Johnson Thomas This sixth feature of the franchise series that began way back in 1976, a prequel with a story predating the original ‘The Omen,’ directed by Arkasha Stevenson and based on a story by screenwriter Ben Jacoby, has...
Parbina Rashid ‘Why some people kill?’ asks one of the investigating officers in ‘Crime Scene Berlin: Nightlife Killer’. An interesting premise for a crime documentary to be set on! Who would not love to get into the mind of...
Cast: Andrew Scott, Johnny Flynn, Dakota Fanning, Vittorio Viviani, Bokeem Woodbine, Eliot Sumner, Louis Hofmann, Maurizio Lombardi and John Malkovich
(3.5/5)Nonika Singh In a space where thrillers are a dime a dozen, here comes one that dazzles you with its luminosity of both visualisation and storytelling. ‘Ripley’ is no whodunit. Sure, it’s not without its share of murder(s). The...
Cast: Rebecca Hall, Kaylee Hottle, Brian Tyree Henry, Dan Stevens, Alex Ferns, Fala Chen, Rachel House, Mercy Cornwall
(3/5)Johnson Thomas It has been a couple of years since ‘Godzilla vs. Kong’ and the immediately satisfying but forgettable memories it evoked. ‘The New Empire’ is a colourful spectacle and also ape-centric. In this iteration of the franchise, we see...
Cast: Avi Azulay, Mehmet Kurtulus, Dominique Tipper, Reymonde Amsallem, Ishai Golan and Tulay Gunal Goncu
(3.5/5)Parbina Rashid Here goes a popular joke — ‘Moses led his people through the desert for 40 years. It seems, even in Biblical times, men avoided asking for direction.’ But no, Moses might have had serious anger issues (he did...
Cast: Raveena Tandon, Satish Kaushik, Manav Vij, Chandan Roy Sanyal, Jatin Goswami and Anushka Kaushik
(2/5)Nonika Singh She is a loving mother, a caring housewife and a lawyer too. Not that her legal acumen is anything to write home about, so we are told by the judge of the lower court where she practises. And...
Cast: Tabu, Kriti Sanon, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Diljit Dosanjh, Kapil Sharma, Rajesh Sharma and Saswata Chatterjee
(2.5/5)Sheetal ‘Respond with a smile at all costs’ seems to be the most important lesson instilled in flight attendants. As the leading ladies — Tabu, Kareena Kapoor Khan and Kriti Sanon — take up the role of air-hostesses, a smile...
Cast: Regina King, Lance Reddick, Terrence Howard, Lucas Hedges, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Christina Jackson and Michael Cherrie
(3/5)Nonika Singh There are winners and then there are catalysts. And here was a woman who wanted ‘nothing more nothing less than be a catalyst for change.’ Shirley Chishlom, the first black woman to run for US Presidency, is hailed...
Netflix: This Tamil-language sports action film directed by Aishwarya Rajinikanth and produced by Subaskaran Allirajah stars Rajinikanth in an extended cameo role. It has actors Vishnu Vishal and Vikranth in the lead role. The music is by AR Rahman. Fighter...
Cast: Pratik Gandhi, Divyenndu, Avinash Tiwary, Chhaya Kadam, Upendra Limaye, Nora Fatehi and Remo D’Souza
(2/5)Sheetal Call it an aspiration post ‘Dil Chahta Hai’, but we have all dreamt of at least one Goa trip with an all-girl/boy gang. Writer-director Kunal Kemmu has turned that aspiration into reality and immersed it in an over-dramatic fictional...
Cast: Sara Ali Khan, Sachin Khedekar, Emraan Hashmi, Abhay Verma, Sparsh Shrivastav, Anand Tiwari, Aditi Sanwal, Alexx O’Neil, Benedict Garrett
(2/5)Parbina Rashid Tune into Congress Radio! But before you do, adjust your mental antenna, which in all likelihood has been set to catch the ‘How is the josh’ kind of frequency. Reset it to ‘42.34 metres’ bandwidth to absorb those...
Cast: Randeep Hooda, Ankita Lokhande, Apinderdeep Singh, Amit Sial, Mark Bennington
(2/5)Johnson Thomas The biopic on Vinayak Damodar Savarkar tries really hard to enhance his image as a freedom fighter beyond what is known as fact. The film opens with the claim that research was the mainstay of this effort, but...
Nonika Singh Let us admit it, in a medium that thrives on binge watching, we are not great fans of episodic thrillers. But having said that, ‘Lootere’, two episodes of which are now available on Disney+Hotstar, will make you return...
Nonika Singh A documentary about the life of the famed Mexican painter Frida Kahlo, sourced in her own writings, her works and photographs sure is a daunting task. And on the face of it, appears a bit tedious too. Especially,...
Cast: Pooja Bhatt, Zoya Hussain, Tanya Abrol, Avantika Vandanapu, Aneet Padda, Akshita Sood, Vidushi, Lhakyila, Afrah Sayed, Dalai
(2.5/5)Sheetal When a new scholarship-winning teenager enters a prestigious boarding school and rolls down her socks to give off the cool kid vibe, you know you have arrived at a teen drama. The pressure to stay relevant and popular...
Cast: Adah Sharma, Yashpal Sharma, Naman Jain, Shilpa Shula, Raima Sen, Anangsha Biswas, Vijay Krishna, Rahuul Chwudhary, Subrat Dutta, Indira Tiwari
(1/5)Johnson Thomas The opening disclaimer makes a tall claim that this film is inspired by true incidents, but there’s little evidence of it in the telling. The disclaimer is obviously a ruse to enable and justify acutely discomfiting and...
Parbina Rashid Having established that there are good Muslims and there are bad Muslims with its innumerable outings, it’s time for B-town to become a little more precise. There are good Pakistanis and there are bad Pakistanis. And who...
Cast: Pankaj Tripathi, Sara Ali Khan, Vijay Varma, Karisma Kapoor, Dimple Kapadia, Tisca Chopra, Sanjay Kapoor, Suhail Nayyar and Deven Bhojani
(2.5/5)Nonika Singh ‘Murder Mubarak…’ the title might sound like an oxymoron, but is indicative of its two threads: mystery and humour. Besides, in Homi Adajania’s wacky world, nothing ever is as it seems. And as he moves into the...
Nonika Singh To say that The Program is an eye-opener would be an understatement. This horrific account of the troubled teen industry in America is so startling, that the first question that pops up is — how can it...
Cast: Huma Qureshi, Uday Atroliya, Sohum Shah, Kani Kusruti, Amit Sial, Parmod Pathak, Vineet Kumar, Dibyendu Bhattacharya
(2.5/5)Sheetal When the series was first launched on SonyLIV, it was immediately appreciated for the authentic portrayal by Huma Qureshi. She, as Rani Bharti, walked the distance — from a happy homemaker to a reluctant Chief Minister in the...
Johnson Thomas It’s a lonely world out there and this film takes you deep into the heart of the two characters central to this story, putting forward a nuanced underlining of loss, grief, heartbreak and healing. Adam (Andrew Scott), a...
Parbina Rashid Long live Bollywood binary! The makers seems to be in no hurry to let go of the good boy-bad boy concept. If anything, with every project, they bring it back with renewed vigour. Just when we were...
Cast: Emraan Hashmi, Mouni Roy, Shriya Saran, Naseeruddin Shah, Rajeev Khandelwal, Mahima Makwana, Vijay Raaz, Lillete Dubey and Denzil Smith
(2.5/5)Nonika Singh Vikramaditya Motwane’s ‘Jubilee’ proved how the behind-the-scenes business of movies is as fascinating as the films themselves. ‘Showtime’ takes a similar route, but in the contemporary era. Bankrolled by Dharmatic Entertainment and created by Sumit Roy, the...
Cast: Ravi Kishan, Naila Grewal, Yashpal Sharma, Rama Sharma, Nidhi Bisht, Vijay Rajoria, Anjum Batra, Anant Joshi and Ajay Raju
(2.5/5)Sheetal A humorous take on legal procedures in India, this is a series you never thought you needed. The quirky drama has its weak moments but the impeccable dialogue writing and a talented ensemble cast hold it together. The...
Parbina Rashid This four-episode docu-series ends with a question, “Did you kill Sheena Bora?” Indrani Mukerjea, in her cultivated accent and modulated voice, replies, “What a stupid question!” Well, it’s a stupid question considering that the series in its...
Johnson Thomas ‘Dune: Part 2’, the second part of the filmed adaptation of Frank Herbert’s seminal 1965 novel, is creative, stunning in its expanse, tragic and ensnaring. The battle between the Fremen and the Harkonnens for the control of...
Cast: Nitanshi Goel, Sparsh Shrivastava, Pratibha Ranta, Ravi Kishan, Geeta Aggarwal and Chhaya Kadam
(3.5/5)Nonika Singh What happens when two young brides get mixed up and land up where they are not meant to be? Well, a pleasurable tale begins to acquire flesh, blood and a beating heart. Kiran Rao’s second directorial venture,...
Gurnaaz Kaur In this digital age, the horror of cyberstalking constitutes real harm, and like all other crimes, it needs to be taken seriously. With that as its pivot, ‘Can I Tell You A Secret?’, a true crime two-part...
Johnson Thomas Set in 1997-98 when Kota’s IIT coaching classes were gaining momentum and recognition, this film, replete with nostalgic moments and songs that remind one of college hostel days, has something worthwhile to talk about, but the slow-mo...
Parbina Rashid When a film finds a mention at a political rally even before its release, one knows which direction it is going to take. We are well acquainted with the genre ‘P’ (propaganda) by now. The opening voiceover...