Skyfall Review

Skyfall Review

• Film : Skyfall
• Producer :
• Director : am Mendes
• Star Cast : Daniel Craig, Judi Dench, Javier Bardem, Naomie Harris, Bérénice Marlohe, Ben Whishaw...
• Music Director :
• Rating :
  4.5
   

Daniel Craig, frankly speaking, in the earlier episodes of the movie, has not established himself as “The James  Bond” people craved for. Casino Royale had some impressive action for a debutant but Quantam of Solace was an utter disaster for a Bond movie. However, this time, he has come closest to the Bond we all aspire to see on screen. This is by far his best Bond movie without a saying and also one of the finest in the history of the secret agent series. However, he still has to work a little more to be put in the class of other classic Bonds like Sean Connery or Pierce Brosnan. How close has he come with Skyfall? Read on and you will have your answer! Skyfall Review

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Average Movie Rating

  4.5

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• The Times of India

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• BharatStudent

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• Rediff

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Story

Marking the 50th Anniversary of the hit series by Ian Flemming, Skyfall is a story that is based in Istanbul as agent 007 (Daniel Craig) chases an assassin who has gained top secret information of the identities of all the secret agents based in terrorist organizations. Several action scenes that capture the beauty of Istanbul, an opening scene where oranges are toppled, adrenaline rushing chases and many more do not disappoint. Judi Dench plays the ruthless assassin M and gets Mr Bond killed after he orders a blind shot. The dramatic scene where Bond falls down a tall bridge is sheer brilliance of the cinematography. However, like you all would guess this isn't the end of Bond; he just lays low out of shame, agony and with an intent to escape the eyes of the MI6.

With Bond gone and potential information regarding all the secret agents in his hands, you can only guess what M would do. He blows up their cover and the MI6 headquarters. Bond who was fixed on an early retirement is forced to come out in the light again. M realizes Bond is still behind him as more chases take you to the breathtaking sights of Shangai and London. Bond Girls make their appearance (Bérénice Marlohe and Naomie Harris).

Silva is the one you are looking for the whole movie. Silva (Javier Bardem) is an ex-agent, and like all ex-agents he is evil yet genius. The devilish psychopath is Bond's only nemesis. Finally they have to face each other when Silva tell him more about his past with M and MI6 and the plot gets more labyrinthine, not confusing but deeper.

Bond's history and Silva's thirst to get M and MI6 forms the rest of the plot, discussion of which would only ruin your show without the visuals.

Analysis :

Bond is back and with a bang too! However, you still don't feel the richness and the completeness of a Bond movie. There is something lacking, a nuance but still irritating. Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and John Logan have done a commendable job. The debonaire Bond is here, sexier, thoughtful and witty too but he should have been smoother. The nuanced Bond is still not here.

The plot is pretty thorough and labyrinthine to keep you engaged for a little more than two hours. A few times you just feel that the villains go easy on Bond. Childhood nostalgia for Bond seems contrived and forced onto the audience. Bond girls have no role in the movie but to please your eyes. Other than that this would have scored a 5.

Sam Mendes is a genius with his directional skills. There are a few scenes that slack off but at most points you are on the edge of your seats. The underwater part where Bond suffocates was excellent just as a few chase sequences and fights. Roger Denkins brings out the life in the movie with his cinematography. Dapper editing skills from Stuart Baird. The music from Thomas Newman makes the action more fast paced than it is actually. A few references from the old Bond movies and the iconic Aston Martin DB5 are appreciated. The last thing you would complain is about the Special Effects. “Mind-blowing” is a literally possible phenomenon; watch out people!

Humor, British style, terrific action and the perfect villain you wouldn't mind teaming up with (Javier) are perfect reasons you should not even think of letting this movie pass.

Performance :

Daniel Craig is just at his best. Re-read that, 'his' best. Don't compare him with Brosnan or Connery which would only leave you wishing for more, at least for now. Judi Dench as M is neat. Javier Bardem should impress the most critical critics on earth for his performance as the evil genius Silva was earth-shattering. Naomie Harris and Bérénice Marlohe as beautiful as Bond girls but nothing of importance in their characterizations makes you feel a little disappointed. Q does just what he was supposed to do.

Final Word: Skyfall Review Get all the gadgets, action, bad villains, bond girls, chases and a little contrived emotion with this episode of the franchise, Skyfall but only if you forget that there were other bonds before this movie. (AW- Anil)

Stills from Skyfall:

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Student Of The Year Review

Student Of The Year Review

• Film : Student of the year
• Producer : Shahrukh Khan, Karan Johar, Gauri Khan
• Director : Karan Johar
• Star Cast : Sidharth Malhotra, Alia Bhatt, Varun Dhawan, Rishi Kapoor, Kayoze Irani, Sana Saeed, Ronit Roy..
• Music Director : Vishaal- Shekhar
• Rating :
  2.5
  
  

In Student of the Year, Karan Johar delivered, with his trademark love story style. Love stories between rich people inn a college where emotions of love and the transformations are captured admirably. The competition announced by the dean at the St Theresa's High School in Dehradun breaks all hell lose while friendships are broke, relationships are shattered. The fistfights and how the course of the story changes is clearly a plot that would interest the youth more than the family. You won't be disappointed if you don't mind a little exaggerated optimism.

Other Ratings

Average Movie Rating

  2.5

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Story

The movie is basically filmed in Dehradun, with a rich screenplay that adds to the quality of the movie. The rich kid, Rohan Nanda (Varun Dhawan) is handsome and has a spoilt girlfriend, Shanaya Singhania (Alia Bhatt) who tries to grab the attention of Rohan but in vain. Rohan is interested in Sana Sayeed. Enter Abhimanyu Sigh, the poor guy who loves Shanaya but sacrifices his love for his new made friend Rohan.
At this time a Student of the Year competition makes the students forget the bonds between them as their fistfight their way for the title. What happens next? How things change in the trio's life?
In an unexpected twist of events, Meenakshi is attracted deeply to the scent of a man, Surya (Prithviraj Sukumaran) and falls in love with the scent (or the man?) What did you expect from such a whacko family? Meenakshi is a librarian whenever she is out of her dreams of being a Bollywood celeb. Madhav a suitor falls in love with her instantly while the love of her life. Surya being a drug addict ignores her very existence in the world despite her weird ways of following him. What a jodi between a whacko daydreamer and a junkie!

Analysis :

One thing is for sure, KJo doesn't disappoint his fans. The film has the right amount of energy and emotions to make it a good film. The plot however is not intact. The climax where the explanation of the movie is provided fails to convince the audience.

The way students are shown in the movie is also not credible to the present conditions at least. There are several seen which felt connived. I for one couldn't be comfortable with the school being a wonderland for the students. Designer clothes, no age restrictions for clubbing and boozing and certain flaws are not appreciated in the movie's plot which took high school children as its main theme.

At times it resembles Kuch Kuch Hota Hai with a modern twist. The locations are exceptional with the excellent screenplay. Comedy had hit bulls eye.

Vishal Sekhar's music, especially 'Disco Deewane', 'Radha', 'Ishq Wala Love' and 'Vele' are already topping the charts. However lyricist didn't really put any efforts into songs like Ishq wala love.

Niranjan Iyengar’s dialogues are pretty good. Though the direction was flawless, the script could have been much better.

Deepa Bhatia’s editing is very slick.

Performance :

The hotshot and highly awaited debut of the Bhatt's lineage, Alia Bhatt performed well as the dramebaz kid but it was nothing novel. I was constantly reminded of Kareena Kapoor with her action. Siddharth Malhotra was the best performer, the “Student of the Year” for us. His role as the poor Abhimanyu is laudable. Varun Dhavan is pretty good too with the riches and the flirty nature.
Kajol's pleasant surprise in the cameo was most welcome, though I expected something from SRK in his own production.

Final Word: Student Of The Year Review Three cheers for the three new comers to Bollywood. A good flick if you like KJo's style. Expect lots of drama, good comedy and a few nonsensical scenes. Watch-worthy in a word. (AW- Anil)

Stills from Student of the year:

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Bhoot Returns Review

Bhoot Returns Review

 

• Film : Bhoot Returns
• Producer : Jitendra Jain
• Director : Ram Gopal Varma
• Star Cast : Manisha Koirala, J. D. Chakravarthy, Madhu Shalini, Alayana Sharma...
• Music Director : Salim-Sulaiman
• Rating :
  0.5
   

Ram Gopal Varma is an eccentric director and he has confirmed it again. The nerve racking suspense he build by changing the positions of the tables and chairs is unbearable (literally). Playing on a swing, wow that's too scary and a ghost that undoes the covers on the pillows and bed; please don't scare the crap out of me RGV. If you have not yet understood, this introduction to the ghost story, at least intended to be one, is sarcasm. Bhoot Returns Review

Other Ratings

Average Movie Rating

  0.5

Sify

  Not yet Rated

 

• Deccan

  Not Yet Rated

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Story

Tarun (J. D. Chakravarthy) has a new home where he moves into along with his wife, daughter, Manisha Koirala and Alayana Sharma respectively and son. RGV tries to force suspense into a dumb story as Tarun's sister joins them at their new house. Extremely skeptical about the new house at dirt cheap prices, Tarun's wife doesn't feel well in her gut with their new acquisition. And like every other movie which claims to be a horror, the signs of ghosts appear right after. Tarun however, like most protagonists of the horror movies, throws a deaf ear to the issue initially.

Tarun's daughter has an imaginary friend at this point of the movie. Yes, we are still talking about Bhoot returns but it might look like Vaasthu Shastra returns at this point. Her imaginations are dismissed earlier but the girl turns violent and also warns people that she would harm them. This alerts the parents. Tarun is suspicious that the servant has been causing the weird sound they hear at night but the servant refuses the blame. He says that it could be the supernatural powers' doing and requests his owners to get a “pooja hawan” to dispel the evil in the house. And poof! The servant disappears. Poof again! Now it is their daughter's turn.
The girl finds a creepy rag doll behind most of RGV's older renderings of horror movies.

Analysis :

First off I want to talk something good about this movie, only since it is very little. The scene where the police interrogates the family was interesting with a few funny dialogues. Hats off to Ravi Shankar for the script. Either he must be living in the caves or he must be a fool to think people would be living under caves for thinking that the people would be scared or even excited with such a storyline and the cinematography. First off, the story is a mish-mash of Ramu Kaka's own Vaastu Shastra and the hit Hollywood Paranormal Activity. And a personal not to RGV, people are no longer scared of the creepy dolls, sir. That was like a decade ago.

Ghost or poltergeist? We ought to be scared and not laugh when the ghost is shown on the screen and not laugh. Totally disappointing for any person who has seen a couple of horror movies, mildly amusing to a person who has never watched one. However, if you have never watched a horror movie, I recommend you to watch something better and not this one for your idea of a horror movie would would be marred unjustly.
Creaky swings that move on their own, sheets and covers being pulled away are too old to scare anyone.
RGV's direction: We need a special column for this don't we? To critique, definitely. RGV definitely thinks too much of his abilities apparently. Placing your camera at absurd and unusual angles may provide different perspectives but if they are annoying and needlessly included the audience would definitely not wait to walk away from the theater. RGV had released a few good films but this would never come close to that list of very few good movies in his hat of feathers. Bhoot Returns is joining the rest of his recent abysmal flops which never had been on screen for more than a few days.

Sandeep Chowta has tried hard enough to scare you with the sounds though the video failed you completely. Poor editing from Sunil Wadhwani.

Performance :

All actors were good for what the roles they have been given but the inarticulate plot is a black hole for any good remark. Manisha Koirala had tried her best to be the scared wife but she overdoes it quite early in the movie. J.D Chakravarthy is a veteran at his roles like these and he does nothing short of it. Alayana Sharma and Madhu Shalini are good with their roles.

Final Word: Bhoot Returns Review RGV would have had more respect if he decided to stop it at Bhoot and not let it “return”. A movie not worth your time unless you are desperate to know why this is such a huge failure.

(AW- Anil)

Stills from Bhoot Returns:

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