Elizabeth: A Portrait in Parts (DocPlay)
With a plethora of royal documentaries, shows and commentary on offer since the death of Queen Elizabeth II, it would be easy to overlook this montage-heavy 2022 offering from the late Roger Mitchell, previously known as Notting Hill director .
A Portrait in Parts dispenses with interviews – or commentary – and is instead simply a compilation of footage from many decades of the Queen’s reign. But it’s compiled as a fun, often amusing, and definitely free take on the late monarch.
There’s no new or revealing information here, but it’s a fitting tribute and a fun watch and nice collection of footage showing how the longest-reigning queen has grown into the role she’s held for seven decades.
– Amberleigh Jack
delivered
Elizabeth: A Portrait in Parts is simply a compilation of footage from many decades of the Queen’s reign – but the result is fun and compelling to watch.
CONTINUE READING:
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* What is “nicecore”? Why movies and shows about kindness are what we want to see now
* Fire of Love: Haunting doco describes an amazing, Vulcan relationship
* Elizabeth: A Portrait in Parts: An Impressionist collage of the Queen’s life
AP
In this 1960 photo, Queen Elizabeth, Prince Philip and their children, Prince Charles, right, Princess Anne and Prince Andrew, pose on the lawns of Balmoral Castle, Scotland.
queen and country
As Gen Z, I didn’t grow up feeling a deep connection to the royal family. When Her Majesty died, I wanted to delve deeper into the life of the matriarch who meant so much to so many people.
Queen and Country is a pleasant watch that takes the viewer on an English journey through the life of Queen Elizabeth II, from her urban home in London to the tranquil Scottish countryside.
While you may not have strong thoughts or feelings about the Queen, at the same time it is peaceful and lovely to feel the intimacy of where the late monarch spent the private moments of her life – and informative too. As they say, knowledge is power.
– Text Waiwiri Smith
delivered
Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock is streaming now on Apple TV+
Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock (Apple TV+)
Modern reboots of ’80s favorites can be a bit hit and miss, but The Jim Henson Company’s modernized first season of one of Henson’s best-loved musical kids shows pays homage to the original while also making the season modern enough for today’s kids to enjoy they can enjoy.
The show is still set in a world behind and below the human world (or outer space for our Fraggle friends). The workaholic Doozers and grumpy Gorgs have returned along with Fraggle favorites Red, Wembley and Gobo, and Uncle Traveling Matt still spends his time exploring the world of humans.
The theme song is new, the animation has been improved, and the show has been modernized, but the dog Sprocket still barks at little explorers, the show’s ideas of friendship, community, and environmental importance are still superbly relevant, and all 80’s kids will always be are still singing “Sorrow For Another Day” long after their own children shut down the first episode of that first series. – Amberleigh Jack
Amazon Prime
One Night in Miami is now available to stream on Prime Video.
One Night in Miami (Prime Video)
This ambitious film aims to shed light on a night in Miami that brought together four of the biggest African American names of the 1960s – boxer Mohammed Ali, American football player Jim Brown, civil rights activist Malcolm X and singer Sam Cooke.
The film is something of a true story told almost entirely fictionally by director Regina Hall – no one really knows what was said or philosophized between the four men in a cramped one-bedroom motel room, but they do. It doesn’t take away from the viewer the awe it inspires watching these heavyweights play together.
It’s one of those films that you wish were so true, if only in some parts. It’s an incredible watch – and the ending might have you reaching for tissues.
– Text Waiwiri Smith
