00:00This is Streamline, your weekly guide to what's worth watching across TV, film and everything
00:05in between. In a world of endless streaming, scrolling and choice, it's easy to lose track
00:09of what to watch. And hey, no judgment. But if you want to know what's actually worth watching,
00:14what to skip, and generally what everyone's going to be talking about, we've got you covered.
00:19Let's talk about the biggest release of the week. I watched The Truth About Jussie Smollett,
00:23the second it hit Netflix, along with about 10 million other people.
00:26Jussie Smollett.
00:27I was sure he'd made it up.
00:28He did that.
00:28Now, for the chronically offline, or just anyone who wants a recap, Jussie Smollett is
00:34an actor best known for his work in the TV show Empire. He's also an activist, especially
00:38around racial justice and LGBTQ plus rights. In 2019, he claimed to be the victim of a hate
00:44crime.
00:44They see an actor called Jussie Smollett with a noose around his neck.
00:48I knew this was going to be huge.
00:49It literally was everywhere.
00:51The story blew up, and this was at a time where racial tension in the US was already sky high.
00:56But then things took a turn.
00:58Cops later uncovered evidence allegedly indicating the actor paid two extras who worked on his
01:03show Empire to stage the attack.
01:05I was like, we got this dude now.
01:07Jussie has always said that his story hasn't changed. So what really happened?
01:12The thing that's fascinating about the story is that it doesn't make sense. So many things
01:15about it don't make sense. Like, if he did set up this hate crime and fake it, why would
01:20he have fired two Nigerian Americans to stage a hate crime that he thought would be captured
01:26on camera?
01:27Like, it doesn't add up. The idea of anyone staging an attack on themselves, paying someone
01:33to beat them up, is just bizarre, right? So whichever way you look at it, whatever the
01:37actual objective truth is, it's a fascinating story.
01:41This documentary digs into every possible angle, including interviews with police, journalists,
01:46Jussie himself, and the two brothers who say it was all staged. If the style feels familiar,
01:51it's because this is from the same people who bought you Don't F*** with Cats and the
01:54Tinder Swindler.
01:55So I think we can expect the same insane true crime water cooler moment to emerge from this.
02:00There are some people who are actually convinced in his guilt.
02:03If you watch this and actually think that this guy might be innocent, I feel bad for you dog.
02:08And there are others who are completely convinced of his innocence.
02:11I'm not sure. He might actually be innocent.
02:15The fact that we can watch exactly the same footage, two groups of people, and see completely
02:20different things. The Jussie case is just another example of that. It feels like you'd have to be
02:27Team Jussie is totally innocent or he's a liar, he's totally guilty.
02:30The runtime for this is a neat and tidy 90 minutes. So perfect for anyone with the attention span of a
02:35flea who still wants to get their true crime fix.
02:38If you're anything like me and you've fallen head first down the true crime rabbit hole,
02:42then don't worry, I've got you covered.
02:44Here are three films that absolutely everyone is going to be talking about.
02:47First up we have Court Stealing, which is a crime comedy following Hank,
02:51a burnt-out ex-baseball player who gets pulled into the criminal underbelly of 90s New York
02:55after his neighbour asks him to catsit for a few days.
02:58I like cats.
02:59I like dogs.
03:00This is very Snatch, so if you're a fan of a bit of 90s Guy Ritchie,
03:04then this is definitely worth a watch.
03:05Austin Butler and Zoe Kravitz's on-screen romance actually sparked IRL dating rumours
03:10earlier this year.
03:11So needless to say,
03:14the internet is feral.
03:16I mean honestly, whoever's doing the marketing deserves a pay rise.
03:19For me, I'm still in this era of Austin, so I can't let my mind go there.
03:26So this film is directed and produced by Darren Aronofsky,
03:29who did Black Swan, The Wrestler, Requiem for a Dream.
03:33So it's really fun seeing him moving into a sort of zany crime caper space.
03:41What the hell happened?
03:42Next up we have The Thursday Murder Club, based on the books by Richard Osman.
03:46Yeah, the guy from Pointless.
03:48It follows a group of retirees turned amateur sleuths who attempt to solve a murder case.
03:53Obviously, RIP and all that.
03:55Also starring in this, we've got David Tennant, Naomi Aki, Tom Ellis.
03:59I could go on.
03:59So this film has the vibe of sort of Best Exotic Marigold Hotel or Calendar Girls,
04:04but with a sort of Agatha Christie whodunit threading through it.
04:07And if all of that doesn't sound charming and cosy enough for you,
04:10then it's also directed by Chris Columbus.
04:12Yes, that Chris Columbus who did Home Alone, Mrs Doubtfire,
04:17Hello Pierce.
04:18And the first two Harry Potters.
04:19Intermediate knitting starts here in one hour.
04:22Finally, we have The Roses, starring Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch,
04:25as golden couple Ivy and Theo, whose perfect relationship begins to sour
04:30when her career overshadows his, bringing years of resentment to the surface.
04:33I suppose sometimes I do hate you.
04:35Ah, sporadic hatred.
04:38This is a reimagining of The War of the Roses from 1989,
04:41which is based on Warren Adler's novel.
04:42This film was directed by Jay Roach,
04:44who's probably best known for films like Meet the Parents and Bombshell.
04:47And maybe most excitingly, this was written by Tony McNamara,
04:51who's the same guy that wrote Poor Things and The Favourite.
04:54So it probably gives you a bit of an idea of the sort of twisted,
04:56dark humour that we can expect from this.
04:58And I mean, it's Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch
05:01just being absolutely diabolical to each other.
05:04So what's not to like?
05:05Sometimes Ivy's mad at me and I can't even tell.
05:08Sometimes he's got his f*** in me and I can't even tell.
05:11Thanks so much for watching.
05:12I'm going to be back with another set of recommendations for Streamline next week.
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