The Diplomat
Thriller, Drama (Hindi)
The Deputy High Commissioner, J.P. Singh, faces an unusual crisis when a mysterious woman rushes inside the Indian High Commission in Islamabad, claiming to be an Indian citizen and seeking a return to India. (more…)
Devil's Double Next Level
Horror, Comedy (Tamil)
A well-known movie critic is invited by a strange person to watch a special horror film. But once the movie starts, he finds himself trapped inside it. The world keeps shifting timelines, endless day-to-night cycles, non-linear narration, and scary things (more…)
Guild Reviews
Cast:
Benicio del Toro, Mia Threapleton, Michael Cera, Riz Ahmed, Tom Hanks, Bryan Cranston, Mathieu Amalric, Richard Ayoade, Jeffrey Wright, Scarlett Johansson
Director:
Wes Anderson
Wes Anderson ratchets up the whimsy in The Phoenician Scheme, doesn’t stick the landing
Fri, May 23 2025
If whimsy had an address, it would be Wes Anderson, whose confections can either delight or dismay. His Cannes competition entry The Phoenician Scheme has nestled firmly into the latter for me: his latest flight of fancy, quite literally, with his lead character traversing the skies in a private jet, being ejected at regular intervals, turns the film into a survival manual. The film is set in the 50s. Benicio Del Toro plays Zsa Zsa Korda, a wealthy businessman who has a half-brother (Benedict Cumberbatch, almost unrecognisable under a thatched beard), a daughter who is a nun, and nine sons. If Korda wasn’t properly eccentric, he wouldn’t be a Wes character: accordingly, he decides to bequeath his empire to Liesl (Mia Threapleton), whether she likes it or not.
Nouvelle Vague
Comedy, Drama, History (French)
This is the story of Godard making ”Breathless”, told in the style and spirit in which Godard made “Breathless”.
Cast:
Guillaume Marbeck, Zoey Deutch, Aubry Dullin, Alix Bénézech, Paolo Luka Noé, Tom Novembre, Jade Phan-Gia, Nicolas Dozol, Jean-Jacques Le Vessier, Bruno Dreyfürst
Director:
Richard Linklater
Writer:
Holly Gent, Laetitia Masson, Vincent Palmo Jr., Michèle Pétin
A warm homage to the pioneers of French New Wave
Fri, May 23 2025
A film about cinephiles for cinephiles is one way to describe ‘Nouvelle Vague’ (New Wave), Richard Linklater’s love letter to movies. You could also say that it is about the making of ‘Breathless’, which it is. But it’s truly, gloriously more. It’s about being young and alive, broke and audacious, lucking into friends who make you come alive, having each other’s backs — all while changing the world. In the 50s, a bunch of French film critics were busy discovering the joys of ‘middlebrow Hollywood commercial’ cinema, which was treated with disdain by a high-minded earlier generation. Jacques Rivette, Eric Rohmer, Chaude Chabrol, Francois Truffaut and Jean-Luc Godard were among those who contributed to Cahiers du Cinema, a journal which published these rebels-with-a-righteous-cause.
Inheritance
Thriller (English)
When Maya learns her father Sam was once a spy, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an international conspiracy. As she seeks answers, Maya herself becomes a target and must quickly learn the skills of her father.
Cast:
Phoebe Dynevor, Rhys Ifans, Ciara Baxendale, Kersti Bryan, Majd Eid, Byron Clohessy, Joey Albright, José Alvarez, Jack Lyons, Mitchell Hochman
Director:
Neil Burger
Writer:
Neil Burger, Olen Steinhauer
Bridgerton's Leading Lady Gets Stuck In A Cross Country Chase For Nothing
Fri, May 23 2025
Inheritance directed by Neil Burger of Limitless, Divergent, The Marsh King’s Daughter, also brings the similar thrill to the 2025 release. Led by Phoebe Dynevor aka Daphne Bridgerton of the hit Netflix series, the film is a crime drama with thriller elements that manage to keep you hooked. But the film doesn’t bring anything new or extraordinary to its genre with its direction or writing. The camera work approach does change things up, but it doesn’t change the experience of the film or the story. The film follows a Maya Welsh after the death of her mother, who she had been caring for the last nine months, watching her die. Maya losses her way after the death of her mother, and while her sister is worried about her, Maya jumps at the first chance to reconnect with her estrange father. Sam Welsh is played by Rhys Ifans, best known for his recent Game Of Thrones prequel character Ser Otto Hightower, shows up at the funeral after being out of touch for years. On showing up the first he does is offers a job to his daughter as a real-estate agent in Egypt.
Phoebe Dynevor's Layered Performance Elevates Globe-Trotting Thriller Shot On iPhone
Wed, May 21 2025
Neil Burger’s Inheritance zips across the globe from New York to Seoul in a compelling thriller that features a heroine with a strong survival instinct. Bridgerton star Phoebe Dynevor is Maya, who gets a chance to repair her relationship with her father, Simon (Rhys Ifans). However, she soon realises that leopards don’t change their spots. The innovative feature of Inheritance, besides the fact that it’s filmed on location in Egypt, India, and South Korea, is that the film has been shot with an iPhone 13 Pro. The guerilla-style filmmaking works to a large extent, but it’s the suspense of what Maya will do next that keeps viewers locked in. New Yorker Maya (Dynevor) has just watched her mother die of cancer when her estranged father (Ifans) shows up at the funeral. Despite her sister Jess’s (Kersti Bryan) warnings, Maya agrees to accompany Simon on his work trip to Cairo. Soon enough, she remembers why the family kept their distance in the first place. Maya is pulled into a complicated operation spanning countries with several authorities on her case as Simon dubiously disappears. Will Maya be a dutiful daughter and complete the assignment? Or will she uncover more hidden secrets about the mysterious man?
Nine Perfect Strangers S02
Drama, Mystery (English)
At a boutique health-and-wellness resort that promises healing and transformation, nine stressed city dwellers try to get on a path to a better way of living. Watching over them during this 10-day retreat is the resort's director, Masha, a woman on a mission to reinvigorate their tired minds and bodies. However, these nine "perfect" strangers have no idea what is about to hit them.
Cast:
Nicole Kidman, Henry Golding, Lena Olin, Annie Murphy, Christine Baranski, Lucas Englander, King Princess, Murray Bartlett, Dolly de Leon, Maisie Richardson-Sellers
Writer:
T. Rafael Cimino
Nicole Kidman Starrer Is Dreadfully Drab In Return
Fri, May 23 2025
The first season of the psychological drama anthology Nine Perfect Strangers premiered in 2021, and it was adapted from Liane Moriarty’s novel. This time, creator David E Kelley and star Nicole Kidman, who is back as eccentric wellness guru Masha Dmitrichenko, have nothing new to add. A new group of ‘guests,’ who are treated more like guinea pigs, are introduced as the action moves to colder climes in the Austrian Alps. While the last season certainly was an undertaking to get through, this new season has been created just because the creators could.
Chaar Phool Hai Aur Duniya Hai
Documentary (Hindi)
A meandering brook of moments from two afternoons spent with Vinod Kumar Shukla, his wife and son at their home in Raipur, saunters between the mingling geographies of past, present and future, drifting in and out of pauses – to ponder, to reflect, to reminisce, and to share.
Cast:
Vinod Kumar Shukla, Manav Kaul
Director:
Achal Mishra
(Writing for Mint Premium)
Vinod Kumar Shukla's World of Words
Wed, May 21 2025
In Gamak Ghar (2020) and Dhuin (2022), Achal Mishra’s previous features, the filmmaker displayed a preoccupation with the many worlds that can be contained within the confines of a house. A similar throughline informs Chaar Phool Hai Aur Duniya Hai, Mishra’s latest outing, which follows renowned Hindi poet and novelist Vinod Kumar Shukla over two afternoons at his home in Raipur. It is a fitting way to render Shukla onscreen, a writer who has spent 50 years of his literary career creating universes out of bare rooms, paying attention to the vivid inner lives of ordinary people who inhabit them. The 54-minute-documentary, now on MUBI, emerged by chance, when Mishra tagged along with actor Manav Kaul and a common friend, the screenwriter Nihal Parashar, to meet the Sahitya Akademi award-winning writer in March 2022. On the initial visit, he focused on shooting conversations between Kaul and the soft-spoken Shukla. Surveying the footage once he returned to Mumbai—then made up of straightforward interviews filmed in unbroken takes—Mishra recognized gaps. “I remember thinking that maybe if I could do one more visit, it would add something more," he says.
Maaman
Family, Drama, Action (Tamil)
An uncle's deep connection with his nephew is broken, when their family experiences personal differences.
Cast:
Soori, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Swasika, Rajkiran, Balasaravanan, Baba Baskar, Viji Chandrasekhar, Nikhila Sankar, Geetha Kailasam, Jayaprakash
Director:
Prashanth Pandiraj
Sun, May 18 2025
Promising ideas meet patriarchy in Soori's family drama
Sat, May 17 2025
Family dramas always make up for great stories. There’s drama, never-ending conflicts, and a whole lot of plots and sub-plots to make for a wholesome script. Yet, this is one such genre that could always fail, if the script is not taken care of. Director Prasanth Pandiyaraj’s ‘Maaman’ is one such film that explores the relationship between Uncle Inba and his hyperactive nephew Laddu. Inba (Soori) is a perfect husband-material according to Rekha. He respects the women in his life – his sister Girija (Swasika) and his mother (Geetha Kailasam) – the most. Inba’s sister Girija has to bear the brunt of society’s sharp words because she has been childless for a decade. When she gets pregnant with Nilan aka Laddu (Prageeth Sivan), Inba is more present than her husband (Baba Baskar). Let’s put it this way – Inba’s overpowering love doesn’t let her husband be the husband and the father he wants to be.
Soori’s Film Is A Celebration Of Traditionalism As Virtue
Sat, May 17 2025
There is an old couple in Maaman played by Rajkiran and Viji Chandrasekar. His name is Singarayar and hers is Pavun. Their subplot has no bearing on the central conflict (which itself doesn’t seem to find closure), but this digression is intended to draw a parallel between their relationship and that of the lead couple Inba (Soori) and Reka (Aishwarya Lekshmi). It’s a rural attempt at recreating Ganapathy Iyer (Prakash Raj) and Bhavani Ganapathy (Leela Samson) from Mani Ratnam’s OK Kanmani. If you’ve followed Tamil cinema since the late ’90s, you’ll know exactly how this relationship will play out—down to its morbid end. A running, friendly tussle between them is that Singarayar only buys her flowers but doesn’t braid them into her hair himself. The emotional payoff is designed to move you to tears, and if it does, Maaman will strike many such chords throughout. If it doesn’t—and you squirm at the melodrama—the film will feel like a bundle of clichés.
Devil's Double Next Level
Horror, Comedy (Tamil)
A well-known movie critic is invited by a strange person to watch a special horror film. But once the movie starts, he finds himself trapped inside it. The world keeps shifting timelines, endless day-to-night cycles, non-linear narration, and scary things from horror movies come to life. To escape, he must either stop reviewing movies forever or find a way to defeat the ghost that trapped him.
Cast:
Santhanam, Selvaraghavan, Geethika Tiwary, Gautham Vasudev Menon, Rajendran, Kasturi Shankar, Yashika Anand, Redin Kingsley, Lollu Sabha Maaran, Nizhalgal Ravi
Director:
S. Premanand
Writer:
S. Premanand
Few gags aside, Santhanam's film is mostly torture
Sat, May 17 2025
If anyone who follows movies says that horror comedies are a thing of the past, show them the Tamil film slate. Almost every two weeks, a horror comedy takes over the screens. Whether it lives up to the horror or comedy genre is debatable. This week, we have Santhanam’s ‘DD Next Level’, the fourth film in the ‘Dhilluku Dhuddu’ franchise. Is it a great addition to the franchise? Let’s find out! DD Next Level’s premise is fascinating, especially because it includes a film critic. Krishna aka Kissa 47 (Santhanam) is a film critic on YouTube, who uses rap to share his views. He gets called to a special screening along with his family. When he reaches the venue, he feels that something is off and returns. Upon returning, he finds out that his family, including his mother, father and sister, are already seated inside a theatre.
Santhanama's Latest Is A Meta Comedy Of Patchy Creative Brilliance
Sat, May 17 2025
DD film series has a tested template. It starts with a prologue about a haunted place and moves to a first half that deals with the romance of the lead pair and their arrival at the place of horror and finally, the third act of horror-comedy cocktail. DD Next Level, the costliest of the series, is a bit more interesting despite following the template to a large extent. Adding a meta layer to the template has made a huge difference to the worn-out horror-comedy genre. However, the novelty runs out of steam pretty soon as the filmmakers run out of ideas in the second half, resorting to the usual antics of the genre.
An Insufferable Comedy About People Stuck In An Insufferable Movie
Sat, May 17 2025
There’s a list of clever ideas in Santhanam’s meta comedy Devil’s Double Next Level that should have resulted in a film that’s at least remotely funny. It’s a spoof movie that operates on the same founding principle of the Scary Movie franchise and you find the film breaking the fourth wall throughout its runtime to keep throwing references and cliches towards you, hoping at least a few would stick. Some of these, like the idea of casting Gautham Vasudev Menon to play a police officer named Raghavan, might not seem like a big deal. But then the film goes several steps further to make this character fall in love with the protagonist’s sister and then run after her on the beach while ‘Uyirin Uyire’ from Kaakha Kaakha (2003) plays in the background. It’s definitely immature and silly, but at least there’s a bit of thought that has gone into making the joke land.
Hai Junoon
(Hindi)
Talent vs Ambition. Music vs Dance. At Anderson College, rivalries explode in a cut-throat battle for the GOATs Trophy. Who will rise? Who will break?
Cast:
Jacqueline Fernandez, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Siddharth Nigam, Sumedh Mudgalkar, Elisha Mayor, Sanchit Kundra, Priyank Sharma, Santana Roach, Devangshi Sen, Bhavin Bhanushali
Director:
Abhishek Sharma
Need Junoon for song-dance drama
Sat, May 17 2025
It is indeed passion that takes us to our goals. Thus, the title of the musical series, ‘Hai Junoon!’, is just apt. But more than the name of the series, we need to pay heed to its tagline: ‘Dream. Dare. Dominate.’ It’s important to both dream and dare, but where can the will to dominate take us? When the musical ‘Bandish Bandits’ landed on our screens, it was indeed a breath of fresh air, for it celebrated music in its entirety, especially the sonorous notes of shastriya sangeet. One can’t say Jio Creative Studios’ ‘Hai Junoon!’ walking the musical path is a rip-off. Rather, instead of playing on the rivalry of musical groups or different genres, it starts off as a class divide of sorts. And thus pitches off the college’s musical band, Supersonics, against a dance group, which later finds its name: Misfits.
The Diplomat
Thriller, Drama (Hindi)
The Deputy High Commissioner, J.P. Singh, faces an unusual crisis when a mysterious woman rushes inside the Indian High Commission in Islamabad, claiming to be an Indian citizen and seeking a return to India.
Cast:
John Abraham, Sadia Khateeb, Kumud Mishra, Sharib Hashmi, Ashwath Bhatt, Ram Gopal Bajaj, Benjamin Gilani, Vidhatri Bandi, Jagjeet Sandhu, Sehar Shehnaz
Director:
Shivam Nair
Writer:
Ritesh Shah
If John Abraham wants to save his career, he needs to stop saving damsels in distress first
Sat, May 17 2025
There is a difference between ambition and delusion. Ambition often depends on one’s means; delusion, on the other hand, hinges on one’s capability. The Diplomat isn’t an ambitious film for barring the brawny John Abraham from lifting a finger. But it’s certainly delusional for thinking of itself as a desi answer to Argo. There is, however, a more unexpected comparison that the movie invites, without realising that it is guilty of committing the same mistakes that it is so confidently calling out. But more on that later. Directed by Shivam Nair, The Diplomat projects itself as a feminist film, but it is actually a tribute to male ego. A dramatically inert distillation of a multi-pronged story, The Diplomat takes a typically Bollywood approach to telling a story about a woman’s emancipation and empowerment. It frames its narrative from the perspective of Abraham’s character, India’s Deputy High Commissioner in Pakistan, JP Singh. But it is actually the story of Uzma Ahmed, an Indian woman played by Sadia Khateeb, who is conned into marrying a Pakistani man named Tahir. They met in Malaysia, where he was working as a taxi driver. A few months into their relationship, Tahir moved back home and invited her to join him there. But he had an ulterior motive.
A Spotify Review
Mon, May 12 2025
No diplomacy takes place in the new John Abraham film The Diplomat, which is now streaming on Netflix after a theatrical run earlier this year. While Abraham doesn’t throw any punches in the film, The Diplomat is hardly a toned-down drama for adults. We discuss the film’s odd narrative choices, unnecessary non-linear writing, and the absolute miscasting of Abraham. We also talk about the film’s problematic perspective, which reduces the female protagonist to a side character in her own story.
Tue, March 18 2025
Final Destination Bloodlines
Horror, Mystery (English)
Plagued by a violent recurring nightmare, college student Stefanie heads home to track down the one person who might be able to break the cycle and save her family from the grisly demise that inevitably awaits them all.
Cast:
Kaitlyn Santa Juana, Teo Briones, Rya Kihlstedt, Richard Harmon, Owen Patrick Joyner, Anna Lore, Alex Zahara, April Telek, Andrew Tinpo Lee, Tony Todd
Director:
Zach Lipovsky, Adam B. Stein
(Writing for OTT PLay)
A Franchise Reboot To Die For
Sat, May 17 2025
It’s a strange week to be a Hollywood nerd. I binge-watched all the seven Mission: Impossible movies in anticipation of The Final Reckoning. Psychologically, this made me feel invincible — I almost found myself walking into oncoming traffic on a Mumbai highway (the potholes slowed down the cars, but never mind), convinced that I’d Ethan-Hunt my way out of danger. Nothing could kill me; I felt braver every time I risked my life to reach a place. Then I speed-watched the five Final Destination movies in anticipation of the sixth, Final Destination Bloodlines, which is more of a reboot but never mind. Just to get into the spirit of things. Psychologically, this made me feel extremely killable. On one hand, the M:I movies injected blind courage into me, but on the other, my mind was suddenly wired to obsess about a million gruesome ways I could perish the moment I walked out my front door. Was I fearless or scared sh*tless? I don’t know anymore. Maybe it’s the same thing.
Will Get You Cheering For All The Wrong Reasons
Wed, May 14 2025
Directed by Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein, the franchise returns with a fresh perspective and many nostalgic moments. Titled Final Destination Bloodlines, the film brings forth exactly what it promises with the title and the trailer. The story is pretty simple and follows through with every other film in the franchise, but the direction and screenplay get a major upgrade. The film takes you from cheering for the characters, rooting for them to surive to cheering for death and fullfilling his own destiny by taking everyone out.
23
Drama, Crime (Telugu)
23 is a gripping social drama inspired by true events, including the 1992 Ksunduru massacre, the 1993 Chilakaluripet bus burning, and the 1997 Jubilee Hills bomb blasts. It explores themes of caste-based discrimination, violence, justice, and societal unrest.
Cast:
Teja, Tanmayee, Praneeth
Director:
Raj Rachakonda
Writer:
Raj Rachakonda, Indus Martin
A hard-hitting film that raises tough questions
Fri, May 16 2025
It is tough to look at 23 (Iravai Moodu) solely as a film. The indie-spirited Telugu venture based on real incidents, written and directed by Raj R, is part social commentary, presented in a docu-drama style. Armed with a cast that includes 25 newcomers and a few established names, Raj questions if the justice system is equal to everyone. George Orwell’s statement from Animal Farm, ‘All are equal, but some are more equal than others’, sets the tone of the film that wants its audience to look at crime and its perpetrators through different perspectives. The film’s premise is shaped by three incidents that shook undivided Andhra Pradesh in the 1990s. In 1991, the Tsunduru massacre witnessed brutal caste violence against Dalits. In 1993, 23 passengers lost their lives after two Dalit men set a bus on fire in Chilakaluripet. In 1997, a car bomb explosion in Film Nagar, Hyderabad, reportedly killed 26 and injured several others.
Murderbot
Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Comedy, Drama (English)
In a high-tech future, a rogue security robot secretly gains free will. To stay hidden, it reluctantly joins a new mission protecting scientists on a dangerous planet...even though it just wants to binge soap operas.
Cast:
Alexander Skarsgård, Noma Dumezweni, David Dastmalchian, Sabrina Wu, Akshay Khanna, Tamara Podemski, Tattiawna Jones
Alexander Skarsgard's Wry, Zany Sci-Fi Comedy Series Has Intriguing Premise
Fri, May 16 2025
The Weitz brothers, Chris and Paul, have adapted Martha Wells’ book series Murderbot and given it their unique spin. The Apple TV+ series is also aided by Alexander Skarsgård’s fantastic performance about a security robot trained to obey humans. After he hacks his own system and names himself Murderbot, he begins to find himself transformed by the humans around him. The ten-episode series takes a while to grow on you, but once you immerse yourself in its world, you’ll find yourself charmed by what you see. Murderbot (Skarsgård) is assigned to protect a crew from the Preservation Alliance who want to explore a more dangerous planet for scientific purposes. The robot tries to hide the fact he has free will, but the presence of an augmented unit, Dr Gurathin (David Dastmalchian), amongst the scientists trips him up. As the situation becomes more dangerous for everyone, with death looming around every corner, the security unit must think fast and use his instincts to survive amongst a group of distrustful humans.