TejasNair

I liked Old not for its horror elements (at least the very little that it has) but for its themes about aging and regrets in life, something that hit home. There may be several flaws with this weird drama but the central theme of how we take life lightly when we are aging slowly really stayed with me. Recommended.

I had a good time watching Jungle Cruise because the thrills just keep on coming. As someone who likes adventures on reel, Jungle Cruise met all my lofty expectations: mythology and legend, a smart-aleck skipper, an Englishwoman and her sweet-faced brother, and the Amazon rainforest. Give it a go even if you are not familiar with the Disney link.

I went in with very low expectations but Till Death and its leader Megan Fox surprised me. The mystery of a woman handcuffed to the corpse of her dead husband is interesting, but it gets more as the story unfolds. Kept me hooked till the end with some clever writing in the final act and excellent action overall.

A good one-hour take into Dieter Rams's design philosophy with a few historical nuggets for people like me who have only heard of Dieter Rams but not much exposed to his design, his products, and his style. The last 30 minutes derails but Rams the movie is nonetheless fantastic to look at. His house is beautiful. 7 stars.

Searching blew me away even though I saw it after Run, Aneesh Chaganty's later feature, and having heard and read everything about how similar Mahesh Narayan's c u soon is. The intensity of the plot, its unpredictability, and the conviction of the characters are what stood out for me in this unconventional thriller that is also so relatable and real. Watch it right now if you haven't. 8 stars.

I watched a lot of movies and it had been a long time (over the pandemic year/s) since I have seen such a gripping thriller involving a family. In Run, a mother and a daughter's relationship starts to strain when the latter suspects her mother is doing ill on her. As you continue to guess what it might be, Run takes you by surprise. It delivers the goods and it keeps you hooked till the last second. Go, watch it already!

Sometimes a story doesn't have to be sensible or original. It just has to deliver the goods - lots of guns, knuckle sandwiches, and explosions garnished with dry humour and melodrama. With Nobody, you got them all, plus a newfound action star. I watched this 2 in the morning and I had some good fun.

I See You is a gripping tale that brings together a family of three, the law enforcement, and some strange beings that first gives you a feeling of horror but then later takes a virulent turn to shock and impress you as you stay invested in the plot till the very end, only supported by the arresting background score. Best watched in a home theatre. Also, I learned about a new concept here.

The electronic music of Diamond Island stood out for me as I entered the dull life of Bora, its protagonist, who moves to Phnom Penh in search of a better livelihood. The story then narrates his coming-of-age as he mingles with his long lost brother and his charismatic life and friends in the Cambodian city that is characterized by late night parties and concerts, riding and driving fancy vehicles, romance, and everything that he was not accustomed to when he was in his native, a village. It's a fine watch, especially when you observe the Cambodian culture, but in terms of international cinema standards, I don't see anything extraordinary here. The actors are all debutants, which is evident in their performances. But the dialogues, cinematography, and the score make up for it. Grade C+. (Watched at the 2020 IIHS UrbanLens Film Festival.)

Soufra (A Moving Feast) is a moving tale of social activism and entrepreneurship in the face of calamity. It summarises the efforts of a social entrepreneur working to improve the lives of destitute women and their family living in a Lebanese refugee camp by turning their cooking skills into a profession. The women start a new phase in their life as chefs and creating mouth-watering delicacies that knows no boundaries. Soufra's story is inspiring and it teaches you to live life head-on. A cool watch. Grade B. (Watched at the 2020 IIHS UrbanLens Film Festival.)

In this horror comedy that really gets on towards the end, Will Forte's part meanders a lot. Which is what affected my viewing experience. But Maeve Higgins (in her feature film debut!) and the overall jocular vein that Extra Ordinary follows makes up for it, giving you shoots of LOL comedy (you WILL chuckle at least a dozen times, thanks to the wicked timing of some dialogues) and novel cinematic elements. Some scenes in here are as novel as the way the directors satirize aspects of black magic (Jarvis Cocker's end credits song is perfect), all of which are absolutely stunning. I really enjoyed Extra Ordinary save for the meandering bits that might test your patience a little. Grade B-. (Watched at the 2020 European Union Film Festival of India (EUFF).)

I struggled through Borat Subsequent Moviefilm not because it is as wild and ridiculous as the first part but because there's just too much that Sacha Baron Cohen stuffs into it, which made my viewing experience slightly unpleasant. Sure, there are LOL moments and absurd dialogues that make the film what it is, but after a while, the jokes aren't funny (not in a bad way, though). The critique on the Trump administration is spot-on, so maybe this is more targeted towards Americans. However, I have to admit that this sequel is more adventurous, mischievous, and courageous than the first part, which is all that matters sometimes. Grade C-.

Tremors is a surprisingly appealing movie and I am not attributing it to the creatures in the film. It starts off giving a westerns vibe and then quickly turns into a survival horror movie with the added novelty of an unknown creature. Being a fan of 'creature features' and having watched most popular films in the genre, Tremors took me aback as it continued to impress me with its casting, plot, and the sheer horror of characters being hunted by a strange-looking mystery. There's just a positive, fun vibe to the film and that works wonders here. Gets all my points for being extremely funny too. Grade A-.

It's the humour garnished all over Lake Placid that makes it more than an entertaining watch about crocodile terror. You know it's a spoof but you know there's danger out there too that the characters are going to fall into. Add to that the on-the-point performances and dialogue delivery by Bridget Fonda, Oliver Platt, and Brendan Gleeson and the overall atmosphere of the film, and you have a terrific film to enjoy with friends and family. This is some great popcorn entertainment. Grade B.

Another Netflix film that is technically brilliant (other recent one is Bulbbul (2020)) with a better sound design than most Indian films but which lacks substance. It crafts a suspenseful story at the cost of putting its viewers to sleep, to whom the impeccable production value or crescendoing background score is not enough. It is hard to keep track or make sense of things in Kaali Khuhi (The Black Well) and by the time you do, it goes off with a whimper. At the end, it reduces itself as an atmospheric suspense show sampling and combining folktales and social evil and hardly has any effect on the viewers. It's a wasted attempt (including the talent) at best with a confusing plot and several unanswered questions. These may be solved in a second watch but Kaali Khuhi is not confident enough to demand a first. Only for serious horror fans. Grade D. TN.

Open Water 3 is low on all departments, and two of the main ones that affect viewing experience are the characters and the number of thrilling sequences. While I loved the attempt to add some drama between the characters and the use of night vision somewhere during the 80-minute running time, I did not enjoy watching it. The characters are repulsive, which gave me an idea that maybe the director did not care enough to make this an entertaining/serious movie about the perils of going near sharks. The weakest in the franchise. (Grade D). TN.

An engaging thriller with a mindless plot, Deep Blue Sea managed to keep me hooked throughout its loud 100-minute running time. A doctor and her team of researchers looking to find a cure for Alzheimer's in sharks in an isolated facility in the middle of an ocean - what more do you need for some sweet chaos while also supported by some unethical practices? Deep Blue Sea is not the most realistic shark film out there but it has a lot of cool action, suspense, the added pleasure of flooding sequences, and a protagonist that you love to hate. Go for it. (Grade B-). TN.

You are in for a disappointment if you are expecting this to be a shark movie. Open Water, which reminded me of Force Majeure (2014), is instead about the tension brewing between two husband-wife divers who are left to adrift by their crew in the middle of a reef. Based on an odd true story, it is about the delirium, the panic attack, and the sheer fear of being shark food when you are in the middle of an ocean infested with sharks, stingrays, and barracudas than about being preyed on by sharks, which makes it a slightly dull movie to watch, especially if you are a shark movie connoisseur like me. There are hardly any jumpscares or thrills here, their lack of which is aggravated by some odd humming music and found footage-like camera work. But it does have some brilliant dialogues that are tinged with humour and wisdeom, which is supported by some level of suspense, making it a worthwhile watch if you like natural survival films. Give it a try. (Grade C+). TN.

Axone (Akhuni; a Naga dish with a pungent smell) snuck up on me, giving me weird feelings and a lot to think about. It's a simple story **** of friends from Nagaland and other parts of Northeast India living as paying guests in Delhi. They are trying to prepare the dish for their friend on her special occasion, which is hindered by a variety of issues, ranging from catcalling to discrimination. It does get uncomfortable at times and that is the essence of watching Axone; it hits you because what it shows you is true. Delightful performances (and a bubbly Sayani Gupta in perhaps her best role so far), excellent background music with a tinge of NE cultural music, and a linear screenplay makes it a very good watch. I highly recommend it. (Grade B). TN.

Less scares than the first one but still a good popcorn entertainer with the trademark emotional element (two step sisters here) and if you don't think about the details too much. 90 minutes of laid-back entertaining material to watch with your family and learn again why exploring abandoned lakes and underwater caves isn't a safe thing to do. TN.

47 Meters Down works on the old idea of great white sharks scaring a bunch of people (two sisters, in this case) but there's a bit of novelty (it takes place on an ocean bed) that makes the watch an enjoyable ride. While the dialogues - which seemed like they were just being spoken to help the audience understand the situation of the girls better - seemed inauthentic, everything else is pretty good here. A cool late-night watch with the family. TN.

I spent half the time scoffing at the plot Jurassic World 2 was throwing at me, which diluted the fun I was having by looking at the superb CGI, moderate man-dinosaur action, and an overall fine cast performance. It still is a lot worse than Jurassic World (2015), which had a story almost as good as the original, the legendary Jurassic Park (1993) which almost seems impossible to mimic or better today. TN.

In a role that was made for Jean Dujardin, he acts like he has been doing this for a long time. By 'this' I mean executing an eccentric project that is about to take over his life and muddle his relationship with the world. And by 'the world' I mean the sorry village that his Georges character travels to after buying a vintage jacket made of 100% deerskin which also marks his obsession with it, something that both induces laughter in its audience and also highlights the crazy, primal nature of obsessive compulsion characterized by depression, loneliness, and unconditional enmity against the humankind. I have no words to describe the virulent turn Le daim (Deerskin) takes as Georges laughingly has his way by conspiring with himself to take forward his obsession with his deerskin jacket, which I should add is 'killer style' in his own words. Whether it is the inflated price that he pays for the second-hand jacket or the newfound skill of videography or mistaking a film editor with a creditor, Le daim has been written in a way that is guaranteed to make you laugh every five minutes. The outlandish plot, accentuated by terrific performances by Dujardin and Adele Haenel (who acts with her face and that's enough) and also by the peculiar style of referral writing (where the aftermath of an event in a scene is shown in the following one or the one after that) by director-writer Quentin Dupieux makes this comedy crime drama a blast experience. I can't recommend it more and I am definitely going to be watching more of Dupieux's work. Bravo! TN. (Watched and reviewed at its India premiere at the 21st MAMI Mumbai Film Festival.)

I had a constant smile on my face while watching The Peanut Butter Falcon, a feel-good film that keeps on giving, through its characters, its dialogues, and its hope-inducing story. I loved every minute of it, and despite minor flaws, I am going to recommend this to my friends for the rest of 2020. TN.

A fine WW2 thriller that doesn't fool around and gets to work immediately. That's probably the most pregnant defining quality of Greyhound as it, led by a wonderful Tom Hanks, keeps you on your toes and provides ample thrills for anyone who likes WW2 stories about convoy duty, marine adventure, and the spirit of the Allies. A very good late-night watch with your chums. TN.

Nothing much happens in the first 50 minutes of Come to Daddy, a black comedy with shades of crime that sees Elijah Wood's character come to meet his father after he receives a letter from him. Things go wrong after the 50th minute and the film packs a punch with its hilarious jokes, sudden jerk-like action, and subtle background score. I enjoyed Wood's performance, and in a character's words, I agree that he has kind eyes. It's short and it's passable LOL material to watch with friends. TN.

I can't say I enjoyed watching Hereditary but it definitely impressed me. It's the slow-burning, dull proceedings that annoyed me a little but I sat through it and Ari Aster delivers on his promise. It's outrageous in parts and that's where the goodness lies; grips you psychologically. I won't watch it again but I'll Midsommar has repeat value for me. TN.

I couldn't stop looking at Samara Weaving whenever she was on screen (which is most of the time) in Ready or Not, one hell of a slasher comedy that I didn't expect to keep me hooked throughout its 90-minute run. It's massively entertaining, thrilling, and hilarious and reignites my faith in horror comedies. Very-well executed and rarely boring. Give it a watch for a Friday night stress-busting session. TN.

Fabulous soundtrack on this 'inventive' time loop comedy drama that is funny in parts and philosophical in other areas. It did get dull for me in the middle but the performances by charming Samberg and Milioti made up for it and I eventually finished it with a smile on my face. Still, not great. TN.

Host is an enjoyable horror flick that seems cliched, and it definitely is, but with some novelties. The Zoom meeting part is attractive plus topical, and makes the whole viewing more delightful if you can relate with it. It's the usual story where a group of unsuspecting friends get together on an online call to hold seance and things go wrong. Just about an hour long (in line with Zoom's 40-minute free call version) and worth the watch. It won't disappoint. TN.

The Meg is the type of disaster movie that you plug in in your smart flatscreen a holiday afternoon to watch and enjoy with your family for a few laughs and jumpscares. And maybe some geological history on megalodons. That's it. TN.

I don't know what is worse in my viewing take-away from Saaho (given name; Succeed): an advertisement for Astral pipes, a scene where Prabhas' character reads David Baldacci, or the uncomfortable air of Prabhas as a slick action hero. Whatever it may be, watching this 3-hour-long torture nearly gave me a headache, but that was not because of the convoluted plot or the mind-numbing gaudy CGI or the big budget stunt sequences or the playing of a lounge track in the middle of a bullet war, but this try at sluggard show-off by Prabhas that is present throughout. It is extremely annoying to watch even from the so-called hero. It turned me off big time and I am now also convinced that he cannot act and that [link=tt2631186] was a fluke (or Rajamouli is a better director). It is clear that Saaho has been written by an unimaginative person who watched a lot of recent popular movies and TV shows and ended up just vomiting. The difference: it cost his producers 350 crore rupees. TN.

If you can manage to bear the unabashed oversmart and touchy first-person narration by the overzealous central character (or villain as the character likes to call herself) and the cringeworthy sequences that form as a result, you will be able to complete watching The Sky is Pink, a film that tries to be so doe-eyed and gooey it's hard to not shake your head in displeasure after every other sequence. Even if you do agree with the views that the film advocates, it will be challenging to appreciate the decisions these characters take. It is that sort of a movie where you forcefully end up judging the characters and that usually does not work well for a movie that depends on manipulating its viewer's emotions by milking the tear gland. Performances are stunning and I really loved Priyanka Chopra. Farhan Akhtar comes second but it is the chemistry between them and the equal parenting that they showcase (or pinpoint) that helped me finish the movie which is also terribly long and purely hagiographical. More than anything, if you were to appreciate the movie, then appreciate it for its take on death, its acceptance, and grief. About everything else, it's a sugarcoated mess produced only to immortalise the life of someone who had a rare disease. TN.

Chef is a nice little cosy film about food and father-son bonding that you can repeatedly go back to without feeling an iota of boredom in any of the viewings because that is the heart that Jon Favreau has put, charged with great shots, cool music, and happy performances. TN.

Watching Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory in 2020 just after reading the book feels like a joke because more than enticing the slapstick film with a touch of musical only repels you with its dirty props and over-dramatic performances by everyone that are an exaggeration of what even Dahl imagined. TN.

If Mira Nair's The Namesake does not push you into nostalgia with its soothing Indian classical music picturised on golden dramatic moments nothing will. TN.

I was impressed by James McAvoy's ultra performance as a person with dissociative identity disorder and his ability to quickly change from one personality to another at a click of two fingers but I was largely unimpressed by director Shyamalan's slow-paced first 90 minutes in Split where nothing really happens. TN.

I don't think I have seen a more solid build-up like the one in Under the Shadow that gives you a great horror time with enough jumpscares that you don't see coming and a very peculiar attempt at creating thrills through war-based symbolism. TN.

There's a nice feel to A Walk in the Woods which is only accentuated by the adventurous journey taken against all odds by these two men who are better life livers than experienced trekkers. TN.

Save for a few jokes here and there delivered with a natural finesse by the actors and some breath-taking action and chase sequences, Jumanji 3 felt like a rehash of the second instalment that just leaves too much to the imagination with the game characters having it too easy this time and the addition of at least one annoying character. TN.

The classic old story gets an upscale reinvention in The Invisible Man while also shedding light into the social menace of sadistic men who manipulate the women who love them through physical and mental abuse with the plot focusing more on the psychological effects of such a relationship where Elisabeth Moss acts like she's living the character and single-handedly shoulders the film into a solid entertainer with some great CGI-induced mind-blowing action sequences as well as a haunting score that overall enhances the appeal of the film as you self-quarantine yourself in these trying times. TN.

Save for the final 20 minutes that leads up to a convenient climax and a slightly different turn in its otherwise hackneyed plot, 28 Days Later... disappointed me with its rock music picturised on zombie apocalypse that follows a group of survivors as in every survival film, especially after having watched it 18 years later. TN.

A sweet little story about families with kids, Mirai goes on to become profound the moment the magical realism elements kick in even as this story about siblings and sibling rivalry takes you into your own childhood lives through the lens of Kun, the central character who is worried the newcomer in his family is going to wreck his life apart but that's now how it is as he soon finds out. Mirai has its heart at the right place and I was gobsmacked to follow the proceedings, also managing to avoid a teary eye towards the end. TN. (Watched and reviewed at the 3rd Japanese Film Festival of India in Mumbai.)

I am impressed by the nonchalant proceedings of and the terrific performances that make up Shoplifters, an emotional drama about an artificial family of crooks, who have a lot of skeletons in their cupboard and which drop out one by one through the plotline, making it a heart-warming experience for me, occasionally also helping highlight the hard truths of life, but I was not enthralled by the film as everyone else claims to have. TN. (Watched and reviewed at the 3rd Japanese Film Festival of India in Mumbai.)

A fine little survival movie with the usual plot but a far more superior cinematography and production setup, Crawl really lets fear of large, mammoth gators crawl under your skin. TN.

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark is a breath of fresh air in the horror and mystery genres of Hollywood for it brings out some storytelling (about a mysterious young girl who is kept locked in a basement room by her own family and who narrates scary stories to children) with enough dose of horror imagery and not resorting to puerile jumpscares that is the hallmark of new-wave horror these days. TN.

Judgementall Hai Kya (Are You Judgemental?) has been made in a way a five-year-old kid would play with water colours when his parents are not looking and what has indeed resulted in a fancy, colourful, and intriguing painting but is bereft of structure, logic, and element of pity that are so central to it being received well and liked by an audience. TN.

The Lighthouse, a quirky little haunting English drama about two lighthouse keepers who spiral into self-induced (does the cold weather's contribution signify something?) paranoia characterized by bouts of energetic dance and singing performances and bromance and 30-second long monologues (one each by Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson; former wins) did not much impress me not because of the fan-fan-fantastic production setup or the arresting music by Mark Korven or the black-and-white frames that sometime make it difficult to follow scenes but because it takes a lot of time to get to the point and has, like, only quarter a dozen scenes that are going to stay with me till the end of my life. TN. (Watched and reviewed at its India premiere at the 21st MAMI Mumbai Film Festival.)

I was not too impressed with The Art of Self-Defense despite the subtle comedy and wordplay that is so peculiar about this comedy crime drama, the perfect casting of and therefore the brilliant performance by Jesse Eisenberg, and the final conclusion that I totally agree with. TN.

While I was still wondering why this was made, or how can Vince Gilligan's art's quality drop so low, or why I just spent two hours watching what should have been a measly two episodes of the original cult classic TV show, El Camino (name of a vintage Chevrolet car) came in and went without making a bang or ruffling a few feathers, something that I was expecting it to do. TN.