The Last Dance Series Review

pippen jordan

 Sports Documentaries are not only meant for people who understand a particular sport or enthusiasts in general. A good sports documentary can be relished by anyone who appreciates an engaging narrative, edge of the seat action, the mystery of who will come out on top, or the drama behind the scenes. The Last Dance is not a good sports documentary but a great one, because it is not just informational but also inspirational in equal measure. This 10 part series created by ESPN offers so much that I would recommend each one to binge-watch this right away. There is an underdog story that turns into a dream run that finally becomes a phenomenon as Chicago Bulls become world champions not once, not twice but an insurmountable 6 times in 8 years (1991 to 1998). There is also a coming of age story of the most incredible athlete the world has ever seen, who also happens to be the greatest superstar in the world of sport. ...  More

C/o Kancharapalem Movie Review (2018, Telugu)

Kancharapalem

Made on a shoe-string budget of around 70 Lakhs, C/o Kancharapalem brings us 4 love stories that vary across age, religion, caste and social status. It is a fine example of how you can make an excellent film without big stars and big budgets. All you need is good writing and a lot of heart. C/o Kancharapalem has plenty of both. The characters are so endearing and you will see it right up front, as little Sundaram waits in the rain with his friend to catch a glimpse of his classmate Sunitha. Sundaram’s smile when he sees Sunitha approaching, Sunitha and her friend approaching in slow motion carrying an umbrella, the shots done through the rain and the sheer innocence of it all. Just like Sundaram, I lost my heart right there. ...  More

Dark (Netflix) Review – Season 1 + Season 2

dark-1 must blig

Dark will soon be releasing its third and final season in a few months, and hence, I thought this is the right time to talk about this amazing show. Dark is a rare show because of many reasons, the first being that it is the first German TV series coming out as a Netflix original. That's an amazing reach for a show that otherwise no one would have even heard of halfway across the globe. Hats off to Netflix for being able to scout for such brilliant shows and having the eye to know their global appeal. Dark is set in a fictional small-town called Winden in Germany and going by the season 1 trailer, it may come across as a murder/kidnapping mystery, falling very much into the Crime genre. But that may not be a correct assessment.   ...  More

Njan Prakashan (Malayalam) Movie Review

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Njan Prakashan (transl. I am Prakashan) is hilarious from the word go. Prakashan or P.R. Akash, as he likes to be known, is a superbly written character. He comes across as someone who is lazy, pretentious, a compulsive liar, and highly insecure. Prakashan, I mean P.R. Akash, hopes to land a secure comfortable job abroad. For that, he makes all the efforts to court a simple girl who has landed a job in Germany. How things pan out for Prakashan, oops, P.R. Akash, and where he goes from there, is what the film is all about.  ...  More

Kaamyaab Movie Review

Kaamyaab movie poster

Luck by Chance (2009) was one of the finest films made on the 'insides of the Hindi Film Industry' (and one of my all-time favourites). There is a scene in Luck by Chance, where Mac Mohan is invited to the graduation ceremony of a small acting school. In that scene, one of the students requests him to enact Sambha's famous dialogue from Sholay. Like a good sport, Mac Mohan obliges, and says, "Poore Pachaas Hazaar". Students clap and sing loud praises -end scene-. Our character artists, the ones who support our stars and our storylines, have unfortunately been reduced to this. And the emotions at display in this particular scene are only the tip of the iceberg. The rest is hidden deep down, under layers of glamour, stardom, presumptions and hypocrisy.  ...  More