Last year Adam Sandler gave us a thoroughly enjoyable film in Hustle, just another entry in his long collaboration with Netflix. Then there was Murder Mystery 2, which was okay, and he produced The Out-Laws - through his Happy Madison production company - which was barely okay. But now, the Sandman is back with another winner in coming of age comedy You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah. The hook that will draw most people in is the fact that this film stars both Sandler's daughters, Sadie and Sunny, his wife Jackie and, of course, himself. Based on the YA novel by Fiona Rosenbloom. The film follows 12-year-old Stacy Friedman (Sunny, proving herself an electric lead with a big future - nepo baby or not) as she and her best friends enjoy a season of Bar and Bat Mitzvah celebrations. Stacy and best friend Lydia (Samantha Lorraine, also a star in the making) have big plans for their own upcoming Bat Mitzvahs, but things go awry when the most popular boy in school, who Stacy has had a crush on forever, starts dating Lydia. With their friendship fractured, Stacy makes a series of poor decisions and lets a lot of people down - including herself. It's a lovely and fun story about dealing with messy and often contradictory adolescent emotions, owning up to your mistakes and taking responsibility - while having a lot of fun. Bonus points for wacky Rabbi Rebecca (Sarah Sherman). Also stars Idina Menzel as Stacy's mum, Luis Guzman as Lydia's dad and Jackie Sandler as Lydia's mum. Fans of docos and mysteries might look at this 49-minute special from National Geographic with some excitement as it asks the tantalising question - can we find out what really happened to the 129 men who went missing on an arctic voyage in 1845? Professional boundary-pusher Mark Synnott is enthralled by the mystery of the English crew, led by Captain Sir John Franklin, who tried to forge a sea route through the northern Canadian icy terrain more than 175 years ago, but were never seen again. A few crew members were buried on a remote island, and there are local Inuit reports of where the ship was sighted, but very little conclusive evidence has been found to determine exactly what fate befell these sailors. Partnered with another Franklin enthusiast who swears he saw the markings of an old burial structure from the air 15 years prior, Synnott tries to retrace the old captain's steps. There's some interest in their journey and the obstacles they encounter, but on the whole this is not a particularly satisfying doco. From Strike Back writer Jack Lothian, this mystery series is set in Barcelona yet inexplicably takes place mostly in English. The titular Erin Carter is mum to Harper, wife to Jordi (Sean Teale from The Gifted) and is hoping to secure a permanent position at the international school where she is currently a substitute teacher. But when she and Harper become unwittingly involved in a hold-up at a supermarket, Erin takes down an armed gunman all on her own, and it's slowly revealed that there's more in her past than she's letting on. Throw in some degenerative eye problems, a slightly-corrupt cop and a mean-girl school parent and this messy show's got everything.
