The Critique

Francis Sullivan, Charisms and Charismatic Renewal , Dublin: Gill and Macmillan 1982, ISBN 0 7171 1237 3, pp. 184, Cost not mentioned. The Charismatic Renewal took the Church by storm. Its rapid growth excited many but also raised a lot of eyebrows regarding its authenticity and theological uprightness. While droves of people happily embraced it as a refreshing change from ‘dry’ liturgical or para-liturgical celebrations, other were quite uncertain and suspicious about the whole affair. Fr Sullivan’s work, in the words of Cardinal Suenens “comes at the right time”. Though it may be old now, its ideas are still pertinent and arguments relevant. Fr Sulilvan is/was a professor of dogmatic theology at the Gregorian University in Rome and has systematically and in scholarly fashion subjected the charismatic renewal to the theological lens of scrutiny. He presents a brief history of the movement but offers more in terms of its theological and scriptural base, its impact on the Chu...

Dir: Derek Cianfrance Starring: Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander Dur: 2 hrs 12 mins Genre: Romantic - Drama PG: Few kisses and a couple of intimate scenes Rating: 6.5/10 It is said that people seek happiness and it is quite true. Nearly every action of ours is aimed at achieving happiness, it may not seem like it now but down the line we believe happiness is there waiting for us with open arms, ready to comfort us for all the sacrifices we’ve made and difficulties overcome. But what about happiness that comes at the cost of someone else’s happiness. Is it justified? Is it outrageous? Meet Tom Sherbourne (Michael Fassbender) a war veteran who is tormented by such thoughts after rescuing and ‘illegally’ detaining a baby lost at sea. Tom and his wife, Isabel (Alicia Vikander) have lost 2 kids in three years and find their marriage straining with each loss. Just when it seemed like despair had clouded the sky, the shrill cries of a washed up infant cut their melancholi...

Dir: Joe Wright Starring: Gary Oldman, Dur: 2 hrs 5 mins Genre: War Drama Rating: 8/10 It not very often that you come across a thrilling historical drama. The team that worked on this project gave it their all to produce perhaps the best drama film of the year. The film received numerous accolades and was chosen as the Best Film by Critics. The film has a poignant character and weighs heavy with the tension of World War II. It basically chronicles Britain’s political leaders struggle to grapple with the degrading situation brought on by Nazi Germany and the World War. It begins with the ousting of PM, Neville Chamberlain and the handing over of the reins to Winston Churchill. Make no mistake, Churchill is hailed as one of the greatest PM of all time but the film tries to stay true to the facts, which basically consists of he not being a very popular person especially in the upper echelons of British government. The film is centred around the character of Churchill, and...

Dir: Stephen Chbosky Starring: Owen Wilson, Julia Roberts, Jacob Tremblay. Dur: 1 hr 53 mins Genre: Drama Rating: 9/10 I don’t reckon you have heard of the Treacher Collins disease, if you watch Wonder you will get a pretty good idea about it, not the biological part of it obviously but the social effects. The film is pretty emotional and well told, little wonder that it was an adaptation of a novel of the same name by R. J. Palacio. The cast however, are pretty good and deliver smashing performances, particular mention must be made of Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson. The whole story is really fantastic and believably unreal but then again it’s actually a story about kids for kids. It follows the adventures of a kid with the above mentioned disease, August, who is sent to school for the first time after being homeschooled by his brilliant mother. He is picked on and ostracized by nearly everyone because of his looks but eventually gets accepted and blah blah… happy e...

Dir: Ali Abbas Zafar Starring: Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif Dur: 2 hrs 40 mins Genre: Action Rating: 2/10 The biggest flop of the year perhaps. This film was so big and yet so small in terms of quality that it just amounted to a waste of 2 and a half hours of precious time. Honestly, I didn’t find a single thing worthwhile in the whole film. From start to finish it was one big sham. It probably gave Bollywood action lovers what they wanted, judging from the box office collections (it turned out to be one of the highest grossing films of all time); movie admirers though will probably feel let down. The film is based on the abduction of Indian nurses by ISIL in 2014. It is the sequel of the 2011 film Ek Tha Tiger . I can’t imagine how good the first film was but it must have been a little better than this to warrant a sequel. I am shocked at the amount the film grossed. It is pathetic cinema at its worst! It takes unreality to a whole different level. I mean, come on, ev...

Dir: Shree Narayan Singh Starring: Akshay Kumar, Bhumi Pednekar Dur: 2 hrs 25 mins Genre: Romantic Drama Rating: 8/10 I think this was a film India needed. The cases of open defecation are too numerous and too common to evoke any feelings of disgust or pity. I don’t think we were a people of filth, because Mohenjo-daro and Harappa excavations show elaborate drainage systems, but I think we have pretty much developed into a people and land of filth. Don’t believe me? Look at our bus stops for starters or corners in public places or heritage sites, if you don’t find pan stains, names, vandalism or the smell of urine, please let me know so that I can put it on my all-too-short list of clean places in India. Shree Narayan Singh does brilliantly on his directorial debut with a provoking film on sanitation. There were a lot of good things about the film like the performance of the lead pair. Akshay captivates in his usual style. Bhumi was a discovery for me. I’m proud of he...

Created by: Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman Dur: 1 hr 28 mins Genre: Crime Drama Rating: 9/10 Picking up where I left off last time, season 4 was much more than I bargained for. To say it was great or awesome would be a bit of an understatement. It was highly tense, the suspense was, especially in the finale, quite nerve-wracking. The story continues on its awkward and divergent path, leading you to believe something while something entirely different is at play. Surprises abound and so does murder. This season is quite bloody, in a sense. Each episode is progressively more twisted and more tense than the previous one. I loved the whole series but this season had a charm all its own. It divulges quite a bit from the books but is still captivating and has the Sherlock touch. Kudos to the creators for this awesome drama. The acting performances and camera work were also brilliant but I think the plot deserves every bit of cr...

Created by: Chris Brancato, Carlo Bernard and Doug Miro Starring: Pedro Pascal, Damian Alcazar, Michael Stahl-David, Matt Whelan Dur:   Average of 55 mins per episode. A total of 10 episodes per season. Genre: Crime-Drama PG: Nudity, plenty of violence and foul language Rating: 9/10 Some time ago, I was browsing through some of the most viewed serials on IMDB and came across Narcos with a very high rating. That intrigued me to check up further and I discovered that the serial was a fictional reconstruction of the rise of drug cartels in Colombia, recounted from the America Drug Enforcement Agency’s point of view. The trailer caught my fancy and I decided to begin watching the series. The first two seasons dwell on the infamous drug trafficker and cartel boss, Pablo Escobar, his rise in notoriety, entry into drug production and trafficking and final decline.   The first two seasons were high on violence, sexual content and foul language but probably attemp...

Dir: Abhay Chopra Starring: Sidarth Malhotra, Sonakshi Sinha, Akshaye Khanna Dur: 1 hr   mins Genre: Thriller Rating: 8/10 This is the modern remake of a 1969 film of the same name directed by Yash Chopra. I haven’t watched the original so I don’t know what is different but I can imagine the differences. As far as the story goes however, it remains the same. The plot is ingenious. It made me proud of Bollywood after quite some time. Films like these are as rare as the Blue moon phenomenon we are experiencing this year. The plot is well greased with suspense and thrills that will leave you glued to the screen and on the edge of your seat for the whole duration. The actual series of events are quite simple: a man finds his wife dead and is suspected for murder. In his attempt to evade police custody he stumbles into the home of a woman whose husband is also later found to be dead. The twists in the plot are numerous and the acting only helps to further the mystery...