Reviews
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Review: Another Round: Mads Mikkelsen served with heady twist
Midlife crisis gets a heady twist in Thomas Vinterberg's tragicomedy, serving Mads Mikkelsen on the rocks. "Another Round" (titled "Druk" in original Danish version) kicks in its plot by reversing the premise of alcoholism as cinema normally peddles it.
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Review: Ajeeb Daastaans: Take the sloppy with the smooth
BY VINAYAK CHAKRAVORTY
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Review: Hello Charlie: Mindless monkey mayhem
"Hello Charlie" is one of those 'fun films' where you struggle to recall a single gag that was funny enough, within two minutes that the end credits have rolled.
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Review: The Big Bull: Big bore
Forget comparisons. Even if you willingly dismiss the idea of sizing up "The Big Bull" against "Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story", Abhishek Bachchan's new film is a washout from the word go.
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Review: Joji: Macbeth in the time of masks
BY VINAYAK CHAKRAVORTY
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Review: The Serpent: Too many flashbacks and flash-forwards
"The Serpent" starts off with vim and venom, slithers through the middle episodes with frenetic energy, before making a scrappy surge through the mire of its final episodes.
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Review: Nomadland: Poignant strokes of class
Silences can overwhelm, too -- watch Frances McDormand in "Nomadland" and you know. You've seen her ace the art of minimalism as an actor in numerous roles, notably "Fargo", "North Country" or "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri". In "Nomadland", her shot at a third Oscar as Best Actress, McDormand turns restraint into a fine art.
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Review: Pagglait: Quirky little film
Pagglait the film is just like its protagonist Sandhya. It doesn't behave the way it is expected to.
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Review: Godzilla Vs. Kong: Extravagant monster mayhem
The film literally goes for a monster kill in search of its pot of gold. The challenge here was obvious. You have fans of Godzilla, you have fans of Kong. The big deal always was to keep both the armies happy.
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Review: Saina: Plays to gallery
Amole Gupte's movie manifesto on ace shuttler Saina Nehwal goes for option one as Bollywood biopics usually do, predictably playing it safe. The narrative runs high on emotions all through its 135-odd minutes and yet, strangely, many high points of drama in Saina's life are glossed over (there is no mention of her rivalry with PV Sindhu, for instance).
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Review: The Illegal: Small film, big impact
"Life Of Pi" actor Suraj Sharma plays Hassan Ahmed, who is one such character. Hassan's passion for filmmaking is destined to take him from Purani Dilli to Los Angeles. He gets admission at film school in the US, so his father (Adil Hussain) takes a loan to fund his dream.
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Review: Mumbai Saga: Toast to cliches
Sanjay Gupta's latest is an extension of his trademark "Shootout" films, reloading familiar uber-violence with old-school Bollywood drama about cops, gangsters and the self-seeking political set, packing in loud dialogues and the essential naach-gaana.
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Review: Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar: Too slow for slow-burn impact
The film tries to tell their tale with humour, and with an undercurrent comment on class and gender disparity that dictates almost every aspect of life in India.
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Review: Roohi: Horribly boring
Stree was smart stuff, Roohi seems like random fare. The comparison had to crop up, the only reason the producers seem to have made Roohi is because they struck gold with Stree. Blending horror with humour looked so easy in Stree. Clearly it isn't, you realise watching Roohi.
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Review: Bombay Begums: Defined by its performances
A bank CEO's son runs over a lower-class boy. The victim's poor parent spots a get-rich-quick scheme through blackmail. A public scandal could end the CEO's career and so it is best to pay up, and then pay some more.
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Review: Coming 2 America: Fitfully funny
Back in 1988 when Coming To America released, Eddie Murphy was a superstar. Revisiting a brand of comedy that seemed cool over three decades ago can be a tough deal, and Murphy is obviously banking on his fan base of yore to sail through.
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Review: Raya And The Last Dragon
Disney's gorgeous new toon flick has triggered social media talk mainly because it flaunts 'Asian inclusivity'. Lesser cynics have been quick to dub it a Hollywood ploy to expand market.
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Review: The Girl On The Train: Derailed drama
Parineeti Chopra on the other hand goes over the top trying to underline the fact that the protagonist, introduced here as Mira Kapoor, is in pain. She shrieks and screams a lot, frowns and glares, and acts as if her character was on substance
