African Couch Potato

Happy New Year and welcome to the first episode of African Couch Potato of 2026. We kick off the ep with Gino's top 26 movies to look out for over the coming year. He has a look at the whirlwind African tour of American YouTuber iShowSpeed. Staying with the African tour theme, there's a review of the totally crazy Tiffany Haddish Goes Off currently streaming on Showmax, and we end with a first look at the new Harlan Coben thriller now on Netflix, Run Away.Here is the movie list with their expected release datesTop 26 anticipated movies for 2026People We Meet on Vacation - Jan 928 Years Later: The Bone Temple - Jan 16The Moment - Jan 30Send Help - Jan 30Wuthering Heights - Feb 13Scream 7 - Feb 27The Bride! - Mar 6The Breadwinner - Mar 13Project Hail Mary - Mar 20The Drama - Apr 3The Devil Wears Prada - May 1Mandalorian and Grogu - May 22Disclosure Day - Jun 12Toy Story 5 - Jun 19Supergirl - Jun 26Moana - Jul 10The Odyssey - mid JulSpider-man: Brand New Day - Jul 31 Resident Evil - Sep 18Whalefall - Oct 16The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping - Nov 20Meet the Parents 4: Focker In-law - Nov 25Narnia - Nov 26Jumanji 3 - Dec 4Doomsday - Dec 18Dune: Part Three - Dec 18A stack of diary dates to keep you going through 2026.Yes? No? Send us a textLet us know what you think, what movie or series you would like to see featured, or just to tell us how brilliant it all is:instagram.com/africancouchpotatotwitter.com/[email protected] WhatsApp Channel: Mzansi Film News, Views and Reviews YouTube; African Couch Potato - YouTube https://www.patreon.com/c/AfricanCouchPotato Gino Shelile’s profile • LetterboxdMember of the Film Critics Association of South Africa (FCASA)Produced by Ted Loukes and A10 Consulting [email protected] Music by The_Mountain from Pixabay© SANTE MEDIA 2025

The last episode of ACP for 2025! With only a few days left of the year, Gino takes time to reflect on the amazing guests we've had the pleasure of hosting; where we are all over the world and how you managed to listen in. In a move that took many people by surprise, Netflix is planning to acquire Warner Bros Discovery, which, if successful, will make it possibly the largest media company on the planet. The downside for us is that we may lose several channels from DStv, as  well as some shows from Showmax. Now, here's Gino's top 25 for '25: Love and Wine - A rich guy working for his dad's company falls for a student. Man vs Baby - Rowan Atkinson is looking after another un-asked-for companion.Monster: The Ed Gein Story - A series chronicling the stories of infamous killers.Bad Influencer - A single mom partners with an influencer to sell counterfeit designer bags.aka Charlie Sheen - The actor discusses his rise to fame and public downfall.The Thursday Murder Club - Retirees spend their time solving cold case murders.Building The Band - 50 contestants form bands without meeting.A Minecraft Movie - 4 misfits are pulled through a mysterious portal.Unseen (S2)  - Zenzi's new reality brings with it enemies and alliances.Forever - Two high schoolers in L.A. navigate first love and intimacy.The Diamond Heist - London criminals plan an audacious heist.Black Mirror (S7) - Satirical tales explore techno-paranoia.Ralph Barbosa - Cowabunga - Cheeky stand-up special.Million Dollar Secret - A player starts with $1m, while 11 more try to capture them.Con Mum - A chef's world turns chaotic when a socialite appears, claiming to be his mom. Andrew Schulz Life - Comedy special about starting a family and going through IVF treatments.GO!  - A young sprinter has to overcome past trauma as he attends a prestigious school.Adolescence - A 13-year-old is accused of the murder of a classmate.School of Chocolate - Professionals test their skills under chocolatier, Amaury Guichon.Apple Cider Vinegar - Wellness guru Belle Gibson, who pretended to have cancer.The Kings of Tupelo - Small-town Mississippi's jaw-dropping scandal.Shaka iLembe - The making of the iconic African king.Inimba - A business woman gives birth, but chooses her career over her child.The Chair Company - A man investigates a conspiracy.Married At First Sight: Mzansi - Singles agree to marry partners chosen by experts. Yes? No? Send us a textLet us know what you think, what movie or series you would like to see featured, or just to tell us how brilliant it all is:instagram.com/africancouchpotatotwitter.com/[email protected] WhatsApp Channel: Mzansi Film News, Views and Reviews YouTube; African Couch Potato - YouTube https://www.patreon.com/c/AfricanCouchPotato Gino Shelile’s profile • LetterboxdMember of the Film Critics Association of South Africa (FCASA)Produced by Ted Loukes and A10 Consulting [email protected] Music by The_Mountain from Pixabay© SANTE MEDIA 2025

The season of goodwill is upon us, yet sadly, we start this episode with the horrific shooting of DJ Warras. Gino takes some time to reflect on this tragic event.Moving on, this week sees Gino relating his adventures from his hilarious recent roadtrip to Mozambique, where just about everything that could go wrong, did!Surviving the trip, Gino takes a look at the new Netflix release: Love and Wine, the story of a rich guy working for his dad's company, who falls for a med student and pretends to be poor like her. His lie spirals into a mess of comedy and touching moments.There's more comedy with How to Ruin Love - Suspecting infidelity, Zoleka plans to catch her boyfriend in the act, only to ruin her own surprise proposal. Now she must win him back.And comedic royalty Rowan Atkinson is back with Man vs Baby which picks up after Man vs Bee. This time Trevor (Atkinson) is now looking after a luxurious London penthouse, with another unlikely, un-asked-for companion.The third installment of Knives Out, titled Wake Up Deadman revives Daniel Craig's Benoit Blanc, who is called to investigate the death of a prominent clergyman during a church service, with the entire congregation present and all of them potential suspects.This neatly takes us to the Genesis - In The Garden Concert on Boxing Day, featuring not only members of the Genesis cast but also some of the top gospel singers around. And on that note, African Couch Potato wishes you a joyous and peaceful festive season.For those that need to know - Florestinha do Índico means Little Forest of the Indian OceanYes? No? Send us a textLet us know what you think, what movie or series you would like to see featured, or just to tell us how brilliant it all is:instagram.com/africancouchpotatotwitter.com/[email protected] WhatsApp Channel: Mzansi Film News, Views and Reviews YouTube; African Couch Potato - YouTube https://www.patreon.com/c/AfricanCouchPotato Gino Shelile’s profile • LetterboxdMember of the Film Critics Association of South Africa (FCASA)Produced by Ted Loukes and A10 Consulting [email protected] Music by The_Mountain from Pixabay© SANTE MEDIA 2025

Luto Mpunga is a South African social media personality and content creator known for her activity on TikTok, sharing videos featuring personal moments, humour, and music-related content. She is also part of the Director's Guild of South Africa. In this episode we grabbed a few minutes with her, via Zoom, to chat about the DGSA Creatives Awards.The Creatives Awards is a groundbreaking event that sets a new gold standard for recognizing and celebrating the brilliance, innovation, and artistic excellence within South Africa’s film and television industry. The main awards ceremony will be happening next year in MarchLuto also talks about her earlier years in the modelling industry which led to her becoming a coach, training toddlers and teenagers in modeling and life skills for fashion shows, and her ultimate goal, which is to be an actress. Yes? No? Send us a textLet us know what you think, what movie or series you would like to see featured, or just to tell us how brilliant it all is:instagram.com/africancouchpotatotwitter.com/[email protected] WhatsApp Channel: Mzansi Film News, Views and Reviews YouTube; African Couch Potato - YouTube https://www.patreon.com/c/AfricanCouchPotato Gino Shelile’s profile • LetterboxdMember of the Film Critics Association of South Africa (FCASA)Produced by Ted Loukes and A10 Consulting [email protected] Music by The_Mountain from Pixabay© SANTE MEDIA 2025

Sibusiso Mthiya is a South African media personality, producer, and presenter known for hosting inspirational shows and it was a pleasure to welcome him to the studio for a chat with Gino about his career and his plans for the future, as well as talking openly about his faith and growing up without a present father figure .Sibusiso might be known to older listeners from his days on Kideo and YoTv Land where he started at the age of 6 years old. He talks to Gino about those early days and how celebrity status is no longer what it was.From his days as a child star, he stayed in the entertainment industry where he has popped up as an actor, a radio DJ and more recently as a producer. Sibusiso is involved with SID Media, hosting programs that combine music, inspirational conversations, and community engagement. He is also heavily involved with Hope Channel Africa as Head of Content and Programming.His newest venture is Khula Ndoda, a new podcast born out of a passion to mentor and guide young boys through the challenges of adolescence. Developed with a dedicated team in South Africa, the podcast aims to offer support and guidance to young men navigating the complexities of growing up. Yes? No? Send us a textLet us know what you think, what movie or series you would like to see featured, or just to tell us how brilliant it all is:instagram.com/africancouchpotatotwitter.com/[email protected] WhatsApp Channel: Mzansi Film News, Views and Reviews YouTube; African Couch Potato - YouTube https://www.patreon.com/c/AfricanCouchPotato Gino Shelile’s profile • LetterboxdMember of the Film Critics Association of South Africa (FCASA)Produced by Ted Loukes and A10 Consulting [email protected] Music by The_Mountain from Pixabay© SANTE MEDIA 2025