Today’s TV tips
Once Upon a Time in… Hollywood
Movie. Los Angeles, summer 1969. While the city is shaken by murders of cult leader Charles Manson and his followers, actor Rick Dalton senses that his heyday on television is gradually numbered. He finds comfort in stuntman Cliff Booth, his right-hand man and also his driver and handyman. Together they try to make a name for themselves again, but Rick watches with dismay as Hollywood enters a new era. Only his neighbor, the famous Polish director Roman Polanski, and his wife Sharon Tate provide the necessary distraction.
At 8.35 pm on VTM3.
Restaurant Misunderstanding
Humaninterest program. The employees wake up in their cabins where they can enjoy a holiday atmosphere before they go to work in Restaurant Misverstand. Seppe surprises Els with a visit to her favorite pastry chef Roger van Damme. Anne has a hard time during the mise-en-place. She is confronted with basic skills that are no longer possible due to her illness. On this second restaurant day, some old acquaintances will drop by: the employees of Restaurant Misverstand Antwerp. The atmosphere is already good among the hall and kitchen team.
At 8.45 pm on VRT1.
Bohemian Rhapsody
Movie. London, 1970. Young Farrokh Bulsara has a job at Heathrow airport but dreams of a career as a musician. After a performance by the band Smile, Farrokh offers his services because their lead singer has just resigned. The band Queen is born and Farrokh changes his name to Freddie Mercury. The rest is history. Queen became one of the biggest rock bands of all time and had worldwide success with hits such as ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, ‘We Will Rock You’, ‘We Are the Champions’ and ‘Radio Ga Ga’. In 1985 the band performed at the legendary Live Aid concert. Not long after, Mercury is diagnosed with AIDS.
At 8:35 PM on Play5.
The best on Netflix, Streamz and co.
Mr. & Mrs. Smith
With Donald Glover as screenwriter and protagonist of Mr. & Mrs. Smith, you expect an alienating, Lynchian universe like that of his hit series Atlanta. Nothing is less true. Mr. & Mrs. Smith is rooted in more classic fiction, more specifically a spy world such as that of James Bond, Jason Bourne and Mission: Impossible. The 2005 film of the same name with Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie is a difficult point of comparison. That entertaining Hollywood lightweight relied on the sparks between the leading actors and the spectacular shoot-outs. Pitt and Jolie played a married pair of spy-hitmen, albeit for rival employers. One day they are ordered by their respective bosses to kill each other.
The premise of Glovers Mr. & Mrs Smith is quite different. In the series, he and a superb Maya Erskine are given a spacious New York row house as a base for a mysterious organization. They have to go through life as John and Jane Smith, a married couple, both computer programmers.
On Prime Video.
Masters of the Air
Masters of the Air creates a squad of captivating characters (with top actors Austin Butler, Callum Turner, Barry Keoghan and Anthony Boyle leading the way), and – perhaps most importantly – follows an army unit that has experienced both the glory moments and the most miserable horrors of war. In this case: the 100th Bomb Group (‘the Bloody Hundredth’), an air force squadron that played a crucial role in the bombing raids carried out by the Allied powers on the German-occupied European mainland.
On Apple TV+.
The Brothers Sun
The Brothers Sun takes off explosively in the Taiwanese capital Taipei, where Charles Sun (Justin Chien), son of the leader of one of the local triads, has to fend off a brutal attack by members of another crime gang. But the majority of the story and action take place in Los Angeles, where Sun must move to protect his mother (Michelle Yeoh) and his younger brother Bruce (Sam Song Li), who grew up largely without memories of him.
What follows is a highly entertaining barrage of fast-paced story twists and action scenes that are – in several respects – cleverly depicted.
On Netflix.
Tags: Tarantinos Hollywood masterpiece life Freddie Mercury missed tonight
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