348. Web-series Reviews – 166

More web-series reviews…

Love Storiyaan – Came out in 2024.  Love Storiyaan is a captivating series showcasing the remarkable journeys of six couples from diverse backgrounds, highlighting the strength of love to triumph over differences and challenges. Through their unique narratives, the show celebrates the unifying force of love, illustrating its ability to conquer obstacles and foster enduring togetherness.

A review from IMDB...

Dropped appropriately on February 14, Valentine's Day. Though every day would be a celebration of love.

Love Storiyaan is a celebration. No big stars or celebrities. But with something bigger - real people with their love stories; eventually triumphing against all odds. Like the TV series Modern Love, it's about relationships, love and human connections. But I found it more lovable and delightful.

6 episodes. 6 stories. Each one handled brilliantly by some of the finest directors - Hardik Mehta, Rahul Badwelkar, Vivek Soni, Shazia Iqbal, Akshay Indikar, Archana Phadke and Collin d'Cunha.

Very enjoyable, well formatted and constructed. With just the right amount of smiles and heart-warming stories. Each one could've been a full length feature film. But then the spontaneity and genuineness would get lost.

I love the way the individual characters are allowed to speak in the language they are comfortable in.

It's like a 'full course fine dining' of TV series. The dishes may be small but they are packed with flavours to satisfy the senses.

Each love story is special and different. If you have experienced a fair bit of life you will identify with the characters. And you will have a number of knowing smiles and nods as the characters navigate through the difficult waters of love.

The way some person enjoys the music of Elvis while another is a fan of The Doors, likewise everyone will have their favorites. My advice would be to just immerse yourself in the stories and not compare the different episodes.

There are moments in each episode that I will carry with me forever.

My Take – Worth a watch!

 

American Conspiracy – The Octopus Murders – Came out in 2024. Follows journalist Danny Casolaro's mysterious death while probing an alleged conspiracy called "The Octopus" linking spy software theft, unsolved murders and major 20th-century scandals.

A review from IMDB...

As Episode 1 of "American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders" (2024 release; 4 episodes ranging from 48 to 67 min.) opens, it is August 10, 1991, and an investigative journalist, Danny Casolaro, is found dead in his hotel in Martinsburg, WV, in what appears to be suspicious circumstances. We then go back in time, when the Department of Justice is eager on a new software system called PROMIS to better coordinate its legal work. At this point we are 10 minutes into episode 1.

Couple of comments: this mini-series is directed by Zachary Treitz, making his second documentary. Here he reassesses the curious case of Danny Casolaro, who stumbled upon a vast conspiracy where organized intelligence and organized crime meet up and divvy the world. 2 decades after Casolaro's death, Christian Hanson, a NTY photographer, starts digging into Casolaro's death, and all that it entails. The mini-series reflects the meandering ways of that research. It's impossible to keep track of all that is being alleged. Does Casolaro's death raise questions? Absolutely. Just weeks before, Danny tells his brother Tony: "If they say it's an accident, it's not an accident." But that in and of itself proves nothing. Or, as the Wendy's commercial from those days says: "Where's the beef?" I'm still waiting.

"American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders" is well intended, but ends in complete frustration. It recently started streaming on Netflix, and I watched it over 2 nights. If you are a dan of true crime documentaries, I'd readily suggest you check it out, and draw your own conclusion.

My Take – An ok watch!

 

Maamla Legal Hai – Came out in 2024.  Chaos collides with the letter of the law at District Court Patparganj, where quirky employees work to uphold justice but not without a few objections.

A review from IMDB...

It is a rare show. Hardly you will find everything fitting so perfectly. Every single character, their perfect movement and presence in every frame, crisp editing and cinematography, moving background score, narration and direction, serious issues told with humour....humour which has lost these days from the world of entertainment, that too sensible satirical which once India would enjoy with Jaspal Bhatti show or Office Office or films like Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron.....God knows how in this era that old scent has returned with this show.

It takes a very different take on the lawyers fraternity than what we have seen in Bollywood films. A lower court and all its staffs becomes your day to day world to see through their lens, where they have their own mundane and humane issues while they fight for various exponents of world outside. Cases are peculiar and arguments are equally scintillating. Amid this all lives of every staff in that court is shown with immense humour and emotion.

All actors have done a great team work. Every character becomes memorable in this 8 episodes series. Be it PP Saheb or poster of human dignity the Monkey man.... This show is an example of blast of talents OTT can bring. But Ravi Kishan has given a lifetime performance. You start wanting to see him more and more and start wishing man why this actor made so less films and shows.

Finally, it is DNA of TVF as its maker is one of the founding members of TVF, Sameer Saxena while another founding member Nidhi Bisht played terrific role of Sujata. TVF and its DNA has become a guarrentee of great show which today Indian cinema be south or Bollywood can't give you. Bravo👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 This show is a must watch, the best humorous show in years which will also leave you warm and emotional with an end where you would want to wait for its next season to sink again in the world of VD Tyagi and friends! Congrats Netflix for getting another great show.

My Take – A definitive watch!

Cheers till next time😊!