Messiah (US 2020)
Release Date- 1 January-10 episode-All avaliable
Creator- Michael Petroni(Miracles)
Stars - Mehdi Dehbi, Michelle Monaghan(Mission Impossible)

The Messiah character first appears in Syria and later
given the name Al-Masih (Mehdi Dehbi)
The name was given to him by the people who are following
him to escape war and find a better life.

He is arrested in Israel after he crosses the border, and is
later interrogated by Aviram (Tomer Sisley) a soldier in the
army.

Religious figures have concerns about Al-Masih.

His huge following also captures the attention of
Eva Geller( Michelle Monaghan) a CIA agent
recently widowed and nursing a secret illness.
She’s losing hair, possibly fatal.
And a complicated relationship with her father.

From Damascus to Jerusalem to Texas, Eva Geller
and her allies attempt to determine who he is and what
his ultimate goal is.

it’s a fictional story. It takes place in the near-present
and is not meant to be any sort of historic account.
It is about faith.

Worth watching, it’s binge-able.


This post has been edited by lleihuan: Jan 2 2020, 12:18 PM

The New Pope (2020-USA & UK)
10 episodes-weekly
Release Dates-13 Jan-2 episodes available-internet
Writer & Director-Paolo Sorrentino-The Young Pope(2017)/The New Pope
Stars-Jude Law, John Malkovich, Silvio Orlando.

The series picks up where “The Young Pope” left off.
At the end of season one, Jude Law's Pius XIII collapsed
while giving a speech on the balcony on St. Mark's in Venice.

Pope Pius XIII is in a coma after three failed heart transplant.
The Vatican needs a successor, a suitable replacement
to step into Lenny’s conservative robe.

Secretary of State, Cardinal Voiello(Silvio Orlando)
understands that it will not be easy to replace the
Pius XIII. Even though he frequently clashed with young
pontiff in "The Young Pope" but both entered into a mutual
respect as the season progressed.

We did not meet John Brannox (John Malkovich) of the UK until
episode two. John Malkovich takes a very different approach to
his character very differently from Lenny Belardo of Jude Law,
a deeply religious leader and disruptor while the other retired
and reluctant.

And we witness the rise to the papal throne of Sir John
Brannox taking the title of Pope John Paul III.

This series may not be for everyone. But it is a prestige drama
with intelligent comedy.

Can't wait for the next episode.

*Watch season one first.
Jude Law is amazing in "The Young Pope" One of the best of his career.

**
"True punishment is served not in prison but in one's soul"
Silvio Orlando (Cardinal Angelo Voiello)The New Pope(2020) Episode 8.





This post has been edited by lleihuan: Feb 7 2020, 09:10 AM

Star Trek: Picard (2020 USA-UK)
10 episodes-Release Date-23 January- 1 episode available (internet)-weekly
Creators-Michael Chabon, Alex Kurtzman, Akiva Goldsman, and
Kirsten Beyer.
Stars- Patrick Stewart, Isa Briones, Santiago Cabrera,
Alison Pill, Michelle Hurd, Harry Treadaway.

Captain Jean-Luc Picard(Sir Patrick Stewart) now a 92-year-old
Starfleet retiree living on the family vineyard (called Chateau
Picard) near the French/Swiss border.

In the timeline of Picard, he’s playing cards with an old friend,
the synthetic Data (Brent Spiner). Data is dead. He sacrificed
himself to save Picard’s life in 2002’s Star Trek: Nemesis
(Stewart’s last appearance as Picard)
He still appears in Picard’s dreams.

The new adventure begins when a young woman named Dahj (Isa Briones)
is pursued by assassins. Her boyfriend was murdered in front of her eyes.

Something special about her and Picard is the only man who can help her
help to understand her identity. She has a connection to his past.
She keeps seeing Picard's face in her dreams.
Picard is the only man who can help her? But...

Dahj in some of the impressively-choreographed fight scenes.
One of them, when she fights to protect Picard.

Picard believes that Dahj was a synthetic seeking sanctuary and the
attackers were Romulan.

An android uprising on Mars has led to a crackdown on synthetic beings?
The series ended where we met Dahj’s twin sister Soji (also played by Isa Briones)

The series looks completely new and leap into new territory.
The production design, more realistic look.
Picard no doubt is about(or almost) to assemble a team for his upcoming mission.

A strong start with striking music. The pacing is perfect.
We have to keep watching for the next couple of episodes.

So many questions here.

Baghdad Central (UK-2020)
Released Date-3 February
6 episodes-Limited series- 1 episode available-weekly.
Stars-Waleed Zuaiter (The Spy) July Namir (Homeland, Collateral)
Leem Lubany(Omar) Bertie Carvel, Corey Stoll(First Man)

Based on the book of the same name by Elliott Colla.

Set in Baghdad in 2003, after the fall of Saddam Hussein.
The Iraqi army and police have disbanded.
The city now occupied by US forces.

The series follows Muhsin Kadr al-Khafaji (Waleed Zuaiter), an Iraqi
and former policeman who struggles to keep his two daughters safe
The eldest rebellious daughter, Swasan (Leem Lubany)and sick younger
daughter, Mrouj (July Namir) He lost his wife to cancer.

Unexpected turn when he discovers Swasan missing.
Seeking to solve the mystery of Sawsan’s disappearance, he
uncovers his daughter has been leading double lives.
A secret life as “Suzy”, as an Arabic translator. She is working for
the Coalition Authority for the American under Professor Zubeida
Rashid(Clara Khoury).

Muhsin is arrested and tortured by US forces in the case of
mistaken identity.
Then and there he comes across a British ex-police
officer, Frank Temple(Bertie Carve). His mission is to rebuild the
Iraqi Police Force from the ground up.
He recruits Muhsin as a police officer in the Green Zone.

We follow a father's mission to find his missing estranged daughter in a
lawless society.




This post has been edited by lleihuan: Feb 7 2020, 09:08 AM

Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist (2020-US)
12 episodes.Release Date- 7 January-weekly (2 episodes available)
Creator- Austin Winsberg.
Stars- Jane Levy, Skylar Astin, Alex Newell, John Clarence Stewart,
Peter Gallagher and Mary Steenburgen.

Zoey Clarke (Jane Levy), an insecure but ambitious coder
at a Bay Area startup tech company run by her boss (Lauren Graham)

Her mother (Mary Steenburgen) care for her dad (Peter Gallagher)
is nearly non-communicative who suffers from Progressive
Supranuclear Palsy (PSP)
She struggles and tries figuring out how to treat it with her
mum and brother.

She begins experiencing headaches herself.

A mishap in an MRI machine suddenly gives her the
ability to hears- sees -desires-
people express their inner thoughts through music.
A power that not only allows her to connect with other people
but also allows her to help.

A likeably musical dramedy. It is entertaining.
There is talent, the musical numbers are energetic and well-staged.
A promising 2 episodes start.




This post has been edited by lleihuan: Feb 19 2020, 02:36 PM

I Am Not Okay With This (2020-USA)
Premieres-Feb. 26. 7 episodes-30 mins-All available
Director- Jonathan Entwistle
Stars-Sophia Lillis (Sharp Objects), Wyatt Oleff, Sofia Bryant


Based upon the Charles Forsman graphic novel of the same name.

Sydney (Sophia Lillis), live in a small town somewhere in Pennsylvania
A year since her father committed suicide in the basement of their home.
Her mother(Rose Perkins) have to work endless shifts to make ends meet.
Sydney cannot figure how to interact with other kids her age with the
exception of her BFF, Dina (Sofia Bryant) whom she have a crush with.

And she has telekinetic powers and her anger motivates it.

As the series goes on, Sydney begins to learn to control her growing
powers and understanding of her father’s death.

It ends with Sydney asking the dark figure appears out of a cloud of smoke,

"Should I be afraid?"

The series delivered engaging characters, talented young cast and
Lillis’s wonderful performance.
30 minutes per episode, easy to binge-watch.

Devs (2020-US)
Release Date-5 March. 8 Episodes-Limited series-weekly-2 episodes available
Creator - Alex Garland(Ex Machina, Annihilation)
Director- Alex Garland
Star-Sonoya Mizuno, Alison Pill(Star Trek: Picard), Nick Offerman
Zach Grenier, Jin Ha


Lily Chan(Sonoya Mizuno), an engineer at tech giant company, Amaya,
works alongside with her AI programmer boyfriend Sergei (Karl Glusman)

Owned by Forest (Nick Offerman) with his lieutenant Katie (Alison Pill) and
his chief of security, Kenton (Zach Grenier)
Forest is driven by a very personal wound. Driven by lost love.

Sergei is reassigned within the company’s mysterious Devs department.
He didn't come home after his first day. Lily panic.
She tracks him down and eventually learns of his death.

Lily believes her employer is behind the murder of her boyfriend.
She is forced to explore what his boyfriend found out at Devs and
find herself drawn into a world of corporate espionage.

A little slow pace but it is worth the journey.
Plenty to unpack. Plenty to keep you engaged.

Upload (2020-US)
Release Date- 1st May.10 episodes-All available
Pilot-45 minutes.9 Episodes-23 minutes.
Creator-Greg Daniels
Stars- Robbie Amell, Andy Allo, Zainab Johnson.

It sets in the year 2033.
27-year-old Nathan Brown (Robbie Amell) an app maker,
ends up nearly killed in an automated car accident.
Before dying he chose to get uploaded in virtual
afterlife, the Horizon organization's “Lakeview,”
where people after their deaths can upload themselves
to a digital heaven. The deceased can still remain in
constant contact with living loved ones.

Not everyone died can afford to be get uploaded.
Everything you want is there but for a price.
Only what's best fits your finances.
There is even a "2 Gigs" underground space for the poor!

An amiable series but is also a light comedy.
Some small twist and turn which can
put you in a thrill too. There is compelling subplots, the
bond between Nathan and his customer service
representative Nora (Andy Allo).

Nathan's auto collision actually a mishap?
You can binge all 10 episodes in one sitting.

Barkskins (USA-2020)
Release Date- May 25.Limited series.
8 episodes, 2 episodes available.
Weekly, every Monday two episodes back-to-back.
Stars- David Thewlis, Marcia Gay Harden, Christian Cooke,
James Bloor, Tallulah Haddon, Aneurin Barnard.

Based on the 2016 best-selling novel of the same name by
Pulitzer Prize winner, Annie Proulx (Brokeback Mountain-2005)

The series began in 1693 Wobik, in the part of New France that
later became modern-day, Quebec, Canada with the massacre of
settlers.

Two French laborers, René Sel(Christian Cooke) and
Charles Duquet(James Bloor) a thief who chose exile over jail,
signed up for three years of indentured servitude with wealthy
landowner master, Monsieur Claude Trepagny (David Thewlis).
In exchange for land in the new world when their time is up.

Claude Trepagny had a good life with his half-French, half-Indian
lover Mari (Kaniehtiio Horn) and their son Theo.
He is on a mission to set up his kingdom there by himself in the New
France wilderness.

Mari set sights on servant Sel who was resisting despite the
the chemistry between them.

Arriving almost at the same time, Melissande (Tallulah Haddon)
and Delphine (Lily Sullivan) moves into a convent.
To find husbands in the new colony.

Another pair of new arrivals, investigative partners
Hamish Goames (Aneurin Barnard) and Yvon (Zahn McClarnon)
who are in search of a missing Hudson's Bay colleague.

Mathilde(Marcia Gay Harden) plays a ruthless character as the owner
of the local Inn with her husband, Francis. Having lost her daughter Veronique,
she will get a second chance to be maternal with Renardette(Lola Reid)
the surviving girl found near the massacre site

Is Trepagny right after Duquet escape?
"That little rat find a way to not only survive but prosper?"

We will see alliances and enemies, created and tested over time.



This post has been edited by lleihuan: May 27 2020, 02:07 PM

Most Dangerous Game(US-2020)
Release Date: 6 April(internet)-All Episodes Available
15 episodes(5-9 mins per episode)
Stars: Liam Hemsworth(The Hunger Games)
Christoph Waltz(Inglourious Basterds)

Based upon Richard Connell's 1924 short
story "The Most Dangerous Game."
Dodge Tynes(Liam Hemsworth), a former track star
with a business project failure. A pregnant wife
Val(Sarah Gadon) and with their unborn son.
After he learns that he has terminal cancer,
he offers himself to participate in a deadly game
To be hunted by five individuals for $24.5 million.
The hunt lasts 24 hours.

I just felt the pacing a little too rushed.
But gripping enough to keep you on the edge of your seats.

*Initially only available on mobile only, recently getting Chromecast support.

This post has been edited by lleihuan: Jun 14 2020, 03:55 PM


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Perry Mason(2020-US, UK)
Release Date- 21 June.
8 episodes.Weekly.2 episodes available
Creators-Rolin Jones, Ron Fitzgerald
Director-Tim Van Patten
Cast -Matthew Rhys, Juliet Rylance, Tatian Maslany,
Chris Chalk, John Lithgow

Set in the Great Depression. 1930s Los Angeles.
Perry Mason (Matthew Rhys) is a private detective.
Haunted by memories of his actions in World War I.
His wife has left him and taken their 9-year-old
son with her. He makes money taking pictures of movie stars
in compromising situations and steals ties from corpses in
the morgue to wear to court.

A 1-year-old baby, Charlie Dodson, has been kidnapped.
The parents, Matthew (Nate Corddry) and Emily (Gayle Rankin)
paid the ramson, only to discover the baby has been killed
with both eyes stitched wide open. Both are separately accused of the crime.

Hired by Herman Baggerly (Robert Patrick), Lithgow's E.B.
employs Mason into the case. As Mason gets involved, his sense
of injustice grows.
With the forces working against him, in the world where the
law can be twisted and bent.

The acting is strong throughout, filled with great performances.
With huge scale production.
Matthew Rhys is fantastic as the new younger Mason.
And also Paul Drake (Chris Chalk) a black police officer struggling
to maintain his integrity in his department.
At times his subplot is more intriguing than the main storyline!

Caliphate (US, UK-2020)
Release Dates-March
8 episodes-All available-internet
Language- Swedish with English Subtitles
Creators- Wilhelm Behrman and Niklas Rockström.
Stars- Gizem Erdogan, Amed Bozan, Aliette Opheim.

Target -Sweden. Planning-al-Raqqah, Syria.
The series is develops into three plots.

The first one is centered on SÄPO intelligence officer
named Fatima Zukić(Aliette Opheim) a Bosnian-born Muslim
in Stockholm.
The 2nd focuses on a Turkish-Swede ISIS bride named
Pervin(Gizem Erdogan) trapped in al-Raqqah.
Fatima contact Pervin.
She is also trying to help Pervin.In return, Pervin provides
information on her husband's ISIS cell that is actively
planning an attack in Sweden.

The third is Ibbe (Lancelot Ncube) aka The Traveler,
a school counselor and a jihadi recruiter who radicalize
two sisters, Suleika(Nora Rios) and Lisha(Yussra El Abdouni)
and their friend Karima(Amanda Sohrabi).
They look up to him and open up about their fears, doubts
and family issues.

The series uncovers the practice of radicalization and
treachery. Recruiting fighters for ISIS and young women
to become ISIS brides.

Well written and produced. Watch it.

Tehran (2020-No U.S.A-release date has been announced)
Release Date-June 22 in Israel
8 Episodes-Internet-All episodes - available.
Language- Hebrew, English, and Farsi(in English Subtitles)
Director- Danny Syrkin
Writer-Moshe Zonder(Fauda)
Creators: Dana Eden, Maor Kohn.
Stars: Niv Sultan, Shaun Toub (Homeland), Menashe Noy
Navid Negahban (Homeland)

A Jordanian plane from Amman to India make an
emergency landing in Tehran. Manipulation by the
Israeli secret service.
Tamar Rabinayan (Niv Sultan) first poses as a stewardess
and later as a civil servent for the Tehran Electric Company.

She is a young hacker from Unit 8200 from the Israeli
military (Mossad). Send on a dangerous mission
to hack into an Iranian nuclear reactor infrastructure, to
paralyze the anti-air defense.

But when the mission goes wrong, she finds herself alone
in the city of her childhood. But she still has relatives in
the city. She rediscovers her Iranian roots in a hostile city
under a life-threatening hunt.

Tamar later befriends local pro-democracy activists and
plans a new operation that will place her and everyone
close to her in jeopardy.

Recommended.

Lovecraft Country(2020-US,UK)
Release Date-16 August-10 episodes-weekly
Creators-Misha Green, Jordan Peele
Producer-J. J Abrams.
Stars- Jonathan Majors, Jurnee Smollett, Courtney B. Vance.

Based on Matt Ruff’s 2016 novel of the same name.

The series follows Atticus Freeman (Jonathan Majors)
a Korean War vet. He receives a letter from his missing
father, Montrose (Michael K. Williams) whom he hasn’t
talked to in years.

He embarks on a road trip to Ardham with his
Uncle George (Courtney B. Vance) and childhood friend
Letitia Lewis (Jurnee Smollett).

The three travel to Massachusetts county, which they
call “Lovecraft Country,” where monsters, both human
and unknown roam uninterrupted.

The first episode shows a lot of promise.
Visually stunning and full of energy.
Good performance from Atticus Jonathan Majors
and Jurnee Smollett.


This post has been edited by lleihuan: Aug 18 2020, 03:48 PM

Emily In Paris (2020-UK,US)
Release Date-2 October.
10 episodes-30 minutes each ( All available)
Creator- Darren Star(Sex and the City, Melrose Place)
Stars-Lily Collins (The Last Tycoon)
Philippine Leroy Beaulieu , Ashley Park (Mean Girls on Broadway)

Emily Cooper (Lily Collins) a Midwestern marketer who abruptly gets sent to Paris.
She work for a American firm that has just purchases a little French firm.
Her boss (Kate Walsh) should go, but she got pregnant.

When Emily arrives in Paris, she struggles to connect with her new colleagues.
She's young and an ambitious 20-somethings. And she doesn’t speak French.

She aims to win over her new colleagues, make friends, and new romances.

The series has a balance between comedy, romance and drama.
And Lily is a treat to watch.

The Queen's Gambit (2020-US,UK)
Release Date- 23 October
Limited Series-7 Episodes-All available (internet)
Creator- Scott Frank(Godless-2017) , Allan Scott
Director- Scott Frank
Stars- Anya Taylor-Joy(The Miniaturist, Peaky Blinders), Marielle Heller.

Based on the 1983 novel by Walter Tevis.

The Queen's Gambit is the name of the chess opening moves,
the oldest chess opening and is frequently played.

Beth Harmon (played as child by Isla Johnston) is in a
Kentucky orphanage after a car crash that kills her mother.

In class, the math teacher left with nothing to teach her,
always sent her to clap out erasers in the basement.

There, young Beth discovers that a janitor , Mr. Shaibel (Bill Camp) plays
chess games against himself in the orphanage’s basement.
Obsessed with the game before she even knows what it’s called.
He teaches her the game of chess and it doesn’t take long for her
to start beating him.

She visualize and move shadowy pieces across the imaginary chessboard
of her bedroom ceiling as she plots for her next attack.

After a few years at the orphanage, she's adopted by a lonely
housewife, Mrs. Alma (Marielle Heller).
As the 15-year-old Beth's(Anya Taylor-Joy) passion for chess
grows, she finds her way competing around the country.

Both women shared their vices, drink, party and smoking but their
loneliness too.
And also her addiction to tranquilizers.

But she knows chess is her destiny.

“She’s like us, losing is not an option, she’s an orphan and
what other life does she have?"
the Soviet world champion, Vasily Borgov (Marcin Dorocinski) comments.

Every episode flies at a rapid pace.
Beautifully filmed.
Anya Taylor-Joy's electrifying performances!









This post has been edited by lleihuan: Oct 25 2020, 11:07 AM