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'The Great Gatsby' review: Big B shines in Bollywood-styled entertainer

Sat, 18 May 2013 11:27:38 +0530

The film will remind you of a Bollywood entertain with enough naach-gaana, Sanjay Leela Bhansali's opulent sets and a dash of Karan Johar's emotions. Do not miss this Bollywood extravaganza.

'The Reluctant Fundamentalist' review: It's a new Pakistan

Sat, 18 May 2013 10:56:54 +0530

'The Reluctant Fundamentalist' tries to explore the plight of an educated Pakistani man working in Wall Street.

'I Don't Luv U' review: The heart is not in the theme

Sat, 18 May 2013 08:55:28 +0530

Ruslaan does the emotional scenes far more fluently than the campus flirt act. That's the problem here.

'Epic' review: It's stunning and well intentioned

Fri, 17 May 2013 06:32:55 +0530

'Epic' is a 3D animated science fiction fantasy film with ample amount of action and adventure.

Tweet review: Baz Luhrmann's 'The Great Gatsby'

Fri, 17 May 2013 04:16:22 +0530

The film is about a war veteran Nick Carraway who finds himself drawn to the lifestyle of his millionaire neighbour Jay Gatsby.

'Aurangzeb' review: The cruel persuasion of power

Fri, 17 May 2013 01:14:08 +0530

Rishi Kapoor is the surprise package of 'Aurangzeb'. This is another hair-raising performance from him.

'Aurangzeb' Tweet Review: First day, first show

Fri, 17 May 2013 09:58:01 +0530

'Aurangzeb' revolves around a family which is infamous for their involvement in land scams.

'Star Trek - Into Darkness' review: The film won't bore you

Fri, 10 May 2013 11:37:29 +0530

Even if, like me, you weren't a fan of the Star Trek universe, or were mostly unfamiliar with its 40-year-old legacy, you'd have to admit that JJ Abrams' 2009 reboot was a fresh and accessible stand-alone sci-fi adventure.

'Gippi' review: Many of the film's better ideas are lost in execution

Fri, 10 May 2013 11:35:07 +0530

School can be a difficult place if you're overweight, awkward, not particularly bright, or clumsy on the sports field. Gurpreet Kaur, the 14-year-old protagonist of Gippi (Riya Vij), ticks all the boxes.

'Go Goa Gone' review: So much in this film is good until it all goes nowhere

Fri, 10 May 2013 11:29:19 +0530

Go Goa Gone has been advertised as India's first zom-com, or a comedy about zombies. The film, starring Kunal Khemu, Vir Das, and Anand Tiwari as three best friends stranded on an island infested with flesh-eating zombies, works like magic when directors Krishna DK and Raj Nidimoru focus on their three leads and the irreverent banter between them.

Karan Johar's 'Gippi': Tweet Review

Fri, 10 May 2013 01:42:00 +0530

The Hindi film industry hasn't given many films which deal with the issues of teenagers in the past.

'Go Goa Gone' Tweet Review: First day, first show

Fri, 10 May 2013 09:57:52 +0530

'Go Goa Gone' is publicised as a zombie-comedy film which has a special appearance by Saif Ali Khan.

'Celluloid Man' review: Make the time for it

Fri, 03 May 2013 11:33:22 +0530

'Celluloid Man' introduces us to PK Nair, India's film archivist who dedicated his life to preserve our film history.

'Bombay Talkies' review: It's like a breath of fresh air

Fri, 03 May 2013 11:21:59 +0530

Two men shift nervously, seldom making eye contact, as they listen to a beggar girl at a railway station footbridge singing an old Lata Mangeshkar gem whose words seem to have particular significance in their unlikely situation.

'Shootout at Wadala' review: The bloodshed leaves you cold

Fri, 03 May 2013 11:04:33 +0530

A gangster runs into a police station, both his arms lopped off by a rival wielding a butcher's knife. Another goon is held down as his skull is pushed through an ice-crusher.

'Shootout At Wadala' Tweet Review: The film doesn't hold you for long

Fri, 03 May 2013 12:51:38 +0530

Playing the role of 70s infamous gangster Manya Surve, John Abraham will be seen in a new avatar in Sanjay Gupta's 'Shootout At Wadala'.

'Bombay Talkies' Tweet Review: First day, first show

Fri, 03 May 2013 09:57:53 +0530

It is an important day for cine goers in India. The medium which we all have revered turns 100 and country's four prominent filmmaker come together to pay an unique tribute to cinema.

'Iron Man 3' review: Don't look for an ideological connection

Sat, 27 Apr 2013 11:07:05 +0530

'Iron Man 3' has fantastic action sequences and they are modelled on the lines of other Marvel superheroes.

'Iron Man 3' Tweet Review: Tony Stark shines yet again

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 12:46:51 +0530

Once again, Tony Stark is at the helm of affairs where he needs to play a vital role in the proceedings in order to save the world from a potential threat.

'Aashiqui 2' Tweet Review: First day, first show

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 09:45:29 +0530

Directed by Mohit Suri, 'Aashiqui 2'features Aditya Roy Kapur and Shraddha Kapoor in the lead roles.

'Scary Movie V' review: It's tedious to watch

Sat, 20 Apr 2013 01:19:31 +0530

'Scary Movie V' is a spoofy comedy that makes a mockery of chillers and other great films.

'Lessons In Forgetting' review: It's a tale of redemption

Sat, 20 Apr 2013 11:32:24 +0530

'Lessons In Forgetting' is a story of a father's attempt to find a closure to his daughter's comatose condition.

'The Host' review: At best it's unintentionally hilarious

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 10:51:44 +0530

When an alien enters the body of a nice teenage girl, her original spirit refuses to leave, her head now crowded with two voices that want different things, including two boys who aren't particularly fond of each other.

'The Croods' review: It's simplistic yet funny in generous doses

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 10:43:24 +0530

Set in prehistoric times, 'The Croods' is what you might describe as "Ice Age with Humans". The film's message - that being adaptable is the key to one's survival - is conveyed through the story of a close-knit family of cave dwellers.

'Ek Thi Daayan' review: It leaves you wanting more in the end

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 10:36:40 +0530

A very different beast from 'Makdee', his charming directorial debut from eleven years ago, 'Ek Thi Daayan', co-written and co-produced by Vishal Bhardwaj, sees the filmmaker revisit the mythology of witches once again. But where 'Makdee' was an old-fashioned fable about a village witch who supposedly turned humans into animals, 'Daayan', set in the modern, urban world, is intended as an eerie supernatural thriller.

'Ek Thi Daayan' Tweet Review: First day, first show

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 09:54:43 +0530

Last 4-5 years have seen the emergence of filmmakers who are ready to bring innovation to the horror genre. The latest to join the list is Kannan Iyer whose ambitious project 'Ek Thi Daayan' is ready to influence the audience's mind.

'The Place Beyond The Pines': Watch it for Gosling's performance

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 11:30:46 +0530

A searing honesty permeated every frame of director Derek Cianfrance's 'Blue Valentine', about the decaying marriage of a young couple, played by Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams. His latest film, 'The Place Beyond The Pines', is a more sprawling tale that follows two fathers and two sons over many years.

'Oblivion': What stays with you is the gorgeous imagery

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 11:07:25 +0530

The new Tom Cruise starrer 'Oblivion' borrows from so many films, you could start a game of "spot-the-reference" the moment you settle into your seat. There's a little 'Total Recall', 'Minority Report', 'Moon' and 'Wall-E' in there, while the mid-air action scenes have a distinct 'Top Gun' feel to them.

'Nautanki Saala': Like the title suggests, it's all empty theatrics

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 10:50:48 +0530

'Nautanki Saala', directed by Rohan Sippy, hinges on the wobbly notion that if you save someone's life, he becomes your responsibility.

'Commando' review: Ruthless action rules the roost

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 05:59:44 +0530

'Commando - A One Man Army' is meant for the people who have been watching action films even in the past.

Tweet Review: Vidyut Jamwal's action-thriller 'Commando'

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 01:26:22 +0530

'Commando' is the story of an Indian Army officer, who during a training session gets inside Chinese Border by mistake.

'Nautanki Saala' Tweet Review: First day, first show

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 10:11:22 +0530

Ayushmann Khurrana, who had a dream debut in 'Vicky Donor', would be hoping for another successful and acclaimed film in 'Nautanki Saala'.

'Chashme Buddoor' (1981) review: It's cinematic nostalgia at its best

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 10:59:57 +0530

If you've watched the original 'Chashme Buddoor', it's unlikely that you'll ever forget the characters of Omi and Jai (played by Rakesh Bedi and Ravi Baswani), two slackers who constantly bum cigarettes from Lalan Miyaan (Saeed Jaffrey) and spend their time hatching elaborate plans to win the heart of the new girl in the neighbourhood.

'Jurassic Park 3D' review: Even after two decades it still has a hair-raising effect

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 10:52:16 +0530

There's a scene in Jurassic Park that's etched in movie history - you know the one I'm talking about - ripples appearing in two glasses of water on the dashboard of a car that ominously announce the arrival of the hulking, roaring T-Rex. This scene is hyper accentuated in 3D through Steven Spielberg's restored version of this monster movie classic that arrives in cinemas this weekend to celebrate its 20th anniversary.

'The Call' review: Halle Berry's thriller could've been so much more

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 10:48:59 +0530

'The Call', starring Halle Berry, gets straight down to business. It's a promising thriller that hits the ground running, never wasting any time setting up its intriguing premise. The film opens in the emergency call center of the Los Angeles Police Department, where dozens of operators manning the phone lines must calm down panicked callers while simultaneously assigning officers to their cases.

'Chashme Baddoor' review: The remake mauls your memory of original

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 10:43:25 +0530

Like a battering ram, David Dhawan's puerile and frenzied remake, 'Chashme Baddoor', shatters and mauls your memories of Sai Paranjpye's charming original. Light-hearted humour and innocent romance makes way for sexist jokes and cheesy puns and the merits of keeping things simple are lost in the cacophony of screechy performances.

'Rise of the Zombie' review: Monotony kills the novelty

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 06:38:38 +0530

'Rise of the Zombie' has the potential to appear monotonous as things become repetitive in the second half.

Sai Paranjpye's 'Chashme Buddoor': Tweet Review

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 06:13:48 +0530

'Chashme Buddoor' revolves around three close friends and their common love interest Neha.

Tweet Review: Luke Kenny's 'Rise of the Zombie'

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 01:24:33 +0530

Ramsay Brothers contributed a lot in establishing horror as a sough after genre in the Hindi film industry, and they experimented with different versions of ghosts in their film. Though zombies were also a part of their films in different forms but they never based an entire film on the zombies only.

'Chashme Baddoor' Tweet Review: First day, first show

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 10:15:29 +0530

Buddy films always strike a chord among cine goers. And Sai Paranjpye's 1981 'Chashme Buddoor' had all the right ingredients to make it to classic's list. Light hearted comedy, innocence of the lead pair made the film an unforgettable one.

'GI Joe: Retaliation' review: It's an exercise in futility

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 11:06:16 +0530

Many believe that hiring Dwayne Johnson aka The Rock, to star in 2011's 'Fast Five', was the genius idea that salvaged a flagging franchise. The same trick, however, doesn't work for 'GI Joe: Retaliation' which, as it turns out, is even more awful than 2009's disappointing 'GI Joe: Rise of the Cobra'.

'Himmatwala' review: It's deathly dull with puerile humour

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 10:50:56 +0530

It must take a special kind of skill to remake a mediocre film like 1983's 'Himmatwala' without even marginally improving on it. Director Sajid Khan's pot pourri of excessive melodrama, puerile humor, cartoonish action, and garish songs plods on for two-and-a-half hours with little concern for your bladder or your mental health.

'Himmatwala' Tweet Review: First day, first show

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 09:57:13 +0530

Sajid Khan's 'Himmatwala' is a remake of K Raghavendra Rao's film of the same name. The first edition had Jeetendra and Sridevi in the lead roles.

'Sona Spa' review: You can't be indifferent to this story

Sat, 23 Mar 2013 11:05:48 +0530

The performances by largely unknown theatre actors add a compelling edge to the drama of transferred dreams.

'Rangrezz' review: It's a mean and violent story

Sat, 23 Mar 2013 10:18:12 +0530

Full marks to the action director for cutting to the chase without negotiating a single faltering step in the way the drama unfolds.

'Django Unchained' review: This isn't for the fainthearted

Fri, 22 Mar 2013 10:48:01 +0530

You don't complain about excessive violence if you've chosen to watch a Quentin Tarantino film. But in 'Django Unchained', his homage to spaghetti westerns set in the pre-Civil War era of black slaves and ruthless white oppressors, the celebrated filmmaker invites us to witness such an orgy of brutality and bloodshed that you have to ask if the film is attacking cruelty or reveling in it.

'Olympus Has Fallen' review: It delivers plenty bang for your buck

Fri, 22 Mar 2013 10:40:02 +0530

The new Gerard Butler starrer 'Olympus Has Fallen' is such a faithful retread of the 'Die Hard' formula that you keep waiting for Bruce Willis to show up in a white vest and yell: "Yippee ki yay copycats!"

'Aatma' review: It recycles familiar horror movie imagery to little impact

Fri, 22 Mar 2013 10:36:55 +0530

95 minutes have seldom felt so long, as they do while watching 'Aatma'. This curious but ultimately predictable supernatural thriller fails to escape genre conventions, falling into the same trap that so many of its predecessors have.

Tweet Review: Quentin Tarantino's 'Django Unchained'

Fri, 22 Mar 2013 01:31:29 +0530

'Django Unchained' is the story of a slave (Jamie Foxx) and his relationship with his master.

'Aatma' Tweet Review: First day, first show

Fri, 22 Mar 2013 10:19:27 +0530

Directed by Supern Verma, 'Aatma' stars Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Bipasha Basu and Doyel Dhawan in the lead roles. The film is about a doting father who wants to live with his daughter even after his death.

'All I Want Is Everything' review: It's a lengthy film

Sat, 16 Mar 2013 02:45:44 +0530

The graph of the film is on an even keel. There are no major conflicts between the three protagonists.

'3G' review: Why should ghosts have all the fun?

Sat, 16 Mar 2013 11:01:23 +0530

The characters break into a song when they are required the least, it obstructs the story from touching heights.

Masand review: 'Mere Dad Ki Maruti' isn't hard to like

Fri, 15 Mar 2013 10:49:48 +0530

Nicely juxtaposing such identifiable themes as a teenager's desperation to impress a pretty girl, and a boy's fear of his father's volcanic temper, against the backdrop of a big fat Punjabi wedding, debutant director Ashima Chibber delivers a harmless fluff of a film in 'Mere Dad Ki Maruti'.

Masand review: 'Jolly LLB' not bad to spend the evening

Fri, 15 Mar 2013 10:39:51 +0530

When a rich Delhi kid, accused of mowing down six pavement dwellers with his speeding car, is let off for lack of evidence, a small-time lawyer spots an opportunity and gets the case reopened.

'Mere Dad Ki Maruti' Tweet Review

Fri, 15 Mar 2013 04:41:00 +0530

After the success of Shoojit Sircar's 'Vicky Donor', a debut director has now set her film in the backdrop of a Punjabi wedding.

Tweet Review: Neil Nitin Mukesh and Sonal Chauhan's '3G'

Fri, 15 Mar 2013 12:39:28 +0530

Neil Nitin Mukesh had a dream start in Bollywood with 'Johnny Gaddaar' (2007) but his career graph didn't touch the expected heights despite giving satisfactory performances.

'Jolly LLB' Tweet Review: First day, first show

Fri, 15 Mar 2013 10:02:10 +0530

When a film has Arshad Warsi and Boman Irani in it, expectations are bound to be high. The supremely talented actors were part of the Munnabhai series and along with Sanjay Dutt, made the series the most enjoyable films of recent times. Munnabhai explored the goodness that exists within us and how one doesn't realize the pleasures one gets from simple things in life.

'Snitch' review: It's a lengthy and dull drama

Sat, 09 Mar 2013 05:16:41 +0530

As for the acting, Johnson does not steal the show from anyone since there is no character strong enough to combat him.

'21 and Over' review: It's a debauchery worth remembering

Sat, 09 Mar 2013 10:34:10 +0530

The film '21 & Over' has the sensibilities of the west, but at its core, it carries sentimental messages of friendship. It's about three friends bonding, very much akin to Abhishek Kapoora's desi film 'Kai Po Che!'.

Masand review: 'Saare Jahaan Se Mehnga'

Fri, 08 Mar 2013 10:51:52 +0530

Tapping into the middle class' increasing frustration over rapid inflation, 'Saare Jahaan Se Mehnga', directed by debutant Anshul Sharma, is a well-intentioned satire constructed around a promising premise. But the film's writers fail to build on their clever central idea, and ultimately deliver an undercooked script that lacks the consistent wit of 2010's 'Phas Gaye Re Obama', that tongue-in-cheek take on recession, set in the world of UP gangsters.

Masand review: 'Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster Returns'

Fri, 08 Mar 2013 10:40:15 +0530

With 'Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster Returns', director Tigmanshu Dhulia delivers another earthy cocktail of power games, bedroom politics, and palace intrigue. Only the stakes are higher in this sequel; the love is tainted from the start, and there's even vengeance thrown in for good measure. Indeed the film is gripping for the most part, if you're willing to overlook some convoluted stretches.

'Oz - The Great and Powerful' review: It's an enchanting fairytale

Fri, 08 Mar 2013 07:31:03 +0530

'Oz - The Great and Powerful' is a fantasy film about a hero's journey that deals with conflict between good and evil prevalent in the land of OZ and his personal struggle with greed and morality.

'Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster Returns' Tweet Review: First day, first show

Fri, 08 Mar 2013 09:43:21 +0530

Tigmanshu Dhulia has become a man to watch out for after 'Paan Singh Tomar' and 'Gangs of Wasseypur'. While the first one brought out the sensible side of the Dhulia, the second film presented him in a gritty role. However, the winds of change had started to blow after 'Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster' only.

'Jack the Giant Slayer' review: It's mostly a forgettable adventure

Fri, 01 Mar 2013 11:52:40 +0530

Evidently made for no other reason than to cash in on the current trend of revisionist storybook fantasies, 'Jack the Giant Slayer', directed by The Usual Suspects' Bryan Singer, is a mostly forgettable adventure based on the popular children's folktale, Jack and the Beanstalk. As many as three screenwriters are responsible for this overstuffed script, that recycles too many familiar plotlines, never succeeding in creating anything significantly original.

'I, Me Aur Main' review: You can't help feel that real potential was squandered

Fri, 01 Mar 2013 11:44:32 +0530

There's an interesting premise at the heart of debutant director Kapil Sharma's 'I, Me Aur Main', which tells the coming of age story of a 35-year-old. But despite giving us a believable protagonist, Sharma and writer Devika Bhagat fast run out of interesting ideas to keep us hooked.

'The Attacks of 26/11' review: RGV sets a one-dimensional, jingoistic and almost hysterical tone

Fri, 01 Mar 2013 11:26:14 +0530

It's not often that you go into a movie knowing exactly what to expect, but 'The Attacks of 26/11' is that rare exception. The plot and the end of this movie are no secret because the 2008 terrorist attacks on Mumbai, and the way the horror unfolded on the night of November 26, is still fresh in public memory.

'I, Me Aur Main' Tweet Review

Fri, 01 Mar 2013 01:54:43 +0530

The romantic drama revolves around Ishan, a self-centered music producer who stays with his girlfriend Anushka.

'The Attacks of 26/11' Tweet Review: First day, first show

Fri, 01 Mar 2013 10:21:07 +0530

The film is a good watch this weekend. You will get to see the old Ram Gopal Varma in many scenes.

'Silver Linings Playbook' review: Don't miss it, you'll come out with a goofy grin plastered on ...

Fri, 22 Feb 2013 11:33:18 +0530

'Silver Linings Playbook' is that rare film about characters with mental illness that manages to be quirky and sad and funny and charming all at once. Director David O Russell takes some serious themes and treats them with such humor and wit that you'll find yourself giddy from excitement by the end of it.

'A Good Day to Die Hard' review: Bruce Willis comes off as a spoof of the John McClane we once knew

Fri, 22 Feb 2013 11:24:44 +0530

It's impossible to resist the urge to jog your memory back to the first Die Hard film, as you sit there in your seat allowing your senses to be relentlessly assaulted by 'A Good Day To Die Hard'.

'Kai Po Che' review: It's only February, but one of the year's best films has arrived

Fri, 22 Feb 2013 10:59:56 +0530

Its title derived from that cry of victory yelled out when an opponent has been defeated in a kite flying challenge, 'Kai Po Che' translates literally as "Gotcha!" An apt expression, perhaps, to describe the home run director Abhishek Kapoor delivers through this moving film about a friendship challenged by real-life tragedies.

Zila Ghaziabad review: Tries hard to be 'Dabangg 3'

Fri, 22 Feb 2013 07:19:38 +0530

If Salman Khan made a power-packed entry in 'Dabangg' with his innumerable punches and gun shots, his counterpart Sanjay Dutt tries too hard to do the Chulbul Pandey act in action-thriller 'Zila Ghaziabad'.

'Zila Ghaziabad' Tweet Review: Watch it for power-packed action

Fri, 22 Feb 2013 01:22:55 +0530

Based on a true story, 'Zila Ghaziabad' is about a gang war between two powerful Gujjar rival gangs that took place in the 90s in Ghaziabad.

'Kai Po Che' Tweet Review: First day, first show

Fri, 22 Feb 2013 10:04:02 +0530

No film, with rank newcomers in its lead, has garnered so much interest in recent times like 'Kai Po Che!' has. And yet, not having an established star in the film has worked in its favour by giving it a freshness that is detached from from typical hindi films.

'Jayantabhai Ki Luv Story' Review: What a bore!

Sat, 16 Feb 2013 01:10:55 +0530

Vivek Oberoi, who made a roaring debut in Bollywood with his gangster act in Ram Gopal Varma's 'Company', is back in the shoes of a goon in his recently released film 'Jayantabhai Ki Luv Story'. But his new film neither has great performances nor a good story.

'Zero Dark Thirty' review: A masterful account of the dark side of the war on terror

Fri, 15 Feb 2013 11:30:54 +0530

Chances are that you've read or watched several news reports about the killing of Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad in May 2011. Zero Dark Thirty, directed by Kathryn Bigelow, not only shows us what might have actually happened that night, but also tells the complex and riveting tale of the almost decade-long hunt for bin Laden following the attacks of 9/11.

'Murder 3' review: The clunky film doesn't work as an edge-of-your seat thriller

Fri, 15 Feb 2013 11:24:47 +0530

Sex, crime, and supernatural thrills have been staple ingredients of the films produced by the Bhatts, otherwise known as Bollywood's favorite B-movie merchants. In his directorial debut Murder 3, Vishesh Bhatt, son of longtime producer Mukesh Bhatt, relies on all three of those staples, but blends them with some bizarre ideas to create an unusual cocktail that doesn't quite deliver the desired kick.

'Jayantabhai Ki Luv Story' Tweet Review: Watch it only if you are a Vivek Oberoi fan

Fri, 15 Feb 2013 04:40:28 +0530

This Valentine's weekend Vivek Oberoi is set to be back on the silver screen to repeat his 'Saathiya' act in his upcoming film 'Jayantabhai Ki Luv Story'.

'Murder 3' Tweet Review: First day, first show

Fri, 15 Feb 2013 10:01:05 +0530

The Bhatts are back with their popular franchise 'Murder'. When the first of the series came out in 2004 with complete no-starrers (It had lesser known actors like Emraan Hashmi, Mallika Sherawat and Ashmit Patel) no one expected the erotic thriller to do well. But to everyone's surprise, the film went on to become one of the biggest hits of that year and subsequently led to Murder 2 and now Murder 3.

'Mama' Review: It accentuates style over story

Sun, 10 Feb 2013 11:37:23 +0530

The script unravels slowly, allowing you to accept the facts, but there is too little story to be told.

'Lincoln' Review: The towering central performance demands that you make time for it

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 11:58:25 +0530

'Lincoln' is what you might describe as a biopic with a difference. Director Steven Spielberg chooses to train the camera on the last four months of America's beloved President Abraham Lincoln's life in 1865, as he endeavors, with almost superhuman effort, to abolish slavery before the Civil War ends. We don't see a young Abe Lincoln; this is a stately, fatherly President, going off into rambling stories to elucidate a point or spending sleepless nights wandering around the White House while he worries about his nation and grieves over his dead son. And yet, this is an unforgettable portrait of a man who rewrote history, mainly because actor Daniel Day-Lewis steps into the President's shoes and feels the character in his bones.

'ABCD' Review: Any Body Can Dance, but the same can't be said of acting

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 11:40:40 +0530

'ABCD', an acronym for Any Body Can Dance, should have been more fun than it is, given that it's a true-blue 3D dance movie packed with energetic musical set-pieces. But the film suffers from the same malady that plagues this genre everywhere.

'Special Chabbis' Review: It's a delicious thriller you don't want to miss

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 11:39:59 +0530

That director Neeraj Pandey knows a thing or two about tension is evident from his previous film, 'A Wednesday', that cracker of a thriller from 2008. This time, he builds drama and a sense of urgency in 'Special Chabbis', about a group of conmen who posed as CBI officers in the 80s and conducted daring heists across the country through fake raids. Truth is stranger than fiction, and so 'Special Chabbis' is based on real events.

'ABCD - Anybody Can Dance' Tweet Review

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 01:58:11 +0530

Choreographer-turned-director Remo D'Souza swears by dancing and the director's second venture 'Anybody Can Dance' revolves around his first love - dance.

'Special 26' Tweet Review: First day, first show

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 10:00:35 +0530

Neeraj Pandey has featured a mainstream star Akshay Kumar along-with some acting powerhouses such as Manoj Bajpayee and Anupam Kher in 'Special 26'.

'Listen Amaya' Review: It shows how love knows no age

Sat, 02 Feb 2013 03:58:17 +0530

There is something enormously heartwarming about a mother-daughter film where the two actresses playing the roles look naturally comfortable together. For debutant director Avinash Kumar Singh, casting Deepti Naval and Swara Bhaskar in key roles, is half the battle won.

'Bullets To The Head' Review: Bullets are wasted

Sat, 02 Feb 2013 11:31:39 +0530

Sylvester Stallone's 'Bullets To The Head' is adapted from the French book, 'Du Plomb dans la tete'.

'Midnight's Children' Review: Watch it if you have an appetite for the unusual

Sat, 02 Feb 2013 12:09:56 +0530

The problem with authors adapting their own books into screenplays is that they're often so attached to the material, it's hard for them to yank out what doesn't necessarily work for the film and stick to the best bits. Midnight's Children, Salman Rushdie's look at the history of India and Pakistan as illustrated through the journey of Saleem Sinai, is an unquestionably engrossing tale, but it's impossible to squeeze it all into a two-and-a-half-hour film without it feeling like a slog.

'David' Review: Much to appreciate but formidable length mars its chances

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 11:51:27 +0530

Three stories set in three different time periods, each with a protagonist bearing the same name, is the central idea of director Bejoy Nambiar's David. The link between the three stories, revealed in the final ten minutes of the film, is a tenuous one, but Nambiar nevertheless throws up interesting ideas, and you can't accuse the film of being predictable.

'Vishwaroop' Review: It's unabashedly entertaining although you'll wish it was smarter

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 11:43:44 +0530

I'm happy to report that Kamal Haasan's Vishwaroop (the Hindi version of his Tamil film Vishwaroopam that became embroiled in controversy) contains nothing that might offend any community. Set around and after the events of 9/11, the film contains a message of anti-terrorism, but never anti-Muslim.

'Mai' Review: It teaches you to value elders

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 04:46:34 +0530

But Ashaji melts all our misgivings. Her innate warmth connects well with the audience. This is one mother we would all like to bring home.

'Hansel And Gretel' Review: twisted and wasted

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 04:37:13 +0530

In general, the witches are a crude, skin-cracked lot, in various shapes and sizes and their assembly on the Blood Moon night seems like a Halloween party.

'David' Tweet Review: Neil Nitin Mukesh, Vikram are the stars of the film

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 04:23:10 +0530

After giving the audiences a taste of a dark thriller in 'Shaitan', Bejoy Nambiar is ready with his second film 'David'.

'Vishwaroop' Tweet Review: First day, first show

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 10:04:40 +0530

Kamal Haasan's 'Vishwaroop' is based in New York and deals with war, politics and terrorism.

'Akaash Vani' Review: It's a good cure for insomnia

Fri, 25 Jan 2013 11:28:33 +0530

Like his earlier movie 'Pyaar Ka Punchnama', director Luv Ranjan's Akaash Vani is a promising but ultimately inconsistent film that starts out at one place, but ends up at quite another. This long, rambling love story makes an important point about marriage, and about parents shoving their decisions down their children's throats to stay within societal norms. It even touches fleetingly upon the issue of marital rape. But it's a pity these thoughts get somewhere lost in this convoluted mess of a film.

'Race 2' Review: Cinematic equivalent of a trashy novel

Fri, 25 Jan 2013 11:20:55 +0530

'Race 2' is the cinematic equivalent of a trashy novel. It never holds together as a sensible piece of work, but as an insensible piece of work, it's pretty enjoyable. Director-duo Abbas Mustan create a cocktail of glamorous stars, exotic foreign locations, slick action scenes, and an outrageous plot. At nearly two-and-a-half hours, the film is too long by at least 20 minutes, but I'll give this to Race 2: it's seldom boring.

'Akaash Vani' Tweet Review: Luv Ranjan returns

Fri, 25 Jan 2013 03:09:46 +0530

But will 'Akaash Vani' live up to the expectations? Will it be able to repeat PKP's success story? Shomini Sen of IBNLive is inside the theatre to find out.

'Race 2' Tweet Review: First day, first show

Fri, 25 Jan 2013 09:59:20 +0530

Rohit Vats of IBNLive is inside the theatre to live tweet the experience of 'Race 2'.

'Broken City' Review: Broken image of a complex city

Sat, 19 Jan 2013 01:40:48 +0530

Wahlberg, who has also co-produced the film, plays his part within his comfort zone with practiced determination.

'Les Miserables' review: The movie is heartfelt and moving in parts

Fri, 18 Jan 2013 11:47:50 +0530

The King's Speech director Tom Hooper's big-screen take on the long-running, universally beloved stage musical 'Les Miserables', is a bold and audacious piece of work, but one that overstays its welcome and leaves you feeling overfed in the end.

'Inkaar' review: Despite its controversial, bold theme, the film fizzles out

Fri, 18 Jan 2013 11:39:25 +0530

It's ironic that director Sudhir Mishra's Inkaar hinges on the premise of sexual harassment and desire in the workplace, because this is a film that could leave you deeply frustrated.

'Inkaar' Tweet Review: First day, first show

Fri, 18 Jan 2013 10:15:15 +0530

'Inkaar' deals with a very relevant issue of present times, sexual harassment at work place.

'Mumbai Mirror' Review: Stunt scenes save the day

Thu, 17 Jan 2013 01:04:40 +0530

There are some well-executed action scenes where Sachiin gets to do some exceedingly difficult stunts.

'Gangster Squad' review: This one is all style but little substance

Fri, 11 Jan 2013 11:31:29 +0530

The very opening scene of Gangster Squad sets the tone for this brutally violent mobster movie - an unsympathetic mafioso rips his enemy in two by chaining him to cars pulling in opposite directions. That barbaric mob-boss is Mickey Cohen, Los Angeles' most feared gangster, played by Sean Penn in this 1949-set thriller inspired by real events and real people.

'Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola' review: The year's first gem has arrived, don't miss it!

Fri, 11 Jan 2013 11:20:45 +0530

If it's true - what director Vishal Bhardwaj would have us believe in that cheeky anti-smoking disclaimer that precedes Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola - that too much of anything, even water and lemon, is harmful, then the filmmaker evidently doesn't practice what he preaches. This outrageous comedy after all shows little concern for our health as it delivers laugh after side-splitting laugh.

'Matru Ki Bijlee..' Tweet Review: 1st day, 1st show

Fri, 11 Jan 2013 10:02:36 +0530

Vishal Bhardwaj is one director who takes inspiration from the world literature but tries to dilute it down to suit the Indian mindset. The critically acclaimed director has returned with 'Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola'. The film stars Imran Khan, Anushka Sharma and Pankaj Kapur in the lead roles.

'Rajdhani Express' Review: This train goes nowhere

Sat, 05 Jan 2013 10:16:00 +0530

'Rajdhani Express' deals with a mentally fragile guy who is running away from a dreaded Delhi man.

'The Impossible' review: It's far from a perfect film, but one that touches you

Fri, 04 Jan 2013 11:54:19 +0530

Depending on which way you look at it, The Impossible, starring Ewan McGregor and Naomi Watts, is either a voyeuristic spectacle of human suffering, or a gut-wrenching but ultimately moving tale of courage and survival. The truth is that Spanish director Juan Antonia Bayona shrewdly alternates between both approaches for this real-life account of a family swept away by the deadly 2004 tsunami that hit South East Asia.

'Table No 21' review: The film is unforgivably lazy and squanders its potential

Fri, 04 Jan 2013 11:39:33 +0530

It's unlikely you'll come out unmoved by the big reveal at the end of Table No 21, whose deeply disturbing finale delivers a hard punch to the gut. But the problem is, while director Aditya Datt and his writers may have cracked a sure-shot climax, they invest very little in the rest of this sloppy thriller.

'Chinese Zodiac' Tweet Review: First day, first show

Fri, 04 Jan 2013 10:16:04 +0530

With his last major action film hitting the Indian screens, it would be interesting to see Jackie Chan's last punch.

'Jack Reacher' Review: A thriller with a moral code

Sat, 29 Dec 2012 10:24:31 +0530

Before anyone realises, Reacher arrives on the scene with the messianic swagger of an all-star quarterback.

'Rise of the Guardians' review: Never consistently engaging

Fri, 21 Dec 2012 11:57:37 +0530

Rise of the Guardians has been described as a sort of children's equivalent of The Avengers, what with its similar premise of mythical heroes coming together to defend the world against a dastardly villain. But despite the beautifully rendered animation and some impressive voice work, the film feels bloated from packing in too many things at once, and simply doesn't offer compelling enough characters to make the journey with.

'Dabangg 2' Review: Salman holds the film together

Fri, 21 Dec 2012 11:12:25 +0530

Given that Dabangg 2 is a family production in every sense of the term - Salman Khan stars, his brother Arbaaz directs, Arbaaz's wife Malaika Arora produces, and their sister Alvira Agnihotri does costumes - you can't help but wonder why no one thought of roping in their father, veteran screenwriter Salim Khan, to slap the script into shape. Because while there's some fun to be had watching Chulbul Pandey bash up the bad guys again and share a tender romance with his missus, nothing even remotely interesting happens in this film.

'The Collection' Review: It's mindless, inconsistent

Sat, 15 Dec 2012 12:10:53 +0530

In a nutshell, 'The Collection' is brainless, inconsistent, and the narration is riddled with gaping holes.

'The Last Act' Review: Experiments work in the film

Sat, 15 Dec 2012 10:26:44 +0530

Anurag Kashyap deserves a thumbs-up for his unique concept and the twist towards the end of the story.

'The Hobbit' Review: It's long and overblown

Fri, 14 Dec 2012 11:34:05 +0530

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, directed by Peter Jackson, clocks in at a whopping 2 hours and 40 minutes, if you don't count the roughly 15 minutes it takes for the end credits to roll. Given that Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy grossed nearly 3 billion dollars and won 14 Oscars in all, it's hardly surprising that the studio happily green-lit The Hobbit, and didn't complain when the New Zealand-based filmmaker decided to squeeze three films out of JRR Tolkien's rather slim 300-page prequel to the Rings saga. But despite its gorgeous sweeping visuals, spectacular special effects, and some terrific action sequences, this first installment in Jackson's three-film adaptation can't help feeling long and overblown and stretched beyond limits.

'10 ml Love' Review: This love potion tastes sweet

Sat, 08 Dec 2012 11:52:25 +0530

The director has gone for a story that had the potential of going wayward but he manages to make it entertaining.

'Hotel Transylvania': Watch this film, you'll enjoy it

Fri, 07 Dec 2012 11:28:39 +0530

In 'Hotel Transylvania', Adam Sandler may well have delivered his most enjoyable performance in years. Ironic, given that you never see him in the film! Sandler provides the voice of Count Dracula in this smart and lively 3D animated movie that makes the same point as 'Monsters Inc' - that ghosts and spirits and fearful-looking monsters are more scared of humans than the other way round.

'Playing For Keeps' review: The film is watchable

Fri, 07 Dec 2012 11:13:14 +0530

How anyone can rope in so many charming actors and yet make such an unremarkable film is the one single thought that's going through your head as you watch 'Playing For Keeps'. This inoffensive but formulaic romantic comedy squanders away the talents of its sexy cast by trapping them in such a predictable script.

'Khiladi 786' review: The film is funny, but only in spurts

Fri, 07 Dec 2012 11:01:01 +0530

Khiladi 786 stars Akshay Kumar, who breaks into a Himesh-voiced song at the drop of a hat. Normally that wouldn't be a problem, except that Himesh Reshammiya himself appears in this film, which means you have two people on screen with the same voice - Himesh Reshammiya's voice. Creepy, positively creepy.

'Khiladi 786' Tweet Review: First day, first show

Fri, 07 Dec 2012 10:12:45 +0530

This is Akshay Kumar's eighth film in the 'Khiladi' franchise, the longest running series in Bollywood.

'Talaash' review: It's a very watchable film but not an unforgettable one

Fri, 30 Nov 2012 11:39:11 +0530

Bathed in a noir-like moodiness, Talaash, directed competently by Reema Kagti, opens with a leisurely paced montage of Mumbai after dark. Wafting across the neon-lit signage of seedy bars, the camera pokes its head into the backrooms of brothels where prostitutes doll up before heading out to ply their wares. Crummy-looking pimps court prospective clients for their girls, an old destitute woman stares blankly huddled in a streetside corner, even as urchins tap hopefully on taxi windows. This is a side of a city we fleetingly encounter and yet it seldom registers in our lives. What Kagti conveys through Talaash is that this is a living-breathing strata of our society, and these people must matter - they deserve humanity and compassion.

'Talaash' Tweet Review: First day, first show

Fri, 30 Nov 2012 09:56:36 +0530

Aamir Khan, Kareena Kapoor and Rani Mukerji play the lead roles in director Reema Kagti's 'Talaash'.

'Bom' Review: Should the cannabis be banned?

Sat, 24 Nov 2012 02:21:52 +0530

The hills, clouds and songs contribute to the theme which brings forth the confusions of a democracy.

Breaking Dawn 2 Review: Likely to appeal to fans only

Sat, 24 Nov 2012 01:40:26 +0530

How ironic that a film whose characters can zip across forests faster than deer should be so slow and laborious itself! Breaking Dawn - Part 2, fifth and final installment in the cheesy but immensely popular Twilight movie franchise, is a film unlikely to appeal to anyone but hardcore fans who've been consistently forgiving of its many shortcomings.

'Life of Pi' review: Ang Lee's film is a visual marvel

Sat, 24 Nov 2012 01:24:50 +0530

'Life of Pi', directed by Ang Lee, is a film so fascinating and so stunning to look at, you don't want to blink for fear of missing out on a moment. It's the only film since James Cameron's Avatar to exploit 3D so richly. Nearly every frame resembles a gorgeous watercolor painting...from the open blue skies, to the expanse of the ocean, the wondrous marine life underwater, even the island on which our hero at one point lands. Ang Lee, the director of Brokeback Mountain and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon uses the technology shrewdly to suck you into this impossible story of a boy, the sea, and a tiger.

'Life of Pi' Tweet Review: A tale of surprises

Fri, 23 Nov 2012 02:31:25 +0530

Directed by Ang Lee, the film stars Suraj Sharma, Irrfan, Tabu and Adil Hussain in prominent roles.

'Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2' Tweet Review

Fri, 23 Nov 2012 09:52:24 +0530

Twi-hards have been waiting with bated breath for the last installment of the 'Twilight series'.

'Thuppakki' Review: This Tamil film is well written

Wed, 14 Nov 2012 01:46:00 +0530

Vijay's 'Thuppakki' is definitely one of the best Tamil action-thriller of recent times.

'JTHJ' despite script problems, is a fitting swansong

Tue, 13 Nov 2012 08:48:57 +0530

Now who'd have thought that a simple promise made to God would become a deal breaker in a relationship? Yash Chopra, in his latest and last film Jab Tak Hai Jaan, serves a missive halfway through a frothy romance between Samar (Shah Rukh Khan) and Meera (Katrina Kaif). Just as we're buying into their princess and pauper love story, Meera makes a promise that will separate the two, and frankly drag down a film that's coasting along smoothly until this point.

'Son of Sardaar' peddles the same stereotypes of Sikhs

Tue, 13 Nov 2012 08:22:09 +0530

That message is driven home loud and clear and many times over in director Ashwni Dhir's Son of Sardaar, intended presumably as comeuppance for a community that has forever been stereotyped as cheerfully dimwitted in Hindi movies. Dhir, unfortunately, does little to shatter that cliche, but he does put Sardars front and centre in this harebrained action-comedy, portraying them as large-hearted and fearless, and capable of performing all sorts of gravity and logic-defying stunts.

'Son of Sardaar': Tweet Review

Tue, 13 Nov 2012 01:33:00 +0530

'Son of Sardaar' is a remake of a Telugu film 'Maryada Ramanna' and has Ajay Devgn, Sonakshi Sinha and Sanjay Dutt in lead roles.

'Jab Tak Hai Jaan' Tweet Review: First day, first show

Tue, 13 Nov 2012 09:49:49 +0530

Yash Chopra's last directorial venture 'Jab Tak Hai Jaan' stars Shah Rukh Khan, Katrina Kaif and Anushka Sharma in lead roles.

'It's Rocking - Dard-E-Disco' Review: Avoidable

Sat, 10 Nov 2012 11:29:14 +0530

Devoid of any story, 'It's Rocking: Dard-E-Disco' has nothing to offer you, in fact it's a test of patience.

'Stolen' Review: It feels monotonous and one-note

Fri, 09 Nov 2012 11:52:56 +0530

Adding another entry to his already long list of embarrassing movie choices, Nicolas Cage stars as a desperate man trying to track down his teenage daughter in Stolen. Sure that premise sounds suspiciously similar to Liam Neeson's career reinventing hit Taken, but this film doesn't deliver any of the guilty pleasure offered by that 2008 actioner.

'Chasing Mavericks' Review: Watch it for the stunning open-water photography

Fri, 09 Nov 2012 11:47:12 +0530

Chasing Mavericks may be the real-life story of a teenage surfing legend, but it's those deadly waves that are more fascinating than any of the characters in this film or the actors who play them.

'Wreck-It Ralph' Review: It's clever and touching in equal measure

Fri, 09 Nov 2012 11:43:04 +0530

Disney's new 3D animation film, Wreck-It Ralph, is set in a world where arcade video games come to life after-hours. Think Toy Story, but with video game characters instead of toys.

'It's Rocking- Dard-E-Disco': Tweet Review

Fri, 09 Nov 2012 05:01:53 +0530

Bappi Lahiri, Akshay Kapoor, Rituparna Sengupta, Sneha Ullal, Asrani and Shakti Kapoor are in the star cast of the film.

'1920 - Evil Returns' Review: The ghost goes bonkers

Sat, 03 Nov 2012 08:39:58 +0530

'1920: Evil Returns' has some 'horror' moments in the second half, provided you sustain the tyranny till then.

'Luv Shuv Tey Chicken Khurana': Warm and fuzzy comedy

Fri, 02 Nov 2012 11:44:06 +0530

Like some culinary concoctions that take forever to stew before they're finally ready, Luv Shuv Tey Chicken Khurana is a satisfying and enjoyable film, even if it does take its own sweet time to come together. Kunal Kapoor stars as Omi, a young man who has failed to do much with his life, despite having stolen from his home and moved to London in search of better opportunities. When a local goon he borrowed 50,000 pounds from demands his money back, Omi returns home to his village in Punjab, hoping to somehow procure the cash from his family.

'Skyfall' Review: It gets so much right

Fri, 02 Nov 2012 11:30:00 +0530

Given the promise of Casino Royale and the subsequent disappointment of Quantum of Solace, it was clear the James Bond franchise - currently in its 50th year - needed a shot in the arm, and a filmmaker who could put things back on track. In Skyfall, Sam Mendes, the Oscar-winning director of American Beauty, has delivered a thrilling addition to the 007 movie legacy, and a film that strikes just the right balance between familiarity and freshness.

'Skyfall' Tweet Review: First day, first show

Thu, 01 Nov 2012 10:31:22 +0530

Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem, Judi Dench, Ralph Fiennes and Naomie Harris are in the star cast of director Sam Mendes''Skyfall'.

'Rush' Review: The mediocre business of media

Sat, 27 Oct 2012 02:34:08 +0530

Not many news editors would sing and dance in a bar after getting drunk like Samar Grover of 'Rush'.

'Cloud Atlas' Review: It's laughably self-serious

Sat, 27 Oct 2012 12:53:27 +0530

Maybe if you're 20 years old and high in your dorm room with your friends, the platitudes presented in 'Cloud Atlas' might seem profound.

'Chakravyuh' Review: Focus is on grandeur

Sat, 27 Oct 2012 12:23:44 +0530

'Chakravyuh' is for the people who believe that things go just fine if your stock exchange functions smoothly.

'Ajab Gazabb Love' Review: It's not so lovable

Sat, 27 Oct 2012 10:36:30 +0530

'Ajab Gazabb Love' has some hilarious moments but on the whole, the plot is on an even keel.

'Chakravyuh' Tweet Review: First day, first show

Wed, 24 Oct 2012 10:36:32 +0530

The film stars Arjun Rampal, Abhay Deol, Manoj Bajpayee, Esha Gupta and Om Puri in prominent roles.

'Premium Rush' Review: The kind of film best enjoyed with a big helping of popcorn

Sat, 20 Oct 2012 12:21:37 +0530

Through a succession of smart movie choices - (500) Days of Summer, Inception, 50/50, and Looper, to name just a few - Joseph Gordon-Levitt has fast emerged one of those rare young actors whose very name on a film's poster is all the encouragement one needs to venture into the movie, no matter how obscure, no matter what its genre. Premium Rush, directed by David Koepp, is a respectable addition to the actor's enviable of CV of unconventional but enjoyable films.

'Argo' Review: A terrific movie with a lived-in, authentic feel to it

Sat, 20 Oct 2012 12:12:13 +0530

'Argo', directed by Ben Affleck, is simply a terrific movie. For his third outing behind the camera, after those excellent Boston-set thrillers Gone Baby Gone and The Town, Affleck chooses this amazing story of one of the most improbable rescue missions in modern history...the kind of story you'd never believe, except that it's based on true events.

'Delhi Safari' Review: The 3D animation never talks down to its young audience

Fri, 19 Oct 2012 11:57:36 +0530

There are more than a few lessons nicely woven into the plot of Delhi Safari, but thankfully this 3D animation film from director Nikhil Advani never talks down to its young audience, or beats them on the head with its overarching message of wildlife and environmental preservation. At a crisp 95 minutes, the film is an enjoyable and entertaining adventure, despite never achieving Pixar-level greatness.

'Student of the Year' Review: If fun is what you're seeking, you won't be disappointed

Fri, 19 Oct 2012 11:44:02 +0530

The hardest job on a Karan Johar film set must belong to the cleaners, who I imagine spend most of the day on their knees scrubbing floors, dusting furniture, and basically making sure everything is spotless. The director's new film, Student of the Year, is set on an impossibly chic campus where good-looking teenagers are invariably breaking into song or breaking into fights. Yet you'll never spot a carelessly strewn cola can or even a stray sheet of paper lying around in the corridors or in the canteen. Oh those poor cleaners!

'Janleva 555' Review: It's a mish-mash of genres

Fri, 19 Oct 2012 04:47:57 +0530

'Janleva 555' is like a slow poison that slowly consumes you, leaving you feeling wasted and annoyed.

'Student Of The Year' Tweet Review: First day, first show

Fri, 19 Oct 2012 10:09:52 +0530

Directed by Karan Johar, the film stars Alia Bhatt, Varun Dhawan and Siddharth Malhotra in lead roles.

'Taken 2' Review: The movie never takes itself too seriously

Sat, 13 Oct 2012 12:15:39 +0530

Are you really surprised they decided to make a sequel to Taken after that film turned Liam Neeson into a bonafide action star in his mid-50s? In Taken 2, Neeson, now 60, returns as retired CIA agent Bryan Mills, who's currently working in private security, and who's accepted an assignment to protect a rich Arab sheikh in Istanbul. Unknown to Mills, the fathers and relatives of those Albanian sex traffickers who kidnapped his daughter in the earlier film, are hatching a plan to get revenge on him for dispatching their sons and brothers to grisly deaths. When his ex-wife Lenore (Famke Janssen) and daughter Kim (Maggie Grace) surprise him by showing up in the Turkish capital, he's thrilled about spending the weekend with them. As it turns out however, all their hopes for a quiet family reunion quickly go out of the window.

'Looper' Review: This is ambitious, audacious storytelling

Sat, 13 Oct 2012 12:09:31 +0530

Looper, starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Bruce Willis as younger and older versions of the same person, is a deliciously complex and fast-paced sci-fi thriller that's likely to satisfy both, fans of popcorn movies and those seeking more cerebral entertainment.

'Makkhi' Review: A great example of how the idea is truly the star

Fri, 12 Oct 2012 11:59:01 +0530

In Makkhi, the Hindi dubbed version of the blockbuster Telugu film Eega, a man is reborn as a housefly so he can avenge his own death. Few films are as wildly imaginative and as consistently entertaining as this one from director SS Rajamouli, who takes popular reincarnation sagas like Karan Arjun and Karz, and turns them on their heads.

'Chittagong' Review: It's a textured film shot beautifully

Fri, 12 Oct 2012 11:42:38 +0530

Chittagong, directed by Bedabrata Pain, is a story culled straight out of history books, yet the film is so loaded with heart that it easily resonates with you. The theme is familiar - it does, after all, tread the same ground as Ashutosh Gowariker's Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Se (2010), capturing the events surrounding one of the earliest chapters in India's freedom struggle - the Chittagong uprising of the 1930s, led by school teacher Surya Sen against the mighty British. But the film's greatest strength is that while it salutes the fervor with which the revolutionaries took on the administration, it never lets us forget that this army was mostly made up of mere school children. Their intent is brave, but their fear is palpable - handling weapons they never have before, the dread over the act of killing, and even the idea that they will have to lay down their young lives for the sake of their motherland. It is in capturing these details with an understated hand that makes Chittagong seem so real.

'Bhoot Returns' Review: It's total time-pass entertainment

Fri, 12 Oct 2012 11:22:13 +0530

In an interview he gave me two weeks ago, Ramgopal Varma said he thinks horror films "should never have a story". According to him, an ominous setting alone can do the trick. That's pretty much all he's willing to offer in Bhoot Returns, his new film about a family that moves into a house only to discover that it might already be occupied by a supernatural presence.

'Aiyyaa' Review: An original experiment let down by its many indulgences

Fri, 12 Oct 2012 10:55:59 +0530

It's love at first smell for college librarian Meenaxi Deshpande (Rani Mukherjee), who falls hook line and sinker for brooding artist Surya (South Indian star Prithviraj) the moment she first catches a whiff of him. Meenaxi, the protagonist of writer-director Sachin Kundalkar's bizarrely fascinating Aiyyaa, is a middle-class Maharashtrian girl with a heightened sense of smell, and a tendency to slip into a dream-like fantasy world of Bollywood numbers to escape the claustrophobia of her eccentric family.

Chittagong: Tweet Review

Fri, 12 Oct 2012 06:08:20 +0530

The film has been produced by Anurag Kashyap while Bedabrata Pain has wielded the megaphone for 'Chittagong'.

Bhoot Returns: Tweet Review

Fri, 12 Oct 2012 01:54:59 +0530

'Bhoot Returns' stars Manisha Koirala, JD Chakravarthy, Madhu Shalini and Alayana Sharma in pivotal roles.

'Aiyyaa' Tweet Review: First day, first show

Fri, 12 Oct 2012 10:09:46 +0530

Rani Mukerji and Prithviraj Sukumaran's highly talked about film 'Aiyyaa' is a romantic comedy.

'The Possession' Review: It leaves you dispossessed

Sun, 07 Oct 2012 06:07:46 +0530

Better references to Judaism and their culture would also have given an added dimension to the film.

'Killing Them Softly' Review: It's a subtle film

Sun, 07 Oct 2012 11:45:11 +0530

What the film insinuates with Bush and Obama talking economics on TV is something very provocative.

'KLPD' Review: The film is appropriately titled

Fri, 05 Oct 2012 11:59:34 +0530

A hapless fellow finds his life turned upside down, and all kinds of degenerates hot on his trail, when he misses the last train home one night. Writer-director Sanjay Khanduri rejigs the premise of his quirky 2007 film, Ek Chalis Ki Last Local, but with far lesser success in the appropriately titled KLPD...although that's meant to stand for 'Kismet Love Paisa Dilli'.

'English Vinglish' Review: The film leaves you with a big smile on your face

Fri, 05 Oct 2012 11:22:33 +0530

Returning to the screen after a hiatus of 15 years in first-time director Gauri Shinde's charming comedy 'English Vinglish', Sridevi hits all the right notes.

Tweet Review: 'Kismet Love Paisa Dilli'

Fri, 05 Oct 2012 01:05:38 +0530

Vivek Oberoi has played a 23 year old college going boy in 'KLPD' whose life changes on a crazy night.

Tweet Review: 'English Vinglish', 1st day, 1st show

Fri, 05 Oct 2012 10:10:14 +0530

The film has been co-produced by director Gauri Shinde's husband R Balki, who has directed films like 'Cheeni Kum' and 'Paa' in past.

'Pairon Talle' review: Metaphors work for the film

Wed, 03 Oct 2012 01:31:06 +0530

'Pairon Talle' is a brave attempt which ventures into the lives of embryonic upper-middle class of Delhi.

Review: 'Kamaal Dhamaal Malamaal' lacks pace, humour

Sat, 29 Sep 2012 03:27:59 +0530

Shreyas tries hard but the director's intention of showing too many things in a limited period mars his chances.

'Oh My God' review: A solid case against blind faith

Fri, 28 Sep 2012 11:28:07 +0530

Oh My God!, adapted from the popular Gujarati play Kanji Viruddh Kanji (itself evidently inspired by the Australian film, The Man Who Sued God), makes a compelling argument against the commercialization of religion, but the tone of the film is so shrill, the approach so preachy, you feel like you're being tied down and forced to listen to a sermon for two-and-a-half hours.

Tweet Review: 'Oh My God', first day, first show

Fri, 28 Sep 2012 10:40:44 +0530

Akshay Kumar and Paresh Rawal starrer 'Oh My God' is based on a popular Gujrati play 'Kanji Virrudh Kanji'.

Review: 'Fire In Babylon' is riveting

Sun, 23 Sep 2012 06:28:17 +0530

'Fire In Babylon' is the documented true story of the most inspiring team of the cricket history.

Masand: Good time guaranteed with 'Dredd 3D'

Sat, 22 Sep 2012 12:21:55 +0530

Hats off to the makers of Dredd 3D for succeeding in burying the memories of that 1995 Sylvester Stallone version, Judge Dredd, that fans of the comic book still remember with horror. With their new film, director Pete Travis and writer Alex Garland bring the character back to his brutally violent roots, and stick to the concept of Dredd as a sardonic, single-minded dispenser of justice in a post-apocalyptic world overrun with criminals, the homeless, and assorted degenerates.

Masand: 'Moonrise Kingdom' is beautifully written

Sat, 22 Sep 2012 12:07:01 +0530

As anyone who's ever watched a Wes Anderson film will tell you, a mere description of the plot in no way prepares you for the sheer ingenuity and the delightful quirkiness of his work. His latest, Moonrise Kingdom, has many familiar elements from his earlier films - oddball characters, storybook visuals, an offbeat sense of humor, and yes, Bill Murray. But, while films like The Royal Tenenbaums and The Darjeeling Limited focused on dysfunctional eccentrics, this one is about adolescent angst and the thrill of first love.

Masand: 'Heroine' is melodramatic, boring and sloppy

Sat, 22 Sep 2012 12:05:54 +0530

In a tense opening scene, an actress, who only moments ago has been hurled out of a car onto the road, enters a police station, her body still trembling, her face smeared with tears and running mascara. Clutching a lit cigarette nervously, she takes a seat before a cop who is persuading her to reveal why she's in this condition. "Did someone assault you?" he asks.

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

Fri, 21 Sep 2012 10:22:29 +0530

Kareena Kapoor starrer 'Heroine' has its moments, but it tries to show too many things at the same time.

Review: 'Special Forces' is watchable

Sun, 16 Sep 2012 06:33:02 +0530

'Special Forces' is a decent effort at black and white propaganda that is alleviated by good action.

Review: 'Tarbosaurus' is entertaining for children

Sun, 16 Sep 2012 06:25:46 +0530

Small kids would have a good, entertaining time with the film. However, adults will be bored.

Masand: Richard Gere is terrific in 'Arbitrage'

Fri, 14 Sep 2012 11:58:29 +0530

Arbitrage stars Richard Gere as a sort of anti-hero whose unforgiveable transgressions deserve punishment, but who's so irresistibly charming it's hard not to root for him.

Masand: Indulge your sweet tooth with 'Barfi'

Fri, 14 Sep 2012 11:42:59 +0530

That rare film that puts a smile on your face even before a single frame of the story is revealed, Anurag Basu's Barfi envelopes you like a warm blanket from the moment you settle into your seat. Even as routine acknowledgements appear on a black screen, you're charmed by the accompanying ditty, Picture shuru, whose chorus instructs you to switch off your phones and submit yourself to the experience that follows.

Tweet Review: 'Barfi!', first day, first show

Fri, 14 Sep 2012 10:43:10 +0530

Anurag Basu should be praised for the careful and sensible handling of a touching topic.

Masand: 'To Rome...' is whimsical yet charming

Fri, 07 Sep 2012 11:58:03 +0530

Woody Allen's new film, 'To Rome With Love' isn't nearly as inventive or as fascinating as last year's Midnight in Paris, but it is nevertheless a light, frothy confection that you'll have trouble hating.

Masand: 'Raaz 3' is more funny than scary

Fri, 07 Sep 2012 11:25:29 +0530

It's hard to tell which of the two leading ladies in 'Raaz 3' is more severely humiliated by director Vikram Bhatt - Esha Gupta, whose character runs stark naked into a party when cockroaches crawl into her dress, or Bipasha Basu who must have sex with an evil spirit, his body covered in creepy leeches.

Masand: 'Hit & Run' is neither funny nor thrilling

Sat, 01 Sep 2012 12:53:46 +0530

Hit & Run, starring real-life couple Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard, has been described as an action comedy, but it's neither very funny, nor are the car chases particularly thrilling.

Masand: 'Campaign' is promising but inconsistent

Sat, 01 Sep 2012 12:40:19 +0530

Unable to decide if it wants to be a demented comedy or a cheeky political satire, The Campaign starring Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis, is a promising but inconsistent film that takes some well-deserved jabs at the ridiculous business of American politics.

Masand: 'Joker' treats its audience like fools

Sat, 01 Sep 2012 12:19:32 +0530

In Joker, directed by Shirish Kunder, Akshay Kumar is cast as a committed NASA scientist. You can laugh now. Very likely it's the only time you'll laugh during this disappointing film.

Review: 'Jalpari' is a social statement

Fri, 31 Aug 2012 02:42:48 +0530

The flaws do not eclipse the film's efforts to tell a story about the absence of equal opportunities for girls.

Review: 'I M 24' is not senseless, but repetitive

Fri, 31 Aug 2012 02:29:39 +0530

Directed by Saurabh Shukla, 'I M 24' is an average film, which could have been better with a little more fine-tuning.

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

Fri, 31 Aug 2012 10:29:55 +0530

Said to be Akshay's 100th film, 'Joker' features a village called Paglapur that doesn't have any mention on map.

Review: 'From Sydney with Love' is very cheesy

Thu, 30 Aug 2012 10:51:37 +0530

The makers don't wish to develop a new love theorem and remains within the comfort zone.

Review: 'Delhi in a Day' is fresh in its approach

Sat, 25 Aug 2012 02:13:11 +0530

Director Prashant Nair's 'Delhi in a Day' is a new take on India's mystical spirituality and class structure.

Masand: 'Expendables 2' is dumb, silly fun

Fri, 24 Aug 2012 11:58:31 +0530

Considerably more fun than the earlier film, The Expendables 2 doesn't take itself too seriously, and neither should you. Eyeing a rickety old jet that Bruce Willis has just presented to him in one of the film's closing scenes, Sylvester Stallone declares: "That plane belongs in a museum." "We all do," quips Arnold Schwarznegger, echoing your sentiments exactly.

Masand: 'Shirin Farhad' is made with a lot of heart

Fri, 24 Aug 2012 11:55:07 +0530

Unwilling to settle for the first girl who's paraded before him, 45-year-old bachelor Farhad Pastakia is clear he will marry only for love. Farhad, played by a terrific Boman Irani in debutant director Bela Bhansali Sehgal's Shirin Farhad Ki Toh Nikal Padi, is a lingerie salesman at a nearby store, and lives with his widowed mum (Daisy Irani) and her mother (yesteryear actress Shammi) in a Parsi colony in Mumbai. While his job proves to be a hurdle when it comes to his eligibility in the marriage market, his mum presents herself as an obstacle when Farhad finally meets his soulmate in feisty spinster Shirin Fuggawala, played with considerable zest by choreographer-filmmaker Farah Khan.

Tweet Review: Shirin Farhad Ki Toh Nikal Padi

Fri, 24 Aug 2012 10:04:23 +0530

Boman Irani and Farah Khan play the lead roles in director Bela Sehgal's 'Shirin Farhad Ki Toh Nikal Padi'.

Masand: 'Ek Tha Tiger' is far from unwatchable

Wed, 15 Aug 2012 11:30:41 +0530

To be fair, 'Ek Tha Tiger' is a very different beast from recent Salman Khan starrers, particularly his last two releases, 'Ready' and 'Bodyguard'. Now that could be construed either as good news or bad news depending on what you thought of those films.

Tweet Review: 'Ek Tha Tiger', 1st day, 1st show

Wed, 15 Aug 2012 10:07:32 +0530

Salman is playing a secret agent in the film who falls in love with Zoya, played by Katrina Kaif.

Masand: 'The Bourne Legacy' has a lethargic pace

Fri, 10 Aug 2012 11:12:17 +0530

The fundamental problem with 'The Bourne Legacy' is that it contains too much talking and very little action. It's a far cry from the earlier Bourne films, particularly Supremacy and Ultimatum, both directed by Paul Greengrass whose frenetic shaky-camera shooting style and breathless direction turned those films into smart, realistic action-thrillers.

Masand: 'Gangs of Wasseypur II' is overlong, tiring

Fri, 10 Aug 2012 10:56:15 +0530

If Wasseypur II has one fatal flaw, it's the indulgence of its director, so in love with his baby that he doesn't stop introducing pointless subplots and characters until the very end.

Tweet Review: 'Gangs of Wasseypur 2'

Wed, 08 Aug 2012 10:43:19 +0530

As expected, Anurag Kashyap's 'Gangs of Wasseypur 2' is more gripping than the first part.

Masand: 'Step Up..' feels like a parade of actors

Sat, 04 Aug 2012 12:54:31 +0530

The plot's still threadbare and the dialogue still cheesy, but Step Up Revolution has some thrilling, well-choreographed dance numbers...and let's face it, that's the reason we still go to these movies.

Masand: 'Total Recall' is a joyless bore of a film

Sat, 04 Aug 2012 12:36:35 +0530

How ironic that a film whose key conceit involves wiped-out memories is so easily forgettable itself... The new Total Recall, adapted from a Phillip K Dick short story, and remake of the 1990 Arnold Schwarznegger starrer, is a joyless bore of a film that possesses none of the campy charm of its predecessor.

Masand: Wooden Sunny lets down 'Jism 2'

Sat, 04 Aug 2012 12:30:59 +0530

It takes a special kind of skill to make a film as harebrained as Jism 2. To say that its script is ridden with plot holes is an understatement; the plot itself is like a big, black hole there is no coming out of.

Review: 'Krishna Aur Kans' remains an average film

Thu, 02 Aug 2012 12:30:35 +0530

'Krishna Aur Kans' finds a way out for showcasing an item song featuring none other than Putna.

Review: Warm 'Shuttlecock Boys' explores hope

Thu, 02 Aug 2012 12:11:07 +0530

The film straddles the city's areas of opportunities and blends the desolate struggles of its people.

Review: 'Aalaap' is a juvenile propaganda film

Sun, 29 Jul 2012 07:01:40 +0530

What does surprise is that the filmmaking is as juvenile, simplistic, illogical and outright dumb as its ideology.

Masand: 'Ice Age 4..' lacks the simple charm

Sat, 28 Jul 2012 12:09:54 +0530

It's hard to shake off that feeling of fatigue as you sit there in your seat watching 'Ice Age 4: Continental drift', the fourth, and sadly most formulaic installment in the popular animated series.

Masand: 'Harud' is an important, delicate film

Fri, 27 Jul 2012 11:59:52 +0530

Unlike so many Hindi films about the Kashmir situation, 'Harud', directed by Aamir Bashir is subtle and understated, and unfolds at a quiet, unhurried pace despite the urgency of the themes it addresses. So quiet and so slow, in fact, that more than once during the film you might find yourself checking your watch to make sure time hasn't stopped still.

Masand: 'Kyaa Super Kool...' is a cringe fest

Fri, 27 Jul 2012 11:57:00 +0530

If I had a penny for every time I laughed during 'Kyaa Super Kool Hain Hum', I'd be able to afford an Asprin I so badly needed at the end of this roughly two-and-a-half-hour cringe-fest.

Tweet Review: 'Kyaa Super Kool Hain Hum'

Fri, 27 Jul 2012 10:42:54 +0530

Tusshar Kapoor, Riteish Deshmukh, Sarah Jane Dias and Neha Sharma play the lead roles in the film.

Masand: 'Dark Knight Rises' flirts with greatness

Fri, 20 Jul 2012 11:30:56 +0530

In order to fully appreciate The Dark Knight Rises, it might be a good idea to refresh your memory of Batman Begins, given that key plot points and characters from the 2005 film are referenced in Christopher Nolan's final chapter in the Batman trilogy. Oh, and one more thing - it would also help if you had no memory of The Dark Knight, Nolan's 2008 sequel.

Masand: 'Gattu' is a charming film

Fri, 20 Jul 2012 11:26:30 +0530

Gattu, directed by Rajan Khosa, is an optimistic and uplifting tale of an orphaned street kid and the one great passion that keeps his spirit alive even in the bleakest of times.

Tweet Review: The Dark Knight Rises

Fri, 20 Jul 2012 10:06:25 +0530

Directed by Christopher Nolan, 'The Dark Knight Rises' stars Christian Bale, Anne Hathaway, Morgan Freeman and Tom Hardy in the lead roles.

Masand: 'Abraham Lincoln...' is a silly biopic

Sat, 14 Jul 2012 12:02:52 +0530

Mixing real historical facts with a preposterous make-believe premise, Wanted director Timur Bekmambetov delivers a silly biopic-meets-horror movie in the curiously titled Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.

Masand: 'The Intouchables' is a touching film

Fri, 13 Jul 2012 11:40:22 +0530

French film The Intouchables is what one might describe as a genuine crowd-pleaser. It's a charming buddy movie with one small twist - one of the guys is a quadriplegic in a wheelchair, the other one his nurse.

Masand: 'Cocktail' could've done with more heart

Fri, 13 Jul 2012 11:35:49 +0530

It's not enough that he's sharing a flat with two gorgeous women, having casual sex with one, while the other does everything from his laundry to making him breakfast...he had to go and fall in love, and ruin what most men would describe as "living the dream".

Tweet Review: Saif Ali Khan, Deepika's 'Cocktail'

Fri, 13 Jul 2012 12:51:01 +0530

The film stars Saif Ali Khan, Deepika Padukone and Diana Penty in the lead roles.

Masand: 'Bol Bachchan' offers genuine laughs

Sat, 07 Jul 2012 12:02:06 +0530

'Bol Bachchan', directed by Rohit Shetty, revels gleefully in its silliness. This is a film whose pedestrian humor requires neither taste nor common sense to appreciate, and anyone seeking wit, a clever screenplay, or inspired performances might want to revisit Hrishikesh Mukherjee's Gol Maal, which Shetty plunders in the name of inspiration for this lazy film.

Tweet Review: 'Bol Bachchan', 1st day, 1st show

Fri, 06 Jul 2012 11:14:54 +0530

Said to be based on Hrishikesh Mukherjee's 'Gol Maal', the film also features Amitabh Bachchan in a song.

Masand: 'The Amazing Spider-Man' deserves a watch

Fri, 29 Jun 2012 11:44:54 +0530

If Sam Raimi's 2002 Spider-Man is still fresh in your memory, there's a good chance the new reboot might feel boringly familiar. This is after all the origin story all over again - Peter Parker gets bitten, he discovers his 'spider powers', he uses them first on the school bully, then goes out in the street to fight crime, finally clashing with a fearsome villain while cops and New Yorkers look on in amazement.

Masand: 'Supermen of Malegaon' is brisk, enjoyable

Fri, 29 Jun 2012 11:24:05 +0530

Armed only with a handicam and an unputdownable spirit, Sheikh Nasir, an amateur filmmaker in Malegaon, a small industrial town about 270 kms outside Mumbai, struggles to make his version of the Superman story, titled Malegaon Ka Superman. But there are many hurdles to overcome...like raising the Rs 50,000 or so it will cost to make this film; finding a girl willing to play the damsel-in-distress in this conservative, mostly Muslim-populated town; and then there is that delicate business of figuring out how to make his superhero fly. In her charming documentary Supermen of Malegaon, Faiza Ahmed Khan casts a warm, affectionate eye on Nasir's bumpy journey to realize his dream.

Masand: 'Maximum' is all too grim and dull

Fri, 29 Jun 2012 11:11:34 +0530

A thriller about the power struggles within the Mumbai police force and the repercussions of such cops-versus-cops clashes, Maximum, directed by Kabeer Kaushik is an interesting idea that sadly doesn't translate into a coherent film.

Tweet Review: The Amazing Spider-Man

Fri, 29 Jun 2012 10:18:47 +0530

The fourth film in the 'Spider Man' franchise is a reboot of the earlier films. Andrew Garfield has replaced Toby Maguire as the lead.

Review: 'StreetDance 2' is a mere dance video

Sat, 23 Jun 2012 05:22:42 +0530

The primary storyline looks like a school drama, where all you need to take care of is the basic structure.

Masand: 'Brave' offers relentless action, silly laughs

Sat, 23 Jun 2012 12:28:08 +0530

The best Pixar films - Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Wall-E, Up, and the Toy Story trilogy - all have one thing in common: they appeal as much to adults as they do to kids. The studio's latest film Brave, however, can be safely described as a children's movie. After all, the animation is gorgeous but the humor is mostly slapstick, and the message is hammered into our heads repeatedly. Plus, the film's premise - of a feisty princess who must undo a witch's dastardly spell in the face of danger - feels old-fashioned and familiar.

Masand: 'Teri Meri...' feels soulless, superficial

Sat, 23 Jun 2012 12:11:26 +0530

In Teri Meri Kahaani, Shahid Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra play a couple destined to fall in love across lifetimes. There's just no getting away from each other for these two, who invariably connect in every birth, only for their romance to be repeatedly thwarted.

Masand: 'Gangs of Wasseypur' is a gripping film

Fri, 22 Jun 2012 11:56:42 +0530

On the surface, Gangs of Wasseypur is a revenge saga, a tableau of vengeance between generations of gangsters. Scratch that surface and you'll discover more than just a grim portrait. Director Anurag Kashyap decides to tell this story his way, infusing it with moments of sly wit that give the blood-soaked drama irresistible color.

Tweet Review: 'Teri Meri Kahaani'

Fri, 22 Jun 2012 02:56:05 +0530

Directed by Kunal Kohli, Shahid Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra play the lead roles in the film.

Tweet Review: 'Gangs of Wasseypur'

Fri, 22 Jun 2012 10:32:32 +0530

Manoj Bajpayee, Jaideep Ahlawat, Nawazuddin Siddique, Remma Sen and Tigmanshu Dhulia are in the star cast of the film.

Review: 'Kshay', small film with a big message

Sun, 17 Jun 2012 04:27:34 +0530

Digital filmmaking has opened up a whole universe of opportunity for people with cinematic aspirations.

Masand: 'Piranha 3DD' ultimately fails

Sat, 16 Jun 2012 12:44:11 +0530

From topless women splashing about in the water, to an unfortunate fellow who loses his penis to a stubborn fish, Piranha 3DD tries hard to recycle many of the same elements that made its 2010 predecessor, Piranha 3D, such trashy fun. But it's precisely because it tries so hard that this film ultimately fails. For while the earlier film cheerily embraced its cheesiness and faux horror, Piranha 3DD comes off as calculated and desperate in its attempt to up the ante by packing the climax with relentless dismembering.

Masand: 'Rock of Ages' is worth a watch

Sat, 16 Jun 2012 12:25:36 +0530

Soaked in kitschy 80s nostalgia, Rock of Ages is a goofy movie-musical that's hard to resist. The film's charm lies not in its familiar premise - of a small-town girl who arrives in the City of Dreams to become a star - but in its mix-tape soundtrack of rock-and-roll hits belted out by the film's cast, and in the outrageous, incredible performance of Tom Cruise.

Masand: 'Ferrari Ki Sawaari' is well assembled

Fri, 15 Jun 2012 11:45:59 +0530

Like the Munnabhai movies and 3 Idiots with which it shares its DNA, Ferrari Ki Sawaari is a well-intentioned film with its heart positioned firmly in the right place. And yet, this simple-minded tale about an ordinary family chasing an extraordinary dream never quite soars.

Tweet Review: Ferrari Ki Sawaari, 1st day, 1st show

Fri, 15 Jun 2012 10:51:12 +0530

The star cast of 'Ferrari Ki Sawaari' includes Sharman Joshi, Boman Irani and child actor Ritvik Sahore.

Masand: 'Madagascar 3' is light, breezy, enough fun

Sat, 09 Jun 2012 12:41:59 +0530

After stopping off in Madagascar and Africa in the previous films, that gang of animal escapees from New York City zoo continues its globe-trotting tour with a shiny, bright and somewhat breathless adventure through scenic European cities in the aptly-titled 'Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted'.

Masand: Prometheus is unquestionably entertaining

Sat, 09 Jun 2012 12:26:59 +0530

With 'Prometheus', director Ridley Scott returns to his sci-fi roots after 30 long years, delivering what is clearly an ambitious, epic-sized prequel to Alien, but one that's sadly missing the very clarity and urgency of that film.

Masand: 'Shanghai' is consistently watchable

Sat, 09 Jun 2012 12:17:20 +0530

Dibakar Banerjee's Shanghai is a crisp, take-no-prisoners drama about seeking justice in the complex landscape of the Indian democracy. The film benefits from the compelling performances of its cast and the director's sharp eye for detail while narrating a simplistic, and at times predictable story that traces the inevitable nexus between Indian politics and crime.

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

Fri, 08 Jun 2012 10:39:34 +0530

Emraan Hashmi, Abhay Deol, Kalki Koechlin and Prosenjit Chatterjee starrer 'Shanghai' hits the screens on June 8, 2012.

Review: 'Snow White' is potentially untapped

Sat, 02 Jun 2012 03:38:47 +0530

Fairytales have a unique ability. Depending on one's perspective, one can see them as either light or heavy, as funny or serious. So, while barely two months back you had 'Mirror Mirror', now you have 'Snow White And the Huntsman' - both different and unique renderings of the Snow White fairytale.

Masand: 'The Cabin...' delivers an unconvincing end

Fri, 01 Jun 2012 11:41:51 +0530

When a horror film opens with five college kids climbing into a caravan and heading off to spend the weekend at an isolated cottage in the woods, you pretty much know how things are going to pan out. After all they've made dozens of horror movies around this premise!

Masand: 'Rowdy Rathore' is a mindless film

Fri, 01 Jun 2012 11:37:09 +0530

Rowdy Rathore is the kind of movie that's made by people with a cash register in place of their brain. Because no legitimate reason, other than financial gain, can justify why this movie was made - it has no story or plot whatsoever, the characters are entirely forgettable, and it's so long and loud and silly that the laughs dry up early on. That the film has such impressive pedigree - it's produced by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, directed by Prabhudeva, and stars Akshay Kumar - is both baffling and shameful.

Tweet Review: 'Rowdy Rathore', first day, first show

Fri, 01 Jun 2012 11:02:49 +0530

Akshay Kumar is returning to action films with director Prabhu Deva's 'Rowdy Rathore'. The film features Sonakshi Sinha as Akshay's love interest.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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'.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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: '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.

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'.

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.