chand-suhas Reviews

The Commuter (I) (2018)

Liam Neeson's family is threatened again.

[4/10 · 4 June 2024]

You put him on an international flight or a commuter train, just do not threaten him using his wife and son's safety. Liam Neeson is Michael MacCauley, a former NYPD officer leading a normal middle class life as an insurance agent for past 10 years. It appears the relationship with his wife is getting boring but they are still strong. One day, Michael is fired from his job and onboard his train, a mystery woman Joanna, offers him $25000 to find a passenger named Prynne with a stolen bag. He has to find them before train reaches Cold Springs or else his family's lives in danger and so are the other passengers. How does the righteous Michael with his particular set of skills get out of this mess along with the others, forms rest of the story.

Despite the credible actors cast in brief appearances in an full blown Liam Neeson action film, The Commuter is all been there seen that. Again watching it 6 years after it's release, obviously it felt dated. The convenient screenplay does offer some generic fun moments in the train with couple of decent action bits but that's about it. Liam stays vulnerable but not beatable. Third act gets all too familiar with the reveal of the mystery passenger and why their life is on threat. Further, a bruised up guy questioning and telling hypothetic scenarios, doesn't alarm any passengers and in an all out entertainer, this wouldn't have stuck out as weird. Sadly, the film barely works and a dragged final act, ends the film on a dull note.

Cold Pursuit (2019)

Citizen of the year but it's still same old Liam!

[4/10 · 4 June 2024]

I haven't seen the original and this remake is about Nels Coxman, a snowplow driver who was awarded citizen of the year by Kehoe's ski resort. His son is murdered by a drug cartel leaving Nels cold and seeking revenge. As his wife mourns the death of their only son, Nels way of mourning is to find the culprits. In his pursuit, he murders 3 from the drug cartel run by their leader Viking. Soon Viking suspects the rival cartel leader who goes by the name White Bull to be behind the murders. As they wage war against each others, Nels plays the waiting game to get his sweet revenge.

What didn't work for me was the slow narrative despite it getting me hooked initially. 5 years later, the film definitely looks dated and Liam Neeson has played this role a gazillion times before, in the same manner. As it offers very little mystery behind the death or about Nels plan to wait out, the generic villain characters don't help much for this revenge drama. The snow clad mountain backdrop and the cartel run by the local Ute should have been explored more to give this a unique narrative but the film's primary setting was revenge drama with men all out murdering at their will. It quickly becomes routine and nothing new left to offer.

Darkness of Man (2024)

Ah the voice-over!

[2/10 · 3 June 2024]

JCVD plays Russell Hatch, an interpol operative who gets ambushed during a raid while his informant Esther gets killed. Russell feels responsible for her death and vows to take care of her son Jayden who has grown up with knowing the truth behind his mother's death. Russell is close to Jayden's grandfather and gets caught between the Koreans and Russian mobs. To protect Jayden, Russell goes to the extreme by taking down the Russians. What is the actual truth behind the gang wars and is Russell being played on?

JCVD's new B-movie is just basic filmmaking with an extremely limited budget, outdated script and a dull screenplay, resorting to full blown violence after a point. The performances were pretty bad overall and JCVD too looked tired throughout, which may have been the way his character was conceived, with him being old but that doesn't mean the performance be this lethargic. One can see the twist right in the beginning and there is no need to sit through 100mins to know who the actual villain is.

The Fundamentals of Caring (2016)

ALOHA.

[6/10 · 3 June 2024]

Ben Benjamin's marriage has ended and is afraid to accept the same. He is a writer and this phase he is in, he has stopped writing and seeks employment as a registered caregiver. He is hired by Elsa to look after her 18 year old son Trevor, who is suffering from Duchenne muscular dystrophy. As Ben makes himself accustomed to the routine of Trevor forms a bond with him, he comes to know about Trevor's estranged father and a bunch unopened letters Trevor has received from his father. This prompts Ben to convince Elsa to allow Trevor to be taken on a road trip to visit the deepest pit and do an important thing on Trevor's bucket list. What does this trip have in store for them as they are joined by an hitchhiker and a pregnant lady, forms rest of the story.

Paul Rudd is somehow among the best choice when it comes to such roles and he carries the film throughout. The scenes he has with Craig Robers are the highlight. As the film starts with a session on ALOHA - Ask, listen, observe, help and ask again. The screenplay doesn't completely utilize this as the writing resorts to being predictable after a good start and there aren't any major conflicts considering everything gets resolved quickly. This made the entry of the pregnant woman more like a deliberately addition, just for that climax. If the writing was bit more subtle then the humor could've been better balanced with the drama. It is still a decent watch and definitely worthy giving it a try.

Downsizing (2017)

Downsizing the ambitious story.

[3/10 · 2 June 2024]

Overpopulation has been the bigger threat to earth along with global warming and an Norwegian scientist comes up with a process to shrink the people to 5inches as a solution to the overpopulation problem. The Downsizing leads to considerable reduction in human waste quantity and is made out to be a viable solution to the immediate threat. Years later, people are offered to downsize themselves with a better life prospects in the small world. Paul and Audrey are interested in the program but Audrey backs out leaving Paul downsized. Moving on with life, what does Paul discover in his small world and how he accustomes to this life, forms rest of the story.

This one is a weird exception where an interesting story with an able director like Alexander Payne, somehow backfires. It started off well to be honest, introducing the characters and premise, just when I bought into the premise, the film started getting derailed. Once we move forward with the Paul's story, the writing gets a bit generic and the characters get one dimensional with only Paul getting a predictable character arc. The life at the slums should've been explored better than just being used as a plot device for Paul and Ngoc Lan's love story. There were many things to explore but once Paul gets downsized, the story moves into predictable territory and offers nothing new.

Unfrosted (2024)

Give up the tarts, old man.

[3/10 · 2 June 2024]

The story behind creation of Pop-Tarts narrated via Bob Cabana who was the head of development at Kelloggs while being at loggerheads with their rival Post and surviving the threat from the milk cartel. After knowing from a spy that Post is creating a product with the input from an ex-employee of Kelloggs, Bob sets up his own team named taste pilots as well as the dumpster kids to race against the time to beat Post and other rival companies, to release their product. How does they succeed in doing that forms rest of the story.

Jerry Seinfeld's directorial opts for a satirical comedy narrative and he has a bunch of talented actors cast, most from the SNL alumni. The problem is the treatment is quite dated like it's jokes and Jerry somehow fails to grab the viewer's attention throughout. The over the top humor works party and that too solely because of the known faces. Was I glad to see the familiar SNL faces? Definitely. Yet that is not what Jerry relied upon. There is a fun story behind Trat Pops being successful as Pop Tarts. The fierce competition, the involvement of Russia and US president in the proceedings to even the rebelling mascots, yet they fail to bring them together to give an entertainer.

The Spy Who Dumped Me (2018)

"Hey there. It's over. Sorry."

[4/10 · 2 June 2024]

Audrey is just dumped by her boyfriend Drew and worse, it happened before her birthday. All she has is her best friend Morgan Freeman. Audrey tries to flirt with a guy named Sebastian and he turns out to be an MI6 spy, revealing her that Drew isn't the one she thinks him to be. Drew does reach out to Audrey, to take back his things but is soon attacked. Audrey and Morgan go on a run to Europe and they are in possession of an USB drive that multiple parties want for themselves. With the MI6 and CIA on their back, how does Audrey and Morgan save themselves, forms rest of the story.

As predictable the screenplay was, it solely relied on crude humor, violence and Kate McKinnon to save the film. Sadly, they gave her a weakly written one dimensional character and their cue to her was just be Kate. Infact the film is pretty much dull and it is the actors who did everything to carry the film till the end. This is evident when the only good joke is the "Americans?" one and it appears randomly, just fitting in. Mila Kunis and Kate are funny but the writing wasn't. The runtime too is long as the film drags on and if not for Kate, I definitely wouldn't have sat through this. The lenient rating ofcourse is for the actors trying hard to save this film and that's about it.

Challengers (2024)

Just like this.

[7/10 · 30 May 2024]

Best friends Patrick Zweig and Art Donaldson have won the junior doubles tournament at US Open back in 2006 and both of them are instantly mesmerized by upcoming talent Tashi Duncan. Having tennis as the common factor, they try to win over her and eventually Tashi starts dating Patrick, leaving Art jealous. Years later, Art is married Tashi, who post her injury, couldn't revive her tennis career and turned herself into Art's coach. Art is closer to a career grand slam but is out of form while Patrick has turned into a nobody. To boost Art's confidence, Tashi gets him to be a wild card entry at a Challenger event and his opponent is none other than Patrick. What led to Patrick-Tashi breakup as well as what caused Art-Patrick's broken friendship, is revealed in rest of the story.

First thing, the narrative is pretty much slow paced and the choice to have a non-linear narrative with the time jumping between 2006 - 2019, takes it's own sweet time to work effectively. The brief raunchy bits might have been promoted heavily but Challengers actually has a good story and is aided by good performances by the three main leads. It took me 30 odd minutes to be properly immersed in the narrative and once I bought the premise, it was a smooth watch. The build up to the third act is done superbly and it pays off like anything. Patrick's predicament, Art's realization and the unapologetic Tashi, take the film a notch higher.

Guruvayoor Ambalanadayil (2024)

Falls short of expectations.

[4/10 · 29 May 2024]

Vinu is engaged to Anjali and is very close to her brother Anandan. They have formed such a close bonding without meeting each other in person that Anandan has been helping Vinu get over his ex-girlfriend. Meanwhile, Anandan's marriage too is going through a rough phase and Vinu in return, gets Anandan to bring back his wife and child home. Just days before the marriage Vinu arrives from Dubai to get married, only to realize Anandan's wife is none other than his ex-girlfriend. What happens when both these men try to sabotage the wedding and their ways to stop the wedding further complicates things, forms rest of the story.

The plot is quite decent foe a mad cap comedy film but the fun here seems to end pre-interval itself. Up until then, both Prithviraj and Basil Joseph keep the show running with enough fun moments and the same elevated by the remixed version of Azhagiya Laila song. However, the pace drops considerably pre-interval and the writing instead chooses to go further down in the second half. The two songs in the second half simply adds to the runtime and the rushed climax fails to generate the intended humor. It is not how silly the scenes get that pulls down the film but it is the weak writing in the second half that tries to handle too many characters together, backfires.

Tarot (I) (2024)

Final Destination lite!

[3/10 · 29 May 2024]

Seven friends rent a mansion in the Catskills for one of their friend's birthday. The group involves a couple, Haley and Grant, who had just broken up on their way to the mansion. After having drunk all the beers, they find a box of tarot cards and for fun, they let Haley to read their horoscopes individually. Unknown to them the tarot cards are cursed and they soon start dying based on what their respective cards read. Will they be able to survive and break free from their curse, forms rest of the story.

These PG-13 films with unnecessarily darkly lit set up, with a routine screenplay tend to be terrible and Tarot is no different. There are 7 characters who possess no interesting personality trait and since Haley - Grant are the couple and so the main leads, the story revolves around them. The flashback to the astrologer too is half baked and rather narrated that it barely leaves an impact. The film is predictable from the word go and none of the actors, including Jacob Batalon and Avantika bring anything worthwhile on screen. The film is devoid of entertainment, decent kills and the convenient screenplay makes it for a dull watch.

Sting (2024)

4 days of dull spidey on the hunt.

[4/10 · 28 May 2024]

Charlotte adopts and takes care of a spider which she randomly finds at her apartment. Her stepfather is incharge of the building maintenance and he tries everything to be a dad to her. But Charlotte is too self centered for her own good and despite the growth rate of the spider, she continues to feed it. As pets and residents become the prey, the residents seek out an exterminator but fail to figure out the cause of the problem. What happens when the spider outgrows and so does it hunger? Will Charlotte be able to save herself and her family?

With a bunch of half baked characters and not much backstory to the main characters, the writer-director doesn't offer much to root for Charlotte or her family. There is a bit of family tension and that is restricted to exactly one scene. Not much is revealed about the species of the spider but that was never going to pose an issue in this particular genre. The problem was with the treatment and deliberate scares don't yield any interest in the proceedings. The final act with the girl taking over barely entertains and the predictable ending was no surprise. I am going with the lenient rating for the atmosphere and the creature effects.

Crew (2024)

Fails to entertain!

[4/10 · 26 May 2024]

Geeta, Jasmine and Divya are flight attendants at Kohinoor airlines and it announces bankruptcy. Geeta is supporting her husband in his food delivery business as well as her brother's family. Jasmine is happy to fake a luxurious life and only cares for her grandfather. Divya is trained to be a pilot but to her bad luck, she ends up working as a flight attendant and has an education loan she struggles to pay back. What happens when the trio find a dead senior flight attendant to be a gold smuggler? Will the easy money blind them entirely or will they see the big picture and fight for justice of their own, forms rest of the story.

The strength of the film however are it's three main leads - Tabu, Kareena Kapoor Khan and Kriti Sanon, infact the seniors dominate Kriti throughout. The comic timing they bring in elevates the scenes and it has a passable first half. It is the second half where the film gets derailed with it's own sense of justice and payback. The writing goes haywire here, taking way too much liberties which only leaves the trio nothing to carry on. They still remain in form till the end and the screenplay failing to support the actors is quite evident. If the film focused entirely on the gold smuggling and them escaping the customs, it would've worked better. Instead it turns the characters righteous and their flight goes downhill.

Atlas (2024)

Peace to the fallen and a lollipop.

[3/10 · 26 May 2024]

Atlas Shepherd is a goddamn analyst and not a soldier. She distrusts AI when they are human's ally as well as main enemy. Atlas wants Harlan, an AI turned terrorist dead because of the mayhem he had caused. After capturing and interrogating agent Casca, she learns about Harlan's current location which is an another planet and when the mission to capture Harlan goes south with the bunch of rangers killed and their ship captured. It is upto Atlas to overcome her distrust and sync with her AI partner Smith to figure out how to stop Harlan on time.

For this feeble done to death story about AI trying to take over earth with a sinister plan of wiping out half the population in order to save humanity, there isn't much to expect out of the script. Then problem is how dull the screenplay is and mainly how it is devoid of any sort of entertainment. The banter between Atlas and Smith should've somewhat saved the film but except for the lollipop line, nothing else works. The vfx is sub par and the poor dialogues doesn't help JLo and rest of the actors much. With a 2hr runtime, the story drags on with the predictable twists and the unimaginative action blocks.

Ordinary Angels (2024)

The ordinary angels around us.

[6/10 · 26 May 2024]

Sharon Stevens is a co-owner of a salon and has a turbulent relationship with her disapproving son which is one of the reason she uses for her alcohol addiction. When she comes across a newspaper article about 5 year old Michelle Schmidt in need of a liver transplant and has just lost her mother, she decides to help out the family. She independently raises fund at her salon in a day but soon realizes that isn't enough. Ed the father has a larger debt due to the hospital bills and his income isn't enough to cut it. How she helps out the family in order to save the girl's life and even help herself with repairing the relationship with her son, forms rest of the story.

Based on the true events that occurred in 1994, Ordinary Angels is a straight forward tale of the triumph of humanity when people come together to help each other out. With Hilary Swank and Alan Ritchson leading from the front, ably supported by the rest of the cast including a cute Emily Mitchell as Michelle, Ordinary Angels succeeds in narrating a near 2hr story of one family facing the crisis with a committed Sharon being their angel. The old school narrative here works largely and it is much easier to connect with the family's situation. I always look forward to some of the real life footages during the end credits and that made this extra special.

Ordinary People (1980)

A Masterpiece!

[9/10 · 26 May 2024]

Calvin Jarrett is trying his best to understand his son Conrad as well as his wife Beth. Ever since they lost their elder son Buck at a tragic sailing accident, the negative impact of it pushed Conrad to take an extreme step. As Conrad and Beth grow distant in handling their grief, it is Calvin who tries to hold it together. Conrad tries to get help from a psychiatrist Dr. Berger as he is failing to have a social life and let anyone into his life. How this family copes up with the aftermath of a tragedy that struck them and how Conrad finds the help he desperately needs, forms rest of the story.

Robert Redford's direction, Alvin Sargent's screenplay based on a novel and ofcourse the strong performances by the four main characters, justify why this film won the Oscar so deservingly. It's a character study and how! Hats off to Judd Hirsch for playing Dr. Berger so exceptionally well. Those therapy sessions with Conrad were simply terrific and leave a lasting impact. Then there is Calvin and Beth where I was surprised that how these characters were dealt with. There were no good and bad people here, the way Beth behaves post the loss of Buck is also presented in such a mature manner. Individuals deal with their grief differently and it is never meant to be easy or even fair, which the film supremely establishes. I would definitely recommend this as one of the most important films on mental health and it shouldn't be missed.

Broker (2022)

An overmelodramatic tale of an unlikely family!

[6/10 · 26 May 2024]

Broker is about Ha Sang-hyeon and Dong-soo, one owns a laundry shop yet works with the other in stealing the babies left at the church and sell them illegally for wannabe parents. Moon So-young gives up her baby at the church but chooses to join the duo in finding his baby the right parents. Meanwhile, two detectives are on the case to nab Sang-hyeon and Dong-soo. As one more kid Hae-jin joins to make them all one unlikely family, it is revealed nothing is what it seems to be.

It's a slow paced melodramatic dramedy about child traffickers. Each of these characters get a back story, enough to justify their current predicament and also establish that these characters, despite the circumstances they chose to be part of, are just good souls in the end. The intention was right but the execution went a bit overboard with the emotional scenes including the scene with Sang-hyeon and his daughter. It did end in a predictable mellow manner and though it is still a decent film.

Perfect Days (2023)

Next time is next time. Now is now.

[8/10 · 25 May 2024]

Hirayama has stuck to his daily routine and works as a toilet cleaner. His daily routine includes his passion for the plants and photography along with his collection of audio cassettes, ending the day at the diner. He has an associate Takashi is the opposite of him, trying to impress a girl. Hirayama is happy with his solitude and the limited set of people in his life along with a stranger, he plays tic tac toe. Hirayama's niece shows up one day unannounced and it is these each set of events that gets added to Hirayama's already structured life, is what makes it his perfect days.

Koji Yakusho's portrayal of Hirayama is the true highlight of this film and that final shot of him listening "feeling good" song while emoting various emotions alone commands for a re-watch. As much as I kept liking this film, those last 15mins took it to another level and I couldn't stop myself from loving this film. It's the moments Hirayama finds happiness in and has no complaints about his life. Even the reveal about his equation with his own family, doesn't deviate for a subplot on his past. Those were the perfect days he was living - happy, sad or dull, I could connect with Hirayama instantly. Then that final act involving the casual talk that doesn't get dramatized instead turns into a shadow tag game followed by the terrific climatic shot, it wa just perfect. I strongly recommend this gem to everyone.

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024)

She is that thing.

[7/10 · 23 May 2024]

The origin story of Imperator Furiosa where she is snatched away from her home by biker raiders and her mother chases after them to get her back as well as to ensure that biker raiders don't reveal about their place of abundance to others. Furiosa is taken to Dementus who wants to take over her home. On their way, Dementus eyes for the Citadel and years pass by with Furiosa growing up, prepping for her freedom as well as her revenge. How does she exact her revenge, forms rest of the story.

Narrated in chapters, visually the film is top notch despite minor CGI glitches. The narrative is captivating and the violence delicious in particular. The linear story telling helps here and Furiosa is a character the viewers are already invested in, thanks to the fabulous Fury Road. The film does get slow paced during chapter 4 and 5 but it is made up for by the stupendous Chris Hemsworth towards the end, with his quirky dialogues. The action scenes were definitely more enjoyable on the IMAX screen and George Miller excels again with his direction, needless to say, nobody else can do justice to the world he has created in this franchise.

Monster (2023)

Who's the monster?

[8/10 · 23 May 2024]

Minato is behaving weirdly which worries her mother. She begins to suspect her son being ill-treated at school by his teacher Mr. Hori. She escalates it to the school management and eventually confronts Mr. Hori who informs that her son is a bully, tormenting Yori. But Yori is fond of Minato. With Mr. Hori losing his job, Minato falling down the stairs, things escalate, leading to exposing several misunderstandings the adults had over the kids and the truth behind Minato's strange behavior. Who's the monster here is what rest of the film sheds light on.

The biggest plus is the perspective based narrative the director adopts. The proceedings are explained from three angles - one that of Saori, Mr. Hori and Minato. With the same events being given a fresh perspective, the truth behind the individual's actual predicament and inner struggle, reveal how wrong both the adults were about the kids. From the emotional aspect, the film is strong and these scenes are executed well. The performances too, especially the two kids stand out. Despite the subject, the innocence of the kids is not lost throughout and kudos to the director for pulling it off. Monster indeed is a must watch.

Triad (2012)

Misguided young blood.

[4/10 · 22 May 2024]

William's mother is saved by brother Patrick, member of a triad and despite being a graduate, William prefers to be on Patrick's side, picking the life with triad. William's friends Derek and Edward also join the gang. Raising up the ranks, William and co start enjoying the life of crime as it gives them with money and fame but makes it clear who has the power. William continues to make money for the triad and soon is after that very power. Will he be allowed to raise that above in the ranks as both the sides shedding lot of blood, forms rest of the story.

12 years later, the film does feel extra dated due to it's story. I would've still called the film dated 12 years ago as well, that is solely because these gangster films have the same narrative and there isn't anything new to offer. It's about the a guy, growing up in ranks and eventually dreaming to earn the highest of the position to run the entire thing. The people he loses, new friends he gains and the enemies that he make for himself, the narrative pattern remains the same with the genre norms. The love story asusual is half baked.

The Boy and the Heron (2023)

All gray herons are liars yet their lies are true!

[6/10 · 21 May 2024]

Mahito has lost his mother Hisako in a fire accident at the hospital she worked and he is unable to overcome this loss. His father re-marries and his new stepmother Natsuko, is also the sister of his mother. Mahito with his father moves to Tokyo to live with his stepmother and she is pregnant. Mahito is cordial yet distant with her. As he arrives, he is greeted by a Heron and soon he is told by the Heron that his mother is alive. With the voices which only he can hear, he eventually embarks on a journey into the mystical world that reveals a lot about his bloodline and the life as he knows it.

To be honest, this is not the kind of film I would be willing to rewatch anytime soon. The songs weren't that catchy and the narrative is slow, especially in the first act. The director does provide the explanations to the proceedings yet it takes time to properly follow the story. Once the story moves into the mystical world down below, the story starts to make sense until the many worlds theory is inserted. Anyways, the animation definitely stood out and it elevated several scenes in the second act. The whole parakeet angle didn't work for me entirely. I wish there was a bit more on the warawara and the pelicans.

Playing with Fire (I) (2019)

An unfunny film starring the funniest actors.

[3/10 · 21 May 2024]

A group of smoke jumpers, led by Jake Carson save people on time but they don't get to enjoy the fame same as the firefighters who hog all the limelight. Jake is trying to live upto his father's legacy and is a strict superintendent and hoping to land his dreamjob in the division. One such rescue mission, he comes across 3 children living at a cabin which caught fire. Saving them results in them staying overnight at their workplace citing the safe haven law. As they wait for the parents to turn up, how does the unwilling bunch of smoke jumpers form a bond with the naughty trio, forms rest of the story.

It's pretty much a painful film to watch when the genre clearly says comedy and it has not just John Cena but Keegan-Michael Key and John Leguizamo as supporting cast. How weak the writing must be to give them so many back to back unfunny scenes? The story fails instantly and the narrative is not engaging at all even for Nickelodeon standards. Keegan does get an entire scene to work where he is triggerd by the girl's sarcasm but that's about it. Whatever jokes that remotely seems funny, it is entirely the actor's conviction to make them work. The reveal about the children and their parents came out as bland and the film ends the same way.

Acid (2023)

Hopeless and depressingly bad!

[2/10 · 20 May 2024]

France is hit by acid rain and a divorced couple with their teenage daughter, try to survive like the rest. The cause of the acid rain is not the main focus, the survival isn't either for the teen girl. As the couple try to overcome their differences and work towards their common goal of saving their daughter, what circumstances they go through as the acid rain worsens, forms rest of the story.

The moment you let a horse die, it was clear the characters were unsympathetic and totally lacked any sort of survival skills but to keep running. As much as the father and mother wanted to save their daughter, their character arc of miserable ex-couple, really kills any sort of hope. Then, there is the annoying daughter whose only job is to cry throughout and I simply didn't care for her survival instantly.

Sadly, acid rain scenes aren't the main focus either to showcase the destruction, largely due to budget restrictions but the writing is enormously hopeless giving no reason to root for any character. The mother-son duo in the third act are straight up depressing. Just the bunch of characters who have totally given up and yet weaving a survival story around them, made no sense. The film dragged on for it's entire runtime and it was totally not worth sitting through it or even claim that I survived it.

Zara Hatke Zara Bachke (2023)

The film's title says it all!

[3/10 · 19 May 2024]

Somya is married to Kapil and dreams of having her house. She is not happy living with the joint family due to lack of privacy and Kapil's aunt meddling with their life. The inter-caste marriage already has it's challenges which the loving couple have overcome but the dream to have their own house is shattered after the one they chose is proven to be very expensive. The couple hears about the government scheme i.e. Awas yojana and plans to cheat in order to get a house allotted. As they take the extreme step to divorce each other, hiding the real reason from everybody, what situations they get themselves into forms rest of the story.

For an year, I got carried away with the hype around this film and probably had a different expectations from it. Sadly, the weak writing pulls the film down in such a way, it simply provides no chance for the lead actors to save it. The proceedings is simply devoid of any fun. The songs however I couldn't enjoy in the film thanks to all the insta reels as they felt over exposed. The writing is predictable from the word go and overacting in the courtroom is something I don't find funny at any circumstances. Sara Ali Khan and Vicky Kaushal were good and has a good supporting cast yet the emotions remain superficial throughout for the actors to make it work.

The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare (2024)

The Five Man Army!

[5/10 · 17 May 2024]

Prime Minister Winston Churchill prepares for Operation Postmaster, in order to destroy the Italian supply ship Duchessa d'Aosta. For this unauthorized mission, they pick the five man army led by Gus March-Phillips. To aid them, agents Marjorie Stewart and Richard Heron, lay out the ground work. However, the five man army need to be make a slight detour on their way to rescue Geoffrey Apple yard, the one with the masterplan. How does this bunch, become a nightmare to the Nazis and execute their plan, forms rest of the story.

The five man army or even the magnificent seven, could be used to describe them. However, for a fictional take on Operation Postmaster, Guy Ritchie delivers on the opening act and has a solid starcast as well. Once the Nazi army gets to be just target practice to our lead, the proceedings start getting repetitive and there isn't any real tense moments as they simply have no match. The quirks and the handsome man can only do so much. The action is fun and the humor works at times. The third act is still decent enough and that is why I am going with a lenient rating.