What to watch this week: Scott Ellis shares his top streaming recommendations
By Scott Ellis
It’s Halloween, so there’s spooky stuff galore.
Here’s two that grabbed me, one a comedy and one just bloody (literally) terrifying:
Ghosts on Paramount+ is spooky, but funny about a young couple who inherit an old mansion in upstate New York and after a blow to the head, the woman is able to see – and hear – all the ghosts who are trapped there. She wants to open a BnB, they want her out, but they’re going to have to learn to work together. It’s genuinely funny, particularly when ghosts who have been there a thousand years try to talk to other more recently departed spirits. “It’s like a movie”, one says. “What’s that?” another asks. “You know, like a play. What’s that?” he says… and so on.
And remember the horror film ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’? And the sequel ‘I Still Know What You Did Last Summer’? Well apparently someone still hasn’t forgotten because Paramount + has dropped the new installment of the story – I’ll Always Know What You Did Last Summer – this one sticking close to the original teen horror book and following a group of kids being haunted by a mysterious killer out for revenge after what they did (no spoiler here, they ran someone down and hushed it up) last summer. Still scary after all this time!
Ok, enough spooky, how about some romance?
First up check out Modern Love on Amazon Prime, an anthology series (different episodes with different stories and cast) that looks at the problems and joys of love, based on very real stories sent into the New York Times’ Modern Love column. There’s a massive cast here – Dev Patel, Mini Driver, Tina Fey, Kit Harrington and a lot more, jump in, pick any episode and you’re guaranteed to smile.
Want romance, fun AND an uplifting story, head into The Big Leap on Disney+ next Wednesday, a musical comedy drama which follows the crew and contestants on a reality dance show where the winner will change their life… assuming they don’t ruin it along the way. You are absolutely guaranteed to fall in love with Simone Recasner as Gabby – imagine Baby from Dirty Dancing but a bit more awkward.
Not quite a romance, but still guaranteed to get a smile, Paramount+ has Kate Beckinsale in Guilty Party, a very funny (but very dark) comedy about a journalist in America desperate to recover her reputation after being accused of making up a quote in an award-winning story. She takes on the story of a wife accused of killing her husband and finds herself spiraling down a rabbit hole of clues and lies where it might not actually matter what the truth is, just as long as she can get a headline.
Plus, The Sopranos prequel is about to land in cinemas. Every episode of The Sopranos is available on Binge and now is the perfect time to re-watch!