What to watch: ‘Shardlake’ is a bloody fine British whodunit
Murders most foul strike a 16th-century monastery in England. A single mom falls for the hot lead singer of a British boy band. AI and humans don’t mix so well. And a single dad embarks on a heartbreaking quest to find his adorable son the best possible new home.
There’s quite the variety of films and series to watch this week. Here’s our rundown.
“Shardlake”: A high body count? Check. A creepy setting? Check. A bunch of suspects? Check. Hulu’s enticing four-part adaptation of a C.J. Sansom mystery does a first-rate job of checking off the genre boxes as it whisks us away to a different time and place (16th-century England) and introduces us to an intriguing detective: Matthew Shardlake (Arthur Hughes). Shardlake’s a savvy underdog lawyer and keen observer who is coping with severe scoliosis. He’s just been tasked with figuring out who lobbed off the noggin’ of a barrister at a secretive monastery in the boggy small town of Scarnsea. His gruff boss Thomas Cromwell (Sean Bean) fears for is own hide and wants Shardlake to solve the crime and shutter the beleaguered monastery. Since Shardlake’s entering unfriendly territory, Cromwell insists that arrogant cutie Jack Barak (Anthony Boyle) — nicknamed “Mr. Codpiece” — accompany him and keep him out of harm’s way. That proves to be a tough task given more monks keep getting picked off and the killer looks to be whittling it down to Shardlake. Director Justin Chadwick keeps it all running at a fast clip while the Hughes/Boyle odd-couple pairing clicks. And the historical elements punch up a convoluted mystery that has surprising ties to actual events. Hopefully, Hulu will adapt another book in the series. Details: 3 stars out of 4; episodes drop May 1 on Hulu.
“The Idea of You”: The age difference between level-headed Los Angeles-area gallery owner Solène (Anne Hathaway), 40, and dreamy British boy band lead singer Hayes (Nicholas Galitzine), 24, concerns her far more than it does him when things heat up. But over time the attractive twosome — who first meet cute in his trailer at the Coachella Music Festival — find themselves tossing aside not only their clothing but judgmental tsk-tsking at their under-the-radar relationship. Then the romance becomes public knowledge and internet trolls and tabloid journalists rush in to tear Solène down. Director Michael Showalter keeps this peppy romance sexy and irresistible thanks mostly to the two leads, and then arms it with a slap to social media and sexist double standards. Hathaway hits a real groove here and wins us over, particularly as public sentiment sours. Galitzine – let’s face it – can melt the polar ice caps with his charm and his smile. The third act overdoes it by driving too many wedges too fast between the lovers, but by then you’ll be too hooked to care and just want to see them smooch again — always a good sign for a romance. Details: 3 stars; available May 2 on Prime Video.
“Mars Express”: It’s not hard to imagine the unfortunate future that French filmmaker Jérémie Périn — in his animation debut — so strikingly envisions for the 23rd century on Mars, gripped by a prescient struggle between humans and AIs. Caught in the middle is private detective Aline Ruby and her partner Carlos, who looks and acts human but is a robot. She works for an extra-slick businessman Chris Royjacker and his latest assignment for her is shaking down a hacker. But it’s just the appetizer for Aline — who shrugs off her on-the-wagon ways — and war vet Carlos as the two enter the lair of a plot that’s far more sinister and has more grandiose implications. “Mars Express” moves like a wrecking ball and sports the polish of a big-studio animated production, but has a storytelling arc that’s far more ambitious than the average Hollywood blockbuster. The final five minutes are a thing of devastating animated beauty. See it on a big screen. Not for the wee ones. Details: 3½ stars; in theaters May 3.
“Jeanne du Barry”: Magnificent to behold but basically lacking a point, this period-rich historical epic seems uncertain about what it wants to say about its main character. Thea result is that Jeanne Vaubernier (portrayed by director and co-screenwriter Maïwenn) isn’t all that interesting. Or at least that’s how the 18th- century mistress of King Louis XV (Johnny Depp) comes off in this failed 2-hour epic about her ascendancy. She’s grown up dirt poor, been sent to a convent and winds up summoned to the bedroom of a bored, pampered king who cycles through mistresses as if they were soiled laundry. Maïwenn’s feature revels in the decadence of lazy royalty, but pulls back from fully critiquing it. What a pity. Where it stands out is in the production, costume and hair design departments, all exemplary. It’s a shame, though, that the film dulls the harder aspects of Jeanne’s plight and even peers away from the sexual nature of her relationships. Odd given she was, as the film views her, a sexually liberated woman who loved to flirt. Depp, in a supporting role, gets the job done as the king but that’s about it. Details: 2 stars; in theaters May 2.
Find of the week
“Blood for Dust”: There’s been a run of excellent noir thrillers of late, from Netflix’s “Ripley” to Shane Atkinson’s “LaRoy, Texas.” Add this uncompromisingly gritty effort to that expanding list. Director Rod Blackhurst and screenwriter David Ebeltoft’s crafty neo-noir finds average guy Cliff (Scoot McNairy, well cast and handling his character’s duplicity with thespian skill) getting sucked into a life of crime after he loses his traveling salesman job. All too eagerly assisting him is his flashy former acquaintance, the slick and squirrely Ricky (Kit Harrington of “Game of Thrones”). “Blood for Dust” never makes one false move as it leads its characters into temptation and then hell. Details: 3½ stars; available to rent on various platforms.
“Nowhere Special”: Uberto Pasolini’s heartbreaking drama features two sensational performances that’ll stick with you for the rest of the year: One coming from James Norton, playing 35-year-old single-dad and window washer John; the other from newcomer Daniel Lamont, as John’s 4-year-old son, Michael. Pasolini’s emotional watch is a tough sell but do make the effort – a terminally ill father sets out to find the ideal home life for his son to live. It’s obvious John’s dedicated himself to raising Michael, and gets enormous joy from it. (Michael’s mother left after he was born). Intimate rather than maudlin, this sensitive, vulnerable feature – based on a newspaper article Pasolini read – shapes into a beautiful testament to the undaunting love between a father and a son, and the ultimate gift that an ill dad can give his child. Norton’s vulnerable performance breaks you up into tiny pieces. Details: 3½ stars; opens May 3 at the Orinda Theatre and Opera Plaza in San Francisco; May 10 at the Smith Rafael Center.
“Boy Kills World”: Director Moritz Mohr’s over-the-top dystopian martial arts mashup trips over itself by striving way too hard to be considered an instant cult classic. What prevent its from fully realizing that enviable goal is that its funny bits don’t always work and it’s not exactly graceful in its execution. What does work are the spectacularly gory martial arts sequences, all breathlessly choreographed, and Bill Skarsgård (“It”) as “Boy,” the six-pack-abs anti-hero who is deaf and non-verbal and obsessed with slaying crackpot fascist leader Hilda Van Der Koy (Famke Janssen) who knocked off his family. The story does take surprising turns and there are more than a few surreal moments (a kiddie show turns bloody) but often it is too eager to please disparate fan bases rather than settling in to tell an all-parts-assembled story. As is, it’s disjointed. Details: 2 stars; in theaters now.
Contact Randy Myers at soitsrandy@gmail.com.