Iwaju #PicksAndPiques #JohnsonThomas

#PicksAndPiques #JohnsonThomas #internationalfilmfestivalcircuit #FilmMovieDocumentaryOTTReviews Title: #Iwaju (6 Eps/17-30 min) Cast: #SimisolaGbadamosi #DayoOkeniyi #FemiBranch #SijiSoetan #WerucheOpia Direction/Screenplay: #OlufikayoAdeola Rating: * * * 1/2 #KugaliProduction #WaltDisneyAnimationStudios #ChristinaChen #HamidIbrahim #ToluwalakinOlowofoyeku #RéOlunuga #ZikiNelson #DisneyHotstar #@everyone #everyone @everybody #everybody @followers #followers #ruderfinn

Futuristic, comic-style Sc-fi drama, Disney's First Animation Collaboration In 100 Years, a thrilling, vibrant coming-of-age tale set in futuristic Lagos, Nigeria, is splendidly imagined & realised. Tola, a young girl from a privileged island, and her best friend an impoverished Kole, a self-taught tech expert, get together to uncover the mysteries and perils that lurk within their own realms. Authentic & culturally grounded, Iwájú explores class and innocence while bringing Afrofuturism to spectacular life. This is great,well-crafted Disney storytelling at its best!

Shogun #PicksAndPiques #JohnsonThomas

#PicksAndPiques #JohnsonThomas #filmmoviedocumentaryOTTreviews #internationalfilmfestovalcircuit Title:#Shogun (8 Episodes/ 60- 70 min each) Cast: #HiroyukiSanada #CosmoJarvis #AnnaSawai #TadanobuAsano Directors: #JonathanVanTulleken #HiromiKamata #CharlotteBrändström #FrederickToye #TakeshiFukunaga #EmmanuelOseiKuffour Rating: * * * 1/2 #DisneyHotstar #RuderFinn #ICC #FXProductions #everyone @everyone #everybody @everybody #followers @followers #ErinSmith #JamieVegaWheeler #TomWinchester #DNAFilms #MichaelDeLucaProductions

An opulent adaptation of #JamesClavell’s 1975 historical fiction based on the life of the English navigator #WilliamAdams, set in feudal Japan, this epic is resplendent with artistic visuals, deeply enriching cultural elements & a storyscape that appears magnificently original. There’s plenty of drama, action, political tension churning in the swirling battles & grand armies fronting 17th-century Japan at the dawn of a century-defining civil war. The treatment is raw, intense & brutal yet never voyeuristic. The narrative leans towards politics & philosophies & keeps you entranced in its luxurious enrichment of Eastern mystique. This is a sprawling period drama, a riveting re-imagining that finds strength in words and artistic accomplishments rarely experienced before.

Crakk: Jeetega toh Jiyeega #PicksAndPiques #JohnsonThomas

#PicksAndPiques #JohnsonThomas #FilmMovieDocumentaryOTTReviews #internationalfilmfestovalcircuit Film: #CrakkJeetegaaTohJiyegaa Cast: #VidyutJammwal #ArjunRamphal #NoraFatehi #AmyJackson #AnkitMohan #BijayAnand #RajendraShisatkat #ShalakaPawar #JamieLever Director: #AdityaDatt Rating: * * Runtime: 156 min. #UniversalCommunications #everyone @everyone #followers @followers #everybody @everybody #RehanKhan #SarimMomin #MohinderPratapSingh #TanishkBagchi #VikramMontrose #MithunSharma

This ‘Supposed’ high-octane actioner has a flippant story that meanders around #XtremeSports but fails to garner attachment because the audience never gets involved in what happens on screen. The hyper-narration and fractured action fail to come together as a composite whole. #VidyutJammwal hogs the limelight with unbelievable action stunts but fails to generate emotional heft, #ArjunRamphal though, puts in some effort in making his villainy credible.

Article 370 #PicksAndPiques #JohnsonThomas

#PicksAndPiques #JohnsonThomas #FilmMovieDocumentaryOTTReviews #internationalfilmfestovalcircuit Film: #Article370 Cast: #YamiGautam #PriyaMani #DivyaSethShah #ArunGovil #KiranKarmarkar #RajZutshi #AshwiniKoul #SkandSaneevThakur #SandeepChatterjee #VaibhavTatwawadi #AshwiniKumar #IrawatiHarshe Director: #AdityaSuhasJambhale Rating: * * * Runtime: 150 min #JioStudios #B62Studios #JyotiDeshpande #AdityaDhar #LokeshDhar @everyone #everyone @everybody #everybody @followers #followers

Peddling propaganda favoring the Government, this admittedly fictional reconstruction ( as mentioned in the opening disclaimer) of the events that preceded the abrogation of #Article370 takes unpardonable liberties in presenting a doctored version of the true facts. Some of the peripheral players resemble ‘body doubles’ but have different names. The intentions are obvious - to discredit the ‘opposition’ during that turbulent period. Nevertheless, it’s a well-constructed, smart, gripping and compelling thriller cinema that gathers tension as pop-patriotic events segue together towards an end play that was apparent. The nefarious agenda notwithstanding, Unflinching performances from Yami Gautam, Priyamani, Irawati Harshe, Tatwawadi et al elevate the experience somewhat.

Tokyo Vice Season 2 #PicksAndPiques #JohnsonThomas

#PicksAndPiques #JohnsonThomas #internationalfilmfestivalcircuit #filmmoviedocumentaryOTTreviews Title: #TokyoViceS2 Episodes: 10 Cast: #AnselElgort #KenWatanabe #RachelKeller #HideakiItō #ShowKasamatsu #EllaRumpf #RinkoKikuchi #TomohisaYamashita #MikiMaya #YōsukeKubozuka Director/Creator: #JTRogers Rating: * * * #Lionsgateplay #everyone #MoesArt #everybody #Followers

American crime drama based on book by #JakeAdelstein is about an American Reporter relentlessly & Perilously pursuing ‘#yakuza’ crime in Japan with disgraced imperiled detective Katagiri’s help.Internal conflicts, fragile relationships&fluid alliances form the bedrock of the suggestive narrative that is tense and foreboding and keeps you intrigued and interested throughout.

Kuch Khattaa Ho Jaay #PicksAndPiques #JohnsonThomas

#PicksAndPiques #JohnsonThomas #internationalfilmfestivalcircuit #filmmoviedocumentayOTTreviews Film: #KuchKhattaHoJaay #CommuniquePR #Tseries Cast: #GuruRandhawa #SaieeManjrekar #AnupamKher #IlaArun #PareshGanatra #AtulSrivastava #ParitoshTripathi Director: #GAshok Rating: * 1/2 Runtime: 125 min #everybody @everybody @everyone #everyone #followers @followers #AmitBhatia #LaveenaBhatia #MachFilms

An unseemly bizarre premise bordering on a fake pregnancy and IAS aspirations, this so-called comedy is nothing to laugh about. The characters are all pretty much weird and caught up in their own fantasy spin an what ‘family’ should mean. The complement of four writers appear to have let their imaginations run riot. Agra, the location of this fiasco appears to be the only viable attraction. The music is hummable, the performances are unviable. Not worth a look-see if you ask me!

Love Storiyaan #PicksAndPiques #JohnsonThomas

#PicksAndPiques #JohnsonThomas #internationalfilmfestivalcircuit #filmmoviedocumentayOTTreviews Title: #LoveStoriyaan #AmazonPrimeVideo #PRPundit Cast: #TwinkleTshering #PoonamGurung #PratikKothari #AnkitArora #SharnitaRavi #NicholasJKharnami #SharmilaFaridaSaha #SunitKumarSaha #SiddharthBoro #RajaniKChhetri #SohanPolock #PrasannaKhawle #VishwarajDeshpande #SukanyaBhattacherjee #UshaMoni #NishaDhole #KavyaRamanani #PrachiSinghPrajapatimore Directors: #AkshayIndikar #ArchanaPhadke #CollinDCunha #HardikMehta #ShaziaIqbal #VivekSoni Rating: * * * Runtime: 194 min. #DharmaticEntertainmentProduction #everybody @everybody @everyone #everyone #followers @followers #KaranJohar #ApoorvaMehta #SomenMishra #JioMAMIYRP

An interesting take on ‘Long-enduring-Love,’ this six-part ‘docu-drama’ anthology, an ode to adaptability and empathetic understanding that companionship and togetherness brings to psycho-social well-being, may not be unique but it is gritty, heartfelt & beautifully presented and directed. Some of the shorts may be unnecessarily long in the tooth but they do make a strong point for ‘resilience’ & ‘understanding’ in strengthening the bonds of love in any long-term relationship.

Lantrani #PicksAndPiques #JohnsonThomas

#PicksAndPiques #JohnsonThomas #FilmMovieDocumentaryOTTReviews #internationalfilmfestivalcircuit Title : #Lantrani (#TallTales) Cast: #JohnnyLever #JitendraKumar #JisshuSengupta #NimishaSanjayan #BolaramDas #SanjayMahanand #RajeshAwasthi #PreetiHansrajSharma Directors : #GurvinderSingh #KaushikGanguly #BhaskarHazarika Rating: * * 1/2 Runtime: 102 min. #ZEE5 @everyone #everyone @everybody #everybody #followers @followers #chaseindia

This anthology of 3 shorts showcasing three independent stories hoping to capture the essence of small-town India fails to make it to riveting. The three directors from different regions of India fashion tame shorts that fail to raise your hackles despite the injustices depicted within. #HudHudDabang by #KaushikGanguly is miscast with #JohnnyLever failing to look and act genuine & #JisshuSengupta looking rather lost. #DharnaManaHai directed by #GurvinderSingh with #JitendraKumar #NimishaSajayan lacks effectiveness because of a loose screenplay and disenchanting treatment. #BhaskarHazarika’s #SanitizedSamachar fails to take off despite its commentary on politics of power within the media. Weakly rendered, and varied in tone but effectively flat, these shorts lack purpose & fail to get a rise out of the viewer.

Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya #PicksAndPiques #JohnsonThomas

#PicksAndPiques #JohnsonThomas #FilmMovieDocumentaryOTTReviews #internationalfilmfestivalcircuit Film: #TeriBaatonMeinAisaUljhaJiya Cast: #ShahidKapoor #KritiSanon #DimpleKapadia #Dharmendra #RakeshBedi #RajeshKumar #AshishVerma #AnubhaFatehpura #GrushaKapoor Directors: #AmitJoshi #AradhanaSah Rating: * * Runtime: 132 min. #MaddockFilms #PenStudios #JioStudios @everyone #everyone @everybody #everybody #followers @followers #HypePR

A genre mish-mash, sci-fi romcom family social, from #DineshVijan’s production house, this one is a lavish dud. The cinematography is enticing but the implausibility of it all puts paid to any returns. While the love story tropes stay true to shaadi-phobic male expectations, there’s no help from the half-baked script, unaccomplished treatment, or the actors who fail to do justice to their roles. There are some fun moments and a hit musical serenade but the rest of it is just too difficult to swallow. Just imagine yourself trapped in a space shuttle several thousand miles away from the Earth with no way back home. That’s how you are going to feel once this constipated romance goes into hyper big fat wedding prep territory. And the title..? you’d be lucky if you get it right the first time.

Lokshahi #PicksAndPiques #JohnsonThomas

#PicksAndPiques #JohnsonThomas #FilmMovieDocumentaryOTTReviews #internationalfilmfestivalcircuit Film: Lokshahi (#Marathi) #UltraMediaAndEntertainmentGroup #RamKondilkarPR Cast: #MohanAgashe #SameerDharmadhikari #GirishOak #TejashriVPradhan #BhargaviChirmule #AmitRiyaan #AnkitMohan Director: #SanjayAmar Producer: #SushilKumarAgarwal Rating: * 1/2 Runtime: 128 min @everyone #everyone @everybody #everybody #followers @followers #SanjayRaji

This Marathi Multi starrer, a Political Thriller directed by Sanjay Amar plays out political machinations in chamber-drama-restricted flat TV episode style. The actors seem lost in their own individual worlds, and their performances are stagey and lean towards caricature. The thready sequences compiled mainly from their close-ups and profile takes, don’t feel feature-suited. Even the screenplay involving a powerful political family and the nihilistic dynamics involved in their power struggle fails to curry favor. The narrative lacks continuum and the editing fails to make sense of the political intrigue in play. The sheer waste of powerhouse talent (actors) is unforgivable.

Mr & Mrs Smith #PicksAndPiques #JohnsonThomas

#PicksAndPiques #JohnsonThomas #FilmMovieDocumentaryOTTReviews #internationalfilmfestivalcircuit Title: #MrandMrsSmith S1 ( 8 Episodes/ 40-60 min) Cast: #DonaldGlover #MayaErskine #PaulDano #DvaeAtell #BillyCampbell #JohnTurturro #UrsulaCorbero Director: #KarenaEvans #HiroMurai #AmySeimetz #DonaldGlover #ChristianSprenger Rating: * * 1/2 @SmithsOnPrime, @SmithsOnPrime, @PrimeVideo @everyone #everybody @everybody #everyone @followers #followers #AmazonPrime #PrimeVideo

Expanding on the #AnjelinaJolie #BradPitt starring movie, this series slow-burns through some uninteresting and tiresome segments before it can combust into some semblance of action. Lonely strangers John and Jane end up as spies masquerading as a married couple, navigating high-risk missions while also facing new relationship milestones. Unfortunately, this random coupling is not as interesting as that in #DougLiman’s film. The series is long-drawn, there’s not enough action, and lead stars fail to mark up the entertainment. This series takes way too long to work up steam or come good.

Karmma Calling #PicksAndPiques #JohnsonThomas

#PicksAndPiques #JohnsonThomas #internationalfilmfestivalcircuit #FilmMovieDocumentaryOTTReviews Title: #KarmmaCalling S1 (4 Episodes/30-50 min each) Cast: #RaveenaTandon #RohitRoy #GauravSharma #VarunSood #DevangshiSen #AmiAela #NamrataSheth #MasiWali #WaluschaDeSouza #RachitSingh #VikramjitVirk #VirafPatel #PiyushKhati #AlpanaBuch #ShatafFigar Director:#RuchiNarain Writer: #MikeKelley Based on series #Revenge Rating: * * #RatFilmProduction #HotstarSpecials #DisneyHotstar #ABCSignature #AshutoshShah #TaherShabbir @everyone #everybody #everyone #everybody #followers @followers

A revenge drama more interested in making its actors look glamorous than in pursuing logic, sense or being plausible. An upgraded ‘#Shanti’ where Wannabes, #Richandfamous types live in Alibaug and go through the motions of love, betrayal, scheming, scamming and revenge. It’s all a figment of a wild imagination. Looks good because of glossy production values. Could be instant gratification for those who got high on ‘#BoldandBeautiful’ and ‘#SantaBarbara.’