Tag: Movie review

Rebecca

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https://www.imdb.com/

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

Starring: Lily James, Armie Hammer, Kristin Scott Thomas

Streaming on: Netflix

To watch or not to watch: A movie no one asked for, and makes the 1940 movie look far superior in comparison

It is based on the novel by Dame Daphne du Maurier. It follows the married life of an unnamed protagonist (Lily James) who started out as a lady’s companion, and meets a wealthy widower, Maxim de Winter (Armie Hammer), while on holiday in Monte Carlo. After a short and whirlwind romance, they get married and move to Manderley House in England. There the new Mrs de Winter comes in contact with the memories of the previous Mrs de Winter (Rebecca), who lives on in the minds of the housekeeper, the indomitable Mrs Danvers (Kristin Scott Thomas) and basically everyone who has met Rebecca. To fit the image of the perfect wife, Mrs de Winter tries very hard to emulate Rebecca, but it seems nothing can please her husband, who grows more distant with time. The story closes with a deep secret which has the potential to destroy the life of the married couple, if exposed.

*Sigh* Even without much expectations, the movie disappoints. The performances of the protagonists isn’t spectacular to begin with, and the awful direction makes it worse. The only one worth mentioning is Kristin Scott Thomas, who is every bit as Mrs Danvers as in the book, but unfortunately doesn’t get enough screen time. The director seems to rely on the knowledge of the viewers about the story, so he doesn’t put in much effort. Things do progess (slightly) in act 3, when it differs from the Hitchcock’s adaptation and Ben Wheatley seemed to come alive on the set for the first time. It doesn’t help though, as the whole premise – the extent of the unnatural adoration of Rebecca by Mrs Danvers – is never fully explained or explored. There was ample opporunity to make this movie stand out, as multiple themes of obsession, homosexuality or illegitimacy could have been explained which were a taboo at the time the book and first movie came out.

It is sad to see a lost opportunity in the world of cinema. The story in and of itself is a masterpiece and the failure of the reproduction cannot go to the performances alone. The only thing that stands out, other than Kristin Scott Thomas (who is the only reason the movie got as many stars as it did), is the cinematography, sets and costume design. The direction fails to capture of the set, which seemed to put the location subtle so as not take away from the movie, but without the movie delivering, it fails on another score. Watch the Alfred Hitchcock’s version if possible, or watch it while scrolling through the phone.

Raat Akeli Hai

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https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12567088/

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Starring: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Radhika Apte, Shweta Tripathi, Ila Arun

Streaming on: Netflix

To watch or not to watch: A good whodunnit to watch over a meal

Raghuveer Singh, a politically connected, powerful and old landowner is found brutally murdered in his home on his wedding day. He was shot with a rifle and his face was bashed in with the same gun. The bride is Radha (Radhika Apte) who was sold to Raghuveer Singh and was his mistress. The wedding party was small, with only immediate family members in attendance. They opposed to the marriage, and they all collude to blame Radha for the murder. In comes Inspector Jatil Yadav (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) to investigate the crime, which includes political plot points and internal conflicts between family members.

It is not a very refreshing movie, as crime/mystery/thrillers are a dime a dozen and are a formula for success. This is different from others, in that it has a larger cast list with more well-known faces and a bit more serious crime plot. The movie touches a few social issues and doesn’t veer off the plot. They could have built upon the character stories a bit more, specially Radha, who has a key role. Even Jatil Yadav’s character is only understood by some subtext spread across the movie, making it difficult to understand the reason behind his actions and decisions.

The performances by Radhika Apte and Nawazuddin Siddiqui are perfect. In theory, they would have made an unlikely pair online, but in execution it all looks seamless. It isn’t something which demands constant attention and can be watched while getting chores done. It is good content from Netflix Originals, maybe their best yet.

Schitt’s Creek

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https://www.cinematerial.com

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Starring: Eugene Levy, Catherine O’Hara, Daniel Levy, Annie Murphy

Streaming on: Netflix

To watch or not to watch: A must watch – a perfect pick-me-upper

A filthy rich family in a big town has all its assets seized because their accountant misfiled their taxes. The only asset left with them is a town called Schitt’s Creek, which the dad, Johnny Rose (Eugene Levy) bought as a joke for his son, David (Daniel Levy). The town is so hopeless that even the revenue department couldn’t sell it. So the family, which also has a daughter, Alexis Rose (Annie Murphy) and a mother, Moira (Catherine O’Hara) move to the motel in Schitt’s Creek. Their current situation is a far cry from their previous life, which was filled with expensive parties and clothes. The entire series follows them on the new adventure and shows how they rebuild their lives and relationships.

The premise of the series is not unheard of (Arrested Development comes to mind, which executes the same plot in a completely opposite story and is a blast) but the rest of it all is totally fresh. The characters are rich, spoiled and are lovable and not relatable at all, unless one is ultra rich. These 4 are utterly clueless on how the real world works and they have to navigate the new waters with only their resourcefulness. It is a huge change they have to make, where they have to adjust with not being the popular and have things come easy. The characters really grow over the seasons. It is heartening to see them really mature into less-pretentious adults and have care about others. Somewhat.

It is a hilarious story about reality check and self-improvement. Not an easy topic to work comedy into, and yet it achieves it. Daniel Levy is the star of the show. He is charming and probably the second least pretentious character after his series (and real life) father Eugene. The first season doesn’t leave the audience wanting too much, but just hang on. It is all more than worth it as the seasons progress. It is not often that series really evolve along with the characters and this show does it beautifully. A shout out to the costume designer Debra Hanson, who has subtly made the Roses look ridiculous and showed the difference in characters. A must watch for some much needed upliftment in these trying times.

Late Night

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https://tmc.io/

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Starring: Emma Thompson, Mindy Kaling

Streaming on: Amazon Prime

To watch or not to watch: A good watch for a lazy afternoon

Katherine Newbury (Emma Thompson) has been the host of a late night talk show for more than a decade. She has been famous once and regarded as the best in the industry. Now the ratings are declining and the network is planning to replace her with a new comedian. In parallel, she has been called out for hiring a certain demographic – male and Caucasian. In comes Molly Patel (Mindy Kaling) who was working at a chemical plant but somehow ended up in front of the show’s producer and is hired. Molly is new to the industry, naive, straight-shooter and down on her luck. Her fresh outlook gets her noticed and also helps Katherine in her personal and professional life.

The movie is likable. Very. It has good performances in Emma Thompson who is so strong as a person and as the character she plays, it is inspiring all round, and Mindy Kaling who is funny, smart and well, Indian. Hugh Dancy, Reid Scott and John Lithgow are other familiar faces. The movie addresses a lot of fundamental issues in the entertainment industry, like male dominance, nepotism, lack of ethnic diversity, and #MeToo. In a short stand-up clip in the movie, Katherine speaks how the industry discriminates on the basis of age of women, but not of men. It is hard hitting.

It is so refreshing to see a fell good movie which isn’t about romance, nor about a quirky female and an impossibly perfect male protagonist. Both the leading characters are females, and flawed in various degrees in their own different ways. They have genuine human problems which are relatable. The problem is, Late Night tries to do a lot together, such that not everything gets its proper attention. It isn’t a well made movie, but the creators weren’t going for it. Mindy Kaling and Nisha Ganatra (Director) wanted to portray the real struggles, some of which were from personal expereinces.

A good watch on a lazy afternoon for a little pick-me-up.

The Report

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https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8236336/

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Starring: Adam Driver, Annette Benning, John Hamm

Streaming on: Amazon Prime

To watch or not to watch: A must watch when looking for something intense

The movie is a true story of a US Senate Investigative Committee’s report on the CIA’s interrogation techniques after the 9/11 attacks. The ungainful torture of the suspected terrorists was called “Enhanced Interrogative Techniques” by the CIA and was outsourced to independent contractors, who did not have the qualification to carry out the task. And yet, they got the free hand for many years. After the government changed, interrogation by torture was supposed to stop, but didn’t, thus leading to the investigation. The Committee was led by an idealistic and tenacious Daniel J Jones and his small staff, working in a basement office for about 5 years. They got 6.3 million documents to read which lead to 6,700 pages’ report and about 500 pages summary. Understandably, there was backlash from CIA and the red tape restricted the access directly into the Agency.

Though the premise of the movie doesn’t make it a compelling watch, but it is. Scott Z Burns managed to make the process of reading the documents and the presentation of the report exciting and intriguing. the role of Daniel J Jones, played by Adam Driver, is an inspiring character in and of himself. The investigation, the screenplay of reading of the documents were interspersed by the footage of the interrogation of the suspected terrorists, all playing the emotions of the viewer masterfully.

The acting skills of Adam Driver have never been in question. Coupled with the ideal outlook of Dan Jones, he is truly commendable. The movie doesn’t pull any punches and is transparent about the entire process, including the apathy of the CIA, the plot to cover up the truth and the resistance from the White House to stop the truth from coming out. It is an honest movie, simply made and yet delivers. A must watch.

Meri Pyaari Bindu

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  • saavan.com

To watch or not to watch: A good watch over a slow weekend

Starring: Ayushmann Khurana, Parineeti Chopra

Abhimanyu Roy aka Bubla (Ayushmann Khurana) is the best selling author of pulp horror-sex genre. He is trying to pen a romantic novel and is caught in a writer’s block for 3 years. This effort is leading him to his past and the time he met the love of his life, Bindu Shankarnarayanan (Parineeti Chopra) when he was maybe 10 years’ old. Bindu had moved in the house next to Abhi’s in Kolkata. They strike a friendship which lasts for most of their adulthood. As they grow up, they go their separate ways and drift apart. They do bump into each other’s lives periodically, and one time Abhi confesses his love to Bindu. Their relationship is good as long as it lasts, but eventually, they do part ways.  All the things he has learned about Bindu and life, becomes the protagonist of Abhi’s latest book.

The movie is a potpourri of different romantic movies, a patchwork of sorts – each piece in itself will seem ordinary but together it fits beautifully. the front runner emotion in the movie is nostagia, with Abhi thinking about Bindu and his relationship, compared to the dull existence in his current life. Parineeti Chopra’s role as Bindu is a stereotyped Yash Raj girl, full of life and a rebel. Both the actors’ chemistry on screen seems natural and believable. Their history is out of When Harry Met Sally, where they keep running into each other at different stages of their lives. Towards the end, it takes on a 500 Days of Summer vibe. Because of constant back and forth between now and then, the movie is a bit choppy in parts.

Though it is not a perfect movie, it makes the audience emotional and eager to know how the lives of the characters turned out. The dialogues do not have anything worth remembering or quoting, they are downright pedantic at times. The growth of the characters from kids to middle-aged is mature and kind of validates the mistakes people make in their lives and sends a messge that lives do go on despite that. Watch the movie for the performances and the portrayal of a different mature relationship. It goes well with a glass of wine and popcorn.

Rangoon

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rangoon-review-1
koimoi.com

My rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

Starring: Shahid Kapoor, Kangana Ranaut, Saif Ali Khan, Richard McCabe

The movie is set in 1944, the time of freedom struggles of Mahatama Gandhi and Subhash Chandra Bose, and Work War II. Julie (Kangana Ranaut) is a spoilt actress who used to be a gypse, until she was rescued at 14 by Rusie Billimoria (Saif Ali Khan), a successful movie producer, and now is his mistress. Nawab Mallik (Shahid Kapoor) is a serious, stoic soldier assigned to be her bodyguard, on the trip to Indo-Burma border. In that entourage, is a Indian National Army loyal, carrying a valuable sword from a Maharaja to be given to INA to fund their freedom struggle. Enroute, the Japanese forces attack and Julie with Nawab are separated from others, and fall in love with each other. Nawab takes his responsibility of a bodyguard seriously and successfully returns Julie to the destination, there ensues a series of events full of intrigue, action and suspense.

All the three main characters of the movie are crafted carefully and are immensely intriguing. Shahid Kapoor is one of the most brilliant actors in Bollywood these days, and delivers the role of a stoic soldier shouldering responsibilities way beyond his stature, to the T. Kangana Ranaut’s performance steals the show. It is so powerful that it shadows over everything else. And everything else isn’t much. The story line, while sounding good off-hand, was killed by poor execution. Eroticism was prioritised over plot, drama over direction. At some points it looked like a spoof of a heist movie. The first half was only a build up to what audience can expect from the second half, and second half was anti-climactic. The dialogues were clichéd, the songs over long, unnecessary background details of characters, made the movie long and tiring. It lost the focus from the love-triangle in a war torn land and freedom struggle and instead, focussed on multiple insignificant things, like bad Hindi accents of Britishers. Vishal Bhardwaj has broken the hearts of many hard-core cinema lovers. He does deserves a mention for creating the sublime music this movie has. All in all, this movie should be missed.