Reviews
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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
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Review: Pele: Genius in the time of unrest
Football has forever blended deeply with Brazil's socio-politics and culture, and if there is an icon who continues to represent the sport stronger than anyone else in that nation, it is Pele.
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Review: Drishyam 2: Slow burn suspense drama
The beauty of Drishyam lay in the finality of its end. As Mohanlal's Georgekutty buried the truth (literally) and got away with the perfect cover-up, there was hardly scope to dig out anything new, you would think -- for scriptwriter or cops.
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Review: Girls Hostel 2.0: Good for a quick binge
Girls Hostel 2.0 rides the advantage of the ready fan base season one had built. Essentially, TVF and director Chaitanya Kumbhakonam don't try changing the narrative tone that clicked the first time around.
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Review: Namaste Wahala: Crossover love story of cliches
Namaste Wahala harks back to the way Bollywood doesn't make love stories anymore. You have a boy and a girl in love. You have a fuming parent on either side who does not approve of the match.
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Review: 'To All The Boys: Always And Forever' is about feel-good cliches
It is Valentine's Day, week and month, what could be more perfectly timed, right? To All The Boys 3 is your option if you're not in the mood to look beyond sweet syrup.