Life Etc Etc

Plot Outline: Hanumanthu, a small-time village thief retrieves a divine stone from the depths of the ocean and finds himself immediately transformed by its powers. Hanumanthu's metamorphosis catches the eye of Michael, a man with unlimited resources, on a mission to capture the power for his own selfish needs. The rest of the plot revolves around how Hanumanthu finds his true calling to battle it out with Michael for the greater good of humanity.  I finally got to watch Hanu-Man on Republic Day, two weeks after its release. Despite the fact I tempered my expectations the movie did not work for me as well I had expected. I felt that the execution did not do justice to the initial premise. So, without any further ado, here are three things which didn't work for me in Hanu-Man ( watch out for some spoilers ): Hanu-Man: Could have been so much more <Courtesy: Tips Telugu > Extent of Hanu-Man's powers are not really clear: Every good superhero movie takes time to convey

I've never reviewed or analyzed a telugu film on my blog before. All it took I guess was a big star playing his age on the screen.  Plot Ouline Bhagavanth Kesari ( Balakrishna ) takes on an indomitable foe ( Arjun Rampal ) who will stop at nothing to get even with him and his foster daughter ( Sreeleela ). Performances of the lead cast Before I delve into what could have been better, I must admit that Balayya lights up the screen with his presence and performance. His acting prowess allows us to experience the range of emotions his character feels. Arjun Rampal is competent as the antagonist and credit must go to the writing department for keeping his character strong until the very end. Sreeleela's performance allows you to empathize with her plight and is indeed one of the strong points of the movie. Kajal's character, Dr. Kathyayani, is the weakest among all of the lead characters. While it is commendable that the main plot line was not sacrificed for a romantic sub-plo

I haven't done one of these in a long time and I am glad to be back with a hidden gem. Now there's a 2021 movie with the same name but it's the 1944 version which I hold dear to my heart. So let's jump right into the nitty-gritties of the plot. The Woman In The Window (1944) Plot Psychology professor Richard Wanley ( Edward G. Robinson ) is besotted by the portrait of an enchanting damsel adorning a shop window right next to the club which he frequents along with his friends. Richard Wanley ( Edward G. Robinson ) awestruck by the woman in the window The professor's family is out of town and he spends the evening with his friends lamenting the boredom that has set into their middle-aged lives. After a hearty supper, Richard's friends leave but he spends some more time at the club before heading out close to midnight.  Richard relaxing in the company of his friends Upon stepping out of the club, he once again walks up to the shop window and marvels at the portrai

Overview   I haven't done a movie review in a long time. Possibly because nothing was striking a chord or energizing me enough to write about it. Now let's address the burning question.  Why 'Cellular'? Why now? Simple, it was mightily entertaining and helped to enliven an otherwise drab day.  You might say, this was the same thing I had said for some other reviews.  My reply would be that I wholeheartedly accept that observation. Plus what more do you need to espouse a movie when it keeps you hooked all throughout its duration. So let's dive into the nitty-gritty of the movie without any further ado. Cellular (2004)  Plot Carefree and somewhat sluggish Ryan ( Chris Evans ) is enjoying a typical sunny day on the Santa Monica pier when he runs into his ex,  Chloe ( Jessica Biel ) . Ryan offers to make it up to Chloe by helping out with her fundraiser. Chloe is not impressed but assigns an errand to Ryan. On the way to the errand , Ryan receives a mysterious phone cal

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

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

There's absolutely nothing I can say about Sidney Lumet's ' 12 Angry Men ' which hasn't already been said before but I must try, considering the fact that 60 years after its release this movie is now more relevant than ever. We live in an era where terms like ' classic ' and ' masterpiece ' are often used loosely, '12 Angry Men' is the very definition of a cinematic classic and a bona fide masterpiece. So let's not wait any further to review this classic movie. Plot: 12 jurors from different economic backgrounds and different strata of the society are assigned the complex task of deciding the culpability of a teenage boy who has been accused of murdering his father. The juvenile defendant has a history of run-ins with the law and shares a troubled history with his abusive father. If the jurors return an unanimous verdict of guilty the defendant would be hanged, if the jurors decide there is reasonable doubt with the prosecution'

Backdrop: I diligently avoid docudramas based on real incidents as they only rehash what we already know without adding anything new. That's precisely the reason why I avoided watching Parmanu all these weeks but it's been a while since I saw a movie and the lack of decent fair at the cinemas coupled with upbeat critical reviews for Parmanu finally cajoled me into watching it. Boy! Was I thrilled to watch a competent movie which was slick and gripping till the very end. The verdict is out first but keep reading as to what makes this movie a recommended watch . (Credits: IndiaToday.in ) Plot: It's 1995 and India is facing an existential crisis amidst mounting defensive and strategic pressures from it's neighboring countries. I.A.S. officer, Ashwat Raina ( John Abraham ), believes that India's road to political parity lies in establishing a nuclear program. The recommendation is taken up but Ashwat Raina's plan is not followed to the ' T', resu