Dear friends,
The new Borat that comes out today is good fun, but it seems to be overshadowing another major release: the new Sofia Coppola movie On The Rocks. It’s with Bill Murray and Rashida Jones, and it’s also out today (on Apple TV+).
THE TOP TV SHOW OF THE WEEK
Plebs
📺 New on Amazon Prime almost everywhere; 🍅 rating: -unavailable
This little goof of a BBC show is set in ancient Rome, where three bachelors from the suburbs embark to the big city with hopes of romantic and social success.
Immediately, the boys face new Rome problems, such as having to choose between food and affording a ticket to a fancy orgy. Plus, one of their crushes might get deported, their manager Flavia at their scripture writing job is really mean. Ancient Rome is not what you would call an easy place to live.
THE TOP MOVIE OF THE WEEK
Beats Per Minute
📺 New on Amazon Prime everywhere this week; 🍅 rating: 98%
If you’ve been with us for some time, you know we have so much love for this movie. We’re happy that it’s finally available on a major streaming platform.
BPM is centered around AIDS activists in the early 90s in Paris.
In a time where information about AIDS was as limited as access to the appropriate medicine, activists were divided into groups depending on their preferred methods of shaking up the system. Some wanted to express their anger at it while others tried to maneuver within it.
BPM is a beautiful yet honest portrayal of these activists, a movie as full of life and emotion as the people it portrays.
Readers’ top picks
The Trial of the Chicago 7 on Netflix is our readers’ favorite film this week. It’s about anti-Vietnam activists who find themselves in a complicated trial.
Doctor Foster, the BBC drama, is still our readers’ favorite TV show (three weeks now). On Netflix.
New titles worth your time
The drama Carol has been added to Netflix this week. Its ensemble cast includes Rooney Mara, Cate Blanchett, and Sarah Paulson.
Borat Subsequent Film is streaming on Amazon Prime, a somehow welcome addition to the 2006 film. This one is better edited, quicker, and less indulgent.
Great titles that will soon expire
No notable titles leaving Netflix this week.
Two little-known but great documentaries leave Amazon Prime this Monday, October 26th: Bigger, Stronger, Faster about the use of steroids and performance-enhancing drugs in fitness; and 180 South about a filmmaker who retraces a 1968 trip to Patagonia by two heroes of his.
The Newsflash: the horror that is Netflix’s new shuffle function
Netflix has been rolling out a feature that to me sounds like something straight out of hell: a “play something” button that lets them pick what you watch:
Simone, accustomed to the spotlight, saw this as an opportunity to pose.
“Play something” of course means “play something Netflix spent money on”.
Or does it?
To find out, I ran a simple experiment: I recorded 5 minutes of pressing that button.
In the five minutes, out of 19 titles that Netflix started playing, 15 were Netflix Originals, nearly 80%.
I recorded the experiment in possibly the worst-edited video of all time:
It’s now no secret that Netflix uses its algorithm as a marketing tool and not as something to actually help people. Many other experiments prove it, such as one from a journalist who only watched what Netflix recommended to him for two weeks.
But this new feature feels like the ultimate blow, using more practicality to rob viewers of whatever little choice they had left.
That’s it for today, I hope there is something in there for you.
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The next edition will be in your inbox on Friday, October 30th.
Until then,
Bilal
Carried with the support of the Creative Europe Program – MEDIA.