Five things to watch this week

Lucky ― Apple TV+

Anya Taylor-Joy is the eponymous antiheroine of this adaptation of the novel by Marissa Stapley created by Your Friends & Neighbors’ Jonathan Tropper. Taylor-Joy is Luciana “Lucky” Armstrong, a one-time professional criminal, who has joined her boyfriend for one final job that will free them forever from the dark shackles of their pasts. Of course, as any woman knows, men just can’t be trusted, and Lucky soon finds herself on the run. Co-starring Timothy Olyphant and Annette Bening, it’s solid action-packed silliness that’s easy to enjoy on its own genre terms.

Amores Perros — Mubi.com

Those old enough will remember the buzz and excitement that the new wave of Mexican directors and stars brought to the cinema world in the early 2000s. Alejandro Iñárritu’s multicharacter drama from 2000 placed him firmly on the road to global acclaim and success. Starring Mexican new wave breakout Gael García Bernal, it’s the story of three disparate Mexico City residents: an amateur dog fighter, a supermodel and a down-and-out assassin, whose lives are changed after they’re brought together by a tragic car accident. Tautly controlled, tightly acted and unflinchingly brutal, it is an emotionally charged and difficult watch.

Queen of Oz — Prime Video

British comedian Catherine Tate creates either her best or worst character, depending on whether her brand of creeping cringe is your cup of tea. Tate is Princess Georgiana, a member of the British Royal Family who, after her latest round of embarrassing antics, is shipped off to Australia – not just to live there but to rule over it. As Georgiana, Tate throws herself gleefully into creating a memorably nasty piece of work, who isn’t quite ready for the gruff, no-nonsense crudeness of her new subjects.

Much Ado About Nothing — Prime Video

There was a time in the early 1990s when Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson were the celebrated power couple of British theatre and film. They divorced in 1997 but not before collaborating in 1993 for this light, loveable and perfectly timed adaptation of Shakespeare’s romantic farce. It features an all-star cast that includes Denzel Washington, Michael Keaton, Keanu Reeves and Kate Beckinsale, and stands up as one of Branagh’s better onscreen Bard adaptations, mostly because everyone involved seems to be genuinely enjoying themselves.

Naked Ambition: Stephanie Rothman’s Exploitation Cinema — Mubi.com

In the 1970, while sleazy men turned the exploitation of women mainstream with pornographic crossover successes like Deep Throat, director Stephanie Rothman, a graduate of the legendary exploitation factory of Roger Corman, blazed a brief, bright trail for feminist filmmakers. Rothman established her own company specifically for the creation of exploitation-style sex pictures that placed women and their desire firmly at their centre. Mubi presents Group Marriage and Terminal Island from 1973 and The Working Girls, Rothman’s last completed film, from 1974 in a timely minifestival that allows new audiences to rediscover her pioneering work.

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