Weekend Watch: August 4, 2023
Unraveling family secrets, raging rapids, epic shark showdowns, and the unstoppable beat of mixtapes and Hip Hop...
Hey there, TueNighters! As we gear up for the weekend, we're back with an incredible lineup of movie releases, new series drops, and binge-worthy streaming all featured on this week's TueDo List — let’s get right to it.
Here are this week’s picks:
MIXTAPE (Paramount+): Before radio play, the internet, and social media, there were mixtapes. DJs were tastemakers, trendsetters and creators of the sound that became the biggest musical genre on the planet. In celebration of Hip-Hop’s 50th anniversary, the feature will delve into how the creation of mixtapes launched the genre into mainstream culture.
Pulled from the press release: Mixtapes were a form of currency and a signifier that someone was ‘in the know’ and had their ear to the streets. The culture was too strong to be stopped, and the artists were too talented to be ignored – so they turned the sub-culture into the mainstream, and made hip hop what it is today
The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart | Season 1 (Prime Video): When Alice, aged 9, tragically loses her parents in a mysterious fire, she is taken to live with her grandmother June at Thornfield flower farm, where she learns that there are secrets within secrets about her and her family’s past. Set against Australia’s breathtaking natural landscape, and with native wildflowers and plants providing a way to express the inexpressible, this enthralling family drama spans decades.
It stars Sigourney Weaver who plays grandmother Alice Hart and is also one of the executive producers of the series.
Trigger warnings: you'll be warned that there are numerous, crushingly brutal scenes of domestic abuse and the devastating consequences that result from such pure evil.
The River Wild (Netflix): Joey (Leighton Meester) fears there could be trouble ahead after her brother Gray (Taran Killam) invites Trevor (Adam Brody), a childhood friend with a troubled past, on their whitewater rafting adventure with two tourists. Once they become stranded in raging rapids, the thrill-seeking trip quickly turns from exciting to utterly terrifying as the rafters are trapped in a desperate fight for their lives, all while someone seems intent on sabotage to ensure shocking secrets stay buried.
Fun fact: As you may have guessed from the title, this is a modern interpretation of the 90s hit movie that featured Meryl Streep and Kevin Bacon.
Reservation Dogs 3 | Final Season (FX): from Co-Creators and Executive Producers Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi following the exploits of four Indigenous teenagers in rural Oklahoma who steal, rob and save in order to get to the exotic, mysterious and faraway land of California.
Why we’ll hate to see it go: Filmed on location in Oklahoma, the series is a breakthrough in Indigenous representation on television, both in front of and behind the camera. Every writer, director and series regular on the show is Indigenous. This first-of-its-kind creative team tells a story that resonates with them and their lived experiences.
Meg 2: The Trench (Theaters): On the tail of the 2018 blockbuster, Jonas Taylor (Jason Statham) is back to kick another megalodon shark in the face, as he leads a daring research team on an exploratory dive into the deepest depths of the ocean. Their voyage spirals into chaos when a malevolent mining operation threatens their mission and forces them into a high-stakes battle for survival.
Fun factor: If you’re into the promise of seeing Statham face off with prehistoric sea behemoths, then leaning into the ludicrousness of it all is the only way to go.
Lollapalooza 2023 kicked off this week in Chicago but you don’t have to get a ticket or to stand in line to catch the music festival — Hulu is steaming it through Sunday, August 6th.
Thanks for the tips for things to watch! Always on the lookout for something new and interesting. Happy Weekend! 💚