1.5/5 stars

One of the strangest trends in entertainment is this recent obsession with true crime stories. It seems every other month, Netflix releases a new film or miniseries delving into the life of some killer or sensational crime. And now Anna Kendrick tries her hand at the phenomenon with her directorial debut Woman of the Hour. The film tries to be both a haunting true crime story and a light-hearted tale of feminist empowerment, making the tone shockingly jarring.

In 1978, aspiring actor Sheryl Bradshaw (Kendrick) was offered a guest spot on The Dating Game. She must ask questions to three men who she can’t see and based on their answers, decide which one she would like to go on a date with. One of those men was Rodney Alcala (Daniel Zovatto) who, a year later, was revealed to be a serial killer.

Kendrick tells the story out of order, framing it with The Dating Game juxtaposed with Alcala’s crimes committed before and after the show. So on one side we have a harrowing story of the ways the system has failed women and allows a killer like Alcala to go unpunished for so long. In between these scenes of real violence against real women we have a comedic tale full of witty “girlboss” retorts and applause lines. The result is a tonal inconsistency bordering on offensively tasteless.

The story of a killer appearing on a game show is fascinating but there isn’t enough to maintain interest even in a film this short. Kendrick gives us occasional directorial flourishes (the scene where Sheryl finally meets Rodney is absolutely chilling) but it’s too little too late. There is a compelling story buried somewhere in this cartoonish spectacle, but it won’t be found here. Woman of the Hour is now available on Netflix. 

Directed by Anna Kendrick // Written by Ian McDonald //Starring Kendrick, Daniel Zovatto, Nicolette Robinson, Autumn Best, Pete Holmes, Kathryn Gallagher, Kelley Jakle, Matt Visser, Jedidiah Goodacre, Rob Morton, Dylan Schmid, and Tony Hale // Netflix // 95 minutes // Rated R

Appudo Ippudo Eppudo is Nikhil’s new film, which has been in the making for a long time. The romantic drama, directed by Sudheer Varma, was finally released today. Let’s see how it is.

Story :

Rishi(Nikhil Siddhartha) is a race car driver in London. One fine day, he meets Tara(Rukmini Vasanth) his girlfriend Tara and rekindles his love affair. Right when the time comes to take his relationship to the next level, yet another ex-girlfriend of Rishi, Tulasi(Divyansha Kaushik) makes her entry and changes things upside down. Not only does Tulasi disturb Rishi’s love life but brings in a crime angle related to a mafia don. Who is this mafia don? Did Rishi win Tara’s love? What is Tulasi’s actual identity? To know all this, watch the film on the big screen.

Plus Points :

The entire film is based in London and looks rich. The film’s second half is decent and has been narrated on an engaging note. But the lead-up to all this is very boring. More on this later. Nikhil plays a lover boy in the film and looks sharp. His image and personality suit such characters and gives his best in the film.

Rukmini Vasanth makes her Telugu debut with this film and she looks beautiful. Though there was nothing much to do for her, Rukmini made her presence felt. But it is Divyansha Kaushik who surprises us with her act. Not only does she look gorgeous, she gets a meaty role and is the most sensible and upfront character in the film. The twists that she brings in the film are quite good.

Viva Harsha is there throughout the film and ably supports Nikhil. Comedian Satya and Sudarshan narrate the film and their track is quite good. A few romantic moments featuring Rukmini Vasanth and Nikhil are good. The confusion-comedy related to Viva Harsh and John Vijay was handled well. Ajay is decent in his negative role.

Minus Points : 

One of the biggest drawbacks of the film is the outdated storyline. Such stories have been narrated in so many films to date and there is nothing new that the film showcases. Also, the narration is outdated and that is seen in the first half of the film. Despite just loving it for two hours, it feels lengthy

Sudheer Varma is known to make such crime stories in the best way possible but it is quite surprising to see how he chooses a simple subject and narrates it in a very outdated manner. Right from the love track to the crime angle, the film has so many issues.

There is no freshness and a crazy actress like Rukmini Vasanth looks clueless in the film. The main villain played by John Vijay is nothing sort of a joker in the film and fails to create a basic impact. Whenever he appears on screens, it’s a cringe-fest for the audience. The first half, romance, twists, everything is dull. Things make sense only in the last ten minutes but by then things are way too late.

Technical Aspects :

The production values of the film are top-notch. The city of London is showcased in a very good manner with a crisp camerawork. The editing could have been a lot better in the second half. The lyrics are okay and the production design is cool. The writing is very bad and not one aspect of the film makes an impact.

Coming to the director Sudheer Varma, he has disappointed us once again. It is quite surprising to see such a good talent make films like these. There is absolutely nothing going its way for this film and the so-called Sudheer Varma mark is missing. He narrates the film in a very outdated manner and this gives the audience a very dull approach to the film.

Verdict :

On the whole, Appudo Ippudo Eppudo is as confusing as its heading. The film has good names but the narration is outdated and boring, Nikhil saves the day with his sincere performance but the rest is ordinary making this film a below-par watch this weekend.

123telugu.com Rating: 2.25/5

Reviewed by 123telugu Team 

In Dallas Jenkins’ The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, a group of kids wreak daily havoc on Emmanuel, a small town somewhere in America. The Herdmans, according to the narrator (Lauren Graham) of this uneven tale, are “the worst kids in the history of the world” — a title earned by Ralph (Mason D. Nelligan), Leroy (Ewan Wood), Claude (Matthew Lamb), Ollie (Essek Moore), Gladys (Kynlee Heiman) and Imogen (Beatrice Schneider) through a host of shenanigans ranging from personally offensive to downright harmful. 

A nifty montage at the beginning of the holiday feature shows the Herdmans bullying kids and adults with impunity; taking the Lord’s name in vain; smoking cigars; stealing from local businesses and even setting fire to a dilapidated shed. Because of their repugnant behavior, residents of the community hardly believed the Herdmans were “real,” says the narrator. “No one knew why they were that way.” And it appears that few people — including, at times, includes the filmmakers — sincerely want to find out. 

Based on the 1972 children’s book by Barbara Robinson, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever is a classic American tale that foregrounds the noncommercial meaning of the holiday. Working from a screenplay by Ryan Swanson, Platte Clark and Darian McDaniel, Jenkins (who is best known for The Chosen, a historical drama about the life of Jesus) crafts a tale that moves unsteadily between poignancy and a kind of emotional sterility.

The movie comes alive when it’s sketching the town’s petty grievances, or the relationship between the protagonist, Beth (Molly Belle Wright, playing a younger version of Graham’s narrator), and her mother, Grace (Judy Greer). But it lacks the same dynamism when it turns its attention to the Herdmans, who seem increasingly like ciphers for the film’s ecclesiastical themes. 

The action kicks off when Mrs. Armstrong (Mariam Bernstein), the director of Emmanuel’s annual Christmas pageant, gets injured and is forced to hand over supervision of this year’s show to Grace, whom the other church moms don’t respect. The film doesn’t detail the dynamics between all the women, but a few moments recall scenes the fish-out-of-water scenes involving Rachel McAdams’ Barbara among the PTA moms in Kelly Fremon Craig’s Judy Blume adaptation, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. Like Barbara, Grace wants to prove to this judgmental cadre that she can be relied upon to maintain this storied tradition. Her relationship with her daughter likewise echoes Barbara and Margaret’s, as another assured representation of an uplifting mother-daughter bond.

There’s a lot of pressure on this year’s pageant, which is the town’s 75th and doubles as a critical fundraising event, so Grace panics when the Herdmans bully their way into the main roles. How can she get these notoriously unruly children to comply? She initially brainstorms with her husband Bob (Pete Holmes) and Beth, but the trio don’t have to scheme for very long. It turns out the story of Jesus is more than enough. The Herdmans, whose parents always seem to be at work, have never been to church. When the six kids reluctantly come to Sunday school, lured by the promise of free food, they soon find themselves enamored by the story of Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus. 

And why wouldn’t they be? As the Herdmans engage with the Biblical narrative, they identify similarities between themselves and the Holy Family. Scenes of the young crew checking out books at the library and poring over each word as they see themselves in the pages remind of the grip stories have on young minds, how they can open entire worlds for readers.

Imogen, especially, becomes empowered by Mary’s tale. The young girl, who secretly wants to be considered delicate and pretty like popular girl Alice (Lorelei Olivia Mote), comes to realize that resilience is its own kind of beauty. Schneider’s performance as the unruly preteen, whose rough edges mask a softer and more sincere side, makes it easier to buy Imogen’s transformation. But it also highlights a nagging sense of incompleteness when it comes to the Herdmans’ story. The Best Christmas Pageant Ever never quite lands its most poignant moments because Imogen and her siblings remain stubbornly at a distance.

While Jenkins offers glimpses of these kids’ lives throughout The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, more sustained attention — more backstory on the parents’ absence, or more insight into the daily routines of the Herdmans — would have positively complicated the film. It could have underscored how much of the townspeople’s disdain of this clan stems from classism, and how rejection of difference contradicts the tenets they profess to believe in. Most of all, however, focusing on the Herdmans would have helped land more forcefully Jenkins’ lessons about how the true meaning of Christmas is shaped by community.