The Critique

Created by: Martin Gero Starring: Jaimie Alexander, Sullivan Stapleton, Audrey Esparza, Rob Brown, Ashley Johnson, Archie Panjabi Dur: About 54 mins each episode. 23 Episodes in Season 1 and 22 in Season 2 Genre: Crime-Drama Rating: 8/10 Blindspot has become one of my favourite television serials. I’ve just fallen in love with it. It’s really good. The plot is wound tight and the multiple overlapping storylines just add to the intrigue. The acting is fairly good but what is better is the plot. While appearing rather simple it hides a deep and twisted storyline which is something I find really fascinating. The plot is quite intricate and does a good job with keeping things coherent. The drama and suspense are nerve-racking which help the series keep the viewer hooked and thus ensure its own continuity. The premise is that an unknown woman, of whom no trace in any database is found turns up one fine day in the middle of Time Square, covered neck to ankle in tattoos and...

Dir: Bethany Ashton Wolf Starring: Alex Roe, Jessica Rothe Dur: 1 hr 44 mins Genre: Romance PG: A few kisses. Rating: 5/10 The film is based on the novel of the same name written by Heidi McLaughlin. Fun fact: Heidi was inspired to write this story after viewing a picture on Facebook of a guy trying to apologize to a girl. The story smells awfully similar to a Nicholas Spark’s kind of thing and even has that flavor although it misses the intensity of a Nicholas Spark’s romance. Nevertheless, it is a good story. What’s better is that it’s brought to life by actors who aren’t really huge stars either. The film begins with heartbreak in one of a boldest opening acts conceivable and ends in blissful happiness. Because, how else will you end it right? So anyway, even though the story is pretty relatable and believable there are its moments of drifting off into fantasy. While I enjoyed the tension and the buildup, the acting was a slight let down. The ending too was prett...

Dir: Ben Lewin Starring:   Paul Rudd Dur: 1 hr 35 mins Genre: Biographical Drama PG: A bit of foul language. One intimate scene though no nudity is shown. Rating: 3/10 The film is based on the book of the same name written by Nicholas Dawidoff, which tells the true story of Moe Berg, a baseball veteran who joins the American secret service and plays an instrumental role in discovering Germany’s nuclear stand. I’m certain the book is far more gripping then the film, which turns out to be a poor show of plot and dialogue, offering the actors little backing but expecting them to deliver dazzling performances. It’s little wonder that nearly every actor struggles to breathe life into their otherwise painfully dull characters. Thankfully the film doesn’t exceed an hour and a half but even that feels a bit stretched. The plot is rather simplistic and the drama is pale. Probably the only thing that sells this film is its tag ‘Based on a True Story’. Honestly, that’s th...

Dir: Garth Davis Starring: Rooney Mara Dur: 2 hrs Genre: Biblical Drama Rating: 2/10 Mary Magdalene is a significant figure in the life of Jesus. But it is in the legend of Jesus that she really blossoms. Lots of speculation has gone around regarding the real relationship between Jesus and Mary with some even saying that she is the one who leans on the chest of Jesus in the Last Supper painting of Leonardo Da Vinci. This film attempts to explore the story of Mary of Magdalene and I must say it gave an interesting background to it. The film isn’t really good. At the end of its two hour duration it had me questioning the point of spending precious time watching it when I could just as easily have spent that same time catching an afternoon siesta. Frankly, I do regret not catching that siesta because I really feel that would have been the better choice. The film is set in 33 A.D. and starts of by showing who Mary was before she met Jesus and subsequently tracing ...

Dir: Roar Uthaug Starring: Alicia Vikander Dur: 1 hr 54 mins Genre: Adventure PG: Significant amount of violence. Not too graphic though. Rating: 5/10 This is the third film of the same name that came out 17 years after the first one, starring Angelina Jolie who also starred in the sequel Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life . What I can suggest is that this is like the prequel of the 2001 one. While then, Lara (Angelina) was portrayed as a self-possessed millionaire with some lethal action moves, here she is merely a young girl, stubborn and idealistic with barely enough money to make ends meet. However, the basics remain the same: her father is missing after a treasure-seeking expedition and she is left a series of cryptic clues by him which lead her to discovering some insidious secret. Alicia Vikander is amazing in the film although for most of the film you see her muddy and in the same costume. The action sequences are quite a treat but sadly the film overall is a d...

Dir: Brad Peyton Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Naomie Harris Dur: 1 hr 47 mins Genre: Thriller Rating: 4/10 This is Godzilla with a face. The plot is highly predictable and quite dusty too. Hardly any effort is made to make it worth the while. I suppose the only thing worth watching in this giant flick is Dwayne Johnson- and even he isn’t that appealing. A freakish pathogen inadvertently makes its way to earth and ‘conveniently’ finds itself in the vicinity of extremely dangerous creatures. A gorilla, crocodile and wolf inhale the super-species stuff and go on a rampage. The plot is so conveniently developed that after a while you begin to wonder just what the writers were up too. The acting was just on par to put it kindly; the honest truth: they were underwhelming. The trailer promised big action but unfortunately it turned out to be a cut on all the best bits. The actual film was sadly unfulfilling. Turns out the film was inspired by a video game and is rated pretty hi...

Created by: Chris Fedak Starring: Jack Cutmore-Scott, Ilfenesh Hadera, Lenora Crichlow, Justin Chon, Laila Robins, Amaury Nolasco and Vinnie Jones Dur: 43 mins each episode (13 episodes) Genre: Crime-drama Rating: 4/10 My cousin created quite an interest in me to watch ‘Deception’. He spoke so highly of it that I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. Guess what? The whole “it’s awesome” thing – that’s a ‘deception’. The plot is all-too-familiar: The FBI become associated with a person with ‘special skills’ who serves as an ‘consultant’ but who later goes to become much more. I get it that they tried to make this cop-drama interesting by bringing magic into the fray but that really didn’t help much. The series is quite a let down and the only reason I got through all of it was because I was hoping that its initial aridity was a deception and that the oasis was around the corner, but sadly I was mistaken and I felt parched by the end. The drama was seriously lacking...