Leo Woodall and Ambika Mod are wonderful in this unmissable tale of love and longing. It might also leave you bawling your eyes out.
What really makes a romcom work? Its so easy to get it wrong, and I'm certainly not alone in spotting trouble in the first five minutes of whether a pair works or not. The genre has been done so many times, and there's either too much cheesiness or too much effort or… zero chemistry.
One Day - the new 14-part Netflix series, based on David Nicholl's bestselling novel of the same name, has none of that. It works, unexpectedly at first, and then builds and builds its way towards the heart. Gorgeously romantic, funny and ultimately heartbreaking, One Day is the first great (bingeable) show of the year. (Also read: Love Storiyaan review: An intimate Valentine's Day date between the personal and the political)
Forget that lousy 2011 feature film adaptation with Anne Hathaway. The new adaptation uses the format of web series to inject much-needed life into this story of the central 'will-they-won't-they' relationship that spans out between Dexter (Leo Woodall) and Emma (Ambika Mod) for the course of two decades. It starts in 1998 when the two meet at the night of their graduation and from there on, each episode takes up on that date - July 15, over the years.
Their meet-cute romance turns into a failed one night stand in the beginning but there's a spark somewhere. Emma is nerdy and eager to embark on to her goals, and admits that she wants to change the world. Not the whole world, but just a little corner. In contrast, Dexter is wayward and rich, carelessly striding his way through privilege. Together, they are like a fine balance of opposites, struggling to find the words to communicate to one another when they most need it.
Rebel Moon Part 2 The ScarGiver (2024) Hindi Dubbed Review
The Scargiver” that makes the movie and its franchise seem essential? Director and co-writer Zack Snyder has already tried to whip up his fanbase by teasing “R-rated” versions of the first two entries in his ongoing “Star Wars” ripoff cycle, a lifeless homage to that other IPed-to-death sci-fi series. The well-covered struggle to release the Snyder cut of “Justice League” notably improved what was only ever a passable super-programmer. It’s also established an unfortunate precedent for how “Rebel Moon” is now being advertised, as a victim of its own release strategy.
Unfortunately, while I can’t review a version of “Rebel Moon—Part 2: The Scargiver” that I wasn’t allowed to see, I can say that I doubt more (or just more extreme) violence and sex will improve this joyless expansion of the previous movie’s Kurosawa-sploitation space opera. The shortcomings that kept the first “Rebel Moon” from ever taking off are still apparent in its sequel, particularly Snyder’s disinterest in his actors’ performances as well as this movie’s vast array of bland visuals and flavorless dialogue.
Like the last one, the latest “Rebel Moon” looks like it was rushed through production to compete with whatever “Star Wars” series is now streaming on Disney+. The Snyder faithful may see something in “Rebel Moon—Part 2: The Scargiver” that the rest of us can’t, but that doesn’t make this tired sequel any less puny.
Previously on “Rebel Moon”: A group of misfit rebels banded together and seemingly defeated the Imperial Space Nazis, led by the goofily accented Regent Balisarius (Fra Fee) and the lanky rage-case fascist Atticus Noble (Ed Skrein). Noble was killed at the end of “Rebel Moon—Part 1: A Child of Fire,” but even the end of that movie hinted that he wouldn’t be dead for long. Sure enough, he’s back again and now angry enough to retaliate against the smalltown farmers of Veldt, an idyllic moon with Smallville-style fields of space-grain, Oshkosh B’gosh catalog-ready space-farm children, and “Asterix”-type longhouses, too.
Who will save the people of Veldt, represented here by the young and ripped hunter Den (Stuart Martin) and the older but also chiseled Hagen (“A White, White Day” star Ingvar Sigurdsson)? The same motley crew as last time, still led by the scowling ex-general Titus (Djimon Hounsou, the generically mysterious Kora (Sofia Boutella), and her unconvincing love interest Gunnar (Michiel Huisman), the last of whom is also from Veldt. In case you’re wondering what else has changed since the last “Rebel Moon”: there’s a scene where our heroes share what they’re really fighting for, which they emphasize through momentum-throttling, voiceover-smothered flashbacks.
Among other acknowledged influences on the “Rebel Moon” movies, Snyder claims kinship with the graphic-design-forward and stoner-friendly “Heavy Metal” brand of comics, an inspiration that Snyder teases in Martin’s character name (named after Richard Corben’s serialized space-barbarian “Den” comics). I don’t see it, and it’s not because Martin isn’t obviously trying to emphasize the sheer immensity of his emotions.
I imagine that Den never lives up to his namesake because of of Snyder’s blunted vision and not Martin or his performance. For supporting evidence, see how often intensity and action figure poses stand in for character and detail in just about everyone else’s performances.
More is often less in “Rebel Moon—Part 2: The Scargiver,” not only when it comes to the movie’s sweaty, vein-activating performances, but also its over-exaggerated and under-choreographed action scenes. Kora and Gunnar’s overblown romance is also defined by bold, sweeping hints at romantic passion, like when he unbelievably confesses to her what motivates him: “It was you. It was losing you.” Never mind the gawky adolescent phrasing and the unbelievably flat line-reading—this gesture towards big-ness exemplifies the Snyder-y style of “Rebel Moon,” a series whose sound design is always more convincing, in both its nuance and sheer volume, than whatever’s on-screen.
Seeing “Rebel Moon—Part 2: The Scargiver” in a theater would probably be the best way to go, since that way you can hear the movie loud enough to imagine you’re watching something better. Then again, the fact that Netflix produced both movies—their most expensive production of 2023!—and is apparently now releasing at least two cuts per installment, suggests that not many people will be able to see this movie beyond their living rooms. In this light, it’s hard to imagine the necessity of a separate R-rated version of either movie.
The problem with the “Rebel Moon” movies isn’t that they need to be bigger or heavier to be better. If everything else feels as anemic and negligible as the non-sexual scenes in a floppy, overproduced porno, then I don’t think that adding more of everything will greatly enhance anything.
Varudu Kaavalenu New Hindi Dubbed Full Movie Review:
‘Varudu Kavalenu’ is a simple story to start with and goes on lighter mode. The corporate office setup for Bhoomi ( Ritu Varma) as owner, Vennela Kishore and others as employees is a familiar recipe for some entertainment. As Akash (Naga Shaurya) comes to Hyderabad and take up a project with Bhoomi’s company, the flirting starts.
Within 30 minutes into the film, audience do take note of the impressive dialogues written by debutante writer Ganesh Ravuri. Debutante director Lakshmi Sowjanya scores well in making women audience feel connectedThe first to the scenes. First half passes with no big plot twists as such, it all keeps it simple approach. Second half starts with college flashback story which is unimpressive but ends in a quick 20 minutes session. Murali Sharma Nadiya conversation scene about how parents should think about their daughter’s life stands out and the best scene of the film.
The story picks up momentum when Akash, Bhoomi and others go to a village for their colleague’s marriage. Saptagiri’s Lag comedy is hilarious for 15 minutes. Comedy scenes on Tiktok fanatic girls worked out a bit. The climax takes a predictable path and ends on a happy note.
Directors: Mark Osborne, John Stevenson Writers: Jonathan Aibel, Glenn Berger,Ethan Reiff Stars: Jack Black, Ian McShane, Angelina Jolie
Kung Fu Panda (2008) Hindi Dubbed Full Movie Review:
"Kung Fu Panda" is a story that almost tells itself in its title. It is so hard to imagine a big, fuzzy panda performing martial arts encounters that you intuit (and you will be right) that the panda stars in an against-all-odds formula, which dooms him to succeed. For the panda's target audience, children and younger teens, that will be just fine, and the film presents his adventures in wonderfully drawn Cinemascope animation. (It will also be shown in some IMAX venues.)
The film stars a panda named Po (voice of Jack Black), who is so fat he can barely get out of bed. He works for his father, Mr. Ping (James Hong) in a noodle shop, which features Ping's legendary Secret Ingredient. How Ping, apparently a stork or other billed member of the avian family, fathered a panda is a mystery, not least to Po, but then the movie is filled with a wide variety of creatures who don't much seem to notice their differences. They live in the beautiful Valley of Peace with an ancient temple towering overhead, up zillions of steps, which the pudgy Po can barely climb. But climb them he does, dragging a noodle wagon, because all the people of the valley have gathered up there to witness the choosing of the Dragon Warrior, who will engage the dreaded Tai Lung (Ian McShane) in kung-fu combat. Five contenders have been selected, the "Furious Five": Monkey (Jackie Chan), Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Mantis (Seth Rogen), Viper (Lucy Liu) and Crane (David Cross). Tigress looks like she might be able to do some serious damage, but the others are less than impressive. Mantis in particular seems to weigh about an ounce, tops. All five have been trained (for nearly forever, I gather) by the wise Shifu, who with Dustin Hoffman's voice is one of the more dimensional characters in a story that doesn't give the others a lot of depth. Anyway, it's up to the temple master Oogway (Randall Duk Kim), an ancient turtle, to make the final selection, and he chooses -- yes, he chooses the hapless and pudgy Po. The story then becomes essentially a series of action sequences, somewhat undermined by the fact that the combatants seem unable to be hurt, even if they fall from dizzying heights and crack stones open with their heads. There's an extended combat with Tai Lung on a disintegrating suspension bridge (haven't we seen that before?), hand-to-hand-to-tail combat with Po and Tai Lung, and upstaging everything, an energetic competition over a single dumpling.
"Kung Fu Panda" is not one of the great recent animated films. The story is way too predictable, and truth to tell, Po himself didn't overwhelm me with his charisma. But it's elegantly drawn, the action sequences are packed with energy, and it's short enough that older viewers will be forgiving. For the kids, of course, all this stuff is much of a muchness, and here they go again.
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