Streaming highlights in January: the movies and series you just can’t miss

Luca Fontana

1.1.2024

Translation: Elicia Payne

First month of the year, first streaming hits of the year. Here’s what’s streaming on Netflix, Sky, Disney+ and Apple TV+ this January.

On 1 January, there were eight of us on my running route in the morning. Yesterday, there were six of us. Four of us today. I like New Year’s resolutions. I have a few more of them too. For example, watching all the streaming highlights of the month that I recommend. Can you do it? Oh, a little disclaimer: this list was created in mid-December because even I take holidays too. If new releases have been added in the meantime, make sure to post them in the comments section.

Echo (miniseries)

Was I interested? Not. At. All. But then I saw the trailer and made a U-turn: this could be the greatest Marvel Studios series ever. Bold claim, I know. Especially since I’d already praised Secret Invasion to the skies – before its release too. And we all know how that ended. In my defence, I only got to see the first three episodes in advance. They were still good. What followed was a slap in the face for every Marvel fan. Believe me, I felt like they’d given me a right run-around.

But this trailer...I’m flabbergasted. Firstly, because the series actually gets an R-rating. In Switzerland, this corresponds to an age rating of around 16 years. The only times we’ve seen this in the Marvel universe was with Deadpool and Logan – neither of which are productions from the otherwise family-friendly Marvel Studios. It says it all that Echo is the first Marvel Studios series to be launched in the US on Hulu, Disney’s streaming service for more adult content.

Secondly, because I wasn’t really super eager to watch this spin-off. You might remember the deaf-mute Echo, played by Alaqua Cox (who is also deaf), was a potentially great but ultimately rather uninspired character in her debut in Hawkeye. On top of that, the best character from Netflix’s Daredevil – Wilson Kingpin Fisk – was totally wasted because he wasn’t allowed to be as rampant, relentless and brutal as his actual character. But here it is. And how. As I said: R-rated. And the fact that he’s still alive after all also means that the exciting connection between Echo and Kingpin – which was disappointingly dealt with in just a few episodes of Hawkeye – is given the space it deserves. So, yes, I’m looking forward to the series. A lot. At the risk of being massively disappointed again.

Release date: 9 January
Where: Disney+ (Star)

True Detective: Night Country (anthology series)

So it’s round four for True Detective. This is an HBO-produced crime anthology series created and written by Nic Pizzolatto. Anthology in this case means True Detective tells a new, self-contained story in each season. A murder investigation, to be precise, and it’s led by a new team of investigators each season.

The first season, for example, is set in Louisiana and is about two detectives, played by Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey, who’re hunting a serial killer. The second season takes Colin Farrell, Rachel McAdams and Vince Vaughn into a story about corruption and violence in California. The third season is set in Arkansas and centres around a former police officer, Mahershala Ali, who spends decades investigating the murder of a young boy and the disappearance of his sister.

The fourth season is now set in Alaska during the dark winter months. Eight scientists who run a research station have disappeared without a trace. Detectives Liz Danvers (Jodie Foster) and Evangeline Navarro (Kali Reis), former partners who split up years ago over a botched case, get back together. And if the fourth season still shines with its complex characters, dark atmosphere and exciting philosophical themes, we’re in for a real treat again.

Release date: 15 January
Where: Sky Show (with Entertainment Pass)

The Creator (film)

«At long last, a great sci-fi movie!», I wrote in my movie review hours after seeing it. And I’m sticking by that. No, The Creator certainly isn’t the most innovative or surprising representative of its genre. But the movie has its heart in the right place, and finally tells an independent story that isn’t based on a novel or part of a cinematic comic universe. Plus, The Creator also looks breathtakingly beautiful – with production costs of a relatively cheap 80 million dollars.

So what’s it all about? In a future world characterised by highly developed artificial intelligence, machines serve humanity. At least until a nuclear attack by the machines almost destroys the whole of Los Angeles. The revenge of the people? War. Joshua (John David Washington), a grieving ex-secret agent, has to travel to New Asia, where the machines have established their last bastion. There, their leader, «the Creator», is in the process of finalising a dangerous secret weapon. Joshua not only has to hunt down the Creator, but also destroy his AI weapon. But the weapon turns out to be a child. One that hides an ominous secret.

Release date: 17 January
Where: Disney+ (Star)

60 minutes (film)

Across Berlin in just one hour – or he’ll lose custody forever! In order to get to his beloved daughter’s birthday party, MMA fighter Octavio (Emilio Sakraya) skips an important fight, but also falls foul of the betting mafia. They’ve put a lot of money on him winning his next fight. Money they’ll stand to lose if he doesn’t take part. A spectacular race against time begins.

Yep, the trailer has everything it takes to get me excited about this kind of movie: snappy lines, cool music – and really cool fighting scenes. I could have sworn that actor Emilio Sakraya was actually an MMA fighter or at least a stuntman. But he’s not and I have to take my hat off to him. He comes across as anything but artificial in this role.

Release date: 19 January
Where: Netflix

Cristóbal Balenciaga (miniseries)

Something different. A Spanish production. And in the style of Ridley Scott’s Gucci, it also revolves around one of the most influential fashion designers of all time: Cristóbal Balenciaga. He founded his fashion empire in Paris in 1937. Even back then, his collections were considered trend-setting. At least in Spain, where he’d already dressed the elite and aristocracy.

The series begins in Paris, where things are very different. Here, popularly revered and even adored names such as Gabrielle Chanel, Christian Dior and Hubert de Givenchy set the standard for haute couture. Balenciaga’s collections, on the other hand, are considered too down-to-earth for sophisticated Paris, which has now become the capital of fashion. But that didn’t stop the man from Getaria, Spain from defining his style and ultimately becoming one of the most important designers of his time – the «guardian of the grail of elegance» even (article in German).

Release date: 19 January
Where: Disney+ (Star)

Masters of the Air (miniseries)

Well, the trailer itself looks fantastic. But I find this one announcement in it almost more exciting: «From the producers of Band of Brothers and The Pacific». Hell yes! This means that Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman are teaming up again to deliver one of the absolutely greatest war epics ever.

If that doesn’t mean anything to you, it was precisely Band of Brothers that set new standards for TV entertainment in the early 2000s. Especially for war films. The miniseries, which was still produced by HBO at the time, told the story of Easy Company, an elite group of paratroopers who find themselves scattered and lost across Normandy on D-Day. They briefly cross paths with a very special, small search unit – the one led by Tom Hanks in Saving Private Ryan.

In Masters of the Air, on the other hand, we follow the 100th Bomb Group, one of the most feared flying units in the history of war. Between 1942 and 1945, they carried out numerous bombing raids over Nazi Germany. Hardly any of the men in the unit survived. Some were shot down. Others captured, wounded or killed. Spielberg and co. have invested around 300 million dollars to conjure up the horrors of war. They’ve also assembled an impressive cast of actors, led by Elvis star Austin Butler. There’s no doubt it’ll be a popular watch.

Release date: 26 January
Where: Apple TV+

Luca Fontana

Senior Editor

Luca.Fontana@digitecgalaxus.ch

I'm an outdoorsy guy and enjoy sports that push me to the limit – now that’s what I call comfort zone! But I'm also about curling up in an armchair with books about ugly intrigue and sinister kingkillers. Being an avid cinema-goer, I’ve been known to rave about film scores for hours on end. I’ve always wanted to say: «I am Groot.» more

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