In the opening scene, reminiscent of the ’70s, a guy with a well-chiseled, gym-toned body thrashes his prison inmates, while the rest of the junior artistes stand around, feebly flailing their hands above their heads. The identity of the person is revealed soon enough, but the reason for the mayhem much […]
War films have a (c)harm of their own. New Zealander Taika Waititi’s screenplay, based on Christine Leunens’s 2004 novel ‘Caging Skies’, has an earthy kind of appeal to it. Amidst the destruction of war and comedic elements are layers of tenderness and the human touch, fringed by a 10-year-old’s understanding of what constitutes a Nazi […]
First, the title – it should give one adequate clues that it could turn out to be an autobiographical work, particularly when that film is helmed by one of the greatest filmmakers of our generation. The 70-year- old Spaniard, Almodovar, in the twilight of his illustrious career, and inspired by Fellini’s 8½, collaborates with his […]
Panga, the film, serves to highlight a few things – a family soars and thrives when duties are shared, there is no age limit for pursuing one’s dreams, and on a more pragmatic note – Indian Railways are the main job providers for state and national level sportspersons. Jaya Nigam (Kangana Ranaut) had been the […]
Early deaths of Hollywood legends (the legend status conferred posthumously at times) has always held the industry and its fans in awe. Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, Elvis Presley are just three names that come to mind. Add to that, actress-singer Judy Garland, who died 12 days after her 47th birthday, in 1969. The talented Renee Zellweger […]
“You’re guilty from the moment you’re born”, is the common refrain of African Americans, especially in the state of Alabama, where racism still persists to a horrifying degree, and where ‘Just Mercy’ is centered. Based on a true story, and adapted from noted civil rights lawyer Bryan Stevenson’s memoirs ‘Just Mercy: A Story of Justice […]
The film, which depicts the happenings over a 24-hour period on 6th April, 1917, during WW1 (and hence the title) could well have been called ‘Race Against Time’. Co-written by director Sam Mendes, and based on a story narrated to him by his grandfather, Alfred Mendes, the film unfolds with Lance Corporal Tom Blake (Dean-Charles […]
Bollywood certainly knows how to time its releases. Barely a couple of months after the political wrangling in the state subsided, comes an epic involving the greatest Maratha warrior – Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. But then this film is not so much about him as it’s about his trusted lieutenant Tanhaji Malusare, played by Ajay Devgn. […]
Somewhere in Jharkhand, in a small town called Karnalganj, is a small-time politician-cum-goon (isn’t this species omnipresent in those areas?) Baba Bhandari (Akshaye Khanna), who’s perennially shadowed by two cronies and whose supplementary means of income is from kidnapping potential grooms for girls whose parents can’t afford the dowry, which runs into lakhs. The local […]
Award-winning director, Jay Roach (Trumbo) and Oscar-winning scriptwriter Charles Randolph (The Big Short) unite admirably for ‘Bombshell’ – a reconstruction of the sexual harassment cases which brought about the downfall of Fox News honcho Roger Ailes (played astutely by John Lithaow) in 2016, 20 years after setting up the news channel, although it’s difficult to […]
Shimla mirchi, the Indian capsicum, is not supposed to be spicy – not even pungent. Ramesh Sippy’s film by the same name, released after more than five years of completion, stays true to the meaning! Avinash (Rajkummar Rao) is on a holiday with his family (all women!) to picturesque Shimla where his eyes dwell on […]