Phantom review

YOU GET WHAT YOU GIVE

Rating: 7 out of 10

Phantom is a gripping thriller. It works because it remains thrilling despite a few hiccups. It comes with a tag line - 'A story you wish were true'. It's a story that isn't afraid.

Tomorrowland Review

WE LIVE IN A BEAUTIFUL WORLD

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

The opening of Tomorrowland has nostalgia stamped all over it. It was during this majestic and stunning sequence that I had two concurrent thoughts. I wondered how young adult fiction nowadays focuses on dystopia. Whatever happened to utopia? The immediate realization after it dawned on me: this will never work with today’s audience. Tomorrowland is every bit as beautiful, imaginative and ambitious as a summer movie ought to be but in 2015, it is a fool’s hope to think it will be successful.

Cinderella review

CALL IT MAGIC


Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Cinderella is exactly what movies ought to be: magical. It is what movies have forgotten how to be. This old-fashioned, beautifully imagined film is based on perhaps the most widely known fairy tale. It is also perhaps the only live-action film version that is in love with its story.

Oscar Predictions 2015

Welcome to the worst Oscar season of the current century. It all started when the real best film of the 2014, Boyhood, got unanimous critical praise. Why wouldn’t it? It’s one of the greatest movies ever made. Then the awards followed. Golden Globes, Critics Choice Awards. It seemed like a done deal.

20 Best Films of 2014

(Apologies for the typos ahead)

2014 was not the greatest year for movies. This doesn't mean it did not offer great films, it did. When it came to the year taking cinema further, it made significant contributions but it wasn't a memorable year. At the awards, films that ended up being called best turned out to be major disappointments. At the box office, films that deserved to have a good run, ended up collapsing and films that have no business making pot-loads of money, ended up topping the charts. Of course, there are always movies that deserve to be seen by more people, that deserve to make the money it made and deserve all the praise and awards it's getting. I'll be talking about those mainly.

Whiplash review

LITTLE DRUMMER BOY

Rating: 9.5/10

When the end credits of Whiplash rolled, I couldn’t help but break into an adrenaline-filled applause. If I had to transmute it into words, I’d have to bang my hands on the keyboard and pretend I drummed up a review. This, we all know, would lead to the opposite of you taking this seriously. Here’s what you can take seriously: Whiplash is a great movie. It is an absolute triumph of moviemaking, a flat-out sensation. How good can a movie about a drummer and his mentor be, you ask? The answer can only be discovered after watching Damien Chazelle’s sophomore tour de force. In all likelihood, you will discover: it can be… (drum-roll)… bloody brilliant.

Top 5 Hindi Films of 2014

The cinematic year of 2014 draws to a close. There is only one word to describe Hindi cinema this year: Lull.

No, not the English word which means:

lull

verb

calm or send to sleep, typically with soothing sounds or movements.

noun

a temporary interval of quiet or lack of activity.