Reviews by tomahawk

Placebo is a documentary made about life of medical students in AIIMS, the best medical institute in India.

The opening states that the acceptance rate here is lower than that of Harvard. The handful of students that make it in, face tremendous pressure to perform. The pressure is exceptional and there is no system in place to handle it.

The director, who is merely a camera in this movie tells us the story of:
1. His brother Sahil, who due to pressure and frustration punches a glass window, almost damaging his hand for life.
2. K, a thinker. A guy who understands that life in AIIMS is too stressful. He wants the management to take action to support the students.
3. Chopra, an average guy who is hardworking. He simply wants to pass.
4. Sethi, a guy who wants to go to USA, no matter what.

These guys represent a good cross-section of medical society, or dare I say people in general.
The movie is raw, ie. it is mostly edited footage sprinkled with dark animation.

I liked the movie for the realism. Suicide in colleges is always a tragedy, but nothing was overdramatised. I liked the neutral portrayal of the situation.

This movie will make you think and question. Don't watch it expecting action sequences and comedy!

For enjoyment I would give it a 7/10
But,
Overall, I give it a 8/10

Thanks for reading!!

I started watching the movie expecting concrete explanations, talks. But most of the time, the people are crying and consoling, which is a good thing but I didn't find it entertaining. What I learn't after watching half the movie is that all humans make mistakes, but its okay. We should forgive ourselves, which is difficult, second only to admitting we made a mistake.
We all feel like crying at times, that is also okay. Bottling up too much fear and insecurity leads to violence. Most of these criminals didn't get love from their parents or society, so now they are numb to emotions. This movie is deep, but the message is stretched and I got bored. Maybe when I'm older and wiser I'll rewatch it.

Valu is a comedy, slice of life Marathi movie about a Forest Officer who comes to a village to catch a bull. I really loved it because of its simple plot and colourful characters.

A movie touched by reality, showing a Chief Minister who decides one night that work has to be done.

Bomb City (2017) - A crime/drama about punks vs jocks fight in conservative Amarillo.

Its short and precise. Fast paced with a real story to tell. No superheroes.

It is a classic movie. That means everybody recommends it and nobody watches it. Hehe, ... sorry.

But it is true, the movie is hard to get into. It is slow, but only if you judge it by modern Marvel-like movies. It is more about creating a portrait of the man- Mr.Caul rather than some great event. I was about to drop it halfway, but then I read Coppola loved this film and pursued on. The ending was Brilliant!

So please be patient and you'll remember this movie fondly for many years to come.