Netflix
The Perfect Couple
TV, USA, 2024 – out 5 September
The latest production to bring murder and mayhem to beachy upper class settings (a la The White Lotus), The Perfect Couple begins in Nantucket, Massachusetts as characters congregate for a rehearsal dinner for Amelia (Eve Hewson) and Benji (Billy Howle). These lavish celebrations have been put on by Benji’s loaded parents, Greer (Nicole Kidman) and Tag (Liev Schreiber).
Things take a macabre turn when a corpse starts bobbing about in the water. The presence of Kidman in a small supporting role gives the production a smidge of gravitas, but the performances feel quite postured and tonally the show’s a mess. I’ve only watched the first episode – and that’s enough for me.
Nobody Wants This
TV, USA, 2024 – out 26 September
Early in this modestly engaging romcom, Kristen Bell’s protagonist Joanne – who co-hosts a long-running podcast with her sister (Justine Lupe) – discusses how she needs to make healthier relationship choices. So she’s not sure what to do when she meets the funny and charming Noah (Adam Brody), on account of him being a rabbi – therefore existing in a “romantic grey area”. We know, of course, the pair will hang out, connect and indulge in some good old fashioned will-they-or-won’t-they. Three episodes in, I’m finding the show far from riveting but quite pleasant.
Honourable mentions: The Rooster (film, 1 September), Crazy, Stupid, Love (film, 2 September), Follow the Rain (film, 1 September), Untold: Hope Solo vs US Soccer (TV, 3 September), Apollo 13: Survival (TV, 5 September), Lantana (film, 6 September), Rebel Ridge (film, 6 September), The Way Back (film, 9 September), Emily in Paris season 4 part 2 (TV, 12 September), My Brilliant Career (film, 13 September), Uglies (film, 13 September), Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story (TV, 19 September), His Three Daughters (film, 20 September), The Town (film, 26 September).
Stan
Stop Making Sense
Film, USA, 1984 – out 1 September
One of the greatest concert films of all time is best viewed with a large crowd, but it’s awesome any way you slice it. Led by frontman David Byrne and his iconic oversized suit, Talking Heads put on a hell of a show, tumbling through classic tracks including Psycho Killer, Take Me to the River and Once in a Lifetime. Jonathan Demme’s film is boosted by a simple concept, with Byrne beginning on stage by himself and joined by more members of the band as the set list progresses.
South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut
Film, USA, 1999 – out 15 September
The humour in South Park has generally been a little too infantile for my tastes, but I love the show’s feature-length spin-off from 1999: a stone-cold musical comedy classic that satirises censorship and the media influence debate. It follows Stan (voiced by Trey Parker), Eric (Parker again) and the gang as they watch a potty-mouthed new movie then start swearing incessantly. Meanwhile Satan (yep: Parker) is trapped in an abusive relationship with Saddam Hussein (Matt Stone), who wants to rise from hell and conquer the Earth. The songs are catchy and the jokes consistently land.
Revealed: KillJoy
TV, Australia, 2024 – out 8 September
Vincent Lamberti’s documentary contemplates domestic violence from the perspective of subject Kathryn Joy, who was three months old when their father killed their mother, in the same house where they were subsequently raised. “My life was always in the shadow of this horrible tragedy,” they say near the beginning of the film, which charts Joy’s journey to confront the past. A no-frills film but poignantly told.
Honourable mentions: Garden State (film, 1 September), The Legend of Ben Hall (film, 1 September), The Hours (film, 2 September), Quiz (TV, 5 September), Dune: Part 1 (film, 7 September), Game Night (film, 9 September), Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (film, 11 September), In the Valley of Sin (film, 15 September), Sherwood (TV, 16 September), Force of Nature (film, 17 September), Resident Evil 1-6 (film, 20 September), Elvis (film, 21 September), Folau (TV, 21 September), Blueback (film, 29 September), The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon – The Book of Carol (TV, 30 September).
ABC iview
Better
TV, UK, 2023 – out 14 September
The latest production to remind us that bent cops are more dramatically interesting than by-the-book ones is this BBC police drama starring Leila Farzad as a detective who, in the first episode, sneaks into a crime scene to clean it up, bagging a gun and attempting to ignore a man bleeding out on the floor. My colleague Rebecca Nicholson reckons I should stick with it, writing that the drama evolves into something “much less superficial than it first appeared to be”.
Honourable mentions: Vera season 1 (TV, 2 September), Return to Paradise (TV, 8 September), Breeders season 3 (TV, 24 September).
SBS on Demand
Spent
TV, UK, 2024 – out 13 September
Loosely inspired by her own experiences, Spent was written by and stars Michelle de Swarte as Mia, an international runway model whose career is in the doldrums. Returning from the US to her home in south London, and told that she must declare bankruptcy, she reconnects with old family and friends in an attempt to start again. In her four-star review, the Guardian’s Lucy Mangan says the show’s “worth watching for the dry comedy alone, but it is the emotional heft that stays with you”.
Another Round
Film, Denmark/Sweden/Netherlands, 2020 – out 1 September
We’re all aware of Mr Booze’s ability to turn us into sloshed beasts who can’t walk straight. But what if you could hit that sweet spot of being pleasantly tipsy and stretch it out for days, weeks, months? Thomas Vinterberg’s very entertaining film revolves around a group of school teachers – including Mads Mikkelsen’s protagonist, Martin – who embark on an experiment to stay neither drunk nor sober, attempting to cruise through life on a consistent 0.5% blood alcohol reading. The film runs the gamut between funny, sad and tragic, building to an iconic Mikkelsen-led dance scene that became legendary almost as soon as the film premiered.
Vampire’s Kiss
Film, USA, 1988 – out 1 September
Anyone who doesn’t “get” the mad genius of Nicolas Cage, or has the cheek to suggest his excellence is overrated, should watch this insane black comedy in which the star lets it rip. He plays literary agent Peter Loew, who spirals into madness after being bitten by a vampire – although it could all be in his head. Nothing’s off limits in this film.
As I wrote in a piece about the film a couple of years ago: “The actor treats the camera as a funhouse mirror, reflecting insane distortions of himself and others.”
Honourable mentions: Emma (film, 1 September), The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (film, 1 September), The Sixth Commandment (TV, 4 September), Clue (film, 6 September), To Catch a Thief (film, 6 September), Four Weddings and a Funeral (film, 6 September), The Magnificent Seven (film, 6 September), A Fistful of Dollars (film, 6 Septembers), For a Few Dollars More (film, 6 September), Dumbsday (TV, 19 September), Maxima (TV, 19 September), Force of Destiny (film, 20 September), The Hunt (TV, 26 September).
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Prime Video
A Very Royal Scandal
TV, UK, 2024 – out 19 September
Centred on Prince Andrew’s disastrous 2019 interview with the BBC, this three-part miniseries does a good job building anticipation for the main event and then examining its fallout. Two excellent lead performances bring this to life with real oomph, Michael Sheen being superbly unlikeable as the stuffy, self-entitled prince and Ruth Wilson bringing gravitas as the hard-hitting journo.
The Iron Claw
Film, USA, 2024 – out 20 September
Hollywood heart-throb Zac Efron looks intimidatingly beefy in Sean Durkin’s excellent sports movie – his lantern-jawed face bruised and beaten as the real-life wrestler Kevin Von Erich. The Von Erich family are famous partly because they were a wrestling dynasty – and partly because of the so-called “Von Erich curse”, their lives synonymous with great tragedy.
Durkin frames this film as a story about children trapped inside their parents’ dreams. It’s a gripping experience, light years from all that hackneyed “win at all costs” sports baloney.
Gladiator
Film, USA/UK, 2000 – out 1 September
Before Gladiator 2 arrives in cinemas in November, you can rewatch the first, starring Rusty in one of his signature roles as the hell-unleashing general Maximus Decimus Meridius, who fights his way up from the bottom after he’s forced into slavery and his family are murdered. Ridley Scott varnishes the film with a weather-beaten look, dotted, of course, with calamitous battle scenes.
Honourable mentions: Invasion of the Body Snatchers (film, 1 September), Poltergeist 1-3 (film, 1 September), The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (film, 1 September), Where the Wild Things Are (film, 4 September), Force of Nature: The Dry 2 (film, 5 September), Call Me Bae (TV, 6 September), No Activity season 2 (TV, 13 September), Joker (film, 15 September), Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (film, 19 September), Killer Heat (film, 26 September).
Binge
The Penguin
TV, USA, 2024 – out 20 September
It’s hard to keep count of all the Batman movies and shows. But this new series, centred on villain Oswald “Oz” Cobb – AKA The Penguin – is, dare I say, unforgettable, with a cracking script, terrific production design, and a barely recognisable Colin Farrell in the titular role. It reminds us of what draws artists to Gotham City – the kind of dark, dank, moody-looking metropolis that looks great in the rain.
The story takes place shortly after events depicted in 2022’s The Batman, though it’s not necessary to have seen that film. The Penguin is a dangerous goon who kills Gotham’s new crime boss (Michael Zegen) while preparing to flood the city with a highly addictive new drug. He’s a great character, with an engaging ability to claw back from the edge of oblivion, assisted by a teenager (Rhenzy Feliz) whom he takes under his wing.
Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist
TV, USA, 2024 – out 5 September
Based on a true story, this spunky crime series takes place on the evening of Muhammad Ali’s 1970 comeback fight in Atlanta. Orbiting around the event is the story of a small-time crook, Kevin Hart’s Chicken Man, and Don Cheadle’s cop JD Hudson. The show begins with the surefire technique of deploying a gun-wielding Samuel L Jackson to invoke biblical references and yell “testify”.
Honourable mentions: Alf seasons 1-4 (TV, 3 September), Beyond Utopia (film, 4 September), Wise Guy: David Chase and the Sopranos (TV, 8 September), Fahrenheit 11/9 (film, 9 September), The Strangers: Chapter 1 (film, 12 September), Wonka (film, 13 September), Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (film, 19 September), Martin Scorsese’s Short Films (film, 20 September), Mean Girls (film, 26 September), Ghosthunter (film, 26 September), Easy Rider (film, 30 September).
Disney+
Agatha All Along
TV, USA, 2024 – out 19 September
As if it wasn’t already hard enough to keep track of the MCU, along comes a spin-off devoted to Kathryn Hahn’s Agatha Harkness, a character who appeared in the 2021 series WandaVision. The Big Mouse’s official synopsis informs us that she “finds herself down and out of power” before she “sets off on a dangerous, mysterious adventure filled with trials and tribulations”.
Honourable mentions: Child Star (film, 17 September), The Contestant (film, 20 September).
Apple TV+
Wolfs
Film, USA, 2024 – out 27 September
Could the title of this action-comedy be a reference to Harvey Keitel’s fixer The Wolf from Pulp Fiction? He’s one of cinema’s most famous mob guys who cleans crime scenes and solves problems – as do the two leads in director Jon Watts’ film, played by George Clooney and Brad Pitt.
The trailer shows Clooney’s Jack arriving at a crime scene, where he dons latex gloves and declares, “There’s nobody who can do what I do.” Immediately, Pitt’s Nick arrives to prove him wrong. The premise is that these two fiercely independent fixers must work together.
Honourable mentions: Slow Horses season 4 (TV, 4 September), La Maison (TV, 20 September), Midnight Family (TV, 25 September).