Screening Guide: Jane Seymour, Obama, spies and grifters

Rohan Nedd and Jane Seymour in Harry Wild, streaming now on Acorn TV.

Harry Wild
(Acorn TV)

Acting icon Jane Seymour returns to the small screen in this wildly entertaining new murder-mystery series. Here, the former Bond girl and medicine woman stars as Harriet "Harry" Wild, a retiring university literature professor who turns amateur detective after stumbling into the middle of a police investigation into a gruesome murder.
Each week a new mystery presents itself that she and her unlikely companion, a teen mugger, have to get to the bottom of using their book smarts (her) and their street smarts (him).
Critics have been impressed with one saying, "Seymour is such a joy to watch that this slight and slightly silly amateur-sleuth series immediately becomes something you could easily idle away a couple of hours on."
Streaming now with new episodes each Monday.

Our Great National Parks
(Netflix)

Former American President Barack Obama narrates this five-part nature documentary series that celebrates the planet's greatest national parks and wild spaces.

Former President Barack Obama in the Netflix nature documentary series Our Great National Parks.

Visiting five continents, the series aims to let viewers experience the natural wonder of these astonishing places and the wildlife that calls them home.
The show stops in at California's Monterey Bay, the red soil of Kenya's Tsavo National Park and the lush rainforests of Indonesia's Gunung Leuser National Park, among others.
Expect plenty of stunning footage of animals, their environments and, of course, Obama's perceptive and emotive commentary.
Streaming from Wednesday.

All the Old Knives
(Amazon Prime Video)

Chris Pine, the Star Trek movie's Captain Kirk, beams down to earth for this glossy espionage romance. Here he stars as a veteran CIA operative tasked with digging out a mole who has been leaking sensitive information that has cost upwards of 100 lives.

Thandiwe Newton and Chris Pine in Amazon Prime Video All the Old Knives, streaming from tomorrow.

His investigation takes him globetrotting around the world and ultimately pairs him with his former colleague, and ex-lover, Celia Harrison, played by Thandiwe Newton.
With the pair forced back together, will their passion trump their professionalism or will the mole get away?
One critic called the film a "throwback to adult thrillers dabbling in romance yet relishing wretchedness", which sounds a lot like a hearty recommendation.
Streaming from tomorrow.

Nightmare Alley
(Neon)

Bradley Cooper and Cate Blanchett lead the cast of this psychological thriller from Academy Award-winning director Guillermo del Toro.

Bradley Cooper and Cate Blanchett in Nightmare Alley, streaming on Neon from Sunday.

Here he leans into the story's noir origins - it's based on a 1946 novel of the same name - augmenting it with touches of his own brand of stylishly creepy horror.
The movie's about a man who runs away to join the circus. Once there he befriends a clairvoyant and her mentalist husband and learns the secrets of their act, which he then uses to grift wealthy patrons. Getting greedy, he plans a big con which takes a nightmarish twist.
Critics were mostly impressed, with one simply declaring it, "My favourite movie of the year."
Streaming from Sunday.