Heart of the Beast review: Brad Pitt, a dog and Alaska
Brad Pitt crashes a plane in Alaska and has to walk home with his combat dog. It’s earnest, flag-waving and soppy in places, but Pitt still holds the screen.
Carrie review: Mike Flanagan takes Stephen King to school
Mike Flanagan turns Stephen King’s Carrie into an eight-episode Prime Video series for the social-media age. Is a third trip to the prom worth it? Here’s my verdict.
Entertainment for men 45+
Film, TV, streaming, music, books and games for Generation X — reviews, news and recommendations for spending your evenings, and your subscriptions, well.
Ashley Isaacs picks what's worth your evening — film, TV, streaming, music and books for men 45+.
Popular
The Sopranos review: still the boss of prestige TV
Twenty-odd years on, David Chase’s mob drama still shows every prestige series how it’s done. Here’s why The Sopranos deserves a rewatch, and where to stream it in the UK.
Criminal Record review: Capaldi at his most unsettling
Peter Capaldi and Cush Jumbo go head to head over an old murder conviction in Apple TV’s London crime drama. It’s slow, serious and very well acted. Is it worth your evenings?
AD
Crime drama
See all
The Gold review: the BBC’s Brink’s-Mat heist drama
Neil Forsyth’s six-part BBC drama about the 1983 Brink’s-Mat robbery is less about the heist than the money trail, and it’s one of the best British crime series of recent years.
Last Seen review: Apple TV’s dad-on-the-line thriller
Patrick Brammall plays an emergency dispatcher who thinks a panicked caller might be his missing daughter. Apple TV’s Australian six-parter is a gripping set-up, with a few familiar wobbles.
Goodfellas review: why Scorsese’s mob classic still struts
Thirty-odd years on, Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas still has the sharpest suits, the best soundtrack and the scariest dinner guests in cinema. It’s on Sky and NOW, if you need an excuse.
East of Eden review: Florence Pugh lights a family fuse
Florence Pugh leads Netflix’s seven-part East of Eden, a two-generation family saga from Zoe Kazan. Is it a prestige binge worth your weekend? Here’s our spoiler-free verdict.
I Will Find You review: Netflix’s wrongful-conviction thriller
Sam Worthington plays a father jailed for murdering his own son, who then learns the boy may still be alive. Netflix’s eight-part thriller has a killer premise.
Netflix
See all
Dept. Q review: Matthew Goode digs up Edinburgh’s cold cases
Matthew Goode plays a prickly, damaged detective running a basement cold-case unit in Edinburgh. This adaptation of Jussi Adler-Olsen’s novels is moody, funny and worth staying up for.
The Thursday Murder Club review: a cosy caper with a star cast
Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Ben Kingsley and Celia Imrie solve murders in a Kent retirement village. Chris Columbus’s Netflix take on Richard Osman is warm, starry and harmless. Nothing more, nothing less.
The Whisper Man review: De Niro and Keaton’s Netflix chiller
Robert De Niro and Michael Keaton head the cast of The Whisper Man, a Netflix crime thriller about a missing boy, a dead wife and a father nobody wants to ring.
Classics
See all
Jaws review: the shark that ruined the British seaside
Fifty years on, Spielberg’s Jaws still makes a paddle off Newquay feel risky. Here’s why the original blockbuster holds up and where to stream it in the UK.
Pulp Fiction review: 30 years on, still the best talker
Thirty years on, Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction still gets quoted at the bar. Here’s why its dialogue holds up, what has dated, and where to stream it in the UK.
The Godfather review: still the offer you can’t refuse
Over half a century on, Coppola’s mafia epic is still the film every other crime drama gets measured against. Brando, Pacino and three hours that feel nothing like three hours.
Star Wars: A New Hope review – still the one to beat
Nearly fifty years after we queued round the block for it, George Lucas’s Star Wars is on Disney+. Does the film that made a generation still hold up?
Prime Video
See all
Project Hail Mary review: Gosling’s science teacher in space
Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy review – pasta porn
Stanley Tucci eats his way round Italy in a food travelogue you’ll be glad you watched and that’ll leave you starving. Here’s where to stream it in the UK, plus how to cook along.
Clarkson’s Farm review: Prime Video’s best muddy surprise
Jeremy Clarkson swapped supercars for sheep at Diddly Squat, and Prime Video got its most likeable show. Five series in, here’s whether Clarkson’s Farm is still worth your evenings.
Newsletter
Entertainment in your inbox
The best guides of the week — collected, without the noise, for anyone who likes to stay a step ahead.
NOW
See all
Hamnet review: Shakespeare, grief and you’ll need towels
Chloé Zhao’s Hamnet tells the story of Shakespeare’s son, who died in 1596, and of the family he left behind. It’s beautiful and hard going, and now it’s on Sky and NOW.
The Gilded Age season 3 review: New York’s snobs get juicier
Julian Fellowes’s New York costume drama has grown into its corsets. Season three of The Gilded Age is soapier, sillier and better than ever. It’s on Sky and NOW.
Crystal Lake review: Linda Cardellini makes Mrs Voorhees matter
Peacock’s Friday the 13th prequel gives Pam Voorhees her own story. Linda Cardellini is terrific, the show around her less so. Here’s whether it deserves a slot on your Sky box.
More in Entertainment
The Weight review: Ethan Hawke hauls gold and grit
The Death of Robin Hood review: no more merry men
Hugh Jackman plays a grey, battered Robin Hood who regrets the life he has led. Michael Sarnoski’s film looks beautiful and is often brutal. Here is whether it’s worth renting.
F1 review: Brad Pitt’s midlife comeback at 200mph
Brad Pitt plays a retired racer called back for one last shot in F1. It’s loud, glossy and familiar, and it knows exactly what a man in his fifties dreams about.
About Entertainment
Ashley Isaacs picks what's worth your evening – film, TV, streaming, music and books for men 45 and over with limited evenings and too many subscriptions. Reviews of what's new on Netflix, Prime Video, BBC iPlayer and the rest, crime dramas worth a weekend, and classics worth a second look. What's worth watching, what isn't, and where to find it in the UK.