Weekend watchlist: 10 TV shows and movies to check out

99 Songs (UAE cinemas): This is Oscar-winning musician AR Rahman's debut production. Starring newcomer Ehan Bhat from Kashmir, this romance is a story of a musician who embarks on a journey to self-discovery. In an interview with Gulf News, AR Rahman and Bhat said that their film is a departure from showing musicians as troubled drug-addicts who who can't handle fame, glory or their craft. AR Rahman has promised to bring about new voices in story-telling and '99 Songs' seem to be a good start.

Promising Young Woman (UAE cinemas): With the Oscars a little over a week away, now is the time to catch up on some of the stellar performances that are vying for the golden statuette. If you look at the Best Actress category across all the major awards this year, one name that appears on nearly every list is that of Carey Mulligan, who has truly given an Oscar-winning performance in ‘Promising Young Woman’. Mulligan plays Cassie, a woman leading a double life who is bent on exacting revenge from the perps who have done wrong to someone she loves. Written and directed by Emerald Fennell, the film truly hits home in the post #MeToo era, while laying bare the painful truth that sometimes the system and at others, the patriarchy, continues to fail women.

‘Godzilla vs Kong’ (UAE cinemas): Watch legends collide as these mythic adversaries meet in a spectacular battle for the ages, with the fate of the world hanging in the balance. In ‘Godzilla vs Kong’, Kong and his protectors undertake a perilous journey to find his true home, and with them is Jia, a young orphaned girl with whom he has formed a unique and powerful bond. But they unexpectedly find themselves in the path of an enraged Godzilla, cutting a swath of destruction across the globe. The epic clash between the two monsters makes for a visual and action-packed treat, best watched on the big screen.

Moxie (Netflix): Systemic abuse is called into question once again, this time by the talented Amy Poehler who directs this intelligent teen drama. High school dynamics and whispers of abuse often overlooked as someone being ‘silly’ when they are young is shouted from the rooftops when 16-year-old Vivian (Hadley Robinson) refuses to do the ‘obedient’ thing. Gathering up the nerve, or rather showing that she has moxie, Vivian and her gang of long-suppressed girls step up to smash the patriarchy and call out bad behavior for what it is. Robinson, who last impressed in ‘Little Women’ is a force to reckon with, endearing when needed and equally vulnerable and sassy during her interactions with her mother (played by Poehler). If you have teens at home, grab them and the popcorn for a weekend watch.

Brooklyn 99 (Neftlix): One of the best cop comedies in my opinion. The reason I chose Brooklyn 99 was because I had just finished 'The Office' and wanted something similar. Another workplace comedy that would make me laugh and that I wouldn’t have to take too seriously. This is a show that I am now re-watching for the second time. It stars Jake Peralta (Andy Samberg) a talented but very immature NYPD detective in a fictional 99th Precinct in Brooklyn, New York. Jake often comes into conflict with his commanding officer, Captain Raymond Holt (Andre Braugher). The rest of the cast features Stephanie Beatriz as Rosa Diaz, Terry Crews as Terry Jeffords, Melissa Fumero as Amy Santiago, Joe Lo Truglio as Charles Boyle, Chelsea Peretti as Gina Linetti, Dirk Blocker as Michael Hitchcock, and Joel McKinnon Miller as Norm Scully. Watch this if you are in the mood for a laugh.

Emily In Paris (Netflix): I feel almost sorry for recommending this show, because of how bad it is. But… it’s one of those so bad it’s good kind of shows. It stars the amazing Lily Collins, who somehow got conned into accepting the lead role of Emily and shows her navigating life as an American in Paris working at a luxury marketing firm. The show was created by the iconic Daren Star and wardrobe was by Pattie Smith. You would think with such a great crew that the show would be… good. But yeah… it’s not. In the show Emily is tasked with bringing an American point of view to her French colleagues. There are plenty of cultures clashes as she adjusts to the challenges of life in Paris while juggling her career, new friendships and love life. Keep an eye out for Gabriel her chef neighbor that lives next door.

Aarkariyam (Malayalam, UAE Cinemas): Are you in the mood to watch a movie shot during the pandemic and that primarily explores how COVID-19 threw lives out of whack? Indian National Award-winning actress Parvathy explores how an ordinary Christian family from Kerala grapples with their new reality in her latest Malayalam film ‘Aarkariyam’. Director Sanu John Varghese’s ‘Aarkariyam' revolves around Shirley (Parvathy) and her husband who eke out a living in Mumbai metropolis, but temporarily shift to their native Kerala to live with her eccentric, ageing widower father (Biju Menon). If you are in the mood for a string of riveting performances and to see an engaging slice-of-life feature, then this is right up your street.

‘The Nevers’ (OSN): Victorian London is rocked to its foundations by a supernatural event which gives certain people — mostly women — abnormal abilities, from the wondrous to the disturbing. But no matter their particular “turns,” all who belong to this new underclass are in grave danger. It falls to mysterious, quick-fisted widow Amalia True (Laura Donnelly) and brilliant young inventor Penance Adair (Ann Skelly) to protect and shelter these gifted “orphans.” To do so, they will have to face the brutal forces determined to annihilate their kind. Touted to be the next ‘Game of Thrones’, this new genre-bending fantasy series is a must-watch for fans of the supernatural and the eerie.

Toradora! (Netflix) Feisty girl Taiga Aisaka won’t be taken seriously because she looks like a doll. Ryuji Takasu, a good student and homebody, is often mistaken for a delinquent because of his face. The duo form an unlikely alliance as they navigate all things school and teenage hood. This is a feel-good Japanese anime that’ll have you smiling through their everyday stumbles.

‘Marianne’ (Netflix) is a horror series that will have you quivering in fright. When a famous horror writer returns to her hometown she must confront the fact that the persona she’s been writing about all through her life is real. And it can possess anyone at any time – including her.