Kirthana – Google

Young London-based doctor Manu(Maddy, setting the screen and the hearts of the female population on fire)comes home to visit prospective bride Tanu(Kangana), for an arranged marriage, and ends up falling in love with her at first sight. However, Tanu's affections lie elsewhere(said affections subject to change every other month). I enjoyed the reversal of the 'good girl loves bad boy' trope, and Maddy makes for an especially sweet good boy. Manu's character is solid and endearingly played; you get why a guy like him falls so desperately in love, especially with someone like Tanu(opposites attracting and everything). But her character is nebulous and vague, you never quite get why she is the way she is, what motivates her actions, does she ever stop to think of the consequences of her selfishness, etc. I rather hoped there would be a back story, maybe to do with Tanu's turbulent relationship with her parents(you're told it's turbulent but it's never established). Even if she is just a rebel without a cause, you don't get a growing up scene to validate her sudden change of heart. You don't see her reacting to Manu much, there just aren't enough scenes between the two to show how Tanu's feelings for Manu strengthen. After a point I started wondering how someone as grounded as Manu can stay in love with someone like her. Kangana's potential is sadly underutilized; but she does the best with what she is given. The actor playing Pappi, Manu's friend and confidante, does a great job at offering comic relief. On the whole, the movie is a good one-time watch.

Knives Out is a hugely entertaining ode to all classic whodunnit novels. Rich patriarch of a dysfunctional family dies, and everyone's under suspicion. You can see every one of the actors is just having a lot of fun, especially Craig. There is always a thread of comedy running throughout(Come on, Craig playing a detective who's called Benoit Blanc and speaks with a southern drawl? Could this be a not so subtle dig at Christie's Poirot, one wonders :D) Especially loved one shot of a dog reacting to Craig's raised voice in a scene towards the end. And the setting, art, lighting, the closeup shots(you can never have enough of Craig's blue eyes, or Evans' perfect features, but Ana de Amras' very expressive face comes out on top), just draw you deeper into the plot. You will enjoy it so much that you will be willing to overlook some weak points(the autopsy bit determining how Harlan dies). Watch with the family, and plenty of popcorn.

You think you're watching an engaging dark comedy until the second half happens like a smack in the face. Somehow, it's like what you'll get if the director started out with storytelling (the story of the Kims' is wickedly enjoyable and you badly want them to rise above their lot, by hook or crook even) and halfway through changed his mind and made a satirical commentary instead. I empathise with the director for what he is trying to show, I made the effort to read up on the movie after I watched it, to understand it from his point of view. However, there is such a paradigm shift in the overall tone that it just didn't work for me. You can't reconcile the first half with the second at all. Found some of the plot points implausible, like how gullible the Parks are, especially the mother. Saying any more would give away the plot. Watch with an open mind.

A beautifully, lovingly made movie. Some may find it earth-shatteringly romantic, others not so much, it's a question of taste.The casting, visuals, lighting, costumes were all on point. It was clever of the makers to have a narrator to sort of guide viewers through the story, especially ones who aren't familiar with the book. I feel it is a particularly difficult book to translate onto the big screen and the makers have done a superb job. Daniel Day Lewis lives and breathes Archer's character. I sort of wondered what would've been the reactions of Ellen and Newland to each other had they belonged to a later age. If you do watch the movie, make sure you read the book too.