With the summer in full swing, we're now into the second half of the year and there are still some brilliant TV shows and films to enjoy.
Thankfully, cinemas in Ireland are open and here's hoping that this remains the case but with such a fragmented year in terms of exhibition and distribution, it's likely that some gems may have slipped under your radar.
On this note, we've picked 11 TV and film titles that are definitely worth watching.
We'll start with TV shows...
Mare of Easttown
Plot: Mare Sheehan (Kate Winslet) is a small-town Pennsylvania detective who investigates a local murder as life crumbles around her. The murder mystery slowly unfolds as the dark side of a close community and Mare's family life slowly fall apart. Can tragedy define our present?
Watch it because: Without a doubt, it's the best TV show of the year and one of the greatest series that HBO has made. That's saying a lot. Available on Sky and NOW.
The Investigation
Plot: Ok, it originally aired in 2020 but Irish audiences got to see it on RTE this year and it's a treat. Based on the internationally followed "submarine case," the drama closely follows Jens Møller (Søren Malling), the Head of Homicide, and his team in the pursuit of the truth. With the hope of being able to provide the prosecutor (Pilou Asbæk) solid evidence in order to create a convincing case and give the relatives the certainty they deserve, the team enlists the use of methodical, unusual and technical work tactics.
Watch it because: If you feel like the true crime genre has become formulaic or a bit sensationalist, this is the antithesis to 99% of films and TV shows in the genre. Respectful of the dead and incredibly engaging, it's unique in how real it is. Available on RTE Player.
Framing Britney Spears
Plot: Her rise was a global phenomenon. Her downfall was a cruel national sport. People close to Britney Spears and lawyers tied to her conservatorship now reassess her career as she battles her father in court over who should control her life.
Watch it because: She might be one of the world's most famous faces but this is a heartbreaking and intriguing life about her life hidden in the shadows where the pop star's freedoms have been taken away. Available on NOW.
Wandavision
Plot: Marvel's blend of classic television and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in which Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision (Paul Bettany) -- two super-powered beings living idealized suburban lives -- begin to suspect that everything is not as it seems.
Watch it because: It brought all the best elements of the MCU - action, characters, Easter Eggs and the shared world - to the small screen but it also felt fresh, inventive and genre-bending. Available on Disney +.
It's A Sin
Plot: It's a Sin follows the story of the 1980s, the story of AIDS, and charts the joy and heartbreak of a group of friends across a decade in which everything changed.
Watch it because: Heartbreaking, infuriating and joyous in equal measure, once you watch one episode you won't stop. Available on All4.
Films
The cinema is back and while we can't wait to see titles like Black Widow, Candyman, Dune, Old, Jungle Crusie, Space Jam: A New Legacy, The Many Saints Of Newark, No Time To Die, The Matrix 4, Spider-Man: No Way Home and countless others this year, these films have all left a lasting impression too...
Palm Springs
Plot: Stuck in a time loop, two wedding guests develop a budding romance while living the same day over and over again.
Watch it because: Funny, heartfelt and inventive, the Andy Samberg-led rom-com already has a feel of instant cult-classic about it. It's available on Amazon Prime and it's such an enjoyable and easy watch.
The Father
Plot: Anthony (Academy Award Winner, Anthony Hopkins) is 80, mischievous, living defiantly alone and rejecting the carers that his daughter, Anne (Academy Award and Golden Globe Winner, Olivia Colman), encouragingly introduces.
Yet help is also becoming a necessity for Anne; she can't make daily visits anymore and Anthony's grip on reality is unravelling. As we experience the ebb and flow of his memory, how much of his own identity and past can Anthony cling to?
Watch it because: Vibrant, heart-breaking and uncompromisingly poignant, it will really resonate for anyone that had to watch a loved one fall ill. Anthony Hopkins deservedly won an Oscar for his performance. It did receive a cinema release and expect it to be available to watch online soon.
Promising Young Woman
Plot: Nothing in Cassie's life is what it appears to be -- she's wickedly smart, tantalizingly cunning, and she's living a secret double life by night. Now, an unexpected encounter is about to give Cassie a chance to right the wrongs from the past.
Watch it because: A revenge thriller that's not really a revenge thriller, it boasts a brilliant performance from Carey Mulligan and there's a sense of unease and mystery that lingers with you throughout. It's available on Sky and NOW.
A Quiet Place: Part Two
Plot: Following the deadly events at home, the Abbott family must now face the terrors of the outside world as they continue their fight for survival in silence. Forced to venture into the unknown, they quickly realize that the creatures that hunt by sound are not the only threats that lurk beyond the sand path.
Watch it because: Like all good sequels, it takes the best elements of what you loved from the original while still expanding the world and developing characters. Krasinski is a brilliant director at creating tension and thrills while the addition of Cillian Murphy is very welcome. A perfect cinema experience that you can watch now in all theatres.
Sound Of Metal
Plot: During a series of adrenaline-fueled one-night gigs, itinerant punk-metal drummer Ruben (Riz Ahmed) begins to experience intermittent hearing loss.
When a specialist tells him his condition will rapidly worsen, he thinks his music career — and with it, his life — is over.
Watch it because: Visceral, hard-hitting and innovative, there's nothing quite like it. Ahmed's performance is a tour de force. Available on Amazon.
The Mitchells vs the Machines
Plot: Young Katie Mitchell embarks on a road trip with her proud parents, younger brother and beloved dog to start her first year at film school. But their plans to bond as a family soon get interrupted when the world's electronic devices come to life to stage an uprising. With help from two friendly robots, the Mitchells must now come together to save one another -- and the planet -- from the new technological revolution.
Watch it because: Funny, feel-good and something that the whole family will adore, the Netflix cartoon has a lovely '80s throwback vibe to it.
