Tag: 3

The Offer (2022)

Where to find it: Paramount+ on Amazon Prime
Length: Ten 1-hour episodes
Synopsis: Tall tales about the making of The Godfather
Recommendation rating: 3/5

What I like about it: the acting, sometimes the writing
What I don’t like about it: ten hours?! it’s not fuckin’ Shoah…

Review:
It must be hard to justify having your own streaming service when your only bankable franchises are Star Trek and Spongebob Squarepants, so Paramount turn to making movies about Paramount making movies. Godfather producer Al Ruddy has been telling his version of events surrounding the making of that film and, like any Hollywood producer, he doesn’t let the truth ruin a good yarn. All the more lurid elements of his story – Frank Sinatra having Mickey Cohen try to kill him, Joe Colombo having him over for homemade dinner on the eve of his public shooting, his debt to Joe Gallo being called off last-minute by Gallo’s murder – involve people too dead to sue for defamation, while those still living are kept conveniently unaware of these elements by the selectively-truthful Ruddy.

The acting steals the show in this one with Miles Teller channelling Tony Curtis in the lead role to great effect. The actors get lost in their impressions of real-life counterparts; their Coppola, Pacino, Brando and Robert Evans are all remarkable and really help to generate interest in this ultimately uninteresting series. The writing is sometimes good, especially when taking advantage of parallels between scenes in The Godfather and circumstances supposedly involved in making it, and sometimes risibly overwrought “we don’t make movies, we make magic!” stuff.

Content notes (may contain spoilers): drugs, violence

Avoidance (2022)

Where to find it: BBC iPlayer
Length: Six 30-minute episodes
Synopsis: A kind-hearted man avoids his way into being a total prick
Recommendation rating: 3/5

What I like about it: good treatment of its theme, decent writing
What I don’t like about it: it’s not very funny, sometimes want to shake the main character

Review:
Romesh Ranganathan writes and stars as Jonathan, a man who avoids all the problems in his marriage until his wife chucks him out so he imposes on his sister Dan and sister-in-law Courtney, who can barely hide her displeasure. In the pilot, Jonathan kidnaps his son Spencer to avoid telling him about the breakdown of his parents’ marriage and makes similar uncaring and unfunny decisions throughout. Bright Spencer and aggressive Courtney are the main highlights in this very missable comedy.

Content notes (may contain spoilers): divorce, parenting

Shakes the Clown (1991)

Where to find it: Rent on Amazon
Length: 87 minutes
Synopsis: “The Citizen Kane of alcoholic clown movies”
Recommendation rating: 3/5

What I like about it: the punky DIY vibe, the core analogy, Tom Kenny
What I don’t like about it: it’s very unpleasant and falls just short of being much good

Review:
The bitter tone pervading most of this movie comes from writer-director-star Bobcat Goldthwait’s jaded experiences on the stand-up comedy circuit. In this low-budget debut film, he dials up the absurdism by making them into actual clowns but keeping their cliques and status obsession. They all desperately want to host a TV show and get jealous of one another’s bookings at children’s parties. The core analogy works very well, lampooning comics taking their art too seriously and viewing their audience as children, among other targets, in the premise alone. They drink their days away fighting amongst themselves in a cliquey clown bar, only uniting to ridicule and beat up mimes (here playing the part of prop comics, I assume). The plot does not work as well as the premise, feeling formulaic and obligatory. Bobcat’s lifelong friend Tom Kenny is a highlight as the villain of the piece.

Content notes (may contain spoilers): alcoholism, urine, violence

Outer Range (2022)

Where to find it: Amazon Prime Video
Length: Eight roughly 1-hour episodes
Synopsis: A Wyoming ranch comes down with a nasty case of symbolism
Recommendation rating: 3/5

What I like about it: a decent prestige series with good acting and an intriguing plot, Imogen Poots is always fantastic
What I don’t like about it: not quite as smart as it thinks it is, creators really don’t seem to have an endgame in mind, mediocre-to-dodgy CGI

Review:
Josh Brolin leads the cast as Royal Abbott, a simple Wyoming rancher threatened by the bigger, more corporate ranch next door. Weird things are happening on the contested land including roving arrowstruck bison, a privileged New Age camper and a giant gaping hole. Tensions rise throughout the pilot and only continue to thicken throughout the show as some characters seek to understand the weirdness while others seek to hasten or prevent an all-out war between the feuding ranch families. Overall, it’s a pretty good show that needs to figure its shit out before season two, lest it get Lost.

Content notes (may contain spoilers): sex, violence, self-harm

Why Didn’t They Ask Evans? (2022)

Where to find it: BritBox
Length: Three 1-hour episodes
Synopsis: a mysterious death is investigated by amateurs in rural Wales
Recommendation rating: 3/5

What I like about it: fun
What I don’t like about it: missable

Review:
Hugh Laurie ably adapts this standalone Agatha Christie mystery into an entertaining if convoluted yarn that doesn’t outstay its welcome. Will Poulter’s limited range is well-hidden behind the affable character of vicar’s son Bobby Jones and Lucy Boynton is charming as his friend, tomboyish aristocrat Lady Frankie Derwent. The cast is rounded out by Hugh’s impressive list of old friends such as Paul Whitehouse, Emma Thompson and Jim Broadbent.

Content notes (may contain spoilers): death, murder, hanging, drugs and alcohol

Bloc Party – Alpha Games (2022)

Length: 39:33
Synopsis: Underwhelming dance rock record after a 6-year hiatus
Recommendation rating: 3/5

What I like about it: the band has a new drummer and she’s fantastic, Sex Magik is a decent track
What I don’t like about it: Kele’s more grating habits are in overdrive, everything feels disjointed and doesn’t come together into memorable songs

Review:
Having had a crush on Kele Okereke half my life, I’m more excited for a new Bloc Party record than most but it really doesn’t live up to any of my hopes. The dance elements have been toned down and the amplifier’s gain setting turned up to 11. Kele alternates between channelling Morrissey’s crooning and The Hold Steady’s tuneless yelping over guitar noise. It’s not an appealing combo and mostly makes me want to listen to their first two albums again.

Content notes (may contain spoilers):

Good Omens (2019)

Where to find it: Amazon Prime Video
Length: Six hour-long episodes
Synopsis: an angel and a demon try to prevent the apocalypse
Recommendation rating: 3/5

What I like about it: the two lead actors, quite fun, some good biblical/history jokes
What I don’t like about it: dodgy pacing and plot decisions, too many plotlines to follow

Review:
The chemistry and charms of Michael Sheen and David Tennant carry this adaptation of the Terry Pratchett/Neil Gaiman novel

Content notes (may contain spoilers): religious irreverence, fire

Amber Mark – Three Dimensions Deep (2022)

Length: an hour
Synopsis: Cool bassy R&B
Recommendation rating: 3/5

What I like about it: it’s good to play in the background, maybe as a barbecue is winding down
What I don’t like about it: it’s not exactly essential listening

Review:
Honestly I might have more to say about this one if I wasn’t stung by a bee while listening to it, that kinda diverted my attention but it’s a good record

Content notes (may contain spoilers): sex, deceased relatives

Guilt (2019)

Where to find it: BBC iPlayer (season one not currently available)
Length: 8 one-hour episodes
Synopsis: Darkly comic Scottish thriller about two brothers who commit a crime and try to cover it up
Recommendation rating: 3/5

What I like about it: really strong pilot, good brother dynamic, stylish and well-made
What I don’t like about it: loses its way quickly, the second season is awful and loses a whole recommendation point, hacky writing

Review:
This BBC Scotland drama commission started out really exciting but soon spiralled into a scale too large to care about, they try to pack about four seasons of Breaking Bad-style escalations into four episodes and then season 2 is a boring, bog-standard dark BBC crime drama. It’s a shame because the pilot was wonderful but never gets as good again.

Content notes (may contain spoilers): death by dangerous driving, violence, drugs and alcohol

Alabama Shakes – Sound & Color (2015)

Length: 47:26
Synopsis: Soulful vocals over funky overdriven guitars
Recommendation rating: 3/5

What I like about it: easy to bop to, an interesting mix of influences
What I don’t like about it: sometimes too loud, resembles The White Stripes in its weaker moments

Review:
At its heart, it’s a rock & roll record but there are plenty of intriguing and pleasant sounds if that doesn’t turn you off.

Content notes (may contain spoilers): none I found