This is the first weekend of April and even if the warmer weather is calling you outside, I’m going to give you some compelling reasons to stay inside (at least for a few hours) so you can watch a new movie on your favorite streaming service.
The top films debuting from Friday through Sunday (April 2-4) on Netflix, HBO Max, Hulu, Amazon Prime and Disney+ include:
* Concrete Cowboy, a Netflix original dramatic movie starring Idris Elba as a Philadelphia dad who introduces his estranged 15-year-old son (Caleb McLaughlin) to the close-knit world of urban horse riding. Rottentomatoes.com now gives Concrete Cowboy a score of 77 out of a possible 100, based on 43 reviews.
“This very endearing father/son drama is as emotionally powerful as The Great Santini and as respectful to Black cowboy culture as Miss Juneteenth,” writes Dwight Brown of the National Newspaper Publishers Association.
* Madame Claude, a Netflix original drama about a real-life brothel Madam in late 1960s Paris. (Her client list allegedly included John F. Kennedy, Marlon Brando and the Shah of Iran so this could get juicy.)
* Ted, the unrated version (on HBO Max) of the 2012 comedy film starring Mark Wahlberg as an adult who suddenly gets his childhood wish of turning his teddy bear into a live creature. However, it turns out the stuffed soul is a foul-talking, prostitute-loving wonder which should make this unrated edition something to behold.
* WeWork, Or the Making and Breaking of a $47 Billion Unicorn, a Hulu original documentary about the rise and crash of the office sharing company (it’s making a comeback, but without its controversial founder.)
* Moment of Truth, an Amazon original documentary (on Amazon’s free service, IMDb) about the 1993 murder of Michael Jordan’s father. (IMDb does not require a subscription to Amazon Prime.) The five-part series reexamines the case and suggests that the two men who were convicted may have been innocent.
Here is the complete list of new movies coming this weekend to the top streaming services:
Netflix
Friday, April 2
Concrete Cowboy (Netflix Original)
Just Say Yes (Netflix Original)
Madame Claude (Netflix Original)
Sky High (Netflix Original)
April 3
Escape from Planet Earth
HBO Max
Saturday, April 3:
Ted, 2012 (Unrated Version) (HBO)
Hulu
Friday, April 2
WeWork: Or the Making and Breaking of a $47 Billion Unicorn: Documentary Premiere (Hulu Original)
Saturday, April 3
Blair Witch (2016)
Amazon Prime
Friday, April 2
Unhinged (2020)
Moment of Truth on IMDb, Amazon’s free streaming service.
Saturday, April 3
Blair Witch (2016)
Disney+
Friday, April 2
The Island at the Top of the World (1974)
Third Man on the Mountain (1959)
The Last Ice
Sharks of the Bermuda Triangle
The Big Year
Night at the Museum
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
Caravan of Courage
Ewoks: The Battle for Endor
The Story of the Faithful Wookiee
Featured image: Idris Elba and Caleb McLaughlin in Netflix’s Concrete Cowboy.