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Zamarrud Theatre Hyderabad

More than two decades ago a 5 year old boy (yours truly) found himself in Abids which was certainly then the microcosm of Hyderabad. Abids in the 80s <Courtesy: OkaTeluguAbbayi > The occasion was a family outing to Zamarrud Cinema. And we are stepping out for not just any movie my friends, my parents decided that nothing less than the Raj Kapoor blockbuster Chori Chori was good enough for us. To be honest I wasn't exactly enthused about watching a black and white film of a bygone era even though the movie had all the credentials of a classic. But that was before I saw Zamarrud, the theatre where the movie was being played. Nested in the heart of Abids, Zamarrud was the perfect amalgamation of Hyderabad's old world charm and new fangled ways. Zamarrud was not just any theatre, it was one of the first air conditioned halls in Hyderabad, a premiere cinema hall which used to host the best of what the film industry had to offer and the place to go for Hyderabad...

The Punisher (2004)

There are very few movies which make for a fun repeat watch. The 2004 version of ' The Punisher ' belongs to this rarefied category. I watched the movie almost 10 years ago and then caught up with it again last month. The plot twists were familiar the second time around but the fun was still the same. That's what probably got me started off on this movie review. Tom Jane as 'The Punisher' The Plot: When the younger son of mafia boss Howard Saint ( John Travolta ) gets killed in an FBI operation headed by Frank Castle ( Tom Jane ), Saint swears revenge and wipes out Castle's entire family. Castle himself barely survives before emerging from his injuries as the crusading 'Punisher'. 'The Punisher' resolves to extract payback from Saint and proceeds to punish everyone on the wrong side of law with his brand of justice. Will 'The Punisher' succeed (Of course he does)? Watch this lesser talked about installment from the Marvel Cinematic Un...

Shattered Glass (2003) - An excellent watch that raises some poignant questions

The Plot Stephen Glass ( Hayden Christensen ) is a star reporter at ' The New Republic '. Glass is famous for his entertaining articles and is extremely popular among the 'The New Republic' workforce for his genial and sensitive nature. Sky seems to be the limit for the young Glass who's preparing for a career in law when the first cracks appear . Glass' " Hack Heaven " article attracts an investigation from Forbes prompting Glass' boss (the Lead Editor of the 'The New Republic') Charles Lane ( Peter Sarsgaard ) to step in and verify the facts. Lane having been the editor for only a short while has the complex task of unraveling the truth by going after the highly popular Glass. What is the truth? Is Lane after the truth or after Glass? Who wins? Will Lane be able to save the reputation of the magazine? Watch Shattered Glass today to answer all these questions. Shattered Glass 2003: Hayden Christensen narrates his hacker story as ...

Black Eagle (1988)

I have a soft corner in my heart for the action films of the eighties . I am also a huge fan of movies where stars are cast against type ( see Vera Cruz ). So, when I got a chance to watch 1988's Black Eagle pitting international action star Jean-Claude Van Damme as the 'villain' against acclaimed martial arts guru Sho Kosugi , I just couldn't let it pass by. Black Eagle 1988 Plot When a US F-111 jet carrying a laser tracking device goes missing in the Mediterranean, agent Ken Tani (Sho Kosugi) code-named ' Black Eagle ' is summoned to retrieve the device before the Soviet KGB acquires it. Ken unwillingly lands in Malta and is immediately targeted by Soviet Agent Andrei (Jean-Claude Van Damme). Will Ken acquire the tracking device? Who wins? (Guess that answer is obvious!) The Cliches Cliches are the life and soul of action movies. When you have a martial arts movie in the spy genre those cliches only double. So here are all the noteworthy cli...

Three things which didn't work for me in Vishwanath & Sons

Plot Summary When a single father in his forties learns that his baby needs a bone marrow transplant, he reaches out to the child’s 20-year-old surrogate mother for help. What begins as a practical arrangement soon becomes an emotional journey that forces two people from different generations to confront their age difference, deeply ingrained ways of life, and growing connection. Suriya and Mamitha Baiju in Vishwanath & Sons Three things which didn't work for me Although I felt that the film handled the age difference between its leads in a largely progressive manner, there were a few elements that felt unnecessary or repetitive. Here are the things that didn’t quite work for me in Vishwanath & Sons . The whole Olympic shooting angle: The film opens with Sanjay Vishwanath ( Suriya ) winning a gold medal in shooting for India at the 2024 Paris Olympics. We are also told that this triumph comes after multiple failed attempts at previous editions of the Games. But apart from ...

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