Will Movie Synopsis:After dividing his properties between two sons, an elderly man’s will unexpectedly includes a property transfer to an unknown girl named Shraddha. Inspired by a real-life incident, this legal drama follows a mysterious case.Will Movie Review: When a new judge (Sonia Aggarwal) is transferred to the Madras High Court, we witness a series of lawyers’ requests for preponement or postponement of multiple cases. While one insists that a hearing be scheduled earlier, as it deals with a film’s release date, another cites the unavailability of a senior lawyer to push a different case to a later time. Through a series of discussions, light banter, and everyday exchanges, we see the court come alive in a way rarely seen in Tamil cinema. We’re not in the middle of a heated argument or a silence-filled room waiting for a confession, but rather a simple meeting between lawyers and a judge to hear routine matters. This touch of realism instantly pulls you into the world of Will, and it’s no surprise when you learn that debut director S. Sivaraman was once an advocate.That said, this is one of the rare moments when this legal drama appears focused and to the point. The film follows an old man’s will, which mentions a seemingly random property transfer to an unknown girl named Shraddha (Alekhya Ramnaidu). When a suit is filed in court, a lawyer-turned-cop, Murugan (Vikranth), begins his search for Shraddha. The confusion begins here. A series of events in this investigation does not play out clearly, keeping us in the dark. For instance, Murugan connects two seemingly unrelated cases to find the location of Shraddha; however, we never understand how he initially realized that these cases might be related.The narrative gradually drifts from courtroom drama to investigation to an emotional family drama. While each strand works on its own, these never truly blend into a cohesive whole. Shraddha’s story is moving – yet the way it ties different threads to finally talk about the sacrifices of women, and a few unnecessary subplots, like the one about Shraddha’s husband or a ghost employment scam, pack way too much information. This constant shift from its central focus becomes quite distracting.Sonia Aggarwal makes a strong impression in her brief role as the new judge, but appears in only a handful of scenes. Vikranth is earnest as a sensitive cop, yet it’s Alekhya Ramnaidu who stands out, portraying Shraddha’s pain with a lot of depth.Sivaraman’s debut film is full of heart, with a moving portrayal of a woman’s life and the choices she makes to protect her family. However, the legal drama struggles to find its balance and often gets lost in its own argument. Written By: Harshini SV

Arts

TRON: Ares
Director: Joachim Rønning
Sea Bailey Productions
In Theaters: 10.10.25

I’m a member of GenX, which means I may not be from the greatest generation, but I’m still old enough to long for the ‘80s, and to smugly and stubbornly cling to the delusion that every significant piece of pop culture from that era is superior to what gets made now. Memories of my TRON popup book still move me to tears, and the only thing that keeps me from revering the original as a groundbreaking classic is that every ten years or so, I make the mistake of actually watching it. While TRON: Legacy worked well enough as a glossy nostalgia fix, it was overlong and so much in the shadow of The Matrix that it got bogged down in trying to be smart and existential that it was something of a mess. The point I’m trying to make is for me, loving TRON and thinking that it’s great are too different things.   

TRON: Ares follows an advanced program called Ares (Jared Leto, Dallas Buyer’s Club) created by tech mogul Julian Dillinger (Evan Peters, X-Men: Days of Future Past, Mare of Easttown), who sends him from the digital world into reality. The only problem? He can only remain in the real world without breaking down. Determined to weaponize A.I., Julian seeks a mysterious “permanence code” that allows digital beings to exist indefinitely in the real world — a discovery secretly made by ENCOM’s CEO, Eve Kim (Greta Lee, Past Lives), continuing her late sister’s work. When Ares and fellow program Athena (Jodie Turner-Smith) are dispatched to retrieve the code, Ares begins to question his purpose after encountering Eve’s compassion. As Julian’s obsession spirals into violence, Eve and her allies fight to free Ares and stop him from weaponizing the code. Torn between his creator’s orders and his growing self-awareness, Ares must decide whether to obey or rebel as the line between human and program dissolves.

I was initially unhappy with the choice of Joachim Rønning to direct, having been less than entertained by the dreadful Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, but last year’s Young Woman and the Sea really turned me around and made me hopeful. Rønning has a strong handle on the eye-popping visual style of the TRON films, and proves himself to be a highly capable action director. The emphasis on action, embracing the silliness and giving us a streamlined plot with an easy-to-compute McGuffin makes TRON: Ares far more enjoyable as an eye candy blockbuster than I was expecting it to be. That’s not to say that it’s a great film, or a great story, but this time around, there’s an unmistakable Terminator influence that I found to  be quite energizing, and the pacing is much more swift than we’ve come to expect from the franchise. Visually, the movie really delivers, but there’s an audible reason for concern: the whole thing is way too damn loud. While it may be a critically incorrect hot take, I don’t love the way Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross have become the go-to composers for everything, as I find their music to be repetitive and gimmicky much of the time. But while I’m more fond of Daft Punk‘s score for Legacy, the Nine Inch Nails soundtrack is cool and fun, and it gets the job done, but there are far too many times when the whole theater is shaking from the base, and the dialogue is drowned out (not that the dialogue is ever that important). Between the noise level and the constant flashing lights, this is going to one mighty migraine maker of a movie for many.

As a general rule, Leto’s presence in a movie tends to be a big incentive for me to stay away, but despite looking like Turning Point USA’s version of Jesus Christ doing a commercial for Gorilla Snot hair gel, he’s actually quite well suited for the role. The “what is the thinking about?” feeling of detachment and slightly glazed look in his eyes is perfect for a computer program, and he really nails the lighter moments. It’s great to see Lee starring in a major blockbuster, though this movie certainly doesn’t give any hint of the kind of raw brilliance she’s capable of as an actress. Peters is a charismatic actor who is so skilled that he can get hammy without being insufferable even in a Ryan Murphy series, and his take on Julian Dillinger is young corporate corporate baddie who is basically a Lex Luthor who’s not nearly as fun as Nicholas Hoult’s but miles above Jesse Eisenberg’s nauseating version.

It would be overstating to call TRON: Ares a good film, but it’s a helluva fun TRON movie!  If you’re not already attached to the franchise, you truly have no reason to be seeing this one at all. It’s nothing more and nothing less than a hyperactive, hyperstylized and self aware treat for those who grew up on the original. While it’s not going to make best of the year list by a longshot, I’ll most certainly end up owning a digital copy. —Patrick Gibbs

Read more film reviews by Patrick Gibbs:
Film Review: Roofman
Film Review: A House of Dynamite

Work! It’s the thing most of us have to do, some of us like to do and many of us would rather not do, and it’s no surprise that it’s the subject of so much TV.

Workplace comedy has been responsible for some of television’s greatest series — “Taxi,” “Barney Miller,” “NewsRadio,” “Parks and Recreation,” “30 Rock,” “The Office,” obviously, “Abbott Elementary,” just off the top of my head — and some of its shortest lived. Anywhere a job gets done can theoretically support one — pick a workplace (sushi bar, travel agency, magic shop, museum, whatever), write a pitch, get an agent and, presto, you’re a TV writer. You can put the characters in later.

Okay — it’s not quite that easy. But there is a common Mad Libs structure to such series, whether filmed before a live audience or single camera, placing a variety pack of individuals into a shared space. Some characters might be related; there may be romantic attraction between a couple. Not much actual work will get done, and what gets done may make no real-world sense, but the office is the box that holds them and colors their lives. “The Paper,” “Animal Control,” “St. Denis Medical,” “Going Dutch” and “Shifting Gears” are among those currently airing and streaming and, minor stylistic variation notwithstanding, they have more in common than not.

Of all the offices a person might be required to visit, the Department of Motor Vehicles, with its purgatorial air, has one of the worst reputations. It’s a safe bet that, sitting there waiting for your number to be called, you never thought, “I would really love to work here,” but this being Hollywood, you may have thought, “There’s a show in this.”

Indeed, the most surprising thing about “DMV,” a single-camera, non-mockumentary sitcom premiering Monday on CBS, is that it took so long to arrive. Created by Dana Klein (and inspired by Katherine Heiny’s short story “Chicken-Flavored And Lemon-Scented”), it’s a representative example of its kind, not bad, not exceptional, a platform for some good actors to do their work. Its perfect averageness makes it easy to dismiss, but it’s a painless, pleasant half-hour, with a smattering of genuine laughs. And like every such show, it can be expected to ripen with age, if age comes.

Harriet Dyer plays Colette, sweet and awkward and nominally the ensemble’s main character. A driving examiner, she has the nickname “E-Z Pass,” because she never flunks an applicant. She has a crush-at-first-sight on new hire Noa (Alex Tarrant), a charming, cheery hunk/lunk from Down Under. Manager Barbara (Molly Kearney) loves her job “and every single person who works here”; Vic (Tony Cavalero) is the series’ inexplicable oddball, intense, pumped-up; Ceci (Gigi Zumbado) is the staff photographer, who in her mind is shooting for Vogue. Finally there’s Tim Meadows, as Gregg, whose patented deadpan I have found a highlight of every show he’s ever landed in. Both as actor and character — jaded, cynical, satisfied — he’s the series’ sane old pro, who will instruct Noa in the art of taking a cigarette break without a cigarette.

Situations are classic. Cost-cutting consultants arrive to interview the employees (“I requested time off because my mama passed away, but was denied,” says Vic, “and it’s happened twice”) and decide whether the branch will live. (There are four Hollywood branches in this alternative universe — as if.) Colette gives Noa, who needs an American license, his driving test, and he’s terrible. It’s a very hot day and none of the employees are allowed to touch the air conditioning. In a variant of a situation that has likely appeared in two out of every three sitcoms ever produced, an old friend of Colette’s, now a TV star, shows up at the branch; Colette tells elaborate lies about having followed her own dream of becoming a veterinarian, compounded by the “assistance” of a wig-wearing Vic as her husband. Of course, a dog will become sick. There will be pranks.

“What we do here makes a difference,” Barbara tells the consultants in an inspirational speech, making the point that “DMV” is not out to denigrate the institution or the people who work there. However bored the person helping you at the window may seem, or if they’re disinclined to return your cheery hello, that person in line before you may have been a jerk. Remember that when your license expires.