Movie Reviews

Rail Movie Review: A story lost on the tracks

Published

2 years ago

June 19, 2024

Rail Movie Review: A story lost on the tracks

Rail Movie Synopsis: Muthaiah, an electrician and alcoholic, feels his world slipping away as migrants from the north take his jobs. He’s got a wife who despises him and a neighbour, Sunil, who he despises in return. What is the dynamic that plays out between the three forms the crux of Rail.

Rail Movie Review: Initially titled “Vadakan”, which got rejected by the censor board, Rail follows Muthaiah (Kungumaraj) in a village somewhere near Madurai. The opening scene itself shows him passed out among the bushes, but like clockwork, his buddy Varadhan (Ramesh Vaidya) arrives to pull him into their daily drinking routine. Muthaiah’s wife, Chellama (Vairamala), hates him more and more when he comes home wasted every day. They have a neighbour Sunil, a worker from Mumbai, who is nice and hardworking. Muthaiah thinks that all these migrants are the source of his woes, and he can’t stand the sight of Sunil. To cut to the chase, Sunil dies in a bike accident and Muthiah’s story is all about his decline and eventual redemption.

There’s a mismatch in Rail. Muthaiah is portrayed as a good-for-nothing drunkard, yet the source of his woes are outsiders? That’s fine if the intention was to show entitlement, but then his arc has a soft spot with the whole fatherhood angle. Like, the guy has a drinking problem, that’s it. There’s plenty of chances to find work and make things right with his wife. His blood alcohol level won’t let him function as a normal human being. And that’s pretty much all we see of Muthaiah in this film: drinking and whining. We barely know anything about how migrants displace locals, as the only worker we follow is Sunil.

The film’s a bit monotonous. You go from a shabby home where the couple and Sunil live, to the bushes and a watering spot off-road where Muthaiah and his buddy drink daily. There’s not much to read between the lines. What you see is what you get. Same vibe and no substance is not a good mix. As mentioned, they tried to give Muthaiah a redemption arc in the second half, but it’s messed up by how quickly his wife and father-in-law forgive him for stealing Sunil’s money. You’re just unamused.

Kungumaraj and Vairamala did what the script asked, and they’re solid. Ramesh Vaidya’s screenscape is decent and some of his comedy lands. Theni Eswar has captured a few impressive scenes. Janani’s music is adequate.

Rail is a social-drama that doesn’t have a start or a destination to even derail. The movie goes down some road and you’ll still be wondering what it all means after watching it.

Written By: Abhinav Subramanian

Click to comment

Movie Reviews

Movie Review: AFFECTION – Assignment X

Published

9 hours ago

May 9, 2026

Press Room

By ABBIE BERNSTEIN / Staff Writer

Posted: May 8th, 2026 / 08:34 PM

Rating: Not Rated
Stars: Jessica Rothe, Joseph Cross, Julianna Layne
Writer: BT Meza
Director: BT Meza
Distributor: Brainstorm Media
Release Date: May 8, 2026

AFFECTION is an odd title for this tale. While it is about a number of topics and emotions, fondness isn’t one of them. Obsession, definitely. Love, possibly. The kind of general warm fellow feelings associated with “affection”? No.

There have been a lot of movies lately in which characters – mostly women – are grappling with false identities and/or false memories imposed upon them, mostly by men.

Let us stipulate that the protagonist (Jessica Rothe) in AFFECTION is not an android or in an artificial reality. However, we can tell something is way off from the opening sequence. A car is stalled on a tree-bordered highway. Rothe’s character is lying face down on the asphalt beside it, possibly dead.

But then the young woman rises, dragging a broken ankle. She experiences a full-body seizure. Fighting to recover, she sees oncoming headlights and tries to run, only to be hit by a car.

The woman wakes up in a bed she doesn’t recognize, next to a man (Joseph Cross) she likewise is sure she’s never seen before. One big confrontation later, the man says his name is Bruce – and that the woman is his wife, Ellie.

Ellie insists that her name is Sarah Thompson, and she is married to someone else, with a son. When she sees her reflection in a mirror, she doesn’t relate to the face looking back at her.

Bruce counters that Ellie has a rare neurological condition that causes her to block out her waking life and believe her dreams are real. This is why they agreed, together, to move to this isolated house, without the kinds of interruptions that can hinder Ellie’s recovery.

The set-up is presented in a way where we share Ellie’s skepticism. But Ellie and Bruce’s little daughter Alice (Julianna Layne) immediately identifies Ellie as “Mommy!” Alice appears to be too young to be in on any kind of deception, so what is going on here?

AFFECTION eventually explains this via a helpful videotape, though it’s so convoluted that viewers watching on streaming may want to replay the sequence to make sure they understand the exposition.

Writer/director BT Meza musters a sense of menace and lurking weirdness, as well as making great use of his location.

We still have a lot of questions, many of which are still unanswered by the film’s end. It may not matter to the points AFFECTION is trying to make, but a better sense of exactly how all this started might help our investment.

As it is, despite a heroically versatile performance by Rothe, a credible and anguished turn by Cross and appealing work from Layne, we’re so busy trying to piece together what’s important and what’s not and how we’re supposed to feel about all of it that it can be hard to keep track of the action as it unfolds.

Agree or not, Meza’s arguments are lucid and illustrated clearly by AFFECTION’s events. However, the movie is structured in a way that becomes more frustrating as it goes. We comprehend it intellectually but can’t engage viscerally.

Related: Movie Review: ITCH!
Related: Movie Review: HOKUM
Related: Movie Review: ANIMAL FARM
Related: Movie Review: OVER YOUR DEAD BODY
Related: Movie Review: THE WOLF AND THE LAMB
Related: Movie Review: BASIC PYSCH
Related: Movie Review: SCREAMS FROM THE TOWER
Related: Movie Review: FUZE
Related: Movie Review: LEE CRONIN’S THE MUMMY
Related: Movie Review: HAPPY HALLOWEEN
Related: Movie Review: NORMAL
Related: Movie Review: MOTHER MARY
Related: Movie Review: FACES OF DEATH
Related: Movie Review: EXIT 8
Related: Movie Review: HAMLET
Related: Movie Review: THE YETI
Related: Movie Review: OUR HERO, BALTHAZAR
Related: Movie Review: THE SERPENT”S SKIN
Related: Movie Review: PRETTY LETHAL
Related: Movie Review: READY OR NOT 2: HERE I COME

Follow us on Twitter at ASSIGNMENT X
Like us on Facebook at ASSIGNMENT X

Article Source: Assignment X
Article: Movie Review: AFFECTION

Movie Reviews

8News Reel Talk: ‘The Devil Wears Prada 2’ movie review

Published

21 hours ago

May 8, 2026

Press Room

8News Reel Talk: ‘The Devil Wears Prada 2’ movie review

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — In this episode of 8News Reel Talk, digital producer Julia Broberg is joined by anchor Deanna Allbrittin and reporter Allison Williams to talk about “The Devil Wears Prada 2.”

The hosts gave their reviews and assigned the following star ratings:

Deanna: ★★★★.5

Allison: ★★★.25

Julia: ★★

To watch more livestreams and digital video content, head to the WRIC+ Originals page. You can also watch full on-demand videos on your smart TV using the WRIC+ app.

Movie Reviews

“Billie Eilish – Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour” Movie Review – Spotlight Report

Published

1 day ago

May 8, 2026

Press Room

“Billie Eilish – Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour” Movie Review – Spotlight Report

Billie Eilish fans prepare yourself, the much talked about secret project has finally arrived on the big screens!

Billie Eilish has always been about intimacy over artifice, but her latest concert film takes that to a visceral new level. Co-directed by Eilish and James Cameron, Billie Eilish – Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D) manages to bridge the gap between a massive stadium show and the quiet grit of life backstage.

The film starts 18 minutes out from the show and builds the tension until audiences are literally folded into a box with her. Being taken under the stage, passing fans who have no idea she’s inches away, sets a tone of total immersion. What makes this film different is the balance between the spectacle and the behind-the-scenes reality. We see the creative shorthand between Billie and James Cameron as they chase what she calls the “best kind of sensory overload”.

The film is very much fan focussed, with the sound mix being so specific that you can hear individual fans singing along in sync with the visuals.

There are so many standout moments, the handheld camera work during “Bad Guy” that gives a dizzying POV of the band, and the chilling minute of silence Billie requests from the crowd to record a vocal loop.

The film captures her unique stage presence. Influenced by rap culture, Billie refuses to have anyone else on stage, unlike many female artists that use back up dancers. Billie can hold the entire stadium in awe by herself which is incredible to witness, until Finneas joins her for a beautiful, emotional piano set.

Between the high-tech visuals and the “Puppy Room” (where she keeps rescue dogs for staff to decompress), the film feels incredibly personal. While the film doesn’t give us any new insights into Billie, Billie Eilish – Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D) is an enjoyable experience that elevates the tradition concert film.