Kantara A Legend: Chapter 1
Action, Thriller (Kannada)
Exploring the origins of Kaadubettu Shiva during the Kadamba dynasty era, it delves into the untamed wilderness and forgotten lore surrounding his past. (more…)
The Smashing Machine
History, Drama (English)
In the late 1990s, up-and-coming mixed martial artist Mark Kerr aspires to become the greatest fighter in the world. However, he must also battle his opiod dependence and a volatile relationship with his girlfriend Dawn. (more…)
Search: The Naina Murder Case
Crime, Mystery (Hindi)
A veteran cop gets mired in a high-profile murder case when a girl is found dead in a politician's car. With multiple suspects, how will she unmask the killer? (more…)
Lord Curzon Ki Haveli
Comedy, Thriller (Hindi)
Follows four Desis as they meet in an unplanned dinner. Rohit tells his guests upon arriving that there is a corpse in the trunk. The not-so-innocent joke will change their lives that very night. (more…)
Guild Reviews
Telusu Kada
Romance, Drama (Telugu)
A couple's struggle with infertility takes a complicated turn when an ex-partner offers to be their surrogate.
Cast:
Siddhu Jonnalagadda, Srinidhi Shetty, Raashii Khanna, Harsha Chemudu
Director:
Neeraja Kona
Writer:
Neeraja Kona
Siddhu, Raashii and Srinidhi lead a messy Telugu drama about tangled relationships
Fri, October 17 2025
In an early scene from director Neerraja Kona’s Telugu romance drama Telusu Kada (loosely translated as You know it, right?), chef-restaurateur Varun (Siddhu Jonnalagadda) berates his staff for failing to meet his exacting standards. His friend and moral compass (Harsha Chemmudu) reminds him to see things more practically: for Varun, a loner, the restaurant is his world; for his staff, it is just a job.
The Woman in Cabin 10
Mystery, Drama, Thriller (English)
On a lavish yacht for an assignment, a journalist sees a passenger go overboard. But when no one believes her, she risks her life to uncover the truth.
Cast:
Keira Knightley, Guy Pearce, David Ajala, Gitte Witt, Art Malik, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Hannah Waddingham, Kaya Scodelario, David Morrissey, Daniel Ings
Director:
Simon Stone, Farhan Rana Rajpoot
Carries forward the genre of mysteries with unreliable female narrators... with mixed results
Thu, October 16 2025
Aspiring to be Agatha Christie-lite, mounting a narrative that reminds one of the Knives Out films and attempting to throw in a bit of Hitchcockian suspense in a confined space setting, The Woman in Cabin 10 is the latest in the subgenre of unreliable female narrators, one that has gained momentum in the last decade with films like Gone Girl, The Girl on the Train, Before I Go To Sleep, The Woman in the Window, et al. The Woman in Cabin 10, recently released on Netflix, is based on Ruth Ware’s 2016 novel, and swaps the manor-style/chamber drama setting reserved for mysteries of such kind for a cruise ship. While that may initially come across as inventive, one immediately realises that Christie did it almost 90 years ago with Death on the Nile, that found its way to the big screen in 1978 and then as recently as 2022.
Keira Knightley Thriller Weighed Down By Predictable Twists
Sat, October 11 2025
Based on Ruth Ware’s bestselling novel, The Woman in Cabin 10, follows a journalist, Laura Blacklock, seeking the truth in a suspicious murder. With only herself as a witness, Laura is fighting a losing battle. Starring Keira Knightley as the determined heroine, the film features some cookie-cutter characters who fail to raise interest. The central mystery at the heart of this thriller is too easy to guess as well.
You're Cordially Invited
Comedy (English)
When two weddings are accidentally booked on the same day at the same venue, each bridal party is challenged with preserving their family's special moment while making the most of the unanticipated tight quarters. In a hilarious battle of determination and grit, the father of the bride and sister of the other bride chaotically go head-to-head as they stop at nothing to uphold an unforgettable celebration for their loved ones.
Cast:
Will Ferrell, Reese Witherspoon, Geraldine Viswanathan, Meredith Hagner, Jimmy Tatro, Stony Blyden, Leanne Morgan, Rory Scovel, Keyla Monterroso Mejia, Ramona Young
Director:
Nicholas Stoller
Will Ferrell and Reese Witherspoon are fun, You're Cordially Invited isn't
Wed, October 15 2025
Reese Witherspoon and Will Ferrell star in You’re Cordially Invited — the most Reese Witherspoon and Will Ferrell film possible. That both actors function as executive producers in this 2025 romantic comedy shouldn’t be a surprise. After all, both have earned their stripes largely being a part of such films — ones that are predominantly distinguished by their ability to slap together a ludicrous but mostly watchable story that brings on ample belly laughs. Whether you retain any bit of those films once you walk out of the theatre is, however, questionable.
Reese Witherspoon And Will Ferrell's Comedy Isn't Perfect
Mon, February 3 2025
The latest Prime Video release is the romantic comedy titled You’re Cordially Invited led by Reese Witherspoon and Will Ferrell. Directed and written by Nicholas Stoller, the film focuses on the story of two supporting characters at two different weddings aka the bride’s sister and another bride’s widowed father. They cross paths at the accidently double-booked wedding venue and the fight for the venue ensues. While the plot seems easy to explore in the comedy genre, the makers did present a new take on the situation. Instead of the fight going on before the wedding proceeds, the arguments go on throughout the wedding and after, taking away the urgency of the incident. The film begins with Will Ferrell’s character finding out that his young daughter is getting married to her boyfriend. While he isn’t exactly happy about it, he agrees because it would mean his daughter moves closer to home. On the other hand, Reese finds out her sister is getting married to her erotic dancer boyfriend. Supportive of the decision and wary of how the family would react, she agrees to look after the wedding planning. Both weddings are accidentally booked at the same resort on a small island for the same weekend.
Wedding woes
Sun, February 2 2025
By now, big stars teaming up for a streaming original film — mostly comedy, and made on a budget that makes you wonder about the recovery without a theatrical run — has become a mainstay. What’s been difficult is to shake off the tag that these films offer little entertainment compares to their big-screen counterparts. Films like Prime Video’sYou’re Cordially Invited tell you why this trend is, unfortunately, not a fad. Director Nicholas Stoller, the maker behind comedies like Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Get Him to the Greek, The Five-Year Engagement and Bros, is back for another comedy headlined by powerhouses Will Ferrell and Reese Witherspoon. In You’re Cordially Invited, a single father, Jim (Will Ferrell), to get his daughter Jenni (Geraldine Viswanathan) married off, books a small inn on Palmetto Island where he got married years ago. Concurrently, television producer Margot (Reese Witherspoon) finds out that her sister Neve (Meredith Hagner) is planning on marrying and she volunteers to plan the wedding. She books the same Palmetto Island, where she and Neve visited their grandmother as children. Thanks to what can be only called a clerical error, both parties reach the island on the same day to learn about the double booking. While Jim and Margot initially decide to work it out by sharing the premises, their egos, insecurities, miscommunication, and many other mistakes play havoc.
Veduvan
Crime, Mystery (Tamil)
Sooraj, a struggling Tamil actor, is approached by a director to star in a biopic about Encounter Specialist Arun. As he dives deeper, he discovers there is much more to Arun’s story.
Cast:
Kanna Ravi, Sanjeev, Sravnitha Srikanth, Vinusha Devi, Rekha Nair, Lavanya, Aishwarya Raghupathi
Director:
Pavan
Writer:
Pavan
Kanna Ravi's sincere act falls short in rushed crime drama
Tue, October 14 2025
‘Veduvan’, now streaming on Zee5, throws us into the life of Sooraj, an aspiring actor who unexpectedly lands a lead role in a film about Arun, a cop with a controversial reputation for encounter killings. It’s a classic case of life imitating art, as Sooraj digs into Arun’s world - not just as research for a part, but in a way that starts to affect him deeply.
Caught Stealing
Crime, Thriller, Comedy (English)
Burned-out ex-baseball player Hank Thompson unexpectedly finds himself embroiled in a dangerous struggle for survival amidst the criminal underbelly of late 1990s New York City, forced to navigate a treacherous underworld he never imagined.
Cast:
Austin Butler, Regina King, Zoë Kravitz, Matt Smith, Liev Schreiber, Vincent D'Onofrio, Griffin Dunne, Nikita Kukushkin, Yuri Kolokolnikov, Bad Bunny
Director:
Darren Aronofsky
An urban nightmare turns into a redemption story
Sun, October 12 2025
Darren Aronofsky’s Caught Stealing is a crime thriller with a shot of black comedy. Adapted by author Charlie Huston from his own noir 2004 novel, the film, set in New York City in 1998, follows bartender Hank Thompson, played with remarkable physical and emotional commitment by Butler. Hank was once a promising minor-league baseball player. He now drifts through life as a bartender, carrying teenage trauma and regrets. When a neighbour asks him to look after his pet cat, a seemingly innocent favour propels Hank into a vortex of gangsters, corrupt cops and psychotic debt collectors. What begins as a noir caper unfurls into an Aronofsky psychodrama: a man’s descent into chaos, filmed with a feverish intimacy that’s both thrilling and affecting.
The Wrong Man
Sat, October 11 2025
Based on the screenplay by Charlie Huston, who also authored the original novel in 2004, Caught Stealing is a crime caper that smoothly shifts gears, culminating in a climax that will largely leave you feeling satisfied, as the end credits begin to roll.
Lord Curzon Ki Haveli
Comedy, Thriller (Hindi)
Follows four Desis as they meet in an unplanned dinner. Rohit tells his guests upon arriving that there is a corpse in the trunk. The not-so-innocent joke will change their lives that very night.
Cast:
Arjun Mathur, Paresh Pahuja, Zoha Rahman, Rasika Dugal, Tanmay Dhanania, Garrick Hagon
Director:
Anshuman Jha
Writer:
Bikas Ranjan Mishra
(Writing for The Daily Eye)
Dinner is served, suspense is not
Sun, October 12 2025
There’s something innately delicious about a good mystery — the kind that tightens its grip with every scene, whispering secrets just out of earshot, inviting the viewer to lean in, connect dots, and squint into the cinematic shadows. Alas, Lord Curzon Ki Haveli is not that film. Instead, what unfolds is an overwrought chamber drama that aspires to Hitchcockian suspense but lands somewhere between amateur theatre and a particularly awkward dinner party.
This mystery drama could have been a stage play
Sat, October 11 2025
Lord Curzon Ki Haveli, directed by Anshuman Jha, may have been a great mystery thriller on paper. The film, with a very Hitchcock vibe, starts on a promising note, but soon enough, almost 15 minutes into the film, it loses steam. Yes, that early. I will be honest, I sat alone only for its actors. It features Anuj Mathur, Rasika Dugal, Paresh Pahuja and Zoha Rahman- all very watchable actors, all who have proved their mettle in projects before. But Lord Curzon Ki Haveli is unable to use these actors to their hilt thanks to a sketchy plot which is woke unnecessarily and a terribly written screenplay.
Who was in the trunk all along?
Sat, October 11 2025
If you’ve ever stared at old British buildings from the colonial era that are scattered throughout hill stations such as Shimla and Mussoorie, and thought, “I bet something deeply absurd and faintly colonial is going on in there,” then Lord Curzon Ki Haveli exists to confirm your suspicions. Within minutes of the movie, we are in the territory of posh dread and psychological warfare, except this time, the ghosts are postcolonial. A mystery movie laced with dark comedy, it throws four Indians into an English countryside dinner party and watches them unravel.
The Smashing Machine
History, Drama (English)
In the late 1990s, up-and-coming mixed martial artist Mark Kerr aspires to become the greatest fighter in the world. However, he must also battle his opiod dependence and a volatile relationship with his girlfriend Dawn.
Cast:
Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, Ryan Bader, Bas Rutten, Lyndsey Gavin, Zoe Kosovic, Oleksandr Usyk, Satoshi Ishii, James Moontasri, Yoko Hamamura
Director:
Benny Safdie
Dwayne Johnson shines in otherwise dull film
Sat, October 11 2025
Don’t buy that bowl, I muttered, as Dwayne Johnson cradled it in his huge hands. It’s a Japanese bowl and will obviously break at some point, and will then be repaired by someone who can’t quite pronounce ‘kintsugi’ but says it anyway, upon which Oscar voters will have their minds blown by the realization that you’re a broken man who needs putting together.
(Writing for OTT Play)
Thriving Between A Rock & A Hard Place
Sat, October 11 2025
As an Indian critic pummelled into submission by the hagiographic reverence and sanitised beats of homegrown biopics over the years, a film like The Smashing Machine is always a bit of a culture shock. What do you mean the hero is not really a hero? What do you mean he’s willing to be emotionally naked, broken, vulnerable, ugly, difficult and unreasonable on screen? What do you mean he’s a victim of his own decisions and not wronged by the world? What do you mean he’s not an inspirational story with a message? Benny Safdie’s sports biopic has a mixed-martial-arts protagonist who’s a serial winner with a drug addiction problem, a mansplaining habit, a toxic relationship that weakens him, a punctured comeback arc, and, eventually, he’s barely even the protagonist. It has Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson finally playing the role he was born to play — that of a champion wrestler and near-invincible strongman — only to challenge his stardom with a painfully human(e) performance.
Dwayne Johnson delivers transformative performance in this anti-sports movie
Sat, October 11 2025
The Smashing Machine subverts the typical sports film formula, delivering a raw, intimate portrayal of survival, addiction, and self-acceptance. Rather than glorifying the triumph of the human spirit, the film dares to explore the darker aftermath of defeat — the self-doubt, the self-loathing, and the slow, painful unraveling of a once-great champion. Benny Safdie’s docudrama, based on the true story of MMA fighter Mark Kerr, begins scattered and subdued. The first half drifts through Kerr’s daily life with an almost aimless, indie-film energy that feels too loose, even frustrating at times.
Tron: Ares
Science Fiction, Adventure, Action (English)
A highly sophisticated Program called Ares is sent from the digital world into the real world on a dangerous mission, marking humankind's first encounter with A.I. beings.
Cast:
Jared Leto, Greta Lee, Evan Peters, Gillian Anderson, Jodie Turner-Smith, Jeff Bridges, Hasan Minhaj, Arturo Castro, Cameron Monaghan, Sarah Desjardins
Director:
Joachim Rønning
Jared Leto, Greta Lee's Entertaining Sci-Fi Sequel Delivers Rocking Score, Dazzling VFX
Sat, October 11 2025
Like most projects in Hollywood these days, the new film in the Tron franchise, Tron: Ares, asks if Artificial Intelligence (AI) can be used for good. Joachim Rønning’s feature brings forth some new characters wrestling with the idea of big tech harnessing AI for their own benefits. The franchise also returns back to the grid in both nostalgic and futuristic ways. The sequel sits on the fence, making its narrative appealing for fans and newcomers looking for an entertaining watch in theatres.
भव्य विजुअल्स वाली बेजान कहानी
Sat, October 11 2025
AI के मानव जीवन में दखल के बाद के खतरों पर लगातार चर्चा जारी है। अब AI और इंसानों के उसी मुठभेड़ को पर्दे पर शानदार तरीके से लेकर आई है, साइंस फिक्शन फिल्म Tron: Ares, जो ‘ट्रॉन’ (1982) और ‘ट्रॉन लिगेसी’ (2010) के बाद इस सुपरहिट फ्रेंचाइजी की तीसरी कड़ी है। विजुअल अपील के मामले में यह यह बेहद शानदार फिल्म है, लेकिन कहानी के स्तर पर खोखली साबित होती है।
Last Breath
Thriller, Drama (English)
Seasoned deep-sea divers battle the raging elements to rescue their crewmate trapped hundreds of feet below the ocean's surface.
Cast:
Woody Harrelson, Simu Liu, Finn Cole, Cliff Curtis, Mark Bonnar, MyAnna Buring, Josef Altin, Bobby Rainsbury, Connor Reed, Nick Biadon
Director:
Alex Parkinson
Writer:
Mitchell LaFortune, Alex Parkinson, David Brooks
A rare survival thriller that delivers without cranking up the melodrama
Sat, October 11 2025
A low-frills survival thriller with the drama ratcheted up to a level optimum enough to keep audiences on the edge of their seats is hard to come by. Last Breath gets quite a bit of that tricky formula right, even as it serves up an astounding story of resilience based on a true account. Directed by Alex Parkinson and released in select markets earlier this year, Last Breath is a feature film remake of the 2019 documentary that Parkinson co-directed with Richard da Costa. It follows the remarkable real-life story of a group of deep-sea divers who race against time to rescue a stranded teammate after an accident.
Search: The Naina Murder Case
Crime, Mystery (Hindi)
A veteran cop gets mired in a high-profile murder case when a girl is found dead in a politician's car. With multiple suspects, how will she unmask the killer?
Cast:
Konkona Sen Sharma, Surya Sharma, Shiv Panditt, Dhruv Sehgal, Shraddha Das, Chaandsi, Sagar Deshmukh, Iravati Harshe
Murder case unsolved, join the search
Sat, October 11 2025
It’s just another whodunit on the face of it, but packs pertinent points as it unfolds. The title itself is a giveaway. The very first scene shows flashes of a brutal killing. Here onwards, we come to the heart of the series: Konkona Sen Sharma. She is ACP (Crime Branch) Sanyukta Das, who is about to leave Mumbai to join her husband (a credible special appearance by Mukul Chadda) in Ahmedabad.
कोंकणा का दिखा दम, पर कहानी में रोमांच कम
Sat, October 11 2025
‘क्रिमिनल जस्टिस’, ‘मिथ्या’, ‘दुरंगा’, क्या आप जानते हैं कि रोहन सिप्पी के डायरेक्शन में बनीं इन सभी वेब सीरीज में एक कॉमन बात क्या है? ये सब किसी न किसी चर्चित वेब सीरीज का अडैप्टेशन हैं। अब इसी सिलसिले को आगे बढ़ाते हुए वह अपनी नई क्राइम थ्रिलर सीरीज ‘सर्च: द नैना मर्डर केस’ लेकर आए हैं। यह साल 2007 में आए मशहूर डैनिश शो ‘द किलिंग’ का इंडियन रीमेक है। यह सीरीज एक लड़की नैना के रेप और मर्डर की गुत्थी सुलझाने पर आधारित है।
Cliffhanger ending that provides zero resolution to the central mystery
Sat, October 11 2025
Hallow Road
Thriller, Mystery, Horror (English)
Two parents enter a race against time when they receive a distressing late-night phone call from their daughter after she caused a tragic car accident.
Cast:
Rosamund Pike, Matthew Rhys, Megan McDonnell, Tadhg Murphy, Stephen Jones, Paul Tylak
Director:
Babak Anvari
Writer:
William Gillies
Slick direction, strong performances and a twist no one saw coming
Thu, October 9 2025
Every parent’s worst nightmare comes scarily alive in Hallow Road, a smartly mounted and slickly directed thriller that is packed as much with chills as it is laden with metaphor. Hallow Road is directed by British-Iranian filmmaker Babak Anvari, who has earned his stripes in the horror genre with a few memorable titles, including the 2019 film Wounds, starring Armie Hammer, Dakota Johnson and Zazie Beetz. In his latest turn, he takes his craft a notch higher with a single vehicle-two people story that takes place within the course of a few hours one night.
Kantara A Legend: Chapter 1
Action, Thriller (Kannada)
Exploring the origins of Kaadubettu Shiva during the Kadamba dynasty era, it delves into the untamed wilderness and forgotten lore surrounding his past.
Cast:
Rishab Shetty, Rukmini Vasanth, Jayaram, Rakesh Poojari, Gulshan Devaiah, Pramod Shetty, Prakash Thuminad
Director:
Rishab Shetty
Writer:
Rishab Shetty, Anirudh Mahesh, Shanil Gowtham
Why Kantara was better than Kantara: Chapter 1
Tue, October 7 2025
Filmmaker-actor Rishab Shetty had set himself a lofty task after the unprecedented blockbuster success of Kantara (2022), particularly in its Hindi-dubbed version. Much like Prashanth Neel (KGF, 2018-22) and Sukumar (Pushpa, 2021-24), Shetty, too, expanded the universe of his pan-India franchise. Only instead of going forward, he chose to go back in time to establish the origins.
रहस्यमयी मधुबन में ले जाती ‘कांतारा-चैप्टर 1’
Tue, October 7 2025
तीन साल पहले कन्नड़ से हिन्दी में डब होकर आई थी ‘कांतारा’। एक लोक-कथा के मिश्रण में मूल निवासियों के जंगल पर अधिकार के संघर्ष, अमीर-गरीब और ऊंची-नीची जाति के भेदभाव और दैवीय न्याय को दिखाती वह फिल्म सीक्वेल की संभावना के साथ खत्म हुई थी। लेकिन जब इसके निर्देशक-अभिनेता ऋषभ शैट्टी ने ऐलान किया कि वह उसका सीक्वेल नहीं बल्कि प्रीक्वेल लाएंगे तो उत्सुकता और बढ़ गई थी। अब आई ‘कांतारा-चैप्टर 1’ उस बढ़ी हुई उत्सुकता को पूरी तरह से शांत करती है।
What happens to Berme in the end?
Mon, October 6 2025
There are films that end with closure, films that end with questions. And then there’s Kantara: Chapter 1, which ends with a divine tiger, a scheming princess, a possessed king, and Rishab Shetty turning into a ball of fire before shapeshifting into a goddess’s wrath. Yes, subtlety packed its bags early in this movie. And chances are you walked out of the theatre blinking and muttering, “Wait, what just happened?”