THE PURSUIT OF LOVE
Amazon Prime
THE journey of a close friendship from childhood to adulthood can be complicated. People grow and change, in sometimes inexplicable ways, but the bonds of those formative years are difficult to erode.
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English actress Emily Mortimer has directed and adapted Nancy Mitford's novel into a three-part mini-series which is centred on the relationship of Linda Radlett (Lily James) and her cousin and best friend Fanny Logan (Emily Beecham).
Linda is a beautiful, yet desperately naive, love-obsessed teenager who dreams of meeting and marrying an eligible aristocrat. In contrast, Fanny is well-educated, but socially less respectable, due to her mother's promiscuous lifestyle that's resulted in several divorces and the unfortunate title of "The Bolter."
As the girls become women and then wives and mothers, Linda's self-destructive behaviour begins to tear apart the cousins.
The Pursuit Of Love begins as a race for romantic love, but as the story unfolds, it becomes a search for something deeper.
Fresh on the heels of Netflix's Bridgerton, The Pursuit Of Love is a satirical analysis of England's upper classes. Instead of Bridgerton's early 1800s, the focus is the pre-Second War World years where the rise of Communism and working-class politics are unsettling England's ruling class.
James (Baby Driver, Yesterday) dominates every scene as the spirited, yet infuriatingly tragic Linda, while Dominic West (Chicago, John Carter) is hilarious as her rambunctious foreigner-hating and misogynistic father.
MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE: REVELATION
Netflix
IF you were a kid in the '80s the chances are you once held aloft a pretend sword and uttered the iconic words, 'by the power of Grayskull."
It's been 35 years since the original He-Man and The Masters Of The Universe animated series finished, and much like The Transformers' recent reboot, this is mostly a fan service aimed at middle-aged men who are nostalgic for their childhood. And perhaps to market a new toy line.
Producer Kevin Smith (Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Chasing Amy) has faced a barrage of criticism from fans since Revelation debuted, about everything from the bleaker more adult tone compared to the campy original, to accusations of going "woke".
Some of the criticisms are valid. Revelation makes a conscious effort to push the roles of female characters like Teela and Evil-Lyn and main protaganists He-Man and Skeletor sadly have diminished roles.
After an epic battle between He-Man and Skeletor at Castle Grayskull results in the destruction of the arch foes, a grief-stricken Teela turns away from magic and Eternia. But when the galaxy's future is threatened she must accept her role as Eternia's new protector.
It's testament to He-Man's enduring legacy in pop culture that Smith has assembled an impressive cast. Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy The Vampire Slayer) and Lena Headey (Game Of Thrones) voice Teela and Evil-Lyn, while Alicia Silverstone (Clueless) and Liam Cunningham (Game Of Thrones) also feature.
There was plenty of excitement about what Star Wars legend Mark Hamill would bring to the iconic Skeletor, but sadly the performance is a rehash of his Joker from the Batman cartoon.