three to see
Missed it at the cinema or on TV? We round up the best streaming and DVD releases of the week
FUNNY COW (15)
GRITTY drama set in 1970s and 1980s working men’s clubs in the north of England. As a child, the nameless heroine (Macy Shackleton) suffers at the hands of her abusive father (Stephen Graham). Then, as a young woman (now played by Maxine Peake), she falls in love with Bob (Tony Pitts), who uses his fists when she dares to speak out of turn. During a visit to a working men’s club, the abused spouse witnesses a poorly received set from a veteran comedian and is excited by the prospect of taking to the stage herself. Adopting the stage name Funny Cow, the battered wife taps into her troubled past to turn her tears into laughter.
Download/stream from August 13 and available on DVD from August 27.
MAD TO BE NORMAL (15)
CONTROVERSIAL Scottish medic RD Laing (David Tennant) conducts an anti-psychiatry experiment at Kingsley Hall in London, transforming the building into a medication-free sanctuary where patients and carers live under the same roof.
His methods, which fly in the face of conceived wisdom, transform Laing into a celebrity during the 1960s and 1970s. During one lecture tour, he meets starstruck student Angie Wood (Elisabeth Moss), who becomes his lover and partner. She moves into Kingsley Hall, where her presence is seen as a threat by some of the patients, who want Laing all to themselves. This is an earnest biography of a real-life Glaswegian physician.
Download/stream from August 13.
INSATIABLE – SEASON ONE (15)
THE 12-part revenge comedy Insatiable has been garnering headlines and sparking feverish debate before the first episode has even aired.
The show centres on teenager Patty (Debby Ryan), who used to be bullied and belittled by classmates because of her weight. Now slim, Patty is consumed by a desire for revenge against those who wronged her because of her looks. She joins forces with unsuspecting beauty pageant coach Bob Armstrong (Dallas Roberts) to dish out just deserts while Bob and his doting wife Coralee (Alyssa Milano) fashion her into the most formidable pageant queen in the country.
12 episodes, streaming and available to download from August 10 exclusively on Netflix.