Death to Lord Curzon

In what can only be called one of the most bizarre movies I have seen in recent times, Lord Curzon ki Haveli (Hotstar), located in somewhere in rural England, starts by telling the story of an innocuous enough couple visiting a somewhat feisty one. The story unfolds while the little kinks in their lives of both couples start unraveling. Especially the stiff uppitiness of Basuki (Paresh Pahuja), the educated Indian-English doctor with a fascination for his adoptive country, and the severely repressed personality of his doting wife Ira (Rasika Dugal). One thing leads to another, leading to a violent unraveling across immigration and racism, and liberal values and feminism. All in all at the ways and mores of an adoptive country. A strange movie worth a watch only if you have time and a penchant for the weirdly picturesque.

15/20

Flood of Memories

 In a movie that is reminiscent of Edge of Tomorrow and Source Code, the concept of reincarnating in a simulation in order to refine an output is vividly brought to life in The Great Flood (Korean). The movie starts off innocuously enough – one AI researcher Dr Gu An-na (Kim Da-mi) seeks to rescue her son Ja-in (Kwon Eun-sung) from the tsunamis that ensue after a meteorite strike. Climbing to higher floors in their skyscraper, and on the verge of being rescued by an UN rescue mission, the separation and restoration of mother and son becomes almost a metaphor for the restoration of humanity itself and its most defining emotions. As a post apocalyptic sci fi dystopia this would have been barely watchable, interweaving an emotional quotient lifts it to a very good movie with an original script

16/20

Intentionally blank

 <Blank>

Genre Shifter

 No blog about 2025 movies would be complete without Dhurandhar (Hindi). This is the movie that cannot seem to stop its victory run at theaters, and largely deservedly so, as this recasts the Indo-Pakistani spy thriller from a world of honey traps and hyperbole to gritty execution (no pun intended) – largely on the mean streets of Karachi. Hamza Ali (a buffed up Ranveer Singh) is a faceless Baloch, rescued from hoodlums who finds his way into the ranks of the formidable Rehman Dakait (Akshaye Khanna). And these are just two of the memorable characters in a movie that includes the formidable SP Choudhury Aslam (Sanjay Dutt), Major Iqbal (Arjun Rampal), Yalina (Sara Arjun), and the aggrieved Ajit Sanyal/ Doval (R Madhavan) who set it all in motion. Dhurandhar has multiple dimensions – the high stakes gangster totem pole in Karachi, the army ISI politicians and organized gangsters in cahoots in Pakistan, and that not all incursions can be stopped but revenge can present its opportunities nonetheless. I would suggest watching this movie for sure – but you already have haven’t you now

16.5/20

Shelter in place

 Is it just me or is there an overarching metaphor in the post apocalyptic dystopian thriller 40 Acres - where the Blacks and the Native American live off the land they have inherited over generations - they neither help nor hurt anyone - while the White people essentially become predators - cannibals who will eat their kin to survive.  Protagonist Hailey (Danielle Deadwyler) along with Native American husband Galen (Michael Greyeyes), along with their children - notably son Emanuel (Kataem O'Connor) and daughter Raine (Leenah Robinson) - fight it out on the homestead against prefatory people and the inevitable final showdown against overwhelming odds. Rather well executed with uniformly believable performances and realistic action sequences

15.5/20

Humanity transcends all

 While the concept of a hellscape with fiendish creatures and a kill or be killed trope is hardly new (Alien, Monster Hunters et al), Predator Badlands takes the quintessential predator Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi) - beloved of his brother and scorned by his father - and casts him into a coming of age story and humanizes him. Trawling the planet Genna on the hunt of the infinitely regenerative Kalisk, Dek finds an unlikely ally in the (also all too human) Weyland-Yutani synth Thia (Elle Fanning). And Dek imbibes the leadership model of the wolf of the Earth - protector of the clan rather than mere scorekeeper. Anthropomorphism and Predator mellowing aside, the compelling visuals and taut storytelling make this one an Imax treat rather than a thoughtful watch

15.5/20

It is our programming, not our purpose

I guess even Turing would say hats off to the above as a test for sentience. Tron - Ares surprises on the upside considerably. Julian (Evan Peters) who's the son of Ed Dillinger of ENCOM, seeks the  Permanence Code – the elixir that will allow the constructs (3D printed AI manifestations in the real world) to last for more than a fleeting 29 minutes. In the interim ENCOM CEO Eve (Grace Lee) driven by somewhat more altruistic considerations finds a way to the code and has to stake her life to protect it from nefarious ends. Julian creates Tron Ares (Jared Leto) the super soldier – devoid of emotion and a slave to its programming – or is it. Eve somehow gets Tron Ares to recognize empathy and work against its programming. And for the greater good. Which is perhaps the one true test of achieving not just sentience but some modicum of humanity. Interesting characters such as the architect Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges), the Indian origin CTO Ajay (Hasan Minhaj), and the long suffering Elisabeth, mother of Julian (Gillian Anderson), make the movie not only replete with dazzling visuals but also interesting personalities that work hard at their roles. I would give this one a strong thumbs up - very recommended viewing. At least for sci-fi aficionados. The only caveat – caught some of Megan 2.0 (Horror + AI/ sentience), The Woman in Cabin 10 (Drama/ Thriller – AI Facial recognition). Let us hope that Hollywood go the way of US equity markets and become one secular bet on AI

16/20

Calling upon a Void

A father - William Russell (Bill Skadsgard) - returns from the Solomon Islands, World War 2, traumatized by the experience of killing, out of necessity, a comrade. Sets up a family with a waitress (Charlotte (Haley Bennett)). The devout Will finds his prayers unanswered - his son gets bullied and the wife (in spite of a "dog sacrifice") dies of cancer. And Will in his implacable devoutness takes his life. This begins the life of Arvin Russell (Tom Holland) in the movie The Devil all the Time.. almost a.satire that taunts evangelical faith at every turn. Then there is the serial killer couple (Carl (Jason Clarke) and Sandy (Riley Kelough ) with the protagonist admitting he feels God only when he kills after an act of depravity is committed upon his wife..And then there is Rev. Preston (Robert Pattinson) perhaps the most exploitative of all in the name of faith. these are some of the key characters in this gripping.black drama that'll shake your faith from the roots and make you wonder what dark belief system the creators are actually trying to convey. Gripping, unpredictable, and disturbing

17.5/20

Mechanical is Unhealthy too

Of course, many years have elapsed since the making of this movie. The thought process behind tis one, however - the legendary A Clockwork Orange - Stanley Kubrick and Tony Burgess - is ever so relevant in today's world.. One Alex - social misfit - a kind of Patrick Bateman roaming the streets at night looting and pillaging - gets conditioned in rehab. Post teh same he is expected to make his way back to society as a chastised and essentially a "good" person.

As time passes, it becomes eminently clear that he is not in a position to take judgment calls in terms of basic self preservation, and rudimentary good versus evil choices.

A Clockwork Orange shows that.The pervasiveness of, And the error in lunging to extremes. Just as extreme violence.Is a societal curse, extreme compliance turns us into, well, Clockwork Oranges

15.5/20