AnksReview - A True Honest Reviews of Movies, Music, Gadgets, Political Thoughts & Many More

2024-11-18T21:18:00.004+05:30

AnksReview: The Substance (2024) | You Are ONE !!

Platform: MUBI ... Dark, Horror, Provoking, Shocking, Bold, ... Watch my full review on this new thriller The Substance (2024)

Welcome to AnksReview! In today’s episode, I dive deep into The Substance (2024), a bold thriller directed by Coralie Fargeat. This movie unpacks the dark side of fame, body image, and media obsession while delivering a gripping cinematic experience.

In this review, I cover: ✅ A spoiler-free overview of the story. ✅ Stunning direction & cinematography that sets the tone. ✅ Warning: The film includes intense gore, violence, and nudity. ✅ Stellar performances by Demi Moore & Margaret Qualley. ✅ The film’s powerful societal commentary on body shaming and the toxic glamor of the entertainment industry. Should you watch The Substance? Watch my full review to find out! Don’t forget to LIKE, COMMENT, and SUBSCRIBE to AnksReview for more honest movie reviews, trivia, and entertainment insights. Let me know in the comments if you’ve seen The Substance and what you thought about it.

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All the video clips are taken from the trailer from MUBI channel and video credit is to MUBI and complies with the fair use policy.

#TheSubstance #MovieReview #AnksReview #DemiMoore #MargaretQualley #ThrillerMovies #FilmCritic #MovieLovers #BodyShaming #MediaAndSociety

The Instigators (2024)

2024-08-28T17:35:00.001+05:30

The Instigtors (2024)

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Watch the review by clicking the video below-

The Instigators is a darkly humorous heist movie that revolves around two brothers, portrayed by Matt Damon and Casey Affleck, who find themselves in over their heads after a robbery goes awry. The film expertly blends intense action with sharp, witty dialogue, creating a unique atmosphere that keeps the audience engaged from start to finish. The performances by Damon and Affleck are standout, bringing depth and authenticity to their characters' strained relationship. With its clever writing and unexpected twists, The Instigators is more than just a heist movie—it's a gripping exploration of loyalty, desperation, and the lengths people will go to when pushed to their limits.

2024 - AnksReview - 96th Academy Award (Oscar) Prediction

2024-03-10T21:58:00.005+05:30

As I have been making Oscar Awards Prediction for quite some time, I am way too late this time where I am putting my precition right on the day when in a few hours final award show will commence.

This year it has been not that difficult to choose a winner as few movies completely stand out in their excellence. Here is my prediction for 2024 - 96th Academy Award.

Best Picture Nominees

1. Best Picture

Oppenheimer - {WINNER}

American Fiction
Barbie
Killers of the Flower Moon
Maestro
Oppenheimer
Past Lives
Poor Things
The Zone of Interest

2. Best Director

Christopher Nolan – Oppenheimer - {WINNER}

Justine Triet – Anatomy of a Fall
Martin Scorsese – Killers of the Flower Moon
Christopher Nolan – Oppenheimer
Yorgos Lanthimos – Poor Things
Jonathan Glazer – The Zone of Interest

3. Best Actor

Cillian Murphy – Oppenheimer - {WINNER}

Bradley Cooper – Maestro
Colman Domingo – Rustin
Paul Giamatti – The Holdovers
Cillian Murphy – Oppenheimer
Jeffrey Wright – American Fiction

4. Best Actress

Emma Stone - Poor Things - {WINNER}

Lily Gladstone - Killers of the Flower Moon - {Alternate Choice}

Annette Bening – Nyad
Lily Gladstone – Killers of the Flower Moon
Sandra Hüller – Anatomy of a Fall
Carey Mulligan – Maestro
Emma Stone – Poor Things

5. Best Supporting Actor

Robert Downey Jr. – Oppenheimer - {WINNER}

Sterling K. Brown – American Fiction
Robert De Niro – Killers of the Flower Moon
Robert Downey Jr. – Oppenheimer
Ryan Gosling – Barbie
Mark Ruffalo – Poor Things

6. Best Supporting Actress

Emily Blunt - Oppenheimer - {WINNER}

Da'Vine Joy Randolph – The Holdovers - {Alternate Choice}

Emily Blunt – Oppenheimer
Danielle Brooks – The Color Purple
America Ferrera – Barbie
Da'Vine Joy Randolph – The Holdovers - {Alternate Choice}
Jodie Foster – Nyad

7. Best Original Screenplay

Anatomy of a Fall - {WINNER}

Anatomy of a Fall
The Holdovers
Maestro
May December
Past Lives

8. Best Adapted Screenplay

Oppenheimer - {WINNER}

American Fiction
Barbie
Oppenheimer
Poor Things
The Zone of Interest

9. Best Animated Feature

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse - {WINNER}

The Boy and the Heron
Elemental
Nimona
Robot Dreams
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

10. Best International Feature Film

The Zone of Interest (United Kingdom) - {WINNER}

Io capitano (Italy)
Perfect Days (Japan)
Society of the Snow (Spain)
The Teachers' Lounge (Germany)
The Zone of Interest (United Kingdom)

11. Best Sound

Oppenheimer - {WINNER}

The Creator
Maestro
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One
Oppenheimer
The Zone of Interest

12. Best Production Design

Poor Things - {WINNER}

Barbie - {Alternate Choice}

Barbie
Killers of the Flower Moon
Napoleon
Oppenheimer
Poor Things

13. Best Cinematography

Oppenheimer - {WINNER}

El Conde
Killers of the Flower Moon
Maestro
Oppenheimer
Poor Things

14. Best Film Editing

Oppenheimer - {WINNER}

Anatomy of a Fall
The Holdovers
Killers of the Flower Moon
Oppenheimer
Poor Things

15. Best Visual Effects

Godzilla Minus One - {WINNER}

The Creator
Godzilla Minus One
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One
Napoleon

These are my predictions of Oscar, do tell me what's yours?

OMG 2 - (4/5) - {Hindi}

2023-08-15T23:18:00.006+05:30

OMG 2 - Devine Intervention

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OMG 2 is the next movie of OMG - Oh My God! 2012 directed by Amit Rai. The movie is set up in Ujjain, a pilgrim city of Lord Shiva's Mahakaal avatar.

OMG 2 is the story of Kanti Sharan Mudgal (Pankaj Tripathi), a staunch devotee of Lord Shiva who is a simple family man living an ordinary life as a shopkeeper near Mahakaal temple. One day his son, is blamed for immoral sexual conduct and is rusticated from the school. His son goes into depression and even tries to commit suicide. While exploring the reason Kanti realises his son is a victim of misinformation and misguiding because of the lack of awareness of sexual education in society. with the intervention of Lord Shiva's messenger (Akshay Kumar), he decides to file a legal case against the school and everyone who misguided his son. The movie is about a one of it's kind court battle where Kanti blames school, self-certified doctor, chemist shop and himself for what his son has gone through without any of his faults.

OMG 2 takes its first past social messaging to the next level by focusing on the importance of sexual education in our society which is long ignored. The beauty of the movie it's amazing screenplay and direction by Amit Rai he makes sure that movie where it never loses track of what it wants to convey to the audience. It's a complicated subject that was handled beautifully with facts and argument which is part of our ancient culture.

Pankaj Tripathi stands out with one of his perfect performances of a naive father who argues his points to make his complex argument look simple. Yami Gautham as a defendant Lawyer has done a great job of putting strong arguments which was quite missing in OMG (2012). Akshay Kumar is simply amazing with his comic timing and the subtlety he brought in the character he plays which helped the story in crucial junctures. The movie has amazing humor moments around this serious topic like the court scene, the pun in our judicial systems which mostly talks in English, Kanti's innocent house wife and many more.

Overall OMG 2 is a great movie and put it message across beautifully to provoke thought among us for this important topic. A Must Watch!!

Kohrra - (5/5) - {Punjabi} - Mini Series

2023-07-20T20:10:00.006+05:30

Image Source: IMDB

Kohrra - One murder exposing many dark sides

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Kohrra is a Punjabi crime thriller in the form of miniseries produced by Netflix. It's about the murder of an NRI bridegroom in a small town in Punjab which is investigated by two cops Balbir Singh (Surinder Vicky) and Amarpal Garundi (Barun Sobti). It's a story about how many characters connected to the victim and his family unfolds their own secrets and deceits while the investigation continues.

Kohrra is a slow-burn drama but it grows on you, especially with a well-crafted script by Sudip Sharma & Team and amazing direction by Randeep Jha. The beauty of this series is its originality of all characters, superb production design reflecting Punjab in a very real manner and each character was so perfectly portrayed as if they are living it in real life. It's amazing while solving this murder mystery the creator subtly shows all the cultural and political issues that Punjab is facing from the drug menace, the craze about going abroad, and crime in general.

Every actor in Kohrra is an exception but the ones who stand out are lead actors Surinder Vivky and Barun Sobti. Another actor who truly stands out is Saurav Khurana who played the role of Saakar Khurana with great perfection.

Kohrra is a world-class mini-series with great production value and direction, A Must Watch !!

Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning - Part One - (5/5) {English}

2023-07-17T17:54:00.009+05:30

Image Source: Paramount Pictures

Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning - Part One #MI7 - World Class World Saving

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Finally, the famous Franshise of MI has arrived. MI7 is about an experimental AI called "ENTITY" that has immense power to sabotage any digital system gone rogue and entered into major defense, military systems, and intelligence networks of the world. The only way to control ENTITY is through two interlocked key which is separated and world powers rushes to own the keys so that they can control ENTITY which in a way give them the power to control the world. Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) believes that the Entity poses too great a threat to humanity, he seeks to destroy it with his team. The movie is about how he tries to obtain the Key and try to find out what that key unfolds which can control Entity.

This movie has taken the action and spy drama to the next level and I can say that it has left franchises like 007 James Bond far behind in terms of its screenplay and flawless execution of action sequences with a superb soundtrack and mind-blowing background music. There are a lot of spy movies and Saving the World movie which is usually high on special effects but goes quite dud on the screenplay and that's what makes MI7 a class apart. It's a watertight story with excellent direction by Christopher McQuarrie. All cast are as usual amazing in their performance with great dark humor. Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames, and Vanessa Fergusson bring continuity from previous movies.

The movie indeed belongs to Tom Cruise. You can see how he sweats it out at this age where he can give a run for money to younger actors. His masterpiece runs around with speed, always a unique car chase, and not to miss a unique unimaginable new stunt in every MI movie where here he delivers an iconic stunt where he jumps his motorbike from the cliff of 4000 feet height of Hellesylt mountain. The movies like Topgun Maverick, and Mission Impossible Series, Tom Cruise show his commitment and passion towards his audience and left them no choice but to come and watch it in the theater. There are many such stunts and actions sequence which was flawlessly executed.

I watched this movie on 16th July but waited for myself as I really wanted to give justice to the review with proper words and I still feel short of words for this amazing new age action movie. This is a must-watch and that too in IMAX Theater.

2023: AnksReview - The 95th Annual Academy (Oscar) Awards Prediction

2023-03-12T22:55:00.001+05:30

It's again that time of year and here is my Oscar prediction where I managed to watch all the nominees in the nick of time to make it for the oscar award prediction just a few hours before the final show.

Video Source: Oscars.org

1. Best Picture

Everything Everywhere All at Once - {WINNER}
All Quiet on the Western Front
Avatar: The Way of Water
The Banshees of Inisherin
Elvis
The Fabelmans
Tár
Top Gun: Maverick
Triangle of Sadness
Women Talking

2. Best Director

Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert – Everything Everywhere All at Once - {WINNER}
Martin McDonagh – The Banshees of Inisherin
Steven Spielberg – The Fabelmans
Todd Field – Tár
Ruben Östlund – Triangle of Sadness

3. Best Actor

Brendan Fraser – The Whale as Charlie - {WINNER}
Austin Butler – Elvis as Elvis Presley - {Alternate Choice}
Colin Farrell – The Banshees of Inisherin as Pádraic Súilleabháin
Paul Mescal – Aftersun as Calum Paterson
Bill Nighy – Living as Mr. Rodney Williams

4. Best Actress

Michelle Yeoh – Everything Everywhere All at Once as Evelyn Quan Wang - {WINNER}
Cate Blanchett – Tár as Lydia Tár - {Alternate Choice}
Ana de Armas – Blonde as Norma Jeane
Andrea Riseborough – To Leslie as Leslie Rowlands
Michelle Williams – The Fabelmans as Mitzi Schildkraut-Fabelman

5. Best Supporting Actor

Ke Huy Quan – Everything Everywhere All at Once as Waymond Wang - {WINNER}
Brendan Gleeson – The Banshees of Inisherin as Colm Doherty - {Alternate Choice}
Brian Tyree Henry – Causeway as James Aucoin
Judd Hirsch – The Fabelmans as Boris Schildkraut
Barry Keoghan – The Banshees of Inisherin as Dominic Kearney

6. Best Supporting Actress

Kerry Condon – The Banshees of Inisherin as Siobhán Súilleabháin {WINNER}
Angela Bassett – Black Panther: Wakanda Forever as Queen Ramonda - {Alternate Choice}
Hong Chau – The Whale as Liz
Jamie Lee Curtis – Everything Everywhere All at Once as Deirdre Beaubeirdre
Stephanie Hsu – Everything Everywhere All at Once as Joy Wang / Jobu Tupaki

7. Best Animated Feature Film

Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio - {WINNER}
Marcel the Shell with Shoes On
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
The Sea Beast
Turning Red

8. Best Production Design

Babylon - {WINNER}
All Quiet on the Western Front
Avatar: The Way of Water
Elvis
The Fabelmans

9. Best Cinematography

All Quiet on the Western Front - {WINNER}
Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths
Elvis
Empire of Light
Tár – Florian Hoffmeister

10. Best International Feature Film

All Quiet on the Western Front (Germany) - {WINNER}
Argentina, 1985 (Argentina)
Close (Belgium)
EO (Poland)
The Quiet Girl (Ireland)

11. Best Original Screenplay

Everything Everywhere All at Once - {WINNER}
The Banshees of Inisherin
The Fabelmans
Tár – Todd Field
Triangle of Sadness – Ruben Östlund

12. Best Adapted Screenplay

Living - {WINNER}
All Quiet on the Western Front
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
Top Gun: Maverick
Women Talking

13. Best Sound

Top Gun: Maverick - {WINNER}
All Quiet on the Western Front
Avatar: The Way of Water
The Batman
Elvis

14. Best Film Editing

Top Gun: Maverick - {WINNER}
The Banshees of Inisherin
Elvis
Everything Everywhere All at Once
Tár

15. Best Visual Effects

Avatar: The Way of Water - {WINNER}
All Quiet on the Western Front
The Batman
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Top Gun: Maverick

So that's my list of predictions for the 2023 Annual Academy Award, do let me know your feedback and your prediction. Looking forward to the final award show.

Disclaimer: All images are taken from various websites through google image search and are only used here for editorial purposes.

KANTARA (5/5) - {Kannada}

2022-10-16T23:05:00.002+05:30

KANTARA - The Legend of the Demigod

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Kantara is a 2022 Indian Kannada-language period action drama movie written and directed by Rishab Shetty and produced by Hombale Films. This is about the Legend of the Keraadi Forest area in Coastal Karnataka where a king in 1847 gives his land to Tribals in the Forrest Area in lieu of Demigod to gain peace and prosperity for himself and his family. The tribals have Guliga Deva (a demigod) who warns the King, that if he or his family will ever goes back on the word will face the wrath of the Deity.

Down the generations, the king's successors in 1970 demand the land back from the tribals during the Kola festival and warn about going to court but after a few months dies mysterious death as pronounced by Deva. The movie travels to 1990 when a Forest Department wants to make the place a Reserve Forest area and a village Kambala Champion Shiva (Rishabh Shetty) gets into loggerheads with DRFO officer, Murali (Kishore). The movie is about the conflict between Tribals, Royal Blood, and Forest Department while the folklore of Kola and Demigod is in the background.

This movie is just fantastic in each frame from beginning to end. The movie is carried solely by Risabh Shetty who is not only in the lead role but also he is the one who has written as well as directed it. It's an amazing screenplay with perfect cinematography, a compelling background score, and flawless direction. The rawness of the jungle and village and the meticulously shot action sequence is the icing on the cake. Rishabh lives this role and looks so natural as tribal youth and what a performance by him in the climax which makes you speechless and awestruck.

This is another gem from Kannada Film Industry, an Oscar Worthy movie and Must Watch in Theatre.

Doctor G (4/5) - {Hindi}

2022-10-15T22:44:00.001+05:30

Doctor G - Losing The Male Touch!

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Doctor G is a drama-comedy directed by Anubhuti Kashyap. The movie is about a PG Medical Student Uday played by Ayushmann Khurrana who was a lone student in the Gyenic department without his own wish. He struggles to come to terms with being a Male Gyenochologist and has a tough boss Dr. Nandini played by Shefali Shah. While the movie focuses on Uday's character however it also shows gray shades of him with male chauvinism around his family and friends.

The movie is beautifully written and touches on quite a few social issues in a funny yet hard-hitting way. It is a superb direction by Anubhuti Kashyap and Once again Ayushmann Khurrana nailed it with another movie on a social taboo subject. Shefali Shah is as usual flawless and so does Sheeba Chadha with such a strong grip on her character.

It's A Must Watch !!!

My Top 25 Movies of Most Versatile Actor Amitabh Bachchan who is a Super Star Of Multiple Generations

2022-10-11T22:32:00.009+05:30

Today is the 80th Birth Anniversary of Amitabh Bachchan, so I am trying to put my Top 25 Movies of a great artiste who has entertained us since 1969 and still going strong with his performances. He is indeed the finest Film Actor we have and a flawless person and a great human being. We all pray that he lives long and keeps entertaining us. This is quite difficult to pick the best movies these are my top favorites.

1. Agneepath (1990)

2. Sholay (2016)

3. Pink (2016)

4. Black (2005)

5. Sarkar (2005)

6. Deewar (1975)

7. Shakti (1982)

8. Kaala Patthar (1979)

9. Don (1978)

10. The Last Lear (2007)

11. Namak Haraam (1973)

12. Anand (1971)

13. Kabhi Kabhi (1976)

14. Aks (2001)

15. Cheeni Kum (2007)

16. Te3n (2016)

17. Muqaddar Ka Sikandar (1978)

18. Paa (2009)

19. Hum (1991)

20. Khuda Gawah (1992)

21. Aankhein (2002)

22. Satte Pe Satta (1982)

23. Baghban (2003)

24. Sharaabi (1984)

25. Bhoothnaath Return

I know I have not included many great ones, do let me know your view about these lists.

Sita Ramam - (5/5) - {Telugu}

2022-09-11T03:24:00.000+05:30

Sita Ramam - Soldier in Love

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Sita Ramam is an Indian Telugu-language period romantic drama written and directed by Hanu Raghavapudi. The movie is set in 1964 and travels between 1985 and 1964 as the story unfolds. The movie starts from the time of 1985, when a Pakistani National Afreen (Rashmika Mandhana) has to fulfill a condition written in her Grand Father's will to deliver a letter written by Ram (Dulquer Salmaan) to Sita (Mrunal Thakur) in Hyderabad, India. While she struggles to find Sita's whereabouts she discovers the story about Ram, who was a soldier serving at the Kashmir border, who gets anonymous love letters from Sita Mahalakshmi and how he finds Sita to propose his love and story thereafter. The story has so many twists and turns, thriller, and suspense, any more information can be a spoiler.

The main backbone of this movie is the very strong screenplay and direction which was superbly done by Hanu Raghavapudi. The Production Design, Background Music, Cinematography, and Handling of Narration were just perfect to make the entire movie interesting from beginning to end. It has all the ingredients for full entertainment be it the way they show characters falling in love, songs, the beautiful locations of Hyderabad and Kashmir in the 60s, sequences where you wonder what can happen next, it was simply a delight. All leading character Dulquer, Mrunal Thakur, and Rashmika has delivered their best performances.

It's a pure Romantic Movie with the flavor of Patriotism, a little bit of Action, and lots of emotions. Another great one by Telugu Cinema, A MUST-WATCH!!!

#TeluguMovies #2022Movies #SitaRamam #Telugu #IndianMovies

777 Charlie (5/5) - {Kannada}

2022-08-13T16:21:00.006+05:30

Image Source: 777Charlie.com

777 Charlie: A Bond of Unconditional Love

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Streaming Platform: Voot

777 Charlie is a Kannada film about a friendship between a dog and a man, directed by Kiranraj K. 777 Charlie is a story about a Labrador Puppy who escapes from a breeder where many dogs are caged and tortured. He struggles to survive and lands up in a housing colony where Dharma (Rakshit Shetty) resides. Dharma is a loner who doesn't have any friends and is hated by everyone around him. After one incident the puppy sees Dharma as a savior and follows him to his house and takes shelter outside his house. One road accident makes Dharma take Charlie to a vet who without his wish has to keep the pup for a few days before the vet doctor finds any family who can adopt Charlie. It shows how it is difficult to keep a pup and at the same time how it develops a bond for life. The story is about how Charlie and Dharma develop bonds that completely change Dharma's life around him, till the time Dharma founds out that Charlie has terminal cancer. This news shooks Dharma and he starts a road trip with Charlie to show her snow in Himachal which Dharma thinks it's her last wish.

This movie is perfect in all aspects and the most strong point of this movie is its screenplay and direction. In this one movie, the director covers all the issues regarding pet dogs such as Acceptability in Housing Colonies, Illegal Breeding, Impulsive Adoption, Dog Shows, Animal Activist, Army Dog, and how a Dog can change the life of a person with unconditional pure love. The emotions are high and handled in a perfect way without making them melodramatic and showed how a human and dogs understand each other with their emotional bond.

This is one of the kinds of movies that are rarely made in India and everyone MUST watch this. If you are a pet parent you will understand how one can go to any extent for them and the one who doesn't have a pet will learn how deep this bond could be. 777 Charlie may lack the finesse of top world-class movie-making however its screenplay has all the ingredients to qualify for the Film Festival and International Award circuit.

Anek - (2/5) - {Hindi}

2022-05-29T20:46:00.001+05:30

ANEK - A Lost Cause of Peace

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Anek is a movie written & directed by Anubhav Sinha. It's about unrest in the North East region of India where an undercover cop played by Ayushman Khurana worth with a separatist group to bring peace accord between them and the Government Of India.

The subject of the movie is very interesting and has never been brought in any movies however it lacks in its screenplay and shoddy direction which was not expected from ace movie maker Anubhav Sinha. The movie has great talented actors but failed as the characters shown were quite weak and not at all convincing. The plot gets lost in building a false narrative and keeps a lot of loops open and kind of directionless.

It's a lost cause, worth a Miss.

#Anek #AyushmannKhurrana

Top Gun: Maverick (5/5)

2022-05-28T01:36:00.002+05:30

Top Gun: Maverick

Top Gun: Maverick - Perfecting the Perfection

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Top Gun: Maverick is a 2022 American action drama film directed by Joseph Kosinski. It is the sequel to Classic Cult Top Gun (1986) film. The film stars Tom Cruise as Captain Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, a test pilot, alongside Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Glen Powell, Lewis Pullman, Ed Harris, Monica Barbaro, and Val Kilmer. Set 36 years after its predecessor, the movie follows Maverick's return to the United States Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor program (also known as "Top Gun") to train the best pilots for a very critical mission. While he prepares the pilots for the mission he must also confront his past as he trains a group of younger fighter pilots, among them the son of Maverick's best friend Goose.

This movie is more than a perfect one in all aspects, it has an amazing screenplay by Peter Craig and Justin Marks where they kept the soul of the classic hit and build an amazing story on that which itself is a great tribute to Top Gun of 1986. The movie is well directed and full of aerial encounters which are amazingly choreographed with perfect sound effects and cinematography. The camera work, aerial dogfights, and special effects keep you at the edge as if you are sitting behind cockpits.

This movie is all about Tom Cruise who defies the age and gravity by having a great time presenting the maverick in such an amazing way. It really takes quite a courage to build a sequel of such a cult, that too after 36 years and acing it up.

This movie was one of my favorites as a teenager and it kept the swag of Maverick Characters with his wits, rebels, bike scene, aviator glass, and jacket. My full thumbs up for this, it is a must-watch and also to keep in your movie collection.

Image Source: imdb.com

RRR (5/5)

2022-04-04T13:51:00.005+05:30

RRR - The Larger Than Life

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RRR is a Telugu-language epic period action drama film written and directed by S. S. Rajamouli of Baahubali fame. It is a fictional depiction of the true story of freedom fighters Sitarama Raju and Komaram Bheem played by Ram Charan and N.T. Rama Rao Jr. respectively.

The movie is set in the time of the Pre-Independence British era where a British Governor forcefully takes away a girl from a Gonda tribe for his wife's amusement. Bheem (N.T. Rama Rao Jr.) who is the protector of the tribe goes on a mission to rescue the girl and bring her home. Sitarama Raju (Ram Charan) is a British Police Officer who takes up a mission to capture Bheem to get a promotion. They both met accidentally and become friends and as the story progressed the rescue mission of the girl turned into a freedom fighting movement which was started by Sitarama's father Venkata Rama Raju (Ajay Devgun).

The story may look quite simple the way it was defined however the way it is presented by Rajamouli is simply make you awestruck. If you are impressed with Baahubali and its grandeur, then RRR will make Baahubali look pale. You will enjoy each frame of this movie from beginning to end with an amazing screenplay and superb execution of its storytelling in a grand way. This is world-class movie-making with its perfection which makes impossible action sequences quite believable with grace. Whether it's the cinematography, editing, background score, and acting performances- the movie is perfect in all aspects. It is full masala entertainment with the perfect finesse of movie-making art. RRR keep you engaged from beginning to end and makes you confused about which scene to mark most favorite among many if you have to choose one.

A great performance by Ram Charan and N.T. Rama Rao Jr. and all key characters in the movie, however, this movie simply belong to Rajamouli's vision to portray his stories in larger than life. I was so awestruck that I am running out of adjectives. With movies like Baahubali, Pushpa, and now RRR it is certain that the Telugu film industry is way ahead of Bollywood and its peers and as competitive as any big-budget Hollywood movie.

A must-watch and that too on a big IMAX screen if you really want to enjoy the real essence of it's grandeur. This movie will create a historical landmark in the Indian Film Industry.

2022: AnksReview - 94th Annual Academy (Oscar) Awards Prediction

2022-03-13T18:35:00.001+05:30

This is the season of awards and the most special one is Annual Academy Awards which are scheduled to happen on 27th March. I am glad to finish watching all the nominations and just like every time this time also deciding the best among all nominees is tough so I decided to go with my own heart rather than being influenced by critics or movie performances at festivals as well as other award shows. So here are my predictions for Oscar Awards in 14 main categories.

1. Best Picture

As usual, this is a very tough category to choose and this time I was quite divided between Don't Look Up, The Power of the Dog, and CODA. Finally, I go with my own liking and I feel Don't Look Up should win the Best Film this year. The movie is hard-hitting, a great satire on the current situation, and very well made. As an alternative, I believe The Power Of Dog has a better chance as it is a great movie and loved by all critics as well.

Don't Look Up - {WINNER}
The Power of the Dog - Alternate Choice
Belfast
CODA
Drive My Car
Dune
King Richard
Licorice Pizza
Nightmare Alley
West Side Story

2. Best Director

Jane Campion – The Power of the Dog - {WINNER}
Kenneth Branagh – Belfast
Ryusuke Hamaguchi – Drive My Car
Paul Thomas Anderson – Licorice Pizza
Steven Spielberg – West Side Story

3. Best Actor

This is the most difficult category to decide the winner as all are just perfect in their performances. Again going by my heart and I believe it's time for Benedict Cumberbatch to take the honor. I will keep Will Smith as an alternate choice for his performance in King Richard.

Benedict Cumberbatch – The Power of the Dog - {WINNER}
Will Smith – King Richard - Alternate Choice
Javier Bardem – Being the Ricardos
Andrew Garfield – Tick, Tick... Boom!
Denzel Washington - The Tragedy of Macbeth

4. Best Actress

Again great performance by everyone and I was not able to decide between Jessica Chastain and Nicole Kidman finally, I believe Jessica Chastian was superb as Tammy Faye. Nicole Kidman also has qual chance for her role as Lucille Ball in Being the Ricardos.

Jessica Chastain – The Eyes of Tammy Faye - {WINNER}
Nicole Kidman – Being the Ricardos - Altenate Choice
Olivia Colman – The Lost Daughter
Penélope Cruz – Parallel Mothers
Kristen Stewart – Spencer

5. Best Supporting Actor

Troy Kotsur – CODA - {WINNER}
Ciarán Hinds – Belfast
Jesse Plemons – The Power of the Dog
J. K. Simmons – Being the Ricardos
Kodi Smit-McPhee – The Power of the Dog

6. Best Supporting Actress

Aunjanue Ellis – King Richard - {WINNER}
Jessie Buckley – The Lost Daughter
Ariana DeBose – West Side Story
Judi Dench – Belfast
Kirsten Dunst – The Power of the Dog

7. Best Original Screenplay

Don't Look Up - {WINNER}
Belfast
King Richard
Licorice Pizza
The Worst Person in the World

8. Best Adapted Screenplay

The Power of the Dog - {WINNER}
CODA
Drive My Car
Dune
The Lost Daughter

9. Best Animated Feature Film

Encanto - {WINNER}
Flee
Luca
The Mitchells vs. the Machines
Raya and the Last Dragon

10. Best Sound

Dune - {WINNER}
Belfast
No Time to Die
The Power of the Dog
West Side Story

11. Best Production Design

Nightmare Alley - {WINNER}
Dune
The Power of the Dog
The Tragedy of Macbeth
West Side Story

12. Best Cinematography

The Power of the Dog - {WINNER}
Dune
Nightmare Alley
The Tragedy of Macbeth
West Side Story

13. Best Film Editing

Dune - {WINNER}
Don't Look Up
King Richard
The Power of the Dog
Tick, Tick... Boom!

14. Best Visual Effects

Dune - {WINNER}
Free Guy
No Time to Die
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Spider-Man: No Way Home

So that's my list of predictions for the 2022 Annual Academy Award, do let me know your feedback and your prediction. Looking forward to the final award show.

Disclaimer: All images are taken from various websites through google image search and are only used here for editorial purposes.

The Kashmir Files (5/5)

2022-03-13T02:16:00.004+05:30

Image Source: imdb.com

The Kashmir Files - Ignored and Forgotton

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Kashmir Files is a drama movie written and directed by Vivek Agnihotri. The movie is based on incidences that depict the genocidal exodus of Kashmiri Hindus in 1990 during Kashmir's Insurgency. It stars Anupam Kher, Darshan Kumar, Mithun Chakraborty, and Pallavi Joshi.

The story of the movie is based on video interviews of the first generation victims of the Genocide of Kashmiri Pandits. The central character of the movie is Krishna Pandit, a Student Leader based in Delhi played by Darshan Kumar who travels to Kashmir to fulfill the last wish of his grandfather Pushkar Nath Pandit played by Anupam Kher. Darshan is brainwashed by Prof. Radhika Menon (played by Pallavi Joshi). The movie shows the horror of Genocide and Killing by going back and forth in time through narration by Pushkar Nath's four friends played by Mithun Chakraborty, Prakash Balewadi, Puneet Issar, and Atul Srivastava to Krishna Pandit. It also covers the left-liberal student politics and how it is intertwined with non-state actors.

The movie is very graphic, shows the gruesome genocide unapologetically which was kept hidden from our history for many years. You can sense the honesty in movie making where Vivek Agnihotri portrayed stories as told by the victims with amazing direction. The movie is gut-wrenching, makes you cringe, sad and angry at the same time on the thousands of Pandits are still waiting for justice.

Many will compare this movie with The Tashkent File, a previous movie of its maker however Rashkent File was a great story but technically was not a great movie. This one is high-quality moviemaking with great direction by Vivek Agnihotri, superb cinematography, and background score. Vivek has handled the complex storytelling of this saga beautifully by choosing key characters who are well played by each actor. Anupam Kher stands out tall by probably his best-ever performance as a victim, Pallavi Joshi, and Mithun Chakravarty are perfect and Darshan Kumar stands out boldly.

It is certainly a high-quality movie and each Indian must watch it to know what happened as recently as in 1990 and forgotten.

2021: AnksReview's 93rd Annual Academy (OSCAR) Awards Prediction

2021-04-21T00:52:00.009+05:30

This year's Oscar Award is very special as we have witnessed the time with restriction in release and surge in stream services movies, however, the nomination does not disappoint to make the job of predicting its winner quite difficult. So here are my prediction based on my personal experience of watching movies as neutral critical and also covering technical aspects of it.

As usual, I have put Winner as my top choice and also provided the alternate options in some cases where it was really difficult to decide, especially a decision of what my heart like and what my mind says. So here is the list:

1. Best Picture

Its been 5 years since I have been accurate in this category and I am going with my heart here among all the option and as per me this year Best Picture from all aspect is: The Trial Of Chicago 7.

The Trial of the Chicago 7 {WINNER}

Nomadland {Alternate Choice Winner}

The Father
Judas and the Black Messiah
Mank
Minari
Promising Young Woman
Sound of Metal

2. Best Director

Chloé Zhao – Nomadland - {WINNER}
Thomas Vinterberg – Another Round
David Fincher – Mank
Lee Isaac Chung – Minari
Emerald Fennell – Promising Young Woman

3. Best Actor

Chadwick Boseman – Ma Rainey's Black Bottom {WINNER}
Anthony Hopkins – The Father as Anthony - {My Choice Alternate Winner}
Riz Ahmed – Sound of Metal
Gary Oldman – Mank
Steven Yeun – Minari

4. Best Actress

Carey Mulligan – Promising Young Woman {WINNER}
Frances McDormand – Nomadland {Alternate Choice Winner}
Viola Davis – Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
Andra Day – The United States vs. Billie Holiday
Vanessa Kirby – Pieces of a Woman

5. Best Supporting Actor

Daniel Kaluuya – Judas and the Black Messiah {WINNER}
Sacha Baron Cohen – The Trial of the Chicago 7 {My Alternate Choice Winner}
Leslie Odom Jr. – One Night in Miami
Paul Raci – Sound of Metal
Lakeith Stanfield – Judas and the Black Messiah

6. Best Supporting Actress

Youn Yuh-jung – Minari {WINNER}
Olivia Colman – The Father {Alternate Choice Winner}
Maria Bakalova – Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
Glenn Close – Hillbilly Elegy
Amanda Seyfried – Mank

7. Best Cinematography

Nomadland {WINNER}
Mank {Alternate Choice Winner}
Judas and the Black Messiah
News of the World
The Trial of the Chicago 7

8. Best Visual Effects

Tenet {WINNER}
Love and Monsters
The Midnight Sky
Mulan
The One and Only Ivan

9. Best Animated Feature Film

Soul {WINNER}
Onward
Over the Moon
A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon
Wolfwalkers

10. Best International Feature Film

Another Round (Denmark) {WINNER}
Better Days (Hong Kong)
Collective (Romania)
The Man Who Sold His Skin (Tunisia)
Quo Vadis, Aida? (Bosnia and Herzegovina)

11. Best Production Design

Mank {WINNER}
The Father
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
News of the World
Tenet

12. Best Original Screenplay

Sound of Metal {WINNER}
The Trial of the Chicago 7 {Alternate Choice Winner}
Judas and the Black Messiah
Minari
Promising Young Woman

13. Best Adapted Screenplay

Nomadland {WINNER}
The Father {Alternate Choice Winner}
Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
One Night in Miami...
The White Tiger

14. Best Sound

Sound of Metal {WINNER}
Greyhound
Mank
News of the World
Soul

15. Best Film Editing

The Trial of the Chicago 7 {WINNER}
The Father {Alternate Choice Winner}
Nomadland
Promising Young Woman
Sound of Metal

AnksReview - Top 10 Hindi Films of 2020

2021-01-17T21:03:00.003+05:30

I know I am a little late on putting this in as I was watching and finishing a few notable movies of 2020. So here is my list of Top 20 Movies of the unique year 2020.

1. Thappad

Thappad is a family drama set up in Delhi where a wife played by Tapsee Punnu got slapped by her husband during one incident. The complex subject is being portrayed by great simplicity and with amazing performance. The movie makes you think about how we take big things for granted and forgiven in our society. This is by far the best movie of 2020 and kudos goes to Anubhav Sinha for great direction.

2. Serious Men

Serious Men is a comedy satire that questions how our society blindly follows intelligence without knowing the depth of it. It's a story about a father who always wanted his son to be the brightest by tricking the world as he knows it. Amazing movie and great performance by Nawazuddin.

3. Raat Akeli Hai

Raat Akeli is a Crime Thriller about a murder investigation of a famous family by a cop played by Nazazuddin Siddiqui. The movie is gripping, has its own speed, and surprises you in the climax and not to mention another great performance by Nawzuddin.

4. Ludo

Ludo is an ensemble action-comedy with a common thread among four characters which is played by Pankaj Tripathi. It's witty, funny, shocking, and keeps you on the edge. A great watch

5. Panga

Panga is a sports-drama based on the story of a Kabaddi Player who makes comes back to the world championship in her mid-thirties and her struggle towards it. The movie was quite well made and an amazing performance by Kangra,

6. Unpaused

Unpaused is a movie made of short stories with Pandemic Lockdown as a backdrop on how the Pandemic affected the life of people from various walks of life. The beauty here is the simplicity of stories and great performance backed by superb direction.

7. Kaamyab

Kaamyab is a drama based on the retired character artiste from the Hindi Film industry whose rolls were famous but never recognized in the mainstream. It's a movie amount about their struggle to survive and keep artists among them alive and also their personal lives.

8. Shubh Mangal Zyada Saawdhaan

Shubh Mangal Zyada .... is a slapstick comedy by Ayishmann Khurana on Gay Relationship and it's acceptance by a traditional middle-class family. It's a good light watch not as good as its first franchise.

9. Chintu Ka Birthday

Chintu Ka Birthday is a comedy-drop setup in the backdrop of Iraq's crisis where a normal Indian father wants to celebrate the birthday of his son. It's a very simple movie but has a deep message and beautifully made. Vinay Pathak is simply a delight to watch with his performance.

10. Lootcase

Lootcase is a movie on the comedy of errors where normal printing press workers find Rs 10 crore of a politician and how he gets into trouble with a series of funny events after that. The good part of the movie is its plot and comic timing which keeps you interested.

I hope you all like the selection and please let me know about any movies which I missed.

Gone Boy - A Life Lost

2020-09-08T21:59:00.009+05:30

Image Source: www.dreamstime.com

A lot of theories, speculation, judgment is been done in this famous death of a young actor of the Indian Film Industry. The media has made a circus out of it and fed an extreme version of tabloid and confused everyone. I am writing the below piece as a satire based on what mixed messages are coming out in open. By no means my intention to hurt anyone. I do wish the soul must be resting in peace and hope we will know the real truth someday.

Once Upon a Time, there was a spoiled brat from an Upper-class Rajput Hindu Family in Bihar. He somehow cracked the DCE test and joined Delhi College of Engineering. True to his nature he never finished his course and joined a Dance Group of Mumbai famous choreographer. True to his character he did not pursue dancing and got a break as the Male protagonist in Saas Bahu Soap Opera. Riding on high of fame he left a TV career and landed up in Movie.

He thrashed and snatched each role from Bollywood Star Kids, Biggies, and hooked up with almost all actresses in tinsel town. He was high on glamour and wanted to get further high. He forced himself onto a poor Bengali girl, tortured her to become a drug dealer along with her gullible brother who has no option but to keep quiet and supply drugs daily. The brother-sister sob, sob and sobbed and started consuming drugs to survive this ordeal. One day she gathers courage and broke off with him and ran away. Deprived by his sheer absence of being dominatrix the Man decided to teach her lesson and transferred all his all the money to some offshore account and orchestrated a fake suicide attempt to implant her. To the hell of fury, the withdrawal symptoms of not getting drugs made things gone southward and he got accidentally killed by his own plan.

It was a relief for her so she thanked God and did not even go for his funeral and thought the justice been done to her by the God and she can now live peacefully. But hell had another plan as the Man had his family and friends in evil media houses who were thirsty for her blood and looking out for revenge. They conspired one by one against her to put her in place. She went to the Cops and confessed everything and the saint Cops knew that she can never prove her case in the court of law and will be framed so to save the poor girl they started the investigation in a direction that will take the case in an endless loop. Only if it was that easy? Even the mighty of honest Cops and State Government machinery couldn’t help her out and evil media created imaginary public perception and declared her as a witch.

One by one entire nation was looking out to sentence her. Even the holy Bollywood's Power failed which was attached by a rebel and unhappy actress as Mardani did to the British Army. The poor girl tried everything and knocked on every door. She hired a famous and modest Lawyer who fought for social justice to likes of humble Bollywood Kids who have been accused on things like- of keeping Illegal Leatha Weapons like AK56 amidst the Mumbai Terror Attacks and a most loved Actor and a wise man who was wrongly implicated to knock down multiple people sleeping illegally on the footpath as well as shooting Black Colored Deer. Even a PR Machinery by NGO who roped in Top Honest Journalists to change public perception couldn't help her.

Finally noise and shrill of evil media and fake witnesses caged her in Jail on drugs charges. She was sent to Jail and been tortured, molested, assaulted to confess the crime that she did not commit. Waiting for justice and knowing it will never happen, one day she takes her own life by hanging her self in her own clothing.

End of Story. Who is responsible here? Him, Her, Media, Cops, or The God? Guess we will never know GONE Boy did it again.

DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, business, events, and incidents are the products of the bloggers imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

AnksReview version @anksreview

#Satire #Bollywood #Sarcasm

My pick of Top 15 TV Series

2020-05-10T13:41:00.000+05:30

Well, I got multiple requests to list out my review about TV Series which are available on multiple platforms, so I thought to list out some of those which I have enjoyed watching in recent times of 5-6 years. There are a lot of them which might have missed as it takes me a lot of effort to start any new series and once I start it I make it to the point to finish it fully. I have not included old sitcoms, comedy, series which runs in a loop and mostly focussed on ones which came in recent time in form of OTT and Web series in multiple platforms.

1. Breaking Bad

Breaking Bad is undoubtedly the best of all. An action-packed thriller about a Chemistry professor who decides to manufacture drugs when he discovers that he got Stage 3 cancer and has only two years to live. The beauty of this series is in its writing, its characters, the performance by all actors, and the perfect ending. This is a must-watch for everyone.

2. Dark

Dark is a German TV Series from Netflix is about a missing child that set four families from a small town in Germany to unlock the mystery which unfolds in three generations. This is a sci-fi based thriller that has taken the concept of time travel to a different level. The uniqueness of this series is its flawless presentation of such a complex story with perfect execution to make you believe the unbelievable in its every sequence.

3. Game Of Thrones

I do not need to write about this series as this is the most-watched TV Series on the planet. Amazing story, great action, and above all awesome set of characters. The series which was loved by all thought had a quite disappointing final season but this is still one of the best series of all time.

4. Fargo

If you love Crime Drama and Thriller, Fargo is indeed the one. Inspired by Fargo movie of 1996 the series carries the theme of gruesome true crime incidents which have taken in a small town in Minnesota and around Fargo city. You will be amazed to understand that all such strange incidents really happened there. Amazing direction and great performance by everyone.

5. Westworld

Westworld is HBO Series created by Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy. It's a dystopian sci-fi series on 1973 Classic movie by the same name. Westworld story touches several key aspects such as Artificial Intelligence, Concept of God, Robotics, Big Data, Data Privacy with it's beautifully crafted concept of the different world created for rich and powerful which is served by Robotic Hosts. It's perfectly written with amazing characters. It is a complex story and you need to be patient enough to watch the first season carefully where they build the plot for series.

6. Peaky Blinders

Peaky Blinders is a British crime drama set in 1919 post the Word War I era. It's a story about the notorious Shelby Family from Birmingham and their pursuit to become the most powerful mafia gang of the UK. What makes this one unique is- its sheer swag, attitude, characters, and an amazing performance by all the actors.

7. Black Mirror

Black Mirror is a Netflix original series about a dystopian world influenced by artificial intelligence & technology and it's influence on humanity. It is a series with each episode is independent with each other and touches several aspects of how technology is changing our world. Although the series shows how humans will use technology in the future, however, it will make you think by relating it to what's happening around.

8. Homeland

Homeland is a spy thriller by Showtime. This is one of the best CIA drama which touches on literally all threats America facing from Russia, Iran, Iraq to Pakistan. It's dramatic and get sloppy in middle seasons but picks up well later. Watch it if you love spy and geopolitical thrillers.

9. Better Call Saul

Better Call Saul is the spinoff story of Breaking Bad. Its a story about its most interesting character Saul Goodman, a notorious lawyer. You may find this a little drag at first and just like Breaking Bad it slowly builds up and now I came to know this will bring back some leading characters of Breaking Bad back again.

10. Watchmen

Watchmen is based on a famous DC Comics story about the masked vigilante. I was always fascinated by Watchmen characters when I saw the 2009 movie by the same name and this series continues from where the movie ended, so it is advisable to watch the movies first to understand the complexities this series will bring.

11. Narcos

Narcos is a story about the world's notorious cocaine druglords from South America and covered all the cartels from Colombia to Mexico. This series would have been in Top 10, but the last season was quite sloppy which pulled it to #11.

12. House of Cards

House of Cards is a Netflix political thriller that was set up in the backdrop of US Presidential politics. This was one of the best series among all however the last season really pulled it down by it's sudden and sloppy ending post, Kevin Spacey controversy. This is still one of the greatest political thrillers.

13. Mindhunters

Mindhunter is Netflix Series that is a crime thriller based on real incidents set up in the 70s when the FBI started its crime-psychology unit which monitors the patterns to catch serial killers. It's amazingly made series and depicts some of the popular serial killers of America.

14. Penny Dreadful

Penny Dreadful is a Horror Thriller set up in the era of Victorian London. I am not fond of horror however this one is really well made and they brought great characters like Dr. Frankenstein, Dorian Gray, and iconic figures from the novel Dracula.

15. True Detective

True Detective is an American crime drama series about some dark crime investigation by cops. The series has it's own pace at the same time quite gripping the way they define the depth of its every character. Season 1 was the best among all, do watch if you like crime investigation.

Some special mentions of Mini-Series that you must watch

Sherlock

Chernobyl

Unbelievable

DISCLAIMER: This blog is for information purposes. All Images are taken from the web through Google Image Search and sites like imbd.com and subject to copyright.

15 Movies in Netflix to Entertain you during the Lock Down / Social Distancing

2020-04-05T16:09:00.000+05:30

Hello everyone, as we all are facing lockdown and working from home which gives a new sort of stress. Here is my suggestion on some great movies that can help you sail through from this lockdown and quarantine blues.

I have carefully selected movies which are not very popular and might have missed by many. You can go through it and let me know what do you think and if you want to add any more to this list.

Here is the list of movies hand-picked by me that you can watch in your Netflix.

1. 12 Strong (2018) | Action War Drama / True Story | English

12 Strong is an American War Drama based on True Story about a special force operation deployed in Afganistan post 9/11 Attack to take down Taliban & Al Qaida allies by aligning with Afghan warlords under the leadership of a young captain. If you like nail-biting action this is a great movie with an amazing performance from Chris Hemsworth.

2. A Perfect Day (2015) | Comedy / Drama | Spanish

A Perfect Day is a movie about retired humanitarian aid workers who try to retrieve a body from a well somewhere in Yugoslavia after the war. It has quite a unique story and great performance by all the actors.

3. Beasts of No Nation (2015) | War Drama | English / Twi

Beasts of No Nation is an amazing story about a civil war situation in Africa, where a fierce warlord trains a young orphan to join his group of guerrilla soldiers. It is a perfectly made action-packed movie with great performance, cinematography, and direction.

4. Begin Again (2013) | Drama / Romance | English

Begin Again is a very light-hearted sweet story about a singer/songwriter and alcoholic record producer how they meet in one night in new york city and develop a friendship through music. It's an amazing movie and I am a big fan of Mark Ruffalo and loved to see him in this role.

5. Dazed and Confused (1993) | Comedy | English

Dazed and Confused is a great movie or I can say cult-classic teenage comedy movie. I saw this movie long back and delighted to watch it again on Netflix. It's a simple coming-of-age comedy about a teenager getting graduated and their last party and I personally feel nostalgic for the movie which I have seen in my younger days.

6. Eye in the Sky (2015) | Action / Thriller | English

Eye in the Sky is probably the best movie on this list, it's cutting edge War/Thriller where a decision needs to be made about drone attack to kill the most wanted terrorists and at the same time avoid any collateral damage. The movie keeps you on the edge throughout and make you feel how difficult to make huge decision in split seconds and as well as own responsibility of the same. Amazingly made and Helen Mirren was simply delighted as always.

7. Game Night (2018) | Comedy | English

Game Night is a laugh riot, a movie about an urban couple who are quite competitive in winning all house Games and how things go wrong with one of the mystery games. The movie is filled with twists and turns as well as the comedy of error. You will enjoy this for sure.

8. Nightcrawler (2014) | Thriller | English

Nightcrawler is another best after Eye in the Sky, it's about an average joe who just survives city life by doing petty things and he stumbles upon a career of freelance video journalists of incidence happening around LA and sells the same to News Media. This is an excellently written and well-directed movie along with the superb performance of Jake Gyllenhaal. This movie reflects the dark reality of modern media reporting, a MUST watch for sure.

9. Red Dragon (2002) | Psycho-Thriller | English

I am a big fan of The Silence of the Lambs which is my picks for the greatest movie of all time. I was quite disappointed by its sequel Hannibal however Red Dragon is its next franchise and it doesn't disappoint especially with a super performance by Edward Norton and Anthony Hopkins. Watch it if you loved Dr. Lector's character in The Silence of the Lambs.

10. Seven Years in Tibet (1997) | Drama / True Story | English

Seven Years in Tibet is a movie about Dalai Lama Childhood and it's escaping to India from Mao's People Liberation Army. I was always curious about the history of Tibet and this movie is based on a book written by Heinrich Harrer, an Austrian mountain climber played by Brad Pitt.

11. The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (2019) | Drama / True Story | English / Chichewa

This is a Netflix movie based on a true story about a 13 years old boy William Kwakuamba from the Republic of Malawi who creates Wild Mill from waste material to electrify the water pump for agriculture. It's a great story about victory with a good performance by everyone.

12. The Breadwinner (2017) | Drama / Animation | English

The Breadwinner is an animated movie about an 11-year-old girl and her struggle during the oppressed Taliban regime in Afganistan. It's a dark with amazing storytelling along with metaphor to depict the difficult life if the Afghan region.

13. The Road (2009) | Drama / Thriller | English

The Road is quite a dark movie about father-son survival post-apocalypse. I am a great fan of Viggo Mortensen and he is simply amazing in this movie. Though this movie set up in the future, however, it reflects upon the ugly side of human behavior which will make you uncomfortable

14. True Story (2015) | Drama | English

True Story is a movie about a New York Times journalist who is accused of lying in a cover article about the slave trade in Africa. He gets into further trouble when he learns that he is also a victim of identity theft by a man who is doing jail term. It is a well-crafted movie about their discussion and an amazing performance by James Franco and Jonah Hill

15. We're the Millers (2013) | Comedy | English

We're the miller is a typical silly comedy of errors about a small-time drug dealer who makes a fake family smuggle the drug from Mexico to clear his debt and how so many things goes wrong during the trip. It's a fun movie and lovely to see Jennifer Aniston in this funny role.

I hope you will love this and let me know if you want to suggest more movies in Netflix which can help all of us during this lockdown.

* This blog is for information purposes. All Images are taken from the web through Google Image Search and sites like imbd.com and subject to copyright.

Thappad (5/5)

2020-03-05T12:38:00.000+05:30

Thappad: Slap on your belief

Thappad is an intense family drama directed by Anubhav Sinha. It's a movie about a perfect family of Amrita (Tapsee Punnu) and Vikram (Pavail Gulati) where Amrita is a modern and ideal housewife who takes care of her house and Vikram is ambitious professionals who want to grow in career.
The movie starts with the usual daily chores life which is quite common in any family and where Vikram is preparing himself to win a promotion to move to London. The movie start with an untoward incidence that happens in a party where Vikram slaps Amrita on rage in front of everyone over a scuffle with his office colleague. That one slap changes Amrita's perspective about her life and unfolds how that slap jolted her but people around her were okay with it. The slap shook her to the core and her ideas about relationship and self-belief and she decided to divorce Vikram for it.

Thappad is not a film about a wife teaching her husband not to take her for granted. It’s about a woman's self-discovery, realizing what is fair, how women are expected to adapt to new normal and accept the casual insensitivity towards them. While watching Thappad you will be quite involved in Amrita’s story and you can so relate with it and feel so uncomfortable about this ugly fact which is shown in the movie. Thappad also busts all our myths that well to do family, or educated / professional class, women who are in power are immune to these issues.

It’s full credit to Anubhav Sinha who perfectly told this story with beautifully crafted characters like Vikram & Amrita Parents, their friends, and siblings, feminist lawyer, housemaid, all perfectly played by the amazing casts. It is a very well written movie and I would say well balanced as it doesn't dramatise the slap or show family drama but focusses on the real issues which we subtly ignore in our society. Thappad has amazing casts and each one does justice to their characters however the great credit goes to Taapsee Pannu who carried the role so beautifully without any flaws.

This one a must-watch for every Indian especially "Men" to have self-realization on how we don't even know how we ignore some minute things in our life around which can create a big impact. The great movies life these usually inspire you, make you think to change the things around, however, this one made me questions my belief system.

2020: AnksReview's 92nd Annual Academy (OSCAR) Awards Prediction

2020-02-04T21:47:00.000+05:30

Again, it's that time of the year and we are nearly a week away from 92nd Academy Awards Night where movies of the world are being recognised and celebrated. 2019 is the year filled with amazing movies and that's what made it very tough to choose among the best of the lot in almost all the categories.

Every year when I put my predictions I tend to bend towards putting those names which will be usually picked up by Oscar Jury based either on past trends or get influenced by the social or political narrative. So this year I decided to put a WINNER as per my personal choice for that category followed by an alternate choice which may take the Oscar based on a typical way jury decides the winner. So here is the prediction for 2020 Oscar Award:

1. Best Picture

Parasite - {WINNER}
1917 - {Alternate Choice} or Joker (deserves but quite a long shot as per the tradition of The Academy Award)

Ford v Ferrari
The Irishman
Jojo Rabbit
Little Women
Marriage Story
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

This was really difficult to choose and I have to decide here between my heart and my mind. Before I decided on anything "Joker" is just a class apart, but quite a long shot to win the Best Picture especially when the academy likes to be politically correct and give it to a movie made on a comic character. There is a good possibility that "1917" will win Best Picture but I am going with my heart and choosing "Parasite" as Best Picture of 2019. Parasite is by far more than a perfect movie and it's a high time Oscar breaks its tradition and gives Best Picture to a movie made in Foreign language, otherwise friends it's "1917".

2. Best Director

Sam Mendes – 1917 - {WINNER}
Bong Joon-ho – Parasite - {Alternate Choice}

Martin Scorsese – The Irishman
Todd Phillips – Joker
Quentin Tarantino – Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

This will squarely go to Sam Mendes, just for the fact the way he shot 1917 with ultimate perfection. I also have a hunch that Bong Joon-ho will take this for "Parasite".

3. Best Actor

Joaquin Phoenix – Joker - {WINNER}

Antonio Banderas – Pain and Glory
Leonardo DiCaprio – Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Adam Driver – Marriage Story
Jonathan Pryce – The Two Popes

This is the only category where I have any second thought that this trophy will go to anyone but Joaquin Phoenix for Joker.

4. Best Actress

Renée Zellweger – Judy - {WINNER}
Scarlett Johansson – Marriage Story - {Alternate Choice}

Cynthia Erivo – Harriet
Saoirse Ronan – Little Women
Charlize Theron – Bombshell

It's a tough call here and I believe Renee and Scarlett both equally deserve this one, I have selected Renne because she was the backbone of the movie Judy and superb in playing the character.

5. Best Supporting Actor

Brad Pitt – Once Upon a Time in Hollywood - {WINNER}
Joe Pesci – The Irishman - {Alternate Choice}

Tom Hanks – A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
Anthony Hopkins – The Two Popes
Al Pacino – The Irishman

This one was the most difficult to predict when you have all equally top performers in one category. I literally watched all these movies again to decide on this award and I decided on Brad Pitt based on what uniqueness each actor brought to characters they played respective movies. My second choice will be Joe Pesci just out of respect for him who came back to the movies after quite a long break.

6. Best Supporting Actress

Laura Dern – Marriage Story - {WINNER}
Scarlett Johansson – Jojo Rabbit - {Alternate Choice}

Jennifer Lopez - Hustlers
Florence Pugh – Little Women
Margaret Qualley - Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

Laura Dern role was small but significant in Marriage Story and I am sure she will bag this one. Scarlett Johansson may have shot here with her unique role in Jojo Rabbit.

7. Best International Feature Film

Parasite (South Korea) in Korean - {WINNER}

Corpus Christi (Poland) in Polish
Honeyland (North Macedonia) in Turkish and Macedonian
Les Misérables (France) in French
Pain and Glory (Spain) in Spanish

I may not be surprised if Parasite wins Best Picture in the Main category, so it will definitely win this one.

8. Best Original Screenplay

Parasite – {WINNER}

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood - {Alternate Choice}

Knives Out
Marriage Story
1917

Mind says Once Upon...... but I will go with heard here and "Parasite" it is with the crazy yet perfect story.

9. Best Adapted Screenplay

Little Women - {WINNER}

Joker - {Alternate Choice}

The Irishman
Jojo Rabbit
The Two Popes

Simple, unique, beautiful and a great story about a family makes it stand out. This movie may not have shot at other categories because of great nomination but certainly deserves screenplay award the way the story is being presented. We may have an alternate winner from Joker as Tod Phillips crafts an amazing story from a famous character of a comic book that is being shown in several movies.

10. Best Animated Feature Film

I Lost My Body - {WINNER}

Toy Story 4 - {Alternate Chouce}

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World
Klaus
Missing Link

The popular choice will go for Toy Story 4 here, however, the creative and screenplay of "I Lost My Body" is class apart.

11. Best Original Score

Joker - {WINNER}

Little Women
Marriage Story
1917
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

The dark, deep, sad and dramatic background score of Joker makes it a delightful watch. It's a sure shot winner for this one.

12. Best Original Song

"(I'm Gonna) Love Me Again" from Rocketman - {WINNER}

"I Can't Let You Throw Yourself Away" from Toy Story 4
"I'm Standing with You" from Breakthrough
"Into the Unknown" from Frozen II
"Stand Up" from Harriet

I usually do not do prediction in this category, I am doing it as I heard all the songs and this one indeed best among all.

13. Best Sound Editing

1917 - {WINNER}

Ford v Ferrari
Joker
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

14. Best Sound Mixing

1917 - {WINNER}

Ad Astra
Ford v Ferrari
Joker
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

15. Best Production Design

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood - {WINNER}

1917 - {Alternate Choice}

The Irishman
Jojo Rabbit
Parasite

Amazing nominations here and each frame in Once Upon..... show the beauty and creativity of setup design reflecting retro era of Hollywood. The second choice is 1917 for sure the way setup the entire war scene with the finer details.

16. Best Cinematography

1917 – {WINNER}

Joker - {Alternate Choice}

The Irishman
The Lighthouse
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

Hands down it's 1917 the way entire movie covered as it's taken through the same shot/frame and yet captured the entire war action with the outstanding backdrop. My alternate choice here is definitely Joker which depicted the Darkness of Gotham City and all the action.

17. Best Film Editing

Parasite - {WINNER}

Ford v Ferrari
The Irishman
Jojo Rabbit
Joker

18. Best Visual Effects

Avengers: Endgame - {WINNER}

The Irishman
The Lion King
1917
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

Avengers Endgame was way above everyone with larger than life special effect and action.

So, this is my final prediction to the biggest award night of movies, let me know your views and comment about the same.

* All images used in this post have been taken from random google image search are copyright to their respective owners.

AnksReview - Top 10 Hollywood Movies of 2019

2020-01-07T00:45:00.000+05:30

I thank everyone for their responses and highest views of my blog on 2019 Top 10 Hindi films and now it's time to list out my Top 10 Hollywood Films of 2019. I am sure there are plenty of good movies beyond this list and once Oscar nomination comes out we will have more movies that can be put on the watch list. I have made this list based on nearly 100s of movies released in 2019, I might have seen this year so please excuse me if I missed any great ones. The list below is in order of its ranking and one special mention of Korean movie "Parasite" which is beyond ranking and deserves special mention over here.

1. Joker

Joker is a movie based on the famous character of DC Comics written and directed by Todd Phillips where the lead role played by Joaquin Phoenix. The movie deep dives into the building of Joker's personality by delving into it's past. I have seen this movie around 6 times now and each time I watch it, I find beauty and perfection in every frame. I am sure this movie will be the front runner in Oscar for Best Film and Best Acting and indeed this is the best movie of 2019 from all the aspects.

2. 1917

1917 is an epic war movie directed by Sam Mendes based on a true event set up during World War I where two soldiers were given a mission to deliver a message about warning of an ambush by Germans to save lives of 1600 British soldiers. There are several war movies made but this one stands out on top of all just the way this movie was made in a form of a continuous shot from beginning to the end. It will keep you on edge and this one certainly class apart on all aspect of movies making.

3. Ford Vs. Ferrari

Ford vs. Ferrari is a movie directed by James Mangold, based on true events when Henry Ford II was trying to acquire Ferrari but lost the deal to Fiat and decided to take on Ferrari in the race circuit by its GT40 model designed by Ford's ace design engineer. The story is thrilling where it convinces us how passion and teamwork can take on the best racing team in the world. Amazing direction, action, editing and not to miss the acting performance by Matt Damon and Christina Bale.

4. The Irishman

What happens when you have great talents like Al Pacino, Rober De Niro, Joe Pesci, and Martin Scorsese teams up together? The result is- another great timeless Masterpiece. The Irishman is three and a half hours a crime drama based on the true story of a politician Jimmy Hoffa and his disappearance. It's a slow-paced movie that takes you through the life of three friends back in time in a backdrop of mob crime and politics. It's a perfect cinematic experience with a strong performance by all great actors and another gem from Martin Scorsese who is best at such crime dramas.

5. Togo

Togo is a true story based on the remarkable journey also known as the "Great Race of Mercy" of breeder Leonard and his snow dog Togo set in 1925, in which dog-sled teams relayed to transport serum through harsh conditions over nearly 700 miles to save the children of Alaskan town of Nome suffering from deadly epidemic. It was Togo and his survival spirit who leads the team of Dogs and his master through deadliest terrain on harsh winter to get the drugs on time. This is a hell of an adventure and an amazing performance by Willem Dafoe and of course a Siberian husky "Togo".

6. The Two Popes

The Two Popes is a Netflix film based on the biographical tale of two popes- Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis of recent times, directed by Fernando Meirelles. The story starts with the election of Pope Benedict XVI and moves further in time and covers conversation between Pope Benedict and Cardinal Bergoglio (later Pope Francis). It's a beautifully made movie with a superb acting performance by Anthony Hopkins and Jonathan Pryce backed by amazing dialogs setup in the background of charismatic Vitacan City, Rome.

7. Knives Out

Knives out is a mystery-thriller directed by Rian Johnson with an awesome set of the cast filled with lots of twist n turns which always keeps you on the edge guessing where the movie is going. The story is based on how a family gathering goes awry after the mysterious suicidal death of family patriarchal which calls for a famous detective to investigate the possibility of murder and motive. This is one of those spy thriller where the cause of death is out in open but still carries mystery till the end. The beauty of the movie is its the screenplay and several characters backed with perfect direction.

8. Marriage Story

Marriage Story is a Netflix film directed by Noah Baumbach, a story about a Modern Couple going through a divorce. The beauty of this movie is its story, a realistic treatment of the relationship between a couple who are estranged however has love and respect for each other. It's a well-directed movie backed by the super performance of Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson.

9. John Wick 3: Parabellum

Ok, John Wick has already achieved its cult status but its John Wick 3 - Parabellum which makes it further perfect to carry the story to its conclusion (if there is any). There is no logic here but just a swag of Keanu Reeves and awesome action to relive the experience of it's earlier two installments. If you like an action flick, watch this one again and again and you will love it more each time.

10. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is a ninth movie of Quentin Tarantino loosely based on the famous murder of Sharon Tate by Charlie Hanson family in Beverly Hills setup in backdrop way back in the 60s/70s, a Golden Era of Hollywood. It's Quentin tribute to Hollywood's Golden Era with two fictional characters and a real murder incidence by hippies which was again fictionalized as per Tarantino's Vision. What a shame that the 9th film of Quentin Tarantino is appearing at no. 10 in my list and this ranking is also because I loved the styling the movie especially my fanboy moments after seeing top-notch performances by Leonardo Di Caprio and Brad Pitt. The movie failed to deliver as a good story however in parts through some scenes and sequences, it's really out of the world.

Special Mentions

Parasite

A Parasite is a Korean drama-thriller directed by Bong Joon-ho which is most talked about Foreign language movie of the year. The movie is about two families- Park Family, the picture of aspirational wealth and the Kim Family, an underprivileged who are street smarts but not much else. The movie is about how their lives come together and turn after an extraordinary event.

There is always a time when you hit the movie which is a class apart and have such a unique story well packaged with its direction, acting performance that it just simply stand out from any movies you have ever seen. This is one such movie which you can't compare with anyone and keep it in your collection as one the most special movie. The least this movie deserves is an Oscar Award for Best Foreign Film.

Another Hollywood Movies which were great but somehow couldn't make it to Top 10

The Laundromat

The Laundromat is another Netflix film directed by Steven Soderbergh based on true events related to the Panama scandal. This is another Netflix film in my Top 10 list which has not received good ratings but I simply love the way movie was made with various incidences, its narration, characters, its dark humor treatment and not to miss the acting performance of Meryl Streep.

El Camino : A Breaking Bad Movie

El Camino - A Breaking Bad Movie, a crime thriller made in the form of the movie showing sequel of Breaking Bad, telling the story of Jesse Pinkman which needed a closure when the series ended. Of course, it can't beat the TV Series and interestingly it doesn't want itself to; but complement it in the best manner. You will only love this movie if you have completed watching the series.

Ad Astra

Ad Astra is a SciFi thriller directed by James Gray about an astronaut who in near future travels up to Venus to protect cosmic surge caused by his astronaut father who goes missing on the same mission 26 years back. It's a simple story but with deep emotion and amazing acting performance by Brad Pitt.

Toy Story 4

What more to write about this great Franchise, isn't it a must-watch, like other Toy Story movies this one also justifies the beautiful adventure of Woody.

The Last Black Man in San Francisco

The Last Black Man of San Francisco is The Last Black Man in San Francisco is a drama film directed by Joe Talbot, centers on the futile efforts of a Black man to reclaim his childhood home, a Victorian house which, following renovation, is now valued at $4 million. It's a heart-touching story about friendship, legacy and skewed one-sided corrupt system of today's time.

Some of the Movies which I need to yet to watch...

The Lighthouse

Uncut Gems

* Image Sources - All images are taken from Google Image Search and from a website such as IMDB.com and Wikipedia and belong to its respective owners.