New shows and movies that are perfect to watch this weekend are discussed in the latest episode of the Things to watch podcast†
It’s a hearty, light-hearted listen – 10 minutes in all – designed to help you get the most out of your weekend.
You can listen by clicking on the player below – or find him where you get your podcasts from, Apple† Spotify and the rest.
Follow the show on your podcast player and you’ll be notified of new episodes. You can even download it to listen to later.
THE OLD MAN (DISNEY+)
Liam Neeson finally has some competition. It appears that the Northern Irishman has had an unsound grasp of adult gentlemen roles with a “very specific set of skills” for over a decade. But while his appeal, range of motion, and especially the scripts have waned lately, audiences wondered who could usurp him for the senior man-of-action crown. Maybe enter an unlikely contender – The Dude himself – Jeff Bridges.
In his first on-screen role since 2018’s Bad Times at the El Royale and his debut as a recurring TV character, the 72-year-old is electric and compelling as Dan Chase in this seven-part thriller.
Chase, a former CIA agent, is suddenly devastated when he kills a hit man who breaks into his home in upstate New York.
What follows is truly captivating, addictive watching.
KILLS ONLY IN THE BUILDING (DISNEY+)
One of 2021’s breakout shows is back – and as addictive as ever.
The misadventures of Charles Haden-Savage (Steve Martin), Oliver Putnam (Martin Short) and Mabel Mora (Selena Gomez) continue as they try to investigate another death at their New York apartment complex – The Arconia.
As it turned out during the first run, Only murders in the building is a witty, compelling, highly entertaining triumph whose delights lie in the details and character interactions.
And, as you’d expect from a Martin script, it bursts at the seams with witty bon mots, physical comedy potential, and biting asides, as our disparate trio spark, spar and try to solve even more mysteries – with hilarious results.
The addition of Amy Shumer, Cara Delevingne and a riotous Shirley MacLaine to the mix adds a fair amount of extra spice, while there are enough twists, turns, callbacks and unexpected interconnections to keep you on your toes.
GOODS
Eight great shows to stream this weekend.
READ MORE:
† Question Team: Richard Ayoade and Friends ‘Hilarious Rewrite Panel Show’
† Moon Knight: Disney+’s Dashing Adventure Shows the Wonderful Oscar Issac
† The Chase USA: More money, extra danger, but somehow not so much fun
† Bridgerton: No Duke, no problem, because Netflix’ hit romp season 2 is just as spicy
BBC
Sherwood is now available to stream on TVNZ+.
SHERWOOD (TVNZ+)
Inspired by a couple of real-life murders in Nottinghamshire in 2004, this is arguably the most riveting crime drama to come out of the UK since Broadchurch.
Creator and screenwriter James Graham (Quiz), whose village was traumatized by those murders, has crafted a truly addictive character investigation, mystery, and police procedural that you can’t help but get carried away in an attempt to debate and solve yourself.
It’s been 30 years since the infamous miners’ strike of 1984, but tensions still run high here, with neighbors and – sometimes even families – divided between those who crossed the picket line and those who followed the edict of the national union and the “scabs subjected to verbal and sometimes physical violence. Even the police are not exactly welcome, their approach to the conflict is still perceived as heavy-handed. That makes the investigation into the crossbow death of a former striking miner particularly delicate.
This is a drama populated by a truly impressive, deep bank of seasoned talent – everyone from David Morrissey, Joanne Froggatt and Alun Armstrong to Lesley Manville, Robert Glenister and a virtually unrecognizable Stephen Tompkinson.
THE SOCIAL MEDIA VIRGO (TVNZ+)
After capturing the nation’s attention with his somewhat wacky investigation into the 30-year-old cold case of Who Killed Lucy the Poodle? in 2019, Kent Briggs is back with another engaging, if more than a little cracked, challenge.
In this six-part docu-series, the ‘creative’ Generation X Auckland tries to take its online game from zero to internet hero in just a few months.
While there is a certain fascination and joy in watching Briggs ‘craft’ and sometimes just catastrophically creating his audience and followers enticing content, this is more than just a Kiwi Jackass. The fly-on-the-wall, warts-and-all style means we see his missteps and frustrations, as the hours spent refining content, writing posts, and responding to every comment left him behind. set schedule. As Briggs himself puts it, this is a “concentrated, intense learning curve” and as much (if not, much more) a cautionary tale about seeking internet fame, as a “how to succeed at your social media game”.
The real secret sauce of The Social Media Virgin, however, comes from Briggs’ raw intimate interviews with Kiwis who have managed to reach a large online audience.
TVNZ
The Social Media Virgin is now available to stream on TVNZ OnDemand.
SUMMER I GOT BEAUTIFUL (AMAZON PRIME VIDEO)
An adaptation of Jenny Han’s (To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before) novel from 2009. This eight-part, multi-generational drama centers on the enduring power of strong female friendship and a love triangle between a girl and two brothers.
Billed as “a coming-of-age story about first love, first heartbreak and the magic of that one perfect summer,” the show features Rachel Blanchard, Tom Everett Scott and newcomer Lola Tung.
“As sweet, light and refreshing as a soda on ice by the pool, this book-based drama tackles the confusion and beauty of an awkward growing up,” wrote Joyce Slayton of Common Sense Media†
THIS WILL PAIN (TVNZ+)
The BBC’s latest hospital series couldn’t be further from the gleaming visions of Grey’s Anatomy.
If you’re looking for a slick soap that masquerades as a medical drama, you’ve come to the wrong place. This is a sombre, comical, raw and disturbing look at the lives of young doctors who work in an obstetrics and gynaecology department at a National Health Service hospital in London.
Directors Lucy Forbes and Tom Kingsley do a fantastic job of balancing the humor with the harrowing, ensuring that the medical scenes have a deep-seated truth, and the sometimes unforgiving drama is only leavened by the protagonists’ own gallows humor approach to keep themselves healthy. to keep.
At the center of the show is a magnificent performance by Ben Whishaw, who once again demonstrates the unique ability to combine wonderful comedic timing with an extremely recognizable vulnerability that he has previously shown in A Very English Scandal and paddington†
BBC
Ben Whishaw stars as a junior doctor who works in the maternity ward on the comedy drama series This Is Going To Hurt.
WEST WORLD (NEON/SKY GO)
Oscar winner Ariana DeBose and Aurora Perrineau of Prodigal Son join the cast for the fourth season of this hit dystopian sci-fi series, based on Michael Crichton’s 1973 cult film of the same name.
First episodes in over two years, the eight-part film has been described as “a dark odyssey over the fate of life on Earth” and features an amusement park modeled after a romanticized version of a 1930s mafia-controlled America. .
“Westworld may have lost a few of its IQ points over the years, but it’s still a decent shoot-em-up that gives us women to fight back and win,” wrote Melanie McFarland of Salon.com†
YOU DON’T KNOW ME (NETFLIX)
Four-part BBC crime drama based on the award-winning 2017 novel of the same name by Imran Mahmood.
Starring Samuel Adewunmi, Sophie Wild and Bukky Bakray, it centers on a young man accused of murder. But while the evidence may seem overwhelming, he tells the court an extraordinary story that could change everything.
“The conceit is different and makes you think – can someone be morally right when legally wrong? – and the performances were all so strong,” wrote The Mail on Sunday’s Deborah Ross†