The just-passed Valentine's Day and Black History Month provide a joyous reprieve to the grey beginnings of the calendar year. Celebrating culture, history and love in all shapes and forms, the shortest month of the year delivers a wealth of streaming options to keep us cozy and entertained during these snow-filled days.
A number of fantastic music docs hit the streaming waves to satisfy visually and sonically, including a Canadian hit and Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson's follow up to his Oscar-winning documentary (and Exclaim!'s top film of 2021) Summer of Soul. Rounding out the month, Sterling K. Brown teams up again with This Is Us creator Dan Fogelman in a new Disney+ series, while the now-widowed Bridget Jones makes her cinematic return.
With hearts set on warmer weather, enjoy this hibernation period and be sure to read our past editions of Tune In or Turn Off here for more.
Tune In: Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy
(Prime Video)
Nearly 10 years since the third entry of Bridget Jones, the gang is back (for the most part) for another chapter in the titular character's oft-messy love life. After welcoming her first child in 2016's Bridget Jones's Baby, Renée Zellweger's Bridget must sadly navigate life as a widowed mother of two after the untimely death of Mark Darcy (Colin Firth). Fourth instalments in a franchise (especially after so much time) are rarely a good idea, but Mad About the Boy continues on the tradition of the franchise's penchant for bittersweet sentiment and joyful humour, elevated by Zellweger's always reliable turn and Hugh Grant's just-as-reliable delightful snark.
Tune In: Dahomey
(MUBI)
Shortlisted by the Academy for both Best Documentary Feature Film and Best International Film (submitted by Senegal), Mati Diop's Dahomey poetically blends fact and fiction in a way rarely seen. The film explores themes of colonialism and reparation thoughtfully, with students of the University of Abomey-Calavi leading the discussion, providing a modern lens to a discussion that predates their birth yet affects their present.
Tune In: Mo, Season 2
(Netflix)
It's not typical Love Month programming, but Mo provides multitudes of love for family and heritage in one of Netflix's most touching and hilarious shows. Created by series lead Mo Amer and Ramy Hassan (of the similarly-titled Ramy), Mo captures the humour of displacement and places a focus on the family unit that's at the heart of the stateless-to-refugee journey. Our newsfeeds have been filled with the intensity and violence of Gaza, and without ever touching on the matter directly, Mo reinforces the need for laughter and resilience, even at life's most difficult moments.
Tune In: Play It Loud! How Toronto Got Soul
(TVO)
After making the case for reggae's place in Toronto history in Sounds & Pressure: Reggae in a Foreign Land, director Graeme Mathieson turns his focus to Jay Douglas, legendary singer and pioneer. With Douglas in the driver's seat, viewers visit touchstone moments of his life as well as hear from the singer's peers and admirers who discuss the impact of Douglas on Toronto's sound. Play It Loud! How Toronto Got Soul serves as both a historical document of the city's music history and a celebration for the music, happiness and unity Douglas created.
Tune In: Paradise
(Disney+)
Paradise begins with the death of an American president (James Marsden in a stunning performance), setting the tone for a political thriller led by Sterling K. Brown as one of the president's Secret Service agents. While the whodunnit elements create the series' initial hook, it's the unravelling of both characters, especially Marsden's President Bradford, as complex individuals that holds the attention. After the career blip that was Atlas, Brown stars in a project befitting of his considerable talents.
Tune In: SLY LIVES! (aka The Burden of Black Genius)
(Disney+)
Questlove's return to the director's chair brings '60s funk band Sly & the Family Stone to the fore. A band I knew little about prior, SLY LIVES! (aka The Burden of Black Genius) provides an insightful look into one of American music's most influential acts, as well as offering a glimpse into the enigma that is Sly Stone. As with Summer of Soul (currently streaming on Disney+ and for free in Canada on CBC Gem), Questlove goes a step beyond rediscovering his film's subject, posing questions about the Black experience and culture that engages audiences with the film's rich material.
Turn Off: You're Cordially Invited
(Prime Video)
Although his career has varied since directing Forgetting Sarah Marshall, I've got a lot of time for a Nicholas Stoller rom-com. Unfortunately, You're Cordially Invited doesn't respect this trust. Veteran of the genre Reese Witherspoon pairs up with funnyman Will Ferrell in a bland outing that falls short of what we know the two can do. Their performances are perfectly cromulent — ones that they can do without much thought or consideration, which very well may be what happened. Even with these two proven actors, I'll respectfully decline any and all invitations to watch this again.
