Kashyap Raina

Disney's Encanto is the Story of the Madrigal's a family blessed and protected by Magic .At a certain age all the children in the family are blessed with mystical gifts that provide them unique powers except for Mirabel Madrigal who received no powers and that makes her feel like an outcast even though she is kind hearted , diligent and loyal to her kin. Through a series of events Mirabel finds out that her family magic might be in danger and that sets up the rest of the plot . Encanto is filled with the whimsy and the fantastical elements that Disney is known for and it delivers in terms of story telling , visuals, great voice work and music .The animation is immaculate and the animators do a brilliant job showcasing the abilities of all the family members with exciting visuals. The song sequences are enjoyable and all of the songs feature great visuals , The standout song definitely for me was "We don't talk about Bruno" .It's really encouraging to see Disney make a film about a Colombian family and featuring a young woman of colour as a protagonist .My flaws with the film are that there is a lack of an emotional payoff and stakes don't feel high enough .It just resolves itself and there is a dearth of a big bad iconic Disney Villain .Otherwise this is a good , entertaining film about family values , feeling like an outcast and living up to legacy. A very enjoyable animated romp.

Guns Akimbo is a wacky action comedy about a video game developer named Miles who becomes part of an underground internet game caller Skism where people hunt each other when two guns are bolted to his hands . This one is a future cult classic it has all the ingredients a wacky plot about an internet game where people kill each other an unlikely hero , a trigger happy psychopathic character and loads of fun entertaining violence , but that's not all it has great character moments like miles trying to pee with guns bolted to his hands and asking people to help him with stuff . Daniel Radcliffe shines as Miles a nerd whose favorite pass time I trolling trolls and that gets him into trouble he is a pacifist vegan who is afraid of violence seeing him deal with this world is inherently funny and Daniel Radcliffe again is great at small awkward character moments . The star of the movie is Samara Weaving as Nix an insane over the top psychopath who is the top player of Skism , her character is definitely modelled after Harley Quinn she has greattt comic timing and her interactions with miles are fantastic . The film has a great techno inspired score that keeps you on the edge and the violence is shot in an over the top youtube video-esque manner which benefits the film a lot in fact everything is over the top , villains are gun toting over the top baddies with tattoos and signature weapons . The film heavily lampoons video games and online culture of liking violent content and that people might pay to watch people kill other people . A very entertaining way to spend 90 minutes and a recommend , available on amazon prime .

The Man from Uncle is an extremely entertaining Spy thriller and is essentially an homage to the cold war espionage movies of the 60s although it is based on the old tv show of the same name . The plot follows a CIA agent ( Napoleon Solo) and a KGB agent ( Ilya Kuryakin ) who have to team up to track a missing nuclear scientist who has ties to the Nazis , Right of the bat this is an extremely enjoyable ride directed to perfection by Guy ritchie it has the trademark quipy Guy Ritchie dialogues which make it fast paced and makes sure it never gets boring it has a lot of stuff for the old school spy movie fans as it features the gadgets , evil Nazis and suave spies Charming women right off their feet , All the actors do a great job in the film Henry Cavill is perfect as the suave , smooth Napoleon Solo this feels like an audition tape to play the classic Sean Connery type of bond he is extremely comfortable spouting off Guy Ritchie dialogues and is effortless in the role . Armie Hammer does a good job as Ilya Kuryakin the Stern and overpowered Russian agent who gets the job done at any cost , These two have great chemistry on screen and keep it fresh throughout the 115 minutes long runtime . Alicia Vikander does a good job as Gabby daughter of the nuclear scientist who is central to the entire plot and her character adds an element of unpredictability to the movie , For a change The diabolical World Threatening Villian of the movie is played by a woman Elizabeth debicki who can be threatening and seductive at the drop of the hat and is a good foil for our heroes . Hugh Grant pops up in a cameo of sorts and it's nice to see him on the screen but he doesn't get to do much . Guy Ritchie blends the spy thriller genre with Buddy Comedy elements to give us an exciting and enthralling journey . As for the flaws a key scene at the end is treated like a minor inconvenience even though it could've been a cool set piece but it is followed up by a great chase sequence so not much to whine about on the whole . An entertaining and very enjoyable watch .

Some spoilers ahead -: Promising Young Woman is a tale of Cassie a 30 year old woman who works at a coffee shop but in the evenings pretends to be drunk so that she can teach a moral lesson to guys who try to take advantage of her , the scenes where guys are trying to get her into a bed are disturbing , hard to watch and will just make you uncomfortable but the scenes where she turns the tables on them are really thrilling , As the story unfolds we find out why she does what she does and it is because of a traumatic incident in her past that forced her to drop out of medical school for which she is seeking revenge on people who she thinks are responsible , That's the gist of the plot and there is a lot of other stuff in the plot that is not just a tale of moral ambiguity but also tells the classic tale of how far a person is willing to go for revenge . Direction is slick and Carey Mulligan delivers a great performance perhaps the best performance of her career she manages to be a sociopathic , vulnerable , relatable and crazy effortlessly . There are some things that do not line up.completely logic wise but the last 25 minutes of this movie are thrilling , unpredictable and completely satisfying . A hyper stylized revenge dark comedy drama with a great lead performance by Carey Mulligan an absolute recommend a special mention to the soundtrack of the movie filled with extremely popular tracks .

Girl Interrupted is the story of Susanna Kaysen ( Winona Ryder ) a young woman who is sent to a mental asylum after she tries to commit suicide , There she forms a bond with many of the patients in the asylum including Lisa ( Angelina Jolie ) a charismatic rebel who has been there for 8 years . The movie from here on begins a journey of sadness , confusion and ultimately recovery for Susanna through the various bonds she forms with the patients and the employees at the asylum , Right off the bat this film contains amazing Performances from both Winona Ryder and Angelina Jolie ( who won an Oscar for her performance ) , Both actresses have great chemistry together and characters although polar opposites gel very well together. Winona Ryder delivers a very restrained performance the emotions on her face when she first arrives at the asylum initially completely represent what she is feeling . Angelina Jolie has a more dynamic and showy role and a much more complex character who is cold and truthful but really does not care much about other people's feelings and yet is emotionally broken from inside . Whoopi Goldberg stars as Valerie the head nurse at the asylum and is brilliant as the strong , strict disciplinarian who also has a caring , nurturing side towards her patients it could've been really easy for the movie to portray her as this over the top fascist official but no she is very real and grounded . All the other actresses who play the other patients at the asylum also deliver strong Performances but the movie is mostly about Susanna and her journey to recovery and the experience she has at the hospital and the one thing that I really left wondering was how do these people re- assimilate back into society after living in such conditions for long periods of time and the answer is some never fully recover some learn to gel with surroundings and some are the shell of the human they were before they entered the asylum . This is a good character drama that's available on Netflix a recommend .

Ransom (1996) is the story of Tom Mullens wealthy owner of an Airlines whose only son Shaun in Kidnapped and held for a 2 million dollar Ransom , What follows is an expertly crafted game of wits between the kidnappers and The Mullens who take the help of the FBI to get their son back . This film is the perfect example of a movie with a simple premise elevated by strong storytelling , intense character interactions and really strong acting . All the actors in the movie do a great job Mel Gibson stars as in the lead role of Tom Mullens and he delivers a perfect performance as a father desperate to get his son back but not afraid to make moves of his own so that he can get his son back Mel Gibson doesn't often get a lot of credit as an actor but his performance here is subtle and emotional . Gary Sinise is unbelievable as the Kidnapper Jimmy Shaker it is hard to believe that the guy who played Lieutenant Dan in Forrest Gump can play such a sinister and maniacal character who is willing to go to any lengths to get his Ransom even if it means going against the crew of Kidnappers he has gathered . Rene Russo stars as Katherine Mullens mother of Shaun and wife of Tom she forms the emotional crux of the story and is really good at the emotional scenes without going over the top , In fact all the actors who portray the kidnappers do a commendable job Liev Schreiber and Donnie Wahlberg portray the brothers who are involved in the kidnapping alongside Lili Taylor who is also a part of the crew and starts to doubt their plans when things go haywire . Simply put the beauty and the appeal of the movie lies in the fact that at no point does the screenplay get complicated but keeps you engrossed and engaged . A perfect thriller and one of the best films of the 90s .

I just rewatched the film today and I am convinced that this film is a masterclass in how to build suspense slowly and play with the audiences expectations atleast for the first two acts , We will talk about the listless climax a bit later . The Game stars Michael Douglas as Nicholas Van Orton an arrogant Gordon Gekko wall street type character who isn't on good terms with his brother or his ex wife or anyone for that matter , Just before his 47th birthday he receives a strange Birthday gift from his brother which is basically a mysterious Voucher for a Game from a mysterious company to which Nicholas agrees to be a part of and from here on his life is turned upside down as the Game takes over every aspect of his life and it builds tension like no other film and in the hands of David Fincher he squeezes every bit of emotion and suspense that he can from every scene especially when tension starts to build slowly and engulf every part of Nicholas's life . Michael Douglas doesn't get enough credit for his acting skills but he is phenomenal here his performance is on point his paranoia is not overplayed and is accurate in the right amount and manages to create intrigue in the audiences mind when his perfectly isolated life is completely thrown for a loop . Sean Penn is really good as Conrad Nicholas's brother who is equally paranoid about the game as the events of the film start to progress . The film is let down by its reveal at the end or lack thereof and it's just a deflating end to a film that manages to.pump up the tension to the max . David Finchers films are often masterfully crafted and The game is no different as scenes are edited to perfection and do their job of amping the tension especially the puppet scene . Overall a very entertaining movie that could have had a great climax but sadly the ending is just meh when it shoulve been a perfect release of tension that shoulve atleast left the audience perplexed and scratching their head about what's real and not . Still a recommend

Why Living in Oblivion is Amazing and should be seen by more people -:The film starrts off as the crew of an extremely low budget indie film get ready for a day or gruelling shoot nothing seems to work they don't have enough resources the director seems to be outta his depth here actors don't seem to get it right standard independent film shoot to make matters worse they also have a film star doing the movie to gain some indie cred who nobody especially the lead actress doesn't seem to get along with the series of events that follow make this film a great experience especially for anyone who has ever worked on an independent film project in any capacity it's utter madness and chaos but what amazes me is how real the movie seems to be even though the plot structure of the film makes you doubt if there is any truth to whatever is happening on screen , Director Tom Dicilio packs this film with his own experiences and challenges he had faced throughout his career of making low budget indie movies . This film also boosts of a spectacular ensemble featuring acting legends like Catherine Keener , Steve Buscemi and a scene stealing turn from Dermot Mulroney and believe it or not this also marks Peter Dinklages first on screen as an actor frustrated with the fact that actors suffering with dwarfism are always typecast as fantasy creatures , Overall I don't know why this film should be discovered by way more people than it has because it's just a unique film and the type of unflinching and raw cinema nobody will bother making but if you love Cinema , want to make movies or are just a casual fan you will love this flick .

Smart , witty and sharp , Nicole Holofcener's Friends with Money is a celebration of long time friendship , complicated relationships and finding yourself while not indulging in over the top melodrama and being as low key as possible , Performances by the entire ensemble cast are perfect as every actor plays their part extremely well and it's just about people dealing with issues whether it be in their marriage or about getting their life on track , it also highlights how vain and privileged some of these characters are , At it's core the story is about 4 old friends 3 of whom are married and the 4th one who doesn't know what she's gonna do in life and the movie just explores their experiences.in life without caring much about the plot as certain plot threads don't have a Pay off and certain characters are introduced without their being a resolution to their arc . Overall this is movie can be enjoyed for it's smart writing and A list cast .

Private Life is the story of a child less middle aged couple in their 40s desperately trying to have a child , When all their hopes fail they decide to ask the husband's step niece to become an egg donor for the couple and from there on we have a bittersweet drama that is one of the best movies I have seen in a long time about a taboo topic barely explored in Cinema especially with this degree of realism and subtlety . The Couple's disappointments and failed attempts at having a child are conveyed through their demeanors one second they are hopeful than the other minute they are back to square one and thankfully there are no attempts to amplify their plight it's just really sad to see them try so hard and fail whether it's adoption , Ivf or other methods . Director Tamara Jenkins does a great job of presenting the most stripped down version of these characters portrayed brilliantly by The great Paul Giamatti and Kathryn Hahn they are so understated and real their bickering about their desire to have a child and the fact that their attempts to have a child is taking a toll on their marriage it's truly heartbreaking . Kayli Carter as Sadie their step niece and eventual Donor is perfect her awkwardness and her desire to do this out of the love that she has for her Uncle and Aunt is well captured , Overall.i don't think there is a single false note in the movie . Without spoilers The ending will just leave you sad and also a bit optimistic