We recommend: The best new movies and TV series
Indian 2: Kamal Haasan is on a roll and we’re all here for it! This Tamil film is the sequel to his 1996 hit film ‘Indian’. Haasan plays Senapathy—a freedom fighter turned vigilante—who exposes corruption and mercilessly punishes those hogging all the power. The action political-drama is directed by Shankar and also stars Siddharth, Kajal Agarwal, Rakul Preet Singh and many more.
Reviews are not that great, sadly. The Hindu writes: “Banking on the nostalgic value of its predecessor and a visibly intriguing sequel that’s coming up next year, Indian 2 struggles to be relevant and entertaining.” Indian Express has a much harsher review calling it “outmoded and outdated”. Our take: Guess we’ll have to get through this one to know what’s in store for ‘Indian 3’. Lol. Catch the sequel at the cinemas.
Manikbabur Megh (The Cloud and the Man): This 2021 bengali film by Abhinandan Banerjee is getting a theatrical release this weekend in select cities. The story focuses on Manik Babu who thinks a cloud is following him. He is first terrified of it but begins to find strange bonding with it. The film highlights themes of loneliness, betrayal and belief. Oh and it is entirely shot in black and white!
We couldn’t find reviews for this film but it has won the ‘NETPAC Asian Select Best Film’ this year at the 27th Kolkata International Film Festival and was also screened at Edinburgh International Film Festival 2022 and Cannes Film Market 2022. Our take: We like how absurd yet philosophical the film gets and its monochrome cinematography. You can catch it in theatres.
Longlegs: Nicolas Cage is back to scare us! After portraying Dracula in the 2023 horror-comedy ‘Reinfeld’ and black comedy ‘Dream Scenario’, this is his highly anticipated, newest and, possibly, the most terrifying getup yet. He plays the mysterious devil persona Longlegs on a killing spree, leaving no evidence. An FBI Agent Lee Harker—played by Maika Monroe—is assigned to solve these cold cases.
TBH, reviews are mixed on this. Independent UK writes: “From its first frame to its last, it shifts from a morbid chill to a freaky little satanic jaunt. It’s as subtle as a magic trick…” OTOH, The Guardian says “ the film descends into baffling hokum, a stream of nonsense that gets sillier by the second.” Yikes. Our take: We are fans of the quirkiness and absurdity Nick Cage brings to his cinemas and cannot wait to watch the horrors. You can catch the movie in the theatres.
Me: Fans of ‘Stranger Things’, this might interest you! This new 10-episode series is a cocktail of a classic coming of age story and sci-fi. Twelve-year-old Ben (played by Lucian-River Chauhan)—who is of South Asian origin—has the power to turn into anyone—triggered by his emotions. With the help of his friends, he has to figure out how he got the powers and what he can do with it.
Only one review is out and it is possibly all that you need to know about the series! New York Times calls it a “lovely and distinctive tween drama” which is “anchored by beautiful performances.” Our take: We’re sold! You can stream it on Apple TV+.
Sunny: This 10-episode dramedy deals with Suzie—played by Parks and Recreation’s Rashida Jones—moving to Kyoto upon the disappearance of her husband and son in a mysterious plane crash. She receives an AI robot named Sunny that her late husband secretly worked on—from his company as compensation. Together they begin their journey trying to understand what truly happened to Suzie’s family.
Only one review is out for this one. ScreenRant really liked it—“Sunny is a charming dramedy that weaves its mystery together in satisfying ways.” Our take: We love that the show marries familiar tropes and yet offers something new. You can stream the first two episodes on Apple TV+.
Kakuda: Bollywood is not short of horror comedies these days. The new one in the mix ‘Kakuda’ has Sonakshi Sinha who has hired Ritesh Desmukh for his ghost hunter services. The movie is set in a fictional village called Ratodi where each house has two doors. The smaller door is for the ghost. If the door is not open, the person is doomed to die on the 13th day.
Reviews are not too great but not too bad either. The Quint concludes: Despite the laughs and the acting, there is just not enough horror or mystery to have an impact. Scroll is of the view: “The movie has very mild scares, ample tomfoolery, and no ambition of being anything beyond a time-passer.” Our take: The plot seems cuckoo enough for us to give it a try. The movie is streaming on Zee5.
Fly Me To The Moon: What happens when NASA’s real moon landing and the fake moon landing conspiracy happen at the same time? This is the premise of this retro workplace rom com—starring Channing Tatum and Scar Jo. For movie buffs, this one may remind you of1978 film ‘Capricorn One’ about NASA preparing a fake Mars landing in case the real landing goes awry.
NGL, the reviews are bad. Empire poetically concludes: “Fly Me To The Moon shoots for the stars but never reaches those soaring heights.” For The Guardian, the romance lets the film down: “[T]he romance and adventure of the actual Apollo 11 achievement are undermined for a smirking, tonally jarring non-laugh.” Our take: We are intrigued by the plot which ambitiously puts conspiracy and real life events together. You can watch it in the theatres.
Here’s a new chapter…
Vikings: Valhalla Season 3: Created by the man behind ‘Die Hard’ and ‘The Fugitive’, this action-packed historical fiction centres around the battles between the Vikings and English in the 11th century. This is the final season of the show which leaves us with bittersweet endings for Leif Eriksson (Sam Corlett)—the most famous Viking explorer, his sister Freydís Eiríksdóttir (Frida Gustavsson) and Harald Sigurdsson (Leo Suter) the prince of Norway. The episodes dropped on Netflix yesterday.
Showtime Season 1 Part 2: This is the second part of the Bollywood insider web series—headlined by Emraan Hashmi, Mahima Makwana, Mouni Roy and Naseeruddin Shah. In the new episodes, we will see if the production house is able to bounce back from the tax raids. Stay tuned for more team switching and betrayals. You can stream it on Disney+ Hotstar.
