What to watch this week: The story of the man who took on Putin, Marilyn Monroe’s last days and Selling Sunset season 5
Lawyer and activist Alexei Navalny has long been a thorn in the flesh of Vladimir Putin, his only serious political opponent for decades. Indeed, there are those who believe the Russian president’s invasion of Ukraine was partly a diversionary tactic to quell a rising wave of protests at home, led by Navalny, who, although currently in jail, remains is at the center of opposition to Putin’s rule.
He was jailed in 2021 after defiantly returning to Russia after an apparent assassination attempt. This plot and its consequences are the subject of this documentary. In August 2020, a flight from Siberia to Moscow made an emergency landing after one of its passengers became seriously ill. It was Navalny who was evacuated to Berlin, where doctors confirmed he had been poisoned with Novichok, a deadly nerve agent used in attacks on fellow Putin opponents.
This film follows Navalny and his team as they search for evidence of the Kremlin’s involvement in the conspiracy against him and publicly releases their findings. Navalny is currently languishing in a Russian prison on fabricated charges. However, he has to be amused by Putin’s disastrous campaign in Ukraine and may feel his time in the sun may yet materialize.
Navalny, Monday, BBC2, 9pm
movie of the week
still water
Monday, Sky Cinema Premiere, 8 p.m
Inspired by the Amanda Knox case, Tom McCarthy’s edgy thriller stars Matt Damon as Bill Baker, an Oklahoma oil worker who travels to Marseille to visit his daughter Allison (Abigail Breslin). She is in prison because she was convicted of murdering her lover, a local girl. Allison has always insisted that she is innocent and Bill believes her. When new evidence emerges pointing to a potential suspect, he decides to stay in Marseille and investigate, despite being a taciturn bloke with no French and mediocre interpersonal skills. With a hunched upper body and a broad chest, Damon is almost unrecognizable and plays a man with his pain buried deep. It’s a good performance.
TV highlights of the week
SATURDAY
URC Live
RTÉ2, 2:30 p.m
Daire O’Brien, Eddie O’Sullivan and Bernard Jackman set the stage for Connacht’s clash with the Emirates Lions in Johannesburg, with match commentary from Des Curran and Fiona Coghlan.
Movie
The big sick
RTÉ1, 00:10
Struggling stand-up comic Kumail is dating his former heckler Emily, but shortly after she broke up with him, she slips into a coma, presenting her with an ethical dilemma. Comedy starring Zoe Kazan.
Pointless celebs
BBC1, 7.45pm
Richard Osman and Alexander Armstrong present a special edition of the sports-themed quiz, with contestants such as Phil Vickery, Suzi Perry, Angus Fraser, Mike Gatting, Bianca Williams and Mark Foster playing for their chosen charities.
video of the day
SUNDAY
Sunday game live
RTÉ2, 1:15 p.m
Joanne Cantwell and guests present Tipperary against Clare at the Munster Senior Hurling Championship and Mayo against Galway at the Connacht Senior Football Championship.
Movie
Barefoot in the park
RTÉ1, 3:45 p.m
When smitten newlyweds Paul and Corie move into an apartment in Greenwich Village, they have to deal with poor heating, strange neighbors and a leaky roof. Jane Fonda and Robert Redford star.
DIY SOS: The Big Build Ireland
DIY SOS: The Big Build Ireland
RTÉ1, 6.30 p.m
Baz and the team travel to Waterford City to renovate the home of nurse Laura Sheridan, who has been diagnosed with stage three lymphoma that has severely compromised her immune system.
MONDAY
The Cleavage
BBC1, 9pm
As Hannah fantasizes about a new life in New York with Christie,
Nathan begins to question his relationship with Kate as she prepares for her 12-week scan. And Ruth has devastating news for Ronnie.
Movie
Fury
Sky Movies action, 9:45 p.m
Brutal drama starring Brad Pitt as a grizzled Sherman tank commander who leads his crew across Germany to the endgame of World War II. With Shia LaBeouf.
Bling Ring: Hollywood Heist
Channel 4, 10 p.m
In 2008, Hollywood was rocked by a series of brazen robberies on the homes of the rich and famous. But the culprits were suburban teens planning their heists on social media.
TUESDAY
Races from Punchestown
RTÉ2, 4 p.m
Jane Mangan, Ruby Walsh and Barry Geraghty join Hugh Cahill for this afternoon’s racing at Punchestown Festival.
Movie
False positive
Sky cinema premiere, 8 p.m
A young couple thinks their prayers have been answered when they are met by famous fertility doctor Dr. Hindle can be seen, but he’s not who he seems at all. Horror, with Pierce Brosnan.
life after life
BBC2, 9pm
Traumatized by nightmares of death and dying, now 10-year-old Ursula is taken to a psychiatrist who tries to understand her disturbing dreams. With Thomasin McKenzie.
WEDNESDAY
UEFA Champions League
Virgin Media 2, 7 p.m
Having brushed aside Benfica’s challenge in the previous round, Liverpool meet Villarreal at Anfield in the first leg of the semi-final, which starts at 8pm.
Movie
pain & gain
Sky Cinema Action, 8 p.m
Comic thriller based on a true story, starring Dwayne Johnson and Mark Wahlberg as bodybuilders from Florida who decide to kidnap a wealthy businessman and hold him for ransom.
Grand Designs: The Street
Channel 4, 9 p.m
After years of setbacks, married couple John and Julia are finally fulfilling their 30-year dream of building a special home to retire to. But their bad luck is not over yet. Kevin McCloud presents.
THURSDAY
Reconstruction of Notre Dame
BBC2, 8 p.m
Three years after the fire that devastated Notre-Dame de Paris, historian Lucy Worsley visits the cathedral as the restoration progresses to meet the ambitious deadline of a 2024 reopening.
The Many Saints of Newark
Movie
The Many Saints of Newark
Sky cinema premiere, 8 p.m
In this violent prequel to the legendary TV show The sopranosA bloody mafia turf war breaks out during the racial riots in Newark in 1967.
chivalry
Channel 4, 10 p.m
As they work together on editing the film, Bobby and Cameron begin to realize that they might have more in common than they thought. Comedy starring Steve Coogan.
FRIDAY
Friday night soccer
RTÉ2, 7:30 p.m
Sligo Rovers meet Shamrock Rovers at the showground, with commentary from Des Curran and Pat Fenlon. Kick-off at 7:45 p.m.
Movie
The good liar
RTÉ2, 10 p.m
When career con artist Roy Courtenay tries to trick a wealthy widow, he soon realizes he’s bitten off more than he can chew. Comic thriller starring Helen Mirren.
Richard Hammond’s Crazy Inventions
Channel 4, 8 p.m
Richard Hammond challenges technology enthusiasts to build the most ingenious contraptions out of everyday objects.
Sheena McGinley’s stream of the week
The Marilyn Monroe Mystery: The Unheard Tapes
The Marilyn Monroe Mystery: The Unheard Tapes
Netflix, Wednesday
Marilyn Monroe was found dead at home in Los Angeles on August 4, 1962. She was 36 years old. As is America’s penchant, the star’s death was “shrouded in mystery” and therefore ripe for conspiracy theories. Unfortunately, those rumors have all but eclipsed a remarkable career. Though Monroe was typecast as a “dumb blonde,” her mix of wit and tenacity was as multifaceted as her enduring legacy. While her death was ruled a suicide, there were unresolved issues. In 1982, LA rulers decided to reopen the case. Compiling her final weeks, days and hours through previously unreleased footage by those who knew her best, this film sheds light on Monroe’s complicated life and offers a new perspective on that fateful night.
Also stream
Sell sunset
Netflix, stream now
you love to see it Possibly. Anyway, the fifth season of this channel of luxury real estate porn and not-at-all-directed drama landed yesterday. If you’ve managed to dodge the Oppenheim droids so far, check out some background: It’s a Netflix reality series that follows seven of LA’s most successful “real estate agents” (obvs in American) who all working under one roof number one agency in the region. This season, the ladies have to deal with even more stunning mansions, harrowing new romances, and the usual unfortunate rivalry that shatters successful on-screen female stereotypes.
they call me magic
AppleTV+, stream now
This four-part documentary highlights the majesty of legendary LA Lakers basketball player Earvin Johnson (you can see why sportswriter Fred Stabley Jr. insisted on nicknamed him “Magic”. Earvin just doesn’t fly). He dominated the field throughout the 1980s, but his career came to an untimely halt after it was revealed he had contracted HIV. That was 1991 – a completely different time. What many thought was the end of his time in the spotlight turned out to be a launch pad. Featuring Johnson, his family, Snoop Dogg, Barack Obama, Michael Jordan and many more.
Oprah + viola
Netflix, stream now
The hessian floors and wooden balustrades are back for another Oprah Winfrey Netflix special (no doubt expect Will Smith to grace the wicker furniture soon). This time, Oprah has a chat with Oscar winner Viola Davis to discuss her new memoir, Finding Me. For the first time, Davis shares memories of her childhood, which was marked by unimaginable poverty, upsetting abuse, and “all the things that give you pain.” Davis reveals how “giving up hope that the past could be different” has brought peace, forgiveness and a sense of self.
Siege of Silverton
Netflix, Thursday
Based on a true story of a bank being held hostage after an anti-apartheid strike failed and rebels were forced to seek shelter there. Realizing their only options are prison or death, the trio decide to negotiate Nelson Mandela’s release.
trust me
Disney+, stream now
Prepare to have “The Blizzards” on your mind for the rest of the day… This medical series (ironically starring current “Doctor” Jodie Whittaker as the real doctor) offers riveting thrillers that explore the dark side reveal the medical professionals we trust ourselves.
The 7 Lives of Leah
Netflix, Thursday
After finding the remains of a young man, Lea wakes up in the 1990s and switches bodies seven times while trying to solve the mystery of his death – and prevent it. Watch with subtitles; Dubbing is not the best.
https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/television/tv-reviews/what-to-watch-this-week-the-story-of-the-man-who-took-on-putin-marilyn-monroes-final-days-and-season-five-of-selling-sunset-41571962.html What to watch this week: The story of the man who took on Putin, Marilyn Monroe’s last days and Selling Sunset season 5