Screen: March TV Roundup

Watching TV episodes in my downtime helps me clear my mind, and there has been a wide range available over the past few months. For obvious reasons, I prefer the light-hearted stuff, a bit of escapism. But diving into something serious is even more satisfying. Starting here with the new shows...

The Residence
Nodding immediately to Agatha Christie, Sherlock Holmes and Benoit Blanc, this snappy whodunit is gloriously anchored by Uzo Aduba as Cordelia Cupp, aka the greatest detective in the world. And it has a killer premise, spiralling around a murder in the White House on the night of an Australian state dinner (complete with Kylie!). The terrific cast includes Giancarlo Esposito, Susan Kelechi Watson, Randall Park, Bronson Pinchot and Ken Marino. The show's tone might be a bit glib for its own good, which leaves everything feeling somewhat pointless and silly. But it's so much fun that we end up hoping that Cordelia will be back for an all-new mystery very soon indeed. (Netflix) 

Paradise
The first episode of this thriller series is beautifully constructed, presenting the show's premise right at the very end with a twist that confirms our queasiest suspicions. From here the tension builds steadily, growing increasingly suspenseful until the climactic showdown in episode 8. Sterling K Brown is superb as the thoughtful, tough-minded hero, squaring off against the formidable control freak played by Julianne Nicholson. Plus a wonderfully steely and charismatic turn by James Marsden as the US president. Surrounding characters also have plenty of spark and energy, even if the plot can't help but dip into cliches along the way. And the ending is great. Bring on season 2. (Disney)

Prime Target
A veneer of intelligence lifts this thriller above the fray, and it helps that the cast is so good. Leo Woodall is a terrific lead, diving into his role as Cambridge maths nerd Edward, who can't quite understand why his research is threatening the entire world order. Neither can we, for that matter. But never mind! It's fun to watch these people run around trying to discover a new mathematical system while various vicious shadowy baddies try to stop them. Standouts in the cast include plucky young spy Quintessa Swindell, dodgy boss Martha Plimpton, tenacious scholar Sidse Babett Knudsen and floundering mentor David Morrissey. Plus ace veterans Stephen Rea and Joseph Mydell. (Apple)

Dexter: Original Sin
Produced in the style of the classic series, this prequel traces the young Dexter (Patrick Gibson) as he plots his way through his new life as a vigilante killer and police forensics officer. It's all rather bound to the original show's mythology, often straining to pay unnecessary homage to it, especially in younger versions of larger-than-life characters and the setting up several already iconic moments. It's still gripping enough to paper over the many plot and logistical holes. Excellent actors include Christian Slater as Dexter's dad Harry and Molly Brown as his hothead sister Debra. So having Sarah Michelle Geller and Patrick Dempsey on hand feels like a bonus. (Showtime)

The Madness
Colman Domingo offers a towering performance in this limited series about a news-network pundit who is thrown into a convoluted mess when he witnesses a grisly murder and then is framed for it. The central idea here is disinformation, as shady powers behind the scenes are manipulating the media, public attitudes and elections. And while there are some strong points here about the imbalance of influence billionaires can have, this is little more than the plot's MacGuffin. Domingo is the reason to watch this, along with terrific supporting roles for Marsha Stephanie Blake, Gabrielle Graham and Thaddeus Mixson, plus the superb John Ortiz and Alison Wright. (Netflix)

Black Doves
With its snappy plotting, messy characters and slick production values, this British spy series is a lot of fun as it follows sleeper agent Helen (Keira Knightley) while she tries to unpick the knotted truth about the death of her lover (Andrew Koji). Her cohort is the always fantastic Ben Whishaw, who adds all kinds of witty detail to his fixer character, while Sarah Lancaster provides her own unnerving steeliness as Helen's puppet-master handler. This is also a slickly made thriller, with pulse-racing action, humour and a glorious use of London locations. So even if the plot feels rather familiar, the show is hugely watchable, keeping us hooked through each Killing Eve-style twist and turn. (Netflix)

T H E   S T O R Y   C O N T I N U E S

Squid Game: series 2
The way the writers get back into this story is ingenious, although how they choose to end this seven-episode run feels like a cheat. Rather than set up a cliffhanger, they simply cut away in the middle of a scene, leaving us hanging until the concluding third season this summer. But they've got us hooked. This show is a riveting thriller that isn't afraid to get seriously nasty. Lee Jung-jae is a superior lead actor, sympathetic and often startlingly unpredictable, while both Wi Ha-joon's cop and Lee Byun-hun's puppetmaster get a chance to deepen their roles intriguingly. Best of all, it's impossible to predict where things might go next, as this game-to-the-death keeps throwing brutal twists into the mix. (Netflix)

Shrinking: series 2
Even sharper than the first season, this comedy rockets forward with much more complex plotting and characters who are layered and thoroughly engaging. Everyone in the cast is first-rate, with particularly strong storylines for leads Jason Segel, Harrison Ford and Jessica Williams, each of whom gets the chance to add depth to their therapist character, both in sessions with clients and in their often absurdly ridiculous personal lives. This allows the show to blend nutty humour with some earned emotions, and it also brings to life some strong supporting characters, most strikingly the one played by show creator Brett Goldstein. (Apple)

A N D   S O   I T   E N D S

What We Do in the Shadows: series 6
After the writers strangely copped out in last season's ending, this nutty comedy hits the ground running as these Staten Island vampires face a range of crises with their usual overconfident ineptness. The superb Kayvan Novak is at the centre this time as he struggles with his identity as an alpha-vampire, while Natasia Demetriou, Matt Berry and Mark Proksch shamelessly steal scenes as his constantly disruptive and outrageously dim-witted makeshift family. Enjoyably, Harvey Guillem's Guillermo is even more quietly in control this season. This is the kind of show that could run forever, so it's notable that they opted to go out on a high. (FX)

The Sticky
The great Margo Martindale stars in this series about maple syrup farmers in Canada who go to war over their sticky product, leading to an elaborate heist that plays out like something from a Coen brothers movie, mixing jagged humour with vicious violence and general unpredictability (enter Jamie Lee Curtis!). Based on a true story, it's packed with colourful characters who are wonderfully untrustworthy, so the whole show feels like it will explode into chaos at any moment. It often does, simply because these people think with their emotions. And as a story of little people taking on a big, bad conglomerate, it's easy to know who to root for. (Prime)

C A T C H I N G   U P

Industry: series 1-3
With a fresh, unblinking approach, this British series came highly recommended, and I have enjoyed catching up on the episodes. While the writing is far too dense, and often downright smug, the cast adds nuance to the characters, bringing them to life amid the messy goings on in a London financial office, plus a blinding flurry of drugs and sex out of hours. Most intriguing is that no one is remotely likeable, but they manage to be sympathetic even if pretty much everyone tips way, way over the top along the way. Notably strong work from Marisa Abela, Ken Leung, Harry Lawtey, Myha'la and David Jonsson, with great guest turns by Kit Haringon and Jay Duplass. (BBC)

Alpha Males:
series 1-3
I'd never watched this Spanish series, but a new season coaxed me to start from scratch. And the half-hour episodes zip along amiably. Each character is somewhat cartoonish, but this allows the writers to explore gender issues without taking things too seriously. They also offer some surprising nuance, puncturing political correctness as everyone becomes increasingly confused about how they are meant to treat each other. Both the male and female leading characters are likeable, funny and so deeply flawed that they're almost frighteningly easy to identify with. The rapid-fire dialog is hilarious, and the plotting is gleefully bonkers. (Netflix)

Fake Profile:
series 1-2
The first season of this Colombian thriller is compulsive viewing, a properly sexy guilty pleasure about a Las Vegas dancer (Carolina Miranda) who falls for a too-perfect businessman (Rodolfo Salas). Then when she pays a surprise visit to see him in Cartagena, all kinds of truths are revealed, leading to a twisty mess of nutty plotting, terrific characters and an outrageous climax. The second season, subtitled Killer Match, is very different as it settles into a serial killer thriller that's utterly preposterous. Characters lose all sense of coherence, and a feeling of both misogyny and homophobia creep in (women are tied up, gays are murdered). It's juicy but not much fun. (Netflix)

I GIVE UP: Severance 2
I am sure this show is a work of genius, but my patience simply ran out with its indulgently knotted plotting, out-of-sequence storytelling and generally mopey pace. The actors are so good that I really tried to keep watching, but the way this is put together makes it impossible to care about anything that happens. We can only admire it. Getting through the first season was a chore, and I only managed three episodes of the second. (Apple)

GUILTY PLEASURES: The Traitors (UK/US), Britain's Got Talent, Fool Us, Drag Race (17/Down Under), Dancing on Ice.

NOW WATCHING: The White Lotus 3, Adolescence, The Studio, Your Friends & Neighbours, Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light

COMING SOON: Mid-Century Modern, MobLand, Andor 2, The Last of Us 2, The Handmaid's Tale 6, The Conners 7.

Previous roundup: DECEMBER 2024 > 

Critical Week: Dance the night away

It's been another relatively quiet week for me at the cinema, as I have spent most of my time organising the London Critics' Circle Film Awards – we're holding our 45th ceremony on Sunday night, and there's rather a lot to do to prepare for the starry evening. It's always an unusually intimate, relaxed awards show, with A-listers mixing with rising stars and of course the critics themselves. Highlights will be giving special awards to Daniel Craig and Zoe Saldaña. The afterparty will be great fun.

BEST OUT THIS WEEK:
No Other Land
Saturday Night • Hard Truths
ALL REVIEWS >

So I only had time to watch a couple of movies. There was the goofy romcom You're Cordially Invited with Reese Witherspoon and Will Ferrell, funny enough to be entertaining, but nothing special. And the blackly comical thriller Companion is smart and inventive, with terrific central performances from an ensemble cast that includes Sophie Thatcher and Jack Quaid. I attended a rather fabulous big-screen preview of the Disney+ TV series Paradise, attended by James Marsden, Sterling K Brown and Julianne Nicholson. And there was also a theatre press night, with the dark comedy The Gift at the Park Theatre.

This coming week, I'll be catching up with Renee Zellweger, who's back for Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, Ryan Destiny in The Fire Inside and Francois Ozon's dark drama When Autumn Falls. There's also the press night for Antigone (On Strike) at the Park Theatre.

Sundance London: Take control

The 10th Sundance Film Festival: London comes to a close this evening at Picturehouse Central, after four days and 15 features, plus short films and various events. I attended one last screening today - of the surprise film (see below), at which the director gave an animated Q&A. And this is the one that turned out to be my best of the fest. I managed to catch all but one of the features; each is above average and worth seeing. Whether they'll all get proper releases is another question. Here's a final collection of comments...

Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul.
dir-scr Adamma Ebo; with Regina Hall, Sterling K Brown 22/US ***.
Loosely based on a true story, this church-based drama has the aura of a Christopher Guest-style improv comedy, but its humour is on-the-nose rather than riotous. Which is partly because mega-churches are absurd enough without exaggeration. Writer-director Adamma Ebo takes a knowing approach that finds  amusing gags that are sometimes obvious or unnerving. And there's enough complexity in the story to take in both broad nuttiness and darker emotions.

S U R P R I S E   F I L M
Bodies Bodies Bodies
dir Halina Reijn; with Amandla Stenberg, Maria Bakalova 22/US ****
Gleefully mashing-up genres, this riotous black comedy takes the form of a slasher horror movie, but is packed with slapstick mayhem, interpersonal tension and social commentary. It's expertly assembled by the filmmakers and a seriously up-for-it cast to freak us out and make us laugh. But even more intriguing is that the movie pushes us to think about the nature of relationships for today's generation of young people. 

Resurrection
dir-scr Andrew Semans; with Rebecca Hall, Tim Roth 22/US ***
Aside from being grisly and creepy, there isn't much to this bonkers dramatic horror, which sends a woman on a nightmarishly symbolic journey into maternal guilt and paranoia. It's strikingly well-played by Rebecca Hall and an ace supporting cast, and writer-director Andrew Semans keeps the surreal nastiness churning from start to finish. But it's never quite as meaningful or provocative as he seems to think it is.

The Princess
dir-scr Ed Perkins; with Princess Diana, Prince Charles, 22/UK ****
Compiled entirely from news and paparazzi footage, this documentary traces the life of Princess Diana from the day photographers started chasing her until her coffin disappeared from their view. It's a remarkable film that reveals a narrative in how she appeared in the public eye, including clips of her interviews and commentators at the time. Filmmaker Ed Perkins assembles this without overt messaging, although the point is unnervingly clear.

Full reviews will be on the site soon. For more information, visit SUNDANCE LONDON >

Critical Week: Lord have mercy

It's been another slow week for screenings, which has been helpful as it's been a crazy one in the movie awards world - both sifting through the big award winners and the way they impact the season as a whole, and organising the London Critics' Circle Film Awards, which take place next week.

The three movies I saw were: The Rhythm Section, an action thriller with a female perspective starring Blake Lively, Jude Law and Sterling K Brown; True History of the Kelly Gang, Justin Kurzel's stylish take on the Aussie folk hero starring a staggeringly good George MacKay, Essie Davis and Nicholas Hoult; and the feel-good British comedy-drama Military Wives, a true story from the director of The Full Monty, starring Kristin Scott Thomas, Sharon Horgan and Greg Wise.

There was also the launch event for New Nordics Festival, which will be presented by theatre company Cut the Cord 18-21 March at Yard Theatre in East London. It's a clever new initiative that involves six playwrights from six Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and the Faroe Islands) teaming up with six UK-based directors to bring their work to a British audience for the first time. This is a superb display of Brexit-defying collaboration between northern European countries that share elements of climate, culture and history. And the plays all look intriguing, grappling with social issues, environmental awareness and gender equality. With a bit of Ikea thrown in for good measure. For full details: YARD THEATRE 

In addition to another theatre press night, I also have film screenings of three acclaimed arthouse films this coming week: the Icelandic drama A White, White Day; the Swedish drama Koko-Di Koko-Da; and the housing crisis documentary Push.

Critical Week: A warm embrace

Press screenings are slowing down as usual for this time of year, as journalists try to catch up with things they haven't seen yet. Attending the London Film Festival put be ahead of the curve, but there are some late-season releases I'm still chasing. I only had four screenings this past week: the staggeringly powerful drama Waves with Kelvin Harrison Jr and Alexa Demie (above), plus Lucas Hedges, Sterling K Brown and rising star Taylor Russell. The Brazilian drama Greta is dark and sometimes a little too serious, but has some strong things to say about people on the fringe of society. Starring Steven Berkoff and Martin Hancock, The Last Faust is basically a museum piece, an ambitiously artistic telling of both parts of Goethe's epic story, accompanied by paintings, sculptures, photographs and a novella. And I finally caught up with the devastatingly emotional doc For Sama, a deeply personal account of life in wartorn Aleppo.

Outside the screening room, it was a privilege to attend an event at which Peccadillo Pictures placed its archive at Bishopsgate Institute. Peccadillo has released a number of seriously notable films over its 20 year history, with more to come. Their releases over the years have included Embrace of the Serpent, Weekend, The Shiny Shrimps. I'm interviewing the director and lead actor from their upcoming Georgian drama And Then We Danced tomorrow.

Coming up this next week: Sam Mendes' already acclaimed war drama 1917, Todd Haynes' drama Dark Waters, Clint Eastwood's Atlanta Olympics bombing drama Richard Jewell, Daniel Kaluuya in Queen & Slim, and the John Cena comedy Playing With Fire. We also have our annual meeting with the Critics' Circle and the BBFC, always enjoyably informative as they tell us about the year's knife-edge ratings decisions.

Critical Week: Check out any time you like

It's been another seriously eclectic week on the press screening circuit! There was Hotel Artemis, a fiendishly stylish futuristic crime thriller starring the superb Jodie Foster, with a terrific supporting cast and some deep, dark resonance. Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again was screened along with an array of Greek-style canapes and colourful cocktails to loosen us up to more Abba antics. It's a lot of fun (Go Cher!), but feels padded out with too many B-side songs. The Little Stranger is a dark, creepy adaptation of the Sarah Waters novel starring Domhnall Gleeson, Ruth Wilson, Will Poulter and Charlotte Rampling. And Glenn Close is absolutely fantastic as The Wife in a riveting marital drama costarring Jonathan Pryce as a Nobel Prize-winning novelist.

A little further afield, Sylvester Stallone was back with Escape Plan 2: Hades, a preposterous but rather enjoyably dopey sequel costarring Dave Bautista (also seen in Hotel Artemis). Jonathan Rhys Meyers does a gloomy James Bond impersonation as a Mossad spy in Damascus Cover, a dry and dated thriller. Oona Chaplin and Natalie Tena take a narrowboat around London's canals as they have a relationship crisis in the engaging, provocative drama Anchor and Hope. The bone-dry Finnish black comedy Euthanizer growls its way through a story about a man fed up with the inhumanity of his neighbours. And Love, Cecil is a lush, lyrical documentary tracing the life of the gifted photographer/designer Cecil Beaton.

This coming week we have Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible - Fallout, Jon Hamm in The Negotiator (aka Beirut), Timothee Chalamet in Hot Summer Nights, the Sundance hit American Animals, the British drama Apostasy, the British comedy Strangeways Here We Come and the American serial drama Paper Boys.