TV

Bishop's life

In HBO's The Young Pope, created and mostly written by Italian film director Paolo Sorrentino, British actor Jude Law plays Pope Pius XIII, born Lenny Belardo, formerly the archbishop of New York. As the name suggests, the 10-episode series is expected to bring viewers a breath of groovy fresh air. In the show, the pope is profound and arbitrary; alternately charming and rude, frightening and approachable. With elements real and surreal, the production feels appealingly foreign and particularly Italian. There are scenes such as nuns playing volleyball or a kangaroo running wild in the garden. As pure picture-making, it is never less than lovely.

Book

Race relations

The Daily Show host Trevor Noah's best-selling memoir has earned glowing reviews not because it is funny. In fact, it is much less funny than one might expect from a comedian. The story of Noah, born as the son of a black woman and a white man in the era of apartheid, is compelling without any pratfalls. The book also explains what we can look on now as absurd laws about race in South Africa as recently as the 1980s. For instance, declaring the race of an individual could be up to a clerk at a government office. The languages are the reason this book is best consumed as an audiobook. The portions of the book that are not in English don't have the same texture or impact without Noah's narration.

Game

Alien control

This year's video game Prey is a reboot of its franchise helmed by Arkane Studios, makers of the Dishonored series. It stars a new protagonist named Morgan Yu, and it takes place in an alternate history, in which Russia and the United States work together to build a clandestine space station called Kletka. The facility's purpose: Contain dangerous aliens found near the moon. The game follows the experience of Morgan, the lead scientist. The facility is in turmoil. The aliens break containment, and players will have to escape the facility and decide its fate. With a new studio aboard, Prey bears little resemblance to its predecessor. Interestingly enough, it has more in common with BioShock than any other games.

China Daily - Agencies