In the Heart of the Sea

Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Benjamin Walker(Capt. Pollard), Cillian Murphy(Second mate), Tom Holland(Young Thomas), Brendan Gleeson(Old Thomas),Ben Whishaw(Herman Melville), Michelle Fairley(Wife of Thomas) and Charlotte Riley(Wife of Owen)
Director: Ron Howard
Genre: Adventure, Biography



A beautiful insight to a piece of history on an unsual business for whaling! Good watch!




You may look forward to:

• Undoubtedly Chris Hemsworth. He is the lead in the film as the 'First mate' of the ship, giving out majority of the commands and lead hunter in sea whaling for oil. Role highlighting bravery suits him and he easily gives his best without much effort 
• Benjamin Walker has a decent role as the Captain of the ship. He although a Captain, is a second fiddle to the lead :)
• This film is more about adventure, fantasy, myth Vs reality about Moby Dick, as well how the history of Nantucket,Massachusetts shaped during the early 19th century. Ron Howard presents it gracefully without boring the audience on survival techniques stranded in the sea, which we have seen in many films, nor the pace of the film slows down at any point of time
• Cillian Murphy and Tom Holland are in good supports
• Brendan Gleeson,Ben Whishaw, Michelle Fairley and Charlotte Riley are in short supports
• 3D quality is good, which makes it worth a watch in a theater

What you can sleep over:

Do not expect 'Life of Pi' in this film, although some parts of it will remind you of it. This one is rather more close to reality and not complete fantasy




The dampeners you should be aware of:

This film isn't a blockbuster and not many quality things to boast about. The film is good to watch but as well can be easily forgotten. It doesn't make much of any impact to last long in your memory




My Rating: 3/5

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

Hate Story 3

Cast: Karan Singh Grover, Sharman Joshi, Zarine Khan, Daisy Shah(Kaya), Priyanshu Chatterjee(Vikram Diwan),Sanjay Gandhi(Manager of Saurav) and Prithvi Zutshi(Manager of Aditya)
Director: Vishal Pandya
Genre: Thriller



Genre and Title justified. Its not a bad show, adequate thriller for a weekend watch!



You may look forward to:

• The film doesn't bore, keeps the suspense alive till the end. Also lives up to its expectations of an intimate revengeful story. Given the low number of releases this month, its a definite watch
• Karan Singh Grover is exceptionally good. The role fits him pretty well and he does justice to the script written for him, apart from looking hot :)
• Zarine Khan and Daisy Shah, are the leading ladies of the film. Technically Daisy Shah has more screen presence than Zarine Khan. Nevertheless, both the ladies cant act, specially Zarine, holding a straight face, at all times expressionless. As yet i count them in plus, for they fulfill the requirement of hotness quotient just as genre of 'Hate Story' series demands :D Both the ladies wont disappoint you at that ;)
• Priyanshu Chatterjee, as usual has a cameo in the film, has a short appearance but notable
• Supporting roles Sanjay Gandhi and Prithvi Zutshi, do a good job

What you can sleep over:

• Sharman Joshi has a lucrative role, to which he delivers well, however there are times where attitude required for the role falls short on his stature and outlook
• Most of the music of the film is soothing, except for item numbers which were unbearable

The dampeners you should be aware of:

• Yes, the film doesn't give you a feeling of watching an upscale movie par Bollywood standards, it is a little sub standard. But since this is expected from a small scale movie like this, i wont say this or the incapability of the acting skills of the actors should come in the way for its overall rating
• There were certain cinematographic angles which did suck on graphics to be easily recognizable as unnatural to the naked eyes

My Rating: 3/5

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

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2

Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson(Haymitch), Julianne Moore(Alma Coin),Donald Sutherland(Snow), Elizabeth Banks(Effie), Philip Seymour Hoffman(Plutarch), Sam Claflin(Finnick), Mahershala Ali(Bogs) and Patina Miller(Commander Paylor)
Director: Francis Lawrence
Genre: Adventure, Action, Thriller



Better than MockingJay Part I. If you have been following Hunger Games, no harm watching; if you haven't been following, you ain't missing anything not watching it :)




You may look forward to:

• This film picks up in its second half. There are lot of incidents and pace of the movie is good. The visuals are good too, for which 'Hunger Games' is famous, the ending is decent enough
• Jennifer Lawrence does a good job, less dialogues this time, thankfully. There are not many fancy dressing for her this instance, but she fairs well as 'Mockingjay' wherein she is used as a pivot but she doesn't fail her folks and successfully brings about due justice!
• Julianne Moore has a strong role. She is the one driving the movie after the lead of the film. I appreciate her role
• Some supporting roles who came out good were that of Sam Claflin, Mahershala Ali and Patina Miller
• Although action scenes were limited in the film, but one under the tunnel sequence was shot very well, some bit spooky and entertaining to watch

What you can sleep over:

• Action in the film is about ok. I expected a lot more action and outrage in its final series
• Feel pity on Liam Hemsworth, he could have done so much better, not a good script for him. He loses the hand of 'Katnis Everdeen' too easy
• Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks and Philip Seymour Hoffman have become predictable and boring. They have nothing new to do or to support in this film
• Donald Sutherland is projected much weaker in this movie, i never thought he will come as easy to be overtaken by 'Mockingjay' without much resistance
• The first half of the film drags in places with slow delivery and unwanted dialogues exchanges between 'Katnis Everdeen' and 'Peeta Mallark'. But thankfully second half escaped these boring exchanges

The dampeners you should be aware of:

• Expected a lot more from Josh Hutcherson as well. He was a curious factor as Part I ended, but this film he was wasted just in recovering back and adding no value
• The climax of the film is very predictable, when there were decisions made and Julianne Moore comes out strong. Mockingjay behaves just as expected, which never came out as a surprise. That spoilt the most important scene of the film. I am sure the book must be written in a better way than shown in the movie

My Rating: 2.5/5

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

Tamasha

Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Deepika Padukone, Javed Sheikh(Ved's Father), Vivek Mushran(Ved's Boss) and Piyush Mishra(Storyteller)
Director: Imtiaz Ali
Genre: Drama, Romance



Tamasha is a tamacha on the face of the audience expecting too high of this film. Save yourself from a headache, stay away from this flick!




You may look forward to:

• Beautiful locations of Corsica, France, which by the way is only half an hour of the film
• My only favorite character in the film is that of Piyush Mishra's. His storytelling, his explanations and his inferences, simply lovely!

What you can sleep over:

• I feel pity for Deepika Padukone, this movie is made for Ranbir Kapoor, although Deepika gives her best, but she doesn't have any potential role in this film. She just looks like one smart but desperate woman running after one man blindly for years together, hopelessly
• Javed Sheikh and Vivek Mushran, are in insignificant supporting roles

The dampeners you should be aware of:

• The biggest let down of the film is Imtiaz Ali. How experimentally can you present the same old cliche story concept of '3 Idiots' once again, with a new face of Ranbir Kapoor! Honestly, this story just doesn't fit into the 'Romance' genre. If you are excited about Ranbir-Deepika pairing and expect great chemistry, then you are in for a disappointment,there is nothing romantic about the film. This film  belongs to Ranbir Kapoor. All along the film, you keep wondering what are you watching and why!!!! I almost got a headache looking at an mentally unstable character of Ranbir Kapoor who just doesn't know how to vent out his anger and in which direction. The film miserably fails to make any impact at all
• To top it, music by AR Rehman and the presentation of those songs and the singers! Boy O Boy! Its like testing you patience if you can sit through the film until completion
• Ranbir Kapoor performs but certainly he is slowly and gradually losing his fan base. He is way too experimental with his roles. Where John Abraham never repeated the mistake of 'No Smoking', Ranbir Kapoor doesnt seem to accept his defeat, he keeps repeating his mistakes
• Bottomline, we got the point way back with '3 Idiots' and many similar films to follow that a child should be allowed to follow his dream, and not force studies on him. Please don't torture the audience any further with more films of such kind and even bigger disaster selling it in the name of romance!

My Rating: 1.5/5

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

Spectre

Cast: Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz, Léa Seydoux(Dr.Swann), Ben Whishaw(Q), Naomie Harris(Moneypenny), Dave Bautista(Mr. Hinx), Andrew Scott(C), Monica Bellucci(Lucia),Ralph Fiennes(Gareth Mallory) and Jesper Christensen(Mr. White)
Director: Sam Mendes
Genre: Action, Thriller, Adventure




This film lives by its genre, clear entertainment!




You may look forward to:

• Daniel Craig never been presented as sexy before. He is not just a man of style and courage, but also a big time womanizer :) He delivers you an action packed movie at every step, less dialogues more on delivery. Certain combats and car chases are mind blowing. The insight towards Bond's personal life which attaches strings to the current world threats tried giving the role of Bond a touch which is larger than just an agent. It took time sinking in Daniel Craig as 'Bond', but he earned it
• Sam Mendes delivers as promised. The first half of the film is very engaging, right from the Bond films customary first scene - Mexico, the Day of the Dead, the sets and celebrations are  really grand and not something you would see every day. The action sequence on the chopper is crazy awesome, it lives upto the hype talked about. He presents some breath taking locations of around 5 countries from around the world, just awe inspiring back drop and BOND! I personally loved the credit scene in the beginning of the film too
• Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris and Ralph Fiennes are the very important positive characters of the film, that are big time supports to Bond
• Dave Bautista and Andrew Scott are the parallel villains, they do a regular job
• Monica Bellucci and Jesper Christensen, are the neutral supports to the film. Monica Bellucci is still hot! :)

What you can sleep over:

• Christoph Waltz feels pretty cliche for a bad man. The same old funda of trying to control the world, doesn't make him look any extra ordinary villain
• Léa Seydoux as the 'Bond Girl' doesn't exactly fit in right. I remember her from 'MI: Ghost Protocol', she can be so much more than just an arm candy whom Bond has to save. She is under utilized

The dampeners you should be aware of:

• Where the movie fails the expectations of its viewers is that this is not anymore a standalone franchise who sells movies highlighting life of a secret agent :) When 007 was launched, there were not many movies featuring 'Secret Agents', unlike today- you've plenty of them, and more or less now it requires a series like 'Avengers' which releases larger than life like characters with interconnected stories more often, staying fresh in the mind of its viewers. Even though they show the same cliche stories, they are still a hit, while Bond is slowly getting lost in the shadows. Nevertheless, this film is still a piece of thrilling entertainment, and is a good watch in the theaters for all the action sequences
• Although, for all the viewers who like films uncut, beware there are many scenes censored out for the heat of the context, in India :P

My Rating: 3.5/5 (Worth for the action scenes)

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

Prem Ratan Dhan Payo

Cast: Salman Khan, Sonam Kapoor,Neil Nitin Mukesh, Anupam Kher, Armaan Kohli(Chirag Singh), Swara Bhaskar(Chandrika), Aashika Bhatia(Radhika), Deepraj Rana(Sanjay),Deepak Dobriyal (Kanhaiya) and Samaira Rao(Sameera)
Director: Sooraj R. Barjatya
Genre: Drama, Romance, Comedy




Keep your expectations low, prepare to be surprised, enjoy and come back :)




You may look forward to:

• Very unlikely of Rajashri films, this one has many English dialogues, quite a few hinting to not so clean jokes and lots of action. I am surprised already :) I was expecting over the top cheezy dialogues, undigestible storyline with every character like an avatar of god himself. But Sooraj Barjatya did surprise me pleasantly
• The story line of the film is not boring, there is a mix of suspense, some thriller, some family time, some drama and a flavor of romance mixed in  a solution of humor. The grandeur of the sets and palaces and forts are worth appreciating and good on big screens
• You get plenty of Salman Khan in this film. He is his usual bubbly self, he exhibits exuberant outlook with an aura of an innocent and charming guy. He makes you laugh at his tinder jokes, he gives you lot of goody moments minus a huge family but all on his shoulder. This film projects Salman at the center, there are not many important roles, except for him, so its him everywhere!
• Sonam Kapoor looks astonishingly beautiful and royal. This is her second film where i like how she looks, this suits her. Her chemistry with Salman is imminent and looks good on screen
• Anupam Kher, Swara Bhaskar, Aashika Bhatia, Deepraj Rana and Deepak Dobriyal have the important supporting roles. Unlike other Sooraj Barjatya family films where the family members are all big castings and equally important, here you have a plethora of supporting roles, all of them does a good job

What you can sleep over:

• Music in the film is just omnipresent, they should as well categorize this movie under Musical genre. The music just never takes a breather, thankfully they are not ear sores, they are doable provided you are already prepared for it :)
• Neil Nitin Mukesh is wasted in the film, he hardly has any role. He looked pretty impressive in his entry scenes, but later he was just lost only to appear in the end where he hardly had anything to perform
• Armaan Kohli and Samaira Rao were more or less wasted too. They could have had better roles. I personally like the personality of Armaan Kohli, Alas! his role couldn't make a lot of impact, blame on the script

The dampeners you should be aware of:

This film is a no brainer, leave your brains back home, if you intend to enjoy the film. There are not very good critical views on this film, but i personally did not hate it. Its very much watchable. Agreed the space that was created for its release in Diwali clearing 2 weekends before its release, raised a lot of hopes on this one, it cant meet the hysteria created around it, but standalone, it qualifies for a good family entertainment






My Rating: 3/5

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

Main Aur Charles

Cast: Randeep Hooda, Adil Hussain(Amod),Richa Chadda, Alexx O'Nell(Richard), Nandu Madhav(Madhukar), Saurabh Sarkar(Bajrang), Sandeep Punia(Satpal), Tisca Chopra and Vipin Sharma(Jailor)
Director: Prawaal Raman
Genre: Biography, Crime



The presentation of the film is questionable but watch the film for its story and Randeep Hooda!




You may look forward to:

• Randeep Hooda is a curious choice to play 'Charles Shobhraj' and very interestingly he does an incredible job at it. He looks hot, smart and very close to the real 'Charles'. His accent is pretty much put up, but he pulls the role with great aplomb! 'Charles' is known to be a Bikini killer, innumerous escapades with women, ever stylish, learned person with notable skills of convincing people. He is as charming as much dangerous. This film belongs to Randeep Hooda!
• Adil Hussain is the next important role in the film, this guy is a good actor, the movie talks a lot about his personal traits as well apart from the legal aspects! He is good to watch :)
• Richa Chadda and Alexx O'Nell, are the two very important supports in the story of 'Charles', in the portion of his life which is captured in this movie. I never liked the weird accent of Richa Chadda, nevertheless both of them do a pretty good job
• Rest of the cast have minor roles, to which they cater well
• This film is all about style. The various filmy dons and criminals you come across seem decorated, to which we generally don't relate, but the story of 'Charles' is am sure very much a dream for every other man barring the end he meets. The second half of the film specially is engaging and an open ending to it prompts you to go google the actual truth about the real guy!

What you can sleep over:

Randeep Hooda's put up accent and Richa Chaddha's natural accent :P




The dampeners you should be aware of:

The first half of the film fails to engage the audience. The direction of the film is not very impressive and it shows up in its first half which is a let down. With Randeep Hooda's put up accent, half the dialogues are unclear, teamed up with slow pace and not many incidents, you are very likely to not last until interval. Although the film catches up a lot in its second half which is in fact the part that earns the film its final rating!






My Rating: 3/5

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