Phata Poster Nikhla Hero review

Rajkumar Santoshi (the director) has 2 distinct pieces of art that he is renowned for and to be honest, those 2 films are very similar in their outline. Btw, Andaaz Apna Apna and Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani are the 2 films I mentioned previously.

Phata Poster Nikhla Hero (PPNH) is another one of his Santoshiness films but this one actually has a moral behind it which actually makes it a much more interesting film. I'm not saying this film does not have the typical "stupid, masala film" parts to it...it does but I actually found the film fun and entertaining!!!! (SURPRISED MYSELF HOW MUCH I LIKED IT)! Santoshi's direction is something I will look forward to...as he prepares for his next adventure... "Andaaz Apna Apna 2"!

Ileana D'Cruz absolutely killed it! She is a fantastic actress and she completely restores my faith in female actors in India...they can be versatile and literally fit any role......from Barfi! to PPNH, opposite ends of the Bollywood film spectrum.

Shahid Kapoor, the main man... Who surprisingly did a much better job than Ranbir Kapoor in Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani! Shahid's acting reminded me of Salman Khan... The one from Andaaz Apna Apna and Dulhan Hum Lejayenge! Great comedic timing in this Santoshi exhibit! Obviously the two leads had to be given some lee-way for the over acting aspect as the film was very dramatically hilarious! 

The supporting cast including Darshan Jariwala performed with his usual laughable manner while Padmani Kolhapure did what she has always done.... Brilliantly execute the role she was offered! It's been a while since she was a part of a commercial film like PPNH.

The story... Though fairly obvious as a whole... It does have a few surprises... Which are brilliant and very admirably captured by Ravi Yadav and his camera team. 

It's pointless to compare Santoshi's previous projects again but this is a very close second after Andaaz Apna Apna in his filmography. Although PPNH has not done as well as expected at the box office but it definitely deserves a watch!

ONE MAJOR PROBLEM WITH THE FILM!!!!!!!!!! Continuity in Shahid Kapoor's look! He instantaneously has a different hair-length, when obviouslt, it's meant to stay the same. Regarding the same point...he miraculously grows a stubble then shaves it off and it grows back with in three scenes that were meant to be...at the same time! Sooo... One very disappointing part of Mr. Santoshi's direction.

Music.. It's addictive! No doubt about that! Songs like 'Main Rang Sharbatoon Ka' and 'Mere Bina Tu' are brilliant , lyrically speaking but they did not require music video for each...in total does add about 15 minutes to the running time of the film! The other hits like 'Agal Bagal Mein' was fabulously shot and the concept is quite funny in the context of the movie. 'Dhating Naach'.. By far the worst song in the film but it has a significance so arguing with it's existence is not a priority so I recommend you TRY and enjoy that song!  

STUPID! CRAZY! FUNNY! BANG! Four words that perfectly describe this film! The action is excellently choreographed! Well, the dance choreography isn't bad either... Though kinda repetitive at points, but entertaining, for which the credit goes equally to Shahid Kapoor as well as Bosco (choreographer).

'Fun-filled family hilarity'... If that's what you're looking for... This film has it all (even the cheesy dialogues to really cause nostalgia for the 90's comedy)! Though my opinion differs from a lot of the critics out there, I believe this by far is Shahid Kapoor's best work since Kaminey! 

RATING SYSTEM

Performance 7.5/10

Direction 6.5/10

Story/Script 8/10
Action 8/10

 Music/Soundtrack 6.5/10

Cinematography 7/10

Choreography 7/10

I give this film 7.21/10 "7.21 out of 10"
Rating: Hilarious references! One-time watch is a must!

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You're Next Review by Jaffrina Jahan

You’re Next centres around the Davison family reunion in a remote house to celebrate their wealthy parent’s wedding anniversary. The grown up children, Drake, Crispian, Amy and Felix are joined by their counterparts, Kelly, Erin, Tariq and Zee respectively. When they come under attack by mysterious killers in animal masks Erin takes control and fights back.

The trailer suggests a perfect family, however, that is far from the truth. Rivalries, feelings of inferiority and general dislike are evident in the family dynamics. These tensions make the film rather interesting but are quickly undercut as an attacker kills the first victim. The shaky camera work successfully demonstrates the fear and confusion that has captured the family. What separates this film from the common home invasion horrors is its use of black humour and inclusion of a motive. The dark humour is refreshing in this genre and ensures an entertaining watch to prevent the audience from numbing to the violence. Many home invasion films such as Straw Dogs do not provide a motive but director, Adam Wingard does, though this is revealed in the ending. However, I had guessed early on (spoiler) it was an inside job. The real shock comes from the final twist as an additional accomplice is revealed which was unexpected, amusing and more original. Although the motive is believable it is not something explored in depth which would have enabled the film to have more complexity.

The first half of the film is dull aside from the petty squabbles of the family. Despite the suspense being there from the start with the grisly murders and creaking floorboards it only picks up momentum once the killers attack. Then it drops again as the only thing Wingard offers is various ways to kill. The final minutes are where the true depth of the film is depicted.

Sharni Vinson provides an interesting character as Erin who grew up in a survivalist camp. As a strong female lead she is the only character to defend effectively against the attacks. It was refreshing to see a woman defend herself rather than being depicted as the sex object and victim who is dependent on others for survival. Erin is the only likeable character as well. The other characters are passive victims spending most of their screen time alternating between arguing, screaming, crying and looking bewildered until they die a savage death. The family are more interesting when they are being killed and give no reason to the audience for caring what happens to them.

Wingard delivers some scares which do make you jump and its excessive violence will appeal to avid horror fans. But it is the combination of dark humour and sadistic violence that makes it a fresh take in a genre that seemed to have nothing new to offer. However, it is not as impressive as recent horror films such as The Purge and The Conjuring.

Rating System:

Performance: 7/10

Direction: 7/10

Story/Script: 7/10

Music/Soundtrack: 6/10

Cinematography: 7/10

Action: 8/10

I give this film 7/10 

Rating: A refreshing take on home invasion films. 

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Madras Cafe review

Recently, John Abraham has chosen films that do appear quite strange choices...however it does show that he has quite wide range of acting ability. Films like Force, I.Me Aur Main and Shootout At Wadala....all films you would not associate with the "Chocolate-boy" reputation he has in the film industry. Madras Cafe is another one of these amazing roles that Abraham has been lucky to have.

John Abraham (Major Vikram Singh) nailed his role, though some people may argue he is quite emotionless...but I think he has exactly the right amount of feeling in the way he portrays this undercover R&AW agent. Nargis Fakhri acted well...not brilliant, even though her role was a small one. Nargis looks comfortable in this role and acts a million times better than she did in her previous Bollywood outing "Rockstar". She speaks English throughout the film, which is understandable but the fact that John Abraham replies in Hindi, just seems quite inconsistent and does slightly derail the conversation between the two. Rashi Khanna (Abraham's wife in the movie) played the character of Ruby Singh extremely well. The "spat" the couple has in the film is just priceless and brilliant. That scene literally moved me on an emotional level. Siddharth Basu was excellent...his voice just gave a calmness into every scene that he was in, however the rest of the supporting cast lacked a bit of style and reality in their speaking manner.

The film is based on true events that took place in the 80's/90's in Sri Lanka and an attempt at explaining how and why certain events transpired. Although, the film is full of propaganda....it is brilliantly shot and directed by Shoojit Sircar.
One slightly disappointing point would be that the film feels like it goes on for years...not saying it's boring...but it just drags on 20 minutes more than it should have. That feels like eternity!

SPOILER ALERT!

The film begins with a disclaimer that it is a work of fiction. Names have been changed but the events of Madras Café are clearly based in the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka, which ultimately led to the assassination of Indian prime minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1991. "Here, the plot moves inexorably towards the assassination of a former prime minister. Major Vikram is an intelligence officer with the Indian army enlisted in a covert operation to broker peace in the war-torn country. The film cuts rapidly between New Delhi, London, Bangkok and Kerala." (Anupama Chopra's review)

Madras Café works as an effective portrait of the futility of war. Shoojit and his writers, Shubhendu Bhattacharya and Somnath Dey, ably illustrate why there are no winners here. "Ideologies are marred by corruption and brutality. Death is inevitable and victories, pyrrhic."
A special mention here of John Abraham, who stretches himself as both actor and producer. He does a commendable job. As does Prakash Belawadi, who plays Vikram’s hard-drinking superior. And cinematographer Kamaljeet Negi, whose camera gives the film scale and heft. Shantanu Moitra’s unobtrusive music underlines the tragedy. "Sun Le Re" is actually well composed and Ali Hayat sings effortlessly.

I suggest you give this film a watch! It'll be an eye-opener for many people (even though the movie is "fictitious")

RATING SYSTEM

Performance 7/10

Direction 7/10

Story/Script 8/10
Action 7/10

Music/Soundtrack 6/10
Cinematography 8/10

I give this film 7.13/10 "7.13 out of 10"
Rating: Conspiracy....I think not! Have a look to decide for yourself!

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Star Trek Into Darkness

Long overdue but here goes.... Star Trek franchise was relaunched in 2009 with the original characters from the Original series, but with fresh new faces. The film received very good reviews and the verdict was positive...so obviously, there had to be a secod film.

Star Trek Into Darkness was an impressive sequel with a great story which was held together by the friendship of James.T.Kirk and Spock shown by director J.J.Abrams.

Chris Pine as Kirk and Zachary Quinto as Spock showed their abilities in the first film but in this one, they exceed their expectations and completely dazzle the audience with their rapport. Benedict Cumersbatch was just brilliant as well Zoe Saldana and the rest of the cast! Brilliant acting....no doubt about it!

SPOILER ALERT!

Star Trek Into Darkness punches straight into an immediate manhunt movie. A bomb goes off in a Starfleet archive in London — 23rd century England will boast a skyline of buildings apparently — and the race is on to track down the terrorist, well-coutured renegade John Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch). Abrams’ first Trek movie was criticised for not following the Roddenberry tenet of holding up a mirror to real-world issues. Into Darkness couldn’t be more prescient. Just weeks after the events in Boston, this keys into a hunt for a bomber, with Kirk given orders to forgo a fair trial (“I’m gonna run this bastard down”) and terminate Harrison with Star Trek’s version of extreme prejudice — undetectable photon torpedoes. 

Cumberbatch’s Harrison  is, in essence, a one-man army — watch him waste an arsenal of helmeted soldiers or take a vicious beating from Kirk with barely a flinch, or brutally batter some Federation flunkies. Yet, as you might expect from an actor who can comfortably portray Sherlock Holmes and Stephen Hawking, Harrison is as intellectual as he is muscular. 
It is a testament to the power of his performance that, although his early appearances are greeted with the most over-the-top Evil Musical Motifs imaginable, he manages to make Harrison ambiguous and chilling throughout.
"If the first film was about the coming together of the Enterprise crew, then Harrison’s threat means they have to divide to conquer. The strong ensemble — rejoice in the growing Kirk-Spock bromance, or Bones’ bad aphorisms, or a collector’s moment of Sulu steeliness without his sword — have etched likable sketches of the nascent TV icons, but you’d like time to hang with them a bit more. Similarly, you pine for a sustained Hannibal Lecter-Clarice Starling duel of wits between Kirk and Harrison, but it never quite happens. Abrams has real skill at dropping character beats in the heat of battle — Kirk and Spock get slivers of interesting arcs; the former is learning to become a captain, the latter is learning to be a friend — yet the film doesn’t give the emotions space to resonate and take hold."
Abrams directs with lots of flare, but, more importantly, flair. His style is somewhere between the machine-tooled work of Cameron and the manic intensity of Bay, efficient but still loose and seemingly improvised.

Working with screenwriters Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman and Damon Lindelof, Abrams can flip between different tones in a heartbeat.... a comedic lovers’ tiff in the midst of battle turns into an affecting meditation on fear — and will leave no stone unturned in trying to entertain: tense bomb disposal, intense inter-race negotiations, big ship-little ship cat and mousery, Simon Pegg comic relief, a chase at warp speed, disaster movie mayhem and amazing performances by every single member of the cast. Not all of it works — compared to the opener, the last-reel action is enjoyable rather than jaw-dropping — but there is the sense of a true showman at work. Like George Lucas, J.J.Abrams doesn’t care about science-fiction and transwarp beaming. He just wants you to have as much fun as humanly possible.

If this is Abrams’ final frontier, he has left Star Trek in a good place, both in the fictional universe and as a franchise. In some sense, the title is misleading. Into Darkness is a blast, fun, funny, spectacular and exhilarating. The rule of great even-numbered Trek movies continues.

RATING SYSTEM

Performance 9/10

Direction 9/10

Story/Script 8.5/10
Action 8.5/10

Music/Soundtrack 8/10
Cinematography 9/10

I give this film 8.67/10 "8.67 out of 10"
Rating: Slick! Clean! Thrilling!

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