Talkie Tuesday: Mardaani

 

"This is India!"

 

Hello everyone!

 

Welcome back to another one of those moments where you probably look at the blog and go 'oh heck, she's doing it again'.

 

Because yes, yes I am!

 

I can never stay away from Bollywood for long.

 

I mean, I'm still not quite over the last movie I watched, but that's beside the point, as right now, tonight, I'm picking one of the newer ones.

 

And one of the ones with a female lead I absolutely ADORE.

 

Rani Mukerji is just -chef's kiss- I have to watch more of her work. She's amazing.

 

So without further ado, let's hop right into the drama of tonight's movie of choice.

 

Because that's what we're getting with Mardaani.

 

Talkie Tuesday: Sikandar

 

"No one is above the law."

 

Hello everyone!

 

Welcome to this week's movie of choice.

 

And boy, is it a GOOD one.

 

Of course, if you look at IMDB or any of the movie critics' sites, you'll probably think this stinks to high hell and won't ever touch it.

 

I've learned not to trust those evaluations, because more often than not my personal taste will diverge WILDLY from what the world says you should or shouldn't like. It always comes down to what YOU personally want.

 

And this one is beautiful, with a soulful story that made me cry at least three times (but who's counting?!?).

 

Buckle up, then, grab some tissues, and of course your favourite snacks, because we'll be running into Bollywood at full-speed.

 

It's time for Sikandar.

 

Talkie Tuesday: Tiger Zinda Hai

 

"We cannot let politics get in the way of humanity."

 

Hello everyone!

 

Back to Bollywood I go - of course, what else is there? - to continue where we left off last week.

 

Last week, if you remember, we took a look at the first movie of the YRF Spy Universe, although at the time it wasn't actually that. Turns out, the Powers That Be decided only after tonight's choice and WAR aired that they're going to connect it all and come full circle.

 

I mean, if it's not baroque, amirite?

 

But regardless.

 

For us, now, this is the second movie in the spyverse, and I have to admit that it's the first ACTUAL spy movie in the universe that brings all the cards to the table: action, nail-biting suspense, a sprinkle of romance, and a good dose of humour so you don't end up flatlining out of pure boredom. 

 

So without further ado, get those fancy scarfs out.

 

It's time we take a look at Tiger Zinda Hai.

 

Talkie Tuesday: WAR 2

 

"Death before dishonour. Service before self. India First. Jai Hind!"

 

Hello everyone!

 

As promised, welcome to the second week of our Bollywood action extravaganza.

 

Like I said in last Tuesday's post, I definitely took the time to sit down and watch the sequel to WAR, because, well, when Netflix decides to upload it to their streaming services, there's just no saying no.

 

... I do have a bone to pick, however.

 

They didn't have WAR up there when I was looking for it to watch the first time!

 

Now, they released the sequel first, THEN uploaded the first one?!?

 

I swear, make it make sense!

 

I suppose, if the sequel generated enough views and garnered enough momentum, they'd consider putting the first one up as well to see how it does, which is kind of funny, as the second wasn't as much of a success as the first. 

 

But without further ado: it's time to fight another war, with lots of class, and lots of sass, because our favourite rogue agent Kabir is back, in WAR 2.

 

Talkie Tuesday: WAR

 

"Your country comes first, second, and last."

 

Hello everyone!

 

Welcome to a two-week Bollywood action extravaganza that's about to happen on this blog in terms of movie reviews.

 

Because Netflix just put the sequel to tonight's movie choice up on its streaming services, and you KNOW I'm going to be watching!

 

Mostly because of it's male lead.

 

Listen ... this isn't me, this is just how it goes. If Hrithik Roshan releases a new movie, you generally run along to watch it, if only to see whether or not the opening sequence has somehow changed from all the others he's done in the past thirty or so years.

 

But we're also headed back to the spyverse tonight, the one YRF has been building slowly but surely since the early 2010s, so it goes back a bit.

 

And there's also a female-led movie that's coming at the end of this year, so buckle up!

 

Because for now, we're headed into WAR.

 

Talkie Tuesday: Gladiator II

 

"What is the dream of Rome if her people are not free?"

 

Hello everyone!

 

And yes, once again, welcome back.

 

You didn't think I was actually going to leave you hanging and NOT drop a review of this movie, did you?

 

Considering I pretty much promised to watch and review it last week, it should be obvious by now that I try to keep my promises, as many as I possibly can in any event.

 

However circumstances were just a little bit different than how it was initially planned.

 

See, supposedly, I was supposed to go watch this in the cinema, but alas, that didn't happen, and I got to watch it on my big-ass home screen TV instead.

 

Either way.

 

It's time to head back to Ancient Rome and see what happens when you try to make a sequel to one of the best movies of all time. Back to the Colosseum, baby, in Gladiator II.

 

Talkie Tuesday: Gladiator

 

"Are you not entertained?"

 

Hello everyone!

 

Happy New Year!

 

I hope you said goodbye to the last one in good spirits, and that you're ready to take on all new challenges in this brand sparkly new one.

 

At least, I'm telling myself that. As well as trying to set reachable goals that won't break my spirit if I can't manage to achieve them! I've learned (a little bit the hard way) that I need to set more short-term ones, smaller ones, than try for the big guns all blazing because I'm less likely to be disappointed this way.

 

Or, well, that's my take on it!

 

Anyway, back to the show, which is to say, back to the regular reviews that have nothing to do with the holidays.

 

And I decided to start it off with a right banger.

 

So strap on your armour and hold on to your butts, because we're headed back to Ancient Rome, baby. It's time for Gladiator!

 

Talkie Tuesday: Pathaan

 

"Once a bullet is fired, it won't go back into the gun."

 

Hello everyone!

 

Oh yeah, we're at it again.

 

So I had a thought while picking my next movie to watch, and I figured I could probably do a compare-and-contrast between Om Shanti Om, which is on record as the first (of many) collaborations between SRK and Deepika Padukone, and their latest (or one of their latest) movies.

 

Turns out they released a second one towards the end of 2023, Jawan, but I haven't gotten to it yet and I'll probably take a mini SRK break before I do, but the point still stands.

 

Starting off in 2007, these two have definitely starred next to one another a couple of times since, and I found it fascinating to see the differences that almost two decades can bring.

 

Also, I'd wanted to watch this movie since forever, but just never got to it, so finally sitting down and DOING it feels like an accomplishment!

 

Ergo, we're diving into the spy world, and doing it with style, as our main character would say, because of course he would, in Pathaan.

 

Talkie Tuesday: Fighter

 

"Jai Hind!"

 

Hello everyone!

 

And welcome to another Bollywood extravaganza.

 

I mean it, too.

 

Because while I might have tentatively dipped my toe into the waters of India-based movies initially, this one threw me right into the middle of the ocean and forced me to swim, sans life-jacket.

 

It was either that, or sink right to the bottom, so swimming it was!

 

Man, I loved it too. Tonight's choice is probably going to be one of my top spring movies to watch (I say spring, because that's when it was released on Netflix, despite the fact that it premiered back in January, so mid-winter). Very few will be able to top the sense of loyalty and love for your country mixed with just the right amount of absurd that seem to make up a lot of the Bollywood niche.

 

So without further ado, let's buckle our seatbelts - it's time to fly high in the sky with Fighter.

 

Talkie Tuesday: King Arthur

 

"It has always fallen to a few to sacrifice for the greater good."

 

Hello everyone!

 

So hot on the heels of that first returning blog post, I now return to regular programming with my movie reviews as well.

 

And BOY, do I have some goodies for this month!

 

... also for the start of September, because Netflix just told me that's what's going to happen.

 

Now.

 

A little while ago, I had this 'history' run here on the blog wherein I was watching and reviewing some of the better historic adaptations of stories that we all know and love. For some reason, however, I apparently never got around to reviewing the ONE actual historical movie that even experts agree is probably, to this date, the most accurate when it comes to the story it's telling!

 

And it's a shame because I FREAKING LOVE THIS MOVIE.

 

Without further ado, here it is then: better get that sword from the stone to fight, because King Arthur will absolutely need you.

Talkie Tuesday: Red Notice

 

"Always appreciate a quality double-cross."

 

Hello everyone!

 

This is it. We made it.

 

The last non-Christmas blog post for this calendar year, as starting this Thursday we're heading straight into that extravaganza as soon as we can manage it!

 

Honestly, I'm a little bit excited, because I tend to enjoy the holiday related stuff I post on my blog over the month of December, and there's got to be some holly jolly on here, right? After all, there's so much other stuff going on it isn't even funny anymore.

 

So before we unveil what the first holiday-themed book is going to be, let's have one last look back at what people are saying was probably a fun movie for the most part.

 

And I mean, it was.

 

But I think my expectations were too high because I didn't enjoy it nearly as much as I thought I would, in the end.

 

So let's roll in with Red Notice and see what it's about, shall we?

Talkie Tuesday: SAS Red Notice

 

"Psychopaths are incapable of love."

 

Hello everyone!

 

I have FINALLY stopped to watch this movie, even though technically it's been out in the world for a little bit now and most of the promotionals and reactions have already surfed about the world wide web up until this point.

 

But I was effectively busy with a lot of other stuff and other reviews until this weekend when I sat down to give it a go.

 

Now the thing here is that I mostly wanted to watch it for the lead actor, and I'm not ashamed to admit it. I did find some of the supporting cast enjoyable to watch as well, but I'll admit that I wouldn't have been too fussed if some of them had been changed around. Either way, the lead was my ticket in, and that's about it!

 

Then again, I'm sure I'm not the only one who thought along those lines lol.

 

If you've ever looked around the internet, you'll see that fan groups are probably one of the biggest banes in existence if you're not careful. This one at least seems mostly civilized for the time being.

 

But enough of my chattering! Time to dig into the business of this movie.

 

SAS: Red Notice is up.

 

Talkie Tuesday: Jumanji The Next Level

"I swear man, if we survive, I am gonna kill you!"

Hello everyone!

Sadly, there was no Outlander this previous weekend as the show has apparently decided to leave us hanging (literally) to see the aftermath of the shocking revelation that was the end of The Ballad of Roger Mac.

Now, I'm a book reader, so I know what happens, and I've managed to gnaw my way through the re-read of The Fiery Cross as well, meaning I know which big points the series will attempt to hit going forward.

But STILL.

So while there is nothing to report on the Outlander front, I've been watching the occasional movie when time allowed.

Not much, you see, but just enough to keep interested in all the stuff happening on the big screen.

And while I may be behind on several more popular releases, I figured it couldn't hurt to cover one that had action, adventure, and a Jack Black-sized dollop of humour.

Jumanji: The Next Level awaits!

Talkie Tuesday: The Spy Who Dumped Me

"Happy birthday, Audrey."

Hello everyone!

Question: what do you watch when you're bored out of your head, you don't feel like really thinking hard through whatever it is you'll be watching, and you REALLY don't feel like pulling a brain muscle trying to figure it out?  

Well, if you're currently waiting for the Outlander season four finale, then you'll probably pick up something that has Sam Heughan in it.

And since it's kind of the wrong time for A Princess for Christmas (one of the more adorable things I'd watched with Sam in it), you go for something a little more up-to-date.

And then you see photos of Sam in a tux holding a gun up in a very Bond-like position.

Why hello there, handsome!

The Spy Who Dumped Me is sort of a mix-and-mash of a lot of other spy movies, incorporating all the more insane ideas (not to mention the absurd ones) and making it all seem like a lark in comparison to, say, Bond or Bourne.

Talkie Tuesday: Skyscraper

"If you can't fix it with duct tape ... you ain't using enough duct tape."

Hello everyone!

So by now you've probably noticed I have a thing for Dwayne Johson's movies. 

Or at least his recent ones, though I have to admit that the Scorpion King was also an entertaining thing to watch, way back when.

More to the point, however, the Rock just brings something to his movies that I don't often see with other actors, and that's saying something.

So a week or so ago, I managed to start tonight's blog topic.

And by start I mean I watched about half an hour (maybe twenty minutes) before my sister decided I needed to focus my attention on her. I can watch the movie later, right?

Right!

So then this weekend I FINALLY managed to sit down and finish this thing.

It's called Skyscraper, and no, Demi Lovato doesn't have a cameo in it.

Talkie Tuesday: Black Panther

"The wise build bridges, but the foolish build barriers."

Hello everyone!

Well, it looks like I'm finally jumping back onto the Marvel Universe band wagon.

I know, I know. It took me long enough.

I feel like, after the disappointment I felt with the Spiderman remake, I needed to step back a little and reassess what I like and dislike when it comes to Marvel. They have many more hits than they do misses, but every once in a while they make a miss so spectacular you just can't help but goggle at them.

Anyway.

A couple nights ago I FINALLY sat back to watch the movie that's been talked about all summer long and which brought in a heck of a lot of green with dollar signs.

I have to admit, that alone made me wary.

But Black Panther stood and delivered.

Talkie Tuesday: Rampage

"Holy shit!"

Hello everyone!

Guess who's back, back again. 

Anddd I think I'll leave the singing with that haha. But yes, I'm back! I acually got back last week but figured I could probably take a few more days just to get everything sorted, and by now I feel like I'm not treading water anymore but actually bought some water skis so I can cruise across it.

You know what I mean!

I've also managed to watch a few movies while I was away (this after finishing Lucifer season two with my mother who is now OBSESSED with the fallen angel; thank you, Tom Ellis). This one, however, actually went through my viewing during my Dwayne Johson-watch list before I left, but I figured I could save it up for post-vacation.

I still need to see his Skyscraper, and I'm looking forward to it. I feel like the Rock's career has literally skyrocketed in the 2000s.

So for tonight, let's talk about something big. Let's talk Rampage.

Talkie Tuesday: Jumanji Welcome to the Jungle

"Get me the HELL out of here!"

Hello everyone!

Time to talk about movies again. 

I need to figure out a better way to introduce these blogs, but that being said, however, the point is that this is where I chatter on and on about the movie I'm going to be writing about subsequently in the post.

Now as you know, my list to catch up is still pretty much a mile long, however, I'm finally starting to make some sort of a dent in it!

And still I manage to go back and rewatch the Hobbit franchise for some reason or other ...

Ahem.

I was on a Dwayne Johnson binge it looks like, and I'm continuing it with another one of his movies soon enough, but for the time being let's start talking about this hilarious flick.

Of course it's Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle.

Talkie Tuesday: Lara Croft Tomb Raider

"Time to save the universe again then, is it?"

Hello everyone!

So remember last week as I was writing out my review of Tomb Raider, the 2018 reboot of the movies which made the Lara Croft role iconic? 

Well, as that movie was ending, I got the urge to watch the original two.

Because nothing, and I mean nothing, beats Angelina Jolie when she's kicking ass or walking into a room like she owns the place.

Of course I was incredibly lucky to snag both the first and second movie together, but I have to finish the second one tonight since ... well, haven't managed it yet. I know, I know, it's taking me forever, what can I say?

But without further ado and me babbling on about things that really don't matter, let's get into the review of Lara Croft: Tomb Raider.

Saturday Snippet: Rhythm

x

*video not mine