Metro... In Dino

Not my kinda movie. Movie-making is similar to Life In Metro, obviously since it is the same director. Those folks singing songs at unlikely places while the tale is being narrated, the setting magically changing into a musical, etc. all bear similar resemblances. It is different style of movie-making and very creative indeed. But coming to the story - practically everyone in the story is cheating with someone else because they are fed up of that person! The grandmother runs away from husband and starts staying with her college boyfriend (although intention is to help him ruin his relationship with his daughter-in-law - Yes, see it to believe it!), the first daughter catches her husband cheating and makes him naked and as a revenge, she herself starts going out with someone in Goa, the second daughter is not sure whom to get married and ends up telling a guy that she loves him but doesn't want to marry him, the grand daughter is not sure if she is homo or hetero, so she goes around kissing to check if she gets butterflies in her stomach....oof, whoever thought of such a tale, hats off! As if life is not complicated already..!

Rating: Average

Language: Hindi

Su from So

 A touchy topic handled very well. Beautiful film-making. Starts off very loose with too much drinking and chit-chat and characterless acts, but then slowly, bit by bit things fall into place turning the plot into a serious drama. And yet, the narration is kept witty, sprinkled with humor throughout. A Kannada movie that resembled a Malayalam movie, with lush greenery and a small village setting mixed with local beliefs. 

Rating: Good

Language: Kannada

Gangs of Wasseypur - Part 2

Well, I was done for the day after seeing Part 1. But then I saw that Part 2 of the movie also was leaving Netflix on the same day! I had no choice but to continue seeing since there were many question marks after watching Part 1. So, with weary eyes, I continued. Part 2 seemed very slow at parts, and the editing could have been better. Some of the scenes lacked the same tenseness as it looked like the director wanted to make it light-hearted at times. And the slow-motion scenes were totally not needed plus the last scene where the 'hero' takes multiple revolvers/rifles/guns to kill the already-dead perpetrator. I guess at least about 15-20 minutes, the movie could have been shortened. But the casting director has done a fantastic job. Each actor suits the role he/she has been chosen for. The dialog is good but subtitles in English are too crude than what is actually spoken. The background score and music is good. Everyone has acted well, and the director has done a good job in ensuring people have their bit well.

Rating: Good

Language: Hindi

Gangs of Wasseypur - Part 1

Since it rose to fame in the early 2000s, I had an inkling to see this movie but had heard about the extreme violence portrayed in it. Hence, had kept postponing and never prioritised. On Aug 3rd 2025, the movie was leaving Netflix, so I thought I might as well see it. Needless to say, the movie started off with bang-bang and kept on the same veins all through. As the narrator himself says in the beginning, it is a movie of rotten bastards. The movie is unlike anything that I had seen especially because it spans for over 6 decades. It goes on and on from father to son to son to son to son...etc. with no end. I will not be surprised if there will be a Part 3. In fact, it seems the entire movie lasted for almost 5.5 hours and that is the only reason it was broken down into 2 parts unlike other movies where sequel follows after first part is released. Maybe if it was released now, it'd be released on OTT platforms with seasons and episodes instead of a 2-part movie. But the movie is very much similar to many mafia movies I have seen like The Godfather, Satya, and pretty much the same dark, shady, crime, everyone killing everyone else. 

Rating: Good

Language: Hindi

Dhak Dhak

Saw this movie only because Netflix said it is based on true story but realized only in the end that this is a mistake by Netflix, since the entire movie is fictional. Casting is good but direction and acting is average. Some very 'loose' narration at certain points of the movie. Doesn't bore but somewhere somehow a 'punch' is lacking. Watchable once, the tale is slightly interesting. Good thing is there are bits and pieces here and there which is captivating like the lonely soldier making artwork, a widow of 29 years with just 1 year of marriage, the mountain road laborers tired of being away from families, etc..

Rating: Average

Language: Hindi

Aap Jaisa Koi

Very slow movie. It starts off 'dirty' for first few minutes, then it becomes better and better until the turning point, after which it goes downward and downward until last 2 minutes of the movie when something is salvaged, and it can be easily guessed anyways. The script is not that great to make it a wow ending either. Easily "dismissable" movie.

Rating: Average

Language: Hindi

Just go with it

A very average movie. Dialog filled with lot of double meanings which translates to 'comedy' for many film-makers. So, disgusting at times but ok-dokey at other times. Some of the dialog is witty and good timing. Dialog delivery is great by Adam and Jennifer. Although it is set in Hawaii, not much of the island is shown. 

Rating: Average

Yes Day

Nice fun movie to watch on a lazy Sunday. Very true in many aspects of parenting. It is one wild, wild day and a touching mother-daughter tale for probably most. Good storyline, great narration and witty dialog. Be ready for many OMGs!

Rating: Good

Everest

 I knew the whole thing before even I saw it since I have read and seen Into Thin Air. Much of the same emotions as I have depicted before. Film, of course, is well-taken and as natural as it could possibly be. For those of us, who haven't been to Everest, this, I guess, is as close as we can see it! So, many thanks for the movie! Once again, felt this, just like how I did when I last read and saw the other movie: Rob Hall - if only he had survived...

Rating: Good

Migration

An animated movie with the daughter on a lazy Saturday! This movie was good, actually, some witty scenes and dialog. The animation was fabulous with all the great colors of Jamaica, the plot twisting and turning, but once or twice I felt the birds were venturing into places where there really was no need to. Nevertheless, a good watch. 

Rating: Good

Lucky Baskhar

Saw a con movie after a long. I really love con movies. And this one's right up there! From first scene to last, it is edge-of-seat thriller, making the audience always think pessimistically while, well, Baskhar turns out lucky! Superb narration, great acting and casting. Setting up the 1990s Bombay is as much real as one could. If one has seen (Harshad Mehta's strategy in) Scam 1992, they can relate more easily. It also reminded me of Swordfish, a movie I had seen perhaps in my teens.

Rating: Must-see

Language: Telugu

MAD Square

 The ROFL continues from prequel. While MAD was based on college premises, MAD Square is based on a wedding and the comedy of errors due to friends' interventions. Again, excellent direction, super humour and extremely witty. Certain inconsequential scenes also filled with full of mirth. Great way to pass a lazy Sunday!

Rating: Good

Language: Telugu

Guruvayoor Ambalanadayil

Comedy from scene 1 till the last keeping audience on the edge of the seat to see what will befall next! At times, we feel why certain things were not kept as surprise but it is good it was not, since audience is one step ahead of the protagonists and hence expecting things to go wrong! Great dialog, wonderful comedy of errors and nice shift in balances with the story line. Great entertainer!

Rating: Good

Language: Malayalam

800

 Based on life and career of Muthiah Muralidaran, this is a mediocre movie that re-shapes the history that spanned the spinner's life on how he climbed the ladder of Cricket. Good to know all of those things and glad that this movie was made indeed. If things had turned out well for him from the beginning, he could have achieved 1000 wickets instead of the 800 that he got. Anyways, movie is well-made but nothing great or inspiring or touching than the Man himself who fought against all odds to achieve what he did. Full kudos to Muthiah Muralidaran!

Rating: Average

Language: Tamil

Note: After a long time, watched three movies on a single day! 

The Iron Claw

 A movie about the Von Erich family. Just saw tag line 'True story' and started watching despite knowing nothing about it. First scene was about wrestling and I didn't want any more of it. However, the movie had me interested, and I ended up watching the whole thing. Very clean and neatly made movie, good casting, set in 1960s and 1970s in Texas. It is both fascinating and saddening that so many of them brothers died so early. Cannot imagine what the parents would have gone through to see their sons dying one after the other...Nice but sad tale. Thank Goodness, one of them sons lives on!

Rating: Average

Sonic: The Hedgehog

Best part about Hong Kong airport? Free screenings of movies while waiting at the gate to board the flight! Thus this movie with daughter. Seemed like a nice movie at the beginning, so went on to watch the whole thing. Had nothing else to do anyways. Dialog & setting is good, casting is good but rather far too much killing (or trying to kill) scenes for my liking. Watched a Jim Carrey movie after a really long time.

Rating: Good

The Apprentice

 Based on Donald Trump. Neatly made movie - capturing the significant parts. Casting is amazing because the parts played by the actors look very much like the real characters. Transition from being an apprentice to power-hungry is excellently portrayed by Trump. Worth a watch to know Trump's story. Nothing great though.

Rating: Good

Inside Out 2

 Well, wanted to watch this on the big screen considering we had watched the part 1 on the big screen (Paavani's first theater experience). Could not do that, but watched it on OTT platform. Same feelings as the first one - excellently made movie, narration and themed. Lots of wit and very much worth the watch.

Rating: Good.

Manjummel Boys

Initially I felt movie-making and narrative was average and slow-paced but then it kind of fell in place, weaving in and out of past and present, excellently portraying the bond between the friends, the loopholes in the law enforcement agencies, the locals wanting to help, etc.. A truly unbelievable true story of a guy who escaped quite literally from the jaws of death, and more importantly, of the guy who went inside the jaws of death to pull the former out. And for that, this movie should be watched.

Rating: Good

Language: Malayalam

Kishkindha Kaandam

 Suspense. Dark. Tense. Set in the amidst of Kerala jungle. Fantastic narration and script of a complicated novel where things keep changing, starting from the case of a missing revolver. Casting and characterization is great. Acting by all is wonderful. Much like a dramatic climax, pretty much everything gets revealed at the end, which is good. But it should have been deduced instead of confessed. Otherwise, great movie.

Rating: Good

Language: Malayalam

MAD

Jovial, witty, college-based, total fun. Every scene from start to finish brings smiles. Wonderful & catchy dialog, acting, casting, setting, etc..  

Rating: Good

Language: Telugu

Invictus

 A Clint Eastwood movie. A true story. Great to see the leadership from Nelson Mandela to encourage the local (failing) sports team at the same time inspire citizens to stand by that team. Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon have acted well but movie-making doesn't stand out or send goosebumps. Watchable for the event that happened post Apartheid.

Rating: Average

Language: English

Chhaava

 Well, from beginning till end, its war-zone and killing and bloodshed and swords getting pierced into bodies. Not my type of movie. I heard good reviews of this movie, so thought I will watch it on the big screen but repented. The tale is good (especially considering it is true story) but the movie-making was average. For the sake of Sambhaji, you can view.

Rating: Average

Language: Hindi

Moana 2

 Another movie with daughter. Again, felt at times, I could've skipped it. Not that it was not good. Just ok-dokey. Wit's good, animation's wonderful, characters are good. In the beginning, tale is too hard to understand (just like Part 1), but then jigsaw parts fall in place slowly.

Rating: Average

Barbie

Gave company for the daughter to watch this movie. Too chauvinistic - both on female and male side. Could have taken the gender bias out of the tale to keep it more child-friendly. Felt like more of a Man vs Woman war than a fun-filled, wit-filled kids movie. But showcasing the creator was a good idea. A movie that can be passed.

Rating: Average

Aachar & Co.

 A simple poignant movie about Bangalore back in 1960s. Well-made and very clean. Good dialog, good acting although most of them seemed newcomers. Family entertainer.

Rating: Good

Language: Kannada

The Angry Birds Movie 2

 Movie with the daughter. Ok-dokey movie, I guess after you watch a bunch of animated films, your expectation soars higher and higher. To be fair, the movie is indeed good, with nice punch lines and comedy scenes but it was not like ROFL. Watchable once.

Rating: Average

Shakhahaari

Set in a small village in Karnataka, this movie revolves around a pure veg hotel - the guests both wanted and unwanted, and how the owner gets caught in the web, just while his own life is getting better. Lots of amateur actors - some have done well but others are tough to watch! Good direction for the most part. Can dare to watch if open to gruesome scenes.

Rating: Average

Language: Kannada

World's First Christmas

 Watched it for the daughter. Very, very average movie. Story could have been finished in max 30 mins. The middle 1 hour is all time-pass and totally not needed. But all actors have enacted well, esp the kids.

Rating: Average

Language: Brazilian

Do Patti

 Hindi thriller. But didn't get much of a thrill. Location setting is nice - mountain regions. Acting by all is good especially Kriti Sanon - much like Sridevi in Chaalbaaz. Story is tense but not gripping. Small twist in the tale makes it interesting a bit. 

Rating: Average

Language: Hindi

Murder Mystery 2

 Binge watched immediately after the prequel. Did not find this as good as part 1 but it had all the same  characteristics - awesome adventure, setting, twists/turns, Poirot-like situations, witty dialog, the ending, etc.. If anyone likes Part 1, Part 2 is definitely unmissable!

Rating: Must-see

Language: English

Murder Mystery

 Wow, talk about making movies just like how Murder Mystery novels are written. This one's a cracker of an adventure, like Indian Jones, but very much modern combined with Hercule Poirot's setting where he gets into a situation and everyone starts dying around him, and he has to sleuth it out. Jennifer and Adam have done a fabulous job producing and acting, the dialog is superb, action sequences are real, European setting is always wonderful and twists and turns till the very end keeps the audience fully entertained. This reminded me of so many Murder Mystery books that I used to read once upon a time! 

PS: Third consecutive hattrick movie day!

Rating: Must-see

Language: English

Miss Shetty Mr Polishetty

 This movie is like a sinusoidal curve but it starts off with a trough, becomes better, reaches the crest with some nice humor and then starts going back to trough and finishes off with a rise towards the crest. Good innocent and plain acting and narration, comedy is bearable but good at times, bores a bit at other times, relates to the new generation, watchable once. More of a drama genre than comedy.

Rating: Average

Language: Telugu

Khel Khel Mein

 Very sleeky at the beginning, but fizzles out. Not much of a comedy although it claims to be. Entire movie is based on a game that is played overnight where mobile is not private. And it just so happens that pretty much everyone is hiding something or the other. Amateurish acting by almost all. Becomes a bore after few minutes, since there is a lot of conversation, most of which is not pleasing either.

Rating: Average

Language: Hindi

Instant Family

A very different genre movie about foster parenting and adoption. But the movie is extremely well-made with great humor and wit and dialog and dialog-delivery. The frustrations are shown superbly. The casting is great, characterization of each person is fabulous such as grandparents and children and teenagers and other fosters. Even though this is (or inspired by) a true story it doesn't seem so, thanks to the excellent narration. All in all, a great family entertainer.

Rating: Good

90 Feet from Home

Not really sure but saw it thinking it is inspired by True story. A very dark movie, filled with domestic abuse. The background score is apt for such genre, and the intensity of the victim & culprit roles are very well enacted. Not really sure if I enjoyed watching it but there have been great reviews about it. See this one for example: https://www.indyred.com/90feetfromhome.html.

Rating: Average

Trip to Paradise

Well, after watching the trailer, we felt there was no need to watch the movie because the entire storyline is shown, so there is practically no surprises. But, at the same time, the trailer has so many humorous scenes that one does feel like watching for the humor more than the story itself. And we were glad we watched it. Especially since we recently returned from Bali! The movie was like a breath of fresh air, in itself! George C and Julia R have done a fabulous job for their ages especially with the rapid dialog delivery scenes. The script is super witty. Location is great but then Nature helped them a lot with that! Ending is in fact a surprise indeed! Overall, a great watch!

Rating: Good

Mission Raniganj

A thriller, and narration is perfectly aligned for the genre. While the movie itself was an edge-of-the-seat, I wonder how the real lives were of the victims and their families during those crucial hours when the miners got stuck underneath. The true story is definitely worth the watch. Akshay Kumar has done good justice to the role. The politics, the undercurrent emotions, the family-angle, the time-factor, the lose-all-hope situations, etc. are all directorial master-pieces. Of course, the real Jaswant Singh Gill is the true hero! A big salute to him!

Rating: Good

Language: Hindi

Ginny Weds Sunny

Bollywood Rom-Com. A simple triangle story. Climax did not have to be so hyped up, felt it was unwanted. The hero character is well portrayed and so is the lead female character - done true justice to it. At times, humor via dialog is light, simple & good. Good time-pass for a lazy Sunday, doesn't bore a bit.

Rating: Average

Language: Hindi

The Sky is Pink

Well, what to say. True story about Aisha Chaudhary who lived a very short life. More than her life, this tale revolves around the parents who struggled so much from her day one till her last breath to make her life beautiful and worth living, and tried so hard to keep extending her life at every possible roadblock. To raise so many pounds by way of crowdfunding to get her treated at such a young age was remarkable especially when there was no gofundme or other social media networks. Niren's (dad) life is remarkable too, considering how he grew up the corporate ladder despite family issues. Aditi's (mom) life seems to be single-pointed dedication to Aisha. As you can see, there is more to the tale than the movie itself, so definitely worth the watch. And all the actors have done a great job, and director has made the narration remarkable too (considering the ending is well known indeed). Hats off to the entire crew for bringing this inspiring story to the big screen and to many homes now via OTT.

Rating: Good

Language: Hindi

OMG 2

Had been quite some time since I had watched a movie with court scenes. And this one had loads of them. Needless to say, dialog had to be (and was) superlative. Casting was good and genuine. Very sensitive and touchy topic, so acting involved lot of maturity from every member of the cast especially when done in front of large crowds. Akshay Kumar's dialog was very good as the Lord Himself. Overall, well worth a watch. Director has done a great job overlaying Hindu scriptures with the needs of modern education system.

Rating: Good

Language: Hindi

Srikanth

This one's a fascinating true story, which is both inspiring and gripping, starting from the day he was born blind to how he built Bollant Industries. One cannot imagine how one person can do so much, against all odds. Cricket, baseball, MIT, Science college, Entrepreneur, etc.. Very good story-making, narration, and improvisation. At every other scene, one can see how the director had to rise above the challenge, come up with suitable dialogs added to what Srikanth himself has said in those situations - like the court scene, the airport scene, the interviews with MIT panelists, his time spent in blind school, his interactions with his teacher, etc.. Truly remarkable, and indeed well worth the watch.

Rating: Good

Language: Hindi

Rise

Perhaps my first Australian movie, and that too a true story. The thing that stood out to me is excellent background score for some of the scenes. And perhaps character Jimmy Cove's screen presence - as solid as Maximus in The Gladiator. Movie itself is average although story is heartening. Much of the tale is depicted from inside the prison walls. It had been quite some time since I had seen such a movie which is based inside the cells. Maybe about two decades ago, I used to watch lots of such prison movies. This being Australian one, it was hard to understand the accent (added to that, saw this while commuting to/fro office in Metro) and there was no subtitles. So, had to understand the context in many scenes. Worth a watch for the film-maker Lindon whose story itself is depicted. And really glad that he was able to get out of the prison for an action he never committed...

Rating: Average

Motichoor Chaknachoor

A well-made wholesome family entertainer based out of Bhopal. Pretty much every character in the movie is innocent with his/her own petty desires, and the resulting conflict of that between two neighbouring families is what makes this movie. From scene 1 till the very end, it keeps the audience engaged and about 80% of the time with a smile! A true Fam-Rom-Com that is well worth a watch. Casting, setting, dialog, direction are all above the mark.

Rating: Good

Language: Hindi

Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar

After a very, very long time, watched two movies back-to-back! And perhaps, for the first time - both Bollywood. Plus, last one was Alia's and this was Ranbir's - the couple! Also, for a long time now, wifey has stopped seeing Bollywood Romcom movies and when we were simply surfing the TV, this one came up, and this is exactly her type of movie which we used to watch every weekend a decade ago! She was ok to watch it this time somehow and that's how we ended up seeing it! 

The movie starts with a bang indeed. Exceptional dialog, plot, characterization, dramatization, etc.. But then it fizzes out after few minutes. Then the heroine comes in. She doesn't seem to be a good actress. Her crying scenes are worthy of fast forwarding! In the middle, the movie takes a big turn, and then it becomes interesting again. The last part is completely drama with a little bit of family humor. Watchable. Very similar to early 2000 Bollywood movies from Salman Khan & SRK. If you liked those, you will like this!

Rating: Good

Language: Hindi

Darlings

Dark comedy thriller. Resembled Andhadhun. There are scenes which make you sit on the edge of the seat and there are scenes which make you go forward. Lot of twists and turns which makes it interesting indeed. A reality check for many Indian wives who go abused by drunken husbands. Quite exceptionally made movie. All actors have done a great job. Alia Bhatt is awesome. Direction, narration, setting are all great. Just short of a must-see perhaps. 

Rating: Good

Language: Hindi

Annamayya

True story movie about Annamacharya, a Telugu poet devoted to Lord Venkateshwara. Felt the director took great liberties in portraying the tale especially with some of the dialogs. But it is great fun at times, the humor is good, characters are good. I had heard a lot about Annamacharya but did not know his life story. Some parts of the tale were jaw-dropping like him having two wives, about them dying at the same time like samadhi, he himself being so devoted to his wives and then his devotion to Lord Venkateshwara. The director has made a good collection of the songs in the movie as part of the narration. Definitely worth the watch.

Language: Telugu (but saw Tamil-dub, however, the English subtitles helped!)

Rating: Good

Laapataa Ladies

Fabulous written all over it, from first scene to the last! Casting, acting, location-setting, narration, screenplay, direction, humor - everything is top-notch. Indian traditions coupled with local/village flavors make this movie so colorful indeed! Add to this a spice of mystery, wee bit of family issues and innocent love and we have a must-see!

Mistaken

Just because it is a 9/11 true story, watched this movie. But film-making was very, very average. Felt like watching an amateur documentary. It is made out as if something really really bad happened as part of mistaken identity but highlight of the movie was just a few mins of intense interrogation. Movie is a reminder of why people should have patience to deal with issues that crop up in life! Part of the movie that I did like was Morocco perhaps. Nothing much to write about this movie. Except maybe to pass time while standing in a Metro (which is what I did)!

Rating: Average

Fifty first dates

Had seen this movie before with wifey. But, off late, she has had these memory lapses where I had to remind her. So thought it would be good to show her this movie..!! Hopefully she will not get into such a mess! The movie is kinda nice although there was no need to make so many references to adultish content - could have been a neat family entertainer.

Rating: Average

Dark Waters

Well, I guess some people are born just to fight the evil single-handedly risking all their (and their family's) lives. This tale starts off with a sad narration about how several cows died and a farmer's analysis on how this happened due to the chemical giant DuPont's unethical waste disposal methods. But the onus lied on the Lawyer to do the right thing and bring DuPont to its knees despite all odds and not knowing anything about Chemistry in the first place! And this movie is about that lawyer Robert Bilott. Hats off to him indeed. A nicely made legal thriller movie, and one wonders what would have happened if EPA was not made aware of gross illegality performed by DuPont. 

Rating: Good

Language: English

Million Dollar Arm

Well, I thought this was just another true story about Sports. But as the movie unfolded, I was mildly surprised that a huge part of this movie involved India! Then, as the movie unfolded further, I was greatly surprised that two Indians Rinku and Dinesh actually got selected and even ended up playing professional baseball! Well, well, well! I guess this was in the news back in the days when the reality show was going on across India and maybe I missed it since I was in US but indeed this was a great venture and innovative thinking, not just for the business of baseball but for enriching lives! Coming to movie-making, it is as professional as it could be. Excellent casting options, great screenplay and narration. Definitely worth the watch. One directional feedback though - instead of showcasing only India's poverty localities, they could have also shown some of the country's much developed locations. 

Rating: Good

Language: English

Home

A family drama movie. Had been quite some time that we had seen a Malayalam movie, and this was just as refreshing as ever, with lush greenery and clean script and light humor. The narrator/story-writer has done a good job in coming up with a climax out of nowhere that kind of ends the tale in a nice manner! The references to a smart phone and people's addiction to it is very well embedded within the tale itself.

Rating: Good

Language: Malayalam 

The Kerala Story

Very, very sensitive topic yet filled with true stories. Kudos to the crew for risking their lives to make this movie and bring out unpublished information to the masses which would possibly save many, many lives in the future. Film-making is slightly above average but the potency of the movie is in the tale itself - how a life-loving simple Hindu girl gets brainwashed into Islamic radicalism and becomes what this video describes as anti-human. Casting, acting, direction, narration, screenplay, location settings are all above-the-mark and appreciable. Definitely for mature adults, viewer discretion seriously advised. 

Rating: Good

Language: Hindi

12th Fail

Heard elaborate appreciations about this movie wherever I went/saw - relatives, friends, whatsapp groups, etc.. So I guess I had set myself up with some very great expectations. Waited for a long time to watch it (much like RRR). Unlike RRR, though, this one did not buoy my feelings while the movie unfolded itself. It went from ok to well, alright to so? to fine to then and so on. I guess I have seen too many True stories with similar motivation/insiration and seen it made really good that my mind starts making comparisons very soon on same genre. 

Not to belittle the tale itself - it is truly fascinating how Mr Manoj became an IPS officer, full kudos to him. But the movie-making definitely could have been better, editing was definitely needed with lot of repeated dialogs, scenes, etc. Free-flowing camera movement is ok and trending now but not sure if it was really needed. Acting by pretty much new cast is great and they have all done really well. Shraddha's scenes were very well captured and clean, definitely the highlight of the movie. Also I thought I detected couple of directional miss too but, overall thanks to Vidhu Vinod Chopra for bringing this story to the masses although could have done better.

Rating: Good

Language: Hindi

A Bad Moms Christmas

This one is more intense than the prequel. Again, not much of a ROFL but funny enough. Very raunchy indeed to be categorized as A. Just goes to show how low human consciousness has dipped if this is how mainstream life is in US. Sad indeed. Some scenes are really good especially when moms are unable to handle their own moms. While the prequel was about handling kids, this one is about handling (or getting handled still by) moms - so a good concept, and Christmas adds good color to it. Again, full marks to acting, casting, etc.. I guess Dialog too. 

Rating: Good

Bad Moms

Thought this will be a ROFL but it was not. Simple concept which is made with an A rating for no good reason. Could have been made as a family entertainer so easily. Dialog is witty at times, characterization is good and some scenes bring a cheer to the face but on the whole, it is pretty average movie. Typical American Hollywood comedy flick, I guess. Time-pass. Had been a really, really long time since I had seen such a movie.

Dasavarenya Sri Vijayadasaru

After Jagannatha Dasaru, had high expectations for this movie considering it was pretty much same film crew - casting, direction, production, etc.. However, this one fell flat. Not very compelling, and seemed very mediocre although narration is altered to weave across years and lifetimes. Story sparkles at times but then that is the miracle of Sri Vijayadasaru's life itself. Felt like we would not have repented if we had not watched this.

Rating: Average

Language: Kannada

Sant Tukaram

True Story about Saint Tukaram, a great devotee of Panduranga Vittala of Pandharpur, like Purandara Dasaru. This movie is made in 1963. The dialog of Tukaram's wife is simply awesome and well scripted with a touch of humor. Throughout the movie, Dr Raj Kumar is in a state of equilibrium and has acted very well. Sometimes, I feel such movies of the yesteryears simply cannot be made in this era - with that clarity, language, style, poise, prose, elegance, etc.. Of course, some of the scenes are like 'did that really happen', like when Shivaji was about to be killed in the temple, the Abhang books that got submerged came back up, etc.. Miracles or not, worth a watch for the Saint himself.

Rating: Good

Language: Kannada

Thutta Mutta

Couple of people had spoken about this movie about how they were sandwiched between wife and mother and this prompted me to watch it. Indeed, the movie is well-made, with the right set of dialog from each of the main participants - the mother, the son and the daughter. Many people in real life can relate to these roles and the dialogues. Acting is great - Ramesh plays the role with such ease and so does Prema. Direction and narration is good. Although I felt some scenes could not be seen with the family. And it brought back memories of 1990s Kannada movies, because this is how most of them were made. Those ridiculous dances on hill stations, change of dresses within same scene, songs all of a sudden, not much of violence, etc.. Watchable if you are either a son or a wife or a mother!

Rating: Good

Language: Kannada

Sri Purandara Dasaru

For a movie made in 1967, it is indeed well-made. Saw this movie on Purandara Dasa Aradhane day, and it was much much better than the soap/episode that was telecasted in 2022. Movie starts off with that nose-ring which was pivotal in Purandara Dasaru's life whereas in the soap, it starts off with his parents. All the actors have done a remarkable job, and it is still a wonder how Narasimharaju climbed on Rama devi several times and even Balakrishna!! Does not bore much although it is a wonder why even such a great saint underwent so much troubles in his life time. So, yes, there are sad scenes. Thankfully, on the net, one can fast forward, so that makes it easy!

Rating: Good

Language: Kannada

Hidden Figures

OMG! Just cannot believe that people went through all that is portrayed in the movie as part of putting the first American man on space. Many thanks to the author for penning down the history, and for the film-makers to make such a fabulous movie out of it. Fantastic dialog, screenplay, direction, casting and acting. Definitely a must-see.

Kaun Pravin Tambe?

Wow, what a man! Pravin Tambe is such an inspiration, such one-pointed focus on playing for Ranji. All those failed attempts, all those discouraging people and how he rose above all of them - Truly fantastic! The movie is extremely well made, one feels like wanting to keep seeing more and more. The simplicity of the man is outpouring, the direction, the location, casting, acting - everything is superlative.Totally enjoyed it!

Rating: Must-see

Language: Hindi

Hotel Transylvania

A movie for the daughter. Initially felt had chosen a wrong movie since it was all about ugly looking monsters but then found out it was not that bad actually. Humorous indeed. Nice, touching tale of how to let children go out into the world and explore, and not be protective forever. Dialog is catchy, animation is good and screenaply/narration is just apt.

Language: English

Rating: Good

Shane

A (true-story) documentary about Shane Warne. Well, the tale is good but narration is average. Lots of pauses in-between makes me think editing could have been better. I guess, it could have been reduced by at least half an hour. Also, I was expecting more of Sachin-Shane but there wasn't much. But what was there was indeed riveting. The first ball in his first Ashes against Gatting was something I had not known and it was mind-blowing. I kept watching that scene again and again! There were other tales like Salim Malik asking him to fail, Shane being out for an year for failing drug test, him playing Australian football, his children, etc. which were all new stuff to me - so it was interesting. But so glad this documentary was made when he was still alive, and he could see it. If he had started off his career with cricket (instead of football) and not lost that one year and retired late (he retired to spend more time with his kids!), he could easily have taken 1000 Test wickets! What a great man, indeed. And for that, this documentary is well worth watching.

Rating: Average

Language: English

The Vaccine War

Wow, what a true story and what a movie! This one's a ripper by Vivek Agnihotri. Splendid casting. Wonderful acting - Nana Patekar is brilliant and so is Pallavi Joshi. Direction & narration are awesome, its a gripping tale and the movie doesn't fail in showing it. Truly bow down to all those 'real-life' characters who went over and above the need of the hour to get Indians the Indian vaccine. This one's a must-see.

Language: Hindi

Mr. Popper's Penguins

Great joy of a movie. Excellent dialog, very creative screenplay. This one's a real fun stuff to watch with the family. Everything is good about this movie - from casting to acting to story to direction, you name it!

Rating: Good

Bhakta Kanakadasa

Watched it for the second time, to give company to wife and daughter. Thought I will get bored but did not! Not much of despondency shown (like typical old movies) albeit here and there, and I guess the true story of Kanakadasa has enough miracles to keep the audience hooked. Appreciate the effort taken by the crew to get this movie out. 

Rating: Good

Language: Kannada

Safety

True story about Ray Ray and how he tried to help his younger brother in Clemson University while juggling with his academics, football and the NCAA. A well-made movie, and at times a tale that becomes unbelievable, hence it is fascinating to watch, making viewers sit on their edge... Resembles 'Pursuit of Happyness' but then that is how many people's lives are...

Rating: Good

Eddie The Eagle

A fascinating true story of how even as a small boy, Eddie always wanted to be an Olympian. Excellently narrated tale, and well casted too. From the starting scene, the movie has feel-good factor written all over it despite the ups and downs in Eddie's life. The tale itself is wonderful, so movie-making just made it better. Cinematography and photography is superlative.

Rating: Good

Ford vs Ferrari

Wow, what a fantastic high-adrenaline movie! And a true-story at that. Matt Damon is classy, as usual. Superb narration, casting, acting, setting, dialog and direction in general. Its a pity to know about Ken Miles - how he actually won Le Mans 24 hours but red tape gave the victory to McLaren in 1966. And his unfortunate accidental death at a young age of 47. An absolute unsung car hero indeed. Many thanks for the production crew to bring out this message to the masses.

Rating: Must-see

The Social Dilemma

My manager had spoken about this, and I was very keen to see it. Finally got to see it this month. And, it is indeed a must-see. Not much of a movie although there is a small tale, but it is more of monologue from ex-Google, ex-Facebook, ex-Twitter, ex-Instagram and many other ex-Social Media Tech Giants. And these are super brilliant people, and their choice of words is absolutely fantastic in explaining the problem. The movie (or documentary) making is also top-notch especially with the AI models which try to keep users engaged.

Laal Singh Chaddha

Well, I guess I have seen Forrest Gump so many times that I remember most scenes by-heart. So, was not very keen about this LSC movie. Yet wanted to see it because of Aamir Khan Productions. But I was glad I did watch it. Very nicely made movie with fabric of Indian History from 1980s onwards for 3-4 decades. Acting's good but Aamir's acting resembled his PK character. Location settings to depict yester-decades is remarkable. And India's great locations like Kargil, Kanyakumari, Ladakh, Punjab, etc. are all very well depicted.

Rating: Good

Language: Hindi

Boss Baby - 2 (Family Business)

Well, we wanted to see the sequel immediately! But it took us some days eventually and this one gets going from where the first one ends - in terms of imagination, animation, dialog, narration and what-not! Always being edge-of-the-seat! Some ROFL scenes as well. Fantastic movie-making all-in-all, very creative indeed!

Rating: Good

Boss Baby - 1

Well, we went to a birthday party where the theme was Boss Baby. We had never heard of this and upon asking around, came to know that this was a movie and good one. So we checked it out ourselves, and indeed, it is a fantastic movie! Awesome dialog, animation, narration and exemplary sense of imagination. Had a great time watching with daughter!

Rating: Good

The Emoji Movie

Just another nice movie. Watched with daughter. Good conceptualization, creativity, story-within-story much like Inside Out. Not too much humor nor too much grief. 

Rating: Average

Oppenheimer

Well, this is the first movie to which I went to a theater to watch all by myself in my entire life! Not that I liked the review of the movie, nor I am big fan of the director or the actor, or any such thing. Just that this was a true story, and the theater near my home was renovated recently and it was the first time (AFAIK) they were hosting an English movie! 

Coming to the movie itself - well, it is good but could have been better. The narration weaves from 1950s to 1920s to 1950s to 1940s and back to 1930s and again to 1950s, etc. making it extremely hard to follow. The sequence of events are enormous and it becomes hard to understand. Added to that, there was no captions and the continuous background score made it hard to hear as well. The true story of Oppenheimer itself is complicated, and the director has made it even more complicated. On top of this are the usage of words like Leftist, Communist, Fascism, Antisemitism, etc. which, personally for me, are too much! Anyways, with great difficulty, I had to understand, and am glad I understood, at least! Technicality of film-making is good, of course, and upto Nolan's standards (Interstellar, Inception, etc.), but I sure wish he will make it easy for the audience one day!

Rating: Good

Language: English

Vivekananda by Vivekananda

More of a documentary than a movie. Vivekananda narrates this story of himself to the audience all through. It has an abrupt start of him heading out to America. Although it goes back and forth his life, the part of how he became Vivekananda is not shown. Pretty difficult to sit through the entire thing, and there does not seem to be much in what he did to become so famous, and yet he did. At such a young age of 40, he had inspired millions of people all around the world. Whatever it is that he did (which is what I wanted to see), this movie does not depict. But the movie itself is quite well made - with American settings, cast, script, acting, etc..

Rating: Average

Language: English

On a Quest

A fantastic movie in all aspects - tale (true story of Swami Chinmayananda - from freedom fighter to atheism to being a sadhu and then creating a missionary that develops spirituality spanning 80 countries), casting (amazing resemblance to actual people), acting (so intense), cinematography (that ashes going into Ganges), location (Himalayas), setting (1950s India, vehicles, etc.), apparel - you name it, the movie has scored on all fronts. Definitely a must-watch.

Language: Available on many languages but I saw it in English which I believe was original

Bhagavad Gita

I guess it was the first time I saw a Sanskrit film. It is a very abstract movie which talks about Lord Krishna's sermon to Arjuna on th ebattlefield, about how a Man should move upwards on the Chakras, how he keeps getting distracted and defeated by the 11 internal foes, etc. The abstraction is portrayed physically by the Man moving upwards on Himalayas. Cannot fathom how the movie was made with all those snow, and actors walking barefoot and with hardly any clothes on. Understandably, the movie has won many awards. Good direction, screenplay and although at times what the heck this is all about, it kind of makes sense in the end. Worth a watch, at least for the hardships faced by the crew. Available on YouTube.

Rating: Good

Language: Sanskrit

Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood

 Well, I don't know why this movie was made nor what made me watch it. Maybe because its from Quentin Tarantino, and stars Leonardo and Brad Pitt. Looks like there is some tangible truth to it but only on sidelines, otherwise its all fiction. I then came across this link which justifies why QT did this movie the way he did it link. Anyways, definitely you will not miss much if you dont watch it. Total time-pass movie and I am not sure why there were many scenes which we could have done away with - like Brett Lee, Cliff killing his wife, Cliff going to meet George, etc. Film-making is good, since its from QT, and all actors have done great but nothing much in the storyline. Audience tends to get bored especially since it is almost a 3 hour watch. At least I did. Also, I guess there is some humor since genre seems to be 'Comedy' but clearly I was not laughing other than at myself for watching this movie.

Rating: Average

She Said

 A true story that inspired the #MeToo movement across the world. I never knew Harvey Weinstein and after this movie, I came across this timeline and it is mindboggling what an animal he was, and how successful he was in keeping several of his victims' mouth shut! Truly remarkable piece of journalism by the NY Times folks and to think what they would have gone through to bring this to public is beyond imagination, especially leading normal lives like you and me. And that's exactly what this movie brings forth - both personal and professional lives of the journalists. It starts off with Trump campaigning and then graduates towards Hollywood. Great acting, casting, screenplay, and the works. Definitely worth the watch.

Rating: Good

The Finest Hours

 The true story is what makes watching this movie totally worth it. Add to this excellent cinematography, screenplay, editing, casting, acting and it's a whacker-of-a-movie. After Titanic, many movies have come out now which portrays the sinking of a ship in a fantastic manner, and this one's as good as it gets. Definitely worth the watch.

Rating: Good

Pushpa - 1

 Watched it just because of all that I had heard about it. Well, looks like I shouldn't have! Nothing in this movie that underlines popularity. Just the same old tale of a bad guy (hero in the movie) who is invincible. Wonder why such movies become so popular. What's with crowd wanting bad guys to succeed!! As usual, cops are treated with disdain, and powerless. At least for the most part. The main character has portrayed his role well as a villain, with same ugly looks. The fight scenes are computer-generated, so doesn't touch at all. Dialog is very thin. Story-line is simple about smuggling tree trunks and getting away with it easily. Casting is good, location is good. Songs and dance are very average. Watch it for crowd's sake, if needed.

Rating: Average

Language: Telugu but available in most Indian languages as dub

KGF - 2

 Well, the film goes along the same lines of prequel, so nothing wrong with direction. But my memory had faded, so I couldn't place who was who when I started watching it. Plus, after some time, it became very monotonous - the same invincibility with a lot of build-up. Kind of became superfluous. There were many instances when he could be easily shot yet was not. The villain 'lets him go' - that was ridiculous when he had hatched such a big plan of killing him. Dialog is good, acting is intense, scenes are powerful yet couldn't place it in the same level of KGF -1. Okey-dokey.

Rating: Average

Language: Kannada

The Banshees of Inisherin

Set in Ireland, the slow-pace of this movie reminded me of A Hidden Life. The casting and acting by all is top-notch. The movie starts off with very gentle-mindedness. It is a very simple storyline but later on it turns very gruesome. Almost on the lines of Fatal Attraction's rabbit getting cooked type! So avoid if you can! 

Rating: Average

Why did I watch this movie? Well, that's funnier than the movie itself! I thought one of the actor was one of the Farrelly brothers (of Dumb & Dumber fame), and also saw somewhere it had won lot of awards. Hence, falsely thinking it was another ROFL kind of movie, watched this movie in entirety, only later to realize it was Colin Farrell, not a Farrelly!

Everything Everywhere All at Once

If I had seen the synopsis of this movie [When an interdimensional rupture unravels reality, an unlikely hero must channel her newfound powers to fight bizarre and bewildering dangers from the multiverse as the fate of the world hangs in the balance] I would never have seen it. If RRR had never made it to Oscars, I would never have known about this movie. It just so happened that I was seeing the Oscars live and rooting for an award for a movie (RRR) first time in my life, that I came across this EEA@O and wondered what it was all about since it was winning so many awards.

Well, I remembered something when I watched this movie. A book should be such that a movie can never be made out of it and a movie should be such that a book can never be made out of it. This definitely falls in the latter category. The script-writing, film-making, visual-effects is all beyond the ordinary - and award-deserving for sure. Definitely not my type of movie because me and sci-fi stay poles apart, and there were several moments when I thought of switching off midway, but I hung on till the end. There were many times I was telling myself - this is crazy, ridiculous and stupidest movie! And there were many times when I was ROFL-ing! The Raccacoonnie concept and picturization was absolute comedy. The metaverse reminds one of Interstellar, Matrix, Inception, Birdman and likes, jumping pad scenes are mind-bending!

Rating: Good

Rise

A true story of a Nigerian family that immigrates to Turkey & then settles down in Greece. But their sons excel in Basketball and they get drafted into NBA in the United States! Their hardships are depicted very well. The screenplay, dialog and narration is very simple, so movie-making is not that great but full credit to the cast. And, of course, the tale itself is gripping and supremely inspirational. One can't help getting moved at the end of the film.

Rating: Good

Language: English

Up & Away

A simple movie for the kids seen with & for daughter - complete with animation and flying carpet and kids adventures such as exploring, getting caught by a Sultan, escapade, hungry crocodiles, etc! Timepass. 

Rating: Average

Sri Krishnadevaraya

 After daughter played a small part from this movie in her school day, was interested to watch this movie. Also, came to know around the same time that this great emperor had ruled during the same time as Vyasaraja and Purandaradasa. And it had a great cast of Dr Rajkumar, Bharathi, Narasimharaju and Jayanthi. Truly remarkable to make a film at those times with limited resources of such tales - it is equivalent to Bahubali of current times. The first half is all about how he got two wives and just when I thought there was nothing shown in the movie other than his romances, some titbits of important happenings were shown - such as how he intelligently captured some of his enemies, his honor for other religions, his appreciations towards poets, Tenali Ramakrishna's antics, etc. But the eye-opener of the movie was knowledge about Timmarusu. Really could not believe all that he had to go through and such a sad ending to his and his family's life. And Krishnadevaraya's own life at such young age of 58. I must applaud the director for such a grand enterprise and bringing the story to life and eternity. 

Language: Kannada

Rating: Good

Wonder Women

 2022 Indian English language film about few pregnant ladies attending prenatal classes - each person in her own state of confusion, distress, anxiety and even joy. A movie for the wife, and she totally liked it! Not much in the movie actually. Just different lives, different tales all entwined by their state of pregnancy. Acting, dialog, screenplay all ok-ok. Nothing much to write about.

Rating: Average

RRR

 Looking at the trailer, I never felt like watching this movie because it was filled with so much of action and violence, which is not of my liking. But the hype that this movie got and the fact that the director also directed Bahubali somehow made me watch it. And I was glad I did. There is something about Rajamouli that really woos the audience to the theatre. And this is a movie that should be watched on the big screen although I watched it on TV. The way the movie begins, how each character is portrayed, etc. is truly fantastic. Of course, in some cases, it does look like Rajnikanth-kind of fantasy scene where one man lifts a bike on his hand and wheels it around and throws it like a toy but still such scenes does not repel away the educated audience. Somewhere deep down, one feels a human can actually do that if he is sufficiently motivated. Coming to the movie itself, it reminded me of Sholay at several instances - especially the bond that was shared by the two protagonists. It was really heart-warming. The music by Keeravani is superlative in many aspects. The songs of Naatu, Naatu and Komaram Bheem gives goosebumps. The choreography of Naatu, Naatu is unfathomable. Dialog is power-packed. Setting and attire are all perfect. All in all, excellent film-making and one that tops the chart.

Rating: Must-see

Language: Telugu

Update: I came across this website and the story (and storytelling) now seems absolutely un-believ-able!!

Hawaizaada

 One more movie that I stopped seeing half-way through. In fact, I didn't even watch more than half an hour. It seemed very whacky for my liking although I got the intent behind the tale - mainly being that protagonist is slightly off track and crazy. Didn't seem like my kind of movie, so stopped watching despite this being a movie inspired by true events. I guess after A Hidden Life, I am skeptical about spending even 2-3 hours on movies which are even true stories (which is my liking in general). 

Language: Hindi

Rating: Average

Main Aur Charles

 Watched this movie only half-way through and didn't feel like watching any more. The true story & life of Charles (in itself) is fascinating & I got to know more about him after this movie but the movie itself was not something I liked very much. Perhaps because I was not able to follow it clearly. The casting seems to be good though, and the protagonist has done a good job as an excellent and charming personality. 

Language: Hindi

Rating: Average

A Hidden Life

 True story about Franz who refused allegiance to Nazi and paid his life for it. "What you say in your mouth and what you think in your heart are two different things. Just praise Hitler and get your life back." And he refused and lost his life, his wife and three kids. Story is depressing although heroic. Movie is very, very slow. It hardly moves. Could have been shot down in under 60 minutes as a documentary in fact. But they have done good justice to Austria and surrounding beauty all around. Very boring movie, not really worth the watch. Reading about Franz would be faster.

Rating: Average

Kantara

 Full kudos to Rishabh Shetty for bringing forth the local Tulu custom to the big screen and making waves on the national and international circuits. His acting in the climax is superlative. Lot of violence in the movie is not generally my forte but I guess that's what the audience wants, eh? Or is it? Be that as it may, the overall film-making is great and definitely something that is worth a watch in the theatre.

Rating: Good

Language: Kannada

On the Basis of Sex

 Wow, what a woman! Ruth's story is incredible, and the movie is very well-made with crisp screenplay and some excellent dialog. Great casting and the actors have done justice to their respective roles. Setting up the location as per the year is as good as it can get. Definitely worth the watch for the great lady that Ruth was and the 'Radical Social Change' that she was part of.

Rating: Good

Sugarless

 Quirky dialog. Some real hard hitting facts. Light hearted humour most scenes - from finish to end except for a few. Overall good acting, again barring a few. Pleasant location/setting arrangements. Only one song had dance and that had good choreo. Very well made film making good use of digital effects. All in all, a good romcom, and definitely worth the watch.

Rating: Good

Language: Kannada

Raksha Bandhan

 Another one of Akshay Kumar's movie carrying a social message. After Toilet, Pad Man, etc. this one's about Dowry. The director has done great deal of good trying to bring in humor where there didn't seem to be any. The first few scenes are real jolly good ones. Not ROFL but good enough. The setting and acting and screenplay are all ok-ok but will pass. The dialog is chirpy. As expected (with the topic), there are few sad scenes but well narrated. Certain parts could have been edited and unnecessary (like the kidney ones) but anyways. Worth a watch on a lazy sunday.

Language: Hindi

Rating: Good

Rocketry: The Nambi Effect

Wow, what a man! Nambi Narayanan is an astounding genius and many thanks to Mr Madhavan for this biopic else many of us would have lived through this life of ours without knowing about him and his greatness! Apart from the Man himself, the movie is equally good. Clean, neat and tight screenplay, professional acting from all and all-in-all a great movie-making which doesn't fail to impress. This movie (and Mr Nambi) is as good as The Imitation Game (Alan Turing) and The Man who knew Infinity (Ramanujan). Definitely a must-watch.

Rating: Must-see

Language: Hindi

F3

The comedy continues from F2. What humorous dialog! Some scenes are absolutely ROFL. Not a moment of bore. Again, like most movies of this genre, seem too filmy to be true but one has to go with the flow and ignore the brain for 3 hours! This reminded me of many David Dhawan's movies which I used to enjoy as a kid. And the kid in me made me enjoy this one too, whole-heartedly! Full kudos to script-writer, director and all the staff for a great entertainer! Waiting for F4!!

Rating: Must-see (not really, but whatever!)

Language: Telugu

Vivaha Bhojanambu

 A well-thought-out comedy. Along similar lines of Ikkat but whereas there it was divorce, here it is marriage. Simple yet very nice. Dialog is great. A few of the scenes are ROFL. Pretty flawless direction and screenplay. Wholesome entertainer.

Rating: Good

Language: Telugu

The Kashmir Files

Well, this movie caused a lot of stir in the nation, and more so via whatsapp! And that prompted me to see this although I was warned it was extremely gruesome. So, let me admit, I was prepared. But then, when I watched the movie, it seemed too mild indeed. Perhaps because my expectation was set too high or because I have seen far worse war movies where hands were getting ripped out, rats going in and out of bomb-blown-out-dead-bodies, etc.. But I guess, the gruesomeness and evil-ry depicted in this movie was a strongish dose for the bourgeois. Anyways. Well-made movie indeed, keeps it taut - shuttles between past and present. At times, it seemed more like a documentary of few old friends reminiscing about their historic true-story past. An excellent method of putting history back into frontlines is via a well-made movie and that is exactly what the director has done here. Lot of research has gone into this, lot of good debates, who's oppressed, who's not, etc. And that's what I liked about it. At the very beginning, the movie is dedicated to those who are oppressed. Very well-put indeed. At one point of time or other, pretty much every sect has gone through that, I guess. 

Rating: Good

Language: Hindi

Neer Dose

Full of double meanings and metaphorical references to the unspoken stuff of life. Something for which Jaggesh became very famous for, and I guess that is the reason why he was casted for this movie. The only reason, and the only reason, why I saw this movie was because the credits at the beginning of the movie was very creative and innovative, much like Malayalam movies. Unfortunately the movie was downright pathetic. Some of the scenes were absolutely yucky and some were ok-dokey. But the tale in itself has no stuff in it. Waste of time.

Rating: Pathetic.

Language: Kannada

Bridge of Spies

 Absolutely unbelievable tale. Just unthinkable that this can be a 'true story'. A corker of a movie from Steven Spielberg, and Tom Hanks is superlative in his role. Full marks for narration, setting (1950s), screenplay and 'international' dialog. Watch it to believe it!

Rating: Must see

Tamasha

 Found this to be a very insightful drama. Superb acting by Deepika & Ranbir. Tale itself is very well narrated and in fact very spiritual in nature. This is more of a musical movie where some parts of the story are depicted via songs, so the musician and lyricist have to be superlative, and they do not let you down. Direction is good.  

Rating: Good

Language: Hindi

Karwaan

 Stopped watching this movie midway through. Perhaps saw about 55 minutes. Although movie-making seemed ok-dokey, the tale seemed too whacky. I guess it was meant to be comical but I didn't find it so. Direction seemed very thin. Dialog especially with the foreigners was rib-tickling. Not sure if rest of the movie could have turned my views.

Rating: Average

Language: Hindi

Matichya Chuli

A typical Indian family drama. A typical Pune family. All four characters play a significant role - father, mother, son, daughter-in-law. Slight humor here and there. Not much of grief and tragedies. No major twists and turns yet not a bore. Clean acting by one and all. Easy-going narration. Low budget, hence not much glamour - either in settings or locations. No songs, dance sequences, etc. Worth a watch.

Rating: Good

Language: Marathi

83

 Based on India's Cricket World Cup victory of 1983, this movie brings back to life what transpired almost 3 decades ago. Very well made indeed, especially re-creating the grounds like how it was back then which is so different from current era. Ranveer has portrayed the character of Kapil very well and even better is Jiiva who has portrayed Kris Srikkanth who had a persona of his own. While watching the movie, one almost feels as if we are living through the 1983 world cup! Reminded me of Dhoni movie as well. 

Rating: Good

Language: Hindi

Gehraiyaan

 A dark movie (which we usually avoid) but felt like watching due to all the publicity. Its ok. Narration, dialog, settings, locations, screenplay and movie-making is all very professional and no mistakes. Very adult-ish content shown due to the nature of the tale. All the actors have done great justice to their respective roles and acted superbly. Watchable. 

Rating: Good

Language: Hindi

Super Sharanya

 The movie started off nice but tapered off in the end. A very typical story of a girl in college I guess who gets followed by a number of guys and how she is torn between handling them all. Very well narrated. And of course, the "naturalistic" acting always draws me to Malayalam movies. Good dialog, good set of characters.

Rating: Good

Love Mocktail 2

 The lightheartedness continues from the prequel. Nice and clean movie, once again. Quite a few rib-tickling dialog & scenes. Cinematography is amazing and locations are awesome. Also nice to see the same set of characters. Some scenes could easily be predicted, and not much twist and turn either. Watchable.

Rating: Good

Language: Kannada

Nail Polish

 Well, I realized that one shouldn't always take tips from newspapers to watch movies. Such high adjectives were used for this movie that I thought it will be a must-watch. But alas, this turned out to be barely watchable. Story revolves around Personality Disorder which is now a common theme I guess. First time I heard/read about it in the 90s, I was fascinated but now it doesn't add that glitter any more. Editing could be much better. I still do not know why the judge's family had to be portrayed so much. It has no meaning to the main tale. Also no one asks about Charu Raina's missing body. For this movie, tale is everything, but it has many loop holes. Acting, location, characterization, etc. is all average, and so is direction. And, hence, so is my rating.

Rating: Average

Language: Hindi

One Cut Two Cut

 Well, I thought this will be a really good movie but it bordered pathetic. Absolutely nothing in it. Very thin humor. Almost humorless humor. Most scenes were in slow-motion, so I could easily fast forward by 10 seconds every other minute and didn't lose much. Too much non-Kannada used, so for elderly Kannadigas who don't know any other language, they cannot follow this much. Seriously expected much better than this from Danish. 

Rating: Average

Language: Kannada

Atrangi Re

 From the trailer, I knew this was a triangle love story and not 100% keen to watch but gave company to wifey anyways. However there is a twist. They have made it light-hearted and at times, it is indeed funny. For that, credit does go to the director. Songs and dance sequences were good. Dialog was not very hard-hitting but had weight. There is a spiritual element as well about burning your past to enjoy the present, which wholly makes sense. Acting is ok by Dhanush but Sara has done very well indeed. Tale is relevant I guess since I have heard many such cases in other fiction books. Casting, screenplay, cinematography are all above above average.

Rating: Good

Grown Ups 2

 This one's a ROFL. Much more laugh-ier than the prequel. Some really crazy scenes. Reminded me once more of Scary Movie and other weird-and-yucky-yet-laughy movies that I used to watch about 2 decades ago. Nothing great, not boring just plain American way of life at all levels - school, college, middle-age, old-age, etc. portrayed as a comedy although at times it is downright disgusting.

Rating: Good

Grown Ups

 A light-hearted, feel-good kind of 'Time-pass' movie that you'd want to see. Just five friends from school who spend the long weekend together on lake house along with their families. The usual dirty & lewd American jokes/scenes but it is not overloaded with it. There is a bunch of nice family scenes, kids playing, stuff as well. Nice and simple narration, good location, small-ish tale and good casting/characterizations. Watchable.

Rating: Good

Amma & Appa

 Well. Talk about putting real life into reels at real-time especially at a point in your life when you are at crossroads. Wonder how they did it. But forget the how - the way they have done it is superlative in all aspects. The background score, the animations, the narration style, the simple yet poignant points of view from the parents, etc. Although pitched as a documentary, it might as well be a movie where the main actors are the directors, with no script. Private life made public. (Cuddalore in) India & Germany is both portrayed very well. 

Rating: Good

Language: German/English/Tamil

The Great Indian Kitchen

 The same scenes tend to get boring but the underlying emotions starting to come to surface are portrayed by those repetitive scenes. Hence, in a way, the direction is to be applauded albeit the risk of audience tending to get bored. Superlative acting, dialog & characterization and great portrayal of the female downtrodden-ness in the orthodox Indian families. Only one major song with amazing dance sequence. Mixing the tale with the Sabarimala politics is a simple yet nice garnishing. Rated as U but definitely not in my opinion. 

Rating: Good

Language: Malayalam

They Came Together

 This one's downright crazy movie made by someone who has nice (and weird) sense of humor & who does whatever one wants to do and publish it publicly. Check out the scene about 'Tell me about it' with the bar-tender - the director takes the audience for a ride there, and one wonders if the movie is even real! The tale itself is simple but it is the narration that makes the movie enchanting. I guess there are a lot of spoofs but I don't have much idea about the originals, hence could not relate them. Very akin to Scary Movie and Airplane! genre, and hence watch it with that mindset.

Rating: Good

Hope Springs

 Not a great movie to start a new year. Genre being Comedy, there was hardly any unless one goes ROFL seeing grandparents becoming intimate. Tale is insanely focused on the sexual part of marriage and sounds ridiculous for folks from Eastern part of the world who are more into renunciation stage at that age but the Western folks still want to live like 16 at 60. But the crux of the tale apart, movie-making is excellent: direction, casting, acting, dialog, setting, etc. is all top class.

Rating: Average 

Hungama 2

 Time pass movie, and doesn't have too much of hilarity as was evident in the prequel. Dialogs are flimsy, not much to write home about the acting, editing is thin, music is so-so, casting is ok but location & settings good. Simple enough tale of mix-ups and lies to push the tale around. Some desperate attempt for ROFL but does not really fly high.

Rating: Average

Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar

 Well, this one is like a direct compliment of Dumb and Dumber, the female version though. And it is just as good. Dialogs are absolutely so girly and yet so ROFLy. Characterization is as sloppy. Casting and presentation is equally jovial. Although it starts off like a Bond movie and one wonders if this is even the movie one signed up to see, until Barb and Star come on-screen and take all the limelight. Pockets of scenes are absolutely hilarious. Music, song and dance make it that much more livelier, and the lyrics is comical.

Rating: Must-see

Side-note: Maybe for the first time ever I watched a movie in a theater (see below) as well as one at home!

Sri Jagannatha Daasaru

 Well, I don't remember when I last went to a Morning Show movie in a theater! Perhaps never. And I definitely never went to a theater to see a God/Saint-related movie. Mainly because such movies were hardly made in the era that I live in. Have seen many Dr Raj Kumar's movies based on the lives of Raghavendra Swamy, Kumbhara, Prahallada, etc. and I think there was a time when movies were only based on the divine entities. 

Madhusudhan Havaldar has done an excellent job as a director starting from conception to completion to bring back the era of Hari-dasa to the current era. It was heartening to see the theatre halls sold out for a movie of this genre which does not boast of mainstream actors, no fighting, no violence of whatever kind, no stupid dancing and singing. It was nice to see a movie made by the Brahmin community, about a Brahmin community but not just for the Brahmins, and yet the hall was mostly Brahmins. In fact, some of them were so old and had not been to theaters in many decades for lack of such kind of movies, and some made their way to the multiplexes for the first time in their lives - my father included! 

The movie itself is very well-made: clean, neat, some great casting and superlative acting. The roles performed by Vijaya Dasaru and Gopal Dasaru are perfect. The songs in the form of devotional poems are just right in number and well-spaced out. The tale itself moves quite fluidly and one doesn't get too bored. Nor is the whole tale crunched into one movie - it is good that there will be a sequel.

Hum Do Hamare Do

Pastime. Dialogs very flimsy. Songs, background, location, casting all good. Acting by most is ok-dokey but the doctor has performed his role to perfection & with right emotions. A simple & an unwanted lie makes the crux of the movie. If truth was spoken, then I guess there was no tale at all!

Rating: Average

Foto

 On imdb, it says "Foto Is A Super Hit Award Winning Bollywood Kids Comedy Movie" but in my hmdb, this is one very average documentary about films. Gets very boring at times because there is just knowledge about movies being shown as a narration in every scene. Definitely give this a miss and its not regrettable. Only the location setting is good. And also if you are interested to know how movies are made.

Rating: Average

Language: Hindi

Joji

 I was forewarned that it was a dark movie. And indeed it is. Set amidst lush greenery, the urge for freedom - financially and in life - stands out as very poignant. Dialog, narration, acting, direction, location, casting - everything is good. But somewhere that punch seems to be missing. Watchable once but nothing great about it.

Rating: Average

Language: Malayalam

10 Horas para o Natal (10 hours for Christmas)

 Daughter made us watch a kids' movie along with her for Children's Day! After browsing a bunch of animations, we finally chose on this which seemed to be nice. It was indeed, but very amateur in film-making. In the end, there is some fantasy too, which the kids like but the adults have to just shut the mind! Dialog is very thin, over-acting by many but the tale makes one sit through. 

Rating: Average

Language: Portuguese

A Nice Girl Like You

 An English rom-com after a really long time. It is based on the memoir Pornology. Hence, although a nice decent movie, exercise caution as to with whom you watch. Neatly made although the topic is not so. Casting is good. Dialog is edge-case humor & sometimes classy, but not ROFL comical. Watchable out of curiosity.

Rating: Average

Ikkat

 A good laugh although at times it is rather stretched imagination. Characterization is good, and the players have played their respective parts very well. Simple tale, single location, low budget - reminded me of Bheja Fry. The lyrics and songs are quirky. Graphics animation is catchy. 

Rating: Good

Language: Kannada

Mimi

 Broaching on a sensitive topic with a mild touch of humor, this tale is not short on enough twists and turns to ensure a tight narration that keeps the audience glued. A simple enough tale but different characters coming from different parts (couple of foreigners, a Delhi taxi driver, a Rajasthan wannabe Bollywood star, a divorcee, their families, etc.) makes the tale very poignant especially considering how one child becomes the center of all of their universe. Direction, music, acting, editing, dialog - good, location - excellent. All in all, doesn't feel like a waste of time.

Rating: Good

Language: Hindi

Marley & Me

 A nice movie which will stay on in the minds long after the movie ends. Although a very simple tale of 'the most disobedient dog', the parallel lives of the owners makes it all the more interesting - especially the parts about how a reporter doesn't want to be a columnist but becomes good at it and the eventual shift to being a reporter doesn't sound interesting after all, the move from Florida to Philadelphia, the friend's career growth, etc.. Very nice narration, editing and both Owen & Jennifer have done very good justice to the characters. And of course, the dog too. 

Rating: Good

Sara'S

 Mediocre movie although started off with a lot of promise. A simple enough topic though. Very few twists and turns. But nice dialog and very nice settings - loved the home decor (all homes!). Almost predictable future. A clean movie but not much of an entertainer.

Rating: Average

Language: Malayalam

Ustad Hotel

 Well, a movie with a social message. Few parts of the movie are superfluous. The tale is sufficient to keep the audience attentive. Not too many songs and dance sequences. Acting by Dulquer & Thilakan is professional. Some philosophies propounded are food for thought too!

Rating: Good

Language: Malayalam

Love Action Drama

Well, hoped this would be a nice rom-com but realized within a few minutes that this was not really up to the mark. Yet, went through the movie in entirety. Not worth it at all. There is booze scene every 3rd minute or so, too much of alcohol & cigarette shown - even when not necessary. Hardly anything in the movie at all. One guy going behind one gal and god knows what the gal found in him. In my opinion, there is neither romance nor comedy in this one. 

Rating: Average

Language: Malayalam

Sanju

 A very well-made movie - just like all others of Rajkumar Hirani movies (3 Idiots, Munna Bhai MBBS, PK, etc.). But more than the movie-making, the tale itself is fascinating and deserves a watch. I never knew Sanjay Dutt had such a wild life! It reminded me of Jordan Belfort (The Wolf of wall Street), and SD seems to be an Indian version! Anyways, the director has amalgamated different characters into single personas (like different positive friends into one, different negative friends into one, etc.) nicely and added enough light-hearted comedy to keep the audiences titillated. Ranbir Kapoor is excellent as Sanjay Dutt. The dig at media is so-true and pointed. All in all, a movie definitely worth a watch.

Rating: Good

Shaadi Mubarak

 The director has tried hard to make it a romantic comedy and almost succeeds but patches of overacting, unwanted scenes or rather improperly edited sequences, etc. makes it fall flat. What could have become hilarious, ends up being mediocre. Even though one can see where the movie is easily leading to, the climax lacks the punch it deserves. First half of the movie seems to be just the couple going in a car around Hyderabad. However, a nice time-pass. Doesn't bore due to constant happenings (make-up/break-up).

Rating: Average

Language: Telugu

Behen Hogi Teri

 A light-hearted, rom-com about neighbourhood boys being brothers instead of eligible bachelors. Shades of 'The Girl Next Door' but not much. Otherwise, very clean movie with a tale that gets entangled and entangled until the knot gets too tightened at the climax, which is perfect fitting for the movie to end. Good dialog, narration, casting, acting, setting, location, etc. which makes this a nice and simple entertainer for a boring Sunday. Not great but suffices.

Rating: Good

Parasite

 Amazon classifies this movie as "Tragicomedy" and it was the first time I had heard that word. The movie is exactly that - although more of the former than the latter. From the tale perspective, the viewer can somewhat foresee what is coming in the next few minutes, so there is not much of a surprise element - only maybe midway through when an astonishing event occurs after which "it" (positive vibes, I mean) spirals downward. But the movie indeed is very well taken - the lives of the rich and the poor, especially. Narration, setting, casting, acting, dialog are all top-notch. Worth the watch. But, in my movie, not all that great to win the Best Picture award in the Oscar...

Rating: Good

Language: Korean

Saand Ki Aankh

 Came across this movie by chance and boy, am I glad. Truly unbelievable that a couple of grandmas entered into shooting sport and started winning medals! While the tale itself is catchy, the film-making is full of elan too. Nice screenplay, dialog, setting and direction, good background score and light humour too. A little bit of over-acting but pardonable. Sports movies are usually nice but this one has an added touch of 'true-story'. And of course, the oppression and for the revolt.

Rating: Must-see

Ananthu vs Nusrath

 No clue why this is tagged a romcom. It is just rom with no com as such. However, a clean movie with no underrated jokes or acting (except for one character who comes for about 5 mins). A simple love story with law and court as a background. Entire movie spans across three cases, out of which two of them are family court cases. At the beginning one gets the feeling it is Hindu vs Muslim movie with an obvious ending but it is not really so. And for that, the direction and narration is above par. 

Rating: Good

Language: Kannada

C/o Kancharapalem

 Well, this one's a sinusoidal wave. The vibes start neutral, then go up all the way till interval, then start crashing down rapidly till it hits the trough and then slowly comes up a little bit and finally ends. Movie-making is good in terms of narration, acting, casting, location, background score, lyrics, etc. Poignant, and stays on long after movie ends. 

Rating: Good

Language: Telugu

7 Days in Entebbe

 Well, the 'true story' itself seems to be more thrilling than the movie, what with hijack and hostage and rescue mission. But the movie pales. Lackluster dialog, punch-less action, etc. makes this movie avoidable. The only 'catchy' thing is the 'artistic' touch by the director - be it the dance or the last part when the credits come.

Rating: Average

Bell Bottom

 A different kind of a Kannada tale set in the 90s and amidst quaint little villages. Well-made crime/mystery movie with good catchy dialog. Slightly humorous. A lot of characters are sprinkled and it looks like wild goose chase but it all fits in with some magical (maybe even fictional) powder. Doesn't bore. Casting and acting are just about perfect. Background score is soothing. Well worth the watch.

Rating: Good

Language: Kannada

Green Book

 Superbly acted, nicely directed and I have no clue how they can set up the location so closely resembling to the 1960s. Screenplay and dialog are a treat. The fact that this is a true-story is remarkable. This one definitely stays with you long after you watched it. One has to watch it to understand the racism.

Rating: Good

Jathi Ratnalu

 This one's a ROFL from start to finish! Amazing dialog, dialog delivery, screenplay, editing, narration, direction, casting, etc. Wholesome entertainer, that will make you keep your smile even days after watching the movie.

Rating: Must-see

Language: Telugu

Aanandam

 Take a college, add trip, put Goa in the itinerary, sprinkle some romance here and there and the tale is bound to be awesome. Rest is left to the director to stitch them all together to make it a beautiful, clean entertainer - as blissful as the title itself. Light-hearted romance, fun-loving characters, rib-tickling dialog, beautiful locations, great casting and acting. Leaves you with a smile. Well worth the watch.

Rating: Good

Language: Malayalam

Elleidde illi Tanaka

 Starts off as a Rom Com but essentially it is a full tale of lies that climaxes with all truths coming out. Good dialog delivery by Srujan. The stunts are absolutely unneeded. Just for the blood-loving crowd, I guess. Dance sequences are good. Song and music and rest-everything are average. Time-pass.

Rating: Average

Yuvarathnaa

 Typical masala movie but one can sense an underlying message about the Governtment-run colleges becoming dry facing stiff competition from Private colleges. But the movie fails in being closer to reality. Because it becomes one college against another. The heroic part (read fighting sequences) is only to gather the masses. There are few twists and turns but at one point it becomes just pure action. Some of the dialog is good though - very closely related to Puneet Rajkumar. The tale is good enough to be a movie but maybe it could have been done better.

Rating: Average

Drishyam 2

 Wow, Jeetu does it again! What a corker of a movie! It starts slow with no inkling of things to come. Almost like an Alistair MacLean novel, the punch is in the last few minutes and the 'wow-ness' explodes exponentially! Stellar acting by the same cast. Felt the editing could have been better, and easily reduced the roll by about 30 minutes to make it even more tighter. Nevertheless, another marvelous film in all its entirety - direction, casting, acting, screenplay, story, cinematography, background score, dialog, etc. And to integrate an equally suspenseful thrilling tale in an already fully baked suspenseful thrilling tale is never an easy task. In fact, impossible but Jeetu has stitched it all so beautifully. Just amazing. 

Rating: Must-see

Language: Malayalam

Captain Phillips

 Had never seen a pirate (nor a ship-hijack) movie before, and this one was invigorating. Editing could have been better, a lot of scenes could have been avoided and the movie could have been shorter. Cinematography is straining with moving camera, am not a big fan of that. Thankfully it stops after some time. The fact that this is a true story is chilling, thinking what the Captain has gone through. And the Navy Seals, of course, are amazing! After the hijack happens, the movie becomes nail-biting. Definitely worth a watch.

Rating: Good

Chappad Phaad Ke

 A homely middle-class movie. Liked the casting and innocent acting amidst the web of lies. Although tagged as comedy, not much humour. Narration is clean and simple. Time-pass., watchable Editing could have been better and cut short the movie by 30 minutes.

Rating: Good

Angrezi Medium

 After having seen the Hindi Medium, always wanted to see this 'sequel' although it is just in the name. This one is equally good. Although at times it seems to be more like a 'Comedy of errors' except that it is not much of comedy. Just superficially light humour. But the acting from each and every single person is good. Location and setting is homely and the dialog+dialect makes this movie worthy of watch. 

Rating: Good

1917

 This movie has to be seen only for the two long takes! Undoubtedly the best cinematography experience ever. The entire movie is taken as if one one shot (from the experience of the actor) but one can make out the break in between. That's ok because narration had to move from evening to night. Tale itself is simple but everything is in the film-making. The setting is superb especially with the dead bodies and rats going in and out. Reminded me of Behind Enemy Line and No Man's Land. I wonder how each actor had memorized the script and how well each person acted at his allotted time & place - even though it is a movie, it is made so realistically.

Rating: Good

Adrift

 An unbelievable true story of Tami Ashcraft who survived on the ocean on a broken yacht for 41 days. And it is not just the tale that is fascinating, even the film-making is superlative. The cinematography is fantastic. The scene where the camera-man falls from the cliff along with the hero into the beautiful river is just breath-taking, and so are the 40-foot wave scenes which is on the same likes of Life of Pi and Titanic. In fact, the very first scene itself is one long continuous shot which underlines what's to come. Add to this the beautiful location of Tahiti and ever-changing colourful horizon plus very natural acting by the two protagonists makes this a nice complete package.

Rating: Good

Coolie No. 1 (2020)

 As flimsy as the old Govinda Coolie No. 1 because the director is same who just likes to make an entertainer - no heavy stuff, not too dramatical or tragical. This one's very much on the likes of David Dhawan's movie-making. I used to definitely like his 1990s flicks with Govinda. And this one with his son in the lead role, I could not let it pass by. Total time pass. Not too hilarious nor too boring. Dialog is witty.

Rating: Average

Silly Fellows

 Time pass movie. Not ROFL hilarious, but slightly rib tickling, sometimes really funny and at times too silly. Light-hearted, watchable. Nothing great though.

Rating: Average

Language: Telugu

Inji Iduppazhagi

 A nice romantic comedy. Rib-tickling dialog, excellent casting and acting, good direction with some exceptional film-making, catchy music and springy dance sequences. Not a "wow", and the ending can easily be figured out. But still the film scores good for a wholesome entertainer.

Rating: Good

Language: Tamil (also made in Telugu as Size Zero)

The Founder

 Well, came to a know a lot about McD after seeing this movie. I really didn't know all that history. Its a pity how it was snatched from the real "founders". The movie, though, is neatly made although Michael Keaton really looks old. But casting for the other characters seems to be just perfect looking at the real people's snaps. Narration, direction, location all are just fine. A movie that is not great nor is too boring - seems to be more of a grim documentary than an entertainer.

Rating: Average

Sab Kushal Mangal

 Time-pass movie. A tale that doesn't have any suspense, for the ending is very clear within first 10-15 minutes of the movie. Rest of the 120 odd minutes is just about filling the gaps! But what clicks in this movie is the film-making - very natural, very lively, dialog, casting, acting, location (a town called Colonelganj in UP), background score, songs (including lyrics) and music. Direction is ok-dokey. Climax is very amateurish and could have been done better.

Rating: Average

Nishabdham

 Very amateurish. Starts off (and I guess it is intended to be) horror-ish, thrill-ish but soon the thrill and suspense tapers off. Almost yawn-ish. Tale is still good though and so is the casting & acting. Cinematography is good too but the direction & story-telling could have been tightened up. But a very bold idea of a Telugu movie set completely in US - even with US actors. That definitely deserves an applause.

Rating: Average

Language: Telugu

Ee Nagaraniki Emaindi

Total time-pass, light-headed, easy-dialog and screenplay. Rib-tickling, at times. Crazy out-of-the-world lyrics. Pleasant and fluid narration. Great location setting (Goa). Very logical and typical (boy) friends gang. Good acting by all - especially by the guys when they are drunk - very natural. Worth a watch.

Rating: Good

Language: Telugu

Playing it Cool

  A romcom about writing a romcom! Fantastic direction, film-making and story-telling - very creative indeed. Not much to write about the tale itself - its all very evident from start to finish. But crux is in how it all happens and how it is narrated. Dialog is catchy, friendships are shown very well, locations are great. Especially feels good when you have lived in most of those places (SoCal and SFO)! Well worth the watch.

Rating: Good

Anjaam Pathiraa

  A whodunit that keeps you on the edge from scene 1. No non-sense, no songs, no dance, no romance, no comedy - pure whodunit and whats-gonna-happen next thriller. Resembled Alistair McLean's story-telling - which usually starts off with a thrilling plot and the source of it all is known only at the very end. Superb acting, direction, narration - you name it, you have it.

Rating: Good

Language: Malayalam

Bheeshma

This one's a ROFL genre handled very sensibly with a delicate topic of organic farming vs chemical based farming. Every department of film-making is superlative - acting by one and all (including the farmers), screenplay, direction, casting, background score, cinematography, location, choreography, music, dialog - you name it. A wholesome entertainer and totally worth the watch.

Rating: Must-see

Language: Telugu

The Theory of Everything

 Never knew about what Stephen Hawking went through until I saw this movie. The only thing that I knew was that he was wheel chair ridden with magically voice coming out of his machine-of-sorts! This movie concentrates more on his personal life than his genius, which is ok. Even the genius part too is covered - how can it not - but not in whole lot detail, which makes sense because the general public will not be on the wavelength to understand anyways! Acting is superb - very difficult owing to the disability. Rest of the crew has done a great job too. Definitely worth the watch - for Hawking's sake!

Rating: Good

Ammachi Yemba Nenapu

 Well, ok-dokey movie. Watchable only to see the customs followed in the Kundapur area of Karnataka with a different Kannada dialect. Set in a remote village, the movie is a tale of three women intertwined within the vicinity of the area in which they live. Suffice it to say that it is not an entertainer. The acting is great by one and all, especially the old one. Dialog is fine, screenplay is average, nothing much to write about cinematography - he tries to make do when there are songs. Almost like Thithi. Ending was like an anti-climax, and we were like 'That's it?!'

Rating: Average

Evaru

 Wow, what a movie! This one's a cracker from scene 1. Excellent background score to match the thrilling sequence of events that unfold with twists and turns every few minutes. Screenplay, direction, acting, casting, location, story, etc. all are top-notch. The ending reminded me of Birbal but this one's even more thrilling.

Rating: Must-see

Language: Telugu