Day: April 18, 2025

Sinners (English) Review {3.0/5} & Review Rating

Director: Ryan Coogler

Sinners Movie Review Synopsis:
SINNERS is the story of one wild night. On October 15, 1932, the twins Smoke (Michael B Jordan) and Stack (Michael B Jordan) arrive at their hometown – Clarksdale, Mississippi – after amassing a lot of money in Chicago. They buy an old abandoned mill and plan to turn it into a juke joint the same night. They go around the town to get people on board for their venture. Their cousin, Sammie (Miles Caton), son of a pastor, is employed as a blues singer. An old friend and expert piano and harmonica player Delta Slim (Delroy Lindo), is also recruited. A Chinese couple Bo Chow (Yao) and Grace (Li Jun Li) are asked to paint the board. Smoke’s ex-wife Annie (Wunmi Mosaku) comes on board to cook food and Cornbread (Omar Benson Miller) is hired as the doorkeeper. The twins promote the opening of the joint in the town. Hence, they get a decent turnout. All is going well and everyone is making merry. But suddenly, two mysterious men and one mysterious woman arrive and all hell breaks loose. What happens next forms the rest of the film.

Sinners Movie Story Review:
Ryan Coogler’s story is imaginative and creative. Ryan Coogler’s screenplay is comprehensive and has many twists and turns. The dialogues are sharp. Thankfully, the subtitles are present which makes it easier to decipher the difficult dialect.

Ryan Coogler’s direction is supreme. The first and second halves of the film are very different from each other. The director uses the first half to establish the characters and setting and how they all turn up in the newly established club. At the same time, he also hints at how things are going to be messy and gory. The scene just before the interval point is gripping. In the second half, the film moves slowly but also keeps one captivated and even terrified.

On the flipside, a few aspects are confusing. The first half is a bit slow. The mid-credit scene is too long and though it’s novel, it doesn’t leave the desired impact. Lastly, the hype is limited for the film in India.

Sinners Movie Review Performances:
Michael B Jordan plays the role of the twins with panache. It’s also praiseworthy how he subtly makes sure that both characters are a bit different from each other. Miles Caton is very impressive and he has a crucial part in the narrative. Wunmi Mosaku, Delroy Lindo, Hailee Steinfeld (Mary) and Jayme Lawson (Pearline) leave a huge mark. Omar Benson Miller, Yao, Li Jn Li and Helena Hu (Lisa) lend able support. Jack O’Connell (Remmick), Peter Dreimanis (Bert) and Saul Williams (Jedidiah) are terrific as the villains. David Maldonado (Hogwood) also does very well.

Sinners movie music and other technical aspects:
Ludwig Göransson’s music is an intrinsic part of the production and is well woven into the narrative. The blues-style background score goes well with the film too. Autumn Durald Arkapaw’s cinematography is stunning. Hannah Beachler’s production design and Ruth E Carter’s costumes are very authentic. The VFX is classy while the action is very gory. Michael P Shawver’s editing could have been slicker.

Sinners Movie Review Conclusion:
On the whole, SINNERS leaves an impact thanks to its novel idea, supernatural touch and bravura performances.

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Kesari Chapter 2 Review {3.5/5} & Review Rating

Director: Karan Singh Tyagi

Kesari Chapter 2 Movie Review Synopsis:
KESARI CHAPTER 2 is the story of a man who shook the foundations of the British empire. On April 13, 1919, a group of protesters assemble peacefully at the Jallianwalla Bagh, Amritsar to protest against the Rowlatt Act. General Dyer (Simon Paisley Day) reaches the spot with his armed troops and instructs them to fire at the people without warning. It leads to the loss of hundreds of lives. The press is censored from talking about it. The official version given is that the protestors were armed and hence, General Dyer had to open fire. To calm down the criticism, the British government puts together an enquiry commission. Sir C Sankaran Nair (Akshay Kumar) is the only Indian in this commission. Though he’s an Indian, he believes in the British justice system. He’s such a devout servant of the Crown that the government has even made him a part of the Viceroy’s Council. He begins the inquiry and realizes that the British are trying to suppress facts. A chance meeting with a young revolutionary boy, Pargat Singh (Krish Rao), changes his viewpoint. He further has a change of heart when he talks to a law student, Dilreet Gill (Ananya Panday). Hence, he decides to go to Court and sue General Dyer for genocide. In an unexpected move, the Crown appoints Neville McKinley (R Madhavan) as the defence lawyer. Sankaran and Neville have a rough past and the latter is all set to hit back at the former through this case. What happens next forms the rest of the film.

Kesari Chapter 2 Movie Story Review:
KESARI CHAPTER 2 is based on the book ‘The Case That Shook The Empire: One Man’s Fight For The Truth About The Jallianwala Bagh Massacre’ by Raghu Palat and Pushpa Palat. Karan Singh Tyagi and Amritpal Singh Bindra’s story is incredible. Many are aware of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre but not about the case. Karan Singh Tyagi and Amritpal Singh Bindra’s screenplay moves at a decent pace and is replete with riveting dramatic and confrontational moments. Sumit Saxena’s dialogues are arresting.

Karan Singh Tyagi’s direction is uncomplicated, though he uses a back-and-forth narrative in the beginning. At a basic level, it’s a hero vs villain story. The hero is fighting a gigantic antagonist who has the full support of an unjust system. Hence, one can’t help but get disgusted by the villain and root for C Sankaran Nair all along. A few scenes that stand out are Sankaran Nair being stopped for accessing the courtyard as ‘dogs and Indians are not allowed’, Shankaran’s visit to Pargat and Dilreet filing the case with Shankaran’s sudden appearance at the court. Post-interval, the Martha Stevens track is very memorable. The climax might seem predictable and yet, it packs a punch. The film ends on an exhilarating note.

Kesari Chapter 2 – Official Trailer | Akshay Kumar | R. Madhavan | Ananya Panday | Karan S Tyagi

On the flipside, it’s strange that C Sankaran Nair, until the massacre, fully believed the British justice system and he never had any doubts about them. The courtroom drama follows a set template and hence, one might anticipate where the film is moving. Moreover, it’s an urban film and doesn’t offer much to the masses. The ‘A’ rating is also unwarranted for. Ideally, a film like this should have been awarded a U/A rating for a wider reach.

Kesari Chapter 2 Movie Review Performances:
Akshay Kumar delivers a stupendous performance. His change of heart and also the way he mouths powerful lines in the court make for a great impact. Ananya Panday proves her worth, especially during the Martha Stevens track and when she meets C Sankaran Nair at the railway station. R Madhavan has a late entry but dominates some of the scenes in the second half. Regena Cassandrra (Parvathy Nair) is wasted. Simon Paisley Day plays his part with perfection and steals the show with his villainous act. Krish Rao has an important part and he leaves a huge mark. The same goes for Amit Sial (Tirath Singh). Steven Hartley (Judge McArdie), Sammy Jonas Heaney (Harold Laksi; jury member), Mark Bennington (Michael O’Dwyer), Alexx O’Nell (Lord Chelmsford), Rohan Verma (Jaan Nisar), Alexandra Moloney (Martha Stevens), Jaipreet Singh (Kirpal Singh) and Luke Kenny (Appeal court judge) also do very well.

Kesari Chapter 2 movie music and other technical aspects:
KESARI CHAPTER 2 hardly has any songs. ‘O Shera’ is memorable but a film like this deserved a hit soundtrack considering that KESARI’s [2019] songs are remembered even today. Shaswat Sachdev’s background score is very arresting.

Debojeet Ray’s cinematography is appropriate. Rita Ghosh’s production design and Sheetal Iqbal Sharma’s costumes are reminiscent of the bygone era. Futureworks’ VFX is top-class. Florian Hotz and Sunil Rodrigues’ action is disturbing but it’s the requirement of the script. Nitin Baid’s editing is slick.

Kesari Chapter 2 Movie Review Conclusion:
On the whole, KESARI CHAPTER 2 is a hard-hitting courtroom drama and works due to the performances and treatment and also because it tells an untold and shocking chapter of Indian history. At the box office, it will need a strong word of mouth to sustain and emerge as a profitable venture. The adults only rating might restrict its business to some extent.

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Logout Review {3.0/5} & Review Rating

Director: Amit Golani

Logout Movie Review Synopsis:
LOGOUT is the story of an influencer and a fan. Pratyush Dua (Babil Khan) stays in Delhi alone, away from his family. He’s a massive phone addict and also a popular influencer who goes by the name ‘Pratman’. His follower count is about to reach the 10 million mark. However, another popular influencer, Ankita (Anisha Victor), is also all as set to cross the coveted mark. The netizens are charged up to see who gets 10 million followers first. Pratyush’s friend and manager JD (Gandharv Dewan) insists that Pratyush should win the race. If that happens, a popular company will sign him up for a tempting deal, that will change things for him. But they would sign Ankita if she manages to get 10 million followers before Pratyush. As part of the strategy of getting more followers, Pratyush meets Bhuvan Bam at an event and shoots a collab video. He gets heavily drunk and goes live on his social media, asking his followers to help him amass 10 million followers. The next day, Pratyush wakes up only to find that his phone is missing. Since he was intoxicated the previous night, he’s unable to remember where he kept his phone. He opens his PC to track his device. This is when he gets an email from a girl whom he had met in Gwalior a year back, Aabha. She claims that she called his number and a cabbie happened to pick the call. She further claimed that Pratyush forgot the phone in the cab and that she’d help him get his phone back. Pratyush is relieved that his phone’s whereabouts are known. She makes him pay an amount to the driver, so that he can come all the way to his residence to deliver the phone. But while transferring the money, the OTP is sent to Pratyush’s phone. With no other option, Pratyush gives his phone password to Aabha, so that the driver can access the OTP. Soon, Pratyush realizes that he didn’t leave the phone in the cab and that Aabha is the one who has his phone. What’s worse is that Aabha is not her real name; she refuses to divulge her identity. She claims to be his biggest fan and wants to spend time with him; or else, she’ll expose him on social media. What happens next forms the rest of the film.

Logout Movie Story Review:
Biswapati Sarkar’s story is terrific and very relevant for today’s times. Biswapati Sarkar’s screenplay is very captivating until the middle of the second half. To engage the audience when there’s just one actor on screen 90% of the time and the other character’s voice is heard is not easy. But the writing is very tight and hence, one doesn’t get bored. However, the climax leaves a lot to be desired. Biswapati Sarkar’s dialogues are conversational and realistic.

Amit Golani’s direction is supreme. To begin with, the various social media and email accounts shown in the film are all fictitious and inspired by real-life apps and websites. But this bit is depicted in a very authentic manner. Secondly, there are a lot of nail-biting moments in the film and it’s impressive they managed to do that since the setting is very unconventional. Moreover, it looks convincing when Pratyush divulges his phone’s password and he believes the fan. Also interesting is how Pratyush uses his brain to understand who this fan can be.

Sadly, the makers mess up the film in the second half. One of the biggest problems with LOGOUT is that one never comes to know under what circumstances Pratyush loses his phone. The makers chose not to present this crucial aspect at all. They also conveniently forget what happened to Pratyush’s ex-girlfriend Smriti, especially after the caller tried to harm her relationship with her fiancé. The climax tries to raise an important issue but the message doesn’t come across neatly.

Logout Movie Review Performances:
Speaking of performances, Babil Khan shines. He’s visible in most of the scenes and he makes good use of the opportunity to prove his worth. The character goes through a lot and Babil’s expressions, body language and his way of emoting are spot-on. Nimisha Nair (caller) has limited screen time and is quite good. She is seen less and heard more and her dialogue delivery is praiseworthy. Rasika Dugal (Pratyush’s sister) is lovely, as always, in a cameo. Gandharv Dewan, Anisha Victor and others are fair.

Logout movie music and other technical aspects:
There’s only one song in the film – ‘Tipi Tipi Tap’ – and it’s forgettable. Haroon & Gavin’s background score, however, adds to the tension. Pooja Gupte’s cinematography is appropriate. Sukant Panigrahy’s production design is cool, especially the interiors of Pratyush’s house. Special mention should go to the VFX team and graphics – the scenes of the computer screen are classy. Pampa Biswas’s costumes are straight out of life. Atanu Mukherjee’s editing is slick but could have been sharper in a few places.

Logout Movie Review Conclusion:
On the whole, LOGOUT raises an important issue and features a gripping, nail-biting first half, with Babil Khan’s impactful performance serving as the icing on the cake. However, the weak second half and underwhelming climax dilute some of its overall impact.

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