Ways of Seeing (Internet Archive)
John Berger's seminal four-part BBC series on how we perceive art and the world around us turns 50. We wrote in our piece: “Throughout Ways of Seeing, and in his other work, Berger always gives the impressions of trying to get through to the reader, even when the ideas he’s putting forth are complex.”
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The Tender Bar (Amazon Prime Video)
George Clooney directs Ben Affleck in a warm film about a bartender and the boy who worships him. We wrote in our review: “Uncles can help you unravel the world more recklessly than most fathers. Bathed in soft light and a worshipping gaze, Affleck’s Charlie is presented as an unreal ideal-man teaching his nephew the Male Sciences. He is literary and liberal, poetic and practical, easy-going and surrounded by slackers, yet forever drawing up codes of conduct. When the young boy looks up at the books stacked behind the bar and asks if he can read them, Charlie lights up like a neon sign. 'Fill yourself up,' he says, a bartender to the bone.”
Our Beloved Summer (Netflix)
Ten years ago, Choi Ung (Choi Woo-shik; of Parasite fame) and Kook Yeon-su (Kim Da-mi) were part of a high school documentary. She was the school topper, he the bottom rung—soon teenage romance follows. Ten years later, the documentary is trending again and the producers want to make a sequel. Ung is now a famous illustrator who keeps a low profile, while she is a PR executive. Both run into each other after five years following a bitter breakup. This K drama, with superb lead actors, is funny, heartwarming, though slow to start with. New episodes drop on Monday. Worth noticing: the foldable phones on display, both clamshell and book; and the very cool baggy clothes and knitwear. And for BTS fans, the OST, Christmas Tree, is by V.—Nipa Charagi
The Hook Up Plan (Netflix)
Three childhood friends who are thick as thieves: Elsa (Zita Hanrot), Charlotte (Sabrina Ouazani) and Emilie (Joséphine Draï). Elsa, who has broken up with Max, is moping at her father's place. To get her out of the rut, Charlotte, who is always brimming with ideas, decides to hire a professional male escort Jules (Marc Ruchmann). She lets Emilie—who is dating Charlotte's brother—in on this secret. The whole thing blows up when Elsa comes to know of this. She distances herself from her friends but at the same time starts dating Jules. This French series should have ended at Season 1—Season 2 and 3 are a drag.—NC
This Filthy World (MUBI)
John Waters is the king of unapologetically trashy cinema, but his unofficial job in the last decade or two has been as a delightfully sly commentator on social mores. This stand-up special from 2006, directed by Curb Your Enthusiasm's Jeff Garlin, has him delving into his influences, exploitation film and the art world.
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