Recently Seen Movies - 12 - Page 24

any frozen 2 review thread is there?

Originally posted by: Billi_Bangalan

any frozen 2 review thread is there?

Page 31, here...

movie review----Hotel Mumbai

This Australian film shows the horrifying ordeal of guests and staff trapped within Taj Mahal hotel in Mumbai , when terrorists attacked Mumbai in 2008 . It is a detailed picturization of the slaughter of innocent people in the hotel , showing the utter brutality of the terrorists and their handlers
with whom they are in contact by radio . The terrorists and their handlers speak the Punjabi language . Their language is full of profanities .

Expendable to their masters , they have been turned into killing machines armed with Kalashnikovs which they fire without regard for human life from the beginning at CST railway station to the Taj . They have been ordered to blow the brains out of westerners after making them stand in front of windows so that the assembled public and press below can see with terror . Amazingly , one of them shows the decency to not touch a killed woman inappropriately .

They come from a small boat and catch taxis to reach CST and then the Taj . The movie shows some of the staff in the Taj sacrificing their own lives to protect innocent guests because of the philosophy of the Taj hotel that 'guest is God' . The two main members of the staff trying to protect guests are chef Oberoi ( Anupam Kher ) and a sikh employee of the Taj called Arjun ( Dev Patel ) . Arjun explains to a guest who suspects him to be a terrorist due to his turban as to the importance of turban to a sikh but is later forced to remove it to tie a guest's wound , such are the travesties of fate . The two shift many guests to the exclusive club called chambers lounge , which is hidden . But eventually the terrorists reach there too , and mayhem ensues even as many guests do manage to flee the gunfire .

The movie shows one or two personal stories , like that of a couple who have arrived with their baby's nanny and are in the restaurant when terror strikes . It shows their desperate attempt to unite with their baby and nanny who are in their room . In the end the husband ( played by Armie Hammer ) is shot dead after being held as hostage in a room with a wounded terrorist . A Russian former special operative named Vasili ( Jason Issacs ) who has fought in Afghanistan is shot dead too , and the movie shows his ordeal in the Taj before being shot dead .

A most brutal scene is that of receptionists at the Taj being forced at gunpoint to ask guests to open their doors by phoning them , and the guests being shot dead on door opening by terrorists . When the receptionists refuse to phone any more , their brains are blown out . At this point interval of the movie strikes .

Post interval , the carnage becomes more gruesome . The movie shows how ill prepared the Mumbai police were and only a handful of them show the courage to enter the Taj , led by a police officer ( played by Nagesh Bhosale ) . But their old rifles and revolvers are no match to the terrorists' firepower and most of them are shot . Help from Delhi is still hours away . The terrorists begin to destroy the Taj by lobbying grenades everywhere . They have never seen such luxury in their lives . Never seen a commode in a washroom .

Finally commandos arrive to flush them out . One of the terrorists phones his father one last time only to realise that the promised money has not reached his father . But that does not stop his killing spree and he and others continue to pour out bullets from their seemingly inexhaustible supply of ammunition . The movie filled me with rage at the then government's inability to retaliate.

Acting wise colours wise photography wise the movie is most decent . Background music is decent too . The violence is appalling and I was shocked by it even though I had seen the entire TV coverage at that time . The role of TV in showing everything live and thus alerting the handlers and terrorists to everything is appalling too .

Verdict---Must see .

4.5 out of five stars .

The Movies That Made Us

A fascinating behind the scenes look at some of the biggest movies of the eighties.

All the studios that rejected the Dirty Dancing script might be kicking themselves. "Women telling women's stories" is a big thing and buzzword now, but I never knew that Dirty Dancing was a case of women persevering to get their idea into fruition.

Warner Bros must be so furious for shutting down Home Alone for going over budget. That movie made killer ROI. To think Chris Columbus may not have had a directing career at all is baffling. Also critics lambasted Home alone and it became the highest grosser for several weeks in a row.

Ghostbusters is the least shocking/surprising. They had their difficulties, but Dan Akroyd and Bill Murray were a big deal from SNL. Most of Ghostbusters' challenges were in the SFX arena.

I did some reading up about the franchise after the episode. Originally, a Ghostbusters three was being planned. But Bill Murray was reluctant to reprise an old role. Then Harold Ramis passed away. So they decided to reboot the franchise with an all female cast. Ivan Reitman the original director produced it and Dan Akroyd produced it. Almost all the original cast members did cameos.

Die Hard was another crazy one. Bruce Willis was considered too soft and nonmacho. To think he almost never became an action star. And oh Alan Rickman. Hans Gruber death scene is legend and the story behind it is legend.

Trailer is out,... finally,...

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JAMES BOND 007: No Time To Die Trailer (2020)

https://www.youtube.com/embed/VTnDYxwhSaI

One day at a time season 1-3

It's so amazing and underrated at the same time. I didn't know I would enjoy this sitcom so much. Issues are handled beautifully without being preachy.

Going to watch The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel S03 this weekend.

Watched Pati Patni Aur Woh . Ill give it 4/5 pretty enjoyable. Karthik is a hero in comedy

Knives Out

A truly one of a kind whodunnit murder mystery. Rian Johnson has brought together an ensemble cast of heavyweights to create an absolutely delightful murder mystery. The characters are quirky with delightful chemistry in coming together as a dysfunctional family. All the threads unravel at a tantalizing pace, revealing answers while posing more questions. The twists are turns in the plot or devilish fun! What a fun ride.

The Zoya Factor

This is a fun timepass movie.

I see why it bombed at the box office. It is frothy fun and has nothing compelling that demands the big screen. It is totally a 'relax at home for a movie night' kind of movie.

BUT it did not deserve to get panned either. There is nothing atrocious about it. It is well written, well acted, and well-executed. The pieces come together nicely and create a nice movie.

With Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, and other streaming providers investing money in films and shows of all kinds - perhaps Sonam should partner with one of them for creating her movies.

Fuller House S5 Pt 1

The usual Tanner-Fuller-Gibbler family-friendly fun. Great for nostalgia and cheesiness, weak for modern-day television.

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel S3

Another incredible incredible season. I think the story really shaped up well. There are so many plots to explore next season. I hope this show comes back asap. I don't know why (!) but I kinda like Midge and Joel together. They make things interesting and follow up Midge performances get better.

Rachel is one of the best performers out there. She's so charismatic and charming.

movie review----Panipat

The movie showcases the third battle of Panipat , which was fought between the forces of the Maratha empire led by Sadashivraobhau and the afghan troops led by their king Ahmad Shah Abdali in the mid eighteenth century . Abdali had come to loot India several times before , but this time he was confronted by the marathas .

Sadashivraobhau was the cousin of the peshwa of the marathas , and he is played by Arjun Kapoor . He is reluctant to get married , but is constantly wooed by Parvatibai who is a practitioner of herbal medicine, played by Kriti Sanon . Their love story has been well built up , and Kriti has produced the best performance in the movie acting wise and she really stands out .

Also well brought out are the jealousies in the peshwa's court , where the peshwa's wife is uncomfortable with bhau's growing stature . But after he defeats the Nizam of Hyderabad at udgir , bhau's position becomes too big to ignore and attemps to sideline him to other duties come to a naught when Abdali invades India and his henchman Najib ud daula kills a maratha general . Bhau is elected general of the army that is sent north .

Bhau has great reliance on the artillery that he has acquired by bringing to his side Ibrahim Khan Gardi , the nizam's commander . They are huge cannons capable of smashing fortifications and prove their use in the coming campaign by destroying bastions of Delhi and Kunjpura . As the army moves north Bhau stiches a host of alliances . But they unravel as the battle comes close , especially with the jat raja Suraj Mal . Also the nawab of awadh joins Abdali and Najib over appeals of common religion . And bhau's co religionist kings in north India prove traitors at the last moment . That is why the movie has the suffix---the great betrayal .

The moves and countermoves of the rival forces and the chase up and down opposite sides of the yamuna river because it is flooded due to excessive rains and cannot be crossed ; all has been well picturised . Ultimately it comes to battle at panipat in today's haryana . Abdali is played by Sanjay Dutt and menacing music is played wherever he makes his appearance . But Arjun Kapoor is more effective as Bhau .

The battle has been shown in some detail and I liked the way in which it has been picturised . There are some good fighting scenes and aficionados of war movies will appreciate them . The boom of cannon balls , the clash of gleaming swords , the firing of muskets , the throwing of spears at enemy troops and the marksmanship of archers is shown well . Some cinematic liberty has been taken but that is expected .

The sight of maratha royals dancing and singing is there ; it is now expected from bollywood , though in real life warriors and their wives don't dance . The movie has some grandeur in scenes of the peshwa's court and in the rich clothes and tents of maratha royals . The saffron colour of hinduism makes it's appearance in flags and turbans of the soldiers . Their is even a fictional meeting between the heavily bearded Abdali and bhau , though in real life they never met .

The battle results in defeat for the maratha forces and slaughter of it's chiefs and many soldiers , but the movie says that Abdali lost so many soldiers that he admitted in a letter to the peshwa that bhau was the finest warrior that he ever fought . The movie shows a crestfallen Abdali never invading India again , something that is not fully true . He did invade the Punjab again , but was gradually driven out by the Sikhs who benefitted from the losses he suffered in the great battle .The marathas marched on Delhi again within ten years and captured it , so they recovered from the defeat .

Photography is good and colours of the movie are very decent . Songs and background music is decent too , and so is the acting by everyone . As a marathi some roots, I must appreciate the history of my people being brought to the silver screen in finery and colours .

Verdict---Good .

Three and a half stars out of five .