Recently Seen Movies - 12 - Page 6

The Lion King : 3.6 Roentgen , not great not terrible.

Decent film, bland remake, animation movie was better , nothing to offer , good advancement of technology but don't lend to emotion and expressions , it is what it is , will be forgotten as soon as possible.

Big little lies : Good first season, terrible second season, the whole case doesn't make sense if you know even basic law , Meryl Streep was Decent , Nathan and Ed deserve better , Laura dern is terrific and Nicole -reese was good , don't really care about shaileny Woodley except that her face has gotten really large also Perry has no little in him.

MIB 4 : Ok if you exist , it is just boring and without any salt , Tessa was disastrous ,both role and acting , Hemsworth needed more , needed bro partnership like will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones had, this one just doesn't work.

Typewriter : Indian producer after foreign studios have found other producers like Netflix and Amazon to squeeze their money for bad productions.

I think kahani was a fluke and sujoy is ghosh is beyond Mediocre , very bad story structure , no horror and no scare , no feeling of dread , it's like watching YouTube c grade shows with more money and better acting , such stories are so boring.

Detective Pikachu : was cool and good time pass.

Hellboy : just should have made hellboy 3 with del toro and Ron perlman , what was this .

It's going through one scene to another , nothin bad about it , it's just like watching thing happened and then it's over , having no feeling about it later.

John wick 3 : breathtaking

Rocketman : biography done right , this is what bohemian Rhapsody should have been , better writing , acting ,editing and everything .

Even though know nothing about Elton John and his songs , it was nice story albeit cliche ,with good acting and nice beats to it , time goes by.

Attack on Titan season 3 : was great , after somewhat good season 2, this one really picks up and season 3 part 2 just all Good fun with great payoff , Levi is cool .

One punch man season 2 : was Decent.

Problem was lack of Saitama , to move story forward , hopefully we see more of genos ,Saitama and king in the next season whenever that is.

Dumbo : was dumb , classic Disney story with pathetic child acting and whTevr that was , better watch animation one.

In general I say better watch anime.

Mommy Eva green was a hoot though.

SUPER 30 - Movie Review

*****THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS*****

Super 30 is the story of Bihar's famed mathematician Anand Kumar and his famous coaching program Super 30 where every year he picks 30 under privileged students and gets them prepared for the IIT exams.

The films narrates the story of Anand Kumar (Hrithik Roshan) who hails from a poor family. He lives with his father who is a postman, mother and younger brother. He has love interest Ritu (Mrunal Thakur) who is from a rich family. Anand, although brilliant in Mathematics finds it tough to get access to desired foreign Math journals on which he loves to solve the puzzles. He takes trouble to go to a city college library to get the access of the magazine every now and then till he is finally caught by the librarian. The librarian abuses Anand in front of other students in the library and kicks him out. Later Anand cracks a very difficult formula and sent it to the magazine which in turn gets his name printed in the magazine as the solver of the formula. As a continuation of events he gets an invitation from Cambridge university to come and join for studies. Anand and his family are over the moon with the opportunity and immediately starts looking for the money which will enable Anand to go. Anand and his father goes to see the local education minister Devraj Jagan (Pankaj Tripathi) who had earlier promised to help him for higher studies during a prize distribution ceremony. The minister acts as if he never said anything like that and makes fun of Anand and his father.

Heartbroken, Anand's father tries many ways to arrange the money but fails and this results him having a heart attack during dinner. Anand and his brother tries to rush him to the hospital in their cycle but he dies midway as the brothers are left hapless with the chain of the cycle breaking amidst torrential rain.

Under the circumstances Anand has no other choice than to take care of the family and he starts selling pappads. One day he meets Lallan Singh (Aditya Srivastava) the CEO of Excellence coaching institute. Lallan persuades Anand to join his institute and pays him handsomely. Lallan advertises across Patna about Anand joining his institute as teacher and this results in a big surge in applicants. Lallan only admits rich kids and does not bother to care for poor. Anand also starts enjoying his new life as the family also is in a better financial position. Even the father of the girl he loves starts accepting their relationship.

What takes Anand back to the poor kids, the inception of his Super 30 program, the threats he receives and the numerous hurdles he faces to achieve his ambition forms the remainder of the film.

Hrithik Roshan scores big as Anand Kumar. He has left behind almost all his major USPs (dance, physique, action, good looks) to get into this character and the efforts taken by him is there to see. Pankaj Tripathi although in a short role shines whenever he appears. Aditya Srivastava is apt as Lallan Singh is good as is Virendra Saxena as Anand's father and Nandish Singh as his brother. Mrunal Thakur has nothing much to do in a short role. The kids deserves a special mention as they were very natural.

Songs are mostly based on situations and are good. BGM is apt for the movie. The duration of the movie could have trimmed by 10-15 minutes I felt

Overall a very good attempt with enough emotional connect and a good message.

My rating:- 3.15 / 5

Castle season 1-3

this serial is addictive. I left after 2nd season but just this week I started again. It's same still different.

I mean for time pass when u are not very interested to invest in a long winding story, then it is good.

Kalank.. 😆

Such a weird thing but I liked movie in parts. And other time it was extremely boring.

Story was cliche and been there done that. It would have worked in 2002-2003 but now everybody finds this mohabbat shiz so overrated.

Varun's bull fight was the dumbest. And ARK - Varun's item dance with Kriti was another dumb part. Could have easily reduced 30-40 mins if they hadn't included these 2. Also, so much unnecessary big sets and money wasted. Simple hi rakhte toh kya farak padna tha. Not like it was some Raja - maharaja time. Stupid people.

Mind boggling was the end.. so hilarious. All that heavy mohabbat, kalank dialogues. I was ROFLing by then.🤣

Anyway, little better treatment and differently packaged, movie would have been enjoyable. Was expecting to kill myself by the end, didn't happen so can say.. it was an ok movie. 😆

Cricket Fever: Mumbai Indians

I was pleasantly surprised that Netflix decided to produce a cricket documentary. I was also excited that it is based on my home team at IPL.

It follows MI through the 2018 season. You know what happens. Yet the documentary manages to capture a sense of suspense and excitement. It is nice to go behind the scenes and see what players and coaches are thinking. Over all the documentary is well edited and approaches the season from various vantage points.

As a Mumbai Indians fan I've grown to love Nita Ambani and her jaap mantra at our games. This documentary makes me enjoy her even more. There is a wide-eyed earnestness to her approach. And while Aakash Ambani has taken over the reins with his more clinical approach, IMO Nita rules the dressing room with her genuine affection towards the team. If it were up to me I'd appoint Nita Ambani as the official mascot, pep girl, and evil-eye warder of the Indian cricket team.

It also showcases the strengths and weaknesses of Rohit Sharma as a captain. He's not tactically solid. Some of his onfield decisions are questionable. But when it comes to teambuilding he has no walls around him, he's affable and affective.

This is a nice documentary that captures the chaos and thrill of IPL. Irrespective of whether you know cricket, I think sports enthusiasts will enjoy this slice of cricket. I wonder if this will be like Hard Knocks and follow a new team each season.

The Boys .. season 1

Watched it out of sheer boredom ended up loving it and binged watched.

It is about complexities and manipulation of being a super hero.

Season 2 needs to come fast 😭

Orange is the Black S7

Prelude

It was the summer of 2014. I had broken my wrist. Unable to drive and far from public transit, I was confined to my apartment. It had been over a year since graduating from MBA and that "better" job was still out of sight. My roommate had to go away for training at work. So I was stuck home alone wallowing in self-pity and misery. Of course, friends and family visited when they had time. But for the most part of the day it was just me and my thoughts.

I had heard about Orange is the New Black. The second season was just out. I decided to watch the series. It was the first show I binged. I sat there on the couch in a stupor induced by pain medication and alcohol watching episode after episode. Binging the show was a transformative experience. I went from self-pity to gratitude for everything going right in my life. From looking down at women in prison as scary convicts whom I would never want to meet to me realizing that it was just the razor-thin line of good fortune is the only thing that separates me from them. I have an emotional attachment to the show.

The review begins here. There may be spoilers.

Keeping relevant with times, this season takes us into ICE detention centers and gives us a taste of what it is to be a migrant. It manages to be heartbreakingly raw and gut-wrenching in a very poignant way. There is a little ray of sunshine, but mostly darkness and despair. It is a pill so bitter that even Ice Queen Fig struggles to swallow it.

There is also a wonderfully written me too saga that keeps it real. As you know Caputo once had a crush on CO Fisher and attempts to woo her. Eventually, he fires her. Although there were mitigating circumstances for the dismissal Caputo had invariably created a toxic work environment. We also do know that he is a slimeball who likes to jerk off fantasizing about prisoners. Fisher finally names and shames Caputo. But the Caputo we know is also a crusader for justice and the only one really fighting for Taystee. He's genuinely passionate about justice reform. And after being indignant and defensive, he comes to terms with his crime and experience remorse. He does not get a free pass because he is doing good. Nor is his good work moot because he is guilty of sexual harassment.

Taystee has the most tragic story arc. She was released but ended back in prison because ex-convicts have no support system. She loses her best friend Poussey. She is unable to get justice for Poussey. Worst, she is convicted for life for a murder she did not commit. Look the Poussey arc was poorly handled. But what the show nails time and again is how broken and flawed our justice system is. Throughout the season Taystee struggles with suicidal thoughts as life loses its meaning when you are confined behind walls for eternity.

I know many people hate Piper, but I still find myself vested in her. The show begins and ends with her. It is ultimately her lens that introduced us to this world. She and Alex have the most infuriating relationship. They end up putting each other in prison, they cheat on each other, they sometimes bring the worst out in each other - yet there is undeniable chemistry and genuine passion there. They got prison married at the end of last season, but Alex still has three years in prison. Piper struggles without intimacy. Her attempts at an open relationship with Alex's blessing also fail. But she cannot help falling for Zelda a woman who once again shows her the life she used to love. Meanwhile, Alex too breaks and ends up in an awkward relationship with McCullough. Piper and Alex are not a love story. You are vested in their story and root for them, but there is that awareness that this is a flawed and unhealthy relationship. You may want passion and chemistry like Alex and Piper, but you don't want a love story like theirs. And that is why they don't get a happy ending. They end up at an ambiguous crossroad that can go either way in the next three years.

Life has come full circle for Nicky Nichols. Piscatella's torture and the SHU has broken Red. Suffering from dementia she is a pale version of the woman she used to be. Lorna has never been able to digest the bitter truth. It puts her in a dissociative state where she builds a life of lies and fantasy. The loss of her child permanently breaks her. So Nicky finds herself becoming prison mom and helping junkies just the way Red looked after her.

Suzanne is slowly coming to terms with the tragedy that is constantly around her. Black Cindy has to face the truth about her past and pcikup the pieces of her life. Gloria and Maria have a tentative reconciliation as they learn the intricacies and meaning of forgiveness. Aleida and Daya continue to be at each other's throats - literally. Pennsatucky, the nasty villain of the first season has come a long way in being a better person, she has overcome Appalachian poverty, the trauma of Coates, but prison does not have room for happy endings - and her narrative concludes tragically. She believes she has failed her GED, but in reality, our systems have collectively failed her. But there is that sliver of hope for those who took the GED with her.

I'm probably still missing many of the arcs. Watch the show. This is a fitting finale.

TLDR

S7 is a fitting conclusion to this revolutionary series. After the downturn of some of the past seasons, it finally ends on a high note with some really strong episodes and narratives. With sharp incisive writing and some stellar performances by the ensemble cast, the season finally concludes its journey. Keeping in tune with the show the finale is full of heartbreaking moments that show us everything that is wrong with our systems. But there is just that small sliver of hope and a sprinkle of status quo kept in. A definite must watch, even if you quit after Poussey's death or the riot season.

Side Note

Along with House of Cards, Orange is the New Black redefined television. It was the second Netflix Original and spawned an entire genre of original streaming content and ushered in the era of binge-watching. It went beyond that though. It broke every convention and norm of television. Not only was this show an ensemble cast comprised almost entirely of women, it represented a whole spectrum of women - queer women, straight women, white women, women of color, privileged women, poor women, immigrant women, and even a transwoman. Pose, Handmaids Tale, Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Big Little Lies - these narratives all have Orange is the New Black to thank for opening the door.

Donate

Our justice system is failing people. Poverty forces people into crime and prison traps them into an endless cycle. Even a privileged Piper cannot make ends meet after prison. Most ex-convicts don't have family or support systems. They deserve to have a fair shot at life. A little bit goes a long way.

https://www.crowdrise.com/o/en/campaign/pwf

Part Time Spy

(Korean) / Action-Comedy

I was looking for a decent one time watch movie for passing my time on a train journey and chanced upon this on YouTube. I wasn't expecting a great movie but I don't regret watching this one. It's a warm and endearing movie with 2 good actresses in the lead. I didn't feel bored for even a second. It's primarily a story about this girl who is an undercover to bust a voice phishing racket. Some of the comic moments are well executed and so are the action sequences. The good thing is it's not a predictable movie and you do get surprised at the twists and turns. However, some of the characters are underdeveloped and it wouldn't have harmed if their backstories were revealed to the viewers. A lot of questions remained unanswered. Overall acting, direction and cinematography is good. The supporting characters have done an excellent job. Sometimes, it also focused on the hardships of people who are made to do petty jobs to earn bread for their family. But that's not something the movie delves into. It could have as that would have given this otherwise plain movie a lot of extra weightage.

Overall, I didn't have a lot of expectations but m happy with what i saw. Could have been better. A decent one time watch for people interested in comedy. :)

3*/5

Judgementall hai kya

This film was actually to be titled 'Mental hai kya ' ( Are you mental ) ,but the word mental was thought to be derogatory towards those with mental problems . So mental became judgemental .

Bobby ( Kangana Ranaut ) has had a traumatic childhood which left her with acute psychosis . Into this life comes Keshav ( Rajkumar Rao ) as her tenant and Bobby develops physical attraction for him . But with him also comes his hot wife Reema ( Amyra Dastur ) and Kangana is soon spying on the couple . She discovers that Keshav has habits which he has hidden from his wife , and soon an incident occurs which convinces her that Keshav is going to kill Reema . One day Reema really gets killed and Bobby rushes to the police convinced he killed his wife . But Keshav has another take on this . He says that Bobby was obsessed with him and killed Reema because voices in her head told her to kill Reema . That she herself does not know what she did due to her psychosis . However the police shut the case as accidental death .

Later Keshav comes into Bobby's life again and he has another wife---played by Amrita Puri , the daughter of HDFC bank CEO Aditya Puri . Again a cat and mouse game develops between Keshav and Bobby , with Bobby trying to convince the wife that Keshav is going to kill her also and Keshav countering that it is Bobby who is a threat to his wife's life . So who is the murderer ? Watch the movie for the answer .

Bobby's profession is that of a dubbing artiste , and she has the hobby of getting herself photographed by a professional photographer who takes photos of models . The first half of the movie has some quirky situations with Bobby having a boyfriend whom she uses for doing her daily chores but never gives him what every man needs---sex what else . But in the second half the identity of the murderer becomes clear before it is actually revealed . So the fun is somewhat spoiled . Kangana acts well and so does Rajkumar Rao . The movie is full of different colours and is decently photographed . Music and songs are not so great however .

Verdict---Okay .

Two and a half stars out of five .

Veronica Mars S1

Remakes, reboots, and revivals are in. A popular revival from recent times is Veronica Mars.

Like many people, I know Kristen Bell as Eleanor Shellstrop from "The Good Place." But the project that has had everyone talking about her in the past few weeks is the "Veronica Mars" revival. Kristen Bell plays the titular character.

Veronica Mars was a teenage noir show that ran three seasons from 2004 to 2007. It was part Nancy Drew and part Riverdale. High school student Veronica Mars is the daughter of a Private Detective Keith Mars. She assists him with his work. This makes her a sharp detective and she often solves mysteries for her classmates at school.

The first season follows the mystery of the week format and also has an overarching longer mystery. The stage of the longer mystery is set through a series of flashbacks throughout the series. A year ago Veronica's best friend Lily Kane was killed. Her father then sheriff of town suspected Lily's father Jake Kane because his alibi didn't hold up. Despite having a killer confess, Keith Mars hounds Jake Kane leading to him losing the job. As a fallout, Veronica loses all her friends as well.

Veronica used to date Lily's brother Duncan Kane. But Duncan broke up with her shortly before Lily's death. Another mystery is why Duncan suddenly broke up with Veronica. And the last overarching mystery is the disappearance of Veronica's mother after the murder.

Overall Veronica Mars is a fantastic show. The writing is tight and sharp. There is a wonderful balance between the current mystery of the week and the overarching murder mystery. The reveals and twist are thrilling and suck you in more and more. I love how the show balances high school drama with great mystery writing. It is darker grittier than Nancy Drew but more grounded and realistic than Riverdale.

I don't know why I wasn't into the show in 2004. The show is surprisingly ahead of its times with very honest portrayals of slut-shaming, date rape, sexual assault, and trauma. It also explores class disparity and how teenagers deal with death, marital strife, and divorce amidst their parents.

Kristen Bell is a fantastic performer. Also Jason Dohring who plays Chase Graves in iZombie is also in it as rich a$$hole Logan Echols.