The Two Killings of Sam Cooke, Netflix review - civil rights and singing in an unjust world

THE TWO KILLINGS OF SAM COOKE, NETFLIX Civil rights and singing in an unjust world

An investigation into the life and untimely death of a civil rights hero

The Two Killings of Sam Cooke is a programme of multiples, a film which plays with doubles, divergences, and different narrative strands. It begins almost as if it will become a true crime investigation into a life cut short, moves into a more traditional music documentary, then ends on a defiant, powerful cry that his story (and his death) should still be so relevant.

Shappi Khorsandi, Soho Theatre On Demand - enjoyable run-through of her career

★★★ SHAPPI KHORSANDI, ON DEMAND Enjoyable run-through of her career

Two decades as a stand-up

Shappi Khorsandi's latest show, Skittish Warrior – Confessions of Club Comic, is an enjoyable look back at the stand-up's 20 years in the comedy business. She starts by taking us back to when she was child refugee; her father, a poet and satirist, offended the clerics in Iran, and was even the target of an assassination gang in London.

The English Game, Netflix review - it's the toffs versus the workers in this version of sporting history

★★ THE ENGLISH GAME, NETFLIX Toffs versus the workers in Julian Fellowes's version of sporting history

Julian Fellowes's fanciful recreation of the birth of the Beautiful Game

Julian Fellowes admits he knows little about football and has always hated sport in general, but this hasn’t prevented him from writing a TV series (for Netflix) about football’s 19th century origins.

Formula 1: Drive to Survive, Netflix review - thrilling documentary series wreaks havoc in the paddock

★★★★★ FORMULA 1 : DRIVE TO SURVIVE, NETFLIX Thrilling documentary series wreaks havoc in the paddock

Ripping away the corporate facade of motorsport's gated community

The 2020 Formula 1 season will commence in Melbourne next weekend... unless the race is cancelled because of the mounting coronavirus panic. Everyone will have to self-isolate and watch Netflix instead, so how fortunate that the ‘flix has delivered this second series of Drive to Survive in the nick of time.

Locke & Key, Netflix review - comic book adaptation struggles to find its focus

★★★ LOCKE & KEY, NETFLIX Comic book adaptation struggles to find its focus

Teenage coming-of-age saga meets dimension-jumping fantasy

The comic book of Locke and Key, written by Joe Hill (son of horror writer Stephen King) and illustrated by Gabriel Rodriguez, was first published in 2008, and its mix of multi-generational family drama and supernatural creepiness made it a cult hit.

The Stranger, Netflix review - strong cast grapples with labyrinthine plotting

★★★ THE STRANGER, NETFLIX Adaptation of Harlan Coben's novel is improbable but watchable

Adaptation of Harlan Coben's novel is improbable but watchable

This eight-part mystery from Netflix is based on the titular novel by American writer Harlan Coben, who has formed a production company with Rochdale’s own Nicola Schindler, the production brains behind Happy Valley, Last Tango in Halifax and many more.

Sex Education, Series 2, Netflix review - the teen sex show we deserved

★★★★ SEX EDUCATION, SERIES 2, NETFLIX The teen sex show we deserved

Happy Valentines: this humdrum holiday is the perfect occasion to stream the most affirming sex comedy in years

Netflix’s Sex Education has returned to our screens and streams. The show made waves last year for its refreshing take on the teen comedy-drama. It took on abortion, consent and female pleasure — subjects strikingly absent from our actual high school educations.

Messiah, Netflix review - con-artist or the Second Coming?

★★★ MESSIAH, NETFLIX Con-artist or the Second Coming?

It's sometimes sluggish, but it keeps asking provocative questions

It’s an intriguing question. If a new Messiah appeared today, what kind of reception could he (if it was a he) expect? Possibly something similar to the one which greeted Jesus, according to Netflix’s new series Messiah.

Uncut Gems review - relentless tale of gambling and the diamond trade

★★★★ UNCUT GEMS Relentless tale of gambling and the diamond trade

Adrenaline fuelled portrait of a gambler running out of luck

The Safdie brothers, Josh and Benny, once programmed a season of films entitled Emotional Sloppy Manic Cinema, and if sloppy is subtracted from that description, it’s a pretty accurate summation of their work here in Uncut Gems. This is edge-of-the-seat filmmaking, with vertiginous camerawork by Darius Khondji and a relentless, immersive soundscape of electronica and layered dialogue.

The Crown, Series 3, Netflix review - if you want binge TV, there's none finer

GOLDEN GLOBES 2020 Olivia Colman crowned for 'The Crown'

Peter Morgan's royal saga has a new cast as the Windsors negotiate the turbulent 1960s

Although it conforms to a realistic chronology of events, this third season of Peter Morgan’s remarkable voyage around the House of Windsor (on Netflix) has the feel of a sequence of standalone dramas, linked together by its interrelated characters and their shared history.