Guild Reviews
Hellbound S02
Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi & Fantasy (Korean)
Unearthly beings deliver bloody condemnations, sending individuals to hell and giving rise to a religious group founded on the idea of divine justice.
Cast:
Kim Sung-cheol, Kim Hyun-joo, Yang Ik-june, Im Sung-jae, Lee Dong-hee
Director:
Yeon Sang-ho
The Hit Korean Thriller Has a Decent Round-Two
Tue, October 29 2024
After his tryst with hell for many years, Jung Jinsu, the brain behind the New Truth, is back and recognises the growing prominence of the Arrowhead in the society. Jinsu realises he may not be the only one to be resurrected back to the land of the living. Does resurrection eventually mean damnation or will it pave the path to true salvation?
Anora
Drama, Comedy, Romance (English)
A young sex worker from Brooklyn gets her chance at a Cinderella story when she meets and impulsively marries the son of an oligarch. Once the news reaches Russia, her fairytale is threatened as his parents set out to get the marriage annulled.
Cast:
Mikey Madison, Mark Eydelshteyn, Yura Borisov, Karren Karagulian, Vache Tovmasyan
Director:
Sean Baker
Writer:
Sean Baker
Reimagination of 'Pretty Woman' With Some Twists
Tue, October 29 2024
A lot of the splendour in Sean Baker’s Anora lies in its treatment – where we might be shown one thing, but deliberately made to feel something else. For example, the film opens with a discomfiting panning shot featuring barely-clothed exotic dancers performing with neon lights around them. However, Baker scores this scene with a loud, winsome techno song taking what is a distressing visual of young women forced to work a job that fetishises them, and drains the self-pity out of it.
Caddo Lake
Thriller, Mystery, Drama, Science Fiction (English)
When an 8-year-old girl mysteriously vanishes on Caddo Lake, a series of past deaths and disappearances begin to link together, forever altering a broken family’s history.
Cast:
Dylan O'Brien, Eliza Scanlen, Lauren Ambrose, Sam Hennings, Diana Hopper
Director:
Logan George
Producer M Night Shyamalan’s new mind-bender is among the finest thrillers of the year
Tue, October 29 2024
A slow-burn thriller with a deep emotional core, an intricately plotted genre exercise, and an acting showcase for two talented young performers, Caddo Lake, on paper, sounds like the complete package. It takes a while to get going, and the first act is particularly testing, but it’s also the kind of film that gets better with every passing minute. In fact, Caddo Lake is at its best towards the end, when it ties all — or, at least two — of its narrative threads together, unleashing an emotional wallop that rivals only the sheer thrill of watching its well-executed twist.
Pani
Action, Crime (Malayalam)
When the peaceful married life of a couple is unexpectedly disrupted by two youngsters with criminal inclination, the trials and tribulations connect the mobster lives of Thrissur by becoming a part of vengeance.
Cast:
Joju George, Abhinaya, Chandini Sreedharan, Abhaya Hiranmayi, Sona Maria Abraham
Director:
Joju George
Writer:
Joju George
Joju George’s gory drama works despite its typical revenge plot
Tue, October 29 2024
When a gruesome murder happens in broad daylight at the beginning of a film, one expects the murder to be the major event around which everything else will revolve. But Joju George’s Pani really takes off from a smaller fight that Don (Sagar Surya) and Siju (V.P.Junaiz), the two murderers, get involved in at a supermarket later in the day.
Before
Drama, Mystery (English)
After tragically losing his wife, child psychiatrist Dr. Eli Adler encounters a troubled young boy who seems to have a haunting connection to Eli's past.
Cast:
Billy Crystal, Judith Light, Rosie Perez, Jacobi Jupe, Maria Dizzia
Billy Crystal's Psychological Thriller Is Tedious And Unnecessarily Creepy
Sun, October 27 2024
Billy Crystal is known for his roles that show off his comedic range like Harry Met Sally… and City Slickers. With his latest project, Before, the veteran actor is trying out a different side to his talent. He plays a grieving widower who finds purpose treating a young boy named Noah with unprocessed trauma. Written by creator Sarah Thorp, the psychological thriller delves into coincidences, fate and things science can’t explain. The Apple TV+ has a shaky narrative that gets repetitive fast and leaves its big reveal too late.
Boong
Drama (Hindi)
In the valley of Manipur, Boong (*a little boy) plans to surprise his mother with a gift. In his innocence, he believes that bringing his father back home would be the most special gift. His search for his father culminates into an unexpected gift – a new beginning….
Cast:
Gugun Kipgen, Bala Hijam, Angom Sanamatum, Vikram Kochhar, Hamom Sadananda
Director:
Lakshmipriya Devi
Writer:
Lakshmipriya Devi
Fine blend of heart-touching moments and natural humour
Sat, October 26 2024
Aijaz Khan’s Hamid and Danish Renzu’s Half Widow are the names that easily come to my mind when it comes to movies about husbands going missing. But both the aforementioned films have the backdrop of the political crisis in Kashmir. This is where filmmaker Lakshmipriya Devi’s Manipuri movie Boong stands apart. It is more of a personal story of a boy whose father goes missing not due to any political tensions.
This Is the Zodiac Speaking
Documentary (English)
A documentary featuring interviews with the people involved with the Zodiac killings, covering every aspect of the investigation, including the original investigators and surviving victims.
Cast:
George Bawart, Pierre Bidou, Russell T. Butterbach
Director:
David Prior
The most famous unsolved murder case in American history gets the Netflix treatment
Sat, October 26 2024
Often described as ‘the most famous unsolved murder case in American history’, the Zodiac Killer’s brutal spree in the 1960s and ‘70s attracted a flock of amateur investigators before true crime was even a thing. But now it is, and as per the law, Netflix is mandated to make a three-part documentary series about it. Titled This is the Zodiac Speaking, the show confusingly omits the real-life chapter that inspired this title, and presents, instead, a new angle to the case, one that has been flogged to death by documentarians, filmmakers, and podcasters alike. This is the Zodiac Speaking has the same fast-paced narrative that has come to define most of these Netflix true crime content; the tone is perpetually ominous, the violence and mayhem is circled and highlighted, cheap recreations are used to heighten the drama. The ending, invariably, is anti-climactic. But the show attempts to sidestep this inevitability by picking its lane and sticking to it. In minute one, This is the Zodiac Speaking identifies a possible suspect — in fact, the only person who was ever publicly named by the police as a person of interest — and proceeds to move heaven and earth in an effort to corroborate its claims.
Vicky Vidya Ka Woh Wala Video
Comedy (Hindi)
Vicky and Vidya, newly married, decide to record a video of their first night together as a keepsake for the future. However, their plan goes awry when the CD with the video gets stolen. What follows is a chaotic and comedic journey as the couple scrambles to retrieve it before things spiral out of control.
Cast:
Rajkummar Rao, Triptii Dimri, Vijay Raaz, Mallika Sherawat, Tiku Talsania
Director:
Raaj Shaandilyaa
Writer:
Raaj Shaandilyaa
Rajkummar Rao enlivens this long title with a short shelf life
Fri, October 25 2024
Coming from a background in writing low-brow comedy skits for television, director Raaj Shaandilyaa has this knack for creating funny characters rooted in mofussil towns that generate mirth by engaging in rollicking repartees. His broad humour emanates from deep observation and understanding of the cultural mores of a conservative society coming to terms with socio-economic liberalisation in the 1990s. However, Shaandilya’s skill to combine the comic sketches into a wholesome screenplay is still a work in progress, resulting in a disappointing outcome.
Mon, October 14 2024
A tacky lowbrow comedy
Sun, October 13 2024
The year is 1997. The setting is Rishikesh. It’s a time just before mobile phones, when DVDs were still predominant. Writer-director Raaj Shaandilyaa’s film opens with a shoddily executed computer graphic of a train hurtling towards a forlorn man on the tracks. This is the eponymous Vicky, played by Rajkummar Rao. It’s much like Rao’s year which has been speeding along strongly, but will eventually have to come to a halt. Unfortunately, the Rao train has been derailed by this most unintelligible 152-minute-long romantic comedy that is built around a slim plot line.
Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives
Reality (English)
Cameras follow the banter and bonding between four fun-loving women from Bollywood's inner circle as they juggle professions, family and friendship.
Cast:
Neelam Kothari, Seema Sajdeh, Maheep Kapoor, Bhavna Pandey, Riddhima Kapoor Sahni
Director:
Uttam Ramkrishna Domale
Delusion Pro Max
Fri, October 25 2024
Vettaiyan
Action, Crime, Drama (Tamil)
A sought-after Supercop gets caught in a series of unexpected events when he encounters a suspect who is accused of being involved in a murder case.
Cast:
Rajinikanth, Amitabh Bachchan, Fahadh Faasil, Rana Daggubati, Manju Warrier
Director:
T. J. Gnanavel
Rajinikanth gets a rooted script in TJ Gnanavel's middling drama
Thu, October 24 2024
Journalist-turned-director TJ Gnanavel proved his mettle with a hard-hitting second film, Jai Bhim, starring Suriya, Manikandan and Lijomol Jose. In Jai Bhim, despite having Suriya onboard, he played more of a supporting role to brilliant Manikandan and Lijomol Jose. His third film, Vettaiyan, features Rajinikanth, but the director promises to have a solid story that champions Thalaivar. Will Gnanavel be able to strike a balance? Let’s find out! Athiyan (Rajinikanth), Superintendent of Police, is all about successfully carrying out encounters against criminals. He believes that killing a person is justice for those who were wronged and is not willing to wait for the law to take its course. Sathyadev (Amitabh Bachchan), a retired judge, bats against extrajudicial killings. A police case and a major misjudgement by Athiyan bring him face-to-face with Sathyadev.
The Late Review
Sat, October 12 2024
Unsubtle, Clunky But Engaging
Fri, October 11 2024
Journalist-turned-director T. J. Gnanavel doesn’t seem to care much for any sort of filmmaking subtleties. It’s as though he enjoys dialling up the volume knob to underline his already-dramatic writing, and doesn’t let you rest until you feel the full weight of a scene’s emotions. This was obvious in the way he didn’t stop by just showing you a police officer dragging a beaten-up Manikandan K. into the back of a police jeep in Jai Bhim (2021).
Raat Jawaan Hai
Comedy, Drama (Hindi)
Shows the unpredictable lives of three besties- Radhika, Avinash and Suman, as they embark on the wildest adventure of all: raising kids.
Cast:
Anjali Anand, Barun Sobti, Priya Bapat, Priyansh Jora, Hasleen Kaur
Director:
Sumeet Vyas
Writer:
Khyati Anand-Puthran
A breezy watch which scores for being relatable
Wed, October 23 2024
The millennial attempting to retain individuality and identity, while holding on to old friendships and coping with being a new parent, is a demographic that has hardly, if ever, been represented on the Indian screen. Even if it has been, it has been reduced to a strand or a subplot in a coming-of-age story. The fact that it even goes down this route immediately sets Raat Jawaan Hai apart. That it does it well, making its eight episodes a breezy watch which you want to hold on to and hope it doesn’t end, is a huge feather in its cap. This is a definite clutter-breaker in the Indian streaming space. One which has been long overdue.
Tue, October 15 2024
आम सी कहावत है कि मां-बाप बनने के बाद आपकी अपनी जिंदगी, अपनी खुशी बेमाने हो जाती है। तब बच्चा, उसकी जरूरतें, उसकी खुशियां ही सबसे ऊपर होती हैं। काफी हद तक होता भी ऐसा ही है, पर पैरंटिंग के नए मायने समझाने वाली वेब सीरीज रात जवान है आपसे कहती है कि नहीं बॉस, एक अच्छा पैरंट बनने के लिए अपनी खुशियों की कुर्बानी देना जरूरी नहीं है। थोड़ी मशक्कत जरूर करनी पड़ेगी, मगर आप अपने करियर, खुशियों, बच्चों सबको साथ लेकर भी चल सकते हैं। खास बात यह है कि ख्याति आनंद पुथरन की लिखी और सुमित व्यास (परमानेंट रूममेट्स, ट्रिपलिंग) निर्देशित यह प्यारी सी फील गुड कहानी ये बड़ी-बड़ी बातें बिना किसी लेक्चरबाजी के मजे-मजे में कह जाती है।
An Entertaining, Bitter-Sweet Ode to Parenthood, Friendship
Sun, October 13 2024
Three childhood friends and stay-at-home parents Avinash, Radhika and Suman come to terms with adulthood, marriage and parenting in a metropolis, dealing with one blow after the other. While Avinash is in no mood to return to work soon, Radhika is in two minds about taking up a job. Suman, content with motherhood, struggles to take a stance for herself.
The Shameless
Drama, Romance (Hindi)
In the dead of night, Renuka escapes from a Delhi brothel after stabbing a policeman to death. She takes refuge in a community of sex workers in northern India, where she meets Devika, a young girl condemned to a life of prostitution. Their bond develops into a forbidden romance. Together, they embark on a perilous journey to escape the law and forge their path to freedom.
Cast:
Anasuya Sengupta, Omara, Auroshikha Dey, Rohit Kokate, Mita Vashisht
Director:
Konstantin Bojanov
Writer:
Konstantin Bojanov
Cannes Winner Comes With Radical Performances And Bleak Status Of Indian Women
Wed, October 23 2024
The Shameless became highly recognizable after its Cannes 2024 victory. The film’s leading star Anasuya Sengupta made history and became the first Indian actor to win the Best Actress Award at Cannes. The film explores the story of two polar women stuck in the world of prostitution finding hope in each other, but the bleakness and grim reality of the world is always just around the corner to take it away. The film though dramatic and dark has much appreciative theatrical performances with wit of Sengupta’s abrasive character. Devi and Renuka keep the story balanced but the outcome is left for the audience to endure.