Welcome to The Fresh Toast’s guide to what to watch this week. We’ll help you sort through the endless options available on cable, network TV, online, and in theaters to find the best show or movie to check out over the weekend while on couchlock.
The Crown
The highly anticipated 10-episode series about Queen Elizabeth II as a young woman, which debuts on Netflix today, was created by Peter Morgan, who was nominated for an Academy Award for his excellent screenplay for The Queen. The show, rumored to be Netflix’s most expensive ever with an estimated budget of $100 million, has gotten mostly rave reviews so far. Vanity Fair calls it “a stately success, alluring and easily digested, as high-end as anything can get without being profound,” and the New York Times says it offers an “orgy of sumptuous scenes and rich performances.” Watch the trailer above.
Into the Inferno
Werner Herzog’s new Netflix documentary examines volcanoes around the world. In it, Herzog pairs with volcanologist Clive Oppenheimer, who he briefly worked with on Encounters at the End of the World, his documentary about life on Antartica. Together, Herzog and Oppenheimer explore active volcanoes in Iceland, Indonesia, and Ethiopia, interviewing local residents and experts. Like all of Herzog’s work, the film considers more than just the physical threat and history of the the explosive mountains; it also delves into the impact the geological wonders had on local myths and customs. Watch the trailer above.
Supersonic
In the early 1990s, before the brother’s Gallagher became legendary shit-stirrers with songs beloved–or at least remembered–by millions, they were an unsigned band with no press attention or fans rehearsing in a dingy studio space in Manchester. Just three years later, they were the biggest band in the United Kingdom and preparing to play a concert for 250,000 people over two days. Through extensive interviews and animated recreations, Mat Whitecross’s film details the group’s meteoric and chaotic rise, which involved all the great rock and roll cliches: drugs, women, money, and booze. Watch the trailer for the film, which is available on iTunes and On Demand, above.
Moonlight
What will probably be the year’s best movie just got an expanded release in theaters. Do yourself a favor and go see it.
