Top Reviews News- IBNLive.com

Kannada Review: 'Villain' is uselessly dragged

Sat, 26 May 2012 06:27:55 +0530

'Villain' is a poorly made film with a dragging narration. So better look for an alternative.

Review: 'The Grey' is a spellbinding tale

Sat, 26 May 2012 05:56:35 +0530

Watch 'The Grey' if you are a lover of nature and of films that are more soulful than mere survival films.

Masand: 'Men in Black 3' offers super special effects

Sat, 26 May 2012 12:01:31 +0530

'Men in Black 3' is by no means a terrible film. (No that's a term I'd use to describe the second film in the series). But it does seem rather pointless, and has very little of that irreverence and goofiness that made the first film so popular.

Masand: 'Arjun: The Warrior...' is a valiant effort

Fri, 25 May 2012 11:45:59 +0530

Director Arnab Chaudhuri has mentioned in interviews that his animation film 'Arjun: The Warrior Prince' is not a children's movie, and I'm inclined to agree with him. The Mahabharata may be a story you heard from your grandmother at bedtime, or grew up reading in Amar Chitra Katha. In that sense, the character of Arjun, the brave warrior amongst the virtuous Pandavas, is one you're familiar with. And yet, the film has an unusual approach - it's a coming-of-age story, a boy-becomes-man yarn that has emotions like uncertainty, fear, frustration, will-power and courage running through it.

Review: 'Yeh Khula Aasmaan' is heartwarming

Fri, 25 May 2012 04:57:15 +0530

More mellow than melodrama, 'Yeh Khula Aasmaan' revels in postures of pristine idyllism associated with non-metropolitan life.

Tweet Review: 'Men In Black 3', 1st day, 1st show

Fri, 25 May 2012 10:29:19 +0530

Hollywood superstar Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones are returning as Agent J and Agent K in 'Men In Black 3'.

Review: 'The Raven' has an inconsistent end

Sun, 20 May 2012 01:57:34 +0530

Films about fiction becoming facts or writers playing detectives are many. But there are few, which do both. As a filmmaker if you wanted to do both, who had better Edgar Allan Poe - the one who invented detective fiction, who is known for his gothic works, who died under mysterious circumstances and whose most famous poem 'The Raven' talks about a lover distraught over the loss of his beloved.

Review: 'What To Expect When You're...' is fun

Sun, 20 May 2012 01:35:00 +0530

The film is based on incidents in the book of the same name - 'What To Expect When You're Expecting'. Despite being cliched and average, the film is brilliant in many ways.

Review: 'Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark' is scary

Sun, 20 May 2012 01:18:48 +0530

'Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark', a remake of a 1-3 TV horror film bearing the same name, manages to do exactly what it's title tells you not to - make you afraid of the dark.

Masand: 'The Best Exotic...' is worth a watch

Sat, 19 May 2012 01:34:53 +0530

Seven British fogies find love, sex, jobs, and redemption, when they head to India in the predictable yet feel-good comedy 'The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel'. Directed by Shakespeare In Love's John Madden, the film boasts an ensemble of some of the finest English actors who pump heart into what could've easily been an entirely calculated affair.

Masand: 'Department' is a lazy, indulgent film

Sat, 19 May 2012 01:17:18 +0530

If there's a point to Ramgopal Varma's "Department", I'm afraid I missed it. There's a good chance I might have been distracted by his relentlessly dizzy camera. Carrying on his fascination with the mafia, Varma looks at the dynamics and the inner workings of a special unit within the Mumbai police force created in the wake of increasing crimes by two factions of the underworld.

Review: 'Mr Bhatti On Chutti' is a test of patience

Fri, 18 May 2012 08:33:56 +0530

It's just a compilation of shots where some casual people think they can act. 'Mr Bhatti On Chutti' is a test of patience.

Tweet Review: The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

Fri, 18 May 2012 04:52:58 +0530

The film revolves around seven British retirees who come to India to stay in the newly restored Marigold Hotel.

Review: 'Love Lies & Seeta' lacks energy

Fri, 18 May 2012 02:34:27 +0530

Almost every second of the film is filled up with a loud background score that seems jarring to the ear.

Review: Chhota Bheem and the Curse of Damyaan

Fri, 18 May 2012 01:28:53 +0530

Director Rajiv Chilaka has included action, adventure, time travel and magic in the film to woo young audiences.

Tweet Review: 'Department', first day, first show

Fri, 18 May 2012 10:39:50 +0530

Ram Gopal Varma's 'Department' deals with the encounter specialists of Mumbai Police who put everything on stake for the city's protection.

Telugu Review: 'Gabbar Singh' is a one man show

Sat, 12 May 2012 12:05:26 +0530

Pawan Kalyan, also popularly known as 'Power star', comes close to filling the big boots of Chulbul Pandey.

Masand: 'Dark Shadows' does little justice

Sat, 12 May 2012 12:04:13 +0530

'Dark Shadows', the eighth collaboration between filmmaker Tim Burton and Johnny Depp, is part comedy and part horror. But in all honesty the film does little justice to either genre. Based on a popular American soap opera from the 60s and early 70s, the film stars Depp as vampire Barnabass Collins who is resurrected from his coffin in 1972 after 200 years, to find his sprawling estate in ruin, his family's fisheries business failing, and the vengeful witch who turned him into a bloodsucker (Eva Green) now the most successful person in their small coastal town. Teaming up with the current Collins matriarch (Michelle Pfeiffer), Barnabass is determined to set things right again.

Masand: 'The Raid' is an orgy of violence

Fri, 11 May 2012 11:59:46 +0530

The faint-hearted would be advised to stay far away from 'The Raid: Redemption', a bone-crunching Indonesian action film that even martial-arts fans will take a little time settling into. This roughly 100-minute film has very little dialogue... and very little of anything other than non-stop brutal fight sequences that are both thrilling and repelling. When you're not staring at the screen, transfixed by the gruesome action, you'll be peeking from between your fingers, unable to turn away despite all the bloodshed.

Masand: 'The Forest' has a brisk pace

Fri, 11 May 2012 11:55:56 +0530

Desperate to reignite their passion and to resolve the nagging differences between them, a repentant husband (Slumdog Millionaire's Ankur Vikal) brings his wife (Nandana Sen) to the Kumaon National Reserve, hoping to spend a quiet weekend amidst nature. What he hasn't bargained for is running into an old college friend and former flame of the missus (Javed Jaffrey), who is posted there right under their nose as a forest cop, living with his motherless son. To make matters worse, a bloodthirsty man-eating leopard enters their guesthouse at night.

Masand: 'Dangerous Ishq' is unintentionally comical

Fri, 11 May 2012 11:48:46 +0530

From matching Govinda's razor-sharp comic timing in so many David Dhawan entertainers, to delivering sincere, heartfelt performances in films like Fizaa and Zubeidaa, Karisma Kapoor has had no shortage of opportunities to show off her acting chops. But returning after a hiatus in director Vikram Bhatt's laughably silly 'Dangerous Ishq', the actress is limited to gritting her teeth and mouthing inane lines.

Masand: 'Ishaqzaade' is far from perfect

Fri, 11 May 2012 11:35:49 +0530

In a fictional small town in North India, battle lines are drawn between political families, the Chauhans and the Qureshis, sworn enemies, each seeking victory against the other in the forthcoming elections. Against this tense terrain, director Habib Faisal sets his Romeo & Juliet story, 'Ishaqzaade'.

Tweet review: Karisma Kapoor's 'Dangerous Ishhq'

Fri, 11 May 2012 03:45:10 +0530

Performance wise only Jimmy Shergill has done justice to his role. Other actors are either loud or clueless.

Tweet Review: 'Ishaqzaade', first day, first show

Fri, 11 May 2012 10:23:39 +0530

The director Habib Faisal touches a sensitive topic in 'Ishaqzaade'. Sensible treatment saves the day for him.

Review: It's Jason Statham's show in 'Safe'

Sat, 05 May 2012 09:34:33 +0530

Boaz Yakin's hesitation of breaking out of stereotypes ruins Safe's chances to emerge as a poignant story.

Review: 'The Lucky One' is for teens

Sat, 05 May 2012 05:48:59 +0530

The only ones who will perhaps like the film are teenage girls who have little exposure to better cinema.

Masand: 'Hugo' will linger in your heart for days

Fri, 04 May 2012 11:39:14 +0530

Martin Scorsese's Hugo inspires the kind of affection and awe that few modern movies do. Starting out as an enchanting adventure story, the film ultimately reveals itself as a tribute to the history and the power of cinema.

Masand: 'Fatso' is enjoyable only in bits

Fri, 04 May 2012 11:21:45 +0530

There's an interesting idea buried somewhere under those layers of flab in director Rajat Kapoor's Fatso. But it's a pity the film's fantastical premise isn't mined for enough laughs...

Masand: 'Jannat 2' could have been better

Fri, 04 May 2012 11:01:08 +0530

'Jannat 2' is no sequel to the 2008 film about a petty gambler seduced into a career of high-stakes match-fixing. But the protagonist of this new film, played once again by Emraan Hashmi, faces a moral dilemma similar to the one the hero of the previous film did.

Kannada Review: 'Parie' is a badly narrated film

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 12:13:27 +0530

'Parie' is made by some Karnataka-based top software engineers working in the US.

Masand: 'The Avengers' is incredibly smart

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 11:19:59 +0530

Comic book fans who've kept their eyes peeled to the Internet for every scrap of news since the film was first announced, will be delighted to know that The Avengers more than lives up to their tall expectations. The truth, in fact, is that even if you're unfamiliar with the Marvel universe and the back-story of these superheroes, you're still likely to find yourself cheering for the sheer spectacle that's up on screen.

Masand: 'Tezz' is an awfully boring film

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 11:00:51 +0530

Perhaps it's appropriate that Priyadarshan no longer refers to himself as director of his films, choosing instead to go with the credit "Filmed by Priyadarshan".

Review: 'Life Ki Toh Lag Gayi' has a confused script

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 04:18:28 +0530

Abundance of good actors can make a director confused about giving the proper space and time to every character. Director Rakesh Mehta's 'Life Ki Toh Lag Gayi' suffers from the same problem.

Retro Review: 'Border' is just a good war film

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 01:53:08 +0530

'Border' is based on the real life events happened at the Longewala post of the Indian Army during the Indo-Pakistan war of 1971.

Telugu Review: Watch 'Disco' at your own risk

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 12:07:55 +0530

Except for some humorous dialogues of Sathish, there is not even one point, which can be described as good.

Kannada Review: 'Toofan' is a mediocre film

Sun, 22 Apr 2012 05:45:34 +0530

'Toofan' is a mediocre film made with little homework and seriousness. You can watch it only if you have no alternative.

Review: Where is the erotica in 'Hate Story'?

Sat, 21 Apr 2012 08:42:26 +0530

There comes a point in director Vivek Agnihotri's Hate Story when you are forced to suspend reason and resign yourself to the unbelievable corniness of the lines the lead protagonists mouth.

Review: 'Vicky Donor' is effortlessly entertaining

Sat, 21 Apr 2012 02:55:34 +0530

Did you know that infertility is the modern day cancer, says the sperm obsessed Dr Chadda. Brad Pitt, Dhoni, Lady Gaga, Aishwarya or Beckham, do you also wish for a tailor-made baby, don't worry as Dr Chadda is here.

Masand: '21 Jump Street' is both smart and stinky

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 11:53:43 +0530

If movies were people, '21 Jump Street' would be the younger brother of 'The Hangover', both belonging to the same family of potty-mouthed comedies that are undeniably hilarious. But where 'The Hangover' was blazingly original and thrived on its outrageousness, this one takes a familiar set-up and turns it on its head with perceptive writing.

Masand: 'Mirror Mirror' is a sumptuous visual affair

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 11:39:14 +0530

If there's one thing to be said about 'Mirror Mirror', Tarsem Singh's campy retelling of the Grimm Brothers fairytale Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, it's that everyone in it seems to be having so much fun! Particularly Julia Roberts, who stars as the Evil Queen, from whose perspective the story is told.

Tweet Review: Vicky Donor

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 02:15:30 +0530

Winner of 'Roadies Season 2' and a popular TV host, Ayushmann makes his Bollywood debut with 'Vicky Donor'.

Telugu Review:'Neeku Naaku Dash Dash' disappoints

Sun, 15 Apr 2012 06:44:46 +0530

'Neeku Naaku Dash Dash' has a weak story and haphazard narration.

Tamil Review: 'Oru Kal Oru Kannadi' is a fun film

Sun, 15 Apr 2012 04:00:01 +0530

The film could have been cut to a crisper length than its more than 150 minutes of viewing time.

Kannada Review: 'Dashamukha' is worth a watch

Sun, 15 Apr 2012 03:41:28 +0530

'Dashamukha' is an off-beat film which sets you into a process of introspection about the existing justice delivery system.

Masand: 'Battleship' lacks clarity

Sat, 14 Apr 2012 12:33:08 +0530

If the only yardstick you're meant to use while judging an action blockbuster is the number of gigantic explosions it contains, then Battleship, from Hancock director Peter Berg, belongs right up there with the big boys. Berg borrows many a trope from Michael Bay for this loud, dumb actioner that could just as easily work with the alternate title, "Transformers on the High Seas". It's hardly a coincidence then that both movies are based on Hasbro games.

Review: Jhumroo musical is truly Bollywood!

Sun, 08 Apr 2012 07:54:24 +0530

Packed with the retro look in psychedelic colours, over-the-top props and bling, 'Jhumroo' the musical tells the story of a simpleton and his tryst with love.

Kannada Review: 'Theeradhalli' not a true biopic

Sun, 08 Apr 2012 07:34:28 +0530

"Bheema Theeradhalli" is supposed to be a biopic film made on the life and times of a dreaded gangster Chandappa Harijana, also known as Chandya.

Telugu Review: 'Rachcha' lacks storyline

Sun, 08 Apr 2012 07:26:59 +0530

After delivering a blockbuster like "Magadheera" two years ago, it was felt that actor Ramcharan, son of Telugu megastar Chiranjeevi, would be occupying the pivotal place in the industry that undisputably belonged to his actor-turned-politician father.

Kannada Review: 'Dev, Son of Mudde Gowda' is fun

Sun, 08 Apr 2012 07:01:36 +0530

Journalist-turned-director Indrajit Lankesh's ninth venture 'Dev, Son of Mudde Gowda' sees him experimenting with acting. He features as an egoist star and even does a glamorous song.

Masand: 'Titanic 3D' a wonderful trip down the past

Fri, 06 Apr 2012 11:58:16 +0530

Watching Titanic on the big screen again, I felt a surge of nostalgia sweep through me. Great movies have a timeless quality to them, and Titanic is nothing if not a great movie. Set against a historical event whose outcome we already knew (the ship sinks!), James Cameron delivered an irresistible love story between free-spirited steerage-class passenger Jack Dawson, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, and Kate Winslet's Rose DeWitt Bukater, a shackled aristocrat yearning to breathe.

Masand: 'Housefull 2' is for four-year-olds

Fri, 06 Apr 2012 11:47:59 +0530

It's ironic that the funniest joke in Housefull 2 should appear after the film has ended. In the outtakes during the closing credits sequence (if you're brave enough to still be watching!), Akshay Kumar brings Asin to meet his father, a sleazy shrink named Dr Ranjeet Vasna K Pujari, played by yesteryears villain Ranjeet. Inching towards the girl, unbuttoning his satin black shirt, the leering senior mutters salaciously: "Baby, baby, baby!" When informed by Akshay that she's the soon-to-be wife of his son, he instantly retraces his steps, buttoning up again, now muttering "Beti, beti, beti!"

Kannada Review: 'Shikari' has a strong script

Sun, 01 Apr 2012 03:33:52 +0530

'Shikari' is a good attempt despite some major mistakes.

Review: 'Bumboo' lacks lucidity

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 09:05:06 +0530

'Bumboo' is a film made with good intentions but somehow the makers couldn't transform the original idea onto the celluloid.

Masand: 'Hunger Games' is a thrilling reality show

Fri, 23 Mar 2012 11:37:27 +0530

24 teenagers are packed off to the woods and encouraged to go on a killing spree against each other, while the rest of the world watches the action like a sporting event on giant television screens... Based on the bestselling young-adult novel by Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games is a thrilling and somewhat disturbing film about a survival-of-the-fittest reality show - and despite its highly improbable premise, it makes for enjoyable viewing.

Masand: 'Agent Vinod' is a boring, disappointing film

Fri, 23 Mar 2012 10:59:18 +0530

The most gobsmacking brilliant portion of Agent Vinod is a roughly 3-minute shootout scene set in a seedy East European motel. Even as bullets fly in the lobby between RAW-agent Vinod (Saif Ali Khan) and deadly assassins hot on his trail, a love ballad drowns out the gunshots. The action is captured almost poetically, as Vinod and his accomplice run in and out of corridors and motel rooms, dodging the firing. Now imagine all this in a single tracking shot!

Masand: 'This Means War' is predictable

Fri, 16 Mar 2012 10:57:52 +0530

This Means War is a formulaic, predictable action-rom-com that'll win no points for originality, but it's all so light and frothy and inoffensive that, chances are, you won't get too bored.

Masand: 'Chaurahen' doesn't have emotional heft

Fri, 16 Mar 2012 10:40:24 +0530

A housewife in Kolkata suffers in silence as her husband starts an affair with a much younger woman. A young man visits his parents' home in Kochi after his brother is killed at war. And a well-to-do Parsi boy in Mumbai must bury the ghosts of his past in order to face the future. Chaurahen, directed by Rajshree Ojha, is intended as a poignant drama about people struggling with important decisions that will enable them to move on with their lives. But weighed down by pretentious dialogue and wooden performances, the film leaves you cold, and indifferent towards its troubled characters.

Masand: 'Chaar Din Ki Chandni' is simply appalling

Fri, 09 Mar 2012 11:13:18 +0530

In the good ol' days, audiences in some places were known to rip cinema seats, and to throw things at the screen if they were offended by the film they were watching.

Masand: 'John Carter' a humourless adventure

Fri, 09 Mar 2012 11:10:08 +0530

It's hard to believe that the same filmmaker who made us fall in love with a waste-recycling robot is responsible for the over-long, humourless adventure that is 'John Carter'.

Masand: 'The Vow' is just another gooey rom-com

Fri, 09 Mar 2012 11:07:21 +0530

'The Vow', starring Channing Tatum and Rachel McAdams, is the kind of mushy movie that'll appeal to anyone who still gets teary-eyed watching The Notebook for the third time.

Masand: A taut 'Kahaani' is a delicious thriller

Fri, 09 Mar 2012 10:43:48 +0530

Clutching her stroller in one hand, the other tightly gripping her passport and a bottle of Evian, a very pregnant Vidya Bagchi steps out of Kolkata international airport, and almost immediately appears lost, even as half a dozen cabbies heckle her for business.

Review: 'The Devil Inside', a horrific let down

Fri, 02 Mar 2012 11:48:04 +0530

Any horror movie buff would spare no expenses to make sure that he/she watched 'The Devil Inside'. The trailer look sufficiently scary, and the fact that 'this is the movie The Vatican did not want us to see', assures that 'The Devil Inside' would get the attention and the box office business. However as the trends showed in the US where it released on January 6 2012 - a big opening ultimately lead to the film completely vanishing from the theatres. Needless to say - so will be the case in India as well. The curiosity and the excitement - the feel of potentially sleepless nights it aroused on the release of the trailer - runs out of steam as the movie progresses and when the end hits you - you pretty much want to ask the director for your money back.

Review: 'The Devil Inside', a horrific let down

Fri, 02 Mar 2012 11:48:04 +0530

Masand: 'London Paris New York' an enjoyable film

Fri, 02 Mar 2012 11:44:07 +0530

If you'll believe that a couple can fall hopelessly in love after spending only three days together in seven years, perhaps you'll buy the many contrivances of 'London Paris New York'.

Masand: Irrfan is faultless in 'Paan Singh Tomar'

Fri, 02 Mar 2012 11:40:49 +0530

With his faultless performance as a famed athlete who turns into a feared dacoit in director Tigmanshu Dhulia's 'Paan Singh Tomar', Irrfan Khan offers us a reminder of his blazing versatility.

Masand: 'The Iron Lady' is a lazy film

Fri, 02 Mar 2012 11:37:59 +0530

It's hard to find fault in Meryl Streep's extraordinary performance as former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in 'The Iron Lady', but it's a shame the film itself has little of interest to say about either the woman, or the period of British history she shaped.

Masand: 'Extremely Loud...' is manipulated

Fri, 02 Mar 2012 11:35:31 +0530

Some stories are genuinely moving, others so shamelessly manipulative that they come off as crass. 'Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close', directed by Stephen Daldry, falls somewhere in between.

Review: 'Diary of a Butterfly' lacks a story

Fri, 02 Mar 2012 11:07:07 +0530

Directed by Vinod Mukhi, the film stars Udita Goswami, Rati Agnihotri, Harsh Chhaya, Sofia Hayat, Rajeev Singh and others.

Review: 'Will You Marry Me?' is disappointing

Fri, 02 Mar 2012 09:18:07 +0530

'Will You Marry Me' disappoints big time and the storyteller fails to weave any magic. Overall score can't go beyond 1.5 out of 5.

Review: 'Tere Naal Love Ho Gaya', a feel good film

Sat, 25 Feb 2012 01:37:57 +0530

The second half is really enjoyable and the cinematography excels at points, especially in songs.

Masand: 'Jodi Breakers' lacks basic aesthetics

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 11:22:07 +0530

R Madhavan, looking like he's just devoured an all-you-can-eat buffet, frolicks with a dozen-or-so bikini-clad extras by a sun-kissed pool. 'Jodi Breakers', directed by Ashwini Chaudhary, clearly doesn't bother with basic aesthetics. To be fair, the film doesn't bother with a coherent script either.

Masand: Don't miss 'The Artist' for anything

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 11:19:17 +0530

It would be accurate to describe 'The Artist' as a modern cinematic experiment, but that would make it all just a little bit soulless. This black-and-white, mostly wordless film is really a love letter to a bygone era - that of silent cinema - but in a wonderful way, writer-director Michel Hazanavicius shows us just how important it is to move with the times.

Masand: 'Moneyball' is consistently watchable

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 11:16:58 +0530

The best sports films are the ones that can appeal to people who don't like sports. 'Moneyball', based on a true story, stars Brad Pitt as Billy Beane, the manager of the failing Oakland Athletics baseball team, who is unable to afford star players on his limited financial resources.

Masand: 'My Week With Marilyn' a frothy film

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 11:14:12 +0530

'My Week With Marilyn', based on a memoir by Colin Clark, who served as third assistant director on the England set of The Prince and the Showgirl in 1956, is a light, frothy film that sadly fails to demystify the iconic sex symbol, but instead only adds to her legend.

Masand: 'Carnage' a wickedly funny chamber piece

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 11:12:14 +0530

The idea of watching four people arguing in a room for eighty minutes hardly sounds like fun. But this is a film by Roman Polanski, and the acting's top notch.

Review: 'Ghost Rider 2' - great action, drab story

Sun, 19 Feb 2012 06:56:32 +0530

'Ghost Rider Spirit of Vengeance' is a movie that can be thoroughly enjoyed in 3D. Great action sequences - but terribly drab story. Kicking off perhaps a few years after the first movie of he 'Ghost Rider' franchise - this movie tries to score with the effects and only the effects.

Masand: 'Ekk Deewana Tha' is disappointing

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 11:58:57 +0530

With 'Ekk Deewana Tha' director Gautham Menon takes his third stab at the same story, having directed successful Tamil and Telugu versions previously. This Hindi remake is a disappointing bore of a love story that tests your threshold for pain as it hobbles along indulgently for close to 2 hours and 40 minutes.

Masand: 'The Woman In...' is entertaining

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 11:54:08 +0530

A pleasant change from the blood-and-guts staple of modern slasher films, 'The Woman In Black' is a throwback to those good old-fashioned horror movies that relied on eeriness rather than gore to deliver the scares.

Masand: 'Safe House' a mediocre film

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 11:50:48 +0530

'Safe House', starring Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds is a visceral action movie, but with a predictable, lightweight plot. Reynolds plays Matt Weston, a young CIA agent desperate to climb the ladder, but stuck in charge of a Johannesberg 'Safe House' - a secret base to hide prisoners or witnesses to keep them safe.

Masand: 'Orgy...' is surprisingly dull

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 11:47:43 +0530

Despite that titillating title, 'A Good Old Fashioned Orgy' is neither funny, nor particularly sexy. Jason Sudeikis stars as a 30-something New Yorker who, along with his close group of friends, spends every weekend throwing elaborate theme parties and getting horribly drunk at his summer home in the Hamptons.

Review: '?' (Question Mark) is scary in parts

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 05:42:46 +0530

A film without a good publicity hardly gets audiences but the worries increase when it's titled as '?'. Yes, you read it right, a question mark.

Review: 'Married 2 America' is uselessly stretched

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 11:08:29 +0530

'Married 2 America' is an average fair but it has done a good job by focussing on a real issue.

Masand: 'War Horse' is an overlong affair

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 11:04:02 +0530

Steven Spielberg's 'War Horse' is a schmaltzy, sentimental saga of the love between a boy and his horse - boy meets horse, boy loses horse, boy is reunited with horse. It's the classic romantic formula... Although with an equestrian twist.

Masand: 'Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu' is light and breezy

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 10:53:37 +0530

'Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu', starring Imran Khan and Kareena Kapoor, is a competently made romantic-comedy with a predictable story at its core. A straight-laced architect meets a free-spirited hairdresser in Vegas; they get drunk one night, and wake up the next morning to find out they're married.

Review: 'LOL' - no laugh, no love

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 03:54:11 +0530

When a movie begins with an American teenager talking about her high school and walking out in slow-motion, arm in arm with her bffs - one can put their expectations to rest. This flick will have nothing new to offer. 'LOL' follows the American teenage movie norm to the last scene. Teenage heart breaks, drawing hearts with black markers on bathroom doors, hooking up in summer camp, battle of the bands, school trips to Paris, parties, pop and pot. Not necessarily in that order.

Review: 'Valentine's Night', nothing could be worse

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 08:21:39 +0530

The film basically has one idea and that is to make a film with Facebook in the centre, and you won't be able to find another idea in the film.

Masand: 'Chronicle' is original and smart

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 11:35:08 +0530

What would you do if you discovered you'd suddenly acquired Magneto-like powers that allowed you to control things with your mind...to move objects around without lifting a finger, to crush a car by simply willing it, to fly in the air even?

Masand: 'Journey 2...' is basic and predictable

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 11:08:28 +0530

As kiddie-friendly family films go, 'Journey 2: The Mysterious Island' is a harmless, breezy adventure that offers likeable characters and some exciting 3D set-pieces. Just don't go in expecting more.

Masand: 'Gali Gali Chor Hai' is dreadfully dull

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 10:49:39 +0530

Setting up the sort of premise that's usually treated with a much lighter hand in the popular television sitcom Office Office, the makers of 'Gali Gali Chor Hai' construct a well-intentioned but labored tale of the common man's vulnerability against day-to-day corruption in society.

Review: 'Contraband' not the best of the heists

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 04:35:44 +0530

Over the years, Hollwood has had its share of thrilling smuggling heists. 'Contraband' is not one of the better ones. At best, it is mildly exciting, but not the least bit thrilling.

Masand: 'Haywire' is a thoroughly enjoyable B-movie

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 10:39:21 +0530

Gina Carano, the 29-year-old star of Steven Soderbergh's Haywire is not someone you want to get into an argument with. This mixed martial-arts fighter who punches, kicks, slams, smashes, and whacks her rivals into pulp, was cast by the filmmaker when he reportedly watched her in the ring on sports television.

Masand: 'The Descendants' is a must-watch

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 10:33:25 +0530

One of the most striking moments in 'The Descendants' is when George Clooney's character Matt King stumbles onto the secret that his wife has been cheating on him.

Masand: 'Agneepath' is a glossy, well-acted film

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 10:31:23 +0530

Debutant director Karan Malhotra's re-telling of Mukul Anand's 1990 vendetta movie 'Agneepath' is a glossy, well-acted production. Compared to recent 'mass entertainers' that tend to lazily sacrifice story and plot for retro-style action and star appeal, this remake rolls along like a well-oiled machine.

Masand: 'J Edgar' a surprisingly dull biopic

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 11:36:39 +0530

Regarded as one of the most controversial figures in recent US history, the late 'J Edgar' Hoover gets shortchanged with a surprisingly dull biopic from director Clint Eastwood, who appears to have come up with a new cure for insomnia with this deathly boring epic.

Masand: 'Coriolanus' not for the faint-hearted

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 11:32:41 +0530

Long regarded as one of the most complex, and least accessible of Shakespeare's plays, 'Coriolanus' makes its way to the screen as an intense, slam-bang action movie that marks Ralph Fiennes' directorial debut.

Bengali Review: 'Aparajita Tumi' is too familiar

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 01:33:00 +0530

Bengali cinema has come of age but a few more steps towards something new would not hurt. While on one hand they regularly dish out the commercial fare, they also pull out an occasional gem from the everyday and the common place. However, when it comes to relationships - as experimental and bold Bengali movies have tried to be - they are still a tad bit stereotypical and predictable.

Review: 'Heartbreaker' is predictable

Sat, 14 Jan 2012 03:46:49 +0530

The 2010 French rom-com 'Heartbreaker' finally reached India with really bad dubbing. All the witty French puns are probably at the bottom of the sea in Monaco and all we are stuck with is a 'done to death' predictable love story. The dubbed version seems to have lost all the wit.

Masand: 'Arthur Christmas' is rollicking fun

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 05:57:05 +0530

Whether you ever believed in Santa Claus or not, you'll find Arthur Christmas is a charming animation film about how Santa manages to deliver so many presents around the world in one single night.

Masand: 'Ghost' is a staggeringly silly film

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 05:35:47 +0530

Ghost is a hare-brained horror film in which doctors, nurses and ward-boys are brutally killed by a spirit.

Review: 'Sadda Adda' is a pleasant surprise

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 12:00:57 +0530

One will walk in expecting a sex-comedy of sorts after they take a look at the poster of 'Sadda Adda'. But be prepared to be pleasantly surprised! The movie is a decent amount of fun. Yes, the actors are new and inexperienced, some sequences in the movie are unnecessary - but the situations director and writer Muazzam Beg brings to screen in 'Sadda Adda' - are very real.

Masand: 'The Darkest Hour' is tiring, dumb

Fri, 06 Jan 2012 11:01:03 +0530

Tired of wreaking havoc in New York and Los Angeles (really, how many more CGI shots must we see of a deserted Times Square or a ravaged Staples Center?), aliens set their sights on Moscow in 'The Darkest Hour', a new end-of-the-world thriller that's as much fun to watch as a 90-minute ultrasound video.

Masand: 'Players' is a fast-paced khichdi

Fri, 06 Jan 2012 10:48:22 +0530

There's an uncomfortable truth about Abbas-Mustan's latest film 'Players' that few critics will admit to - it's not all bad! This fast-paced khichdi of two previous 'Italian Job' movies and the director duo's own last film 'Race' has so much going on all at once that you're left with little time to dwell on the gaping plot holes, the laughable dialogue, and the wooden performances.

Review: 'A Separation' is rare and brilliant

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 09:54:29 +0530

'A Separation', an Iranian film written and directed by Asghar Farhadi is a rare, brilliant story of an estranged woman-man relationship which also encompasses universal themes of gender, class, religion and morality.

Review: Bored and 'Chipwrecked' by Chipmunks

Sat, 24 Dec 2011 02:19:01 +0530

Every once in a while there are these stunning, intelligent, sarcastic animated movies that have the power to entertain any adult. 'Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked' is clearly not one of them. Directed by Mike Mitchell and written by Jonathan Aibel, Glenn Berger, Ross Bagdasarian and Janice Karman - 'Chipwrecked' is rather boring, it can only decently amuse the kids. Pixar has aced the adult-child comedy, Fox probably doesn't want to try.

Now Showing: Masand reviews 'Don 2', 'One Day'

Sat, 24 Dec 2011 12:19:08 +0530

This week on Now Showing, Rajeev Masand reviews 'Don 2' and 'One Day'.

Masand: 'One Day' is repetitive and tiring

Fri, 23 Dec 2011 11:59:36 +0530

One Day, based on a best-selling romantic novel by David Nicholls, is a dreadfully dull film that's been adapted for the screen by the author himself! Anne Hathaway stars as Emma, and Jim Sturgess as Dex, two students who wind up together on the night of their graduation in 1988. They don't become lovers, but they do become lifelong friends. The film follows their lives for the next 20 years or so, catching up with them on the same date - July 15 - each year.

Masand: 'Don 2' is spectacularly boring

Fri, 23 Dec 2011 11:30:26 +0530

In his interviews leading up to the release of Don 2, director Farhan Akhtar has repeatedly said that viewers seeking anything other than pure thrills and entertainment from this film are likely to be disappointed. Going in with strictly those expectations, I'm sorry to report I still came away feeling cheated.

Review: 'With Love, Delhi' is juvenile

Sat, 17 Dec 2011 12:29:06 +0530

Mithun Chakravarty's film 'Gunda' is a cult classic among IITians because it is so full of cliches and stretches them so much that it becomes a delightful watch. After many attempts, IITians have finally made a film - "With Love, Delhi" - that could have matched 'Gunda's' low standards. Sadly, this one is so pretentiously serious that Bollywood would be proud they finally have an 'English' film made by 'intelligent' IITians to match their worst products.

Now Showing: Masand reviews 'MI4', 'Pappu Can't ...'

Sat, 17 Dec 2011 11:52:29 +0530

This week on Now Showing, Rajeev Masand reviews 'Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol', 'Pappu Can't Dance Saala' and 'Jo Hum Chahein'.

Masand: 'MI: Ghost Protocol' a treat for the senses

Fri, 16 Dec 2011 11:41:30 +0530

Midway through 'Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol', Tom Cruise's character, secret agent Ethan Hunt is seen scaling Dubai's 2,700-foot Burj Khalifa with nothing more than a pair of sticky gloves.

Masand: Weak script brings down 'Pappu Can't...'

Fri, 16 Dec 2011 11:37:40 +0530

For possibly the nth time in recent memory, Vinay Pathak returns to play the everyman in director Saurabh Shukla's slice-of-life drama 'Pappu Can't Dance Saala', which flirts with the issue of migrants struggling to make it in Mumbai.

Masand: 'Jo Hum...' is a decent first effort

Fri, 16 Dec 2011 11:33:56 +0530

For love or money - that's the age-old problem rearing its head in 'Jo Hum Chahein', an urban romance starring newcomers Sunny Gill and Simran Mundi. On the surface, this film reminds you of the Shah Rukh Khan hit Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman, with its theme of a hero conflicted by his ambition into sacrificing his values.

Now Showing: Masand reviews 'Ladies vs Ricky Bhal'

Sat, 10 Dec 2011 10:17:35 +0530

This week on Now Showing, Rajeev Masand reviews 'Ladies vs Rickly Bahl', 'New Year's Eve' and 'Machine Gun Preacher'.

Masand: 'Machine Gun Preacher' is unconvincing

Fri, 09 Dec 2011 11:25:02 +0530

'Machine Gun Preacher' is a true-life story that stars Gerard Butler as Sam Childers, a Pennsylvania druggie and hardened criminal whose life changed when he found Jesus. During a missionary trip to Africa, Childers became obsessed with rescuing Sudanese children that were orphaned and recruited by the vicious Lord's Resistance Army.

Masand: 'New Year's Eve' is frothy, forgettable

Fri, 09 Dec 2011 11:08:27 +0530

Considerably less syrupy than last year's Valentine's Day, but cut from the same sappy cloth, 'New Year's Eve', directed by Pretty Woman's Garry Marshall, features an all-star cast of big-ticket names playing hopelessly mushy New Yorkers whose lives conveniently intersect on - what else but - December 31!

Masand: 'Ladies vs Ricky Bahl' is watchable

Fri, 09 Dec 2011 10:57:42 +0530

As Dimple Chaddha, the motor-mouthed spoilt-little-rich-brat who's lattoo over her gym-trainer boyfriend, newcomer Parineeti Chopra steals 'Ladies vs Ricky Bahl' from under the nose of its leads.

As a kid I was scared, fascinated by Don: Farhan

Sat, 03 Dec 2011 10:46:11 +0530

Actor-cum-filmmaker Farhan Akhtar talks about his upcoming movie 'Don 2' and how he came around making the sequel

Now Showing: Masand reviews this week's releases

Sat, 03 Dec 2011 10:02:29 +0530

Rajeev Masand reviews this week's releases 'The Dirty Picture' and 'Puss in Boots' and also talks to Farhan Akhtar on 'Don 2'.

Masand: 'Puss in Boots' is consistently amusing

Fri, 02 Dec 2011 11:58:58 +0530

The swashbuckling ginger cat with a gravelly voice and an attitude to boot might have first shown up in the Shrek movies, but he finally gets his place in the sun as the charming lead of Puss in Boots.

Masand: Gutsy Vidya makes 'Dirty Picture' watchable

Fri, 02 Dec 2011 11:45:34 +0530

Vidya Balan goes where few have gone before, putting it all out there, literally, for the sake of her art. Pity it's for a film as unremarkable as 'The Dirty Picture'.

Adam Sandler, Katie Holmes talk about 'Jack and Jill'

Sat, 26 Nov 2011 11:30:46 +0530

Adam Sandler and Katie Holmes in conversation with Rajeev Masand on their recently released comedy film 'Jack and Jill'.

Now Showing: Masand reviews 'Desi Boyz' and more

Sat, 26 Nov 2011 11:25:11 +0530

This week on Now Showing, Rajeev Masand reviews this week's blockbusters releases 'Desi Boys', 'The Help', 'The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1' and 'Jack and Jill'.

Review: 'Dam999' excellent story, pathetic acting

Sat, 26 Nov 2011 01:12:11 +0530

Only once in a while, in movies that are being made these days, one can chance upon a story that has immense potential and depth. But then comes the tragic twist - the god awful histrionics washes it all away.

Masand: 'Jack and Jill' is enjoyable

Fri, 25 Nov 2011 11:13:21 +0530

If you're not easily offended by Adam Sandler's usual schtick of toilet humor and racist jokes, you'll find there's plenty laughs in 'Jack and Jill'. The film sees Sandler perform double duty as Jack, a successful ad-filmmaker in LA, and Jill, his twin sister from the Bronx who comes visiting the family for Thanksgiving.

Masand: 'The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn' is clunky

Fri, 25 Nov 2011 11:09:18 +0530

It's hard to feel much sympathy or affection for characters who spend even the happiest day of their life brooding, after subjecting us to three previous films in which all they ever did was sulk over being separated from each other.

Masand: 'The Help' a feel-good entertainer

Fri, 25 Nov 2011 11:06:35 +0530

It's easy to see why 'The Help', a rousing melodrama about racial prejudice set in 1960s Mississippi, became an instant crowd-pleaser when it released in the United States this summer. Like 2009's shrewdly sentimental Sandra Bullock starrer The Blind Side, this is a patronizing tale that addresses white guilt and cleverly mitigates it.

Masand: 'Desi Boyz' is a generic, indifferent film

Fri, 25 Nov 2011 10:47:28 +0530

'Desi Boyz' stars Akshay Kumar and John Abraham as Jerry and Nick, best friends in London who lose their jobs when recession hits. Broke and desperate, they sign up to be male escorts - because naturally that's the only job still available during a financial meltdown!

Vidya Balan talks about 'The Dirty Picture'

Sat, 19 Nov 2011 01:08:38 +0530

Bollywood actor Vidya Balan said that she enjoyed playing Silk in her upcoming movie 'The Dirty Picture'.

Now Showing: Masand reviews the blockbusters this week

Sat, 19 Nov 2011 12:50:38 +0530

Rajeev Masand review this week's blockbuster releases 'Happy Feet Two' and 'The Ides of March'.

Masand: 'The Ides...' is an intelligent thriller

Fri, 18 Nov 2011 10:46:50 +0530

'The Ides of March', directed by George Clooney, is a meaty, fast-moving political thriller about betrayal and disillusionment. And although it makes no new revelations about politics or politicians, it keeps you glued to your seat thanks to some terrific performances from its delicious cast.

Masand: 'Happy Feet 2' is an all-too-generic film

Fri, 18 Nov 2011 10:40:22 +0530

Much like Scrat, the acorn-obsessed sabre-toothed squirrel in the 'Ice Age' movies, it's Will and Bill, a pair of shrimp-like krill (voiced by Brad Pitt and Matt Damon) that practically steal 'Happy Feet Two', although they're only side characters in the film's central story.

Tintin was made for me and Steven: Peter Jackson

Sat, 12 Nov 2011 10:51:54 +0530

In an exclusive interview with Rajeev Masand, Peter Jackson and Steven Spielberg, makers of 'The Adventures Of Tintin: The Secret Of The Unicorn' talk about their love for Tintin.

Now Showing: Masand reviews the blockbusters this week

Sat, 12 Nov 2011 10:24:38 +0530

Rajeev Masand review this week's blockbuster releases 'Rockstar', 'Immortals' and 'The Adventures Of Tintin: The Secret Of The Unicorn'.

Masand: 'Rockstar' deserves a watch

Fri, 11 Nov 2011 11:17:32 +0530

Imtiaz Ali's 'Rockstar' is a far-from-perfect film, but it has honesty and depth, which is mostly missing in Hindi movies today.

Masand: 'Adventures Of Tintin...' very enjoyable

Fri, 11 Nov 2011 11:09:21 +0530

Given that Steven Spielberg first discovered Tintin after a French critic repeatedly referenced the beloved reporter's exploits in his review of Raiders of the Lost Ark, it's fitting that Spielberg invests some of that distinct Indiana Jones spirit into 'The Adventures Of Tintin: The Secret Of The Unicorn'.

Masand: 'Immortals' is a sexy movie

Fri, 11 Nov 2011 11:02:57 +0530

For many, the prospect of watching Henry Cavill spend roughly 110 minutes shirtless, will be a good enough reason to watch 'Immortals'. This swords-and-sandals epic based on a slice of Greek mythology stars Cavill as Theseus, a peasant in ancient Greece, chosen by the gods to fight the evil King Hyperion (Mickey Rourke) who wishes to bring the world to its knees.

Masand: 'Loot' is a lousy comedy

Fri, 04 Nov 2011 11:37:44 +0530

You'd have to jog your memory to remember, but a long, long time ago, Govinda actually had the comic chops to make you laugh. His spot-on timing and flair for the slapstick were virtually unrivaled. Today, unfortunately he's like a grizzled lion that has lost his bite.

Masand: 'Miley Naa Miley Hum' a waste of time

Fri, 04 Nov 2011 11:31:34 +0530

Kangana Ranaut, her mangled accent aside, is the only bright spot in 'Miley Naa Miley Hum', a film so dreadfully dull, you'll have to check your pulse when the lights come back on to find out if you're still breathing. She stars as a scatterbrained struggling model (never mind that swanky home!) who accepts a rich scion's offer to spend 20 days pretending to be his girlfriend in exchange for big money.

Masand: 'Tower Heist' a string of lazy gags

Fri, 04 Nov 2011 11:26:45 +0530

'Tower Heist' could've been a highly entertaining comic caper, but like so many films directed by Brett Ratner, it settles for mediocrity. The premise itself has potential: a bunch of employees of a Trump Tower-style Manhattan high-rise seek payback on the building's billionaire owner who robbed them of their retirement savings. Alas, the laughs dry up faster than you can say Ponzi, and the film quickly becomes a string of lazy gags.

Masand: 'In Time' a smart action movie

Fri, 04 Nov 2011 11:22:45 +0530

Time is money. No it really is, in Gattaca director Andrew Niccol's new sci-fi thriller 'In Time', that's set somewhere in the unspecified future where time has replaced money as currency.

Masand: Kids will love 'Dolphin's Tale'

Fri, 04 Nov 2011 11:18:01 +0530

'Dolphin Tale' is inspired by the true-life rescue of an injured dolphin, after it became entangled in the ropes of a crab trap off the coast in Florida. That dolphin came to be known as Winter, and she sportingly plays herself in this anything-but-subtle film that squeezes a half-dozen cheesy subplots into the central story of this animal's fight for survival after it loses its tail.

Now Showing: Masand reviews this week's movies

Wed, 26 Oct 2011 09:14:36 +0530

Rajeev Masand review this week's three Bollywood releases - 'RA.One', 'Tell Me O Kkhuda' and 'Damadamm'.

Masand: 'Damadamm' has tasteless comedy

Wed, 26 Oct 2011 07:07:26 +0530

The irony of Himesh Reshammiya's new film 'Damadamm' doesn't lie in the fact that two attractive women are in love with him here, but that he plays a marketing maverick at a film distribution company, credited with turning one movie after another into box-office hits.

Masand: 'Tell Me O Kkhuda' is outdated

Wed, 26 Oct 2011 06:51:28 +0530

'Tell Me O Kkhuda' directed by Hema Malini feels so outdated, you're hardly surprised it's a rehash of an earlier film she'd directed, 'Dil Aashna Hai', all the way back in 1992. The premise of both films is exactly the same - an adopted girl sets off on a quest to find her birth parents. The director's own daughter Esha Deol plays the protagonist of this new film, whose determined but frankly harebrained mission takes her to the doorsteps of three different men, one of whom might well be her father.

Masand: 'RA.One' is flawed but ambitious

Wed, 26 Oct 2011 06:38:08 +0530

Superhero film 'Ra.One' kicks off on an unusual note, as geeky tech-wiz dad Shekhar Subramaniam, played by Shah Rukh Khan, tries to become his young son's hero by creating the greatest video-game villain of all time.

Masand: 'Paranormal Activity 3' is disappointing

Fri, 21 Oct 2011 11:21:53 +0530

'Paranormal Activity 3' is neither as genuinely chilling as the first film, nor does it pack as many cheap thrills as the second one did. A few jolts aside, this is largely a disappointment.

Masand: 'The Whistleblower' is a disturbing film

Fri, 21 Oct 2011 11:17:52 +0530

'The Whistleblower' is a gritty, disturbing film based on a true story, but treated with the urgency of a thriller. The luminous Rachel Weisz stars as Kathryn Bolkovac, a dedicated American cop and single mom, who takes a United Nations peacekeeping job in post-war Bosnia of the late 90s to solve her financial problems.

Masand: 'Last Night' is anything but sexy

Fri, 21 Oct 2011 11:13:09 +0530

For a film that's about extra-marital temptation and stars such gorgeous actors, 'Last Night' is anything but sexy. Keira Knightley and Sam Worthington play an upscale Manhattan couple who come home from a party and start bickering when she suspects he's sharing more than just a professional relationship with his red-hot business colleague, played by Eva Mendes.

Masand: 'Mujhse Fraaandship Karoge' is enjoyable

Sat, 15 Oct 2011 12:14:03 +0530

'Mujhse Fraaandship Karoge' is a terrible title for a film that's not so bad. Set on a swanky campus (although we never once see students in class or poring over books), this rom-com is funny, and corny even, but thankfully never makes the mistake of turning sappy or sentimental.

Masand: 'Mod' is one hard slog

Sat, 15 Oct 2011 12:09:24 +0530

In an idyllic hill station tucked away somewhere in the Nilgiris, lives a spirited young girl who repairs time-pieces for a living. She sends her father out in the street because he won't give up drinking, but wakes him up from his roadside sleeping place with a hot cuppa each morning.

Masand: 'Jo Dooba So Paar...' is boring

Sat, 15 Oct 2011 12:04:02 +0530

This clunky comedy stars Anand Tiwari (of The President is Coming and Aisha) as Kesu, a slacker boy who returns home to a small town in the cow-belt when he's thrown out of boarding school for being a nuisance.

Masand: 'Super 8' a gripping thriller

Fri, 14 Oct 2011 11:58:44 +0530

Set in the late 70s, 'Super 8' is a gripping thriller from 'Lost' creator JJ Abrams, that follows a bunch of school-going friends who accidentally capture footage of a major train crash while shooting a low-budget zombie film.

Masand: 'What's Your Number' has no surprises

Fri, 14 Oct 2011 11:53:57 +0530

Freaked out by a study in a glossy magazine that claims women who've slept with more than 20 partners are unlikely to ever get married, Ally (Anna Faris) decides to track down her 20 former lovers and settle down with whichever one has best husband potential.

Masand: 'Soundtrack' is a boring film

Fri, 07 Oct 2011 11:29:26 +0530

Slipping further and further into a vortex of drugs, alcohol and meaningless sex, the protagonist of Soundtrack, genius DJ Raunak Kaul (Rajeev Khandelwal), suddenly goes deaf one day. It's an intriguing premise, borrowed legitimately from the Canadian film It's All Gone Pete Tong, that itself claimed to be based on a true story.

Masand: '30 Min...' is silly but entertaining

Fri, 07 Oct 2011 11:13:39 +0530

30 Minutes or Less is a very silly but very entertaining comedy about two idiots (Danny McBride and Nick Swardson) who kidnap a laid-back pizza delivery boy (The Social Network's Jesse Eisenberg) and strap him with a vest full of explosives, forcing him to rob a bank for them.

Masand: 'Love Breakups Zindagi' offers nothing new

Fri, 07 Oct 2011 11:06:32 +0530

Too long by at least thirty minutes, 'Love Breakups Zindagi' is the kind of over-familiar schmaltz that might have felt less of a slog, had it featured charismatic leads with sizzling chemistry.

Masand: 'Real Steel' is a noisy action film

Fri, 07 Oct 2011 11:03:25 +0530

Set in a not-so-distant future where human fisticuffs are now passé and the new craze is all robot-boxing, Real Steel stars Hugh Jackman as Charlie Kenton, a washed-up ex-pugilist who struggles to make a living from getting his low-end robots into underground fights.

Masand: 'Rascals' is infuriatingly unfunny

Fri, 07 Oct 2011 10:59:02 +0530

Sanjay Dutt and Ajay Devgn play rival con artistes in director David Dhawan's 'Rascals', a third-rate comedy that borders on the offensive. Dutt's character, Chetan, poses as a social worker and motivational speaker who's trying to dupe a rich socialite out of her crores.

Sanjay Dutt and Ajay Devgn talk about 'Rascals'

Sat, 01 Oct 2011 11:09:56 +0530

Sanjay Dutt and Ajay Devgn talk about their upcoming release 'Rascals' and explain what it takes to make the audience laugh.

Now Showing: Catch this week's movie reviews

Sat, 01 Oct 2011 11:00:56 +0530

Rajeev Masand reviews 'Force', 'Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster', 'Tere Mere Phere' and 'Drive'.

Bengali Review: 'Baishey Shrabon' is stunning

Sat, 01 Oct 2011 08:34:38 +0530

Srijit Mukherji calls his 'Baishey Shrabon' a dark and violent thriller. Dark it is, but so stunningly dark. The way Kolkata streets melt in with Goutam Ghosh's poetry and then washes away with the rains that are so common to the city - leaves a little bit of Kolkata in every heart watching the movie.

Review: 'Hum Tum Shabana' is a bad attempt

Fri, 30 Sep 2011 11:37:40 +0530

Coming from a comic guru like Sagar Ballary, who has given comedies like 'Bheja Fry' and 'Bheja Fry 2', 'Hum Tum Shabana' is a total let down. Unlike his previous films, this has various scenes from different comedy films strung together to look like a comic masterpiece.

Masand: 'Drive' is a highly stylised film

Fri, 30 Sep 2011 11:31:16 +0530

Ryan Gosling shines as a nameless auto mechanic and Hollywood stunt driver who uses his skills behind the wheel to moonlight as a getaway guy for criminals in the moody, existential thriller 'Drive'. Clients get five minutes only, no more no less, for them to do their dirty work and hop back inside to evade the cops. Then Gosling burns rubber.

Masand: 'Tere Mere Phere' is an awful film

Fri, 30 Sep 2011 11:15:01 +0530

'Tere Mere Phere' is a loud and exaggerated comedy whose opening scene sets the mood and the tone for the roughly ninety minutes that follow. A man and woman seated beside each other on a flight get into a squabble over hogging a common armrest. It leads to something of a riot in the cabin when other passengers join in, throwing bags at each other, spilling food all over the place, and generally creating such a nuisance that even the pilots have to ditch control of the plane so they can try to break up the fight.

Masand: 'Saheb Biwi...' is over-simplistic

Fri, 30 Sep 2011 11:04:45 +0530

In a nod to the Guru Dutt classic from which it derives its title, director Tigmanshu Dhulia's 'Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster' explores the premise of a married woman's isolation in a sprawling estate, and the unlikely relationship she forms with a devoted male help. Sadly that's where the comparisons must end. For where 'Sahib Biwi Aur Ghulam' was the poignant portrait of a complex friendship, Dhulia's film is an over-simplistic and somewhat predictable tale of love and betrayal.

Masand: 'Force' has a weak central performance

Fri, 30 Sep 2011 10:51:32 +0530

John Abraham shows off his abs of steel playing a fearless cop committed to wiping out the drug mafia in director Nishikant Kamat's Force. Judged strictly by action-movie standards, this remake of the Tamil hit 'Kaakha Kaakha' delivers the goods. After all there are some slickly edited hand-to-hand fight sequences, a few breathless chases, and a little too much blood spill. Yet, because of its cardboard characterization and a weak central performance, you're emotionally disconnected from the hero, and never invested in his pain.

Masand: 'Johnny English...' is sporadically funny

Sat, 24 Sep 2011 12:15:27 +0530

In Johnny English Reborn, sequel to that forgettable James Bond parody from 2003, Rowan Atkinson reprises his role as the bumbling British super-spy. It's been five years since he exiled himself to a monastery in Tibet, after botching up his last mission in Mozambique.

Masand: 'Zookeeper' is an awful film

Sat, 24 Sep 2011 12:12:19 +0530

Like cigarettes, some films ought to come with a health warning. 'Zookeeper', in which a down-on-his-luck schlub gets romantic advice from talking animals, will give you a migraine, and is likely to invoke a lifelong hatred for simians.

Masand: 'Speedy Singhs' is time-pass entertainment

Sat, 24 Sep 2011 12:05:40 +0530

'Speedy Singhs' is a bargain basement version of Gurinder Chadha's 'Bend It Like Beckham', borrowing the exact same premise but leaving out the sharp wit of that cross-cultural comedy.

Masand: 'Mausam' is an unfortunate mess

Fri, 23 Sep 2011 11:59:39 +0530

Pankaj Kapur's 'Mausam' is an unfortunate mess of a movie about a pair of young lovers who spend more time apart than together, because they don't know how or where to reach one another when they're repeatedly separated.

Review: 'U R My Jaan', old bottle, old wine

Fri, 23 Sep 2011 05:38:45 +0530

We have heard and seen people changing their lifestyle and ambition for the sake of the real love. 'U R My Jaan' is no stranger in that respect.

Mansoor Khan reminisces about 'Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak'

Sat, 17 Sep 2011 11:15:56 +0530

Director Mansoor Khan reminisces about 'Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak' and 'Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar'.

Huge fan of Steve Carell: Ryan Gosling

Sat, 17 Sep 2011 11:11:14 +0530

In an exclusive interview with Rajeev Masand, Ryan Gosling talks about his movie 'Crazy, Stupid, Love' and co-star Steve Carell.

Now Showing: reviews of 'Crazy, Stupid, Love' & 'Warrior'

Sat, 17 Sep 2011 10:53:27 +0530

Rajeev Masand reviews 'Crazy, Stupid, Love' and 'Warrior'. Also catch the exclusives interviews with Ryan Gosling and Mansoor Khan.

Masand: 'Warrior' is an intense thriller

Fri, 16 Sep 2011 10:50:20 +0530

'Warrior' is an intense fight movie about two estranged brothers who face off against each other in the final round of a brutal, mixed martial-arts tournament. Joel Edgerton (from last year's excellent Australian hit Animal Kingdom) stars as Brendan Conlon, a high school physics teacher and ex-fighter who gets back into the ring to earn money so he can protect his wife and kids and save his home from being repossessed by the bank. Inception's Tom Hardy is Tommy, a disturbed soldier who has returned from the Iraq war under mysterious circumstances, and who becomes a YouTube sensation when he knocks out a big deal professional fighter in his local gym.

Masand: 'Crazy Stupid Love' is a touching film

Fri, 16 Sep 2011 10:37:18 +0530

'Crazy Stupid Love' is a funny and touching film with characters so likeable, it's hard to judge them even when they do foolish things. The plot swings into action when happily married Cal (Steve Carell), discovers that his wife Emily (Julianne Moore) has cheated on him with a colleague, and wants a divorce. Moping about in a bar, he catches the attention of smooth player Jacob (Ryan Gosling), who takes him under his wing and gives him a cool makeover. The confident new Cal gets lucky with a nympho schoolteacher (Marisa Tomei), but his heart still yearns for his wife, who has started dating that co-worker she slept with (Kevin Bacon).

Masand: 'Contagion' is a bio-threat thriller

Sat, 10 Sep 2011 01:14:41 +0530

Steven Soderbergh's 'Contagion' opens with a blank screen and the sound of a woman coughing. That woman is Gwyneth Paltrow, sitting at the airport bar in Chicago, on a layover from Hong Kong to Minnesota. It's evident from her coughing and her voice when she answers a call on her cell phone that she's caught something. We watch as she hands over her credit card to a bartender, who swipes the card, punches numbers on the till, and moves a few glasses around at the bar. Whatever Paltrow's got has just been passed on.

Masand: 'Mere Brother Ki...' is too predictable

Sat, 10 Sep 2011 12:02:47 +0530

Despite its over-familiar premise, 'Mere Brother Ki Dulhan' packs a light tone and some easy laughs, before the weight from all its clichés causes it to topple over like a house of cards.

Masand: 'Friends With Benefits' a gooey date-movie

Fri, 09 Sep 2011 11:08:26 +0530

'Friends With Benefits' is a smug little film that thinks it's smarter than your standard, sappy rom-com. It makes fun of the genre, takes digs at Katherine Heigl and Nora Ephron, and even shows its characters watching the kind of schmaltzy romance on TV that it claims to be better than. But turns out 'Friends With Benefits' is in fact a standard, sappy rom-com that's just as predictable as all the others out there.

Masand: 'Bol' is a film with an urgent message

Fri, 02 Sep 2011 11:40:22 +0530

There's an inherent sincerity in Khuda Ke Liye director Shoaib Mansoor's new film Bol, that compels you to look beyond its shortcomings. This film raises important questions about the terrifyingly regressive attitude towards women in Pakistan's patriarchal society, and casts a critical eye on various prejudices perpetuated in the name of religion.

Masand: 'Yellow Boots' leaves you wanting more

Fri, 02 Sep 2011 11:35:44 +0530

Appearances can be misleading, as you see in the case of Ruth, played by Kalki Koechlin in 'That Girl in Yellow Boots'. On the outside, Ruth seems like just another foreigner navigating herself through the usual red tape you witness at the immigration office. Yet, peel the layers, and you discover a half-British, half-Indian girl who has come to Mumbai on a mission - amongst the millions of anonymous faces in the city, she is searching for her father.

Masand: 'Bodyguard' is a lazy remake

Fri, 02 Sep 2011 11:17:07 +0530

Given the fact that Salman Khan's fans will pay money to watch a three-hour home video of the actor taking a nap, how you wish he'd exercise his influence and popularity to get good movies made. Bodyguard, his latest, is another lazy remake (of a Malayalam film) that banks squarely on the actor's considerable charm to make up for its archaic plot, sluggish pace, and puerile humor.

Bodyguard vs Yellow Boots on bipolar Friday

Fri, 02 Sep 2011 12:43:48 +0530

Actor and mass entertainer Salman Khan's Bodyguard, which is a remake of a remake of a remake literally has no new story to tell, but it is bravely jostling for the box office crown on an extended holiday weekend with bold storyteller Anurag Kashyap's unsettling That Girl In The Yellow Boots.

Review: 'Mummy Punjabi' is no superhero

Fri, 02 Sep 2011 12:17:44 +0530

The tag line of 'Mummy Punjabi' says - 'Superman Ki Bhi Maa!'; be sufficiently warned - the movie is a dud of superhero caliber. The movie stars - Kirron Kher, Jackie Shroff, Divya Dutta and Kanwaljeet Singh (among the people you might know) - the rest are almost unknown faces.

Masand: 'Conan...' is a dull, humourless remake

Fri, 26 Aug 2011 10:58:32 +0530

Former Baywatch star and hulking slab of granite Jason Momoa steps into the presumably big shoes of Arnold Schwarznegger to play that grunting, brutish warrior from the ancient land of Cimmeria in the new version of 'Conan The Barbarian'.

Masand: 'Shabri' doesn't rise above the ordinary

Fri, 26 Aug 2011 10:50:34 +0530

Another routine crime drama from the Ramgopal Varma assembly line, 'Shabri' starring Eesha Koppikar is billed as the story of Mumbai's first female don.

Masand: 'The Devil's Double' a thrilling potboiler

Sat, 20 Aug 2011 01:25:01 +0530

Loosely based on the true story of Latif Yahia, a former Iraqi soldier who was forced to become the body-double for Saddam Hussein's psychotic son Uday, 'The Devil's Double' is a thrilling, revolting, yet consistently fascinating to watch. Although rooted in the real, the film is presented as an all-guns-blazing gangster drama that evokes memories of that unforgettable Al Pacino starrer Scarface.

Masand: 'Bad Teacher' is a fun movie

Sat, 20 Aug 2011 01:19:50 +0530

Thirteen years ago when she innocently reached out for that 'hair gel' hanging off Ben Stiller's ear in There's Something About Mary, Cameron Diaz was anointed the funniest girl in the movies. After all, she could make the crudest jokes appear cute and harmless.

Masand: 'Fright Night' a waste of time and money

Sat, 20 Aug 2011 01:08:14 +0530

Remake of a popular 1985 hit, 'Fright Night' starring Colin Farrell as a vampire who moves into a residential neighborhood, doesn't even deliver on the promise of its title. The premise has potential for some genuine thrills, but the lousy script fails spectacularly in mining even a handful of scary moments.

Masand: 'Chatur Singh Two Star' strictly avoidable

Sat, 20 Aug 2011 01:01:16 +0530

Being made to watch 'Chatur Singh Two Star' is like serving a jail sentence. This over-two-hour film starring Sanjay Dutt as a bumbling cop is bad in so many ways that one could fill a notebook listing down all its flaws. In a nutshell, it's a third-rate script in the hands of a director with no apparent skills, and featuring an ensemble of ham artistes who aren't easily embarrassed.

Masand: 'Not A Love Story' not entirely unwatchable

Sat, 20 Aug 2011 12:51:45 +0530

Sixteen years after making Rangeela, a film centered on a struggling actress and her fairytale rise to stardom, Ramgopal Varma gives us 'Not A Love Story', whose protagonist is also a wannabe star, but one who doesn't get a fairytale ending.

Masand: 'Captain America' is good ol' fashioned fun

Fri, 12 Aug 2011 11:11:27 +0530

Blessed with an old-fashioned charm that you don't find in most modern blockbusters, 'Captain America: The First Avenger' is a simple, straightforward superhero film that places greater emphasis on story and characters over special effects and set-pieces.

Masand: 'Aarakshan' is a deathly boring slog

Fri, 12 Aug 2011 04:29:30 +0530

After 'Rajneeti', director Prakash Jha once again holds a mirror to society, taking up the issue of reservation in the education system with 'Aarakshan'. The film takes different perspectives; showing us that really, the victims of the politics of reservation are the students themselves.

Masand: 'I am Kalam' a charming little film

Fri, 05 Aug 2011 11:28:18 +0530

Inspirational and humorous in equal measure, 'I am Kalam' is the heartwarming story of a poor boy who aspires to learn; a young dreamer determined to rise above his humble roots and carve his own destiny.

Masand: 'Rise of the Planet...' is silly fun

Fri, 05 Aug 2011 11:25:26 +0530

'Rise of the Planet of the Apes' is quite the mouthful as far as movie titles go, but the film itself is more fun than most summer blockbusters that came out of Hollywood this year.

Kannada Review: 'Hare Rama Hare Krishna'

Sun, 31 Jul 2011 06:25:13 +0530

The film is bad enough to keep the audience out of the theatres.

'Lion King 3D' a revisit to the masterpiece

Sat, 30 Jul 2011 03:59:16 +0530

Once there was a lion cub who accidentally got dropped amid sheep and grew up believing and bawling like sheep. One day when a group of lions waylaid him and asked what a lion was doing amid sheep, he shivered for his life and said he was a sheep. They told him he was a lion and asked him to roar, but to no avail.

Now Showing: Reviews and a chat with team 'Aarakshan'

Sat, 30 Jul 2011 02:12:35 +0530

This week on Now Showing, Rajeev Masand reviews 'The Smurfs', 'The Tree of Life' and 'Cowboys & Aliens'.

Masand: 'The Tree of Life' is profound, poetic

Fri, 29 Jul 2011 11:23:26 +0530

'The Tree Of Life' is a hugely ambitious film. It polarizes audiences, calling for endless discussions and debate on what it's trying to say through its relentless visual ideas. This Palme D'Or winner is a modern mindbender. Writer-director Terrence Malick makes 'The Tree Of Life' a deeply personal film, dipping into his own childhood, but all the while questioning God, his reasons for inflicting suffering, the beauty of life, and the ambiguity and the inexplicable nature of death.

'Khap' a good attempt, but not engaging

Fri, 29 Jul 2011 11:14:36 +0530

Issue-based films tend to get themselves into trouble. And we don't mean just the trouble caused by disgruntled parties, political or otherwise. The balance that needs to be struck between headlines and their cinematic interpretation often tends to get lost thereby defeating the noblest of purposes and the best intentions of conscientious filmmakers who look at the cinematic medium as more than just entertainment.

Masand: 'The Smurfs' is likely to make you yawn

Fri, 29 Jul 2011 11:03:34 +0530

Likely to appeal exclusively to the 'Under 8' demographic - and yet harmless enough not to offend parents who will no doubt accompany their kids - 'The Smurfs' is a formulaic, fish-out-of-water adventure featuring the little blue stars of that popular 80s cartoon series.

Masand: 'Cowboys & Aliens' is a humourless affair

Fri, 29 Jul 2011 10:37:50 +0530

As many as six writers are credited with bringing 'Cowboys & Aliens' to the screen. It's true what they say about too many cooks. This Western-meets-sci-fi khichdi is a somber and humourless affair with none of the popcorn fun that you expect from a film with a goofy title like this.

Masand: 'Singham' wears you out

Fri, 22 Jul 2011 11:34:20 +0530

A few minutes into 'Singham', Ajay Devgn emerges from a holy lake, dressed only in a red dhoti and flaunting his pumped-up physique. He walks into camera in slow motion, his torso still wet, that six-pack visible from as far as the Moon.

DVD recommendation: 'The kid stays in the picture'

Fri, 22 Jul 2011 11:02:26 +0530

The Kid Stays in the Picture has to be a part of your movie collection.

Masand: 'Deathly Hallows' a perfect farewell

Fri, 15 Jul 2011 11:31:19 +0530

For ten years, it has all been leading up to this moment. 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2', the final episode in the eight-part movie saga, culminates in the awaited showdown between the teenage wizard and his lifelong nemesis Lord Voldemort, who finally enters the gates of Hogwarts to seek out Harry.

Masand: 'ZNMD' shows that boys will be boys

Fri, 15 Jul 2011 11:24:59 +0530

There's a moment in Zoya Akhtar's 'Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara' when Arjun, the character played by Hrithik Roshan, sits on a boat with tears in his eyes. It becomes clear that in a strange way, Arjun has been set free by a deep-sea diving experience. The realisation hits him that life is beautiful but you can only savour it when you live it by your own rules, not by what is expected of you.

Masand: 'Larry Crowne' a huge disappointment

Fri, 08 Jul 2011 11:29:30 +0530

Tom Hanks has pretty much made a career out of playing Average Joes, but even the most ordinary characters need interesting stories to merit a movie based on their lives. 'Larry Crowne', which Hanks co-wrote and directed in addition to acting in it, casts him as possibly the most boring, bland character he's played on screen yet.

Masand: 'Chillar Party' drags on endlessly

Fri, 08 Jul 2011 10:57:08 +0530

Good ideas don't always translate into good films. 'Chillar Party' is one such well-intentioned movie with a message for children and adults alike. It starts off promisingly enough, but loses all track of its audience and script, turning into a confused mess by the time it drags to the end.

Now Showing: Catch the latest movie reviews

Sat, 02 Jul 2011 03:08:59 +0530

This week on 'Now Showing', Rajeev Masand reviews 'Bbuddah Hoga Tera Baap', 'Delhi Belly' and 'Transformers: Dark of the Moon'.

Masand: 'Bbuddah Hoga Terra Baap' a lazy film

Fri, 01 Jul 2011 11:54:28 +0530

'Bbuddah Hoga Terra Baap' is positioned as the ultimate wet-dream for Amitabh Bachchan fans.

Masand: 'Transformers: Dark of...' is exhausting

Fri, 01 Jul 2011 11:39:31 +0530

If all you want from the new Transformers film is to watch robots fighting for two-and-a-half hours, you won't be disappointed.

Masand: 'Delhi Belly' guarantees a good laugh

Fri, 01 Jul 2011 11:19:21 +0530

Packed with rude humor and made with the intention to shock you, 'Delhi Belly' is a filthy comic thriller that works because it's a smartly paced wild-ride.

Masand: 'Cars 2' is a fine adventure

Fri, 24 Jun 2011 11:37:05 +0530

What's common to all Pixar films - whether they're about toys, monsters, fish, or garbage-recycling robots - is their ability to get viewers to emotionally invest in their stories and their protagonists. The same unfortunately isn't true of their latest film 'Cars 2', a fine adventure in the mould of James Bond films, but one that's missing that indescribable something that pierces straight to the heart.

Masand: 'Double Dhamaal' is a crashing bore

Fri, 24 Jun 2011 11:23:10 +0530

In a scene in 'Double Dhamaal' Ritesh Deshmukh, disguised as an older Gujarati businessman, twice whacks Sanjay Dutt in the nuts by swinging his golf club in the wrong direction. Dutt winces in pain.

Masand: 'Green Lantern' is underwhelming

Fri, 17 Jun 2011 11:34:18 +0530

Based on the DC Comics superhero created all the way back in the 1940s, 'Green Lantern' stars Ryan Reynolds as an irresponsible pilot named Hal Jordan who turns into a superhero when he puts on a coveted green ring that he receives from a dying alien.

Masand: 'Always Kabhi Kabhi' is boring

Fri, 17 Jun 2011 11:27:41 +0530

'Always Kabhi Kabhi' directed by Roshan Abbas channels those breezy 'High School Musical' movies...but alas this film doesn't have the infectious charm of those feel-good Disney entertainers.

Masand: 'Bheja Fry 2' is dead dull

Fri, 17 Jun 2011 11:19:59 +0530

Pathak reprises his role as Bharat Bhushan, but the lovably dimwitted man-child has turned into an annoying oaf this time round.

Masand: 'X-Men: First Class' is incredible fun

Fri, 10 Jun 2011 11:53:27 +0530

'X-Men: First Class' is an intelligent, action-packed prequel that neatly ties into the events and the dynamics of the original movie trilogy. Most importantly, it provides the back-story for the legendary rivalry between Professor X and Magneto.

Masand: 'West is West' is thoughtful

Fri, 10 Jun 2011 11:44:28 +0530

Om Puri returns as George Khan, the domineering father who's still trying to control the complicated lives of his rebellious kids in 'West is West', the sequel to that charming comedy 'East is East', about cultural clashes within a British-Asian family in 1970s Salford.

Masand: 'Shaitan' is a brave, engaging film

Fri, 10 Jun 2011 11:34:55 +0530

Hindi cinema seldom makes films about unapologetically amoral characters. The protagonists in director Bejoy Nambiar's 'Shaitan' are a group of five wayward youngsters who snort cocaine, get drunk, and drive around recklessly through the streets of Mumbai.

Masand: 'Hanna' is an intriguing thriller

Fri, 03 Jun 2011 10:05:24 +0530

The rugged dad Erik (Eric Bana) is a CIA operative gone rogue, and he's trained Hanna from infancy to hunt, fight and speak various foreign languages. From the film's very opening scene it becomes clear that she's learnt how to adapt in order to survive.

Masand: 'Ready' is an agonisingly boring film

Fri, 03 Jun 2011 09:55:17 +0530

'Ready' is strictly for die-hard Salman Khan fans (are there any other kind?) who're willing to forgive the fact that this tasteless, senseless film has no plot to speak of, yet lazily unfolds over two hours and thirty minutes.

Masand: 'Something Borrowed' is dumb

Fri, 27 May 2011 11:48:54 +0530

'Something Borrowed' starring Kate Hudson and Ginnifer Goodwin is a romantic comedy that's more stupid than most romantic comedies tend to be. Goodwin stars as Rachel, a plain-Jane corporate lawyer who fell for her law-school buddy Dex (Colin Egglesfield) while they were still studying. But she stood back and watched as her best friend Darcy (Hudson) made a play for him.

Masand: 'Kung Fu...' is a return to awesomeness

Fri, 27 May 2011 11:35:02 +0530

He's pitted against an evil peacock named Lord Shen (voiced by Gary Oldman) who killed his parents when he was a baby, and who is now threatening to conquer China using a fiery canon that will all but end the ancient art of kung fu.

Masand: 'The Hangover Part II' is disappointing

Fri, 27 May 2011 11:27:13 +0530

With 'The Hangover Part II', director Todd Phillips has made the exact same movie all over again. Except that he's set it in Thailand, and the jokes aren't that funny anymore.

Masand: '404' almost works

Fri, 20 May 2011 11:11:34 +0530

Set on a medical campus, this psychological thriller stars newcomer Rajvvir Aroraa as Abhimanyu, a freshman who stands up against the harsh ragging meted out to younger students at the hands of college seniors.

Masand: 'Pyaar ka Punchnama' is not funny

Fri, 20 May 2011 11:03:02 +0530

Disguised as a light-hearted comedy, 'Pyaar Ka Punchnama' is such a misogynistic film that you can't help but wonder if it was made by someone who's had his heart brutally stamped on by a woman.

Masand: 'PoC: On Stranger Tides' is average

Fri, 20 May 2011 10:53:46 +0530

A far cry from the first film, a swashbuckling adventure that was irreverent and inventive in equal measure, this fourth outing feels like a cynical rehash of the old formula.

Masand: 'Arthur' is a pointless film

Fri, 13 May 2011 09:58:55 +0530

Russell Brand couldn't muster up the same charm in 'Get Him To The Greek', that wildly uneven comedy about the same debauched musician. His latest film, 'Arthur' now suggests he might be a one-hit wonder after all.

Masand: 'Ragini MMS' is an over-long adult movie

Fri, 13 May 2011 09:45:41 +0530

Director Pavan Kriplani relies on familiar tropes to deliver plenty jump-in-your seat moments, but he disregards the genre's most important rule - don't show the ghost

Masand: 'Priest' is a sinful waste of 3D

Fri, 13 May 2011 09:44:29 +0530

Expect no such pleasures from 'Priest', which as it turns out is not only a dreadful waste of time, but a sinful waste of 3D too.

Masand: 'Stanley ka dabba' is heartwarming

Fri, 13 May 2011 08:25:44 +0530

Made with honesty and a touch of innocence, it leaves you feeling very rewarded.

Masand: 'Water for Elephants' misses soul

Sat, 07 May 2011 12:29:24 +0530

Worth a look purely for its immaculate period design, this is a long, tiring film.

Masand: 'Fast Five' isn't a memorable movie

Sat, 07 May 2011 12:26:56 +0530

Like junk food it's a guilty pleasure to be enjoyed, then quickly forgotten.

Masand: 'Haunted' is not scary

Fri, 06 May 2011 11:51:00 +0530

How do you not laugh when the horror film you're meant to be watching, unexpectedly turns into a comedy? 'Haunted', directed by Vikram Bhatt in 3D no less, is about a young man (played by Mimoh Chakraborty, now rechristened Mahaakshay) who comes to learn that the sprawling home he's been put in charge of, has spirits running around inside for the last 80 years or so.

Masand: 'Luv Ka The End' is sleazy, homophobic

Fri, 06 May 2011 11:34:58 +0530

There's a reason why so many kids enjoy watching those American teen comedies. It has a certain aspiration value, or a 'fantasy value' if you like. Who wouldn't want their lives to be straight out of an American Pie movie?

Masand: 'Thor' is average entertainment

Sat, 30 Apr 2011 12:12:23 +0530

'Thor' just fails to match up to the high standards set by some recent comic book films.

Masand: 'Source Code' keeps you engaged

Sat, 30 Apr 2011 12:08:25 +0530

It's a far-fetched premise, but director Duncan Jones treats it as realistically as possible.

Masand: 'Limitless' is flawed but enjoyable

Sat, 30 Apr 2011 12:04:02 +0530

It's the kind of film that asks you to sit back and enjoy the nifty effects and the slick editing.

Masand: 'Chalo Dilli' is predictable

Fri, 29 Apr 2011 11:42:04 +0530

She's an uppity investment banker who doesn't suffer fools. He's a boorish but well-meaning klutz who has a problem shutting up. Missed flights and car breakdowns leave Lara Dutta and Vinay Pathak's characters with no option but to hit the road together from Jaipur to Delhi, hitching rides in trucks, camel-carts, and trains, and at one point in an overcrowded jeep owned by local goons.

Masand: 'I Am' is an honest film

Fri, 29 Apr 2011 11:33:32 +0530

Four short stories, roughly 25 minutes each, make up the honest and hard-hitting feature I Am, directed by Onir.

Masand: 'Shor in ...' is surprisingly enjoyable

Fri, 29 Apr 2011 11:01:26 +0530

Three desperate men fighting circumstances and struggling to make a better life for themselves in a corrupt metro...these are the protagonists of the appropriately titled Shor in the City, a sparkling comedy thriller that sucks you into its world from the very word go.

Masand: 'The Roommate' is appallingly bad

Fri, 22 Apr 2011 10:50:26 +0530

Leighton Meester, who stars as spoilt little rich girl Blair Waldorf in the 'Gossip Girl' series, slums it out as a nutjob collegian obsessed with another female student in the insultingly dumb teen thriller 'The Roommate'.

Masand: 'Zokkomon' has tacky special effects

Fri, 22 Apr 2011 10:34:31 +0530

In 'Zokkomon', Darsheel Safary, the pint-sized star of 'Taare Zameen Par' plays Kunal, a 'Harry Potter'-like orphan kid who's packed off to a village to live with his uncle after his parents are killed in an accident.

Masand: 'Dum Maaro Dum' is very haphazard

Fri, 22 Apr 2011 10:18:06 +0530

'Dum Maaro Dum', directed by Rohan Sippy, is a heady cocktail of crime, deceit, love, sex and drama. And yet, somehow, it fails to come together as the slick action thriller that it set out to be.

Masand: 'Unknown' is a gripping thriller

Fri, 15 Apr 2011 11:39:35 +0530

'Unknown', starring Liam Neeson, is a gripping suspense thriller about a man who wakes up from a coma to discover that his identity has been stolen.

Masand: 'Rango' is unusual and enjoyable

Fri, 15 Apr 2011 11:23:24 +0530

The creepy crawlies in 'Rango' are a far cry from Pixar's kiddie-friendly critters like the rat-who-can-cook in Ratatouille and the ingenious inventor-ant in A Bug's Life, or even that faithful cockroach who follows around his robot pal in Wall-E

Masand: 'Scream 4' gets tiring half way

Fri, 15 Apr 2011 11:00:05 +0530

'Scream 4', like the first film in the series that released all the way back in 1996, is packed with characters that are horror-movie geeks.

Masand: 'Teen Thay Bhai' is shockingly dull

Fri, 15 Apr 2011 10:35:50 +0530

The stoner comedy is a genre of films that revolve around the use of marijuana in a lightweight, usually harmless fashion.

Masand: 'Just Go ...' is low-brow entertainment

Fri, 08 Apr 2011 11:21:07 +0530

Sandler stars as Danny, a successful plastic surgeon who pretends to be unhappily married, so women will sleep with him out of pity.

Masand: 'Rio' is a feel good adventure

Fri, 08 Apr 2011 11:06:26 +0530

Jesse Eisenberg gets pigeonholed as the voice of nerd-bird Blu. Snatched out of the trees when he was little, and taken to America where he ends up being raised by singleton bookshop-owner Linda.

Masand:'Thank You' is an awful film

Fri, 08 Apr 2011 10:48:17 +0530

'Thank You' is about three women who hire a detective to expose their cheating husbands.

Masand: 'The Lincoln Lawyer' is a slick thriller

Fri, 01 Apr 2011 08:20:24 +0530

Matthew McConaughey stars as cocky LA defense attorney Mick Haller in 'The Lincoln Lawyer'.

Masand: 'The Adjustment Bureau' is sluggish

Fri, 01 Apr 2011 08:00:27 +0530

'The Adjustment Bureau' starring Matt Damon is based on the outlandish but undeniably fascinating premise that unknown to us there exists a secret worldwide network that keeps mankind running according to a pre-written plan.

Masand: 'Faltu' is a dumb comedy

Fri, 01 Apr 2011 07:51:03 +0530

Four friends with no interest in academics create a fake university so they can fool their families into thinking they're getting a real education.

Masand: 'Game' is a colossal bore

Fri, 01 Apr 2011 07:31:58 +0530

With cliches that make you cringe, plot-holes the size of craters, 'Game' is a colossal bore.

Masand: 'Barney's Version' is a dark comedy

Fri, 25 Mar 2011 11:04:00 +0530

Giamatti stars as grouchy Jewish TV producer Barney Panofsky, who looks back over his event-filled life and his three marriages, as his memory begins to deteriorate due to Alzheimer's.

Masand: 'The Eagle' is slow-paced and boring

Fri, 25 Mar 2011 10:45:15 +0530

Set far back in 140 AD, 'The Eagle' is a mind-numbing war-and-redemption saga that stars Channing Tatum as Marcus Aquila, a brave soldier with the Roman army in Britain, who's been wearing a cloak of paternal shame.

Masand: 'Sucker Punch' has blazing originality

Fri, 25 Mar 2011 10:23:20 +0530

Mixing fantasy with reality, it tells the story of a 20-year-old girl Baby Doll (played by Emily Browning) who is packed off to a mental asylum by her evil stepfather, where she will soon be lobotomized.

Masand: 'The Hole' is old fashioned horror

Fri, 18 Mar 2011 09:26:58 +0530

Mucking around in the basement of their new home, a teenage boy and his kid brother discover a trapdoor secured with several padlocks. Joined by the cute girl from next door, the boys unlock the trapdoor and unleash a sinister force that preys upon their darkest fears.

Masand: 'Red Riding Hood' is silly beyond belief

Fri, 18 Mar 2011 08:57:29 +0530

Loosely based on the Grimm Brothers fairy tale, 'Red Riding Hood' is in fact a muddled fantasy thriller from 'Twilight' director Catherine Hardwicke, and it tries desperately to channel the filmmaker's last hit.

Now Showing: Film reviews and chat with Aaron Eckhart

Sat, 12 Mar 2011 01:42:57 +0530

Watch this week all the latest movie reviews and a chat with Aaron Eckhart.

Masand: 'Hereafter' is disappointing

Fri, 11 Mar 2011 08:40:17 +0530

In the absence of a stronger dramatic pulse, this is one of Clint Eastwood's weakest films and a solid disappointment.

Masand: 'Battle: Los Angeles' is ridiculous

Fri, 11 Mar 2011 08:28:03 +0530

'Battle..' is neither original and moving, nor delivers the cheap thrills of 'Independence Day'.

Now Showing: Reviews and chat with Michelle Rodriguez

Sat, 05 Mar 2011 05:35:31 +0530

Catch the movie reviews of the latest movies and a chat with Avataar actor Michelle Rodriguez.

Masand: 'Black Swan' is strangely fascinating

Fri, 04 Mar 2011 09:38:25 +0530

'Black Swan' is a visually stunning and disturbing melodrama starring Natalie Portman.

Masand: 'Hall Pass' is tasteless humour

Fri, 04 Mar 2011 09:28:04 +0530

'Hall Pass' is about two married guys who get restless in their domesticated lives.

Masand: 'The King's Speech' is a sumptuous film

Fri, 04 Mar 2011 05:59:15 +0530

'The King's Speech' is about the relationship between the monarch and his speech therapist.

Masand: 'The Fighter' is more than just boxing

Fri, 25 Feb 2011 09:38:45 +0530

It's as much a tense family drama that delivers emotional punches outside the ring.

Masand: 'True Grit' is a must watch

Fri, 25 Feb 2011 09:17:30 +0530

Delivering both action and laughs, the film has a morbid sense of humor that appeals.

Masand: 'Tanu Weds Manu' is bizarre

Fri, 25 Feb 2011 08:45:02 +0530

Rajeev Masand says 'Tanu Weds Manu' suffers from a painful 'Jab We Met' hangover.

Masand: 'Rabbit Hole', deeply affecting drama

Sat, 19 Feb 2011 08:46:30 +0530

Nicole Kidman delivers a searing performance as a mother trying to accept her son's death.

Masand: 'I Am Number Four' is predictable

Sat, 19 Feb 2011 08:33:22 +0530

The only cheap thrills are provided in a noisy duel between two monstrous creatures in the climax.

Masand: 'Kaccha Limboo' is an overly long film

Sat, 19 Feb 2011 08:00:53 +0530

Directed by Sagar Bellary, the film, amateurishly made, somewhere has a terrific idea.

Masand: 'Saat Khoon Maaf' tests your patience

Sat, 19 Feb 2011 07:25:17 +0530

'Saat Khoon Maaf', directed by Vishal Bhardwaj, is a dark and daring film, but is disappointing.

Masand: 'No Strings Attached' genuinely funny

Sat, 12 Feb 2011 12:34:05 +0530

It's a surprisingly enjoyable romantic comedy that's genuinely funny, and also sweet.

Masand: 'Patiala House' lacks subtleties, nuances

Sat, 12 Feb 2011 12:24:08 +0530

This film may work for those who miss old-fashioned melodramatic entertainers.

Masand: 'Sanctum' is dead boring

Fri, 04 Feb 2011 10:48:16 +0530

It's dead boring after a point; and as you wait for something to happen on screen.

Masand: 'Yeh Saali Zindagi' surprises you

Fri, 04 Feb 2011 10:32:23 +0530

Writer-director Sudhir Mishra paints a throbbing portrait of Delhi's dark underbelly.

Masand: 'Biutiful' is depressing

Fri, 04 Feb 2011 10:19:37 +0530

'Biutiful' is a quietly devastating film that will break your heart.

Masand: 'Burlesque' is a tough slog

Fri, 28 Jan 2011 11:31:03 +0530

The script is old and dated, but the musical set-pieces are occasionally entertaining.

Masand: '127 Hours' is overwhelming

Fri, 28 Jan 2011 11:20:40 +0530

'127 Hours' is one of those films which transport you to the centre of the action.

Masand: 'Dil Toh...' is occasionally entertaining

Fri, 28 Jan 2011 11:15:43 +0530

'Dil To Baccha Hai Ji' is too long for a light-hearted comedy, and the dialogue is pedestrian.

Masand: 'Somewhere' has a hypnotic, poetic quality

Sat, 22 Jan 2011 01:01:27 +0530

'Somewhere' unfolds at a leisurely pace, but it has a hypnotic, poetic quality that's one of a kind.

Masand: 'Tangled' gives you good fun

Sat, 22 Jan 2011 12:57:06 +0530

'Tangled' is a simply-told story elevated by some excellent musical set-pieces.

Masand: 'Little Fockers' is a dreadful film

Sat, 22 Jan 2011 12:40:00 +0530

'Little Fockers' is the third film in the Meet The Parents franchise, and it's also the least funny.

Masand: 'Dhobi Ghat' slowly grows on you

Sat, 22 Jan 2011 12:22:11 +0530

'Dhobi Ghat' is for those who have an open mind and an appetite for the experimental.

Masand: 'Turning 30' tries too hard to be cool

Fri, 14 Jan 2011 11:17:23 +0530

Turning 30 suffers from an incurable Sex and the City hangover.

Masand: Yamla Pagla Deewana is enjoyable

Fri, 14 Jan 2011 11:15:58 +0530

Much of the real humor in this Samir Karnik film is derived from the in-jokes.

Masand: The Green Hornet is marginally engaging

Fri, 14 Jan 2011 10:25:15 +0530

The film itself can't seem to decide if it wants to parody the genre or celebrate it.

Masand: 'Fair Game' is crisp and clear

Sat, 08 Jan 2011 07:58:11 +0530

The film looks back at the Washington scandal of 2003, after Iraq war started.

Masand: 'Paranormal Activity 2' is a good scare

Sat, 08 Jan 2011 12:22:27 +0530

'Paranormal Activity 2' doesn't use eerie music or special effects to scare you.

Masand: 'No One Killed Jessica' is melodramatic

Sat, 08 Jan 2011 12:07:00 +0530

'No One Killed Jessica' is an overdramatised account of Jessica Lall's murder.

5 lessons we learnt at the movies this year

Fri, 31 Dec 2010 10:46:18 +0530

Rajeev Masand points out 5 lessons from the performances of the movies in 2010.

5 films you should have watched this year

Fri, 31 Dec 2010 10:38:22 +0530

Rajeev Masand lists five films that people should have watched in 2010.

Masand: The hits and pits of 2010

Fri, 31 Dec 2010 10:14:17 +0530

It's been a year of some surprises and more than a few big disappointments.

Masand: 'Megamind' is charming, smart

Sat, 25 Dec 2010 12:21:53 +0530

'Megamind' is a fast-paced animated adventure which doesn't let you get bored even for a minute.

Masand: 'The Tourist' is a dull movie

Sat, 25 Dec 2010 12:14:22 +0530

For one, Jolie and Depp have zero chemistry, which is shocking to say the least.

Masand: 'Isi Life Me' is a half-baked melodrama

Fri, 24 Dec 2010 11:49:41 +0530

'Isi Life Mein'is a typical Rajshri film disguised in a contemporary garment.

Masand: 'Toonpur Ka Superhero' is unimaginative

Fri, 24 Dec 2010 11:43:57 +0530

Virtually every single animated character in the movie is a stereotype.

Masand: 'Tees Maar Khan' has puerile humour

Fri, 24 Dec 2010 11:20:45 +0530

'Tees Maar Khan' doesn't match up to Farah Khan's previous movies' standards.

Now Showing: Movie reviews, chat with Ranveer Singh

Sat, 18 Dec 2010 10:20:26 +0530

Rajeev Masand reviews 'Mirch', 'Tron: Legacy' and 'You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger'. He also interviews new actor Ranveer Singh.

Masand: 'You will...' lacks a sharp wit

Sat, 18 Dec 2010 12:09:41 +0530

The four principal protagonists in 'You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger' are seeking more from life than has been dealt to them.

Masand: 'Tron: Legacy' is a marvel of effects

Fri, 17 Dec 2010 11:41:26 +0530

'Tron Legacy's' biggest success is its use of 3D. The only film since last year's 'Avatar' to use the extra dimension.

Masand: 'Mirch' is like a half cooked meal

Fri, 17 Dec 2010 11:19:20 +0530

'Mirch' is let down by its slab-of-stone lead, Arunoday Singh who stars as the writer-director protagonist.

Masand: 'Faster' is unbelievably silly

Sat, 11 Dec 2010 12:14:18 +0530

Faster is the kind of blood-splattered revenge film that doesn't bother with such niceties as character names.

Masand: 'Faster' is unbelievably silly

Sat, 11 Dec 2010 12:14:18 +0530

Faster is the kind of blood-splattered revenge film that doesn't bother with such niceties as character names.

Masand: 'Band Baaja...' is a charming entertainer

Fri, 10 Dec 2010 11:38:47 +0530

This charming entertainer directed by Maneesh Sharma is set in middle-class Delhi and tells a story of two ordinary characters.

Masand: 'Band Baaja...' is a charming entertainer

Fri, 10 Dec 2010 11:38:47 +0530

This charming entertainer directed by Maneesh Sharma is set in middle-class Delhi and tells a story of two ordinary characters.

Masand: 'No Problem' is spectacularly stupid

Fri, 10 Dec 2010 11:11:25 +0530

'No Problem' is a rather ironic title for a film that is offensive on so many levels.

Masand: 'No Problem' is spectacularly stupid

Fri, 10 Dec 2010 11:11:25 +0530

'No Problem' is a rather ironic title for a film that is offensive on so many levels.

Now Showing: The reviews and Freida chats up

Sat, 04 Dec 2010 02:51:12 +0530

Four movies to catch up this week and Freida Pinto talks about her Hollywood spree with Masand.

Masand: 'The Chronicles of...' is for loyal fans

Sat, 04 Dec 2010 12:39:45 +0530

Third in the series of Narnia films, 'The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader' opens in wartime England.

Masand: 'The Chronicles of...' is for loyal fans

Sat, 04 Dec 2010 12:39:45 +0530

Third in the series of Narnia films, 'The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader' opens in wartime England.

Masand: 'Phas Gaye Re Obama' is a smart comedy

Sat, 04 Dec 2010 12:02:22 +0530

Constructed from a terrific script that's strong on plot and packed with crackling dialogue, 'Phas Gaye Re Obama' is consistently engaging.

Masand: 'Phas Gaye Re Obama' is a smart comedy

Sat, 04 Dec 2010 12:02:22 +0530

Constructed from a terrific script that's strong on plot and packed with crackling dialogue, 'Phas Gaye Re Obama' is consistently engaging.

Masand: 'Rakht Charitra 2' lacks drama

Fri, 03 Dec 2010 11:29:05 +0530

Unlike the earlier film, which had some plot to speak of, 'Rakht Charitra 2' is an unabashed orgy of gory action.

Masand: 'Rakht Charitra 2' lacks drama

Fri, 03 Dec 2010 11:29:05 +0530

Unlike the earlier film, which had some plot to speak of, 'Rakht Charitra 2' is an unabashed orgy of gory action.

Masand: 'Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey' fails to move

Fri, 03 Dec 2010 10:09:33 +0530

'Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey' has the earnestness of a school play, but lacks the cinematic sweep of Gowariker's 'Lagaan'

Masand: 'Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey' fails to move

Fri, 03 Dec 2010 10:09:33 +0530

'Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey' has the earnestness of a school play, but lacks the cinematic sweep of Gowariker's 'Lagaan'

Now Showing: Movie reviews and chat with Asha

Sat, 27 Nov 2010 03:41:34 +0530

CNN-IBN Entertainment Editor Rajeev Masand reviews 'Break Ke Baad', 'Allah Ke Banday'm 'Unstoppable', 'Secretariat' and 'Red'.

Masand: 'Secretariat' keeps you fascinated

Sat, 27 Nov 2010 09:32:31 +0530

In 1973, a three-year-old chestnut stallion made headlines when it became the first racehorse in 25 years to win the Triple Crown.

Masand: 'Unstoppable' delivers what it promises

Sat, 27 Nov 2010 09:11:44 +0530

Director Tony Scott's "Unstoppable" is a fast-paced action thriller that takes a little while to pick up speed.

Masand: 'Red' isn't particularly thrilling

Sat, 27 Nov 2010 09:08:55 +0530

The action isn't particularly thrilling, and the cartoonish violence is fun, but only in spurts.

Masand: 'Allah Ke Banday' is a confused film

Sat, 27 Nov 2010 08:54:36 +0530

The director is unable to decide if he wants to be a hard-hitting, realistic film or a Sanjay Gupta-style filmi actioner.

Masand: 'Break Ke Baad' is an engaging film

Sat, 27 Nov 2010 08:47:49 +0530

'Break Ke Baad', starring Imran Khan and Deepika Padukone, is arguably more engaging than recent films of this genre.

Masand: Harry Potter... is thrilling

Fri, 19 Nov 2010 11:16:23 +0530

In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I there are moments that are likely to unnerve even grown-ups in the audience.

Masand: Shahrukh Bola... runs out of steam

Fri, 19 Nov 2010 11:10:59 +0530

The film is constructed around our obsession with celebrities but it never rises above its one-line idea.

Masand: Magic is missing in 'Guzaarish'

Fri, 19 Nov 2010 10:59:21 +0530

Its various subplots inspired from different films, "Guzaarish" is a mash-up of many interesting ideas.

Masand: Stay far away from 'Skyline'

Fri, 12 Nov 2010 09:48:57 +0530

Hardcore fans of sci-fi are likely to enjoy the film's final 15 minutes in which humans and aliens go hand-to-tentacle in a desperate fight for survival.

Masand: 'The Social Network' is a smart film

Fri, 12 Nov 2010 09:35:30 +0530

'The Social Network' is the best film I've seen this year - a smart film for a smart audience.

Masand: 'Dunno y na jaane kyun' is absurd

Fri, 12 Nov 2010 08:38:12 +0530

It's unlikely that you've ever seen a movie as absurd as 'Dunno Y Na Jaane Kyun'.

Masand: 'Due Date' is comedy with warmth

Fri, 05 Nov 2010 06:41:46 +0530

'Due Date' is structured as your standard comic road-movie. This is the film not to miss this weekend!

Masand: 'Due Date' is comedy with warmth

Fri, 05 Nov 2010 06:41:46 +0530

'Due Date' is structured as your standard comic road-movie. This is the film not to miss this weekend!

Masand: 'Action Replayy' is mind-numbingly dull

Fri, 05 Nov 2010 06:25:55 +0530

The one smart joke in the film is a character who sings in both male and female voices, but that's not enough to save this sinking ship of a film.

Masand: 'Action Replayy' is mind-numbingly dull

Fri, 05 Nov 2010 06:25:55 +0530

The one smart joke in the film is a character who sings in both male and female voices, but that's not enough to save this sinking ship of a film.

Masand: 'Golmaal 3' is pedestrian comedy

Fri, 05 Nov 2010 06:12:12 +0530

If you must, watch it for Mithun, who shows us he's still got his mojo!

Masand: 'Golmaal 3' is pedestrian comedy

Fri, 05 Nov 2010 06:12:12 +0530

If you must, watch it for Mithun, who shows us he's still got his mojo!

Masand: 'Piranha 3D' is a lazy weekend watch

Fri, 29 Oct 2010 11:45:08 +0530

Very often a title tells you everything you need to know about a film. "Piranha 3D" is that kind of title.

Masand: 'Maalik Ek' is simplistic but earnest

Fri, 29 Oct 2010 11:29:25 +0530

Jackie Shroff slips into the robes of Shirdi's famed Sai Baba in "Maalik Ek", a simplistic but earnest film that celebrates the life and teachings of the fakir-saint with magical healing powers.

Masand: 'Daayen Ya Baayen' is quirky and unusual

Fri, 29 Oct 2010 10:53:02 +0530

A respectable first film by Bela Negi, you may not be disappointed if you have an appetite for the quirky and the unusual.

Telugu Review: 'Brindavanam' is old wine in a new bottle

Tue, 26 Oct 2010 04:52:42 +0530

There is absolutely nothing new or original in the film

Masand: 'The Other Guys' is hilarious

Sat, 23 Oct 2010 08:50:25 +0530

What could have been just another regular buddy-cop movie is elevated considerably by two fantastic leads. You won't remember the last time you laughed this hard!

Masand: 'Hisss' is ridiculous and disgusting

Sat, 23 Oct 2010 12:15:05 +0530

At 90 minutes 'Hisss' is mercifully short, but watch it only if you're not easily disgusted.

Masand: 'Rakta Charitra' is bold and disturbing

Fri, 22 Oct 2010 11:40:59 +0530

Ramgopal Varma's Rakta Charitra. It's a bold, disturbing film that's bursting with the kind of confidence we haven't seen from the filmmaker recently.

Masand: Jhootha Hi Sahi is a plodding bore

Fri, 22 Oct 2010 11:07:38 +0530

Jhootha Hi Sahi, directed by Abbas Tyrewala, is the kind of film that makes you embarrassed for everyone associated with it. It's one of those films that might have been so bad that it's good, except that it's not even bad enough to be enjoyable!

Masand: Jhootha Hi Sahi is a plodding bore

Fri, 22 Oct 2010 11:07:38 +0530

Now Showing: Masand's verdict on Friday releases

Sat, 16 Oct 2010 06:11:42 +0530

Here's a guide to your weekend entertainment and the show that helps to choose what to watch on this Friday.

Masand: 'Ramayana...' lacks visual inventivenes

Fri, 15 Oct 2010 11:54:53 +0530

As with most animation films, it's hard to watch 'Ramayana: The Epic' without an awareness of how painstakingly it was created.

Masand: 'Aakrosh' has powerful, gripping moments

Fri, 15 Oct 2010 11:37:21 +0530

Of the cast, Ajay Devgan dives into his character with sincerity, and Paresh Rawal makes your skin crawl as the despicable local cop.

Masand: 'Knock Out' is ridiculously simple

Fri, 15 Oct 2010 11:12:48 +0530

The performances by all 3 actors are uniformly embarrassing, particularly by Irrfan Khan who is saddled with the film's stupidest lines.

Telugu Review: 'Khaleja' fails to pack a punch

Wed, 13 Oct 2010 05:29:40 +0530

Keep your expectations low and watch it only if you are a Mahesh Babu fan

Now Showing: A look at this week's releases

Sat, 09 Oct 2010 05:00:24 +0530

Movie buffs have a variety of films to choose from as 'Crook', 'Do Dooni Chaar', 'Eat, Pray, Love', 'The Town' and 'The American' hit the screens on Friday.

Masand: 'Eat Pray Love' is dreadfully boring

Sat, 09 Oct 2010 12:02:07 +0530

Julia Roberts stars as New York writer Elizabeth Gilbert, on whose best-selling memoir this dreadfully boring film is based.

Masand: 'The Town' has some ace performances

Fri, 08 Oct 2010 11:47:20 +0530

It's engaging from the moment in and doesn't let go of your attention till the lights come back on in the end.

Masand: 'Do Dooni...' is simple but lovable

Fri, 08 Oct 2010 11:35:54 +0530

Santosh Duggal (played by Rishi Kapoor) is a school teacher whose measly salary barely covers the family's monthly expenses.

Masand: 'The American' is agonisingly slow-paced

Fri, 08 Oct 2010 11:31:56 +0530

Even the effortlessly cool George Clooney appears uncomfortable, trapped in a character he can't seem to wrap his head around.

Masand: 'Crook' is colossally disappointing

Fri, 08 Oct 2010 11:23:17 +0530

The film stars Emran Hashmi as a petty movie pirate who immigrates illegally to Melbourne, and falls for an earnest radio jockey.

Masand: 'Going The Distance' is a satisfying watch

Fri, 01 Oct 2010 11:15:51 +0530

Drew Barrymore and Justin Long are an on-off couple in real life too, and their chemistry makes up for many of the script's shortcomings.

Masand: 'Khichdi...' is unpretentiously idiotic

Fri, 01 Oct 2010 11:02:06 +0530

The jokes in this film are uniformly infantile - the sort that parents proudly encourage their 5-yr-olds to crack at family gatherings.

Masand: 'Robot' is an adventure waiting for you

Fri, 01 Oct 2010 10:35:34 +0530

'Robot' has a clear plot to hook the viewer in place rather than impress with empty special effects.

Masand: 'Anjaana Anjaani' is deathly boring

Fri, 01 Oct 2010 10:24:33 +0530

Ranbir Kapoor plays Akash, who's lost millions in the stock market crash and has a fat loan to pay off.

Masand: 'Wall Street...Sleeps' is too sanitized

Fri, 24 Sep 2010 10:29:12 +0530

Oliver Stone directs with a heavy hand, underlining every point he makes, leaving absolutely nothing to subtlety.

Masand: 'Shanghai' is ridiculously simplistic

Fri, 17 Sep 2010 11:18:16 +0530

Despite its attractive cast and epic feel, the World War II drama is too simplistic for a nail-biting political thriller.

Masand: 'For Real' is only moderately engaging

Fri, 17 Sep 2010 11:11:32 +0530

Directed by Sona Jain, 'For Real' is a thought-provoking but amateurish film about the breakdown of a marriage.

Telugu Review: 'Gaayam-2' lacks the feel of 'Gaayam'

Tue, 14 Sep 2010 05:15:39 +0530

The film has Jagapathi Babu, Vimala Raman and Kota Srinivas Rao

Serial kisser Emraan Hashmi is back with a bang

Mon, 13 Sep 2010 05:47:27 +0530

In conversation with Rajeev Masand, Emraan Hashmi talks about working with Ajay Devgan, his secrets and lies.

Masand: 'Dabangg' is ordinary, at best average

Fri, 10 Sep 2010 11:28:25 +0530

The action in this movie has a distinctly comic-book feel to it, reminiscent of those popular Tamil B-movies.

Masand: 'Step Up 3D' is shamelessly good fun

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 11:20:42 +0530

This is the third film in the 'Step Up' franchise, and easily the most enjoyable.

Masand: 'We Are Family' is staggeringly dull

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 11:18:15 +0530

A large part of the reason why this film doesn't work is its sterile treatment.

Nothing really special about 'Happy Happy Ga'

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 08:46:42 +0530

The film stars Varun Sandesh, Vega and Saranya Mohan in lead roles

Masand's: 'Hello Darling' is devoid of originality

Fri, 27 Aug 2010 11:45:26 +0530

Starring Gul Panag, Celina Jaitley and Eesha Koppikar, 'Hello Darling' is a shameless rip-off of the 1980 office comedy Nine to Five.

Masand's: 'Aashayein' is difficult to sit through

Fri, 27 Aug 2010 11:39:39 +0530

There are many reasons why 'Aashayein' is a difficult film to sit through, but chief among them is its misplaced sense of self-importance.

Tamil Review: 'Naan Mahaan Alla' a realistic thriller

Mon, 23 Aug 2010 04:55:37 +0530

The film stars Karthi, Kajal Agrawal and Thanjai Mahendran

Masand: 'Lafangey Parindey' is pointless, boring

Fri, 20 Aug 2010 11:04:31 +0530

On the upside, the film has a refreshing soundtrack by R Anandh, and some of the supporting cast makes an impression.

'Don Seenu' is a disappointing, routine flick

Sat, 14 Aug 2010 06:24:13 +0530

Watch it only if you are a hardcore Ravi Teja fan

'U-Turn' is a big turn-off

Sat, 14 Aug 2010 05:43:09 +0530

It seems director Animesh Roy lost interest in the film mid-way

Masand: 'Help' is far from frightening

Fri, 13 Aug 2010 11:29:31 +0530

The makers of 'Help' exhaust all their creativity executing the special effects, leaving the script as dull as dishwater.

Masand: 'Peepli Live', a serious story with heart

Fri, 13 Aug 2010 11:13:42 +0530

The very opening scene of 'Peepli Live' establishes the film's villager protagonist Natha as a dreamer.

Masand: 'Dinner for...' is distinctly unfunny

Fri, 13 Aug 2010 10:26:32 +0530

The comic chemistry between Carell and Rudd is easily this film's only strong point.

Masand: 'The Expendables' is old-fashioned

Fri, 13 Aug 2010 10:21:25 +0530

Co-written and directed by Stallone himself, the movie is a throwback to the good old mindless action movies of the 80s.

Masand: 'Grown Ups' keeps you laughing

Fri, 13 Aug 2010 10:18:20 +0530

The new Adam Sandler comedy Grown Ups Mis an unlikely cocktail of gross frat-boy humor and sweet sentimentality, and surprisingly it works.

Salma Hayek loved playing a sexy mom in 'Grown Ups'

Thu, 12 Aug 2010 02:03:37 +0530

The 'Frida' star, who herself has a daughter, enjoyed doing a maternal stint in Dennis Dugan's film.

'Sara Raat' is not a classic

Tue, 10 Aug 2010 05:01:53 +0530

The film, based on Sailajananda Mukhopadhyay's novel, fails to live up to expectations

Masand: 'Predators', a cat-and-mouse chase film

Fri, 06 Aug 2010 11:36:59 +0530

Not a complete waste of time if you enjoy the sci-fi/thriller genre.

Masand: 'Aisha' loses its fizz far too quickly

Fri, 06 Aug 2010 11:28:18 +0530

Sonam Kapoor stars as South Delhi-bred spoilt brat Aisha, who looks like she's stepped straight out of the pages of Vogue.

Masand: 'Despicable Me' is charming, hilarious

Fri, 06 Aug 2010 10:43:43 +0530

it's a simple enough entertainer that leaves you feeling warm and fuzzy in the end.

Jeet is the sole saving grace in 'Josh'

Fri, 06 Aug 2010 03:02:38 +0530

Josh is not a patch on Kinnagi's earlier film Wanted

'Target' is the same old story with a new hero

Fri, 06 Aug 2010 02:40:19 +0530

Mithun Chakraborty does a cameo in the film, which is spilling over with blood, gore and action

Masand: 'Twilight...Eclipse' is less frustrating

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 11:55:43 +0530

Unlike the previous films, Eclipse maintains a sturdier, faster pace.

Masand: 'Once Upon A Time...' lacks drama

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 11:52:04 +0530

Despite its dhinchak background score and colorful palette, Once Upon A Time in Mumbaai is a less stylish film than Ramgopal Varma's Company, whose basic plot it so closely resembles.

'Thillalangadi' lacks a story

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 02:16:12 +0530

Moreover, this remake of 'King' also goes wrong in its casting

'Musalmanir Galpo': Botched attempt to film Tagore

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 01:18:38 +0530

There are too many flashbacks that spoil the continuity of the narrative and make no sense

'Maryada Ramanna' emerges a winner

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 04:04:50 +0530

The film is a whiff of fresh air and offers clean entertainment

Sameera's 'The Voyeurs' is dark and brooding

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 02:27:28 +0530

Buddhadeb Dasgupta's 2007 film, also called 'Ami Yasin Ar Amar Madhubala', has recently released in India

Masand: 'Salt' is an exciting action blockbuster

Fri, 23 Jul 2010 10:39:59 +0530

Angelina Jolie stars as Evelyn Salt, a veteran CIA operative who's accused of being a Russian spy.

Masand: 'Khatta Meetha' is a schizophrenic film

Fri, 23 Jul 2010 10:34:34 +0530

Disguised as a comedy, Khatta Meetha is in fact a drama about the deep-rooted corruption in our system.

'Subhapradam' is out of sync with modern times

Thu, 22 Jul 2010 04:19:21 +0530

In these days of Inception and Avatar, Subhapradam is clearly a misfit.

Shankar's 'Ananthapurathu Veedu' is a one-time watch

Thu, 22 Jul 2010 01:37:39 +0530

This film dangerously flirts between being average and OK

Masand: 'Udaan' is a lovingly crafted film

Sat, 17 Jul 2010 01:06:25 +0530

It is packed with moments that will resonate with every viewer because they mirror real experiences.

Masand: 'Lamhaa' is not in good shape

Sat, 17 Jul 2010 12:50:48 +0530

Lamhaa may have its heart in the right place but it's hard to figure out where the film is heading.

Masand: 'Inception' keeps you on your toes

Sat, 17 Jul 2010 12:29:06 +0530

Inception, directed by Christopher Nolan, is a film that asks of its audience to participate in its unraveling.

Masand: 'Tere Bin Laden' is a low-IQ comedy

Sat, 17 Jul 2010 12:23:54 +0530

Slapstick but never particularly smart, 'Tere Bin Laden' is a low-IQ comedy that succeeds in making you laugh occasionally, despite its highly improbable premise.

Keep away from 'Bondhu Esho Tumi'

Fri, 16 Jul 2010 03:00:30 +0530

The narrative is crowded with three slots without either logic or cohesion

'Madarasapattinam' is worth a watch

Fri, 16 Jul 2010 01:45:23 +0530

Old Chennai has been recreated very well in the film

'Jayahe' is a bad rehash of many films

Mon, 12 Jul 2010 01:42:10 +0530

The film is a torturous two-hour watch

'Jhummandi Naadam' doesn't quite reverberate

Mon, 12 Jul 2010 12:50:08 +0530

Logic doesn't have a place in this movie, which has nothing new to offer

Masand: 'The Last Airbender' is a bad movie

Fri, 09 Jul 2010 11:11:12 +0530

It is easily the worst movie by M Night Shyamalan and that is a scary thought for anyone who saw 'Lady in the Water'.

Masand: 'Knight and Day' lacks romantic energy

Fri, 09 Jul 2010 11:02:35 +0530

The film has a sexy lead pair, a string of high-octane action scenes, and gorgeous international locations.

Masand: 'Milenge Milenge' is regressive

Fri, 09 Jul 2010 10:51:24 +0530

Shahid and Kareena are perky enough, but the film doesn't call upon them to deliver performances of any kind.

Mithun's 'Shukno Lanka', brilliant acting scale

Tue, 06 Jul 2010 03:19:53 +0530

The actor once again proves that he is one of the best in the country

'I Hate Luv Storys' is boring and predictable

Tue, 06 Jul 2010 02:30:57 +0530

Imran and Sonam have performed sincerely, but watch it only if mush is your scene

'Pappu' is childish and clichéd

Thu, 01 Jul 2010 01:57:43 +0530

The climax is too convoluted with an overdose of emotions

'Ekti Tarar Khonje': Much ado about nothing

Wed, 30 Jun 2010 12:58:54 +0530

A convoluted storyline ruin Shayan Mushi and Arpita Chatterjee's natural performance

Masand: 'The A-Team' is shameless good fun

Fri, 25 Jun 2010 06:20:21 +0530

'The A-Team' film, a remake of the popular '80s TV show, is nothing if not a string of explosions and bloated set pieces.

Masand: 'Toy Story 3' is funny, scary and sad

Fri, 25 Jun 2010 06:09:24 +0530

Few sequels live up to their original films, but the 'Toy Story' movies seem to get it right each time. 'Toy Story 3' is not only one of the best films you'll see this year, it's also the finest third instalment in any movie series since 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King'.

Masand: 'Mr Singh...' is a trite, sleazy saga

Fri, 25 Jun 2010 05:52:11 +0530

'Mr Singh / Mrs Mehta' takes the premise of Wong Kar-Wai's celebrated film 'In The Mood For Love', and turns that delicate tale of passion and betrayal into a trite, sleazy saga.

Vikram is superb in 'Villain'

Fri, 25 Jun 2010 02:28:34 +0530

But coming from a director like Mani Ratnam, the movie disappoints

Prosenjit's 'Hangover' is disappointing

Fri, 25 Jun 2010 01:27:02 +0530

The film is anything but a comedy

REVIEW: Vikram, Prithviraj excel in 'Raavanan'

Sat, 19 Jun 2010 03:26:38 +0530

But the film is certainly not the best from Mani Ratnam

Masand: 'Spread' is insipid, avoidable

Fri, 18 Jun 2010 10:17:39 +0530

Ashton Kutcher plays broke, LA hustler Nikki, who makes a living sleeping with wealthy, older women in "Spread". His latest conquest, a 40-something hotshot lawyer Samantha (played by Anne Heche), takes a liking to the young fellow, and allows him to bunk at her swanky condo, as long as he'll climb on top of her whenever she's in the mood. "You're six inches and a pretty face," she says, pointing out his only assets. Nikki knows how to put both to good use.

Masand: 'Raavan' is a bore of a film

Fri, 18 Jun 2010 09:29:40 +0530

Sitting in your seat watching Mani Ratnam's "Raavan" unfold before you, is like craning your neck out of your car to catch a glimpse of the wreckage in a road accident on the other side. Filled with a perverse sense of curiosity, you can't take your eyes off the damage.

Winners of Masand Movie Review Contest (June 11)

Fri, 18 Jun 2010 08:56:38 +0530

Here are the winners of the Masand Movie Review Contest (June 11)

'Le Chakka' promos were better than the film

Mon, 14 Jun 2010 03:28:18 +0530

The film has captured the visual archeology of Dorji Para but has missed out on its spirit

Hide from the terrible game of 'Lukochurii'

Mon, 14 Jun 2010 02:46:07 +0530

The film tests the patience of the Bengali audience

Masand: 'A Single Man' is a stunning film

Fri, 11 Jun 2010 11:58:08 +0530

Ford's film is an intimate piece whose events are few, but whose emotional power is hard to put into words.

Masand: 'Robin Hood' is a charmless bore

Fri, 11 Jun 2010 11:50:55 +0530

Russel Crowe stars as the mumbling, grim-faced hero who barely cracks a smile.

Masand: 'The Karate Kid' is enjoyable

Fri, 11 Jun 2010 11:45:19 +0530

The new remake is an enjoyable watch for those unfamiliar with the earlier film.

Masand: 'Sex & The City 2' is torture

Fri, 11 Jun 2010 11:41:48 +0530

'Sex & The City 2' is missing much of the wit that made the original series so much fun.

Winners of Masand movie review contest (June 4)

Fri, 11 Jun 2010 08:55:02 +0530

Here are the winners of the Masand's Movie review contest (June 4).

Mahanagar@Kolkata: Fear is the key

Thu, 10 Jun 2010 12:05:07 +0530

The director structures a blend of the narrative and the anti-narrative out of the three stories

'Vedam' is refreshing and different

Wed, 09 Jun 2010 12:01:03 +0530

Five parallel stories run simultaneously in the pathbreaking film

'Bor Bou Khela', comedy that makes one cry

Mon, 07 Jun 2010 02:15:14 +0530

The film is hardly the comedy it was supposed to be

Masand: 'A Nightmare on Elm Street' is bland

Fri, 04 Jun 2010 10:15:01 +0530

Twenty-six years and six sequels later, 'A Nightmare on Elm Street', the original horror classic directed by Wes Craven, now has a remake.

Masand: 'Shutter Island' is an exciting film

Fri, 04 Jun 2010 09:49:32 +0530

From the very opening scene of Martin Scorsese's "Shutter Island" the background score pumps up the sense of foreboding, as the ferry carrying US Marshal Teddy Daniels (played by Leonardo DiCaprio) and his partner Chuck (played by Mark Ruffalo) approaches the isolated island that houses their destination.

Masand: 'Raajneeti' is thrilling and gripping

Fri, 04 Jun 2010 09:30:46 +0530

The film, directed by Prakash Jha, is a compelling drama about a family in politics. It's about the extent people will go to, driven by a greed for power and a thirst for revenge.

Winners of Masand movie review contest (May 28)

Fri, 04 Jun 2010 09:08:15 +0530

Winners of Masand movie review contest (May 28)

Telugu film 'Golimar' hits bull's eye

Tue, 01 Jun 2010 02:45:04 +0530

Director Puri Jagannath comes out with a winner

Suriya's 'Singam' is worth your money

Mon, 31 May 2010 11:41:04 +0530

The film is a 'good versus evil' story that holds your attention

'Guru Sishyan' is a cynical comedy

Sat, 29 May 2010 01:21:01 +0530

Th film could've been a serious one, but the director chooses to be comical

Masand: 'Daybreakers,' not an unwatchable film

Fri, 28 May 2010 11:16:40 +0530

Vampire movies are the cash cow in Hollywood currently, and if the multi-million dollar grossing "Twilight" franchise isn't proof enough, then don't forget they're also doing an American remake of the excellent Swedish vampire film "Let The Right One In".

Masand: 'Prince of Persia,' ridiculously simplistic

Fri, 28 May 2010 10:35:48 +0530

In "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time", there's a dagger that can be used to turn back the clock and correct one's mistakes. If only such a dagger existed, I know I'd have used it to go back to that moment when I was entering the cinema and I'd have chosen to watch another film instead.

Winners of Masand's movie review contest (May 21)

Fri, 28 May 2010 09:50:41 +0530

Winners of Masand's movie review contest (May 21)

'Awara' is an entertaining popcorn flick

Thu, 27 May 2010 12:46:21 +0530

Watch it if you have nothing else to do on the weekend

'Mummy and Me' tackles generation gap issue

Wed, 26 May 2010 06:06:30 +0530

But the subject has been touched several times in Malayalam films

Masand: 'Shrek Forever After' is an exciting ride

Fri, 21 May 2010 11:40:26 +0530

Shrek Forever After is the fourth and allegedly final chapter in the Shrek series

Masand: 'Kites' is an ambitious, brave experiment

Fri, 21 May 2010 11:32:03 +0530

The film has been scripted by as many as four writers

Winners of Masand movie review contest (May 14)

Fri, 21 May 2010 09:02:47 +0530

Here are the winners of the Masand's Movie review contest (May 14)

Andari Banduvaya: Fresh, but too preachy

Fri, 21 May 2010 03:46:57 +0530

The story is new but the movie fails to pack a punch

'Pokkiri Raja' caters to 'C' category audience

Fri, 21 May 2010 01:10:31 +0530

The Malayalam movie rides only on star power

'Amanush': Good making, bad blending

Mon, 17 May 2010 05:54:43 +0530

It is somewhere between a love triangle and a psychological thriller

'Wanted' is full of dynamic action, electric

Mon, 17 May 2010 05:18:49 +0530

The film presents actor Jeet in a character he has never played before

'Irumbu Kottai Murattu Singam', a family film

Mon, 17 May 2010 11:53:21 +0530

The movie has been made like a cowboy flick of MGR's era

Masand: 'Remember Me' is moody, morbid

Sat, 15 May 2010 12:17:59 +0530

Starring Robert Pattinson, the film is hard to appreciate even if you're a die-hard fan of the Twilight star

Masand: 'The Back-Up Plan' is extremely shallow

Sat, 15 May 2010 12:04:51 +0530

By the time this film hurtles towards its predictable climax, you're so bored you could scream out aloud.

Masand: Many things wrong with 'Bumm Bumm...'

Fri, 14 May 2010 11:53:14 +0530

There are so many things wrong with director Priyadarshan's film, you can't decide where to start.

Winners of readers review contest

Fri, 14 May 2010 07:37:53 +0530

CNN-IBN Entertainment Editor Rajeev Masand had review Badmaash Company and Iron Man 2 on May 7.

Prithvi: A fast paced action thriller

Fri, 14 May 2010 04:28:40 +0530

The Kannada film is predictable yet engrossing

'Ullasa Utsaha' is timepass

Mon, 10 May 2010 05:00:25 +0530

The first half is entertaining but the second half just drags the story

Masand: 'Badmaash Company', outrageously silly

Fri, 07 May 2010 09:33:53 +0530

Parmeet Sethi, writer-director of this week's "Badmaash Company" has been quoted as having said that he took all of six days to hammer out the script of this film. Well, guess what? It shows!

Masand: 'It's A Wonderful Afterlife', old-fashioned tale

Fri, 07 May 2010 09:11:15 +0530

Gurinder Chadha's latest, "It's A Wonderful Afterlife" is missing the energy and the zing of her previous hit "Bend It Like Beckham", but it's a moderately entertaining film nonetheless thanks to some witty dialogue, and the enthusiastic performances of its two female protagonists.

Masand: 'Iron Man 2', an enjoyable film

Fri, 07 May 2010 08:44:26 +0530

In Robert Downey Jr the makers of the "Iron Man" movies have indeed found a superhero that can fix every seemingly impossible problem - including the cluttered and unnecessarily over-convoluted script of "Iron Man 2".

Winners of Masand's movie review contest (April 30)

Fri, 07 May 2010 08:35:30 +0530

Here are the winners of the Masand's movie review contest:

Simha: This lion doesn't quite roar

Thu, 06 May 2010 01:17:14 +0530

The film is a regular fare that is being dished out since ages

REVIEW 2: 'Sura' is a hardcore Vijay film

Mon, 03 May 2010 06:41:48 +0530

It is dimwitted and tiresome for the most part

Vijay's 'Sura' is high-decibel propaganda

Mon, 03 May 2010 02:24:44 +0530

The actor uses his film as a mouthpiece to spread political messages

Winners of Masand's movie review contest (April 23)

Sat, 01 May 2010 12:27:23 +0530

Here are the winners of the Masand's movie review contest (April 23).

Masand: 'Hot Tub Time Machine', a confused film

Sat, 01 May 2010 12:08:42 +0530

In 'Hot Tub Time Machine' three friends from high school, disillusioned in middle age, decide to revisit the ski resort where they used to hang out, for a weekend of nostalgia. John Cusack, Rob Corddry and Craig Robinson star as the grumpy 40-somethings who drive up to Kodiak Valley only to find out the entire town's now a deserted ghost of its former self.

Masand: 'Housefull' makes you cringe

Fri, 30 Apr 2010 11:15:47 +0530

In the climax of director Sajid Khan's 'Housefull', a cylinder of laughing gas is accidentally released during a state function at Buckingham Palace. Hundreds of gathered guests break into unstoppable laughter, and even the famously stiff-lipped Queen cracks a smile. Ironically, by now your own laughter has long since dried up.

First Cut: 'Housefull' is a laugh riot

Fri, 30 Apr 2010 10:43:13 +0530

Akki-Ritesh thoroughly entertain the audience with their awesome chemistry

First Cut: 'Hot Tub Time...' is hilarious

Thu, 29 Apr 2010 08:18:03 +0530

If you enjoy time travel flicks, this one is worth a watch

First Cut: 'Chase' is disappointing

Thu, 29 Apr 2010 07:26:40 +0530

Don't bother chasing this Jag Mundhra film

'Darling' is interesting but cliched

Tue, 27 Apr 2010 03:59:40 +0530

The film has nothing new to offer and it's a one-time watch

'Vinnaitandi...' fails to strike a chord

Tue, 27 Apr 2010 03:01:13 +0530

The film has no emotional impact to approve the lovers or their love story

Tabu's 'Rajaleelai' is full of sex

Tue, 27 Apr 2010 01:38:43 +0530

The film has a high proportion of sex and horror involved

'Mela': Neorealism in the 21st century

Tue, 27 Apr 2010 11:24:40 +0530

None of the actors wear make-up in this film

'Hello Gandhe Sir' is a mix of B'wood films

Sun, 25 Apr 2010 04:43:16 +0530

It's a poor mish mash of Mohabbatein and Hello Brother

Masand: City of Gold is disturbing

Sat, 24 Apr 2010 02:02:28 +0530

City of Gold, directed by Mahesh Manjrekar, is one of those films that had the potential to be better than it ultimately is.

Masand: 'Apartment' a tacky slasher film

Sat, 24 Apr 2010 01:35:14 +0530

'Apartment', directed by Jag Mundhra, is intended as a suspense thriller, but contains no suspense whatsoever. Plagiarized from the 1992 Hollywood B-movie 'Single White Female', the plot of Mundhra's film focuses on a seemingly simple girl's creepy obsession with her airhostess flat-mate.

Masand: The Bounty Hunter, a lazy film

Sat, 24 Apr 2010 01:00:58 +0530

Jennifer Aniston can be sexy and funny, and we know that because we still watch reruns of Friends. But in The Bounty Hunter in which she stars opposite Gerard Butler, she is neither sexy, nor funny. She's bored.

Masand: The Bounty Hunter, a lazy film

Sat, 24 Apr 2010 01:00:58 +0530

Winners of Masand's Movie Review Contest (April 16)

Fri, 23 Apr 2010 11:55:42 +0530

Winners of Masand's Movie Review Contest (April 16)

First Cut: 'City of Gold' is hard-hitting

Fri, 23 Apr 2010 05:53:02 +0530

The film is recommended for those who like raw and gritty cinema

First Cut: 'Apartment' fails to impress

Fri, 23 Apr 2010 04:05:45 +0530

The film has nothing new to offer

FIRST CUT: 'Bird Idol', an honest attempt

Thu, 22 Apr 2010 07:00:01 +0530

But in spite of being projected as a comedy, it does not make you laugh

FIRST CUT: Sukhwinder's 'Kuchh Kariye'

Thu, 22 Apr 2010 06:23:17 +0530

The singer should strictly stick to what he is good at

'Jodi Ekdin' is superb

Mon, 19 Apr 2010 10:38:42 +0530

It's Riingo's career-best till date, as a director

'Prasthanam' is a gripping film

Sat, 17 Apr 2010 05:42:28 +0530

Watch the film if you like films with political overtones

Masand: 'Cop Out' is punishing

Fri, 16 Apr 2010 11:26:11 +0530

Remember those light-hearted, buddy-cop movies of the 80s? Films like 48 Hours and Lethal Weapon..? Well, Cop Out directed by Kevin Smith is intended as a throwback to those enjoyable action comedies.

Masand: 'Phoonk 2' is not scary enough

Fri, 16 Apr 2010 10:54:07 +0530

The film barely has any novelty in the manner the characters get killed

Masand: 'Paathshaala', a dimwitted film

Fri, 16 Apr 2010 10:42:50 +0530

The film appears to have originated from an earnest idea.

Masand: 'How To...' shatters conventional cliches

Fri, 16 Apr 2010 10:42:35 +0530

One of those rare films that kids and adults will enjoy equally, How To Train Your Dragon marries gorgeous, imaginative animation with a familiar story that is nevertheless inspiring. Our hero, a nerdy young Viking boy named Hiccup (voiced by Jay Baruchel) is a disappointment to his fearless, butch father, Stoick the Vast (voiced by Gerard Butler), who's leader of his tribe. When their island is attacked by dragons, Hiccup takes down one of the beasts with a catapult, but can't bring himself to kill it. Instead he turns it into a pet, and discovers in the process that dragons aren't the vicious creatures they're believed to be, but warm and affectionate unless attacked.

First Cut: 'Phoonk 2' is spooky indeed

Fri, 16 Apr 2010 08:50:28 +0530

Faint-hearted people should rather stay away from this one

First Cut: 'Paathshaala' flunks the test

Fri, 16 Apr 2010 09:15:22 +0530

After great films on education like 3 Idiots and Taare Zameen Par, this one seems a big letdown

'Thambikku Intha Ooru' has no depth

Tue, 13 Apr 2010 03:25:34 +0530

There is no depth in the film to glue the viewers to it

'Janakan' is old wine in new bottle

Sat, 10 Apr 2010 12:29:59 +0530

A watchable movie, if you don't expect much, but it's the same story retold

Winners of Masand's Movie Review Contest (April 2)

Sat, 10 Apr 2010 12:48:26 +0530

Here are the winners of Masand's movie review contest.

Masand: 'Date Night', light-hearted film

Sat, 10 Apr 2010 12:25:46 +0530

Steve Carell and Tina Fey are two of the funniest stars on American television, and their respective sitcoms -- The Office and 30 Rock -- are easily the most popular primetime properties. They've been teamed up in this week's Date Night, a light-hearted but formulaic rom-com that might have benefited from sharper writing.

Masand: 'Date Night', light-hearted film

Sat, 10 Apr 2010 12:25:46 +0530

Masand: Green Zone, an engaging war drama

Sat, 10 Apr 2010 12:11:16 +0530

Matt Damon and his Bourne Ultimatum director Paul Greengrass reunite for action-packed war thriller Green Zone, in which Damon stars as US Army Chief Warrant Officer Roy Miller, who after the invasion of Iraq in 2003 has been tasked with finding the weapons of mass destruction whose supposed existence triggered off the war. But after repeatedly leading his unit into desperately dangerous locations and coming up short, Miller decides to investigate for himself whether the WMDs ever existed at all.