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Spring has sprung - and along with the flowers, there's a new crop of fabulous entertainment to enjoy on Showmax. Check out some critically acclaimed series and movies that are coming first to Showmax, from "2021's best, and most uncomfortable show" The White Lotus to the well-reviewed South African film Flatland. Subscribe to Showmax from R39 a month.
INTERNATIONAL SERIES
Set over the course of a week, HBO comedy drama The White Lotus follows hotel guests at an exclusive Hawaiian resort as they relax and rejuvenate in paradise. With each passing day, a darker complexity emerges in these picture-perfect travellers, the hotel’s cheerful employees, and the idyllic locale itself. The White Lotus has an 87% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with The Guardian calling it “2021’s best, and most uncomfortable, show.” Binge now, only on Showmax »
Nominated for the Best Drama BAFTA earlier this year, Gangs of London tells the story of a city torn apart following the assassination of the head of its most powerful crime family. It has a 91% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes, where the critics consensus says: “A modern crime family masterpiece.” Binge now, only on Showmax »
Nathan Fillion stars as the LAPD’s oldest rookie, John Nolan, in the popular police procedural The Rookie. Nominated for a 2020 Emmy for its stunt coordination, the series has an 8/10 score on IMDb. Binge all three seasons now »
Oscar nominee Queen Latifah (Chicago) was nominated for a 2021 Black Reel Award for Best Actress: Drama in The Equalizer, a reimagining of the classic 80s action series and the 2014 blockbuster movie with Denzel Washington. She plays Robyn McCall, a single mother and former CIA operative who helps those with nowhere else to turn. Binge now »
INTERNATIONAL MOVIES
Tenet
One of the biggest films of 2020, Tenet won the 2021 Oscar and BAFTA for Best Achievement in Visual Effects. Directed by Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight Trilogy), the sci-fi action thriller follows the Protagonist, a CIA agent armed with only one word: “Tenet”, as he journeys through a twilight world of international espionage on a mission that will unfold in something beyond real time. John David Washington (BlacKkKlansman) stars alongside Robert Pattinson. From 27 September.
Winner of over 100 awards, Minari is a moving semi-autobiographical drama which tells the story of a family of South Korean immigrants who try to start a farm in rural Arkansas in the 1980s. Yuh-jung Youn made history this year when she became the first Korean to win an acting Oscar, taking home Best Supporting Actress. Minari picked up a further five Oscar nominations, including Best Film. Minari has a 98% critics rating. Watch now, first on Showmax »
Judy
Renée Zellweger won a 2020 Oscar, a Golden Globe and a BAFTA for her stellar performance as Judy Garland in this biographical drama. The story traces the final year of the actress’s life as she arrives in London in the winter of 1968 to perform a series of sold-out concerts. Stream now »
The Nest | 23 September
Jude Law and Carrie Coon (Gone Girl) star in this psychological drama, which sees a successful entrepreneur’s idyllic life begin to unravel after he moves his American family to a grand old English country manor. This romantic drama has an 89% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes. From 23 September.
Antebellum
Janelle Monáe (Hidden Figures) stars in the horror drama Antebellum as modern-day sociologist and author Dr Veronica Henley, who becomes trapped in a waking nightmare on a slave plantation. New York Post calls Antebellum “a breathless watch”, and Variety a “terrifying - and incredibly timely - horror movie.”
Also watch:
- 2 September: Rush Hour 1,2,3 - East-meets-West buddy cop comedies.
- 9 September: Sex and the City: The Movie and Sex and the City 2 - Binge, along with the whole series, ahead of the reboot.
- 13 September: Seven - Classic crime thriller starring Brad Pitt.
- 16 September: Antebellum - Horror starring Janelle Monáe.
- 20 September: St Vincent - Comedy-drama starring Bill Murray, Melissa McCarthy and more.
- 23 September: Foster Boy - Drama about a boy abused in foster care starring Matthew Modine.
SOUTH AFRICAN ADDITIONS
The opening film of the 2019 Berlin Panorama, Flatland is the third feature from multi-award-winning South African director Jenna Cato Bass (High Fantasy). Following the murder of her husband, a young woman and her best friend flee across the Karoo, pursued by a police officer with demons of her own. Stream now »
uMakoti Wethu
SAFTA winner Fulu Mugovhani (Ayanda) stars in uMakoti Wethu as Khatu, who finds herself in crisis when her husband's new job ignites old flames. Melusi Mbele (Isibaya) co-stars as her husband Sizwe, with Kwanele Mthethwa (Isithembiso) as the woman caught in the middle. Stream it from 23 September, first on Showmax.
United Apart SA - Lockdown Remembered
In March 2020, with just a handful of known infections, South Africa embarked on one of the strictest lockdowns in the world. This is a deep dive into our country’s official lockdown strategy and the effect it has had on society, the economy and our most vulnerable citizens. It features key players plus memories from ordinary South Africans about an extraordinary time. Watch now »
Thomas Buttenschøn was born HIV+ in Zambia. By the time he was nine, he had lost both his parents to the disease. Now in his mid 30s, he’s a household name in Denmark, as an award-winning musician and former judge of Denmark’s Got Talent. This doccie follows him as he returns to Zambia to raise awareness through music of the efficacy of antiretroviral drugs. The Boston Globe hailed it as “engrossing”. Stream now »
NON-FICTION
Obama: In Pursuit Of A More Perfect Union
This three-part HBO docuseries chronicles the personal and political journey of President Barack Obama as America grapples with its racial history. It has a 91% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes and highlights the vision he had for the nation and reflects on the Obama administration with new understanding about the personal obstacles he faced and the challenging pursuit for equality in America. Stream now »
This HBO feature documentary illustrates the devastating toll from widespread misinformation in the earliest days of the Covid-19 pandemic. Directed by China-born award winner Nanfu Wang, the film explores the early confusion as authorities tried to contain the virus as well as shape the public narrative through misinformation. It has a 96% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Stream now »
(Image: Supplied)
Temptation Island South Africa hit our shores on 26 August, and it’s already hotting up. To get more of this addictive reality show, binge the third season of the American version of the show. Four couples at a crossroads in their relationship leave their normal lives behind to spend a month living in separate villas surrounded by sexy singles. Binge now »
