Reviews

Man I am not even able to put all my thoughts into words. I needed to rewind the last 5 minutes of the finale and rewatch it to truly let the fact that it has come to an end to sink in. I have largely watched comedies up until now, and this is easily the best written non-comedy show I have seen as of now (I hear BCS will change this so will give it some time before I start it). From the get go it had me hooked in.

I usually have difficulties with connecting to shows where I don't connect to the characters. Here I may not morally agree with Walter or Jesse, nor even root for them (although I did go with the flow and wished for their best at a few points), yet I felt connected to them. As someone who had multiple members of his family who were struck by cancer, this show made me quite emotional at times, but I found myself becoming more accepting of the dislike I had for Walter despite his diagnosis and look past that in my judgement of him. As such this show was beneficial to me in other regards as well.

The show had many ups and downs, rarely did it bore me. There are multiple great character study sequences and thrilling plot points. Saul was just magical in this show. Jesse's character arc was one of the best I have seen. But Walter's character arc was the darkest and most depressing of the entire show. I was encouraged and pushed to watch this show and I have been putting it off, I am so glad I have finally got around to starting the first ep (after that I didn't need to put in as much effort).

The plot point of Jane and Jesse was quite intriguing because we all know they were better apart for each other's own good yet you also know they should not have had to separate the way they did. Jane did not deserve to die. And the devilish Walter just watching that and letting it happened made my blood boil. Not just this, multiple instances made me dislike the character of Walter, and this just made the ending more satisfying. I was definitely expecting the end to be with his death as that is the most logical and easy way out but still it was designed well. I think the last couple episodes lead up to his end though, it was not the simple way out by killing him. But over time he lost his cover, respect, family (FOS and physical), money, health, and finally his own life. Definitely a well written show.

The family dynamics with Flynn and Skyler were very well designed. I couldn't help but feel sorry for Flynn with how he was constantly cheated by his parents and lied to. What he had to go through was just unfathomable. Even Skyler had her head straight in the start but she became less logical and more motivated by needing to protect her family as the show progressed and gave us a dark version of her whom I was not expecting to see. I really am curious to see an epilogue to show how these surrounding characters turn out. I was honestly really enjoying Hank and Marie's characters as well, it broke me to see Hank die and that was one of the first major blows to Walter who truly cared about Hank. And Marie's entire character was quite well developed with her kleptomania and all, I couldn't help but feel bad for her as well.

I think this show is a great character study which tests our own moral compass at every point of the way by asking whether you can root for this character. And saying no, like myself, makes you enjoy it even more and take away more from the show.

Karthik Dandu's Virupaksha is one of the few movies in recent times which I regret not having been able to see on the big screen. I watched it immediately after it arrived on netflix, and man oh man was I impressed. One of the best supernatural thrillers I have seen in a long time, particularly in Telugu. This movie's plot should not even be summarized, it should just be experienced.

Considering the budget of the movie I was quite glad to see it had good VFX. There were multiple uses of visual effects, and they were done in a pretty high quality and impressive fashion that was convincing to the viewer. Some of those shots may have been more fear inducing to view in a theater honestly.

The writing of the film was impressive. The quality of writing in Telugu movies has not been the greatest, particularly in commercial cinema. We used to have well written and thought out commercial movies, but we definitely are lacking in these areas these days where we are making entertainers which are incorporating half-baked messages or just acting as crash grabs with doses of nostalgia. Movies like Pokiri, Manmadhudu, Athadu, etc. Where well written movies, and we are missing such films. Additionally we are missing out on genre films, particularly in horror and thrillers we are quite lacking. Virupaksha satisfied both aspects for me. It was a well written supernatural thriller. Karthik, who was hit by a train, was clearly going to die there, but the writing kicks in with the reveal of who he was and why he died in that scene, which was impressive. It had a nice investigative element and to be frank at it's core, it's a mystery film with supernatural, horror, and commercial elements perfectly incorporated. Glad to see them avoid tropes of horror.

I heard the climax was very strongly written. And it was quite impressively portrayed. SDT was fine, but Samyuktha Menon definitely out shined the others with her performance there. It's good to see more women characters getting good characterizations. And the fact that there is a negotiation with the culprits, is quite novel not just for horror movies, but Telugu commercial cinema in general. There is a good point of Nandhini and Bhairava not only negotiating but wanting to get revenge and show that they gave multiple chances for the mob to change and not act through herd mentality. She justifies the act through this discourse, which is an interesting point which isn't on the nose but subtly and well discussed about mob mentalities. I also liked the touch at the with the glow in his eyes, showing Nadhini is in Surya by the end of the film, potentially setting stage for a sequel.

While watching the movie I thought there were a few plot holes I noticed, like that of the first incident that caused children to die, causing the village to kill the family in the start of the movie along with why Nandhini committed suicide in that way. This seemed like lazy writing or a plot hole. But both were explained in a nuanced way, the first incident was due to cholera according to a newspaper clipping shown, which would have benefitted from being addressed in the movie but no big deal. And Nandhini's suicide occurred in a well timed way to make sure there were spectators, particularly ones bound to save her. I like that the film didn't take the audience for granted at all and shared the duties of putting pieces of the film together in such a way. Discussing it after viewing the film, a lot more things became apparent which I quite appreciated. They did incorporate the popularly bashed aspect of giving a backstory and reasoning for the murders, but it's well incorporated and completely justified and doesn't feel out of place, so it's not complained about. Half-baked backstories and those feeling out of place are the problematic backstories, here it worked.

In terms of acting, the movie could have benefited from a better protagonist. SDT was decent in the role, but coming from his accident it was evident that he was weaker. He didn't have the charm I remembered in earlier films, like Subramanyam for Sale. Some of his Chiru-like mannerisms worked in the earlier parts of the movie, but in the aspects where things got more tense and he needed to be stronger and emote more, he was above average at best. But truly glad to see him back and recovering from his accident. Samyuktha Menon stood out in her acting, I didn't take her for that good of an actor with the other movies' of hers I saw. But I was really impressed by her act in this film, she definitely increased the intensity of the film in the end of the film. Rajeev Kanakala was another actor I was glad to see with a strong, full-length role, without him dying. Sunil, Sai Chand, Ajay, Shyamala, and others get nice roles and characterizations you can identify them with.

The vibe of the movie, the music were all well done. Cinematography really set the tone of the film to feel the supernatural element. The music was good and definitely added to the impact of the horror elements included as well. I thought the 90s setting has been overused in recent movies as like some convenient feature to avoid acknowledgement of technology and communication, I don't know if this movie really needed the 90s setting, it would have been convincing with a present setting as well. But I still think there are certain aspects which could warrant it in a way.

Overall, one of the best movies of the year so far.

It is hard to describe the feeling I had while watching this movie, but one thing I can say without a doubt was I was sucked in and absorbed by the movie the whole time. My heart was racing throughout the film and after it. I regret putting off watching it because it was a drama about music, this movie is much more than that and it's one of the best and most gripping films I have seen on the topic of obsession.

The movie's premise is basically about a passionate drummer, Andrew, who like many students at Shaffar wants to be in the class of the great Fletcher. Fletcher is a toxic man who believes teaching and creating prodigies requires pushing them beyond their limitations and chooses the most toxic methods possible. What happens to Andrew and his obsession and desire for Fletcher's approval makes the rest of the movie.

Honestly this movie was recommended to me as a motivational movie. I am concerned for those who recommended it to me as such as the movie is clearly not about motivating but rather showing how one's passion became their obsession. The movie sucks you into this drummer's life and shows how he is neglecting pain, love, and all other aspects of his life just for the approval of Fletcher. It shows that passion and dreams should have their limits, we should be pushed but even that has a limit. By the end of the movie we can see that Andrew is just obsessed and he is willing to do anything to make Fletcher proud.

I was shocked when the movie ended, it felt abrupt. But you can tell that the movie ends on a note where there is no positive ending for Andrew. As suggested by his father, Charlie Parker may be a great musician but he was dealing with mental health issues and committed suicide at a young age. The concept of greatness and the toxicity of pushing someone to such lengths in such a brutal fashion, comes with the price of their mental health. Andrew has definitely become a great musician who will be known widely, that is hinted by the ending. But we also know that he will spiral and be depressed due to his obsession with music. He commits to crossing the line of passion into obsession.

The final shot of his father said it all. Despite everything Fletcher did to Andrew, he still wanted to prove himself as a great musician and wanted his approval. He succeeded in doing so. The father clearly showed he finally saw his son's becoming a great musician, but quickly followed it with the knowledge of him not being his son anymore, him being lost and spiraling into this toxic realm.

Connections could be made to today's society where such level of pushing may be praised by certain people, but I am glad we are mostly past it. Yet there are many who go through such spirals and are pushed so hard or even push themselves and go past the point of passion to obsession. I hope this movie rings a bell for those and people who may have seen it as motivation can re-watch it upon learning the director's intentions.

The cinematography of this movie was brilliant, I think the gritty texture of the movie truly helped it. It really added to and enhanced some amazing performances by JK Simmons, as Fletcher, and Miles Teller, as Andrew.

I was quite surprised to be sucked into a movie about jazz to this degree and the movie keeps you at the edge of your seat and causes some form of anxiety at the end. Especially those final 10 minutes, I totally could feel my heart racing and thought I was going through some sort of anxiety.

Overall, this is one of the greatest movies I have seen and I urge every person to watch this movie as it will absorb you within seconds and give you one of the greatest cinematic experiences.

Christopher Nolan's The Prestige is a fantastic film which sees two great magicians trying to one up one another. Starting off as apprentice's at the same magician, Angier and Borden quickly enter a competitive stage where the conflict between them surges beyond a professional rivalry and becomes personal to the level of their downfall.

Christopher Nolan is most famously known for films like Interstellar and Inception, but this movie does not come up in discussions as much. I am so glad to have caught this movie and seen the beautiful drama between the two characters which Nolan portrayed so beautifully. The highs this movie gave me could not have even been provided by a popcorn action flick.

Borden is an expert observer who can understand any trick, while Angier is fantastic in execution and showmanship. If Borden did not have the greed for the fame and stood behind Angier, the sky would have been the limit and this is the feeling I was left with as the movie progressed I got into their conflict.

The most beautiful part is the movie shows human nature's dark side. Two people's rivalry gets personal and out of hand, and eventually leads to their downfall.

In fact, the final reveal of Borden being two twins the whole time feels like an unnecessary reveal, but when going back and looking at it that way it becomes more clear that it deletes some potential toxicity to the character's relationships.

I am looking forward to rewatching this soon after I forget a couple things about the film.

Overall, this is a must watch and master piece movie by Nolan, and has one of the rawest character standoffs.

P. Ramesh's Thegidi is about a detective, Vetri, that joins a new agency after graduating from criminology school under the guidance of his lecturer, Govardhan. His first case on the job is to stealthily follow and collect data on a group of people. In the process he falls in love with Madhu, and eventually is tasked with collecting data on her. As the movie proceeds, each of the members he collects data on ends up dead. How is this possible? Who is behind this? These are the questions that make up the rest of the film.

The movie continues in a suspenseful pace as it keeps as quite invested and engaged in the story. Though we find out this is the doing of his boss only, we continue to suspect why and what the purpose could be. Inspector Raghuram (Jayaprakash) ends up mentoring and working with Vetri on the case, and the two become a wonderful duo which is intriguing to watch. It comes as a surprise to know this is all done for the sake of the client's insurance policies. And the final twist of his lecturer whom he looked up to being connected seemed like an unnecessary twist overall, but it was shocking and how it breaks Vetri was well portrayed.

Ashok Selvan does a fine job as Vetri. He definitely improved as an actor from those days. But the character could have been better written, just because he is inexperienced he doesn't need to rely on some others to do the simplest of investigating. After all he's a criminology graduate, he doesn't showcase basic skills. Jayaprakash was fun to watch, and his duo with Vetri was nice. Kaali Venkat as Nambi provides great comic relief.

Overall, a well made thriller which keeps you engaged and shows an interesting mystery. Hope it gets a sequel at some point as shown in the film.

Ravikanth Perepu's Kshanam starts with Swetha (Adah Sharma) getting attacked in her car. Then comes in Rishi (Adivi Sesh) who is Swetha's ex, he is called by her to help find her daughter. Soon after beginning his search he learns from Swetha's husband and other sources that the kid doesn't exist. However, Swetha is unable to take that Rishi doesn't believe her either and commits suicide. Rest of the movie is about whether they had a daughter and if so where she is.

The movie is quite thrilling and it keeps you guessing about whether the daughter exists or not. At one point I was convinced this was some sort of psychological thriller or even horror film. However the movie remains a suspenseful thriller that involves a variety of themes. It finally comes down to Swetha's husband learning the child was not his and wanting to rid of her when the ACP, who has no children, saves her and keeps her as her own child.

At the beginning I laughed at the fact that Swetha calls on her ex to help find her child, it was quite a weird way to go about things. But then when it's revealed this was done because it was Rishi's child answered that question.

Babu Khan (Vennela Kishore) had a nice arc which is not uncommon in thrillers. He plays the guy who does anything for money but after seeing this cause a death he aids the main character which ends in his death. Yet Vennela Kishore's acting convinces and brings about strong sympathy. A similar underrated acting gem is Satyam Rajesh, he kills it as Ravi Chowdary. Adivi Sesh was also quite good and Adah Sharma did good as well. Anasuya was decent as the ACP, she gets the point across but her acting felt over the top.

Overall, a truly suspenseful thriller which should not be missed if you enjoy Adivi Sesh's writing.

Karthik Subbaraj's Pizza is about Michael who is a pizza delivery boy and recently married Anu. He is sent on a pizza delivery where he gets stuck in a home which seems to be haunted and the household members are killed off one by one. Michael is almost killed as well but some police come in from whom he learns the household members actually died a week prior with a stranger who is identified as his wife Anu. Michael escapes and tries to find Anu which makes the rest of the film.

The brilliance of the movie is the ending. The movie is posing as a horror movie but the deception comes in the form that the whole story was a con and a lie that Michael tells his boss from whom he is trying to steal the diamonds which the boss hid in his delivery. To steal it without raising any questions, Michael makes this horror story up and even makes the owner believe Anu isn't even a real person.

Karthik Subbaraj clearly hit it out of the park in his first directorial itself and I'm so mad at myself for not watching this movie earlier. It is reared highly by many and deserves to be. I love myself a good film which cons the audience, it always serves as a great sense of excitement for me in the handful of movies I have seen including Karthik Subbaraj. But it also needs careful writing to make it convincing, especially in a thriller. And Karthik Subbaraj achieved such good writing. Despite some of the horror scenes not being too horrifying, which I did appreciate, and also few scenes in that sequence getting a little dull.

Then comes the acting. I decided to watch this movie now, despite not being a big fan of horror movies, now because of VJS more than KS. And VJS was fantastic as Michael. He portrayed the fear, cunning nature, and the subtle comical tone the character had so well. Naren as usual is fantastic as the pizza owner and the sympathy he shows towards VJS makes me feel a lot of sympathy for him as Michael cons him. Bobby Simha and Pooja are great as the ghosts in the film.

Overall, this is a must watch thriller with great horror elements and a deceiving story which itself is a big thrilling feature.

Gabriele Muccino's The Pursuit of Happyness is about Will Smith's Christopher Gardner and how he rises out of a terrible financial situation and deals with separation from his wife and having to take care of his son whom he loves so dearly. While attempting to get a job as a stockbroker for which he needs to go through an unpaid internship which doesn't even guarantee him the job.

Watching this movie is very hard for those who have been in a financially dire situation. As someone who experienced a degree of financial struggles which created uncertainty of what and how to eat for the next month, and used support of family and friends to move forward, this movie brought back an unexplainable amount of emotions and made it hard to watch. It did not help that the movie was set in Oakland which is close to where I grew up. But I watched to see the ending which I knew had to be uplifting.

The ending was beautiful. Not because it comes out of no where. In fact, you know the ending would be uplifting and estimate how it would be within the first 30-40 minutes of the movie beginning. The beauty of the movie is embracing the anticipation and delivering some of the most poignant and poetic lines with a strong emotional connect to deliver the ending.

The best part of the movie, apart from the brilliant writing and showcasing of Christopher Gardner's life on the big screen, is the acting. Will Smith gets into the role of Christopher Gardner and owns it. He delivers what I consider to be one of his best performances ever, especially when he finally gets the job at the end. Jaden Smith as Chris Gardner is just as good and his performance as the innocent child who not just his father but the audience want protected is so touching.

One of my favorite scenes in the film apart from the ending scene where he gets the job, is when Christopher Gardner attends his interview and the circumstances he has to go to them under. It tells a lot about how we judge people and how we probably should not. The story of a poor sales man, high school dropout, and veteran overcoming the financial obstacles in his life is portrayed well in this scene.

Overall this is one of the best emotional character journeys I have seen, and a fantastically made biopic. It is a must watch for all in my opinion because of the relativity for those who struggled financially and the humbling perspective for the rest.