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What’s on TV (Sep 15-Oct 5): 1960s America bang to rights
Caylyn Rich & Ben Hamilton
September 15th, 2017
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This article is more than 7 years old.
“That’s my point, Mr President, a ‘White’ House solely concerned with the self-interest of white men” (photo: Yoichi Okamoto)
PICK OF THE WEEK:
I Am Not Your Negro
SVT2; Sep 25, 22:20
Raoul Peck’s 2016 doc is based on James Baldwin’s unfinished manuscript about his three friends, the civil rights leaders Medgar Evers, Martin Luther King Jr and Malcolm X.
Hailed as “one of the best movies about the civil rights era ever made” by the Guardian, “the result is a brilliant piece of filmic writing, one that bursts with fierce urgency, not just for the long-unresolved history it seeks to confront, but also in its attempt to understand what is happening here, right now,” chimes the Washington Post.
Narrated by Samuel L Jackson, it has scored 95 on Metacritic and recevied a multitude of nominations.
“You would be hard-pressed to find a movie that speaks to the present moment with greater clarity and force, insisting on uncomfortable truths and drawing stark lessons from the shadows of history,” applauds the The New York Times.
ALSO NEW:
I’ve missed you, old friend. Yup, Simon Cowell is back with The X Factor UK (DR3; Sep 19, 20:00), thankfully with a talent pool bigger than Denmark’s, even though most of the contestants are bar singers they’ve begged/bribed to audition.
You can’t help thinking documentary maker Morgan Spurlock, back this week with Meet the Hitlers (DR2; Sep 16, 20:00), takes a similar approach, given how we can always guess what his subjects are going to say: McDonald’s make you fat.
No, Osama Bin Laden isn’t hiding in my kitchen. It’s tough being a Hitler.
It’s also hard being trapped in the wrong body. The subjects of Girls to Men (DR2, Sep 18, 21:30) take us on a journey to manhood and a manhood.
A few will be on show in League of Exotique Dancers, a doc about burlesque that promises to turn the spotlight on the racism and sexism prevalent among its performers – or maybe it’s made by someone who doesn’t like it?
Elsewhere, British suspense drama Doctor Foster (SVT1; Sep 25, 21:00) and Kiwi thriller series Top of the Lake (SVT1; Sep 25, 22:00) return for unlikely second seasons; the entire 2016 series of Ladies of London features Nicklas Bendtner’s ex; and there’s another chance to see UK miniseries The Honourable Woman (DR1; Sep 17, 23:40) and Black Work (DR2, Sep 27, 20:00). (BH)
COMING SOON:
The Williams siblings are back and this time they’re playing doubles. No, not them! That would be creepily soon.
Screenwriter brothers Harry and Jack Williams’ compelling miniseries The Missing made parents consider their absolute nightmare in the name of entertainment. And on Monday, their two new series were pitted against one another at 21:00 on BBC1 and ITV (and on HBO Nordic), and the critics’ verdict is they’re worth seeking out.
Rellik, starring the bloke in Game of Thrones who can’t die, has a back-to-front narrative, which was palatable in Memento, but how will it work over six episodes? The Guardian was happy enough, applauding its “neat” tricks.
In Liar, meanwhile, a rape accusation in a small town brings everyone’s secrets to the surface à la Broadchurch. Joanne Froggatt (raped once in Downton Abbey) and Ioan Gruffudd (continually promoted in Hornblower) play the leads.
More voyeuristic than opportunistic are Peep Show duo David Mitchell and Robert Webb, reuniting in Back, a new comedy by Simon Blackwell (The Thick of It), a writer who rarely disappoints.
Finishing with another tennis reference, we have The Deuce (86 on Metacritic), an HBO series charting the rise of the New York porn industry in the 1970s. The acclaim is deafening, but you can’t help thinking the critics are still wired about the work of its creator, David Simon. (BH)
TOP SPORT:
There are four F1 races in October, but just one in August. It seems excessive somehow. And racing at night? It makes the pits look like a skid row of dodgy garages. Anyhow, the duel continues at Singapore (3+, Sep 17, 12:30) and Malaysia (3+; Oct 1, 14:00). Elsewhere, the EPL delivers Chelsea vs Arsenal (K6, Sep 17, 14:30), the CL serves up Borussia Dortmund vs Real Madrid (3+, Sep 26, 20:45) and the NFL (3+; Sep 17, 24 & 31, 22:15) continues. (BH)
TOP FILM:
There are films that feel like they go on forever – surely rural Prohibition flick Lawless (TV2, Sep 16, 23:25) is longer than two hours? Give me Capone anytime – and those that do, like the formidable Boyhood (SVT2, Sep 15, 21:45 ), even though Richard Linklater’s characters spout the most irritating dialogue. Steven Soderbergh’s thriller Side Effects (TV2, Sep 22, 22:25) is neither too long nor too drawn. (BH)
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