Crypticity Records (2024)

03/09/2023

Sapta Sagaradaache Ello (Kannada, 2023)

The era of experiments in Kannada Film Industry takes another sharp turn with Hemanth M Rao's SSE. His previous outings, such as Godhi Banna Sadharana Maikattu, showed us that this guy is big on capturing the emotions in a subtle way. Similarly, this time in SSE, it's the divine art of "LOVE"

What would happen if a very ordinary couple who are into over-emotional love somehow fall into a circle of infinity that spins & spins & spins...?

Half of the credits for the film go to the casting department for casting Rukmini Vasanth as PRIYA. Flawless expressions & and spot-on acting! I would remember her for more years to come. Raksh*t Shetty has portrayed his usual persona on screen.

Coming to the circle of infinity that I mentioned earlier, the chemistry & writing ✍️ of Manu & Priya gets repetitive in the middle of the film. If poetry is on one side, forceful philosophy in jail is on the other. The audience gets crushed in the middle & rightfully waits for the end. I feel that the director's decision to stretch the writing is a worthy catch for pitching the SIDE-B but risky for the audience. Anyways, we all are watching the SIDE B.

The last 30 mins of the film is a powerful combination of editing & music. Charan Raj's pianos & violins with intense change of events. The last 2 mins give you a glimpse of SIDE B - like I said, an incredible milestone & experiment in the Kannada Film Industry.

People are hyping about this being a poetic experience - well, honestly, it's normal. SIDE B looks promising with much content. SIDE A- a memory lane for all true lovers. Try

27/08/2023

Toby (Kannada, 2023)

From the makers of critically acclaimed Garuda Gamana Vrishaba Vahana (GGVV) comes another heart crunching painful story of Toby. A lot of similarities from GGVV- troubled orphan childhood, a wicked yet innocent man, police station & jail time, from simple to rich & brutal villain, mortuary, alcoholism & revenge.

On the brighter side, the performance & screen presence of Raj B Shetty & Chaithra Aachar gives hope. Raj B Shetty has pulled off an unbelievable task of filling the scene with horror & emotion without a single word in 2.5 hrs. His acting, body language & character depth were similar to SHIVA of GGVV, but in Toby, his performance reminded me of another legend of unconventional acting - Upendra, in his prime time. Chaithra looks beautiful & has worked hard to bring in a loud character of Jenny.

The story is deep, with multiple layers of tragedy. The treatment of the story is so DARK that I wondered why Raj & his team want to show us such cruel reality? Do these really happen? Violence is at its peak with numerous references.

I was impressed by a couple of things. The references used to depict sexual abuse, gun & its trigger, holy water, the ornament of goddess, fishing scene, etc. A fight sequence is edited with flashes from the future, which is one of the few memorable moments from the film.

The film takes off very slowly (I couldn't see any technical prowess there), which irritates. The biggest problem I felt was the impact. I surely think it's because of KANTARA. The impact & resonance it carried has nullified the viewing experience of anything that is below par.

I had a hard time watching because I've already invested a lot of time in the tragedy of Mangaladevi & Shiva from GGVV. My heart couldn't take more. Music & background scoring are fresh & far from any previous occurances.

Watch Toby if you don't have any tragedies in your life. Watch Toby if you appreciate top-notch acting. Watch Toby if you're from Kumta or nearby (town sighting, Mirjan Police Station, Damaskatte, Bus-Stand). Don't watch Toby if you work night shifts.

03/08/2023

Hostel Hudugaru Bekagiddare (2023) Kannada

Kannada film industry was always at the top in the comedy genre. Breaking all previous film-making gimmics, Hostel Hudugaru Bekagiddare is a film with brains and laugh! I lived in a hostel for 4 years, and a few incidents brought back some memories. A gateway to laughing riot with hilarious acting, one liners, and tickling expressions, a must watch with friends! Technically, it is a class apart, but 6-5=2 was the first Kannada film to experiment cinéma vérité style, which nobody is talking or praising about!

Editing and screenplay are the charms of this film. Audio mixing enables one to listen to the background murmurs, which are on another level of comedy. Few scenes could have been trimmed and tailored ( Rishab Shetty and gang)

The film starts losing grip in the 2nd half with some unwanted sections but immediately picks up the likes. The only other issue is the placement of comedy in the climax (audience does not have patience to digest that with what's happening on-screen)

Ajaneesh Loknath's music reminded me of Kirik Party.

It's a two-time watch movie with amazing content and talents of Kannada. If it's still running near you, please go and watch!

24/07/2023

Oppenhiemer (2023)

Known as the Father of Atomic Bombs, the film revolves around how he was dethroned from his revutionary success. It's not a type of film Nolan would make, but the majority of the scenes, elevations, and his trademark non-linear screenplay definitely grab you and lock you in the memoir of Nolan's greatness. Oppenhiemer is a serious political drama in a psychological take. If you are from the science background, you would hear a few names familiar to you, like Niels Bohr, Hisenberg, and the legendary Albert Einstien.

I was reading this morning about a CEO who criticized the movie for not motivating youth to become physicists. It's absolutely wrong. The film is all about the love for the world of science but gives you a harsh ⚠️ warning of not working with the government. Oppenhiemer is one of many scientists who was a scapegoat of his own country, his own people.

Technical aspects amazed 👏 me. The fact that the film has ZERO CGI shots is just jaw-dropping. Amazing camera work to capture real waves, stars, atoms, and molecules. Wow!! Brilliant!
Ludwig's music gives chills from time to time! Now I'm pretty sure it's Nolan who wants the music layered in such ways!

I advise normal movie goers to avoid this film, as I previously mentioned. It's a serious political drama!

Waiting for next, Mr Nolan

22/04/2023

MH370 (Netflix, 2023)
The Malaysian Airlines Boeing 777 plane(239 passengers) that disappeared from air in the midst of 20th century modern technology. Its frustrating to believe that the mystery is unsolved. An investigative documentary from Netflix has brought the dead ones back on their feet. Mysteries are obviously covered by numerous conspiracy theories but this documentary is an eye opener. Episode 3 is the MONEY SHOT.
My view on this mystery was totally focused on the fact that, you got be a master mind or a master of craft in botching up huge planes like the 777. Always pinned on one country- the US.
One of the kin of passengers is approached by a secret informer telling him that the US knows what happened to the plane & it involves 2 US AVACS planes. MH370 lost its entire communication & electronics in the air space considered the gray space between Beijing & Malaysia. The gray space region has no interference from any parties except the uninvited third party.
The cargo list of plane contained 2.5 tonnes of Semiconductor technology largely believed to be sensitive US made. The cargo was expected to be delivered to Beijing, China.
The AVACS planes from US has professional capabilities to jam the electronics & communications. The rest is either crash or give up in the middle of the ocean & count for time.
A Florida woman found lot of debris near the coordinates where the plane lost its contact. But ignored & ever taken up.
An interesting watch if you are new to this mystery. Anything could've happened, but no trace after 9 years, very shocking! Thank you to the makers, contributors & investigators. All questions to US or to the UNKNOWN?

16/04/2023

John Wick Chapter 4 (2023)
4th installment of one of the most successful action franchise, JW C4 is another ride to the amusement park for the fans. Known for quick pistol combats & stylish action set pieces JW C4 features more such pieces; like fight in the midst of heavy moving traffic, fight on the stairs, shotgun showdown etc. Keanu Reeves is impressive but I could see his age factor taking over in some fight scenes. Few new characters add up to the drama but the script & writing could have been tighter like the previous chapters. Some scenes are dragged, just for FANS. Direction is stylish.
So, should I open the wine and say cheers to JW or keep it for the next chapter? Well, sadly I wonder....

26/02/2023

The Whale (2022)

Directed by ace filmmaker Darren Aronofsky, The Whale is a sad, painful story of an obese man making things straight one last time before giving up. Aronofsky is a master of crafting such untouched, dark elements of the world and he amazes with this. I felt utterly bad while watching certain scenes, it just made me think, do I have any unfinished things to do before I leave? Brendan Fraser has delivered the performance of his lifetime! I definitely say, The Academy Award for Best Actor Male goes to Brendan Fraser! Wonderful! Tears & pain!

13/02/2023

Triangle Of Sadness (2022) Prime Video

A film by a Swedish filmmaker, got premiered in the Cannes Film Festival 2022 and received an outstanding 8 minute of standing ovation! A winner of Palme d'or award, the film is a complete hell of a ride! A delicious comedy which will make you think a lot about the society! A wickedly entertaining satirical comedy on the Elite class and their madness! The rich got the money, an appetite for food, alcohol & watches, but the poor got the skills, brains & the ability to survive any situation.
Now, bring all these bunch of people together and unfold what happens!
A unique film which is incredibly enjoyable!
Cannes has honoured the film, will the Oscars do the needful? Lets wait & watch!

06/02/2023

The Fabelmans (2022)

My official craze for craft & love for the film making did start with Upendra's "A" but the first time Hollywood ever hit me was when my mother recited her experience of Stephen Spielberg's "E.T". The next ever big thing for me was again Spielberg's "The Jurassic Park". If you ask my parents, when I was 5, I used re-create the films, action sequences, dialogues with two pens & brushes and create sets for that using utensils, boxes etc. Some films hit me very hard This is how my story began.

After 2 decades, Stephen Spielberg brings yet another Oscar worthy masterpiece "The Fabelmans" with a coming of age story quite similar to my days - the love for the cinema. This film has every repercussions of a family filled with brains & arts. Every shot is mesmerising and just showed me how I'd be if I had chosen filmmaking as my career. The acting is over the horizon -natural & lively and the story feels like your own from bits & pieces. The old craft of film editing, shooting, the cameras & reels definitely took me back to the glory days. I could say just one thing - Hollywood is the biggest dream & Stephen Spielberg is an undefeated legend. Once again, Spielberg has depicted his respects for the Jews.
The legendary John Williams has again made me pluck melodies from my heart just like he plucked the sweet melodies from live pianos on this.

I've always been a keen fan of Paul Dano, but Michelle Williams just stole my attention. Incredible performance! There is one definite Oscar for The Fabelmans and I wholeheartedly want Stephen Spielberg & Michelle Williams to win it.
My love for cinema & craft shall die with me.

30/01/2023

The Banshees of Inisherin (2022)

The Banshees of Inisherin has become the first Irish film in the history to bag 9 Oscar nominations. It is so simple & subtle, you feel like you're just reading past a quick novel or a book of the same. Set in a remote island of Inisherin in 1920s, it is a story of two best friends, one of which abruptly stops speaking & puts an end to their friendship. The story then revolves around the sadness and grief of a friend looking for answers and reasons. A simple yet emotionally abundant story sets a blaze as you keep going.

The scenic beauty of the island, the Irish accent, folk music, violins, fingers, cattle, horses, donkeys, dogs and the pale ordinary lives. Away from all the distractions, yet there is tangling & fighting with emotions when it hurts bad.

Colin Farell has given his career best performance which has earned him the Oscars nomination, reminding me of my school days wherein I slept with same thoughts & turmoils when my best friend suddenly acted wierd & insulting. Today, I found answers to question- "Why was I like that?"
Answer is its just your pure emotions & feelings which stay with you when there are no distractions from the modern world. Today, if your friend stops talking, you find someone else to replace him on you phone! Back in my school, we had nothing but plain, pure & silly emotions just like the people from 1920s or from the island of Inisherin.

God bless innocence!
God bless the cinema!

23/01/2023

The Menu (2022) Disney Hotstar Plus

After seeing an 88% Rotten Tomatoes rating, I was shocked about missing this. A black comedy of the celebrity chef/restaurant culture, The Menu starts off with a journey which seems fishy from the very beginning. The chef presents each course of the menu with an intellectual speech about the ingredients relating it to his life and incidents. The film paves on with unexpected shocks and fears which truly touches upon the frustration of a "chef" and how bad he/she tries to make the experience of customers/guests great & different.

Ralph Fiennes as Chef Slowik has done an outstanding job of impersonating the grumpy & rude side of the food business. I thoroughly enjoyed Anya Taylor- Joy's performance too! The cinematography definitely seems to be a craft of perfect art! Music is by Montreal based musician Colin Stetson flows in your ears quite fresh. The film could have been written abundantly.

I personally didnt understand the motive of the film makers but I definitely understood the black mockery of the celebrity chef row. The ending helped me get a clear idea of the film. The film is shot post COVID era and definitely this film shows the true frustrations & emotions of a chef who in all his experiences, has to face the brutal COVID era, the era that almost made restaurants bankrupt.

This film was presented in Toronto International Festival and it does lives up to the expectations. A must watch if you want to come out of cliche movies. This is new and weird! Watch it

30/12/2022

The Niagara Falls, on the eve of 29th December. Vibrant colors of this exotic beauty. A horrific 300kms of ride with my immediate close friends.

27/10/2022

FACTORY BANDAGA (Arrival of The Factories)

One more award winning short film from our Radical Studios's classic anthalogy series. A deeply rooted emotional and powerful episode of shattering of determinations and mottos of life just for the sake of our present era. Impactful and eye-opening ending itches you to bend over and look in to your current stature in the world's hidden fight for right.

Excellent writing, direction and editing by my exceptional colleague and team member Mani. Punith Vasishta, another member of our team is in the lead role leaving some haunting and permanent emotional enigma on me. Deservi

I really kick myself not working on this one, but soon! Exciting ventures and projects with much higher scale.

Please watch, share and subscribe to Radical Studios Youtube channel if..if you respect my passion and never ending love for Cinemas.

Please find the link in my bio!
Thank you

09/10/2022

DAHMER (2022, NETFLIX)

Jeffrey Dahmer is not new to me. I had read about this guy, his fantasies and monstrous crimes. But, when Emmy Award winners make a series on him, you better not miss out.

Initially, when you start, it gets tough to watch the events unfolding. To nullify the horrifying watching experience, the makers have adapted a highly qualified screenplay which indulges you in to his earlier twisted days. There are a lot of documentaries and series on Dahmer but this one is technically superior.

Many similar figures are running free out there due to careless negligence.

Music is perfect. This is how the score for a serious series like this one must be! The whale sounds have a next level impact on the viewers as the end credits start with it ringing your attention to Dahmer's face. Great work by the composer.

India also has its own face of monsters. The Noida Cannibalism was a horror shock!
Serial killers are born with bad sexual intentions. Umesh Reddy was one such. There's a long list of serial killers out there so watch your back and re-live the era of 1990's where evils roamed free.

29/05/2022

Zodiac (2007)
I kicked myself for missing this incredibly shocking true crime thriller for all these years and that too a David Fincher directorial. Truly one of the top notch crime thriller of list. Why are serial killers born with such high IQ? Go watch it nowww! Haunting! David Fincher - applause everybody!

06/03/2022

Nocturnal Animals (2016)

Novel readers have a special art of imagining and picturising what they read frame to frame. This film solely revolves around that. A separated woman starts reading an upcoming novel written by her ex-husband Tony and as she reads, she starts relating it to their life. She presently lives with her second husband for whom she left Tony calling him weak and creatively unsuccessful. The film ends on a high note and crushes a lot of ego and a river of regrets. Jake Gyllenhaal always wins hearts with his acting. I loved every bit of screenplay-editing and writing. Brilliant!

27/02/2022

Gehraiyaan (2022) A decent film that shows deeply complicated relationship issues which gets really tough to watch and digest as story unfolds. Every character has a age old relationship issues which is carried by their kins. When there is Love, S*x, Infidelity and Money? What more is required to complicate anything? A hard watch. Background score is incredibly fresh with house grooves. Deepika Padukone deserves an applause. Siddharth's character teaches you a whole new level of lesson. You know, even I have lust and who doesnt, but never ever cheat anyone with hopes of moon and beyond. Sad.

12/01/2022

Jeevana Chaitra (Kannada) (1992) Director- Dorai Bhagwan
Another such Dr. Rajkumar's film which fell short of my words. An embodiment of love, affection, upliftment and an example to live, Dr.Rajkumar here should have bagged another National Award for acting. Meaning of life is depicted in a powerful setup between motherland, family, mother and the people. This film had captured the theatres for 375 days which forced Dr.Rajkumar to announce another film upon audience demand. There was a major revolution in Karnataka in 1990's wherein many liquor store owners closed their business after watching the film. Well, this film had a deep impact. Naadamaya, ee lokavella! I miss you Dr. Raj, you are the healer!
#1992

Crypticity Records