So you wanna watch something…
Crimes of the Future: David Cronenberg’s horror film is not for the squeamish or faint of heart. Set in an indeterminate future, it focuses on a pair of artists—Viggo Mortensen as Saul, Léa Seydoux as Caprice—who mount surgeries as performances. Yes, there is plenty of blood and gore—and begins with the shocking murder of a child. New York Times calls it “very tough and creepy, yet improbably relaxed” and warns: “Most movies that deploy violence tidy it up with empty outrage and vacuous moralising; here, the violence haunts you.” NPR is all praise, insisting: “For all its blood and guts, this movie’s biggest organ is its heart.” The movie premieres today in theatres.
Ms Marvel: Everyone’s been waiting for Marvel’s first Muslim superhero—sixteen-year-old Kamala Khan. She is a fangirl who worships superheroes like Captain Marvel—until she discovers her own superpowers thanks to a family heirloom. And the reviews of the series are uniformly upbeat. Variety says “it’s undeniably refreshing to see an origin story from the perspective of a Muslim Pakistani American”—and praises its infectious charm. The Guardian calls it “full of charm, wit, warmth, brio and truth. It’s just…Marvel-ous”. Catch the first episode of ‘Ms Marvel’ on Disney+ Hotstar. Episodes drop weekly.
The Broken News: This series is based on the BBC miniseries, ‘Press’ and marks Sonali Bendre’s OTT debut. The storyline tracks the rivalry between heads of rival TV news channels, Amina Qureshi (Sonali Bendre) and Dipankar Sanyal (Jaideep Ahlawat)—and focuses on the business, politics and ethics of reporting. There are no reviews yet, but the cast and the plot seem promising. The series premieres today on ZEE5 and is available in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada.
Hustle: This is Adam Sandler’s love letter to his favourite sport: basketball. He plays a professional scout for Philadelphia 76ers who is sent out to find the next big star who will take the team to the championship. He finally finds him in a heavily tattooed giant named Bo Cruz (NBA player Juancho Hernangómez). And the film mostly focuses on their relationship and rise to success—both men playing underdogs who are dismissed and overlooked. While the plot may seem boilerplate, says Hollywood Reporter “there’s a depth of feeling and a disarming sincerity to the movie that keeps you watching.” Catch ‘Hustle’ on Netflix.
Jurassic World: Dominion: Well, the highly anticipated instalment of the Jurassic Park franchise is finally here. And it marks the return of three greatly beloved actors from the original—Sam Neill, Jeff Goldblum and Laura Dern. That’s the good news. The bad news: The reviews are mostly negative. Mashable blames it all on director Colin Trevorrow—saying he “bandies about buzzwords, big stars, and costly CGI dinosaurs, but with little interest in showing audiences something new.” Associated Press is less harsh, but calls it “a chaotic mishmash on an epic scale.”
A list of good reads
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Ed West pens an excellent and amusing essay explaining why men don’t age like wine.
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Inverse isn’t sold on Miss Marvel’s plotline—arguing that her superpowers diminish her character.
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Scroll has an important piece on how funding delays are crippling Indian science.
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Science Focus reminds us that ugly fish are worth saving too—and looks at the “beauty bias” in conservation efforts.
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The Guardian has the strange horror story of an Australian tourist who was held in prison, brutally strip searched and deported from the US—because he was ignorant of a minor rule of immigration.
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Also in The Guardian: India’s growing and dangerous obsession with exotic pets.
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Mint spotlights the remarkable story of Radhika Gupta—CEO of Edelweiss MF—who thrived despite terrible bullying and a suicide attempt.
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The Cut looks at why egg freezing has a BMI problem.
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Director Martin Scorcese penned a lovely tribute to recently deceased Ray Liotta—who got his first big break in ‘Goodfellas’.
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Bloomberg News looks at podcasters who are making pots of money while serving up nothing but white noise.
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An Android user buys an iPhone—and hates every bit of its design. This Twitter thread is for everyone who refuses to buy Apple.