Ryan Murphy Is "Cuckoo" for Netflix

Chris here. In what is surely one of the most side-eye worthy prequel adaptations to come along in an era full of them, Ryan Murphy is creating an original story for One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest villain Nurse Ratched. The series will be Murphy's first for Netflix (surprising it's taken this long, right?) and run for 18 episodes over two seasons. The title? You guessed it: Ratched.

On the plus side, the series will be another collaboration between Murphy and main muse Sarah Paulson. If the project seems wholy unasked for or in ill-fitted hands, we can rest assured that Paulson can deliver nothing less than a worthy portrayal of a legendary character. Maybe Nurse Ratched won't turn out to have been so evil after all - at least before Murphy got his hands on her. And if long running series are as daunting for you as they sometimes are for me, the promise of only an 18 episode run is glorious indeed. The series begins filming next year with Murphy set to direct the pilot.

Can Murphy and Paulson do justice to Louise Fletcher's Oscar winning performance?

Reviewish: "Atypical" on Netflix

by Ben Miller

Keil Gilchrist headlines "Atypical" as Sam, a teenager on the spectrum.

Full disclosure: I am not objective.

Generally, a reviewer would attempt an unbiased look at how a piece of entertainment could appeal to the masses.  We all know this is not the case in reality.  Everyone comes in with their own experiences and assumptions, which we base our opinions on.  I want you all to know that I did not review Netflix’s new series Atypical without my own preconceived notions.

My son has autism.  I have been wavering on whether I wanted to give Atypical a chance.  It could go the This is Us route and over-sentimentalize everything, or it could go down the I Am Sam road and make everything offensively “special”.  There is a delicate balance with shows that deal with disabilities.  On top of that, I know a whole lot about autism that a casual viewer doesn’t...

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Cozy Up to "Our Souls At Night"

Chris here. Lost in the festival announecement hullabaloo was the announcement that the screen legend pairing of Jane Fonda and Robert Redford Our Souls At Night will be debuting out of competition at Venice. Shouldn't we be a little more excited that we're getting these megastars in a new love story?

The film arrives on Netflix on September 29, so maybe it's also just lost in the theatrical vs. streaming debate as well. But it seems the legends have something lovely in store: both star as neighbors who get another chance at love after losing their respective partners. The film comes from The Lunchbox's Ritesh Batra and (500) Days of Summer screenwriters Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber, so expect a certain degree of warm fuzzies to go with your stargazing. Netflix just dropped a charming little teaser with Fonda and Redford getting cozy on their road trip, so it begs the question: which screen performance of Fonda or Redford would you must want to snuggle up to?

Letterman to Bring "In-Depth Conversations" to Netflix

By Seán McGovern

David Letterman has spent enough time growing his beard and is set to return to screens. Letterman is to host a six-show season on Netflix, which will be “in-depth conversations with extraordinary people, and in-the-field segments expressing his curiosity and humor.”

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Aug Screengrab Roulette: Sing!, Rachel Getting Married, etc...

You know the drill. Here's all the new stuff on the major streaming services with a handful plus of random titles freeze-framed (whatever came up when we messed with the viewing bar, no fudging). What will you be watching this month and which movies would you love to see covered in depth?

The lists and screengrabs are after the jump.

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