30)
The Recruit S2 (January 30)
The Seven Deadly Sins: Four Knights of the Apocalypse S2 (January 30)
The Snow Girl 2: The Soul Game (January 31)
TVNZ+
The Moonflower Murders (January 27)
Furious 7 (January 27)
Jackass 3 (January 27)
The Lovely Bones (January 28)
The Fate of the Furious (January 28)
The Longest Yard (January 29)
The Bourne Legacy (January 30)
The Girl Next Door (January 29)
The Outsiders (January 29)
Our Kind of Traitor (January 29)
All Mrs Brown’s Boys Christmas Special (January 30)
The Great British Bake Off S15 (January 30)
The Ride Life (January 30)
Sing 2 (January 30)
School Spirits S2 (January 31)
Queer Aotearoa: We’ve Always Been Here (February 1)
Tumbledown (February 1)
I Want You Back (February 1)
Moonstruck (February 1)
28 Days (February 1)
Shazam (February 2)
Mr Bates vs. The Post Office: The Impact (February 2)
ThreeNow
Murder Under the Friday Night Lights S1-3 (February 1)
Neon
Analyze This (January 27)
Analyze That (January 27)
How to be Single (January 28)
48 Hrs. (January 29)
Another 48 Hrs. (January 29)
Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent (January 29)
Valentine’s Day (January 31)
Prime Video
After (January 28)
Elevation (January 28)
You’re Cordially Invited (January 30)
After We Collided (January 30)
2 Fast 2 Furious (February 1)
The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (February 1)
Fast & Furious (February 1)
Fast Five (February 1)
Fast & Furious 6 (February 1)
The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (February 1)
The Bourne Identity (February 1)
The Bourne Ultimatum (February 1)
Bookworm (February 2)
Disney+
Paradise (January 28)
Your Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man (January 29)
The Great North S4 (January 29)
Apple TV+
Mythic Quest (January 29)
Vietnam: The War That Changed America (January 31)
Acorn TV/AMC+/Shudder
New Life (Shudder, AMC+, January 27)
Dark Match (Shudder, AMC+, January 31)
Coming Home in the Dark (Shudder, February 1)
Winnie the Pooh: Blood & Honey (Shudder, AMC+, February 1)
Winnie the Pooh: Blood & Honey 2 (Shudder, AMC+, February 1)
DocPlay
Maurice and I (January 30)