Movie Reviews |

Transformers: Age of Extinction | Movie Review

transformers_age_of_extinction

Sometimes you’d never want a movie to end for it’s so good. And then there are times you’d pray for it to get over just to escape from the madness. The latest Transformers film happens to fall in the latter category!

Directed by Michael Bay, this is a complicated as hell storyline. Writer Ehren Kruger should really be commended for writing such an intricate script; boy does he have some imagination. Our beloved Autobots are now being hunted by CIA agents for reasons unknown even by the President of United States. When Cade Yeager (Mark Wahlberg), a wannabe inventor discovers the leader of clan, Optimus Prime, the hunt is on not just for the Autobots, but also Yeager’s family. So what’s the reason you ask? Because one CIA agent is paranoid about the Transformers, and would go to any extent to get rid of them. To what extent? Help build his own Transformers using Megatron’s mind (Decepticon) to get rid of the originals (Autobots), with the help of a new set of alien Transformers (intergalactic mercenaries). Uff! If the story isn’t bad enough, add an overdose of fights/visual effects/sound effects that you, nevermind. The screenplay is a mess, and so is the direction. I wonder what Bay was thinking!

Thankfully, the humans don’t disappoint much (comparatively). Mark Wahlberg comes up with a decent performance, and so does Stanley Tucci. That’s it. The rest of the cast is absolutely mediocre. Nicola Peltz is as good as a sexy plastic doll and Jack Reynor is a stone with barely any facial expressions. Kelsey Grammer is terrible as the paranoid CIA agent. In a scene, he reasons his doings for the safety of United States (aka the money) without a single emotion; I just wonder how someone can act so good :O .

Music by might have been decent; I’m sorry, I was so lost because of the madness on-screen that I barely paid any attention to the background score. Cinematography by Amir Mokri is nothing special either, and neither are the 3D effects. I wish Paul Rubell, Roger Barton and William Goldenberg (editing) could have done wonders by cutting everything out. More than 150 minutes long, the movie actually gave me a headache.

Is it worth your time and money??: I’d say no. But if you’re a die-hard Transformers fan, and/or can sit through hours watching them battle it out while destroying human life and cities like nobody’s business, then good luck!

Worth mention: As much as I’d like to say end title credits, there were a couple of episodes involving Tucci which were actually hilarious.

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

Verdict: 5.5/10

Chef | Movie Review

Chef

A movie based on food; I couldn’t miss it, could I??

Written and directed by Jon Favreau, Chef is a simple film based on a persons love for food. Carl Casper, the chef of a high-end fine dine in Vegas gets into a brawl with a food critic, and the rest of the story is all about how his love for food and cooking takes him places. Jon was able to showcase Carl’s longing to cook delicious food is a very effective manner. He uses the phrase “the way to anyone’s heart is through his stomach” to maximum, actually resulting in the viewers craving for yummy food all through the movie. Though the direction is good, I thought the screenplay could have been a little better.

Jon as an actor is perfect and does a commendable job. His body language is just perfect. Emjay Anthony is brilliant as Casper’s son, and John Leguizamo also comes up with an exceptional performance. The rest of the cast is alright. But the real star of the movie is its food. Be it the yummy Aglio Olio, the Cheese Sandwich oozing with butter, or even the Cuban Sandwich and the red meats (imagine me saying this being a vegetarian), every dish left me craving.

On technical front, music and background score (various artists) is perfect, and the cinematography by Kramer Morgenthau is excellent. The food looks so yummy all thanks to the way he captures it. Editing by Robert Leighton was decent, but felt a little too pacy towards the climax.

Is it worth your time and money??: If you are a foodie, then this is a must watch. It’s also a must watch if you are a food critic like me. Even otherwise, go watch it for a brilliant performance by Jon Favreau, and the food. It’s food porn! 😀

Worth mention: All the cooking episodes, and the beer episode with Percy.

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

Verdict: 9/10

How To Train Your Dragon 2 | Movie Review

How To Train Your Dragon 2

How To Train Your Dragon was a really cute movie and I really liked the 2010 film, so I was really excited about the sequel. While not as cute as the first, it’s still a good film nevertheless.

Directed by Dean DeBlois who co-directed the first movie, this one has Hiccup all grown up, trying to explore and find new worlds. What awaits him is a big surprise, and towards the end, a challenge against his best companion. Compared to the first, I thought too much was happening on the screen at a given instant in this one. While direction is neat, I thought it could have been better. The emotions towards the climax also could have been handled way better for everything happened so fast.

Music by John Powell is a definite asset to the film apart from the cinematography by Roger Deakins. The colors are brilliant and the 3D effects are good, but could have been better.

Is it worth your time and money??: If you loved the first film, you’re sure to love this too, but it just seemed a lot. Still worth a watch!

Worth mention: The scene where Toothless fights Alpha.

Acting: 8.5/10
Story-Screenplay-Direction: 7.5/10
Technical Aspects: 9/10

Verdict: 8.5/10

Filmistaan | Movie Review

Filmistaan

So often, a movie with raving reviews disappoints you, probably because you walk in expecting too much. Thankfully, Filmistaan doesn’t.

Directed by Nitin Kakkar, this is a simple story of how we humans have created differences among ourselves because of a stupid line drawn by a Britisher, dividing us into India and Pakistan. It shows that we still share the same passion for things: cinema and cricket (they missed food), and a border cannot really divide us. Nitin was able to execute this message brilliantly, and was able to bring out the emotions from his actors to the best. He never complicates things, and I really liked the way he ended the movie. Apart from screenplay and direction, dialogues by Sharib Hashmi are a major asset; they are as filmy as possible, yet convey a lot.

Sharib Hashmi is brilliant not just with the dialogues, but also with his acting as the lead. He portrays such innocence and oozes out such charm that you can’t stop yourself from falling in love with his character. Inaamulhaq compliments Sharib in every sense and comes up with one of his best performances. Their acting in the climax is excellent. The rest of the cast, from the kidnappers to the village folk, everyone put up fine performances.

Music and background score by Arijit Datta is perfect, and editing by Sachindra Vats is crisp. Cinematography by Subhrasnsu Das is another major plus point. The arid sands of Rajasthan have been beautifully picturized. It’s sad that a such a brilliant film came into limelight two years after release, only after it won a National award.

Is it worth your time and money??: Absolutely! It conveys the message I believe in, that a border does not separate us Indians and Pakistanis, so gets a bonus yes. Go enjoy some brilliant performances by the cast, and enjoy the beauty of cinema.

Whether you’re in Hindustan or Pakistan, go watch Filmistaan!

Worth mention: The Maine Pyaar Kiya episode, film auditions, and the beautiful climax.

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

Verdict: 9.5/10

PS: I prayed for the survival of the lead pair during the climax. The only other film I’ve ever prayed for was Lagaan. Now that say’s a lot 🙂

Ulavacharu Biryani | Movie Review

Ulavacharu Biryani

A remake of a Malayalam blockbuster, Prakash Raj’s Ulavacharu Biryani is a feel good film. But, it could have been way better.

The story is pretty simple – two elderly, unmarried adults accidentally start talking to each other over phone and eventually fall for each other, but the problem arises when they decide to meet. The first half of the film is very witty, and the food background creates the right impact on the audience. However, it’s the latter half which is a huge disappointment. Instead of staying with the humorous thread, the script takes a u-turn and steps on sentiment. This really doesn’t work well and the effect created by the first half fades away slowly because of a bore dealing with self-confidence and self-pity. Instead, it would have been nice to see a quick-witted screenplay even in the second half, and create more humour while involving food. Direction by Prakash Raj is pretty good, and he shines as a director in parts. Screenplay could have been a little better, and the scenes involving the tribal men could have been avoided.

As an actor, its’ a cake walk for Prakash Raj. He is one of the most versatile actors with great screen presence and voice in Indian cinema today, and I hope he keeps up his good work while staying out of controversies. Sneha makes a very good comeback. She looks pretty, and Sunita’s dubbing is perfect for her. Newcomers Tejus and Samyuktha are alright. M.S. Narayana and Brahmaji have good roles and perform well, while Urvashi and Aishwarya shine in their brief appearances.

Music by maestro Ilaiyaraaja is a definite plus point of the film. However, the background score could have been better. Another major plus point of the film are its dialogues by Vallabha. Cinematography by Preetha and editing by Kishore are decent.

Is it worth your time and money??: Ulavacharu Biryani is a feel good film on the likes on Anand and Godavari. If you like these kind of movies, then this one is for you. Plus point are acting by Prakash Raj and Sneha, music, and entertaining dialogues. On the other hand, a laggy second half with unnecessary sentiment spoils the fun. Nevertheless, it’s an enjoyable watch, and after Manam, a family entertainer.

Like the name, the film is an odd combination of fun (first half) and sentiment (second half)!

Worth mention: The entire first half with mouth-watering food was super fun.

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

Verdict: 7/10

Edge Of Tomorrow | Movie Review

Edge Of Tomorrow

Given that the super hero movies are done for the season, I thought we might get a break with all the action. But Edge of Tomorrow turns out to be the biggest action movie of the year thus far.

Set in the near future where aliens have invaded earth, Major William Cage is put on the front on the front line against his will. He inadvertently kills an Alpha alien, which results him reliving a day from his past, repeating everything. Adapted from a Japanese novel All You Need Is Kill, the plot needed perfect execution, and director Doug Liman makes doesn’t disappoint. The first hour of the movie is brilliantly showcased, especially Cage reliving his past over and over again. Everytime he woke up, there was a buzz in the theater. The screenplay for this kind of film needs to absolutely perfect for it is wafer thin, and one wrong move jeopardizes the entire movie. However, Christopher McQuarrie, Jez Butterworth and John-Henry Butterworth did a wonderful job, and made sure everything is perfectly connected without unnecessarily repeating scenes. The first few relives were amazingly picturized.

Tom Cruise is awesome as William Cage. He puts up great performance as an amateur soldier initially, and builds on confidence with every life. The mild humour her creates during the most critical scenes needs a special mention. Emily Cage is good as Rita Vrataski, but I thought she could have been more expressive. The movie almost entirely relies on Tom and Emily’s characters, and they don’t disappoint.

On technical front, music by Christophe Beck is alright. With a run-time of less than 2 hours, I thought the movie was perfectly edited by James Herbert and Laura Jennings. Cinematography by Dion Beebe is good while visual effects by Nick Davis are excellent. However, the 3D effects could have been better.

Is it worth your time and money??: Absolutely. It’s by far the best movie I’ve watched this year and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The perfect screenplay and acting by Tom Cruise are major plus points. The reason the film works (at least for me) is because the director was able to keep it simple though the script is quite complicated. It’s a movie not to be missed for any movie-holic.

Worth mention: Every time Tom Cruise wakes up. As already mentioned, these episodes have been brilliantly shot.

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

Verdict: 9/10

Manam | Movie Review

Manam

After a successful entertainer (Ishq), director Vikram Kumar has another winner at his hands, thanks to Akkineni family.

Manam is not a great film, for it has numerous flaws in terms of logic and reasoning. But it still works, only because it is earnest, and the effort on everyone’s part is sincere (which shows on-screen). The script is very clichéd, with reincarnation and all such stuff, but Vikram was able to put it all forth in a very effective manner (though it seemed a little unconvincing at times). He used humor to bring out the best from his cast. Though the screenplay was dragged quite a bit at times, it was still effective.

In reality, the film works not because of the script, but because of Nagarjuna, who is the real star of the movie. He is absolutely charming and came up with one of his best performances. He couldn’t have given a better send off gift to his father, legendary actor, ANR. Whilst ANR has limited screen presence, he entertains us to the fullest one last time. Chaitanya has improved as an actor, but I believe there is still a long way for him to go. Akhil impresses in his cameo. Both Shriya and Samantha have meaty roles, and they performed to their best. Samantha looked very pretty, while Shriya looked elegant. There’s not much of other cast, and I thought Brahmanandam and Ali were wasted.

On technical front, music by Anoop Rubens is a definite asset to the film. Background score is impressive as well. Cinematography by P. S. Vinod adds more color to this vibrant film, while editing by Prawin Pudi is decent. Dialogues by Vishnuvardhan are good. Production values by Akkineni family are excellent.

Is it worth your time and money??: Definitely. It’s a clean film and a perfect family entertainer. While it might seem a bit clichéd and little unconvincing at times, an earnest effort from the entire cast and crew make this film work. Nagarjuna is the major plus point, while watching ANR on silver screen for the last time is a bonus. Watch it with your family. 🙂

Worth mention: The scene in the second half with all three generations of the Akkineni family (and maybe even the climax).

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

Verdict: 8.5/10

X-Men: Days of Future Past | Movie Review

X-Men

We finally have a sequel to X-Men: First Class, which combines elements from almost all the X-Men movies. Yay!

After directing the uninspiring Jack the Giant Slayer, Bryan Singer is back with what he does best, directing X-Men movies. Scripted by Simon Kinberg, Matthew Vaughn and Jane Goldman, there are number of subplots and loose end which needed to be taken care of in this one, and Singer does a great job (while there are still few minor unanswered questions). The screenplay is very impressive, especially during the climax where both the past and future are running in parallel. However, I thought the future episodes could have been better handled.

The movie has a huge casting lineup, and everyone performs their best. After five movies as Wolverine (and a special appearance in the sixth), it’s more of a cakewalk for Hugh Jackman. I sometimes wonder if he’s born to play Wolverine! James McAvoy and Micheal Fassbender carry on from where there left off in First Class, with Fassbender having much stronger screen presence. Jennifer Lawrence looked super hot and did great, while Peter Dinklage is good. The rest of the cast is perfect.

On technical front, music by John Ottman could have been better (I feel so especially after amazing score by Hans Zimmer for The Amazing Spider-Man 2). His editing work is pretty neat though (apparently most of Rogue’s scenes were cut out, I wonder why). Cinematography by Newton Thomas Sigel is good, but the 3D effects and visuals weren’t really upto the mark.

Is it worth your time and money??: This is definitely one of the best movies in the series, but I personally liked First Class better. It’s still a fun film, with a lot happening. While The Amazing Spider-Man 2 relied on visuals to get you engrossed, X-Men: Days of Future Past relies solely on its script, and doesn’t disappoint. It’d be nice if you catch up with other films so that you understand this one better. You’ll be fine otherwise too.

Worth mention: Quick Silver during the pentagon break episode, and the past and the future shots during the climax.

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

Verdict: 8.5/10

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 | Movie Review

spiderman2

In closing-credits of The Amazing Spider-Man, a man in the shadows asks Dr. Connors if Peter knows the truth about his father. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is all about Peter finding out the truth, in addition to a the arrival of a new nemesis.

Directed by Marc Webb, I thought this film was much better than it’s prequel for it has an improved storyline. Scripted again by James Vanderbilt (and a few others), this one has more structure to it. Though our Spidey still seemed like a boy with a new toy, there is some maturity to his role. He’s torn between his love and responsibilities, and this has been very well conceived. While the direction is pretty good, and the screenplay (Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci and Jeff Pinkner) is much improved, I felt the film was too long and had too many characters. Given that the movie was this long anyways, it would have been nice to establish Harry and Peter’s friendship in a better manner as it all seemed very contrived. At close to 150 minutes, I kinda lost track on how the movie had started for there was so much happening!

Andrew Garfield has a more meaty role in this film, and he does not disappoint. I thought he performed well during the climax. However, I believe he makes Spider-Man more cheeky than required, and does not carry the innocence Tobey Maguire brought to plate. Emma Stone is pretty good as Spidey’s love interest, and so is Jamie Foxx as the main antagonist Electro. Dane DeHaan (Harry/Green Goblin) was just ok.

One of the major plus points of this film is some excellent background score by Hans Zimmer. Add to that some amazing sound-mixing, and we have a winner. I really enjoyed the sound effects along with some amazing visuals and 3D effects. Cinematography by Daniel Mindel is of top-notch quality. Editing by Pietro Scalia and Elliot Graham could have been better, but then the script had too much to offer, so I’m guessing there was little they could do.

Is it worth your time and money??: Definitely. It’s a fun film with a lot happening. You can give it a watch just for its grand visuals, but the story is equally good. The only negative aspect is the length, and maybe (at times) heavy fight sequences. Nevertheless, if you can sit through for 142 minutes and love action, you are in for some Amazing entertainment!

Worth mention: The climax fight between Spider-Man and Electro was quite a scene. And also the final fight with Rhino.

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

Verdict: 8.5/10

PS: X-Men fans are in for some goodies during closing-credits, so stay put.

It was disappointing not to watch the movie in IMAX 3D (Prasads, you…).

And ya, it’s a Sony! 😀

Chandamama Kathalu | Movie Review

I’ve wasted two and half hours watching this dumb film. Not worth spending more time analysing it. In one line, it’s a badly scripted film with mediocre direction and pathetic screenplay. Only grace are decent acting and music.

Is it worth your time and money??: I don’t think so!! I’d actually ask you to stay away !

Worth mention: Nothing.

Acting: 6/10
Story-Screenplay-Direction: 4/10
Technical Aspects: 5/10

Verdict: 4.5/10