qadirmagsi Reviews

Messiah (2020)

Whats the hupalla all about

[8/10 · 6 January 2020]

Before i started watching the Messiah on Netflix i saw its rating on IMDB and it was 6.8 which is ridiculously low for a show of this callibare. Thankfully its risen to 7.8 today, as i write this review.

There has been a lot of negative talk about the show but i suspect that most of the talkers hadn't watched the show. Now that many have, its died down.

My opinion of the show is that it is very well done. The cast is amazing and the way the story is told is masterful. Many events from Jesus's life unfold but in a way thats fresh and interesting.

Very well done guys. Keep up the good work

See (2019–2022)

To all those that rated this show 1 or 2 stars. I SEE you!

[8/10 · 4 November 2019]

I understand where the hate is coming from.

How can a blind human society exist and survive ? they ask.

It is unimaginable that humans can survive, nay hunt and kill while blind.

Why where jewelery ?

Etc etc.....

My reply is as follows:

Is this society less probable than a society where mutants can fly and manuplate the electromagnetic force, or turn into a giant green beast or a scaly blue one.

Suspension of disbelief is needed of course, but the question should be what is it like once we move past that?

What is the world building like, how fleshed out are the characters, how good is the acting, directing, story, costume etc.

I think it is excellent. I saw the first episode and was compelled to see two more.

The priestess and her religion made me giggle at first but later on it also made me think about the origins of our own beliefs.

I think humans have a huge capacity to adapt and if robbed of one sense the mind compensates by strengthening the others.

I once read that the great blind jazz musician Stevie Wonder sometimes drove a car (at night and on inner roads) and never had an accident.

Anyways this show deserves a chance. Let's see the complete first season and then give a verdict.

Regards Adnan Dada From Pakistan

The Expanse (2015–2022)

Wow - This takes the cake

[9/10 · 14 September 2019]

This is my review after watching 3 seasons of the best Scifi show in town.

The expanse is so engrossing that I had to hunt down the 8 books that have been written by the duo known as James S.A. Corey. These guys created an amazingly realistic world and hats off to the show creators, they had the sense not to meddle to much with the books and instead all their effort went into putting the books on the screen.

Amazing job all around.

The most amazing thing about the series of books and the show is that it doesn't stick to one theme. It keeps on expanding the universe until it is all encompassing and realistic.

Love it.

Sense8 (2015–2018)

Don't get put off by the first few episodes. This is an amazing show....

[8/10 · 26 July 2015]

Hi all,

This is Adnan from Karachi, Pakistan.

This show is amazing, no doubt about it; the thing is i stopped watching it twice. Honestly, after the first episode i was like, WTF.... I mean I have nothing against people being gay or lesbian or bisexual or whatever, but this show seemed too over the top. After a week or so I picked it up again and watched a couple of more episodes and didn't want to see anymore. The stories were all going their own way and the sub plots were confusing or seemed superfluous. It was difficult to make sense of it all.

Coincidentally I was watching V for Vendetta (a movie I love) with my teenage daughter (trying to nudge her towards good cinema i suppose....) when it hit me that the Wachowski siblings were a duo I respected a lot and as they were the creators of the show I decided to give Sense8 another chance.

Well, thankfully i went past episode four and the show began to make sense. It is an amazingly well crafted piece of television. The elaborate back story of the eight main characters needed those first four episodes to make the viewer comfortable with the cast and the very real characters they play. The show has amazing depth and the grief or excitement or fear or love or lust or anger or remorse or whatever emotion the character is feeling seems real and the viewer is pulled into the universe to the point where the viewer begins to wish that he was part of Sense8.

My suggestion to all of you, get past the first four episodes and watch the whole season, you will not regret it.

Mr. Robot: eps1.2_d3bug.mkv (2015) Season 1, Episode 3

It's that thing again........

[9/10 · 9 July 2015]

The spoiler alert is just a warning. I have tried to shy away from specifics in the following review.

Mr Robot has me hooked that's for sure. The character development in Ep3 is excellent. I reviewed Ep2 a few days ago and remarked on the way that Complete Control is played off against Complete Lack of Control.

Mr. Tyrel, the SVP and CTO wannabe of Evil Corp was shown in the last episode as a man who exerts complete control over his life and over the life of many others. This episode shatters that illusion and shows us his almost pathological desire to control situations that are slipping out of his grasp.

This guy Sam Esmail is a genius. The story is woven so intricately that the viewer gets lost in it. Each character is being fleshed out even more as the story progresses and it is getting curiouser and curiouser.....

Bottom line; This is a must see for anyone looking for a TV show with substance and gall. This one boldly goes where TV dreads to tread, i.e the realm of the thinker.

One last thing, Christian Slater is amazing. I still don't get why he has been off the radar for so long.

Mr. Robot: eps1.1_ones-and-zer0es.mpeg (2015) Season 1, Episode 2

...... and i thought the first episode was good!

[10/10 · 2 July 2015]

It has been one month since the pilot aired and it caught me by surprise. I am a kind of movie freak that has watched a lot of movies and TV and doesn't get impressed easily. The feeling the pilot gave me was similar to what i felt when i watched the first episode of Game of Thrones or Breaking Bad or The Twilight Zone (Original); i would also add MASH but its a comedy.

It mesmerized me, the lead actor seems almost tailor made for the role, great casting choice and Christan Slater......., saw him after a long time and must say that the way he is handling the part, I am starting to wonder why has he not been working in better movies. The sisterish friend of the lead may be considered a bit weak but not by much. Anyways, the point was that i was in awe of the pilot and during last month saw it 3-4 times.

I was apprehensive that the followup episode may not be able to carry the momentum. We have all seen shows that show promise in the beginning but then very soon stoop down into driveldom, or at-least loose our interest.

This is not one of those. The second episode was at par and maybe even a bit better then the first. The characters are fleshed out during the course of the 46 odd minutes. The absolute power image of the pilot is brought up against the absolute powerlessness that the characters sometimes feel.

I loved it too much, so ill keep on chattering..... you guys go see this. But remember..... you need your brains about you with this one... in-fact you may even need to borrow some from the local chop shop.

Have fun.

A Young Doctor's Notebook & Other Stories (2012–2013)

A very black comedy, excellently executed, but not for everyone.....

[8/10 · 10 August 2014]

First off, hats off to Daniel Radcliffe for trying to outgrow the Harry Potter image he will forever be associated with. He shows us that he is not just a cute boy wizard but a mature actor that can handle diverse roles. Jon Hamm also shows his acting muscle in a role which is much different from Mad Men.

I've never read Mikhail Bulgakov and so cannot comment on how accurate the series is to the short stories of the Russian writer but i can say this with certainty, the series has me hooked. I have seen the first season and it was all good. The found the dark humor oddly refreshing though shockingly gory at times.

Its not for everyone, but if you have the stomach for gore and comedy go see it, you will probably like it.

AZD

Game of Thrones: The Laws of Gods and Men (2014) Season 4, Episode 6

Oh my god

[10/10 · 12 May 2014]

Season four is turning out to be the best so far and this episode is hands down the best episode of this season.

What more can I say without spoilers......

Watch it, love it, watch it again and love it even more........

That is what I did.

The start is amazing, the Dragon is amazing, the Iron Bank is perfectly done, and Tyrion's trial is a treat to watch. That short little guy is an amazing actor by the way.

Kudos GOT team for outdoing yourselves once more.

I am dreading the next few weeks after which this season will also conclude and we will have to wait eight-nine months for season five.

Fargo (2014–2024)

Best new show on TV

[9/10 · 1 May 2014]

Since Breaking Bad ended i have been craving for something as good, so let me share the good news with you guys. This show is it.

Three episodes have aired so far and I am mesmerized. The story, the photography, the surreal landscape, the comedy, the drama, the suspense, its all excellent.

Some of you may feel that I am going overboard with this, but I think this show may surpass even the movie on which it is based, and that is saying something.

The whole cast is doing an amazing job, specially Billy Bob, i mean it seems as if the guy was born to play the role of Lorne Malvo. The quiet menacing look he gives and the relaxed confident way in which he moves about town, slowly pulling all the strings, making everyone dance to his tune. His devil may care attitude, and that smile of his. He deserves an Emmy for sure.

Allison Tolman plays the slightly overweight (but not pregnant) cop and she nails it. Ditto for Martin Freeman as Nester and Colin Hanks as Gus. I have been a fan of Martin since i first saw him in Sherlock. He has that quintessence that has almost vanished from modern Hollywood. He can play the vulnerable every-man very well, but I am feel that his character will grow in this series into something more sinister.

Anyways, enough from me. Just watch this show and judge for yourself. 9/10.

Game of Thrones and Fargo, the best two shows on TV.

Game of Thrones: Oathkeeper (2014) Season 4, Episode 4

I feel season four is turning out to be the best one for GOT

[9/10 · 28 April 2014]

I, like most of you, love GOT and have seen all the episodes multiple times and have read all the books as well.

Book three (on which season 3 & 4 are based) is considered to be the best book of all the five that have come out. Hats off to the GOT team for giving us four excellent episodes so far in this season.

The fourth episode is a bit different from the first three in the sense that there is less action and more story. At least five story lines were advanced in this episode and I am sure viewers will be counting down the days till next week. I know i will.

Very well done GOT team, 9/10 from me.

Jab Tak Hai Jaan (2012)

An honest review of Jab Tak Hay Jaan

[6/10 · 7 December 2012]

I saw this movie today and to be honest, halfway through i was bored. There is nothing much wrong with the movie if you like the usual bollywood fare; but be ware that that is exactly what it is; usual bollywood fare.

I feel many people are giving it a higher rating mainly because it is yash chopra's last movie, and because they feel that shahrukh khan can do no wrong. I beg to differ. Chopra Sahib and shahrukh have both made many better movies that this but sadly in his last years they seem to be stuck in a formulaic rut and want to play safe. So don't expect a dirty picture or even a talaash. Think of it as a few hours entertainment which you will forget by the next morning.

Bol (2011)

Bol needs to be seen

[9/10 · 5 November 2011]

Bol is in many ways, a very real depiction of Pakistani Society. The amazing thing is that Shoaib Mansoor has taken almost stereotype characters like the Ultra Religious Father, The rebellious daughter, the Pimp, The Prostitute, The homosexual Truck Driver, The abused and helpless wife, The boy next door, the professional Khusra (Eunich) etc. and woven a heart wrenching story around them.

I do not want to go into the details of the story but suffice to say that it is a movie everyone must see. It will make you think days after you have seen it.

The acting is very good all over but the interactions between Shafqat Cheema and Manzar Shehbai are a sight to behold.

I loved the movie except for the last 10 or so minutes in which Shoaib seemed too eager to neatly wrap it all up and give a happy ending to the mostly depressing movie.

This is Art House cinema at its very best. Go see it or at least get the DVD, you will not regret it.

In the Name of God (2007)

Excellent

[8/10 · 9 October 2010]

I Saw this today and was impressed by Shoaib Mansoor, again..............

There were a few bits that were a bit overacted, and the editing could have been better in a few places but overall this is an excellent movie and a must watch for people who want to understand the dilemma that the average pakistani finds himself in, specially after 9/11.

The music in the movie will move a lot of people. Even if you do not understand the words, you will still be moved. Personally i feel that shoaib should do more movies. He has a rare gift of bridging the cultural divide.

Inception (2010)

Very good, but not all it was hyped up to be

[8/10 · 19 September 2010]

Just came back from the cineplex around 30 minutes ago and i must say it was a very interesting viewing experience. I loved the movie and its intricate twists and turns that the various sleep levels provided. the totem was an interesting gadget and was used very well in the movie.

My only problem is with the hype. It has been called the best movie of the last 10-15 years and is # 4 on the IMDb list. I personally can think of a few movies (made in the last decade) that I consider better then Inception.

For example

V for Vendetta, Rattatoue, etc.

Anyways my score is 8/10

Khatta Meetha (2010)

Priyadarshan has made bad movies in his time but..............

[3/10 · 30 July 2010]

This one takes the cake. The story is told in such a reckless manner that it made me cringe. Character development is non existent. Editing is very choppy. I just could not make my self care for the characters.

The only good point was that most of the cast tried very hard, but the script was so disjointed that in the you just wanted it to end.

The sad thing is that the basic story line had potential but i felt that the script writer and the director were drunk or stoned or both while filming this mess.

In the end let me just say that the basic story is very thought provoking and emotional, but sadly it was not handled right. It felt as if the people making it were in a rush to complete the movie and did not properly exploit the potential.

This could have been a good film in more capable and sensitive hands.

Unthinkable (2010)

Pretty decent effort

[7/10 · 28 July 2010]

Just saw its around 30 minutes ago and have to say that it kept me glued to the screen. Taunt thriller, a bit predictable but not a bad film over all. I am surprised i had never heard of this until a few days ago, when i caught a review while surfing the net.

It also asks some important questions, like how far would we go to eliminate a perceived threat. The answer of course is that most of us would go all the way if we believed the threat was real. This also means that if someone makes us believe that there is a real threat, that person has the power to unleash the animal within us.

I also think this is also a complex propaganda film, because it tries to justify the atrocities of super powers like USA by showing the public a very real threat and sort of putting them in the hot seat so that they (the public) also come to the conclusion that extreme torture even of little kids is OK if it results in saving lives of US citizens.

Well 24 was a big hit on TV (worldwide, not just USA) and it also glorified and justified torture,................ but anyway, i enjoyed the 1 hour and 36 odd minutes of it so my recommendation is watch it and enjoy the story but do not believe the propaganda.

We need a bit of humanity after all, if we want to be called human; because no matter what we call ourselves (Black, White, Yellow, Red, Muslim, Jew, Christan, Hindu etc.)the fact is that there is only one race i.e. The Human Race.

The Last Airbender (2010)

Watch the series, do not waste your money on the movie

[2/10 · 9 July 2010]

The reviews on this site had already put me off this movie, but i went to see it anyway because i thought "it couldn't be that bad". The fact is that i left around 15-20 minutes into the movie (When they find the earth bending kid).

The editing is so choppy, i mean it is just like going from one location to another without any rhyme or reason. The acting is pretty bad, specially the children.

I went home and watched the finale again "Sozan's Comet", and loved it.

I didn't think you a complete loser before this one Mr. Shyamalan but now i know better.

Terminator Salvation (2009)

Not as bad as the they say

[6/10 · 16 July 2009]

Few minor spoilers ------------------

Just saw it around 30 minutes ago and must say that it was not as bad as the critics etc. said it was.

Good Parts first ---------------- First of all the action, CGI & stunts, were well done and believable. The movie had a very real feel to it, a bit like The Dark Knight. The post judgment day world was not forced on us, we could feel it by the look and atmosphere of the movie's environment.

There were many references to the first 3 installments + an encounter with a very important T-101 / T-800.

Overall acting was good though a bit wooden sometimes. But i guess John Conner & the other survivors have so much on his mind that they have to be played with little or no emotion.

OK now two the bad parts ------------------------

I did not like how the infiltrator was able to have so much free will, being a programable machine i mean.

The plot could have been better and the interactions between the various characters had a certain ham handedness to it.

It was too easy to get into and out of Cybernet HQ, i mean isn't the technology supposed to be cutting edge, out there.

There were some plot holes and unexplained things etc.

OK Final Word --------------

Not as bad as Wolverine (That one sucked big time) Not as bad as Transformers 2 (Only redeeming factor was tits/ass + some good CGI Robt on Robt action) Not as bad as T3 (Don't get me started on that one, but i liked the flower sun shades)

Have fun and enjoy and wait for AVATAR

By the way guys if you liked my review watch "The man from earth" you may like it.

Lost: Live Together, Die Alone: Part 1 (2006) Season 2, Episode 23

Amazing....................

[9/10 · 16 June 2006]

Watching the last 2 episodes i remembered a TV add from my childhood. It showed the wild west, very dusty and dry, and there is a small saloon, a man enters the bar/saloon, he is thirsty as hell, lips cracked etc...., he has just walked through the Nevada Desert and hasn't drunk water for days. He croaks to the bartender "gimme a packet of potato chips" While he is eating it we can feel how thirstier he is getting, we hear a voice in the background saying.... "Keep building that thirst, build it till you cant hold it any more............. then blow it away with TEAM" The man drinks TEAM (a soft drink) It feels like a few dozen bags of potato chips the thirst is so intense that i cannot hold it any more, Season 2 has even more twists and turns then season 1. The ending answers a lot of questions but asks many many more questions hopefully we will know the answer in season 3, but i doubt it because i feel LOST has the momentum go a lot further then 3 seasons, if the people behind the camera keep up their good work.

I for one will keep watching.

From Pakistan with Love

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

They should have sent a poet............ i have no words.

[10/10 · 29 December 2003]

The above line is from "Contact", the novel by Carl Sagan and it is the first thing that came to mind as i thought about writing this review. I truly cannot explain the grandeur of the movie or how seamlessly PJ has integrated it into the trilogy.

This is no doubt the best film trilogy ever. TROTK may even be the best movie ever. If not that it certainly deserves a place among the very top of the best movies of all time.

While watching the 3 1/4 hour movie, for the first time in my life, i regretted having read and reread the book, just because all the plot twists were known to me, but even then i could not help but get gripped by the scene on Mount Doom, and the battle of Mins Tirith.

I think enough synopsis and explanations etc. have been written about the movie so i would not go into that. Suffice to say that this is a movie for every age, every genere. It has elements of Action, Romance, Sci Fi, and some good old good verses evil Epic battles.

One thing for Tolkien lovers -- Tolkien was a master of the detail. In the book you can feel the colour of grass, the cack on a marble floor and the smell of Orcs. This movie is very much like that in detail. I cannot imagine how exaustive a task it must have been for the effects team to create such minute detail in every creek, every cliff, every suit of armour. All I can say is that Tolkien would have been proud. I have heard that Christopher Tolkien, JRR's son is not impressed by this trilogy. All I can say to him is that he should give it a second look and just see what PJ has tried to accomplish.

As for the Oscar season i think the following should go to TROTK

Best Picture - TROTK Best Director - PJ Best Supporting actor - Sean Austin Best Special Effects Best Score Best Screenplay

Something's Gotta Give (2003)

Great movie, made me laugh a lot

[7/10 · 25 December 2003]

This is a movie that could get almost anyone into a good mood. The cast is perfect in their roles. The only problem I had with the acting was Diane Keaton's over the top giggling. I respect her as an actress but I think here she might have done better if she had underplayed her role a bit.

Anyway it was good in all other respects. Jack Nicholson amazed me once again. How does he do it. He just blended into that aging playboy role as if he was Mr. Playboy(of playboy magazine) himself.

Amanda Peet surprised me too by giving a very solid performance.

Overall id say 7/10.

Mona Lisa Smile (2003)

Made me smile

[7/10 · 25 December 2003]

I saw this movie yesterday and overall i think it is a very interesting look at 50's USA. I did not know that USA was so conservative in the 50's and so this movie was an eyeopener.

As far as the acting is concerned, it was almost all good. There were many recognisable faces among the students of Wellesley College but Julia Stiles and Kirsten Dunst stood out. Dunst had a difficult role to play and I think she pulled it off well.

**** Minor Spoilers ****

The story revolves around a very conservative all girl college in the 50's. The main purpose of this college seems to be, to be a sort of finishing school for young women until they get married to influencial men from good families. Julia Roberts gives a good performance as a teacher who wants to open the minds of the girls to possibilies other then procreation and wifehood.

There is one very intense classroom scene that I liked very much in which Julia Roberts tells the students about the fruitlessness of stuying if all they plan to do is Iron their husbands Shirt while reciting Chaucer or use their scientific knowledge to calculate the mass and area off all the meat loafs they will prepare for the rest of their lives.

One thing that surprised me was that this movie has a rating of 5.6 on the IMDB scale which is pretty low by my standards.

I give it a 7/10

Koi... Mil Gaya (2003)

I guess indians should stick with what they do better

[5/10 · 31 August 2003]

Even though i am not a huge fan of Hindi cinema but because of the common language between us i watch their movies on and off, some of which are pretty good. This is not one of them.

It was atleast good to see that they tried to do something different, as pathethic as it is, maybe after a few more experiments they will get it right.

***Spoilers***

The movie is a stew of about 4 or 5 Hollywood movies (As many of hindi movies are) They have bits from E.T., Spiderman, Deep Impact and a couple of slapstic flicks, the names of which i cannot recall at this time.

The story is basically E.T. except that we have a brain damaged young man playing the role of The Kid in E.T. There are a lot of music and dance numbers which are not bad but whenever they tried to add something of their own to the story they have ended up making a mess.

The Physics is so bad that even some one like Rakesh Roshan must have known that a child of grade 6 would not be impressed.

I mean Instant messaging aliens from another planet via a radio broadcast. Mr Roshan, radio waves travel at the speed of light and would take 4 years to reach the nearest star.

Well........ instead of describing it's follies i would just say that if u wanna watch something other then the usual bollywood melodrama you are welcome to try it but dont keep your hopes too high, just enjoy the show.

2 1/2 out of 5 (Which includes 1 star for bravery)

Bad Boys II (2003)

Action gore and humor. what more do u need

[1 August 2003]

Let me tell you guys that this movie is not for those who liked the HULK; but the action is immense with the tongue firmly planted in the cheek. There are a few scenes (like the one where Martin Lawrence's daughter's boyfriend comes calling) where you may fall of your seat laughing.

But it is a neat action movie. I never knew that you could generate so many laughs in a morgue in the middle of night with a bunch of corpses (you will see what i mean).

Will Smith and Martin Lawrence are very good in their roles and the supporting cast is not bad either + check out that hot body of Lawrence's sister.

All in all not a bad action/comedy. i give it 6/10.

Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde (2003)

Sequels are almost never as good as the first ones. Arnt they?

[11 July 2003]

This year should go into the record books for the number of sequels that have come out and not one of them has bettered the original, Legally Blond 2 is no exception.

** Spoilers ** First of all the story line is too weak and the barbie like act of Witherspoon has become a bit tiring. Inviting her dog's mother as an RSVP to her wedding. I think they could have come up with something better.

This movie, like Charlies Angels 2, tries over the top commedy but it comes on screen as very weak + the supporting cast which has some very good actors has nothing to do but fill in the time between the shots of Reese Witherspoon.

If you want to see this movie please turn off yr brain switch and maybe it will not seem as bad.

** out of *****