New to Netflix UK: June 2022
From the highly anticipated return of Borgen to the insightful Jennifer Lopez documentary Halftime, Netflix in June lines up plenty of stars
UK Netflix release date: Tuesday 14 June
So many of us were spellbound by this Scandi political drama – which premiered in 2010 – and its Denmark's prime minister Brigitte Nyborg, the character at the centre of the series, as she leads the country while dealing with your average (Danish) mother/wife life issues.
Borgen - Power & Glory is one of those revivals that are really welcome. It marks the return of Birgitte (the wonderful Sidse Babett Knudsen) from political retirement alongside journalist Katrine Fønsmark (Birgitte Hjort Sørensen); Birgitte’s spin doctor, Kasper Juul (Pilou Asbæk); and TV1 news producer Torben Friis (Søren Malling).
This self-contained eight-part season reflects on current times, with a prescient Russia reference in the opening episode. In the nine years the show has been away, the world has changed. Borgen - Power & Glory is not as light as the original Borgen series, but all for the better.
Halftime
UK Netflix release date: Tuesday 14 June
Obsession with female pop stars isn’t anything new, but a recent flurry of documentaries has plunged deeper than their music and personas. Taylor Swift has Miss Americana, Billie Eilish has The World’s a Little Blurry, and – taking revelations much further – Britney Spears has the explosive Framing Britney Spears. Now, it’s J-Lo’s turn.
Halftime goes behind the scenes for her halftime
show at the Super Bowl. As
she turns 53, she reflects on her singing career, being a mother, and a being Latinx
woman approaching middle age.
Spiderhead
UK Netflix release date: Friday 17 June
Mere weeks after the release of Top Gun: Maverick, Joseph Kosinski once again directs Miles Teller in this new sci-fi psycho-thriller with Chris Hemsworth.
Recalling the manipulative, dystopian experiments in A Clockwork
Orange, Spiderhead follows prisoners wanting to shorten their
sentences by participating in an experimental drug program. The dubious visionary Abnesti (Hemsworth)
develops these psychedelics and examines their impact on the prisoners, which includes
the troubled Jeff (Teller). But the
drugs alter people’s emotions, severing their free will.
Hustle
UK Netflix release date: Friday 8 June
Most people know Adam Sandler from his studio comedies, but they’re only seeing a fraction of his true brilliance. When watching Punch-Drunk Love, The Meyerowitz Stories and Uncut Gems, an underrated dramatic talent emerges.
Sandler
suggests similar vibes in his latest film Hustle, playing the middle-aged
basketball scout Stanley. While abroad, he discovers the unknown Spanish player Bo Cruz (real-life NBA player Juancho Hernangomez) and takes
him back to the US without his team’s permission – believing Bo’s the key to reaching the NBA.
The Umbrella Academy season 3
UK Netflix release date: Wednesday 22 June
Often television is more ambitious and zeitgeist-shifting than the movies, which is clear in the superhero genre – especially with LGBT+ representation. The Umbrella Academy is a superhero series that delights in giving what Hollywood won’t. Think of the pansexual, hedonistic clairvoyant Klaus (Robert Sheehan) or the explosively powerful Vanya, who transitions to Viktor in season three to match actor Elliot Page's own identity as a transgender man.
They’re
part of a dysfunctional family of unheroic heroes who are, of course, the only
ones able to save the world. They achieve that in the season two finale, but
end up landing in an alternate timeline with a different Academy to compete with.
Considering the trend of multiversal madness, it’ll be fascinating to
see where The Umbrella Academy goes with the concept.
Man vs Bee
UK Netflix release date: Friday 24 June
It’s always hard to predict where Rowan Atkinson will turn up next. He appears for the occasional skit or series or Johnny English sequel; he also has a role in the upcoming Willy Wonka prequel. But who could’ve predicted his next character would have an ongoing feud with one of humanity's greatest foes? That’s right: it's him against a bee.
In the creatively named Man vs Bee, Atkinson
plays the clumsy but loveable dad Trevor, who’s found a new job housesitting for a
wealthy owner. He has to keep everything under control in a mansion that houses classic
cars and expensive artwork. But when a bee flies into the place, a
stinging rivalry forms – risking Trevor’s job.
The Netflix in June slate:
Thursday 2 June
Borgen – Power & Glory
Friday 3 June
As the Crow Flies
Floor Is Lava, season 2
Interceptor
Mr. Good: Cop or Crook?
Surviving Summer
Wednesday 8
June
Hustle
Friday 10
June
First
Kill
Tuesday 14
June
Halftime
Wednesday 15
June
God's Favorite Idiot
The
Wrath of God
Thursday 16
June
Love
& Anarchy, season 2
Sing,
Dance, Act: Kabuki featuring Toma Ikuta
Friday 17
June
Spiderhead
Saturday 18
June
SPRIGGAN
Sunday 19
June
Civil:
Ben Crump
Wednesday 22
June
The
Umbrella Academy, season 3
Friday 24
June
Man
vs Bee
Money
Heist: Korea – Joint Economic Area
