Reviews

I saw this last nite with my wife in Gaiety theatre Bandra n I loved the movie.

There are no surprises here, what with it being based on a true story, but even if you're unfamiliar with what really happened, as I was, then u will be rejoiced to learn some astonishing facts about our football team under the guidance of Mr Abdul Rahim.

Thankfully, Maidaan never takes its pedigree for granted, and delivers the goods largely by focusing on the roots of the victory instead of the cheap emotional payoff that other sports films are so obsessed with.

Maidaan plays as a stellar reenactment of our amazing victory and it's elevated considerably by the always fantastic Devgn who got into the role of that of Abdul Rahim, the coach known as the architect of modern Indian football.

Abdul Rahim is considered to be the greatest coach India has ever produced.

His tenure is considered as a "Golden age" of Indian football.

I first saw this in the late 80s on a vhs.

Revisited it recently on a ff mode.

The director tried his level best to make a genre mash up but failed miserably maybe due to the budget.

The movie also failed to cash in on the atmospheric feel of that a forest set up.

They even failed to make it a poignant story regarding the two kids' harassment by the mother n their death due to starvation n illness.

The wife's lover is attacked n chased by the husband but to my surprise the lover keeps throwing different objects n the husband keeps getting different weapons.

Later the lover dies on a circular saw which ain't even switched on.

A grown up woman while being chased by a killer meets two small kids n she tells them "pls dont kill me, pls dont hurt me". Whoa man!

Shudnt she be worried about the killer n not the helpless kids.

I first saw this in the late 90s on a vhs.

Revisited it today.

The creepy n vile Victor Salva gave some of the creepiest movies (ClownHouse, Jeepers Creepers n this one).

The best part about this movie is the character development n the twist.

While the focus is more on the two main leads, Eric Roberts (fresh after The Specialist) n the veteran Lance Henricksen (fresh aft Hard Target n The Quick n the Dead).

Sadly both went towards the stupid direct-to-video movies. This one too is a direct to video but far superior to the others.

Watch out for Brion James in a tiny role. I remember him more frm the episode Split Second from Tales from the Crypt.

Even more tinier role is that of Lin Shaye.

Fans of Road Movies will definitely enjoy this.

Some of my fav road movie thrillers: Detour, Desperate, The Devil Thumbs a Ride, The Hitch-Hiker, They Live by Night, Gun Crazy, The Hitcher, Delusion, Red Rock West, Joy Ride (my all time fav), Duel, Highwaymen, Breakdown, Death proof, Riding the Bullet, Roadgames 1981, Jeepers Creepers, WindChill, Alone, From Dusk till Dawn, Zombieland, Dead End, Road Games 2015, etc.

This movie made 20 years before Speed has only 13 reviews while Speed has more than 500 reviews. Of course I am angry cos this is much better than Speed.

The villain in this one is better than Dennis Hopper. The background stories of the terrorists/villains r very well done in this movie compared to Speed.

Note that one has to see the 150 mins version of this movie.

I saw this for the first time recently n that too almost 50 years of its release n still enjoyed it.

Surprisingly Sonny Chiba got a very miniscule role. He doesn't get to make his weird constipated facial expressions in this one nor does he gets to fight anyone.

This movie inspired many movies -Speed, Runaway Train borrowed few elements, The Bollywood offspring The Burning Train borrowed some elements n another Bollywood offspring Tezz directly copied it.

Even Michael Mann's Heat borrowed few elements, the last airport scene n the wife called in to spot the guy.

I first saw this in 2008 on a dvd which I own.

I remember the dvd seller guy persuading me to buy it n describing how scary n gory the movie is.

Revisited it recently but on a fast forwarding mode.

Apart from the gore there is nothing redeeming about this low budget movie.

There is absolutely no tension n the scare is zero. Plus there is zero nudity.

I found the chase sequence involving the dwarf very funny.

At times the movie gets very very monotonous n tedious.

Some of the scenes are shot in too much darkness n the grindhouse/grainy look doesn't help at all.

This doesn't need a sequel or a prequel.

That means the fellas involved in this lousy movie cannot digest opinions.

In short, this aint no horror movie but a psychological slow burn drama without any thrills, tension, suspense, blood or nudity.

After a while the movie gets very monotonous with the couple doing the same pseudo therapy.

While the film plays whether or not the lead female protagonist is actually possessed by the ghost of her mother in law or whether its the mushrooms or just the obsession of role playing going berserk.

Nothing is explained in the end and as audience we are supposed to be in awe of such an open ending.

Totally forgetable movie.

Earlier i was generous with a 3 cos of Holland Roden who was fantastic in Follow Me and Escape Room: Tournament of Champions.

But now aft repeated deleting of my review, I giv it a 1.

I saw this for the first time few days back n it is crystal clear that i came here for the boobs but i also wanted to check out the conversations between the masseur n the client. I thot maybe I can learn a thing or two since I am a professional trainer, but alas the chats r boring n not at all engrossing.

There is absolutely no plot but mundane talks.

Absolutely no thrill.

The only redeeming thing is Mimi's natural jugs.

As a personal gym instructor sometimes even in our fraternity we swap clients, take each others' classes but nobody gets philosophical with clients.

Whatever said n done, I somehow managed to pull thru the entire movie without fast forwarding it.

I saw this on third day of it's theatrical release with my kids in Cinemax, Malegaon.

Fans of Sallu bhai burst fire crackers in a nearby theatre in the same area.

Writing a review now aft more than 3 months since viewing it cos I feel Emraan Hashmi deserves recognition.

Sad that he didn't got the best supporting actor Filmfare award.

Coming back to the movie, it doesn't have anything new but has tons of action throughout. Lots of Sallu bhai swag, good locations n one of the best cameo by SRK.

Sallu bhai needs to lose weight, either he shud do surgery on chest mass like Dwayne Johnson or he shud stick to plain old oxandrolone n hmb.

The terrorists' adda (hideaway) in the middle of nowhere on a mountain cliff is one big lol cos it was just created for the bike chase.

Katrina looks haggard cos of the bad lip job n the towel fight scene isn't titillating enuff.

They shud have given more footage to Emraan Hashmi.

I first saw this in the late 80s on a vhs.

The old lady's face, her sadistic smile n the creepy music stayed with me for a long time.

Revisited recently.

The movie is a bit boring n the effects ain't good.

Apart from the creepy music n the old lady's facial expressions, the movie has oodles of atmosphere.

The isolated hotel, the woods n the constant rain, all add up but in the entire movie we never get to see any mountain.

Now lets talk bah the lol moments.

How conveniently the old woman comes up from the basement without Prissy noticing her inspite of being in front of the mirror.

How she was able to take the body down into the basement all by her self is beyond me.

Later she pulls the tall n heavy built Reverend.

The movie has one very brutal scene, a scythe piercing thru d cheeks.

The big built cop gets beaten by the old lady.

Now some irritating moments.

Lots of titillating scenes but not an ounce of nudity.

They shud have reversed Hitchcock's Psycho by making the mad lady keep the dead body of her daughter.

I feel Keanu Reeves' Knock Knock borrowed the element of two stranger gals n one man on a rainy nite stuff from this movie.

I also feel that John Cusack's Identify too borrowed from this movie.

Complete strangers coming together on a rainy nite in a motel n later getting killed off.

As a fan of Jason Statham, I took all my family members with me to a nearby Le Reve theatre in Bandra West. My family was like 'yo man!' This is a fast paced action thriller n has some very brutal scenes for which it is rated as an adult viewing n cos of that my daughter was asked to show her age proof thrice.

I hope the film becomes a franchise like John Wick n The Equalizer.

This one is hundred times better than the lousy n terrible Expandables 4 which I saw in the same theatre. (In Expandables 4 Iko Uwais is totally wasted. He is such a treat to watch for his Silat n martial arts techniques).

Coming back to this film, this one moves at a soild pace n the action is non stop.

I saw this third day last show with my family in Gaiety theater, Bandra West.

The sad part was that the theatre was almost empty but i enjoyed the movie n was looking forward to it cos of the director Raghavan. While the misogynist n regressive film like Animal was theatre packed.

Coming back to this film, this one truly transports the viewers to the 80s Bombay. The Regal theatre, Colaba's lanes n empty streets all added an extra nostalgic charm.

There are no twists n turns n the movie moves at a deliberate slow pace showcasing the laid back attitude of the 80s.

Haven't read the book n haven't seen the short movie.

Katrina Kaif was a very wrong choice to potray a woman from the 80s.

Vijay was perfect n gave a good restrained performance.

The movie has a surprise reveal, rather than some mind-blowing and wtf twist.

That means the makers of this Poor man's Top Gun can't respect opinions or they r simply burning.

The lead actress has so much fat around her face that she doesn't look like a fighter pilot.

The acting is atrocious. It is nothing but pure self indulgence n self glorification by the lead actress.

The less said bah the script the better.

Cos it ain't original but scenes blatantly copied from Top Gun.

The jingoism can be felt throughout the entire movie n at times it gets on ur nerves.

The direction, cinematography, editing are all below production values.

The lead actress looks like she can't do a single pull up or push ups but she goes around trying hard to be a bad ass.

Only Aditya Pancholi may enjoy this movie.

Kindly note : Urs truly respect India's Army, Navy, Air Force n Police personal but the review n opinion is strictly restricted to the bad movie n bad actress.

Urs truly respects all religions, caste, creed n rituals n most importantly my beloved India.

I saw this with my entire family in a theatre on Christmas eve.

This one is a clean family entertainer.

Some scenes in the first half are so hilarious that I was not able to stop my loud laughter.

I was rolling on the floor, falling on my wife's shoulder.

At times it did got very serious n poignant.

The performances are impressive, the characters will stay with u and the film a total entertainer as well as an enlightenment.

Overall the movie is very interesting, insightful and well presented.

Tapsee Pannu looks gorgeous in both western n salwar kameez.

Thought-provoking themes and refreshing perspective are aided by a tight plot and awesomely written characters.

One of the best part is Wamiqa Gabbi's dance n her sex scene. What an amazing body n moves she has.

Fans of Richard Gere's The Double, Gary Oldman's Tinker Tailer.... & Hank's Bridge of Spies will enjoy this spy drama.

Ali Fazal gave a restrained but solid performance.

Tabu was jus added to make it look like female empowerment stuff. They shud have settled for an old actor whose character is retired n has much more experience than Tabu's character.

The only annoying thing is the lack of tension during the dinner scene with the mutton dish.

They cud have easily added some violence n disturbing effect.

I first saw this during Christmas vacation in 2001 in Regal theatre, South Mumbai, Colaba.

I enjoyed it then, especially the gore n Jason Statham's fight choreography.

Inspite of owning a VCD, I never played it on the player.

Revisited recently again in the month of December.

This movie hasn't aged well n I found it to be boring n very silly.

The movie has too many flashbacks.

Also I never understood how the possessed fellas get earrings or nose rings or whatever they wear.

In fact even the lead villain/ghost/demon is wearing a rubber suit representing a six pack. Now that is something very ridiculous.

Even at a runtime of 80 mins i found it to be extremely boring.

A father leaves a complete stranger at his house which is situated in the middle of nowhere n inhabited by 4 young girls.

The movie has too many questions unanswered.

There is nothing scary or not an ounce of thrill present in the movie.

I have seen some of the best Spanish thrillers like The Invisible Guest, The Body, Marshland, Boy Missing, Secret in their Eyes, Wild Tales, The Orphanage, The Platform, Sleep Tight, The Hidden Face, Julia's Eyes, etc but this one is a big letdown.

Viggo Mortensen's Captain Fantastic, Eastwood's Beguiled, Selma Blair's The Tall Man n Morgan Freeman's Gone Baby Gone will come to mind while viewing this.

I am generous with a 6 for the excellent cinematography n the sun soaked settings, especially the house in the middle of nowhere with lottuva trees n sunlight.

I like movies which takes place at an isolated gas station situated in the middle of nowhere.

I thoroughly enjoyed Open 24 Hours (2018).

This movie enticed me via the settings of a gas station but found it to be a disappointment.

Nothing original bah this unnecessary lengthy movie. The editing is so atrocious that the movie gets very repetitive n boring.

The villain doesn't sound intimidating or terrifying n there is absolutely no character study or background story.

This movie is lifted from so many other thrillers. Some of them r mentioned below.

Carnage Park (a psychotic sniper terrorizes a bank robber and his hostage). Carnage Park is boring n had lots of flickering lights n hand held shaky cam stuff.

Roadside (A couple fight for their lives when they are held hostage in their car by a concealed gunman at the side of a desolate road). Haven't seen Roadside but very bad reviews on IMDb.

Phonebooth (A publicist finds his life under threat when he answers a ringing phone at a phone booth. The caller tells him that he will be shot the minute he cuts the call).

Phonebooth is one of the best thriller n everything has already been said bah this movie.

Downrange (A group of friends are killed one by one by a ruthless sniper after they get stuck in the middle of nowhere).

Downrange is violent, brutal n tension filled. It's from the director of Midnight Meat Train.

And the recent To Catch a Killer (A cop is recruited by the FBI to help profile and track down a sniper).

This one has top notch acting n it is a thriller. This has more to do with catching the sniper.

They talked about the moorland but didn't show anything.

Also they didn't show anything bah Romania or Bulgaria.

These two factors reduced the atmosphere.

The movie is creepy at times, the settings claustrophobic n the idea of exploring the uncharted portion of the novel is downright solid but the lack of blood n action made me give low ratings.

Also some of the scenes are shot in too much darkness n the kills happens very fast. Some terrible fast cut editing which ruins the fun.

The make up of the Dracoola will remind of Nosferatu 1922 n Salem's Lot.

The characters make dumb decisions. After eventually knowing that the creature hides during the sunlight n inspite of knowing his hiding place, nobody takes the effort to throw his casket in the water nor do they try to search him or destroy his casket during the daytime.

Also why the Dracoola goes after Joseph (the chef) is beyond me.

I saw this few days back. To be honest I wasn't even aware that such a movie existed. It was only when this was sent as an official entry from India n it was all ov the news, that I came to kno of its existence. Maybe the movie wasn't advertised or marketed well.

It is such an awesome movie that I find it a crime that this movie wasn't known to me.

The movie is about the 2018 Kerala floods n how people helped total strangers, showcasing that humanity exist specially in the southern states of India otherwise the cow belt n other regions in India are notorious for Christians, Muslims n Dalits persecutions.

The background song is very touching n the background music is mesmerizing.

The character Anoop will stay with u for a long time. So will the fisherman family n Nixon.

I saw this for the first time recently n got totally disappointed.

The settings ain't that great. It takes away the tension n suspense. The locations are picturesque but doesn't add.

None of the kills are memorable or brutal n there is absolutely no tension n suspense.

Some of the scenes are very predictable.

The lead character from 1 n 2 Jannicke, is a strong protagonist n reminds us so much of yesteryear's bad ass female characters.

Cold Prey 3 has the disadvantage of not having a protagonist as strong as Jannicke.

This is a prequel to the first film, set in the 1980s but an unnecessary one.

While the first one reminded of The Shining due to its snowy landscape, the 2nd one of Halloween 2 n Visiting Hours due to the hospital set up.

Both were set during the chilly winter with lots of snow which added more atmosphere n isolation but the 3rd one ruined it by the summer set up n the forest locations. The 3rd one is more like a backwoods slasher in the veins of Wrong Turn, The Rituals 1977, Just Before Dawn, Deliverance, The Final Terror, FT13, etc.

While being set in summer with lots of ponds n lakes around, we expected some nudity but alas.

A girl undresses but we don't get to see any boobs. So uncool man.

I first saw this in 2010 on a dvd which I own.

Revisited it recently.

This film picks up where the first left off, so it's a direct continuation and inspite of this, this second part takes ample time to start the action cos we have new characters but the the director did a fine job in character development as well as creating solid suspense n tension. In this part we come to know more terrifying past of the killer.

The premise in this one changes from the deserted snowy landscape to a Norwegian hospital that is on the verge of being closed down and is mostly isolated n far off from main city.

I liked this one more than its predecessor cos it has more kills, some brutal ones, lots of suspense n tension n one of my fav horror movie locations.

Halloween n Visiting Hours may come to viewers' mind while viewing this.

I saw this for the first time in a theater. I remember it was Eid day n my pal had booked the tickets.

Revisited it recently with my family.

The movie has lots of entertaining factors.

The camaraderie between Mithun n Salman (who plays father n son) is amazeballs.

Nawaz tried his best to be a humor cracking vile villain n he succeeded in it.

The movie has a decent social message n moves at a solid pace without getting boring except for the lousy Bollywood songs.

Salman shud definitely lose weight n join some method acting classes.

The superhero in this movie can do everything from jumping from a bridge, drive a double decker, ride a bicycle, overrun cops inspite of being overweight n wear a ridiculous costume but it is much better than the lousy n copycat Krisshh.

All in all a good family entertainer.

Waiting for it's sequel.

I saw this more than a year ago on Amazon Prime.

Planning to watch its sequel n that's y put up a review now.

I saw the Telugu version n skipped the Hindi version.

A cop with a troubled past n suffering from panic attacks, is tasked with investigating the missing case of an eighteen year girl.

The case gets even more complicated n personal when the cop's girlfriend too goes missing.

As the clock is ticking n pressure builds up from all angles, the cop unearths a shattering mystery which leads upto to a shocking twist.

The lead actor Vishwak Sen gave a brilliant performance and the background music is heart pounding n the editing is crispy.

Murli Sharma as Ibrahim, a local cop gave a memorable performance n his character will stay with u.

Djibouti is strategically located at the crossroads of one of the busiest shipping routes in the world, linking Europe, the Far East, the Horn of Africa and the Persian Gulf.

In Ethiopia Chinese factories are like mushrooms.

The delivery by train is 12 times cheaper than going by plane n 2wice as fast as going by boat.

This is a very informative documentary as well as a lil entertaining too.

It's sheer curiosity we all love to know what's happening in China.

From an economic point of view, China ain't doing anything wrong.

As a gym instructor I am curious to know about China's fitness industry.

I saw this for the first time recently. Was on my radar for a little time.

I like horror n thriller movies set in a moving train.

I dont kno why people have taken the names of Strangers on a Train n The Lady Vanishes or Maltese Falcon cos these movies are great n Night Train is a just a small lil thriller.

Midnight Meat Train came to my mind while viewing the dvd cover n when I started the movie Polar Express came to my mind.

The movie is predictable especially regarding the fellow passengers n even more predictable with the lady with a dog.

The scene where they transport the dead body from one compartment to another n that too while trying to evade other fellas, lacks tension n looks very foolish.

We have Matthias Schweighöfer before he became famous aft Army of Thieves.