Movie Reviews

  STORY:  Based on Roald Dahl’s 1983 novel by the same name, ‘The Witches’ is about an orphaned boy whose encounter with the Grand High Witch turns into a dramatic tale of courageous rescue and revenge. REVIEW:  Following the death of his parents in a horrific car accident, a young Hero Boy (Jahzir Kadeem Bruno) is taken in by his grandmother (Octavia Spencer), who lives in a dusty old town of Alabama. ‘I am sad for you, but I am not sorry for you,’ his grandma tells him, egging him on to start living his life again. Soon the old lady’s infectious energy and love pulls Hero Boy out of his grief. He even gets a pet mouse and names it Daisy. One day Hero Boy encounters a strange lady, who offers him a candy but he spots a snake crawling out of her clothes. The boy freaks out and runs to his grandma, who later explains him that the lady was indeed a witch. She even narrates her own witch encounter during her childhood. The incident had left her deeply shaken because the witc...

  STORY:  Five young mutants, unaware of their full potential are held captive at a secret facility to ‘cure’ them of their immense powers. But all hell breaks loose once they begin to question the motive behind their captivity. REVIEW:  Danielle Moonstar aka Dani (Blu Hunt) survives a tornado attack in which her father William (Adam Beach) is killed by an unseen entity. She wakes up in a hospital run by Dr. Cecilia Reyes (Alice Braga) who explains a distraught Dani that she is a mutant and needs to be under her care to survive. But Dani is not alone. There are four other young mutants with distinct superpowers in the facility. None of them truly know who and what they are up against until one of them begins to question the status quo. Living under one roof also leads to a bit of infighting between the mutants, especially between Dani and a powerful Russian mutant Illyana Rasputin (Anya Taylor-Joy), who can manifest the Soulsword and use teleportation discs to travel. Tha...

  STORY:  A most wanted bank robber decides to turn himself in when he meets the woman of his dreams. But thanks to a couple of corrupt FBI officials, his attempt to surrender turns into a dangerous nightmare. REVIEW:  Tom Carter (Liam Neeson), branded as the ‘in and out bandit’ by police and media for his slick bank robberies, suddenly decides to take the high road and surrender. He wants to return the entire $9 million in cash from the twelve banks he robbed.In return, he wants to negotiate a reduced sentence and get full visitation rights. The reason for this change of heart is Annie (Kate Walsh) – a spunky middle-aged divorcee, who he has been seeing since only a year. At first Tom’s attempts to surrender are discarded as prank calls by the FBI officials, but finally, two young officers Agent Nivens (Jai Courtney) and Agent Hall (Anthony Ramos) are assigned to check the veracity of his claims. And here comes a twist in the tale that ends up in an unexpected adventure,...

  STORY:  On a fateful night, local cabbie Blackie (Ishaan Khattar) stumbles upon this pretty – also mouthy and hot-headed – girl Pooja (Ananya Panday). There are goons involved and apparently there’s this history between them, and Pooja, the runaway, seems to be carrying a ton of cash and jewellery. Why does this ‘Aafat’ (by Blackie’s own admission) fall into his lap after all these years and what’s the mayhem all about?‘Khaali Peeli’ is one eventful ride towards redemption, reconnection and, of course, romance! REVIEW:  Back in the day, in their native village of Shivpur, when Vijay Chauhan aka Blackie was at the ripe age of 10, his Babuji (Anup Soni) was notorious for being an absolute  phattu . But, by pure luck, his son is born with a mean streak and is also an ardent hustler in the making. So, perhaps to prove a point to the villagers and themselves, the father-son duo embarks on a journey of crime that is doomed from the start, again, thanks to Chauhan senior’...

  PM Narendra Modi Story:  Chaiwala, sanyasi,  RSS  pracharak, deshbhakt ... the film chronicles Narendra Modi’s life and events leading up to his swearing-in ceremony as the Prime Minister of India in 2014. Vivek Anand Oberoi essays the role of PM Modi. PM Narendra Modi Review:  A balanced biopic will engage you, irrespective of your personal views, whereas a story that worships the protagonist and whitewashes controversies is something that you will lap up if you are a believer, and dismiss if you aren’t. This one falls in the latter category. Though the release of this film was held back by the Election Commission till the elections were over, the timing is still apt since it coincides with a thumping victory for the PM. However, that may be the only saving grace. You can overlook the tone of excessive reverence, as long as you unearth some unknown facets of his personality and life beyond what’s already documented. However, that’s not the case here, as it wa...