I went to see this Telugu film, Ninnu Kori (Wanting You) with Margaret of Don’t Call It Bollywood, going in knowing nothing. Margaret had heard it was a good Rom Com, so I took a chance. It was a delightful Telugu Rom Com with great chemistry between the leads Nani and Niveda Thomas.

Great dancing by Nani! Some very funny dialogues, too.

Video review here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mg2ukiwIErg

I unabashedly adore Edgar Wright. His Cornetto trilogy starting with Shaun of the Dead are so hilarious = the second, Hot Fuzz is one of my favorite films of all time. And the brilliance that is Scott Pilgrim!

So, when I saw this trailer for Baby Driver, my anticipations was at a fever pitch. It is fantastic. Not laugh out loud guffaws like I had in Hot Fuzz, but oh, so clever. I’m no Fast and Furious type of girl, but the driving is simply amazing. I’ve read that it surpasses some of the Fast and Furious movies.


Full review here: https://moviemavengal.com/2017/07/01/baby-driver-fantastic-fun-action-flick-with-heart/

My first Allu Arjun film on the big screen, and he was great. DJ is a very entertaining film, both a comedy and action film. Allu Arjun's grace as a dancer makes for very acrobatic action scenes that look super cool.

Allu Arjun's DJ is both a priest/caterer AND a vigilante. This is a bloodthirsty film, not for young kids, although there were plenty in the audience of my theater. There are quite a few impalings, but what's blurred for the censors is a crotch shot of Pooja Hegde coming out of a swimming pool in a one piece bathing suit. I wasn't impressed with Pooja Hegde in Mohenjo Daro, but she was quite good in DJ. She has good chemistry with Allu Arjun, and I loved the way she puts him back on his heels by kissing him on the cheek in public.

I didn’t like this film quite as much as Arya 2, but it’s very fun and entertaining. The romance track isn’t the main thrust of the film — the vigilante action is the main story line.

Full review here: moviemavengal.com/2017/06/27/spoiler-free-review-of-the-very-entertaining-dj-with-allu-arjun/

I can’t believe this is the same team that made Bajrangi Bhaijaan. Save your money, and don’t go see Tubelight. So disappointed!!

The script is not good, and I was not moved at all by the story. Salman Khan and his brother Sohail are much too old to play the characters as written. Zhu Zhu is fine, but her Hindi not. The little child actor is the most adorable ever, but the whole movie just doesn't work.

’m super excitecd for DJ now after seeing Arya (2004) and Arya 2 (2009) over the last 2 days. Only Arya 2 is the MUST see movie, but you should watch the
opening dance number of Arya, to get a sense what a great dancer Allu Arjun is. Arya was his breakout film, and the debut blockbuster for director Sukumar — the guy who directed 1: Nenokkadine!

Read and watch my full review here: https://moviemavengal.com/2017/06/23/i-watched-both-of-allu-arjuns-films-arya-and-arya-2-to-get-ready-for-dj/

I'm super excitecd for DJ now after seeing Arya (2004) and Arya 2 (2009) over the last 2 days. Only Arya 2 is the MUST see movie, but you should watch the
opening dance number of Arya, to get a sense what a great dancer Allu Arjun is. Arya was his breakout film, and the debut blockbuster for director Sukumar -- the guy who directed 1: Nenokkadine!

Read the rest, and see a video review here: https://moviemavengal.com/2017/06/23/i-watched-both-of-allu-arjuns-films-arya-and-arya-2-to-get-ready-for-dj/

I didn’t LOVE Raabta as much as Margaret of Don’t Call It Bollywood did, but it was a welcome couple hours of escape for me this weekend. We have a family member that has just been put into hospice, and this movie took me away to beautiful Budapest for a bit. Several shirtless scenes of Sushant also helped very much, the first in the very first minute of the film.

As Margaret said, it’s Magadheera, but totally different. If you want an action film, go see Magadheera. But Raabta is a timepass romance with some angst.

Video review on Bollyfools: https://youtu.be/Y7GEmcHbdZc

Wonder Woman – So Inspiring to Young Girls and the Lift We All Needed

I can’t review Wonder Woman like any old film. It shouldn’t be so momentous that a woman director has directed for the first time a superhero film, that cracked $100 million opening weekend. But it is. Patty Jenkins had directed an Oscar winning independent film, Monster, that cost $8 million, had garnered the Directors Guild Award for the TV Series The Killing — and yet…. the headlines said it was a “gamble” to let her helm a superhero film. It is maddening. When young male directors are given huge action or superhero films after smaller indie films, it’s not called a gamble. The Mary Sue called out this double standard misogyny.

I can’t separate my review of the film from what it has felt like to read about other women’s reaction seeing the film. It’s everything to see a woman centered superhero film, directed by a woman. And then there are the pictures of the little girls who dressed up to see the film, or got to meet their heroine. Gah!

Read the full review here: https://moviemavengal.com/2017/06/07/wonder-woman-so-inspiring-to-young-girls-and-the-lift-we-all-needed/