Four to watch this week...
Tokyo Vice (eight episodes, starts streaming from
May 15 exclusively on Starzplay)
Life in the neon-soaked underbelly of late 1990s Tokyo is full of (nasty) surprises in an eightpart drama inspired by American journalist Jake Adelstein’s non-fiction account of the Tokyo metropolitan police beat.
Adapted for the small screen by Tony Award-winning playwright JT Rogers, the first two episodes of Tokyo Vice premiere this week on Starzplay and subsequent instalments are available on Sundays.
West Side Story’s leading man Ansel Elgort stars as Jake, the first American crime reporter hired by Japan’s prominent daily newspaper Meicho Shimbun.
He is assigned two apparently unrelated cases and as Jake delves deeper into the evidence, he realises the stories may be connected.
The supporting cast includes Ken Watanabe, Rinko Kikuchi and Rachel Keller.
Sneakerella (Cert PG, streaming from May 13 exclusively on Disney+)
The rags-to-riches Cinderella fairy tale gets a contemporary makeover in director Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum’s musical comedy, which is tightly laced up in New York City’s vibrant streetwear subculture.
Aspiring sneaker designer El (Chosen Jacobs) works as a stock boy in the shoe store owned by his late mother.
The business is now run by his stepfather Trey (Bryan Terrell
Clark), who has two sons, Stacy (Hayward Leach) and Zelly (Kolton Stewart).
They treat El with disdain and he conceals his artistic genius from the spiteful stepsiblings.
El falls in love with Kira (Lexi Underwood), daughter of basketball star and sneaker tycoon Darius King (John Salley).
She shares his love of trendy footwear and inspires the downtrodden hero to chase his dream of becoming a professional sneaker designer supported by his best friend Sami (Devyn Nekoda).
Senior Year (Cert 12, 111 mins, streaming from May 13 exclusively on Netflix)
Cheerleading captain Stephanie Conway (Angourie Rice) sets her sight on becoming prom queen.
Alas, an accident during one of her routines shatters the picture-perfect life she has mapped out with her boyfriend Blaine (Tyler Barnhardt). She suffers head trauma and slips into a coma, setting the scene for a fishout-of-water comedy which gives Rebel Wilson a chance to flex her comedic muscles.
After two decades, Stephanie wakes and confronts the shocking reality that she is now 37 years old in a time she does not recognise. Her goal is simple: return to high school and claim the prom queen crown that she was denied.
Helmed by British director Alex Hardcastle, who honed his skills on BBC sitcoms Not Going Out and Lead Balloon, the film’s supporting cast includes Justin Hartley, Alicia Silverstone and Sam Richardson.
Lovestruck High (eight episodes, streaming from May 18 exclusively on Prime Video)
Singletons try their luck at romance on the other side of the Atlantic in a new reality dating show, which transplants 15 British contestants to a US high school. Participants are challenged to find romance and land a date for prom as they receive a crash-course education from high school principal Nelson (award-winning comedian
Ria Lina), coach Hughes (Russell Hicks) and teacher Miss Kelly (Chloe Zeitounian).
The two students crowned prom royalty at the end of the series will have the chance to win the 100,000 dollar prize.
Lindsay Lohan, star of Mean Girls, narrates the eight-part series .