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Shanghai (2012)
A very enjoyable 2010's crime thriller
A blunt and snippy tale about crime and corruption in 2010's India. This was a time much before the rise of cheap internet and 30 minutes food delivery where coalation governments were the norm and media was actually doing its "job".
Abhay Doel has to be the stand out performance here. He plays the character of "Krishnan" with much needed subtlety and underlying strength. Prosenjit has an amazing gravitas and Kalki was fierce (with an eerie touch of anxiety). All in all, this was an absolutely stellar cast.
While, this wasn't a "Khosla ka ghosla" or "Oye Lucky Lucky Oye", it still holds up as one of the most important works from the incredible filmography of Dibakar Banarjee.
Iron Fist (2017)
Lots of inconsistencies! (7.5/10)
I just binge-watched the entire first season in 2 days. I was reluctant to give this show a chance because it has been getting abysmal ratings by the critics. But given that I enjoyed Daredevil (a lot actually!) and Jessica Jones, I decided to give it a go.
Possible spoilers up ahead!
The Bad:
1)The first two episodes are almost painful to watch. You'll be left scratching your head, trying to decipher why the characters are making such stupid decisions.
2)Danny has spent 15 years of his life to become a human weapon, living with monks to focus his mind and attain inner peace. Yet, when he comes back, he's extremely restless, sensitive and keeps blabbering about how he's the Iron Fist and his destiny is to defeat the hand. Yeah, we get it already!
It would be immature to pin the problem on Finn Jones, who portrays the character. It has more to do with the way his character his written.
3)The way the characters are written seems to be the biggest problem in this show. There are so many glaring inconsistencies.
The way Ward and Joy treat Danny when he comes back from the dead felt completely unrealistic. Again, at the end we see Joy and Davos teaming up to possibly kill Danny which again makes no sense, considering that 30 mins earlier in the show, both of them considered Danny as a brother.
In the second half of the season, Ward was in a mental hospital, yet Joy doesn't even try to contact him or find out where he could possibly be.
The Good:
The supporting cast is the best part of the show.
1)Jessica Henwick does a good job as Coleen Wing, even though I feel her character could have been a bit more fleshed out. I liked her relationship with Danny and I want to see more of that in the later seasons. If I may digress a bit, I think Jessica is incredibly beautiful to look at, so that's a plus too.
2)The best character, hands down in the show is Ward. Tom Pelphrey did a splendid job portraying the complexities of the character and the abuse he had to endure at the hands of his father.
3)While the show had far too many villains, I didn't hate that aspect. However, Howard is arguably the main villain, who is written a bit too one-note for my liking, but regardless is portrayed really well.
My final thoughts are that Iron Fist suffers from several glaring writing problems, which especially stand out in the first two episodes. Once you go past the first 4 episodes, the show becomes quite entertaining if you are willing to forgive occasional stupid decisions made by the characters.
The first season of Iron Fist had a lot of potential and could have been as good as Daredevil season 1 with a few tweaks in the plot and screen play. Although, in it's entirety I really enojyed Iron Fist and I'm optimistic that the second season will improve upon the problems that stood out in the first. If you enjoy superhero and comic book movies, chances are you will enjoy this 13 hour saga.
Passengers (2016)
Better than what the critics said (7.5/10)
This movie currently has a 31% approval on Rotten Tomatoes and this was the reason I continued to delay watching this movie. After watching it, I completely disagree with the popular critic opinion. I felt this was a very entertaining movie with a charismatic lead pair and some good chemistry.
We start off with Jim (Chris Pratt) whose hibernation pod has broken and he woke up 90 years too soon before the spaceship reaches its destination, a new earthlike habitable planet. This sets up an intriguing premise and I'm a sucker for movies where the main character is stranded in one location. Things start to get more interesting when Jennifer Lawrence's character makes an entrance, (who by the way looks stunning in every shot!)
All in all, Passengers is a very well crafted film. The lead pair is what makes it work. The romance didn't feel forced or artificial. You actually buy that under those circumstances, both of the characters would fall in love. The third half is when things really start to come together and I was rooting for the lead pair to make it through the end. At a time when were are continuously bombarded with sequels and reboots, Passengers is a fresh change. It doesn't offer anything novel, but the premise and the lead pair make it worth a watch in my opinion.
Logan (2017)
Hugh Jackman signs off with a near perfect movie (9.5/10)
There is very little you can nitpick about this film. I loved every minute of it. The film is over 2 hours long, and it never feels like it. From start to finish, the movie is paced so well. I saw the 2013 Wolverine, while is wasn't a bad film, it's story wasn't all that interesting to me. This time however, James Mangold returns and he's so much better and I believe a lot of credit for the improvement should go to the scrip.
While many might categorize this movie as a comic book film, which it certainly is. I believe it's a father-daughter love story and we see their relationship progress over the course of the movie. The character moments between Logan, Charles and X-23 are so beautifully put together, I never felt like I was watching a movie. And that to me, is a sign of a great cinema. The child actor they chose to play X-23 commands the character with complete justice. Kudos to the casting agents for recognizing her talent.
The climax is extremely satisfying, and the stakes have never been higher for Logan. To say that I was at the edge of my seat might be an understatement. I felt like crying at the very end. You follow these characters in their journey and when we approach the very end, it's a deeply personal and emotional moment for Logan and for the those who have been watching Hugh Jackman on screen for 17 years playing the role.
Finally, I want to say that Logan is a bittersweet film. Bitter because it sucks to see Jackman for the last time because he owns the character in every way possible. Sweet because it's a fresh change from the similar kind of comic book movies being produced each year to appeal to the masses. It's not a bad thing to appeal to the masses, but that's not what I enjoy anymore. Thank you Fox for making such an awesome movie!
X-Men: Apocalypse (2016)
Better than expected with an unremarkable villain (7/10)
I didn't have high expectations from this movie. Amidst all the grandeur marketing for other superhero movies like Civil War and Batman v Superman, this movie had the lesser share of anticipation from the fans, which could be attributed to the fact that the trailers were quite dreary and uninspiring. Also, the movie currently holds a score of 47% approval on Rotten Tomatoes. So, critics seem to be divided on this one. That being said, I have stopped taking Rotten Tomatoes seriously ever since Furious 7 got a score of 81%
I should mention that Days of Future past is one of my all time favourite superhero movies and was unanimously praised by fans and critics, so in this movie's defense, it was a tough act to follow.
Possible spoilers up ahead!
THE GOOD: Quicksilver: Quicksilver was one of the highlights of Days of Future Past, and the tradition carries over to this one as well. He has one incredible action scene, where he showcases the full extent of his powers. Pretty much the best part of the movie, if you ask me.
The New Mutants: I really enjoyed the introduction of the new mutants like Jean Gray, Cyclops and Nightcrawler. This is a new iteration of these familiar characters from the first few X-Men films. The performances of the new actors are reminiscent of the previous films, yet stand out in their own way.
Sophie Turner as Jean Gray was probably the best one of them all. She plays a conflicted yet incredibly powerful mutant, scared of her own abilities and I can't wait to see her in the future X-Men movies.
Professor X and Magneto: James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender are phenomenal actors and as you would expect, they continue to give brilliant performances as Professor X and Erik Lehnsherr.
However, we didn't get to see a fleshed out ideological conflict between them, something which was one of the best parts of the last two films.
Opening Scene: The first scene takes place in ancient Egypt where we get our first glimpse at Apocalypse, and his four mighty horsemen which kicks off the movie really well.
Bizarre Mind Tripping Action Scenes: There are a few bizarre and trippy action scenes involving Professor X and Apocalypse, which I thought was a refreshing break from the usual CGI heavy climactic action scenes in summer tentpole movies. Keep an eye out for that.
THE MEDIOCRE: Apocalypse: Apocalypse was unsurprisingly mediocre. The main problem with him was that his motivations didn't add up. For someone who is the titular character of the film, he just seemed like another bad guy with another clichéd world domination plan. I wish the movie could have done a better job explaining his actions. Why does he want to cleanse the world? If he has been doing this since the past several thousand years, it seems he's pretty bad at it, cause he's been unsuccessful at creating a better world every single time.
Also, I wish they could have made him a bit more physically intimidating. There are several scenes where he is standing alongside the other female mutants, he is just as tall as them. They should have done the trick used in 300, and made him look like a 7 feet giant which would have definitely transformed his screen presence for the better.
Perhaps the thing that somewhat saves this character from becoming any worse is his voice and Oscar Isaac's performance. This could have been a really cool character, and I really wish the writers could have done a better job with him.
Psylocke: Psylocke is one of Apocalype's four horsemen portrayed by Olivia Munn, a character I was really excited to see, but sadly she didn't get the time to shine. She remained largely stoic and didn't get to say even a single dialogue in the entire film which is the consequence of juggling a plethora of characters in a 2 hour movie. I think Munn was trying to do the best, with what she was given, but the character just wasn't written well. It could have been any other XYZ villain, and that wouldn't have made a tad bit difference to the overall plot.
TLDR: This is my score a few hours after the first viewing. It could change after the second viewing however.
Final Verdict: 7.1/10
It's a fun action movie with a stellar cast and lackluster villain. If you are expecting another Days of Future Past, you will be disappointed, but in its own merit X-Men: Apocalypse is a good time at the movies.
P.S. There is a after credit scene which teases the antagonists of the future X-Men movies.
Captain America: Civil War (2016)
Extremely Underwhelming (6/10)
I was really underwhelmed by this movie.
I have to disagree with the popular opinion. I was so stoked for this one, especially because The Winter Soldier is my second most favourite Marvel film after Iron Man, but I was left disappointed.
Spoilers up ahead!
Firstly, let's make something clear, it really wasn't a WAR. For 85% of the length of the film, it was a disagreement. And when we finally see the big twist happen, it still wasn't a war, because there were just 3 people fighting. I wanted every hero to be at each other's throat, but sadly that wasn't the case.
At the end of the movie, I was indifferent about which side to choose, because both were almost equally wrong. Iron Man's motivations for signing the accords didn't make sense. I mean, since the last 8 years he has been killing people and watching them die, and suddenly he meets one woman which instantaneously changes his mind. Like seriously? He created Ultron and even that didn't change his thought process, but after meeting a black woman for 30 seconds in a secluded hallway did.
Cap even once didn't mention how Hydra crept up inside SHIELD, and that is the reason they shouldn't sign the accords. The political angle should have been more fleshed out and written more articulately. They just skimmed over most of the stuff.
The only real players in the disagreement (not War) were Iron Man, Cap, Bucky and Black Panther. If you think about it, the movie would have been the same if you take away all the other characters apart from these four.
Scarlet Witch annoyed the hell out of me. Why? She kept creeping up in the middle of the fights in the airport scene and throwing the members from Stark's team away. I couldn't enjoy a good hand-to-hand combat scene between any of the members because the annoying little witch had to meddle in every character's fight. Is it too much to ask for a good hand to hand combat scene like the one in Winter Soldier? Honestly, Scarlet Witch is a bit too powerful for the MCU, and she should have been the one to die in Age of Ultron. Her accent is even more off-putting in this one. Nothing against Olsen, it's not her fault her character was written this way.
I actually ended up really disliking Cap by the end of this movie. He saw Bucky straight up brutally killing Tony's parents, and still he doesn't show any sympathy for Stark. His motivations were selfish which were clouding his judgement. For the whole film, he doesn't seem to realise that his best friend is a threat to humanity. A simple code can activate his prey instincts.
The famous Airport scene that everyone was boasting about was also surprisingly underwhelming. For the first 2 minutes it was great to see some of my favourite superheroes fight each other, but it got boring pretty quickly. Why? Because there wasn't any tension. All of the characters apart from Black Panther were pulling their punches. It was a practice session than a real straight up fight. It really wasn't War. Black Widow had the time to make jokes in the middle of the fight too.
And yeah, the movie was really predictable. Apart from the final twist, the movie played out exactly the way I had thought it would. I knew there would be an underwater prison, I knew how Black Panther would become a part of the conflict, I knew that either Bucky would be framed or manipulated to attack a major international organisation because it was all shown in the effing trailers.
One thing universally agreed upon about this movie is that the villain was unnecessary and I concur. His plan was extremely complex and it played out the way it did only because the movie wanted to. But, for a change it was refreshing to see a human antagonist who uses his wit and intellect to defeat the heroes. He doesn't have a grandeur motive to destroy to world, and I really appreciated that. That still doesn't take away the face that he was inessential to the overall plot.
The things I liked: The final fight between Cap, Bucky and Iron Man was really good. That was the point when the movie became enjoyable for me because the the tension escalated to a whole new level. The look of anguish and sorrow on Tony's face was intense. Sadly, it was too little, too late.
I liked Black Panther. He's introduced as a straight up badass, and I liked that. His motives made sense. He was part of the conflict for personal reasons and had his own agenda and that's why his character was intriguing.
Spider Man was so awesome. I was waiting to see a Peter Parker who looked and behaved like he was in high school. So that was splendid.
Finally, it goes without saying but the actors have really grown into their roles over the course of several movies and each one of them give an amazing performance. Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans are just phenomenal in their portrayals. Even the new additions like Tom Holland and Chadwick Boseman are really good.
My final verdict would be a 2.75/5
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
Lots of missed opportunities (6/10)
Conflicted is the word I would use to describe my feelings towards the movie. On one hand, there are so many things that I absolutely loved about this movie. But, some of the things didn't work at all. Though, I feel the good outweighed the bad, but just by a tiny margin.
Things I liked:
1.The new Batman/Batfleck: This Batman is the one I had always wanted. He was a culmination of Frank Miller's older Batman from Dark Knight Returns and the one from the Arkham Games. Not a bad way to start things at all. Ben Affleck is a Batman we have never seen before, and he knocks it out of the park as a vicious, menacing, intimidating, poignant and brutal vigilante.
2. Visuals: This is a fantastic looking movie. Some of the scenes are like orgasm for the eyes. But, that's something that we can all expect from a Zack Snyder movie.
3. Wonder Woman: I thought Gal Gadot did a good job. She added her own touch and small nuances to a few scenes. She is set up as a mystical woman, who even outsmarts Bruce Wayne. The next is her appearance as Wonder Woman, which was really cool. She looked like a well balanced combination of power and elegance. Needless to say, I'm excited to see Wonder Woman in her own solo movie, releasing in 2017.
4. Dark and Dreary Tone: They are trying to mirror real some of the real world issues and add a political thriller aspect to their movies, so the dark tone meshes well with this particular universe.
5. Final Showdown: The showdown between Batman and Superman is spectacular and I'm glad they nailed it.
6.Justice League Setup: Now, I don't have a huge problem with the way these characters were introduced, but it seemed to convenient and even a little lazy. I feel it could have been handled better.
Things I didn't like:
1.Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor: Many people would be surprised to know that Lex Luthor isn't actually playing Lex Luthor, he is portraying his son. However, that doesn't excuse that fact that Jesse Eisenberg didn't fit the bill at all. Jesse is a really good actor, but he was one of the most glaring failures of the movie. He was borderline autistic and insane whose motivation for killing Suerman aren't well explained. Luthor is supposed to be one of the most intelligent men in the DC universe. He is dark, vindictive, arrogant and egotistical. Also, he is the arch nemesis of Superman. But, I didn't get that feeling from portrayal. He is spontaneous quirkiness was unintentionally annoying.
2. Character Motivations: Some of the character motivations didn't make sense at all. Why does Lex want to fight Superman? They needed to delve deeper into that. Why is Batman so outraged by Superman? He has a personal vendetta against him. But, he goes crazy to do whatever it takes to destroy him. Some of his motivation was shown in the opening sequence, but Batman is called the "World's greatest detective". He analyzes each an every step and doesn't pick a fight unless he actually has to. Over here, Batman seemed to have an ego issue, out for the blood of Superman. Given his intellectual prowess and intuition, can't he see that despite the destruction of Metropolis, Superman is actually doing a lot of good for the world. I'm sorry, but again, his motivation to go against Superman was really lazy. He just picked the fight, so we could have an overblown visual spectacle.
3. Incoherent Presentation: This is another huge flaw of this movie. They were trying to juggle too many things in this movie. Batman's arc, Suerpman's arc, Batman and Superman conflict, Lex's evil schemes, Justice League setup, Doomsday, Lois Lane side plot, after effects of Man of Steel. It was a bit too much for just one movie, and boy did it bring the movie down.
4. Doomsday: Doomsday is another villain in the movie. You could call him a henchman of Lex Luthor, and I was really disappointed by this character. Here is a just a screaming maniac causing havoc on Metropolis, just used as a convenient tool to make Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman team up. Sad.
TLDR............... All in all, BvS is a mixed bag. There is greatness somewhere in this movie, but it doesn't live up to its full potential. After teasing this movie for all these years, the audience, especially a superhero nerd like me had higher expectations. Inconsistent is a word that can aptly describe this movie. Editing of the movie really holds it back. However, from a summer action stand point it is light years ahead of most the movies releasing at its time. The opening sequence and the Batman v Superman showdown is worth the admission price alone, so I feel it's certainly a movie you should check out cause there is a lot of enjoyment you will find in it. But, I like my movies to be deeper than just a 10 minute action scene. I wanted them to delve into the ideological difference between Batman and Superman. It's full of missed opportunities. But, it's full of great elements as well. Let's score is, shall we?
**Final Verdict: 7.2/10**
Daredevil (2015)
Afterthoughts of watching Season 2. (9/10)
Just finished watching Season 2, something I had been waiting for a while. I must say that Season 2 was a lot better that the first season. My main qualm with the first season was the pacing. Some of the episodes felt too slow and the plot wasn't moving as quickly as I wanted to. SO, anyone who didn't enjoy the 1st season should give the 2nd season a shot, your complaints might have been duly noted by the show-runners.
The thing that makes the show far more interesting this time is the addition of new characters and it doesn't hold back on the action at all. Some of the new characters are Frank Castle/The Punisher and Elektra Natchios.
CHARACTERS: The Punisher is a highly complex individual, out for blood of the people who killed his family. To say the least, he is a complete bad-ass, and almost hands Daredevil's ass to him on a platter. Daredevil and Punisher are both alike in some way, but their ideologies differ a lot. Frank believes that only way to clean New York is to kill all the criminals. Daredevil believes that everyone deserves a second chance, and there is good in everyone. I love the psychological debate that the show touched upon. Needless to say, Jon Bernthal fit the bill perfectly. I'm hoping for a standalone Punisher TV series on Netflix after seeing his spectacular portrayal.
Coming to Elektra, she is really fun to watch. Elodie Yung was extremely charismatic in the role, and I can't wait to see her in the future seasons.
Matt Murdock is going through his own personal battles in this season. He is struggling to balance his vigilante persona with his personal life. In the process of fighting crime, he distances his best friend Foggy and Karen from his life. Charlie Cox still continues to be brilliant in this role. I'm always pleasantly surprised to see how well he can emote the mannerisms, facial expressions and eye movements of a blind man.
ACTION: The action is one of the best parts of the show. This time also we get to see some remarkable action scenes, on-par with the famous hallway fight scene from the second episode of the first season. Action junkies certainly won't be disappointed.
VERDICT: This show is bliss for comic book fans. Even if you aren't one, you will enjoy it for the edge of the seat drama and high octane action and amazing performances. Almost every character on the show is interesting. So, check it out!!
P.S. I gave season 1 a rating of 8/10 and season 2 deserves a 9/10 in my books. Certainly a great improvement.
Masaan (2015)
Heart-wrenching tale of guilt and relationships (8.5/10)
I have never seen a movie quite like Masaan. The opening scene itself is horrifying and I was left flabbergasted after seeing what was transpiring on screen. None of it felt fake, the performances felt very real, so real that I rooted for the characters and wanted them to make it out of their ordeal.
Richa Chaddha and Sanjay Mishra were insanely good. Vicky Kaushal and Shweta Tripathi also gave amazing performances and made a solid mark in their debut feature film.
The backdrop of Benaras has its own character in the movie. They way its shot and how the story progresses, somehow it appeared as if the movie wouldn't have been this good without the city.
Finally, the direction of Neeraj Ghaywan is outstanding and I hope to see more quality cinema such as this from him in the future.
Final Verdict: 8.5/10 Another gem of Indian cinema of 2015, with brilliant and raw performances. It would be a crime to ignore it. There is a moderately graphic sex scene in the beginning, otherwise it can be seen with family.
Gangs of Wasseypur (2012)
Vengeful, Charming, Horrifying, Gloomy, Vicious (9.5/10)
This is hands-down one of the best movies of the decade, not just from Indian cinema, but from all over the world. IMDb has merged it into one, but it's actually a 2 part saga of crime, loyalty, family, relationships and most importantly revenge.
The story is stretched across three generations and starts with a disagreement between the Pahtan's and Qureshi's. Both these sects of Wasseypur already had a tough disagreements in the past, but Shahid Khan, a Pathan, masquerading himself as a Qureshi bandit boils the tension to a whole new level and Shahid Khan is forced to leave Wasseypur. Shahid moves to Dhanbad, where he meets a coal mine owner called Ramadhir Singh. Shahid plans to move up the ladder by killing Ramadhir Singh and taking his place, but to his surprise Ramadhir gets to know about this and haves him murdered.
What begins is a vicious tale of revenge that leads to three generations of hatred and violence.
There have been revenge movies before, but the one that can come close to GOW is Kill Bill. I can't decide which one is better at this point, but much like GOW it was 2-part revenge story where the motive was to eliminate one person.
Acting in the movie was flawless all around. Manoj Bajpayee was perhaps the one who was the most interesting. However, Nawazudding Siddiqqui, Tigmanshu Dhulia, Richa Chadda and so many other actors give spectacular performances.
Anurag Kashyap was able to deliver such a brilliant film, and I feel this movie still hasn't receive the recognition it deserves.
Don't ignore this masterpiece just because it comes from an Industry notorious for creating happy-go-lucky dance sequences. It's not a film for the fainthearted, but this new generation of cinema from Bollywood needs to be appreciated.
Room (2015)
Brilliant, Absolutely deserves the recognition
I didn't know anything about the movie until the Oscar buzz started. To say the least, I had my apprehensions before getting into the movie. Why? Because, I read the synopsis which implied that Brie Larson would be playing a mother. That didn't make a lot of sense to me, cause until 2 years ago she used to portray the role of teenagers in high school.
Anyway, once I did actually start watching the movie, I was totally captivated by what I saw. The first 10 minutes hook you into the story and I kept wondering what will happen next?
Brie Larson shines in her portrayal of the psychologically petrified, abused, yet selfless mother who gives everything it takes to protect and nurture her child. I was pleasantly surprised by her performance, because prior to this, I've only seen her in 21 Jump Street and Trainwreck, which are fun and campy movies, but her performance didn't stand out. Here, her performance is very nuanced and subtle, that it didn't feel like I was watching a movie, the events were unfolding in-front of my eyes and most of the credit goes to Larson for giving a stellar performance.
Jacob Tremblay is phenomenal as Jack. Apart from Jacob, part of the credit goes to the casting directors who chose him, because you can't easily teach 7-8 year old to act, you need to choose a child whose demeanor and personality corresponds well with the character he/she will be portraying so that his performance comes across as natural one. If they hadn't chosen the right actor to portray Jack, the film wouldn't be getting the recognition it's getting right now. I'm excited to see what Jacob does next.
The rest of the cast, which included the likes of Joan Allen and Matt Gordon play their roles beautifully.
Lenny Abrahamson is a great storyteller and I'm really pumped to see what he does next. Let's see if he beats this one.
I won't divulge much into the story, cause you need to experience it for yourself. The IMDb synopsis is enough to give you an idea of what you would be getting into.
My only problem with the movie is that it felt 15 minutes longer than it should have been. The movie deals with the repercussions of what the characters endured in the room, which in my opinion was stretched longer than what would have sufficed.
PS. Don't take my word for it, experience it for yourself. You might even cry at a point in the movie, when the characters achieve redemption.
My Rating: 8.5/10
Wazir (2016)
Solid entertainer, but expected more
The part where the movie really shines is the acting and dialogues. The movie wouldn't be what it is without the performances of Farhan Akhtar and Amitabh Bachchan, and the powerful duo clearly carry the entire film on their shoulders.
The cameo appearances by John Abraham and Neil Nitin Mukesh were a great surprise, something I clearly forgot about even after watching the trailer of the movie.
Aditi Rao isn't given much to work with. However, she looks breathtaking in almost every shot from the movie.
Needless to say, the film has a few useless songs which add barely anything to the story and cutting them out of the movie would have been a wiser choice.
The dialogues of the movie good. They part where they really shine is the one-on-one conversations between Amitabh Bachchan and Farkhan Akhtar.
The main issue I had with the movie was its plot. It seems like what the writers wrote as a script, looked good on paper, but its execution was a bit convoluted. Perhaps I'm the only one with this opinion, but few of the story elements seemed cluttered and towards the middle it seemed like the story and execution is going haywire. I was a bit disappointed towards the end, when everything came together on the grander scale, I wasn't fully satisfied and was expecting more, primarily because the trailers hyped my enthusiasm too much.
Still, despite some of these self-founded profound nitpicks, it's still a piece of cinema directed with finesse and a good time at the theaters, and definitely something you can enjoy with the family as well.
Jessica Jones (2015)
A solid crime drama
I went into Jessica Jones without knowing what to expect. I absolutely enjoyed the Daredevil Series, so watching Jessica Jones was a no-brainer. However, the problem I had with Daredevil carried on to Jessica Jones as well. I thought both of the series could have been cut short by at-least two episodes. Don't get me wrong, it is absolutely an enjoyable show, but sometimes more is less, and by avoiding some of the side-plots, we would have gotten a show that was more hard-hitting and could have ended up as a homerun in my opinion.
Now, as for the protagonist, Jessica Jones. I wouldn't really say she is an interesting character. However, her story and her relationship with the villain(Killgrave) is what makes her intriguing. Jessica is a damaged soul, who has shut everyone from her world after being manipulated and abused by Killgrave. The only person that she cares about is her foster-sister, Trish.
The best part of the series is undoubtedly the portrayal of Killgrave by David Tenant. He is ruthless, remorseless and delusional which makes makes him all the more scarier. Due to his twisted sense of judgement, Killgrave feels what he is doing is somehow right and his victims deserve what he does to them. He and Jessica have a unique relationship, in some ways like Batman and Joker and he is obsessed with Jessica, reason for which we find out in the midst of the series.
All in all, I would say Jessica Jones is not a superhero show, by any means. In-fact, it has a lot less action than Daredevil. What makes this show worthwhile is the performances and the engaging story of how Jessica catches Killgrave and brings and end to his crimes.
Verdict: 7.5/10
Prem Ratan Dhan Payo (2015)
Abysmally Awful
So terrible. Even the trailer was unbearable, couldn't expect anything better from the actual movie. The better side of the picture is that I went to PVR and had a deep and interesting conversation with my friends. The popcorn wasn't too bad either.
The only good thing about the movie is that the set design and cinematography was vibrant and looked amazing. The movie is filled with unnecessary 6 minute songs but has a 2 minute paper-thin plot. I'm flabbergasted by how well this movie is doing, just cause of Bhai fun club. Congrats Bhai, you have done it again. You keep churning sh!t, every year, be it Eid or Diwali. Thenks!
(500) Days of Summer (2009)
A very special movie...a true shiny gem of its genre
I have seen this movie over 3 times and its very close to my heart. The ingenuity of this movie is that it doesn't sugarcoat love or relationships. It teaches us that life is something that keeps flowing like a river and people come and go. What is left, are their memories. We just have to keep moving on.
Our protagonists are woven beautifully on screen, they are someone that me might know, they share several characteristics with every single one of us, which makes the movie seem very realistic.
Also, the soundtrack is just perfect. I want to personally thank this movie for introducing me the music of "The Smiths".
Joseph Gordon Levitt and Zooey Deschanel did a tremendous job and gave a very subtle performance, which can't be said for many movies of similar genre these days. But, the main credit goes to director Marc Webb and the writers Scott Neustadter, Michael H. Weber for this masterpiece. I'm very excited to see what they do next!
The Man from Earth (2007)
An incredibly thoughtful and articulate masterpeace
Well, what can I say that has not already been said. I wasn't really expecting a lot from this one. I thought this would be another overrated movie which the intellectuals pretended to love. The story of just 6 characters sitting together and having a discussion was incredibly engrossing.
Jerome Bixby, actually started writing the screenplay in the early 1960's. He wrote it for about 35 years until it was finished right before he died in 1998. The true strength of this movie is its life-like characters and subtle dialogues.
I never really felt I was watching a movie, it was like I was peeking into the room myself and the pace was perfect. The budget for this movie was around $0.2 million and did they ever make the most of it.
The Man from Earth is an undisputed masterpiece and one of the greatest science fiction films of our time.