Watching: Classics of British Neo-Noir

Starring Michael Caine and Clive Owen.

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story March 31, 2021 By The Watching Team Dear Watchers, We know your watching time is limited. And the amount of things available to watch … is not. Looking for a movie? Nearly any movie ever made? It's probably streaming somewhere. That's a lot of movies. Below, we're suggesting two of them, the latest of our weekly double-feature recommendations. We think the movies will pair well — with each other and with you. Your weekly double feature: Mike Hodges Michael Caine in scene from "Get Carter."Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer British Studios, via HBO Max 'Croupier' and 'Get Carter' "A wave of elation came over him. He was hooked again, watching people lose." This is how the writer Jack Manfred (Clive Owen) describes himself in the deliciously blackhearted neo-noir "Croupier" (1998), not long after he gets a job at a London casino. Now streaming on Netflix, the film was a surprise indie hit and a star-making turn for Owen, who plays Jack as a slick, above-it-all pulp hero who nonetheless gets taken for a ride. While Jack chips away at a novel in which some version of himself serves as narrator, he immediately breaks casino rules by getting involved with a fellow dealer (Kate Hardie) and a gambler (Alex Kingston), and then agrees to take part in a heist. It says everything about Jack that he doesn't really need the money. He's mostly just looking for trouble. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT While "Croupier" represented a late start to Owen's career, it was a comeback for the director Mike Hodges, a British genre specialist who hadn't made a feature since "Flash Gordon" 18 years earlier. Hodges's terrific debut, "Get Carter" (1971), gave Michael Caine one of his signature roles, casting him as a ruthless antihero who suspects foul play after his brother's death in a supposed drunk-driving accident. Carter (Caine) has worked for London gangsters for years, but it doesn't stop him from heading north to Newcastle and sticking his nose where it doesn't belong. As he did with "Croupier," Hodges operates with a cheeky self-awareness of genre tradition — at one point, Carter is thumbing through a copy of "Farewell, My Lovely" — but "Get Carter" is distinguished by its grimy local color and Caine's brutal candor. SCOTT TOBIAS Stream "Croupier" on Netflix. Rent it on Amazon, Apple TV, Google Play and Vudu. Stream "Get Carter" on HBO Max. Rent it on Amazon, Apple TV, Google Play, Vudu and YouTube. If you've found this newsletter helpful, please consider subscribing to The New York Times — with this special offer. Your support makes our work possible. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT EXTRA-CREDIT READING critic's notebook When a Break From TV Brings More TV What does a TV critic do when he's laid up for six weeks? Tracks down the shows he missed the first time around. By Mike Hale Review: In 'Made for Love,' She Can't Get Him Out of Her Head In this techno-satire, a woman tagged with a chip by her mogul husband tries to break the (block)chains of love. By James Poniewozik The Projectionist How 'Sound of Metal' Star Paul Raci Went From Day Jobs to Oscar Nominee After decades of struggle, the 72-year-old actor finally found his breakthrough playing a deaf Vietnam vet with addiction issues — a role with parallels to his own life. By Kyle Buchanan Sean Bean Talks About Derailing 'Snowpiercer' In an interview, the actor discussed Monday's Season 2 finale, his character's Trumpian qualities and whether he would be up for a "Game of Thrones" prequel. By Jennifer Vineyard My Ten Bear Grylls Wants to Climb Every Mountain, but His Soundtrack Is Abba Grylls, whose "Running Wild" began its second season on Nat Geo on March 29, talks about the thrill of BASE jumping, boating in for pizza and treating himself to gooey s'mores. By Kathryn Shattuck Like this email? Forward it to your friends, and let them know they can sign up here. Tips and advice to help you live a little smarter Since you receive Watching, we think you'll like the Smarter Living newsletter as well. Every Monday, get a weekly roundup of the best advice from The Times on living a better, more fulfilling life. Sign up here. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT Continue reading the main story Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for Watching from The New York Times. To stop receiving these emails, unsubscribe or manage your email preferences. Subscribe to The TimesGet The New York Times app Connect with us on: Change Your EmailPrivacy PolicyContact UsCalifornia Notices The New York Times Company. 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018

New Fiction by Sterling HolyWhiteMountain—Daniel Borzutzky’s Poetry—Beverly Cleary

Plus: a new book on the politics of stopping pandemics, and Anna Wiener on Clubhouse. View in browser | Update your preferences Fiction “Featherweight” “Sometimes the irony is so great that the irony turns into cherry pie: I met Allie on the first day of Native American Heritage Month.” By Sterling HolyWhiteMountain This Week in Fiction Sterling HolyWhiteMountain on Culture Shock The author discusses “Featherweight,” his story from the latest issue of the magazine. By Willing Davidson Fiction “Awake” If you liked “Featherweight,” we think you will enjoy this story, from 2008. By Tobias Wolff Essays & Criticism Page-Turner Daniel Borzutzky’s Poems Channel Cacophony in an Age of Calamity “Written After a Massacre in the Year 2018” does more than bear witness for posterity; it speaks of, and to, our moment. By Hannah Aizenman Books The Politics of Stopping Pandemics Even before the COVID-19 crisis, global instability had caused a worrying rise in epidemics. Medical science alone won’t be able to turn the tide. By Jerome Groopman From the Archive Cultural Comment What Beverly Cleary Taught Us From 2016: The legendary children’s-book author, who died last Thursday at the age of a hundred and four, created characters that helped so many of us understand who we are. By Sarah Larson More from The New Yorker The Art World The Pioneering Feminism of Niki de Saint Phalle The avant-garde artist was one of the late twentieth century’s great creative personalities. By Peter Schjeldahl Letter from Silicon Valley In the Clubhouse The audio-only social network is like a conference in your headphones. Could it become something more? By Anna Wiener You're receiving this e-mail because you signed up for Books & Fiction from The New Yorker. Was this e-mail forwarded to you? Sign up. Unsubscribe | Manage your e-mail preferences | Send newsletter feedback | View our Privacy Policy Copyright © Condé Nast 2021. One World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007. All rights reserved.