This week, Amazon Prime Video and IMDb TV are adding a sci-fi adventure, a young adult romantic comedy, and two documentaries, and a docuseries about LGBTQ+ figures and lives. While a growing number of releases are heading back to the theaters after delays related to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, many viewers are still preferring to wait for new releases to hit streaming. Amazon Prime Video is offering plenty of content, new, old, and entirely original, to keep evenings occupied as the cooler weather draws in.
Last week, to celebrate the start of November, Amazon and IMDb TV added a huge raft of movies and TV shows to watch. This included the highly anticipated Benedict Cumberbatch movie The Electrical Life of Louis Wain based on the true story of an artist. It also presented the first episode of Tampa Baes, a docuseries following a group of lesbian friends in the Tampa Bay, and a new season of Pete The Cat, the musical children’s TV show based on the works of James Dean, Eric Litwin, and Kimberly dean.
Amazon Prime Video’s monthly release schedule means that their releases are often spread out across different days of the week rather than all dropping on a weekly basis. Releases to Amazon Prime Video and IMDb TV usually include movies that are making their very first appearances on streaming services, original and older TV series, and older movies that are making their debut on Amazon’s streaming service. Here’s everything that is coming to Amazon Prime Video and IMDb TV during the week of November 8.
Ad Astra – November 10
The first movie to come to Amazon Prime Video this week is the Brad Pitt-fronted Ad Astra from 2019. The movie is set in the late 21st century and sees Major Roy McBride (Pitt) informed that his father might still be alive and part of the “Lima Project” that is searching the galaxy for intelligent life. McBride sets out to try and rescue him and prevent the damage that the Lima Project is unintentionally doing to Earth. Captain America's Tommy Lee Jones, Ruth Negga, Liv Tyler, and Donald Sutherland also star.
Mayor Pete – November 12
Mayor Pete is a documentary that follows Pete Buttigieg’s journey throughout the 2020 presidential campaign. Directed by Jesse Moss, it opens one year before the 2020 Iowa Caucus and follows his move from being the Mayor of South Bend, Indiana to his eventual role as President Biden’s Secretary of Transportation, a position that made him the first confirmed openly gay cabinet member in the United States. The documentary also includes personal sections that provide an in-depth look at his marriage to his husband, Chasten, and his coming-out story.
Finding You – November 12
A romantic comedy coming to Amazon Prime Video this week, Finding You is based on Jenny B. Jones’ 2011 young adult novel There You’ll Find Me. In the movie, directed by Brian Baugh, music student Finley Sinclair goes to a coastal village in Ireland to study for a semester abroad. There she meets the movie star Beckett Rush and the two begin a relationship that is ultimately threatened by Beckett’s stardom. Finding You stars Rose Reid, Jedidiah Goodacre, and Katherine McNamara. The movie had a theatrical release in May 2021 but will come to Amazon Prime Video for its first streaming appearance on November 12.
Lioness: The Nicola Adams Story (Amazon Original) – November 12
Amazon’s documentary Lioness: The Nicola Adams Story follows the life and career of the British former professional Olympic boxer, Nicola Adams, who retired in 2019 with an undefeated record. Adams had an active role in all parts of the production which follows her from her touch upbringing in Leeds, UK through her first bout at 13 and through to her becoming an Olympic boxing champion. Beyond being the first female boxer to become an Olympic champion when she won gold at the London 2012 Olympics, Adams is also an important LGBTQ+ figure. Her 2012 Olympics win also made her the first openly LGBTQ+ person to win an Olympic boxing Gold medal.
Always Jane – November 12
Always Jane is a four-part docuseries that follows the LGBTQ+ coming-of-age story of transgender teen Jane Noury as she prepares to leave her home in a small town in New Jersey to move to college. The series focuses on her supporting and caring family that helps Jane through every step of her transition. As well as being a heartwarming and emotional story, the series promises to help to increase the wider cultural knowledge of the complications and struggles of the trans experience.
Curse of the Chippendales (Amazon Exclusive) – November 12
In this four-part Amazon exclusive docuseries, The Curse of the Chippendales follows the rise and fall of the famous strippers, the Chippendales. The series explores the cultural phenomenon and how the Chippendales came to be such a successful act under its business owner, Somen “Steve” Banerjee, that it could successfully tour the United States. It also blends the story with true crime as it delves into the death of Banerjee’s business partner and the Chippendale’s choreographer, Nick De Noia. The series includes interviews with the original dancers and business managers for the Chippendales.
New To Amazon’s IMDb TV
As well as adding content to Amazon Prime Video for Prime members, audiences can also see new content on IMDb TV, which is owned by Amazon. While a Prime membership is necessary for the additional content on Amazon Prime Video, IMDb TV is an ad-supported streaming service so all of its content can be viewed on-demand at no extra cost besides the occasional ad break. Last week saw the premiere of Judge Justice, an IMDb TV original series that serves as a successor to the extremely long-running Judge Judy. This week, IMDb TV is adding 2015’s Goosebumps. The movie is based on the children’s horror books by the Goosebumps author R.L. Stine (who makes a cameo appearance in the film), and in a meta twist sees Jack Black portray a fictional version of the author himself when the monsters from his tales are unleashed and must be returned to their pages.