[mobike008]

Originally Posted by 14000rpm

Good to know. I am around the corner to replace my LG home theater system and have been caught up in the multitude of reviews. Currently sifting between Sonos, Sony and Bose.

I had a full Polk 5.1 HT System for a few years and about 1.5 years ago, I upgraded to the mighty SONOS.- Sonos Arc, Sonos SL's, Sonos Gen 3 Sub and Sono Mini Sub.

I'm planning to add a couple of Sonos Speakers (They are like Paintings and available only in IKEA) for the upper floor. Yup, the same system can be extended across multiple floors of your home.

Best part- It's entirely wireless and the sound quality is mind-boggling and puts my Polk system to shame. It's been quite a while that I'm impressed with a home theatre system. I'm a Sonos fan for life now.

Don't bother wasting your time on Bose and Sony for Home theatre systems. I have researched them and they are below average at best.

Don't look anywhere- Just get yourself the full SONOS system.

Originally Posted by 14000rpm

Didn't know the OTT platform made a difference too.

Absolutely. Every OTT platform video and audio quality is distinct as is their UI features. I have subscription to following OTT platforms and my rating for video and audio quality in sequence :

1. Apple TV+
2. Disney +
3. Netflix
4. Hulu
5. Peacock
6. Youtube Premium
7. Amazon Prime
8. Paramount +
9. IPTV (Shhhhh...Why did I even mention this...Horrible quality even if its 1080p)

Bottom of the list OTT platforms are :

1. Hotstar
2. Zee5.....etc

I used to have these subscriptions but, I stopped this service as the quality and UI is pathetic.

[ABHI_1512]

Hidden Figures Hotstar

A hidden gem which, as I later found out, was nominated for the best motion picture category along with another two categories including best supporting actress for the Oscars 2017. A stellar cast which includes Octavia Spencer, Taraji Henson, Janelle Monae, Mahershala Ali, Kirsten Dunst, Glen Powell and my personal favorite Kevin Costner, just blew my mind. An uplifting and poignant story of a team of female African-American mathematicians who played pivotal roles in during the early years of NASA and helped John Glenn reach the orbit. Such an impactful biographical movie based on true events and have some stunning performances with powerful scenes. Watch out for the bathroom scene featuring Taraji Henson and Kevin Costner as well as the court scene featuring Janelle Monae. Recommended watch.

Rating; 4.5/5

[Fuldagap]

Originally Posted by Pferdestarke

The Light Between Oceans (2016)

Genre: Drama

Must watch for drama lovers. This movie will melt your heart for sure!

It is indeed a moving drama. I've watched it just once but rate it 10/10.

Another great one from the same director is Blue Valentine. Again 10/10. Have watched it twice.

[Fuldagap]

Originally Posted by mazda4life

Napoleon
OTT: Apple TV
Rating - 6/10 (being generous)

Hard to make a biopic of such an iconic figure, was an okayish film directed by Ridley Scott. Not a film to remember for the ages, some of the things like shooting on the pyramids can be questionable. Also, he was supposed to be a master strategist but strangely it was not very evident in the film and the film spent more time in Napoleon trying to get an heir.

Napolean is to be seen as more a fictional and less a historically accurate movie which centres on the epic love between Napolean and his wife Josephine. The tumultuous relationship of the duo, the profound impact of the love upon each other's lives.

The shooting of the pyramids was supposedly funny apart from other factual 'inaccuracies'. Sir Ridley Scott could have made it another Napolean historical lesson. But he chose not to because there is ample history stuff about the topic out there.

He focussed on how much in love were they with each other and how their separation affected their real lives, especially of Napolean. He was nothing without his wife and the movie ends on this note. I really loved the movie despite the intenet bashing of historical inaccuracies. It is tale of love and proper characterisation of personalities. One could feel how unimportant the other characters or stories were in the movie, rushing them to again and again on the real agenda of the film which is the love story of the two.

[Neversaygbye]

Dune Part Two - my two cents, for what it's worth.

What makes a movie epic? Is it scale? Is it complexity? Is it a story that is both fantastic and believable? Is it characters that are both heroic and flawed? Is it the music? Is it economy in storytelling despite multiple strands and a complex plot? Is it cinematography that's sweeping and grand? Or is it production design that's detailed and lush?

I would think that it's a combination of all of these. Come to think of it, all the movies that are considered epics including The Ten Commandments, GWTW, Ben Hur, Lawrence of Arabia, et al tick all the boxes above.

However, all these movies are now decades old and belong to the golden age of Hollywood.

In recent times, there really haven't been that many movies that could be called epic in terms of design and execution, except maybe Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy. Until now.

Dune 2 is the epic that we have been waiting for all this while. Denis Villeneuve's direction combined with Hans Zimmers' soaring bagpipes laden score, outstanding performances (especially Javier Bardem's), lush and imaginative cinematography (by Greig Fraser), incredibly detailed production design (Patrice Vermette), not to mention an adapted screenplay that makes a complex story easy to follow and understand, makes Dune 2 a spectacle that is both enthralling and astounding in equal measure. Many of the circumstances shown are thought provoking and topical to boot, and resonate with the world we see around us. While the first film was excellent in itself, it was more of an entree and Dune 2 is the main course.

It is almost superhuman how Villeneuve has pulled off the movie, with a narrative that keeps things simple and easily comprehensible, despite the complexity of the source material and the many strands running in parallel and also crisscrossing throughout the movie. Viewers will find many parallels with another series of books - Game of Thrones, but what GOT's TV adaptation achieved over 8 seasons and a decade (and that too with an underwhelming final season), Dune 2 achieves in less than 3 hours, and with far superior quality and impact.

Like a true epic, Dune 2 follows the journey and coming of age of the lead, while at the same time making telling commentary on race, colonialism, religion and power (both the abuse that stems from it and the love of it). Characters are grey but their motivations are clearly stated and seem to make sense too, which makes it hard to hate (or love) anyone, including the protagonist. It is not an accident that the protagonist is a messianic figure who like other such messianic figures across different epics and actual history grows into his role and embraces it reluctantly while being self-serving all the while despite claiming to be motivated by other altruistic objectives like freeing their people from oppressors.

The movie ticks all the other boxes and some of the sequences are thrilling and jaw-dropping. The only criticism is that it could have been a bit shorter and the pacing in the second half could have been better (which is why I didn't mention editing as one of the plus points), but for a movie that accomplishes so much and gets so much right, this is just nitpicking.

It is unfortunate that Dune 2 has released after the Oscar shortlist has been declared, else it would have been a shoo-in for multiple Oscar nominations this year (direction, visual effects, score, adapted screenplay, supporting actor, cinematography). Maybe it will get there next year, though movies released towards the beginning of the year of an Oscar season typically lose out due to recency bias.

On a different note, the more movies of Denis Villeneuve I see, the more impressed I am with him as a director. This is the second sequel that he has hit out of the park. And like Blade Runner 2049, which is undoubtedly the most apt sequel that a seminal film and personal sci-fi favourite like Blade Runner could have got, you need to watch Dune and Dune 2 back to back to fully appreciate the genius at work (not too difficult with Dune on Netflix and Dune 2 in theaters now). The other reason to see them back to back is that with both sequels the story picks up exactly where the earlier film left off and no clues or back stories are provided for the benefit of viewers who haven't seen the first movie.

As Dune 2 is epic in scale, it makes sense to see it on the biggest possible screen and I would recommend seeing it in theaters (preferably in IMAX) and not wait for it to come to OTT.

Villeneuve closes Dune 2 on a cliffhanger, and I am waiting with bated breath for the inevitable sequel, considering Anya Taylor-Joy just had one scene in the entire movie.

Bring on Dune 3!

[adrift@life]

The World's Fastest Indian-2005

It's an Anthony Hopkins starter.
The movie is about an old Kiwi man with a passion for motorcycles.
Screenplay adapted on one Burt Munroe, who holds the fastest land speed record for below 1000 cc motorcycles, the record was made in 1967 and still stands.
It was a feel-good movie. I watched it after coming across some scenes in YouTube shorts. Was worth the time spent.
Would rate it 4/5.

[GhostGrid]

Mosul (2019): A different perspective on a war against the Islamic State in Iraq. Captivating plot with brilliant acting, decent production value, and intense action scenes. This is an excellent, provocative, and really well-made movie that is much above my expectations.

9/10

[StepUP!]

Damsel
Streaming on Netflix
My rating 4/5

It's a classic fairy adventure tale of a girl who marries a prince only to find out twist of her fate.
Cinematography, frames, location/sets are treat to watch. VFX is outstanding as like any Hollywood movie. Overall a good watch.
Millie Brown has acted well. Her journey from Stranger things, Enola Holmes is quite a journey!

[DigitalOne]

Oscars 2024: Oppenheimer sweeps almost all the major categories winning

• Best Picture
• Best Director - Christopher Nolan
• Best Actor - Cillian Murphy
• Best Actor in a supporting role - Robert Downey Jr
  

Also, it won awards for the best original score, best cinematography, and editing.

A true masterpiece getting the well-deserved accolades .

[ValarMorghulis]

Dune-2
Rating: 9/10

Went to see this movie in IMAX (the way it is meant to be) and absolutely loved it. Even the better half loved it despite not having seen part-1.
The cinematography, the visuals, the acting is all top notch. Eagerly waiting for the concluding part now (hope to read books 1 & 2 by then)

[ToThePoint]

https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2024

As expected, Oppenheimer sweeps Oscars!

[arjab]

Some of my favourites:

1. Not strictly a movie, but a streaming series on Disney+Hotstar. HOMELAND.
PG rated, so please exercise due discretion and preferably not watch it in the presence of children or impressionable teens.
Riveting, edge of the seat storyline. Problem is once you start off, there are high chances you will fall into the trap of "binge watching" and not want to stop till you have watched all the seasons.

2. DUEL. Very old movie. The stars in the movie are a truck and a car. Again, edge of the seat excitement.

3. SLEUTH Watch the original 1972 one. Starring Lawrence Olivier and Michael Caine. Theme, handling, content. Stupendous.

[bblost]

Originally Posted by arjab

2. DUEL. Very old movie. The stars in the movie are a truck and a car. Again, edge of the seat excitement.

I saw a small part of this movie in youtube.
Then spent the next few minutes searching for it.

Found the movie.

BRILLIANT.

Then I read up on it. Its the first movie directed by Steven Spielberg.

Genius filmmaker right from the very start of his awesome career.

[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by 14000rpm

Good to know. I am around the corner to replace my LG home theater system and have been caught up in the multitude of reviews. Currently sifting between Sonos, Sony and Bose.

Its good to check it out in person and make a decision. The preferences could vary from person to person. When I was replacing my sound bar, I checked out the Bose Ultra and Sonos Arc, and picked up the former. Sonos was great but I felt the clarity of delivery with the Bose was on a different level, and picked up that.

Originally Posted by 14000rpm

Didn't know the OTT platform made a difference too.

Originally Posted by mobike008

Absolutely. Every OTT platform video and audio quality is distinct as is their UI features. I have subscription to following OTT platforms and my rating for video and audio quality in sequence

I used to feel the difference when streaming via my phone or the native smart TV apps, but now using with the Apple TV 4K box, don’t see any difference between say Netflix, Amazon Prime, or Apple Tv+. In fact was recently watching Grand Turismo on Netflix, and the quality was just awesome.

[sagpatel]

Originally Posted by 14000rpm

Good to know. I am around the corner to replace my LG home theater system and have been caught up in the multitude of reviews. Currently sifting between Sonos, Sony and Bose.

Didn't know the OTT platform made a difference too.

I checked out all three last weekend at croma. Sony was bass heavy and clarity was not as good as Bose and Sonos.

Bose and sonos both are excellent, Bose has that advantage of omnidirectional bass module. Bose's clarity was also better compared to sonos.
Bose soundbar along with bass module 700 and rear speakers would be my top pick.