Recently Seen Movies - 11 - Page 113

Student of the year part 2

Student of the year part 2 has a similar setting like part one---a posh college looking like something from a foreign country with westernised crowd and westernised lingo. Ordinary words like 'change' are to be upgraded to words like 'evolve' . The girls are wearing very short skirts and the guys' fave hangout is the local nightclub .

Into this rarefied setting comes an outsider---a poor boy on a sports scholarship who is looking to try to hook up again with his girlfriend Mridula ( Tara Sutaria ) who has changed her name to Mia after she got admission to this college and who tries to avoid him . The boy is Rohan Sachdev ( Tiger Shroff ) . He gets into trouble with the college trustee's daughter Shreya ( Ananya Pandey ) who is a big prankster and who targets him .

Shreya's brother Manav ( Aditya Seal ) acts nice at first and takes Rohan under his wing , only to discover that Rohan has too much talent to remain just his sidekick . Rohan challenges Manav both in sports and in dance . And then emerges the dark side of Manav . And also emerges the vulnerable side of the big prankster Shreya , who falls for Rohan's gentlemanliness like a ton of bricks .

The problem with the budding romances is---no one is sure whom to love . Mia/Mridula's attraction oscillates between Manav and Rohan . And Rohan's love oscillates between Shreya and Mridula . But Manav's hate is not oscillating . He is sure whom to hate---Rohan . And has Rohan rusticated from the college using his father's influence as trustee . Rohan has to go back to the poorer college he once studied at and the poor friends he once had .

But it is those poor friends who stand by him when he decides to take revenge on Manav by beating him in sports---the dignity cup , which is the inter collegiate sports competition in which Manav has led his collage to be winner in the past . Problem is , there is no heart in the mouth moment as the rivals lock horns in the dignity cup . The ending in which there can be only one obvious winner ( good always triumphs over evil doesn't it ) is as tepid as it gets .

What is more interesting is the oscillation of the would be lovers unsure of whom to love , but having decent chemistry with each other . While the movie does not provide the zing when the protagonists are in confrontational mode , it does give us some interesting moments when the same people are grappling with problems of love . So the movie does have a good build up to it's plot for some time with some good looking girls and boys ( even the villain is good looking ) interacting and dancing and singing .

Acting and choreography and background music is okay . Colours and photography and fight scenes are okay too . Songs are decent . If your expectations are not weighed down by comparisons with part one then the movie is a one time watch .

Verdict---Decent .

Three stars out of five .

De de pyaar de :

What was expected and what we got

The story is same as in trailer , problem is all the jokes are in trailer too.

Ajay devgan plays a 50 years old who is also not heroic as they come.The basic problem of this movie is one and all that it's not funny .

The first half is fully dedicated to complete romance of rakul and ajay ,and while it is good to develop these characters , you shouldn't dedicate half your film to it , which is mostly romance and not that funny.Second half does give a ray of light lit dimly with few fun stuff Jimmy shergill is on 45000 film trying to marry a girl , whereas the daughter ishita character one dimensional loud character , you want to slap that spoilt brat ,i was very happy when her marriage broke.

Rakul character is okay , you don't really find her likeable at all tbh from the first scene , why would I care about her , even they try to make us support her by ample skin show and cleavage ,but if personality is not there who cares .

Tabu needed more , a impeccable actress like her look wasted in such films.

Is the movie bad ? No. It is at best one time watch at your television.

IMmature : A Mx player web series made by TvF , coming of age movie where three friends deal with their life and love.

Its a story of your first love , a puppy love , that first meeting and things that once you were young you believed in or atleast wanted to happend to you and many of you did happen.

A realtable show where school kids look like school kids , a school look like school and their problems do look genuine problem.

If you are out of the school, it makes you nostalgic especially the guy.

Fun and cute in short 5 episodes.

Abhay

A zee5 web show lead by kunal khemu a UP cop who solved heinous crimes in each 8 episode where there is long arc of his son being in danger from some past criminal.

I personally prefer detective shows , so i liked that a lot of it Is based upon it , and made it interesting.

Sandeepa dhar is beauty and showcases how Kunal khemu talent was wasted , given work he can definitely perform.

ISHQ REVIEW

#Ishq: when was the last time we all sat on the edge of the seats and watched something really intriguing? ..I know it's really hard to answer that , never mind. Grab your tickets for ishq and you won't be disappointed for the adrenaline rush this film offers you. It chokes and suffocates you relentlessly. This film is a tight slap on the face of moral policing and male chauvinistic features. Few months back we had #varathan doing it's part against moral policing , this time #ishq completes the remaining part. Shane Nigam depicts the role of a bewildered youth so beautifully but the USP of this film is none other than shine tom chacko who shines as the antagonist have done a terrific job that you ultimately want to whack him, same feeling we all had against asif Ali while watching uyare. It's a little longer and could have been trimmed but it definitely served my expectation.

Must watch

Lore S1

People raved about the podcast and urged me to listen. Unfortunately, I'm not a big podcast person. I decided to watch the streaming series on Amazon. It is interesting, but the presentation is dull. It does not meet the compelling standards of documentaries you find nowadays on steaming.

Law and Order SVU S20

SVU equaled the record of the L&O mothership with 20 seasons. This fall it will surpass its mothership.

I always wonder how many more stories around sexual violence can you write. SVU hits it out of the park with episodes inspired by Brett Kavanaugh and NXIVM. But there are other subtle references to border security issues and the recent controversial episode tackling referring to Ilhan Omar's tweets and the MAGA Nick Sandman vs Nathan Phillips issue. I thought the episode was sharp in how it challenges our common assumptions.

An episode that really divided fans was Part 33. In my opinion, it is a brilliant break from the usual procedural and a fantastic exploration of the mind frame and emotional conflicts officers face when giving testimony. The law is not black and white, and it is a lovely exploration of what happens when the law is on the wrong side of justice.

Wine Country

I love the women of SNL. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are my favorite girls. Rachel Dratch and Maya Rudolph are underrated talents. I didn't know about Paula Pell, Emily Spivey and Ana Gasteyer much. Paula Pell (some SNL hits) and Emily Spivey (King of the Hill, Parks & Rec, Brooklyn 99) have some dope writing credits to their name. Ana Gasteyer has a long list of film and television comic cameos to her name.

Expectations were high here. But I feel that they fall short in Wine Country. I mean its an earnest movie in the right direction. It proves that aging women have compelling narratives. It explores female friendships and aging issues in a meaningful way. It is like Bridesmaids 10 years later. Unfortunately, the writing is not as sharp as Bridesmaids.

Superstore S4

This show is criminally underrated. Go watch it. This is hands down the cleverest take on working-class America. A snide satire on Wal-Mart, it takes us into the lives of retail employees without judgment. It also has this knack of tackling difficult issues without being preachy. This season tackles a boatload - sexual harassment, cultural appropriation, healthcare, income/class disparity, labor rights, and more.

But the zinger is in the finale. I didn't think they could top the Amy/Jonah sex tape, but they did. It is both hilarious and heartwrenching at the same time. It is a much needed take on immigration.

Street Food Volume 1: Asia

Usually, Netflix is on the money with its food documentaries. But I feel it falters here. Perhaps it is in how the show was marketing. I was expecting an indepth Anthony Bourdain style deep dive into local street food. Instead, it was a narrative on the life and struggle of a few vendors. It barely scratches the surface of street food.

For example, the Delhi episode feels incomplete. I've had so many fiery debates with Delhiites about their gol gappe vs my Bombay pani puri that it felt like a crime that gol gappe didn't feature in this episode. And how can you not feature paranthe wali galli? What about all the kachoris? The rabri and piping hot jalebis? Lassi malai marke?

Having been to Taiwan last year it feels incomplete too. The two dishes I learnt that are quintessential to Taiwan are beef noodle soup and stinky tofu. Every region, every family, every joint has their own rendition of this classic. Another is stinky tofu. Taiwanese are passionate about their fried stinky tofu and lament its limited availability in the states. I was shocked that it didn't feature either of these classic dishes.

I get the intent. It wants to glorify unsung heroes. It wants us to appreciate the struggle and hardships behind the foods we take for granted. If only Netflix had marketed it more honestly, I would have enjoyed it more. But I expected a deep dive into the rich array and infinite choices - and I felt robbed.

Brooklyn 99 S6

We are so fortunate to have sixth season of this show. Fox made the fatal mistake of canceling the show. Thankfully, NBC picked it up. Fox should regret their stupidity.

Brooklyn 99 is a show that somehow manages to keep up its great quality. This season is no different. Jake and Amy's marriage doesn't alter the graph of the show or their equation. Captain Holt is brilliant as ever. The highlights of this season are a sweet flashback into Hitchcock and Scully's days as supercops and perhaps the best #MeToo episode on television.

De De Pyar De:

First half an hour was thrash. Tabu was awesome. Comedy was alright. AD was also alright.

2 star.

Run the Race (2018)

Amazing drama. I loved the performance from both lead. Some predictable moments but overall direction and acting was very good. I enjoyed it a lot. There were some great moments. I wanted the story to continue a little longer. 4 stars

Ordeal By innocence

This one was a mystery movie on Amazon Prime, a classic British setting of the early era where a mother gets murdered. She has 5 adopted kids , while one was wrongfully convicted of her murder. The husband is getting married when the plot opens up and the murder mystery is re-ignited when a man who is the alibi for the wrongfully convicted son now dead ,comes forward to clear his name.

It was interesting , definite one time watch 7/10

Aladdin:

The trailers dont do justice . I think its the best live action disney remake apart from Jungle Book

4/5

I'm mature

What a fun web series! The first 3 episodes have dollop of laughter doses. The bike scene in the first episode is so relatable. There are more incredulous situation as the series progress. All the actors were so apt in their performances! Casting, music and writing is phenomenal! Watch it if you have 2.5 hours free!

Aladdin

Surprisingly heart warming. There is no reason for this to exist but it's extremely joyous to watch.

The cast has done a brilliant job. Will Smith brings so much charm to the table. Naomi Scott is fantastic. And Mena Massoud is a total surprise. I was very doubtful about him for the trailers but he got it just right.

Guy Ritchie has done a fantastic job in translating the scenes.

John Wick 3

Fricking Amazing. That's all.