With Valentine’s Day just across the horizon, it only seems appropriate to ask: Netflix and chill, anyone?
Whether you’re in the mood for love or itching for some high-strung, true-crime scares, Netflix Hong Kong’s February coming-soons have some exciting new releases. Here are six on our to-watch list.
Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel
“Is there a room in here that, maybe, somebody hasn’t died in?”
Be ready to check into the Cecil Hotel in Los Angeles this February — or, ‘Hotel Death’, as it’s sardonically christened in reference to its dark, dark history involving serial killers, death and hauntings. For Ryan Murphy stalwarts, this is the very hotel that inspired the fifth season of American Horror Story.
This docu-series follows the disappearance of Elisa Lam, a student from Canada whose body was discovered in a water tank stacked above the hotel. Grainy lift footage showing Lam as she erratically waves, gestures and hides have held the interest of armchair detectives for years — this case was never truly solved, after all.
Release date: 10 February
Watch ‘Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel’ here on Netflix.
To All The Boys: Always and Forever
Just in time for a Valentine’s Day release, the third and final instalment of the ‘To All The Boys I’ve Ever Loved’ series arrive to charm on 12 February. ‘To All The Boys: Always and Forever’ follows Lara Jean as she takes on her senior year of high school. Cue a spring-break trip to Korea. College acceptance (and rejections). Prom-posals. Long-distance relationships. The works.
Release date: 12 February
Watch ‘To All The Boys: Always and Forever’ here on Netflix.
Firefly Lane
February is generally reserved for those lovey-dovey romantic comedies come 14 February, but the day prior is arguably just as, if not more, important. 13 February: Galentine’s Day, of ‘Parks and Recreation’ fame. A day that celebrates female friendships — the very kind ‘Firefly Lane’ centres around.
Katherine Heigl and Sarah Chalke star as Tully and Kate; lifelong best friends with dreams of being famous journalists. Tully succeeds; Kate — not so much. It’s a series that follow a best-friends-forever kind of friendship and the jealousy, betrayals, good-and-bad times that are bound to occur along the way.
Release date: 3 February
Watch ‘Firefly Lane’ here on Netflix.
Nadiya Bakes
Nothing hits the spot quite like a charming personality — British, preferably — baking in bright, beautiful colours. ‘The Great British Bake Off’ is, unfortunately, not on Netflix Hong Kong’s library, but the sixth-season winnter Nadiya Hussain MBE’s ‘Nadiya Bakes’ is. Or, soon to be.
We’re hoping this satisfies our sweet tooth through Chinese New Year.
Release date: 12 February
Watch ‘Nadiya Bakes’ here on Netflix.
I Care A Lot
Marla Grayson, played by Rosamund Pike, cares. Professionally.
A court-appointed legal guardian by trade, Marla is a consummate professional. A professional scam artist, that is. Behind a blunt-cut blonde bob runs a villainous streak — one that defrauds senior citizens and pilfers away their homes, freedoms and assets.
We’re expecting there to be a lot of comparison between Pike’s character in ‘I Care A Lot’ versus her role in ‘Gone Girl’; there’s something infinitely interesting about anti-heroes. Anti-heroines, even more so.
Release date: 19 February
Watch ‘I Care A Lot’ here on Netflix.
Malcolm & Marie
John David Washington and Zendaya stars in ‘Malcolm & Marie’, which takes place over the period of one night after Malcolm’s film premiere. With Valentine’s Day looming across the horizon, the troughs and peaks of this particular relationship feel particularly timely.
Not mentioned on screen, however, is when this film was shot — in the early days of the pandemic as one of the first productions made within the limitations and restrictions imposed on the industry. Its one-location premise makes more sense with this fact in mind.
Also: Anything to see Zendaya in black-and-white.
Release date: 5 February
Watch ‘Malcolm & Marie’ here on Netflix.