Ambition, appetite and what secrets the robot knows

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Ambition, appetite and what secrets the robot knows

Three women plotting at a royal court, and a Japanese robot with secrets are on ALI VAN WYK's streaming list. Plus cookbooks, classic movie quotes and podcasts featuring sports and politics.

ANGELA TUCK
ANGELA TUCK

Teevee

Ali van Wyk recommends two movies:

The Favorite

Genre: Historical fiction, dark comedy
Director: Yorgos Lanthimos
Cast: Olivia Colman, Emma Stone, Rachel Weisz
Platform: Disney+ (2h)

Sometimes it's worth writing about a movie from a few years ago, just to make sure everyone who should have seen it finally does so. If Poor Things got your blood pumping and you haven't seen director Yorgos Lanthimos's previous film, The Favorite (2018), you're in for another surprise. Whether it will be pleasant, however, is not a foregone conclusion.

It is one of the most striking period dramas of the 21st century and one of the most moving films. It explores the turbulent relationship between three women in the early 18th-century aristocracy in England — Sarah Churchill, the Duchess of Marlborough (Rachel Weisz), Abigail Hill (Emma Stone), and Queen Anne (Olivia Colman). Sarah and Abigail are cousins. The trajectory of Colman's acting career is heartening in a world where good news is becoming rarer. She delivers a tour de force, and Stone is not far behind.

The Favorite is a study of ambition and appetite in a world of unbridled power. It's a dark comedy, pitch dark. The emotional games are brutal and merciless and the sex is pure politics. Afterwards you feel kind of grateful to be a pleb.

Sunny

Genre: Dark comedy, science fiction elements
Director: Katie Robbins
Cast: Rashida Jones, Hidetoshi Nishijima, annie the clumsy Platform: Apple TV+ (10 episodes) 

See this as a tipoff for a good unrolling series, as the fourth episode of 10 was released only this week. However, it is already clear that we are dealing with a gripping story and wonderful actors. In recent years there has been a fascination with Japan in Western series, and this is another one, based on Irish author Colin O'Sullivan's novel The Dark Manual.

Suzie (Rashida Jones) is an American woman living in Tokyo. There, she met a Japanese man, Masahiko (Hidetoshi Nishijima), got married and had a son, then her husband and son died in a plane crash. The robot products company where Masahiko worked gives Suzie a personal servant robot, Sunny, as a gesture of condolence and support. The developing relationship between Suzie and the precocious Sunny, which she has good reason to distrust, is fun and funny.

And then the word yakuza is used for the first time.

  • Trivia: Rashida Jones is the daughter of music producer and musician Quincy Jones. Her documentary about him, Quincy, won a Grammy for best musical film in 2019.

10 famous movie quotes

How many do you know?

#1 “Elementary, my dear Watson.”
#2 “Carpe diem. Seize the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary.”
#3 “You’re gonna need a bigger boat.”
#4 “Toto, I have a feeling we’re not in Kansas any more.”
#5 “Houston, we have a problem.”
#6 “A martini. Shaken, not stirred.”
#7 “Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.”
#8 “I'll have what she’s having.”
#9 “I’m the king of the world.”
#10 “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn.”

They are from:

1. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes 2. Dead Poets Society 3. Jaws 4. The Wizard of Oz 5. Apollo 13 6. Goldfinger 7. The Godfather Part II 8. When Harry Met Sally 9. Titanic 10. Gone with the Wind

High Fivers

Kerneels Breytenbach's five most used cookbooks

#1 Simple — Yotam Ottolenghi
#2 Sababa Tal Smith and Nirit Saban
#3 Salt Fat Acid Heat Samin Nosrat
#4 Jane’s Delicious Kitchen Jane Griffiths
#5 How to Cook Everything Mark Bittman

Actor Ludwig Binge's five favourite podcasts

#1 The Rest is Football: Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer and Micah Richards discuss football, about which I have become almost fanatical, especially the English Premier League. Football is a religion in Britain and the clubs are tribal. Each has its own unique history, customs and quirks. Liverpool is my club. Ever since childhood. You'll never walk alone.

#2 Diary of a CEO: British entrepreneur Steven Bartlett interviews influential people. He is approachable and does thorough homework beforehand, and I think that is why his guests are so willing to communicate openly and honestly.

#3 Freakonomics Radio: The journalist Stephen Dubner investigates socioeconomic issues in an entertaining way. He recently did an episode about the economic climate of Broadway and used a popular, sensational production as a type of case study. It was fascinating to listen to cast members' perceptions of Broadway. It's a brutal industry.

#4 The Big Jim Show: Former Scottish rugby player Jim Hamilton chats to the biggest rugby personalities about the game. He has a passionate, comic touch and is well-disposed towards the Springboks.

#5 SMWX Podcast:  A recent discovery. I'm not interested in politics, but with the recent election I wanted to educate myself a bit and discovered this podcast. Activist and commentator Sizwe Mpofu-Walsh [son of Dali Mpofu] talks politics and unpacks political concepts and issues so that Mr Average can also understand them.

VWB


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