The Long Take

Army of the Dead , Zack Snyder’s follow-up to his director’s cut of Justice League , is a bloated, boring mess. We discuss the heist film’s simplistic plot, the lack of imagination in its depiction of zombies, and the thinly written characters. Later, we talk about the state of piracy in India, prompted by Salman Khan’s angry tweet about Radhe . Chapters (00:00) Review: Army of the Dead (23:37) Ne...

The Woman in the Window —led by Amy Adams and directed by Joe Wright—continues Netflix’s streak of acquiring terrible adaptations of bestselling thriller books. We discuss the film’s troubled production, speculate what attracted its A-list cast, and wonder if Wright is overrated. — Hosted by Akhil Arora and Rohan Naahar , The Long Take is fully bootstrapped. Please consider donating if you enjoy o...

Is Chaitanya Tamhane’s The Disciple one of the best films of the year? We discuss its dissection of idolism, the exploration of generational mindsets, Tamhane’s command of the craft, and its commentary on filmmaking as a whole. — Hosted by Akhil Arora and Rohan Naahar , The Long Take is fully bootstrapped. Please consider donating if you enjoy our work. The Long Take is available on Spotify , Appl...

Searching for Sheela , a new Netflix documentary about Osho’s controversial former aide Ma Anand Sheela, is a sanitised puff piece pretending to be a serious profile. We discuss the superficial, slapdash filmmaking, the tone-deaf treatment of serious themes, and the curious lack of a director in what is a Karan Johar production. Later, we dive into the trailer for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the T...

Neeraj Ghaywan and Kayoze Irani’s films are the only memorable bits about Ajeeb Daastaans , Netflix’s latest collaboration with producer Karan Johar. We dissect the anthology’s four parts, the awful plot-driven nature of the first two, and the terrific acting of Konkona Sensharma and Shefali Shah. — Hosted by Akhil Arora and Rohan Naahar , The Long Take is fully bootstrapped. Please consider donat...

Abhishek Bachchan was right. The Big Bull isn’t like Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story at all. It’s much worse. Watch him laugh maniacally for what seems like an eternity, cringe as he loiters around tourist hotspots in Delhi, and scratch your head as you try to make sense of Kookie Gulati’s baffling direction. The Big Bull is one of Disney+ Hotstar’s worst “Multiplex” offerings. And that is sayi...

Can Godzilla vs. Kong be criticised for favouring loud action over everything else? We discuss the movie’s indifference towards human characters, its pointless world-building, and how the MonsterVerse has evolved over the years. Godzilla vs. Kong is out on HBO Max and available in cinemas. Later, we talk about Netflix’s industry-buckling bid of $450 million for two Knives Out sequels. — Hosted by...

Is the Sanya Malhotra-starrer Pagglait a rare win for Netflix India? We discuss the film’s place in the new wave of Bollywood small-town dramedies, writer-director Umesh Bist’s eye for detail, and the stacked supporting cast. Later, we talk about the Oscar nominations. — Hosted by Akhil Arora and Rohan Naahar , The Long Take is fully bootstrapped. Please consider donating if you enjoy our work. Th...

Is Zack Snyder’s Justice League worth its punishing four-hour length for anyone except DC fans? We talk about the social media movement that birthed it, Snyder’s approach to the superhero realm, the differences with the theatrical cut (the good and the bad), and that exasperating epilogue. — Hosted by Akhil Arora and Rohan Naahar , The Long Take is fully bootstrapped. Please consider donating if y...

The Russo brothers have cashed in the blank cheque they earned with Avengers: Endgame and Infinity War . But is Tom Holland-starrer Cherry an overambitious epic, or an unmitigated disaster? We discuss the Apple TV+ film’s style-over-substance approach, the Russos’ heavy-handed direction, and the script’s superficial understanding of complex crises. Later, we talk about the pleasantly-surprising an...

There is nothing that writer-director Ribhu Dasgupta can’t ruin by simply pointing a camera at it. With The Girl on the Train , he takes a novel that was adapted into a mediocre Emily Blunt film, and somehow makes it worse. We discuss Parineeti Chopra’s misguided performance, the lack of any internal logic to its godawful narrative, and that Abbas–Mustan-inspired final twist. Later, we talk about...

Is Chloé Zhao’s Nomadland , starring Frances McDormand, really one of the best American movies of the year? We discuss Zhao’s documentary-like approach, its Terrence Malick inspirations, and the film’s narrative (or rather the lack of one). Nomadland is available on Hulu . — Hosted by Akhil Arora and Rohan Naahar , The Long Take is fully bootstrapped. Please consider donating if you enjoy our work...

Judas and the Black Messiah —produced by Ryan Coogler, and directed by Shaka King—isn’t just a powerful film, it’s powerfully made too. We discuss the performances of Daniel Kaluuya and LaKeith Stanfield, the trumpet-driven score composed by Mark Isham and Craig Harris, its framing of revolutionary politics, and its multi-stage appeal. We also touch upon the lack of similar films in Bollywood—whic...

Tom Hanks might not be too vocal about his politics, as he lets his work do the talking. In his new film News of the World, director Paul Greengrass takes on the fake news media, despotic rulers, and MAGA culture. We also discuss how Greengrass embraces classic Western tropes, the movie’s outstanding gunfight sequence, and the performance of 12-year-old co-lead Helena Zengel. News of the World is...

The Dig —a Netflix film led by Carey Mulligan and Ralph Fiennes—is a small film with big ideas. We discuss Mulligan’s fantastic run, the film’s socio-political subtext, and the trio of creative voices behind its success: director Simon Stone, cinematographer Mike Eley, and composer Stefan Gregory. Later, we dissect the Golden Globes nominations, and the mysterious ways of the Hollywood Foreign Pre...

Tandav —the Amazon original, led by Saif Ali Khan—is offensive, but not for the reasons you might have heard about.  We discuss the Indian series’ idiotic controversies, its reductive politics, the hilarity of its storytelling (or the lack thereof), and how it wastes its ensemble cast. — Hosted by Akhil Arora and Rohan Naahar , The Long Take is fully bootstrapped. Please consider donating if...

Does Ramin Bahrani’s The White Tiger —led by Adarsh Gourav, with Rajkummar Rao and Priyanka Chopra Jonas in supporting roles—live up to the award-winning book it’s based on? We discuss the film’s exploration of caste and class in India, Rao’s terrible American accent, and how it fits into Bahrani’s filmography. — Hosted by Akhil Arora and Rohan Naahar , The Long Take is fully bootstrapped. Please...

Is it a loving homage to classic sitcoms or an unabashed Marvel spectacle? We attempt to unpack the first three episodes of WandaVision , the first MCU series on Disney+. In between, we also speculate about future chapters, discuss Easter eggs, and wonder if it is all an introduction to the multiverse—one that seems to be more committee-driven every day. — Hosted by Akhil Arora and Rohan Naahar ,...

With The Mandalorian season 2, a lifelong film franchise now shows more promise on television. How did this happen? We discuss Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni’s instrumental place in spawning the Star Wars cinematic universe, and compare it favourably to two of the best shows in recent memory: Game of Thrones , and Breaking Bad . We also talk about our expectations from the other Star Wars series in t...

How does Wonder Woman 1984 —the sequel led by Gal Gadot—waste the goodwill established by the first movie? We discuss the DC film’s bloated runtime, lacklustre villains—played by Kristen Wiig and Pedro Pascal—its unwillingness to justify its ‘80s setting and the return of Chris Pine, and complete absence of thematic depth. Later, we wonder how director Patty Jenkins plans to deliver all of Wonder...

In an end-of-the-year special, co-hosts Rohan Naahar and Akhil Arora talk about their favourite films in 2020, counting down from 10 to 1. The movies come from directors such as Céline Sciamma, Geetu Mohandas, Greta Gerwig, Max Barbakow, Eliza Hittman, and Aaron Sorkin. Stick around to hear us lament about the domination of American pop culture, and why we’ll never discuss La La Land on The Long T...

Is director Vikramaditya Motwane’s meta-mockumentary AK vs AK a one-line premise stretched too thin? We discuss the film’s inventive approach to Bollywood satire, actors Anil Kapoor and Anurag Kashyap’s willingness to lampoon themselves, and cinematographer Swapnil Sonawane’s use of long takes. Later, we find time to rant about Indian film critics (it us) being treated dismissively by internationa...

With Tenet , has Christopher Nolan become too Nolan-y, verging on self-parody? We discuss the filmmaker’s delayed sci-fi espionage thriller, the problems with its time inversion mechanic, the admirable action set-pieces, and—the big question—whether it is worth a trip to the cinemas. Later, we talk about Disney’s newly-unveiled massive slate, with a focus on Star Wars and Marvel. — Hosted by Akhil...

Can Mank —an insider tale about ‘30s Hollywood, through the eyes of Citizen Kane co-writer Herman J. Mankiewicz—win Netflix its first best picture Oscar? We discuss David Fincher’s technical choices, his commitment to a discredited version of events, and the film’s mainstream appeal (or rather, the lack of it). Later, we talk about HBO Max’s game-changing announcement, which will bring 18 Warner B...

Where does the $200-million Mulan stand in the pantheon of Disney’s live-action remakes? We discuss the film’s multiple behind-the-scenes controversies, its treatment of Gong Li’s shapeshifting character, and how it panders to Chinese interests (in vain). Later, we talk about Netflix’s terrible new reality series The Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives , and Asif Kapadia’s documentary film Diego Mar...