priyanka-babin Reviews

Animal (I) (2023)

Unintentionally Comical

[5/10 · 29 January 2024]

I think the biggest issues with the movie are a lack of a general direction and taking itself too seriously. If they had gone for a dark comedy, the movie could have been much better. The very intentional misogyny, abrupt addition of new people throughout the movie without any character development just seems too comical. Going back to the lack of direction, the movie started off as a son's dysfunctional relationship with his father, but somehow the director forgot about it halfway.

The acting and the background music are good, some scenes are shot well, but nothing we've not seen before in movies like Oldboy, Kill Bill etc. There were many unnecessary plotlines, making the movie way too long.

Also, I have a very sneaky suspicion that Mr. Director added the misogynistic dialogues just to mess with the critics. I mean those scenes are just funny right?

Talvar (2015)

A gripping thriller- nicely executed

[8/10 · 24 December 2015]

I was pleasantly surprised to see the movie, as the trailer had not appealed much to me. The direction, specially in the first half was impeccable. It provides sufficient content to people who have followed the case closely as well as to people who have not. The performances were extremely credible. The movie is a fresh breath in the air from the over-dramatic song and dance sequences which we see in most Hindi films.

Now to the few weaknesses. There was an obvious bias from the point of view of the screenwriter, something which could be easily gotten away with. The subplot involving Tabu seemed a little forced.

However, I really appreciate the thrill factor which the director was able to sustain throughout the film. Meghna Gulzar has a lot of potential as a director. Expect more such gems from her.

Nirbaak (2015)

An ambitious attempt... but doesn't live up to expectation

[5/10 · 5 May 2015]

Bengali movie goers always have high expectations from Srijit Mukherjee, who recently won a couple of National awards for his wonderful 'Chotushkone'.Having watched the trailer and the shadowgraphy title before, I knew that this movie would be different. And it was, different that is, from what we normally see in Indian movies. But being unique is one thing and being great is another.

Coming to the positives. Though I prefer hyperlink narratives when the stories are shown concurrently, I do not mean to take away anything from Srijit's storytelling in the movie,where the stories are shown one after the after and the hyperlink narrative isn't exactly a necessity. Performance wise,Anjan Dutt was absolutely marvelous. However, it would be better if Srijit did not make the shower scene at the end of the first story so predictable. Ritwick Chakraborty is always a delight to watch on screen and this movie was no different. And one cannot help praising the way Bingy the dog was shot. And of course, this being Srijit's movie, there are brilliant scenes scattered throughout.

Now the negatives. None of the stories had a lot of substance and depended solely upon the direction. The second and the third sections seemed repetitive, just different expressions of the same feeling. And for a movie in which each narrative is a tragedy, it is very strange that one does not empathize with any of the characters.

Srijit has taken up a unique concept this time, which he should, considering he is one of the few Indian storytellers who is most likely to succeed in creating a great end product. Sadly, not this time:-(

Breaking Bad (2008–2013)

One word... Masterpiece

[10/10 · 24 March 2015]

It has been almost a year since I finished watching Breaking Bad for the first time.There are few incidents in everyone's life which make us thankful to be alive. Watching Breaking Bad was one such incident for me. Be it the absolutely marvellous Bryan Cranston as Walter White, the chemistry between Mr. White and Jesse Pinkman or the impeccable direction in almost every episode, everything was picture perfect. I am sure episodes like Ozymandias, Felina, Dead Freight and Face-off are some of the greatest hours on Television.

Breaking Bad is without a doubt the best thing I have watched on television till date. The quality of Vince Gilligan's creation is as great as the Walter White's crystal meth, completely exhilarating.

Mr. Peabody & Sherman (2014)

A fun ride for kids; not so much for adults

[7/10 · 8 March 2014]

A kid suddenly started clapping and continued for around 30 seconds towards the end of the movie and that made me realize how much kids were really enjoying it. The best thing about the movie is that there was not a single dull moment. Something or the other keeps happening throughout the 1 and a half hour.The Peabody-Sherman relationship is endearing.However, the makers tried to bring a lot of events within a single frame which made many scenes seem like a hotchpotch to me. Also,some scenes look like they had been rather forced. This movie had the potential to be another of those Dreamworks classic animations. But sadly, it just remains as a Children's animation movie and not much more.