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Welcome back to another edition of our weekly guide to the best new shows and movies! On this page, you'll find six recommendations for the hottest films and TV shows that are available this week across all the best streaming services.
The biggest highlight of the week is surely the second half of Wednesday season 2. Still, the creepy and kooky student isn't the only must-watch. One of the best recent Marvel movies is making its streaming debut, as is the latest Spike Lee movie. There's also a particularly strong episode of Alien: Earth and a gripping new K-drama to round things out.
Wednesday season 2 part 2
Available: US/UK
Where to watch: Netflix
The back half of Wednesday's second season arrives this week, bringing with it a resolution to episode 4's killer cliffhanger. Wednesday is injured – possibly even dead (though we seriously doubt that, given that season 3 is on the way). That's only the start of her problems, though, as she still has to deal with LOIS – a secret program that is attempting to steal outcast powers.
Wednesday season 2 has, so far, been a solid follow-up to the first run. These final four episodes look like they'll be big on twists and reveals, while also including Lady Gaga's long-awaited appearance as Rosaline Rotwood, who Netflix has described as "a legendary Nevermore teacher who crosses paths with Wednesday." Exactly which episodes the pop icon will appear in this season is currently uncertain, but you can find out when all four episodes drop – when else? – this Wednesday.
Find out what we made of the first half of the season with our Wednesday season 2 part 1 review.
Thunderbolts*
Available: UK/US
Where to watch: Disney Plus
The 36th (yes, really) MCU film is now streaming on Disney Plus. Thunderbolts* follows a scrappy group of Marvel anti-heroes as they try to save the world – and themselves. Florence Pugh's second Black Widow; Sebastian Stan's former-Winter Soldier, Bucky Barnes; Wyatt Russell's fallen, former-Captain America John Walker; David Harbour's Red Guardian, and more – these are all damaged people with bad pasts who are very specifically not clean cut heroes like the Avengers. Still, fate has conspired to make them the team the world needs right now.
If you missed Thunderbolts* at the cinema, now is the perfect time to catch up. It's funny, heartfelt, and more surefooted than some of the other recent MCU efforts, and Lewis Pullman's Bob feels like a very significant addition to this universe's ever-expanding list of characters.
We said the movie "Makes good on the promise of a new start for the MCU" in our Thunderbolts* review.
Alien: Earth
Available: US/UK
Where to watch: Hulu (US), Disney Plus (UK)
After a couple of paranoid episodes that eased up on the Xenomorph horror, Alien: Earth returns to its roots. 'In Space, No One...' flashes back to tell the story of the USCSS Maginot – the doomed spaceship that crashed into Earth at the start of the season. The main character here is Babou Ceesay's Morrow, the mysterious cyborg who has quickly become the show's most intriguing player. Something is wrong onboard the ship and he is determined to get to the bottom of it.
Alien: Earth has successfully broadened the parameters of what this franchise is capable of. Still, it's nice to have a back-to-basics episode like this, one which reminds you just how tense and thrilling an escaped Xenomorph on a spaceship can be. Fans of Ridley Scott's original movie and of Alien: Isolation should get a kick out of this one.
Find out more about this terrifying show with our Alien: Earth review.
Highest 2 Lowest
Available: US/UK
Where to watch: Apple TV Plus
Award-winning director Spike Lee teams up with Denzel Washington for this fantastic remake – or perhaps remix? – of Akira Kurosawa's 1963 classic thriller, High and Low. Washington plays David King, a music mogul in New York who is willing to risk everything to get the majority share in his music company, Stackin' Hits Records, back. Just as he is about to make the deal, however, he discovers that his son Trey (Aubrey Joseph) has been kidnapped.
Things only get more complicated from there, with King's ethics tested as he tries to save both his son and his career. Washington is backed up by a terrific supporting cast, including Jeffrey Wright, Ilfenesh Hadera, and rapper A$AP Rocky. This is Spike Lee on terrific form, with a film that can easily stand alongside his best work.
Check out our list of the best Apple TV Plus movies.
Stans
Available: US/UK
Where to watch: Paramount Plus
The term "stan" – as in an over-zealous fan of someone or something – originated in rapper Eminem's harrowing track of the same name from 2000. One of the definitive songs about the downsides of fame, 'Stan' is a portrait of a (fictional) fan who takes things too far, with tragic results. This similarly-named documentary is less doom-laden, but looks at Marshall Bruce Mathers III's real life fans and the artist himself, using rare archive footage and interviews.
Despite a few elements of his life being public knowledge (most notably his difficult relationship with his mother) and his often very personal lyrics, Eminem has largely managed to keep his private life, well, private. Stans doesn't significantly change that, being far more about the fans that the artist himself, but it's an engaging and insightful documentary that's worth watching even if you're not one of the faithful.
Queen Mantis
Available: US/UK
Where to watch: Netflix
This eight-episode k-drama hinges on the strained relationship between a police officer and his mother, who just happens to be a serial killer known as the Mantis! Cha Su Yeol (Jang Dong-yoon) is a cop who has grown up in the shadow of his infamous mom, Jung Yi-shin (Go Hyun-jung), who slaughtered five men. When a copycat killer strikes, however, Cha Su Yeol must turn to his mother, who has spent the last two decades behind bars, to try and solve the mystery.
Yes, this sounds a bit like The Silence of the Lambs in South Korea, with an added family dynamic. Unusually for a Netflix show, Queen Mantis will be airing two episodes each week, on Fridays and Saturdays throughout September.
Discover the brilliant series that make up our list of the best Netflix shows.
Looking for something else to watch? Check out our list of the best movies on Disney Plus.
