An interesting, frequently entertaining, sometimes off-putting season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (Paramount+) did the expected season-ending shift, though about two episodes later than I'd expected early in the season. It also ends on a cliffhanger, which I'm hoping no one will see as a spoiler. It's more meant to manage expectations.
I've saved this week's Reservation Dogs (Hulu) for when I'm rolling into the weekend, in part because I enjoy the characters' company, and am in need of a little comfort.
Arriving today on Netflix is an action spy thriller starring Gal Gadot, Irish star Jamie Dornan, and Bollywood star Alia Bhatt. Gadot stars as Rachel Stone, an international intelligence agent tasked with protecting a mysterious borderline all-powerful MacGuffin known as "The Heart", keeping it from falling into enemy hands -- hence the title: Heart of Stone (2023 PG-13 123m) Trying for that super-spy/Mission Impossible market, it at least very much looks the part, and I'm presuming the wide casting swing is meant to broaden the international appeal -- again, nothing at all wrong with that. Likely best to go in with a bucket of popcorn and not expecting a lot of higher level mental stimulation... which isn't intended to automatically dis the writers, but there's a lot of pressure to make these things as "accessible" as possible, which unfortunately often comes in the form of dumbing things down. Better to be pleasantly surprised than disappointed.
Screenplay by novelist and comics writer Greg Rucka & Hidden Figures co-writer Allison Schroeder, based on a story by Rucka. Directed by Tom Harper, who's worked on various Brit tv and film projects, including Peaky Blinders.
Generally I don't mention Reality TV shows - and as the combined entertainment strike continues and the certainty that the entertainment loopholes that allow such scripted-but-not-officially-scripted to be cranked out will mean that late 2023 into 2024 will be all the more certain to see even more of them in the mix, I'll still mention Down For Love, a new series from New Zealand that will follow several people with Down Syndrome as they try to find companionship and loving relationships. That's also arriving on Netflix today. Similar to Love On the Spectrum, both the original Australian version and the U.S. one, which dealt with the pursuit of love by people who fell at at various levels on the autism scale, this appears to present an essentially very human struggle with an additional set of challenges, making it relatable.0
I'm interested to check out the new Korean supernatural drama Revenant. It involves a young woman possessed by some entity, and a folklore professor who can see ghosts and gods. They team up to investigate a series of mysterious deaths. The 12-episode first season is now on Hulu here in the states, though this brief trailer places it on Disney+ because that's where most of the rest of the world sees such things.
Also over on Hulu, categorized as an experimental folk horror film, is what appears to be a fairly trippy, niche horror film that may feel more like an art piece than a narrative. That's all to say that it's going to be abstract, and open to interpretations, including deciding what is real, what is imaginary, and whether or not some characters are different people or the same one at different ages. Shot over 21 days during the pandemic, with a very small crew and on 16mm film, and leans in on Cornish heritage - which remains key to this director's brand, based on what I've read. Set in 1973, a wildlife volunteer is tasked with observing a rare flower. The film's title is Cornish for "Stone Island", btw.) It's Enys Men (2022 91m)
To
belabor the notes above, all indications are that one should not
approach this expecting a clear story. I've not seen anything by
writer/director Mark Jenkin, and am unsure how well his works will hold
up for an audience not looking for glimpses into the culture of
Cornwall.
TCM's annual Summer Under the Stars
month continues with its daily (from 6am 'til just before 6 am
the following day) blocks of films featuring that day's star. Clicking
on that link will open a separate screen, with individual hyperlinks to
take you to more information about each film.
As
with last week I'll start with today's star and roll through next
Friday, since that day will already been in progress when the new piece
hits the blog:
Friday Aug 11: Alan Ladd Among other things tonight, I'll finally watch This Gun for Hire, a long-ago recommendation from my late mother. She'd really enjoy TCM.
Saturday Aug 12: Deborah Kerr
Sunday Aug 13: Paul Newman
Monday Aug 14: Greer Garson
Tuesday Aug 15: Ronald Colman
Wednesday Aug 16: Katy Jurado
Thursday Aug 17: Bob Hope (Includes six of the seven Road pictures with Crosby.)
Friday Aug 18: Carole Lombard
Apologies for the scant mix this time - it may be worse next week as a personal vice closes on me for an event happening early the following week. Stay safe, try to find something engaging and/or relaxing to do while you can, and please keep a kind thought for me for the same. See you next Friday. - Mike
Comments
Post a Comment