Side Banner

Member Reviews

No good movie is too long and no bad movie is short enough. Your intellect may be confused, but your emotions will never lie to you.

You can also browse reviews using our alphabetical index of films reviewed

Films reviewed on this Page

Vettaiyan (1)
Jigra (4)
Lonely Planet (1)
Raat Jawaan Hai (1)
Abbot Elementary S04 (1)
Disclaimer (1)
Vicky Vidya Ka Woh Wala Video (1)

Page 19 of 26

Vettaiyan
Sudhir Srinivasan
The New Indian Express
The Late Review
All 6 reviews of Vettaiyan here

Jigra
Ishita Sengupta
Independent Film Critic
Alia Bhatt In & As The Angry Young Woman

In Vasan Bala’s Jigra (Courage) Alia Bhatt is Amitabh Bachchan. The suggestion seems both foolish and foolhardy, not least because both actors have disparate, almost contrasting, physicalities. They act differently, they react differently. And more crucially, a punch lands on them differently. If Bachchan in his youth stumbled upon being hit, then Bhatt crumples like a paper bag. If the former’s daunting presence intimidates the frame then the latter’s diminutive silhouette makes space for others. Alia Bhatt is nothing like Amitabh Bachchan yet Bala insists that she is, for she has the jigra.

Continue reading …

All 18 reviews of Jigra here

Lonely Planet
Sonal Pandya
Times Now, Zoom
Laura Dern, Liam Hemsworth's Aimless Romance Is A Waste Of Time

Directed by Susannah Grant, the romantic drama has no real spark between its leads.

A foreign locale, two individuals at a crossroads… on the surface, the Netflix film Lonely Planet had the right ingredients. But the Susannah Grant film does nothing with it. Starring Laura Dern as an established writer and Liam Hemsworth as a finance guy who meet at a retreat in Morocco, the film wastes our time with their ineffectual romance. It ends up being a tourism guide for the country.

Continue reading …


Raat Jawaan Hai
Sonal Pandya
Times Now, Zoom
Sharp Writing, Likable Cast Boost Up Funny And Relatable Family Comedy

Starring Anjali Anand, Barun Sobti and Priya Bapat, the engaging comedy is both heartfelt and hilarious.

It’s been a while since we’ve seen a comedy that you can see yourself in. SonyLIV’s Raat Jawaan Hai focuses on a trio of friends who are there for each other through thick and thin. Developed by Khyati Anand-Puthran and Sumeet Vyas, the series features very real characters, the kind of people you’ve met in life. Backed by a solid cast who deliver genuine performances, Raat Jawaan Hai is the feel-good watch for this month, nay, this year!

Continue reading …

All 5 reviews of Raat Jawaan Hai here

Abbot Elementary S04
Sonal Pandya
Times Now, Zoom
Quinta Brunson's School Comedy Is Still Endearingly Awkward And Funny As Ever

The Emmy-nominated comedy series is back to school with a new season and plenty of hijinks.

After a shortened season earlier this year due to the Hollywood strikes, Abbott Elementary is back on schedule with a full season. This time, the teachers’ gang at the Philadelphia school convene for a new school year with plenty of hijinks. The biggest change this season is that the perennial will-they, won’t-they couple Janine (Quinta Brunson) and Gregory (Tyler James Williams) have made it official. But what does this mean for the rest of the season? Let’s find out!

Continue reading …


Disclaimer
Sonal Pandya
Times Now, Zoom
Alfonso Cuaron's Devastating Thriller Series Looks At Truth And Memory From All Angles

Cate Blanchett is fantastic as journalist who is confronted by past secrets by a stranger who brings them alive in a book.

Gravity and Roma director Alfonso Cuarón’s latest project, Disclaimer, is a fascinating and at times uncomfortable drama about a woman accused of being heartless in her past. Oscar winning actress Cate Blanchett steps up to play the aloof Catherine Ravenscroft who finds her perfect life falling apart with the publication of a book. Kevin Kline plays a former teacher who relishes the chance to teach her a lesson. The Apple TV+ series is a riveting story that unfolds chapter by chapter, like a novel.

Continue reading …


Vicky Vidya Ka Woh Wala Video
Deepak Dua
Independent Film Journalist & Critic
विकी विद्या के वीडियो का कॉमेडी वाला रायता

1997 का ऋषिकेश शहर। विकी-विद्या शादी के बाद हनीमून के लिए गोआ गए जहां इन्होंने अपने अंतरंग पलों का एक वीडियो बनाया। घर लौट कर उस वीडियो की सीडी देखी, खुश हुए और सो गए। उसी रात एक चोर इनके घर से सीडी प्लेयर चुरा ले गया। उसी में थी वह सीडी जिसमें था इनका ‘वो वाला वीडियो’। अब अगर वह वीडियो दुनिया के सामने आ गया तो…? यहां से शुरू हुई तलाश। तो क्या इन्हें मिल पाया वह चोर…? वह सीडी प्लेयर…? वह वीडियो…?

Continue reading …

All 9 reviews of Vicky Vidya Ka Woh Wala Video here

Jigra
Tanul Thakur
Outlook
The Alia Bhatt-starrer Doesn’t Fire but Fizzle Out

Vasan Bala’s directorial is marred by bland writing

The trailer of Jigra promised a coup too delicious to resist: Alia Bhatt as the Angry Young (Wo)man. At one point, Manoj Pahwa tells her, “Arre, [Amitabh] Bachchan nahin banna hai. Bach ke nikalna hai.” A stone-faced Bhatt replies: “Ab toh Bachchan hi banna hai.” This exchange hides loaded meanings: reverence (Bhatt, the best Bollywood actor right now, paying tribute to the best Bollywood actor of the ’70s), inversion (a heroine playing an anti-hero), and nostalgia (a drug always in short supply). There’s a bit of serendipity, too: the movie’s release date, October 11, coincides with Bachchan’s birthday.

Continue reading …

All 18 reviews of Jigra here

Jigra
Uday Bhatia
Mint Lounge
The Great Escape

Alia Bhatt leads a terrific cast in Vasan Bala's emotionally charged jailbreak film

Satya has been running from window to window in the anteroom of a maximum security prison. She’s desperate to see her brother before closing time, but there are forms to fill, procedures to follow. Finally, she ends up at the door to the visiting area, wheezing, frantic. The guard does her a kindness, says she isn’t late and will be let in soon. Satya catches her breath, but can’t wipe the worry off. “Do I look sad?” she asks the guard as she’s about to enter. “Little sad,” he replies in Malay-accented English. She puts on a strained smile. “Now?” The guard shakes his head. “Very sad, lah.”

Continue reading …

All 18 reviews of Jigra here

Jigra
Sukanya Verma
rediff.com
My Name Is Bachchan. Alia Bachchan

Vasan Bala's ability to jolt our Bollywood conditioned brains into experiencing new forms of menace, showcasing Alia in a savage new light, wins Sukanya Verma's dil and jigra.

Vasan Bala creates worlds that may appear deceptively similar to the ones you and I inhabit but run entirely on their own terms and whimsy. It’s a part of the film-maker’s charm and cinephile influences, which made the likes of Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota and Monica O My Darling such a treat. Jigra, probably his most big-ticket project so far, is also his most sombre.

Continue reading …

All 18 reviews of Jigra here