What to watch: ‘Those About to Die’ is a well-oiled mess, and totally worth your time
The sword-and-sandals series from director Roland Emmerich isn't high art but it's never dull.
A guilty pleasure set in ancient Rome and a terrifyingly real dystopian series are two of this week’s streaming highlights, along with one of the best family films of 2024 navigating its way to Disney+.
We also point you to two under-the-radar films popping up in movie theaters and a streaming sequel featuring the alway welcome Dave Bautista.
Here’s our roundup.
“Those About to Die”: Director Roland Emmerich will never be accused of being subtle. The German filmmaker behind thundering box-office hits “Independence Day” and “The Day After Tomorrow” prefers spectacle over character development and it’s his proficiency in bombast that makes him such a perfect fit to direct half of Peacock’s deliciously entertaining 10-episode guilty pleasure that’s overrun with well-oiled muscles, lusty encounters, gladiator standoffs and CGI — sometimes to ill effect. Creator Robert Rodat and a team of writers have repurposed Daniel P. Mannix’s nonfiction tome of the same name to create a sprawling, chaotic epic set around Rome’s Circus Maximus in 79 AD. And if you thought the presence of Sir Anthony Hopkins suggests a classier toga party — say, along the lines of Ridley Scott’s “Gladiator” — guess again. “Those About to Die” is all about the chariot races, bloody sword fights, robust sexual encounters and power politics. Nuance has been fed to the lions. And guess what? it works. Peacock’s been touting how this bingeable series serves as an appetizer for the Summer Olympics since the series action takes place just as the finishing touches are going on at the Colosseum. Fair enough. The five episodes I devoured like Junior Mints whetted my appetite to read the “true story,” which involves so many characters a list of who’s who would be helpful.
The “players” in these deadly games both in and out of the arena consists of five families/factions: the dysfunctional ruling party dynasty of the Flavians (Hopkins, Tom Hughes — a standout — and Jojo Macari); the Numidians, made up of traders and fighters breaking free from slavery (Sara Martins, Moe Hashim – another standout – Kyshan Wilson, Alicia Edogamhe); the strappy ones partaking in the underbelly of Rome (Iwan Rheon, Dimtiri Leonidas – yet another standout — Johannes Johannesson); the cute Corsi brothers from Spain (Pepe Barroso, Eneko Sagardoy, Goncalo Almeida) and the hissable patricians (Gabriella Pession, Rupert Penry-Jones, both excellent about breaking bad). That’s a lot of characters to keep track of, and while things bounce around like a “Ben-Hur” chariot, the series keeps you mightily entertained — even in its most ridiculous moments. It’s not as well put together as HBO’s “Rome” series from the early 2000s, but it still provides a mammoth-sized helping of tongue-in-cheek, blood-soaked, souped-up ancient history action. Details: 3 stars out of 4; all 10 episodes drop July 18 on Peacock.
“The Fortress”: A chilling, plausible scenario — a country (Norway) in 2037 decides to isolate itself from the rest of the world by producing all of its own food (salmon, mostly) and shutting out all diseases by allowing only select “outsiders” in. But when salmon turn up dead and people begin to fall ill, Norway confronts an unwelcome visitor they can’t control. Written before the emergence of COVID-19, the topicality of “The Fortress” will grab and rivet you. John Kare Raake’s screenplay keeps the seven episodes rattling along at a fast clip as it tracks four central characters — food safety official Esther Winter (Selome Emnetu), U.K. refugee Charlie Oldman (Russell Tovey), Norway’s hard-lining prime minister (Tobias Santelman) and his highly intelligent new speech writer Ariel Mowinkel (Eili Harboe) who catches the eye of someone higher up in the hierarchy. The characters are fully developed and react not in the way you want them to, but in the way that hews true to who they are. It helps that their performances are so convincing and confident. “The Fortress” might fall under the radar since it’s being offered through the Viaplay streaming service. Seek it out, though, it crackles with tension and shows the fallacy of wanting to shut out “others.” Details: 3½ stars, available July 16 — a Prime membership can land you a seven-day free Viaplay trial; it’s $5.99 a month after.
“Young Woman and the Sea”: After a blip of a theatrical release, this superior biopic on groundbreaking New York athlete Trudy Ederle’s 1926 triumph over virulent sexism, even sabotage, while on her way in becoming the first woman to successfully swim the English Channel, is set to make a splash on Disney+. Starring Daisy Ridley as Ederle, it’s one of the finest pieces of family entertainment of 2024. Based on Glenn Stout’s book, director Joachim Ronning’s absorbing drama does a masterful job of showing the obstacles thrown at the daughter of German immigrants while on her 21-mile trek from France to England. Jeff Nathanson’s screenplay does an exceptional job of illustrating how shoddy female athletes were treated and the disdain they met from sponsors, the media, the public and coaches. Ridley’s performance is a stroke of genius, too, and again reflects her dexterity as an actor and her commitment to make films that matter. The scenes between Trudie and her sister (Tilda Cobham-Hervey) and her no-nonsense but supportive mom (Jeanette Hain) are depicted with beautiful tenderness and realness. While “Young Woman and the Sea” didn’t set the box office afire, let’s hope it finds the audience it richly deserves on Disney+. Details: 3½ stars; drops July 19 on Disney+.
“My Spy: Eternal City”: Don’t know about you, but I wasn’t exactly clamoring for a sequel to 2020’s so-so original with Dave Bautista as a CIA operative and Chloe Coleman as his stepdaughter. But Prime Video thinks differently, so here we have a serviceable sequel that’s dumb but filled with more one liners that land rather than flop. The plot is decent as scone-making “family man” JJ (Bautista) plays chaperone for 14-year-old stepdaughter Sophie (Coleman) and her high school choir on an eventful trip to perform at Vatican City. It conveniently coincides — at least for the screenwriters — with a nuclear crisis. Comedians Kristen Schaal (hilarious), Ken Jeong and Anna Faris make the formulaic plotting breeze by, but it is the bear-like Bautista who beefs up this minor-league, forgettable sequel. The Italian Tourism board should send director/co-screenwriter Pete Segal with a lavish gift basket since the film makes you long to visit Venice/Florence/Rome, the Tuscan region and so on. Details: 2 stars; drops July 18 on Prime Video.
Contact Randy Myers at soitsrandy@gmail.com.
“Oddity”: Irish writer/director Damian McCarthy’s sophomore horror film doesn’t quite measure up to his first feature – 2020’s atmospheric and freaky “Caveat,” but it also creates a disquieting mood that ratchets up to fright once the blood gets spilled, which it does. McCarthy uses another confined spaces premise as the blind twin sister (Carolyn Bracken) of a woman (also Bracken) savagely killed inside an under-construction estate she was set to move into with her psychiatrist husband (Gwilym Lee). Surviving sis Darcy owns a curiosity shop and is in touch with the supernatural. She brings that “gift” with her – as well as some choice artifacts – to the finished home, now domicile for her dead sister’s husband’s new girlfriend (Caroline Mention). That sets the table, complete with sharp cutlery, for a bit of cat and mouse as the film jumps from present to past and fills in what happened that awful and deadly night. McCarthy’s film leans into the same confined setting that his first film did, and while that’s part of this film’s effectiveness it might be interesting to see what this talented horror filmmaker could do by letting his story and his camera roam outside more often. (3 stars, in theaters July 19)
“Widow Clicquot”: Most films take forever, as in forEVER, to tell its story in a satisfactory way. Not so director Thomas Napper’s biopic on the 18th century French Champagne maker who stared down sexism in a male-dominated vintner culture. It runs just 90 minutes and accomplishes so much, a mix of tragic (and sexy) romance with a feminist story of a pioneering legend. Haley Bennett reaches into her soul to portray Madame Clicquot and her performance will break your heart – as will Tom Sturridge’s as Francois Clicquot, the captivating but unstable son in charge of the family vineyard. There’s a blanket of grief that cloaks the magnificent to behold “Widow Clicquot” and that’s appropriate as we watch Madame Clicquot stand up for herself and her family and show how savvy she is as a businesswoman and a champagne expert. This one’s a find. (3.5 stars, opens July 19 in select theaters, with a July 18 special 6 p.m. tasting followed by a 7 p.m. screening at the Smith Rafael Film Center)