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.

Boyhoood review

I DON'T WANNA BE A BIG MAN

Rating: 10 out of 10

Five seconds into Boyhood and I could tell this would be great film. One hour in, I knew I’m watching one of the greatest films ever made. Or at least one of the greatest film experiences of my life. I don’t like to throw this word around for every great film I see but I guess it’s time to write this one down. When the film ended, I was convinced that Boyhood is a flat-out masterpiece.

Big Hero 6 review

COOL KIDS

Rating: 8 out of 10

It’s here! This year’s lovable character from a lovable animated movie is here! I’m talking about Baymax, the white inflatable robot-hero, who gets the most laughs and tears in this vibrant, funny and enjoyable animated superhero entertainment. He is a cross between the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man and Wall-E but doesn’t wreak havoc over a city or fall in love with another robot.

Interstellar review

LOOK AT THE STARS

Rating: 10 out of 10

The filmgoers of today should deem themselves fortunate to be living in the present space and time to witness Christopher Nolan’s cinematic odyssey on the big screen called Interstellar. This is phenomenal cinema. It is visually elegant, emotionally resonant, ambitiously bold, imaginatively tall, an absolutely phenomenal piece of cinema.  It is what cinema used to be – a motion picture event. IMAX? I wish I could see this film at a planetarium.

Gone Girl review

DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'VE GOT 'TIL IT'S GONE

Rating: 9 out of 10

Remember that exciting feeling you have when you exit the theater and cannot wait to talk about the film extensively with just about anyone? Gone Girl is that fiery piece of accomplishment that leads to strong opinions and sometimes starts arguments at a dinner party. David Fincher’s wickedly dark cinematic adaptation of Gillian Flynn’s bestselling novel is what movies used to be. It is what movies should always give: Something to talk about.

Mary Kom review

STRENGTH OF A WOMAN

Rating: 6.5 out of 10

On the rugged surface, Mary Kom is a formulaic sports biopic; it plays by the ropes and rarely surprises you. Underneath, Mary Kom is a film about a woman fighting against the disadvantageous state of being a woman in today’s India. Her fight in the ring is with her opponents. Her fight outside is with the Indian society. As the former, it’s an average film. As the latter, the film is a knockout.

Guardians of the Galaxy review

MOONAGE DAYDREAM

Rating: 9 out of 10

When I have seen a movie that I absolutely loved, I generally discuss my favorite parts in the film with others (whether they want to or not). You know it’s a great movie, and I don’t mean this only for commercial or art-house films, I mean… any film on this planet. You know it’s great when you don’t run out of dialogues, scenes or music to discuss. There are so many, you can’t put your finger on one and call it the best thing about the film. Guardians of the Galaxy is one such film. These films don’t deserve reviews, they deserve a bunch of jackasses standing in a circle going on and going about what was awesome.

Into the Storm review

STORM PASSES AWAY

Rating: 5 out of 10

When I watched the trailer of Into the Storm, I did not want to watch the movie. Now, that rarely happens. Unbeknownst to me till I stepped into the theater, it was directly proportional to horrifying childhood memories of a film called Twister (1996). Admittedly, in other words, I was scared of watching this film.

The Grand Budapest Hotel review

FITZPLEASURE

Rating: 9.5 out of 10

The Grand Budapest Hotel is the most Wes Anderson movie Wes Anderson has ever made. It’s his most idiosyncratic film yet and also the second slam-dunk at the peak of his career. The niche he carved for himself is expanding as the carvings become more defined and distinctive. If you look at one frame from his films, you can recognize who made it. With his new film, you can see the same frame blurred out and still recognize it is from a Wes Anderson movie.

Begin Again review

LOST STARS TRYING TO LIGHT UP THE DARK

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

“There’s a lot you can tell about a person through their playlist”.

Dan (Mark Ruffalo) says this to Gretta (Keira Knightley) in one of this film’s most and many wonderful scenes. They use a headphone splitter and discover her personality 3/4^th into the film. I knew she would love Frank Sinatra and Stevie Wonder. I don’t know how but she is that kind of person. Maybe because she had already name-dropped Bob Dylan and Randy Newman. Dan thinks she should be like Norah Jones. There is a connection between these singers, which I will get to later. If you’ve ever used a headphone splitter or love sharing one headphone with someone, chances are you will love this movie.

The Fault In Our Stars review

ALL OF THE STARS

Rating: 8 out of 10

The Fault In Our Stars is a truly romantic film. They don’t make ‘em like this anymore. It’s been ages since we had one of these simple romances about two human beings. Love stories where people talk about *something* and not just speak in the language of sweet-nothings. For a film like this to work, it constantly keeps a check on one vital dosage: it makes us care for the lovers.

Queen Review

THERE SHE GOES

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Queen is a gem in the crown of contemporary cinema. It is perhaps the most delightful surprise you will see at the cinemas right now. There is a dialogue in the film where Rani Mehra (Kangana Ranaut) tells a bad joke to her Russian friend in Hindi. He has no idea what in the world she was talking about, but Rani decides to euphorically laugh at her own joke. She adds: “Mera sense of humor bohot achcha hai, aapko dhire dhire pata chalega”.

If I have to tell you what Queen is, it would be exactly this line of dialogue. Queen ka sense of humor bohot achcha hai, aapko dhire dhire pata chalega. It will first make you chuckle, then you’d be laughing at that character doing something funny at the edge of the screen and gradually you will find yourself laughing out loud at almost everything. Gradually, you will end up caring for Rani; you will end up enjoying each little moment in the film. I was left with a wide smile on my face when the film ended. I think I smiled for the entirety of the last half hour. It refused to wear off. This is such a happy film; you would have to pray hard to the gods of pessimism to make you dislike it.

Oscar Predictions 2014

Oscar Predictions 2014 

Gravity, 12 Years A Slave, Her, The Hunt and Frozen. These are the films I would be rooting for this year. Any award they get would be brilliant. While American Hustle and Dallas Buyers Club deserve their nominations, any award given to them would leave a sour taste in my mouth. Leonardo DiCaprio, Cate Blanchett and June Squibb are the actors I'm rooting for. One out of these will surely win. My star of the evening would be Alfonso Cuaron whose Oscar is already in the bag. 

BEST PICTURE

Winner: 12 Years A Slave

Could win: Gravity

Should win: Gravity or 12 Years A Slave

BEST DIRECTOR

Winner: Alfonso Cuaron, Gravity

Could win: Steve McQueen, 12 Years A Slave

Should win: Alfonso Cuaron, Gravity

BEST ACTOR

Winner: Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club

Could win: Chiwetel Ejiofor, 12 Years A Slave

Should win: Leonardo DiCaprio, The Wolf of Wall Street

Highway review

ALI ALI... TERI GALI 

Rating: 9 out of 10

It’s hard for me to put in down in words what I loved about Highway or why I loved it. There are moments when Alia Bhatt’s character, Veera, laughs and cries and doesn’t know why she is expressing her emotions this way. Honestly, I decided not to review this film. Not because I don’t want to, I really want to. Except this is one of those rare times where I might not be able to explain why I loved a film so much. Considering the fact that my job is to do exactly that, I would be doing a disservice to it.