Rocky Handsome

Cast: John Abraham, Diya Chalwad(Naomi), Nishikant Kamat(Kevin), Sharad Kelkar(Cop), Nathalia Kaur(Anna), Teddy Maurya(Luke) and Shruti Haasan(Wife)
Director: Nishikant Kamat
Genre: Action, Crime, Drama



A dark experimental dart which missed its target! Not worth a watch for any audience. You may still take your chances for the lead actor!




You may look forward to:

• John Abraham looks in great shape. His tough and serious looks have always been preferred more over his comic attempts. Action more suited than dancing around heroines. He is every inch a rock solid John Abraham apt for this kind of role. The final action scenes were delivered amazingly well by him and that's about it
• Nathalia Kaur gives a raunchy dance number, entertaining enough, although not many scenes to deliver

What you can sleep over:

• Music of the movie were not bad to the ears but were very ill placed. They even tried to revive the old number from 'Bombay Rockers' - 'Rock the Party' with a fresh look, but that song turns out to be an irritation over entertainment specially cos of its choreography
• Drama around the child actress 'Naomi' played by Diya Chalwad is way too much. The look of the film is very dark and gory, where childish emotion are again a misfit
• Nishikant Kamat ran some experiments by playin the lead villain 'Kevin' all by himself, but did not really go too well
• Sharad Kelkar has a good personality and suits the role of a stringent cop, but Alas! he didn't have much meat to his role to perform. He is under utilized
• Shruti Haasan is wasted, just one promotional song, in which she does look good

The dampeners you should be aware of: 

• This movie fails because it does justice to no angle completely. Lot of sensational action poses but very few good action scenes. Very dark and gory outlook but hardly any thrilling scenes. To top it emotional drama around the small girl is a big dampener. Nishikant Kamat forgets that this film he made is not helping in pulling either side of the crowd. Not family neither hard core action lovers, nor fans of dark movies. The plot of the film feels so forced and incomplete that you hardly enjoy it. Thanks to John Abraham, that i could sit through the end of the film, but i yet wonder why would John Abraham produce for such films. He some times likes to play around equivalent to his 'No Smoking' days
• Teddy Maurya tried his best to look ferocious, but Alas! he looks more of a cartoon than a villain and pretty irritating at times

My Rating: 2.5/5 (Only for John Abraham)

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

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

Cast: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams(Lois), Jesse Eisenberg(Lex), Gal Gadot(Wonder Woman), Diane Lane(Martha), Laurence Fishburne(Perry White),Jeremy Irons(Alfred) and Holly Hunter(Senator)
Director: Zack Snyder
Genre: Action, Fantasy



Have the expectation at a minimal and you wont be disappointed!




You may look forward to:

• Ben Affleck is convincing enough as The Batman. The transition from Christian Bale to Ben Affleck didn't affect much. His appearance is taller, with a good built and a serious personality gives him that edge. His face off with Superman as well looks good
• This film is more about Superman than The Batman. Henry Cavill has his role written well and justified. His questionable appearance on earth and imminent threat covered sensibly by the script. The way he is framed to look more of a threat than a saviour is also written and presented well. I love the way Henry carries himself as The Superman. His charming and a no non sense attitude, makes him appear like a coveted and desirable personality onscreen
• Diane Lane, Laurence Fishburne,Jeremy Irons and Holly Hunter have their fair share of supporting roles

What you can sleep over:

• Amy Adams is the new age woman with a super human character who just doesn't lay around as a lady love but as well attempts to add value to the story. However, she did not have much content to her credit in this film as compared to 'Man of Steel'
• Jesse Eisenberg doesn't look so threatening a villain as he should have been. He is just about fine. Most of the times he speaks gibberish, adding no value and other times his ulterior motive behind bringing about destruction to his own planet is never clearly understood
• Gal Gadot's appearance as the 'Wonder Woman' kills the very essence of a Batman movie in which the characters are more of this world than pure fantasy

The dampeners you should be aware of: 

What works adverse for the film is its not so strong story line. The build up of the film is actually good. What screws the quality of the film around the hype is the Bollywood style ending in which two powerful men at the peak of their combat, shake hands suddenly out of one common thread- Mother. From so much build up to a sudden fizz, it just didn't go well. On that the added masala of a 'Wonder Woman' and the weird monster creation and not so impactful villain, looked so cliche, must have killed the expectations of the audience. Second half of the film had a lot of potential, not utilized





My Rating: 3/5

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

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