With the weekend upon us, it's time to take stock of the new Hollywood and Bollywood movies/series that has captured our imagination. Here's our list of top eight must-watch picks. With this list in hand, there's little standing between great content and you ...
Maharaja (UAE cinemas)
Vijay Sethupathi is in top form in this Tamil-language thriller. He plays a seemingly powerless barber who wants to find his missing trash can that he calls Lakshmi. The police, naturally, ridicule him. But there’s more to this insipid case than a dust-bin disappearance. Brilliantly acted, Sethupathi’s 50th film in his career is a defining one. Bollywood director Anurag Kashyap also adds a twist to this macabre, raw thriller. Without wanting to give the plot away, the climax will impress. Be warned, the violence and the gore might put you off, but stay with this film until the end.
Nadanna sambhavam (UAE cinemas):
Trust Malayalam movies to take a dense subject like toxic masculinity and make a quirky satire about it. Starring the supremely talented Biju Menon and Suraj Venjaramoodu, this movie is about two neighbours with contrasting personalities locking horns. It's a battle of egos. Menon plays the popular and amiable Sreekumaran Unni, while Venjaramoodu plays the surly and sexist Ajith Neelakantan who takes pride in being regressive and chauvanistic. The two are out to school the other, unleashing a battle of relentless wills.
Presumed Innoncent (Apple TV):
Academy nominated actor Jake Gyllenhaal stars in this legal thriller created by David E. Kelly. Based on the 1987 novel of the same name by Scott Turow, this mini-series is about a hotshot prosecutor Rusty Sabich (Gyllenhaal) who’s accused of a colleague’s murder. The twist: this married man with kids had an affair with the victim making the whodunit murkier. Themes like infidelity, violence, and obsession are dealt with in the soapiest manner.
Inside Out 2 (UAE cinemas):
Here’s a film that reminds you that emotions – good and bad – make you whole. The second instalment of this beloved animated feature follows Riley (Kensington Tallman) during her teenage years along with her core emotions — Joy (Amy Poehler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Anger (Lewis Black), Fear (Tony Hale, replacing Bill Hader), and Disgust (Liza Lapira, replacing Mindy Kaling). In this new chapter, she encounters another new emotion, Anxiety (Maya Hawke). This family-friendly film brings alive the inner workings of our minds delightfully.
Chandu Champion (UAE cinemas):
If you love an underdog tale, then Kartik Aaryan-led Chandu Champion will endear. This slightly on-the-nose biopic, directed by Kabir Khan, chronicles the remarkable life of real-life Paralympic champion, Murlikant Petkar, who made India proud by bringing home an Olympic gold medal in the 500-meter swimming event in 1972. While the film can get exploitative in some parts, director Khan and actor Aaryan does a neat job of corralling together nuggets from Petkar’s life that are designed to make him endearing to us. Plus, you get to watch Aaryan and actor Vijay Raaz -- as his mentor and coach -- do all the heavy lifting.
Bridgerton Season 3 (Netflix):
The second-half of the third season is all fire and no ice. The series throws light on the steamy friends-to-lovers arc between the dishy Colin (Luke Newton) and the feisty, but perennially overlooked Penelope (Nicola Coughlan). But things get dark and twisted when Colin realizes that his love of his life and his best friend is the infamous gossip writer Lady Whistledown sending their new relationship into a downward spiral. Will these two make it, against such odds?
True Detective: Night Country Season 4 (OSN+):
Hollywood star Jodie Foster is a force to reckon with as the stony police chief, Liz Danvers, investigating a series of disappearances in a remote town in Alaska. Mexican filmmaker Issa Lopez sets the tone for a haunting murder mystery set in far northern Alaskan town that sees very little sunshine. The chilling and stark six-episode season – which begins with eight scientists at a secretive research station vanishing into thin air – may not be an easy watch, but the well-acted series is hugely satisfying as it weaves in crime with supernatural elements. Corporate greed is also explored with great complexity here.
Ishq Vishq Rebound (UAE cinemas):
Young actor Rohit Saraf spearheads this coming-of-age romantic comedy about four friends as they navigate love, break-ups, and rebounds in their twenties. Featuring a raft of relatively unknown talents, this glossy slife-of-life film will remind you that falling in and out of love can be a treacherous terrain. The movie also dwells into bro-code and whether it's a good idea to date your best friend.
