What to watch: Say his name!
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Welcome back to the Afterlife.
Yours truly is at Toronto International Film Festival pondering a caffeinated beverage from Tim Hortons (and maybe a couple of Timbits!) but a whole lot of y'all are returning to Tim Burton's kooky world of the recently deceased and hilariously long dead. The horror comedy sequel "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice" gets the fall movie season rolling, with Michael Keaton back in the striped suit and out of his mind as the demonically witty title bio-exorcist. It's a nice dose of nostalgia at the theater, especially for all my fellow '80s kids, though there are notables to stream, too, including Nicole Kidman's new Netflix series "The Perfect Couple" and the latest season of Gary Oldman's Apple TV+ spy drama "Slow Horses."
While I tuck into my Canadian coffee, let's get to the good stuff:
See Michael Keaton reunite with Winona Ryder in Tim Burton's 'Beetlejuice Beetlejuice'
Witnessing the original 1988 "Beetlejuice" in a theater when I was 12 was a seminal moviegoing moment for young me. Like Winona Ryder's goth teen Lydia Deetz, I was down for the strange and unusual, but that movie was unlike anything else: unhinged, bizarre and utterly brilliant. In that vein, the new sequel is a letdown, an overstuffed outing with bits of greatness where Burton unleashes his signature macabre style in enjoyable fashion, yet Keaton's Beetlejuice is disappointingly toned-down compared to his usual manic self. (Peep my ★★½ review.) My pal Felecia Wellington Radel also has a helpful parent's guide to the new sequel.
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What was pretty darn fun was getting the "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice" cast, plus Burton, together for a group chat recently in New York City. Keaton talked about his favorite scenes from the original movie, and Ryder and Jenna Ortega (who plays Lydia's teen daughter, Astrid) discussed their onscreen bond. “I did not picture her pregnant or even in love," Ryder says of Lydia. "But it was just magic when I met Jenna.”
Stream 'The Perfect Couple' on Netflix, 'Slow Horses' Season 4 on Apple TV+
Do you dig HBO's hit "The White Lotus" but wish it were sillier? Get binging on "The Perfect Couple" (streaming on Netflix), based on the book by "beach reads" queen Elin Hilderbrand. The lightweight whodunit centers on a New England couple, an icy best-selling author (Kidman) and her weed-smoking husband (Liev Schreiber), who are hosting a blowout wedding for their son when a dead body ruins the festivities. In her ★★½ review, TV critic Kelly Lawler calls the soapy drama "a fluffy doughnut with bland filling."
For something a bit heavier, there's the fourth season of "Slow Horses" (streaming on Apple TV+), which follows a group of dysfunctional British secret agents led by off-putting supersleuth Jackson Lamb, played by Gary Oldman. It's one of his favorite roles – which is saying something for an Oscar winner who's played Dracula, Winston Churchill, Sid Vicious and Lee Harvey Oswald. He told my colleague Marco della Cava in a new interview that he chooses his characters by “just saying ‘No’ to almost everything, truly. I’ll think, I can’t play Churchill, that’s ridiculous. And then if it keeps coming back, I know maybe it’s something that is meant to be.”
Follow along as we watch Oscar-ready movies at Toronto Film Festival
Not only do I look out for what you need to watch now, but also the best stuff you need to watch coming soon. Which is why I'm excited to theater-hop all over this fine Canadian city for films that will be major players this awards season. (It's never too soon to prep for your Oscar pool!) TIFF has long been a popular launching pad for best picture winners, including recent Academy honorees like "Parasite," "Nomadland" and "Spotlight." Among the things I'm excited to see this year: "Nightbitch," starring Amy Adams as a mom who thinks she's turning into a dog; "The Life of Chuck," a Stephen King adaptation featuring Tom Hiddleston and Mark Hamill; "Conclave," a papal thriller with Ralph Fiennes; and "We Live in Time," a drama with Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh that probably will jerk some tears.
I'll be keeping a best-of-fest rolling roundup of what I see, but keep an eye on your inboxes Tuesday morning for our special edition TIFF Watch Party with all the highlights.
Even more goodness to check out!
- Did you watch "The Bachelorette" finale? There was DRAMA. (Shocker.)
- Get a load of the first clip from "The Apprentice," the biopic with Sebastian Stan as a young Donald Trump.
- A more subversive, edgier and foul-mouthed version of "Abbott Elementary"? Yes please! Brian Jordan Alvarez, the creator and star of FX's "English Teacher," wants people "laughing from start to finish."
Got thoughts, questions, ideas, concerns, compliments or maybe even some recs for me? Email [email protected] and follow me on the socials: I'm @briantruitt on Twitter (not calling it X!), Instagram and Threads.