It’s been a typically busy week for Netflix, both in terms of new additions and a selection of surprising movies that have been dominating the streamer’s most-watched charts. The service has just added three new titles today as well, namely horror film 1BR, season 4 of Disney’s Bunk‘d, and the Adrien Brody and Salma Hayek-starring Septembers of Shiraz. So, are any of these worth checking out?
Directed by David Marmor, 1BR sees lead character Sarah (Nicole Brydon Bloom) find an apartment in Hollywood that appears to be too good to be true. As is probably to be expected, Sarah soon begins to experience strange goings on, unusual neighbors and threats to her sanity that suggest a wider conspiracy. Critics have been generally positive on the picture, including praise for its unconventional timeline and handling of cult forces, and it currently has a solid 87% on Rotten Tomatoes.
By contrast, Bunk‘d is a live-action Disney Channel original that’s been running since 2015. A spinoff from the comedy Jessie, it sees the main characters get up to various forms of mischief at a summer camp. The fourth season aired in the summer of 2019, with a fifth set to begin later this year. It’s probably fair to assume that Bunk‘d will eventually migrate over to Disney Plus to join other programs from the Mouse House, but for now, subscribers can catch it on Netflix.
Finally, we have Septembers of Shiraz, a Wayne Blair-directed film set in the aftermath of 1979 Iranian Revolution. Adrien Brody plays a Jewish-Iranian gemologist who is arrested and forced to fight for his freedom within the new regime, aided by Hayek as his wife. Unfortunately, Shiraz didn’t receive particularly strong reviews upon its 2016 release, largely due to its problematic approach to the history of Iran.
While it’s a bit of a mixed bag in terms of additions, 1BR at least looks like something that’s worth checking out for horror and thriller fans. Looking forward, Netflix have plenty of fresh content lined up as we head into the end of August as well. Not to mention a large amount of new material ready to go for September.