Category: Worldwide

Last Updated: January 26th, 2021

There’s rarely been a time in recent history in which travel has been more out of reach. That means we all have to live out our travel dreams vicariously for now. Enter the travel TV genre — our most straightforward path to inspirational and aspirational escapism.

No network has changed the game more in recent years than Netflix when it comes to providing a great list of travel shows that’ll motivate you to hit the road one day while scratching that wanderlust itch between trips. But this being Netflix, there’s a dearth of content to sort through. Knowing where to start and which shows are worth your binging time is tough.

We’re here to help. The fifteen travel series below are the best Netflix has to offer right now. We’ve gone ahead and ranked them, though we have to point out that these rankings represent minor quibbles at most. We also tried to cover multiple types of travel shows from the standard food+travel series to nature shows to reality TV travel escapism.

Let’s dive in!

15. The Kindness Diaries

1 season, 10 episodes | IMDb: 8.2/10

There’s a weirdness to people — from the West especially — traveling the developing world “without cash” and bartering their way through. For one, it’s assuming your winning personality and skills are more important to people than, you know, real money for their services. The Kindness Diaries’ wonky premise aside, host Leon Logothetis kind of pulls it off without coming across too much like a colonist.

The show shines in its ability to connect people. Logothetis finds a common thread of humanity through travel that inspires. At the very least, he’s been able to show with certainty that travel is never as expensive as you think it’s going to be.

14. Restaurants On The Edge

1 season, 6 episodes | IMDb: 6.8/10

The “fixer-up” aspect of reality TV is a tried and true concept. Gordon Ramsay has umpteen shows doing just that. Where Restaurants on the Edge stands out is the travel and cultural aspect of the show. Restaurateur Nick Liberato, chef Dennis Prescott, and designer Karin Bohn travel the world and find restaurants with amazing views that are on the edge of shutting down (something that’s become even more heightened given recent global events). They team up with the restaurant’s chefs and owners to turn the place around. The ripple here is that the hosts guide the local owners to delve more deeply into the local culture and have their establishments better represent that scene.

13. Stay Here

1 season, 8 episodes | IMDb: 7.5/10

Designer Genevieve Gorder and real estate expert Peter Lorimer join forces in Stay Here to help homeowners turn their spaces into short-term vacation rentals. This is all about Airbnb’ing your digs even though “Airbnb” is never mentioned. This is a fun and breezy travel show that goes deep enough to show you how much works goes into the sharing-economy to make it actually work for you. In the end, you’ll have a whole new appreciation for that perfect Airbnb you stayed in.

12. The World’s Most Extraordinary Homes

2 seasons, 12 episodes | IMDb: 7.6/10

This show is addictive. Let’s get this out of the way. This is luxury and lifestyle porn first and foremost. It’s a traveling show, we guess, by proxy. However, it’s intoxicating.

The World’s Most Extraordinary Homes takes us inside architectural wonders around the world. These range from the homes of the elites in places like Greece, Los Angeles, and New Zealand to the homes of a fisherman in Japan and writers in Holland. Hosts Piers Taylor (an architect) and Caroline Quentin (a British actor) offer a great entry point. Taylor offers professional insight, while Quentin is the audience’s awed surrogate.

11. Tales By Light

3 seasons, 18 episodes | IMDb: 8.3/10

Tales By Light isn’t your average travel show per se. The focus here is on great travel photographers and how they operate around the world.

The photographers the show follows just happen to be some of the best in the world who have devoted their life to globetrotting to find the absolute best shot. Every corner of the world is covered over three seasons of breathtaking episodes and crazy escapades.

Seriously, one episode is about swimming with anacondas in the Amazon.

10. Night On Earth

1 season, 6 episodes | IMDb: 8.2/10

Shows like Night On Earth offer a glimpse into the world that beckons you out into the wider world. These are the shows that lay a foundation of wanderlust in our young souls. On top of all of that, this show is visually mesmerizing. It’s a trippy, unique, and captivating look at our world, and it’ll make you want to be someone who seeks these places out.

9. Our Planet

1 season, 8 episodes | IMDb: 9.3/10

Our Planet is Netflix’s very own Planet Earth. They even got Sir David Attenborough to narrate this beautiful series. Again, yes, this is a nature series. But, we argue that a series this intriguing and beguiling will stoke your wanderlust fires and get you out there enjoying everything nature has to offer. If this series doesn’t get you itching to see new places on our planet, nothing will.

8. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

1 season, 4 episodes | IMDb: 6.8/10

David Chang’s second Netflix travel and food show is a little broader than Ugly Delicious. This four-part series finds Chang hanging out with big-name celebrities and diving into local food scenes around the world. Seth Rogan shows Chang around Vancouver while getting very stoned. Internet star and model Chrissy Teigen wanders around Marrakesh with the chef. Writer and actor Lena Waithe takes Chang through her Los Angeles. Finally, the show’s final (and best) episode finds Chang hanging out with SNL superstar Kate McKinnon in Cambodia. Overall, this is an easy, fun watch to breeze through on a shut-in Sunday.

7. Ugly Delicious

2 seasons, 12 episodes | IMDb: 7.8/10

Chef David Chang’s food show, Ugly Delicious, is a travel show at its heart. Chang travels the world eating food and talking to people about culture, life, and what they do while experiencing it all for himself — that’s all travel really is. The beauty of the show lies in the lack of pretension — a child-like curiosity really — that Chang carries with him as he travels, talks, and eats. The way Chang travels becomes aspirational with a crazy good dose of food porn along for the ride.

6. Larry Charles’ Dangerous World Of Comedy

1 season, 4 episodes | IMDb: 7.3/10

Larry Charles’ Dangerous World Of Comedy is a travel show at its heart. Acclaimed TV and film comedy director, Larry Charles, travels the world seeking out how comedy is done in war zones, on Indian reservations, in theocracies, in slums, and beyond.

This is the sort of show that takes you deep inside the harder side of life around the world. It’s a part behind-the-scenes look at TV comedy around and a part subversive travelogue with a keen eye on finding the grey areas of life and comedy in places few dare to travel. Plus, it’s only four one-hour episodes, making this one a very easy binge.

5. Dark Tourist

1 season, 8 episodes | IMDb: 7.6/10

David Farrier’s Dark Tourist isn’t what you think it is. This isn’t about the western gaze, looking down upon the weird or “other.” Farrier’s nuanced approach to travel and diversity shines through as he parses some of the lesser-known parts of varying cultures.

The show shines in its ability to hook you in from the first frames. Episodes about vampires in New Orleans, Pablo Escobar’s hitmen, and haunted forests offer a glimpse into the unknown in our world without judgment.

4. Somebody Feed Phil

4 seasons, 22 episodes | IMDb: 8.2/10

Phil Rosenthal has cut out a pretty great second act after his days running Everybody Loves Raymond. Rosenthal is traveling around the world eating great food, meeting people, and seeing new places he thought he’d never see.

Rosenthal is on a trip of discovery. There’s a clear food focus to the show. But, really, the series ends up being just as much about the journey as a great meal with new friends.

3. Street Food

2 season, 15 episodes | IMDb: 8/10

This series from the creators of Chef’s Table leans more heavily into the travel aspect of great cooking. The series highlights street food vendors across East Asia, Mexico, and Central and South America through two seasons. The series revels in letting those vendors tell their stories and highlighting the food they make with that now iconic Chef’s Table aesthetic. The bonus is that each episode clocks in at around 30 minutes, making this a very easy and enjoyable binge any time.

2. MeatEater

3 seasons, 29 episodes | IMDb: 7.8/10

This is probably the most interesting and unique travel (and food) show on this list. Steve Rinella’s MeatEater might be the best nature-meets-travel-meets-food show, full stop. Rinella and his crew travel around the U.S., Mexico, and even parts of South America to embrace nature in the most visceral way, through hunting and fishing for their own food and then cooking that food, providing us with wild recipes to boot. We’re not kidding when we say that the wild places this show goes are the places you almost never see on the average travel show, which is usually obsessed with hitting the same old spots over and over again (looking at you Rosenthal and Chang).

Yes, hunting or fishing for food is the core of each trip. Still, with sourcing your own wild food being one of the fastest-growing food movements in America (far outpacing veganism with people under 40), MeatEater offers real-world advice as an entry-point to the wild spaces of the world and the food available therein. It’s also about the people around the world who live their lives in harmony with nature. Add in the beautiful cinematography (from the same crew as Bourdain’s shows) and you have a great watch.

1. Down to Earth with Zac Efron

1 season, 8 episodes | IMDb: 8.1/10

This show was the sleeper hit of the travel TV world in 2020. Yes, it premiered during a pandemic when we can’t travel, making it an easy hit. But the show really has some serious heart and insight. Viewing the world through Zac Efron’s always wide-eyes proved really refreshing. His excitement to be seeing the world and trying on new ideas while also making an effort to step out of the most well-worn paths made for solid TV.

There’s a real soul to this show that gets to what’s beautiful about travel. It captures the spirit of wanderlust — learning about the world while learning about yourself.

Despite repeatedly claiming he’s working on it, George R.R. Martin has been taking his sweet time with The Winds of Winter, the penultimate novel in A Song of Ice and Fire. This July even marks the 10th anniversary of A Dance with Dragons, the series’ last novel. Meanwhile, HBO has been busy, planning a series of Game of Thrones prequels and spin-offs and what-have-yous, hoping to fill that void left by the show, which ended almost two years ago. To the increasingly towering pile of possible shows, you can now add an animated one as well.

This comes from The Hollywood Reporter, which reports that a cartoon version is in the early stages of development. How early? So early that it could still fall through entirely — and so early that nothing is known about it, including whether or not it will feature lots of dragons. One presumes the answer is yes, not the least because it’s a whole lot easier to animate a dragon than do a life-like one in CGI that hobnobs with flesh-and-blood characters.

Should the animated Game of Thrones show get off the ground, it will join a growing cadre of other GoT shows, among them House of the Dragon, a prequel about House Targaryen, which will star Ready Player One and Sound of Metal actress Olivia Cooke. That one’s officially a go, but other programs that are still being bandied about include an adaptation of Martin’s novella series Tales of Dunk and Egg. That said, surely what everyone wants is some cartoon dragons.

(Via THR)

To some, Werner Herzog is an austere and bold filmmaker, one of the leading lights to emerge from the New German Cinema. To most people, though, he’s the forever welcome weirdo who crops up to steal bits of things like Parks and Recreation, that Penguins of Madagascar spinoff, and, of course, The Mandalorian. He’s a great interview, too, prone to, say, calling Jon Favreau a “coward.” So, when he was randomly interviewed for a skateboarding culture site Jenken — why not! — it was the opposite of boring.

Why was the director of Aguirre, the Wrath of God and Fitzcarraldo interviewed about skateboarding? It’s not clear! But he threw himself whole hog into the subject, even though it was new to him. “I am puzzled because I am not familiar with the scene of skateboarding,” Herzog told his host. “At the same time, I had the feeling that, ‘Yes, that is kind of my people.’”

He even found a perplexing beauty in it. “I see [skateboarders] trying to slide on a metal rail. They do it 25 times and fail. The 26th time, they fail. The 30th… it’s good that you accept failure,” he said. He even found an uniquely Herzogian comparison in the plethora of skateboarding videos. “What comes to mind first and foremost would be Russian Orthodox Church choirs,” he said. “Something that creates this kind of strange feeling of space and sexuality.”

You might ask yourself, “Did the villain from Jack Reacher somehow connect skateboarding to magician David Blaine?” If so, you’re in luck. “I know that David Blaine shouldn’t be trusted in this kind of quest,” he explained. “It’s this kind of absurd quest, and they are meant only for his own publicity.”

You can watch the whole chat in the video above, and then maybe you can chase it with that infamous interview from the mid-aughts in which he’s shot with a BB gun yet still manages to continue talking, even as he bleeds.

(Via The AV Club)

Candace Parker, the reigning WNBA Defensive Player of the Year, two-time league MVP, and one of the most prominent figures in women’s basketball, will be moving back to her hometown of Chicago to play for the Sky in a massive move when WNBA free agency opens next Monday, according to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne.

Parker has spent her entire 13-year career with the Los Angeles Sparks, leading L.A. to a championship in 2016, but will take her talents back home to Chicago to join Allie Quigley, Diamond DeShields, and WNBA assist leader Courtney Vandersloot on a Sky team that finished 6th in the league last season and were bounced in their first round playoff game by the Connecticut Sun. It’s a gigantic shakeup for the league that now positions the Sky as one of the teams to beat in the East, along with the Mystics who will get a number of their stars back for 2021.

Parker averaged 14.7 points and a league-leading 9.7 rebounds a year ago, along with 1.2 steals and 1.2 blocks per game en route to the DPOY trophy. Her defensive presence will be welcome on a Sky team that has immense offensive talent but was fifth-worst in the league in opponent field goal percentage a year ago. On offense, Parker is still a terrific weapon from all three levels, in the paint, the midrange, and as a three-point shooter, connecting on 39.6 percent of her threes in the Wubble.

Not even a week after stealing the show at President Joe Biden’s inauguration, poet laureate Amanda Gorman has landed a historic gig at Super Bowl LV. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announced on Wednesday that Gorman will read an original poem before the big game. This marks the first time that the Super Bowl will open with a poetry reading. The occasion will celebrate three honorary captains, educator Trimaine Davis, nurse manager Suzie Dorner, and veteran James Martin, who have been chosen by the league for their outstanding leadership. Via CNN:

“We are honored to recognize these three individuals who represent the best in all of us,” Goodell said in a statement. “During this incredibly challenging time in our lives, Trimaine, Suzie, and James have exemplified the essence of leadership, each in their own way. We are grateful for their commitment and proud to share their stories and recognize them during this special moment on Super Bowl Sunday.”

Damn, you know you’re awesome at poetry when they’re reading it before football games.

The Super Bowl news arrives shortly after reports that Gorman signed with IMG Models following her breakout performance at the inauguration. According to The Hollywood Reporter, “as Gorman’s partner in the fashion and beauty industries, IMG Models will focus on building her profile through brand endorsements and editorial opportunities.” The young poet also has two books coming out later this year. To the surprise of no one, they’ve already rocketed to the top of Amazon’s bestseller list despite the fact that the poetry collections won’t hit shelves until September.

(Via CNN, The Hollywood Reporter)

Welcome to SNX DLX! While 2021 has been blessing us with a must-cop drop here or there, this week we’re finally back into the full swing of things. Our top five this go-around is absolutely packed with new efforts from Salehe Bembury, who just launched his own Spunge label with two dope hiking-inspired sneakers; Stüssy and Nike, which linked up for a colorful hand-crafted collection; and a continuation of Adidas and Blonde McCoy’s fruitful collaboration.

On the apparel end, we have fresh from Paris Fashion week looks from Hermès and White Mountaineering, a new colorful collection from Teddy Fresh, and a new entry in our “Dud of the Week.” Let’s dive in!

Salehe Bembury x ANTA SB-01/02

Hot of the heels of his recent New Balance collaboration (one of our favorite sneakers of 2020), Salehe Bembury is back with a two sneaker collection made in partnership with Chinese sports label ANTA releasing on his own newly-created Spunge label. Bembury utilizes his usual stylistic tendencies here, offering muted colorways juxtaposed with wild accents and unconventional design lines and shapes. The kicks come in two distinct silhouettes, the SB-01, which is a high top with a bootie, as well as the low-cut SB-2, which is probably one of the dopest streetwear-inspired hiking shoes we’ve ever seen.

Both pairs drop in a number of dope earthy colorways.

The Salehe Bembury x ANTA SB-01 and SB-02 are set to drop on January 26th for a retail price of $90 for the SB-02 and $120 for the SB-01. Shop the pairs exclusively at Spunge or on the aftermarket at StockX.

J. Cole x PUMA DREAMER 2 January 28th

We here at SNX DLX haven’t been the biggest fans of J. Cole’s sneaker output. The PUMA DREAMERS have never been as next-level as Yeezys, they’re not as stylish as anything out of Ivy Park, and, as fars as PUMAs go, they’re far from our favorite silhouette. But we’re really digging on the brand new DREAMER 2.

The DREAMER 2 features a slightly higher profile, giving the sneaker’s upper more visual ratio in relation to the DREAMER’s oversized midsole border. This simple move is a huge improvement over the original design which always looked a bit squished.

The J. Cole x PUMA DREAMER 2 January 28th is set to drop rather shockingly on January 28th for a retail price of $135. Pick up a pair at the PUMA webstore or via Foot Locker.

Adidas UltraBOOST 21

The Adidas UltraBOOST single-handedly changed the footwear market in 2015. Today, Yeezys still utilize the BOOST technology, and just about every brand has since launched their BOOST-equivalent, but Adidas hasn’t really captured that magic with any of the other iterations of the UltraBOOST. The 2021 model, which features a chunkier heel and an overall rounder shape, comes close.

According to Adidas, this new UltraBOOST features 6% more BOOST in the heel, giving you walking-on-cloud-like steps on all terrain. The line drops in a handful of beloved colors, like triple white/black, and pairs with Volt accents.

The Adidas UltraBOOST 21 is set to drop on January 28th for a retail price of $180. Pick up a pair at the Adidas webstore.

Stûssy x Nike Hand-Dyed Air Force 1

We’re getting heavy hippie vibes from Stüssy and Nike’s new Air Force 1 linkup, which dresses the silhouette in 5 extremely limited hand-painted designs that look like what the Nike Grateful Dead Dunks should’ve looked like. We know the Grateful Dead Dunks were huge but look at these! They’re hand-painted, unique, and feel like they truly embody hippie skate culture in a way the Dunks just didn’t.

The Stüssy x Nike Hand-Dyed Air Force 1 is set to drop on January 29th for an unannounced price. Pick up a pair exclusively at the Stüssy webstore.

Blondey x Adidas Superstar “Schwartz Tint”

Pro skater Blondey McCoy is Adidas’ secret weapon. Blondey has consistently dropped some of Adidas’ dopest, most fashionable Superstars and this week he’s kicking off 2021 with a translucent “Schwartz Tint” colorway which will force you to always be on top of your sock game. On its own, the tint looks great — a natural pair for classic black or white socks — but once you start incorporating that tint with some more vibrant colors? It’s practically a new pair of shoes each time you try them on.

The Blondey Adidas Superstar “Schwartz Tint” is set to drop on January 30th for a retail price of $123. Pick up a pair at Adidas UK or THAMES MMXX.

White Mountaineering FW21

Japanese outdoor label White Mountaineering is heating things up with its Fall Winter 2021 collection, which was just unveiled in a digital show at Paris Fashion Week. The functional winter-wear collection consists of sweaters, loose-fitting tapered trousers (which allow for winter layering if you need it, and otherwise just look dope), lush down sweaters, and GORE-TEX equipped Parkas.

Only White Mountaineering could turn the trail into a runway, and us fashion-obsessed nature lovers appreciate that about the label.

The White Mountaineering FW21 collection is shoppable at White Mountaineering’s online store now.

Hermès FW21

Unveiled at this week’s digital Paris Fashion Week, the latest Hermès FW21 collection is the luxury label’s best collection in some time. Featuring a roster of elevated basics, the full FW collection unifies each piece with a great color palette consisting of cumin, wisteria, rough H, frosted blue, licorice, pepper, and petrol blue. Yes, leave it to Hermès to make “Petrol” sound (and look) beautiful.

By taming down the brand’s more luxurious tendencies, Hermès managed to deliver a collection that slots nicely with contemporary streetwear but still features some forward-thinking weirdness — like asymmetric detailing and random out of place pockets.

Hit the Hermès to explore the full collection.

Teddy Fresh x Care Bears Capsule Collection

If you asked me if I thought a Care Bear-themed streetwear collection was a good idea I’d say “of course not,” but that’s probably why I’m not the designer of a fashion label. Leave it to the endlessly imaginative Hila Klein to make a sweat-suit with Care Bears a “must-own” piece of modern streetwear. The second you see it, the collaboration reveals itself as an obvious match, combining the serene and dreamy watercolor aesthetic of OG Care Bears artwork with Teddy Fresh’s high-quality production — including jacquard weaving and all-over printing — and the brand’s love of pastel.

If you feel like you can’t handle an all-over print watercolor Care Bear sweatsuit (live a little), Teddy Fresh also has some tamer options, including a new iteration of their colorblock hoodie that combines the Teddy Fresh teddy with Grumpy Bear.

The Teddy Fresh x Care Bears collection is set to drop on January 28th at Teddy Fresh.

Dud Of The Week: Gentle Monster “UNOPENED: The PROBE” Collection

Here is a piece of advice for all eye-wear brands out there. Don’t try to make futuristic glasses. It never works. Anytime someone tries to make something futuristic, it ends up being dated in a few years. Seoul-based Gentle Monster is only the most recent brand to make that mistake.

Is there something legitimately cool in the brand’s 26 glasses collection? Probably, but we’ll never find out because of this Matrix-meets-computer-art ad-campaign.

In the autumn of 1939, Chiune Sugihara was sent to Lithuania to open the first Japanese consulate there. His job was to keep tabs on and gather information about Japan’s ally, Germany. Meanwhile, in neighboring Poland, Nazi tanks had already begun to roll in, causing Jewish refugees to flee into the small country.

When the Soviet Union invaded Lithuania in June of 1940, scores of Jews flooded the Japanese consulate, seeking transit visas to be able to escape to a safety through Japan. Overwhelmed by the requests, Sugihara reached out to the foreign ministry in Tokyo for guidance and was told that no one without proper paperwork should be issued a visa—a limitation that would have ruled out nearly all of the refugees seeking his help.

Sugihara faced a life-changing choice. He could obey the government and leave the Jews in Lithuania to their fate, or he could disobey orders and face disgrace and the loss of his job, if not more severe punishments from his superiors.

According to the Jewish Virtual Library, Sugihara was fond of saying, “I may have to disobey my government, but if I don’t, I would be disobeying God.” Sugihara decided it was worth it to risk his livelihood and good standing with the Japanese government to give the Jews at his doorstep a fighting chance, so he started issuing Japanese transit visas to any refugee who needed one, regardless of their eligibility.

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What started as 10 or 20 refugees asking for help soon grew to the hundreds. For six weeks in the summer of 1940, Sugihara issued and signed as many visas as he could before he was reassigned, sometimes working 18-hour days. The final tally totaled more than 2139, but experts estimate that 6,000 to 10,000 Jewish lives may have been saved by Sugihara when accounting for children and spouses traveling with the visa-holders.

The problem of the refugees safely making it to Japan was also taken care of by Sugihara. He spoke fluent Russian and managed to negotiate with Moscow for Polish Jews to be granted safe passage through the Soviet Union.

The visas issued by Sugihara would eventually become known as “visas for life,” and according to the Washington Post, an estimated 40,000 to 100,000 people living today can trace their own lives back to those visas. One survivor has dubbed Sugihara the “Japanese Schindler.” (German factory owner Oskar Shindler, of “Schindler’s List” fame, saved the lives of an estimated 1,200 Jews.)

Sugihara’s son, Nobuki, told The Guardian last year that several myths have crept into his father’s story, including that he was signing visas and throwing them off the train as he left and that his wife would massage his hands after long days of signing visas. There’s no evidence that those stories are true, but there’s a lot about his father’s story that was left untold for much of his life.

Nobuki said that he had no idea when he was younger that his father was a WWII hero at all. Sugihara had been unceremoniously dismissed from government work after the war, and through the 1950s and 60s, he’d worked as a trader in a small coastal town in Japan. He didn’t talk about how many lives he had saved with his visas.

It wasn’t until an Israeli diplomat contacted the family in 1969 that Sugihara’s sacrifice and courage came to light, but even then, the significance of it wasn’t clear to Nobuki. But in 1984, two years before he died, Sugihara was declared “righteous among the nations” by Yad Vashem, the Israeli state organization that commemorates the Holocaust—an title that honors non-Jews who risked their lives to save Jews from extermination during the Holocaust. Since then, books and films have been made to share Sugihara’s story.

Chiune Sugihara – Righteous Among the Nations

www.youtube.com

Though the Holocaust is filled with stories of heinousness and horror, there are also gems of humanity that shine out from that darkness and offer hope. Sugihara’s story reminds us that human beings always have a choice to do what’s right over what’s easy or expected. According to the Jewish Virtual Library, when asked why he signed the visas decades after the fact, Sugihara gave two reasons: “They were human beings and they needed help,” he said, adding, “I’m glad I found the strength to make the decision to give it to them.”

HBO Max kicks off the month of February with a couple of straight-to-streaming theatrical releases and even more original series and documentaries to keep fans busy.

Lakeith Stanfield and Daniel Kaluuya compete for Oscar recognition in the powerful biopic Judas and the Black Messiah while Tom & Jerry gives us another energetic, comedic cat-and-mouse game. There are a handful of docuseries landing this month, too, and a couple of notable finales on the TV side of things.

Here’s everything coming to (and leaving) HBO and HBO Max this month.

Judas and the Black Messiah, 2021 (Warner Bros. Film Premiere)
Lakeith Stanfield and Daniel Kaluuya star in the stirring biopic about the life and death of Black Panther Chairman Fred Hampton. Stanfield plays William O’Neal, a petty criminal who infiltrated the Black Panthers in order to spy for the FBI. Kaluuya plays Hampton, a rising star in the movement who falls for a fellow revolutionary and fails to see the betrayal from one of his own before it’s too late.

Tom & Jerry, 2021 (Warner Bros. Film Premiere)
Chloe Grace-Moretz, Michael Pena, and Colin Jost star in this animated reimagining of one of history’s most infamous rivalries. Jerry moves into a swanky New York hotel on the eve of an important wedding so the event planner is forced to hire Tom to get rid of him. A chaotic game of cat-and-mouse ensues, leaving a path of destruction in its wake and threatening the big event and the future of the hotel.

Here’s everything coming to HBO and HBO Max this February:

Dates TBA:
Close Enough, Season 2 Premiere
Esme & Roy, Max Original Series Season 2D Premiere

Avail. 2/1
All Good Things, 2010 (HBO)
The Amityville Horror, 1979 (HBO)
The Amityville Horror, 2005 (HBO)
The Apparition, 2012 (HBO)
Austin Powers in Goldmember, 2002
Austin Powers: International Man Of Mystery, 1997
Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, 1999
Backdraft, 1991 (HBO)
Batman & Robin, 1997
Batman Forever, 1995
Batman Returns, 1992
Batman, 1989
Batman: The Brave and the Bold
Be Cool, 2005 (HBO)
Blade Runner: The Final Cut, 2007
Butter, 2012 (HBO)
Captain Blood, 1935
Chewing Gum
Death Row Stories, Season 5
Deep Down, 2021 (HBO)
Drumline, 2002 (Extended Version) (HBO)
The Four Feathers, 2002 (HBO)
Get A Job, 2016 (HBO)
Get Shorty, 1995 (HBO)
Getting Even With Dad, 1994 (HBO)
Ghoulies II, 1987 (HBO)
Ghoulies, 1985 (HBO)
Giant, 1956
The Graduate, 1967
Growing Up Milwaukee, 2020
Head of the Class
The Investigation, Limited Series Premiere (HBO)
Jacob’s Ladder, 1990 (HBO)
Jason Goes To Hell: The Final Friday, 1993 (HBO)
Justice League
Justice League Unlimited
La Deuda, 2021 (HBO)
Lars And The Real Girl, 2007 (HBO)
The Last Exorcism, 2010 (Extended Version) (HBO)
Lay The Favorite, 2012 (HBO)
Life Of Pi, 2012 (HBO)
Love & Basketball, 2000
The Lucky One, 2012 (HBO)
Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior, 1983
Man of Steel, 2013
The Matrix, 1999
The Matrix Reloaded, 2003
The Matrix Revolutions, 2003
Monkey Shines, 1988 (HBO)
Murder On The Orient Express, 1974 (HBO)
My Bloody Valentine 3-D, 2009 (HBO)
The Neverending Story II The Next Chapter, 1991 (HBO)
Outbreak, 1995
Pathfinder, 2007 (Director’s Cut) (HBO)
Presumed Innocent, 1990
Raw Deal, 1986 (HBO)
Robot Chicken, Season 10B
Safe House, 2012 (HBO)
Saw II, 2005 (Director’s Cut) (HBO)
Saw III, 2006 (Director’s Cut) (HBO)
Saw IV, 2007 (Director’s Cut) (HBO)
Saw V, 2008 (Director’s Cut) (HBO)
Saw VI, 2009 (Director’s Cut) (HBO)
Saw, 2004 (Extended Version) (HBO)
Saw: The Final Chapter, 2010 (Director’s Cut) (HBO)
Selena, 1997
The Shadow, 1994 (HBO)
Sling Blade, 1996 (HBO)
Stop-Loss, 2008 (HBO)
Sunshine Cleaning, 2009 (HBO)
The Goonies, 1985
The Tank, 2017 (HBO)
This Must Be The Place, 2012 (HBO)
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, 2011 (HBO)
Training Day, 2001
Unforgiven, 1992
United Shades of America, Season 5
Up In The Air, 2009 (HBO)
Wildcats, 1986 (HBO)
Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, 1971

Avail. 2/2
A Rodeo Film, ABFF HBO Short Film Competition Finalist (HBO)
A Storybook Ending, ABFF HBO Short Film Competition Finalist (HBO)
Black Boy Joy, ABFF HBO Short Film Competition Finalist (HBO)
The Cypher, ABFF HBO Short Film Competition Finalist (HBO)
Dolapo Is Fine, ABFF HBO Short Film Competition Winner (HBO)
Fake Famous, Documentary Premiere (HBO)

Avail. 2/3
Tacoma FD, Season 2

Avail. 2/4
Haute Dog, Max Original Series
Selena + Chef, Season 2 Finale

Avail. 2/5
Aquaman, 2018
Earwig and the Witch (Studio Ghibli Premiere), 2021
In Other Words, 2021 (HBO)
Vengeance: Killer Coworkers
Vengeance: Killer Lovers
Vengeance: Killer Neighbors

Avail. 2/6
Irresistible, 2020 (HBO)
The Windsors: Inside The Royal Dynasty, 2019

Avail. 2/7
We Bare Bears: The Movie, 2020

Avail. 2/9
Black Art: In The Absence Of Light, Documentary Premiere (HBO)
Gen: Lock, Season 1

Avail. 2/10
C.B. Strike: Lethal White, Season Finale (HBO)

Avail. 2/11
There is No “I” in Threesome, HBO Max Documentary Premiere

Avail. 2/12
Dunkirk, 2017 (HBO)
El Inconveniente (Aka One Careful Owner), 2021 (HBO)
Havana Street Party Presents: Beatriz Luengo (HBO)
Judas and the Black Messiah, Warner Bros. Film Premiere, 2021
Very Scary People, Season 2

Avail. 2/13
The Book Of Eli, 2010 (HBO)

Avail. 2/14
The Lady And The Dale, Documentary Series Finale (HBO)
Last Week Tonight With John Oliver, Season 8 Premiere (HBO)

Avail. 2/15
30 Coins, Season Finale (HBO)
The Batman
Food Wars! The Fourth Plate (Dubbed) (Crunchyroll Collection)
Hot Ones, Season 1
Jimmy Carter: Rock and Roll President, 2020
Static Shock

Avail. 2/18
Arthur’s Law (Dubbed), Max Original Series Premiere
Ben 10, Season 4B
It’s a Sin, Max Original Limited Series Premiere

Avail. 2/19
The Killer Truth, Season 1

Avail. 2/20
Argo, 2012 (Extended Version) (HBO)
Jujutsu Kaisen, Season 1 Episodes 1-12 (Dubbed)

Avail. 2/22
Beartown, Series Premiere (HBO)

Avail. 2/23
Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel (HBO)

Avail. 2/26
Blade Runner 2049, 2017 (HBO)
Lupe, 2021 (HBO)
Painting With John, Season Finale (HBO)
Tom & Jerry, 2021 (Warner Bros. Film Premiere)

Avail. 2/27
Bill And Ted’s Bogus Journey, 1991 (HBO)
Bill And Ted’s Excellent Adventure, 1989 (HBO)
How It Really Happened, Season 5

Here’s Everything Leaving HBO and HBO Max In February:

Leaving 2/5
Storks, 2016 (HBO)

Leaving 2/15
Little, 2019 (HBO)

Leaving 2/20
The Conjuring, 2013

Leaving 2/22
Us, 2019 (HBO)

Leaving 2/28
American Pie, 1999 (HBO)
The Astronaut’s Wife, 1999
Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, 2012 (HBO)
Blow-Up, 1966
Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, 2005
Chinatown, 1974
Cold Mountain, 2003 (HBO)
Congo, 1995 (HBO)
Cowboys & Aliens, 2011 (Unrated Version) (HBO)
Crazy Rich Asians, 2018
The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button, 2008 (HBO)
The Descendants, 2011 (HBO)
The Devil Inside, 2012 (HBO)
Dick Tracy, 1990 (HBO)
Doctor Sleep, 2020 (Director’s Cut) (HBO)
Dolphin Tale, 2011
G.I. Joe: The Rise Of Cobra, 2009
Gangs Of New York, 2002 (HBO)
The Good Liar, 2019 (HBO)
Gun Crazy, 1950
Happy Feet Two, 2011 (HBO)
Harriet, 2019 (HBO)
I Think I Love My Wife, 2007 (HBO)
Idiocracy, 2006 (HBO)
Lean On Me, 1989
The Legend Of Bagger Vance, 2000
Life, 1999 (HBO)
The Little Things, 2021
Logan’s Run, 1976
Lola Versus, 2012 (HBO)
Motherless Brooklyn, 2019 (HBO)
Muriel’s Wedding, 1995 (HBO)
The Mustang, 2019 (HBO)
My Dream Is Yours, 1949
The Omega Man, 1971
On Moonlight Bay, 1951
The Sitter, 2011 (Unrated Version) (HBO)
Soldier, 1998
Soylent Green, 1973
Spies Like Us, 1985
Stephen King’s Needful Things, 1993
Tango & Cash, 1989
Teen Witch, 1989 (HBO)
Westworld (Movie), 1973
Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory, 1971

Ed. note: Every now and then, we’ll publish a piece from the Patreon account of our own Jackson Frank. This week, we’re running with his series of musings from around the NBA titled “To Be Frank,” in which Jackson identifies a number of trends in the league that have piqued his interest. If you’d like to follow along with everything he publishes, subscribe to his Patreon.

Keldon Johnson’s fearless slashing

Among San Antonio’s gaggle of delightful young players is second-year wing Keldon Johnson, who seized an opportunity during the Orlando Bubble last season — averaging 14.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.1 steals on 77.4 percent(!!) true shooting across eight games — and has parlayed that into a breakout sophomore campaign.

Despite a recent lull (12.6 points on 51.2 percent true shooting the last five games), Johnson is still averaging 14.2 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.2 rebounds, and 0.9 steals on 55.9 percent true shooting this year, solidifying himself as a cornerstone of San Antonio’s future.

He’s a 6’5 wing who operates with an unflinching disposition attacking the basket. Nearly 52 percent of his field goals have come in the restricted area and while tunnel vision has plagued his efficiency to a degree (56.7 percent shooting), his strength, contortion and 6’9 wingspan make for some tip-of-the-cap finishes.

Get him downhill and he becomes a bumper car in sneakers, plowing through or wriggling around defenders to convert inside. Despite his physical approach, he’s only committed four charges this season, showcasing body control and discernment to score around the basket.

Watch him have his way on these bulldozes to the tin:

My favorite part of his approach are the times he revs up off the ball, maintaining energetic feet to prime himself for a drive on the catch. It’s a subtle tactic, but one that sets him up to better seize the advantage created by teammates.

Developing a drive-and-kick game to turn off the blinders from time to time and growing even more willing as a long-range shooter (34.6 percent from deep, .277 3-point rate this year) are the next components of Johnson’s refinement. Whether those appear remain to be seen, but either way, I’ll continue enjoying the spunky nature of his rim-running game.

Larry Nance Jr., The Midwestern Thief

Just shy of the NBA’s quarter poll, Larry Nance Jr. is a contender for a silly, makeshift, defensive triple crown. He leads the league in steals per game (2.3) and deflections per game (4.4), and ranks fifth in loose balls recovered per game (1.5). He’s the best defender on the sixth-ranked defense and a legitimate All-Defensive Team candidate.

Whenever I watch the Cavaliers, I find myself drawn to Nance on both ends, but most notably, it’s his proclivity for defensive chaos that pulls me in. The 6’7 wing wields high-level instincts and hands made for cup-stacking competitions that seem lathered in Stickum, launching his limbs onto any ball near him.

Package those traits with acute awareness and timely reaction speed, and you have a versatile defensive playmaker who excels in the passing lanes, at the nail and on the interior:

The diversity of those takeaways resonates prominently and is exactly why Nance should be a prime trade target for many teams (hello, Brooklyn Nets and Boston Celtics). Maybe the Cavaliers stay put and ride their plucky, live-wire group to a play-in berth. Either way, Nance is exactly the sort of role player who shouldn’t have to hang up his kicks until deep into the postseason, and much of it revolves around his malleable, joyful thievery.

Terry Rozier’s elite off-ball shooting

After an inaugural season with the Charlotte Hornets that saw him handle significant on-ball duties and feature his decision-making warts, Terry Rozier is being deployed as a dynamite off-ball shooter in his second year. He’s netting 42.7 percent of his 7.2 triples per game and 46.3 percent of his 4.8 catch-and-shoot threes, the latter of which ranks 10th among 53 players launching at least four a night.

His usage has shifted to reduce his decision-making burden, and it’s unlocking him as a scorer (career-highs of 18.8 points and 59.5 percent true shooting). Only 33.9 percent of his field goals are unassisted this year, compared to 47 percent last year, and his catch-and-shoot three frequency has jumped from 25 percent to 33.3 percent. His spot-up frequency skipped to 24.5 percent (18.8 percent last year). His pick-and-roll frequency is down to 16.4 percent (26.9 percent).

Ranking in the 82nd percentile on spot-ups and 72nd percentile off screens, the sixth-year guard is prospering in a reconstructed role. He turns on the burners to create separation around screens and is capable knocking down jumpers from a variety of challenging angles.

Watching him work as a lethal off-movement shooter is a treat. Scheming threes for him is clearly a priority, and he’s delivering this season, using quickness and footwork for space and sprinting into jumpers.

The Hornets’ stable of playmakers — LaMelo Ball, Gordon Hayward, Devonte’ Graham and P.J. Washington — allow Rozier to be optimized and we’re seeing the dividends in a dazzling long-range exhibition over the first 17 games.

Be wary of Scary Terry, the jitterbug off-ball shooter.

Bam Adebayo’s scoring leap

Largely for reasons outside of their control (I.e.: injuries and COVID protocols), the 6-10 Miami Heat have not been good this season. Bam Adebayo, however, has been tremendous, building upon his All-Star season and playoff run a year ago, while ascending to new levels. Primarily, that ascension has arrived by way of an evolution as an individual scorer.

He’s averaging a career-high 20.7 points (15.9 in 2019-20) on 68.1 percent true shooting. Per 100 possessions, he’s at 30.8 points, zooming past last year’s career-high of 23.1. A career-low 63.8 percent of his field goals are assisted.

After just 89 isolation possessions and 52 jumpers off the dribble in 72 games last year, he’s already amassed 33 and 28, respectively, through 14 games. The efficiency has accelerated, too; he’s not just upping the volume in hopes of adding a long-term strength. He ranks in the 97th percentile in isolation (40th last year) and 94th percentile off the dribble (16th).

I don’t expect those marks to maintain the entire season, but increasing efficiency and volume in a pair of categories that generally requires self-creation is staggeringly impressive. He’s hitting mid-range step-backs, weaponizing rip-throughs, jabs and ball-handling for space, and demonstrating picturesque touch on his in-between game.

A level of comfort and skill convergence as a self-creator emerge on these buckets that lend credence to the forward-thinking viability of Adebayo’s scoring aptitude.

His rate of improvement is phenomenal. This potential development augments the value of his passing and hopes for blossoming into a genuine offensive hub. It adds a layer to his dribble hand-off prowess, too, if defenders have to worry about him stepping into a pull-up rather than solely focusing on containing Duncan Robinson, already a laborious endeavor.

How exactly he balances his traditional responsibilities with newfound talents once Jimmy Butler and Tyler Herro return to the lineup is worth monitoring. But these flashes — terming it as such feels like an undersell? — for Adebayo inspire rosy daydreams of the future. And stripping away any long-term implications, they’re simply fun to witness and that’s how it always should be on the court.

Resident Alien (SyFy, 10:30pm) — Alan Tudyk (Firefly, Rogue One) is an alien. That might be enough to reel you into this show, but just in case, let’s keep going. Alan plays Harry, an alien who crash-landed on Earth and soon occupies himself as a small-town doctor while secretly plotting to murder humans. That doesn’t go so well, and he ends up helping to solve a local murder, which causes him to re-evaluate his morals within his mission. Yep, this looks like the best kind of ridiculousness and is based upon the Dark Horse comic of the same name.

Penguin Bloom (Netflix film) — Naomi Watts (Samantha) and Andrew Lincoln (Cameron) star in this story about a family who holidays in Thailand when tragedy strikes. Sam falls off a rooftop and ends up paralyzed, which sends her lifelong outdoorswoman status flailing. She falls into a depression that makes her question her whole identity, and when her children bring home wounded baby bird (that they call “Penguin”), the process of healing and hope begins for both bird and human family.

Nancy Drew (CW, 8:00pm) — Nancy and her gang are (obviously) hunting for clues on how to fight the Algaeca while George has an unpleasant run-in with Nick’s mother.

C.B. Strike (HBO, 10:00pm) — This series is adapted from the novels of Robert Galbraith (J.K. Rowling) and follows a London-based private detective who investigates the most complex cases with the help of his military training. This week, the story of the strangled child is aided by a startling discovery, but an interruption in the investigation may endanger its conclusion.

The Late Show With Stephen Colbert — Billy Crystal, Rep. Jackie Speier

Jimmy Kimmel Live! — Naomi Watts, Leslie Odom Jr

The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon — Rami Malek, Bridget Everett, Jesus Trejo

Late Night With Seth Meyers — Stanley Tucci, Kate Berlant, Jacqueline Novak

In case you missed these recent picks:

Flack: Season 1 (PopTV series moving to Amazon Prime) — Flack came out two years ago on Pop TV, presumably as a limited series, but all that has changed now. Amazon picked up the Anna Paquin-starring show for an unexpected second season, which will arrive later this year. If you are in need of some guilty-pleasure escapism, consider giving this series a whirl. It’s voyeuristic and at times thrilling to watch. Flack also feels like an amalgamation of many shows and movies you’ve seen before, including The Devil Wears Prada, Scandal, and Sex and the City.

Fate: The Winx Saga (Netflix series) — Based upon the Italian cartoon Winx Club (by Iginio Straffi), this live-action reimagining serves as a coming-of-age tale set in the Otherworld, at a magical boarding school. It’s essentially a journey for five young fairies at the Alfea school, and those with human parents don’t even know that this school doesn’t exist in the “real” world. Expect a lot of teenage drama as the young women hone their powers while dealing with all the usual stuff, like love, rivalries, and monsters.

The Sister: Season 1 (Hulu series) — ITV commissioned this series with Hulu, and it’s already a hit in the U.K. The show’s based upon Burial, a best selling novel by Neil Cross (Luther) and involves a family’s life being rocked into oblivion when a presence from the past literally shows up on the porch with some unwelcome and shocking news. This development, of course, transforms into catastrophic decisions and long-lasting effects that aren’t so desirable.