Ready to binge-watch your way through the summer? Our recommendations of the best films and series for this issue, compiled by Fisayo Verissimo, are here to help you find your next obsession. Get your snacks ready, and let the movie marathon begin!
MC Movie Recommendations – April 2023 Releases
- “Love & Death”
Elizabeth Olsen and Jesse Plemons star in this disturbing limited HBO series based on a chilling true story. Two churchgoing couples enjoy small-town family life in Texas – until somebody picks up an axe. This show is also available on Showmax.
- “Thicker Than Water”
A journalist’s chaos devolves into chaos after shielding her brother from the law, entangling her family with a drug lord’s ruthless scheme.
Cast: Nawell Madani, Kahina Carima, etc.
- “Transatlantic”
An American journalist, during 13 months spent in France in 1940-41, manages to arrange safe passage out of France and onto the US for more than 2000 refugees who are in danger of losing their lives.
Cast: Gillian Jacobs, Amit Rahav, etc.
- “Obsession”
A respected London surgeon’s affair with his son’s fiancée turns into an erotic infatuation that threatens to change their lives forever
Cast: Charlie Murphy, Richard Armitage, etc.
- “Florida Man”
A disgraced cop in debt is forced to return to his home state of Florida for a shady mission only to get swept up in a wild-and – deadly – treasure hunt.
Cast: Edgar Ramirez, Abbey Lee, etc.
- “Guy Ritchie’s: The Covenant”
Following the death of King Edward, invaders and rival heirs battle for the crown. Uthred and his comrades strive to form a united England.
Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Dar Salim, Alexander Ludwig as Sgt, Antony Starr, etc.
- “AKA”
A steely special ops agent finds his morality put to test when he infiltrates a crime syndicate and unexpectedly bonds with the boss’s young son.
Cast: Alban Lenoir, Éric Cantona, etc.
May 2023 Releases
- “Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story” ( May 4)
A Bridgerton Story is a drama limited series created by Shonda Rhimes for Netflix. The series is a prequel spin-off of the Netflix series Bridgerton and focuses on young Queen Charlotte’s rise to prominence and power.
- “Queen Cleopatra” (May 11)
As Egypt’s last Pharaoh, Cleopatra fights to protect her throne, family and legacy in this docudrama featuring reenactments and expert interviews.
Cast: Jada Pinkett Smith, Adele James, etc.
- “Royalteen: Princess Margrethe” ( May 11)
Royalteen: Princess Margrethe is a Norwegian romantic-drama film based on the second book of Randi Fuglehaug and Anne Gunn Halvorsen’s young adult book series. The story follows Princess Margrethe, a Norwegian royal, as she deals with the fallout from a prom scandal and hospitalisation, while also facing unexpected complications when the Danish royal family visits, including the handsome Prince Kalle. With a mix of family, romantic, and personal drama, the film promises to be an engaging watch.
- “Ayaanle” ( May 12)
Ayaanle, a 21-year-old man from Nairobi, Kenya, has dreams of becoming a successful Hollywood actor. However, his life is turned upside down when a series of events lead him to become the most wanted man in Kenya.
Casts: Barkhad Abdirahman, Mariam Ali, etc.
- “The Mother” (May 12)
The upcoming Netflix Original film is an action-thriller featuring Jennifer Lopez as a deadly assassin who leaves hiding to protect the daughter she gave up years ago. The movie titled: “Mother” also stars Lucy Paez, Joseph Fiennes, Omari Hardwick, Gael García Bernal, Paul Raci, Jesse Garcia, and Yvonne Senat Jones. It promises to showcase the Mother’s immense grit and strength as she faces dangerous assailants.
- “Fanfic” (May 17)
In this moving Polish Netflix Original film, two high school students (Alin Szewczyk and Jan Cięciara) come together to create an intense connection as they take on the challenge of finding, accepting, and expressing their truest selves. Fanfic is a sweet and moving LGBTQ+ story about self-discovery, change, and the incredible, unforgettable bonds that people can make with one another, even (maybe especially) in difficult and confusing times.
- “Young, Famous and African” (Season 2 – May 19)
This reality series follows a group of famed, affluent young media stars in Johannesburg as they build careers, look for love and rekindle old flames.
Cast: Khanyi Mbau, Diamond Platnumz, Naked DJ, Annie Macaulay Idibia, Bonang Matheba, etc.
- “Wanda Sykes: I’m an Entertainer” (May 23)
In her second hour-long Netflix comedy special, legendary comedian and actress Wanda Sykes returns to take the stage and split some sides. Wanda Sykes: I’m An Entertainer sees Sykes comment and explore the challenges of raising Gen-Z teens, the challenges with being liberal in an intensely charged political clime, and more, all with her exception social commentary and incisive wit, making for a stand-up experience that is sure to entertain, educate, and delight.
MC Movie Recommendations – Bonus:
- “The House of Secrets” (June 30)
The film follows the story of a sheltered woman whose past comes back to haunt her when she’s thrown in jail for being an accomplice to her spy lover. 20 years later, a group rescues her from jail and sets up a semblance of her old house to make her remember a secret number her spy lover hid with her.
