movies Archives

Netflix’s Enola Holmes is a Young-Adult Take on the Sherlock Mythos, Anchored by a Fun Lead Performance

Enola Holmes isn’t out to reinvent cinema. Set against a backdrop of Victorian patriarchy, it often raises questions about women’s changing role in society, especially as key characters are involved in the suffragette movement. However, the film isn’t nearly as…

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The Devil All The Time Explores Relentless Generational Trauma, Set in the American Rural Heartland

The ugliness inherent in The Devil All The Time’s world is inescapable. It seeps into the rural heartland where the story takes place, infecting all characters, warping their minds and twisting their hopes, robbing them of compassion and sincerity. Adapted…

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Disney’s Mulan is Beautiful (and Action-Packed), but its Message is Problematic

Disney, it appears, just cannot do right when it comes to remakes. No one would accuse the remakes released so far to be great, though some of them, such as Maleficent, attempt going off the beaten path. In case of…

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Christopher Nolan’s Tenet is a Sleekly-Produced Action Blockbuster with a Dense Plot (and High Concept Gimmicks)

Tenet is one of those movies that will either frustrate you or delight you, especially if you’re a Christopher Nolan fan. It’s the love child of Nolan’s yearning to do a Bond film and his eagerness to dive deep into…

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Project Power is a Run-of-the-Mill Action Film with Strong Performances (and a Unique Premise)

Project Power is one of those films that start to fade from your memory minutes after you have finished watching it. It’s not that it’s a bad film- rather, it’s an aggressively okay film. It takes a good premise and…

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The Old Guard Offers a Fresh Take on the Superhero Genre, Balancing Kinetic Action with Robust Characterization

Netflix’s The Old Guard is a good example of high concept movies done right. Although recent attempts such as The Gemini Man have fallen short, The Old Guard manages to build and deliver a narrative around the story’s central premise,…

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Gulabo Sitabo is A Social Satire of Upsmanship between a Landlord and Tenant Vying for a Old Dilapidated Mansion

It’s hard to identify Amitabh Bachchan under the layers of makeup and prosthetics he is wearing as the ornery Mirza. Still, he commands a presence that persists despite his advanced age, as his character vies for a 100 year old…

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Bulbbul Mixes Folklore with Reality, Painting a Painful Narrative of Revenge

In Bulbbul, director Anvita Dutt evokes classic tales like Chokher Bali by Rabindranath Tagore and Saheb Bibi Aur Gulam to create a sweet yet pained narrative about the loss of innocence and what that means for oppressed women. Produced by…

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Thappad Explores the Silent Injustices against Women in South-East Asian Society, Helmed by a Compelling Taapsee Pannu Performance

Thappad revealed its central conceit in it’s trailer: a woman seeks retribution after being slapped by her husband in a party. What could have been a thin, stretched narrative was, thankfully, spun into a thoughtful, nuanced take on domestic bliss…

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Why The Half of it is One of the Better Romcoms of the Last Five Years

I ought to begin by mentioning that Netflix has finally made the better YA romcom after years of trying sporadically. Truth be told, I failed to approve of the hype surrounding movies like To All the Boys I've Loved Before,…