Guild Reviews
Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning
Action, Adventure, Thriller (English)
Ethan Hunt and the IMF team continue their search for the terrifying AI known as the Entity — which has infiltrated intelligence networks all over the globe — with the world's governments and a mysterious ghost from Ethan's past on their trail. Joined by new allies and armed with the means to shut the Entity down for good, Hunt is in a race against time to prevent the world as we know it from changing forever.
Cast:
Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Esai Morales, Pom Klementieff, Henry Czerny, Mariela Garriga, Holt McCallany, Janet McTeer
Director:
Christopher McQuarrie
Writer:
Christopher McQuarrie, Erik Jendresen
All FCG reviews of Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning
Fri, May 30 2025
Tom Cruise deserved better than a goofy Abbas-Mustan movie that chooses spoon-feeding over spectacle
Sat, May 24 2025
There’s a scene in Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning where Hayley Atwell’s character, Grace, looks Ethan Hunt dead in the eye, and suggests with stone-faced seriousness that he accepts his destiny and becomes God. Played by Tom Cruise, Ethan could soon gain possession of an incredible artefact that’ll nudge him in that direction. His buddy Luther has invented a gizmo that basically functions as a magic lamp in which he plans to trap the rogue genie that he is after — an AI villain called The Entity. Ethan’s reluctance to handle absolute power, however, is about as believable as something like The Entity being caught and captured in a fancy pen drive. But if there’s one thing that we’ve learnt about him in these last decades, it’s that when he’s given a choice — there’s always a choice — he doesn’t say no.
Distracting, If Not Outright Confusing
Fri, May 23 2025
By the time Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning trudges its way to the end of its bag of tricks, a question looms and it is as large as the aura of Tom Cruise’s Agent Ethan Hunt. Will the eighth and presumably final instalment of the popular action-adventure franchise leave the audience asking for more or have them wondering if they have had enough? The answer is likely to tilt more towards the latter. This mission, a strenuous continuation of what was left incomplete in Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One, suffers from an excess of expositions - a sure sign that the screenplay has holes that needed to be plugged before being sent out into the world. Almost all through the film, the characters engage in constant chit-chat with the purpose of clearing the air - and the ground - for Hunt’s hunt for the fiendish Gabriel (Esai Morales), who makes no bones about his desire to wrest control of a truth-devouring parasitic Artificial Intelligence called “Entity”, that can wipe out all of humankind by infecting cyberspace and breaching the arsenals of nations that possess nuclear weapons.
The Royals
Drama (Hindi)
When charming Prince Aviraaj meets Sophia, a self-made girl boss, the worlds of royalty and startups collide in a whirlwind of romance and ambition.
Cast:
Bhumi Pednekar, Ishaan Khatter, Sakshi Tanwar, Zeenat Aman, Nora Fatehi, Vihaan Samat, Udit Arora, Chunky Pandey, Lisa Mishra, Milind Soman
Director:
Priyanka Ghose, Nupur Asthana
Writer:
Neha Veena Sharma, Vishnu Sinha
Fri, May 30 2025
Wed, May 14 2025
‘Khoobsurat’ premise with good vibes
Tue, May 13 2025
Netflix’s new steamy series tries very hard to play on the sexual undercurrent between its two leads—Ishan Khatter and Bhumi Pednekar—but the pressure to look vibe-worthy all the time hampers its chances. However, it’s breezy and enjoyable for the most of it, and gives viewers a nice binge time. A fierce new-age CEO Sophia Shekhar (Bhumi) and a modern-day prince Aviraaj (Ishaan) meet by chance and their frenemy phase begins. They need each other for financial reasons but their functioning styles demand a lot of tweaking. The physical attraction between them is also strong and that only complicates the proceedings. The Royals delivers what you can easily anticipate—a fading palace, hard to maintain lifestyle and the immediate need of money, and then some more money. Sprinkle this with bare body princes and tall horses with a lot of kissing, and you would get more or less the entire run time of The Royals.
Dilli Dark
Drama (Hindi)
Michael Okeke, a Nigerian living in New Delhi wants to get his MBA and settle in India. But his part-time job as a drug dealer will jeopardize his plans, not to mention the open racism he is facing.
Cast:
Samuel Abiola Robinson, Geetika Vidya, Shantanu Anam, Stutee Ghosh
Director:
Dibakar Das Roy
Writer:
Dibakar Das Roy
A Neat Black Comedy with Delhi-Shaped Angst
Fri, May 30 2025
If Mumbai feels too real to be cinematic, New Delhi feels too cinematic to be real. Every life is cursed to be a story; every person sounds like a character. Dilli Dark scrutinises these illusions and fictions of the Indian capital through the lens of an outsider. The outsider is Michael Okeke (Samuel Abiola Robinson), a Nigerian national who is trying his darndest to overcome casual racism, transcend his stereotypical African image as a drug peddler named Kevin, and find a real job with his MBA degree. Ironically, his skin tone is an obstacle in a culture that’s so busy playing victim to the first world and massaging its own brown-person complex that it remains oblivious to the third-world gaze it inflicts upon others. It’s a vicious cycle, but Michael’s 6-year relationship with the city comes to a head when he befriends a coke-addicted godwoman (Geetika Vidya Ohylan).
दिल्ली की जुदा सूरत दिखाती ‘दिल्ली डार्क’
Thu, May 29 2025
‘यह अंधेर नगरी है, यहां गलत रास्ता ही मेन रोड है।’ इस फिल्म (Dilli Dark) का एक पगला किरदार दिल्ली के बारे में जब यह बात कहता है तो लगता है कि इस शहर के बारे में इससे ज़्यादा सयानी बात भला और क्या हो सकती है। दिल्ली-नक्शे पर एक शहर लेकिन इतिहास के पन्नों में एक ऐसी जगह जो जितनी बार उजड़ी, अगली बार उससे ज़्यादा शिद्दत के साथ बसी। एक ऐसी जगह जहां कभी पांडवों ने राज किया तो कभी बाहरी आक्रमणकारी जाते-जाते अपने गुलामों को गद्दी सौंप गए। वही गुलाम वंश जिसमें रज़िया जैसी सुलतान हुई और वही रज़िया जिसने अफ्रीका से आए अपने गुलाम याक़ूत से मोहब्बत की। आज बरसों बाद एक और अफ्रीकी युवक दिल्ली में रह रहा है। माइकल ओकेके (ओके ओके नहीं ओकेके) एक आम लड़का है जिसे हिन्दी समझ में आती है और वह ‘तोड़ा-तोड़ा’ बोल भी लेता है। वह दिल्ली वाला है, दिल्ली वाला बन कर यहीं रहना भी चाहता है। दिन में एम.बी.ए. करता है, लेकिन रात में मजबूरन उसे ड्रग्स बेचनी पड़ती हैं। पंजाबी मकान मालिक की लड़की को देखता है, पड़ोसी बंगाली से दोस्ती करता है, एक धर्मगुरु मानसी उर्फ ‘मां’ के नज़दीक पहुंचता है लेकिन पाता है कि इस शहर में हर कोई बस अपने लिए जीता है।
Sirens
Comedy, Drama (English)
Worried about her sister's too-close relationship with her billionaire boss, a scrappy everywoman seeks answers at a lavish seaside estate.
Cast:
Julianne Moore, Meghann Fahy, Milly Alcock, Kevin Bacon, Glenn Howerton, Bill Camp, Felix Solis, Josh Segarra
Hilarious and horrifying, Julianne Moore’s Netflix show is a cult hit in the making
Wed, May 28 2025
The Caravan reported in 2024 that Nita Ambani hired choreographer Vaibhavi Merchant during the inauguration of the NMACC, which was attended by everyone from Zendaya to Gigi Hadid. Merchant, known for choreographing iconic songs such as “Kajra Re,” was reportedly with Mrs Ambani, telling her “how to smile, now to fold hands, say namaste.” This is the sort of detail about how the other half lives that would elicit gasps of disbelief from the likes of you and I. Sirens, the new dark comedy mini-series on Netflix, offers an exaggerated glimpse inside the lives of the one percent. Julianne Moore plays Michaela, the wife of a billionaire, who is joined at the hip with her assistant Simone, played by Milly Alcock.
Kapkapiii
Horror, Comedy (Hindi)
In a men's hostel, seven bachelors try to summon a spirit via Ouija board.
Cast:
Tusshar Kapoor, Shreyas Talpade, Siddhi Idnani, Sonia Rathee, Varun Pande, Jay Thakkar, Dinker Sharma, Dibyendu Bhattacharya, Zakir Hussain
Director:
Sangeeth Sivan
Writer:
Saurabh Anand, kumar priyadarshi
The Shreyas Talpade Film Has A Script Missing
Mon, May 26 2025
Sitting in 2025, a unique problem plagues Hindi cinema: the effort of watching them has trumped the labour of writing about them. While this might imply that the general quality has elevated, thereby making it difficult to unpack films, the opposite is true. The base level of movies has undergone a rapid deterioration of tragic proportions, and although most films in the last four years will reaffirm this proposition, Sangeeth Sivan’s Kapkapiii shines as a leading contender, at least this month. I don’t mean this as a jibe, but referring to Kapkapiii as a film is an overreach. Sure, in a strict sense of moving images, it qualifies, but the frivolity with which it unfolds, the indifference it offers and its absolute resistance to meaning suggest otherwise. Think of it like this: you go to watch a film and all you see is one build-up after another; you take it all in, hoping for a resolution, only for the screen to go blank at the moment of truth. It should have been a frustrating exercise, but even what we see in Kapkapiii makes so little sense that, in retrospect, no exposition could have salvaged it.
Shreyas Talpade's Remake of 'Romancham' Forgets It’s a Horror-Comedy
Fri, May 23 2025
It’s never a good sign when you watch a remake and immediately have to look up the story of the original to understand exactly what you watched. Being in the dark for 142 minutes can go two ways: either it happened or you slept early and had a fever dream. Kapkapiii is somehow a bit of both; the viewer is never sure where their own reality ends and fiction begins. It is disorienting, patched-up, sporadic and incomplete, and not in a good-psychedelic way. Based on the Malayalam horror-comedy Romancham (2023), it tells (but also untells) the tale of six male flatmates sharing a decrepit apartment in which strange things happen after they mess around with a makeshift Ouija board. There are also two young women who live above, a swaggy Muslim don, Kya-Kool-Hai-Hum-meets-Delhi-Belly innuendos that don’t land, a graveyard for rats (!), a weird houseguest, and jumpscares that exist for the heck of it. To be fair, they’re all as confused as we are.
The Mastermind
Drama, Crime (English)
In a sedate corner of Massachusetts circa 1970, an unemployed carpenter turned amateur art thief plans his first big heist. When things go haywire, his life unravels.
Cast:
Josh O'Connor, Alana Haim, John Magaro, Hope Davis, Bill Camp, Gaby Hoffmann, Amanda Plummer, Eli Gelb, Cole Doman, Javion Allen
Director:
Kelly Reichardt
Kelly Reichardt’s film is about a sloppy robber who is haunted by others’ perceptions of his failure
Sun, May 25 2025
Kelly Reichardt’s The Mastermind is masterly in the way it creates characters with their rhythms and impulses, building on them with one surprise after another, till you have no idea where things are headed — there is only a tiny instance in which the director telegraphs a punch, but that is so fleeting that you barely have time to notice it, and it’s gone. The Competition section began with Mascha Schilinski’s The Sound Of Falling, a beguiling intergenerational saga of female despair and desire. It has ended with The Mastermind, a bumbling caper cum character-study which has the director’s distinctive interplay between drollery and sharp observational skills. It has climbed to the top of a slate crowded with solid films, including Joachim Trier’s moving family drama Sentimental Value, all contenders for the Palme d’Or.
Pune Highway
(Hindi)
Three friends who have grown up together in the same building in Mumbai are affected, in different ways, by a dead body found 200 kms away in a lake. As they fight for their friendship, they can't escape the ugly truth racing towards them
Cast:
Amit Sadh, Jim Sarbh, Manjari Fadnnis, Ketaki Narayan Kulkarni
Director:
Bugs Bhargava Krishna, Rahul daCunha
Sat, May 24 2025
विलियम शेक्सपियर की ‘रोमियो जूलियट’, ‘मैकबेथ’, ‘हेमलेट’ और ‘ओथैलो’ जैसे नाटकों पर दुनियाभर में फिल्में बनी हैं, लेकिन राइटर-डायरेक्टर राहुल डा कुन्हा अपने ही चर्चित नाटक ‘पुणे हाईवे’ को बड़े पर्दे पर लेकर आए हैं। बग्स भार्गव कृष्णा के साथ मिलकर लिखी और डायरेक्ट की यह फिल्म अतीत के घाव और मौजूदा समय में हुए एक अपराध के बीच दोस्ती की गहराई परखती है। हालांकि, कमजोर स्क्रीनप्ले के कारण यह मर्डर मिस्ट्री कुछ खास प्रभाव नहीं छोड़ पाती। कहानी चार दोस्तों खांडू उर्फ प्रमोद खंडेलवाल (अमित साध), विष्णु (जिम सर्भ), निक्की (अनुवाब पाल), खांडू की बहन नताशा (मंजरी फडनिस) और बाबू (हिमांशु बालपांडे) की है। चारों बचपन के दोस्त हैं। ये सभी साथ बड़े हुए हैं, इसलिए इनका रिश्ता बहुत मजबूत है। फिर भी जब बाबू पर जानलेवा हमला होता है, तो बाकी तीनों दोस्त चुपचाप बस देखते रहते हैं, क्योंकि वह हमला ताकतवर नेता मानसेकर (शिशिर शर्मा) ने करवाया होता है। यही नहीं, खांडू खुद मानसेकर के लिए ही काम करता है। इस वजह से विष्णु और खांडू में नैतिकता को लेकर बहस भी होती है, मगर उनकी दोस्ती बरकरार रहती है। यह दोस्ती तब भी नहीं टूटती, जब विष्णु की वजह से खांडू की बहन नताशा का दिल टूट जाता है। मगर तभी मानसेकर की बेटी मोना (केतकी नारायण) का मर्डर इन चारों की जिंदगी में उथल पुथल मचा देता है। मोना के मर्डर से इनका क्या कनेक्शन होता है? किसने किया है मर्डर? यह जानने के लिए फिल्म देखनी होगी।
Narivetta
Action, Thriller (Malayalam)
The film explores the journey of Varghese, a police constable navigating the complexities of his professional, personal, and social commitments.
Cast:
Tovino Thomas, Suraj Venjaramoodu, Cheran, Arya Salim, Priyamvada Krishna, Rini Udayakumar, Nandhu, Shahi Kabir, Pranav Teophine
Director:
Anuraj Manohar
Writer:
Abin Joseph
(Writing for OTT Play)
A Solid Play Of Vantage Points
Sat, May 24 2025
Anuraj Manohar’s debut film, Ishq (2016), does something interesting. It shows us a calculated act of violence and establishes a certain perspective. Later, it flips the narrative as well as the power imbalance by showing one of the victims, a heterosexual male who recovers from the ordeal quickly, perpetrate the same violence but this time to ghastlier ends in the name of revenge. As the film gradually becomes more and more uncomfortable, we understand that Manohar is interested in this cyclical nature sustained by the insecurities, frailties and ego of men. It makes a much larger point than a quid pro quo revenge act. Manohar’s new Malayalam film Narivetta also keeps moving around the vantage points, but from the view of the sole protagonist. It is clever but more straightforward in terms of storytelling and sociopolitical play than the first film. Yet, it makes for a solid sophomore film from the director.
Tovino Thomas headlines powerful film on systemic oppression
Fri, May 23 2025
What do ‘Jigarthanda Double X’, ‘Viduthalai 2’, and ‘Narivetta’ have in common? It has protagonists who fall victim to systemic oppression - a hero who represents a system, later realises the truth, who represents the right, and who fights for what’s right, even if it means an end to one’s life. Varghese Peter (Tovino Thomas) is a man, much like his father. The two men are not interested in doing simple jobs to pass the day. They aim high, which is a testament to their potential. Varghese lives with his mother after his father took his life. He is awaiting calls for two jobs – a village assistant and a police constable. Varghese, who doesn’t think twice about borrowing money from the women in his life, is uninterested in both jobs.
Heart Beat S02
Drama (Tamil)
RK Multispeciality Hospital is a beacon of hope and healing. Its doctors are resilient even when they have to deal with medical and personal challenges.
(Writing for M9 News)
Still Got the Feels
Sat, May 24 2025
Radhi resigns from her job, seeking solace at home, while Reena, promoted as a senior resident, clashes with Arjun, now a CEO. A new batch of interns arrives as Teju, working in a modest clinic, refuses to forgive Naveen. Madan contemplates suicide amidst mounting financial woes. The new in-charge, Preetham, assigns Reena a high-profile case with ulterior motives. Anumol is the glue that keeps the soul of the show intact, using her strong screen presence and maturity in handling even clichéd situations with ease. Deepa Balu has a vibrant persona, so does Yogalakshmi. Charukesh, Amit Bhargav, Sharmila Thapa, Padine Kumar, Sarvhaa, RG Ram and other actors in the hospital gang hold the fort with natural, spontaneous performances.
Knock Knock...Kaun Hai
Mystery, Drama (Hindi)
Tanya makes a death wish on a dare app sets off a dangerous game of blackmail and violence. As her loved ones become targets, she must race against time to unmask the 'Knock Knock' Killer before it's too late.
Cast:
Aadhya Anand, Khush Jotwani, Manika Sheokand, Mona Vasu, Aman Malhotra, Ayushmaan Saxena, Arjun Deswal, Deepansha Dhingra, Sakshi Sagar Mhadolkar
Director:
Aniruddha Rajderkar
Writer:
Kamayani Vyas, Nikhil Vyas
(Writing for M9 News)
Knocks off Your Patience
Sat, May 24 2025
After wishing death upon Mehek via the Knock Knock app, Tanya is blackmailed by the Knock Knock Killer. She allies with Adheer, and they investigate the mysterious attacks, leading to shocking revelations about her friends and Adheer’s past. The killer is eventually unmasked at a party, and their motivations are revealed as Tanya learns the true extent of the dangerous game she entered. Aadhya Anand is easily the pick of the lot; she genuinely infuses life into her dialogue delivery and expressions, unlike most of her co-stars. Arjun Deswal possesses the ‘hunk’ looks, though his character is notably underdeveloped. Kush Jotwani’s role sparks intrigue occasionally, yet his performance largely lacks significant impact.
Fountain of Youth
Adventure, Fantasy, Mystery (English)
A treasure-hunting mastermind assembles a team for a life-changing adventure. But to outwit and outrun threats at every turn, he'll need someone even smarter than he is: his estranged sister.
Cast:
John Krasinski, Natalie Portman, Eiza González, Domhnall Gleeson, Carmen Ejogo, Arian Moayed, Stanley Tucci, Laz Alonso, Benjamin Chivers, Daniel de Bourg
Director:
Guy Ritchie
Writer:
James Vanderbilt
We never got a third National Treasure movie, and thanks to Guy Ritchie, we still haven’t
Sat, May 24 2025
After he directed Aladdin — the anonymous 2019 remake that you’d forgotten made over $1 billion at the box office — Guy Ritchie became extremely prolific almost overnight. He made another movie that same year. But more importantly, Aladdin marked a major stylistic evolution for the famously flashy filmmaker: he got really into clothes. Nowadays, you find yourself admiring the tailoring in his films more than the films themselves. There is little, for instance, to like about Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre. But, boy, was Cary Elwes dressed smartly. Unfortunately, the costumes in Ritchie’s recent films are inversely proportional to their quality. The worse the movie, the better the clothes. The clothes in his latest, Fountain of Youth, are excellent.
Guy Ritchie's Jet-Setting Global Mystery Adventure Deserves Bigger Screen
Fri, May 23 2025
After Inheritance, the adventure film Fountain of Youth is the second streaming film of the week to take viewers around the world. From London to Giza, the feature goes on a whirlwind ride to solve an impossible quest. The answer is in the title itself, the Fountain of Youth. The promise of eternal life is too much to resist for many, as John Krasinski’s Luke recruits his younger sister Charlotte (Natalie Portman) to help him. Their adventure is thrilling, engaging, and surprisingly well done for a streaming film. The Purdue siblings are poles apart. Luke (Krasinski) follows his father’s teachings and is now an art thief. Charlotte (Portman) has become an art curator but is missing the joy in her life. Her son Thomas (Benjamin Chivers) believes she begins to gain some adventure with the return of her brother. Together, they work on finding the elusive Fountain of Youth with the backing of an Irish billionaire, Owen Carver (Domhnall Gleeson). But they have all sorts of people on their trail, including Interpol, trying to stop them. Will they succeed?
Fred and Rose West: A British Horror Story
Documentary, Crime (English)
Recently discovered police recordings and first-person accounts tell the story of Fred and Rose West, two of the UK's most prolific murderers.
Cast:
Fred West, Rose West
All FCG reviews of Fred and Rose West: A British Horror Story
Netflix delivers a true crime tale of Nithari-level nastiness; a deeply upsetting peek at pure evil
Sat, May 24 2025
In this era of exploitative true crime television, Fred and Rose West: A British Horror Story stands out as being unusually restrained. But this depends entirely on your ability to resist googling the sordid scandal that inspired it. The show will work only for those who aren’t familiar with the case; anybody who remembers reading about it in the papers will probably wonder what made the filmmakers omit crucial details. Nevertheless, Fred and Rose West is an unusually well-made piece of true crime TV; it circles the case, but doesn’t circumvent it. Perhaps this has something to do with the fact that the series was produced by the streamer’s UK arm, which has historically been superior to the American (and certainly, the Indian) wings. Fred and Rose West is perhaps the most disturbing documentary of its kind that the streamer has released since 2019’s Tell Me Who I Am, another British production.
Chills one to the core but omits key details
Fri, May 23 2025
Even regular watchers of true crime like me will find it extremely harrowing to sit through Fred and Rose West, whose logline of ‘A British Horror Story’ doesn’t even come close to describing what a turbulent ride this newest offering from Netflix is. For those familiar with the gruesome details of the case, the three-part documentary will function as an uncomfortable throwback. For those like me who didn’t know about it at all, Fred and Rose West is yet another (and, by far, most shocking) eye-opener of the depravity that humankind is capable of.