What's on Prime Video in July

The weather may be chilly but things are heating up in the new season of The Summer I Turned Pretty - Belly used to count down the days until she could return to Cousins Beach to see brothers Conrad and Jeremiah but this season she must decide once and for all where her heart lies – based on Jenny Han’s bestselling book.

In season two of Good Omens, It’s easy living amongst mortals in London’s Soho for fussy angel Aziraphale (Michael Sheen) and fast-living demon Crowley (David Tennant)...that is until archangel Gabriel (Jon Hamm) turns up unexpectedly with no memory of who he is or how he got there.

Based on the hit podcast series, The Horror of Dolores Roach is an urban legend of love, betrayal, weed, cannibalism and survival of the fittest - in this case, “Magic Hands” Dolores who is driven to shocking extremes when her  newfound stability is threatened.

Other titles this July: The Hunt for Karl Lagerfeld's Millions, the definitive story of the legendary designer who reigned over the fashion world for more than 40 years; A womanizer and a gold digger team up to pursue two robot versions of themselves in Robots, starring Jack Whitehall and Shailene Woodley and legendary 80’s Japanese action variety show Takeshi’s Castle returns bigger and better than ever from Midoriyama Studio.

THE SUMMER I TURNED PRETTY

SEASON 2 AVAILABLE EXCLUSIVELY FROM FRIDAY 14 JULY

Belly used to count down the days until she could return to Cousins Beach, but with Conrad and Jeremiah fighting over her heart and the return of Susannah's cancer, she's not sure summer will ever be the same. When an unexpected visitor threatens the future of Susannah's beloved house, Belly has to rally the gang to come together—and to decide once and for all where her heart lies.

The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 2 stars Lola Tung, Christopher Briney, Gavin Casalegno, Sean Kaufman, Rain Spencer, David Iacono, Elsie Fisher, Jackie Chung, Rachel Blanchard and Kyra Sedgwick

GOOD OMENS

SEASON 2 AVAILABLE EXCLUSIVELY FROM FRIDAY 28 JULY 

Originally based on Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman’s international best-selling novel, Good Omens 2 explores storylines that go beyond the original source material to illuminate the ineffable friendship between Aziraphale (Michael Sheen), a fussy angel and rare-book dealer, and the fast-living demon Crowley (David Tennant). Having been on Earth since The Beginning, and with the Apocalypse thwarted, the duo are getting back to easy living amongst mortals in London’s Soho. That is, until the archangel Gabriel (Jon Hamm) turns up unexpectedly at the door of Aziraphale's bookshop with no memory of who he is or how he got there. While Crowley is leery as to why the archangel has come to the bookshop, Aziraphale is keen to solve the mystery behind Gabriel’s condition. However, hiding the archangel from both Heaven and Hell quickly disrupts their lives in unforeseen ways. To solve this mystery and thwart Heaven and Hell in the process, the duo will need more than a miracle; they’ll need to once again rely on each other.

Good Omens stars Michael Sheen, David Tennant, Jon Hamm, Doon Mackichan, Gloria Obianyo, Miranda Richardson, Maggie Service, Nina Sosanya, Liz Carr, Quelin Sepulveda and Shelley Conn.

THE HORROR OF DOLORES ROACH 

SEASON 1 AVAILABLE EXCLUSIVELY FROM FRIDAY 7 JULY

The Horror of Dolores Roach, based on the hit Spotify podcast series of the same name, is a contemporary Sweeney Todd-inspired urban legend of love, betrayal, weed, cannibalism and survival of the fittest. Dolores Roach (Justina Machado) is released from prison after 16 years and returns to a gentrified Washington Heights. She reunites with an old stoner friend, Luis (Alejandro Hernandez), who lets her live and work as a masseuse in the basement under his empanada shop. When the promise of her newfound stability is quickly threatened, “Magic Hands” Dolores is driven to shocking extremes to survive.

The Horror Of Dolores Roach stars Justina Machado, Alejandro Hernandez, Kita Updike and K. Todd Freeman.

ROBOTS

AVAILABLE EXCLUSIVELY FROM FRIDAY 7 JULY 

In this sci-fi rom-com starring Shailene Woodley and Jack Whitehall, a womaniser runs into a gold digger. They both own physically identical robots, and when they both send their doubles on the date, neither of them expected their mechanical clones to fall in love and ditch their masters.

Robots stars Shailene Woodley, Jack Whitehall, Paul Rust and Nicholas Rutherford.

THE HUNT FOR KARL LAGERFELD’S MILLIONS 

SEASON 2 AVAILABLE EXCLUSIVELY FROM FRIDAY 4 JULY

The Hunt for Karl Lagerfeld's Millions is the definitive story of the legendary Chanel designer who reigned over the fashion world for more than 40 years. Instantly recognisable, Karl Lagerfeld transformed high fashion from a niche interest into blockbuster, dramatic entertainment.

The German-born designer was a charismatic showman, famous worldwide. His personal life was as lavish as the catwalks he adorned; he earned millions, spent millions, and frequently attracted controversy with his provocative pronouncements. He surrounded himself with an extraordinary entourage including his adored cat, Choupette—who is expected to be one of the main heirs of his fortune. The Hunt for Karl Lagerfeld's Millions sees multi-award-winning director Michael Waldman in search of the people who knew him best to find out who was the man behind the sunglasses and what is the legacy he leaves behind.

TAKESHI’S CASTLE

SEASON 2 AVAILABLE EXCLUSIVELY FROM TUESDAY 25 JULY

The legendary Japanese action variety show Takeshi’s Castle, which was broadcast from 1986-89 is back. In this supersized version, more than 300 participants, selected from more than 1,000 applicants, will attempt to break through the various tricky games, including classics like Dragon God's Pond (Ryujin-Ike), which sunk many challengers in the past and the Strait of Gibraltar, where players go over an unstable bridge while avoiding flying balls, fired by cannons. On Mushroom Trip (Kinoko-de-Pon), challengers cling to a large spinning mushroom and must land on a small island floating on the surface of the water at the right time. Takeshi’s Castle was filmed at Midoriyama Studio, the same location as the original version.

JULY 2023 HIGHLIGHTS

THE HUNT FOR KARL LAGERFELD'S MILLIONS (DOCUMENTARY) 4/07/23

MEET ME IN THE BATHROOM (MOVIE) 5/7/23 

WNBA: SEATTLE STORM AT CONNECTICUT SUN (LIVE SPORT) 6/07/23

ROBOTS (MOVIE) 7/07/23

THE HORROR OF DOLORES ROACH S1 (TV) 7/07/23

MARCEL THE SHELL WITH SHOES ON (MOVIE) 5/7/23  

THE SUMMER I TURNED PRETTY S2 (TV) 14/07/23

MADE IN HEAVEN S2 (TV) 21/7/23 

WNBA: LAS VEGAS ACES AT SEATTLE STORM (LIVE SPORT) 21/07/23

WNBA: LOS ANGELES SPARKS AT MINNESOTA LYNX (LIVE SPORT) 21/07/23

TAKESHI’S CASTLE JAPAN S1 (TV) 25/07/23

THE WOMAN KING (MOVIE) 

WNBA: ATLANTA DREAM AT NEW YORK LIBERTY (LIVE SPORT) 27/07/23

GOOD OMENS S2 (TV) 28/07/23

TAR (MOVIE) 29/7/23

PUSS IN BOOTS: THE LAST WISH (MOVIE) 29/7/23 

Guy Ritchie's The Covenant: Movie Review

Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Dar Salim, Emily Beecham

Director: Guy Ritchie

As far from Guy Ritchie's milieu as is remotely possible, The Covenant is perhaps one of the best explorations of the bond between combatants and allies that has been committed to screen since the HBO series Band of Brothers.

While not based directly on a true story, The Covenant follows Jake Gyllenhaal's Sergeant John Kinley, the leader of a platoon in Afghanistan whose group is assigned a new interpreter in the form of Dar Salim's Ahmed.

The relationship may be an uneasy one to begin with due to mistrust on the American troops' side but after Kinley's squad is ambushed during an IED exploration mission, it falls to Ahmed to save the day - at an immense personal cost.

It's not being dismissive to say little happens in The Covenant, but with some taut camerawork, some small character moments and subtle performances from both Gyllenhaal and Salim, Guy Ritchie's latest becomes a compelling movie with a well-told story that stays away from the familiar gung-ho mechanics you've become used to from his usual wham-bam-geezer style of storytelling.

It's a crying shame it's been denied a big screen release, instead being given a life on streaming. 

It works better as a quiet piece that looks at the bond that grows between the pair, and certainly in the film's second half, it becomes something different than perhaps what first was advertised. The fissures that develop from Ahmed's questioning or correcting of Kinley early on lead to suspicions that may - or may not - be misplaced but adds to a frisson of uncertainty of what's playing out.

While other directors would overplay their hand here for dramatic purposes, Ritchie plays a longer narrative game, sowing the seeds for a more emotionally engaging second half. It's here that both Salim and Gyllenhaal come to the fore, and rise to the challenge.

It may be The Covenant fails other characters outside of this orbit - in truth, many feel like hollow cyphers of expository dialogue or necessary army / family stereotypes. But when The Covenant fixes its camera on the deeper conflict Kinley and Ahmed feel and their bond, it soars.

Guy Ritchie's The Covenant streams on Prime Video from Friday June 16th.

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts: Movie Review

Cast: Anthony Ramos, Dominique Fishback, Pete Davidson, Peter Cullen, Michelle Yeoh, Ron Perlman

Director: Steven Caple Jr

It may occasionally be pointless to rail against the Transformers franchise, a loud and noisy movie series that's defied the narrative odds to continue to roll out as many sequels as you'd never expect to see since the series live action inception back in 2007.

In this latest, which serves as a course correct in some ways, the action shifts to black America in the mid-90s where Anthony Ramos' Noah Diaz is struggling to make ends meet and keep his family going - including a sickly younger brother. Equally struggling for creative reasons, Fishback's Elena, a museum intern who's largely mocked but who sets a chain of events in motion when she uncovers the Rise of the Beasts' MacGuffin that could signal the end of the world.

As Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, RC and Mirage (wise-cracking Pete Davidson) roll into action to try and escape being trapped on Earth forever, a universe-wide struggle begins…

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts isn't as mind-thuddingly bad as some of the other entrants in this jumbled action series.

But that's to damn it with feint praise.

While the action is a lot clearer than it has ever been (apart from a godawful Avengers: Age of Ultron style CGI battle end), the script's desire to operate a stop-start mentality with its narrative proves to be detrimental to proceedings. A Lord of the Rings Sauron- style baddie doesn't much help things either, with menace only being presented by scale and little depth.

Equally, the animal versions of the Transformers, the so-labelled Maximals, feel somewhat sidelined in favour of a Mirage and Noah double act that essentially replaces the Bumblebee dynamics of prior films (and the great much under-appreciated Bumblebee spinoff from 2018).

While the human acting is earnest and has heart, largely due to Ramos' likeability and less so Fishback's being sidelined as a damsel in distress, it's no match for what is essentially just heading towards a smash and bash, rockem-sockem robots movie that even sees one robot bludgeoning another's head repeatedly with a rock - much how some sections of the audience will feel as the movie heads to its open-ended conclusion.

A dire attempt to make a connected universe with other Hasbro properties proves futile - and seems to exist to purely stoke toy sales and revival chances. But Caple Jr's clear-eyed vision of what works with Transformers thanks to concisely-executed action early on, makes this one of the better CGI entrants into the series.

However, ultimately, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts feels like yet another hollow spectacle of noise and fury; one that offers limited vicarious thrills, but creatively feels like Hollywood scriptwriters are simply getting out their toys and playing with them for the world's audiences to suffer through.

My Old School: DVD Review

Buoyed by some great energy and an unfolding tale that's firmly in the WTF territory, Jono McLeod's documentary benefits greatly from the spiralling onion of revelations from its subject.

One of those films that it's best going into with no prior knowledge, it's the story of Brandon Lee, a young student who became an international name for reasons that are too spoilery to reveal - if you don't already know.

Some may have in mind the NZIFF hit The Imposter when viewing this, but McLeod's strengths in the film come from the deft way he uses talking heads from the school at the time (himself one of them) and a non-varying line of empathy to its subject.

While Lee said he wouldn't be interviewed on camera, the filmmakers' use of Alan Cumming to lip sync along to a few interview bites proves to be a clever twist. But in truth, it's the other participants of this who are worthy of the attention, immortalised as they are in cartoon characters similar to 1990s MTV hit show Daria.

But what emerges from My Old School is something more than a simple twists and turns story - it turns the incredulous into the tragic with aplomb, and manages to also condemn pressure from society as being a factor in what plays out. (Again, to say more is to spoil it, but there's much fertile ground for discussion afterwards here).

There may be a great deal of light-hearted playful touches deployed throughout My Old School, but if you have any humanity, you'll leave viewing it with a strong vein of sadness coursing through - at its heart, it's a tragic circumstance made marvellously entertaining by a docomaker who has the levity needed to handle all angles of this engrossing story.

Broker: Blu Ray Review

Cast: Song Kang-ho, Gang Dong-won, Bae Doona
Director: Kore-eda Hirokazu

Moving on from Shoplifters but straying into similar thematic territory, Kore-eda Hirokazu's Broker deals with yet another version of the Japanese family and the problems they face.

In this latest, Song Kang-ho and Gang Dong-won play partners of a gang who take babies dumped by their mothers in a church box and try to rehome them for money. But when one mother gives up her child and then comes back, she works out what is happening - and demands to be let in on the action.

However, on their tail are two detectives determined to end their group.

What could so easily have been overplayed in Broker actually ends up being quite poignant and skillfully crafted, a story with subtlety where heart ache lies.

It helps that in Broker there's humour scattered throughout, but the time spent with this family as they head to try and sell the child actually is given space to feel organic and natural throughout, with a grounded and human performance from Parasite's Song Kang-ho leading the way.

It would be very easy to overplay the elements of Broker, given how a story about those on the fringes would be ripe for exploitation and over-sentimentalism. But it's clear Kore-eda Hirokazu has done his research on adoption and the effect on others - it's heartbreaking to see scenes of rooms filled with children waiting, with statements such as the fact there's no hope for a boy over 7 years old packed with both poignancy and veracity.

At the centre of it all though is a trio of performances that work through nuance and which grow organically during the film. Each dynamic works as the different groups fracture and the truth comes to light.

Carefully shot and sensitively constructed, Broker moves past it to deliver something bathed in sadness and packed with wiser cooler heads. It works through its non-judgement and demonstrates Kore-eda Hirokazu has the power to deliver a film about human connection where there potentially could have been nothing but darkness.

Triangle of Sadness: Blu Ray Review

Director Ruben Östlund knows how to orchestrate the awkward.

His Force Majeure took a moment of rash behaviour and transferred it into a whole world of existential dread. But at its heart, that behaviour was grounded in a human truth many of us are unwilling to acknowledge in the open.

Östlund's back at it again with Triangle of Sadness, the second of two foreign films out this year which looks at an unhealthy relationship (the first being Norway's Sick of Myself) and lays bare the minutiae of human dynamics and discomfort.

This time around, Östlund focuses on Carl and Yaya, two influencers whose stars are waxing and waning at different times, but whose incessant need for oxygen keeps them in each other's orbit.

Carl (Harris Dickison) is enraged that Yaya (Charlbi Dean) won't pay for their dinner in an expensive restaurant, despite saying she would fork out for the food. Obsessing on this point on principle, Carl orchestrates a row between the two that would necessitate a fallout due to the imbalance in the relationship - but the pair end up reconciling and soon find themselves on a yacht populated by the super rich, thanks to Yaya's online profile.

However, things go somewhat awry for the duo when a perfect storm of greed, and a typhoon hits the ship.

Triangle of Sadness is utterly hilarious in parts - thanks largely to a sequence involving a captain's dinner, a storm, and a grotesque mash up of Stand by Me's most famous sequence and seafood.

But the 150 minute film stumbles and loses its way in its final third part, (the film's divided into three sections) proving to be as washed up in its dynamics and narrative as its cast members' characters are. 

It's possible that in truth, no one really feels sorry for the super rich, and Östlund's targeting of them feels like shooting fish in a barrel, despite his penchant for laying bare the class elements that come to the fore. There are some savage moments as Östlund delves into the dynamics, but it's tricky to care for the grotesque when they're so readily available to be mocked and so horrible in their behaviours anyway.

Centre to proceedings is the aforementioned captain's dinner sequence which is disgustingly compelling comedic viewing that really ramps up the grossness jettisoning the social satire. Perhaps this is the film's biggest flaw - it doesn't quite zero in on one target, preferring to slather all of them with various levels of blame and horror.

There's wickedness on show in Triangle of Sadness, but in truth, that falls by the weyside as Östlund meanders toward the end. It's still superior, but its lack of focus toward the end means you're left feeling this triangle has little point.