Analysing films

 I have never reviewed a Web Series here before, barring the occasional Pataalok which I talked about extensively earlier in one of my posts. Well, Pataalok deserves all the accolades and the kudos for some terrific writing and a brilliant casting. And it has to stand tall amongst all of 2020 releases so far in the Web Series category. I am also hoping against hope that the makers do not get into a Pataalok2 and that might be the death knell for it. We are usually not good the second time!  And that is where Mirzapur (showcasing on Amazon Prime) and it's second innings is all about. The first season had its moments and the audience woke up to the dialect, the tone, the arrogance, swag and everything that was Eastern UP. For a boy growing up in the 70's and 80's in that part of the world a lot of it came to me naturally and was relatable. However, the larger context of the 1st season was that it had a storyline (even though weak) was moving. A lot of things though sounding u

If someone has seen Vikrant Massey in Death in the Gunj and now watches him in Ginny weds Sunny will feel helpless and lost like Massey in the film. From the word go he looks clueless and seems in complete discomfort in the avatar of a Punjabi lad from the interiors of Delhi. Set in a very Delhi locale the two neighbors Ginny (Yami Gautam as fair and lovely in those ads we see her) and Sunny (Massey in a forgettable role) the guy next door who has a flair for cooking and is promised a restaurant once he gets married (pity by the end of the movie, the plot of cooking is lost). What starts with some premise and promise and is ably supported by the support cast of Mazel Vyas (in a confident role), Ayesha Raza and Rajiv Gupta, fizzles out eventually in an extended Sangeet Video.  What works; in bits and parts the plot which is lost by the half time. The relatable Ayesha Raza and her relatable dialogues ( Hum Punjabiyon ke paas aur hai hi kya ... ek emotions, ek paneer ) and Mazel Vyas in a

  Heat is a classic action genre for many and a Michael Mann kind of movie (known for movies like Last of the Mohicans starring Daniel Day Lewis in a role where you wont see him too often). where action rules. Heat is however, to me a different space primarily because it puts two heavyweights Pacino and De Niro against each other who seem to have a respect for each other in what they do and the intensity with which they do. Roger Ebert in his review of Heat has mentioned that these two have acted in so many of those cops and thieves genre that the new gen cops and thieves take inspiration from them. That, indeed is a compliment. Heat is a simple plot of a heist that goes wrong at the start where they pick a wrong guy to do the job. The recruit (Kevin Gage as Waingro) does not follow the code of conduct and that upsets the team lead (De Niro) and decides to eliminate him, but Waingro gives them the slip. This was a costly mistake that plays up till the end. In the next 2 1/2 hours we ar