Cadets #PicksAndPiques #JohnsonThomas

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Title: #Cadets Rating: * * *
About wannabe real heroes going through boot camp at Armed Forces Academy this series is a sort of YA #Fauji (frequently referenced) with aspiring trainees coming of age under stringent conditions. Based on #BootsBeltsBerets by #TanushreePodder, the series blends drama, action, puppy romance in engaging, likeable & impressive ways even with new comers in the fray.

Director: #VishwajoyMukherjee Runtime: 8 eps/27- 32 min each
Cast: #TanayChheda #ChayanChopra #TusharShahi #GautamSingh #JayaBhattacharya #VijayVikramSingh #AkshayAnand #ShubhamRoyChoudhury
#TippingPointFilms #Viacom18Studios #JioCinemas #PRPunditHavasRed #LEDMediaCollective #AjitAndhare #JessuGeorge #everyone #everyonefollowers

Tikdam #PicksAndPiques #JohnsonThomas

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Film: #Tikdam Rating: * * 1/2

This anti-migration pro-climate action narrative set in #Sukhtaal with kids as activists for change is rather simplistic, cliched, naive & contrived but is presented with a great deal of heart. The kids really do a good job making it endearing & watchable.

Director: #VivekAnchalia Runtime: 117 min
Cast: #AmitSial #DivyanshDwivedi #AarohiSajid #ArishtJain #NayanBhatt #AjitSarvottamKelkar #JenniferPCcinato
#HardikGajjarFilms #BackbencherFilms #Viacom18 #SkylarkProductionsIndia #JioStudios #JyothiDeshpande #everyone #everyonefollowers

Angry Young Men #PicksAndPiques #JohnsonThomas

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Title: #AngryYoungMen Rating: * *
A footnote for posterity. Docuseries that is way too personal than professional, has a nepotistic approach (family produced) with friends fans & family opining rather than peers & competitors, it’s a nostalgia tinged account that skirts around contentious issues & lacks legitimacy but has some anecdotal heft, feel good imagery & fancy introductory animation. Thankfully their legacy of being the most successful Story screenplay dialogue writer duo in Hindi cinema, the real stars behind 24 hit films, who dared to charge Rs 1 lakh more than Bachchan, remains unsullied. And we still don’t know why they ended their partnership? Dissapointing!

Director: #NamrataRao Runtime: 3 Eps/40-45 min each
Editing: #GeetaSingh
#SalmanKhanFilms #TigerBaby #ZoyaAkhtar #ExcelMediaAndEntertainment #SalmanKhan #FarhanAkhtar #KaranJohar #ShabanaAzmi #AmitabhBachchan #JayaBachchan #HoneyIrani #AmazonPrime #PrimeVideo #MoesArt #everyone #everyonefolowers

Stree 2 #PicksAndPiques #JohnsonThomas

#PicksAndPiques #JohnsonThomas #FilmMovieDocumentaryReviews #internationalfilmfestivalcircuit
Film: #Stree2 Rating: * * 1/2
Loud noisy rather humourless sequel attempt at marrying #Stree with #Bhediya fails to be meaningful or vigorously entertaining. Cheesy effects, exaggerated performances, tiresome songs, ineffective scares & stale slapstick humour set-pieces make this effort a branding & Marketing exercise rather than a cinema meant for pure entertainment. The central male quartet do a fab job making it all count for something though.

Cast: #RajkummarRao #ShraddhaKapoor #AparshaktiKhurana #AbhishekBanerjee #PankajTripathi #TamannaahBhatia #VarunDhawan #AakashDhabade
Director: #AmarKaushik Runtime: 149 min
#HypePR #MaddockFilms #DineshVijan #JioCinema #NirenBhatt #BakraniaMedia #AmazonPrimeVideo

Vedaa #PicksAndPiques #JohnsonThomas

#PicksAndPiques #JohnsonThomas #FilmMovieDocumentaryReviews #internationalfilmfestivalcircuit
Film: #Vedaa Rating: * *
Over-indulgent runtime, punctuated by hazy distracted action choreography. Illogical scripting culminating in a Dalit Card carrying ending largely inimical to the slo-mo almost meditative run of play #Vedaa fails to curry favor despite a broody intense monosyllabic powerful #JohnAbraham, marvelous #SharvariWagh, breathtaking cinematography & background score inspired by the #HouseofDragons theme aiming to box it into a faux ‘real life’ inspired women’s empowerment narrative.

Cast: #JohnAbraham #SharvariWagh #KumudMishra #MouniDas #AbhishekBanerjee #AshishVidyarthi #TamannaahBhatia #KshitijChauhan
Director: #NikhilAdvani Runtime: 150 min
#HypePR #everyone #everyonefollowers #MalayPrakash #AseemArrora #MonishaAdvani #UnmeshBansal #MadhuBhojwani

Khel Khel Mein #PicksAndPiques #JohnsonThomas

#PicksAndPiques #JohnsonThomas #FilmMovieDocumentaryReviews #internationalfilmfestivalcircuit
Film: #KhelKhelMein Rating: * * *
Contrived slyly sutured umpteenth adaption of the #Italianfilm #PerfectStrangers this playful gamey intersection of corny situations & heightened emotions makes for some vicarious mindless fluent entertainment. #AkshayKumar #TapseePannu & #AmmyVirk make light of the heavy duty moments - enough to give us a few laughs.

Cast: #AkshayKumar #AdityaSeal #TapseePannu #AmmyVirk #FardeenKhan #VaniKapoor #PragyaJaiswal #TalatAziz #KiranKumar #GauravManwani #ChitrangadaSingh
Director: #MudassarAziz Runtime: 135 min
#CommuniquePR #PanoramaStudios #Tseries #WakaooFilms #BhushanKumar #everyone #everyonefollowers

Phir Aayi Haseen Dilruba #PicksAndPIques #JohnsonThomas

#PicksAndPiques #JohnsonThomas #internationalfilmfestivalcircuit #FilmMovieDocumentaryOTTReviews
Film:#PhirAayiHaseenDilruba Rating: * *
Trifling conspicuously contrived Escapist fare lacking in suspence or thrills with Rani&Rishu aiming for a getaway while Montu the cop puts the brakes on. References to pulp fiction crimes of passion notwithstanding, the direction is pretty sloppy, unviably twisty, writing is confused&lacks bite & dialogues sound meaningless - so it’s the performances that keep the interest going. #VikrantMassey #JimmyShergill and to some exetent #TapseePannu save the blushes.

Cast: #TapseePannu #JimmyShergill #VikramMassey #SunnyKaushal
Director: #JaipradDesai Runtime: 132 min
#TSeries #ColourYellow #KanikaDhillon #Netflix #everyone #everyonefollowers #AnandLRai #BhushanKumar #KrishanKumar #HimanshuSharma

Life Hill Gayi #PicksAndPiques #JohnsonThomas

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Title: #LifeHillGayi Rating: * *

Starts off on a good horror-comedy-thriller note with contrived sibling rivalry as its mainstay but goes humourless & uninteresting thereafter. Actors fail to accentuate the drab writing. The scripting is sloppy. Only the locations attract attention.

Cast: #Divyenndu #KushaKapila #VinayPathak #KabirBedi #Bhagyashree #MuktiMohan #AditiGovitrikar
Director: #PremMistry Runtime: 8 eps/45 min each
#JasmeetSinghBhatia #AarushiNishank #HimshrriFilms #DisneyHotstar #ThinkinkCommunications #everyone #everyonefollowers

Gyaarah Gyaarah 11:11 #PicksAndPiques #JohnsonThomas

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Title: #GyaarahGyaarah (11:11) Rating: * * *
Based on Korean series #Signal created by #ChoiJinHee & #ParkJiYoung, this desi adaptation gets trigger happy & messes up the narrative fluency. The time bending narrative is not exactly convincing but the brisk pace and the nature of the whodunit template intertwines past & present to reveal shocking truths that keep you ensnared. Though the adaptation fails to deliver a unique culturally rooted perspective, the series does manage to stay gripping and resonant.

Cast: #RaghavJuyal #KritikaKamra #DhairyaKarwa #HarshChhaya #NiteshPandey #BrijendraKal #MuktiMohan #AbeerJain
Director: #UmeshBisht
Runtime: 8Eps/ 42-55 min each
#Zee5 #DharmaticEntertainment #SikhyaEntertainment #KaranJohar #ApoorvaMehta #ChaseIndia #everyone #everyonefollowers #StudioDragonCorporation #CJENMCoLtd #GuneetMongaKapoor #AchinJain

Hocus Focus #PicksAndPiques #JohnsonThomas

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Film: #HocusFocus Rating: *

Overtly sexual, inept with shaky camerawork, distracting split screens, implausible storyline, sloppy direction & vague performances make this a hare-brained attempt at cinema. This one is for you only if you want a brain numbing headache for the pricey Big screen ticket.

Cast: #SucchiKumar #SatinderSinghGahlot #SonaBhandari
Director: #PaierryDodeja Runtime: 90 min
#AshwaniShukla #AltairMedia #SocFilms #KaushalEntertainment #AashishRego #AjitPendurkar #everyone #everyonefollowers

Ulajh #PicksAndPiques #JohnsonThomas

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Film: #Ulajh Rating: * *

A cheat film, #SudhanshuSaria’s attempt to create a #Raazi like construct fails. An unpalatable, nonviable misconceived plot, poor casting choices & stretched out runtime ensures vulnerability at the BoxOffice. Weak characterizations & illogical scripting spoil the show.The #BlackCatCommando lure at the end takes the cake. The treatment, background score & #GulshanDeviah, #RoshanMathew’s decent turns allow for some affect. #Jahnvi’s perennial pouting doesn’t allow her performance to show up though.

Cast: #JahnviKapoor #GulshanDeviah #MeiyangChang #RoshanMathew #SakshiTanwar #AdilHussain #RajeshTailang #RajendraGupta #JitendraJoshi #TazSingh
Director: #SudhanshuSaria Runtime: 140 min
#UniversalCommunications #JungleePictures #ZealZEntertainmentServices #ParveezSheikh #AtikaChohan #everyone #everyonefollowers

Auron MeinKahan DumTha #PicksAndPiques #JohnsonThomas

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Film: #AuronMeinKahanDumTha Rating: * 1/2
Old-fashioned outdated lame unbelievable choices haunt this cut-rate fractured romance with a silly plot treated in repetitive, shoddy, rancid storytelling craft, accessorized with songs, dialogue, background score that sound alien to the narrative language shrouded in cliches. Shantanu & Saiee lend some freshness & pep while Ajay & Tabu weigh it down with melodramatic forlorn posturing. There’s no ‘Dum’ here.

Cast: #AjayDevgn #Tabu #ShantanuMaheshwari #SaieeManjrekar #JimmyShergill #SayajiraoShinde #JayUpadhyay #HardikSoni
Director: #NeerajPandey Runtime: 142 min
#universalcommunication #MMKreem #SangeethaAhir #NHStudioz #PanoramaStudios #FridayFilmworks #RelianceEntertainment #ZealZEntertainmentServices #everyone #everyonefollowers