MUST-WATCH: Dexter Morgan is back

"Jim Lindsay" a.k.a Dexter Morgan spends some time in the wild in Dexter: New Blood.

By James Mackin

Posted November 14, 2021 6:10 pm.

Last Updated November 15, 2021 10:11 am.

One of the year’s biggest award-winning films has entered the MUST-WATCH Top 10 this week! But will it take the top spot? Perhaps it will go to the latest tv revival miniseries, or maybe a documentary about an incredibly infamous American? You’ll have to keep reading to find out!

Passing

Where to watch: Netflix

Starting this week off with a thought-provoking drama!

Tessa Thompson and Ruth Negga in Passing.

Passing is the directorial debut of Rebecca Hall (an actress who appeared in the Prestige and Christine). This film stars Tessa Thompson (from Westworld and Thor: Ragnarok) and Ruth Negga (from Ad Astra and Loving) as two light-skinned black women, both of whom can pass as white women. Thompson lives as a black woman in Harlem, married to a black man, and struggles with racism on a daily basis. However, Negga passes as a white woman. She’s married to a racist white man, and is known among her friends as a member of white society. Despite their newfound differences, the two friends reconnect. But the differences continue to grow, which leads to an explosive finale. Both Thompson and Negga have garnered tons of critical acclaim for this film, so any award-watchers out there will definitely need to see this one!

You can watch it on Netflix now, but it’s also playing in cinemas!

Dexter: New Blood

Where to watch: Crave

Now, let’s take a look at the return of television’s favourite serial killer!

Dexter: New Blood picks up 10 years from after the series finale. Dexter Morgan (played by Michael C. Hall from Six Feet Under and In The Shadow of the Moon) has fled Miami, and is now living in a small snowy town in New York. He lives a quiet life, and is dating the town’s police chief (played by Julia Jones from Wind River). But a familiar face returns, sending his idyllic life into a tailspin. And it appears that there may be a serial killer loose in the town. And when there’s a killer around, Dexter Morgan goes on the hunt. This series also sees the return of Debra (played by Jennifer Carpenter from the Enemy Within), Dexter’s sister. Fans of the original show will know that’s a very shocking surprise, and there’s sure to be more to come!

You can watch this on Crave now, with every episode coming out weekly!

Pharma Bro

Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video

Next up, a documentary about the most hated man in America!

Pharma Bro takes a look at the life and legacy of Martin Shkreli. He was a hedge fund manager, and the former CEO of a company called Turing Pharmaceuticals. While there, he became infamous and hated across the U.S. for raising the price of a life-saving drug called daraprim from $13.50 a pill, to $750 a pill. This got him a ton of bad press, but he kept on being the worst person ever. He told the public that his only regret was not increasing the price of that pill more. He was charged and convicted on two counts of securities fraud, for which he is currently in jail for. And he bought the only copy of a rare Wu-Tang album for over $2 million, and refused to let anyone here it. Many became obsessed with his actions, leading to his status as one of the most infamous figures of the 2010s.

You can watch this documentary on Amazon Prime Video now!

Dopesick

Where to watch: Disney+

This miniseries is also about a pharmaceutical company, but it’s a very different experience.

Dopesick is a miniseries focusing on Oxycontin. It’s an incredibly addictive painkiller that led to the growing opioid crisis of the past few decades. It stars many people, including Michael Keaton (from Batman and Birdman) as a small town doctor who regrets prescribing the drug, Michael Stuhlbarg (from Boardwalk Empire and A Serious Man) as Richard Sackler, the former President of Purdue Pharma who believes he can make Oxycontin a billion dollar drug, and Kaitlyn Dever (from Booksmart and Unbelievable) as a young miner whose life changes for the worse after they are prescribed Oxycontin. Similar to Traffic, this is a large look at the effects of drugs on modern day Western society. You can’t miss this one!

It’s available on Disney+ now!

Belfast

Where to watch: Cinemas

Last but not least, the front runner in the awards season race!

Two lovers sharing a dance during the Troubles in Belfast.

Belfast is a film directed by Kenneth Branagh (the acclaimed actor from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Tenet, and the director of Thor and Hamlet). This is based off of his childhood growing up in Belfast during the Troubles, but it’s not a biopic. The film stars newcomer Jude Hill as a young boy in a working class family. His parents, played by Jamie Dornan (from Fifty Shades of Grey and Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar) and Caitríona Balfe (from Outlander and Ford v. Ferrari), are growing more concerned as the violence spills into the streets. The people of Belfast are forced to pick a side as the conflict grows, and this family is considering hopping across the pond for a (hopefully) better life. This film also stars Dame Judi Dench (from Skyfall and Philomena) and Ciarán Hinds (from Rome and Game of Thrones). It won the People’s Choice Award at TIFF, the festival’s top award. Previous winners of this award include Nomadland, Green Book, and 12 Years a Slave, all of which won the Academy Award for Best Picture.