Hi friends!
I come bearing good and bad news on the streaming front.
Good: Aftersun, previously only available on VOD, is now streaming on Mubi for select countries (excluding the US sadly). It’s one of the most touching films you’ll ever see, so watch it if you can!
Bad: The Netflix series 1899 has been canceled only after one season. Cliffhangers and all! A cruel and confusing move by Netflix. I do hope it gets picked up by a different streamer—rich worlds like the one built in 1899 deserve more time to be built.
Anyway, I hope you have a good weekend!
OUR TOP TV SHOW OF THE WEEK
Alpha Males
On Netflix 🍅 rating:—
When I read the synopsis of Alpha Males, a ten-episode comedy series from Spain, I admit I was put off at first. It follows four male friends who navigate a world where women now seem to have the upper hand, or at least that’s what they think has happened. But the more I watched it, the more it became clear that the show is a deconstruction of that view. Without ever feeling too preachy, Alpha Males examines each side of the so-called Battle of the Sexes in a surprisingly fair, insightful, and comedic way.
Raunchy without being too offensive (for the most part), Alpha Males is proof that you can still tackle sensitive topics without sacrificing light-hearted fun and humor.
OUR TOP MOVIE OF THE WEEK
Triangle Of Sadness
Available to rent on Amazon Prime Video, starting at $5.99 🍅 rating: 72%
Among the sea of class satires released in the last year, I’d say Triangle of Sadness is one of the better ones. Directed by Ruben Östlund (The Square, Force Majeure), the film follows an ultra-rich group of people who get stranded on an island after their luxury cruise ship sinks. The social pyramid that has long favored them suddenly turns upside down when a crew member (a glowing Dolly de Leon) effectively runs the group of sheltered castaways.
Triangle of Sadness may not be as sharp as Östlund’s previous work, and it may not add anything particularly new to the saturated discussions of social class, but it remains a darkly humorous and engaging watch, masterfully helmed by a strong script and ensemble.
Top picks outside of Netflix and Amazon Prime
Vortex, Gaspar Noé’s haunting exploration of death and dementia, begins with a dedication: “to all those whose brains will decompose before their hearts.” The statement sets the heartwrenching tone of the film, which follows an elderly couple—one with dementia and the other with a heart ailment—during their last days together. Noé cleverly depicts all this in a split-screen design, which evokes the fractured pattern of old-age thought. Bilal wrote a beautiful piece about the movie, which he compared to the book The Denial of Death by Ernest Becker. Streaming on Mubi.
Fans of one of 2022’s best TV shows, The Rehearsal, will want to check out Paul T. Goldman, a genre-bending meta show-about-a-show starring, well, Paul T. Goldman as himself. In 2006, Goldman was scammed into a marriage that involved crime, fraud, and endless deceptions. Goldman then wrote a book about his experience and worked to write, co-direct, and star in the TV adaptation of it. It could’ve been a simple true-crime documentary or a fictionalized series—instead, the resulting project is a strange and hilarious blend of both. Behind-the-scenes footage intercut reenactments intercut interviews. The show is as much about Goldman’s reaction to the scam (which is admittedly way more interesting) as it is about the actual scam. Watch for the spectacle, but stay for the larger-than-life character that is Goldman—he’s a goof, but an oddly endearing goof. Streaming on Peacock Premium.
New titles worth your time
The Brazilian family drama Mars One is new on Netflix. The touching movie, about a lower-middle-class family living through politically unstable times, is Brazil’s 2022 Oscar entry for the Best International Film award.
Other noteworthy new arrivals on Netflix include all seasons of the romantic comedy series The Mindy Project, the post-apocalyptic series The Walking Dead, and the Bernie Madoff docuseries Madoff. Returning titles also include the 1986 Top Gun movie, Forrest Gump, The Aviator, The Conjuring, Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World, and Reservoir Dogs.
Over at Amazon Prime, returning movies worth mentioning include the Spanish horror film Rec, the period drama If Beale Street Could Talk, the sci-fi love stories Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and About Time, and a personal favorite—the documentary Conan O'Brien Can't Stop, which follows the comedian during his brief hiatus from late-night TV.
Great titles that will soon expire
Thankfully, no notable titles are leaving Netflix and Amazon Prime soon.
That’s all for this week. This edition of the newsletter will be back on Friday, January 13.
Till then,
Renee
but why do you guys almost only recommend stuff from Netflix and Amazon Prime? HBO and Apple TV have great content! Please diversify a little