DISCLAIMER — APPLE TV+
Four-time Oscar-winner Alfonso Cuaron (Roma and Gravity) enlists a starry cast, the visual talents of cinematographers Emmanuel Lubezki and Bruno Delbonnel, and musical genius Finneas O’Connell for this seven-episode adaptation of the Renee Knight best-seller. Cate Blanchett plays Catherine Ravenscroft, an acclaimed investigative journalist living her best London life in a fancy new house with her adoring husband, Robert, (Sacha Baron Cohen) and her son, Nicholas (Kodi Smit-McPhee). On the eve of receiving a prestigious award for her work, Catherine receives a slim novel in the mail. On reading it she is physically ill and terrified by its disclaimer that “any resemblance to persons living or dead is no coincidence”. The novel is published under the pen of Stephen Brigstocke (Kevin Kline), a disgruntled former English teacher who is determined to get justice for the death of his teenage son. The novel sets off a series of increasingly terrible events that will result in Catherine’s life being upended as she and Brigstocke head for a collision that will either reveal the truth or make them and the audience question everything that has happened.
OCCUPIED CITY — MUBI.COM
Oscar-winning director Steve McQueen (12 Years a Slave, Hunger and Small Axe) creates a demanding portrait of Amsterdam’s World War 2 past and its recent pandemic-era present in this four-hour documentary. Visuals from the present are shown with a voice-over that narrates passages from The Atlas of An Occupied City, Amsterdam 1940-45 by Bianca Stigter, which deals with the city’s complicated history during its Nazi occupation. The film ties together the Amsterdam of today with the Amsterdam of then through careful, quiet and demanding repetition.
LA MÁQUINA — DISNEY PLUS
Longtime friends and Mexican cinema breakout stars Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna reunite for this uneven but entertaining dark comedy series that’s made worth watching by their obvious chemistry. Bernal stars as an ageing Mexican boxer who, though his mind is beginning to show the strain of many hits to the head, is convinced by his optimistic manager (Luna) to make one more attempt at title glory. The question is whether the friends’ determination to achieve their dreams is enough to overcome a deteriorating mind and mobsters intent on their failure.
ALTMAN — MUBI.COM
Few American directors had such a varied, brilliant and influential career as Robert Altman. From the 1970s, when he broke through with hits such as McCabe and Mrs Miller, Mash and Nashville, until his death in 2006 he pushed the boundaries of American film with anarchic energy and satirical verve. Ron Mann’s short 2014 documentary pays fitting tribute to its subject’s genius with help from famous filmmakers who have continued his legacy.
UPRISING — NETFLIX
Written by Park Chan-wook and directed by Sang-man Kim, this handsomely produced and entertaining Korean 16th-century drama tells the story of two friends who grew up together in the Joseon Dynasty but find themselves in adulthood as enemies on opposing sides of a bitter war for power.
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