Guide
March streaming highlights
by Luca Fontana
March streaming highlights: the films and series you just can’t miss
1.3.2023
Translation: Patrik Stainbrook
New month, new streaming highlights. Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV+ or Sky Show: here’s what’s on streaming services this March.
I know, I know, long listicles like this one can be a tiring affair. So I hope you don’t grow too sleepy while reading the latest tips on series and movies appearing this month on Netflix and Co.
The Mandalorian – Season 3
Two figures emerge from the shadows. One big. Wearing a helmet. Fully clad in Beskar armour. The other small and green with long, pointed ears – floating in an egg-shaped transport box. Din Djarin, the Mandalorian, and Grogu, the Child.
This is the Way.
In season three of arguably the most successful Disney+ series ever, Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) must earn back the respect of his clan. After all, Djarin removed his helmet in front of other living creatures and revealed his face – a gross violation in the Way of the Mand’alore, the legendary code followed by orthodox Mandalorians. «You are a Mandalorian no more,» states the Armourer and leader of his clan. There’s one opportunity for redemption, however: on Mandalore, the Mandalorian home planet devastated by the Empire during the Great Purge and supposedly rendered uninhabitable. That’s where the third season comes in.
Start: 1 March
Where: Disney+
His Dark Materials – Season 3
It’s happened before, attempts to serialise «His Dark Materials» – the fantasy novel series. Namely in 2007. That one was called «The Golden Compass». Despite the star cast featuring Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig among others, the film earned mixed to negative reactions. Especially because some decisive and gloomy moments of the books were changed to make the movie more child-friendly. Director Chris Weitz later blamed the studio and described the whole experience as «terrible».
Plans to continue the planned trilogy fell through. Until HBO tried its hand at those dark materials again in 2019, revisiting the whole thing – but this time in show form. The first season did land quite well with critics and audiences. But not well enough to become a worldwide sensation. That didn’t happen until season two. And if initial reviews are anything to go by, the third and final season will be even better. If that’s not a reason to look forward – or at least to catch up on what you’ve missed – then I don’t know what is.
Update 1 March, 8:12 a.m.: the season is already airing on Sky Show. As we now know, it’ll also be available with German dubbing from 3 March. Thanks to the comments for pointing this out :-)
Start: 3 March
Where: Sky Show with Entertainment Pass
Bullet Train
My review was quite clear: «The sickest trip of the year». I stand by that. Because «Bullet Train», by «John Wick» director David Leitch, is action-packed, crazy and just plain (or should I say, train) wacky.
What’s it about? Principally Ladybug, played by Brad Pitt. He’s a hit man. In fact, he’s one of the best. If only it weren’t for his darn bad luck. Though his jobs are ultimately always successful, all hell breaks loose constantly. Eventually, one too many jobs goes awry, leading Ladybug to accept peaceful missions only – no weapons, no deaths, no murders. Missions like getting on a train, stealing a briefcase and getting off at the next station. You can’t get much simpler than that, right? But fate has other plans for Ladybug. Yet again. His latest assignment puts him on a collision course with the deadliest killers from around the world. All happening on Japan’s fastest train, a bullet train thundering back and forth between Tokyo and Kyoto at 320 kilometres per hour.
«Bullet Train», by the way, has long been available for purchase or rental through popular video-on-demand services. The reason why it appears in this list is because from March, for the first time, it can also be watched for free on Sky Show – apart from subscription fees, of course.
Start: 3 March
Where: Sky Show with Cinema Pass
MH370: The Plane That Disappeared – Documentary
I remember the coverage of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 well. It was the plane that suddenly changed direction shortly after takeoff on 8 March, 2014, flying south and subsequently disappearing from Kuala Lumpur’s air traffic control radars. Its fate? A crash, probably. The wreckage was never found; the passenger plane is still missing today – and is considered one of the greatest mysteries in aviation history.
The documentary aims to break down the case in typical Netflix fashion. A three-part documentary series with «sensational» new findings, exaggeratedly presented alleged facts and a pinch of conspiracy theory. Anyone familiar with «Drive to Survive» or «Harry & Megan» knows what I mean. Nevertheless, hardly any other streaming service produces documentaries as gripping and exciting as Netflix. «Icarus», Netflix’s series on the doping scandals during the Winter Olympics in Russia, is still one of my favourite documentaries ever and even won an Oscar in 2018. Needless to say, I’m going to give «MH370: The Plane That Disappeared» a fair shot.
Start: 8 March
Where: Netflix
Christian – Season 1
If all Italian Sky productions are as good as Paolo Sorrentino’s «The Young Pope», then we can expect great things from «Christian». At the centre lies Christian, hapless henchman for the Italian mafia. All his attempts to rise within the criminal organisation fail. It’s all due to an unbearable pain in his hands, which slowly develop further into two bloody holes.
When he realises one day that his hands, which have caused suffering and misery for so long, actually possess healing powers, Christian goes even more off the rails. Especially when the Vatican gets wind of it. After all, miracles are their bread and butter. Less so for the mafia. And certainly not for Christian.
Start: 9 March
Where: Sky Show with Entertainment Pass
Luther: The Fallen Sun
It’s 2010. The extraordinarily British and exceedingly dark crime series «Luther» is broadcast for the first time. In the leading role: Idris Elba, nowadays a megastar in Hollywood. Maybe that’s why the series was temporarily halted in 2019, after five seasons – Elba simply didn’t have enough time to take care of his passion project. But now, we’re finally getting a continuation. Not as a series, however. We’re getting a movie.
If you’ve never seen «Luther», it stars Elba as Detective John Luther, genius investigator in the London Serious Crime Unit. His strength? He delves deep into each one of his cases, paying close attention to every little detail. But Luther also struggles with his own demons. His wife has long since left him, and the only relationship left in his life is with the highly gifted Alice. However, she doesn’t just help him with his investigations, but also has a dark secret that none of his colleagues must ever know.
Start: 10 March
Where: Netflix
Ted Lasso – Season 3
Technically, he’s just a college football coach from Kansas. He doesn’t know anything about real football («Oh yeah, right, you’re doing that thing with the draw»). Not to mention England’s rugged fan culture. Nevertheless, Ted Lasso (Jason Sudeikis) gets a job offer as coach for the English Premier League club AFC Richmond. Of course, everything goes wrong initially. And the laugh is always on the loser. But Lasso doesn’t let this get him down. With his sometimes incredibly annoying, sometimes ultra-infectious positive outlook on life – and some emotional support from his right-hand man, Coach Beard (Brendan Hunt) – he steadfastly goes about his business.
Honestly, no other series feels as therapeutic after a long, tiring and frustrating day. The creators manage to walk that fine line between embarrassing kitsch and heartwarming optimism. Plus the delightfully quirky characters: from cocky playboy youngsters and naive jogo bonito artistes to the old-school defender, once a glorious champion who’s now winding down his career at a club nearing relegation. Gosh, I just love «Ted Lasso». But it’s not just me. Few shows are currently as celebrated. So if you’re still unfamiliar, definitely check it out!
Start: 15 March
Where: Apple TV+
Boston Strangler
The first murder attributed to the «Boston Strangler» occurred on 14 June, 1962. Twelve more followed. All women. All single. All strangled. There were no signs of burglary; apparently the women had let their killer into their apartment voluntarily. It took a long time before the «Boston Strangler» was indicted. Too long. Why? Because the first to recognise a connection between the murders was journalist Loretta McLaughlin, not the police. And even when the perpetrator confessed to the murders in September 1965, he wasn’t charged – due to a lack of evidence.
Finally another true-crime thriller with a star-studded cast. The lead journalist is played by Keira Knightley. Then there’s Chris Cooper in the role of a sexist editor-in-chief who thinks letting a woman investigate manslaughter is a ridiculous notion. And while star director Ridley Scott isn’t directing the film, he is producing it. Scott seems to be in his element ever since his great «The Last Duel» – here’s my review. It’s on my watch list.
Start: 17 March
Where: Disney+
Extrapolations – an anthology
«What exactly is Extrapolations anyway?», I asked myself after watching the intriguing trailer. Not an easy question to answer, as it turns out. Let’s take the word itself, extrapolation. Essentially, it means predicting future events based on already known data – assuming continuous development.
What does this mean for the show? Well, we know the facts and figures about climate change today. Based on that, we can pretty well imagine what’s coming. The press release, for example, speaks on a poignant vision of the future by author and director Scott Z. Burns. In it, the chaotic effects of climate change have already become part of everyone’s daily life: «Today, people get their energy from the sun. Humans have set foot on Mars. Cancer has been defeated. And yet, for every question answered, another one appears,» a rabbi says in the trailer, as his community stands knee-deep in water. Due to global warming, the polar ice caps have melted and water levels have risen dramatically.
«Extrapolations» uses eight interwoven stories from around the world to tackle choices that must be made when the planet is changing faster than its population. Every story is different. But the struggle for the future remains the same. And the clock is ticking.
Start: 17 March
Where: Apple TV+
The Anarchists – Documentary
Anarchy. An ideology representing the absence of domination, total self-responsibility and self-determination. Or in the words of early French socialist Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, «Anarchy is order without domination.» Order. Not chaos. Except that order isn’t enforced by the state or other institutional powers. Instead, society should regulate itself. Say through councils, free agreement and, well, reasonable decisions, made using common sense. That’s the theory, anyway.
In 2015, Canadian entrepreneur and advertising executive Jeff Berwick set out to prove that anarchy isn’t utopia. So he held a conference in Acapulco, Mexico, hoping to promote anarchy in its purest form. I mean, what could go wrong when freedom activists come together in one of the most dangerous cities in the world? Put simply, everything. What began as an impulsive, one-time gathering evolved into a steadily growing annual event that ultimately even claimed lives. HBO captured it all in a six-part documentary spanning six years. Exciting – and hopefully not too disturbing.
Start: 17 March
Where: Sky Show with Entertainment Pass
Tetris
What if I told you that behind «Tetris», the iconic block game you probably played on your Gameboy for days as a kid, lies an origin story worthy of any spy thriller?
It all started when businessman Henk Rogers – played in the movie by Taron Egerton – discovered the game in 1988 and subsequently risked everything to travel to the Soviet Union and join forces with the game’s creator Alexey Pajitnov (Nikita Efremov). Both wanted to release the game publicly, but they forget to factor in the inherent distrust present in the two world powers, embroiled in the Cold War at the time. More than worth a watch, I think. I particularly liked the playful imagery, reminiscent of Gameboy Tetris graphics – let’s hope the trailer isn’t a one-off.
Start: 31 March
Where: Apple TV+
Luca Fontana
Senior Editor
Luca.Fontana@digitecgalaxus.chI'm an outdoorsy guy and enjoy sports that push me to the limit – now that’s what I call comfort zone! But I'm also about curling up in an armchair with books about ugly intrigue and sinister kingkillers. Being an avid cinema-goer, I’ve been known to rave about film scores for hours on end. I’ve always wanted to say: «I am Groot.»
Movies and series
Follow topics and stay updated on your areas of interest
36 comments
later