Welcome to the Season 3 Finale of African Couch Potato, still the number 1 place for what's going down in the world of SA's TV and movies. We have also recently hit number 8 in Million Podcasts' Top 100 African Podcasts.

So what has been happening? last week Gino got the invite to a VIP screening of The Shards, a new series on Disney+. 17-year-old Bret finds his whole world changing with the arrival at his prestigious L.A. prep school of enigmatic new classmate Robert Mallory, that just happens to coincide with the appearance of a serial killer called The Trawler.

With 3 years of episodes done and dusted, Gino looks back on what we have acheived since we began.

One streamer that we all forgot about is eVOD, free to air broadcaster e.tv's viideo on demand platform. Gino gave the free version a whirl.

In other news, Season 3 of Tyler Perry’s Beauty In Black returns to Netflix on the 27th of August, while, later in September, fresh from The Polygamist, Kenneth Nkosi hits the silver screen in a local comedy adventure. Timmy The Kid also features Lillian Dube, Celeste Ntuli and Sandile Mahlangu.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day broke records with the biggest box office opening ever seen in SA cinemas. And, finally, to bring it home, Gino raves about The Odyssey, and why he rates it so highly.

Till next time.

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Member of the Film Critics Association of South Africa (FCASA)

Produced by Ted Loukes and A10 Consulting
ted@aten.co.za

Music by The_Mountain from Pixabay

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“A Bartender is the aristocrat of the working class.” So goes the line from Tom Cruise's Cocktail.

The latest ACP is dialling in to Vegas to find out what went into the mix of Shaken & Stirred: The Story of Flair Bartending which is currently streaming on Apple TV.

4 x Emmy Award-winning filmmaker, and flair champion herself, Deborah Richards, directed this documentary with the help of Emmy-nominated producer and documentarian, Patrick Wirtz. Gino grabbed a Zoom call with the award-winning duo to find out how this all came about.

Shaken & Stirred is the first full length documentary that covers the sport and art form of Flair Bartending. This is all about performing tricks with cocktail shakers, bottles, and other bar tools to entertain the patrons while making drinks. It combines elements of juggling, flipping, and sometimes even bar-magic, such as manipulating flaming liquors or performing choreographed routines, to enhance the overall guest experience and add excitement to bartending.

Shaken & Stirred: The Story of Flair Bartending recently won Film Threat's 2026 Best Sports Documentary and you can catch it right now on Apple TV.

The Official Site for Film Director, Deborah Richards

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Gino Shelile’s profile • Letterboxd
Member of the Film Critics Association of South Africa (FCASA)

Produced by Ted Loukes and A10 Consulting
ted@aten.co.za

Music by The_Mountain from Pixabay

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The end of July and thoughts are already turning to spring and warmer temperatures. Hi and welcome to ACP, still your number one spot for what's happening in the world of film and TV.

In this ep, Gino casts his eye across the latest in the dating world as season 3 of Married at First Sight hits DStv Stream, and, adding some local flavour, Mageza Wants A Wife - follows a taxi driver who spends time with 10 young singles in the hope of also finding a forever connection. So good to have something that showcases the township side of SA, rather than the usual "yawn, yawn" places.

Gino also takes a quick look at what you can look forward to on Netflix, which has a whole stack of stuff coming up:

1. Mourinho - documentary about Jose Mourinho
2. 72 Hours - comedy with Kevin Hart
3. Various Comedy Specials - look out for Rory Scovel, Kelsey Cook and Mary Beth Barone
4. Umthetho - SA drama with Nqobile Nunu and Tony Kgoroge
5. Big Chicken: A Fast Food Conspiracy - Mo Gilligan leads a documentary look into the fried chicken industry
6. Let's Marry Harry - Dating show with Harry Jowsey
7. The Last House - a psychological thriller
8. The Idaho Murders College Nightmare - a documentary murder investigation

It's not often that you get something for free, but Amazon is running a 30-day free trial, which Gino used to check out Project Hail Mary and, would you believe it?, Tyler Perry's Finding Joy.

And finally, we mourn the tragic passing of 18 year old actress Kaylee Hottle, known for the last two "Godzilla" movies, where she played an orphaned girl named Jia who sees beyond Kong’s threatening appearance and learns to communicate with him through sign language.

Next time we hook up with the director of Shaken & Stirred, a flair bartending documentary.

Yes? No? Send us a text

Let us know what you think, what movie or series you would like to see featured, or just to tell us how brilliant it all is:
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gino.arlechino@gmail.com

WhatsApp Channel: Mzansi Film News, Views and Reviews

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Gino Shelile’s profile • Letterboxd
Member of the Film Critics Association of South Africa (FCASA)

Produced by Ted Loukes and A10 Consulting
ted@aten.co.za

Music by The_Mountain from Pixabay

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A mixture of highs and lows in the latest episode of African Couch Potato. We reflect on the loss of actor and gospel singer, Seputla Sebogodi, and footballer Jayden Adams.

Best known for his role as Kenneth Mashaba in Generations, Seputla Sebogodi appeared in many well known productions, including Scandal! and Suburban Bliss, among others. as well as releasing a number of gospel albums. Only weeks before his passing, he premiered his new play Black Moon, at the National Arts Festival.

And we also pay tribute to Mamelodi Sundowns and Bafana Bafana midfielder, Jayden Adams, just weeks after he helped South Africa reach the World Cup knockout rounds for the very first time.

And speaking of the World Cup, it's done - Viva España!

So, next up are the Springboks, who have already soundly beaten England, Scotland and Wales over the last few weeks, but on the horizon is the incoming All Blacks tour. Gino reflects on where best to watch Bok rugby.

And for something completely different, head for Disney+ to get up close with Hammerhead Sharks, and find out why it all reminded Gino of Moana. “You will board my boat, sail across the sea...”

And don't forget our crowdfunding campaign to bring you ACP in all its technicolour glory, so you can watch as well as listen. There's a heap of rewards, depending on your donations. Check that out at Thundafund - African Couch Potato. You know it's the right thing to do!

Yes? No? Send us a text

Let us know what you think, what movie or series you would like to see featured, or just to tell us how brilliant it all is:
instagram.com/africancouchpotato
x.com/africancouchpot
gino.arlechino@gmail.com

WhatsApp Channel: Mzansi Film News, Views and Reviews

YouTube; African Couch Potato - YouTube

https://www.patreon.com/c/AfricanCouchPotato

Gino Shelile’s profile • Letterboxd
Member of the Film Critics Association of South Africa (FCASA)

Produced by Ted Loukes and A10 Consulting
ted@aten.co.za

Music by The_Mountain from Pixabay

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© SANTE MEDIA 2026

Welcome to African Couch Potato, SA's top audio podcast celebrating African film and television, according to Feedspot.com.

Music has long been celebrated for its power to inspire, but for Thulani “Fosta” Headman, it became the foundation for rebuilding a life, a life now featured in a new documentary.

Premiering at the Durban International Film Festival on 24 July, FOSTA follows Thulani's story from former Langa gang member and Pollsmoor prisoner to internationally recognised DJ, mentor, and community leader. Gino joined Thulani, via Zoom, to get some insight into how this documentary came to be, and to give you a taste of what FOSTA is all about.

Thulani talks of his early family life growing up in the company of some of South Africa's top musicians, and how that background became such a driving force for him, through his experience in Pollsmoor, to his part in the creation of a learning space in Langa, the Bridges Academy, that has helped transform opportunities for young creatives in the community, offering access to world-class technology, mentorship and education.

Thirteen years in the making, FOSTA premiers at the Durban International Film Festival on 24 July.

And before we go, a reminder of our crowdfunding campaign to bring you ACP in all its technicolour glory, so you can watch as well as listen. There's a heap of rewards, depending on your donations. Check that out at Thundafund - African Couch Potato. Every little bit helps.

Yes? No? Send us a text

Let us know what you think, what movie or series you would like to see featured, or just to tell us how brilliant it all is:
instagram.com/africancouchpotato
x.com/africancouchpot
gino.arlechino@gmail.com

WhatsApp Channel: Mzansi Film News, Views and Reviews

YouTube; African Couch Potato - YouTube

https://www.patreon.com/c/AfricanCouchPotato

Gino Shelile’s profile • Letterboxd
Member of the Film Critics Association of South Africa (FCASA)

Produced by Ted Loukes and A10 Consulting
ted@aten.co.za

Music by The_Mountain from Pixabay

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July, and it is freezing in Jozi. Last week, ACP was invited to a special screening of Dear Sis Dolly, a brand new movie about Drum Magazine, and more specifically one of South Africa's most trusted voices, Sis Dolly, Drum's agony-aunt.

Gino grabbed his chance and his phone to catch a few moments at the screening with the film's acclaimed director Twiggy Matiwana. This comedy drama is now showing at all Ster-Kinekors.

Speaking of Ster-Kinekor, they have relaunched Throwback Cinema, so you can rewatch classics like:

• Stuart Little
• Annie
• The Hobbit
• Gone With the Wind

And if you download their app or hit their website, sterkinekor.com, you can find the latest releases, including:

• Toy Story
• Moana
• Supergirl
• Minions and Monsters
• The Death of Robin Hood
• Disclosure Day
• Jackass: Best and Last
• Scary Movie
• Spider-man: Brand New Day

Gino also brings you up to date with where he is with The Bear, and there's a new South African family drama on Netflix. The Four of Us centres on the influential Dhlomo family in which the usual issues threaten to tear the family apart. Hot stuff - and exactly what we need with the temperatures right now.

And finally, a reminder of our new crowdfunding campaign to help us bring you ACP in glorious video, so you can watch as well as listen. There's a stack of rewards, depending on your donations. Check that out at Thundafund - African Couch Potato. Every little bit helps.

Stay Warm!

Yes? No? Send us a text

Let us know what you think, what movie or series you would like to see featured, or just to tell us how brilliant it all is:
instagram.com/africancouchpotato
x.com/africancouchpot
gino.arlechino@gmail.com

WhatsApp Channel: Mzansi Film News, Views and Reviews

YouTube; African Couch Potato - YouTube

https://www.patreon.com/c/AfricanCouchPotato

Gino Shelile’s profile • Letterboxd
Member of the Film Critics Association of South Africa (FCASA)

Produced by Ted Loukes and A10 Consulting
ted@aten.co.za

Music by The_Mountain from Pixabay

CHqjHqS2RAMkVSeydGo7

© SANTE MEDIA 2026

Firstly, a massive congratulations to Bafana Bafana, SA's national team for qualifying for the Round of 32 at the FIFA World Cup, alas, that is as far as it goes.

With the football done, it's an episode of reviews, kicking off with what has become a global sensation, The Polygamist. The South African hit telenovela follows Jonasi Gomora, a self-made CEO and banker, whose carefully curated empire begins to unravel as his wife, secret second wife, mistress, and girlfriend fight for his life and wealth.

Sandwiched between The Polygamist and the latest Avatar, Gino does some catching up by diving into The Bear, although he's only managed Season 1 as yet.

From food to fantasy, and Gino gets over himself to sit through the entire 3 hours 17 minutes of the ongoing happenings of the Blue people.

And finally, back home again, as we head to this afternoon's film critics screening of the fresh new look at the legendary Drum magazine's agony aunt Dear Sis Dolly.

Plus a reminder of our new crowdfunding campaign to help us bring you ACP in glorious video, so you can watch as well as listen. There's a stack of rewards, depending on your donations. Check that out at Thundafund - African Couch Potato. Every little bit helps.

So, who's gonna make it past the last 16?

Yes? No? Send us a text

Let us know what you think, what movie or series you would like to see featured, or just to tell us how brilliant it all is:
instagram.com/africancouchpotato
x.com/africancouchpot
gino.arlechino@gmail.com

WhatsApp Channel: Mzansi Film News, Views and Reviews

YouTube; African Couch Potato - YouTube

https://www.patreon.com/c/AfricanCouchPotato

Gino Shelile’s profile • Letterboxd
Member of the Film Critics Association of South Africa (FCASA)

Produced by Ted Loukes and A10 Consulting
ted@aten.co.za

Music by The_Mountain from Pixabay

CHqjHqS2RAMkVSeydGo7

© SANTE MEDIA 2026

Something different this week. Among the nearly 60 titles on offer at the recent Encounters documentary festival was Miguel Eek's Amilcar. Amílcar Cabral (1924-1973) was a thinker and an African leader. He led the anticolonial armed struggle in Guinea Bissau and Cape Verde against Portugal but was assassinated 8 months before those countries became independent.

Miguel Eek was born in Madrid in 1982. Raised between Mallorca, Stockholm and Barcelona, where he graduated in Documentary Filmmaking at the Cinema and Audiovisual School of Catalonia (ESCAC). He completed his training at the Arcada University of Applied Sciences in Helsinki.

Amilcar is a decade long project, drawing on letters to his wives, which seeks to move beyond iconography and return Amílcar Cabral to the realm of the human, the fragile, and the unfinished.

ACP managed to grab a fascinating few minutes with the filmmaker, between him delivering a Live Masterclass to an enthusiastic audience at the Goethe-Institut in Johannesburg on the complexities of running a 10 year movie project, and having to rush off to a sponsor's lunch.

And a reminder of our new crowdfunding campaign to help us bring you ACP in glorious video, so you can watch as well as listen. There's a whole bunch of rewards depending on your donations. Check that out at Thundafund - African Couch Potato. Every little bit helps.

Yes? No? Send us a text

Let us know what you think, what movie or series you would like to see featured, or just to tell us how brilliant it all is:
instagram.com/africancouchpotato
x.com/africancouchpot
gino.arlechino@gmail.com

WhatsApp Channel: Mzansi Film News, Views and Reviews

YouTube; African Couch Potato - YouTube

https://www.patreon.com/c/AfricanCouchPotato

Gino Shelile’s profile • Letterboxd
Member of the Film Critics Association of South Africa (FCASA)

Produced by Ted Loukes and A10 Consulting
ted@aten.co.za

Music by The_Mountain from Pixabay

CHqjHqS2RAMkVSeydGo7

© SANTE MEDIA 2026