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Manila Bulletin devider Entertainment devider STREAMING REVIEWS: Love is in the pAir

STREAMING REVIEWS: Love is in the pAir

Published Mar 11, 2021 07:37 pm

This review highlights two streaming shows that drop on Netflix this week. The One debuts on Friday, March 12, and its a SciFi, techno-thriller about finding Love; while Last Chance U: Basketball is a documentary that ups the drama and our love for Basketball, thanks to real-life events of 2020.

The One (Netflix UK) - This Limited Series (8 episodes) drops on Netflix March 12, and it’s based on the best selling novel of John Marrs. Technically a near-future SciFi tale that worked also as a Crime Thriller, the TV adaptation retains much of the multi-strand narrative, but places the Rebecca (Hannah Ware) character, CEO of MatchDNA, in the center of the series. Rebecca is the co-founder of Match, the most successful dating app that identifies your perfect partner, your soulmate, and pairs you with that person. James (Dimitri Leonidas) is the co-founder but as the events unravel, we find that he disappeared at the height of the tech’s success.

About love, about relationships, and whether an algorithm and our DNA can truly find the perfect match, this series should certainly be a hit with the women. There are corporate shenanigans, there’s an array of couples who have used the app, and there’s the uncloaking of how the app came to be and what’s behind the seeming success and pristine corporate image of MatchDNA. My issue was that not all the narrative strands were interesting or even convincing. Ultimately, it’s the Rebecca tale that carries the series, and that’s not necessarily a good thing.

Last Chance U: Basketball (Netflix) - A few years back, one of the more inspiring spirts documentaries to come out was Last Chance U and their following a College American Football team in the US. Little did we know that right after packing their bags for that series and they were off to tackle a new subject. This would be the East LA College Basketball Huskies. A Junior College standout, the 2020 season promised to the fulfilling of a dream of Coach John Mosley to go beyond the winning seasons he had carved up, and take home a Championship. East LA College plays in a league where former standouts have their last chance at success and elevating to Division 1 scholarships.

A charismatic coach who’s not afraid to put his heart on his sleeve each time out may be one focus, but this is a penetrating look at what Basketball can mean as a way out for these disadvantaged kids, and the price they often have to pay to achieve some form of greatness. What makes the series doubly interesting as how one episode is devoted to hearing about Kobe’s death; and the last episodes has them having to face the prospect of their dreams being shattered because of the COVID pandemic onset. There’s unexpected drama in the episodes and anyone who loves Basketball will appreciate the footage of the games and practices. Intense!

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