Weekend watchlist: 10 TV shows and movies to check out

‘Yaksha: Ruthless Operations’ (Netflix): Get your action fix with this spy drama directed by Na Hyun. It revolves around Kang-inn (played by Sul Kyung-gu), the ruthless head of an overseas espionage team, who is so mean he’s nicknamed after a human-devouring spirit ‘Yaksha’. He crossed paths with Ji-hoon (‘Squid Game’ actor Park Hae-soo), who plays the role of a prosecutor who was demoted to China for playing it by the book.

‘Metal Lords’ (Netflix): Two children kick star a metal band in a high school where no one really cares about the genre. They can’t find a bassist, but there is one girl at the school who plays the cello — close enough. The three kids will have to work together on their music skills if they’re going to win the Battle of the Bands.

‘Morbius’ (UAE cinemas): Jared Leto stars as biochemist Michael Morbius in this dark Marvel movie. In it, the weak and fragile Morbius tries to cure himself of a rare blood disease, but he inadvertently infects himself with a form of vampirism instead. Chaos ensues.

‘Sharmaji Namkeen’ (Amazon Prime Video): Late Bollywood actor Rishi Kapoor’s final movie sees him is a moving role as BG Sharma, a 58-year old widower who is laid off from the job he has worked at for years. Sharma now has to cope with retirement but he’s too restless and ends up becoming a chef that works at people’s homes.

‘Dr Romantic’ (Netflix): This Korean drama is about a famous triple-board certified surgeon whose nickname is “Hand of God”. After a traumatic incident, he changes his name and disappears. He then starts working as “Teacher Kim” at a small hospital where he instructs young doctors on how to become better while also fighting injustice.

‘Reacher’ (Amazon Prime Video): After retiring from the US army, former military policeman Jack Reacher is just going about his day – stopping by in whichever towns he likes, travelling across the nation – when he’s stopped … for murder. Now he, the district attorney and a newbie cop will dive into the conspiracy that envelops corrupt police officers, politicians and businessmen. There’s plenty of bloody action on the horizon here.

‘The Ninth Gate’ (Netflix): In this horror/thriller, a book dealer is led down a merry chase by sinister forces as he seeks to authenticate one – famous, ancient - tome that claims to raise evil.

‘The Ring 2’ (Apple TV Plus): The ‘Ring’ movies are an old terrifying favourite of mine; they never disappoint. Rachel and Aiden are living far, far away from the incidents of the first movie, in a tiny little town when Samara – the girl from the well finds them. She isn’t trying to kill Rachel however, she just wants a mommy.

‘Harry Potter’ (Apple TV Plus): Yes it’s old, but it’s still magical comfort food for the soul. Watching the underdog, orphaned Harry, come into his own and defeat the greatest evil wizard in the history of the wizarding world over eight movies … always binge-worthy.

‘Jalsa’ (Netflix): This women-centric tale is a riveting study of character and Indian society. When a popular anchor is involved in a hit-and-run, she is shaken. But what she doesn’t realise – at least at first – is the person she has banged into is the daughter of her own son’s caretaker. By the time she does find out, she’s trapped in the lies of her own making … what is she going to do?