Latest news with #JulianneMoore
BreakingNews.ie
38 minutes ago
- Business
- BreakingNews.ie
Sydney Sweeney says she has to ‘prove' herself as an actor and businessperson
Euphoria star Sydney Sweeney has said she has to 'prove' herself as a young woman, actor and businessperson. The actress, 27, rose to fame after starring in the hit HBO series Euphoria, alongside Zendaya and Saltburn's Jacob Elordi, playing the popular and troubled high-school pupil Cassie. Advertisement Sweeney has since starred in the hit HBO TV show The White Lotus, playing spoiled Olivia Mossbacher in the first series, and stars alongside Julianne Moore in the upcoming thriller Echo Valley. Sydney Sweeney at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party (Doug Peters/PA) Speaking to the Sunday Times, she said: 'I have to prove myself as a young woman, as an actor, as a businessperson, all of it.' In 2020 she launched her own production company, Fifty-Fifty films, which was behind the hit romantic comedy Anyone But You which she starred in alongside US actor Glen Powell. Speaking about her role in the company, she said: 'I have to be like, I want to be in the room, I want to sit in every single meeting and want to be involved in every decision, I want to be taken seriously as a producer. Advertisement 'To be honest, actually, I always find that it's the women who give me the hardest time.' She said this happens outside the boardroom and in auditions too. Sydney Sweeney said her fame has come at a cost (Doug Peters/PA) She said: 'I see it all the time where they don't think I am right for (a role) because they watched Cassie in Euphoria. Especially because Cassie was such a sexualised character, that puts a wall up for people. 'I feel like I'm constantly having to be like, no, no, I'm an actor, I'm supposed to be different characters. Advertisement 'When I see a script or a character I find a little scary and it's going to challenge me and I don't know if I can pull it off, I've got to do it.' She has also starred in the blockbuster Madame Web and the horror mystery Immaculate, in which she plays an American nun whose new home in a convent in Italy proves to be not quite what it seems. Her fame, however, has come at a cost, and she has described the lack of privacy she now has. Sydney Sweeney said she has lost her privacy (Matt Crossick/PA) She added: 'A lot is gone, like privacy. Which is huge. You don't realise how much that means until you lose it. I see all the time, 'Oh, they sold themselves, they knew what they were signing up for'. But 18-year-old me had no idea what she was signing up for.' Advertisement She also spoke about her long-term relationship with Anyone But You co-producer and ex-fiance Jonathan Davino, 41, adding that she is now single. She said: 'I'm learning a lot about myself, spending more time with my friends. And I'm loving it.' Sweeney received two Emmy Award nominations in 2022, one for Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Drama Series for her role as Cassie in Euphoria, and the other for Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Limited Or Anthology Series Or Movie for her role in The White Lotus.
Forbes
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Interview: ‘Sirens' Cinematographer On Secrets, Inspirations, & More
Netflix has a hit miniseries with Sirens from creator and showrunner Molly Smith Metzler. Last weekend I brought you a look behind the lush curtains at the cinematography of Sirens. This weekend I bring you part two of that conversation. Milly Alcock stars in "Sirens." Inspired by Metzler's original play that itself took inspiration from a real-life experience and place, Sirens stars Milly Alcock, Meghann Fahy, Julianne Moore, and Kevin Bacon. The first two episodes were directed by Nicole Kassell, while Quyen Tran directed the third and fourth episodes, and Lila Neugebauer directed the fifth episode. The series was scripted by Metzler, Bekah Brunstetter, and Colin McKenna. Sirens tells the story of two sisters whose lives took very different paths, and whose choices lead them to a decisive moment in their relationships that will determine their future. This all happens on an island of wealthy socialites and the huge staffs they employ, divorced from the influences and stresses of the outside world… or so they say. The truth is, of course, that nothing is what it seems to be, and mysteries pop up as the past and all of its secrets unravels over the course of a couple of eventful days. If you've already seen Sirens, then you can read out more about the shocking ending here. Suffice to say, the rest of this article and the interview includes information about the plot and events of the series, so consider this your spoiler warning. So without further ado, let's get to the rest of my interview with Gregory Middleton. Again, be sure to check out the first part of this interview. MH: [You spoke previously about the gaze and] capturing that experience from both perspectives in the photography. And it helps a lot with the conflicting themes about the sirens as well. Because of, on the one hand, that gaze and being the hypnotized, and so there's the myth of the sirens that you're drawn in. But then on the other hand, there's the opposite, which is, the sirens were these were women who were stranded, and when they called for help and men would see them, men would crash their boats on the rocks. And [in Sirens] And it's such a-- the way the camera work brings that to life is interesting and complex, but [many people aren't noticing those even deeper layers]… There's so much more people will think about and get as they rewatch it. It's just it's really terrific. GM: Thank you, Mark. It's in it's in Molly's writing, it's in the in the in the concept of the show, because part of it is kind of like, who is the siren? What are sirens? It's a question it's posing. And also the idea of like, you know, there's a certain amount of "sirening" that goes on from all sides, right? It's not like there's a one mythical siren seducing everybody. It's also about self-deception, right? The way Simone says at the end of the show, it's like, well, he was just there and I couldn't stop myself, what was I supposed to do? It was like, I couldn't refuse the call kind of thing. That idea of [being] overwhelmed, I just had to do this, having a sign or a feeling you can't control, to compel you to do something, to compel you to make a choice. And that idea is very internally generated, right? But blaming the siren… [that] the sirens had a power to make me do something, is a way to self-excuse away any responsibility for any choices you make. And that's sort of one of the aspects the show is trying to explore is this idea of self-deception. There's this idea also of calling people who have made me do things monsters, right, the sirens are monsters. Like Simone gets called a monster. The word is used very deliberately by Milly. Because it's a way of blaming, like, 'You made me do this. It's your fault.' Which is like, well, don't you have agency yourself? But the idea of what it's like to feel this way-- with the incredible performances by our amazing cast, in the moment it's like, yeah, I mean if you're sitting in front of, you know, Milly Alcock or Julianne Moore, and they're looking at you like that, you're like, yeah, let's go. You know, you're going to make a choice that they're going to suggest. And [first-person camera] is a way to sort of understand what that feels like, because it's something that's sort of universal. I mean, it's just in my own point of view, is the myths are created out of a desire to express things about what it's like to be a human being. The stories are designed to express some idea. And the idea of someone saying, you know what? I just had no control of it. This, you know, this person had this hold over me and I I was totally beholden, I couldn't help myself. Meaning like, well, maybe they're magic, maybe it was real magic that was doing it. Right? This idea of excusing it away-- like maybe they were a witch or a warlock, or a siren. I mean, they could have been a siren because sirens have this ability to make you do things you shouldn't or whatever. But myths would express ideas about people, and about us ourselves. And in this case, in the show for me it's trying to explore all that. And it's also a comedy. I find the script extremely funny, because people when people are in self deception, they can be pretty damn funny. I mean, I'm laughing a lot when I was reading the script sometimes, because people are saying those ridiculous things. I mean, Michaela is trying to save nature, and yet she got all these like stuffed things on her wall, and she's taking things off the beach. She's like, oh, let's save some wildlife now, but it's like totally deceiving yourself, and what she does is destroying stuff mostly. So I find that can be quite funny. So there's an interesting, dark comedy element to people that are deceiving themselves. And then the core of where that would come from is what the story is about. Like from some trauma, some really intense desire for something, or to get over something, or through something. And then a willingness to be deceived, right? Then in the climax of the show, you know, Kevin Bacon makes a pretty profound choice. But it's kind of self-generated. He's blaming somebody else for his issues. He decides, oh, this is the one thing it will do, it'll make things better for me, and I'm blaming someone else for my difficulties. And, you know, it's sort of perpetuating the cycle. And that'll turn someone else into behaving more the same way. And it perpetuates. MH: It was a fascinating shift in that perspective of, oh, Julianne Moore is heading a cult. And it's that outside perspective of what's behind the glow, and as you slowly come to realize at the end that, oh, well, Paul runs the cult, he's just bored with it. And essentially, he's the one each time, "Oh, they work for me. They work for me. And they work for me. And it's like Paul's really the one that everything revolves around., and he's the power behind the scenes. GM: Yeah, it's kind like he does have the most money. So yes, he is like in that way, his choices have the most impact, and everyone else around him has that. Another aspect that you were mentioning about the cinematography in terms of the effect on these things is, also, I did a couple of things with the camera and the lenses apart from the lighting to help indicate how far into a sort of warped reality we were. So whenever someone had more of a skewed view, and especially also in the "sirening" point of views with people being under the gaze, I was using some lens -- ARRI Signature Primes -- and they have an option, you get these little rear diopters, which are basically like magnifiers from the back of the lens. And they have a way of, like, sort of detuning the lens a little bit, and they can change the shape, like the shape of someone's face slightly. The stronger ones will make the face a bit more round. But also they create more aberrations around the edge of the frame, so whatever you're focusing on seems a bit more isolated. And the character of the way things go out of focus on the edge become more and more broken apart. You see different like bits of chromatic aberration, and it just becomes a very interesting mosaic out of focus, which is a bit subconscious. But it's a very simple technique I can sort of change and add through certain scenes. And it sort of helped out subconsciously, it would affect a little bit like, you can tell things are off kilter now in this way. And now things are more sharp. And there'd be no diffusion and none of that in Buffalo, for example. But when things are really getting trippy, I'll alternate between how much I want the edge of the frame to go a bit mosaically wacky. It basically breaks things apart a little bit. And that was a way to totally subconsciously lead into that. I don't know if it had any effect, we'll see. It didn't seem to draw attention to itself too much, at least, which is important. MH: That's again, yeah, what's wonderful about so much of this. It's the unfortunate nature of what I do that whenever I watch stuff, there's part of my brain I have trouble keeping turned off that's watching it as a reviewer or a screenwriter, thinking about and trying to figure out, you know, how was this shot done or whatever? And for so much of it, I wasn't being taken out of it or focusing out of the story, but then I would remember to put my reviewer hat back on, and then I'd go back and rewatch because it's like, yeah, it was very organic sense of surrealism and shifting tone. You feel it a lot, which perfectly doves tails into something I want to be sure to mention, which is Hitchcock, because this all ties back into, again, the house and the landscapes. GM: Yeah, the cliff house! MH: I mean, I love the way even just how you shot the staircases, for example, the different angles and the focus on them, and just how imposing that outdoor staircase is with the spiral from above. A lot of these shots are subverting kind of secretly and with the satire of the story, the way it projects the mystery and thriller elements, there's even I would say some some horror coding, some psychological horror coding. And it all has a nice Hitchcock feel. But watching it, you don't notice that it's being done to create that feel. So you're getting all those benefits without being like, 'Look here! Look at the edge! Look how this is framed!' It just is, and you feel it more than noticeably see it. That's what makes Hitchcock Hitchcock, I think. And that's what that vibe is. And it contrasts so perfectly with the pastels and brightness and the way that you're using that. GM: Yeah, it's interesting. I think also with Julianne Moore's presence, too, the way she's describing, 'I love walking along [the cliffs],' when she's walking with Devon's character when she's first arrives… and they're walking on the edge of the cliff, waxing poetic about, 'Oh, remember, the sailors used to crash here for hundreds of years.' It's like, was she a siren, was she here the whole time? But she's sort of absconding or taking these myths as her own, because she's a local now and now she's here so she's just immersing herself in the history, appropriating all the local culture and stuff, as another self-deceptive thing. The staircase thing is very interesting, because that's very deliberate in Molly's script -- and Nikki, when she directed the first episode, was like it's aspirational because Simone is running on the beach, and she's happy and running up to this house, right? It's like, I'm going up to this place. It's aspirational, this is where I'm going to go, it's pretty, it's beautiful, it has a majestic feel. But later on with Devon, walking to the edge of cliff, it's like, you know, you might die if you fall off this cliff, right? This idea of it's a threatening place. And then in the later episodes, in episodes three and four, it's like, yeah, you might die if you do fall over. You're going to be in trouble, as we know from what happened to her boyfriend. And we think maybe Jocelyn was killed, maybe the previous wife was tossed off the cliff, so it becomes this menacing thing. And then by episode five, with the climactic turn with Kevin's character, is that like he's ascending the staircase, right? He's going down there to meet Simone. He's thrown caution to win. He's decided, 'I'm just going to go on this journey.' And it's very symbolic. He's just leaving his perch. He's going right down to the water, as far as he can get away from where he's normally isolated, to meet Simone and make this big choice, right? And visually I think… it's just simple screen directions that can help psychologically create a feel for where a character going, like they're going left or right or up or down. It's something about someone climbing something, most people's feeling about climbing something is to have to get to somewhere. When people descend something, usually the feeling could be more about getting away from something sometimes. And it's just like internally psychological for most for most people, and it was used very deliberately in the staircase that was both beautiful and majestic, but also like a bit scary. And trust me, going up on the stairs while we're on the shoot you got to be careful, you know, you got to stay away from the edge. MH: It's some of those some of the hikes in around Runyon Canyon [in Los Angeles] and stuff. There's some of the long ones and there's one that has a really long staircase. And that's the thing I thought of was well, you better be careful going up and down a staircase that high. GM: Yeah, for sure. It was an incredible location that John Pano, the production designer, found. And we did digitally augment the house slightly. But just the idea of this house on a cliff, green, lush, bright, you know, facing the sea. And it provided what was for me, one of my favorite images of the show is Simone being on that rocky cliff. But we finally find that one spot where Julianne Moore's character would be like, this is where I watch the sunset or where I want to look at my domain. And for her to take over that position, and have the sun going down and her glowing was like-- this last transformation into something with the next version of her, the next version of someone who's going to now be a bit of a monster and a bit of a seducing force, you know, and this location provided that. And it gave you all this opportunity to create this type of staging. So it's an incredible place. MH: It's a great mix of the beauty and the idea that look, it's beautiful. But the hidden danger. And then, sometimes even though it's like, well, it's a cliff. It's not exactly hidden. It's the danger people worry about. But it's only dangerous to the person who does it to himself, essentially. And the real dangers are hidden in the real. What's the real danger? Well, you know, there's a lot of it… Big thanks again to Gregory Middleton for taking time out of his busy schedule for this extra-deep examination of the cinematography and making of Sirens. Sirens remains among the most-streamed series on Netflix this week, after nearly 17 million people tuned in over its debut weekend.
Toronto Sun
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Toronto Sun
Can't stop talking about Netflix's bonkers ‘Sirens'? Join us
Published May 30, 2025 • 9 minute read Meghann Fahy, Julianne Moore and Milly Alcock attend the Netflix Premiere of Sirens at the Paris Theater on May 20, 2025 in New York City. Photo by Roy Rochlin / Getty Images for Netflix Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. Hey, hey: If you've perused Netflix at all in the past week, chances are you've encountered the new dark comedy 'Sirens,' starring Julianne Moore, Meghann Fahy and Milly Alcock as a trio of women locked in a battle of power and status on the fictional New England island of Port Haven. The streaming platform reported that the five-episode series debuted at No. 1 over Memorial Day weekend, which would explain all the buzz and fan theories floating around the internet. The other reason is a plot salad whose ingredients include: photographic blackmail, suspected cult activity, gruesome bird death and people falling off cliffs (both in real life and in their dreams). And more! This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Moore stars as Michaela Kell, an ambitious lawyer turned socialite who hires 25-year-old Simone DeWitt (Alcock) as a live-in personal assistant on the island estate she shares with Peter (Kevin Bacon), her husband of 13 years. Fahy plays Simone's older sister, Devon, who still lives in their hometown of Buffalo and tends to their father, Bruce (Bill Camp), who has early-onset dementia. Eventually, Devon shows up at the Kells' property looking for Simone. The DeWitt sisters had a rough upbringing, especially after their mom died, so Devon is stunned to discover her sister's new life of luxury. Audiences might be just as surprised by the show as a whole. Because while 'Sirens' has all the trappings of a prestige TV hit, it is also – how best to put this? – completely insane. Creator Molly Smith Metzler (Netflix's 'Maid') based the series on her 2011 play 'Elemeno Pea' and takes advantage of the expanded runtime. She leans into soap opera dramatics, all of which build to a jolting crescendo. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. This is the sort of show you'll want to discuss as soon as its bonkers finale fades to black, so we – Washington Post senior video journalist Allie Caren and Style reporter Sonia Rao – thought we'd get the conversation started. There are plenty of spoilers ahead, obviously, so don't say you haven't been warned. – – – Allie Caren: I'm a sucker for so many things in this show: ultra-wealth; sweeping, pristinely manicured oceanfront real estate; complicated family dynamics; and 'summering' in a coastal town. What's not to like? Sonia Rao: 'Sirens' certainly belongs in the thriving genre of rich people doing silly rich people things, similar to HBO's 'The White Lotus' and 'Big Little Lies.' At times, it can feel like a counterpart to Hulu's 'Nine Perfect Strangers,' especially when Devon starts to believe – deep breath – that Michaela a.k.a. Kiki somehow killed Peter's ex-wife and is now the leader of a spiritual cult that ends each meeting with a strange phrase: 'Hey, hey.' Rich people, cults, luscious aesthetics – it sort of comes off as an SEO dump of what makes for a popular TV show these days. Not to say it doesn't have its merits, but … didn't Nicole Kidman already make this? Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. AC: There are definite similarities between 'Nine Perfect Strangers' and 'Sirens,' down to the significance of something as small as a smoothie. In the former series, Masha (Kidman), the director of a remote healing resort, micro-dosed her guests' smoothies. Kiki, on the other hand, is much too preoccupied to take a single sip of the daily blends her personal chef, Patrice (Lauren Weedman), whips up. She waves it off in one scene like it wouldn't cost 20-something dollars at Erewhon. Hey, Patrice, I'll take it! SR: Julianne Moore was the main reason I decided to watch 'Sirens.' She so carefully navigated her performance in Todd Haynes's 'May December' as a Mary Kay Letourneau analogue married to a much younger man, and Kiki seemed similarly stubborn about sugarcoating her rather transactional marriage to Peter. We do learn as the show goes on, though, that Kiki is far more in touch with reality than she lets on. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. AC: Moore pulled me in, too. There are so many personas wrapped into her character: first, an emotionally unpredictable boss you're scared to cross but determined to please; second, a mysterious, witchy conservationist who finds purpose in using her wealth to help nature; and finally, your best friend, stand-in mom, confidante, running buddy and sometimes snuggle partner who comforts and consoles and protects you. Kiki has range. What did you make of Simone and Devon's relationship? SR: That was probably the most intriguing part of the storytelling for me, as one of two sisters with a similar five-year age gap who (thankfully!) grew up in a much happier household than theirs. Simone and Devon's mom died when they were young, numbing their father, Bruce, and forcing Devon to become Simone's primary caretaker. Bruce continues to emotionally abuse and neglect Simone once Devon goes to college, and child protective services eventually places Simone in foster care until Devon decides to abandon her studies and return home to Buffalo. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. It's brutal on both sisters, given that Simone suffers post-traumatic stress disorder and Devon feels like she never got to lead a life of her own. Simone's behavior early in the series makes sense to me – she yearns for a stable maternal figure and latches onto Kiki, who shows her kindness – but Devon is an enigma. I get that she coped by developing a sex addiction, which is only worsened by her attempts to abstain from alcohol, but I just cannot move past her licking a complete stranger's neck when he was trying to give her a platonic hug. And why is he so chill about her doing that? Devon is exceptionally weird and rude to everyone on the island, even people who never mistreated her in the first place. Fahy is innocent in all this. She and Alcock are really believable as sisters with resentments simmering just below the surface. I wish they'd received a stronger set of scripts. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. AC: Simone's PTSD dramatically affects her relationship with Devon, too. In fact, if you rewatch the series, you'll realize it's present before the viewer even learns about its cause: Their mother tried to kill herself and Simone by piping in fumes to their parked car. (Devon found Simone in time to get her help, but their mom died.) The sprints Simone makes on the stretch of beach between the Kell property and the home of her boyfriend, Ethan (Glenn Howerton), makes for good symbolism: Simone is constantly running from her past (and eventually, her present). She runs, more than once, on the sand along the water's edge between these two spots; rushing out of Ethan's home, racing across the sand, flying up four flights of stairs (plus landings! She must be a StairMaster queen!) before dashing across the Kells' expansive back lawn to reach the back door. (In fact, there isn't much of a 'runner's high' in this show at all: running is almost always associated here with negativity and racing – physically or figuratively – from someone, something or oneself.) This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. SR: We should probably talk about the water, too. While Devon and Simone use the code word 'sirens' with each other as an SOS, it doubles as an allusion to the seductive female creatures in Greek mythology, whose voices lure sailors to their doom. Sirens are often thought of as mermaids, but they're sometimes depicted with the lower body of a bird – making Kiki's obsession with the animal all the more meaningful. Devon, Simone and Kiki are all alluring women who are, at different points, accused of leading men to their demise. AC: And Kiki has a mermaidlike appeal to her, doesn't she? With her porcelain skin, auburn hair, and flowy gowns and ensembles? Even the colors of her matching running sets fit the fin – er – bill. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. A majority of the other costume and wardrobe decisions are far less subtle. The only place I'd expect to find a larger collection of Lilly Pulitzer is a brick-and-mortar store or the Kentucky Derby. (Hope the brand got a kickback.) Costume designer Caroline Duncan shied away from quiet luxury and instead leaned in fully to the oversaturated, bright, preppy palettes so often associated with coastal towns. SR: Part of it might be my personal distaste for the Lilly Pulitzer aesthetic, but I found this show really hard to look at. Beyond the color palette, many of Kiki's scenes were blindingly bright – which, paired with a slight blur effect, is clearly referencing the mythological Sirens' hypnotic quality. But the Vaseline lens aesthetic is deployed inconsistently and kept making me feel like I needed to wipe some gunk off my glasses. Not to mention the fact that Devon is shot in some of the harshest lighting I've seen on TV since the last season of 'The Bear.' Again, I understand the symbolism, but the back-and-forth ended up distracting me more than anything. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. I'd love to hear your perspective, though. What did you think? AC: I was captivated by the over-lit, mesmerizing, dreamy effect of the close-ups especially. They force the viewer to be a bit uncomfortable – and I think that was the point. I also deeply appreciate a well-spent drone budget. Bravo to the bird's-eye look at Simone running on the beach (again and again and again) and to the closing shot of Simone reigning over her new domain in a silky, icy blue dress at the miniseries' end. The incredibly deliberate cinematography captures the beauty and excitement of late summer so well. It makes me want to book a trip to Bar Harbor, like, yesterday. SR: I'm absolutely with you there. The show takes place over Labor Day weekend, but it feels like such a blessing that it's coming out at the very start of the season for us. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. I'm not suggesting I'd want a long weekend resembling theirs, though. My jaw dropped at the finale, in which Simone – after breaking up with Ethan – decides to shack up with Peter, who sends Kiki packing the very same day. The seeds were planted for this crazy development: Kiki compares her marriage to a business transaction in an earlier conversation with Simone, who gets fired after Kiki discovers she kissed Peter earlier that weekend. Simone is a survivor who will clearly do whatever it takes to get out ahead, but I still don't find it believable that she would go after the husband of a woman she absolutely adored. She is supposed to have an undergraduate degree from Yale – can't she get a different well-paying job? This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Also, what's the deal with Peter's kids from his first marriage? There is an entire subplot where Kiki thinks Peter is cheating on her when, instead, he's spending time in secret with his estranged children, who apparently dislike Kiki. He announces they're coming to the estate mere moments before dumping Kiki and getting together with Simone – whom the kids would dislike even more, surely? I wish we got to see his two adult children meet his latest girlfriend. AC: The whole seeing-my-kids-and-new-grandson-in-secret thing was a forced subplot for me. You could have removed the cheating allegations, the chocolates 'from Tokyo' and the lying and instead filled it with the interactions you suggest. I would have even been happy to see the kids interact with Kiki before her demise. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. I honestly had no idea Kiki would end up the victim ('victim') in the end. I thought she'd begin the villain and remain so – maybe that's what they wanted me to think; maybe I just fell for it. SR: Yeah, I think that's the intention. Sirens are a mythical manifestation of men fearing women with power, and by the end of the show it's clear that Peter's nice-guy shtick is all a ruse. He can't stand the idea of Kiki holding anything over him and gets rid of her as soon as he senses her influence growing. I'm a little confused what the show wants us to think of Simone. She seems to be the ultimate villain in the finale, manipulating her way to the top, but Kiki ends up telling Devon on the boat leaving the island that neither she nor Simone are monsters. Is Simone truly a victim of circumstance? Surely there were other, more moral ways out of her situation. One of my friends told me from the very start of us watching this show that she was on Team Kiki. Maybe I should listen to that friend more. Crime World Olympics Sunshine Girls Toronto Raptors
Tom's Guide
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Tom's Guide
Everything new on Apple TV Plus in June 2025
We're finally cruising into the summer season, which means that Apple TV Plus (as well as the rest of the best streaming services) will be introducing a whole selection of new movies and TV shows to celebrate the start of June. This coming month, the most high-profile titles set to hit Apple TV Plus include "Echo Valley," an edge-of-your-seat thriller starring Julianne Moore and Sydney Sweeney as a mother-daughter duo dealing with a bloody mess on their hands; and "Stick", a feel-good sports comedy with "Ted Lasso" vibes and Owen Wilson leading the cast as an over-the-hill ex-golfer who finds new hope in coaching a young golf prodigy. Elsewhere, you've got the second season of raucous period drama "The Buccaneers", the Taron Egerton-led crime miniseries "Smoke" and a family-friendly animated special based on a beloved children's picture book written and illustrated by Antoinette Portis. You can find more info about all the new Apple TV Plus releases coming your way in June 2025 below. In the new sports comedy series "Stick," comedy star Owen Wilson is Pryce Cahill, a washed-up professional golfer reeling from the collapse of his marriage, the loss of his job at an Indiana sporting goods store and the long-gone hopes of making it big on the golf tee. However, things seemingly turn around for the ex-athlete when he takes on the role of coach for a troubled 17-year-old golf phenom named Santi (played by Peter Dager). Along with Wilson and Dager, the ensemble of the sweet-yet-funny series includes Marc Maron, Mariana Treviño, Lilli Kay, Judy Greer and Timothy Olyphant, and features guest appearances from golf superstars such as Collin Morikawa, Keegan Bradley, Max Homa and Wyndham Clark. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. Watch on Apple TV Plus from June 4 "Echo Valley" stars Oscar winner Julianne Moore and Emmy nominee Sydney Sweeney as a mother and daughter bound by a dark secret. Kate Garrett (Moore) works training horses on her southern Pennsylvania farm when, one night, her daughter Claire (Sweeney) arrives at her door covered in blood that is not hers. As Kate pieces together the truth of what happened, she's forced to contend with exactly how far she'll have to go to protect her child. Domhnall Gleeson, Kyle MacLachlan, and Fiona Shaw pad out the cast of the upcoming thriller film, which is directed by BAFTA winner Michael Pearce and written by Brad Ingelsby. Watch on Apple TV Plus from June 13 Ask any kiddo and they'll probably know "Not a Box," the award-winning children's book by bestselling author and illustrator Antoinette Portis. Now the youngins will get to see the book's bright-eyed bunny Riley get the TV treatment with an all-new animated preschool series. With a voice cast including Isabel Birch as Riley and Ian James Corlett as Adult, "Not a Box" sees Riley craft magical make-believe worlds and fantastic adventures with his friends using only a simple cardboard box to spark imagination and creativity. Watch on Apple TV Plus from June 13 June also ushers in the second season of 1870s-set period drama "The Buccaneers," which will be full of "sisterhood, romance, wit, steamy love affairs, extravagant gowns, spectacular landscapes and jaw-dropping plot-twists," per the streamer. The new episodes will see Nan St. George (Kristine Froseth) navigating her new marriage to Theo, Duke of Tintagel (Guy Remmers) all while still seemingly harboring feelings for Guy Thwarte (Matthew Broome). Meanwhile, sister Jinny St. George (Imogen Waterhouse) is on every newspaper front page, wanted for the kidnapping of her unborn child. Across eight episodes, the girls will be forced to grow up and fight to be heard as they wrestle with love, lust, loss and all the rest. Along with the aforementioned returning actors, "The Buccaneers" season 2 sees cast newcomers including Leighton Meester as Nell, Greg Wise as Reede Robinson, Jacob Ifan as Hector Robinson, Grace Ambrose as Paloma Ballardino and Maria Almeida as Cora Merrigan. Watch on Apple TV Plus from June 18 Created, written, and executive produced by acclaimed author Dennis Lehane, "Smoke" stars Taron Egerton as arson investigator Dave Gudsen and Jurnee Smollett as police detective Michelle Calderone, who are begrudgingly paired up to track down two serial arsonists in the Pacific Northwest. Inspired by the podcast "Firebug," "Smoke" is being billed by the streamer as "a twisted game of secrets and suspicions," with both officers trying to get as close to the truth as possible — without getting burned. The two lead actors are surrounded by a stacked cast including Rafe Spall, Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine, Hannah Emily Anderson, Anna Chlumsky, Adina Porter, Greg Kinnear and John Leguizamo. Watch on Apple TV Plus from June 27
Washington Post
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
Can't stop talking about Netflix's bonkers ‘Sirens'? Join us.
Hey, hey: If you've perused Netflix at all in the past week, chances are you've encountered the new dark comedy 'Sirens,' starring Julianne Moore, Meghann Fahy and Milly Alcock as a trio of women locked in a battle of power and status on the fictional New England island of Port Haven. The streaming platform reported that the five-episode series debuted at No. 1 over Memorial Day weekend, which would explain all the buzz and fan theories floating around the internet. The other reason is a plot salad whose ingredients include: photographic blackmail, suspected cult activity, gruesome bird death and people falling off cliffs (both in real life and in their dreams). And more! Moore stars as Michaela Kell, an ambitious lawyer turned socialite who hires 25-year-old Simone DeWitt (Alcock) as a live-in personal assistant on the island estate she shares with Peter (Kevin Bacon), her husband of 13 years. Fahy plays Simone's older sister, Devon, who still lives in their hometown of Buffalo and tends to their father, Bruce (Bill Camp), who has early-onset dementia. Eventually, Devon shows up at the Kells' property looking for Simone. The DeWitt sisters had a rough upbringing, especially after their mom died, so Devon is stunned to discover her sister's new life of luxury. Audiences might be just as surprised by the show as a whole. Because while 'Sirens' has all the trappings of a prestige TV hit, it is also — how best to put this? — completely insane. Creator Molly Smith Metzler (Netflix's 'Maid') based the series on her 2011 play 'Elemeno Pea' and takes advantage of the expanded runtime. She leans into soap opera dramatics, all of which build to a jolting crescendo. This is the sort of show you'll want to discuss as soon as its bonkers finale fades to black, so we — Washington Post senior video journalist Allie Caren and Style reporter Sonia Rao — thought we'd get the conversation started. There are plenty of spoilers ahead, obviously, so don't say you haven't been warned. Allie Caren: I'm a sucker for so many things in this show: ultra-wealth; sweeping, pristinely manicured oceanfront real estate; complicated family dynamics; and 'summering' in a coastal town. What's not to like? Sonia Rao: 'Sirens' certainly belongs in the thriving genre of rich people doing silly rich people things, similar to HBO's 'The White Lotus' and 'Big Little Lies.' At times, it can feel like a counterpart to Hulu's 'Nine Perfect Strangers,' especially when Devon starts to believe — deep breath — that Michaela a.k.a. Kiki somehow killed Peter's ex-wife and is now the leader of a spiritual cult that ends each meeting with a strange phrase: 'Hey, hey.' Rich people, cults, luscious aesthetics — it sort of comes off as an SEO dump of what makes for a popular TV show these days. Not to say it doesn't have its merits, but … didn't Nicole Kidman already make this? AC: There are definite similarities between 'Nine Perfect Strangers' and 'Sirens,' down to the significance of something as small as a smoothie. In the former series, Masha (Kidman), the director of a remote healing resort, micro-dosed her guests' smoothies. Kiki, on the other hand, is much too preoccupied to take a single sip of the daily blends her personal chef, Patrice (Lauren Weedman), whips up. She waves it off in one scene like it wouldn't cost 20-something dollars at Erewhon. Hey, Patrice, I'll take it! SR: Julianne Moore was the main reason I decided to watch 'Sirens.' She so carefully navigated her performance in Todd Haynes's 'May December' as a Mary Kay Letourneau analogue married to a much younger man, and Kiki seemed similarly stubborn about sugarcoating her rather transactional marriage to Peter. We do learn as the show goes on, though, that Kiki is far more in touch with reality than she lets on. AC: Moore pulled me in, too. There are so many personas wrapped into her character: first, an emotionally unpredictable boss you're scared to cross but determined to please; second, a mysterious, witchy conservationist who finds purpose in using her wealth to help nature; and finally, your best friend, stand-in mom, confidante, running buddy and sometimes snuggle partner who comforts and consoles and protects you. Kiki has range. What did you make of Simone and Devon's relationship? SR: That was probably the most intriguing part of the storytelling for me, as one of two sisters with a similar five-year age gap who (thankfully!) grew up in a much happier household than theirs. Simone and Devon's mom died when they were young, numbing their father, Bruce, and forcing Devon to become Simone's primary caretaker. Bruce continues to emotionally abuse and neglect Simone once Devon goes to college, and child protective services eventually places Simone in foster care until Devon decides to abandon her studies and return home to Buffalo. It's brutal on both sisters, given that Simone suffers post-traumatic stress disorder and Devon feels like she never got to lead a life of her own. Simone's behavior early in the series makes sense to me — she yearns for a stable maternal figure and latches onto Kiki, who shows her kindness — but Devon is an enigma. I get that she coped by developing a sex addiction, which is only worsened by her attempts to abstain from alcohol, but I just cannot move past her licking a complete stranger's neck when he was trying to give her a platonic hug. And why is he so chill about her doing that? Devon is exceptionally weird and rude to everyone on the island, even people who never mistreated her in the first place. Fahy is innocent in all this. She and Alcock are really believable as sisters with resentments simmering just below the surface. I wish they'd received a stronger set of scripts. AC: Simone's PTSD dramatically affects her relationship with Devon, too. In fact, if you rewatch the series, you'll realize it's present before the viewer even learns about its cause: Their mother tried to kill herself and Simone by piping in fumes to their parked car. (Devon found Simone in time to get her help, but their mom died.) The sprints Simone makes on the stretch of beach between the Kell property and the home of her boyfriend, Ethan (Glenn Howerton), makes for good symbolism: Simone is constantly running from her past (and eventually, her present). She runs, more than once, on the sand along the water's edge between these two spots; rushing out of Ethan's home, racing across the sand, flying up four flights of stairs (plus landings! She must be a StairMaster queen!) before dashing across the Kells' expansive back lawn to reach the back door. (In fact, there isn't much of a 'runner's high' in this show at all: running is almost always associated here with negativity and racing — physically or figuratively — from someone, something or oneself.) SR: We should probably talk about the water, too. While Devon and Simone use the code word 'sirens' with each other as an SOS, it doubles as an allusion to the seductive female creatures in Greek mythology, whose voices lure sailors to their doom. Sirens are often thought of as mermaids, but they're sometimes depicted with the lower body of a bird — making Kiki's obsession with the animal all the more meaningful. Devon, Simone and Kiki are all alluring women who are, at different points, accused of leading men to their demise. AC: And Kiki has a mermaidlike appeal to her, doesn't she? With her porcelain skin, auburn hair, and flowy gowns and ensembles? Even the colors of her matching running sets fit the fin — er — bill. A majority of the other costume and wardrobe decisions are far less subtle. The only place I'd expect to find a larger collection of Lilly Pulitzer is a brick-and-mortar store or the Kentucky Derby. (Hope the brand got a kickback.) Costume designer Caroline Duncan shied away from quiet luxury and instead leaned in fully to the oversaturated, bright, preppy palettes so often associated with coastal towns. SR: Part of it might be my personal distaste for the Lilly Pulitzer aesthetic, but I found this show really hard to look at. Beyond the color palette, many of Kiki's scenes were blindingly bright — which, paired with a slight blur effect, is clearly referencing the mythological Sirens' hypnotic quality. But the Vaseline lens aesthetic is deployed inconsistently and kept making me feel like I needed to wipe some gunk off my glasses. Not to mention the fact that Devon is shot in some of the harshest lighting I've seen on TV since the last season of 'The Bear.' Again, I understand the symbolism, but the back-and-forth ended up distracting me more than anything. I'd love to hear your perspective, though. What did you think? AC: I was captivated by the over-lit, mesmerizing, dreamy effect of the close-ups especially. They force the viewer to be a bit uncomfortable — and I think that was the point. I also deeply appreciate a well-spent drone budget. Bravo to the bird's-eye look at Simone running on the beach (again and again and again) and to the closing shot of Simone reigning over her new domain in a silky, icy blue dress at the miniseries' end. The incredibly deliberate cinematography captures the beauty and excitement of late summer so well. It makes me want to book a trip to Bar Harbor, like, yesterday. SR: I'm absolutely with you there. The show takes place over Labor Day weekend, but it feels like such a blessing that it's coming out at the very start of the season for us. I'm not suggesting I'd want a long weekend resembling theirs, though. My jaw dropped at the finale, in which Simone — after breaking up with Ethan — decides to shack up with Peter, who sends Kiki packing the very same day. The seeds were planted for this crazy development: Kiki compares her marriage to a business transaction in an earlier conversation with Simone, who gets fired after Kiki discovers she kissed Peter earlier that weekend. Simone is a survivor who will clearly do whatever it takes to get out ahead, but I still don't find it believable that she would go after the husband of a woman she absolutely adored. She is supposed to have an undergraduate degree from Yale — can't she get a different well-paying job? Also, what's the deal with Peter's kids from his first marriage? There is an entire subplot where Kiki thinks Peter is cheating on her when, instead, he's spending time in secret with his estranged children, who apparently dislike Kiki. He announces they're coming to the estate mere moments before dumping Kiki and getting together with Simone — whom the kids would dislike even more, surely? I wish we got to see his two adult children meet his latest girlfriend. AC: The whole seeing-my-kids-and-new-grandson-in-secret thing was a forced subplot for me. You could have removed the cheating allegations, the chocolates 'from Tokyo' and the lying and instead filled it with the interactions you suggest. I would have even been happy to see the kids interact with Kiki before her demise. I honestly had no idea Kiki would end up the victim ('victim') in the end. I thought she'd begin the villain and remain so — maybe that's what they wanted me to think; maybe I just fell for it. SR: Yeah, I think that's the intention. Sirens are a mythical manifestation of men fearing women with power, and by the end of the show it's clear that Peter's nice-guy shtick is all a ruse. He can't stand the idea of Kiki holding anything over him and gets rid of her as soon as he senses her influence growing. I'm a little confused what the show wants us to think of Simone. She seems to be the ultimate villain in the finale, manipulating her way to the top, but Kiki ends up telling Devon on the boat leaving the island that neither she nor Simone are monsters. Is Simone truly a victim of circumstance? Surely there were other, more moral ways out of her situation. One of my friends told me from the very start of us watching this show that she was on Team Kiki. Maybe I should listen to that friend more.
