Reviews

For all its hype and relentless online marketing, Navarasa definitely scores high for its technical brilliance and production design. In fact almost all of its nine stories, put together has a runtime of 5 hours, and has a very few parallels on the technical side that can match Navarasa head to head, in Kollywood. But the screenplay and writing has more misses than hits, only 3 stories intrigued the viewers minds, while another 3 offers nothing new and 3 more are just boring and a makes a painful watch.

Episode 1: Edhiri, Very Good but not brilliant, Actor Vijay Sethupathi's talents goes under utilised here.

Episode 2: Summer of 1992, Has a few laughs but Director Priyadarshan offers nothing new.

Episode 3: Project Agni, Brilliant concept but director Karthik Naren rushes to tell and do too many things in a very short time.

Episode 4: Payasam, An Authentic 1960s tale, aided by some brilliant production design and costumes. Prakash Raj would have been an better choice than Delhi Ganesh here.

Episode 5: Peace, I never new LTTE spoke with such funny accents and wore makeup, before operations.

Episode 6: Roudram, Brilliant tale that intrigues the viewer minds for its entire run time. Arvind swami stuns us with his caliber as a director.

Episode 7: Inmai, Parvathy shines in this rather insipid folklore, that tries hard.

Episode 8: Thunintha Pin, An outright dud from the screenplay pages of Ravaan or Ravaanan (2007), that didn't make the final cut. Really? Mani sir?

Episode 9: Guitar Kambi Mele Nindru, A Typical Gautham Menon, blah blah blah that I have been watching for 20 years now. Frankly Mr. GVM, don't you have any other ideas? A Brilliant Song by Karthik in a dud within.

Overall, Watch Navarasa for its technical brilliance and a wonderful Toorigha song, when you have absolutely nothing to do, sans higher expectations. 6 out of 10 stars for a promising anthology which goes flat eventually.

Phew, What a take on life and What a movie, Director Tamara Jenkins has delivered to us? Absolutely Fantastic, Private Life uses a couple's emotional bumpy journey, almost making it, a kind of mature dramedy on infertility. The movie is very emotional on several occasions but the scenes are rarely dramatized and appear picture perfect authentic, frame by frame. At its heart, Private Life has some genuine laughs, emotional tension, and loads of drama to keep the viewer glued to the screen, and completely engaged. The movie has a strong and a wonderful cast, delivering some of the finest acting performances, that I have seen in a very long time.

Cinematography is decent, well one doesn't expect too much out of it, in a movie like this one. Screenplay is wonderfully written, crafted with great care actually. The writers have done some serious heavy lifting on this one, in my opinion. Editing keeps up the pace and the movie doesn't lag much in its 124 minute runtime. Music lightens the mood, when things get serious. Production design, costumes and makeup are very good. Paul Giamatti and Kathryn Hahn deliver some very memorable performances on screen, nothing like their usual small supporting characters, that they normally play. These are some of the best acting performances of their life time possibly. They are ably supported by Kayli Carter and a host of other actors.

Overall, A mature storyline, explicit sexual content and an appealing young co-star may attract teen interest, but Private Life is not made for them, because the movie's main focus is on the struggles of a couple in their 40s who are trying to keep their relationship together while they're on an emotionally and physically exhausting journey to parenthood. As a matter of fact a lot of couples undergo the same gruelling spectre that Rachel and Richard go through in this movie, my prayers are with them.

When young we take a lot of things for granted, it is only when we don't have them down the line, we understand to value things, Private Life is a lesson for all of us to understand the perils and hardships, infertile couples go through. The movie gives us a chance to understand, redeem our outlook and be supportive in our approach towards them. Highly recommended for mature audiences, who like drama. 8.6 stars out of 10 for a dramedy like no other in the recent times.

Though this movie may or may not be based on true incidents or real life characters, it is indeed a dark tale, not just dark but pitch black. The titular character Maza or Akkio, played to perfection by Masami Nagasawa left my head spinning and reeling for hours, from the fatal blow I received while watching maza. A deadly and disturbing combination of utter Waywardness, irresponsibility, selfishness, laziness, lies and deceit all rolled into one, sums up the character Akkio. Masa can definitely be a case study for social workers across the world, who work for the betterment of the civil society. Director Tatsushi Ohmori's painstakingly put together tale, definitely makes a bold and rather disturbing impression.

Cinematography is perfect, the ground level camera shots, the steady cam shots and the scenes shot in small and confined spaces, just shows the mettle of the cinematographer. Screenplay is terrific on many levels, it intrigues with the viewer's minds while keeping things interesting. Editing is good and keeps up the necessary pace for the movie lasting 125 minutes. Production design, costumes and makeup are good. Music is sublime and soft. On the acting front Masami Nagasawa steals the show outright, and is ably supported by by a host of decent performances around her.

Overall, I am sure that the judges at Cannes film festival and other top film festivals will be mighty impressed with Masa. But for the average joe like me, I would recommend this movie for viewers who like dark tales or for viewers who would like to try something bizarre and different for the day, instead of regular mundane stuff on tv. Not recommended for family audiences and young impressionable minds. 6.9 stars out of 10 for a dark tale that borders horror, on many occasions, without involving ghosts or vampires. Actually they are in fact nothing in comparison to Akkio.

I am really astonished at the low ratings for this Netflix version of Chernobyl called Chernobyl 1986. Yes, I have seen the HBO mini series, Chernobyl and loved every bit of it, except for the fact that it was terribly odd to see Ukrainians and Russians speaking in English. Compared to the HBO version head on, yes this one doesn't stand a chance, as the HBO version Sheds more details on the catastrophic events and had a far superior impression on the viewers minds. Chernobyl 1986, focuses on the personal life of a fictional character who plays a major role in containing certain aspects of the disaster.

The problem with Chernobyl 1986 is that, the movie looses about a good thirty minutes in introducing the lead character and his love life. Things get on track when disaster unfolds, it is when things get intense and sometimes even gripping. Lot of other characters are introduced along the way, and the core story moves to, locating and opening a valve near the reactor, though this part was already covered in the HBO series, but still, it keeps the viewers minds interested.

Cinematography is brilliant, with some shots really exceptional. Screenplay is good enough to keep the viewer interested by just telling a human side of the story, than a technical one. Production design, music, costumes and makeup were excellent. Editing is good and the movie has a runtime of 135 minutes. CGI has some good and bad bits equally. Sound design is excellent. Most of the actors play their parts decently with Oksana Akinshina's performance the best among the lot.

Overall, assuming that the viewer has seen the HBO mini series of the same name and knows all the technical details of the disaster, this movie will give you, a further crash course on true blue patriotism, soul touching love, sacrifice, some nail biting action sequences and a lesson on humanity. All these may sound very cheesy, but thankfully Chernobyl 1986 is definitely not, One has to thank its director Danila Kozlovskiy for that. I would recommend this movie to all the people who have watched HBO mini series, for a follow up of things. Watch it if you don't have anything else to do. 6.7 stars out of 10 for a movie that celebrates humanity and love above everything else.

What a comeback, it's been for director Pa. Ranjit, after a great start to his career with films like Attakathi and Madras and losing his way while collaborating with a big star for two lacklustre movies. Ranjit fires on all cylinders, and against all odds to deliver something that has never been delivered to Tamil cinema audiences, a perfect sports drama. Sarpatta Parambarai doesn't have a parallel in the history of Tamil cinema, where the directors usually stick their guns to, age old proven formula laced movies or dud mass entertainers , they very rarely stick out to experiment anything with a substance. Sarpatta Parambarai, delivers not only the substance, but along with it a sting too. The movie not only focuses on the Madras boxing scene in the late 1970s, it also highlights the politics, rivalry, relationships, infrastructure and things at stake during those times. Using Indira Gandhi's emergency as a backdrop within the story is a classic touch indeed.

Cinematography is terrific, highly detailed 4K visuals presented in 1:1.85:1 ratio is just perfect for home audiences. Screenplay is fantastically written with so many vibrant characters. I don't think I have seen a Tamil movie with so many characters that are colourful and equally important after Kamal Hassan's Virumandi. Production design just is top class for a Tamil movie, costumes and makeup are highly convincing and excel throughout the movie. Editing is again, fantastic, as the editor doesn't let the pace and intensity drop for a major portion of the movie that has a runtime of a whopping 174 minutes. Santosh Narayan's Background score is apt and doesn't not overshadow Ranjit's hard work. Watch out for the song when the end credits roll.

It has been a long time in Tamil cinema where the whole cast has collectively delivered strong acting performances to match Sarpatta Parambarai's quality. The stand out performers in the supporting roles are led by, John Viyay as Kevin/Daddy, Kalaiarasan as Vetriselvan and Pashupathy as Rangan Vaathiyaar. The Rival boxers John Kokken as Vembuli, Santosh Pratap as Raman and Sabeer K as dancing rose too play their parts convincingly. Arya is definitely a much improved actor since Mahamuni, and his acting performance and bodily transformation adds a lot of positives to his career. Even Dushara as wife and Anupama Kumar as the mother have delivered wonderful performances.

Overall, Sarpatta Parambarai has a lot of things to work in its favour, be it the Treatment, Quality, characters, acting performances and a wonderful storyline that will make this movie a cult classic. Sarpatta Parambarai will not only end up just as a much loved film, it will carve a place of its own in the history of Tamil cinema and be remembered for a very long time. The movie is Highly Recommended for audiences all over the world, yes it's bit lengthy on the runtime but rest assured the story is packed with lots of vibrant characters and fireworks to keep the movie interesting for, almost its entire duration, I wish it was a 15 minutes shorter. But I am sure that Sarpatta Parambarai will definitely walk into the the hall of fame of Tamil cinema, maybe Indian cinema. It's a shame that movie couldn't make it to cinemas due to the pandemic. Thanks to Amazon prime for delivering it home. 8.0 stars out of 10 for a movie that replicates fifteen rounds of boxing in its storyline & filmmaking. Two Thumbs Up.

Toofaan is a typical Bollywood sports drama, that is utterly predictable throughout its entire runtime. But director Rakesh Omprakash Mehra's high quality work and treatment keeps things in the loop, and gives Toofaan a Boxing Gully Boy kinda look. Full marks to Farhan Akhtar for the hard work put on by him, for his stunning physical transformation and the ease with which he plays the character Aziz Ali. The film as a whole suffers, with its formulatic approach and a Bollywood Syndrome, that has a sprinkling of endless sequences filled with Fun, Love, Friendship, Sentiment, Fights, Religion, villains, relatives and what not. But Toofaan is still very watchable for the quality on offer, provided viewer doesn't mind its lengthy run time.

Of the several technical aspects of the film, the most outstanding department of Toofaan is its Cinematography, the choice of filters and lighting across scenes is just fantastic. Screenplay is a bit let down as it doesn't offer anything new, that too in 2021 to the viewers, other than getting in religion into boxing, the script for a major part looks like it's written in the 1980s. Editing or the lack of it severely marrs Toofaan, with a total runtime of 161 minutes, it's definitely not in the interest of the viewer's delight if the viewer doesn't find, either the scenes or artistes interesting. Production design and costumes were good. Makeup was good for Farhan Akhtar but terrible at times for the pretty Murnal Thakur. Music and background score was on the positive side. On the acting front, Farhan Akhtar delivers a fine performance with ease, ably supported by an ever excellent Paresh Rawal.

Overall, I wouldn't call Toofaan a bad film, by any means based on its technical aspects and acting, but some dated writing, several cliches and a lengthy runtime doesn't do the movie much favours. If you are a fan of Boxing or Farhan Akhtar, then the movie is highly recommended but if you aren't either, watch the movie in three parts of 40 minutes each like a mini web series. Climax scenes do contain some stunning visuals on boxing and does make an impression for its technical excellence . Thanks to Amazon Prime for saving me a lot of money on overpriced parking and popcorn. 6.2 stars out of 10 for a complete Farhan Akhtar show from start to finish.

As a psychological thriller, Behind Her Eyes fires on all cylinders and is bang on target to play your mind stretching all six episodes. But the collateral damage is that, the limited series lags big time in many portions and is blatantly bone dry on the entertainment part. In short, While the show will be a treat to students of psychology and their teachers for learning a lot of finer nuances of psychological behaviour of human beings, to an average viewer apart from the introductory episode, the series is like a loop, where content is constantly repeated almost till the very end, taxing a huge amount of their patience. But the end thankfully makes up a little bit for the taxing endured by the brain.

Cinematography is brilliant throughout the series, vibrant colours and landscape will mesmerise your screen for sure. Screenplay is terrific on all the mumbo jumbo psychological elements, but wouldn't work on the average joe. Thankfully Editing is crisp and neat and the editor keeps the total runtime to 300 minutes, anything more would have been a serious letdown. Production design, costumes and makeup were top class. Music definitely added a certain spark to the series. Though most of the actors performance their parts very well, Simona Brown as Louise delivers a wonderful performance, that will be remembered.

Overall, Behind Her Eyes will definitely impress a huge section of audiences impressed, with its fleury and high quality filmmaking. The director Erik Richter Strand is highly impressive with his storytelling ability and his finesse. The series is highly recommended for people who love psychological thrillers, but if one is seeking pure entertainment, I wouldn't recommend Behind Her Eyes to them. The series contains some muted R rated steamy scenes and might not suit family audiences. Behind Her Eyes definitely has the grit and takes its sweet time to deliver the glory, but it does deliver. 6.4 stars out of 10 for making me to strain my brain for a good part of five hours.

Maharani does work fantastically well, only if the viewer doesn't take the web series seriously, and views the episodes for pure entertainment. Maharani is loosely based on some political events and politicians, who had a large say in the political affairs of the erstwhile pre bifurcated Bihar. Huma Qureshi along with a host of other supporting actors combine to give us a political potboiler that takes place in the late 1990s, while shedding a light on many issues and problems that plagued Bihar during that time. Interestingly the same issues and problems remain unresolved to this very day.

Director Karan Sharma & writer Subhash Kapoor try hard to stitch together a political series without offending any political outfit and they do succeed on that part. But the screenplay has several glaring errors on several political technicalities and glaring omissions. Editing makes matters a little worse as some of the sub plots disappear for episodes, only to crop up at the most inconvenient times to mar the storytelling continuity. Production design, Music, costumes and makeup, try very hard to give a 1990s feel to the series and succeed only partially. On the acting front Huma Qureshi does her part well but nothing exceptional from her, Amit Sial's performance is very good, while Sohum Shah disappoints. Kani Kushruti and Pramod Pathak deliver some nice Cameos.

Overall, if one can overlook, a little inaccuracies and other technicalities, Maharani can be highly entertaining watch in the bargain. While watching Maharani, I felt that the plot over written in some portions and under written in some. But importantly the series does live up to its hype and is highly entertaining in many portions. Highly recommended for viewers who like all out political dramas or for mass audiences who like cliffhangers with a political garnish for a change. Maharani definitely will not disappoint, even for hardcore movie buffs, sans higher expectations. 6.4 stars out of 10 for the series, that projects delicate and complicated political alliances, like a game of simple Musical chairs.

Thaen follows a heart breaking story of an unknown Indian called Velu, who against all odds faces insurmountable challenges in the form of red tape when his wife is diagnosed with a rare disease.

Velu's only mistake in life is being born poor in a country like this. The movie highlights several social issues that haunts the poor till this very day. Full credit and a standing ovation to director Ganesh Vinayakan for making this wonderful movie. No amount of appreciation is considered less for the director's accurate depiction of pain and suffering suffered by the protagonist's family throughout the movie.

Cinematography is excellent, the visual beauty of the western ghats is captured wonderfully well in the early portion of the movie. Screenplay is written wonderfully well, the heart breaking scenes on struggles of the poor are written beautifully, I am very sure that the storyline will strike the right cords and will touch the viewer's hearts no matter which part of the globe they are from. Music and songs were excellent, barring a few places where the background score was too loud. Production design, costumes and makeup were par considering the budget. Editing has some issues, but a 105 minute runtime will not bother the viewer much. As the movie has several non regular actors in lead & supporting roles, many performances were either bland or pretty raw but the storyline and well written content will definitely make the viewer to overlook things.

Overall, Thaen means honey in Tamil, but there is absolutely nothing sweet about this movie, the movie highlighting several social issues will leave only bitterness within the viewer. Thaen without a doubt, will put forward several questions for the viewer throughout the movie, the writing will remind us to thank for the life that we have and stop complaining altogether. Everyone knows that, the system is long due for an outright overhaul, but in cases like the one presented in the movie, the whole system is depicted as a complete failure, who is it to blame? The voters? Or the government?. Highly recommended for viewers of all ages. 7.8 stars out of 10 for the movie on social issues that stings the viewer like a Thaenee (Honeybee).

I am just out of words to describe Paddleton, the movie not only shook me apart, but also tore my heart away. Not many movies can touch the viewer the way Paddleton does, most movies entertain us for sometime, some movies do so for the entire duration but a very few are worthy enough, for us to carry it through our lives, Paddleton is a strong contender here. The movie celebrates friendship and camaraderie and takes it to stratospheric levels. Thanks to director Alex Lehmann vision, Paddleton is much better on the screen, than on paper.

Though technically even if there isn't much to write about the movie, Cinematography was decent. Music was gentle and subtle but the deafening silence used in some scenes did leave an eerie effect on me. Editing was smooth, with only a 89 minute runtime including credits. The screenplay is totally classy and remains at the top of its game for the entire duration, till the very end. Production design, costumes and makeup were par. On the acting front Mark Duplass and Ray Romano impress us with some pretty strong performance. I never expected Ray Romano to pull out this wonderful piece of work. A nice surprise.

Overall, Though Paddleton uses sentiment as a big weapon to impress the viewer, it is a job well done considering the different route taken by the writers. This movie is much more than selling a sentimental dose in the name of entertainment, if the viewer is of the right age and mindset, Paddleton will pull in the right cords. If one doesn't mind a bit of sentiment and a sob story the movie can be watched with the entire family. 8.1 stars out of 10 for a movie I will remember for a long long time that celebrates the best of friendship.

Phew, What a ride has it been since I started Gwimul about four days ago. Right from the start Gwimul sets the tone, it's intense and gripping, with a storyline filled with a lot of suspense and of many mysterious characters. There are a number of sub plots to keep the viewer very interested in bargain, The first ten episodes focuses on a serial killer genre like Hollywood's Silence of the lambs, and travels at a breakneck speed but then the director for some reasons unknown tries to pull an "à la Chinatown" from the eleventh episode onwards after which the series goes into a lazy cruise mode till the very end. The season one contains a whopping sixteen, hour long episodes and runs a little over seventeen hours for it to end.

Cinematography is brilliant and is very atypical of Korean movies in the recent years. Music and background score is good and grows on the viewer as the series progresses. Screenplay is both brilliant & terrific at times and confusing & boring at times, The writers gave away too much material early on but couldn't keep up the tempo after a while. Their usage and recall of a, unusually large number of character's names time and again, gets very confusing for non Korean viewers. Production design, costumes and makeup were decent. The editor makes a little impression in series that runs a whopping seventeen hours long. All the actors and the supporting actors were good and deliver some good performances, the many scenes where voices and tempers are raised are just terrific.

Overall, Gwimul definitely entertains the viewer thoroughly for the major part of the series but strangely goes flat on the later part of the series. During the later episodes things are repeated over and over again, sometimes to very annoying levels. If one is a fan of serial killer or Korean movies, Gwimul would be a treat for sure, and is unmissable. I would advise viewers to binge watch the first ten episodes and watch not more than one episode per day after that, for better results. Trust me it will be easy on your head. It is not recommended for young audiences as the series features a lot of blood and gore. 6.9 stars out of 10 for a highly entertaining series, which could have been even better if edited well.

Stateless, is loosely based on a collection of immigration horror stories that happened over a course of time, put together cleverly. The Barton detention facility shown is the web series is based on the real life detention centre called Woomera, South Australia. The series presents the plight of the poor immigrants, both pre and post detention, the series also focuses the life of the guards of the detention centre, The general red tape surrounding the immigration system and the tireless volunteers opposing the detention system. The human stories of some immigrants, though not in great detail, touches our hearts.

Cinematography is neat, the various emotions portrayed by the actors are well captured. Though Screenplay is pretty raw in the early episodes, it matures a lot as the series progresses and peaks in the last two episodes, with some wonderfully writing. Editing is mostly good and one cannot complain much about a 316 minute runtime. The creators and the directors have handled the project pretty well to have a great outlook. Production design, music, costumes and makeup were decent. On the acting front, Stateless boasts many well know names from Australian movie scene. Asher Keddie's performance was the best of the lot followed by Jai Courtney and Yvonne Strahovski.

Overall, if you like emotional dramas and human stories, Stateless is just tailor made just for you. It also will also give the viewer a small case study on immigration and detention system that government down under followed in the early 2000s. The creators of Stateless have balanced the series in such a way that the focus remains on the plight of the immigrants even though they take a pot shot at the immigration system. Highly recommended, Stateless is emotionally gripping and shows the huge gap between bureaucracy and humanity a solid 7.1 stars out of 10. Watch out for a killer episode six.

Movies like Pinky Memsaab that captivates the viewer's attention are pretty rare. The movie rides on a simple storyline of a young woman's journey as a maid in the posh neighbourhood of Jumeirah, Dubai from her humble beginnings from rural Pakistan. Writer and Director Shazia Ali Khan's presentation is top class and mature in many ways. The amount of pain a person goes through, while following a materialistic life is beautifully highlighted and presented in Pinky Memsaab. The movie may look simple on the outline but has many deeper layers of human emotions, in the quest in search of a better life.

Cinematography is equally gentle and subtle and inline with the story telling, some close ups looked fantastic. Music and songs were of top class quality, the song Dil was excellent. Screenplay was captivating throughout the movie but I felt it faltered towards the end, somewhat rushed. The movie has a lengthy runtime of 124 minutes, but the editing does have some good moments that aids the storytelling. Production design, costumes and makeup were great. Hajira Yasim's performance as Pinky, deserves a special mention, she is ably supported by Kiran Malik as Meher and a host of other wonderful performances by the supporting actors.

Overall, Pinky Memsaab is an experience itself, it's a bouquet of some unique characters and their emotions along their personal journeys.

Pinky Memsaab is highly recommend for people who want to learn more about life and relationships, if you enjoy interesting characters flourishing in relatable surroundings then this movie is for you. Can be watched along with the family. 7.1 stars out of 10 for some quality treatment, good acting and some thought provoking writing.

Thanks to Vidhya Balan's talent in picking the right scripts since the beginning of the last decade, we as audience get to see some good movies from her, almost every year. Sherni is another classic example of Vidhya Balan's selection this time teaming up with Director Amit Masurkar. The movie deals with the prolonging man animal conflict along with all the dirty politics involved by it. The movie highlights some valiant efforts done by the forest department on the conservation part.

On the flip side red tape, lethargy and high handedness involving bureaucrats and politicians of various shades and stature, without understanding the ground realities are also projected in a very realistic manner.

Screenplay focuses a lot on the inner workings of the forest department that takes place after a fatal conflict, though it not very much in detail, it is clever enough to make the point well. Cinematography is crisp and neat, especially the wide angled jungle shots. Production design, costumes, makeup and music were decent. A 130 minute runtime would have definitely kept the editor busy. CGI has come a long way on Indian cinema and Sherni is a good example. On the acting front, Vidhya Balan is in her elements in her portrayal of Vidhya Vincent, the DFO. She is ably supported by some fine performances by Bijendra Kala, Sharat Saxena and Vijay Raaz. Neeraj Kabi & Mukul Chadda don't have much to do.

Overall, Thought Sherni is about the life of a DFO who wants to make a difference, as she is constantly at odds with entrenched patriarchy, Which in fact parallels the plight of the helpless tigers, that are out of their natural habitat due to continuing deforestation and dried-up watering holes. The many strands of Sherni make it the film it is. It touches upon the lopsided nature of development, the rights of forest dwellers, the dangers of a depleting forest cover, and the lust of politicians for power and pelf even as the world around threatens to come unstuck.

Completely watchable along with family, but I am not sure if the movie would suit mainstream cinema audiences. 7.1 stars out of 10 for giving out a refresher course on the importance of nature conservation and crash course on playing easy dirty politics.

Movies on narcotics are pretty rare in the Indian cinema landscape except for an occasional scene in mainstream cinemas that has some narcotic consumption by the antagonist, just to show that he is a "Bad guy". Some mainstream cinemas based on narcotics are a joke, they are commercial ventures of dubious quality. Director Shanawaz Nellikunnil does two things with Candyflip, first it's an experimental parallel cinema, second it's an experimental cinema on substance abuse of different kinds. I would appreciate Shanawaz Nellikunnil for trying out something new for the Indian movie scene, even if the results aren't spectacular.

Cinematography is excellent and well handled, especially the trance sequences that are wonderfully shot and put together. Screenplay of Candyflip has some excellent moments but also contains some lethargic writing, mixed together. Since there are errors in the overall screenplay, the storytelling appears a bit letdown. Production design, costumes and makeup are decent. EDM inspired Music was good in general but great during the trance sequences. Editing issues are many and doesn't do Candyflip any favours in its 107 minute run time. Though Candyflip has a few big ticket actors Kalki Koechlin and Gulshan Devaiah have very less to do. Prakash Raj does a very different character altogether and gets it right convincingly.

Overall, Though many critics of big newspapers, in their reviews have called Candyflip as half baked, I would call the movie as an wonderful "attempt" by a debutant. The movie will not suit mainstream cinema audiences, I would recommend the movie only to parallel cinema fans to try out something new, with a warning that Candyflip is far from perfect. Maybe with some good writing in the middle and some more interesting characters in the mix, Candyflip would have been a different beast altogether. 6.1 stars out of 10 for trying out something different and fresh, bordering the bizarre.

The first forty minutes of skater girl is Pure Magic however we put it. Director Manjari Makijany directorial debut, after working as a production assistant in various big budgeted Blockbuster Hollywood ventures, pulls in the right cords to impress the viewers. Skater Girl is pretty ambitious project for a debutant, but the movie is genuinely engaging and touching with highlights on several sub plots in the form of patriarchy, poverty, discrimination, caste system and child marriage to name a few, that still plagues the villages in India. The vision of the movie is to be applauded and appreciated indeed.

Cinematography is brilliant, the angles and the amount of light entering the frames is just perfect. Screenplay is well written, though the storyline is cliched a bit or doesn't surprise the viewer after about an hour into the movie as things run in perfect text book symmetry sans twists or turns. Editing has some issues towards the end. However the production design, costumes and makeup are just top class. Music and sound design adds a rustic touch to the movie and helps tremendously to the storytelling. The characters and the actors of Skater Girl are the soul to the movie, with top class performances from almost everybody in the cast. Debutant and lead Rachel Saanchita Gupta stunned me with her performance, her expressions and her portrayal of emotions can easily fill a notebook. Stunning and a terrific debut performance in short.

Overall, Skater Girl draws on real-life stories of skateboarding entering rural India in the past decade including (though not credited in the movie) the saga of Ulrike Reinhard, a German lady who reportedly got skateboarding to the Madhya Pradesh village Janwaar the film's "no school, no skateboarding" sign is definitely taken from Janwaar for sure. I highly recommended the movie for family audiences. Though cliched a bit, Skater Girl, still packs enough firepower to entertain the audiences for over 109 minutes. 7.3 stars out of 10 for the portrayal of the dreams and emotions of the downtrodden masses.

Sunflower is a comic murder mystery web series laced with huge amounts of black comedy and sarcasm, delivered to us by some fantastically written characters. I wonder why many critics in the leading news channels expected the show to be a typical crime noir and a serious murder mystery and misread the intent of the series. I believe the purpose of this series is tickle the viewer's funny bones and it does a wonderful job in that. Full credit to writer & director Vikas Bahl for taking us on a hilarious joyride, Sunflower looks like a grown up version of his 2011 hit Chillar Party. The web series has some of the most intriguing set of characters, that I have seen together in a desi web series since Sacred Games. Sunflower is just a lighthearted take on our society in general, while tickling our funny bones in bargain.

Cinematography is simple and neat sans unnecessary flamboyance. Screenplay remains the top draw of sunflower, that entertains us every five minutes with some exiting situations. Yes, the series is a tad slow at times but rises up remarkably well enough quickly. Production design, costumes and makeup are par, if one considers the production budget. Editing has its fair share of glaring errors, filled within a runtime of 308 minutes across 8 episodes. Sunflower's back ground score was just O u t s t a n d i n g. A well known star cast does deliver some very nice performances adding the overall humour quotient many notches up. Mukul Chaddha and Ranvir Shorey put up remarkable performances ably supported by Sunil Grover in the lead.

Overall, though after 308 minutes, the season ends in a cliffhanger, with no acceptable end. The entire journey towards end was totally one hilarious joyride so it wasn't a big deal breaker for me. I would recommend the show to people who love comedies and highly recommended the show to people who love black comedies. Though Sunflower is a bit asymmetrical and is constantly distracting and even sub-standard at times, You will not regret sitting this one out. 6.7 stars out of 10 for some outrageously written hilarious scenes and quirky characters in the mix.

Gangster movies around the world have already carved a special territory in the world of movies for the past six decades. Hollywood movies featuring gangs from New York and LA, the cartels of Colombia, Mexico and Rio de Janeiro are world famous. The movies on Italian & Russian mafia, Chinese Triads and Japanese Yakuza are world famous. Almost every country in the world has some decent offerings on the gangster space in its movie industry. Gangster's Paradise: Jerusalema is a wonderful addition to the long running list on Gangster "Genre" movies. Thanks to the director Ralph Ziman work here, the world gets a peek at the South African gangster scene.

In comparison to the world's best gangster movies, Jerusalema does falter a bit, but the movie provides some great insights in understanding the type & style of crime in South Africa. The movie, based on some true events has the necessary bite in keeping the viewer interested with its screenplay. A semi documentary styled cinematography is a mixed bag having some good and bad bits mixed together. Editing is supportive in the storytelling and the 117 minute runtime does fatigue the viewer much as the plot is pretty well edited. Production design, costumes and makeup are par. Music and background score was ok too. Stunt scenes involving guns weren't bad at all for a movie coming out of South Africa. Though the actors have tried pretty hard, there weren't performances that I would call great.

Overall, though not in the same league as Totsi, Jerusalema is good enough to have a look in. If you like movies of the gangster genre, this movie is definitely worth a try and it will not disappoint you. The movie has a stereotyped rags to riches story but will keep you interested with some cool elements throughout. The cast & crew have definitely put in a genuine effort to garner 6.8 stars out of 10 in my books.

First, I should give a standing ovation and a thunderous applause to the filmmaker Haifaa Al Mansour for raising against all odds to bring out the first feature length film, to roll out of Saudi Arabia, a country which had no cinemas when Wadjda was released. It's a shame I could witness this movie only after a decade of its release. The movie though amateurish and rudimentary on certain aspects of filmmaking, brings out a great deal on life in general and the ordeal of women inside the Kingdom.

The story revolves around spirited tweenage girl, whose refusal to accept the restrictions placed upon her gender renders, while the story of the girl is both charming and slyly subversive. The main plot is cleverly well hidden within a deeply deceptive, yet a simple storyline, highlighting the sociopolitical problems, gender divide, patriarchy and life in general, the portrayed insights are sadly devastating to people living in other cultures to comprehend.

In lieu of restrictions placed on women in Saudi Arabia, director Haifaa Al-Mansour was not allowed to interact with her mostly male crew. She had to direct the street scenes from a nearby van, watching through a monitor and giving instructions via walkie-talkie. Despite the odds faced, Wadjda itself is a triumph of nuance and substance. The young Wadjda, with her love for Western music, converse shoes and a singular decision to beat a quirky Abdullah in a bike race is a case study in everyday female empowerment by itself.

Overall, Wadjda contains many brilliant scenes that will touch your soul, it's a brave and brilliant attempt to showcase things that garner much wider attention worldwide. If you are world cinema fan or love to have a peek into the cultures around the world, Wadjda is tailor made for you and is highly recommended. Though the movie is complex and painful at times to watch the oppression of women and girls, it is thought provoking and empowering at the same time. The cost of the bicycle which appears in the movie is about $230 in 2021. 8.1 stars out of 10 for this simple movie which will remain in your head and heart for a while. Two Thumbs up.

My interest in Druk grew more only after the movie won an academy award for the best international feature. The movie has a pretty simple storyline of four middle aged friends, who happen to work at the same place, decide to carry out an interesting experiment with alcohol, which requires them to drink during work hours.

As the narrative progresses, "Druk"draws you in with its complexities. Layers of sentiments and human behavior begin to peel away as the four men lose their inhibitions and bringing forth some very raw emotions. Director Thomas Vinterberg gives us a film about living life and he conveys it in equal measures of subtlety, sadness and exhilaration.

Cinematography is a mixed bag throughout the movie, it oscillates between some great close ups in the dark to some over-lit bright shots facing the window panes. Screenplay is simple and straightforward, but a bit boring in the middle to support a 117 minute runtime but it pretty much makes it better towards the end. Editing is very raw and bland for my liking but does the job. Production design, costumes and makeup were decent. Music has some good and some bad bits and may not cater to everyone's taste. On the acting front Mads Mikkelson, as the gloomy, listless Martin who goes through many shades of transformation, is simply brilliant. Thomas Bo Larsen, Lars Ranthe and Magnus Millang also pull in good performances.

Overall, Director Thomas Vinterberg gets most of the things right in this rather slightly dull affair, which promises a lot in the beginning but goes flat midway. The movie targeted at a 40+ age groups and may not impact to people younger than the mid thirties as much. But As the film draws to its dying moments, In a burst of infectious, joyous energy exuded by Mikkelson in a dance sequence which almost feels exuberant, one realizes that there are no sweeping judgements or any real closure being served here. 6.9 stars out of 10 for running an interesting experiment and celebrating friendship.

Shoplifters, though on the slower side, will definitely endure as a classic film about family.

Writer & Director Hirokazu Koreeda's portrayal of a family with a difference, marginals, holding down lowly poorly paid jobs, surviving by shoplifting, living on their wits, but when they take in a newcomer to their heart, the story unfolds. What follows is almost a utopic vision of family life, especially perhaps the idyllic outing to the seaside.

Director Hirokazu Koreeda uses lots of close-ups where the profound humanity and truth of the characters rises to the surface of their faces. The effect overall is that of a stage play; there is a wonderful closeness or intimacy about this film on every level, physical and emotional. But there is much more to these marginalised characters and their relationships than is readily apparent. After the boy, Shota, is caught shoplifting their lives and stories begin to unravel in a surprising way altogether.

Cinematography is pristinely good, especially the lowly placed shots. Screenplay is slow, but has a soul on its and the story blooms through its characters. Though a little bit on the lengthy side, editing is wonderfully crafted. Production design, costumes and makeup are brilliant. Music is subtle and used sparingly. All the actors played their parts quite convincingly, none of them trying to out perform each other. In short, together they looked like a family.

Overall, Shoplifters is a clever and subversive film which asks profound questions about what makes a family, and what are the bonds that join us, while casting a wry eye on Japanese society. It is a film of immense tenderness compassion humanity and wisdom, which will not fail to move you. The film feels simultaneously hopeful and uplifting as well as harsh and depressing. The working class poor he depicts aren't cliched and downtrodden, They are bright and playful, canny and insightful, thoughtful and even philosophical. The movie will not be suitable to everyone, but for those who don't mind a slow burn, it is definitely worth a try. 7.3 stars out of 10 for bringing out several hidden themes & layers within.

B e a u t i f u l, Though it should not have been named Ford vs. Ferrari, because there is hardly anything from the Ferrari side. It's only about Ford and how they took up the challenge to Ferrari after being humiliated. Sure, the script-writers have taken liberties regarding events and timelines. But the movie tells the tale of what transpired overall while keeping us entertained throughout. Basically the whole Ferrari take over bid by Ford which precipitated a chain of events leading to the showdown at Le Mans. Sure Ford had enormous resources in comparison to Ferrari. But certain aspects of a large corporation approach to motor racing served to hinder than help their Le Mans Campaign. The script does shine a light on that side of the narrative.

Motor racing is a lot about egos & the human spirit. This movie demonstrates that pretty darn well. It's also a great reminder of the 'mechanical' era that is now behind us. One can literally feel the purity of those cars as they drive on the track. Some of the visuals are breathtaking - the shots of the Ford & Ferrari side by side on the long straight made my heart skip a beat. Equally, you are reminded of how far cars have come.

Cinematography is the backbone of any racing movie and Ford vs Ferrari bucks the trend with some exiting & breathtaking shots all around. Director James Mangold gives his best shot at racing after Ron Howard's brilliance in Rush. At 152 minutes, the movie is long, but the editing department's work ensures smoothness. Production design, costumes and makeup oozes quality. Background score ably enhances the on screen visuals and is soft on our ears. Sound design is terrific. Christian Bale is simply fantastic, like always. Matt Damon was his usual self, although I don't think he did "Shelby" too well, as per the things I have read about him over the years.

Overall, These are the types of movies where you take the entire families along to enjoy the adrenaline rush and get immersed in the thrills weaved on screen. I am sure even non car/racing people too will love the movie. When one watches it for the 2nd time, you would pick a lot of finer details that you miss in the first watch. And the best part of the movie, "There's a point at 7,000 RPMs where everything fades. The machine becomes weightless. It disappears. All that's left, a body moving through space, and time. At 7,000 RPM, that's where you meet it. That's where it waits for you." 8.1 stars out of 10 for the thundering roar of those engines. Highly Recommended.

The Wailing is set in a rural village surrounded by mountains where a series of mysterious murders and deaths shrouds its citizens. The protagonist, a policeman, visits a fresh case where he discovers a person suffering from boils and bruises throughout his body sitting in the front yard high, as a kite without a sense of his doings. They suspect that it's the work of some wild mushrooms influencing the heinous crimes but likewise another suspicion comes into play because of a mysterious Japanese man who recently moved into the village, just around when the events starts to occur. The story follows, the uncovering of the truth revolving around this Japanese man and a hoard of mind-boggling twists and turns. Now, How is that for a plot? Thanks to its writer and director Hong-jin Na, who takes us on a roller coaster horror ride.

The film sticks to a bizarre storyline and delivers one of the most epic climaxes I have seen in a horror movie since Rosemary's Baby, Sixth Sense and The Ring. The treatment style of the movie is very linear but what elevates the storyline is the cinematography. The movie features some epic cinematic shots and camera movements elevating scenes to great heights. A pulsating Screenplay is one of the best, I have come across in the Horror genre in a very long time. Production design, Music, costumes and makeup are top class. The movie is pretty lengthy at 156 minutes but editing is excellent. Almost all the actors have put in a great amount of effort in getting the right emotions, including the supporting actors and the results are pretty amazing for us to see.

Overall, The Wailing is one of the rare gems in cinema, which, if I start talking about, I probably would end up writing a thesis sized notebook. In short, it's one of the best horror movie, that I have ever watched. The movie has portrayed the subject of Black magic, occult, voodoo and super natural in the best way possible way, while preserving the audience's believability all along the way. The Wailing is one such movie I can say that, it made me pray that the movie never gets over. Highly recommend for all Horror movie fans around the world. Please view it in a dark atmosphere, preferably after dinner with higher volume for maximum effect. 8.3 stars out of 10 for this magnificent masterpiece, which I will remember for a very long time.

Director Park Hoon jung's consistency level over the years is just amazing, I wonder how he does it time and again on experimenting a wide range of genres, while keeping the core stories interesting to the viewers. Night in Paradise is about two luckless souls from the same world meeting each other in an island, and for a brief time, they learn to appreciate each other and enjoy each other's company before all hell breaks lose. It's a simple but compelling story. The main characters portray their tragic characters in a very relatable manner.

Cinematography is calm and composed beautifully in line with the mood of the scenes. Screenplay is well written, with well defined characters and interlaced with interesting sub plots. Editing is neat but a 132 minute runtime, could have been a little short. Production design, Music, costumes and makeup are very good. Most of the actors did a wonderful job, especially, the leads Jeon Yeo-been and Uhm Tae-goo, who portray their characters quite convincingly.

Overall, Night of Paradise is story of a man targeted by gangsters and a woman who has given up on life. The movie is a slow burner, with a lot of bleak and brutal moments along with some great fight sequences and action scenes, it is wonderfully laced with a sprinkling of black humour. Night of Paradise is recommended for all Korean movie fans, around the world. 7.3 stars out of 10 for its simple, uncomplicated plot presented in a sophisticated style.

Photo Prem is a kind of movie that will put a big smile on your face while the movie ends. Many movies are about the journey but gets really botched up at the end, but Photo Prem has a fair share of botched up moments throughout its journey but wipes out errors entirely and puts in a very strong moments in the last ten minutes or so, to leave your heart full. Directors Gayatri Patil and Aditya Rathi shine in parts of the movie, but their work overall is amateurish and is not good enough to take on a project like Photo Prem. Their approval of a horrible and a horrendous score is a proof enough to the above statement.

Cinematography is again a mixed bag, and has some good shots mixed along with some terrible ones. Screenplay is what Photo Prem is all about and with a well written character in the lead, the screenplay pivots the storyline and accentuates the other characters along the way. Editing is generally good but shows some amounts of weakness in the middle, but with a runtime of 94 minutes, it's easy on our heads. Production design, costumes and makeup are par but barring a couple of songs the background score is both horrendous and horrible, it actually spoils some very well made & cut scenes single handedly. Neena Kulkarni as Maee puts in her career best performance and has to be appreciated for her performance towards the end of the movie, ably supported but some good and largely mediocre performances in the supporting roles.

Overall, Photo Prem is a feel good movie based on a trivial issue. The movie has some strong writing & acting performances towards end, as it is 94 minutes it's not long and deserves a try despite a horrendous background score and mediocre scenes in between. The movie would suit audiences above forty year age groups. In hands of a good or a seasoned director, with better treatment, Photo Prem is definitely Film festival stuff with its lead actresses and script. It is Worth a try, if you are looking up to see something different. 6.7 stars out of 10 for an innovative storyline and a strong lead performance.