Friday, June 25, 2021

Watching: What to Watch This Weekend

Fight the good fight.
Author Headshot

By Margaret Lyons

Television Critic

Dear Watchers,

AMC announced this week that it has greenlit an "Interview With the Vampire" TV series. I can't wait for the characters on "What We Do in the Shadows" to respond.

Have a fun weekend.

ADVERTISEMENT

This weekend I have … an hour, and I like lawyer shows.

Christine Baranski and Delroy Lindo in a scene from "The Good Fight."Patrick Harbron/CBS

'The Good Fight'

When to watch: Now, on Paramount+.

Season 4 of "The Good Fight" was derailed by the pandemic, so Season 5 begins with a combination catch-up and reset, cramming in all the events of the last many months and sending off Luca (Cush Jumbo) and Adrian (Delroy Lindo). Sometimes watching "The Good Fight" feels like getting away with something because it makes a lot of moves other shows theoretically could but generally don't: It confronts real-world current events, experiments with structure and tone and always saves room for a little wink-wink moment. New episodes debut Thursdays.

ADVERTISEMENT

… two hours, and I care about production values.

From left foreground: Emmy DeOliveira, Mystic Inscho, Seth Carr and Marta Timofeeva in "The Mysterious Benedict Society."Diyah Pera/Disney

'The Mysterious Benedict Society'

When to watch: Arrives Friday, on Disney+.

The first episode of this kids' show is called "A Bunch of Smart Orphans," and if you've ever seen or read anything else that fits that mold, you get the idea: Plucky adventurers with lonely back stories find themselves at a magical school where their talents are finally appreciated and are also essential to some kind of world-saving endeavor. The plot is perfectly functional, but the bigger draw for adult viewers is the set and costume design, which kind of feel like a Wes Anderson version of "Matilda."

ADVERTISEMENT

… three hours, and Tokyo is mere weeks away.

Laurie Hernandez performing her balance beam routine during the U.S. Classic gymnastics competition in May.Aj Mast/Associated Press

'Golden: The Journey of USA's Elite Gymnasts'

When to watch: Starts Sunday, on Peacock.

This new documentary series is in a tricky spot timing-wise: Some of the gymnasts it profiles, including Laurie Hernandez, are already out of the running for the 2021 Tokyo games. That casts the tale as more bittersweet than strictly anticipatory, which in some ways creates a richer depiction of the life of an elite athlete but in others makes you understand why oracles are sometimes depicted as sad. NBC's gymnastics announcing is abysmal, so if you plan to watch Simone Biles but want more context for other members of her team and for gymnastics in general, watch this. (Biles has her own, unrelated doc series on Facebook Watch, which is also pretty good.)

The first three episodes of "Golden" drop this weekend, and the next three arrive weekly, each Wednesday from July 7.

Your newly available movies

Ilana Glazer and Justin Theroux in "False Positive."Anna Kooris/Hulu

This week's most notable movies are all micro-targeted: Fans of the "Broad City" star Ilana Glazer may be interested in "False Positive," a Hulu horror-comedy indebted to "Rosemary's Baby"; fans of Liam Neeson thrillers can watch him get in another slippery predicament in Netflix's "The Ice Road"; and fans of the indie iconoclasts Abel Ferrara and Willem Dafoe can see their sixth collaboration, "Siberia." None were Critics' Picks, but they certainly have their constituencies.

Some independent films are available via "virtual cinemas," which share the rental fees between distributors and theaters. Unless otherwise noted, other titles can generally be rented on the usual platforms, including Amazon, Apple TV, Google Play, Vudu and YouTube. SCOTT TOBIAS

'False Positive' (Hulu only)

Despite its vaguely unsettling clinical ambience, very little about the film, as it makes its way to an ultimately flat and predictable final twist, manages to feel tense or thrilling. Or even funny for that matter. — Beatrice Loayza (Read the full review here.)

'The Ice Road' (Netflix only)

Written and directed by Jonathan Hensleigh, "The Ice Road" musters more tension than credibility. Despite the valorous efforts of all involved — the movie was filmed without the use of a green screen — the action is at times incomprehensible. — Jeannette Catsoulis (Read the full review here.)

'Lansky'

The heart of this movie, directed by Eytan Rockaway, is the relationship between the writer and his subject. So it's dismaying when "Lansky" turns out to include flashbacks, with John Magaro ("First Cow") playing a much flatter version of the mobster as a young man. — Ben Kenigsberg (Read the full review here.)

'My Heart Can't Beat Unless You Tell It To'

[The director] Jonathan Cuartas teams up with his brother, the cinematographer Michael Cuartas, and father, the production designer Rodrigo Cuartas, to make a film about a household of murderers. This may be dark fodder for a family project, but the result is a visually striking meditation on obligation and complicity. — Lena Wilson (Read the full review here.)

'Siberia'

Visually, [the director Abel Ferrara] sends him on eerie flights through day-for-night wilderness and into vertiginous caverns and sanctums (haunted by wistful musical motifs composed by Joe Delia). The film (co-written by Ferrara and Christ Zois) ends enigmatically, as dreams do. That refusal to stage an orderly conclusion or redemption might be the boldest thing about the movie. — Nicolas Rapold (Read the full review here.)

Also newly available:

Subscribe Today

We hope you've enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times with this special offer.

Also this weekend

Titus Welliver in a scene from the final season of "Bosch."Hopper Stone
  • The seventh and final season of "Bosch" is now streaming on Amazon. Weep not, though; there's already a spinoff in the works, with Titus Welliver continuing as Bosch.
  • The season finale of "Mythic Quest" is now streaming on Apple TV+.
  • "The Choe Show," a warped interview show from the artist David Choe, airs all four of its episodes, back-to-back, Friday starting at 10 p.m. on FX.
  • "E60 Presents: What We're Made Of," a short documentary about the vaccine pioneer Dr. Katalin Kariko and her daughter, Susan Francia, a two-time Olympic gold medalist in rowing, arrives Saturday on ESPN+.

EXTRA-CREDIT READING

Your Summer Binge List: 10 Shows You Might Have Missed

Now there's time for some things that flew under the school-year radar.

By Mike Hale

Article Image

Guest Essay

I Created 'The X-Files.' Here's Why I'm Skeptical of the New U.F.O. Report.

"Could the government actually be telling the truth? Or is the truth above top secret?" asks "X-Files" creator Chris Carter.

By Chris Carter

Article Image

Encounters

Christian Slater Is a Still-Life Artist

The former teen idol actor talks about his career comeback, being a father again and sketching his wife.

By Alexis Soloski

Article Image

Three Hollywood Stars Recast Their Lives Deep in the Heart of Texas

As the pandemic upended Tinseltown, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Haylie Duff and Becca Tobin made a pact to abandon Los Angeles and join the mass migration from California to Texas.

By Mariella Rudi

Article Image

Rita Moreno: Pathbreaker, Activist and 'A Kick in the Pants'

The actress discusses being the subject of a new documentary, and spending eight-plus decades in the spotlight.

By Melena Ryzik

Article Image

Ilana Glazer on the Terror of the Modern Birth System and 'False Positive'

The "Broad City" co-creator starred in and co-wrote a horror film about pregnancy. It's being released just as she is becoming a mother.

By Dave Itzkoff

Article Image

Wait, Who's Fast, Who's Furious?

A guide to the characters and the melodramas in the sprawling, surprisingly complicated "Fast & Furious" franchise.

By Calum Marsh

Article Image

Five Horror Movies to Stream Now

A fable of terror from the 1970s. An over-the-top reckoning with the '80s. A ghoulish thriller featuring an R&B singer of the '90s. This month's horror picks are gift baskets of nostalgia.

By Erik Piepenburg

Article Image

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.

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 Times

Connect with us on:

facebooktwitterinstagram

Change Your EmailPrivacy PolicyContact UsCalifornia Notices

LiveIntent LogoAdChoices Logo

The New York Times Company. 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.