What’s streaming…
Anna Kendrick’s show, Love Life, streams on Foxtel
The 10-episode romantic comedy stars Kendrick – one of the main stars of the Pitch Perfect movies – along with Zoe Chao, Peter Vack and Lesley Manville. It’s said to be about the journey from first love to last love and how the journey along the way makes us who we are.
Love Life is produced by Paul Feig – the guy behind movies like Bridesmaids – and coming from the HBO Max stable is a big plus when you realise other shows from HBO include Game of Thrones, The Sopranos and The Wire.
In Australia, all HBO broadcast content has been exclusive to Foxtel but this agreement doesn’t include the new HBO Max programming so Love Life is out on Stan. We’re glad this one is finally out because Kendrick has a big fan base and deservedly so. She’s one of those perennial, girl-next-door types and what better way to enjoy a cold, chilly night than check out what she’s up to?
ocmedy series called Space Force, starring Steve Carell
Space Force, starring Steve Carell is streaming on Netflix
Carell plays a pilot called Mark Naird, who finds himself asked to lead the newly-formed sixth branch of the US Armed Forces: Space Force. Skeptical but dedicated, Naird uproots his family and moves to a remote base in Colorado where he and a team of scientists and ‘Spacemen’ are tasked by the White House with getting American boots on the moon (again) in a hurry and achieving total space dominance.
From co-creators Carell and Greg Daniels (The Office), Space Force is a new kind of workplace comedy, where the stakes are sky high and the ambitions even higher. John Malkovich, Diana Silvers, Tawny Newsome, Ben Schwartz also star, alongside co-stars Lisa Kudrow, Jimmy O. Yang, Noah Emmerich, Alex Sparrow and Don Lake.
Billions fifth season boasts stellar cast
The good shows just keep coming and Billions is back for its fifth season with a blue-ribbon cast. Julianna Margulies (from The Good Wife) has joined and so has Corey Stoll (from House of Cards). Paul Giamatti is still on board as Chuck Rhoades and Damian Lewis as Bobby Axelrod and their characters are still viciously competitive with each other.
Mike Prince (Stoll) poses a new threat to Axelrod and Margulies plays Catherine Brant, an Ivy League sociology professor and bestselling author. If you haven’t checked this one out, it’s worth a look.
Billions is streaming on Stan
Hightown, a crime drama series from Jerry Bruckheimer is now streaming
Hightown is an eight-episode crime series set in Cape Cod. It traces the story of Jacki Quinones (played by Monica Raymund) as she tries to become drug free but accidentally, becomes involved in a murder investigation. She’s a National Marine Fisheries Service agent and when she discovers a body on the beach, she feels compelled to help find out what happened.
She’s immediately at odds with Sergeant Ray Abruzzo, an abrasive but effective member of the Cape Cod Interagency Narcotics Unit. As their lives crash together, we’re reminded how complicated — and deadly — our addictions can be.
Jerry Bruckheimer is one of the most successful movie and TV producer in history – think American Gigolo and Pirates of the Caribbean – so this show will pull out all stops.
Hightown is streaming on Stan.
Dead to Me is back for its second season
There’s a lot to watch lately on TV and let’s face it, a lot of it is good. Now, after what has probably been a long time for fans, the second season of Netflix’s Dead to Me is finally here.
This dark but funny series returns with 10 episodes and explores the friendship between Christina Applegate’s Jen and Linda Cardellini’s Judy.
There’s been murder and mayhem in the first series. That’s when, if you haven’t watched the first series, Jen murdered Judy’s abusive ex-fiance, Steve. So what goes down in this second season? There’s more intrigue and some slippery plot twists which have fans in a lather. Many have already binge-watched the entire season! So take a look if you haven’t already.
Dead to Me season 2 is streaming now on Netflix
I Know This Much is True, starring Mark Ruffalo, is on Foxtel
Mark Ruffalo has been in some great movies and we love him in Dark Waters – where he plays a lawyer suing DuPont for dumping chemicals. Dark Waters will stream on Google Play. You can also watch Ruffalo in his TV series called I Know This Much Is True.
The Hollywood Reporter has already given Ruffalo high praise for his performance in this show saying Ruffalo “…should probably set aside some space on his award mantle” for his performances (yes, it’s plural) in this show.
Ruffalo plays two characters in the show because it’s a screen adaptation of the bestselling Wally Lamb novel, about one man’s fight to protect his troubled twin brother. And yes, Ruffalo plays both of the brothers.
The reviews are saying this is “truly commanding viewing” so this could be one to squeeze into your viewing schedule.
I Know This Much is True is streaming on Foxtel ShowCase
In movies…
Tom Cruise teams up with Elon Musk and NASA
Tom Cruise has done just about everything but now he’s going where no-one’s been before by acting in a film made in space.
NASA has confirmed Cruise will work with NASA – and Elon Musk – to shoot a movie, at least in part, aboard the International Space Station.
“NASA is excited to work with @TomCruise on a film aboard the @Space_Station,” NASA administrator Jim Bridentsine tweeted recently.
The film will be, of course, an action-adventure film and other than that, the plot-line hasn’t been revealed. But we do know, it’s not going to be part of Cruise’s Mission Impossible franchise.
Cruise is known to be keen on doing his own stunts so we’ll wait and see how this pans out with this movie.
Artemis Fowl – one the tweenagers and teenagers have been waiting for
Artemis Fowl is a movie aimed at the 10 to 16-year-old audience who are avid readers of the Artemis Fowl books, written by Irish author Eoin Colferm. The book series is incredibly popular and this – the first movie from the series – covers the first and second books released.
Directed by Kenneth Branagh, the film stars Ferdia Shaw as Artemis Fowl II – a 12-year old human criminal mastermind with exceptionally high intelligence. He teams up with his faithful servant, a dwarf and a fairy in order to rescue his father, Artemis Fowl I, who’s been kidnapped by a gang of fairies looking to reclaim an item the Fowl family has stolen.
Colin Farrell stars as Artemis Fowl I (the father) and Judi Dench stars as Commander Julius Root. Because of COVID-19 the movie has gone straight to Disney+
Artemis Fowl is streaming on Disney+