Welcome to Screen Gab, the newsletter for everyone who needs some ideas to help freshen up their queue.
With weekend after weekend after weekend of rain hitting L.A. this winter, you may have burned through your backlog of movies and TV shows to catch up on — but fear not. From a buzzy new take on the end of the world and an absurd comedy about the music industry to the early work of an indie horror master and a meta take on the family sitcom, we have plenty of titles in this week's Screen Gab to check out. So get streaming.
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Must-read stories you might have missed
HBO's four-part documentary "The Synanon Fix" traces the group's utopian origins and gradual descent into violence and manipulation. (Vince Maggiora/Hearst Newspapers via Getty Images)
'The Synanon Fix' shows how the California dream went awry for a rehab group turned cult: Rory Kennedy and Mark Bailey, the filmmakers behind HBO's docuseries, spoke about Synanon, its followers and the dangers of blindly following a charismatic leader.
Nicole Kidman on making 'Birth' and why she chooses films that aren't a 'soothing bath': On the occasion of her receiving AFI's Life Achievement Award, the actor goes deep on the filming of one of her pivotal and signature roles.
Without cameras in the courtroom, Trump has already won a major victory in hush money trial: The public is locked out of witnessing a seismic moment in American history because the first criminal trial of a former president will not be televised.
Jon Bon Jovi on Hollywood, Biden and getting 'punched in the nose' by a new docuseries: Hulu's "Thank You, Goodnight" charts the good and the bad of Bon Jovi's 40-year career. The band's frontman says, "I have nothing to hide."
Turn on
Recommendations from the film and TV experts at The Times
Walton Goggins in "Fallout." (Prime Video)
"Fallout" (Amazon Prime Video)
Approaching Amazon's new adaptation of the beloved "Fallout" video game franchise might seem daunting for non-gaming newbies, especially given its roots stretch back to the 1990s. But fear not: as with HBO's "The Last of Us," no prior knowledge is needed to fully enjoy the show's post-apocalyptic pleasures. Set in a retro-futuristic alternate-universe Southern California, transformed into an irradiated wasteland by a nuclear holocaust, the series interlaces the stories of three survivors: Lucy (Ella Purnell), an innocent young woman raised in a relatively luxurious fallout shelter; Maximus (Aaron Moten), an awkward, sometimes cowardly aspirant knight from the militaristic Brotherhood of Steel; and the Ghoul (Walton Goggins), a gun-slinging wanderer who was once an all-American movie star. Executive produced by Jonathan Nolan of "Westworld" fame, and anchored by compelling performances from its trio of leads, the series brilliantly blends witty, sardonic comedy and moments of gleeful gore with weighty — and timely — explorations of corporate greed, morality and inequality. The end of the world has rarely been this fun. —Josh Rottenberg
Busy Philipps, from left, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Sara Bareilles and Paula Pell in "Girls5eva." (Netflix)
"Girls5eva" (Netflix)
"30 Rock," my all-time favorite comedy, went viral on social media late last year for rat-a-tat rhythms that have become increasingly rare on TV — but not absent entirely. The spirit of Tina Fey's raucously funny media satire, and of her post-traumatic farce with Robert Carlock, "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt," lives on in the form of a reconstituted turn-of-the-millennium girl group trying to capitalize on an additional 15 minutes of fame. Created by Meredith Scardino, "Girls5eva" — "'cause 4eva's too short" — applies the same funhouse mirror to the music industry, replete with creep-tastic managers (who've undergone sensitivity training), aggressive fans (who are influencers in their own right) and competing pop stars (who disguise themselves as truck drivers or prefer to perform in a Snuggie). But the series, which moved to Netflix for its recent third season after premiering on Peacock in 2021, is more than the sum of its cock-eyed pop culture references; singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles brings impressive comic chops to the level-headed Dawn, who strains to keep the quartet together, and Renée Elise Goldsberry delivers an Emmy-worthy performance as Wickie, the group's narcissistic Jenna Maroney. Along with Busy Philipps and Paula Pell, they even manage to turn musical numbers written for laughs into genuine bangers: Inspired by a knee replacement, Season 2 single "Bend Not Break" is a catchy, remarkably poignant tribute to friendship in the face of life's pressures. If you don't end up with at least the theme song stuck in your head after watching, you may hold the cure for earworms. —Matt Brennan
Catch up
Everything you need to know about the film or TV series everyone's talking about
Jocelin Donahue in "The House of the Devil," 2009, left, and Sara Paxton and Pat Healy in "The Innkeepers," 2011. (Magnet Releasing; Magnolia Pictures)
Mia Goth stans, assemble! Already, the cult indie actor's fans are swooning over the recently sprung trailer for A24's "MaXXXine," hitting theaters July 5. The third part of a slasher trilogy launched by 2022's double-shot of "X" and "Pearl," the new film has Goth's survivor living in a paranoid, De Palma-ish 1985 Los Angeles, working as a popular porn star but hoping to make it in respectable movies and put the violence of her past behind her. To judge from the trailer, she fails.
All three films are written and directed by the 43-year-old Ti West (Goth herself gets a co-credit on the script for "Pearl"), an inspired talent who combines his love of horror history with a streak of indie resourcefulness and meta-awareness. It's a good moment to return to a pair of West's earlier breakouts. Fresh to Shudder this week, 2009's "The House of the Devil" — shot on 16mm and set during a keenly evoked 1983 — is a definitive "Satanic panic" thriller, complete with a spooky old house, a babysitter listening to the Fixx on her Walkman and Greta Gerwig as a sidekick with feathered Farrah Fawcett hair.
While West was shooting "House" in suburban Connecticut, he and his crew were staying at a smallish hotel that, besides being cheap, had a local reputation for being haunted: swinging doors, TVs on the fritz. Like most horror directors, the experience didn't scare him (West calls himself a skeptic) so much as lodge in his head for future reference, becoming 2011's "The Innkeepers," (multiple platforms). A breezy setup gives way to a brooding ghost story and, taken together with "House," it represents both a fun night on the couch and a study in the building blocks of a career marked by invention. —Joshua Rothkopf
Guest spot
A weekly chat with actors, writers, directors and more about what they're working on — and what they're watching
George and Mayan Lopez in "Lopez vs. Lopez." (Nicole Weingart/NBC)
You don't need to be a fan of unscripted TV to enjoy "Lopez v. Lopez" (NBC, Peacock). Then again, it couldn't hurt. With "Real Housewives of Miami" in her queue and a number of reality stars in her guest cast, the sitcom's showrunner, Debby Wolfe, understands that the power of an outsize personality transcends genre: "When you stand out to a large audience, no matter what field you're in (politics, sports, reality, social media), you are a born performer." Wolfe stopped by Screen Gab recently to discuss how reality and reality TV inform her collaboration with stars George and Mayan Lopez on the series, the classic sitcom that picks her up when she's feeling down, and more. —Matt Brennan
What have you watched recently that you are recommending to everyone you know?
My recent favorite is "Real Housewives of Miami" [Bravo, Peacock]. Because I work in scripted, I turn to unscripted shows to unwind and relax. What I love about the Miami ladies specifically is that I was raised there and they all remind me of the strong, outspoken Latinas I grew up with. I can't get enough of the Spanglish fights where everyone is talking over one another. It feels like home.
What is your go-to "comfort watch," a movie or TV show you go back to again and again?
When I'm feeling down, the thing that always brings a smile to my face is "The Golden Girls" [Hulu]. I think it's one of the greatest sitcoms of all time and every episode hits with humor and heart. The joke writing and delivery are unmatched.
In a recent interview with The Times you describe grabbing your notebook when George and Mayan "get into it" on set — inspiration for the series' very meta concept. Please talk more about an occasion when you channeled an on-set exchange into something that ended up on the show.
It's funny you ask because I mentioned above that I love unscripted TV, meanwhile there's an unscripted series happening behind the scenes of "Lopez vs. Lopez," between a real father and daughter. The evolution of Mayan and George working together in Season 2 was definitely inspired by their working relationship in Season 1. They've had to learn to treat one another as professional colleagues rather than as overbearing dad and triggered daughter. It's super challenging. I can't imagine working with my parents. But I commend the two of them for trying while still giving us plenty of material to mine for stories.
I love the surprising mix of guest stars you've cast for the show, including former NFL player Marshawn Lynch and "Vanderpump Rules" cast members Scheana Shay and Brock Davies. What's the rationale, for you, behind the unorthodox casting? And who is on your wish list that you haven't gotten yet?
I have this controversial theory that the same thing that makes unscripted reality stars famous is what makes sitcom stars famous: They are hilarious. We tune in because they make us laugh. And as they gain more attention and fame, they fall into a broader version of who they are onscreen. That's how we build sitcom characters — they are the best and worst parts of ourselves. And I think reality stars are already very aware of what those things are and how to highlight them in front of a camera. This season I tested out my theory and I was right!
Lisa Rinna, Scheana and Brock came on our show and crushed it. Marshawn Lynch had already proven his comedy acting chops in "Bottoms" [Prime Video, Fubo TV, MGM+], but regardless I think my theory applies to larger-than-life icons as well. When you stand out to a large audience, no matter what field you're in (politics, sports, reality, social media), you are a born performer. Our show was inspired by Mayan's TikTok, so it also feels very natural for us to do unorthodox casting. And casting them gives us an opportunity to bring in new audiences that may not yet know about our show. This is by no means to say they are better at acting than trained performers, but the potential to be great is there if they wish to hone the craft. On my dream list are many seasoned Latine actors we'd love to work with, such as Salma Hayek, Michael Peña and Rosie Perez, just to name a few. And a dream for both Mayan and I is to work with RuPaul. Mayan had the opportunity to work with Ru as a guest judge on "Drag Race" and our entire cast and crew are huge fans of "mother."
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