7 New Books We Recommend This Week

Our recommended books this week take a philosophical turn — from novels that sneak meditations on memory and identity into their rousing stories of war (“The Ghosts of Rome”) or sex (“Soft Core”), to a look at the implications of global food production (“How the World Eats”) and a history of personal freedom (“The Age … Read more

A Brisk and Juicy Australian Family Drama

The actual title of this Australian mini mini-series isn’t printable, but it is available on Amazon Prime Video under the title “F*%#ing Adelaide.” The show is just six 15-minute episodes, but it crams in plenty of story and depth, a travel-size version of the sunny but textured family drama in which adult siblings come to … Read more

‘La Dolce Villa’ Review: Sweet Italian Nonsense

From the start, I had many questions about “La Dolce Villa,” directed by Mark Waters, most of which are easy enough to answer but stick in the mind nonetheless. Why, for instance, is the hot middle-aged dad, Eric (Scott Foley), so incredibly mad at his 20-something daughter, Olivia (Maia Reficco), for wanting to purchase a … Read more