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The Night Manager (2023)
The Night Manager UNFILTERED Review
While 1<2:
print('absolute waste of time! How wrong can you go from a really good source material? Even the sequences that are lifted shot to shot, with dialogues that they didn't even bother to rewrite or translate, don't have the same impact as the original. Ache kapde pehenne se acha show nahi banta. Absolute disappointment. Nothing worked for me in this show. Not the Acting. Not the Cinematography. Not the Music. The Direction is as clueless as can be. Editing is slow. VFX is garbage. That one shot of the girl falling from the building is such a pivotal shot that was repeated multiple times. Why not just do something that doesn't look bad? Maybe check the source material on how to do things right when in doubt? There's a well made series AND a book. Still this show's writing is weak. Characters confused. What an')
Shehzada (2023)
Shehzada UNFILTERED Review
Shehzada is written in the 80s/90s style where children are swapped at birth and later find out when they grow up. The movie has a lot of comedic giants like Paresh Rawal, Rajpal Yadav, Rakesh Bedi and Ali Asgar. But none of them are given any funny lines and none of the dialogue feels spontaneous or improvised. All actors arrived to work, said their lines and left. Kartik Aaryan, who is deep in typecastedness, delivers his usual rants but they fall flat. Kriti Sanon probably was the wisest of the cast and disappeared in the second half. Ronit Roy, Manisha Koirala and Sachin Khedekar have a few decent emotional scenes but the generic writing lessens the impact of the dramatic scenes in the second half. The music is lacklustre but audience is still treated to about 50 songs give or take. At least that's what it felt like. And this was just in the first half. Discounting the songs from film would have probably taken 20-25 minutes from the total length of the film that stands at 150 mins. That's two and a half hours. It was long. And boring. Overall, Shehzada is a hot mess. It had a lot of potential in the chosen ingredients but ultimately fails to entertain.
Pathaan (2023)
Pathaan UNFILTERED Review
SRK is back after a hiatus and although a commercial success, Pathaan is a really boring film. The writing is very uninspired and is just a mish mash of various action set pieces shot in beautiful locations. The movie is shot well for the most. It's the other technical areas where the film fails miserably. The VFX, green screen, sound mixing, background music, and acting are way below par. Action movies need good action and a good villain. Pathaan has neither. The fight choreography is repetitive. Stunts are not exciting. The cameo by the other big Khan is nice but too short in an otherwise indulgently long feature. Overall, it's a snooze fest.
Kuttey (2023)
Kuttey UNFILTERED Review
Ever watch long drawn slow motion footage and wish it would go a bit faster and get to the meaningful bit but it never does? Kuttey. Aasmaan Bhardwaj, in his debut, takes the baton from his father and tries to make a film in that Guy Ritchie and Tarantino space with intermingling heist attempts and long drawn conversations. The choice of style of direction is the "keep the camera in front of the actors and let them have a go at it" approach which works wonders if the writing is taut, dialogue is engaging, and the edit is tight. Kuttey fails on all three counts, causing a cascading effect that makes the actors look bad. Stalwarts working so hard on their performances and being let down by the writing and direction is difficult to watch. A lot of the acting looks like it was meant for stage. Editing style and the way events unfold is very similar to Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels but you see it all coming from a mile away. The only positive to come out of this film is the title track wonderfully composed by Vishal Bhardwaj, sung by Rekha Bhardwaj and based on the Faiz Ahmad Faiz's Kutte. The rest of the music is good as well. Except the reused Dhan Te Nan track. The pneumonic plays throughout the film and was a bit disappointing because you don't expect recycling from "art" filmmakers. It's one thing to use the track for promotions and to evoke nostalgia but then to play it repeatedly in the film was a bit excessive. Overall a very disappointing film given the long list of exceptional actors, producers, musicians and technicians attached to the project.
Laal Singh Chaddha (2022)
Totally unnecessary but entertaining none the less
Unexpectedly touching and charming. Kind of missed the essence of Forrest Gump by having the character just witness events around him rather have him be part of them. The Indianised events don't all work. The one that felt most true to the essence of the original was the one with SRK. Songs were forced and below average. Aamir's performance was good barring the horrendous Punjabi. 'Bala' was very similar to 'Chatur' from 3 Idiots. Could've done something original and more interesting there. Mona Singh, Kareena Kapoor Khan and Manav Vij do well in their short stints. Overall, totally unnecessary but entertaining none the less.
The Batman (2022)
Promising at first but then starts it's slow descent
"Poetic" shots
Familiar music
Plot holes
Long drawn scenes
Pointless romances
Boring action sequences
Meaningless finale
Was expecting a lot from this one and the first ten minutes were promising! Loved the whole Gotham vibe. Robert Pattinson was great as always. Andy Serkis' Alfred was mediocre at best. Almost fell asleep in that hospital scene. Paul Dano's Riddler felt a bit half baked and just like any other psycho criminal. The Penguin played by an unrecognisable Colin Farrell did full justice to the character. John Turturro, Geoffrey Wright, Zoë Kravitz all played their parts beautifully. The Falcone plot overall was more interesting and could've taken centre stage had they explored it more. Would've made for a tighter, shorter film that would've been true to the detective genre instead of the bloated three hour saga with the obligatory beat 'em up climax.
The thought behind the film and the world created was interesting but it ultimately was detective-ing in the wrong places and wasn't interesting enough. Soundtrack was mediocre too with a lot of familiarity and uncanny similarity to the Imperial March and the Dark Knight Rises. The film had all the ingredients to be great but in the end was just as mediocre as Matt Reeves' Planet of the Apes offerings. Extremely disappointing.
The Legend of Maula Jatt (2022)
Pak's Bahubali...?
Pakistan's attempt at a Bahubali-esque epic is a boring and bland feature with a few good performances and a lot of mediocre ones. Full disclaimer: I haven't watched Bahubali, RRR, KGF and others trying to do this medieval-style over-the-top masala action flick. Let's start with the performances. Hamza Ali Abbasi absolutely kills it as Noori Natt bringing all the menace necessary for the part. He absolutely shines in the final action sequences and it was an absolute joy to watch every second with him on screen. Fawad Khan does ok as the brooding silent protagonist but seemed uncomfortable in the fight sequences. Mahira Khan plays Mamta Kurkarni from Karan Arjun. Sadly a very two dimensional character that completely wastes her potential. Gohar Rasheed played his character like every other "off the hook" villain ever played in cinema. Humaima Malik was just about ok but was let down by her make up and wardrobe team who decided to make her the only character not appropriate for the era. Faris Shafi was a good sidekick and provided much needed comic relief to an otherwise boring feature. Ali Azmat was just ok. Too much of a caricature performance in my opinion. I'd totally watch the film that shows Gogi's bender after he left the tavern all happy and high, and didn't reappear until many scenes later.
Technically, the film rises above the precedent set by previous films from Pakistan, but still falls short of the "international standard" it's being touted as having achieved. Writing is standard. The Punjabi is thankfully not too complex so Hindi/Urdu speaking non-Punjabi viewers such as myself can enjoy the film with a bit of assistance from the subtitles. Cinematography is bland. The look of the film didn't really do service to the scale that is being tried to achieve. The indoor night shots are good, though sometimes too dark, but the outdoor ones are just garbage thanks to the clean blue blinding light that shines on the characters. The day shots are nothing to write home about either because the sets don't feel authentic. Colours are drab too. Low contrast and desaturated. Did the colourist fall in love with the raw footage? Could've at least matched the poster in terms of colour. Sound design was a bit obvious and you can hear the effects applied every time Hamza goes into his deep voice monologue that ends with "Soniye". But Hamza manages to distract from the obvious flaws and sucks you into his performance. Background music sounds like it was made with cheap software. And the score gets more and more confused as the film progresses with the composer throwing everything he's got trying pianos and string sections that feel like stock music and completely out of place for the era. This was an amazing opportunity to create a hardcore desi score that would lift the visuals, but it wasn't meant to be. The only highlight in the music was the song with the haunting melody in the middle of the film. Kind of thankful there weren't more songs given the already unnecessary length of the film. Which brings us to the editing. First fifteen minutes of the film were absolutely unnecessary. The prison seduction scene wasn't required either. And the rest of the film could've been tighter if the director who was also the DOP and editor hadn't fallen in love with all of his footage. The only thing that was outstanding technically, which was the saving grace of the film (along with Hamza's performance), was the gore. It was absolutely spectacular and unbelievably realistic. I couldn't tell if it was special effects or vfx but it was executed perfectly so kudos to the action and 'gore' team. If only such care had been taken in other departments. Bahut rant ho gaya.
It's sad that such a good cast was assembled with decent technicians but the end result is a boring mess. How long do we have to wait to watch Fawad and Mahira on screen in a feature of this scale again?
Black Adam (2022)
DC is late to the party
Entertaining but plot holes start to bother towards the end like how Black Adam could've ripped off his mask before diving into the ocean. But I suppose everything has to be dramatic in this kind of flick. Also not a fan of the way song covers are being used in comic book movies. Why can't we just have a good score? And at this point DC movies are just trying to ape Marvel movies. I feel they should find their own style and give characters an original spin. Hawkman's whole vibe with the tech was too close to Black Panther. They even managed to make the hawk logo like a panther. And Dr Fate has been developed unfortunately close to Dr Strange. With the clothing and beard. Atom Smasher is basically Ant-Man without the shrinking. It's all different, but also the same. Can't really put my finger on it but everything feels like a Marvel knock off. And I know most of the DC characters were developed before Marvel developed theirs so it's kinda sad they couldn't go a different route and shake off the resemblances. Also the slow motion action sequences peak in the beginning of the film and get more and more boring each time.
Flaws aside, the comedy works. DJ has become so good in balancing humour and serious action I would say he is one of the best action heroes of Hollywood at this time. The Arnold Schwarzenegger of current times if you will. And yes, I mean that as a compliment. Mohammed Amer (or as some would know him as Mo Amer from his show and stand up on Netflix) is a delight on screen and provided most of the punchlines that made me laugh out loud. Pierce Brosnan is classy as always. Noah Centineo is still in one of his rom-coms and every time he comes on screen I can't stop thinking how closely he resembles Mark Ruffalo. He even has the same voice. Action sequences are good for the most part, especially the one in the beginning. The flashbacks with the whole lore is nicely done with a bit of Rashomon effect.
This is what DC should've done when they were setting up their DC verse when they started with Man of Steel. They should've done individual introduction films and then gone on to the Justice League film. Still haven't gotten around to watching Aquaman because of how terrible Justice League was. Hopefully they get it right this time around. And I'm kinda excited to see where Black Adam fits in with Shazam and Superman and looking forward to the movie that brings these characters together.
See How They Run (2022)
Fun watch!
A self aware whodunnit with tongue in both cheeks. Great cast that is exemplary to say the least. Sam Rockwell and Saoirse Ronan have amazing chemistry and distract the audience well enough to hide the real killer who is, well, hiding in plain sight. Music is brilliant! A lovely score that fits very well and I would expect nothing less from Daniel Pemberton who's had me hooked to his music since quite some time now (Guy Ritchie's King Arthur and The Man From U. N. C. L. E, and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse). Cinematography is top notch. I particularly liked a shot towards the end when a hand is slowly creeping into frame and that's the most I can say about that without spoiling anything. I love it when the camera is used to add humour. Set design and costume is authentic as far as I can tell, but admittedly I'm not an expert. I loved the cars they used and it's these small details that make a film memorable.
This was a really fun watch and I wish I'd caught it in the cinema but had to watch it on Disney+. And as with most movies of this genre once the magic trick is revealed you feel a bit underwhelmed. But the journey of how they got there is fun and the way the climax plays out was really interesting. Of course, the whodunnit I'm really waiting for this year is Rian Johnson's Glass Onion and I'm hoping it has a wide cinema release.
Nazar Andaaz (2022)
Good clean cinema!
A heartfelt light weight drama that carries a nice message. Kumud Mishra puts out a brilliant performance, playing a blind character. There's not one second in the entire film that you could say he isn't being true to the character. And that can be said for Abhishek Banerjee and Divya Dutta as well. All three are absolutely adorable and share great chemistry throughout the film. Music felt a bit generic, both the songs and the background music. Which is a shame because the performances kept hitting the right notes consistently.
Overall, this is an enjoyable watch and is a rare clean watch with no obscenities in a sea of 18+ content.
Glass Onion (2022)
Not as good as the first but still pretty good
Glass Onion starts off on the right foot. The setup is really good, as is the complex build up, but as the film starts to approach it's end, it loses focus a bit. Edward Norton's character, towards the end, started to feel way too close to the character he played in Italian Job. Which was that of an uninspired, annoying mooch who would show up at the end of a heist with a gun. The film tried way too hard to take a piss on young(ish), wealthy tech entrepreneurs than was necessary. And although that was just towards the end of the film, it kind of takes away from the rest of the film too. Because the most important part of any whodunnit is the end. And it was messed up a bit.
The rest of the film was near perfect. The acting, the chemistry, the cinematography, the editing, the set and location, the wardrobe, was all perfect. The music was glorious. The exceptional use of the harpsichord (at least I think that's what it was) was so unexpected. Being a musician myself, it's an instrument that I'm not very fond of. But the way it was used in the main theme was just brilliant. The entire score for that matter was.
The end was just not satisfying enough and it's a shame because I really wanted to fall in love with this one. I'll still give it a 7 because it was an enjoyable watch. But I was hoping for it to blow my mind like the first one did.
Cirkus (2022)
Decent watch with a few good laughs
An adaptation of Shakespeare's "A Comedy of Errors". Bollywood aficionados who haven't read much of Shakespeare's work, like I haven't, will recognise the base plot from Gulzar's masterpiece - Angoor. Rohit Shetty & Team add a few extra layers of their own that ultimately make the film distinctly a Rohit Shetty Film. The star cast is huge and each character is given time to shine. And this is despite Ranveer Singh and Varun Sharma being in almost every scene. The characters that stood out the most for me were the ones played by Sanjay Mishra, Anil Charanjeet and Siddharth Jadhav. And it is always a delight to watch veterans like Johnny Lever, Tiku Talsania, Vijay Patkar and Vrajesh Hirjee amongst others. There's only a couple of songs in the film so the pace of the film is good. The first half goes by in a flash and mostly just sets up the second half where the comedy is amped up. The lead pair - Ranveer Singh and Varun Sharma - share good chemistry and do a good job staying confused for most of the film. The girls have been given girly things to do so basically not much. The comedy is a bit of hit and miss. There are a few tropes that reoccur throughout the film and surprisingly don't get old. The one where Ranveer "shocks" other characters, and the one where he slaps Sanjay Mishra are one upped every time. Then there are some gags that have been done to death and are cringe and take too long to complete. Like the forgetful character trying to remember vocabulary. It's been used in almost every Rohit Shetty comedy I've watched and it's time to lay it to rest maybe.
The editing is sharp and on point except with the whole narration track. It carried a good message without being preachy, but drags the film a bit and could have been tightened. It could be removed altogether and the film would have still worked but I feel that it is important for such light movies to carry a message. The music works for the film and has the required pep. Although, I won't be able to tell it apart in a blind test along with other Rohit Shetty films. They are all trumpet-y. It is a decent watch with some good laughs, but it's probably not one for the ages. It's also a movie that you could wait a month and watch at home. And this is mainly because technically, the film is a bit weak with bad lighting when the doppelgängers are on screen, and overall bad green screen and colour grading that leaves a halo around characters. Angoor had better execution in that regard. Forty years back. I think I'm going to watch it now.
Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)
Spectacular! One of the best sequels in recent times!
One of the most awaited film of the past decade and boy does it live up to expectations! The visuals are INSANE! There is no shred of doubt that a masterpiece has been created. Is it a flawless film? By no means. The writing as cliche as the first film, but it still manages to engage and keep you hooked right till the end. There's a point in the film in the first third where the protagonist makes a questionable decision to move his family that makes no sense. But if you let that slide, there's a plethora of action sequences and heart wrenching drama awaiting.
The CGI, the performance capture, the cinematography and all the detail over and under the water is just impeccable. There is not one pixel that has been left neglected. I forgot within seconds that most of what I was watching was computer generated and the whole deal seems plausible just like watching a nature documentary. Especially watching the film in 3D on a Dolby screen is extremely immersive. I found myself holding my breath whenever the action went underwater. And what marvelous action it is! And I'm not just talking about the fight sequences. Every time the characters go underwater it feels like an adventure that kept me on the edge of my seat. The score has been bettered from the first film by Simon Franglen. It still uses some of the motifs from the first film but felt more engaging. The editing was a bit off on two occassions when "Tsireya" played by Bailey Bass speaks which was really weird and it made me question whether there was some censorship involved. The bluray release will tell.
Overall I really loved the movie and will try to catch it a few more times while it's still running on the big screen.
Bhediya (2022)
Terrific Comedy!
Very entertaining and its fun to watch Varun Dhawan in his comedic element. Excellent direction and writing with a good balance of horror and comedy. Background score is good as well. Support cast shines and brings the humour with perfect timing. Vfx and cinematography is good too except for some of the night shots. The werewolf transformation looked really good screen with Varun doing the maximum to make the shots look good. The only disconnect, visually, is the CGI forest doesn't quite match the live action one. The length of the film I'is maybe 15-20 mins too long with slow songs in the second half dampening the pace. Overall, very entertaining and recommended to watch on the big screen if you can still catch it.