We recommend: The best new movies and TV series
The Bondsman: The new series tells the story of Hub Halloran (Kevin Bacon), who was once a bounty hunter. He gets murdered, but the Devil has now sent him back to Earth to do his dirty work and chase down prisoners of Hell who’ve escaped his clutches. Slowly, this also makes Halloran realise what landed him in the depths of hell in the first place. The series also stars Jennifer Nettles, Beth Grant, and Jolene Purdy among others.
Reviews are mixed. According to The Guardian: “How much you enjoy it will depend on how much you enjoy Kevin Bacon …how much you enjoy tales of demonic possession in a small town in southern America and how much you enjoy the sound of partly severed heads, blown-out tracheas and bloodied fingers.” Hollywood Reporter says: “fitfully amusing but rarely as funny or heartfelt or surprising as it wants to be, and never as memorable as its attention-grabbing premise might lead you to hope.” Our take: We are intrigued by the premise and always up for a good Kevin Bacon performance! You can watch it on Amazon Prime.
Karma: Get ready for this dark and twisty K-drama—headlined by Park Hae-soo (from ‘Squid Game’ and ‘Prison Playbook’), Shin Min-a (from ‘Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha’), Lee Hee-joon (known for playing minor roles), Lee Kwang-soo (best known as a recurring cast on Korean variety show ‘Running Man’). The crime thriller unfolds in anthologies where each character does something horrible—like murder or sanctioning a murder—and serves their karma.
Reviews are good. South China Morning Post is of the view: “Those early episodes are soundly executed but not terribly fresh in the way they recycle familiar Korean thriller tropes… Stick around, though, and things do get more interesting as Karma packs a number of twists into its narrative.” Collider says: “Karma is a gripping show and certainly one to look out for.” Our take: We are intrigued by the idea of a loosely connected anthology leading to karmic justice. Tune into the show on Netflix.
Test: Three lives, three battles, one test. Saravanan (R Madhavan), once a promising scientist, now runs a canteen while navigating a strained marriage with Kumudha (Nayanthara) due to their struggles with infertility. Arjun (Siddharth), a cricketer and Kumudha’s childhood friend, chases his dreams as his wife Padma (Meera Jasmine) fights to keep their personal life intact. As their paths cross, old ties resurface, ambitions collide, and sacrifices become inevitable, blurring the line between victory and loss.
Reviews are mixed on the whole. While Indian Express describes ‘Test’ as a convoluted and disappointing Tamil film that does "scant justice to some of the most talented actors in the Tamil film industry," The Hindu says its strength lies in “excellent performances,” “fascinating character study,” and a director who “dared to recreate the feeling of an international test match.” Our take: Definitely into this film for its cast and the probable messiness of it all. Out now on Netflix!
MobLand: Tom Hardy, Pierce Brosnan and Helen Mirren star in this drama series about a London crime family—the Harrigans—engaged in a battle for control and supremacy with their rivals—the Stevensons. Brosnan and Mirren play the husband-wife duo leading the Harrigans, while Hardy plays the newly appointed family ‘fixer’. Ronan Bennett—of ‘Top Boy’ and ‘Day of the Jackal’ fame—is running the show behind the scenes, with Guy Ritchie also involved as a director of some episodes.
Reviews are decent. Collider says not to expect “a grand reinvention of the gangster show, but it does offer plenty of twists and turns, paired with a magnetic cast.” According to IndieWire: “As much as I love when Hardy spits out an utterly unheard of enunciation, his casual everyman-ness gives Harry — and his show! — a jolt of authoritative star power that helps it start off strong.” Our take: We’re here for the Guy Ritchie-esque London crime show aesthetic and the star cast. The series is available to stream on JioHotstar.
Banger: A DJ named Scorpex (Vincent Cassel of ‘Irreversible’ fame) in France is recruited by the Secret Service to bust a drug racket. Except he will have to take on his rival from the DJing world. This is more than the opportunity Scorpex expects it to be and wants to use it to resurrect his career as a DJ, and well, produce one last ‘banger’. The film also stars Rachel Dimezelle and Philippe Katerine.
Reviews are few but seem quite average for this one: DMTalkies says that, ultimately, it’s a confused film that “misses the mark in its attempt at being absurd” and might’ve been skipped “not long after the first 15 minutes” if not for the review itself. Decider feels that the film is a “flabby and padded” crime-comedy that “aims for farce” but too often feels like “a series of setups with the words jokes pending written far too many times in the margins.” Our take: Well, we are into it for the banger and the unusual premise. You can catch it on Netflix.
Pulse: Fans of medical dramas, gather around! This one follows a young ER doctor Danny Simms (played by (Willa Fitzgerald) who is unexpectedly promoted to Chief Resident at Miami’s busiest Trauma Cente—after reporting her boss, Chief Resident Dr. Xander Phillips for sexual harassment. The high pressure job becomes even more straining as Simms navigates her messy relationship with her former Chief who is now working under her—as the hospital braces for an emergency caused by a hurricane.
Reviews are mixed. Variety calls it “nearly dead on arrival” and concludes that the “audiences will likely feel increasingly aggravated and worn out by the personal dramas and the back-and-forth.” OTOH Hollywood Reporter’s headline reads “Netflix’s Enjoyably Juicy Medical Drama Will Scratch That ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Itch”. Our take: The plot seems typical but we think it is watchable if you’re a fan of medical dramas. You can see the series on Netflix.
Also in theatres…
A Minecraft Movie: When a mysterious portal pulls four misfits into the world of Minecraft, they land in the Overworld—a pixelated landscape where creativity and survival are key. Guided by Steve (Jack Black) and former gaming champion Garrett (Jason Momoa), they must harness the mechanics of the wildly popular video game to retrieve the Earth Crystal, defeat the villainous pig queen Malgosha, and find their way home. With crafting tables, pixelated monsters, and the game’s signature sense of adventure, they must master Minecraft—or risk being trapped forever.
Reviews are quite moderate. Variety says the film is a “flaky, spirited, low-hijinks quest comedy” with “a retro cheeseball flavor” and “blockish” charm, where Jack Black and Jason Momoa “mesh and fight like rival dude brothers” in a story that “never feels like it matters.” OTOH Associated Press describes the film as one where you should “come for the Piglins, stay for Momoa,” who delivers “spectacularly” in a world that “makes no sense.” Our take: Jack Black does have something hatke in him. That, combined with the universe of Minecraft, is enough to pull us into this one. Catch it in theatres!
Presence: Another weekend, another Steven Soderbergh release. Last Friday we were blessed with his spy thriller ‘Black Bag’, now we’re getting some slow-burn psychological horror—also written by David Koepp of ‘Jurassic Park’ fame. The plot: a family moves into a new suburban home, only to find out they’re not alone, duh! Lucy Liu, Chris Sullivan and Julia Fox make up the main cast for this one.
Reviews are great. Hollywood Reporter says it’s “an enormously satisfying watch for haunted house movie fans, favoring sustained anxiety over big scares and practical effects over digital trickery.” According to AV Club: “There’s a circularity to ‘Presence’ that is both entirely in keeping with a haunted-house story and, in this telling, even moving. It’s yet another genre that Soderbergh has worked like a problem, and produced an elegant solution.” Our take: We’re here for Lucy Liu and the unsettling vibes. Watch it in theatres now!
Fresh off the big screen…
Juror #2: This courtroom thriller is directed by Clint Eastwood. The story follows a juror—played by Nicholas Hoult—who is called in to deliver a verdict in a murder case. The catch: The juror is the murderer! In his defence, he thought he’d hit a deer with his car while driving at night in a rainstorm. On top of the jury duty, the juror also wants to rush back home as his wife is delivering their child. You can catch the movie on JioHotstar.
A Real Pain: One of the biggest movies in this awards season is finally on OTT. The comedy-drama is written and directed by Jesse Eisenberg—who also stars in it, along with Kieran Culkin, who swept every single award for the best supporting actor. The plot follows cousins David and Benji Kaplan who reconnect to go on a Holocaust tour of Poland—in memory of their grandmother. But as they uncover more details of their Jewish family history at their ancestral home, age-old tensions bubble to the surface. The film is streaming on JioHotstar.
