Movie Review: News

20 Dec 2024

Honey Singh

'Famous' review: Honey Singh gets candid in entertaining documentary

Before Diljit Dosanjh, there was Honey Singh!

20 Dec 2024

Vijay Sethupathi

'National Award loading': Fans praise Sethupathi's performance in 'Viduthalai 2'

The much-anticipated Tamil period crime thriller, Viduthalai Part 2, was released in theaters on Friday. Directed by Vetri Maaran and featuring Vijay Sethupathi, the film is a sequel to 2023's Viduthalai Part 1.

20 Dec 2024

Hollywood

'Mufasa: The Lion King' review—Strong visuals carry this entertaining film

Barry Jenkins's Mufasa: The Lion King acts as both a prequel and a sequel to The Lion King (2019).

06 Dec 2024

Selena Gomez

'Emilia Pérez' review: Selena Gomez's ambitious film is chaotic, underwhelming 

The musical crime-comedy film Emilia Pérez made immense noise at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year, both for its audacious themes and the strength of its cast ensemble.

06 Dec 2024

Amazon Prime Video

'Agni' review: Pratik Gandhi-Divyenndu's film is sincere but uneven

Rahul Dholakia's Agni, starring Pratik Gandhi and Divyenndu and streaming on Amazon Prime Video, is the kind of movie you want to root for consistently, but cannot.

06 Dec 2024

Manav Vij

'Tanaav' S02V02 review: Personal rivalries intensify in fast-paced show

SonyLIV's Tanaav, the official adaptation of the celebrated Israeli series Fauda, first premiered in November 2022.

05 Dec 2024

Jaya Bachchan

'Sadabahar' review—Heartfelt story meets messy execution in Jaya Bachchan's film

Jaya Bachchan-led Sadabahar, which recently arrived on Waves, has some warm, interesting ideas up its sleeve.

05 Dec 2024

Allu Arjun

'Pushpa 2' review: Allu Arjun can't save overlong, predictable film

Some films stay with you forever and then there are others you can't wait to wipe from your memory.

03 Dec 2024

Amitabh Bachchan

Tamil film producers seek 3-day ban on movie reviews post-release

The Tamil Film Active Producers Association (TFAPA) has moved the Madras High Court with a writ petition, calling for a three-day ban on movie reviews after their theatrical release.

02 Dec 2024

Naseeruddin Shah

NewsBytes Recommends: 'Interior Cafe Night'—Mature, sentimental, and well-acted

Adhiraj Bose's Interior Cafe Night is a short film teeming with a quiet, tender energy.

30 Nov 2024

Film Festival

ALT EFF: Where love for cinema and the environment collides

We hear about climate change daily, and many of us strive to make a difference. But how much do we really know about the challenges we face?

29 Nov 2024

Hollywood

'Moana 2' review: Emotional, powerful tale of heritage and hope

Moana (2016) was all things new and inspiring.

22 Nov 2024

Ariana Grande

'Wicked' review: Entertaining and visually stunning, but needlessly overlong

Jon M. Chu's fantasy musical drama Wicked, based on the namesake stage play, stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo.

22 Nov 2024

Abhishek Bachchan

'I Want To Talk' review: Artistic and well-acted, but undercooked

Shoojit Sircar's I Want To Talk, headlined by Abhishek Bachchan, is a placid, meditative film about life, mortality, and death.

21 Nov 2024

Netflix

'A Man on the Inside' review—Endearing, emotional, and deeply cathartic

Comedy genius Michael Schur's new Netflix sitcom A Man on the Inside reunites him with The Good Place actor Ted Danson.

18 Nov 2024

JioCinema

'Dune: Prophecy' E01 review: Ambitious and meticulous, but excessively slow 

Developed by Diane Ademu-John and Alison Schapker, Dune: Prophecy, which arrived on Max (JioCinema in India) on Monday, is a prequel to Denis Villeneuve's Dune.

18 Nov 2024

Disney+ Hotstar

NewsBytes Recommends: 'Bao' on Disney+ Hotstar—engaging tale dissects parental love

The short film Bao—winner of the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film at the 91st Oscars—is a gentle, sensitive, engaging cinematic piece.

15 Nov 2024

Vikrant Massey

'The Sabarmati Report' review—Vikrant Massey can't save this scattershot drama

The Sabarmati Report, directed by Dheeraj Sarna (who replaced Ranjan Chandel), was finally released on Friday after numerous delays.

15 Nov 2024

Ridley Scott

'Gladiator II' review: Ridley Scott delivers a thrilling, entertaining epic

Ridley Scott's Gladiator II has arrived 24 years after his critically acclaimed Gladiator.

15 Nov 2024

Sony LIV

'Freedom at Midnight' review: Stellar cast, but not engaging enough

Sidhant Gupta, Chirag Vohra, and Rajendra Chawla, among others, embellish the large ensemble cast of Freedom at Midnight.

14 Nov 2024

Netflix

'The Lost Children' review: Unbelievably true story celebrates human resilience 

Academy Award-winning director Orlando von Einsiedel's The Lost Children is an incredible, unbelievably true story of resilience, courage, and the indomitable power of hope.

07 Nov 2024

Hollywood

'My Old Ass' review—Aubrey Plaza's comedy is refreshing and profound

The coming-of-age, fantasy comedy-drama film My Old Ass arrived on Amazon Prime Video on Thursday following a limited theatrical release in the US.

07 Nov 2024

Varun Dhawan

'Citadel: Honey Bunny' review—Engaging, but doesn't completely hit the spot

Raj-DK's Citadel: Honey Bunny, released on Amazon Prime Video on Thursday, is a prequel to Priyanka Chopra Jonas's Citadel (2023).

01 Nov 2024

Kareena Kapoor Khan

'Singham Again' review: Too many stars, but not enough entertainment

Rohit Shetty's Singham Again, featuring Ajay Devgn and Kareena Kapoor Khan, is the newest addition to his Cop Universe and the third film in the Singham franchise.

01 Nov 2024

Kartik Aaryan

'Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3' review: Overlong, unfunny, a waste of time

When Bhool Bhulaiyaa was released in 2007, it struck gold with its combination of psychological thrill and situational comedy.

28 Oct 2024

Entertainment

NewsBytes Recommends: Kumud Mishra's 'Chimes'—creative, engaging, and relevant

Short films have a significant challenge—to do justice to the central subject within a few minutes, without the luxury of time.

25 Oct 2024

Kriti Sanon

'Do Patti' review: Low on thrills, high on predictability 

Shashanka Chaturvedi's Do Patti, streaming on Netflix, wants to be a hard-hitting, fast-paced thriller.

25 Oct 2024

Arshad Warsi

'Bandaa Singh Chaudhary' review: Important story undone by shallow storytelling

Bandaa Singh Chaudhary, headlined by Arshad Warsi and Meher Vij and produced by Arbaaz Khan, is a period drama about the militancy in Punjab and its long-standing repercussions.

24 Oct 2024

Bollywood

'The Miranda Brothers' review: Uneven football drama scores own goal

Harshvardhan Rane has the misfortune of headlining below-average films in rapid succession: First, Savi (May 2024) and now, The Miranda Brothers.

21 Oct 2024

YouTube

NewsBytes Recommends: 'Te Amo'— Gentle tale of old-age love

Shishir Jha's short film Te Amo, streaming on YouTube, is a gentle, sublime work of art that paints an authentic, lively portrait of an elderly couple.

18 Oct 2024

Netflix

'Fabulous Lives...' review: Disappointing, overlong season offers nothing new

Netflix's quintessential guilty pleasure show, Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives, has been rebranded as Fabulous Lives vs Bollywood Wives for season three.

18 Oct 2024

Hollywood

'Smile 2' review: A worthy, entertaining, thrilling sequel 

How can a smile—one of the warmest things in the world—be turned into something so sinister that it shakes you up from within?

17 Oct 2024

Amazon Prime Video

'Brothers' review: Peter Dinklage's crime comedy is low on laughs

Peter Dinklage, Glenn Close, Josh Brolin, and Brendan Fraser—when multiple Hollywood stalwarts come together, your expectations naturally intensify.

11 Oct 2024

Bollywood Films

'Vicky Vidya...' review: Unbearably bad film tests your patience

Sexist, regressive, outdated—multiple negative terms describe Rajkummar Rao-Triptii Dimri's Vicky Vidya Ka Woh Wala Video.

11 Oct 2024

Alia Bhatt

'Jigra' review: Alia's film is neither entertaining nor convincing 

Vasan Bala's Jigra, led by Alia Bhatt and featuring a mostly convincing performance by Vedang Raina, had the potential to become a landmark prison-break film.

04 Oct 2024

Ananya Panday

'CTRL' review: Ananya leads largely engaging, creative thriller

Vikramaditya Motwane's CTRL, a screenlife thriller released on Netflix on Friday, takes a page out of Black Mirror's book and places the story in an Indian setting.

04 Oct 2024

Sunny Singh

'Amar Prem Ki Prem Kahani' review: Loud, meaningless, and stereotypical

When JioCinema's Amar Prem Ki Prem Kahani started with a voiceover, I was immediately haunted by the memories of Ghudchadi, another sub-standard JioCinema film which begins similarly.

04 Oct 2024

ZEE5

'The Signature' review—Anupam Kher expertly headlines important yet melodramatic film

The Signature, headlined by Anupam Kher and featuring supporting performances by Manoj Joshi, Mahima Chaudhry, Neena Kulkarni, and Annu Kapoor, arrived on ZEE5 on Friday.

02 Oct 2024

Lady Gaga

'Joker 2' review: A slog of a sequel

Joker: Folie à Deux, directed by Todd Phillips, is a direct sequel to 2019's global blockbuster Joker, which focused on the mental insanity, disturbing life, and shocking crimes of Arthur Fleck (Joker).

27 Sep 2024

Netflix

'Will & Harper' review: Feel-good, progressive documentary about trans rights

Will & Harper, which arrived on Netflix on Friday, is a sentimental, gentle, unfiltered peep into the life of Harper Steele (formerly Andrew Steele), a Hollywood writer.

27 Sep 2024

Janhvi Kapoor

'Devara' review: Overlong and exhausting film has no merits

After RRR's global glory, Devara is a litmus test for Jr. NTR.

20 Sep 2024

Siddhant Chaturvedi

'Yudhra' review: Overlong, tedious, and devoid of logic

"How much blood is too much blood?" asks Ravi Udyawar's actioner Yudhra, starring Siddhant Chaturvedi, Malavika Mohanan, and Raghav Juyal.

13 Sep 2024

Netflix

'Sector 36' review: Vikrant Massey can't save this botched film

Aditya Nimbalkar's Sector 36, released on Netflix on Friday, is the quintessential case of an idea that sounds strong on paper but is brought down to its knees when it comes to execution.

13 Sep 2024

Hansal Mehta

'The Buckingham Murders' review: Kareena is incredible in half-cooked thriller

Hansal Mehta's The Buckingham Murders makes numerous tall promises.

06 Sep 2024

Riteish Deshmukh

Fardeen-Riteish's 'Visfot' review: Engaging film fractured by its ending

What is the worst that can happen in a day? Asks Kookie Gulati's Visfot.

06 Sep 2024

Hollywood

'Beetlejuice Beetlejuice' review: Consistently charming, engaging rollercoaster ride

No matter the genre, sequels are always a risky wager.

01 Sep 2024

YouTube

NewsBytes Recommends: Suicide prevention film 'Not Today'—raw, honest, impactful

The Hindi film industry boasts projects about nearly every possible subject: mature romances, teenage love, generational conflict, and spy stories, among several others.

29 Aug 2024

Netflix

'IC 814' review: Excellent actors can't rescue this turbulent ride

Pankaj Kapur, Vijay Varma, Kumud Mishra, Naseeruddin Shah, and more—when I saw the casting coup Netflix pulled off with IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack, I wondered what could go wrong.

23 Aug 2024

JioCinema

JioCinema's 'Tikdam' review: Small film with a large heart

Vivek Anchalia's Tikdam, which arrived on JioCinema on Friday, stars Amit Sial as a man caught at the crossroads between his kids and better financial prospects in another city.

15 Aug 2024

Akshay Kumar

'Khel Khel Mein' review: Decent film celebrates Akshay's comedic comeback

Mudassar Aziz's Khel Khel Mein, featuring seven protagonists, is a remake of the Italian film Perfect Strangers, which has reportedly spawned as many as 28 remakes.

15 Aug 2024

Shraddha Kapoor

'Stree 2' review: Excellent horror-comedy backed by A-grade performances

Sequels are a risky wager because when the first part runs riot, there is added pressure to outdo it.

09 Aug 2024

Movies On Netflix

'Phir Aayi Hasseen Dillruba' review: An unnecessary, overlong, below-average sequel 

Making direct sequels is an uphill climb because there's immense pressure to do justice to the expectations set by the first part.

09 Aug 2024

JioCinema

'Ghudchadi' review: Lackluster and flat film is a tedious affair 

Whenever a film starts with exposition, my heart sinks a little.

04 Aug 2024

Netflix

NewsBytes Recommends: Short film 'Animal'—Unflinching exploration of domestic, child abuse

Nayla Al Khaja's short Animal, tragically based on her experiences, is a 14-minute-long portrait of melancholy, trauma, and pent-up rage.

02 Aug 2024

Netflix

'Modern Masters: SS Rajamouli' review: Decoding magic behind the maverick

Netflix's Modern Masters: SS Rajamouli opens a window like never before into the life of the director whose global popularity finds few parallels in Indian cinema.

02 Aug 2024

Ajay Devgn

'Auron Mein...' review: Bland film is a lesson in boredom

You may have seen films that lull you to sleep, films that drive a stake through logic's heart, and films where nothing adds up.

26 Jul 2024

Deadpool

'Deadpool & Wolverine' review: Ryan Reynolds turns Marvel's unexpected superhero

If you've watched the Deadpool movies, you know one thing--the Merc with a Mouth has waited a long time for a team-up with the legend, Wolverine.

19 Jul 2024

Vicky Kaushal

'Bad Newz' review: Smart meta-humor, but the film falls flat

When Karan Johar's Good Newwz came out, I massively enjoyed it for its cast ensemble, Akshay Kumar's return to comedy, and the points it drove home about pregnancy's overglorification and its effect on women.

12 Jul 2024

Akshay Kumar

'Sarfira' review: Predictable and bland, Akshay's film fails to land

Remakes are a risky wager, made even more difficult when the original film is easily accessible and widely seen online.

28 Jun 2024

Amazon Prime Video

'Sharmajee Ki Beti' review: Flimsy film unsuccessful in developing ideas

Tahira Kashyap Khurrana's feature film directorial debut, Sharmajee Ki Beti, streaming on Amazon Prime Video, suffers from the lack of execution of ideas.

26 Jun 2024

Kalki 2898 AD

'Kalki' review: Spectacular world-building, yet leaves much to be desired

Kalki 2898 AD, where dystopia meets Hindu mythology meets sci-fi, is a curious case.

14 Jun 2024

Kartik Aaryan

'Chandu Champion' review: Lethargic beginning, finally soars in second half 

Srikanth, Maidaan, and now Chandu Champion—It's the season of biopics in Bollywood.

09 Jun 2024

Netflix

NewsBytes Recommends: 'The Crossing'— haunting reminder of brutality of war

The best kind of films, with their measured and restrained approach, paint a true portrait of our times, no matter how harrowing the reality.

07 Jun 2024

Mona Singh

'Munjya' review: Entertaining exploration of spooky Maharashtrian folk tale

When a film tells a story that is too regional at its core, there is a mammoth task at hand: can the tale be packaged in a way that the final product is entertaining, yet carries the same essence?

02 Jun 2024

Hollywood

NewsBytes Recommends: 'Moving On' on Netflix—film speaks for all women

The Hollywood film Moving On, on Netflix, has an interesting, important, and brave story at its core.

31 May 2024

Janhvi Kapoor

'Mr. & Mrs. Mahi' review: Rajkummar's finesse uplifts predictable drama 

After a tell-all trailer that gave away everything about the storyline, Mr. & Mrs. Mahi had a tough task at hand: could it still draw viewers in?

26 May 2024

Netflix

NewsBytes Recommends: 'Amsterdam to Anatolia'—raw exploration of mature love

Susan Youssef's Amsterdam to Anatolia is an incredibly powerful piece of filmmaking, one that has stayed with me for years after I first watched it.

19 May 2024

Netflix

NewsBytes Recommends: 'Yara' on Netflix: Sensitive, engaging, and empathetic 

Films that draw inspiration from real, unsettling stories are present in droves in every cinematic industry globally.

17 May 2024

Shreyas Talpade

'Kartam Bhugtam' review: Wayward thriller only works in parts

Kartam Bhugtam has an interesting (if not completely novel) premise that should have ideally taken care of the larger scheme of things.

12 May 2024

LGBTQ+

NewsBytes Recommends: 'My Mother's Girlfriend'—tender exploration of homosexual love

Arun Fulara's My Mother's Girlfriend, which premiered in 2021, is a 15-minute-long short that tenderly and effectively explores the dynamics of LGBTQ+ love amid the backdrop of India's evolving yet largely conservative society.

10 May 2024

Rajkummar Rao

'Srikanth' review: Incredibly inspiring story undone by shallow storytelling 

After HIT (2022), Rajkummar Rao has yet again become the victim of a film that fails him on almost all fronts, despite his exemplary performance and conspicuous efforts to anchor the (already drowning) ship.