Movie Reviews

One-line review: A genius who just wants to be. I have now seen this Bob Dylan movie seven times and in all formats: IMAX, Dolby, Laser, you name it, and I can’t wait to own it. It’s just a great movie that delivers on all departments: script, directing, casting (even the guy who announces Seeger […]

One-line review: A “gangsta” gangster movie. The film’s title means excitement and writer-director Jithu Madhavan leaves no stone unturned in his quest to entertain. For example, the title song, the pulsating “Illuminati” (already a hit before the film’s release), is cleverly placed at the end when the credits roll so that an already roused audience

One-line review: A siesta awakens many. What’s remarkable about auteur Malayalam director Lijo Jose Pilassery’s film about an afternoon nap gone wrong is that it feels like a nap with its pacing, cinematography, and music. Despite the high drama, the notes stay within the nap “meter.”  The film is about a group of theater actors

One-line review: Work is worship. Watching Wim Wenders’s new film is like listening to a song you know you will return to many times, sometimes just to listen to a snatch or a melody. But what’s remarkable is that the film has repeat value despite no plot twists or high drama. In fact, the lead,

One-line review: Awakening through sexual awakening. When I watched the film for the first time, it was a sensory overload, with little breathing space to savor. But the second time was a seamless immersive experience, and I marveled at how this complicated movie did not make a single misstep. The film is based on Alasdair

One-line review: Oil makes the blood flow. I have seen the film four times now. The first time was awe-inspiring, although confusing with so many characters. The second time was about savoring the experience of Maestro Scorsese conducting his A team, all peaking. The third time was to experience it again while it lasted in

One-line review: Mobsters with hats and hearts. Miller’s Crossing sank at the box office despite being the opening film at the New York Film Festival and was panned by critics. One of the film’s vehement critics, Roger Ebert, did not even mention the lead character, Tom Reagan (Gabriel Bryne), in his review. Of course, it

One-line review: This Christopher Nolan’s bomb of a movie restores humanity. I saw Oppenheimer thrice, once in a regular IMAX and then twice in the IMAX 70 mm on consecutive days. I had second thoughts the third time about spending three hours again so soon, but I wanted to experience this rare phenomenon of human

One-line review: A man on the run for “a” life. This film is the Safdie Brothers’ first outing with a big star and paved the way for convincing Adam Sandler to do their dream project. But interestingly, in this case, the global sensation Robert Pattinson sought them out after seeing their previous movie’s trailer. Pattinson

One-line review: Eternal friendships bloom in the Wild West. When the Coens announced they were remaking True Grit, many fans of the 1969 classic that won John Wayne his only Oscar raised their eyebrows. But the Coens were interested in the original source, the late and reclusive author Charles Portis’ best-selling and much-loved novel. The