dsreviews247 Reviews

Kathal: A Jackfruit Mystery (2023)

Social Commentary + Situation Comedy never made better than this.

[9/10 · 28 July 2023]

All the great realistic actors have been brought in together and they are giving the perfectly rustic feeling to this film set in a small town. Starting from a trivial situation and leading to a bigger problem has been shown perfectly. And the best thing is that however serious the situation may have gotten, the situation comedy has been kept intact till the end.

Sanya Malhotra is making some really great choices for films and she is bound to make a bigger impact very soon. Social commentary on many issues along with comedy and brilliant acting makes this film a must watch. A Realistic movie.

Jatt vs. Ielts (2018)

The movie has a very good message. Don't expect masala movie.

[6/10 · 21 January 2022]

Although the movie is a 2018 release, but by the looks of it, the acting, the direction, the editing, it seems that the movie is probably from the early 2000s. The actors are good and have brought out the right amount of emotions to get you attached to their characters, be it comedy ones who are main hero's friends at the coaching or be it his parents. I really liked the message they have conveyed in regards to how scams take place in regards to IELTS. How scam industry is fooling youngsters and their parents. Also, how marriages are a tool for IELTS reasons. Very good movie if seen from a general perspective of the story.

No Adult scenes, clean reasonable comedy movie.

It is available on Prime Video, or on YouTube as well.

My rating - 6 out of 10.

Mirzapur (2018– )

Perfectly Rustic & Gripping Series

[8/10 · 3 December 2021]

The series is set in a rustic backdrop of a badland controlled by a crime lord kingpin called Kallen Bhaiya. He has an immature power hungry son and that is what mostly sets off the story. The father is looking for his son to prove his metal before taking over the reigns and the son feels that he has already blossomed and should take over. Divyendu Sharma is a superb actor on the rise! Pankaj Tripathi, doesn't need any validaiton. We already hail his prowess. But a revelation for me was Ali Faizal. Man this guy has transformed for his character so well, he literally looks like a menacing 'Pehelwan Ji'. No doubt he has had hollywood calling for him. The first season is takes you on this reckless drive that you cannot stop even if you try. It is so gripping, because it has been well acted as well as, very well written. I had little expectations from this series, but it massively over delivered for me.

My rating - 8 out of 10.

The Paperboy (2012)

Something really unnerving about this movie

[7/10 · 29 November 2021]

A star studded film usually never fails to pull us in to it, because we believe those actors are very good. Same happens here. The movie successfully creates tense situations at the right time to rile up the audience and get interested. Nicole Kidman has played one of her best roles, and so has Zac Efron. A nice pair up of Mathew McConnaughey and Zac for the first time as brothers. John Cusack delivers well in his role of a villain, as we fear him and hate him, which is what a good villain is supposed to make is feel. The storyline is prepared well, but the final execution lacks a bit of grip. In a way, the spirits of a mediocre storyline have been lifted by the actors.

A partially simulated sex scene and a suggestive orgasm scene is there, so parental guidance would be better.

I watched it on Prime Video.

My rating 7/10.

Wrath of Man (2021)

Okayish, but not upto Guy Ritchie's level.

[6/10 · 29 November 2021]

This is just a plain revenge story movie. Nothing new in the storyline. The whole picture gets clear in the first 20 mins about what is going to go down in the movie. And obviously it is a Jason Statham movie, so whichever side he is on, good or the bad, will eventually win, because, of course, it is Statham! Guy Ritchie does have the skill of good presentation in his mind, the visuals blending with a great background music to further propagate the story and make the movie seem grand. But at the end you will realize that there was nothing in the movie that you have not seen already in a lot of movies in the past. I felt the BGM of this movie was very similar to one of Ritchie's earlier movies 'The Gentlemen'. Overall, it is after all a Guy Ritchie movie, so one viewing is not a problem for sure. But surely not up to the level of 'Snatch' or even maybe 'RocknRolla'. No nudity, but graphic violence, so parental guidance advised for kids. I watched it on Prime through the Lionsgate subscription.

Honsla Rakh (2021)

Comedy form start to end. Very well made movie.

[8/10 · 29 November 2021]

Diljit Dosanjh is getting better and better with every movie and same can be said for the quality of his movies. The movie is a smart comedy, not cheap or badly written comedies like most Bollywood movies nowadays.

I have to admit, Punjabi comedy movies are comedy from start to end. They don't get gloomy post interval. They very well know how to carry a story forward and infuse serious themes without leaving a scar on your mind.

Similarly Diljit and especially the boy who played his cute little son have such a fantastic chemistry, that they are so natural together, you are bound to laugh. Both the actresses look so beautiful and have played important roles. Also, after a long time, a movie has come that has a good music album.

All of them are loveable upbeat dance numbers. I could not find any weak spots in the movie. The movie is clean with no vulgar inuendos or cheapness.

My rating - 8 out 10.

Awara Paagal Deewana (2002)

A perfect blend of best quality action and comedy

[10/10 · 19 August 2021]

One of the rarest gems of Indian cinema. The perfect blend for action and comedy. And this blend is of a very good quality, almost premium. A truly timeless gem. Akshay Kumar and Suniel Shetty lead perfectly as the action pair, and Paresh Rawal and Johhny Lever are handling the comedy department along with contribution from dark comedy from Akki and Anna. Aftab is neutral. Heroines are very good as supporting cast, both for comedy and taking the story forward. Rahul Dev is marvellous as villain. If you are a movie buff you may find few of it's elements copied from here or there, but for 2hr45mns just don't judge it on that and watch it for its own presentation of those scenes. The action is one of its kind and the comedy is that amazing level which you will not see anymore. Must watch, surely must watch, and if possible on a TV screen due to spectacular action.

I watched it on Amazon Prime Video.

I would give it 10/10 .

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Batman: The Long Halloween, Part Two (2021)

A good conclusive part but unjust at some points

[8/10 · 28 July 2021]

Firstly, for the ones who primarily developed interest in the Batman character after watching Nolan's Dark Knight, this will be a big surprise. You will find so many similarities between the trilogy and the Long Halloween. Ofcourse, Nolan skipped some elements in order to adapt it to the cinematic world, and Nolan even admitted having been inspired by this particular storyline for his trilogy.

The story carries forwards from where Part 1 ended and the mysterious Holiday killer is still unmasked and at large. Obviously the first part had a novelty factor and it had a bigger wow factor, so this second part does conclude the story but slightly falls short in being as amazing as the first part. Just a slight bit of difference.

One thing that often brings down superhero stories is the abundance of villains. A mistake we saw in Spider-Man 3, which led to it being called the least favourite one in the trilogy. Similarly, a lot of villains have been brought in here and it becomes a bit chaotic at times. The action is shot very well, and the best part is the story twist. The twist ending has been presented well. It sort of shocked me as to how a link was established between 2 characters we never thought would be connected.

Although the eventual person who turns out to be Holiday Killer is a bit strange, maybe it had to be done to support the storyline. Although hints had been dropped all through the film. Overall a goodish watch, not something as excellent as we have started expecting everytime we see Batman on the screen.

Cuss words used at 2 places so maybe some supervision might be needed if your kid is watching it.

Tuesdays and Fridays (2021)

Worst Acting Ever In an SLB Film

[1/10 · 22 July 2021]

Firstly, I would like to ask those who have given this movie a 100% rating, in what capacity do you work at Sanjay Leela Bhansali's production company? And do you have enough approach to tell him that he should rather make or invest in much better movies?

This movie is one of my worst movie experiences in recent times. The very belief that we can just pick up any Hollywood movie idea and just shove it as a movie is totally wrong. The story is absolutely pathetic. It is even worse than what Krrish 4 will be, which is being written by Hrithik's kids. The director has probably seen some Korean or American movie and felt cute cute while watching it in his socks and decided, mai bhi aesi film banaunga!

The main actor looks like a gay version of Virat Kohli, and the actress, though a Miss India Runner up, still looks like those B grade actresses with disoriented facial features.

Please do not watch this movie believing that Sanjay Leela Bhansali has anything to do with it. I am pretty sure he never even bothered about this movie after watching the first 5 days of this movie's shoot.

I am regretting watching this movie. It is a massive cringe fest. If you don't have anything to do for the next 2 hours, even then you will be hitting the fast forward button many times.

No nudity or vulgar scenes or profanities, but still dont let your kid watch this below the standard stuff.

Strangely it is available on Netflix.

My Rating 1 out of 10.

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Raat Akeli Hai (2020)

The best mystery thriller of the decade

[9/10 · 9 June 2021]

Undoubtedly, one of the most underrated movie of 2020. First and foremost, I would like to applaud the director Honey Trehan and Cinematographer Pankaj Kumar for their refereshing work with the camera and angles. The first scene where the truck is taking two bodies or that scene where the butcher stands against the poster, are the proofs that these 2 guys are visionaries with the camera. Now one thing that an invested viewer expects from a good suspense thriller is that it should have a good reason for the crime. Most movies leave the vieweres disappointed with the reasons falling flat on their faces, but this movie seems to have been developed backwards. The reason at the end is equally solid and logical. The only thing that seemed a bit extra was the romantic angle, rest the movie is a tightly gripped thriller.

It is still a mystery as to how such good movies keep going unnoticed by our audiences and movies like Radhe don't. Don't go by the name, it is NOT A HORROR MOVIE.

A couple of partial nudity scenes to establish the story are there.

My Rating - 8 out of 10

It is available on Netflix

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The Queen's Gambit (2020)

Over hyped and over taught!

[6/10 · 9 June 2021]

This show is good. It deals with the story of the main protagnist well, but eventually it is the same old story of a prodigy outwitting all his/her opponenets. Watching this show reminded me of Indian Idol & KBC, because whenever a participant wins something good there, there is a special small movie about them showing how they had been torutred in their past, and how they had nothing to eat and nowhere to go to. Even hollywood studios can't make a good story about a prodigy unless he/she is from a tormented childhood. Nevertheless, the actress they chose for the role, Anya Taylor Joy, is looking like the epitome of beauty.

The character has been fleshed out very well, but the discussions about Chess are not presented in a way that it can be understood even by regular chess players. It is somewhat like the show SUITS. You never know what strategy are they talking about, the laws and the rulings, all you know is that you want the main character to win. You do feel dumb at one point. As usual Netflix always makes sure that the quality standard of visuals is mantiained, and so it has been here too. NO NUDITY, just 2 partially encated sex scenes, which kids can pass through without getting scarred. Hah!

It is a Netflix Original Series.

My Rating - 6 out of 10

It is available on Netflix

Duel (1971 TV Movie)

A classy director will be on top of his game right form the debut

[9/10 · 9 May 2021]

A superb director will always make movies that will give you a true cinematic experience. It would not matter if it is his first movie as a director or 20th, he will show class. Such is the case with this movie, Duel. I am damn sure that this movie released way before anyone of us were even born. No, it's not like it is from the 19th century, but still, 1971 was when our parents were hitting puberty.

This movie marked the official debut of Steven Spielberg as a director. What is really surprising to see is that the movie does not have much of a story, but the way it develops is very interesting. There are no big actors in it, atleast not from the ones we know. That is because the hero and villain of the movie are 2 vehicles, and not humans. It is only pure class of a director who can actually show a vehicle as scary. The heights of direction that Spielberg has achieved in his debut movie are yet to be achieved by any dorector in India, even with the help of VFX. And since hollywood itself did not have VFX back then, so every action is performed as a stunt without any computers. It is a great thriller movie! A MUST watch!

My Rating 9 out of 10