Screens

Where: In theatres
What: Movie, 166 mins.
When: Now
Genre: Science-fiction
Rating: NNNN (out of 5)
Why you should watch: Denis Villeneuve recently said that he dislikes working with dialogue and would love to make a completely dialogue-free film. The much-hyped Dune: Part Two proves that he knows himself well: while it has some of his clunkiest dialogue, its deeply affecting narrative arc is told largely through stunning images and performances. The film picks up with Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) living with the Fremen on Arrakis, a desert planet exploited by the Emperor, and grappling with a prophecy that would make him their saviour. Dune was a perfect balance of auteur style and popcorn thrills, combining Villeneuve’s austere colour palate and wide frames with the perfectly calibrated pace of a blockbuster. And while Part Two‘s first act feels uneven (too much time is spent on the desert planet while political turmoil brews elsewhere), it also has a much meatier story and a thrilling third act that will sway sceptics and fans alike.

Where: Crave
What: Series, 6 episodes, 58 mins.
When: Now
Genre: Comedy
Rating: NN (out of 5)
Why you should watch: Even Kate Winslet’s most feverish fans will have a hard time finding anything redeeming in this pointless, humourless attempt at satire from a crew that claims some connection with the masterful Succession — its creator, Will Tracy, was a writer on the show. Winslet plays a clueless dictator of a middle European country in the thrall of a Rasputin-like advisor hated by the rest of her ignorant and dull circle. The satire, such as it is in this laugh-less enterprise, is aimed at no one as we see foolish people behaving foolishly. Anybody here for dictatorships? Didn’t think so. But if you were, we suppose this is meant to reflect badly on them. The usually reliable Stephen Frears directs and Hugh Grant is buried in a show that deserves to meet a similar fate.

Where: AppleTV+
What: Series, 7 episodes, 25 mins.
When: Now, new episodes Fridays
Genre: Comedy
Rating: NNN (out of 5)
Why you should watch: Like another historical comedy, the pirate-propelled Black Flag, the premise for The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin is funnier than the show itself as it follows the escapades of an accidental highwayman in 17th century Britain. Turpin (Noel Fielding) is a major disappointment to his butcher father who expects his flighty son to follow in his trade. Through a collision of events the charming, style-obsessed Turpin finds himself mistaken for a skilled highwayman and quickly attracts a gang of accomplices to help propel him up the highwayman chart — yes, there is one. A pamphleteer, the TMZ of the day, tells florid tales of Turpin’s exploits, her exaggerated stories generating a small but feverish following for the aspiring thief. You’re hoping for hilarious hijinks, but Turpin rarely rises above amusing. Downton Abby’s Hugh Bonneville is a good foil to Fielding’s Turpin; we just wish the laughs would rise above a chuckle.

Where: Disney+
What: Miniseries, 10 episodes, 60 mins.
When: Now, new episodes every Tuesday
Genre: Historical drama
Rating: NNNN (out of 5)
Why you should watch: Gorgeous, grand, sexy, cruel and, at times, confusing, the latest version of this tale of 16th century British sailor John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis), who washes ashore in Imperial Japan, should satisfy all lovers of dragon-powered epics until the next fire-breather shows up. Jarvis is sufficiently earnest and driven as the Brit ready to battle the Portuguese and any Catholics he encounters as he is passed from one Japanese lord to another. Plenty of scenes set in the first two episodes with the promise of a satisfying epic of a series.

Where: AppleTV+
What: Movie, 158 mins.
When: Now
Genre: Historical drama
Rating: NNNN (out of 5)
Why you should watch: Ridley Scott’s Napoleon finally follows 2023’s other epic film releases, Oppenheimer and Flowers of the Killer Moon, onto streamers joining its Apple-produced sibling, Martin Scorsese’s Killer Moon, on AppleTV+. Of the three, Napoleon is the better film. Its storytelling is clearer and its narrative more compelling than the other somewhat bloated and slow-moving pictures. Joaquin Phoenix is superb as the empire-craving self-appointed emperor and Vanessa Kirby is icily, excellent as his eventually rejected wife, Josephine. The couple’s twisted relationship is the kind of satisfying “secondary” story missing from the other two films.

Where: Paramount+
What: Movie, 96 mins.
When: Now
Genre: Documentary
Rating: NNNNN (out of 5)
Why you should watch: An astonishing look at the weaponization of hip hop lyrics to incarcerate Black youth in the U.S. — it happens in Canada too — that also leads to a “chill” that sees artists unable to speak their truth without fear of repercussions. Bronx rapper Kemba goes on a personal journey exploring the history of demonizing Black music and detailing the U.S. legal system’s use of rap lyrics to get Black artists to confess to crimes they didn’t commit and avoid the uncertainty (and likely worse fates) if their cases went to trial. Deeply disturbing yet essential viewing.

Where: Disney+
What: Miniseries, 6 episodes, 22 mins.
When: Now
Genre: Animation
Rating:  NNN (out of 5)
Why you should watch: This space-aged took at Lagos in the not-too-distant future is Disney’s first collaboration with an African animation studio, Kugali Media, and is notable for that alone. But the show also looks very cool and is inventive for the adolescent entertainment genre. It’s the coming-of-age story of a feisty teen girl, Tola, who has led a sheltered existence in Lagos’s wealthier suburbs. She has eye-opening adventures in the rough-and-tumble city centre with the aid of a superpowered lizard buddy. You could do much worse looking for decent fare to share with any younger viewers at home.