Breathe Into the Shadows is streaming on Amazon Prime Videos.
Amid all the despair due to coronavirus pandemic, for many people, one source of solace and entertainment is streaming services which, in the absence of theaters, are keeping us sane.
Today’s a big day for the OTT space. A few high profile movies and series are lined up for release on different streaming platforms today.
One of them is Greyhound. The war drama, streaming on Apple TV+, is based on the 1955 novel The Good Shepherd by CS Forester and is about a US Navy Commander (Tom Hanks) on his first war-rodeo during World War II’s Battle of the Atlantic, the longest military campaign of the war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. Hanks has also penned the screenplay.
The Indian Express film critic Shubhra Gupta gave the film three stars. She wrote, “It’s the mark of great actors that they seem to be doing so little, and yet inhabit their roles quite so completely: as Krause, devout to a fault, flashing back to his beloved (Shue), kneels to pray, we see his blood-stained socks, a result of being on his feet in a yawing-and-pitching vessel for much too long. We know that he has been in pain only through the rare twitch on his face: in the rest, he is completely in control.”
Reviews | Greyhound | The Old Guard | Undekhi
She added, “You wish the crew was more detailed; a back-story or two would have been nice. Except for an African-American head chef (Morgan) who keeps following the captain around with small-meals-on-trays that he (the captain) manages never to eat, a skilful tracker (Graham) of enemy subs under the cold, grey water (the film is almost fully grey, varying the palette with blue and black), and a couple of young ones who exchange fearful glances when their captain seems to be taking his time to veer away from danger, the others are just a collection of faces.”
Here are the movies, web series and TV shows you should watch on platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hotstar, SonyLIV, ALTBalaji, ZEE5, Voot and others.
The Old Guard is streaming on Netflix (Photo: Aimee Spinks/NETFLIX ©2020)
Jon Favreau creation The Mandalorian is the first-ever live-action Star Wars series. It is about an ace bounty hunter, who due to recession in the wake of Galactic Empire’s obliteration, takes up a near-impossible job from a well-paying client.
A much less talked about and known Stephen King adaptation, Gerald's Game was made on a lower budget than It and was released on a small screen platform, Neflix, but it was almost every bit as good. Gerald's Game adapts a middling King novel and turns it into a compelling, keep-on-their-toes horror film that is harrowing throughout.
One of the greatest, genre-defining psychological horror movies Psycho gets a sequel in Bates Motel. We know Norman Bates was an insane guy with a dual personality who kept the exhumed corpse of his mother in his living room. But how did he come to be that person (Or should I say, persons)? Bates Motel tells the backstory of Norman Bates and is a quality television show with great performances especially by Freddie Highmore and Vera Farmiga in lead roles. It also offers a nuanced look at Dissociative Personality Disorder. And did I mention it is downright creepy? Bates Motel is a living proof that you don't need ghosts and monsters to scare people out. Sometimes the inner demons are scary enough.d
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One of the greatest, genre-defining psychological horror movies Psycho gets a sequel in Bates Motel. We know Norman Bates was an insane guy with a dual personality who kept the exhumed corpse of his mother in his living room. But how did he come to be that person (Or should I say, persons)? Bates Motel tells the backstory of Norman Bates and is a quality television show with great performances especially by Freddie Highmore and Vera Farmiga in lead roles. It also offers a nuanced look at Dissociative Personality Disorder. And did I mention it is downright creepy? Bates Motel is a living proof that you don't need ghosts and monsters to scare people out. Sometimes the inner demons are scary enough.
This show is about Eleanor Shellstrop (Kristen Bell), who finds herself in The Good Place in her afterlife. The Good Place is where good people go after they die. Oh, but it is only Eleanor who knows that she may not be so good after all. To remain in the place, which is a community of scores of people, she hides her true identity – a selfish, uncaring and rude loner. The show is cleverly written and does not have the dreaded laugh track. The humour is amazingly subtle, and the performances are really good. If you are not watching The Good Place, you are missing out on a lot.
The Hulu series streams in India on Disney+ Hotstar. Starring Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington, Little Fires Everywhere is a show about motherhood and the struggles that come with it. Based on the bestselling book by Celeste Ng, the show follows two mothers who are sometimes overwhelmed by the responsibilities that they have to fulfill. The secrets, the lies and everything that lies beneath their relationships with their children form the plot here. Watch it for Witherspoon and Washington.
This Greg Daniels series on Amazon Prime Video is certainly the best thing that we have seen this year. In the science-fiction comedy-drama, we are introduced to a dystopian concept where humans can ‘upload’ themselves in a virtual afterlife. We follow Nathan, who is still living as per his living girlfriend’s rules even though he is dead.
Asur had a nail-biting plot that combined the mythological fiction and thriller genres. Here, a killer on the loose is leaving his signature behind after every murder. These hints are specifically aimed at a particular officer with whom he engages in a cat-and-mouse game. In my opinion, the only thing that did not work in Asur’s favour was its lead cast. Nevertheless, Asur was quite binge-worthy.
This Ram Madhvani series on Disney+ Hotstar has Sushmita Sen in the lead role. Her character Aarya has to take over the ‘family business’ during a crisis. The show has presented Sen in a never-seen-before avatar. A second season has already been announced.
BoJack Horseman is a show set in the glitzy town of Hollywoo (with the D missing) where animal-people and regular people co-exist. With the business of entertainment as the backdrop, BoJack Horseman explores the dark themes of existentialism and loneliness.
TV Rewind | Bojack Horseman: Tragedy in the garb of comedy
Starring Sanjay Dutt, Abhishek Bachchan, Suniel Shetty, Shilpa Shetty, Pankaj Kapur among others, this Anubhav Sinha directorial follows a group of anti-terrorism agents who have been tasked with stopping an attack that could lead to the deaths of thousands of people. Tracks of the film “Dus Bahaane” and “Deedar De” were chartbusters back in the day.
Mad Men was set in the 1960s advertising world and starred Jon Hamm and Elisabeth Moss in their breakout roles. The character drama did not gloss over the inefficiencies of humans but in fact, acknowledged the ugliness that manifests within us.
TV Rewind | Mad Men: The period drama that was never dated
Manoj Bajpayee starrer Bhosle is now streaming on SonyLIV. The Indian Express critic Shubhra Gupta wrote in her review of the film, “The last time Manoj Bajpayee internalised a role as much was in 2017's Gali Guleiyan. Here he is even better. Bhonsle, streaming on SonyLIV, gives us an actor on the top of his game."
Starring Hrithik Roshan, Abhay Deol and Farhan Akhtar in pivotal roles, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara follows three friends who take a road trip in Spain as they confront their fears and make some life-altering decisions. This Zoya Akhtar directorial also stars Katrina Kaif and Kalki Koechlin.
Starring Namit Das in the lead role, this Hindi-Bangla bilingual series is now streaming on ZEE5.
Starring Shia LaBeouf in the lead role, Honey Boy has been termed as his performance yet. Directed by Alma Har'el, LaBeouf wrote the film while in rehab. The film’s story is based on his real-life experiences with his father.
As the magnum opus completes five years, watch it in the comfort of your home on Netflix. Starring Prabhas, Anushka Shetty, Tamannaah Bhatia, Ramya Krishnan and Rana Daggubati, this is the story of the kingdom of Mahishmati that is being ruled by an unjust King.
“Undekhi opens when the untoward has already happened: a police officer is killed in Sunderbans. The DSP of the area, Barun Ghosh (Dibyendu Bhattacharya) is on the lookout for two tribal girls, the prime suspects in the case, but they have fled to Manali. Meanwhile, in Manali, one of the girls is shot dead by the drunkard head of the Atwal family, Papaji (Harsh Chhaya) during a stag party. Her body is removed by Rinku (Surya Sharma), the foster son of Papaji and troubleshooter of the family. Now, his targets are the dead girl’s friend (Apeksha Porwal) and the wedding photographer Rishi (Abhishek Chauhan) who has recorded the entire crime,” writes indianexpress.com’s Arushi Jain.
As Devdas completes 18 years, watch the Sanjay Leela Bhansali magnum opus on Eros Now. Starring Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai and Madhuri Dixit in the lead roles, Devdas is based on the novel of the same name by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay. The Sanjay Leela Bhansali film is remembered for its opulent sets, intricate costumes and spellbinding visuals.