Eye in the Sky

Cast: Helen Mirren(Colonel Katherine), Aaron Paul(2nd Lieutenant Steve), Alan Rickman(Lieutenant General Frank),Barkhad Abdi(Kenyan undercover agent),Iain Glen(British Foreign Secretary James),Phoebe Fox(Carrie) and Aisha Takow(Alia)
Director: Gavin Hood
Genre: War, Thriller




One film which looks more of a real story than a drama. An immersive story, must watch!




You may look forward to:

• Helen Mirren is the major lead in the movie. She drives the film in and out and is the one responsible for the closure of this particular case. She does a very good job at it
• Gavin Hood does an incredible job in presenting the film. Foot in mouth scenario and serious issue handling in which the complexity of making critical decisions is shown with meticulous care. Driving a decision through various hierarchies or the inability of incumbent officials to make a reasonable call depicts the close to reality actual scenarios on how the world collaborates sitting in different locations and working in shifts to have one action get executed
• Aaron Paul and Alan Rickman have short but impactful roles. The limited dialogues they have, speaks in abundance for themselves and the positions they hold
• Barkhad Abdi and Aisha Takow are very strong and important roles by themselves. Their performances in the situations of the written script keeps you at the edge of your seat

What you can sleep over:

Iain Glen and Phoebe Fox, along with many other actors have very limited screen space. They do what they can do




The dampeners you should be aware of:

No apparent dampener. Its a very engaging piece of work!

My Rating: 4/5

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

Kapoor & Sons

Cast: Rishi Kapoor, Rajat Kapoor,Ratna Pathak, Fawad Khan,Sidharth Malhotra,Alia Bhatt,Sukant Goel(Wasim), Anuradha Chandan(Anu) and Fahim Shaikh(Boobly)
Director: Shakun Batra
Genre: Drama, Romance, Comedy




Its a light hearted family drama, and quite a relief from Bollywood when i almost lost hopes!




You may look forward to:

• Fawad Khan is the character who plays the most significant role in the film. Pretty much similar to his 'Khoobsurat' caricature, Fawad as 'Rahul' is a responsible, happy and charming personality. He is the one who steals away the maximum limelight in the entire film
• My next favorite role is that of Rishi Kapoor. This man can never fade away from Bollywood. Given the variety of roles that he can perform on, he is an entertainer till eternity! Love him every time he shows up on the screen! The most adorable character of this movie!
• Rajat Kapoor and Ratna Pathak's roles will remind you of many aspects of a regular family. They portray their roles beautifully
• Alia Bhatt displays her usual charm, being cute and apparently the only young female in the city of oldies, whom every guy wants to hit upon :D
• Sukant Goel, Anuradha Chandan and Fahim Shaikh are in good supporting roles. The best of them all being that of 'Boobly' :D
• The humor angle in the film is pretty entertaining which comprises most of the first half of the film. Shakun Batra does a commendable job in making this film enjoyable for the audience

What you can sleep over:

Sidharth Malhotra again fails to make a mark. You wont miss him if he is replaced by some other actor in this role. The one and only intense scene he has got in this film is while encountering his mom over stolen story of his novel, also was a completely screwed up one. His expressions just don't fit in right

The dampeners you should be aware of:

• Alia Bhatt doesn't have any meat in her role. She is just there! She had the potential to add much more spice into the film
• The second half of the film is drama over dose. Every family has certain secrets, but this was like family secret galore. The biggest sore of them all being that of the secret of Fawad Khan, just not done. He easily breaks many hearts among his female fans!

My Rating: 3/5

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

Race

Cast: Stephan James(Jesse Owens), Jason Sudeikis(Larry Snyder),Shanice Banton(Wife of Jesse), Jeremy Irons(Avery), Carice van Houten(Leni),Barnaby Metschurat(Goebbels-Minister) and David Kross(Luz)
Director: Stephen Hopkins
Genre: Biography, Sport, Drama




A historic piece of biography excavated from the sport genre. A quality watch!




You may look forward to:

• Stephan James show up very convincing as a runner. Although he doesn't match up to the looks for the real 'Jesse Owens' but he certainly justifies the actual hero behind this story. Commendable job done!
• Roles played by Jeremy Irons, Carice van Houten and David Kross were very significant in the making of  1936 Berlin Olympic Games. While 'Avery' was the key person behind the success of the event by giving other subjugated race a chance given the political atmosphere of that time, 'Leni' did her part in retaining the memories in the form of her film of the event. At the same time the true spirit of sportsmanship was highlighted by 'Luz'
• Barnaby Metschurat plays another key role from the Nazi ministry, while Shanice Banton provided a good supporting role to Stephan James
• The portions of the film where an American raises a voice against racial disparity in the Game of Olympics in 1936 to a German as well as American Jews supporting a Black American, to victory from their share of success- Stephen Hopkins does a delicate job in presenting the story so political as beautifully

What you can sleep over:

Jason Sudeikis did not really quite look like a coach. The charm that he carries from his earlier light genre movies suits him more compared to such roles. Nevertheless, he does just about fine as a support





The dampeners you should be aware of:

There are no dampeners so noticeable to strike





My Rating: 3.5/5

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

Triple 9

Cast: Casey Affleck(Chris), Chiwetel Ejiofor(Michael), Woody Harrelson(Seargent), Kate Winslet(Irina), Anthony Mackie(Marcus),Aaron Paul(Gabe), Norman Reedus(Russell), Clifton Collins, Jr.(Franco), Luis Da Silva(Luis Pinto) and Gal Gadot(Elena)
Director: John Hillcoat
Genre: Crime, Action, Drama



Unusual but an impressive crime story. A good watch with right expectations!




You may look forward to:

• John Hillcoat is the man of the film. The story of the film is very meaty. The content is interesting and so is the presentation. The film feels a lot like coming out of the under dogs of the society with shady characters. It wont feel like a regular crime/action entertainer with a hero in the picture. The story feels very close to the real life scenarios in the low lying areas of the United States
• Casey Affleck is the only apparent positive role in the movie which makes him a hero like figure, but he is more or less a supporting role
• Chiwetel Ejiofor has always been my personal favorite. This is the first time that i am seeing him in a grey shade, and he never falls short in impressing you
• Kate Winslet is just ravishingly amazing. This lady has so much potential, untapped. I absolutely loved her in negative roles every time
• Woody Harrelson, Anthony Mackie, Aaron Paul are the known faces from all the big league flicks. They perform pretty well
• Clifton Collins, Jr., Luis Da Silva and Gal Gadot are the other supporting roles who have their significant bit in the story

The dampeners you should be aware of:

If you are expecting it to be an entertaining action film, then you are in for a disappointment. This film doesn't claim high on hard core action scenes. Although this may not be a dampener, but this makes the film less qualifying to greater audience




My Rating: 3/5

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

13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi

Cast: James Badge Dale(Rone), John Krasinski(Jack), Max Martini(Oz), Dominic Fumusa(Tig), Pablo Schreiber(Tanto),David Denman(Boon), Matt Letscher(Ambassador), David Giuntoli(Wickland), Demetrius Grosse(Dave) and David Costabile(Chief)
Director: Michael Bay
Genre: History, Crime, Action



A thrilling story from Libya. Gives a good insight on the lives of secret agents who are posted in war torn countries!




You may look forward to:

• Michael Bay does an amazing job in presenting this film giving a fair insight towards the less recognized soldiers of US who often end up losing their lives while being posted in the most dangerous of the countries away from their family. The direction of the movie showing the rage of the people and situations in countries without a government is very compelling
• James Badge Dale and John Krasinski are the most engaging roles in the film who lead the team during the distress call
• Max Martini, Dominic Fumusa, Pablo Schreiber,David Denman, David Giuntoli and Demetrius Grosse play significant supporting roles being a part of the team under attack
• David Costabile and Matt Letscher play very questionable roles. They project positions who are the not the soldiers but holding high ranks hardly useful to the people they are governing. Michael Bay again delicately present these roles very well!

What you can sleep over:

Too much detailing about the lives of the secret soldiers before the attack




The dampeners you should be aware of:

The film is way too long. It is stretched more than required. The story is pretty straight forward and not complicated which makes the film feel very stretched for 2.5 hours without much of any content





My Rating: 3.5/5

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

Zootopia

Cast: Ginnifer Goodwin(Bunny Judy), Jason Bateman(Fox Nick), Idris Elba(Chief Bogo), J.K. Simmons(Lion Mayor), Jenny Slate(Sheep PA),Shakira (Giraffe Gazelle), Nate Torrence(Cheetah Clawhauser), Maurice LaMarche(Mr. Big) and Raymond S. Persi (Flash Sloth)
Director: Byron Howard and Rich Moore
Genre: Animation, Family, Adventure, Crime



A really cute animated film after a long time. Its a complete family watch, not really kiddish!




You may look forward to:

• The story of the film is the biggest pro of this movie. A fine blend of cute concepts with crime, which makes this film enjoyable by adult audience as much as young ones. Such animated films works as a cleanser to the adult minds and a little over the top for the young ones
• All the characters with the voice overs deserve due credit. The animation and voice overs looks pretty convincing :)
• Certainly the 'Bunny' and the 'Fox' steal the entire film, but my favorite characters in the film are that of the 'Sloth' and 'Mr. Big' :D

What you can sleep over:

What disappointed me to a little extent is that i expected some more finer details of the various senses and capacities of individual animal like characteristics, as they marketed in the trailer. The film had a city made by animals but they were only animal representations of human. The story could have been much more interesting if they accommodated some distinctive behavior and senses of individual animals apart from just sizes




The dampeners you should be aware of:

The second half of the film may not be fit for young kids. They wont understand the story at all which is more complicated and political. The second half of the story majorly caters to the adult audience





My Rating: 3.5/5

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

London Has Fallen

Cast: Gerard Butler(Mike Banning), Aaron Eckhart(President), Morgan Freeman(Vice President), Alon Moni Aboutboul(Barkawi), Angela Bassett(Lynn),Waleed Zuaiter(Kamran), Charlotte Riley(MI6 Agent), Bryan Larkin(SAS Lieutenant) and Radha Mitchell(Mike's wife)
Director: Babak Najafi
Genre: Crime, Action, Thriller



Better than 'Olympus has fallen' in terms of thrill and action sequences!




You may look forward to:

• Gerard Butler is the one to look out for :) He is in his best elements when its an action flick. He looks old now but never worn out. Its him  all over the movie as he leads all the action scenes in protection of US President, minus him the movie is practically nothing
• Alon Moni Aboutboul and Waleed Zuaiter are the key terrorists behind the whole activity, and they do a good job, they don't look like penny villains :)
• Charlotte Riley and Bryan Larkin have good but limited supporting roles
• Babak Najafi does a good job in engaging the audience, there is enough thrill through the film. Some gun fights were relentlessly engaging while the director makes the audience wonder where is the escape after all where every effort is going futile in saving the President in a country which is not his own!

What you can sleep over:

• Aaron Eckhart is omnipresent, for obvious reasons, although not much of meat in his role otherwise
• Morgan Freeman and Angela Bassett are in limited support
• Radha Mitchell hardly has any screen presence

The dampeners you should be aware of:

While the movie gives you adequate amount of action, the story of the film takes a hit. The content is practically nothing. It may give the audience a feel that its all very repetitive. Having the right expectation is the key to enjoy this flick. Go to enjoy a hard core action thriller-entertainer, nothing more and nothing less :)





My Rating: 3/5

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

Gods of Egypt

Cast: Gerard Butler(Set), Nikolaj Coster-Waldau(Horus), Brenton Thwaites(Bek), Elodie Yung(Hathor), Courtney Eaton(Zaya), Chadwick Boseman(Thoth), Rufus Sewell(Urshu), Geoffrey Rush(Ra), Yaya Deng(Astarte) and Abbey Lee(Anat)
Director: Alex Proyas
Genre: Fantasy, Adventure, Action



Pass time weekend flick. If not for the CGI effect, this film wont last more than a week on the big screens!




You may look forward to:

• This is my first with Gerard Butler in  a negative role. He is convincingly a bad demi god :D His built, his rage and his voice is best suited for roles like this
• Nikolaj Coster-Waldau in fact has an unexpected better role :) His built yet again suits caricatures of such kinds. Although he would be the one whom one can relate to a negative figure, he equally justifies the role of a good natured demi god :)
• Brenton Thwaites is the mortal hero of the film. He has the most meaty role in this movie, from the beginning to the end. 'Bek' is swift, trustworthy and a romantic hero :D
• Elodie Yung and Courtney Eaton are two leading women in the film. They enjoy good enough screen presence
• Chadwick Boseman and Geoffrey Rush, are the positive supporting roles.Chadwick Boseman adds some humor quotient here and there. While Rufus Sewell, Yaya Deng and Abbey Lee have decent role in the negative supports
• This flick certainly scores well in terms of terrific CGI and good 3D filming. Although the CGI is a lot more over the top, but this is the only selling point of the film

What you can sleep over:

Unlike most of the movies built around Egyptian myths and mythologies, this is completely a fantasy drama. You cant relate to any truth around it even remotely





The dampeners you should be aware of:

• I expected a lot more from a Gerard Butler film. Alas! ended in  a disappointment
• The story of this film is its major set back, movie feels way too stretched, and direction or dialogues do not create enough interest to hold the audience to the seats to enjoy it till the end

My Rating: 2.5/5

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

The Revenant

 

Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio(Glass), Tom Hardy(Fitzgerald), Domhnall Gleeson(Captain), Will Poulter(Bridger), Duane Howard(Elk), Forrest Goodluck(Hawk), Arthur Redcloud(Hikuc), Grace Dove(Glass's wife) and Melaw Nakehk'o(Powaka)
Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu
Genre: Drama, Adventure, Action




Now since it has won many Oscars, the curiosity for those who didn't watch it yet may be too high. Nonetheless, it is a good watch standalone without Oscar hype around it!





You may look forward to:

• Leonardo DiCaprio is the character on whom the film is titled aptly. Although this film won him an Oscar, i would still say his best performance till date was in 'Wolf of Wall Street'. But nevertheless, he is an outstanding actor who did deserve an Oscar over a lifetime in his career. 'Glass' portrays endurance which defies human conditions, his unrelenting quest for revenge takes 'Glass' through various adventures and a lot of hardship, and no one could have played it as good as Leo himself
• Tom Hardy is again  a very commendable character who is more selfish than human. Cannot say his deeds were out of ordinary, but yet he qualifies for a bad man
• Domhnall Gleeson is in a significant supporting role, onto which he delivers well
• Duane Howard, Arthur Redcloud and Melaw Nakehk'o play different clans of native Americans at their best
• Will Poulter, Forrest Goodluck and Grace Dove are among the other supporting characters who had short but important roles
• This film is all about direction, the story is outright simple. Alejandro González Iñárritu is again a deserving win. His direction gets into your head, and to attain that he has paced the film aptly. Neither too slow nor too many incidents. He manages to maintain your attention throughout the film. To add to it if this film is actually based on a true story, there was no way it could possibly escape an Oscar :)

What you can sleep over:

The pace of the movie is slow, and its intentionally so. Having right expectations is the key





The dampeners you should be aware of:

• It is quite a bit gory, to the liking of a family audience. Indian screens may have edited quite a bit portion of it anyhow
• The entire film is a plain revenge drama, unfortunately there was not much of build up shown, be it in terms of flash back or present, on how deep was 'Glass's' affection towards 'Hawk'. He loved him as much as a father would, but to display this level of endurance and will to avenge his son's death, one needs more than just an ordinary fatherly love. Not very convincing

My Rating: 3.5/5

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