This month's streaming lineup sees the end of one of the best sitcoms to come from across the pond in recent memory and Netflix's continued bid to win an Oscar with a biopic whose controversy may overshadow its lead performance. There's also a couple of documentaries that respectively shine a light on a very well-known actor and a lesser-known pizza city. And, of course, spooky season gets some time from Marvel and a fantastic West African horror thriller.
Check out the picks below and read our past editions of Tune In or Turn Off here.
Turn Off: Blonde
(Netflix)
Andrew Dominik's controversial biopic of Marilyn Monroe may have its defenders, but it's really hard to recommend anyone watch over 2.5 hours of a woman being terrorized. There's no doubt that, to tell Monroe's life properly, a degree of darkness and abuse needs to be explored — but to reduce her entire life and legacy to assault, rape, drugs, alcohol and constantly being called a whore and a slut is offensive, crude and entirely unnecessary.
Tune In: Derry Girls, Season 3
(Netflix)
The ladies and lad return to Our Lady Immaculate College for one final year and, just as they have in the previous two seasons, the Derry Girls bring a wealth of awkward moments, hilarious exchanges and heartwarming sweetness. Creator and writer Lisa McGee wraps up the series with the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998, bringing a close to Erin, Orla, Clare, Michelle and James's adolescence and one of the darkest periods in Irish history.
Tune In: Entergalactic
(Netflix)
Kid Cudi's visual accompaniment to his album of the same name is a chill, vibey animated feast for the eyes, ears and soul. A love story told through the eyes of an artist, New York City comes alive with Cudi's music and the vibrant colours and textures of director Fletcher Moules's vision. More than an extended music video, Entergalactic stands alone as a great TV special.
Turn Off: Pinocchio
(Disney+)
Disney continues to trample all over our childhoods with another half-baked live-action remake of one of their time-honoured films. While the vocal performances are solid and the visuals are interesting, Robert Zemeckis's version lacks any soul or charm, creating a hollow version of a classic tale.
Tune In: The Pizza City You've Never Heard Of
(CBC Gem)
When thinking about pizza, Windsor, ON, may not immediately come to mind, and director Tristan Laughton and writer George Kalivas want to change that. Hosted by Kalivas, The Pizza City You've Never Heard Of visits local pizzerias with the aim of shining a spotlight on the overlooked local eats. (For those not in the know: shredded pepperoni, a slightly spiced tomato base and locally made mozzarella are just a few features that make a Windsor pie unique.) It's a wholesome documentary that will definitely pique the curiosity of pizza lovers everywhere, and might even warrant that lengthy drive to the Automotive Capital of Canada.
Tune In: Sidney
(Apple TV+)
Co-produced by Oprah Winfrey, Sidney is an insightful and beautiful portrait of a larger-than-life icon whose legacy still reverberates across cinema today. Along with Winfrey, Denzel Washington, Robert Redford and others reflect on Sidney Poitier's career and impact, and we hear from the man himself offering previously unheard anecdotes and perspective. Sidney is more tribute than exploration, but it's a great starting point for anyone unfamiliar with Poitier as a man and an actor.
Tune In: Saloum
(Shudder)
The Senegalese wester, horror, thriller, film festival darling has finally made its way to streaming. Directed by Jean Luc Herbulot, Saloum is about a group of mercenaries who are detoured to the remote Sine-Saloum during an extraction mission. Lead by Chaka (Yann Gael), the mercenaries encounter supernatural events and ghosts from their past, creating a wild and kinetic ride.
Tune In: Werewolf by Night
(Disney+)
In a departure from the norm, Marvel spreads its wings with a one-off (for now) TV special about a lesser-known character from the comics. In Werewolf by Night, Jack Russell (Gael García Bernal) is a cursed monster hunter who has been summoned to compete in a hunt to earn the Bloodstone (this world's MacGuffin). Directed by famed composer Michael Giacchino, who most recently scored Thor: Love and Thunder, Werewolf by Night is a decent Halloween-tinged Marvel property that, at a minimum, has me intrigued about Giacchino's directing future.
Check out the picks below and read our past editions of Tune In or Turn Off here.
Turn Off: Blonde
(Netflix)
Andrew Dominik's controversial biopic of Marilyn Monroe may have its defenders, but it's really hard to recommend anyone watch over 2.5 hours of a woman being terrorized. There's no doubt that, to tell Monroe's life properly, a degree of darkness and abuse needs to be explored — but to reduce her entire life and legacy to assault, rape, drugs, alcohol and constantly being called a whore and a slut is offensive, crude and entirely unnecessary.
Tune In: Derry Girls, Season 3
(Netflix)
The ladies and lad return to Our Lady Immaculate College for one final year and, just as they have in the previous two seasons, the Derry Girls bring a wealth of awkward moments, hilarious exchanges and heartwarming sweetness. Creator and writer Lisa McGee wraps up the series with the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998, bringing a close to Erin, Orla, Clare, Michelle and James's adolescence and one of the darkest periods in Irish history.
Tune In: Entergalactic
(Netflix)
Kid Cudi's visual accompaniment to his album of the same name is a chill, vibey animated feast for the eyes, ears and soul. A love story told through the eyes of an artist, New York City comes alive with Cudi's music and the vibrant colours and textures of director Fletcher Moules's vision. More than an extended music video, Entergalactic stands alone as a great TV special.
Turn Off: Pinocchio
(Disney+)
Disney continues to trample all over our childhoods with another half-baked live-action remake of one of their time-honoured films. While the vocal performances are solid and the visuals are interesting, Robert Zemeckis's version lacks any soul or charm, creating a hollow version of a classic tale.
Tune In: The Pizza City You've Never Heard Of
(CBC Gem)
When thinking about pizza, Windsor, ON, may not immediately come to mind, and director Tristan Laughton and writer George Kalivas want to change that. Hosted by Kalivas, The Pizza City You've Never Heard Of visits local pizzerias with the aim of shining a spotlight on the overlooked local eats. (For those not in the know: shredded pepperoni, a slightly spiced tomato base and locally made mozzarella are just a few features that make a Windsor pie unique.) It's a wholesome documentary that will definitely pique the curiosity of pizza lovers everywhere, and might even warrant that lengthy drive to the Automotive Capital of Canada.
Tune In: Sidney
(Apple TV+)
Co-produced by Oprah Winfrey, Sidney is an insightful and beautiful portrait of a larger-than-life icon whose legacy still reverberates across cinema today. Along with Winfrey, Denzel Washington, Robert Redford and others reflect on Sidney Poitier's career and impact, and we hear from the man himself offering previously unheard anecdotes and perspective. Sidney is more tribute than exploration, but it's a great starting point for anyone unfamiliar with Poitier as a man and an actor.
Tune In: Saloum
(Shudder)
The Senegalese wester, horror, thriller, film festival darling has finally made its way to streaming. Directed by Jean Luc Herbulot, Saloum is about a group of mercenaries who are detoured to the remote Sine-Saloum during an extraction mission. Lead by Chaka (Yann Gael), the mercenaries encounter supernatural events and ghosts from their past, creating a wild and kinetic ride.
Tune In: Werewolf by Night
(Disney+)
In a departure from the norm, Marvel spreads its wings with a one-off (for now) TV special about a lesser-known character from the comics. In Werewolf by Night, Jack Russell (Gael García Bernal) is a cursed monster hunter who has been summoned to compete in a hunt to earn the Bloodstone (this world's MacGuffin). Directed by famed composer Michael Giacchino, who most recently scored Thor: Love and Thunder, Werewolf by Night is a decent Halloween-tinged Marvel property that, at a minimum, has me intrigued about Giacchino's directing future.
