saudaminikulkarni Reviews

Poor Things (2023)

I hated this so much .

[3/10 · 15 March 2024]

I get that the director of this movie is renowned for making unhinged movies, but this movie was just awful . I fell asleep literally all the times I attempted watching this . It was overall the most bizarre and uncomfortable movie I have ever had to watch . How this movie swept the oscars is something I will never understand. If anyone says they loved this movie , they are LYING . I will never believe another "critic" review ever again if this is what they are touting as exceptional . Everyone acted well and probably deserved accolades for their performances but what in the world was the story line supposed to indicate ? I am absolutely bewildered .

Bhakshak (2024)

Not an easy watch , but definitely an essential watch.

[8/10 · 17 February 2024]

Right from the first scene , the movie will definitely make you incredibly uncomfortable. A harrowing depiction of the reality of government and non government funded "safe" havens for orphans and disabled children, the movie spares no details . Bhumi Pednekar shines as an investigative journalist who refuses to give up on the girls , she knows are enduring a daily barrage of abuse at the hands of their "caretakers" . The supporting cast have all delivered stellar and very convincing performances . The movie leaves you feeling a certain sense of dread and sadness about the future we're leaving behind for the next generation, but also the hope that if a few good people speak up, in whatever capacity they can , maybe things won't be so bad after all .

Thank You for Coming (2023)

Watch it for the stellar music !

[7/10 · 12 October 2023]

Why is everyone hating on this movie ? It's a fun light hearted comedy , that is obviously not taking itself so seriously , and is meant to be watched with your brain preferably switched off . The often lewd innuendos might have the audience divided on whether this is something they want to watch , but personally I felt like the movie tackled taboo topics that society is often very keen on keeping under wraps . The question of whether a woman can be happy & single in her 30s, and whether she needs a man to complete herself have been depicted in a fun, mildly entertaining way . The main message of the movie seems to enforce that women never need to settle, be it in their career or the person they want to spend the rest of their lives with, which is a pretty solid message in this time and age !

Wilderness (2023)

Would have been a really good movie .

[6/10 · 19 September 2023]

Everyone is super slick in this show, and yet you can just tell that something isn't quite right . This show deals with infidelity and all that comes of it, sometimes a little over the top. The show drags a bit , and could have been very easily compressed into a movie , with all of the odd disconnected small talk removed. That being said, the actors are all very believable and shine in their individual character arcs, however the story could have been a lot more twisted and vengeful if they wanted . The script was fairly tame, but enjoyable nonetheless . Watched it in one weekend and was alright to see once .

Gaslight (I) (2023)

My vision and my brain cells have suffered greatly .

[5/10 · 8 April 2023]

Every single person in this sadly written script has acted so incredibly badly, it's hilarious . Think of the most obvious bad guy , and you would be correct .

Sara Ali Khan is anyway a bad actor , but this movie is her worst performance yet . Every other actor delivers their dialogue like they're reading words off a cue card . The story has such obvious flaws and plot holes that even the unreliable narrator flow the movie was obviously trying to adopt didn't quite click.

The only character that displayed any real and believable emotion is the dog .

But the absolute worst thing about this movie is the utter darkness in every scene . You will constantly be straining to see what the actors are reacting to . I wonder if it's a ploy to hide everything else that's wrong this movie .

Faraaz (2022)

Not entirely sure what the role of the film's namesake is.

[5/10 · 2 April 2023]

These are real events and most people who read about what happened in the upscale cafe in Dhaka, Bangladesh know what happened and how the events unfolded.

Naming the movie after Faraaz, the brave, idealistic young man who stood by his friends when terrorists threatened their lives, would perhaps have been a smarter choice if he actually had more of a role in the movie. Most of his scenes have been spent shaking in pain or holding his friends in fear, with little to no actual dialogues , which does make sense in a realistic scenario of what people would do if such a situation arose, but perhaps does not make for very entertaining viewing. The best actor by far, is Aditya Rawal playing the main terrorist Nibras . He is shrewd, darkly funny and very very believable.

Fall (I) (2022)

SO Entertaining !

[8/10 · 10 March 2023]

The trailer of the movie pretty much sums up exactly what it's about . It's like Blake Lively's "The Shallows", but on a 2000 foot tower . I found this incredibly entertaining with a lot of very well shot action sequences and sometimes logic defying scenes, that are still well thought out and somewhat believable in the context of a B-grade movie . The way the movie'a been shot really will give anyone with a fear of heights goosebumps . My only complaint was with the somewhat whiny and often incredibly annoying character of Becky who is often severely overshadowed by the much more entertaining and easier to watch Hunter.

Nanny (2022)

What ?

[3/10 · 18 December 2022]

This movie looked great in the opening scenes. Creepy house , weird silent monotone Child, clearly dysfunctional couple, sweet innocent immigrant nanny - all a recipe for disaster. But literally nothing happens . At all . There's a lot of dark , supposedly suspenseful sequences that are probably the "horror" element of the movie , but I don't really understand why this movie won any awards at all . It's perhaps too deep for someone without a degree in film appreciation, to actually enjoy, but the distinct feeling this movie leaves you with is akin to watching something you really want to eat, cook in the oven, only to be severely disappointed when you actually take a bite .

Defending Jacob (2020)

WHAT is that last episode ?

[6/10 · 10 October 2022]

This is a very interesting courtroom drama about a young boy accused of murdering a classmate. The show was gripping and frankly very well acted by all the characters . My rating would have been a lot higher if it wasn't for the last episode . It's open ended and leaves the viewer confused as to what actually happened. Considering this is a mini series, it's obvious that there isn't another season coming, which makes it even more frustrating for the viewer. This is a sincere plea to all show/film makers - your audience wants a real ending with all loose ends tied up , not a choose your ending situation, which leaves us irritated for investing our time in the first place.

Luckiest Girl Alive (2022)

This is NOT a thriller .

[6/10 · 8 October 2022]

When I first saw the trailer I thought this was going to be a dark "Sharp Objects" like mystery about a woman with a dark past . I was only half correct. Mila Kunis' character does have a dark, and frankly traumatic past, which she is clearly hiding from everyone, but if I'm being honest, it's not much of a mystery . It's revealed pretty early on , if you're paying attention, and the rest of the movie is more about the aftermath of the events that she has to come to terms with.

If you're looking for a fast paced thriller with a dark mystery to boot, this isn't it . This is strictly a drama, and I'd probably not watch it again .

Blonde (2022)

No . Just no .

[5/10 · 30 September 2022]

This is the kind of movie you'd watch if you want to feel dead inside . Considering NO ONE wants to feel dead inside , I wouldn't watch this ever again . This is the harshest possible portrayal of Monroe's life that is truly depressing to watch . The fever dream like way In which this movie is shot makes it even more difficult to view it like a movie and not a series of scenes shot to disturb and upset the audience. Marilyn Monroe's life was hard . We get it . But this movie is just plain BLEAK. Multiple sexual assaults, forced abortions, substance abuse and the slow spiral of her life is shot in bursts of black and white footage with a truly distressing soundtrack punctuated by constant screams . For her part, Ana de Armas did a decent job and her acting is very believable. The accent on the other hand ...

Ek Villain Returns (2022)

Tried to be edgy , was a little trashy

[5/10 · 15 September 2022]

This movie probably took it's chaotic "off beat" vibe from similarly made dark and "twisted" movies like Spring Breakers. The difference here is that the actors look like wooden dolls with frozen expressions and unbelievable dialogue delivery . Bollywood , do better. Hire better actors and the battle is already half won .

Watch this only if you like Disha Patani's legs and John Abraham's abs . There is literally nothing else worth watching this for. Arjun Kapoors role could have been replaced with digitally edited AI, that's been instructed to constantly glare at the camera and laugh in an unconvincing way. It pains me to say Tara Sutaria is probably the only decent "actor", and she has a pretty great singing voice too !

Operation Romeo (2022)

Slow burner worth your time !

[7/10 · 12 July 2022]

A couple is out on a joyride on the streets of Mumbai , when their night takes a hellish turn . The direction is slightly aggravating when a lot of the dialogue and actions are played out a little too much , but if you stick with it , the movie will not disappoint .

Urge (2016)

So much wasted potential !

[5/10 · 21 May 2022]

A bratty corporate douchebag wants to throw money in the face of his equally uninspiring friends by taking them on a weekend getaway to an island . There they discover a drug like no other. It's supposed to let them drop all inhibitions and behave like their absolute "true selves".

This movie could have been so incredible if only a little more thought had been put into the characters and showing us why we should care about what happens to them . It felt rushed and unfinished and was a definite waste of my time .

Senior Year (2022)

No.

[4/10 · 13 May 2022]

This movie is like it was directed by a 15 year old. Every single high school movie plot mushed into close to two hours of Rebel Wilson being obnoxious and highly unlikable.

Eternally Confused and Eager for Love (2022– )

"Cool" quips and snappy dialogue delivery, does not a good show make .

[5/10 · 9 April 2022]

This show is so full of cliches and dialogues with no meaning, it's not even remotely interesting to watch. The main character is severely unlikable and literally nothing remotely interesting happens to him. This show was like talking to literally any South Bombay boy about his daily "struggles" and hearing the absolute same diatribe of rich male privilege.

The only saving grace is Jim Sarbh with some enjoyable humour and good voice acting . Everything else , is just .. not good.

Dopesick (2021)

Incredible story of how rural America descended into a hub of drug addiction .

[8/10 · 9 April 2022]

This is possibly one of the most interesting shows about how big pharma blatantly manipulated the system and made false promises to sell a drug that had millions of people , both young and old, severely addicted in just one taste. It's a dramatised version of events focusing on people who's lives were impacted by Oxy, as well the good people fighting to regulate the prescription of this highly addictive narcotic.

Love, Guaranteed (2020)

Kinda cute only if you've switched your brain off almost completely.

[5/10 · 6 February 2022]

Salty guy wants to sue a dating website for not actually helping him find "true love" . Enter cute lawyer and a budding romance . It's every single rom-com you've ever seen mashed into one . But still kind of cute if you're bored and have nothing else to watch .

We Summon the Darkness (2019)

Every horror comedy cliche you can think of !

[5/10 · 6 February 2022]

3 girls make friends with 3 men they meet on their way to a rock concert . It's obvious from the start there's something satanic involved in the story with the focus on killings going on around the country, apparently linked to rock music .

I wish the movie was actually darkly funny, but it just wasn't . A lot of horror movie tropes, with slow mania creeping up in all of the actors as the story progresses . Ultimately it felt a little flat and lacked any sort of suspense or entertainment.

Monster Hunter (2020)

It's a Video Game Adaptation people, Cmon.

[7/10 · 19 November 2021]

Everyone's hating on this movie like it was supposed to be an intelligent thriller. It's a video game adaptation and it's supposed to be an exciting action movie, which it was ! Other worldly monsters and a lone human soldier taking them all on in a harsh, foreign world, sounds pretty cool to me.

Midnight Mass (2021)

If you don't like slow burn shows, this is not for you.

[5/10 · 3 November 2021]

I really enjoyed the first episode . It was dark and mysterious and I honestly thought it would pick up the pace as I laboured through its episodes. I was mistaken.

If you are not religious, or simply not of the faith this show depicts heavily, you will be very confused for the entirety of its run time, as was I. The horror element of the show was honestly very routine and anyone who's paying attention can probably solve the "mystery" in the first few episodes. I did not enjoy this.

A Simple Favor (2018)

Blake's over-stylised character was a little cringe.

[6/10 · 3 November 2021]

The movie starts out very cool and stylish with an interesting premise about a very hands off, incredibly fashionable mother, who one day suddenly disappears, leaving behind a recently befriended Vlogger-Mommy to solve the mystery.

But then it just gets a little ridiculous. It's like every over the top theory you can think of packaged into a weird non believable, highly cringe storyline. It's a good thing they used such a good looking cast. It's almost the only thing saving this movie.

Clickbait (2021)

Why is every adolescent a better detective than actual professionals?

[7/10 · 7 September 2021]

A seemingly perfect husband is video taped holding a sign claiming he's a murderer . Everyone is super quick to believe it, but there's more to the story than meets the eye. I think keeping it a mini series was a smart decision . The pacing is quick, there are no unnecessary romantic story lines and the acting is fairly believable. Very watchable!

Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse (2015)

This was so fun !

[8/10 · 1 September 2021]

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie . Everybody hating on it probably wanted a more intelligent script, but one of the reasons it was so enjoyable was that the movie didn't take itself too seriously. There were some good action sequences and the jokes got a few chuckles out of me .

Cruel Summer (2021–2023)

Very interesting premise !

[7/10 · 29 August 2021]

I enjoyed this show so much . It took a while to get used to the way in which the show is shot, with the story unfolding over three different timelines, but the show had me hooked from the start . The acting is a little choppy at times but the storyline is still entertaining throughout .