Heroine

Not worth the hype and promotions. Average flick.

Pluses:

• Ranvir Shorey did his part well, however even his image had to be much more stronger as a character, which is absolutely a directors fault
• Shahana Goswami, she is one actress who proved is not exactly a directors baby. She can perform given anywhere :) This positive about her can also be a negative where the movie requires you to be a directors baby.Only time shall see how she grows in the industry
• Lillete Dubey was a beautiful mother. I loved her
• There were strong presence of dialogues and the story did have the potential. Alas!! All mis placed.
• Thanks to Salim-Sulaiman for making 'Halkat Jawani' and Sunidhi Chauhan for singing it so beautifully. One should pay attention to only the track and ignore the video completely
• All the pluses are more or less merely vote of thanks :P There is absolutely nothing to flourish the movie

Minuses:

• The direction entirely is to be blamed for. I wonder if Madhur Bhandarkar himself directed it. The expectations are a lot and sad that he disappointed this time
• Next is the casting. The entire cast was just not apt. Be it Kareena, who looks half her star image; be it Arjun Rampal, quite a suprressed character; or be it Randeep Hooda, the cricketer image looked like a prank on him :P Or even the supporting casts, the small time actors, directos, actresses etc that they portrayed, none had a star image, all looked like small screen actors
• I would like to mention Kareena Kapoor yet again, as she is supposed to be the soul of the movie. She just doesnt look like a larger than life character, be it off screen or on screen. She looks rather dull barring a few scenes past interval. A big mistake. She might be able to sell herself with endorsements but surely not movies and one of those central characters, no ways
• The plot was dealing with glamor industry, the same as we have seen in 'Fashion', the only plus that could have saved the movie would have been the direction, failing which the plot fell apart
• The script had to be more crisp. I have no idea what kinda character sketch was that of 'Mahi Arora', a very confused and laid-back somebody. Did Madhur try to portray one of a case from Bollywood or did he try make a ugly remark on all actresses that they are bipolar in nature :P
• However, there were one or two tracks which were musically good, but the choreography just killed it. The biggest example being 'Halkat Jawani'
• The entire movie just felt very garish. Even those few strong dialogues couldnt save it

My rating: 2/5

Barfi

Declared: The movie of the year :) A must watch for all souls.

Pluses:

• A big relief from Bollywood, kudos to Anurag Basu for showering us with such beautiful moments with 'Barfi'. Brilliant direction and hard hitting experience
• A big thumbs up to Ranbir Kapoor.He proves it again, that being a good actor isnt enough, nor having a great bod. What makes you a star is the choice of movie you star in. Who says having great expectations puts a lot of pressure on the actor to perform. He does it everytime and with so ease and yet never fails to deliver multiple movies in a year.A big critic to all the other big names and brands in bollywood
• Priyanka Chopra too comes with  big relief. She was forgotten post Fashion. She had to prove she aint just another Diva, and someone labelled as THE HEROINE and sold. It costs you a lot to be called as a good actor. Cheers to her
• A lot of South Indian actresses forayed in Bollywood off late. But on my score, Ileana is the only one who passed. She isnt surely a star material, but she charms you in the journey with 'Barfi' wading through different stages of life as the character ages. Her role was equally important where she did hold some key decisions to make, without which the love story wudnt be complete. Good choice to debut in Bollywood under the umbrella of Anurag Basu
• Never to miss on the script. Such beautiful script, such spellbounding concepts, simplicity put with such ease. Humor which wont age so soon and can be watched again and again. Kudos to scripting
• This is labelled as a QUALITY movie in close to 3 years in Bollywood, absolutely no dirt, a very clean and truly a UNIVERSAL movie. You can take your family and kids and enjoy without any adulteration threats :P
• The jingle in the beginning of the movie is worth mentioning. Innovative concept. It has a lot deeper roots to what you experience in the movie, it aint just for fun
• Love story RE-DEFINED. The take home is not how the disabled or mentally challenged bond, but a tough realisation for all the city dwellers, on how a very simple but yet a deep connect is polluted between two people in today's world with filthy things. It WAS beautiful back then and it can STILL BE so beautiful
• USP of the flick, there are no villains, no dirt, no ugliness, nothing gore, no wordly truth or reality check. Just an experience
• The background score was soothing and apt for the movie

Minuses:

Barfi could have had some more beautiful numbers in terms of music. Forgettable songs

My rating: 5/5

The Bourne Legacy

 

 

A brand new look with Jeremy Renner. You wont be disappointed. Good action.

 

Pluses:

• Fast pace of the second half rips off the reputation of the Bourne series. Hold on until you watch the second half.
• Good action, brilliant chase sequence in the heavily trafficking roads of Manila. You will be at the edge of the seat throughout.
• Jeremy Renner does the justice to the character. Not comparing here with Matt Damon at all. He very finely pulls of the role and meets the demands of the role.
• Rachel Weisz as 'Dr. Marta Shearing' plays an equally important character. The duo put together with Jeremy do a good job of entertaining you as long as the movie lasts.

 

 

Minuses:

 

• The plot of the movie is so so, nothing new, nothing great. But i dont think you give much of a damn to the story line where the USP of the flick is action.
• However, first half kinda disappoints you cos theres not much of any content in it except for you to sit back and solve a simple puzzle made complex :P

 

 

 

My rating: 3/5

Gangs of Wasseypur 2

Continuation to the first part. Ditto storyline,just the characters differ.

Pluses:

• Feel of the movie is the same. I count this as a plus and a minus both, however weightage goes more as a plus since it doesnt fail to entertain you, nor does it disappoint you.
• This one has Nawazuddin Siddiqui aka 'Faizal Khan' as the male lead, and gives you a terrific performance to watch for.A drug addict and a faint character, how he bounces back to shine as the brightest star...is definitely worth a lot of applause.You can yet see glimpses of his suppressed sketch which unwraps only in front of his beloved wife. Amazingly written and beautifully portrayed.
• Huma Qureshi aka 'Mohsina' as the female lead grabbed quite a bit of limelight and glad to see that she had quantifiable role in this one.
• The character of 'Nagma Khatoon' played by 'Richa Chadda' was fab.
• Out of the other new characters added, the role of 'Definite' played by Zeishan Quadri is worth a mention.
• Sense of humor yet again in its own subtle way but very very effective and well placed in the context.
• Music however not very quality stuff, but plays a very important background scoring as the movie advances. It entertains you as well as hits you hard.
• You can once again expect all the pluses of the first part, its no less dark or any less gore.To summarise, its a full on adult flick.

Minuses:

• The storyline as i mentioned before feels a little repetitive.You may think it could have been downloaded and watched instead of coming to theatres.
• The character played by Reema Sen as ' Durga' was very strong but subdued. She was wasted in this one especially when we wanted to see more of her.

My rating: 3.5/5

Step Up 4: Miami Heat

  

Its a movie on a particular genre: DANCE. And it never fails to blow me out. :) A must watch for those who appreciate dance.

I will specifically recommend it those guys who can lay back their lazy ass in their comforts of the couches at home and watch all the nonsense dance reality shows over Indian televsion without a miss, but not make an effort to go in a theatre to watch a quality show.

Its a strong criticism against Indian television and their reality shows which runs out of public drama, celebrity bullshit and the hopeless audience supporting it. Alas! I have stopped watching television due to lack of quality content.

Pluses:

• It surely cant beat Step up 2 in quality of dance, that was the best. But wat makes Step up 4 yet equally cherishable are the concepts. Brilliantly innovative each time they perform. Its an eye treat and hence a sure watch in big screens only
• The three main leads Kathryn McCormick as 'Sean', Misha Gabriel as 'Eddy' and Kathryn McCormick as 'Emily' puts forth their best in furnishin the dream of making the project Miami Heat a success, while they dance or when the act.
• The grand finale battle is brilliantly and innovatively choreographed. You can expect some cameos from the dancers of the previous series, and i so bet you cannot resist yourself from cheering and whistling at their flashes.They dont just deliver a dialogue and go, they perform :)
• Expect some quality street style dancing at its best with no special effects unlike other dance genre movies that released recently viz. 'Street Dance 2'.

Minuses:

Wish the dancers gave some more of individual performances beating one another the street style way. The movie boasts of many formations but less of individual performances.The leads of the movie loose a lot of their charm there.

My rating: 3.5/5

Jism 2

  

A very average flick. The only sellng point i believe is the hype created around Sunny Leone.

Pluses:

• For all the readers who will expect the first point to be mentioned as Sunny Leone, well then...no denial, she is a treat to watch in the big screen with most of the time having minimal clothes on. Alas! To watch her without any apparel, you still have to refer to her porn site. :P
• Arunoday Singh as a secret agent 'Aayan', plays a good role. A perplexed character often trying to deceive you.
• Randeep Hooda as a cop turned into an extremist 'Kabir', is as his usual self. You would have seen him many times in a similar role. Distressed lover with a strong attitude.
• Script was just about fine.It aint a bad one, however nothing great.
• Music of the movie is a plus point, very soothing to the ears, however the frequency at which it is placed in the movie, gets to be a bit irritating, where you almost start feeling that you have done a mistake having come to watch a musical thriller apparently.

Minuses:

• Comparitively, the original 'Jism' was much more hard hitting, and i absolutely loved the character of Bipasha and John in it. The sequel however doesnt create much of any impact.
• The direction seemed to be a tad poor. Most of the acting didnt look at par with the standards.Had a lot more expectations from the Bhatt camp.
• Very slow in motion, you will keep yawning while waiting for Randeep Hooda to deliver his dialogues.
• Sunny Leone as 'Izna' is good as a porn star, a big zero in acting. Over expressive at places which looks pretty artificial. The only expression which she perfects is the oomph and aahs!! Her short height is quite a demerit for her image. 
• Jism is always known for a very strong role of a female lead. However, this one terribly fails to deliver the same.

My rating: 2.5/5

Ice Age 4: Continental Drift

  

A super entertaining movie. Long long time having loved an animation flick so much :)

Pluses:

• Given that most of the characters are already known, its no surprise what should be expected outta 'em.
• Humor was very well woven, all the characters steal your heart with their beautifully scripted diaogues.
• Unlike most other animated movies which has half done stories, this one has a neatly done script. Even the adults shall never feel bored.
• Guys, do not miss out the sountrack of 'Chasing the sun' by The Wanted.

Minuses:

• 3D could have been better, quite a waste otherwise.
• No change in quality of animation except for the waves and water which feels pretty surreal.

My rating: 4/5