6 shows/movies to binge-watch this week!

The Morning Show (Apple TV): This show on Apple TV is superb at so many levels. You get to see Jennifer Aniston in a different avatar while Reese Witherspoon shows us again why she’s such a highly rated actor! The series is centered around the morning news show hosted by Aniston and another powerhouse actor Steve Carell (The Office – US) at a fictitious broadcast network called UBA. Season one begins with sexual abuse allegations against Carell and goes on to tackle the insidious ways that race and gender abuse are so much a part of the daily narrative. Billy Crudup as the network’s CEO is absolutely outstanding and such a joy to watch. The second season was shot during the pandemic and is seamlessly blended into the storyline.

The Lost Daughter (Netflix): Olivia Coleman is a professor holidaying in a Greek resort where she comes across a young mother (Dakota Johnson) with a small kid, who are part of a larger group. As she observes the group and the mother we get flashbacks into her younger self as she handled her two daughters, a career and a husband from whom she is increasingly estranged. But just as we sympathise with her, other, more odd aspects of her personality are revealed, making for an intriguing series. Now, do I agree with the way the series ended. Perhaps not. But it takes not much away from the suspense of the story.

The Power of the Dog (Netflix): Two brothers who are ranch owners face much change when one of them marries and brings home a wife and a step son – the latter a brooding, troubled lad. This is a riveting film set in 1920s American West, with Benedict Cumberbatch as a rather convincing cowboy and ranch owner. Who knew the British Cumberbatch, he of the clipped ‘upper-class’ accent, could be convincing as an American cowboy? Think of him in the ‘Sherlock’ series and you will realize the ludicrous contrast. This is a violent movie but without much overt violence. The aggression is portrayed through the dialogues, expressions of the cast and the sinister atmosphere throughout the movie. A must-watch.

A Very British Scandal (Sony Liv): Based on the real story of the acrimonious divorce of the Duke and Duchess of Argyll in 1963, this series stars Claire Foy (young Queen Elizabeth in The Crown). Foy’s turn here is quite different from what she portrayed in The Crown and a testimony to her acting chops. It’s a very interesting series and at 3-episodes length is super attractive!

Truth Be Told (Apple TV): A quite-thrilling whodunnit based on a crime committed 19 years ago which Octavia Spencer (whom we saw in ‘Self Made’) is keen to unravel as it was her reportage which had put the defendant in prison. It’s quite a thriller, though could have been a couple of episodes shorter. Enjoyable, nonetheless.

Dil Bekarar (Disney Hotstar): Based on Anuja Chauhan’s entertaining novel ‘Those Pricey Thakur Girls’, it’s a light, fun watch. The cast also has old-timers like Raj Babbar, Padmini Kolhapure and Poonam Dhillon and it’s quite a delight to watch them. I really like Chauhan’s extremely entertaining books, though the movies made on her books like The Zoya Factor were not really as fun.