Wayne’s 4 X 2: Fremont, The Good Mothers and MORE! 16th May 2024
Do you want something to watch but aren’t sure where to start? 2SER’s entertainment wizard, Wayne Massingham is back and he’s got you covered with his reviews of the latest and greatest in film and music and television.
It’s Wayne’s 4 by 2! 4 Reviews, 2 minutes each. Here’s what he had for us last Thursday (16th May):
Film: Fremont
Director Babak Jalali’s drama follows Donya (Anaita Wali Zada), an Afghan refugee who moves to Fremont, California after working as a translator for the U.S. military. She now works in a Chinese fortunate cookie factory and struggles with loneliness and insomnia. When an opportunity arises, Donya writes her own fortune in a cookie the hopes of finding companionship and romance. Juggling themes of guilt, the refugee experience and healing compassion, Fremont is a masterfully crafted and soulful watch.
Fremont is in cinema snow. Watch the trailer here.
Television: The Good Mothers
Adapted from the novel of the same title by Alex Perry and based on a true story, this crime drama follows the efforts of three women to take down an Italian mafia syndicate based in Calabria. Each of them are connected to the mafia in different ways but are united under the plan of public prosecutor Anna Colace, who thinks these women are the key to bringing down this crime family. Based on real events and people, this crime drama makes for compelling television and high stakes gambles to live a free life, or die trying.
The Good Mothers is out now on Disney+. Watch the trailer here.
Television: The Other Black Girl
This mystery comedy-drama based on the book by Zakiya Dalila Harris is about Nella Rogers, an editorial assistant at New York City publisher Wagner Books. Nella is the only black woman in the company and feels unappreciated and marginalised, which all begins to change when another black woman Hazel-May McCall joins the company. Initially excited to bond with McCall, Nella begins to have strange experiences; an anonymous phone call telling her to get out of Wagner Books, and other employee’s behaviour starts becoming more hostile when everyone seems to fawn over McCall. As Nella probes deeper into the strange mysteries surrounding her employer, secrets are exposed and the truth about Wagner Books comes to light.
The Other Black Girl is out now on Disney+. Watch the trailer here.
Album: Light Verse, Iron & Wine
The 7th album from Samuel Beam, stage name Iron & Wine, is another stellar addition to his 20 plus years of recording. His first solo album since 2017, Beam leaves no doubt that he can make albums that stand out. Prominently featuring his beautiful and lifting vocal work, this album was recorded in his studio at Laurel Canyon and its something of a sprouting spring of songs after the Covid lockdowns. Despite a melancholy subject matter of middle age trials and reflections, Light Verse is playful and humorous as Beam expounds on those friends and lovers who come into your life and out of it, with a fittingly light attitude towards what comes next.
