Sonal Pandya

Better Man is a strange but effective musical biopic on singer Robbie Williams, formerly of Take That. Viewers see him lay bare several key moments from life - the good, the bad and the ugly. However, until the credits roll, we never see his face. That’s because the role of Robbie is taken over by a CGI chimpanzee (performed by Jonno Davies). Robbie narrates his story and the Michael Gracey film shows how fame can be both the best and worst thing to happen to you. As far as biopics go, this feature makes an impact from the very first scene. The biopic charts Robbie’s incredible rise from a nobody living in Stoke-on-Trent to becoming the UK’s best-selling solo artist ever. It’s a steep rise that comes with its own perils as the teenage Robert becomes Robbie and begins to lose himself to his starry career. Seeking the approval of his absent dad, he manages to become one of the greats while overcoming several addictions from drugs, booze and dizzying heights of fame. This is a happy story, as we know he does emerge out of the dark side, but the movie never shies away from the bleakness.

Since its release in 2021, so many makers have tried to replicate the moody and twisty narrative of Mare of Easttown, which starred Kate Winslet. Creator Brad Ingelsby’s latest show, Task, borrows many elements from his own award-winning series, and the result is a taut thriller that leaves you guessing until the last episode. The seven-part series gives viewers two protagonists to empathise with; they are headed on a crash course from which there is no return. Mark Ruffalo plays FBI agent Tom Brandis, who heads a task force to look into a string of violent robberies that target drug and gang houses. As he and his team dive deeper and deeper into the case, they uncover betrayals and moles that have wider repercussions. Meanwhile, main suspect Robbie Prendergast (Tom Pelphrey) is bottling up intense emotions that could land him and his family in deep trouble. Will both men make it out to the other side alive?

After Harry Potter, filmmaker Chris Columbus spearheads another popular franchise. The Netflix film, The Thursday Murder Club, is the first of five books about four retired senior citizens who solve murders. Richard Osman’s mysteries are bestsellers worldwide and this first film casts Oscar winners and popular British stars in the main roles. The result is a cheeky and delightful romp across the countryside as the retirees try to save their retirement home and figure out who is willing to kill for the land it’s built on.

The newest streaming romance, The Map That Leads to You, is based on JP Monninger’s novel and feels like deja vu arriving on the heels of Netflix’s The Oxford Year. It uses the same kind of tropes - American young woman, a European excursion and a summer fling with a stranger who becomes the important part of your life. The biggest difference between the two is the direction by Oscar nominee Lasse Hallström and the treatment of the feature, which feels a bit more lived in. The film’s narrative is much more optimistic and thankfully, this one has a more relatable female lead. Outer Banks star Madelyn Cline plays Heather, who, like Anna (Sofia Carson) from My Oxford Year, has a job waiting for her back in New York. Heather goes on a girls’ trip across Europe with her college besties Connie (Sofia Wylie) and Amy (Madison Thompson), when she meets a stranger named Jack (KJ Apa) from New Zealand on a train to Spain. It’s very DDLJ-esque. He becomes a part of their friends group and the usually rigid Heather finds herself following the oft-beaten path along with Jack. She finds herself opening more and more. But the summer must come to an end, and Jack is hiding a very big secret. Will their romance be able to stand the distance?

The Crown and Fantastic Four: First Steps actress Vanessa Kirby delivers yet another terrific performance that is the cornerstone of this uneven thriller. Her character is pushed to several lengths as she moves mountains to protect her family. Based on Willy Vlautin’s 2021 novel The Night Always Comes, the Netflix film is set in moody Portland, Oregon, where the forecast is already grim. However, despite the strong performances by its excellent cast, director Benjamin Caron and screenwriter Sarah Conradt aren’t able to elevate the narrative to be believable. The crime thriller takes place over a ragged 24 hours in which it is established that Lynette (Kirby) is deeply in debt. She needs a down payment of $25,000 to sign a loan with her mother, Doreen (Jennifer Jason Leigh), to save their family home and her older brother, Kenny (Zack Gottsagen), who has Down’s syndrome. If the house is in his name, he won’t be sent away to a special facility. But of course, nothing goes her way. Her mother buys a new car instead and a desperate Lynette runs around Portland, calling in every favour she knows and meeting unsavory characters to gather the money.

Fixed is not a family film. It is far, far from that. Instead, the animated feature on Netflix focuses on a dog named Bull who is about to lose his ‘manhood’ by being neutered at the vet. Along with three of his besties, he has a wild 24 hours before he is tamed. Think of Fixed as an animated The Hangover featuring canine characters. Filmmaker Genndy Tartakovsky’s new animated feature goes hard and may not be for everyone. Bull (voice of Adam DeVine) is a mutt who is loved by his family but they are tired of him humping anything that moves, including the aged Nana. The solution is to send him to the vet to get neutered once and for all. Bull’s pack of besties, boxer Rocco (voice of Idris Elba), dachshund Fetch (voice of Fred Armisen) and beagle Lucky (voice of Bobby Moynihan), try to reassure him, but he runs off to the city. They eventually track him down, leading to a night of mayhem where Bull tries to admit his feelings for Honey (voice of Kathryn Hahn), an Afghan hound who is being presented at the dog show. The pack’s misadventures make up much of the story.

The Hindi series Saare Jahan Se Accha is a fictional take on historical events and is centred around India and Pakistan’s nuclear programs. Created by Gaurav Shukla, the show is set during the late 1960s to early 1970s, focusing on the early days of India’s Research and Analysis Wing and its attempts to sabotage Pakistan’s nuclear program. The taut thriller globetrots all over the world, but the action in Pakistan is where the story matters. The makers build up the suspense and action, leading to a dramatic and satisfying finish. Pratik Gandhi plays Vishnu Shankar, a counterintelligence officer who becomes a RAW agent under RN Kao (Rajat Kapoor). The newlywed heads to Pakistan with his wife, Mohini (Tillotama Shome), for a dangerous mission to find out what is going on with their nuclear program. ISI chief Murtuza Malik (Sunny Hinduja) runs a tight ship, weeding out traitors and spies while helping Pakistan cross the finish line to become a nuclear power. The clash of these two individuals and their successes and failures makes up more of the story of Saare Jahan Se Accha.

Created by Deva Katta, the nine-episode drama series Mayasabha - Rise of the Titans is the origin story of two fictional politicians, Kakarla Krishnama Naidu (Aadhi Pinisetty) and MS Rami Reddy (Chaitanya Rao). The series begins in August 1995 and rewinds back two decades to 1975, where the two protagonists begin to take their first steps towards their grand political careers. While largely set in Andhra Pradesh, Mayasabha also involves the national political scene, which dictates state politics. While compelling, the series is the setup for a larger clash in what looks to be season 2. Krishnama Naidu and Rami Reddy come from humble backgrounds and both have to work their way upwards. Naidu is a son of a farmer that pays his own way to college; there he becomes involved in student politics. Meanwhile, Reddy is studying to be a doctor and wants to leave his gangster father, Shiva Reddy’s, reputation behind. Their progress in life is shown separately until they meet and form a tentative friendship. It grows over time, but politics is a fickle business. One day you’re on top and the next, you’re behind bars. The Telugu series follows their rise and fall, along with that of other politicians in their party.