In the Mix - summer '23

FUBAR

Arnold Schwarzenegger's first role in a television series. FUBAR, a military acronym for 'Fucked Up Beyond All Recognition and/or 'Fucked Up Beyond All Repair' (both were used by Schwarzenegger to describe the series), is quintessentially American. Not too deep, with spectacular action scenes, impressive chases and, of course, humour. Arnold plays a CIA agent about to retire when he finds out that his daughter (Monica Barbaro) is also working within the secret service. The actor and former governor of California indicated that people often asked him if and when he would make another action-comedy film such as True Lies would make. Schwarzenegger indicated that FUBAR "Will kick your ass and make you laugh-and not just for two hours. You get a whole season."

FUBAR will be available on Netflix from 25 May 2023.

The Days

According to some guilty, others consider them heroes; the people involved in the Fukushima nuclear disaster. On 11 March 2011, a seaquake measuring 9.0 on the Richter scale occurred off the eastern coast of Fukushima province. This was followed by a tsunami that hit the reactors of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. Hydrogen explosions took place, releasing radioactive particles into the air. The Days describes the true story of seven intense days, showing three different perspectives: of the government, the company and the people who put their lives on the line. Based on extremely thorough research, The Days is similar to the strong HBO series and Emmy winner Chernobyl.

The Days will be available on Netflix from 1 June 2023.

They Cloned Tyrone

A thrill-packed science fiction comedy in which an unlikely trio (John Boyega, Jamie Foxx and Teyonah Parris) track down an evil government plot of the Nixon administration: monitoring the lives and replacing black people with clones. Critics say there are parallels to a past government-funded unethical experiment on black men in the US South;, the Tuskegee Syphilis Study. So for many black Americans, the film is not even that fictional. The screenplay was on the 2019 Blacklist, an annual survey of titles that are thought unlikely to be produced. Oscar winners like Argo and Juno were once also part of that list.

They Cloned Tyrone will be available on Netflix from 21 July 2023.

Saint X

Based on Alexis Schaitkin's novel of the same name, this series is about missing young women. The psychological drama investigates the death of a young woman during a holiday in the Caribbean. This creates a domino effect that eventually leads to her younger sister ending up in a dangerous search for the truth. The story is told through several timelines. Filming and production was in the hands of Leila Gerstein, whose credits include The Handmaid's Tale and Mrs America. She indicates that as soon as she read the book, she wanted to film it. According to Gerstein, the novel has structured characters, a complex-layered world, surprises and themes that intrigued her. The series highlights issues of grief, class, race and society's obsession with missing white young women.

Saint X can be seen at Disney+ from 7 June 2023.

The Idol

This series is surrounded by controversy. It was written by Abel Tesfaye (The Weeknd) and Sam Levinson (Euphoria). Amy Seimetz (The Girlfriend Experience) was supposed to direct it, but left the project after eighty per cent had been filmed. Levinson then re-shot everything. According to magazine Rolling Stone the series changed dramatically under his supervision. According to an anonymous crew member, the story transformed from "a woman discovering her sexuality" to one "in which a man abuses a woman and she finds it delightful. The series is about pop star Jocelyn (Lily-Rose Depp) who had a nervous breakdown during her last tour. However, she is determined to return as America's biggest and sexiest pop artist. In doing so, she gets help from Tedros (The Weeknd), a nightclub owner with a seedy past. Rolling Stone claims that the project "has gone wildly, disgustingly off the rails" and is "torture porn". HBO refutes claims that The Idol is a 'rape fantasy'. All this will undoubtedly ensure that people will watch correctly, because 'there is no such thing as bad publicity.'

The Idol can be seen on HBO Max from 5 June 2023.

The Rolling Stones - Unzipped

You Can't Always Get What You Want. After corona threw a spanner in the works in 2020 -the exhibition was on display for only four weeks- visitors now get a second chance to enjoy The Rolling Stones - Unzipped. The first international exhibition on one of the most iconic rock bands ever. In the meantime, legendary drummer Charlie Watts passed away at the age of 80. The band's management has confirmed that the exhibition will end its tour at the Groninger Museum. It was in doubt whether the exhibition would make another visit to Groningen. Unzipped covers four hundred original objects from the band's personal archives. Besides their modest stay at Edith Grove in London, there are not only costumes and instruments on display, but also personal diaries, album covers and even their studio. (Photos on location by Annika Hoogeveen)

Rolling Stones - Unzipped will be on display at the Groninger Museum from 30 June to 21 January 2024.

NN North Sea Jazz Festival

The three-day festival showcasing the past, present and future of jazz was founded by businessman and jazz enthusiast Paul Acket. He wanted to present a diversity of jazz styles, from American jazz to European avant-garde. The first edition of the festival took place in The Hague in 1976.

Greats such as Miles Davis, Count Basie and Sarah Vaughan performed then. The festival also hosts the Paul Acket Award, formerly Bird Awards: an artist who deserves attention for his or her exceptional contribution to music. In 2011, there were three night concerts, with Prince playing three nights in a row. In 2012, Lenny Kravitz gave a unique night concert. This year's line-up includes: Van Morrison, Lizzo, Stormzy and Tom Jones.

NN North Sea Jazz Festival will take place from 7 to 9 July 2023 in Rotterdam. (Photo: Miles Davis in 1991; by Peter Buitelaar)

Bear's Den, First Loves

A year after their critically acclaimed album Blue Hours from 2022, the band will release their new EP this summer First Loves. Again, listeners can enjoy Bear's Den warm folk music. 'Evelyn' is the first single from the EP and about it, the musical duo says: "I was always attracted to situations where people experience intense feelings together, but they don't necessarily reciprocate. Two separate love stories take place in the song and that's interesting to me."

First Loves will be available from 23 June 2023. (Photo: Drew de F Fawkes)

The return of Mia - Samuel Bjørk

Already the fifth volume in the equally exciting and successful Munch & Krüger series. Mia Krüger has quit the police force and is about to start a new life on her home island of Hitra. But then she is accosted by a girl about an old case about a missing boy. Then a body is found with the missing boy's name written in blood. Soon Munch gets a phone call and the police duo are reunited ...

Luitingh-Sijthof | ISBN 978 90 245 9712 3 | € 23.99

Whisky - Becky & Hans Offringa

Although whisky consists of only three ingredients-water, grain and yeast-it is the most complex and mysterious drink in the world. There is endless things to discover about it. In Whisky experts Hans and Becky Offringa share their knowledge through eight chapters full of trivia, for both the novice whisky drinker and the experienced enthusiast.

Fontaine | ISBN 9789464042498 | €29.99 (from September 2023)

Silent Fear - Robert Bryndza

When her husband Will is shot dead in their London home, Maggie thinks he is the victim of a burglary that ended fatally. Until the police tell her that Will himself pulled the trigger. Maggie doubts this explanation, as she is sure Will was not suicidal. After the funeral, she travels to their holiday home on Tišina, a small Croatian island, to clear out Will's belongings. There she discovers that the island, so paradisiacal in summer, is a very different place in winter. And that Will has a dark secret linked to someone from his past....

Bookstore | ISBN 9789022596555 | € 22.99

Dracul - Dacre Stoker & J.D. Barker

A ragingly scary book co-written by a second cousin of Bram Stoker, author of the original Dracula story. Ireland, 1854. Bram Stoker, a sickly child, spends his childhood in his childhood home in Dublin. He is accompanied by his sister Matilda and by Ellen Crone, a young woman hired by his parents. While Bram is confined to bed, a series of strange deaths take place in a nearby town. Soon Matilda and Bram realise Ellen's suspicious behaviour. But before they can confront her, she disappears without a trace. Years later, Matilda returns from her studies in Paris with shocking news. She has seen Ellen again, and the nightmare they thought was over turns out to have only just begun.

Dacre Stoker and J.D. Barker reveal the true origins of Dracula, his creator and the mysterious woman who connects them, based on bequeathed notes by Bram Stoker himself.

Bookstore | ISBN 9789022599303 | €24.50

Good stuff

Scottish whisky brand Talisker is launching a new limited edition Wilder Seas Single Malt Scotch Whisky in partnership with environmental organisation Parley for the Oceans. This is the distillery's first ever release finished in French oak XO cognac casks, resulting in rich and complex flavours of smoke and spices that transition into sea salt. Soft notes of plums and stewed sultanas capture the deep blue power of the sea and rich fruitiness. Extra special is the fact that this is the first whisky bottled in a fully recycled glass bottle. Plus: the distillery donates €3 from every bottle sold (over half a million euros in total) to Parley initiatives that support ocean protection. Knowing that, it tastes even better. Cheers! € 90