Black Mass – Johnny Depp’s best performance till date

Black Mass stars Johnny Depp, Benedict Cumberbatch, Joel Edgerton, Kevin Bacon, Peter Sarsgaard, Dakota Johnson. Based on true events, Black Mass is a dark mobster / gang wars movie, but with less bullets flying around. It’s more of a drama which involves relationships between friends, families, business partners, alliances with FBI, ratting out your enemies.
The film starts off with a promise but falters a bit in the second half. Music by Junkie XL is good, goes with the flow of the film. The dark setting of the film with a lot of f-words, and blood will be uncomforting for some. Johnny Depp as James ‘Whitey’ Bulger and Benedict Cumberbatch as William ‘Bill’ Bulger have done an excellent job. Even Joel Edgerton as John Connelly sometimes overshadows Benedict Cumberbatch and his character.
I’ve read few reviews which say there is nothing new in the film, boring storyline and nothing good from Johnny Depp. But I would say this has been Johnny Depp’s best performance till date. This film proves his versatility as an actor, the films that he has done including Pirates of the Caribbean series, and the film The Rum Diary and many more just prove that he is best at what he does even if the film flops. I think Johnny Depp will be nominated for the Oscars.
Scott Cooper has directed films like Crazy Heart starring Jeff Bridges, and has also Out Of The Furnace starring Woody Harrelson. I haven’t seen any of those films but with this I think he’s a done a pretty good job. Although he may not be nominated for the Oscars but the treatment that he’s given to this film will work in its favour, plus the big star line-up should bring the crowd to the theatres.
I didn’t know that this film is also based on a book, and I think will also be nominated for the ‘Best Adapted Screenplay’ category at the Oscars. Other stars like Kevin Bacon, Peter Sarsgaard, Dakota Johnson have very little screen time when compared with Johnny Depp, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Joel Edgerton, but they play their part well and don’t let the film lose its pace.
Overall, Johnny Depp as the South Boston mobster and crime boss of the Winter Hill Gang is definitely worth watching in this film and so is Benedict Cumberbatch (Cumberbitches are gonna love it). If you think this film will have bullets flying around throughout, then you’ll be disappointed. If you want to watch a film based on a mobster’s life with a good storyline and actors, then this is the one.
I liked the film and I would definitely recommend watching this one.

Katti Batti – Imran and Kangana surprise us for different reasons

A poor guy can’t get over a fact that a rich girl dumped him after being in a live-in relationship for 5 years. He can’t stand the fact that the girl is marrying another guy and so desperately wants to stop her from marrying, the entire drama thrown around with few songs thrown in as well. And there’s a movie made around the whole situation. Tell me where’s the originality is this?
The transition of going into the flashbacks is good but it is messed up when transitioning back to reality. Imran Khan really surprises with his role and acting. His character feels like a matured version of the character he portrayed in Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na. The scene where his character is seen running at the airport will remind you of Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na. Kangana on the other hand has nothing new to offer. She is good as usual but now that we are used to seeing her play different characters that totally take everyone by surprise, this one will actually disappoint.
The film also stars Aadaar Malik and Vivaan Bathena. I was expecting substantial acting but I think the characters they played didn’t require that much of an effort. Music by Shankar Ehsaan Loy isn’t bad and the songs don’t bore. I liked the comic book treatment given to the song ‘Lip to Lip’ and it’s also fun to listen. Apart from a few good moments here and there, this film has nothing new or substantial to offer.
At 2 hours 19 minutes, this feels like a long watch, especially in the last 30 minutes which could have been easily cut down by 15 minutes. When I think of Nikhil Advani I always think of Salaam-E-Ishq. I liked Salaam-E-Ishq even though it was long (ok way too long). But the point is, even though Salaam-E-Ishq was long it had something good in terms of acting and story. Katti Batti disappoints on those fronts.
Nikhil Advani has also directed films like Kal Ho Naa Ho, D-Day, Patiala House, Delhi Safari. I think Kabir Khan and Nikhil Advani wanted to make it their year at the movie theatres since they both return to directing after quite some time. But Kabir Khan had one hit (Bajrangi Bhaijaan) and one miss (Phantom), whereas Nikhil Advani had two misses (Hero and Katti Batti).
I was expecting Kangana to surprise once again with her acting. Well, she did surprise by not having a good character and a disappointing role. Watch Katti Batti only if you are an Imran Khan or Kangana Ranaut fan.

Welcome Back - The other worse movie after 2 States

Welcome released in 2007, just a refresh that it starred Akshay Kumar, Katrina Kaif, Feroz Khan, Anil Kapoor, Nana Patekar, Mallika Sherawat, Paresh Rawal, Supriya Karnik and others. Directed by Anees Bazmee, it had a run time of 159 minutes and has an IMDb rating of 6.4/10. The reason why we need to refresh this is because to compare just how bad Welcome Back is against Welcome.
Welcome Back stars almost everyone from the prequel except Akshay Kumar, Katrina Kaif, Feroz Khan, and Mallika Sherawat. The new additions to this sequel have been John Abraham, Shruti Haasan, Ankita Shrivastava, Dimple Kapadia, Shiney Ahuja and Naseeruddin Shah. I mean just look at the cast and on the other side you have the stupid script and that botched up ending.
The film is set in United Arab Emirates and looks like its tourism ad. John Abraham is good at action but needs to work on his comic timing, and Shruti Haasan needs to work on her acting skills. Every actor right from Dimple Kapadia to Shiney Ahuja to Naseeruddin Shah have been wasted. The only ones to look out for are Anil Kapoor, Nana Patekar, and Paresh Rawal.
Anees Bazmee has directed films like Ready (2011), Welcome (2007), and even, No Entry (2005) among others. He returns to directing after 4 years and this is what he has to serve people. The 2nd half is where Welcome Back starts to shake and the last 30 minutes are so bad that it looks like that part was written and directed by a 5 year old. The way Naseeruddin Shah gets his eyesight back reminded me of Amar Akbar Anthony.
There are way too many songs and way too many pakao jokes, double meaning jokes and it feels like punches being thrown at your face. The background score isn't great, the script lacked originality, and was way off the mark when compared to Welcome.
This was supposed to be Shiney Ahuja's comeback that would have got him other Bollywood projects, but looks like it will take some time now for him to do so. This film has such good senior actors who have been wasted in such a way that you feel bad for them.
If it didn't have the end it has and was a bit different in the last 30 minutes, then Welcome Back would have deserved some points. But I don't recommend watching this one and instead do something else.
At 152 minutes, this feels way too long and during the time of writing this post it has an IMDb rating of 5.1/10, which I think is way higher than this film deserves. Disappointed with what director Anees Bazmee had to serve and if it gets a sequel, I would think twice about watching it.

Fantastic Four (2015) - A build up with a slow and shaky start

Fantastic Four (2015 film) is nowhere close to a Marvel film, with no quirkiness, almost no humour, no rogue superheroes, no insane / wow action sequences and not too long run time. The good thing about the film is the acting by all the actors - Michael B. Jordan, Kate Mara, Miles Teller, Jamie Bell. There are a few scenes that add a bit humour and a Marvel touch to this otherwise very meh storyline. Like seriously inter-dimensional travel? How many films that have released in the past 2 years have had this thing called "other dimension". I think the subject has been exploited enough to just give a break.
Director Josh Trank (Wikipedia tells me he directed Chronicle - sci-fi film) has done justice to the script that was given to him and he could have done worse but thankfully not. It lacks every other element of the Marvel film thus ruining it.
But if you check history, Fantastic Four films have always received negative reviews and low ratings and the franchise has been one of the lowest grossing in the Marvel Entertainment saga. I think more than anyone else 20th Century Fox should take lessons from this fiasco and in future not arm-twist creative individuals to create something that the former has no idea about.
I have absolutely no regret of watching this film because the performances were good even if the story lacked the punch. It lacked everything, from action sequences that will make the audience go wow to dialogues which lack originality.
It is still not clear whether Fantastic Four will join the Marvel Cinematic Universe (I think it should join), but if it does, then it will be awesome and then watching this film considering this as a build up to the big event in the future isn't bad at all. This is the 3rd time the character of Doctor Doom has been portrayed although the 1st film never released in theatres, and I think there's a lot that this franchise deserves and it can be better with the sequel.
(Surprisingly, this film has an even lower IMDb rating than this week's Bollywood release All Is Well)

Manjhi: The Mountain Man - Excitement killed by expectations

The story of Dashrath Manjhi's life is really inspirational. Losing your loved one at an early stage of life and then dedicating your life for cause you believe in (but stupid for the society), fulfilling the promise you made to your loved one. Really inspiring life of beating all odds and overcoming all challenges and being a revolution.
That's a short description of Dashrath Manjhi, who is an inspiration for this film. And to have Nawazuddin Siddiqui play the character of such a man works for the film. Nawazuddin Siddiqui's presence on screen is the strongest point in the film. But Radhika Apte's character as Falguni Devi doesn't have much screen time. But that's just how it is.
I was excited to watch this film for many reasons - Dashrath Manjhi,  hype around the film, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Radhika Apte, Ketan Mehta's direction. Everything will work for the film and help it recover its cost and Manjhi will be called a success. But, is it a great film? My answer is - No. The entire film suffers due to Bollywoodization (that is not a word, but you get what I mean) of the story. The 1st half suffers more than the 2nd half. At a little over 2 hours (2 hours and 5 minutes to be exact), I feel there was a scope for a lot that could have been focused on, rather than rushing through his (Manjhi's) life. If not, the run time could have been around 1 hour 45 minutes.
I know people have vivid, weird imagination but Dashrath Manjhi's dreams (in the film) were touching the skies and beyond. Manjhi (film) has a typical Ketan Mehta touch to it, which is a good thing and also bad. Ketan Mehta's touch works for the film's portrayal of the friction between Manjhi and the society (including politics, family and friends). But it goes a bit off track when the film switches to the flashback scenes. The music is good. Just when you try to establish a connect with Manjhi's character, the film ruins it by bringing in the Bollywood element.
My expectations were high from this film, but I was a bit disappointed with the approach taken and the treatment given to this life adaptation. So if you are a fan of Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Radhika Apte or Ketan Mehta's films, then you can watch this.

All Is Well - There is a message in there somewhere

I don't know what was going on in the director's mind when he first decided to direct All Is Well. Directed by Umesh Shukla, the film isn't long at all. The run time being just a little over 2 hours (2 hours 7 minutes to be exact), All Is Well is an effort gone wrong. The characters are inspired by real life people, like you and me. And the same can be said for the story. But what went wrong is the simplicity and the whole Bollywood drama in a way that the film presents itself.
Rishi Kapoor plays a character that is someone you'll hate initially but later will start to like. Supriya Pathak doesn't have much dialogues but is convincing and good in her character. Asin's presence on the screen is a little more than blink and miss but again, her character doesn't have much dialogues. Surprise of the film is Abhishek Bachchan, who has acted well and you really connect with the character he plays at some level.
The film has a bit of fun element, few funny and emotional moments but overall doesn't connect with the audiences because of the simplistic nature of the script, at times forced-humour filled dialogues and unnecessary songs. Umesh Shukla also directed OMG - Oh My God! starring Akshay Kumar and Paresh Rawal. After you know that bit of information, you'll seriously say WTF! for this film. I'm not saying that the direction of All Is Well is bad, but just that he could have just refused to direct it because of the script's nature. Even though it's just a little over 2 hours, it feels boring and a drag at times. The music is good but the songs are unnecessary. The acting by all actors is good and Abhishek Bachchan is the only one to look out for in this film.
Should you watch it or not? My answer would be - you can decide for yourself if you wish to see a film with a message in there somewhere but filled with (at times) uninspiring dialogues, simple script inspired by common daily life with a Bollywood take on it.
(Tell me which Dhaba in India offers you the service of watching someone perform a song and dance sequence while you eat Butter Chicken and Naan. Forget Sonakshi Sinha's song, but try listening to the Hafte Mein Chaar Shanivaar song, I'm sure we all wish we had that many Saturdays in a week.)

Drishyam - The suspense will keep you hooked on

I have to say that I haven't seen the Malayalam film (by the same name) and Papanasam (Tamil film), so I can't really compare the three. But from what I've heard, the Malayalam version was the best.
But this review is about the Hindi film, so lets focus on that.
The film stars Ajay Devgn, Shriya Saran, Tabu, and Ishita Dutta (Googled and found that she's Tanushree Dutta's sister) in the lead. Directed by Nishikant Kamat, Drishyam starts at a normal pace but picks up towards the end of 1st half. The story, the suspense will keep you hooked on. The film has its brains at the right place. The locations, the dialogues, the background score blend in perfectly. Drishyam is Avinash Arun's next film as cinematographer after Masaan and it's a brilliant work with the camera. The suspense is something that does not get revealed till the very end. Brilliant piece of writing and direction.
Vishal Bhardwaj's music also complements the entire story. Nishikant Kamat returns to direction after Lai Bhaari and have to say his direction is brilliant. This film is something that deserves all your attention. If you blink, you'll miss. It's got the perfect blend of every human emotion weaved into it and at the right time. The controversy surrounding the Malayalam version might have helped in this film's promotion as well.
There has not been such a sensible Hindi film in a long time. And I don't think there'll be one in a long time to come. Good drama, thriller, suspense and brilliant acting by the lead actors. We are not used to seeing Ajay Devgn playing a common man and in a role that doesn't involve over-the-top humour and unnecessary stunts and so this is a complete surprise. The last time Ajay Devgn played a common man was in Himmatwala, and we all know what a disaster that film was.
Drishyam is not to be missed, I repeat not to be missed for anything. It's a must must watch.