Watch, listen and be inspired by Calum Henderson's definitive list of what's hot right now and from the vault.
Two Weeks to Live (TVNZ OnDemand)
If you found out the world was going to end in two weeks, what would you do? For Kim in new faux-apocalyptic comedy-action-thriller Two Weeks To Live, the answer is simple: go out and avenge the death of her father. Imagine if Kill Bill had been written and directed by Edgar Wright, and you're probably pretty close to imagining what happens next.
The other main thing you need to know about Kim (Maisie Williams, Game of Thrones' Arya Stark) is that she's been brought up off the grid in the Scottish Highlands by her hardcore survivalist mum (Fleabag's sister Sian Clifford) ever since witnessing her father's murder at the hands of a bracelet-wearing man when she was young. Now grown up, she's decided it's time to go out and do some of the things on her list of "Things to do in the Real World" (like #44: try karaoke).
So she loads up the 4WD and heads for the south coast to have her first pub experience at the site of her parents' first date. That's where she meets immature, banter-loving brothers Nicky and Jay (Mawaan Rizwan and Taheen Modak), who, long story short, trick her into thinking the world is going to end in a fortnight with a fake news chyron that reads "Massive nuclear explosion fallout gonna kill everyone".
Media literacy may not be one of Kim's strong points, but on the other hand, she's useful with a gun. And so this fake news revelation sets off an extremely chaotic series of events, which, once you get caught up in it, makes for a very fun and easy-to-watch six episodes. Worth checking out if you enjoyed the graphic-novel-style of shows like Killing Eve or The End of the F***ing World.
Dexter: New Blood (Neon, from Monday)
Everybody's favourite serial killer is back after an eight-year hiatus, to hopefully right some of the perceived wrongs of the original series' finale. After evading capture for eight seasons and many, many blood splatters, Michael C. Hall's character was last seen faking his own death and adopting a new identity on the other side of the US, an ending many fans saw as a bit of a cop-out. But it did at least leave room for the franchise to be rebooted years later, so we can finally find out what Dexter's been up to and what's now brought him to live in New York.
Spreadsheet (TVNZ 2, 8:35pm Tuesday)
Here's an idea for when we're allowed to sleep with people outside of our bubbles again: why not try conducting all your sexual encounters with the help of an Excel spreadsheet. That's what time-poor divorced mum-of-two Lauren (The IT Crowd's Katherine Parkinson) has decided to do in new Australian comedy Spreadsheet, anyway. Does it help in any way? Absolutely not if this series is anything to go by, but that's all part of the fun. Stephen Curry ("Dad I've dug another hole" from The Castle) and NZ's own Robbie Magasiva also star.
The Unlikely Murderer (Netflix)
It's not that a graphic designer couldn't be a murderer, just that this particular one was such an unlikely suspect that he more or less got away with it. Stig Enstrom is now seen as the probable murderer of Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme, who was shot dead while walking home in 1986, but at the time he was a witness in the investigation that ended in the arrest of a small-time criminal. Despite doing almost everything a murderer shouldn't do if they want to get away with it, he continued to evade justice right up to his death many years later. This five-part drama series tells his weird story.
Movie of the Week: Passing (Netflix)
Based on the 1929 novel by Nella Larsen, Passing is a film about two light-skinned, mixed-race women who grew up friends in Harlem and reunite in adulthood – one married to a black doctor, the other married to a wealthy (and prejudiced) white man, and who "passes" in the eyes of society as white herself. The story, adapted by first-time director Rebecca Hall, explores how differently they experience life in the 1920s US as a result. It arrives on Netflix with a fair bit of critical momentum off the back of the overseas festival circuit – put it on and pretend you're at the Civic surrounded by perpetually coughing cinephiles like the good old days.
From the Vault: The Witches (1990) (Neon, from Wednesday)
Directed by the arthouse-leaning Nicolas Roeg and featuring great performances from Anjelica Huston, Rowan Atkinson and an animatronic mouse, 1990's The Witches is still the best Roald Dahl movie adaptation. Not to mention the scariest – watch with fresh eyes and wonder how any of our parents ever thought this was okay for us to watch as children. You can now also watch the tepidly received 2020 update, starring Anne Hathaway, to see how the two compare.
Podcast of the Week: Haileywood
When was the last time you thought about Bruce Willis? Probably not for ages, but in 1994 it was a different story. It's in this era of tabloid overexposure that intriguing new podcast series Haileywood takes place.
In an attempt to escape the media spotlight in Hollywood, Willis bought an 8ha ranch in Hailey, Idaho, population 7000. And for a while everything went to plan – the family got some peace and quiet, he got to ride a horse down main street in the 4th of July parade. But when a photo appeared in the tiny local newspaper the next day as part of the usual parade photo spread, Willis hit the roof, accusing the paper of invading his privacy. This is just the start of a strange saga, which escalated when the same paper revealed Willis had been anonymously buying up a bunch of buildings in the town.
So what was he up to? Host Dana Schwartz (history podcast Noble Blood) keeps the cards close to her chest in the first episode, which mostly sets the scene and talks to some locals. But it seems like a juicy story of Hollywood ego meeting small-town values – complete with car chases and secret rooms.
