Every week, MobileSyrup outlines some of the most notable movies and TV shows that recently hit Canadian streaming platforms.
Our ‘Streaming in Canada’ column typically focuses on new content from Amazon Prime Video Canada, Crave and Netflix Canada, but other services like Apple TV+ and Disney+ will be mentioned when relevant.
We’ll also highlight shows or movies that are made in Canada, involve notable Canadian cast or crew and/or are filmed in Canada.
Finally, with the COVID-19 pandemic causing many movies to hit digital platforms much sooner than planned, we’ll make note of any major films — as well as other notable streaming service news — that fall into this category when applicable.
Amazon Prime Video
Ammonite
Based loosely on the life of British paleontologist Mary Anning, Ammonite focuses on a speculative romantic relationship between Anning and geologist Charlotte Murchison.
Ammonite was written and directed by Francis Lee (God’s Own Country) and stars Kate Winslet (The Reader) and Saoirse Ronan (Lady Bird).
Original theatrical release date: November 13th, 2020
Amazon Prime Video Canada release date: March 25th, 2021
Genre: Romantic drama
Runtime: 2 hours
Rotten Tomatoes score: 69 percent (based on 225 reviews)
Stream Ammonite here.
Invincible [Amazon Original]
The son of the most powerful superhero on the planet develops abilities of his own shortly after his 17th birthday, leading his father to start teaching him how to use them.
Invincible is based on Robert Kirkman and Cory Walker’s eponymous Image Comics character and features a star-studded ensemble voice cast that includes Steven Yeun (The Walking Dead), Ottawa’s own Sandra Oh (Killing Eve), J.K. Simmons (Whiplash), Mark Hamill (Star Wars: The Last Jedi) and Vancouver’s own Seth Rogen (Superbad).
Amazon Prime Video Canada release date: March 25th, 2021 (first three episodes, new episode episodes every Friday)
Genre: Animated superhero drama
Runtime: Eight episodes (around 42 minutes each)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 97 percent (based on 38 reviews)
Stream Invincible here.
An Amazon Prime Video subscription is included at no additional cost with a $69/year Amazon Prime subscription.
The full list of movies and shows hitting Amazon Prime Video Canada this month can be found here.
CBC Gem
UFO Town
UFO Town is airing tonight, Friday, March 26 @ 9pm on CBC and will be available on their Gem streaming service as well. You can check out the trailer and show page here: https://t.co/O9pxJLc9cD I was one of the original investigators.
— Drew Williamson 🇨🇦 (@DrewWilliamson4) March 26, 2021
This documentary explores a UFO case in West Carleton, Ontario in the early 90s that went viral in a pre-YouTube and TikTok era.
The filmmakers went back to the scene of the crash to investigate further and interview longtime local residents.
CBC Gem release date: March 26th, 2021
Genre: Documentary
Runtime: 44 minutes
Rotten Tomatoes score: N/A
Stream UFO Town here.
Note: UFO Town was produced by Saloon Media, a division of MobileSyrup parent company Blue Ant Media.
The full list of movies and shows hitting CBC Gem this month can be found here.
CBC Gem is free with ads, or $4.99/month for ad-free viewing. The service is available on iOS, Android, the web, tvOS, Fire TV and Android TV.
Crave
City on a Hill (Season 2)
The conflict between FBI agent Rohr and assistant district attorney Ward escalates amid investigations into a drug violence-filled federal housing project.
City on a Hill stars Kevin Bacon (The Following) and Aldis Hodge (One Night in Miami).
Crave release date: March 28th, 2021 at 10pm ET (first episode, new episodes every Sunday)
Genre: Crime drama
Runtime: Eight episodes (around one hour each)
Rotten Tomatoes score: N/A
Stream City on a Hill here.
The Day Sports Stood Still
Antoine Fuqua (Training Day) examines the unprecedented sports shutdown in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the cultural movements that took place in the following months.
Crave release date: March 24th, 2021
Genre: Sports documentary
Runtime: 1 hour, 24 minutes
Rotten Tomatoes score: N/A
Stream The Day Sports Stood Still here. Note that a $19.98/month Crave + Movies + HBO subscription is required.
Possessor: Uncut
A woman who is able to take over peoples’ bodies to carry out high-profile assassinations encounters a strong-willed host who fights back.
Possessor was written and directed by Toronto’s Brandon Cronenberg (Antiviral), the son of famed horror director David Cronenberg, and stars Andrea Riseborough (Birdman), Christopher Abbott (Girls), Vancouver’s Rossif Sutherland (Reign), Tuppence Middleton (Sense8) and Sean Bean (Game of Thrones).
It’s worth noting that the film was shot in Toronto.
Original theatrical release date: October 2nd, 2020
Crave release date: March 26th, 2021
Genre: Psychological horror, sci-fi
Runtime: 1 hour, 44 minutes
Rotten Tomatoes score: 93 percent (based on 208 reviews)
Stream Possessor: Uncut here. Note that a $19.98/month Crave + Movies + HBO subscription is required.
Tina
HBO’s second documentary this week offers a new look at the career of the “Queen of Rock ‘n Roll,” Tina Turner.
Directed by Dan Lindsay and T.J. Martin (Undefeated), Tina features a variety of never-before-seen footage, photos, audio tapes and new interviews, including with Turner herself.
Crave release date: March 27th, 2021 at 8pm ET
Genre: Music documentary
Runtime: 1 hour, 58 minutes
Rotten Tomatoes score: 97 percent (based on 31 reviews)
Stream Tina here. Note that a $19.98/month Crave + Movies + HBO subscription is required.
A standard Crave subscription is priced at $9.99/month, with Starz costing another $5.99/month and HBO an additional $9.99/month. However, there’s a 50 percent off promotion on all of these plans until the end of March.
The full list of movies and shows hitting Crave this month can be found here.
This week in Crave news: The black-and-white “Justice is Gray” version of Zack Snyder’s Justice League is now available on Crave alongside the news that the film has already become Crave’s most-streamed title ever.
Disney+
Inside Pixar (Episodes 11-15) [Disney+ Original]
Every step leads to a bigger picture. Explore the details behind our stories in new episodes of #InsidePixar, an Original Series, now streaming on #DisneyPlus. pic.twitter.com/PEZb0gBbiT
— Pixar (@Pixar) March 26, 2021
Five new episodes of Pixar’s docuseries are now available, offering a look at the “foundations” of Pixar movies, such as developing characters from scratch and camera work.
Disney+ Canada release date: March 26th, 2021
Genre: Documentary
Runtime: Five episodes (11 to 14 minutes each)
Rotten Tomatoes score: N/A
Stream Inside Pixar here.
The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers [Disney+ Original]
A 12-year-old member of the Mighty Ducks junior hockey team leaves to form his own underdog team with the help of original Ducks coach Gordon Bombay.
Game Changers is a follow-up to Stephen Brill’s 1992 film The Mighty Ducks and features Emilio Estevez reprising his role as Bombay, while Lauren Graham (Gilmore Girls) and Brady Noon (Good Boys) join the cast.
Notably, Game Changers was filmed in Vancouver.
Disney+ Canada release date: March 26th, 2021 (first episode, new episodes every Friday)
Genre: Sports comedy-drama
Runtime: 10 episodes (around 40 minutes each)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 84 percent (based on 25 reviews)
Stream The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers here. It’s also worth noting that the original three Mighty Ducks films are also streaming on Disney+.
Disney+ costs $11.99/month or $119.99/year in Canada.
The full list of movies and shows hitting Disney+ Canada this month can be found here.
This week in Disney+ news: Disney has confirmed that Marvel’s Black Widow will release simultaneously on Disney+ Canada and in theatres this July.
Netflix
Bad Trip [Netflix Original]
In this hidden camera comedy, two friends travel to New York City so one can declare his love to his high school crush, only for them to be pursued by the other’s sister for stealing her car.
Bad Trip was directed by Kitao Sakurai (The Eric Andre Show) and stars Eric Andre (The Eric Andre Show), Lil Rel Howery (Get Out), Tiffany Haddish (Girls Trip) and Michaela Conlin (Bones).
Netflix Canada release date: March 26th, 2021
Genre: Comedy
Runtime: 1 hour, 24 minutes
Rotten Tomatoes score: 67 percent (based on 21 reviews)
Stream Bad Trip here.
Bill & Ted Face the Music
Set decades after Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey, Face the Music follows William ‘Bill’ S. Preston Esq. and Theodore ‘Ted’ Logan as they set out on a new adventure to finally fulfill their rock and roll destiny and save the universe.
Bill & Ted Face the Music was directed by Dean Parisot (Red 2) and features the return of Canada’s own Keanu Reeves as Ted, Alex Winter as Bill and William Sadler as the Grim Reaper, as well as series newcomers Samara Weaving (Ready or Not) and Brigette Lundy-Paine (Atypical) as Bill and Ted’s respective daughters.
Original theatrical release date: August 28th, 2020
Netflix Canada release date: March 28th, 2021
Genre: Science-fiction comedy
Runtime: 1 hour, 28 minutes
Rotten Tomatoes score: 82 percent (based on 253 reviews)
Stream Bill & Ted Face the Music here.
DOTA: Dragon’s Blood [Netflix Original]
Based on Valve’s popular Dota video game franchise, the series follows a Dragon Knight must use his powers to stop a deadly demon.
DOTA: Dragon’s Blood was developed by Ashley Miller (Fringe) and features the voices of Yuri Lowenthal (Marvel’s Spider-Man), Josh Keaton (The Spectacular Spider-Man), Lara Pulver (Sherlock), Tony Todd (Candyman) and Troy Baker (The Last of Us).
Netflix Canada release date: March 25th, 2021
Genre: Animated sci-fi, fantasy
Runtime: Eight episodes (25 to 28 minutes each)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 63 percent (based on eight reviews)
Stream DOTA: Dragon’s Blood here.
The Irregulars [Netflix Original]
Based on the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Irregulars follows the Baker Street Irregulars, a group of street agents who work Dr. Watson and the enigmatic Sherlock Holmes to save London from the supernatural.
The Irregulars was created by Tom Bidwell (My Mad Fat Diary) and stars Henry Lloyd-Hughes (The Inbetweeners), Royce Pierreson (Line of Duty),
Netflix Canada release date: March 26th, 2021
Genre: Crime drama
Runtime: Eight episodes (49 to 58 minutes each)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 79 percent (based on 19 reviews)
Stream The Irregulars here.
The full list of movies and shows hitting Netflix Canada this month can be found here.
A ‘Basic’ Netflix subscription costs $9.99/month, a ‘Standard’ subscription (HD-supported) costs $14.99/month and a ‘Premium’ membership is priced at $18.99/month (4K-supported).
Premium video on demand (PVOD)
The Father
An aging man grapples with progressive memory loss as his daughter struggles to help him.
The Father is based on Florian Zeller’s play Le Père, was co-written and directed by Zeller and stars Anthony Hopkins (The Silence of the Lambs) and Olivia Colman (The Favourite).
Original theatrical release date: March 19th, 2021
Canadian PVOD release date: March 26th, 2021
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 1 hour, 37 minutes
Rotten Tomatoes score: 98 percent (based on 173 reviews)
The Father can be rented for $19.99 CAD on iTunes, Google Play and the Cineplex Store.
Notably, The Father is one of this year’s Best Picture nominees; find out where to stream the other honoured films here.
This week in PVOD news: Warner Bros. Canada has altered its Godzilla vs. Kong release plans to include a day-and-date PVOD option alongside theatres when the film opens on March 31st.
What are you planning on streaming this week? Let us know in the comments.
For more suggestions, check out last week’s Streaming in Canada column.
Meanwhile, gamers can find the latest edition of our weekly companion gaming-focused column, ‘Games to Stream ‘n Load,’ here.
Image credit: Amazon
