The Odyssey
Adventure, Action, Fantasy (English)
Odysseus, the legendary King of Ithaca, embarks on a long and perilous journey home following the Trojan War. Throughout his voyage, he is forced to confront the whims of gods, mythological monsters, and trials that stretch both his cunning and (more…)
Guild Reviews by Film
Heartstopper Forever
Romance, Drama (English)
It's a new school year for the Truham-Higgs gang. As Nick and Charlie's relationship deepens, their thoughts turn to life after the last bell rings.
Cast:
Kit Connor, Joe Locke, William Gao, Yasmin Finney, Corinna Brown, Kizzy Edgell, Tobie Donovan, Jenny Walser, Rhea Norwood, Leila Khan
Director:
Wash Westmoreland
Writer:
Alice Oseman
Sat, July 18 2026
Directed by Wash Westmoreland, the award-winning series wraps up with a bittersweet movie that allows fans a proper goodbye
While it is disappointing that Heartstopper never got a fourth season, viewers should be satisfied that the new movie Heartstopper Forever allows the coming-of-age tale to grow up and go out on its own terms. Writer Alice Oseman has adapted the sixth and final volume of their own webcomics. Over the past four years, we’ve watched characters Nick and Charlie met, become friends and fall in love. In the final movie, the two teenagers take tentative steps towards their futures and tackle misunderstandings in their relationship. The movie is a bittersweet ending to a show that makes audiences feel like part of this supportive world.
The Odyssey
Adventure, Action, Fantasy (English)
Odysseus, the legendary King of Ithaca, embarks on a long and perilous journey home following the Trojan War. Throughout his voyage, he is forced to confront the whims of gods, mythological monsters, and trials that stretch both his cunning and his humanity to the breaking point.
Cast:
Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong'o, Charlize Theron, Zendaya, Benny Safdie, Jon Bernthal, John Leguizamo
Director:
Christopher Nolan
Writer:
Christopher Nolan
Sat, July 18 2026
With his gracious version of Homer’s Greek epic, Christopher Nolan liberates us from the contortions of mythology
The homework required to process The Odyssey is a key part of the experience. Familiarising yourself with the fabled source material (Homer’s ancient Greek epic) goes hand in hand with re-acquainting yourself with the fabled director’s filmography. If you’ve been watching Christopher Nolan’s movies over the years, you’ve essentially seen the making of The Odyssey in real time. It’s not just the recurring themes of adrift men looking for a way home — to children, to comrades, to companions, to family, to themselves. It’s also in the physical images of Nolan-telling scattered across this narrative. There are flashes everywhere. A confused man wrestling with memory on the sea-shore (Inception); the piecing together of a disorienting past (Memento); an injured hero returning to rescue a city under siege (The Dark Knight trilogy); a blind worker, twins, and the obsession to win as a plot device (The Prestige); wars fought on hostile water and lands (Dunkirk); Trojan-Horse-coded deception by a Matt Damon character and a father chasing a belated promise (Interstellar); a thinker haunted by the consequences of his genius (Oppenheimer); a sleepless and guilt-riddled veteran (Insomnia); the blurred lines of time and tide (all of them). The film-maker has been adapting Homer for more than two decades. Like the protagonist, he finally returns home with The Odyssey, but not before defying the genre gods and braving the blockbuster elements.
Sat, July 18 2026
A Christopher Nolan film is always a reason for that extra excitement for any cinema buff. If Billy Wilder famously wondered, “How would Lubitsch do it?”, film lovers today often find themselves asking, “How would Nolan do it?” Whether it is space travel or a biopic about the scientist who created the most destructive weapon known to mankind, Nolan brings his own unique vision to storytelling. What makes his films special is the way he crafts them, using every cinematic tool at his disposal. In fact, he constantly pushes the boundaries of the medium.
Sat, July 18 2026
Matt Damon stars as Odysseus in Christopher Nolan's impressively mounted but conservative adaptation of Homer's epic
I’d like to believe John Leguizamo is Eumaeus in The Odyssey because he was Tybalt in Romeo + Juliet (1996). To watch Baz Luhrmann’s film as a 12-year-old and hear Shakespeare’s language from the mouths of Leguizamo and Harold Perrineau and Dash Mihok rewired my brain. In Christopher Nolan’s latest film, Leguizamo plays a blind swineherd on the island of Ithaca living in the hope that his king Odysseus (Matt Damon) will return. It’s an oddly tender performance, but the electricity of his Tybalt is missing. In its place, extending across the entire cast, is a more limited provocation—imagine if ancient Greeks spoke like present-day Americans instead of posh Brits?
Oh! Sukumari
Comedy, Romance, Drama (Telugu)
Follows an aspiring politician who falls in love with Sukumari, a beautiful and soft-natured woman, while her father conceals a secret that threatens their relationship.
Cast:
Thiruveer Reddy, Aishwarya Rajesh, Jhansi, Vishnu Oi, Anjaiah Milkuri, Srinivas Gavireddy, Kranthi Balivada
Director:
Bharat Dharshan
Writer:
Bharat Dharshan
Sat, July 18 2026
Set in rural Telangana, director Bharat Dharshan’s Telugu film turns a familiar tale of family dynamics and personal dreams into a partly engaging dramedy with a quirky central hook
In the opening portions of Oh! Sukumari, a young girl hears her teacher describe happiness as a large family bound by love and togetherness. Having lost her mother, she quietly holds on to the hope of finding that kind of home someday. Elsewhere, an ageing patriarch mourns a family that seems to value him more for his wealth than his presence. Their shared longing for love and belonging forms the emotional core of the film. Director Bharath Dharshan brings these seemingly disparate lives together with humour. Oh! Sukumari belongs to the recent wave of low-stakes rural comedies that find charm in the everyday lives, dreams and struggles of ordinary people.
Varavu
Action, Thriller (Malayalam)
Cast:
Joju George, Vani Viswanath, Murali Gopy, Arjun Ashokan, Saniya Iyyappan, Sukanya, Baburaj, Vincy Aloshious, Ashwin Kumar, Abhimanyu Thilakan
Director:
Shaji Kailas
Writer:
A K Sajan
Sat, July 18 2026
Every plot point is told from a broad, generic standpoint with nothing left to guess
If Shaji Kailas began his career today, he would wrestle with the idea of starting out as a celebrated food vlogger. Even when he’s setting up major action sequences, he seems obsessed with the idea of staging confrontation around food. Speaking strictly of its novelty, this could be something as inane as framing an intro shot while placing a hot, steaming glass of lemon tea at the foreground. But the ideas that cracked me up in his new film were the subtle innuendos he’s packed in to trigger a conflict. Take the instance of five masked assassins walking into a small restaurant with the intention of creating trouble. One of them looks at the waitress and shadily asks if she will give him some “buns and milk”. It’s meant to sound as off as it does, but the dialogue delivery of the actor makes it sound crass. When the film’s hero, Paulson (Joju George trying his best), walks in upon hearing this, he sends the bad guy flying with a kick to his groin. As he flies across the screen, we see two eggs flying with the same velocity, landing at the centre of a frying pan. A second later, Paulson slashes a sword across another bad guy and instead of zooming in on the damage this causes, we cut to a shot of a banana that gets sliced into two.
Ikka
Drama, Thriller (Hindi)
With a loved one's life at stake, a celebrated lawyer must defend a man he suspects is guilty — battling his conscience every step of the way.
Cast:
Sunny Deol, Akshaye Khanna, Tillotama Shome, Dia Mirza, Sanjeeda Sheikh, Jyoti Mukherji, Shishir Sharma, Akansha Ranjan Kapoor, Vijay Vikram Singh, Daria Bedi
Director:
Siddharth P. Malhotra
Writer:
Suparn Verma
Sat, July 18 2026
It’s a truth universally acknowledged that a star’s person eventually subsumes every character that they play on screen. With Sunny Deol, it’s never about whether he is good or bad in a film. It’s about Sunny Deol playing Sunny Deol in a Sunny Deol film! The necessary accoutrements are all in place. The slow-motion entry, the clenche d f ist , the admonishing finger, the fiery stare, the high-octane roar and of course, the “dhai kilo ka haath”. Together, they provide the intended comfort of familiarity. As for Akshaye Khanna, the Dhurandhar hangover continues to loom large. The hair is still there, though not quite as glorious as before, but recognisably similar. The tilted neck, the inverted smile and the studied mannerisms are even more pronounced. Bookended by these two larger-than-life performances is a story struggling to breathe and say something of its own. A young girl is brutally assaulted under mysterious circumstances. As she battles for her life in the hospital, the action shifts to the courtroom. Enter Arjun Mehra (Deol), a lawyer whose reputation precedes him.
Sun, July 12 2026
A lot is at stake in Ikka, and we are aren’t just talking about the receding hairlines of its main men. Almost three decades after they came together on screen for Border, Sunny Deol and Akshaye Khanna feature in this commercial Bollywood-style courtroom thriller that cranks up melodrama to the max, but is nostalgically old-school enough to make for some guilty-pleasure viewing. Unlike Border, where they batted for the same team, Sunny and Akshaye are at loggerheads in this Siddharth P. Malhotra-directorial, though they do join forces — unwillingly for the former — for a large part of this film that throws in enough twisty plot points but isn’t particularly smart or sleek.
Sat, July 11 2026
kka revolves around the celebrated Public Prosecutor Arjun Mehra (Sunny Deol). He is known for fighting for the truth and that too by adhering to ethics. He stays in Mumbai with his wife Avantika (Dia Mirza) and daughter Samaira (Daria Bedi). One day, Shouryamann Gaur (Akshaye Khanna), son of a wealthy industrialist and politician Harshvardhan Gaur (Shishir Sharma), gets accused of attempting to murder Soma Mittal (Akansha Ranjan), a young girl he met at a night club. Arjun is offered to fight Shouryamann’s case as a Defense Lawyer this time. He plainly refuses because of the past equation between both of them. However, circumstances force Arjun to fight Shouryaman’s case.
Little House on the Prairie
Drama, Western, Family (English)
The close-knit Ingalls family builds a new life on the Western frontier, where the joys of nature and the struggle for survival are deeply intertwined.
Cast:
Luke Bracey, Crosby Fitzgerald, Alice Halsey, Skywalker Hughes, Kowen Cadorath
Thu, July 16 2026
Rebecca Sonnenshine's take on Laura Ingalls Wilder's book series starts off as faithful and hopeful.
The 1970s series of the same name was an American classic and this Netflix retelling introduces the story by Laura Ingalls Wilder through her semi-autobiographical books. The Ingalls family heads out to the American prairie and finds steady challenges in their decision to relocate. Showrunner Rebecca Sonnenshine establishes the mood for the family drama that hints of both adventure and conflict. With young stars Alice Halsey and Skywalker Hughes, the new Little House series is both nostalgic and optimistic for a time gone by that was once filled with promise.
Lucky
Drama, Crime (English)
When a multi-million-dollar heist goes sideways, con artist Lucky is forced to go on the run. Pursued by both the FBI and a ruthless crime boss, Lucky must fight for her life—and a way out.
Cast:
Anya Taylor-Joy, Annette Bening, Timothy Olyphant, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Clifton Collins Jr., Drew Starkey, William Fichtner, Mo McRae
Thu, July 16 2026
The gritty limited series features Anya Taylor-Joy on the run and fighting for her life
Lucky’s leading lady, Anya Taylor-Joy, has the word ‘resilience’ written all over. Which is why she was perfectly cast for the projects Furiosa: A Mad Max Story and The Queen’s Gambit. Now, Taylor-Joy leads Apple TV’s Lucky both as star and executive producer in a wild and thrilling chase in which she is the emotional heart. Playing the vulnerable but wily con artist, the actress is the best part of the series adaptation of Marissa Stapley’s novel. The limited series by Jonathan Tropper and Cassie Pappas makes sure that viewers are kept on the edge of their set as Lucky reaches the end of her nine lives. With a cast of veteran actors, Lucky manages to captivate.
Dhamaal 4
Comedy (Hindi)
The Dhamaal boys are back for another treasure hunt, facing hilarious challenges in their quest for the Treasure of Life.
Cast:
Ajay Devgn, Arshad Warsi, Riteish Deshmukh, Javed Jaffrey, Sanjay Mishra, Ravi Kishan, Upendra Limaye, Anjali Anand, Sanjeeda Sheikh, Esha Gupta
Director:
Indra Kumar
Sat, July 11 2026
2007 में आई पहली वाली ‘धमाल’ में गोआ के एक पार्क में ‘डब्ल्यू’ आकार में खड़े पेड़ों के नीचे खज़ाना दबा था। इस बार एक वीरान टापू में ‘एम’ आकार में खड़ी पहाड़ियों के नीचे खज़ाना है। खज़ाना भी किसका, सौ साल पहले एक डाकू शैतान सिंह का जो वह अंग्रेज़ों से लूटा करता था। अब इस खज़ाने को खोजने निकली हैं तीन टीमें-गुड्डू और जॉनी, आदि और मानव व आदि की पत्नी, लल्लन और उसकी पत्नी। साथ ही इनके पीछे पड़े हैं डाकू अधूरा और उसके साथी। इस सफर में हैं ढेरों मुसीबतें, उनसे बचने की कसरतें और इन सब की लल्लुआना हरकतें। ज़ाहिर है मकसद आपको हंसाना है, ठहाके लगवाना है। ‘धमाल’ सीरिज़ की फिल्में दर्शकों को किसी वीडियोगेम या कार्टून कॉमिक्स के भीतर ले जाती रही हैं। एक ऐसा संसार जहां फिज़िक्स-कैमिस्ट्री के नियमों की धज्जियां उड़ा कर उनसे हास्य उपजाया जाता है। किसी ने घर की घंटी बजाई और उससे आने वाले करंट ने बंदे का तंदूरी मुर्गा बना दिया या किसी के बम में चाकू घुसने के बावजूद खून न निकलना जैसे ये सीन हमें डोनाल्ड डक, मिकी माउस या टॉम एंड जैरी की दुनिया में ले जाते हैं। उनमें जो होता है वह कहीं से भी तार्किक नहीं लगता, लेकिन उसे देख कर आप हंसते हैं, ठहाके लगाते हैं, आपको मज़ा आता है और आपका दिल-दिमाग हल्का होता है। यह फिल्म भी आपको वही मज़ा देती है। बस, बच्चे बन जाइएगा इसे देखते हुए।
Sat, July 11 2026
The Dhamaal franchise is now almost twenty years old — which is quite an achievement for a series built on a storyline thinner than a Bollywood hero’s patience before the interval. The makers managed to squeeze out two films in the early years (2007 and 2011), but when fresh ideas became as rare as logic in a slapstick comedy, the obvious solution was simple: recycle the old ones.
Sat, July 11 2026
Indra Kumar's motheaten franchise entry crashes out in the opening minutes, then keeps on crashing
You’re scrolling through BookMyShow on a breezy Friday afternoon. It’s been a stressful week, and the rains have let up, so you decide to unwind with a brainrot Bollywood comedy. But which one? Should you go watch Welcome to the Jungle, still running in theatres, or Dhamaal 4, the latest in the long-running treasure hunt franchise? These things are subjective, but let me present a quick comparison. Welcome to the Jungle is directed by Ahmed Khan. Dhamaal 4 is directed—in the kindest sense of the term—by Indra Kumar. Welcome to the Jungle is a spoof about the making of movies. Dhamaal 4 shows why some movies should never be made at all. Welcome to the Jungle has satirical ambitions. Dhamaal 4 has hysterical collisions. Welcome to the Jungle is a loose rehash of Tropic Thunder. Dhamaal 4 is a hard retread of the first, second and third Dhamaal.
Idhayam Murali
Romance, Comedy, Drama (Tamil)
A young man navigates the complexities of unrequited love, finding that even as years pass and life takes unexpected turns, certain emotions remain deeply embedded in his heart.
Cast:
Atharvaa Murali, Fahadh Faasil, Preity Mukhundhan, Kayadu Lohar, Natarajan Subramaniam, S. Thaman, Niharika NM, Malavika Mohanan, Rakshan, Dravid Selvam
Director:
Aakash Baskaran
Sat, July 11 2026
Aakash Baskaran's film, starring Atharvaa, is indulgent of its wayward protagonist, and expects the viewer to be so as well
Raja (Murali), from Kathir’s debut film, Idhayam (1991), may have become iconic over the years, partly due to the grating niceness and tragic innocence of the character (and mostly due to Ilaiyaraaja’s music). But in a contemporary world in which we reevaluate gender, misogyny and the obsessive nature of love, the idea of unrequited romance makes the conversation feel like the colloquial phrase we use to describe it—one-sided. Rathna Kumar’s superior Meyaadha Maan (2017), refracts the idea through a class lens, where the disparity in economic positions chokes the character out of expressing his true love. This year’s Hollywood phenomenon Obsession reimagines extremities of a nice-guy-dream realized to the point of stifling one life for the other’s wishful fantasy.
Fri, July 10 2026
The Atharvaa, Kayadu Lohar, Preity Mukhundhan-starrer is frivolous and proud of it; a Gautham Menon-flavoured romance that trades depth for charm and heart
There are several hilarious chunks in Idhayam Murali, but the funniest one is unintentional. In the second half, Sam (Preity Mukundan) tells Idhaya (Atharvaa), in the same breezy tone you’d use to describe wrapping up a work call, “Ippa thaan oru mission mudichom. So konjam naalaiku rest” (We just finished off one mission. We will rest for a while). By this point, it is well established that Sam is a NASA astronaut, which is exactly why the line lands as comedy rather than drama. It’s a very specific kind of silliness, one Tamil cinema has flirted with before. The film doesn’t hide that it’s chasing a Gautham Menon-ish vibe, and this scene recalls a bit from Neethaane En Ponvasantham: a throwaway line establishing that Varun’s (Jiiva) family has grown rich and posh, simply by mentioning that his retired parents are now off travelling the world. Both moments reach for a big, specific, hard-to-verify detail and use it as shorthand for status or drama, without doing any of the narrative work to earn it.
Alpha
Action, Thriller (Hindi)
Two fierce female agents tackle dangerous missions in a thrilling world of espionage, as they navigate perilous situations, execute daring stunts, and face unexpected turns in this action-packed adventure.
Cast:
Alia Bhatt, Sharvari, Bobby Deol, Anil Kapoor, Dibyendu Bhattacharya, Dia Mirza, Hrithik Roshan
Director:
Shiv Rawail
Sat, July 11 2026
When the teaser for YRF ’s Alpha first dropped, the public response was overwhelmingly underwhelming. Audiences widely questioned the casting choice of Alia Bhatt and noted that Bobby Deol’s Haryanvi accent felt jarringly out of place.
Bhatt and Deol are undeniably talented actors, but here they find themselves entirely miscast. The character of Sita demands a raw, imposing physicality that cannot simply be compensated for by Alia’s natural charisma. Sita is written as an engineered attack machine bred strictly for combat, a “lab rat” raised entirely devoid of family, affection, or any semblance of normalcy. It is a compelling premise that the film fails to meaningfully develop. For a character who has never experienced filial bonds, friendships, or basic social interaction outside of her doctor and handler, her resulting persona makes little sense.
Mon, July 6 2026
Shiv Rawail's ‘Alpha’ is sorely missing fresh ideas and is unable to credibly showcase Alia Bhatt as an action star.
The YRF Spyverse is now running on vibes, star cameos and whatever ridiculously catchy new jingle with placeholder English lyrics Sanchit and Ankit Balhara have cooked up. After the glorious high of Pathaan (2023), there’s only been disappointment: first the unnecessary Tiger 3 (2023), then the embarrassing misfire of War 2 (2025). Shiv Rawail’s Alpha isn’t as dire as the previous two entries, but nevertheless shows a franchise badly in need of fresh ideas and, more importantly, a sense of purpose.
Sun, July 5 2026
The benchmark for the YRF Spy Universe isn’t particularly high, especially after the War films. So it comes as a pleasant surprise to find a taut, breezy action thriller that doesn’t waste time dwelling on unnecessary detours. For starters, this is a completely romance-free enterprise, and that itself is a rarity in mainstream Hindi cinema. There are no mandatory love songs shot in exotic locations or forced romantic subplots. In fact, there are only a couple of songs, and for the most part, the film moves at a brisk pace.
Lenin
Action, Drama, Romance (Telugu)
Young, urban-raised Vladimir Lenin's peaceful romance with Bharti inadvertently sparks a violent, large-scale village conflict.
Cast:
Akhil Akkineni, Bhagyashri Borse, Sivaji Sontineni, Easwari Rao, Brahmaji, Sunil Varma, N.T. Rama Rao Jr.
Director:
Murali Kishor Abburu
Writer:
Murali Kishor Abburu
Sat, July 11 2026
Akhil Akkineni and Bhagyashri Borse impress in an ambitious tale of love, betrayal and revenge that is undone by too many twists
Lenin, the Telugu film written and directed by Murali Kishor Abburu, opens with the assertion that no war is more violent than love — a nod to stories from Greek and Indian mythology. Marking Akhil Akkineni’s return to the screen after three years, the film aims to tell an epic love story. At its core, it is a tale of friendship, love, deceit and revenge, layered with references to the Mahabharata and Ramayana. It unfolds against the backdrop of Bharatham Mitta, a cultural festival celebrating Draupadi in a fictional village in Andhra Pradesh’s Chittoor district. The rustic world is rendered with attention to detail, and the screenplay attempts to spring surprises at several turns. But the film falters at its core: the love story never quite makes the audience root wholeheartedly for its characters. The story had immense potential to build on love and pathos, which it does not fully achieve.
Moana
Family, Fantasy, Comedy, Adventure (English)
Moana answers the Ocean's call and, for the first time, voyages beyond the reef of her island of Motunui with the infamous demigod Maui on an unforgettable journey to restore prosperity to her people.
Cast:
Catherine Lagaʻaia, Dwayne Johnson, John Tui, Frankie Adams, Rena Owen, Jemaine Clement, Amaya Masoli, Emma Puahi-Shapazian, Tealoha Hokulani Carrera
Director:
Thomas Kail
Sat, July 11 2026
Directed by Thomas Kail and starring Dwayne Johnson, Rena Owen, John Tui, Frankie Adams, Jemaine Clement and Catherine Laga'aia, Moana is handsomely mounted, competently acted and perfectly watchable. Its greatest flaw is its overwhelming redundancy. It offers audiences little that they have not already experienced.
Every successful franchise eventually reaches the point where artistic inspiration begins to resemble a financial reflex — another sequel, another remake, another reassuring reminder to studio executives that nostalgia remains a dependable currency. Unless a fresh perspective reshapes the narrative or the story boldly charts unfamiliar waters, these revisits often feel less like cinematic adventures and more like corporate accounting exercises with a generous visual-effects budget. Disney’s Moana (2026), the live-action adaptation of its beloved 2016 animated classic and the third instalment in the franchise, sails directly into this familiar predicament. Directed by Thomas Kail in his feature-film debut from a screenplay by Jared Bush and Dana Ledoux Miller, the film reunites Dwayne Johnson with his larger-than-life role as the swaggering demigod Maui while introducing Catherine Laga’aia as the spirited Moana. Produced by Johnson alongside Hiram Garcia, Dany Garcia, Beau Flynn and Lin-Manuel Miranda, the production possesses all the ingredients of a prestige Disney spectacle. Yet, despite its glittering credentials, it struggles to justify its own existence. Competently assembled though it is, the film rarely inspires wonder, and its visual splendour, while undeniably polished, seldom evokes genuine amazement. It is less a voyage of discovery than an expensive exercise in déjà vu.
Fri, July 10 2026
Fri, July 10 2026
How do you know you’re special? Sometimes, destiny first speaks through the pulse within. One such prodigy is Moana from Motunui. The future chief of her beautiful island, she knew from day one that she was born to do big things. The spirited teen girl was the chosen one to restore the heart of the goddess of nature, Te Fiti, and save her island from perishing. It’s a story we’ve seen before in 2016, and I’ll happily watch the young Polynesian girl’s journey to greatness another time every decade. That said, the question remains: will the little warrior’s courage and sweet-natured plot be enough to pull it through?