Hindi Medium (2017) (Hindi)

A good cast and a good plot / storyline doesn’t necessarily make a good movie.  No other movie in recent times can come close to this adage as much as HINDI MEDIUM.  The movie has Irrfan Khan in it and therefore it must be good. Keep in mind that Irrfan also have non-movies such as Jazbaa, Thank You and Acid Factory amongst others to his credit.  He is human.  He makes mistakes.

Maatr (Hindi) (2017)

The posters and the reviews screamed out that it was Raveena’s magnum opus and no less.  I would not say that it was far from the truth but then again it was nowhere close to a power packed performance that one would have expected from a role that offered so much.  It was controlled in parts but more often than not exposed the gaps that Raveena always had in her armoury (if she had one that is).

Noor (Hindi) (2017)

A mic was thrust upon my face by a couple of rank rookies – much like Noor, in the movie – who were obviously asked to survey people who had watched the first day first show of Noor.  It was a first for me and I was caught off guard and all I could muster is, “Theek Thha”.  Eh? Your 15 seconds of fame and all you could do was say “Theek Thha”???

Dilwale (Hindi) (2015)

Ever get a feeling that you tried to do something differently but could not change who you stand for and ultimately landed up making a big hash of everything? If the answer is yes, then Rohit Shetty’s Dilwale will give you that sense of déjà vu.  It would have definitely given Shetty that feeling.

Fantastic Four (2015)

I can only guess or speculate when I make this statement that even Hollywood seems to be running out of good ideas for cinema.  Why else would one try and relaunch a superhero franchise that was not perceived as a great one to begin with.  More importantly, why would someone try to narrate the same story again?

Insidious : Chapter 3 (2015)

James Wan, after the hugely successful Conjuring, had mentioned in an interview that he will not be directing any more horror movies (except the sequel to Conjuring).  A decision that I would request, beg, beseech, plead Wan to reconsider.  There are not enough half decent directors in this genre.  Not much left to be desired if the one great director in the past decade decides to call it quits.

The Boy Next Door

It has been nearly 2 years since Jennifer Lopez played any part in a movie.  It was a movie that didn’t do much in the Indian circuit but definitely plays a lot on TV.  I am talking about the Jason Statham starrer called Parker.  So fans of JLo would be quite excited to see her back on screen.

The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death

The Woman in Black (2012) starring Daniel Radcliffe wasn’t something that made you feel creepy.  It was scary in bits and parts but nowhere close to what horror freaks and fanatics are used to, or demand these days.  The Woman in Black 2 : Angel of Death, is no different.

Kill / Dil

Shaad Ali is known for making movies that please the heart more often than not.  Saathiya to begin with and then Bunty Aur Babli.  But for some inexplicable reason after that, he made one called Jhoom Barabar Jhoom and now he has all but indicated of his lack of interest in cinema with Kill / Dil.

The Shaukeens (2014)

Towards the end of The Shaukeens, there is a scene wherein Ahana (Lisa Haydon) has landed a plump role in an Akshay Kumar movie and is struggling with that evergreen dialogue, “Mein Tere bachche ki maa ban ne waali hoon”.  It is supposed to be a scene wherein she is acting in a manner that she doesn’t know how to act.  Little did she realize that it came naturally to her.

Happy New Year (2014) (Hindi)

Recipe for a successful Farah Khan Movie

Dracula Untold

I was really really really looking forward to this one because like many out there, I have a fascination with the count.  And like many out there who would have seen the “Untold” story of Dracula by now, I walked out quite – disappointed.

Daawat-E-Ishq

The weekend is here and it begins with an invitation from Yash Raj films.  An invitation to love / romance.  I know. I know.  That is a corny translation and I should have thought of a better one.  But Daawat-E-Ishq is exactly the kind of RomCom that deserves a corny opening line like this one.

Bobby Jasoos

It has been nearly 3 weeks since my last review.  For reasons that aren't the most pleasant and therefore will not be delved into.  But apparently I haven't missed much in Bollywood during my hiatus. Sajid Khan gave ACP Pradyumn and Daya their simplest case and Ritiesh Deshmukh played villain (I'm catching up with that next).

Blended

To set the record straight, this is Frank Coraci’s 2^nd movie with Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore.  The first time was The Wedding Singer.  This is the 3^rd time Sandler and Barrymore are coming together.  50 First Dates was directed by Peter Segal and not by Coraci. So all of you who are saying 3^rd time lucky for Coraci, Sandler and Barrymore, have more reason to be convinced otherwise.

Holiday – A Soldier Is Never Off Duty (Hindi) (2014)

Celebrated South Indian filmmaker A R Murugadoss (Ghajini), has cracked the secret of maximizing revenues from a story / film.  First make it in Tamil with a superstar like Vijay.  The audience will lap it up because the story really doesn’t matter in Amma Land.  A couple of years later, remake it in Hindi because of late, aspects that make good cinematic sense apparently don’t matter to Bollywood either.

Samrat & Co.

The first thing that cheeses you off with Samrat and Co. is that the lead character is referred to as STD.  Apparently that expands into Samrat Tilak Dhari (Rajeev Khandelwal).  That it would send us back in time to the days of expensive phone calls or remind us of some unwanted diseases really didn’t cross the mind of anyone in the entire team.  Maybe it was intentional.

Kaanchi

A Subhash Ghai movie has to be a minimum of 2.5 hours.  Nothing lesser.  On that count Kaanchi qualifies by just a bit.  It has an excruciatingly long run time of 151 minutes.  Half way into the 2^nd half you catch yourself nodding off at least once.  If your tolerance levels are not as high as mine, this could happen about 20 minutes into the first half itself.

Rosewood Lane

There are badly made thrillers and then there are badly made thrillers. Rosewood Lane falls into any one of those 2 categories. Directed by Victor Sava (Jeepers Creepers / Rites of Passage), Rosewood Lane is a meek attempt at a serial killer / stalker brand of movie with all the predictabilities that you can imagine.

Sabotage (2014) (English)

Arnold Schwarzenegger in a lead role was bound to generate some interest if not too much. His last huge role was T3. Bit movies since then such as The Last Stand (http://kartikr.blogspot.in/2013/01/the-last-stand-2013.html) and Escape Plan and a side role in Expendables.  However, what we get is a very flat movie in most aspects that we associate with Arnie dear. And I say so as a disappointed fan.