Keen for a new on-the-screen series to watch at home or on your phone during your daily commute? Try one of these binge-worthy TV, Netflix and movie recommendations from EL editors and readers.
The Green Planet – BBC Earth and BBC Player
The Green Planet is a new five-part landmark series that follows Sir David Attenborough as he travels the world – from the rainforests of the tropics to the wildernesses of the frozen north – to explore the extraordinary ways in which plants have learnt to survive and thrive in almost every environment.
Using pioneering new filmmaking technology – from moving time-lapses to robotics – and the very latest science, the series takes the viewer on a journey into a series of magical worlds. It reveals that the lives of plants are as competitive, aggressive and dramatic as those of animals, and investigates the crucial role plants play in controlling our climate and maintaining our ecosystems.
Dee Khanduja
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
If you’ve read the novel (see our December issue for a review!), I suggest giving the movie a miss or risking disappointment – there are gaps in the storytelling as well as alterations in character development. The film follows Lily James as Juliet Ashton as she develops her story about the Society and the island’s missing inhabitant, Elizabeth McKenna.
Jessica Brown Findlay (Lady Sybil Crawley in Downtown Abbey) provides a riveting performance as Elizabeth, although without the background provided by reading the book, the viewer would be left wondering what motivates her to carry out what she did.
Regardless, the film clearly depicts the resilience, fellowship and love that people possess even during times of hardship. You’ll feel warm and fuzzy at the end of it. Catch it on Netflix.
Patricea Chow
Serengeti Season 2
Series 2 of Serengeti features fresh animal characters in the same spectacular Africa setting. Bakari the baboon struggles with family life; Kali the lioness makes a difficult decision; and a family of leopard cubs test their mother’s patience. Available on BBC Player.
Extreme Treks Season 4
Ryan Pyle returns with more physically challenging locations in Series 4 of Extreme Treks. He spends time in Myanmar, Ethiopia, Poland and Switzerland, capturing their scenic beauty through photography – all in the midst of the pandemic! Watch on BBC Player.
Eternals
With a stellar cast including Gemma Chan, Salma Hayek, Angelina Jolie and Kit Harington, Marvel Studios’ Eternals tells the story of a group of immortal heroes created thousands of years ago who reunite to battle mankind’s oldest enemy, The Deviants.
Encanto
Set in the mountains of Colombia, Encanto follows the lives of the Madrigal family, all of them blessed with some unique power by the magic of Encanto – all except Mirabel! But the only “ordinary” Madrigal could end up being the family’s only hope. Featuring all-new songs by the award-winning LinManual Miranda.
Altered Carbon (Seasons 1 & 2)
This cyperpunk TV series is set in the year 2384 in a futuristic metropolis, where former soldier and convicted criminal Takeshi Kovacs is pulled out of prison to investigate the murder of Laurens Bancroft, who’s also the man who hired Kovacs for the job. The rich don’t die of old age like everyone else as they can afford to clone new bodies and store their consciousness remotely in satellites so that they can “live” infinitely.
Season 1 focuses on Kovacs’ relationship with Quellcrist Falconer, the leader of a rebel group that rose against the new world order 250 years ago, who was also his lover, as he continues solving a series of brutal murders that seem linked.
Based on a novel of the same name by English author Richard K Morgan, the series was unfortunately cancelled after Season 2. So you’ll have to pick up the book to know how the story unfolds further!
The Towering Inferno
Released in 1974, this classic film has a simple premise. On the night of its dedication as the world’s tallest building, a fire breaks out on the 81st floor of a skyscraper, trapping party revellers on the 135th floor. The developer refuses to believe that the fire is a possible hazard and doesn’t call off the party until it’s too late. As firefighters battle to put out the quickly spreading blaze, guests become trapped as elevators and stairways become blocked or inaccessible.
Suffice to say, there isn’t a happy ending and I was left wondering how the two novels that the film was based on foreshadowed an even bigger tragedy that would unfold 27 years later with 9/11. This was the highest grossing film of 1974 and won three Oscars after being nominated for eight.
– Patricea Chow
Lucifer
What would the Devil do if he took a break from managing Hell to spend some years in Los Angeles instead? This is the premise of TV series Lucifer, based on the DC Comics character created by Neil Gaiman, Sam Kieth and Mike Dringenberg.
Fallen angel Lucifer Morningstar has quit Hell and is living it up in LA, where he owns a nightclub called Lux. He becomes a consultant to the LAPD, working closely with homicide detective Chloe Decker to solve cases. Their relationship develops to more than just work partners.
Along the way, his views of humanity, definition of good and evil, and understanding of what defines the Devil are challenged through interactions with different characters. The series culminates in a battle between Lucifer and twin brother Michael over who gets to take the spot that’s been vacated by dad!
This is an engaging series for fans of fantasy superhero stories. Each episode focuses on a standalone homicide case. The process of solving these cases puts human nature in the spotlight. Is someone inherently bad, or do they become bad through circumstance? And, if someone is bad, can they become good?
– Patricea Chow
Below Deck | Below Deck Mediterranean
I’m slightly embarrassed even writing this but I simply couldn’t stop watching Below Deck. I watched three seasons of the main series and then even went on to watch the spin-off series, Below Deck Mediterranean! It’s a reality show that focuses around the yachting season and the jobs of the crew. You watch the chaos unfold between the staff and the sometimes outrageous and usually mega-wealthy clients.
At first, it was just something to have on in the background but it does become a little addictive as an escape-from-reality kind of show. If you want to watch something where you get to tune out, this is the one for you! You can find most of the seasons now on Netflix.
– Michaela Bisset
The Vow
How does a self-improvement organisation become a cult that carries out sex trafficking, racketeering and forced labour? This American true crime documentary on HBO delves into that. Over nine episodes, you’ll learn how people were lured by the promise of career advancement to take NXIVM’s Executive Success Program for “self-development”, how female members were then invited to join Dominus Obsequious Sororium (DOS), a secret sisterhood that ostensibly championed female empowerment, and the chain of events that revealed DOS to be a means to trap members into sexual slavery under founder Kieth Raniere.
Interviews with former NXIVM coaches and members are interspersed with archive footage and recordings of the organisation’s activities. These were recorded by Mark Vicente, maker of the 2004 film What the Bleep Do We Know!?, during his time as a member of Raniere’s inner circle.
This is a very timely documentary – in fact, some key members were sentenced as recently as 30 June, while others are still awaiting sentencing. A second season focusing on Raniere’s trial is in the works.
– Patricea Chow
The Mauritanian
I’m not usually one for legal dramas (or Jodie Foster films for that matter!), but The Mauritanian captured my attention from start to finish. Based on the true story and memoirs of Mohamedou Ould Slahi, the film sees Tahar Rahim (The Serpent) play a Mauritanian man who was held for 14 years without charge in the Guantanamo Bay detention camp. He’s held on suspicion for his connection with Al Qaeda and the 9/11 bombings, which leads defence attorney and human rights lawyer Nancy Hollander (Foster) and military prosecutor (Benedict Cumberbatch) to go head to head in uncovering the truth in Slahi’s culpability.
What comes to light is a harrowing insight into the unconstitutional methods of the prison that are left outside the purview of American law and justice. As evidence and tough-to-swallow accounts of torture and coercion are revealed, the audience is left with plenty to debate as Slahi’s judgement day finally comes around.
– Leanda Rathmell
Sweet Tooth
This American fantasy drama is only eight episodes long, but it’s packed with action! It tells the story of Gus, a young “hybrid” boy who’s half-human and half-deer, living in perilous times. It’s an epic adventure in a post-apocalyptic world where hybrids are seen as threats. So Gus’s journey is filled with many obstacles, but he manages to get through them with the help of a gruff protector.
It’s exciting and heart-warming at the same time, and the PG13 rating makes it suitable for watching with the family. Plus, the scenes are set in the beautiful terrain of New Zealand, which kind of helps with the wanderlust. Since leisure travel is out of the question, watching this will do for now!
– Anthia Chng
Made You Look
This Netflix documentary tells the story of art dealer Glafir Rosales, who was unknown in the art world and didn’t even have an art degree, but whose vast and unbelievable collection of impressive expressionist paintings included works ostensibly by the likes of Mark Rothko and Jackson Pollack.
Rosales approached Anne Freedman, director and well-respected head and face of the prestigious Knoedler art gallery in New York; and it was here where all the drama started.
Anne Freedman was convinced that the paintings were real and sold them for millions of dollars, even as convincing evidence began to show up that the paintings could be fake. Finally, all hell broke loose when the head of Goldman Sachs, executive Jack Levy, purchased an untitled Jackson Pollock piece for $2 million. The FBI and art forensics were called in to analyse the artworks.
I won’t give away the ending, but this is an intriguing documentary – all the more fascinating for me because I’ve actually seen an original Rothko up close!
– Susan Knudsen-Pickles
The Last Days
If you want to teach your teens a lesson or two about unbelievable hardship, then this documentary will achieve that. Produced by Steven Spielberg and originally released in 1998, The Last Days has now been remastered and released on Netflix. It’s a strong, “in your face”, no BS, real-deal story about five Hungarian Jews who survived the Holocaust and the hell that was Auschwitz.
We follow them from the day they were taken by the Nazis in Hungary, hearing about their terrifying journey in the cattle trains with no food or water. Their description of Auschwitz on their arrival is almost unbelievable – it really was hell on earth; the barracks where they were all packed like sardines; the gas chambers; and the knowledge that some of them were even used for experiments and studies.
This is painful to watch, but sadly it’s also real history. If you do decide to watch this documentary, remember the tissues!
– Susan Knudsen-Pickles
A Promising Young Woman
I absolutely loved Carey Mulligan’s performance and the cunning production in A Promising Young Woman. Mulligan plays medical school dropout Cassie, a mysterious and wicked “heroine” who leads a double life. Frequenting nightclubs and bars, she appears to have a twisted “hobby” of appearing to be alone, drunk and vulnerable, luring men to prey on her and abandon their own moral code.
The reasons behind her actions and insatiable vendetta are slowly unearthed as a traumatic story. The derailment of her promising future is revealed, condemning not just one man, but an entire system that has long protected criminals over their accusers. Incredibly thought-provoking for both men and women, this movie is wickedly empowering and bold. One for the big screen if you get a chance!
– Leanda Rathmell
Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal
I remember hearing about this scandal over a year ago, where celebrities like Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin were being charged with buying their kids acceptance into university. So, when this popped up on Netflix, I was keen to learn more about it.
The documentary is a deep dive into the fraudulent methods used by Rick Singer to get the children of rich and famous families into top universities in the US. It’s a fascinating look at the man behind it all and a great way to understand how these families ended up getting involved. You can’t help but think stuff like this must’ve been happening for decades.
Personally, I’m hoping that cases like these get more attention as the real victims here are the kids who work exceptionally hard to try to get into these “prestigious” universities only for spots to be taken from them. It might also make universities themselves become more accountable. But let’s see what you think!
– Michaela Bisset
Seaspiracy
I remember watching Cowspiracy years ago – a documentary that took a close look at the beef industry – and being outraged by what was being covered up. Seaspiracy takes things to a new level. This 2021 documentary is about the impact of fishing on marine wildlife. Director Ali Tabrizi is great at covering all the various perspectives as well as making you question figures of authority such as the MSC, WWF and the UN – particularly around how flippant some of their rules and regulations are. It’s shocking to get a glimpse at how corrupt the world fishing industry might be.
Even if you don’t consider yourself much of an activist, I’d watch this as it’s very well put together and thought provoking.
– Michaela Bisset
Firefly Lane
My niece recommended this to me, and I soon became hooked. It covers three timelines starting in the 70s, which is interesting from the point of view of fashion, music, mobile phones and lifestyle, for a start. But I think it’s clever and must have taken a lot of coordination. It didn’t get great reviews in Time magazine, but I really enjoyed it. I thought there were a lot of relevant points of discussion, and family and relationship issues we can relate to (even if you’re younger like my niece or daughter). Katherine Heigl is a key character and also the producer – no mean feat. The only problem is how long we need to wait until the next series!
– Rebecca Bisset
Dream Catchers (Short Film)
Shalima Motial started Singapore-based Dream Catchers 10 years ago with the aim of providing a platform for artists. The pandemic manoeuvred the direction of the company’s journey from events/theatre to short film production.
Shalima and her team produced two short films during lockdown, with limited resources and movement, and only a shoestring budget. As an artist, she felt a responsibility to reach out with a message through the films; so, FlipSide is around the theme of domestic violence, and Caged concerns mental health awareness. Shalima wrote, produced and acted in both.
The films have been well received, winning accolades in international film festivals and being showcased by PocketFilms (India’s biggest short-film platform) and Touching Hearts, which has 2.2 million followers. You can watch both films on the Short Films YouTube channel.
– Dee Khanduja
Dream Home Makeover
This Netflix series stars Shea and Syd McGee from Studio McGee, an interior design business in Salt Lake City. I loved watching girl boss Shea in her element, working with homeowners and contractors to transform different spaces. As Shea works on her clients’ homes, she also puts together her own new dream house, which turns out gorgeously. I’m eagerly awaiting another season!
– Lindsay Yap
Derren Brown: The Push
This is a super interesting “human experiment” by English illusionist Derren Brown. The documentary shows how far humans will comply with what is unfolding in the environment around them. Basically, the documentary answers the question, “Can a person be psychologically coerced to kill another person?” The answer may just surprise you.
– Dee Khanduja
Long Way Up
If you’ve been missing the wide-open spaces of a good old-fashioned road trip in 2020, then the latest instalment of the Long Way series may be for you. Ewan McGregor (aka Obi-Wan Kenobi!) and Charley Boorman (aka BFF of Ewan McGregor!) join forces again in Long Way Up to ride their motorcycles from the southern tip of Argentina, all the way through South and Central America, to Los Angeles, California. However, this time they are riding Harley-Davidson electric motorcycles! The last few episodes are a little squeezed for time, but overall the series is worth a watch for the sparsely visited places they pass through in this fascinating yet under-explored part of the world.
– Jason Keys
The Undoing
Check out Hugh Grant like you’ve never seen him before! He and Nicole Kidman are on top of their game in The Undoing. Each of the six episodes is captivating, with close-up camera shots revealing all kinds of demonstrative facial expressions as the story unfolds. A really good watch with class acting.
– Lara Sage
The Last Kingdom
This series is set in England during the invasion by the Danes. It starts slowly, but really ups the ante with many twists and tense moments that make it quite compelling to watch all the way through. There’s lots of treachery, back-stabbing, forbidden love, wars and plotting by Kings and Danes. I enjoyed the fictional setting, in Winchester, England, which is close to my hometown; I could really visualise a bygone era. The cast is an interesting mix of Brits as well as actors from Nordic countries. It’s a decent show that got me doing the whole “back-to-back-viewings” thing from around Season 2 onwards.
– Dee Khanduja
Bridgerton
I thought this would be a nice mum-and-daughter series to watch, and it was… up until about Episode 6, and then it gets fairly saucy! It’s interesting and entertaining, and a mix of fact and fiction, which gets you doing your own research to avoid any confusion. The show is like a combination of Pride & Prejudice and 50 Shades of Grey – and worth a watch on a rainy day!
– Rebecca Bisset
The Sinner
This isn’t the jolliest or most relaxing of Netflix shows, but it’s certainly gripping and psychologically fascinating. The three seasons each star Bill Pullman (Independence Day) as brooding police detective Harry Ambrose. He investigates crimes committed by unlikely culprits – for example, Jessica Biel, who stars in Series 1 and is also the show’s executive producer. Storylines have twists and turns, some of them mind-bending and impossible to second guess. It’s less of a “whodunnit” and more of a “whydunnit”, featuring cliffhangers designed for binge-watching, and characters who stay with you long after you’ve finished watching.
– Jo Upcraft
The Queen’s Gambit
This is an unexpectedly gripping series about a girl who plays chess! The lead actress Anya Taylor-Joy is a delight to watch as she breathes life into her character Beth Harmon. Beth is a child-star chess player who goes on to win some big chess tournaments, eventually beating a world champ. As an orphan, she struggles with dark personal challenges and addictions during her rise to the top of the chess world.
– Dee Khanduja
A Confession
Recreating a true story from the not-so-distant past, A Confession focuses on the disappearance of a young woman in England after a night out with friends. It follows the heroic efforts of the local police to resolve the mystery as well as dealing with emotional families and bureaucratic obstacles along the way. Over six episodes, it is a gripping drama and a vivid reminder of the societal threats that exist outside the safety of our own bubbles/homes. It’s not your standard murder-mystery crime show and it had us hooked from start to finish.
– Jason Keys
Emily in Paris
I loved this Netflix series. From the writers of Sex and the City, it’s light-hearted and funny – and of course, it’s always lovely to dream of being in Paris! The story follows Emily who is sent to the Paris office of her company, Savoir, to take on the assignment of a lifetime. Emily moves to France and brings her American perspective to the Paris staff of Savoir.
– Jacqui Young
Get Organized with The Home Edit
I love getting things packed and arranged nicely – there’s this feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction, don’t you agree? When I spotted Netflix’s new series Get Organized with The Home Edit, I knew I had to watch it. The Home Edit’s all-woman team takes on everything from bedrooms to garages, and transforms them into neat and beautiful spaces – truly #homegoals. The first episode was already pretty exciting; it featured Reese Witherspoon who starred in Legally Blonde, one of my fave movies. I loved seeing the before and after shots of her closet – and, of course, the Legally Blonde outfits and memorabilia!
– Lindsay Yap
Kingdom
My husband flicked on the first episode of this series and I thought, “Ugh. This show has everything I hate: extreme violence, graphic sex and drugs.” But since he has had a rough couple of months (COVID sucks!), I figured I’d humour him and watch one episode – and I was hooked.
While it’s true that the show does have all that awful stuff I usually avoid in spades, it’s also an amazing, tender and sometimes disturbing story about a father and his two sons, all MMA fighters. The intricate plot lines are brilliantly acted with such emotion that each episode left me exhausted and wanting more. I was in awe of the raw acting talent, and equally awed by the amazing physiques of these talented actors, who all sport eight packs and bulging biceps. The three-season Netflix show’s plot-twist finale took me totally by surprise. If you can stomach the realistic fight and sex scenes, it’s worth the watch. It’s one of those shows that haunts you long after the final credits.
– Melinda Murphy
Bloodline
This three-season Netflix thriller is very interesting, but I’m not sure if the show is making me anxious, or if it’s just the ongoing COVID-19 situation! The ending is revealed in small snippets all the way through, so you’re kind of just waiting for it to happen.
– Rebecca Bisset
Umbrella Academy, Season 1 & 2
I’ve always loved shows like X-Men or anything where people have superpowers, so I thought I’d give Umbrella Academy a go. The show is about seven gifted children who are adopted by an eccentric billionaire, who raises them to save the world. Klaus (one of the siblings at the Academy) is hilarious – actor Robert Sheenan will have you in stitches. This is witty, quirky viewing and it shouldn’t be missed! Season 1 got rave reviews, but Season 2 was even better!
– Michaela Bisset
Inside the World’s Toughest Prisons
This documentary began airing back in 2016, with Season 4 being released this year. It’s an eye-opening series, getting down and personal with prisoners, showcasing their back-stories and exploring their daily life in some infamous jails.
– Lindsay Yap
Crazy Delicious
I love watching cooking competitions (The Final Table and The Big Family Cooking Showdown, anyone?) so Crazy Delicious caught my eye when it was released on Netflix recently. Set in a magical edible forest, the British series features talented self-taught cooks who go all out to please the “food gods” and win the golden apple. The whimsical elements of the show can get a little over the top but the creations you’ll witness are amazing, so it’s totally worth it. Don’t watch too late at night though as your stomach will start to rumble!
– Lindsay Yap
The Night Manager
This is one of those shows I tripped over while scouring Amazon Prime, and boy am I glad I did. It’s a six-episode BBC series based on the 1993 novel of the same name by John le Carré and stars the delicious Tom Hiddleston and impeccable Hugh Laurie. Hunky Hiddleston is a former military man working as a night manager at a hotel in Cairo when a guest comes to him with some papers to copy. Soon, he’s entangled in an international ring, smuggling arms headed by Hugh Laurie’s character. It’s a wonderful game of cat and mouse and both my husband and I really loved it. There are just enough episodes to entertain, but you don’t have to commit hours and hours to finish the story arc. I hope the rumoured season two comes to fruition.
– Melinda Murphy
Secondhand Lions
Brilliant! This 2003 movie tells the story of an introverted young boy (Haley Joel Osment) who is sent to live with his eccentric great-uncles (Robert Duvall and Michael Caine) on a farm in Texas.
– Franci Malan
Miracle in Cell No. 7
A remake of the original South Korean film from 2013, this movie set in Turkey is truly heartwarming and will definitely tug at your heartstrings. It has a very interesting storyline about the relationship between a daughter and her autistic father who gets accused of a crime. Please be ready for a good cry!
– Siti Shahirah
Normal People
I’ve just finished binge watching Normal People (on BBC Player with a VPN). Oh god, it’s good. It’s just so, so good. Trigger warning: it can and will bring up any and all feelings of young adult anguish that you may have successfully repressed – just with a lovely saturated Instagram filter. The show centres around Connell and Marianne who have a clandestine affair in high school in their bleak, Irish county town where they’re both misfits in their own way. The ripples of their relationship follow them onto university in Dublin – and it ain’t all roses. In fact, it almost never is. And it’s glorious.
Normal People has been carefully adapted to screen from the novel of the same name. You become so invested in this relationship – whether you want to or not! It’s wonderfully painful and human. And it’s just so beautiful to watch. I can’t stop thinking about it. (But be prepared to have your heart ripped out of your chest. Just sayin’…)
– Kate Marsden
Restaurants on the Edge
I’ve been hooked on this Netflix show lately! It’s a feel-good series that follows a team of three professionals – a chef, a restaurateur and a designer – who help to transform the space of struggling restaurants around the world. The experts also tap into the local community and natural surroundings, and come up with a plan to create positive change in the business strategy. Think home makeover, but for restaurants instead! These restaurants are tucked away in some of the most idyllic places on earth. The scenery is to die for, and will feed your wanderlust for now. My favourite episode so far is Hawaii.
– Anthia Chng
See more in our Things To Do section:
Family-friendly hikes in Hong Kong
Best public swimming pool in Hong Kong for families
Top things to do in Hong Kong
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