There's a big old weekend ahead of us all and while, yes, you should be fixing that thing you need to fix or writing that novel you're never going to write, let's be honest with ourselves.
It's highly likely that the TV, and more specifically Netflix, will play a major part over the next two days and while you can enjoy rewatching Zoolander for the 734th time, you can also spend your time perusing some newer titles.
We've gone back through the most recent additions here in the UK and picked out some titles to recommend. You'll have to get your own popcorn though.
Death at a Funeral
Funerals are for tears, wearing black and contemplating life. Definitely not for lols. Unless you’re watching this film, where a dysfunctional family battle over a casket in the most British way possible. Think Peter Dinklage (Game Of Thrones) and Ewen Bremnar (Trainspotting) in a farce comedy about the people a deceased man has left behind, with plenty of eccentricity and slapstick comedy. Which is sometimes exactly what you need on a Sunday.
Kingsman: The Secret Service
You’ve already watched every Bond film multiple times, and sometimes on the third watch Skyfall is a bit too serious to keep you engaged given you know what’s about to happen. Enter Colin Firth as a spy with a heart who takes a yoof (Taron Egerton) from an estate under his wing as he is the son of a colleague who died in service. Seeing something in him, Firth trains him up and it’s all spy fun, brilliant action scenes, a great storyline and plenty of comedy. Like if you blended Bond with Spy Kids, successfully.
The Mind of a Chef
What you watch when you’ve totally rinsed Chef’s Table. Instead of drooling over plates you won’t be able to eat until you’ve made your first million, Anthony Bourdain combines travel, cooking, history and science into finding out what drives celebrity chefs creativity. Ever wondered how much you can do with a potato? This is how food geniuses come up with their ideas. It’s basically like watching all of the Discovery Channel in one show.
Trevor Noah: Afraid of the Dark
Trevor Noah can usually be found spreading wokeness on Comedy Central as the host of The Daily Show. But in this Netflix comedy special, he separates himself from host and goes back to his roots as a stand-up comedian. Recorded just before the US election in 2016, it’s lighter on the politics than his TV show, as South African native Noah mixes brilliant observational comedy about New York with anecdotal experiences that are very easy to watch.
The Good Lie
Academy Award winner Reese Witherspoon plays an employment councillor who works to help a family of Sudanese refugees start life in America after winning a lottery in a refugee camp for relocation. Has anyone sent this to Madonna? They’ve already been through unfathomable trauma, but life in the States is no cure for that as we find out in this heartbreaking drama about the effects of war on family.
King Cobra
Based on true events, Christian Slater and James Franco’s 2016 flick explores the inner workings of the gay porn industry and its perils in the internet age. Focusing on the dark and twisted professional and personal relationships between four characters (including producers, performers and lovers), it tells the crazy-but-it-happened story of the rise of young porn star Brent Corrigan, with deadly results. It’s Franco on his best form since Spring Breakers.
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