Documentary: ‘Mr. Scorsese’
This five-part deep dive into the life and work of Martin Scorsese, arguably cinema’s greatest living director, is one of the most fascinating portraits of an artist you’ll see. Director Rebecca Miller (wife of Daniel Day-Lewis, star of Scorsese’s “Gangs of New York”) had tremendous access to the filmmaker, asks probing questions and corralled a veritable rogue’s gallery of interviewees, including collaborators and peers (like Thelma Schoonmaker, Leonardo DiCaprio and Steven Spielberg), family members and Mafia-adjacent buddies from the old neighbourhood, all of whom bring to the documentary an extraordinary intimacy. Binge it now on Apple TV Plus. —Doug Brod
Concert: ARC Ensemble
The ARC Ensemble, made up of six senior faculty of the Royal Conservatory of Music’s Glenn Gould School, is unlike any other classical chamber group working today. You won’t hear them playing the works of Beethoven, Mozart or Bach during their concerts. Instead, this Grammy-nominated sextet is dedicated to reviving long-forgotten pieces by marginalized composers who were silenced at the hands of oppressive regimes in the 20th century. Every concert of theirs that I’ve attended has been a wondrously moving experience, because often you’re hearing music that hasn’t been played for decades. The group’s upcoming concert, featuring the work of Frederick Block, Jerzy Fitelberg and Arthur Willner, is set for this Wednesday at the warmly intimate Mazzoleni Concert Hall (273 Bloor St. W.). —Joshua Chong
TV: ‘It: Welcome to Derry’
This prequel series to the “It” horror films mines the same sweet spot of fright combined with nostalgia that animates the Netflix blockbuster “Stranger Things,” but “Welcome to Derry” is even darker and scarier. It also nods to the real-world horrors of anti-Black racism and the trampling of Native American rights in 1960s America. As in “Stranger Things,” a group of bike-riding kids are left by oblivious or indifferent adults to battle the evil entity that’s been preying on the children of Derry. Look for Canadian actors Peter Outerbridge and Joshua Odjick among the cast. It premieres Sunday at 9 p.m. on Crave. —Debra Yeo
TV: Sabrina Carpenter on ‘SNL’
Sabrina Carpenter is living my Polly Pocket fantasy, and I couldn’t be more jealous. For her first music performance on the Oct. 18 “Saturday Night Live,” Carpenter performed “Manchild,” from her latest album, “Man’s Best Friend.” In a scene that could’ve been plucked from your favourite ’90s rom-com, she painted her toes on a gorgeous pink tasselled ottoman, shook her booty in the mirror and brushed her artfully tousled ponytail with her round-brush microphone all while delivering her signature cheeky lyrics with Broadway-trained vocals. I want the bed frame, the lamps, the pyjama set — all of it! Prancing around my room to Carpenter’s music is a treasured pastime of mine; watching this performance is a close second. —Savannah Ridley
