Streaming Guide: TV shows, movies and web series to watch on June 3

Martin Scorsese’s adaptation of Dennis Lehane’s novel of the same name is about two US Marshals played by Leonardo DiCaprio and Mark Ruffalo, who arrive on an island that houses a facility for the criminally insane to investigate the disappearance of an inmate. The film is known for its thwack of an ending that changes the way the viewer looks at the whole story. It is an otherwise well-made film as well, with stunning cinematography, performances, background score, writing and, of course, direction.

Writer Reshu Nath has penned a smart and entertaining web series. Each episode has interesting plot twists. The courtroom sequences, where a rape case is being debated, is devoid of theatrics. There is simply an argument with both the lawyers citing the laws and presenting their evidence. Despite being a legal drama, the writing never gets heavy. With 30-minute episodes, it is an easy binge-watch which doesn’t require you to pay too much attention. While the courtroom sequences leave you thrilled, the drama that unfolds out of the court unravels the reality of the political and judicial system. Read More.

Wish to make sense of the virus called SARS-CoV-2, its origin, the disease it causes (called COVID-19), relief efforts surrounding it by governments, NGOs, individuals, the challenges and so on? The Netflix documentary series Coronavirus, Explained has you covered. Read More.

Helmed by Jagdeep Sidhu, Shadaa, which means bachelor in Punjabi, is a film that revolves around Diljit Dosanjh and Neeru Bajwa’s characters, who are past what the society considers eligible age for marriage. Both of them appear to be anti-marriage but in reality, are unable to find a suitable match. When both of them meet, they fall in love but find it difficult to explain to their families the changed stance on marriage. The film’s narrative ensures the laughs keep coming. Diljit and Neeru’s comfort with each other shows on the screen and the two stars deliver convincing performances.

Starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Raghubir Yadav, Anurag Kashyap, among others, Ghoomketu is streaming on ZEE5. Read movie review here.

Written by Tina Fey and directed by Mark Waters, the scenes and dialogues from Mean Girls have become a part of pop culture in the last decade. The 2004 film stars Lindsay Lohan as Cady, who starts at a new school which is dominated by ‘mean girl’ Regina, played by Rachel McAdams. Mean Girls inspired several high school character archetypes in the 21st century.

Controversial, well-crafted and critically acclaimed are few of the adjectives that befit the Netflix Original The Crown. Queen Elizabeth II, her coronation and her journey as Britain’s queen are the main themes of this well-directed show. It boasts of an impressive cast (Olivia Colman, Matt Smith, Claire Foy, Helena Bonham Carter among more) and stunning set pieces. It is currently streaming on Netflix.

Ride or Die. Shout or keep their silence. One thing is for sure, whatever the ladies of Netflix series Dead to Me end up doing, always turns out interesting. The second season of the Christina Applegate and Lina Cardellini web series started streaming from May 8. And just like the first season, the new season too is full of dark comedy, emotional moments and witty one-liners. In fact, the second season is a kind of quotable quotes galore if tragicomedy, self-doubt and self-love is ‘your thing.’ Read More.

Kota Factory is set in the student city of Kota where we follow the story of 16-year-old Vaibhav, who is preparing for his IIT exams. Jitendra Kumar played the friendly teacher Jeetu Bhaiya here. Created by TVF, the show has five episodes.

Also Read | Top 20 Indian web series you can stream on YouTube

Everything about Baarish 2 is stale, from its plot, characterisation, to the treatment of the story. It seems like nobody in the team bothered to check that all their episodes look similar. Read More.

A quintessential Bollywood drama, Om Shanti Om marked Deepika Padukone’s Bollywood debut. The film paid homage to many classics of Hindi cinema, and director Farah Khan managed to recreate the old-world charm. Shah Rukh Khan once again managed to win hearts as he opened his arms in his inimitable style. Several dialogues from the film like “Ek chutki sindoor ki keemat..” are still quotable.

The Vast of Night, an indie sci-fi thriller distributed by Amazon, harks back to classic stories and accounts of UFOs and alleged alien sightings, and the steady diet of shows and movies made on them which many of us grew up on. Read More.

In the first couple of episodes, Space Force establishes that it is based on a silly premise – the existence of a military branch called Space Force. But in this universe, that silly premise was taken seriously by someone, like the present-day POTUS, and they decided to run with it. We see the show shifting from stupidity to emotional outbursts, and while it tries to serve it all on the same platter, there are a few hits and misses. Read More.

Set in the 1980s, Raktanchal tells the story of Waseem Khan (Nikitin Dheer) who rules the tender mafia in Purvanchal. He is also involved in smuggling of arms and ammunition. His power is challenged by the anti-hero Vijay Singh (Kranti Prakash Jha), who held high morals and yearned to become a civil servant until Waseem’s gang murdered his father. While Singh is determined to avenge his father’s murder, Khan is determined to hold on to his power come what may. Read More.

Watch this Taika Waititi film set during World War II on Disney+ Hotstar. The film is a satire on Third Reich and the collapse of Hitler’s forces as the war ended. The film stars Waititi, Scarlett Johansson, Roman Griffin Davis.

When you are down and out, all you sometimes need in life is a nudge in the right direction to lift your spirits. And Netflix series Sweet Magnolias does exactly that. It is a show about three women who celebrate the choices they make. Based on the books penned by Sherryl Woods, the web series features JoAnna Garcia Swisher, Brooke Elliott and Heather Headley in the lead roles. Read More.

There’s no way that you will not be impressed by the kids featured in Netflix’s latest documentary Spelling the Dream. Here, we see how the Indian Americans have dominated the Scripps National Spelling Bee competition for decades now, and their hold on the title is just getting stronger every year. Director Sam Rega offers a short history lesson on Indian immigrants in America and then focuses on the families who devote the children’s formative years to competing in spelling bees. Read More.

Dulquer Salmaan and Parvathy star in this bewildering, beautiful drama of finding oneself. While both the leading stars' prowess is at full display in the film, it is the stunning cinematography that steals everyone's thunder. 

A romantic comedy that is predictable but not boring? Yes, such a thing can happen and Netflix's Set it Up shows us exactly how.  

If you love eating or cooking even remotely, this is the show you should watch right now! Host and renowned chef David Chang discovers and rediscovers delicacies as the audience gets a chance to take in the brilliant camera work in all its glory. 

Bad Education is an engrossing comedy drama. Though it is a comedy and also has many characteristics of an out-and-out satire, it treats its subject matter — corruption in academia — with the gravity it deserves. 

Also read | Bad Education review

Pacy, with a somewhat illogical conspiracy plot, what really elevates Red Eye’s game are the lead actors’ performances — stunning and surprising from start to finish.

Also read | Hollywood Rewind: Red Eye

The show — narrated by tennis legend John McEnroe — essentially is the story of 15-year-old Vishwakumar, a sophomore high-school student, who is trying to make a go at life while coming to terms with the recent death of her father.  

Johnny Cash, Joaquin Phoenix, Reese Witherspoon, country music and a tumultuous love story in the backdrop. These are some of the key ingredients of the acclaimed biographical movie Walk the Line. Built around the life and times of country music legend Johnny Cash, Walk the Line is a touching feature about what it means to pursue your passion. 

A novel take on the rom-com and boy-meets-girl love story, The Half of It has been directed by the acclaimed filmmaker Alice Wu.

This Sobhita Dhulipala show is a refreshing take on the match-making business led by a complicated woman and her best friend, who also happens to be a homosexual. The trials and tribulations that they go through together makes for an interesting, intriguing watch. 

HBO’s Watchmen series is a sequel of sorts (called a “remix”) to Alan Moore’s graphic novel of the same name. It is created by Damon Lindelof, co-creator of Lost and HBO’s own The Leftovers. Our verdict reads, "The show is immaculately made. The budget has been put to good use. The cinematography and visual effects are simply excellent. The writing is consistently smart, with weighty, substantial dialogue that one has to pause and replay to fully grasp it (or at least I did that). This series demands your constant attention. Bingeing won’t do justice here." Click here to know more.

This Sandra Bullock starrer is high on entertainment quotient as its leading lady battles goons and the hardships of becoming a potential pageant contestant. 

If what you are looking for is a sassy and sweet show, then you should binge-watch this Netflix series ASAP!

In this award-winning documentary on Taylor Swift's life, get an insightful and engaging sneak-peek into the backstage life of America's biggest name in the music industry. 

Starring the likes of Abhishek Banerjee, Neeraj Kabi and Jaideep Ahlawat, Amazon Prime's Paatal Lok has been receiving all kinds of love by people. The Indian Express' critic Shubra Gupta wrote, "Paatal Lok is an old-fashioned, evocative word which means hell or the nether-world, the exact opposite of swarg-lok aka heaven. And in this tale written by Sudip Sharma, produced by Anushka Sharma, we are led inexorably into darkness, which gets darker at each step: there are some parts here, doused in blood and bone and gristle, making even the most hardened fans of gore wince. I confess to closing my eyes in a couple of scenes, but the violence isn’t gratuitous because it has history: we know there will be blood." 

Also read | Paatal Lok review

Revolving around the lives of the wealthy Rose family whose fortune takes a turn for the worse as they go bankrupt, Schitt’s Creek has been created by the talented father-son duo of Dan and Eugene Levy. It stars Eugene Levy, Catherine O’Hara, Dan Levy, Annie Murphy, Emily Hampshire and a host of other credible actors. 

Also read | Schitt’s Creek bows out with a bang

The second season of the Christina Applegate and Lina Cardellini web series started streaming from May 8. And just like the first season, the new season too is full of dark comedy, emotional moments and witty one-liners. In fact, the second season is a kind of quotable quotes galore if tragicomedy, self-doubt and self-love is ‘your thing.’ Read more here.

The moving Pixar short film, Out, explores the apprehensions of the LGBTQ community while coming out to their parents -- the paralysing fear of just telling their loved ones about their sexual orientation. Read more 

Revolving around three first-year MBBS students, this series is set inside a medical college. While most web series cash in on the engineering college nostalgia, Operation MBBS takes a different route and talks about the extreme academic pressure that MBBS students face. Operation MBBS has five episodes. Read more 

Kota Factory is set in the student city of Kota where we follow the story of 16-year-old Vaibhav, who is preparing for his IIT exams. Jitendra Kumar played the friendly teacher Jeetu Bhaiya here. Created by TVF, the show has five episodes.

Three kids break into a blind veteran’s secluded house, thinking it would be an easy job to just go inside and pick up the cash. If the old guy wakes up, knock him cold and run away, is the plan. They are in for a really, really nasty surprise. Don’t Breathe is a thriller verging on horror.

Zombie comedies are hard to pull off. There is hardly anything hilarious about zombies walking and making a meal out of the living. But in Edgar Wright’s hands, it seems effortless. Keep in mind, though, the movie, starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, still has a lot of gore and horror.

Morgan Freeman played the role of Lucius Fox in The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises, but it was in the beginning of Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy that he really got to showcase his range. Many fans said that Lucius was basically Freeman in real-life, the calm, business-like man who never loses his cool.

Jojo Rabbit is a film about a young German boy (Roman Griffin), who finds out that his mother (Scarlett Johansson) is hiding a Jewish girl in their home. The film’s director Taika Waititi plays the boy’s imaginary friend Hitler whom he admires a lot. Jojo Rabbit won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay. 

America’s Got Talent has returned with new faces and some feel-good performances. Creator and Executive Producer Simon Cowell is back at the star-studded judges' table with comedian Howie Mandel, international superstar Sofia Vergara and global fashion icon Heidi Klum. Terry Crews hosts the show. Indian-origin duo Bad Salsa who have been winning hearts of the audiences in India will be impressing the judges with their exceptional style in this season of the talent show. 

When an aspiring crime fiction writer movies into a shady apartment building filled with mysterious residents, strange things start to occur. Strangers from Hell is a Korean psychological-thriller drama series that is based on the webtoon of the same name. It is a well-written show that will keep you hooked from the start till the end.

This coming-of-age film revolves around a group of expatriate Korean teens who visit Seoul for a government-funded camp to learn about their culture. Set in the 80s, Seoul Searching addresses issues like race and identity in a comic but hard-hitting manner.

Based on an intriguing what-if premise, The Man in the High Castle is an alternate reality show. In this world, the Axis powers won and the United States was carved up between Imperial Japan and Nazi Germany. Common Americans live under two foreign, oppressive regimes and they are resigned to their fate... until the people come across another reality -- our reality -- according to which things could be better.

Space Force brings the dream team of Carell and Greg Daniels, who gave us the supremely brilliant The Office seven years ago. But the Space Force is no Office, even though almost every second thing in the show reminds us of it. Read the review here.

The Vast of Night, an indie sci-fi thriller distributed by Amazon, harks back to classic stories and accounts of UFOs and alleged alien sightings, and the steady diet of shows and movies made on them which many of us grew up on.

Read more | The Vast of Night movie review: A gripping old-school sci-fi thriller

Directed by Mysskin of Psycho fame, Pisaasu may be slow-paced and lack the regular tropes of other horror films but that works to its advantage. Pisaasu has so much intrigue that you will have to watch the entire film to get answers, and it will not leave you disappointed. The official synopsis of the film reads as, “A man experiences paranormal activities at his house after the death of a girl who he tried to save. Soon after, he realizes that the spirit is actually trying to help him find the girl’s murderers.”

A Clint Eastwood directorial, Morgan Freeman has also acted in this film. But Hilary Swank and Morgan Freeman are equal partners in this heartfelt sports drama. This movie gave Freeman an Oscar in the Best Supporting Actor category. For other Morgan Freeman classic films, click here. 

Sumeet Vyas is back on the OTT platform with this new series. Official Bhootiyagiri, touted to be a drama-comedy with parts of horror, takes off when Dilwar Rana is asked to manage a hotel that is rumoured to be haunted. Will things take a turn for the worse when the rumour actually comes true?

High Time is a six episode dark comedy web-series streaming on YouTube channel Karvanda Nirmitee. The show stars Aashutosh Gokhale, Kshitish Date, Sainath Ganuwad, Shddjarth Mahashabde, Ketaki Narayan and Tanvi Kulkarni. It is a story about four friends who explore their lives and failures together, and yet promise for a better tomorrow which depends on strengthening their friendship and never giving up on each other.

There are few good shows on pirates, and Black Sails sits pretty on the top. Although the first season was marred by more talking than action, Black Sails picks up from second, gets better in third, and goes out with a bang with its fourth and final season. The story is the prequel of Treasure Island, classic adventure book by  Robert Louis Stevenson.

Four More Shots Please! revolves around the story of four best friends who love each other fiercely, played by Sayani Gupta, Maanvi Gagroo, Kirti Kulhari and Banji J in the lead roles. Both the seasons are streaming on Amazon Prime Video, 

In the first season, the audience saw Anuj and Gaurangi (played by Sharman Joshi and Asha Negi) falling in love and getting married. And now, they will witness the roller coaster journey of the couple as they face hurdles in their relationship.

Deadwood: The Movie is a sequel film to HBO’s iconic western TV series Deadwood created by David Milch that ran for three seasons from 2004 to 2006. The best part about the movie, like the series, is the writing and acting. The huge cast of talented actors (led by an impeccable McShane) get a chance to shine due to a compelling story and dialogues.

Released this year, this horror movie is the fourth installment in the American The Grudge film series.  Starring Andrea Riseborough, Demián Bichir and John Cho among others, the film follows a police officer who investigates several murders that are seemingly connected to a single house.

Among Netflix’s new offerings for June is a mega-hit from Korea. Titled Guardian: The Lonely and Great God, also known as Goblin, the K-drama went on to become a cultural phenomenon upon its TV release.  With 16 episodes, the show will make you feel many emotions and keep you invested. If you are new to the world of K-dramas, this is arguably the best place to start. 

Read more | Why you should watch Guardian: The Lonely and Great God on Netflix