THE JOURNAL
Mr Brad Pitt in Once Upon A Time In Hollywood. Photograph by CTMG INC, courtesy of Sony Pictures Entertainment
The World Cup’s over. Wimbledon will soon be game, set and match. As the summer stretches out ahead, there may seem like little reason to check the entertainment listings for the next two months. But those canny creatives in TV, film and streaming have other ideas. Here’s what to watch on the big and small screen this summer, when you’re not catching rays.
The Capture
Ms Holliday Grainger and Mr Callum Turner in The Capture. Photograph by Mr Guy Farrow/BBC
Disinformation and surveillance culture also inform the BBC’s big summer drama, The Capture, which sees a former soldier in the frame for a crime caught on CCTV. Mr Callum Turner is the guy on camera while Ms Holliday Grainger plays the cop who senses fake news in the six-part series.
**On BBC One this summer **
Hail Satan?
Mr Lucien Greaves in Hail Satan? Photograph courtesy of Magnolia Pictures
When the Satanic Temple proposed to mount a statue of the horned demon Baphomet on the lawn of the Arkansas State Capitol, it really got the Christian Right’s goat. Hail Satan? is as mischievous as the devil worshippers it documents, while articulating their serious point about creeping theocracy in the US.
In cinemas 23 August
Mae and George
Ms Mae Martin, Ms Charlotte Ritchie, Mr Adrian Lukis and Ms Lisa Kudrow in Mae And George. Photograph by Mr Matt Squire, courtesy of Channel 4
Fans of Mr Simon Amstell should check out Canadian stand-up comic Ms Mae Martin, who operates in a similarly neurotic comic space in her TV show, Mae And George, which mines personal experience of love and recovery for laughs. Fans of a legendary comedy actress should also tune in, as Friends alumni Ms Lisa Kudrow plays a supporting role.
On E4/Netflix this summer
Once Upon A Time In Hollywood
Messrs Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio in Once Upon A Time In Hollywood. Photograph by CTMG INC, courtesy of Sony Pictures Entertainment
Mr Quentin Tarantino has a blast with this Los Angeles nostalgia fest that turns messy. Mr Leonardo DiCaprio is an actor on the slide and Mr Brad Pitt his stunt double, whose lives intertwine with real-life drama when actress and model Ms Sharon Tate, played by Ms Margot Robbie, moves in next door.
In cinemas 14 August
Pain and Glory
Messrs Pedro Almodóvar and Antonio Banderas in Pain And Glory. Photograph by Mr Manolo Pavón, courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics
Spain’s foremost filmmaker, Mr Pedro Almodóvar finds himself in a reflective mode in Pain And Glory, a typically knotty tale about a filmmaker (played by Mr Antonio Banderas) whose creativity is scuppered by illness and ageing. In the process, Mr Almodóvar makes a wonderful film about all of the above, for that is his genius.
In cinemas 23 August
The Great Hack
Mr David Carroll in The Great Hack. Photograph courtesy of Netflix
A sprawling examination of the Cambridge Analytica scandal, in which the British tech firm covertly used Facebook users’ info to sow disinformation on both sides of the Atlantic, The Great Hack makes a strong case for deleting your social media. Not that we would ever try to tell you what to do…
On Netflix from 24 July
This Way Up
Ms Aisling Bea in This Way Up. Photograph courtesy of Channel 4
This Way Up is a comedy about mental health and social isolation. Difficult as it may be to find a punchline for that, writer and star Ms Aisling Bea has a lot of laughs in uncomfortable places, ably assisted by an expert in the genre, co-star Ms Sharon Horgan. The result is savagely funny and wonderfully frank.
On Channel 4/Hulu this summer
Fast & Furious: Hobbs & Shaw
Messrs Jason Statham and Dwayne Johnson in Fast & Furious: Hobbs & Shaw. Photograph courtesy of NBC Universal
Yes, this is 133 minutes of cars, guns and Mr Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson making meta gags about action blockbusters in this action blockbuster spin-off from the Fast & Furious franchise. Mr Idris Elba is a cyber-engineered bad guy while Mr Jason Statham plays himself (and does it very well).
In cinemas 1 August