Atrey_Doury

It's a stew. A semi - mystery, part - paranormal, somewhat sci - fi, a dash of drama and a whole load of meaningless meandering. The good thing about stew is that it has the ability the mask the taste of its worst ingredients in favour of those that are the best. The end result is a passable mish-mash e.g. This series.

The acting with the exception of Saurabh Shukla and Rajesh Tailang leaves a lot to be desired. There is over-acting or no - acting. Either writer was an amateur, or the director was indecisive, which resulted in narrative roving around unnecessarily only to move forward and zig-zag in fits and starts. The production values are passable. The photography is okayish. The tropes are all familiar and boring i.e. Rebellious teenagers, corrupt cop with redeemable features, main lead with dark(ish) past incorrigible but misguided ideologue et al.

Nevertheless a passable khichdi. Have a taste!

There are some series that rise above mere platitudes and praises. They succeed, despite the best efforts of the makers to stuff pretty celluloid down our throat, to hold on to the vestiges of real life as most of know it. This is one such series. Highly relatable. Extremely engaging. Implicitly addictive. Those of us who have enjoyed and suffered vagaries of life in full would appreciate it more. The characters are all engrossing, but more importantly it is their interactions with others and with each other that makes this series amazing. The main characters soliloquies adds to the narrative. Director knew his vision inside out and managed to replicate it on screen, The music an additional character in this series that adds to it greatly.

It is a series whose one helping is just not enough.

Excellent!!!

There is little that is wrong with Season 2. But there is a lot of difference between the atmosphere and tone of the two seasons. In season 2 rose - tinted glasses of season 1 come off, and reality starts to intrude, at times rudely. Nothing wrong with it, if that is the kind of comedy - drama you want to see. What set the Season 1 apart for me was that it was the kind of fantasy rose - tinted comedy drama that makes one feel good and relaxes one's soul after a hard day. That the director managed to convey this on a rustic setting in rural India was all the more impressive. The director was also able to interplay the dichotomies of an urban reared man combating his new life in rural India. And interesting paradigm in today's scenario of work from home. And he made us laugh with and care for the characters at the same time. In Season 2 there is no more feel - good and relaxation factor. It is a solid comedy - drama series. It is good. However, Season 2 is couple of notches down Season 1 for me. My review has a personal bias but then I believe everyone's opinion counts so I am putting mine down for those who may feel the same way.

Another good premise wasted. It seems to have become a routine. The screenplay has loopholes the size of Satish Kaushik. The setting and locations seems highly disingenuous. How do the women and few men roam around as if it is high summer, while some others are burdened by woollens as if in Delhi in winters? Characters are not deep enough to invest yourself ergo there is no catharsis when the end comes either way. Violence seems gratuitous rather than part of the plot. Direction is confused. Production values fluctuate. Photography is decent. In all, the movie feels like beer left out in heat too long. Devoid of taste and utterly stale.

This movie delivers an intense atmospheric tale of substantial heft in its limited run time The best compliment I can pay to this feature is that it made me forget that I was watching an animated movie. The narrative says a lot without using too many words. The characters feel close to you without being intrusive. The tale, though limited in its scope, is not just engaging but also satisfying.

The direction is impeccable. The animation is great without being exceptional. The climbing scenes are realistic and exceptionally choreographed. The narrative never lags but doesn't feel rushed either.

Very Impressive! I recommend it without any hesitation.

Excellent!

It would have been better had the director handled character development better. Then again any character development entails reducing the pace of the narrative. Considering the number of reviews I read nowadays complaining of "slow burn", I guess makers traded off. It takes a chunk out of the series. There are virtually no characters you can root for, while the story provides no space for its actors to shine. So we are left with just one thing to keep us hooked: the premise. It is intriguing, no doubt. It is rich in its depth and vast in its scope. The first season ends with the series teetering on the edge. It could either go forth to claim greatness or retreat into the morass of also - rans.

The Direction passable, while acting is competent. The production values are high, photography is good, and CGIs are good. The story moves forth in stops and starts. The script is riddled with plot-holes and takes far too many liberties with logic.

But like I said, so much depends on here forth. A competent artist can take this and make something worthwhile, another .... well he would render it intolerable. After all even some of the best series had serious problems with their script but it was the man behind the scene who made us love them all.

Watch it for the possibilities. Else wait for more episodes (if it gets a second season) to make your mind. It's good enough but just barely.

'For a Wolf it does not matter whether you believe it is a Wolf'

This one line encapsulates the basis of this movie. There are dark and wicked things in this world for whom death, suffering, manipulation and torture is pleasure. The director relies on this foundation to deliver an atmospheric and emotional horror movie. The jump scares are scarce yet there is all pervading menace and terror in every frame. Each movement of shadow is harbinger of fear. Never have the howls of wolves inspired such dread and anticipation.As far as story is concerned it moves within the narrow confines of its characters. The characters themselves are limited: basically on a need to know basis. Where the movie scores is the interplay between the characters. The vulnerabilities of characters are exploited and they are manipulated.

The acting is very good by all. The cinematography and sound is exceptional. The direction is excellent. The director builds up an atmosphere that is claustrophobic and drips with helplessness. It is some achievement considering there are several wide frame shots of outdoors.The ending is inevitably controversial though in my opinion it does not take away anything from a very solid horror movie. I recommend it to all who appreciate quality horror

Excellent.

For most reviews here it is that this feature makes for uncomfortable viewing is what justifies the low rating. Granted it is not exceptional or even very good. But it is good enough and by no means justifies the low rating it now enjoys. This motion picture sans the regular song - and - dance feature takes on the shameful and disgusting topic of female infanticide, and weaves an atmospheric narrative out of it. The story itself is overtly simplistic and devoid of any layers or character development. It is not horror per se but more a story that involves supernatural elements. The production values are high, and direction is competent. There is so much that could have been done with the material available but the movie though underwhelming and slow does a credible job. It is not something that you would in all probability rewatch but as a one time watch it works. The acting is competent and the photography is excellent. For the material that this movie tackles the director works a fine line between a feature that could be called a motion picture and something that is merely a documentary. A decent watch.

Good.

In short, this is a b - grade flick spread over four episodes. This series suffers from the same deficiencies that most Netflix productions do: Lazy writing, bad acting, amateur direction, formulaic characters and sub - par creature effects. Ramsay brothers would be proud to know that there is at least someone carrying forth their legacy sans the skin show. An interesting premise wasted in the hands of an inept production team. Ridiculous!

The story is simplistic and lies more in the genre of supernatural thriller than horror. This Netflix series suffers from the same malaise as so many others i.e. stretching a shallow script over too many hours. This would have been a very fine feature film but as a five - episode series with each episode of 50 mts (approx.) it is undeniably stretched. Main reason for this is failure to develop the characters presented. Nevertheless, the story even though simplistic is engaging, the actors are quite competent, direction is appreciable and the production values are good. I like it and endorse it as a recommendation. Nice!

This is no ordinary series. It demands your unwavering attention and significant exercise from your grey cells.There are multiple arcs and the underlying story is complex and multilayered. The director does excellent job in amalgamating it all into one beautiful seamless narrative. The actors are great with the exception of Lee Je - Hoon (who plays Park Have - Young), who at times seemed laboured. Cho Jin - Woong (who plays Lee Jae - Han) is exceptional, I don't believe I have seen anyone do better in a role. He is the soul of this series. The production values are really high.

Yes, it is at times a slow burn and towards the end seems stretched. Liberties have been taken with logic but with a complex script perfection is exceptionally hard to attain.The shortcomings in the script are generally concealed by the director and skill of the actors.

Excellent!

It is trite to say that 'Quite Place' it is not. Right at the beginning we are told that this is going to be a story from the point of view of our showcase family. But that view point is utterly muddled and addled. In fact, narrative is so inane that I am riddled with a question: why the creatures? The family might well have been on a holiday gone wrong. Perhaps creatures were felt necessary to lessen the characters over the feature length. Suffice to say that it is a movie that never reached its intended destination or worst reached it indeed.

Creatures are interesting and competently modelled. The creature effects are par. The photography is good and acting is passable. The direction and the script leave much to be desired.

Watch it once and move on. There's nothing here to return. For those who are picky about their consumption. Avoid steadfastly.

Well, it's a hunt. And not much of it at that. The story lies within a very narrow confine of our two lead characters. There's enough background to make sense. Screenplay is mostly taut and the direction is good. But it is Harrelson and Costner that bring it all to mean much more than its mere sum. Both are excellent ... especially Costner who takes to westerns and baseball flicks like duck to water. Watch it for these two for there's not much else that you cannot gather from wikipedia.

Nevertheless one of the better addition to Netflix. Nice!

The best thing about this series is the detail in which each investigation is presented. About how vulnerable individuals are seen dealing with almost impossible choices. Every character in this series to lesser or greater degree is shown as fallible, incomplete and flawed. There is no black - or - white here, just varying shades of grey. With one or two exceptions, of course. I love this about this series. The actors are all very competent and comfortable in their respective roles. The production is top - notch. The best part is the screenplay as to how it seamlessly weaves one aspect of season into another of the next season and so on. The narrative is taut and it engages all the way without allowing your attention to waiver.

What could have made this series better (with humility) is perhaps more character development, and allowing the characters play off - each other using that tension to extend and expand on the narrative. But I guess it was the conscious choice to keep the narrative within a particular confine. Nevertheless, an excellent series that I absolutely enjoyed and recommend to everyone without hesitation.

Very nice!

First of all, Ghoul is not an out - and - out horror series. Secondly, even over three episodes of about 45 minutes each i.e. 135 minutes in total it feels stretched. Lastly, for a production that attempts at tugging human values of freedom for its emotional quotient, its characters are formulaic and detached. I certainly did not feel invested with any of the characters. The result is a production that leaves a lot to be desired.

The premise is excruciatingly good, and needed a script that invested time and effort into developing all its contours. The atmospheric feel is fantastic. In fact, sans atmospherics this production would not have merited its current rating. Kudos to the director. It is the nigh claustrophobic environs and the photography that truly delivers a haunting canvas. Unfortunately, the script does not justify the canvas. It is light and merely surface - deep.

Mahesh Balraj as Al - Saeed is fantastic. The special effects are decent and performances from other actors are at par without being of note. Background music justifies its tones. Certainly, one of the better if not the best quasi - horror Indian production. Certainly watchable and warrants a recommendation to that effect.

PS: I have rated it as 7 because it is good. I am disappointed because it could have been so much better.

How do you justify a crack investigator who goes through investigation with trigger - happy tear ducts and near hysterical ambience? You cannot! Particularly when this investigator is supposed to have been chosen specifically for her competence. There are a lot of grievances for this one, suffice it to say that it is a mediocre production with less than competent acting, nigh ridiculous script and the less said about the alleged mystery the better. I am sick - and - tired of emotionally broken investigator stereotype that celluloid is still selling. Mostly because you need one hell of a director to pull them off otherwise they are just annoying as hell and futile. Just like this movie.

Photography is top - notch. Hence two stars.

Do not be misguided by the oxymoron in my review title, in this case it is certainly not an anathema to enjoying this production. In my humble opinion, the most difficult thing to do while making a suspense mystery is to make a 'Simple Mystery'. Something that we all can engage in, be engrossed in and enjoy with an ending that makes sense. This almost fetishist need of most productions to 'be different' more often than not end in forgettable productions with bad aftertaste.

'The Chalet' like innumerable productions before it is a mutation of that great masterpiece 'And then there were none'. The director and the writers have added their own spices and garnishes to differentiate but essentially it is formed from the same ingredients. Yes, it contains several loopholes and yes, you would have solved the mystery long before the director gets around to the big reveal. But still, it is an entertaining little production. It is atmospheric, the production values are top - notch and the actors are more than competent. I enjoyed it, particularly the ending. It was a bit off, but what the heck it was alright by then.

Good!

I got into it after ignoring it initially owing to some very negative reviews over a particularly rainy weekend with nothing else to do. After watching it I fail to understand the extent of negativity in those reviews. Admitted it is not a benchmark production. Admitted that it is a bit run - of - the - mill beat - around - the - bush kind of screenplay. Admitted there are no surprises, most of the viewers would have figured out what was going on well in advance from the actual end. And yes, a little ham - acting never hurt anyone. But certainly it is a one time watch and within that confined territory of nothing - else - to - do a not altogether unadvisable way to spend some time. I enjoyed it and would certainly recommend it.

Season 1

I can count on the fingers of my one hand the series that I could consider at par or better than this. On every count it is an absolute winner. I have always believed that a true thriller is more cerebral than physical. The action happens by way of intellectual warfare than actual gunfights and muscled maniacs showing us all kind of choreographed war dances. This series is absolutely such a production, but make no mistake it neither lags nor allows your attention to waiver. Towards the end narrative could have been tighter and it could have gone in another direction. But perhaps that just comes down to personal preferences and cultural perspectives. All in all a highly recommended thriller and hands - down a shoo - in to my personal all time favourites. Kudos to the production team as well as the actors.

Excellent!

Season 2

I have kept my review of Season 1 as is. As far as season 2 is concerned, it does not possess the intensity, the menace (yes there was nuanced menace underlying the first season that gave it such intensity), and the powerhouse performances from the supporting cast. Season 2 is slow burn and meanders a bit during the middle. But it is still good and I enjoyed it. If you compare second season to the first season it does not hold candle to it. But as a standalone it is an enjoyable watch. It has meaningful suspense, it has character development, good performances and a plot with some merit. It lacks in direction. I felt the director sat on the wall about what kind of series he wanted. He got confused and he passed on that confusion to the viewers. This gives the second season periods when we are confused WTH is the season going. Production was as usual top - notch.

Good enough. Hope third season would be better!

Season 1 - Rating 9 Season 2 - Rating 6

When the story writer comes out in press and says that the screenplay has been 20 years in the making with him, then one has a solemn right to expect some sort of competency in movie's storyline. But Wazir's script seems to have been conjured up over a vomit-strewn napkin as one seeks to gain a handle over a bad hangover. It is such a shame. The premise is explosive, intense and engaging. Yet failure to exercise grey cells by the so-called professionals engaged in making this film results in a movie that comes across as amateurish albeit visually competent. The director seems to have given up and just focused on wrapping it all up without spilling the feast. A movie apparently about a foxy game of chess is not even interesting enough to merit comparisons with Chinese-checkers. VC ought to be ashamed at having wasting such an interesting premise and idea with this god-awful excuse for a motion picture. Absolute waste. Whatever rating I have assigned to it has been purely for competent acting and high production values particularly in photography. As far as story and screenplay is concerned I ought to demand some rating credit out of VCs pocket for wasting my time.

Ridiculous.