MUST-WATCH: Potential best actress performance and murder mysteries

Gal Gadot, Emma Mackey and Armie Hammer in Death on the Nile.

By James Mackin

Posted February 15, 2022 5:53 pm.

First it was the Orient Express, but now detective Hercule Poirot is back with a murder mystery on the Nile! But will that take the top spot, or could it go to a Spanish film nominated for an Academy Award? Perhaps a paranoid thriller set during the COVID-19 pandemic could take it? You’ll have to keep reading to find out!

Kimi

Where to watch: Crave

Starting off this week with a new thriller from a filmmaker extraordinaire!

Zoe Kravitz in Kimi.

Kimi is the latest film from Steven Soderbergh (the man behind the Ocean’s trilogy, Traffic, and Magic Mike). It stars Zoë Kravitz (from Mad Max: Fury Road and High Fidelity) as a woman working for a tech company specializing in smart speakers called Kimi. She’s agoraphobic, and her job mostly consists of analyzing data streams from all the Kimis in usage. But one day, she hears what appears to be a violent sexual assault through one of those data streams. She decides to investigate this on her own, realizing that this could be a murder.

You can watch this film on Crave now!

Death on the Nile

Where to watch: Cinemas

Next up, we’re taking a trip to Africa!

Death on the Nile is the latest adaptation of an Agatha Christie novel, once again directed by Kenneth Branagh (the director of Belfast and Thor). After his last adventure starring as famed detective Hercule Poirot in Murder on the Orient Express, he returns to solve another mystery. A woman is murdered aboard a ship called the Karnak, and the killer could be anybody. From Armie Hammer’s newly married aristocrat, to Sophie Okonedo’s jazz singer, and Russell Brand’s doctor, the killer could be anybody. Boasting a large ensemble cast that also includes Gal Gadot, Letitia Wright, Emma Mackey and more, this film has enough suspense (and champagne) to fill the Nile!

You can watch it in cinemas now!

I Want You Back

Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video

After those intense mysteries, let’s sit back and enjoy a romantic comedy!

I Want You Back stars Charlie Day (from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and Pacific Rim) and Jenny Slate (from Kroll Show and Marcel the Shell with Shoes On) as two people who were recently broken up with. They discover each other crying in a stairwell, and decide to team up to try to get their partners back (played by Gina Rodriguez and Scott Eastwood respectively). They’ll do whatever they can to help the other person get their partner back, but perhaps they find their own love along the way.

You can watch this film on Amazon Prime Video now!

Inventing Anna

Where to watch: Netflix

Now, we’ll take a look at a new miniseries from Shonda Rhimes!

Inventing Anna stars Julia Garner (from Ozark) as Anna Sorokin. She was born in the Soviet Union in the 90s, and in the 2010s she fooled tons of wealthy Americans into thinking she was a rich German heiress called Anna Delvey. She spent millions of dollars she didn’t have, but was eventually caught and accused of grand larceny. This miniseries also stars Anna Chlumsky (from Veep) as an investigative journalist probing her story, trying to figure out why Anna did what she did.

You can watch all episodes of this show on Netflix now!

Parallel Mothers

Where to watch: Cinemas

Lastly, a film from one of Spain’s best filmmakers!

Penelope Cruz and Milena Smit in Parallel Mothers.

Parallel Mothers is the newest film from Pedro Almodóvar, who’s made classics like the Skin I Live In, All About My Mother, and Volver. In this film, he reunites with one of his most famous muses, Penélope Cruz (from Vanilla Sky and Blow). She plays a new mother in this film who may or may not have swapped her baby with another woman’s shortly after birth. That woman, played by Milena Smit (from Cross the Line) ends up becoming a close friend of Cruz, but the tension is grows and grows between the two. Cruz is nominated for Best Actress at the 94th Academy Awards, so you definitely don’t wanna miss this performance!

You can watch this in cinemas now!