So you thought this weekend was for relaxing? You’re wrong! There’s too much to do. I thought I’d better put it all down in writing so you wouldn’t forget any of it. Here’s a list of the best movies, TV shows, podcasts and music for you to work your way through this weekend. Get into it. Let’s go…
I spent last weekend binge-hating the true crime series Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel, something I complained about mercilessly yesterday. I’m not making that same mistake this weekend, with Night Stalker: The Hunt For a Serial Killer topping my must-see list. The four-part Netflix series follows the antics of Richard Ramirez in 1985 Los Angeles and is supposed to be great - if a little graphic. “Powerful” declared the LA Times. (Watch it here)
I saw Billie Eilish play to about 200 people at Auckland’s Tuning Fork when she was just 15 years old. She’s still only 19, but she’s now one of the world’s most popular, and most streamed, artists. If you subscribe to Apple TV+, the documentary The World’s A Little Blurry charts the pop star’s ascent from performing in her bedroom as a kid to selling out Spark Arena, and much more. It debuts today. (Watch it here)
If you think Scottish prog-rock outfit Mogwai might have gone soft for their tenth album, you’re dreaming. As the Love Continues follows the same soft-loud patterns of their previous albums, with gorgeous melodies building into seismic waves of noise. They really are very, very good at this. (Sample it here)
If you haven’t picked up tickets for the upcoming Auckland Arts Festival, you’d better get in quick because it starts next week, and shows are selling out. Among my picks are Che Fu performing his debut album The Navigator in full, witch-hopper Estere choreographing a specially designed show, and gorgeously gentle Waikuku Beach act French For Rabbits performing up close and personal at The Civic Club. There’s so much more than that going on, so check out the full list of events here.
Rumours of Woody Allen assaulting his daughter Dylan Farrow at the age of seven have plagued the director for years. It’s all out in the open now, thanks to Allen V Farrow, an acclaimed HBO documentary airing on Neon now. “After this documentary, no one should want to hear from Allen for a very, very long time,” wrote Ben Travers for Indiewire. Yikes. Sounds intense. (Watch it here)
The final episode of the second season of one of my favourite podcasts Dead Eyes is out today. If you haven’t caught up, it’s worth going back to the start to hear comic Connor Ratliff attempt to work out why Tom Hanks fired him from the set of Band of Brothers back in the early 2000s. Full of celebrity guests and hilarious interviews, it’s dead funny stuff. (Listen to it here)
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