Weekend Watch: August 25, 2023
What's a week without some Bat Mitzvah mayhem, a double-dose of Mirren, and Rosario Dawson owning the galaxy with some intergalactic ass-kicking?!
Hey there, TueNighters! As you all know, the TueNight team compiles a fantastic list of movie releases, series drops, and TV shows in our weekly TueDo List newsletter.
Here in the Weekend Watch, we get to dive even deeper into our recommendations and chat about what we're watching — ready? Let's do this!
Here are this week’s picks:
Star Wars: Ahsoka | Season 1 (Disney+): Highly-anticipated series featuring former Jedi Knight Ahsoka Tano (played by 44 year-old Rosario Dawson) a respected leader and warrior attuned to the light side of the Force who grew into a formidable fighter before the Empire’s reign changed the course of galactic history. Although she walked away from the Jedi Order, she continues to stand up for those fighting for peace and justice in the galaxy long after the fall of the Republic.
Critics Consensus via Rotten Tomatoes: Elevated by Rosario Dawson's strong performance in the title role and a solid story that balances new and old elements of the Star Wars saga, Ahsoka is a must-watch for fans of the franchise.
Ayenda (MSNBC, Peacock): For a generation of Afghan women, education and opportunities were a given. Growing up post-Taliban meant they enjoyed a freedom their mothers never did. But that all changed in August 2021, when the Taliban regained power in Kabul. One group of women saw what was coming and made the difficult decision to leave their home and their families and, in the dark of night, escape for the security of a better life anywhere but there.
Through the harrowing first person stories of the young women who make up the Afghan Women’s Soccer team, we experience the immediate day to day and personal impact of two decades of American foreign policy decisions (and failures).
You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah (Netflix): Based on the young adult novel by Fiona Rosenbloom, starring Idina Menzel and Adam Sandler. Stacy (Sunny Sandler) and Lydia (Samantha Lorraine) are 7th grade BFFs who've always dreamed about having epic bat mitzvahs. But things start to go comically awry when a popular boy and middle school drama threatens their friendship and their rite of passage.
Fun fact: Adam Sandler’s latest Netflix comedy is a true family affair, as the movie stars Sandler’s teenage daughters Sunny and Sadie, with Sandler playing their father.
The Retirement Plan (Theaters): When Ashley (Ashley Greene) and her young daughter Sarah (Thalia Campbell) get caught up in a criminal enterprise that puts their lives at risk, she turns to the only person who can help — her estranged father Matt (Nicolas Cage), currently living the life of a retired beach bum in the Cayman Islands. Their reunion is fleeting as they are soon tracked down on the island by crime boss Donnie (Jackie Earle Haley) and his lieutenant Bobo (Ron Perlman).
Ashley quickly learns her father had a secret past that she knew nothing about and that there is more to her father than meets the eye… cue Nicholas Cage in all his cageyness.
GOLDA (Theaters): Golda is a ticking-clock thriller set during the tense 19 days of the Yom Kippur War in 1973. Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir (Helen Mirren), faced with the potential of Israel’s complete destruction, must navigate overwhelming odds, a skeptical cabinet, and a complex relationship with US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger (Liev Schreiber), with millions of lives in the balance. Her tough leadership and compassion would ultimately decide the fate of her nation and leave her with a controversial legacy around the world.
Historical fact: Golda Meir served as the fourth prime minister for five years from 1969 to 1974. She was also Israel’s first and only female head of government and the first and only female head of government in the Middle East.
White Bird (Theaters): From the best-selling author of Wonder, the book that sparked a movement to “choose kind,” comes the inspirational next chapter. In White Bird, we follow Julian (Bryce Gheisar), who has struggled to belong ever since he was expelled from his former school for his treatment of Auggie Pullman. To transform his life, Julian’s grandmother (Helen Mirren) finally reveals to Julian her own story of courage — during her youth in Nazi-occupied France, a boy shelters her from mortal danger. They find first love in a stunning, magical world of their own creation, while the boy’s mother (Gillian Anderson) risks everything to keep her safe.
Fun fact: It’s a busy premiere weekend for TueNight fave Dame Helen Mirren, with two movies releasing on the same day, and we are here for it!
All you (or anyone) had to say is “Star Wars”!!!
That said I stumbled across a small, kind of fascinating 2019 movie, gripping, if you will, called Fractured starring Sam Worthington & Lily Rabe. I missed it I guess, during the pandemic binge-a-thon, but it’s really worth a watch if you did too-only about 98 minutes. Twists & turns & terror but fine for all adult audiences. Classified as a psychological thriller. It’s super good.