Sonal Pandya

Prior to Win or Lose, Pixar Animation Studios’ series have all been spun off from their film franchise. With this new animated series, the studio is branching out into new territory, and it is a delight to see. The eight-episode series created by Carrie Hobson and Michael Yates is laugh out loud funny as it tackles every insecurity felt by various members of a middle school team. Interestingly, each episode is told from the viewpoint of a different character, adding to the mystery of who wins the final game. The first two episodes focus on different members of the Pickles softball team. The premiere episode tells the story from Coach Dan’s (voice of Will Forte) daughter Laurie (voice of Rosie Foss). Insecure about her place in her dad’s life, the child of divorce becomes so anxious she manifests her own ‘sweaty’ devil. The second episode belongs teacher Frank (voice of Josh Thomson) who is also the umpire. Still hung up over his ex Monica (Vyvan Pham), he contemplates getting back into the dating scene.

The new Valentine’s Day comedy, Dhoom Dhaam, covers a lot of ground. It’s an awkward romance about a couple set up via arranged marriage, a thriller about crooked law enforcement officials, and comedy set mostly over one night in Mumbai. Directed by Rishab Seth, the Hindi film has several twists and turns, most of which we can guess. The narrative follows a pretty standard formula of complete opposites thrown together in a relationship; in this case, it’s a quick wedding. Yami Gautam and Pratik Gandhi, playing roles we’ve seen them take on before, still manage to create a substantial chemistry in an entertaining manner.

The Apple TV+ movie, The Gorge, is an unexpected Valentine’s Day release. This, combined with the ongoing saga on Severance Season 2, has the streamer taking an unconventional approach to the day dedicated to romance. Written by Zach Dean, The Gorge is about the horrors hidden in the aforementioned valley, which has two highly trained operatives assigned to protect it. But the story shifts into a forbidden romance between the duo with unexpected results. The film shows how Levi (Miles Teller) and Drasa (Anya Taylor-Joy) are at the top of their games as snipers, even though their approach might be different. They are each chosen for a year-long gig defending a vast gorge, covered by a mysterious fog, in an unknown country. The previous guard, JD (Sope Dirisu), tells Levi as he hands off the post to him that the gorge is the “door to hell, and we’re standing guard at the gate.” So what lies beneath?

Every year around Valentine’s Day, the streamers trot out generic romance films that help you pass the time but don’t leave any impact. Director Mark Waters’s latest film La Dolce Villa, starring Scott Foley and Maia Reficco, is no exception. Set in the gorgeous Italian countryside, the breezy romantic comedy on Netflix will have you booking your next ticket to the country. Former chef turned business consultant Eric (Scott Foley) rushes to Italy after he finds his 24-year-old daughter Olivia (Maia Reficco) is buying a run-down villa for one euro. Determined to stop her, he lands in the fictional Montezara and ends up falling for the town’s mayor, Francesca (Violante Placido). As the father and daughter heal their relationship, they become part of the family in the Montezara as well.

The White Lotus Season 3 returns after two years with a new group of guests that converge at a luxury resort for a getaway. Of course, their stay is eventful as the looming murder of one of the group is hinted at from the start. Mike White’s Emmy Award-winning series moves to Asia for the latest installment as Thailand is the setting for this story. Even though White’s narrative moves along glacially, there is enough to keep viewers intrigued. This year’s guests include a trio of best friends, played by Leslie Bibb, Carrie Coon, and Michelle Monaghan; a rich white family led by actors Jason Isaacs and Parker Posey; and a mismatched couple, both in age and temperament, played by Walter Goggins and Aimee Lou Wood. The only familiar face for viewers is spa worker Belinda (Natasha Rothwell), who was present in the first season. With each day, White shows another facet of their complicated relationships with one another as well as their hopes for the future. But which one of these guests is the fallen victim? Mike White is once again the creative force behind this season, which focuses more on individual characters than on an overall arc. The Western guests’ storylines have more prominence this time. However, the narratives for the Thai staff, security guard Gaitok (Tayme Thapthimthong) and hotel worker Mook (Blackpink’s Lisa), are promising. Lek Patravadi also stands out as resort owner Sritala. However, so far, without giving away too many spoilers, most of the characters are circling around one another, hiding away true motives. It’s the same story structure as previous seasons, like some of the guests being resistant to wellness programs, just in a new aesthetic setting.

We don’t usually see love stories on film or OTT much these days, so our eyes were peeled for Rajshri Production’s Bada Naam Karenge. The ambitious SonyLIV series unfolds like a feature film rather than a series. It’s easy to get invested in the romance between Surbhi (Ayesha Kaduskar) and Rishabh (Ritik Ghanshani) in a story set in Madhya Pradesh. But once we get to the heart of the matter, Bada Naam Karenge becomes jumbled under the weight of so many characters and remains a bit dated. The romance features two families: the wealthy Rathis of Ratlam and the middle-class Guptas of Ujjain. A possible rishta is floated between Rishabh Rathi and Surbhi Gupta. As the families explore their union through an arranged marriage, the audience learns about a hidden secret between the two. Will Rishabh and Surbhi get together, or will the expectations of their families get in the way? The story and screenplay of Bada Naam Karenge has been penned by S Manasvi. Vidit Tripathi has also helped out with the screenplay and co-written the dialogues. Moving to the past and returning to the present, the initial batch of episodes holds promise as the young couple’s story goes from enemies to lovers. Once the large cast of supporting players gets involved, it feels too behind the times. The main conflict between the two families also gets dragged out over the last few episodes, only to be quickly resolved over a big emotional scene.

The series Apple Cider Vinegar wastes no time in telling viewers that it is a true story based on a lie. Set in Australia, the limited series is based on the wellness culture that emerged in the 2010s, with pretty young women leading the charge and telling people how to eat and shape their lives. Created by writer Samantha Strauss, the drama looks beyond pretty pictures and nice fonts on social media to look at the real story of what these women were going through. The limited series follows two women, Belle Gibson (Kaitlyn Dever) and Milla Blake (Alycia Debnam-Carey), both of whom had crafted an inspirational image as survivors who had overcome ill health. The only difference was that one woman was lying about her cancer diagnosis. Apple Cider Vinegar, which is set at the rise of blogging and social media, especially Instagram, is also a time capsule about wellness culture, which rejected science and heralded the benefits of nature. Based on the book The Woman Who Fooled the World by Beau Donelly and Nick Toscano, creator Strauss has written the series with Anya Beyersdorf and Angela Betzien. Apple Cider Vinegar goes pretty deep into the backstories of Belle and Milla and shows why, while their intentions were well-meaning at first, it all snowballed out by the end.

Written and directed by Adam J Graves, Anuja is one of five shorts nominated for an Oscar in the Best Live Action Short Film category. Backed by producers Guneet Monga, Mindy Kaling, and Priyanka Chopra, it gives viewers a glimpse into the lives of two young girls trying to survive in the city without much support. There is hope for the younger girl Anuja, and the film highlights the hard choice the little one must face: choosing herself or supporting her beloved sister Palak. In just 22 minutes, the short film takes us on an emotional journey. The short film focuses on two orphaned sisters, Anuja (Sajda Pathan) and Palak (Ananya Shanbhag), who work in a garment factory in Delhi. Child labour is illegal, but the owner, Mr Verma (Nagesh Bhonsle), flaunts the rules by lying about the ages of the younger children. An educator, Mr Mishra (Gulshan Walia), comes to the factory with the opportunity of a lifetime for the bright Anuja. If she can take and pass an admission test for a boarding school, she’ll receive a scholarship. But the fee for the test is Rs 400, which is a large sum for the sisters. Writer-director Graves straddles both the fictional and real worlds in this story. Made in conjunction with the Salaam Baalak Trust, which supports the street children of Delhi, Anuja turns a spotlight on the still-persistent issue of child labour. Poverty and a lack of education give rise to the problem that has been prevalent in India for decades. Still, Graves gives us a touching story about the unbreakable bond between the two sisters. The film begins with a fable about a farmer’s family and a pet mongoose, highlighting the virtues of bravery and sacrifice.