The Bear

Need to Know
The Bear is an American comedy-drama television series created by Christopher Storer. The story is based around the life of a talented young chef, who cut his teeth working in the world of fine dining, and suddenly finds himself having to come back home to Chicago to run his family’s Italian beef sandwich shop after the suicide of his older brother, who has left behind massive debts, a rundown kitchen and an unruly staff.

Director: Christopher Storer, Joanna Calo
Cast: Jeremy Allen White, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Ayo Edebiri, Lionel Boyce, Liza Colón-Zayas, Abby Elliott

Why Is It Worth Watching?
The Bear follows Carmen ‘Carmy’ Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White), a talented young chef from the fine-dining world, and Richard ‘Richie’ Jerimovich (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) as they attempt to change their scruffy restaurant into an actual good food spot. The entire crew, initially disjointed and completely at odds, seem to be working against each other and make life very difficult for everyone. But Carmy attempts to switch things up for the better and the way things play out makes for an entertaining watch.
Entering into a world completely different from that he’s been used to, Carmy must now somehow balance dealing with the soul-crushing realities of running a small business as he also figures his way through strained familial relationships that he earlier left behind in Chicago when he moved away. He deals with all of the above while still grappling with the impact of his brother’s suicide.
The show is about food, family and the insanity of the grind as Carmy fights to transform his failing family restaurant rather than give up and sell the property.
The show serves up an engaging storyline with topnotch performances across the board that’s sure to have viewers coming back for more.

Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol.3

Need to Know
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is a superhero film about Marvel Comics’ team of intergalactic mercenaries (and sometime heroes). Following the events of Avengers: Endgame, the group is still reeling from the loss of Gamora. An unexpected attack at their headquarters sees another team member critically injured sending the group on an urgent adventure to save them or risk the end of the Guardians as we know them.

Director: James Gunn
Cast: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Will Poulter, Chukwudi Iwuji

Why Is It Worth Watching?
After the remarkable conclusion to the first era of Marvel’s cinematic universe, the studio following has been steadily losing steam with every release since. That could be attributed to the audiences’ overall fatigue with the genre, or the all too familiar plotlines and universe building being rehashed. But stepping away from the humdrum is Gunn’s final offering in charge of the Guardians. The plot for Vol.3 is an entertaining and heartfelt story that’s filled with the humorous banter and over-the-top cosmic action that we’ve come to expect from this beloved band of misfits. The focus this time centring around the mysterious backstory about the guntoting, boisterous Rocket Raccoon (Cooper). The movie delves deeper into his traumatic backstory and brings forth one of the Marvel universe’s most interesting antagonists – the High Evolutionary (Iwuji). The narrative sees the gang jet across space exploring and adventuring in the strangest and most fascinating destinations as Gunn ties it all together and concludes his version of the Guardians’ story in the most rewarding and satisfactory manner. In true Guardians’ trademark, the soundtrack is once again an absolutely awesome mix throughout the movie!