Posted Tue Dec 26, 2017 at 05:50 AM PST by Steven Cohen
Superheroes, musicians, snowmen, and more are all heading to your favorite streaming devices.
Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu have released new trailers or info for several of their upcoming shows and movies, including Rotten, The Polka King, A Futile and Stupid Gesture, Grace and Frankie: Season 4, Altered Carbon, Seven Seconds, Marvel's Jessica Jones: Season 2, Sense8: Finale Special, Mozart in the Jungle: Season 4, Sneaky Pete: Season 2, and The Path: Season 3.
In addition, Disney has announced the digital release of Olaf's Frozen Adventure starring Josh Gad, Idina Menzel, Kristen Bell, and Jonathan Groff. The digital copy of the new Frozen holiday featurette also includes six classic Disney shorts.
Rotten (Netflix, January 5) - Local farming is fading as profit margins decide what food makes it to our plates. The new Netflix documentary series Rotten exposes the fraud, corruption, and the consequences on our health of today’s global food industry. Nobody’s hands are clean.
The Polka King (Netflix, January 12) - This exuberant tragicomedy recounts the remarkable but true story of the rise and fall of Polish émigré Jan Lewan (Jack Black), from striving tchotchke shop owner in the ’70s to the undisputed “King of Pennsylvania Polka” in the early ’90s. Lewan pursued the American Dream by any means necessary, fleecing investors and bribing officials to build a personal musical empire in what became the world’s only known Polka Ponzi scheme. Swept up by Lewan’s charismatic charm are his devoted wife, Marla (Jenny Slate), and his neurotic sidekick, Mickey (Jason Schwartzman).
Grace and Frankie: Season 4 (Netflix, January 19) - Jane Fonda ("Grace") and Lily Tomlin ("Frankie") star as two women whose lives are suddenly turned upside down when their husbands reveal they are gay and leave them for each other. Both sparring partners and partners-in-crime, they form an unlikely bond to face an uncertain future together and discover a new definition of “family,” with laughter, tears and plenty of mood enhancers along the way.
A Futile and Stupid Gesture (Netflix, January 26) - The story of comedy wunderkind Doug Kenney, who co-created the National Lampoon, Caddyshack, and Animal House. Kenney was at the center of the 70’s comedy counter-culture which gave birth to Saturday Night Live and a whole generation's way of looking at the world.
Altered Carbon (Netflix, February 2) - In the future, human minds are digitized and downloaded from body to body. Last night, the wealthiest man on Earth, Laurens Bancroft (James Purefoy) was murdered. To investigate his death, he brings back ex-Envoy soldier Takeshi Kovacs (Joel Kinnaman / Will Yun Lee) and in exchange, Bancroft offers Kovacs the chance to live again.
Seven Seconds (Netflix, February 23) - A powerful anthological crime thriller from acclaimed creator and executive producer Veena Sud (The Killing), starring two-time Emmy winner Regina King (American Crime) alongside breakout British actress Clare-Hope Ashitey (Doctor Foster). Ashitey portrays KJ Harper, a black assistant prosecutor assigned to the incident, with troubles of her own. She grapples with the weight of the case and what it will mean to bring justice not only for Brenton, but for the Black community. KJ works closely with the teen’s mother Latrice Butler (Regina King) who realizes there may be more to her son than she and her husband (Russell Hornsby) were aware of, and becomes consumed with finding out what happened.
Marvel's Jessica Jones: Season 2 (Netflix, March 8) - After a tragic ending to her short-lived Super Hero stint, Jessica Jones is rebuilding her personal life and career as a detective who gets pulled into cases in New York City.
Sense8: Finale Special (Netflix, 2018) - From renowned creative geniuses Lana Wachowski, Grant Hill, and J. Michael Straczynski, Sense8 centers around eight characters, from different parts of the world, who experience a violent vision, and soon find themselves mentally connected by the experience. They become connected, able to see and talk to each other as though they were in the same place, with access to each other's deepest secrets. Not only must the eight adapt to this new ability and to each other, they must figure out why their lives are now in jeopardy.
Mozart in the Jungle: Season 4 (Amazon Prime Video, February 16) - Hailey and Rodrigo’s romance deepens as they go public with their relationship in the fourth season of the Emmy and Golden Globe winning series. As Rodrigo learns what it means to be a boyfriend, Hailey enters a competition in Japan to prove herself as a conductor. Will they be able to balance the demands between their careers and relationship or will it tear them apart?
Sneaky Pete: Season 2 (Amazon Prime Video, Coming Soon) - From the creator of Justified and Executive Producer Bryan Cranston comes an exciting new series about a con-man, Marius (Giovanni Ribisi), on the run from a vicious gangster. Marius hides by assuming the identity of his prison cellmate, Pete, and takes cover with Pete's estranged family – a colorful group (headed by Margo Martindale) with well-guarded and dangerous secrets of their own.
The Path: Season 3 (Hulu, January 17) - Follows a family at the center of a controversial cult movement as they struggle with relationships, faith and power. Each episode takes an in-depth look at the gravitational pull of belief and what it means to choose between the life we live and the life we want. The series blends elements of mystery-thriller, romance and the supernatural. Starring Aaron Paul, Hugh Dancy and Michelle Monaghan.
- A current Netflix subscription starts at $11 per month for HD streaming and $14 per month for Ultra HD streaming.
- A current Amazon Prime subscription costs $99 per year or $11 per month. Likewise, Prime Instant Video is available as a standalone service for $9 per month.
- A current Hulu subscription starts at $8 per month with commercials ($6 limited time promotional price now available). In addition, ad-free playback is available for $12 per month.
Sources: Netflix (YouTube), Amazon (YouTube), Hulu (YouTube)
The latest news on all things 4K Ultra HD, blu-ray and Gear.