Good Newwz (2019) Movie Review

I was actually planning to go to this movie in the theatre but this is the catch. I planned it with my friends which is the toughest thing to manage for me. They are always changing plans per 2 minutes and spoiling my plans and they did now too. So, after that I was busy in the new year with the sankranthi films, so I skipped this film and watched it today at midnight on amazon prime. So, how is the film? Let's find out.

Good Newwz is a 2019 comedy drama starring Akshay Kumar, Kareena Kapoor, Diljit Dosanjh, Kiara Advani, Adil Hossain, Tisca Chopra and others. It revolves around a sperm mix up as shown in the film's trailer and how it sparks friction between Varun & Deepthi Batra and Honey & Monica Batra and how they become parents is the rest story.

The story and screenplay of the film is okay for me. When I saw the reviews of the film, I never thought that this film would have fart jokes and double meaning dialogues. The film goes with zero bumps until Honey-Monica arrive. Therefore, the film just does not leave any impact on me and I was distracted. But, after Honey-Monica arrive, the comedy and real story take centerstage and drive the movie with a good pace until we get a heartwarming climax. The film's trailer is a good chunk of the movie's plot and brings down the fun of the movie for me. 

The technical aspects of the film are good. The punjabi remixes are good but please stop remixing. The dialogues are the best part of the movie although some double meaning jokes pop up. The editing and cinematography is easy peasy. 

For a halka-phulka comedy, this film is a good recommendation for some fun time and escape from your world. It's not that film which blows your mind with its message of genes just because they mentioned it a couple of times. It just entertains you and only entertains you.

iMDB Rating: 7.6/10

My Rating: 6.5/10

Murder on the Orient Express (2017) Movie Review

I watched Knives Out two weeks ago. I from then found some interest towards whodunit. So, while scrolling through Hotstar, I came across Murder on the Orient Express and watched it. It's reviews weren't that great but every person have their own opinions. So, how is the film? Does it reach the heights pf a great whodunit or is it a great disservice for Agatha Christie. Find out in the review below.

Murder on the Orient Express is a mystery thriller directed by Kenneth Branagh starring himself, Johnny Depp, William Dafoe, Judi Dench and a plethora of talent who I encountered for the first time. It revolves around(as the title suggests) a murder on the orient express and how it is tied to a much bigger case. Detective Hercules Poirot takes up this case to provide justice but his views change at the end. You have to watch the film for all of this as this is a spoiler free review.

Let me make this clear. I am not a book reader, so of course I did not read the book. This review therefore would be from a fresh perspective. With that said, I really like this film. The first half might feel boring with the world building and they left these untied knots for me which raise fewer questions in my mind. But, after the titular murder, the films ups its pace and maintains the suspense or making a great 2nd and 3rd act. The climax reveal is very very good.(for me) Overall, this film has a great story and screenplay which is a treat for thriller movie lovers.

The acting here is very good. Kenneth Branagh is the star of the film playing Hercule Poirot with his quirky accent. He consists of a well blended mix of seriousness and humour. All other actors as they are a dozen get less screentime but share it equally. But, in their limited screentime they shine. Johnny Depp, Judi Dench, William Dafoe are the actors I know and have done a fine job with the material they have been given. Other actors like Daisy Ridler, Michelle Pfeifer, Penelope Cruz, Josh Gad, Leslie Odom Jr. and many more have given excellent performances.

The technical aspects of this film represent a perfectly made Hollywood movie. Not too extravagant but it is good enough. The cinematography, lighting, colour grading have to be appreciated the most for its contributions of the mood they they set for the film. Editing is brisk. Music is just taken from the reserves. 

Overall, Murder on the Orient Express is a well made thriller film. Although, it has a slow and boring 1st act, it picks up well in the 2nd and 3rd act to give a satisfying experience. It is a definite recommendation for thriller genre fans and Hollywood fans. I am eagerly waiting for the next part.

iMDB Rating: 6.5/10

My Rating: 8/10

Driving Licence (2019) Movie Review

Malayalam cinema is the best film industry in India as said by many film lovers across the country and I agree with it as well. They have some incredible genius talents who showcased their impeccable creativity to create some exceptional cinema(A LOT OF ADJECTIVES BUT NOT ENOUGH TO TELL HOW GOOD THEY ARE). The last Malayalam movie I last saw was Android Kunjappan 5.25 which is such a heart warming experience. I did miss some classics such as Virus, Jallikattu etc. but I did watch Driving Licence which certainly came out of nowhere as I had no information about it until it came on Prime Video. Now that I watched it now, how is it? Let us see after this picture.

Driving Licence is a 2019 thriller drama starring Prithviraj Sukumaran, Suraj Venjuramoodu, Saiju Kurup in leading roles directed by Lal Jr. The story revolves around Hareendran and his die hard fan Kuruvilla and a driving licence. Hareendran's love for driving is known to all his fans but due to the missing of his driving licence, he has to apply for a new one and Kuruvilla agrees but due to a series of misunderstandings there is friction between both of them. What happens next makes the rest of the film.

The story reminds me of the Shahrukh Khan starrer 'Fan' but is 10 fold better than it. It is due to the character of the fan himself. In 'Fan' the fan is just a fan with very little character to him but in this film, they give this fan a great characterisation to which I personally got connected.
He just wants his self respect back and for that he could do everything in his reach.But because the hero he idealised had broken his respect, it hurts him a lot. The hero Hareendran himself has the emotional connect but his actions balance his good with some grey shades. His only love is his wife.
This film is essentially a character driven film. The screenplay of the film is much aware of that and so it revolves around these characters and the director extracts the hell outta these characters with the classic mollywood touch.The best part of the film is its discussion about the double standards of media, the blind worship of the stars by the fans and how it affects the star's personal life.

The acting in the film is excellent to say the least. Prithviraj Sukumaran as Hareendran is effortless using his vast experience to generate such great acting. Suraj Venjuramoodu and Saiju Kurup both of them who also starred in Android kunjappan prove yet again that they are the next generation of malayalam cinema. The actors who play the lead's wives and children have the comedic and the the best emotional scenes of the film and they give their best delivering them.

The technical aspects of the film is very good. The music although I can't understand the lyrics completely are very catchy. BGM is fantastic. The editing is good but 3 scenes can removed. But, otherwise it is very crisp. All the other departments work together in tandem to give a great output.

The only gripe I have is it does not have that impact I have seen in other malayalam masterpieces and it actually takes that little predictable format screenplay. I did not expect this from the film.

Overall, this film is very good with great acting, good enough screenplay, that malayalam touch and touching end.

iMDB Rating: 7.2/10

My Rating: 8/10

Pati Patni aur Woh (2019) Movie Review

This film itself has a story behind it for me. I had to roam around Koti to finish my micro project. We collected our items and gave it a soldering guy to solder our items. As he asked for a time of 3-5 hours, we thought why not a movie. So, we grabbed our tickets to Pati Patni aur Woh and we thought we are cruising along until after interval the soldering guy screwed everything up and we had to rush to the store to collect the material and so, I missed the 2nd half of the movie. The micro project had a happy ending after 2 days but then I waited until the OTT release of the movie to watch the other half of the film. So, is the film worth all the wait or is it that obstacle that wasted my money for the project? Let's find out.

Pati Patni aur Woh is a 2019 romantic comedy entertainer which is a remake of the 1979 film of the same film starring Karthik Aaryan, Bhumi Pednekar, Ananya Pandey and Aparshakti Khurrana in lead roles directed by Mudassar Aziz. The story revolves Chintu Tyagi who gets married to Vedika but due to reasons he starts an affair with Tapasya Singh. What?Why?How? Will Chintu meet Vedika again. Find out in the movie.

Note that I did not watch the original 1979 film and so this will be a perspective of a new comer who just likes to watch good films. The story and screenplay is good and goes with good pace. The plot twists and situations come at just the right time and produce good entertainment. The best parts of the movie come from its comedy and the chemistry between Karthik Aaryan and Aparshakti Khurrana works quite well. The route they took in the climax is hilarious yet very true in its meaning and the pre-credit scene will leave you in splits.

The acting is a mixed bag. Karthik Aaryan becomes an imitator of Akshay Kumar in some scenes but manages it throughout the film with some charm and good dialogue delivery. Artificial hai, par accha hai. Ananya Pandey has come 2 steps ahead of SOTY-2 but still is 98 steps behind in her acting skills. She looks glamorous but her face is just empty in most of the scenes and a smile is just not enough to carry an emotion. The best performers come in the form of Aparshakti Khurrana as the good best friend Faheem Rizwi and Bhumi Pednekar as Vedika, the quintessential middle class wife who will go to any lengths. Aparshakthi Khurrana is such a natural talent. He just has this ease with which he lifts the film in the more bland sequences too(MORE ON THAT LATER). Bhumi Pednekar has the most complete performance for a leading female role. She gets to show off her beauty and have some good acting material as well and she delivered this role with cruise control. Sunny Singh gets a very brief appearance but manages to leave an impact. There is a cameo which actually got spoilt for me in the title credits which is mentionable. The family members of both sides have smaller roles but the actors portraying them are so experienced that they juice the hell lot of emotions from these scenes. The extras in the film(ONE-SHOT ACTORS) have the best LOL moments in the movie. I wish they get more chances in movies and TV.

The dialogues of the film need special mention. These dialogues have enough quirk and wit to them that at least they make you chuckle and at best they make you laugh out loud. The editing of the movie is very crisp. It keeps the pace of the film fast enough to ignore the negatives but is partially successful at it. The music is a big letdown. I hate remixes. It's the face of laziness and may even bring down the originality that exists in these music directors who make these songs. But, at least they gave Dilbara which is the best of the album. The Artwork and Cinematography perfectly capture the essence of Kanpur and Lucknow.

That's all with the acting and technical aspects but there is one negative point that I need to mention. This film is bland and predictable in parts. It looks like a culmination of ideas made for a hit film. The middle class hero, his good best friend, their bromance, some romance, loads of comedy, that Karthik Aaryan monologue and the checklist goes on. They work in the favour of the film but especially in its first half at one point becomes so bland that you can separate the cream(DIALOGUES) from the milk(ACTING-SCREENPLAY). If not for the witty and funny dialogue and good acting, this would have fallen flat. It's okay to make such films but maybe the film industries have gone ahead of this and the director has to play catch-up now.

Overall, Pati Patni aur Woh is a good enough entertainer with good acting and great dialogues. It becomes bland at parts but at other times will hook you. I would recommend this film for a timepass watch in Amazon prime video when you are utterly bored. It will refresh you for sure.

iMDB Rating: 6/10

My Rating: 6/10