Leading heroines

The Little Mermaid, 26 May in cinemas

The 1989 underwater Disney princess movie has been given a live-action remake and US actress Halle Bailey has been cast as Ariel. There are many good reasons to watch a live remake of this particular film: Bailey’s performance, seeing Melissa McCarthy take on one of the great animated villains, Ursula, or the glee it will bring your kids; and a few good reasons not to watch it, like the inherent misogyny of such an outdated formulaic story, or the fact that it might never measure up to the original.

Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, 4 May on Netflix

The sensational royal fantasy drama that took 2020 by storm is back for a prequel set in the Bridgerton-verse centred on Queen Charlotte’s rise to prominence and power. It tells the story of how the young queen’s marriage to King George caused a societal shift, creating the world of the Ton inherited by the characters in Bridgerton, and yes, of course, it tells a love story as well.

Queen Cleopatra, 10 May on Netflix

The latest season of a documentary series called African Queens, executively produced by Jada Pinkett Smith and directed by Iranian-born Tina Gharavi, the role of Queen Cleopatra — whom Pinkett Smith describes as “the world’s most famous, powerful, and misunderstood woman” — the ruler of Egypt and indeed, one of the most respected and romanticised women in history, is played by Adele James. The film has already sparked much debate about the queen’s heritage. 

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A look behind the scenes 

Sanctuary, 4 May on Netflix

A Japanese series about a juvenile delinquent who becomes a sumo apprentice and sees an opportunity to make a name for himself and a whole lot of money as a sumo wrestler. His strength and cocky persona quickly upset the balance of this traditional, lucrative and dangerous industry. The atmosphere is that of a crime drama, focusing not only on this desperate kid’s ambitions but also on the corrupt underbelly of the sumo industry. In terms of entertainment value, viewers who’ve never watched sumo before will be fascinated by the traditions and physicality of the martial art — the actors went through rigorous training to be able to show off the sport.

Dance Brothers, 10 May on Netflix

The first Finnish series premiering globally on Netflix is an exploration of the challenges and pressures faced by aspiring dancers. It stars Samuel Kujala and Roderick Kabanga as siblings who, unable to make a living dancing, put all their eggs in one basket by starting their own club, which acts as their home, training studio and business. It shows the common clash between the passion to be an artist and the commercial demands that eat away at it; all wrapped in the eye candy of some very edgy dance moves.

STILL: A Michael J. Fox Movie, 12 May on Apple TV+

A documentary about the life, career and activism of Back to the Future star Michael J Fox. It incorporates archival and scripted elements to tell the story of how a short kid from a Canadian army base became an overnight pop culture icon of the 1980s, only to have his career cut short by Parkinson’s. The tales of his early years are strangely patronising but his interviews are surprisingly affecting and positive.

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Philosophical escapism

Silo, 5 May on Apple TV+

A dystopian psychological thriller about a toxic, ruinous future in which all we know is that a community exists in a giant underground silo — a highly restrictive society full of regulations intended to protect its people, or so they’re told. Adapted from Hugh Howey’s novels of the same name, it’s a web of mistrust and small deceptions that poses big questions about the nature of freedom and authority, very much within a subgenre spearheaded by 1984. 

Three Thousand Years of Longing, 23 May on Prime Video

If you missed it in cinemas, you can now catch it at home. An imaginative self-referential story about stories in which a narratologist (Tilda Swinton) stumbles upon a djinn (Idris Elba) with whom she trades tales in a sparring match of wits to figure out how to deal with the classic transaction of three wishes in exchange for freedom. Set aside your assumptions about what the movie could look like and revel in the unexpected nature of the characters’ relationship. 

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Comedies

High Desert, 17 May on Apple TV+

A dark comedy series about a middle-aged addict (Patricia Arquette) who attempts to reinvent herself as a private investigator after the death of her mother with whom she lived in the small desert town of Yucca Valley, California. The first episode is directed by producer Ben Stiller. Arquette plays up the lovable inept diva with a heart of gold — expect light laughs and wacky small-town misadventures.

Blood and Gold, 26 May on Netflix

A violent and surprisingly funny World War 2 comedy-drama about a German deserter (Robert Maaser) whose desperate search to return home to his daughter in the final days of the war is interrupted by a host of marauding SS troops searching for a Jewish treasure hidden in a nearby village. When a courageous young farmer (Marie Hacke) saves him from Nazi clutches, he becomes unwillingly involved in the frenzied hunt for the gold. 

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Young Adult series

American Born Chinese, 24 May on Disney +

Disney caught on years ago that virtue-signalling sneakily exoticised representation was a hugely profitable market. Now, with the success of films like Everything Everywhere All at Once and Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, it’s time to take advantage of the live-action market. Based on the graphic novel by Gene Luen Yang, American Born Chinese follows a socially awkward teenager who accidentally befriends the son of a god. It’s a coming-of-age, genre-bending exploration of identity which is quite obviously a child-friendly version of Everything, whose stars, Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan, even feature.

The Gryphon, 26 May on Prime Video

Prime Video recently revealed its intention to release a range of original German productions, the first of which is this series adaptation of a novel by Wolfgang Hohlbein. It’s produced by the same studio that made Dark and 1899 for Netflix — if you’ve seen either, you have some idea of the spooky, mystical intrigue that is their forte. Unlike those series though, this one is more appropriate for younger viewers. Three misfits are sucked into a dark world ruled by a tyrannical monster that has been mercilessly plundering and subjugating all living creatures for centuries. The trio seem unwillingly destined to end his reign. DM/ML

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