Screens

Where: In theatres
What: Movie, 139 mins.
When: Now
Genre: Dramedy
Rating: NNN (out of 5)
Why you should watch: Like the (we assume) titular and ever-present cat in the film and despite its action-flick aspirations, Argylle feels neutered. While seeking to be a fun-loving riff on James Bond films from director Matthew Vaughn (Kingsman, Kick-Ass, X-Men: First Class) it ultimately lacks the wit, excitement and dynamic energy between the stars that power the 007 franchise. Writer Elly Conway (Bryce Dallas Howard) learns that her spy stories are too real, attracting the attention of actual spies including Aidan Wilde (Sam Rockwell), a surprisingly sizzle-less leading man. We’ll avoid a minefield of possible spoilers and simply say it’s a sanitized take on the feel-good fun of ’60s and ’70s spy flicks that neither shakes nor stirs.

Where: Prime
What: Series, eight episodes, 90 mins.
When: Now
Genre: Drama
Rating: NN (out of 5)
Why you should watch: Sizzling superstar Donald Glover, a.k.a. rapper Childish Gambino, is wasted as the titular Mr. in this lacklustre knockoff of the 2005 Brangelina-launching comedy-action pic Mr. & Mrs. Smith. That film had laughs, sexual tension and actual tension. The new limited series on Prime? None of the above. Glover and Maya Erskine as Mrs. are too skilled at communicating awkwardness between them and have a total lack of sexual energy — this despite Glover routinely showcasing his awesome torso. Thrown together to serve a mysterious spy agency, awkwardness is at the root of all interactions between Mr. & Mrs., who spend a lot of boring time on stakeouts, and we watch them watch people. A pointless update.

Where: Netflix
What: Miniseries, 6 episodes, 59 mins.
When: Now
Genre: Drama
Rating: NNNN (out of 5)
Why you should watch: A fact-based show that serves as a companion piece to the highly successful Narcos series. Self-created drug lord widow — she killed her abusive husband — Griselda Blanco (Sofia Vergara) is said to be the only “man” that frightened legendary drug dealing hippo lover Pablo Escobar. Sitcom star Vergara is scary as the brutal and relentless leader of a growing drug-dealing empire after she relocates from Medellin, Colombia, to Miami with her three sons. She won’t be winning any Mother of the Year prizes as she carelessly and dangerously mixes her bloody business with her family life. The ’70s art direction is fun in a show that’s all deadly business with a Scarface level of blood and violence.

Where: Prime
What: Movie, 90 mins.
When: Now
Genre: Documentary
Rating: NNN (out of 5)
Why you should watch: Don’t come looking for a hard-hitting look at the life of beloved country superstar June Carter in this documentary created with the help of her children and step-children. Carter was an extremely lovable woman, seemingly always on “the sunny side of the street” that her singing Carter Family celebrated. That Carter and Johnny Cash were both already married to others when they first started working together is somewhat awkwardly addressed in a film that otherwise manages to make even helping Cash battle his addictions an uplifting tale. It’s a love letter to a woman loved by many.

Where: Netflix
What: Movie, 96 mins.
When: Now
Genre: Documentary
Rating: NNNN (out of 5)
Why you should watch: An illuminating, fun and seemingly honest inside look at the creation of the well-intentioned music-superstar-powered We Are the World recording session, a 1985 fundraiser for famine relief in Ethiopia. The film avoids being a backslapping, self-congratulating tribute to the artists. Instead, it’s an incredibly revealing look at larger-than-life megastars Bob Dylan, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross and so many more. We see how they work, how they interact with each other, how egos are managed and massaged, and the brilliant way producer Quincy Jones keeps everyone focused and feeling valued in the late-night/early-morning recording session immediately after the American Music Awards in Los Angeles.

With so many honest and revealing moments, the stars are humanized as many are in awe of each other, everyone seemingly proud and a little blown away to be in the room together. This film is more about an inside look at how music is created rather than a sickly sweet celebration of the good intentions of those who made it. Recommended.

Where: Apple TV+
What: Miniseries, 9 episodes, 58 mins.
When: Now, new episodes every Friday
Genre: Drama
Rating: NNN (out of 5)
Why you should watch: Incredibly realistic, gut-churning air battle scenes make up this high-class war porn that reaches almost comical levels of historic hagiography — it’s also pretty entertaining. Masters of the Air is a sizzling, sanitized look at the horrors of war whose entertainment value is directly related to one’s tolerance for U.S. flag waving. Read the full review.

Where: Prime
What: Movie, 90 mins.
When: Now
Genre: Comedy
Rating: NNN (out of 5)
Why you should watch: Snoop Dogg leads an amusing twist on the classic washed-up-bum-leads-motley-gang-of undisciplined-kids-to-unimagined-sports-success flick — but this time with tons of weed and cussin’. Read the full review.

Where: Crave
What: Series, Season 12, 10 episodes, 35 mins.
When: Sun., Feb. 4, new episodes weekly
Genre: Comedy
Rating: ??? (out of 5)
Why you should watch: There are no screeners for the latest and last season of Larry David’s cringe-inducing semi-autobiographical comedy, which returns this weekend, but we’re confident it will be as disturbingly entertaining as the first 11 seasons. The story picks up with David still dating Irma Kostroski (Tracey Ullman), dealing with fallout from his home pool disaster and, no doubt, routinely saying exactly the wrong thing.