January's Streaming Recommendations Include Potential Oscar Nominees like 'One Night in Miami,' 'Pieces of a Woman,' as well as a Netflix Documentary on Swear Words

by Julian Spivey

Photos: Netflix, Amazon Studios and HBO

History of Swear Words (Netflix) – 1/5
I’ve never been much of a fan of Nicolas Cage’s acting work, but I do fuckin’ love to swear! Who doesn’t? Prudes, that’s who. That’s why the Netflix original documentary series “History of Swear Words,” premiering on Tuesday, Jan. 5, is probably going to be both a lot of fun and a learning experience. Who wouldn’t want to know where some of our favorite curse words like “fuck,” “shit” an “bitch” originated? I will also admit that even though Cage’s acting skills leave a lot to be desired, he does seem like a perfect choice to host such a series. 

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Pieces of a Woman (Netflix) – 1/7
Admittedly, “Pieces of a Woman” doesn’t feel like the kind of movie that is going to be a breezy, fun watch if you’re looking to turn on a movie and just relax. But if you’re looking for award-worthy performances Vanessa Kirby (who you know from the first two seasons of Netflix’s drama series “The Crown”) supposedly gives one of the past performances of the year and is one of the front-runners for a Best Actress Oscar nomination. Director Kornel Mundruczo’s film opens with a harrowing and anguish-filled 23-minute scene of a birth that goes wrong and the aftermath felt by a couple after the loss of their child. Again, not going to be your typical popcorn flick, but one filled with much emotion and terrific performances. 

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Tiger (HBO Max) – 1/10
Few, if any, athletes have changed their sport the way Tiger Woods has done for the game of golf. HBO’s two-part original documentary on Tiger Woods, simply titled “Tiger,” premieres on Sunday, Jan. 10 and finishes on Sunday, Jan. 17 and can be streamed on HBO Max. Directed by Matthew Hamachek, the documentary focuses on the rise, fall and comeback of Tiger Woods from child prodigy, to superstar, to controversial figure, his struggles with multiple injuries and his epic comeback at the 2019 Masters Tournament. “Tiger” will be a much-watch for both golf and all-around sports fans. 

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One Night in Miami (Amazon Prime Video) – 1/15
Actress Regina King makes her directorial debut with Amazon’s original “One Night in Miami,” a fictionalized meeting between four African-American legends activist Malcolm X, boxer Muhammad Ali, football legend Jim Brown and R&B singer Sam Cooke. Written by Kemp Powers, based on his play by the same name, “One Night in Miami” sees these four icons together in a Miami hotel room in February of 1964 celebrating Ali’s surprise victory in the ring over heavyweight boxing champ Sonny Liston. The performances by Kingsley Ben-Adir (Malcom X), Eli Goree (Ali), Aldis Hodge (Brown) and Leslie Odom Jr. (Cooke) are drawing rave reviews, and King could become one of the few female directors ever to be nominated for Best Director at the Oscars. 

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The White Tiger (Netflix) 1/22
“The White Tiger,” directed by Ramin Bahrani, is adapted from Aravind Adiga’s 2008 novel of the same name about a young Indian man who’s a chauffeur to a rich landlord and fights to make his way to the top of India’s class struggle. The film stars Adarsh Gourav as the young chauffeur who uses his wit to escape poverty and rise to the top. “The White Tiger” also co-stars Bollywood star Priyanka Chopra Jones, who many American audiences will know from the former ABC drama series “Quantico.”