We recommend: The best new movies and TV series
All We Imagine As Light: Payal Kapadia’s sophomore effort finally hits Indian shores, six months after making a splash at the Cannes Film Festival with the Grand Prix award. The plot: Kani Kasruti and Divya Prabha star as Prabha and Anu—Malayali nurses and roommates based out of Mumbai. Prabha struggles to find herself in the metropolis while Anu looks for a place where she can be safely intimate with her lover. They think they’ve found one in a coastal town. Also starring: Marathi film industry stalwart Chhaya Kadam, who is now best known for her roles in Hindi films, ‘Laapata Ladies’ and ‘Madgaon Express’.
Reviews have been phenomenal. BBC News found it “universal and emotional enough to hypnotise anyone who has been alone in a city, or been spellbound by a film on the subject.” In Himal Magazine, Anna MM Vetticad writes: “This is a deeply political film, but Kapadia makes the politics relatable and accessible by unobtrusively weaving it into the human stories of these characters, written with compassion and depth.” Our take: This is easily our most hyped ‘Watch’ pick of the year. Watch it in theatres now!
Dune: Prophecy: HBO’s latest foray into Frank Herbert’s universe explores the origins of the Bene Gesserit Sisterhood in a six-part prequel inspired by Brian Herbert’s 2012 spin-off novel. Desis, take note: Tabu is starring as Sister Francesca. This character was once the emperor´s great love and her return to the palace upsets the balance of power. Real Game of Thrones vibes! The other cast is led by Emily Watson and Olivia Williams as Valya and Tula Harkonnen. The series will delve into political intrigue, psychic powers, and sibling dynamics against the backdrop of an empire rebuilding after the Butlerian Jihad.
While its stunning visuals and focus on women’s narratives have been praised, reviews are mixed: The Guardian highlights its thoughtfulness but critiques its slow pacing, while Forbes laments the exposition-heavy premiere and uneven execution. Our take: fans of the Dune saga might still find the "spicy magic" worth exploring. Indian viewers can watch it on JioCinema, while others can catch the season premiere on HBO Max.
Wicked: This is a film adaptation of a Broadway musical—originally based on a Gregory Maguire novel. It is a prequel to ‘The Wizard of Oz’ and follows the lives of Elphaba (Tony winner Cynthia Erivo) and Glinda (Grammy winner Ariana Grande)—two polar opposite witches at Shiz University who become unlikely friends as they go against the Wizard. This is the story of how Elphaba eventually became one of the villains Wicked Witch of the West.
Reviews are good. IGN labels the film as a “well-oiled machine in the hands of [director] Jon M. Chu”, faithfully “embracing its source material while cleverly translating it to screen.” According to Empire Magazine: “Chu amps up the colour and spectacle to extraordinary, almost overwhelming heights, but the real magic comes from Erivo and Grande as the frenemies at the story’s heart.” Our take: We are excited to see the talented cast create magic onscreen! You can catch it in the theatres.
I Want to Talk: Abhishek Bachchan headlines this Shoojit Sircar fact-based feel-good film about a marketing man—think desi Don Draper—who just loves to talk! In the days closer to his life-altering surgery, which may render him speechless, he finds a way to spend time with his loved ones and become comfortable with the idea of being ‘silent’. The film also stars Ahilya Bamroo, Jayant Kripalani and Johny Lever.
Reviews are mixed. Scroll says the film “is at odds with its intention, more effective when down-tempo than when trying to drum up the kind of doughty comedy that makes such films bearable.” OTOH: The Guardian suggests that more setup would have given this film and its protagonist’s struggle greater dramatic heft. Our take: We love Shoojit Sircar’s dramas and expect this one to be a cheerful tearjerker as well! You can watch it in the theatres.
Nayanthara: Beyond the Fairy Tale: Tamil actress Nayanthara is a self-made actor who has risen to the top of her industry. This is her autobiographical documentary which celebrates her journey, and struggles and features her love story with filmmaker Vignesh Shivan.
Reviews are mixed. The News Minute found it a “heartfelt but incomplete” portrayal of its central superstar, “focusing very little on her professional choices and her foray into film production and entrepreneurship”. Hindustan Times laments the documentary's surface-level portrayal of sexism in Kollywood, adding that “the real story is in decoding how she emerged on top rather than telling us what we already know.” Our take: We appreciate her perspective on a male-dominated Kollywood and her rise to fame. The documentary has dropped on Netflix.
Interior Chinatown: Based on the Charles Yu novel of the same name, this action-comedy series stars Hong Kong-born Jimmy O Yang of ‘Silicon Valley’ and ‘The Opening Act’ fame, as a down-on-his-luck character actor who is thrust into the spotlight after witnessing a crime…in Chinatown. O Yang is a prolific presence on the standup stage so expect a fair bit of improvisation and snappy dialogue alongside fellow Asian American comic Ronny Chieng, as they tackle all things satire. Chloe Bennet rounds out the main cast as police detective Lana Lee.
Reviews are good. Collider largely enjoys the show’s meta-narrative format—which juxtaposes O Yang’s mediocre acting job with the real crime being investigated—but overall feels the show could’ve committed to it more. IndieWire found it an “ideal binge” due to its “smartly paced action, and effective emotional beats with friends, family, and even a possible romance”. Our take: Be it his standup or his past acting roles, O Yang always brings laughs with gusto. This is worth the price of admission for him alone. You can catch the series on Disney+ Hotstar.
A Man on the Inside: Four years after the success of ‘The Good Place’, writer-director Michael Schur and legendary actor Ted Danson have collaborated again for a new sitcom. Danson plays a widowed retired professor who is approached by a private investigator for an undercover job inside a retirement home in San Francisco. Mary Elizabeth Ellis of ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’ fame and ‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine’ alum Stephanie Beatriz complete the cast as his daughter and the retirement home’s director respectively.
Reviews are good. Variety says the series is effective both on the detective angle and in simply being funny, “stuffed full of feel-good and laugh-out-loud bits”. According to AV Club: “it balances its resonant, evergreen themes related to companionship and aging with measured doses of humor and, indeed, plenty of charm. Our take: The success of ‘The Good Place’ was like lightning in a bottle for the world of sitcoms. It’s unrealistic to expect this show to match that standard instantly, but the Schur-Danson combo usually balances humour with heart well. Catch it on Netflix.
Joy: Turning back time to the 1960s, this based-on-a-true-story Pathe production sees Bill Nighy, Thomasin McKenzie and James Norton join forces as a surgeon, a nurse and a scientist working to pioneer in-vitro fertilisation (IVF), or the first ‘test tube’ baby. See how they came together, amid the challenges of an intensely conservative media and a religious population out for blood.
Reviews are mixed to positive. IndieWire found the script overly formulaic and the directing mediocre but it didn’t completely take away from “the enduringly relevant principle [the film] exists to serve”. According to The Observer: “It’s an atmospherically dour period piece that captures the dispiriting colour palettes of 1970s Britain evocatively.” Our take: The production crew are relative no-names but we’re here for the cast, especially young McKenzie who was excellent in both ‘Jojo Rabbit’ and ‘Last Night in Soho’. You can catch the film on Netflix.
Out of My Mind: The feel-good film is about 12-year-old Melody Brooks, played by Phoebe-Ray Taylor, a girl with cerebral palsy who fights to be recognised in a world that often overlooks her. FYI: Jennifer Aniston stars as the girl´s inner voice. The movie is based on Sharon M Draper's novel of the same name and is directed by Amber Sealey (best known for directing ‘No Man of God’ and starring in ‘Big Nothing’). Set in the early 2000s, the movie shifts between Melody’s personal challenges, such as her adjustment in a mainstream classroom, to wider societal issues.
Reviewers really like the film, as ScreenRant calls it a "heartwarming and engaging film," and IndieWire says the overall package “a sweet, fun, and meaningfully empathetic Disney Plus movie.” Our take: This, combined with Jennifer Anniston lending audiences her voice should definitely make it an interesting watch. Indian viewers can catch the movie on Hotstar.
Fresh off the big screen…
Alien: Romulus: The newest instalment of the sci-fi-horror Alien franchise is finally here! The story is set between the first two films of the franchise—Ridley Scott’s 1979 film ‘Alien’ and the 1986 movie ‘Aliens’ helmed by James Cameron. The film follows a bunch of 20-somethings who devise a plan to get out of their planet in an abandoned spaceship. The catch: The spaceship has been hijacked by the violent alien species xenomorph. You can see it on Disney+ Hotstar.
