Things to stream
Spaceman Netflix
A wise alien spider, a sombre, serious Adam Sandler and a lonely Carey Mulligan all make Swedish director Johan Renck’s heavily messaged sci-fi drama worth some time. Sandler plays an astronaut on a solitary mission to the edge of the solar system who, six months into his mission, realises he’d better pay some attention to his wife if he wants their marriage to still be there when he returns.
American Fiction Prime Video
Cord Jefferson’s directorial debut, an adaptation of the satirical novel ‘Erasure’ by Percival Everett, is one of the smartest comedies about race and class in America you’re likely to see. Nominated for five Oscars, including a Best Actor nod for Jeffrey Wright, it’s a razor-tipped dissection of society’s reduction of people to stereotypes told through the tale of Wright’s novelist Monk, who decides to write the kind of “black novel” that white people love, as a joke only to find he may have unleashed a monster he can’t control.
Shogun Disney Plus
Disney goes big in the battle of streaming studios to find the next ‘Game of Thrones’ with this epic, historically detailed adaptation of the novel by James Clavell. It’s about a 17thcentury English naval officer who finds himself marooned in feudal Japan and at the centre of a bloody succession fight between rival warlords. Epic in scale and sumptuous in its period detail, it’s filled with palace intrigue, action-packed battles, aching romance and memorably villainous characters that may just make it a hit with those looking for their GoT replacement fix.
Napoleon Apple TV +
Ridley Scott’s historically inaccurate but entertaining attempt to bring the life of the legendary French general to screen is excellent when on the battlefield. It’s sometimes lacking, however, when dealing with the inner life of its hero, played with smirky cheek and dark humour by Joaquin Phoenix.
IF YOU HAVE MANY HOURS
Accused Showmax
An Americanised adaptation of British writer Jimmy McGovern’s acclaimed 2010 anthology series in which each episode tells the story of an accused person and the circumstances that lead to their arrest and trial. This melodramatic version features strong performances from a roster of TV talent, including Michael Chiklis, Wendell Pierce and Molly Parker.