The Critique

Dir: Janus Metz Starring: Sverrir Gudnason, Shia LaBeouf Dur: 1 hr 50 mins Genre: Sports drama PG: Plenty of foul language, occasional sexual scenes. Rating: 8/10 I don’t recall watching a tennis film and when I stumbled across this one, I wasn’t going to miss it. So I sat down to watch, what later turned out to be a fantastic thriller based on one of the most formidable rivals of yesteryear, Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe. The film cursorily traces the origins of the two superstars and culminates in their jaw-dropping clash at the 1980 Wimbledon Championships which was marked by a preposterous tie-break rally that went down not only as one of the longest of all time but also as one of the greatest, if not the greatest. Even though the film is about tennis it is thoroughly enjoyable even for a person who isn’t a fan. The drama is tense and relatable. The pain, determination and sacrifice of the players is profoundly reflected. Fans of tennis would love this film. Bes...

Dir: Taika Waititi Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddlestone, Cate Blanchett, Mark Ruffalo, Tessa Thompson Dur: 2 hrs 10 mins Genre: Superhero Rating: 6/10 Thor is a mighty hero within the Marvel Universe but alongside the Avengers , his awesomeness and divinity are somehow lowered. While in the Avengers he plays second-fiddle for the most part, in his own series he is the whole and soul of the drama which is to be expected. Here is already where Ragnarok departs from regular superhero films. You would think that this is a film about Thor and his adventures, and you wouldn’t be wrong in thinking so, but in fact, (SPOILER ALERT!!!) it is about a team of heroes. Yes, you read it right! I said TEAM of heroes! Though most of them aren’t ‘super’ they do play that role in this thriller. Ragnarok did extremely well in the box office and was declared to be the highest-grossing film of the Thor series and eighth highest-grossing film of 2017. Many critics pronounced it a...

Dir: Jonathan Dayton Starring: Emma Stone, Steve Carell Dur: 2 hrs Genre: Sports - Biography PG: Lesbian scenes, few expletives Rating: 7/10 The film is loosely based on the epic 1973 clash between Billie Jean King (Emma Stone) and Bobby Riggs (Steve Carell) dubbed the ‘Battle of the Sexes’ that shook the sporting world and America. The fact that it is based on a true story adds that extra punch to an already great film. I don’t promise you’ll love it but if you’re a tennis fan or just a sports fan you definitely would! The script is simple yet powerful. The story doesn’t have too many embellishments which is pretty good since it allows more space for the actual story to come through. The film is quite inspiring especially since its primary theme is equality between the sexes. The title says it all but the catch is how things pan out. Emma and Steve deliver sterling performances.   Looking back I wonder how things might really have back in 1973 when the real Bob...

Created: Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman Dur: 1 hr 30 mins on an average Genre: Crime Thriller  Rating: 7/10 I have watched seasons of Sherlock so far and it has been great! First and foremost, I have loved Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s books on Sherlock and have read every story I could get my hands on. The screenplay is pretty good. I especially like the smooth yet subtle transition the writers have made from ‘old-fashion’ to ultra-modern, writing Sherlock as a tech-savvy, brainy detective. The foundations are similar but the structure is almost entirely new and I loved that. Hats off to Mark and Steven for brilliantly bringing perhaps the greatest detective ever alive on the silver screen. The first season is the starter. I really liked the way they introduce Sherlock and explain Watson’s backstory. You begin to understand the primary characters, all of whom do a fantastic job, by the way. Each season has only three...

Dir: Zack Snyder Starring: Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Jason Momoa, Henry Cavill, Ezra Miller, Ray Fisher Dur: 2 hrs Genre: Superhero PG: 1 expletive and plenty of violence though not very graphic. Rating: 5/10 Superhero fans would have waited for a film like this that features famous superheroes all together battling a common enemy. The last time DC tried something like this was when it produced Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice . Despite the critical reviews it received, I quite enjoyed the film and was eagerly looking forward to this – the aftermath of the epic battle of two of DC’s biggest heroes. The basic plot is simple though its backstory is not. Steppenwolf, an alien conqueror who has tormented worlds from time immemorial arrives on earth (which is now, all of a sudden overly vulnerable with the absence of Superman. I mean, come on! There are dozens of other heroes around the place waiting for the call to arms. But anyway…) He has come to earth in search of t...

Dir: Oliver Stone Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Shailene Woodley Dur: 2 hrs 14 mins Genre: Biographical thriller PG: A few intimate scenes. Rating: 7/10 The film is based on the true story of Edward Snowden and based on The Snowden Files by Luke Harding and Time of the Octopus by Anatoly Kucherena. The name may ring a bell, if it doesn’t then allow me to enlighten you. Edward Snowden created a national, no wait!, an international uproar in 2013 when he leaked out top-secret files from America’s National Security Agency (NSA) where he was working. You may wonder “what’s the fuss about this criminal?” I know, I wondered when I didn’t bother to read up further on the matter back in the day. I presumed him to be a criminal who created a national emergency in America for his clandestine revelation and who ran for his life to Russia where he was granted asylum. I remember thinking of him as the cause of the second largest espionage scandal in the last decade after Julian As...

Dir: Sankalp Reddy Starring: Rana Daggubati, Kay Kay Menon, Taapsee Pannu, Atul Kulkarni Dur: 2 hrs 6 mins Genre: War Drama Rating: 6/10 The Ghazi Attack is inspired by true events that led up to the Indo-Pakistan War of 1971. The story is about an executive naval officer of the Indian submarine, INS Karanj, and his team who remain underwater for 18 days. The film explores the mysterious circumstances under which submarine, PNS Ghazi sank off the coast of Visakhapatnam in 1971. Since the film is told from an Indian point of view, it is embellished well enough to show us in a favourable light. The film is an underwater tale of the courage and patriotism of the men aboard the Indian submarine who destroyed the Pakistani submarine, which was labeled as the best underwater vessel among those of both countries. Here already, one can smell a rat. Not only is the Pakistani submarine far better than the Indian one, it is also commanded by one of Pakistan’s best commanders....