Happy new year, friends! 🎉
I’m not quite ready to do a sentimental rundown of the year just yet, but at the risk of sounding like a broken record, I want to say thank you. Thanks again for sticking by, for leaving your thoughts and suggestions, for engaging with us and trusting us over the algorithms.
Here’s to even more excellent titles to talk about and think about and get lost in! See you next year!
OUR TOP TV SHOW OF THE WEEK
Belascoarán, PI
On Netflix 🍅 rating: —
So, you’ve just seen Glass Onion and are looking for the next murder mystery to watch. Might I suggest the three-episode series Belascoarán, PI? The Mexican show has an equally campy detective at the center of its story but he is sadly (and funnily) as lost as Benoit Blanc is brilliant.
His name is Héctor Belascoarán, played by Luis Gerardo Méndez (of Narcos and The Resort fame). He leaves his stable office job and beautiful (but unhappy) marriage to pursue the adrenaline-filled life of a private detective. Except, it takes a while to get there. As a self-trained rookie detective, Héctor is often wrong, but his mistakes pave the way for earnestness and humor.
Belascoarán, PI is both a tribute and a sendup of detective films of yore; it references the genre in style and substance, but it isn't above joking about it either. It's proof that you can challenge viewers without sacrificing the laughs, and vice versa.
OUR TOP MOVIE OF THE WEEK
Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical
New on Netflix 🍅 rating: 92%
It’s very likely you already know about the fictional character Matilda, a clever but neglected child who discovers she has telekinesis and uses it for good. You may have even grown up watching the 1996 film multiple times, as I have, and secretly tried to move a random object with your mind to see if you somehow shared Matilda’s powers…as I have.
If so, I can assure you that you’ll enjoy the latest Matilda adaptation, aptly called Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical on Netflix. It’s pure energy, all bright colors and high-pitched emotions, but not overwhelmingly so. It is also funny and tender, and the techniques it uses to transition and transpose are eye-poppingly inventive. It stars Emma Thompson, once again prosthetic-ed to perfection; Lashana Lynch, a grounding and heartwarming presence; and Alisha Weir, a revelation of a child actor.
Top picks outside of Netflix and Amazon Prime
In the documentary Three Minutes: A Lengthening, a three-minute home video is examined in great detail to reveal the human stories behind it. Notably, the video is one of the only records left of the Jewish community of Nasielsk in Poland before the Holocaust. What director Bianca Stigter does to the footage—stretch it to an hour and humanize the people in it—is impressive and speaks to the importance of preserving film and memory. It reminded me of the concept of “orphan films,” which are basically movies made outside of commercial consumption. These films “have a cultural value that transcends their simple origins,” as the NFPF puts it, and the brilliance of Three Minutes makes a strong case for that claim. Streaming on Hulu.
The third and final season of His Dark Materials, the brilliant sci-fi series about multiple worlds, is now airing, and if you’re looking for something smart and epic to binge this weekend, this miniseries could be on your to-watch list if isn’t already. The series is based on the best-selling novel trilogy of the same name, and it stays true to the source material, for the most part, even elevating it at times thanks to its high production value and unapologetically cerebral twists. Streaming on HBO, HBO Max, and DirecTV Stream.
New titles worth your time
A new season of Rise of Empires: Ottoman is new on Netflix. It’s a fascinating docuseries that blends historical facts, interviews, and dramatic reenactments. Where the first season tracked Mehmed the Conqueror's takeover of Constantinople, this season pits him against Vlad III (aka Vlad Dracula).
On Amazon Prime, the documentary Wildcat is new and worth checking out. It follows a young British soldier who decides to raise an orphaned ocelot in the Amazon forest.
Great titles that will soon expire
No notable titles are leaving Netflix soon, but over at Amazon Prime, all seasons of the psychological thriller Dexter and the British crime drama Unforgotten are expiring on January 1st and January 5th, respectively.
That’s all for this week. This edition of the newsletter will be back next, January 6. Happy new year again, folks!!!!
Till then,
Renee
Hi Renee.
Happy 2023. Really appreciate all your suggests and the work you put into The Watch.
Best wishes!