On our RADAR
STREAMING: Society Of The Snow, Netflix
If you remember the 1993 movie Alive, with Ethan Hawke and Vincent Spano, you’ll be familiar with the story of the rugby team that crashed in the mountains and had to resort to cannibalism to survive.
JA Bayona ( A Monster Calls), has now turned that story into a feature drama. In 1972, Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571, which had been chartered to fly a rugby team to Chile, crashed in the heart of the Andes. Only 29 of its 45 passengers survived the accident. Trapped in one of the most hostile and inaccessible environments on the planet, they must resort to extreme measures to stay alive. Enzo Vogrincic and Simón Hempe co-star.
STREAMING: James May: Our Man in India, Prime Video
James May takes on his greatest adventure yet: a 3,000 mile coast-to-coast epic across India, the most populous – and perhaps most extraordinary – country in the world. Starting by the Arabian Sea and finishing at the Bay of Bengal, his journey will encompass incredible landscapes, from the baking deserts of Rajasthan to the dramatic Himalayan foothills, and explore environments as diverse as the mangrove forests of the Sundarbans, through to the megacities of Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata.
STREAMING: Echo, January 10, Disney +
The seemingly boundless Marvel Cinematic Universe unearths yet another potential franchise in Native American heroine ‘Echo’ (Alaqua Cox). In this origin story, Echo/maya Lopez’s ruthless behaviour in New York City catches up with her in her hometown. She must face her past, reconnect with her roots and embrace the meaning of family and community if she ever hopes to move forward. The cast includes BAFTA nominee Chaske Spencer ( The English) and the great Graham Greene ( Dances With Wolves).
PODCAST: Wiser Than Me with Julia Louis-dreyfus
Apple Podcasts named this their Show of the Year for 2023. Basically, Julia wants to know why the hell we don’t hear more from older women, so she’s sitting down with the likes of Jane Fonda, Carol Burnett, Amy Tan, Diane von Furstenberg, Isabel Allende and Fran Lebowitz to get schooled in how to live a full and meaningful life.
RADIO: Opera Night with Paul Herriot, January 6, RTÉ lyric fm
This week, the Metropolitan Opera, New York presents: Verdi’s Nabucco. Ancient Babylon comes to life in a classic Met staging of biblical proportions. Baritone George Gagnidze makes his Met role debut as the imperious king Nabucco, alongside soprano Liudmyla Monastyrska, reprising her thrilling turn as his vengeful daughter Abigaille.