Netflix is ready to close out the month of April and get moving into the future like the rest of us. Obviously, entertainment is still the name of their game, as is the importance of reexamining and honoring historical figures who got the shaft. And sleep is important, too, which is something that a lot of us (myself included) don’t take seriously enough. With that said, this week nurtures both the meditational vibes in life and encourages us to get a little uncomfortable by watching a few thrillers. Also, there’s a wonderfully introspective movie about a lifelong artist who’s turning inward to pull out greater creativity and perhaps learn much more about who he really is in the process. As usual, you’ll never be able to watch everything on this list over the weekend, yet we’re here to give you the highlights and let you make the final call.
Here’s everything else coming to (and leaving) the streaming platform this week.
Yasuke (Netflix series streaming 4/29)
Netflix will up its anime game with this dazzling series from Japanese animation studio MAPPA, and the project arrives with quite a pedigree. LaKeith Stanfield voices a character who’s based upon the real-life first African samurai, who struggles to shed his past life of violence while striving to keep a peaceful existence. However, he must reluctantly pick up his sword again when a war-torn, feudal Japanese village becomes ground central for warring daimyo. The score’s courtesy of Flying Lotus, and creator/director/producer LeSean Thomas will build upon his proven track record (The Boondocks, Cannon Busters, and Black Dynamite) of interweaving anime and Black culture with a big boost from head writer Nick Jones Jr.
Things Heard & Seen (Netflix film streaming 4/29)
Amanda Seyfried stars as a couple that realizes that a sinister darkness plagues their marriage and fits right in with their new home’s past. The story’s based upon Elizabeth Brundage’s novel, and it takes place in the Hudson Valley. Seyfried’s better at the spooky-eyed look than most of her contemporaries, and her displaced Manhattanite character benefits from that vibe.
The Mitchells Vs. The Machines (Netflix film streaming 4/30)
Need something to put the kids’ butts in front of the TV while you take a load off? Or do you need to just relax and enjoy an uplifting family-type film on your own? You’re in luck. This one hails from Oscar-winning producers Phil Lord and Chris Miller (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and The LEGO Movie) and includes the voices of Abbi Jacobson, Danny McBride, and Maya Rudolph, who are here to soothe you while a family pushes against an apparent robot electronic-device uprising. Fortunately, two helpful robots are around to help halt the chaos. Whew.
Headspace Guide to Sleep (Netflix series streaming 4/27)
Most of us could use more sleep, no matter how much we currently get and especially during all of the ongoing pandemic stress. This series is a joint project between Headspace and Vox Media Studios, and it aims to help you lay the foundation for more healthy habits. Subjects explore will include insomnia, stress, our phones, and sleeping pills, and stick around for a guided meditation to help get you on the road to more blissful nights.
Fatma (Netflix film streaming 4/26)
So, an ordinary-seeming cleaning lady goes searching for her missing husband and inadvertently ends up murdering someone. Subsequently, she becomes a killer while no one is the wiser. Yessir, it’s always the quiet ones.
The Disciple (Netflix film streaming 4/30)
This story about an Indian classical music vocalist is a study in devotion and the importance of following one’s own way, and how, sometimes, a disciple knows much better about what will make him happy than his gurus and family do. Turning inward ain’t easy (following directions is easier in some ways), in other words, but it’s often worth the process.
Here’s a full list of what’s been added in the last week:
Avail. 4/19
Miss Sloane
PJ Masks: Season 3
Avail. 4/20
Izzy’s Koala World: Season 2
Avail. 4/21
Zero
Avail. 4/22
Life in Color with David Attenborough
Stowaway
Avail. 4/23
Heroes: Silence and Rock & Roll
Shadow and Bone
Tell Me When
Avail. 4/27
August: Osage County
Battle of Los Angeles
Fatma
Go! Go! Cory Carson: Season 4
Avail. 4/28
Sexify
Headspace Guide to Sleep
Avail. 4/29
Things Heard & Seen
Yasuke
Avail. 4/30
The Innocent
The Mitchells vs. The Machines
Pet Stars
The Unremarkable Juanquini: Season 2
And here’s what’s leaving next week, so it’s your last chance:
Here’s the full list of titles leaving Netflix in May:
Leaving 5/1
Hoarders: Season 10
Leaving 5/3
War Horse
Leaving 5/5
Hangman
Leaving 5/6
City of God: 10 Years Later
Lockout
Leaving 5/7
The Chosen Ones
House at the End of the Street
