Neerja

Cast: Sonam Kapoor, Shabana Azmi, Shekhar Ravjiani(Jaideep), Yogendra Tiku(Father), Abrar Zahoor(Zayd), Jim Sarbh(Khalil), Ali Baldiwala(Mansoor) and Kavi Shastri(Naresh)
Director: Ram Madhvani
Genre: Biography, Thriller, Drama



Its slightly over hyped, nevertheless, a well deserved watch!




You may look forward to:

• Sonam Kapoor is picking the right kind of film for herself. This one will certainly catapult her career to greater heights. Although i cant say acting skills required for such movies are very high, but she looks to have paid a notable tribute to the bravery and courage of 'Neerja Bhanot' and successfully carried the entire film on her shoulders
• Shabana Azmi, Shekhar Ravjiani and Yogendra Tiku are in short supporting roles, but Shabana Azmi stands out
• Abrar Zahoor, Jim Sarbh and Ali Baldiwala, in fact did a stupendous job. They had a tougher job to relay varied and complex expressions, a concoction of fear, angst; failing to manage the situation and avenge themselves. A thin line between pity and vengeance is portrayed softly
• 'Neerja Bhanot' deserves a commendable applaud. Her presence of mind and tactful actions helped most of the passengers survive. She did not appear afraid most of the moments and gathered herself along every time, her best action being her first action to inform the pilots. She does deserve a salute! What she did is very unlikely of air hostesses! :D No offense!

What you can sleep over:

Kavi Shastri is the declared bad man of the film who is just a forced addition, he isn't really required in this part of the highlighted story. His part could be more justified if shown before the hostage situation





The dampeners you should be aware of:

The direction of the film slogged big time. Stories of such kinds do not have much to play around with the scripts or dialogues, but direction can make a huge difference. Unwanted scenes from Neerja's failed marriage was extremely misplaced and were distracting. Lone scenes of Neerja is made up, no one possibly could have known what she was thinking and feeling. Hence the tagline 'Fear gave her courage' is totally an assumption. The movie had a pace but yet it didn't hold up my attention throughout the film. I kept losing interest time and again





My Rating: 3/5

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

How to Be Single

Cast: Dakota Johnson, Rebel Wilson(Robin), Anders Holm(Ken), Alison Brie(Lucy), Leslie Mann(Meg), Nicholas Braun(Josh), Jason Mantzoukas(George), Jake Lacy(Ken) and Damon Wayans,Jr(David)
Director: Christian Ditter
Genre: Comedy, Romance, Drama



Its a cute romantic feminine drama. A decent weekend watch!




You may look forward to:

• Dakota Johnson is the lead of the film. All other stories are centered around her. Its her story of self realizations after as many dumps, distinguish between love and want!  She does a pretty decent job at it!
• Rebel Wilson is the USP of the film. They practically marketed the entire film on her name. She is extremely chirpy and adorable character. She is one person who is care free every single day of her life, not letting her be bogged down by any means and always happy. The genre comedy in the film is totally justified due to her presence
• Anders Holm, Nicholas Braun and Damon Wayans,Jr are three prety important supporting roles in the film, who are running through their own journey in life, finding emotional stability
• Alison Brie and Leslie Mann, are the two other significant roles who have their own distinctive stories to tell, much of which caters to recent lifestyle adjoining short sighted future
• Jason Mantzoukas and Jake Lacy, are those supporting characters who may not have a lot of screen presence but holds the key roles in shaping up the lives of two ladies as the story unfolds

What you can sleep over:

Do not go by the trailer, you will be in a for a disappointment. This is not solely a Rebel Wilson led comedy film as otherwise promoted. Its more of a drama




The dampeners you should be aware of:

This film may not appeal to all the male audience that much, except for the portions where Rebel Wilson appear!




My Rating: 3/5

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

Deadpool

Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Ed Skrein, Morena Baccarin(Vanessa), T. J. Miller(Weasel), Gina Carano(Angel Dust), Brianna Hildebrand(Teenage Warhead),Stefan Kapicic(Colossus) and Leslie Uggams (Blind Woman)
Director: Tim Miller
Genre: Action, Comedy, Sci-Fi



Every penny worth the entertainment! Complete package of Action, Comedy and Romance!




You may look forward to:

• Ryan Reynolds is extra ordinary as 'Deadpool' :D Robert Downey Jr has a competition now :) His dialogue delivery is funny and not lame, and man!!! does he talk or does he talk. Where the new 'Spiderman' loses, 'Deadpool' reaps the benefit with a humor induced superhero avatar, who is funny as well heroic! One minus of most of the super heroes is that they are hardly ever seen in their actual face, most of it is covered in masks. Nevertheless, as an introductory film, Ryan Reynolds shares good screen space
• Now who remembers Ed Skrein from 'Transporter: Refuelled'!!! The one doubt i had whether this new kid in the block of big cinemas will fare as a hero or a villain, is clarified with this film :) He qualifies as a bad man :D
• Morena Baccarin, T. J. Miller and Leslie Uggams, are supporting characters to 'Wade Wilson', they do a fine job at it!
• Gina Carano, Brianna Hildebrand and Stefan Kapicic are the other supporting mutants who help filling in more action, and more masala!
• The USP of the film is in its humor factor. I love the way Tim Miller presents his lead actor of the film. Entire film is comedy and action packed. The film doesn't drag for even a single moment. Marvel gives us a super hero completely out of its league!

What you can sleep over:

The film though released for all audiences, caters majorly to the American audience. There are innumerous references from an all American lifestyle, which may strike or may not strike to a lot of audience who haven't tasted the American way! Bottomline, your entertainment quotient is directly proportional to your know how of Americans!





The dampeners you should be aware of:

• There is practically no story in this film. Its a plain revengeful chase in the entire flick, where the humorous angle of 'Deadpool' doesn't give his anger that required edge and the heat which is needed to break even the story where it concludes
• Unlike other Marvel series, this is completely a humorous take on a super hero image, there is nothing serious about the lead character nor the story

My Rating: 3.5/5

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

Fitoor

Cast: Aditya Roy Kapur, Katrina Kaif,Tabu, Aditi Rao Hydari, Rahul Bhat(Bilal), Mohammed Abrar(Young Noor), Tunisha Sharma(Young Firdaus), Akshay Oberoi(Mufti), Lara Dutta, Kunaal Khyaan(Aarif) and Ajay Devgan
Director: Abhishek Kapoor
Genre: Romance, Drama




Intense romantic drama! Watch it with right expectations!




You may look forward to:

• Aditya Roy Kapur gives out a great delivery in  a performance oriented film. He pull off the role of an obsessed lover quite well. Also additional points to his chisel cut body. A painter, a sculptor, a lover; he is a part of intense package of star cast in the film
• Katrina Kaif in pairing with Aditya Roy Kapur looks quite good. Her role in the film looks straight out of the novel, you can as if feel it even if you haven't read the novel for yourself. She looks no short of a damsel. Her role in the movie although not too strong, but her USP as per the script is her looks
• Tabu is the actual female lead in this film. Her power packed performances cannot be questioned. Although by now you start feeling its getting slightly repetitive after ' Haider', as yet she is one role to look out for in this film. In short she is the female avataar of 'Devdas' :D
• I liked this film more for its direction than star cast or story. Abhishek Kapoor does an outstanding job in presenting this film. When i say i could feel the writing of a novel even though i haven't read it, that in itself is a big compliment for a director directing a story of a novel. The biggest challenge for such films is to present one entire book written in detail to wrap up in a motion movie in a matter of 2 hours. Most of the detailing are eaten up in the process. First half of the movie is excessively romantic, thanks to Abhishek Kapoor for his direction, the description of 'Firdaus' and the obsession of 'Noor' beautifully described, like written in novels. The film is so aptly titled as 'Fitoor' meaning obsession. Unlike the films until last decade when films like 'Devdas' used to release in the name of a love story, this film doesn't claim this to be love, its clear and on your face simply obsession. Kudos to Abhishek Kapoor yet again
• Major supporting roles in the film are that of Aditi Rao Hydari and Rahul Bhat, they do a decent job given the stretch of the red carpet they had to perform
• Short appearances from Mohammed Abrar, Tunisha Sharma and Ajay Devgan are worth a mention. They did a fabulous job
• Amongst other supporting roles were Akshay Oberoi, Lara Dutta and Kunaal Khyaan. All of them commendable

What you can sleep over:

• The story of the film is practically nothing. Not many twists, nor way too much emotional drama. But yet i don't count this as negative, since this film feels like an experience, the story never felt as important
• Music of the film in the context of the story and as a background music sounds pretty nice. It has that unique Kashmiri touch in it somehow. Minus the film, you may or may not listen to the audio tracks

The dampeners you should be aware of:

• The pace of the film can put many people off. If not for a theater watch, you may not be able to complete the movie in one shot
• Tabu's role could have been enhanced. She had more pitch to perform. 'Begum Hazrat's' life abruptly wraps up in quick motion, so did the film

My Rating: 3.5/5

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

The Finest Hours

Cast: Chris Pine, Josh Stewart(Tchuda),Holliday Grainger(Miriam), Eric Bana(Station Commander) and Ben Foster(Richard)
Director: Craig Gillespie
Genre: History, Adventure



What makes this film a worthwhile watch is its last 1 hour




You may look forward to:

• Chris Pine does a remarkable job in this one. More than the adventure skills, the character sketch of 'Bernie' isn't an easy one to play. His toned down attitude, with an icing of bravery, 'Bernie' must have been one hell of a person to remember and Chris Pine does an amazing job in depicting him
• Josh Stewart playing the role of a parallel hero in this story- 'Tchuda'. He is a silent, low lying character, who saves as many lives on the broken ship for as many hours until rescued. He plays intense role in the story
• Holliday Grainger is a bold lady with an extra ordinary charm. She is not just another lady to lie low, her strong personality in the film defines her role
• Eric Bana and Ben Foster are in decent supports, though they don't enjoy a heavy screen presence
• The rescue operation as depicted in the film is nothing less than heroic. Trading with such high tides and rescuing 32 odd people without a compass, is one such act, which requires more than bravery. Watch this movie for its content which is a part of history in mankind

The dampeners you should be aware of:

The first half of the film is pretty slow, there is not much of content, and it can actually bore you





My Rating: 3/5

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

Ghayal Once Again

Cast: Sunny Deol, Narendra Jha(Bansal), Abhilash Kumar(Kabir), Manoj Joshi(Minister), Tisca Chopra, Aanchal Munjal(Anushka), Shivam Patil(Rohan),Diana Khan(Zoya), Rishabh Arora(Varun), Soha Ali Khan, Om Puri, Sachin Khedekar(Rohan's father), Ramesh Deo(Anushka's grandfather) and Nadira Babbar(Dadi)
Director: Sunny Deol
Genre: Action, Thriller



Complete 2 hours of adrenaline rush, this film belongs to Sunny Deol




You may look forward to:

• Sunny Deol is start and he is the finish. He takes care of every single piece in this film and a grand come back. He doesn't leave a single moment of the film to breathe. He gives out umpteen action and loads of Sunny Deol trademark punches and roar :D He doesn't look old and certainly not retired, he comes back with a heavy load of action again
• The entire film is a run and chase without a breather. You will be sitting at the edge of the seat throughout the movie. Ghayal Once Again gives you paisa vasool action scenes, specially the ones with the henchman 'Troy'
• Narendra Jha from a filmy point of view is placed well and he performs to it. He comes out as a thrilling bad man from the business fraternity :D
• Aanchal Munjal, Shivam Patil,Diana Khan and Rishabh Arora get a good break. A lot of run and chase scenes are shot well with them in the picture. They do a good job
• Manoj Joshi, Tisca Chopra, Soha Ali Khan, Om Puri, Sachin Khedekar, Ramesh Deo and Nadira Babbar have limited supporting roles. They do their jobs well as scripted for them

What you can sleep over:

• The mimic of Ambani is actually a little funny. Shooting all the movie around 'Antilla', depicting a role model of Ambani and then throwing entire Mumbai in a tizzy, is crazy
• Abhilash Kumar not so cool after all, he looks more of a hot headed fool and nothing like a business tycoon's son

The dampeners you should be aware of:

• You are strictly recommended to leave your brains behind while focusing only on the action :D 4 kids are attacked inside a mall, and nobody does anything, media also doesn't pick it. Not just this, people are still seen casually strolling around. Roads are anyway always taken for granted in action films where run and chase take a whole new dimension, ironically hero tries to save one life and in return kills many while banging many other vehicles on the road and blowing them up. :P Big names from business world are drawn and leaving every political frame out of mind, the big brainers are drawn in chaos and are seen equally participating. Its best enjoyed when you don't apply your mind.

         Well, Sunny Deol doesn't leave any moment for you to think:P

• Connection of Ajay Mehra to one of the child on a personal level felt a little forced. The director tried his best to justify the title of the film 'Ghayal', since more than half the movie had nothing to do with 'Ajay Mehra' on a personal level and although he did all the running around to save the children, it wasn't doing much justice to the story inline with the prequel

My Rating: 3/5

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

The Boy

Cast: Lauren Cohan(Greta), Rupert Evans(Malcolm), Jim Norton(Mr. Heelshire), Diana Hardcastle(Mrs. Heelshire), Ben Robson(Cole) and James Russell(Adult Brahms)
Director: William Brent Bell
Genre: Horror, Thriller



A plot well developed,  turns into a disappointment as the film winds up! A pass time watch!




You may look forward to:

• Lauren Cohan is the main lead of the film and she does her part pretty well. Her actions and belief frames every scene of the movie
• William Brent Bell does a good job in building up the spooky substance in the film with his direction. The mansion and the location are creepy
• Rupert Evans and Ben Robson are good supports. While the former in positive frame and the later in a negative frame

What you can sleep over:

Rupert Evans and Jim Norton are the additional supporting roles whose screen presence is very less




The dampeners you should be aware of:

The script of the film is a spoiler. After so much build up, when you await the real spooky and thrilling content, they put forward a man alive: James Russell in the role of adult 'Brahms' and kills entire essence of the film which defines it in a horror genre





My Rating: 2/5

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

Mastizaade

Cast: Sunny Leone, Tusshar Kapoor, Vir Das, Shaad Randhawa(Deshpremi), Asrani, Suresh Menon(Das), Sushmita Mukherjee(Seema Lele) and Ritesh Deshmukh
Director: Milap Zaveri
Genre: Sex Comedy



This is certainly watchable as compared to 'Kya Kool hai hum 3', which released around same time




You may look forward to:

• Sunny Leone is the highlight of this movie. She has appeared in multiple Bollwyood films so far, some of which i have seen and some that i didn't, this certainly is her film. Watch it out for her undoubtedly. As much as she sizzles as one sister, is no less charming for the other sis with glasses. As for her acting, you expect less and you wont be disappointed. She is in short a complete paisa vasool
• The comedy of this film is much better, you laugh at multiple instances, so do you giggle throughout the film
• Music of the film is unexpectedly entertaining, so are the lyrics :D
• Ritesh Deshmukh should be more than a cameo. Every time he appears in comedy films, he re-energizes the entire scene. When the second half of the movie starts losing traction, he helps resuscitates the plot
• Tusshar Kapoor and Vir Das do a job about fine. If it was a film entirely riding on just one of them, it couldn't stand chance. Both of them together save it
• Sushmita Mukherjee rather has a short but good supporting role :P

What you can sleep over:

The comedy is in some parts cliche, as you must already be aware of these jokes on forwards, but such cliche jokes were comparatively less




The dampeners you should be aware of:

• The first half of the film is very entertaining. However, the same old wedding drama spoils the second half. The comedy has no head or tail and the entertaining factor keeps losing its charm
• I personally did not like the roles of Shaad Randhawa, Asrani and Suresh Menon. So much of unnecessary addition which helps adding no fun. Specially given the role of Suresh Menon, i am quite tired of gay kind of jokes specially of such kinds

My Rating: 2.5/5

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

Saala Khadoos

Cast: R. Madhavan, Ritika Singh(Madhi), Mumtaz Sorcar(Lux), Nassar(Punch), M. K. Raina, and Zakir Hussain(Dev)
Director: Sudha Kongara
Genre: Sport, Drama



Now this is a good entertainer with a serious outlook. Very very watchable!



You may look forward to:

• R. Madhavan appears like a rebound on screen, with a huge built, and cuteness completely washed out. He dons a rough attitude with short tempered streaks. He is very convincing as a coach and gels into the story pretty well, giving drama and action, both its due!
• Ritika Singh displays a lot of strength, she doesn't look weak at all. Her 'don't care' attitude is maintained through out the film, the soft corners developed with time doesn't soften her attitude, which helps maintaining the pace of the film. She is worth a lot of credit
• Zakir Hussain and Mumtaz Sorcar come out to be negative roles in the film. While Zakir Hussain's role doesn't come out as a surprise, Mumtaz Sorcar's role is really appreciating. Unlike regular drama films, where everybody has a change of mind for a happy ending, she continues to carry a grey shade until the very end
• Nassar and M. K. Raina are in good supporting roles, more credits for Nassar
• Sudha Kongara gives out a quality watch, no part of it loses its pace, or digresses from its story line. Less indulgence into romantic angle is a major plus for the film. This flick is not about real picture of politics in sports world, its a pure entertainer, and that it sticks to it

What you can sleep over:

Music of the film is strictly ok, sweet to watch but not a great audio to listen to





The dampeners you should be aware of:

Do not go with an expectation of a hard core sports drama, this is more of drama and less serious on sport part. Having low expectations is a big plus in hiding all its minuses






My Rating: 3/5

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

The 5th Wave

Cast: Chloë Grace Moretz, Nick Robinson(Zombie), Alex Roe(Evan), Maika Monroe(Ringer), Liev Schreiber(Col. Vosch), Zackary Arthur(Sammy) and Ron Livingston(Oliver)
Director: J Blakeson
Genre: Action, Sci-Fi, Adventure


This is a pass time flick. Watch it in your leisure hours and you wont be disappointed



You may look forward to:

• Chloë Grace Moretz is the main lead of the film. 'Cassie' in search of her brother 'Sammy', and the many adventures on her way of rescue. She does a decent job!
• Alex Roe is the next lead, misled, digressed and unsure of his own being. He delivers some element of mystery, action  as well romance. He is good
• There are another set of fighters: Nick Robinson and Maika Monroe, whose roles have enough content to stand besides the leads
• Liev Schreiber is the villain of the film. His personality suits him the best
• Zackary Arthur and Ron Livingston have mentionable supporting roles

What you can sleep over:

This is just one another flick made on the varying concepts of alien invasion. You wont see anything striking different, but the film doesn't bore you. Its enjoyable best without keeping much expectations





The dampeners you should be aware of:

This is more of a teenage film than an adult film. The script feels more playful and less serious






My Rating: 2.5/5

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

Joy

Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, Bradley Cooper, Édgar Ramírez(Tony), Isabella Rossellini(Trudy), Elisabeth Röhm(Peggy), Dascha Polanco(Jackie), Virginia Madsen(Mother) and Diane Ladd(Grandmother)
Director: David O. Russell
Genre: Biography, Drama



Its not very common to watch a biography on a successful business woman. A good watch!



You may look forward to:

• Jennifer Lawrence is the star, in every literal sense. Its simply amazing to see how she pulls off the entire film on her shoulder, all through the time being a lead when there are really big names in the picture like Robert De Niro and Bradley Cooper. She simply outshines as 'Joy'. She is certainly better suited for drama than a super hero
• Robert De Niro and Bradley Cooper are strictly scripted for supporting roles. Its always lovely to see them on screen. They make impressions
• Édgar Ramírez and Dascha Polanco are another set of important supporting characters, the kinds who pays off more than what they share as a relationship with 'Joy'. Some intricate chemistry
• The list of supporting roles are quite big in this film, which also includes Isabella Rossellini and Elisabeth Röhm. Both of them have a very defined roles to play, and they do really good at it
• The last set of supporting roles are that of Virginia Madsen and Diane Ladd. They add no value yet they are very much commendable. Specially the humor added by Virginia Madsen :)
• The story of the film is based on 'Joy Mangano' who made it big with household products and her small but significant inventions. Her ups and downs and the making of a  businesswoman. Her ambitions speaks abound, so does her courage. David O. Russell adds on to some humorous angle to the flick and maintains a pace in the film. Its a little unusual story but definitely a worthy watch!

What you can sleep over:

The film as they wrap up, felt a little rushed through. They elaborated a part of her biography with her first selling invention, and then it suddenly concludes with her sitting on an empire. Her success story felt quite half baked and unfinished




The dampeners you should be aware of:

Ohh well, unsure of one of those sections of the story where after hitting a dead end with a major failure, she gets a second chance with QVC and 'Neil Walker' makes it look like a cake walk. Not only does she magically manages a second chance but as well televises it on her own terms. Now i really wonder, if the bizz world is as supportive and gentle to the world of strugglers
This section played as a major dampener, which looked so filmy and difficult to digest, that the story ahead stopped creating so much interest. Though thanks to the direction, David O. Russell helps to bury the dampeners in time




My Rating: 3.5/5

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