As we move into the last days of summer streaming, the platforms have loads of new content coming out to keep us entertained, informed and inspired.
In February Amazon Prime will release the fourth season of The Amazing Mrs Maisel, Phat, a docu-series celebrating Phat Tuesdays at The Comedy Store and a romantic movie just in time for Valentine’s Day I Want You Back.
TVNZ has launched its beauty pageant docu-series Gowns to Geysers a show that won’t be put in the typical reality TV Show ‘box’. Plus there's a double-dose of Tom Sainsbury with the final season of Wellington Paranormal and his 2020 film Dead being remade into an eight-part series.
Raised by Refugees will premiere on Prime on 24 February with reviews to come in March. Neon’s February line-up has some great drama series like; Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber and Landscapers, a series based on the true story of a couple of mild mannered murderers on the run, starring the talented Olivia Colemen.
No matter what your taste in screen content there will be something to share and enjoy over the last days of summer.
NEON
And Just Like That
The latest in the Sex and the City franchise revists the lives of the beloved friends of Carrie Bradshaw, played by the delightful Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis. We get to check in on the experiences of these successful New York women.
No longer in their 30s, but well into their 50s, they are still dazzlingly stylish, beautiful and affluent but now, somehow they have become more emotionally fragile and disillusioned with the version of NYC that has been sprung upon them and the reality of their lives. It’s as if 20 years of social and technological advancements have suddenly just hit them and now they are wondering how they have ended up where they are.
In the first few episodes at least, they are a little hard to relate to; I don’t know any women in their 50s or 60s who would react with such helpless fright at some of the obstacles and challenges these characters are faced with. In fact all the women I know in their 50s and 60s are capable innovators who are always up for new challenges, opportunities and adventures. I expected these independent trailblazers to be fierce in their 50s.
It’s almost as if their characters are more a male version of how New York women at this age think, feel and act. However the dialogue is always slick and entertaining, even if the reactions and behaviours of Carrie, Miranda and Charlotte sometimes seem a little 'off'.
Many of the later episodes are written and/or directed by women and the humour and naturalness of the characters seems to benefit from this. Or it might just be that by episode four you become more acclimatised to the And Just Like That world. Either way, every episode is a visual feast of style and luxurious escapism.
3 stars
NETFLIX
Power of the Dog (no spoilers)
Already critically acclaimed at numerous festivals and across multiple global award’s programs, The Power of the Dog, an official New Zealand/Australian co-production is a movie that can and perhaps should be watched more than once.
Many have long anticipated Jane Campion’s next feature and this thought provoking and layered film, reveals it’s essence at a measured and unhurried pace. Don’t be surprised if after watching it, you have questions lingering in your mind days later. This movie is film art; it isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but then good art can be like that.
Funded in part by the talented folk at the New Zealand Film Commission (an organisation that often punches above its weight) it’s not the typical Western, instead it stretches the genre away from action and adventure and towards slow, tense, psychological drama.
The visually powerful cinematography combined with emotionally charged music and incredible performances by Benedict Cumberbatch, Jesse Plemmons, Kodi Smit-McPhee and Kirsten Dunst, are a tribute to Campion’s skill as a director.
Our exquisite Otago landscape is the perfect stand-in for a vast, remote, and financially struggling State of Montana in the mid 1920s. Campion’s choices make good use of the landscape, both as a tool of contrast and as a way to leverage the tension and mystery between the characters.
I suggest avoiding reading most reviews as they inevitably share too much about the plot and smugly highlight the clever moments the film leaves up to you to work out.
4 stars
AMAZON PRIME
Hotel Transylvania 4
This is fun for the whole family, young and old, to watch together. In fact, watch all four and enjoy a family friendly movie marathon.
From the six-year-old girl to the twelve-year-old boy and his sixteen-year-old sister, this is full of satisfying action animation sequences, great voice acting (love, love, love Selena Gomez as Mavis and Andy Samberg and Johnny) and an easy to enjoy adventure plot.
There are genuinely fun and touching parts and that make it easy, family watching.
3.5 stars
NEON
The White Lotus
This award winning odd-ball series feels like a mix of The Office (the Ricky Gervais version) and Fantasy Island (the version from the 1970s).
Cleverly developed characters and a great cast with a curious plot provide the perfect backdrop for a satirical dramady packed with sardonic humour and surprises. There are layers of meaning amongst its commentary on the power dynamics wielded by the rich over the less wealthy. The dynamic at play in relationships, pressured to ‘enjoy their holiday in paradise’, completes the recipe.
The reality is that resorts are full of people who have no choice but to serve others and are okay with being treated as servants. Often they live in conditions so far removed from the luxurious surroundings they create for guests. It is almost an aberration of hospitality. The White Lotus manages to highlight all this and more in an entertaining and binge worthy way.
4 stars
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Published 4 February 2022