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New York Times
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
‘Rematch' Recreates a Cultural Touchstone
It is rare that chess grabs the public's attention — most people consider it to be too slow or too arcane to be engaging. But every now and then, the game transcends those obstacles, as it did in 2020, when Netflix released 'The Queen's Gambit,' about a girl genius who rises up to conquer the game of kings. It happens with real chess matches, too. It happened in 1972, when against the backdrop of the Cold War, a match for the world championship was played in Iceland between the American Bobby Fischer and the Russian Boris Spassky. Fischer won. And it happened again in May 1997, when Garry Kasparov, the world chess champion, played a match against a black, six-and-a-half-foot tall, 1,500-pound computer named Deep Blue, developed at IBM. The last event is the subject of another television series, called 'Rematch,' now streaming in Britain on Disney+. (It is not currently streaming in the United States; Disney declined to say when or if it would.) The six-part series walks viewers through what led up to the weeklong match held in midtown Manhattan and the unfolding drama culminating in (spoiler alert) Kasparov's historic loss. Spinning a tale of human drama, corporate skulduggery, double-dealing and even espionage, 'Rematch' also makes several explicit references to the attention that the match received, including by weaving in actual clips from contemporaneous news broadcasts. Though there are some fictional elements in the series, the hype was real. It was not hard to understand. The match pitted man against machine, something right out of science fiction. (In one scene in 'Rematch,' characters joke about naming Deep Blue after sinister robots from 'Alien' or 'Terminator.') Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Dept. Q,' ‘Mountainhead,' Alfred Hitchcock on Netflix, and the best to stream this weekend
Welcome to , your VIP guide to the best of pop culture for the weekend ahead, curated by the Gold Derby team of experts. (May 30-June 1) From a genre perspective, Scott Frank's latest project for Netflix has little in common with his previous two shows for the streaming service, the Emmy-winning limited series The Queen's Gambit and Godless. But like them, Dept. Q is must-see TV. More from GoldDerby Patti Lupone goes scorched-earth, inside the troubled Michael Jackson biopic, and what to read this weekend: May 30, 2025 Loretta Swit holds this Emmy record that may never be broken Directors open up about identity, risk and emotional storytelling at Disney's FYC fest Adapted from the best-selling Department Q crime novels by Danish author Jussi Adler-Olsen, the nine-episode series (now streaming) stars Matthew Goode as DCI Carl Morck, an acerbic detective returning to work months after a routine welfare check leaves a young cop dead, his best friend and partner paralyzed from the waist down, and him with a bullet wound to the neck and mandated therapy. When his embattled Edinburgh police station needs a PR win, Morck is assigned to a newly created department of one, charged with investigating cold cases, starting with the four-year-old disappearance of a one-time prominent civil servant (Chloe Pirrie). What no one expects is that Morck, a lost cause with his own little band of rejects à la Slow Horses, might actually be successful in his endeavor. Dept. Q is the awards contender to watch this weekend. However, there is a lot going on this week as the TV season comes to a close ahead of the first phase of Emmy voting in June. Other contenders include: Hacks: Recently renewed for a fifth season, Max's Emmy-winning comedy closes out its excellent fourth season with a coda that finds Deborah (Jean Smart) and Ava (Hannah Einbinder) taking a trip to decompress after the life-changing events of the penultimate episode… and the news that Deborah can't perform stand-up for 18 months due to the contract she'd signed for Late Night. It's a fascinating, if somewhat unexpected end to a season about creating art and comedy with the confines of traditional media. The finale is now streaming on Max. Adults: It's a truth universally acknowledged that adults don't actually know what they're doing. FX's newest comedy puts Gen Z at the forefront of the latest version of this all too familiar story, as a group of five messy twentysomethings fumble their way through the early days of adulthood in New York City. Across eight episodes, the show tackles the fears and anxieties of being in charge of one's life and having no idea what to do about it. In an unconventional rollout, the series airs new episodes Wednesdays on FX, but the entire first season is already streaming on Hulu. The Better Sister: Based on the 2019 book by Alafair Burke and directed by Craig Gillespie, Amazon's newest limited series follows Chloe (Jessica Biel) and Nicky (Elizabeth Banks), two estranged sisters who could not be more different. While Chloe lives an idyllic life with her husband and son, Nicky is a recovering addict who struggles to make ends meet. But when Chloe's husband is brutally murdered, the two siblings reunite, uncovering a complicated family history as they attempt to find out what happened. All eight episodes are now streaming on Prime Video. Streaming services emphasize the new over the classic, and Netflix does this most of all. It's estimated that only about 2 percent of Netflix's movie library consists of films made before 1980. This is very bad for cinema history, as viewers are not exposed to classic films on the dominant streaming platform. So it's important to watch classic movies when they pop up on Netflix. Which means our top movie pick this weekend isn't a new release, but a bunch of old ones from the Master of Suspense that are coming to Netflix for the first time. On June 1, Netflix is adding a collection of six Alfred Hitchcock films: Rear Window (1954), The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956), Vertigo (1958), The Birds (1963), and the final two of his career, Frenzy (1972) and Family Plot (1976). Also joining the collection are the 2012 biopic Hitchcock starring Anthony Hopkins and two horror films that bear a heavy Hitchcock influence, 2019's Us and 2022's Barbarian. The films' addition coincides with a six-week Hitchcock retrospective at Netflix's Paris Theater in New York. More Hitchcock films are expected to be added throughout the month. Psycho, Hitchcock's most famous film (though not his best; that's generally considered to be Vertigo, which topped the Sight & Sound poll in 2012), is already available on Netflix. It's a great opportunity to reconnect with the work of arguably the most influential filmmaker of all time. If you're looking for something new, here are some other recommendations: : For his first post-Succession project, creator Jesse Armstrong returns to HBO — and the world of billionaires — for the satire film Mountainhead. Steve Carell, Ramy Youssef, Jason Schwartzman, and Cory Michael Smith star as tech billionaires gathered for a ski trip at a mountain retreat when a financial meltdown occurs, and it's mostly their fault. The made-for-TV movie was shot in March, and made an astonishingly tight turnaround to premiere on May 31 at 8 p.m. on HBO and Max, just under the wire for Emmys eligibility. : This animated kids' comedy from DreamWorks is a spinoff of Captain Underpants that takes the form of a very silly story-within-a-story. It's about a police officer and his K-9 who get fused together to become Dog Man: half man, half dog, all cop. Dog Man goes up against Petey, 'the world's most evilest cat,' to save Ohkay City from the orange kitty's (voiced by Pete Davidson) reign of terror. It topped the box office for a few weeks earlier this year, with kids (and parents) enjoying its energetic humor. It's now streaming on Peacock. : U2 singer Bono gives an unusual take on the musician memoir in this filmed version of his stage show, which features the man born Paul Hewson telling stories from his life interspersed with new versions of some of his iconic songs, like 'Beautiful Day' and 'Where the Streets Have No Name.' It's an immersive show — literally so, if you have an Apple Vision Pro headset, which Stories of Surrender is the first film specifically made for — shot in striking black-and-white by Academy Award-winning Mank cinematographer Erik Messerschmidt and directed by Andrew Dominik (Blonde). If for some reason you don't have an Apple Vision Pro, don't worry; you can watch the film in 2D on Apple TV+. : This Christian cartoon is an interesting take on the Charles Dickens' children's story The Life of Our Lord, a version of the story of Jesus Christ that Dickens wrote for his own children. Kenneth Branagh voices Dickens, who narrates the frame story while his son Walter (Roman Griffin Davis) gets transported into it, and experiences the life of Jesus (Oscar Isaac) from a disciple's point of view. The film comes from leading faith-based studio Angel Studios, and features a star-studded voice cast that includes Uma Thurman, Mark Hamill, Pierce Brosnan, Forest Whitaker, and Ben Kingsley. It's now available on-demand on Apple TV and Fandango at Home. Speaking of Bono's Stories of Surrender, the U2 frontman released a three-song EP to accompany the streaming special featuring new live solo versions of the band's classics "Sunday Bloody Sunday" and "Desire," along with lesser-known track "The Showman." Give a listen below. Finally, with the sad news of the passing of composer Alf Clausen, whose Emmy-winning music helped define the best years of The Simpsons, we offer the playlist from Songs in the Key of Springfield. The compilation album, released in 1997, features such Clausen classics as "The Monorail Song," "Flaming Moe's," "Oh, Streetcar," and "We Do (The Stonecutters' Song)." After Clausen was unceremoniously fired in 2017, the show was never the same. Best of GoldDerby 'I cried a lot': Rob Delaney on the heart and humor in FX's 'Dying for Sex' — and Neighbor Guy's kick in the 'zone' TV directors roundtable: 'American Primeval,' 'The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,' 'Paradise' 'Paradise' directors John Requa and Glenn Ficarra on the 'chaos' of crafting 'the world coming to an end' Click here to read the full article.
The Review Geek
30-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Review Geek
Dept. Q Season 1 Review – The best crime thriller of the year?
Season 1 Episode Guide Episode 1 -| Review Score – 4.5/5 Episode 2 -| Review Score – 4/5 Episode 3 -| Review Score – 4/5 Episode 4 -| Review Score – 4/5 Episode 5 -| Review Score – 3.5/5 Episode 6 -| Review Score – 4/5 Episode 7 -| Review Score – 4/5 Episode 8 -| Review Score – 4/5 Episode 9 -| Review Score – 4.5/5 Writing a compelling crime drama that stands out in such a saturated market is not easy. There are so many options to choose from, and with streaming more accessible than ever, competition is fierce. Whether it be the numerous Sherlock spin-offs we get every year, original breakaway hits like Mare of Easttown or one of the many Scandinavian miniseries like The Chestnut Man (honestly, that show is fantastic, add it to your watch-list!), it's hard for newcomers to stand out. In a way, Dept. Q is in an unenviable spot. The story is pretty formulaic and feels like a mash-up of what's come before, and it's also dumped in one hit on Netflix, giving it a bit of a do-or-die flavour. However, beyond its relatively simplistic story is a show that boasts excellent production design, atmosphere, and characterisation — all of which help it stand out from the masses. Created by Scott Frank, the brilliant mind behind The Queen's Gambit, and with a stable foundation coming in the form of the book series as source material, Netflix may just have struck gold with this one — if it can attract a sizeable enough audience. Dept. Q's story whisks us off to the moody, miserable setting of Edinburgh, where we follow Detective Chief Inspector Carl Morck, a brilliant but emotionally scarred officer recovering from a traumatic ambush that left his partner paralyzed and another officer dead. Relegated to a newly formed cold case unit in the police department's basement, Morck assembles a team of misfits to take on an old case involving the disappearance of prosecutor Merritt Lingard, who vanished from a ferry four years prior. As the team delves deeper, they uncover a chilling conspiracy and psychological trauma that test their limits. The episodes interweave the investigation into Merritt's disappearance with Carl's shooting at Leith Park, but it's worth noting that there isn't actually any closure to the shooting. You can see the creators' intention to leave this thread open-ended for a potential second season (which hasn't been confirmed at the time of writing), but it's not too much of a detriment given the way this one ends — and how it's handled. It's very much a secondary plot, and one could argue it's used as a way of exploring Carl's trauma and allowing him to grow as a person. The story regularly jumps between past and present, and early on, we learn what happened to Merritt. The structure of the story then shifts to focus on why and how this occurred rather than drawing out the mystery of whether she's alive. It's an interesting framing device, but unfortunately, it's hard not to feel like the series shows its hand way too early. In fact, anyone who has watched a lot of crime thrillers is likely to figure out what's happening as early as episode 3. Not in complete detail, of course, because the show does work in some lovely twists, but I can't help but feel tighter framing — rather than wide angles and establishing shots — may have been a better option. While the story isn't Dept. Q's strongest asset, the show leans heavily on character work — and that's where it truly shines. Matthew Goode's portrayal of DCI Carl Morck is excellent, adding the right balance of snarky sarcasm, rule-breaking, and anti-authority vibes alongside a darker, more emotionally scarred interior that he's keeping from those around him. Carl has a really solid arc across the season, punctuated by important moments at the start and end of the show that feel like mirrors of the same incident, sandwiched around a lot of growth and exploration of inner demons. The series also flirts with the idea of a romance between Carl and his therapist, Rachel, but to be honest it's not handled particularly well. The banter between them is quite strong though, which only makes the decision to half-heartedly pursue this angle all the more baffling. However, one of the more interesting players here is Alexej Manvelov's portrayal of Syrian character Akram. He's very much the dark horse of the ensemble and bounces off Carl really well across the 9 episodes. Rounding out the trio is Rose. While she starts out as a bit player, she becomes more deeply involved in the investigation as the episodes progress. She has her own trauma to process, and the show handles this well — letting her development unfold in a way that never overshadows the main mystery or feels tacked on. The rest of the supporting cast do well in their roles, and it's just as well because many of the sets are quite uninspired, despite being dressed well. We're largely working with dingy interiors — and that's by design. This is a dark, gritty crime thriller that's less interested in sweeping vistas (despite a few establishing shots showing off Scotland's gorgeous natural landscapes) and more focused on the gritty details of the case itself. In that respect, Dept. Q establishes itself as a comfortable and relatively straightforward thriller, with enough red herrings and twists to try and keep you guessing until the conclusion. Again, your mileage with this one will probably vary, but this is not a show to binge in a single day. The episodes are long and often padded with proper investigative work. The investigation can — and does — go down wrong paths or take unexpected turns, often as a way of developing characters or helping them learn lessons. At one point, for example, Rose believes she's managed to link a bird insignia to a past case, tying everything together with a neat little bow. In reality, this is a big reach — and she's called out for it. These little moments aren't insulting to viewers or presented as wasted time; rather, they serve as lessons for our team — reminders to stick to the basics and avoid assumptions. Another time, Carl chooses Rose to butter up a male constable, bluntly leaning into the femme fatale angle. Again, it's a small inclusion, but one that feels grounded in the way these sorts of interviews might realistically play out. Episodes 8 and 9 work in tandem to tie up loose ends, deliver key flashbacks, and clarify any lingering mysteries surrounding the Merritt Lingard case. There are a few clichés that pop up along the way, but they're easy to overlook. Even with its issues, Dept. Q is a solid crime thriller. It's clearly been designed as a springboard to try and capture a bigger audience hungry for a consistent series that can run for many seasons to come. It's gritty, grounded, and boasts some strong characterisation. Based on what's here — and the way the season ends — there's definitely more fuel in the tank, with Dept. Q standing out as one of the best crime thrillers of the year.
Daily Mail
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Revealed: Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca's secret 'football and chess' thesis that fuels everything he does - the 'surprise factor', how it changed Cole Palmer and which players are his king, rook and bishop
If your knowledge of chess is limited to cheating accusations involving vibrating beads and the Netflix drama The Queen's Gambit, then 's 42-page thesis may not be the most riveting read you could pick up while waiting in the dentist's office. But in between talk of Pep Guardiola 's Manchester City and the Nimzo-Indian defence and other complicated comparisons which might make a few folks long for their filling, it provides a glimpse into the psyche of the coach hoping to strategise his first trophy with tonight.
