The Critique

Dir: Imtiaz Ali Starring: Shah Rukh Khan, Anushka Sharma Dur: 2 hrs 24 mins Genre: Comedy-Romance Rating: 3/10 One of the key reasons I don’t fancy Bollywood films is the lack of creativity and originality. If you doubt what I say, Think of any 10 romantic films you like and evaluate their plot. You are bound to find similarities. Forget about the ending (romantic films usually have a happy ending); you will notice that even the manner of introducing the lead pair to one another is pretty standard, not to mention a poor villain who is thrown into the fray just to add some spice to a spice-less, taste-less drama and dozens of firangi girls gyrating to stereotypical tunes. If you’re still a hopeless romantic and fan of Bollywood’s dull romance then maybe you ought to watch this film which is so full of clichés you begin to feel like a 13 year old has scripted the plot. Shah Rukh is a pretty good actor but I don’t approve of his choice of films. Anushka is another per...

Dir: Matt Reeves Starring: Andy Serkis, Woody Harrelson Dur: 2 hrs 20 mins Genre: Sci-fi Rating: 7/10 Although there are two film prior to this one which probably lay the foundation for what is to come, I didn’t see them, but still the film made sense to me. So though it builds up from the prequels it isn’t entirely dependent on them. The story stands by itself but viewing the previous films would help situate the characters and the drama of the plot. The chief object of interest is the struggle between man and ape for survival. This theme is common to all the films in this series but the way this struggle develops or is depicted differs, for obvious reasons. The film obviously uses quite a bit of CGI for the apes and since they form a major part of the story, you can imagine the monumental task it is to produce and direct so many characters but I think the team did quite well. The visual effects were subtle and neat and didn’t drop a hint of being anything less-than-...

Dir: Edgar Wright Starring: Ansel Elgort, Kevin Spacey, Jamie Foxx, Lily James, Eiza Gonzalez, Jon Bernthal, Jon Hamm Dur: 1 hrs 53 mins Genre: Action-Crime Rating: 6/10 PG: Plenty of foul language, gore and sexual innuendoes. The trailer promises a real action-thriller and the movie tries its level best to deliver, but falls a bit short. It’s not that the plot doesn’t have action or thrills, it has a good deal of both; it’s just that it lacks taste. It’s like an awesome smelling dish that doesn’t taste half as good once it’s on your plate. The actors can’t really be faulted; they do well. I must single out the performance of Jamie Foxx; he is the man to watch. In my opinion, the film slides because of the lackluster plot. The concept is innovative but it didn’t have enough gas to push it all the way. It starts outs well but eventually finds itself in all-too-familiar places. After a while it gives you a feeling of “seen that”, “knew that”. Novelty gradually fades a...

Dir: Steven Soderbergh Starring: Channing Tatum, Adam Driver, Riley Keough, Daniel Craig, Hilary Swank Dur: 1 hr 59 mins Genre: Comedy Drama Rating: 7/10 Fans of the crime genre will definitely swoon with joy because this film hits at all the right spots. It’s got an interesting and original story (courtesy the skill of Rebecca Blunt, a little known figure), a star studded cast which easily delivers a slick performance, an O’ Henry kind of twist and a satisfactory ending. I may just have said too much and so I’ll refrain from saying much more, in case I spoil the experience for you. The film gets its name from the lead characters who share the surname ‘Logan’ and who attempt to rid themselves from the jinx associated with their family name. The plot interestingly threads together social themes within drama. The idea of family name and honour are portrayed with delicate simplicity. The humour is rather dry and mouldy; honestly I had to make an effort to even smile. My ...

Dir: Matthew Vaughn Starring: Taron Eagerton, Colin Firth, Julianne Moore, Mark Strong, Halle Berry, Elton John, Channing Tatum, Pedro Pascal, Edward Holcroft Dur: 2 hrs 21 mins Genre: Spy-comedy Rating: 5/10 If you waited with as much expectation as I did for this film after watching its prequel, hoping to have a great experience like you did last time, then maybe you better lower your expectations or else you could get severely hurt (like me!!). I don’t know where to begin so allow me to begin from the end: The film was pretty much a disaster. The only reason I can think of for its success at the box office is the success of the prequel. Taking up where the previous left off, it is full of obscenities, blood and gore. The comedy is slapstick and forced, and the plot winds on and on unnecessarily for a very, very long 2 hours 21 minutes.   Those two and half hours felt like the longest hours of my life. This is surprising for me to say, considering I am a fan of...

Dir: David White Starring: Bruce Marchiano, Steve Borden, Jaci Velasquez, Jamie Nieto, Danah Davis, Madison Gibney Dur: 1 hr 55 mins Genre: Christian Drama Rating: 6/10 This is a very interesting and inspiring movie. The concept is novel and well-portrayed. The actors aren’t the best but do well enough to deliver a convincing performance. The message of the film comes out very clearly even though it depends for the most part of cleverly written and delivered dialogues. There is no real acting as such and most of the film is shot in one place – a diner. I watched the film twice within a span of a month and I can tell you that watching it a second time isn’t as pleasurable as watching it the first time. The only reason I sat through it was because I had no other option and leaving the hall was an absolute no-no. I enjoy Christian cinema but this film can only be watched once.   The film basically explores the idea of faith in the modern world. It presents a '...

Dir: Michael Bay Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Josh Duhammel, Anthony Hopkins, Laura Haddock Dur: 2 hrs 24 mins Genre: Sci-fi action  Rating: 4/10 I was a fan of the Transformers series before they made the last two movies. Honestly, no matter how hard I try, I just can’t bring myself to accept the last two films as part of the same series of movies. Mark Wahlberg has little to do with my dislike. I respect his work and even am a fan but I don’t appreciate what the writers have done with the franchise. I totally understand that Shia Labeouf opted out and things spiraled out after that but even that is no excuse for producing these kind of films. At least the last film,   Age of Extinction , made an effort to revive a dying Transformers epic, but The Last Knight , went out of its way to not only see to its long-drawn demise but also to a solemn burial. From the first scene of the film I was confused. The story hardly made any sense from start to finish. Som...