The Long Take

Sofia Coppola’s  Priscilla  is the antithesis of Baz Luhrmann’s terrible  Elvis  movie. We discuss Coppola’s sad-core storytelling, her determination never to leave Priscilla’s side, and her absolutely damning portrayal of the King of Rock and Roll. We also talk about Cailee Spaeny’s central performance as Priscilla, Jacob Elordi’s menacing turn as Elvis, and the movie’s delicate handling of their...

In The Archies , writer-director Zoya Akhtar disguises her politics behind teen romance. But does this diffuse the impact of what she’s trying to say? We talk about the film’s coming-of-age themes, how each character is given definitive traits, and whether it’s successful in capturing teen angst. We also discuss the cast of newcomers, and wonder if the movie will be offensive to certain sections o...

Kaathal – The Core , directed by Jeo Baby, is shaping up to be a real word-of-mouth hit, purely on the strength of its sheer quality. We speak about the many reasons why the new Malayalam-language drama left us so moved, and highlight the two central performances by Mammootty and Jyotika. We appreciate director Baby’s command over visual storytelling, and how effectively he uses silences to convey...

Leo , the new Tamil-language blockbuster starring “Thalapathy” Vijay, is now on Netflix. We discuss the film’s abysmal storytelling, the charmless central performance, and poorly designed action sequences. We also talk about the larger Lokesh Cinematic Universe and how shoehorned-in the references to the franchise feel. Along the way, we attempt to dissect the Inception -level flashback sequence a...

Watching The Railway Men is like taking an express train back to Netflix India circa 2019 when the bottom of the barrel would be scraped week after week. Almost unwatchable at even four episodes long, the new YRF-produced series is so inept that it makes you lose faith in the art of storytelling as a whole. We discuss the show’s bizarre approach to a real-life tragedy, its wafer-thin characters, c...

Is The Killer one of David Fincher’s most inconsequential movies? We discuss the film’s subversive approach to the conventions of assassin cinema, Fincher’s clinical treatment of the subject matter, and the odd bursts of humour that he peppers through the two-hour narrative. We also talk about Michael Fassbender’s statue-esque performance, and spend a considerable amount of time trying to decipher...

Is Killers of the Flower Moon a culmination of what director Martin Scorsese has been trying to achieve his entire career, or is it an overlong, overindulgent slog that general audiences will turn their backs on? We discuss the film’s simmering tone, the epic tragedy at its core, and the performances of its central cast, which includes Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro and Lily Gladstone. We also...

OMG 2 , starring Pankaj Tripathi as a saintly middle-aged man, is a bizarre concoction of ideas that ultimately comes across as a lazy attempt to pander to the Hindu majority. We discuss the film’s odd approach to a straightforward story, its stretched, preachy narrative, and the fact that the decision to package it as a religious drama feels like an afterthought. We also talk about Akshay Kumar’s...

Khufiya , the new spy movie on Netflix, might just be one of the worst things that Vishal Bhardwaj has ever done. We discuss the film’s tonal inconsistencies, incoherent plotting, odd performances, and most of all, that wild second-half. We also talk about the background score and how completely out of step with its story; the strange decision to include full musical interludes and introduce entir...

Released as four separate shorts, Wes Anderson’s Roald Dahl adaptations for Netflix are some of the best films that he has ever made. We discuss his minimalist approach to each story, the offbeat narration and stagey production, and also the deeper themes he wants to tackle. Anderson also flips through genres and tones, but presents each movie in his own unique style. While The Wonderful Story of...

Jaane Jaan , director Sujoy Ghosh’s Hindi-language adaptation of the Japanese bestseller The Devotion of Suspect X , is a competently made thriller with a hint of playfulness. We discuss the trio of central performances by Kareena Kapoor Khan, Jaideep Ahlawat and Vijay Varma, and talk about the change in perspective that Ghosh has introduced in his adaptation. We also dissect the other changes the...

Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani plays like director Karan Johar’s apology for his own past filmmaking, and for the many missteps that Bollywood has made over the years when it comes to gender politics. We appreciate the film’s progressive ideas, its frank depiction of desire, and how willing it is to embrace its camp nature. But we also point out the moments where it goes overboard. We discuss Joh...

We didn’t enjoy the Shah Rukh Khan-led Jawan as much as Pathaan , but it gave us enough to chew on. We praise the film’s thrilling opening sequence, but complain about the unnecessary flashbacks and Vijay Sethupathi’s poor performance as the villain. We also talk about how effective the film’s political messaging could be, and appreciate Khan for sticking his neck out when most of his colleagues w...

Friday Night Plan —the new Netflix movie starring Babil Khan—is the kind of film you forget the moment you turn off the TV. We discuss its eagerness to borrow from classic teen comedies, but complete inability to offer heart or pathos. We also talk about its odd perspective on teenage life, which seems like it is based more on films than actual experiences. — Hosted by Akhil Arora and Rohan Naahar...

Satyaprem Ki Katha , the new Kartik Aaryan and Kiara Advani movie, left us incensed. We discuss the many ways in which the movie is actively anti-feminist; its horrific treatment of Advani’s character, the obvious perspective problem, and its casual disregard for very real, and very delicate themes. We also talk about its triggering tone, the film’s last-minute rug-pull, and the potentially danger...

Guns & Gulaabs is a high-profile dud from Netflix, a major step down from the surprisingly effective Kohrra . We discuss the involvement of creator-directors Raj & DK, the show’s complete lack of identity and urgency, and its failure to make the most of its outlandish setting. We also talk about the flat performances, the unfunny jokes, and speculate about Raj & DK’s overcommitment to...

Heart of Stone , Netflix’s latest franchise-starter, is a step up from the likes of Red Notice and The Gray Man . But it’s far too generic to recommend. We discuss the film’s rudimentary representation of something as complex as artificial intelligence, the thinly-written characters, and Alia Bhatt’s thankless role. We also talk about the action set pieces, the overly serious tone, and Netflix’s p...

The Long Take is doing its first ever retrospective episode! Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro turns 40 this week, and we rewatched the cult classic and discovered that it still holds up. We discuss our favourite scenes, the simmering anger under the film’s goofy surface, and appreciate the skill required to play a dead body on screen. We also talk about how difficult it is for a film to rewire the audience’s br...

Greta Gerwig’s Barbie divided us like no movie ever has on this podcast. Is it a sharp satire of patriarchy, or is it simply making the most obvious points about how unfair the world is for half the population? Is it an imaginative skewering of consumerism, or is a particularly annoying attempt at covert marketing? Is it another win for Gerwig, or a shockingly tone-deaf misstep? We discuss all thi...

Oppenheimer is Christopher Nolan’s most political movie yet, and in many ways, among his most sobering. We discuss the film’s dialogue-heavy storytelling, the epic Trinity test sequence, the moral dilemma at its core, and Nolan’s deliberate artistic deviations from his past work. We also talk about the hourlong final act, which turns Oppenheimer into a wholly different experience, and make a feebl...

Kohrra , the new Netflix crime drama series co-created by Paatal Lok’s Sudip Sharma, is a grim experience that takes a character-first approach to its complex storytelling. We discuss the performances of Suvinder Vicky and Barun Sobti, the rich and textured world that the show is able to create, and the social commentary about Punjab that it offers in an unusually subtle way. We also talk about Sh...

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, the fifth film in the long-running franchise, is a bloated, overlong and ultimately empty experience. We discuss the film’s action-first plotting, abundance of cameos and references, and unsatisfying attempt at giving Harrison Ford an emotional send-off. We also talk about that ambitious ending, and unpack the film’s tendency to repeatedly undermine its most...

Sudhir Mishra’s Afwaah —now out on Netflix after a negligible theatrical run—feels like watching someone engage in a primetime TV “news debate” with themselves. We discuss Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s miscasting, Mishra’s convoluted approach to several important themes and ideas, and the movie’s complete failure as a genre exercise. We also do a post-mortem on the four films directed this year by like-mi...

Tiku Weds Sheru , the new rom-com/crime drama starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Avneet Kaur, sent us into an existential spiral. We wonder how Kangana Ranaut could make her film production debut with something as pedestrian as this, and come up with conspiracy theories for how Siddiqui and Prime Video would agree to associate themselves with this movie. We also talk about its jarring tonal shifts,...

Extraction 2 , the sequel to Netflix’s hit pandemic-era action movie Extraction , resurrects Chris Hemsworth’s black ops mercenary Tyler Rake for some more high-stakes action. We discuss the film’s by-the-numbers plot, but also praise its central extraction sequence, edited to appear as one 21-minute sequence. We also talk about the Russo brothers’ franchise-minded approach to everything they touc...