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Chinna (1994) Putnanja (1995) Baa Baaro Rasika (2004) Pakkadmane Hudugi (2004) Bhagawan (2004) Joke Falls (2004) Rakshasa (2005) Yashwanth (2005) Ayya (2005) Nava Bharathi (2005)
Reviews
IF (2024)
What the IF?!
Bea is a 12 year old kid, who has stopped being one in her attempt to be an adult. She has lost her mother and now she moves in with her grandmother Margaret while her father is hospitalized, awaiting heart surgery. Bea runs into Cal and soon realizes that she can see creatures calling themselves as IF - imaginary friends. Cal is trying to rematch them with new kids as their own forgot about them after growing up. Bea tries to cope up with her situation by agreeing to get the IFs their respective matches and I her journey, learns what people do need and what exactly they miss out on while trying to be an adult.
IF is a pretty decent concept, an emotional one to be specific but John Krasinski approaches this rather too passionately. As a result, the film is extremely slow paced, neither appealing to the adults nor the kids. In fact, it doesn't take much time to realize, it isn't aimed at kids. I always wanted Ryan Reynolds not be Ryan Reynolds on screen and this time he almost is with his subdued character and performance. Sadly, the main climax twist is easily made out in the beginning itself and there isn't anything new the film offers in it's runtime. The performances are definitely good but IF ends up as a major IF in the end. The simple story needed a bit more fun narrative and the varied characters, a bit more breather than just be cameos.
Metropolis (1927)
The mediator between the head and hands must be the heart.
In the city of Metropolis, the rich and the poor are divided where the wealthy live in skyscrapers while the poor are made to live underground, working on the machines. Fredersen is the master of the city and his son Freder is living a lavish life, protected from the harsh realities of the world underground. When Maria brings in a bunch of kids to witness the world above, she is sent away. Freder is mesmerized by Maria and goes in search of her to the machine halls and is shocked to witness an accident. As he rushes back to inform this to his father, he learns how cold hearted Fredersen is. Meanwhile, Fredersen has hired Rotwang, an inventer who has created a robot modelled after Hel, wife of Fredersen. How these two worlds collide with Maria being at the center of it while Freder learns his purpose in the entire scheme of things, forms rest of the story.
For what it's worth, the salvaged print used in this restoration, the entire team must be lauded. Fritz Lang on the other hand has made a stunning film with terrific visuals throughout. For a film nearly 100 years old, I was in awe at several shots and the staging of the scenes. The narrative is divided into three parts - prelude, intermezzo and furioso. The prelude is over an hour, successfully introducing the key characters and establishing the story. Honestly, I found the story to be the strong point rather than the sci-fi angle which is dealt in the intermezzo. Through Freder, exploring his fear at what he witness while getting inspired by Maria's speech, pushing him to stand for what is right, was executed well.
Furioso is filled with stunning shots, complimenting the themes. The one with the eyes particularly impressed me. The conflicts - rich vs poor and the internal conflict between Fredersen and Rotwang, with Freder and Maria's sub plot, Fritz Lang succeeds in bringing all of them together for a grand climax. The throwback to the mediator dialogue gave Metropolis it's perfect ending. I have to applaud the entire Yoshiwara club segment. Overall, Metropolis is indeed a must watch and justifies all the accolades it has received all these years.
Do Aur Do Pyaar (2024)
Sometimes love is not enough.
Kavya Ganesan and Ani Banerjee are on the verge of separation after 12 years into their marriage. Both are having affair with Vikram and Nora, respectively. Vikram is a photographer and Nora is an aspiring actress, both love their respective partners for who they are while Kavya and Ani resort to their pretend selves in their marriage. Just when they are finally planning to tell each other about ending the marriage, sparks fly enough to let them rekindle their love story. What happens when Kavya and Ani want to give themselves another chance while Vikram and Nora get restless waiting, forms rest of the story.
Sendhil as Vikram and Ileana as Nora are good but they are pushed to play second fiddle as the film truly belongs to Vidya Balan and Pratik Gandhi as they bring Kavya and Ani alive on screen. It is a complex story dealing with complex emotions and since I have not seen the original, I truly enjoyed the narrative getting driven by the conversations alone between Kavya and Ani. Those innuendos, the flirting and to keep the treatment as casual as possible is what worked the best for this film. However, bollywood's desperation for happy ending to be the only acceptable resolution, undid the efforts of the charming duo. It truly could have ended up as a superb film rather than a film with few superb moments. I hope the writers had put the same faith on their screenplay which they put on their lead pair.
Sophie's Choice (1982)
You are always going to be my number one.
Sophie Zawistowska is living with her lover Nathan Landau in Brooklyn. Stingo is writer and moves to the same building as Sophie's. He witnesses Nathan having a fit with Sophie and despite this first impression, Stingo eventually becomes best friends with the couple. Stingo learns about Sophie's tragic past where she reveals about the horror she went through and how her life has been a struggle to survive. She has found her home in Nathan and what happens when Stingo too falls in love with her, will she able to let go of Nathan and most importantly, will she be able to get over her past, forms rest of the story.
Sophie's Choice is indeed a depressing film even without that flashback showcasing the moment Sophie is forced to make a choice. Though that moment was gut wrenching, the rest of the film truly doesn't prepare it's viewers for that moment because it is simply that intense. Sophie's Choice is truly a Meryl Streep show as the moment she starts narrating the flashback, it's a performance that demands every bit of applause. Until then, Kevin Kline as Nathan Landau gives a good performance and Peter MacNicol as Stingo leaves an impact in the final act. The writing stands out with it's presentation of the doomed love story and the director ensures the Auschwitz episode doesn't overshadow the love story. A must watch.
Do the Right Thing (1989)
Do the right thing always.
Spike Lee's gem deals with a neighborhood in Brooklyn with people from several racial background are living together with the African-American population being the dominant one. The Italian-American Salvatore Frangione is the owner to Sal's pizzeria which he runs along with his two sons and Mookie works there as a delivery boy. Mookie's friend Buggin' Out is rebel who demands Sal to put up the African-American legends photo on the wall of fame which is filled with Italian-American personalities. A simple rift drags on to the streets, quickly bringing in the racial tension and what happens when the things escalate, forms rest of the story.
Spike Lee presents several characters who are instantly relatable. Even when the people do get divided, we still understand their side of the story as well. Sal has worked hard all his life to build that pizzeria and unlike his impatient elder son Pino who is a racist, Sal is the mature one yet he let's an issue get out of hand due to his disapproval of a particular person while he has been cordial with others. The drunk da Mayor and mother sister are other two gem of characters who leave a mark. The main character is Mookie who is trying to make ends meet as he has a newborn and his predicament is well etched out too.
Tackling the racial issues responsibly without token characters stands out and even with the terrible cops, the scenes aren't exaggerated for dramatic effect. The narrative tries to account the lives of these people as it is and the reference to both Martin Luther King and Malcolm X was icing on the cake. The other scene to stand out was the one with the Korean in the end. The way story builds on with Buggin' Out causing the rift while Mookie being a witness until Radio Raheem gets involved, infact how the very Radio plays it's part is laudable. A must watch.
MASH (1970)
69 is divine.
Set during the Korean war, Mash - Mobile army surgical hospital, follows Hawkeye Pierce and Duke Forrest, two surgeons arrive at the camp. They are soon joined by Trapper John McIntyre. The trio are rule breakers, womanizer and pranksters but above all, the best surgeons there is. Amidst all the chaos of war and war inflicted violent injuries which they treat, this dark comedy focuses on how the medical team performs their duty until the receipt of their discharge orders.
54 years after, the story definitely feels dated and honestly, the supposed funny scenes involving the nurse Houlihan gets a bit too extreme. Sure the attempt is to show what kind of brats the men are but it doesn't stand the test of time considering how Houlihan's character blindly turns into cheerleader in the end for no reason. The humor is largely crude and probably worth the hype back then, I was just happy to see the young Donal Sutherland and especially Elliott Gould, have fun portraying their characters. The dramatic scenes despite the serious scenario is diluted by the humor, it's just that the humor is now dated.
Inside Out 2 (2024)
Oh Pouchy!
Joy, sadness, anger, fear and disgust are back to shape Riley's personality. Riley is the top of her class and is successful in ice hockey. She is a good friend to Grace and Bree as the trio impress the senior coach, all 3 get invited to the summer camp. Joy is happy to take control by separating the bad memories and shapes Riley's sense of self with just her good memories. On the night before the camp, Joy and co are woken up by puberty alarm and thus, their console gets taken over by new set of emotions - anxiety, envy, embarrassment and ennui. With anxiety all set to take over Joy's role, what happens to Riley at the camp and how does the original team save the day, forms rest of the story.
A sequel to a beloved film, definitely has a big challenge to match the original. Though it does fall short in comparison, Inside Out 2 is still genuinely good. The story is fairly taken forward by sticking to the template and it is basically Joy vs Anxiety, with both trying to do the best for Riley in their own ways. But the strenght of this script lies in how well all the emotions get their fair share except ennui, as I wanted a bit more of her. The newer set of emotions introduced aren't as effective as the original five but then the magic of the first film is such, recreating it was never going to be an easy task. Despite that, the individual scenes featuring the new set of emotions do work. There were brief moments that did drag but there is plenty of humor laced emotional narrative that commands a watch because Riley is worth it and acknowledging her emotions, even more.
Boy Kills World (2023)
Golden toe jam!
A boy is trained by a Shaman to avenge his dead family who were executed by a Van Der Koy family head Hilda. Set in an dystopian city run by the family, an annual tradition involves selecting 12 people to be killed and the televised event is named The Culling. Having lost his mother and sister, boy trains hard as he was the sole survivor left for dead after rendered deaf and mute. Years later, Shaman has him ready to taken on the tyrant family and the Boy teams up with two members of resistance group to execute the attack. What other secrets boy uncovers on his deadly path towards Hilda and how does he take his revenge, forms rest of the story.
It's an over the top gory action film with a video game treatment. Laced with humor via constant voice over, the film easily gets exhausting as the supposed good ideas don't have enough fuel in them to stay entertaining for those 100 odd minutes. It starts off on a decent note with The Raid's actor as Shaman training the boy footage. Everything one needs to know about the boy's back story is put forward during these scenes itself leaving the director with the action scenes alone. Even the humor with Benny soon becomes repetitive and loses it's impact. The twist in the end was predictable and I was long exhausted even before I could reach the final act.
The Strangers: Chapter 1 (2024)
That "because you are here" was a cheap shot at us viewers.
Ryan and Maya are in a relationship for too long to be not married and that is the response the couple generate at the diner from the locals. They end up at that diner as they are lost and soon find their car to be tampered with. Having no other option, they decide to stay at an Airbnb and as expected, get tormented by the strangers in mask. The rest of the film shows how the couple don't have it in them to make it through the night, building up for the sequel.
I enjoyed The Strangers and disliked the sequel. The director Renny Harlin, once a promising name has only ruined his credibility considering it's been ages since he has directed a decent film. I was still staying open minded with this intended trilogy but this first entry itself proved me horribly wrong. It is indeed annoying to see two people with zero survival skills try to fend off 3 equally useless perpetrators with no skills to either hunt or survive themselves. I kept wondering whom should I be rooting for here except me, the actual survivor.
With a runtime of 90mins, this drags on without any thrills or suspense, let's be honest, we all knew this was never going to be scary. The characters remained dumb and their actions only glorified it. If the makers understood the 2008 film then this wouldn't have been made in the first place. This bland film just crosses off the genre tropes and ends with an highly generic scene which made no sense but the story has to continue. I am not looking forward to the remaining two films, but I will watch them whenever they release because, I am a certified survivor of this genre as well as franchise.
O2 (2024)
A medical thriller sans any thrill.
Dr. Shraddha Nayak and her colleagues have been working on a drug named O2 which can revive people within 30mins of them being declaring dead. The team is awaiting approval for human trials which is denied due to the interference of a senior doctor Mrutyunjay. He holds a grudge on Shraddha due to his jealousy towards her being a better doctor. Shraddha lost her father at an young age and is in depression ever since pushing her to create O2. Meanwhile, an RJ named Osho falls in love with her and so does she. With her dedicating her entire life to her research, she is unwilling to accept love and in this journey of her's through science while surrounded by love, will she be able to succeed in her experiment and what does she get in return, forms rest of the story.
O2 definitely has a decent premise but the writing is pretty basic. Sure, the attempt to not make the medical drama filled with detailed procedural narrative to ensure the audience don't feel alienated is understandable but the price to pay is an extremely slow narrative that makes a film that has a runtime less than 2hrs feel like a lengthy film. It's a challenge to blend in love story, infact two love stories in this medical thriller and the insertion of the songs do not add much to the drama. The moment 21grams being the weight of the soul is uttered, the astral projection theory falls flat even though it occurs late in the narrative. The screenplay is unevenly paced, with the love story lacking impact as well. There isn't much for the actors to do when they have been handed over thin source material to work with.
Yuva (2024)
A forgettable star launch vehicle.
Yuva is a rebel student at an engineering college in Mangaluru. He is the leader to all the hostelites and stands against the local boys bullying. This leads to a massive clash, ending with Yuva and the local students getting suspended. Yuva also has a strained relationship with his father who has disowned him. As the clash with the localites intensifies, it is revealed that Yuva is also a budding wrestler who has been banned for 2 years over fake corruption charges. Things get serious when he visits his home in Bengaluru, only to find his father missing and family tormented by loan sharks. The hardships Yuva faces to protect his family and his attempt to search for his father while he too gets a second chance at wrestling, forms rest of the story.
Santhosh Ananddram has written an extremely dull story for the big launch of Yuva Rajkumar. The screenplay jumps from one subplot to another without any smooth flow. It starts off in Mangaluru and the college story doesn't really go anywhere with one fight scene leading to another with 2 songs inserted. The story moves to Bengaluru without giving any closure to the college issue and enters into a melodrama stage for most part of the second half. It doesn't help that Yuva has exactly one expression throughout and doesn't impress at all with his dialogue delivery. Only plus for him is the fight scenes whereas he dances well but gets a forgettable music album for his debut. It was painful to listen to him mouth famous Appu dialogue from Jackie. In the end there is an Appu tribute song too, otherwise Yuva is an extremely forgettable film which only tests the patience of it's viewers. Yuva Rajkumar deserved a better launch vehicle and needs to be more selective with his script while working on his acting skills, if he intends to have a longer career.
Star (2024)
Universe falls in love with the stubborn heart.
Kalai (Kavin) since his childhood is encouraged by his father to be an actor. Kalai's family consists of his photographer father, mother, elder sister and bedridden grandmother. His mother worries for his future whereas rest of the family supports his dream. He joins engineering but his sole ambition is to become an actor and thus a star. His first teacher is his father and all he has learnt about acting as well as life is through him. When Kalai dedicates his time to earn his opportunity, what challenges life throws at him and how does these challenges shapes him up while his core dream remains intact, forms rest of the story.
To put it upfront, I was blown away by Elan's vision. His writing is the soul of this film and the way he conceptualize the scenes and even stages them is what left me mesmerized. The very first scene with Kavin as a kid with his father doing the makeup while the mother rushes them, a sleepy sister and a missing moustache. The scene felt like designed specifically for the father to utter the dialogue about an actor's calibre but the throwback it receives in the terrific single shot climax sequence made me sit up instantly. Cinema won right there and I have spent the last 5mins recommending this film everyone in my contact.
The film is not without it's flaws though. The second half is completely melodramatic as well as preachy and the character of Surabi played by Aditi Pohankar was deliberately written to save Kalai. She was definitely very good in her role but it reminded me of Samantha's role in Majili and to have one character worship the hero to this extent didn't work well for me. Not just her, even with the family and friends, Elan pulled the strings too tight. Sure I my eyes went numb several times but compared to the excellent first half, the second half kept falling short until the magical climax. There is an extraordinary scene with the two heroines exchanging a simple thank you and I so wished these two characters had a better arc, because they simply deserved it.
Maidaan (2024)
A decade of Syed Abdul Rahim's resilience that earned India it's Gold.
Syed Abdul Rahim faces the backlash from the federation after India's humiliating loss at 1952 summer Olympics. He is determined to form a best team of his own to give India it's deserving chance and the federation supports him despite the naysayers. Thus begins, S. A. Rahim's quest for finding the best talents across the country and subsequently trains them as one. India makes a strong comeback in 1956, proving Rahim's focus in building the future of Indian football and this continues to cause a rift between Rahim and a senior sports journalist Roy. With the increase in politics in the federation and the threat of lung cancer, how does S. A. Rahim gather his strenght to battle both these diseases head on and earn India it's first football Gold medal at the Olympics in 1962, forms rest of the story.
Biopics are always tricky to make and especially when it's a sports legend. One has to tick the genre tropes despite being monotonous for dramatic effect while balancing the drama depicting a real person's life on screen. Director Amit Ravindernath Sharma and his group of writers partially succeed in pull this off. The mixture of an underdog team's rise to success, thanks to the single minded vision of their coach while battling the ego clash, use of politics to oust him by the rival journalist and the coach's personal battle with his own health. Maidaan is definitely a heavy film in terms of drama and the script is treated with utmost respect to the legend as well as the sport.
However with a 3hrs runtime, the film definitely felt exhausting at times. The tournament matches itself are quite similar to an other memorable film on hockey, but to give credit to the makers, despite the similarities the scenes involving the matches remain captivating. But in it's attempt to narrate this story of a legend, the writing overdoes it when it comes to Rahim - Roy's rivalry and since it gets dragged on till the final match, it struck out with a bitter taste as it was done solely for the dramatic effect. Having said that, not opting for subtle drama somewhat works with the husband - wife moments and ofcourse during the matches itself. A. R. Rahman's Music helps too. Like I said, biopics aren't that easy to make and one must definitely laud the efforts that went in here.
Bade Miyan Chote Miyan (2024)
To be this dedicated in making a bad film is indeed very rare.
India has an new enemy who not just attacks the convoy transporting a very important thing but he also steals it. He wants to destroy India and with no other choice, Colonel Azad seeks out two court martialed soldiers Freddie and Rocky to go on this mission to stop the new enemy as well as bringing back what he stole. Misha is assigned to get the duo to work together and an IT specialist Pam to assist them. However, the mission they are on is a Chakravyuh and they aren't aware what they are up against. How does our heroes rise from the ashes and figure out what else rose from that very ash to torment them, in order to save India from it's biggest threat, forms rest of the story.
Ali Abbas Zafar's ambitious story suffers largely due to how dull and unoriginal the screenplay is. Known as a director who knows to elevate his main lead and having executed that extremely well with Salman Khan films, it is indeed a big surprise how he failed to give a single decent hero elevation scene here despite having two major action stars. Not a single action stood out in this 160 odd minutes film and there is only so much Prithviraj Sukumaran can do with his committed performance till the end.
The camaraderie between Akshay Kumar and Tiger Shroff suffers from lackluster writing with both of them getting outdated lines. The humor borderlines silly and honestly it takes special effort to make Tiger Shroff look dull in action scenes which he is most comfortable at. Tiger might be repetitive with his choice of films but that doesn't justify designing dull action scenes. Similarly, Akshay Kumar fails right from the look and letting Sanjana Sanghi's Pam address him as uncle is laudable, but considering his experience Akshay is indeed severely under used. As far as the story goes, no matter how much Ali wants to be sincere, it simply has no novelty and just putting Pakistan - China together as a threat alone isn't an excuse when the outcome is this silly. For those who watch till the end, there are 2 songs added in the end credits and a hint for a sequel which we can rest assured of not happening.
Madgaon Express (2024)
Two and a half men's misadventures in Goa!
Dodo, Pinku and Ayush dream of a trip to Goa during the high school days, only to be rejected by their parents. They once again plan it post graduation but end up with an accident. It's 2015, Pinku lives in US and Ayush in Capetown, leading a successful life. That leaves Dodo who is still in Mumbai and jobless. All these years apart, Dodo had created a fake perception on social media about his rich life. When the two friends plan their visit to India to meet Dodo, he convinces them for a trip to Goa via Madgaon Express. The trip begins with them losing their bag in exchange to a stranger's. What mess they get into during their stay in Goa with the cops and two rival gangs, all looking for a stolen stash of drugs, forms rest of the story.
Goa itself is a single common emotion that one relates to and understandly there is an overdose of films about a Goa trip going berserk. The writing here is that predictable with three friends with all the generic tropes associated with boys going wild films. The first half failed to get me hooked and I even ended up finding Pratik Gandhi's portrayal of Pinku, too much or that's how he interpreted his character. As much as I didn't like him in first half, it was he who aced in the second half. Similarly, I ended up easing up to the narrative and the second half did entertain me.
The good thing about Kunal Kemmu is that he knows his strengths and plays to it, be it the direction or writing. His battle was half won with the casting and as the trio eventually life the film, seasoned actors Chhaya Kadam and Upendra Limaye lend their support big time. The humor which is silly largely works as the lead trio get their comic timing right in the second half. If the scenes once they enter Goa was handled better then it could've been a far better film considering how well the second half turn out to be.
Hit Man (2023)
"We made that one up."
Based on a monthly magazine article which itself was about a very real person, Gary Johnson. A psychology professor by profession, he also assists the New Orleans police department by going undercover. When another police who was tasked with going undercover as a fake hitman is suspended, Gary steps up to become Ron the hitman to catch the potential criminals who approach to hire him. What happens when Gary posing as Ron gets to meet a client and it's love at first sight? What trouble he gets into and how does he come out of the situation, forms rest of the story.
Richard Linklater narrates this particular story which shifts gear when it comes to varied genres and it definitely helps to have a charming lead. Gary loves his job and is happy taking care of his pets so when he does get offered to go undercover, he gives his 100% to turn into a fake hit man and an ordinary professor turning into this charmer, is a transition well executed. The humor filled dialogues help ease out even when things seems to get serious. This is a genre that made me want some bigger twist in the final act but Richard chose to be loyal in narrating Gary's story or to say, not that predictable as I expected the story to be. Majority of the fun lies in those lines uttered not just by the lead actors and it's this smart balanced writing where the film wins big time.
Sous la Seine (2024)
Oh my Lilith!
A group of researchers led by Sophia at Pacific ocean turns deadly as the mako they were tracking isn't the one they think her to be. Fondly named Lilith, the shark wrecks havoc, killing most of Sophia's crew. 3 years later, Sophia is yet to move on completely from the incident and the losses she faced, an youth activist approaches her to inform Lilith is now back in Seine. The transition from saltwater to freshwater shark baffles her and soon Sophia's realizes the threat. As they try to convince the police who are dismissive, the mayor however is hell bent on kickstarting the triathlon, afterall it's one shark to contain. With the stage set up, what does Lilith bring to the show forms rest of the story.
For one, I definitely enjoyed this film and I will admit that after a long time, here comes a good shark film. There is no sugar coating till the actual story begin as director Xavier Gens means business. As we are introduced to the giant Lilith, we are clear what's in store. There is an acceptable explanation to why this particular shark could transform itself into surviving in freshwater and no time is wasted in creating any drama or sci-fi mumbo jumbos. The CGI is off at many instances but that didn't put me off.
Once Sophia reaches out to the police then it's all Lilith's mayhem and it was totally worth it. The encounter with the ill informed activists was definitely the highlight. However, the set up for the Piranha-esque climax with the triathlon and shark on the loose, I was bit disappointed with lesser gore and though repetitive, I still wanted to see that in full glory. They did replace it with even more crazy stuff and the CGI was actually passable here. I may not be too keen for the sequel if it were to be made but I was all the more satisfied with Under Paris. Bottom line is it entertained me.
Snack Shack (2024)
A routine coming of age tale.
AJ and Moose are best friends and are a package deal when it comes to making some quick money. This is disapproved by AJ's parents. Defying them the duo bid on snack shack at the city council auction and win. Meanwhile, Brooke enters their lives and she is visiting for a brief period, awaiting her military father's reassignment. AJ and Moose are tormented by a couple of soft bullies but they have Shane to have their back. As expected, Brooke comes in between the best friends, affecting them as she starts to go out with Moose despite being interested in AJ. How does the boys get through the summer forms rest of the story.
To list what I liked was definitely the performances. Connor Sherry as AJ and Gabriel Labelle as Moose instantly impress with their bromance. Nick Robinson chips in with a good performance too and Mika Abdalla leaves a mark too. The film held my attention till the boys won the auction and started their snack shack successfully earning $1650 on their first day. It is after this the film started focusing on the love triangle and even after a scene between AJ and Brooke, it still continues to revolve around AJ's feelings about her leading to the jealousy among best friends.
What really disappointed me was the third act and how annoying generic it became. A personal loss bringing the bigger change is an accepted routine but it is not all that impactful if the writing is deliberate. By the third act, the film gets stagnant with it's drama and even until then, it wasn't backed by hilarious comedy which eventually impacts the all too serious final act. If the writing had to let go off these generic tropes, the film could have worked a lot better. I would still recommend this for the performances.
Love Lies Bleeding (2024)
Love grows bleeding.
It's 1989 and Lou is working a gym manager. She belongs a crime family with Lou Sr being the patriarch. She loves her sister Beth who has abusive husband JJ, whom Lou loathes. Beth remains blindly faithful to her abuser while Lou hates that JJ isn't paying for his crime. Meanwhile, a bodybuilder Jackie joins the gym and both Lou - Jackie fall for each other. Their steamy love story quickly is challenged with Beth's attack, followed up with a murder. What this path of crime has in store for the lovers, forms rest of the story.
Love Lies Bleeding definitely started off very well with introduction to Lou and her life, with the gym taking most of her time and she has quit drugs as well as smoking. As we get a glimpse at her family, enters the mysterious Jackie. What drugs and sex does to the duo, the narrative slows down in the second act and I did fear it was getting all too predictable. Thankfully the final act started to save itself with Lou and Jackie's relationship getting shaky. These weren't the couple to get an happy ending and once that is established, Rose Glass and Weronika Tofilska throw their trump card at the viewers. That one scene simply did the trick, breaking the normalcy and that is exactly what the film needed.
Keeping Up with the Joneses (2016)
Tiresome!
The Gaffneys are an interesting couple who are too concerned about the new neighbors they are about to get to their cul-de-sac. While Jeff Gaffney works as an HR at MBI, Karen Gaffney is an interior designer. Their two kids are away at camp and they are in desperate need to spice up their marriage. The new neighbors are the Joneses and they are completely opposite to The Gaffneys, enough to get them jealous. As Tim bonds with Jeff, Natalie is still doubted by Karen. Soon the Gaffneys learn that Joneses are not who they say to be but spies. How does the Gaffneys get themselves to be part of their mission and still come out alive, forms rest of the story.
It is the weak writing that brings down this film despite Zach Galifianakis and Isla Fisher in the lead. There are barely any funny scene or dialogues written for them. With Isla going bit overboard with her Karen portrayal, much of the scenes is rather saved by their comic timing. Similarly Gal Gadot and Jon Hamm don't get much to do except the action scenes. One expects the third act to go all out crazy but it instead goes down the hill with a rushed ending. The whole bit about the Gaffneys getting the Joneses to talk it out, improving their communication, is left as it is. With a shorter runtime, the film feels like 2hr long.
Ordinary Love (2019)
Ah the terrific tearjerker.
Joan and Tom are happily married and even after all these years are deeply in love. There is a personal loss involved, leaving them be the ones sticking together forever. Tom loves her unconditionally and humors her, just a perfect couple until Joan feels lump in her breast. A doctor check up leads to the diagnosis of breast cancer and somehow their perfect little world starts crumbling. Joan initially is ready to fight it whereas Tom rightfully fears losing her. He comes onboard and the rest is documentation of Joan's journey through the chemotherapy while getting closer to other cancer patients. The find solace in each other and the ones fighting back the dreadful disease.
Lesley Manville as Joan is simply terrific and is the star here, firmly supported by Liam Neeson as her loving husband Tom. There are another couple Peter and Steve, who too are going through the same path as Joan and Tom. I was rendered speechless for most part of the film while Liam Neeson tried to lighten things occasionally. But that very scene where Joan breaks down with the pain getting unbearable for her, supremely performed. That scene belonged to Lesley and she owned it. But then the scenes especially with Steve was very emotional. The ending still gives all the hope required and I would definitely call Ordinary Love as a must watch film.
Made in Italy (2020)
Father and son learn to grieve together.
Jack Foster is a manager at an art gallery owned by his wife Ruth's family. They are separated and she is seeking divorce from Jack. Adding to that, she informs him about the plans to sell the gallery. As he invested himself to the gallery, he pleads her to give him a month to raise the money required by selling a house in Italy, belonging to his late mother. For this, he needs to reach back to his father Robert Foster, with whom he doesn't have a good relationship ever since his mother passed away. Going back to his childhood house in Italy, will the time spend together help the father and son repair their relationship? Will they both find new friendships that begin in Italy leading to a second chance at life, forms rest of the story.
Jack Foster and Robert Foster is played by real life son and father, Micheàl Richardson and Liam Neeson. They both share a personal tragedy in 2009 and that adds another emotional layer to their respective portrayal of grief and the way they handle it. The film definitely has many moments where the father and son's sense of loss being depicted effectively. The writing doesn't explore beyond them which is both a good and a bad thing as beyond these two characters, other characters get a template writing when it comes to their back stories. The love story between Jack and Natalia appears half baked whereas the failed marriage of Jack and Ruth is restricted to Ruth being selfish. This impacts the pace and uneven narrative at times drags while the two lead performers elevate the emotional scenes together.
The Commuter (2018)
Liam Neeson's family is threatened again.
You put him on an international flight or a commuter train, just do not threaten him using his wife and son's safety. Liam Neeson is Michael MacCauley, a former NYPD officer leading a normal middle class life as an insurance agent for past 10 years. It appears the relationship with his wife is getting boring but they are still strong. One day, Michael is fired from his job and onboard his train, a mystery woman Joanna, offers him $25000 to find a passenger named Prynne with a stolen bag. He has to find them before train reaches Cold Springs or else his family's lives in danger and so are the other passengers. How does the righteous Michael with his particular set of skills get out of this mess along with the others, forms rest of the story.
Despite the credible actors cast in brief appearances in an full blown Liam Neeson action film, The Commuter is all been there seen that. Again watching it 6 years after it's release, obviously it felt dated. The convenient screenplay does offer some generic fun moments in the train with couple of decent action bits but that's about it. Liam stays vulnerable but not beatable. Third act gets all too familiar with the reveal of the mystery passenger and why their life is on threat. Further, a bruised up guy questioning and telling hypothetic scenarios, doesn't alarm any passengers and in an all out entertainer, this wouldn't have stuck out as weird. Sadly, the film barely works and a dragged final act, ends the film on a dull note.
Cold Pursuit (2019)
Citizen of the year but it's still same old Liam!
I haven't seen the original and this remake is about Nels Coxman, a snowplow driver who was awarded citizen of the year by Kehoe's ski resort. His son is murdered by a drug cartel leaving Nels cold and seeking revenge. As his wife mourns the death of their only son, Nels way of mourning is to find the culprits. In his pursuit, he murders 3 from the drug cartel run by their leader Viking. Soon Viking suspects the rival cartel leader who goes by the name White Bull to be behind the murders. As they wage war against each others, Nels plays the waiting game to get his sweet revenge.
What didn't work for me was the slow narrative despite it getting me hooked initially. 5 years later, the film definitely looks dated and Liam Neeson has played this role a gazillion times before, in the same manner. As it offers very little mystery behind the death or about Nels plan to wait out, the generic villain characters don't help much for this revenge drama. The snow clad mountain backdrop and the cartel run by the local Ute should have been explored more to give this a unique narrative but the film's primary setting was revenge drama with men all out murdering at their will. It quickly becomes routine and nothing new left to offer.
Darkness of Man (2024)
Ah the voice-over!
JCVD plays Russell Hatch, an interpol operative who gets ambushed during a raid while his informant Esther gets killed. Russell feels responsible for her death and vows to take care of her son Jayden who has grown up with knowing the truth behind his mother's death. Russell is close to Jayden's grandfather and gets caught between the Koreans and Russian mobs. To protect Jayden, Russell goes to the extreme by taking down the Russians. What is the actual truth behind the gang wars and is Russell being played on?
JCVD's new B-movie is just basic filmmaking with an extremely limited budget, outdated script and a dull screenplay, resorting to full blown violence after a point. The performances were pretty bad overall and JCVD too looked tired throughout, which may have been the way his character was conceived, with him being old but that doesn't mean the performance be this lethargic. One can see the twist right in the beginning and there is no need to sit through 100mins to know who the actual villain is.