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Reviews
Kushi (2023)
Neither Here Nor There
I watched the first day first show with a lot of anticipation and the movie really disappointed me. Before I get to that, the positives, the cinematography, especially Kashmir mountains are a joy to watch. Devarakonda does well as a modern, besotted lover. Samantha looks ill and lazy throughout the movie. Maybe she just was looking to complete the movie and her health did not support. Beyond all this, the movie is narrated from the woman's perspective on marriage largely. That is what I disliked the most. In many ways, this movie is similar to Alai Paayuthey, the Mani Ratnam classic. The storyline bears an eerie resemblance of two couples from polarising backgrounds coming together and going against parents to marry. Reality hits them hard after marriage and with parents alienated, they have nowhere to go. It's then that a couple outside the family (here Rohini and Jayram) and their Arvind Swamy and someone else show them what a true marriage is. That was a big, big letdown.
Agent (2023)
interesting
I have been seeing a lot of needlessly negative reviews for the movie. There are two ways to look at the movie. You can look it as a Telugu cinema which has taken two steps forward in action cinema or you can look it vis-v-vis Hindi and Hollywood cinema. I am looking at it as a nice Telugu movie that is pushing the envelope. Come on what were people expecting in popcorn cinema ... it has nice action, nice thrills, a good plot, good acting, great locations ...and a thoroughly enjoyable performance by Akhil. People seem to have a vested agenda in pulling down the movie.
The positives first of all - locations, cinematic quality ... I must talk about the Dolby Atmos mixing was excellent. The cinematography top notch. Akhil Akkineni was very convincing as the agent and if at all, he deserved a slightly stronger script. Mammooty was excellent as usual. But, the surprise pick was Dino Morea as the antagonist. He has slipped into the role effortlessly as the menaching antagonist. I would recommend it for action lovers. Don't go expecting a Pathaan or a Mission Impossible look alike and I am sure you won't be disappointed.
Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)
Emotional Story Telling With Lots of VFX
On my 10 year old son's persistent demands, I watched #AvatarWayOfWater yesterday evening. I was interested too but not as much as my son. There is enough feedback online on the movie being long, monotonous etc. Here I am presenting my views on the movie. Hope it is interesting enough.
I watched the 3D, English version of the movie even though other languages were available. The only reason was that regional languages usually mess up the translation of English movies. What I have seen is that the feedback of negativity has largely come from people watching other languages.
The movie starts off where the first part ends. Jake Sully has amalgamated into the Navii community and is leading a happy life with his wife and children. But, that is about to end when the Sky force comes back with greater power and in the Navii form to extract revenge by eliminating Jake Sully. Jake realises that this time, victory would not be easy and so runs away from his forest community to seek refuge in the water world clan of Naviis. The rest of the movie is about whether Jake succeeds and what price he ends up paying for success.
Before I talk about VFX, I have to comment on the skill with which James Cameron has given space to emotions. For all its VFX, Avatar 2 is an extremely emotional movie about a family's fight for its existence. The skill with which he uses VFX to tell this story is amazing. The movie has huge VFX portions, but it does not take your attention away from the storyline or emotions.
The VFX indeed is pathbreaking. I had seen the first Avatar in one of the largest IMAX screens in the world in US and I had great expectations therefore on the second one and believe me, it did not disappoint me. The climax portion of around 35-40 minutes indeed takes your breath away. The underwater visuals are so skilfully done that you become a part of the movie itself. You literally feel the water on your skin.
Just don't believe any of the negative reviews. Simply go and watch. Its a long movie no doubt and you need some level of patience to dig into the movie. Believe me, its not time wasted.
K.G.F: Chapter 2 (2022)
GREAT EXPERIENCE
Hailing from Bangalore, I always wondered why Kannada movies with a rich heritage never struck gold at the Indian box office. It was far more subdued than other South Indian film industries. KGF 1 and now KGF 2 have changed all that. It is therefore a matter of immense pride for me personally to see Kannada movies doing so well.
I watched the movie at the global premiere in UAE ... the 1150pm show, even though the next day was a working day. But, not once did I regret going to a movie at such an inappropriate time. The movie was all I expected and much more. It had a great storyline that remained true to the central theme of Rocky having a motive. Every action emanates from that and which is exactly why you constantly empathize with his character, even though his villainy was obnoxious at times. That is the strength of the writing, as you viewed the character just like the way the director aspired. This for me was the biggest strength of the movie.
The movie continues from where KGF1 left. All the aspirers to throne of Narachi are stunned into silence when Rocky replaces Garuda at the helm of affairs. So, to get him down, they connect with Adhira, the uncle of Garuda. The fight then is between Adhira and Rocky. You see many points where it looks like Rocky is going down to Adhira but he always has a plan up his sleeve. The culmination of that fight forms the crux of the movie.
Prashant Neel has done an amazing job with his writing and direction. Every frame looks like a masterpiece and the dark muted tones makes the movie a visual delight. Some of the frames are simply out of this world. The casting is picture perfect including Adhira, Ramika and others. It seems they selected themselves for this role. I would recommend this movie to every cinema lover.
The climax is a killer and after the Kattappa Bahubali saga, this is indeed a break point to cherish. I hope the makers of KGF have a plan up their sleeve.
RRR (Rise Roar Revolt) (2022)
EMOTIONALLY FULFILLING EXPERIENCE
To be brutally honest, all the hype around RRR made me apprehensive whether SS Rajamouli can deliver. I went into the theatre expecting a letdown, as the hype prior to release was reaching stratospheric levels.
I was happy to be proven wrong when I watched the movie. The movie is a fictionalized tale of Alluri Seetharam Raju and Komaram Bheem, who though never met led potent revolutions in the early part of 20th century.
The movie starts with a gut wrenching scene of the Governor and his wife visiting Adilabad for a hunting expedition. During that expedition, a tribal girl catches the attention of the governors wife (played by Allison Daddy) who is adept at skin paintings. She wishes to take the girl to their palace as a showpiece and the Governor willingly obliges. A few coins are thrown at the parents of the girl and she is whisked away. The tribals protest and obstruct the cavalry but they are brutally dealt with.
This is where the audience is introduced to two parallel storylines. In the first storyline, Ramaraju (aka Ram Charan) is a police officer and is blindly siding with the monstrous actions of British to achieve a hidden agenda. In another storyline, Komaram Bheem (aka Jr NTR) is venturing into forests collecting wild animals like wolves and tigers. He is also masquerading as a mechanic at a garage in Delhi. His reason for presence is to get the girl kidnapped by the Governor back to her family.
The story of these two characters then collides, they become great friends but are forced to go apart when their agendas collide. It would be a travesty to reveal anything more about the story.
The storyline is thin, agreed ... but, the way the story is narrated on screen and intertwined with emotions makes it apart. This is exactly where Rajamouli delivers. While the visual spectacle is a given, it never loses track of emotions. That's exactly what makes this movie a potent entertainment experience. For e.g. The interval scene at the party is a visual delight but it also effectively packs the pain and frustration of losing the child to an oppressive government. The scene involving the climax fight is a visual delight but the fight has as much emotion behind it as action.
Lots of directors can make visual spectacles but where they usually fail is the emotional quotient. Look at big budget disasters like Thugs of Hindustan, Kalank, 83 ...
I would not like to say much on audio visual elements like sound, lighting, special effects because it is a given that they will be world class within the budget constraints. I would recommend this movie to any cinema lover. Just go blind and give in yourself to the experience.
Bachchhan Paandey (2022)
HEADACHE GUARANTEED !!!
I had no expectations when I watched this movie. Thank god for that ... if I had any expectation at all from the movie, it would have resulted in a bigger heartburn. One of the worst movies of all times. Calling it a disaster Is an understatement. Even Coolie No 1 (Varun Dhawan) appears like a classic in front of Bachchan Pandey.
The movie is about a don in Hindi heartland Bachchan Pandey played by Akshay Kumar, who goes about mercilessly killing people. A wannabe filmmaker played by Kriti Sanon plans to make a movie on him to resurrect her film making career. While her plan is initially to write a script itself, during the course of the events she clicks him to act in the movie with hidden cameras. The final output of the movie and what happens to the characters constitutes the remainder of the movie.
The acting is superficial and the casting is atrocious. Akshay Kumar just doesn't speak the usual language of the Hindi heartland. The dialogues are simply hopeless and there was not a single dialogue in the movie I remember. There was not even a single comic scene that made me laugh my heart out.
Less said about the screenplay the better. I advise anyone planning to watch the movie to hold on and watch RRR that is releasing in a couple of days.
A Thursday (2022)
OVER RATED GARBAGE
In simple words, the movie is about a protagonist who is a playschool teacher. One fine day, she takes 15 kids of a play school hostage to make the government agree to her demands related to some tragedy from her past. Many movies have been made in the past on such an issue and so, if you are hoping to find something new, you will be terribly disappointed. My discontentment with the movie is due to three broad issues:
1) I have a problem with movies that glorify lawlessness or the use of violence to achieve an objective, no matter how noble it may be. We are not a banana republic and I hate movies that work in that direction.
2) The movie focuses too much on the hostage situation than going deep into the trauma of the person affected. It seems so shallow that I could not empathise with the pain of the affected protagonist.
3) The events leading to the hostage situation are so superficial and shallow that I could not bring myself to understand how an ordinary school teacher could plan something so sinister and execute it picture perfectly. It all seemed so easy.
So, while I waited for something to happen, nothing really happened. One could see the suspense from a mile away ... I waited till the end only to see what is the incident in particular which made the protagonist behaved the way she did.
Glorifying evil or evil methods to achieve a noble objective is not really great cinema in my opinion. It shows poor thinking and even poor execution. Even if I were to forget this aspect for the moment, the fact that they spent so little time on the impact of the event on the life of the protagonist, it just felt very weak to me.
83 (2021)
Does Not Do Any Justice To The Underdog Aspect Of The Achievement
I decided to watch 83 after hearing all the negative reviews of the movie. I was wondering how a movie on India's biggest high point in the 20th century could be boring for an audience. I watched the movie and understood why.
A big chunk of screen time in the movie is devoted to the matches that India played in the tournament. Perceptually, it was almost 75% of screen time. This irritated me considerably, as if I wanted to watch the cricket matches of 1983 world cup, I could have simply logged into YouTube. After all, real is better than a replica.
What I really wanted to see in the movie was a deeper dig into the mindset of the players, how they started believing in themselves and how Kapil motivated the team to play beyond their capabilities. These have been dealt with in a cursory manner and is quite unfulfilling to say the least. This would have made the viewer appreciate India's achievement that much more. In fact, Kabir Khan miserably failed to bring the under-dog story to the fore. The way the movie is directed, the win of India appears more like a fluke on the screen than the actual fight it was. It is for this reason primarily 83 fails to impress.
Lapachhapi (2017)
Excellent Narrative ... Chills Abound
Honestly, I did not know anything about this movie. My dear friend Jimmy Cage recommended this title on his YouTube channel. I trust his feedback and as I am fluent in Marathi, decided to watch this movie.
I was not disappointed at all and frankly, I enjoyed the movie. Every element and prop in the movie contributed to the horror element, right from the ventilation vent to the creaky cot to the radio set to the sugar cane fields itself. The director has co-opted each element so beautifully in the narrative that nothing appears out of place.
The story starts with a young couple that is about to have a baby running away from loan sharks in Mumbai to a remote village. The young mans ex colleague who is also the driver of the car they hire recommends his remote village as a safe place to hide. The couple reaches the village only to find a dilapidated house in the middle of a sugarcane field as their hiding spot. The drivers wife builds a strong bond with the lady and provides the maternal comfort that the lady needs at such a crucial juncture.
However, when the lady begins seeing things and characters that are not from this world ... she senses a great danger to not just herself but her unborn kid. The struggle of the mother to protect both forms the crux of the movie. Saying anything more about the movie or the plot would damage the fun element. Please see it for yourself. Another masterpiece from a language other than Hindi. Must watch
Chikati Gadilo Chitakottudu (2019)
Fun Movie
Honestly, I had no clue about the movie before I watched it. Thankfully, I was away from my kids when I watched it. I have seen many people disliking the movie for the crassness of the comedy. But, I do not have a problem with that. As long as the gags are funny, have catchy lines, I can enjoy the movie. My problem with the movie however is that many of the gags have already been seen in other movies. Like the Viagra and the table scene is a straight rip off from one of the movies in the Hindi series Masti. Another problem is the music which just did not appeal to me. In movies like these, you need a couple of genuinely funny songs to support the storyline.
Sarrainodu (2016)
Ridiculous, Mindless, Dumb, Violent Movie
Watched the special show of Sarrainodu at midnight on 21st in Sharjah.
The story is very lame and similar to most Boyapati movies. Needless violence, glorification of violent acts, wafer thin story, two heroines, item song etc. etc. There is nothing new to boast off. Even the dialogues have a sense of deja vu. It is not even like old wine in a new bottle ... it is actually old wine in an old bottle. The story or whatever you may want to call it consists of Arjun who playing the role of a vigilante who cannot see injustice anywhere. He is willing to even kill in justification of justice. How sick is that and how foolish is that his father who happens to be an IAS officer merely chides him for being difficult. The father has to be phenomenally blind or an idiot to condone and pass of such behaviour as mere transgressions.
Arjun falls in love with the local area MLA -Catherine. Can you believe that Boyapati has made Catherine an MLA who moves around in designer clothes that reveals more of her body than hides it. He keeps on tailing her and the girl falls for him. Unmindful of this, his father packs him off to a village to see his friends daughter and be accepted by the daughter Rakul. Here, he gets involved in an altercation with the villain who in fact happens to be his nemesis from an altercation in the city. From here begins a tale of mindless gore, revenge and forced emotions.
I cannot believe that I sacrificed my precious sleep for such a dumb, idiotic and foolish movie. Even Allu Arjun fans should avoid this movie. If you really feel compelled to watch the movie, at least watch when you are feeling terribly sleepy. Maybe the movie will not hurt that much.
Ghayal Once Again (2016)
Gritty action movie ... excellent
It is an excellent action movie and refreshing from the bang bang stuff that we see very often. Unlike action movies, where the focus is on the action only, this has a lot of grit and emotions in it. It really catches you hard. There was never a dull moment in the whole movie.
The way Mumbai has been shown was amazing, especially the action scenes in the bylanes. It looked very realistic, something that most commercial movies do not get right. The action director has done an amazing job in making the movie action look as realistic as possible. Some of the actions are choreographed so brilliantly that I actually wanted the theatre to rewind it.
The story is raw, gritty ... some times over the top, but that is the hallmark of Sunny Deol movies. Nothing really wrong in that. It starts off from where the first part left off. Ajay Mehra is out of jail and is now the head of an investigative newspaper that fights for the underprivileged. Fate gets him closer to a group of kids who witness a crime by mistake. This gets them closer to the antagonist who is out to destroy any traces of his crime. He subverts and abuses the entire machinery to get his way. How Ajay fights this network and comes out the winner forms the crux of the movie.
I really recommend this movie for people who like raw, gritty action.
Nannaku Prematho (2016)
Still gasping for breath ... fabulous movie
I have written very few reviews in my life. There are only two things that make me formally review a movie. It has to be excellent and has to stay with me even after I leave the cinema hall. Nannaku Prematho scores on both counts.
In terms of craft of storytelling, I felt that telugu cinema was lagging behind. We were making bigger movies but these bigger movies did not necessarily have the best storytelling. On that front, NP really scores high. A simple revenge drama turns out to be an exhilarating ride of emotions and one-upmanship. You are guessing till the end and the climax just blows you away.
In terms of story, Rajendra Prasad or Subramanian is diagnosed with cancer and has just about a month to live. He seems to have everything going for him. Well settled children, nice house, family etc. However, he seems to have something hidden in his heart ... about he was deceived by a very close associate and robbed of his property, pride and social standing. The fact that his associate played by Jagapathi Babu was never brought to book leaves a void in his heart. His dying wish is to see his nemesis crashing to the earth, who by now has becoming a global business tycoon. While the two elder brothers develop cold feet, as they feel it is a far fetched idea, the youngest played by NTR takes it as a challenge.
What follows after that is an exhilarating ride wherein each one is trying to outdo the other. It is not through bravado but intelligence and intellect.
It is also important to note at this stage that the role of Jagapathi Babu is beautifully etched. He gets some of the best lines in the movie. Very rarely has a villain's role been written as beautifully as the hero himself. Credit to the director for that. I genuinely recommend it for every movie lover. If you do not understand telugu, find a hall which has the English subtitled version ... DO NOT MISS IT.
Spectre (2015)
Completely blown away
Despite the fact that it was a 1205am show in Dubai, I still managed to hold myself to watching the first show. Honestly, I was not disappointed and enjoyed the movie from start to finish. The only area for improvement however could be the length. At a running time of more than 2 hours, for the gritty drama it is, it seems a little long.
Coming to the plot itself, Bond goes on an unsanctioned mission in Mexico wherein he ends up causing a lot of mayhem for achieving an objective that is not really clear to start with. He gets lambasted by M and who in turn asks him to keep a low profile and stay out of the glare. But, Bond continues to investigate something ... something to do with his background and roots.
One incident leads to another along with addition of new characters that builds on the plot. At the same time, MI6 is under vicious attack by a combination of internal and external factors that threatens its existence itself. Q, M, Moneypenny and BOnd have to come together to fight these forces and emerge victorious. And they manage to do a very good job.
I do not think that it is fair for me to say anything more on the plot without revealing spoilers. What I can say is that"
* It manages to intelligently connect Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace and Skyfall with Spectre * The iconic Erns Stavro Blofeld returns with a mysterious link to Bond's past * The quality of punch in dialogues, which was so missing in Skyfall comes out pretty strong. I see good work on that front.
Also, they have given enough indicators in the movie to suggest that this may be Craig's last sojourn as a Bond. I would like to see him in more because he has rebooted Bond in the best way possible.
D-Day (2013)
Great movie ... excellent spy drama
The movie provides an excellent insight into the concept of sleeper cells and the way they protect the country's interests, very often at the cost of their life and conscience.
The movie is about a wanted Pakistani terrorist holed up in Pakistan. Knowing the importance of the suspect, the Indian secret service agency authorizes a covert operation for the extraction of Iqbal Sheikh (played by Rishi Kapoor).
Four RAW agents are chosen to carry out the extraction. These agents led by Aslam, Zoya (Huma Qureishi), Rudra Pratap (Arjun Ramphal) and Wali Khan (Irfan Khan) hatch a plan to extract Iqbal Sheikh from his sons wedding. However, the plan gets botched up and these four agents are on the run. Also, at the same time, each of the protagonists are going through serious emotional upheaval due to the dual lives that they are leading. For e.g. Wali Khan is a simple barber, doting father and at the same time a RAW agent. His family is unaware of his identity and unfortunately get caught at the crossroads.
Each of the characters goes through their own process of redemption for the feeling of guilt that they harbor and the love for their motherland. That is actually the beauty of the movie. In fact, of all the spy movies that have been made in India, this easily is the best of all. I would actively recommend it for movie aficionados.
Law Abiding Citizen (2009)
Great movie
Successful movies are those wherein you feel for the protagonist. As a viewer, it engages you with the movie, because you feel so much a part of it. This is exactly where the movie does really well. When Gerard Butler as the aggrieved father fails to get justice for the death of his wife and daughter because of legal complications, he chooses a path of intelligent vengeance. The way Gerard goes about his task with impunity is very engaging and compelling, because, all along, we can understand his angst at not getting justice. I started putting myself in Gerard's shoes and started feeling that I would have possibly done the same, if god forbid, I was ever in that situation. However, the tame ending was a disappointment and that is the reason why I give it a 7 instead of a full 10.
A Good Day to Die Hard (2013)
big disappointment
I remember the first die hard movie came out when I was in college. John Maclane was an idol for action fans like us, because he epitomized dedication, intelligence and a dare devilry attitude. In all his movies post that, this attitude was clearly on display, even when he appeared to be in a vulnerable position. But, A Good Day To Die Hard is very different in that respect ... as a viewer, I just could not empathize with the character. He destroys things without reason, has scant regard for public property, displays the typical American aggression by doing what he thinks in a foreign country. These are not the qualities John Maclane was loved for. I therefore term it as a big big disappointment.
Now with respect to the plot, less said the better. John Maclane's son is an undercover agent tasked with the activity of getting out a Russian rebel man. However, lots of things happen and both father and son, go about bang bang in St Petersburg till they kill the villain. No story whatsoever.
Ek Thi Daayan (2013)
Great innovative horror
I saw the first show of Ek Thi Daayan in Dubai yesterday. It was one of the most ingenuous horror movies that I have watched in a while.
The movie is based on the concept of witchcraft and has been dealt in a deft and creepy manner. While there are many things that stand out in the movie, some of the prominent ones are - Konkona Sen's creepy characterization, Junior Emraan's innocence and mannerisms and above all, the mind blowing climax.
The movie starts with the protagonist, a magician who fails in an act and injures his colleague. There are visions that occur to him, which seem unusual for a while in the movie but as the movie unravels, everything makes sense. To say anything more about the movie would be to spoil the enjoyment. I would actively recommend it to every Horror lover.
Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011)
MI4 ... best in the series. waiting for more
Saw the movie recently. Had lots of expectations, as usual from a MI movie and believe me, I was not disappointed. I went home entertained. That is what I am anyway paying for.
The plot to start with is not new. But, it more than makes up for it with brisk pace, excellent special effects and mind blowing stunts. Importantly, the way all these have been meshed into the story make an average story into a fantastic movie.
The movie starts off in Budapest with a prison break scene. This scene has some nice hand to hand fights but frankly this portion was slightly overdone. This sequence could have done with some chopping.
After that, its a roller coaster ride... you do not even get time to catch your breath. The story moves to Kremlin wherein the IMF gets accused of an attempt to bomb the Kremlin. Situations are such that all the evidence points towards the role of the IMF in the situation.
In the Kremlin, there is one sequence that caught my attention in terms of gadgetry. The optical illusion thing when Tom and Simon are checking the records room is funny and interesting.
The IMF is disavowed and the mentor murdered. Tom and his team are racing against time to nail the megalomaniac villain who believes that end of mankind is necessary for a new world to start. The villain needed a bit of strengthening ... his character has not been fully etched. Frankly speaking, I liked the female assassin better as she was strong, cold blooded and vicious to the core. I would not like to say anything more ... it is for others to watch and judge.
Now coming to the highlights ... there are many actually. Have already mentioned the optical illusion bit. Then there is the action scene at Burj Khalifa. It just sends your adrenalin rushing. The climax sequence at the automated car park in Mumbai is a fitting finale to the movie.
The hero of the movie is actually not Tom Cruise but the director Brad Bird. He is the real star and its simply amazing the way he has made a transition from animation to a live action movie.
I am definitely going to watch it again. Normally, sequels are not that good, but MI3 was better than MI1 which itself was a classic. MI4 has exceeded all of them. I am extremely eager to watch the next movie whenever it is made.
The Debt (2010)
Great gripping movie
I had some indications from a friend that this was a good movie. So, like usual, on the night before a working day, I started watching the movie at 11pm, expecting to see not more than a few minutes. But, I was drawn into the movie and I got up only after completing the movie. In sum, it was a taut, gripping thriller.
The story starts with the present day when the daughter of Ex Mossad agents is being honored for a book she has written on her parents capture of the dreaded 'butcher of Birkenau'. The third member of the team incidentally commits suicide the same day and then starts a series of back and forth events between times into the reality surrounding their past.
The past which will come back to haunt them and puts their entire reputation at risk of being damaged. Its a great movie .. one should watch it at a stretch.
Oosaravelli (2011)
Great movie
I watched the movie today and last night one of my friends warned me against watching the movie as he said he heard extremely negative reviews. So, I started watching the movie with some skepticism and even then I thoroughly enjoyed the movie. Jr NTR was amazing and the shades in his character amply justify the title (Oosaravelli - Chameleon).
Oosaravelli's theme revolves around revenge but it has been handled in an extremely gripping and entertaining manner. Twists and turns at different points of time always keep you on the edge of your seats. What was the most interesting was the shades of grey in Jr NTRs character.
Tamanna is the protagonist in the movie who has a mysterious past and is seeking revenge for something that happened in her life. Jr NTR keeps on bumping bad guys at the drop of a hat. How their paths cross and the love blossoms forms the essence of the story. I would not want to say anything more. Please watch in the big screens ... it is a movie meant for the big screen ... with its amazing locales, photography and special effects. Songs are a highlight for the film even though some of them were ill-placed in the movie. That was the only drawback in my opinion. The second half could have been shorter ...