On My Radar
Come for the biker gangs and lady punk rockers, stay for the moors
I have been watching a lot of stuff lately! So much that I had to share my thoughts on some of what I’ve seen. Keep scrolling and you might even find I’ve squeezed in a couple books, too. Gotta keep that brain sharp between movie and show binges.
FILM
Please Baby Please sees a newlywed couple have their world turned upside down when their paths cross with a biker gang. Andrea Riseborough and Harry Melling are phenomenal as the couple who start questioning their sexual and gender identities. This is bold storytelling and filmmaking by director/co-writer Amanda Kramer.
Judy Blume's seminal YA novel Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. gets the big screen treatment at long last. This book was my Bible when I was a kid and Blume remains my queen. Eleven-year-old Margaret Simon seeks a little divine guidance while navigating life on the cusp of puberty. With a superb script by writer/director Kelly Fremon Craig, the film features a stellar cast led by Abby Ryder Fortson and Rachel McAdams.
Blood is thicker than water in Polite Society, writer/director Nida Manzoor’s clever, hilarious action-comedy. When her big sister Lena suddenly becomes engaged to a handsome and rich Pakistani doctor as his mother hovers expectantly, Ria smells a rat. Lena's an artist, not some trophy wife! Watch it with your sisters, your besties, your ride or dies.
Ari Aster's Beau Is Afraid is divisive to say the least. A middle-aged schlub goes on a bizarre odyssey just to get home to his mother. It's basically a spiritual successor to Mother! While I'm a fan of Darren Aronofsky's film, Beau Is Afraid left me mostly cold. I didn't hate it per se and I certainly wasn't bored, but Aster's film came across as smug and narcissistic. That said, Parker Posey and Patti LuPone are the best things in it, rising above the material with ease. If you're curious, watch it. Decide for yourself.
Having recently finished reading Emily Brontë’s classic, I checked out Andrea Arnold’s 2011 adaptation of Wuthering Heights. I was left wanting and not just because the film only concerns itself with the Cathy and Heathcliff of it all, ignoring the rest of the book entirely. The performances of Shannon Beer and Solomon Glave as the younger versions of the pair are phenomenal. However, the second act becomes dramatically inert due to poor casting decisions — save Kaya Scodelario, who has nothing to play against as Cathy. Most egregious of all is James Howson, who plays Heathcliff with all the complexity of a model in an Abercrombie & Fitch ad campaign. Huge props to DP Robbie Ryan as this film looks gorgeous.
ALSO: Air reunites Matt Damon and Ben Affleck in an entertaining, well-told tale about how Nike gave the world Air Jordans. The great Viola Davis and her husband Julius Tennon play Michael Jordan’s parents. … Yeah. I’m thinking he’s back. Keanu Reeves returns in the slick, highly satisfying sequel John Wick: Chapter 4. New cast members Donnie Yen, Rina Sawayama, and Shamier Anderson are very welcome additions. Gimme their spinoffs now! I also thoroughly enjoyed Bill Skarsgård’s Marquis, who gave off major Mason Verger vibes. … If after seeing Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret. you want another authentic coming of age comedy from Kelly Fremon Craig, then do check out her fantastic The Edge of Seventeen with Hailee Steinfeld as a teen struggling to survive the horror of high school while her brother and her best friend start seeing each other.
TV
Grogu and The Mandalorian are back back back as Din Jardin works to recommit to his faith as a child of The Watch while going on fabulous adventures and side missions with his foundling. Season three is thrilling and highly entertaining, with the added bonus of new series regular Katee Sackhoff. I am a big Bo-Katan Kryze fan and of Sackhoff, in general, so this makes me very happy. Though as much as I enjoyed this latest batch of episodes, I did miss Timothy Olyphant’s Cobb Vanth. Imagine Din Jardin’s squad being comprised of himself, Grogu, Cobb and Bo-Katan. We were robbed. All episodes available on Disney+.
Between appearing in the terrific Chevalier and getting her own excellent drama, Marie Antoinette is having a bit of a moment. Emilia Schüle is stunning in the title role of this divine UK-French co-production that looks as sumptuous as the hair and costumes are magnificent. Each episode is a frothy, soapy delight; the cast is more than up to the task with Louis Cunningham’s Louis XVI and James Purefoy’s Louis XV two of the standouts of the first series. Series two announced. All episodes available on PBS Masterpiece, and on DVD and digital.
The path of sobriety is proving to be more like an obstacle course for our favorite Single Drunk Female. While Samantha (a fantastic Sofia Black-D’Elia) fights to stay sober while juggling her love life and a staff writer job, her friends and her mom Carol (Ally Sheedy, slaying every moment) have their own struggles. Smart, funny, and sincere, I couldn’t be more thrilled that season two is finally here. Airs Wednesdays at 10:30 p.m. on Freeform. All episodes available on Hulu.
ALSO: CBS didn't know what it had when it cancelled The Unicorn after two seasons back in 2021. Walton Goggins leads a sterling ensemble in this charming, funny, sexy comedy about friends, family, and relationships. All episodes now available on Paramount+. … When his daughter dies in an alleged suicide, it's not long for before James Nesbitt's cop is following the clues in hopes it will land him a prime Suspect. This taut, engrossing mystery is presented in a unique way: each episode is thirty minutes and essentially a two-hander. All episodes now available on Britbox. … Jane Austen's unfinished manuscript Sanditon finally is completed via this Andrew Davies-penned adaptation. While the mostly entertaining series is not as peerless as other Austen adaptations, it does feature wonderful performances from Rose Williams, Crystal Clarke, Anne Reid, Ben Lloyd-Hughes, and Theo James. All episodes are available via PBS Masterpiece, and on Blu-ray, DVD, and digital. … In addition to her fabulous Polite Society, Nida Manzoor is also behind the hilarious and empowering comedy We Are Lady Parts. An all-female punk band takes a chance on an introverted Muslim PhD student to play lead guitar; the unexpected choice kickstarts a friendship between the women that inspires them to take charge of their lives. Series two announced. All episodes now available on Peacock.
BOOKS
While I had been familiar with the story of Cathy and Heathcliff and the moors for years, I had never actually read Emily Brontë’s classic novel. Seeing Frances O'Connor's directorial debut Emily inspired me to finally read Wuthering Heights. It’s by no means a typical romance, but it’s a compelling read with difficult and complicated characters that are far removed from their paper-thin counterparts — at least those who made the cut — in Andrea Arnold’s disappointing adaptation. If you haven’t picked up Brontë’s novel or if you seek to revisit it, I urge you to do so.
One of my current reads that just finished is Sofie Cramer’s Text For You. This delightful romantic comedy is the basis for the Priyanka Chopra Jonas-Sam Heughan flick Love Again. Though if the trailer is any indication, the book seems to have very little in common with its big screen counterpart. Set in Germany, Clara is mourning her fiancé, who died a few months ago. As a means to cope, she spontaneously decides to start sending occasional texts to his phone number. What she doesn’t realize is that the number has been reassigned to Sven, who doesn’t know what to make of these random intrusions at first. There’s a lot of heart and humor here with a touch of angst. This seems like a prime example on how not to judge a book by its movie adaptation … or the movie’s trailer.
WHAT’S NEXT: Speaking of Sam Heughan, he and his friend/former Outlander costar Graham McTavish have hit the road again with the follow-up to their travel memoir Clanlands. The new book is titled Clanlands in New Zealand: Kilts, Kiwis, and an Adventure Down Under (out Nov. 7). I’m a huge fan of these two and their TV series Men in Kilts: A Road Trip with Sam and Graham; so, yeah, I’ve already put in my preorder. … Hayley Kiyoko’s debut novel Girls Like Girls (out May 30) is based on the track of the same name off her 2015 album This Side of Paradise. Kiyoko’s music is sublime, so I can’t wait to read her book. … Horror fans should take note that Riley Sager is back with The Only One Left (out June 20) about a caregiver assigned to a woman involved in a massacre not unlike the one associated with Lizzie Borden. This one is definitely in my TBR pile.
That’s all for now! Until next time … read, watch, and be merry!