Shaniz Chowdhury

Contributing writer for Arts & Entertainment.

‘Bridgerton’ Season 3: A triumphant return to regency romance

"Bridgerton" recently waltzed right back onto our screens for its third season — this time centring on the love story between Penelope Featherington and Colin Bridgerton. In this season, Penelope, secretly the gossip columnist Lady Whistledown, grapples with revealing her true identity while on a mission to find herself a suitable spouse. Colin, on the other hand, returns from his travels with newfound confidence.

6m ago

Curtains close on Cannes 2024

The 77th Cannes Film Festival concluded yesterday, leaving behind a trail of scintillating premieres, captivating performances, and the award-season buzz.

7m ago

Curtains close on Cannes 2024

The curtains have closed on the 77th Cannes Film Festival, leaving behind a trail of scintillating premieres, captivating performances, and awards season buzz. From established titans of cinema to burgeoning talents, this year's edition offered a diverse feast for cinephiles.

7m ago

‘Baby Reindeer’: The unconventional show people can’t stop talking about

“Baby Reindeer” plunges viewers into the chaos of Donny’s life. His relentless pursuit of success leaves him vulnerable, exposed, and surprisingly naive to readily avoidable situations. Gadd’s performance is the heart and soul of the show. He portrays Donny with a complex mix of vulnerability, frustration, and dark humour. While Donny can be unlikable at times, Gadd manages to evoke empathy for the character, showcasing the emotional toll of his situation.

8m ago

‘Scoop’: Tedious film about tenacious journalists and a tactless royal

“Scoop” dramatises the events surrounding the BBC’s “Newsnight” team securing a highly anticipated interview with Prince Andrew in 2019. During this time, Andrew faced mounting pressure to address his controversial association with notorious sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein. In an effort to address the situation, he agreed to an exclusive interview with seasoned broadcaster Emily Maitlis.

8m ago

‘3 Body Problem’: A simpler narrative of complex scientific discourse 

“The solitude of the mind” is described as humanity’s greatest weapon by a character in the show, but Liu’s writing highlighted how solitude might also be humanity’s greatest detriment. If someone is allowed too much authority to carry out any plan, they may unintentionally turn against their own kind. The extraterrestrial species leave no room for misunderstanding as they operate through groupthink and communicate instantaneously.

8m ago

'Poor Things': An extravagantly peculiar film 

The movie seemed to throw in every cinematic trick in the book– the black and white to colour transition, the fish eye lens, the peephole, the title cards, the hackneyed steampunk aesthetic. As an audience, I was impressed by the detail, coordination, passion and planning behind this movie – all of which made it impossible to be distracted. The surreal and vibrant world of “Poor Things” earns your attention. 

9m ago

Top 7 unforgettable TV show couples that made our hearts skip a beat

Television has given us countless memorable characters, storylines, and relationships over the years. The yearning, angst, and eventual romantic connection between fictional couples weave our daydreams of one day finding true love like theirs. These on-screen pairs have not only entertained us but also inspired us with their love stories. We have curated a list of the seven most favourite TV show couples that have left an indelible mark on our hearts.

10m ago
July 14, 2023
July 14, 2023

Prohelika: An ambitious yet underwhelming mystery

With a menacing and sombre mystery at its core, "Prohelika" has you in its clutches, anchoring you down to its bitter moments.

July 3, 2023
July 3, 2023

‘The Witcher’ Season 3: Henry Cavill final bow as Geralt

"The Witcher" novel series by Polish fantasy author Andrzej Sapkowski is as densely layered and narratively complex as it gets. The storyline skillfully shifts from intensely personal difficulties to national war stratagems while maintaining its marvelous high-fantasy element at its core. It boasts a string of infinitely interesting, profoundly flawed characters. Netflix too did a pretty fantastic job so far trying to adapt this series on to the screen.

June 18, 2023
June 18, 2023

‘Black Mirror’ returns with unnerving stories in its sixth season

Every episode is a standalone tale, so you don't need to catch up on previous seasons or episodes to enjoy them.

June 12, 2023
June 12, 2023

‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts’ gives fresh take on franchise

The seventh and latest film, “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” is a prequel to the original 2007 Transformers movie, as well as a sequel to “Bumblebee” (2018).

June 4, 2023
June 4, 2023

‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’ : weaving a web of wonder and vibrancy

Once again, the song choices perfectly complemented the spine-tingling reveals as well as the poignant moments, which only immersed us further into this extraordinary world.

May 27, 2023
May 27, 2023

‘The Little Mermaid’ –a better real-life adaptation than hoped for?

Much thought has gone into capturing the reality in each scene, starting from the way Ariel’s hair and Ursula’s tentacles move, to the way Flounder’s nose twitches and Sebastian’s legs float or scurry.

May 6, 2023
May 6, 2023

‘Queen Charlotte’: an aching prequel of the dramatic ‘Bridgerton’

the show steadfastly remains a fantasy that only pulls from history occasionally while trying to balance various storylines.

April 3, 2023
April 3, 2023

Murder Mystery 2’: A lackluster and unamusing sequel

Four years on, inspired by their accidental victory, they become private investigators but the duo is not as good at solving mysteries as they claim to be.

March 17, 2023
March 17, 2023

Shadow and Bone Season 2: a proper adaptation of character dynamics

One of the most fascinating aspects of this season is the costume design. The ‘keftas’ are not only beautiful but enlightening as the embroidery is based on which magical order the character is in. Jesper’s stylish coats and hats, Inej’s hooded tunic in dark shades and the Darkling’s elegant cloak are all well-designed

March 14, 2023
March 14, 2023

The Versatility of Christian Bale

In his entire filmography, there are several roles for which he exploited his artistic agency to transform his body, mind and soul. He does not just spin the roulette wheel when an acting job comes his way.