Samrat & Co

Cast: Rajeev Khandelwal,Madalsa Sharma,Gopal Datt(Chakradhar Pandey),Priyanshu Chatterjee(Sanjay Singh),Rajniesh Duggall(Deepak Khurana),Bhaumik Sampat(Inspector Khalid)
Director: Kaushik Ghatak            
Genre: Thriller, Mystery


Watchable! The movie is all about mystery, and that doesn't disappoint you



You may look forward to:

• I have no idea why he had to accept the copied parts from Sherlock Holmes including his hair style, Rajeev Khandelwal....otherwise is capable of running the movie entirely on his shoulders. Nowhere near to the comparison of Sherlock Holmes or any close to Robert Downey Jr, no offence. But he as Rajeev Khandelwal himself does offer you a good show
• The script is the USP of the movie. Slightly predictable but yet as the movie keeps advancing, the script manages you to confuse and keep you glued to the screen till the end
• Priyanshu Chatterjee known face from the 'Tum Bin' fame,does a good job

What you can sleep over:

• Rajniesh Duggall, tries giving his best, but the action sequences were not at par, his role however is intriguing and has an impact
• Madalsa Sharma, doesn't have much to do, but she doesn't irritate either being in unnecessary songs and love angles, she is someone you can live with in this drama

The dampeners you should be aware of:

• The scene in the boxing ring while introducing Samrat, was the most disappointing and a pathetic mockery of Robery Downey Jr, i wanted to walk out of the theater right then. Such copies immediately reflects the inability of Indians to do something new and as well shows up the B Grade make of Indian movies. Shame!
• Gopal Datt's role was an insult to 'John Watson's' role from Sherlock Holmes series, and what makes it even more disgusting is the direct comparison with him. One would have never guessed otherwise that he was trying to act as one :P His role is nothing but that of a buffoon's
• All the action sequences of the movie were very very average, does add no value and could be avoided

My rating: 3/5

Revolver Rani

Cast: Kangana Ranaut, Vir Das,Piyush Mishra,Zakir Hussain
Director: Sai Kabir            
Genre: Action, Crime, Drama



A different take on cinema. Successful experiment with a good story :)



You may look forward to:

• Kangana Ranaut, surely gets better every time. This one isn't a universal movie to everyone's liking, yet she as an actor clearly grows manifolds. Her accent has become a lot better. And this is one movie, she absolutely rules, one strong lady whom every man fears, lives up to the name of the title 
• Vir Das, even though a second fiddle, was awesome. His best performance in movies till date. He is one person who raises multiple emotions in you, for once you feel pity on him and on the other you know what jerk he is. A very nicely written and well played character
• Piyush Mishra, is his usual fit in the role. He plays to his best of what is written for him, tailor made :)
• Zakir Hussain, is a funny take on politicians, and we love him :D
• The script and presentation of the movie is the USP of the flick. I was expecting a complete non sense and loud script in the movie, however I was taken aback by a pleasant surprise as the movie had sensible roles and good story. The story ends on a filmy but a good conclusive note
• Sai Kabir has done a fab job in presenting Kagna Ranaut at her best, all you see in the entire movie is actually 'Revolver Rani'. Kudos to him

What you can sleep over:

A few action scenes, which required Kangna to be more energetic and more swift, she looked tad lazy and giving it a look of B Grade starer at times. But those moments are hardly 2 mins of the entire movie, so i guess you can very well sleep over them :)



The dampeners you should be aware of:

The music had a lot of potential, they did sound appropriate to the context, but you cannot sell the music on that. Music of this film could be a lot better




My rating: 3.5/5

Transcendence

Cast: Johnny Depp, Rebecca Hall, Morgan Freeman,Kate Mara(Bree),Paul Bettany(Max Waters)
Director: Wally Pfister             
Genre: Sci-Fi, Thriller



Artificial Intelligence based sci-fi low profile drama. You will not mind watching it provided you can stand through its slow pace



You may look forward to:

• Johnny Depp, now thats what you call an actor. Even after being always related to the funky lose character of a pirate, he never lets you compare him with his other movies. He is every inch a scientist here. His eerie presence all through the movie is quirky and with that pace of the movie, he gradually make an impression of his own on your mind
• Rebecca Hall, difficult to say she is practically the lead or its Jhonny Depp. But she is certainly an aid who is living and present throughout the film. Various expressions and desperate measures to keep her husband alive and run behind her dream to bring it to reality, very closely depicted
• The script of the movie, is gripping even if half the movie plays the same old thins related to AI's which you have seen in movies and TV series, yet it develops a curiosity in you to what is in store next. A few aspects as terrifying and deceptive as it may get. I liked the climax as well as the conclusion

What you can sleep over:

If you can sit through the pace, you can sit through the entire flick :)



The dampeners you should be aware of:

The film starts and ends on a note as if it doesn't care what it is presenting is vulnerable to criticism or not :) Its your take, you can either find as many issues or may chose to find none :P




My rating: 3/5

2 States

Cast: Arjun Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Amrita Singh,Ronit Roy,Revathy,Shivkumar Subramaniam
Director: Abhishek Varman            
Genre: Drama, Romance

Keeping the essence of the plot and in sync with the novel, this is a well executed flick. If you like Bollywood, you shouldnt miss this :)



You may look forward to:

• Alia Bhatt, whichever film she touches, turns into gold :) Very good picks. She looks the most beautiful till date. She has an Indian touch to her.Yes, you cannot take your eyes off her. Beautiful expressions and nice portrayal. She manages her role as a Tamil lad
• Much beyond my expectations, Arjun Kapoor did a great job as well. He wasnt trying to be macho here, with an accepted average looks, he definitely manages to win your heart as an actor
• Amrita Singh, after a long time, some significant role. She is a perfect fit in into the caricature of a punjabi mother, though not all punjabi mothers are dominated by their husbands :P She is one such lady who gives you ample opportunities to win her over :)
• Ronit Roy, i dont have words for this man. He clearly takes over the scene wherever he is present. Arjun Kapoor looks nothing in front of him. He is really adorable
• Revathy and Shivkumar Subramaniam were their simplistic best as Alia's parents
• The movie is a bit different here and there and is not a ditto copy.However, you can very well relate to the book(for those who have read). What makes it a good movie is that they retained the essence of the story, which is further enriched with some beautiful meaningful dialogues to bridge the gap from the book to the film
• The story is very simple and regular inter caste pre marital hastes. But entire audience can identify itself with it. Here they touch the practical non violent side of the issues which is unlike the traditional Bolly romantic conflicts. The subtlety of the movie is the USP of the flick
• The one aspect i noticed and really appreciate the director Abhishek Varman for, is that he never shows any domestic violence quite literally on the large screen. Be it the instance where Ronit Roy slaps Amrita Singh or Arjun Kapoor slaps Ronit Roy, all of them indicative, is never pictured. Respects to that!
• And last, not the least! I am so happy to see a wedding optimist movie :) Even though the happy ending was a lot filmy, but one positive movie in the end...Sigh!!

What you can sleep over:

Music is just passe. In fact does even irritate at times



The dampeners you should be aware of:

• The entire angle of psychiatrist, was beyond my understanding. They never show who he is speaking to,although there is a lady at the backdrop always, but they end it in such absurd note. The entire reason to why he was complaining till the end of the story or was he just narrating, @$E%&%^.......absurd absurd!!
• A lot other instances which were tweaked and not as per the novel, sucked :) Like the one at Duke-Minty's wedding. We thoroughly get it, how 'Krish' won his in-law's hearts over, but Ananya's melodrama was pathetic, and makes no sense. Why did they have to tweak this scene from the book!!
• There were a lot more instances which the director clearly didnt pay attention to. They emphasized this so much that Ananya is the damsel of the college and every other guy is head over heels on her. But i dont see that clearly depicted. While the book clearly writes the reason why! Less number of good looking species of female in colleges like IIM's explains it. But you do see so many other pretty looking faces in the film :) There Ananya is no damsel :)

My rating: 3.5/5

Divergent

Cast: Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Kate Winslet,Jai Courtney
Director:Neil Burger              
Genre: Action,Thriller


You cant help remember 'Hunger Games' while watching this. So if you liked that, you will not be disappointed by this one :) Though keeping expectations low will be helpful :)



You may look forward to:

• Here again we have some futuristic post war drama, all thats left over, lets tame remaining people and create a better society by the handful of powerful men. The script isnt any new, all through familiar but doesnt bore you either. It has a certain pace and that keeps you entertained till the end
• Shailene Woodley, damn she is like another replica of Jennifer Lawrence from Hunger Games, be it the face cut or the caricature. She thankfully doesnt try imitating her as such. She is chosen to do a job and she does it well, but no where close in comparison to Jennifer
• Unlike 'Hunger Games', even if the movie belongs to the lady, you have a strong male contender-Theo James. He has almost equal standing if not the lead and definitely makes a mark
• Jai Courtney was fab, tough guy with tough looks. I like! :)

What you can sleep over:

• The love story angle. So very predictable, scene by scene, as well cliche :)
• The director could have done  much better job

The dampeners you should be aware of:

• I cannot accept Kate Winslet in roles like this. OMG! Been slapped and dashed to the floor by a lady who is practically no one!! Damn!!Why such a role after all!! She can do so much better :(
• It isnt as mind boggling and eventful as Hunger Games. None of the training scenes were very convincing in order to create 'Dauntless' army. Neither the action scenes as awesome

My rating: 3/5

Oculus

Cast:  Karen Gillan(Kaylie), Brenton Thwaites(Tim),Rory Cochrane(Alan Russel), Katee Sackhoff(Marie Russell),Annalise Basso(Young Kaylie),Garrett Ryan(Young Tim)

Director:Mike Flanagan            

Genre: Horror

Mind riveting storyline.If you liked 1408, you will like this one too :)




You may look forward to:

• If you like a horror story which could affect your mind and is gonna stay, this is the movie for you :) What i liked about the movie is the concept where in you cant tell the difference between real incidents to other. The entire frame of our mind believes when awry things happen, and if it does sound spooky then it must be done by an external force. But what if you come to know, all the spooky things that happen are committed by you but you lose memory of those events. Sounds eerie!! Thats right :)
• You do get your dose of proven existence of unnatural presence and witness some ugly faces, but what works best for the movie is the way it is scripted and the way it ends
• I absolutely loved the end of this flick. Most of the horror movie end so predictably. I bet you cant predict the end of this flick
• All the actors do their best of the jobs and look very convincing. I particularly like the after look of Katee Sackhoff, that can leave some impact on a child's mind to see his mother in a state as this

  

What you can sleep over:


Things are quite well placed, scenes were executed well. Not many lose ends  :)

  

The dampeners you should be aware of:


Some unnecessary events and unexplained ones, like the sudden appearance of Kaylie's financee out of nowhere, specially when he wasnt even aware of the plan and the location, and the entire nonsense around her fiancee(Michael) to follow :P




My rating: 3.5/5

Rio 2

Cast: Jesse Eisenberg(Blue), Anne Hathaway(Jewel),Leslie Mann(Linda),Bruno Mars(Roberto),Jemaine Clement(Nigel),will.i.am (Pedro),Jamie Foxx (Nico),Rodrigo Santoro(Tulio),Andy García(Eduardo),Kristin Chenoweth(Gabi)

Director:Carlos Saldanha           

Genre: Animation,Adventure,Family

A movie more of the kids for the liking. So all the parents may watch it with entire family bearing kids


You may look forward to:

• Amazing visuals, and brilliant creativity. For all the age groups we have just one USP, that is the visual appeal of the movie. The many way birds may flutter their wings and make things look wonderful in a bunch, that makes for the most of the movie
• All the voices lent, deserves a noteworthy mention! :)

What you can sleep over:

• The many songs! Whooooosh! I was literally getting bored with the many songs they put in
• The story looks like a lot adapted from 'Avatar' :D Somehow a lot of it reminded me of that movie. Overall, i would say, story was weak. Nothing much for adults to savor

  

The dampeners you should be aware of:

• That it is not an entertainer for adults, barring a few quips here and there
• Alas! I cant say... out of all the characters, there was at least one dearer to the heart and would stand out

My rating: 3/5 (Only for the visuals)

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Cast: Chris Evans, Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlett Johansson,Robert Redford(Alexander Pierce),Sebastian Stan(Bucky Barnes),Anthony Mackie(Sam Wilson / Falcon)

Director:Anthony Russo, Joe Russo          

Genre: Action,Adventure,Sci-Fi

Another Kick-Ass movie from Marvel productions. Must watch!

You may look forward to:

• Chris Evans, getting his due finally! One man to look out for! This guy is not someone to fade away as accessory amongst the Avengers. He can pull an entire movie on his shoulders and make it a grand success. With the looks to die for and more or less a human than a super hero, every action and every move that he makes is freaking awesome and very very less mechanical or robotic. He every inch is a Hero :)
• Scarlett Johansson, mind blowing :) Never saw her this up, close and personal as in this flick. She is the leading lady, and almost close to a love affair with Captain America :) Glad to have one action queen lasting for so long. Kudos to her!
• Action in this movie is worth appreciating. Action doesnt anymore look repetitive. Action directors are coming up with powerful impact everytime
• The script is complicated but amazing.The script is much beyond alien invasion, outward threats, etc etc. Its insider politics. Its a tad bit difficult to understand, but the way it is revealed one after another, is noteworthy.The script is one of the major USP's of the movie and not just star power
• Thanks to the script, Samuel L. Jackson had a meaty role to himself, much beyond just a leader. Your heart does pound for him at a few scenes :)
• Sebastian Stan, rather came out to be a nice surprise with that man behind the mask. Mostly, it doesnt matter who they reveal behind the mask, but this one did make sense
• Anthony Mackie, our wingman :) was a good support too :)
• Direction at their best, a good script and star power may yet not make enough impact if not for the apt direction. A few scenes definitely is remarkably shot, like the one action scene in the lift, is a WOW!

What you can sleep over:


Robert Redford, this man was mostly under the wraps and hence nothing much to boast about

  

The dampeners you should be aware of:


Small tit bits missed here and there, cant be called a dampener but may be done intentionally at some place and at others missed. Like once Sebastian Stan was revealed, why would he not wear a mask for the action sequences ahead :D Anyway, it wasnt him who was trying to hide self, it was more like a uniform to him :D

But never mind, this movie kept me at the edge throughout, and the length of the movie did never happen to be a concern. You dont check your watch nor do you wait for the interval :)

My rating: 4/5

Main tera hero

Cast: Varun Dhawan,Ileana D'Cruz,Nargis Fakhri,Arunoday Singh,Anupam Kher,Rajpal Yadav
Director:David Dhawan         
Genre: Action,Comedy,Romance



Very typical of David Dhawan movie, quality remains poor. Time pass, no brainers!



You may look forward to:

• So Govinda is replaced by Varun Dhawan :) Wish the story was as humorous, i would have accepted Varun as is. Nevertheless, it cant be denied that if i could sit through the entire movie even without any story and with all the horrible actors in it, its only cos of Varun. His boyish charm, energetic moves and cute smile with good dancing abilities and six packs ;) makes him worth a watch :)
• Two songs are already a hit when it comes to music and is good to watch
• Rajpal Yadav his usual self, he mostly cant go wrong :P

What you can sleep over:

• I have never appreciated Anupam Kher is such roles, but never mind, everybody needs to earn
• Arunoday Singh, looks huge and like an idiot. Why does he sign up for roles like this. Yet, not his fault, passe!

The dampeners you should be aware of:

• Ileana, i think looked her worst barring that one song. She stood no where close to a heroine material specially when Nargis enters. Movies like this anyway dont require acting skills. She is a thumbs down
• Nargis Fakhri, is a bombshell in nuts :) She can look every inch a damsel but you just cant stand her the moment she open her mouth
• The story is the biggest let down. There is practically no story and is just a mess up. Pretty pathetic for that matter
• David Dhawan's movies with Govinda used to have a better script. If not as a director, as a father he should have paid attention to the script :P

My rating: 2/5

Sabotage

Cast: Arnold Schwarzenegger,Olivia Williams,Sam Worthington, Terrence Howard,Mireille Enos(Lizzy),Joe Manganiello(Grinder)

Director:David Ayer         

Genre: Action,Crime,Drama, Thriller

Action thriller, very much as you may expect from an Arnold starrer! Good stuff!

You may look forward to:

• So who likes gory! Be prepared for some gory presentation, which is the USP of the movie. If the murders were not as gory, you perhaps wouldnt find an interesting story there :)
• The mystery in the script was well concealed. Predictable or not, you enjoy the climax. The thriller aspect was very well catered too :)
• Arnold Schwarzenegger, is old. He cant really do hard core action anymore, though he can always be a part of one. :) He doesnt disappoint, you wont crib about his age
• Olivia Williams played one of the main leads. She was pretty good at it
• Rest of the cast, most of them known faces like Sam Worthington or Terrence Howard, didnt have a great deal to work upon but were all good in their own parts

What you can sleep over:



A few misses here and there. The entire investigation clue and all about the recognized tattoo, never ever explained!! All the clues as if vanished somewhere by the end



The dampeners you should be aware of:


Apart from the thriller and mystery aspect of the movie, it was a little disheartening to see the crew which is supposed to be the core DEA team acting as cowards and all the time in the hiding, doing nothing about the situation. They needed John Abraham for some boost(Courtesy: Force) :P





My rating: 3/5

Noah

     

    Cast: Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, Ray Winstone(Tubal-cain),Anthony Hopkins,Emma Watson,Logan Lerman(Ham),Douglas Booth(Shem)

Director:Darren Aronofsky         

Genre: Action,Adventure,Drama

 

 

A film based upon Biblical Noah and his Ark. Not convincing!!

 

 

You may look forward to:

• Russell Crowe, is the only reason why you will watch it till the end. His is the only character very complex and difficult to understand but yet standing tall. Beautifully played as 'Noah'. I dont have detailed knowledge on how the real character is described in Bible. Nevertheless, this character in this movie is mind blowing. A person who is apparently chosen by god starts acting cynical and crazy later, for reasons difficult to fight! The many complexities of mind that 'Noah' goes through couldnt be done better than any other but Russel Crowe
• Ray Winstone, was barbaric, self centered and egoistic fool. Very well played, you cant help but hate him. Hatred towards him is best explained in the scene where he is killed by Russel Crowe. That was a captivating scene, where as much as his sons, you as an audience get confused who should live, Tubal-Cain or Noah. But Ray Winstone wins the hatred over and you know, that you want him to be killed and not Noah :)
• All other star cast were more of family support, they were perfectly fitting in their place, though nothing extra ordinary to mention individually
• 3D was okayish, wasnt bad

 

 

 

What you can sleep over:

 

 

Its a sensitive topic to comment upon not knowing what exactly does the Bible say and how much truly is covered in the movie. However, the script appeared making no sense. I dont remember ever hearing of stories of Noah's Ark as magical and fictional as this. It seemed like things were all meant to happen. Water sprouts from anywhere, forests build on its own, animals(mind you, innumerous of them) gathering on their own, you even have some god sent mythical creatures as the 'Watchers' to help build the Ark. What i would now question is what did
Noah do in the end, apart from visioning and leading the whole thing. We always knew him as the one who had himself built an ark, collected species(a pair of each) of animals himself...but this seems to be a story just unbelievable

The dampeners you should be aware of:

• Pace of the movie feels dragging. Story stretched too far!
• Direction at lot of places feels uninteresting and boring
• The practicality of life in the scenes were not acceptable to me, to the landscape as inhabitable to clothes which are close to urban, to the language. I dont see things much close to ancient pre-civilization era but much more close to generation today more on adventurous grounds :D
• The overall experience wasnt as fulfilling as it should have been!

My rating:2.5/5