Movies

The Social Reckoning
More than 15 years after The Social Network won three Oscars and helped cement Andrew Garfield and Jesse Eisenberg’s screen profiles, screenwriter Aaron Sorkin returns with a troubling new chapter in the Facebook saga. This time, he also steps into the director’s chair, replacing David Fincher.

Shifting from startup origin story to high-stakes investigative thriller, The Social Reckoning follows Frances Haugen (Mikey Madison), a young Facebook engineer who contacts Wall Street Journal reporter Jeff Horwitz (Jeremy Allen White) to blow the whistle. Together, they expose how the platform’s algorithms trade real-world stability for engagement. Jeremy Strong takes over from Eisenberg as Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

“The Social Network was about how Facebook was invented, and The Social Reckoning is what it’s become,” Sorkin told Vanity Fair.

Described by Sorkin as “another movie about Facebook written by the same guy”, the film channels classic journalism dramas like All the President’s Men and Spotlight. Expect incisive social commentary, sharp-tongued dialogue, and another major contender come awards season.

Street Fighter
Capcom’s iconic fighting game franchise gets a vibrant big-screen reimagining. Set in 1993, the film reunites estranged martial artists Ryu (Andrew Koji) and Ken (Noah Centineo), who are recruited by Chun-Li (Callina Liang) to enter the secretive World Warrior Tournament organised by M. Bison (David Dastmalchian).

Rather than taking itself too seriously, director Kitao Sakurai (The Eric André Show) leans into an offbeat, colourful action-comedy tone while keeping the action brutal and stylish. Liang leads the physical effort after undergoing an intensive multi-discipline martial arts regime to bring Chun-Li’s signature high-kicking style to life.

Rounding out the eclectic cast are Jason Momoa, WWE stars Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes, Vidyut Jammwal, 50 Cent, and Orville Peck.

Hope
South Korean master of suspense Na Hong-jin (The Wailing) returns with Hope, a high-concept sci-fi action thriller and one of the year’s most ambitious cinematic events.

When a string of inexplicable events rattles Hope Harbour — a quiet village near the Korean Demilitarized Zone — a seasoned police chief (Hwang Jung-min) and a rookie officer (Jung Ho-yeon) stumble onto a threat far larger and stranger than any ordinary criminal. As panic spreads, the villagers band together in a desperate, sprawling battle for survival.

Reported to be among the most expensive South Korean films ever made — its estimated budget is over US$30 million — this cross-cultural blockbuster pairs top Korean talent with Hollywood stars Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander for an unforgettable showdown.

TV

VisionQuest
Paul Bettany returns to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in VisionQuest, concluding a loose TV trilogy that began with WandaVision and Agatha All Along.

Following the events of WandaVision, the newly resurrected White Vision (Bettany) is on the run to prevent rogue agencies from weaponising his body. To unpack his identity crisis, he retreats into a cyber-realm within his own mind, confronting personifications of familiar AI constructs — including J.A.R.V.I.S. (James D’Arcy), F.R.I.D.A.Y. (Orla Brady), E.D.I.T.H. (Emily Hampshire), and a persistent Ultron (James Spader). Meanwhile, in the real world, he must protect a mysterious teenager (Ruaridh Mollica) who may hold a deep connection to his past.

Like WandaVision, this series adopts an unusual tone and aesthetic — at least by the standards of comic book shows. “This one is so weird and out of left field that it was such a pleasure to make,” Bettany says, adding that he “would love to keep [playing Vision] for as long as there are new stories evolving”.

Surreal, introspective, and inventive, VisionQuest offers a fresh sci-fi spin on identity and artificial consciousness. 

Brothers
Before Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson went noir together on True Detective, they showed off their funny side in movies like Surfer, Dude — and now, they’re flexing those comedic chops again on the Apple TV series Brothers. 

The meta-comedy follows fictionalised versions of McConaughey and Harrelson, whose lifelong friendship is thrown into chaos by a decades-old secret: they might actually be brothers. (It’s not their first rodeo playing siblings — they starred as brothers back in the 1999 film EDtv.)

After Woody’s daughter’s wedding falls apart, he packs up the family for an extended stay at Matthew’s Austin ranch. What was meant to be a healing getaway spirals fast when Matthew’s mother, Ma Mac (Holland Taylor), accidentally lets the secret slip. As Woody turns the ranch upside down chasing the truth, Matthew is busy with an identity crisis of his own: a potential run for Governor of Texas. The result is a heartfelt, chaotic, wildly funny story about fame, family, and lifelong brotherhood.

McConaughey and Harrelson may not be biological siblings, but by their own account, they might as well be. They share a real-life bond that carries over to the show, making it feel like a natural extension of their decades-long friendship and creative partnership.