Beyoncé brought her album “Cowboy Carter” to life for the first time in a halftime performance at an NFL game on Christmas Day in her hometown of Houston.

The show, which came midway through the Baltimore Ravens’ rout of the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium, was designed to entice viewers to Netflix as the streaming goliath inaugurated a new pact with America’s most popular professional sports league. It also was a way to bring attention to Beyoncé’s latest LP — a detailed excursion into country music that plays up the singer’s Southern roots — just as Recording Academy members cast their votes for February’s Grammy Awards, where “Cowboy Carter” is nominated for album of the year.

Immediately following her performance, Beyoncé posted a brief video on X that suggested she’ll announce something on Jan. 14 — something, whatever it is, that many more fans now are likely to be looking forward to.

For all its cross-promotional synergy, though, Wednesday’s halftime show was a reminder that whatever lures Beyoncé from her superstar cocoon is worth celebrating: As usual for pop music’s greatest live performer, this 13-minute production — a “ho ho ho-down,” as she called it — was a thrill from top to bottom.

The show began with Beyoncé astride a white horse sauntering down a hallway in NRG’s bowels as she sang “16 Carriages,” her ballad about a youth spent on the road chasing showbiz dreams. Soon she was joined by a quartet of Black female country singers — Tanner Adell, Brittney Spencer, Tiera Kennedy and Reyna Roberts — for a moving rendition of the Beatles’ “Blackbird.”

Beyoncé emerged onto the stadium field to sing a blistering “Ya Ya,” her version of a classic Tina Turner rave-up, accompanied by a small electric rock band and a huge horn section arrayed on bleachers that called to mind her presentation at the Coachella festival in 2018. Then she did the clubby “My House” before welcoming Shaboozey to join her for “Sweet Honey Buckiin’” and Post Malone for their “Levii’s Jeans” (which they did in front of a pickup truck wrapped in denim).

Beyoncé sang her cover of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene” while riding in a car cruising down the field — not unlike her Coachella tribute to HBCU tradition, this was a loving embodiment of Black rodeo culture — and finished the show with her chart-topping “Texas Hold ’Em,” which she did on the 50-yard line while dancing next to her 12-year-old daughter, Blue Ivy.

Throughout the show, Beyoncé’s vocals were strong and precise, the choreography tough and hard-hitting, the costumes beautifully bedazzled — a Christmas gift to her fans in the form of a marketing opportunity.

Sudeep in ‘Max’.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Inspector Arjun Mahakshay a.k.a Max takes charge unofficially a day before his suspension ends. A huge blunder inside the station puts Max against powerful men, who come for his life. As he is faced with the improbable task of saving his colleagues and coming out unscathed from the problem, the daring cop pauses to prepare a cup of tea.

Director Vijay Kartikeyaa’s debut project is driven by a protagonist who keeps you guessing about his next move. Even if Max aims to provide unhinged ‘masala’ entertainment, the movie’s leading man isn’t a one-note character. Since the events unfold during one night, and he has limited time to cross a series of hurdles, Max puts his sharp brain to quick use. And once he enters the risky zone of facing the criminals head-on, he unleashes the beast inside him.

Max is a celebration of Sudeep, who oozes style in his aggressive portrayal of an all-conquering officer. If you saw him as a subdued yet classy cop carrying a deep pain within him in Vikrant Rona (2022), Sudeep cuts loose in Max to cater to his fans, who were hungry for ‘mass’ moments involving their favourite star.

The one-man show is great fun to watch to an extent. Director Vijay scripts an old-school world where the hero emerges as the ultimate saviour of distressed people. However, as a whole, Max leaves you wanting more as you expect the protagonist to face the heat of a mighty antagonist.

Sunil, essaying the main villain, is undone by a toothless character. Varalaxmi Sarathkumar’s character of a cop with a negative shade shows promise early on but gets fizzled out eventually as she fails to make any difference to the plot. Right from the beginning, it’s apparent that both the characters are bracing for an inevitable onslaught from Max.  

It’s also quite shocking how Max has an almost incompetent team. When they aren’t blindly following the instructions from Max, the junior-level officers are scared and clueless. Ilavarasu, playing an experienced officer, delivers a measured performance. The rest of the cast, including Uggram Manju, Samyuktha Hornad, Sukrutha Wagale and Vijay Chendur, are too loud in their respective portrayals.

One can’t blame the actors as their characters are designed to artificially amp up the tension. With a highly dramatic plot in hand, the director’s decision to showcase stronger emotions than what’s necessary dents the film.

ALSO READ:‘UI’ movie review: Upendra’s political commentary is a one-of-a-kind experience despite its flaws

The core idea of Max might remind you of Lokesh Kanagaraj’s Kaithi (2019). With so much happening in a short span of time, it’s tough to emotionally invest in the proceedings. On the other hand, Max’s racy screenplay keeps you curious about the events on screen. A superb fusion of Chethan D Souza’s action choreography and Ajaneesh Lokanath’s ensures an adrenaline-pumping experience.

Max is a star vehicle with admirable experiments from the makers. With Vikrant Rona and Max, Sudeep has deviated from traditional commercial films. The big stars of Kannada cinema are seeking change, and that’s a good sign.

Max is currently running in theatres.

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1. James by Percival Everett (Doubleday: $28) An action-packed reimagining of “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.”

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4. Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan (Grove Press: $20) During the 1985 Christmas season, a coal merchant in an Irish village makes a troubling discovery.

5. The City and Its Uncertain Walls by Haruki Murakami (Knopf: $35) A love story and ode to books and the libraries that house them.

6. The Women by Kristin Hannah (St. Martin’s Press: $30) An intimate portrait of coming of age in a dangerous time.

7. The God of the Woods by Liz Moore (Riverhead Books: $30) Two worlds collide when a teenager vanishes from her Adirondacks summer camp.

8. Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar (Knopf: $28) An orphaned son of Iranian immigrants embarks on a search for a family secret.

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7. Revenge of the Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell (Little, Brown & Co.: $32) The bestselling author reframes the lessons of his first book 25 years later.

8. Carson the Magnificent by Bill Zehme (Simon & Schuster: $30) A biography 20 years in the making of the entertainer who redefined late-night television and reshaped American culture.

9. The Wager by David Grann (Doubleday: $30) The story of the shipwreck of an 18th century British warship and a mutiny among the survivors.

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3. Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin (Vintage: $19)

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Paperback nonfiction

1. The Backyard Bird Chronicles by Amy Tan (Knopf: $35)

2. On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder (Crown: $12)

3. The Art Thief by Michael Finkel (Vintage: $18)

4. Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe (Vintage: $20)

5. All the Beauty in the World by Patrick Bringley (Simon & Schuster: $19)

6. Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer (Milkweed Editions: $20)

7. All About Love by bell hooks (Morrow: $17)

8. World Travel by Anthony Bourdain, Laurie Woolever (Ecco: $22)

9. The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron (TarcherPerigee: $20)

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