What to Watch / July 31, 2024
In which I confess all TV-viewing has been Olympics-related
July nearly over already? Another fairly light week due to the Olympics so let's get to it already:
Wednesday - July 31
Apple TV+ / Women in Blue (Las Azules), S1. When a serial killer targeting women terrorizes 1971 Mexico City, the police come up with a PR stunt to divert attention from the fact that they can't catch the murderer: open the police force to women. This well-reviewed drama follows four women who join, only to discover they have no power (they're issued whistles instead of guns). They nonetheless band together to find the killer. Trailer here.
Netflix / Mountain Queen: The Summits of Lhakpa Sherpa (documentary). Nepalese mountain climber Lhakpa Sherpa is arguably the greatest Everest climber you've never heard of, and this documentary follows Sherpa in her attempt to climb Everest for the tenth time. Trailer here.
Thursday - August 1
BritBox / The Change, S1. This 6 part dramedy that aired on Channel 4 in the UK was written by and stars stand-up Bridget Christie as Linda, a 50 year old housewife having a menopause-fueled existential crisis and who decides to take back the 3.5 million minutes of household work she's done for everyone around her and go on an adventure of her own: returning to the Forest of Dean to find the time capsule she hid there when she was 10 years old. Reviews are glowing, much like Linda after a hot flash. Clip here.
Prime Video / Batman: Caped Crusader, S1. Produced by Matt Reeves and J.J. Abrams and already greenlit for a second season, this animated retelling of how a wealthy nabob transformed into the Batman features the voices of Hamish Linklater (The New Adventures of Old Christine), Christina Ricci (The Ice Storm), Diedrich Bader (The Drew Carey Show), Mckenna Grace (Ghostbusters: Afterlife), and Minnie Driver (Grosse Pointe Blank). Trailer here.
Netflix / Borderless Fog (movie). As opposed to...? Trailer here.
Netflix (BBC3 in the UK) / A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, S1. Based on Holly Jackson's YA novel of the same name, this 6 parter that originally aired on BBC Three and iPlayer is another entry in the genre of meddling kids trying to solve a mystery. In this case, young Pippa (Wednesday's Emma Myers) decides to make solving the 5 year old murder of a local teen the focus of her school's Extended Project Qualification (essentially a senior project). Not everyone in town is happy about it. Reviews are strong, praising Myers' scrappy performance in particular. Trailer here.
Netflix / Love Is Blind: México, S1 (reality). The reality series extends its reach south of the border. Tráiler aquí.
Returning - Netflix, Unstable
Friday - August 2
Apple TV+ / Cowboy Cartel (docuseries). This well-reviewed 4 part docuseries examines how a rookie FBI agent discovered that the notorious Zetas cartel was laundering money through quarter-horse racing operations in Oklahoma - and how his work helped take down the cartel's leaders, the Treviño brothers. '[A]n intricate and gripping tale of criminal enterprisemachinations, investigative strategies, and immense danger.' The series also garnered praise for just looking good, thanks to Clint Lealos and Nick Z. Miller's cinematography. Trailer here.
Netflix / Rebel Moon – Chapter One: Chalice of Blood and Chapter Two: The Scargiver. Director Zack Snyder gets another bite at the apple with these recut versions of his Rebel Moon movies that had originally aired on Netflix in December 2023. As is the case with any director's cut, these new versions are substantially longer, both running over 2 hours each, and more explicit, now rated R instead of PG-13. Trailer here.
Netflix / Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie (movie). The intrepid squirrel takes the lead when an evil organization scoops all of Bikini Bottom out of the ocean. Interestingly, the entire movie was leaked on X in late January. (Well, I found it interesting.) Trailer here.
Saturday - August 3
Max / Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes (documentary). Using tapes from journalist Richard Meryman's archives, this documentary, which first played at the Tribeca Film Festival, pulls off a neat trick in allowing 32 year old Elizabeth Taylor to narrate her story. Reviews are positive: 'In The Lost Tapes, Taylor plays her supreme role: herself. Her voice is extraordinary, in its natural inflections and modulations and in the intimately dramatic matters that she brings to light.' Trailer here.
Netflix / Joe Rogan: Burn the Boats (comedy special). Joe Rogan (Newsradio) ventures out of his podcasting studio for this live comedy special. Trailer here.
ESPN/Disney+ / 30 for 30: Dude Perfect: A Very Long Shot (documentary). The Last Dance, this ain't: 5 college students messing around in their backyard making crazy trick shots evolve into YouTube stars, calling themselves Dude Perfect. Trailer here.
Lifetime / I Thought My Husband's Wife Was Dead (movie). I’ve watched entire series with less plot than this title.
Monday - August 5
BritBox / Good Ship Murder, S1. Originally aired on Channel 5, this drama combines The Love Boat and Murder, She Wrote and yes, that is exactly what you think it means: murders on the boat! And you thought norovirus and Legionnaires' disease were scary enough. Trailer here.
Tuesday - August 6
Max / Hard Knocks: Training Camp With the Chicago Bears (docuseries). HBO's annual behind-the-scenes look at training for the upcoming football season turns its lens to Da Bears. Trailer here.
Netflix / The Influencer, S1 (reality). This Korean reality show follows 77 influencers who compete to get the most attention. Sigh. Trailer here.
And that's it for the week! Enjoy this very good doggo:
Moira