Blank (ब्लॅन्क)

"Blank (ब्लॅन्क)"

Watched Hindi film "Blank (ब्लॅन्क)". 

This film is directed by Behzad Khambata. Produced by Shrikant Bhasi & others. Screenplay & story by Pranav Adarsh, Behzad Khambata. Cinematography by R. Dee. Music by Raghav Sachar, Arko Pravo Mukherjee, Sonal Pradhan. The film stars Sunny Deol, Karan Kapadia, Karanveer Sharma, Ishita Dutta, Rasika Pradhan, Kishori Shahane, Shaji Chudhary, Boloram Das, Jameel Khan. This film was released in 2019. It runs for just over 1 hour 45 min. I watched in on Zee5 on 9th Jan 2021.

30-40 kg of HMS (an explosive deadlier than RDX) is brought to Mumbai. A bomber is involved in an accident. A bomb is connected to his heart. If he dies it will trigger another 24 bombs. He has lost his memory in accident. 

Sunny doesn't look like his image in public mind. He looks tired, old & walks with bent back. Acting was never his forte. Karan Kapadia plays the bomber. Although he doesn't possess hero's looks, he makes it up with his fight scenes and decent acting. Ishita Dutta plays the police officer along with Karanveer. Jameel Khan does well. Boloram Das impresses in his short role and leaves a lasting impression.

Direction leaves lot to be desired. ATS is conspicuous when they are supposed to blend in. 2 tablets serve as truth serum and bring memory back. Sunny takes shelter behind thin car door against bullets. If the bombs are wirelessly connected, why don't they isolate the trigger from all signals? Sunny kills more people with revolver than other kill with machine gun. What happens to Maqsood's boss? At least he shows dead man's trigger correctly. In the end he also manages to give an unexpected twist to the tale. I didn't see it coming. 

This film recovered half its production cost at box office, so it was surely a flop. Rightly so!

Positives: Idea of a terrorist losing memory.

Negatives: Sunny and rest.

Give it a miss.

Kahani 2: Durga Rani Singh

"Kahani 2: Durga Rani Singh".

Watched Hindi movie "Kahani 2: Durga Rani Singh". 

This movie is directed by Sujoy Ghosh. Written by Sujoy Ghosh, Suresh Nair. Produced by Sujoy Ghosh, Kushal Gada. Music by Clinton Serejo. Cinematography by Tapan Basu. It starts Vidya Balan, Arjun Rampal, Jugal Hansraj, Nisha Khanna, Tunisha Sharma, Manini Chadha, Amba Sanyal. Film runs for about 2 hour and 10 minutes and was released in 2016. I watched it with Aditi on 8th Jan 2022 on Zee5.

This movie is is a spiritual sequel to original Kahani. It basically means although director and lead actress are same, there is no relation between the two stories. Is a gimmick to capitalize on success of first movie. 

Vidya lives with her handicapped daughter (Mini) and saves every rupee possible to treat her in America. Her daughter is kidnapped. Vidya is injured in an accident. Police investigate. Kolkata police are also looking for Durga on the charge of murder and kidnapping. Investigating officer is Arjun who was once married to Vidya.

Did Durga kill and kidnap? Are Durga and Vidya same person? Will Arjun get his long awaited promotion? Who kidnapped Mini?

The story is good. The flow is decent. But a lot of scenes are in dark. It was not really required. Some more light would have helped. Director captures soul of Kolkata very well. 

Vidya does well. She deserves credit for  looking unglamorous. She doesn't look wow even in one shot. Arjun plays the sub inspector well. He looks the part. Nisha and Tunisha are very sweet. They play six year old and fourteen year old Mini respectively. Casting director deserves credit for casting these two to play the character. You really think that second is a grown up version of first. 

Music and Cinematography is ok.

Movie ends with a twist that was almost expected and movie goers would have no problem in guessing it. 

Watch if you have spare time. Don't make time for it.

Pushpa: The rise (पुष्पा: द राईज)

"Pushpa: The rise (पुष्पा: द राईज)"

Watched Hindi version of movie "Pushpa: The rise (पुष्पा: द राईज)". 

This film is directed by Sukumar. Written by Sukumar. Produced by Naveen Yerneni, Y. Ravi Shankar. Music by Devi Sri Prasad. Cinematography Mirosław Kuba Brożek. The film stars Allu Arjun, Fahadh Faasil, Rashmika Mandanna, Anasuya Bharadwaj, Sunil, Dhananjaya, Jagdeesh Bhandari. The film runs for about 3 hours and was released on 17 Dec 2021. I watched it on Amazon Prime on 26th Jan 2021.

Pushpa, basrard son of local zamindar, starts as a labourer cutting red sandal trees for smugglers and rises in the tank through his intelligence, courage and determination. His bleeding wound? Not having a surname and family to prove his legitimacy. 

How hard will his journey be? Is he a broken man? Will, the girl he loves, reciprocate? Is the illegal trade of red Sandal so lucrative?

Allu Arjun plays Pushpa. His portrayal of thre protagonist is counterintuitive. He has messy hair, wild beard, his one shoulder is higher than other, he is always dirty, he's a bumpkin. He looks like a labourer. This id's against the usual clean, dashing and impeccable looks of hero. Allu maintains the bearing and is still likeable because common folks can relate to him. Rashmika plays his love interest. She has large beautiful eyes but has limited role. Fahadh plays bald Rajastani cop and his character appears like an appendage. He should be playing a bigger role in the sequel. Other actors play the bosses in red sandle trade and look the part. Anusaya's character is a contrast. Her appearance and character contrast each other.   

So what's good? Allu delivers a good performance. What he lacks in physique, he compensates with acting. His signature styles of moving the back of hand across chin and lighting cigarette using shirt flap as shelter for the match flame has become famous. Fight scenes are good. They look real. Slo-mo is used very effectively. Cinematography is excellent. Scene of dropping the red sandal logs in river is awesome. Direction is also good. The director keeps the narrative under control for a masala movie. Score is good. You remember it after the movie. Two songs are good but you have to watch them in Telugu to like them, not in Hindi. 

What's not? The length. 3 hours is too long. Editor should have been challenged to trim half an hour. Samantha's name appears in list of actors but she does only one item song. She doesn't play any character. End. The end is strange and doesn't conclude the movie on the high. In fact, the story considerably loses momentum after entry of Fahadh Faasil. Until then it has a very good flow. 

As the name suggests, it's not over. Production of sequel will begin in April 2022. Box office collection of this movie in first month is 1.5 times its production cost. It's a hit. 

This is a masala movie, so audience shouldn't try to find meaning in the movie. It's a watch it, enjoy it, forget it kind of movie.

Watch it if you don't mind the genre.

Raat baki hai (रात बाकी है)

"Raat baki hai (रात बाकी है)"

Watched Hindi movie "Raat baki hai (रात बाकी है)". 

This film is directed by Avinash Das. Written by Akhilesh Jaiswal, Siddharth Mishra. Produced by Samar Khan. Music by Jam8, Wilfred Soz, Niraj Vishwakarma. Cinematography Manoj Soni. The film stars Paoli Dam, Dipannita Sharma, Anoop Soni, Rahul Dev, Sameer Malhotra, Saurabh Sachdeva. The film runs for about 1 hour 30 minutes and was released in 2021. I watched it on Zee5 on 5th and 6th Jan 2021 with Aditi.

Anoop (a film writer) and Dipannita (an actress) get engaged in a picturesque resort. Dipannita's throat is slit the same night. Her fiancée runs away to the local Raja for help. There he meets Paoli (the Rani), who also happens to be his old flame. Rahul is the investigator. 

Well it's a murder mystery. But it's a little different. Rather than the inspector revealing the murderer, the murderer explains reason and plotting behind it. So the audience come to know the identity much before end. The shock value is thus diminished. Otherwise director does ok.

Rahul acts very well. With grey hair he looks handsome. However his Rajastani accented Hindi needs more work. He leaves a lasting impression with his bearing. Anoop has only two emotions to display. Anger and panic. He is much better actor than that. Paoli has landed a prominent role but her acting needs improvement. Dipannita and Saurabh play their part ok.

Fir a Hindi film,  it's a short one. 1.5 hours. Doesn't drag. Doesn't veer from the plot. Stays true to the story. Relationship between Rahul and Sameer is never revealed. Why Rahul accepts the explanation of the perpetrator is also not revealed. Audience can guess whatever they want. 

Watch if you want a quick murder mystery.

Phantom (फॅन्टम)

"Phantom (फॅन्टम)"

Watched Hindi movie "Phantom (फॅन्टम)". 

This film is directed by Kabir Khan. Written by Kabir Khan, Kausar Munir. Produced by Sajid Nadiadwala, Siddharth Roy Kapur. Music by Pritam. Cinematography Aseem Mishra. The film stars Saif Ali Khan, Katrina Kaif, Sabyasachi Chakraborty, Mohammed Zheeshan Ayub, Rajesh Tailang, Denzil Smith, Sumit Gulati. The film runs for about 2 hour 10 minutes and was released in 2015. I watched it on Netflix on 3rd Jan 2021.

26/11 attacks never left Indian memory. RAW chief and an agent from NTRO devise a plan to avenge the 26/11 attacks. Daniyal Khan, a disgraced army officer is roped in. It's his redemption. One kill in UK, one in America and then mission in Pakistan. 

The movie is based on book "The Mumbai Avengers" by S. Hussain Zaidi. I wrote review of this book in 2015. See the link:

https://mandarbookreviews.blogspot.com/2015/04/mumbai-avengers-bys-hussain-zaidi.html?m=1

It happens time and again that a movie is based on the book, but the story is altered beyond recognition. If the alteration is for the betterment of the movie (like 3 idiots) it's pardonable but when it waters down the story, dilutes the plot and makes it insipid, it's unpardonable. The book is much much better than this movie. I won't even start to enumerate the differences. 

I expected more from a director like Kabir Khan. He handles the story in a very shallow way. Pakistan doesn't look like Pakistan. They don't speak like Pakistanis. The imitation is evident. Rather than making a thriller he makes a masala movie. 

Saif acts like a hero, no disguise, no blending. Katrina still doesn't know how to act. Her Hindi is still horrible. Some of the supporting cast acts better. 

This film recovered little more than production cost. Not a commercial success. Rightly so!

Read the book. Don't watch the movie.

Bho Bho (भो भो)

"Bho Bho (भो भो)"

Watched Marathi movie "Bho Bho (भो भो)". 

This film is directed by Bharat Gaikwad. Screenplay Jayant Bordolo, Bharat Gaikwad. Produced by Bharat Gaikwad. Music by Parth Bharat Thakkar. Cinematography Anil Chandel. The film stars Prashant Damle, Ashwini Ekbote, Kishor Chougule, Anuja Sathe, Saurabh Gokhale, Subodh Bhave, Sharad Ponkshe, Rajan Bhise, Ketaki Chitale, Madhav Abhyankar, Sanjay Mone, Uday Nene. The film runs for about 1 hour 45 minutes and was released in 2016. I watched it on Zee5 on 2nd Jan 2022 with Aditi.

Smita, a house wife is dead. Her dog is the suspect. She has a 1 crore policy. Private Investigator Bhonde (Prashant Damle) is roped in by insurance company. Husband is a decent man and was out of station and wants to give insurance policy payment to wife's mother. Husband's brother is a very angry young man. Then there is the dog. A mute animal. One who can't defend oneself and is sentenced guilty by everyone. 

Bhonde, an ex cop, has a knack of upsetting almost everyone he meets, he asks seemingly unrelated and innocuous questions. He may be irritating and infuriating but he is also intelligent. 

There is a side story of Bhonde's dead daughter. It was not really required. Some questions like how come intern veterinarian starts calling Bhonde and his wife Aai- Baba? are better not asked.

Prashant Damle plays the protagonist. Although he acts well, rather than becoming Bhonde he remains Prashant Damle. Sharad Ponkshe, Subodh Bhave and Sanjay Mone play relatively smaller and less important roles. It's a coup to get these actor for supporting roles. As usual they deliver well. Ashwini plays Bhonde's helpless wife. 

It's a murder mystery, a whodunit. The least suspected theory prevails. The plot is interesting and well thought. Whether the evidence will stand in court or not is another matter. 

It's a good change. Recommend watching.

Central intelligence

"Central intelligence"

Watched English movie "Central intelligence". 

This film is directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber. Story by Ike Barinholtz, David Stassenr. Produced by Scott Stuber, Peter Principato

Paul Young, Michael Fottrell. Music by Theodore Shapiro, Ludwig Göransson. Cinematography by Barry Peterson. The film stars Kevin Hart, Amy Ryan, Dwayne Johnson, Aron Paul, Danielle Nicolet. The film runs for about 2 hour and was released on 5 Nov 2021. I watched it with Aditi on 2nd Jan 2022 on Netflix.

Calvin was everything any college kid wanted to be. Everyone thought he would have a great career. He had been kind to a fat guy bullied by everyone. Time leap. Calvin is now an accountant with his career going nowhere. A handsome hulk, called Bob Stone, approaches him, tells him that he is the same fat guy from college and seeks his help in understanding an account. CIA is after Bob and tells Calvin that Bob is a traitor. 

Is Bob really the fat guy? Is Bob the traitor? Can Calvin trust him? Who is the traitor? What will Calvin do?

This is an action comedy. More comedy than action. The story is ok. A simple plot. What stands out is the handling of the story, the situational comedy and direction. Director deserves credit for the success of this movie. He handles the story well, ensures generous doses of comedy and enough action. The end, though, was a little stretched. 

Dwayne Johnson plays Bob Stone, a hulk of a man who can overpower 4-5 meen easily but can't overcome the bullying from his student days. His character has a deliberate caricature hue. He does very well. Kevin Hart plays Calvin. He portrays the character very well. His timing for comedy is impeccable. After watching the movie you can't imagine anyone else playing the role. The difference in their size adds to the contrast. All others are only in supporting role. 

This movie earned more than four times its production cost at box office, so it was a hit. 

It's an action comedy that makes you laugh out loud. Recommend watching. 

Project Almanac

"Project Almanac"

Watched English movie "Project Almanac".

Directed by Dean Israelite. Written by Jason Harry Pagan; Andrew Deutschman. Produced by Andrew Form; Bradley Fuller; Michael Bay. Cinematography by Andrew Form; Bradley Fuller; Michael Bay. It stars 

Johnny Weston, Sofia Black D'Elia, Virginia Gardner, Sam Lerner, Adam Evangelista, Amy Landecker. I watched this movie on Amazon Prime on 1st Jan 2022. The movie is about 1 hour 45 min long and was released in 2015.

David is admitted to MIT but doesn't get scholarship. His mom decides to sell their house. David stumbles on a video of his 7th birthday in which there is an image of his present day self. Exploring his basement he discovers research of his dead dad. He, his sister and two friends start building a time machine. 

Is dad's work really about time machine? Will they succeed? Will they change the past? Will it change the future?

Every story about time travel raises the same question. If you go back in time and change something, what would it's effects be and how would it change the present and future? This movie also tries to address the same and recommends an extreme solution. 

Director handles the story well. It's important not to confuse audience between past,  present, altered past, altered present and so on. Director manages it well. 

Johnny plays the protagonist well. Sofia plays his lady love. She looks beautiful and acts well. Others play supporting roles. 

Entire movie is shot using a hand held camera by one of the character, mostly the sister, so it gets the informal feel but the constantly moving, swaying and shaking camera is taxing on eyes. It's like you are sitting in a rollercoaster all the time. You don't enjoy it. Paul Greengrass has used this technique effectively but it didn't irritate, this one does. 

This movie recouped the production cost more that 2 times over. So we can call it a commercial succes. 

Watch if you don't mind very shaky camera.

Lulli

"Lulli"

Watched English movie "Lulli". 

This movie is directed by Césare Rodrigues. Produced by Netflix Brazil. Writers Renato Fagundes, Thalita Rebouças. Music by Patricia Portaro. Cinematography by José Roberto Eliezer. This movie stars Larissa Manoela, Vinicius Redd, Amanda de Godoi, Yarra Charry, Sérgio Malheiros, Paula Possani. This movie was released in 2021 and runs for about 1 hour 30 min. I watched the movie on Netflix on 30th Dec 2021 with Aditi.

Lulli is a self centred brilliant medical student. Although she hears everyone, she never listens to anyone, including her boyfriend. One day there is an accident in the hospital involving Lulli. When she wakes up she realizes that she can hear thoughts of a person if she touches the person. 

What does she hear? Will she listen to the thoughts? What does she do with the knowledge she gains? Does she realize her dream of become Brazil's best surgeon?

Director has taken an interesting subject. The scope of this subject is literally unlimited. Any story can only address a small slice of the potential. Director chooses to take the hospital as his area of interest. His handling of the story is decent, however, the story could have been much better. Alas! The author doesn't capitalize on the potential.

Larissa plays Lulli. She needs to improve acting. Vinicius plays her boyfriend and does very well. Amanda is much more beautiful than what she looks in this movie. Sérgio, Yarra and Paola support well. 

It was a dubbed movie. Dubbed from Portuguese to English, so the lip movements and the dialogues aren't synchronized. 

Director manages to end the movie on a good note. 

Not a must watch.

Bob Biswas (बाॅब बिस्वास)

"Bob Biswas (बाॅब बिस्वास)".

Watched Hindi movie "Bob Biswas (बाॅब बिस्वास)". 

This movie is directed by Diya Annapurna Ghosh. Story by Sujoy Ghosh. Produced by Gauri Khan, Sujoy Ghosh, Haurav Verma. It stars Abhishek Bachchan, Chitrangada Singh, Kunal Kohli, Ditipriya Roy, Samara Tijori. Music by Vishal-Shekhar. Cinematography by Gairik Sarkar. Film runs for about 2 hour and 11 minutes and was released on 3 Dec 2021. I watched it with Aditi on 26th Dec 2021 on Zee5.

Bob Biswas wakes from coma but can't remember anything. Neither his wife, nor kids, nor his previous life, not even his profession. With a little coaxing by a Chinese food stall vendor he reaches a medical shop owner who gives him Nux Vomica. That's a code name for gun. He was a professional assassin earlier. 

What will his reaction be? Does his family know it? Who is the father of his daughter? Will he get his memory back?

It's a spinoff from Sujoy Ghosh's movie Kahani, where Bob Biswas was introduced to the audience. An innocuous life insurance salesman-cum-assassin. Abhishek didn't play the role in Kahani. He is roped in for this movie. Director handles this story well. It slows down on occasions, sometimes considerably, but retains interest of audience. 

There are some loose ends like why was Bob's friend killed? Based on the end, does this movie happen before Kahani or after. 

Abhishek delivers a good performance. A man without memories. A confused man. A doltish man. A man with hidden talents. He gets an opportunity to display them all. Chitrangada looks beautiful in unglamorous role, acts decently. However, the actor who leaves lasting impression is Paran Bandopadhyay. His character is special and his acting is memorable. You remember him after the movie despite he not being a protagonist. 

Recommend watching if you like slow burns.

Lahore Confidential (लाहोर काॅन्फीडेन्शीयल)

Mandar's movie review

"Lahore Confidential (लाहोर काॅन्फीडेन्शीयल)"

Watched Hindi movie "Lahore Confidential (लाहोर काॅन्फीडेन्शीयल)". 

Direction: Kunal Kohli. Written: S. Hussain Zaidi, Vibha Singh. Produced by Ajay Rai. Cinematography Karthik Ganesh. Music by Samir Uddin. It features Richa Chaddha, Karishma Tanna, Arunoday Singh, Nikhat Khan, Khalid Siddiqui, Fareed Khan. The movie was released in 2021 and runs for about 1 hour 10 minutes. I watched it on Zee5 on 25th Dec 2021.

RAW identifies Rauf as a possible Pakistani source. He is an organizer of various cultural functions and mushairas. They mobilize Richa to Lahore to get close to him, against their operator's (Karishma's) advise because Richa gets emotional easily. Richa reaches Lahore and meets Rauf. Sparks fly.

Will they come close? How close? Can she recruit Rauf? How will their relationship conclude?

The movie is interesting. It's not lengthy. With a short duration it has become crisp and the director doesn't have to add any place holders in the movie. Everything is to the point. Kunal has to be credited for avoiding the lure to make the film a bit longer. His handling of the story is good. 

A couple of things are not palatable like talking on open lines, easy mingling of Indian mission employees with Pakistani citizens etc. Director fails to mask the surprise well. Many from the audience would guess the surprise. Despite that, movie retains audience interest. 

Richa plays, not so young, RAW desk jockey, whose mother wants to get her married, who loves shero-shayri and who is still a dreamy girl. Arunoday Singh plays Rauf. He looks dashing, has a great physique and acts very well. He portrays various emotions easily. He is the best character in the movie. Karishma plays a slutty agent who's only priority is her country. Khalid plays chief of Pakistan desk. 

I have watched the first film 'London Confidential' earlier and found this one to be better than first one.

This film ends with a preamble for a sequel. A clear preamble, not a vague one. Let's see if there comes a sequel with same cast. 

Recommend watching.

London Confidential (लंडन काॅन्फीडेन्शीयल)

"London Confidential (लंडन काॅन्फीडेन्शीयल)"

Watched Hindi movie 'London Confidential (लंडन काॅन्फीडेन्शीयल)'. 

This film is directed by Kanwal Sethi. Written by S. Hussain Zaidi, Akshay Singh, Prateek Payudhi. Produced by Mohit Chhabra, Ajay Rai, Sharad Kelkar. Music by Ravi Singhal. Cinematography Ewan Mulligan. The film stars Mouni Roy, Purab Kohli, Kulraj Randhawa, Sagar Aarya, Mohan Kapoor, Pravesh Rana. The film runs for 1 hour 17 minutes and was released in 2020. I watched it on Zee5 on 25th Dec 2021 with Aditi.

RAW officials in London unearth that a new virus from China is in final stages of development. A RAW official with the source in China is captured and killed by Chinese Secret Service MSS. A very important conference is approaching in London. It's a race against time. 

Who it's the informer? What is the threat? Who is the mole?

Although the subject of the movie is the new Chinese virus, this movie is not about fight against virus but about contacting and securing the informer. 

Mouni plays the RAW station chief. The character is shown pregnant. Generally when a character is pregnant in any movie, the pregnancy has got a significance. Here there's none. Apart from restricting her movements, it achieves nothing. So why pregnant RAW agent? Purab is a RAW agent who runs a grocery store as cover. He looks smart and acts well. Kulraj plays the Ambassador. Saw her after a very long time (after her TV serial Kareena). She looks beautiful but the age is showing. 

There is a reference to a previous debacle on Mouni's watch in Istanbul in this movie, but nothing further.  Is that a seed for another movie? A sequel to this movie 'Lahore confidential' is released but it has nothing to do with any of the character of this movie. May be later?

In such a movie, the identity of traitor has to be guarded very well. The director should play his  cards close to his chest. However, in this movie, the identity is poorly concealed. One scene is what it takes for the audience to recognize the traitor. Thus what's supposed to be the biggest surprise is not a surprise any more. This is a glaring flaw that diminishes the impact value. 

Watch if you have nothing to do one afternoon. 

Allied

"Allied"

Watched English film "Allied". 

This film is directed by Robert Zemeckis. Produced by Graham King Steve Starkey, Robert Zemeckis. Written by Steven Knight. Cinematography by Don Burgess. Music by Alan Silvestri. The film stars Brad Pitt, Marion Cotillard, Jared Harris, Simon McBurney, Lizzy Kaplan. This film was released in 2016. It runs for just over 2 hours. I watched in on Amazon Prime on 4th Dec 2021.

It's WW II, Wing Commander Max Vatan (Pitt), a British agent and Marianne Beauséjour (Cotillar), a French resistance fighter assassinate German Ambassador in Casa Blanca. They fall in love, marry and have a daughter. One day Max is told that his wife is a suspected German spy who has assumed identity of dead Marianne. A 72 hour Blue Dye operation is launched to apprehend her and her handler. Max too has same 72 hours to prove her innocence. 

Is the real Marianne dead? Is Max's wife an imposter? Is Marianne a German spy? Can Max prove her innocence? Are 72 hours enough?

It's a WW II drama. Director has created the old atmosphere. He presents the story well. First half of the movie is mission in Casa Blanca. He recreates beautiful WW II Casa Blanca, its Franco- Moroccan culture, its pubs and camels beautifully. Suspicion of Marianne being a spy comes mid way into the movie and the real story starts after that. I think director spends too much time on Casa Blanca leaving not enough time for the main story. 

Brad Pitt portrays the Wing Commander very well. Starting from aloof to involved to happy to incredulous to determined he portrays the transitions very well. Marion Cotillard plays the daring agent to lovelorn lady to housewife to accused. She too does decently well but portrays the agent better than other shades. Other actors only play minor roles. 

It's said, the movie is only loosely based on the supposedly true tale. It is partly fact and partly a work of fiction

This movie recovered slightly more than its production cost, so can be considered a minor commercial succes, not a hit. 

I liked the movie and liked the ending even more. The end is counter intuitive and there lies the unexpected. 

A good movie worth watching.

Crooked house

"Crooked house".

Watched English movie "Crooked house". 

This movie is directed by Gilles Paquet-Brenner. Screenplay by Julian Fellowes; Tim Rose Price; Gilles Paquet-Brenner. Produced by James Spring, Sally Wood, Joseph Abrams. It stars Glenn Close, Terrance Stamp, Max Irons, Stephanie Martini, Julien Sands, Gillian Anderson, Christina Hendricks, Honor Kneafsey. Music by Hugo de Chaire. Cinematography by Sebastian Winterø. Film runs for about 1 hour and 50 minutes and was released in 2017. I watched it with Aditi on 16th Dec 2021 on Netflix.

This movie is based on Agatha Christie's novel by same name. The story is set in 1956, old England. 

Charles Heyward, a private detective, is hired by his ex girl friend to investigate suspected murder of her grandfather. Grandfather was a Greek immigrant who became a successful businessman. Everyone hated the old man for his controlling and manipulative nature. Everyone has a motive and opportunity. Any one can be the killer. It's a typical Agatha Christie story. A big house, number of family members with their own secrets. A young trophy wife.

If I remember correctly, the novel is more clinical, more mathematical. The movie is darker. Although there are a few changes to the story (like trophy wife being a Vegas dancer, story set in 1950s etc), the movie remains mostly true to the novel. 

Stefanie Martini looks beautiful, acts well but the character doesn't flourish as much as I expected. Max Irons looks ruggedly handsome. But the real star of the movie is Glenn Close. She looks aristocratic, caring and strict at the same time. Ideal choice for the character.

The biggest draw of the novel was the shocking revelation of the murderer. Biggest disappointment of the novel was the un-dramatic revelation. This movie retains the strong points of novel and attempts to rectify the disappointment. They are partially successful. 

Recommend watching.

The Princess switch 3: Romancing the star

"The Princess switch 3: Romancing the star"

Watched English movie The Princess switch: Switched again.

This film is directed by Michael Rohl. Written by Robin Bernheim Burger. Produced by Vanessa Hudgen, Brad Krevoy. Music by Jina An, Terry Frewer, Shirley Song. Cinematography Fernando Argüelles. The film stars Vanessa Hudgens, Sam Palladio, Nick Sagar, Remi Hii, Will Kemp, Amanda Donohoe. The film runs for about 1 hour 45 minutes and was released in Nov 2021. I watched it on Netflix on 5th Dec 2021 with Aditi.

Stacy and Margaret are co-chairing Christmas festival in Montenaro. Vatican has loaned them Star of peace, a priceless relic, to place on top of ceremonial Christmas tree. The relic is stolen. Margaret and Stacy devise a plan to enlist help of Fiona who in turn enlists help of Peter, her childhood friend. (Note: Margaret, Stacy and Fiona look alike, a triple role)

An elaborate plan is hatched to steal back what is stolen. Margaret, Stacy and Fiona join forces. A new character of Peter, a hacker cum security consultant, is introduced. 

There are three protagonist ladies. However, this movie is a Fiona show. Director and audience fall in love with the exaggerated, loud, vampish character of Fiona and her vulnerable side. Vanessa deserves special credit for portraying the roles distinctly and the double change exceptionally well. It's one thing to display two personality traits, it's another to display three and it's entirely different to show one personality trying to impersonate another and the conflicts and differences. If it's done twice over, its a treat. 

Vanessa is too good. Others don't really count. Direction is decent. Audience is better off not asking some obvious questioned and enjoy the movie. 

Watch it for Vanessa. 

The Princess switch: Switched again

"The Princess switch: Switched again"

Watched English movie The Princess switch: Switched again. 

This film is directed by Michael Rohl. Written by Robin Bernheim; Megan Metzger. Produced by Steven McGlothen, Vanessa Hudgen, Brad Krevoy. Music by Alan Lazar. Cinematography Fernando Argüelles Fernandez. The film stars Vanessa Hudgens, Sam Palladio, Nick Sagar, Rose McIver, Mia Lloyd, Alexa Adeosun, Robin Soans. The film runs for about 1 hour 40 minutes and was released in 2020. I watched it on Netflix on 3rd Dec 2021.

Margaret's uncle (The King) dies and her cousin abdicates the throne. Margaret is the designated queen of Montenaro. Margaret and Kevin have broken up over this. Stacy convinces Kevin to attend the ceremony as a friend. Margaret and Stacy decide to switch again for a reason. Fiona, Margaret's cousin, decides to take advantage of similarity in their looks. What happens next?

It's a sequel of the first movie. Here they introduce a third look alike. The confusion multiplies and so does the fun. However, the climax is a bit anti climactic. There was a chance to make it much more dramatic, but director misses the bus. 

Vanessa gets to play a triple role. She portrays the characters and does well. Sam continues to play the embarrassed Royal and gentleman. Nick has beard in this movie and looked better in first one. Mia Lloyd replaces Alexa as Olivia in this movie.

Watch for fun. 

The Princess switch

"The Princess switch"

Watched English movie "The Princess switch". 

This film is directed by Michael Rohl. Written by Robin Bernheim; Megan Metzge. Produced by Amy Krell; Brad Krevoy; Linda L. Miller. Music by Terry Frewer. Cinematography Viorel Sergovici, Lulu de Hillerin. The film stars Vanessa Hudgens, Sam Palladio, Nick Sagar, Alexa Adeosun, Robin Soans. The film runs for about 1 hour 40 minutes and was released in 2018. I watched it on Netflix on 2nd Dec 2021 with Aditi.

Stacy has broken up with her boyfriend of 3 years. Her friend and partner (Nick) enlists her in international bakers competition organized by Royal House of Belgravia. When she reaches there she discovers that she and Lady Margaret, Duchess of Montenaro (and fiancée of Crown Prince Edward of Belgravia) look exactly same. As the title suggests, there's a switch. 

Vanessa portrays Stacy, a typical American girl and Dutchess Margaret, the royal. She does justice to both the roles and displays different personality traits without trying to be overly different. Sam plays the good hearted Prince who understands human angle. Nick plays a Baker who likes Stacy but loves Margaret. Royals are shown more acquiescing than obstructing. Little Alexa plays lovable child. Robin plays mysterious Santa who plays many minor but important roles.

Director has a firm grip on the story. He presents it in a matter of fact way. Apart from the fact that a country like Belgravia near north pole speaks English, there aren't many discrepancies.

It's Christmas! Love's in the air! All the wishes come true! With a little twist....

Two sequels of this movie are already released and I plan to watch them.

It's a feel good movie. A happy ending. 

Recommend watching.