The Critique

Dir: Angelina Jolie Starring: Sreymoch Sareum, Kompheak Phoeung, Soceata Sveng, Dara Heng Kimhak Mun Dur: 2 hrs 16 mins Genre: Biographical Drama PG: Scene of war, death and bloodshed Rating: 8/10 Perhaps the most moving film I have ever watched. Sincerely, I struggled to make it to the end. The film is so powerful and moving that for an emotionally fragile person like myself the tears are bound to flow. The film is incredibly well-made even though the acting is not up to the mark. As it stands, the film had a great impact on me. I can only imagine what would have been the case had the acting been a little more polished. More than a couple of times I had to reach out for tissue as the film took me through the uprooted and candle-in-the-wind kind of life of Loung Ung, a Cambodian girl. Based on the best-selling book of the same name authored by Loung, the film endeavours to tell the story of Cambodia through the eyes of a seven year old girl. One moment, life wa...

Dir: Milap Milan Zaveri Starring: John Abraham, Manoj Bajpayee Dur: 2 hrs 20 mins Genre: Action-Drama Rating: 3/10 I cannot understand why Bollywood keeps torturing us with films. I think they just ought to take a break for a while, get together and discuss how they can stop making films that suck and start making films that actually have some meaning. Don’t get me wrong, this film has good intentions behind it but a good idea is shrouded by shoddy film-making, barely average acting and horrendous camera work and choreography. Don’t let the trailer fool you as it did me. The trailer is merely an amalgam of all the best parts of the film. What it doesn’t show you is what a disgrace this film really is. The idea of vigilante justice is not something altogether new. Gabbar is Back did a comparatively brilliant job with it. Satyamev Jayate seems to trip on the very first hurdle. I honestly thought that Bollywood would slowly realize that spicing up films with unbec...

Dir: Peyton Reed Starring: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas, Michael Pena, Laurence Fishburne, Hannah John-Kamen Dur: 1 hr 58 mins Genre: Superhero-Action-Comedy Rating: 7/10 Marvel returned with yet another fantastic film on the back of its latest hit, Avengers: Infinity War . Needless, to say the film reeks of the Marvel spirit with the typical humour, action-sequences and tight plot. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this story is the introduction of Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) as the Wasp. Although it doesn’t come as a surprise thanks to its featuring in the title of the film, the seamless buildup of the story around her character is interesting. The film starts on a weird note but later sets things right. Scott Lang a.k.a. Ant-man is facing the consequences of his actions in Civil War . His house-arrest is exploited very well to achieve comedic relief in the film. In an effort to maintain their renown for levity, I think the producers ...

Dir: Advait Chandan Starring: Zaira Wasim, Meher Vij, Raj Arjun and Aamir Khan Dur: 2 hrs 30 mins Genre: Drama Rating: 8/10 If you haven’t seen this film yet, you have missed out on one of the best things to have come out of Bollywood in the last year. It’s not too late however, to watch this incredible story of youth. Youth is a time of big dreams and little means. Our heroine Insu, played brilliantly by Zaira Wasim is smitten with dreams to make it big in the world of music. Despite her small beginnings and unstable family environment, she harbours her dreams. Before I go any further allow me to let you know that the film is dedicated to ‘mothers and motherhood’ and that is bound to give you some idea about how things develop. Needless to say, Insu’s biggest support is her mother while her father is her biggest obstacle. Through some sly family dealings (reminiscent of Rebekah, Jacob and Esau of the Old Testament) Insu gets her shot at fame but her success is shor...

Dir: Ari Sandel Starring: Adam DeVine, Alexandra Daddario, Shelley Hennig, Robbie Amell and Andrew Bachelor Dur: 1 hr 37 mins Genre: Comedy-Romance PG: A good number of kisses, mild use of expletives and one reference to male genitalia. Rating: 7/10 There was something about this film that attracted me. The trailer was pretty seductive; but it kind of gave the whole plot away. 20 minutes in to the film, I had predicted the outcome. Yes, the film is predictable but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have the power to tug at heart strings.   Avery (Alexandra Daddario) is about to be engaged to Ethan (Robbie Amell), a handsome, debonair guy while Noah (Adam DeVine), who has a huge crush on Avery looks on. Things get out of hand when Noah takes glass and later bottle in hand. Just when things seem to be at their lowest, he is driven away by Avery's pal, Carrie (Shelley Hennig) and left in the company of his buddy, Max (Andrew Bachelor). In a drunken state, Noah stumbles...

Dir: J. A. Bayona Starring: Bryce Dallas Howard, Chris Pratt, Dur: 2 hrs 8 mins Genre: Sci-fi Adventure Rating: 8/10 The sequel to the popular Jurassic World that released in 2015, Fallen Kingdom picks up from where its prequel left off. We are taken back to the infamous Jurassic World that lies in ruins after the disastrous events outlined in the previous film. Much to no one’s surprise, the dinosaurs haven’t given up on the fight to survive and this film builds itself around that feeling. The dinosaurs are faced with a life and death situation and their future seems to be fading into the darkness of extinction once again. The island which the dinosaurs inhabited is facing destruction thanks to an active volcano. Lockwood, one of the original fathers of Jurassic world, desires to save the dinosaurs and relocate them to a safe zone but as things normally do, his plan blew up (quite literally!) The evil conniving of his aid, Eli, leads to the drama that forms the bod...