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SAMTHEBESTEST
Not interested to become a Critic, just want to become a Smart Viewer.
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The Human Comedy (1943)
Another Clarence Brown trademark beauty! Childhood, teenagehood, manhood, and old age-4 steps of human life amidst war presented in a heartwarming manner.
The Human Comedy (1943) :
Brief Review -
Another Clarence Brown trademark beauty! Childhood, teenagehood, manhood, and old age-4 steps of human life amidst war presented in a heartwarming manner. Brown has to be the king of human drama and coming-of-age dramas for some people, and you can count me among those "some." I was expecting The Human Comedy to be a comedy drama because of its title, but it came out as a moving human drama. This was a shock, but a pleasant one. Brown has given me another human drama to remember. Another human that I can relate to in 4 different age groups of my own life. Therefore, it's a film that can be watched by 3 different generations together in one family, and even in that last generation, you can see two categories, like teenage and childhood. The Human Comedy has a teenage boy taking on the responsibility of the family after his elder brother has left for war. Hia younger brother is living his childhood, and then we have a spirit of their father taking to us about life and how he is still alive even after his demise. The schooltime lesson is there. That small but life-changing conversation between the student and his teacher, who encourages him to be civilised and never forget him, touched me. The 5-year-old boy going to steal at a garden and that old man teasing them from the window/house brought tears of joy to my eyes. I could feel my childhood (past) and old-age days (future) in that one moment. The little one asking his mother about death and war and the way she answered him took me back to my childhood days when I used to ask a lot of questions to my mother, and she used to teach me many good things with her answers. Those young soldiers going to a movie with beautiful girls in the rain and then happily saying good-bye, without looking back and enjoying their own time, was a perfect way to celebrate youth. That's not all. There's more in the film. Just watch and feel it. I can't go on because I am in tears at the moment.
RATING - 7/10*
By - #samthebestest.
Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar (2024)
SLB and Netflix Find Scale But Not Soul
Heeramandi (2024) :
Series Review -
Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Netflix's ambitious Heeramandi has been making headlines since Pandemic and finally got released on May 1, 2024. It's been 4 years or maybe more since SLB has been trying to make it happen, but sadly, his grand-scale story of the royal brothel had to go on the small screen. It's still a pleasure to see someone bringing such a large spectacle to a small screen in India because we have only heard of Americans doing so in Hollywood. Heeramandi has been blessed with SLB's usual grand sets, some amazing performances, dialogues, and enough masala, but where is the story and where is the soul? That's what this 7-7.5-hour series hasn't got, and that's the most essential part of a series or movie.
Set in the pre-independence era of somewhere around the 1920s and 1930s, Heeramandi tells the story of a place called Heeramandi-a famous brothel for courtesans. Mallikajaan (Manisha Koirala) is the queen of the area and invites all the rich nawabs to enjoy courtesan's singing and dancing performances at Shahi Mahal. She has a terrible past, a murder, which puts her up against Fareedan (Sonakshi Sinha), whose mother was killed by Mallika. Bibbojaan (Aditi Rao Hydari) is the most popular performer in Mallika's Heeramandi, who also works as a secret revolutionist against British rule. Lajjo (Richa Chadha) is betrayed by Zoravar (Adhyayan Suman), while Waheeba (Sanjeeda Sheikh) wants the mansion from her sister, Mallika. Tajdar (Taha Shah Badussha), a son of a rich nawab family, returns from Oxford and falls in love with Alamzeb (Sharmin Segal), Mallika's daughter. Tajdar also joins the Indian revolutionists and must choose between love and nation when Fareedan is busy playing her tricks to destroy Mallikajaan, which also involves Tajdar and Alam's love story. All these characters are linked to each other in one way or another, and we see a fair compilation of drama, suspense, love, emotions, betrayal, and revenge.
Heeramandi has a total of 8 episodes, counting for around 7 and a half hours (excluding end credits). Somebody should hang the editor for cutting 1-hour episodes (except two). This is much longer than a standard runtime, and it becomes tedious to watch those slow movements and tortoise-paced songs. I shouted, "Are Bhai ye toh khatam ho nahi ho rahi" (an exactly opposite reaction to what Circuit said in Munna Bhai MBBS). The concern of the Indian revolution during the freedom fight isn't shown the way it deserves to be. I mean, India's freedom fight can't be so related and dependent on someone's love story and family issues. The cops can do whatever they want and whenever they want, but when it comes to that particular character, a bunch of notes or sexual pleasure can solve legal things within minutes. Alam and Tajdar's first meeting is far from what they call pure love or true love. Just imagine that the boy has seen the girl from a distance, and the next moment he is trying to seduce her by smelling her neck. Mallikajaan speaks about respecting women, and there I saw lustful desires without any hi, hello, or formal introduction. Heeramandi suffers from several impractical and insensitive things like these in its screenplay and ends up being a soul-less series because it fails to generate feelings and empathetic gestures towards the characters, who are anyway not socially approved. On the positive side, it doesn't reach a headache level, but it's a long ride, I tell you.
Manisha Koirala has just shown the world what a late-age comeback means. Her attitude, body language, and that voice tone prove her own saying, "Mallikajaan tawaif KAAMAL ki thi." What a lady, and what a stunning performance with some exquisite looks. Nobody would have expected this earlier, but Sharmin Segal has the second-most screen space after Manisha Koirala. Segal's character is dumbly written, but her performance overcomes that fault. A wannabe poetess turns into a traitor for the British and then an impregnant woman with a tragedy. So many layers, so many shades, but no human connect. Sonakshi Sinha appears late but does a fine job in this unstable character full of grey shades. Aditi Rao Hydari is the cutest one, while Richa Chadha was seen mostly drunk in her cameo appearance. Taha Shah Badussha has had the best presentation of his career so far, and he was impressive. Adhayayan Suman and Shekhar Suman keep appearing for a few moments after certain intervals in fairly written and fairly performed roles. Indresh Malik, Jason Shah, Shruti Sharma, Vaishnavi Ganatra, Farida Jalal, Nasirr Khan, Nityanshi Goel, and others were decent in the supporting roles.
Heeramandi is indeed another visual spectacle from Bhansali. It falters on paper more than on screen. Basically, you shouldn't go ahead with the film or series unless you have a waterproof story on paper that can't be faulty at all. Bhansali could have worked on a story and made it better before spending so much time and money on this project. The motive seems missing here. What is it, actually? A drama about courtesans, a love story, a revenge story, a tragedy, or a freedom fight stuck amidst the Heeramandi area? Adding to the positives, the web series has fine cinematography, good music, and some fantastic dialogue. You might hate the vulgarity and the ideology of those characters since they lack purity, but those who have liked Gangubai Kathiawadi and Bajirao Mastani kinds of things shouldn't have any problems with that.
In reality, "Gangu R**n thi," but in the SLB movie, "Gangu Chaand thi." The over-purification of some characters and areas can be so fake and forced sometimes. The same way, Heeramandi characters constantly speak about themselves as "artists" and "respecting women," but in their lives, they are busy finding new saahabs, sleeping with different men, selling girls, and also being the top prostitutes in the area. Is that how they were going to teach somebody how to "respect a woman?" Or is that a part of their so-called "art?" Shockingly, the film has only two kinds of people in that particular society. One is Heeramandi, full of prostitutes, courtesans, and troubled women, and the other is Nawaabs. Where are the common people, by the way? The one that contributes the most to society, the middle-class working people? "Khuda mard ko Aisa husn de to aurat jo hayaa na de." Now, that's a very intimate and sexy dialogue, and it feels somewhat funny too, but the problem is that it comes from a 70-year-old grandmother to her grandson. That's where it loses its purity. Sonakshi Sinha's character is seen regretting about four men (dogs) raping a woman, but the problem is that it comes when she herself is sleeping with N...th new man. Irony is that those who talk about purity are impure in their lives. Now that's a big contradiction to the point you are trying to make. "Heeramandi me bhale hum jaise auratein ho par aulade to aap jaise nawabo ki hi palti hai"-now that reminded me of "Pakeezah" (1972), while many of the dialogues try to be as ethnic as "Mirza Galib" (1954). If you are trying to sell me old classics after 7 decades, then you definitely need to upgrade yourself.
In almost every film of this kind, we see a prostitute falling in love with a decent man, who eventually abandons her. Well, a highly creative genius like Federico Fellini and tremendously talented artist Giulietta Masina did that way back in 1957 with "Nights of Cabiria," when we were making inspiring woman-oriented films like "Mother India" and "Sharda." So, please stop selling the same shiit to us in 2024. You are too late, even with cinematic grandeur. I'd better watch those old films within the same time I had to spend on this new re-hash, and they will still feel 10 times better even after 10 decades. Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar could have been so many things, but it decided to be a crap adaptation of old ideas that have become classics for my grandpa's generation. Sadly, even my grandpa wouldn't show any interest in it today, so forget the new generation.
RATING - 4/10*
Pamyo (2024)
Another Chilling Folk Horror Phenomenon From Korean Cinema
Exhuma (2024 :
Movie Review:
Korean cinema is definitely redefining the horror genre for modern cinema lovers. Jang Jae-hyun's Exhuma is another fine example of it. The film has turned out to be a huge hit at the box office, and I don't wonder. Such new and intense attempts at story-telling deserve audiences' support. I am glad that Korean audiences and critics gave Exhuma what it deserved. Na Hong-jin's "The Wailing" received universal acclaim, and it remains the best horror flick in recent times, not just in Korean cinema but all over the world. Exhuma isn't that good, but certainly close to it, and believe me, it's an achievement in itself in today's time.
Renowned Korean shaman Hwa-rim (Kim Go-eun) and her protégé, Bong-gil (Lee Do-hyun), are called by a wealthy Korean American family to identify the mysterious illness of the family's newborn son, who is struggling in the hospital. Hwa-rim uncovers the curse to be a 'Grave's Call', a vengeful ancestor's spirit haunting them. The family's patriarch, Park Ji-Yong, entrusts them to relocate the grave to appease the ancestor, his grandfather. Hwa-rim enlists colleagues, a Feng shui master, Kim Sang-deok (Choi Min-sik), and a mortician, Yeong-geun (Yoo Hae-jin). The coffin is opened by mistake, and the soul is freed from it to take the lives of other family members. After burning that coffin, the team finds an even more vicious soul, which was buried at the same place and is guarding the place. It's neither human nor animal, and it can't be eliminated. Will the team be able to get a hold of this new Japanese soul/monster who is fighting a war for the land?
Exhuma is a little long if we have to consider the overall grip of the narrative. I would have liked it to be 120 minutes instead of 130 minutes. Those 10 minutes felt over. Rest, no complaints about the screenplay. It's chilling, terrifying, and damn intriguing. You don't get to see those ghostly faces again and again; you see them only two or three times, but they do scare the hell outta you. That's one reason to love Korean cinema. They don't overdo supernatural stuff and keep it to a minimum so that we value them more. Seeing the same monster again and again reduces the fear factor. Exhuma has enough surprises, such as folk horror, family curses, land issues, haunting supernatural stuff, etc. The dialogues could have been better, I guess. The whole idea of the monster, the killing, and revenge could have been more brutal verbally. They missed that chance. Rest, it's a superb narrative in a new-age horror zone.
I am not very familiar with the Korean actors and their previous works, so I'll only speak about this film in particular. Choi Min-sik, Kim Go-eun, Yoo Hae-jin, and Lee Do-hyun looked fantastic in their roles. Kim Sun-young, Kim Jae-cheol, and Kim Ji-an did pretty well in the supporting roles. In horror movies, the most important part is those frightening expressions, which were captured by these people in the film. There are no various shades, but one zone-horror. That's too difficult sometimes and too easy sometimes for some people. Exhuma's did everything they could with their characters, even though it takes time to get to the pickup point.
Horror movies are very much dependent on the sound design that helps build up the atmosphere and devilish scare around you. Exhuma has been blessed with a perfect score and sound design for the horror genre. That continuous background score in the last 15 minutes gets on your nerves, and there are some moments that get too loud to shake you from inside. The film has been blessed by another powerful aspect, and that's its terrific cinematography. Those cut-to scenes, blackouts, and shaking frames tell you what the real horror motion picture means. Just don't blink in those intense and terrifying moments. The locations of the mountains, old mansion, grave, and gorge are beautiful. Jang Jae-hyun has done a commendable job as a director. He has a solid grip on the whole narrative, and he doesn't really let you go out of that shaman and burial world. A few flawed and slow moments could have been avoided, but they don't hurt much to the overall viewing experience. As a whole, Exhuma is a chilling and phenomenal horror flick in new-age filmmaking that borrows old formulas only to redevelop them for modern audiences. If you are looking for a real horror thriller, then this one's the latest version of it.
RATING - 6/10*
Shadow of the Thin Man (1941)
And the most humorous detective of all time solves another tricky murder case in style.
Shadow of the Thin Man (1941) :
Brief Review -
And the most humorous detective of all time solves another tricky murder case in style. Those who are aware of the Thin Man series need no further introduction to how humorous William Powell's detective, Nick Charles, has been in the previous three films. Shadow of the Thin Man comes as the fourth film in the series and manages to pull off an equally brilliant or on-par film compared to the other three films made before. This one's ahead in a few terms if we have to talk in details, but that'd cost you many spoilers, and you surely don't want that. So, Nick Charles is busy entertaining Mrs. Charles and Jr. Charles, when he comes across two murders. He doesn't want to get his hands on it but is forced to do so by Nora or circumstances. He begins to discover several facts, but the case still has a lot to unfold. In the climax, we have him bring all the suspects together in one room and let them talk more and more until one of them spills the beans. "There is one thing about murder. The more you let people talk, sooner or later, someone will spill the beans," says our beloved detective Charles, and he wins you all over again. The humour is not that high, but pretty enough. I liked the characters more than the comedy, which isn't high anyway. Asta, the dog, is damn funny. "The dog will fight the tiger for me," says Charles, and the next moment we see the dog running away from a cat. The same doggie hides underneath a cover when there is a gun threat in the end, and there are so many other instances where Asta makes you laugh. One more funny character is Lieutenant Abrams. He has that fake ego and fake reputation, but he is not ashamed to surrender in front of Charles. That voice tone and attitude he shows when Charles helps him, and the next moment he doesn't know that's happening? Too good! Powell and Loy sparkle the screen yet again with their charismatic screen presence. W. S. Van Dyke provides enough, or, better say, exactly what's asked.
RATING - 7/10*
By - #samthebestest.
Jenseits der Stille (1996)
A great conflict between blood relatives, but could have been more engrossing and tactical.
Jenseits der Stille/Beyond Silence (1996):
Brief Review -
A great conflict between blood relatives, but could have been more engrossing and tactical. Beyond Silence explores a great conflict between deaf parents and their music-loving daughter. The daughter wants to pursue a career in music (her instrument is the clarinet), but her parents can't hear, so it becomes difficult for her. Her main duty for her parents, which is to be their interpreter, somehow starts annoying her, and she begins to dislike her father. I remember watching a similar topic in "CODA" recently, but the humour and comedy were far better there. Beyond Silence is mute in the comedy zone and deaf in humor. The plot lacks dramatic sequences and engrossing moments, which usually lift such dramas. Remember what The Miracle Worker did with those intense moments with a child? I was expecting something like that from this movie, but it fell flat there. The love story, arguments, and family disliking all seemed rushed. It's not a long film, but it still has many slow films, and I was happy to use the fast-forward button time and again. The screenplay could have been faster than this, especially when you have fewer dialogues and more subtitles to read. Maybe that's one of the reasons why the film doesn't have heavy dramatic sequences. For that, you need long monologues, and here, two of the main characters couldn't have those verbal conversations and arguments due to disability. Also, I feel that the climax was too typical for the 90s. Sylvie Testud and Tatjana Trieb play teenage and childhood Lara, respectively, and both have done a great job. Howie Seago was amazing, and Emmanuelle Laborit looked so cute. I had a feeling that Sibylle Canonica was turning out to be a good villain, and then there was a fine reformation in the ending. By the way, she was too beautiful to become a villain. Caroline Link's story might not be that good, but her direction skills were notably good. Overall, a fine flick on a challenging conflict, but couldn't see its own potential of becoming a path-breaking film.
RATING - 6/10*
By - #samthebestest.
The Fall Guy (2024)
David Leitch Has Just Made His "Tees Maar Khan"
The Fall Guy (2024) :
Movie Review -
David Leitch and Ryan Gosling flash on the screen in the very first frame and pay their homage to all the stuntmen who do the "real job." But does that all matter when the movie starts or ends? No. With The Fall Guy, David Leitch falls again. Back in 2022, he put a bullet in my brain and busted it with "Bullet Train," and now I just witnessed my creative fallback as his viewer. "It's high noon on the edge of the universe"-Thank god, Fred Zinnemann and Gary Cooper are not alive to see the "High Noon" word being used parodically like this. You don't have to love "Notting Hill" just because someone says so. Slap me for saying this, but I guess Leitch has cooked a mixed dish of Star Wars and Dune meeting Notting Hill to get the results of "Tees Maar Khan."
Colt Seavers (Ryan Gosling) is one of the best stuntmen in Hollywood, and he primarily works as the stunt double for a famous action star, Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor-Johnson). One day, he gets severely injured while performing a "jump from high" stunt and quits the job. Colt quits his girlfriend, Jody (Emily Blunt), and abandons himself from social life and friends because he thinks that he is not special anymore. Cut to 18 months later, the same movie producer calls him and asks him to rejoin as a stuntman for a movie directed by his ex-girlfriend. To make things up with his ex, Colt comes back, and there begins a boring drama of two lovers trying to rekindle their lost romance. Halfway through, the boredom gets over as Colts finds himself stuck in the middle of a conspiracy, and now he must find a getaway to clean his name from this mess.
Just like Bullet Train, The Fall Guy also uses absurdity as the main tool for comedy and somewhat succeeds in it. It's the yawning romance that puts you to sleep, and you are like, "Come on, get over it. Let the film move forward." Even I asked myself, "Why didn't Leitch use absurdity in romance?". Imagine two lovers meeting after one and a half years, and the next moment they are back to the old days, hugging and kissing each other. This way, he could have made a comic caper or that old-school screwball rom-com, but no. He had to be stubborn enough to destroy his own film with a boring romance. The "happy ending" shiit ain't working anymore if the director himself isn't looking for other options. The Fall Guy lacks creative ideas in the script, but more harmful is the childish plotting in the second half that causes a big-blow extinction of your expectations. What happens in the last 30 minutes is totally out of context, totally rubbish, and highly irritating. Some extraordinary stunts are eye-pleasing, and a few comic punches hit the right chords. That "John and Amber" joke didn't get noisy laughs in the cinema hall, but I was cracked up alright. Maybe it went over the head for others. There are a couple of more instances like this that are too smart to catch, but otherwise, it's just a fairly entertaining comedy-nothing great.
Ryan Gosling plays a handsome fella who has every quality of a perfect boyfriend. The swag and looks have tremendous sex appeal, but the comedy part isn't that good from his side. Emily Blunt's accent wasn't appropriate, even though she felt innocent and cute with it on some occasions. Her chemistry with Ryan doesn't spark the screen, and that's the saddest part about this pairing. Those desperate, long conversations were only causing small headache attacks. Aaron Taylor-Johnson's cool and swaggery superstar was fairly good, but the role was cut short. The typical funny-friend-of-the-hero is played very well by Winston Duke, whereas Hannah Waddingham makes her presence felt strongly. Teresa Palmer, Stephanie Hsu, and the other supporting cast members didn't seem very visible here.
Watching the TV series The Fall Guy back in the 80s must have been a different experience, but for today, it's definitely outdated. With someone like David Lietch, who doesn't believe in intelligent cinema, it becomes even more problematic. The idea of absurd comedy works fine with today's youth, but there has to be some merit to it. Using some movie titles, star names, and PJ won't bring genuine laughter. The Fall Guy couldn't overcome its thin plot and dead screenplay, and moreover, David Lietch Touch (not similar to Lubitsch Touch for sure) makes it fall lower. Despite good efforts by the stunt, action, VFX, and camera teams, The Fall Guy fails to provide enough. Eight and a half rolls are always welcome, but we need a two and a half-star storyline as well. Overall, it's another dead game by David Leitch after Bullet Train, and I wish he finds some good air next time. Nobody hated him as a producer of "Nobody," but I hope, fast and furiously, he will find his "High Noon" and stay away from "Tees Maar Khan."
RATING - 4/10*
Ride the Pink Horse (1947)
Most probably, the best work by Robert Montgomery, as a director and actor both
Ride The Pink Horse (1947) :
Brief Review -
Most probably, the best work by Robert Montgomery, as a director and actor both. Finally, I have my most favourite film by Robert Montgomery. What's been missing in his other movies, I got everything right here. Much of its credit goes to the genre, I guess. The "film noir" genre has something alcoholic in it that makes you groove, sometimes slowly, sometimes quickly. Ride the Pink Horse is one more fine example of it. It starts gripping you in the 15th minute or so and never lets you get out of it. The dark world is really gritty and engrossing. There is no suspense or mystery, yet you are hooked on it and eager to know what's going to happen next. Lucky Gagin arrives in a rural town to blackmail a mobster as retribution for the death of his best friend. The mobster tries to kill him and get what he wants, but Gagin is protected by a cop and a young girl. That's all the plot you have here, and still, there is so much in the screenplay. Montgomery's smart story-telling is responsible for that. He compiles intriguing situations with terrific dialogue and serves you with classy crime noir. The climax of his trip may be predictable, but he added a nice touch of human feeling to the ending scene. It's true; it's very difficult to say "good-bye," even if you are a brave man. You sense a love story, but it can't be. It would have been childish then. So, Montgomery makes it a smart ending with the final goodbye, which becomes somewhat emotional. Robert Montgomery has done a brilliant job as a director and actor. Wanda Hendrix has totally surprised me. That reluctant smile on her face in the ending scene.. I can't forget that easily. Thomas Gomez as Pancho is delightful. Whatever, but this film belongs to Robert Montgomery's genius. The idea of disillusioned soldiers was getting mainstream then, and he used it so smartly. In short, a film noir for those who understand this genre.
RATING - 7.5/10*
By - #samthebestest.
The China Syndrome (1979)
A nuclear catastrophe and a journalism thriller for people with stomachs and nerves.
The China Syndrome (1979) :
Brief Review -
A nuclear catastrophe and a journalism thriller for people with stomachs and nerves. If you ever have to see just one film in James Bridges' filmography, then make sure you watch this. But before that, make sure you have the stomach and nerves to control the thrill factor and have enough brains to understand the basics of nuclear power. The China Syndrome is based on a possible nuclear threat that hasn't been taken seriously but can affect many lives. There is a journalism angle to it, providing the people's point of view on the same story, and they both make a solid combo. What makes this film special is the intensity of the scenes. We don't see many explosions or such stuff that really defines nuclear power or its danger, but instead, we see several tensed and chocked moments. Those conversations get on your nerves, and they test your nerves to see how much you can take. The background score fills the void between ordinary cinematography and a lack of disturbing graphics. Jack Lemmon plays the scientist and supervisor, who walks away with most of the best scenes in the film. The atmosphere around him and his expression do make you feel the insights and tension of those moments. The talented Jane Fonda gets to play the honest and wannabe investigative journalist, and she has done tremendously well. Only a few films have shown journalism in a bright light, and this happens to be one of them. If you remember Alan Pakula's "All The President's Men" (1976) and liked it, then I guess The China Syndrome is your kind of film. The Neo-Noir touch in the end only boosts the narrative and takes it to a new level. James Bridges makes sure that you are thrilled for two hours and don't feel bored. Not entirely, but a few scenes in the film really pump you up for a moment. I did the same to me, and I ain't an easy man to be pumped up by a movie.
RATING - 7.5/10*
By - #samthebestest.
Monkey Man (2024)
To hell with those who hailed it.
Monkey Man (2024) :
Brief Review -
To hell with those who hailed it. Dev Patel's action thriller, Monkey Man, jumps like a dead monkey on the tree. It strikes decently as a dated revenge action drama but has nothing thrilling or special about it. Just a few weeks back, I saw foreign critics raving about it and was excited to watch it. But all I got was disappointment. The film is about an orphan whose mother was killed by a cop. He can't get over that childhood trauma in adulthood and is unable to make any success out of himself. He is burning inside in rage for revenge and has been planning for it for a long time. For his livelihood, he works as a dead monkey boxer who gets money for getting beaten up. He joins the kitchen staff at an expensive hotel owned by the wife of the cop who killed his mother. A few attempts to get even with the villain fail, and he is left injured. As expected, as we all know, the hero first gets the beating and then rises to victory. Monkey Man follows the same old formula, advanced by some dark atmosphere, obscenity, and vulgarity. The spiritual touch of Lord Hanuman was totally unnecessary here. MM is wild and vulgar, and that's definitely not the way to tell the story of Lord Hanuman. This match doesn't fit well, and it might hurt the sentiments of many people too. The screenplay lacks grip, as nothing holds you on the edge of your seat since everything has been seen before in many movies. Some action-set pieces are entertaining, though. Dev Patel as the underdog was more convincing than the action hero. Sobhita plays a sex doll, Makrand is a cheap villain, and Sikander Kher is still the same old villain from any OTT masala flick. MM's dialogues are suited for OTT audiences, not family audiences. Too many abusive words don't help in providing the context because, after all, it was just a regular revenge drama, not a film noir or hard-hitting realistic drama. Overall, a strictly average that's been hailed for no valid reasons.
RATING - 5/10*
By - #samthebestest.
Abigail (2024)
Too Much Blood, Radicalism & Mess
Abigail (2024) :
Movie Review -
Abigail Review: Horror movies nowadays are either a total mess or a fine outing. Abigail's first half is what I call a fine outing, despite no horror material, as it only runs as a thriller till then, but then there is a messy second half, which I can slam for being too ridiculous at moments. It's an attempt at a new kind of horror cinema where comedy and radicalism try to mend themselves with devilish moments, but it successfully fails to get the expected results. It was almost a fine take on a horror thriller until we ran across the last 30 minutes filled with back-to-back twists and ridiculously entertaining moments that I feel will hardly get appreciated. That's where the entire show was spoiled, and so unexpectedly.
Lambert hires a group of six people (played by Melissa Barrera, Dan Stevens, Kathryn Newton, Will Catlett, Kevin Durand, and the late Angus Cloud) to kidnap a little girl, Abigail (Alisha Weir). The group is expecting $50 million as ransom money from her father and takes the girl to a deserted mansion at a remote location. The group learns who the girl's father is and gets scared of work, but can't be helped since they are left locked inside the mansion for the next 24 hours. Unaware of the fact that the girl is a vampire, the group members are pitted against each other and soon start getting killed. What happens when the remaining group members learn about the girl's true personality? Will they be able to stop her?
Abigail hasn't got anything to do with "Dracula's Daughter" (1936), except that it's a completely new re-imagination of the main character, who is "Dracula's Daughter." The film looks like a fine and gripping thriller until the moment group members are exposed to the fact that the girl is a vampire. After that, it becomes a mess. The film suffers from basic mistakes in the writing, and the writers should be held responsible for them. Dracula is scared of light; we all know that, and this film uses that notion to make us believe that again. But we have some scenes where the light is visible, yet it leaves no effect on the Dracula girl. Sammy's scene of turning into "one of them" will make you understand what I am saying. From here, a long boredom begins, and it becomes a terrible mess by the end. We can't figure out how some kidnappers are turned into vampires, are pitted against each other, and then form a sudden friendship with that girl vampire, and all that is totally rubbish. This is how a radical screenplay harms a basic, simple, and good-looking script.
Melissa Barrera looks hot in some scenes and mostly clueless in other scenes. She has become quite a horror-girl nowadays with the Scream franchise and this, while a significant work like "In the Heights" (2021) is rarely seen from here. Dan Stevens does well, and Kathryn Newton is your sexy girl from the next classroom. Will Catlett and Kevin Durand pass the time somehow, and the late Angus Cloud disappears after a few, oops.. many drinks. The head-cutting scene was left incomplete; I don't know why. Alisha Weir will frighten you for sure, and it's a great achievement for any teenage girl to make the audience scare a bit. And those dance moves were killer. This ballerina vampire will keep you on your toes. A couple of cameo roles by Giancarlo Esposito and Matthew Goode don't help much but are decent.
Abigail is a well-made film on the technical front. The cinematography is fine, as we get some horrifying close-ups-just what the horror genre needs. The sound effects are pretty effective. Some of them do give you jump scares. Coming to visual effects, there is too much blood and red-bath, which seems considerably well in terms of context, but the outline doesn't provide much to your cinematic experience. Those organ/body bursting into flour-like blood look childish sometimes. Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, Abigail makes a new-age attempt that works only on half measures. The directors duo totally seemed rattlebrained while accepting Stephen Shields and Guy Busick's storyline. This has so many things going wrong in those last 30 minutes that I'll need to write another separate review just to mention the flaws in those scenes. I can't do that here, though. No spoilers because it has that spoiler-filled experience. But even twists need to be handled with care and intelligence. Abigail lacks both.
RATING - 4/10*
Ruslaan (2024)
No Jaan In Ruslaan
Ruslaan (2024) :
Movie Review -
After Antim, Aayush Sharma again gets into the mass zone to show some improvements, but gets a messy flick instead. This mass avatar of Aayush deserved a better script, a better screenplay, and a better film. Antim was saved due to the remake factor, which had something new for the Hindi audiences since they had not seen a masala flick made on farmers or their sons' issues. Ruslaan is way behind in time in that section. The same outdated ideas of patriotic movies from the terrorist's son prove his loyalty to the country. And if they think that the twist in the climax was really new, then they should have made this film in the 1990s, not 2024. It's startling to know that Hindi, or, for that matter, Indian cinema, is still holding onto those ancient theories when Adivi Sesh has already made a spy thriller like "Goodachari." Watch it and learn instead of wasting time, money, and talent on films like Ruslaan.
Little Ruslaan (Aayush Sharma) is adopted by ATS officer Sameer Singh (Jagapathi Babu) and his wife after he killed Ruslaan's terrorist father in an encounter. Ruslaan grows up to be a spy, trying to get a place in RA&W, but his madam, Mantra (Vidya Malvade), believes that he is not ready for it yet. He was given a mission to collect information from the college group of activists and provide it to other agencies. "Do not engage" is the only mantra he gets from Mantra. But his impulsive and aggressive behaviour always blows his cover. Therefore, Mantra sends a senior agent, Vaani (Sushrii Mishraa), to look after him. During one of the missions, Ruslaan finds himself in trouble as he is declared a terrorist by his own father and should be shot dead. There begins a new and personal mission for innocent Ruslaan to prove that he is loyal to his country.
What Ruslaan lacks is a good story, first of all, and then a screenplay that can hold on to that good story. It lacks both, and that's why I have to say that "there is no Jaan in Ruslaan." Exactly; there is no soul. You don't have a good story or engaging screenplay, and then you have over-the-top and low-grade action set pieces. How should one spend 130 minutes watching it? What are you giving us anyway? Seriously, they needed to look through the story before taking it to the floor. Paper work is cheap; filmmaking is expensive, you know. But did they know it before making the film? It might have suited decently in some low-grade cinema industries, but in Bollywood, you definitely need a production design of higher scale and quality. Ruslaan doesn't look like one, not from a distance. The same goddam chase sequences, the boring conversations between the hero and the villain, then the same old action sequences in slow mo and then there is that irritating twist. Please stop it, says the public with joined hands.
Aayush Sharma's performance is nothing special, but his mass image is definitely something. The presentation should have been better. In the first scene, you see his side angle in slow mo, then after 2 minutes, another slow motion from the backside, and then again another slow mo from the front, followed by slow mo action sequences. How many slow Mos were there, by the way? Somebody tell them one is enough. Sushrii again has nothing to do but be useful to make a good female pair. One bikini scene was mandatory, as per the 1960s rulebook, but sadly, they read it in 2024. A hot-looking intelligence officer like Vidya Malvade is the need of the time, but it can only exist in movies. The south dose of Jagapathi doesn't suit here in any way, but they had to have it to make a pan-India thing nowadays. Sal Yusuf, Beena Banerjee, Richard Bhakti Klein, and Manish Gaharwar get something to do and are grateful for it.
Ruslaan is about 2 hours long and still makes it look like a 3-hour ride. The editing by Rajendra Bhaat is at fault here. What are those songs anyway? Did I even look up at the screen once while they were playing? No, I didn't. Then why didn't he remove them? G. Srinivas Reddy takes you through his blink-and-miss frames in free time, while in busy time, he was looking for some free time, I guess. The production design of the film is bad. It never looks like a moderate-budget film that can be viewed as a decent entertainer. It's below what you call a "low level." Karan Butani is studying old books of masala flicks that don't help in today's time. The syllabus has changed, and he needs to buy new books now. Ruslaan is his mistake. He must admit it and move on to better projects in the future, because there can't be any explanation for making such a bad film. Better luck next time to Aayush and Karan both, and best of luck to those who are going to watch it.
RATING - 3/10*
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (2024)
Nostalgia, Ice and Fire, Still Not Enough
Ghostbusters Frozen Empire (2024) :
Movie Review -
Ghostbusters Frozen Empire Review: The team of Ghostbusters Afterlife reunites for the sequel, Ghostbusters Frozen Empire, adding ice and fire to it but lacking soul. Even though it is the story of soul-stealing, it still doesn't find its own soul. God knows from where the idea of recreating some of the locational scenes came, but it worked on the positive side. This sequel has a few surprises that are pleasant, but it's hurt by its overanalysing gesture. As expected, the finale comes to the rescue, which was anyway supposed to provide a visual treat. It does that part very well, though. Well, there is less freezing and less use of fire, which is an underwhelming thing to experience. On the soft side, it did manage to leave us with a slight touch of nostalgia.
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is set three years after the events of Ghostbusters: Afterlife, as the old gang is joined by a couple of new members. Sadly, Callie (Carrie Coon) benches underage but her best Spangler, Phoebe (Mckenna Grace), to appease the opponent, and the rest of the gang continues to bust ghosts. During her boredom, Phoebe befriends a girl ghost, Melody (Emily Alyn Lind), who beats her at chess. However, Phoebe isn't aware of Melody's actual plan, which is to help Garraka in exchange for her free pass to the afterlife. Phoebe is fooled, and Garraka overpowers them all and arrives in style to take over the entire world. Therefore, the veteran ghostbusters must join forces with their new recruits to save the world.
The idea is generally predictable, as we have the same old methods of catching ghosts, and then someone's coming to destroy the world. Not just that, but even a practical presentation is dated too. The same car, the same Spangler, the same weapons, and the same locations too. We do have brass coming in as a new thing, but you'll see in the climax that it did not really help. "What's the worst part about being a ghost?" asks Phoebe, to which Melody replies, "I'll forever be 16." Well, that's typically girlish. But wait, the next moment is all that ghostly stuff when Phoebe asks, "And what's the best part?" and Melody just says, "Doing this." And disappears. Bang on humour, I must say. I wish they had added some more funny lines like this and intrigued us. Frozen Empire's villain is one such improvement that beats many previous films, but sadly, it appears in the last quarter of the narrative, giving us very little chance of becoming acquainted with it. The Firemaster comes with the same old theories you have seen in MCU and DCU movies for more than a decade.
Frozen Empire has a big cast, but teenager Mckenna Grace walks away with the maximum screen space and best screen presence. Emily Alyn Lind, aka Melody, wasn't there for a long time but has left a solid impact-i.e., more than many leading cast members. Paul Rudd and Carrie Coon could hardly find any scenes to stand out. Finn Wolfhard attempts to catch eyeballs, but it is Kumail Nanjiani who gets the eyeballs. No director wastes Bill Murray like this. That's a terrible injustice to his persona and the character we know from the beginning of the Ghostbusters franchise. Dan Aykroyd still had that one shot left, while Ernie Hudson suited up in old jam alright.
Eric Steelberg's cinematography takes you back to those frames of Ivan Reitman's 1984 blockbuster. The ending sequence is pretty similar to Reitman's evergreen flick. However, the unenthusiastic screenplay and dull dialogue fail to match the "Who you gonna call?" magic here. The visual effects are good in the finale episode and pretty decent otherwise. Nathan Orloff and Shane Reid cut a close to 2-hour film that lags in the middle and doesn't move forward. They could have trimmed 15 minutes here and there to make it gripping. The sound design, production value, and sets seemed okay for the time, in case you were expecting something mind-blowing. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is pretty much in the same zone as Gil Kenan's last Christmas comedy as far as entertainment for different age groups is concerned. Here he had to do a little fan service, and he did that fine. It's modern storytelling and new ideas that seemed missing. Nevertheless, Kenan doesn't bore you to death like others do. Frozen Empire is fairly entertaining in that sense, but a little lower considering the burden of reviving the franchise.
RATING - 5/10*
Dracula's Daughter (1936)
A more of a mystical human-horror done right than devilish horror
Dracula's Daughter (1936) :
Brief Review -
A more of a mystical human-horror done right than devilish horror. Dracula's Daughter starts from nowhere but gets you right back to the dead body of Dracula in the second minute to have you seated. It does feel like a sequel to Dracula (1931), but it also does not. Somehow, we get off to a fresh start with dead Dracula and then professor Van Helsing surrendering to his crime (if you can call it a crime). Basically, we have the story of Countess Marya Zaleska, the daughter of Count Dracula and herself a vampire. She is cursed by Dracula and wants to live a normal life now. She takes Dracula's body and burns it to ashes, believing that it will free her from the dark magic and that she can be a normal woman. However, she is left disheartened to know that the curse is still alive. Zaleska then seeks help from Dr. Garth, who believes that psychiatric treatment can save a person from obsessions that sometimes take over their lives due to habit. We then see her trying to speak her heart out to Garth, who, anyway, learns the truth, but will she be able to remain calm in the meantime? Like I said, it's more like a human-horror drama than a devilish horror flick. You don't get to see those brutal biting scenes, tormenting scenes, or blood baths, but only dark swipes. It's all so not frightening. Gloria Holden's face has that fearsome image of Dracula's daughter, and she does well in some scenes with her desperate expressions. I would have loved to see her as a female monster, some spiky teeth and blood on her lips, but alas, it wasn't just that movie. I can understand the movie codes of the 30s but Dracula and Frankenstein have done so well with their monster characters in the pre-code era. Otto Kruger meant more Sherlock Holmes than Dr. Garth, and Marguerite Churchill was gorgeous. Irving Pichel was perfect in his role and, most probably, the best-suited personality amongst the entire cast. Overall, good fun by Hillyer, but not great.
RATING - 6/10*
By - #samthebestest.
Hondo (1953)
Yet another charismatic western for the Duke, and this one had a smart female touch too
Hondo (1953) :
Brief Review -
Yet another charismatic western for the Duke, and this one had a smart female touch too. John Wayne, aka The Duke, has been a part of numerous Western flicks, and many of them have been great ones. It's difficult to choose which one's better sometimes since many of his movies are equally good, while some of them are underestimated. Hondo can be called one of those underestimated flicks. It has fantastic content, which derives its context to a full extent despite its short runtime. Those 80 minutes passed like a breeze in the air. Wayne plays another charismatic character here, and thankfully, a damn honest one. The truth is man's pleasure, he says, and our chest fills up by 2 inches extra. The woman speaks about truth and lies and how they differ from man to woman so elegantly and intellectually that you can't stop clapping at her at that moment. The boy stands tall against an Indian of his double height, and you surely get a hell of a kick from it. The film sees gunman Hondo stopping at a single mother's ranch, who has been waiting for her husband for a long time now. She starts liking Hondo for his manly qualities, and Hondo also finds her attractive. A platonic romance is formed, but extra-sensible Hondo has plans to leave it that way. Their fate brings them back together, but this time with Hondo at fault and the woman totally in love with him. Will they see a light through it? Wayne's dialogues are super entertaining here. "I let people do what they want to do." "A man oughta do what he thinks is best." (Maybe I have heard it somewhere before.) Even the gorgeous Geraldine Page has a couple of singular dialogues, especially that "woman only has a man she married." John Farrow has done extremely well, despite production and 3D issues, and thanks to Ford for that brilliant Circled Wagon battle sequence in the end.
RATING - 7/10*
By - #samthebestest.
The Horse Soldiers (1959)
Years later, it still leaves many of us modern cinephiles confused with its contemporary inferior take on Civil War, which feels much better than modern films.
The Horse Soldiers (1959) :
Brief Review -
Years later, it still leaves many of us modern cinephiles confused with its contemporary inferior take on Civil War, which feels much better than modern films. Legendary John Ford's "The Horse Soldiers" was panned by a critic at the time of its release and was also a commercial failure due to the high salaries of two superstars it brought together. However, if you can look at it as a simple civil war movie with no spicy romance or heroic action, then it looks underrated. Yes, there are reasons to call it a slow film and almost a film with no context. But think of the era it is set in and how an unconventional plot keeps you glued for two hours. You certainly can't believe it actually happened. The film is about a Union cavalry leader, Marlowe, who is sent on a raid behind Confederate lines to destroy a railroad and supply depot at Newton Station. He is joined by an army doctor, whom he despises for no reason. It is later revealed that he hates all the doctors since his wife died of medical malpractice. A beautiful lady named Hannah Hunter is taken by Marlowe as she was spying on them and could provide information to others that could destroy his plans. As expected, Hannah and Marlowe fall in love, but we don't see any hugging, kissing, or romantic ballades. Moreover, the action scenes during the war aren't two-sided. The other side goes all out, while Marlowe and his soldiers do not get into much action. That's one of the major shortcomings of the film, besides the overlong runtime. The film could have been trimmed by half an hour or 20 minutes, and I guess it would have been a much better experience. Wayne and Holden have done decent jobs, while Constance Towers does nothing else but look beautiful. Ford's tiresome flick emerges as a winner with a solid climax that leaves things unofficially complete, yet complete, be it a love story (Hannah), social work (by Dr.), or national duties (Marlowe heads forward with an injured leg). Half a star extra for Ford's belief in the story.
RATING - 7/10*
By - #samthebestest.
Moonstruck (1987)
Defines love with the "Moon" and "Get in My Bed" theories.
Moonstruck (1987) :
Brief Review -
Defines love with the "Moon" and "Get in My Bed" theories. You must be familiar with the story line of Billy Wilder's well-known romantic drama, Sabrina (1954). The girl falls in love with the brother of the man with whom she is supposed to get engaged/married. George Cukor's classic rom-com, "Holiday" (1938), also had a similar storyline. There you have a man falling in love with the sister of the girl he is engaged to. When the idea was sold and brought years ago and had become old, Norman Jewison thought of an Italian-English romantic comedy on the same lines. A man proposes to a widow, and they become engaged to be married. He asks her to call his brother and invite him to a wedding since he hasn't spoken to him for 5 years. In the very first meeting, the girl has wild sex with the man's brother, over-consciously kicking it away by calling it revenge. The next day, she comes to her senses and asks him to leave her alone. She still wants to be married to his brother. However, inside, she knows that she has fallen in love with him but just can't accept it. The new boy seduces her again with some carefree-life theories with the "get in my bed" tagline, and they are in bed again. But this time, she is stuck with him and is ready to break the marriage. In the meantime, we see a cosmic moon whenever these new romances take place. There are a couple of more hookups with the adult characters that speak about dying love after marriage, but they don't get immersed in the storyline by any means. That's all. That's all there is to it. Nothing great, but it's still called great. I just couldn't understand why. Maybe the new generation isn't aware of the old classics. Anyway, there is some fun involved in this romantic drama, so it makes for a decent one-time watch if you really believe so much in sex-before-love theories. Besides, the performances are good, and the comedy is pretty decent. The film and its characters were moonstruck, but I am not awestruck.
RATING - 6/10*
By - #samthebestest.
3 Godfathers (1948)
A sentimental western flick about adopted fatherhood
3 Godfathers (1948) :
Brief Review -
A sentimental western flick about adopted fatherhood. John Ford's 3 Godfathers starts off as a regular Western with 3 cowboys and a sheriff. The three rustlers enter a village to rob the bank and have a sweet introduction session with the sheriff before getting into the act. These three loot the bank and run away, while the Sheriff gathers a gang of Winchesters to find them and catch them. Until here, we have a regular Western flick, but things take a 180-degree shift from here. The film turns into a human drama, and a very emotional one. The three rustlers, Robert, William, and Pedro, save a pregnant lady and deliver her baby boy safely. The dying lady takes a promise from these three that they will take care of the boy, but how will they live in this deserted land with no water or food? You'll find out all that in the film. There is a sentimental touch to the ending, which makes all of us a little teary eyed, just like all the characters. Before that, we and all the characters genuinely hated them rustlers. As an audience, when you look back at the beginning of the film, we realise that we have come a long way from where we started to where we end. John Wayne looked damn handsome. Some good romance would have suited his dashing personality, but there was no room for it. However, Ford did try it in the last scene-only one scene, to be more precise. Pedro Armendáriz was funny, Harry Carey Jr. Won it with his innocence (not to forget the memorial text in the beginning on Harry Carey), and Ward Bond was a perfect sheriff. You'd love that change-of-heart motion in the climax. The film has some senti moments that move you a bit. One of them is that judge's sentence scene when he tests Robert's honesty, and I don't know why many people overlooked this powerful scene. Maybe because it was rushed. Besides, it has all those John Ford and John Wayne moments, but it's the emotional quotient that eventually wins you over.
RATING - 7/10*
By - #samthebestest.
Hatari! (1962)
An adventurous wildlife Safari that you should enjoy thoroughly!
Hatari (1962) :
Brief Review -
An adventurous wildlife Safari that you should enjoy thoroughly! Howard Hawks, who has done remarkable work in several genres, finally gets to an adventure of a different kind. Hatari takes you into game catchers' lives filled with wildlife chases, animal catching, romance, comedy, adventure, and drama. The film is about a group of game catchers who catch wild animals and send them to the city zoos. Sean Mercer heads the crew and does the main catching, while he is supported by others who do gun shooting, driving, putting animals in cages, and other things. An Italian photographer named Anna joins the gang and learns that it is not an easy job at all. She starts liking Sean, who treats her a little badly, but that's his way of liking her. Sean had a bad experience with a woman and marriage in the past, so as Pockets tells Anna Dallas, "You have to do it. He won't do it.". A sweet romance unfolds between Anna and Sean, and they both really like each other. Meanwhile, Pockets falls in love with Brandy, a girl surrounded by two romeos, and we have another sweet romance to enjoy. The comedy is healthy and genuine; there are no forced PJs or gags. Anna asking Sean "How he like to Kiss?" had to be the best romantic scene in the film. Brandy's being overly concerned about Pockets' small injury was the second best. How manly jealous it made those two Romeos! I was expecting Anna's see-off scene to be emotional and dramatic, and I was expecting some fine lines from Sean, but all I got was disappointment. This smooth rom-com ride lost its flow in the climax with that scene of Anna's search operation with elephants. Wayne is charismatic as always, while Anna is a good-looking, sweetheart blonde. The supporting cast was good, the cinematography was excellent, the sound design was terrific, and the screenplay was engaging. Hawks has made a fantastic film, but I still feel he could have pushed it into an even better position in the climax. He had done it in the past, so.. I don't think I was expecting too much then.
RATING - 7/10*
By - #samthebestest.
The Heartbreak Kid (1972)
Marriage: a gift or a curse? This sweet little film will force you to think about youth-time mindsets of the same.
The Heartbreak Kid (1972) :
Brief Review -
Marriage: a gift or a curse? This sweet little film will force you to think about youth-time mindsets of the same. Elaine May's The Heartbreak Kid is one of the most popular comedies of 70s, but I'd like to make it clear in the beginning that it's "overrated." Why, what, and how? I don't want to get into those useless discussions. But I'd rather discuss what good things this film has. I don't know why people like it so much as a comedy; I did not find any hilarious gags here. Instead, I found some light-hearted moments and desperate proportions that brought a sweet little smile to my face. I was grinning, not giggling. The film is about a young boy who has a second thought about his marriage on his honeymoon. He meets a young and beautiful college girl and falls in love with her. That's just not an infatuation, but a serious thing for him now. He decides to quit the marriage and get married to the new girl. As you can see, it's a very thin and simple plot. There is nothing to excite or entertain you. The comedy isn't great either. But I must say that its goodness lies in its simplicity. Moreover, the last 10 minutes of climax teach you a lot about life and your decisions. We have seen Clark Gable deny "dishonest money" to the girl's father in "It Happened One Night" (1934), which actually turned out to be a test. The same goes here, and the hero has the same principles. The very next moment, he is married, but what has that brought him? Emptiness. I was 10 once, he says, recalling his childhood dreams. That one scene is enough to define the entire context of the film. If you can understand that, you have a scene to remember, if not a film. The actors have done their jobs well, and the director has tried his best with the lukewarm script. I just think it shouldn't be called a good "comedy" because the film doesn't fulfill the requirements of this genre. Better call it a good drama or a youth drama.
RATING - 6.5/10*
By - #samthebestest.
Mr. & Mrs. Smith (1941)
An Alfred Hitchcock comedy, and a poor one.
Mr. And Mrs. Smith (1941) :
Brief Review -
An Alfred Hitchcock comedy, and a poor one. The king of suspense, Hitchcock, has often tried his hands in different genres, and sometimes he has been successful too. He attempted a screwball comedy with Mr. & Mrs. Smith, and literally screwed my brain. On that one rare occasion when I'd say, "I have wasted one and a half hours of my life on a Hitchcock film," then it has to be for this one. I have never been so dissatisfied with a Hitchcock movie, but as they say, you experience many things for the first time in your life. This was my turn to experience crap from Hitchcock. He might have many others that I haven't seen yet. This romantic comedy is about a married couple, David and Ann, who have the peculiar bond of not living together until they have made up with each other. On one fine day, they learn that their marriage is legally invalid; hence, they have to get married again. On the same morning, Ann had asked David a hypothetical question about whether he had to do it all over again, to which David replied that he'd marry no one. Now, the girl wants to get rid of him and starts seeing other men, including one of her husband's colleagues. And this cuckold and brainless husband, who is supposed to have some brain and personality since he is a lawyer, leaves everything and chases her everywhere like a spineless and desperate fella. As a man, I hated seeing all these things. I thought he'd get even with her sooner or later, but he just didn't. What the heck was that? And where was the comedy? I kept looking at my watch when this terrible show was about to end, and it got even worse in the last quarter. He didn't have any shame telling her that he had been thrown out of his own house, chased out of caps, left his job, and even had encounters with cops, just to win the girl back, who clearly told him that she was not interested. Hell. He was a fool not to understand this simple thing, and we'd have supposed to have a healthy screwball comedy with this trash script? An absolute waste of time and talent.
RATING - 4/10*
By - #samthebestest.
The Big House (1930)
Amongst the early prison noir that came out successful.
The Big House (1930) :
Brief Review -
Amongst the early prison noir that came out successful. George Hill directs one of the earliest prison dramas in the history of talkie cinema. To get it right was difficult because the sound sync was finally going to be displayed to the audience. Those early talkie-era days were the times when they didn't have long dialogues, and even scenes were short. The pauses were longer because people were coming out of the silent movie era. The Big House is a fine film for its time, with realistic drama from prison life. The escape plans, the stool pigeon, betrayal, and some sort of outside life that encourages even bad people to go straight-this film has it all. The film is about a man who is sent to prison for 10 years for crushing someone with his car. He was a decent guy, but this accident has made his life hell now. He is given a cell with two of the most crooked guys in the prison. One of them is planning a difficult escape, while the other is trying to start a new life outside prison, abandoning his parole segments. He is caught and brought back again, but during that period he falls in love with the sister of the new guy in prison, who changes his mind, and he decides to live a straight life. The finale sees the escape sequence filled with gunshots and a lot of killing, and then there is a big revelation about who has turned them in. I recall watching James Cagney's "Each Dawn I Die" (1939), which had a similar climax. It might happen inspired by this film; who knows. Chester Morris, Wallace Beery, and Robert Montgomery gave solid performances, especially Robert, who was terrific in that last nervous breakdown scene. The writing and dialogues won Oscars, so it's needless to say that they were good. The cinematography was nice, and George Hill's direction provided a smooth watch. Overall, a well-attempted and well-executed prison drama from the early Talkies era that has left footprints for many prison flicks made in the future.
RATING - 7/10*
By - #samthebestest.
Do Aur Do Pyaar (2024)
Sadly, Two and Two Make A Two-Star Film
Do Aur Do Pyaar (2024) :
Movie Review -
Shirsha Guha Thakurta brings an official Hindi adaptation of the Hollywood flick "The Lovers" (2017). This isn't actually an unknown story. To be more precise, Hollywood has made many extramarital affairs stories back in the 1940s-sometimes with a love triangle and once in a while with a quartet. The same was done by Bengali cinema and Bollywood in the 1970s, but on a very comic note. Do Aur Do Pyaar rehashes the same story again to bore us with its predictable content, but more than that, it's a boring film in itself. The conflict between a married couple who are cheating on each other could have been crispier and more emotional than this, I believe. When I thought that this two and two could make a four-star movie, they only ended up making a two-star movie. It went wrong theoretically, practically, and mathematically too.
Kavya (Vidya Balan) has been married to Ani (Pratik Gandhi) for more than a decade, but their marriage has no value and there has been no bonding since the last 5 years. They hardly speak like husband and wife; they hardly have sex; they only share the bed, not feelings; and they only talk about medicines and other regular stuff. In the last couple of years, both have found new lovers. Ani is having an affair with Nora (Ileana D'Cruz), while Kavya is in a relationship with a photographer named Vikram (Sendhil Ramamurthy). The basic thought is to get divorced and live with their new partners, but it all becomes complicated for Ani and Kavya when they come close to each other during a funeral trip to Ooty. After returning home, they have intimate sex, and things change for them. They both begin to like each other again and are now having problems talking to their new lovers, who are expecting some kind of commitment. What happens when these two learn about each other's affairs? Find out all the answers in the film.
Written by Suprotim Sengupta, Amrita Bagchi, and Eisha Chopra, Do Aur Do Pyaar seems like a messy script. I don't understand how a sudden sexual encounter can change everything for two people who hardly have any feelings left for each other. As if they were only lacking that thing. Really? Let it be.. But how can these two continue seeing their lovers when things are finally looking to be settling? Two people, who are so distant and somewhat disturbed too, are falling for the awkwardness of the situation rather than contemplating what's happened, which is totally out of logic. While doing so, they have to make the funeral scene funny. Why? Kavya and Ani land in Ooty, and the cab driver says, "Welcome," with a big smile on his face. Bro, they were in for a funeral, not a party. Come on, humour can't be so dumb, even by mistake. The differences between the couple aren't explored well either. We don't really know the reason behind their arguments or why they fell in love with their extramarital partners. After that long, boring drama, we finally come to the reconciliation part. I mean, seriously? It's too predictable for a film made in 2024. They were trailing behind by two decades, I guess.
Pratik Gandhi and Vidya Balan do not suit each other as a couple. Individually, they try their best and look fairly decent too, but the chemistry between a couple is missing. Not just chemistry, but even imagining them as a couple wasn't making any practical sense at those moments. Rather, the extramarital couples looked better. Pratik and Ileana look like lovebirds, and so do Vidya and Senthil. Ileana's character suffers from maturity, while Senthil lacks an accent. Pratik and Vidya share some spicy moments together that can be enjoyed for a while, but not afterwards. The taste fades away too quickly. The supporting cast is hardly noticeable since the screen space does not allow them to leave any mark on us.
On the technical front, we have Kartik Vijay handling the camera, and he was good at it. Maybe there are just too many close-ups that are like pain in the eye sometimes. The makeup department has made every character look gorgeous, especially Vidya Balan. You can notice a change in her physical appearance, even though her husband fails to notice the same (as she asks him in one scene). The editing is surely at fault here, as the narrative doesn't have a grip. The first half was still okay, but the second half was terribly slow. And why did they need those songs to make it even more tedious? Shirsha Guha Thakurta has tried a modern story that is too old for smart movie buffs. This idea of an extramarital affair actually doesn't have any issues left to showcase, yet some people think it is new. Karan Johar made Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna in 2006 and learned that these ideas are too bold for Indian society. 2024 isn't that changed to accept such ideas, and here, you have more problematic characters and more infidelity. Just imagine this metaphor: "cheating someone who is already cheating you." Who's at fault? The one who's cheating, or the one who's also cheating, or both? And how can one not be sensible enough to see itself in the mirror before or while pointing a finger at someone? See, this conflict is tough to crack, and one needs a lot of brainstorming to make a go at it. Do Aur Do Pyaar isn't that. No, not by far.
RATING - 4/10*
City Slickers (1991)
Three best friends facing a mid-life crisis go on a western trip to find the meaning of life. Underrated!
City Slickers (1991) :
Brief Review -
Three best friends facing a mid-life crisis go on a western trip to find the meaning of life. Underrated! We all can relate to this film. Because for some, it will be their past; for others, it will be their present; and for others, it will be their future. There comes a time in your life when you think you have achieved everything you have dreamed of, you have lived the best day of your life, you are satisfied, and then you look back at yourself and realise that you'd never wanted to do this. City Slickers about that. Three best friends start suffering from a mid-life crisis at around 40. On Mitch's 39th birthday, Phil and Ed give Mitch a trip for all three to go on a two-week cattle drive from New Mexico to Colorado. Mitch is feeling low in life, and his wife can see it. She forces him to go and enjoy these two weeks so that he can come back as a happy person like he was years ago. These three friends have some amazing time on this cattle trip, and find themselves changed and useful. There is one hell of a cowboy, Curly (played by Jack Palance, but he gave me those Clint Eastwood Vibes for sure), who teaches Mitch to find that only "one" thing that matters. The plot follows the dramatic and mental change these three friends go through, and they return as much happier people than they were. While the drama part keeps you hooked, you also get some hilarious, out-and-out laughs in the film. "If hate were people, I'd be China." "Women need a reason to have sex. Men only need a place." Lines like these are sure to leave you bursting into laughter, and there are plenty of them, including some vulgar jokes. Mitch's no-flirting behaviour isn't regular for American comedies, but it impressed me a lot personally. Ron Underwood's film has everything you need, from drama, emotions, comedy, life lessons, and blockbuster entertainment. So, please don't miss it.
RATING - 7/10*
By - #samthebestest.
The Longest Day (1962)
Hollywood's "BORDER" minus jingoism, plus scale. One of those war flicks you must see before you die.
The Longest Day (1962) :
Brief Review -
Hollywood's "BORDER" minus jingoism, plus scale. One of those war flicks you must see before you die. The Longest Day presents the D-day in grand manners on the big screen. The film has a big cast, including many legendary actors, and some of them have actually seen the incidents happening in their wartime duties. It is directed by three people: Ken Annakin (British and French exteriors), Andrew Marton (American exteriors), and Bernhard Wicki (German scenes), which makes it an engrossing and powerful cinematic experience. You get to see absolutely amazing execution of every event that took place in those 2 days in June 1994, right from seaborne invasions on different beaches to paratrooper attacks in the night to entering the city to retake France and eventually taking over the Germans (the last part is not shown in the film, though). In the beginning, one of the officers comments on "The Longest Day" as the day that will be historical. Somehow, the runtime of the film gives you an idea of how long it is. Nevertheless, it does not make you feel bored. The scale is too big to overlook. You can see soldiers fighting, shooting, getting killed, running, entering German dens, and flying on a large scale, and what great camerawork it is. Some of them are one-take and long shots, starting from the ground and then widening the frame from the air, taking a top view. Imagine missing one of the shots and then having to retake the entire scene. How difficult it must have been. No wonder the film won the best cinematography award at the Oscars. The screenplay is engaging, the performances are good, even though you have those legends playing only cameo roles, the dialogues sound real (far from jingoism), and the direction is top-notch. I wonder why this film hasn't been on many of those critics' lists. If I were to make a list or give it a tag, I'd say it's one of those war flicks you must see before you die. Don't just watch it; experience it.
RATING - 8/10*
By - #samthebestest.
Treasure Island (1934)
The iconic tale of treasure, Jim Hawkins and one-legged captain John Silver.
Treasure Island (1934) :
Brief Review -
The iconic tale of treasure, Jim Hawkins and one-legged captain John Silver. Many of us have been aware of Robert Louis Stevenson's novel Treasure Island, which is famous as a coming-of-age pirate flick. There have been numerous adaptations of the story from cinema, on-stage, foreign cinema, and television, and it's hard to say which one's best. But I think this cinematic adaptation is both popular and honest. As we know, a kid named Jim Hawkins finds a map that will lead them to a treasure on a remote island. He and his companions are joined by a one-legged cook/captain, John Silver, and a few more pirates, who plan a mutiny. Despite warning, Jim befriends Silver, and then he is taken. On a ride filled with adventure, betrayals, and conspiracies. This is Jim's story of learning new ways of life and even teaching others some of his honest ways, such as word of honour, courage, friendship, and kindness. It's really fascinating to see someone exploring a pirate theme exactly 7 decades before the world met Johnny Depp's iconic Jack Sparrow. The 1940s were full of pirate/swashbuckler films, so one can't say this was the only good film back in time. Victor Fleming himself made a classic film from Kipling's writing, "Captains Courageous" (1935). This one is mostly similar to it if we have to consider the main character being a child and learning the ways of life during that trip. Jackie Cooper's performance is very commendable. Whenever he said, "Bless my soul," I couldn't stop grinning. Wallace Beery does magic with his accent and certainly makes you sentimental by the end. The other big cast has done considerably well in their roles. Fleming could have made it more funny and entertaining, but that's just to say, because we didn't have many films in the genre by 1934, except Douglas Fairbanks' silent stuff. Overall, it can be called a steady trip of nostalgia.
RATING - 7/10*
By - #samthebestest.