weekend watchlist: a prophetic dystopia (that is also rather comforting)
Plus iconic performances from Jessica Chastain and Bruce Willis. (First published April 15th, 2022, on Substack and Patreon.)
Manchester
Peterloo movie review: it’s a battle just to get through it
The saddest ever Regency cosplay. Behold, a tableaux of thespians who shall teach us about the Corn Laws! Well-intentioned this would-be epic may be, but it’s dull and dry as dirt.
Apostasy movie review: witness to the oppression of religion
A scathing critique of inhumanity in the name of religion — in this case, Jehovah’s Witnesses — made all the more chilling by its drab colorlessness and mute suffocation.
Finding Fatimah movie review: dating while Muslim
There’s lots to like in this mostly sweet British Muslim rom-com. Pity, then, that it tries too hard, instead of trusting its characters, and sabotages itself.
Prime Suspect: The Complete Collection (review)
If you’re not sure why it’s so awesome to see Helen Mirren unapologetically kicking ass in Red — and to see her doing so without getting grief for it from the guys — then perhaps you’ve never seen Prime Suspect, the British cop series she starred in through most of the past two decades.
Life on Mars: Series 1 (U.K. version) (review)
This is a spoiler-free introduction to the original British series, for those who may not be familiar with it. I’ll soon start spoiler-heavy, episode-by-episode discussions of Series 1 for those already deeply into the show.
