Streaming Guide: Movies, shows to watch on April 26

This biographical documentary about the tycoon Warren Buffett tells the story about how he made his billions and how he chooses to spend them. The story is full of humility and will surely inspire you.

So this is a show run by the people at BuzzFeed America where a few select people take turns to ascertain whether an item is worth its price or not. Entertaining and weirdly informative.

Hosted by Samin Nosrat, this Netflix show is divided into four parts – Salt, Fat, Acid and Heat. The four episodes take us through Italy, Japan, Mexico and California, USA, as Samin discusses the importance of these four elements in our food. The first episode titled Fat will make you drool with its indulgence in cheese and bread.

Sophie Turner (Sansa Stark of Game of Thrones) stars as a mentally-ill and suicidal woman in this series which turns from a mental health drama to a survival drama in a bizarre twist.

The BBC One and HBO television series His Dark Materials is many things — a bildungsroman, a fantasy fiction, an adventure show, but above all, it is about making the choices that you believe in and finding your own identity in the process. Adapted from the books of the same name by Philip Pullman, the narrative follows a girl called Lyra, who is said to achieve greatness.

Directed by Nanfu Wang and Jialing Zhang, One Child Nation talks about the ramifications of the one-child policy of China that lasted for almost 25 years. It’s a harrowing account of people who emotionally talk about the harsh experiences their families went through as China enforced the policy on all its citizens.

Strictly for adults, BoJack Horseman starts as a look into the self-destructive world of the titular character, who is a washed-up TV star. But as the seasons progress, it turns out to be a lot more than just a satirical take on a hedonistic has-been. Set in an anthropomorphic universe where humans and animals live together, the show takes us on a deeply self-reflective journey about the various facets of human behaviour. As funny as it is, the Netflix show is not afraid to address serious issues like depression, addiction, racism, sexism, sexual orientation, etc. This series is not ideal for binge-watching as it may be too heavy for some viewers, but it is still a must-watch.

In the early 1980s, followers of Rajneesh started working towards building a utopian city named Rajneeshpuram in Oregon, USA. The city was met with a lot of opposition from the neighbouring counties, which resulted in bio-attacks and led many of the followers to flee from the country. Rajneesh, too, was arrested by the end of it.

This documentary film chronicles Chinese city Wuhan’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic in its initial days. For those who do not know, Wuhan is now considered to be the place from where the novel coronavirus originated.

At its core, Kingdom is a tale of the struggle for the throne, but the said struggle gets hampered by dead people getting resurrected because of a mysterious plant which also turns them into witless cannibals.

Rewatch this HBO original where Carrie and her friends traverse the tricky lanes of New York and life together!

This Ryan Gosling and Harrison Ford starrer is set in a dystopian future in Los Angeles of 2019. This science-fiction drama was helmed by the acclaimed filmmaker Ridley Scott.

Easily the most popular movie (and the most successful!) to come out of Studio Ghibli, Spirited Away is Miyazaki’s gift to the world of animated films. Released in 2001, the film shows the magical journey of Chihiro, a 10-year-old girl who loses her way and ends up in the spirit world. There aren’t enough words to describe the stunning aesthetic of the film, which was all hand-drawn by Miyazaki before it was animated. This is truly a one-of-a-kind movie that must be watched by everyone, young and old alike. For more films by director Hayao Miyazaki, click here. 

Go down the memory lane with Miley Cyrus' TV debut that helped her become a household name. There's singing, drama and lots of teen romance in store!

A prequel of the classic Alfred Hitchcock film, Bates Motel tells the story of Normal Bates from when he was a kid. The acting is superb, both by Freddie Highmore as Norman Bates and Vera Farmiga as his mother Norma Bates. There is uneasy, almost incestuous tension between the duo and that is the biggest strength of this show. Sometimes scary and sometimes creepy, Bates Motel is a worthy prequel.

Chernobyl, a miniseries based on the nuclear disaster of the same name, is scarier than any horror story in existence, precisely because it did happen in the past and a similar event can happen in future. Human incompetence, after all, has no limits.

The Indian Express film critic Shalini Langer wrote about Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan, "It’s through the two of them that the film also explores what is its strongest theme: that of unrequited love. Like others before them, and others sure to come after, they carry regrets about a special someone, and “what could have been”. Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan doesn’t evoke these memories with bitterness or anger but as one of those moments that make up a life."

Guillermo del Toro's Oscar-winning feature The Shape of Water twists the traditional beauty-and-the-beast story and in the process tells a story that is gorgeous both visually and musically.

Hugh Jackman and Allison Janney play the roles of school superintendent Dr Frank A Tassone and district official Pamela Gluckin, respectively. The two are accused of embezzlement of hundreds of thousands of dollars from district funds. Their job is to bury the accusation and keep it from going public.

Merritt Wever and Domhnall Gleeson play the role of ex-couple Ruby Richardson and Billy Johnson, respectively, who made a pact 17 years ago in college. The pact said that if one of them texted the word ‘run’, and the other one texted it back, they would leave everything, meet at the Grand Central Station and journey across America together.

Gerald’s Game perfectly captures the essence of a dark and twisted King novel of the same name in spirit if not in plot. A woman is left bound to bedposts with steel handcuffs with her husband dead after their planned BDSM session goes terribly wrong. What follows elicits the deepest fears inside the viewer and this is not your ordinary ghost story involving scary monsters. It is instead a more realistic story where your own inner demons that you thought were things of the past come back.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse is considered to be one of the best animated films in recent times. Apart from winning an Academy Award for the best animated feature, it is also the first Marvel superhero film to win an Oscar. Spider-Verse features alternate spider heroes from different dimensions with the voices of Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld and Mahershala Ali.

Based on Robert Galbraith's crime books, this series follows Afghan War vet and private investigator Cormoran Strike and his assistant Robin as they solve mysteries. In case you are not aware, Robert Galbraith is a pseudonym of JK Rowling.

Based on an intriguing what-if premise, The Man in the High Castle is an alternate reality show. In this world, the Axis powers won and the United States was carved up between Imperial Japan and Nazi Germany. Common Americans live under two foreign, oppressive regimes and they are resigned to their fate... until the people come across another reality -- our reality -- according to which things could be better.

Two brothers hunt down ghosts, vampires and other monsters skulking across the United States. The concept itself gets old very quickly, but the characters don’t.

A low budget film that tells the story of screenwriter Emily V Gordon and her husband and comedian Kumail Nanjiani, who have also written the story together. This is a no-holds-barred story that does not gloss over anything a relationship is - messy, sometimes infuriating and perplexing, but beautiful and worth it nonetheless.

The well-loved Netflix tragicomedy drama series After Life, created by, directed by and starring Ricky Gervais, is back for its second season. The first season charmed the viewers with its tale of a man's journey from an obnoxious, wise-cracking man who thinks of his behaviour after his wife's death as a superpower (as he can always kill himself if things get too hot) to a kinder, more considerate person.

Part of the MonsterVerse, Godzilla: King of the Monsters pits Godzilla against King Ghidorah, the three headed dragon, in a titanic brawl. Oh, and there is some other stuff too. This is a gorgeous monster movie marred by a weak story and human characters.

Sophie Turner (Sansa Stark of Game of Thrones) stars as a mentally-ill and suicidal woman in this series which turns from a mental health drama to a survival drama in a bizarre twist.

This show is based on the children book series of the same name and follows two young siblings as they try to protect themselves and their fortune from the devilish Count Olaf (played with a menacing glee by the inimitable Neil Patrick Harris). The series is the right mix of horror and comedy and you scarcely mind the improbability of the events unfolding before you, since it is incredibly entertaining.

Steven Spielberg's adaptation of HG Wells' novel of the same name, War of the Worlds sees an invasion by the Martians. Tom Cruise stars as a longshoreman who witnesses the invasion directly. Scores of people are disintegrated by the Martian war machines called Tripods that emerge from beneath the earth. War of the Worlds is a non-stop thriller that never lets up.

Elementary is a contemporary retelling of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's character Sherlock Holmes starring Jonny Lee Miller as Sherlock Holmes and Lucy Liu as Dr. Joan Watson. The show follows Holmes, a recovering drug addict and former consultant to Scotland Yard, as he assists the New York City Police Department in solving crimes, where he is joined by Dr Watson.

Based on a podcast of the same name, Lore delves into real-life horror stories -- the sordid, scary truth behind urban legends.

This movie was about a school kid who has nothing special about him. His fortunes change, however, when he pulls King Arthur’s famous sword Excalibur from the stone it is buried in. According to the Arthur stories, only the true king could pull the sword and wield it. The film was an enjoyable adventure for both kids and adults and Andy Serkis’ son Louis Ashbourne Serkis, who played the lead, has a bright future ahead of him.

Bill Hader's titular character is an ex-United States Marine who now works as a ruthless hitman in the Midwest, but he does not like his job. He goes to Los Angeles on an 'assignment' and ends up in a community of people looking to making an entry into Los Angeles's theatre scene.

The Report is a drama film named after the report of the investigation into accusations of torture against the CIA in the wake of 9/11. Adam Driver headlines the film as a real-life figure Daniel J Jones, the current head of an organisation called Advance Democracy, Inc

While the sunny Los Angeles is not as compelling a setting for horror as the dank streets of Victorian London, The City of Angels, Showtime horror series Penny Dreadful's spinoff, is surprisingly good, with a nice amalgam of contemporary social issues and the supernatural. 

Karan Johar was criticised for promoting infidelity in Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna. But for me, the film was way ahead of its time as it explored various dynamics of marriage. It had some wow factors, like the sizzling chemistry between Shah Rukh Khan and Rani Mukerji, the onscreen bond between Amitabh Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan, a good supporting cast and music by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy among more. These made the film a decent watch.

Mentalhood is a depiction of modern mothers who are trying to get to the end of the day without going completely insane. Meira Sharma (Karisma Kapoor), Anuja Joshi (Sandhya Mridul), Preeti Khosla (Tillotama Shome), Deeksha Shah (Shruti Seth), Namrata (Shilpa Shukla) are the mothers who seem to be in a race. A race to become the best parent. But in their quest of perfection, their imperfections show. They are competitive. They put the pressure of their dreams on their children. They spy on their kids. And, all of this while being under the gaze of a society which easily blames everything wrong with a child on the mother. Read more

In Defending Jacob, Chris Evans plays Andy Barber, a lawyer who worked at the District Attorney’s office until recently. He is released from his duty after his teenage son Jacob (Jaeden Martell) becomes the prime suspect in the murder of a classmate. The show is largely narrated through Andy’s point of view as he discusses the events in a grand jury hearing a few months after the murder and we are shown those events in flashbacks. While Defending Jacob is a mystery, it’s also a psychological study of a family who finds itself in the middle of a media trial. Read more 

The Nora Ephron directorial is a winsome movie that perfectly encapsulates the angst of being in love with someone you think you can never be with. However, despite all the obstacles, love ultimately wins, as it always does in case of romantic comedies.  

Also read | Hollywood Rewind: You've Got Mail

“Pyaar kya hai? Pyaar dosti hai!” This is what Bollywood’s King of Romance Shah Rukh Khan taught every youngster in Karan Johar’s debut directorial Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. The film has everything – from a heartwarming story with a love triangle at its centre, stellar cast, good music and enough entertainment to make you forget about the worries of the real world. Also, if you are an SRK fan, you can safely revisit this 90s hit.

Korean drama My Secret Romance is a story of a nutritionist who gets entangled in a series of misunderstandings with her new chaebol boss -- who turns out to be someone she slept with in the past. 

Hundred has Lara Dutta playing a police officer, who hires a terminally ill Netra (Rinku Rajguru) as an undercover officer. The two women, in their own ways, try to fulfil each other’s dreams, and what ensues is a thrilling ride.Also read | Lara Dutta on Hundred: Finally got to know what Bollywood heroes feel in a film