The SLMan Culture List: June
THE THRILLER: Presumed Innocent
Presumed Innocent is an eight-part limited series starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Ruth Negga. From TV masterminds David E. Kelley and J.J. Abrams, it’s based on a bestselling novel of the same name by Scott Turow. The series takes viewers on a journey through a horrific murder that upends the Chicago prosecuting attorney's office when one of its own is suspected of a crime. Along the way it explores obsession, sex, politics, and the power and limits of love, as the accused fights to hold his family and marriage together.
Visit TV.Apple.com
THE WESTERN: The Dead Don’t Hurt
This is a story of star-crossed lovers on America’s western frontier in the 1860s. Vivienne Le Coudy (Phantom Thread’s Vicky Krieps) is a fiercely independent woman who embarks on a relationship with Danish immigrant Holger Olsen (Viggo Mortensen). After meeting Olsen in San Francisco, she agrees to travel with him to his home near the quiet town of Elk Flats, Nevada, where they start a life together. The outbreak of the Civil War separates them when Olsen makes a fateful decision to fight for the Union. This leaves Vivienne to fend for herself in a place controlled by corrupt mayor Rudolph Schiller (Danny Huston) and his unscrupulous business partner, powerful rancher Alfred Jeffries (Garret Dillahunt). When Olsen returns from the war, he and Vivienne must confront and make peace with the person each has become.
Visit Picturehouses.com
Hahn Nebinger Zabulon ABACA/Shutterstock
THE SPORTS READ: The Last Heroes: 100 Moments Of Olympics Legend
Gearing up for Paris next month? The Last Heroes: 100 Moments of Olympics Legend chronicles the 100 most pivotal moments in summer Olympic history, featuring photography that highlights the emotional and suspenseful scenes that make the Games so memorable. From celebration to disappointment, from hardship to triumph, readers will experience the electric energy of events like the first opening ceremony at the London Games in 1908; the exaltation of Jesse Owens crossing the finish line to receive his fourth gold medal at the Berlin 1936 Games; the roaring crowd urging on Derek Redmond as he is helped around the track by his father following a devastating injury at Barcelona ’92; and many more reflections of the humanity brought out throughout Olympic history.
Visit AbeBooks.co.uk
THE BIG RETURN: House Of The Dragon
Game of Thrones spin-off series House of The Dragon returns mid-month after a longer-than-planned hiatus thanks to last year’s writers’ strike. Based on the book Fire & Blood by George R. R. Martin, the series chronicles the Targaryen civil war that rocked Westeros. The series stars Emma D’Arcy, Olivia Cooke and Matt Smith, and season two will introduce more characters as the turmoil slowly unfurls – look out for some big houses like the Starks needing to respond to their leader's call.
Visit NowTV.com
THE MUSIC BOOK: Travels Over Feeling By Richard King
The music of Arthur Russell defies classification. Across a 20-year career, he created a body of work which ranged from pioneering compositions as part of the New York avant-garde alongside artists including Philip Glass and Allen Ginsberg, to genre-expanding disco and art pop productions, to posthumously released folk songs. Travels Over Feeling is the result of extensive research by author Richard King, curating the documentation found in both Arthur’s and other private archives; it features hand-written scores, lyrics, photos, letters and drawings. King has also conducted wide-ranging original interviews with Arthur’s collaborators, contemporaries, family and friends. The resulting book reveals a true picture of one of the most distinctive artists of the last 50 years.
Visit Amazon.co.uk
THE SERIES: The Sympathizer
Based on Viet Thanh Nguyen’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, The Sympathizer is a seven-part limited series that’s part espionage thriller, part cross-culture satire about the struggles of a half-French, half-Vietnamese communist spy during the final days of the Vietnam War. We meet him as he begins his new life as a refugee in Los Angeles, where he soon learns his spying days aren't over. Produced by Old Boy’s Park Chan-wook and Robert Downey Jr, who plays multiple roles, this is a series we can’t wait to get stuck into.
Visit NowTV.com
THE EXPERIENCE: Brainstorms: A Great Gig In The Sky
There’s a Pink Floyd-themed immersive experience coming to the capital this summer. Brainstorms: A Great Gig in the Sky will take up residency at arts venue Frameless London to shine a light on the powerful relationship between music and the mind. Soundtracked by Pink Floyd tunes from the highly celebrated 1973 album The Dark Side of the Moon, visitors will embark on a multisensory journey through four immersive galleries showcasing visualisations of brain activity in response to music. From cloud formations to auroras, the experience is designed to envelop viewers in the music like never before.
Visit Frameless.com
THE MUSIC DOC: Camden
New Disney+ series Camden reveals how the lives and careers of some of the world’s most iconic artists were influenced by this pocket of London. Through archive footage, observational filming and interviews, Camden’s rich history is explored as we hear from world-renowned musicians as they relive their Camden experiences, from their very first gigs to sell-out concerts, the highs and lows of nights out, and youths spent discovering music. Talking heads include Noel Gallagher, Chris Martin, Yungblud, Questlove, Mark Ronson, Nile Rodgers, Boy George, Suggs from Madness and Sister Bliss from Faithless.
Visit DisneyPlus.com
THE COFFEE-TABLE BOOK: The Atlas Of Never Built Architecture
The Atlas of Never Built Architecture gathers hundreds of the most spectacular unbuilt projects of the 20th and 21st centuries into one comprehensive, geographically arranged survey. Featuring everything from initial sketches and paintings to etchings and digital renderings, the collection offers insight into how architectural projects are conceived and developed, zooming in on parliamentary buildings, museums, arts centres, skyscrapers, artificial islands and entire city plans. Futuristic visions from the likes of Frank Lloyd Wright, Louis Kahn and Le Corbusier sit alongside more contemporary proposals from talents such as Norman Foster and Zaha Hadid to show how our built environments could have looked very different indeed.
Visit Phaidon.com
THE SPORTS DOC: Federer: Twelve Final Days
Federer: Twelve Final Days is a feature-length documentary chronicling the last 12 days of Roger Federer’s professional tennis career. Shot by Oscar-winning director Asif Kapadia and director Joe Sabia, the footage was originally a home video never intended for public viewing. The film captures Federer at his most vulnerable and candid, as he says goodbye to a game and the fans that shaped his life for two decades. Featuring interviews from legendary rivals and friends Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray, Federer: Twelve Final Days provides an unprecedented glimpse into the relationships between these unparalleled stars.
Visit PrimeVideo.com
PAULINE BALLET
THE WARM-UP: Tour De France: Unchained
From the riders to the team directors, Tour de France: Unchained closely follows all those involved in the Tour, revealing the many challenges of a race that has become an international symbol, broadcast in 190 territories. This new season goes behind the scenes of the 21 stages of Tour de France 2023 to capture the scandals, low blows and thirst for glory; the dramatic falls and historic breakaways; the withdrawals and desire to win. As it did in the excellent first season, it also dives into the fierce battle for the yellow jersey itself. If you’re counting down the days to this year’s race, this will more than tide you over.
Visit Netflix.com
THE COMEDY: Hit Man
Based loosely on real events, Hit Man is directed by Richard Linklater (Dazed & Confused, Before Sunrise). It stars rom-com heartthrob Glen Powell (Anyone But You) as a Texas policeman and college professor who discovers a new-found skill as an assassin. When he's hired by a seductive woman (Adria Arjona), things quickly get complicated.
Visit Picturehouses.com
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