👩👧What to watch this weekend and beyond
Margaret Qualley's best role so far, Todd Haynes' new movie, and more
Dear friends,
Netflix CEO spent a lot of time defending Dave Chappelle this week, including a leaked internal memo that has him citing “Ms. [Hanna] Gadsby as an example of how the company seeks to elevate the voices of marginalized communities”.
Gadsby answered on Instagram: “Hey Ted Sarandos! Just a quick note to let you know that I would prefer if you didn’t drag my name into your mess.” and continues brilliantly:
“Amoral algorithm cult” is such a good description of Netflix.
Hope you have a good weekend!
OUR TOP TV SHOW OF THE WEEK
Maid
On Netflix everywhere 🍅 rating: 97%
This drama, one of the year’s best, starts in the middle of one night when Alex, a 25-year-old, grabs her daughter and flees her home. She is chased by her abusive boyfriend but doesn’t look back. She has 18 dollars to her name.
The story is based on a real-life memoir called “Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother's Will to Survive”, where Alex’s character (based on executive producer Stephanie Land) does everything to get her daughter and herself to a safe environment. She gets a trial at a cleaning job.
Maid does such a good job at portraying the many stresses that Alex goes through: will she have enough gas? Will she find a safe place to sleep? Will she get to the cleaning job on time? And as the series progresses, the questions become different but the stress is the same - except in episode five, in which she cleans a weird house, and then it becomes an actual horror movie.
And on every other aspect, the show delivers. The cast, led by Margaret Qualley and her real-life mother Andie MacDowell, is phenomenal. Each episode is long enough to leave an impact but not too long to be melodramatic. The scenery (set in Washington state but filmed in British Columbia) is gorgeous. It’s such an all-around great show.
OUR TOP MOVIE THIS WEEK
Bagdad Café
New on Amazon Prime 🍅 rating: 85%
This quirky 1988 adventure drama is newly available on Amazon Prime. It’s the classic that never was, the story of a rundown gas station motel in the Southern US where a lonely West German lady called Jasmin Munchgstettner ends up by accident.
The owner of the operation, a short-tempered woman by the name of Brenda, doesn’t really take to Jasmin. However, the longer the West German guest stays at the motel, the more a friendship forms between the two.
TOP PICKS OUTSIDE OF NETFLIX AND AMAZON PRIME
I’m Your Man
New today on rental services 🍅 rating: 96%
This new German sci-fi romance is about a woman who participates in a study to live with a humanoid robot who was made to be the perfect life partner for her. Directed by Unorthodox director Maria Schrader and starring English actor Dan Stevens as the robot.
TOP PICKS OUTSIDE OF NETFLIX AND AMAZON PRIME
The Velvet Underground
On Hulu🍅 rating: 100%
Joker director Todd Haynes' new movie The Velvet Underground premieres today. It's a look at the legendary band that was led by Lou Reed.
That’s it for this week, I hope there’s something in there for you.
The next edition of this newsletter will be in your inbox Friday, October 22nd.
Until then,
Bilal