Weekend Watch: July 7, 2023
Black TV history, a resilient single mom's journey to reunite her family, girls' roadtrip gone rowdy + from 70s buds to 80s icons and Whamania...
Hey there, TueNighters! We’re cruising into the weekend with another awesome list of new releases, series drops, and tv shows this week — LET’S GO…
Here are this week’s picks:
WHAM! Documentary (Netflix): In 1982, the best of friends and still teenagers George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley as WHAM! set out to conquer the world. By June of 1986, they played their very last gig at Wembley Stadium having done exactly that. Now, for the very first time, told in their own words, comes the amazing story of how in four years they dominated the charts around the world with timeless and classic pop songs.
Fun fact: WHAM!'s Last Christmas, a beloved holiday hit, achieved its number-one status on the charts in early 2021, a remarkable 36 years after its release. Interestingly, it inspired the game "Whamaggedon," where players strive to avoid hearing the 1984 classic between December and Christmas Eve.
See It Loud: The History of Black Television (CNN): The five-episode docuseries, produced by LeBron James and Maverick Carter through their SpringHill Company, takes viewers on a journey from Black television's origins in sitcoms like “The Jeffersons,” to blockbuster dramas like “Roots”, explores the emerging opportunities for Black voices in sci-fi and horror, and examines the cultural impact of the reality and unscripted genre on Black culture.
The series includes interviews with people like Deon Cole, Desus & Mero, Gabrielle Union, Jimmie Walker, Judge Greg Mathis, Kevin Frazier, Ruben Studdard, Sherri Shepherd, Sonequa Martin-Green, Tatyana Ali, Tiffany Pollard, Tisha Campbell, Vivica A. Fox, and others.
Earth Mama (Theaters): In this singular debut feature from filmmaker Savanah Leaf, Gia (portrayed by Oakland rapper, Tia Nomore) is a young Black woman who is pregnant with her third child while she has two others in the foster care system. The movie follows Gia's last month of pregnancy as she fights to get her kids back while also deciding the future of her unborn child and if she wants to keep it or put it up for adoption as a chance to give the child a better life.
Critics Consensus via Rotten Tomatoes: A wildly confident debut that displays Leaf's great control of performances and cinematography. Brimming with an inner life and an authenticity that shouldn't be undervalued due to its tough subject matter, Leaf's debut is a film without a single false note. A delicate stunner.
Joy Ride (Theaters): When Audrey’s (Ashley Park) business trip to Asia goes sideways, she enlists the aid of Lolo (Sherry Cola), her irreverent, childhood best friend who also happens to be a hot mess; Kat (Stephanie Hsu), her college friend turned Chinese soap star; and Deadeye (Sabrina Wu), Lolo’s eccentric cousin. Their no-holds-barred, epic experience becomes a journey of bonding, friendship, belonging, and wild debauchery that reveals the universal truth of what it means to know and love who you are.
Finishing up 'The Bear', setting the VCR for See it Loud, contemplating a double feature of the Wham doc and the Donna Summer doc.
I am 100% downloading the Wham! Documentary to watch on the plane this weekend. My older sister took one of my younger sisters and me to one of their NA tours, I was in 7th or 8th grade? We were in nosebleed seats and we snuck down to the floor and got up to the stage! It was soooo fun!