Screen: June TV Roundup

There have been some outstanding television programmes over the past couple of months, including a few that are likely to dominate the awards discussion over the next year. Yes, they were amid my nominations for this year's Dorian Awards (Golden Globes voting uses a different calendar). in this roundup, I'll start here with three new shows, then three final seasons and finally four returnees...

Half Man
From Baby Reindeer writer Richard Gadd, this is a staggeringly bold drama about the push and pull between two stepbrothers from Glasgow. Niall and Ruben are expertly played by Jamie Bell and Gadd himself, with star-making turns by Mitchell Robertson and Stuart Campbell as teens. But it's the unflinching nature of the writing that makes this show essential, taking a riveting look through at connection, masculinity and identity with mind-bogglingly layered situations. It's violent and harsh, but there's a real sense of affection woven into the badly strained nastiness. And this is a rare case in which editing the story out of sequence actually adds a proper kick, forcing us to pay attention. (BBC)

Big Mistakes
Created by Dan Levy and Rachel Sennott, this bonkers crime comedy centres around Levy's Pastor Nicky and his agent-of-chaos sister Morgan (Taylor Ortega), who gets them entangled with a mobster (Mark Ivanir). As things escalate, the plot feels increasingly silly, but it remains watchable simply because the cast is so strong. The ace card here is Laurie Metcalf as the siblings' mother, so self-absorbed with running for mayor that she hasn't a clue what's going on with them. The story has a freewheeling structure that easily carries us along through eight half-hour episodes. And these people are just about the right kind of ridiculous to make us want to see more of them. (Netflix)

Margo’s Got Money Troubles
Bold and full of intensely outrageous moments, this comedy centres around a family that has serious impulse control issues, but the deep and very messy love they have for each other is riveting to watch. Powerhouse performances bring these people to life, including Elle Fanning in the title role as a single mother who finds an inventive way to make ends meet, Michelle Pfeiffer as her spiky mother and Nick Offerman as her ex-wrestler, ex-addict dad. Plus extraordinary turns from Marcia Gay Harden, Greg Kinnear, Michael Angarano and especially Nicole Kidman. There's nothing simple about this show, but it's funny and bracingly honest about things most television programmes are terrified to touch. (Apple)

T H I S   I S   T H E   E N D

Hacks: series 5
With a steady stream of starry cameos, this comedy charges confidently through to its big finale with another series of episodes that mix snappy humour, entitled attitudes and warm emotion. Of course the entire show has been about the relationship between jaded veteran standup comic Deborah (the great Jean Smart) and her cynical young writing partner Ava (Hannah Einbinder), so it's nice that the storylines honed in on their interaction. Meanwhile, there was plenty of nuttiness from their agents (Paul Downs and Megan Stalter) and a flurry of side characters from throughout the seasons. It's so much fun we don't mind too much that the various plotlines all feel rather undercooked. (HBO)

Euphoria: series 3
Jumping ahead a few years, this season shifts from a teens-messing-around-with-drugs drama into intense crime thriller with young people trying to survive against very steep odds. Anchored around the seriously gifted Zendaya, who gives Rue a wonderfully textured soul, the show feels like it is pinging from one tragedy to the next, and it becomes clear that no one is going to escape writer-director Sam Levinson unscathed. Plot turns are astonishingly harsh, the violence is darkly haunting and the seediness is sometimes overpowering. But the actors are all on fire, especially Sydney Sweeney, Jacob Elordi, Colman Domingo, Maude Apatow, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje and Alexa Demie (HBO) 

The Boys: series 5
Barging into its full-on final season, this raucously violent show sets up that long-anticipated final confrontation between Karl Urban's scabrous antihero Billy and Antony Star's supervillain Homelander. The true protagonist Hughie (Jack Quaid) also gets a personal arc with conflicted goodie Starlight (Erin Moriarty). And side characters have their own kicks, including favourites Frenchie and Kimiko (Tomer Capone and Karen Fukuhara), plus Jensen Ackles and Cameron Crovetti as Homelander's father and son, respectively. It's all as deliberately ugly and abrasive as always. Even with various requisite over-grisly endings, this is an astute, timely look at the true nature of power and heroism. (Prime)

B A C K   F O R   M O R E

The Four Seasons: series 2
Breezing through another eight episodes, this outrageously watchable show catches up with three couples over another year of joint holidays. This is pure joy distilled into a TV series. The dynamics both within and between the couples have shifted, largely due to Ginny's (Erika Henningsen) impending motherhood and Anne's (Kerri Kenney) lingering bitterness. And both Kate/Jack (Tina Fey/Will Forte) and Danny/Claude (Colman Domingo/Marco Calvani) have their own relationship issues. The first-rate cast excels at this engaging, fresh mix of comedy and drama. Notable flourishes include a flashback episode with Steve Carell, plus a trip to Italy that beautifully redefines Claude. (Netflix)

The Comeback: series 3
Lisa Kudrow's inventive comedy returns, following on from its 2005 and 2015 runs. It's also tackling another bracingly current industry issue, while catching up on the next chapter in the life of Kudrow's astonishingly nuanced alter-ego Valerie Cherish. This time, her manager (Dan Bucatinsky) lands her the lead role in a sitcom that's written by AI, creating mixed emotions: the cast and crew have jobs, but writers don't. Using dry humour, the topical discussion is cleverly woven into the fabric of the show, so it's more provocative and less flashy than, say, The Studio. And the ensemble is simply wonderful, in both new and returning roles. Andrew Scott is particularly strong as a slippery studio head. (HBO)

Scrubs: series 10
The hospital sitcom is back, after its nine-season run from 2001 to 2010, with its distinctive mix of fast-talking wit and heartwarming sentiment. Returning cast members Zach Braff, Sarah Chalke, Donald Faison and Judy Reyes are joined by Joel Kim Booster as a nemesis doctor and most enjoyably Vanessa Bayer as a hapless HR officer. And it works well because it shifts the leading characters from rookies into the veterans, now in charge of a new group of ridiculous but of course brilliant interns. What makes this entertaining is the lively writing, with rapid-fire banter, extended sight gags and rather a lot of very silly jokes that poke fun at things like masculinity and political correctness. (ABC)

Alpha Males [Machos Alfa]: series 5
Increasingly tangled in knots, this Spanish comedy continues to put its characters through the wringer as they attempt to grapple with the interplay between gender and society. At this point, the four men are on their own, planning a patriarchal commune away from women. But of course they are quietly breaking their own rules. Meanwhile, their exes are having their own journey, trying to build strong female lives while also continually blurring the lines. The actors are a bit more grounded this time around, which makes the rapid-fire storytelling feel marginally less inane. But the way it pings around between the various story threads is still rather exhausting. (Netflix)

GUILTY PLEASURES: Britain's Got Talent, The Traitors US, Race Across the World, Drag Race (UK vs the World 3, All Stars 11).

NOW WATCHING: Spider-Noir, Good Omens 3, Man on Fire, Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed, Widow's Bay.

COMING SOON: The Bear 5, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds 4, Sugar 2, The Vampire Lestat, Zorro, Heartstopper Forever.

Previous roundup: APRIL 2026 > 

Screen: April TV Roundup

There's been a lot of new material on television and streaming lately, so I feel like I've only skimmed the surface. But I've made it through 16 series here. New shows and seasons seem to be released every day at the moment, and I need to keep up simply so I'm ready when voting deadlines hit for TV awards I vote in. I can't see everything, but I try to catch what looks intriguing and /or entertaining - something that can take my mind off the real world. In this roundup, I'm starting with returning shows...

Beef: series 2
This anthology show's new season has an excellent cast and a gripping narrative that builds to a frankly astonishing final episode. Expertly shot and edited, it stars Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, Charles Melton and Cailee Spaeny as two couples who get into a tangled mess connected to the exclusive golf club where they work and a new Korean owner (the great Youn Yuh-Jung) who's more than a little shady. The way the interpersonal relationships spiral and weave is breathtaking, with a continual stream of surprises, shifting loyalties and ratcheting tension. In the end, the show has profound things to say about love and loyalty, and also takes a startlingly astute swipe at where the world is right now. (Netflix)

Jury Duty Presents: 
Company Retreat
The astonishing improv comedy is back, this time set around a small family business' getaway at which everyone is an actor except one person who has no idea they're on a sitcom. Like the first season, this is hilariously outrageous television, expertly set up and assembled to hone in on how Anthony responds to the absurd things thrown at him, including several moral dilemmas. So it's funny but also very sharply pointed, commenting on the changing landscape for small companies while also offering provocative "what would you do?" scenarios. This one sometimes feels a bit sillier than the first courtroom series, but it is packed with terrific moments. And as before, the casting is genius. (Prime)

Bridgerton: series 4
Diving back into this colourful period fantasia is such a delight that we never want it to end. So of course Netflix divides the series into chapters to further torment us. Things are both spicy and comforting, as another Bridgerton sibling, wild child Benedict (Luke Thompson), is tamed by the feisty Sophie (Yerin Ha). Meanwhile, there are more antics for Nicola Coughlan's Penelope, Adjoa Andoh's Lady Danbury and Golda Rosheuvel's Queen Charlotte, plus a parallel romance for Lady Bridgerton (Ruth Gemmell) and her swarthy Lord Marcus (Daniel Francis). There's never much doubt where these plot threads are headed, but this kind of frothy/steamy nonsense is simply delicious. (Netflix) 

Paradise: series 2
This season opens outside the city-in-a-bunker with a superb Graceland-set narrative featuring a new role for Shailene Woodley. Then Sterling K Brown arrives and we're off on a steely cross-country adventure. The show splinters in now-typical second-season style between a sometimes bewildering range of story threads in timelines that inside, outside and before the bunker. The writing feels a little heavy-handed, pushing apocalyptic themes while searching for signs of humanity. But the expanding cast is solid (including puppet-master Julianne Nicholson), and the plotlines are involving enough to keep us hooked. Where this season ends up is properly brain-bending, which bodes well for series 3. (Hulu) 

Fallout: series 2
Carrying on with its various narrative strands, which are even-more fragmented than before, this show is packed with fascinating scenes that seem to exist in isolation, even as some of the threads vaguely begin to merge. With all of this jumping around in both place and time, we are never quite sure which events are happening concurrently with others. But it doesn't really matter yet. This season is largely set around New Vegas, and the nutty mayhem offers particularly strong moments for Ella Purnell, Kyle MacLachlan, Aaron Moten, Moises Arias and of course Walton Goggins. With added Justin Theroux as a pre-apocalypse brainiac and Macauley Culkin as a cos-playing Roman general. (Prime)

Your Friends & Neighbors: series 2
Jon Hamm is back for some more somewhat far fetched criminality, as a wealthy investment manager who turns to robbing his neighbours to make ends meet. His character's relationship with his ex-wife (Amanda Peet) and ex-girlfriend (Olivia Munn) are far more complicated now, as are his friendships and work connections. As a billionaire who moves into the community, James Marsden stirs everything up exponentially, further straining the credibility. But it's entertaining to watch these obscenely privileged people get taken down a peg or two (or more), even if the splintered plot feels a bit deliberately structured simply to make space for another season. (Apple)

High Tides [Knokke Off]: series 1-3
From Belgium, this show wallows in compelling melodrama between wildly wealthy and working class families in a rural seaside town. The first season centred on the teens, then the wonderfully overwrought soap-style stories spread to the parents too. Most of the characters bullheadedly charge through each situation without listening to anyone else, with a storm of alcohol, sex, drugs and violence. Even the few likeable or sympathetic people continually do awful things to each other, mainly because of the barrage of trauma they are all carrying around. But even if it's all faintly ridiculous, it's impossible to look away, partly because the European cast goes for it in ways American actors would never dare. (Netflix) 

S O M E T H I N G   N E W

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy
It's nice to see a Star Trek series that is actually trying something new that fits within its remit, even if some of these episodes reach perhaps a bit too far thematically, and the direction is sometimes shockingly inept. Set in the officer training school, the show features a collection of hot young cadets who improbably find themselves in a momentously urgent situation every single week. But because their teachers include Holly Hunter, Robert Picardo, Tig Notaro and Gina Yashere, plus Paul Giamatti as a recurring baddie, the show also has wonderfully offhanded gravitas. And students Sandro Rosta, Karim Diane, Kerrice Brooks, George Hawkins and Bella Shepard have star-making presence. (Paramount)

Bait
Riz Ahmed created and stars in this comedy about a British actor with Pakistani heritage who auditions to play James Bond, setting off a barrage of online hatred from all sides (is he too Asian or a sell-out?), and unfiltered excitement from his colourful friends and family. Ahmed is extraordinary in the meta-role, finding all kinds of layers as his character becomes increasingly unlikeable but somehow holds on to our sympathy. Sheeba Chadda is especially strong as his mother, and Guz Khan and Aasiya Shah add wonderful layers as his cousin and sister. There are also terrific guest roles for Himesh Patel, Nabhaan Rizwan, Rafe Spall and even a wonderfully absurd turn from Patrick Stewart. (Prime)

The Madison
A TV series about grief may seem like it'll be heavy-going, but writer Taylor Sheridan includes plenty of brittle humour and a riveting focal performance by Michelle Pfeiffer as a woman dealing with loss while trying to manage her messy adult daughters (Beau Garrett and Elle Chapman). The expansive Montana scenery is another key character here, and Sheridan weaves in several powerful narrative kicks over the course of six intensely emotive episodes. A side role for Rebecca Spence is complex and engaging. And there are meaty male characters too for Kurt Russell, Patrick J Adams, Ben Schnetzer, Kevin Zegers and Matthew Fox. It may get a bit mopey, but it's well worth a look. (Paramount)

Rooster
Steve Carell ably anchors this warm-hearted comedy in which he plays a blockbuster novelist (the title refers to his repeating lead character) who takes a job teaching at the university where his estranged daughter (Charly Clive) works. Their relationship is fun to watch, even if both of the characters are sometimes hard to like. They share rather complex broken-marriage issues (with Connie Britton and Phil Dunster as their respective exes), which add layers of connection to the spiralling silliness. And everything is grounded by the astute writing and earthy performances. Terrific support from Danielle Deadwyler and John C McGinley in roles that will benefit from more development in series 2. (HBO)

How to Get to Heaven From Belfast
From Derry Girls creator Lisa McGee comes another riotously astute Irish comedy, although this one is rather a lot darker, mixing the jagged humour with thriller elements as three old friends (Roisin Gallagher, Sinead Keenan and Caoilfhionn Dunne) reunite 20 years after a traumatic event to solve a mystery centred around their fourth classmate (Natasha O'Keeffe). Snappy dialog and hilarious characters keep us chuckling even as things get increasingly nasty. The plot veers in directions that are contrived, absurd and properly punchy. And there are terrific roles for Darragh Hand (as a dreamy garda), MobLand's Emmet J Scanlan and the always fantastic Bronagh Gallagher and Michelle Fairley. (Netflix)

Vladimir
Straining for that wry Fleabag-style to-camera vibe, this comedy-drama instead becomes rather arch as Rachel Weisz's English professor narrates her own fantastical crush on her new colleague Vladimir, played with offhanded dreaminess by Leo Woodall. Complications include her husband (John Slattery), their open marriage and accusations against him of sexual impropriety. And then there's Vladimir's wife (Jessica Henwick), who ends up in the thick of it as well. Where the story goes is foreshadowed right from the start, so it's not hugely surprising. But the show manages to drum up some terrific lustiness, highlighting female sexuality in an unusually complex way. (Netflix)

Crap Happens [Kacken an der Havel]
From Germany, this cartoonish comedy is relentlessly silly, with one of those plots in which everything continually goes wrong at the worst possible time. Amid the amusing stupidity, there are quite a few genuinely witty gags, plus some pointed satire about both German society and the global music industry, as the plot centres on loser Toni (Anton Schneider) dealing with both his big break to become a rap star and the discovery that he has a teen son (Sky Arndt). While the performances are deliberately way over the top, there are moments of real emotion that keep us watching. And one of the most enjoyably ridiculous touches is a running gag about the 1998 classic Armageddon. (Netflix)

J U S T   F O R   V A R I E T Y

The Muppet Show
With just one half-hour episode, this proves to be the show we need right now. Even 50 years later, the format feels fresh and engaging, with Kermit, Piggy and friends spiralling into their own delightful brand of chaos as they try to revive their theatre show. Guest star Sabrina Carpenter offers plenty of musical and comical fun, with added goofy cameos from Maya Rudolph and Seth Rogen as themselves. It's such an engaging mix of songs, sketches and generally silly mayhem that we can't help but fall in love with these characters all over again. And the all new cast of Muppet performers beautifully captures the souls of these iconic characters. Surely this proves that we need more of this. (Disney)

Saturday Night Live UK
While the original version is in the midst of its 51st season, a UK clone has taken to the airwaves slightly earlier on Saturday nights from London. The fresh cast of comics is very strong, diving headlong into the topical silliness, with the usual collection of sketches that are alternately inspired or oddly flat-footed. But the cheeky energy keeps things afloat. The most notable emerging star is Jack Shep, who has an innate gift for characterisations, from Princess Diana to the former Prince Andrew. The odd thing about the show is how it already feels like it's been around for too long. More variation from the US formula could help make this feel like something new. So let's hope it develops its own personality. (Sky)

GUILTY PLEASURES: The Traitors Ireland, Celebrity Race Across the World, Britain's Got Talent.

NOW WATCHING: Big Mistakes, The Testaments, Euphoria 3, Hacks 5, The Boys 5, Scrubs 8.

COMING SOON: Half Man, Margot's Got Money Problems, Man on Fire, The House of the Spirits, Alpha Males 4.

Previous roundup: FEBRUARY 2026 > 

Critical Week: To the stars

It's been nice to see new films coming into cinemas for a change, alongside the continuing trickle of festival gems from last year. Perhaps the biggest movie yet, Project Hail Mary is almost a one-man show for Ryan Gosling, and it's enormously entertaining on several levels: as a comedy, thriller and outer space adventure. Include Sandra Huller back on earth and a genuinely charming friendship with a rock-like alien. Glen Powell leads How to Make a Killing, a remake of the classic black comedy Kind Hearts and Coronets that starts well but struggles to find a consistent tone. And Pixar's first film this year is Hoppers, a colourfully amiable romp with adorable critters and a wacky sci-fi twist in the premise.

BEST OUT THIS WEEK:
Sound of Falling • Heel
ALL REVIEWS >

Further afield, I caught a big-screen presentation of the inventive Chinese epic Resurrection, with an on-screen Q&A with filmmaker Bi Gan. It's fiercely original, visually stunning, thematically a bit bewildering. The French drama Wild Foxes is a beautifully assembled drama about teen boxers, exploring machismo with a remarkably light touch. Also from France, the rather talky but beautifully animated biopic A Magnificent Life traces author and filmmaker Marcel Pagnol's life as a history of cinema itself. And from Japan, the anime crime drama The Last Blossom gets under the skin with its quietly involving storytelling. I also attended the European premiere of the emotionally intense TV series The Madison, with the entire cast in attendance, including Michelle Pfeiffer and Kurt Russell (see below).

Coming up this next week, I'll be watching Jesse Buckley in The Bride (buying a cinema ticket tomorrow because I couldn't attend the one press screening), Maika Monroe in Reminders of Him, Ferzan Ozpetek's Diamonds, Japanese/British drama A Pale View of Hills, Oscar-nominated doc Cutting Through Rocks, and quite a few movies in the BFI's Cinema Made in Italy season. I'll also attend a live performance of Sugar Daddy at Underbelly Boulevard.

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Critical Week: Things are heating up

The big awards season screening this week was for James Cameron's sequel Avatar: Fire and Ash, shown to us in all of its 3D glory. It's certainly an epic experience, with eye-catching action and increasingly realistic motion-capture effects. Although the story felt a bit familiar, as if that matters. Michelle Pfeiffer leads the charge as a bedraggled mum in the Christmas comedy Oh. What. Fun., which enjoyably riffs on the full range of holiday comedy classics. There were two animated movies: The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants is another frantic and very silly undersea romp, while the Japanese epic Scarlet uses distinctive imagery in its involving underworld twist on Hamlet.

BEST OUT THIS WEEK:
Merrily We Roll Along
It Was Just an Accident
La Grazia • Eternity • Folktales
ALL REVIEWS >

Other awards offerings included Jim Jarmusch's Venice-winning Father Mother Sister Brother, a lovely family-connections triptych with a superior cast including Cate Blanchett and Adam Driver. Fred Hechinger and Sebiye Behtiyar are excellent as young people who fall for each other in the warm, funny, emotional Preparation for the Next Life. Jonathan Majors goes very deep indeed as a bodybuilder in the delayed drama Magazine Dreams, impressively written and directed by Elijah Bymun. There were two documentaries: the chilling Cover-Up profiles journalist Seymour Hersh in a career exposing government misdeeds, while Folktales is a warmly involving look at a Norwegian high school that specialises in dog sledding.

Beyond film, I attended the outrageously lavish premiere of Fallout season 2, attended by the cast and crew (see below). And I also managed to fit in three seasonal stage performances: Ebony Scrooge at Sadler's Wells East, the panto Beauty and the Beast at Charing Cross Theatre and The Great Christmas Feast in West Kensington.

Coming up this next week, I'll be watching Jack O' Connell in 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, Joel Edgerton in The Plague, Rosamund Pike in Hallow Road, Rose Byrne in If I Had Legs I'd Kick You, Josh O'Connor in Rebuilding, plus a live performance of The Fit Prince at King's Head Theatre, and probably a bit more, all before flying out to see my family in California for the holidays.

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Critical Week: A walk in the park

London's cinema community is gearing up for this Sunday's British Academy Film Awards, which will be hosted by Richard E Grant at the Royal Festival Hall with all the stars in attendance. And this year the Baftas will air some of the awards live (but only a handful). I'll watch it at home, but I'm attending a few parties over the weekend, which should be fun ... and rather glamorous. More about all that on Monday, after the dust settles.

BEST OUT THIS WEEK:
The Inspection • Framing Agnes
Marcel the Shell With Shoes On
PERHAPS AVOID:
Devil's Peak
ALL REVIEWS >

Meanwhile, we're starting to see movies released early in the year, far from awards consideration. Sharper is a thriller about con artists, so it's no surprise that it's packed with twists, turns and revelations. All of that is fun, even if it's a bit predictable, but it helps that the film stars Julianne Moore, Sebastian Stan and (above) Briana Middleton and Justice Smith. Also sticking to the formula is Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, the latest slice of Marvel mayhem. The action largely swamps Paul Rudd's superb sense of humour, but the film does have its moments, and Jonathan Majors is seriously good as the villainous Kang. And then there's Devil's Peak, a backwoods thriller that sinks completely under the weight of its cliches, even as strong actors like Billy Bob Thornton and Robin Wright do what they can.

A little further afield, 88 is a political thriller with a nicely complex plot, although the dialog is overstuffed with lectures. From Italy, Nostalgia is an involving drama about a man trying to return home even as his past warns him to leave. From Spain, 8 Years artfully mixes colourful energy with thoughtful emotion as a man ponders the good and bad in a broken relationship. Chase Joynt's astonishingly inventive doc Framing Agnes works on many levels to explore trans experiences and social justice. And Gaspar Noe has rearranged his shocking 2002 classic as Irreversible: Straight Cut, which becomes something very different chronologically.

In addition to British Academy Film Awards events this weekend, this coming week I'll see the nutty thriller Cocaine Bear, Michael Shannon in A Little White Lie, Kore-eda's drama Broker, the Argentine drama Wandering Heart and the climate activism thriller How to Blow Up a Pipeline.

Critical Week: Is it raining?

Happy New Year from now-outside-the-EU London! Days have been blurring together over as I watch movies, go for walks and eat, and not a lot else. I'm still catching up on awards-season titles as voting deadlines approach. It's a tricky business, deciding which ones are worth the time and which can perhaps be skipped. As a critic, I hate not to give everyone a fair shake, but I do have to set priorities. Among the ones I watched were the quirky Irish romantic-comedy Wild Mountain Thyme, with Emily Blunt, Jamie Dornan and Christopher Walken. Odd casting aside, it's warm and funny. Anthony Hopkins and Olivia Colman are on top form in the sharply well-made drama The Father, based on a stage play. 

BEST OUT THIS WEEK:
We Can Be Heroes • DNA
Pieces of a Woman 
PERHAPS AVOID:
The Blackout 
ALL REVIEWS >

There was also Michelle Pfeiffer, terrific alongside the always-watchable Lucas Hedges in the black comedy French Exit. An all-star cast including Dan Stevens, Leslie Mann, Isla Fisher and Judi Dench star in an entertaining if not particularly needed remake of Noel Coward's nutty comedy Blythe Spirit. Jack O'Connell and Olivia Cooke star in the swirling, sensual, sad romance Little Fish. And Kelly Reichardt's First Cow is one of the best bromances in recent memory, following two men in 19th century Oregon.

Much less demanding, Robert Rodriguez's colourful kids' superhero movie We Can Be Heroes is an energetic guilty pleasure. And then there was this eclectic trio: Savage is a gritty, violent story of gang life in New Zealand; DNA is a heartfelt French film looking into a woman's Algerian roots; and from Russia, The Blackout: Invasion Earth is an ambitious alien-attack epic that's messy but still spectacular. Finally, I caught up with two awards-worthy docs: an inventive exploration of grief and mortality in Dick Johnson Is Dead and a powerful look at disability rights history in Crip Camp.

I'm still catching up on contenders over the next week, as both the London and Online critics groups are casting nominations ballots next week. And I also need to watch a few films that are coming out over the next few weeks. It's a mixed bag that I haven't quite defined yet. 

Critical Week: Long live the king

In in recovery mode following the London Film Festival, but that also means catching up with movies that are coming to normal cinemas. One of these is Zombieland: Double Tap, screened quite late to the critics just a few days before it opens. It's a lot of fun - a guilty pleasure sequel that reteams the original cast and adds some hilarious new characters. By contrast, the sequel Maleficent: Mistress of Evil has superb actors (both returning and new ones) but has such a terrible script that it would be unwatchable without Disney's amazing visual effects extravaganza.

Ken Loach is on fine ranting form with Sorry We Missed You, taking on zero-contract jobs with a terrific fresh-faced British cast. The Danish drama Sons of Denmark is a harrowing trawl into the life of a cop infiltrating Muslim fanatics and, more terrifyingly, nationalist racists. And the sunshiny drama The Third explores the life of a three-way relationship in Palm Springs, maintaining a balance of light romance and very dark drama. And there was also this doc, which I'd missed at LFF...

Mystify: Michael Hutchence
dir-scr Richard Lowenstein
with Michael Hutchence, Bono, Kylie Minogue, Helena Christensen, Tina Hutchence, Rhett Hutchence, Andrew Farriss, Jon Farriss, Tim Farriss, Garry Gary Beers, Kirk Pengilly, Chris Thomas, Martha Troup, Gary Grant, Chris Bailey, Michele Bennett
release Aus Jun.19 sff, UK 18.Oct.19
19/Australia 1h42 ***.

With a superb collection of archival footage, photos and audio recordings, filmmaker Richard Lowenstein presents a chronological narrative documentary about the INXS frontman. It's not a particularly flashy film, but it's elevated by the fact that it's narrated by Michael Hutchence himself using cleverly edited interview clips. And as it continues, it provides never-heard information that should end the rumours that have swirled since his death at age 37 in 1997.

After a childhood spent in Australia and Hong Kong, Hutchence set up INXS with the three Farriss brothers, Beers and Pengilly in 1977, and over the next decade rose to international fame. He is remembered by family and friends as a gentle soul, an artist who became another person in the spotlight. And being a celebrity, his rock god behaviour and romances with the likes of Kylie Minogue and Helena Christensen were top fodder for the paparazzi. What no one knows is that in 1992 he suffered a terrible brain injury that changed his personality, leaving him struggling to maintain his identity. Suddenly prone to outbursts of anger, his romance with Paula Yates was passionate and tempestuous.

There's a lot of amazing home movie footage woven in here, revealing both the youthful Hutchence and his own perspective behind-the-scenes on tour, on holidays, at family events and so on. This is so intimate that by the end it's easy to feel like the public image everyone knew was just a mask. In other words, the film demystifies him. It's beautifully assembled by Lowenstein, who lets Hutchence and his friends, family and colleagues recount his story in remarkable detail. And despite his final years of drug abuse and public misbehaviour, Hutchence emerges as a remarkably likeable man who never got the care he needed after his injury. So his suicide takes on a whole new meaning, and becomes even more tragic.

15.Oct.19

---

Coming up this next week are screenings of the James Cameron-produced Terminator: Dark Fate, Margot Robbie and Charlize Theron in Bombshell, Jonathan Pryce and Anthony Hopkins in The Two Popes, Ewan McGregor in Doctor Sleep, a new animated The Addams Family, the British drama Connect, the Ukrainian rom-com Just Sex Nothing Personal, and the Brazilian comedy-drama Cousins.

Critical Week: Just act natural

It's been another hot week in London, with a heatwave arriving just in time for the weekend. Again. Thankfully, screening rooms are nicely cooled. Films I caught up with this week include the action comedy The Spy Who Dumped Me, a genuinely hilarious romp anchored by Mila Kunis and the riotous Kate McKinnon. With its UK release delayed by the World Cup, Ant-Man and the Wasp was finally screened, and it's a lot of fun. Although it's nothing we didn't expect. And one to watch is the Japanese anime Mirai, a gorgeous, family-friendly story that's bound to cross boundaries.

Off the beaten path, we had the Portuguese arthouse drama The Forest of the Lost Souls, a cleverly twisty story about mortality that shifts into a slasher horror. From Italy, Sicilian Ghost Story is a sumptuously inventive take on a true story, told through the eyes of two pre-teens whose sweet romance is interrupted by a mafia kidnapping. The micro-budget American drama Brotherly Love bravely tackles the issue of homosexuality through the eyes of a young man training for the priesthood. And The Eyes of Orson Welles is a treat for movie fans, a love letter from British archivist Mark Cousins to one of the last century's most iconic filmmakers.

Coming up this next week, screenings include Jason Statham vs a giant shark in The Meg, Spike Lee's acclaimed BlacKkKlansman, Michael Jai White in the thriller Making a Killing, the British animation Sgt Stubby, the British canal-boat drama Tides, the Icelandic comedy Under the Tree, and the Elvis/America doc The King.