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| July 03, 2009 | | Yawn of the Dinosaurs
Despite spectacular animation, this third installment in the Ice Age franchise is a little repetitive.
No need for this Kambakkht Ishq
What could have been a delightful film with a gorgeous Kareena, Akshay's deadly stunts at the Universal Studios, and a string of guest appearances by Hollywood biggies, ends up a torture.
The Pursuit Of Akkiness
Kambakkht Ishq is a weak, often revoltingly cheap film that serves merely as aspirin-seller or hangover-simulation.
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| June 30, 2009 | | Public Enemies : Riveting
The film could have a good and profitable run proving once again that the summer movie scene is not confined to adrenaline-pumping popcorn films.
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| June 26, 2009 | | New York is a sham
Director Kabir Khan's new film tries hard to make a point, loses it in a weak, seemingly unending plot executed by a group of pretty performers each competing for a Worst Actor Award, and finally ends by spelling the name of President Barack Obama as Barrack.
Doggie Dilemma
The animation of Bolt is pretty good (for a non-Pixar movie) and the tale delivers enough of a message about faith and identity for it to be more than merely a kids' cartoon.
Termination Salvaged
This movie does a good job of embracing the mythology of the franchise so while fans won't be disappointed, even newbies should be able to find satisfaction in the mayhem that unfolds onscreen.
A side-splitting Hangover
It is easy to dismiss The Hangover as just another pottymouthed R-rated romp about men who don't grow up messing around, but there is an earnestness to the proceedings that takes this to say, a Super Troopers level, something that gives the movie heart.
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| June 19, 2009 | | The movie that cried Wolf
There's nothing offensively bad about the film -- save for the fact that a truly awesome hero has been straddled with a truly boring film.
Who's paying these guests?
Drag queens, double entendres and barely dressed women make up Paying Guests. Brave this at your own risk.
Let's Prance
Poor music and unremarkable performances mar this musical.
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| June 16, 2009 | | New York 's music falls flat
New York's music falls flat. If you want to listen to some good music, dig into your old collection instead.
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| June 11, 2009 | | Karma : Well worth a watch
After doing the rounds of international film festivals and winning a bunch of awards, Karma releases in India today. Watch it if you enjoy short films and don't mind a slightly predictable storyline.
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| June 10, 2009 | | Rockers, rejoice!
History Rocks III compilation takes you tripping down memory lane.
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| June 05, 2009 | | Yuvah : Good action, no story
The Kannada movie has some exceptional fights and song picturisations, but the lack of a convincing story element is the main draw back.
Trek Upgrade
The new Star Trek movie promises a thrilling ride.
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| May 18, 2009 | | 99 is a very funny film
I have a confession to make as a film journalist. I am a real sucker for movie scenes in which actors are running from a situation and land straight into a wall, a pole or any other man made structure. Naturally such collusion would be very painful, but I find the humor in it irresistible. There is one such moment in Cameron Crowe's brilliant Almost Famous where a clueless Fairuza Balk is running after a bus carrying Patrick Fugit and she slams straight into a wall.
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| May 15, 2009 | | 99 Not Out
99 is not a bad film, but it is not a good film either.
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| May 08, 2009 | | Take your daughter to the slaughter
College rock fans should all go out in droves, and older Edheads should take their kids. And sing along. Watching Dickinson finally go wild with Hallowed Be Thy Name in high-quality digital transfer and great audio in a theatre is worth the price of admission. And the rest ain't bad either.
Life in black & white
Though the director and his team deserve the highest accolades for achieving a film of this level of beauty in severely extreme conditions, it is unlikely that this film will find a mass audience. Connoisseurs of high art however will probably find much to appreciate in this sparse and beautiful black and white world.
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| April 10, 2009 | | Anandha Thandavam , not as good as the novel
The successive works of a hit-maker are always eagerly looked forward to. Will he be able to re-create the magic, or will the film fall flat on its face?
Jhossh is brilliant
Jhossh directed by veteran Shivamani, a director known for his technical skills than his story telling ability, is a real surprise. The well packaged elements in the script and the neat and innovative narration are quite impressive. The film maintains a good pace fuelling our curiosity at every twist in the story.
Savaari is engaging
Media baron Ramoji Rao's new Kannada film Savaari is the remake of the Telugu film, Gamyam .
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| April 03, 2009 | | Fast & Furiously Energetic
Cars are smashed, blown up, driven into each other and there is so much metal-on-metal action that a car fetishist should be well and truly spent by the time the end credits roll on this bad boy starring Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Jordana Brewster, Michelle Rodriguez and John Ortiz.
A Review, Written Eight By Ten
A neat review summing up what Akshay Kumar's 8*10 is all about.
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| March 27, 2009 | | Shot in the dark
Is Aa Dekhen Zara watchable? Yeah, in the sense that you don't want to strangle people involved in the making, though you could really be doing something else with your life.
Give Ek a miss
Ek is a terrible film, with bad performances, bad music and bad direction. Avoid.
Watch Videsh for Preity Zinta
Videsh starts out as a disturbing account on domestic violence but loses all objectivity the minute it resorts to elements of mysticism, inspired by Girish Karnad's play Nagamandala. It's a dangerously incompatible mix and damages the possibility of a decent movie to an outright ridiculous one.
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| March 20, 2009 | | Barah Aana : Worth a watch
Barah Aana is not as comical as the makers make it out to be. But it's worth a watch.
Walk Straight past theatres
Watch Straight only if you have absolutely nothing better to do.
Hats off to you, Nandita Das
Firaaq's eclectic assortment of actors' spring life and authority to the parts they play ensuring they are recognisable and relatable at once. A powerful directorial debut by Nandita Das.
This Aloo Chaat is tasteless
Aloo Chaat is not as tedious as some other 'comedies' that have robbed us of valuable hours of our lives in the recent past, but it still feels like a single episode of a television sitcom was stretched to feature length.
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| March 17, 2009 | | Brilliant but myopic!
It's no Dark Knight, but it's fun as hell.If you have been a fan of D J Caruso's earlier gems [Disturbia, Taking Lives), then you should definitely check out his latest crystal offering that comes with lots of eye-catching CGI and some fine performances. Seemingly, this Enemy of the State inspired saga has just the right amount of thrills, action, mystery, drama and all the makings of a summer blockbuster.
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| March 14, 2009 | | Fake and Gory!
Book your tickets for this run-of-the-mill only if you are absurdly fine with the idea of watching your favorite actors reduced to uber-cool cliches.
Brilliant but myopic!
It's no Dark Knight, but it's fun as hell.If you have been a fan of D J Caruso's earlier gems [Disturbia, Taking Lives), then you should definitely check out his latest crystal offering that comes with lots of eye-catching CGI and some fine performances. Seemingly, this Enemy of the State inspired saga has just the right amount of thrills, action, mystery, drama and all the makings of a summer blockbuster.
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| March 13, 2009 | | Don't miss Seven Pounds
Strong performances from the film's leads -- Will Smith and Rosario Dawson -- makes this tear-jerker a must watch.
Gulaal is a compelling watch
Anurag Kashyap has faced seven long years and a tremendously uphill struggle to make Gulaal, and it is heartening to see the stylish auteur throw himself headlong into a project this grounded. He doesn't completely pull it off, but this is a fantastically watchable film that scores high on moments.
Twenty-first century Parsis
Rather than being an ambitious opus designed to prove a point by a debutante director, Little Zizou comes across as a paean of affection to the people the filmmaker has known all her life. If that was the primary purpose of the film, mission accomplished. For those hoping for a little light entertainment and the possibility of leaving cinema halls with a smile on their face, Zizou might well be the perfect weekend retreat.
The old, the bad, the manly
Gran Torino tells a simple story, without many frills, and while the end feels almost like Eastwood is apologising for the trend he began in 1971 with Dirty Harry, it feels right. It feels like Eastwood -- who has heartbreakingly stated that this may be his last film as an actor -- has a piece to say, and he says it simply, even ending by raspily singing the closing credits.
Life lessons from a cowboy
Depending upon your position this Clint Eastwood movie could be the feel-good [or feel-bad] movie of this still young year.
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| March 06, 2009 | | Watch Dhoondte Reh Jaoge at your own risk
This week's release Dhoondte Reh Jaoge is a terrible excuse for a film.
Get scarlet fever with Gulaal 's music
Music director Piyush Mishra makes Gulaal shine with his voice, his words and his creativity. In keeping with the film's heady theme, this is a revolutionary soundtrack.
Bad Karma
There are some films that somehow shouldn't be called films. They don't qualify. Manish Gupta's Karma & Holi is one of these, an amateurish, horrifically written effort that further loses credibility by being dubbed really badly.
Terrifying telly tales
From the sound design to the performances to some of the camerawork, 13B plays like bad late night television or graduate school theatre. Still, the conclusion of the film and the way the premise of the spooky television show is woven into the fabric of the main story makes it all work out.
Domestic disturbance done right
This movie is a must-see for anyone who has ever been in a relationship; hopes to be in one some day; or is in one and has forgotten the original reasons for entering into that arrangement.
A tale of illicit passion
Despite the Oscar-winning performance of Kate Winslet, The Reader is still a movie that can best be summarised as 'when bad movies happen to good actors.'
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| February 27, 2009 | | Clouseau strikes again
If cheap laughs and over-the-top antics are your thing, Pink Panther 2 is for you. The rest can wait for the DVD to decide whether our latest acting export to Hollywood, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan will be better than the last one.
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| February 20, 2009 | | Yeh silly hai mere yaar
Abhishek Bachchan is the weakest link in the film, which is nothing compared to Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra's previous film, Rang De Basanti.
Not dramatic enough
Valkyrie could have been a dramatic addition to the canon of films made about wartime, and its many effects and implications. Sadly, all this film ends up being is an empty exercise in reiterating futility.
Historical blindness
Like most good biographies, this tale of one man (and his supporters) serves as an inspiration to us all.
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| February 19, 2009 | | Delhi-6 : Good follow-up to Rang De Basanti
Delhi-6 was greeted well by the audience. Word-of-mouth is crucial in letting the word spread when the film opens on February 20, that it rewards those who are not seeking instant gratification.
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| February 13, 2009 | | The Stoneman Murders is gripping
The Stoneman Murders is worth a watch but one wonders how it will survive the weekend, thanks to the other Friday release, Billu.
Take your kids to Billu
When Bollywood takes a crack at children's cinema, it usually does so with such condescending formulaic tripe that it's hard to sit through the forcefed emotions and the like. Billu is definitely a more sincere product, one that tries hard to keep the story and morals straight, and let the rest work on its own.
Don't miss Seven Pounds
Strong performances from the film's leads -- Will Smith and Rosario Dawson -- makes this tear-jerker a must watch.
A fun time at the movies
The all star cast makes this romantic comedy about people searching for love in all the wrong places, a fun ride.
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| February 06, 2009 | | Mere Khwabon doesn't have much to offer
The film moves at a steady pace in the first half, which has quite a few sweet and quirky moments. But the second half drags on and on. Mere Khwabon Mein Jo Aaye would have worked better in a 90-minute format.
Devdas Learns To Rock
Anurag Kashyap's highly experimental Dev D is a fantastic visual ride. The actors are fine, but the real hero of the film is the amazing soundtrack.
Outdated!
Outlander is a sci-fi action flick with B grade CGIs, plenty of drama, romance, action and horror to make it look like a complete excuse for a Sunday family outing.
Canine Carnage
Take a loved one, take the kids, because there are lessons to be learnt about family, compromise, adjustment and love that could apply to us all.
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| January 30, 2009 | | Escape from Victory
Victory is another assembly line product, and the blame lies mainly with the director. Ajitpal Mangat is neither a raconteur nor a master craftsman. And it is his inexperience, and the subsequent inability to tell a story differently that turned the film to an unintentional comedy.
An enjoyable ride
Zoya Akhtar more than lives up to her lineage of visionary sensibilities. Be it in the clarity of her nicely-spread thoughts, the dignity with which she projects the community of strugglers and their unrealised dreams or her perceptive music sense.
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| January 23, 2009 | | Raaz 2 : Worth a watch
Mohit Suri's Raaz: The Mystery Continues alternates between horror and suspense.
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| January 20, 2009 | | Delhi 6 : It's a 10/10 for Rahman!
A R Rahman (who else, really?) makes waiting for his music such a worthwhile chore what with one fantastic soundtrack after another. Close on the heels of a deserving Golden Globes wins follows the anticipated score of Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra's Dilli 6. Considering its impossible-to-define Chandni Chowk roots, Rahman injects the sounds of this 10-tracked album with an eclectic fusion of various genres. Bottom line: it's a 10 on 10.
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| January 16, 2009 | | Hindi Chini Why Why?
A film that makes Singh Is Kinng seem like a highly textured work of complex characterisation and nuanced writing, Chandni Chowk To China is a disastrous overbudget mess -- and it may even turn out to be the one film so weak that even current box-office almighty Akshay Kumar can't save it.
The Angelina Jolie show
The problem starts and ends with the fact that this is the Angelina Jolie show. If people didn't go to watch when it was called Tomb Raider II what chance does a movie called Changeling have?
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| January 13, 2009 | | Dev D : The music is different for sure
Anurag Kashyap is back with Dev D, an ultra-modern take on that old tale about a man who drunk himself dead silly for a girl. And if the music is any guide, the film holds the promise of being an edgy roller-coaster ride.
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| January 09, 2009 | | Hail The President !
There's funny-funny. And there's sharp wit. The President Is Coming is a delightful combination of both.
Slumdog Millionaire is just a masala film
The reviews -- mainly from the United Kingdom and the United States, where the film was released first -- for Slumdog Millionaire compete with each other in discovering superlatives.
Ghetto superstar
Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire is a must watch.
Seeing through Blindness
Based on a novel by Nobel Prize winner José Saramago, the movie Bindness is very effectively realised by visionary Brazilian director Fernando Meirelles.
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| January 06, 2009 | | Luck By Chance : The music rocks
Luck By Chance's music is aimed at the Dil Chahta Hai generation of Bollywood viewers -- definitely urban. Let's hope the movie matches up.
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| December 31, 2008 | | Australia Unveiled
Australia is still a movie that deserves to be watched once on the big screen. Unfortunately, it doesn't go on to demand that repeated viewing that drove Titanic to become the biggest movie in the history of recorded box office collections.
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| December 25, 2008 | | Ghajini: A sleek album of dark memories
By now the whole world and their unborn children know Ghajini has traces of Memento and is a remake of a Tamil blockbuster of the same name.
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| December 24, 2008 | | Akshay's Jumbo meal!
Jumbo is a fun entertainer about the making of a warrior-elephant with tons of action, lovable characters, awww-inducing moments and can-do spirit.
Hum Do, Humaare (Memen)to
I saw a fantastic Aamir Khan film the other night, one where his obsession with a pretty woman led to him being clubbed on the head with a generic looking rod.
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| December 19, 2008 | | Music to your ears
Almost like denial, Walt Disney's frothy campus franchise has never been really concerned with teenage issues or insecurities. Instead, a spectacular chronicle of song and dance with fizzy faces to match, the High School Musical package has the heart of Grease and the depth of Archie Andrews.
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| December 12, 2008 | | Raaz 2 music has its moments
Music has always enjoyed an important place in most Mukesh Bhatt productions, the new Raaz, though not in the league of Gangster, Woh Lamhe or Kalyug, does have its moments.
Rab don't make them like He used to
Raja Sen advises Aditya Chopra not to make a film that feels over a decade old.
Go watch RNBDJ !
Director Suparn Verma writes that Aditya Chopra's Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi is one of SRK's best films. Don't Miss!
No thrills from this alien
The trouble with a remake of a movie that automatically gets tagged a 'classic' (why else would they remake it right?) is that comparisons can't ever really give audiences, or even barroom buddies, a clear sense of the relative merits and demerits of the original versus version two-point-oh.
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| December 10, 2008 | | Swing to Chandni Chowk To China 's music
Clever alliterations and Akshay Kumar in a 'spoofy-autobiographical self merged with a Jackie Chan'esque avatar - Chandni Chowk To China might just mark the beginning of a rocking January.
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| December 05, 2008 | | Oh My God...
Debutant Director Sourabh Shrivastava's Oh My God!! may not be the ideal multiplex fare, yet it does touch a chord that seems lost in the mundane life of the common man.
Meerabai Not Out entertains in parts
The film is not a comedy, not a love story, nor a family drama, or even a sports film. But it entertains you in bits and parts. And if you're a Mandira fan, watch the film!
Better than Transporter 2 !
What the franchise lost in the sequel (Transporter 2), has returned with Transporter 3. However, there is no denying that inspite of the ratings, fans are still going to flock the cinema halls.
Great cast, dull execution
Though this thriller has a good premise, it's execution leaves much to be desired. The only good thing about the movie is the performances by the veterans.
When Woody Allen played kabaddi
Debutant Anil Senior's Dil Kabaddi is pretty much a hand-me-down version of Woody Allen's much-admired take on infidelity, Husbands and Wives. A fun ride.
It's all about Brad Pitt's hair
In Burn After Reading, prepare to be bowled over by Chad, the man with a ridiculously botched highlight job. And he's played by Brad Pitt.
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| November 28, 2008 | | Go for Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!
Dibakar Banerjee's second film Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! is a treat to watch. The attention to detail is amazing.
Sorry Bhai , but Ma's the star
The film never quite decides what side of the comedy/drama line it should walk on, and while the thematic romance is set over only a few days time -- inexplicable, since we'd willingly believe it took longer -- the third act comes in a hurry. The denouement itself is a fine plot turn, a maternal twist robbed of its impact by a sudden rush to the finish line. And yet Sorry Bhai's final turn is progressive enough.
Gangster Games, London-style
All in all, this is a movie for the guys (and girls who like their men to make behaving badly look effortlessly good). Go check it out and figure out how much of a rocknrolla you could stand to be.
Payne Relief
All in all, though Max Payne doesn't break any new ground, it manages to entertain. Check it out if you'd like a quick reminder of the fun you had playing the game. Then dust off that old disc and strap on the big guns for another session of virtually shooting up Mercenaries, Aesir Security Guards and Killer Suits. For old time's sake.
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| November 25, 2008 | | Rahman goes gloriously wild with Ghajini
Putting it simply, Ghajini is a phenomenal album. You'll find -- and argue over -- your individual favourite tracks, but very honestly, this could just be one of his finest albums ever. Not just are the tracks great, but each one segues into the next with perfect unpredictability.
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| November 21, 2008 | | Yuuvraaj , 20 years too late
It's sad and somewhat embarrassing to watch Ghai try valiantly to sculpt a magnificent innings -- and miss his target rather spectacularly.
These Mirrors have eyes!
It's just that when the grapevine has it that a film is a remake of a Korean horror film, we as an audience wishfully hope that our fool-proof decision to watch this in a cinema hall becomes a frightful and entertaining cola- guzzling experience that most Asian horror films apparently have a patent on. And this is not exactly where Mirrors appallingly fails; rather it pulverizes on several levels.
Strictly for teens!
Some black humour would have done more good than harm here, making Death Race a spectacular nonsense. But, without all that jazz the movie sadly ends up tasting like fast food junk with enough guns, girls and vroom vrooms, to keep your inner child entertained.
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| November 14, 2008 | | Long Goodbye
Dasvidaniya is not the worst thing to hit cinema screens over the past few weeks and neither is it one of the best. One just can't help feeling that a film with a message as deeply important to every living person as this one could have attempted to be a little more imaginative.
Fake and Gory!
Book your tickets for this run-of-the-mill only if you are absurdly fine with the idea of watching your favorite actors reduced to uber-cool cliches.
Dostana is injuriously entertaining
Overall, Dostana is an average piece of fluff -- but one of the most hideously insensitive things to come out of Bollywood in a long while.
Brilliant but myopic!
It's no Dark Knight, but it's fun as hell.If you have been a fan of D J Caruso's earlier gems [Disturbia, Taking Lives), then you should definitely check out his latest crystal offering that comes with lots of eye-catching CGI and some fine performances. Seemingly, this Enemy of the State inspired saga has just the right amount of thrills, action, mystery, drama and all the makings of a summer blockbuster.
Fails to entertain
go watch this one if you're in the mood for shaking your head about the state of the world. But be warned that it is neither entertainment in the masala sense of the word nor is it truly 'message cinema' in the way that sub-genre has defined itself.
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| November 07, 2008 | | Skip this EMI
A silly plot, long and winding narrative and mediocre acting makes EMI a torture to sit through. The only silver lining in this debale is Sanjay Dutt.
Not quite Vivah
Ek Vivaah Aisa Bhi is an entertainer to those who like weepy movies. Too many songs and three weddings can be a bit muchy, even for die-hard romantics.
No Solace Here
Casino Royale, this film's predecessor and the one in which blonde-haired, blue-eyed and muscle-bound Daniel Craig took on the mantle of James Bond was buoyed by some impressive stunt and action work. That much remains in Quantum of Solace but little else is added to the cocktail to make it palatable this time around.
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| November 06, 2008 | | James Bond bids a farewell to charm
It's just that Quantum Of Solace -- this hideously named film that sounds far more appropriate to a bespectacled boy wizard than to double-o-seven -- tries so hard to appropriate the magic of the Bond franchise, of the glorious Sean Connery films and the crackling intensity of 2006's Casino Royale, that while it provides an adequately entertaining collection of action set-pieces, it fails to bring anything original to the table.
James Bond bids a farewell to charm
It's just that Quantum Of Solace -- this hideously named film that sounds far more appropriate to a bespectacled boy wizard than to double-o-seven -- tries so hard to appropriate the magic of the Bond franchise, of the glorious Sean Connery films and the crackling intensity of 2006's Casino Royale, that while it provides an adequately entertaining collection of action set-pieces, it fails to bring anything original to the table.
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| October 29, 2008 | | Golmaal really didn't have to return
Golmaal Returns provides a lot of laughs. But there is a lot of done-to-death comedy in it.
Fashion doesn't touch you
Fashion feels like a story that has been told by someone with minimal first-hand experience of the world. Sure there are anecdotal references but it never feels like this is what it must really be like, behind the scenes in the fashion world.
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| October 24, 2008 | | Heroes : Patriotic, simple film
Had Karnik passed on the sentimentality effectively, Heroes might have been as compelling as its purpose.
New dog, old tricks
While it's easy to look at Roadside Romeo as a harmless entertainer -- and there is a chance the film will indeed score very well with young audiences -- there is an inherent danger in the way it shoves even more Bollywood down the throats of its target audience.
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| October 21, 2008 | | Rahman excels in Yuvvraaj
Yuvvraaj is a triumphant score from the maestro. For all its meticulous arrangement and old-world grandeur, it's essentially deep-rooted in timeless melody, which seldom disappoints.
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| October 17, 2008 | | Tan-tan-tan Tandoori Fright
Karzzzz plot is essentially replicated, but ironically the film is dumbed down -- as if audiences of today aren't as savvy as they were a couple of decades ago. Add to that a horribly cardboard Urmila Matondkar and an inconsequential Shweta Kumar in leading roles that required actual actresses.
Brilliant but myopic!
It's no Dark Knight, but it's fun as hell.If you have been a fan of D J Caruso's earlier gems [Disturbia, Taking Lives), then you should definitely check out his latest crystal offering that comes with lots of eye-catching CGI and some fine performances. Seemingly, this Enemy of the State inspired saga has just the right amount of thrills, action, mystery, drama and all the makings of a summer blockbuster.
Cliche upon cliche
Unfortunately, what could have been a biting critique of the times we live in and a substantial look into how we got ourselves here, turns instead into a squandered opportunity piling cliche upon cliche in the hope that the haphazard edifice that is built in this way will somehow mean more than its individual parts.
Nothing unique about this Body
All said and done, Body of Lies, is the type of movie you might catch on television if you happened to switch channels right around the time the company logos begin flashing on screen at the beginning of the film. If you come in at any other point in the film, you might end up wondering what Russell Crowe is doing in Blood Diamond or how you missed the fact that Leonardo DiCaprio was in The Insider. That is truly how lacking in uniqueness this film ends up being.
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| October 10, 2008 | | A tad too filmi
Whether the film works or not, Chetan Bhagat is most likely to benefit.Those who have read the book may like to see the film out of sheer curiosity.Those who have seen Hello might want to read the book to compare notes.
A typical rom-com!
This devoid-of-interesting-twist-and-turns love triangle leaves you nothing but bemused as it reaches the rosy and commercially unavoidable happy ending, with the only surprise in it being A.R Rehman's song burnt over the credits as you lazily crawl towards the exit door. Asian audiences will probably savour the subtle snips of Bollywood ragas but if not for a one-time-watch this "accident" should be best avoided.
B.A.D!
Set in a post-apocalyptic Europe (No mention of a particular year, but definitely beyond 2017) the central character of Babylon A.D- Toorop (Vin Diesel) taking up an assignment to "deliver" a messianic orphan named Aurora (Melanie Thierry) from a monastery in Mongolia to New York in company with an butt-kicking nun, Sister Rebeka (Michelle Yeoh); makes for a tedious 90 min test of patience.
Clone Wars Drone On
For the most part, the movie looks like a lengthy cut scene from a video game. The dialogue and line readings are turgid and the action is so unimaginatively rendered that children will get bored and adults won't know what to make of any of it.
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| October 06, 2008 | | Dostana music: Not Karan Johar's best
While Dostana's music is nice and peppy for most part, it's nothing extraordinary. It's certainly not the best from Dharma Productions.
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| October 02, 2008 | | Nothing Borderline about this movie
With a cast of extremely talented actors and shot at the hauntingly beautiful desert countryside along the border, Ramchand Pakistani proves to be a film worthy of remembrance.
Drona falls short
Goldie Behl's attempt to keep it interesting is conspicuous even if not brilliantly executed. And while Drona falls short of being an irresistible experience, it sure had the makings of one.
More cleavage than Kidnap
This movie is only to be watched if you forgot to rent something more interesting on DVD. Or if you are a Sanjay Gadhvi fan; or an Imran Khan fan; or a Sanjay Dutt fan; or if you just like cleavage... actually when I think of it like that, this movie might be a huge hit.
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| September 26, 2008 | | Take your kids to Hari Puttar !
Hari Puttar is an exuberant, hilarious film, directed by Lucky Kohli. Though the similarity from Hollywood's blockbuster Home Alone is impossible to miss, you'll probably forgive the makers in favour of the constant laughs the film provides.
I Wanted To Believe Too
Maybe the die-hard fans would enjoy watching Mulder and Scully doing their thing one more time. The rest of us are better off waiting for it to come out on DVD. Or skipping it all together.
The Strangers offers no thrills
The Strangers, a thriller, barely has any thrills. What it has is a bizarre, unexplained and disappointing end.
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| September 24, 2008 | | Fashion ably in sync
What is commendable about Salim-Sulaiman's score is that all their music, with its recurring theme and riffs, is nicely linked to one another. That ought to come handy in the movie's narrative. As an album too, Fashion offers a well-designed mix of trendy tunes and refined melody.
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| September 19, 2008 | | Hulla could have been better
A watchman's whistle may seem to be a trivial thing to base an entire film upon. But the way the director has executed his vision makes it such an important issue that you would want to stand up for Raj's cause.
Don't Watch The Zohan
Zohan is definitely not a movie I would recommend to anyone. And certainly not a film that deserves any ratings.
Worth a trip
It would be unfair, even impossible not to compare Welcome to Sajjanpur with Benegal's previous Mandi, which has its own share of issues, idiosyncrasies and intended comedy. While Mandi it's not, Welcome to Sajjanpur is worth a trip, flaws inclusive, for its nifty funniness and curious concept.
Saas Bahu Aur Madness!
The mish mash plot involving several caricature-like characters is a dud. Go only if you have nothing better to do.
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| September 15, 2008 | | Unavoidably terrible
There are only five reasons for any self-respecting male to travel to a theatre in order to see this: 1) You like ABBA, 2) You like musicals, 3) You're trying to score brownie points with a potential girlfriend or 4) You're trying to make up with a girlfriend for something stupid you did. 5) You're reviewing -- and likely hating -- it.
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| September 12, 2008 | | 1920 is disastrously boring
This patently unscary -- and really long -- movie drags on, testing your patience as absolutely everything goes on with uncaring, old-school predictability. It's like a half-hour script for a weak television horror episode cruelly yanked over full feature-length screentime, self-indulgently pretending it's better than random horror schlock because it's moody enough to contain dozens of repetitive silent moments. It isn't.
If only Ru Ba Ru adapted itself well
Are you in love? Is your man too ambitious and busy with work that he ignores tiny little important things that matter in a relationship? Director Arjun Chandramohan Bali's Ru Ba Ru shows exactly what happens when you forget to express your love time to time.
Effectively intriguing
Ultimately, The Last Lear is neither a study nor a summary. It is an indulgent celebration of a larger-than-life personality, a classic consumed, for better or worse, by his art. In this case, Shakespeare.
Two rights make a wrong
Strictly speaking, Righteous Kill isn't an objectionably horrid film. It isn't rank unwatchable, like Avnet's last, 88 Minutes. Yet this one's worse, because it's heartbreaking.
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| September 09, 2008 | | Drona music: Not very enchanting
A subject like Drona, high on make-believe and enchantment, screams for adventure and surreal in its compositions. And while the soundtrack has its moments, in entirety it's too average to achieve any of these elements.
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| September 05, 2008 | | Who Hijacked the script?
What happens when you add a pinch of Con Air to a hint of United 93, season with Die Hard II, stir in some Passenger 57, consider a plot point from Under Seige II and not bother with coherence or logic? You get Hijack.
Children of Sivan
Santosh Sivan makes the whole film look so bloody enchanting that you have no room to complain about the slightest possible niggles.
What Happens In Vegas : A cheesy sitcom
What Happens in Vegas is a decidedly average romantic comedy that achieves nothing new and regurgitates well-worn cliches. And even what it rehashes -- particularly plot elements we've seen time and time again -- is done half-heartedly.
Copy cat Ki Mu
Yako Movies' Ki Mu, directed by A Majid of Thamizhan fame is a mediocre re-hash of Kaadhal and other trend-setters.
Watch Wednesday
A Wednesday is a taut film which works mainly because of it's leading man, Naseeruddin Shah. Anupam Kher is his perfect foil. Overall, a must-watch movie.
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| August 29, 2008 | | Chamku is a yawn
Chamku works so intently at being contrived that it neither touches the core of its issues nor the psyche of the individual it revolves around.
C Kkompany : An ad for Ekta Kapoor
It cannot be a comedy -- the jokes are terrible. It may have qualified as an action film, since it involves the underworld. But there is really no action to speak of here. Can we put it in the Drama category? Well, the film has drama, yes. But it's the type that makes you want to pull your hair apart.
WALL-E: Brilliant watch
WALL-E itself is far more than a simple piece of mindless entertainment. With its beautifully rendered world and cheerfully choreographed sequences, it does serve its primary purpose of entertaining, but for those willing to burrow below the surface it offers so much more.
Get in line for Wanted
One ought be well warned that Wanted has barely anything to do with Mark Millar's fantastic comic book miniseries. While the series -- and a couple of characters -- share the same name, lets just say the comic was about supervillains, while the movie features a self-proclaimed gang of avenging assassins. And that the comic made sense, plotwise.
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| August 28, 2008 | | Rock on , Magik
Rock On rocks big time. If you liked Dil Chahta Hai and if you ever thought music can change the world, don't miss this new movie.
Tedious after a point
Being a Himesh Reshammiya soundtrack, it's bound to find its share of buyers and admirers. If only Karzzzz wasn't burdened with the presence of SO MANY songs. It tends to get unbelievably tedious after a point. On second thoughts, the extra Zzz's, in the title, finally begin to make sense.
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| August 22, 2008 | | Mughal-E-Yawn
Like its commonplace production values, chaotic screenplay, absent-minded storyline and bland soundtrack, Maan Gaye Mughal-E-Azam is a yawn-inducing exercise in misplaced overindulgence.
Out of Breath
Despite decent performances and good camera work, Ram Gopal Varma's Phoonk ultimately doesn't work mostly because of the way it ends.
Agony revisited
Mumbai Meri Jaan follows the lives of people from all strata of Mumbai's bustling society as they tackle the aftermath of a fatal incident that brings out the best and sometimes the worst in them.
A Lifetime In One Day
There are movies that seem too long and those that feel woefully short. Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day is neither. In length, scope, tone and scale, it is just right. Those that seek smart entertainment would do well to put down some dinero for movies like this one.
My Friend Ganesha 2 disappoints
The most infuriating thing about a film like My Friend Ganesha 2 -- besides the obvious attempt at trying to exploit our mythology's single most adorable deity -- is how condescendingly it talks down to its audience.
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| August 18, 2008 | | You may just get hooked
A hot-potch of imates ranging from TV stars, a jail bird to a politician, and fronted by the sexy Shilpa Shetty make up Big Boss 2. It's a wild ensemble and we can imagine the intensity of insults that will ensue if the controversial folks rub off the razor-sharp tongues the wrong way.
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| August 15, 2008 | | God Tussi Fake Ho!
And even then, Bruce Almighty and God Tussi Great Ho have simply nothing in common. No sir, none of the original's crispy one-liners, zany humour, Jim Carey brand of facials or spontaneous endearment with a 'with great power comes greater responsibility' message to be found here.
Don't say Ranbir didn't warn you
Review of Bachna Ae Haseeno
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| August 08, 2008 | | Singh is RocKing
Singh Is Kinng is a Akshay-showcasing film, and everything from script to sense takes a backseat as the actor makes an utter idiot out of himself and, clearly enjoying himself all the while, conquers the screen while at it.
Akshay is the Kinng
If the film keeps our interest, it is because of the occasional comic moments and mostly since Kumar is there to carry the burden of a poorly written script. And he does it with a smile on his face. He is having fun entertaining us -- even when the film is going nowhere.
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| August 01, 2008 | | Slap me silly
It's disappointing just how boring Ugly Aur Pagli gets by the time the end-credits come around, and one genuinely feels bad for the lead pair.
Mummy III : A Ghastly Resurrection
There are moments of genuine humour and riveting action, but they too few and far between. It's just sad that the visual treats come at the expense of a coherent and compelling plot.
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| July 29, 2008 | | A groovy Mughal-E-Azam item number
As albums go, Malik has crafted one which is mostly harmless. There's one great track to begin with, one ghazal that simply cannot be made sense of and the director's own rough-and-tumble lyrics to add some quirk to it all. Essentially, however, it's pretty much filler -- stuff you won't mind along with stuff you wish was worked on a little harder.
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| July 28, 2008 | | Super Bore Sajid Khan
It's boring, smug and makes for horrible television. Go watch Koffee and take some non-snarky notes, Sajid, you need help.
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| July 25, 2008 | | Watch Money Hai if you're a Govinda fan
After an offbeat debut in Swami, choreographer-turned-director Ganesh Acharya has tried his hand at comedy. And his new film, Money Hai Toh Honey Hai, starring Govinda and a host of actors, sure is funny in parts.
This Mission is a Turkey
The film could have made interesting points about the economics of terror, the commoditisation of news and its sensationalised packaging as entertainment. In the final analysis, all the hints cannot distract from the fact that as a piece of entertainment, this mission is a failure.
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| July 22, 2008 | | Why isn't the Khiladi doing anything?
Khatron Ke Khiladi -- the Akshay Kumar headlined desi take on Fear Factor -- adds up to ninety minutes of pretty boring television. For one, Kumar isn't at his best without a script. Then come the ladies. While the Colors website proudly proclaims '13 Bollywood bombshells,' this is a bit of a stretch, to say the least.
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| July 21, 2008 | | God Tussi Lame Ho
It's a wasted album with not a single track to recommend. Then again, one shouldn't be surprised -- after all, Bruce Almighty didn't have any songs they could have flicked.
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| July 18, 2008 | | Silent Knight, Holy Fright
Heath Ledger plays his penultimate role in The Dark Knight, and he's the central character. Batman, for all his flaws and neuroses, always ends up playing a valiant second fiddle to one of the best villain-collections in all of comicdom.
RGV's Contract disappoints
Contract is a badly-made and disappointing film, way below the standards set by the director himself.
Kismat Disconnection
As a one line pitch, this movie may have sounded really appealing -- a man with a really ugly string of luck is made whole by the arrival of a walking, talking, opinionated good luck charm, who just happens to be opposed to the very job he's working so hard to land.
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| July 11, 2008 | | A Hancock and bull movie
Peter Berg's Hancock has a great premise -- that of a superhero more given to alcohol than even Tony Stark; nope, this guy's a true-blue, stubble-sporting bum -- and the most perfect of leading men for the job, but thanks to a rather melodramatic back-story and ending, it's eventually a disappointment.
Kung Fu Panda is a Dream
Not only is it the year's top animated film thus far, it's the top Kung Fu offering as well, and an effort that will doubtless bring a smile to fans of both genres. Lord knows, it's the best film to star Jackie Chan in ages.
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| July 09, 2008 | | Rock yawn!
All in all, this is a nothing album. The 'rock' tracks don't have the words or a true-blue feel, while the ballads don't seem like they belong on the same disc at all. The lyrics are pedestrian, and the only thing this album does is make you feel jealous of Farhan Akhtar.
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| July 08, 2008 | | Kishore da still rocks our hearts
Bachna Ae Haseeno is a decent effort from composers capable of a lot more punch -- and surprisingly forgettable stuff considering this is the kind of film relying largely on packaging to pull in audiences.
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| July 07, 2008 | | Snoop is Kinng
If you don't like Akshay Kumar or Bhangra, this isn't your album. Then again, let Pritam's songs sink in -- it's his best work in a while (with no words on 'alternate sources' yet) and some of you might be converts.
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| July 04, 2008 | | This Love Story is boring!
Harman Baweja's debut film Love Story 2050 is predictable, boring and a terrible waste of time. Avoid at all costs.
What would you do if I sang out of tune?
Jaane Tu is a refreshing, delightful film about youth and friendship. Imran Khan shows great potential while his heroine Genelia steals the show. A very fun and enjoyable watch, with much to laugh about.
Imran excels in Jaane Tu
Director Abbas Tyrewala and producer Aamir Khan have a fantastic product in their hands. The film will definitely appeal to the youth.
Duplicate dud
Love Story 2050 is a complete failure, a badly written attempt at sci-fi starring a Hrithik-lookalike and Priyanka Chopra in one of the worst performances of her career. And it's more than 3 hours long! Stay away!
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