Genre: Drama, Horror
Actor: Azela Putri, Chicco Kurniawan, Flavio Zaviera, Happy Salma, Jajang C. Noer, Nugie, Whani Darmawan
Director: Rudi Soedjarwo, Rudy Soedjarwo
Genre: Drama, Horror
Actor: Azela Putri, Chicco Kurniawan, Flavio Zaviera, Happy Salma, Jajang C. Noer, Nugie, Whani Darmawan
Director: Rudi Soedjarwo, Rudy Soedjarwo
Genre: Drama, Mystery
Actor: Asavapatr Ponpiboon, Chartchai Ketnust, Chertsak Pratumsrisakhon, Duangjai Hiransri, Gandhi Wasuvitchayagit, Nattawin Wattanagitiphat, Nonthakorn Chalermnai, Nutthasid Panyangarm, Ornanong Panyawong, Phakphum Romsaithong, Pongsakorn Ponsantigul, Pradit Prasartthong, Saifah Tanthana, Sornchai Chatwiriyachai, Sumontha Suanpholaat, Teerawat Mulvilai, Thanayut Thakoonauttaya
Director: Bhanbhassa Dhubthien, Chartchai Ketnust, Krisda Witthayakhajorndet
Known for his comedy skits on Facebook, the comedian Kountry Wayne finally gets his own Netflix special to middling results. The character that he plays on the stand-up stage is meant to be highly irreverent, showing a callous disregard to everybody except himself. But while a more seasoned comic (which Wayne could become in good time) might find a way to build these predictable jokes into something truly novel or subversive, Wayne settles for shock value—often relying on exaggerated physical comedy to sell a flatly written punchline. But even this trick he relies on too often, which makes his already impressive stage presence seem cheaper than it should.
Genre: Comedy
Actor: Kountry Wayne
Director: Jeff Tomsic
Genre: Comedy, Fantasy, Romance
Actor: Alexander Vlahos, Ayesha Curry, Carl Shaaban, Dakota Lohan, Dawn Bradfield, Ed Speleers, Elizabeth Tan, Jacinta Mulcahy, James Rottger, Jane Seymour, Lindsay Lohan, Matty McCabe, Maurice Byrne, Steve Hartland, Tim Landers
Director: Janeen Damian
While investigating a gold heist in Johannesburg, Chili (S'dumo Mtshali) is jaded after an undercover operation fails spectacularly. With one chance left, he must choose between following the law and protecting the wealth of higher-ups or going against it and helping a heist crew dole out the riches to those in need. Wealth redistribution is at the heart of the film, with greed on all sides thwarting any prospects of prosperity for the city. The action-crime-thriller examines economic inequality via the lead cops trying to effect change, all while leaning into a warm visual style that shifts cameras to mirror the tensions. It's a nice touch to the average Robin Hood and "for the people" narrative, but the CGI choices and generic action scenes can get distracting at times.
Genre: Action, Crime, Thriller
Actor: Brenda Ngxoli, Deon Lotz, Presley Chweneyagae, S'Dumo Mtshali
Director: Donovan Marsh
In a world of constant surveillance– CCTV, mass-market trackers, social media– it would seem that it’s not possible to create a murder mystery that wouldn’t be easily solved by just checking the tapes. Fool Me Once proves that it’s possible to do so, it just won’t be satisfying. The series at first seems to have an unexplainable mystery, with a possible resurrection/fake death of Maya’s husband, but the series throws away certain footage (like the CCTV during Joe’s death, or the hospital he was brought to) only to bring back the technology when convenient. The show does keep certain tidbits from us, but for far too long, and without giving smaller clues that would hopefully piece together the whole mystery. And with eight whole episodes that drag out the plot, Fool Me Once seems to have fooled us into thinking that it would have all been worth it in the end.
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Actor: Adeel Akhtar, Emmett Scanlan, Joanna Lumley, Michelle Keegan, Richard Armitage
Genre: Action, Crime, Drama, Science Fiction, Thriller
Actor: Aaron Abrams, Akiel Julien, Albert Lapi, Alex Mallari Jr., Altair Vincent, Darrin Maharaj, Hazel Gorin, J.D. Nicholsen, Jane Moffat, Jean Yoon, Jessica Allen, Kari Matchett, Mikayla SwamiNathan, Moe Jeudy-Lamour, Natalie Liconti, Nneka Elliott, Noorin Gulamgaus, Robbie Amell, Sammy Azero, Sarena Parmar, Sirena Gulamgaus, Starr Domingue, Stephen Amell, Yatharth Bhatt
Director: Jeff Chan
Despite an engaging opening that promises to deepen the world already established in 2018's Bird Box, this new installment slips back into the usual routine before long. That is: cheap thrills and an overall lack of scares, not necessarily because of the fact that the creatures terrorizing this world are invisible, but because the film doesn't take advantage of the fear and paranoia that builds among the human characters. A stronger focus on religious belief (or simply blind fanaticism) should lead to more interesting character dynamics, but there isn't a single person here who's defined by anything beyond a few base traits. So despite the efforts of a game cast (including Babylon's Diego Calva and especially Barbarian's Georgina Campbell), the film just can't overcome how boring it is to watch blindfolded people reacting to nothing.
Genre: Drama, Horror, Science Fiction, Thriller
Actor: Alejandra Howard, Celia Freijeiro, Diego Calva, Georgina Campbell, Gonzalo de Castro, Leonardo Sbaraglia, Lola Dueñas, Manel Llunell, Mario Casas, Michelle Jenner, Milo Taboada, Naila Schuberth, Patrick Criado
Director: Àlex Pastor, David Pastor
While it certainly has a gorgeous world to show off, with lots of colorful art direction and varied landscapes to explore, Unicorn Academy can't help but buckle under its own weight. Its first couple of episodes (starting with a feature-length premiere) want to establish fun relationships between its characters; set up an epic, world-ending conflict; reflect on its protagonist's grief; and sell merchandise all at once. But the show is both too aimless with its writing and too sluggish in its pacing to allow these disparate parts to cohere under a unified tone. It constantly feels like it's having trouble deciding what to be—which isn't helped by the fact that the first episode has two, awkwardly-placed musical numbers, and the second episode features no singing whatsoever.
Genre: Adventure, Animation, Family, Fantasy, Kids, Music, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Actor: Kamaia Fairburn, Kolton Stewart, Sara Garcia
With the premise, Ololade seems like it would be a mysterious crime thriller, where two friends try to keep the wealth they suddenly obtained. It doesn’t really go that way, however, as the money leads into shenanigans involving multiple girlfriends, making it more a drama about infidelity than a drama about money laundering. The series tries to make fun of it, and there are moments when it’s funny to see them hide their mistresses, but these silly moments feel terrible considering that the show starts with one girlfriend’s death. There’s something here about the ridiculousness of juggling multiple women, but when this leads to a death that’s just brushed away, Ololade just seems thoughtlessly cruel.
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Actor: Adebowale Adedayo, Femi Adebayo, Frank Donga, Mercy Aigbe, Mide Funmi Martins
Director: Adeniyi Joseph Omobulejo
From Turkish comedian Cem Yilmaz, Do Not Disturb feels like it was meant to be a wholesome slice-of-life comedy-drama where a hotel manager has meaningful interactions with his fellow co-workers and his guests at night. It’s not quite like the Grand Budapest Hotel, though the film shares its fondness of bright, vivid colors and old-style aesthetics. As the film deals with a character hoping for a new start post-pandemic, there is something here about loneliness and coping mechanisms, as Ayzek relies on an Instagram influencer for all his life wisdom. However, the film makes it hard to make it care about its characters, as everyone but the main character seem one dimensional. When the film makes a surprising shift two-thirds of the way through, it feels like it came by too late.
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Actor: Ahsen Eroğlu, Bülent Şakrak, Can Yılmaz, Celal Kadri Kınoğlu, Cem Yılmaz, Diren Polatoğulları, Mustafa Kirantepe, Nilperi Şahinkaya, Özge Özberk, Seda Akman, Tilbe Saran, Zafer Algöz
Director: Cem Yılmaz
Built entirely around the star power of its lead performers, A Very Good Girl does, indeed, provide ample opportunities for both Kathryn Bernardo and Dolly de Leon to chew the scenery with wild abandon. But even their most campily delivered one-liners are only entertaining in the moment, as the film twists itself into increasingly complicated (and still oddly sanitized) knots to keep its thrills going. It ends with an incredibly muddled view of the kinds of violence perpetrated by the wealthy and the less fortunate, as if the studio funding the movie prevented it from becoming the bolder, edgier story it seems to want to be.
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Thriller
Actor: Althea Ruedas, Ana Abad-Santos, Angel Aquino, Chie Filomeno, Dolly de Leon, Donna Cariaga, Gabby Padilla, Gillian Vicencio, Iwa Moto, Jake Ejercito, Joji Vitug, Kaori Oinuma, Kathryn Bernardo
Director: Petersen Vargas
Jack Whitehall definitely has funny observations to make about life around him, and he clearly has a writer's ear for detail-oriented jokes. But he hardly allows his jokes to breathe during this special, constantly over-explaining the point or killing the momentum of a really smart, clever punchline with so many more unnecessary lines after the fact. This is really just Whitehall's style at this point, and those who already find his dorkiness endearing (which it really can be) should enjoy most of this. But for this writer, his jokes are just far too obvious and feel far too "performed." It feels like he's speaking at an audience, rather than for them.
Genre: Comedy
Actor: Jack Whitehall
Director: Chris Howe
Genre: Action & Adventure, Comedy, Crime, Drama
Actor: Alfonso Dosal, Andres Baida, Bruno Bichir, Ester Exposito, Juan Pablo Medina, Luis Gerardo Méndez, Mabel Cadena, Nicolás Furtado
More a clip show than a real stand-up special—and certainly not a documentary about the New York-based comedy club—The Improv: 60 and Still Standing only really seems to be for the most hardcore devotees of American stand-up. But even if you are familiar with all the comics who make an appearance here, the film doesn't give their already brief routines enough time to breathe. They've ostensibly been instructed to prepare their best stuff or to just riff, and the resulting performances are very half-baked, with none of the comedians able to dive into any particularly funny or challenging material. They're all still lightly amusing in different ways, but this movie really could've just been a series of YouTube videos to commemorate The Improv's 60th anniversary.
Genre: Comedy, Documentary
Actor: Anjelah Johnson-Reyes, Bert Kreischer, Craig Robinson, Deon Cole, Fortune Feimster, Jeff Dunham, Jo Koy, Kevin Nealon, Mark Normand, Whitney Cummings
Director: Jeff Tomsic