Whether you fancy a night out at the cinema, or prefer to curl up on the couch with some top class action, Niamh O’Reilly’s got all your entertainment needs sorted for the fortnight ahead.

Cinema Trip

Don’t Worry Darling

Olivia Wilde steps behind the camera for this visually beautiful film, starring Florence Pugh and Harry Styles, that’s been making waves on the internet for what went on behind the scenes. Gossip aside, the film tells the story of Alice (Pugh) and Jack (Styles) who live in the idyllic company town called Victory in the 1950s.

Everything has a perfect gloss and sheen to it, evocative of the 1975 classic The Stepford Wives. The husbands all work at the same corporation and the wives all have perfect lives, perfect clothes and perfect hair in the California sunshine.

Of course, it’s all a façade and cracks soon start to appear on the surface of the perfect town and Alice and Jack’s perfect life. Chris Pine and Gemma Chan round out the cast of this twisty, psychological thriller.

Streaming Picks

This England

While it might feel a little too soon for a retrospective on former Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s time in Downing Street, there can be no doubt that his recent reign makes for a fascinating watch. His short tenure will undoubtedly be remembered for the way in which the pandemic was handled and the bombshells about ‘office parties’ and of course Dominic Cummings packing his bags.

Instead of a look back at his entire tenure, Michael Winterbottom’s five-part drama puts the early days of the pandemic during 2020 under the microscope, with Kenneth Brannagh looking uncannily like Johnson, right down to the walk.

Streaming on Sky Atlantic and NOW TV.

Ultimate Hell Week: The Professionals

Is there anything better than curling up on the couch with an armful of snacks while you watch celebrities being put through physical hell? That’s the premise of Ultimate Hell Week: The Professionals, which returns with the tough-as-nails DSs at the helm once again.

If you’ve never watched it, it takes place over six days as the celebrity recruits are put through the intense Army Ranger training, which constitutes both rigorous physical and mental tests. They survive on very little sleep, are constantly wet, cold and are put to their absolute limits, to see who has the strength, stamina, and determination to pass the course.

Some of this year’s recruits are Olympian David Gillick, actress Fiona O'Carroll, sports star Setanta Ó hAilpín, actor Johnny Ward and 2021 Miss Ireland Pamela Uba. And each celebrity is representing a charity of their choice, so it’s all for a good cause.

Wednesdays 9.35pm RTÉ One and on RTÉ iPlayer.

Goodnight Mommy

Naomi Watts stars in this remake of the Austrian horror film of 2014, as a mother whose twin sons (Cameron and Nicholas Crovetti) arrive at her country home to discover her face covered in bandages, after what she says is cosmetic surgery. The boys sense that something is off. Her behaviour is strange, she sets odd new rules, smokes in the bathroom and secretly rips up a drawing they gave her.

They start to wonder, is this woman their mother at all?

It’s an unsettling premise that makes for a thrilling film and is as much an exploration of motherhood as it is a horror. It’s not Watt’s first time doing a Hollywood remake of a foreign language horror classic either. She did so with The Ring in 2002.

Streaming on Prime Video.

Podcast

Postcards From Midlife

Lorraine Candy and Trish Halpin’s podcast is the ideal companion if you’re living in a hormonal hothouse battling it out with your teens while the dog, cat and husband look on. The pair used to edit glossy magazines for two decades and between them they have six children, two dogs, one cat and two husbands.

The pair consult the experts on parenting teenagers during the great midlife unravelling, share their mid-life journeys, from the menopause to reinvention and have super relatable guests like Claudia Winkelman, Thomasina Miers, Davina McCall, Sadie Frost and oodles more.

Available wherever you get your podcasts like Apple or Spotify.

Classic Film

13 Going on 30 (2004)

I still refuse to believe that this film is coming up on being 20 years old. Still, with early noughties nostalgia starting to become popular again and the fashion in particular making a comeback, there’s no better time to stick this absolutely delightful film on.

The story follows Jenna Rink, a 13-year-old girl in 1987 who dreams of being popular. She makes a wish and hey presto, she wakes up as a 30-year-old version of herself played by Jennifer Garner. Her life seems perfect and yet she starts to miss her childhood friend Matt played by Mark Ruffalo.

It’s a well-worn premise and you know exactly where the film is going, but the chemistry between Garner and Ruffalo, coupled with the '80s nostalgia make this the ultimate warm hug of a film everyone will enjoy.

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