What to Watch: top picks for your weekend
Jason Segel, an excellent legal drama, and 2 more picks
Dear friends,
This week I went to my first open-air cinema of the year and caught Jude Law’s The Nest (on Hulu in the U.S.). It didn’t get great viewer reviews (6.3 on IMDb), but it has great performances and -in my opinion- quite a bit of substance.
Have a great weekend.
OUR TOP MOVIE OF THE WEEK
Our Friend
New on Amazon Prime today 🍅 rating: 85%
Dakota Johnson and Casey Affleck star in this comedy-drama as a small-town couple, one of whom gets diagnosed with a terminal illness. Their best friend (Jason Segel) puts his life on hold and moves in with them, picking up the husband when he faints at the hospital, shaving his head in solidarity with the wife, and even taking care of the dog who also gets sick.
It might seem like just another terminal illness drama, but Our Friend is based on a true story, and it’s as much about the illness as it is about how to be there for people, and reversely, the power of people being there for you.
📰 Katey Rich of Vanity Fair: “It's a small-scale human story, precious few of which make it to film these days. It's also, if you're in the market for that kind of thing, an extremely effective tearjerker.”
OUR TOP TV SHOW OF THE WEEK
The Split
New on Amazon Prime. 🍅 rating: 75%
This legal drama is about a kind of lawyer that is rarely romanticized: a divorce attorney. In fact, a family of them: two sisters and their mother who have the same job.
“There is a paradox in a divorce lawyer who's actually averse to divorce", a coworker tells one of the daughters, played masterfully by British TV veteran Nicola Walker.
In fact, The Split is not so much about divorce as it is about family, what it takes to make it work and what causes it to become dysfunctional. And there is perhaps no better illustration than the dynamics of a family whose profession is litigating for and against families being together.
John Powers of NPR: “Written, directed and produced by women, The Split is a series whose major male characters are largely defined in relation to the female characters.”
TOP PICKS OUTSIDE OF NETFLIX AND AMAZON PRIME
The Dry
On Rental services for $6.99 🍅 rating: 81%
Eric Bana stars in this adaptation of the bestselling novel by the same name from British author Jane Harper. It's about a man who goes back to his hometown after 20 years to investigate an unsolved murder.
TOP PICKS OUTSIDE OF NETFLIX AND AMAZON PRIME
TINA
On HBO Max 🍅 rating: 92%
This 2021 documentary is the story of Tina Turner, from her humble beginnings and issues with domestic abuse to her rise to fame and finding spiritual guidance.
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 16th.
Until then,
Bilal
Iloveyoooo!