Bryan Cranston stars as a ringmaster in ‘The One and Only Ivan’ on Disney+.
Photo: Disney +Binge-worthy documentaries have emerged as a popular genre of the streaming era, from “Making a Murderer” to “Wild Wild Country” (both on Netflix. ) This week, we offer two selections that are streaming this week, including one that is ripped from the headlines.
Also this week, how to decode the symbolism in HBO’s new series “Lovecraft Country.”
Ahead, four picks to add to your queue.
Family Hour: ‘The One and Only Ivan’
(Disney+)
Movies and shows suitable for the whole family
“The One and Only Ivan,” Disney+’s new family drama which begins streaming Friday, is about a group of animals that works as a circus-y attraction in a mall—a gig that doesn’t include blue sky or green grass—who long for life on the outside.
The movie combines live-action and computer-generated characters. Going in, director Thea Sharrock had a very specific idea for what she wanted the animals to look like. The trick, she says, was finding actors whose voices lined up with her vision. The cast includes Danny DeVito as a dog named Bob, Helen Mirren as Snickers the poodle, Angelina Jolie as an aging elephant named Stella, Sam Rockwell as the film’s title gorilla, and Bryan Cranston starring as the crew’s very human ringmaster and captor.
“Ivan” is based on K.A. Applegate’s book of the same name, which itself was inspired by the story of a silverback gorilla who spent the better part of three decades on display at a mall in Tacoma, Wash. Ms. Sharrock says she was unfamiliar with the book before she was introduced to the idea of the film, and read it with her kids—who loved it.
“It was the first time I realized that I could potentially work on a project where I could be carrying them with me as audience members at all times.”
New Release: ‘The Vow’
(HBO/HBO Max)
Newly released movies and shows.
HBO’s new nine-part documentary series, “The Vow,” tracks NXIVM, the now-infamous company that purported to be a self-help group. Its founder was convicted of federal racketeering and sex-traffickiing charges last year. The documentary includes interviews with people who were advocates and recruiters for the organization before becoming disenchanted.
The series, which premieres Sunday, is directed by husband-and-wife team Karim Amer and Jehane Noujaim. She had attended NXIVM’s Executive Success Programs seminar before the scandal erupted.
Power is often a theme that runs through the filmmakers’ works, says Mr. Amer. In the Oscar-nominated “The Square,” they tracked how a populist uprising led to the overthrow of Egypt’s government. In “The Great Hack,” they looked at how political groups leverage data to exert power. With “The Vow,” Mr. Amer says they’re exploring “the power of the self and what it means for somebody to step into their place of vulnerability to empower themselves—and what it also means to step into that place of vulnerability and be the subject of abuse and be disempowered.”
An Expert Recommends: ‘Inside the World’s Toughest Prisons’
(Netflix)
Actress Malin Åkerman stars in the new Netflix comedy, “The Sleepover,” out Friday. Here, she explains why she’s drawn to character-driven and psychological fare.
“I originally went to university to study psychology and was going to become a child psychologist before I became an actress. So I think that’s why I tend to gravitate towards character-driven shows like ‘Normal People,’ [on Hulu] and documentaries about peoples’ psychology. Left to my own devices, I tend to gravitate toward true-crime and prison documentaries because I’m just super curious about the psyche of prison life and murderers.
Lately I’ve been watching ‘Inside the World’s Toughest Prisons.’ The most recent seasons are hosted by a British man named Raphael Rowe, who was wrongfully convicted of multiple crimes and spent 12 years in prison before being released. In this documentary series, he goes to different prisons around the world. It’s fascinating to see the differences. In Germany, you see murderers in group therapy. In Colombia, the prisons are absolutely bonkers. It’s a good introduction to the prison doc genre, because it’s not too dark, but it’s super fascinating. I highly recommend it.”
Escapism: ‘Hoops’
(Netflix)
Series and movies that take us to far-off places.
Ben Hopkins is a depraved high-school basketball coach who bribes his players with pornography, whose blood runs at a perpetual boil and is constantly ejected from games for tossing chairs and hurling a copious amount of F-bombs at the officials. But his real problem is that his team can’t win.
“You can’t be an asshole and a losing coach,” the principal tells him. “In Kentucky, baby, winning cures all.”
Hopkins, voiced by actor Jake Johnson, is the centerpiece of the new animated adult comedy, “Hoops,” about a ramshackle high-school basketball team and its eccentric coach. It begins streaming on Netflix on Friday.
Creator Ben Hoffman says he wanted to bring the same spirit to the show that he brings to his NSFW country music alter-ego, Wheeler Walker Jr.: “take it as far as we can and get as close to the line as you can.”
“It’s never meant to offend. It’s meant to be funny,” he says, adding: “If it works, if it makes people laugh, it’s kind of all I care about.”
Jake Johnson voices Coach Ben Hopkins in 'Hoops.’
Photo: NETFLIXIllustrations by Rob Wilson
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