“ART IS MERELY the refuge…to escape the tediousness of life,” wrote W. Somerset Maugham, an English author. There are plenty of distractions in our recommendations this week: characters seek escapism in books or ball gowns. (The films and television shows themselves, of course, also provide amusement on a dull day.) There is one new crime series you should avoid, however: seek refuge elsewhere.
“12 Angry Men” (on streaming platforms)Heatwaves intensify drama, in art as in life. Overwhelming, suffocating, frustrating:
“ART IS MERELY the refuge…to escape the tediousness of life,” wrote W. Somerset Maugham, an English author. There are plenty of distractions in our recommendations this week: characters seek escapism in books or ball gowns. (The films and television shows themselves, of course, also provide amusement on a dull day.) There is one new crime series you should avoid, however: seek refuge elsewhere.
“12 Angry Men” (on streaming platforms)Heatwaves intensify drama, in art as in life. Overwhelming, suffocating, frustrating: temperatures like those that have been blistering Europe can be hard to tolerate. This taut legal drama from 1957 depicts a roomful of sweaty jurors in New York struggling to reach a consensus in a murder case. (It’s “the hottest day of the year” and they’re stuck in a building with no air conditioning.) The heat rises in the room and so does the claustrophobia and tension. “Marie Antoinette” (on streaming platforms) Bastille Day on July 14th, which celebrates the French revolution, offers a fabulous excuse to return to this film. Sofia Coppola’s picture from 2006 explores the life of the ill-fated queen, played by Kirsten Dunst (pictured below). The movie was shot at Versailles and offers extravagant ball gowns, silks, wigs and (of course) cakes, as well as a soundtrack of punk and indie-pop hits. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the film’s release: in September an exhibition at Versailles will go behind the scenes and explore how it was made.
“Reading Lolita in Tehran” (in cinemas in Britain) A bestselling memoir by Azar Nafisi, a professor—about teaching a secret literature class in Iran after the Islamic revolution—has been brought to the screen. This film evokes the dreamlike refuge of Ms Nafisi’s sitting room, where young women eat pastries and discuss forbidden Western books by Vladimir Nabokov, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Henry James and Jane Austen (pictured top). Though the film can feel a bit meandering at times, it is a reminder of the value and escapism of reading. After watching, you may find yourself reaching for your favourite novel—or Ms Nafisi’s memoir. And what not to watch:
“The Westies” (on MGM+)This crime series comes from Chris Brancato, the co-creator of the mega-hit “Narcos”. Sadly, this gritty tale of an Irish-American gang (pictured above) is disappointing. Though there are some well-drawn characters and impressively disgusting scenes, “The Westies” would have benefited from a more merciless script editor. There are too many recycled crime tropes, not to mention pointless exposition and cringeworthy dialogue (“We’re Irish—we’ve always got troubles”). What kind of crime boss needs to make sure his underlings understand what “silenced” means?
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