Genre: Reality
Actor: Eric Higgins
Genre: Reality
Actor: Eric Higgins
Genre: Drama, Mystery
Actor: Conor MacNeill, Danielle Macdonald, Diarmaid Murtagh, Francis Magee, Greg Larsen, Jamie Dornan, Mark McKenna, Nessa Matthews, Olwen Fouéré, Victoria Haralabidou
At a certain age, it can feel like starting over again isn’t possible, especially when all signs discourage you from ever trying again. Dr. Yehya of The Last Round knows this better than most– quitting kickboxing wasn’t an option, but a requirement, with his age and near misses and personal issues taking him out of the arena and into a low point in his life. But despite this, and despite day-to-day difficulties, The Last Round also portrays him getting back up, pursuing his dream one more time. It’s a familiar story, one we’ve seen in many sports shows, but with Ahmed Al-Sakka in the ring, and the careful characterization of the whole team that gets him there, The Last Round knocks our socks out.
Genre: Action & Adventure, Drama
Actor: Ahmed El Sakka, Ashraf Abdel Baky, Asmaa Abu ElYazeed, Hanan Motawie, Roshdy El Shamy
Director: Mariam Ahmady
At two hours and nearly 30 minutes, Stonewalling is quite long. The third film from spouses Ryuji Otsuka and Huang Ji takes place in slow, slice-of-life moments, centered around a female lead that mostly doesn’t actively make choices for her own life, so it can feel frustrating to watch. But as the film unfolds, Lynn’s passivity turns out to be the tragically familiar surrender of today’s working class. Lynn tries to make choices to pay out her mother’s debt, to ensure that she’s not indebted herself, through jobs that commodify her youth, her beauty, and even her body, but each move consequently limits her next options. She tries to bargain for other solutions, but it turns out these solutions were never there in the first place. All she can do is quietly adapt, with each failed promise culminating into a baby’s cry.
Genre: Drama
Actor: Cui Chu, Huang Xiaoxiong, Liu Long, Xiao Zilong, Yao Honggui
Director: Huang Ji, Ryuji Otsuka
Genre: Documentary
Genre: Action & Adventure, Animation, Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Actor: Ami Koshimizu, Daisuke Namikawa, Hochu Otsuka, Hozumi Goda, Jun Fukuyama, Mai Nakahara
Genre: Documentary
Genre: Crime, Drama
Actor: Ankith Madhav, Dibyendu Bhattacharya, Kani Kusruti, Nimisha Sajayan, Ranjitha Menon, Roshan Mathew
Director: Richie Mehta
Genre: Horror
Actor: Adam Batt, Christopher Kirby, Clare Chihambakwe, David Dastmalchian, Elise Jansen, Fayssal Bazzi, Gaby Seow, Georgina Haig, Ian Bliss, Imaan Hadchiti, Ingrid Torelli, John Leary, John O'May, Josh Quong Tart, Laura Gordon, Michael Ironside, Miles Brown, Nicole Chapman, Paula Arundell, Rhys Auteri, Rik Brown, Steve Mouzakis, Tamala Shelton
Director: Cameron Cairnes, Colin Cairnes
The animation of this series feels grand and powerful, something you don’t typically expect or get from kids shows. There are layers to the way the dialogue and plot unfolds, with scenes paced like a movie, and with quality production to boot. It's also got an impressive atmospheric range, capable of being laid back and smooth with its exposition, suspenseful and nuanced with its story beats, and ultimately friendly enough for bigger kids to enjoy. It’s young adult drama, action, mystery, and comedy, possessing one strong element after another, that genuinely keeps thrill-seeking adults and kids on the edge of their seats.
Genre: Action & Adventure, Animation, Family, Kids, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Actor: Darren Barnet, Kausar Mohammed, Kiersten Kelly, Paul-Mikél Williams, Raini Rodriguez, Sean Giambrone
We’re familiar with dick jokes from stand-up comedians, especially male stand-up, but Jacqueline Novak’s 90-minute show about the blow job feels completely new. Get on Your Knees feels like casual storytelling from someone experienced yet distant enough to be a cool authority on it (say, your best friend’s older sister’s best friend), but funnier. It’s like a gossip session about a first experience, except the breathless, dizzying stream of thought is peppered with philosophical thought and points out the absurdity around the language and common attitudes about sex. And as she does so, and as she talks about self-conscious fumbling and unanswered questions, she strides back and forth, in an easy, self-assured way, the way we’d like to feel going into the act.
Genre: Comedy
Actor: Jacqueline Novak
Director: Natasha Lyonne
Genre: Action & Adventure
Actor: Aju Makita, Kengo Kora, Kento Kaku, Tae Kimura, Yosuke Eguchi
Genre: Documentary
Genre: Documentary
Actor: Fernanda Echevarría del Rivero, Frida Kahlo
Director: Carla Gutierrez
Even before the worldwide pandemic, the field of medicine isn’t anymore the straightforward profession it used to be. It’s still a respected position, that’s attached with a certain status, but the demands have risen for those with the title. Doctors don’t only have to be good at their jobs– there’s a certain push for doctors to be also good at publication, lectures, in-office politics, the business, and for some, social media influencing and politics– it’s no wonder that medical workers today are burned out. Doctor Slump explores these themes with the usual K-drama flair, but in doing so, becomes a refreshing and cathartic romance to watch.
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Actor: Kong Seong-ha, Park Hyung-sik, Park Shin-hye, Park Won-ho, Yoon Park