Guild Reviews
Emergency
Drama (Hindi)
Based on true events that unfolded in 1975, the film chronicles incidents that took place under the leadership of Indira Gandhi, one of the most powerful women in Indian history.
Cast:
Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Vishak Nair, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry, Satish Kaushik, Bhumika Chawla, Scott Alexander Young, Richard Bhakti Klein
Director:
Kangana Ranaut
Kangana Ranaut turns Indira Gandhi’s life into a lopsided listicle
Mon, January 20 2025
When Kangana Ranaut announced that she would direct Emergency, many felt it might be another weapon to whip the Congress in the election year to limit the memory of the grand old party’s rule to the 21-month blot that Indira Gandhi inflicted on democracy in 1975. After a long wait and multiple controversies, it turns out that the artist in Kangana has prevailed over the fledgling politician in her to create an ambitious biopic of the former Prime Minister, where the Emergency period is a dark chapter in her storied journey from Anand Bhawan to 1 Safdarjung Road. However, in an attempt to find the roots of dictatorial insecurities in Indira’s psyche, the writers (Kangana and Ritesh Shah) tie the screenplay into knots. The muddled gaze results in a spiritual cousin of The Accidental Prime Minister where a biopic vilifies or dilutes its subject to serve the present dispensation.
Kangana Ranaut Places the Hindi Historical Under Curfew
Sat, January 18 2025
In Emergency, Kangana Ranaut plays Indira Gandhi who plays Kangana Ranaut. Let me explain. Ranaut performs as the former Prime Minister of India when the politician is flawed, cruel, paranoid, a nepotism hire, power-hungry, guilty, and the mother of Sanjay Gandhi. Her voice becomes high-pitched, uneven and shaky in these parts. But Indira Gandhi seems to perform as Ranaut when the woman is defiant, patriotic, headstrong, resilient, reverential towards the opposition (Janata Party leaders Jayaprakash Narayan and Atal Bihari Vajpayee), and the mother of the nation. Her voice becomes firm, furious and confident in these parts.
Kangana Ranaut’s Indira Gandhi Biopic Is Enjoyable For Its Performances
Sat, January 18 2025
The Kangana Ranaut directorial is a fictional account of Indira Gandhi’s personal life experiences as a daughter, wife, politician and a woman of the nation. Led by Kangana in the leading role, the film does take creative liberties but impresses with writing that provides full-circle moments and character-focused direction. It is important to emphasise that the film is not a biopic or documentation of the real political personality but fiction an account of her life. The makers before the film began emphasized the film is based on two books. Emergency begins with Indira’s childhood and how she was inspired by her grandfather’s vision and understanding of Indraprastha, a play in ancient Indian history and its equivalent Delhi in today’s time where a constant struggle remains for power. Since childhood Indira focuses on winning the big battles and the same remains throughout her political career. The film also gives glimpses of her personal life her little interactions with her husband and her children through flashbacks and presently as her career progressed. The first half feels rushed as the story progresses through her political career with only a few incidents in the foreground. From the death of her father, her feeling betrayed by him to taking control of the party.
Azaad
Drama, Action (Hindi)
In 1920s India, a young stable boy bonds with a spirited horse. Amid rebellion and tyranny, his quest to ride the majestic animal becomes a journey of courage, awakening him to the country's fight for freedom.
Cast:
Aaman Devgan, Rasha Thadani, Ajay Devgn, Diana Penty, Mohit Malik, Piyush Mishra, Jiya Imran Amin, Rasha, Dylan Jones, Akshay Anand Kohli
Director:
Abhishek Kapoor
Writer:
Abhishek Kapoor, K. Hariharan, Ritesh Shah, Suresh Nair
Aaman Devgan’s debut is a disappointing ride
Sun, January 19 2025
Betaab, Barsaat, Mirziya… Bollywood somehow loves to launch its kids on horses. Abhishek Kapoor’s Azaad is the latest addition to the list where Ajay Devgn’s nephew Aaman Devgan, and Raveena Tandon’s daughter Rasha Thadani, get a horse ride because of their pedigree.
इंसान और पशु प्रेम की बानगी देती यह फिल्म अमन देवगन के लिए देखी जा सकती है।
Sat, January 18 2025
बॉलीवुड में इंसान और जानवरों के प्यार, दोस्ती और वफादारी पर ‘हाथी मेरे साथी’ और ‘तेरी मेहरबानियां’ जैसी यादगार फिल्में बनी हैं। हालांकि, वक्त के साथ इन बेजुबानों के साथ इंसानी रिश्तों की कहानियां कम होती गईं, पर अब डायरेक्टर अभिषेक कपूर इस कड़ी को आगे बढ़ाते हुए फिल्म ‘आजाद’ लेकर आए हैं, जिसका केंद्र एक घोड़ा है। अपनी फिल्मों से फरहान अख्तर, सुशांत सिंह राजपूत और सारा अली खान को बॉलीवुड में लॉन्च करने वाले अभिषेक कपूर इस फिल्म से भी दो नए चेहरों, अजय देवगन के भांजे अमन देवगन और रवीना टंडन की बेटी राशा थडानी को पर्दे पर उतार रहे हैं। फिल्म में इन दोनों नए एक्टर्स, खासकर अमन ने आत्मविश्वास भरी अदाकारी से खुद को लंबी रेस का घोड़ा साबित करने की बढ़िया कोशिश की है।
Dear Bollywood, Stop Horsing Around
Sat, January 18 2025
Azaad is fit, handsome, muscular and agile. His flowy hair is the talk of the town. He plays hard to get. He looks away and sighs if he isn’t interested. He loves his whisky neat — and straight from the bottle. He sits on a bed when he’s tired. He loses his appetite when he’s sad; he eats only if his food is spiked with alcohol. He has expensive taste. He farts in a closed room. He isn’t afraid to defy outdated perceptions of masculinity: his eyes go glassy when he gets a whiff of his late companion’s scent from a turban. He remembers the day they met and necked. He remembers their adolescent-love song together: “Ab jeene ki koi wajah toh hai” (I now have a reason to live). He isn’t ashamed of weeping. He likes dancing. He loves racing, too. Azaad is an expressive action hero; this film is his big-budget launch vehicle. There’s only one problem though: Azaad is a horse.
Black Warrant
Drama, Crime (Hindi)
When an upright officer accepts a job at Tihar Jail, he vows to make amends after witnessing cold-blooded corruption within its walls.
Cast:
Zahan Kapoor, Rahul Bhat, Paramvir Singh Cheema, Anurag Thakur, Rajshri Deshpande, Rajendra Gupta, Sidhant Gupta, Tota Roy Chowdhury, Joy Sengupta
Writer:
Satyanshu Singh, Arkesh Ajay
जेल की अनदेखी दुनिया की सच्ची बानगी और बेहतरीन परफॉर्मेँसेज के लिए देखनी चाहिए।
Sat, January 18 2025
जेल एक ऐसी जगह है, जिससे हर कोई दूर ही रहना चाहेगा। यही वजह है कि जेल की भीतर की दुनिया के बारे में लोगों को कम ही जानकारी रहती है। हां, कई फिल्मों में जेल में होने वाली दबंगई, खराब खाना, बारिश में सोने की भी जगह ना मिलने जैसी चीजें जरूर देखने को मिली है, लेकिन विक्रमादित्य मोटवाने की नई वेब सीरीज ब्लैक वारंट जेल की दुनिया की स्याह सचाई को इतनी गहराई से दिखाती है कि आप इसमें खोते जाते हैं। एशिया की सबसे बड़ी तिहाड़ के जेलर सुनील कुमार गुप्ता और पत्रकार सुनेत्र चौधरी की इसी शीर्षक से लिखी किताब पर आधारित यह सीरीज जेल के भीतर होने वाले भ्रष्टाचार, जेलर-कैदी के रिश्तों, उनकी जिंदगी के साथ-साथ अस्सी के दशक में फांसी पर चढ़े चर्चित कैदियों की कहानी भी दिखाती है।
Vikramaditya Motwane helms a compelling prison drama
Fri, January 17 2025
For a country so invested in rewriting history, it is shocking that there exist so few films and shows that tackle the contours of modern Indian history. Narratives set in pre-Independence India abound in Hindi cinema habituated to churning out period films by the dozen even though filmmakers are rarely burdened by facts or historical accuracy. Oftentimes, the genre, which spans historical biopics and narratives tracking several periods of the country’s freedom movement, becomes a means to an end — a way of reiterating religious extremism of the present rather than investigating the social conscience of a nation.
Zahan Kapoor shines in Vikramaditya Motwane's Netflix jail drama
Tue, January 14 2025
This review is based on the initial three episodes of the new Netflix show titled Black Warrant, based on a book of the same name by journalist Sunetra Choudhary and former Tihar Jail superintendent Sunil Gupta. However, going by the detailing shown in these episodes, there are chances of the rating going even higher eventually. Confession in the beginning: I haven’t read the book, which has given me a fresh perspective that is mostly driven by the entertainment quotient of the show. If you’re not looking for the mismatch between the book and the show, then you’re mostly looking for the right tempo and pace. Seconds into the show and you meet the lead of the biographical drama, jailer Sunil Gupta, a docile-looking but gritty middleclass boy with empathy in eyes and a hesitant body language. Wait a minute, have I not seen this full of potential actor somewhere before?
Fateh
Action, Crime, Thriller (Hindi)
A former gangster is hired to guard a young woman. In order to keep her safe, he must employ all of his abilities while simultaneously attempting to learn the truth about the threats made against her.
Cast:
Sonu Sood, Jacqueline Fernandez, Naseeruddin Shah, Vijay Raaz, Dibyendu Bhattacharya, Shivjyoti Rajput
Director:
Sonu Sood
Writer:
Ankur Pajni
Sonu Sood’s Directorial Brings Unexpected Surprises With Good Action
Sat, January 18 2025
Fateh marked Sonu Sood’s directional debut as well as his first all-out lead action role. The film attempts to talk about social issues as well as presents a hero with a bad boy image but has good intentions. With easy and comic dialogues the film does have much to offer to easy-going audience and can be relatable despite the action-heavy extravagant plot. Sonu Sood also gets a chance to show off his charm but his stoic demeanour works for him more. The film kicks off with an action packed scene where Sood walks into a room full of gangsters working for the cyber mafia and takes them down effortlessly. Though the scene is long it does brings one of the best action sequences in the film. Sood looks effortless during the action sequences even when the camera is slow to track the movements. The plot however takes a flashback as Sood is taken down recalling his life and his mission.
Sat, January 11 2025
गैट-सैट-स्लीप ‘फतेह’
Sat, January 11 2025
पंजाब के किसी गांव में लोगों को लोन दिलवाने वाली एक लड़की दिल्ली आकर गुम हो जाती है। उस लड़की के घर में रह कर एक डेयरी फॉर्म में नौकरी करने वाला सीधा-सादा फतेह सिंह उसे ढूंढने निकला है। फतेह जहां जाता है, लाशें बिछने लगती हैं। कौन है फतेह? क्या करता है वह? फतेह इस लड़की को तलाश पाया या…! किसी खुफिया एजेंसी के रिटायर्ड एजेंट के किसी कारण से तबाही के धंधे में वापस आने की कहानियां खूब बनती हैं। बस इन एजेंटों के वापस आने का कारण अलग-अलग होता है। इस फिल्म में कारण है लोन देने के बहाने लोगों का डेटा जमा करना और उसके ज़रिए उन के बैंक अकाउंट खाली करना। इस फिल्म (Fateh) में यह तामझाम खूब फैला हुआ दिखाया गया है लेकिन यह न तो तार्किक है और न ही कायदे से समझाया गया है।
Pravinkoodu Shappu
Thriller, Crime, Mystery (Malayalam)
On a rainy night, a toddy shop owner is found hanging after 11 people stayed inside playing cards in the closed shop. SI Santhosh investigates, uncovering secrets to find the killer.
Cast:
Soubin Shahir, Basil Joseph, Chemban Vinod Jose, Chandini Sreedharan, Shivajith Padmanabhan, Shabareesh Varma, Niyas Backer, Prathapan K S, Rajesh Azhikkodan
Director:
Sreeraj Sreenivasan
Writer:
Sreeraj Sreenivasan
Intriguing thriller underutilises its potential
Sat, January 18 2025
One well-crafted sequence can sometimes make a film worthwhile, even when the film in its totality hits a notch below where it could have. These sequences tell us of the possibilities that a filmmaker holds, and serve as a showreel of someone whose work is worth looking forward to. Such sequences are galore in debutant Sreeraj Sreenivasan’s Pravinkoodu Shappu, partly thanks to cinematographer Shyju Khalid, who has shot some of the major Malayalam films of the past decade. To list out a few, there is a school bus chase sequence that sends chills down your spine due to its clever staging; there are thoughtfully lit night scenes inside a toddy shop, and one by a pond where a murder is taking place under the dim, reddish tail lamps of a vehicle; or like that of a masked man attacking a house at night, seen from the point of view of the woman facing it; or even the opening sequence which juxtaposes a classic nostalgic song with a shocking visual.
Nesippaya
Action, Romance (Tamil)
Two lovers, separated by life's circumstances, are reunited by a tragic fate—a murder. Arjun, driven by his love for Diya, defies all odds, crosses boundaries, and braves the unknown to uncover the truth behind her tragic fate.
Cast:
Akash Murali, Aditi Shankar, Prabhu, R. Sarathkumar, Khushboo, Kalki Koechlin, George Kora, Shiv Panditt, Vikram Arul Vidyapathi, Prajna Ravi
Director:
Vishnuvardhan
Writer:
Vishnuvardhan, Neelan K. Sekar
A promising yet meandering romantic drama that has one too many rough edges
Wed, January 15 2025
What’s cute between a couple heads-over-heels in love might not seem the same for someone sitting on the table next to them in a crowded restaurant. But that’s the beauty of romance, I guess. Gestures that make up a secret language that can be spoken unabashedly and unfiltered in a space that isn’t conducive for romance to grow. It is in the unlikeliest of places that the strongest of romance is brewed between people who are steadfast in their belief that they have found their soulmate. And in the case of the protagonists of Vishnu Varadhan’s Nesippaya, this place is a Portugal prison. But let’s get to it in a minute. First up, the film introduces Akash and Aditi with two contrasting scenes that don’t actually give Nesippaya a romantic vibe. Akash’s Arjun crashes into a school bus, and takes it hostage. Aditi’s Diya is arrested in Portugal for the murder of the rich heir of an Indian businessman based out of the European country. And then, we piece together the reason behind this Portugal sojourn while the narrative crisscrosses between this story and the love story of Arjun and Diya. It is love at first sight for Arjun as he literally turns the spotlight on Diya as she dances her way into his heart. One might argue it is just an infatuation, but from time immemorial, Tamil cinema heroes have often confused crush and infatuation with love, and convinced the audience that they were seeing epic love stories unfold. But let’s get to it in a minute.
Aditi Shankar, Akash Murali's suspense drama lacks thrill
Tue, January 14 2025
Director Vishnuvardhan returns to Tamil cinema after a decade. Known for his unique style of storytelling, the Shershaah director picked a suspense drama with Nesippaya and introduces legendary actor Murali (late) and actor Atharvaa’s younger brother, Akash Murali, to Tamil cinema. Alongside Akash Murali is director Shankar’s daughter Aditi, who is regarded as one of the most promising talents in recent times. Diya Ramalingam (Aditi Shankar) is accused of murder and is lodged in a prison in Portugal. Indrani (Kalki Koechlin) is representing her and is trying to secure a re-investigation despite pressure from influential people. Meanwhile, Diya’s ex-boyfriend Arjun (Akash Murali) gets to know of her arrest from the news and heads to Portugal.
Sankranthiki Vasthunam
Action, Comedy (Telugu)
An ex-cop's attempt to rescue a key figure becomes a hilarious juggling act between his wife and former lover.
Cast:
Venkatesh, Aishwarya Rajesh, Meenakshi Chaudhary, Upendra Limaye, Sai Kumar, Srinivasa Reddy, Naresh, VTV Ganesh, Srinivas Avasarala, Vadlamani Srinivas
Director:
Anil Ravipudi
Writer:
Anil Ravipudi
Anil Ravipudi and Venkatesh’s film delivers mindless laughs
Wed, January 15 2025
A character named Bulli Raju, played by child actor Revanth, mouths expletives that send grown-ups into a tizzy. We hear some of these words while the rest is masked by the background score. A section of the audience may wonder why the filmmaker makes a boy say things beyond his age. The very next minute, writer-director Anil Ravipudi’s Telugu film Sankranthiki Vasthunam reasons that the young mind has been corrupted by an overdose of content on digital platforms! Bulli Raju’s antics in an early scene bring the house down and set the tone for the film. Teaming up with Venkatesh Daggubati for the third time, after the farcical comedies F2 and F3, Anil is aware that all his target audiences want are a few good laughs. Logical reasoning and political correctness can take a backseat. Within that framework, the film delivers several laughs.
Kadhalikka Neramillai
Romance, Drama, Comedy (Tamil)
Does the idea of a perfect life leading to love, marriage and babies exist? Shriya finds it a challenge, especially when she meets men like Siddarth who think marriage is a recipe for disaster, and babies should be banned. When times are changing and relationships are evolving, the idea of love remains timeless- the more you resist it the more you will fall in love.
Cast:
Ravi Mohan, Nithya Menen, TJ Bhanu, John Kokken, Lal, Mano, Vinodhini Vaidyanathan, Lakshmi Ramakrishnan, Yogi Babu, Vinay Rai
Director:
Kiruthiga Udhayanidhi
Writer:
Kiruthiga Udhayanidhi
Nithya Menen, Ravi Mohan shine bright in Kiruthiga Udhayanidhi’s warm and chic romcom
Wed, January 15 2025
Romcoms are all about the first time the leads meet. In 99 cases out of 100, we know what is going to happen to the leads when they cross paths for the first time. Whatever might happen between the first time they meet, and the closing credits start to roll, we know how their stories would end. So, why does this genre still have that allure? There is a joy in vicariously living a happily ever after through the lives of others, right? In Kiruthiga Udhayanidhi’s Kadhalikka Neramillai, these others are Shriya (Nithya Menen) and Siddharth (Ravi Mohan), and it is their story that we follow through different cities, different lives, and different timelines before it ends up like all good romcoms end up as… flawed, familiar, and frabjous. While Kadhalikka Neramillai definitely has the beats of staple Hollywood romcoms of the 90s and 00s, it has its antecedents in an even older Tamil film… K Bhagyaraj’s Mouna Geethangal (1981). In fact, this is an urban and updated version of the 44-year-old film, and there are enough upgrades in Kadhalikka Neramillai to make it more of a hat-tip rather than a full-blown remake. And each of these upgrades work perfectly in sync with the theme and treatment of the movie. Siddharth hates kids, but he loves the idea of romance. Shriya loves kids, and loves the idea of romance. And in between, there is Nirupama (TJ Bhanu), who loves the idea of romance and marriage, and is open to the idea of kids and a family.
A Charming Cultural Update Of 'O Kadhal Kanmani'
Wed, January 15 2025
Right from the casting of the delightful Nithya Menen as Shriya, to the picture-perfect houses; from AR Rahman’s youthful score to the way these songs are shot, coded in shades of red and blue; there’s a dotingly recreated design in Kadhalikka Neramillai that is meant to evoke Mani Ratnam’s O Kadhal Kanmani (2015). Like the 2015 romance, Kiruthiga Udhayanadhi’s film also is set around two hyper-individualistic protagonists, each with their own sets of rules and quirks. If OKK was about a couple that was marriage-averse, Kadhalikka Neramillai is about two people who do not believe in commitment. But what if you add an extra layer of conflict into their midst by throwing in the idea of having children? That is what makes Kadhalikka Neramillai a cultural update of O Kadhal Kanmani, like a thought exercise that was born when someone mooted, “What if Tara and Aditya from OKK met, but later, when they are in their 30s?” It’s this bit of tweaking that makes for a more complex film. In a casual breakfast scene set at Shriya’s house, we see her correcting her mother (lovingly called Kanmani!) when she assumes Shriya to still be a virgin. This isn’t a movie about glossy love-at-first-sight moments or syrupy meet-cutes. Well into their adult lives, both Sid (Ravi Mohan) and Shriya (Nithya Menen) have been through enough heartbreaks to realise that love is… a matter of time.
Nithya Menen and Ravi Mohan are brilliant in a breezy romance that opts for moments over magnificence
Wed, January 15 2025
‘God works in mysterious ways’ they say, and in a way, love does too. While the romance genre itself is done to death in all art forms, very few Tamil films have captured the intricacies of contemporary relationships and the multiple factors that might have to fall into place for them to work. The latest to join the elusive list is director Kiruthiga Udhayanidhi’s Kadhalikka Neramillai starring the fantastic duo, Nithya Menen and Ravi Mohan. In Kadhalikka Neramillai, Shreya (Nithya) and Sidharth (Ravi Mohan) are two oddballs with diametrically opposite belief systems, only their recent heartbreaks and profession being the common factor between them. While fate brings them together, the meet-cute leads to a dead end. When their paths cross years later, one is now a single parent while the other gets an unwelcome visitor from their past. Whether they put aside their differences and come together forms the rest of Kadhalikka Neramillai.
Daaku Maharaaj
Action (Telugu)
A man defends a beleaguered rural community from murderous drug-traffickers.
Cast:
Nandamuri Balakrishna, Bobby Deol, Pragya Jaiswal, Shraddha Srinath, Vedha Agarwal, Makrand Deshpande, Sachin Khedekar, Chandini Chowdary, Urvashi Rautela, Ravi Kishan
Director:
Bobby Kolli
This Nandamuri Balakrishna star vehicle is slightly old wine in a dazzling new bottle
Tue, January 14 2025
No one in Telugu cinema loves playing the saviour as much as Nandamuri Balakrishna. The more grave the injustice, the more weapons he can wield, the more henchmen he can kill, and the more noise his dialogues can make. Probably why he feels most at home in a Boyapati Srinu film which allows him to be all this and much more. In Bobby Kolli’s latest, Daaku Maharaaj, Balakrishna is a do-gooder with a strong emotional core. He is a doting guardian of a young girl who seems to effortlessly put a smile on his face. And yes, he is also a saviour who saves an entire district from brutal oppression, wields fascinating weapons, kills hundreds of henchmen in innovatively gory ways, and says lines like, “If you shout, it is barking… if I shout…” and Thaman inserts a lion’s roar in the background score. Daaku Maharaaj is the quintessential Balakrishna film, but it is burdened by the hangover of a number of films including Rajinikanth’s Jailer, Kamal Haasan’s Vikram, and the ‘God of Masses’ own filmography.
Bobby Kolli, Balakrishna’s film is more style than substance
Sun, January 12 2025
Balakrishna’s resurgence in recent films such as Akhanda and Bhagawant Kesari can be attributed to filmmakers Boyapati Sreenu and Anil Ravipudi making the star more relatable to the masses beyond his larger-than-life quirks. While the ethos of a typical Balakrishna film has not changed drastically, the fresh narrative styles have breathed a new lease of life into time-tested templates. In Daaku Maharaaj, it is evident that director Bobby Kolli was keen on a new visual aesthetic to a star-led vehicle. The action is stylised and slick; there is a genuine effort at charismatic world-building and the ‘punch lines’ are minimal (going by the standards of popular Telugu masala potboilers). Hero worship is woven into the narrative rather than appearing forced. Despite these merits the film falls short, owing to its lack of conviction in the execution. It neither plays to the galleries nor embraces the new dictum wholeheartedly. A handful of sequences draw attention and can be termed paisa vasool, but the film on the whole is not satisfying.
Nandamuri Balakrishna shines in template vigilante thriller
Sun, January 12 2025
Nandamuri Balakrishna struck a hat-trick with Akhanda, Veera Simha Reddy and Bhagavanth Kesari. Now, he is back with his next outing, Daaku Maharaaj, with director Bobby Kolli, aiming to make it four in a row. Balakrishna, fondly called Balayya by fans, is known for his over-the-top faction entertainers. Will he strike gold with Daaku Maharaaj? Govind Gujjar (Makarand Deshpande) sends a message to Nanaji (Nandamuri Balakrishna) that Baby Vaishnavi is in danger. Vaishnavi and her family face threats from local MLA, Thirumurthulu Naidu and his brother (Sandeep Raj) after they are caught cultivating cocaine on the pretext of tea production. Nanaji arrives as a driver and protects Baby Vaishnavi and her family from grave dangers.
Juror #2
Crime, Drama (English)
While serving as a juror in a high profile murder trial, family man Justin Kemp finds himself struggling with a serious moral dilemma…one he could use to sway the jury verdict and potentially convict—or free—the accused killer.
Cast:
Nicholas Hoult, Toni Collette, J.K. Simmons, Chris Messina, Gabriel Basso, Zoey Deutch, Cedric Yarbrough, Leslie Bibb, Kiefer Sutherland, Amy Aquino
Director:
Clint Eastwood
Writer:
Jonathan A. Abrams
Clint Eastwood’s compelling courtroom drama puts institutions on trial
Tue, January 14 2025
Director William Friedkin was so old and uninsurable during the making of the courtroom drama The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial that the Oscar-winner Guillermo del Toro sat beside him on set every day, contractually bound to take over in case Friedkin were to — forgive the morbidity — die mid-production. The legendary filmmaker got the job done, but passed away not long afterwards. He was 87 years old. Clint Eastwood is even older; at 94, he just delivered what could be his final film, Juror No 2. Coincidentally another courtroom drama, the movie arrives over three decades after Eastwood entered the self-reflective phase of his career with the contemplative Western Unforgiven. In the last decade or so, he has devoted himself — as one would expect of a dying man — to understanding the idea of decency. Having made a name for himself in a genre famous for viewing the world in black and white, Eastwood has spent the better part of the last couple of decades dabbling in different shades of grey.
In the hands of Clint Eastwood, Juror #2 becomes much more than a regular courtroom drama.
Mon, December 23 2024
Sometimes truth isn’t justice, and justice isn’t truth’. Delivered with both pain and profundity in the penultimate moments of Juror#2, this incandescent line not only sums up the film, but the justice system as a whole, anywhere in the world. Exposing the fault lines in our rules of crime and punishment, but in the kind of quiet yet forceful manner which has been a signature of his brand of filmmaking ever since Clint Eastwood first put on the director’s hat a staggering 53 years ago, Juror#2 is the type of film that makes your mind go back to it time and again even days and weeks after watching it.
Sugarcane
Documentary (English)
An investigation into abuse and missing children at an Indian residential school in Canada ignites a reckoning on the nearby Sugarcane Reserve.
Cast:
Julian Brave NoiseCat, Willie Sellars, Charlene Belleau, Ed Archie Noisecat, Chief Willie Sellars
Director:
Emily Kassie, Julian Brave NoiseCat
Writer:
Emily Kassie
An Oscar wouldn’t be enough for this searing documentary about a grave social injustice
Tue, January 14 2025
Perhaps the year’s most striking documentary, Sugarcane is billed as an ‘investigation’ into the crimes that were committed by Catholic missionaries against Indigenous peoples of Canada across a century, but it is equally successful as an examination of inherited trauma, and as a study of a community in crisis. At the beginning of the 20th Century, schools were set up specifically for Indigenous children across North America, ostensibly to help them assimilate into Western culture. The children were subjected to unspeakable crimes at these ‘residential’ institutions, operated exclusively by the Catholic church, causing many of them to take their lives as they grew older. The magnitude of the tragedy, which is revealed gradually throughout the film, is immeasurable.
Wallace and Gromit Vengeance Most Fowl
Animation, Comedy, Family, Adventure (English)
Gromit’s concern that Wallace is becoming too dependent on his inventions proves justified, when Wallace invents a “smart” gnome that seems to develop a mind of its own. When it emerges that a vengeful figure from the past might be masterminding things, it falls to Gromit to battle sinister forces and save his master… or Wallace may never be able to invent again!
Cast:
Ben Whitehead, Peter Kay, Lauren Patel, Reece Shearsmith, Diane Morgan, Adjoa Andoh, Muzz Khan, Lenny Henry, Victoria Elliott, Jon Glover
Director:
Nick Park, Merlin Crossingham
Iconic British duo returns in a whimsical new adventure for the Netflix age
Tue, January 14 2025
Trust Wallace to get himself mixed up in a plot that puts all of humanity at peril. The eccentric inventor — he’s the protagonist of Nick Park’s four-time Oscar-winning stop-motion animation series — makes his streaming debut alongside his ‘top dog’ Gromit with the feature-length Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl. Released on Netflix, the film is a pure nostalgia trip for fans who grew up with their charming adventures, replete with quirky household gizmos, absurd villains, and more cheese than you’d find in a Frenchman’s larder.
Aardman's Animated Sequel Featuring Beloved Characters Strikes Gold Again
Thu, January 9 2025
It’s been 20 years since the last Wallace & Gromit feature film, The Curse of the Were-Rabbit. And this follow-up does not disappoint, largely due to the reappearance of the greatest villain in the franchise, Feather McGraw. Yes, that dastardly silent penguin is back, and he wants revenge on the duo that sent him to jail all those years ago. Will he succeed? Not if Gromit has his way. With Nick Park back as co-director, Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl is a funny, delightful romp in the neighbourhood. Wallace’s newest invention in the film is a Norbot, a smart gnome robot ready to help poor Gromit around the house. Even when he doesn’t need any help. What the pair don’t realise that someone’s got their eye on them, all the way from jail, as the quick-witted penguin has been biding his time, waiting to get back at Wallace for turning him into the authorities in the 1993 short film The Wrong Trousers for attempting to steal the Blue Diamond. Soon, Wallace and his trusty dog Gromit are evading the police, who believe he might be the recent spate of neighbourhood robberies.