[ninjatalli]

The Family Man : 4 / 5

A nice, decently paced series focusing on terrorism as the key theme. Manoj Bajpayee and the rest of the cast are pretty good, even the unknown actors playing the key negative roles. Much much better handled than Sacred Games season 2.

[Ithaca]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

The Family Man : 4 / 5
A nice, decently paced series focusing on terrorism as the key theme. Manoj Bajpayee and the rest of the cast are pretty good, even the unknown actors playing the key negative roles. Much much better handled than Sacred Games season 2.

Concur with this review.
The first episode plodded its way with a major goof up in the police van where the prisoners were not frisked / checked for weapons and not secured to the van, just handcuffed and were able to escape. After that, the series goes on an upward trajectory and was a satisfying watch.
Great way to end the first season on a cliff hanger.

One complaint in my opinion, they should have gone the whole way and let the scene at the Lonavala Hotel play out rather than be confined within Indian cultural sentiments and just cut it abruptly. Wished they had pushed the envelop.

Glad to see actors from the south industry making their debut in a major Hindi web series.
Major Vikram is a Telugu hero - Sudeep Kishan
Kishore Kumar G, who plays Pasha does bit roles of the darker side in Tamil, Telugu & Malayalam.
Neeraj Madhav who plays Moosa was one of four brothers in Kumbalangi Nights.
Priyamani was / is a lead actress in most south language movies.

Manoj Bajpayee steals the show as always. The supporting actors at TASC were perfect for the roles they played. Be it Talpade, Zoya or the other two tech nerds.
Eagerly waiting for the second season.


Off topic, Bard Of Blood dropped on Netflix and is not getting good reviews.
Shahrukh Khan's time is really bad nowadays considering his production house has made this.

[pratyush6]

I am extremely picky with watching a Series now as it really needs time and effort. I still watched 'The Family Man' particularly because of Manoj Bajpayee. The story line is decent, they take up some of the issues happening in India right now. The performances of pretty much all of the characters were good.

E.g. The new trainee (Zoya) is actually intimidated by the people shooting compared to most characters always shown the other way round. Some of the reactions that the actors have in situations mirror reality and was really well executed.

I also found it to be a bit lengthy, they could have very easily curtailed it to 8 episodes. I also thought the abuses could have been curtailed if not avoided. Kids see this and it almost legitimizes the crude language. Overall a good watch.

[vb-san]

Originally Posted by Ithaca

Eagerly waiting for the second season.

Thank you, shortlisted to start on the weekend.

Originally Posted by Ithaca

Neeraj Madhav who plays Moosa was one of four brothers in Kumbalangi Nights.

He is a Malayalam actor but not acted in Kumbalangi though

[VWAllstar]

Family Man 3.5/5*

The series started off very well and within 2 episodes it was clear that all casts are well put and have done a good job. It was not just Manoj but every other supporting actors have made it worth watching.

The story line is stretched and could have easily wrapped in 8 episodes. A lot of lose ends make one feel that it may be a debut for the director and screenplay writer.

Best part is the way the actors have delivered connects to real life happenings. I think they could have edited better and reduced too many diversions on personal lives.

Worth watching it and also eagerly await the second season.

[Sebring]

Bard of Blood 2/5*
Shoddy story line, bad acting, terrible dialogs ruined it for me. Netflix has erred on this one. Would urge you all to skip this and dive headlong into The Family Man 4/5*. Manoj Bajpai shines through, and everyone has acted so well - though predictable in parts but still worth a watch.

[harry10]

Originally Posted by Sebring

Bard of Blood 2/5*
Shoddy story line, bad acting, terrible dialogs ruined it for me. Netflix has erred on this one. Would urge you all to skip this and dive headlong into The Family Man 4/5*. Manoj Bajpai shines through, and everyone has acted so well - though predictable in parts but still worth a watch.

Ah. I was really looking forward to it. Guess Mr Hashmi isnt having a lot of luck off late.

[VWAllstar]

Originally Posted by Sebring

Bard of Blood 2/5*
Shoddy story line, bad acting, terrible dialogs ruined it for me. Netflix has erred on this one. Would urge you all to skip this and dive headlong into The Family Man 4/5*. Manoj Bajpai shines through, and everyone has acted so well - though predictable in parts but still worth a watch.

Sharukh Khan should take an infinite break from everything life has to do with Films, Series etc. Everything he is putting his hand into isn't working out.

PS: I haven't watched the series yet but everyone who has seen is saying to skip it.

[Ithaca]

Originally Posted by vb-san

He is a Malayalam actor but not acted in Kumbalangi though

My mistake. Should have checked on wiki.

Is "Bojack Horseman" a good series. Saw a few minutes of one episode and the lead was a horse so did not continue.

[noopster]

Originally Posted by kap04

Started watching "Unbelievable" on Netflix. If you like crime dramas don't miss it, stellar performances from the lead actors and a gripping story line

It’s really good. Seems like a one-season series which is a pity. Plodding, gritty detective work but in a warm, sensitive way that only a woman-centric series can deliver. The 3 leading ladies are brilliant, the script is taut and riveting and the direction superb. I finished all 8 episodes in less than a week.

Originally Posted by benbsb29

Completely agree with your rating on both 'The Spy' as well as 'Mindhunter'.

I have to watch both. Started off but gave up, which is never a good sign for me!

Also finished Better Call Saul, 4 seasons of it, recently. Must say in all honesty that it left me disappointed. Am a die hard Breaking Bad fan but can’t help but think that brilliant characters like Gustavo Fring and Hector Salamanca from the original have been rewritten as caricatures in the spinoff. Rhea Seehorn as Kim Wexler is brilliant and a true find, but the arc with Chuck (Michael McKean) is repetitive and lacks direction. Also the pacing is erratic: season 1 started well, slowed down and then picked up. S2 and S3 were well-paced but the fourth season was a complete drag.

Have started watching Family Man as well but after about 3 episodes have realised it’s more of a “time pass” series than anything serious.

[Dry Ice]

Agree with the general consensus about Bard of Blood. I wonder if they left out/altered some key plot points from the book for the web series. It feels odd at a few places with no explanation for what the character ends up doing. I haven't read the book, but cant think of any other explanation.

Production value is right up there though with very good visuals. One thing I liked is that they took the pain to camouflage the known "Indian brands" like Tata, Maruti, Mahindra etc when trying to depict scenes of Balochistan (while actually shooting on the streets of Leh). They left out Isuzu Vcross in plain sight though.

Also commendable is the effort put in by the cast to perfect the alien dialect (pashtun?). I don't know the language, but their delivery seemed legit!

Another movie which made me feel the same way was Tom Hanks starer Circle. Later on, when I looked up some interviews, it became clear they had left out or altered a lot of things - which weakened the plot.

[ajay_satpute]

For those who understand Marathi, there are two really good series on MXPlayer.

1) Pandu:
https://www.mxplayer.in/show/watch-p...27aac92a5d54a8

This one is about the life of a police inspector and the ups and down they go through in everyday life and the kind of people they have to deal with. It is not a typical good-cop-bad-cop or action thriller story. It is a very subtle story with crisp writing & direction about personal life of police, or their side of the story. Do give it a shot. I felt 6 episodes are too short for such a lovely product.



2) Once A Year:
https://www.mxplayer.in/show/watch-o...bcd89fd3639157

Another brilliant series from the same makers, about a confused guy and an IT professional girl and their on-off relationship. Great acting, superb dialogues and well made series.




Both series are made by BhaDiPa, a dedicated Marathi digital content provider company which is storming the scene of Marathi comedy & entertainment. To know more about BhaDiPa, read my blog here:

https://wp.me/pase72-4

[Eddy]

I just started Money Heist Season 3 and realised to my dismay that the English dubbing artists have changed from seasons 1 & 2. Every character sounds different and that has disturbed continuity big time.

[Prafful_Rathod]

Originally Posted by Eddy

I just started Money Heist Season 3 and realised to my dismay that the English dubbing artists have changed from seasons 1 & 2. Every character sounds different and that has disturbed continuity big time.

Exactly. Especially the Professor, but I guess one would get used to it by end of 2nd or 3rd episode

[raksrules]

Originally Posted by Eddy

I just started Money Heist Season 3 and realised to my dismay that the English dubbing artists have changed from seasons 1 & 2. Every character sounds different and that has disturbed continuity big time.

Originally Posted by Prafful_Rathod

Exactly. Especially the Professor, but I guess one would get used to it by end of 2nd or 3rd episode

I haven't seen money heist but you guys watch with English Audio? Asking since I watched entire Narcos in Spanish with english subs. I did try watching in English Audio but it did not have the "feel". Not sure how to explain.
It was more enjoyable in Spanish (although I didn't understand anything) and reading subs simultaneously.