Movie Review

• Here

  Cast: Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Paul Bettany, Kelly Reilly, Michelle Dockery, Gwilym Lee, Ophelia Lovibond, David Fynn, Leslie Zemeckis, Jonathan Aris, Albie Salter, Lilly Aspell & Lauren McQueen

  Graphic novel doesn’t transition well

  (2.5/5)

  If you are looking for experiences akin to ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit’, ‘Back to the Future’, ‘The Polar Express’ and ‘Forrest Gump’, ‘Here’ is not the place to be. This Robert Zemeckis directorial feels like a long-running sentimentalised commercial selling...

  09 Nov 2024
• PRIME VIDEO Citadel: Honey Bunny

  Cast: Kay Kay Menon, Varun Dhawan, Samantha, Kashvi Majmundar, Simran Bagga, Saqib Saleem, Sikandar Kher, Shivankit Singh Parihar, Soham Majumdar, Armaan Khera and Raimundo Querido

  Adding more zest to spy universe

  (3/5)

  Creating a prequel in itself is a challenge, and to make it even better than the master series, almost implausible. But trust the masters of the spy world, Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK, to do the impossible. As the talented...

  09 Nov 2024
• Time Cut

  Cast: Madison Bailey, Antonia Gentry, Griffin Gluck, Megan Best, Michael Shanks, Adam Hurtig and Sydney Sabiston

  The saviour act

  (2/5)

  The slasher movie genre has made a comeback, but with some conditions. New movies are either part of an existing franchise, or rely on gimmicks like time loops or body swapping. Initially inventive, this trend has become predictable. ‘Time Cut’...

  02 Nov 2024
• Mithya (S2): The Darker Chapter

  Cast: Huma Qureshi, Avantika Dassani, Parambrata Chatterjee, Rajit Kapur, Samir Soni, Naveen Kasturia, Indraneil Sengupta, Anindita Bose, Rushad Rana, Avantika Akerkar, KC Shankar, Naina Sareen, Swagata Das and Bishakha Thapa

  Out-of-depth dark chapter

  (2/5)

  The second season of the Hindi adaptation of BBC hit series ‘Cheat’ is a drag, to say the least. It’s an unnecessary extension given to a mini-series that had concluded on a high note. ‘Mithya’ was a psychological thriller that...

  02 Nov 2024
• Singham Again

  Cast: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Deepika Padukone, Tiger Shroff, Arjun Kapoor and Jackie Shroff

  Swagger makes presence felt, Singham mojo missing

  (2.5/5)

  Akkha public ko malum hai kaun aane wala hai, and Rohit Shetty’s Diwali release ‘Singham Again’ attracts hordes, again. Our very own Bajirao Singham (Ajay Devgn) is now leading Shetty’s cop universe to new heights, literally. Setting up a base...

  02 Nov 2024
• Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3

  Cast: Kartik Aaryan, Vidya Balan, Madhuri Dixit, Tripti Dimri, Vijay Raaz, Rajpal Yadav, Sanjay Mishra, Ashwini Kalsekar, Rajesh Sharma and Arun Kushwah

  In third outing, maze can still amaze

  (3/5)

  Horror.com is fast proving to be a money-minting genre. If the stupendous success of ‘Stree 2’ is fresh on your mind, let’s refresh your memory and remind you how, back in 2022, Anees Bazmee’s ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2’ worked magic at...

  02 Nov 2024
• Netflix Territory

  Cast: Anna Torv, Robert Taylor, Sam Corlett, Sara Wiseman, Kylah Day, Jake Ryan, Philippa Northeast, Michael Dorman, Sam Delich, Clarence Ryan, Joe Klocek, Daniel Wyllie and Jay Ryan

  Drama meets action

  (3.5/5)

  Netflix limited series ‘Territory’ wastes no time in setting the stage for a high-stakes succession battle amidst the picturesque Australian outback. The stakes in this cattle-ranch drama are high as Daniel Lawson (Jake Ryan), the former ranch leader, is found...

  26 Oct 2024
• Bandaa Singh Chaudhary

  Cast: Arshad Warsi, Meher Vij, Sachin Negi, Jeeveshu Ahluwalia, Shataf Figar, Kiara Khanna, Garry Dhillon, Shilpi Marwaha and Alisha Chopra

  Tough subject, casually handled

  (2/5)

  A daring subject set in 1980s’ Punjab, writer-director Abhishek Saxena’s ‘Bandaa Singh Chaudhary’ explores pyaar, dosti and dushmani! The film opens with the words ‘ugarwad’ and ‘ISI’, which are mentioned freely, before going back a few years and exploring the...

  26 Oct 2024
• Venom: The Last Dance

  Cast: Tom Hardy, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Juno Temple, Stephen Graham, Peggy Lu, Alanna Ubach, Rhys Ifans and Clark Backo

  Organised chaos reigns in this last dance

  (2.5/5)

  At best, this third iteration, the final act in the trilogy, is a fairly deformed attempt at a serious superhero movie. It’s also pretty hard to come to terms with this current version of Venom and Eddie Brock as bromantic...

  26 Oct 2024
• Netflix Do Patti

  Cast: Kriti Sanon, Kajol, Shaheer Sheikh, Brijendra Kala, Tanvi Azmi and Vivek Mushran

  Tantalising mystery with a message

  (3/5)

  There are no saints in writer-producer Kanika Dhillon’s universe. Thus, in the very first scene of this Netflix film, when a woman named Somaya (Kriti Sanon) accuses her husband of attempt to murder, you know there is more than meets...

  26 Oct 2024
• PRIME VIDEO: The Pradeeps of Pittsburgh

  Cast: Arjun Sriram, Sahana Srinivasan, Sindhu Vee, Naveen WS Andrews, Ashwin Sakhtivel, Megan Hilty, Nicholas Hamilton, Pete Holmes, Romy Rosemon

  US misadventure

  (2/5)

  South Asian families at the centre stage of American sitcoms isn’t something new, especially after the popularity nods to ‘Never Have I Ever’ and ‘Ms Marvel’. So, to see the Pradeep family migrating to Pittsburgh in America all the way...

  19 Oct 2024
• Smile 2

  Cast: Naomi Scott, Kyle Gallner, Rosemarie DeWitt, Lukas Gage, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, Peter Jacobson, Raul Castillo, Dylan Gelula

  Horror, gore, with trauma as core

  (3/5)

  Parker Finn’s ‘Smile’ was an international hit. So, it’s no surprise that he has come up with yet another smile-using demonic possession to make inroads into mental health issues. The action here picks up just six days after the events...

  19 Oct 2024
• The Wild Robot

  Cast: VOICE CAST: Lupita Nyong’o, Pedro Pascal, Kit Connor, Bill Nighy, Stephanie Hsu, Mark Hamill, Catherine O’ Hara and Ving Rhames

  A heart-warming story of survival and harmony

  (3.5/5)

  Oscar-nominated filmmaker Chris Sanders writes and directs this beautifully sublime animation adventure, ‘The Wild Robot,’ giving it a patina of heartfelt emotions and exciting humorous adventure in an uncluttered, well-defined narrative spiel. The former storyboard artist, production/character designer, and writer...

  19 Oct 2024
• DISNEY+HOTSTAR: Reeta Sanyal

  Cast: Adah Sharma, Rahul Dev, Ankur Rathee, Manik Papneja, Amey Khanwalkar, Nirisha Basnett and Chhaya Vora

  Not a mystery why series falls short

  (2/5)

  Crime ka jaisa bhi ho jaal, solve karegi Reeta Sanyal… this catchphrase is probably the brightest thing in this Adah Sharma-starrer series that tries to do a female Sherlock Holmes. Only, its attempt to make a frothy series about a...

  19 Oct 2024
• Lonely Planet

  Cast: Laura Dern, Liam Hemsworth, Diana Silvers, Younes Boucif, Adriano Giannini and Rachida Brakni

  Not new, or exotic

  (2.5/5)

  A whimsical writer’s retreat at an ancient Moroccan property, coming together of literary giants and a young author with a bestseller, ‘Lonely Planet’ opens on a promising note. If the popular, prolific writer Katherine Loewe (Laura Dern) has travelled thousands...

  12 Oct 2024
• Citadel Diana

  Cast: Matilda De Angelis, Giordana Faggiano, Filippo Nigro, Lorenzo Cervasio, Daniel Paoloni, Jun Ichikawa, Maurizio Lombardi, Thekla Reuten and Pietro Pace

  Unoriginal spy plots, routine tropes

  (2.5/5)

  Another spin-off of what was originally pitched by the Russo Brothers as a global sci-fi series, this Italian run of ‘Citadel’ has little original to cling on to other than its charismatic leads. The globe-trotting series’ first season, created by...

  12 Oct 2024
• Vicky Vidya Ka Woh Wala Video

  Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Tripti Dimri, Vijay Raaz, Mallika Sherawat, Rakesh Bedi, Archana Puran Singh

  Can’t laugh or cry, just a pretty long sigh

  (1/5)

  It comes with a statutory warning — “No animal (sic) were harmed during the making of the film.” Grammar be damned! But what about the grammar of filmmaking? Raaj Shaandilyaa, who has directed and co-written the film, has scant respect...

  12 Oct 2024
• Jigra

  Cast: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Rahul Ravindran and Vivek Gomber

  Need some bit of Jigra for this one

  (2.5/5)

  ‘Yeh masala film thode hi hai…’ perhaps not, or maybe yes. For, ‘Jigra’, otherwise inspired by Yash Johar’s Sridevi and Sanjay Dutt-starrer ‘Gumraah’, sounds like an ode to Big B. Coincidentally coming on Amitabh Bachchan’s birthday, Vasan Bala’s film pays...

  12 Oct 2024
• ZEE5: The Signature

  Cast: Anupam Kher, Mahima Chaudhry, Ranvir Shorey, Annu Kapoor, Manoj Joshi, Neena Kulkarni

  Heart in right place

  (3/5)

  Paise se jaan to nahin kharidi ja sakti, but a ventilator can keep one’s heart beating. Can you sign the form to take a loved one off ventilator support? Arvind (Anupam Kher) is faced with this task as his wife...

  05 Oct 2024
• White Bird

  Cast: Ariella Glaser, Orlando Schwerdt, Bryce Gheisar, Gillian Anderson, Helen Mirren, Jo Stone-Fewings, Patsy Ferran and Stuart McQuarrie

  Power of kindness, lest we forget

  (2.5/5)

  Marc Forster’s previous film ‘Wonder’ becomes the framing device for this story. Bryce Gheisar, who had a role in the film, plays a high-schooler here. As Julian Albans, he is trying to adjust to a new educational environment following his...

  05 Oct 2024
• NETFLIX: CTRL

  Cast: Ananya Panday, Vihaan Samat, Devika Vatsa and Kamakshi Bhat

  Reel humane story

  (2.5/5)

  Ananya Panday can take credit for making influencers mainstream in Bollywood. First, it was her portrayal of Bella, an influencer in ‘Call Me Bae’, and now Nella in ‘CTRL’, whose life revolves around likes and subscribes. And going by her...

  05 Oct 2024
• Joker: Folie à Deux

  Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson, Catherine Keener, Bill Smitrovich and Harry Lawtey

  Joker in form, Lady Gaga on song

  (3/5)

  ‘Bewitched, bothered and bewildered…’ — these words of the song play on your mind as you sit through this sequel to the much acclaimed and hugely successful ‘Joker’. Yet, there is a beguiling quality to ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’. The...

  05 Oct 2024
• NETFLIX Ellen DeGeneres: For Your Approval

  Cast: Ellen DeGeneres

  An endearing act

  (3/5)

  What happens when the ‘Queen of Nice’ is labelled as the ‘Queen of Mean’? Well, she turns to gardening, and raises chickens. Ellen DeGeneres, the iconic talk show host, who changed the narrative of comedy, bids farewell to the entertainment...

  28 Sep 2024
• DISNEY+HOTSTAR Taaza Khabar 2

  Cast: Jaaved Jaaferi, Bhuvam Bam, Shriya Pilgaonkar, Deven Bhojani, Prathamesh Parab, Nitya Mathur, Shilpa Shukla, Atisha Naik, Vijay Nikam

  Nothing taaza about this khabar

  (2/5)

  Bhuvan Bam, the first Indian YouTuber to cross 10 million subscribers, is back with a new season of his series ‘Taaza Khabar’. Season 1 may not have been an intensely engaging crime-thriller but had its moments and managed to ensure...

  28 Sep 2024
• ZEE5 Love, Sitara

  Cast: Sobhita Dhulipala, Rajeev Siddhartha, Sonali Kulkarni, Sankar Induchoodan, Tamara D’Souza and B Jayashree

  One wedding & too many dark secrets to unload

  (2/5)

  “Har happy family ek jaisi hoti hai, lekin har unhappy family ek dusre se bilkul alag hoti hai…” ‘Love, Sitara’ opens with this piece of gyan, and before we can grasp it, we are bamboozled into witnessing an unwanted pregnancy...

  28 Sep 2024
• Devara Part One

  Cast: NT Rama Rao Jr, Saif Ali Khan, Janhvi Kapoor, Shruti Marathe, Prakash Raj, Srikanth, Murali Sharma, Abhimanyu Singh

  Visual splendour, that’s all there is to see

  (2.5/5)

  When the very first scene shows you a turbaned Sikh officer, you think the USP of this Telugu film, dubbed in many languages, lies in its pan-India appeal. After all, apart from NT Rama Rao Jr, the film also boasts...

  28 Sep 2024
• Transformers One (Animation/3D)

  Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Brian Tyree Henry, Scarlett Johansson, Isaac C Singleton Jr

  A blast throughout

  (3/5)

  Hasbro and Paramount team up for yet another ‘Transformers’ iteration, this time an animation feature though. We’ve seen so many live-action ‘Transformers’ sequels that the franchise had begun to look boring and forced. The surprise element has been missing in...

  21 Sep 2024
• Netflix What’s Next? The Future With Bill Gates

  Gateway to what’s to come

  (3.5/5)

  ‘He’s bit of punk rock, Bill Gates!’ Only U2 singer Bono could liken Bill Gates to that genre and get away with it. Throughout the five-episode docu-series, we look for signs to validate Bono’s claim, but there is none. Not...

  21 Sep 2024
• Netflix Hacks

  Cast: Jean Smart, Hannah Einbinder, Carl Clemons-Hopkins, Megan Stalter, Poppy Liu, Rose Abdoo

  What the Hack, it’s real good

  (3.5/5)

  What could a flailing comedian off her heyday and a struggling writer have in common? Triple winner at the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Comedy Series, Lead Actress (Jean Smart) and Writing (creators/EPs Lucia Aniello, Paul W Downs and...

  21 Sep 2024
• Yudhra

  Cast: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Malavika Mohanan, Raghav Juyal, Gajraj Rao, Ram Kapoor, Raj Arjun and Shilpa Shukla

  Action thriller that is low on attraction

  (2/5)

  A fearless police officer is feted with a gallantry award for busting a drug mafia. He and his pregnant wife are on their way back home. The palpable tension on the rainy road is reminiscent of a zillion movies. And...

  21 Sep 2024