Screen: July TV Roundup

I've had a lot to watch over the past few months, as I've been voting in the Dorian TV Awards (winners announced next month). This of course encourages me to watch quite a few things I wouldn't have otherwise seen - then when the nominations came out I have other things to catch up on. Not that I always agree with fellow voters (I haven't included here the shows I gave up on after 1 or 2 episodes). There's been some great television lately, and as the lines continue to blur between cinema and TV there seems to be more than ever to watch... 

Genera+ion

Not quite as loose and honest as We Are Who We Are, this teen drama astutely digs into contemporary attitudes among a group of teens at a Los Angeles high school. The most inventive touch is to replay key moments through the eyes of different characters, revealing a bigger picture about, well, an entire generation. The young cast is so good (particularly Justice Smith, Chase Sui Wonders and Uly Schlesinger) that the scenes involving parents played by the always excellent Martha Plimpton and Sam Trammell feel a bit distracting. It also seems a stretch to try to explain away crippling adolescent angst with parental and societal issues. Teens have always been like this, and the vast majority of us have managed to grow up. (HBO)

The Underground Railroad

Barry Jenkins' ambitious adaptation of Colson Whitehead's novel is often painful to watch, but that's the entire point: it shouldn't be easy to explore US history. Using cleverly surreal elements, the series takes a deep dive into the lingering impact of slavery on American culture. At the centre is the story of Cora (Thuso Mbedu), an escaped slave pursued by the tenacious Ridgeway (Joel Edgerton) and his young sidekick Homer (Chase Dillon). It's often shot in deep shadows that make the imagery annoyingly impenetrable, but most of the show looks spectacular, and the themes are bold and urgent, cutting through our watered-down ideas about the nation's past to provoke some righteous emotion. (Prime)

Loki

By honing in on Tom Hiddleston's god of mischief, this series remains continually watchable, even if it essentially turns into yet another over-egged Marvel-style romp across the multiverse. As it continues, it gets indulgently bombastic and far too pleased with itself, which is rather annoying. But the performances are terrific, anchored by the hugely engaging Hiddleston as a deity forced to briefly consider the idea of mortality. Also terrific are Owen Wilson, Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Wunmi Mosaku, plus lively Loki variants played by Sophia Di Martino and the always-fabulous Richard E Grant. A more properly stand-alone show would have been even better, mischievously refusing to feed Marvel's ever-expanding franchise. (Disney)

Lisey's Story

Stephen King adapts his own novel into this limited series starring the always riveting Julianne Moore as the wife of a dead novelist (Clive Owen) who found inspiration, and healing from his awful past, in a fantasy underworld. The gimmicky wordplay and supernatural elements tend to steal focus from the much more intriguing story about grief, sibling bonds and menacing fans. But first-rate director Pablo Larrain never loses the character focus, drawing powerfully shaded performances from Moore and her on-screen sisters Jennifer Jason Leigh and Joan Allen. It's their collective story that brings everything to vivid life and makes this far more involving than we expect. (Apple)

The Mosquito Coast

Only taking the title from Paul Theroux's novel, this series abandons the plot to launch an overegged roadtrip-from-hell thriller. Interesting ideas about consumerism and living off the grid are lost in a badly dragged-out story of a family making a life-threatening escape from shifty Feds and murderous criminals. But the superficial action makes it feel pointless. That said, the episodes are finely shot and edited, and the terrific ensemble (Justin Theroux, Melissa George, Gabriel Bateman and Logan Fox as a family on the run) adds nuance to characters who would have been far more interesting if the writers had stuck with the novel's more timely dramatic premise instead of creating yet another vapid action series. (Apple)

Star Wars: The Bad Batch

I haven't seen the other animated Star Wars series, but thought I'd give this one a shot. Even with its sometimes jarringly game-like imagery, it's finely made and has some snappy characters. The pace and tone slow drastically after the thumping first episode, indulging in a heist-of-the-week structure that clumsily attempts to deepen the characters. But as it continues, there are some over-arching relational elements that hold the attention, as this band of scrappy outsiders grapples with the nature of who they are and which side they're on. That makes it more intriguing than engaging. But I'm not sure how much longer I can wait for some meaningful revelations, or something to connect to. (Disney)

The Upshaws

There are some terrific issues woven into the fabric of this sitcom, and a great cast who would be able to bring them meaningfully to light. But the scripts take a lazy comical approach that goes for goofy gags rather than knowing humour, leaving it all feeling oddly simplistic. Anchoring the cast, Mike Epps, Kim Fields and the great Wanda Sykes are excellent as people grappling with a family structure that's far more traditional than the show can bring itself to acknowledge. And a disastrous canned laugh track roars at all of the very worst non-jokes. This could have been a superb comical exploration of a family dealing with its murky past, but it ends up as little more than silliness. (Netflix)

That Damn Michael Che

Saturday Night Live comic Michael Che finds a new way to blend stand-up and sketch comedy with this edgy series that tackles timely issues in an original way. Each episode centres on a theme, usually something that has strong political fallout, and a variety of scenes play out as pitch-black satire, witty spoof or thoughtfully amusing monolog. This approach keeps us ready to laugh, and there are quite a few hilariously barbed gags. And the show also constantly reminds us that these are urgent, knotty issues that require much more than light-hearted thoughts. Che's laconic presence is a very clever counterpoint, and his perspective avoids the usual cliches for something far more complex. (HBO)

BACK FOR MORE

Special: series 2

Ryan O'Connell is back for another series of comical antics as a young gay man with cerebral palsy simply trying to get on with his life like anyone else. But of course everyone else sees his disability before they see him. O'Connell is a terrific writer, never allowing sentimentality to creep in while finding comedy and warmth in a range of prickly interactions. And in the central relationship between Ryan and his mother (the fabulous Jessica Hecht), the show has a big, beating heart. Their warm, meaningful connection adds subtext to the much more challenging storylines involving other side characters. And it also provides even more spark to the show's distinctive and vitally important perspective. (Netflix)

Lupin: part 2

This show is so compulsively watchable that is seems cruel that producers only made five more shows to cap off this first season. Yes, each episode leaves us wanting more, including the final one. Gliding through it all, Omar Sy has an abundance of  charm and intelligence that carries us right past some rather shaky writing (plot holes ahoy!). The twisty narrative is thoroughly riveting, as it offers something much more layered than the usual crime series. Most impressive is that this isn't actually about heists or getting revenge, the two things that seem to be driving the action. It's actually a more human story about connection, justice and making peace with the past. All with a witty literary nod. (Netflix)

Love, Victor: series 2

If anything, the second season of this soapy teen drama is even more simplistic than the first. It's a great show for pre-teens who need to be encouraged that they will one day find a way through difficulties that feel insurmountable. And the writers do take on some topics that other shows shy away from completely, representing a superb range of experiences that relate to sexuality. But it's far too cute and obvious for viewers who are the age of the characters or older. That said, the cast led by Michael Cimino is excellent, and the actors find some nice nuance even in the most obvious plot threads. But frankly, each of them is good enough to take on something more complex and less prudish than this show. (Hulu) 

The Handmaid's Tale: series 4

Feeling a bit truer to the show's original promise, this season both escalates the events and deepens the drama as things take several jaw-dropping twists. Elisabeth Moss is of course excellent as June navigates a terrifying escape and becomes a leader in exile, now fighting the violently misogynist government of Gilead from relative safety in Canada. Plot threads around Yvonne Stahovski, Joseph Fiennes and Ann Dowd feel off-topic, but develop nicely alongside June's much more internalised and emotionally powerful journey, even if vengeance doesn't really suit her. And in June's more righteous rebellion, the show still has some strong bite, offering remarkably strong scenes for Max Minghella and O-T Fagbenle. (Hulu)

Elite: series 4

This outrageously trashy Spanish teen soap returns with another riotously over-the-top season set in a posh private school where there's a massive party every night and a range of serious crimes take place each term. The collision of classes is what makes the show addictive, this time centring on the arrival of a new insanely wealthy family with three trouble-stirring siblings. And there's also a slumming prince to stir up an enjoyable but superfluous romantic sideroad. The writers seemed far more interested in throwing the characters into a wild series of encounters, jealousies and pranks than the overriding mystery, which never quite comes together. But it's shameless, mindless fun. (Netflix)

THIS IS THE END

Pose: series 3

The quality of writing has been uneven ever since the first season, indulging in some simplistic moralising and cliched plot points, plus a lot of rather pushy melodrama. But the hit rate increases with these final episodes, which tackle some big themes with raw emotions. The characters are more robust than ever, played by a top-notch, groundbreaking ensemble with a resonance so intense that they're utterly iconic. Each one feels like a family member, so the issues they face carry a powerful kick. And there are some awesome episodes along the way to the series finale's spectrum of emotions, from political rage to the exhilaration of performing to the pain and guilt of loss. It'll be great to see what Mj Rodriguez, Indya Moore and Dominique Jackson do next. It'll be hard to top this, but here's hoping. (FX)

The Kominsky Method: series 3

After sending off Alan Arkin's Norman in the first episode, Michael Douglas is joined by his old partner in crime Kathleen Turner for a superb final collection of episodes that grapple with family connections, money issues and a range of themes circling around the central idea of growing older and older. Some of the storylines feel a bit superfluous, such as Norman's kids wrangling to get their hands on their inheritance cash. But Paul Reiser is hilarious as the prospective son-in-law who seems like he's all wrong for daughter Mindy (Sarah Baker), but might be just right. And Morgan Freeman makes a hilarious appearance as himself, as does Barry Levinson, who brings a terrific final plot point with him. (Netflix)

NOW WATCHING: Schmigadoon, Physical, Kevin Can F**k Himself, The White Lotus, Dave (2), Never Have I Ever (2), I Think You Should Leave (2).

COMING SOON: Mr Corman, Nine Perfect Strangers, Ted Lasso (2).

Screen: Autumn TV Roundup

Watching an episode or two of a TV show in between movies, or between writing a review and proofreading it, seems to help reset my brain. So the more escapist, the better! This summer summer felt a bit thin for good television, so I'm surprised to see how much I watched over the past four or five months...

ALL NEW

The Boys

Taking a bracingly honest approach to the superhero genre, this show dares to present these heroes as deeply flawed humans who have let their power go to their heads, even as they're being manipulated by the giant corporation that's making a fortune off of them. The characters are complex and messy, and the escalating nastiness of the plot is superbly unpredictable. So it's a shame that the show has such a generic title, smug attitude and frenzied love of grisly violence. The relentless toxic masculinity begins to feel oppressive by the end, on both sides of the battle. And much of the more provocative material feels like it was designed to shock rather than to build characters or story. But the show's driving central narrative is riveting.

Euphoria

Because it dares to break rules, this show stands out from the crowd. Its depiction of that teen sense of immortality is frankly astonishing, showing sex and drugs in ways that are frighteningly honest while refusing to vilify the way young people use devices and social media. It's rare to find a movie or TV series acknowledge so skilfully that the world has changed and the older generations need to get up to speed rather than pointlessly trying to drag everyone back. The cast is note perfect, both teens and adults. And the show is gorgeously well shot and edited, even if its structure sometimes becomes indulgent as it over-explains the cause of each character's vices. This was most noticeable in the season finale, which was edited into a chaotic jumble to leave each plot thread dangling at just the right angle. It's occasionally stunning, but also naggingly pretentious.

Catch-22

Joseph Heller's spiralling WWII novel is adapted into a beautifully focussed miniseries set mainly around the experiences of a young officer (Christopher Abbott) at a US airbase in Italy. The continual ironies make it well worth a look, as it adopts a snappy M*A*S*H tone with added dark absurdities. It's a lacerating look at the true nature of war, in which no one is a winner. And it features some superb supporting actors (Kyle Chandler is particularly notable), plus a continual stream of heart-stopping moments. George Clooney and Grant Heslov led the charge on this show, directing and appearing in various episodes, and the high production values make it feel timeless.

The Other Two

Sharply well written and played, this comedy hilariously scrambles the idea of celebrity. It's about two 20-something siblings (Drew Tarver and Helene Yorke) who are still struggling to find their way in life, and now they also have to grapple with the sudden viral fame of their younger 13-year-old brother (Case Walker). All three actors are perfect, with impeccable comic timing. And the great Molly Shannon shines as their hilariously involved mother, who takes a journey all her own (and deserves awards-season attention). These episodes go down so smoothly that the season ends far earlier than we want it to. But the writers finish on a very funny twist that sets things off in a new direction for the second series.

What We Do in the Shadows

Basically transplanting the hilarious New Zealand spoof film to Staten Island, this witty documentary pastiche follows a group of over-earnest vampires as they fail to grasp the complexities of modern society. Each of the half-hours features yet another ridiculous challenge for people stuck in the middle ages. And the addition of energy and emotional vampires is a stroke of genius. Performances are spot on, never winking at the camera even as they acknowledge the presence of the crew, which gets itself into trouble now and then. It's all a bit fluffy and absurdly silly, but that's just what you want from a TV comedy.

The Name of the Rose

With its medieval setting and triumphant opening theme, it's clear that the producers were going for a Game of Thrones vibe. Sure, it's packed with oddly named characters who are impossible to remember, but the story is more singular, zeroing in on brainy monk William (a wonderfully lively John Turturro) trying to solve a series of murders in a monastery. With its shifty characters and maze-like library, the show pulls us into the mystery through the eyes of William's young novice Adso (Damian Hardung), who's in love with a peasant girl (Greta Scarano) in the woods. Then the vicious papal henchman (Rupert Everett) arrives to complicate things dramatically. 

STILL GOING STRONG

Pose: series 2

Shifting the story forward to 1990, and diving right into the Aids epidemic, this show starts strong but quickly begins to get bogged down in special conceptual episodes (including far too many maudlin after-death fantasies that are overwritten and overplayed). By contrast, when the show focusses on its characters and their everyday issues, it shines. The period is the moment this subculture hit the mainstream with Madonna's Vogue, and the cast is incandescent as ever, with compelling storylines and riveting performance pieces. Moving forward, let's hope the showrunners remember that it's the smaller, personal moments that provide the sharpest observations and emotional high points. And frankly, Patti LuPone should sing in every episode of every TV show ever.

Big Little Lies: series 2

This is a lot more soapy than the first season, simply because the writers are now trying to stretch things out. Thankfully, the cast is so good (with an added powerhouse performance from Meryl!) that it never feels trite. Indeed, the entangled drama expands in unpredictable directions that continually keep the viewer on his or her toes, as each of the central characters faces surprising situations that shake them to the core. This offers plenty of grist for the almost obscenely talented likes of Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, Laura Dern, Shailene Woodley, Zoe Kravitz, Adam Scott and more. But this is The Meryl Show all the way. There's even a great cliffhanger.

Stranger Things: series 3

Progressing even further into horror, this third season is a full-throttle adventure that once again cleverly maintains a character focus while a high-concept plot unfolds. Alliances are shifted around now that we're in 1985, with the older and younger teens working together on two fronts to figure out what's going on: one group chasing a monster and the other spying on Russians. Meanwhile, Joyce and Jim (Winona Ryder and David Harbour) are on their own trajectory. It's a beautifully produced show with an attention to detail that goes far beyond production design. And the cast is excellent, bringing these realistically messy people to vivid life.

The Handmaid's Tale: series 3

This show continues in thriller mode, while the pressure of stretching one book into an ongoing series sends plots spiralling out to cover more characters in increasingly melodramatic gyrations. This waters down the show's kick, because the first season was so astonishingly focussed. But it's still bold and provocative, with storylines that twist and turn through some genuinely nasty and emotionally devastating events. As ever, the cast is excellent, anchored by a powerhouse Elizabeth Moss in full-glowering superhero mode. And the wonderful Ann Dowd gets some back-story this time, even as she's less central.

Easy: series 3

This comedy-drama ensemble is back with their separate, occasionally loosely connected dramas. Sometimes creator Joe Swanberg's offhanded attempts to shock feel pushy, for example presenting an open marriage as an everyday situation. But a moralising undercurrent gives away the game. The Chicago setting at least makes the show look different from other things on the air, and the actors bravely tackle the roles without worrying that all of these people are deeply unlikeable. They're realistic, so there are things about each of them that we can sympathise with, but it's difficult to care. 

Black Mirror: series 5

There are only three episodes in this season, and the high quality of the productions will leave the audience wanting more. Charlie Brooker happily pushes his characters to the brink with the help of on-the-edge technology that feels like it might be introduced tomorrow. Anthony Mackie and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II play out a fiendishly clever variation on the usual bromance. Andrew Scott has a harrowing stand-off with the cops, which gets increasingly entwined technologically. And Miley Cyrus is terrific as popstar Ashley Q, whose life is hijacked by her assistant, while a loyal fan (Angourie Rice) has an unexpected connection with an artificial-intelligence toy. They way these two strands converge is fiendishly clever.

Younger: series 6

A guilty pleasure, this dopey comedy continues to be just right when you don't want to think: hot people angsting about inane dilemmas in situations that bear no resemblance to the real world. And the way the show tries to be hip about social media is deeply amusing. Watched this way, there's quite a lot of fun to be had in the quirky characters, even if it's impossible to care what happens. But it doesn't help that the show's star (Sutton Foster's Liza) is the dullest character, and her romance with Peter Hermann's Charles is a non-starter. She's clearly destined for Nico Tortorella's gorgeous young single-dad tattooist. So just get on with it.

ON A BINGE

The OA: series 1-2

Created by and starring Brit Marling, this show is a clever prism of reality that's challenging but never tries to outfox the audience. It's rare to find such a mind-bending premise that's so bracingly coherent, packed with sequences that send exhilarating tingles up the spine. And where this season ends makes it even more essential, so it's sad that the plug was pulled. 

Derry Girls: series 1-2

This raucous half-hour comedy is perhaps a bit too broad for its own good, but it is amusing as it follows a group of Catholic teens as the conflicts of early 1990s Northern Irish unfold in the background. The girls (and one boy) are pretty ridiculous in their naivete, but their interaction is generally hilarious. But this knowing, funny show is stolen by Siobhan McSweeney as the deadpan Sister Michael.

Call My Agent: series 1-3

Not sure why I hadn't discovered this French comedy (now made by Netflix) before, but it's seems made for me! At a top Paris talent agency (with clients playing themselves, often riotously so), the out-of-control staff members get more engaging with each episode. It's a terrific combination of snappy humour, soapy plotlines and knowing industry pastiche. The Isabelle Huppert episode is essential.

Superstore: series 1-4

Over the dog days of summer, I was in need of a half-hour comedy to fill in the corners between work projects. And it didn't take long to get through all four seasons of this breezily silly sit-com set in a Walmart/Target like warehouse store, anchored ably by America Ferrera. It tackles big issues (immigration, un-liveable wages, sexism) but is refreshingly offhanded about pretty much everything. 

Succession: series 1

The cast and sharp writing make this show essential. There's a bit too much swaggering masculinity on display (the female characters need to be beefed up), and the mashup of Murdoch, Ailes and Disney sometimes feels a little forced. But it's fast and ruthlessly nasty, which is something rare on television. The question is whether they can sustain this pace into another season.

The Haunting of Hill House: series 1

Bearing almost no resemblance to the source Shirley Jackson novel, this series spin an elaborate horror story over several timelines, This Is Us-style. It's beautifully put together, with a superior cast, although everything is rather too scary-looking. Still, it's packed with solid freak-outs. Some of the cast will return for the second season, a variation on Henry James' iconic The Turn of the Screw.

REALITY BITES

Clearly the most escapist of all TV genres, reality shows are such vapid fun that they help provide a break from, and some perspective on, actual life events. I enjoyed Love Island this summer for its collection of too-beautiful people who aren't stupid but don't seem to understand what's actually important. I'm currently keeping an eye on guilty pleasures The Great British Bake Off and Strictly Come Dancing, two shows that feature big personalities and nothing else I'm remotely interested in. See also The X Factor: Celebrity, which just launched, and I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here, coming soonish. RuPaul's Drag Race UK is off to a great start, combining huge characters with social importance and sassy colour. But the best reality show this year, perhaps ever, is A Very Brady Renovation, reuniting all six iconic child actors with an army of renovation show hosts to merge the exterior of the famed house with the 1969 interiors that only ever existed on a soundstage. It's the perfect combination of nostalgia and ingenuity, and staggeringly well put together. And now that house exists for real. This was pure television joy!

I GIVE UP

Sometimes you get into a show and begin to wonder why you're wasting your time, so I stop watching. Russian Doll was not my cup of tea from the start, with its abrasively heightened drama, pushy convolutions and acting that's too deliberately over-the-top. Brassic is a shameless variation on, well, Shameless that's far too wacky to be engaging, so the strong underlying themes ring hollow. Lodge 49 had a meandering, loose first season, but the show-runners went bigger with season 2, and the overly messy structure leaves the superb Wyatt Russell with nothing coherent to do. And I only made it through a couple minutes of the dryly overserious The Hot Zone.

NOW WATCHING: The Politician, Unbelievable, Living With Yourself, Succession (series 2), The Conners (2), Bless This Mess (2), The Good Place (4), This Is Us (4), Superstore (5), Mom (7), Modern Family (11).

COMING SOON: His Dark Materials, The Mandalorian, The Loudest Voice, War of the Worlds, State of the Union, The End of the F***ing World (2), Castle Rock (2), The Crown (3)...

The Best of 2018: 38th Shadows Awards

These are films I saw in 2018, regardless of their release dates. All were seen by public audiences in cinemas - either on general release, specialty screenings or at festivals, during the past 12 months. These were especially difficult lists to narrow down!

A far more extensive version of this is on the website at 38TH SHADOWS AWARDS, for those who can't get enough of this sort of thing: longer lists, many more categories, trivia-o-rama.

My top film this year is not only a bracingly ripping true story, but it captures and confronts the current cultural mood with skill and invention. It's also a wonderful return to fighting form for filmmaker Spike Lee, who last won my best film prize in 1989 for Do the Right Thing.

BEST FILM:

1. BlacKkKlansman (Spike Lee)
2. Cold War (Pawel Pawlikowski)
3. The Favourite (Yorgos Lanthimos)
4. If Beale Street Could Talk (Barry Jenkins)
5. Generation Wealth (Lauren Greenfield)
6. Capernaum (Nadine Labaki)
7. We the Animals (Jeremiah Zagar)
8. Colette (Wash Westmoreland)
9. Shoplifters (Hirokazu Koreeda)
10. Sofia (Meryem Benm'Barek)

DIRECTOR:

1. Pawel Pawlikowski (Cold War)
2. Spike Lee (BlacKkKlansman)
3. Ari Aster (Hereditary)
4. Barry Jenkins (If Beale Street Could Talk)
5. Nadine Labaki (Capernaum)
6. Bart Layton (American Animals)
7. Chloe Zhao (The Rider)
8. Yorgos Lanthimos (The Favourite)
9. Jeremiah Zagar (We the Animals)
10. Meryem Benm'Barek (Sofia)

WRITER:

1. Barry Jenkins (If Beale Street Could Talk)
2. Pawel Pawlikowski, Janusz Glowacki (Cold War)
3. Richard Glatzer, Wash Westmoreland, Rebecca Lenkiewicz (Colette)
4. Deborah Davis, Tony McNamara (The Favourite)
5. Daniel Kokotajlo (Apostasy)
6. Bart Layton (American Animals)
7. Alfonso Cuaron (Roma)
8. Rafael Casal, Daveed Diggs (Blindspotting)
9. Alex Garland (Annihilation)
10. Madeleine Sami, Jackie van Beek (The Breaker Upperers)

ACTRESS:

1. Olivia Colman (The Favourite)
2. Joanna Kulig (Cold War)
3. Emily Blunt (A Quiet Place, Mary Poppins Returns)
4. Agnes Jaoui (I Got Life!)
5. Eva Melander (Border)
6. Toni Collette (Hereditary, Hearts Beat Loud, Madame)
7. Anna Brun (The Heiresses)
8. Natalie Portman (Vox Lux, Annihilation)
9. Claire Foy (Unsane, First Man)
10. Rosamund Pike (A Private War, Beirut, Entebbe)

ACTOR:

1. Michael B Jordan (Black Panther, Creed II, Fahrenheit 451)
2. Brady Landreau (The Rider)
3. Rupert Everett (The Happy Prince)
4. Tomasz Kot (Cold War)
5. Marcello Fonte (Dogman)
6. John David Washington (BlacKkKlansman, Monsters and Men)
7. Zain Al Rafeea (Capernaum)
8. Steve Carell (Beautiful Boy, Vice, Welcome to Marwen)
9. Alex Lawther (Freak Show, Ghost Stories)
10. Bradley Cooper (A Star Is Born)

SUPPORTING ACTRESS:

1. Regina King (If Beale Street Could Talk)
2. Florence Pugh (Outlaw King)
3. Millicent Simmonds (A Quiet Place)
4. Sarah Perles (Sofia)
5. Cynthia Erivo (Widows, Bad Times at the El Royale)
6. Sissy Spacek (The Old Man & the Gun)
7. Danai Gurira (Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War)
8. Sakura Ando (Shoplifters)
9. Molly Wright (Apostasy)
10. Elizabeth Debicki (Widows, The Cloverfield Paradox)

SUPPORTING ACTOR:

1. Brian Tyree Henry (Widows, If Beale Street Could Talk, White Boy Rick, Hotel Artemis)
2. Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Outlaw King)
3. Daniel Kaluuya (Black Panther, Widows)
4. Timothee Chalamet (Beautiful Boy)
5. Nicholas Hoult (The Favourite)
6. Jonah Hill (Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot)
7. Richard E Grant (Can You Ever Forgive Me?)
8. Noah Jupe (A Quiet Place, That Good Night)
9. Barry Keoghan (Black '47, American Animals)
10. Jude Law (Vox Lux, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald)

WORST FILM:

1. Mile 22 (Peter Berg)
2. The Strangers: Prey at Night (Johannes Roberts)
3. Truth or Dare (Jeff Wadlow)
4. Midnight Sun (Scott Speer)
5. Fifty Shades Freed (James Foley)
6. Life Itself (Dan Fogelman)
7. Strangeways Here We Come (Chris Green)
8. The 15:17 to Paris (Clint Eastwood)
9. Venom (Ruben Fleischer)
10. Action Point (Tim Kirkby)

---

N O N - F I L M   D I V I S I O N

TV SERIES:

1. Pose (FX)
2. Schitt's Creek (CBN)
3. Fleabag (BBC)
4. Everything Sucks! (Netflix)
5. Killing Eve (BBC)
6. The Marvelous Mrs Maisel (Prime)
7. Patrick Melrose (Showtime)
8. A Very English Scandal (BBC)
9. Atlanta (FX)
10. Trust (FX)

SINGLE:

1. This Is America (Childish Gambino)
2. Nothing Breaks Like a Heart (Mark Ronson & Miley Cyrus)
3. One Kiss (Calvin Harris & Dua Lipa)
4. Shallow (Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper)
5. Promises (Sam Smith & Calvin Harris)
6. Happier (Marshmello & Bastille)
7. Make Me Feel (Janelle Monae)
8. Better Now (Post Malone)
9. Ruin My Life (Zara Larsson)
10. This Is Me (Keala Settle)

Shadows on the Screen: Autumn TV roundup

There have been some good shows on over the summer, and perhaps I managed to avoid the truly awful ones. As always, TV gives me a break from cinema, which is work for me. Watching an episode or two after finishing a writing deadline is a great reboot. And this first show was something truly special...

Pose

Exploring the colourful vogueing subculture in 1980s New York, this series is warm, involving, funny, sad and often exhilarating as it digs into its characters. The interaction is raw and honest, the situations are resonant and the glamorous balls are magnificent. A side-plot involving Evan Peters and Kate Mara sometimes feels tacked on to unnecessarily provide white star power, but both are superb in complex, textured roles. Still, the stars of the show are awesome - likeable, compelling, inspiring and full of wonderful contradictions. Special mention to Mj Rodriguez as Mother Bianca, Dominique Jackson as Mother Elektra (above), Ryan Jamaal Swain as young dancer Damon and the astounding Billy Porter as the host of the ball. These are important, urgent stories that have never been told like this.

Patrick Melrose

Edward St Aubyn's five autobiographical novels are adapted into this full-on five-part series centred on a magnificent tour-de-force by Benedict Cumberbatch in the title role. Opening with the death of Patrick's loathed father (Hugo Weaving) in 1982, after which he makes a vow to get off heroin, the story is a snappy blend of torturous flashbacks and wickedly funny inner monologs. Edward Berger's direction is bracingly inventive, and all of the characters are cleverly larger than life. It's a staggeringly involving story with properly deep twists and turns, as Patrick tries to put his past into perspective in order to make something of his life. Profound and important. 

Who Is America 

Sacha Baron Cohen creates several more pranking alter-egos (see also Ali G, Borat, Bruno) for this seven-part series, which provokes people's opinions from politics to art. Playing various characters allows him to shift the tone from wildly obvious buffoonery to more subtle satire. Entertainment, often of the most chilling kind, comes when the guests fail to catch on, mainly luring gullible conservatives with crazy ideas they already want to hear. By contrast he confronts liberals with contrary ideas. When someone refuses to rise to his provocation, it says a lot. In other words, this is a telling comment on the state of a divided nation. Although it doesn't feel as subversive at a time when politicians say appalling things all on their own.

Sharp Objects

The setup may be a bit hackneyed (jaded alcoholic journalist assigned to cover murders in her sleepy Missouri hometown), but Amy Adams shines in the role as a woman reluctantly confronting her past, most notably her fearsome mother (the awesome Patricia Clarkson). This does kind of make the escalating murder mystery feel a little distracting, while the gurgling romance between the journalist and the hot detective (an almost-as-jaded Chris Messina) feels more than a little contrived. But then it is based on a novel by Gillian Flynn (Gone Girl). Thankfully, the writing is powerfully internalised, while Jean-Marc Vallee's textured, sultry direction is mesmerising.

The Innocents

A British series with heavy Scandinavian overtones, this is insinuating and evocative, but it requires patience as it slowly reveals its story amid editing trickery, unfinished conversations and simplistic melodrama. The supernatural flourishes (mainly shapeshifting) are hard to get a grip on, but the emotions of the characters are raw and urgent. This helps carry the viewer through the infuriatingly vague Norwegian scenes in which whatever the calmly unreasonable Guy Pearce is up to with those women is pretentiously unclear. The real secret weapon in this series is the leading young duo, Sorcha Groundsell and Percelle Ascott. They are terrific together, and their journey is powerfully packed with yearning, confusion, intelligence and hope.

The First
The opening title for this series couldn't be more pretentious if it tried, but then the whole show's tone is often painfully over-serious. Still, it's watchable due to the solid cast anchored by a beefy Sean Penn and complex Natascha McElhone. And there are big ideas swirling as these people prepare to launch the first Mars mission. It's rare to see such a big-scale series resolutely refuse to indulge in the usual rush to urgency. The story takes its time to develop. So why have the show's producers given into the fad for chopping things into ribbons of flashbacks, dreams and imagination, making it a challenge to find the narrative line. It's evocative, and an intriguing story to tell, but it's packed with corny symbolism and inexplicable cutaways.

Lodge 49

Wyatt Russell is a slacker surfer dude who stumbles across a signet ring that introduces him to an oddball fraternal society that feels eerily familiar. He's such an idiot that he shouldn't be as likeable as he is, but there's a sense of yearning to the character, as he endeavours to get back everything his family lost. As his sister Liz, Sonya Cassidy is just as good, but the show's writers aren't confident or clever enough to give her storyline as much weight, so she seems to flutter around the edges. Thankfully, the screen is full of lively oddballs who hold the interest as the mystery spirals in unexpected directions. It never quite comes together, but it's engaging.

Castle Rock

There's a lot of clever stuff going on in this series, which harks back to characters and settings from various Stephen King novels. Whether or not you get all the references is irrelevant, because there's plenty to enjoy, starting with excellent performances from Andre Holland, Melanie Lynskey, Bill Skarsgard and especially the great Sissy Spacek. There are elements of this series that are trying far too hard to be clever, but there's also a raw, honest thread of emotion that underscores everything that happens. So even when there's something wildly unexplained happening, it's grounded in the people. Just like King's novels.

Insatiable
Every element of this show is packed with double entendre, although it feels like rather a lot of bluster. Despite being a Netflix show, this would almost be safe for network primetime, as the edginess is purely superficial. Thankfully, it's also very funny, playing up the dodgy things most people are thinking about, but these characters can't help but blurt out loud. Sparky supporting roles are enjoyably absurd, played by ace scene-stealers. In the lead role, Dallas Roberts has a great time skilfully layering innuendo into everything he does and says. Opposite him Debby Ryan is also superbly unfiltered, although for a satire about beauty pageants and eating disorders, her casting is perhaps tone-deaf. But at least it tackles the issues. And it takes some intriguing, dark turns in the final few episodes.

Dietland

A remarkably quirky series, this starts out as something I would never be interested in (a drama about someone on a diet), but it quickly becomes much, much more than that. The surreal plot turns and wildly colourful characters continually send the audience in unexpected directions. The writing, direction and acting take absolutely no prisoners as they pointedly satirise a culture in which women are sidelined, especially those perceived as overweight. And the cast (anchored by the terrific Joy Nash) takes no prisoners as they fill every moment with subtle subtext and implication. This helps the central revolution take on a stand-and-cheer importance, even if the radicalised violence feels a bit over the top.

ANOTHER SEASON

Ozark: series 2

Things continue to close in as Jason Bateman and Laura Linney remain just about one step ahead of being killed. Both actors are superb, as are the surrounding cast of equally desperate people. Even the fearsome new cartel lawyer (the magical Janet McTeer) seems to always be looking over her shoulder. The message isn't that crime doesn't pay, because it clearly does. But this is a rare show that presents the moral quagmire that results when rules are bent, twisted and broken. The writers continue to send these people spiralling ever deeper into trouble. For example, they're no longer just covering up murders, but actually responsible for killing people. And adding local politicians to their web is very clever. But the master stroke was the messy, awful relationship Ruth (the astoundingly full-on Julia Garner) had with her vile ex-con dad (Trevor Long).

The Handmaid's Tale: series 2

The second season of this show launched with a powerful bang, throwing the audience right back into this disturbing dystopia while propelling the forwards into the unknown. This season also spends more time looking backwards through flashbacks that looks eerily like present-day America, just as the fanatics are taking over the government. This portrayal of freedoms being removed in tiny increments is just as terrifying as the depiction of religious zealots running the country unfettered. This season got a little awkward plot-wise, including a few story strands that fell oddly flat. But the central narrative and themes remain riveting.

I'm Dying Up Here: series 2

The characters have deepened considerably in this series about stand-up comics in late-70s Los Angeles, as the writers send them into a variety of personal clashes. This includes some obvious moral issues, as they compromise to achieve their dreams: Ron (Clark Duke) earns a fortune as a soulless one-line joke on a sitcom, Eddie (Michael Angarano) scrapes a living writing for a fading star (a superb Brad Garrett), Adam (RJ Cyler) finds success on any front elusive, Nick (Jake Lacy) and Cassie (Ari Graynor) have deeply personal conflicts, Goldie (Melissa Leo) faces the wrath of her acolytes by refusing to pay them. Yes, the plotting feels obvious, so it's a good thing the actors are so good.

The Good Place: series 2

I binge-watched the first two seasons of this comedy and thoroughly enjoyed its unusually high-concept premise. The first season is about a woman (the great Kristen Bell) who finds herself in heaven and knows she doesn't belong. A big twist turns everything on its head for the second season, as she teams up with the supernatural being (the fabulous Ted Danson) running the place on an elaborate scam. Over both series, the show resists the usual structures as it develops the characters in hilarious directions. Side roles for Jameela Jamil and Manny Jacinto are hugely engaging, as is the ever-evolving not-a-robot assistant Janet (D'Arcy Carden). Can't wait to see where the incoming third season takes them.

Younger: series 5
The writing on this show isn't any better, but it's worth watching for unpredictable scene-stealers Miriam Shor and Debi Mazar. And Nico Tortorella is simply too loveable for words. Otherwise, it's flatly ridiculous that anyone still believes Sutton Foster's Liza is in her mid-20s (thankfully there aren't many who still do). And her romantic muddle is dull. It would be much more engaging to see her set up house and have a baby with Josh, twisting the title's meaning in a new direction. Hilary Duff's character has better storylines this time, entangled with two very different men. And the take on the shifting role of publishing, while still a bit fantastical, at least tackles relevant themes while playing with super-current media.

Insecure: series 3

Issa Rae is back for this sharp comedy, which still relies a bit too heavily on personal awkwardness and misery, with tiresome predictable calamities at every turn. Y'lan Noel and Kendrick Sampson are nicely beefing up Issa's love life, plus the lingering ghost of Jay Ellis. The side characters are fun (and funny), but their plots are less involving, and the new storyline for Yvonne Orji's Molly feels under-developed. At least this season they finally took on the issue of the workplace, its endemic racism and particularly Issa's tone-deaf boss. But frankly I would also rather see the show-runners give Issa and Molly a few triumphs, maybe a bit of self-confidence that will make the show's title more ironic and less simplistically defeating.

NOW WATCHING

Maniac, Wanderlust, Kidding, Vanity Fair, Rel, Shameless, The Deuce, I Love You America 

COMING SOON 

House of Cards (2 Nov), The Man in the High Castle (5 Oct), The Good Place (27 Sep), Victoria and more...