Scott Ellis gives 3AW Afternoons his latest tv and film recommendations!

Looking for something good to watch this weekend? Scott Ellis recommends the below…

• Think you’ve had a tough year? Spare a thought for ‘Dom and Adrian’, AKA The Bondi Hipsters. As their new Stan series (from this Sunday) show’s they’ve really struggled through 2020 as well, with everything from their careers, to their best friendship under pressure as Covid-19  hits. Poking fun at every conspiracy we endured – and themselves – this is proof that it’s finally OK to laugh at the tragedy we’ve been through.
• Also on Stan is the awesome new drama ‘Your Honour’, starring Bryan Cranston as a respected judge who puts his integrity and life on the line when his dodgy son is involved in a hit and run and tries to get away with it. Cranston is brilliant as he shows the turmoil of a man who has spent his life defending law and order, suddenly faced with the fact only he can save his son and only by lies.
• Just when you think every story from World War 2 has been told, along comes another one, called “The Liberator” – screening on Netflix. This time following a fictitious American soldier named Felix, who has to lead his men through a 500-day fight march across Europe at the height of the fighting. Yes this is animated (sort of, real actors are overlaid with paint for a unique surreal effect), but this is  a true story to rival anything Hollywood has come up with and sits right up there with Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers. Very much worth checking out.
• More war action… sort of… from Monday Foxtel is streaming ‘Royals In Wartime’, a two-part special looking at how the British royal family has stepped up (or not) in times of conflict. Some great archive footage of HRH Queen Elizabeth doing her bit, Prince Philip heading off to kill Nazis and even Princes Andrew and Harry heading into more recent conflicts. A reminder that even though they’re fairly outdated now, especially to modern Australia, for centuries, they’ve ridden into battle ahead of their armies.
• Pitched straight at the young adult audience, particularly girls and particularly those who haven’t read Lord of the Flies, is The Wilds on Amazon Prime (from Wednesday), about a group of teenage girls whose plane crash lands near a desert island and have to work together – or not – to survive. There’s some great characters here, especially Australian actor Mia Healey who plays the devious cheerleader princess Shelby. What happens as they try to survive is interesting, but even more so are their back stories that slowly show why some don’t want to be rescued at all.
• Science fiction fans will be excited for the return of ‘The Expanse’ on Friday (also on Amazon Prime, set in the near future where mankind is spreading into the stars and taking all our usual bigotry and bastardry with us. It’s great Sci-Fi if that’s your bag…
• While we’re on great sci-fi I have to mention ‘The Mandalorian’ again – things are REALLY heating up here as baby Yoda – now known as Grogu – gets kidnapped and Boba Fett, one of the greatest characters from the original Star Wars trilogy has shown up to help rescue him. BOBA FETT IS BACK!!!
• I’ll be taking a good look at Christmas viewing next week, but for a great wrap up, check out ‘Holiday Movies That Made Us’ on Netflix, that looks at the (as the title suggests) holiday movies we all know and love to see how they became hits. It’s fascinating and must-see for movie fans, especially the first episode which looks at the Will Ferrell classic Elf. This film very nearly didn’t get made, it got sued by other filmmakers and Ferrell himself was nearly punted… and yet it’s a favourite now. A great look at what goes on behind the scenes.