Nacho #PicksAndPiques #InternationalOTTSeriesReview #InternationalFilmFestivalCircuit #JohnsonThomas

#PicksAndPiques #FilmMovieDocumentaryReviews #InternationalOTTSeriesReview #InternationalFilmFestivalCircuit #JohnsonThomas Title : #Nacho (Strictly Adult Series) Spanish /dubbed in English Runtime: Season 1: 8 Episodes 35-45 mins each #BambuProductions #LionsgatePlay Cast: #MartinoRivas #MariaDeNati #AndresVelencoso #PepaCharro #EduSoto #MarinaGatell #PenélopeGuerrero #JuanCarlosVellido #RubénJiménez #NanchoNovo #MontseGuallar #PaolaBotempi #MiriamGiovanelli Directors: #DavidPinillos (4 episodes) #EduardoCasanova (2 episodes) #BeatrizSanchís (2 Episodes) Creators: #TeresaFernándezValdés #GemaRNeira #DiegoSotelo Rating: * * 1/2

The story of Nacho Vidal the Spanish porn superstar who rose to unprecedented heights in the Spanish porn industry is one of ‘S’excess and more. A fictionalized account based on true events, this bio-pic of sorts, highlights Nacho Vidal, the legendary Spanish star's rise to international adult film stardom in the 1990s. The narrative basically amounts to a sex-fueled romp through the life and times of the Spanish porn star and could therefore be attractive to many. This series is semi-porn in nature with its graphic displays of sexual content combined with fairly intense and intriguing drama. It exposes the underbelly of the porn industry including rivalries, sabotage, drugs, sex, sex, and more sex, and a bevy of nude women in its efforts to explore Spain’s adult industry and the masterminds behind it. The production values are fairly good and Nacho’s rise and fall and rise again through the years makes for engaging entertainment. It's certain you wouldn’t be paying attention to the acting (even though it's pretty good) when there’s so much sexplicit action happening all through the series runtime!

Citadel Episode 5 Review #PicksAndPiques #InternationalOTTSeriesReview #AmazonPrime

#PicksAndPiques #FilmMovieDocumentaryReviews #InternationalOTTSeriesReview #AmazonPrime #InternationalFilmFestivalCircuit #JohnsonThomas Title : #Citadel #Eps5 #MissionFiles #TimeRendersUsEnemies #AmazonPrimeVideo #MoesArt @everyone #everyone Cast: #PriyankaChopraJonas #RichardMadden #StanleyTucci #LesleyManville #AshleighCummings #MoiraKelly #RolandMøller #OsyIkhile #CaoilinnSpringall Director: #AnthonyRusso, #JoeRusso Rating: * * 1/2 Runtime: Season 1: Episode 5/ 38 mins #MikeLarocca #AngelaRussoOtstot #ScottNemes #AGBO #DavidWeil #JoshAppelbaum #AndréNemec #JeffPinkner #ScottRosenberg #MidnightRadio #NewtonThomasSigel #PatrickMoran

This globe-trotting spy series continues to showcase middling fare with its twisty storyline and peculiar attempts to make every one of its Tier 1 spies to look suspect. Then there’s the relationship tangle that gets exposed in subsequent episodes. Elite agents Mason Kane (Richard Madden) and Nadia Sinh (Priyanka Chopra Jonas), who had their memories wiped out as they narrowly escaped with their lives are now in recollection mode and things are coming to them at a slow pace but the risks to their lives and the future of Citadel has increased tremendously. The topsy-turvy signature camerawork, the deja vu thrills, the hi-tech gadgetry, and the explosive stunt work have their moments of thrill but it's not steady or continuous. The repetitive attempts to dig back into the past is getting tiresome. Priyanka continues to hold sway while Madden seems to be in auto-play mode. Lesley Manville and Stanley Tucci appear to be coming into their own in this episode. There’s still no intensity to be had, the suspense is rather thin and the storyline is way too contradictory to hold you in its sway!

Charles Enterprises #PicksAndPiques #FilmMovieDocumentaryReviews #InternationalFilmFestivalCircuit #JohnsonThomas

#PicksAndPiques #FilmMovieDocumentaryReviews #InternationalFilmFestivalCircuit #JohnsonThomas Film: #CharlesEnterprises #Malayalam Cast: #Urvashi #BaluVarghese #KalaiyarasanHarikrishnan #GuruSomasundaram #SujithShanker #ManikandarR #ShebinBenson Script & Direction: #SubhashLalithaSubrahmanian Rating: * * 1/2 Runtime: 129 mins #ReliancePictures #JoyMovieProductions #JoyMusic @everyone #FatemaNagree #everyone

A Social Satire & Drama (with English Subtitles) This film headlines a character suffering from Retinitis Pigmentosa (night blindness) and expands on his efforts to cope with his disability during distressing economic stress. He hopes that stealing his family’s antique heirloom Ganesha idol might get him out of the hole he is in… This film could have been another #Andhadhun but there’s no real thrill here and all the drama and distress about disability caused by in-breeding is lost in the pointless melee of stealing and hiding the idol and finding a buyer for it. There’s not much humor or high-intensity drama to be had here and the thrill element is missing. The world-building and performances are solid but the tone and tempo begin to get sluggish and confused after the first 45 mins. The narrative here is more intent on focusing on cultural, familial, and religious issues rather than telling the story of a disabled person’s efforts to stay afloat, within the framework of an intense and thrilling caveat.

Chaar Lugaai #PicksAndPiques #JohnsonThomas #FilmMovieDocumentaryReviews #internationalfilmfestivalcircuit

#PicksAndPiques #JohnsonThomas #FilmMovieDocumentaryReviews #internationalfilmfestivalcircuit @everyone #everyone Film: #ChaarLugaai Cast: #BrijendraKala #SaanandVerma #NidhiUttam #DeeptiGautam #ManasiJain #KamalSharma Producer: #GeetaSharma #AshokKumarSharma Director: #PrakashSaini Rating: * * 1/2 Runtime: 143 mins #HimanshuJhunjhunwala #DwaparPromoters

While seeking sexual freedom for it’s repressed female characters, this film also appropriates a thriller comedy format. The narrative dovetails a story of four women from Paniwala goan UP whose husbands are in Mumbai to earn a living. They seek to fulfill their repressed desires with the local hero and end up with an accident on their hands - and a possible jail term looming large. A fairly interesting revisit to ‘Rihaee’ with a passing nod to the body disposing antics of ‘Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron,’ This film has intrigue and interest because the four lugaai’s play their roles delectably and with full gusto and the director keeps the narrative momentum going at a brisk pace. Some parts of it may seem contrived but the entertainment value is high enough to overcome such intellectual disruptions.

8 AM Metro #PicksAndPiques #JohnsonThomas #FilmMovieDocumentaryReviews #internationalfilmfestivalcircuit

#PicksAndPiques #JohnsonThomas #FilmMovieDocumentaryReviews #internationalfilmfestivalcircuit #everyone #everyone Film: #8AMMetro Cast: #SaiyamiKher #GulshanDevaiah #NimishaNair #RajivKumarAneja #UmeshKamat #KalpikaGanesh #MoinJaan #JayJha Co-writer/Director: #RajRachakonda Co-writer: #ShrutiBhatnagar #PlatoonOneFilms #Studio99 #1HMedia Rating: * * Runtime: 116 mins

A chance encounter on the 8 am Metro train leads to a tentative, rather unlikely friendship between strangers, a married man, and a married woman. Ira (Saiyami) suffers from panic attacks at the mere mention of a train. So it was providential that Preetam( Devaiah) happened to be there to lend a compassionate hand to help her at that crucial moment. The narrative is on slow burn and does not reveal much detail about the two main characters. As their friendship develops based on their suddenly rekindled interest in poetry and literature we see them bonding together and developing a certain affection. The writers/Director then makes the contrived ‘kafkaesque’ reveal which goes totally against what was shown in the first half. Long-winding, extremely stilted, awkward conversations with discussions of literature and poetry recitations are thrown in to make this entanglement of emotions seem high-brow. Though there’s some poetry in the dialogue, there’s not enough of it in the visuals ( most of them close-ups of the couple) to stimulate the audience's interest. The set-up feels fake and the development is manufactured. There’s nothing organic about this relationship. Even Gulzar’s poetry is lost in the superficial and vacuous depiction of an unusual love story

Rosh #PicksAndPiques #FilmMovieDocumentaryReviews #InternationalFilmFestivalCircuit #JohnsonThomas

#PicksAndPiques #FilmMovieDocumentaryReviews #InternationalFilmFestivalCircuit #JohnsonThomas Film: #Rosh #AltairMedia #AshwaniShukla Cast: #MimohChokroborthy #AlinaRai #NikitaSoni #JillKilroy #RuchiTiwari #YashRaj Director: #JaiveerPanghaal #ShivanStudios #MatesEntertainment @everyone #everyone #JioCinema Producers: #SachinGarg #AmrutLalSoni. Rating: * 1/2 Runtime: 120 mins

A muddled, senseless, attempt at thriller, this film about the aftermath of a hit-and-run by a trio of boozed out, drugged out party-hoppers who also happen to operate a big ATM racket through hacking, has little to recommend it. You have a poor man’s Katrina Kaif in Alina Rai and a debutant in Yash Raj who makes much more of an impression in the film than the more senior Mimoh. The cybercrime is depicted so badly that you’d laugh out loud at the lack of finesse and tech knowledge on display here. Songs are a pain. There’s no tension or suspense either to keep you glued.

A Winter Tale At Shimla #PicksAndPiques #FilmMovieDocumentaryReviews #InternationalFilmFestivalCircuit #JohnsonThomas

#PicksAndPiques #FilmMovieDocumentaryReviews #InternationalFilmFestivalCircuit #JohnsonThomas Film: #AWinterTaleAtShimla Cast: #GauriPradhan #IndraneilSengupta #RiturajKSingh #NikithaChopra #DeeprajRana #NiharicaChouksey #AngadOhri #EshitaShah #KaramveerChoudhary #ManuMalik #RamAwana #DrSKTyagi #DhruvChugh #DeepakAdhar Director: #YogeshVerma Rating: * * Runtime: 144 mins #AgastayaCineDreamsLLP @Everyone #ParulChawlaPR #PictureNKraft Director of Photography: #SumitSuryavanshi Editor: #AlokeDhara Music Director #AvikDutta Sound Designer : #GulabSoni Production Designer #ArpitDawani.

Yogesh Verma's directorial debut "A Winter Tale at Shimla" is a story about enduring feelings captured over time. Young lovers who were forced to abandon their ‘Ishque’ suddenly meet up 20 years later in Shimla and the complications that follow take up most of the narrative. The narrative is rather sluggish, the dialogues are stilted (sounds alien because much of it is in English) and the drama feels rather forced. The film, though shot in Shimla, has no great scenery to show for it. The music is pedestrian and the editing is rather uninterested. This definitely ain’t an endearing 'mature' love story!