Satirical thrillers don’t come along every day. There’s a lot that goes in to making two genres work in concert with each other. So, when you see it happen, it’s pretty nice to see. While never going above and beyond, Skincare is an example of a film that does manage to do both, even if it’s never spectacularly executed. The movie takes you along for a fun little ride, which ends up at an obvious but still entertaining denouement.

Skincare is a flick that revels in detailing the ugly side of the beauty world. Characters are vain and weird, the scenarios are a bit highlighted, and you have a sense that anything can happen. What ultimately does happen is worthy of a smile, even if it doesn’t get quite as crazy and out there as it otherwise could have.

Hope Goldman (Elizabeth Banks) is an aesthetician hoping to take her career to the next level by launching her very own skincare line. Her glory days may have faded, but this move is going to put her on top. One day, a rival facialist in Angel Vergara (Luis Gerardo Méndez) opens a new boutique directly across from her store, offering up the same services. This throws her for a loop, both personally and professionally, believing someone is trying to sabotage her.

Desperate to save her business as well as her personal reputation and business, she teams up with her life coach friend Jordan (Lewis Pullman) to figure it out. Who is destroying her life? Why are they doing it? Plus, what will she do once she figures it out. The results, while not especially surprising, are enjoyable to witness.

Elizabeth Banks is very good here, having a blast with the character. So too is Lewis Pullman, though his character is less enjoyable to be around. Banks is the highlight, since Pullman comes and goes from the narrative a bit. She’s able to dive in to the comedy of it all, while also being a more than compelling thriller protagonist. In addition to Luis Gerardo Méndez, who is fine, the supporting players here include Ella Balinska, Nathan Fillion, Wendie Malick, Erik Palladino, MJ Rodriguez, and more.

Co-writer/director Austin Peters doesn’t have a ton of style, but he recognizes that he has a strong central performance from Banks. The screenplay Peters penned with Sam Freilich and Deering Regan is making some mildly satirical points, while his direction mostly just keeps the plot moving. Skincare is not flashy, to be sure, but Banks and to a lesser extent Pullman, makes it work.

Skincare doesn’t reinvent the wheel here, but it works far more than it doesn’t. Watching Banks let off the chain is a definite pleasure, while the rules of the genre are followed well. As long as you don’t have unrealistic expectations about what this is, you’re in for a good time. A few laughs, a few thrills, and you’re out the door. Nothing wrong with that!

SCORE: ★★★

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The dynamic duo, Mass Maharaja Ravi Teja and Harish Shankar, have reunited for Mr. Bachchan, which hit theaters today amidst high expectations. Without further ado, dive into our review to see how it fares.

Story:

Anand, aka Bachchan (Ravi Teja), is a straight-laced income tax officer suspended due to his unwavering honesty. Upon returning to his hometown, he falls in love with Jikki (Bhagyashree Borse), who soon reciprocates his feelings. Just as things start looking up, Bachchan is reinstated and tasked with raiding the home of a powerful local figure, Mutyam Jaggaiah (Jagapathi Babu). What follows is a daring mission that tests Bachchan’s resolve, revealing unexpected challenges and twists.

Positive Points:

When Mr. Bachchan was announced, many doubted the idea of remaking the hit film Raid. However, Harish Shankar manages to surprise by keeping the essence of the original while tailoring the story to suit Telugu audiences.

Ravi Teja shines in a role that seems custom-made for him. As the determined IT officer and the romantic lead with a deep admiration for legends like Kishore Kumar and Amitabh Bachchan, he delivers a performance full of energy and charm. His on-screen chemistry with Bhagyashree Borse is delightful and adds a refreshing touch to the narrative.

Bhagyashree Borse is a standout in her role, bringing both glamour and emotion to the screen. Her performance is bound to catch the attention of many in Tollywood. Jagapathi Babu, too, leaves an impression, particularly in his intense exchanges with Ravi Teja. The rest of the cast did their part well.

The film’s comedy, led by Satya, hits the mark, and Mickey J Meyer’s soundtrack adds vibrancy, particularly in the lively and massy songs. The use of retro music during romantic scenes offers a nostalgic feel that fans of Amitabh Bachchan and Kishore Kumar will appreciate.

Minus Points:

Harish Shankar successfully blends elements like romance, action, comedy, and punchy dialogues to entertain mass audiences, particularly in the first half. However, the second half loses its way, straying from the main plot and introducing unnecessary comedy that dilutes the film’s impact. The absence of the same level of intensity and mass appeal that was present in the first half is noticeable.

While Bhagyashree Borse excels in her role, she is underutilised in the second half, with limited screen time that doesn’t do justice to her character. Jagapathi Babu’s character, initially portrayed as a formidable antagonist, fades in the second half, losing the impact built up earlier in the film.

The climax, unfortunately, feels outdated and implausible, even within the mass-entertainment genre. A more meaningful approach to the climax fight could have enhanced the film’s appeal.

Technical Aspects:

As a director, Harish Shankar does well in balancing mass elements with comedy and romance in the first half, but the second half’s pacing and coherence could have been stronger. As a writer, he could have focused more on refining the second half, but when it comes to crafting punch dialogues, he excels.

Cinematographer Ayananka Bose captures the film beautifully, especially during the song sequences. Editor Ujwal Kulkarni could have tightened the second half by cutting unnecessary scenes. Mickey J Meyer’s music stands out, offering a mix of energetic tracks that elevate the film. The production values are solid, and the art department’s efforts to create a retro vibe, particularly in the first half, are commendable.

Verdict:

On the whole, Mr. Bachchan has its moments but caters primarily to mass audiences. Ravi Teja and Jagapathi Babu deliver decent performances, and Bhagyashri Bose adds a touch of glamour, but the second half falls short due to unnecessary comedy and pacing issues. If you’re a fan of Raid, the original movie that inspired Mr. Bachchan, it’s best to temper your expectations.

123telugu.com Rating: 2.75/5

Reviewed by 123telugu Team

Click Here For Telugu Review

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Early in Zoë Kravitz’s charged but scattered directorial debut Blink Twice, a tech tycoon caught in the storm of controversy offers a familiar kind of apology. After “everything that happened,” Slater King (Channing Tatum) says in a video, the billionaire will step back from his company. He regrets his actions and, in an effort to change, will retreat to his private island for reflection. We never find out exactly what Slater did, but in our digital wasteland littered with similarly scripted #MeToo atonements, it doesn’t take much imagination. 

Frida (an excellent Naomi Ackie) seems unbothered by the allegations surrounding Slater or the feigned sincerity of his recorded remorse. When we meet the optimistic aspiring nail designer, she’s sitting on the toilet of her rundown apartment, watching the video of the beleaguered tycoon with adoring eyes, fantasizing about the day the two might meet.

It’s lucky, then, that the next evening, while working as a waitress at a fundraising event, Frida comes face to face with Slater. Their encounter is clumsy but electric — a meet-cute fit for a romantic comedy. She trips on the hem of her dress; he helps her up and holds her gaze. Later that night, as the party thins, Slater asks Frida to fly with him and his crew to his private island. She eagerly accepts the invitation and conscripts her best friend and roommate Jess (Alia Shawkat) to come along. 

If Triangle of Sadness, Glass Onion and The Menu have taught us anything, it’s that a group of strangers in a secluded locale spells trouble. Kravitz, who co-wrote the screenplay with E.T. Feigenbaum, quickly establishes Blink Twice as both social satire satire and horror, yet balancing the two proves to be more challenging as the narrative revs up.

There are no cellphones allowed on Slater’s island. The people on staff, like those in Jordan Peele’s Get Out, wear forced smiles that merely pronounce their vacant stares. Luggage is unnecessary as matching white linen sets are provided for the islanders. Drinks flow, drugs abound and each evening’s dinner is prepared by Slater’s friend, Cody (Simon Rex), using locally farmed produce and served by candlelight. These scenes are sun-kissed and dreamy, facilitating the otherworldly mood of this tropical island. 

Unlike recent eat-the-rich offerings, Blink Twice is only partially about ultra-wealthy bacchanalia. Soon after they arrive, Frida notices strange occurrences on the island. A maid (María Elena Olivares) repeats odd phrases to her; Jess disappears, and Frida realizes her memories are an increasingly patchy assemblage of images. Why can’t she recall the origin of random bruises or the dirt under her fingernails? A similar thing seems to be happening to other women on the island, including Sarah (Hit Man‘s Adria Arjona, excellent), a former contestant on a Survivor-like reality show with whom Frida competes for Slater’s attention. 

Kravitz is primarily interested in sexual violence against women and the psychic toll of trauma. Her film echoes Emerald Fennell’s Promising Young Woman, except Kravitz delivers on gore. Vengeance here is, thrillingly, more than an abstraction. There’s also a drifting effort to investigate the simultaneous invisibility and hyper-visibility of Black women, especially early in the film when Frida is at work, but that is disappointingly subsumed by later action. 

As Frida makes sense of these bizarre incidents, she stumbles upon nightmarish truths about Slater’s island; Blink Twice ends up abandoning pretenses of social satire to revel in the machinations of horror. Kravitz, working with DP Adam Newport-Berra (The Last Black Man in San Francisco), reinscribes earlier idyllic images of the island with a touch of malevolence, and turns the coniferous enclave into a haunted arena of fatal obstacles.

There are a few moments when Blink Twice’s busy narrative —  stuffed with twists and turns as it trails Frida’s gripping quest for survival — and its slippery visual language coalesce to realize Kravitz’s ambitions. But Blink Twice is ultimately too scattered, stretched thin by the demands of its weighted themes, conspicuous imagery, half-baked plot points and partially realized characters. 

If Blink Twice succeeds to the extent that it does, that’s largely thanks to a handful of striking performances. Tatum delivers a sturdy turn in a role that requires him to find subtler ways to wield his charm. But it’s Ackie and Arjona who really focus and energize the film. Ackie, who played Whitney Houston in Kasi Lemmons’ 2022 biopic, is a force, offering a powerful portrayal of a woman collapsing under the weight of her trauma. Her performance is raw and vulnerable, extending an invitation to understand the depths of Frida’s character despite the thin sketch.

Alongside Arjona, Ackie also builds a portrait of strength. The relationship between Frida and Sarah models and tests familiar dynamics between women, from petty jealousies to empowering alliances. It’s a credit to Ackie and Arjona that Frida and Sarah’s reactions to the reality of their ordeal register as genuine. Their curdling screams chill spines, their tears stir. The two actors don’t just explore the rage fueling Blink Twice; they tap into it.