Crimson Peak

Cast: Mia Wasikowska(Edith), Jessica Chastain(Lady Lucille), Tom Hiddleston(Sir Thomas), Charlie Hunnam(Dr. Alan) and Jim Beaver(Edith's Father)
Director: Guillermo del Toro
Genre: Horror, Fantasy, Thriller



This film makes a deep spooky impact. Although expect low, since this one is more of a fantasy horror than a pure horror film!



You may look forward to:

• What holds your attention in the film is the set and the backdrop of the address 'Crimson Peak'. Its spooky beyond admittance, the sheer silence or the dreadful noise of weather, or be it paranormal activity, its your sense and perception that you see/hear and perceive that makes this film a horror! The credit goes to Guillermo del Toro for his direction
  
• Jessica Chastain is a lead lady in my eyes. Her cold and erratically possessive behavior raises eyebrows. Her presence in the film in itself is a hair raising feeling. She is the real devil of the film!
• Tom Hiddleston has some kind of conspicuous aura about him, you may dislike him but you just cant ignore him. He secretly steals your heart even without your knowledge
• Charlie Hunnam is an important supporting role. He has a significant portion to which he delivers well
• Jim Beaver has a very brief supporting role, notable!

What you can sleep over:

Mia Wasikowska is the proclaimed lead lady of the film. She is the one victimized and the success story where she survives unlike many other victims. She has a fair screen presence to which she delivers ably, however she doesn't make much impact. But i absolutely love her costumes in the film!




The dampeners you should be aware of:

Against the normal expectations where you expect ghosts to be ghostly, its the other way around in here. You will appreciate ghostly apparitions but they don't scare you enough!





My Rating: 3/5

1- Poor  2-Average  3-Good  4-Very Good  5- Outstanding

Bridge of Spies

Cast: Tom Hanks, Mark Rylance(Abel), Amy Ryan(Wife of Donovan), Austin Stowell(Powers), Sebastian Koch (Vogel) and Will Rogers(Pryor)
Director: Steven Spielberg
Genre: Biography, Crime, History




Brilliant quality movie! For all those fans of Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg, its a must watch!




You may look forward to:

• Its a Tom Hanks movie, by and large. He overshadows every other being in this motion picture. Very ably so, there are a few forgotten heroes who may not have fought in any combat but have done some remarkable jobs in their time. Tom Hanks as 'James Donovan' is remarkably outstanding in his performance. Witty and calm, he talks it out to two nations with a unforgettable caliber and impeccable negotiations skills. Applauds!
• Mark Rylance, Austin Stowell and Will Rogers, were the next more important people who were dealt with. The most composed character of them all being that of Mark's.
• Amy Ryan and Sebastian Koch, have very short roles. The significant one was that of Sebastian Koch
• Steven Spielberg presents the story with great subtlety but with a lot of impact. You wont see great sets and amazing chases in this film, the appreciating factor about Steven Spielberg in this film is plain and simple-'Subtle' but impactful :)

What you can sleep over:

If you are going for the movie with this in mind that it will unfold lots of unheard or seldom talked about history from the times of Cold War, you are likely to be disappointed. The story is very very focused to this one incident, there are no side dishes!





The dampeners you should be aware of:

This movie is not made for an entertainment purpose, and hence it is not for all audience. This film will appeal only to a handful of audience!






My Rating: 3.5/5

1- Poor  2-Average  3-Good  4-Very Good  5- Outstanding

Pyaar ka punchanama 2

Cast: Kartik Aaryan(Gogo), Nushrat Bharucha(Chiku), Sunny Singh (Chauka), Sonalli Sehgall(Supriya), Ishita Raj(Kusum), Omkar Kapoor(Thakur) and Manvir Singh(Sunny)
Director: Luv Ranjan
Genre: Comedy, Romance, Drama



Fresh Punchanama on the most favorite topic: Love :) If you liked the first, you will like this one too :) Better than my expectations!




You may look forward to:

• All the leading boys: Kartik Aaryan, Sunny Singh and Omkar Kapoor, do a fab job. While Aaryan is a known face continued from the first part, so is Sunny Singh from the same franchise 'Akaash Vani', but Om Kapoor is a brand new face. Sunny Singh surprised me with his acting who otherwise dons a cold face, low on expressions. He is rather hilarious in this film. Om Kapoor is defined in one word: 'HOT' :) Aaryan is our regular guy carrying boy next door charm, someone who can believably fall in the love trap with wrong women :) His efforts are fabulously put for the one signature dialogue that he doles out, this time even more longer than the first part!
• The leading women: Nushrat Bharucha,Sonalli Sehgall and Ishita Raj, do good jobs too. Though all the ladies are re cast from the first part, but the most amazing makeover was that of Ishita Raj's, again, the only one word that defines her in this film is 'Sexy'. 
• Manvir Singh is cute and is in a good supporting role :)
• Luv Ranjan does a clean job in keeping the audience entertained. Though its clearly evident that he barely manages to break the expectations after the first part. Certainly, the first part was more hilarious with a far reaching story. Be it the relevance of the signature dialogue by Kartik Aaryan, or be it the annoyance meter of the girls, and even the comedy, all barely crossed the bar in this flick, its rather a safe take. :) This film if not better than the first, doesn't disappoint either!
• Music of the film is much better than the first part. They actually are lively and fun and don't totally feel out of place

What you can sleep over:

• Sonalli Sehgall can only be cast hot, she doesn't look like a girl coming from  a conservative family, nor does she exactly dress like one as 'Supriya' with all the short skirts while with her family. She should have been given a more suitable role
• Another stupid factor being the exaggerated pay scale of software engineer, that too coming from TCS :P The reality is not even close to 1/10th of the depicted pay scale :P

The dampeners you should be aware of:

• Nushrat Bharucha could easily be replaced with anybody more charming. I believe this coupling of Nushrat and Aaryan is considered lucky for this franchise. Otherwise, even after the best of the dressing and make up, she looks very average. Her acting, nothing extraordinary either
• There was this intensity that was lacking in this film, as compared to the first part. In the first part when the men leave the women, you actually do want that to happen, cos the story touches the threshold of respective endurance of the men. The script of this film, doesn't really touch the limits of annoyance created by the women. And this is where comedy apart, the moves loses its charm!

My Rating: 3/5

1- Poor  2-Average  3-Good  4-Very Good  5- Outstanding
            

The Walk

Cast: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ben Kingsley(Papa Rudy), Charlotte Le Bon(Annie), Clément Sibomy(Photographer), César Domboy(Jeff), James Badge Dale(Electronics Salesman), Ben Schwartz(Albert), Benedict Samuel(David) and Steve Valentine(Barry)
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Genre: Biography, Adventure, Comedy



One biography which makes you feel light and happy! No serious plot unlike the subjects of typical biographies. Go for it and enjoy :)




You may look forward to:

• Some acts performed by people like 'Phillipe Petit' are not just brave and real but as well unbelievable portrayal of passion and determination. Joseph Gordon-Levitt does an amazing job at it. Shooting for this one, i am sure wasn't a piece of cake, neither banking just on acting skills can do a justice. He makes you sweat, at the same time makes you laugh. Brilliant work!
• Robert Zemeckis's Direction is the specific catch in the film. A story of a rope walker perhaps would never pick mass audience, if not for his direction. He has built the movie on the base of comedy. The script transports you back to a story telling atmosphere from early 70's. He portrays the film as a fantasy story which is by the way all real. Very commendable job by Robert Zemeckis
• Ben Kingsley, hardly recognizable. Perfect make up and perfect accent. He is just the very needed support to the lead :) Although the screen space to him is limited
• Charlotte Le Bon and Clément Sibomy, were the two very very important supports to the lead. One being the love interest of 'Phillipe' and the other the typical best friend who never leaves you come what may
• Another set of important supports without whom 'Phillipe' could never have successfully put the act together are César Domboy and James Badge Dale, crucial roles...followed by Ben Schwartz and Benedict Samuel, the two comic fools of the story and Steve Valentine for his contribution

The dampeners you should be aware of:


When you are watching this film, its feels like you are in a circus :) You don't want to look at flaws or doubt a thing, you just want to believe what you see :) No dampeners






My Rating: 3.5/5

1- Poor  2-Average  3-Good  4-Very Good  5- Outstanding

Sicario

Cast: Emily Blunt, Benicio del Toro(Alejandro), Josh Brolin(Matt), Daniel Kaluuya(Reggie), Maximiliano Hernández(Silvio), Victor Garber(Dave), Jon Bernthal(Ted) and Julio Cedillo(Fausto Alarcon)
Director: Denis Villeneuve
Genre: Crime, Action, Thriller



Its a crime thriller based out of Mexico. An engaging watch!




You may look forward to:

• Benicio del Toro and Josh Brolin are the real leads of the movie. They are rough and  no non sense characters. They carry a defiant nature which is deceptive as well. The duo create a very mystifying environment and keeps you hooked. They are the only reason why you should go for this film
• Maximiliano Hernández, Victor Garber, Jon Bernthal and Julio Cedillo, have very short supporting roles, but are noticeable
• Denis Villeneuve showcases some very inherent and root politics of the underworld drug cartels thriving in the very heart of the US. An enthralling watch!
• The aerial shots in the film are mind blowing. The camera work is equally good!

What you can sleep over:

Daniel Kaluuya has a very insignificant supporting role, could have been much stronger!




The dampeners you should be aware of:

Emily Blunt is more than confused in the entire film. She was played upon, agreed! But she hardly ever displays any skills of an FBI agent. She appears not just confused, but as well weak, one who goes by the rule books till the very end. Not a very strong character to be the face of the film






My Rating: 3/5

1- Poor  2-Average  3-Good  4-Very Good  5- Outstanding

Jazbaa

Cast: Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Irrfan Khan, Shabana Azmi, Chandan Roy Sanyal(Niyaz), Jackie Shroff, Atul Kulkarni(Prosecution Lawyer), Siddhanth Kapoor(Sam), Priya Banerjee(Sia), Sara Arjun (Anuradha's Daughter) and Abhimanyu Singh(Abbas)
Director: Sanjay Gupta
Genre: Thriller, Crime, Drama



This a season for Bollywood thrillers, dont miss it! :)




You may look forward to:

• Aishwarya Rai picks an apt story for her comeback. Unlike many heroines who do not make a successful career once taken a break for motherhood, Aishwarya proves it that the right script chosen keeping in mind the time lapsed, can work cordially for you. She performs good, slight over acting from one scene to another, most of it she pulls it off with aplomb. Cheers!
• Irrfan Khan is slowly graduating to a lady killer :) Very catchy dialogues, delivered impeccably cool, though you may catch certain dialogues came from the jokes some or other time you may have received on your phone as a forward :D Nonetheless, Irrfan Khan gives out a rocking performance back to back from 'Talvar' to 'Jazbaa'
• Shabana Azmi has an incredible role in this film, very unlikely of the roles you will expect out of her. She is playing a serious, no non sense role and holds a pot of surprises for you, difficult to predict
• Sanjay Gupta does a pretty good job in engaging all the lead characters very aptly and yet keeping Aishwarya as the center of the focus. He gives out a thriller worth enjoying and looking out for!
• Rest of the starcast viz.; Chandan Roy Sanyal, Siddhanth Kapoor, Priya Banerjee, Sara Arjun and Abhimanyu Singh have very petite roles, but they do good in their respective positions

What you can sleep over:

• Jackie Shroff and Atul Kulkarni, did not get their due in this film. Very short and not so precise roles at the backdrop of the story centering Aishwarya
• This film bears similarities in the story with 'Talvar' which is so fresh in the memory in this week. Nature of investigation is different but a completely different outlook to an apparent open and shut case of murder, in its second half, has a direct connection with the way 'Talvar' was presented
• One item song by 'Badshaah' in the film is already doing rounds, rest of the numbers were not required, felt very forced

The dampeners you should be aware of:

One particular scene which sort of defies logic in an otherwise carefully written story is the part where 'Anuradha' wins the case for 'Niyaaz', based upon the confession of 'Sam' in the court. Does a court accept confessions from someone who is mentally unstable? I wonder! This was a very major scene and i was a little disappointed at the conclusion of an otherwise intelligent criminal case in the film





My Rating: 3.5/5

1- Poor  2-Average  3-Good  4-Very Good  5- Outstanding

Kis Kisko Pyaar Karu

Cast: Kapil Sharma, Elli Avram(Deepika), Simran Kaur Mundi(Simran), Manjari Phadnis(Juhi), Sai Lokur(Anjali), Arbaaz Khan(Tiger Bhai), Supriya Pathak (Shiv's Mother), Sharat Saxena(Shiv's Father), Varun Sharma(Karan), Manoj Joshi(Deepika's Father) and Jamie Lever(Champa)
Director: Abbas Alibhai-Mastan
Genre: Comedy, Drama



Pass time entertaining watch!



You may look forward to:

• Kapil Sharma fans can comment better on his performance in the film. I have not been following him really. Nevertheless, he at least doesn't look like a misfit in his attempt to enact a romantic lead for a film. He pulls it off appropriately, be it his forte in humor, or his casing in romantic songs and rapping. He makes you laugh as well, gives you enough dose of drama
• The women in the film were charming, viz; Elli Avram, Simran Kaur Mundi, Manjari Phadnis and Sai Lokur. All the ladies had particular characteristics. While Elli was the most charming of all, Simran Kaur added the dose for the oomph factor while Manjari in her bubbly best
• The main supporting cast viz; Arbaaz Khan, Supriya Pathak and Sharat Saxena, were amazing. They contributed to a major chunk of humor in the film
• Varun Sharma, Manoj Joshi and Jamie Lever, were by no means any less. Their presence in itself created lighter moments of giggle and laughter
• The story of the film reminds you of those typical Govinda movies, also some shades of Salman Khan starer Biwi No. 1, as well Housefull 2. This is a khichdi of them all, but thankfully does not feel copied. You will cackle and laugh through out the movie

What you can sleep over:

• Sai Lokur could have looked better, she doesn't exactly fit into the bandwagon of women in the film, be it her costumes or the look or the acting!
• The songs of the movie aren't anything that you will remember going along, but they fit in fine to the context of the film and don't sound odd

The dampeners you should be aware of:

If you loved the trailer, you will be disappointed to learn, 50% of the quality comedy of the film is covered in the trailers. Rest of the 50% is more drama mixed with some light humor. On a Kapil Sharma standard, this is not 100% pure comedy





My Rating: 3/5

1- Poor  2-Average  3-Good  4-Very Good  5- Outstanding

The Martian

Cast: Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain(Melissa), Jeff Daniels(Head of NASA), Michael Peña(Rick, Astronaut), Kate Mara(Beth, Astronaut), Sebastian Stan(Chris, Astronaut), Aksel Hennie(Alex, Astronaut), Sean Bean(Mitch, Hemes Flight Director), Chiwetel Ejiofor(Vincent), Donald Glover(Rich, NASA Astronomer), Benedict Wong(Director, JPL), Eddy Ko(Chief Scientist, CSNA) and Chen Shu(Deputy Chief Scientist, CSNA)
Director: Ridley Scott
Genre: Sci-Fi, Adventure



A warm Sci-Fi adventure story. You must not give it a miss if you enjoy Sci-Fi!




You may look forward to:

• Matt Damon is the leading man having most of the movie riding solo on his shoulders. He gives out a good performance, with most of the explanations easy to understand for a layman. His bout of optimism and hopeful journey in an unknown planet far from any approachable help is commendable!
• Ridley Scott does a good job in presenting a Sci-Fi flick which is not far too ambitious nor way too scientific for ordinary people to grasp. He uses simple techniques and plain explanations for its not so scientific audience to enjoy
• Jessica Chastain and her crew viz, Michael Peña, Kate Mara, Sebastian Stan, Aksel Hennie have limited screen space, but they have notable roles to play. Specially that of Jessica's role by the end of the film
• Jeff Daniels, Sean Bean, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Donald Glover, the key drivers of Mars mission from NASA have notable jobs again back from earth in covering up as well answering press
• Benedict Wong, Eddy Ko and Chen Shu have very limited contributions in terms of screen presence but the story have them contribute significantly

What you can sleep over:

This movie is primarily an entertainer, unlike a Christopher Nolan film, which is far fetched intelligent. This movie may make you feel surviving on Mars is no rocket science :D But i am sure it ain't a piece of cake either :)

The dampeners you should be aware of:

• Certain aspects which looked incomplete and slightly too idealistic, is the over the top optimism of the Mars survivor 'Mark Watney'. Over the entire duration, he never shows up any sign of losing hope, he at all times appears optimistic. Though he admits in the film otherwise!
• Again there were not many internal tussles with NASA in going out of the way for saving a lone astronaut while risking the others. Internal politics were more or less suppressed and looked pretty much smooth sailing, kind of unlikely!

My Rating: 3.5/5

1- Poor  2-Average  3-Good  4-Very Good  5- Outstanding

Talvar

Cast: Irrfan Khan, Neeraj Kabi(Shruti's Father), Konkona Sen Sharma(Shruti's Mother), Sohum Shah(ACP Vedant), Gajraj Rao(Inspector), Atul Kumar(Paul), Sumit Gulati(Kanhaiya), Prakash Belawadi(Swamy), Shishir Sharma(JK Dixit), Ayesha Parveen(Shruti) and Tabu
Director: Meghna Gulzar
Genre: Crime, Thriller




One heck of a thriller. Its a must watch movie!




You may look forward to:

• Meghna Gulzar has literally bought the actual case alive with this film. Frame by frame every piece very carefully handled and written by Vishal Bhardwaj. Its not just a movie, but much more than that. Its a hinting tight slap on the face of our judicial system, and even more importantly the most trusted bureau of India, CBI
• Irrfan Khan is a class apart actor, and he proves it every time. He makes the real man of the Arushi Story- 'Arun Kumar' look like a hero. Incredible performance, impeccably done!
• Neeraj Kabi and Konkona Sen Sharma are outright amazing. They leave no stone unturned in giving the most complex expressions with every scene, where you wait to read their expressions to decide its a truth or a lie
• The rest of the supporting cast, who were equally important consitutes of Sohum Shah, Gajraj Rao, Atul Kumar, Prakash Belawadi and Shishir Sharma. Each one of them play very specific role and they portray the real face of our law enforcing system, behind the scene
• Sumit Gulati gives out his best performance. We have seen him in short appearances here and there. This guy is the key accomplice or so it seems who purely by luck escapes scot-free, when the rest of the clowns were busy with state politics

What you can sleep over:

Do not expect a lot from Ayesha Parveen and Tabu, as one of them seem to be the central character and the other a big name. They have very restricted screen presence





The dampeners you should be aware of:

The only dampener or so as it may seem is the end of the movie. Those who are not attached to the actual story and are visiting only for the thriller, may just come out dis satisfied wondering who is the culprit after all. In disguise, that throws a clear hint towards how our judicial system as well covered it up without any clear evidence


My dear sympathies to the victims and the family, who do not seem to be deserving what they have gone through and are going through, including the posthumous character assassination of a teenage child





My Rating: 4.5/5

1- Poor  2-Average  3-Good  4-Very Good  5- Outstanding

Singh Is Bling

Cast: Akshay Kumar, Amy Jackson, Kay Kay Menon, Lara Dutta, Anil Mange(Pappi), Arfi Lamba(Pompi), Rati Agnihotri(Rafar's Mother), Yograj Singh(Raftar's Father) and Mahru Sheikh(Sara's Mother)
Director: Prabhudheva
Genre: Comedy, Action, Drama



I can now officially deem this movie as Akshay's worst comedy film ever! Do not dare enter the theater!




You may look forward to:

• This movie ain't about the Singh in the film, its about Amy Jackson. She is the one leading the film. She is the one with a story and does all the action. Minus her Singh does not exist. Though the lady has very fewer dialogues in the film, barring a repeating expression of "hmmmm", another entry in Bollywood who doesn't exactly fit in. You can yet watch out for her!
• The elderly actors do a decent job viz, Rati Agnihotri, Yograj Singh and Mahru Sheikh

What you can sleep over:

• Anil Mange and Arfi Lamba, are the accessory comedians in the flick. It doesn't really matter whether they feature in the film or they dont!
• There are no charbusting musical number in this film unlike 'Singh is King', in fact some songs are ridiculous attempt of funny!

The dampeners you should be aware of:

• Akshay Kumar is the biggest let down in this film for his fans. I wonder why was he even cast in the film. He practically does nothing. He fails to make you laugh, he does no action, he is just a complete waste. What made him on sign on this film!
• I had some level of respect for Kay Kay Menon, which is lost after this film. He is a ludicrous product which makes you wonder what the hell is he trying to do after all, a subject of mockery!
• I could not recognize Lara Dutta for quite some time. Just could not believe my eyes that this is what has become of her! She is not even worth a mention for this film!
• The story of the film is a trash! It has no content worth remembering or even recalling. I have no idea what was Prabhudeva thinking while he directed this flick so hopelessly a tragedy

My Rating: 1.5/5

1- Poor  2-Average  3-Good  4-Very Good  5- Outstanding

Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials

Cast: Dylan O'Brien, Kaya Scodelario(Teresa), Thomas Brodie-Sangster(Newt), Ki Hong Lee(Minho), Jacob Lofland(Aris), Alexander Flores(Winston), Rosa Salazar(Brenda), Giancarlo Esposito(Jorge), Barry Pepper(Vince), Lili Taylor(Mary), Aidan Gillen(Janson) and Patricia Clarkson(Ava)
Director: Wes Ball
Genre: Sci-Fi, Action, Adventure, Horror



This film lives upto its expectations. Certainly even better than its first part!




You may look forward to:

• The credit for this movie goes primarily to its director Wes Ball. He impresses with multiple characters, shoots with amazing cinematography while startling you time to time with spooky zombies and thrilling action. The best part of the movie is its last scene, which gives a whole new turn for its next flick to its series!
• Dylan O'Brien is a star in the making. Very suggestively as the film ends, he is the one going to be leading the troop, and fight back as resistance to the threatening and dominating organization. He works as a team in this film, and proves himself ably
• Guys from the original surviving team viz, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Ki Hong Lee and Alexander Flores do a good job, with Alexander ending his journey with this film. A new addition is Jacob Lofland, another survivor from another team, who is a silent spectator and a rather intelligent one
• Rosa Salazar and Giancarlo Esposito gives a push to the dying hopes of the surviving team, they are good supports. So are Barry Pepper and Lili Taylor, though Lili has a rather short role, but can expect to see the rest of them in the next of its series
• The main antagonists of the film Aidan Gillen and Patricia Clarkson, are more of chasers, involving many hit and run scenes. They do their job good within their limitations

What you can sleep over:

Kaya Scodelario is the predictable element in the film. She does not really come out as a surprise, which was otherwise intended to.





The dampeners you should be aware of:

Second half of the movie feels lengthy and dragging directionless for sometime. You have already seen plenty of action, what dampens a bit is continued action without a direction where the story is heading to. There is a continuous array of getting hope alive and then killing that hope. Though the last scene makes up for it, clearly showing the intention behind dragging, by displaying the despair of the people trying to shift from one location to another that of which is a never ending torture leading to no permanent solution, and then laying a foundation for a true uprising






My Rating: 3.5/5

1- Poor  2-Average  3-Good  4-Very Good  5- Outstanding

The Intern

Cast: Robert De Niro, Anne Hathaway, Rene Russo(Fiona), Anders Holm(Matt), Adam DeVine(Jason), Zack Pearlman(Davis), Jason Orley(Lewis), Christina Scherer(Becky) and JoJo Kushner(Paige)
Director: Nancy Meyers
Genre: Comedy, Drama




Soothing weekend watch, low on cholestrol and good for your heart :)




You may look forward to:

• Robert De Niro in this film is an absolutely charm. You wont meet a more charismatic old man as him. He is the odd one in the office and he is an absolute gentleman, i.e he is every bit gentle and a man :D He is young at heart, a mature friend and has his own taste in women. The character played by him will steal your heart!
• Anne Hathaway is a role model for all those bizz women out there. Her take on family life, busy yet sensitive. The chemistry she shares with Robert De Niro is very magnetizing. Its slowly developing relationship with a definite pull
• Anders Holm has a grey shade to his role which is very close to real and yet somewhere so ideal a husband. He is like the trend setting role who is a dream of every ambitious working woman
• Adam DeVine, Zack Pearlman, Jason Orley are the three naughty supporting characters who helps filling fun and frolic in the film, breaking seriousness wherever that applies
• Rene Russo, Christina Scherer and JoJo Kushner are the other three females, who are equally hot, adorable and cute respectively :)
• Nancy Meyers makes a very a pleasant movie, which soothes your mind and gives you light hearted moments filled with laughter. If you are tired of action and thrillers, you have gotto watch this one!

What you can sleep over:

The second half of the film, has certain segments which were not as important to the story but harmlessly added on. Nevertheless, the second half is equally good as its first half, if not any less!





The dampeners you should be aware of:

Some movies are just to go, enjoy and get back. This one is one such movie which is not built for criticism. Given most of the credits to Robert De Niro for his more than charming presence in the film! :)






My Rating: 3.5/5

1- Poor  2-Average  3-Good  4-Very Good  5- Outstanding

Calendar Girls

Cast: Akanksha Puri(Nandita), Avani Modi(Nazneen),Kyra Dutt(Sharon), Ruhi Singh(Mayuri), Satarupa Pyne(Paroma), Rohit Roy, Keith Sequeira(Pinaki), Vikram Sakhalkar(Harsh Narang), Atul Parchure(Mayuri's Manager), Rushad Rana(Anirudh) and Indraneil Sengupta(Shashank)
Director: Madhur Bhandarkar
Genre: Drama



A good story, with wrong casting and make! Watchable!




You may look forward to:

• Unlike 'Heroine' which was some level of exaggeration, this film has a much better story that you can relate to as you hear from the bizz news. The film stars five new girls, mostly models, there are individual stories and are edited well. The pace of the film and the inter connectivity is good. You wont get bored and entertainment is in its place
• All the lead females of the film displays vivid characteristics. As rightly said in the film, its not about the industry, its the individual choices. Akanksha Puri gets a situational role model to play, where most the things are not in her control; Avani Modi ably plays the plight of a woman caught in religious tangles and how wrong decisions can wrong your life irreversibly; Kyra Dutt plays a very head strong woman, most of the time sorted; Ruhi Singh plays a very focussed woman with a tunnel vision and Satarupa Pyne plays an unsteady character who is more vulnerable to love and easily falls into trap if emotionally weakened, not otherwise! All of them do a just job to their respective roles, kudos!
• All the men in the film viz, Rohit Roy, Keith Sequeira, Vikram Sakhalkar, Atul Parchure, Rushad Rana and Indraneil Sengupta dont really have a lead role in the female centric film, but they have apt supporting roles. Again a fine balance portraying each person is different in characteristics and attitude, no typecasting men in general!

What you can sleep over:

• The music of the film is average. It doesn't irritate!
• If you are expecting oomph factor in the film with loads of skin show, you are in for a disappointment!

The dampeners you should be aware of:

• Quality in Madhur Bhandarkar movies has certainly gone down. The presentation of the film felt kind of B grade, with the actresses just budding out of the shell, with okay acting skills, really fails to make any impact. Such films, no matter the story line can pick up only if there are stars in it, the videography to top it, is a big let down!
• This film is way out of date for the plot. There was a time when calendar girls were a big thing, but not anymore. This film is at least a decade old, out of its time. Right time, with right star cast could have given Madhur Bhandarkar his due hit

My Rating: 3/5

1- Poor  2-Average  3-Good  4-Very Good  5- Outstanding

Pawn Sacrifice

Cast: Tobey Maguire, Liev Schreiber(Spassky),Lily Rabe(Sister Joan), Peter Sarsgaard(Priest), Michael Stuhlbarg(Paul), Robin Weigert(Mother Regina) and Évelyne Brochu (Donna)
Director: Edward Zwick
Genre: Biography, Drama



A very performance oriented film. A quality watch!




You may look forward to:

• Tobey Maguire gives out a phenomenal performance as 'Bobby Fischer'. This guy is much more than a Spidey thing. We have seen him in some more serious roles, but this one is entirely his baby. The silent and spooky aura that he displays is remarkable. The role he plays is not just eccentric but equally intelligent, you will tend to hate the character 'Fischer' and wont really care he wins or he loses. But this caricature definitely will leave a mark on your conscience
• I love this guy, Liev Schreiber. Another amazing performer. He always have had this magnetic personality since the 'X Men' days. In here his composed nature with abruptly erupting finicky, is cold as well funny. He is a man with a very serious outlook in the film playing world renowned 'Spassky'
• The story of the film and the presentation is all credited to Edward Zwick for his potentially good work. The tense times of cold war and the repercussion of young American Fischer taking over the well established Russians, which made Chesss board look like a real war zone among nations, is very carefully handled. By the end of the film, you sure would want to dig out your chess board from your attic and play a round. :)
• Peter Sarsgaard and Michael Stuhlbarg, were the important supporting roles. Their support to Fischer was not an easy job, the moral boost and handling his eccentricity along with his out of the way demands are by no means an easy job to manage
• Lily Rabe, Robin Weigert and Évelyne Brochu, were the handful of women Fischer had, as depicted during this particular phase of his life. Notable work done by the ladies

What you can sleep over:

Even if you do know chess, you may not be as smart to catch half the many moves shown in the film or the mind calculations shown while he played the game without a board. Though it may intrigue you, you will not understand quite a few moments of the film involving the actual game Chess





The dampeners you should be aware of:

The considerably slow pace and the subject of the film is not really a crowd puller, but this cannot really be counted as a dampener per say, when it comes to the quality of the film





My Rating: 4/5

1- Poor  2-Average  3-Good  4-Very Good  5- Outstanding

Everest

Cast: Jason Clarke(Rob), Jake Gyllenhaal,Josh Brolin(Weathers), John Hawkes(Doug), Sam Worthington(Cotter), Robin Wright(Weather's Wife),Keira Knightley, Emily Watson(Helen),Elizabeth Debicki(Doctor Caroline), Naoko Mori(Namba)
Director: Baltasar Kormákur
Genre: Adventure, Biography



Heart rendering story from the very heart of the mountain Everest! Any of those who has been a part of adventure or mountain climbing will absolutely love it.



You may look forward to:   

• Whether you have ever climbed a mountain or not before, this film is still worth a watch. Most of the credit goes to Baltasar Kormákur for an invigorating presentation of the film. Such movies are usually slow and boring, but this story is far more tense with much events for a good and engaging movie watching experience, always keeping you at the edge of your seat
• Jason Clarke has an incredible job playing the tole of 'Rob'. Feel at a tremendous loss for the real guy 'Rob' who lost his life
• Josh Brolin, John Hawkes, Sam Worthington and Naoko Mori were among the climbers and few among these who survived absolutely on will power and some of luck while others couldn't make it. Good lesson is that no matter how experienced or tough you are, must never take wild nature for granted
• Robin Wright, Keira Knightley, Emily Watson and Elizabeth Debicki, have short but decent supporting roles in their respective blocks

What you can sleep over:

Jake Gyllenhaal is wasted. I hoped till the end that he might have been chosen for something better, but nothing much really came up of him



The dampeners you should be aware of:

The director doesn't give much scope for the regular audience to catch many dampening issues. Though the high altitude hikers may have a different opinion :)




My Rating: 3.5/5

1- Poor  2-Average  3-Good  4-Very Good  5- Outstanding