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Reviews
All India Rank (2023)
Nostalgia overload but extremely weak screenplay
The way this film started, with the old nostalgic popping music, background score riddled with Doordarshan serials was a good touch, but unfortunately that's all that was.
It doesn't have the quirk of Kota Factory, or the heart of 12th Fail. The main problem are the characters- they are not well fleshed out, and their motivations are not clear. It seems like a sad payoff when all it took for the father to stop mentally imposing on his son, was that he realised IIT kids can also turn out to be rotten apples. Didn't he know this before? The payoff at the end is really muddy and leaves a vacant feeling once the film gets over. Very average, forgettable affair.
Rating- 5/10 ⭐
Host (2020)
Nothing compared to Unfriended.
Like Unfriended, it follows friends who are visited by spirits beyond their understanding, but without the story.
While Unfriended had the Laura Barns backstory, Host on the other hand is absolutely random. Some friends hold a seance and some random spirit comes and randomly terrorizes them for no reason. What was the point of the movie? Don't hold seances? The acting was very average. How this movie is rated higher than Unfriended will always baffle me. My recommendation is always to watch the better film- Unfriended. This is a steaming pile of garbage compared to that. There are no stakes here.
Article 370 (2024)
Visually tense and gripping!!
One of the best movies of the year for me so far. The runtime of the film was long but the screenplay was so tight it squeaked. The direction followed a non linear approach and the culmination of the events leading to the abrogation of Article 370 was very interesting.
The best part about this movie- hardly any pseudo patriotic lines and/or war cries. It focuses on the more important issues which are the root of the rot. It is amazing how this film peels the layers of the corruption and terrorism like an onion and still manages to be so intriguing yet informing.
Glad to have seen this film. Rating- 9/10 ⭐
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Doubt (2004)
Defendant is...not guilty.
Based on the facts presented in this case I think Ron is innocent. It is quite obvious with the bite marks on his shoulder that sex was rough, but the scratches on Ron's BACK definitely tells us that it was passionate from her side. During rape the victim usually ends up scratching the perp's face neck, chest etc., but never the back. Back scratches only happen during passionate/rough sex.
There was definitely something shifty about the way she created that accusation about Det. Stabler, even when she was about to enter her apartment, she gave him a "come hither" look. Also, the 'suicide attempt' when she knew detectives were coming over to save her. Very suspicious.
Even the closing statement from the girl's side was based on feelings, not facts.
Excellent thought provoking episode. Loved it.
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Outcry (2004)
Extremely important episode for women
This episode was first aired 20 years ago. At the time there wasn't any #metoo movement which started in 2017 focusing on Harvey Weinstein. From that perspective this episode was ahead of its time to teach the importance of reporting any assault truthfully.
The episode is brilliant in preserving the mystery about what exactly happened and why is Tandi not being entirely truthful. Well written and fast paced. In this episode Tandi was lying to protect someone she cared about, but led to that incident with the cadet who was attacked because of Tandi's allegations. That reminded me of an incident that happened a few years ago- a colleague I knew very well was accused of assault on another female co-worker. After being ostracized, terminated from his job, and losing all self respect, turned out the woman was cheating on her husband with her (secret) lover, and this man had caught them in the deed in office premises (later confirmed by office CCTV cams as well). Case went to trial, although he was acquitted a year later (justice takes time here), her lie ate up his life. He never was the same again- which makes me appreciate this episode even more- the importance of telling the truth- no matter what.
Excellent episode. 9/10.
Beoning (2018)
Really, really tedious with plenty of unanswered questions
The plot moves at a snail's pace if the snail was high as a kite. After hearing rave reviews in film festival circles, I've wanted to watch it for the longest time.
I finally did, last night. I have to admit, it was a tough time to keep my eyes open. Plot moves at a gracier pace, the lead actor acts like he had a stroke in his childhood, just short of drooling, even saying a sentence takes a full minute for him (or at it seems).
The ending (very predictable) makes no sense, if (SPOILER) Ben really IS guilty, why meet Jong-Su alone in the first place? Why did Jong-Su never notice the cat before in Hae-mi's place? What's really the deal with the well?
Excellent cinematography, but very slow screenplay. Should have been a 40-50 minute short, would have been gripping.
Sound of Freedom (2023)
Extremely layered and powerful
With the controversial nature of the movie I really thought this would have some offensive scenes or language but to my surprise, there wasn't.
The topic by itself is extremely tough but the film did it an incredible justice. The performances by the children was brilliant and the structure of the film followed a layered, nuanced, unmasking of the pedo ring, peeling off layer by layer like an onion.
Some dialogue between Tim and his wife felt rushed, but thankfully the plot was about Tim and how he operated during this. The film also opened by eyes to the world which is brutal but real. Definitely will be recommending to all my friends.
Reacher: The Man Goes Through (2024)
Action heavy and better than previous!
After a (relatively) lower paced last episode, this one again kicks it up a notch from the previous one.
Now that Reacher and his team almost knows Swann is innocent based on new information. Last episode's Russo scene was really brutal. I wished they could have shown the cast a little more affected by Russo but they were cold and calculative about their objective- which I guess is probably related to their rigorous army Special Investigations training.
Some awesome sequences- operation Kite Runner finale scenes, the hospital torture scene, and the final Reacher slo-mo scenes coming face to face with his nemesis, with Soul Coughing's Super Bon Bon playing in the background was just peak!!
Can't wait for the season finale !!!
Reacher: New York's Finest (2024)
Reaching a crescendo as the Finale gets close!
After the slower pace to set up plot points in the last episode, this picks up right where it left off and like a jigsaw puzzle, things are starting to fall into place.
A few friends complained after last episode's ending that (SPOILER) how can there be such a massive blast without waking anyone up. Great to see that the remote detonation was addressed within the first few sequences only.
The involvement of bent cops, AM being merciless as usual, and Reacher being himself (in some amazing action in the final 10 minutes) was really stitched up nicely together. (SPOILER) That Russo scene was absolutely brutal. There is only one more episode to go, and honestly I just can't wait !! Wow.
Reacher: Burial (2023)
Slowed a bit but sets up for the final act!
There were two great shoot out sequences that looked pretty professional.
Some scenes could have been fast paced like Russo and the Reacher's scene at the funeral. It was not as pacy as the last episodes but this sets it up perfectly for the final act as the mystery of Swan and the dilemma of Reacher of Swan's innocence is shown pretty well.
The bad: Reacher and his team have now encountered the packages and the mystery of the number 65 million is solved but still have to track down the hijacked packages. Would have wanted to see more of that than scenes of Donnell's family and children which have already been established.
Still a good solid episode, waiting for the next!
Reacher: A Night at the Symphony (2023)
This is getting just so amazing.
I am really surprised they turned it up a notch in this episode considering I thought there might be a slow burner episode after the action packed first three episodes.
But proved me wrong. The plot twists, the cinematography (esp for the drone shots), the background score, the performances by the main cast, I really couldn't find a fault in it! It was just a rollercoaster ride with the mystery thickening of the (SPOILER) disappearance of Swann, and Reacher and his team do some brilliant detective work and cool smooth action in between to keep you till the edge till the episode ends.
I can't wait for the next one!!
Reacher: Picture Says a Thousand Words (2023)
Reacher makes startling discoveries.
The murder mysteries get more and more interesting as more clues are unearthed. The one aspect of this season which is at par or better than the previous season is the slick detective work done by Reacher and pals, rather than mindless explosive action.
The plot gets more and more interesting as the team starts to get more clues of the assassinations, and it is now very obvious that the case is much bigger than what it seemed.
Major Spoiler: The scene sequence in which the assassin (A. M) realizes that there is a trap waiting for him at the airport was done expertly, so was the house infiltration scene.
Loads of twists, turns, and some amazing staple Jack Reacher action (looking at you, New Age heist scene)! I wished they had released all the episodes at once, the wait is unbearable !!
Reacher: ATM (2023)
Va Va Voom ! Reacher scales newer heights !
Wow, can this be a better start to the new season or what?!
The first episode opens with a thrilling, roller coaster ride with Reacher operating at the peak of his powers, right from the first ATM robbery scene.
Doesn't hold back any punches. There is no mindless violence, but instead we see a methodical approach to any mini operation which is written very smartly.
The plot broadly is about Reacher'ss old 110th unit, which is targetted for assassination and one by one they are being killed off. The screenplay adapted from the book is solid. The investigation and detective work done by Reacher and his team is impressive, along with the action sequences where the choreography was slick, brutal and effective.
The thrilling sequences were paced nicely with exchanges between Dixon, Reacher, Neagley and O'Donnell.
One particular hilarious sequence was when Neagley uses the alias of Sarah Connor while staying in a hotel, and when Langston (played by Robert Patrick who also played Terminator) is asked who is Sarah Connor, he says "I don't care !?" which was really funny considering Robert played once played Terminator in the movies.
Watched the first three episodes, and with each episode the tension mounts with plenty of intelligent twists and turns.
And Alan Ritchson, hats off to you, sir. You were the Reacher that Lee Child probably imagined when he wrote the books! Amazing.
Misanthrope (2023)
The final 40 minutes lets it down
TCAK started great, with an amazing shoot out that was well shown, and immediately it grabbed my attention. The flow was quite consistent and fluid......till Lamark and his husband have a lengthy discussion about society and morals, and at that time I first wondered whether this film would end as a slick thriller like it started, or would it spiral into a generic speech stand off with the protagonist emerging as the victor.
It was the latter.
I have a hard time believing that a man with skills like that was overpowered by a woman who has been shown getting dizzy climbing stairs. She practically convinces him to give himself up. Like what she said to him he hasn't heard before. And it magically makes him into a weaker man. He captures her, keeps her protected while proceeding to kill a bunch of police officers in the end, and I kept thinking, what's the motivation for him to keep her alive? I could find no answers.
Even the way they found him was one minor twist related to a couple of paint jobs which wasn't well written.
Started GREAT, ended extremely tame.
The Archies (2023)
The Archies- Glossy but Empty
First, the positives. It's great to see the attention to detail given by Zoya and Kagti, whether it be the call-outs to the good old fashioned comic books (Pop Tate's looks amazing), the aesthetics, the cinematography and the choreography to the songs. It's vibrant, glossy and perfectly captures the mood of the ensemble.
However, the negatives far outweigh the positives. Hard to believe it's made by the same folks who have given gems on Indian cinema in the form of the brilliant Luck by Chance, or the breezy coming of age ZNMD. Her last project, Made in Heaven 2 was extremely mediocre, but this one takes the cake.
Archies felt empty, the plot is quite simple. The band of youngsters have to save Green Park in Riverdale. There are no palpable moments of tension, camaraderie, and the performances of the cast is extremely poor. Such a banal plot makes the audience disengage from the film and surely, that's something Zoya/Kagti should look into.
Rick and Morty: The Jerrick Trap (2023)
Already did this in Whirly Dirly Conspiracy
The entire episode is based on the friendship nuggets of Rick and Jerry, which has already been done- IN A MUCH BETTER WAY, in the Whirly Dirly Conspiracy episode.
In that episode there was a clear motive, a solid plot, and beautiful resolution. In this Jerricky episode all of that is missing. It's just basically them running a bunch on heists (just random running and shooting stuff), and ending on an emotional tangent which didn't feel deep enough, even though the basic plot premise was lifted off the Whirly Dirly. Seems like writers have completely run out of ideas.
I think Rick and Morty may never again reach the heights of the first 3 seasons. However, I do enjoy the occasional gem like Vat of Acid episode. However, this season the writers have completely missed the essence of what truly used to make Rick and Morty so special.
I will enjoy reruns of the first 3 seasons though, again and again. They will forever remain among the greatest and most intelligent animation I've seen, ever.
How I Met Your Mother: Right Place Right Time (2009)
Great episode but funny loophole !!
Marshall makes the charts of Barney having a success rate of 1.2%, but actually it's wrong!
Marshall counts 16 years of sexual activity, however, Barney was 31 at the time according to the show (Ted and Barney had their birthdays the year before that as per The Goat episode).
Also, according to The Yips episode, Barney lost his virginity to Rhonda at the age of 23, so he's had 8 years of sexual activity, not 16.
Also, Barney may hit on 20 girls a week, but he can only theoretically take home only one every night (as per The Belt episode threesomes were extremely rare for them), so the baseline per year has to be 365, not 1040 girls.
8 yrs x 365 + 2 (leap year days)= 2922
199 out of them is 6.8%.
So Barney is closing close to 7% success rate as opposed to a little over 1% as shown. 😸
Khufiya (2023)
Too many loopholes
Please correct me if I'm wrong, but respectfully, the plot for me had a big loophole apart from the scattered other minor slips.
Loophole: Mirza, the Bangladesh minister was the intended target according to India's RAW, and they sent Octopus to kill Mirza via perfume, in Dhaka. This was foiled by US, who at the last moment alerted Mirza, and he killed Octopus instead. Right?
Then how come at the end, US is absolutely okay with Mirza dying in the US, in mysterious circumstances, when Mirza was bleeding out, killed by RAW agents ?
There was a lot of political angles which could have been explained better with greater exposition.
Other slips- what was Operation Kabul's main mission? Not explained. Who were those assets whose locations were being sent by Ravi Mohan ?
Who are they helping? How come nobody uses those coordinates sent by Ravi to attack the assets whose locations are no longer a secret?
What was so tough for KM to explain to an adult boy that his mother works for the government but she can't tell which organization. I'm sure he'd understand, his actions seem quite mature. Then why did KM make it into a such a big melodrama with her not even wishing her own son a happy birthday until being pushed by someone else to wish him?
The drama didn't lead anywhere. The lesbian angle didn't make sense for the story between KM and Octopus. Octopus needed money for her ailing dad, KM made her an informat. The story would have remained EXACTLY the same between a RAW officer and her informant had they not been lesbians as well. Showing this, instead they showed that RAW officers engage in such relationships which might jeopardize an operation. It was absolutely unneeded.
Acting wise it was average. High tension scenes were let down by average acting. The scene in which KM was being choked by Ravi intensely, is not believable because no expression on face, and she is able to say sentences easily while being choked. No widening of pupils, eyes, nostrils, redness, nothing.
Cinematography is a little better. Glossy moody shots, but sometimes can be too slow to set the mood.
Intially started well, meandered into a convoluted plot, and ended a little empty.
Rating- 4/10.
Khufiya (2023)
Too many loopholes
Please correct me if I'm wrong, but respectfully, the plot for me had a big loophole apart from the scattered other minor slips.
Loophole: Mirza, the Bangladesh minister was the intended target according to India's RAW, and they sent Octopus to kill Mirza via perfume, in Dhaka. This was foiled by US, who at the last moment alerted Mirza, and he killed Octopus instead. Right?
Then how come at the end, US is absolutely okay with Mirza dying in the US, in mysterious circumstances, when Mirza was bleeding out, killed by RAW agents ?
There was a lot of political angles which could have been explained better with greater exposition.
Other slips- what was Operation Kabul's main mission? Not explained. Who were those assets whose locations were being sent by Ravi Mohan ?
Who are they helping? How come nobody uses those coordinates sent by Ravi to attack the assets whose locations are no longer a secret?
What was so tough for KM to explain to an adult boy that his mother works for the government but she can't tell which organization. I'm sure he'd understand, his actions seem quite mature. Then why did KM make it into a such a big melodrama with her not even wishing her own son a happy birthday until being pushed by someone else to wish him?
The drama didn't lead anywhere. The lesbian angle didn't make sense for the story between KM and Octopus. Octopus needed money for her ailing dad, KM made her an informat. The story would have remained EXACTLY the same between a RAW officer and her informant had they not been lesbians as well. Showing this, instead they showed that RAW officers engage in such relationships which might jeopardize an operation. It was absolutely unneeded.
Acting wise it was average. High tension scenes were let down by average acting. The scene in which KM was being choked by Ravi intensely, is not believable because no expression on face, and she is able to say sentences easily while being choked. No widening of pupils, eyes, nostrils, redness, nothing.
Cinematography is a little better. Glossy moody shots, but sometimes can be too slow to set the mood.
Intially started well, meandered into a convoluted plot, and ended a little empty.
Rating- 4/10.
Gen V (2023)
Tries too much with little substance.
Not even close to The Boys (in terms of story and intensity). Very intrigued with the high RT scores, couldn't wait to watch it as soon as possible.
Disappointing would be an understatement. The opening episode was quite good. Great setup of characters, back stories, weird powers (that stream of blood is grotesque to look at), I thought I was hooked. But alas, the subsequent episodes did NOTHING for the character arcs or the story. Boring and uninteresting characters can't take this far.
The worst part? The most interesting character who had a tragic backstory about a mysteriously killed sibling, Golden Boy, was killed at the end of the first episode. Even Game of Thrones waited a full season to kill Sean Bean off. GenV just wanted to go for that shock value, while bumping off the most interesting character arc.
Also, what's with the subtle programming? The lead girl is called "beautiful" repeatedly when she is quite average. Inconsistent characterization as she also switches from being an anti-social person to taking Molly and going to parties with just a little push. She also has this "holier than thou" attitude which is seriously off putting. Statements like "heroes with gender issues won't work in Fort Lauderdale" is absolutely not required. There are people who are telling me the show is good because there is 'character diversity'. That should tell you how important a plot/story is important for these people. If you come across someone telling you they cried/laughed/screamed(?) while watching this, they are lying, or definitely need a shrink. This show is just a bait for GenZ to rate it higher.
Dahaad (2023)
Stretched Needlessly, Lost the Way it Brilliantly Created
I have to admit, this started as one of the most taut and intriguing thrillers with an eerie atmosphere and a subtle but riverting background track (very Sinister-esque).
Our antagonist played expertly by Vijay Verma is shown to have unresolved issues that hallmarks as him committing murders with poison.
The show went full steam ahead, then lost track in the middle, and finally went completely awry in the end
a. Never truly explored the mind of the psychopath, what motivated him to commit these crimes, the background, the need, never fully explained or justified
b. A police force searching for a serial killer having a 29 body count is not even considering showing his photographs to the media once is beyond any justification- just to elongate the show
c. The personal lives of Bhaati, Devi, and Pardhi was absolutely unnecessary, felt completely out of place preaching with no addition to the ongoing investigation. Completely unneeded runtime which could have avoided to make the show slicker
d. Very ambiguous choices bordering on illogical by both police and criminal. At one point it's even mentioned that police doesn't have funds to send "2 police officers to Goa" for the most prominent case in the history of the department. Wait What ?
E. Murdered girls are found with a pill right after having sex in the stomach. The pill is laced with poison. It takes the police four 40 mins espisodes to figure out that the pill could be an emergency contraceptive..which is clear as day in the 2nd episode.
F. Why would the murderer use the phone numbers of the dead girls after killing them ? It is established he has several identities made, he can procure N number of sim cards. Why would he do this when this can easily identified as a pattern ?
These loopholes and excessively stretched run time make it a lengthy watch, where it becomes increasingly predictable from 4th episode onwards and the audience is just waiting for the impending conclusion, but sans any baiting breath. They know what's coming.
A good attempt overall.
Farzi (2023)
Started good then lost its way- Spoilers & Loopholes
1. Shahid Kapoor's character Artist (Sunny) claims to make an exact replica of the note but then second last episode they show him put a 'signature' to easily identify him and his work. Red herring.
2. Ct800 software can be deployed to mobile phones also but can't understand why they needed to put a slideshow for the minister to get permission. Also, On the slide it says ct800 is 50% better but the voice says 50 times better.
3. How did Sunny find out the employee list of the ccFArt and subsequently woo Megha ? What was the back up plan if the character had been married or a lesbian or something else ? Also, how did Mansoor discover the mole in his ranks ? Unexplained. Also ripped off from The Departed.
4. During the operation Trojan Horse, after catching fake currency all over India in multiple locations, Megha decides to check if the currency notes are from the old lot or new lot via ct800 after the 7th or 8th shipment is caught. Funny how nobody thought to do that after the first batch was caught. Silly.
5. The silliest of them all- curing grandpa's dementia with SURGERY. Which surgery, where surgery, no clue ?! Makes a mockery of the disease. They just needed a silly plot point to have Artist indebted to Mansoor.
6. Dhanrakshak software is the best in class and 50x better than anything seen in the market yet can't catch Sunny's signature S on the supposed 'supernote'
7. Plot loophole: Mansoor gets 12000 crore printed and Sunny somehow gets it to India risking his life. But uniquely, it becomes Sunny's responsibility to distribute the fake notes in Mumbai. Mansoor even mentions that 10% (1200 crores) is distributed already but what about the remaining ? What the hell has he been doing with 1200 crores till now ?
8. For a miserly amount of 100 crores (out of 12000 crores), Sunny risks his life to deliver himself. Why ? He is the artist, the logistics guy, the dealer, the distributor, everything ? This delivery eventually becomes his final nail in coffin.
9. The Artist has only handled pens and brushes in his life but when given a gun he fires and kills a bunch of people without getting shot even once. Stupid.
10. Why would they keep a container of gasoline in the same room they are keeping more than 10000 crores of paper cash ? What's the logic behind that ?
11. After procuring fake notes, Sunny and Firoz directly purchase cars, houses etc. When and how did they launder the money to purchase all that ? No clue.
12. Plot loophole: Why does Mansoor (KK) want to get rid of Artist ? This guy is able to forge a note perfectly which is supposed to be extremely tough to replicate (2000 note). Why not use him to make dollars, or euros which are much easier to distribute being global currencies ? Makes no sense.
13. And finally, atrocious acting by the cop played by Vijay Setupati. He has a horrible diction and accent while speaking English (eg. Instead of 'Finish' he'd say something like "Phins", and its really hard to understand what he's saying) and neither his body looked like that of a feared encounter specialist.
Many more but these were off the top of my head.
Code Name: Tiranga (2022)
Copied from Fauda and extremely disappointing
This looked like an attempt which should not have been made. From the start to the finish, it feels like an extremely lazy attempt by the director, the actors, and the entire crew.
The opening wedding sequence is a straight lift from Fauda (in fact a lot of elements of the film are copied from Fauda). However unlike Fauda, this is extremely poorly acted and executed.
Parineeti is an extremely poor actor. I rarely use extremely; but here in this case is true. An example, she is considered the "best man for the job", to eliminate a rogue RAW agent- Bakshi.
In one scene, she tries the "FBI kick the door while gun is pointed" thing on a door, but her kick is so damn poor, that the door just barely swings open, showing RAW's best agent has such a poor kick.
In another scene, she is interrogating an older woman who is wearing glasses. So, she slaps the woman, but WEIRDLY, the glasses neither leaves a mark, or a bruise or even, get this, make the GLASSES TO FALL OFF HER FACE. Wow. The best RAW agent?
In most of her scenes, she chases goons for miles but when she finally catches them, there is no visible sweat or perspiration, or even half of a panting. It's almost like she stepped out of her morning sheets to make her some tea and not ran half a mile.
The direction by Dasgupta is very amateurish, almost resembling a high school short film project dissertation. May be this film is a step towards making better films but he seriously needs to get his direction chops right.
Tara vs Bilal (2022)
Truly Pathetic.
Man, that was a snoozefest. The sheer predictability of the story brings the whole thing down. We have seen this exact same feature played out so many times in the past.
A marriage of convenience turning into love is one of the tropes Bollywood should completely avoid. The person playing Bilal has a flat dialogue delivery with over enunciation of each word, making it very non engaging. Actor playing Tara gives a rather uneven performance.
The aunties and elders in the movie have tried to lift it but with the storyline visible from a mile away, it makes the journey all the more worthless. Also it would be great to explore a Muslim girl's interactions with a Hindu boy's family may be, because this Muslim boy and Hindu Girl has been done many times before.
Not impressed by the characters, story and a very amateurish direction. 2.5/10.
Fleabag (2016)
Expected too much after the reviews..
I think without expectations, this show is fine. But I cannot decipher why this is rated so high. I binged watched it all in one sitting, but it was tedious.
The good parts- acting is great for the most part. The casting is to the point and I like the cinematography.
However, the pacing is slower in parts. The most annoying bit for me was the fourth wall breaking. I am not against that but it felt like it was happening a LOT. It started with may be after a few scenes, but eventually as the episodes progressed...she started to do that almost after every scene, which got pretty annoying pretty fast. And it's always the exact same smug, raised eyebrows expression which is like either "ha! I'm so smart did you see?" Or "ha! I got away with this again!".
Overall an above average show, perfect for a lazy Sunday afternoon may be, if you have nothing else on the Watchlist.