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Reviews
The Stranger (2020)
Fast Paced Start, Exciting Middle, Ridiculous End
As an avid book reader, I am always looking forward to TV adaptations of my favorite genre - contemporary thriller. 'The Stranger' was a very popular book in this genre that I skipped because I wasn't a big fan of the authors other books.
The storyline follows the life of Adam Price and how his seemingly perfect life unravels after receiving a surprising information from a stranger. This show started out brilliantly! It was fast paced and within the first 20 minutes you're given enough to be enticed and lured into the plot. The story soon evolves beyond just Adam and brings in many characters including the children and parents of the neighborhood. A good equivalent would be HBOs "Sharp Objects", though the plotlines and themes aren't alike the setting and the style of the show are similar.
However, unlike Sharp Objects, The stranger doesn't deliver a powerful ending that a viewer would anticipate after this rollercoaster journey. Moreover, we are left with a lot of unanswered questions and alot of things that seem to work because of plot armor. The ending felt forced, an attempt to bring together multiple threads and answer all of them with a single explanation. The actors have done a great job and this would have been a hit had the ending been more realistic with fewer plot holes.
Spider-Man: Far from Home (2019)
MCU at its best
Spiderman has been the friendly neighbourhood hero on screens for nearly a decade and improving on such a fan favourite character would seem unlikely. This movie succeeds at doing just that. Marvel has managed to modernise my personal favourite superhero making him possibly the best version of Spiderman. Tom Holland has done a fantastic job at portraying a school boy with typical insecurities who is a still novice super hero. Given that he is still a teen the movie has perfectly adapted to that setting and doesn't overdo the romantic aspect. At the same time his loss for his mentor is perfectly captured with mentions of Tony Stark pulling the right emotional strings.
The story line is very predictable, probably the only "flaw" with this otherwise perfect movie. However, I would not condemn or blame the pellucid story, I believe the movie succeeded at its aim, getting the audience to sympathise with the protagonist and enjoy his journey.
The supporting cast have done a great job and enhanced the entire "childhood" experience.
I loved the concept of the movie and its attempts to remind us not to trust what we read/hear daily. It raised some questions about the legitimacy of the news, the internet and wrapped this moral into a super-villain who is very deceptive. Unlike regular villains Mysterio doesn't posses any extraordinary powers, he merely bends our belief using technology which is a reminder of what social media has the capacity to do.
All in all this movie is a brilliant stand alone, and in my personal (although controversial) opinion, better than its predecessor and End game.
Game Over (2019)
Refreshing new age thriller from the South Indian industry
A brilliant psychological thriller with a fantastic cast.
This daring plot brings forth several concepts such as nyctophobia, memorial tattoos, home invasions and their lack of purpose, along with a spiritual paranormal element set in the house of a 21st century work-from-home game developer house. Sometimes involving several concepts can make a movie unrealistic and unbelievable to a point where people question the writers capacity. Fortunately this movie delivers. It's fast paced, interesting, thrilling with the right amount of emotional appeal.
I loved the attention to detail put in by the writers, before her incident, Tapsee was seen wearing bright polka dotted clothes, and after, she was seen wearing full sleeved dim colored T-shirt's. I would love to go on about the otherwise innocuous details that played a vital role in developing character roles, but I don't want to give away too many spoilers.
Tapsee's acting was marvellous. She portrayed her fears so realistically it felt natural.
I highly recommend watching the movie in its original language (Tamil/Telugu).
Black Mirror: Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too (2019)
Basically a Teen Comedy
This episode has the setting of what could be a great black mirror episode; a teen with an obsession, an AI doll that she considers to be her bestfriend and an eerie sister who keeps referencing their dead mother.
However this episode just fails to deliver. You'd think that after nearly 10 years Miley would get out of Disney, guess you can't the Disney out of her. She portrays a troubled star who wants to play her own music but is forced into playing "girly" music by her evil aunt manager.
The story of the two sisters wasn't developed well. A lot of plot lines were just left empty and hanging, some even pointless. The father character had 0 character development which is very unusual of a black mirror episode. The story quickly shifts from a "could be obsession" story into a strange teenage comedy wherein teens rescue a struggling celebrity.
It feels more of a Parent Trap meets Starstruck.
Highly disappointing