Critical Week: Life's a beach

Awards season stuff continues to take up much of my time, with another flurry of nominations and winners released this week, including the biggest nominations of the season: the Oscars. As usual, the news was full of stories about surprise nods and angry snubs, as if this was something new. Meanwhile, I'm in the final 10-day push toward the London Critics' Circle awards, looking forward to having Michelle Yeoh at our ceremony to receive our top honour. It's looking like a properly starry event after two virtual years. Lots still to do to get ready for that!

BEST OUT THIS WEEK:
Close • The Fabelmans
Concerned Citizen
PERHAPS AVOID:
Maybe I Do • Shotgun Wedding
ALL REVIEWS >

Of course I've also been watching movies, and the Philippines was the main villain in two big Hollywood productions. Filmed in the Dominican Republic, Shotgun Wedding stars Jennifer Lopez and Josh Duhamel as the bride and groom who plan a lush destination wedding that's interrupted by ruthless pirates. Filmed in Puerto Rico, Plane stars Gerard Butler as a pilot who crash-lands on a remote Filipino island overrun with a ruthless militia. Both movies require their stars to step in when the law fails to protect them. And both are plainly preposterous, although Plane just wins the battle by being a bit more fun.

The rest are an eclectic bunch: Maybe I Do has a super-starry ensemble cast that features Diane Keaton, Susan Sarandon, Richard Gere, William H Macy, Emma Roberts and Luke Bracey. And yet the transition from stage to screen feels a bit dull and contrived. From China, the massive blockbuster sci-fi epic The Wandering Earth II takes the breath away with its enormous scale and vast cast of characters, and it's also deliberately funny, which is refreshing. From Australia, Seriously Red is an endearing drama about a woman who becomes a Dolly Parton impersonator to find herself. It's funny and edgy, like Muriel's Wedding. And from Israel, Concerned Citizen is a lovely naturalistic drama about a guy trying to decide whether to improve his Tel Aviv neighbourhood or just move away like everyone else.

Screenings are a bit scant this coming week, although that's because I've already seen the awards-contending films that are coming into cinemas now. Movies to see this coming week include Ryan Philippe in The Locksmith, Nick Moran in Renegades and some straggling awards contenders.

Screen: December TV Roundup

Festivals and awards season have taken a toll on my schedule, but I keep watching episodes of TV series as punctuation between the movies. It's amazing how much you can get through just watching an episode or two here or there. Some of the series below started back in the summer, and others dropped in binge-worthy bundles just in time for a free weekend. But there were several shows I simply didn't have time to watch, such as House of the Dragon, The Rings of Power and The English, to name three...

O H   T H E   D R A M A

The White Lotus: series 2 
Shifting to Italy with only the awesome Jennifer Coolidge's Tanya as a returning character, writer-director Mike White gets even more ambitious this time around. Enormous themes, ideas and even plot points are hidden in between the dialog and situations, offering constant moments of discovery for the audience. And just enough remains ambiguous to keep our brains spinning. It's still a story about haves and have-nots, but this time the lines are even more fiendishly blurred. And the first-rate cast includes Aubrey Plaza, F Murray Abraham, Theo James, Tom Hollander, Haley Lu Richardson, Michael Imperioli and Will Sharpe. Provocative, unmissable television. (HBO)

The Crown: series 5
It's all change once again for this series, which follows the British royal family into the 1990s with Imelda Staunton now playing Queen Elizabeth. Appropriately, she's a bit more aloof than before, although this makes the show far less engaging. This also leaves her in the background as episodes centre more on Diana (Elizabeth Debicki) and Charles (Dominic West), plus a very odd episode that spirals away to tell the story of Mohamed Al-Fayed (Salim Daw). But the show is still immaculately produced and beautifully acted across the board. And it finds intriguing angles on things like press intrusion and the collapse of the Soviet Union. (Netflix)

The Handmaid's Tale: series 5 
Diving even further into darkly disturbing thriller territory, this show is unafraid to send its characters into some properly horrific corners, although it perhaps seems a bit odd that almost all of them are still alive considering the hideous violence all around them. Elisabeth Moss continues to shine as June, and she directed a few belting episodes as well. She's now in exile in Canada with her husband (O-T Fagbenle), but still intricately involved in the goings-on in Gilead, especially with Serena (Yvonne Strahovski) and the now-more-sinister Joseph (Bradley Whitford). In its penultimate season, the stakes are getting higher, and characters continue to get more complicated. So bring it on. (Hulu)

The Sandman
Ambitiously adapting Neil Gaiman's darkly complex comic book, this series is visually stunning, with an excellent ensemble cast circling around a skilfully nuanced Tom Sturridge as Lord Morpheus, the ruler of the Dreaming. The show's structure, which sees Morpheus trying to restore order after he's released from a century of captivity, involves frequent shifts in settings and tone, veering from wacky comedy to grim horror to wrenching drama. This makes it feel uneven at times, but each scene is dazzling. And when you have ace costars like Gwendoline Christie, David Thewlis, Charles Dance, Joely Richardson and John Cameron Mitchell on hand, it's impossible to look away. (Netflix)

Andor 
Oddly dry and dull, this Star Wars series is a prequel to the 2016 film Rogue One, shifting between bickering officials in the Empire and the bickering rebels who are trying to undermine them. While it's enjoyably layered and intriguing, the narrative is scattered over a wide range of characters, each of whom has something interesting to do. But even with a terrific cast, no one emerges as a person who is terribly engaging. Even Diego Luna, in the pivotal role, feels like a side character. While expertly staged the action sequences seem oddly random, and the plot's spiralling political machinations remain rather clinical. So let's hope for a more personal approach in the second season. (Disney) 

The Resort
I was intrigued because this show was created by Andy Siara (Palm Springs) and has a cool cast that includes William Jackson Harper, Cristin Milioti, Skyler Gisondo and the always fabulous Nick Offerman. A sometimes remarkably dark mix of comedy and fantasy, the story centres around a holiday resort in the Yucatan and two young people who went missing 15 years earlier. Then tantalising clues hint that there's time travel involved. The gradually unfolding mystery is engaging, but it's the edgy humour and continuous stream of quirky characters that keeps us entertained. So there's a slightly bittersweet tone as things begin to come together, because we know this will mean that the gang will break up. Then the conclusion suggests that there's more to come. (Peacock)

Elite: series 6
This guilty-pleasure drama from Spain continues to get darker, nastier and more convoluted. And also repetitive. After killing off another central character, the teens continue to indulge in drugs and partying while occasionally attending school. This time they're grappling with horrific violence in the form of a vicious public outing, attempted hit-and-run murder, drug-fuelled gang rape and homophobic murder, among other things. Yes, what these kids are dealing with is extremely grim, and the fact that they're all wildly wealthy doesn't help them at all. It leaves us hoping there's a glimmer of hope in the next season. (Netflix)

J U S T   F O R   L A U G H S

Only Murders in the Building: series 2 
After setting up a new mystery at the end of the first season, this show slides effortlessly into back into its groove, with a confident storytelling approach that's even more engaging. The writing crackles with wit, including continuous references to the difficulty of ramping things up for a second season of the eponymous podcast. All three leads (Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez) add amusing wrinkles to their characters as they interact with a collection of properly ridiculous people. In addition, the central mystery is genuinely knotted and intriguing, offering lots of twists, turns and scene-stealing moments for the fabulously hammy cast. (Hulu)

She-Hulk: Attorney at Law 
Marvel stays in sitcom mode (see also Ms Marvel) for this refreshingly silly series starring Tatiana Maslany as the cousin of Mark Ruffalo's Hulk, who is inadvertently infected with his blood and develops her own distinct giant green alter-ego. Hilariously, she hates the name "She-Hulk", as she should, and the show centres on her efforts to live a normal life as a lawyer, as if she could. Some of her antics are a bit gimmicky, such as trying to date as either Jennifer or She-Hulk, but the show is grounded by her relationships with friends, family and of course her various super-powered clients (including Tim Roth and Megan Thee Stallion). Maslany has a wonderful offhanded charm in the role, although She-Hulk's digital design is somewhat iffy. (Disney) 

The Bear
An unusually edgy tone makes this comedy-drama remarkably riveting, as it charges through a situation that never quite feels under control. Set in Chicago, it's anchored by another powerful performance by Jeremy Allen White (see also Shameless) as a disgraced world-class chef who returns home to run his family's sandwich shop. Clashes abound with relatives (including the fearlessly abrasive Ebon Moss-Bacharach) and employees, and everywhere else for that matter. Ayo Edebiri shines as a young genius who joins the team. But then the entire cast is strikingly realistic, as is the claustrophobic mayhem in the kitchen. (FX)

What We Do in the Shadows: series 4
After ramping things up in the previous season, it's been fun to watch the heightened craziness boil over in various directions in these episodes. The writers continue to gleefully lampoon a range of societal issues, with added nuttiness as Nandor (Kayvan Novak) is granted a series of wishes by a slippery djinn (Anoop Desai), Guillermo (Harvey Guillen) starts taking a stand for himself, and Colin Robinson (Mark Proksch) is reborn as a bratty kid. These episodes progress at a remarkably brisk pace, throwing all kinds of nuttiness into the mix, with Nandor remarrying his favourite wife (Parisa Fakhri) and Nadja (Nastasia Demetriou) opening a nightclub, both with predictably messy results. (FX)

Acapulco: series 2
This brightly inventive comedy further develops its now-and-then plot strands by sending Eugenio Derbez's Maximo to Mexico with his nephew (Raphael Alejandro) while reminiscing about his adventures as a young man (Enrique Arrizon). Much of the story centres around romantic complications this time, including a big Valentine's Day episode that makes particularly good use of the show's candy-hued nostalgic colour palette. A bit of intrigue emerges this season as well. But what sets this show apart is its terrific depth for such comical characters, strongly complex relationships and some deeper themes in subplots involving diversity and gossip. (Apple)

Reboot 
There's a lot to like about this gimmicky comedy, with sees Hannah (Rachel Bloom) set out to revive the vintage sitcom her father (Paul Reiser) turned into a hit a couple of decades ago. As the reuniting original cast members, Keegan-Michael Key, Johnny Knoxville, Judy Greer and Calum Worthy have a lot of fun with their seriously messy characters. The interaction between them is gleefully soapy, making pointed jokes about the television and film industries and the nature of being an actor. And while it leans heavily toward both goofy and sentimental moments, there's enough knowing realism to make it genuinely hilarious. (Hulu)

Smiley
The title may refer to the emoticon, but it's also indicative of the tone of this Spanish comedy, which keeps the audience happy with its sometimes simplistic romcom tale about two men who seem completely wrong for each other and yet still click. Carlos Cuevas and Miki Esparbé are terrific in the roles, as a sexy bartender and a slightly nerdy architect who know that having a relationship won't work, but of course they can't resist each other. Their circle of friends is unusually sparky for a series like this, taking the show in some refreshingly offbeat directions. And the complexity of the situation gives the comedy an unusually unpredictable tone. (Netflix)

Inside Amy Schumer: series 5
For the fifth season, this sketch show comes back with five episodes that are tightly written and performed to take on specific themes. While poking fun at everyday life, the media and politics, the scenes dig more deeply into the way we react to these things. So everything strikes a nerve, and it's expertly played by Schumer and her terrific ensemble of costars, including Tim Meadows and Cara Delevingne, plus witty music from Ron Weiner. Most impressive is the momentum these episodes build as they go along, almost creating an overall narrative that touches on topics we all grapple with. And Schumer's unapologetic approach is engaging and refreshing. (MTV)

T H A T ' S   A L L   F O L K S

Kevin Can F**k Himself: series 2 
Annie Murphy is back for a second and final season of this offbeat hybrid sitcom/thriller, which feels much darker this time around. Even the studio-audience sequences have a bleak edge to them, as Murphy's Allison continues to try to escape her hellish marriage to the goofball Kevin (Eric Petersen), this time plotting with her pal Patty (Mary Hollis Inboden) to fake her own death. The mix between the bleak comedy and pitch-black drama feels a little forced now, but the point the show is making about male and female perspectives is provocative and important. And where the story goes is genuinely involving, and chilling too. (AMC)

Dead to Me: series 3
Lively and more than a little absurd, this comedy thriller series concludes with a snaky series of episodes in which our heroines (Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini) desperately scramble to avoid trouble with the police, even as they become increasingly entangled with them for a variety of random reasons. We also get the return of James Marsden, as the twin brother of the late Steve. And the show's dance with death continues through a cancer diagnosis. But at its heart, this is the story of an unexpected friendship, and Applegate and Cardellini make it hugely enjoyable even when the plot begins to get very silly indeed. (Netflix)

I   G I V E   U P

Quantum Leap 
From 1989 to 1993, this zippy time-travel series was a guilty pleasure, so it's almost surprising that it took three decades to reboot it. Alas, the writing this time is abysmal, including the feeble attempt to create an ensemble cast and the painfully undercooked adventures as Ben (Raymond Lee) leaps from period to period. Scripts aren't rooted in even the most cursory logic or detail, leaving it impossible to connect with, so I stopped trying. (NBC)

NOW WATCHING: Welcome to Chippendales, Marie-Antoinette, Abbott Elementary (2), His Dark Materials (3), Young Rock (3), The Conners (5).

COMING SOON: That 90s Show, Shrinking, Extrapolations, Ted Lasso (3), Star Trek: Picard (3), The Mandalorian (3).

Previous roundup: AUGUST 2022 >

Screen: September TV Roundup

There have been some great shows on lately to offer some distractions when I'm not watching movies or getting outside to enjoy the sunshine. I continue to avoid any shows centring on murder or injury - just not what I want to watch, aside from the movies I have to see for work. Give me comedy, social satire, edgy drama or something original that combines all of that....

The White Lotus
From writer-director Mike White, this series cleverly slices through middle-class respectability with its edgy soap-style plot threads about wealthy people on vacation at a Hawaiian resort. Everyone has secrets, and the breadth of the approach is impressive, with a wonderful array of vivid characters ranging in age from teens to retirees. It's easy to get lost in the various stories, as each person is fully fleshed-out by a terrific cast that includes Steve Zahn, Jennifer Coolidge, Murray Bartlett, Fred Hechinger, Jake Lacey and Alexandra Daddario. The show's astute social satire is bracingly pitch-black, and it's so complex that getting to the end feels a lot like finishing a particularly satisfying novel. (HBO)

The Chair 
Sandra Oh is terrific as the lead in this wry comedy about faculty and students at an Ivy League university in New England. Both political and personal issues rear their heads along the way, as characters clash and unite in unexpected ways, while the tide of cancel culture swells ominously and the university's administrators fail to grasp what's happening or even begin to know how deal with it. There are also wonderful roles for Jay Duplass, David Morse and the always fabulous Holland Taylor. So while the over-arching narrative seemed to stumble along the way, future seasons might be able to bring some more focus to the larger issues and resonant interpersonal drama. (Netflix)

Schmigadoon! 
Keegan-Michael Key and Cecily Strong have a lot of fun as a happy couple whose relationship is put through the wringer when they're trapped in a mystical realm that's overrun by the trappings of a stage musical. The exaggerated Victoriana is hilarious in the design, dialog and morality, while the musical numbers hilariously riff on a variety of classics. In addition, the starry cast includes musical-comedy theatre superstars like Jane Krakowski, Kristin Chenoweth and Alan Cumming. So even if it all feels a little corny and obvious, and if each song is a bit too much of a pastiche for its own good, it's a terrific show for clicking off your brain for a silly laugh. (Apple)

Brand New Cherry Flavor
Refreshingly audacious, this crazed series takes the audience on a freaky odyssey that has strong echoes of Lynch and Cronenberg. Set in the early 1990s, it follows aspiring filmmaker Lisa (the superb Rosa Salazar) as she encounters a slimy director (Eric Lange) long before #MeToo and sets about getting revenge with the help of the mystical, shamanic Boro (Catherine Keener). What this costs Lisa is deeply twisted, as is pretty much everything about this show, which dives into the nastiness without hesitation. The boldness of the writing and directing feels like a tonic when most shows are trying so hard to please. This is challenging, disturbing and absolutely riveting television. (Netflix)

Physical 
Rose Byrne shines as a 1980s housewife emerging from the shadow of her underachieving (and thankfully never villified) husband as she finds that she has what it takes to become an aerobics star. The series takes its time to build this foundation, expertly layering in details that are both funny and rather bleakly chilling. While several of the side roles feel like rather random dimwitted TV series cliches, Sheila is a stunningly complex character, a woman who finally realises that she she will need to break the rules to achieve anything at all in a man's world. Her every move is transgressive and dangerous, but we can't help but root for her. And where the show goes is boldly unexpected. (Apple)

Kevin Can F**k Himself 
After Schitt's Creek, Annie Murphy cleverly adapts her wonderfully perky screen persona to this gimmicky series that combines brightly overlit sitcom silliness with darkly shaded drama. It's a daring experiment that pays off in unexpected ways, revealing shades of suburban angst beneath the chuckleheaded idiocy. And as the lead character's journey to self-discovery and independence gets increasingly intense, Murphy helps us identify with how it feels to continually be underestimated as the ditsy wife to a relentlessly cruel husband everyone sees as a dopey nice guy. The overall series pacing is a little uneven, and the final episodes pay off in a way that's unexpectedly provocative. (AMC)

The North Water
This is a big swerve for Andrew Haigh (Looking, 45 Years), set on a 19th century whaling ship in the Arctic where bristle-haired men are up to all manner of shady grisliness. It's gorgeously designed and shot in spectacular locations, although the relentlessly underlit cinematography can get somewhat annoying on the small screen. The first-rate cast is led by Jack O'Connell, Colin Farrell (against type as a seriously nasty piece of work) and Sam Spruell, with added Stephen Graham and Tom Courtenay. So even if the moral lines are a bit too clear, there's plenty of gristle in the story's riveting depiction of masculinity and control. It also leaves us feeling like we need a bath. (BBC)

Q-Force
Zippy and extremely ridiculous, this animated spy comedy adventure takes in serious themes as it goes along, playing with issues and stereotypes without making pointed comments. This carefree approach adds a provocative angle to the rampant bigotry that swirls around a group of queer spies who have been sidelined for a decade but are now taking their shot at the big time in an international mission that has unexpected repercussions. It's riotously sexy and violent, and animated with a properly adult sensibility, which means the humour is more ironic than expected. And the voice cast is first-rate, including Sean Hayes, Wanda Sykes, Jane Lynch and Stephanie Beatriz. (Netflix)

M O R E    M O R E    M O R E

Dave: series 2 
Continuing his intriguingly blurred autobiographical adventures, Dave Burd goes much darker this season, often dipping into pitch-black comedy and even darker emotions to skewer the show business industry in ways that continually take the breath away. There's a bleakness that makes these episodes less exhilaratingly enjoyable than the first series, but the ideas in the mix are even stronger. And Burd digs into his own offhanded personality to explore some properly pungent feelings as an unlikely rising star who is shaken by interaction with his colleagues, idols, family and friends. His oblivious confidence takes on a whole new meaning this time around. (FX)

Never Have I Ever: series 2
Inspired by Mindy Kaling's childhood, this series continues the adventures of Devi (the fabulous Maitreyi Ramakrishnan), a character who is bravely written and played in ways that aren't always likeable, mainly because we're watching her create most of her own problems. Her various relationships evolve in unexpected directions this season, including with two boyfriends, her best pal and her family members. The female roles are particularly well-written this season, including Devi's mother, cousin, closest friend and a rival Indian teen at her school. And John McInroe's witty voiceover adds such a random perspective that it brings everything to unusual life. (Netflix)

I Think You Should Leave: series 2
It's difficult to describe this sketch show starring Tim Robinson as a comedy, since the scenarios it sets up are based on aggression, awkwardness and absurd conflicts. The main reactions to these scenes are nervous laughter and gasps at both how ridiculous it all is (many hinge around something flatly surreal). But there's also a chilling recognition of human nature laced through everything, picking at our insecurities and those niggling annoyances that get under the skin. That Robinson and his talented cast and crew approach this in such a boldly in-your-face way is properly remarkable. It's one of those shows that feels uncomfortable to watch, but leaves us wanting more. (Netflix)

Lucifer: series 6 
The final season of this nutty show spent most of its time wrapping up story threads involving each of the central characters, while contriving an elaborate conclusion. Thankfully, this included some properly bonkers twists and turns on the way to a protracted, wildly indulgent final act that clumsily strained to be both epic and sentimental. The angels-and-demons premise kept things far more entertaining than the usual murder-of-the-week structure, and Tom Ellis' devilish charm so buoyantly held the entire show aloft that it will be fun to see what he does next. He perhaps spends a bit too much of these 10 episodes singing and dancing, but it's unlikely anyone would complain. (Netflix)

Grace & Frankie: series 7a
The first four episodes of this final season suddenly appeared in August (the rest will follow next year), and they're just as ridiculous as always, centring on the ongoing clashes between these two awkwardly merged families and their long history together. Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin continue to build on their astonishingly strong chemistry, having fun playing their actual ages while making jokes that poke fun at their real-life images. And Martin Sheen, Sam Waterston and the ensemble cast of kids and spouses are becoming more grounded with each episode. There are still some loose ends to tie up, so however many episodes are left, we'll be happy to giggle along with them when they turn up. (Netflix)

NOW WATCHING: Only Murders in the Building, Mr Corman, Ted Lasso (2), The Other Two (2), What We Do in the Shadows (3), Brooklyn Nine-Nine (8).

COMING SOON: Foundation, The Big Leap, The Morning Show (2), Succession (3), Sex Education (3), The Conners (4).