utpal_das Reviews

Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)

Wonder What/Who/Why made this film?

[2/10 · 31 December 2020]

Absolutely ridiculous from a A star category production, this is fit for a D category production at best Very amateurish production first of all, the VX was very very bad, all the scenes of Diana running at high sped and flying and bullets bouncing and anything that had to do with special effects were so low in production value, that if everything including the childish plot, overacting by almost all the characters etc, can be ignored, the special effects literally ruined it One minute in Cairo, the next minute in DC, , just getting an airplane from a hanger, nothing made sense

At least Batman vs Superman had good visuals, sort of, this movie seemed like it was made with an intention to get people to not laugh at it, but just criticize it and in that it did not miss its mark

Khichdi: The Movie (2010)

The Bollywood answer to Kungfu Hustle

[10/10 · 26 December 2020]

A rare blend of comedy that is unique to itself. It is very very difficult to be goofy and spotless at the same time. Overacting by each character to the absolute limit but never crossing into ham... the director should be applauded for maintaining the balance. What a masterpiece! The film can be even broken down into set pieces and each set piece is absolutely hilarious. The opening scene of God distributing akal ka laddu has to be the winning scene, followed by (maybe) the scene with Farah Khan when Himanshu dictates which dal goes into which roti combination and many many more. Have probably watched it a hundred times ib bits and pieces and every time, you know what is to follow, but you LOL each time. If you have seen Kungfu Hustle, this is similar. Absolute overacting to the very limit but restrained at the nth portion. One more step and it will be hammimg. But never ever a dull moment. Dare I say, it is even a step better than then gems like Andaz Apna Apna and Coolie No 1

Cobra Kai (2018–2025)

Corny, predictable and absolute delight

[9/10 · 9 October 2020]

Everything happens 80s style, everything, no surprises, you know what will happen next, it is so predictable and then when you see that and still you want to see more, then you know there must be something in it. And its short 30 minutes, nothing over the edge, just a routine story And probably you get what you were expecting makes it such a nice cute series

The Boys (2019– )

Homelander alone adds 2 stars to the good series to make it great

[9/10 · 15 September 2020]

The series easily deserves a 7 plus and the guy who plays Homelander alone adds 2 stars to make it 9. What a character! Absolute brilliant and absolute maniac! All the other characters are on par, Elizabeth Shue and Keith Urban are a little over the top, but fine, the Boys do their job, but you gotta watch it for Homelander. A true American Hero! in every way down to the bone

The Gentlemen (2019)

This is a 'Guy Ritchie' film

[9/10 · 21 April 2020]

The Man from U.N.C.L.E was a good movie but not exactly a Guy Ritchie movie, King Authur was a good entertainment. Period. This movie is a 'Guy Ritchie' movie, maybe not as masterful as Snatch and Lock Stock but would definitely rate it just below them. Screenplay first and then story telling are the backbone of every movie and what makes a movie even more refined is a satisfying ending. The story starts slow but by about 50 minute, it gathers the speed and then it is just 'Guy Ritchie' Colin Farrell stole the show and McConaughey was brilliant. Kudos to Hugh grant and Charlie Hunnam for a great supporting cast. Well entertained for the second half

Hellboy (2019)

This could have been so much better, poor screenplay, script and CGI ruined it further

[5/10 · 5 July 2019]

No even comparing to the earlier instalment, the previous instalment was gold, so don't even compare, but even on its own, it lacked so many things. The script was very poor, everything felt like forced upon and hurried and the CGI was awful for a big movie, the giants were hilarious, the monsters were hilarious, atrocious acting from almost everyone, felt like a spoof but just not funny even.

Happy Death Day 2U (2019)

Even better than the awesome first part

[9/10 · 15 March 2019]

Some movies do better in the second part even when the first one is right up there. Case in point, Terminator 2.

Well, this ain't no Terminator franchise, no Cameron, just a low budget movie, but for what it is worth, its freaking brilliant. Just because the story line is so fresh even with the exact same concept,

The lead actress is very good if not brilliant, the supporting cast is good, its a fun movie.

If you enjoyed the first part, you will like this better

The Girl in the Spider's Web (2018)

Much better than the current 6.1 ratings, definitely a solid cog in the franchise

[9/10 · 20 January 2019]

For the first time I see an IMDB rating lower than my expectations, so just wanted to clear a few things.

It is a bit Americanised but yet retains the Swedish flavour. Yes, not as good as the previous one, but pretty decent and pretty good as a movie on its own.

The plot was good, acting was okay, treatment was great. The visual emotion along with the sombre background music sets up the tone very nicely.

If you enjoy the series, you will not be disappointed

Secret in Their Eyes (2015)

One of the best films seen recently and luckily I haven't seen the original

[9/10 · 1 December 2018]

Reading the reviews, I realize that there is a original Argentine film, which is rated extremely high and watching this movie, rest assured it must deserve that rating. But I haven'e seen the original, lucky me! Why? Because if I saw it probably I cant appreciate the remake as much.

This film... Wow! what a movie. Without the ending it would rate a solid 8, with the ending, it is a 10+. All 3 lead actors are simply brilliant and director Billy Ray, also the writer has done a splendid job.

What a gem! If you like slow intense drama, this should be right up your alley

Kung Fu Hustle (2004)

One of the all time instant classics BUT like nothing you have ever seen before

[10/10 · 15 April 2018]

There has been no movie like this, none. Period. Shoalin Soccer was brilliant,but this is something else.

The character development is so rich that you will be wanting more, from the lecherous landlord, to the side kick of the bad guy and the side kick of the hero, from the mega villain to the local Juliet, from the land lady to the 2 vile playing the piano, even if they got a few scenes, everyone stole the limelight. In fact, Stephen Chow's character probably looked less interesting at times.

The scene where his sidekick accidentally hits him with a knife followed by kissing a cobra is the ultimate funny scene

Thee are so so so many good to better to brilliant scenes from all the characters that you would probably see it nth number of times.

The slapstick is bang on, the over-the-top scenes are even more bang on, everyone is in top notch form.

It is mostly over-the-top but what a balance Stephen Chow has maintained! NOT EVEN ONCE does it cross the line to become even remotely senseless. This is miles ahead of anything you have seen, in fact a different genre needs to be specially made just to fit this movie.

This one, Shaolin Soccer and CJ7 are proof enough that Chow is a superior director, but i doubt he can top this.

There is just no equal. It is like the Psycho of thrillers, The Enter the Dragon of Martial Arts, The Terminator 2 of Action movies, With this movie alone, Chow should be ranked as an all time great.

The Fate of the Furious (2017)

Predictable and so much fun

[9/10 · 18 April 2017]

The franchise did lose a bit of steam in between, but the last 2 installments were great.

Yes, predictable story, but you don't go to watch the movie for the story.

You go for the stunts and if you thing 7 was good, wait till you see this, equally good if not better.

Smart one liners, A M A Z I N G stunts, great photography or rather camera angles, you know what to expect and it delivers!

Great fun, really great fun, wont say throughout but the last 30 minutes are amazing.

This will not disappoint the franchise fan, that is for sure.

Okay this is a Vin Diesel movie, so the Rock and Statham takes a back seat but all is well, Theron plays a mean baddie, could have been a little more defined, nice cameo by Kurt Rusell, all in all bottom line is, you will like the movie if you know what to expect.

Angry Indian Goddesses (2015)

Excellent film for the urban audience despite its flaws

[8/10 · 25 October 2016]

The story is an average one of a all girl bachelor party, that being the set up and the focus on issues that are related to Indian women. Nothing out of the box issues or the way it is handled. The ending had to have some drama, and it has, again nothing out of the box. The editing could have been crispier, will give a 6 out of 10 there.

Those were the flaws, now comes the good part.

Genuinely superb acting from 3 of the 7 leads, I know 2-3 of them and not by name or at least I didn't. I do not know whether to credit the director or the actors, but it was a superb performance from the actors.

Hilarious at times, crude at time, raunchy at times but you will enjoy it. That the director took the initiative of making these girls as crude as 'Masti', was enough for me to watch the movie. I do not see too many Hindi movies, but I never expected words like D*#do, Or#$@sm and stuff like that ad the way the scenes were handled were brilliant.

The characters were genuinely alive, you see them everyday. You feel like you know them, the problems they face in everyday life is very common to me and you and girls lusting over shirtless guys and things like that captured the free spirited modern Indian lady so well.

The script could have been tighter, but still it was very very good. The director really took the best from the actors, especially (let me check the name) Pavleen Gujral, brilliant as the ex-gold-medalist-now-housewife r,ole showing her hesitations as a typical Indian woman and Sarah Dias's superb restraint acting towards the end of the movie. Sandhya Mridul was a little over the top, still good, Anushka was good at times, never bad and the rest were also good, if not great.

Watch the movie just because of the acting, timing and mainly the way the director has beautifully set up the screenplay. I fast forwarded the Salman starrer super predictable Sultan in 1.15 hours, couldn't complete the hamming of the legendary AB in Te3n and Piku, but I was able to watch this movie in one go. If you are getting my drift, you will enjoy the movie.

It is a must watch for every urban man and woman of the age group of 20 to 50. Forget the theme, just enjoy the movie and make sure your kids are not nearby.

Hats off to the new generation of Indian women and to the director

The Jungle Book (2016)

Never seen such stunning CGI but missing context

[9/10 · 9 April 2016]

I gave it a 9 for the superb stunning state of the art CGI. Hollywood does make the best special effects of all, but this is something else, even Avatar is left behind.

It is so natural, so natural, that words cant describe it. Simply put, it seems like all the animals were trained to talk!!!!

The voice of every character fits perfectly, you don't have to look up the credits.

There is a scene where Mowgli semi consciously rides a buffalo along a steep muddy hill and its raining. It is impossible to bet that the scene is created. There are a few scenes. like the herd of elephants, the big phython where you know its special effects, and those scenes are comparable t Avatar standard, the rest... my oh my, breathtaking.

The story is of course what the great Rudyard Kipling wrote, but the book focuses on lessons of life, which misses here. This story is according to the book, not much depth in terms of context and I would have given it a 6 as the Jungle Book IS about Life Lessons, but the CGI is so overwhelming, I had to give it a 9

The kids will enjoy and the adults will be stunned. Go and see it

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)

Sorry forgot to write the plot

[4/10 · 26 March 2016]

Batman was okay, Superman was okay, Lex Luthor trying to be psychotic was looking mental (Jesse is not such a bad actor, but...) Wonder Woman/ Gal Gadot was there, why she was there? Ummm.... coming up from Zack is Justice League, so... here she was just there... barely

The story tries hard to materialize in the first half and then finally when Batman faces Superman as the title suggests, it turns out Batman and Superman, no more versus and what killed it all was the dialogue from Lex Luthor " You either kill Batman or I will kill your mother"

What in the world was that? C'Mon this is so not 1970, and why, for God sake why kill Batman by Luthor? No reason absolutely.

So, sorry, Zack forgot to write the plot.

Giving it 6 for visuals and taking down 2 for the villain, oh come on, dialogues like "Its unkillable" killed the average movie

The Hateful Eight (2015)

MASTERPIECE. Period

[9/10 · 20 December 2015]

Why I am giving it a 9? Cause I think Quentin could have done better. How? I don't know, only he might know.But I think he can.

Is it better than Pulp Fiction? No, it Pulp Fiction better? Maybe yes, just because he was young ands less experienced, thats about it.

Now, the movie... Its more than 150 minutes, the first hour is very intriguing, the next half hour gets a little slow and maybe could have been a tad shorter.

But then the last hour is like a full throttle hormone rising epic like you have never seen before. I am 43 and having seen all the movies, from Kurusowa to Cameron to Nolan to Guy Ritchie to Hitchcock, not that my saying matters, but this movie sits Quentin at the very top 3.

Every character is brilliantly crafted, so beautiful, every scene in the movie is epic. I don't understand the 70mm concept of this movie being the last of it, but the camera work and the angles were just perfect.

Rusell, Leigh, Jackson and Goggins were just too good. You also have Quentin's steady arsenal in Madsen and Zoe Bell, cameos from both.

The story... set up in the 19th century, 3 men are taking a outlaw and they rest in a deserted cafe in the midst of a blizzard and there is something happening, you can only sense, but you wont get anything more. And that is the brilliance of Quentin, he unfolds the story in an amazing way, not even giving you any hints, but you know something is just not right abd then...

BOOM! 1 gun shot and then the epic happens, that is the last hour and the first 1 and half hour is just the dosage to build that final BOOM.

If you love movies, if you love art (but mind you, its very very gory, typical Quentin) if you love story telling, if you love screenplay, if you love acting, if you love anything to do with movies, you will love this film.

I am not from America, so if there is apolitical undertone as a reviewer has mentioned, I didn't get it, but undertone or not, this movie is a treat.

And the music,,, oh the music, the background score and all which is always a big factor of Quentin's movie, probably the best of all.

And just to repeat, what an awesome camera work.

Quentin delivers again, even out does himself, I don't know how, but he does

Spectre (I) (2015)

A better movie than Skyfall

[9/10 · 26 November 2015]

I am writing this just so that I can increase the rating as it certainly deserves a better than 7.1

Coming back...

Skyfall was NOT a Bond movie, simply because one associates a Bond movie with gizmos, cheap thrill, amazing babes and one liners. Skyfall had an excellent storyline and screenplay but it could have been any thriller movie

So Sam Mendes at the helm again, my expectations were low (P.S I am a huge Mendes fan, but I just didn't associate the 'Bond' factor with Skyfall). Plus with negative reviews everywhere, I went to the cinema just because I had to keep my record of watching every Bond movie since 2000 in the cinema.

I was very pleasantly surprised (albeit because I had low expectations) of watching a beautiful story.

Yes, no gizmos again, no glam babes, but the thrill came out from the opening scene of the helicopter to the car chases.

The only negative if I can say, was that the villains role (both Waltz and Bautista) were not strong enough, I mean who better than Waltz but his trademark strength of dialogue delivery didn't have much scope and Bautista just came and went, no prelude, no exit, nothing. This is Waltzwe are talking about, no less. The menacing villains from Casino Royale and Skyfall were memorable. Then the Bond woman, the ever gorgeous Bellucci was reduced to a 5 minute role. I am 43, so guys of my age can relate to the disappointment

Brilliant screenplay and it has the traditional Mendes drama strength

So, again not a very 'Bond'movie, but I enjoyed it (to repeat myself) owing to the low expectations. But now I look forward to the next installment Bond 25 as i know what to expect.

Interstellar (2014)

Not expected from Nolan

[5/10 · 15 November 2014]

The 5 stars are mainly for the CGI effects and one scene where Anne Hathaway talks about love.

Maybe the film is okay, if not good, but coming from someone like Nolan, who is probably the greatest director at least in this century, you surely expect to your heart's content.

After the Batman trilogy and Inception which satiates you to the brim and more, this is just not it. I liked Gravity and if this came from the same director, I would have ranked it higher than gravity, but from Nolan? If you are a film freak like me, I would still stay to go out to the theater, it is different and a nice movie, but not of Nolan's class. Period.

Dhoom 3 (2013)

Most awesome actor + flop director = disappointment for most awaited movie of 2014

[5/10 · 20 December 2013]

In the list of credits, the name of Bipasha Basu and Diana Penty appears, but not in the movie, Bipasha as Psycho Gang member #2 and Penty as Selina Kapoor and she was also in the first part according to IMDb, I remember the movie, can't recall her though.

Oh! what was he movie about? Well, actually the above mentioned plot/ mishap was more interesting then the movie.

Before the review, one word of caution, the director has made only one movie so far, that was the superflop Tashan, so set your goals lower. This was the most awaited movie of the year coming at the brink of the end of the year and it's a Aamir Khan moie

Overall, an average movie, but if you think about Aamir, then you would expect much more, in that regards, below average, for instance I went to the cinema because it was an Aamir Khan movie, but probably because it was an Yashraj productions, he didn't have much power to maneuver things his way or it would have been much better, Just making it in 2 hours instead of 3 would have been good enough.

Loooooong bike scenes very very looooooong and that too 3 times is a way bit too much. You don't expect Rajnikant like fights (Abhishek in a Auto/ Tempo beating up goons) in a Aamir Khan movie, I respect the hell out of Rajnikant, but you go his movie expecting his kind of film, likewise you go to a Aamir Khan movie expecting an 'Aamir Khan' movie.

This was not it. Just like Tashan, it is all gloss and no soul.

Good parts: Excellent technology, Aamir in his double role (which was kind of not surprising, it was almost predictable) was done by the state of the art technology. Nice dance performances by Katrina Kaif, supremely toned legs, that girl is really serious about her gym time. Aamir's dual performance, you will believe that there are actually 2 different guys. A firang friend was asking me if they are actually twins.

Bad parts: Story, screenplay, plot everything, every time Aamir can make a clean getaway, he doesn't, instead of that, he gets into long bike chases and ultimately gets away every time, which you can easily predict. There can be some cinematic liberty, but it was way too much. Katrina was wasted. Abhishek was not himself, he is a much better actor (Yuva is proof enough), Uday Chopra really needs it to call it a day.

I am a big fan of the K1300R and BMW must have paid handsomely to advertise their bikes in such a big way. Whenever the bike chases start, they are shown in slow motion with the logo prominently featured. Aamir rode that while Abhiskek and Uday rode the S1000RR and HP4. Hell, at one point, Uday even mentions the the brand as he predicts that the sound he is hearing is from a 4 cylinder bike which is a BMW, I mean bikers know how Ducatis or HDs or our local Royal Enfield has a distinctive note, but BMW? Not too sure, you can easily confuse it with a Jap 1000 cc.

Even if you love bikes as much as I do and even if you love Aamir as much as I do, this movie is just not worth going to the cinema. it was not entertaining and definitely falls much below a Aamir Khan movie

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)

Don't watch it if you haven't seen LOTR or Hobbit 1

[1/10 · 20 December 2013]

To be honest, I have not watched any of the LOTR movies or the first part of Hobbit nor have read J R Toklen, he must be good as all the LOTRs are box office success. But for people like me, who just wanted to be entertained, this is certainly not the movie. There was so much hype, so thought, why not try. I, of course, couldn't make sense of it, and fell asleep after 30 mins or so, woke up don't know when, a man was ferrying midgets in a boat hidden in tubs of fish. I decided to walk out. So for people who haven't seen any of the movies previously, don't watch it. Enjoy the Disney movie, Frozen, not the best from Disney by a long shot, still watchable.

Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (2013)

If you loved Part 1, you will love this too!

[8/10 · 16 December 2013]

As good as the part 1, I mean it's Will Ferell and so you know whats coming or probably you will never know what's coming.

I am giving it an 8 as I thought the ending was a bit stretched out, yet definitely hilarious, just that compared to the overall 'hilarity' of the movie, it could have been trimmed. Some of the scene are to be seen to be believed and you will laugh your heart out. One particular scene is at the reunion inside the van which was also in part on the trailer.

Then there are the racist jokes which are in no way offensive, but pure funny.

Moving from the first part, Steve Carell was given a bigger role since he is a big star now, but probably should have been kept as much as the first part and while his interaction with Kriisten Wig was supposed to be funny, I found that part the dullest of the entire movie. The best part if course is Will and when *SPOILERS ALERT* he goes blind temporarily. That was definitely the highlight of the movie. Keep your brains out, go expecting a 'Will Ferell' movie and you will have a hearty laugh.

I for sure, am going to watch it again.

I actually saw the movie in October for a selected crowd and we were not suppose to post anything till the movie comes out. The version we saw was not the final cut (or so we were told) and it was the version to take feedback. So I am guessing the final product will be probably even better.

Phata Poster Nikhla Hero (2013)

Typical Bollywood time pass movie

[8/10 · 21 September 2013]

Rajkumar Santoshi tries another Andaz Apna Apna, of course he couldn't, but the film is still alright. Not a great movie, not even good enough if you expect the talent of Santoshi to shine through, but as a movie, it entertains.

And is that not what a movie is supposed to do? The songs are good, actors are okay, sometimes to add to the comics, there is some ham which probably could have been trimmed. Comedy, Romance, Item song, Maa-Beta, Baap-beta, good cop bad cop, everything is there as Shahid Kapoor says in the movie. There is a guest appearance by Salman Khan also.

Should you pay to watch the movie? Maybe not, you wont definitely wont lose your money, the songs itself are worth it, but then you wont miss it if you don't see it and anyway it will be in cable in a few weeks.

Prisoners (2013)

Glaring loop holes, still brilliant taut thriller

[8/10 · 20 September 2013]

Yes, there are loop holes, enormous to swallow a whale, but look at this the other way, call it cinematic liberty and enjoy this brilliant movie.

Some of the loop holes gets filled up when you retrospectively look at the film, yet... there are some glaring ones.... BUT... probably they were necessary to make this such a good film. Everyone cant be Alfred Hitchcock, but Denis Villeneuve is pretty darn good.

You have seen the trailers, 2 kids get abducted and Hugh Jackman suspects a mentally challenged guy to be behind it. You just cannot avoid suspicion that every major character can be a suspect, the director instigates the viewer to think for every character that s/he may be the prime suspect, but you wont be able to guess and you play into the suspense. Even the small sub stories/ plots add to the final story.

The story is not the main highlight, its the acting and the screenplay/ script Everyone plays their role to perfection. Hugh Jackman & Jack Gyllenhal probably plays their best role till date. Its a 2 and half hour movie, you just wish it was a little more longer. A really nice taut thriller.

Grown Ups 2 (2013)

Put your brains aside and love it

[9/10 · 20 July 2013]

If you are looking for story, don't go this movie, if you are looking for character development, ummm... maybe the first part of Grown Ups, not this, but if you are looking for entertainment, mindless, crude, rude, like the way I like it, then, this is the movie.

The first part was really disappointment, I was looking for story and what not, it was just like a 2-3 day event which kept on happening randomly with no sequence correlated, here too, is the same. Just some random happenings over a 2-3 day period, its more like your tele serial. But this time I was prepared, I just kept my brains aside, took scene by scene and it was humorous and not just for me, the entire cinema was having a ball.

The story kind of picks up from the first part, the guys are having their children who are in the adolescent age, there is no lessons to be learned, no message, just some good one liners. There are characters who doesn't even need to be there, sub plots of no value, but everything will make you laugh. Don't now what to write, but it is a typical Adam Sandler movie. I didn't have any expectations at all, so probably like it. I would have given it a 6, but 4.7 is way too low, so giving it a 9 just to average out

Disconnect (I) (2012)

Compelling story telling

[9/10 · 11 July 2013]

"Hollywood' movies are 90% or more predictable. They are fun to watch but you know how it is going to end. Disconnect is different, it is pure story telling first of all. Then everything in the story is believable, not one artistic liberty, none at all, very very believable story and it is happening around us.

The story is about 4 different plots, somehow linked t each other and how convoluted the world wide web is, how much internet has made us disconnected from human emotions, but let me reiterate, it is very believable as you see all these incidents happening around you and ultimately how dangerous this whole www thing can get.

The director is firmly grounded and the story will keep you glued to your seats for the entire movie. The movie will also linger to you long after you exit from the cinema. Very well written and credit has to go to the casting director, all the actors, especially the kids below 18, acted very well. Not even one character (except maybe Paula Patton) lacked dimension or depth. I specially liked the acting of Frank Grillo and Andrea Riseborough.

The ending was not perfect, but I have no idea how else it could have ended, so maybe this was the best. All in all, a great drama for anyone using the Internet. Highly recommended for people who love the films to be real

Oblivion (I) (2013)

Just like Tron Legacy, all gloss, no show

[2/10 · 12 April 2013]

There are a few actors whose movies most people definitely like to watch, the so called box office stars. Tom Cruise is one of them, I like to watch which ever movie he stars and I liked his last 2 ventures, Day & Knight and Jack Reacher, his movies entertain. This didn't. All the movie has was gloss and lots of it, it was a visual spectacle and thats about it. The screenplay was bad, story/ plot is confusing, the actors are very very wooden, even the ever reliable Morgan Freeman was wooden. Cruise was alright. Overall story is that the main actors along with some very powerful drones take care of what remains of earth after a huge battle with 'Scavengers' or that is what the main actors think until the truth is revealed. A lot of the movie depends on the director as we all know and I guess a director has a bigger influence than the star. Christopher Nolan can probably make a star out of anybody. Here, the director was more in charge. The guy had previously made the hi quality 3D movie 'Tron Legacy'. I say high quality because the animation was mind blowing, but the movie was as bad as it can get. Oblivion was not as bad as Tron, but if Cruise was not there, even the mind blowing visuals couldn't have saved the film, not that Cruise can. IMAX effect is good. If there are no other movies in the theater and you just landed there, you might watch it, but don't make an effort to go out there just for the movie. The last 2 consecutive big budget movies turned out as damp squibs (G.I Joe and this) and hope Ironman 3 is better although the trailer doesn't look that promising