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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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!