Reel Review Mom

Here’s what new to streaming this weekend (that I’ve watched or would want to watch), August 15, 2025...

Movies

• Legend of Ochi (HBO/Max) – A shy farm girl, Yuri, raised to fear the mythical Ochi, discovers an injured baby and defies her militant father to return it home—unearthing family secrets and forging empathy between humans and mysterious creatures. I watched/reviewed this movie back in May…. So, if you are a child of the ’80s and you watch this movie, you will without a doubt see the parallels and strong similarities between Ochi and Gizmo from the Gremlins. You remember those movies, which helped define our youth and were wildly popular in the ’80s? Yeah…..you remember them unless you lived under a rock! Obviously the writer of this script, “Legend of Ochi”, remembered Gizmo too. The creature is cute enough, the movie is good, just I didn’t like how similar it felt to the Gremlins. Also, I didn’t like the cheap Scandinavian/Ukraine worker-children vibe it’s putting off either. But still, maybe watch it.
• Sharp Corner (Hulu) – Josh McCall thought moving his family to the countryside meant peace, quiet, and maybe a few backyard BBQs. Instead? Their dream home sits right on a deadly curve where speeding cars keep crashing—literally—into their yard. Freak accidents turn into an obsession, and Josh becomes the self-appointed guardian of “Sharp Corner,” learning CPR, setting up gear, and watching the road like a hawk. But as his rescue missions get more intense, his marriage frays, his kid’s freaked out, and the line between hero and unhinged starts blurring fast. Buckle up—I have a feeling this is one wild/twisted ride.
• Freaky Tales (HBO/Max) – I will literally watch this movie just because Pedro Pascal is in it and I love his quirkiness. 1987 Oakland goes absolutely bonkers in Freaky Tales, a wild anthology where punk crews, a kick-ass female rap duo, a desperate debt collector, a corrupt cop, and an NBA star all collide in flash-bang showdowns, rap battles, and trippy supernatural vibes. Blood flies, guitars scream, and green lightning zaps through each story. Supposedly there’s a bunch of cameo-loaded goings-on & critics say it’s a ‘freaky, nostalgic, genre-bending thrill ride that’ll have you shouting’, “That was insane—in a good way!” We shall see!
• Final Destinations 5: Bloodline (HBO/Max) – I’ve already watched the newest installment in the Final Destination series and I really enjoyed it! Let’s be honest – we watch these movies for the AMAZING death scenario at the beginning and this one is awesome. Here’s the plot though: College student Stefani Reyes keeps getting haunted by a nightmare—her grandma once cheated Death in a 1969 tower disaster, and now Death’s coming for the whole family. She races home for answers, gets a creepy survival handbook, and meets the legendary Bludworth. Cue wild Rube Goldberg–style freak-outs—MRI machines gone rogue, chain-reaction carnage, runaway trains, and nuts-to-the-max dark humor. Stefani and her brother fight fate, but Death always wins. It’s gore, thrills, and twisted LOLs served with a serious side of “you can’t cheat destiny.” Final Destination just got fresh, epic, and straight-up savage.
  

TV Shows/Series

• Alien: Earth (FX on Hulu) – The 1st two episodes were released this week. I wrote up a review regarding my thoughts on the whole thing, but you should check it out & see what you think!
• Fit for TV: The Reality of the Biggest Loser (Netflix) – I love documentaries AND I used to watch The Biggest Loser back in the day, so I’m going to give this a watch this weekend. The official description is, “The three-part documentary series takes a deep dive into the harms and horrors caused by the long-running NBC reality weight-loss competition.”
• The Serial Killer’s Apprentice (HBO/Max; premieres Sunday) – I love true crime tv shows/documentaries and this one seems promising! In the ’70s, Texas teen Elmer Wayne Henley thought he was teaming up with a friend—turns out, that “friend” was serial killer Dean Corll. What followed? Dark twists, bad choices, and a jaw-dropping true-crime tale that’s stranger than any horror movie.
• The Foundation (Apple TV) – I’ve been watching this show since it was first released and we are now in Season 3. I absolutely love Lee Pace….he’s great in anything, I swear. I haven’t started Season 3 yet, as I like to wait to binge all at once, vs. watching one episode every week. If you haven’t watched The Foundation yet, then here’s the general storyline: Imagine a sprawling galactic empire teetering on the edge of collapse—enter Hari Seldon, a genius mathematician armed with “psychohistory,” a wild formula that can predict humanity’s future. He boldly declares the Empire’s imminent fall and launches a rebel squad to a barren world to build the Foundation—a brainy civilization-saver glowing with futuristic promise. Along the ride: cloned emperors, flashy space elevators crashing into futuristic cities, bold heroes in cryosleep, mind-bending math, robot loyalties, and a fiery clash between destiny and rebellion. Big brains. Bigger stakes. Entire galaxies on the brink. Welcome to the ultimate sci-fi flex!
  
  

Well, that’s it for now…..let me know what you think and if you have any recommendations to share for what to watch! 🙂