theBUZZ Features
What’s New on Netflix – January 2021
Bryen Dunn
See below for select BUZZ Picks of movies and series that will be added to Netflix in January 2021.
Avail. 1/1/20
Headspace Guide to Meditation — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Take a deep breath and start the new year by being kind to your mind with the new Netflix original series Headspace Guide to Meditation. Over the course of eight animated episodes, Andy Puddicombe—former Buddhist monk and co-founder of the globally beloved Headspace meditation app—takes viewers through the benefits and science behind meditation. Each 20-minute episode showcases a different mindfulness technique that aids in the practice of meditation—focusing on subjects such as stress, sleep, and letting go—and ends with a guided meditation at the finale of every chapter. Headspace Guide to Meditation provides a moment of stillness and illustrates that practicing meditation is easy and accessible for everyone. Headspace Guide to Meditation is the first of three series with Headspace and Vox Media Studios, with subsequent series to include Headspace Guide to Sleep and an interactive experience.
The Minimalists: Less Is Now — NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY
They’ve built a movement out of minimalism. Longtime friends Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus share how our lives can be better with less.
What Happened to Mr. Cha? — NETFLIX FILM
With the peak of his career long behind him, an actor clings to his past glory — until a sudden wake-up call forces him to face who he’s become.
Avail. 1/2/20
Asphalt Burning (Børning 3) — NETFLIX FILM
When the brakes slam on his wedding, Roy accepts a challenge from a new foe to race for his runaway bride at the iconic Nürburgring track in Germany.
Avail. 1/5/20
History of Swear Words — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
An education in expletives: the history lesson you didn’t know you needed. History of Swear Words, hosted by Nicolas Cage, is a loud and proudly profane series that explores the origins, pop culture-usage, science and cultural impact of curse words. Through interviews with experts in etymology, pop culture, historians and entertainers, the six-episode series dives into the origins of “F**k”, “Sh*t”, “B*tch”, “D**k”, “Pu**y”, and “Damn”. History of Swear Words features Joel Kim Booster, DeRay Davis, Open Mike Eagle, Nikki Glaser, Patti Harrison, London Hughes, Jim Jefferies, Zainab Johnson, Nick Offerman, Sarah Silverman, Baron Vaughn, and Isiah Whitlock Jr.
Avail. 1/6/20
Surviving Death — NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY
From director and executive producer, Ricki Stern (Reversing Roe, Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work), and based on best-selling author and journalist Leslie Kean’s book, Surviving Death is an in-depth investigative series exploring the possibility of an afterlife. Over six episodes, Surviving Death explores questions that have been contemplated throughout time: What does it mean to die, and is death the end of our existence? Weaving together innovative new research with firsthand accounts from those who’ve been close to—and even experienced—death, the series takes viewers on an extraordinary journey into a world beyond human existence as we know it.
Tony Parker: The Final Shot — NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY
This documentary examines the background and career of Tony Parker, whose determination led him to become one of the greatest French basketball players.
Avail. 1/7/20
Pieces of a Woman — NETFLIX FILM
A heartbreaking home birth leaves a woman grappling with the profound emotional fallout, isolated from her partner and family by a chasm of grief.
Avail. 1/8/20
Charming — NETFLIX FILM
On the eve of his 21st birthday, an adored prince must find his one, true soulmate before a spell takes away all love from his kingdom.
Inside the World’s Toughest Prisons: Season 5 — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Raphael Rowe, who spent years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit, volunteers to go behind bars in the Philippines, Greenland and South Africa.
Lupin — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Inspired by the adventures of Arsène Lupin, gentleman thief Assane Diop sets out to avenge his father for an injustice inflicted by a wealthy family.
Pretend It’s a City — NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY
Writer Fran Lebowitz discusses life in New York City as a reader, walker and incisive observer of the changes in contemporary culture and the city.
Stuck Apart (Azizler) — NETFLIX FILM
Knee-deep in a midlife crisis, Aziz seeks solace from his mundane job, lonesome friends and rowdy family as he puts on an act of sanity.
Avail. 1/11/20
CRACK: Cocaine, Corruption & Conspiracy — NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY
In the early 1980s, the crack epidemic tore through America’s inner cities like a tsunami, ravaging all in its wake. Decades later, the destructive effects on people’s lives, families and communities are still deeply felt. From award-winning filmmaker Stanley Nelson, Crack: Cocaine, Corruption & Conspiracy examines not only the personal devastation caused by the drug, but also the shadowy origins of the crisis and the resultant, ongoing marginalization of Black and Brown people trapped by the U.S. prison and healthcare systems.
Avail. 1/13/20
Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer — NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY
Beneath the sunlit glamor of 1985 L.A. lurks a relentless serial killer, a willing acolyte of evil. Two detectives won’t rest until they catch him.
Avail. 1/15/20
Bling Empire — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Bling Empire follows a wildly wealthy group of Asian and Asian American friends (and frenemies) in Los Angeles. While their days and nights are filled with fabulous parties and expensive shopping sprees, don’t let the glitz and glamour fool you. Between running multi-billion dollar businesses and traveling the world, these friends are as good at keeping secrets as they are at spilling them. And there is certainly no shortage of secrets.
Double Dad (Pai Em Dobro) — NETFLIX FILM
While her mother is abroad, an 18-year-old who’s lived in a hippie commune all her life sneaks out into the real world to find her biological father.
Outside the Wire — NETFLIX FILM
Set in the future, Harp (Damson Idris), a drone pilot, is sent into a deadly militarized zone where he finds himself working for Leo (Anthony Mackie), an android officer, tasked to locate a doomsday device before the insurgents do. Outside the Wire is directed by Mikael Håfström
Avail. 1/20/20
Daughter From Another Mother (Madre solo hay dos) — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Two very different women form a peculiar family when they discover that their 6-month-old children were erroneously exchanged at birth.
Avail. 1/21/20
Riverdale: Season 5 — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Archie and the gang are back for another season of this teen drama. New episodes weekly.
Avail. 1/22/20
So My Grandma’s a Lesbian! (Salir del ropero) — NETFLIX FILM
When Eva’s grandmother decides to marry her best friend, Celia, Eva worries what her conservative fiancé and his family will think.
The White Tiger — NETFLIX FILM
The ambitious driver for a rich Indian family uses his wit and cunning to escape from poverty and become an entrepreneur. Based on the bestselling novel.
Avail. 1/23/20
Love (ft. Marriage and Divorce) — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Everything comes unraveling for three successful women who work on a radio show as twists, turns and troubles plague their seemingly happy marriages.
Avail. 1/26/20
Snowpiercer: Season 2 — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
It’s another season of the post-apocalyptic drama in which Earth has frozen over and the last surviving humans live on a giant train circling the globe. New episodes weekly.
Avail. 1/27/20
Penguin Bloom — NETFLIX FILM
Penguin Bloom tells the true story of Sam Bloom (Academy Award nominated Naomi Watts), a young mother whose world is turned upside down after a near-fatal accident leaves her unable to walk.
Avail. 1/29/20
Below Zero (Bajocero) — NETFLIX FILM
When a prisoner transfer van is attacked, the cop in charge must fight those inside and outside while dealing with a silent foe: the icy temperatures.
The Dig — NETFLIX FILM
When a wealthy widow hires an amateur archeologist to excavate burial mounds on her estate, they uncover history-changing treasure.
Finding ‘Ohana — NETFLIX FILM
A summer in rural Oahu takes an exciting turn for two Brooklyn-raised siblings when a journal pointing to long-lost treasure sets them on an epic adventure with new friends, and leads them to reconnect with their Hawaiian heritage.
We Are: The Brooklyn Saints — NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY
From Emmy-award winning filmmaker Rudy Valdez (The Sentence), Imagine Documentaries, and Disarming Films comes We Are: The Brooklyn Saints, a four-part documentary series following a youth football program in the heart of inner city East NY, Brooklyn. Geared towards boys 7-13 years old, the Brooklyn Saints program is more than a sport – it’s a family, and a vehicle for opportunity. Through intimate verité footage, the series immerses us in the world of Brooklyn Saints football and their community, chronicling the personal stories of the driven young athletes, as well as the support system and challenges of coaches and parents rallying behind them. Over the course of a season, we witness the Saints’ power on and off the field, as they celebrate victories and overcome losses, both personal and athletic. Raw and authentic, the pressures of adolescence unfolds in real time as the boys work to propel themselves to a brighter future.
NETFLIX FILM
So My Grandma’s a Lesbian! (Salir del ropero)
NETFLIX ORIGINAL DOCUMENTARIES
CRACK: Cocaine, Corruption & Conspiracy
Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer
The Netflix Afterparty — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
The Netflix Afterparty is a first-of-its-kind weekly comedy panel show where comedians, casts, and creators come to chat about the buzziest shows and films. Hosts David Spade, Fortune Feimster, and London Hughes will also be joined by a different Netflix comedian to round out the panel.
About the Author
Bryen Dunn is a freelance journalist with a focus on travel, lifestyle, entertainment and hospitality. He has an extensive portfolio of celebrity interviews with musicians, actors and other public personalities. He enjoys discovering delicious eats, tasting spirited treats, and being mesmerized by musical beats.
