We recommend: The best new movies and TV series
Black Warrant: This crime drama series stars Zahan of the Kapoor khaandaan as a rookie officer named Sunil Kumar Gupta, who is tasked with the upkeep of Delhi’s Tihar Jail. With help from his fellow jailers, the series follows Gupta’s job of navigating the entrenched politics and inmate dynamics within the prison walls. Rahul Bhat, Paramvir Singh Cheema, Anurag Thakur and Sidhant Gupta complete the main cast. Developed by stalwart filmmaker Vikramaditya Motwane, the series is an adaptation of a 2019 nonfiction book of the same name.
Reviews are good. Indian Express is of the view that: “‘Black Warrant’ goes the full yard in attempting to unpack the intricate power structure… and keeps it watchable.” According to NDTV: “As a piercing look at Tihar, an absorbing story of a baptism by fire and an insightful snapshot of an era in the life of a nation, ‘Black Warrant’ warrants bingeing on.” Our take: Even Motwane’s least impressive work has plenty of entertainment value and stays with you. You can catch the series on Netflix.
Nosferatu: Horror filmmaker Robert Eggers’ fourth feature is a remake of the iconic 1922 film that was itself inspired by Bram Stoker’s seminal novel ‘Dracula’. Bill Skarsgard—best known as ‘It’ the clown—stars as the titular vampire character. However, the film is mostly told from the perspectives of the newly married Hutter couple—played by Nicholas Hoult and Lily-Rose Depp. Despite his wife’s worst fears, real estate agent Thomas Hutter (Hoult) makes the arduous journey from his base of Wisborg, Germany to Transylvania in order to sell a decrepit Wisborg property to Nosferatu. Cue gothic scares, complete with a thick Transylvanian accent.
Reviews are great. Financial Times writes: “The film is fine — an artisanal horror made with care and invention.” Also, “Depp is very good.” New York Times gushes over the movie and says: “Eggers, along with his craft technicians and the actor Bill Skarsgard, has created the grossest-looking, ooziest, most cooked, most rotted, most mustached, least-living Dracula I can recall.” Our take: Eggers is an expert at capturing the weird and wonderful world of period-piece horror. Sit back and enjoy the ride in theaters now!
Jerry Springer: Fights, Camera, Action: The Jerry Springer Show that ran 28 seasons from 1991 to 2018 was the most unhinged and bizarre talk show to have ever existed. This two-part documentary shows the descent of the talk show from quiet to bombastically offensive and shows how its host Jerry Springer—a former mayor of Cincinnati and a respected figure in local broadcasting got influenced by NBC producer Richard Dominick which completely changed the path of the show.
Reviews are good! The Guardian calls it “gobsmacking” and “remarkable”. USA Today says that the documentary “relives [the] chaos of TV ‘circus’.” Our take: This will be a fruitful watch for anyone who wants to know why the show ended in 2018. You can stream it on Netflix.
Asura: This Japanese drama is from the famous director Kore-eda Hirokazu (who won a Palme d'Or winning for ‘Shoplifters’ in 2018). The story—based on the novel ‘Ashura no Gotoku’ by Kuniko Mukoda—centres around four sisters who suspect that their ageing father may be having an affair. Their attempt to hide it fails as all of their lives’ secrets unfurl one by one. The story was adapted once before in 2003.
There are no reviews for the series. Our take: We want to see how Kore-eda Hirokazu interprets the story. You can find it on Netflix.
Game Changer: Directed by S Shankar and starring Ram Charan and Kiara Advani, this movie is billed as a ‘pan-India’ political action thriller. The plot follows your usual political drama trope: a clean IAS officer trying to clean the system by going against corrupt politicians.
Reviewers love Ram Charan but not the film. The Hindu says deems this as “Ram Charan’s best performance after Rangasthalam” but warns of the “overstretched finale with an over-the-top, tiresome action sequence.” Hindustan Times also concludes, “Game Changer is strictly average, even as you’re rooting for it to be something more.” Our take: Ram Charan playing a good cop? Sure, why not! You can catch it in the theatres.
On Call: Set in Long Beach, California, this police procedural stars Troian Bellisario and Brandon Larracuente as officers Tracy Harmon and Alex Diaz respectively. It’s the classic buddy cop veteran-rookie dynamic as they have to work together to solve crime and cope with the loss of a colleague. Also featured in the cast: TV royalty Lori Loughlin and Eriq LaSalle—the latter has directed four of the eight episodes released.
Reviews are not too bad. Variety writes: “‘On Call’ has its share of blunders, but it successfully offers a sobering take on how constantly confronting violence, death and chaos grate at the mental health of law enforcement officials.” While Hollywood Reporter likes the chemistry between the lead actors, it says the cop-drama serves as a good “background noise.” Our take: This is a no-nonsense case-of-the-week easy watch. Check it out on Amazon Prime.
Sakamoto Days: We hardly recommend anime but this action-comedy series is based on the best-selling manga of the same name about a hitman-turned shopkeeper who becomes a target himself which endangers his shop and his family. Yup the plot sounds like it is straight out of a Hollywood movie!
Reviews are not out yet. Our take: We love a good mafia story with plot twists! The first episode drops on Netflix today—followed by weekly releases.
Here’s a new chapter…
Goosebumps: The Vanishing: The reboots haven't stopped yet. The second season of the anthology is all about twins Devin (Sam McCarthy) and Cece Brewer (Jayden Bartels) spending their time off with their dad, Anthony (David Schwimmer). But something weird is going on in the basement. Think shapeshifters and black goo. Eeks. Watch the new season on Disney+ Hotstar.
Shark Tank India Season 4: Your favourite guilty watch is back on air! The new season has two new sharks: Kunal Bahl (CEO of Snapdeal) and Viraj Bahl (CEO of Veeba), alongside Aman Gupta, Namita Thapar, and Peyush Bansal. The new season started streaming on Monday on SonyLIV.
