Emily In Paris (Season 3) Makes You Fall In Love With Paris 🙂

Channel: Netflix

Genre: Comedy Drama Romance

Country of Origin: United States

No. of Episodes: 10

Running Time: 24-38 minutes

Season 3 of Emily In Paris is a fine cocktail of good looking people, hi-fashion clothing, Michelin star worthy good food, the usual drama around fashion and relationships plus few good songs.

Sunny disposition of Lily Collins as Emily Cooper is simply contagious. Lucas Bravo as Gabriel is the quintessential French lover with amazing cooking skills. The undercurrent and personal restrain between the two is quite cute. 

If you are a food & fashion enthusiast and still have not watched this webseries, then do binge watch it to bring you some pre New Year cheer!! 

Avatar: The Way of Water (16 Dec 2022)

 

Release Date: 16 Dec 2022

Genre: Sci-Fi Fantasy Action Adventure

Language: English

Duration: 192 minutes

- Avatar, the prequel focused on adult love and relationship in the forest area. Avatar: The Way of Water, the sequel is focused on the individuality and inter-relationship of growing children in the water territory.

- The shift from forest to water happens after an hour into the movie.

- The change in physicality and culture of water people is interesting and logical. 

- Payakan, the giant whale will skip your heartbeat with it's size and steal your heart with it's innocence and heroism.

It reminds of Matsya, the first avatar of Lord Vishnu in Hindu mythology. 

Later on the harvest of species of Payakan is associated with an anti-ageing liquid Amrita, which again in Hindu mythology refers to 'the nectar of immortality'. 

- The underwater scenes match the description of the Mariana Trench, the deepest oceanic trench on Earth.

- Stunning 3D experience & precisely integrated CGI animation. 

- Acting, background score and fight sequences are expectantly good. The fight sequences are quite elaborate with impressive CGI animation and seamless integration. 

- The production effort is mammoth and needs to be applauded. 

- Story narration is tad bit long and boring. 

- The movie is not as pleasantly exclamatory and engrossing as its prequel, but still do watch it in IMAX or 3D for the sheer visual experience.

- Avatar: The Way of Water - may not be 100% entertaining, but it's still a masterpiece!! 

Narco-Saints (9 Sep 2022)

 

Genre: Crime Action Thriller

Country of Origin: South Korea

No. of Episodes: 6

Running Time: 51-68 minutes

Director: Yoon Jong-bin

Cast: Ha Jung-woo, Hwang Jung-min, Park Hae-soo, Jo Woo-jin, Yoo Yeon-seok, Chang Chen

Plot:

An ordinary & hardworking South Korean businessman is left with no choice but to put his life in extreme danger and join hands with his country's National Intelligence Service to catch a drug lord operating with immense clout under the guise of a Pastor in Suriname, a coastal South American country.

Analysis:

It's an extremely engaging and interesting series with enough twists and turns in the plot and a fantastic climax. 

The directions of both drama and action sequences are quite good.

The cinematography is also good, specially the aerial shots.

The editing is smooth. 

Ha Jung-woo as the civilian businessman has acted with good balance of fear and grit. Most of his acting is depicted via thinking and contemplating in silence. He has nabbed that well. Plus, he has good star presence. 

Actually, in real life, he is a superstar in his country. 

Hwang Jung-min has aced the role of the smooth talking, wise and cunning drug lord who easily shifts into the role of a pious Pastor with soft demeanor but powerful oratory skills. 

In real life, he is also a popular and successful star in his country. 

Jo Woo-jin as the drug lord's stoic and extremely lanky right hand man with poker faced expression and amazing combat skills is quite impressive. 

No wonder in real life, he is an in-demand character actor, in South Korean films and TV series. 

Rest of the cast has also performed quite well. But the performances of the aforementioned three actors clearly stood out.

Narco-Saints, the South Korean webseries is a good watch!! 

Christmas Movies 2022 On Netflix 🙂

1. Falling For Christmas (10 Nov 2022) 

Genre: Romance Comedy Drama

Duration: 95 minutes

Plot: After losing her memory in a skiing accident, a spoiled heiress lands in the cosy care of a down-on-his-luck widower and his daughter during Christmas. 

Review: Lindsay Lohan is the aforementioned heiress here and she expectantly brings her on-screen charm. But what dazzles more is the 1000-watt smile of the widower's daughter, which is a true heart stealer. 

2. Christmas With You (17 Nov 2022) 

Genre: Romance Comedy Family

Duration: 90 minutes

Plot: In this feel-good holiday rom-com, a pop star seeking inspiration grants a fan's wish and finds a chance at true love. 

Review: Since there is a pop star, there are songs which are quite nice. Plus there is a lovely depiction of Spanish tradition Quinceanera i.e. the celebration of a girl's 15th birthday, marking her passage from girlhood to womanhood.

3. Christmas On Mistletoe Farm (23 Nov 2022) 

Genre: Family Drama

Duration: 103 minutes 

Plot: When an overworked dad brings his five kids to the farm he has inherited, he finds a barn full of animals and a new appreciation for what really matters. 

Review: Mostly picturized around a farm filled with assorted cute animals, it's an out and out kids movie overflowing with ultra colorful winter wear and do good unto others attitude. 

Given the content of the movie, the child actors are expected to be quite expressive and impactful, but they are not. However, they do appear cute and innocent. 

I found all the 3 movies filled with Christmas spirit but quite average in the entertainment department. 

Christmas Movies 2020 - 

http://angrezipicture.blogspot.com/2020/11/6-feel-good-christmas-movies-1-reality.html?m=1

Christmas Movies 2021 -

https://angrezipicture.blogspot.com/2021/11/christmas-movies-2021-on-netflix.html?m=1

Premiered on HBO Max, Now on Prime Video, Loved Binge Watching Them 😊

And Just Like That (9 Dec 2021)

If you loved Sex and the City movies and series in the past and currently you are in your mid 40s or 50s, simply don't miss this comedy-drama series!

Issues like - demise of spouse, teen rebellions, mismatch of energy in partners in old age, relationship with non-binary gender etc. are quite well depicted in this new series.

Personally, I loved Carrie Bradshaw's (Sarah Jessica Parker) wardrobe.

It has a total of 10 episodes.

Raised by Wolves Season 1 & 2 (3 Sep 2020 and 3 Feb 2022)

Dealing with - rehabilitation of human beings on Kepler-22b - a far off planet , robots equipped with both immense care taking and destruction programs, constant war between atheists and followers of Sol and mysterious ways and findings on the new planet, these are extremely well written and innovative sci-fi series with quite good set design, CGI graphics and acting.

If you like to weave your thoughts around humanity, evolution, faith, science etc., then simply don't miss this series.

It has a total of 18 Episodes.

Hats off to Aaron Guzikowski for conceptualizing, writing and creating something like this !!

Persuasion (15 Jul 2022)

 

Released On: Netflix

Genre: Romance Drama Comedy

Language: English

Duration: 109 minutes

Director: Carrie Cracknell

Cast: Dakota Johnson, Cosmo Jarvis, Henry Golding, Mia McKenna-Bruce

If you like the Victorian era elegance and attires, the hints of romance during long walks into a forest or by a beach, the articulate English tea and dinner tables with some soulful quotes and poetries thrown in between, sans any nudity, brutality, conmanship or even overwhelming drama, then do watch this feel-good movie in the safe and cosy confines of your home.

It is based on the novel 'Persuasion' by Jane Austen where Anne Elliott (Dakota Johnson), the protagonist constantly breaks the fourth wall by interacting with the audience.

The plot centres around a titular British family who believes in titular associations (read marriages).

Anne breaks off with Frederick Wentworth (Cosmo Jarvis), her true love, due to her family's strong stance of marrying into similar titular families, only to meet him again after a gap of 7 years when he is a rich and distinguished sailor (read Captain) with high prospects of becoming an Admiral and her father has mounted debts due to his blind spendings !!

For sure, both Anne and Frederick are oblivious to titles and riches and nurse a pining heart for each other.

But will they be able to bury their past and re-unite? Will her family be practical enough to oblige their re-union?

As if the aforesaid dilemmas were not enough, their meet coincides with the emergence of a new suitor in each of their lives!

Will their hearts flutter for fresh love which is absolutely free from the complexities of past baggage?

Watch the movie to know it all.

My friends and myself watched this film on a lazy afternoon with a pot of Jasmine tea, cheese cream topped red velvet cupcakes and a couple of finger sandwiches and absolutely loved the total experience, specially Dakota Johnson's presence and performance.

'When in Rome, Do as the Romans do', What say?

Top Gun: Maverick (27 May 2022)

Genre: Action Drama Adventure

Language: English

Running Time: 171 minutes

Director: Joseph Kosinski

Cast: Tom Cruise, Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Glen Powell, Lewis Pullman, Ed Harris, Val Kilmer

As per the storyline, Tom Cruise here is not 'the man' on the mission, but a test pilot (read super pilot) who trains a batch of recent graduates for a special and dangerous assignment.

Given the fact that the protagonist here is an aging star (almost sixty) and  reduced to playing a trainer and not the 'man of the mission', many of us (including me) got the impression that the movie would be sans the Tom Cruise magic (read death defying stunts) and more of an encashment of his brand as the last hurrah.

But please get rid of all such notions, as it's an out and out Tom Cruise movie, made very intelligently with proper business acumen and amazing special effects. Also, not once does the star appears old or jaded.

Herein, he is a maestro of supersonic fighter jets who can test them to record breaking speed and manoeuvre them like a toy with impeccable strategy to meet the concerned mission's need.

Alongside, he also teaches his unconventional albeit highly effective flying methods to a new batch of military graduates bursting with youth, super confidence and passion to do something out of the ordinary.

And he battles the ghosts of his past and rekindles an old flame.

As an exceptional dancer makes the toughest of steps appear like a child's play, the combo of good direction, acting, cinematography and special effects in the movie, ably simplifies the world of supersonic jets, their architecture & manipulation and their limitation on different terrains and altitudes !!

Everything is easily understandable and this is no mean feat.

You will find the movie thrilling & entertaining and around midway, you will start predicting it's end, but it will surprise you with an interesting climax.

In spite of woven around a top class military assignment, the movie is not gruesome to watch, as the bullet and bomb firing scenes are more on the lines of a hi-tech video game. 

Also, it's a family entertainer with no nudity or intimate scene.

Top Gun: Maverick is a Tom Cruise Special giddy cocktail of - adrenalin rush, emotions and nostalgia, which needs to be watched in a theatre for full entertainment of the senses.

Please don't wait for it's OTT release.

Last but not the least, though the movie is a sequel of Top Gun (1986), a huge commercial hit by Tom Cruise and team, it can be watched as an independent film.