Blackmail (Movie Rating: 8.5 /10)

Blackmail (Movie Rating: 8.5 /10)

Dark Humour at its Black-est, leaves you in splits. Tight script with the Leitmotif of extortion on Extra marital affair revelations, bounded office gossip spills... and simply too much fun to divulge here.
Irrfan Khan, his bathroom fetish of a pretty face in the Loo... wife played by Kirti Kulhari, with an uncanny resemblance to PriyaRajvansh. The Villian of the piece, the bumbling ex boyfriend, current lover with DivyaDutta as his rich wife... Is simply a plot too juicy to unfold here... Pity the movie gets over so quickly in 2.2 hours. Comedy of Extra Marital Errors. Brilliasmo.

Red Sparrow (Movie Rating:8.75/10)

Red Sparrow (Movie Rating:8.75 /10)

Jennifer Lawrence at her absolute best. Sets the screen afire with her gaze and gait. The underlying sensuality of this spy thriller, with some extremely daring scenes puts Shades-of-Grey in kindergarten. The very first brutal rip-off-her-lingerie shot rings...

Sans any Bond movie chases in Aston Martins, the plot is realistic, in an ever altering power-play, with the Ballerina at her best pirouette ever... and a bit of Bolshoi with Simultaneous Canons for those art inclined.

JoelEdgerton with a small screen-time delivers a punch. The training school curriculum is not everyone's appetite, beware. 

She, JenLaw is the master of her fate, be it decimating her archR with a simple feminine snub or peeling the skin off her lover... It's a treatise... Though if you miss the dialogues, it's over for you. It's a fast, slow movie, of a spy. The burn goes on even after the credits. 

Aiyyari (Movie Rating:7.0/10)

Aiyyari (Movie Rating:7.0/10)

Aiyyari, Magician master of Disguise. Or to that effect. Manoj Bajpayee steals the show, with his method acting. Rakul Pretty Preet, has 15 minutes of fame, keyboard nerd turned girlfriend, teaching SidMal, assembly language. Neat. 

Tight plot, edge of seat, spy gone rogue unto himself drama. 

What is remarkable is the plot. Extracted from Army real life occurrences, Czech Trucks, TSD, Adarsh,Colaba et al,  entwined. SidMal is mostly hearing recordings and running cities, whilst AnuKher almost no role, almost. NasrShah does get his denouement. 

Manoj Bajpayee, as the Colonel, immaculately military dressed, floats across the globe to get the job done... Whatever it takes. 

Bit lengthy, bit of a headache, yet racy unto the end. What it does convey however, is the malaise, the rot that bedevils our nation because of the corrupt politicians, and their pawns... 

For my non military friends reading this, ask me one on one if you aren't aware of the sordid details... 

Watch the movie?  of course yes.... Manoj Bajpayee, Head of Secret Service that just does the work, not waste time reporting it. 

Phantom Thread (Movie Review:8.0/10)

Phantom Thread (Movie Review : 8.0/10)

Very slow paced, 1950s London with Daniel D'Lewis as the Master of Sartorial Ceremonies.... All the entrapments of a fashion house fenestered with awe, power, creativity and overpowering urge  for change. 

Krieps is Virtuoso, bordering obsessed. 

It's the dresses that leave you awestruck... Jackets and tailcoats, gowns and bows... Oh the close up feel of the weave of chintz and calico... And the hidden messages stitched in by our Protagonist for good luck 🍀... 

For my kind, breakfast 🍳 to die for... And that's not it.... New year revelry with Auld Lang Syne.

Story of love, habits and overcoming them....

Everything in there is simply class. 

Sadly, not for the Indian hoi polloi.

Padmavat (Movie Rating:7.5/10)

Padmavat (Movie Rating:7.5/10)

Despite knowledge of the doom at end, you won't decathect from Ratan, nor Padmaavati. Such is their portrayal...pure and principled. 

SLB unfortunately toys with history and presents AllauddinKhlji with maximum screen time and almost apotheosis of his madman complex. Sound score allocated to AllauddinKhlji dance scenes is more powerful than that for the hero-Padmaavati. Seems deliberate. 

 Ratan played by ShahidKapoor is understated, sauve yet given short shrift. Shades of Pankaj Kapoor in his dialogues is the only part the director has allowed to overshadow AllauddinKhlji. 

DeepikaPadukone, pretty and royal, has the second highest screentime; followed by the slave of AllauddinKhlji, demonstrating their gay relationship. 

Ranvir excels in his maniacal theatre performances. Did the contract specify his maximum screentime... Obvious 

Sets are bit unreal, CGI could be better. Screenplay is terrific. AditiRaoHyadari, has a small memorable performance. Her eyes 👀 ablaze.

The denouement, we've known from childhood lore, is surreal and leaves you with a heavy heart. 

It's a long movie, entertaining, powerful... SLB took the escape route of 'its fiction '... 

Watch it,  You must 

Ittefaq (Movie Rating:8/10)

Ittefaq (Movie Rating:8.0/10)

Akshaye Khanna does a Hercule(an) Poirot with Sid - Sonakshi in this potboiler of murders, deceit and storytelling. 

Crisp wry humour and wit on point dialogues leave you latched onto every word of this powerplay. 

Captured beautifully is the lack of empathy of police, shabby handling of crime scene, all on a funny bone and a masterful performance by Akshaye Khanna. 

The end leaves you wishing for more... My surmise, it's catered for a sequel... Already 

Geostorm (Movie Rating :6.5/10)

Geostorm (Movie Rating :6.5/10)

Climafiction, US Presidency, United Nations, Father-Daughter, Siblings and Mother Nature,  all backed into a 3D dough.... and a meaty loaf of sci-fi treatise. 

The story motif may be a repeat, nevertheless the gravity of global warming and chilling, alike is palpable. 

Gerald Butler, as the protagonist is remarkable. 

Sterling Jerins, as his on screen daughter emotes immaculately... Delightfully. 

Worth every penny of yours. Downside is the story is yet predictable. 

Rukh (Movie Rating:5.0/10)

Rukh (Movie Rating:5.0/10)

Dull 105 minutes of nothing really happening. The story is weak,  dialogues mediocre and screenplay is pathetic. Cinematography has zero score in here. One would expect Manoj B to be much better. Smita Tambe as the distraught wife-mother is akin to a lost ghost. 

Gourav, the boy can't act or emote..his personality is zilch. 

The social message of money laundering and it's domino effect is the saving grace. 

If you've NOTHING left to be done,  then  go for this movie 

Golmaal 4 (Movie Rating:6.5/10)

Golmaal 4 (Movie Rating:6.5/10)

Hilarious 131 minutes (out of 151)...the end is strrrrrreched. Ajay Devgn as the Good Goonda is childlike and vulnerable in love and darkness. His cronies are as usual gold dust, albeit with a dusty role, except Arshad Warsi, who still keeps you entertained. Tabu carries her age rawther well and looks an ageless beauty.

Its Parineeti Chopra who captures the frame, screen and holds your nerve ends with her cherubic visage and drop dead gorgeous smile. Her role isn't meaty,  he demeanor though as a ghost is Ducky. The leitmotif of the plot is ghosts and human reactions to them. 

Dialogues and slapstick comedy is fun, except the last - overstretched denouement. Still worth a watch anytime you want to feel light hearted.

Secret Superstar (Movie Rating:5.5/10)

Secret Superstar (Movie Rating:5.5/10)

Damp squib 140 minutes with a cheesy take on Opportunities for 'girls' ... Zaira Wasim may know how to emote well in front of the camera - yet shes not ready for a lead role. Her dialogues are repetitive (Hamming like SRK) with a below average music-lyrics score (which supposedly is the linchpin of the plot). Aamir as Ego-Star is weird (cant find a more suitable depiction). The Muslim male depiction is  probably the only close-to-reality aspect of the move. Its not entertainment you're up to watch..its a specter of tension you're waiting to get over and step out of the movie hall...

Victoria & Abdul (Movie Rating: 7.0/10)

Victoria & Abdul (Movie Rating: 7.0/10)

Notwithstanding the historical revisionism attempt by the movie makers, the art embedded within is marvelous. Stitching together Taj Mahal-PeacockThrone - Buckingham Palace and the sworn enemies of Crusades as best friends does merit applause. Correctness to the T, where Dame Judi Dench as Queen Victoria pens on a journal marked with VRI (Victoria Regina Imperatrix for the uninitiated), and the oh so Scottish kilts, tap dances, and everything the British Monarchy stands for...from the House of Tudor. Abdul played by Ali Fazal, has a limited 2 dimensional role, albeit interesting portrayal of his 'Munshi' isms ... 

If you are the brown sahib kind, you'll love the Queens' English, the crisp Tudor impact & a sprinkling of  Shahenshah of Romance - ShahJehan woven into.

Now for the critique...Bertie ( King Edward VII) shown as an arse, was in actual history a King loved by the Brits. The portrayal of Victoria as unlinked to the macabre of the British Empire is simply unbelievable - an attempt to whitewash history. Is the funding for this movie the final  revenge of Dodi Al-Fayd? 

Despite all that, its a good watch, but not if you're the Dilli-ki-Barfi types...

A Gentleman (Movie Rating :7.0 /10)

A Gentleman (Movie Rating:7.0 /10)

Spicy 132 minutes. Innovative technique used by the director to portray twins... Opposites, played by the eye candy, SidM. Substantial screen time. 

The story isn't much except for the time-warp technique. Action is stock Bollywood. Miami background screenplay juxtaposed with Mumbai is stark. 

Jaquiline Fernández, smoulders with *legs-of-Betty-grable* sculpted beyond perfection. Battle stations - Charm offensive.

Glimpses of Mission Impossible on a poor grade disappoint... The closure wasn't electric.... Nevertheless it's an interesting watch 

Annabelle Creation (Movie Rating: 3.5/10)

Annabelle Creation (Movie Rating:3.5/10)

Very tight script executed diligently. Smash through 108 minutes without an interval (odd).

Poor conceptualisation and extremely lacklustre screenplay. Sad after what Conjuring was worth. 

Fails to evoke fear through its roughest scenes. Excess of startling effect to supplant fear psychosis fails badly. 

Horror is not even comical,a drag at best. Avoidable at all costs... Go burn calories at the Elliptical instead... 

Atomic Blonde (Movie Rating:7.0/10)

Atomic Blonde (Movie Rating:7.0/10)

Apart from the Lesbian twist 🔀 given to Charlize Theron in this action saga set in Divided Berlin, most of 112 minutes are pure gunfight, veins ripped off, gizzards spilled open and guts wrenched out. 

The plot unfolds via the interrogation room dialogues, so you need to be riveted or you'll miss the plot... Which is rawther simple.

Charlize is blitzkrieg both sides of Berlin Wall, her lesbian amour notwithstanding. The apparent puppeteers, MI and CIA sit back and watch Berlin explode as their Atomic Bomb 💣 Blonde sets off Berlin to achieve Critical Mass... 

Move over BadAsses, She's here. 

Toilet Ek Prem Katha (Movie Rating:6.5/10)

Toilet Ek Prem Katha (Movie Rating:6.5/10)

Love story woven around the Water Closet... On getting the rural mindset out of their archaic closets.

Sana Khan sizzles in a 2 minute role. 

Akshay carries the plot with asymmetric ease portraying a 30s male who colours black a greying moustache, romancing a 20s erudite non-feminazi, Bhumi Pednekar. 

Her movie character is wee bit 'pakau', though she's worth the John.And a pretty lass she is.

The political-ese shows up towards the denouement, though not distasteful. 

A fun movie with lots of rural romantic mornings... Ah yes! The director plays with your mind,  whence the protagonist can't go to the Loo and the urge mounts... Rawther lot of Poo-tential.

Jab Harry Met Sejal (Movie Rating:6.5/10)

Jab Harry Met Sejal (Movie Rating:6.5/10)

143 minutes of a slow moving love story necessitate Aspirin alongwith the ticket. A plot without a plot moving in beautiful locales of Europe make you sit up and take notice of them. SRK and Anoushka, both have mastered the art of hamming. 

Now the positives. It's about love, and it's beautiful. Discovery of his own good inner self and her journey from iron facade to *despacito* for love grows. The chemistry is great mostly, in a few scenes though it wavers. 

Great Expectations of DDLJisms will run aground.

 It's a serious love Kahani. 

Munna Michael (Movie Rating: 7.0 /10)

Munna Michael (Movie Rating: 7.0 /10)

Nidhhi Agerwal (yes, she spells it this way) is the pyt this Sabbir Khan production. She grows on you as the movie moves. Nothing spectacular, has potential though. Dances well except the heel balance step she looks funny in.

Tiger Shroff, looks every bit Jackie Dada with a chiseled physique. His tribute to MJ is spirited and dextrous. The final dance routine after his injured leg gets stepped upon is electric, watch out you don't miss that. He can't act of course. 

Enter, Nawazuddin Siddiqui. Sets the scene ablaze with humour, love, cheap dancing, action and his signature eyeballing. He steals the thunder, lightening and cloud. Virtuoso performance. 

Watch only if you are a dance enthusiast. 

Raag Desh (Movie Rating:6.0/10)

Raag Desh (Movie Rating:6.0/10)

Technically apt & correct in the depiction of a military court martial,with allowances for a commercial movie. Period movie 🎥 with Army vehicles of number plates of 1940 were impressive in maintaining detail. 

Kunal Kapoor and Co did a swell job. Kudos. 

The political-ese flowing out from the story is the coup... It's Congress vs Alkali vs Muslim League vying for ascendancy in public view, readying for post independence hasty pudding 🍰 

Subhash C Bose has finally been acknowledged

So what's the catch... 

It's the timing of release... a counter to Indu Sarkar. One's a pro Congress movie and the others a pro BJP movie... Quid pro quo... 

Cinematography is good at places, flaccid at others. A genuine tribute to Laxmi Sehgal in the story is worth acknowledging. And yes, it's a serious movie. If you're not,it's not your cuppa... 

Mubarakan (Movie Rating: 7.5 /10)

Mubarakan (Movie Rating:7.5/10)

Entertainment dense food for movie 🎥 lovers. This laugh riot is the classic comedy of errors, unfolding a hilarious one after another. Anees Bazmi masters making you laugh and cry simultaneously with aplomb. 

Ileana is simply too gorgeous and with her cute shenanigans is loveable. Athiya Shetty has a small role, she'll emerge eventually, the dad like strong jawline hinders her stardom. It's Neha Sharma, who looks and emotes extra cute.. 

Arjun in double role does a superb performance... Kudos. Pavan Malhotra and Ratna Pathak are absolutely masters of their character. 

The supremo is still Anil Kapoor... is unsurpassable in his performances... It's a treat to watch him. 

Songs are faar too much Punjaabi for pan india acceptance and average score. 

The strength of the movie is in its pure unadulterated entertainment.. 

Jagga Jasoos (Movie Rating: 3.5 /10)

Jagga Jasoos (Movie Rating: 3.5/10)

Torture lasting 161 minutes and your first question.. Has Anurag Basu lost it?  The saga of a stammering-stuttering face painted overgrown school boy set out to search for his foster father. Wrapped about the Purulia arms drop case and set in Urban Ukhrul, the narrative style story telling weaves a plot full of boredom. 

Katrina is cute and bares legs throughout. That she attracts bad luck akin to Ranbirs foster father is the Leitmotif... 

Everything in the movie 🎥 is below mediocre. Dialogues from RK are like mumm....ttttt....kkkk and irritating at best.  Katrina entertains...Nothing else in there. The theatre public comments speak volumes about the disaster this movie is