This week's TV: ‘We Were Liars,' ‘The Gilded Age,' and a new show from the creator of ‘Dawson's Creek'
The cast of "Outrageous," about the Mitford family.
Olly Courtney, Courtesy of Britbox
'Outrageous'
Thursday on BritBox: The six fabulous and infamous
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'
," season 2
Thursday on Apple TV+: English majors, pull out your copy of the unfinished 1938 Edith Wharton novel, or simply follow along in the sumptuous second season of the Apple TV+ historical romance. As the seasons turn, wealthy American debutantes continue to seek titled and entitled though cash-poor husbands across the pond in the 1870s — and then cope with the consequences. A delicious mashup of clashing cultures within the societally-sanctioned bartering of American beauties who then have to survive and thrive in a Gilded Age high society that welcomes the money, but not necessarily the manners, of the nouveau riche newcomers.
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'The Waterfront'
Thursday on Netflix: It's 'Yellowstone' on the North Carolina coast as the dysfunctional Buckley family tries to maintain the fortunes of their cash-strapped maritime empire amid industry downturns, family conflicts, and bare-knuckle brawls. Kevin Williamson, the man behind 'Scream' and 'Dawson's Creek,' created the family saga, casting Maria Bello ('NCIS') as tough matriarch Mae Buckley opposite square-headed Holt McCallany ('Mindhunter') as her husband Harlan. Where there's 'Smoke on the Water' as a theme song, there's fire.
'Grenfell Uncovered'
Friday on Netflix: The streamer's original documentary examines the June 2017 blaze in London's high-rise tower, Grenfell. The worst British residential conflagration since the Blitz in World War II killed 72. But was the fire in any way inevitable? An electrical fault in a fourth-floor refrigerator sparked the incident, but that was only the beginning. The documentary uncovers and catalogs the many choices made by the building management, inspectors, and construction executives, compounded by government and rescue mistakes and miscommunications, that led to the calamity — and could have been avoided.
'The
," season 3
Sunday at 9 p.m. on HBO then streaming on Max: The highly anticipated period drama from Julian Fellowes returns in the 1880s. From their Fifth Avenue mansion, the ambitious Russell family (Carrie Coon, Morgan Spector, Taissa Farmiga, and Harry Richardson) continue their social ascent, cutting into the privileges of the old money class personified by sisters Agnes Van Rhijn (Christine Baranski) and Ada Brook (Cynthia Nixon). Cast newcomers include Leslie Uggams, Merritt Weaver, and Bill Camp.
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Thelma Adams is a cultural critic and the author of the best-selling historical novel 'The Last Woman Standing,' about Josephine Marcus, the Jewish wife of Wyatt Earp.
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San Francisco Chronicle
an hour ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
This is the best moving ending of the decade
Dear Mick: For me, the end of a movie is what makes it memorable or forgettable. Some powerful endings that come to mind for me are 'Chinatown' and 'Body Heat,' neo-noirs that were allowed to have authentic endings as opposed to the moralistic ones required under the Production Code. What are your picks? Catherine Bator, San Francisco Dear Catherine: The best ending of a movie in the last decade is the ending of ' Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood.' (Spoilers ahead, if you haven't seen the film.) Writer-director Quentin Tarantino teases you for over two hours, making you dread that you're about to witness the Manson murders. Then he diverts from the true history and has the Manson family killed by two fictional characters, played by Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt. The audience is exhilarated, but Tarantino doesn't stop there. Tarantino lets the energy settle back down. He has Sharon Tate invite the DiCaprio character to her house, and he makes the pace relaxed enough that we go back to remembering that this is just a movie, and that in real life Tate and her friends were murdered in the most horrific ways imaginable. So we experience a complicated mix of emotions, in which we're happy for the people in the movie, but sad about the real world — and sad that we have to live in that real world, even as we appreciate that movies can make it a little better. In this, Tarantino celebrates cinema in a brand-new way, and touches on an essential sadness in the disconnect between art and life. Hi Mick: You wouldn't include Stanley Kubrick as one of the greatest of American directors? 'Dr. Strangelove,' 'Lolita,' 'The Shining,' 'A Clockwork Orange,' '2001: A Space Odyssey.' Steve Ventrello, Napa Hi Steve: He might very well be great, but to make my Mount Rushmore, I'd have to love his work, and I just don't. He's too cold for me. Dear Mick: Your obsession with Gene Hackman's personality is starting to sound a bit peculiar. Is his friendliness, or lack of, really relevant to his work as an actor? If being a nice guy were a qualification for creative achievement, there would be many fewer actors, painters, musicians, etc. Thomas Wood, Nicasio Dear Thomas: I think the two of us need to track down this peculiar fellow who is obsessed with Gene Hackman's personality, who thinks his friendliness or lack thereof is relevant to his work as an actor, and who thinks that being a nice guy is a qualification for creative achievement. Then we can both disagree with him! In the meantime, you haven't found that peculiar fellow, and I have no idea why you're sending me his mail. For the record, I didn't give any thought to Gene Hackman or his personality since I wrote his obituary 10 years ago (we write them in advance); don't think his friendliness to strangers in art galleries is of any importance; and I'm the guy who's ready to welcome back Kevin Spacey — though Bill Cosby is a bridge too far. Dear Mick LaSalle: I read your piece in the Chronicle and wonder why ' The Penguin Lessons ' didn't come to mind as a good movie about animal-human friendship. Suzanne Cross, San Francisco But thank you for bringing up penguins, because I'd totally forgotten about ' My Penguin Friend ' (2024), which is a wonderful, fact-based movie about an old fisherman (Jean Reno) and his friendship with a penguin who comes to visit him every year. That made my top 10 list in 2024. Dear Mick LaSalle: ' The deft Lepard '? Ouch! Larry Schorr, San Francisco Dear Larry Schorr: You're referring to my praise of Nick Lepard, who wrote the movie ' Dangerous Animals.' I thought of it this way: Since the guy did a deft job, why, just because his name is Lepard, should I hesitate pouring some sugar on him? If I held back, I'd be f-f-f-fooling, or, even worse, I'd be bringing on the heartbreak.
Tom's Guide
an hour ago
- Tom's Guide
Netflix just got this fantasy action movie with Vin Diesel and Elijah Wood — but it's no 'Lord of the Rings'
Netflix's latest addition is a dark fantasy action movie starring Vin Diesel that, on paper, sounds like it'll be a riot. As of today (June 16), Breck Eisner's "The Last Witch Hunter" is now available on the streaming service. This 2015 action flick pits Diesel's sword-swinging supernatural hunter against nefarious sorcerers. Sounds like a recipe for campy fun, right? Unfortunately.... It's anything but Even as a big fantasy guy myself, this is one new-to-Netflix watch I'd urge you to find something else to stream — and it turns out I'm not alone on that front, either. If you were waiting to stream "The Last Witch Hunter" on Netflix, you can find a little more info about the movie, and why I (and plenty of other viewers) would suggest you steer clear. "The Last Witch Hunter" introduces us to Kaulder (Vin Diesel), a powerful warrior cursed with immortality moments before he slayed the all-powerful Witch Queen hundreds of years ago. Working with "The Axes and Cross," Kaulder has kept humanity safe from supernatural forces, hunting down rogue witches who violate the fragile peace between the witches and the human race and keeping their powers in check. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. When a modern coven hatches a deadly plan to resurrect their queen, Kaulder and a few close allies look to be humanity's only chance at survival. In addition to Vin Diesel, "The Last Witch Hunter" also stars Michael Caine, Elijah Wood and Rose Leslie. Put simply, "The Last Witch Hunter" is a dreary watch. I'm no stranger to going against the grain when it comes to the fantasy genre — I went to bat for the "Warcraft" movie when it came to Netflix — but I don't think the movie that made it to our screens is worth shouting about. A lot of the problem is simply that I just don't buy Vin Diesel in the lead role; "The Last Witch Hunter" does not feel like his kind of movie. While the visual effects aren't bad (compared to some of today's watches), and the fights might occasionally thrill, it's just not very entertaining stuff. A lot of the problem is simply that I just don't buy Vin Diesel in the lead role; "The Last Witch Hunter" does not feel like his kind of movie. I can't even really see it landing as a guilty pleasure; "The Last Witch Hunter" does not veer into "so bad its good" territory. It's a self-serious, "edgy" mishmash of fantasy tropes and action, and a poorly written, plodding one at that. It's the kind of movie that wants you to think it is cool... but doesn't come off that way whatsoever. In other words, it's the movie equivalent of that dodgy "Shadow the Hedgehog" PS2 game. As I mentioned above, this isn't exactly a unique stance on the film, either. At the time of writing, "The Last Witch Hunter" holds a measly 18% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes. This isn't a situation where critics and viewers differ wildly, either; that 44% score on the Popcornmeter is indicative of a mixed reception, at best. As a sample of what people have to say about "The Last Witch Hunter," take Guy Lodge's review at Variety, who summed the movie up as a "limp, lame-brained occult thriller" and said it was "too drab to succeed even as defiantly unvirtuous trash." The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw gave the movie a one-star rating, calling it "dismal and dull" and positing Diesel and co.'s witch-hunting flick measures up unfavorably to Paramount's shlocky fairytale effort, "Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters". And, reviewing at Entertainment Weekly, Kyle Anderson described the movie as "an unfortunately heavy-handed, humorless, self-serious" affair, adding: "It should be crazy fun on paper — Vin Diesel murders witches with a flaming sword! — but the only thing The Last Witch Hunter will successfully eradicate is insomnia." Unless you're desperate for some swords-and-sorcery fun (and you've already watched the far superior "Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves"), I'd suggest you avoid streaming "The Last Witch Hunter" on Netflix. If that means you're now in need of some new streaming suggestions for your next movie night, check out our round-up of the best movies on Netflix for tons of top recommendations.
Boston Globe
an hour ago
- Boston Globe
Moviemakers working hard to make dreams come true
Anawan has two short films screening at the Guignard, who is drawn to stories of transformation, writes many of Anawan's scripts. Once the script is in hand, 'then it's talking to each other and being like, 'How do we actually bring this to life?',' he said. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Anawan is among the first 10 grant recipients from Advertisement 'Going through that process has opened up my mind to all of the possibilities of what we can accomplish,' Lopes said. He's hoping to move Anawan to a larger space in the next couple of years. Rui Lopes and Brahms Guignard in front of the green screen at Anawan Studios in Brockton. John Tlumacki/Globe Staff Where to find them : Age : Lopes is 38. Guignard is 33. Originally from : Lopes came to Brockton from Cape Verde at 10 with his family. Guignard, a Haitian-American born in Boston, lives in Canton. Advertisement Making a living : 'We use money from the client side of what we do to invest into what we do on the narrative side,' said Lopes, who produces projects for nonprofit and health care customers. Guignard is a project manager at Amazon. A poster for "Billy Somethin'," written by Brahms Guignard and produced by Rui Lopes, hangs at Anawan Studios. The film screens as part of the Roxbury International Film Festival on June 27 at the Museum of Fine Arts. John Tlumacki/Globe Staff Studio : Anawan is home base for hair and makeup, for pre-production and post-production. It's also a film fantasy construction zone: The crew built a family basement set there for 'Bridged Together,' rather than finding one. That way, they could film from above, have flexible lighting, and be as loud as they wanted to be. 'You only see what the camera is showing you, and the camera's never showing too much unless you want it to,' Guignard said. 'No one watching that will ever have any inclination that that was not shot in an actual basement.' How they started : As a young man, Lopes used his laptop to film his creative process making paintings and sculptures. Soon, he was moving the camera and editing footage. 'I started to realize that there was this hidden passion for visual storytelling by cutting these angles together,' he said. Rui Lopes and Brahms Guignard gather camera and lighting equipment at Anawan Studios. John Tlumacki/Globe Staff What they make : 'As Black and brown filmmakers, we feel like you're put in a box,' Lopes said. 'Bridged Together' and 'Billy Somethin'' are 'two completely different films,' he said. 'We're trying to showcase that as Black filmmakers, we have the opportunity to be able to tell the stories in whatever fashion we want to tell them.' Advice for filmmakers : 'If you want to do narrative work full time, you're asking for a unicorn with wings,' Guignard said. 'Getting better each time — that's the only thing you can control.' Advertisement Rui Lopes edits a film at Anawan Studios in Brockton, where he's cofounder and CEO. John Tlumacki/Globe Staff
