Weekend Watch: October 27, 2023
Pain hustlers, haunted animatronics, a trip back to the gilded age, and the lip-sync scandal that rocked the music world...
Hey there, TueNighters! As we gear up for the weekend, we're back with an incredible lineup of blockbuster movie releases and exciting new series debuts, all featured on this week's TueDo List. There's so much to unpack here, so let's dive right in.
Here are this week’s picks:
Native America | Season 2 (PBS): Building on the success of the first season, this four-part Native-directed series reveals the beauty and power of today’s Indigenous world. These thematic episodes are filled with inspiring stories of Native resilience, resistance, and revival. Smashing stereotypes, it follows the brilliant engineers, bold politicians, and cutting-edge artists who draw upon Native tradition to build a better 21st century.
FYI: Make sure to save the date for Episode 3, Women Rule, on November 7th at 9pm. Native women are leading, innovating, and inspiring in the arts, politics, and protecting the planet. NATIVE AMERICA explores the diverse ways they carry forward deep traditions to better their communities, their lands, and the world.
Five Nights at Freddy’s (Theaters): The film follows Mike (Josh Hutcherson) a troubled young man caring for his 10-year-old sister Abby (Piper Rubio), and haunted by the unsolved disappearance of his younger brother more than a decade before. Recently fired and desperate for work so that he can keep custody of Abby, Mike agrees to take a position as a night security guard at an abandoned theme restaurant: Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria.
But Mike soon discovers that nothing at Freddy’s is what it seems. With the aid of Vanessa, a local police officer (Elizabeth Lail), Mike’s nights at Freddy’s will lead him into unexplainable encounters with the supernatural and drag him into the black heart of an unspeakable nightmare.
Fun fact: The film is based on a popular video game series, and also stars Mary Stuart Masterson (Some Kind of Wonderful, Fried Green Tomatoes, Benny & Joon), as Mike’s icy Aunt Jane. It’s giving haunted Chuck E. Cheese vibes.
Fellow Travelers (Showtime): Based on the 2007 fictional novel of the same name by Thomas Mallon, the series follows the paths of political staffers Hawkins Fuller (Matt Bomer) and Tim Laughlin (Jonathan Bailey), whose paths converge at the height of the Lavender Scare of the 1950s. Despite the constant threat of getting caught, their searing love for each other only intensifies in the tumultuous decades that follow. Their volatile romance spans the Vietnam War protests of the 1960s, the drug-fueled disco hedonism of the 1970s and the AIDS crisis of the 1980s, as they face obstacles in the world and in themselves.
Critics Consensus via Rotten Tomatoes: A queer romance with the full breadth and depth of an epic, Fellow Travelers is a moving showcase for Matt Bomer and Jonathan Bailey's captivating on-screen chemistry.
Pain Hustlers (Netflix): Liza Drake (Emily Blunt) is a blue-collar single mom who has just lost her job and is at the end of her rope. A chance meeting with pharmaceutical sales rep Pete Brenner (Chris Evans) puts her on an upwards trajectory economically but dubious path ethically as she becomes entangled in a dangerous racketeering scheme. Dealing with her increasingly unhinged boss (Andy Garcia), the worsening medical condition of her daughter (Chloe Coleman), and a growing awareness of the devastation the company is causing forces Liza to examine her choices.
Pain Hustlers is a sharp and revealing look at what some people do out of desperation and others do out of greed. Also stars Catherine O’Hara and Andy Garcia
The Holdovers (Theaters): From acclaimed director Alexander Payne, the film follows a curmudgeonly instructor Paul (Paul Giamatti) at a 1970s New England prep school who is forced to remain on campus during Christmas break to babysit the handful of students with nowhere to go. Eventually he forms an unlikely bond with one of them — a damaged, brainy troublemaker, Angus (Dominic Sessa) — and with the school’s head cook, Mary (Da’Vine Joy Randolph) who has just lost a son in Vietnam.
RogerEbert.com says: “The Holdovers” is a consistently smart, funny movie about people who are easy to root for and like the ones we know. Its greatest accomplishment is not how easy it is to see yourself in Paul, Angus, or Mary. It’s that you will in all three. — Brian Tallerico
The Gilded Age | Season 2 (HBO Max): The American Gilded Age was a period of immense economic change, great conflict between the old ways and brand new systems, and huge fortunes made and lost. The series follows a young woman (Louisa Jacobson) who moves in with her old-money aunts (Christine Baranski, Cynthia Nixon) and quickly gets entangled in the social war between them and their new-money neighbors. In a world on the brink of the modern age, will she follow the rules of society or forge her own path?
In Season 2 of The Gilded Age, Bertha (Carrie Coon) inches toward a leading role in society, Marian (Jacobson) starts teaching, Ada (Nixon) begins a new courtship, and Peggy (Denée Benton) taps into her activist spirit.
Milli Vanilli (Paramount+): This full-length documentary goes directly behind the scenes through exclusive interviews with the group’s members Fab Morvan and the late Rob Pilatus, as well as the real singers, record executives, and the producer behind the duo, who became one of the most popular groups of the late ’80s and early ’90s until it was discovered that they had been lip-synching the entire time.
Morvan released a statement saying, “Finally — the true story of Milli Vanilli has been told! The journey I returned to during the filming of this documentary didn’t leave any stone unturned. At last, I can close this chapter in peace… Get ready to take a walk in our steel-toe boots.”
Disclaimer: While we *think* these shows and movies might be worth checking out, there are no guarantees they'll all be your jam. It's always best to trust your own instincts.
I'm trying to decide if I like the "Behind the Music" Milli Vanilli story or the Paramount+ version more. There are a lot of subtitles to read in this doc (unless your German is on point), but I think the takeaway is that Fab always had a good voice, and that should've been utilized from the start...and maybe then there would've been a happier ending for them. xo