ALL STUNT AND NO STORY

Saaho Story: A huge empire, crores at stake and too many villains. No one can be trusted. So will the balance of power be restored and can one man do whatever it takes to restore the balance of power and defeat the bad guys?

Saaho Review: You probably know the answer to the above question, but writer-director Sujeeth takes you through a maze of twists and turns before he gets there. Pegged as India's biggest action thriller, 'Saaho' gets into the action mode pretty early on. The film begins with signature wide angles of massive structures and grim-looking men, who mean serious business. All through the first half, the narrative travels through cities trying to connect high-stake robberies in Mumbai and the search of a missing black box that is the key to a fortune. Enters the film's leading man, Prabhas, with a loud, high-octane fight scene that sets the stage for many more such confrontations. With his towering screen presence, Prabhas fits the bill perfectly in this larger than life role. However, if you're expecting his 'Baahubali' charm to rub off again, then his avatar in this one is a far stretch. His dialogue delivery seems deliberately slow, but for most part, the way his character unfolds, it keeps the viewer guessing. Shraddha Kapoor looks glamorous, but her character is poorly sketched. Introduced as a tough-talking cop, she soon becomes a damsel in distress, who often needs to be saved rather than she saving the world. Even the chemistry between the lead pair is missing.

Among the many villains, Chunky Pandey as Devraj stands out with a very convincing portrayal of his evil character. The rest come off as mere caricatures, who fail to make an impact. The songs are untimely placed in the narrative, only adding to an already long runtime. Attempts to infuse humour fall flat as none of the jokes land. 

'Saaho', surely delivers well as an action extravaganza with a climax that compensates for its many flaws. Thanks to the action choreography by internationally acclaimed stunt directors like Peng Zhang and Kenny Bates.

The film's second half picks pace, but is marred by a weak narrative that requires constant suspension of disbelief. Also, the special effects and CGI often lack the finesse that a film mounted on such a grand scale deserved. 

Overall, 'Saaho' attempts at being a potboiler that fires in all directions to entertain the audience. There are so many twists and turns that it leaves you more exhausted than excited. 

A bride's wedding night takes a sinister turn when her eccentric new in-laws force her to take part in a terrifying game.

Directors: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett

Writers: Guy Busick, Ryan Murphy

Stars: Samara Weaving, Adam Brody, Mark O'Brien

READY OR NOT follows a young bride (Samara Weaving) as she joins her new husband's (Mark O'Brien) rich, eccentric family (Adam Brody, Henry Czerny, Andie MacDowell) in a time-honored tradition that turns into a lethal game with everyone fighting for their survival.

Details

Official Sites: Official site

Country: USA

Language: English

Release Date: 21 August 2019 (USA) 

Also Known As: Family Ritual

Box Office

Gross USA: $5,443,148

Cumulative Worldwide Gross: $5,443,148

STORY: When a foreign national is raped by an influential minister’s sons, she attempts to seek justice, but it only leads to an agonising and infuriating series of events.

REVIEW: ‘Chicken Curry Law’, a metaphor that illustrates a victim’s trial, attempts to question the ways of our judicial system. Maya Johnson’s (Natalia Janoszek) case comes to light through a news report that shows her lying, bruised and half-naked, on a street. And with it, the quest of social worker Satya Deshmukh (Nivedita Bhattacharya) begins.

Satya hunts for information and witnesses, and stumbles upon a jaded lawyer Sitapati Shukla (Ashutosh Rana), who once lost faith in the system, but is convinced to get back in the game. This one’s tricky, for it involves none other than the minister’s sons. Not that this is the first of its kind, but you still drag through the predictable plot, struggling to empathise with the melodramatic characters, who fail to connect – with each other as well as with the audiences. And it’s not just the weak dialogues and subplots, but even the make-up that shows bruises that is shoddily done. There are also goofy supporting actors with strange accents, who are thrown in for some comic relief. But alas, the comedy leaves zero impact.

There is so much that could have been done with this concept, but it falls apart at the execution level. The performances, too, are not up to the mark. Overall, it’s an attempt to start a dialogue and bring about a change, but if you’re looking for a story that leaves an impact, this one is far from that.

Story: When Osamu Shibata finds five-year-old Yuri on the streets, cold and starving on a winter night, he brings her home to feed her. Intending to drop her back to her family right after. But soon she becomes an integral part of the Shibata family and their daily shoplifting sprees.

Review: In 'Shoplifters', Kore-eda paints the heartwarming picture of a family living in poverty, stealing to make ends meet and yet closely knit together and empathetic. They live in a cramped home, jostling for space and are seen meeting as a family over dinner, slurping down noodle soup and croquettes- bought from a street food stall. This tiny living space belongs to Grandma Hatsue (Kirin Kiki) and it’s also her pension that somewhat helps the family stay afloat, along with each one’s odd job. Osamu’s wife Nobuyo (Sakura Ando) is employed at a laundry, Aki (Mayu Matsuoka) works at a peep show parlor and he is a daily wage construction worker, indisposed due to an accident. But ultimately, it’s shoplifting of everyday items, groceries and food that keeps them going. And in this expertise Osamu (Lily Franky) takes the lead, with young Shota (Jyo Kairi) under his wing. Osamu creates the distraction while Shota steals and makes a run for it. He reasons to Shota that things in a shop don’t belong to anyone yet so it’s all right to take them.In fact, it’s evident that the Shibata’s are nonchalant about shoplifting as a way of life when Shota is casually told by Nobuyo over dinner to make sure he picks up some shampoo for her the next time. 

And on one such night, little Yuri (Miyu Sasaki) is brought home by Osamu. The family welcomes her warmly for some hot dinner, especially Grandma Hatsue who fusses over her and to her horror discovers several scars on Yuri's body. When Osamu and Nobuyo take Yuri back to the street she has been picked up from to drop her at her doorstep, voices of a couple fighting bitterly emanate from the apartment, confirming the emotional and physical abuse she has faced from her parents. Noboyu decides to bring Yuri back home with her justifying to Osamu and herself that they have not kidnaped the little girl, since they haven’t asked for a ransom.

As Yuri begins to join Osamu and Shota on their shoplifting jaunts, Shota is at first resentful of her but soon there is an unspoken bond that develops between the two. Much like a brother and sister. When walking home one day they spot some kids going to school, he tells her helpfully, “School is for children who don’t learn anything at home.”

And as Nobuyo and Yuri’s bond grow deeper almost like a mother and child, on a picture perfect family outing to the beach, she reiterates to Hatsue “Sometimes it’s better to choose your own family.” 

However nothing is as it seems in the Shibata family as Kore-eda’s nuanced and complex narrative begins to unravel itself. As the film draws to a climax astonishing secrets hidden within the family tumble out one after another. And things begin to piece together or rather collapse. Through his poignant, contemplative and potent screenplay Kore-eda cuts open societal hypocrisy and questions family structures as popularly accepted. The visual narrative of Shoplifters is equally powerful – extreme tight close ups, constricted spaces, a recurring motif of food, the visibly changing seasons – from frosty cold nights to hot summer days, the family’s coping mechanisms. And as the film explores moral ambiguity, every character of this dysfunctional family touches a chord. The performances by Kirin Kiri, Lily, Sakura Ando and Mayu Matsuoka are heartfelt and brilliant. But it’s the two children - Jyo Kairi and Miyu Sasaki - who are outstanding and leave the maximum impact, refusing to leave your mind even long after you’ve seen the film. 

Details

Official Sites: Official site | Official Site [Japan]

Country: Japan

Language: Japanese

Release Date: 23 November 2018 (USA) 

Also Known As: Shoplifters 

Filming Locations: Japan 

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA: $89,264, 25 November 2018

Gross USA: $3,313,513

  

Nerkonda Paarvai Story: Three girls, who befriend a few influential youngsters under the influence of alcohol, realise they are in danger when one of them try to molest a girl. The two parties file case against each other, after which the court looks into it

Nerkonda Paarvai Review: It's been a while since Tamil cinema has witnessed a court drama. Nerkonda Paarvai, the remake of Bollywood film, Pink, brings back the genre to Kollywood. With arresting performances of artistes and an engaging screenplay which touch upon a sensitive issue, H Vinoth manages to stay true to the original version. 

From the time the project was announced, all eyes were on Ajith - how is he going to pull off the character which was effortlessly portrayed by Amitabh Bachchan was the big question. The actor has essayed the role of a lawyer, who takes up a sensitive case despite suffering from personal issues, in his own style. 

The story begins with Meera, Famita and Andrea (Shraddha, Abhirami, Andrea) bumping into the gang of boys, Adhik, Venky and Viswa (Arjun, Aswin, Adhik) at a concert. The latter invite the former for dinner and a couple of drinks, and they all go to a resort to unwind. At a certain point, Adhik tries to molest Meera, and she attacks him with a bottle on his head. The girls flee from the place after realising the consequence. They decide to file a police complaint after they were threatened by the boys. The latter, too, file attempt to murder case against Meera, after which the court looks into it. 

Bharath Subramaniam (Ajith), who suffers from depression due to personal issues, appear for the girls while Sathyamoorthy (Rangaraj Pandey) appear for the boys. How the court announces a verdict based on the lawyers' arguments forms the rest. 

As a film, Pink has conveyed what it wants to, in an appropriate way. There is hardly anything to change in it for a remake version, but considering Ajith's fan base, the director has made some expected changes without altering any pivotal scene from the original. The actor has an extended fight scene, which is supported by Yuvan's background score. Dhilip Subbarayan's swift movements and punches are captured interestingly by Nirav Shah. Kathir's art direction brings in the required ambience for the plot.

The movie discusses a relevant topic in our times - consent from women before moving close with her. It attacks the regressive, patriarchal mindset of tagging women as good and bad based on their choices and freedom in our society, which often is run by rules laid by men. 

Shraddha impresses with her performance in the role of a helpless girl who escapes from being molested while Famita fits properly in her character. Andrea and the boys essayed what were offered to them neatly. Rangaraj Pandey gets a meaty role and gets it right, and Vidya Balan makes a cameo.

Details

Country: India

Language: Tamil

Release Date: 7 August 2019 (USA) 

Also Known As: Nerkonda Paarvai 

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