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Gehraiyaan (2022)
Not being truthful to the one who loves you and having an affair turns ugly always and the repercussions will be felt beyond those involved. This was the plot of Deepika Padukone starring Gehraiyaan (2022). Due to a confusing screenplay on what should’ve been an engaging romantic drama turns out to be boring. Even the good performances by Deepika and Ananya Pandey couldn’t save the film. The Alibaug beach house that was featured was stunning, and so was the luxury yacht – and the cinematographer has captured them beautifully. I liked the attempt to narrate the story from the female lead’s point of view and I wish this was explored…
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The Holiday Calendar (2018)
When I feel tired and wish to relax with a movie, I usually opt for the genre of comedy, but when even that won’t work, I watch a Christmas movie. With the holiday-themed Hollywood movies, including the classic It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) there are no surprises, they follow a standard template, so you can be at ease without the need to focus on the story or expect any twists. Today was one of those bad days, and I found The Holiday Calendar (2018) on Netflix. A cheerful movie, with a simple plot that was passable, gets a Raw from Mangoidiots. Abby Sutton (Kat Graham) is the second daughter of…
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Hey Sinamika (2022)
Hey Sinamika (2022) starring Dulquer Salmaan, Aditi Rao Hydari and Kajal Aggarwal, directed by Dance master Brinda is a married-couple quarrel told in a simplistic manner. The lead actors have done a good job, but I felt there was a lack of sufficient chemistry between Dulquer and Aditi Rao that made it difficult for us to relate to their characters. The film is available on Netflix and gets Mangoidiots Raw rating. Yaazhan (Dulquer Salmaan) is a young man with strong principles who falls in love and marries Mouna (Aditi Rao Hydari). The couple is happy, but the overflowing love of Yaazhan suffocates Mouna, who is free-spirited. She approaches a psychologist…
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Manmadha Leelai (2022)
Rated for 18+ due to the french-kiss scenes, Manmadha Leelai (2022) directed by Venkat Prabhu is a comedy story about extra-marital affairs. The film narrates the happenings in two time periods (2010 and 2022) when the hero has illicit relationships and does his best to escape uncaught. The film gets my Raw rating. Ashok Selvan has done a great job of playing the roles of a young college student and a middle-aged father, kudos to him. The three female leads Samyukta H, Riya S, and Smruthi V are fine cast for their roles and are impressive. The thirty minutes before the climax was slow and dull, if this portion was…
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Sweet Magnolias (TV Series)
Maybe, it is the influence of Archie comics and Riverdale, but I am enthralled with stories that happen in small towns. I feel a sense of tranquillity to see a local community where everyone knows everyone else. Of course, any such territory is not far from having petty rivalry and anger among a few of its residents. This combination creates a fertile ground for telling engaging tales and Sweet Magnolias on Netflix is one such story. Sweet Magnolias, the TV series that has completed two seasons is a romantic drama that centres around three (almost) single women and their families & friends. The story happens in a fictional South Carolina…
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Lulli (2021)
Lulli (2021) is a Brazilian comedy. It is about a young medical student, Lulli, getting the power to hear people’s inner thoughts – this gives her an advantage in her love life and also complicates it. This was a feel-good film that I liked – the second half was a bit dull. It is available on Netflix and gets a Raw rating. As Lulli, Larissa Manoela comes out as a bubbly girl with aspirations and love. For the Tamil audience, the story will remind them of a comedy skit of Actor Vivek, but this Portuguese comedy handles it differently. Lulli’s mother is shown cooking cakes and pastries that looked mouth-watering.…
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Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui (2021)
Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui (2021) is a recent Hindi film starring Ayushmann Khurrana and Vaani Kapoor. It is a romantic comedy, of a young bodybuilder discovering his girlfriend to be a trans woman and the resulting shock and disbelief. Director Abhishek Kapoor and Vaani Kapoor has to be appreciated for doing this taboo subject. Though there are a few Bollywood cliches, it is overall well made – I liked the style of narration – there are no victims & villains, no heroism, and no blame on fate. Watch this film to be entertained and educated too, gets a Ripe rating, and is available on Netflix. Ayushman has developed unbelievably his muscles and…
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The Apartment (1960)
Feeling thoroughly entertained by a sixty years old film is proof of its timeless storytelling. The Apartment (1960) is one of those movies that wrote the textbook on the rom-com genre that’s popular in Hollywood to date. Wiki says the film is one of the greatest American films of all time and included in the US National Film Registry and it truly deserves it. This is a definite watch for all movie lovers. CC.Baxter is a clerical staff in a large New York Insurance firm. Taking advantage of his soft demeanour, the superiors in the office make him spare his apartment for their extramarital affairs with the girls in the…
