Noah (2014) (English)

I missed the preview show of Noah because I wanted to catch up with it at an IMAX Theatre.  I did so, on Friday after India qualified for the semi-finals of the World Cup.  A 22:55 hrs show @ IMAX Wadala with a guarantee that I was spending in excess of `1500 for the entire experience (`1060 for tickets + `300 for the cab back home + `300 for snacks).  Was it worth it? HELL YES!!!

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.

Dishkiyaoon

What are the elements of a Gangster movie? Firstly you need a story that is convincing enough.  So Sanamjit Talwar, in his debut effort, picks the evergreen Gangsta City that never sleeps as his backdrop. Safe bet considering that it has been fodder for million others before him. In the city, he starts of with a game of Snakes and Ladders between Viki Kartoos (Harman Baweja) and Lakwa (Sunny Deol).

Youngistaan

Lets us start this review by paying homage to one of the finest actors that our country has ever seen – Farooq Sheikh.  In his last on-screen release, Youngistaan, Farooq Saab plays the role of Akbar.  He is the Personal Assistant to the Prime Minister of the country.  The comfort with which he essays his role brings a tear to your eye because you will never be able to see his class on screen in anything new.  Thank goodness for DVDs.

O Teri

A CBI Assistant Commissioner who hasn't been given a car by his employees is ambling around on a desolate Delhi street in the middle of the night. It is coincidental that he is leading an investigation involving some leading government officials.

Ankhon Dekhi

Esoteric, abstruse, obscure, arcane, recherché, rarefied, recondite, abstract, difficult, hard, puzzling, perplexing, inscrutable, cryptic, complex, complicated, over/above one's head, incomprehensible, opaque – just a few words that come to mind when you watch Ankhon Dekhi.  Sadly the average audience will agree because of their mental faculties not being upto to the levels Rajat Kapoor expects them to be.

Muppets Most Wanted

How many of you have seen The Muppets (2011) starring Amy Adams (my favouritest – if there is something like that) and Jason Segel? Well it really doesn’t matter if you saw it or not.  I for one, come from the latter group.  I was in 2 minds before I walked in for the preview with half a mind saying why bother with this one?

Lakshmi

Within a matter of 24 hours, I am going to begin a review with the name Satish Kaushik in the first sentence.  This time, however, I am going to speak about Satish Kaushik the actor.  My respect for the man as a director is nowhere close to that as an actor.  Kaushik as an actor in a serious role such as Reddy Garu in Lakshmi is simply outstanding.  I hope to see many such performances from this brilliant actor in the years to come.

Need For Speed (2014 English)

Stuntmen turning directors is apparently not an alien concept in Hollywood (http://www.hollywoodstuntcoordinator.com/blog-post/stuntmen-turning-directors-in-hollywood/).  The Waugh family has a notable mention with father and sons both finding mention in this article.  Closer home, our very own Veeru Devgn has also directed Hindustan Ki Kasam (1999) after choreographing stunts for nearly 150 movies.

Ragini MMS 2 – 2 Mein Zyada Maza Hai

I will begin once again by stating this in no unclear terms. If you are going to watch Ragini MMS 2 - 2 mein zyada Dum Hai (that's the full name of the movie and I'm not kidding ;)) in the hope that you will see lot more of Sunny Leone than what you have already seen then it would be a colossal waste of your precious time.

Gang of Ghosts (Hindi 2014)

Most Satish Kaushik movies are fraught with corny lines that make your cringe.  Usually he is also in front of the camera to delivery these liners in his typical poetic manner but this time around he decides to stay behind.  Let’s have a look at some of these vignettes from Shri Kaushik’s latest release – Gang of Ghosts.

Bewakoofiyaan

25 learnings from Bewakoofiyaan

3 Days to Kill

“Kevin Costner seems to be making a comeback into mainstream cinema”. That’s what a fellow writer / critic said at the preview of 3 Days to Kill.  My response was that legends like Costner really don’t need to make a “comeback”.  They will always have age appropriate roles available for them – if they want to give it a shot.

Gulabi Gang

At the end of Gulabi Gang, I was embarrassed.  Embarassed lesser because I had, in my review of Gulaab Gang, called it out to be a fictionalized account.  I should have used fictionalized and severely over dramatized and supremely over the top as adjectives.  Even then, I would have barely managed to scratch the surface of how Soumik Sen has trivialized the true story of Sampat Pal Devi (even though he claimed otherwise).

Gulaab Gang

I saw Gulaab Gang on Sunday, 9^th March 2014 – a couple of days later than I would have normally seen it.  However, I wanted to see Gulaabi Gang (The Documentary) some 2 weeks after its release before I could post my review for both.  I wanted to get the true perspective of the story of Sampat Pal Devi – the woman on whom this story is based on – while Soumik Sen (the director) firmly denies it.

Total Siyapaa

Do you remember a director called E Niwas? The one who did Love Ke Liye Kuch Bhi Karega some 13 years back (2001) and an extremely forgettable movie called My Name is Anthony Gonsalves around 6 years ago (2008)? Total Siyapaa is his attempt to make a comeback into cinema.  Regretably, Eeshwar Niwas will remain a one-movie-wonder with Shool (1999 – Manoj Bajpayee).

Queen

The highlight of Queen to me was this sequence that is built up to quite brilliantly by 2^nd time director Vikas Bahl (Chillar Party). http://zoomtv.indiatimes.com/movies/hungama-ho-gaya-the-new-song-from-queen/videoshow/31110978.cms.  While watching the link may be a spoiler, I would still go ahead and take a look, if I were you to get a glimpse of what has been Kangana Ranaut’s moment of truth.

300 : Rise of an Empire

Eva Green as Artemisia – The Commander in Chief of the Persian Army – is a master stroke from Casting Director Lucy Bevan.  For all practical purposes, 300 : Rise of An Empire, is the story of Artemisia and Themistokles (Sullivan Stapleton) set to the background of the war initiated by God King Xerexes (Rodrigo Santoro).