Here we are with yet another roundup of the best in TV and movie releases this week.
After a massive box office success with Black Panther: Wakanda Forever last weekend, this Friday’s offering couldn’t be more different. If you’re not craving a second viewing of the Ryan Coogler superhero film, The Menu, only in theaters, is giving us a little glimpse into the world of fine dining with delectable performances from Ralph Fiennes, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Nicholas Hoult.
If you’re in the mood to stay home this week, you have more than enough to catch up on. Netflix is having a major week with some outstanding releases. Their new show 1899 hit the streaming service this week, alongside a powerful documentary about United States soldier Vanessa Guillen who went missing at an army base and was found dead in 2020. Season 3 of Dead to Me also arrived on Thursday, giving us an emotional ending to one of the streamer’s wildest and funniest shows. If you have yet to watch Jordan Peele’s Nope, the film is hitting Peacock this weekend so give it a watch and see what everyone was talking about back in July.
Check out our choices for What to Watch this week, and be sure to check us out again next week for more of what November has in store.
'The Menu'
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When: Friday, Nov. 18
Where: In theaters
The Menu knows that dinner parties can be hell. The splashy new satirical thriller from Succession director Mark Mylod situated itself around a fine dining experience at Hawthorne, an ultra-exclusive restaurant on a private island and the home of acclaimed chef Julian Slowik (an incredible Ralph Fiennes), who treats and prepares his food as edible art installations. Getting a ticket is only available to the elites, which is why Margot (Anya Taylor-Joy) finds the whole endeavor rather pretentious when she’s brought along by her date, Tyler (Nicholas Hoult).
Throughout the five-course meal, the experience at Hawthorne begins to unfurl, taking on new textures and dimensions as Slowik’s vision comes alive. Working off a script from relative newcomers Seth Reiss and Will Tracy, Mylod brings the delectably decadent food to life—don’t come hungry to this. The intersection of elite cooking and pretentious foodies allows for plenty of satire, but it’s here where the movie stumbles slightly. Its exploration of themes like critics versus artists doesn’t feel as insightful as the film believes it to be—but it doesn’t leave enough of a bitter taste to spoil the rest of the course.
In short, The Menu is a fun and tight thriller that left me eager for more from Mylod and especially from Reiss and Tracy. Hopefully, this is just an aperitif from the duo, who certainly cook up quite a debut. —William Goodman
'1899'
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When: Thursday, Nov. 17
Where: Netflix
In the world of Jantje Friese and Baran bo Odar, patience is the name of the game. The duo, responsible for Netflix’s Dark—a time-bending series that was initially posited as a German Stranger Things—are back at the streaming service with a brand new series, 1899. The new series is notable for a few reasons: it’s Friese and bo Odar’s first multi-lingual show (Dark is exclusively in German), it’s the first Netflix series to make use of The Volume technology (the massive real-time screen pioneered by The Mandalorian), and marks the sophomore effort from the creators as they continue to develop projects as part of a long-term deal for the platform.
The eight-episode first season hit Netflix this week and brings with it what is now the trademark style of Friese and bo Odar: methodically intentional pacing. To many, that may mean the series will feel plodding, but the hook is killer enough to keep watching even when answers aren’t quick to come. The mystery show details a ship on course for America when it stumbles upon another craft. Upon investigating the ship, missing for months, all hell breaks loose and sets the course for the rest of the show.
Much like Dark, 1899 quickly becomes a compelling ensemble program, digging deep into the array of characters at its core instead of providing answers to the overarching questions it’s asking. That’s a feature, not a bug of the duo’s work. If 1899 is anything like Dark, the wait will be worth it if you can hang with it accordingly. —William Goodman
'Dead to Me'
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When: Thursday, Nov. 17
Where: Netflix
Did I watch Dead to Me’s third and final season all in one day, in one sitting? Yes, I did. There’s just something about this series that stole my heart from the second I press played back when Season 1 dropped. Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini are the show’s stars and for good reason, the two are electric together. They play Jen Harding and Judy Hale who became friends after fate found a deadly way to bring them together and has kept them wrapped in each other, and in multiple crimes and mysteries ever since. Season 1 starts as Jen is mourning her husband’s loss, who died in a hit-and-run of a car Judy was in. Things get wilder from there and for the remainder of the series, the two friends are determined to conceal yet another murder. They return for the third and final season in the aftermath of yet another hit and run, and both women receive shocking news that neither one of them is prepared for.
Dead to Me is by far one of the most stellar depictions of female friendships that I have ever seen on TV. It’s not often that we celebrate how important women are in each other’s lives and how they can be each other’s rocks when all things are going awry. Judy and Jen are always ready to risk their lives for the other, and that’s what makes this (also hilarious) show an absolute delight. Both Applegate and Cardellini, alongside costars James Marsden and Katey Sagal, deliver some of the best performances of their careers. As soon as the end credits rolled in, I knew I’d be thinking about this show for years to come. If you haven’t started it yet, this is the perfect binge-worthy show, and if you have, brace yourself for all the drama and laughs in Season 3. —Karla Rodriguez
'I Am Vanessa Guillen'
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When: Thursday, Nov. 17
Where: Netflix
Covering the news about a young Mexican-American soldier who vanished from a U.S. Army base in 2020 wasn’t easy. The story of Vanessa Guillen shook the Latinx community to its core, and the soldier’s family searched tirelessly for answers about her whereabouts. Guillen always dreamed of joining the U.S. Army, but after reporting that she was being sexually harassed at Fort Hood in Texas, she disappeared. After a two-month search, her remains were found in a nearby rural area, causing rage among her community, and her family and loved ones continued to fight for justice. Her story got the attention of celebrities like Salma Hayek and Becky G who demanded that she would be found and that her family would get the answers they needed. Although the story had a tragic ending, Netflix has released a documentary about her murder titled I Am Vanessa Guillen, which follows her sisters Lupe and Mayra as they lead an international movement to find her and expose ongoing corruption within the military ranks. Now millions more will be exposed to the corruption and abuse of power that can happen behind closed doors at these sorts of institutions, which often affect women and people of color the most. —Karla Rodriguez
