Movie Review – Page 16

Movie Review: 'Maggie' is an emotional outing

May 30, 2015 by Shaheen Raaj

Producer: Colin Bates, Joey Tufaro, Matthew Baer, Bill Johnson, Ara Keshishian, Trevor Kaufman, Pierre – Ange Le Pogam and Arnold Schwarzenegger
Director: Henry Hobson
Star Cast: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Abigail Breslin, Joely Richardson, Douglas M. Griffin, J. D. Evermore, Rachel Whitman, Jodie Moore, Bryce Romero, Raeden Greer, Aiden Flowers and Carsen Flowers
Genre: Horror
Verdict: Good

Henry Hobson’s first ever directorial outing was in The Bureau Aftermath and now his second directorial outing is Maggie which is a horror film in tandem with the zombies on prowl.

Plot: Maggie Vogel (Abigail Breslin) is calling her dad. She’s trapped in the city as a curfew is in effect. She urges him not to come looking for her, and she tells him she loves him. Most of the global population is plagued by the Necroambulist virus, which turns people into zombies. Farmers burn their fields and crops to prevent further contamination. Maggie’s father Wade (Arnold Schwarzenegger) goes to search for his daughter. Maggie is taken by armed officials and placed in quarantine at the hospital with other infected people.

Aces: The heart touching performances of Arnold Schwarzenegger (as father) and Abigail Breslin (as daughter).
Minuses: Its slow space and confusions galore.

Last Word: Don’t miss it if you are a diehard fan of Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Movie Review: 'San Andreas' is a gripping thriller

May 30, 2015 by Shaheen Raaj

Producer: Beau Flynn, Hiram Garcia and Tripp Vinson
Director: Brad Peyton
Star Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Carla Gugino, Alexandria Daddario, Paul Giamatti, Loan Gruffudd, Archie Panjabi, Hugo Johnstone, Art Parkinson, Colton Haynes, Todd Williams, Matt Gerald, Will Yun Lee and Kylie Minogue
Genre: Action Adventure
Verdict: Very Good

Brad Peyton is more popularly known for his popular journey series of movie namely Journey To The Centre Of The Earth and Journey 2: The Mysterious Island and now in his latest directorial saga he has come up with a heart touching movie namely San Andreas.

Plot: After a devastating earthquake hits California, a Los Angeles Fire Department rescue – helicopter pilot (Dwayne Johnson) and his ex – wife (Carla Gugino) attempt to leave Los Angeles and head to San Francisco to find and rescue their daughter (Alexandra Daddario).

Aces: The heart touching performances of Stalwart actor like Dwayne Johnson in lieu with Carla Gugino (wife) and Alexandria Daddario (daughter).

Minuses: The gruesome destructive scenes with the loud sounds blaring in the background.

Last Word: Watch it if you are a diehard fan of movies of this genre.

Movie Review: 'Tanu Weds Manu Returns' is an endearingly romantic & superb film

May 28, 2015 by Shaheen Raaj

Banner: Colour Yellow Pictures
Producer: Kishore Lulla & Anand L. Rai
Director: Anand L. Rai
Cast: Kangana Ranaut, R. Madhavan, Jimmy Shergill, Deepak Dobriyal, Eijaz Khan, Swara Bhaskar, Rajendra Gupta, Navni Parihar, K. K. Raina, Dipti Mishra, Rajesh Sharma, Rahul Shankalya & Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub
Music: Krsna Solo & Tanishk – Vayu

5 years ago director Anand L. Rai had come up with an endearing film ‘Tanu Weds Manu’ which had lady luck in tandem with the box office Goddess smiling at him and now exactly after 5 years he has come up with its sequel ‘Tanu Weds Manu Returns’. So will its past box office success also return with the current offering. Let’s wait & watch.

So the pre – plotted scenario of ‘Tanu Weds Manu Returns’ gets kick started with the nostalgic wedding day of Tanuja Trivedi aka Tanu (Kangna Ranaut) along with Dr. Manoj Sharma aka Manu (R. Madhavan) with the iconic “Sunn Saahiba Sunn” track playing in the background. The opening scene sets the tempo of the film. This is then immediately followed by the admission of Manu in St. Benedict’s Asylum by Tanu. After that, she returns to her hometown Kanpur to be with her parents. But the human side of her being makes her call Pappi (Deepak Dobriyal) and ensures that he frees Manu from the asylum. When she reaches Kanpur, she meets up with Raja Awasthi (Jimmy Sheirgill), who is on the verge of getting married. Around the same time, when Manu reaches Delhi, he sights upon the very ‘sporty’ Kusum (Kangna Ranaut again in a dual role), who happens to be a state level athlete. The very moment Manu sees her, he falls in love with her so much so that he starts following her and ultimately convinces her & her relatives for marriage, despite being a ‘second hand’ man, which is how Kusum describes him as. Meanwhile, with the help of her just graduated lawyer friend Chintu (Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub), she manages to threaten Manu with a divorce notice. Frustrated & aggravated because of this action, Manu ultimately decides to marry Kusum. Seeing her ‘husband’ about to tie the knot with Kusum, Tanu lands up with Raja at the venue, despite being all geared up for all the insults.

Director Anand L. Rai has made an appropriate & commendable sequel of his earlier film. His directorial skills are perfection personified & brilliant. The film hooks nay mesmerizes the cine goers from “start” to “end”. A standing ovation also goes to his entire behind the scenes team. A special well deserved credit also goes to crooner Swati Sharma for her husky, melodious & mellifluous “Banno” number.

Performance wise it is no doubt the Queen Kagna Ranaut’s histrionic oriented journey from “start” to “end”. Critical appreciation and awards galore are now hers for the asking. She is just fab in her dual role of Tanu (The hurt wife) & Kusum (The Haryanvi athlete). She gets into the skin of both the characters with perfect ease. R. Madhavan delivers a restrained albeit a “healthy” performance, pun definately intended please. All in all even he too has emerged a “plumpy” winner all the way without an iota of doubt. Deepak Dobriyal is brilliant. While the rest of the actors comprising of Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, Jimmy Sheirgill, Eijaz Khan, Swara Bhaskar, Rajendra Gupta, Navni Parihar, K. K. Raina, Dipti Mishra, Rajesh Sharma & Rahul Shankalya have lent their own incredible charm to the film thereby helping with their individual ‘contributions’ in making the film a winner all the way.

Tail Piece: Strictly recommended for one and all, but especially for the married men and their spouses, teeny bopper boys and girls and of course all the about to be married and romantically involved couples.

Movie Review: 'Poltergeist' is a shocking scary fare

May 23, 2015 by Shaheen Raaj

Producer: Roy Lee, Sam Raimi and Robert G. Tapert
Director: Gil Kenan
Star Cast: Sam Rockwell, Rosemarie DeWitt, Jarred Harris, Jane Adams, Saxon Sharbino, Kyle Ketlett, Kennedi Clements, Nicholas Braun, Susan Heyward & Soma Bhatia
Genre: Fantasy Horror
Verdict: Good

There are some directors who stick to one particular genre of filmmaking and Gil Kenan happens to be one of them. Amongst the scores of horror movies that he has churned out. The most talked about one was an animated horror movie named Monster House. And his present directorial venture is Poltergiest which in itself is the 1982 remake of the same name.

Plot: It is the contemporized classic tale about a family whose suburban home is haunted by evil forces. When the terrifying apparitions escalate their attacks and hold the youngest daughter captive, the family must come together to rescue her before she disappears forever.

Aces: The shockingly scary scenes in the haunted house which are really spine chilling.

Minuses: The current Poltergiest movie does not exactly lives up to the reputation of the earlier version.

Last Word: Go watch Poltergiest if you are a diehard fans of horror movies.

Movie Review: 'Tomorrowland' is a crazy rollercoster ride

May 23, 2015 by Shaheen Raaj

Producer: Brad Bird, Damon Lindelof and Jeffrey Chemov
Director: Brad Bird
Star Cast: George Clooney, Thomas Robinson, Hugh Laurie, Britt Robertson, Raffey Cassidy Tim McGraw, Kathryn Hahn, Keegan – Micheal Key, Chris Baur, Pierce Gagnon Mathew Maccaull, Judy Greer & Gary Chalk
Genre: Sci-Fi
Verdict: Blockbuster

Director Brad Bird, basically an animator, has tackled a science fiction genre heavily diluted with pure fantasy, in his latest offering Tommorrowland. No doubt it ultimately turns out to be a rivetingly mysterious adventure that keeps the viewers spell bound from start to finish.

Plot: Bound by a shared destiny, a former boy genius Frank (Clooney), jaded by disillusionment, and Casey (Britt Robertson), a bright, optimistic teen bursting with scientific curiosity, embarks on a danger filled mission to unearth the secrets of an enigmatic place somewhere in time and space known only as “Tomorrowland.” What they must do there changes the world and them forever.

Aces: Its subtle humour, exciting thrills and visual delights

Minuses: The performances of most of the actors are routine barring George Clooney, Thomas Robinson and Britt Robertson

Last Word: Don’t miss this theme park based movie, maybe a finale summer treat for kids.

Movie Review: 'Big Game' is an exciting thriller

May 22, 2015 by Shaheen Raaj

Producer: Will Clarke, Petri Jokiranta, Andy Mayson and Jens Meurer
Director: Jalmari Helander
Star Cast: Samuel L. Jackson, Onni Tommila, Felicity Huffman, Victor Garber, Ted Levine, Jim Broadbent, Ray Stevenson, Mehmet Kurtuluş and Jaymes Butler
Genre: Action Adventure
Verdict: Very Good

Jalmari Halender is more famous for his popular movies like Rare Exports series. Safety Instructions and A Christmas Tale. In his latest offering ‘Big Game’ he has come up with an interesting premise of how a thirteen year old boy saves the life of the President of the United States of America.

Plot: In the rugged countryside of Finland, a young thirteen year old boy Oskari (Onni Tommila) embarks on a traditional quest to prove himself by spending 24 hours alone in the wild, armed with only a bow and arrow. And then he lands up a big catch, a big game that of the President of the United States of America (Samuel L. Jackson) and then how Oskari saves the President forms the crux of the narrative.

Aces: Jalmari Helander’s excellent directional skills topped with a par excellence performances of Onni Tommila (Oskari) and Samuel L. Jackson (President).

Minusses: A picture perfect flawless movie.

Last Word: A good summer end treat for parents and kids.

"Ishqedarriyaan is a complete family & romantic musical entertainer": Mahaakshay Chakraborty

May 18, 2015 by Shaheen Raaj

Mahaakshay Chakraborty aka Mimoh no doubt is a tall & handsome hunk. Besides he is the son of an illustriously talented parents namely Mithun Chakravorty & Yogita Bali. Mimoh had started off his filmic career in the year 2008 with film’s like ‘Jimmy’, ‘The Murderer’, ‘Haunted 3D’, ‘Hamilton Palace’, ‘Loot’, ‘Rocky’ ‘Enemy’ et al. But that magic word named “success” has kept eluding him till this date. But Mimoh is a determind & dedicated guy and just like his father he is also not the kind of guy to give up so easily. So this time round he is fully geared up for his 2nd smashing outing with his upcoming film ‘Ishqedarriyaan’.

First things first what is your upcoming film ‘Ishqedarryiaan’ all about?

Frankly speaking ‘Ishqedarriyaan is a story about love, sacrifice, family values & relationships. In fact rishteydarriyaan means relationships and ‘Ishqedarriyaan’ also signifies the relationship when you fall in love. In a way you can say that it is a triangular love story.

Please elaborate your role in ‘Ishqedarriyaan’?

Well! In ‘Ishqedarriyaan’ I am enacting the role of a richie rich businessman. My character’s name is Aagam Deewan. I am totally in love with my profession until a teacher named Luvleen comes in my life.

Please continue

Luvleen comes to meet me to collect donation for her grandfather’s school. It may not exactly be a love at first sight kind of a love story but when we keep meeting we eventually fall in love but then…….!’

What happens then?

Then the villian enters no jokes apart Arjun the singer enters their life. And then there are many turns & twists which are seen to believed & enjoyed. ‘Ishqedarriyaan’ is a complete family & romantic musical entertainer.

What are your expectations from ‘Ishqedarriyan’?

‘Ishqedarriyaan’ is all set for release very soon. I am very excited and I am keeping my fingers, toes and everything crossed for its grand success. I may sound selfish but I want each & every indian & international audience to see it.

You seem to have a vary snail’s pace filmic career so far. So now are you vary of your 2nd outing in Bollywood?

Yes! I had a very slow start in my filmic career so far. But I blame myself for it. Putting the blame on the wrong choice of films is also not fair. In fact success has kept elluding me and lady luck has still not bestowed its lucky smile on me. No problem I am more determind and fully geared up now for my 2nd outing. I may be immature earlier on but now I am fully matured and I will definitely achieve my stardom status in my 2nd outing in Bollywood.

You are a starson. So maybe if Mithun da had launched you it would have a different ball game altogether. Right.

No I think it would not have made any difference. As my father was not a starson, he had achieved everything on his own steam. He had struggled really hard to achieve his success. And he always advises me to do the same and always be patient.

So what next is lined up in your professional career after ‘Ishqedarriyaan’?

Honestly speaking nothing is lined up in my professional career as of now. Just as a débutante actor waits with batted breath for the reactionary response of the audience to his film. So in my 2nd outing I am also waiting with batted breath for the reactionary positive response of the audience. Wish me luck!

Movie Review: Bombay Velvet's boredom is at its peak of frustrating disappointment

May 18, 2015 by Shaheen Raaj

Banner: Phantom Films & Fox Star Studios
Producer: Vikas Bahl & Vikramaditya Motwane
Director: Anurag Kashyap
Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma, Karan Johar, Kay Kay Menon, Manish Choudhary, Siddhartha Basu, Remo Fernandes, Satyadeep Misra, Vivaan Shah, Mukesh Chhanbra, Raveena Tandon, Mrinmoy Goldar & Varun Grover
Music: Amit Trivedi

Director Anurag Kashyap needs no special introduction in Bollywoodian arena. He has given offbeat films, some of his films have proved milestones in Indian Cinema while some of his films garnered enough critical acclaim & some have even won awards galore on the home front as well as the National as well as International festival circuits but…….perhaps all this success has gone to his head as he has gone totally bonkers in his latest directorial offering namely ‘Bombay Velvet’, need I say anything more.

Balraj (Ranbir Kapoor) is a petty thief in Bombay, in the 1950s. Rosie (Anushka Sharma) has escaped her abusive teacher (Remo Fernandes), left Goa and come to the city of dreams to make a new beginning. Balraj is picked up by a gravelly-voiced smuggler in a fedora. Rosie meets a chap called Jimmy Mistry (Manish Chaudhary) while singing at a seedy bar. He’s rich, she gets into his car. Meanwhile, Balraj decides to rob a bank with his friend Chimman (Satyadeep Mishra). The only problem is that Balraj is planning to pull this caper off with a finger gun. Balraj picks as his target a coiffed dandy, Kaizad Khambatta (Karan Johar). Khambatta may be wearing a yellow coat, but he’s not completely senseless. He realises Balraj’s ploy, but is impressed by his bravado. Or maybe he just thinks Balraj is cute. Whatever the reason, Khambatta invites Balraj & Chimman to his office, offers them a job, then stares at Balraj’s crotch (Is he gay?) for a moment before declaring that henceforth Balraj will be called “Johnny”. So why does Khambatta need henchmen? Because he wants to befriend the mayor of Bombay (Siddharth Basu). Apparently, the best way to do this is by killing the mayor’s coterie so that when the mayor finds himself in need of company, Khambatta will appear at the mayor’s service. It sounds extreme to us now, but perhaps in the lawless 1950s, this was how people networked. So Johnny & Chimman go around kidnapping & killing people for Khambatta. Khambatta, when he isn’t thinking up unimaginative names for cute boys, owns a newspaper called Torrent, writes Page 1 articles for it, pimps his wife out and is also an entrepreneur looking to get into the construction business. It turns out that Mistry & Khambatta are childhood friends and present-day rivals. Mistry runs a paper called Glitz, which carries exposés that are actually conjecture & gossip. When Mistry realises that Khambatta has put Johnny in charge of a gentleman’s club called Bombay Velvet, where Khambatta entertains his contacts, Mistry sends Rosie to Johnny as a spy. Somehow, Mistry also learns that Johnny has in his possession a set of negatives that are being used to blackmail an honest minister into participating in a real estate scam. Rosie’s task is to get the job at Bombay Velvet, seduce Johnny, get the negatives and give them to Mistry.

Perhaps the film’s director Anurag Kashyap has lost his marbles as he has created a spectacular mess, his more than 2 hours of torture is enough to give you an incurable headache. In short it is a periodic mess of a romance gone awry. Sorry guys sometimes it is hard to find a single flaw in a movie but in sharp contrast searching for one + point in ‘Bombay Velvet’ was like searching for a needle in a haystack and I failed in this mission too. Need I say anything more.

Performance wise Ranbir Kapoor is confusing, Anushka Sharma is intolerable, Karan Johar is irritatingly boring, Kay Kay Menon is looking lost in the entire milieu, Siddhartha Basu is over dramatic and as for the rest of the cast comprising of Manish Choudhary, Remo Fernandes, Satyadeep Misra, Vivaan Shah, Mukesh Chhabra, Raveena Tandon, Mrinmoy Goldar & Varun Grover have hammed their way throughout the film.

Tail Piece: Stay miles away from this ‘Bombay Velvet’ Club unless you wish to get lost in another boring time frame of 1950.

Movie Review: 'Mad Max: Fury Road' is a spell binding fare

May 16, 2015 by Shaheen Raaj

Producer: Doug Mitchell, George Miller & P. J. Voeten
Director: George Miller
Star Cast: Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult, Hugh Keays Byrne, Rosie Huntington – Whiteley, Riley Keough, Zoe Kravitz, Abbey Lee, Courtney Eaten, Megan Gale, Josh Helman, Nathan Jones, John Howard, Richard Carter & Angus Sampson,
Genre: Action Adventure
Verdict: Very Good

Director George Miller is known more for Mad Max franchise than for his film Babe and Happy Feet series. This time around he has dished out another post apocalyptic action adventure in tandem with elements of realistic horror. It is the fourth outing in the Mad Max film series.

Plot: In the distant future the world is a desert wasteland and civilization has collapsed. Max (Tom Hardy), a survivor in Australia, is captured by the War Boys, the army of tyrannical cult leader King Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays – Byrne). Designated a universal blood donor, Max is imprisoned and used as a blood bag for the sick War Boy Nux (Nicholas Hoult). Meanwhile, Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron) drives her heavily – armoured War Rig to collect gasoline. Furiosa begins driving off route, alerting Joe who realizes that his five wives, women specially selected for breeding, are gone. Joe leads his entire War Boy army in pursuit of Furiosa, calling on the aid of nearby Gas Town and the Bullet Farm.

Aces: The high octane performance of the principal cast namely Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult, Hugh Keays – Byrne, Rosie Huttington etc and the dare devilry oriented non – stop action sequences.

Minuses: Its clever but fake looking suspense

Last Word: A not to be missed dystopian movie.

Movie Review: 'Danny Collins' is an interesting fare

May 13, 2015 by Shaheen Raaj

Producer: Nimitt Mankad, Jessie Nelson, Denise Di Novi & Shivani Ravat
Director: Dan Fogelman
Star Cast: Al Pacino, Annette Bening, Jennifer Garner, Bobby Cannavale, Christopher Plummer, Katrina Cas, Giselle Eisenberg, Melissa Benoist & Josh Peck
Genre: Comedy Drama
Verdict: Good

Debutante Director Dan Fogelman in his debut directorial offering Danny Collins has tackled a true story of a reputed folk singer Steve Tilston. All in all Danny Collins is an offbeat and a thought provoking movie.

Plot: Danny Collins (Al Pacino) is an aging 70s rocking folk singer who cannot give up his extravagant ways of living. Once he also gifts away his brand new Mercedes to a hotel’s bell boy Nicky Ernst (Josh Peck). But once when his manager Frank Grubman (Christopher Plummer) uncovers a 40 year old undelivered letter written to him by John Lenon & Yoko Ono, Danny decides to change the course of his life and embarks on a heartfelt journey to rediscover his family, find true love and begin a new life.

Aces: Dan Fogelman’s sensitive treatment of the subject at hand. The sterling performance of a dynamic actor Al Pacino who really sinks his teeth into every role of his career. And the cute & lovable pair of Nicky Ernst (Josh Peck) & Jamie (Melissa Benoist) albeit in their brief roles.

Minuses: Couldn’t find any flaws to talk about.

Last Word: A short & Sweet movie about a legendary singer’s journey of self realisation.