Avanti16 Reviews

Panchayat (2020– )

Miss the 1st two seasons

[8/10 · 31 May 2024]

I am not saying it's a bad one. It's pretty decent and well done.

But I wanted to live in the village Phulera the old way. Those jokes, innocence, and the silliness. It really was so much fun. Still remember so many scenes.

However, season 3 looks at village life from a different angle. Again, it's not a wrong one, but I just didn't enjoy it as much. There are stories and emotions and issues, but the depth is missing. It's hard to connect with the characters the way I could in Seasons 1 and 2.

There is one thing that bothers me, but it's a side note. Lately, I've been noticing smoking in Indian serials (Netflix, Amazon, etc..). Was truly shocked to see the Season starting with the main character smoking!

Unfrosted (2024)

Slow it down a bit

[7/10 · 10 May 2024]

Really enjoyed it. Good humor. Smart script. Very well done except . . . It moves way too fast. You just don't have time to absorb the dialogues or the humor.

Given that the settings are from 60 years ago, the baby boomers will find it much more comprehensible than those born in the 90s or in this century. So many small details, like Walter Cronkite taking his glasses off, are likely to go unnoticed.

I bet most will not be able to get everything out of this movie the 1st time. Neither could I. So, I am planning to watch it one more time to get all the hidden treasure out.

Bonus - very clean. Grandpa and grandson can watch it together, but Grandpa will have more fun.

Sam Bahadur (2023)

Watch, enjoy, and learn

[10/10 · 2 January 2024]

Rarely such movies come which are so well done and have such a powerful message. But what if the movie also happens to be a biopic, but doesn't have a documentary feel. Won't it be even better if you can't find actors who are bad or subtle jokes that aren't boring!

Yes, Sam Bahadur has it all. Long, but you are sad that it's over. And, there are lessons in history even for those who were present, say, during the Bangladesh liberation war.

Vicky Kaushal did a phenomenal job in portraying Manekshaw who was a fun-loving, but a very sincere and smart soldier.

There was a good balance between action (war) and character-development. Meghna Gulzar does an excellent work in keeping the movie flowing, but also making sure the important events aren't rushed through.

If you ask me, every Indian, especially the youngsters, must watch this movie. No one will get bored in this movie - that I can promise.

Dunki (2023)

So, what's the message?

[4/10 · 2 January 2024]

It was a long movie that you hope will end soon.

The message was pretty confusing. More like, with zero logic. Should the rich countries let the world's poor into their countries just because they are poor? What will happen if India, a rather not-so-well-off country, opens its borders?

The emotion part was completely missing. Couldn't connect with the actors. And, if you are not from Punjab, please don't speak Punjabi or in a Punjabi accent. Applies to SRK too.

The jokes were pretty lame. A huge amount of time was wasted on English lessons. I was thinking of English-Winglish which was such a well-done movie.

Except for Vicky Kaushal, none of the key actors impressed me much.

The fake display of patriotism and forcefully injected emotions didn't work for me.

The only part of the story that impressed me a bit was the last escape plot. Other than that, it was a waste of money and time.

Jawan (2023)

60's Manoj Kumar movies were better

[1/10 · 18 September 2023]

One of the most stupid and boring movies which has no story line or any respect for any logic. Everything is just so convenient. You can hang anyone when you want to. All the prisoners are innocent and better than the outsiders. The villain carries a red pill (for painful instant death of others) and a blue pill which is his medicine, in the same box.

The guys were bullet-proof vests but the commanding officer - a pretty young female goes full-sleeveless. And the same commanding officer also negotiates in the most critical cases.

A girl faints right before she is to be hanged. Another person, a doctor, checks her pulse and declares she is pregnant. At least, in the older movies, a real doctor would come home.

During the whole movie, I was thinking of Manoj Kumar's social-themed movies which I am not a fan of, but they were looking better. Much better. The Dhishum-Dhishum looked fake in them, but would not be there for half of the movie like this movie's action sequences each of which terminates in a slow motion.

I am totally surprised why this movie is making so much money. Well, add my few dollars too. That's why.

Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One (2023)

Too much of F/X, not much content

[6/10 · 18 July 2023]

Honestly, I was a bit disappointed and waited for the movie to be over. It's not that I am not a fan of MI, but this one just was not up to the mark.

To start with, there isn't much of a plot. The idea was really good, but the implementation wasn't. They created a monster, but except for the beginning part, the monster is just non-existent. They simply discuss it. I wished they had shown (intelligently) how our lives actually can get impacted by computers.. Most ordinary people don't understand these technical details.

Looks like Hollywood can't make movies anymore which have good dialogues and storylines. I miss those old sci-fi movies like Star Wars, Star Trek, Jaws, Space Odyssey, etc.. They had action, but great plots and amazing dialogues.

Anyway, it could have been a bit more watchable had they cut down the time by at least 30 minutes.

Dahaad (2023– )

Better than expected (much)

[9/10 · 2 June 2023]

The acting - by every actor - main or sidey - is just superb. The script writers have done a wonderful job in writing a "smart" script. The direction is great - everything has been explained as and when needed.

It's a catch-me-if-you-can story, but the characters are very clever. For example, the sequence of events following the tinkering of the walking stick of an old man can only be a product of a sharp brain.

You may call it a bit stretched, but very tolerable. You may also find some holes in the script, but they may not necessarily be holes as we are talking about small remote towns which aren't perfectly equipped to handle serial killers. Add a few vested interests to make it even harder for the police to catch the culprits.

About the accents - not perfect, but it doesn't matter that much to me, to be honest as long as the actors are good.

Qala (2022)

Great music, but a bit too long

[7/10 · 26 January 2023]

The music was just fabulous. Looks like we still have some talent left in this area as most of today's music is nothing but noisy. Worth watching for that only.

Too much time was wasted on showing the same emotions again and again and by using long cuts especially on facial expressions. They could easily have knocked-off an hour.

Could also have made it gripping by editing the sequences in a different order as without that, it seemed to drag on with no end in sight.

Final conclusion - watch the movie at least once. It's not a classic or artistic by any means, but not a bad one either - very clean with acting and good cinematography. Music, of course, is amazing.

Dasvi (2022)

Very entaining, but . . .

[8/10 · 9 April 2022]

Was fun watching the movie. Good laughs and a hidden social message. Overall, acting was really good.

The historical stuff didn't blend well. It was neither was impactful nor creative.

The biggest flaw, however, was in the character development of Nimrat Kaur. She did a great job in what she was supposed to do, but the weak script didn't justify her role fully. That part seemed like a script from the sixties.

But, honestly, you'll like the movie. Not a bad one.

Chhichhore (2019)

I never give a 10

[10/10 · 8 September 2019]

The best part about this movie - it stuck to its theme until the very last scene. Lots of funny one-liners and a few tear-jerkers coupled with good acting. But these don't make a movie complete. It needs a soul. A reason. A well delivered message. Chhichhore has it all. And what a timing - right when India's dream moon-landing plan crashed making us all so sad.

Finally, Bollywood is realizing the importance of editing unlike the yesteryear's movies.

It's just a bit log - the sports part was the weak point to some extent and at times, seemed irrelevant and not gripping enough, but tolerable.

I would recommend everyone to watch this movie as it may change your perspective on life. For the better.

Super 30 (2019)

Slow and too much of masala

[6/10 · 15 July 2019]

First of all, glad that finally Bollywood is recognizing the real hero's as opposed to the ones who can dance and sing and fight and all to get a girl.

However, this movie has distracted itself from the main topic. It's very slow to start with, and then the whole villain plot has been overly exaggerated (it didn't exist in real life) making it even more dragging. Not much of character development either, especially when you think of the struggling students. Hrithik Roshan (I am a fan) was not suitable for the role and didn't do much justice too it either. But I did like the actors playing his brother, mother, and girl-friend. They were good.

I wished if the writer / director had stuck to the main topic, focused more on the students, developed their characters, and cut down the masala and a few preaching dialogues making it a bit more watchable. At least a 4th of the movie has no connection with the reality and is poorly written / directed.

Regardless, I must say that the movie is worth watching once. But by no means it will get a 10/10 from me.

De De Pyaar De (2019)

One time watch

[7/10 · 4 June 2019]

The 1st half is really slow (I could have left), but it does pick up after intermission (and I am glad I stayed back).

Rakul P. Singh looks good, but her character becomes very irritating. It's the weakness of the script / direction, I think. This weakness shows throughout, for instance, in the mugging scene.

A normal human being should behave as a normal human being - plus / minus a little bit here and there. Her character is not like that, unfortunately. However, given it was the 1st directorial attempt, I am willing to forgive a few other weak points of the movie.

Tabu has done a super job. The 2nd half may not have been that good without her. Ajay Devgan is OK.

One thing I find hard to accept is the swearing that has started in Hindi movies. Can't you deliver the same message without using the foul language the way we did for almost 100 years? The common answer is - that's how the society is? Well, not acceptable. Maybe, it's the movies and shows which are promoting these, and if not, why the writers and producers can't try to fix it the way they are trying to fix other issues like with live-ins / old-age and a bunch more.

Anyway, there are plot holes and directorial mistakes here and there, but overall, the movie is not a waste of time.

Gully Boy (2019)

Good, but a bit overhyped

[7/10 · 23 February 2019]

Was happy to see a new style (rapper-based) movie being produced by Bollywood. I am not a fan of such music, but can always appreciate a movie. And, honestly, that was the good part of the movie. Then there are side stories which were more like the 60's style and dragged the movie down - making it boring at times. Alia and Siddhant were the best. Ranveer decent. The finale was a bit let down. Just too much of celebration which didn't emotionally connect with me. I was happy that it was finally over. Compare this movie to Dangal, Secret Superstar, Chak De India, etc. and you will see that it lacks life.

Ittefaq (2017)

Too many plot holes

[7/10 · 7 November 2017]

One of the very 1st things the detectives do these days is to check the cell phone records. None whatsoever in this movie! The two murdered victims were working on a legal deal that was so easy to trace via cell phone records but police finds this only when the criminal tells the police on his way out of the country. Would a smart criminal admit his crime to the police while still at the airport in India where he could get caught? What if his outbound plane got delayed?

Why would a very accomplished mystery book writer run away from a murder scene of his wife when he himself killed her by changing her heart medicine and made it look like a natural death? And there are many other holes.

The writers got too obsessed is giving the audience lots of suspense making commonsense the real victim.

Akshay Khanna was wonderful. Without him, it would have been a disaster movie. Siddarth Malhotra and Sonakshi Sinha were below average. Siddarth Malhotra was not a good cast for this movie.

The editing style was good, but not fit for this movie. Its a who-dun-it suspense drama, not a thriller. Here the audience needs time to absorb and get emotionally involved with the characters. But because of the constant cuts, the two suspects never get enough time to gain sympathy from the audience.

Fan (I) (2016)

A pretty boring movies

[4/10 · 30 April 2016]

First of all, if you analyze the high IMDb ratings, it's the under 18, especially the girls, who have made them so high.

The idea of a fan vs a star is a really good one, especially, if you have the same actor playing the two characters. And that is the only best part of the movie. The execution is so poor!

The young SRK (fan),in London, in front of dozens of people and cameras misbehaves, and the old SRK gets in trouble! How stupid the London police is who can't tell the two apart!

The young SRK misbehaves with an old SRK's childhood friend's daughter, and no one, including the friend, can tell them apart! One is barely 20 and the other one is reaching 50!

And those ultra long chase scenes! Be serious. The old SRK is playing an actor who is not expected to run on the rooftops and jump over carts! In all chase scenes, the police and the agents who happened to be there somehow disappear. It's one on one!

Instead of making it a thriller by playing cheap gimmicks, they could have put some intelligence into it. The young SRK could have found out some "bad" side of old SRK and and plot could have been built around that!

Anyway, an analysis of the IMDb rating will show that if you not a teenager, you'll not like the movie that much.

42 (2013)

Just amazing. . . .

[10/10 · 12 April 2013]

Was lucky to see it at Dallas International Film Festival in a huge, fully packed hall. Jackie's daughter, Sharon, was also present. She talked about her mom and dad as she saw them.

The movie itself has no flaw (except that the Dodgers white players looked alike - kept losing track of who was who. Didn't like the remark about Pittsburgh either as I am a Pittsburgh fan.)

Other than that, it is a great movie with great acting by Chadwick Boseman and Harrison Ford. Boseman could be the new Denzel Washington. He is just superb and has a great sense of humor.

I believe this movie will be an Oscar contender.

The Company Men (2010)

I would have committed suicide . . .

[3/10 · 18 June 2011]

I expected a lot given the cast and kept waiting for something to happen. But the story wasn't moving and neither was I feeling sad for the fired men. So, there wasn't anything to watch!

Big executives are so outstretched that they can't even pay the house mortgage and the kid has to return the Xbox just weeks into unemployment! Be serious.

About the suicide. I knew the 60-year old unemployed was going to do it the moment he threatened to use AK47 in the very beginning, but I was getting tired as he was just too slow, and felt like if he didn't do it, I will do it.

Anyway, a very one dimensional and completely predictable movie where you just can't associate with any characters whatsoever. Ben Aflack's wife's character was super though. Really enjoyed her being on the screen.

Inception (2010)

Almost a waste of time

[4/10 · 1 November 2010]

The 150 minutes in the theater seemed like 1500 minutes.

Great idea. Good visuals. Horrible production. After all, what was I watching? Whom I liked? Who was the bad guy? Why were things happening on the screen? And, why for so long? That last never-ending sequence on ice. Had no idea who was doing what and why.

I did understand the concept as I was prepared for it after hearing from so many people about the 'complex' script. But to me, it was plain stupid. The producers had money and wanted to use it in action sequence and special effects. Did those fit the plot? Not really. This movie didn't need much action, to be honest. The movie should have stimulated our brains, not ear drums.

Anyway I went because of the hype. Should have known better. But then, it was a dollar theater and Sunday night when Texas Rangers and Steelers both were losing. So, it was OK.

3 Idiots (2009)

It's a movie

[9/10 · 18 January 2010]

Yes - it is a bit long. Yes - It is a bit unbelievable. Yes - it has old jokes. But the point is, it is a movie, not a documentary on global warming where the facts are supposed to be facts (really?)

What I liked? The pace of the movie (assuming you remove some scenes like that baby delivery or bride kidnapping). The jokes are effective because they are well executed, acted, and the timing is just right. So are the melodramatic scenes. The acting is fine. Was impressed by Sharman Joshi. Aamir Khan (a bit old for the role) has always delivered. Omi has portrayed his character well.

A few points. The plane scene is not a realistic one (then neither is Rambo or Air Force One). And, in this day and age, how can you not locate a rich guy who is making half a million dollar a month in small town India! The whole inverter idea with the baby delivery scene! Wow! The climax was a feel-gooder, but not appropriate as the message got lost. Boman Irani should have been a part of the climax and should have learned his lesson then.

Oh, well. It is just a movie. When you compare it to other Holly and Bolly movies (which have similar flaws), this one does stand out as a good entertainer. Definitely worth seeing, I would say..

2012 (I) (2009)

I saw what I wanted to see

[5/10 · 28 November 2009]

We went to the 1st show of the morning and paid $5 each, so it didn't hurt that much. I told my wife that I want to see only the special effects, and they were good. Beyond that, there isn't much to say. I think I liked it more than that War of the World thing, though.

Most disaster movies are very predictable. There will a few parallel stories going on in the beginning, with an occasional hint of the impending disaster. Then there will be some powerhouse who won't believe anything as there will a lull for a short time. Then the big thing strikes. Then the story switches to how some loved ones try to push their way through this disaster (with some emotional drama). Then they get separated, but meet again toward the end. They always do. Oh, yes. One more thing. There will be one or two high profile sacrifice, and then the movie ends.

The difference in these movies come in terms of how tight the script is, character development, and acting. Unfortunately, this movie falls every which way you look at it. You don't feel sorry for any character, and their deaths - Oh, well - we all will die some day. So many unnecessary characters they have in this movie (the Russians, for example). On top of all that, there isn't much of a reference - historic or otherwise - Mayan or others - to the real thing.

Anyway, I went to see the CGI's, and am definitely not disappointed.

Seven Pounds (2008)

Kind of slow, predictable, and boring

[5/10 · 12 July 2009]

Too much of Will Smith, for one. The story became quite predictable. The director wanted to keep the suspense until the very end, but didn't succeed as far as I am concerned. Also, there was nothing gripping either. Throwing unrelated people and scenes together doesn't make a story gripping. On the contrary, it gets annoying.

The director, obsessed with keeping the suspense until the very last minute, hasn't done a good job in telling the story. Instead of Will Smith moving the story forward, it could have been moved forward by the recipients, each telling his or her side with relevant back stories. Still not original, but at least we could have related and appreciated the donor and the recipients a bit more.

Anyway, it still is worth watching, but at home.

Just wondering - are your organs still useful after being stung by an ultra-poisonous jelly fish?