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đïž Ripley | đ Scoop | đ€« Big Little Lies
12 April 2024
TV
Andrew Scott as Tom Ripley
Ripley
If youâve seen the âglorious, sun-drenchedâ 1999 movie The Talented Mr Ripley, says Caryn James on the BBC website, youâll be astonished at how Netflix has transformed the same story into something âcompletely different but just as masterfulâ. The plot, true to the Patricia Highsmith novel from which itâs adapted, is largely the same. A wealthy New Yorker pays a young upstart called Tom Ripley (Andrew Scott) to travel to Italy and bring home his wayward son, Dickie Greenleaf (Johnny Flynn). But Tom soon befriends Dickie, and things take a dark turn. Scott is perfect for the role, bringing a âhum of sinister energyâ to proceedings, with echoes of his âchillingly evilâ Moriarty in Sherlock. And the whip-smart script has subtle nods to Caravaggio, who fled Rome after being accused of a crime. It feels like âthe Hitchcock series Hitchcock never madeâ.
Everything certainly âmoves along sleeklyâ, says Mike Hale in The New York Times, and the cinematography â all monochrome â is gorgeous. But the slow pace and notes of âmuted, stylish apprehensionâ leave you feeling as if Highsmithâs âpulpy concoctionâ has been put through a strainer. And writer-director Steven Zaillian (who wrote Schindlerâs List and Moneyball), is ânot kind to his charactersâ: Dickieâs companion Marge Sherwood (Dakota Fanning) is uptight and tasteless, with a simplistic sense of humour; Ripley is pitched toward cunning and greed rather than passion, which makes him less interesting. Ripley will no doubt appeal to those nostalgic for the 1960s art-house movies it so clearly apes. But others may be better off rewatching the original.
Ripley is available on Netflix, here.
Eight episodes.
Film
Gillian Anderson as Emily Maitlis
Scoop
This dramatisation of Emily Maitlisâs infamous 2019 Newsnight interview with Prince Andrew is irresistible, says Tim Robey in The Daily Telegraph. Writer Peter Moffat delves into the PR wranglings with a âwickedly astute scriptâ; Rufus Sewell is a revelation as the burbling duke, carrying himself âwith exactly the right degree of arrogant charmâ; and Gillian Anderson inhabits Maitlis âto a teeâ. Sorry, but I wasnât convinced, says Hugo Rifkind in The Times. Much of the action focuses on the showâs producer Sam McAlister (Billie Piper) doggedly trying to secure the interview, which mainly seems to consist of her phoning Andrewâs press secretary and saying: âHow about now?â The art of the behind-the-scenes interview booker is âunder-ratedâ, even among journalists. âIâm not sure, though, that it makes great drama.â
Scoop is available on Netflix, here.
1hr 43m.
In case you missed it
Shailene Woodley, Zoë Kravitz, Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman and Laura Dern
Big Little Lies
HBO has made some of the âbest-regarded dramas of all timeâ, say Tim Glanfield and Jake Helm in The Sunday Times, and this award-winning show easily ranks among them. Based on the book by Australian author Liane Moriarty, and starring A-listers including Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon and Laura Dern, it follows the unravelling of a well-heeled town in California. After one of the residents mysteriously dies, what follows is an exploration of friendship, relationships, and the salacious reality of âwhat really goes on behind the gates of perfectly manicured mansionsâ. Itâs powerful, intriguing, and guaranteed to have you hooked.
Watch Big Little Lies on Amazon Prime, here.
Two seasons.
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