Dear friends,
I would be remiss not to mention the ongoing writer’s strike, which in the past has shaped television history significantly. While some shows waned in quality or completely went dark, others rose to fame and became TV mainstays due to a lack of options. Reality shows in particular boomed in popularity during the 2008 strike, so it would be interesting to see if that were to repeat itself today (I would hope not, but I’m slightly discouraged by Love is Blind’s everlasting virality).
Streaming, for now, seems relatively fine. But I won’t be surprised if this strike lasts longer than the previous hundred days and incapacitates it—it's the residuals from streaming, after all, that set off the walkout.
Anyway—best of luck to the writers, and I hope everyone has a lovely weekend.
OUR TOP TV SHOW OF THE WEEK
Sanctuary
New on Netflix 🍅 rating: —
I’ve only ever seen sumo fighting through the lens of its caricature depictions in mass media. Outside of that, I didn’t know much about it, and I honestly never gave it much thought until I chanced upon this new drama series on Netflix.
With eight episodes, Sanctuary gives us rare access to the realities of sumo wrestling. It’s an ancient practice that dates back over 1,500 years, but it’s also a trade that people like Sancutary’s hero Enno opt into to make a living. Sanctuary does well to show the literally brutal reality of sumo wrestling (beware the violence and gore) through the lens of ordinary people like Enno.
OUR TOP MOVIE OF THE WEEK
How to Blow Up a Pipeline
Available to rent on Amazon Prime Video starting at $6.99 🍅 rating: 94%
Based on the book of the same name, How to Blow Up a Pipeline is a nail-biting eco-thriller about a group of young activists who, tired of industries getting away with unchecked destruction, decide to take matters into their own hands and blow up an oil pipeline.
The film is a thoughtful rumination on ecological warfare as it argues that desperate times call for desperate measures. But it’s also an expertly set up heist film and a richly detailed character study, all of which help make it into the gripping thriller that it is.
Top picks outside of Netflix and Amazon Prime
📺 Silo | Streaming on AppleTV+ | Starring Rebecca Ferguson (Mission Impossible) and David Oyelowo (Selma), the excellent Silo is a masterclass in storytelling. The sci-fi series knows when to withhold and when to surprise, and everything from the production value to the committed acting to the suspenseful, solid premise helps make this dystopian world wholly engaging. Silo is set in a future where the environment has become so toxic, humans have now settled deep underground in a silo they believe protects them. But the stringent rules only empower some to venture outside of its walls, where they believe a better world is being intentionally kept from them.
📺 Ed Sheeran: The Sum of It All | Streaming on Disney+ | Ed Sheeran is one of the most recognizable names in pop music, but you don’t have to be a fan to enjoy this four-part docuseries about the singer. As music documentaries go, The Sum of It All is personal and open-hearted, a compassionate look at the trials Sheeran has been through throughout the years. Anyone who’s struggled with grief and mental health will surely find solace in his story.
New titles worth your time
The 2017 biopic Marshall just arrived on Netflix. It tells the story of the first Black Supreme Court Justice, Thurgood Marshall as played by Chadwick Boseman.
On Amazon Prime, the first season of the British medical drama Temple is new. Adapted from a Norwegian hit series, it follows esteemed surgeon Daniel Milton (Mark Strong) who, in a bid to find a cure for his wife, operates an underground clinic that treats criminals and other patients hiding from the system.
Great titles that will soon expire
No noteworthy titles are leaving Netflix and Amazon Prime anytime soon!
That’s all for this week. This edition of the newsletter will be back on Friday, May 12.
Till then,
Renee