Hidden India (2016) UK, India

Indeed the other side of the India.

Season 01:

3 Episodes

Genre:

TV Mini-series, Documentary.

Length:

Approximately 5-minute read.


Review:
     After 'Wild Brasil', now BBC Earth came up with this. A three part mini-series and each one an hour long. It was focused on the wildlife of the Indian Sub-continent. From the Great Himalayas that spread out from north to northeast India to the Western Ghats in the west and southern India, all the hidden natural world revealed. As the opening of each episode say, India is the land of one billion people, if you had ever visited India, you would have seen people everywhere, spread out the entire land mass. But there are still some places where human penetrations absolutely limited, and that's where the wildlife flourishing. You are going to enter there with this documentary film.

     The first part was called 'Land of Changing'. A perfect intro for those who don't know the India's dynamic lands and the species that living there for the millions of years. From the snow mountains to wetlands, arid desert, grasslands, deep jungles, full of surprises. All the type of land mass and the animals that perfectly adopted those conditions and some of the species you might have never thought that you would find in India can be witnessed. Like the Indians who are one of the first people to migrate out of Africa, it seems these animals as well. Because being the same species, there are big difference in size and pattern compared to their counterpart from Africa.

     There are some off topic discussions like Hindu religion associated with the animal kingdom. Its done only for a slight moment to explain things.  If you understand that, it'll tell you why the majority of Hindus are vegetarians. Almost entire species found in India are linked to Hindu gods and goddesses. The rest of the world does not have to turn Hindus, but respect the animals in a similar fashion with passion, why not we the sons and daughters of Earth can live together harmoniously. Some of the documents in this episode will amaze you, how the people and animals co-existing peacefully. But animal instincts can't be predicted, so occasionally things could go wrong as well.

 You do not want to run from what you cannot see. As you may run straight into it. 

     The Second part was called 'Land of Mountains'. Of course, this kick starts with the Great Himalayas and moves to the UNESCO recognised world heritage site, the ancient mountain chain, Western Ghats. Many rare species like the snow leopard, Indian Sub-continent's only ape variety, hoolocks, frogs et cetera can be witnessed. Frankly, the Western Ghats are one of the less explored place on the earth. It is called the Amazon jungle of India, but the local name is Sahyadri. The 1,600 kilometers long mountain chain, a paradise for botanists, photographers and wildlife lovers. So I thought they should have got into deeper for more details about the place, it'll take you to the ancient time with your finds.

     Then the third and final part called 'Land of Rivers'. The third longest river in the world, Ganga, the sacred river of Hindus. The exploration begins from where it starts and where it is heading. The rich in minerals, that benefited by both wildlives and humans are detailed. On the opposite side, Brahmaputra, coming from the other side of the Himalayas and meets the Ganges before fall into the Bay of Bengal. I liked this episode as well, but I don't know how they have missed the Jog falls from different river, the Niagara of India, one of India's natural wonders.

     Narrated by Geraldine James, it's truly an amazing nature series. The India you would have never seen or thought of. But it is just a ten per cent, there are lots more to see the real wild side of India. The only disappointments was there were a few clips that are already seen in other BBC Earth shows. Other than that, it is a must see, particularly if you love India, visited India or going to. There are not many nature documentaries about India, so I hope it returns for the second season. But this time expecting to cover the Andaman Islands to the east and Lakshadweep to the west. Definitely worth making, if not for commercial purpose, just to investigate and keep the documents.



Suitable for:
Tween, Teen, Adult, All


Final verdict:
Ignore, Bad, Average, Good, Excellent


Similar movies:
The Story of India, Wild Brazil, Planet Earth, Frozen Planet, BBC Life.


External link(s):

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Three Girls (2017) UK

Innocent kids, blinded officials and the PIGS.

Genre:

TV Mini-series, Drama.

Length:

Approximately 4-minute read.


Review:
     Another excellent BBC drama. A three-part television series, and each one runs for an hour. It was based on the real event of the 2000s. Focused on three young British teen girls to tell us how these innocents became victim to paedophile pigs. The story is about these three, but it exploited to reveal the entire scenario which stretches back for many years earlier. So this is not your normal television programme, I mean an entertainment programme. It's sole purpose it to tell the world what these pisslamic bastards are upto. A new way of waging war against another ethnic at their home. The world without this terror organisation would be a much better place.

     The first episode is all about setting up the platform. It opened with a brief police investigation scene and followed the flashback. A smart girl Holly, who developed a new friendship, not knowing where it's all going to lead. Like any teenagers, she has drawn towards the free alcohols and having fun with the girls. But soon she comes to realise the serious consequence of it. Now how she reacts to it and her fate that changes forever.

     It was one of those episodes where you will be confused to rate. Not that I felt it was badly made, but the truth it unfolded was very uncomfortable to watch. It has some scenes that make our blood boil. I was in the mood to smash my screen. Then just imagine what these girls went through, and particularly their helpless parents. It is more an internal security fail, especially on children and the organisations that should be monitoring such thing frequently on the warning given by officials lower than them, like a sexual health worker who became the whistleblower in this tale.

     The second episode was much better, on the story aspect. Because this where it begins to take the right path. After passing a couple of years without a justice, then slowly picks up the heat and the spotlights the crime. This is where a new character introduced, the lady detective who leads the investigation from a fresh perspective. A team was formed, persuaded the victims and gathered all the details. But the case takes up shape from those three girls' testimonies. A challenging time for everyone involved in it. From there, where it all goes is the final episode to disclose.

 It's not brain surgery. We treat them as human beings, and we say we're sorry. 

     The final part commences. This is the courtroom drama, but not entirely. You can expect here some twists, though not the cinematic twists, just how the trial goes on with the twisting questions. It was a different courtroom drama than I anticipated. Maybe because of the sensitive case. But I felt like it was a real life trial. There's no such thing called spoiler when it comes to this drama. We know how it all ends, despite waiting to witness the conclusion. Moreover, this event opened the other doors in the similar cases and brought a new order in the social service.

     Not easy to come out of its contents to give some credits to the actors. Because that's how good they were. There are lots of emotions involved, as well as pains. If you are a light-hearted, then it'll be a challenging to follow, particularly the first episode as I earlier mentioned. And the rest of the series was very good. Not unpredictable, though it went to accomplish what it wanted to disclose in a most realistic way.

     It should have been a documentary film, but such genre does not reach a wider audience. Still, this mini-series looks like a semi-documentary. Each and every scene were powerful. From stage to stage in the developments, step by step in the different angles, the whole truth was revealed. There are lots of films in the similar context, I'm sure you had seen at least a couple of them, but nothing was as real as this one while depicting the events. A well made series and a must see. Highly recommended!



Suitable for:
Tween, Teen, Adult, All


Final verdict:
Ignore, Bad, Average, Good, Excellent


Similar movies:
Graceland, Speak, Trust, Trade, Trade of Innocents, Garden of the Night.


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Life of a Universe (2017) Australia

Before birth and beyond death of our universe!

Genre:

TV Mini-Series, Documentary.

Length:

Approximately 6-minute read.


Review:
     This is not exactly a documentary series you could expect if you are a space geek. It is just a tour of Australia where the famous British physicist Brian Cox interacts with scientists and space enthusiast people. So it is just a two episode mini-series, but there's enough interesting stuff to add more info to our knowledge of cosmology.

     He has visited some historic sites related to space and science. The places were used as a background while giving out us his new discussion on the related topic. As usual, you will like it, how he explains everything in his style. Comparing and giving examples, even more than that, those specialists in the field giving their opinions, I mean honest opinions will stun you.

     Because science is not everything. It is a form, an order for us to understand everything around us. When they said about the future of space science, not like a hundred or a thousand years later, but millions and it could be viewed as a religion as in the todays world of atheists think. Means we could preserve the skeletons for the future study that we found digging earth, which are a million years old, but we can't do the same for the universe as it is expanding very fast.

     The first episode was the topic of 'Creation'. The creation of the universe, but since we know there are many theories related to that and the (Hot) Big Bang was among the most accepted, this new discussion goes beyond that. So it remains more a question rather we could explain such topic, as what was there before the Big Bang. But I liked how they all opinioned rather firmly stating as a (new) theory.

 One day, some smart person will come along and solve it for you. That's the beauty thing of how science works. 

     The second episode, 'End of Days', is the topic about how our universe is going to end/die. If there's a beginning, then there has to be an end. All the stars going to burn out, making the sky dark like I mentioned the humans from the future think us crazy for saying stuff without any evidence when they see up. It is also possible since the universe is expanding, the stars, planets, galaxies reach beyond our eyes, technology could see/detect them. So the dream of finding another home/earth is merely a fiction, and same goes for aliens to arrive on our earth.

     When there is a talk about space and time, it seems incomplete without the participation of Neil deGrasse Tyson. Among other space experts, he was in a small part like for a minute or less. Brian Cox took cues from the scientists he's interacting with and attached his version of the opinion. Each episode, the entire series was too short, but totally worth how it all sorted out. In fact, nothing from the series were considered the truth, but possibilities from the expert's viewpoint since our space exploration is still in early stage, an infant.

     Excluding what lies between the beginning and the ending, which is mostly present, the series talks about everything else about the universe. So it is like a science fiction film, except everything happens in oral. Even the graphics were not given greater preference, yet manages decently with simple ones for our understanding. Another reason's it is not a regular production, could be one time programme. Or if we're lucky, another tour to different destination as another season.

     There's a little talk about the multiverse and how different it could be from ours was another sub-topic. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this small piece of work by professor Brian Cox. More or less like reading that published on IJSpaceSe, but it was not, since it's not a research, only a discussion and opinions. So what are you waiting for if you are a space geek.



Suitable for:
Tween, Teen, Adult, All


Final verdict:
Ignore, Bad, Average, Good, Excellent


Similar movies:
Wonders of the Solar System, Wonders of the Universe, Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey.


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And Then There Were None (2015) UK

Let the countdown begin...

Season 1:

3 episodes.

Genre:

Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller, TV Mini-Series.

Length:

Approximately 7-minute read.


Review:
     One of the many versions and the BBC's latest television adaptation of Agatha Christie's famous mystery novel of the same name. You might know as I mentioned many times earlier in my reviews that I'm not into books, so never ever bothered to try this book or any other, since I'm a movie fanatic I want surprises not spoilers, but I had seen the 1945 movie adaptation. It was a long time ago, a black & white movie, so I thought it's a time to check it out this.

     The famous books are always adapted numerous times for the screen. I usually enjoy them because they're made in the different timeline/era with a different style of presentation. This is my 2nd version of this story and it did not disappoint me at all. For being it a television product, it was a rich in production quality. Since it's a drama, that mostly happen in and around a single location, I believe it did not cost much.

     The island was awesome, very much looked like the one from 'Song of the Sea'. The outdoor shots were so pleasing, but most of the story takes place inside the mansion. I did not know all the cast, but those I knew were did not stay for very long. It was not the extraordinary performances, nevertheless great effort by all.

     This is a 3 episode mini series made for television and each one began and ended so well. I think the splits were the crucial and it was very nicely done to keep the pace of suspense up all the time. But it was a slow start, and I lost interest in the opening itself. Not until the near end of the first episode I was drawn to it and the remaining two were so much better than I anticipated, especially the last episode was a grand.

 We are cut off. Rats in a barrel.
This is the peace before the carnage. 

     While the plot getting too tighter, all the characters became stronger. Especially the reactions to each other for the threat they were facing. In all that, the better parts were the brief flashbacks about their past events which were the key for their struggle to survive. That's how it was extended to 3 parts for almost 3 hours long. Mainly because of that I liked this series, which gives the reasons in pictures for the viewers why all the ten characters brought into such position.

     As we already know this story, we can expect everything to happen as it should be, but some minor changes were made all along, especially the ending was quite different than what I knew. But as far the book's concern, it was the closest one. I was not impressed by that, I would have not liked the other way around either for creativity lapse. So in that case I welcome the honestness which was at least something different than the movie I previously saw.

     In the end, I kind of felt like I saw a fusion between the original material and the movie 'Saw'. Except it was not a violent movie, since the violence is the mystery to solve, that is where the strength lies in this movie to entertain all sections of the audiences. I would like to suggest it, because this might the best version available as many were saying, yet I can't confirm that as I have seen only two including this.

     And finally. I hope there will a season 2. As I know only Nick Willing does that, but the thing is it was not a fairytale. These days sequels were made out everything, so what I'm expecting is not a crazy. I would definitely prefer the prequels to all those ten people's past events which led them to the island. That would be so awesome.



Suitable for:
Tween, Teen, Adult, All


Final verdict:
Ignore, Bad, Average, Good, Excellent


Similar movies:
Identity, Fin, Saw, Predators, Cube, Scream, The Hills Have Eyes, The Hateful Eight.


External link(s):
      

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Tough Rides: India (2014) UK, India

The India's road challenge, unlike anywhere else.

Genre:

Adventure, Documentary, TV Mini-series.

Length:

Approximately 6-minute read.


Review:
     This is the second season of the 'Tough Rides', a television travel series. After the 65 day road adventure in China, Pyle brothers back on the road with their new bikes, but this time they chose India. A little shorter than the previous expedition that got them into the Guinness World Records. Here they planned to cover 14,000 kilometers in 54 days. So they began their ride from New Delhi to the little north to the Himalayas. From there towards the south through the coastal road on the other side of the western ghats. Before getting back to New Delhi, they stretched their journey to the eastern most to a small state, Sikkim.

     It's not easy for outsiders to hit the Indian road all by themselves. Anyone who visited India knows how dangerous the Indian roads are. India has the worst road infrastructure compared with any top 10 economy in the world. The traffic rules are easily broken by the locals due to the dense population behind the automobile wheels and motorcycle bars that outnumbers the police force. At least one of the brother knew about China, but India is totally a new experience for both of them.

     I think they learnt some basics about what to do and what not. For example, respecting the culture, especially stray cows and visiting some shrines on the roadside in their journey. Still, I felt the season was a let down, I mean it was very good, except they failed to exploit their journey fully. Maybe they did for themselves for fun, but they are not on the final cut video the places like Goa, Kochi, Vivekananda Rock Memorial (which is like the India's version of the Statue of Liberty), Marina beach, Vizag et cetera.

     I felt there was some improvements in their speeches about the places they have visited. In the China's season they used to repeat the same words again and again, here they explained quite clearly, but in their own words and version. Obviously, the frustrated words were censored, but there were many negative comments as well and I think they spoke the facts, so no offense at that.

 I think you know, the journey of India is very much a religious journey. I think we're gonna encounter lotta different religion, lotta different faith and lotta history 
     They avoided the fall in this trip. In India that's definitely a death trap with reckless drivers around. I think I saw only one major fall that damaged the bike without affecting the journey, but later they met bike trouble. A couple of times flat tyres and support vehicle broke down. These things are supposed to happen in a quest like this, but how they have dealt it was the lesson for them as well for the viewers.

     The hospitality was good, during the troubled times, many had come forward to give a hand. But a guide in Madurai was so funny, he just uttered so many words that these brothers found hard to get it. What I liked was isolated places, the natural hidden beauties of landscapes and others. Unlike the China's edition it's hard to see places like that in India. People are everywhere and small towns and villages all along the road. So I think if you escape that then you can enjoy the real subcontinent.

     The pace was excellent, each episode is very quick and explores the different part of the nation. It is not a detailed documentary, if you like short and sweet, then it will be what you're looking for. But if you plan for a similar voyage, this won't help much, I guess. Because the Pyle brothers just showing what they're experiencing than giving guidance to their path followers.

     It would have been great if they release the uncut version, that each episode run long as 60 minutes. Anyway, I definitely suggest it. It's not only adventurous, but fun as well as filled with some serious stuffs. The background score was one of the highlights, that was so Indian. Especially in the first 3 episodes and those were my favourite along the final episode. So, what's next? I've heard the brothers going to the South American to venture in Brazil. I'm very eager to watch it, let's hope they won't disappoint us.



Suitable for:
Tween, Teen, Adult, All


Final verdict:
Ignore, Bad, Average, Good, Excellent


Similar movies:
Tough Rides: China, Hit the Road: India.


External link(s):
  


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