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Guild Reviews

Image of scene from the film Echo
Echo

Drama, Crime, Action & Adventure (English)

Pursued by Wilson Fisk's criminal empire, Maya's journey brings her home and she must confront her own family and legacy.

Cast: Alaqua Cox, Chaske Spencer, Tantoo Cardinal, Devery Jacobs, Cody Lightning, Graham Greene, Vincent D'Onofrio


FCG Member Reviewer Akhil Arora
Akhil Arora | akhilarora.com
Marvel’s slump drags on

Wed, January 10 2024

Good thing Echo has been handed Marvel’s new label for a standalone series. It means you can ignore it and move on with your life.

In 2023, the overlords of Marvel (finally) realised they had overdone it. After seven movies and seven series in a two-year period—most of which have been utterly forgettable, severely bloated, or downright terrible—he hadn’t overseen, returning Disney CEO Bob Iger decided to slow things down at the superhero giant, worried that Marvel itself may be the biggest contributor to the much-touted phenomenon: superhero fatigue. Under Iger, finished shows have been put on the back burner, scripts have been thrown out and creative teams redrawn, and the 2024 calendar is all but empty. It’s set to be one of the leanest Marvel years, with just one confirmed live-action show (Echo) and film (Deadpool 3) so far. (Though some of that is also thanks to the dual Hollywood strikes of 2023.)

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Image of scene from the film 12th Fail
12th Fail

Drama (Hindi)

Based on the true story of IPS officer Manoj Kumar Sharma, 12th Fail sheds limelight on fearlessly embracing the idea of restarting the academic journey despite the setbacks and challenges and reclaiming one's destiny at a place where millions of students attempt the world's toughest competitive exam: UPSC.

Cast: Vikrant Massey, Medha Shankr, Anant Joshi, Anshumaan Pushkar, Priyanshu Chatterjee, Geeta Agrawal Sharma, Harish Khanna, Vikas Divyakirti, Sarita Joshi, Sam Mohan
Director: Vidhu Vinod Chopra
Writer: Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Jaskunwar Kohli


FCG Member Reviewer Akhil Arora
Akhil Arora | akhilarora.com
A Spotify Review

Wed, January 3 2024

Is 12th Fail actually one of the best Hindi movies of 2023 or is it massively overrated? We find ourselves wondering why writer-director Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s latest film is getting rave reviews, because all we could see was a deeply problematic, all too simplistic story about a young man let down by society. We also talk about Vikrant Massey’s performance, and the egregious brown-face makeup that he’s been coated with. Along the way, we discuss the film’s flawed perspective and disinterest in examining the more complex aspects of what is an undoubtedly stirring true story.

Image of scene from the film Maujaan Hi Maujaan
Maujaan Hi Maujaan

Drama, Comedy (Punjabi)

Three brothers Guri, Inder and Jassi, live in London along with their sister Aman and run a cafe. Guri is deaf, Inder is blind and Jassi is mute. One day Guri falls for a girl, Reet. Will they overcome all the challenges and have a happy ending?

Cast: Gippy Grewal, Binnu Dhillon, Karamjit Anmol, Tanu Grewal, Hashneen Chauhan, Anthony Haley
Director: Smeep Kang


FCG Member Reviewer Sukhpreet Kahlon
Sukhpreet Kahlon | Independent Film Critic
Gippy Grewal shines in hilarious situational comedy with a social message

Sun, October 22 2023

Gippy Grewal’s latest comedy film is an entertainer that highlights the prejudice faced by differently-abled people.

Comedy has become the genre synonymous with Punjabi cinema, and director Smeep Kang’s latest Punjabi-language feature starring Gippy Grewal, Binnu Dhillon and Karamjit Anmol is a fun, family film that comes with a social message. Kang has already delivered a blockbuster hit earlier this year with another Gippy Grewal-starrer, Carry On Jatta 3 (2023), followed by the recent Ammy Virk-starrer Gaddi Jaandi Ae Chalaangaan Maardi (2023). His latest offering, Maujaan Hi Maujaan, fully makes use of the rib-tickling performances of the actors to keep audiences amused. Orphaned at an early age, three differently-abled brothers, Karan (Gippy Grewal), Soni (Binnu Dhillon), and Jassi (Karamjit Anmol) have brought up their sister Aman (Hashneen Chauhan) with a lot of love and wish to get her married. She is in love with Jimmy (Jimmy Sharma) but Jimmy’s father, Shamsher Singh Brar, (Yograj Singh) is prejudiced against differently-abled people and will never allow his son to marry into the family.

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