Now You Know

Acclaimed British filmmaker and novelist Alex Garland, who is best known for Ex Machina and Annihilation, has returned with his latest passion project – the dystopian thriller Civil War. The film is set in the near future when the United States is grappling with a new civil war. The film has garnered critical acclaim after it premiered in the US on April 12, and is A24’s biggest box office debut in history. The film features a star-studded ensemble that includes Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura, Cailee Spaeny, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Jesse Plemons, Sonoya Mizuno, and Nick Offerman among others.

Amazon Prime Video’s attempts to release a compelling video game adaptation like Netflix’s Arcane and HBO’s The Last of Us, have been successful with the release of Fallout. The post-apocalyptic series set in a retro-futuristic alternate history Earth has garnered immense praise from critics. It offers a gripping narrative, wrapped in humour, violence, gore, and thought-provoking socio-political themes.

Dune: Part Two, the sequel to Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi space epic is releasing in theatres this week amidst much hype and excitement. Featuring a star-studded ensemble, led by Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya, the film has garnered significant praise after its World Premiere in London a fortnight ago. Some critics have likened the adaptation of Frank Herbert’s acclaimed novel to a masterpiece – one that could rival iconic sequels such as Lord of the Rings: The Towers and The Empire Strikes Back. Today’s Now You Know podcast brings you six lesser-known facts about Dune: Part Two.

The highly-anticipated live-action adaptation of the acclaimed animated series, Avatar: The Last Airbender, has been released on Netflix. While fans appear to be divided on some of the creative choices, the series is set to top Netflix’s popularity charts this weekend. So for today’s Now You Know podcast, we take a look at six lesser-known facts about the live-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender.

The French film Anatomy of a Fall has received several nominations at the Oscars this year, including Best Picture and Best Director. Helmed by Justine Triet, the film tells the story of a woman who is accused of murdering her husband, and their blind son being the only witness. The film has garnered significant praise for its gripping narrative, compelling characters, and riveting performances. For today’s Now You Know Podcast we take a look at lesser-known facts about this critically acclaimed film.

Leo: Bloody Sweet, the third installment of the Lokesh Cinematic Universe (LCU), helmed by Lokesh Kanagaraj, stars Tamil superstar Vijay -: the titular star Leo. The film revolves around Parthiban, a simplistic cafe owner in Kashmir who has dedicated his life to rescuing injured animals. As the film progresses, the mild-mannered protagonist becomes inexplicably caught between the crosshairs of a murderous drug cartel, who claims that he was once a part of their gang. The fast paced masala thriller has introduced a whole new section of movie-goers to the Tamil film industry.

As the Marvel Cinematic Universe enters Phase Five, the recently-released superhero film, a sequel to Captain Marvel and the 33rd film in the MCU has opened to divided reviews. The Marvels features three female superheroes with complementary abilities – Captain Marvel, Monica Rambeau, and Ms Marvel. The film stars Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris and Iman Vellani in lead roles and also features Zawe Ashton, Gary Lewis, Park Seo-joon, Zenobia Shroff, Mohan Kapur, Saagar Shaikh, and Samuel L. Jackson. We are dedicating today’s Now You Know to fans of the franchise and here are some lesser-known facts about The Marvels.

Acclaimed Japanese Mangaka Naoki Urasawa’s beloved manga series PLUTO received an anime adaptation produced by Genco, which premiered on Netflix on October 26, 2023. The series is inspired by Astro Boy, one of the pioneering works in the history of Japanese manga and anime by Osamu Tezuka. The series follows Gesicht, an AI detective who attempts to uncover the identity of Pluto — a serial killer targeting the most advanced robots in the world, including the iconic Astro Boy Atom himself, in his quest to become the pinnacle of all machine life-forms. Things keep escalating as Gesicht also understands that he himself might be in danger. The show has been created by Naoki Urasawa and directed by Toshio Kawaguchi, with stellar voice-acting performances by Shinshu Fuji, Yoko Hikasa, Minori Suzuki, Hiroki Yasumoto, and Koichi Yamadera among others. So on today's edition of Now You Know, we take a closer look at some lesser-known facts about Pluto.

Legendary filmmaker Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon starring Leonardo DiCaprio is finally releasing in theatres in India on 20th October 2023. The film is based on the book by David Grann and narrates the true story of the murders of the Native American tribe, Osage Nation after oil was discovered on their land in the 1920s. It is among the several artistic works released over the years, focusing on the Osage Murders. Films such as the 1926 production Osage Hills and the 1959 film The FBI Story explore the pain and injustice suffered by the Osage Nation. Scorsese’s chilling account of the atrocious events has already raked in rave reviews at Cannes this year. It features an ensemble cast of Robert De Niro, Lily Gladstone, Jesse Plemons, Tantoo Cardinal, John Lithgow, and Brendan Fraser along with lead star DiCaprio. So for today’s Now You Know podcast we take a look at lesser-known facts about Killers of the Flower Moon.

Acclaimed horror filmmaker Mike Flanagan is set to release his latest Netflix series titled, The Fall of the House of Usher. The TV show is adapted from Edgar Allan Poe’s eponymous short story, and stars Bruce Greenwood, Carla Gugino, Mary McDonell, Rahul Kohli, Kate Siegel, Zach Gilford, and Mark Hamil among others. It tells the story of twins Roderick and Madeline, whose pharmaceutical dynasty begins to unravel when their heirs mysteriously die. The horror series is expected to feature Flanagan’s signature blend of emotional themes and psychological horror, which were instrumental to the success of Flanagan’s previous works such as The Haunting of Hill House, Doctor Sleep, and Midnight Mass among others. For today’s Now You Know podcast, we take a look at lesser-known facts about The Fall of the House of Usher.