[PreludeSH]

Originally Posted by vaibhav_a_a

A dark comedy called ''The Sticky" on Amazon Prime. I'm an episode and a half in and enjoying it. A few things stand out -
- it's a dark comedy
- it's set in Canada (beautiful outdoor locations, small diners, different accent)
- Fast paced so far
- The story! It's loosely based on an actual heist of maple syrup!

https://www.Youtube.com/watch?v=hvjIKMb5oSc

Thanks. Finished the season and liked it. Its fast moving with little funny moments.Took my mind of Black Doves which I had to stop watching given how boring it was.

[aspire]

Started watching Pataal Lok again, what a brilliantly made series, absolutely brilliant, had seen it earlier when it released, thought of watching it again, Jaideep Ahlawat's portrayal of Hathi Ram Choudhary was so spot on, could feel his frustration and empathise with him him, some of the harayanvi dialect dialogues are not to be missed.

[vaibhav_a_a]

"The Brothers Sun" on Netflix is billed as a comedy drama. However i find it to be an action dark comedy. It's about Chinese Triads except they are Taiwanese and most of the setting is in the US. Interestingly the trailers do it a disservice. I chanced upon it and have gorged on two episodes back to back, and will finish the entire series in a few days. Recommended.

[rajivr1612]

"Cubicles" Season 4 on SonyLiv.
Having watched all previous seasons, I loved the series. This one has 5 episodes and it's a good watch.

[Sen_auto_sation]

No Good Deed (2024) on Netflix
My rating: 3.5/5
IMDb: 7/10

Ended up watching the full season of No Good Deed.
This is a crime drama genre limited series — a dark comedy that has soap opera-esque undertones. The story is set in an upper-middle-class suburban setting, that comically centers on an enduring obsession of its milieu, i.e., acquiring a dream house.

In an upscale S. California (USA) neighbourhood the story is carried by a middle-aged couple (played excellently by Lisa Kudrow and Ray Romano), depicted as empty nesters, and whose life is upended when they put up their 1920s restored house for sale. Their real estate agent sets up an open house for prospective buyers that, in turn, propels an ensemble cast of characters and events enter their lives (and it gets intertwined with past events/a past tragedy).

Each episode litters the sub plots (spanning a wide cast) with lies and twists, building up the storyline towards a chaotic comic mystery as it hops from one faction to the next, while unravelling a central tragic theme.

I’d say it is watchable, albeit nothing ground breaking—it has got enough twists to give its audience a whiplash and might even prod you to binge watch.

Here’s what I took away after watching it in full:
* narrative deals with topical/serious subjects with a nuance.
* episodes are short, pacy and packed with plot twists.
* not all of the subplots (of which there were plenty) were tied off within one season.
* writing could be smarter/tauter to flesh out so many characters—found it hard to root for most of them. More so as every character ‘breaks bad’ a little.
* slightly bogged down by its script with disjointed story arcs, leaves (minor) plot holes, and a moderate whodunnit element, eventually.
* underpinnings of family, grief and discord fumbled at making a connection.
* could use sharper editing—it cut between the characters’ interactions making it feel choppy in places.
* mostly pointless ‘pipe shots’, from inside of the house to outside without connecting to anything/anyone (frankly, found that a bit random/goofy..)

P.S.: No Good Deed (pun intended), deals with substance abuse, gun violence, sex (although it makes do without nudity/explicit sex scenes; a rarity these days), ideally, suitable for 18+ age group.

[mobike008]

Squid Game 2
OTT: Netflix
4/5

Just saw 3/7 episodes and I'm as impressed as I was when I saw the first season. It's literally the same level of savagery, emotional and nice storyline.

The games are about to start from Episode 3 and before that they set a nice precedence to the storyline using some of the backstory of Season 1.

The music, photography and especially the facial expressions of the actors is top-notch. It's nice to enjoy Seoul through the eyes of this series and it's on my wish list to visit this city.

I'm usually not excited and when I do, it means that I'm going to look forward to the rest of the episodes which will hopefully be consumed by this weekend or the latest before the new years.

Cheers to a crazy themed series which had become a rage globally and, for a good reason.

[Sen_auto_sation]

Part 1..

Moonflower Murders (2024) — Magpie Murders Season 2 on SonyLIV (India); PBS (USA)
My rating: 4.5/5
IMDb: 7.6/10

I’m thrilled that a second season dropped this year, given the brilliant first season of this series (Magpie Murders S1), both adapted from namesake novels by the same author.

S2 picks up at a timeline after S1 for its central character—Susan Ryeland, a literary editor-turned-amateur-sleuth, with a pseudo- alter ego, Atticus Pünd, the meticulous post-war detective of the crime novels she edited.

Like me, if you are a fan of a well crafted and intriguing mystery (bonus: period/mid-century aesthetic in its storyline/visuals), you would come to love this series. The entertainment value is right up there, and esp., the climax gave me Agatha Christie mysteries vibe—its ending blew me away with the intricate details and how it was plotted all along.

S2 builds on Susan’s irreverent star author’s last published whodunnit novel—an Atticus Pünd book, crafted around a mystery that nods to a past incident in a hotel in England.
This book edited by Susan, as she later discovers, might contain hidden/vital clues to few incidents at the hotel that she needs to uncover for a case she is engaged to assist solving.

Part of the storyline follows Susan’s character in the present world while the rest jumps back and forth from the 1950s, as she reads Pünd taking on a fictional case. Keen minds would find a touch of conceit in S2 similar to S1.

The production executed the novel's dual storylines brilliantly, incorporating the various twists and turns along with a large ensemble cast, most of whom appear in both time frames. It’s slightly mind-bending but a whole lot of fun to follow the story within the story.

Both the actors, Lesley Manville (Susan Ryeland) and Tim McMullan (Atticus Pünd) are dazzling the screen as they bring their respective characters to life and carrying the complex storylines on their shoulders (incredible performances by the rest of the cast b/w both the timelines).

[Sudarshan42]

Started watching Pantheon on Netflix. So far at least seems to be a beautifully written and animated realistic sci-fi show, with themes of loss and life continuity. Haven't watched enough to rate it yet, but give it a go.

Squid Game Season 2 was a 3/5 for me. The ending, without spoiling, was a bit of a letdown. Now waiting for the next chapter to see if it wraps things up satisfactorily.

In more uplifting news, Severance S2 is coming! For those that haven't watched S1, do so as soon as you can in preparation for S2 on Jan 17th. It is worth every single minute.

[DigitalOne]

Originally Posted by Sen_auto_sation

Part 1..

Moonflower Murders (2024) — Magpie Murders Season 2 on SonyLIV (India); PBS (USA)
My rating: 4.5/5
IMDb: 7.6/10

Thanks for this recommendation ! We started watching S1 yesterday and are totally hooked on.

Some gems like this go unnoticed because they are not on the more popular OTT platforms like Netflix or Amazon Prime.

One such favourite of mine is "Only Murders in the Building" on Disney Hotstar. The duo of Martin Short and Steve Martin, ably backed up by Selena Gomez, are just getting better every season. Guest stars like Paul Rudd, Meryl Streep, Zach Galifinakis et al playing irreverent guest characters just adds to the joy. This series is a laugh riot with just a few murders thrown in here and there.

[uchun]

Arcane 2021

8.5/10

One of the best looking anime/action series I've seen. Visually very pleasing, some scenes deserve to be watched more than 10 times! This show definitely deserves more seasons however, it was closed/cancelled post s2.

Soundtracks/visuals/dubbing - 10/10

Plot could have been slightly better.

[Sen_auto_sation]

Thank you kindly, @DigitalOne. Glad you are enjoying the Susan Ryeland mystery webseries.
The time spent watching both the seasons was quite enjoyable for me and kept me hooked to the mysteries until the very end.

Originally Posted by DigitalOne

Thanks for this recommendation ! We started watching S1 yesterday and are totally hooked on.
Some gems like this go unnoticed because they are not on the more popular OTT platforms like Netflix or Amazon Prime.

The latter is my pet peeve with the SonyLIV app in particular. So poorly designed is their content placement / user interface on the SonyLIV app, the Moonflower Murders S2 is ‘hidden’ under Magpie Murders S1 (so you really have to go looking for it). So are many other whodunnit mystery dramas to explore, as well.

Much like you, I’ve been a fanboy of Only Murders in the Building (Disney Hotstar), too.
While on the topic of mystery genre, here are a few other recommendations from me for viewing on the OTT apps in India (Disclaimer: no affiliations of any kind):

• A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder (2024), (streaming on Netflix)


• Death and Other Details (2024), (streaming on Disney Hotstar)


• Murder is Easy (2023), (streaming on SonyLIV), and this app also offers newer versions of few other Agatha Christie mysteries as movies (incl., the Poirot and Miss Marple TV series from the 90s-00s era)..


• See How They Run (2022), (streaming on Disney Hotstar)


• Crooked House (2018), (streaming on Amazon Prime, AppleTV)

[Credit to respective owners]

Cheers!
Anirban

[Dry Ice]

Originally Posted by Sudarshan42

Squid Game Season 2 was a 3/5 for me. The ending, without spoiling, was a bit of a letdown. Now waiting for the next chapter to see if it wraps things up satisfactorily.

It was a major let down for me. I think the story could have been concluded by the end of season 2 (did it need a season 2 is a different discussion). But, Netflix will surely drag this out for a couple of seasons more.

I am noticing this more and more with almost all streaming platforms. Once a title goes “viral”, they try to milk it for as long as possible. Often, these later seasons aren’t a patch on the first. Then there are shows which don’t go viral, and are cut short even if the storyline needed a concluding season (Mindhunter, anyone?).

Sigh! Sorry for the rant.

[cncmachinist]

Hi

If anyone is interested, Friends season 1-10 is available on Prime video from today

[searacer932]

Webseries Name : Squid Game 2
Genre : Survival Thriller
OTT : Netflix

My Rating : 4/5

Squid Game 2 has 7 episodes and each of those episode is exhilarating. Season 2 is as engaging and thrilling as season 1. However, as many have said, I found the Season 2 ending to be a bit underwhelming. Hopefully Season 3 makes up for it and the director/creator has said that the story will reach its logical end in Season 3.

[ValarMorghulis]

A big thank you to folks who recommended "The Day of the Jackal" on JioCinema.

Loved it and recommended it to 10 other friends.

My rating: 4.5/5