IMDb Staff Picks for November: Hannah P.

Just try not to become entranced by the bacchanalian summer holiday that unfolds at the exquisite Saltburn estate, where steamy days sprawled by the pool — littered with plastic pool floats and technicolor party cups — are followed by multi-course black-tie dinners. Jacob Elordi continues his streak of charming-yet-maddening characters (see: "Euphoria," Priscilla) as wealthy Oxford student, Felix, and Barry Keoghan disintegrates his understated façade with a yearning portrayal of outcast, Oliver. I knew going in that something manipulative was simmering beneath the surface, but the audience pleading "NOOO!" in unison confirmed that none of us had guessed all that was in store. Emerald Fennell is certainly playing for shock value with a handful of scenes, and though Saltburn may not spark the same cultural commentary of her first feature (Promising Young Woman), I was totally rapt as what I'd call a "Coachella fever-dream in the English countryside."

FX’s popular anthology series bakes blackmail, brutal murder, and a rotating cast of quirky characters into a comedic and suspenseful adventure that keeps me coming back season after season. Much like a Midwest mother’s casserole (or hot dish, if you will) the ingredients are ever-changing, but the outcome is irresistible, and always with a nod to the Coen Brothers’ 1996 film. I'm not sure Season 2 can be topped in my book — Jesse Plemons and Kirsten Dunst are beyond as Ed and Peggy Blumquist — but I'm all in for Season 5, which promises a more present-day drama. North Dakota Sheriff Roy Tillman (Jon Hamm) is on the hunt for Dorothy ‘Dot’ Lyon (Juno Temple), a boobie-trap-setting housewife with a dark past. Dot's disapproving mother-in-law Lorraine ((Jennifer Jason Leigh)) just may be her saving grace, when her odd behavior catches the attention of a pair of police deputies, Witt and Indira (Lamorne Morris and Richa Moorjani) — and the family isn't going down without a fight.

What goes better with the sun setting at 4:30pm than a heart-wrenching ode to platonic love? As I settle into hibernation mode for the gloomy Seattle winter ahead, I’ll definitely be revisiting Celine Song’s beautiful film, which premiered at Sundance Film Festival in January of this year. Greta Lee and Teo Yoo are staggering in this story of childhood friends separated by distance and time, but knit together through their shared culture, language, and experience — inspired by a true occurrence in Song’s life. Lee proclaims that this is the role that changed her life, and she’d be more than deserving of a nomination in the upcoming Oscars race.

As a child of the 90s, a former shin guard-wearing defender, and proud owner of a Bend it Like Beckham VHS tape, Victoria and David Beckham — or Posh and Becks — were household names when I was growing up. The style icons frequented the covers of the magazines that lined the grocery store checkout, and always seemed larger-than-life, and until this mini series, it hadn’t occurred to me how little I knew about them. Documentary style series like this can be fluffy, with the subject clearly driving the narrative — I won’t pretend that’s not at play at all here, but director Fisher Stevens landed key interviews (Sir Alex Ferguson, for one) and teases out the details of David’s brotherhood with his teammates, a truly sweet love story with Victoria, and a quiet home life post-retirement that anyone would envy.

The most unexpected surprise I’ve experienced in a long while, this is one of the best things you can watch with your Prime Video subscription right now. Director Nida Manzoor ("We Are Lady Parts") weaves a totally unique tale that somehow packs the vibes of the superhero, action, comedy, and thriller genres all into an epic mash-up…and it works. Ria (Priya Kansara) and Lena (Ritu Arya) are a pair of South Asian sisters who love (and fight) fiercely, and when Lena gets swept up in a romance that Ria has serious doubts about, her mission to stop the wedding begins. The production is hugely impressive, with solid performances (including hilarious supporting characters) and plenty of stunts and action sequences throughout. Plus, I’ll never say no to a touch of Bollywood flash.