We recommend: The best new movies and TV series
Bad Newz: KJo’s Dharma Productions is back at it with love triangles but this one's with a modern twist! Directed by Anant Tiwari and headlined by Vicky Kaushal, Tripti Dimri, Ammy Virk and Neha Dhupia, ‘Bad Newz’ is a romantic comedy dealing with a rare condition of heteropaternal superfecundation—where each twin has a different father. In the film, Tripti Dimri is torn between the two leads to figure out who would make a better husband and a father.
Reviews are good for the first half. Indian Express says: “If Bad Newz had stuck to its comedic guns, without resorting to the weepy saccharine bits which take over in the second half, it would have been gold.” Scroll’s POV: “For an Indian film, it is commendable that the woman is not judged at any point.” Our take: While the comedy is too loud for our taste, we are interested to see who Tripti picks at the end. The movie was released in theatres yesterday.
Twisters: This is the remake of Hollywood’s classic disaster movie from the 90s. This time the tornadoes are more frequent, stronger and more damaging than ever. Lee Isaac Chung (best known for ‘Minari’) helms the project with Daisy Edgar-Jones (from ‘Normal People’ fame) and Glen Powell (from ‘Anyone But You’ fame) in the lead roles. She plays a scientist who wants a close look at the tornado and he’s a YouTuber who just wants to blow them up. What could go wrong?
Reviews are surprisingly good. Variety says ‘Twisters’ is “fun” in parts but doesn't compare well to the original. The Guardian reviews ‘Twisters’ as “a fun film with some big set piece scenes,” but also says this: “Certainly, the twister here is an obvious symbol for orgasm…” Um, what!? Our take: Nothing like a good disaster movie to unite humanity, right? You can watch it in theatres.
Lady in the Lake: Based on the 2019 novel of the same name by Laura Lippman, this seven episode thriller series follows Maddie Schwartz—played by the brilliant Natalie Portman—a Jewish housewife who becomes an investigative journalist to reveal the mystery behind Cleo Johnson’s (Moses Ingram best known for her performance in ‘The Queen's Gambit’) disappearance. The film is set in 1960s Baltimore when racial tensions were high.
Reviews are mixed for this one. Hollywood Reporter writes: “In concentrating on the conundrum of whose story the series is, Lady in the Lake loses track of what the story is.” OTOH, The Guardian says: “The whole endeavour is a dense, clever, impeccably written, acted, shot and scored offering that is designed to be consumed slowly, episode by episode, not binged.” Our take: We simply cannot pass off on watching Natalie Portman. You can stream the limited series on Apple TV+.
Tribhuvan Mishra CA Topper: This is a noir comedy series about Tribhuvan Mishra (played by popular theatre actor Manav Kaul) who is a naive fellow with a decent CA job. But but but, he is amazing in bed. This skill of his makes him the best male prostitute in town—even visited by a gangster’s wife (Tillotama Shome). The gangster finds out and is in pursuit.
Reviews aren’t that great. Scroll calls it “flippant, bawdy, at times sharp and hilarious, but also severely overstretched.” Film Companion also feels the series fell short on its promise and “becomes a funky drifter instead.” Our take: Twelve years ago, neo noir indie movie ‘BA Pass’ introduced a similar premise to the Indian audience. We are excited to see what the modern and funnier version of the story looks like. It dropped on Netflix on Thursday.
Simone Biles Rising: The documentary captures the legendary and most decorated gymnast’s comeback after her shocking withdrawal from Tokyo Olympics in 2021. During that time, many commented on how she’s quitting in her peak. The documentary captures her home life, discussing her traumatic upbringing but also how she dealt with it and bounced back—with lots of cool shots from her training, of course.
Reviews are good. The Guardian says it “is a couple of hours well spent.” Variety also chimes in that it is “mesmerising to watch.” Our take: We love that Simone can take her narrative into her own hands and show what women are made of! It is available on Netflix.
Here’s a new chapter…
Cobra Kai Season 6 Part 1: ‘Cobra Kai’ is a spinoff series of The Karate Kid franchise—made by creators of the cult comedy ‘Harold and Kumar’. The newest season is also its last one—and picks up after the OG Cobra Kai’s death. With him gone, the series focuses on characters of Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence from the original film—who fill his shoes in the upcoming world karate championships. The first part of the season has been released on Netflix.
Sweet Home Season 3: This is the final season for this sensational K-drama. Song Kang (best known for ‘Nevertheless’ and ‘My Demon’) plays Cha Hyun Su—a high school student who moves into an apartment complex which turns into a battlefield where he has to go against neighbours-turned-monsters. In the final season, now a hybrid Hyun Su has to put an end to the traitors to save humanity. The new episode dropped on Netflix yesterday.
Fresh off the big screen…
Aadujeevitham: The Goat Life: This Malayalam film based on a real life story is helmed by Blessy and stars Prithviraj Sukumaran as Najeeb who has been enslaved (among goats) by the Arabs. He has to survive the harsh desert conditions and his foreign masters to get out alive. The film was praised for its cinematography and Prithviraj’s performance. You can now catch it on Netflix.
