7 Donne e un mistero

​"7 Donne e un mistero"

Watched Italian movie "7 Donne e un mistero". 

This movie is directed by Alessandro Genovesi. Produced by Mario Gianani, Lorenzo Gangarossa. Screenplay by Alessandro Genovesi and Lisa Nur Sultan. Music by Andrea Farri. Cinematography by Federico Masiero. This movie features Ornella Vanoni, Luisa Ranieri, Diana Del Bufalo, Margarita Buy, Micaela Ramazzotti, Sabrina Impacciatore, Benedetta Porcaroli. This movie was released in 2021 and runs for about 1 hour 25 min. I watched the movie on Netflix on 20th Jan 2023.

A house located in a remote place in Italy. Snow everywhere. Seven women in the house and the only man is murdered. Whodunit?

It’s a movie shot in one house. The man is loved by all. The seven women in the house are wife, sister-in-law, two daughters, maid, mother-in-law and his first love. A storm is raging outside. No one can come in or go out. One of them is the murderer. Each woman has an equation with the man.

Ornella Vanoni plays the mother-in-law who loves her drinks and keeps her money in bonds under her bed. Luisa Ranieri plays the mysterious maid and fabulous cook. Diana Del Bufalo plays the elder daughter who returns from Milano with a news. Margarita Buy plays the stylish wife. She looks aristocratic. Micaela Ramazzotti plays the dead man’s first love. Sabrina Impacciatore plays sister-in-law who secretly loves her sisters husband. Benedetta Porcaroli plays the younger daughter. She’s beautiful.

Well, I could guess the mystery. However, the very end to the movie spoils the mood. From a mystery director converts it, unnecessarily, to a comic end. 

The acting looks artificial. It’s over acting. As if stage actors have been asked suddenly to act in front of camera. So all the actions and reactions are loud. The house where the movie happens is impressive. The house and costumes are a riot of colors. For a low budget film, it’s managed well. 

This movie is based on ‘8 women’ by François Ozone. I haven’t read the book, so I wonder what happened to the 8th one while making the movie. 

Positives: Characters. 

Negatives: Over acting.  

If you understand Italian, watch it. If not, watch the English version ‘7 women and a murder’

Mission Majnu

​"Mission Majnu"

Watched Hindi movie "Mission Majnu". 

This film is directed by Shantanu Bagchi. Written by Parveez Sheikh and others . Produced by Ronnie Screwvala and others . Cinematography Bijitesh De. The film stars Siddharth Malhotra, Rashmika Mandanna, Bhumika Chawla, Parameet Sethi, Kumud Mishra, Sharib Hashmi, Mir Sarwar. Music by Tanishq Bagchi, Rochak Kohli, Arko Pravo Mukhrrjee, Ketan Sodha. The film runs for about 2 hour 9 minutes and was released on 20 Jan 2023. I watched it on Netflix on 21st Jan 2023 with Aditi and Mihika.

Tariq ( real name Amandeep Singh) is an undercover RAW agent in Pakistan. It’s 1970s, India has tested Atom Bomb. Pakistan is trying to do it secretly. Tariq has to find where. Things are complicated because he is married to a blind Pakistani girl and now she’s pregnant. 

Siddharth Malhotra delivers a good solid performance. He looks like a Hindi film hero but still delivers a performance you remember. Rashmika needs to work on her acting. Kumud Mishra and Sharib do well in supporting roles. 

The movie manages to generate anger and disgust towards Morarji Desai and Janata party’s naivety that Pakistan is a good country and its rulers are decent people. His accusation that Mr. Kao and RAW are Indira Gandhi’s stooges makes one wonder. 

It’s a masala movie. So one should not ask questions like why Sharib dresses as if he has returned from Dubai when he runs a Dhaba in Pakistan? How come a maulavi suddenly shaves off his beard and no one notices? 

Nevertheless the movie manages to strum the right chords of patriotism, excitement, love and triumph. 

End of the movie makes the emotional audience sad. 

Positives: Subject.   

Negatives: Masala. 

Recommend watching. 

American made

​"American made"

Watched English movie "American made". 

This film is directed by Doug Liman. Written by Gary Spinelli. Produced by Brian Grazer and others. Music by Christophe Beck. Cinematography Cesar Charlone. The film features Tom Cruise, Sarah Wright, Domhnall Gleeson, Alejandro Edda, Mauricio Mejia, Benito Martinez, Caleb Landry Jones, Jesse Plemons. The film runs for about 1 hour 55 minutes and was released in 2017. I watched it on Amazon Prime on 1st Oct 2022. This movie is based on the true story of Barry Seals.

Tom is a commercial pilot. One day a CIA agent approaches him and recruits him to fly over Central and South America to take pictures of the rebels. He achieves instant success. Colombian drug cartel led by Pablo Escobar recruits him to fly drugs back to America in his return sorties. He starts making a lot of money. Drugs are followed by guns. He doesn’t know where to keep his money. Then he is arrested. 

Tom Cruise plays the excellent pilot who learns to get the job done and deliver. His fortunes swing from one end to other and then back. He uses his knowledge, his skills and his contacts to build an empire. Tom plays the character well. He shows the confident, easy going, worried and eventually resigned pilot well. Sarah Wright plays his wife. Domhnall Gleeson plays the CIA agent who uses Tom. Alejandro Edda plays Ochoa and Mauricio Mejia plays Escobar, the drug lords. 

The story of the movie is not gripping. It may also be because it is based on a true story. So you get a feel of watching a documentary more than a movie. It looks like collection of events rather than a homogenous offering. 

The film grossed almost three times its production cost on box office, so it was a commercial success. 

Positives: His ideas. 

Negatives: Not a homogenous offering. 

Not a must watch. 

October (ॲाक्टोबर)

​"October (ॲाक्टोबर)".

Watched Hindi movie "October (अॅाक्टोबर)". 

This movie is directed by Shoojit Sircar. Produced by Ronnie Lahri, Sheel Kumar. Written by Juhi Chaturvedi. Music by Shantanu Moitra, Abhishek Arora, Anupam Roy. Cinematography by Avila Mukhopadhyay. It features Varun Dhawan, Banita Sandhu, Isha Chaturvedi, Sahil Vedoliyaa, Karamveer Kanwar, Iteeva Pandey, Prateek Kapur. Film runs for about 1 hour and 55 minutes and was released in 2018. I watched it on 3rd Dec 2022 on Amazon Prime.

Dan is an aimless hotel management trainee. He’s immature, lacks seriousness and gets into one trouble after another. Shiuli is his colleague and friend. One day she falls from 3rd floor. Major injuries. 

How did she fall? What does Dan do? What’s the meaning of October? 

The movie is about Dan. Accident of his colleague and the knowledge that she asked about him before falling changes him. He spends most of his time in hospital. In that he loses his sleep, comfort, job etc.  Over a period of time he matures.  

The movie is not slow, it’s super slow. I didn’t like it. The objective was good but the execution wasn’t. It’s a coming of age story. It should have been presented in steps. Dan’s transformation should be gradual. There should have been a few flashbacks of Dan and Shiuli to explore their lives. But there’s nothing. The title also has little relevance. 

It’s a low budget film. It earned little less than two times its production cost. So it can be called a decent success. 

Positives: Concept. 

Negatives: Execution. 

Avoid. 

Troll

​"Troll".

Watched dubbed English version of Norwegian movie "Troll". 

This movie is directed by Roar Uthaug. Written by Espen Aukan, Roar Uthaug. Produced by Espen Horn & others. It stars Ine Marie Wilmann, Kim Falck, Mads Sjøgård Pettersen, Gard B. Eidsvold, Pål Richard Lunderby, Eric Vorenholt. Cinematography by Jallo Faber. Music by Johannesburg Ringen. Film runs for  1 hour and 41 minutes and was released in 2022. I watched it on 2nd Dec 2022 on Netflix with Aditi.

While blasting Dovre mountains in Norway for a railway line, a catastrophe happens leaving huge humanoid footprints. Further investigation reveals a humanoid creature more than 150 feet high.  Government ropes in Paleontologist Dr. Nora who brings in her semi senile father. Father is convinced that the creature is mythical Troll. No weapon works against him. 

It’s a Norwegian movie based on the myth of Trolls.  Trolls are creatures made of stone and earth. It’s believed that with Christianization of Norway, Trolls became extinct. This movie uses this theme. 

It’s an entertaining movie. The special effects of Troll are good. The secret of Trolls is interesting. The end happens a little too simplistically. The very end of movie has laid foundation of a sequel. Will it come?

Ine Marie plays the Paleontologist. Although she doesn’t look like one, she carries herself well. Mads plays the army officer and looks likes one. Kim plays advisor to the PM. His character appears shallow. 

The speed of Troll is inconsistent. In one scene, the Troll can’t reach chopper because he is slow. In another scene, he chases the heroine at brisk speed.

It’s a different kind of movie than Hollywood. It’sa fresh take. Worth watching. 

Positives: Entertaining. 

Negatives: End of Troll.  

Recommend watching if you like something different. 

Tadka (तडका)

​"Tadka (तडका)"

Watched Hindi movie "Tadka (तडका)". 

This film is directed by Prakash Raj. Story by Stan Pushkaran and Dileesh Nair. Produced by Prakash Raj & others. Music by Anup Rubens, Kapil Jangir.  Music by Anup Rubens. Cinematography Preetha Jayaraman. The film stars Nana Patekar, Tapasee Pannu, Iravati Harshe, Lillet Dubey, Shriya Saran, Ali Fasal, Murali Sharma, Rajesh Sharma. The film runs for about 1 hours 55 minutes and was released on 4th Nov 2022. I watched it with Aditi on Zee5 on 30th Nov 2022.

This movie is adopted from Malayalam movie ‘Salt N’ Pepper’ written by the same duo. 

Nana is an archeologist and a foodie. Shriya is a RJ and loves to cook. Call on a wrong number connects them. Slowly they start conversation on phone and start liking each other without ever meeting. Then they decide to meet. 

Nana is Nana. The whimsical, quirky, basically Nana. Shriya is demure, single, subdued. The supporting cast is superb. They really hold the film aloft. Lillet can make any role hers. Tapasi portrays a millennial very well. She also looks very beautiful with lavender hair. Ali plays Nana’s nephew, a flamboyant youngster. He looks thinner than in Mirzapur. Murli and Iravati also support very well. 

Direction is ok. The awareness of Nana. The freeness of Shriya. The convenient coincidences. The slowish pace. Director retains the interest but doesn’t make it wow!

All in all, it’s an ok movie to watch if you have spare time, otherwise you can even miss it. 

Positives: Cast.  

Negatives: Pace. Predictability. 

Not a must watch.

Il mio nome è vendetta

​"Il mio nome è vendetta".

Watched Italian movie "Il mio nome è vendetta". 

This movie is directed by Cosimo Gomez. Produced by Maurizio Totti and others. Written by Sandrone Dazieri and others. Cinematography by Vittorio Omodei Zorini. Music by Giorgio Giampà and Marta Lucchesini. It features Ginevra Francesconi, Alessandro Gassmann, Sinja Dieks, Reno Gironde, Alessio Pratico. Film runs for about 1 hour and 32 minutes and was released on 30th Nov 2022. I watched it on 17th Dec 2022 on Netflix.

In his previous life, Santo was a Sicilian mafia enforcer. Now he has left that life behind and is living incognito with his wife, daughter and brother in law. An innocuous photo posted by his daughter on social media gives his location to the mafia. They attack and kill his wife and brother in law. His daughter survives. Now the only way to live is to kill those who want to kill him. Kill or be killed. 

Alessandro plays Santo. The calm and quiet family man who transforms into a killing machine when his family is attacked. Ginevra plays the angry and confused daughter who realizes that the only way to survive is to help her father kill. She has beautiful eyes. Remo Girone plays Don Angelo. Alessio Pratico plays his ‘spineless’ son. 

A lot of movie happens in dark . The action scenes are sometimes shot from too close. The story is weak. It can be summarized in one sentence. Kill or be killed. 

Positives: Action. 

Negatives: Story. 

Watch, if you understand Italian or watch the English version ‘My name is vendetta’.