1 day ago
7
Pick of the week
Untamed
“Christ, here comes Gary Cooper,” exclaims one detective when Kyle Turner arrives at a crime scene on his horse. Turner (Eric Bana) is a difficult man – he’s a special agent whose job is to enforce the law in the vast wilderness of Yosemite National Park. He’s also blunt, rude and the kind of sad solo drinker who calls his ex-wife at 2.30am. When a woman dies after plunging from a cliff, his colleagues are keen to write it off as suicide. But Turner suspects that isn’t the whole story. Will his boss Paul Souter (Sam Neill) and his new partner from LA Naya Vasquez (Lily Santiago) put up with him long enough to find out? A slow-burner but gripping too. Phil Harrison
Netflix, from Thursday 17 July
The Institute
Jack Bender (who worked on the teams behind From and Lost) directs this latest Stephen King adaptation, starring Ben Barnes and Mary-Louise Parker, and executive produced by King himself. Luke (Joe Freeman) is a genius teenager who is kidnapped and wakes at a facility called The Institute run by Ms Sigsby (Parker), where all the residents are children who have unusual abilities. When former police officer Tim (Barnes) moves nearby, he doesn’t get the quiet retirement he dreamed of when his world collides with Luke’s. A classic trippy King thriller that ticks all the boxes. Hollie Richardson
MGM+, from Sunday 13 July
Ladies in Black
Set in Sydney’s fictional Goodes department store in 1961, this drama finds Australia poised on the brink of the sexual revolution. Accordingly, the young women in the shop (variously arty, troubled, bookish and rebellious) strain against boundaries set by previous generations – some of them even scandalously discussing premarital sex. It’s a decent premise but the reality doesn’t quite match up: the dialogue is clunky and, while there’s a vague theme of women revolting against patronising men, there’s no real polemical bite so it feels a little bland. PH
U, out now
The Summer I Turned Pretty
All coming-of-age dramas have a natural endpoint and, sensibly, this is the final season of the hit Gen Z glossy love triangle saga. Belly (Lola Tung) has wobbled between hunky brothers Conrad (Christopher Briney) and Jeremiah (Gavin Casalegno) for long enough and her course seems set. She’s finished her junior year of college and she’s set to marry Jeremiah. But what do you know? Conrad is back and he’s grown up: he’s a doctor now and has a new sense of purpose and perspective. Surely Belly isn’t going to blow up her love-life yet again? Don’t bet against it. PH
Prime Video, from Wednesday 16 July
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Amy Bradley Is Missing
In 1998, 23-year-old Amy Bradley went on a Caribbean cruise with her family. At some point during the trip, she vanished without trace and hasn’t been seen since. This intriguing documentary explores the circumstances around her disappearance and considers the many theories posited by those who knew her, including the most tantalising one of all: could Amy still be alive? The likeliest explanation is, of course, a tragic accident but there have been a series of alleged sightings and encounters with women claiming to be Amy in subsequent years. PH
Netflix, from Wednesday 16 July
Lively vs Baldoni: The Hollywood Feud
More top tier trash as the franchise that has previously brought us Vardy vs Rooney and Taylor Swift vs Scooter Braun wades into the fraught – and incredibly high-stakes – legal battle between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni. The beef centres on issues arising between the pair on the set of the film It Ends With Us but has escalated into a wider conversation about smear campaigns against prominent female celebrities. Baldoni’s side of the story is examined in the first half of the documentary, with Lively’s position represented afterwards. PH
Discovery+, from Thursday 17 July
Snoopy Presents: A Summer Musical
The world’s favourite cartoon beagle and his owner Charlie Brown are back. The gang are off to summer camp, but Charlie’s sister Sally doesn’t feel the vibe and would rather be at home watching TV. When the camp itself comes under threat, can the kids rally together and save it? The gentle philosophical musings of the original Charles M Schulz books have been replaced by a less subtle, heart-on-sleeve earnestness that feels slightly cloying. And seeing Charlie singing emo power ballads jars a touch. But the naive charm is eventually hard to resist. PH
Apple TV+, from Friday 18 July
