ON (SMALL) SCREENS
Season Two of French teen-voodoo series Mortel premieres Friday PHOTO COURTESY OF NETFLIX
BY STEVE SCHNEIDER
PREMIERES WEDNESDAY: America: The Motion Picture — Drunk History will seem positively accurate next to this animated reimagining of our country’s founding, which sees George Washington wielding a chainsaw, among other embellishments. But remember, it’s Critical Race Theory you’re supposed to be worried about. (Netflix) Prime Time — Poland sends us a tense drama about a youthful gunman who takes over a TV station on New Year’s Eve. “[L]ike being trapped in a two-hour hostage situation” — Slashfilm. “’Zat all?” — Zack Snyder. (Netflix) Somos. — In six episodes, this dramatization of DEA policy gone bad promises to do for the Mexican border town of Allende what Chernobyl did for … well, you get the analogy. (Netflix)
PREMIERES THURSDAY: Audible — Documentary cameras follow a graduating class at the Maryland School for the Deaf, discovering that they channel their frustrations into football. As opposed to the kids at the Maryland School for the Gifted, who I hear are almost unhealthily preoccupied with “Far Side” cartoons. (Netflix) Dynasty Warriors — The video-game franchise becomes a live-action flick steeped in the rivalries of third-century China. They’re pretty protective of their cultural iconography over there, so I’m guessing no chainsaws. (Netflix) Generation 56K — Yes, this is what we’ve been reduced to: nostalgia for modem speeds. Two children of the dial-up era meet and fall in love in a dramedy series that wants you to remember how alluring human connection seemed back when porn took an hour to download. (Netflix) No Sudden Move — Steven Soderbergh takes us back to the Detroit of the 1950s to weave a tale of petty crime and racial tension. Must have been a heckuva technical challenge to camouflage the Shangri-La that’s there now. (HBO Max) Young Royals — A new series about a Swedish
prince who has to balance his duty to the throne against his yen for personal adventure. Bound to resonate with anyone whose unemployment benefits are about to run out! (Netflix)
PREMIERES FRIDAY: The 8th Night — An intrepid monk makes it his personal quest to chase down an ancient demon. SO HE CAN DENY IT COMMUNION. (Netflix) Big Timber — Reality TV teaches us just what it’s like to sling lumber on Vancouver Island. The not-so-surprising answer: like slinging lumber anywhere else, only politer. (Netflix) Fear Street Part 1: 1994 — In the first part of a trilogy based on the books by R.L. Stine, a group of teenagers pursue a centuries-old, malevolent force. Given the story’s 1994 setting, that narrows down the suspects to Cthulhu and Bob Dole. (Netflix) Mortel — In its second season, this French series finds its cast of teenage voodoo practitioners recruiting an “army of the lonely” to battle evil. Should be easy: Just advertise on gardening sites. (Netflix) The Tomorrow War — A sci-fi actioner about Earthmen of today who are conscripted into a future war against extraterrestrials. Leading the way: Chris Pratt, who proved his mettle for this stuff by letting Thanos win just because he was pissed off about his girlfriend. OK, so maybe we’ll keep him on KP duty. (Amazon Prime)
PREMIERES MONDAY: You Are My Spring — South Korea offers up a drama series about a hotel concierge and a psychiatrist who team up to solve a murder. Not to be confused with its slightly more violent Tunisian counterpart, You Are My Arab Spring. (Netflix) I Think You Should Leave With Tim Robinson — Bob Odenkirk is among the guest stars in Season 2 of the hit sketch series, which sees SNL alum Robinson and his pals doing what they can to make harried victims flee the scene. The Hail-Mary pass: Show them Big Timber. (Netflix) orlandoweekly.com
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JUNE 30-JULY 6, 2021 ● ORLANDO WEEKLY
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