The Critique

Dir: Donovan Marsh Starring: Gerard Butler, Gary Oldman, Common, Linda Cardellini Dur: 2 hrs Genre: Drama-Action Rating: 5/10 PG: A few expletives. The trailer promised far more than the film actually ended up delivering. I was quite disappointed with the whole affair as I came in to watch a thoroughly engaging drama but instead was presented with a poorly constructed mish-mash of suspense and triumph. Butler is perhaps the only stand out in the film. But then again, it is as if the whole film revolves around him. Interestingly, this is not the case but is sadly made to appear so. The film is based on the 2012 novel Firing Point written by Don Keith and George Wallace. I can’t say how good the novel is since I haven’t read it but I’m 100% sure its way better than this hotchpotch of a film. The characters aren’t very well developed and neither is the plot! As a writer myself and a huge movie buff, I can safely say that there were a couple at least if not more, way...

Dir: Nash Edgerton Starring: Charlize Theron, David Oyelow, Joel Edgerton, Amanda Seyfried Dur: 1 hr 50 mins Genre: Comedy-Action Rating: 5/10 PG: Plenty of expletives, a few sex scenes (the actors are fully clothed), and plenty of sexual innuendo. Before you jump to any conclusions about the film let me tell you this: it is a film about drugs and yes, for the most part, it is based in Mexico. However, it is not your traditional DEA vs cartel kind of story. The two do feature but in a minor way. The drug angle is introduced through a pharmaceutical company’s production of an experimental drug. Let me confess, that I wasn’t too impressed by the whole plot and the way it played out but I definitely was amused on more than one occasion. The film adopts an interesting style of storytelling with serious drama glazed with slightly overdone comedy. The actors are not at fault at all for the overall paucity of the film. Most of the key players have delivered excellent per...

Dir: Peter Farrelly Starring: Mahershala Ali and Viggo Mortensen Dur: 2 hrs 17 mins Genre: Comedy-drama Rating: 8/10   It’s not often you get to see a great story of two people coming from different worlds connect with one another in a way that is both, enriching and uplifting. Green Book offers us a story just like that. Based on true incidents, the film attempts to portray the curious and dramatic relationship between a bouncer, Frank Vallelonga and virtuoso pianist, Don Shirley. The former is an Italian-American with tough skin, while the latter is a black musician in need of a driver-cum-valet for one of his musical tours. If this isn’t enough to tickle your curiosity then this surely will: the film is set in 1960 America which is at the height of racial discrimination. The film is a beautiful blend of classical music, inter-racial relationships, ‘culture’ and above all friendship. If there is one thing about the film that stands out is the unique friendshi...

Dir: Rajkumar Hirani Starring: Ranbir Kapoor, Paresh Rawal, Vicky Kaushal, Sonam Kapoor, Dia Mirza, Anushka Sharma and Jim Sarbh Dur: 2 hrs 41 mins Genre: Biopic Rating: 8/10 I have waited for this film for a long, long time. Not because I’m a fan of Sanjay Dutt or anything, nor simply because I’m a fan of biopics but more so because of the publicity that was made about this film. Right at the outset let me tell you that the trailer is far more provocative than the film. I guess I should have said spoiler alert but I’m not letting out any plot details so it will be alright. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one waiting with bated breath for the film’s release; thousands others were too. This is evidenced with the box office collections that were made on the first day itself! The film registered the highest box office opening in the year 2018! It went on to become the highest grosser of the year and the second highest-earning Hindi film of all time! Quite impressive stats, ind...

Dir: Nishikant Kamat Starring: Irrfan Khan, Vishesh Bansal, Jimmy Sheirgill, Tushar Dalvi and Nitesh Pandey Dur: 2 hrs 13   mins Genre: Political Drama Rating: 8/10 The film tells the gripping story of a father who goes to great lengths to send a message to the perpetrators behind the death of his only son. It’s not what you think! Unless you’re thinking like the writer… This is not your traditional revenge story. It is a revenge story albeit with an interesting change. Corruption is so deeply rooted into the Indian political system that it seems as though there can be no cure for it. Every now and again, Bollywood musters up the courage to develop a politically charged film with a strong message. Depending on the nature of the film, one can expect to attract an audience. It seems as though good films without the typical masala just don’t sell. Madaari however, did quite well at the box office despite treading a different path. There is no item song here. Just...

Dir: Harold Cronk Starring: Lindsay Pulsipher, Makenzie Moss, Andrew Walker Dur: 1 hr 51 mins Genre: Christian Drama Rating: 7.5/10 The film is an interpretation of the song ‘Bless the Broken Road’ by The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. It tells the story of a young mother who loses her husband in the Afghanistan war and is faced with the daunting task of bringing up a young daughter. As such stories go, she lost her faith in God despite being the choir master of Church. Her return back to the Lord is aided by the arrival of a debonair race car driver who just happened to come to town. The rest is plain story-telling. The story has strong emotional overtones that sadly don’t transfer into the onscreen drama. The young Makenzie, who plays Bree, the daughter, is a real delight to watch. Lindsay, who plays Amber, the mother, also delivers an emotional performance but not a great one — at least in my book. The whole romantic angle that was introduced and left partially devel...