We recommend: The best new movies and TV series
One Hundred Years of Solitude: Based on Nobel laureate Gabriel García Márquez’s book of the same name, the series tells the story of two cousins from the Buendía family who go against their family’s wishes. They found the fictional Colombian town of Macondo and because of the ‘curse’ the town and its people are tormented by madness, impossible loves, a bloody and absurd war—leaving its people to a 100 years of solitude. FYI: This is only the first part of the show—with eight episodes.
Reviews are overwhelmingly good. The Independent declares “the creators have achieved the seemingly impossible: remaining faithful to the source material while artfully translating it into a piece of visually gorgeous storytelling.” The Guardian’s spoiler-free review: “There’s enough warped wonder here to make Macondo worth revisiting.” Our take: Everyone loves a faithful book adaptation! Watch it on Netflix.
How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies: This film is Thailand’s official selection for Oscars. The plot centres around M (played by Billkin) who is looking for a shortcut to make millions. When he sees his cousin inherit money and property from her grandfather—whom she was caring for, M hatches a plan to mooch off of his grandmother—recently diagnosed with cancer. What sounds like a selfish plan turns into an emotional slow-burn of a bond between a grandma and her grandson.
The reviews are excellent! South China Morning Post concludes that the film gifts “genuine laughs, in between copious tears, on the road towards the film’s inevitably tragic, yet undeniably warm-hearted, finale.” Variety calls it “smoothly-crafted, leisurely-paced crowd-pleaser”. Our take: We’ve been eyeing on the film to drop in India. Now streaming on Netflix.
Heretic: This horror movie is directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods. The story tracks two Mormon missionaries—Sister Barnes (Sophie Thatcher) and Sister Paxton (Chloe East)—going door to door, telling people about their sect. When they reach Mr Reed i.e. Hugh Grant’s house, everything goes awry. Not only are they invited into his home under false pretences, they also end up in a dangerous situation (read: held hostage) that tests their faith in Jesus.
Critics have given it raving reviews! Associated Press says: “So beautifully constructed and acted in the first half is “Heretic” that you won’t really notice when it turns into a horror movie.” The Guardian concludes: “Heretic is gruesome and bizarre and preposterous, the third aspect made palatable by Grant’s dapper performance of evil.” Our take: We love psych-horrors that make you deeply think about the social structures. You can watch it in theatres.
Despatch: Manoj Bajpayee swaps the sword for the pen in this slow-burn outing, which centres on Bombay crime journalist Joy Bag searching for his next breakthrough. He thinks he’s uncovered a new, far-reaching financial scam but has he bitten off more than he can chew? The film also stars Shahana Goswami as Joy’s wife Shweta, and is directed by Kanu Behl—best known for his indie films ‘Titli’ and ‘Agra’.
Reviews are mixed. The Hindu says, "With persuasive performances and immersive camerawork, Kanu Behl’s press procedural on journalist J Dey’s murder case cuts close to the bone." OTOH, according to Indian Express: "the film never cements its pieces together enough to create a coherent picture. Its telling feels disjointed, and its characters come and go, leaving us in limbo." Our take: You had us at Manoj and Shahana, and Behl always subverts expectations in interesting ways. You can watch it on ZEE5.
No Good Deed: House hunting in the USA (or anywhere in the world really) is a big sport. It is a nightmarish situation for both the ones who are looking to sell and the ones looking to buy. This dark-comedy series takes that idea and constructs a whole world where the house owners Lydia and Paul—played by Lisa Kudrow and Ray Romano—start spying on their potential buyers.
Reviews are mixed to positive. Collider says it's "a prime example of an ensemble piece done right". However, according to AV Club: "[No Good Deed] slowly falls apart because it’s—gasp—pretty boring, with half-baked scripts, a lack of suspense, disjointed arcs that align too late, and surface-level character development." Our take: We love the plot and are quite intrigued by how this will pan out. The series dropped on Netflix yesterday.
The Lord Of The Rings: The War of the Rohirrim: This anime spinoff film to the iconic fantasy trilogy comes from director Kenji Kamiyama, best known for anime TV adaptations of ‘Blade Runner’ and ‘Ghost in the Shell’. The story is set 183 years before the events of the main trilogy and focuses on the kingdom of Rohan and its ruler Helm Hammerhand—voiced by Brian Cox of ‘Succession’ fame. The rest of the voice cast is new to the franchise as well, but longtime fans can appreciate the return of Miranda Otto—who played Eowyn in the trilogy and is the narrator here.
Reviews are mixed. Hollywood Reporter says, “The battle sequences in particular are stunningly rendered, and will certainly benefit from being viewed on the largest possible premium and large-format screens.” However, David Ehrlich at IndieWire wasn’t a fan: “I suppose we should be grateful that this limp and cheap-looking epic is bad in a few different ways than we’ve come to expect?” Our take: Far from a cash grab, the animation looks cool and is the right medium to revisit this fantasy world. Watch it in theatres now!
Carry-On: Spanish filmmaker Jaume Collet-Serra branches out from his usual collabs with The Rock for this action-thriller, which stars Taron Egerton of ‘Kingsman’ and ‘Rocketman’ fame. Egerton plays an airport security check officer named Ethan Kopek, who is blackmailed into letting through a dangerous package by an unnamed traveller, played by Jason Bateman. The chaotic bit: it’s Christmas Eve and everyone is extra-impatient to get home.
Reviews are good. New York Times says, “it has several jaw-dropping set pieces, including an incredibly physical fight inside a speeding car. Collet-Serra’s staging is excellent throughout.” IGN concurs: “With its escalating complications and simple but potent premise, Carry-On is the kind of lean, effective, unpretentious Hollywood crowd-pleaser that’s too rare in this day and age. It’s brain candy that won’t rot your brain.” Our take: While the trailer gives ‘Die Hard’ knock-off vibes, we’re here for the killer cast. You can catch the film on Netflix.
Secret Level: Directed by Tim Miller, of ‘Love, Death and Robots’ fame, ‘Secret Level’ is an animated anthology series adapting different video games into short stories spanning genres like fantasy, sci-fi, and modern conflicts. Episodes cover games such as Dungeons & Dragons, Unreal Tournament, Sifu, Warhammer 40,000, and The Outer Worlds, blending action, lifelike animation, and stylised takes on the material. The series explores gaming culture, with themes like character resurrection and progression systems, offering standalone narratives for each episode.
Critics are divided. Collider notes: “At its best, Secret Level finds fascinating angles to explore within these existing video game worlds, but at its worst, episodes feel like glorified advertisements for why people should play these games.” IGN adds: “The more potentially distinct games receive the shortest episodes, offering only a brief distraction from the series’ dull affinity for realism and sci-fi firearms.” Our take: We enjoy it when an anthology pushes boundaries, and Secret Level shines when it reimagines beloved franchises, like PAC-MAN, in totally new and wild ways! It’s available on Amazon Prime.
Dream Productions: A new addition to the Inside Out franchise! This animated four-episode limited series is in between the first ‘Inside Out’ and the second movie ‘Inside Out 2’. It introduces us to how dreams are made in Riley’s mind. As always this includes some meticulous planning from Joy and co.
Reviews are mixed to positive. The Guardian says, “it is a generous, exuberant thing that feels born of a desire to give us all a treat – a gift rather than a franchise being milked dry.” AV Club is slightly less high on it: “On the whole, Dream Productions is a fun idea that gets a bit derailed by its Hollywood setting and mockumentary format.” Our take: this is for those who are a) looking for a light watch and b) waiting to dive into the world created by Disney and Pixar. You can catch it on Disney+ Hotstar.
