Latest news with #Santi
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Stick: Owen Wilson's charmingly funny golf drama is as feelgood as Ted Lasso
Golf is – apologies to fans, the ground is gonna get a little rough – inert material for TV and film. It's not explosively combative like say football, either American or actual. In golf, players interact with the environment, not each other. There is no time pressure. Physical adjustments are minute, the airborne ball impossible to see. For casual spectators, the experience mostly amounts to watching a middle-aged man shuffle above a tiny ball, like an emperor penguin sitting on an egg. The sound of even a world-beating putt is a soft plop. However, a lack of basic knowledge brought me late to Friday Night Lights, a show that became one of my favourites. I'd like to avoid making that mistake with Stick (Apple TV+, from Wednesday 4 June), so let's see. Wisely, the show isn't aiming at FNL's grit and spunk, blue-collar catharsis. Stick is funny, in a gentle, humane way. Clearly, Apple+ is attempting to hit its own marker again, the one with 'Ted Lasso' written on it in gold. Owen Wilson plays Pryce Cahill, a former pro golfer reduced to coaching retirees and pulling short cons in bars. When he catches Latino teenager Santi (Peter Dager) sneaking on to the range where he works, to ragefully hammer balls, Pryce realises the boy is a prodigy and offers to coach him. Together with his old caddy and the boy's mother, they road trip between tournaments in search of fortune. But do you know what? I think they might find something deeper. Stick's credit sequence features a ukulele playing over a series of watercolours, so you know this isn't The Wire. It's feelgood! Expect light bickering and dissolvable disputes! Frequent sporting metaphors for emotional growth! Like Community – a comedy that offered a self-aware take on the inspirational speech – Stick is aware that if you stretch such metaphors too far, they snap back into parody. 'I used to think she liked me, but she loves you,' whispers Pryce to his protege, very much in the vein of 'playing golf is like making love to a beautiful woman'. The show just about manages to have its cake and eat it. You don't need Google to enjoy Stick. I let references to knockdowns, casting and holding the finish wash over me like suds in the bath. Dager looks good swinging a stick, while Mariana Treviño, as his forthright mom Elena, improves every scene she's in. Marc Maron is winning as Mitts, a curmudgeonly caddy with a hidden heart – a trope he's made his own. The show finds its groove with the addition of Lilli Kay as Zero, a defiant club worker and love interest. With a she/they character on board, the show gets to prod at generational tension, and the problematic imbalance of mentor relationships. When Pryce admonishes Santi for his discipline, Zero warns him to stop 'prescribing late stage capitalist ideology to your great brown cash cow'. Elena advises Pryce to back off, without backing down. 'They smell fear, the gen Z-ers.' Driving it all, like a high MOI titanium club, is Owen Wilson. Something about Wilson's hair invariably makes me wonder when a weed pipe is going to appear on screen (the answer is seven minutes into the first episode). It's easy to forget he's also an Oscar-nominated writer and subtle actor. With his goofy voice, broken nose and wounded smile, he excels at playing characters who are both boyish and washed-up, full of good cheer dented by time. He's perfect as the broke, dragging-his-heels-through-a-divorce Pryce, whose Ryder Cup career ended with a televised mental breakdown on a fairway years ago. Aficionados will enjoy debating the finer points of Santi's swing. The directors get round the invisible ball problem with soaring drones and POV shots, to inject visual flair and kineticism. The show promises cameos from real-life pros including Max Homa, Wyndham Clark and Collin Morikawa for a frisson of authenticity. With Happy Gilmore 2 coming to Netflix in July, golf fans are spoilt for choice. Which doesn't leave the rest of us out in the cold. Sport in dramas is a vehicle for storytelling, rather than being the story itself. Another tricky mentor relationship is fathering, the show's real theme. A few episodes in, I care enough to see how it plays out. Can Stick stick the landing? I wouldn't bet against it.
Time of India
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Apple TV+ Releases June 2025: Here's the complete list
Apple TV+ is bringing a mix of new shows and a film in June 2025. Viewers can expect stories in drama, romance, kids and thriller genres. The month starts with the release of Stick, followed by Not A Box and the thriller film Echo Valley. The lineup closes with The Buccaneers Season 2 . Stick Stick is a drama series set to release on June 4, 2025. The cast features Owen Wilson, Judy Greer, Peter Dager, Marc Maron and Lilli Kay. It will be available in all regions and includes one season with a total of 10 episodes. Stick is a drama about Pryce Cahill, a former professional golfer whose career ended early. He lost his job and marriage. He decides to coach a young golfer named Santi. Santi is 17 and seen as a new talent in golf. Pryce puts all his hope in helping Santi succeed. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like How much is your car worth? Take a look here Cars | Value Click Here Undo Also Read: Survivor Season 50: Here's complete list of cast revealed by CBS and release window of upcoming season Echo Valley Echo Valley is a thriller film scheduled for release on June 13, 2025. The cast includes Juliane Moore, Sydney Sweeney, Fiona Shaw, Kyle MacLachlan and Domhall Gleeson. It will be available in all regions and has a runtime of 1 hour and 43 minutes. Live Events In Echo Valley, Kate Garrett trains horses in Pennsylvania. One night, her daughter Claire arrives with blood on her but it is not her own. Kate must decide how far she will go to protect her child. The Buccaneers Season 2 The Buccaneers Season 2 is a romance and drama series scheduled to release on June 18, 2025. The cast includes Kristine Frøseth, Alisha Boe, Aubri Ibrag, Josie Totah and Imogen Waterhouse. It will be available in all regions and consists of one season with a total of eight episodes. Season 2 of The Buccaneers continues the story of young American women living in 1870s London. In the new season, they are no longer outsiders. Nan is now the Duchess of Tintagel and is seen as a powerful woman in England. Conchita becomes Lady Brightlingsea, a leader for American heiresses. Jinny is at the center of a scandal as the press follows her every move due to the kidnapping of her unborn child. Also Read: Snack Basue Manga Series: Here's Final Chapter release date, storyline and where to read Apple TV+ Releases June 2025 June 4 Stick June 13 Not A Box Echo Valley June 18 The Buccaneers Season 2 FAQs What is The Buccaneers Season 2 about? It shows young American women gaining influence in 1870s England, dealing with power, scandal and personal challenges. What is the story of Stick? Stick follows a failed golfer who trains a young star in hopes of rebuilding his life and career.
The Irish Sun
18-05-2025
- The Irish Sun
Sleazy Scots chippy boss lured teen victims to ‘juice cupboard' for sex attacks
A SLEAZY chip shop boss lured schoolgirls into his 'juice cupboard' to sexually abuse them. Perv Alessandro Santi, 34, now faces jail after being convicted of a string of vile assaults on seven youngsters — some as young as 15. Advertisement 3 Alessandro Santi is facing jail Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd 3 He has been convicted of a string of vile assaults on seven youngsters Credit: John Kirkby 3 He was the manager of Dani's Diner at the time Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd He was manager of Dani's Diner in Erskine, Renfrewshire, which was owned at the time by his parents. A trial at Paisley Sheriff Court heard that while working as the fish fryer, Santi would touch girls, make lewd comments and show some of them porn images on his phone. Victims gave harrowing accounts of how he'd tell them to go into the juice cupboard — where fizzy drinks were stocked — and would then molest them. One woman, now in her early 20s, told how Santi had targeted her when she was 15 and told he wanted to 'bend her over a table'. Advertisement He had rubbed his private parts up against her and repeatedly made comments that her 'bum looked good'. Prosecutor Jason Stark asked the woman: 'How did that make you feel?' She replied: 'I felt disgusted and embarrassed.' The witness said Santi showed her images of nude women on his phone from Snapchat, adding that he had wanted her to send him 'sex pictures'. Advertisement Most read in The Scottish Sun Other women said Santi would regularly brush past them, touching their bottoms and waists. One girl became so upset after Santi had touched her inappropriately she went home and told her parents who came to the chippy to confront the pervert. Dad of Brit Bella Culley, who's being held in Georgia after vanishing on Thai hols, shares his fears Santi denied all the claims between 2016 and 2022 against him but was found guilty of 14 of the 19 charges by a jury . Sheriff Hugh McGinty adjourned for reports but blasted Santi's 'predatory' behaviour, warning him that 'a prison sentence is almost inevitable'. Advertisement Santi was criticised for a letter he had submitted to the court appealing for bail if found guilty — so he could care for his kids and grandfather. Sheriff McGinty said: 'I thought that would be a letter stating some remorse, but your concern is all about you and the effect this has had on you.' Despite the rebuke, Santi was still bailed and he will return to court next month for sentencing. The Dani's Diner takeaway has since been taken over by new owners. Advertisement
Scottish Sun
18-05-2025
- Scottish Sun
Sleazy Scots chippy boss lured teen victims to ‘juice cupboard' for sex attacks
Santi would touch girls, make lewd comments and show some of them porn images on his phone Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A SLEAZY chip shop boss lured schoolgirls into his 'juice cupboard' to sexually abuse them. Perv Alessandro Santi, 34, now faces jail after being convicted of a string of vile assaults on seven youngsters — some as young as 15. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 3 Alessandro Santi is facing jail Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd 3 He has been convicted of a string of vile assaults on seven youngsters Credit: John Kirkby 3 He was the manager of Dani's Diner at the time Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd He was manager of Dani's Diner in Erskine, Renfrewshire, which was owned at the time by his parents. A trial at Paisley Sheriff Court heard that while working as the fish fryer, Santi would touch girls, make lewd comments and show some of them porn images on his phone. Victims gave harrowing accounts of how he'd tell them to go into the juice cupboard — where fizzy drinks were stocked — and would then molest them. One woman, now in her early 20s, told how Santi had targeted her when she was 15 and told he wanted to 'bend her over a table'. He had rubbed his private parts up against her and repeatedly made comments that her 'bum looked good'. Prosecutor Jason Stark asked the woman: 'How did that make you feel?' She replied: 'I felt disgusted and embarrassed.' The witness said Santi showed her images of nude women on his phone from Snapchat, adding that he had wanted her to send him 'sex pictures'. Other women said Santi would regularly brush past them, touching their bottoms and waists. One girl became so upset after Santi had touched her inappropriately she went home and told her parents who came to the chippy to confront the pervert. Dad of Brit Bella Culley, who's being held in Georgia after vanishing on Thai hols, shares his fears Santi denied all the claims between 2016 and 2022 against him but was found guilty of 14 of the 19 charges by a jury . Sheriff Hugh McGinty adjourned for reports but blasted Santi's 'predatory' behaviour, warning him that 'a prison sentence is almost inevitable'. Santi was criticised for a letter he had submitted to the court appealing for bail if found guilty — so he could care for his kids and grandfather. Sheriff McGinty said: 'I thought that would be a letter stating some remorse, but your concern is all about you and the effect this has had on you.' Despite the rebuke, Santi was still bailed and he will return to court next month for sentencing. The Dani's Diner takeaway has since been taken over by new owners.
Los Angeles Times
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
‘Stick' creator Jason Keller takes a swing at the game of life through golf
On the most basic level, 'Stick' is about a prematurely washed-up golfer who takes a teen prodigy under his wing and on the road. Off they go in an RV to hit some big amateur tournaments, accompanied by the kid's mother and the old pro's irascible buddy. The kid gets to fall in love with a free-spirited lass. Adventures are had. Lessons are learned. But very little about golf takes place on a basic level (except maybe in 'Caddyshack'). The sport is rife with metaphors. Lay up or go for broke? (see also, 'Tin Cup.') Keep your cool under pressure or lose it in the sand trap? So it makes sense that 'Stick,' premiering June 4 on Apple TV+, uses the game of golf to take a swing at the game of life. The wash-up, Pryce Cahill (played by Owen Wilson), seeks redemption. Years back, he flipped out on the course, and his life has been in free fall since — he and his wife (Judy Greer) are getting a divorce, and their home is being sold. But then he meets the 17-year-old prodigy, Santi (newcomer Peter Dager), who he sees as the key to a second chance. Santi, meanwhile, knows he's good; when he pummels a ball, it sounds like a sonic boom. But his first coach was his hard-ass, now-vanished dad, and Santi now has trouble taking golf seriously or respecting his elders. These human elements intrigued series creator Jason Keller far more than anything that might happen on the links. 'I love golf, but I'm not good at it,' he said. 'I am routinely frustrated by it.' Frustration, of course, is a universal quality. So is disappointment. These are the elements that pushed Keller, who wrote the screenplay for the 2019 movie 'Ford v Ferrari,' to create 'Stick.' 'Long before the story was set on a golf course, I was really interested in exploring a character who had not lived up to expectations,' he said. 'I was interested in characters that had great promise but ultimately didn't achieve that promise. What happens to somebody afterward? How do they react to that? Do they let themselves be defined by not achieving that level, or do they try to reconcile that? Does it motivate them to excel in other areas of their life?' Wilson, who also readily admits his golf game isn't the strongest — 'My dad and my brothers played, but I was always intimidated by it' — sees another key parallel to life: As much as you seek perfection, you can never achieve it. 'There's a little bit of a chess thing with golf, in that you can never really master it,' he said. 'That can feel like life too. People talk about Tiger Woods winning the Masters by like 12 strokes and deciding his swing isn't quite right. Pryce talks about how the game takes and takes and takes. I think people feel that way about life as well.' Mariana Treviño, the Mexican actor who plays Santi's mom, Elena, agrees that 'Stick' is about dealing with hardships. 'Elena is in a moment in her life where she had a big disappointment,' she said. 'Her family broke down. Sometimes in life when something very strong happens to you, you just kind of shut out from the world. You think that you're going to protect that wound by just not moving too much from a place, or not directly confronting something that is painful.' If this all sounds a tad serious, 'Stick' really isn't. As with most anything starring Wilson, whose Texas/California cool works just fine in the series' Indiana setting (Keller hails from Indianapolis), 'Stick' feels easy and breezy even when it gets into heavy-ish themes. The tone suggests a riff on 'Ted Lasso' but with golf instead of soccer. Wilson and Marc Maron, who plays Pryce's grumpy, long-suffering best bud (who is dealing with grief of his own), keep up the steady banter of two guys who know each other's foibles and try to resist the urge to poke them. Zero, Santi's new friend and life guru played by Lilli Kay, is a self-described 'genderqueer, anticapitalist, postcolonial feminist,' and the series manages to have fun with her without making fun of her. Elena, meanwhile, is mildly suspicious of the whole endeavor, but she finds the aging white golfers amusing. She also likes the cash Pryce has thrown her way for the privilege of coaching her son. Put them all together in an RV, and on a series of golf courses, and you've got the makings of a modern family comedy. Except most of the 'family' aren't related. 'They're a sort of a found family, and they are all very different personalities,' Keller said. 'But ultimately they are what each other needed, and none of them knew it. I think that's the beauty and the fun and the heart of the show. We're watching a group of people that don't fit together at first, and then they realize they needed each other. I hope that warmth and the feel-good element of that is felt by audiences.' But that sense of major disappointment, and the question of how to turn the page, still lingers over the story. Keller is intimately acquainted with that kind of challenge. He was 25, newly arrived in Hollywood, when doctors discovered a benign brain tumor. It was successfully removed, but the subsequent nerve damage meant Keller had to retrain his brain to let him walk again. Now 56, he says he 'didn't realize what a gift that hard experience was. I became very grateful for being physically healthy.' Keller used that sink-or-swim experience to write his 'Stick' characters. 'Everybody has a point in their life that just brought them to their knees,' he said. 'It could be a divorce or the death of a loved one. We all face these personal tragedies or challenges. What do you do with them after you go through 'em and survive 'em? That's the real question.' Even Santi, the youngest character in 'Stick,' has been burned by life. 'He's scared, and he has every reason to be,' Dager said. 'His father left him.' And he responded by building a hard shell and walking with a swagger. Dager embraced the whole package. 'I fell in love with his past but also his soul and the way he protects himself with the humor he uses as a defense mechanism,' Dager said. 'And then once we get to know him and he starts to fall in love and he starts to trust people, you really see the kid. You see who he actually wants to be.' And if you do happen to be a golfer, if you know a birdie from an eagle, an iron from a wood, 'Stick' doesn't skimp on the sports stuff. It might even inspire you to go out to the garage and excavate that moldering set of clubs. Or not. 'The golfers I've shown it to have connected to it and appreciated it at the level of the sport,' Keller said. 'And the others who have seen it who are not golfers seem to be responding to it at a purely emotional character level. I think they're connecting to it. We'll see if we got it right. I hope we did.'
