Olivier Assayas’ film is a complex portrait of the intense relationship between an actress and her assistant. Juliette Binoche plays Maria, a famous actress who’s returning to the play that made her famous, but in a different part. Assayas draws parallels between the play’s storyline and the changing dynamic between Maria and Valentine (Kristen Stewart), her assistant. Both actresses are magnetic in this 2014 film. (MUBI)
Megha (Anna Ben) and Sethu (Arjun Ashokan) decide to elope to Mangalore. But they are upstaged by Sethu’s sister, who elopes the same day with her boyfriend. Now, Sethu, along with his two uncles, is headed to Mangalore in a bus to bring his sister back. Megha, who has already left her house, decides to board the same bus. In pursuit are her uncle and overbearing father in the latter’s Mercedes. The Achyuth Vinayak romcom squanders its fun plot in the second half but it is still a pleasant watch with Sethu’s uncles, one of whom is superstitious, providing comic relief. (Netflix)
A prisoner’s suicide leads Mike Atlas (Max Riemelt), a former cop who lives rough, grappling with his inner demons and amnesia, and a young prosecutor Jule Andergast (Luise von Finckh) to unravel the judicial and police nexus in a case involving the murder of a judge. The German crime thriller, with plenty of twists and turns, is based on an Israeli series, The Exchange Principle. (Netflix)
Champion boxer Donnie (Michael B Jordan) has quit the ring, but is pulled back when challenged by an old friend, Dame (Jonathan Majors), fresh out of prison. Jordan directs the third entry in the Creed series, a spinoff of the Rocky series (Sylvester Stallone doesn’t return for this film). It has a few brutal fights and improves on the second film, but is missing the emotional pull of the first instalment. (Amazon Prime)
