Blackmail (Movie Rating: 8.5 /10)

Blackmail (Movie Rating: 8.5 /10)

Dark Humour at its Black-est, leaves you in splits. Tight script with the Leitmotif of extortion on Extra marital affair revelations, bounded office gossip spills... and simply too much fun to divulge here.
Irrfan Khan, his bathroom fetish of a pretty face in the Loo... wife played by Kirti Kulhari, with an uncanny resemblance to PriyaRajvansh. The Villian of the piece, the bumbling ex boyfriend, current lover with DivyaDutta as his rich wife... Is simply a plot too juicy to unfold here... Pity the movie gets over so quickly in 2.2 hours. Comedy of Extra Marital Errors. Brilliasmo.

Red Sparrow (Movie Rating:8.75/10)

Red Sparrow (Movie Rating:8.75 /10)

Jennifer Lawrence at her absolute best. Sets the screen afire with her gaze and gait. The underlying sensuality of this spy thriller, with some extremely daring scenes puts Shades-of-Grey in kindergarten. The very first brutal rip-off-her-lingerie shot rings...

Sans any Bond movie chases in Aston Martins, the plot is realistic, in an ever altering power-play, with the Ballerina at her best pirouette ever... and a bit of Bolshoi with Simultaneous Canons for those art inclined.

JoelEdgerton with a small screen-time delivers a punch. The training school curriculum is not everyone's appetite, beware. 

She, JenLaw is the master of her fate, be it decimating her archR with a simple feminine snub or peeling the skin off her lover... It's a treatise... Though if you miss the dialogues, it's over for you. It's a fast, slow movie, of a spy. The burn goes on even after the credits. 

Aiyyari (Movie Rating:7.0/10)

Aiyyari (Movie Rating:7.0/10)

Aiyyari, Magician master of Disguise. Or to that effect. Manoj Bajpayee steals the show, with his method acting. Rakul Pretty Preet, has 15 minutes of fame, keyboard nerd turned girlfriend, teaching SidMal, assembly language. Neat. 

Tight plot, edge of seat, spy gone rogue unto himself drama. 

What is remarkable is the plot. Extracted from Army real life occurrences, Czech Trucks, TSD, Adarsh,Colaba et al,  entwined. SidMal is mostly hearing recordings and running cities, whilst AnuKher almost no role, almost. NasrShah does get his denouement. 

Manoj Bajpayee, as the Colonel, immaculately military dressed, floats across the globe to get the job done... Whatever it takes. 

Bit lengthy, bit of a headache, yet racy unto the end. What it does convey however, is the malaise, the rot that bedevils our nation because of the corrupt politicians, and their pawns... 

For my non military friends reading this, ask me one on one if you aren't aware of the sordid details... 

Watch the movie?  of course yes.... Manoj Bajpayee, Head of Secret Service that just does the work, not waste time reporting it. 

Phantom Thread (Movie Review:8.0/10)

Phantom Thread (Movie Review : 8.0/10)

Very slow paced, 1950s London with Daniel D'Lewis as the Master of Sartorial Ceremonies.... All the entrapments of a fashion house fenestered with awe, power, creativity and overpowering urge  for change. 

Krieps is Virtuoso, bordering obsessed. 

It's the dresses that leave you awestruck... Jackets and tailcoats, gowns and bows... Oh the close up feel of the weave of chintz and calico... And the hidden messages stitched in by our Protagonist for good luck 🍀... 

For my kind, breakfast 🍳 to die for... And that's not it.... New year revelry with Auld Lang Syne.

Story of love, habits and overcoming them....

Everything in there is simply class. 

Sadly, not for the Indian hoi polloi.

Padmavat (Movie Rating:7.5/10)

Padmavat (Movie Rating:7.5/10)

Despite knowledge of the doom at end, you won't decathect from Ratan, nor Padmaavati. Such is their portrayal...pure and principled. 

SLB unfortunately toys with history and presents AllauddinKhlji with maximum screen time and almost apotheosis of his madman complex. Sound score allocated to AllauddinKhlji dance scenes is more powerful than that for the hero-Padmaavati. Seems deliberate. 

 Ratan played by ShahidKapoor is understated, sauve yet given short shrift. Shades of Pankaj Kapoor in his dialogues is the only part the director has allowed to overshadow AllauddinKhlji. 

DeepikaPadukone, pretty and royal, has the second highest screentime; followed by the slave of AllauddinKhlji, demonstrating their gay relationship. 

Ranvir excels in his maniacal theatre performances. Did the contract specify his maximum screentime... Obvious 

Sets are bit unreal, CGI could be better. Screenplay is terrific. AditiRaoHyadari, has a small memorable performance. Her eyes 👀 ablaze.

The denouement, we've known from childhood lore, is surreal and leaves you with a heavy heart. 

It's a long movie, entertaining, powerful... SLB took the escape route of 'its fiction '... 

Watch it,  You must 

Ittefaq (Movie Rating:8/10)

Ittefaq (Movie Rating:8.0/10)

Akshaye Khanna does a Hercule(an) Poirot with Sid - Sonakshi in this potboiler of murders, deceit and storytelling. 

Crisp wry humour and wit on point dialogues leave you latched onto every word of this powerplay. 

Captured beautifully is the lack of empathy of police, shabby handling of crime scene, all on a funny bone and a masterful performance by Akshaye Khanna. 

The end leaves you wishing for more... My surmise, it's catered for a sequel... Already 

Geostorm (Movie Rating :6.5/10)

Geostorm (Movie Rating :6.5/10)

Climafiction, US Presidency, United Nations, Father-Daughter, Siblings and Mother Nature,  all backed into a 3D dough.... and a meaty loaf of sci-fi treatise. 

The story motif may be a repeat, nevertheless the gravity of global warming and chilling, alike is palpable. 

Gerald Butler, as the protagonist is remarkable. 

Sterling Jerins, as his on screen daughter emotes immaculately... Delightfully. 

Worth every penny of yours. Downside is the story is yet predictable.