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Telegraph
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Under the Vines, review: no fizz, no excitement and decidedly non-vintage
At what point does nice become insufferable? One way to find out is to binge-watch Under the Vines (BBC One), an odd-couple comedy-drama set in the world capital of normalised niceness, New Zealand. When an old vintner leaves his South Island vineyard split between his nephew, a stuffy middle-aged Brit (Charles Edwards) and his stepdaughter, a flighty, spendthrift Aussie (Rebeca Gibney), they both descend on Central Otago to check out their inheritance. They quickly decide to sell it – they don't like each other, neither of them knows anything about wine-making and anyway, the vineyard's a bust. We all know what happens next. Louis (Edwards) and Daisy (Gibney) inevitably end up falling in love with the place, the quirky locals and, in the fullness of six episodes, each other. It is a tale as old as TV time – the town mice and the country mice; Northern Exposure, Green Acres, Death in Paradise and many more, whereby simple living leads to personal discovery with a healthy dose of fish-out-of-water chuckles on the way. Both Louis and Daisy's lives back home needed fixing – he is an overworked lawyer who was about to split up with his wife and lose his child if he didn't get his act together. She was a Sydney socialite reliant on handouts from the now dead stepfather to sustain her Jimmy Choo habit. Wine and grapes and careful husbandry are used as an overarching metaphor for them both slowing down and paying attention to the things that matter. Once Louis and Daisy start to realise what those things are – family, good people, nature – they begin to revel in their new life. It presents writer Erin White with a problem about halfway through the first series, because Louis's beloved son Julian is back in London. He is flown down for a convenient holiday and a dubious plot twist later on in the run, but the fact remains that, were Under the Vines anything approaching half-credible, Louis would never have gone to New Zealand in the first place. It leads you to ask in what reality this show is set, and the answer comes in learning that it is a series that is nearly five years old. It was first aired on Acorn TV, a British-American streamer that specialises in nice British telly, just after the pandemic. In that context Under the Vines makes a lot more sense: it offers the lure of getting away from it all, the idea of working outside, of actually interacting with strangers at all and seeing hills and mountains and rolling fields. This was all we really wanted from television in 2021. But while wines may improve with age, Under the Vines has not. A few years ago, there was also a vogue for what was then called 'slow' television in which nothing much happened, and Under the Vines is slow, gently sozzled, sundowner TV served with a few gigglers and some idiosyncratic characters as ballast. Great for the New Zealand tourist board, great for the wine industry, but expect only to be tickled, never engrossed.
BBC News
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Materialists to 28 Years Later: 10 of the best films to watch this June
From Materialists to 28 Years Later – these are the films to watch at the cinema and stream at home this month. Materialists Celine Song's bittersweet debut, Past Lives, was nominated for two Oscars in 2024. For her follow-up, Song has moved from a delicate semi-autobiographical drama to a glamorous romantic comedy with an A-list cast. Dakota Johnson plays a New York matchmaker who is blunt about her clients' value as potential partners: what matters, she says, is exactly how rich, tall and good-looking people are. But in her own love life, should she choose her poor ex (Chris Evans) over a wealthy new suitor (Pedro Pascal)? Materialists may be more conventional than Past Lives, but Song told Time that she wanted to make a film about the pursuit of love. "When people say it's not important, I ask, 'Not as important as what?' When you watch a movie, we don't all know what it's like to save the world. But we know what it's like to fall in love. It's the biggest drama in our lives. It's vital, and we need to talk about it more." Released on 13 June in the US, Canada, India, Poland and Turkey The Life of Chuck The Life of Chuck begins at the end – specifically, at the end of the world. Two ex-spouses, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Karen Gillan, reunite to watch the Earth crumble and the stars blink out of existence – but why are there suddenly posters everywhere celebrating the mild-mannered Charles "Chuck" Krantz (Tom Hiddleston)? Flashbacks to Chuck's younger days unravel the cosmic mystery, but the best way to watch this inspirational Stephen King adaptation is not to know anything else about it in advance. "It's surprising and upsetting, funny and profound," says Kristy Puchko in Mashable. "I laughed hard, cried 'til my eyes ached, and once gasped so loud that I heard it echo across a theatre struck silent by a moment both shocking and tender. The Life of Chuck is glorious." Released on 6 June in the US and 11 June in France M3GAN 2.0 M3GAN was a hit in 2022 – although that may have had less to do with the film itself than with the way clips of its robotic anti-heroine took off on TikTok. Either way, a sequel seemed inevitable – and here it is, the return of the artificially-intelligent doll (Amie Donald, with the voice of Jenna Davis) which was designed by Gemma (Allison Williams). The director of both films, Gerard Johnstone, has followed the Terminator 2: Judgment Day path of pitting a former villain against another, even nastier robot. A murderous "autonomous android" has been built using Gemma's technology, and the only way to stop it is to upgrade M3GAN and let the two machines fight it out. "A sequel's got to be different enough from the first movie that people don't feel cheated," producer Jason Blum explained to Den of Geek, "but not too different from the first movie that people feel cheated, and that's the line we're trying to straddle with M3GAN 2, and I think we do that." Released on 27 June internationally Elio Cinema's most famous meeting between a boy and an alien was in Steven Spielberg's ET The Extra Terrestrial – and the boy was named Elliott. Could that be why Pixar's cartoon about a boy meeting aliens is called Elio? Given how meticulously everything is planned in Pixar films, you'd have to assume that the similar names are no coincidence, and that the studio is hoping to bring some Spielberg-style sincerity to their tale of a shy 11-year-old being mistaken for Earth's supreme leader by an interstellar council. If Elio does have the emotion of ET The Extra Terrestrial, it could move audience as much as Inside Out 2, which was the highest grossing film of 2024. "I do feel like Inside Out 2 really hit because we were able to talk about anxiety in a way that really resonated with audiences," Pixar's chief creative officer, Pete Docter, said in The Wrap. "And I think the core of this film… has to do with the feelings we all sensed a lot of times, that we're in this big world full of people, but we're alone. But we don't have to be." Released on 18, 19 and 20 June internationally 28 Years Later It's actually only 23 years since 28 Days Later came out, but who's counting? What matters is that the UK's favourite horror franchise is back at last. And, unlike the first sequel, 28 Weeks Later, this one has been masterminded by the creators of the original film, director Danny Boyle and screenwriter Alex Garland. Their big idea is that the virus which turns people into uncontrollable homicidal maniacs (they're not officially undead, so don't call them zombies) is now confined to Great Britain, and while most of the country is overrun by "the Infected", there is a small island where survivors played by Ralph Fiennes, Jodie Comer, Jack O'Connell and Aaron Taylor-Johnson are safe – for now, anyway. If 28 Years Later is half as nerve-jangling as its Kipling-soundtracked, folk-horror trailer, it should be the best instalment in the franchise so far. And it won't be the last. Rather than concluding the "Later" trilogy, this film is the first part of another trilogy – and part two has already been shot. "This is very narratively ambitious," Garland said in Empire magazine. "Danny and I understood that. We tried to condense it, but its natural form felt like a trilogy." Released on 18, 19 and 20 June internationally From the World of John Wick: Ballerina The John Wick series seemed to come to a definitive conclusion at the end of 2023's John Wick: Chapter 4, but fear not, Keanu Reeves' moody assassin is back – in a couple of scenes, anyway. The main character in this spin-off, though, is Eve Macarro, played by Ana de Armas, who showed off her action credentials in the last James Bond film, No Time to Die. Eve is a vengeful ballet dancer who is immersed in the franchise's byzantine mythology, and who meets some of the regulars, including Ian McShane and Reeves himself. But the director, Len Wiseman, believes that Ballerina has its own identity. "One of the things that was very important early on was that I was not setting out to do a female John Wick," he said in IGN. "This is an entirely different character – not somebody that's replicating what John Wick does. Eve is looking to become an assassin. John Wick is essentially trying to get out of the world." Released between 4 and 7 June internationally Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore Marlee Matlin was the first deaf actor to win an Oscar when she took home the best actress trophy for Children of a Lesser God in 1987. And, in fact, no other deaf actors won Oscars until 2022, when Troy Kotsur was named best supporting actor for playing the husband of Matlin's character in Coda. Now an acclaimed, empathetic documentary tells Matlin's story, which includes addiction, sexual abuse, political activism, and life as the only deaf person in her family. The film's director, Shoshannah Stern, is also deaf, and so their intimate interviews are conducted in American Sign Language. Leslie Felperin says in The Hollywood Reporter that this "engaging, exuberant portrait of the relentlessly likeable Matlin [is] immensely watchable, not least thanks to Matlin's still incandescent natural charisma". Released on 20 June in the US Happy Gilmore 2 One of Adam Sandler's earliest films, Happy Gilmore is a knockabout sports comedy about a short-tempered hockey player who realises that he can hit golf balls farther than anyone else around. It helped to establish Sandler as a big-screen star, but it's still amazing that now, almost 30 years later, the film has a devoted following, and Sandler's "Happy Gilmore swing" is imitated by amateur and professional golfers alike. Sandler's co-writer, Tim Herlihy, told the New York Times in 2021 that he could hardly believe the film's longevity. "To have that sort of staying power that people are even talking about it 25 years later? At the time, we were just trying to stay alive and have a movie career… we never thought these movies would end up in the Library of Congress." Not only that, but Happy Gilmore now has a sequel, which features Ben Stiller and Travis Kelce alongside Happy's old enemy (Christopher McDonald) and love interest (Julie Bowen). If they make two more sequels after this one, they can call the last one Happy Gilmore Fore. Released on 25 June on Netflix internationally F1: The Movie The team behind Top Gun: Maverick – including director Joseph Kosinski, screenwriter Ehren Kruger, producer Jerry Bruckheimer, cinematographer Claudio Miranda and composer Hans Zimmer – reunite for another big-budget drama about a veteran speed demon teaching the younger generation how it's done. There's no sign of Tom Cruise, though. Instead, F1 stars Brad Pitt as a Formula One driver who retired after a disastrous crash, but is persuaded by a former team-mate (Javier Bardem) to mentor a promising rookie (Damson Idris). The film was shot at actual Grand Prix events, and features actual Formula One racers, but it's Pitt's driving that's the impressive part. "When you see Brad driving, that's not acting," said Kosinski in Collider. "He's really concentrating on keeping that car on the track out of the wall during all those scenes… It required months – literally months – of training." Released on 25, 26 and 27 June internationally Sorry, Baby Eva Victor's debut film earnt rave reviews when it premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January. As well as writing and directing, Victor stars in Sorry, Baby as Agnes, a lecturer who teaches at the same New England college where she once studied. When her best friend Lydie (Naomi Ackie) comes to stay, it's clear that Lydie's life has moved on since they were students, whereas Agnes is stuck – perhaps because of a sexual assault that is explored in flashback. Kate Erbland in IndieWire calls Sorry: "a darkly funny and enormously tender film that is about what happens after the worst occurs, but with plenty of room to weave the light next to the dark… Something bad happened to Agnes. But life goes on. Big, wonderful, funny, horrible, strange, sad, great life. How lucky we are that Victor is here to chronicle just that." Released on 27 June in the US -- For more Culture stories from the BBC, follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
A24's New Materialists Trailer Makes It Look Like A Standard Rom-Com, And That Makes Me Very Suspicious
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Materialists is coming in June, and if it were from any other studio than A24, I wouldn't bat an eye at a romantic comedy starring Dakota Johnson, Pedro Pascal and Chris Evans. But again, if readers look at the best A24 movies out there, this isn't a studio known for doing a normal movie. As such, I can't help but be a little suspicious and wonder if there's a weirder movie hiding beneath this trailer. This upcoming A24 movie might just be a standard romantic comedy that harkens back to the 2000s... or maybe it's something else entirely. I'm leaning toward the latter, and if it turns out I'm wrong, well, it's a great cast and could be a great regular movie! When I watch the trailer for Materialists, I'm reminded of How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days or any other best rom coms I'd watch with a Netflix subscription. I think the fact that the tone of the movie itself feels like something I would've watched 20 years ago set off my Spidey senses, but again, this is A24 we're talking about. Look at some of A24's top-rated movies, and they all fall in one of three categories. They cover very niche topics with a strong statement, are horror movies that will creep you out, or are just esoteric and batshit crazy. I wouldn't describe Materialists as any of that, and would even go so far as to say it strikes me as a fairly standard romantic comedy with a likable cast. If it ends up being nothing more, I'm cool with that, but doesn't this trailer just feel like there's something lurking beneath the surface? This is complete speculation, but what if Materialists is doing something similar to what Longlegs did with its trailers in keeping a big secret? Listen, I have a tinfoil hat on here in making this bold accusation, pointing mainly to the track record of the production company behind it. I honestly can't put my finger on what exactly that twist might be, but I can't shake the feeling this is more than just some normal romantic comedy. If Materialists is exactly what it's advertised, then rom-com fans will be happy. Dakota Johnson is a New York matchmaker torn between an old flame (Chris Evans) and her "perfect match" (Pedro Pascal). Which will she choose? Maybe the twist is how the movie plays out? I'll say this much, I'm intrigued enough I'm about to buy a ticket so I can find out for myself! Materialists is in theaters on June 13th, and if there ends up being a wild twist, you heard it here first! If not, get a healthy dose of that by watching some of the best horror movies by A24.
Gizmodo
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Gizmodo
The Mario Movie Sequel May Have Accidentally Got Its Title
Train to Busan's Yeon Sang-ho is crafting a new viral thriller. Get one last look at Ballerina before it releases. Plus, what's coming on the next Last of Us. To me, my spoilers! Super Mario World An NBCUniversal press release about upcoming movies that will stream on Peacock unintentionally revealed that the sequel to the Super Mario Bros. Movie will be named Super Mario World, in reference to 1990 SNES classic, however mentions of the movie title were scrubbed hours after publication, so make of that what you will. She Kills Them Variety reports Kate Mara will star in She Kills Them, 'a vampire romantic comedy' described as 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Fleabag.' Directed by Dan Clark, the story follows 'Chloe Jacobs, a woman in her late 30s living a dangerous double life. By night, she seduces and slays vampires as part of a secret government operation. By day, she's just another jaded New Yorker trying to figure out her personal life. But when she meets Eric–someone she actually connects with–her two worlds collide.' Flesh of the Gods Speaking of vampires, Deadline reports Elizabeth Olsen will star alongside Kristen Stewart and Oscar Isaac in Flesh of the Gods, an 80s-set vampire drama taking place in a 'glamorous, surrealistic world of hedonism, thrills and violence.' Directed by Panos Cosmatos (Mandy), the story concerns Raoul and Alex, 'a married couple in glittering '80s L.A. who descend each evening from their luxury skyscraper condo and head into an electric nighttime realm. When they cross paths with the mysterious and enigmatic Nameless (Elizabeth Olsen) and her hard-partying cabal, Raoul and Alex are seduced into a glamorous, surrealistic world of hedonism, thrills and violence.' Colony Variety also reports Yeon Sang-ho (Train to Busan) will direct Colony, a new horror-thriller starring Gianna Jun, Koo Kyo-hwan, Ji Chang-wook and Shin Hyun-been. In the film, 'a biotechnology conference descends into chaos when a rapidly mutating virus transforms the infected, forcing authorities to seal off the facility with survivors trapped inside.' Headless Deadline additionally reports Peter and Michael Spierig (Fall 2, Jigsaw) are attached to direct Headless, a contemporary Headless Horseman movie 'with nods to Mad Max and The Terminator.' The story is said to follow 'a rudderless hitchhiker and a driven woman avenging her family's death [who] must stop a motorcycle-riding semi-immortal ghoul that feeds off the carnage it causes on desert highways by decapitating it and getting its head far enough away, long enough, from its relentlessly pursuant still-living body.' Fear Street: Prom Queen Two new Fear Street posters over at Fangoria pay tribute to Carrie and Prom Night. Superman Here's a quick teaser for the new Superman trailer ahead of the full release later today. From the World of John Wick: Ballerina Lionsgate has also released a final trailer for its new John Wick spinoff, Ballerina, starring Ana de Armas. The Last of Us Spoiler TV has photos from 'The Price,' this Sunday's episode of The Last of Us. More at the link. Sakamoto Days Finally, Netflix has released a trailer for the second half of Sakamoto Days' first season premiering this July 14.
Times
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Times
The Wedding Banquet review — a gently hilarious remake
Directed by the Korean-American film-maker Andrew Ahn, this is a gently hilarious remake of Ang Lee's romantic comedy of the same name from 1993, transplanting the action from New York to the Asian queer community in Seattle and amping up the farce with not one but two same-sex couples. Lily Gladstone, the soulful centre of Martin Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon, plays Lee, who is desperate to have a child with her partner, Angela (Kelly Marie Tran from The Last Jedi). Rather more desperate, it turns out, than Angela. 'If it happens, it happens,' Angela says. 'Not for gay people, honey,' Lee replies. Next door live Chris (the Saturday Night Live star Bowen Yang) and his South Korean boyfriend, Min (Han Gi-chan),
