Bollywood World

Rating : 6/10
Release Date : 9th October, 2015
Time : 132 minutes
Director, Co-Writer : Robert Zemeckis; Co-Writer : Christopher Browne based on the book by Philippe Petit �To Reach The Clouds�; Music : Alan Silvestri;
Starring : Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ben Kingsley, Charlotte Le Bon, Cesar Domboy, Clement Sibony, Steve Valentine, James Badge Dale, Ben Schwartz, Benedict Samuel, Soleyman Pierini



Despite the movie being about a walk on a high-tension steel wire, the movie is strangely flat.


It�s about the daredevil French artiste, Phillipe Petit (played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt), who, fascinated by a tightrope walking family during a circus trip when very young, decided he couldn�t do anything else. He basically spends the rest of his time figuring out places where he could hang his wire around Paris. Then gets in touch with Ben Kingsley, the patriarch of the tightrope walking family, to learn his secrets. He continues to search for more dangerous, exciting places to hang his wire�meets his accomplices during his illegal walks in Paris � Charlotte Le Bon, Cesar Domboy, Clement Sibony�and then one day, he sees an illustration of the upcoming World Trade Centre in New York. And he knows that�s it � that�s where he wants to walk�



The rest of the movie takes us through some of the steps, described by Joseph either by flashback or while standing on top of the Statue of Liberty.


As the audience you definitely feel awe for what he accomplished but, strangely, you feel very little of the tension. The tale is narrated in a very matter of fact way. You don�t get a sense of the personalities, the planning � everything is quite drily presented, merely happens. You have to be a little mad to do something like this but the full force of the personality and the emotion doesn�t quite transmit.



Joe lets on in the opening few minutes, that the one question he can�t answer is �Why� � he does it just because� But why would his accomplices support him, as he risks almost certain death in his attempt ? What in them makes them willing partners ? There is a lovely little twist at the end, that redeems the film somewhat and I loved a couple of the lines too � about how walking the tightrope across buildings gave it character, made them more beautiful�

Rating : 8/10
Release Date : 10th July, 2015
Time : 159 minutes
Director: Kyle Balda, Pierre Coffin; Writer: Brian Lynch; Music : Heitor Pereira
Starring : (Voices of) : Pierre Coffin, Sandra Bullock, Jon Hamm, Jennifer Saunders, Geoffrey Rush, Michael Keaton, Allison Janney Steve Coogan



Non-stop silliness that makes you laugh. Very loudly.


It�s hard to describe what exactly made you laugh. But its great fun, as the adorable Minions, search for an evil master leads them from Arctic regions to America (and a Villain convention) and on to England. Encountering, along the way polar bears, an adorable bank robbing family and the deliciously devilish Scarlett (Sandra Bullock), who, along with her husband Herb (Jon Hamm), has grand plans, involving the Queen, to crown her villainy�




The movie belongs to the Minions though, notably three, Kevin, Stuart and Bob � who leave the rest of the pack in an ice cave � while they travel in their hunt for the heinous. Kevin is the leader of the pack, Stuart, a guitarist who involuntarily signed up for the mission and Bob, the enthusiastic baby of the group�



The music, the jokes, the slapstick humour, the comic timing � make it a rollercoaster ride, but one which, thanks to the gobblydegook language of our Minions, makes it very hard to recount in a review. Was it the escape from a polar bear, the banana hallucination, Stuart�s guitar obsession, the old Royal guard protecting the Crown Jewels, the hypnotic operatic dance, Scarlett�s bedtime story, the sight of the Queen having a pint, the unintentional ways the Minion�s lose their leader or the way the pack tries to find their intrepid three explorers�somewhere in all of that lies the answer to what makes you laugh so hard�on several occasions�


It does stretch a bit in the second half but still fun nonetheless. Go indulge the child in you�

Rating : 6/10
Release Date : 17th April, 2015
Time : 100 minutes
Directors & Writers : Shonali Bose, Nilesh Maniyar; Music : Mikey McCleary
Starring : Kalki Koechlin, Sayani Gupta, Revathy, Kuljeet Singh, Malhar Khushu, William Moseley, Tenzing Dalha




I�ve never liked films about disabled people � but that is probably just me, my journey through life, I guess. There are several enjoyable moments in the movie but equally was squirming uncomfortably at times


It�s the story of Kalki, who has cerebral palsy, lives in Delhi, and just wants to be treated normally. She goes to Ramjas College, has a good circle of friends, an extremely loving, supportive family, is a lyricist, and is also quite keen to explore her sexuality.


Her journey also takes her to New York, where, among others, she meets a gorgeous, blind Pakistani activist, Sayani Gupta and also the Brad Pitt kinda cute William, who volunteers to help Kalki write.


Kalki does a great job � having seen a lot of kids with cerebral palsy � she gets the mannerisms, hand motions, postures, expressions down pat. Kudos to her and the director for achieving this.


But the standout performances for me came from Sayani (beautiful, confident, sensuous) and Revathy (simply brilliant as Kalki�s mom � a South Indian married to a Sardarji).


Some of the moments that made the film for me
- a certain award-winning moment that gets ruined � the last thing anyone with a disability wants is condescension
- The relationship between Kalki and Hussain, college-mate on a wheelchair, including when they fall out and make-up
- The genial, Kuljeet Singh, the Sardarji Dad � always smiling � and the moment of the film, when he complains about getting veg food all
the time�and Malhar�s (Kalki�s brother) priceless intervention
- Revathy�s expressions, once in front of a mirror and another time when she opens up a certain website on Kalki�s laptop
- The music � fascinating blend of different genres � one OST I would love to own

I did feel there was a lot of focus in the film on Kalki�s sexuality, experimentations. Probably some scenes that were gratuitous�or maybe that was just me being squeamish. Wasn�t sure during several points in the film as to where this was all leading up � and the ending worked for me only partially in assuaging those thoughts�


But I did sense a thread of genuineness in the film, the story�confirmed for me by the director�s heartfelt quotations, dedications at the end of the movie�And I guess, in todays day and age, you cant ask for much more !

Rating : 5/10
Release Date : 27th March, 2015
Time : 115 minutes
Director : Pierre Morel; Writer : Don MacPherson, based on the novel by Jean-Patrick Manchette; Music : Marco Beltrami
Starring : Sean Penn, Jasmine Trinca, Javier Bardem, Ray Winstone, Idris Elba, Mark Rylance

Rating : 5/10
Release Date : 27th March, 2015
Time : 114 minutes
Director: Jaume Collet-Serra; Writer : Brad Ingelsby; Music : Junkie XL
Starring : Liam Neeson, Ed Harris, Joel Kinnaman, Boyd Holbrook, Bruce McGill, Genesis Rodriguez, Vincent D�Onofrio, Common, Aubrey Joseph






Two men try to protect loved ones. And themselves. From someone more powerful, in a position to do them great harm. And, in both cases, it�s a friend turned foe. One is directed by the director of Taken, while the other looks like his handiwork as well...



In Gunman, its Sean Penn, trying to protect former girlf-friend, Jasmine Trinca. Up against someone he thought was a friend. The setting is Democratic Republic of Congo, Africa. And then moves to London and Barcelona.



In Run All Night, its Liam Neeson, doing a very familiar turn, trying to protect his son, Joel Kinnaman and his family. From best friend turned enemy, Ed Harris. And the setting remains New York, for most parts the seedier side�






The ensemble cast is excellent in both � Javier Bardem, Ray Winstone, Mark Rylance and Idris Elba in the former. And Boyd Holbrook, Bruce McGill, Genesis Rodriguez, Common and Vincent D�Onofrio in the latter.



Both are variants of one man against the rest of the world. Very filmy. Very slick. Feature good action. But stretch credibility more than a little. While Gunman has very little by way of sentiment � its more impersonal in some ways, the greater enemy is large, anonymous and faceless � and its protagonist is a gun for hire trying to turn over a new leaf. Run All Night has much more in terms of human emotion � a father trying to win over an angry son, a hired killer struggling to cope with the advancing years and nightmares of his victims.



While the pace doesn�t really flag and the stunts don�t stop, it�s the predictability of both, the fact that we seem to be dealing with superheroes, just without a cape, that drags the overall film down. Both are watchable, but just about once�and perhaps on TV�

Rating : 8/10
Release Date : 20th February, 2015
Time : 107 minutes
Director, Writer : Damien Chazelle; Music : Justin Hurwitz
Starring : JK Simmons, Miles Teller, Paul Reiser, Melissa Benoist, Nate Lang, Austin Stowell



Has the world become too soft ?
Do we recognize anymore the effort, the hours, the passion that it takes to truly master a discipline, much less produce works of unbridled genius ?
Are we really prepared for the blood, sweat, tears that usually accompany such a journey ? Especially in the world of social media, political correctness, education becoming more a business, over-anxious parents and molly-coddled children, are we really even trying to produce geniuses ?


JK Simmons doesn�t have any of these doubts. He�s the renowned head of the famous Schaeffer Music School, New York. And he�s only in it to produce top musicians, using any and all means at his disposal �including the most awful physical and mental abuse you�re likely to see from a guru



Miles Teller is a drummer, enrolled in the music conservatory. Is from a middling background, product of a broken marriage, has a caring father, not many friends. He fancies himself as a musician. And is spotted, picked up by JK to be a part of the main ensemble.



Nothing prepares you for what follows. Simmons is the kind who preys on his students weaknesses. He pretends to be interested in a student, only to be able to use personal information to abuse you violently. And he relentlessly pushes, drives you to perform, excel�


Nothing has prepared Miles for this. He�s changing as a person. Redefining his relationships � including his loving dad (Paul Reiser) and a recent girlfriend (Melissa). He fancies his chances, even though the competition is intense and he is, at least in the beginning, only the understudy to the main drummer�


So begins almost a game of cat and mouse between the student and teacher. Its gripping. Miles evolves in ways we wouldn�t expect. The story takes a course we definitely don�t anticipate. And we are hooked, right all the way to the astonishing climax. Simmons and Teller are excellent in their roles, believable, epitomizing their parts to the point you can scarcely believe them to be anyone else. And the music, mostly jazz, is great too�


Like the luscious swirls of a bitter-sweet dark chocolate with a mysterious twist� you�re going to need to taste it to figure out if it works for you.. and, as most creative artists would prefer with their work, you�re going to either love it or hate it�

Rating : 9/10
Release Date : 31st October, 2014
Time : 149 minutes
Director: David Fincher; Writer: Gillian Flynn, based on her own novel; Music : Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross
Starring : Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, Carrie Coon, Kim Dickens, Neil Patrick Harris, Tyler Perry, Patrick Fugit, David Clennon, Lisa Banes, Missi Pyle, Emily Ratajkowski, Casey Wilson, Lola Kirke, Sela Ward



Deliciously devilish. Fiendishly clever. As beautifully twisted, with the fa�ade of normalcy, as can be. Am going to struggle to write as I don�t want to give anything away, will simply say � just when you think you know whats happening, the movie takes an unexpected path once more !


Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike met 7 years ago. On the day of their fifth wedding anniversary, when things aren�t going that well between them, Rosamund goes missing. Soon most people are thinking Ben�s responsible. It doesn�t help that she is a mini-celebrity, the daughter of a famed writer, whose books were all about her amazing daughter�s childhood.


The best part of the movie is how various aspects, which colour your perception, are presented. The opening scene where Ben voices his thoughts while ruffling his wife�s hair. The police assistant, Patrick, who wants to arrest Ben from day one but his boss, Kim Dickens, is more circumspect, wants there to be no doubt before she moves in. The swift condemnation of the media, based on a couple of photographs. And, most telling of all, the compelling voice of Rosamund, as she continues to be missing, conveyed through her diary.



And its not just the unexpected turns but the refreshing idiosyncracies of the characters shown. Treasure hunts (with a hilarious suggestion involving the wood clue). Throwing gummy bears in preparation for an interview. Spitting into a drink as a minor form of revenge. A quick skip in the air, clicking the heels, when you realize your plan is working. The surprisingly genial, affable lawyer, Tyler Perry. The touching concern of the twin sister, wonderfully played by Carrie Coon, steadfastly standing by her brother, even when she finds out he�s been lying to her. And, just when you think you've planned it perfectly, trouble can be just next door...



The much lampooned Ben Affleck does a stellar job in his role � conflicted, troubled, sailing in what very much looks like a sinking ship but doing his damnedest to stay afloat. I last saw Rosamund in Jack Reacher, where she�d impressed in her role. She has this Cate Blanchett-like statuesque quality, an ability to stand out, no matter the circumstances, to seem intensely private, a bit superior to others irrespective of her surrounding. And she nails this role with everything she�s got !



If you think your marriage is rough, you should see this film. If you think your spouse is tough to be with, you should see this film. And be reminded of how much worse it could be. There could also be a strong case made, for an injunction against the movie, for giving inspiration to vengeance seeking spouses. For no one would want to be in a relationship like Ben and Rosamund�