There are a lot of boxes that need to be checked while making a royal drama. There is to be a wannabe ruler who wants to change the world. There is to be a lot of plotting and manipulating. A couple of murders and execution along the way are mandatory, and so are the love affairs of the royals. ‘The Great’ checks all of these boxes and delivers an entertaining account of the coup designed by Catherine the Great....
Interestingly, the game of chess has managed to stay relevant through generations, be it as a pastime, a competitive indoor sport, or a STEM learning tool. However, the game can get quite complicated at times, and the different rules, books, and theories that go into learning it can become overwhelming for people of all ages. The ChessUp smart chessboard aims to solve that very issue by simplifying the learning process and even letting users play against the computer or online against a person of the same skill level....
HBO’s ‘His Dark Materials’ returns with a third and final season to wrap up the story of Lyra and Will, who have traveled several worlds to claim their destiny. This season picks up after the events of the Season 2 finale and immediately puts the audience in the middle of a war that has been waged by Lord Asriel against the Magisterium and the higher power, the Authority. The two-episode premiere fills the gaps for the viewers, giving them enough time to not only be re-familiarised with the world of the show but also introduce them to new players in the game who are much more powerful than the forces that the young teenagers have previously been up against....
‘I’m No Longer Here’ is a very unique coming-of-age tale that unfolds itself from the perspective of a young Mexican immigrant. It shows how its main character first struggles to deal with cultural alienation only to eventually learn that he doesn’t have a choice but to adapt to all the changes that life is throwing at him. The film has been structured in such a way that almost every action of the protagonist turns out to be consequential and eventually leads to the film’s bittersweet ending....
Directed by Charles Shyer, Netflix’s ‘The Noel Diary’ is a romantic comedy film that follows an author named Jake Turner, who returns home on Christmas to work on his mother’s estate. However, he stumbles upon a diary that might lead to unexpected revelations about his past and that of a woman named Rachel. The duo decides to band together to get to the bottom of the truth and pave a path for a hopefully better future....
Portrayed by Gus Halper, Teddy Silas is one of the important characters in the third season of ‘Law & Order: Organized Crime.’ He is the son of one of the wealthiest and most powerful men in New York, Desperate to prove himself to his father. Teddy seems to have no qualms about using ruthless methods to get what he wants. At the start of the season, a resident named Henry Cole refuses to move from his home, stalling Teddy’s billion-dollar casino project....
Eliza Hittman is undoubtedly amongst the finest indie filmmakers of our time despite being only 3 feature films old. Her latest endeavour, ‘Never Rarely Sometimes Always’ is the career-best effort from the director. The film offers a hauntingly real yet compassionate portrayal of sisterhood and access to abortion in the United States. Not only is the film relevant because of the current state of women’s reproductive rights. But it also effectively subverts the gaze and delves into the everyday struggles of young women in the country....
‘Shirley’ follows the story of Shirley Jackson while she is in the process of writing her novel, ‘Hangsaman’. She wants to write about a troubled young girl who mysteriously disappeared one day. However, when she finds it difficult to crack her motivations, she looks towards the women in her vicinity, the closest of whom happens to be Rose Nemser. Young Rose had arrived in Bennington with her husband, Fred, who was to work for Shirley’s husband, Stanley....
Netflix’s ‘Someone Borrowed’ (originally titled ‘Esposa de Aluguel’) is a Brazilian romantic comedy movie helmed by Cris D’Amato that revolves around a carefree and independent bachelor named Luiz. When his mother announces that she is on the verge of dying, his world turns upside down because she wants his bachelor days to come to an end for her dying wish. She will not hesitate to remove his name from her will if he doesn’t comply....
In the second episode of ‘My Hero Academia’ season 6 titled ‘Mirko, the No. 5 Hero,’ the Pro Heroes under the leadership of Edge Shot finally target the Gunga Mountain Villa. Meanwhile, at the Jaku General Hospital, the evacuation work is finally accomplished as planned and the heroes begin an all-out war with the Nomus there. Mirko, the No. 5 hero almost gets to the real Dr. Kyudai Garaki, but he manages to evade capture using his bio-engineered soldiers....
Beloved comedian and actor Tone Bell has garnered many fans over the years thanks to his contributions to the entertainment industry. Hence, his role as the host of Netflix’s ‘Drink Masters‘ made many in the public quite happy. Those who were not familiar with the artist’s work prior to the show got to see just how talented and funny the entertainer is. His punches and comments during the competitive events in the reality show helped break the ice and put the contestants at ease....
NBC’s ‘Dateline: The Betrayal of Sarah Stern’ is an episode that chronicles the December 2016 disappearance and subsequent murder case of 19-year-old Sarah Stern, whose abandoned car was discovered by the police on a bridge. The missing person’s report quickly evolved into a months-long homicide investigation, which then led to the uncovering of a tangled plot involving money, close friends, and a fatal deception, ending only with the conviction of Liam McAtasney....
‘I Am Woman’ is an Australian biopic about the well-known singer Helen Reddy. Directed and produced by Unjoo Moon, the film stars Tilda Cobham-Hervey as Reddy, with Evan Peters playing the role of Jeff Wald, her husband and manager. The film follows the journey of the singer as she faces numerous struggles to emerge as one of the most famous icons of the 1970s feminist movement. The relentless tale of Reddy takes the audience on a journey from Australia to the bustling streets of New York....
‘Moneyball’ is a biographical film based on the eponymous non-fiction book by Michael Lewis, which focuses on the Oakland Athletics’ baseball team’s 2002 season and its general manager Billy Beane (Brad Pitt). The story follows Beane, his assistant general manager, Peter Brand (Jonah Hill), and their unusual methods to put together a team of competitive players under a limited budget. Peter Brand is an economics graduate from Yale who proposes the sabermetric approach for selecting players....
In a world where time means money, ‘The Hummingbird Project’ revolves around the lives of cousins Vincent Zaleski (Jesse Eisenberg) and Anton Zaleski (Alexander Skarsgard). As they dream of disrupting the game of high-frequency trading for their own profit, they have to overcome many obstacles so that they can receive information 1 millisecond faster than the others. Both the brothers work for Eva Torres (Salma Hayek), an ambitious and determined woman who gets what she wants....
‘The Mindy Project’ is a romantic comedy sitcom created by Mindy Kaling. It follows obstetrician/gynecologist Mindy Lahiri as she struggles to juggle her personal and professional life in a small medical practice in New York City, surrounded by eccentric co-workers. ‘The Mindy Project’ presents the protagonist’s story in different colors. It focuses on her professional and personal life, which is chaotic, to say the least. The series entertains the audience with its quirky characters, essayed to perfection by the talented cast members....
Directed by Jamie Babbit and written by Sam Bain, ‘The Stand-In’ tells the story of an actress who performs community service for evading tax. It stars Drew Barrymore, Michael Zegen, Holland Taylor, Charlie Barnett, and Ellie Kemper in pivotal roles. Barrymore, who plays dual roles, is also one of the producers, under her banner Flower Films. It is also the first feature film of Barrymore in five years since the 2015 movie ‘Miss You Already....
Hallmark’s ‘The Sweetest Christmas’ is a fun 2017 Christmas-themed movie that adds a unique twist to the romantic comedy genre. Directed by Terry Ingram, it follows Kylie Watson, a struggling chef who gets the opportunity of a lifetime to be accepted in the finals of the American Gingerbread Competition. Unfortunately, her oven breaks down the night before the finals. Completely devasted, the chef reaches out to her last resort, her ex-boyfriend Nick Mazannti, who runs a local pizzeria....
SPONSORED LINKS 6. Ultimate Beastmaster (2017-2018) Another Netflix title, ‘Ultimate Beastmaster’ is a sports + entertainment reality show that introduces a twist to the regular format of obstacle course competitions. Here, we have six localized versions, with each version featuring a mix of leading television hosts, actors, comedians, and athletes as commentators. They represent the six countries competing in the particular season. The show aired for two seasons on Netflix. 12 players, 2 from each nation (9 players in season 2; with 1 from each country), compete in an obstacle course, called The Beast....
‘A Confession’ follows the story of a detective whose lapse in standard procedure opens two roads for him. One leads him to the discovery of a woman who had gone missing about a decade earlier, and the second one diverges in the opposite direction of the path of justice for her. It turns out to be a Catch-22 situation where he paved the path of injustice for her, while if he hadn’t discovered the body, there would have been no talk of justice in the first place....
