Rachel Weisz’s redo of Cronenberg’s ‘Dead Ringers’ an April streaming pick

By David Friend, The Canadian Press on March 30, 2023.

TORONTO – Here’s a roundup of standout TV series and films debuting on subscription streaming platforms in April:

“Dead Ringers”

Rachel Weisz acts double duty as identical twins Elliot and Beverly Mantle, both successful New York gynecologists who share numerous similarities but many stark differences in how they approach their jobs. Together, the pair embark on an ambitious project to improve women’s health care and reduce miscarriages, but their innovations come with a clear breach of medical ethics. That doesn’t concern one wealthy woman whose ties to the opioid crisis have made her much richer and willing to pursue an agenda that could alter pregnancies for the elite. Based on David Cronenberg’s 1988 horror film of the same name, the six-episode limited series changes the gender of the lead characters, which sends the storyline on a different trajectory and gives Weisz a pair of twisted and darkly funny characters to dissect. (Prime Video, April 21)

“Beef”

After a disgruntled suburban mom butts heads with a down-on-his-luck contractor in a parking lot, it takes only a few minutes before their petty conflict escalates into a tire-squealing road rage incident. As the days pass, neither one is prepared to let their brawl fade away as they become obsessed with raising the stakes in a battle for who gets the upper hand. Ali Wong and Steven Yuen lead this viciously funny 10-episode reflection on the dogfight of modern capitalism, the traps of social class and the festering anger of a digital generation, set to the tunes of some great 1990s and early 2000 hit songs. (Netflix, April 6)

“The Last Thing He Told Me”

Jennifer Garner plays a San Francisco woman whose husband disappears under mysterious circumstances, leaving only a note that ominously asks her to protect her teenage stepdaughter. After a stashed duffel bag full of money turns up in the daughter’s hands, their strained mother-daughter relationship must quickly mend as they piece together why the man they thought they knew harboured a secret that would lead him to vanish without a trace. Based on the nail-biting novel by Laura Dave. (Apple TV Plus, April 14, episodes weekly)

“Slip”

The traditional American romantic comedy gets sucked into the multi-verse in this quirky and sex-positive seven-episode TV series shot in Toronto. Mae is a 30-something career woman whose lacklustre marriage leads her to wonder if the grass is greener in another timeline. Cue the plot twist of parallel universes as she awakes one morning after a drunken fling in the same body but a different reality. She discovers the experience appears to be triggered each time she orgasms, pushing her to explore an array of partners and her own sexual and self-awakening. Zoe Lister-Jones leads the very adult-oriented series which features appearances by Montreal actress Emily Hampshire of “Schitt’s Creek” and Whitmer Thomas from “Shrill.” (The Roku Channel, April 21)

“Citadel”

A global spy agency has fallen and two of its former members, played by Richard Madden and Priyanka Chopra Jonas, have gone into hiding with memories of their former lives erased. But when a man from their past emerges with fears of another organization threatening to start a new world order, the pair must overcome what they’ve forgotten to fight back. Executive produced by the Russo brothers, best known for Marvel’s “Avengers” films, the six-episode series is intended to be Amazon’s ambitious launchpad for several interconnected spinoff shows filmed in different countries and languages. (Prime Video, April 28, episodes weekly)

ALSO THIS MONTH:

“The Crossover” – Teenage brothers follow their dreams on the basketball court under the guidance of their former professional player father. (Disney Plus, April 5)

“Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies” – A prequel series to the musical “Grease” set in 1954. (Paramount Plus, April 6, episodes weekly)

“Operation Fortune” ““ Jason Statham is a special agent who blackmails a Hollywood star, played by Josh Hartnett, into helping intervene in a deadly arms sale. Co-stars Aubrey Plaza and Hugh Grant. (Prime Video, April 7)

“Scrap” – Filmmaker Stacey Tenenbaum glides across the world of scrapyards in an atmospheric documentary about the pleasures of our discarded past. Premiered at the 2022 Hot Docs film festival. (CBC Gem, April 12)

“Florida Man” – An ex-cop’s attempt to wipe his debts by tracking down a mobster’s missing girlfriend goes sour when he becomes part of a bigger scheme. Starring Édgar Ramírez. (Netflix, April 13)

“Nope” – Unidentified flying objects haunt the owners of a Hollywood horse ranch in Jordan Peele’s sci-fi thriller. (Crave, April 14)

“Chimp Empire” – Oscar-winner Mahershala Ali narrates a glimpse into the largest chimpanzee society ever discovered. From the co-director of best documentary feature winner “My Octopus Teacher.” (Netflix, April 19)

“Love & Death” – Elizabeth Olsen and Jesse Plemons play two married churchgoing friends who start a secret affair. Their entanglement is complicated when one of the spouses winds up dead. (Crave, April 27, episodes weekly)

“Fatal Attraction” – A contemporary spin on the 1987 psychological thriller with Vancouver’s Joshua Jackson in the leading role. (Paramount Plus, April 30, episodes weekly)

RETURNING SERIES:

Crave begins rolling out the fourth and final season of hitman comedy “Barry” starting on April 15, while the small-town comedy “Somebody Somewhere” embarks on its second season on April 23. Meanwhile, Crave’s Starz tier launches into another season of “Blindspotting” on April 14.

Emmy-winner “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” wraps up its story of early 1960s female stand-up comic Midge Maisel with a fifth and final season that launches April 14 on Prime Video.

A second order of “Secret Path” illustrator Jeff Lemire’s fantastical post-apocalyptic series “Sweet Tooth” arrives on Netflix April 27. And on the same day, the streaming service drops the second half of “Firefly Lane,” Season 2, starring Katherine Heigl and Ottawa-born Sarah Chalke.

Apple TV Plus serenades the masses with a second season of comedy “Schmigadoon!” which sees its romantic leads head to Schmicago, an undiscovered world inspired by 1960s and 1970s musicals. Episodes begin rolling out weekly on April 7.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 30, 2023.

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