- “For All Mankind” Spinoff “Star City” is One Small Soviet Step Backward (May 29, 2026)
In the wake of five seasons of “For All Mankind“‘s alt-history time-jumping—currently, we’re in an alternate 2012 where we’ve colonized Mars, and a still-alive John Lennon teamed up with Jay-Z to produced “The Grey Album”—it’s easy to forget the show started as a simple 1960s period piece, with a twist: What if the Russians got to the moon first? Now, showrunners Ben Nedivi and Matt Wolpert have decided to jump back to that (comparatively) simpler era in spinoff “Star City,” detailing how those early legs in the alternate space race looked from behind the Iron Curtain.
But where “Mankind” is airy and optimistic despite mankind’s many struggles (how American of it), “Star City” keeps its focus bleak, dour, and oppressive, and subsequently has some trouble achieving liftoff.
The title refers to the nickname given to the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center, and much of “Star City”‘s drama centers around the cosmonauts and their loved ones working to beat the Americans to the stars. Like its parent show, the first episodes overlap a lot of the first season’s events, including witnessing, once again, the first woman to set foot on the moon, Anastasia Belikova (Alice Englert).
We see a harsher, more militant version of the kind of gender-equity handwringing we saw among the Americans in that first season of “For All Mankind”; both nations considered the optics of putting a woman in space, but in 1960s Russia, fealty to the Party takes precedence over qualifications. (Suffice to say, Ana’s predecessor falls victim to some faulty intel about her being an American spy.)
This emphasis on surveillance and authoritarian control seeps into a lot of “Star City”‘s drama, playing more like a “Chernobyl“-esque chamber play about how Soviet focus on image and obedience can sometimes override good judgment. This is most seen in the push and pull between Rhys Ifans‘ unnamed, enigmatic Chief Designer (though, as “Mankind” posits, he is likely famed Soviet engineer Sergei Korolev, who in our history died in 1966) and KGB head Lyudmilla Raskova (Anna Maxwell Martin), an imperious Rosa Klebb type who keeps a tight leash on all around her. Both performers play to their strengths—Ifans with his paternal warmth, Martin with stone-faced intensity—but feel more like abstractions of the show’s broader ideas than genuine people.
That kind of layering, such as it is, belongs to more of the street-level characters of the show, some of whom are younger versions of “For All Mankind” characters we see in subsequent seasons. While Josef Davies’ Sergei Nikulov is a handy precursor to the engineer we see on the main show, a great deal of focus belongs to Agnes O’Casey‘s Irina Morozova, an important KGB fixer on “Mankind” who we see was a simple junior agent in the 1960s.
She spends her time listening to the tapes of bugged conversations of various people of interest—like cosmonaut Valya Markelov (Adam Nagaitis), his housebound wife Tanya (Ruby Ashbourne Serkis), and Valya’s slightly rogueish mission-mate Sasha (Solly McLeod)—and, in a manner reminiscent of “The Lives of Others,” becoming invested in their seedy interpersonal dramas. Affairs, arranged marriages (the State forces Sasha to marry Ana because, well, “you cannot be an exemplar of the Soviet Union as a single woman), and smuggled contraband all become potential fodder for ruination.
It’s an intriguing dark mirror of “Mankind”‘s optimism, even as “Star City” can’t quite wring enough complexity or characterization from its stifled atmosphere. The notion of a nation reaching for the stars even as it keeps its people under its jackboots is an intriguing one—space exploration as pure saber-rattling, rather than a grander humanist goal.
But it also has the effect of flattening its characters so we don’t get a lot of dynamism from them: Our cast, largely comprised of British actors leaning into their native accents (despite “Mankind” letting them speak Russian and have Russian accents), mostly squirm under the thumb of the politburo in one way or another, leaving little room for many individuals to stand out. The muted, grainy cinematography doesn’t help, devastatingly gorgeous though it may be; the visual effects, as with its sister series, remain excellent, and the few space disasters we witness are even more riveting when we know how much the whole program is held together by duct tape and party loyalty.
Even so, the muddy mood of “Star City” makes for a rougher watch than the gee-whiz humanism of “For All Mankind,” compounded by the fact that we’ve literally lived through these events before in the shadow of another show. Granted, the five episodes provided to critics build to a satisfying escalation as the Party descends on Star City just as disillusioned characters begin planning their escape (right down to a clandestine launch to Venus under the Party’s very nose, the kind of ramshackle problem-solving under pressure that these shows excel in).
But the road there can be a bit of a slog, not helped by the hour-long runtimes and the restrictions of the Star City setting. To say nothing of the innate humourlessness of our Soviet characters; folks like Sasha and Tanya do their best to liven up their grim lives of socialist service, but most everyone else spends their time grimacing in brutalist buildings.
More than its individual characters, “Star City” is a story of a nation-state at war with itself, committed to throwing its people in the physical and emotional grinder for the sake of cynical political gamesmanship. Those happy few trying to cobble something inspirational out of the concrete are the show’s bright spots, and one hopes they’ll help it build toward something as dynamic as its predecessor by season’s close.
First five episodes screened for review. New episodes air Fridays on Apple TV.
- Home Entertainment Guide May 2026: The Bride!, Wuthering Heights, Sentimental Value, More (May 29, 2026)
10 NEW TO NETFLIX
“Between the Temples““Black Phone 2““The Creator““Ferrari““The Illusionist““The Iron Claw““Killer Joe““Nope““Slow West““True Romance“
12 NEW TO BLU-RAY/DVD
“Avatar: Fire and Ash“
While the “no cultural footprint” argument that arises around “Avatar” on social media is patently ludicrous, it’s undeniable that the third film in this mega-franchise didn’t make the same waves as the first two, falling short of Oscar glory by being the first not nominated for Best Picture (although it did win Best Visual Effects because of course it did). Was it too quick on the heels of “The Way of Water”? Or just too much of the same thing? Whatever the reason, “Fire and Ash” may have been the least critically beloved in the series…and it still made $1.5 billion. With the films’ wild success in mind, it’s a bit shocking to say the Blu-ray feels relatively slight, although the excellent video and audio transfers are typical for Disney blockbusters.
Special Features
Igniting the Flame: The Making of Avatar: Fire and Ash— A series of featurettes that explores the filmmakers’ journey making Avatar: Fire and Ash with exclusive behind-the-scenes footage and insights about the process from the creative talents who shaped the film.
Jon Landau Tribute: If James Cameron is the guiding vision for the Avatar sequels, producer Jon Landau was their nurturing heart. In this warm tribute, the filmmakers celebrate a beloved friend and colleague with remembrances from cast and crew.
RDA Orientation: Do you have what it takes to survive the wild frontier of Pandora? In these tutorial videos, the RDA provides essential training in Na’vi language and an intelligence briefing on the clans of Pandora and the biomes they inhabit
Marketing Materials & Music Video– Marketing materials used to build audience awareness of the film.
“Body Heat” (Criterion)
Back when sex at the multiplex was less of an anomaly, Lawrence Kasdan made his directorial debut with this scorcher, a loose remake of arguably the most influential noir of all time, “Double Indemnity.” William Hurt plays Ned Racine, a Florida lawyer who starts up an affair with Kathleen Turner’s Matty Walker, the two actors displaying more on-screen chemistry than nearly any other in history. The movie launched Turner’s career and made Roger’s ten best of the year. It’s an unexpected choice for Criterion, which accompanies its noir with a new interview and conversation, also importing previously available material such as archival footage and deleted scenes.
Special Features
New 4K digital restoration, supervised by editor Carol Littleton and approved by director Lawrence Kasdan, with uncompressed stereo soundtrack
Alternate 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack
One 4K UHD disc of the film presented in Dolby Vision HDR and one Blu-ray with the film and special features
New interview with Kasdan
New conversation between Littleton and film historian Bobbie O’Steen
Archival programs featuring Kasdan; Littleton; actors William Hurt, Kathleen Turner, and Ted Danson; cinematographer Richard H. Kline; and composer John Barry
Deleted scenes
Trailer
English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
PLUS: An essay by author Megan Abbott
“The Bride!“
Even as the negative reviews were crashing into this movie in theaters, I didn’t really believe them. How could a movie with this cast and the talented filmmaker behind “The Lost Daughter” be THAT bad? I’m sorry to report that the reviews were largely accurate, as Maggie Gyllenhaal’s retelling of “Bride of Frankenstein” is a wildly incoherent and inconsistent experience, one that always seems to be flitting off to another idea just as it starts to develop into something interesting. It’s an absolute mess, the kind that could find an audience willing to reappraise it in a few years but will likely just return to the graveyard of Hollywood misfires.
Special Features
Stitching Together The Bride! (8:15) – Uncover the artistry behind The Bride! with exclusive footage and revealing interviews. From Maggie Gyllenhaal’s daring direction to the cast’s transformative performances, witness how this modern masterpiece was brought to life.
Designing the Look (8:44) – From first sketch to final transformation, explore how The Bride!’s unforgettable creatures took shape. With exclusive make-up tests, behind-the-scenes footage, and cast insights, discover the artistry that turned vision into cinematic legend.
The Muse and the Reimagined Monster (8:02) – In The Bride!, Jessie Buckley and Christian Bale embody the intertwined forces of creation and consequence. Guided by Maggie Gyllenhaal’s vision, their performances reveal how love, pain, and artistry can reanimate even the darkest myths.
The Bride! Party (6:15) – A bride is always the center of attention—especially this one. Annette Bening, Penélope Cruz, Julianne Hough, John Magaro, and Peter Sarsgaard reveal their deepest thoughts on The Bride, Frank, and the unforgettable film they all leapt to be in.
“The Devil’s Candy“
Sean Byrne finally returned in 2025 with the blast that is “Dangerous Animals,” but his best film remains this 2017 scorcher, now given a lavish limited-edition treatment by British label Second Sight. Ethan Embry, Shiri Appleby, and Pruitt Taylor Vince star in a thriller about the thin line between insanity and creativity. It’s been given a 4K restoration for the first time and includes new interviews with key players like Byrne and Embry. This is one of the best horror films of the 2010s, a movie for which a collector’s-edition treatment like this one is well deserved.
Special Features
New 4K Producer restoration
Dual format edition including both UHD and Blu-ray with main feature and bonus features on both discs
UHD presented in HDR with Dolby Vision
Audio commentary with Director Sean Byrne
Into the Fire: a new interview with Director Sean Byrne
Those Fragile Things: a new interview with Actor Ethan Embry
Devil in the Details: a new interview with Director of Photography Simon Chapman
The Cutting Room: a new interview with Editor Andy Canny
A Big Step Forward: a new interview with Production Designer Tom Hammock
Behind the Scenes: VFX
Sean Byrne’s Short films: Advantage Satan and Work?
“GOAT“
“Stranger Things” star Caleb McLaughlin voices Will Harris, a goat who also wants to be the G.O.A.T. in a chaotic sport called Roarball in this reasonably entertaining family flick that draws visual inspiration from the “Spider-Verse” films. Its plot is your standard underdog thing (with a bit of “Space Jam”), but the film’s visuals are sharp and consistently engaging. A modest hit for Sony (it made nearly $200 million), it’s an easy watch for parents and kids, especially those who also happen to be currently engaged by the NBA Playoffs.
Special Features
Easter Egg Replay
Animal Aesthetic: The Style of GOAT
Make Your Own Pick & Roll Pizza Bites with Ayesha Curry
Deleted Scene with Filmmaker Intro
Game Recognizes Game: Making GOAT
All-Star Line Up: Meet the Cast & Characters
Courts Come Alive
“Mention Me” by CORTIS Lyric Video
“I’m Good” by Jelly Roll Lyric Video
“If I Had Legs I’d Kick You“
Rose Byrne landed a much-deserved Oscar nomination for her fearless work here as Linda, a woman stretched way past her breaking point by an escalating series of events. Comparisons to “A Woman Under the Influence” are sensible, as it’s another showcase for an incredible performer, one who holds together this anxiety-producing drama by being present in every scene. Conan O’Brien and A$AP Rocky co-star in a release that’s only available on A24’s website, as the company has steadily developed an impressive collection of exclusive physical media releases. This one has deleted scenes, a commentary, and collectible postcards. Send one to your mom.
Special Features
Commentary with Writer-Director Mary Bronstein and D.P. Christopher Messina
Making-of Featurette
“Anatomy of a Tracking Shot” Featurette
Over 30 minutes of Extended & Deleted Scenes
Set of Six Collectible Postcards
“Lenny” (Criterion)
Dustin Hoffman plays the infamous comic Lenny Bruce in this Bob Fosse drama based on Julian Barry’s play of the same name. A film arguably lost to history a bit, given the more prominent masterpieces from the era in which this 1974 film was released, this Criterion release is a bit slighter than some of their best offerings. But it does contain archival material, a 2015 audio commentary, and a brilliant new essay from the singular talent that is Mark Harris. The author expertly unpacks how “Lenny” says more about Bob Fosse than it does about Lenny Bruce, situating it within Fosse’s filmography and the era in which it was made. It’s a must-read.
Special Features
New 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
One 4K UHD disc of the film presented in Dolby Vision HDR and one Blu-ray with the film and special features
Audio commentary from 2015 featuring film historians Nick Redman and Julie Kirgo
Archival interview with actors Dustin Hoffman and Valerie Perrine
Interview with editor Alan Heim
Trailer
English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
PLUS: An essay by critic Mark Harris and a 1975 interview with director Bob Fosse
“Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie“
One of the best comedies of 2026 so far, Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol’s clever comedy feels like it’s already a beloved property, especially in Canada. A relatively quick turnaround to physical media doesn’t mean a rushed one, as Johnson pops up on two commentary tracks, and Neon includes featurettes, a deleted scene, and the alternate opening. Johnson and McCarrol use their own 2000s web series to craft an inventive, heartfelt ode to creative inspiration, friendship, and never giving up. It’s as consistently funny as anything released this year, and it seems destined to build its audience even more on physical media and streaming.
Special Features
Audio commentary with Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol
Audio commentary with Matt Johnson and the Production Team
Alternate Opening
Animatics
Back to 2008, Running Cable
Deleted Scene
Home Movies
Figured it Out Featurette
Nirvana the band, the Show – Episode 101
The Banner
Post Credit Scene
“Peter Hujar’s Day“
Filmmaker Ira Sachs is having quite a May as his “The Man I Love” premiered in Competition at the Palme to strong reviews, and Criterion dropped two of his dramas: His first, “The Delta,” and his latest, “Peter Hujar’s Day.” In the 2025 drama, Sachs uses interviews conducted between photographer Hujar (Ben Whishaw) and Linda Rosenkrantz (Rebecca Hall, also in “The Man in Love”). It’s a movie that sneaks up on you, a series of conversations from December 1974 that capture the energy of their time in a way that a more traditional drama could never.
Special Features
Meet the Filmmakers: Ira Sachs, a Criterion Channel original interview
Images: Making “Peter Hujar’s Day,” a new documentary by Shuli Huang
Trailer
English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
Notes by author and film curator Michael Koresky
“Sentimental Value” (Criterion)
The Oscar winner for Best International Film and a nominee for nine Oscars, including Best Picture and four acting performances, “Sentimental Value” joins the Criterion Collection wonderfully early as part of the business relationship between the company and Neon. The immediacy allows for copious special features about the film’s production and themes, including conversations with all four Oscar nominees, and even selected-scene commentaries by the director and some of his team. There’s a cool conversation between Joachim Trier and filmmaker Mike Mills, who is himself getting a Criterion release later this year. This is one of the best films of 2025, now given one of 2026’s best Criterion releases.
Special Features
New 4K digital master, approved by director Joachim Trier, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack
One 4K UHD disc of the film and one Blu-ray with the film and special features
New conversation between Trier and filmmaker Mike Mills
New selected-scene commentaries by Trier, coscreenwriter Eskil Vogt, production designer Jørgen Stangebye Larsen, and sound designer Gisle Tveito
New interviews with actors Renate Reinsve, Stellan Skarsgård, Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, and Elle Fanning
Deleted scenes
Trailer
New English subtitle translation and English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
PLUS: An essay by author Karl Ove Knausgård
“Stray Dog” (Criterion)
There’s always another Akira Kurosawa movie for Criterion to upgrade from standard DVD to Blu-ray. The latest to get the 4K restoration treatment is this 1949 detective movie from the master, starring the timelessly perfect Toshiro Mifune. As for supplemental material, it’s just the previously available stuff, including an informative commentary and a short documentary about the making of the movie. So if you already own the standard Blu-ray release, it might not be worth the upgrade. If not, this is the one to get.
Special Features
New 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
One 4K UHD disc of the film and one Blu-ray with the film and special features
Audio commentary by Stephen Prince, author of The Warrior’s Camera: The Cinema of Akira Kurosawa
Short documentary on Stray Dog, from the series Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create, featuring interviews with director Akira Kurosawa, production designer Yoshiro Muraki, actor Keiko Awaji, and others
PLUS: An essay by film critic Terrence Rafferty and an excerpt from Kurosawa’s book Something Like an Autobiography
“Wuthering Heights“
Lowered expectations can be a weird thing in that I was kinda dreading this, but found it went down relatively easily at home on 4K streaming. Part of the reason for that is Linus Sandgren’s genuinely gorgeous cinematography, even if it’s inconsistent throughout Emerald Fennell’s vision, one that never quite seems to grasp the themes of Emily Brontë’s masterpiece. Fennell has said it was designed to “recreate the feeling of a teenage girl reading this book for the first time,” which is relatively ambitious but also leads to inconsistent storytelling. This is alternately stunningly beautiful and depressingly predictable, but it’s never boring, and it looks great in 4K.
Special Features
Audio Commentary by Writer/Director/Producer Emerald Fennell
Threads of Desire (6:49) – Jacqueline Durran brings Emerald Fennell’s imagined Gothic world to life through costume. Cathy’s evolving silhouettes unfold in clear acts, while Heathcliff’s transformation and the ensemble’s distinct looks reveal emotion, status, and obsession.
The Legacy of Love and Madness (5:32) – Emerald Fennell reflects on her lifelong bond with Wuthering Heights and the hidden depravity of the Victorian era, reimagining Emily Brontë’s tale through emotion, memory, and desire to create an epic love story for a new generation.
Building a Fever Dream (12:07) – An in-depth look at how Emerald Fennell built a world that feels alive. Where design, sound, and performance fuse into one hypnotic vision of love, madness, and creation. The making of a living, breathing fever dream.
- Documentary Now! 4th Edition is an Incredible Companion to Beloved Show (May 28, 2026)
The 2015-2022 IFC series “Documentary Now!” remains one of the funniest things that’s ever been on television. One of the show’s conceits is that it’s actually been running much longer than the four seasons we got in the real world, presenting itself as a “60 Minutes”-esque news magazine show that’s been on for generations. In keeping with that premise, McSweeney’s has released a “4th edition” companion book to the series, “updating” the 1975 original companion with a new introduction (to join the original one by Burt Lancaster) by our very own Matt Zoller Seitz, which is a comedic work of art. Everything about this hefty volume plays into the premise of the show, including even pull quotes on the back from people like Questlove and Morgan Neville, who writes that “it’s the documentary Bible.”
It’s certainly a wonderful companion to people who miss this show and long for a fifth season of a show that’s more than just an easy parody of non-fiction filmmaking. It’s a program that understands the filmmaking it’s mimicking on a bone-deep level, not just mocking classics like “Grey Gardens” or “The Thin Blue Line” but recreating why those movies work in terms of both form and content. This book reminds one not just how funny “Documentary Now!” was but how incredibly intelligent it was, never punching down on non-fiction filmmaking, but reflecting its art through comedy.
It contains so much clever writing that mimics filmmakers, journalists, and celebrities. For example, the introduction by Helen Mirren was written by Seth Meyers, but the book itself remains so faithful to its vision that it includes fake essays by Peter Bogdanovich, David Foster Wallace, Tom Wolfe, Joan Didion, and many more, and they all read like the genuine thing.
Bogdanovich writes about “Kunuk the Hunter,” “When you’re shooting a fictional picture, you’re telling a story. When you’re shooting a doc, you’re capturing a story. Or, at least that’s how I see it. But it always matters, doc or not, what you choose to show and how. The moment any subject steps in front of the camera, a performance begins. The minute a splice in the film strip is made, reality is being edited.” It’s a fake article using the name of a real person about a fake movie that’s making an insightful, truthful point about documentary filmmaking. It’s almost breathtaking in its ingenuity.
Of course, everyone has their favorite episodes of “Documentary Now!” and I think often of “Sandy Passage” (the “Grey Gardens” riff penned by Seth Meyers), “Batsh*t Valley, Parts 1 & 2” (inspired by “Wild Wild Country”), “Original Cast Album: Co-Op” (from D.A. Pennebaker’s seminal film about the production of Company), and the Werner Herzog-inspired “Soldier of Illusion, Parts 1 & 2,” written by John Mulaney.
Let’s take that last one as an example of what to expect from this book. You’ll learn about the cameras used on both “Soldier” and the director’s sitcom project “Bachelor Nanny,” along with articles and quotes about the 2003 documentary, like this one from Andrew Sarris: “It takes a genius like Cray to capture a genius like Rainer Wolz. It’s pure divine alchemy.”
Like most sections in the book, you’ll also get dozens of photos, but this volume is more than just coffee table stills. What’s so great about it is how consistently inventive it can be. Turn a page and find part of the original script of “Bachelor Nanny,” which, again, is a fake show in a fake documentary in a TV comedy. There’s a phrase called “Commitment to the Bit” that this book exemplifies in glorious fashion.
The Publisher provided a review copy of this title. It’s now available in stores and online.
- Comedy Is King On Season Two of Hulu’s “Deli Boys” (May 28, 2026)
In a March 2025 interview with Vulture, “Deli Boys” creator Abdullah Saeed asserted that representation was not on his mind when he wrote the story of two spoiled Pakistani-American brothers grappling with their father’s sudden death and the newfound knowledge that their late Baba was a drug kingpin: “The heart of everything is the joke…I’m just letting the characters exist. And that’s where their emotional stories come in. They’re not forced. They’re not trying to please their parents. They’re not trying to justify their South Asian culture or rectify that culture with their American culture. That shit is boring.”
That shit is indeed boring, but “Deli Boys” isn’t. Though its narrative is hampered by a shorter run (season two only has six episodes versus season one’s 10) and a surprisingly sanitized Fred Armisen as a crime boss, the series is funnier than ever. In addition to wisely placing its bets on Poorna Jagannathan’s unmatched talents, Saaed and his writers use the inherent flexibility and humor of Hindi and Urdu in the dialogue, intensifying the series’ references to South Asian culture and making its characters, main and supporting, feel even more lived-in. The result is rich, joyous, and one of the funniest shows of the year.
Failson brothers Mir (Asif Ali) and Raj Dar (Saagar Shaikh) went through it in season one: just as they learned that their father Arshad (Iqbal Theba) was murdered, the culprit, family business associate Ahmad Uncle (Brian George, having a damn good time), went on the run. A bomb detonated inside the family’s last convenience store just as the brothers strolled outside, signaling a greater external threat. As season two begins, though, the brothers, guided by their indefatigable Lucky Aunty (Jagannathan), have turned things around. Now the biggest coke distributor in Philly, Dar Co., is in need of a money launderer.
Fred Armisen in “Deli Boys.” (Hulu)
Enter Max Sugar (Armisen), local casino owner and crime impresario. The Dars begin laundering money at his casino, but the brothers’ efforts to stabilize the family business are complicated by their ongoing quest for revenge against Ahmad Uncle. It doesn’t help that District Attorney Andrew Chadwater (Andrew Rannells) has made the eradication of Sugar’s casino, and therefore the Dar empire, a central part of his mayoral campaign. When Raj is framed for murder (and attains massive online fame à la Luigi Mangione), his defense lawyer, Danyal, is played by none other than Kumail Nanjiani, dressed like a matinee idol with charisma to match. His presence reignites the embers of a long-lost love with Lucky, which in turn jams up the workings of her newfound romance with Sugar.
There’s so much here that works, and very little that does not. Rannells is having a ball satirizing tough-on-crime conservatives; he won’t curse in public but will in private, he mentions 9/11 at the drop of a hat because “it belongs to everyone!” and has a bizarre, almost unseemly obsession with milk. Nanjiani racks up a ton of laughs in a frustratingly short amount of screentime. He and Jagannathan could hold their own in a romcom, especially when the writers marry ghazal (Urdu poetry) structure with Hindi curse words to convey whole worlds of history between their characters. Amita Rao, as Raj’s wife and social media manager, Nandika, steals every scene she’s in, walking confidently in clothes stolen from Lucky, letting just a little too much spill about their bedroom activities with complete nonchalance. I wanted an entire series starring Shahjehan Khan as Dar Co.’s head of distribution, Ali, and Lilly Singh as his wife Aisha, whose domestic spat, filled with Urdu curses and jabs at each other’s mothers, will be familiar to anyone who has spent time in a South Asian household. Shaikh and Ali, too, are finding new shades in their roles as brothers who must support each other just as much as they expand the family business.
Maybe the only component of season two, aside from the shorter episode count, that doesn’t work for me is Armisen. We’re told, and shown, just how violent and ruthless Sugar can be, and yes, his incipient romance with Lucky definitely elicits laughs, but Armisen just doesn’t commit to this like I know he can; he brought more personality to a minute-long scene on “Fallout.”
DELI BOYS – “Sweaty Boys” – Mercer and Simpson close in on the sticky, chewy, nutty center of the Dar crime ring. Raj rides a scooter. Mir channels his inner tech bro. Lucky pulls a fast one. Ahmad finally gets to pull down the pull-down gate outside the ABC Deli. (Disney/James Washington)ASIF ALI, BRIAN GEORGE, POORNA JAGANNATHAN, SAAGAR SHAIKH
Ultimately, it doesn’t matter: this is, and has always been, the Lucky show. There is no emotion, no physical comedy routine, no action setpiece, to which Jagannathan is not wholly committed. Whether she weepingly calls a jailed Raj “my gaajar ka halwa” (“my carrot pudding”) or dismissively waves a terrified couple’s therapist back into a chair with her “emotional support gun,” Jagannathan is in complete command of “Deli Boys.” It helps that Cailey Breneman’s costumes land Lucky in the femme fatale hall of fame: animal prints, gorgeous leather purses, elegant silk jumpsuits, but everything with a little bit of edge, a little danger, a little metal, just like Lucky.
For all its cartoonish hijinks and “30 Rock”-esque bits (including a hysterical “Challengers” parody), “Deli Boys” works as well as it does because its performances are grounded. Its immersion in South Asian culture is deep-rooted but incidental, with loads of jokes about life from their perspective: a character running a bevy of security cameras is nicknamed “Patriot Act,” a white character’s declaration that “all men are innocent no matter what they’ve done” is something to which the brown characters react very differently.
There’s some cultural beauty too, which could have been expanded in a longer season: I was delighted by a flashback set at a party where musicians sing the 14th-century Sufi song “Chaap Tilak,” the opening lyrics of which could be considered foreshadowing. Wendy Wang’s original score, which has significantly upped its use of the tabla, might be the cherry on the sundae here; it helps cement the goofiness of these characters but also the necessity of Saeed’s voice.
How often do you watch a crime caper with South Asian classical instruments as part of the soundtrack? That’s right—not nearly often enough.
Entire season screened for review. Currently streaming on Hulu.
- Season 2 of Netflix’s ‘“The Four Seasons” Proves that Some Things Do Get Better with Age (May 28, 2026)
Netflix is back with a second iteration of “The Four Seasons,” the Tina Fey production modernizing Alan Alda’s 1981 film of the same name. And these eight episodes make for a more entertaining experience than the first, largely because the show has figured out how to manage its comedically bittersweet tone.
In the 2025 episodes, “The Four Seasons” gave us a pretty damning portrayal of life in your fifties—the cast of long-time friends, consisting of three couples who go on regular vacations together, all seemed stuck. Unhappy marriages, poor communication, empty nests, and unfulfilling work/life were everywhere.
This season is still sad, but the show has given its protagonists specific things to be sad about, rather than just a broad moroseness of middle age. Now, they’re mourning the friend, Steve Carell’s Nick, who died at the end of season one. They’re still traumatized by COVID and what living through the pandemic really looked like. And they’re making hard decisions about how they want to spend their remaining years, realizing that life and energy are time-bound.
THE FOUR SEASONS, SEASON 2. (L to R) Tina Fey as Kate, Kerri Kenney-Silver as Anne, and Colman Domingo as Danny in Episode 203 of The Four Seasons, Season 2. Cr. Emily V. Aragones/Netflix © 2025
Part of what they come to appreciate is the role of friendship in their lives. Fey’s Kate and Colman Domingo’s Dannt get a particularly sweet arc on this front, testing and reaffirming their connection. It turns out old friends are really like no other. And their chemistry—as friends, as actors, and as comedians—gives the whole thing lots of weight and laughs (see Fey’s physical comedy sequence in the penultimate episode with Domingo playing the straight man).
Domingo’s partner, Claude (Marco Calvani), finally gets some justice this season, freed from his ditzy characterization in season one. We get to some in his native Italy, oozing confidence and strength in a way immigrant Claude, speaking in a foreign language, just isn’t able to. He’s clearly right in many of his arguments with Danny. And what he brings to their relationship has never been clearer. The evolution is palatable but not overwrought as Calvani hits his comedic and dramatic beats with equal ease.
Unfortunately, Fey’s fictional husband Jack (Will Forte) doesn’t fare so well, stuck in the downer role. Forte does what he can with this sad sack, but the show just keeps hurling more fuel for his depression at him. It’s hard to watch, but even as the couple tries various strategies to pull through, it’s hard to figure out what we should make of Jack’s arc. Sometimes people go through dark times, I guess, and there’s nothing to do but stick around.
THE FOUR SEASONS, SEASON 2. (L to R) Marco Calvani as Claude, Tina Fey as Kate, and Kerri Kenney-Silver as Anne in Episode 208 of The Four Seasons, Season 2. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2026
Of them all, though, Anne (a mischievous Kerri Kenney-Silver) has the best story. The widow and ex of Carell’s Nick, she starts the season needing to sort her emotions about how she feels both about Ginny (Erika Henningsen), the woman Nick left her for, and, of course, the baby she’s carrying. In response, Anne tries on a variety of different identities, effectively creating her own coming-of-(middle)-age story. She’s free to be whoever she wants now, and her attempts at exploration are hilarious, echoing the fierce young woman she once was and the more experienced widow and mom she is now, even if she gets frustrated about her own lack of “executive functioning.”
In this iteration of “The Four Seasons,” the characters grow in compelling, hilarious ways. Anne gets to share prescient truths of early motherhood in one episode, while making a sexting mistake in another. Danny must face his limitations even as he protests that somehow, the little Italian car he’s attempting to move just doesn’t understand that he’s “good at everything.” And the list goes on.
These juxtapositions make your fifties seem, if not something to aspire to, not something to dread either. We can laugh at the vagaries of getting older without positing that they’re the only thing there is. And getting to do that with Kenney-Silver, Fey, and Domingo is a real joy, delivering on the promise of this series in its second outing. Some things really do get better with age.
Whole season screened for review. Currently streaming on Netflix.
- Netflix Trailer for 'In the Hand of Dante' Wonky Film with Oscar Isaac (May 29, 2026)
"Every man's only savior dwells within himself." Netflix has debuted their trailer for the film titled In the Hand of Dante, the latest feature made by acclaimed filmmaker Julian Schnabel (director of Basquiat, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, At Eternity's Gate). Unfortunately it's a disaster. This premiered at the 2025 Venice Film Festival last year and was regarded by most critics as the worst film at the fest (currently at 43% on RT) – a jumbled mess of narratives and hilariously awful performances. In the Hand of Dante follows the parallel lives of a NYC author (Nick Tosches) in the 21st century who goes on a violent journey after he is recruited by a mafia don to steal Italian poet Dante Alighieri's "The Divine Comedy" written in the poet’s own hand, and Dante in the 14th century seeking inspiration to write his most important work – each man unknowingly connected through time and their obsessive quest for love, beauty, and the divine. Starring Oscar Isaac in both roles as Nick & Dante, Gal Gadot, Gerard Butler (as a hilariously ruthless mobster enforcer), John Malkovich, Louis Cancelmi, Franco Nero, Benjamin Clementine, Paolo Bonacelli, Sabrina Impacciatore, Martin Scorsese, Al Pacino, and Jason Momoa. What a bonkers cast! Alas I wish this movie was any good, it really seems like a total waste of great talent across the board. // Continue Reading ›
- Has Cannes Lost Its Touch? Nope - They've Still Got the Best Films (May 29, 2026)
Are film festivals still important? How relevant are they nowadays? Is there something strange going on with film festivals worldwide that no one is talking about? These are some of the prominent questions on my mind in 2026 as the year rattles on. From Sundance to Berlinale to SXSW to Cannes and eventually right to Telluride/TIFF/Venice in the fall, there's always another edition of each festival to look forward to coming up. The 2026 Cannes Film Festival just concluded in France, celebrating its 79th year in 2026, with an exciting jubilee 80th anniversary celebration coming up in 2027. But was it a good year in Cannes? Did they even play any good films? I've read some reports from outsiders who were not at the festival saying that they think it was an unexciting and mostly muted year in Cannes – not that many breakout films, not much that actually sounds exciting to watch. Well, I'm here to say they're wrong. There ARE a handful of outstanding films from Cannes this year. Though perhaps not as many as usual. So there is some truth to their claim, and the Cannes 2026 was a bit lackluster overall, however I still believe that Cannes remains the king (or is it the queen?) of film festivals. They've still got all the best films, they're still programming many iconic all-timer cinematic creations, and they're still the vital place where it cinema history happens in May year after year. // Continue Reading ›
- Official Trailer for Doc 'Groundswell' All About Rethinking Agriculture (May 28, 2026)
"Farm by farm, we can actually heal the entire world." Prime Video has unveiled the official trailer for a documentary film titled simply Groundswell, arriving to watch streaming on Prime Video this June. This just premiered at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival as a Special Screening – it's rare a documentary ever gets a good spot at this festival. Groundswell is the stirring final chapter of a groundbreaking documentary trilogy following Kiss the Ground and Common Ground, a sweeping cinematic journey across 5 continents narrated by Demi Moore and Woody Harrelson. At the heart of this film is regeneration, a practical and proven set of farming practices that build living soil, store vast amounts of carbon deep underground, and produce more nutrient-dense food on the same acre of land. It is measurable. Across the globe, farmers, scientists, Indigenous leaders, & visionaries are already proving it at scale, quietly reversing 3 interconnected crises racing toward humanity: climate change, species extinction, and catastrophic soil loss. The film highlights a positive chance for real change: a groundswell of hope and a living blueprint for global renewal. This seems like another must see doc for anyone wondering how to rethink agriculture in order to truly heal the planet. // Continue Reading ›
- Cannes 2026: The Misaligned Politics of Cristian Mungiu's 'Fjord' Film (May 28, 2026)
When Jury President Park Chan-wook rose to announce the Palme d'Or winner at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival awards, he spoke of a competition selection defined by its disparate themes — and of the one work that supposedly unified them: Cristian Mungiu's social drama, Fjord. Accepting the honour, the Romanian auteur proclaimed a predictably somber diagnosis of a fractured, radicalized society. "This film is a pledge against any kind of fundamentalism," he remarked. "It's a pledge for the things we quote very, very often, like tolerance and inclusion and empathy... These are lovely words, but we need to apply them more often." With this victory, Mungiu was canonized as only the 10 director in history to secure a second Palme win, presenting a film functioning as a clinically precise, if characteristically detached, dissection of radicalism. // Continue Reading ›
- Watch: Heartfelt Short 'Healing Hands' About a Boy Losing His Hearing (May 28, 2026)
"I wanted to make you and Mommy happy with me!" Omeleto has debuted a lovely little short film called Healing Hands, made by filmmaker Jordan Ochel, and it's worth a watch. After playing at film festivals over the last year, it's now available online for everyone to enjoy. Healing Hands is a 14-minute short film about a deaf boy longing for acceptance who finds himself in a situation that will change his understanding of what it means to be "complete." This tender, empathetic story is a portrait of a little boy coming to terms with himself. "Told with a luminous, composed visual naturalism, it has a sure-handed focus and sensitivity in how the storytelling immerses us in Jonah's world and subjectivity, and a respect for how he & his family approach Jonah's journey from denial to acceptance." Starring Alexander Campos III as Jonah. The story is based on the writer / director's own personal experiences growing up. There have been a bunch of superb films about Deafness recently, better to see more because many people still need to learn. Along with Oscar winner CODA, I'm also a fan of Sound of Metal and recent doc Deaf President Now. Watch the short below. // Continue Reading ›
