Minus 31 The Nagpur Files #PicksAndPiques #JohnsonThomas #OTTFilmSeriesReviews

#PicksAndPiques #JohnsonThomas #FilmMovieDocumentaryReviews #internationalfilmfestivalcircuit #OTTFilmSeriesReviews Film: #Minus31TheNagpurFiles Cast: #RaghubirYadav #RuchaInamdar #RajeshSharma #NishaDhar #JayaBhattacharya #SantoshJuvekar #PranjalPateriya #GirishDeshmukh #RiturajWankhede #DebashishNaha #KaamBhaari #KunalPangdagale Director: #PratikMoitra Editor: #AbhishekSharma Rating: * * 1/2 Runtime: 134 mins

#OrangePixelStudios #DragonwaterFilms #CommuniquePR #ZeeMusic #DarshanaEntertainment @everyone #everyone An original story, an investigative thriller in the making, gets the lazy, belabored treatment and loses steam along the way. Set in Nagpur, during the height of the oxygen and Remdesivir shortage crisis, in Corona Times, this story had the kernels for a great investigative murder thriller. Sloppy scripting and laggard editing compound the issue here. The slow, raw, and unpolished narrative leaves a lot to be desired. Even the performances lack ameliorating craft.

Chandlo #PicksAndPiques #JohnsonThomas #FilmMovieDocumentaryReviews #internationalfilmfestivalcircuit #OTTFilmSeriesReviews

#PicksAndPiques #JohnsonThomas #FilmMovieDocumentaryReviews #internationalfilmfestivalcircuit #OTTFilmSeriesReviews Film: #Chandlo (#Gujarati) Cast: #ManavGohil #KajalOzha #ShraddhaDangar Director: #HardikGajjar Rating: * * Runtime: 112 mins #JioCinema #PictureNkraft #ParulChawla #JioStudios #BackbencherFilms #HardikGajjarFilms @everyone #Everyone #ParthGajjar #PoonamShroff

A progressive effort for a Gujarati film, this narration of a 54 year old widow Meera, (a professor), becoming the love interest of a celebrity Ghazal singer 10 years her junior, who her widowed daughter-in-law also covets - may have forward-looking intent but the treatment is very much stereotypical, hackneyed and bordering on melodrama. Its basically #EkNaiPaheli without the fourth quadrant in the story.

Trial Period #PicksAndPiques #JohnsonThomas #FilmMovieDocumentaryReviews #internationalfilmfestivalcircuit #OTTFilmSeriesReviews

#PicksAndPiques #JohnsonThomas #FilmMovieDocumentaryReviews #internationalfilmfestivalcircuit #OTTFilmSeriesReviews Film: #TrialPeriod Cast: #GeneliaDeshmukh #ManavKaul #ShaktiKapoor #SheebaChadda #GajrajRao #ZidaneBraz #GaganAhuja Director: #AleyaSen Writer: #ShivSingh Rating: * * Runtime: 126 mins #JioCinema #PRPundit #JioStudios #ChromePictures #ColorsCineplex @everyone #Everyone

This story about a man desperately seeking employment being hired as a father-for-hire for a 30 day trial period feels contrived and unbelievable. The film tries to sincerely navigate challenges of an unconventional family dynamic but fails to make it convincing. But despite those imperfections, the narrative manages to hold your attention thanks to the low-key treatment and amiable performances. #ManavKaul is convincing and #Genelia and #Zidane shoot-up the cute quotient. A fairly heart-warming watch this!

Bawaal #PicksAndPiques #JohnsonThomas #FilmMovieDocumentaryReviews #internationalfilmfestivalcircuit #OTTFilmSeriesReviews

#PicksAndPiques #JohnsonThomas #FilmMovieDocumentaryReviews #internationalfilmfestivalcircuit #OTTFilmSeriesReviews Film: #Bawaal #AmazonPrimeVideo #SpicePR Cast: #VarunDhawan #JahnviKapoor #ParthSidhpura #GunanJoshi #AnjumanSaxena #ShashieVermaa #MukeshTiwari Director: #NiteshTiwari Producer: #SajidNadiadwala #AshwinyIyerTiwari Rating: * * Runtime: 122 mins #NadiadwalaGrandsonEntertainment #EarthskyPictures #Tseries #everyone @everyone

This film is a rather illogical effort to connect a troubled marriage to the World War II-linked horrors of the Holocaust. The script uses history lessons as a catalyst for a change of heart. A small-town teacher, a braggart of sorts suddenly finds himself out of his depth and strays from his promise to his new wife. Thereafter the narrative takes its unbelievable turn in a futile effort to save a marriage and career that never should have been. Varun is efficiently earnest in trying to make sense of an unbelievable role and Jahnvi, though sincere, fails to make her presence felt

The Trial: Pyaar Kaanoon Dhoka #PicksAndPiques #OTTSeriesReview #JohnsonThomas #Internationalfilmfestivalcircuit

#Internationalfilmfestivalcircuit Title: #TheTrialPyaarKaanoonDhoka Cast: #Kajol #SheebaChaddha #JisshuSengupta #AlyyKhan #KubbraSait #AamirAli #AseemHattangadi #GauravPandey #AtulKumar #KiranKumar #ShrutiBhisht #SuhaniJuneja #RiturajSingh #BeenaBaneree Showrunner & Director: #SuparnSVarma Rating: * * 1/2 Runtime: 8 Episodes/40-50 mins each #DisneyHotstar #HotstarSpecials’ @everyone @everyone #BanijayAsia #AjayDevgnFFilms #ThinkinkCommunications #ScottFreeProductions #KingSizeProductions #CBSTelevisionStudios

A rather flaky adaptation of #TheGoodWife, this Indianised version has consummate performer #Kajol in the titular role but the series that highlights the lead track of a corrupt judge/philandering husband face charges in the media and court of law, while his non-practicing lawyer wife struggles to get back into lawyering groove - fails to present a strong enough case for garnering audience affection. The scripting feels rough-hewn. The courtroom dramatics ( though the cases chosen have links to current newspaper headlines) are rather feeble, fragmented and unsubstantiated. The inter-personal familial hysterics lack finesse and the narrative spiel falls back on melodrama rather than grit, sharpness and edge. The background score makes a strong attempt to heighten the drama but it feels overdone rather than facilitating.There are far too many loopholes plaguing the narrative. Can’t believe a woman struggling to stay in a job has enough moolah to pay for a plush apartment in a high rise but is unable to pay the fees for her two daughters schooling since 8 months. Kubbra Sait is the standout performer here even though her role as a so-called consultant( liaising with police and all sorts of corrupt individuals) in a top law firm, defies all logic.

Neeyat #PicksAndPiques #FilmMovieDocumentaryReviews #JohnsonThomas #internationalfilmfestivalcircuit

#PicksAndPiques #FilmMovieDocumentaryReviews #JohnsonThomas #internationalfilmfestivalcircuit Film: #Neeyat (#MoesArt #AmazonPrimeMini) Cast: #RamKapoor #VidyaBalan #ShefaliShah #NikkiAnejaWalia #ShahanaGoswami #DipanitaSharma #NeerajKabi #DaneshRazvi #RahulBose #ShashankArora #AmritaPuri Director: #AnuMenon Rating: * * Runtime: 110 mins #everyone @everyone #AbundantiaEntertainmentProduction

Anu Menon’s Neeyat is cut-off from reality by its storm in a tea-cup sort-of, rather unoriginal storyline. A #VijayMallya-like flamboyant billionaire is having a birthday bash in an isolated castle in Scotland and the invitees, a chosen handful, are there for reasons best known to him. The best thing about this movie is the character of the billionaire and his quirky similarity to the ‘real’ absconding liquor Baron.The rest of it is sloppy balderdash. The murder happens on a cliff and only three people had the chance to go outside the castle yet everyone is made to be a suspect.The characterizations are silly, the reasoning doesn’t hold water and the tempo fails to generate affect. The narrative is sloppily orchestrated with bloopers and loopholes galore. Rahul Bose who is falteringly campy and Vidya Balan, though earnest, fails to make this experience believable or interesting.

Blind #PicksAndPiques #FilmMovieDocumentaryReviews #JohnsonThomas #internationalfilmfestivalcircuit

#PicksAndPiques #FilmMovieDocumentaryReviews #JohnsonThomas #internationalfilmfestivalcircuit Film: #Blind #jiocinema #prpundit #jiostudios Cast: #SonamKapoorAhuja #LilletteDubey #PurabKohli #VinayPathak #NikhilSaraf #DaneshRazvi Director: #ShomeMakhija Rating: * * 1/2 Runtime: 124 mins

#everyone @everyone #AVMAMedia #Kanai #RVMotionPictres #PanoramaMusic #ClintonCerejo #PriyankaChaudhary #KrossPictures Based on a 2011 #Korean film ‘Blind’ by #AhnSanghoon ( which also inspired the #Nayanthara starring Tamil film #Netrikann) this film top-lining a rather vocally inert Sonam Kapoor Ahuja as a blind ex-cop(tragedy induced), fails to drum up tension or vigor in its bland attempt to score some thrills. Even the gruesome action fails to heighten the chill factor. There are quite a few loopholes in the script and the rather sloppy attempt to Indianise the story set in Glasgow, makes the experience rather unworthy. Fairly potent camerawork and hip music are the only plus points here.

#Tarla #PicksAndPiques #JohnsonThomas #FilmMovieDocumentaryReviews #InternationalFilmFestivalCircuit

#PicksAndPiques #JohnsonThomas #FilmMovieDocumentaryReviews #InternationalFilmFestivalCircuit Film: #Tarla (#Zee5 #ChaseIndia) Cast: #HumaQuereshi #SharibHashimi #PurnenduBhattacharya #BharatiAchrekar Director: #PiyushGupta Rating: * * Runtime: 120 mins #everyone @everyone

This biopic on #TarlaDalal - famous for her vegetarian cooking skills, is a rather bland, uninspiring one. The script based on the story of Tarla Dalal, the famous Indian food writer, chef, cookbook author and host of cooking shows who authored over 100 books and sold 10 million copies, fails to highlight worthy moments from her life and the narrative fails to cook up steam even though the Lady was a living inspiration to many aspiring housewives with ambitions of a second career. Huma Qureshi is sincere enough in the titular role, but overall the film is a let down because of its episodic approach and lukewarm treatment.

1922 Pratikar Chauri Chaura #PicksAndPiques #FilmMovieDocumentaryReviews #JohnsonThomas #internationalfilmfestivalcircuit

#PicksAndPiques #FilmMovieDocumentaryReviews #JohnsonThomas #internationalfilmfestivalcircuit Film: #1922PratikarChauriChaura Cast: #RaviKishen #AnilNagrath #PawanPandey #AshokBanthia #ParthMishra #VikalpShrivas Writer/Director: #AbhikBanu Rating: * * Runtime: 106 mins #SanjayBhushanPatiyala #HungamaMedia #everyone @everyone

A lousy attempt at a historical drama, this deadening, boring film fails to gather interest as the stilted narrative is far more interested in framing actor profiles and spewing undeveloped, puerile dialogue than telling the story with either lucidity or fluidity. Based on a true incident from the annals of the freedom struggle, this film highlights the battle fought in 1922 at Chauri Chaura in Gorakhpur district of Uttar Pradesh, against the British. Apparently this incident gave a different direction to the freedom struggle of the country. The manner in which this film has been directed and presented, its certainly not going to create any waves at the Box Office.