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#PicksAndPiques #JohnsonThomas #FilmMovieDocumentaryReviews #internationalfilmfestivalcircuit Film: #RK/#RKay Runtime: 96 mins. Genre: Drama Rating: * * ½ Cast: #MallikaSherawat #RajatKapoor #RanvirShorey #KubraSait #ChandrachoorRai #SadhikaSyal #ManuRishiChadha #WarisAhmedZaidi #AbhijeetDeshpande #AhishekSharrma #GraceGirdhar #ShrikantYadav #VaishaliMalhara #NamitDas Director: #RajatKapoor #MithiyaTalkies #PriyanshiTalkies #SpicePR Director Rajat Kapoor may have a unique quasi-experimental way of telling his stories but they don’t always come good. His latest, Rk/Rkay, crowd funded by Over 800 People with donations ranging from Rs 100 To Rs 50,000, has a metaphysical dimension to it but the narrative is represented in such a matter-of-fact manner that it comes across as less whimsical and more absurd. I guess he wanted to show a director cum lead actor’s trauma during the edit stage when he realises that the vision he set out to film hasn’t actually come to life in the accumulate...

#PicksAndPiques #JohnsonThomas #FilmMovieDocumentaryReviews #internationalfilmfestivalcircuit Film: #Shamshera Runtime: 159 mins Rating: * Cast: #RanbirKapoor #SanjayDutt #VaaniKapoor #AshutoshRana #SaurabhShukla #RonitBoseRoy #IravatiHarshe #TridhaChoudhury #PitobashTripathy #OmkarChaubey #KumarSaurabh Director: #KaranMalhotra #Yashraj Producer: #AdityaChopra Writer: #NeeleshMisra #KhilaBisht Dialogue: #PiyushMishra Screenplay: #EktaPathakMalhotra #KaranMalhotra Cinematography: #AnayGoswamy Editor: #ShivkumarVPanicker Music: #Mithoon Language: Hindi, Tamil, Telugu Certificate: UA *In 2D, IMAX 2D Format * A fictitious Period drama detailing oppression against a tribal nomadic community, Khamerans, this story is set in the fictitious city of Kaza (looks appropriately fake too) where a warrior is imprisoned, enslaved & tortured by a ruthless authoritarian Shuddh Singh during British rule. This film is so antiquated and unaccomplished that one begins to wonder wheth...

#PicksAndPiques #FilmMovieDocumentaryReviews #InternationalFilmFestivalCircuit #JohnsonThomas Film: #JudaaHokeBhi Genre: Horror Rating: * ½ #DwaparMedia #HimanshuJhunjhunwala Cast: #AindritaRay #AkshayOberoi #RushadRana #MeherzanMazda #JiaMustafa #HemantSoni Director: #VikramBhatt Writers : #MaheshBhatt #ShwetaBothra #AmanPuranik The worst yet from Vikram Bhatt’s Horror-Musical-thriller set, this one is so pedestrian, and unaccomplished that it plays out like a bad joke. An outlandish storyline is accompanied by stunted performances, bad VFX and studio set visuals. It’s obvious that Vikram Bhatt is catering to a very ‘base’ audience. The songs are not bad though

#PicksAndPiques #FilmMovieDocumentaryReviews #InternationalFilmFestivalCircuit #JohnsonThomas Film: #LadkiEnterTheDragonGirl Rating: * * #IndoChineseCoProduction Genre: Martial Arts Action Runtime: 133 mins Cast: #AbhimanyuSingh #MiyaMuqi #PoojaBhalekar #RajpalYadav #MalhottraShivam #PoojaBhalekar #PrateekParmar #TianlongShi #ParthPuri #BigPeople #TigerCompany #ArtseeMediaProductions #SparkOriginal Director: #JingLiu #RamGopalVarma #NaaradPR #AnushaIyerGillPR Producer - #RamGopalVerma As the name suggests this is a heroine oriented action packed martial arts film with the well-toned, superbly fit and agile heroine Pooja Bhalekar looking quite appealing in her skimpy outfits ( a la Rangeela) while indulging in male bashing (not the verbal but the physically pulverising kind) all through. There’s not much story to tell but the film is set in China, has stunts reminiscent of the Bruce Lee style and packs a punch ( at least in terms of action). Don’t expect any dramatic highs or h...

#PicksAndPiques #FilmMovieDocumentaryReviews #InternationalFilmFestivalCircuit #JohnsonThomas Film: #ShabaashMithu Genre: Sports Biopic Cast: #RichardBhaktiKlein #TaapseePannu #VijayRaaz #MumtazSorcar #BrijendraKala #Devadarshani #InayatVerma #AsadAliPalijo #ShilpiMarwaha Director: #SrijitMukherji #Viacom18 #Viacom18Studios #UniversalCommunicationsPR #ParagDesaiPR #ColosceumMediaProduction #Tseries #ColorsCineplex #Netflix Rating: * * ½ Runtime: 156 mins Written: #PriyaAven Producer: #AjitAndhare Cinematography: #SirshaRay Editor: #ASreekarPrasad Music: #AmitTrivedi Meant to be an inspirational real-life depiction of former Test and ODI captain of India’s women’s national cricket team, #MithaliRaj, this Srijit Mukherji helmed biopic fails to inspire or motivate. Though the film faithfully chronicles some of the high and low points in her career, it’s presented in a laid-back unenlivening fashion. Srijit and tam are more concerned with showcasing the struggle of women’s...

#PicksAndPiques #FilmMovieDocumentaryReviews #InternationalFilmFestivalCircuit #JohnsonThomas Film : #HITTheFirstCase Genre: Investigative Thriller Rating- * * ½ Runtime: 135 mins Cast: #RajkumarRao #SanyaMalhotra #Shanukumar #MilindGunaji #ShilpaShukla #DalipThahil #JatinGoswami #MadhurArora #NoyrikaBhatheja #AparnaBajpai #SanjayNarvekar Story/Screenplay/Direction - #SaileshKolanu Producer - #BhushanKumar #DilRaju #KishanKumar #Tseries Dialogue - #GirishKohli Cinematography - #SManikandan Edited - #GarryBH Music - #JohnStewartEduri #Mithoon #MananBhardwaj #UniversalCommunicationsPR Rajkumar Rao’s first-ever suspense thriller of his career, basically a frame-to-frame copy of Shailesh Kolanu’s Telugu film with a surprise climax that deliberately deviates from the original. While the tempo is upbeat (background score & sound direction aid that experience) , the sequences are interesting and the acting is sincere, the plotting seems a little too weird and convolute...

#PicksAndPiques #FilmMovieDocumentaryReviews #JohnsonThomas #internationalfilmfestivalcircuit #KuttavumShikshayum/ (translation #CrimeAndPunishment) (2022) #Malayalam Runtime: 138 m Rating: * * * Genre: Action, Crime, Drama Cast: #AsifAli #Sharafudheen #SunnyWayne #AlencierLeyLopez #SenthilKrishna #SibiThomas Director: #RajeevRavi Writers: #SreejithDivakaran #SibiThomas #APInternational #FilmRollProductions #Netflix In the era of cross-state-border labour migration, Rajeev Ravi comes up with a high-tension police procedural with all the gusto and heft of a thriller. This real-life adaptation of the jewellery robbery case that occurred in Kasargod. Rajeev Ravi and his team of writers Sreejith Divakaran and Sibi Thomas( a cop himself) focuses on exposing the challenges experienced by 5 cops of one state (Kerala in this case) while tracking down migrant criminals who flee back to their home state( UP) after a daring jewellery heist. 5 member team from the Kerala ...

SonyLIV brings an intriguing and intimate story from the 90s with ‘Dr. Arora- Gupt Rog Visheshagya’ from 22nd July The show’s music adds the perfect mood and nostalgia to its storytelling - July 2022 What happens when you realize you have a health condition that you dare not speak about? A condition that brings fear of ostracization rather than the support of near and dear ones? How often do you find people who can truly understand and sympathise with the situation? These questions form the crux of Imtiaz Ali’s next - Dr. Arora- Gupt Rog Visheshagya. Set to stream on SonyLIV from 22nd July, the show centres around the life and times of a sex consultant and his various patients. With poet and lyricist Irshad Kamil’s mesmerising five-song album, the show’s music infuses a hearty dose of romance and nostalgia, complementing the compelling narrative. Set in Central India, Dr. Arora follows parallel narratives, with several characters across age, gender, and social standing comi...

#PicksAndPiques #FilmMovieDocumentaryReviews #JohnsonThomas #internationalfilmfestivalcircuit Film: #KhudaHaafizChapter2AgniPariksha Genre: Action thriller Rating: * * Runtime: 146 mins. Cast: #VidyutJammwal #ShivaleekaOberoi #DanishHussain #DibyenduBhattacharya #SheebaChaddha #RajeshTailang #riddhisharma Writer/Director: #FarukKabir #ZeeStudios #Cinergy #PanoramaStudios #KumarMangatPathak #AbhishekPathak #SnehaBimalParekh #RamMirchandani #TreeshulMedia #SonalKarolia #MandviSharma #Deepak Cinematography: #JitanHarmeetSingh Editor: #SandeepFrancis Music: #AmarMohile #Mithoon #VishalMishra #ShabbirAhmed Team Khuda Haafiz was forced to release the film on #OTT because the situation, once covid took hold in the country, had become quite fluid and uncertain. So it’s pretty brave and ambitious of them to want to release chapter 2 in the theatres. Faruk Kabir’s second installment is designed as an emotive action thriller, with the same two actors doing the lead. Vidyut and Shivaleek...

#PicksAndPiques #FilmMovieDocumentaryReviews #JohnsonThomas #internationalfilmfestivalcircuit Film: #TituAmbani Genre: Family Social Drama Runtime: 121 mins. Rating: * * * Cast: #DeepikaSingh #TusharPandey #RaghubirYadav #VirendraSaxena #BrijendraKala #PritamJaiswal #SapnaSand #SamtaSagar Producers: #MahendraVijaydanDetha & #DineshKumar Story/Screenplay/Direction: #RohitRajGoyal Dialogue: #AbhishekManoharChanda Music/Background Score: #Bharat- #Hitarth Lyrics: #MayurPuri Cinematography: #SunilVishwakarma Editor: #SanjaySharma #SabalProductions #AshwaniShuklaPR #AltairMedia A fairly ameliorating, humorous, well-knit, wonderfully acted, meaningful, family social cum drama, this film is about a middle-class dreamer who prefers to run his own business, and gets caught up in get-rich-quick schemes only to drown under the weight of huge debts and familial disruptions and eventually realises t...

#PicksAndPiques #FilmMovieDocumentaryReviews #JohnsonThomas #internationalfilmfestivalcircuit Film: #RashtraKavachOmTheBattleWithin Rating: * * Runtime: 133 mins Genre: Action, Thriller Cast: #AdityaRoyKapoor #ArmenGreyg #SanjanaSanghi #JackieShroff #AshutoshRana #PrakashRaj #PracheeShahPandya Director: #KapilVerma An all-out actioner meant to establish Aditya Roy Kapoor as an action hero in a potential franchise, this one doesn’t have either a validating storyline or adrenaline-triggering action chops. He may be bullet-proof but his body doesn’t look substantial enough to manage all those heavy lifts and slam dunks. The narrative tries to use heavy doses of patriotism and mother-love as incentives but fails miserably. The betrayer from within construct is old hat so there's nothing new to interest... #ZeeStudios #AhmedKhan #ShairaKhan Writers: #RajSaluja #NiketPandey Cinematography: #VineetMalhotra Editor: #KamleshParui Music: #AmandeepSinghJolly #ArkoPravoMukherjee

#PicksAndPiques #FilmMovieDocumentaryReviews #JohnsonThomas #internationalfilmfestivalcircuit Film: #RocketryTheNambiEffect (Also released in Tamil, Telugu , Malayalam, Kannada) Rating: * * * Runtime: 157 mins Cast: #RMadhavan #RajitKapoor #Simran #ShahRukhKhan Story/Screenplay/Dialogues/Director: #RMadhavan Producer - #SaritaMadhavan #RMadhavan #VargheseMoolan #VijayMoolan #VijayMoolanTalkies #27thEntertainment #TricolorFilms #VargheseMoolanPictures #RaindropPR# Cinematography -#SirshaRay Editor - #BijithBala Music - #SamCS. Based on the life of ISRO Scientist Nambi Narayanan who was falsely accused of being a spy, arrested in 1994, incarnated unjustly and later on released and absolved of all charges, this film lacks a consistent tone to represent the magnitude of the injustice meted out to Nambi Narayanan. The pre-interval half feels a little too light-weight, the science is not weightily represented either. The narrative comes good in the post-interval section where Narayan...

#PicksAndPiques #FilmMovieDocumentaryReviews #JohnsonThomas #internationalfilmfestivalcircuit Film: #SherdilThePilibhitSaga Genre: Comedy Drama Rating: * * ½ Runtime: 122 mins Starring: #NeerajKabi #PankajTripathi #SayaniGupta Director: #SrijitMukherji #Gulshamkumar #TSeries #relianceentertainmentstudios #&pictures #BhushanKumar Inspired by real events - about village folk leaving their elderly in the Pilibhit forest reserve for tigers to prey on so that they can claim compensation from the government - this film fails to bring home that point of reference. The contrived narrative focuses on Gangaram, suffering from cancer and given three months to live - deciding to sacrifice his life in order to garner the Rs 10 lakh compensation that would go a long way to support his starving village. The abovementioned practice is dreadful and deserved a more serious, heart-touching telling but Srijit Mukherjee’s quickie fails to do that job well. Neither the humour nor the drama f...