New films/series for August 2021
Here is a short list of what's new this month, whether on the digital platforms or cinema releases side.
Small screen side:
· Valeria – season 2 (released on 08/13 – Netflix)
Barely released and already finished, I devoured the 8 episodes in 2 days 😉
What do you want, this series hooked me from its first season and I've been waiting for the sequel for a while.
A real one Sex and the City modern times spanish version.
Adapted from the novels by Elisabet Benavent, it traces the daily lives of four friends from Madrid: Valeria, the main character, is a young writer who tries to make a name for herself while dealing with her marital problems.
She shares her sorrows and joys with her 3 best friends, Carmen, Lola and Nerea.
To avoid spoiling those who would like to discover this series, I would just say that this second season remains faithful to the first, the tone is still as funny and light, and the characters are still as endearing. Not to mention the presence of this handsome young man Victor, played by Maxi Iglesias who is DEFINITELY worth the detour 😉
· Modern Love – season 2 (released on 08/13 – Amazon Prime Video)
The new season brings us to the discovery of new love stories in all their forms.
Modern Love is based on the New York Times' weekly column that features essays exploring the joys and tribulations of love.
Each episode then delivers a vignette of around thirty minutes in which we are taken on board, through different actors each time.
Noteworthy guests this season include: Minnie Driver, Kit Harrington (Games of Thrones) or Anna Paquin (Flack)
Not to mention subjects and societal contexts that speak to us, such as this meeting on a train just before the initial announced 2-week lockdown.
If you are like me, a romantic and a real softie, this series is for you!
· Nine Perfect Strangers (released 08/18 – Amazon Prime Video)
Adapted from the novel by Liane Moriarty, the eight-episode mini-series tells the story of nine people gathered in a fitness center for ten days. But this stay will quickly take a surprising turn...
On screen, Nicole Kidman is surrounded by an impressive cast: Melissa McCarthy, Michael Shannon, Luke Evans, Regina Hall, Samara Weaving and Bobby Cannavale.
Personally, I haven't seen it yet but it's on my list 😉
· The Cook of Castamar (currently on Netflix)
New Spanish program that has intrigued Netflix fans.
Over 12 episodes, we follow Clara Belmonte, a pretty young cook who enters the service of a Spanish nobleman, Diego de Castamar. A true maestra of the kitchen, she will bewitch this widower devastated by the death of his wife Alba. But in the midst of the tumult of the castle and the secrets surrounding the court, their relationship will be seriously strained.
Agoraphobic, vulnerable but educated, Clara will gradually become the plaything of the great and the good of this world – and in particular of King Philip V – who see in her a means of controlling the Duke of Castamar.
Adapted from the novel by Fernando J. Múñez, the series takes place at the beginning of the 18th century, in an oppressive period that views the relationship between a nobleman and a servant in a very bad light.
Despite little promotion, the series managed to place itself in Netflix's Top 10.
It has everything to seduce: the costumes, the plot, the romantic scenes and... the handsome guy of the series " Valeria ", Maxi Iglesias of course 😉
Good news: The series could well be entitled to a season 2
And on the French side:
· Gone Forever (released 8/13 – Netflix)
Adapted from the novel by Harlan Coben, this mini-series has been available on Netflix since 08/13.
The plot centers on Guillaume Lucchesi who had to face the death of Sonia his first love and Fred his brother... he thought he had managed to overcome this tragedy. Yes but 10 years later, Judith his new lover disappeared during her mother's funeral. In order to find Judith, Guillaume must face all the truths that his loved ones hid from him but also those he chose to ignore.
The acting is excellent, especially the main character, played by Finnegan Oldfield.
Each episode focuses on one of the characters, which helps us get to know them better and understand their actions. With its many flashbacks, there is no room for distraction because every detail is important to the plot.
Some might be surprised that this fiction is not very faithful to the novel, but its author explained this in these terms: "You have to betray a novel to make a series successful, which must not be content with being a copy and paste. The atmosphere of the book, you will only find it by reading the book."
It's up to you to make up your own mind!
Cinema side:
- Stillwater (cinema release 07/30 in Montreal – 09/22 in France)
This film features an oil driller, played by Matt Damon, who arrives in Marseille from the depths of Oklahoma, to support his daughter whom he barely knows but who is serving a prison sentence, accused of a crime she denies having committed. Faced with the barrier of language, cultural differences and a complex legal system, Bill makes it a point of honor to exonerate his daughter. During this intimate journey, he will befriend a young local woman and her young daughter while developing a broader awareness of his belonging to the world
Our national Camille Cottin plays her first international role here before finding her again in the biopic on the life of Gucci a little later at the end of the year.
I haven't seen it yet so I don't have a personal opinion to give.
- OSS 117 (cinema release 04/08)
3rd opus of the series, with the faithful Jean Dujardin
We find with pleasure the offbeat and politically incorrupt humor of the character of Hubert Bonisseur de La Bath, alias OSS 117.
As the title suggests, his new mission takes place in Africa, in 1981.
Directed by Nicolas Bedos who replaced Michel Hazanavicius at the helm of the first two opuses, it stars Pierre Niney and Fatou N'Diave.
Much to the displeasure of some, the numerous caricatured punchlines of the protagonist and the irony present throughout the film made me laugh a lot and I had a very good time.
And those who are outraged by this very daring humor, we must not forget to put it in the context of the time, the 80s, with a misogynistic, racist and homophobic character.
· Free Guy (cinema release 08/13 in Montreal – 08/11 in France)
A bank employee, discovering one day that he is in fact only a background character in an online video game, decides to become the hero of his own story, even if it means rewriting it. Now evolving in a world that knows no limits, he will do everything to save it in his own way, before it is too late...
Defined as the feel good movie of summer 2021, Free Guy is the perfect movie to watch with friends or family this summer.
Gamers will appreciate this new universe, which is quite representative of the very popular online games. Those who have never touched a controller can rest assured: the story and the stakes of this film are very easy to understand, even if you are not a seasoned player.
A bit of a modern-day Truman Show in its own way.
· Bac Nord (cinema release on 08/18 in France)
2012. The northern districts of Marseille hold a sad record: the area with the highest crime rate in France. Driven by its hierarchy, the BAC Nord, a field brigade, is constantly seeking to improve its results. In a high-risk sector, the cops adapt their methods, sometimes crossing the yellow line. Until the day the judicial system turns against them...
With a stellar cast including Gilles Lellouche, François Civil and Karim Lektou in the roles of the three BAC cops, the film is inspired by a widely publicized case in 2012, when several cops from the anti-crime squad in the northern districts of Marseille were brought to justice for drug trafficking and racketeering.
This film keeps the viewer in suspense from start to finish. Cédric Jimenez, the director, has produced a great film carried by actors who are imbued with their characters.
