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Reviews
Stree 2: Sarkate Ka Aatank (2024)
Movie tries too hard to be funny and scary at the same time. Ends up doing neither.
The whole movie felt like one massive episode of a comedy show with the horror plot being completely sidelined to make room for quirky and cringy one-liner jokes. When will the script writers start to mature as human beings? Apart from some tacky jump-scares, the movie is never really able to instil a sense of fear in the viewer. Even though the animation of the demon is well done, the sound effects were nauseating as the demon would simply keep shouting for no damn reason. I get he's the demon, why are you blasting my eardrums every time he's on screen? Moviemakers in this genre should look up to Bhool Bhulaiya-1 (BB) and its source material as the gold standard, BB was a perfect mix of scary and hilarious with the directors being well aware that a serious scene with Vidya Balan should be 100% intense with no idiot allowed to make a stupid joke. On the other hand with Stree-2, we firsthand witness a girl being viciously kidnapped by a literal demon, such a scene should spark terror in the hearts of the villagers, instead the very capable makers of Stree-2 show a very distasteful quarrel between the men of the village as the argue over their claim to being the kidnapped girl's love interest. This was one of multiple scenes in the movie which were absolutely repulsive and in bad taste. Our mainstream cinema industry has a long way to go.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024)
An excellent origin story ruined by cheap gags
Hollywood's obsession with forcing comedy in an otherwise serious movie is absolutely embarrassing. The marvel-fication of movies is ruining the industry. I cannot emphasise on the severity of the cringe i experienced every time i saw Chris Hemsworth on screen. For god's sake, your movie is set in a post apocalyptic wasteland, people are barely living to survive and then you introduce a comic relief character in the form of a sorry excuse of a villain. I went in hoping to be blown away by the action and pompous war rig fight scenes however my disappointment has been immeasurable. The 2015 Mad Max movie was a far more realistic portrayal with multiple scenes that gave you chills, be it the fiery guitar or the OG storm chase, every scene was perfect. Sadly, this pre-quel is barely able to create a similar level of intensity. The ending sequence is one of the worst i have ever seen, the verbal jousting between Furiosa and Dementus felt like it was written for an audience full of 12 year olds. Very disappointed at the lost potential of this movie.
The Fall Guy (2024)
Medicore
The movie has a very bland storyline, it is extremely predictable and un-thrilling. The producers should have been honest in their intentions of making a Romance movie, the entire stunt guy concept felt unnecessary and frankly rather unrealistic. The fight scenes, as typical of todays hollywood movies; provide full plot armour to the protagonist. A simple stunt guy can take on 2-3 guys, but for him to take on a whole SWAT team and not get injured despite violently falling out of cars is a bit too much to take. Even Batman with his suit on doesn't shrug a 10ft+ fall so easily like Ryan Gosling does in the movie. I would go as far as saying it doesn't even qualify as a good time-pass movie because that's just how low effort it felt.
Beef (2023)
Great premise, excellent acting but has no reason to have more than 5 episodes
The show is very entertaining with a well written script and has very few dull moments. However I strongly felt that the show simply stopped making sense beyond episode 6. The beef between Amy and Danny initially felt genuine and somewhat justified but after a point it went way too far. At multiple instances in episodes 6-10 i felt the two will finally reconcile their differences after realising the damage they've done to each other. Instead the writers keep taking things one notch higher at which point it feels like lazy writing. Episode 10 was quite the stretch and the ending was somewhat disappointing. Nevertheless, it is a good show for casual viewing.
Ted (2024)
The worst show I've seen in a long time
I was one of the twitter users who was conned by the guerilla marketing deployed by the producers for this annoying show. On the exact day the show released, i saw multiple tweets on my timeline singing all praise about the show as if it was the second coming of god himself. Naturally, i was intrigued and decided to give it a try considering i had found the Ted movie to be a reasonably funny timepass flick. However, my disappointment on the very first episode itself was immeasurable. The show has no coherent storyline and uses cheap gags to extract a very bland sense of humour. Ted's sidekick is played by an absolute dork who's acting performance is mediocre to say the least. The characters lack depth and as a viewer it feels hard to relate to their actions which are absurd at multiple occasions. Family guy was true to itself in its humour and never attempted to be politically correct. This show on the other hand is walking a tightrope between crass humour and a social justice agenda, and unsurprisingly, it fails miserably at both. To conclude i'd say that this is the kind of show which you shouldn't waste your time seeing full episodes, rather just wait for some youtuber to make a 15 minute compilation of all the funny.
Gladiator (2000)
Absolute Cinematic Excellence
The movie is a masterclass in acting, casting, direction and writing. The performances by Russell Crowe and Joaquin Phoenix set the bar extremely high. There isn't a single dull moment throughout the movie's run-time, the plot is very well written with a proper backstory to define the protagonist's vengeful motives. Despite the long run time of the movie it never feels elongated and takes just the perfect amount of time to convey the story. The violent scenes in the movie are a scary reminder of the brutalism that used to exist in the not so recent past, the fights in the movie feel realistic although the protagonist is always shown to have a slight edge however it is thoroughly justified as we get to see his past as well. The movie more than deserves the five Oscars it received and its sequel coming in 2024 shall go against a very high bar in term of the audience's expectations.
Animal (2023)
Never before has a movie given me a physical headache
I will see the people who like this movie with a different lens from now onwards. This movie is a terribly executed attempt at experimental cinema. The director tries to incorporate so much in a single movie that eventually none of it makes any sense at all.
Like other reviewers mentioned, it is the sheer incoherence and inconsistency of the movie that threw me off absolutely. I can handle the unnecessary gore, the cringy sexual jokes and even the misogynistic undertone for once. But at some point the movie has to instill a sense of logic for the viewer to be able to relate with the protagonist's character. At one point, Ranbir Kapoor will go on a rant about how much he loves his family and the next moment he literally leaves them to go and live abroad? Is that how you express unconditional love?
The worst part is that even in the end, Ranbir does not admit he simply is a spoilt brat with a bloodlust, he is still adamant and claims he did it for his family. Truly absurd how a supposed director hasn't seen the greatest TV show of all time (Breaking Bad) which handles a similar scenario with absolute perfection and redeems the character.
The action sequences in the movie are bad even by Bollywood standards. I can watch movies like Singham and Dabangg anyday but watching this gun infested gore-orgy was a painful experience.
I sincerely urge the people who liked this movie to refine their tastes and seek mental help.
Sam Bahadur (2023)
Great acting, poor writing. Felt like a documentary.
The movie does well to portray the Field Marshal's life and everything he went through. The acting by Vicky Kaushal is top-notch, he perfectly embodies the character. However, the movie left me disappointed because it felt very shallow. It's as if the writers wanted so badly to cover everything that they ended up covering nothing. At no point does the movie feel intense or engaging at all. The 1971 war between India and Pakistan is a major moment in history and the Indian victory was largely because of Sam Manekshaw. For some reason such a crucial war sequence is completed within 7-8 minutes of screentime like it wasn't the character's most important contribution. Also, Indira Gandhi is portrayed as a feeble tiny woman in the movie with the representation nowhere close to the stature she had. Filmmakers in general need to stop chasing petty laughs and comedic reliefs. I want to be thrown at the edge of my seat when i pay for your movie, I don't want to hear low-effort jokes made by the protagonist's house help. Overall the movie is definitely worth a watch but its wasted potential is what frustrated me.
The Killer (2023)
Generic John Wick movie, okay for a casual viewing
The movie starts off intense however it quickly turns into something very basic and incredibly predictable. When you think of David Fincher, you're reminded of Fight Club and Gone Girl etc. But this movie was far from those levels. It was a rather basic assassin revenge flick with seemingly no twist and typical 100% plot armour for the protagonist. The fight scenes are actually decent with minimal shaky cam however there's only one or two action sequences. Michael Fassbender plays the role quite well, however the movie as a whole leaves you yearning for more. It felt like a TV series with 4-5 episodes which was compressed into a movie.
Sense8 (2015)
Fascinating premise, the execution could've been better
The show starts off very well and gradually builds up in intensity within the first few episodes. The entire premise of the show is very interesting and to a great extent is logically consistent. However, post the initial few episodes, the show starts slowing down and it almost feels like the writers are themselves confused which direction they should take the show towards. The main antagonist's motives are changed several times throughout the show and never felt realistic. In the second season, the show becomes very slow and starts to drag. What i disliked was the extremely blatant and incessant virtue signalling throughout the show along with the excessive sexualisation of the characters which felt avoidable. I skipped through a lot of speeches and sexually explicit scenes in the show and felt like I didn't miss anything relevant. The show does an excellent job of representing different cultures without feeling forced but the moral messaging could've been toned down a notch. Despite all this, I've rated the show as a 7/10 solely because the ending was fairly conclusive and tied up a lot of loose ends without feeling rushed.
Succession (2018)
Had to lower my rating because of the ending
The show is an absolute work of art, everything from the writers to the actors produce an extremely intense and top-notch television experience. However, i do have a big gripe with the ending, this happens when the producers feel the unnecessary urge to subvert expectations and do something out of the ordinary. Please, there's no need to do so. The Sopranos and Breaking Bad have done it perfectly in the past, there's no need for some big last minute twist at the end. Kendall as CEO was something i as a viewer always rooted for and unobjectively he was the most qualified to be CEO among the successors. It simply felt awful to not see the man getting redeemed after all he's been over the seasons. He's been nothing but kind to his siblings but he's always received contempt from the inexperienced Siobhan who is a terrible sister and doesn't even come close to deserving the CEO position.
Cocaine Bear (2023)
6/10- Lacks depth, could've been a lot better
The movie starts off with an intense scene and does well do set the tone for the rest of the plot. However, as the movie progresses, the characters start to feel a bit one-dimensional and take questionable/unrealistic steps while tackling with an hyperactive apex predator. At quite a few points in the movie, some of the characters have a clear shot on the bear and yet they refuse to shoot the murderous bear just to prolong the story. Personally for me, the attempted humour in the movie just didn't gel with the sheer amount of gory violence that is depicted and i feel it could've been balanced better. The execution felt marvel-esque where you immediately transition from seeing someone eaten alive by a bear to seeing someone make a lame joke. The concept was certainly intriguing but the execution could've been much better.
Shark Tank India (2021)
Steep fall from Season 1
The show has taken a sharp decline from the high standards it set for itself in Season 1. The current season feels like any other Indian soap with the concept of entrepreneurship being sidelined and emotional coercion of the viewer being exploited to drive viewership. The sharks barring Peyush Gupta sound like any other reality TV judges by pandering to the participants emotional distress and focusing more on cheap jokes rather than actual business and numbers. The moment a participant cracks a joke or speaks of some personal trauma, the judges completely sidetrack the investment decision and dwell on the drama which is the cheapest form of entertainment in my opinion. In the previous season, Ashneer Grover was an extremely rude shark and took things too far at times but i'd still prefer him any day over these faux investors (again barring Peyush). With Ashneer there was an actual discussion and genuine feedback provided to the participants, he was very blunt about why he did/did not invest which is helpful for both the participants and is great learning for the audience. Really hoping the sharks get shuffled next season and some genuine entrepreneurs are bought on the show.
Laal Singh Chaddha (2022)
Hilariously low quality and insensitive
The movie is supposed to be intense and is supposed to evoke emotions out of the viewer, it fails at the task terribly. The entire army training sequence is hilariously bad, shown for the POV of just 2 soldiers and 95% of their conversation is around undergarments. Who gave the green light for such embarrassing screenplays and dialogue? Are the actors not self aware at all?
The whole bit about rescuing the Pakistani army leader and him becoming CMO of Rupa left me and my friends in a bout of laughter.
Secondly, the movie quite literally depicts Kareena Kapoor as a gold digger up until the end. She constantly shoots down LSC's proposals 20 times but is quick to impregnate herself once LSC gains wealth.
The movie is extremely one dimensional and skips way too many plotlines. An autistic man becoming CEO of a million dollar organisation is a separate movie in itself and is depicted over 15 minutes like a joke.
I really hope Bollywood directors step out of their echo chambers and be open to receive genuine feedback.
Industry (2020)
Love the show, despise the protagonist
Industry is a hidden gem on HBO. As a finance professional I could resonate with the show's fairly accurate portrayal of workings at a large bank. The drama aspects of the show are well written and are close but exaggerated versions of characters at a typical bank in real life. The casting is well done and there are overall there are no dull moments in the show. However, my main issue with the show is with the protagonist Harper's portrayal, she seems to have no redeeming qualities whatsoever and is shown to be a jerk to pretty much everyone. I get that she's a minority and to reach that position would've been incredibly tough but that doesn't justify blatantly violating authority and acting independently, people get fired immediately for doing even 10% of what she's shown to do. The way she talks back is incredibly disrespectful and unrealistic. She's shown as some sort of godly character who never seems to go wrong despite taking the worst decisions possible at every step.
Nope (2022)
Fails to entertain
The movie had a lot going on from the start but none of that build up leads to a proper ending. They leave way too many unanswered questions. Why is the UFC (Unidentified Flying Creature) only above this remote town, for how long has it been there, where'd it come from and are there more like it? I could go on. While the acting is well done and the scenes are very well shot they fail to make up for the shallow storyline.
Better Call Saul: Saul Gone (2022)
Could've had a slightly better ending
Breaking Bad and the first 5.5 seasons of Better Call Saul are two of the most high quality tv series ever made. As a result, one holds the writers to a higher standard of expectations for the finale. The episode Saul Gone felt like a very uncharacteristic end for Jimmy McGill. This is the same guy who has been a conman his entire life and also the same guy who almost kills an elderly woman in the previous episode to keep his identity a secret. He now happens to suddenly condemn himself to 86 years of prison because an old lady says "I trusted you" ? The real Jimmy bought his sentence down to 7 years and would've taken the deal instead of some grand court confession just to get mommy Kim's approval. Serial criminals don't change overnight and confess to their crimes just because their girlfriends do so. Additionally i felt there was no need to bring in Bill Oakley and Marie into the episode at all, their presence did not affect the storyline. It is still a very conclusive ending however the whole bit about taking the moral high ground felt a bit forced and out of character for a person who has been shown to be a repeat offender.
The Batman (2022)
Ranks slightly lower than TDK trilogy, way better than Batfleck
Felt like a very complete movie, had a sense of realism to itself and the raw fight scenes were very well directed. Would prefer watching this Batman any-day over the excessive CGI and mary-sue style scenes you see in the MCU. The casting was apt and they all performed very well. The movie's soundtrack and general portrayal of Gotham was excellent.
Sooryavanshi (2021)
Insanely predictable and disappointing 3 hours of constant virtue signalling.
The movie has a very weak plot and relies entirely on cast strength to carry the movie. They do an appallingly poor job of managing emotions. This movie felt like it was written by a child with zero writing skills. At one point they'll be on an extremely impactful and distressing scene making you feel sad/enraged and in just the next scene the characters start throwing cheap jokes and gags as if they didn't just witness gory murder right in front of them seconds ago. The movie has no sense on how to transition from a sad scene to one with lighthearted comedy and often mixes the two which clearly shows how insensitive the writers are. Around 30-45 minutes of screen time is wasted on unnecessary sermons on religious peace and virtue signalling on how people of different religions should interact. The songs in the movie are absolutely unwarranted for, they appear out of nowhere and with zero conjunction to the plot. The soundtrack is extremely loud and out of sync with the scenes. The writers also do a terrible job with antagonist's backstory, the way they portray the wretched psychopaths makes you feel like the writers want you to sympathise with them. Don't even get me started on the endless plot-holes. Having liked the movie Singham a bit, I felt I could go and watch this movie for the pompous and exaggerated fight scenes, however I couldn't be more disappointed. This movie doesn't have a single decent action sequence, all scenes are gunfights with the main characters having 100x plot armour. Overall this is probably the worst movie I've ever watched and wouldn't recommend it to anyone with a functioning brain.
The Voyeurs (2021)
Watch only for Sydney
The story is decent. Doesn't exactly keep you on your toes but does a decent job at entertaining you. There's liberal use of sexually explicit scenes which is intended to carry the film when the plot gets slow. The climax is somewhat unexpected which is nice.
Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah (2008)
The show is a shadow of it's former self.
TMKOC is probably one of the best Indian sitcoms with minimal unnecessary drama. All the seasons uptil 2013 are worthy of a 10/10 rating. The show had an amazing mix of characters and would put them in comical everyday life situations to create maximum comedic value. Prior to 2013 the show would take up bold storylines and the writers would often pit two characters and their shenanigans against each other which would result in light hearted mischief and hilarious exchanges. Unfortunately, the show has been on a steady decline since 2013 as the characters have aged and the writers have run out of situations to weave a story around. The jokes are overused, no new characters introduced, multiple cast members being replaced. The thing i despise the most is the constant cameos by the show's producers as they run out of actual content. This used to be one of my favourite shows and my weekdays at 8:30 pm were always reserved for the new episode. However i strongly feel it is time to put an end to this series. The new episodes barely make me chuckle and are a disgrace to the world class episodes we used to get in the initial seasons.
Fargo (2014)
Seasons 1&2 are 9/10. No need to watch beyond that
The first 2 seasons are absolutely gripping and edge of the seat thrillers with amazing direction, top class acting and a well written plot. The third season however has a massive drop in quality. The entire plot sounds lame and the antagonists are no where as methodical and exquisite as seen in the first two seasons. The protagonists too are very bland and with little effort towards character development. The third season might look decent to few but in comparison to the first two it is absolutely terrible.
Searching (2018)
Loved the concept!
The movie is shown almost entirely through a digital pov of the devices used by the characters and it's quite well done. They've portrayed technology in an accurate manner which is appreciable. The plot twist towards the end was totally not what I expected.
Gi-eok-ui bam (2017)
The movie does well to keep you on the edge but could've been much better.
An intense gripping thriller no doubt. However the ending kinda ruined it for me. Crazy levels of effort is put in to get the killer to confess such as all the fake family, hiring actors etc. All of that just to kill himself in the end. Why?
Upgrade (2018)
Fantastic movie, way better than expected.
This movie is indeed like a good black mirror episode. Everything from the plot, action and effects is well done. The movie kept me hooked for the entire duration. This is a great example of how you do Sci-Fi Thrillers