Instant Picks of the Week 1/29/16
Gone are the days of scrolling mindlessly through your queue! No longer will you have to sift through the vastness of what’s coming to the instant viewing wastelands this month! Whether you’re looking for a stellar film or an exciting new show to binge, Instant Picks of the Week brings you the hottest releases in film and television on instant viewing platforms that we know you’ll love, or at the very least not despise.
DUM LAGA KE HAISHA (Netflix)
The setup is simple: a deadbeat guy forced to marry an overweight woman must win a wife-carrying contest to save his family’s failing business. Not only does this Bollywood romantic comedy deliver on all the tongue-in-cheek humor it promises (the title translates to “Heave ho, carry that weight”), it manages to buck tradition in every possible way. Sandhya, the aforementioned “weight”, is highly intelligent, driven, and very much in touch with her sexuality. She represents the exact opposite of the typical Bollywood starlet, and she absolutely succeeds. The film is as touching as it is thought-provoking, as visually stunning as it is hilarious, and caps off a knockout ending sequence with a classic Bollywood musical breakdown. Keep this one in your back pocket for an offbeat Valentine’s Netflix and Chill, or watch it yourself and feel all warm and fuzzy inside. [Kate Brogden]
MISSISSIPPI GRIND (Amazon Prime)
It seems that this indie gem from 2015 fell under almost everyone’s radar, which is a huge disappointment considering that it features one of the most subdued, intelligent performances of the year from its lead actor, Ben Mendelsohn. Following two men on their futile conquest to gamble their way into fortune, MISSISSIPPI GRIND might be the most successful display of the hopelessness of a gambling addiction and the toxic consequences that come with it. This film does a fantastic job at delivering its narrative ups and downs with such an understated visual display that viewers understand the root of the addiction, what fuels it, and how traumatic its side-effects are. Yet, it never stoops to sensationalism or the synthetic glitz and glamour that most Hollywood-depictions of the Casino-high-life suffer from. [Sergio Zaciu]
