The Bear is Anxious AF… So Why is it So Bingeable?
It’s the kitchen that needs a Calm subscription. This month, The Bear comes out of hibernation, Nicole Kidman enters her Efron era, and we hit play on three of the year’s best movies, now on streaming
good.film
8 months ago
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Your Streaming Picks of the Month
Bored tonight? We’ve scooped up the shows that the good.film community have been into over the last few weeks, and hey – you guys have great taste. Here’s a few of our fave reax!
@miss_sunshine on Bridgerton
“Wealth, lust, greed and betrayal… This series truly has some elements that would make your grandmother blush!”
@anthemfox on Hit Man
“It’s noir on a sunny day… You’ll ponder and philosophise the complexities of identity and morality while eating popcorn.”
@justasksiri on It’s a Sin
“Incredibly powerful… If you want to understand more about an unfathomably distressing time for the LGBTQIA+ community, it’s an absolute must-see.”
@sally on Shogun
“An awesome example of cross-cultural storytelling… it definitely made me see my own culture and history through a new lens.”
Our Streaming Picks of the Month:
The Bear
This is a dish we’ve been ravenous for. After Season 1 introduced Ayo Edebiri to the world and Season 2 brought new cringe to the term “family dinner”, Season 3 of The Bear has just dropped in its entirety with more anticipation than a Michelin starred amuse-bouche.
If you’ve never seen it, the series is a high-pressure, nerve-jangling look inside a commercial kitchen where sweat and adrenaline flow like olive oil. And viewers are hooked. According to Disney, the new episodes hit 5.4 million views within the first four days on their streamer Hulu–the best performance ever for any Hulu scripted series. So why the hullabaloo?
Aside from its dizzying pace, The Bear has been raved for its writing depth, gritty cast and lived-in characters whose struggles feel real and relatable. It’s about pressure, and burnout. The tricky collision when a head full of passionate dreams meets a logistical nightmare. And really, really tummy-grumbling food.
The show has connected deeply with audiences in its approach to themes of trauma and mental health–as head chef Carmy processes his brother’s death by suicide–and how gender roles deflate and frustrate Sydney, the ambitious, headstrong sous chef. And look no further than the Season 2 episode “Fishes” to get an A-Grade flashback into dysfunctional parenting.
Chalk up a few views to clever marketing too–like this food truck that popped up in London over the weekend (sadly, Jeremy Allen White wasn’t manning the stove). Now we’re just jealous.
The Bear scooped 10 Emmys for its first season (including 3 acting prizes along with awards for writing, directing and Best Comedy Series - did we mention it’s funny?) and yes, it’s really that good. If you still haven’t dined in, your table’s ready for a mouthwatering meal.
My Lady Jane
Chowed through Bridgerton and need your next British fix? With sexy revisionist history all the rage, this vampy Amazon Prime series–from an all-women team of creators and executive producers–has got its timing nigh on perfect. How’s this for a synopsis?
Gird your loins for the tale of Lady Jane Grey, the young Tudor noblewoman who was Queen of England for nine days, then beheaded, back in good ol’ 1553. Actually... f*ck that. We’re retelling history the way it should have happened: the damsel in distress saves herself.
Not gonna lie, giving the most messed-up events of ye olde times a girl-powered fantasy remix is a formula that’s hard to resist. Throw in some swearing, steamy sex and sarcasm and we’re 100% in. Grab a Pad Thai and buckle up!
The ‘Older She, Younger He’ Trend
Noticed a bit of a theme emerging lately? First Julianne Moore scandalously (and illegally) romanced Charles Melton in May December. Then Anne Hathaway was wooed by Nicholas Galitzine in The Idea of You. And now Nicole Kidman falls hard for Zac Efron in A Family Affair.
Decades-apart love stories aren’t anything new from Hollywood, but all of sudden, the boys are the spring chickens. So are these movies defying gender norms and redefining on-screen romance & ageing… or are they just a frothy excuse to flip who’s ogling who?
We can’t help noticing that Efron and Galitzine’s young dude characters are a world-famous movie star and pop singer. Why? If they were plumbers, would they be “easier to resist”–and their youth more of an issue? (compare that with the characters in May December, whose VERY un-okay age gap, and teacher-student power imbalance, were the REASONS for their infamy - which we wrote about here).
Seen any of these ‘Older She, Younger He’ stories? What do YOU think they’re saying? Drop your thoughts anytime using the link below!
Riding an Inspo-Wave
With the 2024 Paris Olympics & Paralympics just weeks away, sports fever is kicking in–and we’ve got the bug. We’ve zipped up our wetties to help bring The Blind Sea to cinemas soon, an adrenaline-pumping film about Australian world champion blind surfer Matt Formston.
The blind surfing community had every reason to feel wiped out a few weeks ago, when news broke that the next Paralympics (in Los Angeles in 2028) won’t include Para Surfing as a new Paralympic sport. But there might be silver lining–with the sport potentially making its Paralympic debut right here in Australia.
President of the International Surfing Assoc., Fernando Aguerre, reacted by saying: “As surfers, when we miss a wave, we turn and paddle just as hard for the next one, and we will do the same now with the hope of seeing Para Surfing included in Brisbane in 2032.”
We love to hear it! While the Brissy Paralympics are still a while away, The Blind Sea will be in cinemas next month to give you some big-wave inspo. Click below and we’ll keep you posted on session times and more.
Must-See Movies Now Streaming!
Didn’t make it to the movies much this year? Grab your remote! Three of this year’s best new flicks are ready to rent or buy, direct to your comfy couch. We’ve linked our guides, too, so you can read up on what’s really under the surface (no spoilers!) before you hit play…
Civil War. “It's a properly weighted drama, with a really satisfying texture, some truly wow moments, and a genuinely compelling "what if" at its core.”
READ OUR GUIDE TO CIVIL WAR
Challengers. “A grown-up drama wrapped in a fizzing, frothy shell that’s as intoxicating as a champion’s celebratory champagne.”
READ OUR GUIDE TO CHALLENGERS
Monkey Man. “Pulses with energy… a uniquely Indian story using the action genre as a Trojan horse to give us something deeper.”
READ OUR GUIDE TO MONKEY MAN
