8 ½ (Blu-Ray)
‘Masterpiece’ is an overused term, but Federico Fellini’s 1963 landmark movie is one of the few films that truly deserves that title. Striking a perfect balance between fantasy and reality, it concerns troubled filmmaker Guido Anselm (Marcello Mastroianni) battling with director’s block during the making of his latest film, which is becoming more and more autobiographical. Frequently named by renowned directors as their favourite film and listed by BFI as the 12th best film ever made, it’s easy to see why it has been so revered when you see it in this stunning new 2K restoration from CultFilms. *****SP
AJ AND THE QUEEN (Netflix)
Oh hunny! Be prepared for no dry eyes when you watch this series. Drag legend RuPaul plays showgirl megastar Ruby Red, as she survives a scandal with a sidekick like no other. Filled with familiar drag faces and some new ones, this heart-warming Netflix series embraces political issues facing the LGBT+ community today with witty, feelgood comedy and old-fashioned reading, darling. From the creators of Sex And The City, this queer gem is sure to leave you gasping for more, all the while giving you a much-needed insight into the world of drag culture. ****JA
HIDDEN / CRAITH S2 (BBC4)
The welcome return of Hidden / Craith is enough to make us cancel Saturday night plans for the foreseeable future (or at least the next eight weeks). Hidden is refreshingly fancy-free; the captivating cinematography and smooth intertwining of Welsh and English make it unique. Upon finding a decaying body, DI Cadi John (Sian Reese-Williams) and her fatigued partner DS Vaughan (Sion Alun Davies) press on with the case, while new characters, schoolkids Mia, Connor and Lee, suspiciously try to avoid the police and continue as normal. Although the show perhaps requires more punchy acting, the storyline is enough to have us hooked from the off. ***DG
MESSIAH (Netflix)
This attempt at precision-engineered, bingeworthy TV takes the format to an unmanageable extreme. The first 50 minutes of each episode is made up of grindingly slow exposition, finished off with five minutes of action/interest/plot twists that keep you excited for long enough to let the autoplay of the next episode kick in. Is this the second coming? Or is the well-cast, extremely handsome, annoyingly enigmatic lead just another extremist with more subtle, manipulative ways of breaking the world? Unfortunately, by the end, I just didn’t care. But did the last five minutes of episode 10 make me want to watch season 2? Uh, yeah. ***JPD
HOLIDAY (Blu-Ray)
New distribution company Anti-Worlds have released this controversial Danish drama directed by one-to-watch filmmaker Isabella Eklöf. A shocking, clinically shot drama about sexual violence, reminiscent of the work of Gaspar Noé, that chronicles the abusive relationship between a middle-aged, small-time drug lord and his damaged younger girlfriend (played superbly by Victoria Carmen Sonne) whilst on “holiday” in the Turkish Riviera. Unflinching in its exploration of rape and toxic masculinity, this film is released in a limited edition of 3,000 copies. ****SP
