What to Watch: Mix Tape, Ocean With David Attenborough, Play School, Fubar and The Inspired Unemployed
Binge is fast carving a place for itself as the go-to for reliably excellent locally produced series. This is a good thing: they recently lost their HBO slate to new streaming rival Max, so investing locally is probably a solid strategy going forward.
In recent years Binge has given us some ripper series, including The Twelve, Love Me and Colin From Accounts. Now they're blessing us with this great four-part drama, based on the acclaimed novel by Jane Sanderson.
Told through dual timelines, it charts the teen love story of school friends Alison and Daniel (Florence Hunt and Rory Walton-Smith), living in Sheffield, England, in 1989, who fall in love and exchange mix tapes, which provide the musical backdrop to this beautifully realised series.
Alison and Daniel's story picks up again in 2015, and by this stage the pair (now played by Teresa Palmer and Jim Sturgess) are long estranged, and living very different lives to their teen selves. Daniel is a music critic, still living in his hometown, and Alison is on the other side of the world in Sydney, the wife of an accomplished surgeon (played by Ben Lawson) — neither is wholly satisfied with where they've landed.
They reconnect again, once more through music, and their stories pick up where they left off. But there's been a whole life lived between the stories, and the series asks whether lost love can ever really be reclaimed, and whether 'the road not taken' really is the better one.
This is beautifully shot, with a great script and superb performances, especially from Bridgerton's Hunt and newcomer Walton-Smith, who infuse their portrayals with just the right amount of teen intensity and crackling tension.
I adored this sweetly nostalgic series. You won't want to miss it.
'If we save the sea, we save our world,' says David Attenborough in the trailer for his latest landmark documentary special, which highlights the importance of the world's vast oceans and the part we all have to play in ensuring they remain healthy and viable. It's a marvel that Attenborough, now aged 99, is still involving himself with these types of programs. How blessed we are to still be hearing his voice. A cinematic journey into the deep.
This one's for all of you with teen boys at home: chances are they'll be tuning in to the new season, which sees the four mates up to their old tricks, thriving in the chaos they create through their attempts to one-up each other in the embarrassment stakes. Real talk: this show is not for everyone, but if you like puerile humour and rapscallion hijinks (see also: teenage boys), then you're in the right place. Not for the faint of heart.
There's something so wholesome about Play School — I miss the time I spent watching it daily with my little one. This week sees the start of a new spin-off, this one all about 'the beauty and diversity of Australia'. Different places are explored through the premise that regular presenter Teo is off having adventures, posting back parcels and videos showcasing where he's been. For curious little minds.
He promised us he'd be back, and Arnold Schwarzenegger is nothing if not a man of his word. He's returning for another season of his surprisingly funny comedy, which has him star as an ageing CIA operative who realises his daughter, played by Monica Barbaro, is also working for his organisation. For years they've both been living double lives, unaware of each other's professions — great premise, no? This season they're joined by The Matrix's Carrie-Anne Moss. Count us in!
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News.com.au
4 hours ago
- News.com.au
Painful story behind the new Harry Potter series
In any given week there are any number of images that are likely to elicit an Edvard Munch-y Scream but this week there was one photo, shot in a green and pleasant bit of England which could have doubled as a Wind In the Willows set, that should have set your hair on fire. In the image, three tweens crouch, broadly grinning for the camera, the trio having beaten out tens of thousands of other 9-11-year-olds to nab the lead roles in the New HBO remake of Harry Potter. Ohgodisthisagoodideareallyummmm…. Dominic McLaughlin, Alastair Stout and Arabella Stanton have been cast, respectively, as the Harry and his sidekicks Ron and Hermione, guaranteeing them fortunes, fame and never having to sit through year ten modern history should they not fancy. That day, they just might be in Cannes doing a quick red carpet or in Prague shooting Darron Aronofksy's newie. Ciao darling. I'm sure that for McLaughlin, Stout and Stanton it's a dream come true. They feel like golden ticket winners, the envy of kids the world over and are about to embark on an incredible adventure. But boring adult me looks at this publicity shot and wants to do some Munch-ing. Child stardom, historically, has a helluva chequered record. The announcement of McLaughlin, Stout and Stanton as the new faces of Harry Potter feels like the most double edged of swords going outside of a Roman military museum. On one hand, what child's dream would not be to get to skive off school to pretend to be a wizard all day while earning squillions? On the other hand, youthful fame is notorious for wreaking havoc and often coming with an extraordinarily high, lifelong cost. The most obvious casualties: Drew Barrymore, Cory Haim, Cory Feldman, Edward Furlong, Lindsay Lohan, Britney Spears, Tatum O'Neil, Macaulay Culkin, and Amanda Bynes. We could also probably add in Justin Bieber considering he seems to really be going through something right now. Hello, stints in rehab, reality TV, and even court, with the occasional caught-by-the-paps, head-shaving breakdown thrown in there too. For decades it has been clear that childhood stardom both arrests and speeds up the normal sort of emotional, psychological and social development that you are meant to go through as you leave childhood and awkwardly galumph into adulthood. We've known all of this since Ronald Reagan was eating all the red jelly beans out of his Oval Office jar and yet every generation there are new fresh-faced enthusiastic pre-teens who don't, who can't, quite realise what they are about to sacrifice. Look no further than the original Potter stars, Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint. They have all made clear that the actual acting on the eight original movies – the larking about on sets and the creative aspect of it all – was a real joy but that tremendous, global fame that came with it deeply affected them. Radcliffe, Watson and Grint might never have to worry about mortgage payments or how they can afford that ice cream truck they always wanted (Grint) but the life-altering reverberations of being cast in Potter are clear to this day. Radcliffe has, on a number of occasions, talked about how he started drinking heavily as a teenager to cope with it all. 'The quickest way to forget about the fact that you're being watched is to get very drunk,' he told Off Camera With Sam Jones in 2019. 'I was a recluse at 20. It was pathetic,' he told Shortlist in 2012. 'I'd stay in my apartment for days and drink alone.' During a Newsweek interview in 2022 he was clear: 'I wouldn't want fame for my kid.' Speaking to The Times in 2021, Grint said: 'I found it hard to deal with the fame side of things. If I ever do see Dan [Radcliffe] or Emma [Watson], fame is the one thing we never talk about.' Wade into the myriad of interviews Radcliffe, Watson and Grint have given over the years and the words they use to describe becoming global megastars so young are ones like 'scary', 'dehumanising', 'surreal and odd', 'weird' and 'vulnerable'. They have talked about feeling 'detached' from other teenagers. Grint said in 2018, when he would go back to his old school and see his peers, 'We had very little in common, which is quite isolating in a way.' Radcliffe, Watson and Grint won their roles in 2000 and yet here we are, 25 years later, and their careers and public identities are still indelibly shaped by a movie they started shooting a full year before 9/11 even happened. Smartphones didn't exist yet. Instagram had barely been invented when the final Potter movie came out. So, what will the future be like for McLaughlin, Stout and Stanton? They are about to embark on a project that will make them some of the most instantly recognisable teenagers in a world saturated by social media. How will they get through this unscathed? I'm sure their parents, HBO and every producer involved will do absolutely everything in their power to look after them; that they will all take every precaution and hire every child psychologist and adolescent specialist and on-set advocate to try and protect McLaughlin, Stout and Stanton as much as possible. But surely there is only so far a well-meaning studio and the most thoughtful and best of parents can go to shield them from real world consequences of their roles. Just think about what lies ahead. McLaughlin, Stout and Stanton will have to go through the profound, innate awkwardness of adolescence – the hormones, the physical and emotional changes – with People keeping a around-the-clock watch. Their faces will be on screens the world over. For a new generation, they will be Harry, Hermione and Ron. They will become immutable parts of the cultural furniture and nothing can ever change that. There will be no going back. They are making what could be a lifelong choice at 11. There will be at least one season per book, with the first out in 2026 meaning that, assuming there is one series per year, the final one could be screening in 2034. McLaughlin as the titular Harry will be 19-years-old by then. How will they be on the other side of this? I hope that what lies ahead for McLaughlin, Stout and Stanton is all the joy and fun and magic of bringing these characters to life. I hope against hope that they can somehow dodge having to walk the tough path that many other child stars have over the years. I hope. I so very dearly hope. And if all else fails, they can buy themselves an ice cream van I suppose.
West Australian
16 hours ago
- West Australian
What to Watch: Mix Tape, Ocean With David Attenborough, Play School, Fubar and The Inspired Unemployed
Binge is fast carving a place for itself as the go-to for reliably excellent locally produced series. This is a good thing: they recently lost their HBO slate to new streaming rival Max, so investing locally is probably a solid strategy going forward. In recent years Binge has given us some ripper series, including The Twelve, Love Me and Colin From Accounts. Now they're blessing us with this great four-part drama, based on the acclaimed novel by Jane Sanderson. Told through dual timelines, it charts the teen love story of school friends Alison and Daniel (Florence Hunt and Rory Walton-Smith), living in Sheffield, England, in 1989, who fall in love and exchange mix tapes, which provide the musical backdrop to this beautifully realised series. Alison and Daniel's story picks up again in 2015, and by this stage the pair (now played by Teresa Palmer and Jim Sturgess) are long estranged, and living very different lives to their teen selves. Daniel is a music critic, still living in his hometown, and Alison is on the other side of the world in Sydney, the wife of an accomplished surgeon (played by Ben Lawson) — neither is wholly satisfied with where they've landed. They reconnect again, once more through music, and their stories pick up where they left off. But there's been a whole life lived between the stories, and the series asks whether lost love can ever really be reclaimed, and whether 'the road not taken' really is the better one. This is beautifully shot, with a great script and superb performances, especially from Bridgerton's Hunt and newcomer Walton-Smith, who infuse their portrayals with just the right amount of teen intensity and crackling tension. I adored this sweetly nostalgic series. You won't want to miss it. 'If we save the sea, we save our world,' says David Attenborough in the trailer for his latest landmark documentary special, which highlights the importance of the world's vast oceans and the part we all have to play in ensuring they remain healthy and viable. It's a marvel that Attenborough, now aged 99, is still involving himself with these types of programs. How blessed we are to still be hearing his voice. A cinematic journey into the deep. This one's for all of you with teen boys at home: chances are they'll be tuning in to the new season, which sees the four mates up to their old tricks, thriving in the chaos they create through their attempts to one-up each other in the embarrassment stakes. Real talk: this show is not for everyone, but if you like puerile humour and rapscallion hijinks (see also: teenage boys), then you're in the right place. Not for the faint of heart. There's something so wholesome about Play School — I miss the time I spent watching it daily with my little one. This week sees the start of a new spin-off, this one all about 'the beauty and diversity of Australia'. Different places are explored through the premise that regular presenter Teo is off having adventures, posting back parcels and videos showcasing where he's been. For curious little minds. He promised us he'd be back, and Arnold Schwarzenegger is nothing if not a man of his word. He's returning for another season of his surprisingly funny comedy, which has him star as an ageing CIA operative who realises his daughter, played by Monica Barbaro, is also working for his organisation. For years they've both been living double lives, unaware of each other's professions — great premise, no? This season they're joined by The Matrix's Carrie-Anne Moss. Count us in!
West Australian
16 hours ago
- West Australian
Karate Kid Ralph Macchio returns to the film franchise that made him famous
Back in the 1980s, there were a handful of truly iconic moves from hit films that every kid in the school playground could replicate, or at least attempt to. One was the Top Gun high-five, performed by Tom 'Maverick' Cruise and Anthony 'Goose' Edwards, which combined a traditional high-five with a sneaky, behind-the-back low-five as the other participant was walking away. Done right, nothing was cooler (to boys between the ages of eight and 16). A close second, and only because it was considerably more difficult to execute, was the legendary crane kick from The Karate Kid. Let's set the scene… After weeks of intense training under the tutelage of karate master Mr Miyagi (the late, great Pat Morita), protege Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) found himself in final of the All-Valley Karate Championship. But there was more at stake than just a trophy. To get to this point, Daniel-san had fought his way through the entire roster of the dastardly Cobra Kai dojo, who also happened to be the same boys who mercilessly bullied him at high school. Naturally, head bully, Johnny (William Zabka), the worst of the bunch, was Daniel-san's opponent in the final, but our hero was hobbled by a leg injury sustained through dirty Cobra Kai fighting earlier in the tournament. Even still, things were looking good until the Cobra Kai sensei delivered this unforgettable line: 'Sweep the leg'. Though conflicted by the unethical move, Johnny nonetheless obeyed, causing further injury to Daniel-san's leg, leaving him incapacitated. At least, he would've been if it wasn't for the one-legged crane kick he'd been working on in an extended montage earlier in the film. With Mr Miyagi watching on, Daniel-san delivered the decisive blow, winning the tournament (as well as begrudging respect from his opponent), and going down in cinematic history. Macchio went on to star in two Karate Kid sequels (Morita did a third sequel on his own) and, more recently, six seasons of spin-off TV series Cobra Kai. Now the 63-year-old brings the franchise back to the big screen with Karate Kid: Legends, and, though he's no longer a kid, his karate credentials have vastly improved since the 1984 original. You see, Macchio was no martial arts expert in those days, and only earned his black belt in April this year. Unlike Ben Wang, who plays Li Fong, the titular karate kid in Legends, and is proficient in karate, kung fu and taekwondo. So, the filmmakers were able to up the ante with the fighting sequences, and cast action hero Jackie Chan as his uncle Han, leading to a situation where the kid had two masters – Han and LaRusso. Elevating the technical know-how also meant it was time to retire the crane kick and replace it with something a little more impressive to modern audiences – an unbeatable flying, spinning move known in the film as the 'dragon kick'. A move you just know Li Fong will need to pull out to beat a fearsome adversary in his own version of the All-Valley tournament. Macchio laughs when asked what he would have done back in the 1980s if the director had asked him to perform such an advanced technique. 'I would've said, 'Where's my stunt guy',' the actor says over a Zoom call with Wang and PLAY. 'The crane became a piece of cinema history, a little bit of magic, but it was never teed up, it was just layered in the movie and then paid off. 'Where the dragon kick is, like, the thing that needs to be done, but hopefully it's another piece of magic.' A necessary piece of magic, according to Wang. 'The only reason we had to do the dragon kick was because the crane kick was already so iconic, right, so we had to top it somehow,' the 25-year-old says. Putting the two moves side-by-side is also a way to compare the character arcs of Daniel-san and Li Fong. 'Daniel LaRusso was the kid who had no business winning anything, he knew nothing of martial arts,' Macchio explains. 'So, the crane kick was that simplistic magic trick, but now we have a character that is very well versed in kung fu, so how do you create his struggle and his internal overcoming of obstacles?' To answer this question, Legends leans into the fish-out-of-water storyline of Li Fong moving from Beijing to New York, adding a stronger cultural element to the original movie's plot that saw LaRusso move from New Jersey to California. Though it leaves significant meat on the bone when it comes to examining the migrant experience, what Legends lacks in political punch, it more than makes up for in literal punches. Let's just say the training is a lot more gruelling than a bit of 'wax on, wax off'. In one particularly enjoyable sequence, Li Fong learns to combine kung fu teachings from Uncle Han with karate techniques from Sensei LaRusso. That's a nice way of saying the audience watches as Wang gets his butt kicked by both. Not that he's complaining, of course. Quite the opposite. 'It's really sort of the wildest dream scenario to get to do a fight scene with Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio at the same time,' Wang says. 'We prepped and prepped, and then we had a lot of fun.' A lot more fun than Macchio had during one specific fight scene in the original, in which he was jumped by the Cobra Kai boys on Halloween. 'Getting my ass kicked by five guys in skeleton costumes, that was a tough one,' Macchio recalls. 'It was one of the few times I actually caught one in the jaw, and we had to go home early, but I lived to tell about it. 'Me and William Zabka constantly joke about that – he says I leaned in and I'm like, 'You overreached', and we blame each other constantly.' With Legends, Macchio hopes history will repeat for the new Karate Kid, even if the chances of young boys successfully performing the dragon kick in the playground are slim to none (seriously, do NOT attempt it). 'This film is multi-generational entertainment,' Macchio says. 'I always talk about the communal experience of being in the cinema, cheering with your neighbour, on your feet. You know, we had that in 1984 and let's hope we have that in 2025.' Karate Kid: Legends is in cinemas now.
