Tag: Disney+

MobLand

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Probably the only decent thing Guy Ritchie has been involved with recently

https://stanzedicinema.com/

Rating: 4 stars out of 5
Starring: Tom Hardy, Pierce Brosnan, Helen Mirren, Paddy Considine, Joanne Froggatt, Lara Pulver, Anson Boon, Jasmine Jobson, Mandeep Dhillon, Daniel Betts, Geoff Bell
To watch or not to watch: Pierce Brosnan in his Irish drawl, Tom Hardy as a loyal fixer-upper, and Helen Mirren as a psycho/socio-path in a story about mobsters, family business and political play? Who can ignore it?

The Characters:
In a land up north, there are two families controlling the business of the underworld- the Harrigans and the Stevensons. An increasingly chaotic and unpredictable Conrad Harrigan (Pierce Brosnan) and an evil Meave (Helen Mirren), who can put Shakespearean villains to shame make up the patriarch and matriarch of the Harrigan family. They have three kids – Kevin (Paddy Considine), the youngest and the one most involved with the family business, Brendan (Daniel Betts) who has screwed up all the deals he ever put his hand in, and the sophisticated and efficient Seraphina (Mandeep Dhillon), a result of Conrad’s “quickie in the bathroom”, and forever a belittled by Meave. Kevin and his wife Bella (Lara Pulver) have a son Eddie (Anson Boon) who has been spoilt rotten by Meave. And all this is tied together by their man Friday, Harry Da Souza (Tom Hardy) who is their cleaner-advisor-messenger-fixer-upper all rolled in one. Kevin and Harry were in the juvenile correctional facility together, and since then have been more brothers than friends.

The Scene:
Eddie Harrigan has gone off and killed Tommy Stevenson, and Richie Stevenson (Geoff Bell) is out for blood to avenge his son’s murder. While Eddie’s antics are not totally difficult for Harry Da Souza (Tom Hardy) to fix and wipe clean, this is something which requires him pulling all stops. In this mess, there is Meave being an out-an-out sociopath and urging Eddie to continue being the slimy sleazeball that he is. In the parallel, Harry wants to control the fentanyl business which is currently with the Stevensons. We also have Bella concocting a plot of her own for some personal reasons. Then Brendan goes and tries to get Seraphina to participate in a plan with some dangerous people, all to prove to Conrad that he’s not a screw up. As can be expected, all this requires a lot of people management, change management and micromanagement of the conceited, spoilt brats, which is in the repertoire of Harry, keeping him busy, all to the chagrin of his wife Jan (Joanne Froggatt) and daughter.

MobLand is a really good show. Like, really good. The star is undoubtably Tom Hardy, followed by the plot, followed by Pierce Brosnan and Helen Mirren, then everyone else follows. But this description itself casts a wide net as Tom Hardy is almost EVERYWHERE. He is probably the best and most efficient consigliere. There is nothing he bats an eye over, no problem too big/small/complicated. It is almost inspiring to watch his attitude to the jobs the unhinged and chaotic Harrigans ask of him. The plot with the multiple people trying to play to their own vanity, often to complete disregard to consequences is both frustrating and exhilarating. There are some sub-plots the series could have done without, but it doesn’t take much away from the main story. This is the gangster story audience can get behind, all complete with Fontaines DC’s Starbuster as title track. Cannot wait for season 2.

The Patient

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http://www.hotstar.com

Rating: 4 stars out of 5
Starring: Steve Carell, Domhnall Gleeson, Andrew Leeds, Laura Niemi, Linda Emond, David Alan Grier
Where to watch: Disney+ Hotstar
Seasons and episodes: 1 season, 10 episodes, 20-odd minutes per episode
To watch or not to watch: A must watch for all the thriller lovers, and non-thriller lovers. Will need a tolerance for violence

Sam Fortner (Domhnall Gleeson) is a serial killer, seeing a renowned therapist, Alan Strauss (Steve Carell) because he doesn’t want to kill anymore. Since the information given during the sessions can be used to implicate him in the crimes he commits, he kidnaps Alan and chains him in his basement. He then opens up about the abuse he suffers at the hands of his father, which might be the root cause of his killing behaviour. Alan is shocked to discover the truth about his patient and is appalled by the nature of the crimes. He is also struggling with the loss of his wife to cancer and the estranged relationship with his son. He tries his best to control Sam and also gets out of the captivity. There are bouts of clarity and craziness for Alan as he thinks through his situation.

The series is essentially a two-hander with Steve and Domhnall in leading roles. Other characters like Sam’s mother and Alan’s family come and go. Plus their roles are not entirely centric to the plot. The plot is completely about Sam’s struggle to stop himself from killing people he thinks look down on him and on Alan’s recollection of his past and hallucination of his therapist. The series is a slow burner, but it manages to keep the audience engaged by keeping with the theme of a kidnapped therapist to a serial killer. There are dark humour moments which lend a certain lightness to the theme and maintain balance, otherwise, the viewers might go crazy themselves. Alan’s past is well explored, including his relationship with his religion. It plays a major part in the story too, where Alan compares living in Sam’s basement to living in a Nazi concentration camp. That felt a bit tangential and if they had directly explained the feeling of being trapped, it would have garnered more sympathy.

Hats off to Domhnall Gleeson for this incredibly acted out part – it wouldn’t have been easier playing the role of a person who is so socially challenged. Steve Carell is perfection, but that doesn’t surprise anyone. These two are the main reasons that this series is a wonderful watch. Other reasons are the subject matter itself – imagine a serial killer wanting to get better and struggling. It is almost like Single Drunk Female, but without the hilarity and much severe consequences. It is by no means perfect – if they have given more insight into Sam’s behaviour and how his mother is also partly responsible, it would have made for a better protagonist, who also has some warranted sympathy. Right now, we have to take a lot at face value. Unless one sits and muses on the series, these factors will not take away from the enjoyment. It is highly recommended.

See How They Run

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https://film-authority.com/

Rating: 4 stars out of 5
Starring: Sam Rockwell, Saoirse Ronan, Adrien Brody, Ruth Wilson
Where to watch: Disney+
To watch or not to watch: A comic whodunit which leaves the audience guessing till the end

It is the 100th performance of Mousetrap in London and during the celebratory party, Leo Köpernick (Adrian Brody) is murdered. He was a notorious drunk and had fluid moral values. He was also looking to direct the movie adaptation of the play. None of the people involved with the project, whether it be the play or the movie-in-the-works, really liked Leo, hence the suspect pool is quite big. The case is handed to a jaded, worn-out and alcoholic Inspector Stoppard (Sam Rockwell) and an eager, inexperienced and by-the-book Constable Stalker (Saoirse Ronan). After another person is murdered in the theatre during another Mousetrap screening, the whole situation gets a bit more urgent and serious, making the suspect pool more suspicious. Until it all comes to head Christie fashion.

This movie isn’t an aspirational movie, blazing trail for all the future whodunits to come, doesn’t take itself seriously and isn’t serious. What it is, is a fun movie to watch with a bit of nostalgia, served with a side of Christie-ness. The center stage doesn’t belong to the plot, but to the characters of Sam Rockwell and Saoirse Ronan. Also, to the subtle jokes pulled at the cost of the cliched British murder mysteries. It does feel a bit like a parody of those mysteries, slightly, just a little bit, but tasteful. It doesn’t lead the viewers to an off-path of romance or back stories. It is mentioned and woven in the plot (as in the case of Stoppard) or informed to enhance the character (as in the case of Stalker). The cliched characters are the bedrock on which the story and plot develops.

This movie is a comfort-watch. Everything is in plain-view and repeated watches will not enrich the experience, but it will be an enjoyable watch everytime. It is fun, quirky, perfect watch for a pick-me-up after a long and disappointing day at work.

Rosaline

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https://www.imdb.com/

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5
Starring: Kaitlyn Dever, Isabela Merced, Kyle Allen, Sean Teale, Minnie Driver, Bradley Whitford
Where to watch: Disney+
To watch or not to watch: A delightful retelling of the OG of romance makes for a nice, light-hearted watch

Rosaline (Kaitlyn Dever) and Romeo (Kyle Allen) are boyfriend and girlfriend, and Rosaline is absolutely smitten by the long, blonde haired hunk from the enemy camp. Her father, Adrian Capulet (Bradley Whitford) is attempting his best to arrange a marriage for his only daughter, and the daughter does everything to be as unsuitable a wife as possible. In one such arranged-marriage-date scenario, Rosaline is out on a boat with Dario (Sean Teale), is waylaid by a storm and is late in reaching the (famous) Capulet ball and a pre-arranged date with Romeo. Romeo’s excess of love is not to be hindered by the absence of his lady love, and remedies the situation by falling in love with Juliet (Isabela Merced), Rosaline’s cousin. Rosaline is understandably extremely pissed by this turn of events and now has a reason for intensely disliking Dario. She pursues multiple schemes to deter the couple, loses her moral fiber, sees the wrong of her ways, works to undo the damage and ensure the couple lives happily every after.

This is no 10 things I hate about you or She’s the Man. It is a refreshing retelling of the eponymous love story, which if viewed objectively is deeply flawed. Rosaline doesn’t make the wrongs right, it makes the wrong seem funny and well yes, rights some wrongs. The titular character is independent, intelligent, knows her mind, isn’t patriarchal but does stumble when it comes to non-platonic attraction – something to which a lot of females can relate. Then she has the normal human feelings of jealousy, rage and frustration when things don’t go her way, finally ending with the silver lining to it all when she finds the man who is a perfect match for her (spoiler alert – Romeo and Juliet aren’t too perfect for each other, by the way). It is joyful to see the other side of this mega love story, from the eyes of the jilted lover. It ties in with the character of the easily-swayed Romeo (though not publicised as such).

Rosaline is a movie carried on by female character, doesn’t take itself too seriously and you shouldn’t either. There is no Shakespearean English (comically explained as being difficult to follow in the movie) and no English accents either. It is quirky, female-empowering, and explores love more than first sight. And if taken the time to think about it, it can actually be deep. What Rosaline’s character ends up finding is someone who is at her side when she needs it, calls her antics for what they are and is not completely, totally, irrevocably in love with her, which is more sane and real. Kaitlyn Dever is a delight, she is channeling her persona from Last Man Standing, and it fits well in this movie. To praise Minnie Driver is stating the obvious, but she is a straight-shooter nurse to the impulsive Rosaline and it fits well with the over-all tone. The movie is surprisingly well written and made. It might surprise even the readers of this post as these movies typically are bad. This one is not. Do watch.

Single Drunk Female

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https://www.primevideo.com/

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5
Starring: Sofia Black-D’Elia, Ally Sheedy, Rebecca Henderson, Sasha Compère, Lily Mae Harrington, Garrick Bernard, Jojo Brown
Where to watch: Disney+
Seasons: 1 season, 10 episodes, 20-odd minutes each
To watch or not to watch: A nice, decently-paced dramedy on adulting

Samantha Fink or Sam (Sofia Black-D’Elia) is an alcoholic. After a major blow-out at her workplace where she arrived late and drunk for a meeting, blamed the “system” and assaulted her boss for firing her, she is mandated by the court to go to rehab, do community service, and is put under probation. As she was broke and without a job, she had to move back home and go through the 12 steps of recovery. Not many people struggling with addiction have a well-functioning family, and such is true for Sam as well. Her mother, Carol, (Ally Sheedy), is not exactly happy to have Sam back, wants to carry on with her life unencumbered after losing her husband. The loss of the father/husband is the major cause of rift between mother and daughter. Anyway, Sam finds help in the AA support group, gets a no-nonsense sponsor, Olivia (Rebecca Henderson), a job in a supermarket under a warm-hearted Mindy (Jojo Brown) and a potential for romance with James (Garrick Bernard). She also confronts the reality of her ex-boyfriend marrying her ex-best friend.

The above synopsis sounds like Mom without the fun, and it is not entirely false. It is only much more than just that. There is hilarity in the struggles of sobering up, a comfort in seeing an adult “adulting”, and succeeding in it. Sam beings as a train wreck but by the end of the 10 episodes, she has been 1 year sober, is more in control of her wants and expectations and that feels like a personal win for the viewer. It is a class of work which makes us wonder why we have the series, since it doesn’t feel like a sitcom, a slapstick and other types of comedies but still delivers. It upends the common belief that humor is in being drunk and consequences thereof, instead there is humor in growing-up while being an adult along with other adults around. Felicity (Lily Mae Harrington) is a single mother who is a party girl, and at the same time, she is highly responsible of her son and her job. This embodies the essence of the series.

Single Drunk Female is made on the real life experiences of the creator Simone Finch, and hence this is not an over-the-top series which makes us live vicariously. Many viewers would know someone struggling with addiction or are that person themselves, and can absolutely relate. It tells us, it is not fun being wrapped up in a childhood which once was, but there is happiness, comfort and pleasure in growing up as well. In this day and age, the media we are exposed to tells us that growing up and taking responsibility is hard and hence it is better not to. This series tells us that that thought is a potential fantasy, and life is hard at all stages, we just need to embrace it nonetheless; there are others who are in the same boat and together we can sort our lives out. This process is not limited to misfits, minority or marginalised groups, but is applicable to one and all. Also, it is refreshing to see new/lesser-known actors and that takes nothing away from the quality of the production. It makes for a light-hearted, feel-good, fresh dramedy which is highly recommended to binge watch.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE

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headlinesoftoday.com

To watch or not to watch: Better watch the original BBC Criminal Justice or the American series The Night Of

Starring: Vikrant Massey, Pankaj Tripathi, Jackie Shroff, Mita Vashist

An innocent man Aditya (Vikrant Massey) is in the wrong place at the wrong time. He is regular college student, looking to get to a party by driving his father’s cab. A pretty, rich girl gets into his cab looking to hire and asks him to take her from one location to another and was obviously on drugs. Because of the delay, he misses his party and the girl invites him over to her place, where they drink alcohol, do drugs and have sex. Aditya wakes up in the middle of the night and finds the girl stabbed to death. He remembers nothing and tries to flee the scene of the crime with the murder weapon in hand. Ensues a long legal battle, Madhav Misra (Pankaj Tripathi) being the constant as legal help on the outside, even though he is way out of his depth in this case. Aditya also becomes street smart in the jail with Mustafa’s (Jackie Shroff) help, who runs a gang in the jail. The whole experience strips Aditya of his innocence and takes his family through emotional, financial and societal roller coaster.

The series is a play-by-play adaptation of The Night Of starring Riz Ahmed and John Tuturro, which is in turn an adaptation of the BBC series called Criminal Justice.

It is a 10 episode series which could have just as easily been wrapped up in 5; it is unnecessarily stretched. Pankaj Tripathi outshines everyone as always, playing the role of a down-on-his-luck lawyer with the heart of gold with élan. He is eccentric with little social skills and gives comic relief along with intensity seamlessly. Vikrant Massey is believable as a wronged college student and the character arc throughout the series is heartwarming. Jackie Shroff is given a lot of screen time to appease the star of yesteryear and is the only actor the series could have done without. If someone is watching the series, they can simply skip the parts with him in them.

There is nothing exceptional or attention grabbing in the direction or cinematography – it is primarily about acting and secondarily about the plot. It could have been much better if the social issues like the drug abuse amongst youngsters and class discrimination had been woven into the story line and made part of the reason of accusation, but they lost a lot of opportunity to make the series stand for something and be more than just storytelling. Viewers can easily swap Criminal Justice with The Night Of, which is also on Hotstar.