Netflix Levels Up Their Streaming Game with Bingeworthy Programming Primed to Captivate Viewers with ‘Back in Action,’ ‘What Had Happened Was,’ and ‘Missing You’

Secret operative missions, stand-up comedy, and a who-dun-it; Netflix enthralls viewers with a new batch of titillating entertainment.

From L to R: Cameron Diaz, Jamie Foxx, and Rosalind Eleazar; Photo Credit: Netflix.

Superstars Cameron Diaz (Emily) and Jamie Foxx (Matt) make a splashy comeback with their spy thriller Back in Action. The couple plays a pair of brilliant CIA spies in a clandestine relationship. Once Diaz finds out she’s pregnant with their child, they decide to disappear, assume new identities, marry, and move to the suburbs until their cover is blown. Forced to return to the world of espionage with precocious teens in tow, they battle oligarchs and their henchmen until their family is safe. Glenn Close (Fatal AttractionThe Wife) plays Cameron Diaz’s estranged mother, whose actions allude to being a former spy, and she’s glorious as usual! An actor’s actor.

Both actors are in great shape, and we buy their roles as GenX martial experts who haven’t lost their edge. Back in Action marks Diaz and Foxx’s return to cinema. Diaz hasn’t starred in films since 2014, and in the middle of shooting the action-comedy, Foxx had a medical emergency that left him out of the spotlight for a few years. The two stars have dynamic chemistry and a natural comedic ability. Cameron Diaz’s Emily is reminiscent of Natalie Cook’s graceful fight scenes from the Charlie’s Angel franchise (2000–2003), while Foxx channels his Django character’s stealth moves.

Cameron Diaz and Jamie Foxx proved their bankable stars as Back in Action remains the top film on Netflix.

Cameron Diaz and Jamie Foxx in ‘Back in Action’; Photo Credit: Netflix.

Clearing the air and setting the record straight on his hiatus from TV and Film, Foxx stars in his poignant and hilarious comedy special What Had Happened Was. Rumors and conspiracies stating that P. Diddy drugged Foxx to him becoming a paraplegic were debunked by Foxx. The truth, as confirmed by the actor, is that he had a brain bleed, leading to a stroke that doctors had a hard time diagnosing, and his sister stepped in to advocate for further analysis. Foxx addresses the severity of his condition and epiphanies, makes jokes, and sings in this hilarious and poignant one-hour show. Foxx still got it, but more importantly, never lost it.

Lastly, Harlan Coben returns with his book adaptation series, Missing You. And use John Waite’s hit 80s song “Missing You” as the musical backdrop.

Rosalind Eleazar (Kat) and Richard Armitage (Stagger) in ‘Missing You’; Photo Credit: Netflix.

Missing You follows Kat Donovan (Rosalind Eleazar, Slow HorsesDeep Water), a detective inspector in the U.K. whose fiance broke off their engagement and went off the grid for 11 years. To make matters worse, Kat learns her father’s murderer is about to die and visits him to find out why he murdered him, a former policeman. In true Harlan Corben fashion, there are more winding twists and turns than the steepest stairwell in a centuries-old European castle in this story. And fans of the suspense-thriller author will love it! Not to mention the diverse multinational cast and Coben favorite and veteran British actor Richard Armitage (Fool Me OnceThe Stranger) as Donovan’s boss, Ellis Stagger.

Fluff up your couch and prepare your favorite snacks for a superb TV viewing this weekend or next. Back in Action, directed by Seth Gordon (Horrible BossesIdentity Thief). It’s Netflix’s highest-grossing film to date. Jamie Foxx’s honest Golden Globe-nominated special What Had Happened Was, detailing his recovery, is ripe with impersonations, storytelling, and singing extravaganza. If you’re looking for more than a contained show or film, check out the 5-episode limited suspenseful series Missing You.

Film Review: Netflix’s ‘They Cloned Tyrone’ Expertly Treads Between Reality and Illusion

On the surface, this sci-fi mystery seems like another urban crime drama, but what bubbles underneath will shock and delight fans.

Movie Poster for They Cloned Tyrone; Photo: Netflix

After Fontaine (John Boyega, Star Wars Episode VII — The Force Awakens, Attack the Block ), a drug dealer in the fictitious city of Glen, robs and runs over a rival dealer, retaliation is inevitable. But before payback comes to fruition, Fontaine stops at a motel to collect money from Slick Charles, a pimp more interested in drinking and partying than worrying about paying off his debts. Slick is played charismatically and entertainingly by Jamie Foxx. The Oscar-winner, and one of the film’s producers, multi-layered portrayal of this particular pimp perfectly balances the debonair and boisterous tough guy.

Fontaine (Boyega) is subsequently shot by the head rival drug dealer (Isaac J. Alphonse Nicholson, Just MercyP-Valley) outside the motel parking lot. But comes back to life and briefly encounters a version of his injured, bullet-laden self on the street. When he knocks on Slick’s door at the motel again, the pimp is dumbfounded. Fontaine doesn’t realize he’s already been there.

Teyonah Parris as Yo-Yo, Jamie Foxx as Slick Charles, and John Boyega as Fontaine; Photo: Netflix

Slick enlists his reliable escort, Yo-Yo (Teyonah Parris, WandavisionIf Beale Street Could Talk), to help Fontaine figure out what’s happening. The on-screen dynamic between Slick and Yo-Yo is enjoyable to watch; his pimp hand is weak, and she knows it but still has to oblige and pay him for her work while poking fun at his detective skills.

The unusual trio forms a bond as they discover a secret elevator behind the refreshments from the local convenient store to a lab where there are a variety of human-like Back clones housed in life-size capsules, overseen by white scientists. After Fontaine finds his clone on a stretcher, he replays a series of repetitive events in his head that he can’t explain, similar to Bill Murray’s character Phil in Groundhog Day, but way less light-hearted and more sinister.

Teyonah Parris as Yo-Yo, Jamie Foxx as Slick Charles, and John Boyega as Fontaine; Photo: Netflix

John Boyega, the British-Nigerian actor who rose to stardom with the Star Wars sequel trilogy, is scarily good in They Cloned Tyrone as the hardened and stoic Fontaine. The soundtrack deserves mention as well. Classic 70s and 90s tunes permeate the film giving it a slick urban film noir feel. Director and co-writer Juel Taylor (Creed II, Space Jam: A New Legacy) paints a gritty world of a community in disarray with limited options — that seems to exist and is designed with these characteristics by the government. Other notable characters making a splash: David Alan Grier as the charlatan preacher and Keifer Sutherland (Nixon) as the ruthless government messenger to keep the clones in check.

They Cloned Tyrone is now streaming on Netflix. Click here to watch and learn more!

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