Recently Seen Movies - 12 - Page 105

Major

A good movie. Execution could have been a teensy but better. Adivi Sesh does an excellent job at getting into the skin of Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan, and performs gracefully. The flashbacks are heartwrenching and simultaneously heart-warming. The story over all is beautifully written. The movie does get a bit long.. They could have removed 20 minutes of the film to make it more crisp and to-the-point. Still, it does its job extremely well i.e., it brings forth the life and the unsaid aspects of the Major's life.

RRR

I've seen this movie twice so far, and each time it keeps getting better and better. Both NTR Jr and Ram Charan are magnificent in this film. Very, very rarely do we see a story with more than two characters/actors and both of them being justified, their talents used to the full potential. Music of the movie is hauntingly beautiful. Doesn't leave you once you've finished watching the film.

SS Rajamouli sir is certainly the master of his craft. Wow. What a storytelling!

A character that grew on me, albeit slowly, was that of Ram. The first time I disliked him at places. The second time, his motivation, his aspirations made more sense; and, as an audience, rendered me more empathetic towards him. Not to forget the last 30 minutes were something else altogether, like being transported into an alternate universe. The entire semblance of the post-apocalyptic feel, along with vivid colours, music.. Oh, boy! Ram Charan was definitely at his absolute best there. After Arun Govil, an actor who resembled Shri Ram is Ram Charan himself. Would love to see him as Shri Ram sometime soon in some movie.

The last time a movie did this to me, had me thinking about it weeks... months after I'd finished watching it was Interstellar.

Take a bow, Rajamouli sir. Your choice of the actors in the movie was flawless. Music was terrific. Writing was brilliant. It's a shining star, the crown jewel of Indian cinema.

Uncharted

There was a lot of debate if Tom Holland would be suitable for Nathan Drake. Drake, the protagonist of a popular video game series is an Indiana Jonesesque treasure hunter. He's rugged and tough, yet a bit bumbling and unsure. He's quick-witted, snarky, and a bit of an asshole but still charming and lovable. Most of the video game franchise fans love the idea of Nathan Fillian as Nathan Drake. They even funded a fan film with him as the lead. So Tom Holland had an uphill battle.

In all honesty, Tom does appear too boyish and young for Nathan Drake. But he gives his all and brings Nathan Drake to life. In fact, Tom Holland is one of the delightful parts of the movie with his charm and demeanor. In fact, the entire cast Mark Wahlberg as Victor Sullivan, Antonio Banderas as Santiago Moncada and others are earnest in their roles.

What lets Uncharted down is the writing. The entire treasure hunt is tepid and doesn't draw you in. It's quite dull really. It lacks the tight script, character development, narrative finesse, and quirky humor like the Indiana Jones or Nation Treasure films. Raiders of the Lost Arc is a beloved classic even though logically Indie is irrelevant. The film lacks a master craftsman like Spielberg at the helm to get audiences excited.

Perhaps it's the video game movie curse that prevents video game films from succeeding. Despite Uncharted being a dull film, I do hope they make a sequel and hopefully get it right. Tom Holland deserves to shine beyond the MCU.

Laal Singh Chadha: A simple sweet movie.

Flopped due to combination of boycott gang and having zero mass appeal.

The Adam Project

It's a fun sci-fi film about time travel. There is plenty of entertainment and action. But it does lack the charm and soul of movies like Back to the Future. The online promotions made me expect a lot more parent-child bonding but it was more sci-fi than that.

Donnie Brasco (rewatch)

An old classic starring Depp and Al Pacino. The blurring of the good-bad worlds of Donnie Brasco as he delves deep into the mafia is captured so brilliantly here. Its crazy that this is based on a true story

Superlative performances from both the leads

Shamshera

Could not get past 30 minutes. Will try once more, but its really really boring

Karnan

Karnan is a movie about righteous rage. The titular character is always simmering and seething with anger, ready to explode. At times his violent temper may seem over the top or out of the line. But the movie paints the narrative of the world around him that has driven him to this rage.

Podiyankulam is home to farmers and laborers of pressed castes. They are constantly at the mercy of the upper caste villages around them. They don't have a bus stop or other amenities so that they can uplift themselves. We see multiple instances of their women being harassed or left to die. Karnan would rather fight than live under oppression. The movie tracks how Karnan's anger brings about a resistance movement with cataclysmic consequences.

The opening sequence of the movie delivers a sucker punch and then the title song rouses curiosity and inspiration. I enjoyed the Mahabharata references and the animals used as metaphors. The omnipresent Goddess is simultaneously unnerving and inspiring. And Uttradheenga Yeppov is such a surprising bop.

Karnan takes a long time to build the tension and unfold the events. Be patient and give it time. Once events start unfolding it grips you in.

A League of Their Own (1992 movie)

This was one of my favorite movies as a teen. After watching the series, the movie hits differently. You see all the risks that it didn't take. You see all the stories that could have been but would have been too controversial. Despite that, the movie still stands the test of time. And when it concludes in the baseball hall of fame, you cannot help but bawl your eyes out.

And I got to agree with the Nerdist. Marla Hooch is the MVP. Although used as a comic punch line she really stands out.

Prey

I was a big Arnie fan in the 80s. Predator was one of my favorites along with Commando and Conan. There was always something so visceral and exciting about watching Predator. It was peak Arnold, pure adrenaline-pumping action. Sadly, the following movies in the series have been tepid.

Not Prey! Prey is a worthy successor in the Predator franchise. The setting and the hero are both unexpected and unlikely in a sci-fi action series, but boy does it deliver on the action and thrills.

Prey is set in 1719. Instead of US Green Berets in Central America, we have a Comanche tribe in the Great Plains. And the protagonist is Naru a young Comanche woman who aspires to be a great hunter like her brother. While Naru is sharp, observant, a great tracker, and a healer, she is not a hunter. She is too fearful and uncertain of herself.

But when the Predator arrives, Naru is the only one who senses that something is wrong. She may not be a hunter, but she has to muster all her skills to ensure the survival of her tribe. Throw in wild animals and French trappers in the mix and you have a thrilling action roller coaster.

Honestly, Prey had me hooked like no movie has in a while. Usually, I always check my phone or multitask in the kitchen while watching movies at home. I was actually cleaning the kitchen when I put this on, but it hooked me so good that I simply sat on the couch gaping at the screen till the movie concluded.

Saw Vikram Vedha on Prime after reading about it here and a very satisfying movie to watch- slick and sophisticated the way they incorporated the whole Vikram and Betaal theme.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWg-iYV4ojQ&ab_channel=DisneyPlusHotstar

Checked this out recently on Hotstar and it was a knockout. Think of Khosla Ka Ghosla but set in 2022.

Ms Marvel

Boring. Couldn't get past the 4th episode. In an attempt to market to the desi audience, Marvel made a hodgepodge of the show. The Indian subcontinent has distinct countries with their own culture how similar they might seem. This was a piss poor attempt by Marvel to capture any of it. Don't think even the desi community abroad felt represented by this garbage. Moreover, this is a snoozefest. Couldn't get a better storyline? They messed with the original comic to relate better with desi audience. Representation doesn't mean inserting as many references as possible making it unbearable to watch. The whole partition storyline with how she gains powers is laughable. Hard pass.