A Netflix series about a family of brewmasters, a cool crime series set in Italy and Scarlett Johansson’s directorial debut top our roundup of what to watch this weekend.
“House of Guinness”: Steven Knight, the creator of gritty fare such as “Peaky Blinders” and “Taboo,” brews up an irresistible historical soap opera series — a la HBO’s “Succession” — about the squabbling and scheming siblings behind one of the world’s most quaffable products.
The power struggle comes to a, ahem, head when the patriarch of the influential beer-making Guinness family dies in 19th-century Dublin, creating a sibling showdown between the eldest Arthur (Anthony Boyle), the conniving Edward (Louis Partridge of “Disclaimer”), the passed-over-in-the-will Anne Plunket (Emily Fairn) and the hot mess of a youngest son Benjamin (Fionn O’Shea). Each has secrets and checkered pasts that makes them blackmail bait
Knight makes this truth-based rivalry deliriously entertaining as arranged marriages and Fenian influencing play out while the company seeks to stake a claim in America and even in Parliament. True to Knight’s style, it boasts tremendous production values, and is energetic, racy and above all else irresistible. Details: 3½ stars out of 4; eight episodes; drops Sept. 25 on Netflix.
“Hotel Costiera”: Anyone else feel like they could use a relaxing trip to Italy right now? If so, but your bank account balks at such a journey, just binge all six episodes of Prime’s latest mood quencher. It’s almost as good as sipping an Aperol Spritz served up by a handsome guy on a sunny beach in Positano. Almost. Speaking of handsome, Jesse Williams (“Grey’s Anatomy”) steams up the screen as Daniel De Luca, a former Marine who takes care of the mischief that goes down at a swanky hotel. Each episode finds Daniel and his diverse spy-like team — the alluring, purpose-driven Genny (Jordan Alexandra); the hilarious and dapper Brit name-dropper Tancredi (Sam Haygarth) and the no-nonsense Bignè (Antonio Gerardi) — investigating an assortment of crimes while searching for Alice, the missing daughter of the hotel’s owner. Williams gives Danny — or DD as he’s nicknamed — more dimension and turns him into one of the most affable leads on any show running right now. The entire cast is irresistible, though. “Hotel Costeira” balances the beauty of the Amalfi Coast with often humorous but compelling plots and subplots — a dreamy mix indeed. Details: 3 stars; all episodes drop Sept. 24 on Prime.
“Eleanor the Great”: Scarlett Johansson’s solid directorial debut concerns a lie that gets told by the feisty but lonely 94-year-old Eleanor Morgenstein (the divine June Squibb) that alters her life and the lives of those around her. Eleanor possesses a sharp wit and a sharper tongue, but it’s A cover for how she’s mourning the death of her best friend. A move to New York to live temporarily with her stressed daughter and distracted grandson makes her feel even more isolated. All that changes when she stumbles into a Holocaust support group and shares a story that doesn’t belong to her. The tale (it will rip your heart out) catches the attention of journalism student Nina (Erin Kellyman) who is struggling with her own grief after her mom’s death; her always preoccupied broadcast-personality father (Chiwetel Ejiofor) isn’t much help. The problem with “Eleanor” is that the contrivance of that big lie and how it snowballs into something huge without Eleanor realizing it doesn’t align with who Eleanor is. Squibb, though, is a delight as are Kellyman and Ejiofor, and it’s a promising new direction for Johansson. Details: 3 stars; opens Sept. 26 in theaters.
“Dead of Winter”: Emma Thompson’s moving performance, combined with her grieving character’s poignant story arc eclipse a shaky premise in director Brian Kirk’s atmospheric and taut thriller, which comes undone due to illogic. Where it works best is in conveying the biting cold and isolation of a remote region in Minnesota and a certain cabin in the woods where a wife (Judy Greer) and husband (Marc Menchaca) are holding a have kidnapped woman (Laurel Marsden) for nefarious purposes. Barb (Thompson) stumbles upon them and then goes back and forth from being the hunted to the rescuer. “Dead of Winter” is intense but its plot holes are hard too overlook. A shame given how some elements and the cast are so strong. Details: 2½ stars; opens Sept. 26 in theaters.
“All the Devils Are Here”: Those who prefer their crime stories dark and grim and festooned with well-played twists should look no further than Barnaby Roper’s atmospheric, claustrophobic debut. It’s certain to unnerve you and even make you want to watch it again — if you’re up for it. Screenwriter John Patrick Dover strands four in-hiding criminals (Eddie Marsan, Sam Claflin, Burn Gorman and Tienne Simon) in a decaying, filthy manor in the U.K. boondocks. Roper’s pitch-black character study owes a lot to its four gusty performances, which keep you glued to the screen. No spoilers here, but I can say how it shakes out will leave you stunned. “All the Devils Are Here” might seem like a familiar tale at first, but don’t let that fool you. Details: 3 stars; available Sept. 26 on digital platforms.
“Night of the Reaper”: What starts as an homage to classic slashers such as “Halloween,” “Scream” and “He Know You’re Alone” plops into a self-serious, twist-filled final act that’s far too tangled and blunts the fun of what came before. Director/co-screenwriter Brandon Christensen knows his way around the 1980s horror canon and it is his gleeful VHS imagery and his tense babysitting opening that sets the nostalgic mood. College student Deena (Jessica Clement) returns to her hometown, a scene of a bloody murder from a few years back, on Halloween. When the town sheriff (Ryan Robbins) starts getting packages with VHS tapes harkening back to that crime and others, bodies and strange behavior start to pile up. Co-written by his brother Ryan, “Night of the Reaper” is worth watching around Halloween but could have used a less twist-oriented screenplay to get the job done. Details: 2½ stars; available on Shudder.
Contact Randy Myers at [email protected].