Content to help get through latest lockdown

I usually try to have some vague theme for each column, a logical flow connecting each piece of content.

In this case, I think it’s simply: ‘guess we’re in lockdown again — here are some things I watched.’

With case numbers jumping and another lockdown keeping us inside for the foreseeable future, we’re once again turning to the streaming networks to keep us entertained while we buckle down (hopefully) one last time.

I’ll start with The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (shortening to Falcon for this column), now available in its entirety on Disney+.

I must start by saying Wandavision was one of the best new shows I’ve seen this year. Falcon … was fine.

That might seem a bit unfair, but Wandavision was more than just another peg in the long-running Marvel Cinematic Universe. It had a curiosity and cleverness to it, that left me begging for more after each episode.

With Falcon I had to push myself to watch the next episode, sometimes leaving it for weeks at a time before hopping back in.

It wasn’t bad – it just lacked the momentum, the jazz, the je ne sais quoi that I was expecting. Perhaps Wandavision was so good it elevated my expectations for future Marvel projects, of which Falcon missed the mark.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier picks up after the Avengers: Endgame epoch, which saw a major reset of the entire universe.

Captain America is gone, leaving a major hole in America’s identity and security. Sam Wilson / Falcon (Anthony Mackie) and Bucky Barns / Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan), companions and sidekicks to Cap, are coming to terms with this loss and the toll their lives have had on the people around them.

Meanwhile, a group of terrorists are trying to bring down the world order and return things to how they used to be when the world had half the amount of people in it during the blip.

The story in Falcon is simple to follow, with elements of buddy cop dramas, Call of Duty-style action sequences and some earnest discussions on loyalty, race and friendship,

although some of these come across as forced.

It’s a series that does get better as it goes, culminating in a very satisfying finale, but it takes a while before it finds its wings.

DIAL M FOR MARE

Wanting a break from bombastic comic book action, I decided to check out HBO’S latest buzzy drama Mare Of Easttown, available on Crave with the Movies + HBO addon.

Starring the incredible Kate Winslet, Mare Of Easttown is an exquisitely shot, slow burn of a mystery that gradually reveals its nuances and idiosyncrasies as it goes.

An Appalachian gothic, Mare of Easttown kind of reminds me of Twin Peaks at times, in its rural American mood, without any of the dream-like, psychedelic bits.

Mare Sheehan (Kate Winslet) is a detective in the small community of Easttown, which has many issues including poverty, but also a tightness, which is a strength and hindrance, where everybody is in everyone’s business.

The story centres around a murder of a young woman as Mare hesitantly partners with detective Colin Zabel (Evan Peters), a young hotshot from the county, who has talent, but none of Mare’s gruffness.

The show also highlights Mare’s personal life — her family issues, divorce, mental health issues and more. It’s done in a way that is grounded in a deep realism that feels very genuine. There’s something soothingly bookish about this series, it feels like a polished novel.

But what makes Mare such a delight to watch, and maybe that’s because of the geographic familiarity, is the good and bad revealed in small-town life. The closeness of everyone can suddenly turn into a suffocating blanket.

There’s a moment when detective Zabel asks if Mare is related to everyone after questioning another suspect she has a personal connection to, she shrugs and says ‘pretty much.’

It’s also such a treat to see Winslet in this role, which, unsurprisingly, she completely nails.

As of this writing, the series is only three episodes in, but I can’t wait for the next one.

LONELY OUT IN SPACE

Finally, I also checked out Rocketman on Amazon Prime Video, a trippy tribute to the one and only Elton John and his turbulent first decades as a global superstar.

Based on true events with an injection of fantasy and Broadway, Rocketman is a feast for the ears and eyes, if not a little rushed and oddly paced.

The film begins with Elton John (Taron Egerton) telling his story of drugs, sex and rock ‘n’ roll to a support group in full concert regalia, which sets up a series of flashbacks.

We see John’s childhood and rough relationship with his father, moving into early adulthood and finding his talent and then on to becoming one of the biggest rock stars in the world.

It has the dramatized flare of most biopics, with a musical thrown in for good measure — think Bohemian Rhapsody meets Across The Universe.

The movie has moments where everything clicks, especially John’s enduring friendship with songwriter Bernie Taupin (Jamie Bell). Their brotherly love is heartwarming and gives you hope for John despite all of the trauma he goes through.

Despite some stumbles and awkward pacing, Rocketman is worth the trip.