ishansharma-95605 Reviews

Agency (2023)

Good Start, but not great

[6/10 · 11 June 2023]

K-dramas show the same story, say revenge/ Will They Won't They Romance but in different settings like School, Office, Courts, Police Station etc.

The premise here is an advertisement agency and the protagonist is a single woman probably approaching her 40s. There is unlikely to be a romance as the main lead is a single woman and second lead is married woman. While the main heroine is serious and melancholy, second heroine is the cheerful one.

There are attempts at humour, but they are stale, seen many times on k dramas. So, the environment remains serious or heavy to be exact. Such premise can not be endured for long, it needs to be balanced with either comedy or romance or emotions.

The pilot is just okay but shows potential as the series goes on.

After watching the pilot, have to watch till 3rd episode before recommending it.

City of Dreams (2019– )

Interesting Pilot Episode but plot stretches thin as the series progresses

[6/10 · 11 June 2023]

The pilot episode hooks you up and you can not wait to binge watch this series. It seems to be a political thriller but the screenplay is clean enough to entice you to watch it without getting distracted and feeling the weight of the happenings in the story. Normally, such dramas tend to be shot in dark to emphasize the grittiness of the story, but not here. Till the last scene of the pilot episode, there is no night scene and even this scene is well lit. This series has interesting characters, screenplay that is light as in not giving you headache and starts several plotlines, not just one. Can not wait to watch more episodes after the pilot.

Recommended.

Update: As the season 1 progresses, unnecessary plot details of secondary characters are added and make the series unwatchable in parts. Season 1 should have been 5-6 episodes instead of 10. Season 2 and 3 were entirely unnecessary.

Priya Bapat's acting is poor compared to other actors. Characters in later season become caricatures.

Reducing the rating from 8 based on pilot episode to 6 for overall series including season 2 and 3.

The Ingenious One (2023– )

Not Interesting enough

[5/10 · 11 June 2023]

This series is not as interesting as other Wuxia Series. It has got an interesting and beautiful heroine but the hero is not intersting at all.

Also, the stakes involved are not high.

Aside from the hero and heroine, no Interesting character is seen in the pilot episode. Even the villain is underwhelming. Maybe it gets better in the later episodes, but the first one does not hook me in.

The only thing good about this series is that the heroine is exceedingly good looking. Other than that, the hero is supposed to be smart but the screenplay does not convey this in a believable manner. The comedy is also lackluster.

Not recommended as far as pilot episode is concerned.

She's Funny That Way (2014)

Intelligent Comedy

[7/10 · 11 June 2023]

This movie ensures that the time used in watching this is not wasted at all. It remains funny throughout, probably because of its good star cast.

The story does not make sense at all. It doesn't have to, only serious movies have to make sense. The screenplay is fast and characters are interesting. There is no emotional moment in the movie. It only serves to entertain us. It suits well as a movie for a date.

The movie is driven by its interesting characters even the secondary characters are lively. The cinematography, the music and everything else play a subservient role.

Recommended for one time watch.

Blind Spot (1981)

Very Slow

[1/10 · 11 June 2023]

The movie is very slow and devoid of interesting characters. The technique, background score, cinematography are very good.

The movie is let down because of its bad story, uninteresting premise and poor screenplay. It can be understood that you want to present a gloomy story, but does it have to be so slow. The whole of movie could be wrapped up in a 30 minute episode of some anthology and could have worked. It is a good movie for those who want to sleep through it.

Such movies are made for the intellectuals to win awards. Even the intellectuals don't really like it and only pretend to like it.

Not recommended at all.

Baccha Shoshur (2019)

Okayish Film

[6/10 · 18 July 2020]

The movie is okayish. There is some good and there is some bad. Basic concept of film is good. The film is good in the beginning and the middle. When you are expecting that a good start will give rise to a good finish, you are disappointed. Still the film a very good just before and after the interval. The performance of hero and heroine is good, rest is okay.

Wild Target (2010)

Converted a thriller into a comedy

[7/10 · 17 July 2020]

The basic story of the film has been repeated in several thrillers. This film is a comedic take on the same old story. The comedy is caused by actions and expressions of characters each of who has got his or her quirk. The performance of actors lifts the status of film from medium to good.

The Old Guard (2020)

The movie is simple but leaves an impact

[7/10 · 15 July 2020]

The movie is about a group of humans who have accelerated healing and can not die and story is very simple. What makes the film good is all main characters have been fleshed out well. This gives all character back stories and scope to producers to expand upon the premise of the movie through sequels. The villain, however, remains a carricature only. The movie serves as an intro to the titular team and looks like an attempt to launch a franchise.

Mystic Pop-up Bar (2020)

Some good and some bad episodes but great chemistry between the leads.

[7/10 · 13 July 2020]

The show is in the format of adventure of the week and has elements of Korean Mythology which keep on getting revealed as the series progresses. Some episodes may be a bit slow. The resolution of central mystery of the show towards the end is a bit disappointing and a little convenient. The show must be watched for the chemistry between the four lead characters.

Cautious Hero: The Hero Is Overpowered but Overly Cautious (2019)

An interesting take on the characteristics of a hero

[8/10 · 13 July 2020]

The series is set up in a video game like world. As the title reveals, the hero likes to be thoroughly prepared and us suspicious of everything to a fault. The comedy in the show is superb, though some of it is not for children. The screenplay overtly focuses on the lead character and his possible romantic interest. Due to this, some other supporting characters are wasted. The story seems a bit rushed towards the end. Good thing as compared to other Netflix series is that the story completes without a cliffhanger with a promise of second season.

Warrior Nun (2020–2022)

Good mystery but a little slow in first half

[9/10 · 13 July 2020]

The show has all ingredients of success. A kick-ass title, action, mythology, mystery and suspense. The action is quite realistic, as compared to other shows. The show focuses on a few characters and they are depicted well with their insecurities and motivations. The show has a layer of mythology of which very little is revealed in season 1 with promise of much more in season 2. The story is kept simple throughout with a twist that changes everything in the end. Only bad thing about the show is that it takes time to build up. Those with lack of patience will find it hard to sit for first four episodes. The initial journey of the lead character is wasted by pairing her up with a forgettable romantic interest and his friends. The story ends on a cliffhanger, implying a second season.

Katheyondu Shuruvagide (2018)

An incomplete story

[4/10 · 11 November 2018]

The basic genre of the film is Love between Strangers. This sort of story is very common in Hollywood and Indian Films. This movie is among the weaker ones in this genre. Unnecessary songs, poorly developed/ unresolved threads in story, very few characters are the flaws we witness. The attempt at comedy and romance both is weak.

Gold (I) (2018)

One time watch

[6/10 · 11 November 2018]

The movie is a historical fiction based on real events. The main theme of the movie is grit of the protagonist supplemented by doses of nationalism where even grit does not help him. There is no dull moment in the movie except for the filler commentary depicting events between 1936 and 1946, which runs for 5 minutes near the start of the movie. However, nothing is so great to demand a second viewing. The movie is average to good throughout it's length, but never approaches greatness.

Take Care Good Night (2018)

A film based on what if juxtaposed against daily life

[6/10 · 11 November 2018]

The film is a typical Basu Chatterjee style film minus the comedy and added seriousness. The film attempts to spread awareness about cyber crime wherein the protagonist recalls his story. Characters are realistic. No one except the villain per se are shown as evil. Its take on police is surprisingly positive. Along with this, it also explores bonds of family, fresh emergence of youth and old age. The film is too simple at places. Direction is good. Screenplay could be better. Ending and Beginning also need improvement.

U Turn (I) (2018)

A simple but effective thriller-horror

[7/10 · 11 November 2018]

The genre of the movie is thriller cum horror. It is a thriller till first half and slowly converts into horror towards the end. The suspense is average and one can easily guess it. It is a well balanced film. Initial thrill is balanced against romance. There is a subliminal love triangle here. Horror in the later part is balanced against emotions. The editing keeps the film taut and songs have been done away with. Acting by all is above par. Overall , the film is one time self watch plus one time watch with your very dear one.