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Reviews
Iraivan (2023)
The director to the audience, "Gotchya!!!"
Yes, that is exactly what the director of this movie is thinking, "Clickbait". Utterly and astonishingly boring, idiotic and stupid would be an understatement.
A story about a cop who loses almost everything to his pursuit and further cat and mouse game with a serial killer. A supposedly fearless protagonist (who contradicts the character by being in a perpetual state of stress and terror) does not give a hoot about anyone.
Then very briefly we have a psychologist who theorises that a killer who kills in multitudes just for fun cannot be categorised as a serial killer but a psychopath (go figure!). He isn't a one to shy away from using sarcasm in every sentence while treating the serial killer as a patient.
The acting is cringe. Oozes incompetence at another level altogether. The romantic angle is even cringier, if thats possible.
Give this a miss even if you are offered to get paid for watching it.
The biggest question that bugs me is who and how one opens a fully renovated, successfully running coffee business merely days after conceptualising the idea and amidst the death of a near and dear one less than a fortnight ago!!!
Asur: Welcome to Your Dark Side (2020)
Season 2 is average, slow and boring
Loved season one. But considering that they had 3 years to come up with a script for season 2, the end product turns out to be just bland, boring, average and slow. Never in season 1 did I feel that this series was a ripoff of some other work, but looking at season 2 changes that opinion.
It borrows heavily from series like Mindhunter and The Mentalist.
A cult following a messiah for whatever twisted reasons and his minions carrying out his will without reason or regret - The Mentalist
A girl who has a close connect with the antagonist and is the only survivor from his past, but cannot describe him because she is blind - clearly Red John from The Mentalist.
Some of the characters make illogical and stupid decisions that cost lives. Barun Sobti's character is made out to be a classic depressed cliche that keeps blaming himself for everything bad that's happening around.
I was expecting more considering how season 1 ended.
Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar (2023)
Cringe, stale and extremely irritating
Who organises breakups? All you have to do is talk it out with the person and end it. Paying 5 figure sums to someone just to break up is unfathomable even as a fictional concept. So to cut it short there is no plot.
The dialogues are not only cringed but they are excruciatingly irritating. The love story is forced and there is no chemistry between the leads. The characters take it up as a challenge to try your patience, and they do a great job at it. The conversations make no sense, have no logic and have no point.
Let's not forget, this is a Luv Ranjan movie, so it has to be sexist. And looking at the reviews the critics are giving this flick, it is clear that they have received hefty amounts to not bad mouth this movie.
If I were you I would give this a miss and wait for it to drop on OTT, and even then ignore it.
Raksha Bandhan (2022)
Wow!
That wasn't awe, it was shock and disbelief. The amount of sexism shown in this movie will blow your roof away.
A 40 year old brother of 4 sisters who promised his mother on her death bed that he will himself tie the knot only after marrying his 4 sisters off. So he tries everything moving heaven and earth and running post to pillar to try get them to tie the knot which, of course, also includes dowry. But, the only thing he does not try in this modern age is to teach his sisters to make something of themselves.
He beats the daylights out of the goons who harass his sisters, but himself body shames his overweight sister, skin colour shames his dark skinned sister, practices androgyny towards his tom boyish sister, and of course, is partial towards is fair skinned and 'beautiful', idealistic sister. Thats how sexist this movie is.
I am going to stop this review mid-point, something that should have been done while making this movie.
Goodbye (2022)
Goodbye
Goodbye is a story of a family dealing with the loss of their loved one who was an anchor of their life, and the turbulence this loss causes among the rest of the members.
High on emotion, the first half deals with the family's struggle to come to terms with the death of their loved one and an appropriate way to cremate them in a ritual that will ensure peace for the departed. The second half deals with their journey to scatter the ashes and trying to cope without the person who was solely responsible to glue this dysfunctional family together.
The movie has a depressing tone throughout, which you would expect from a movie that revolves around death for it its entire runtime. I felt that the movie dragged out a lot. They should have wrapped it up in 2hrs, as compared to its actual runtime. Some sequences feel too forced without triggering any emotion. Although there is decent humour in some parts, most of it feels out of place, and awkward and hardly makes you chuckle. Neena Gupta shines in every sequence she features in, however, small they are. I feel she was underused considering the entire movie circles around her character who was loved by everyone. Amitabh Bachchan does not require an intro or validation. However, I found him a bit awkward during the most crucial sequence where he has to say his final goodbyes to his wife and the pillar of his life. His acting and dialogue delivery were not up to the mark considering that this particular scene involves a lot of emotion and was certain to trigger people's reactions. It feels too bland. You will see yourself tilting in your seat towards the nearest speaker to make out what he is trying to say.
The biggest letdown is Rashmika Mandanna. She just cannot act! Her dialogue delivery lacks punch, she carries a heavy accent that sounds misplaced, and her overall acting is quite irritating. The rest of the cast are decent in their places.
Overall, a film riding on emotion should have had a better impact and a more natural screenplay and acting. Alas, a missed opportunity.
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (2022)
There is no Hulk
Disney is going to be the downfall of MCU. Look at the graph since Endgame. It's downhill.
She-hulk, is less about the being a hulk and more about being a miserable lawyer who is full of herself. If there isn't much of Hulk, then there isn't much of a lawyer either. This is a sitcom with no purpose. It isn't funny either.
There is not an iota of interesting in this show. And breaking the fourth wall doesn't help either. I mean, they started of well with it, and then they just forgot about it. Used it intermittently. If the writing was good and they had used breaking the fourth wall better, this could have been at least watchable.
7 episodes in and it offers nothing. With two more episodes lined up, they will have to come up with some major miracle to salvage this scrap.
Rating of two is only for Madisynn, who too they could not utilise to the full potential.
Hush Hush (2022)
Utterly disappointing
An utterly slow and boring product guised as a suspense thriller with a clutter of convoluted characters making nonsensical decisions. The series tries to bank on famous names like Juhi Chawla, Shahana Goswami and Soha Ali Khan, who are great actors, but burdened with a script that is bound to fail and bring them down with it. The personal stories of each character do nothing to move an already dragging screenplay. Karishma Tanna's cop is wanna be Sherlock, but keeps being handed evidence and yet ends up being commended and supported by a unnecessarily foul mouthed superior, who by the way is another fine actor wasted. The biggest hindrance to the plot are the three leading ladies. They keep making the most stupidest decisions without thinking or discussing it through. They keep honking the ethical horn but end up doing the most unethical things. You hear so much about Juhi's character Ishi through out, especially in the penultimate episode. The character of Ishi is made out to be a messiah for no apparent reason. The end reveal is laughable and you can see it coming from miles away. The hint for a second season is anything but exciting. Overall a boring, senseless series that might be able to salvage itself in the second season provided they decide to hire a good script writer and even better directors.
Cuttputlli (2022)
Cutput..err..Cuttppu..damn..Cuttputt..oh whatever!
The movie is as weird and a headache as its spelling. There are so many coincidences in the movie that you wonder if coincidence is even a word! Procedure and course of action are thrown out of the window. Anyone can access anything. The end reveal is laughable to say the least and lets not get into motive. Who puts a song in a dark serial killer movie, I mean where do you find the time to break into a dance and shake a leg?! The movie keeps jumping between serious and comedy which ends up breaking the flow, if there is one anyway.
To top this absurdity, Akshay Kumar is shown 36yrs old! Hrishita Bhatt, who is at least a decade younger than Kumar, plays his sister and he calls her Didi (she is the elder sibling!)
No wonder the makers chose not to release this in a theatre. But it is so worst that you best stay away from it on OTT as well.
The Mummy (2017)
Why the hate?
I am writing this review after watching this movie for the fourth time. After reading the negative reviews during its release, I abstained myself from watching this one at the movies and settled for it to get released on OTT. After watching it though I am unable to comprehend the overwhelmingly negative reviews.
I mean the movie isn't the stuff of oscars or anywhere as good and fun as the original ones, but there are worst movies than this in its genre that have received better reviews than this.
To keep it short, if you want to watch a decent fantasy horror, go for this one.
Gangubai Kathiawadi (2022)
Glorifying the Un-glorified
There is a reason why I have not watched any of SLB's movies post Black. Somewhere down the line after Black, he started believing that casting star kids, constructing larger than life, grandeur sets and throwing in loud, mind numbing background scores with box office records in crores is film making. I mean how does a guy who made Khamoshi comes down to this. I agree Khamoshi did not work well at the box office, but real SLB is still known for that movie and not these. Somewhere he gave up on real film making and got caught up in the hoopla of the "Crore Club".
Gangubai Kathiawadi, a 2hrs 35mins back breaking film, is mediocre at best. It begins at 00.00.01 and ends at 01.00.00, rest of the film is nothing but glorification of the un-glorified. Who is Gangubai? How did she get caught up in prostitution? How she overcame her oppressors to become the leader of a red light district? Is something that is wrapped up in the first hour of the film itself. Post that you know whats coming and how it is going to come. Now, we can live with the fact that we know what is going to happen hereafter as long as it keeps you engaged, something that jumps out of the page. But with this film, nothing happens. Situations get thrown out at you with no impact at all. With the zoom shots and close ups with the loud background score queued in along, we are supposed to feel overwhelmed with goosebumps, but alas, nothing.
Actors like Vijay Raaz, Seema Pahwa, Chayya Kadam fit into the skin of the character because they have aptly portrayed it. In a movie like this, the characters are supposed to stand out because of the performances, and not because of their appearances. Alia Bhatt as a central character stands out not because of her performance but because of her appearance. The heavy makeup, the ironed whitewashed sarees, and the entire posture of the character gives you the feeling that this movie is more about showing Alia Bhatt's glamour, dance moves and cleavage rather than the actual character and life of the person on whom this movie is supposed to be based. Aalia's acting is way to mediocre compared to what Imtiaz Ali made her do in Highway and Meghna Gulzar made her do in Raazi. And I say 'made her' because she is a director's baby. Without the right director Aalia Bhatt us nothing but a glorified bimbo who keeps getting big films because of daddy dear.
Avoid wasting your money and time. If you can, fight your urge and wait for it to land on OTT.
S.W.A.T. (2003)
A special place for this one
This movie came out when we were collegians on a budget craving for a good action flick so that we could sneak out of our classes and ride mighty into the theatre to enjoy a movie.
This one did the job. Great action and good acting. Remember, it's a popcorn flick so don't go expecting a brainy action thriller.
A definite watch!