Mulan 2

A movie-with-the-daughter day! Based on the success of Mulan, we thought we might as well see the sequel and expected the same. Alas, it wasn't all that great. In fact, the very foundation with which the tale starts (that of getting more troops of the neighbouring kingdom to scare the Mongols) is not shown to its fruition. But animation is good and dialog has the necessary humor. Watchable, for the kiddos.
Rating: Average

PS: With this, we clocked 20 movies in the month of May 2020. I guess that's a new record - although I had not officially tracked before!

Love Aaj Kal (2020)

An interesting tale, or actually two tales of romance: one set in 1990s and another in the current. At times, the purity of it all is a treat to watch - esp the 1990s one - and then there is the lust, which is sad to watch. Both the tales go almost hand-in-hand, almost like Rang De Basanti. For that style of narration and direction, this movie is indeed worth a watch. Amongst all of the characters, the couple of the 1990s lingers even after the movie...
Rating: Good

What If

Romcom in it's purest form. What makes this movie tick is intelligent dialog in almost all the scenes - which reminded me of Before Sunrise. A lot of conversation from scene 1 and the screenplay had to be solid  - and a great job done! Direction is good, Daniel is awesome in his role & so are the others. Nice touch in the locations - Toronto, Dublin - the lake, the parks, the cafes, the bar, the wedding on the boat, etc. 
Rating: Good

Housefull 4

In movies like these, one-liners and dialog should tickle and this one definitely ticks. Added bonus is a reincarnation tale of fulfilling love lives and it is in fact, not bad at all. Especially how the 'memory returns' happens for each of the character. The comedy is almost like an added ingredient to this complex tale due to the mix-up in the love lives of the reincarnated couples as compared to 600 years ago when they were about to get married. Extremely grand production - almost in the lines of Sanjay Leela Bhansali - and one gets a feeling that it resembles Om Shanti Om except that this is Housefull series - and lives up to the mark!
Rating: Good

Android Kunjappan Ver 5.25

Sooper! What a unique tale! Just unbelievable - one has to see it to believe it. Amazing set of emotions, local Kerala village lifestyle and conversations, etc. Full credits for the casting team and acting. One-off dialogs, few scenes here and there - like throwing the soap away - are all not really relevant to the tale but very catchy. 
Rating: Good
Language: Malayalam

Mean Girls 2

And here I go again like the last one - just because the prequel is good doesn't necessarily mean the sequel is going to be just as good. In fact, there is one twist here though. The prequel here is almost exactly the same as the sequel - same story line: newbie to school, just innocent, gets in the way of Plastics, becomes like one of them, realizes the flaw and gets back to being herself. The prequel when I saw was like a decade and half ago and now, decade and half later, this kind of movie doesn't tingle me the way it did back then. Maybe it was even how I saw the prequel and how I saw the sequel. Everything matters. So, again, nothing wrong with the script, the movie, casting, etc. Its just...
Rating: Average

Note: I clocked two movies per day for the last 4 days. Not sure why though. As if there is nothing else better to do. Worst part is none of the 8 movies were a Must-see. In fact, 7 of them were 'Average'.

😞

Shubh Mangal Zyada Savdhan

Well, just because the prequel was good - doesn't necessarily mean the sequel will be as good. And moreover, this one's not even my cup of tea kinda movie - and I cannot even relate to it. Nothing wrong with the movie, script, acting, location though. It scores big, but just not my type. Although I did feel the father casting could have been someone more powerful like how we had Amrish Puri. Neena Gupta, though, is my all time fav and she tops the chart.
Rating: Average

The Tuxedo

Felt like watching a JC movie after a long time. Alas, these new JC movies are so unlike his yesteryear-ones when he was still young. This one's again filled with fantasy moves - which are all orchestrated with artificial & invisible ropes, and computer graphics unlike his original stunts. Anyways, it was ok - gotten used to it now. Not too much humor in this one, again unlike his other movies. So, all in all, pretty average - except for the 2-minute fast-car scene.
Rating: Average

Humshakals

A typical Sajid Khan movie. Slight rib-tickling humor, lavish mansions, 3-4 couples, lots misunderstandings, few men acting like girls and, of course, as the title says - look-alikes. Another Keep-The-Brains-Out movie, total time pass and light entertainer for a lazy day.
Rating: Average

Pihu

Full marks for the two-year-old and for the director who has pulled this off. This one's definitely made for the awards & rightly so, it won a few. Of course, since the narrative is about the doings of a 2-year-old, it kind of gets slow at times, so better to have the remote handy to fast-forward frequently. But director has added enough spice to keep it Riveting & Edge-of-seat. Definitely worth a watch - at least for Pihu's sake! Although this seems to be inspired by true events, the only part of inspiration is of 'a small child staying at home all alone'. The other happenings in the movie do not seem to have happened in real-life.
Rating: Good

The Rebound

Wife's choice of a rom com but this one's more of a rom. Not much com. Children in the movie is almost like the center of attraction but they are kind of made to talk like adults. In fact, I should say 'adult talks' - which is somewhat amusing and at the same time disgusting. Like in any usual romantic movie, it goes from nothing to something to everything and then nothing and this one's ends with something. And that's pretty much it. Nothing great, nothing bad.
Rating: Average

Mooru Guttu Ondu Sullu Ondu Nija

Movie in it's entirety is about girls wanting to hide their boy friends and boys wanting to hide their girl friends and Ramesh acts the part of the in-between and bridges all gaps. Until Ramesh arrives, the movie barely moves. Once Ramesh arrives, it kind of starts crawling. The aunt's role is both annoying and at times tickling. The movie is watchable somehow though. Pretty average written all over the movie. 

Happy Phirr Bhag Jayegi

Well, I hadn't seen the prequel but I guess it doesn't really matter. Some total time pass & KTBO (Keep The Brains Off) kind of movie. Not much humour but barely passes through. Some weird ideas of jail-break (while a simple request should have sufficed), going-around-China in search of a guy, etc. Nothing much in the movie to spend valuable time. Save it for something else.
Rating: Average

Mayabazar 2016

Wow, what a movie! I hadn't seen (if I had, I don't remember) a Kannada con movie. Con movies are always my fav but still it needs to be made the right way. And this one's just perfect. Not too many twists and turns and yet sufficient enough to keep one on tenterhooks. Substantial amount of comedy, romance, thrill and drama to make a great movie. It starts off in a nondescript manner in a cheap bar but ends in Bangkok, Thailand - and the tale in-between is just awesome.
Rating: Must-see

Good Newwz

Wow, what a movie! I mean, the main theme itself is rib-tickling and there are enough juicy spots to hit the humor but someone still had to do the job well. Like getting 150 runs in a 50 over match. Yes, you can do it but how well do you do it. A wholesome entertainer & one that made me laugh after a really long time. Punchlines are awesome. The film scores pretty much on everything - dialog is uber super. Setting & location is so exotic - Mumbai actually! Dance and songs are Punjabi classic and makes you dance even while sitting! Casting is great but one gets the feeling maybe AK could have been replaced by someone younger although AK does great justice to his role too. Special shout-out to Kiara Advani - she has ripped off a brilliant character. Cinematography, direction, narration, tale - everything is right off the top of chart. Not to be missed.
Rating: Good

Dear Zindagi

Well, wifey's choice. Extremely ok-dokey. Somehow managed to sit through. Alia was the savior though. She has done a commendable job in this coming-of-age tale about 'opening-up' to psychiatrists. Felt almost four-fifths of the movie was a drag and the only interesting part came during the last 30 minutes or so. Movie-making has no issues - but the tale itself is thin. Dialog isn't that catchy either - yawny. Barely watchable.
Rating: Average

Rama Rama Re

An extremely well-made movie. Had come across the superb Kelu Krishna song long ago but got the chance to see the movie only today - and what a nice movie it is! Slow-moving yet moving on a tight-line rope. Easy-budgeted with hardly any glamour and yet extremely professional in terms of film-making. Narration, cinematography, direction, screenplay, lyrics all fluidly coming together to make a great movie. Ending could have been moulded better for audience's taste. After the movie, came across the director Satya Prakash's profile, and he seems to have loads of talent. Awaiting to see more of what he has to offer...
Rating: Good

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

Very interesting movie indeed. In fact, when it started, I thought it was a documentary - esp when Tom Hanks started showing how magazines are made! But it is indeed a nice movie. It is based on the story of Fred Rogers and the article written about it. After watching the movie, I researched on Fred, and what a nice and saintly man he seems to have been! Tom has played the role to perfection. It is definitely worth a watch at least to get to know Fred. He does give a piece of advice on how to lead life and treat others. A very philosophical movie.
Rating: Good

Sanaadhi Appanna

Wanted to see Dr Raj movie since it was quite some time. Although his acting is a treat to watch, the movie didn't seem to live up to him. Did not score much on the entertainment part - with the tale going from happy to sad to absolute despondency, immersed deep in family troubles! Hence, not worth a watch. Although, the Shehnai parts are a treat to the ears though - all thanks to Ustad Bismillah Khan who has rendered it behind-the-scenes. 
Rating: Average

Bala

Ayushmann Khurrana definitely gets unique story lines! Like SMS this one too borders along the lines of a romance that goes awry - and all the while with quirky, witty dialog that keeps one smiling all through the 130 odd minutes - right from beginning till the end. Everything about the movie is great - the storyline, the casting, the location, acting, background score, screenplay, effects, romantic punch-liners, etc. Definitely worth a watch - and time spent well!
Rating: Must-see