What To Watch

As we kickstart our series, we decided to begin by paying tribute to two great actors that we lost earlier this week - Irrfan Khan and Rishi Kapoor who succumbed to their battles against cancer. Both the movies that we discus today are united by the theme of family drama. While each movie presents a wildly different family, they are both quintessentially Indian. Watch Hindi Medium on Amazon Prime (USA) Watch Kapoor & Sons on Netflix (USA)

Today we discuss two Netflix properties that are very different from each other but also have some overlaps. We talk about the new Netflix film Extraction that is about a kidnapped Indian boy who has to be rescued by a team of contractors including Chris Hemsworth. Continuing the theme of Indians that have to be rescued, we talk about the delightful new high school comedy show by Mindy Kaling and Lang Fisher called Never Have I Ever that features a predominantly South Asian cast but is set in modern-day California. Both of these titles deal with inherent south Asian struggles but offer a refreshing take on familiar tropes, a classic new-wine-in-an-old-bottle scenario. Tune in to catch our thoughts on Extraction and Never Have I Ever. Where to Watch: Extraction (Netflix) Never Have I Ever: Season 1 (Netflix)

Today, we discuss two polarizing films. Bird Box that released in the wake of a world where John Krasinski had become a household name in the world of indie horror with the release of A Quiet Place unfortunately fell prey to inevitable comparisons to A Quiet Place. It only made matters worse that both these movies tried to explore a reality where we didn’t have full reign over our senses. Nonetheless, we find that the concept that Bird Box deals with is innovative in its own right. The next film we talk about today is the controversial Blumhouse release – The Hunt which deals with a dystopian reality where groups of people with opposite political views are at odds with each other and one group decides to hunt the other group for sport. This movie made waves and stirred up debate about the efficacy of how it handled its subject matter. Some find that it did a great job while others take deep offense to the very existence of this movie. Listen as we debate about whether this movie was successful. Where to Watch: Bird Box (Netflix) The Hunt (Available to rent on Amazon, google, youtube, vudu etc.)

Both Thoroughbreds and Bad Education feature children with sweeping aspirations – some dream to take over the world, some strive to thoroughly research and report supposed ‘fluff’ pieces, and some want to eliminate their seemingly menacing authority figures by any means necessary. Corey Finley directs both these films with the flair of an experienced story-teller who ensures to take advantage of all the tools in his arsenal and creates compelling narratives set in fully realized environments but most importantly, he knows how to use his actors to draw out emotional, funny and sometimes chilling performances. Join us as we discuss our love for great acting and coin new genres to make sense of these disparate films in the filmography of a new filmmaker whose career we are eager to follow. Where to Watch Bad Education (HBO, USA) Thoroughbreds (Available to rent on Amazon, apple, google, Vudu)

This week, on a sombre note, we discuss movies about a population of people reeling from the atrocities of manslaughter. In Hotel Rwanda, we see the astounding grit of Paul Rusesabagina played by an in-form Don Cheadle as he battles with complexities of identity and displays compassion to help his fellow brethren by offering them shelter at the Hôtel des Mille Collines. In Hotel Mumbai, we see how an incredible team of hospitaly staff at the famed Taj Mahal Palace hotel in Mumbai strive to ward of a foreign terrorist attack by sacrificing their own lives for the sake of the guests of the Hotel. How successful each film is in effectively portraying a moving snapshot of the times varies greatly between the philosophies of their respective directors. Where to Watch: Hotel Rwanda (Amazon Prime or Hulu with the Starz Add-on) Hotel Mumbai (Amazon Prime, USA)