Captain America: The Winter Soldier | Movie Review

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So Captain America kicks off the season of superhero movies this year, and it ain’t a bad start.

Scripted by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, CA: The Winter Soldier relies more or less on the premise set in the CA: The First Avenger, that of Project Hydra (for those who have no idea what that is, I’d suggest you watch the first part). The Russo brothers (Directors) did a commendable job with the given storyline, but for the mediocre screenplay. At two quarter hours, the movie seemed really long because of the slow screenplay, especially during the first half. However, the innumerable number of fight sequences and action episodes keep you glued to your seats.

Chris Rogers is good, while Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow) looked odd at times. Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie and Samuel L. Jackson are decent in their respective roles. On technical front, music/score by Henry Jackman could have been more gripping. The action sequences are very well choreographed, and cinematography by Trent Opaloch is pretty neat. The 3D effects are just alright, nothing spectacular. Editing by Jeffrey Ford could have been sharp. The production values are pretty neat.

Is it worth your time and money??: It’s a decent film, and I liked it better than CA: The First Avenger. While the first film didn’t really establish Captain America as a superhero (not for me at least; he absolutely did nothing in the movie, even the climax fight with Red Skull was so boring!), this film has a lot of potential for him to make his mark, and he does. But for the slow screenplay, it works on every other front. Give it a watch (not necessarily in 3D or IMAX though).

Worth mention: Nick Fury’s car chase sequence. It’s funny though that the roads are absolutely empty and there’s not a single soul in sight when so much is happening.

Acting: 8/10
Story-Screenplay-Direction: 7/10
Technical Aspects: 8/10

Verdict: 7/10

The Grand Budapest Hotel | Movie Review

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The Grand Budapest Hotel is a well scripted, hilarious comedy from Wes Anderson. The story is simple, but the effective screenplay makes the movie work. The narration is brilliant. Acting is spot on, with Ralph Fiennes putting up and exceptional performance. Music by Alexandre Desplat is subtle, and cinematography by Robert Yeoman is brilliant.

Is it worth your time and money??: Overall, it’s a brilliant fun film, and a joy ride. I’d suggest you give this a watch!

Worth mention: The swift screenplay, and some smart acting from Fiennes and his accomplice, Tony Revolori.

Acting: 9/10
Story-Screenplay-Direction: 8.5/10
Technical Aspects: 8/10

Verdict: 8.5/10

Queen | Movie Review

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After hearing some raving reviews, here I was watching Queen. And boy oh boy, I wasn’t disappointed one bit!

Directed by Vikas Bahl, Queen tell the story of Rani, an innocent young belle from Delhi who decides to go on her honeymoon alone after her fiance calls off the wedding. The story is simple, but Vikas handles it so well, that you connect with Rani easily. The witty dialogues by Anvita Dutt and Kangana herself add to the beautiful journey, while the screenplay  (by Parveez Shaikh, Chaitally Parmar and Vikas Bahl) is crisp. I loved the way the flashbacks kept coming in between the storyline. Direction is perfect, and Vikas was able to get right and beautiful emotions from every cast member. He is a director to look out for.

Kangana can take a bow. After some boisterous performances in the past, she portrays Rani with such ease and simplicity that you can’t stop falling in love with her. Her innocence charms you from the word go, and she comes up with an impeccable, probably her best performance till date. The rest of the cast is superb. Be it her foreign friends or her parents and relatives, everyone put up fine performances.

On technical front, music by Amit Trivedi is neither too loud nor weak; it’s just perfect. Editing by Abhijit Kokate and Anurag Kashyap, and cinematography by Siddharth Diwan and Bobby Singh are spot on. It’s nice to see a movie with no big star cast come so good, and proves the fact that script is the king/queen.

Is it worth your time and money??: Absolutely. It’s a brilliant film and should not be missed at any cost. Go enjoy Rani’s beautiful journey and get mesmerized by Kangana’s performance.

Worth mention: The episode when Rani gets drunk in Paris; and the end title credits.

Acting: 9.5/10
Story-Screenplay-Direction: 9/10
Technical Aspects: 9/10

Verdict: 9/10 + 0.5 for Kangana!

300: Rise of an Empire | Movie Review

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300: Rise of an Empire tells a story which runs parallel to the 2006 film 300, where Leonidas (Gerard Butler) leads 300 Spartans into battle. This film showcases the Greek fighting Artemisia (Eva Green), the naval commander of the God King Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro). Just like it’s predecessor, this film, directed by Noam Murro, is a visual treat for any action movie lover. While the script and theatricals falter at times, the amazingly choreographed fight sequences and the spectacularly dark cinematography keep you engrossed in this blood shed warfare.

On the acting front, Eva Green is superb and fits the role to the bill as Artemisia. Forget beautiful, she looked as cunning and powerful as required to do justice to the role. On the other hand, I was disappointed with the lead, Sullivan Stapleton. A role of such magnitude needed someone with a better persona, and maybe better acting skills. He created no impact whatsoever.

The background score and sound effects are excellent. Editing by Wyatt Smith David Brenner is decent, while the screenplay by Zack Snyder and Kurt Johnstad could have been more effective. However, cinematography by Simon Duggan and the action sequences more than make up for other flaws.

Is it worth your time and money??: The film is a visual extravaganza. Barring the gore blood shed and mediocre performance from the lead actor, 300: Rise of an Empire is an entertaining watch.

Worth mention: The amazingly choreographed fight sequences in single shots.

Acting: 6/10
Story-Screenplay-Direction: 7/10
Technical Aspects: 8/10

Verdict: 7/10

Hasee Toh Phasee | Movie Review

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Directed by Vinil Mathew, Hasee Toh Phasee is a story of a three confused adults. Siddharth Malhotra plays Nikhil, who is about to get married to Karishma played by Adah Sharma. But trouble starts when comes drug addict/mad scientist Meeta played by Parineeti. The triangular love story looks good on paper, but the new director was unable to pull in the right emotions from his cast. Everything looked artificial, right from the love story between the to be married pair, the protagonists, and the father-daughter bonding. To add to this artificiality was the uninspiring and mediocre screenplay by scriptwriter Harshavardhan Kulkarni. The loopholes and lack of proper emotions didn’t help.

On acting front, Parineeti steals the show with her charming performance. She is cute and bubbly, but I thought her characterization was a bit inconsistent (so was her hairstyle). Siddharth Malhotra looked apt for the role, and does a commendable job. However, the rest of the cast is mediocre but for the guy who played wannabe Anu Malik. Adah Sharma looked odd, and Sharat Saxana was terrible as Siddharth’s father.

Music by Vishal-Shekhar is alright, but the background score by Amar Mangrulkar could have been way better. The cinematography and editing work is decent, but what this film needed was a better screenplay and an experienced director.

Is it worth your time and money??: It’s a fun film, but again it’s nothing so great either. Lack of emotions and the uninspiring screenplay play spoil sport. On the positive side, Parineeti charms you while Siddharth is pretty good. You may watch it at your leisure.

Worth mention: The ACP Pradyuman and Daya episode. Absolutely hilarious!

Acting: 7/10
Story-Screenplay-Direction: 5/10
Technical Aspects: 7.5/10

Verdict: 6.5/10

August: Osage County | Movie Review

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With a brilliant, star-studded cast, I was expecting quite a bit from August: Osage County. Though I was a little perturbed by the end, I wasn’t disappointed.

Based on the award-winning play by Tracie Letts (playwriter and screenplay), August: Osage County is a drama about dysfunctional family trying to find solace by abusing and shattering each other. Honestly, the movie is quite disturbing, for it depicts each member of the family tearing apart the other irrespective of their relations. It’s a movie portraying how ugly things could be if you aren’t up to face your demons within the walls of your home. Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts play out of their skins to bring life to this drama., while Sherlock’s Benedict Cumberback comes up with another fine performance. The rest of the cast is equally brilliant. Direction by John Wells is neat, while the screenplay by Letts is pacy.

Is it worth your time and money??: While it features some spectacular performances, August: Osage County is not a film for everyone. As mentioned, it is very disturbing and makes you think how lucky one is for not having such a screwed up family. Watch it at your own discretion.

Acting: 9.5/10
Story-Screenplay-Direction: 6/10
Technical Aspects: 8/10

Verdict: 7/10

1: Nenokkadine | Movie Review

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Though I’ve watched some really good movies in the recent past (American Hustle and Wolf of Wall Street to name a couple), I haven’t felt inclined to write a review, mostly because enough has already been said about these movies. But after watching 1: Nenokkadine, I feel compelled to write one.

Having read some mixed reviews about the movie, I was eagerly waiting to watch it to judge it myself. It finally released in Singapore a week later after it did in India, and spending as much as I would for an IMAX movie ($20), here I was in a packed auditorium on a Sunday evening.

Scripted and directed by Sukumar, 1: Nenokkadine is a sigh of relief from the regular commercial Telugu movies coming out lately (where Brahmanandam gets slapped for no reason). The unique concept was very well conceived by Sukumar, and Mahesh Babu did a tremendous job to pull it off. The first half of the movie is really gripping (especially the first fight, and few of the Goa episodes). However, the lack of effective screenplay pulls down the movie in the second half. Though the direction is neat, the screenplay which is great in parts, could have been way better. The length (close to 3 hours) also doesn’t help viewers sustain interest for this genre. Nevertheless, the twists were good, and Sukumar did a good job to explain most without leaving any loose end (But for the hero getting away with multiple murders in a foreign land).

On the acting front, it’s more or less a cakewalk for Mahesh. He looked great, and was amazingly good in the imaginative episodes. His dances definitely need a mention. It was good to see the heroine get a full length role. Newcomer Kriti Sanon looked gorgeous and did a decent job. Posani was a little irritating with his fake Punjabi accent and “Dudu”. The rest of the cast was alright.

Music by DSP is more or less mediocre, but the background score is pretty good (and haunting). Cinematography by Rathnavelu is of top-notch quality. However, just like the screenplay, editing work by Karthika Srinivas is another negative. As already mentioned, films of such genre need to be short and crisp, and this is where 1: Nenokkadine loses out.

Is it worth your time and money??: As you must have already read, this is not a film for everyone. It’s a thriller with pretty good twists and turns, and some great acting from Mahesh. On the flip side, the ineffective screenplay and the run time make the film lose steam. Nevertheless, 1: Nenokkadine is a good watch. If you appreciate different genres, I’d suggest you watch this one.

Acting: 8.5/10
Story-Screenplay-Direction: 7/10
Technical Aspects: 8/10

Verdict: 8/10