saikatsamanta

From the trailer, it felt like another of those Pak bashing generic action film with some glamorous songs added to hype up the movie. But its a Hrithik Roshan film, so even if it was as bad as Mohenjodaro, I would have bought tickets. But the film surprised me, I felt those emotions stirring within me that have appeared while watching some of the finest Patriotic movies that bollywood has produced. The characters had depth and Hrithik, Deepika and Anil Kapoor all gave very moving performances. A very well written script where characters had their own compelling arcs. The climactic piece was superbly designed and the aerial combat sequences were credible enough, vfx and all. The movie was still very predictable and the villain was pretty forgettable but still amongst the plethora of average to bad patriotic films that we have had recently, this one will be remembered fondly. So do give this one a watch even if you were disappointed by the trailer, it will be worth your money.

To take a book as complex and expansive as Dune, and turning it into a trilogy of science fiction cinematic masterpieces, will define the legacy of Dennis Villeneuve. Paul Atreides's quest for revenge erupts into a magnum opus circling around religious fanaticism and their messianic figures and intergalactic politics, culminating in some of the greatest cinematic sequences that you will ever witness. The Cinematography and Sound Design is so insanely good that I fail to remember if any film I have seen in my lifetime can rival this. The VFX is flawless in its execution, and Hans Zimmer's brilliance is once again on full display. So much of the story has been fit into this but tender character moments exist throughout the film. Thundering performances from Rebecca Ferguson, Timothee Chalamet and Javier Bardem. A shame that I was not able to see this on Imax, because Cinema doesn't get visually this spectacular often. Lovers of Cinema and Science Fiction, missing this one in Theaters is a crime.

Christopher Nolan's first biopic sheds light on the life of 'The Father of Atomic Bomb', J Robert Oppenheimer, an Incredibly complex individual whose obsession with breaking new grounds in the field of Quantum Physics led him to the creation of Atom Bomb and the horrible realization that he gave Humanity the Weapon to Destroy itself. Through three different timelines, we study Oppenheimer's rise in the scientific community, his fractured relationships, the rat race against Nazi Germany to create World's first Atomic Bomb, and the conspiracy against him to silence his call for de-escalation of arms race. Once again Nolan has made a Technical Masterpiece, from editing, cinematography, practical effects and sound design and with a stellar cast of incredible actors. This 3 hour long dialogue heavy film with hardly any action, just flies by maintaining a fierce intensity and gravitas. Cillian Murphy and Robert Downey Jr give career best performances with so many incredible supporting acts. Another Crown Jewel in Nolan's repertoire.

After the wildly creative and emotionally profound "Into the Spiderverse" Blew us all Away, the sequel takes us across the spiderverse with keeping the core strengths of the first movie intact, and setting up a spectacular final film that will make this the Greatest Spiderman trilogy. Once again the revolutionizing art style steals the spotlight, with each character getting its own unique color palette and motion art, with visual angles to die for and creating some of the most jaw-dropping action scenes. Once again incredible voice-acting and writing, focusing on the core family bonds and how each spiderman's destiny and story correlate. The Villain "Spot" also is given his own unique journey. I dont like Cliffhanger endings in films so that was a negative for me. But what truly matters is that Its a Love Letter to all Spiderman Fans... Go and watch it.

Season 1 Review: Lives of residents of a small German town called Winden, take drastic turns when children start to go missing in the town. A difficult show to get into, this slow-burn sci-fi thriller rewards you heavily for staying with it. A lot of families are kept in focus and establishing their complex family dynamics occupies the first few episodes. The top tier Cinematography, sound design and performances helps you trudge through this spell. But then the TIme Travel Element pops up and comes with it a whole lot of confusion, shocking revelations and a tense screenplay which will compel you to move to the next episode as fast as possible. If you can somehow keep track of the army of characters across different timelines, you will relish one of the best Sci-fi Thriller shows thats out there.

Ryan Coogler had an insurmountable mountain to climb; continuing Black Panther's story without its heart, Chadwick Boseman. He decided to reflect the real life tragedy in the story, and came with a poignant, emotional farewell to Chadwick. But unfortunately the story suffered massively for this decision. They had a great story to tell, but it never rose above mediocrity. Many unnecessary subplots and lame jokes took away the gravitas of the story. Namor and his nation of Talokan was very intriguing, Okoye's action scenes were really tense, Angela Bassett gave a fierce performance, fantastic Costume Designing and Music. But Shuri in this new avatar remains unconvincing, the hard shift her character takes doesn't feel earned. Also sloppy editing and pacing and the scale of the war felt wrong. These are two of the most powerful Nations in the world, felt more like two village tribes fighting. Another disappointing Phase 4 film...

Makoto Shinkai has added yet another brilliant film in his decorated filmography. His usual concepts of natural disasters and supernatural romance is still there but this time the focus is on repressed trauma of disaster survivors. The visuals are once again breathtaking, with some top notch background score. The first half is a lot more action driven and things happen very rapidly but in the second half, it slows down to a road trip and amazing character interaction and development happens. All the main and side characters are given depth and importance. The voice work is great and the climax moved me to tears. I wish the love story was given more time and Suzume's trauma was explored a bit more. But still its a film worth buying tickets to.

After the refreshingly funny & heartfelt Ragnarok, this one is a massive letdown. Unfunny Jokes took center stage and every Character Development & emotionally deep moments were ruined by stupid comedy. Great characters like Korg & Valkyrie, even Guardians were utterly wasted. Christian Bale plays a really intriguing Antagonist but he is hardly seen doing anything in the film. Chris & Natalie have never had any meaningful chemistry, so the whole plotline falls flat. CGI is shockingly awful. The only time you feel something is in the climax but thats just too late. A rushed, unfunny mess of a film.

Final two seasons of Breaking Bad is nothing less than Perfection on screen. The Iconic Walter White's journey from a meek, good natured School Teacher to a frightening genius Druglord is complete and what a Ride it has been. Almost every episode is perfectly executed with top notch dialogues and unexpected twists that emotionally wreck you. Walter's war with Gus Fring keeps you clenched with dread and anticipation, and his descent to evil is a riveting watch. Each character's arc gets a satisfying closure and every loose end is tied perfectly in the final episode. One of the Greatest TV shows with the most satisfying Ending ever. Nothing else needs to be said...

These are movies that I call "Empty Spectacle", a film that tries to dazzle us with special effects and a grand scale but utterly fails in writing and screenplay. Except SRK & Nagarjuna, everyone was overacting. The story is wafer thin and has hardly any connection with actual Indian Mythology. The love story is supposed to be the emotional core of the film, but it felt very artificial and forced. The special effects, for a Bollywood film, is really commendable. But everytime that I thought a scene had potential, it was utterly ruined by the Kindergarten level dialogues written by Hussain Dalal and Ayan Mukerji. But they have successfully created an intrigue for the future characters in the sequel, hopefully they will deliver a better film.

James Cameron takes us back to the Mesmerizing World of Pandora once again, and once again absolutely blows our mind. This time the spectacle moves to the oceanside with the sea tribe and the deep bond they share with their aquatic counterparts. The IMAX experience was worth the ticket. The underwater scenes are unparalleled in cinema history and you just wonder how they pulled this off. The concept of family takes the center stage, Jake's children are the focal point of the story and all are developed brilliantly. But there are many faults, the story is paper thin, some dialogues are generic, feels rushed in many places, abrupt cuts between scenes, the ending feels inconclusive. But thats the Genius of Cameron, even with so many flaws, he makes his films absolute must watches.

Based on the Real life story of Chris Gardner, this is an inspiring story of a father who raised his son alone in poverty and homelessness and yet was brave enough to take the plunge for a career opportunity well out of his reach. This movie belongs to Will Smith's phenomenal performance. This ever smiling, charming salesman who has big hopes for his future but struggling hard to make ends meet, getting kicked out of his house with no money and yet trying his damn best to protect his kid from the harsh reality. People remember that performance even after 16 years. The pacing of the movie is perfect, with funny and traumatic moments weaved seamlessly. The writing is amazing, and that climax scene will definitely ache your heart.

Two Schoolteachers go to an isolated house for census and what they encounter there is a Woman's worst nightmare. Based on a true story, this cabin thriller boasts of terrific performances and a riveting screenplay that is harrowing to watch for the viewers. Its strictly not for family and women will find it really difficult to sit through this. The theme of Women's horrifying subjugation at the hands of men is the core of the film. The cinematography is amazing for a film of this scale. But bad editing, some visual choices for budgetary reasons and excessive use of background score stops it from becoming a truly great film.

In 2014, Chad Stahelski & Keanu Reeves brought John Wick to theaters and turned the Action Genre on its head. An emotionally poignant tale with stylized action like never before, inside a riveting world of assassins. In the sequels the action got amped and the world became more fascinating. And in this penultimate chapter of the franchise, the level of Action has reached a level that can only be described as "Insanity". Too many times I was grabbing my head in sheer disbelief as to how they came up with the unbelievable stuff that was happening. The set pieces can easily be included in the Greatest Action Scenes of all time. The Cinematography, background score, dialogues hit perfectly. Donnie Yen, Hiroyuki Sanada, Bill Skarsgard are perfect in their roles. And to top it off, a beautiful ending that completes this legendary franchise.

Dont Miss This one..

The genocide of Jews in Second World War has been portrayed on screen time and again, but none has been as widely recognized and praised as Steven Spielberg's Iconic Film centering on an opportunistic, womanizer, war profiteer who became World's Greatest Humanitarian. The carefully constructed plan of Nazis to ostracize the thriving, affluent community of Jews, throwing them into slums, and dehumanizing them to such a horrifying extent, that at the end they are herded like mere sheeps for slaughter in the Concentration camps. The horrifying scenes stick in your brain, and with John Williams' iconic score your heart bleeds again and again. Brilliant performances from Liam Neeson and Ben Kingsley elevate this film and especially Ralph Fiennes' Aemon Goeth, is a character that exudes such rare kind of evil, it will send chills down your spine. This landmark film needs to be seen by everyone to understand what evil humans are capable of unleashing, and how humans no matter how many faults they have, can stand up for whats right.

One of the earlier works of Makoto Shinkai, this is a three-part story of a teenage boy going through different parts of his life experiencing love, heartbreak, separation and longing. The first part of this film is just brilliant, showing two teenagers who are falling in love, the anxiety of meeting each other, questioning their feelings, the commitments they make and that first kiss they share. Instead of trivializing, Makoto shows teenage love in its purest and earnest form. Its full of so many poignant moments and its so emotionally relatable to each one of us. And every frame of this film is a painting that will mesmerize you. The music and song are perfect. The only complaint is that the final part is kept really vague and after investing so much in these characters, it should have had a clearer understanding.

Three Homeless people find a newborn baby in the trash on Christmas Eve and decide to go on a miraculous journey to find its parents. The genius Satoshi Kon's Christmas Tale is not only grim and heartwrenching, but also is filled with moments of fairytale magic and humanity. Tokyo is shown in a not so glamorous look, focusing on its underbelly. The three characters of Gin, Hana and Miyuki are so well written, all three with their traumatic past and baggage, share this ridiculous journey but also individually walks in their own lanes, discovering hope and closure. A lot of coincidences and comedic ironies happen which you will enjoy thoroughly. A Christmas Movie with joy and sorrow that celebrates humanity.

Thanks Anirban Bhattacharya, for taking us back to the Golden years of 60's & 70's Bengali Wholesome comedies. Adapted from a play of Badal Sarkar, this movie boasts of fantastic performances with impeccable comic timing, especially Satyam Bhattacharya and Shyamal Chakraborty as Bhupati & Monohar. The dialogues are well written and the laughs are less reliant on slapstick and more on irony and sarcasm. The most special part of this film is the Cinematography by Soumik Haldar, the shot selection, lighting and color grading, everything was world class. Music also contributes a lot to set up the mood. The retro vibe of the film fills us with nostalgia. A great Family entertainer.

A Pathbreaking film that puts spotlight on Drug-addiction in Scottish Working class youth, Trainspotting catapulted Danny Boyle and Ewan Mcgregor into Stardom. A dark comedy that walks the tightrope between romanticizing addiction and showing the horrible downward spiral it makes a human go through. How hopeless socio-economic conditions compel the disenfranchised youth towards the allure of escapism. But all of it wrapped in hilarious comedy, and every actor contributed to that. Danny's masterful directing with fantastic visual storytelling, crisp editing and great background score makes this a cult film of the 90's.

Midsommar is Ari Aster's second Horror venture after the Iconic 'Hereditary', this time telling the story of a Swedish commune celebrating the summer solstice where a lot of weird rituals happen. A Master of Atmospheric Horror, Ari Aster once again creates a visually stunning cinema with the score creating an eerie situation. Grief plays a big part in Ari's storytelling, this time it gets channeled through Florence Pugh's character, who lost her family in a tragic scenario & is looking for a place to belong. She did a fantastic job. The group of friends that joined her, their characters should have been more fleshed out. Rather than the intense horror of Hereditary, this film creates an atmosphere of weird discomfort and it never becomes really scary at all. The layers in the storytelling are interesting to unravel, but its mostly the visuals that keep you engaged.

After 3 years, Hrithik returns to the big screen with a Crime Thriller that tests the boundaries of Good & Evil. Taking inspiration from Vetal Panchavimshati which put forth complex tales of morality, the film pits two heavyweights against each other with the backdrop of Lucknow Gang Culture. On one side is Vikram, an Encounter specialist who believes there is a definite line that separates good and evil people And on the other side is Vedha, an unhinged gangster who is not so sure about that line. Remake of a very popular Tamil film, this takes more of a larger than life commercial approach. Screenplay is full of intriguing scenes and revelations. Hrithik is phenomenal as Vedha, showing many shades of him with equal mastery. Saif Ali Khan provides a solid opposition to him. The supporting cast is really good also. The score is amazing and is highlight of the film. The action scenes bar one, are very stylized and full of slow mo which didn't do justice to the overall tone of the film. Some scenes had weak writing also. Overall a very enjoyable movie with some flaws, headed by an absolutely mesmerizing Hrithik Performance.

Kantara is a Kannada film written & directed by & starring Rishab Shetty, who weaves a deeply cultural story with divinity, village politics and the ever shifting relationship between Nature and Humans. A forest village protected by a Demigod, comes under threat when the landlord tries to reclaim the lands which were donated by the former king. Rishab plays the character of Shiva, a delinquent who is haunted by the demigod because he avoids his destiny and what a magnificent performance by him, throughout the film he is complex, loud and subtle at the same time and in the climax he just sends shivers down everyone's spine. The cinematography especially of the nighttime by Arvind Kashyap is gorgeous. Sound design plays a big factor in this film as well as the background score. The action is well designed with some neat camera work. There is a lot of comedy by Shiva's buddies in the first half, which is really fun to watch but it dampens the serious turn that it takes later and lessens the impact of the climax. But its such a unique theater experience, especially for urban audience, who remains far away from this ancient cultural mysticism of our country and divine acts of deities.

Critics may dread this killer, but Audience will surely love him. R Balki comes with yet another fresh concept which quite possibly is a hidden desire of many directors & actors !! Critics who give bad reviews are getiing brutally murdered one after another, and the police hardly has any clue about who has done it. This thriller does not boast of super intelligent writing that will blow away your mind, the killer's identity is pretty evident from the start also. What is special about this film is the brutality of the murders, the reason behind them and the sheer romanticization of it. Very cleverly written tongue-in-cheek dialogues that shows how art & artist dies in its battle with commerce. Its a bloody tribute to Guru Dutt, his art & his tragic ending. The screenplay is tight & constantly engaging except a bit in the middle but the climax is phenomenal again. The music is the soul of the film and the fantastic cinematography accentuates it. Dulquer Salmaan is fascinating in his role as well as Shreya Dhanwanthar. Anyone looking for Originality from Bollywood, go and watch this one.

One of the most iconic Action films of all time, this story is about a ruthless hitman Jean Reno and his next door neighbour, 12 year old Natalie Portman who lives in an abusive household and how a tragedy makes this two tormented souls find each other, love and life again. Luc Besson directs this one with plenty of bloody and uber stylish action scenes and some really touching moments. The music is pretty damn fantastic and the editing is crisp. Jean Reno owns his role with stonecold attitude but also possess this awkward innocence. Portman gives probably the greatest performance from a Child Actor, playing a kid hungry for love but has grown up too quickly amidst crime. Gary Oldman goes off the hinges, playing a Crooked DEA cop, belting out one iconic line after another. You can watch this film again and again, a Masterpiece !!!

This show should not be considered a Marvel show, rather one of those average Disney Teen shows that catered to a specific age group. Because whatever Superhero stuff happens in this show, you will get cringed to death. Its about an American Teen of Pakistani descent who is a huge Superhero fan that suddenly gets some power & tries to figure it out. The show started with a unique visual style that faded after a few episodes, the South Asian Culture stuff shown was interesting and the lead actress was very charming. The core supporting cast was decent too. But thats where the good things end. The direction and editing was very amateurish. It was filled with generic dialogues. The story & the villains were awful. Farhan Akhtar was wasted with a totally useless character. A very forgettable show as MCU's quality is dropping rapidly.