Reviews – SHalady

John Wick Chapter 3 – No Spoilers Review

16May

By shaladyNo Comments

Reviews, Uncategorized

John Wick Chapter 3 – No Spoilers Review

As the movie began, I asked my partner ‘What does Parabellum mean?’ and got a shrug as response. Little did I know that the movie would demonstrate in detail what it means. John Wick Chapter 3 is a movie that has inspired me to pick up a pen(hypothetically) and write a review after eons. Delicious is the only word that comes to mind. I was scared that the third installment of the John Wick series might not be up to the mark as the first 2 had set the bars high. I have to say that the third one exceeds all my expectations and surpasses 1 and 2 by leaps. The fight scenes are not limited to Guns this time around, there are a lot of fights with knives, swords and sometimes random things like books, belts and horses. Keanu Reeves has delivered an amazing performance and it helps that...

Lucifer | Malayalam | A thoroughly entertaining Thriller for Mohanlal Fans.

30Mar

By AdminNo Comments

Reviews

Lucifer | Malayalam | A thoroughly entertaining Thriller for Mohanlal Fans.

Delivers to the hype. The Prithviraj Directorial debut, Lucifer, truly quenched the longing for an entertaining Mass movie from Mohanlal. It's truly 'the thriller' that many of the recent high profile Malayalam movies promised to deliver but was unable to deliver. I must confess, I was not at all a fan of the recent 'Pulimurugan' circus as well (It was at best a below average movie) ! An Ensemble star cast, a humongous budget and the fabled 'first venture' into direction by prodigal son of Malayalam Cinema had 'recipe for blockbuster' written all over it from the day the movie was announced. However the recent high profile duds such as 'Odiyan' and 'Kayankulam Kochunni' did leave the skeptical Malayalee in me a bit doubtful at times. Lucifer, however, did deliver handsomely. A lot ...

Triple Frontier | A half decent Action Flick

16Mar

By AdminNo Comments

Reviews

Triple Frontier | A half decent Action Flick

Worth a watch. Netflix had hit he ground running in 2019 with a host of big name Originals in The Meyorowitz Stories, Dumplin and Velvet Buzzaw. Triple Frontier now adds to the list. The movie however failed to deliver to the fullest of its potential. Triple Frontier leads us through the lives of 5 ex-special forces men who are going through less than ideal times in their lives. They decide to rob a cartel boss for a score that would set them for life. Oscar Isaac and Charlie Hunnam as 'Pope' and 'Ironhead' were thorough in their roles, whereas Ben Affleck maintains his usual 'I do not have any clue on what I am doing here' expression throughout the movie. The movie passes through its best phase by the end of the hour mark and from there on its a slow meandering journey towar...

Alita: Battle Angel – A likable movie with certain obvious flaws

15Feb

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Reviews

Alita: Battle Angel – A likable movie with certain obvious flaws

The movie left me with mixed opinions. One part of me absolutely loved the VFX, the heroine and bgm. The whole premise was pretty new to me due to my ignorance of the 'Manga' world. I certainly understand what the craze is all about. However, when a movie ends with more questions than answers by the end of it its obvious to leave you a bit flabbergasted and that is precisely how i felt. If you are a fan of 'manga', it probably is a no-brainer but for the rest of the world this movie is going to evoke a mixed response. You will be Wowed by the heroine, doctor, VFX and action but would be left questioning some of the cliched roles and characters including that of the villain and 'hero'. All I can say is that, there is a better chance of you liking it than disliking it.

Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle | Netflix | An enjoyable take on the childhood classic

11Dec

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Reviews

Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle | Netflix | An enjoyable take on the childhood classic

I am still wondering why Netflix did not choose to release it in the big screen. Andy Serkis version of Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle (Jungle Book) might have been the millionth take on the legendary tale by Rudyard Kipling but it still surprised me with the an engaging 90 minutes. Big names such as Chritian Bale, Kate Blanchett, Benedict Cumberbatch and Andy Serkis did justice to their roles with perfect voices while young Rohan Chand gave a compelling performance as the title character. This is not the sweet, funny Jungle book from the Disney version but a darker and more engaging version that tries to combine a lot of stories from the Jungle Book cartoon series immortalized by Disney. The visuals and BGM are also top notch. I would recommend this to anyon...

25Nov

By AdminNo Comments

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The Kominsky Method | Netflix | Brilliant, thought provoking, well made comedy for adults.

Some friendships never get old, says the tagline and that is precisely what 'The Kominsky Method' is all about. Michael Douglas and Alan Arkin star in this story about a couple of senior citizens who are at an uncompromising crossroad that life threw at them at an age that can be considered to be 'old'. The friendship is beautiful, thought provoking and at the same time funny to the core. Just goes to remind that life is a thousand times easier if you have a funny bone in you irrespective of the situation you are in. I loved watching the series and am eagerly waiting for the season 2.

4Nov

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Ratsasan | Tamil | One of the truly great thrillers ever made in any language.

Vishnu Vishal and Amala Paul weren't necessarily the dream cast, nor did Ram Kumar strike me off as a director, whose movies I was eagerly waiting for. Hence, I do probably belong to the majority of fans who decided to give it a go after the numerous brilliant 'by word of mouth' reviews. Ratsasan (2018), didn't disappoint. In fact, it blew me away from the very first few moments itself and never let go of the pace for not even a single second. Ratsasan, is about a young aspiring filmmaker Arun, who gets constantly rejected by producers who are unwilling to invest on his projects involving psycho serial killers. Eventually after much persuasion from his family and a standing offer from the force owing to his father passing away while on duty, he ends up joining the Poli...

3Nov

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Bodyguard | Netflix | Another fantastic edge of the seat, British Thriller with an odd ending.

It has been a while since a quality British thriller hit the small screen and the trailer of Bodyguard (2018) suggested that the wait might go on for a little longer. Bodyguard, starring Richard Madden (David Budd) and Keeley Hawes (Home Secretary Julia Montague) was griping from the word go. A fantastic opening episode introduces us to the Special Protection Office David Budd, through a tense, brilliantly acted out sequence of a terror attempt in a train. The traumatized war veteran is assigned the duty of Special Protection Officer of the highly volatile, yet motivated Home Secretary Julia Montague whose controversial comments earn her both high praise as well as powerful enemies. The acting by all the supporting cast including, but not limited to Sophie Rundle, Ash Tandon, Nina T...

17Oct

By AdminNo Comments

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The Haunting of Hill House | Netflix | When the genre is Horror, this is the closest to perfection one can ever get.

I wouldn't call myself a sucker for the genre 'horror', nor am I usually inclined to get started on a series if its anything but a thriller. The trailer was interesting yet it was not that enticing. This is why The Haunting of Hill House (A Netflix Original) haunted and thrilled me in so many levels. Every aspect of the series, from the writing, cast, background music, cinematography, sets and story are off the charts and is oozing with class. Without doubt the series turned out to be one of the best Horror series I ever saw. From the moment the series kicked off, Mike Flanagan lets us dissect and judge the lives of 7 individuals through an elaborate mixture of moments from the past and present, all leading to the Hill House. The series keeps alternating between the two timelines su...

30Sep

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Chekka Chivantha Vaanam | The Return of Mani Ratnam and the powerful Gangster movies.

After a disastrous dud with the previous outing, Mani Ratnam is well and truly back to his Nayakan days with Chekka Chivantha Vaanam. From the day the trailer of this multi-starrer hit YouTube, there had been a lot of intrigue surrounding it. A huge and powerful star cast consisting of Vijay Sethupathi, Arvind Swamy, Jyothika, Arun Vijay, Prakash Raj, Aishwarya Rajesh and T.R. Silambarasan meant that there would be lot of questions surrounding how well they were utilized and who scored the brownie points. If it were any other director/writer it would have been risky business but not for Mani Ratnam. Add to all this, when you have the magic of the Santosh Sivan canvas and A.R. Rahman music pepping up every single scene with some powerful BGM you have an instant classic. The story p...