We recommend: The best new movies and TV series
Elio: In Pixar’s 'Elio', voiced by Yonas Kibreab and Zoe Saldaña, an 11-year-old boy who feels invisible on Earth is accidentally mistaken for the leader of Earth by a council of aliens and whisked off to space. As Elio explores strange new worlds and befriends an unexpected alien named Glordon, he begins to understand connection, courage, and the idea that even the loneliest kid can find his place in the universe.
Reviews are decent. IndieWire says: “‘Elio’ isn’t a bad time at the theaters — it’s pretty to look at, charming enough, and frequently funny.” The Guardian concludes: “Overall, it’s an entertaining bit of summer fun.” Our take: A gentle, space-set story about finding your place—Elio is classic Pixar comfort. Now in theatres!
28 Years Later: This is one of the most anticipated movies of the year as Danny Boyle is making zombie movies again 20 years after the release of ‘28 Days Later’ and ‘28 Weeks Later’. There's been a time-jump since the outbreak of the Rage virus—survivors have found ways to live amongst those infected. Jodie Comer stars as Isla, a woman suffering from cancer, while Aaron Taylor-Johnson plays her husband, Jamie, a scavenger. Also starring: Ralph Fiennes as survivor Dr. Ian Kelson and Jack O’Connell of ‘Sinners’ fame as cult leader Sir Jimmy Crystal. FYI: There’s no Cillian Murphy here, he will feature in the film’s sequel which will release next year.
Reviews are good. BBC Culture calls it a “‘never-dull' monster mash-up” and that “it takes on a quieter, more psychological tone and becomes infinitely better when Fiennes arrives.” Indian Express says though the ending is rushed, “entertained you are — and anticipating what comes next.” Our take: The first two movies are still the best that modern zombie cinema has to offer—time for the sequel to set a new high standard. Watch it in theatres now!
The Waterfront: Set along the coast of North Carolina, this soap opera-crime drama by Kevin Williamson of ‘Dawson’s Creek’ and ‘Scream’ fame centres on the Buckleys—a business family grappling for relevance amid the decline of their fishing empire. Holt McCallany of ‘Mindhunter’ and ‘Lights Out’ fame stars as the Buckley patriarch Harlan, while Maria Bello—best known for ‘NCIS’ and ‘Beef’—plays his wife Belle. Also, keep an eye out for Topher Grace from ‘That ‘70s Show’, as he pops up here from time to time as drug kingpin Grady.
Reviews are decent. Variety writes: “‘The Waterfront’ is the Netflix equivalent of a beach read, but it’s highly entertaining.” The Guardian calls it an “escapist summer nonsense…” in a good way:) Our take: If you liked ‘Yellowstone’, ‘Mob Land’, and ‘Ozark’, this should be up your alley as an easy binge. Check it out on Netflix.
Olympo: Set at Spain’s elite CAR Pirineos training center, ‘Olympo’ follows synchronized swimming captain Amaia (Clara Galle), who starts to spiral when her best friend Nuria suddenly begins outperforming her. But Nuria’s rapid rise sparks suspicion—could there be doping involved, or something bigger at play? With a mysterious sports brand lurking in the background, this tense drama dives into ambition, betrayal, and the price of winning at all costs.
Reviews are mixed for the show. Collider writes, “this captivating, character-driven surprise is easily one of the most purely entertaining series of the summer so far.” But but but, Decider says we should “skip it” as “‘Olympo’ is like ‘Elite’ but with athletes, and more sex than the average YA drama.” Our take: A sharp look at ambition, friendship, and the pressure to win—‘Olympo’ seems like an easy binge. You can stream it on Netflix.
We Were Liars: The mystery series is based on the best-selling novel of the same name by E Lockhart and follows Cadence Sinclair Eastman (played by Emily Alyn Lind) and her tight knit friends—who call themselves ‘liars’ (yup). They’d spend their summers on her grandfather’s New England private island—but but but one summer, Cadence almost drowns and reaches a beach shore all by herself without the memory of what happened to her. When she begins her investigation, she finds that—surprise surprise—everyone is lying about something from that summer.
Reviews are mixed. Collider really enjoyed it: “As a whole, We Were Liars might be another example of TV with ‘eat the rich’ commentary, but its expansion of the teen drama formula is what makes it thrilling from start to finish.” OTOH, Hollywood Reporter says despite the plot twist at the end, “it’s hard to feel moved by the glacially paced awakening of one pampered princess coming to realize, at the big age of 16, that there might be more to life than partying on her family’s private beach.” Our take: If you’re a fan of the book and this genre, the show might be a good weekend binge for you. You can stream it on Amazon Prime.
Also in theatres…
The Phoenician Scheme: It is Wes Anderson’s world, and we are just living in it! His latest one is an espionage black comedy in which an industrialist and arms dealer, Anatole “Zsa-Zsa” Kord, is played by an excellent Benicio Del Toro. Korda makes his daughter (played by Mia Threapleton)—who is a nun—the sole heir to his assets and together the two of them set off on a journey to develop a massive infrastructure project in a place called Modern Greater Independent Phoenicia—with assassins on their back. The star-studded cast includes: Benedict Cumberbatch, Scar Jo, Tom Hanks, Bryan Cranston and Michael Cera.
Reviews are not that great, but not that bad either. BBC Culture says: “It's good fun, but unless your tolerance for the director's idiosyncrasies is stratospherically high, the chances are that the story will seem too random for you to care about by the halfway point.” According to The Guardian: “It is always entertaining, and delivered with the usual conviction and force but with less of the romantic extravagance than we’ve seen before, less of the childlike loneliness that has been detectable in his greatest movies.” Our take: We love the absurdly grandiose and symmetrical world of Wes Anderson, so this one’s on our definite watch list! You can watch it in cinemas.
Sitaare Zameen Par: Aamir Khan returns to front this spiritual sequel to the 2007 hit, ‘Taare Zameen Par’—and remake of the 2018 Spanish film ‘Campeones’. While he played an art teacher 18 years ago, Aamir now dons the role of a suspended basketball coach—whose community service involves coaching a team of neurodivergent players ahead of an upcoming tournament. The film also stars Genelia Deshmukh and is directed by RS Prasanna. Contrary to reports during filming, Darsheel Safary doesn’t feature as a grown-up Ishaan Awasthi here.
Reviews are so-so. According to The Hindu: “An ideal Aamir Khan film can be both entertaining and edifying. Despite its good intentions, ‘Sitaare Zameen Par’ is just annoying.” NDTV says that the film is “somewhat inconsistent in pace but always entertaining.” Our take: ‘Taare Zameen Par’ will be hard to top—but as shown by ‘Iqbal’ and ‘Freddie Flintoff’s Field of Dreams’, sports are a great avenue for portraying disability and neurodivergent representation on screen. The film is now out in cinemas.
Here’s a new chapter…
The Buccaneers Season 2: This Bridgerton-esque period drama follows the lives of five American girls in London—who have arrived in England to find husbands. The last season left off with Nan getting married to Theo while she is still in love with Guy. The season brings Guy back to complicate her feelings even more. So you can expect full masala! The first of the new episodes has dropped on Apple TV+.
