Cinema, Karam, Kapi

After missing its theatrical run back in 2016, I finally caught War Dogs  on streaming this weekend. Given that director Todd Phillips was famous for the sheer debauchery of The Hangover trilogy, I went in expecting a brainless bro-comedy.  Thankfully, I was pleasantly surprised.  The film is merely a cynical dive into how the Pentagon treats international conflict like an open-mic bidding war reminding the viewers of a hard truth: war is an economy, and someone is always cashing the checks. Gets as fictional as it could get. The story tracks David Packouz (Miles Teller), a struggling Miami massage therapist who gets reacquainted with his childhood best friend, Efraim Diveroli (Jonah Hill).  Efraim is a slick, cutthroat hustle-bro exploiting a loophole that allows small businesses to bid on US military contracts. Jonah Hill is absolutely magnetic here.  Dressed in oversized linen shirts, slicked-back hair, and sporting a deeply unnerving, high-pitched fake laug...

After the buzz around this Jennifer Lopez film, I finally found time to watch Office Romance on Netflix. I had consciously avoided reading reviews so I could save the suspense factor to myself. I went with limited hope, given the rom-com genre has been struggling lately.  And thankfully, I was not at all disappointed. The movie is about Jackie Cruz (Jennifer Lopez), a meticulous airline CEO whose company AirCruz, founded by her father, is now profitable but the board wants to replace her.  Daniel Blanchflower (Brett Goldstein from Ted Lasso), a British lawyer joining AirCruz's legal department, instantly falls for Jackie.  The meet-cute? Awkward. Daniel gets a boner during their first meeting in her office—creepy, yes, but the script tries to laugh it off. The company's strict no-fraternization policy sets up the central tension. Jennifer Lopez  is wonderful as always. Aptly styled with glamorous power-dressing ensembles and a radiant glow, she convinces us of Jackie...

To what extent would a gentleman go to save his family? Remember, a man always dons various roles all the time, that of a son, a brother, a husband and most of all, a father. And family comes first, no matter what. And the sacrifices of a man come at a cost. Presenting Rana Naidu (Rana Daggubati), for One Last Job. In the second season of the critically acclaimed web series, made for India by OTT giant, Netflix, Rana Daggubati as the protagonist carries the weight of the titular role in every episode of the 9-part series.  And this time, not only does he have new adversaries, but some very wicked ones, who harm almost every member of his family. The series opens with Rana and his wife Naina (Surveen Chawla) returning after a trip to Europe with Rana confiding that he will stop his gangster work henceforth. As they land at Mumbai airport, Rana sees a video where his son Anirudh (Madhav Dhingra) has been kidnapped. As he rushes to Goa in the private plane owned by Viraj Oberoi (Ra...

A thief is a thief forever. But some thieves are special, for they steal not just for the loot, ra. ther for the “Kick” of it. Rehan is a professional “Jewel Thief” and carries the film on his shoulders all through and confirms at the end of the movie that the heist will continue. Raja Chauhan alias Rehan (Saif Ali Khan) is in hiding in Europe when two Indian cops spot him, basis instructions from their boss Vikram Patel (Kunal Kapoor).  Rehan befriends them and voluntarily surrenders to them, as he wishes to get to India to finish an important task. The duo, bewildered about their prized catch, take him to India, only to lose him at the airport, even as Vikram arrives there.. Back in India, Rehan reaches the Alibaug bungalow of Rajan Aulakh (Jaideep Ahla wat). Rajan threatens that for Rehan’s family to be undisturbed, he must steal “ The Red Sun ”, a rare diamond that would be exhibited soon in Mumbai. Rehan shares a watertight plan with Rajan to get to the diamond safely and wi...

What happens in the island, stays in the island. Perhaps not, if it is the death (rather, murder) of someone on the eve of a high profile wedding! Merritt Monaco (Meghann Fahy) is one of the closest friends of bride to be Amelia Sacks (Eve Hewson). She is getting married to Benji Winbury (Billy Howie), the second son of Greer Garrison Winbury (Nicole Kidman) and Tag Winbury (Live Schriber).  Greer is a prolific author and has several books to her credit, while her latest one is awaiting a launch right after the wedding is over. She is not happy with her son’s choice of bride, as Amelia doesn’t match the “class” of her clan, and hence always looks down upon her.  Tag is a chilled out husband of a popular persona, that is his wife. He makes it appear that their wedding is just the kind of story people love to believe. The media makes a celebration of their relationship, calling Greer and Tag “ The Perfect Couple ”.  Though, they are exactly the opposite in real life. Tag is...