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Helmed by Sherry Hormann, Netflix’s ‘Fall for Me’ is a German erotic thriller movie that centers on a young woman named Lilli who visits her sister, Valeria, on a Spanish island to relax and spend time with her. She is surprised and thrilled when Valeria reveals that she has gotten engaged to a handsome Frenchman named Manu, with whom she plans to invest in a luxurious Bed and Breakfast. However, Lilli is also somewhat suspicious of her sister’s fiancé.

Before she can fully investigate Manu, she finds herself embroiled in a steamy affair with a nightclub manager named Tom. As the two build on their instantaneous connection, Lilli...

Netflix’s latest German adult thriller, Fall For Me, directed by Sherry Horman, has an interesting premise that focuses on two sisters who become the target of a vicious game by scammers employed by a real estate mogul—who will stop at nothing to trick them into selling their family estate. However, the premise hardly matters when the narrative treatment is so poorly executed. I found the characterization aspect to be especially bad, given how all of the female characters in the movie are treated like brainless buffoons. Questionable and at times downright problematic narrative choices function more as tools to create steamy sex scenes instead of actually adding sensible arcs for the characters involved.

The narrative of Fall for Me introduces Lilli, portrayed by Svenja Jung, whose journey to the sun-drenched Spanish island of Majorca is not a simple holiday but a necessary retreat and a visit to her impulsive younger sister, Valeria, played by Tijan Marei. The core conflict is established immediately upon Lilli’s arrival when she learns of Valeria’s whirlwind engagement to a charming but enigmatic Frenchman, Manu, coupled with a dubious plan to invest in a luxury bed and breakfast. This revelation casts a shadow of suspicion over the idyllic setting. The film complicates this primary tension with a parallel plotline. While investigating her sister’s fiancé, Lilli encounters Tom,...

Bollywood has fallen off big time. There are multiple reasons for that, most of which can be boiled down to a shift in political ideology that happened around a decade ago. And the genre that took the biggest hit was romance, which used to be the Hindi entertainment industry’s bread and butter at one time. It’s seeing a major resurgence this year—probably because the proverbial pendulum is beginning to swing the other way—and that got me thinking about how we probably took things for granted back when good-to-decent romantic movies were so readily available. I mean, I am sitting here and watching Fall For Me, which is filled with exotic locales,...

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Bookie is a comedy-drama series created by Chuk Lorre and Nick Bakay. The Max series follows a veteran bookie as he tries to survive in the face of sports gambling legalization while also dealing with unstable clients and worried family members. Bookie stars Sebastian Maniscalco, Omar Dorsey, Andrea Anders, Vanessa Ferlito, Jorge Garcia, Maxim Swinton, and Rob Corddry. So, if you loved the dark comedy, a bit of crime drama, and compelling characters in Bookie here are some similar shows you should check out next.

Mr. Inbetween (Hulu & Rent on Prime Video) Credit – FX

Mr. Inbetween is a dark comedy crime-drama series created by Scott Ryan. Based on Ryan’s 2005 film The Magician, the FX series follows Ray Shoesmith, an assassin and a divorced father who tries to find a balance between his life of crime and being a loving father.

Franz and Sisi have gone down in history as the most perfect couple that the Austrian monarchy ever knew. The marriage and reign of the emperor and the empress of Austria is certainly worthy of being told, which is why it’s no wonder that their story has inspired numerous movies and series over time. The most iconic movie bringing the story of Franz and Sisi to the screen was the 1950s trilogy Sissi with Romy Schneider.

Since the end of 2022, there has been a new mesmerizing contender on the list. With The Empress, Netflix brought an exciting historical drama series to the masses, which renders the story of how the two monarchs met, the beginning stages of their sometimes strained relationship, and how their love and reign evolved over the years. Franz and Sisi were ruling in Austria, but where was Netflix’s The Empress filmed?

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The intricate planning, a bunch of misfits coming together, and an impossible amount of money all come together and result in a thrilling heist. The heist genre is generally one of the most popular sub-genres out because of all the thrills and mystery you can have in the plot while also having a ton of fun. So, if you are a heist genre fan, Netflix is the streaming service for you, as it has some of the best heist shows you can find anywhere.

Kaleidoscope Credit – Netflix

Kaleidoscope is a heist thriller drama series created by Eric Garcia. The Netflix series follows a master thief and his crew as they try to $7 billion, but their internal conflict and greed get in the way of their plans. Kaleidoscope is known for its unique way of presenting its story because...

Even though Austria is just a fairly small country in Central Europe, it still has some memorable names attached to its history. Adolf Hitler is certainly one of those figures which immediately come to mind, even if it’s in a negative way, and it’s not surprising that the legendary filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock almost made a movie adaptation of Mein Kampf.

Riding the top 10 Netflix charts after the release of its second season is The Empress, which highlights the life of an equally famous figure, but for very different reasons. The Netflix series revisits the life of Elisabeth of Wittelsbach, Princess of Bavaria, as she comes to Austria to see her sister get married to Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria-Hungary, but unexpectedly ends up as the new Empress herself. This historical series offers a deeper insight into the hardship Franz and Sisi (or Sissi) are facing after their marriage,...

Quick Links A Surprising and Well-Followed Romance in 'The Empress' 'The Empress' and a Dramatic Step Into a Fantastical Past

Fans of The Crown will be well-served by checking out Netflix’s other political and romantic drama, The Empress. The Empress, based on the life of Empress Elisabeth of Austria, is an intriguing and visually stunning period drama dressed in vulnerability and splendor. While some viewers may not have seen the tale of this daring Duchess-turned-Empress as the second season drops on Netflix, now is the perfect time for viewers to catch up.

The Empress stars Devrim Lingnau as Elisabeth von Wittelsbach, Duchess, wild child, and unlikely Empress. After falling in love with a not-distant cousin, the free-spirited Elisabeth turned Empress of Austria finds herself caught up in the stifling and treacherous world of royal expectations and international diplomacy. As Elisabeth struggles against the pressures of her new position and her new home,...

The Empress is a German-language drama series thats found huge success on Netflix, telling the story of a young girl named Elisabeth who falls in love with Emperor Franz of Austria and later becomes his bride, bringing her deep into the world of politics. The show is filled with mystery and intrigue, exploring the less public side of the royal family that Elisabeth wasnt privy to before letting love bring her into this world. The Empress is inspired by real events that happened in the Austrian court in the 1800s, and brings much of this intense realism to its story.

The Empress has an excellent cast that manages to make all this high-stakes politics feel extremely grounded, allowing the audience to relate to their characters and understand all the complex relationships at play. Season 2 of The Empress introduces even more interesting characters and subplots that elevate the show even further,...

List of Titles – What To Watch This Week On Ott (April 1-7) (Photo Credit – IMDb/Youtube)

What to watch this week on Ott? This is a question many of you must be having on your minds. A lot of content is coming in for people who love to sit at home and binge on interesting content. From Ripley to a new episode of The Great Indian Kapil Show to Yeh Meri Family Season 3, the options for selecting your kind of content are pretty fascinating.

We have listed down the upcoming new releases on streaming platforms Netflix, Prime Video and Disney+. Take a look.

What to Watch This Week (April 1-7): Netflix Trending Actor Turned Directors Box Office: Aamir Khan & Arbaaz Khan’s Blockbuster Side With 420.83% Profit Vs Ajay Devgn’s Flop Side – Where Will Kunal Kemmu Fall? MonsterVerse Movies Ranked As Per Budget: Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire...

Talk to the dead; pay the price. “The Witcher” star Freya Allan learns that the hard way in supernatural horror film Baghead. And it’s heading exclusively to Shudder soon.

Baghead will debut on Shudder on April 5, as part of their annual “Halfway to Halloween’ celebration.

“Following the death of her estranged father (Peter Mullan), Iris (Freya Allan) learns she has inherited a run-down, centuries-old pub. She travels to Berlin to identify her father’s body and meet with The Solicitor (Ned Dennehy) to discuss the estate. Little does she know, when the deed is signed, she will become inextricably tied to an unspeakable entity that resides in the pub’s basement–Baghead–a shape-shifting creature that can transform into the dead.

“Two thousand in cash for two minutes with the creature is all it takes for desperate loved ones to ease their grief. Neil (Jeremy Irvine), who has lost his wife,...

Confirming Germany’s importance as a growth market, Netfix on Wednesday announced 17 new and returning shows and movies produced by some of the country’s leading producers, including docuseries “Kaulitz & Kaulitz,” about the Tokio Hotel popstar siblings, and sci-fi drama “Cassandra,” about an overzealous electronic household helper.

Netflix presented 17 feature films, series, documentaries and reality shows at a special event in Berlin.

“We have seen again and again how local stories can captivate viewers here and around the world,” said Katja Hofem, Netflix’s VP of content for Germany, Austria and Switzerland. “We aim to continue this successful journey together with our partners, sharing a common goal of creating exceptional entertainment that moves and inspires people.”

Produced by Constantin Entertainment and premiering in June, “Kaulitz & Kaulitz” accompanies Tokio Hotel frontmen Bill and Tom Kaulitz, twin brothers from Magdeburg, Germany, on tour with their band and in their new home in Hollywood.

Pictures: Netflix – Illustration by What’s on Netflix

It’s time for another slate preview, and today we’ll look through all the upcoming German-language movies and series we know are in development at Netflix for release in 2024 and beyond.

2023 was a big year for new German-language Netflix Originals, with a dozen releases in total. Dear Child was perhaps the biggest, spending six weeks in the global top 10s in total. As a reminder, all the new German titles included:

1899 (Multilingual) Big Mäck: Gangsters and Gold Blood & Gold Cyberbunker: The Criminal Underworld Dear Child Eldorado: Everything the Nazis Hate Hard Feelings Making All Quiet on the Western Front Paradise Sleeping Dog Till Murder Do Us Part: Soering vs. Haysom Too Hot to Handle: Germany Woman of the Dead

This list is everything currently announced and Netflix De (or Netflix Europe) has yet to put out an...

Talk to the dead; pay the price. “The Witcher” star Freya Allen learns that the hard way in the new trailer for supernatural horror movie Baghead.

Studiocanal will release the film internationally in theaters in January 2024, exact date Tba.

Watch the new trailer below.

In the film: “After the death of her estranged father, Iris (Freya Allan) learns she has inherited a run-down, centuries-old pub. She travels to Berlin to identify her father’s body and meet with The Solicitor (Ned Dennehy) to discuss the estate. Little does she know, when the deed is signed she will become inextricably tied to an unspeakable entity residing in the pub’s basement. Baghead – a shape-shifting creature that can transform into the dead. Two thousand in cash for two minutes with the creature is all it takes for desperate loved ones to ease their grief. Neil (Jeremy Irvine), who has lost his wife,...

"Talk to the dead. Pay the price." Leave the dead alone! Studiocanal has revealed the first official trailer for a creepy new supernatural horror film called Baghead, created by Spanish filmmaker Alberto Corredor. (Not to be confused with the Duplass Brothers' indie classic Baghead from 2008.) From the producer of It and Barbarian, meet Baghead in this new horror thriller. Following the death of her father, a young woman inherits a run-down pub & discovers a dark secret hidden down in its basement: Baghead – a shapeshifting creature that will let you speak to lost loved ones, but not without consequence. Danger! Yeah this sounds super frightening. Freya Allan stars as Iris, with a cast including Ruby Barker, Ned Dennehy, Peter Mullan, Jeremy Irvine, Saffron Burrows, and Svenja Jung. This looks like it gets crazy once they let this woman out of the basement, even though that's exactly what her dad told her not to do.

Max Original international series Spy/Master debuts Friday, May 19 with the first two episodes, which had their world premiere at Berlin Film Festival’s Berlinale Series in February. Created by Adina Sădeanu and Kirsten Peters, the six-part espionage drama series starring Alec Secăreanu continues with one new episode debuting weekly leading up to the season finale on June 16.

Logline: Spy/Master is set during the height of the Cold War and covers a week in the life of fictional character Victor Godeanu, played by Secăreanu, the right-hand man and closest advisor to Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu. However, Godeanu is also a secret agent for the Kgb and must escape Romania and Ceaușescu before his cover is blown. With only one shot at staying alive, he uses a diplomatic trip to Germany as a springboard to the United States. Helped by an undercover Stasi agent and former flame played by Svenja Jung (“Deutschland...

Disney+ has released the official trailer for ‘Sam – A Saxon.’ It is the first original series produced out of Germany.

Based on the incredible, true story of Samuel Meffire, the first black policeman in East Germany. This gripping series follows Sam’s irrepressible search for his place in an intensely prejudiced society. In his fight to overcome the system, he becomes the face of an anti-racism campaign and a symbol of a new Germany. However, his meteoric rise to fame is quickly followed by an abrupt downfall as he ends up behind bars with German tabloids branding him “public enemy #1”.

Starring Malick Bauer, Svenja Jung, Luise von Finckh, Ivy Quainoo, Thorsten Merten, Martin Brambach, Carina Wiese and Tyron Ricketts, International Emmy Award® winner Jörg Winger (“Deutschland83/86/89”) is a showrunner Sebastian Werninger (both Big Window Productions) and Tyron Ricketts (Panthertainment) are the producers of the seven-part miniseries.

Also in trailers...

"We need more men like you." Disney+ has revealed an official trailer for a German mini-series titled Sam: A Saxon, also known as Sam - Ein Sachse in German. The series tells the extraordinary and exciting story of East Germany's first Black police officer. So this is pretty much Germany's BlacKkKlansman, but without the Spike Lee edge this time, and without any KKK - though still plenty of racists. Based on the true story of Sam Meffire's rise and fall in East Germany, this miniseries follows Sam's desperate search for a place he can call home, as he fights for recognition and justice in the wild years following Germany's reunification in 1989. Malick Bauer stars as Sam, with Tyron Ricketts, Svenja Jung, Luise von Finckh, Nyamandi Adrian, Paula Essam, Ivy Quainoo, Thorsten Merten, Martin Brambach, and Aristo Luis. This looks like something that will likely only appeal to Germans, but...

Exclusive: Jörg Winger and his Sam – A Saxon co-creator Tyron Ricketts believe the time is now right to tell the story of East Germany’s first Black policeman after a near-20-year period of shopping the project.

Disney+’s Sam – A Saxon, which was the streamer’s first German greenlight, spotlights Samuel Meffire, a former bricklayer who became the first elite East German policeman of African descent in the 1980s, where he went from diversity poster boy to being on the wrong side of the law. Scroll down for a trailer of the series that launches April 26.

Ricketts first met Meffire in 2002 and began shopping the project – initially as a feature – with Deutschland 83 co-creator Winger in 2006, but the pair believe German audiences have only become ready for the story in the past couple of years.

“The answer from buyers when we pitched it back then was always ‘I find it...

HBO Max’s period drama “Spy/Master” is more John le Carré than Ian Fleming, state its creators. Following Victor Godeanu, a high-ranking officer in Romania’s secret service, advisor to president Nicolae Ceaușescu – and a spy – who decides to defect in 1978.

“As a child, I used to watch James Bond, which is a very cartoony version of espionage. It was something we really wanted to avoid. We wanted it to feel real,” says Kirsten Peters.

Adina Sădeanu adds: “John le Carré’s novels, for example ‘A Perfect Spy,’ are so complex. These characters run away from their own humanity. I have always wondered: How do they live? How do they wake up in the morning, after saying so many lies?”

For Sădeanu, her journalistic background – as well as Romanian roots – came in handy as well.

“Over the years, I met many people working in intelligence. They weren’t these ‘James Bond’ types,...

Sales

Chris O’Dowd (“Puffin Rock”), Amy Huberman (“Derry Girls”), Beth McCafferty and Eva Whittaker (“Wolfwalkers”) lead the voice cast of “Puffin Rock and the New Friends,” the film based on the TV series “Puffin Rock.”

Following their collaboration on Oscar nominees “Song of the Sea” and “The Breadwinner,” WestEnd Films is teaming again with Irish animation studio Cartoon Saloon and Northern Ireland’s Dog Ears on the film and is launching sales at Berlin’s European Film Market (EFM), where first footage will be shown to buyers.

“Puffin Rock and the New Friends” sees Oona, Baba, May and Mossy joined by a new characters Isabelle, Phoenix and Marvin. When the last Little Egg of the season disappears under mysterious circumstances, Oona and her new friends race against time to bring the Little Egg home before a big storm hits Puffin Rock and puts the entire island in danger.

The film...

Seven premiering productions will compete for the Berlinale Series Award next month, with one further world exclusive launch screening out of competition.

The winner of the Berlinale Series Award, which was created in cooperation with Deadline, will be chosen on at a presentation ceremony taking place on Wednesday, February 22, by an international jury consisting of actor André Holland (The Eddy; Bones and All; Moonlight); international exec Dana Stern, who founded Shtisel, and Your Honor firm Yes Studios; and screenwriter Mette Heeno, who created Splitting Up Together and Snow Angels.

In its ninth edition, the Berlin Film Festival TV screenings will in total present eight world and international premieres, with projects from India, China, Italy and Romania included from the likes of Disney+ and HBO Max.

Among those fronting these shows are Silver Bear winner Zhang Dalei, who returns to Berlin after winning for his short Day is Done in 2020, and...

German sellers returning to Cannes’s Mipcom TV mart will be packing a wide selection of domestic and international TV fare heavy on high-end crime and historical series.

With a market that has become increasingly open to different formats, sales companies see good opportunities for diverse offerings.

“Crime is still the most in- demand genre in the market, as well as action,” says Julia Weber, head of international sales and acquisitions at Munich-based Global Screen. “But whatever genre you look at, the main driver remains the story. It needs to be compelling and speak to the audience.”

Weber adds that more and more historical dramas are also being produced, underscoring “an increasing need for series that are rather escapist and that cater to audiences in the post-lockdown world.”

Global Screen’s six-part “The Palace” is a prime example, she adds. Produced by Constantin Television for Zdf and directed by Uli Edel,...

For a season filled with espionage and hallucinations, stuffed animals and imminent computer technology, secret photographs and veiled assassination attempts, the lasting moment of “Deutschland 89” might just be someone reacting to something on TV.

After two full seasons (2015’s “Deutschland 83” and 2018’s “Deutschland 86”) tracking its individual players in a logistical and ideological struggle for the heart of Berlin, this latest opening episode tracks the events of early November 1989, culminating in the free movement of East German residents into West Germany and the dismantling of the wall dividing the two halves of the city.

Beginning “Deutschland 89” at this ending is an early signal that much like “Deutschland 86,” this is a season that won’t simply continue in the vein of its predecessors. Many of the central players may be the same, but this third collection of episodes sees them all vying for a different kind of...

Berlin — Constantin Film, the No. 1 German independent behind the “Resident Evil” franchise, is teaming with German public broadcaster Zdf to produce “The Palace,” (“Friedrichstadt-Palast”) a period drama set at the celebrated Berlin music hall. Global Screen will handle international distribution.

“Last Exit to Brooklyn’s” Uli Edel will re-team with Constantin Television, directing the six-part series from a screenplay by Rodica Doehnert.

Described as an “emotional, musical and highly suspenseful East-West family story,” the series’ narrative begins in 1987 at the Friedrichstadt-Palast, dubbed the “Las Vegas of the East,” a world of extravagance in an East Germany on its knees after decades of socialism. Chris, a young dancer in the chorus is just about to get her first big break, a solo dance, when she meets her twin Marlene, also played by Svenja Jung, who comes from a conservative family in the West. Neither knows of the others existence. The encounter...