Hello from the other side of autumn. Even though this year we had what seemed to be the longest and what actually was the hottest summer, with electricity bills forcing people to take second mortgages, I can’t lie, I’m not particularly happy it’s over. And no matter how colourful and pretty autumn is marketed to be, and how many influencers exclaim their love for “fall fashion” or how much the upcoming (ehem, commercial) holidays are supposed to excite us, there’s something peculiarly sad and apocalyptic about the shortening of the days and doom and gloom of the cold. You might think this love for sunny and warm weather comes from my Iranian DNA, but do not be mistaken; I spent my childhood in rainy England and have been living in cold and gloomy Germany, France and northern Italy since my early twenties with a sunny and bright interval in Miami for a few years. Yep, that’s probablt it. Miami, you ruined expectations of weather for me.
Anyway, I digress. Let’s wrap up summer’s binge-worthy shows and watchable films and move on, shall we?

Kaos

I’ll start with the obvious. This masterpiece of a show that has graced our screens this summer. The Guardian’s Lucy Mangan called it furiously fun and she was not wrong even though I object to attributing all and every success to Jeff Goldblum. The cast is ornamented with stars such as Janet McTeer, Billie Piper, Stephen Dillane, Leila Farzad, Killian Scott, and Debi Mazar to name a few.
The plot is simple; Zeus’s era of reign is coming to an end and he is panicking. Unbeknownst to them, three mortals will eventually cause his downfall and we watch aghast yet amused as Prometheus narrates the tale of pride and betrayal while hanging from a mountain, liver pecked by an eagle and all. It is glorious.

The show is a critique on organised religion, theocratic dictatorships, religious beliefs (with an emphasis on the belief in the afterlife, the concept of heaven, hell and renewal), human relationships, generational ignorance, irrational family bonds, guilt, etc…

It’s impossible to watch this show and not see some part of your upbringing and background questioned, criticised or praised. If you watch anything these last few days of September, please have it be Kaos.
This is a Netflix masterpiece.

Lincoln Lawyer

Think Suits, but in California. Think Harvey Spector and his struggles with committing to one woman, but a Mexican surfer lawyer with a daddy issues and a very unrealistically good (read unhealthy) relationship with his two ex-wives.
Lawyers typically dislike shows like this, finding the way the cases are solved farcical and the courtrooms entertainingly non-viable (see what I did there?)
But ignorance is bliss and us regular folk can enjoy our lack of precise knowledge and daydream about shouting “objection your honour” multiple times a trial.

Both seasons of Lincoln Lawyer are available on Netflix. The third season has been promised to be out on October 17th.

Elvis

Oh Elvis and his tale of talent, genius, love and heart wrenching loss, loss, and more loss even at the peak of success and gain.
What a marvelous job Austin Butler does in portraying the legend, and what a greater job Baz Luhrmann does of bringing this story back to life for a whole new generation to enjoy and mourn. It’s one of those films you can feel Luhrman’s touch from the first scene. It’s sensual, it’s sexy, it’s despairingly devastating, it’s passionate and it’s divinely beautiful.
The only thing that makes it even more tragic is knowing the family’s future and the deaths that have burdened them since Elvis’ passing.

Elvis is available on the Tudum streaming platform.

Where the Crawdads Sing

If you’ve read and enjoyed the book, then you’ll appreciate how perfectly it has been adapted to the big screen. The acting is on point, the setting luscious, and the story, heart breaking.
“The Marsh Girl” has been abandoned by many and all and she is left to fend for herself, literally. She soon learns the ways of the marsh and how to tame it so that she can harvest from the body of water and its banks. Through this mere act of survival, she becomes intrigued by and later an expert on all things marsh, from the wildlife to the botany. And then there’s a murder. And she finds herself the main suspect, even if she was the victim all along.
Daisy Edgar Jones portrays Kya in the most beautifully eery manner, her British accent morphed into a Southern one (with tinges of Irish giving her away her and there). Her innocuousness leaves no room for doubt, and I could not for the life of me unsee Marianne Sheridan and her lost innocence.
Available on Netflix.

Anyone But You

Silly, simple, superficial and slow. Something not worth the effort of that alliteration but ok to watch with popcorn and wine on an evening you have no mental bandwidth to focus on anything. The most classic contemporary rom-com plotline. The meet-cute occurs during the opening scene. They like each other. Then they hate each other. Then they realise they’re in love with each other. Yada yada, everyone roots for them and they are the centre of attention, even at another couple’s wedding. Oh, and it’s mainly set in Sydney, so you have the beautiful scenery and hopefully a coincidence that the lead actress is called named after the Australian city. And if it’s not a coincidence, then that’s as deep as it gets.
Fun for a light movie night if you may.
Available on Amazon Prime.

Ticket to Paradise

Similar to the previous film, watch this on a lazy night in.
George Clooney and Julia Roberts carry this entire film and not with their acting (even they don’t feel the need to put in much effort), because of their undeniable chemistry that stems from their decades long friendship. Honestly, I don’t have much else to add.
Again, light movie night.
Streaming on Netflix.

Emily in Paris -Season IV

This show is so bad it’s good. No analytical part of your brain needs to be involved, or awake. It can’t even be compared to Sex and the City (yet another show I have many issues with) as we’re not even here for the fashion. The outfits are ridiculous and downright ugly.
But I had to include this season in this post. The most recent season especially the last few episodes are, well, cute. Emily finds herself in Rome infatuated with a Roman (who is a walking orange flag but no one comes to this show for relationship advice). The aforementioned Roman is Marcello, borrowing the name from the Under the Tuscan Sun stud from a couple of decades ago whose actor coincidentally currently stars as Sylvie’s former Italian lover. Marcello sweeps Emily off her feet (quite literally with a Vespa) leaving her – and the audience- asking, “Gabriel who?”, proving once again that Italians do in fact do it better…
Head to Netflix to see for yourself.

The Perfect Couple

Nantucket, Nicole Kidman, Bono’s daughter, actors attempting at accents and failing miserably, and a hell of a good looking cast; ingredients for a great Whodunnit mini-series based on a novel by the same name authored by Elin Hilderbrand. Although it got quite negative reviews, I didn’t mind it. It had me hooked despite its plot holes and acting fails. And the best part? The opening credits. If your Instagram feed has yet to give away what I am referring to, it’s a (pretty decent) choreographed dance number with the entire cast; it’s doltish and out of place and that’s exactly what makes it fun.
Streaming on Netflix

And that’s it for this summer. October is right around the corner, which means more shows and films are coming our way. I’ll be back with more reviews and suggestions for the chillier days and longer nights. Stay tuned and happy binging.