The Cinemawala

We’re starting a new column called ‘The Weekend Watch’ where we’ll be talking about movies, and web shows that we watched over the weekend. Now it could be brand new films or shows or the ones which were missed to be watched earlier. The idea is to connect to those viewers/readers who only have the weekend to get their dose of entertainment. So hop on to the bandwagon and enjoy the show!

‘Better Call Saul’ – Season Six – First 7 episodes – Streaming on Netflix/AMC

In legal trouble ? Better Call Saul!

Your friendly neighbourhood attorney at law is back for one final time. And if you’ve not been living under a rock and you do follow the events of ‘Breaking Bad’, you’re just at the cusp of history where finally Walter White and Jesse Pinkman are about to meet Saul Goodman and eventually their lives will entangle that will take all of them to their doom. While the first 7 episodes do not mention Walter White, it does take Jimmy McGill closer to the chaos that follows ‘Breaking Bad’. While Jimmy and Kim eventually face the wrath of Lalo Salamanca, who arguably has become one of the most interesting characters after Mike Ehrmantraut and Nacho Varga, it remains to be seen whether ‘Better Call Saul’ will have a sadder climax than that of ‘Breaking Bad’, considering Jimmy’s eventual retirement as the cafe guy in the mall. As always, Bob Odenkirk, Rhea Seahorn, Jonathan Banks, Patrick Fabian and Tony Dalton are on top of their games and make the show even more brilliant. To the lovers of the show, we say – Binge on!

‘Panchayat’ – Season 2 – Streaming on Amazon Prime Video

Ek number ka Banrakas Aadmi hai !!

The best part of ‘Panchayat’ is its honest attempt to portray the lives of rural India, without an iota of pretence. The first season introduced us all to the quirky characters of the Phulera gram panchayat. The second season takes us further into their lives and the intricacies of complications that they face. The panchayat office, led by the Pradhan, Pradhan-Patni, Up-Pradhan and Sahayak are forced to fight new enemies who threaten their hold over the village. While the MBA aspirant Sachivji seems to have fallen in love with the village but the amenities of the modern affluent life still call him from afar. Family, moral dilemma, tiffs, conspiracies, friendship and death – the second season of ‘Panchayat’ touches every aspect of life that can either make or break a man. TVF’s ‘Panchayat’ is one of the finest web shows and you shouldn’t miss it for anything. And this time, do watch it for the ‘Banrakas Aadmi’ !!

‘Attack – Part 1’ – Streaming on Zee5

Director-writer Lakshya Raj Anand’s ‘Attack-Part 1’ is a nifty sci-fi flick that essentially about India’s first super-soldier. It’s about Arjun Sheirgill, an army man who’s paralysed below his neck, post a terror attack that also kills his fiancée. Empowered by an AI-driven solution, he gets back on his feet to fight against the terrorists who’ve taken hostages inside the parliament. At a running time of 1 hr and 57 minutes, the film zooms at a breakneck speed with some heavy-duty action sequences and some cool hand-to-hand combats. The film borrows elements from ‘Robocop’, and several MCU films yet it feels like a novelty to see them in Bollywood. On the flip side, the film employs a very linear way of storytelling. The patriotic messages, the token incompetent politician, pretty much everything is lined up one after the other, following a formulaic method. Perhaps a conflict here and there or any moral dilemma shown by the characters whosoever, could’ve done wonders to the script. John Abraham looks pretty slick in the action sequences, with Rakul Preet and Prakash Raj ably supporting in their respective roles. A decent watch.