Vladimir to Hoppers: Week in rave reviews | culture

television

If you only watch one, do it…

Vladimir

Netflix

Summarize in a sentence Rachel Weisz is unfailingly gorgeous in this pitch-perfect adaptation of a 2022 black comedy novel that sees her college professor fall in love with Leo Woodall as a younger colleague.
What our reviewer said “Vladimir is that rare visitor to the screen – the right television for the right adults.” Lucy Mangan

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Choose from the rest

DTF St. Louis

Sky Atlantic and now

Summarize in a sentence David Harbor stars alongside Jason Bateman and Linda Cardellini in this dark and delicious dating app drama — and one that’s uncomfortably familiar after the fallout from his real-life Lily Allen.
What our reviewer said “You might find yourself finishing the whole thing in an hour.” Lucy Mangan

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Further reading DTF St. Louis: This is David Harbor talking about dating apps and infidelity close to the bone

hostage

BBC iPlayer

Summarize in a sentence This three-part documentary series about British war correspondent John Cantlie – who was kidnapped by ISIS and believed to have died in an airstrike – is astonishing.
What our reviewer said “This is not the reverent honor we might expect from a man whose profession is usually held in high esteem.” Jack Seale

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Maybe she was gone…

Under the salt marsh

Sky Atlantic and now

Summarize in a sentence The tale of the investigation into the death of a young boy starring Rafe Spall is a compelling and psychologically astute hour – one that constantly pulls the rug out from under you.
What our reviewer said “It’s a series that is good at subverting expectations at every turn – not least in its subtle evocation of grief and the many ways the landscape can affect people.” Lucy Mangan

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film

If you only watch one, do it…

Bride!

In cinemas now

Summarize in a sentence Jessie Buckley has the role of the curly-haired, black-tongued wife of Christian Bale’s lonely creature in Maggie Gyllenhaal’s delightfully strange dark comedy that reimagines the 1935 film.
What our reviewer said “This new monster wife tale is a violent, vulgar black comedy with touches of rock horror and an extended homage to the hat-and-tail twist of Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein.” Peter Bradshaw

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Further reading “You’ll Go Down as One of the Best”: The Rise of Jesse Buckley

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Hoppers

In cinemas now

Summarize in a sentence Sprightly Pixar is about a teenager who discovers a way to talk to animals and tries to save them from an evil developer.
What our reviewer said “In its humble, irreverent way, the film is about environmentalism, amusingly borrowing from films like Avatar (there’s some amusing prequel material about it not being like Avatar, but it is, especially at the end) as well as Inception, The Lion King, and Dr Dolittle.” Peter Bradshaw

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Further reading To infinity and beyond! Visitors can dive into the worlds of Pixar at the immersive London show

Soul to soul

In cinemas now

Summarize in a sentence The restored documentary chronicles a historic 1971 Ghanaian Independence Day parade, with electrifying performances from Tina Turner, Wilson Beckett and others.
What our reviewer said “The concert and film can now be seen as part of the debate of black American consciousness at the time, which specifically valued the concept of the African motherland and the spiritual importance of returning to the wellspring of black American inspiration.” Peter Bradshaw

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The sound of falling

In cinemas now

Summarize in a sentence A deeply disturbing story of guilt and patriotic longing, told in four different time frames in the same rural family home in Germany.
What our reviewer said “Masha Shilinsky’s film, like Heineke’s The White Ribbon, might be a ghost story or even folk horror, and there’s a sense of unease in every shot as the camera drifts away from the viewer like ghosts; the soundtrack pulses and groans with ambient unease.” Peter Bradshaw

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Hard boiled

In cinemas now

Summarize in a sentence Chow Yun-Fat and Tony Leung face off in John Woo’s innovative 1992 cop thriller, whose hospital shootout remains one of the most horrific scenes in cinema.
What our reviewer said “The stunts are quite impressive, especially the motorcyclists sailing through the air inside a ball of fire, and the gunplay is unique, although I’ve never found the term ‘ballet’ to be quite appropriate for something so brutal and fast.” Peter Bradshaw

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books

If you only read one, do it.