Dear friends,
Two seasons of HBO’s excellent show Succession are out and there was talk that because of the pandemic, one more is all we’ll get. But this week relief came as the creators said a fourth, and maybe even fifth season are probably happening.
Have a great weekend.
OUR TOP TV SHOW OF THE WEEK
McMafia
New on Amazon Prime 🍅 rating: 71%
James Norton plays a Russian-British banker who has stayed away from his family’s links to organized crime. When his fund is threatened, he accepts a shady investor recommended by his uncle, which introduces him to the world of international crime as a money launderer.
It’s very well-made, and successfully juggles many stories as once. However, its weakness might ironically be that the main storyline, as well as Norton’s charachter, are less interesteing than a lot of the other stories that are going on.
The series is written by Hossein Amini, who also wrote the script for Drive.
📰 Alison Herman The Ringer: “McMafia charts a middle course of briskly paced fun that feels good to watch without being too feel-good. Along the way, it offers some replicable pointers for how to update a retro genre forever bound to the Cold War for 2018. when the show first came out].”
OUR TOP MOVIE OF THE WEEK
Gully Boy
On Amazon Prime. 🍅 rating: 96%
This musical drama about a Mumbai street rapper was India’s official submission to the Oscars. It was also produced by U.S. artist Nas.
Murad, who grew up poor and with an abusive father, starts working as a part-time chauffeur, which exposes him to the substantial inequalities that exist in Mumbai.
He incorporates all of this into his lyrics, and hopes to make it as a rapper in a story that sits somewhere between a musical and an adventure movie.
Not yet reviewed.
TOP PICKS OUTSIDE OF NETFLIX AND AMAZON PRIME
Limbo
New on rental services 🍅 rating: 92%
This offbeat drama is about a Syrian refugee who finds himself in middle-of-nowhere Scotland. “There was a better signal in the middle of the Mediterranean” someone tells him. The landscape of the island in which Omar finds himself is gorgeously portrayed and his journey is insightful and uplifting.
TOP PICKS OUTSIDE OF NETFLIX AND AMAZON PRIME
The Good Fight
Season five is new on Paramount+ this week 🍅 rating: 94%
This sharp legal drama has evolved into a commentary on American politics and society. Originally, it was about a senior lawyer who loses all her money in a financial scam and has to go back to work. The last few seasons however have dealt almost exclusively with the impact Trump has on the justice system. Now, season five is concerned with the lasting impact of the previous administration.
That’s it for this week, I hope there’s something in there for you.
The next edition of this weekly letter will be in your inbox Friday, July 9th.
Until then,
Bilal