Capsule’s latest pop culture recommendations on what to watch, read and listen to this weekend!
As we head into a long weekend, we’ve picked out the best of what to watch – whether that’s a TV show, doco or movie, what to read and what to listen to!
If you’re heading away, make sure you check out this list of the best playlists and podcasts to line up for when you’re hitting the road (and if you are getting away this long weekend, here’s also a handy packing guide for your car, or what not to pack in your suitcase if you’re hopping on a plane!).
If you’re looking for a book, oh boy, do we have recommendations for you! The best place to start is our book club – this long weekend would be perfect for cosying up with a copy of The Women (a historical fiction with a twist by Kristin Hannah), My Favourite Mistake (the chick-lit queen herself, Marian Keyes’ writes a beautiful piece of fiction covering the pandemic, a heartbreak, menopause and a second chance at love) or When the Moon Hatched (a wonderful and wild introduction to fantasy smut by Sarah A Parker).
WATCH THESE SHOWS
The Merata Mita Collection
NZ On Screen
Now is the perfect weekend to do a deep-dive into the inspiring and incredible work of Māori filmmaker Merata Mita. NZ On Screen has an incredible collection to look through. You can watch interviews, legendary Springbok tour documentary Patu!, clips from movie Mauri, and much more. One of my favourites was the very moving doco, Merata: How Mum Decolonised the Screen (made by her son, Hepi Mita). fter Mita passed away in 2010, her youngest son Heperi began making a film about her — discovering new sides to his mother while trawling through old films and talking to his siblings. It’s a beautiful, powerful tribute to a truly inspiring NZer – the first indigenous woman to ever direct a feature film – whose legacy can still be felt today both here, and around the world.
Presumed Innocent
On Apple TV
Okay, if you need a new show that’ll have you on the edge of your seat, this is it. It’s made by David E Kelley (who also made Big Little Lies), and stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Ruth Negga. If this is somehow not enough to have you sold already, it’s a legal thriller (David E. Kelley was an attorney, which makes sense why he made all those legal shows like Boston Legal and Ally McBeal!) that follows a prosecutor (played by Jake Gyllenhaal) who winds up being the prime suspect in the murder case of one of his colleagues. YIKES. It’s eight episodes, but they’re being slowly released one a week. The good news is, half of them are up now for you to binge. The bad news? ONLY HALF OF THEM ARE UP. God.
Outer Range
On Amazon Prime
This week I sat down to watch the second season of Outer Range, because – my Lordy – I loved the first season. I’m definitely not normally much of a fan of sci-fi shows, which this series technically is, so if you’re like me, don’t let that put you off! I’d describe this show as kind of like Lost, if it were a western?! Lost on a ranch? Essentially it follows Royal (Josh Brolin) who runs a ranch and is trying to keep his family – and land – together after a series of strange events. He and his wife have two adult sons, plus they’re caring for their granddaughter after their daughter-in-law mysteriously disappeared. Now, there’s an odd void on their land, plus a stranger has turned up – Autumn (played by Imogen Poots). What does it all mean!?!?
Like I said, I loved the first season, but it appears I also don’t have a great memory as to exactly what happened because I sure as hell am lost as to what is happening in season 2, so my long weekend is going to involve rewatching the first round (unless anyone can remind me of EVERYTHING that happened already!?!). If you haven’t watched the first season, now is the perfect time to start (especially so you have a fresh memory of things heading into season 2!!).
The Bear
On Disney+
If you’ve somehow missed the first two series of The Bear, heckitty heck, clear your schedule for this weekend and get into it! Now is the perfect time, with season three now out (literally, it just dropped yesterday on June 27!) ! The Bear is a drama/comedy (read: an extremely stressful show, that’s often quite dark, but also has the occasional bit of humour in it so that you don’t feel so anxious that you never watch another episode) that follows Carmy Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White) who is an award-winning chef of a Michelin starred restaurant who returns to his hometown in Chicago after his brother dies, to run his olf chaotic sandwich shop. It has one incredible core cast, a hell of a plot, and somehow, season 2 is even better than the first (likely because season 1 was so good, everyone wanted to be a part of this show, so it has incredible cameos from the likes of Olivia Colman, Jamie Lee Curtis and Sarah Paulson).
WATCH THESE FILMS
Mother’s Instinct
On Amazon Prime
If you’re looking for something happy, light, fun and cheery, this is most definitely not the film for you this long weekend, okay? In fact, just stop reading now and go to reading the next two films – just reading about this film is likely a horrible experience. Because, Mother’s Instinct is dark and creepy and involves the death of a child and the whole thing made me feel icky and distressed, but it’s also a very well made movie. It stars Anne Hathaway and Jessica Chastain, who play a pair of women living quite idyllic lives in the 1960s. The best friends and neighbours, who are both mothers to young boys, soon find their picture-perfect lives are in tatters though after a tragic accident that results in the death of one of the boys. It becomes a psychological thriller as guilt, paranoia and suspicion take over their lives…
The Idea of You
On Amazon Prime
This is the movie that everyone has been talking about lately, so if you’ve missed the buzz, now is your time to get amongst it! The Idea of You is an easy, fun watch – with one heck of a wardrobe on Anne Hathaway. Plus, if you’re keen on the idea of watching a 40-year-old woman be the fun love interest, THIS HAS THAT! I wrote a whole rant/rave about it here, but in short, this is a lovely little film to take you through a grey day.
Someone Like You
Rent it on Apple Movies, NEON
I watched this movie because I heard someone on the radio say it was the highest grossing romcom of all time now. After I watched it I Googled that fact and discovered no, it actually has the much more niche title of being the highest grossing live-action Shakespeare adaptation of all time. That still surprised me though because A) really? more people went to see this movie than Romeo + Juliet!?! And B) I had absolutely no inkling that this was based on Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing even though I studied the play at school. Let’s just say it is a VERY loose adaptation.
It’s still watchable, and light and fun and stars Sydney Sweeney (as Bea) and Glen Powell (as Ben) who meet by chance and hit it off, having the best first date in history, until things go a little odd and they become sworn enemies. Months and months pass and the two are then brought back together when one of Ben’s besties starts dating Bea’s sister and they’re soon thrown together on the same flight heading to the same intimate accomodation for a very small destination wedding in Sydney. What could possibly happen next!?!?
LISTEN
Matariki and Māori astronomy with Dr Rangi Matamua
This is a must-listen this weekend for anyone wanting a greater understanding of the importance of Matariki. Associate Professor Dr Rangi Matamua from the University of Waikato, has spent over 20 years researching Matariki. In this podcast he shares a Māori perspective of astronomical and cosmological links relevant to Matariki. You’re sure to come away with a greater understanding – and appreciation – of Matariki. You can listen in here.
Everyday Maori
Want to be more confident when you’re pronouncing te reo Māori? Wanting to add more te reo to your vocab? Not sure where to start? Here’s a perfect starting point. Hēmi Kelly has a beautiful soothing voice to listen to and has created short podcast episodes to go through some of the basics, explaining pronunciation, what macrons mean and how they change the sound and meaning of words. It’s a great, non-scary (learning something new can always be a bit intimidating?) way to become more confident when speaking te reo.
Bronwyn
The Teacher’s Pet was one of the best podcasts ever made – particularly because it resulted in the prosecution and guilty verdict of the husband of Lynette Sims, who supposedly ‘went missing’ one day in 1982. Investigative journalist Hedley Thomas researched the case extensively – talking to people who knew the couple well and many of whom had never been asked to speak to the police, despite them having crucial evidence in building a case against Chris Dawson.
Well, now Hedley is back, and again he is researching a suspicious missing persons case. This time around the woman is named Bronwyn Winfield, the mother of two young girls – one from a previous relationship and one from her current marriage. The marriage, from Bronwyn’s descriptions and what friends and family observed, was a deeply unhappy one and Bronwyn had set about getting out of it. She’d got a job, she’d found a new place to live and was trying to make ends meet. She saw a solicitor and had papers sent to her husband. She was due back in for a meeting with her solicitor the next week… but, instead Bronwyn disappeared. Her husband said she’d obviously gone away for a break…
Listening to Hedley’s voice again is like being back with a dear old friend. He crafts incredible podcasts, treating the women at the centre of his series with much dignity and kindess. I’m up to episode five and it is full of twists and turns, and i can only hope that like The Teacher’s Pet, this podcast will finally bring some closure and justice to the story of Bronwyn Winfield.
Girls Next Level
If you know the names Holly, Kendra and Bridget, then you likely had the E! Channel in the 2000s and never missed an episode of The Girl’s Next Door. The reality show followed the lives of Hef’s three girlfriends at the Playboy Mansion and was extremely watchable and popular. Well, I somehow completely missed that Holly and Bridget had started up a podcast a couple of years ago, and it is GOOD. There’s also plenty of episodes now for you to listen to too – just make sure you go back to the start. The girls start with some introductory eps, explaining what it was like when they were two of Hef’s SEVEN girlfriends, how the group was cut down, how Kendra joined and how the TV show started. They also explain a lot of how the show wasn’t all it seemed and how all wasn’t quite as happy as it appeared onscreen (for a start, the girls weren’t paid a cent to be on the show – plus, they were told any nudity would be blurred, which didn’t turn out to be exactly true…). From there, the girls rewatch every episode and share their thoughts on it now, what was real, what was fake and what was really going on at the time. It’s a must-listen for anyone who watched the TV show!
Sounds Like a Cult
Sounds Like a Cult is my new favouriite podcast, even though, again, this is certainly not a new podcast! Each week Amanda Montell and Isa Medina pick a topic (from Taylor Swift, to Lululemon, to Chiropractors, to Momfluencers, to The Bachelor, to Medical School to Doomsday Preppers and more!) and ask the same big question: “This group sounds like a cult, but is it really? And if so, how bad is it?”
There are SO many fun episodes (and quite dark, serious episodes), there is sure to be one or 20 that you will want to line up and listen to.