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Tidelands (2018)
This tide doesn't land
Sirens, humans, half humans and their power struggle is essentially the series is about. Of the three, two have mythical powers while humans display one power which is brandishing hand guns. We have Auggie McTeer and his boys on human side, Adrielle the queen of half humans or Tidelanders and once in a while visible Sirens, the mothers of half humans. Between the former two is a trade of a dollars and a product of high value and demand. Tidelanders, who can breathe underwater and move water, dig out this product from deep waters in plastic drums and the McTeers pay for it in dollars and sell it forward to human customers. The money collected by the queen is used by her to meet her own secret agenda, displeasing her people. Now we have Cal McTeer who just returned from prison after serving ten years trying to get her share of her father's wealth ends up discovering things more than she has bargained for. Between them we have myriad of characters trying to add complexity in the story. So whether the Queen and Cal get what they want and how everything plays forms the series. It would have been interesting only if it has been acted well with a less meandering storyline.
Cal with her ever pouting mouth is more or less clueless of what she wants to accomplish and why and how. We have the Queen who struts around with casual malaise and half revealing clothes is busy looking pretty yet mean just by slicing throats or getting eyeballs plucked. To top this we have a big shot drug lord who wants to eliminate McTeers and deal directly with the Queen for the product. What we essentially end up watching is a muddled execution of schemes, back stabbing and shifting loyalties interspersed with meaningless, untimely topless and simulated sex scenes.
The show keeps your interest but when all is over you get a feeling of exasperation - alright, what was that all about. A good editor could have fit these 8 episodes into a tight 2-hour movie with a meaningful and impactful storyline.
6ixtynin9: The Series (2023)
Superficial and senseless
The pretty lead girl loses her job in the first episode, lives in an apt whose number is 6 which turns to 9 every time she closes the door, gets a box of money wrongly delivered, decides to keep it, protect it at any cost. People trying to discover their lost money begin to disappear, they try to theorise that they are being conned by same guy, who he is supposed to be receiving the money in first place. In this mayhem, our protagonist is trying to hide bodies that are piling up in her apartment in broad daylight and hold onto the money while sleepwalking through her character portrayal.
I have never watched a Thai series before and this series shouldn't have been the one to kickoff. It is like bunch of writers got together pinning for a Netflix series green signal and went after a checklist of things to please the producers - pretty girl, check; nudity, check; mindless murders, check; unmindful sex scenes, check; drugs, check; local flavoured gangs, check. They also added clueless cops, substandard storyline, shallow performances, unrealistic settings and an afterlife-status-decider to add to the variety. What you get in the end is a hotchpotch of a series with murders happening , bodies piling up and the lead girl who hardly weighs 100 pounds moving them around with little conviction and a single expression. If all this doesn't give the viewer a brain freeze, the ending will surely will, with even more bodies getting piled up for a totally lost cause.
No Hard Feelings (2023)
A bland serving with a sporadic dash of spices
Trailer certainly piques one's interest in this movie and on top of it we have Oscar winning J Law in the lead role, what can go wrong. That was my first thought before I hit the play button.
Our lead is an Uber driver whose car on one fine morning gets repossessed by her jilted ex. She needs a car for living and earn enough so she can pay property tax and keep her mom's house. Enough to set the background and motivation. She comes across an ad posted by a 'concerned' but rich parent of a socially distant boy who needs to be dated (like dated hard) and prepare him for college. This in return, you guessed it, for a usable car.
Our girl uses all her charm to grab the assignment and her looks and seduction skills to get boy do 'it' with her while teaching the boy some boy-girl interaction skills. Interesting so far but now the script begins to veer off into familiar Hollywood formulaic storytelling. Boy figures out the motive despite his serious feelings for her, gets upset or starts sulking while the girl begins to question her own commitment issues and in the end all issues are sorted, everyone's happy and best friends forever.
There are some funny moments like JLaw trying to recover her car from the tow truck while her ex is deciding what to order, or doing kung fu type stuff fully naked to get her clothes back from some pranking youngsters, or trying to reach her interview with the parents on her roller blades.
In the end the feeling I was left was that of getting attracted to what looks like an out of the ordinary dish but when you dig in you realise it has predictable taste with some interesting spices interspersed.
Take Me (2017)
A simple entertainer
Take me is a simple, uncomplicated entertainer. Our protagonist Ray has a unique business venture. He provides simulated services to customers who desire to experience kidnapping for 8-hour periods. His sister is not too keen of his enterprise and also the fact that he uses their mother's house for his adventures.
The movie starts off with a demonstration of Ray's enterprise and its effectiveness though he is not rolling in money, although he has several satisfied customers. All of this changes when he gets a call from a Anna St. Blair who is willing to pay five grand for a weekend of his service which she insists must include some slapping. And from this point on the story takes off offering viewers some twists and some turns, some tense and some tender moments - all in all making this a watchable affair. Due credit must be given to Pat Healy playing Ray (and directing the movie) and Taylor Schilling who plays Anna St Blair with definite flair. Watch it for leisure fun without too many expectations.
The Burial (2023)
Great acting but inconsistent script
This film essentially falls into two settings - setting the lead characters' back stories, personalities and the set up of legal battles with their nemesis. What impresses is the first part of the settings - here writers had taken liberties and shown creativity in setting up the characters especially Willie Gary, played marvellously by Jamie Foxx. Supported by a wonderfully subdued performance by his client McKeefe played with such subtlety by Tommy Lee Jones. Kudos to Mame Downes played by Jurnee Smollett. But when the real legal battle starts, the script begins to weaken and wander showing its impact on lead characters' (inconsistent) performances. The court scenes, the arguments and after effects appear disjointed, especially when they are supposed to elevate the bar justifying the spectacular verdict that gets read at end.
Locke (2013)
Machinations of bluetooth calls from a BMW X5
Intrigued by the trailer I started watching the movie and in a while I have realised all we will be watching is a single committed, logical, practical face of a concrete farmer trying to convince himself, his family and us viewers that the decision he has taken at the traffic signal at the beginning of the movie is the best one just because he is not like his father. So while driving he takes advantage of the modern communication technology in his X5 and makes tens of calls and receives as many. One of which, the most idiotic and self absorbed call, is to inform his wife of 15 years and mother of his two sons (who obviously adore him), of a life changing decision for both of them that he has taken and a secret he has held for months. And he expects wife think logically and arrive at a practical solution. Who does this over a phone call? And he does all this in parallel driving away from a most prestigious concrete pour in the history of Europe, while assuring his boss that all will be taken care of over the phone. He hopes his clinical, systematic approach to lifeless concrete pouring can easily be extended to real life situations involving creatures with emotions and feelings.
While the acting, conversations and glimpses of England highways at night keep you interested, the underlying premise basis of which the lead character deals with his predicament leaves much to be desired for.
Kumari Srimathi (2023)
Fresh take on women centric series
Kumari Srimathi is an endearing Telugu web series on amazon prime which keeps women and their struggles at centre without getting into preachy mode. It is refreshing because it is a pure family show where three generations of family can sit in front of the television set and watch a beautiful, clean narrative of three generations of women at the fore without averting their eyes from the screen in any discomfort.
The protagonist is Kumari Srimathi, played with aplomb by Nithya Menen, carries the series on her shoulders with ease. She is supported by an ensemble of seasoned and upcoming actors, who play their roles without any awkwardness. Particularly mother, grandmother and the 'evil' uncle. Romance is an integral part of the story but stays in the background without affecting the main theme of the story.
Show creator Srinivas Avasarala and his team of writers and director did an excellent job of keeping the script clean with adequate humour thrown in without sermons.
The final two episodes leave an unpleasant taste though particularly the final episode where bringing back a certain character just because so, feels like producers, creators seem prepping up for Season 2 rather than giving Season 1 an impactful closure.
Bad Sisters (2022)
The sisters are bad, or are they?
First episode of this fabulous series opens with a man lying in a coffin in his pyjamas and the recent widow trying to hide an embarrassing exposure while mourning introduces us to the quirky humour in this series. Then we get introduced the key characters - essentially the close knit sisters and the insurance agents who are convinced something's amiss in an otherwise innocuous death of a man in his jammies. With his death being the cynosure of this story, it is important to note that this is not a whodunit but rather exploring why and how, and as a viewer are you convinced that it is justified. The writers have thrown in all their ingenuity in developing a backstory for each of the characters adding strength to the reasons for whatever happens as episodes progress. Is blood thicker than water and would sisters bonded by blood would go to what extent to protect their sisterhood fuels the intrigue.
We essentially have 5 sisters on one side - Eva, Grace, Bibi, Ursula and Becky, each brilliantly portrayed in their own way. On the other side just JP, who is an evil incarnate, played with aplomb by Claes Bang. He gets into the skin of the character so well, as well as under the skin of the viewer, and as a viewer you wouldn't mind joining the sisters in their pursuits. He manipulates and connives each of the sisters individually and destroys each of the sisters' psyches and does it without a shred of shame or traceable evidence to pin it back on him. The meekest of the 5 sisters is Grace, JP's wife, for who the other 4 sisters would go to any extent to free her and their teen daughter out of the manipulative grasps of JP. As the story seamlessly moves in and out of the past and the present, we get to see the desperation of the third set of characters, the insurance agents duo, in the present. Things get a little complicated in the way of their investigation and sisters' collective efforts to stay clear, as one of the sisters gets romantically involved with the younger agent. And the episodic efforts by the sisters to eliminate JP are sinfully hilarious.
All in all, this is an exciting series with commendable acting by all lead characters and presented among some amazing Irish locales and beautiful homes of the sisters.
Somewhere within first few episodes it becomes evident who has done it and the intrigue that remains is how, when and why. The closure may or may not appeal to all viewers as it will entirely depend on how invested the viewers are in the characters, and how much one would really appreciate the "happy" ending.
The Banshees of Inisherin (2022)
All for a tune?
There are no banshees in Inisherin, says one of the principal characters. But then as a viewer you do feel there is one metaphorically howling silently in the air of this dark comedy, portending dread and death. If you're looking for another In Bruges or Three Billboards from the talented Martin McDonagh you are in for a darker surprise.
The story is set on an idyllic island in Ireland during their civil war time (1920's) but the populace is seemingly unaffected by it except for a sporadic reference in the local pub or when a bomb goes off on the mainland.
The story is of two long time friends that sets off when the older of the two, Colm (Brendan Gleeson) abruptly announces to the other Padraic (Colin Farrell) that he longer wishes to speak with him and any attempts to do so by Padraic will be met by some dire, irreparable actions on Colm's part. Padraic being nice and all, doesn't believe his buddy so tries to play the threat down while brooding over why Colm decided to be so. At one point in the narrative he realises it is no longer a bluff but Colm is serious about what he said. In the midst of these bizarre developments we have townspeople who are equally baffled including Padraic's sister Siobhan (Kerry Condon), Dominic (Barry Keoghan) who try their best to adapt to the situation, while dealing with their own personal issues.
The explanation when demanded given by Colm to Padraic isn't very plausible so he continues the pursuit of making the relationship work and the emanating actions thereafter become even more darker. The genuine efforts put forward by Padraic to mend the situation are only met with Colm "truly" honouring his dire promises to his and everyone's aghastness.
The behaviour of the lead characters definitely requires some 21st century psychiatric treatment but this being set in 1920's on a remote island amidst conflict doesn't allow a psych intervention, but one of the lead characters in an exasperated state does call the actions taken by the other qualifies to be called mental. Without giving too much away the story veers onto unexpected (and sometimes inexplicable) roads with some tragic developments. Gleeson and Farrell are brilliant as usual, getting into the skin of their characters and are brilliantly supported by Condon and Keoghan.
The climax though, can be unfulfilling if one is expecting a neat tie-off of the events that have unfolded during the course of the narration.
See How They Run (2022)
A muddled whodunit
Whodunits are done to death and continued to be so. See how they run is no exception. The taking appears commonplace with the dead guy narrating the story and a lethargic detective assisted by a bumbling, over enthusiastic yet a sincere assistant driving the narrative. While Sam Rockwell trying to imitate a Scotland yard's detective is laughable (though I have high respect for him as an actor), it is Ms Ronan who actually provides some laughs in an otherwise muddled production. And like a textbook ending the least suspected character turning out be the killer for hard to believe reasons only adds to the murky narrative. I had high hopes seeing Rockwell, Brody et al in the lineup but at end of it I was disappointed.
Itlu Maredumilli Prajaneekam (2022)
Subdued contained performance of Naresh
When one watches the trailer they can see that Naresh has picked up another serious role after Naandi, and they also expect probably another movie preaching morals. While the subject is such, no long speeches are there. That is a relief and the message is subtle and not in your face screaming at you.
First half flows smoothly with a good mixture of comedy from Kishore and Praveen along with setting a tone for the movie's serious context. Interval has the necessary bang. The second half sustains the first half interest barring a few difficult to believe twists but they don't do any major damage to the momentum and interest built. Again without being overly preachy it closes off well at climax.
The mandatory romantic track feels force fit. Naresh is more subdued than Naandi but is superb. He once again proves comedic actors can easily transform to serious roles but not the other way.
It is worth watching with family, though the theme and message is for adults.
Better Call Saul: Saul Gone (2022)
Well balanced ending to a marvellous series
Breaking Bad ended with at least one loose end which needed to be tied off by making El Camino to give the viewers a closure. Here we don't see that happening. Better Call Saul fans and ardent viewers like myself were very curious on how the two lead characters' roles would be written off in this episode. Without giving any spoilers I think the ending was quite balanced giving a meaningful closure to Jimmy/Saul/Gene and Kim's characters keeping in mind the long relationship between Jimmy and Kim. It is a very well written episode with top notch acting. It was wonderful to watch Bob moving effortlessly from Gene to Saul to Jimmy, doing a full 360 degree circle by the end. Marvellous. And it was also very heartening to see Kim veering back towards her passion - pro bono legal work though as a volunteer. All in all, I have enjoyed every frame, scene of this finale as I did the entire series. Bravo team!!
Ozark: A Hard Way to Go (2022)
Crappiest ending for otherwise a wonderful series
The series had all the elements to keep a viewer hooked, love and binge. The last season, the writers went into overdrive in complicating the plot, making every character a brilliant schemer, with everyone backstabbing everybody else and when they run out of backs to stab, we come to the final episode. Less said the better. The car crash and the final scene are incredulous, a joke on every viewer... I never hated a finale so much.
Pushpa: The Rise - Part 1 (2021)
No character arc for Pushpa
While AA carries movie on his shoulder with his attitude and accent, it would have been nice to see a well developed character arc for Pushpa Raj character. It is just a flat line. Well rest of the characters are there to fill the screen space and make AA look good. Sidekick Keshav was worth a watch. It is worth watching once for the rustic and raw look of the period that story takes place in. BGM is too loud and unpleasant except for the final climax and titles roll. Mumbai tapori hindi didn't sit well for me, it would have been nice to see an authentic rough UP or Bihari dialect.
De twaalf (2019)
A different kind of jury drama
A bunch of ordinary citizens burdened with the duty of deciding the fate of a woman who stands accused of a double homicide 18 years apart. Tragically the victims are her best friend and her own daughter. They listen, they hear confusing, hypothetical arguments, theories, some facts, lot of emotion - all thrown into the mix along with their own battles with their personal demons. Out of all this turmoil, an impartial verdict is to be handed out.
If you tune into this series expecting outstanding drama akin to any Hollywood courtroom drama, you will be disappointed by episode 1 and probably begin to write it off.
But if you can manage to put yourself on the jury bench as one of the non-voting jurors, you may see the series in a different light. It may no longer be a whodunnit drama with a dramatic verdict, but begins to take a more humanistic shape. I was about to give up until I did this slight shift in my POV.
Imagine yourselves as a jury member who didn't want to be there in the first place as you have 3 children to care for along with an abusive and jealous husband. Or imagine yourself as a juror who's burdened by gambling debts and wants to use the inside information to pay those off. Or you are a juror who is being plagued by a terrible tragedy at your own workplace which you cannot simply shrug off and start questioning your own ethics. Or simply you have been a personal tragedy which is similar to the case you are dealing with and you want to make corrections through this trial. Whatever you are thinking or whoever you are, as a viewer you will get a chance to witness the lives of these jurors while also hearing the arguments, witness stories, emotional side tracking arguments which many times stay open ended and don't particularly help you forming a firm opinion.
You will feel frustrated that the jurors during their break times aren't really deliberating but fighting their own battles and by end of the day they are eager to pick their bags and run off home. Can you expect a fair justice really with this detached (and disjointed) jury? And the final episode where they really sit down to deliberate, don't seem to do it any convincingly with their heart in it, and as a viewer you will feel frustrated. Are most of the juries are similar? Can fellow humans' fate be left to a jury like this one? This is what I think makes the drama De Twaalf (or The Twelve) a different jury drama and made me enjoy it.
P.S. The final verdict delivered leaves a lot of question marks but the series makers tried to patch it up a little at the end, so there is a closure for the viewers at least. The mandatory cliffhangers after each episode are there too, so you can binge watch.
V (2020)
Indraganti disappoints thoroughly. Had high hopes.
This movie is an insult to the viewers intelligence and to the word psycho. Indraganti should watch original Psycho or latest Joker just to understand the real meaning of the word Psycho and make a movie portraying one.
When will Telugu 'heroes' grow up and actually act out a true bad character? False portrayal and publicity as a bad guy, then justify it with some stupid back story (after all he is a good guy too). Take audience for fools. Happy that this crap didn't release in a theatre.
Defending Jacob: After (2020)
Ending is pathetic
This is how you bring down a great show and great book. The entire motivation for Laurie to do what she did was justifiable in the book. And you take that important justification away and simply show her as some psychotic person lost in her own delusions and attempt murder her son is simply unacceptable on any scale. Not just unacceptable but completely illogical.
All 7 episodes writers were completely loyal to the book and as if somehow the writers decided amongst themselves - wait, let us give a shocking surprise to all the viewers who read the book and think they know the ending. Simply pathetic!
And keeping Jacob in a comatose state, making Laurie say I want our family and Andy not saying much just having dinner alone and of course not really revealing who killed Ben Rifkin anyway - what are creators hoping, to bring all these 3 characters back for a Season 2?
Servant (2019)
So much promise...
The premise is promising, the promos are promising, Shyamalan's name behind the series is promising, episode by episode multi-layered storytelling feels promising, the terrific acting is promising, the usage of light to match the eerie-ness is promising, the background score is promising... so much promise. Argh...
Patiently watching the onion-like-layers peel off hoping to reveal something worthwhile after 10-12 hours simply didn't pay off.
Will Season 2 hold more promises, I don't have the patience to find out.
The Red Phallus (2018)
A poignant cinematic journey
We all wear masks. In order to see our true core, one has to remove the mask and peel of the layers of veneer and reveal. And most of us won't like what gets exposed. The Red Phallus makes a bold attempt at that, beautifully disguised in a tranquil, picturesque mountainous locale - a very rustic, laidback remote valley in Bhutan. At least that's the feeling one gets until the able director, Tashi Gyeltshen, through his first attempt starts peeling off the outer picture perfect surface, revealing a disturbing core.
The protagonist Sangay is a 16 year old girl, played poignantly beautiful by Tshering Euden, who appears demotivated while displaying a deep sense of apathy and disinterest in her life and what surrounds her. The only other person in her household is her father who sculpts wooden phalluses (which apparently ward off evil spirits) and also plays Astara in holy festivals wearing a mask and a costume. The third principal character is a young man, who descends from a family of butchers (apparently lineage is important) drives around a tractor and is married with children. He also is someone who is in a relationship with Sangay and implores her to leave the mountainous paradise with him and go to a city. And on every occasion he also does not hesitate to taunt her to be 'not strong enough'. Without giving too much away, the complex triangular relationship between the three principal characters forms the crux of the story and how Sangay finally musters courage and strength to face reality, take things in her own hands to show she is 'strong enough' with tragic consequences.
Patience is required to absorb the slow paced narrative and move along with the story once you get past the bucolic scenery and get immersed in Sangay's life. There are many frames which span a landscape, where the camera is being held steady in a panoramic view, and the character unhurriedly walks from one corner of the frame to the far end corner.
The underlying theme is masks and unmasking them, whether the mask represents the sky, clouds over the mountains or the disturbing events that lay unrevealed within the human beings and in the end it is indeed a worthwhile cinematic journey.
Jack Ryan (2018)
The analyst is MIA
While the series has enough substance to keep one intrigued, one can't help but wonder where did Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan go? As the series progresses after some basic 'analysis' by Dr Ryan and storytelling jumps into action, the other Jack... Jack Reacher takes over.
Rest of the characters, acting, story, dialogue is unfortunately reminiscent of a B grade action series.
Between Two Ferns: The Movie (2019)
Stick to the YouTube videos of this show if you're looking for a laugh
I watched the Netflix trailer of this movie, found it fresh and outrageously hilarious. So before the movie became available on Netflix, I literally scoured the YouTube for all the available episodes of Between the Two Ferns and thoroughly enjoyed them, sometimes laughing so hard while recalling some questions later that Zach throws at the celebrities with amazing deadpan delivery. I just couldn't wait for the movie to be out. And what a disappointment it is...
When Zach 'temporarily murders' Matthew M and destroys the set, he agrees to do 10 episodes on the road with celebrities and in return would get a TV show of his own. So when he hits the road with his crew and I was expecting fun to begin. But it only ends up being another self realisation journey movie laboured with cliches like never give up, don't lose your friends, believe in yourself type mushy stuff. There is some episodic fun only when Zach is recording the interviews and well the rest is just a 'sanitised by hollywood so you can have happy endings' (to quote Zachy B himself from the movie).
So if you are expecting ROFL type fun, stick to the YouTube episodes or fast forward the movie all the way to end titles.