Binge-Worthy: Black Cake, Rustin, Maxine’s Baby, Good Burger 2 & Dashing Through The Snow.
Some of the season’s most anticipated releases are streaming right now. And since we’ve had the liberty of seeing each film in advance, we’ve saved you some time by providing a list of what we consider must-see-streaming. Step into the trailers, each synopsis, and our notes below! We got you!
Black Cake on Hulu.
SYNOPSIS: Based on The New York Times-bestselling book by Charmaine Wilkerson, “Black Cake” is a family drama wrapped in a murder mystery with a diverse cast of characters and a global setting. The story takes place in Jamaica, Italy, Scotland, England and Southern California. In the late 1960s, a runaway bride named Covey disappears into the surf off the coast of Jamaica and is feared drowned or a fugitive on the run for her husband’s murder. In present day California, a widow named Eleanor Bennett, loses her battle with cancer, leaving her two estranged children, Byron and Benny, a flash drive that holds previously untold stories of her journey from the Caribbean to America. These stories, narrated by Eleanor, shock her children and challenge everything they thought they knew about their family’s origin.
This is by far the most compelling series we’ve seen all year. New episodes stream on Hulu each Wednesday. The finale episode is this Wednesday (the 6th), you have time to catch up. It’s amazing!
Rustin on Netflix.
Synopsis: The architect of 1963’s momentous March on Washington, Bayard Rustin was one of the greatest activists and organizers the world has ever known. He challenged authority, never apologized for who he was, what he believed, or who he desired. And he did not back down. He made history, and in turn, he was forgotten. Directed by DGA Award and five-time Tony Award winner George C. Wolfe and starring Emmy Award winner Colman Domingo, Rustin shines a long overdue spotlight on the extraordinary man who, alongside giants like the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr., Adam Clayton Powell Jr., and Ella Baker, dared to imagine a different world, and inspired a movement in a march toward freedom. Produced by Academy Award winner Bruce Cohen, Higher Ground's Tonia Davis and George C. Wolfe, the film features an all-star cast including Chris Rock, Glynn Turman, Aml Ameen, Gus Halper, CCH Pounder, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Johnny Ramey, Michael Potts, with Jeffrey Wright and Audra McDonald. Screenplay by Julian Breece and Academy Award winner Dustin Lance Black. Story by Julian Breece, Executive produced by Higher Ground’s Barack & Michelle Obama, Mark R. Wright, Alex G. Scott, David Permut, Daniel Sladek, Chris Taaffe. The film’s score was composed by 3-time Grammy-winning saxophonist, composer, bandleader, and music historian Branford Marsalis. Multiple Grammy Award winner Lenny Kravitz also contributed an original song, “Road To Freedom.”
The emotions this film evokes are both riveting and transformational. The story of Baynard Rustin deserves to be told, and we are glad it finally is. Rustin is streaming now on Netflix.
Maxine’s Baby on Prime Video.
SYNOPSIS: Writer, actor, filmmaker, studio head and media titan, Tyler Perry, is America’s consummate multihyphenate. But underneath this entertainment behemoth is a man working humbly to heal his childhood trauma by transforming his pain into promise. Maxine’s Baby: The Tyler Perry Story, a nod to his mother’s love, is a tender and intimate portrait of visionary and innovator Tyler Perry: his harrowing but faithful road to the top of an industry that didn’t always include him. With unfettered access, directors/filmmakers Gelila Bekele and Armani Ortiz lead us into the inner-world of a man, whose story has never fully been told, as he becomes a father and a media mogul with a mission to pave his own road to the top. The product is a profound lesson on remembering where you came from to know where you want to go.
This is one of THEE best documentaries we’ve seen thus far. Tyler’s story is inspiring and aspirational. It’s streaming now on Prime Video.
Good Burger 2 on Paramount +
Synopsis: Sequel to the 1997 film 'Good Burger'. Calling all dudes—buckle up, because the new adventures of Ed and Dex start now! Your favorite fast food duo is back and serving up nostalgic laughs and new antics in Good Burger 2.
If you grew up watching this movie, then you’re in for a treat because the sequel picks up where the original left off. It’s a great family movie you’re sure to enjoy.
It’s streaming now on Paramount+
Dashing Through The Snow on Disney+
SYNOPSIS: “Dashing Through the Snow,” which will debut November 17, 2023, exclusively on Disney+. A hilarious and touching story about a social worker for the Atlanta police department and the Christmas Eve journey that helps him to remember the joy and magic of the yuletide season, the film stars Lil Rel Howery and Chris “Ludacris” Bridges.
Eddie Garrick (Chris “Ludacris” Bridges) is a good-hearted man who has turned his back on Christmas due to a traumatic childhood experience. At the request of his wife Allison Garrick (Teyonah Parris), from whom he is separated, Eddie takes his 9-year-old daughter Charlotte (Madison Skye Validum) out with him on Christmas Eve, where they meet a mysterious man in a red suit named Nick (Lil Rel Howery). Eddie, who is a social worker, thinks the man is delusional and needs professional help, but when he evokes the wrath of a local politician (Oscar Nuñez), he and his daughter are taken on a magical adventure that just might restore his faith in Christmas.
One of the best Christmas movies this season. Take our word for it.
Dashing Through the Snow is streaming now on Disney+