No Time To Die (in theatres)
Daniel Craig's final film as James Bond is finally in cinemas. Our review said: “The runtime is a healthy 163 minutes, much of which is taken up by long, polished setpieces. Given how much breathless action there is, it’s curious how the abiding feeling I was left with was a kind of melancholia. Daniel Craig leaving the series after this film isn’t subtext, it’s the main theme.”
Also read: Dug Dug review: A satire about unquestioning faith
Superstore (Netflix)
A workplace comedy with a large and diverse cast, terribly awkward people and a will-they-won't-they romance that draws out over several seasons? We are not talking about The Office but NBC's Superstore, starring America Ferrera and Ben Feldman, five seasons of which Netflix just released for Indian audiences. Helmed by Justin Spitzer, who was a writer on The Office for seven years, Superstore is set in a big box retail store in St Loius, Missouri, and plays out among largely blue-collar workers—a definite departure for workplace comedies. It may not be as smart and cutting as The Office or Parks and Recreation, but Superstore does highlight important issues surrounding income inequality in America, especially the cost of medical treatment and lack of benefits for low-income workers. At the same time, it is a zany, often laugh-out-loud funny show that you can binge on effortlessly, and the Ferrera-Feldman chemistry is real. Where is season 6, Netflix?
Only Murders in the Building (Disney+ Hotstar)
This comic series reunited veterans Steve Martin and Martin Short and adds Selena Gomez to the mix. Our review said: “Only Murders In The Building starts off as a goofy, witty take on true-crime podcasts before turning genuinely elaborate and twisty, not to mention outlandish, rather like the Hardy Boys stories Gomez’s character grew up obsessing over. It’s a pageturner.”
The Starling (Netflix)
Lilly (Melissa McCarthy) and Jack (Chris O'Dowd) are dealing with grief in their own different ways—they lost their baby a year ago. Jack is in a mental health institution, while Lilly is trying to hold it together by tending to their backyard and working in a supermarket. Jack's therapist suggests to Lilly that "it'd be nice to see someone before you have to see someone" and directs her to Dr Larry Fine (Kevin Kline), a psychiatrist turned veterinarian. But wait, why a veterinarian? Enter the metaphor—a starling who decides to roost on a tree in Lilly's backyard. Being territorial and aggressive birds, the starling is constantly attacking Lilly on the head. She decides to take matters—and the bird—head-on by wearing a helmet. The movie could have been a lot more but falls flat. At the most you will end up googling "starling" and find out that the amazing aerial displays these birds do are called murmurations.
Mandabi (MUBI)
Ousmane Sembène has been called the “father of African film”. This 1968 satire by the Senegalese director is a comic gem, about a man who goes to cash a money order and finds himself in a bureaucratic nightmare.
Also read: Squid Game spurs search for next Korean hit
