Birbal (Trilogy Part 1)

A good watch. The last 5 minutes kind of solves all the jigsaw puzzles in such a quick fashion that one has to watch from the beginning to understand the full sequence of events. There are spies and double-agents and the tale gets thicker and thicker but the method of solving is appreciable. The lead roles have done their part and to be frank, Mr MG Srinivas is one heck of a talented person to have directed, written and contributed to screenplay too. Sound was kind of muffled all through, as if echo-ed. Only one song, so that's great editing for a thriller. For a Kannada movie, this one's great a big stride forward! The background score is superb, just as it should be for an edge-of-seat movie, like the Bourne series.
Rating: Good

Love Aaj Kal (2008)

After having watched the 2020, I was interested to see the prequel. Very interestingly, the prequel storyline is also the same! In the sense, a restaurant owner recalls his own love story of the yester-decade to the current couple who are unsure of their relationship! Unlike the 2020 movie, the 2008 movie has very little of the yester-decade tale although that is the one which has more depth. Watchable. A romantic drama of confused 'love' relationships. Saif's acting is awesome. The song in which Saif goes from all gaga to all sadness within 5 minutes is taken very brilliantly.
Rating: Good

PS: Interesting observation is that in 2008 movie, the restaurant owner talks to Saif Ali Khan about his past. In 2020 movie, the restaurant owner talks to Sara Ali Khan who is Saif's real-life daughter!

Mundina Nildhana

Dialog is mediocre. Casting is good. Cinematography is nice. Although set in Bangalore and Sakleshpura, one gets the feeling it is abroad - such is the location setting, so full credits! Tale weaves in and out between love and relationships. Pretty common amongst current generation, I guess. The interesting part is where some of the tales get interwoven. Ending is definitely different compared to the many 'triangle' tales - but not much juice in the movie, I felt.
Rating: Average

Gone Kesh

Having watched Bala recently, didn't feel much like watching another movie of the same genre but finally thought it was sufficient gap and hence forged ahead! This happened to be a very nice movie indeed. Set in Siliguri, the pace of the movie was slow but just enough to not make it boring. Easily it could have been edited further down by 15-20 minutes shorter but pardonable. Acting by one and all is great and freshly innocent. The average middle class life & the bonding of the husband and wife has been portrayed very well and so is the innocent college crush by the young guy. Very much worth a watch.
Rating: Good

Aruvi

Deep, very deep. Excellently made, great narration. The father-daughter part really touches the heart. Superb acting by one and all. Total time-pass at certain parts but it is ok. Almost like as if it is needed. Very sad, though. But it is what it is. Totally worth the watch. In fact, highly recommended.
Rating: Good
Language: Tamil

Gulabo Sitabo

Have to confess - had extremely high hopes of this movie. Maybe because of AK and AB. But nothing great about it. In fact, they should have named it as 'Fathima Mahal' because the entire movie is about that Haveli and everyone trying to get it. The dilapidated condition of the Haveli (which we are forced to see) for two full hours is itself a tough thing to do. A big eye-sore. But there is a point in the story - on how attached one gets to one's place of stay. Natural, local-style acting & location is worth the watch. And the background score is pleasant to hear. But other than that, nothing much in this tale to see.
Rating: Average

Julayi

Well, well, well. I was misinformed that this one's comedy. In fact, even Google says 'Comedy/Action'. But there is definitely a lot less of comedy and heck lot of action. Sadly even action that doesn't even seem real. Strange thing about this movie is that it is too logical at times and at the same time, it is to illogical at several times - illogical like how movies were made in the 1990s. Its almost like there were two directors - one super intelligent and one super dumbo - and they each got different scenes done at different times and editor added it all up without checking! Anyways. What makes this movie tick is dialog and the 'Hero' element. Almost like Jason Bourne. Very much a masala movie made for the masses. The mediocre laps up these kind of movies which has songs, dances, romance right in the middle of what should supposedly have been a simple-yet-intense revenge story. Not my kind.
Rating: Average
Language: Telugu

Khandaani Shafakhana

This one's wee bit different. Full marks for the story, direction and acting. And dialog especially because of the nature of the theme. Yet, everything done pretty clean and neat without unnecessary gory details. Badshah's first movie as an actor and he has done a good job at it. Pity that the movie didn't well in Box office. Seemed like pretty nice movie to me. Watchable for all that is considered as 'taboo'.
Rating: Good

Jawaani Jaaneman

Movie reminded me of Oldboy first, and then since it had more of light-hearted humor than violence - Maama Mia. But it eventually turned out to be an original movie with its own narration. Although the main theme can easily be Googled, the parallel realty tale is the 'supporting story' which was needed to tie everything together. Some highly embarrassing-and-hence-comical scenes which are well directed and acted. But the one thing that stood out in the movie is the cinematography. Although nothing much on the location and scenery - the way the camera moves fluidly from one location to the other, even inside the hospital, is superb. Hats off to 'Manoj'!
Rating: Good

Neighbors 2

Well, I thought I hadn't seen this movie but there were many scenes in the movie which brought back memories. Anyways. What makes this movie tick is the dialog. Very witty and whacky. Just like the prequel, it is entertaining from the get-go. Typical collegiate movie with pretty much the same theme.
Rating: Good

Egg

The title seemed captivating but the tale wasn't so much. The whole story happens inside 4 walls and the breadth of the movie is conversations between two couples - and how the narration takes the tale from 'inseparable' to 'divorce' to 'extra-marital'. Hints of 12 Angry Men. Some of the conversations are boring, some are nice and some are like 'do folks even talk like this' type! Not worth the time on this...
Rating: Average

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

Jagajyothi Basaveshwara

It being Basava Jayanthi, wifey thought it best to watch the life history of Basavanna. She came across this 1959 old black and white Kannada movie. Although I initially thought I will not see, I ended up seeing it since it seemed good enough. Some of the scenes, dialog and acting were indeed very powerful. The "true story/biopic" attracted me. Worth a watch for what Basavanna went through.
Rating: Good

Kumbalangi Nights

A very different movie with extremely different spectrum of characters - all blended to make one great tale. Awesome narration by the director - with each character having his or her own orbit of tales and all orbits encompassing to make one great Universe. Superb acting by one and all. One can easily see the professionalism by each crew of the movie. This one has it all the right ingredients - drama, suspense, little bit of humor, romance, horror, etc. Definitely worth a watch.
Rating: Good
Language: Malayalam

Fidaa

Wifey chose this to watch a Sai Pallavi movie (of the Maari-2 Rowdy Baby super song-dance sequel). Fidaa (maybe Telugu original but we saw the Hindi dub version) is a very simple love-hate-love tale between brother-in-law and sister-in-law. Extremely amateurish direction. Loose dialog and script. As well as most parts of film-making and even acting (except maybe Sai Pallavi who clearly shines all through). The hero is irksome to watch at times. Movie kinda falls flat but you can pass through it yawning all the way. Definitely avoidable.
Rating: Average

Love Mocktail

Saw in a random whatsapp message that Love Mocktail is the opposite of Dia and it is tangentially true although here there are more than 2 love stories! While the first one is the most humorous, second less so and so it goes on - still the movie fares well enough as a "RomCom". Very clean, neat and in all likelihood the story of most young guys. Worth a watch on a lazy weekend. Has good amount of humour but does slightly gets boring and a wee bit of sluggishness in the middle and I was like 'Is it still Intermission?' but one can sit through with a little bit of patience. All aspects of movie-making gets credits too.
Rating: Good

Gully Boy

Well, I am not a fan of rap music, so I always postponed watching this movie which I knew was based on rap artists - kinda first-of-its-genre in Hindi music arena. But, today when I finally watched it - it is indeed a very well-made movie & totally worthy of all the awards that it has garnered. Superb acting by one and all - not just Ranveer & Alia. Setting (or Dharavi) has been very well portrayed. Characterization of Alia is superb, especially her J factor! Lyrics of most raps is worth a second hearing. Screenplay is absorbing & narration is easy-going. Definitely worth a watch.
Rating: Must-see

Dia

Well, it started off differently - much differently than what is usually portrayed in movies. Kinda felt it was Slow though. But catchy. And then moved from one emotion to another - which are all very well shown: butterfly feeling in the stomach, fast heartbeat, shaky legs, depths of sadness by loss of life, etc. And then the tale moved towards the expected jerk. And more slowness. And some hope some where. And then some twisty, quirky emotions. And then another jerky end which I personally felt could have been made better. Overall, a very clean and neat movie with nice dialog. Characterization, casting and acting is well directed. The female introverty character has been very well portrayed by Kushi. Watchable once, if no other better option.
Rating: Average 

Brochevarevarura

Wow! What a stunner! This one's one of the purest best! It starts off very calm and soothing and then the plot thickens and thickens, and intertwines and suddenly you will get a jerk midway through the movie, and then the jerks continue making you come to the edge of the seat, and that's how the movie can ultimately be tagged: And edge-of-the-seat comical thriller! Simply brilliant in narration, concept, direction, casting & acting. A definite must-watch.

Rocket

I somehow like Sathish Ninasam movie. This is the third movie I am seeing of his (Lucia and Kwatle Satisa being the other two), and I have liked all of them so far, including this. Rocket, although somewhat a misnomer, is a very refreshing tale much like Simple Agi Ondh Love Story which quite literally means a simple love story which is what this movie is all about. Dialog & screenplay is the star of this movie. Very entertaining and humorous. Sathish's acting also is very natural and captivating. The heroine too has done justice to the role. The dance & fight sequences although highly unnecessary has been made to fit in quite appropriately just to appeal to the idiotic masses. All in all, a good entertainer, great casting & wonderful direction!
Rating: Good

Thithi

Always wanted to watch this movie since a long time because it had won so many awards. At one point even started to view but scenes were too fuzzy, non-HD, and just didn't feel like it. But today went through with it in entirety. It was enjoyable at the beginning - with the pristine village-ish language, tale, character, costume, etc. But after sometime it became kind of predictable and not-so-worth a watch. Not sure why these kind of movies get so many awards all the time. Better off avoiding it.
Rating: Average

Mulan

To be honest, I didn't have plans to watch this movie with the daughter. Idea was for her to see this and wifey & me to see something else. But when this movie started, it somehow caught the attention and stayed so till the very end. The animation is awesome, the characterization is good, humor is in abundance & story is captivating. So, we were better off watching this movie than anything else! Well worth it!
Rating: Good

Mission Mangal

A top-class movie that breaks down a real-world complex space project into a beautifully explained common-man story with the right amount of science, family-life and humour. Add to this the element of 'true-story' and it is a corker of a tale! And also add some 'Indian masala' as well! Vidya Balan is awesome, as always! That scene of her making poori is super, especially when she says 'SIr, you take over' to her boss! Great job done by the director in architecting it all & his entire crew (casting, cinematography, screenplay, location, story, music, etc.) for taking it beautifully and gracefully over the finish line. A very satisfying watch!
Rating: Good

Chhichhore

Started off like 3 Idiots but then it veered off to parentage. And then it moved back to college days and finally settled down as a sports movie! Quite a spectrum of emotions covered and full kudos to what the director has pulled off in this quite an important topic. In addition to the emotions, he has also brought in real-world experiences of a person moving from high-school grads to college grads to professional adults. Well worth a watch!
Rating: Good

Simple Agi Ondh Love Story

Another Rakshith Shetty movie in the same week! But this one was much better. Much simpler. Kannada literature in this movie is superlative - filled with loads and loads of similes and metaphors. Scenery and location is good - filled with lush greenery and watery spots. Rakshith has done good acting whereas his counterpart seems to have done some overacting - or maybe that's what her directed told to do, not sure. Three love stories are there in the movie although title says just one! Shades of Before Sunrise (talking, talking) & concept from 50 First Dates & Memento (memory-related) but this one goes one notch up - although not much of a comedy nor action thriller. A fresh watch. A surprise was I got to see real-life RJs - thats a nice way to get more audience!
Rating: Good

Avane Srimannarayana

Well, well, well. I am a fan of Rakshit Shetty - thanks to Kirik Party & Ulidhavaru Kandanthe. Hence when this movie made headlines, I was all eager. So much so, that I was even ready to go to the theater - which I rarely do since most movies come on TV within a short period of time anyways. Hence, hopped onto the nearest theater. The movie started. Within a few minutes, I realized this is different. A few more minutes later I felt I was watching a Texan cowboy movie - complete with hats, rifles, desert, etc. Definitely not my type. And then in fight sequences, I could see Jackie Chan's style: witty and creative. Liked it, yes. But then, it became too much - both in terms of fights, violence (chopping off fingers - ewww), loud background score which made it hard to follow, too many hippies (long beards & dirty looking - drinking & shooting), etc. There are twists, yes, it is a very-different-Kannada-movie, yes, but sadly this movie didn't score well in my charts. Rakshit is great - his dialog delivery albeit fast is very natural. Story is a simple gang war tale for a hidden treasure - & one can pretty much predict who gets the loot. And, of course, it definitely has some flaws in the narration. Pardonable though.
Rating: Average

Frozen 2

After a really long time, saw a movie in a multiplex: the last time was in 2016! And it was well worth the wait! Frozen got all three of us enchanted and this sequel kept us enchanted all the way to the Enchanted Forest & out of it too! The magical beauty, the superlative animation, amazing musicals, thick plots and coupled with supreme spirituality - the movie has it all! 
Rating: Good

Super 30

What a man, what a story! Truly very inspiring! The director has done extremely well to bring the story of Anand Kumar to the big screen albeit using dramatical sequences to make it full of Bollywood masala - which totally keeps the audience hooked. And it is not just any ordinary story at that - it is filled with complex mathematics & science concepts brought into day-to-day life. Hrithik Roshan has done justice to the role but somehow I kept feeling that Akshay Kumar was better suited (maybe because of the multiple biopics that AK has recently enacted in - Pad Man, Toilet, etc.)

Rating: Good

Gandondu Hennaru

A nice jovial Rajkumar movie - at least for most part. Initially I was cynical to see the movie since a typical old (black and white) Rajkumar movie is fraught with desolation & despondency with usual happy ending. But this one seemed different & nice time-pass for a lazy Sunday afternoon. At one point it almost seems like an anthology with many short stories but the dots start getting connected at the end. Of course, one has to give leeway for narration and direction to be illogical at various points but for a 1969 movie to be made like the way it is done (sci-fi-ish) without the technology which is available now is really commendable. And yes, no desolation and despondency!
Rating: Good

De De Pyaar De

A nice Hindi rom-com. Very clean and simple, to the point. Dialogs are crispy, scenes are just as much is needed. Excellent editing. Superb acting by each and every one of them - old actors, old actresses, young adults, the entire crew. I guess credit goes to the director. The double-edged witty dialogs are entertaining too. Scenery and setting is fresh. All in all, a nice entertainer.

Rating: Good

Luka Chuppi

New and nice casting, unique theme for a story, fitting religious locations & the right ingredients spiced correctly for a rom com. While the courting seemed to be too short to believe (like in Barfi), it seems to be rightly edited because there is much more in the tale than just courting. The characters involved are perfect too - for a middle class family. Well worth a watch.
Rating: Good

Dongaata

A con movie. Nice, flashy, entertaining, light-hearted. Takes frequent twists that almost makes it edge-of-the-seat but somewhat lacks a little punch to push it to the must-see category. Nevertheless a good enough movie to watch with the family. The last few scenes takes things beyond what could be considered as humanly possible - but then have to give a benefit of doubt to the movies!
Language: Telugu
Rating: Good

Andhadhun

Wow, what a movie! And thats how I always begin my "must-see" movie reviews! And its just not a ritual, these are the exact words that come out of me when I am watching! And this movie is a stunner out of nowhere! Agree, I had heard that it had won the Best background score and best cinematography (amongst other things) - both of which I have to concur, but if I were the judge, I would have given the Best Movie award too! Superb narration, unbelievable plot that kept thickening and thickening with twists and turns every few minutes, and multiple back-stabbings! Gosh, one has to see it to believe it - till the very last scene! Hats off to the entire crew!
Rating: Must-see

Naa Ninna Mareyalare

A lazy Saturday afternoon. Watched a Rajkumar movie with relatives. A waste of time, actually. Not an entertainer nor of any value. But apparently a blockbuster which ran for 25 weeks in the theatres! Perhaps because it resonated with the then love affairs between the "high & mighty" and the not-so...
Rating: Average

Casino

Saw a Robert De Niro & Joe Pesci movie after a long time. When the credits came, realized the heroine was Sharon Stone! Well, the movie didn't impress me that much. The ending is typical of what happens to the bad guys. Character portrayal was still good - as to how Sharon was so much into money and Robert's acting was superlative. The only distinction in how this movie was made is the narrative was not just of one person but of two and sometimes more. That's what made this movie interesting. And, that it is based on a true-story, of course.
Rating: Average

Double Dhamaal

Not that much of an entertainer as seen in the prequel nor the sequel. Nevertheless the plot, as expected, is thick, and filled with loopholes filled with humour although it doesn't generate much laughter. Barely watchable. Dialog is at times rib-tickling like its siblings.
Rating: Average

My Favorite Wedding

A girly movie for the wifey! And as expected, a very pleasanty, smoothy, romantically inclined film. Not too boring, nor much of an entertainer. Good casting & locations. Worth a simple watch.
Rating: Good

Idiocracy

A tale set in 2505 on how humanity would have degenerated & how dumb people would have become. Its humourous. Scarily close to reality - almost has a 50% chance of becoming true! And for that, one has to see the movie! A well made movie - with crisp & funny portrayals of human dumbness! Strictly for adults, though!
Rating: Good

Dhamaal

Inspired by the Part 3, felt like watching Part 1. But this one was not as great as the one I saw couple of weeks ago. This movie also is on similar lines - with money hidden at a point X and a bunch of them running to get it. The ending is copied flat-out from Rat Race. The comedy was not that much rib-tickling. Felt too much overacting at times. Sitting through the entire movie might get tough but survived through it.
Rating: Average

Eurotrip

Well, been ages since I saw this kind of a teen movie which was more adultish than teenish! It is almost in the same genre as American Pie & other such silly, adulty comedy - nevertheless very light hearted, typical US college-goers' life and a easy-going movie for a weekend afternoon! Plus Europe always adds weightage especially now that we have visited ;-)
Rating: Good

Ulidavaru Kandanthe

Hmm, had seen these kind of movies over a decade ago. 11:14, Crash, Cidade de deus, to name a few. But this one was kind of slower, could've edited a bit more and reduced about 30 minutes. Lots of scenes were taken in slow-motion. But nevertheless, a catchy story of intertwined individuals and some good dialog at times. Too much of weed, alcohol, smoking shown - could've reduced but I guess it was to show the angle of 'mafia'. Setting being Udupi & Malpe made it interesting with local culture shown in great detail. Plus certain scenes shown in very different way - like the first fight scene was more like Batman fight sequences. Nice to see a Kannada movie on similar lines of international genre...
Rating: Good

Total Dhamaal

Felt like watching slapstick, no-brainer, wholehearted comedy movie and came across this - & it fit the bill perfectly. Excellent settings, locations & to an extent, even casting. But the award should go to the Dialog. Astoundingly hilarious & rib-tickling. Pretty much all near-death experiences are captured - falling from a building, from a hanging pillar off a crane, sky-diving, crossing a flooding a river and thereon to falling over a waterfall, almost getting hit by a train, driving over a buckling bridge, flying in a helicopter fitted with a ceiling fan(!) & then falling from it while it burned mid-air, getting bitten by vultures in a desert, getting run-down by a car on fire, driving over a cliff, avoiding a head-on collision with a truck, etc. - extremely humorously portrayed & the list goes on and on until the director feels enough is enough, and suddenly it is the climax scene. The idea, of course, is from the English movie Rat Race (which was inspired from It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World) but with Indian masala added to it. All in all, had a great laugh for a lazy Sunday rainy afternoon. Kudos to the crew for churning out a great entertainer. Note how a 4.4/10 on IMDB can actually rate high on HMDB - it is all about when you see what kind of a movie & how! 😉
Rating: Good

RangiTaranga

Wow, what a movie! Its been really long since I started a movie blog like that, isn't it?! The last time was Dec 2016! This one is right up there amongst the all time greats - like Barfi, Lucia, etc. Story is great, makes the audience think in one direction while the story moves in another. Scene one starts off in the middle, hence adds more confusion to the tale - almost making the audience to see the movie once more as soon as it ends because the jigsaws start falling into place one after the other until the very end. It starts off like a scary movie with ghosts and horror scenes, and then a sniff of mystery comes in with a touch of crime. Not much of humor nor a full-blow romance but then that is not the essence of this movie. Because this one is meant to be a thriller. And so it stays till the very end. Great casting, superb location, awesome direction and fantastic story-telling. Definitely must-see! The only sad thing personally was although this is a Kannada movie, I had to see in Hindi-dubbed version 😞

Soorma

Somehow was reluctant to see a sports movie but the 'Based on true story' somehow lured me. And boy, am I glad I saw this movie. An excellent depiction of Sandeep Singh's fascinating story. And equally well made is the movie itself - with all of the typical Bollywood masala. Nice direction, screenplay, acting, casting, etc - all in all, a movie well worth watching.

Rating: Good

Glass

Well, saw a Shyamalan movie after a long time. Last one I saw (I guess) was Unbreakable. Unfortunately I did not know this movie (Glass) was a trilogy (part of Unbreakable, Split, Glass). So I missed most of the plot - but could just about draw the dots. As suspected, a very dark movie - sometimes literally too. Some extreme violence too. Tangential reference to Comic SuperHeroes. Realized not really my kind of movie. Predictable ending. Only great thing about the movie was the dialog of the psychiatrist. Excellent screenplay.
Rating: Average

The 15:17 to Paris

Well, I guess the wiki says it all. "Well-intentioned" but "strained to wring a full-length feature's worth of drama out of [an event] that was over in a few minutes". Most of the movie passes in how a couple of bachelors get to see Europe - very boring. Few scenes on how a wanna-be military man fails miserably in life but yet gets to become a hero - not so boring yet not interesting either. So, once again, a true story which is worth knowing (and highly incredible at that) but not much worth-watching as a movie because it lacks the punch.
Rating: Average

Parmanu: The Story of Pokhran

The movie itself seemed ok-dokey but considering that it is based on true events, it is spectacular even to think how the project got executed under wraps from the "Super Power" USA. So, if one has to see this movie - it is more for the story than the movie. But not to take the credit from John Abraham and party. They have done a decent enough job but it seems too shallow compared to actual characters & events. Watchable once.
Rating: Good

Badhaai Ho

From the time I saw the trailer, I wanted to watch this movie since it seemed like a laugh riot. But the flip side was that the main ingredient (& even the LOL dialog) of the movie was revealed in the trailer itself. So, when I did watch the movie, it was like a joke being told the second time. Yeah, so not really a laugh riot. Yet, the movie is extremely well-made with perfect casting, acting, dialog, story, screenplay, setting & location to suit a real middle class life style. There is an undercurrent of light humor all through - not much with punch to burst into laughter but sufficient to keep a smile on the lips. So, definitely worth a watch.

Rating: Good

Rockstar

Starts off grandly but then falls down steeply and never stops at it. Got a headache watching! Although the story made sense that rockstars cannot have a private life of their own (if I got that right!), it could have been made in much better way. The heroine just didn't know how to act. The hero meeting her on a street immediately after landing in Europe is a scene akin to what we were watching in the 1990s Bollywood. I am really?! Made a big mistake watching this movie.
Rating: Average

Sui Dhaaga: Made in India

Literally translating to the Needle and the Thread which is the starting point for stitching, this movie is superlative in terms of direction, story, acting, setting (the small house, the small "cycleable-only" streets, etc.) & local costumes (pleasant to see Anushka in saree all through the movie!). Showcasing of the pain-points usually faced by the majority of the lower class families in India (such as the cold climate, the lack of money during hospitalization, the long commute to the office, etc.) is heartwarming while at the same time the little bit of romance of the newlyweds is heart-melting. Dialog is crisp and to the point. Songs don't spoil the theme but is more of a background. All in all, a time well spent on a movie well made!
Rating: Good

Fool's Gold

What started out as a simple TV channel-surfing led to this movie just as the opening credits were being displayed. Since it was on the Romedy channel - popular for Romcoms - wifey got interested. But soon she got bored and slept off but I totally enjoyed it because - more than a romcom, it was an adventure movie similar to Indiana Jones and the likes. Complete with Treasure Hunting and Mafia and Sunken ships - this one had the works, especially because the Bad Guys were always one step ahead of the Good Guys, until the climax of course. As a teenager, I was fascinated with such kind of novels and this movie rekindled the old joy albeit this time on screen! The movie itself is excellently depicted, directed and created. Spectacular off-Florida clear water seas & reefs made all the more beautiful with superb cinematography. The start itself is great and it keeps getting better. The romance is more like a spin-off, and it adds flavor to the story. At one point, just like all adventure and thriller movies, the tale starts getting too complicated and hard to follow. Thats when novels are better to understand but nevertheless, this one's a wholesome entertainer!
Rating: Good

Padmaavat

Typical to Sanjay Leela Bhansali's movies - this has grandeur written all over it. Story in itself is captivating - which some say is true and some say is not. Nevertheless, if it is true, it is indeed remarkable. Dialog are short and to the point - worthy of the royalty. Acting by all counterparts are commendable - Deepika has a stern expression most of the screen time and teary-eyed although not crying, not sure why! Watchable but only once. And that too for the historical epic that it is. Of course, thanks to SLB for bringing history books to screen, and in what fashion!
Rating: Good

Monte Carlo

The title sorta is confusing because the movie starts with Texas, moves to Paris, stays in Monte Carlo for a long time and kinda ends in Machu Pichu, Texas and Romania! Total time pass movie about a mistaken identity. Almost like Bollywoodish! Casting isn't all that great. Scenic beauty of all the above cities are taken well. Characterization is ok-dokey. Costuming is good and apt! I guess it was meant to be a "Romcom" but there is less of Com. You can just sit through this one and go where it takes!
Rating: Average

102 Not Out

A set of apparently serious things in a common man's life made humourous in a unique way. The idea and concept is very innovative - especially adding colorful flavor while bordering grave matters of family concern. Simple yet powerful acting by all stakeholders which isn't much anyways. In fact, the movie itself is small & simple yet touches a chord. Worth a watch.
Rating: Good

Gold (2018)

This movie takes "Hockey" from Chak De India and "India's fight to Independence" from Lagaan and churns out a pretty decent narrative. I believe it also has some shades of a few true stories from here and there but the disclaimer in the movie clearly states it is a work of fiction. Akshay Kumar is excellent as always - and rest of the cast has done a great job too. But the tricky thing for the director would have been the set-up required for the pre-Independence era such as the cars, the attire, etc. as well as the European crew required for the 1936 and 1948 Olympic games portrayed in the movie - all of which has been realistically portrayed. Although it lacks the 'wow' of Lagaan, the movie is still good because of the twists and turns - thanks to India's freedom struggle, success and, of course, the Partition. The Indo-Pak relation has been shown in a very warm & brotherly manner which seems so right & natural considering we were all one nation before someone drew an imaginary line. How did the term "arch rivals" really come from, one wonders...? Apart from the freedom-struggle related twists, there are other turns related to politics within the Hockey federation, feuds between team players, "teamwork vs Individualism", etc. - all of which make the movie definitely watchable.
Rating: Good

Sarkari Hi. Pra. Shaale, Kasaragodu, Koduge: Ramanna Rai

Totally enjoyed the movie. Although the general story is on predictable lines, the direction and screenplay is superior. Add to this a great team of cinematographers, lyricists, music directors, actors and a variety of them - and this is definitely worth a watch! Songs are catchy, music is pleasing, acting by the children is fantastic, locale is perfect, humor is clean and neat. In fact, there is humor throughout the movie. And to top it, some of the scenes are power-packed by stellar performances. Definitely a movie not to be missed.
Rating: Good

Personal milestones: 
- This is our first movie in an Indian theatre since we got back from US on Jan 2017. 
- This is Paavani's first movie in an Indian theatre.
- Our last movie in a theatre was Jungle Book on April 2016.
- Our last movie in an Indian theatre was Anjaana Anjaani on October 2010.

Wheels on Meals

My second time. My first time was over 3 decades ago in a cousin's house where I believe I was first introduced to Jackie Chan via this movie! I was at the ripe age then to absorb martial arts filmography and Jackie Chan fit the bill perfectly - especially with the comical fights. I then went onto see many of his movies but I always remembered this first movie of his which I had seen but I always thought it was titled Meals on Wheels. Anyways. The movie itself isn't that great when I saw it today and thats what the age gap does. When you see a movie when you are 8, it is all awesome and the same movie at age 38 isn't that good!! Still, fights are great, Jackie is superb, story is ok-dokey. 
Rating: Average

Smurfs: The Lost Village

A totally kids movie - filled with wizardry, smurfy, girly, colorfully flying animals and what not. Some superb animation, nice songs and dance moves. Amazing color combinations in every scene, catchy dialog. Watch it only if young at heart and enjoy everything that comes to you!! :-)
Rating: Average

Moana

A kids movie with the daughter on a lazy Sunday. Beautiful animation, a somewhat okey-dokey story, nice characterizations and some hard-to-believe scenes - but keeps kids occupied anyways. So I guess its worthwhile. Neither too good nor too bad.
Rating: Average

The Intern

Robert De Niro is excellent. Role suits him perfectly. Catchy dialog. Great story setup. Nice casting & location. Even the kid's great! Everything about this movie is good. Speaks from a child's point of view, from a retired person's point of view and also from a career-maker's point of view. Definitely worth the watch. 
Rating: Good

Steve Jobs

Boring, boring and boring written all over it. The movie is not entirely about Steve Jobs (or at least that was my expectation of it). It is just about three behind-the-scenes events of the three of Steve Jobs' product launches. Thats it. Jobs is just moving from one place to another and his marketing manager (Kate Winslet) is either walking with him or calling out to him that someone or the other is wanting to talk to him or that its time for the product launch. Although these three behind-the-scenes cover most of his life events, I would have rather preferred an in-depth biographical epic of Jobs and his life, maybe like American Made or War Dogs, showing how and why he came up with such unimaginable Apple products, etc. Maybe some more action and events than just talk and talk. There is far too much of unwanted conversation. Like how he wanted his daughter Lisa to go to school. She comes up during many times and sometimes I felt movie was more about her than Steve and his products. Just felt that the screenplay, storyline, editing and direction could have been far better. Matter of fact, this 16-minute Steve's meeting video with Apple Employees is enthralling more than the 2-hour long movie.
Rating: Average

The Angry Birds Movie

A Sunday movie with the daughter! An okey-dokey picture - not too great nor too bad. Pretty simple storyline favouring why Anger is needed at times to get back what is rightfully ones' own while the baddies take the goodies for granted by decoy. Animation and characterization is great - which is very much expected anyways. Pretty colorful too, what with birds as the main set of characters!
Rating: Average

Secret Superstar

Although the storyline is pretty much fully revealed in the trailer, it still makes a good watch. The acting is good from all participants, except perhaps Aamir's himself but then his characterization is such. The locations are nicely chosen and the innocent romance of the high schoolers is palpable. As, also, is the darker side of domestic violence in middle class families.

Rating: Good

Welcome Back

Seeing the sequel after almost a decade! It is almost as good and almost as bad as the prequel! Watch it for total time-pass.
Rating: Average

Vivah

A very pleasant movie all-round. It consists of all goody goody characters talking goody goody things while the narration goes from an engagement to wedding. No adultish scenes, no body-showing - just pure, unadulterated romantic story of the yesteryears with nice melodious songs. Only one mildly negative character & one untoward incident and that too turns positive at the end - so, all in all, a very pleasing movie. Excellent casting and pleasing setting too! Watch it to feel good!!
Rating: Good

Pad Man

Another true story (or a story inspired by true events). The story itself is great to watch this movie - irrespective of how it is made, so go for it! Nevertheless, Akshay Kumar is the key entity in this movie and he takes it on his shoulders from beginning to finish. Sonam Kapoor's supporting role is good too. Pretty neat and succinct direction, location/setting is ideal for rural India and pretty much rest of the casting looks newbie-ish who have all done a great job.
Rating: Good

Victoria & Abdul

Well, well, well. Whoever would think this could have really happened! Many thanks to the movie-makers for bringing out this little memoir (true story) into the world about how Queen Victoria spent her last few years with Abdul Karim - and how much she enjoyed his company. Excellently enacted by the main protagonists. Directed well enough but the movie seems fairly average all through - such as in screenplay & editing. Nevertheless worth a watch.
Rating: Average

6 Below: Miracle on the Mountain

True story of Eric LeMarque. It sounds downright stupid to see an extremely well qualified athlete to just lose out on the best things of life just because he got into snorting cocaine and thats what this guy went through. And a hard knock on the head was what he needed by Mother Nature to put some sense into him - and give him a second chance of life. Well, indeed a miracle that he survived but also credit to him and his spirits for braving it all through in the bitter cold. Some real good goose-bumpy scenes. Worth a watch.
Rating: Good

American Made

OMG, what a life some people lead! This Barry Seal led a life similar to Jordan Belfort! From smuggling Cigars to helping the CIA with recon pics, and from smuggling cocaine to helping the CIA with ammunition-transfers, and getting caught by DEA, FBI, State Police, etc but for what - to help the US President's anti-drug campaign! What a taut line to walk and with such ease and calm, while stashing all those dollars all over the house! Its absolutely stunning. The true story is so marvelous that it hardly matters how the movie is made - because it is worth every penny to watch this humdinger of a man which by the way is excellently portrayed by Tom Cruise. Great narration & direction too.
Rating: Good

Jungle

True story of Yossi Ghinsberg's adventure in the South American rainforest where he almost died before getting rescued. Not much of a thriller nor an action-packed adventure but akin to a slow moving snake where you know danger lurks and still makes it an edge-of-seat. Well depicted, great casting and acting. Worth a watch.
Rating: Good

The Good Dinosaur

"Movie with the daughter" time! 
It (the movie, not the time!) started well anyways but somehow lost its steam midway. The ending soon becomes pretty apparent - and the rest of the movie is just waiting for it to happen. Nothing great happens to write about - except a few scary scenes to tickle the young ones seeing. So... 
Rating: Average

Sanjog

Saw a 1980s movie (that too Jeetendra's) after a long time. A pretty simple love story that gets complicated due to too much love-attachment with a small boy who also has done very nice acting. Asrani & Smita Irani adds humor at the right moments. Worth a watch. 
Rating: Good

Golmaal Again

Part 4 in the series. As long as you are aware of the series & genre, this is enjoyable. Still, the plot is made very interesting although it needn't've been! Its pretty simple for an 'atma' to do whatever it needs - without needing the help of 5 people! So, enjoy the movie for the dialog, the scenery, the location/setting and some unwanted songs!
Rating: Good

Idolle Ramayana

After having watched couple of Prakash Rai movies, I always wanted to watch this one. But alas, this one was far too slow-moving and annoying at times. While the story itself is not too bad (I wouldn't go so far as to say 'good'), it would have been better if the length of the movie was cut short to maybe 1.5 hours. Too many unnecessary scenes that could and should have been edited and even avoided. The background score is too loud at times. The first five minutes when the credits come itself started the 'sound-irritation'. Watch it with own risk.
Rating: Average

The Holiday

An interesting rom-com tale about two broken hearted female strangers exchanging their houses across the continent to be away from their ex-s. What happens next is predictable for the Europe story - and hence it kinda gets boring. The American story is interesting though but finally winds its way through another predictable ending. Acting is not all that great but the tale is barely interesting enough to vouch for a watch once.
Rating: Average

Finding Dory

After having enjoyed Finding Nemo, I always wanted to watch the sequel. And it is just as good as ever. The movie intertwines with Finding Nemo tale - how Dory was where she was and what she was doing and what she eventually does. In this case, it is about the 'daughter' fish trying to find her 'parents' fish. Very touching yet comical, not to mention beautifully scripted & animated - holds true for this sequel too.
Rating: Good

Going the Distance

A very common problem faced by the Americans depicted very well in this tale as a rom com but the movie itself is not all that great. It gets boring midway, the casting doesn't seem that good too. The humour is very gross at times and totally avoidable. And so is the movie.
Rating: Average

Shaadi Mein Zaroor Aana

A quirky turn of events from what starts off as a plain vanilla love story. The title is extremely misleading to what actually happens in the movie - because the bride runs away! The tale is very interesting and the main protagonists have acted their roles very well. The direction is good but there are some scenes which could have been kept clean and tidy. The ending becomes predictable and the story/director had to make something dramatic to make it interesting till the end. So, ending is not all that exciting but it is ok. But, the movie nevertheless is definitely worth a watch especially the middle portion.
Rating: Good

Mera Naam Joker

Saw the movie in passing. Some nice dialogs and great songs. Editing could have been much better. Story is pretty much downhill all the way and not much of an entertainer. Avoidable.
Rating: Average

Tumhari Sulu

A very nice middle-class family story. Pretty much everything is taken very well in terms of film-making: The setting, the family chores, the work tension, the bosses, the children's peer pressure in school, relatives' strangling, songs, etc. Movie goes wave-like from all-joy to all-sadness to joyfulness again. Excellent acting by everyone - from taxi driver to sisters to students to managers. Of course Vidya Balan is the fulcrum and she tops it as usual! Hats off to the director for the wholesome entertainer.
Rating: Good

Qarib Qarib Singlle

Well, I am not sure if it was the movie or the ambience with which I saw it but it didn't impress me much. There were too many disturbances - cable TV cutting off and on, the voice wasn't coming out well, there were guests, etc. which kinda made the movie watching experience a complete turn-off. The story too didn't make much of an impact, at least the part that I understood - unless I misunderstood! Heroine seemed a newbie but excellent in acting. Locations were great. Watch it at your own risk!
Rating: Average