When Imogene Scott (Violett Beane) is suspected of murder aboard a luxury ocean liner, she must team up with detective Rufus Cotesworth (Mandy Patinkin) to prove her innocence. This locked-room mystery should remind several generations of viewers of Death on the Nile – and the makers have acknowledged this influence. This 10-episode series is created by Heidi Cole McAdams and Mike Weiss. (Disney+ Hotstar)
Fans of bone-crunching action tailored to outlandish premises should enter a state of bliss this weekend with the release of Jason Statham’s latest. He plays a beekeeper who sets out to avenge the death by suicide of his landlady. Co-starring Josh Hutcherson and Jeremy Irons, directed by David Ayer (End of Watch, Fury). (In theatres)
Also read: Why we need to stop telling comedians what they can't say
The Vietnamese–Australian chef, restaurateur and author of cookbooks like Secrets Of The Red Lantern, The Songs Of Sapa, is travelling and tasting his way through south India. His first stop is Bengaluru, and no surprises there. He visits MTR—calling it a rite of passage—and samples rava idli. He’s next at Iyer Idli, where he has some more idli. At Pahilwani Handi, which has a functional mud wrestling pit, he tries his hand at making mutton biryani. His reaction when he tastes it: It’s an explosion of flavours! Can’t say the same about the show. (Disney + Hotstar)
A woman makes an anonymous call to emergency services, saying her life is in danger. She claims that her boyfriend killed his ex-girlfriend, for which a black man called Errol Mathis is serving a 24-year prison term. This sets up a clash between veteran detective Daniel Hegarty (Peter Capaldi), who headed the case, and DS June Lenker (Cush Jumbo). (Apple TV+)
Rohit Shetty’s cop-verse comes to streaming TV. Siddharth Malhotra, Shilpa Shetty Kundra and Viviek Oberoi star in this new series which, like his Singham, Simmba and Sooryavanshi films, looks to combine hyper-nationalist rhetoric and high-octane, slo-mo-heavy action. A lot will rest on the shoulders of Malhotra, who has seemingly settled in for a long innings as a patriotic action star. (Amazon Prime)
One of the best films of 2023 comes to streaming. Aki Kaurismäki, a legend of Finnish and world cinema, directs this gently eccentric and touching comedy. Two lonely strangers in Helsinki, a construction worker with a drinking problem and a department store employee, meet and shyly fall in love. Jussi Vatanen and Alma Pöysti are sublime in the lead; so too is Alma the dog. There’s a Kaurismäki retrospective running on MUBI, so you can also watch Le Havre, The Man Without a Past, The Match Factory Girl and other films by him. (MUBI)
The big screen romcom is more a rarity than a regular feature in today’s cultural landscape. Anyone But You will hope to revive the genre. Sydney Sweeney (Euphoria) and Glen Powell (Maverick) play enemies-turned-lovers who pretend to be in a relationship for the duration of his sister’s wedding to her friend. Directed by Will Gluck, who has some experience with raunchy-sweet comedies (Easy A, Friends With Benefits). (In theatres)
Compiled by Nipa Charagi and Uday Bhatia
