What's Worth Watching: 'Oslo,' 'In the Heights,' 'Loki,' 'Manifest' and 'Billions'

Stephanie Hammett, The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Wash.
·2 min read

Jun. 17—'Oslo' (2021)

Based on J.T. Walters' 2016 play of the same name, "Oslo" follows Mona Juul (Ruth Wilson), a diplomat at the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and her husband, Terje Rød-Larsen (Andrew Scott), director of the Fafo Foundation, as they facilitate secret preliminary discussions between representatives from Israel and the Palestinian Liberation Organization. These negotiations would pave the way for the signing of the 1993 Oslo Peace Accords, ending a violent period of Palestinian protests against Israeli occupation known as the First Intifada. "Oslo" is available on HBO Max.

'In the Heights' (2021)

A musical conceived by "Hamilton" creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, "In the Heights" follows bodega owner Usnavi (Anthony Ramos) through his daily life in New York's largely Dominican Washington Heights neighborhood. Feeling like the best days of his life in New York might have already passed him, Usnavi dreams of a new life in the Dominican Republic. "In the Heights," directed by Jon M. Chu ("Crazy Rich Asians"), is available on HBO Max.

'Loki' (2021)

Shaking off the events of "Avengers: Infinity War" and "Endgame," the God of Mischief (Tom Hiddleston) discovers he's had an entire alternate universe up his sleeve the whole time. With a little help from the tesseract, Loki manages to jump into a different time, creating a variant reality and inadvertently catching the attention of the "Time Variance Authority" — a multidimensional police force — ready to cart him off to time-traveling jail. "Loki" is available on Disney+.

'Manifest' (2018)

Questions abound when a routine flight from Jamaica lands in New York more than five years after it's planned arrival time. Stranger still, the passengers, presumed dead for just as long, haven't aged a day. As each of the passengers return to their lives, reintegration proves a thorny road. Especially when several of them begin hearing warning voices. "Manifest" is available on Netflix.

'Billions' (2016)

A long way from his humble beginnings, billionaire hedge fund manager Bobby "Axe" Axelrod (Damien Lewis) feels the world he has built threatening to crumble when Chuck Rhoades, district attorney for southern New York, begins digging for evidence against him. Axelrod, it seems, has let his ambitions get the better of him, and Rhoades is determined to bring him down. The fourth season of "Billions" is now available on Amazon Prime Video.