Weekend watchlist: 10 TV shows and movies to check out

‘The Power’ (UAE cinemas): Horror is still thriving at the cinemas! In this latest release set in 1974 in London, a trainee nurse Val (Rose Williams) gears up for her first day at the East London Royal Infirmary. She has to work the night shift even as Britain faces electrical blackouts. This young nurse is mostly alone, as the majority of patients and staff have been moved to another hospital, but she is in the dark as she faces things that she never expected within the walls of the infirmary. According to reviews, which praise William’s acting and Corinna Faith’s directing, the movie deftly tackles issues such as sexism and empowerment while still providing ample scares and sophisticated cinematography. It has an 82% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and is sure to keep you entertained over the weekend.

‘Trese’ (Netflix): If you’re interested in something new and different, then this Netflix Original Anime series is right up your alley. The horror show is set in Manila and features mythical creatures from Philippine folklore who live in hiding amongst humans. In the series, detective Alexandra Trese has to go head to head with a criminal underworld made up of malevolent supernatural beings. It’s based on a Philippine graphic novel created by Budjette Tan and KaJO Baldisimo.

‘Pet Sematary’ (Netflix): In keeping with the horror theme, here’s a classic. This movie from 1989 got a reboot in 2019 and is based on the famous novel of the same name by Stephen King. The story is about Dr Louis Creed and his wife, Rachel, who move from Boston to rural Maine with their two young children in the search for a quieter life. However, the family soon face the horrors that stem from their own backyard, which has a mysterious hidden burial ground.

‘Sharp Objects’ (Netflix): A story that comes from the same author of ‘Gone Girl’, Gillian Flynn, this eight-episode series stars Amy Adams, in her first role on the small screen, as reporter Camille Preaker, who is sent back to her small hometown to investigate mysterious, unsolved crimes. Two young women have gone missing, with one of them discovered dead and thought murdered. Camille reunites with her estranged family, including her dominating mother Adora, stepfather Alan Crellin, and half-sister Amma, as she looks for clues, which brings up horrific childhood memories, including the death of her younger sister.

‘Failure to Launch’ (Starzplay): Tripp (Matthew McConaughey) is 35 year old and still lives in Baltimore with his parents. His best friends Demo (Bradley Cooper) and Ace (Justin Bartha) also still live with their parents and are proud of it. Tripp has had a number of casual girlfriends during his life. When he’s had enough of them, they hire Paula (Sarah Jessica Parker) to launch his life and get him out of his parents house.

‘Sherni’ (Amazon Prime Video): If Bollywood actress Vidya Balan is spearheading a film, then do you need any other reason to watch it? But there’s more to ‘Sherni’ than the riveting act by Balan, who plays a fierce forest officer navigating a male-dominated workplace. She marks her territory with her stupendous acting, but this film tackles issues such as man vs animal conflict, nature conservation, and patriarchy with a deft hand. This is a perfect family entertainer about a woman and her toxic male team embarking on a mission to find a tiger on the loose. Balan, like always, is likely to be in top form here. ‘Sherni’ premieres on June 18.

‘3 Idiots’ (Netflix): This witty film on three engineering students at an elite college with draconian rules never gets old. Actors Aamir Khan, R Madhavan, and Sharmaan Joshi may seem like buffoons and idiots to their peers and classmates, but this terrific trio is a smart bunch. It’s one of those rare Bollywood films with immense repeat value. It’s entertaining but packs in life lessons like how education isn’t everything and how top grades don’t define your life forever. These guys seemed to have graduated life with honours and we love them for this delectable film. Also watch out for seasoned actor Boman Irani as this quirky, eccentric principal with outdated parenting methods.

‘Kilometers And Kilometers’ (Netflix): This Malayalam romantic comedy starring South Indian heartthrob Tovino Thomas is a perfect feel-good film for this weekend. There are no nasty villains or complicated plot twists, but this film runs on Thomas’ charming turn as a young, broke man who agrees to cart around a young white woman (an on-point India Jarvis) on his bike around India. She’s the stereotypical foreigner, while he’s the stereotypical Malayali who hopes to make a quick buck through her. The two don’t hit it off immediately, but warm up to each other as they travel into deep pockets of India. If you are in the mood for an uncomplicated romantic comedy then this film will go the distance for you.

‘The Magicians’ (Amazon Prime Video): If you like Netflix’s ‘The Order’ you will probably like this one. When Quentin Coldwater, a brilliant but depressed nerd, and his best friend, Julia, stumble across an exam for Brakebills, a secret magic school, they have no idea how much their lives are about to change. For one thing, the fantasy books set in a fictional world when they were kids aren’t so make-believe. Time travel is real and so is The Beast, an unknown entity, out to kill.

'Supernatural' (Amazon Prime Video): The Winchester boys are back for the 15th and final season on Prime and this time they are taking on the ultimate baddie, who has opened up every jail in Hell and let all the creatures Sam and Dean have killed so far back into the world. Jack’s been tossed into the Big Empty, Amara’s off doing yoga, and so they’ve got no big guns on their side. Can they survive this promised ‘End of the World’?