[adimicra]

Jubilee - Amazon Prime Video
Rating - 9/10 (highly recommended)
This series is set in the 1940's during the early days of the Mumbai film industry. It revolves around a set of characters who are passionate about movies but each one of them are willing to bend the rules to meet their high ambitions - all characters are different shades of grey. The art direction, costumes, make up look authentic and have been able to successfully recreate the feel of the bygone era. On top of it, top production quality and excellent music by Amit Trivedi lifts the overall ambience of the series. All the main characters have been given enough space with their own backstories and challenges which helps you to connect with them at an emotional level.

On the flip side, there are some goof-ups in the main plot of the storyline and screenplay, and some of the questions are not really answered in a very convincing manner.

The series ends on a high but tragic note with an evocative song from Amit Trivedi playing in the background - 'Saare ke Saare akele'
But overall, this is definitely worth a watch for the several reasons mentioned above. Waiting for the next season.

Sanctuary - Netflix
Rating - 8/10

This is a web series about Sumo. As I mentioned in my earlier posts, I love various kind of sports and watching sport-based webseries
I started this series casually as I was always intrigued about Sumo, but didnt understand much about it. I must say this was a very revealing journey for me, as I got to know so much about this ancient tradition of Japan.
I had no idea that the life of a Sumo wrester is so tough and the amount of hardships and the rigorous training they have to undergo. Also, I always thought Sumo is similar to our wresting with the difference being you have to push the opponent outside the ring. But, it is much more violent than wresting and more closer to MMA I felt - slapping, headbutting etc. are all allowed it seems. The series takes some time to build up and it also took me some time to get acquainted with the rules, format etc. but the last few episodes ups the temp and it ends on a cliffhanger. Looking forward to next season.

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel - Season 5 - Amazon Prime Video
Rating - NA. (in progress)

This is the last season of this fabulous series. We loved the first 3 seasons ... the 4th season was a letdown.. However, we were still waiting for the 5th Season. The first 2 episodes continues in a similar manner as the 4th season with the story not moving at all and some random things happening with a few funny lines here and there... I am losing patience, I will probably give it a try for a couple more episodes before giving up. Its unfortunate that after such a fabulous first 3 seasons, the series is going downhill..Lets hope it turns around and ends on a high

[Rajeevraj]

Fubar: Super Cheesy, Total Cringe and absolutely hilarious as a action series. Sure it was not meant as a spoof but kind of comes out as one. Does not take itself seriously, has major plot holes and illogical set pieces and sequences, like the cia spys facetiming to headquarters from some deep remote underground location in a remote warn torn country.

But all these made it watchable for me. Schwarzenegger looks tired and struggles to move, but his screen presence and dead pan and unique dialogue delivery still holds. Monica Barbaro is very good and kind of holds everything together, rest of the cast also does well.

Probably the worst spy/action series out there, but when you are tired of all the high profile, striving for perfection series and movies OTT dishes out, this can be a stress buster watch

[cryptarchy]

Originally Posted by Sheel

Any review of Kandahar and The Point Men on Amazon Prime?

Worth watching? (Waiting for Jack Ryan and Bosch, so have some time to kill).

Watched Kandahar yesterday or rather tried to watch. Movie is so bad that it is intolerable, left it midway.

[SoumenD]

Originally Posted by Sheel

Any review of Kandahar and The Point Men on Amazon Prime?

Worth watching? (Waiting for Jack Ryan and Bosch, so have some time to kill).

Watched Kandahar on Amazon Prime.

Highlight for me was the KTM390adv doing rounds in the desert. Ali Fazal started off well but was pushed to sidelines soon enough. Story line is predictable and nothing out of ordinary as such in the movie. Okay-ish watch on a lazy weekend afternoon maybe.

Rating: 3/5

[DieselAnna]

An Indian Tele series was aired on MTV some 10-11 years ago. It was hardly marketed and went under the radar. I missed watching it that time and, a month after it was aired, downloaded it on Torrent and watched it. Loved it that time. Few years back, I searched all OTTs/streaming platforms/Youtube for the same show but couldn't find it. Just recently I searched again on Youtube and saw the show is uploaded with all 10 episodes and better print.

The name of the show is BRING ON THE NIGHT.

I love this show. It was way ahead of it's time. TVF/Screenpatti/AIB were not even formed that time I think. It is funny and fast. So no chance of getting bored. It slows down in between but not for long. I realised that this show, even when it was released, worked only by word of mouth.

[amitoj]

Tour de France: Unchained on Netflix

Just finished watching this series. I did not expect this to be such a roller coaster of emotions but then again, being a cyclist myself, I should have seen that coming. The series is well shot, and takes you behind the scenes with a few cycling teams, along the lines of Drive to Survive.

It's from the same company that made Drive to Survive and followed it up with Break Point (on Tennis) and Full Swing (on Golf), so comparison with Drive to Survive is natural.

One thing that stands out is the cyclists are more team oriented than F1 drivers, and they are way more emotional too. Every episode of TdF has at least 2 cyclists in tears, such are the emotions. If you've every done a climb on a bike, or sprinted just for the sake of it, you'd totally understand the emotions of these cyclists.

Even if you are not a cyclist, the series does a great job of taking you inside the mental and physical torture that these cyclists go through.

My only gripe is that the series focuses entirely on the yellow jersey and stage wins and does not even mention other jerseys like the green jersey for maximum points, or polka dot jersey for the KOMs, or the white jersey for the best young rider. Maybe they left it out because it would have been too complicated for the average viewer.

Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed the series and I finished it just in time before the 2023 Tour de France kicks off.

[aspire]

Kerala crime files 4/5 Hotstar
Binge watched it last night, lovely cinematography, tightly woven script, one wouldn't be bored at any time, hardly 25 minutes per episode. Aju Varghese as the cop did very well, Lal was wasted though. Been used to see Aju in comic roles, somehow the guys who do comedy can do serious or even villainous roles pretty well, for example Suraj venjaramoodu.

[Eddy]

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

Fubar: Super Cheesy, Total Cringe and absolutely hilarious as a action series. Sure it was not meant as a spoof but kind of comes out as one.

I actually watched it as a spoof only- Ace Ventura genre.

And I enjoyed it from that point of view. Arnold is wooden, but very cute. Dialogues are nice too. Overall 3 stars and a one time watch but do not expect a crime thriller.

[udaji]

Several months back I had posted season-wise (SUBJECTIVE!) ratings of TV shows I have watched. Time to update the list, now just a little shy of 100 shows. Posted in the hope that it might be useful to prioritize shows. Attached as a png image, but can also post as pdf if desired.

[naveen.raju]

Kerala Crime Files - Malayalam



Many found this to be just ordinary but I kind of liked it. The cinematography, BGM were all pretty good. The story is pretty ordinary and not like any crime thriller but tends to hook us up. Each episode running under 30 mins also never felt boring. All acted pretty well especially Aju but Lal was ordinary. I kind of like the attention to detail that movies/series from down south give (phones, movie posters and the hotel menu price - all matching 2011). Waiting for Season 2.

Rating - 4/5 (Disney Hotstar). Recommended.

Duranga - Hindi



Felt the drag from episode 1 but it was watchable. Couple of twists and it does make you watch and not skip. Acting was pretty ordinary but felt that the lead female could have been better. Little things that I noticed were many continuity mistakes (example - bike was parked left to the stairs but in the next scene it's shown on the other side) and she definitely needs a proper driving lesson (You will notice in her introduction scene ). Even though it was under 30 mins, I definitely felt the slowness.

Rating - 2.5/5 (Zee5). Watchable.

Story of Things - Tamil (Anthology)



I have seen many weird movies/series, but this one takes my list closer to the top. It deals with human emotions but they showcase it in a weird way. The first two stories were pretty decent (weird, of course) but then it starts to loose it's steam from the third story. I got so bored that I stopped after the third story. You can find much better series/movies that deals with human emotions.

Rating - 1.5/5 (SonyLiv). Can be avoided.

[locusjag]

Castle Rock on Netflix

This series is based on Stephen King's writings and portrays a fictitious town in Maine, USA. It continues temporally a fair bit after Andy Dufresne escapes from Shawshank prison, which is situated in the very same town.

I've gotten through 3 episodes so far and I can tell you that it promises to chill me to the bone. The story builds up slowly like any Stephen King novel typically does. And you'd know that his stories have depth and layers which all build up to a crescendo.

It's definitely worth watching, more so than any other streaming series right now. But sadly, as with King's novels, I suspect that few will have the patience to complete the journey that King will have envisaged for his audience.

[GhostGrid]

Wayne (Season 1-2019): It's not for everyone's taste because of its completely unusual style and attitude, but some of you will find it delightful. The writing, character development, direction, and acting were all on point. Despite being violent, it is a great pleasure to watch!

7/10

[Zippy_wheels]

Originally Posted by udaji

Several months back I had posted season-wise (SUBJECTIVE!) ratings of TV shows I have watched. Time to update the list, now just a little shy of 100 shows. Posted in the hope that it might be useful to prioritize shows. Attached as a png image, but can also post as pdf if desired.

Because you mentioned Covert Affairs, Person of Interest, Mentalist, Designated Survivor etc., i'd suggest you try out Blacklist (James Spader - boston legal fame), 24 (old series with Keifer Sutherland - designated survivor), Fringe(sci-fi) and blindspot(FBI) as well.

If you know of other series similar to these - I prefer episode wise case to case types (probably with an overarching main plot, with quite a few seasons, please call those out.

From amongst these here is the order in which I liked them-
Person of Interest
Blacklist
24
Designated survivor
Fringe
Blindspot
Mentalist
NCIS
Covert affairs.

Most of them have been available or are available in India (netflix and prime mostly) For some that were removed while I was watching, I had to depend on telegram app.

[udaji]

Originally Posted by Zippy_wheels

i'd suggest you try out Blacklist (James Spader - boston legal fame), 24 (old series with Keifer Sutherland - designated survivor), Fringe(sci-fi) and blindspot(FBI) as well.

Thank you for the suggestions. Blacklist is already in my wish list. I had watched 24 earlier, though not on OTT. Somehow Fringe was a bit much for me. NCIS is good. I will put Blindspot too in my wish list.

[PJ1987]

Originally Posted by udaji

Several months back I had posted season-wise (SUBJECTIVE!) ratings of TV shows I have watched. Time to update the list, now just a little shy of 100 shows. Posted in the hope that it might be useful to prioritize shows. Attached as a png image, but can also post as pdf if desired.

Your Excel spreadsheet is very well-organized. Great job keeping track of all the shows you've watched. Personally, I use an app called Hobi to monitor my progress, and it conveniently provides a Statistics page for easily checking important information at a glance.