Weekend Watch: October 20, 2023
Reggaeton beats, eerie folk tales, and that glamorous ghost-busting life.
TGIF, TueNighters! The weekend's here and you know what that means, right? Time to sit back, take a breath, and catch up with what’s on our watch list — LET’S GO!
Here are this week’s picks:
Killers of the Flower Moon (Theaters): Based on the bestselling book by David Grann—oil brought a fortune to the Osage Nation, who became some of the richest people in the world overnight. The wealth of these Native Americans immediately attracted white interlopers, who manipulated, extorted, and stole as much Osage money as they could before resorting to murder. Based on a true story and told through the improbable romance of Ernest Burkhart (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Mollie Kyle (Lily Gladstone); directed by Martin Scorsese, also starring Robert De Niro.
Critics Consensus via Rotten Tomatoes: Enormous in runtime (3 hrs. 26 mins.), theme, and achievement, Killers of the Flower Moon is a sobering appraisal of America's relationship with Indigenous peoples and yet another artistic zenith for Martin Scorsese and his collaborators.
Neon (Netflix): From small-town Florida to the bustling beaches and bright lights of Miami, the eight-part comedy series follows three friends (Tyler Dean Flores, Jordan Mendoza, and Emma Ferreira) with dreams of music stardom, as they hustle their way to making it big in the world of reggaeton.
Fun fact: The series is executive produced by Gen-Xer Ramón Luis Ayala Rodríguez, renowned for bringing reggaeton from the underground to the mainstream and one of the most influential voices of the genre since the early aughts.
The Burning Girls (Paramount+): Chapel Croft is a village haunted by a dark and turbulent history. Five hundred years ago, two young girls were betrayed and burned at the stake. Thirty years ago, two teenage girls disappeared without a trace. Now, Jack Brooks (Samantha Morton), a female vicar and single mom to 15-year-old daughter Flo (Ruby Stokes) haunted by a tragedy from her previous church and bearing the onus of her husband’s death, arrives in Chapel Croft in the hope of a fresh start.
However, instead of finding peace in their new home, Jack finds the village rife with conspiracies and secrets, and uncovering the truth can be deadly in a community with a bloody past, where everyone has something to hide.
Creep factor: The Burning Girls is based on the bestselling novel of the same name by CJ Tudor which was itself inspired by real-life events.
Living for the Dead (Hulu): From executive producer Kristen Stewart and the creators of Queer Eye, join five fabulous, queer ghost hunters crisscross the country, helping the living by healing the dead. As they explore some of the world’s most infamous haunted locations, they'll shed light on those not seen and illuminate untold stories.
Together they'll push past boundaries to bring acceptance to the misunderstood — living and dead.
Fun fact: Kristen Stewart recently described the series as “the most gayest, most funnest, most titillating queer ghost-hunting show ever.” And we are here for it!
[Disclaimer: Although we *think* these shows and movies might interest you, there's no foolproof guarantee they'll match your personal taste. It's always a good idea to trust your own judgment.]