This is an extract from The Spinoff’s weekly newsletter Rec Room, edited by Chris Schulz.
You might think Depp v. Heard – the Netflix series based around the Johnny Depp and Amber Heard domestic abuse court case that only ended in June – is a rush job. But the overwhelming ruling from early critics seems to be confusion over whose side Emma Cooper’s three-part doco wants to be on. The Daily Beast calls it a “tactless win for pro-Johnny fans” but The San Francisco Chronicle says its bias towards Heard is obvious. Cooper told Vanity Fair she wasn’t trying to change anyone’s minds, so you may need to watch this one and see for yourself. Or don’t. That’s totally fine too.
Elsewhere, Neon has the seventh season of Billions and legal drama Waco: The Aftermath, TVNZ+ has the tennis drama Fifteen-Love and the second season of the Craig Robinson comedy Killing It, and Disney+ has the movie Miguel Wants to Fight and Prime Video debuts the first season of Harlan Coben’s Shelter, based on the popular mystery series. If you need a horror film, Shudder has the well-reviewed Bad Things.
If things are looking a little light on streaming, you might have a better time at the movies this weekend. Blackberry, the tech film about the rise and fall of the keyboard phone might be late to our shores but it lands with rave reviews. “A compelling portrait of a company that flew too close to the sun,” says The Los Angeles Times. Elsewhere, Strays is Will Ferrell’s adult comedy about talking animals, and Jules looks even more bonkers. I can’t explain this one: honestly, just go watch the trailer.