With extended lockdown and the situation worsening in North India, very few are venturing out of the houses for leisure. One of the few ways of keeping yourself engaged and entertained during these strained times is scrolling through online streaming platforms. If you are as locked in as we are and are tired of endlessly scrolling through the OTT platforms you’ve subscribed to, we suggest you pick out a few movies that you can enjoy with or without family over the weekend.
To help you on your search, we’ve done some scrolling of our own and have taken the liberty to share it with you. You can choose to watch from the five most trending and interesting movies that we’ve picked out for you. The list covers a few genres and ratings, so we hope that everyone would have something for them.
1. Coming 2 America
We are big on comedy, and even though the movie does not offer big laughs it does have its moments. If you loved its first part - Coming to America - you’re going to enjoy this one just as much. The original cast is creating magic on Amazon Prime Video. Rated 5.3 on IMDb, the movie is about African monarch Akeem who learns that he has a long-lost son in… any guesses? The United States of America! Therefore, he must return to the US and meet this unexpected heir (because obliviously, only the son can inherit the crown) and build a relationship with his son. The interesting banter between the characters simply adds to the fun.
Director: Craig Brewer
Writers: Kenya Barris, Barry W. Blaustein, David Sheffield
Cast: Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall, Jermaine Fowler, Leslie Jones, Tracy Morgan, KiKi Layne, Shari Headley, Teyana Taylor, Wesley Snipes, James Earl Jones, among others.
2. The Avengers
Big on comedy, yes! Big on Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)? A bigger yes! The Avengers is where the biggest superheroes in the Marvel Universe came banded together to avenge any atrocities against the world. Even though for those of you who must’ve watched Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, the first Avenger movie may seem meniscal, but it was a certain gamechanger for MCU. Released in 2012, the movie is rated 8.0 on IMDb and is streaming on Disney+. Are you as excited to watch Earth's mightiest heroes come together and learn to fight as a team to stop the mischievous Loki and his army of the alien from ruling the planet? We are!
Director: Joss Whedon
Writers: Joss Whedon and Zak Penn
Cast: Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Jeremy Renner, Tom Hiddleston, Stellan Skarsgard, Clarke Gregg, among others.
3. Sound of Metal
One of the most appreciated films this year, Sound of Metal has swept major awards this season including BAFTA and Oscars for Best Sound and Best Editing. Rated 7.8 on IMDb, the movie has its teachable moments, and maybe something for everyone to pick up on. Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, the movie is about a heavy-metal drummer whose life is thrown into freefall when he begins to lose his hearing.
Director: Darius Marder
Writers: Darius Marder and Abraham Marder
Cast: Riz Ahmed, Olivia Cooke, Paul Raci, Lauren Ridloff, Mathieu Amalric, among others.
4. Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani
This suggestion is purely based on the fact that there is a pandemic, and we are all locked in, but watching the movie and the serene views it offers, you may get inspired to travel again after things settle down a bit. The movie is specifically recommended for those who are feeling a bit low about the whole COVID-19 situation. This movie is sure to pick up your mood as you re-join Kabir and Naina on their trekking trip and their journey thereon. Rated 7.1 on IMDb, the movie is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
Director: Ayan Mukherjee (as Ayan Mukerji)
Writers: Hussain Dalal (dialogue), Ayan Mukherjee (story and screenplay) (as Ayan Mukerji)
Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Deepika Padukone, Aditya Roy Kapoor, Kalki Koechlin, among others.
5. Ludo
Recently released Ludo has garnered a lot of love from the audience. If you’ve not watched it yet, we recommend you do and if you have watched it, we suggest you watch it again this weekend. Get into the nitty-gritty of life and death and everything in-between as you navigate through four wildly different stories, and their interesting overlap at the whims of fate, chance and one eccentric criminal. Rated 7.6 on IMDb, the movie is streaming on Netflix.
Director: Anurag Basu
Writers: Anurag Basu and Samrat Chakraborty
Cast: Pankaj Tripathi, Abhishek Bachchan, Rajkummar Rao, Aditya Roy Kapoor, Sanya Malhotra, Rohit Saraf, Pearle Maaney, among others.
6. The Disciple
A recent addition to the streaming platform, Netflix, The Disciple seems to have impressed most Indian film critiques. While Hindustan Time’s review calls it a “major step in the creative evolution of one of India's most promising young filmmakers,” the review by The Indian Express says, “You don’t have to be familiar with Hindustani music to appreciate Tamhane’s heartfelt drama.” Even though the movie is in Marathi, Netflix – where it is streaming – has English subtitles for the cinephiles. The movie explores self-doubt, sacrifice, and struggle when all of these combine into a crisis for a classical vocalist as he strives to master his art
Director: Chaitanya Tamhane
Writer: Chaitanya Tamhane
Cast: Aditya Modak, Arun Dravid, Sumitra Bhave, among others.
We hope you’d find something of interest here and check out at least a few of these. Happy weekend!
