Recently Seen Movies - 11 - Page 115

Godzilla 2 - King of Monsters - An Opinion

Let me confess that I am a huge fan of Monsterverse. I love Godzilla & Kong. Maybe that's the reason why I was extremely excited about the sequel (especially after watching those trailers).

I don't want to say that I took the plot of these movies on a serious note. I know it can be implausible but still there is a limit for atrocious work. The biggest issue with G2 is it's writing department. The whole idea regarding how to bring all these monsters for a grand Royal Rumble mainly starring Big G & Ghidorah. It's like the makers wanted the fight to start asap. Also I didn't like the cliched family's drama portion which didn't sync well with the main plot. The laughable part was the reason given by Dr. Emma Russell (Vera Farmiga) behind the whole mess. Seriously?? The dialogues turned out to be unintentional comedy. Also the opening scene was a clean inspiration from Dawn of Justice.

But on a positive note, despite these negatives, the movie was engaging. Mainly due to the breathtaking visuals and how makers treated Godzilla as King or God!! As expected, he got an epic introduction followed by some MASS (during his battles with Ghidorah). The CGI was terrific and thy rectified the mistake from the previous movie where we found it too hard to make out what's happening during the dark visuals. The action sequences were great and the energy level shoots up whenever Godzilla or Ghidorah arrives on screen. The background score elevated the movie further.

There wasn't anything brilliant from any if the talented cast led by Ken Watanabe, Vera Farmiga, Sally Hawkins etc.

If you are looking for a movie with a strong plot, you will find it a disappointing experience. But for the visuals, action sequences, background score and above all GODZILLA....It's worth for a Big Screen Popcorn Watch.

Ratings - 7/10

movie review---PM Narendra Modi

This movie is without question made for self promotion , and the election commission had to bar the release of the movie until the elections were over to prevent the movie from influencing the voters . It twists history in such a way that many events in India's history happen with Narendra Modi as their pivot , and he inevitably triumphs in them . Now that it has been released after the elections , the movie has turned out to be a celebration of his resounding success in the elections rather than an attempt to win over the voters .

The movie begins with Modi selling tea in childhood to help his father make ends meet , while his mother washes utensils in people's households to help his father financially . Watching the scenes made me realize why Modi cried when he met Mark Zuckerberg ; reaching such a powerful position where he got to meet powerful people from being a simple tea seller whose mother literally was a servant in people's homes was something worth getting emotional about .

He is shown to be patriotic from childhood and salutes the national flag whenever he sees it . Offers free tea to soldiers of the army and eavesdrops on every conversation made by elders about the situation on the frontiers when the country is at war with China . He comes under the influence of a RSS ( right wing organisation ) functionary called Inamdar who offers him a path of joining RSS . But at this point Modi dreams of being an ascetic and his parents are worried about him going astray . So they fix his marriage . He is shown refusing to get married though actually he got married but abandoned the woman who still remains his official wife . Point to be noted is that he remains amazingly popular among women even after doing this .

So Modi really becomes an ascetic living in the himalayas wearing saffron ( colour of hinduism ) clothes in snowbound conditions . His guru however asks him to do something for his countrymen by joining politics and he goes back to his home state Gujarat to Inamdar , the RSS functionary who warmly welcomes him into the fold of the RSS . When RSS men are imprisoned by the government and few are to be found to lead a march against the government , Modi shows his resourcefulness by inviting people to claim money looted by the government from them and rousing them with a fiery speech . From here there is no looking back .

As then PM Indira Gandhi declares an emergency which is a threat to democracy , Modi is shown to throw leaflets into the press conference she has organised to explain her reasons to the foreign press . Those leaflets tell the truth about bamboozling of democracy in India , severely embarrassing the PM . The whole episode seems to be fictitious . As democracy is re established , the formation of the BJP party from which Modi is PM now brings a new political chapter in Modi's life ; from a worker of the RSS he has now become a politician of the BJP . But he continues his work by building canals of water for parched regions of Gujarat after seeing it's women struggle to bring water to their homes in metal pots carried on their heads . The women vote for BJP praising Modi's work and his vote winning ability is seen .

However the chief minister of Gujarat is not happy with the increasing popularity of Modi who he sees as a rival and he forces the head of the BJP to send him away from Gujarat to national capital Delhi . But Modi comes back to help during an earthquake in Gujarat and party high command makes him chief minister . After this happens the most controversial event in his political career---what I call the post Godhra riots , after muslim goons burn alive nearly sixty hindus in a train at the railway station of Godhra . Hindus in Gujarat take terrible revenge by killing muslims in retaliation , and Modi has been held to be the leading the retaliation . As expected , the movie whitewashes Modi's role in the retaliation by showing him trying to control the riots he probably didn't attempt to control in real life .

The United States was influenced to cancel his visa as punishment for Modi's role in the riots , and the influencer is shown to a fictitious businessman named Aditya Reddy ( Prashant Narayanan ) who had tried to bribe Modi earlier . Modi is shown rebuffing him by telling him that nor will he get bribed himself nor will he allow him to bribe others . Modi wows to one day come to USA in triumph later , and it is now part of history that the US was forced eat humble pie and invite him to the country after he became PM of India .

Modi invites industrialist Ratan Tata ( Boman Irani ) to build cars in Gujarat , cutting the red tape for which India is notorious and makes his image as a business friendly politician . Aditya Reddy then corrupts a media personality played by Darshan Kumar to malign Modi's image , but Modi is shown to turn tables and beat him in a televised interview . The stage is set for him becoming PM .

Among the politicians , I found the actresses playing former PM Indira Gandhi and the actress playing leader of Congress party Sonia Gandhi to be looking exactly like the real life persons . Atal Bihari Vajpayee acts exactly like the real person , while LK Advani and Mulrli Manohar Joshi are good too . Vivek Oberoi does not try to copy Modi , though he tries to speak hindi language with a gujarati accent .

Pakistan is Modi's rival in the later part of the film , and it is shown sending it's soldiers ( not terrorists but actual armymen ) to kill Modi . Needless to say , Modi faces the situation with the courage of a lion with a 56 inch chest that he has been lionized to have . More time is spent on his handling of the terror attack by Pakistan backed terrorists in the hindu temple of Akhardham than his handling of post Godhra riots , thus attempting to enhance his image as master in tackling terror .

Modi calls India as Hindustan throughout the film , thus making no bones as to his commitment to hindu nationalism . Photography of the film is good and so is background music . Indeed the movie is sweet music to his millions of admirers across the globe , and has been made to celebrate their admiration . If you are a bhakt ( devotee ) of Modi , watching the movie is a must . I am not one of these devotees , but I found the film entertaining enough to engage my full attention for 2 and a quarter hours .

Verdict---Decent.

Three out of five stars .

Overboard (2018)

You know the schtick. Rich person belittles working class poor person. The rich person has an accident and gets amnesia. The poor person takes advantage of the situation to get revenge. They pretend the rich person is their spouse and make them do menial chores and take care of kids. Over time the rich person changes and settles in their role. The poor person also starts sympathizing. Eventually, they fall in love. Things change when the amnesia is cured. But after some dramatics, it's happily ever after.

Overboard (1987) and Bollywood's own Ek Ladka Ek Ladki have a rich woman and a poor man. The gender roles are reversed here. Anna Faris is charming as single mom Kate. Eugenio Derbez balances well between the sleazeball rich guy and doting amnesiac father. I think the Mexican billionaire is a nice touch. It challenges the perception that all Mexicans are poor immigrants. The movie has some fun shenanigans and feel good moments. But the plot is to cliched and wafer thin to amount to anything. Its just a fun film to stream - nothing more.

And while I get the need to teach a lesson, I do find the plot device morally questionable. Its unethical no matter how big of an asshole a person is. The gender role reversal doesn't make it any less icky.

Chernobyl : One of the best mini series to come on screen , even the end result is known it's mysterious and thrill ride , with keeping close to reality , reality is weirder than fiction.

The incompetent beauracracy , the way the aftermath is handled. The loss of life and cost of lies ,it make you think about the nitty gritty of things we take for granted.

Steller acting by everyone from major to minor roles , whether it's Jared Harris as lead scientist or the sexy ass miners , this is one to watch.

US : Jordan Peele second venture and boy it doenst deliver , the acting is good and the first 40 minutes goes it's interesting but as more plot is revealed its continue to nose dive, with a such low effort ending.

A promising concept goes haywire , still a one time watch.

High life : A experimental film where a man tried to survive with his infant daughter in space ,with lot of backstory that is sexual physical and weird visuals , a treat for me but not for casual watchers who wanna watch a linear story with some good classic storyline.its okay though nothing special , Pattinson was good like all his other works in recent times.

Good omen : haven't finished completely yet , but it's really good .

David tenant as demon and Michael sheen as angel are amazing to watch and keep you glued to the screen.

Kala and Petta : entertaing movie with rajnikanth.

Usual tropes , he is massive screen presence ,no other actor come close to it neither sallu , Aamir etc

Fun watch.

Soty 2 : lukkha tiger can't act , jumping gymnastic karta rahega zindagi bhar , olympic main jaa bhai yahan kya faltu time pass kar raha hai.

Tatti film.

Evil genius : Good documentry crime.

I think its biased like any other documentry to take a position that pizza bomber was innocent , which just don't line up with evidence.

Paradise Lost : another good documentry , about west Memphis killers but again a lil biased that it don't show evidence against West Memphis killers coz even they had some evidence which were against them

Killer ratings : Good subject of brazilian reporter who did crime for trp , but they made it very boring , avoid it.

The jinx : It's really good, but it's a bit eerie and weird. It also doesn't reach many conclusions that tell you something about the legal system or the world. He basically got away because they couldn't find any evidence.

I want to eat your pancreas : a beautiful anime (also a live action) movie , a dying girl meet a boring boy and they change the live of each other , such films doenst have much to offer on basic storyline , it's the screenplay and execution that conveys the theme , romantic charming and a real tear jerker.

Booksmart : Olivia cockburn debut direction , about female friends who before graduation are going to do things they didn't do.

Coming of age movie with female buddy relationship ,with nice hint of drama mixed with comedy , definitely recommended.

My Neighbor Totoro

This almost plotless film is so full of good warm feelings, it's hard to describe - it is emotionally rich. Such simplicity yet so profound. Full of child-like wonder and yet so realistic. Felt nostalgic. Watching this film is like being close to the child-like innocence and wonder that is lost... God bless Studio Ghibli.. 😭❤️ ..didn't want the film to end.. Loved the parents in the film, who let children dream and do not taint their innocence with worldly concerns and insulate them from negativity - as much as they can.. but how long can children be shielded?

The Panic in the Needle Park (1971)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBD-GktN8s0

One of my most favorite fictional couples - Bobby and Helen. A junkie couple who love each other although they are perhaps better off away from each other.

A very underrated film, gives a very realistic depiction of drugs, addiction, poverty, thievery, impact on relationships, drug-deals, prostitution, police, betrayal, love and all that that goes down the spiral...

Everything in the film is toned down, underplayed, implied - there's a certain slowness which didn't feel boring - quite the contrary.. I love the space between Bobby and Helen, I could watch them forever - they're so calm, loving, warm and cuddly when they're on good terms.. never seen a couple that are so calm, charming and lovely. It produces all the emotions in right proportions..

Kitty Winn is so beautiful.

Awara (1951)

RAJ KAPOOR. ❤️❤️❤️

Wow.

The film is catapulted to another level the minute the scene fades on Shashi Kapoor's face laughing to Raj Kapoor laughing... damn, his acting performance! .. ⭐️ ufff, I replayed the fade on Shashi Kapoor to the zoom on his footsteps and then the entire Awara Hoon song many times.. was highest point in the film. 👏

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VY1pWTek2sY

I have never seen Raj Kapoor films before, but truly, realize what I've been missing out... Legendary he is, indeed.. I just wanted him on-screen the entire time. ❤️ His acting has great ranges, can be so nuanced and I can't describe well but the power and range of his acting gave a lot of dimensions to his character - making the character very human, likable, charming.

Nargis is a great actress too.. beautifully expressive.. and her chemistry with Raj is lovely.. 😃

Prithviraj Kapoor is ofcourse... baap of Raj, loved watching him, such a great actor.. the minute he walks in - you see a Judge.

A film that has flavors of Shakespearan dramas but presents it's societal concerns without being sidelined by romance or unnecessary drama, also putting forth good amount of philosophical wanderings through the character - Raj.

This film has it's own shortcomings but lets not go into that, for there are great many things to savor. Thoroughly enjoyed the film, the acting performances by all, the direction, the cinematography in some scenes, the music, the cultural diversity in it's supporting actors (extras) in some scenes, the drama, the ending... loved the ending.

Also, couldn't help but see Karishma, Kareena and Ranbir in Raj Kapoor's face 😃❤️

Bazaar (1982)

Another social film, surrounding the issue of young poor Muslim girls being 'sold off' to rich people (especially from the Arab nations), which happens to this day in Hyderabad.

Set in Hyderabad, felt great to hear bits and pieces of Hyderabadi slang :)

Nothing much to write, good sad story.. nicely directed and put together. Great performances by all - Smita Patil, Naseeruddin Shah, Farooq Sheikh, Supriya Pathak. BEAUTIFUL music. Nice and realistic settings and beautiful cinematography in some scenes.. Poetic dialogues or conversations here and there.. acha laga.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meif1oIfJ5o

I watched Booksmart (2019) too :p

Directorial debut by Olivia Wilde...not bad, infact quite fresh in a few aspects :)

Set in the final days of senior year of HS, surround two bestfriends who, on the eve of their graduation day resolve to make most of it - to compensate for having made sacrifices all their school life devoted to academics.

It is enjoyable. Good time-pass film, but with it's own short-comings that I won't go into.. it is enjoyable for sure even if you it may be OTT at times :-)

I loved a few things like... the underwater scene, the fight between bestfriends that gets muted - you don't have to know specifics because it is already sad they're both fighting at a very painful moment in the film, the realism in physical encounter between the girls, the final scene. There seem to be stereotypes in the beginning but as the story proceeds you know that this film shows that HS stereotypes aren't real..

Giant Little Ones (2018)

Coming of age drama.. it has depth... Loved it. Highly recommended.