Ratings
Most Recently Rated
Reviews
The Sopranos (1999)
Criminal Daily soap !!
I was looking for a narrative on the inner workings and dynamics of the mob unlike seen in any of the stereotypical movies. Instead it was one long drawn out verbal drama with non existent thrills, it was like watching mob version of Days of our life soap opera. The characters were either bland or disliked from the get go. The ones who were disliked, typically got bumped off unceremoniously. I didn't expect the kind of shock and awe we got to see in Game of Thrones but still kept watching the series in case there was some major twists in the plot or development in the characters. The characters stayed more or less the same through the seasons, the acting was decent, though the expressions many a times fell short of the requirements of the scenes. You never really got attached or missed any of characters even when they dropped off the script. Another irritant was that the series kept meandering on with inconsequential characters, using them as fillers. The psychotherapy sessions went nowhere nor did it not contribute to the plot except maybe induce sleep. It's like reading a boring journal of a psychotherapist or watching "Imagine this" & "Imagine that" on Prozac. The comedic aspects were too few and far in between to be of any consequence. We were put through the same minutiae and melodrama day after day with occasional titillating or wacking scenes. Even that got meaningless as the series progressed. This series being voted the same as GOT. I would have to say is ridiculous. Take the overall ratings with a pinch of salt.
Flight Risk (2025)
Way below par !!
This movie is way below Mel Gibson's directorial standards. It's more like a made for TV movie. The whole movie is shot on a crop dusting plane of sorts. Wahlberg went through the motions of a bad guy but wasn't convincing. This would be the worst choice of role for him. It seemed it was going to be a comedy action movie with slightly witty dialogues being sprinkled around. Wahlberg shows up and it looked like a conspiracy action movie. That theory turned to be a dud as well. His unceremonious ending just about summarized the movie. The storyline wasn't unique, been seen in dozens of movies. Mob,whistleblower, corrupt official, attempt at assassinating witness you get the picture. Looks like Mel isn't getting anything worthwhile script to work on so decide to make this crap into a movie. Prior to this wreck I had great respect for Mel's work both in front and behind the camera, but this is just bottom of the barrel stuff.
Kanyakumari Express (2010)
Way below par !!
Suresh Gopi did what he typically has been doing over the past decade and a half. Exaggerated action and reactions. Even if we are to look past that, you have really bad support actors including the main villain. You just can't turn a henchmen like Babu Anthony with basic acting ability into a main villain. After all a movie without a respectable support cast just brings down the calibre of the movie. To compound it all the story was just a basic run of the mill plot with no twists, no witty dialogues to prop up the movie. Jagathy was in one of his serious roles which did not help either. Overall I would say 3* is still quite generous.
The Fall Guy (2024)
Wasted effort !!
For this movie to work for me, I would have to be in my teens and this would have to be the 80/90's. For 2024, story is bare and cliched, to the point of boredom. It felt like the movie makers made the movie just to pay tribute to stunt men/women of the industry. But the irony was the stunts of the protagonist who is supposed to be a stuntman was done by other stuntmen. Besides the pyrotechnics and behind the scenes car stunts there wasn't anything to hold the audience attention or stir up any emotions. Emily Blunt's character didn't do justice to her and Gosling tried hard to add some mirth to his role but failed. My conclusion wait for it on Netflix.
The Killer's Game (2024)
Poor man's John Wick
If Bautista wants to stay long in the acting business he need to quickly upgrade his skills, at least to Dwayne Johnson's level. Being a one dimensional actor rapidly reduces your lifespan in Hollywood. Today's audience are short on patience and memory. Secondly, he needs to pick scripts very carefully or he is soon going to find himself being relegated to the B grade and direct to video movieland. Sofia Boutella was totally wasted, the fan base she created being the bad ass chick in the Kingsman movie is slowly fading with these kinds of waste of time movies. The Mantis chick from Guardians of the Galaxy was also in a forgettable role. The story and dialogues were so cliched, it was gagworthy. I don't mind telling that I caught some Z's during this movie. Wait for it to show up on TV and watch it while doing some chores so it wouldn't be a total waste of time.
Agneepath (2012)
Commendable attempt !!
If I were to compare 1990 Agnepath and 2012. The older one had more style, class, better dialogues and superior acting especially from Amitabh. Now about the attributes of the new Agneepath, sory had slight variations, songs are better and acting commendable especially from Sanjay Dutt and to some extent Hritik, but the depth was lacking. You could see some of Hrithik from Mission Kashmir seep into this role. The role of Sanjay was made more meatier than Danny, only to justify his star status. The supporting cast of older version had more impact on the plot. All said, I connected more with the older version for its acting quality, the 2012 version is for younger viewers who wants to see a fresh take with new actors. If you haven't already you could watch this one albeit for comparison purposes.
Firefox (1982)
Forgettable movie!!
Clint Eastwood is one of my favorite actors, however as I watched this movie I began to realize that this is not his genre by any strech of imagination. Instead of Eastwood's usual confidence and swagger there was a constant confused look on Clint Eastwood's face like he was trying to keep pace with all the technology. Clint experimented in the spy genre in Eiger Sanction and in this one, both of which didn't do great àt the box office. I feel Harrison Ford might have suited better in this movie. As for as the plot, it seems ludicrous even for a 80s movie, not upto the usual standards of Eastwood movies.
Trap (2024)
Waste of 1 hour 45 minutes....
Night Shyamalan seems to be mooching off the respect he earned from "The Sixth sense". Ever since, his movies seem to be sinking to new lows. The music concert at the beginning of the movie was too long drawn. You were hoping something exciting to happen, never does. This movie just meanders on and never picks up the pace. Josh Hartnett was definitely a miscast in this role. He constantly had a constipated look throughout the movie, so wasn't just unconvincing but definitely grew more irritating. Throughout the movie Josh appears to be Houdini like, appearing and disappearing at will which after a while took believability out of the movie. The end was anti climatic and rounded off the disappointment of the viewer.
Turbo (2024)
Typical masla film !!
A masala film more associated with Tamil/Telugu movies, where logic left town in a hurry. The story and treatment is at least 15 years old, so the plot gets pretty much predictable. Fights are outlandish, seen in hundreds of movies, despite the villains getting beaten with a fire extinguisher, rifle butt, chain links or other weapons they keep bouncing back. Really !!!
Mammotty needs to pick more realistic storyline, as these type of movies don't do justice to the caliber of actor he is.
Coming to the villain. A scrawny bald guy with an anorexic personality, no matter how menacing he was made out to be, isn't very convincing.
Vysakh is quickly using up all the goodwill he had built with movies like Pulimurgan. He is turning out to be just another director out to make a quick buck at the expense of the viewer. If you expect to see something new in this movie, you will not find it here.
Mann (1999)
A Classic !!
Strange how the same story is received vastly different over time. In 1957 when "Affair to Remember" was released it was considered amongst the most romantic films of all time. Mann's story was made from that movie. Reading other reviews, people don't seem to be too impressed with the movie. My advise to future viewers, "Mann se dekho" to fully appreciate this movie. Songs are beautiful, dialogues heart rendering. Aamir Khan played his part to the hilt as no other actor could. Manisha Koirala was very pretty and she made you feel her pain. Anil Kapoor and Neeraj Vora were integral part of the story and they did justice to their respective roles. This is a movie to watch and remember as very few movies are made for the ages.
Hum Dono (1995)
Unimpressive !!!
Talk about a hodgepodge of a story and to make it worse a miscast of epic proportions. You have Nana Patekar playing the son, who is 5 years older than the father Alok Nath, and he looks it. Rumor has it that Raaj kumar 69 years old at that time was considered to play Nana Patekar role. Hilarious !! Next there is a visibly aging and overweight Rishi Kapoor courting Pooja Bhatt in her 20s which doesn't sit well with the viewer. The chemistry between Rishi Kapoor and Nana Patekar is jarring at best. This movie was made after 1992 Angaar and some of its influence, including the background music is visible. Comedy is forced, songs forgettable, dialogues are pedestrian at best. In short there is nothing, except serious boredom that will keep you watching this movie.
Welcome Back (2015)
Welcome Headache, goodbye entertainment
Comedy is not John Abraham's forte, for a good reason. He must steer clear of any comedy movies as he does not have any comic timing nor the expression to pull it off. Naseerudin who takes pride in his acting skills seems to be out of sorts. It looks like money was the deciding factor in accepting this garbage role. Shiney Ahuja was ridiculous in his stupid role. Nana Patekar and Anil Kapoor weren't as funny as in the first edition. Dimple went unnoticed in this nondescript role. Shruti Hasan just added to the miscast. The new actress Ankita overacted to irritating levels. There was no mirth in the dialogues, so calling this a comedic movie would be a shame. This seems to be a hurriedly made movie without much thought only to encash on the popularity of the first edition "Welcome". This movie shows how to kill a promising series.
Bhaiyya Ji (2024)
Underwhelming movie !!!
This type of revenge stories has been viewed dozens of times since 80s, so nothing new. A power crazy Bahubali and his violent prone son doing harm to the hero's family member, awakening a retired Bahubali to avenge the wrong. This kind of movie is not suited to an actor of Manoj Bajpai's caliber. The slow motion single handed fighting effect, leaping great distance in a single bound seen in numerous Sunny Deol/Salman Khan or south indian type masala films. Usually the hero facing adversity, is isolated and supposedly weaker than the villain, you than have the thrill of a David vs Goliath battle. Here it seems the hero has lots of support from all around so he is by no means the proverbial underdog.
Talk about a miscast. The main villain looked like somebody's munimji close to retiring from his job. No personality whatsoever. There was no build up of his character either to portray his power, just the standard violence that comes with a gangster movie. So, it felt like you are in the middle of the story right from the beginning. Dialogues were pedestrian at best. In short, run of the mill masala film without the mainstream star cast.
Makan Ente Makan (1985)
Pointless movie !!
You wouldn't call this a movie that will be liked in today's time. Mammotty and Radhika are a happily married couple. Mammotty finds an abandoned baby in the train who he gets attached to and brings home. Due to misunderstandings and doubts instigated by wife's relatives, the couple separate. She is then convinced to get married to a rich guy who has ulterior motives. He sexually and physically abuses Radhika as revenge to have been rejected initially. Final straw is when he brings home a woman he is having affair with and beats and humiliates Radhika badly. Mammotty shows up beats him up and asks Radhika to be his wife again. Disjointed story where none of the actors get a chance to shine in their respective roles. Overall a limited and underwhelming story that seems to go nowhere.
Ek Mahal Ho Sapno Ka (1975)
Average 70s movie
Too many things were happening in a short time as if the Director was given a time limit to finish the movie. I believe Sholay movie shooting was running concurrently and time for this movie had to be squeezed in. Due to this the film feels emotionally disjointed. Leena Chandavarkar didn't have any kind of chemistry with Dharmendra. The songs were ok not memorable. Dharmendra was his dashing self, as he was in the 70s, but there wasn't much depth in the role so it felt one dimensional. Sharmila Tagore was ok not great as emotional aspect of the character was cut short. I always like Deven Verma, but his presence seems pointless as if he was an afterthought when casting the movie. Similarly the marriage arrangement between Sharmila and Ashok kumar felt weird on many levels. Then Ashok kumar was conveniently killed off. Last but not the least, when you cast Jagdish Raj, a known henchman of the 70s, as the main villain there isn't much more to say. Though this movie might not be of high standards, if you get overly nostalgic you could watch it. Just don't go in expecting too much.
Shaitaan (2024)
Not impressed !!!
The plot was a bit too convenient for me. Thrills were constantly being manufactured by showing the hero being overly helpless. This started getting predictable as the movie progressed on.
Dialogues were very basic especially from Mahadevan as if movie makers were trying to reach non hindi speaking audience.
My suspicion the reason why Mahadevan was left alive in the dungeon is to give way to a sequel where they will show him somehow escaping, improvising his mind control methods and starting all over again until he is killed finally. Why just make money from a single film when you can stretch the script and make two films. This is common ploy by movie makers these day.
If you consider yourself a matured and evolved viewer this movie will not impress you.
Dil Tera Aashiq (1993)
Unoriginal movie !!!
If you watch this movie hoping to see something different you would be disappointed. There are some elements of 1972 Parichay you could see in this movie. Madhuri was pretty and competently did her role/s. Salman khan seemed a mismatch as he looked young, immature and unconvincing in his role. It was apparent the makers didn't invest too much in the songs dept, as they were below par by any standards. Anupam Kher and Kader Khan were upto their usual tomfoolery so nothing new there either. Anyone in 90s going to watch this movie would have done due to the craze of Madhuri, the rest of the cast were there just for the ambiance. Safely skip this one.
Crimes Aaj Kal (2023)
Crime Patrol Redux
This series has brought back memories of the classic Crime patrol. The quality of acting is visible and dialogues even more impressive. I hope it doesn't end the way Crime Patrol did. The makers need to build on the goodwill they have earned with this series. The cases covered were more individual in nature, they need to expand it to social and national level crimes to increase the scope and to get a wider audience base. The good thing is that most of crime patrol veterans are seen in this series so we don't need to waste time getting familiar with most of the actors. I would go out on a limb and say this series in some episodes are better than Crime Patrol. It has a more sophisticated look to it. I eagerly await the second season.
Apurva (2023)
Poor man's NH10
The whole premise of the kidnapping was weak. Secondly, 3 comedians don't make great villainous characters. Rajpal Yadav with his diminutive stature and personality wasn't convincing as a bad guy. As for the rest of the gang, at any point they didn't seem threatening enough to overpower the victim. Dialogues were pedestrian at best. If you have seen NH10 you wouldn't be overly impressed with this version. Tara was no Anushka, you required a bit more mature personality to pull off this role. Some scenes were obviously manufactured just for thrills. There is a whole wilderness for the bad guys to search for their escaped victim, but inspite of not having any clue, they always seemed to be in the vicinity of the victim. They surely must have some kind of extra sensory perception. The frantic fiance always seemed to be a day late in his rescue attempt so was basically useless to the plot. The good thing about the movie is that the director knew the limitation of the script and the actors and didn't prolong it unnecessarily.
Sanak (2021)
Die Hard wannabe !!
Jackie Chan comes to India in this Indian version of Die Hard movie. The villain was small in stature, looked and sounded weak. Definitely a miscast. There were some good moments especially in the fight scenes, but scenes which requires some bonafide acting, Vidhyut as always is found wanting. You could see in the action department Vidhyut emulating Jackie Chan down to his frenzied expressions. The rest of the cast were just spectators on a roller coaster ride. If gymnastics and action is all you are looking for than this would be your movie. If you a bit more mature audience than you might find your interest waning as the movie progresses.
Chaalbaaz (1989)
Average entertainer !!
I watched Seeta aur Geeta and Chaalbaaz but found the former had a better flow to the story, better calibre of acting, songs were melodious. Over and above that you have the classic beauty of Hema malini. Sunny Deol was decent, while Rajnikanth's comedy was good in parts. The fights especially Sridevi 's did evolve since the 70s. Sridevi's acting though was a bit exaggerated and over the top. If you watched this movie in the 80s you wouldn't mind it, but if you are watching it in this century you might not appreciate it as much. Anupam Kher and Shakti had their moments of laughter. There was a scene where Anu Kapoor's dark hair was clearly seen peeking from underneath his white wig. The shot changed but the director did not bother to correct the error. The authenticity of the scene was totally compromised. There were other scenes where the disparity in the quality of direction was apparent between Ramesh Sippy and Pankaj Parashar. There is some entertainment value but don't expect too much.
Silence 2: The Night Owl Bar Shootout (2024)
An average investigative movie !!
Movie is let down by the acting calibre of the supporting cast. Loud reactions and overacting are the fallback of every average actor. This was abundantly evident as the movie progressed. Though the Directors tried to hide the possible murder suspect, but if you have watched enough Bollywood movies there are ample clues to zero in on the possible culprit. Manoj Bajpaye has his familiar eccentric style of acting, so you could say he was his efficient self. The direction and the narrative wasn't taut enough to keep the audience captivated. This is the kind of movie you could watch on a lazy, rainy Saturday afternoon, where you have nowhere to go and nothing to watch.
Humjoli (1970)
No to this nostalgia !!
The brand of comedy employed in this movie is fine around the decade it was made, right now they would call it hamming or overacting. Even kids of this day and age would be rolling their eyes watching some of the over the top comedy. Story was stale and predictable. Growing up Mehmood was the king of comedy, but with time you outgrow his stereotypical physical comedy style of acting. The action sequences could be described as awkward at best, as was prevalent in the 60s movies. Jumping Jack was decent in his role, while Leena Chandavarkar was the required eye candy of the movie though she seemed rough at the edges. Pran was impressive in a patriarchal role. He carried the same personality in the 1972 "Parichay" too. Some of the evergreen songs were the only saving grace of the movie. My advice, this movie is best left in the memories of those who lived through that era.
Vandanam (1989)
Good movie that could have done lot better !!!
I am not sure what's Priyadarshan's obsession with sad/tragic ending. Most of the 90s and early 2000 he drags a perfectly happy ending into a sad ending. This ploy starts getting predictable after you watch half a dozen of his movies from that decade. This movie is no exception. A comedic, happy go lucky love story, for no foreseeable reason suddenly turns sad, which is irritating. Mohanlal looked energetic and convincing as a dedicated cop. Girija was decent as his love interest. Nedu mudi Venu played a different role as a crazed avenger and did well too. Jagathy as usual played an irritating buffoon. The movie was good, except for the ending. That's the reason why the movie didn't perform well when it was released in 89.
Crakk: Jeetega... Toh Jiyegaa (2024)
Mediocre!!
We could have done without the Gully boy act, which made Vidhyut's character look fake and sound phony. Vidhyut needs to pick scripts which does not require much acting, as that is his Achilles heel. He excels in the action & stunt dept and should stick to that. Amy Jackson and Nora Fatehi were just eye candies, picked solely for the glamour and attitude aspect. Arjun Rampal acting skill has always been mediocre and amply displayed it in this movie. He too was picked solely for looks. The Death Race scenario has been done to death in Hollywood, and in the Bollywood movie "Luck". For stunt junkies this movie would be perfect, for the more mature and discerning viewers not so much.