Maleficent

Directed By:

                Robert Stromberg     

Review:

No stranger to larger-than-life characters, Angelina Jolie doesn’t chew the estimable scenery in Maleficent — she infuses it, wielding a magnetic and effortless power as the magnificently malevolent fairy who places a curse on a newborn princess. Her iconic face subtly altered with prosthetics, she’s the heart and soul (Maleficent has both, it turns out) of Disney’s revisionist, live-action look at its most popular cartoon villain, the self-described Mistress of All Evil from 1959’s Sleeping Beauty. A few bumpy patches notwithstanding, the new feature is an exquisitely designed, emotionally absorbing work of dark enchantment. With the production’s star wattage, well-known source material and multipronged branding push, the studio should see its $175 million gamble on a first-time director stir up box-office magic both domestically and in international markets.As the Broadway musical Wicked did for the Wicked Witch of the West, the movie humanizes Maleficent by creating an origin story, revealing a shocking betrayal that turned the kind fairy vengeful. Reworking an age-old tale that has undergone countless variations over the centuries, the screenplay by Linda Woolverton (Beauty and the Beast) draws from Charles Perrault’s 1697 “La Belle au bois dormant” and the animated Disney feature that gave the spiteful character a name and a deliciously sinister personality — which Jolie deepens while still finding the kick in it. There’s no hundred-year sleep in the new film’s timeline, and the handsome prince is a bit player in a story whose true center is a love that has nothing to do with happily-ever-after romance.

But magical fairy-tale elements still abound in the debut helming effort of Robert Stromberg, production designer on Avatar and a longtime visual effects artist whose credits include Pan’s Labyrinth, The Hunger Games and Life of Pi. “Let us tell an old story anew,” the film’s voiceover narration begins, setting a tone of once-upon-a-time with a twist. (The opening scenes were written by an uncredited John Lee Hancock for late-in-production reshoots.) Though thenarration sometimes states what’s already obvious, Janet McTeer delivers it with mellifluous and warm authority.

Those early scenes show the blossoming love between two orphans: a compassionate fairy girl named Maleficent and a human boy, Stefan. Played as kids by Isobelle Molloy and Michael Higgins, and as teens by Ella Purnell and Jackson Bews, they grow apart as adults. Jolie’s Maleficent is busy as protector of the moors, and Stefan is driven by ruthless ambition to attain his kingdom’s crown. He’s played by Sharlto Copley as the epitome of cravenness — a far cry from the just, noble and dreamy kings of many a childhood story, including the source for this one.

To secure that crown, Stefan commits an act of unspeakable cruelty against Maleficent. The mutilation takes place offscreen, but its effects are fully felt; Maleficent’s heartrending reaction recalls Jolie’s cry of anguish as Mariane Pearl in A Mighty Heart. To call Maleficent a woman scorned would be the mildest of understatements. And so her cruelty is understandable, if not justifiable, when, in a scene of beautifully orchestrated suspense and terror, she attends the christening of King Stefan’s child, Aurora, and casts her under a spell, dooming her to begin a very long nap at age 16, after the famously foreordained incident with a spinning-wheel needle.

The teenage Aurora, appearing three-quarters of an hour into the movie, is played by Elle Fanning with a preternatural brightness. (Jolie’s daughter Vivienne Jolie-Pitt takes her screen bow as the 5-year-old princess.) The opposition between the innocent, openhearted girl and the hate-filled fairy queen has the necessary archetypal pull, and their initial meeting, in the night forest, is one of the most striking sequences in the Disney canon.

The Hunger Games Mocking Jay Part 2

Director:

                Francis Lawrence

Novel:

               Suzanne Collin

 Cast:

 

Review:

So now we have the absolute, ultimate, this-time-we-mean-it finale of the “The Hunger Games” series, the clunkily titled “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2.” But really, if we’re talking about things like art and narrative drive—which actually can and do exist in this franchise—a single film would have worked just fine. Last year’s “Mockingjay – Part 1” felt like one long placeholder. It featured a lot of wheel spinning and repetitive imagery, and it served as a glaring reminder of what a cynical cash grab this finale-splitting business truly is.
With the exception of a couple of truly dazzling action set pieces, “Mockingjay – Part 2” provides more of the same. The stakes are higher because this is the end—It really is this time!—but the first hour or so of returning director’s film is legitimately nap-inducing. From the very first moments, when Jannefer Lawrance's Katniss Everdeen struggles to speak her name as the late, great looks on sadly as gamesmaker-turned-ally Plutarch Heavensbee, it’s just unrelentingly dour, even for a film set in a dystopian future. Mercifully, the script from  and g offers a few glimmers of sardonic humor, including quips from katiness fellow victor, the quick-witted Johanna.
It would be reasonable for us to hope for something better, however. Based on Suzazns Collin’ best-selling trilogy, “The Hunger Games” series has set the gold standard for all adaptations of post-apocalyptic Young Adult novels. “Divergent,” “The Maze Runner” “The Grive"—regardless of when the actual books came out, they always seemed like knock-offs of “The Hunger Games” films in terms of narrative thrills, weighty themes, production values and star-studded casts. The presence of serious, seasoned actors like Hoffman, Donald, Julieen, Woody, Stanley and Jreffry gave these movies a gravitas but also elevated them above your expectations for material aimed at angsty tweens. They were violent, exciting blockbusters but they were also About Something—at least the first two movies were.

Udta Punjab

Review

Genre:
Drama • Cast:
Shahid Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Diljit Dosanjh • Director:
Abhishek Chaubey SPOILERS AHEAD Abhishek Chaubey's Udta Punjab is littered with standout scenes, but none matches the sledgehammer impact of the climax. Sudden, quick on the draw and stunningly to the point, it brings the curtains down on a profane, dystopic vision of a state that was once India's bread basket but is today burdened with a whole slew of problems, not the least of which are the horrific repercussions of narco-terror. Chaubey tells his powerful, sinewy story with great dramatic flair, but he never ventures too far away from the harsh reality of the nexus between the drug kingpins and the state's politicians.  
 In one scene, a lawman mockingly describes the current situation as Green Revolution Part Two, drawing attention to the link between the drug menace and Punjab's worsening agrarian crisis. If the film's keen sense of the times that we live in is impressive, the way it etches out and develops the key characters in the drama is no less commendable. Three of the film's four principal characters are utterly imperfect, but they are, pretty much like Punjab itself, not beyond redemption. When self-realization kicks in, they are all ready to give redemption a shot. It is their journey from gloom to hope that Udta Punjab tracks without the slightest concession to overt sentimentality.  
 What it achieves in the process is real emotional traction. As the three flawed figures - a wayward pop singer, a poor farm hand done in by desperation and a cop uneasy with the compromises he makes - fight to rise above the despair surrounding them, they emerge as people worth rooting for. At two-and-a-half hours, Udta Punjab is an overlong film, but almost every scene, jointly written by Sudip Sharma and director Abhishek Chaubey, demands attention and propels the story forward. The dialogues, mostly in Punjabi (written by Sudip Sharma), are earthy and rooted in the soil, which augments the authenticity of the story and the characters that people it. Expletives fly thick and fast as the action shifts from the raucous milieu of a coke-snorting Punjabi crooner (whose songs are peppered with four-letter words) to the world of corrupt cops (who let drug consignments be driven in and out of the state) to the depths of the difficult life of a Bihari migrant (who sinks into a spiral of drugs and sexual exploitation).  
 With an intelligent combination of hardboiled cynicism and broad touches of trippy black humour, the film brings alive a benighted universe where life has lost its way in a drug-induced haze. The film invokes Punjab's great romantic poet Shiv Kumar Batalvi to accentuate the poignancy of the situation. The rockstar-protagonist sings of "a girl whose name is love and who is lost" to drive home the evaporation of charm and beauty from the lives of the youth. In the first 40 minutes of its second half, Udta Punjab is literally trapped in darkness. Director of photography Rajeev Ravi lenses the night-time scenes with great skill, setting up the eventual opening out into a burst of brightness accompanied by an eruption of cathartic violence. Chaubey's third venture underscores, like Ishqiya and Dedh Ishqiya did, the originality of his directorial voice. He imparts heady propulsion to a grim theme and constructs an unflinching narrative that does not shy from calling out the forces responsible for Punjab's undeserved plight. Udta Punjab takes flight without wasting a second - from the very moment the title appears on a flying heroin pouch hurled from across the border by a discus thrower. It cruises along at an even pace right until the crackling climax, which is shockingly bloody but remarkably effective. Chaubey's robust directorial style, which enmeshes sharp characterization with evocative use of music (composer Amit Trivedi is in fine fettle here), keeps the tale on the boil even during the occasional stretches where it teeters on the edge of over-articulation. A pop star Tommy Singh, a nameless Bihari migrant girl, a cynical policeman Sartaj Singh and a doctor who runs a de-addiction centre (Kareena Kapoor Khan) are thrown into dangerous disarray in a climate vitiated by the easy availability of drugs.  
 Two metaphors - one delivered in the form of a physical prop, the other as a visual refrain - define the plight of the pop star-hero and the girl who gives him a purpose in life. As the film hurtles towards its climax, we see the male protagonist in winged shoes, but limping. On the other hand, a tourism hoarding exhorting people to "go Goa" is the only thing that the entrapped girl can see from the room where she is held captive. Both have the will but are severely held back by their circumstances, which is, by extension, a commentary on the current state of the state of Punjab itself. The character that overshadows everyone else in Udta Punjab is that of the poor farm worker played with intensity and passion by Bhatt. The girl's misfortune falls literally from the sky in the form of a heroin packet. Greed gets the better of her and she ends up in a hell-hole.  
 It is ironic that the other female part written for Udta Punjab is the weakest of the quartet of pivotal characters. Played by Kareena Kapoor Khan, Dr. Preeti Sahani, whose concerted war on drugs helps the conflicted policeman out of a personal crisis, is an embodiment of righteousness. She is too perfect to be true.  
 The director extracts solid performances from his two male actors. Shahid Kapoor, with his toned torso heavily tattooed, does full justice to the mercurial Tejinder Singh alias Tommy Singh of Phagwara, plunging headlong into the gleeful but ill-advised mayhem he represents. Diljit Dosanjh, in his first role in a Hindi film, plays the cop who decides to break free from the system when his own brother Balli (Prabhjyot Singh) nearly dies on him due to a drug overdose. Dosanjh does not put a foot wrong, playing his role with restraint. He also lends his singing voice to the film's defining musical piece - a Batalvi poem set to lilting music by Amit Trivedi.  
 But it is Alia, who despite the battering that fate has reserved for her, never loses her appetite for a fight. The petite actress is the film's towering totem. The liberal use of cuss words may be too grating for some ears. Udta Punjab is not family entertainment, but it is an undeniably magnificent -

Directed by:

                      Damien Chazelle

Writer:

              Dameien Chazelle

Cast:

         Ryan Gosling as Sebastian
         Emma stone as Mia
         Rosemarie DeWitt as Laura
         J.K. Simmons as Bill
         John Legend as Keith
             

Reviews:

We’ve had some musicals since the era of Rogers & Astaire, but few that have tried to recapture that sense of fluid, magical thinking in which characters communicate with their bodies as much, maybe even more, than they do with their voices. One of many remarkable things about Damein Chazelle's “La La Land” is how much energy and time it devotes to movement and music, not just lyrics. The modern movie musicals, so often based on Broadway shows, have focused heavily on songs that further plot. In Chazelle’s vision, choreography matters and a simple piano refrain can have more power than a lyric. This is a beautiful film about love and dreams, and how the two impact each other. Los Angeles is filled with dreamers, and sometimes it takes a partner to make your dream come true.
“La La Land” opens with a bit of a fake-out in that it’s a large ensemble number of a variety that we won’t really see again in the movie. Cars are stuck in the notoriously awful L.A. traffic when the drivers decide to break into song called “Another Day of Sun”—a bit about how each day brings new hope for these young wannabe artists—jumping out of the cars and dancing on the freeway. Instantly, Chazelle’s direction and the dance choreography feels different. Here, and throughout the film, he works in long, unbroken takes. You can not only see the dance moves, but you can see the dancer’s entire body when he or she performs them. And after the chorus-like introduction to a city of dreamers, we meet two such sun-gazers: pianist Sebastian and actress Mia (Emma stone). Like any good musical, the two have a few false starts and playfully mock each other’s flaws in their first scenes. But we know where this is headed and Gosling & Stone have the chemistry to make us long for them to get together.
The first major centerpiece scene is a long walk between Sebastian and Mia as the sun is setting over the Hollywood Hills. They start to see similarities in one another. Mia is tired of going on worthless auditions, ones in which the producer doesn’t even look up from their phone. Sebastian holds on to an ideal version of jazz, wanting to open his own club instead of selling out and playing greatest hits for tourists. And Sebastian and Mia have a clear, instant attraction. So, even as they sing about how they’re not really a couple, and how this gorgeous night is wasted because they’re not with their true partners, their bodies tell another story with a fantastically choreographed dance number. Stone and Gosling aren’t natural singers or dancers, but they bring so much character and commitment to every movement that it doesn’t matter. They’re fluid, engaged and mesmerizing. We watch them fall in love through dance.

           The Legend Of Tarzan

 Directed by:

                   David Yates       

Writer:

                Edgar Rice Burroughs

Cast:

         Alexander Sharsgard as tarzan
         Margot Robbie as Jone Porter
         Samuel Jacksin as George Washington Williams
         Christopher Waltz as Captain Leon Rom
         Djimon Hounsou as Chief Mbonga 

  Review:

Sometimes you have to wonder how certain movies get made. I have no special knowledge of the production of “The Legend of Tarzan.” But I have to imagine that the movie spent such a long time in the development process that no one involved found a moment to look outside the Hollywood bubble and surmise that maybe right now in America isn’t the most opportune time to reboot a pop culture myth involving a quasi-superhero white guy who has dominion over the animals and certain peoples of Africa.
The upper-case “r” in a circle that appears below the name “Tarzan” in the opening credits of this new movie, directed by “Harry Potter” stalwart David Yates from a script by Craig  (of “Huslte And Flow” and “Black Snake Moan” renown, and no, I’m not kidding) and Adam Cozad(no idea), may have something to do with the movie’s raison d’etre—when one has a trademark, one must exploit it. But the wisdom of propagating any kind of white savior narrative during the charged era of Black Lives Matter surely must have seemed dubious, no?

Actually, yes, because throughout its brisk hour-and-forty-five minute running time, “The Legend of Tarzan” does things to reassure those viewers that care that the movie is indeed aware of its “problematics.” The movie begins with some texts evoking the colonization of what was in the late 19^th century called the Belgian Congo, and of a nefarious scheme involving mercenaries, slave labor, and pilfered diamonds, all engineered by an envoy named Leon Rom. This fellow is played by  and he carries with him a rosary that sometimes doubles as a short-distance noose, which isn’t a heavy-handed piece of symbolism at all, no way. Anyway, he’s the bad guy, and he’s first seen entering the deepest, foggiest, most spear-ridden caverns of the African jungle to bargain with fierce chief Mbonga, who will give Rom all the diamonds he needs to finance his army … on delivery of his most hated enemy: Tarzan.

The movie finds Tarzan up in England, all civilized and respectable and Lord Greystoke-like, residing in his manor with wife Jane, something of a London celebrity and man of influence. The ruse of an invitation to check out Belgian’s “progress” in the Congo is proffered to Tarzan—this is part of Rom’s trap—and Tarzan, I mean Lord Greystoke, I mean John Clayton, is disinclined to accept. He’s moved, though, by the entreaties of an African-American diplomat/investigative agent, George Washington Williams, who wants to tag along with, um, Tarzan, and get solid evidence of illegal slave trading. That’s travel companion one. Once the Big T gets back to the manor, we discover that he and Jane have a pretty 21^st-century type relationship. She, played by, insists that she’s coming along too. He protests “The last thing you need is more stress"—I told you about that 21^st century biz—but she’s not having it. The gang of three hits the sea, and once on the Continent makes a meaningful detour to visit the tribe that Jane knew when her parents were missionaries. And there is much singing and celebration in a manner not unlike that scene in “Hatari!” where they make the elephant queen or whatever she was. Almost sixty years and ain’t a damn thing changed in Hollywood.

The Fantastic Beasts

Directed By:

                      David Yates

Writer:

            J.K. Rowling

Cast:

                                                                                      Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scamander
                                                                                      Dan Folger as Jocab Kowalski
                                                                                      Katherine Waterston as Porpentina Goldstein
                                                                                      Alison Sudol as Queenie Goldstein
                                                                                      Samantha Morton as Mary Lou
                                                                                      Colin Farrell as Percival Graves
                                                                                      Ron Perlman as Gnarlack
                                                                                      Ezra Miller as Credence
                                                                                      Jenn Murray as Chastity
                                                                                      Jon Voight as Henry Shaw Sr
                                                                                      Carmen Ejogo as Seraphina Picquery

Review:

 Perhaps a fable embellished with fantasy trappings that’s spun off from the Harry Potter universe. One that touches upon such issues as the inherent danger of outing a magical community to an intolerant public while No-Majs, the Americanized term for Muggles, are equally distrusted by wizards and witches. Some young people are forced to suppress their very natures by those who inflict physical and psychological harm upon them. Not to mention that a strange deadly force has been somehow unleashed, leaving mass destruction and fear in its wake.
OK, that doesn’t sound like that much fun, does it?
But what if I tell you that J.K. Rowling’s “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” which dips into the dark side fairly regularly, is at its best when it serves as a more exotic version of all those cute puppy and kitten antics that fill your Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts? Instead of dogs sporting holiday attire or cats falling off kitchen counters, you can go “aww” when a naughty Niffler, a mole-duck-billed platypus hybrid, goes on a crime spree while greedily stuffing gobs of shiny objects such as coins and gems into its belly pouch. Or when a majestic giant Thunderbird, destined to live in the wilds of Arizona, spreads its eagle-like wings. Maybe a teeny leafy twig-like critter known as a Bowtruckle, reminiscent of a shrunken Groot from " Gaudains Of The Galaxy” is more your style. There’s also an amorous Erumpent, a big-butt cross between a hippo and an elephant, who causes a ruckus at a zoo. That this expansive menagerie and more are able to fit into the best piece of enchanted traveling luggage in a movie since Mary Poppins' bottomless carpet bag is a welcome bonus.

 

Ae Dil Hai Mushkil

Review

Anushka Sharma and Ranbir Kapoor in Ae Dil Hai Mushkil. Photograph: Fox Star Studios • • • • 
View more sharing options Mike McCahill Friday 28 October 2016 13.16 EDT Last modified on Thursday 15 December 2016 07.22 EST From the controversy, a movie emerges. A Diwali release from superstar Hindi director Karan Johar was always likely to attract column inches, yet Ae Dil Hai Mushkil has landed more than anybody anticipated: India and Pakistan’s latest impasse has made Johar’s decision to cast Pakistani actor Fawad Khan the hottest of hot-button topics. Threats of suppression were met by a video message in which Johar sheepishly confessed he’d misread the national mood and, like many colleagues, pledged not to hire Pakistani creatives in future – an industry climbdown some found disappointing, coming so soon after last year’s bridge-building megahit Bajrangi Bhaijaan. Bollywood film set to open in India after Pakistani actor ban Indian film producers ban Pakistani actors 'for ever' over Kashmir crisis What’s odd is that the movie itself turns out not to be some incendiary provocation, but squarely Bollywood trad, a globetrotting weepie unlikely to offend anyone but the most entrenched. This is the tale of Ayan (Ranbir Kapoor) and Alizeh (Anushka Sharma), Hindu and Muslim respectively, who meet as barhopping students in London and bond over 80s film references and their cheating other halves. Over several years, the pair tour the continent, twirling from Parisian cafe to Viennese nightclub, with Ayan’s burgeoning singing career shaping the narrative, and Alizeh’s DJ ex (Khan) standing between the pair becoming anything more than just good friends.

Rockstar

Review

 Rockstar has an interesting beginning, devoid of the typical filmi introductions. There is no heroic, dramatic entry of the lead protagonist, aided by slick cuts set to an even more dramatic background score. Instead it has a disheveled, bruised and a very vulnerable looking Janardhan Jakhar aka music rockstar Jordan, played by Ranbir Kapoor, escaping an angry mob of people chasing him to a waiting open air arena, thronging with screaming fans. He runs onto the stage and transforms into a belligerent, angst-ridden pop star, as he sings the soft ballad, Jo Bhi Main. From that moment on, you want to know Jordan’s story – all of it. The lyrics of the song, interspersed with flash cuts of his early days as a singer, entice you that little bit more. Janardhan, a college-going Delhi boy from a happy family, has just one dream – to make it big in the world of music just like his idol, Jim Morrison. But he fails to impress, be it at talent hunts or just strumming his guitar on the streets. He has a sympathetic group of friends who congregate at the college canteen everyday to offer their support, all the while sponging off Janardhan’s largesse, shamelessly ordering samosas on his tab. Khatara bhai, the canteen guy, played by Kumud Mishra, is the one Janardhan turns to for career advice. Khatara’s philosophy is simple - “Takleef nahi ho life mein to koi bada nahi banta hai” is what he tells him and Janardhan goes out seeking pain, something he’s never known. The scene where Janardhan talks to himself about not being molested, adopted, beaten up or never having starved for food or shelter with his real parents still alive, in a bid to try and find some sort of pain and misery in his life is, funny. Twenty minutes into the film, Heer Kaul, the college princess, played by debutant Nargis Fakhri auditions for a dance competition which has Janardhan mesmerized. Not by her beauty or talent, but as bait for his juvenile plan to get his heart broken or to feel the pain Khatara was talking about for his music. He walks up to her and speaks to Heer in an extremely loud and uncouth manner, only to be told to “Bugger off”. The scene is hilarious and Ranbir nails it. He continues to trail her with his proposal of love all around the campus and that’s how an odd friendship is formed between the sophisticated Heer and the boisterous and loud Janardhan, even though Heer is engaged to be married soon. Her “neat and clean” image on the campus is a far cry from her dark and adventurous side that she exhibits only to Janardhan. He is more than happy to watch seedy porn films like Jungli Jawani with her at decrepit cinema halls in purani Delhi, and wait as she greets a row of men peeing on walls one by one, just to indulge her crazy whims. Even though the film is called Rockstar, Jordan doesn’t really live the rock and roll life - there are no groupies, no drugs. Raju Shelar/Firstpost In case you’re wondering what happened to Heer’s engagement in all this jungli jawani and local daru binges bit, well, she does gets married to the Indian guy based in Prague, Czech Republic. Janardhan, whom she’s christened Jordan, is by her side in Kashmir, where the wedding takes place, till the very last minute. No runaway bride here, despite the crackling chemistry between the two. She goes to Prague, he languishes in Delhi, only to take over the music world with his raw talent, backed by Khatara bhai and a genteel Ustad Jameel Khan, a shehnai maestro, played by the late Shammi Kapoor. A big music company signs him on at the Ustad’s behest only to see him turn on the charm and play the rebellious truant with equal ease. Bad boy Jordan arrives professionally, but personally, he’s hollow with a needling pain he simply can’t fathom. On a chance trip to Prague, Jordan meets Heer again and this time round, it’s not just about the strip clubs and red light districts. Throw in some French kissing in the picturesque fields of Prague. The Jordan-Heer romance is there for you to see, but there are no ‘I love you’ exchanges or reams of poetic dialogues professing love. Prague is where the romance changes both Jordan and Heer’s life drastically, given she is a married woman and he, an unpredictable ruffian. You’ll know when you see the film. The film gets slightly heavy, but not unbearably so, towards the end, but that’s just the story. Continues on the next page Just a couple of things seemed a tad out of place in the film. I found the part where Janardhan is rendered homeless by his family slightly weird. The reason we get was that he wasted his time singing songs, instead of working and making money and that he had stolen five lakh from them. Given Janardhan’s character is a buffoon living peacefully in his own little musical world, the family discord seems very contrived and forced into the screenplay. From having no problems whatsoever, Janardhan seems to be snowed under by a slew of them all of a sudden. Also, when Janardhan roams the forts of Delhi with Heer and goes out “gandh-phelaoing” all over the city, as they call it, not once does he strum his beloved guitar which he carries with him at all times, and not once does any conversation between the two revolve around his passion for music. Even though the film is called Rockstar, Jordan doesn’t really live the rock and roll life - there are no groupies, no drugs, no entourage, nothing. His romantic dalliance with a married Heer and erratic mood swings are the only two things that add some edge to his musical persona - he’s more a pop star than rockstar in the film. Also, driving a Nissan car, doesn't really scream rockstar and peddling the car in the film just because Ranbir plugs the brand in real life, doesn't blend with the character at all. US based model, Nargis Fakhri makes a stunning debut – not only is she beautiful, but she is an able performer with a charming screen presence. Raju Shelar/Firstpost The end of the film is what you make of it, quite literally. It didn’t quite work for me when the end credits rolled, but by the time I left the preview theatre, I imagined Jordan and Heer together, forever. Ranbir Kapoor is, in one word, flawless as an actor in Rockstar. For the entire duration of the film, you are drawn into Jordan’s world - you can feel his angst (especially in Sadda Haqq) his vulnerability, his naiveté, his passion for Heer – the entire gamut of emotions through his performance. Ranbir’s performance as both, Janardhan and Jordan, is thorough and he plays the multiple layers of his character fabulously. US based model, Nargis Fakhri makes a stunning debut – not only is she beautiful, but she is an able performer with a charming screen presence. What does one say about AR Rahman’s music other than praise it to the skies, especially in this film. The songs, the poetic lyrics of which are written by Irshad Kamil, are a melodious confluence of cultures and religions, have been set to some terrific music by the maestro. Imtiaz Ali should be credited for introducing international models who can’t speak a word of Hindi or Urdu and transforming them into convincing actors in his films — Brazilian model Giselli Monteiro, who played a Punjabi girl in Love Aaj Kal, walked and talked the part effectively, and now, Nargis, who is part Czech and part Pakistani who has you convinced she is a Kashmiri girl living in New Delhi. Imtiaz’s treatment of the film’s narrative with its back and forth timelines lends itself well to the story. Imtiaz shines as a director yet again after wowing audiences with Jab We Met (2007) and Love Aaj Kal (2009). The opening credits pay a subtle homage to the late Shammi Kapoor, which is indeed touching.                      

PK

Review

 
 It has become a trend of sorts now that the year ends with a major release by none other than Aamir Khan in the month of December. After the release of DHOOM 3, as we gear up for the Christmas holidays, Aamir Khan brings his new film PK. Said to be a comedy-drama, the makers of the film have managed to keep the story tightly under wraps, despite the film's heavy promotions. As already reported in the media, Aamir Khan plays the role of an alien, something that is relatively new in Bollywood. Add to that, director Rajkumar Hirani wielding the megaphone after three back-to-back hits, PK has managed to generate tremendous hype prior to its release. However, does the film manage to live up to the expectations, will the past success (3 Idiots) of the Aamir Khan - Rajkumar Hirani combination work its charm in enticing the audiences to the theatres, will PK be a Christmas gift to cherish for the film loving audiences? Lets analyze. The film starts off with PK (Aamir Khan), an alien, landing on earth, in the desert of Rajasthan, to study about human begins and life on earth. Arriving stark naked on a earth, PK has a rough start on the planet when his tracking remote, that helps him send signals back to his spaceship, gets stolen. He now has to find the remote to contact his spaceship and till then survive on earth on his own. Unaware of human mannerisms, language or life in general on earth, PK finds it difficult to adjust. However, fate brings him in touch with Bhairav Singh (Sanjay Dutt) who becomes his dear friend and helps him with life on earth. But destiny takes PK to Delhi. From here on starts a whirlwind story of a stranger in the unknown city of Delhi asking questions that despite their innocence hold a valuable and deep meaning. Aided on by Jagat Janani (Anushka Sharma) who teams up with him on this journey, PK challenges some of the oldest rituals of religion that are ruling life of people on earth. As for the performances, Aamir Khan excels in the title role. This is probably one of the most challenging characters that he has played so far and with his stellar performance, Aamir Khan carries the film all the way. His childlike innocence, his Bhojpuri accent and his love for 'paan' only adds layers to the character of PK. Anushka Sharma, who has in her previous releases earned quite a bit of critical acclaim, does a good job as Jagat "Jaggu" Janani. She stands shoulder to shoulder with Aamir through the entire film. Sushant Singh Rajput is impressive in an extended cameo. Saurabh Shukla, though good, seems to be underutilized along with Boman Irani who too could have been given a meatier part. Sanjay Dutt, on the other hand, manages to carry off his role as a Rajasthani man with panache. Music of PK is composed by Shantanu Moitra, Ajay-Atul and Ankit Tiwari and the lyrics are penned by Swanand Kirkire, Amitabh Varma and Manoj Muntashir. Songs like 'Nanga Punga Dost', 'Tharki Chokro' and 'Love Is Waste Of Time' have already gained popularity and they take the story forward in the film. 'Chaar Kadam' featuring Sushant Singh Rajput and Anushka Sharma is a soft number that sets the mood for romance just right. Rajkumar Hirani, known for his films like 3 Idiots and the Munnabhai series tries to live up to his reputation of telling an engaging tale with a message. Though the storytelling is seamless, PK does seem to lack the punch that his earlier films had. Though the screenplay (Abhijat Joshi and Rajkumar Hirani) of the film is comprehensive and engrossing, with humorous situations and entertaining dialogues, the narrative does get slow at certain points. PK however hits the right notes and entertains. Overall, PK that releases during the Christmas holidays enjoys a three week free run at the box office. Despite the film having its share of ups and downs, it is surely a good entertainer. Being a film that deals with the topic of God and Godmen, audiences are bound to draw a few similarities between PK and the previously released Akshay Kumar-Paresh Rawal starrer OMG OH MY GOD! But while latter dealt with a lay man asking some prominent questions about God and the almighty himself coming down to earth, PK differs with an alien not directly questioning God, but instead questioning the belief system that humans have created to reach God. But with high level of anticipation and a massive release (approximately 5000 screens domestically and 800+ screens overseas), PK is sure to create new box-office records. On the whole, Aamir Khan's PK is a solid entertainer that will surely entertain the masses and classes alike. An outstanding film. Go for it.

The Secret Life Of Pets

 Director:Chris Renaud

Writer:

             Ken Duario
             Cinco Paul
              Brain Lynch
           

Cast:

Louis C.K as Max
Eric Stonestreet as Duke
Bobby Moynihan as Mel
Kevin Hart as Snowball
Albert Brooks as Tiberius
Ellie Kemper as Boss
Hannibal Buress as Unknown
Lake Bell as Chloe
Ellie Kemper as Katie

  Review:

  “The Secret Life of Pets” is a kind-hearted, sweet story about the unique relationship not only between pets and their owners but between pets and major cities like New York. It may open with lovable terrier Max (voiced by Louis C.K.) speeding through Central Park in the basket of his owner Katie’s (Ellie Kemper) bike, but it’s more about apartments, fire escapes, roads and sewers than parks, and how a lovable group of animals is forced to traverse them on one crazy day. To be more direct, it’s an almost beat-for-beat rip of Pixar’s “Toy Story,” from the idea that we don’t know what our toys/pets do while we’re gone to the “new guy who mixes things up” storytelling dynamic. In the end, it’s too aggressively likable to hate—especially given its strong character design and excellent voice work—but simultaneously too shallow and forgettable to really register. The best animated movies give us themes to discuss with our kids when they’re over and work for both adults and children. “The Secret Life of Pets” is the disposable, summer diversion that many families will be looking for as temperatures rise and the start of school seems so far away, but most won’t be able to remember after they see it.

Student Of The Year

Directors: Karan Johar, Abhishek Varman (as Abhishek Verma)

Writers: Renzil D'Silva (screenplay)

 Niranjan Iyengar (dialogue)

Cast 

Stars: Sidharth Malhotra, Alia Bhatt, Varun Dhawan,etc. 

Storyline

Several alumni reminisce about their final year at St. Theresa's College and the events that shaped their lives.

Review

I think this movie is good enough to consider in your watch list. This is not too deep sentimental sense like another Bollywood movie. Its light but entertaining. The most i like from this movie is character from every people who involved there, especially Sidahart Malhotra, Alia Bhatt and Varun Dhawan. Their act look totally for a debut film. This film look so glamour at every stuff. And absolutely fresh & gorgeous. 
I enjoyed the plot , but it needs improvement and deepening of the story in order to strengthen the character, cause they look so totally on their rule. one which is unfortunate is the music, if you listen it, you might thinking that this movie isn't Bollywood movie
every character look so good.
They are act so good and all focused on their part. maybe some of best part is in the ending. its look perfect toclose of this movie.
And maybe i will looking for some Bollywood movie after watch this movie.yes if you looking for drama movie for this time. i think this movie should in your list.
I am going back to Bollywood.

Jab Tak Hai JAn

Review 

Jab Tak Hai Jaan makes life look easy. So easy that a self proclaimed 25-year-old, who looks 40, gets to kiss a girl who seems to have walked out of Vogue. You also believe that the latter, despite all her Mercedes and Gucci glory, can't keep her hands off a waiter who has an annoying habit of speaking like he is perpetually in an art of living class. Life's so easy, that an aspiring documentary-maker,  can walk straight into an army camp in Ladakh in barely visible hot pants and prance around shooting, presumably stuff, while there are people detonating bombs all around her. Also, if you have legs like Anushka Sharma's, you belong to a curiously privileged class who can dance around in beach volleyball attire while goats, men and children around shiver through layers of winter clothes. A still from Jab Tak Hai Jaan. Image courtesy: Yash Raj films. You can also go from being freeloading floozies to Michelin-starred restaurant owners in no time, you can lose and get your memory back pretty much the same way you get back an iPod forgotten in the shorts pocket, and you can jump from age 25 to age 35 without half a cell on your face withering. Logic is the biggest casualty of Jab Tak Hai Jaan. You could say, of course it is, in any Yash Chopra film, but there was always a story. In JTHJ though, what you get is a bit of Veer Zaara, only re-packaged with taller women with hotter legs. Shah Rukh Khan here is Samar Anand. The film opens to tell you he is the Michael Phelps of bomb disposal in the Indian Army. We, predictably, are in Ladakh where SRK whooshes in, in all his week-old stubble and aviator glory to defuse a really dangerous bomb. With the kind of intensity one shows while restarting a PC, he picks on this wire and that, and whoops the bomb's arse - or so says the thundering background music. Cut to Anushka Sharma - she with her washboard abs, endless legs and holding a perfect cover-girl pose in a bikini in Ladakh - who is an aspiring documentary filmmaker assisting a Discovery Channel crew. She is also called Akira Rai. (Cue to gush,  'How quirky!'.) So sidekick heroine stumbles upon hero's diary, where he has written down his 10-year-old love story, presumably with the lyrics of the songs he had sung with his girl and details of  all the places they had made-out. Filmmaker Rai then bamboozles her way into the high-security Army camp to shoot a documentary on Mr Kick-ass bomb disposer, does cool military-ish stuff while managing to sport a perfect blow dry hairdo and also falls in love with hurt-in-love hero. Oh by the way, hero's ex-girlfriend, Meera - Katrina Kaif with an absolutely drool-worthy wardrobe - had left him ten years back. When Anand had an accident, Meera made a promise to Sir Jesus (cute god-next-door names for Jesus Christ), that she would dump her boyfriend if God makes sure that he lives. Hero lives. She dumps him, because she has promised God she will. Hang on, yes, you're reading this right. You don't question how a documentary titled 'A Man Who Cannot Die' has people gushing about it in London. It's important for the story to move on you realise. So, cynical Discovery people have to make sure that Akira was not shooting a Bollywood extra and demand bomb-stud Major turn up in London. He does, is knocked down again and lands up in a hospital again. This time, however, he doesn't lose a girl. He loses ten-year's worth memory. And a lot  of drama, sad song singing and cheesy dialogue throwing ensues. Unfortunately, this goes on till the film ends. And by the time it does, entry rules in Army camps in India have been successfully established as being as stringent as those in coffee shops, so the climax doesn't take you by surprise. It's probably rude to bad-mouth the dead. But even the highest amount of respect for Yash Chopra cliches can't make Jab Tak Hai Jaan less of a burden on its viewer. If Shah Rukh Khan lip syncing to a Rabbi song every now and then is not annoying enough, Chopra seemed to have completely lost the plot with the dialogues this time. The only times you're reminded you're watching a 2012 film and not some Rajesh Khanna-ish flick of the seventies is when Anushka Sharma talks like an average 21-year-old. Unlike in a Dil To Pagal Hai from fourteen years back, you can no more sell Shah Rukh Khan as a traffic stopping dancer. Jumping around while juggling a fedora cannot be passed off as hot anymore. A Katrina Kaif in grunge glory and her new-found post-Sheila dancing oomph, for company, doesn't help Shah Rukh Khan's case either. And no amount of bronzer can make him look 25, which you are told he is for one whole half of the film. AR Rahman's music, on the other hand, fails spectacularly in doing what music is supposed to in a Yash Chopra film - sugarcoat and lull you into not noticing how impossible it is, in our parallel world, to groove in a bikini blouse and micro mini as the sky breaks into heavy snowfall. Or how the hero sings in different voices in different songs, without being drunk or flu-struck. You have seen everything Jab Tak Hai Jaan has many times before, just in other films. And probably with far better music than AR Rahman threw into this one

Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge

Directed by Aditya Chopra  

Writing Credits (in alphabetical order) 

Aditya Chopra   ...   (dialogue)

Aditya Chopra   ...   (screenplay)

Aditya Chopra   ...   (story)

Javed Siddiqui   ...       (dialogue)

CAST

Shah Rukh Khan                      

Raj Malhotra

Kajol                       

Simran Singh

Amrish Puri                    

Chaudhry Baldev Singh

Farida Jalal                  

Lajwanti 'Lajjo' Singh

Anupam Kher              

Dharamvir Malhotr 

Satish Shah         ...           

Ajit Singh

 Achala Sachdev ...           

Simran's Grandmother

 Himani Shivpuri ...           

Simran's Aunt    Pooja Ruparel    ...           

Rajeshwari / Chutki

Review 

If you missed this movie than you have missed the best movie made in bollywood history.This movie never seems to bore you.I have saw over a hundred times(Really).It's a fascinating movie.The plot was wonderful.The acting was really award winning.Shahrukh Khan is a gem of an actor.Really incredible acting by him.Kajol was excellent.The songs were awesome!The music was wow.The direction was cool.A must see for those who adore romantic flicks

Jannat

Director: Kunal Deshmukh

Writers: Vishesh Bhatt (screenplay), Kunal Deshmukh (story).
Stars: Emraan Hashmi, Sonal Chauhan, Shakeel Khan  etc.

Review

I went in to watch the movie with very low expectations but was surprised with the the first half.It had a nice and enjoyable plot and i especially liked the opening card game (me being a big time card enthusiast).The second half more or less fell apart with all the emotions flying in.It suffers from what i call "The Soap Opera mentality" where every small thing is made a very big deal of.

Emran Hashmi was extremely believable as the grey-charactered high profile match fixer. His speaking style, i felt somehow, encapsulated the apprehensiveness yet decisiveness of a fixer. I would say this performance by him was his best,second only to one in Gangster. Vipin Sharma(Arjun's dad) was rather flat while delivering his dialogs and so did the emotionless Sonal Chauhan. The one performance i was bowled over by in this movie was of Javed Shaikh(especially the weight in his voice).

Another let down in the movie was for the ones among us who wanted more of insider-story from the match-fixing scenario. There, the movie lacked material.it ended up more as a love story rather than a match-fixing story(which quite a few of us were hoping for).

I would rate this movie a 8/10, a definite watch if you have got the time and can bear the second half that gets all draggy.