So you wanna watch something…
The Hand of God: This is an autobiographical pic by Academy Award-winning writer and director Paolo Sorrentino—a coming-of-age story that follows a teen boy as he navigates unexpected family tragedy and emotional turmoil—inspired by Sorrentino’s childhood. New York Times called the film “sensual, sad and occasionally sublime.” Vulture says it’s “captivating” in the way it captures the role “beauty plays in saving our broken lives”. The Wrap, OTOH, calls it “unappealingly inert and flat.” Full disclosure: We found the trailer moving and poignant. Streaming on Netflix.
Spider-Man: No Way Home: Director Jon Watts returns with the absurdly anticipated third ‘Spider-Man’ installment—which is already set to become the first pandemic movie to cross the $100 million mark. As usual, Peter Parker (Tom Holland) defeats the villain-of-the-day, but finds himself in hot water with the general public. The webslinger turns to Dr Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch)—and all sorts of magical hijinks ensue.
This is a tribute of sorts to 20 years of ‘Spider-Man’ movies—with cameos from classic villains like the Green Goblin (William Dafoe) and Doc Ock (Alfred Molina). According to The Verge, the film has a “surprising amount of humor and heart,” and The Guardian calls it “a propulsive, slickly choreographed adventure”—but doesn’t sound overly impressed. Catch it in theaters.
Decoupled: This Netflix original series is all about Arya (R Madhavan) and Shruti (Surveen Chawla)—an upmarket Gurgaon couple on the cusp of divorce, navigating what seems to be a long-overdue separation. Due warning: It is written by Manu Joseph—who is not exactly everyone’s favourite writer, and viewed as sexist and/or a knee-jerk contrarian in some quarters. It is directed by Hardik Mehta—best known for ‘Kaamyaab’ and ‘Roohi’. We weren’t impressed by the trailer, but it is a unique premise for an Indian series. There are no reviews as yet, but you can check out this interview with the two stars in The Hindu. Season one drops on Netflix today.
A list of good reads
- Feeling bad you’ve never had one of those 25-course meals at a Michelin-starred restaurant? This Everywhereist review of a high-end Italian dining experience will cure you entirely of jealousy.
- BBC News looks at how hologram tech could soon replace video calls.
- Also on BBC News: a fascinating deep dive into how Black Axe—a Nigerian gang—became a global criminal empire.
- ScienceAlert looks at whether what we eat affects how angry we are in public.
- Bloomberg News via Mint looks at the new favourite corporate buzzword: 'journey'.
- The Print explains why everyone from the delivery worker to your hairdresser wants you to fill that customer feedback form.
- New York Times did a deep dive into the Harvard University scam that fooled NDTV anchor Nidhi Razdan—and targeted multiple Indian women.
- A very smart read: Variety on Amazon Prime’s growth strategy five years after its launch in India.
- Everyone is talking about Scroll’s detailed report on the destruction of Dehradun—which is a cautionary tale for Indian hill stations everywhere.
- Also in Scroll: an excerpt from Nisha Susan’s translation of the novel 'Qabar'—Malayali author KR Meera’s surreal account of the Babri Masjid case.
- #Vanlife is the new lifestyle trend–and yes, it involves living in a van. New Yorker dissects this “Bohemian social-media movement.”
- The Quint looks at the furore in Pakistan over Nawaz Sharif’s daughter, Maryam Nawaz—the fifty-something who apparently looked too hot at her son’s wedding.
- “A plus-sized Jewish lady redneck died in El Paso on Saturday.” That’s how this funny and moving obituary penned by a son for his mother begins… Read it in the Fayetteville Observer.
- Rohit Brijnath in Mint Lounge explains why he’d rather wait for a documentary on India’s glorious World Cup win in 1983 than watch the Bollywood version starring Ranveer Singh.