Bajirao Mastani (Hindi) (2015)

At the outset, let us first tip our hat or in fact give a standing ovation to a few people involved in Bajirao Mastani.  Fistly – Sriram Kannan Iyengar, Sujeet Subhash Sawant, Yantra Design Studio and Saloni Ankush Dhatrak for some breathtaking Production Design – probably the best we have seen since Mughal-e-Azam!!!

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.

Tamasha (2015) (Hindi)

He started with a very simple movie 10 years back.  One which would qualify to be a sleeper hit.  It was called Socha Na Tha and starred a certain relative of someone with a 2.5 kg fist.  He has released a movie around every 2 years since.  Jab We Met (2007), Love Aaj Kal (2009), Rockstar (2011), Highway (2014) and now Tamasha (2015).  He is one of my favourite writer directors in India today – Imtiaz Ali.

Spectre (2015) (James Bond)

Disclaimer – This writer is a massive James Bond fan.  He has collected every single release of James Bond on DVD and plans to convert the same (shortly) into an enviable Blue Ray collection before the release of Bond 2017-18.  He can rarely find fault in a James Bond movie and therefore can be classified as a “classic fanboy”.  Read on.

Katyar Kaljat Ghusali (Marathi) (2015)

To say that Marathi Cinema has come of age is a stale statement these days.  It is well past the coming of age stage and is rapidly moving towards excellence.  Subodh Bhave’s directorial debut is a commendable one and an industry (that was otherwise considered a laggard) one step forward.

Prem Ratan Dhan Payo

It has been nearly 2 months since I put the proverbial pen to paper.  I have watched movies in the interim – they are like the air that I breathe – but a combination of writer’s block and just plain lethargy prevented me from writing.  Not that cinema of the likes of Pyar Ka Punchnama 2 or for that matter Shandaar didn’t inspire me to overcome the lethargy.

Katti Batti (Hindi) (2015)

Nikhil Advani is definitely not known for brilliant movies with the one exception of D-Day where he made his only genuine attempt to aid the effort of quality cinema in Bollywood.  Back to Back releases in a week may indicate that Shri Advani over estimated his prowess in the field of direction.  Regretably he has botched up both stories – one which was a classic and the other that had a lot of promise.

All is Well (2015) (Hindi)

I have started writing this review a little after the interval of All Is Well. It will definitely be one of the corniest lines I have ever written in over 5 years of reviewing but I am at a loss of words as of now. All is definitely not well. There. I have said it.

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?

Mr. Holmes

Sometime back, a T Shirt featuring Sir Ian McKellen created a minor ripple (http://weheartit.com/entry/group/100286).  It read, I AM GANDALF AND MAGNETO. GET OVER IT.  Sir I M can now change that T Shirt to read – I AM GANDALF, MAGNETO AND SHERLOCK – BEAT THAT!!!

Ant Man

The character of Ant Man is over 50 years old – 53+ to be precise.  It debuted in 1962 and about 17 years on, he appeared on Saturday Night Live.  Of course, it wasn’t remotely popular as the other “mans” around that time which would probably explain the 5 decades that we’ve had to wait for the big screen debut of a character which will be part of the Avengers next year.

Masaan

For the better part of the first half of 2015, a permanent fixture of weekly updates from most sites has been that of Masaan and its success across every available platform in the world.  Needless to say, I was mighty excited to get an opportunity to watch one of the most acclaimed movies in recent times, earlier this week.  Unfortunately, it is probably the hype around the movie that did it in – for me.

Baahubali : The Beginning

S S Rajamouli’s effort to be a household name in parts of the country other than South India received a huge boost through Eega aka Eecha aka Makkhi.  Bahubali : The Beginning will bridge any gap that was left over for certain.  Not only does it claim to be India’s most expensive movie on record at 250 crores ($40 Million or so) – It feels like there has been an effort worth 250 crores put in.

Bajrangi Bhaijaan

The magnitude of Salman Khan and an Eid release is indicated by the fear in the minds of all other production houses.  Not a single release other than Bajrangi Bhaijaan this weekend in India.  In fact there were a couple of withdrawals as well at the last minute.  But at the end of 2 hours and 25 minutes I would risk sticking my neck out and say this, “It has to be the end of the Eid Monopoly for Bhai”.

Pitch Perfect 2 (2015)

Elizabeth Banks moves from her position in front of the camera in Pitch Perfect (2012) to an additional responsibility that she is not too unfamiliar with per se.  She gets behind the camera. Banks’ acting skills have been impressive albeit over the top (including Pitch Perfect) and her direction seems to be headed the same way.  There are high points (literally) in PP2 but overall lands up barely meeting expectations.

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.

Inside Out (Animation) (2015)

Disney Pixar, should do something really special for Pete Docter and Ronaldo Del Carmen for coming up with a concept like Inside Out – something like a lifetime retainer.  Docter made Up in 2009 but first time director, Carmen, does not have too much to catch up with from the looks of it.

ABCD2 (Hindi) (2015)

ABCD 2 begins with a stunning display of Electron (a form of dance) by a dance troupe called Illuminati - a celebration of neon green, blue, yellow and pink that gets your excitement sky high. The adrenaline rush generated by Illuminati is matched but not exceeded by a troupe called J5 (a Michael Jackson tribute dance troupe) that performs to Psycho Re from ABCD 1.

Focus (2015)

It’s a week of movies where the story has been told before but with a minor twist here and another one there.  Most of us have seen enough and more movies about conmen and their operations and so the formula for a good one is out there.  Focus capitalizes on this tried and trusted formula for a con movie and manages to scrape through – but barely.

NH10 (Hindi) (2015)

We have seen many a movie that hovers around the topic of “road-trip gone wrong” – both from Hollywood as well as Bollywood.  NH10 comes from this genre.  But as I have always maintained in most of my writing, old wine in new bottle if perfectly acceptable, so long as the new bottle is really different.  NH10 is a perfect example of this point of view.