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Cashback (2006)
Cashback (2006) is a British comedy about an art student suffering from insomnia after a painful breakup. To handle his condition, he imagines he can pause time for everyone around him. What happens next, did he find his true love is the story. The film available on Kanopy gets a Raw rating. Director Sean Ellis narrative style was different and engaging, but the screenplay was weak in most places. Sean Biggerstaff has done nicely the role of the young protagonist Ben Willis, so as Emilia Fox as Ben’s love interest Sharon. Jared Harris (who came in Mad Men and Apple TV+ Foundation), the ex-husband of Emilia Fox has a guest…
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Decoupled (TV Series)
Decoupled on Netflix is not your typical “Indian” show. It tries to follow the American comedy-drama shows template of featuring light-touch humour, with a bit of British style satirical comedy thrown in. I enjoy this mixture, as a result, I liked the show and I will give it a Raw, but it may not appeal to you. Also remember, the characters freely utter a lot of profanity and openly discuss sex, a rarity for Indian living rooms – I didn’t find the occurrences out-of-place in the episodes, and I was able to smile at most of them. The show is based on a one-line story of a rich couple with…
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Oh Manapenne! (2021)
Oh Manapenne (ஓ மணப்பெண்ணே) is about two youngsters proving themselves to their respective parents and in the process discovering true love in their lives. Harish Kalyan and Priya Bhavani Shankar have fitted the roles like a glove. Available on Disney+Hotstar, I have given the film a ‘Ripe’ as I liked the pleasant story. Karthik is your typical young graduate, constantly berated by his father he is unable to identify the career suited for him or find his love – he gives up and decides to marry a girl identified by his family and settle down with the dowry money. Shruthi is a smart and ambitious girl, with a degree in…
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Ninnila Ninnila (2021)
Ninnila Ninnila (2021) was a feel-good movie that mostly happens inside the kitchen of a popular restaurant, because of that it reminded me of Chef (2014), but the story here was different. The Telugu film is available on Zee5 and in Tamil dubbed as Theeni (தீனி). As the gifted young chef, suffering from muscle spasms and sporting a pot belly, Ashok Selvan has given his best performance. The film though a bit slow in many places was a delight to watch due to its grounded screenplay, the right mix of love, loss, food & hope. With Nassar, Nithya Menen, Ritu Varma it benefits from a fine casting. It gets a…
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Good on Paper (2021)
Good on Paper (2021) is a romantic comedy starring Iliza Shlesinger. The story is a familiar one of a lady, being single, trying to find the love of her life and when she thinks everything is going well, things start to unravel. The film is available on Netflix and gets a mangoidiots rating of “Raw”. Andrea Singer is a stand-up comedian, who is looking for her big break in Hollywood. While returning by flight she meets Dennis Kelley, a hedgefund manager seated next to her and they become friends. Meanwhile, Andrea is selected to be the lead for a new TV show. What happens next with Andrea and Dennis is…
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Carnaval (2021)
Carnaval (2021) is a Brazilian film about four female friends, who travel to Salvador, Bahia for Carnival celebrations. There they meet interesting characters and how it changes their life is the story. This is a typical drink-dance-kiss rom-com and was highly predictable. Yet, it gets a mangoidiots rating of ‘Raw’, thanks to the breathtaking beauty of the city and the pictures of carnival events. Nina (played by Giovana Cordeiro) is an upcoming influencer on Instagram. After a breakup, she invites her three friends for a week away to experience “Carnival” which will be paid for by a sponsor. In the beginning, Nina is obsessed with posting picture-perfect photos in order…
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You Me Her (2016-2020)
You Me Her is a romantic drama TV series that is available on Netflix outside of the US & Canada. It is about a childless married couple Jack & Emma living in suburban Portland inviting a third person Izzy into their marriage to form a polyamorous relationship. The description and the initial episodes were certainly sensuous but as the seasons progressed the series transformed itself into one that explored love and relationships. Jack is a student counsellor and Emma a successful architect living in a posh suburb of Portland, Oregon. After many years of trying, they are unable to conceive a baby. By the turn of events, they both fall…
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Vanakkam Da Mappilei (2021)
Vanakkam Da Mappilei (2021) is a Tamil romantic comedy starring G.V. Prakash Kumar and Amrtiha Aiyer. The easiest way to describe this film will be: Director M Rajesh has made an anthology of three stories in one film with the same characters. At a running time of 165 minutes, it was too long, incoherent and featuring humour in a few places that save it from being a total disaster. It gets a mangoidiots rating of ‘Raw’ and is available on Sun NXT. Aravind (GV) is a marine engineer who has returned home for a six-month stay. He has made a pact with his close friend Swamy (played by Daniel Pope)…
