Not all fantasy and animation films fall within the realm of mere fun and adventure. Some have elements of tenderness and sympathy woven into the script. Add a dash of oblique brotherly love, and ‘Onward’, directed and co-written by Dan Scanlon, is one such film. Ian Lightfoot (voiced by Tom Holland) is an introverted teenager […]
Tag: Hoshang K. Katrak
Film Review: Jojo Rabbit
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 […]
Film Review: Pain and Glory
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 […]
Film Review-Panga
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 […]
Film Review-Judy
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 […]
Film Review: Just Mercy
“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 […]
Film Review: 1917
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 […]
Film Review: Shimla Mirchi
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 […]
Film Review: The Grudge
The fourth in the series, and based on ‘Ju-On: The Grudge’ by Takashi Shimuzu, this one travels from Tokyo to Pennsylvania – a family experiencing something sinister in their lives when in Japan has no respite even when relocating to the US. Detective Muldoon (Andrea Riseborough) is deputed to solve a case. She realises that […]
Film Review: Good Newwz
Well, the good news, er – newwz, is that 2019 ends with one of the best comedies in recent times – and with performances to match! Varun and Deepti Batra (Akshay Kumar and Kareena Kapoor Khan) are a high-flying couple – childless despite seven years of marriage. As a result of frequent taunts from relatives […]
Film Review: STAR WARS: THE RISE OF STARWALKER
Remember ‘The Trail of the Pink Panther’, Peter Sellers’s 1982 film which was made after his death from earlier deleted scenes and previously viewed footage? Well, at a particular stage in the film, the appearance of late Carrie Fisher (reprising her role of Princess Leia), certainly reminds you of the Pink Panther film, though Fisher’s […]