Every week, MobileSyrup goes over some of the most notable movies and TV shows that recently hit Canadian streaming platforms.
Our ‘Streaming in Canada’ column typically focuses on new content from Amazon Prime Video Canada, Crave and Netflix Canada, but other services like Apple TV+ and Disney+ will be mentioned when relevant.
We’ll also highlight shows or movies that are made in Canada, involve notable Canadian cast or crew and/or are filmed in Canada.
Finally, with the COVID-19 pandemic causing movies to hit digital platforms much sooner than planned, we’ll make note of any major films that fall into this category when applicable.
Amazon Prime Video
Midway
Directed by Roland Emmerich (Independence Day), Midway is a war epic about the Battle of Midway during World War II.
Midway features an ensemble cast that includes Ed Skrein (Deadpool), Patrick Wilson (Aquaman), Luke Evans (Beauty and the Beast), Aaron Eckhart (The Dark Knight), Woody Harrelson (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri) and Mandy Moore (This Is Us).
It’s worth noting that part of the film was shot in Montreal.
Original theatrical release date: November 8th, 2019
Amazon Prime Video Canada release date: September 10th, 2020
Genre: War
Runtime: 2 hours, 18 minutes
Rotten Tomatoes score: 41 percent (based on 162 reviews)
Stream Midway here.
Amazon Prime Video is included at no additional cost in a $79 CAD/year Amazon Prime subscription.
The full list of movies and shows that are coming to Amazon Prime Video Canada this month can be found here.
Crave
Arrow (Season 8)
After eight seasons, the CW show that kicked off an entire universe of interconnected DC Comics ‘Arrowverse’ superhero shows has come to an end.
The final season of Arrow follows Oliver as he works with a cosmic being to fight an incoming danger to the entire multiverse.
Based on DC’s Green Arrow comics, Arrow was created by Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim and Andrew Kreisberg (Eli Stone) and stars Toronto’s Stephen Amell (New Girl), David Ramsey (Blue Bloods), Rick Gonzalez (Reaper), Juliana Harkavy (The Walking Dead), Katherine McNamara (Shadowhunters) and Toronto’s Ben Lewis (Scott Pilgrim vs. The World).
It’s worth noting that the series was filmed in Vancouver.
It’s important to keep in mind that “Crisis on Infinite Earths,” the big Arrowverse crossover event which heavily ties into Arrow Season 8, was spread across several DC shows. Therefore, you won’t be able to watch all of ‘Crisis’ through Crave.
For context:
- Part 1: Supergirl (not yet on Netflix Canada)
- Part 2: Batwoman (not streaming in Canada)
- Part 3: Flash (streaming on Netflix Canada)
- Part 4: Arrow (streaming on Crave)
- Part 5: DC’s Legends of Tomorrow (coming to Crave on September 18th)
Sadly, this is the downside to a shared universe of shows being split across different streaming services due to unique licensing agreements.
Original release date: October 2019 to January 2020
Crave release date: September 11th, 2020
Genre: Action, drama, superhero
Runtime: 10 episodes (about 43 minutes each)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 91 percent (based on 120 reviews)
Stream all eight seasons of Arrow here.
Blood Quantum
Immune to a zombie plague affecting the larger population, a Quebec First Nations community must fight to survive against the infected white corpses swarming its reserve.
Blood Quantum was written and directed by Listuguj, Quebec’s Jeff Burnaby (Rhymes for Young Ghouls), Qu’Appelle Valley, Saskatchewan’s Michael Greyeyes (Woman Walks Ahead), Vancouver’s Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers (Unclaimed), Kiowa Gordon (The Twilight Saga) and Akwesasne’s Brandon Oakes (Through Black Spruce).
The film was shot on the Kahnawake and Listuguj reserves in Quebec, as well as in Campbellton, New Brunswick.
Original release date: April 28th, 2020 (digital platforms)
Crave release date: September 11th, 2020
Genre: Horror
Runtime: 1 hour, 37 minutes
Rotten Tomatoes score: 90 percent (based on 89 reviews)
Stream Blood Quantum here. Note that a $19.98/month Crave + Movies + HBO subscription is required.
Coastal Elites
Five people living in New York City and Los Angeles navigate the challenges of living in a COVID-19 world.
Coastal Elites was directed by Jay Roach (Bombshell) and stars Bette Midler (Gypsy), Sarah Paulson (American Horror Story), Kaitlin Dever (Booksmart), Toronto’s own Dan Levy (Schitt’s Creek) and Issa Rae (Insecure).
Notably, the film was shot remotely amid the pandemic.
Crave/HBO release date: September 12th, 2020 at 8pm ET
Genre: Comedy
Runtime: 1 hour, 27 minutes
Rotten Tomatoes score: 69 percent (based on 13 reviews)
Stream Coastal Elites here. Note that a $19.98/month Crave + Movies + HBO subscription is required.
Just Mercy
Based on Bryan Stevenson’s memoir of the same name, Just Mercy follows a young defence attorney as he fights to appeal the conviction of a man who was falsely imprisoned for murder.
Just Mercy was co-written and directed by Destin Daniel Cretton (Short Term 12) and stars Michael B. Jordan (Black Panther), Jamie Foxx (Django Unchained), Brie Larson (Room) and Tim Blake Nelson (The Ballad of Buster Scruggs).
In addition to using Just Mercy to help promote Stevenson’s Equal Justice Initiative, which works to exonerate the wrongfully convicted in the U.S., Warner Bros. has also leveraged the film to raise awareness for Innocence Canada, the Canadian equivalent. These are both great causes that can always use more support.
It’s also worth pointing out that Cretton is currently filming Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Marvel’s first-ever film with an Asian lead, starring none other than Mississauga, Ontario’s own Simu Liu (Kim’s Convenience).
Original theatrical release date: December 25th, 2019
Crave release date: September 12th, 2020
Genre: Biographical, legal drama
Runtime: 2 hours, 17 minutes
Rotten Tomatoes score: 84 percent (based on 287 reviews)
Stream Just Mercy here. Note that a $19.98/month Crave + Movies + HBO subscription is required.
Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (Season 7)
In the seventh and final season of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Coulson and his allies work to prevent an alien occupation while stranded in time.
Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. was created by Joss Whedon (The Avengers), Jed Whedon (Dollhouse) and Maurissa Tancharoen (Dollhouse) and stars Clark Gregg (The Avengers), Ming-Na Wen (Mulan), Chloe Bennet (Nashville), Elizabeth Henstridge (The Thompsons) and Henry Simmons (NYPD Blue).
Original TV broadcast run: May to August 2020 (CTV in Canada)
Crave release date: September 11th, 2020
Genre: Action, drama, sci-fi, superhero
Runtime: 13 episodes (about 43 minutes each)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 100 percent (based on 14 reviews)
Stream Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. here.
Unpregnant
After she finds out she can’t get an abortion in her home state of Missouri without her parents’ permission, a teenager convinces her old friend to take a road trip with her to Albuquerque to get one.
Based on the novel of the same name by Ted Caplan and Jenni Hendriks, Unpregnant was co-written and directed by Rachel Lee Goldenberg (A Deadly Adoption) and stars Haley Lu Richardson (The Edge of Seventeen), Barbie Ferreira (Euphoria), Alex MacNicol (The Society), Breckin Meyer (Robot Chicken), Giancarlo Esposito (Breaking Bad) and Toronto’s own Sugar Lyn Beard (YTV’s The Zone).
Unpregnant is one of several originals from U.S.-only streaming service HBO Max that is available exclusively on Crave in Canada as part of Bell’s deal with Time Warner Media.
Crave/HBO Max release date: September 10th, 2020
Genre: Comedy
Runtime: 1 hour, 43 minutes
Rotten Tomatoes score: 89 percent (based on 18 reviews)
Stream Unpregnant here. Note that a $19.98/month Crave + Movies + HBO subscription is required.
A standard Crave subscription costs $9.99/month, with Starz adding another $5.99/month and HBO an additional $9.99/month.
The full list of movies and shows that are coming to Crave this month can be found here.
Netflix
The Babysitter: Killer Queen [Netflix Original]
Two years after the events of The Babysitter, Cole is now a junior high student whose life is made a living hell by the demons of his past.
The Babysitter: Killer Queen was co-written and directed by McG (The Babysitter) and features returning cast members Judah Lewis, Hana Mae Lee, Bella Thorne, Andrew Bachelor and Toronto’s own Robbie Amell, as well as newcomer Jenna Ortega (You).
Netflix Canada release date: September 10th, 2020
Genre: Horror-comedy
Runtime: 1 hour, 43 minutes
Rotten Tomatoes score: 33 percent (based on 18 reviews)
Stream The Babysitter: Killer Queen here.
Julie and the Phantoms [Netflix Original]
Julie lost her passion for music after her mother died, but her love for the art form is rekindled when she joins a band with three ghostly spirits.
Based on the Brazilian series of the same name, Julie and the Phantoms was created by Dan Cross (Two of a Kind) and David Hodge (debut project), choreographed and produced by Kenny Ortega (High School Musical series) and stars Madison Reyes (debut role), Charles Gillespie (2nd Generation), Owen Joyner (Knight Squad) and Jeremy Shada (Adventure Time).
It’s worth noting that the series was filmed in Vancouver.
Netflix Canada release date: September 10th, 2020
Genre: Musical
Runtime: Nine episodes (25 to 38 minutes each)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 87 percent (based on 15 reviews)
Stream Julie and the Phantoms here.
The Social Dilemma [Netflix Original]
Tech experts sound off on the dangers of social networking.
Netflix Canada release date: September 9th, 2020
Genre: Documentary
Runtime: 1 hour, 34 minutes
Rotten Tomatoes score: 33 percent (based on 18 reviews)
Stream The Social Dilemma here.
A ‘Basic’ Netflix subscription costs $9.99/month, a ‘Standard’ subscription (HD-supported) costs $13.99/month and a ‘Premium’ membership is priced at $16.99/month (4K-supported).
The full list of movies and shows that are coming to Netflix Canada this month can be found here.
What are you planning on streaming this weekend? Let us know in the comments!
For more recommendations, check out last week’s Streaming in Canada column here.
Image credit: HBO
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