Although most people are focused on their 2024 New Year resolutions, we must not forget all of the new television shows and movies that are available to binge-watch. Spring may be on the horizon, but the nights are still dark and cold, so here are five noteworthy films and TV shows to entertain you for the remainder of the winter season.
Fool Me Once
Based on the book by Harlan Coben, ‘Fool Me Once’ follows Maya, an ex-soldier whose husband and sister have recently been murdered. After installing a nanny cam, Maya looks back at the footage and is shocked to see her deceased husband hugging their daughter. She begins to question everything about her husband and sister’s death and sets out looking for answers. Dodging two blundering detectives in a green Skoda, a bitter mother-in-law, and PTSD from her time in the army, every discovery leaves Maya even more uncertain. ‘Fool Me Once’ will leave you as frustrated as the protagonist, but will keep you in the passenger seat alongside her, racing to find out the truth.
Beef
‘Beef’ is a black comedy following two characters, Amy and Danny, who are from totally different worlds. Amy is a successful designer, unable to cope with family life alongside her business, while Danny is a troubled contractor who is struggling financially. In a supermarket parking lot, the two get caught up in a road rage incident. Neither character can move on from the incident and through their never-ending war the series explores the consequences of unexpressed rage and stress. This A24 production is unique as it maintains its eccentric tone while highlighting common issues of class and race.
Beckham
‘Beckham’ chronicles the life of former footballer David Beckham. The four-episode series shows how a working-class boy from East London found worldwide fame and success. The documentary doesn’t focus solely on his career, it also dives into his relationship with popstar turned designer, Victoria Beckham. There is no need for viewers to be football fans as this series will captivate you from the very beginning. The mix of sit-down interviews, news coverage, paparazzi videos and family films will show the international star in a new light and highlight the absurd nature of fast-track fame.
Leave the World Behind
‘Leave the World Behind’ is an apocalyptic thriller centred around a family who visit Long Island for a vacation. In the middle of the night two people, claiming to be the owners of the property, knock on the front door of their luxury rental house and say that they need to stay. The two strangers then explain that there has been a blackout in the area and this soon leads to even more strange occurrences. Miles away from the nearest city with no service or internet, the panic begins to set in, and it isn’t long until all of the characters begin to turn on each other. With a powerful cast, led by Julia Roberts, ‘Leave the World Behind’ has you in for a wild and riveting ride.
The Fall of the House of Usher
If you’re looking for a horror drama to binge-watch on a dark winter night, ‘The Fall of the House of Usher’ is the show for you. From Mike Flannagan, who also created ‘The Haunting of Hill House’, is a sinister miniseries based on the work of Edgar Allan Poe. The Usher family have brutally built a dynasty but now they are mysteriously dying one by one. Following two past timelines alongside the present day, this miniseries is an untamed modern adaption of Poe’s 19th-century short story. Like a party that you can’t bring yourself to leave, ‘The Fall of the House of Usher’ will hook you with its twisted characters and their mysterious affairs.
Thomas Boyle – Reporter
