As expected, given the duration of the ongoing labor strikes, there are fewer and fewer notable (or even just new) releases, with this week proving no exception. On that note, let's get to it:
Tuesday - August 22
Disney+ / Ahsoka, S1. Premiering a day earlier than originally scheduled, this latest entry into the Star Wars catalog features a character best known to fans of the animated Clone Wars as a trainee of promo-Darth Vader, or, in Star Wars-speak: Padawan of Anakin Skywalker, before he went electric. Even casual viewers of The Mandalorian will remember Kids' Rosario Dawson (no relation) as the scene-stealing, live-action version of Ahsoka but without having seen Clone Wars you might not have grokked the significance of her character which is why I'm thrilled to present this YouTube video that covers Ahsoka's timeline across the various Star Wars properties so you can better understand her. It's 21 minutes long. A colleague was kind enough to share it. It's comprehensive. It's deep. While watching it I struggled not to click on YouTube's sidebar suggesting I watch 'Schitt's Creek Bloopers.' That said, it's not strictly required viewing: producer Dave Filoni's exposition-heavy early episodes will help you follow along while conceding that there will be some references lost on you. Reviews are mixed - largely due to the need for some pre-show homework/catch-up but also due to the languid pace - though all reviews praise the cast including Dawson's stellar performance. Also stars Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Smashed) and the late Ray Stevenson (Rome). Trailer here.
Wednesday - August 23
Max / BS High (documentary). When a 2021 televised high school football game ostensibly between two well-matched teams ended in an 85-0 blowout, the loss revealed that the losing team's school was a sham and didn't actually exist but was conjured up by a charismatic huckster who hoped to cash in on players making it big in the NCAA and, later, the NFL. Reviews are positive: 'a crossbred strain of HBO Sports programming and true-crime procedural so potent you’d have thought it was produced in a laboratory' and 'you will be impressed by how well done the documentary sucks you in and keeps you riveted to the story.' Trailer here.
Apple TV+ / Invasion, S2. The aliens are adapting to life on Earth. Will the survivors adapt to this new reality? And did they get through that Ahsoka explainer video? Trailer here.
Returning - Netflix, The Ultimatum: Marry or Move On (trailer here).
Thursday - August 24
Netflix / Who Is Erin Carter, S1. This Spanish-set drama focuses on a British immigrant who foils a grocery robbery in a way that raises eyebrows as she handled herself a little too well. (Without more details this feels a little like A History of Violence and Netflix's own Pieces of Her.) Reviews are... not the best: 'This mystery drama is deathly dull, packed with cliches and atrocious dialogue. It’s the TV equivalent of a cry for help.' Dios mío. Trailer here.
Returning - Netflix, Ragnarok (trailer here)
Friday - August 25
Netflix / You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah (movie). Adam Sandler (Punch Drunk Love) and family (star Sunny Sandler and co-star/sister Sadie Sandler) star in this adaptation of Fiona Rosenbloom’s novel of the same name about a young girl whose run-up to her bat mitzvah is not going well - at all. Also stars Idina Menzel (Uncut Gems). Reviews are very positive including raves for Sunny Sandler as the lead: 'Sunny is a revelation, nimbly negotiating the quick-shifting tone of the material from silly to sincere.' Trailer here.
Apple TV+ / Wanted: The Escape of Carlos Ghosn (docuseries). Reviews are stellar for this deeply investigated 4-parter about the highly respected automotive CEO accused of serious crimes - and then who disappeared, smuggled out of Japan in a locked musical equipment box. '[A] gripping take on a wild story that provides generous helpings of rich context, a necessary if sometimes overlooked ingredient in nonfiction filmmaking.' Trailer here.
Hulu / Vacation Friends 2 (movie). A sequel! (That's all I got.) Trailer here.
And that's it for the week! Really!
Maybe time to start watching (or rewatching) the classics?
Moira