Entertainment

Planning on staying in this weekend? Consider this week’s roundup of films and tv series to keep you well entertained from day to night.

1. Sandman

Harry Potter-meets-M Night Shyamalan (although he didn’t direct it) in this dark yet whimsical iteration of DC Comics’s the Sandman. Fans of the antihero will be pleased to learn of the adaptation’s faithfulness (even despite some character gender flips), while newbies will be drawn to the show’s compelling storyline and visual effects.

2. Day Shift

If you ever wondered what Wesley Snipes’s Blade would be like if he had a funny bone, your questions are answered in Jamie Foxx’s Bud Jablonski in Day Shift. More of an easy watch than a “gripping thriller”, this action-comedy ticks all the right boxes for a fun day in at home. Super cool stunts? Check. Laugh-till-you-drop lines? Check. Shock factor? Check check.

3. Loot

Quite possibly inspired by Jeff Bezos’ former spouse, MacKenzie Scott, AppleTV’s ‘Loot’ centres around Molly Novak (Maya Rudolph) and her rollercoaster journey as a recently-minted billionaire divorcée. Heartwarming and filled with Rudolph’s funny quirks, this series is a must for anyone looking for some vibrant feel-good factor. 

4. Girl In the Picture

One of the most gripping true crime documentaries since ‘Don’t F*ck With Cats’, this series unravels the mystery of Sharon Marshall, whose disappearance in 1990 led to a string of unsolved murders across the United States. But while we won’t spoil it for you, there’s one thing we’ll say for sure: proceed with caution. This tale is the stuff of nightmares. 

5. Uncoupled

We highly recommend bingeing this lighthearted series starring Neil Patrick Harris as a 40-year-old divorcée. Complete with all modern-day dating struggles, the show is not only relatable to those fallen out of love, but also to those fatigued by city life. 

6. Surface

Based on S.J. Watson’s bestselling ‘Before I Go To Sleep’, the AppleTV psychological thriller is all about twists and turns, with many questions left unanswered well into episode three. At the same time, this series is a great case study in gaslighting, which examines Gugu Mbatha-Raw’s Sophie Ellis’ strange bouts of insomnia after a traumatic head injury. 

7. Purple Hearts

You didn’t think we’d end this list without a sappy romantic drama, did you? In Netflix’s adaptation of Tess Wakefield’s bestselling novel, the film chronicles the ups-and-downs of a “marriage of convenience”, made more compelling by two diametrically-opposed personalities. Starring Sofia Carson as a struggling songwriter and Nicholas Galitzine as a conservative marine, the film is also a lesson in compassion and empathy, especially at a time when misogyny and racism have reached peak “wokeness”.