Ever feel like there’s too much to watch, and you don’t know where to start? Well don’t worry. Our Film & TV editor Hidzir Junaini will be rounding up only the very best things to hit your screens at the end of every month! Skip the mediocre and delve right into the good stuff.
Television:
What We Do In The Shadows
Spun-off from Taika Waititi’s mockumentary, this deadpan horror-comedy about a quartet of vampire housemates in Staten Island continues to be charmingly low-stakes and delightful funny! After season two’s climax where Guillermo slayed most of the vampires in the tri-state area, this incredible third season finds our bloodsuckers filling vacancies to become new Leaders of the Vampire Council. But despite their elevated status, the vamps are still hilariously hapless, with Nandor using his position to find a girlfriend while Laszlo is distracted after discovering a treasure trove of the rarest pornography in the world.
Watch on: Disney+
Only Murders in the Building
This new comedy puts true-crime podcast obsessives played by Selena Gomez, Steve Martin, and Martin Short at the center of an amateur investigation after a death in their apartment complex – and it’s wonderfully charming! A deft tonal balance of splendidly funny comedy, addictive murder mystery and melancholy character work – Only Murders in the Building’s satire of true-crime podcasts and New Yorkers will quickly become your new obssession. Anchored by the irresistible chemistry between its three leads, this sitcom is a hilarious, touching and silly treat!
Watch on: Disney+
Midnight Mass
Mike Flanagan (Gerald’s Game, The Haunting of Hill House / Bly Manor, Doctor Sleep) is one of the best horror auteurs working today. And his astonishing new miniseries might be his best yet. Set on isolated Crockett Island, the town’s small community is shaken by the return of a disgraced young man and the arrival of a preacher. When the cleric seemingly brings forth miraculous events, an intense religious fervor sweeps the island. Midnight Mass is an absolutely frightening exploration of faith and fanaticism – underlined by rich themes, empathetic character work and dread-filled tension.
Watch on: Netflix
Star Wars: Visions
This anthology features nine incredible and visually stunning anime shorts that feature a unique take on the world of Star Wars. Boasting eye-catching animation which blends diverse anime styles, incredible action, a varied breadth of stories, and some of the most epic lightsaber fights in the galaxy – Visions is sure to be a hit for fans of all ages. Helmed by seven different Japanese studios, each instalment brings its own inventive interpretation of Star Wars that enhances and expands upon canon, while managing to distill the thematic heart of the saga.
Watch on: Disney+
Dear White People
Set during senior year, the college comedy’s fourth volume is a ’90s jukebox musical that follows Samantha White and the rest of the students at Winchester University’s Armstrong-Parker House as they prepare for graduation! Meanwhile, frequent flash-forwards reveal each characters’ fate. Dear White People’s fiery and funny satire of America’s race relations and cultural divide has always been enthralling, and this final season wraps up its various and thematic arcs in beautifully emotional ways. Filled with vibrant musical numbers and scintillating acting, this was a perfect farewell to a great show.
Watch on: Netflix
Squid Game
456 struggling people, each drowning in debt, are invited to play a mysterious survival competition called Squid Game in this enthralling new South Korean drama. Competing in a series of traditional children’s games but with deadly twists, they put their lives at risk for the chance to win ₩45.6 billion (US$40 million). Directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk, Squid Game depicts the desperation of the underclass in late-stage capitalist society, using the stark contrast between childhood innocence and cutthroat greed to explore how (much like real life) ordinary people can become trapped in a rigged competition controlled by faceless elites.
Watch on: Netflix
Sex Education
Sex Education continues to be a relentlessly enchanting coming-of-age series with its invigorating mix of feel-good humor, beating-heart sincerity, and John Hughes-esque charm. Season three is a feel-good celebration of the awkwardness of adolescence, featuring new episodes that pack an emotional wallop as creator Laurie Nunn deftly blends sly comedy with the specific yet universal complexities of being a teenager. Sex Education amazingly manages to retain its inherent sweetness and relatability, fleshing out its protagonists’ backstories and friendships without seeming overstuffed or superficial.
Watch on: Netflix
Adventure Time: Distant Lands – “Wizard City”
Adventure Time is back for the final installment of its Distant Lands miniseries! After three delightful hour-long episodes featuring BMO, Marceline and Princess Bubblegum, and the reunion between Finn and Jake – this fourth and final entry focuses on Peppermint Butler! “Wizard City” follows the candy kingdom’s master occultist (after losing his collected knowledge and maturity in season 10) as an inexperienced magic school student. When mysterious events around campus cast suspicion on Pep and his checkered past, can he master the mystic arts in time to prove his innocence?
Watch on: HBO Go
Doom Patrol
From The Suicide Squad to Legends of Tomorrow to the animated Harley Quinn series, screen adaptations of DC properties seem to work best when it leans into the weird, madcap, offbeat and absurd. And perhaps no other adaptation exudes this freewheeling sense of inventiveness and comedy more than Doom Patrol. This wild and wonderful third season sees our profoundly damaged misfits find renewed purpose and some foul-mouthed fun. The series’ black humor, serialized wackiness, and surprising heart continues to be a ridiculously gonzo experience.
Watch on: HBO Go
Sonny Boy
Midway through summer vacation, 36 middle school students are suddenly transported from their daily lives to a school adrift in alternate dimensions. Despite its isekai trappings, this trippy anime is more of a psychological and surrealist character drama as we follow the internal and external conflicts of lost and confused students (some of whom have mysteriously developed superpowers) as they handle internal and external conflicts. Buoyed by old-school hand-drawn visuals and audacious arthouse storytelling, Sonny Boy is the most imaginative twist on Lord of the Flies you’ll ever see.
Watch on: Funimation
Movies:
Dune
Based on one of the most influential pieces of sci-fi literature of all-time, Dune tells the story of Paul Atreides, a gifted young man born into a great destiny beyond his understanding, who must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe. As malevolent political forces explode into conflict over the planet’s exclusive supply of the most precious resource in existence – the spice melange – Paul must learn harsh ways of the desert planet and hone his abilities to ensure the future of his family and his people. Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation is an awe-inspiring work that is astounding in its scale, ambition and vision.
Watch in: Cinemas (wide-release)
The Green Knight
David Lowery’s visionary reimagining of this Arthurian legend is spellbinding, seductive and sumptuous. Based on the epic 14th century Welsh poem, the story follows Sir Gawain, an untested and insecure knight of the Round Table who recklessly confronts The Green Knight. Now Gawain must embark upon a journey to the Green Chapel to face the deadly consequences – contending with ghosts, giants, thieves and schemers along the way. Led by career-best work from Dev Patel and the breathtaking artistic sensibilities of director David Lowery, this film eschews typical chivalric adventure in favour of a hypnotically mournful and magic realist rumination on masculinity, temptation, heroism, and religion. Read our full review.
Watch in: Cinemas (Shaw Theatres and The Projector)
Escape From Mogadishu
Rival diplomats from North Korea and South Korea become trapped as civil war rages in Mogadishu, Somalia. With no aid from either government, their only shot at survival requires uniting with bitter adversaries to escape. Based on a true story from 1991, this propulsive and intelligently written South Korean adventure thriller casts partisan politics aside and celebrates what can be achieved when adversaries come together. Energetically directed by Ryoo Seung-wan and very well-acted, Escape From Mogadishu is a crowd-pleasing, nail-biting action movie.
Watch in: Cinemas (Golden Village and The Projector)
Drive My Car
Yusuke Kafuku, a stage actor and director is happily married to Oto, a screenwriter. However, Oto suddenly dies after leaving behind a secret. Two years later, Kafuku, still unable to fully cope with the loss of his wife, receives an offer to direct a play at a theatre festival and drives to Hiroshima with his car. There, he meets Misaki, a reticent woman assigned to become his chauffeur, As they spend time together, Kafuku confronts the mystery of his wife that quietly haunts him. Drive My Car is a graceful, aching film that stretches into an enchanting, novelistic journey about mourning, shared solitude, the nature of acting and catharsis through art.
Watch at: The Projector
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
The MCU continues to roll on with the introduction of its latest big screen hero Shang-Chi. Starring Kim’s Convenience’s Simu Liu as the martial arts master, we first meet him as a Chinese-American millennial living in San Francisco. That is until he is confronted with his legacy in the form Wenwu – a thousand-year-old villain who uses ten mystical rings to become an fearsome underworld kingpin. Featuring beautifully choreographed kung-fu action, slacker comedy and wuxia-inspired mythical fantasy – this fast-paced, entertaining blockbuster is a solid entry into Marvel’s growing canon.
Watch in: Cinemas (wide-release)