Bollywood World

Rating : 5 /10
Release Date : 30th April, 2016
Time : 147 minutes
Directors : Anthony Russo, Joe Russo; Writers : Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely based on the comic book by Mark Millar and characters by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby; Music : Henry Jackman
Starring : Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr, Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Daniel Bruhl, Anthony Mackie, Don Cheadle, Jeremy Renner, Chadwick Boseman, Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Rudd, Emily VanCamp, Tom Holland, William Hurt, Martin Freeman



What happens when you hit a dead end as a script-writer ?

Super-hero angst, existential crisis, back stories have already been done to death.

There are no super-cool, megalomaniacal villains left � no new worlds left to conquer, and threatening aliens are so passe.

What then do you do ?



Turn your super-heroes one against the other ? Make them battle against each other on the flimsiest of pretexts ? And why stop at one, lets make them fight in groups ? Iron Man vs Captain America, Black Panther vs The Winter Soldier, Hawkeye vs Black Widow, Ant Man vs Spider Man � all together !



But it just doesn�t make any sense. Logical flaws abound. Soundbytes and classic filmy poses take the place of a sensible story. And it all gets too grim, the fabulous repartee, humour (of say, Avengers, Guardians of The Galaxy and Deadpool) taking an undeserved back seat.


The world has decided they only want to let the Avengers function under a UN supervised panel � who would call upon them, only if it deems fit. The collateral damage caused by the superheroes running amok, across territorial borders, has got to a point where it can�t be tolerated anymore. Some of the superheroes are for such a move � while an equal number are against it. A couple of more incidents � orchestrated by Sebastian Stan and Daniel Bruhl � and the For and Against sides begin an �epic� battle against each other. Sparks, suits and blows fly � but it�s essentially dueling with handbags.


Shouldn�t the side with the most powerful superhero, logically, have triumphed ? Shouldn�t the battle have been really short and sweet ? Perhaps there shouldn�t even have been a battle in the first place ? Chris Evans inspires trust but is just too uni-dimensional. Robert Downey Jr is uncharacteristically confused in thought. Daniel Bruhl is intense but nothing he does is possible / logical.


Wish they had chosen a different method to settle their differences � maybe a toss of coin or a drinking competition ? Or even Russian Roulette or a round of blackjack ?

Rating : 8/10
Release Date : 24th April, 2015
Time : 142 minutes
Director & Writer : Joss Whedon, based on characters created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby; Music : Danny Elfman
Starring : Robert Downey Jr, Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, James Spader (voice), Paul Bettany (voice), Don Cheadle, Samuel L Jackson, Anthony Mackie, Cobie Smulders, Idris Elba, Hayley Atwell, Stellan Skarsgard, Claudia Kim, Thomas Kretschmann, Andy Serkis (whew, some cast, isn�t it�.)

If you havent seen the first one, you could read my review here



Wasn�t it in Megamind where someone said, a superhero movie is only as good as the villain ? Leaving aside the irony of the fact that such a profound thought, about the balance between good and evil, comes from a children�s animated film � and the fact that its true vice versa � what villain do you think could seriously challenge our team of superheroes, make them sweat ? They were almost cocky in the opening sequence � cutting through a mini-army, destroying tanks, mashing missiles � with an arrogant ease�And that is why, you�ll like the villain the makers come up with�Ultron�who provides more than a fight for our Marvels�




In the beginning its about an organization called Hydra. Then its about Loki�s Sceptre. Then two fascinating twin mutants (Aaron & Elizabeth). Then Ultron. And then something else�At times you may even feel its all of the above�but even the ever-changing nature of the villain is a thrill, keeps us and our planet�s Guardians (sorry, that�s another Marvel series, no ?) on their toes.

They retain certain key elements from the first one (and why not, it worked, didn�t it ?) � the slight edge-laden banter between them; the differences in opinion, especially on the big stuff; the secretiveness, the cliques; how each of them has a role, no one really shortchanged (not an easy writing task, as anyone who�s written a multi-character story will tell you); and the Hulk continuing to be the joker in the pack�





There are jaw-dropping action sequences. Good music. An overall storyline that is interesting enough to keep you entertained despite the many obvious flaws (which superhero film is without them). But its the repartee that keeps you hooked � some excellent, crisp dialogue � the mini-battles between some of them : Ironman vs Captain America (�He�s the boss�I only pay for, design everything and make everyone look cooler�); The twin mutants vs Hawkeye (�You didn�t see that coming?� and jibes about his age); Black Widow and Hulk (singing lullabies�); Ultron�s philosophical musings about human frailty, dripping with sarcasm and the song he hums (�I�ve got no strings to hold me down�); And a really hilarious sequence about Thor�s hammer�which doesn�t exactly end as you would expect�




This isn�t the first film about artificial intelligence and doomsday scenarios�Terminator, i,Robot, even Transcendence� After a while, with most films around robots, it does get a bit mechanical (pun intended), watching them fight, get beaten � the mid section does flag a little � but overall, its still quite enjoyable, there is plenty of flair, panache to keep things interesting. Am going to be a bit generous and go with possibly a slightly higher rating � just because its not easy to pull off a sequel with so many superheroes, super villains and still manage to entertain !

Rating : 6/10
Release Date : 17th October, 2014
Time : 142 minutes
Director: David Dobkin; Writers: Bill Dubuque, Nick Schenk; Music : Thomas Newman
Starring : Robert Downey Jr, Robert Duvall, Vera Farmiga, Billy Bob Thornton, Vincent D�Onofrio, Jeremy Strong, Leighton Meester, Emma Tremblay



This one is about father-son relationships and they make it about as complicated as it can get, throwing in lots of flashbacks, emotion, a dead mother, melodrama, two other sons and even a murder trial to keep us gripped as the narrative slowly unfolds.


Robert Duvall is the iron-handed, bull headed patriarch of the family, a respected, practicing judge at the court of the little town where they reside. Two of his sons live in the same town. Vincent D�Onofrio, the eldest, hasn�t really recovered emotionally from what could�ve been since an event from many years ago. Jeremy Strong, the youngest, isn�t really all there. Robert�s relied on his wife to be the emotional binding thread in the family. Now she�s gone. And he�s being charged for murder, a hit and run case that happened on the evening of his wife�s funeral.


Robert Downey Jr, the middle son, returns to town after twenty years, for his mother�s funeral. Doesn�t get along with his father at all, used to speak to his mom on the phone occasionally. Is probably about to get divorced, has a cute little daughter. Is one of the top lawyers in the country, with a fiercesome reputation for finding ways to get the guilty off. And his father wants nothing to do with him for his own defense.


There are bits that work and bits that don�t. Watching Robert as a normal screen person after a while, without either the iron exterior nor the garb of a famed fictional detective, he is very convincing as a man with lots of angst from his childhood, unresolved issues. Robert Duvall is good as the obstinate, opinionated man who is coming to terms with his own physical frailties and also the fact that the murder trial may destroy his forty-two year legacy as a judge in the town.



However, a lot of the things he does, do not make sense. There are decisions he makes regarding his trial which are whimsical, not in keeping with his logical demeanour as a judge. The film is also riddled with a lot of unnecessary sub plots. And, almost like a Hindi film, this one is injected with deliberate tear-jerker moments at almost every opportunity. Everyone has unresolved issues from the time Robert left, about twenty years ago, including his then girl-friend / childhood sweetheart, Vera Farmiga, who is now a successful local businesswoman and a single mother.


Robert�s interesting bumper sticker methodology of juror selection was the funniest part of the film, with �Lost Wife And Dog � Reward for Dog� probably the piece de resistance. Billy Bob Thornton, as the opposing out of town attorney does make the trial interesting but this film isn�t a courtroom drama. It isn�t about the law. Its about relationships. Coming to terms with our actions and events from many years ago. And hopefully, finding some closure and peace while we�re at it.