Reviews

If there ever was a great videogame movie, it'd be John Wick. Its everything a gamer would love in a movie: a paper-thin plot where you don't have to exert your brain, a motive to kick ass and then kick ass like there's no tomorrow; all leading to a satisfying conclusion. John Wick did just that and excelled at it. Its not everyday you get to see a man hell bent on seeking revenge coz someone killed his dog. In a day and age where audiences are slapped and saturated with a superhero movie almost every second month, the directors had also crafted an enjoyable action flick.

Sequels are always at the receiving end of biting criticism and with good reason too. Sequels, be it to a good movie, a game or a book, they try hard to up the ante, top its predecessor by doing the same crap again & again (Quote Einstein here) and fails miserably at it. There are only a handful of movie sequels which actually bested its first outing. Chapter Two of John Wick's saga picks up exactly where the first left off and there on its another fight to the finish. Emphasis on FIGHT to the FINISH. The movie wastes no time to put you into the thick of action and boy, does it feel good to see John playing an orchestra with those guns.

Where Chapter Two wins is it knows exactly what to do to please its audience. People who loved the original will definitely feel right at home, people who wants more are obviously served more plot, more action and more characters and people who wants a great ending are also satisfied to a certain extent. Chapter Two recycles the best elements of John Wick and adds a bit more depth and a lot more action and never forgets where it belongs. While John Wick's premise was laughably good, Chapter 2 let's you go indepth into the organization Wick works for. It ain't anything groundbreaking but the organizations's rules and mechanisms are put into good use and serves for a good plot device.

Keanu Reeves had been the butt of memes and jokes for a while now. While he wasn't always known for his acting prowess, he was always known for his style. I was a fan and I am still a fan. There are pitfalls in any actor's career and he's gone through hell of a lot. John Wick was a well deserved break for the guy. He'd put in a lot of effort in the role and it showed. And its no different here, Chapter 2. The supporting cast were pretty good too starting from Ian McShane as Winston, the seemingly innocent owner of the Continental hotel and Lance Reddick as the all-welcoming receptionist of the same. Ruby Rose as Ares, a mute femme fatale and the same goes for Common as Cassian both out for planting a bullet in Wick's head. Reeves' old 'mentor' returns in Chapter Two, yep, Lawrence Fishburne returns as an eccentric, semi-preaching crime lord but does the job well for his meagre screen time. My only disappointment was Santino D'Antonio as the lead antagonist, he did give Wick a hard time but the guy just didn't cut it for me neither was he an intimidating villain.

Dan Laustsen is a name I haven't heard much prior to Chapter Two, but he does a decent job in bringing out Rome as well as New York to life. The total standout is the score from Tyler Bates and it just blew me away. I never paid attention to the score in John Wick, but in this one, the themes are much more apt syncing perfectly with the scenes and it definitely stands out.Try listening 'John Wick Reckoning' and tell me you didnt love it. Chances are that if you loved the movie, you're gonna love the score too.

If I had to discuss flaws it would be the complete disregard of the open violence that was happening on screen. I do believe the justification would be so that these are trained assassins and they can be super silent killers. Chapter Two also lacks a bit of emotion which was what visibly motivating John Wick in the first movie.

While it disheartens me to see a man running and gunning around for his life, unable to mourn for his dead wife and to get some peace, John Wick and Chapter Two has set a perfect example how to create a good old school action movie. Chapter Two's action was fluid and less of that motion-blur nonsense. Its well choreographed and packs a punch, the gun play felt orgasmic and there were some melee sequences that made me cringe. Calling it 'Hyper-violent' would be an understatement coz while John Wick actually laid ground to a violent action movie, Chapter 2 takes it to whole new level and believe me it just feels badass. Its definitely not GREAT, but John Wick franchise proves that you don't need superheroes to have an enjoyable action flick.

"I know it's a misleading title but hold your horses if you're a DC fanboy and want to rain down upon me a slew of abuses. Hear me out first."

Oh DCEU, you keep churning out mediocre movies and boast of box office returns as a reason to shove down more mediocrity down our throats. Although I loved Man Of Steel (coz I am sucker for Supes) we need to digest the fact that mediocrity in movies and encouraging and supporting them has only made DCEU to not push any envelope. Its no news that Marvel, despite their kiddy-friendly, formulaic movies, is at the top of their game and catching up to them is a feat for DC. If they really want to do that they would have to invest time in fleshing out characters in solo movies than dump a ton in one movie trying to get ahead of the race.

I stopped rooting for DCEU after the third strike that was: Suicide Squad, it was a serviceable movie but has only disappointed me further after the ambitious yet disastrous Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. And this made me genuinely skeptic going in for Wonder Woman. Going against all odds, Wonder Woman had a gargantuan task on its shoulders to come out as at least 'amply entertaining'. Suffice to say, despite its weak screenplay and a flashy 3rd act, Wonder Woman is a winner and much more than being just 'entertaining'.

Directed by Patty Jenkins, Wonder Woman soars above all the other DCEU movies. It was a low bar to clear when it comes to DC movies but its a superbly cast, well directed comicbook movie staying almost true to its roots. Jenkins had to fight to make the movie the way she wanted it to be made. Being an origin movie and one which was never on celluloid format before, Wonder Woman does it just right. Tonally, it feels very different from the other DC movies we've seen so far when it came to composition, color balance, and the inclusion of Diana-centric battle scenes like the iconic No Man's Land scene. It's indeed a feat since the studio had been breathing down the creator's necks, strangling their creative liberty. Did I mention that Wonder Woman also has humour? Yes, you heard it right, a DCEU movie with chuckle-worthy, non-corny moments which isn't forced as well. I am going to give a blind eye to whomever compares it to Captain America The First Avenger. Apart from the genre and the war setting, there isn't much similarities between the two. Apples & Oranges, people! I'd be treading on spoiler territory so I won't tell what they've done, but DC had the balls to do what Marvel never did (you'll know it when you're done with the movie).

Despite my initial skepticism, Gal Gadot embodies Wonder Woman almost flawlessly or at least appearance-wise. Its hard to take your eyes off her when she's onscreen. She shined in her fish-outta-water sequences in London and she nailed it in the well choreographed action sequences on the frontline. Like Robert Downey Jr as Tony Stark or Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, its tough to imagine anybody else but Gal in Wonder Woman's shoes for a while. I am sold on Gal playing Wonder Woman. Chris Pine still proves that he's still the best Chris in the industry. I had my doubts on his Steve Trevor character before watching the movie, but he proves to be the best addition that actually lends a lot of heart to the movie Like they say, "behind every successful woman there is a...wait, wasn't it the other way around...my bad! And its no surprise that Robin Wright aced it as Diana's Amazonian badass aunt, Antiope. Both Elena Anaya and Danny Houston might have shared a little more than 20 minutes screen time with decent performances from both but it wouldn't have hurt to flesh out their characters more, especially Elena's Dr. Poison.

As for the cons, among loose threads aplenty, it is still a 'save-the-world' narrative that we have seen a million times before. Yes, they've got the Wonder Woman character 'almost' right but that doesn't essentially make a great movie. Gal Gadot is indeed a breath of fresh air, a sight for sore eyes but the same cant be said about her acting chops. Agreed, she's new to all of this but she has a long way to go. Another major flaw is something that had also been haunting Marvel movies since day one: weak antagonists. Its tough to raise major stakes when its a superhero movie and although the antagonists in Wonder Woman tries hard to make a kebab outta the world, the lead villain is not even mildly intimidating whom still doesn't look like a menace Wonder Woman cant handle. Also that 3rd act was very reminiscent of Batman Vs Superman's loud and flashy finale, which was another weak point strikingly in contrast with a very colorful Thermyscra-based first act and a grim yet exciting battle-heavy second act.

Movie scores are something I have grown listening to and humming to all my life. Sadly, Rupert Gregson William's Wonder Woman score doesn't live up to the movie's visuals. I'd say its ridden with the same flaw as Marvel's score, its sounded generic. The only bits that was exciting was when the movie used Hans Zimmer's original Wonder Woman theme from Batman Vs Superman and that definitely gave me goosebumps.

I'll be frank, I havent read much Wonder Woman comics and like many, I was seasoned to macho-superheroes. I loved her in the Justice League tv show, 2009's animated movie (which is brilliant) and Batman Vs Superman yet I was someone who preferred wearing Superman/Batman tees to Wonder Woman tees. Today, I am glad that Wonder Woman is not just an epic win for DC it is also the first female-directed, female lead superhero movie that every comicbook fan had been waiting for aeons. It's success marks the confidence of female-lead movies in a skeptic, masculine-lead Hollywood. It also ups the ante for superhero 'solo' movies. Whether it was planned or not, just like the post's banner says "Justice Begins With Her", Wonder Woman proves to be the one who should lead the upcoming Justice League movie. Warner Bros might want to put their merchandize-selling, flying rodent-suited mascot on the back burner for their next outing.

All said and done, I hope DC and WB doesn't become all smug with one blockbuster in the pockets and continue its race with Marvel. So yea, let's trash DC if they follow this good movie up with more loud, mediocre, CGI-heavy movies.

Ready Player One directed by Steven Spielberg is based on Ernest Cline's 'Holy Grail of Pop Culture' of the same name and it rather borrows a large chunk of the concept from the book than adapt it word by word to the big screen. Having read the book it feels taboo to compare the book with the movie. My only regret is, like most book-to-movie adaptation, the movie had to be watered down to be contained into 120 minutes thereby diluting a lot of plot. Spielberg clearly has taken the creative liberty in adapting the book to a more contemporary audience. Of course, he generously pays homage to major pop culture references from the book, but he has added a lot too. Read on to find out if its worth your time, virtual or not.

Set in 2045, when the world is on the brink of chaos, people are resorting to a virtual reality world called the OASIS for both work and leisure. Wade Watts (Tye Sheridan), an orphan from the desolate 'stacks', along with the whole world, is off to find an easter egg in the OASIS planted by the game's own brilliant nerd of a creator, James Halliday. Finding the egg grants the player complete ownership of the company. Wade has to figure out all the clues that Halliday has cleverly hidden in the OASIS' vast game worlds. He is also in a race against the evil corporation, IOI, run by Nolan Sorrento (Ben Mendelson) and is hell-bent on finding the egg making Wade's and his friend's adventure difficult.

Much of the movie takes place in the OASIS and is packed to the brim with awe-inspiring visuals and nerd culture. With the amount of action happening in the OASIS it was almost impossible to track a whos-who of pop culture icons and references. From Batman to Tracer, from Akira to Halo, one thing is sure, this could be one of THE most paused movies of all time when it releases on home video. This movie could have easily been something cashing in on nostalgia and pop culture references: a la 'cameo fest', but with Spielberg at the helm, it was both a boon and a curse. As mentioned early on, Spielberg, Cline, and Penn took their liberty to adapt the movie to be a visual epic than a straightforward adaptation and it does the job rather well. The first set piece, which was a racing sequence with absolutely no musical score had 'Spielberg' written all over it. But at the same time, there were moments so unremarkable and it felt like any other AAA director could have done the same. The real world felt very underwhelming and so were the issues that IOI caused in it which were reduced to one-liner dialogues, hardly exposing any of the dire issues or the repercussions of IOI that plagued the world.

Coming to performances, the lead Wade Watts aka Parzival played by Tye Sheridan was better off as an avatar. Even under Spielberg's direction, Sheridan's Off-OASIS performances were just okay. Olivia Cooke, on the other hand, was oozing charm and the right amount needed for her character as both Samantha and her OASIS avatar Art3mis. Ben Mendelson, as usual, chews the scenery. The guy proves once again why he's the go-to choice for antagonists. Mark Rylance is another actor whom I am fond of seeing on screen. Whether it be Bridge Of Spies, BFG or Dunkirk, Rylance's performance always feels natural and its no different here as both James Halliday and his avatar Anorak. Screen time for Simon Pegg's Ogden Morrow was unforgivably short.

John Willam's absence was really noticeable and Alan Silvestri's score, although not bad, just didn't stick. Fortunately, the soundtrack makes up for it which starts off with the energetic 'Jump by Van Halen' and ends with the equally preppy 'You make my dreams come true by Hall & Oates'.

In the end, Ready Player One is confused who it is for. If you're expecting a visually stunning action movie with a serviceable story to boot then this is definitely up your alley but if you're expecting a Spielberg directed, plot-heavy and character-driven epic, you might be disappointed.

The same goes for the fanservice in the movie. Is it for the 40-year-olds who might get high with most of 80's and 90's pop culture references in the movie or for the newer generation who'd be pleased with the more recent pop culture icons they have sprinkled gratuitously. The age-old question of "Book or Movie, which one's better?" still applies here and the answer is 'Yes, it always will be the book". While reading the book I thought it'd be great to see it on celluloid but it's the other way around. The only thing I was able to appreciate more after watching the movie was the book itself which I found was only mediocre.

A Quiet Place, directed by John Krasinski, is one of the most effective horror movies in recent times. It's a breath of fresh air amidst a genre populated by a slew of disappointments like Insidious The Last Key and the overrated Veronica. A Quiet Place is not exactly what you might expect from an ex-The Office actor and it surprises the bejesus outta you and how. I guess comedy actors turned good horror movie directors are all the jazz these days.

The year is 2020 and most of humankind is wiped out by heavily armored, sightless creatures who senses and mauls down anything that makes the slightest sound. One of the surviving families, The Abbots, leads their lives in extreme caution. The father, Lee (John Krasinski) makes sure everybody's safe by taking utmost care in not making a sound regardless of what they do. His pregnant wife Emily (Emily Blunt), the deaf daughter Regan (Millicent Simmonds) and sons, Marcus (Noah Jupe) and Beau tread on their father's trail making sure of the same. Things obviously go downhill for them when the baby is on its way and a tragedy that befell them causes more rifts amongst them.

Imagine a tense sequence from thriller movies where you'd be holding your breath, clinging onto your seats anticipating something grim, a la 'War Of The Worlds' or Alien's 'Death of Dallas' scene and now imagine a singular tense moment stretched over 90 minutes, that's what A Quiet Place feels like. Nerve-wracking is the right term here. If you've played The Last Of Us' Clicker sequences, you'll have a sketchy idea of what's to be expected from the movie which serves you almost the same for an hour and a half. There were, of course, adorable scenes of the family bonding and fighting like any normal family but in a world like this, things are bound to go awfully wrong. Krasinski does resort to a few jump-scares but it never ruined the movie. A Quiet Place seems to share some with other horror movies and an obvious comparison would be Don't Breathe but its apples and oranges once you've seen A Quiet Place. The creature design was good for what was required for the movie but it did seem a little too Stranger Things-esque. There was little novelty in the design but due to the script and the concept, it felt intimidating enough.

In a movie where dialogues are far and few between, performances matter and I have only two thumbs up to how closely knit and real the Abbots feel like. Director and lead, Krasinski himself do a mind-blowing job of portraying Lee with all the nuances. Emily Blunt, his real-life wife, plays Emily and with such wide array of emotions, she is a force to reckon with. Millicent Simmonds stands out playing the daughter Regan and is a superb actor in the making, especially considering she's deaf in real life. Noah Jupe, already having made his mark appearing in Wonder and The Night Manager offers a decent performance as well.

It's a feat to have a near full-house of an audience in utmost silence. No annoying popcorn crunches, no disgusting 'movie-commentators', no whispers and not even toddler whimpers and that's exactly how much the A Quiet Place immerses the audience. Part of the immersion was also due to the theatrical experience and it begs to be seen only on the big screen. A Quiet Place might not have been the same experience had it been seen on a smaller screen. The movie owes a lot to its brilliant sound design too. It plays such an integral part in the movie that you will twist and turn in your seat due to the sheer absence of sound. Marco Beltrami's haunting score also paves way for some superb atmosphere.

A Quiet Place is one of the more original horror movies to come out in recent times. Original, not in terms of plot but in terms of execution and how Krasinski was able to stretch a paper-thin plot over a thrilling 90 minutes and not losing pace - it's just great. It had been long since a horror movie had gotten full points for being scary. A Quiet Place is not exactly scary, it's an anxiety attack in the making - its tense and it's disturbingly unsettling - a disquieting edge of the seat thriller that I'd urge anybody to go and watch if you haven't already.

14 Years. Highly Anticipated Sequel...yada yada.... You know the drill. For me, Incredibles was by far the best movie Pixar ever made. I am sorry Toy Story & Ratatouille, Incredibles definitely takes the throne here. Every movie Pixar made after Incredibles I kept asking "Wait....where's Incredibles 2? Who asked for Cars 2? Didn't we get enough closure with Toy Story 2? And lastly who in the right mind wanted Cars 3?" Almost a decade and a half later we finally get a sequel and does it live up to a decade worth anticipation?

Incredibles 2 starts off right where the first left off. Following a short encounter with the Underminer, Bob Parr (Mr. Incredible) and his family get scrutinized again for all the destruction and chaos. Jobless, forced to relocate to a motel and having not a clue how to keep the family together, Bob & Helen (Elastigirl) along with Lucius (Frozone) gets a proposal from Winston Deaver and his sister Evelyn from Devtech, a corporate giant who wants to bring back the Supers via documenting their adventures through a video camera fixed within their suits.

The tables have turned this time and the lucky number goes to Elastigirl to take up 'super assignments'. Elastigirl takes the limelight here while Mr. Incredible takes a backseat: a dad looking after the family and having a tough time in her absence (and not admitting the same). Things obviously go awry for both Helen and Bob. While Helen is threatened by Screenslaver, a masked antagonist who hypnotizes people using screens and making them do awful things, Bob almost has a breakdown trying to juggle a pissed-off, adolescent Violet, a hyperactive Dash whose homework keeps his dad up all night and add to it a delightfully scene-stealing baby Jack-Jack.

At its core, Incredibles had always been about family, how they keep things together while secretly wishing to go back to their exciting, super, espionage lives and that's what that made the original so unique. The same has been carried down to Incredibles 2. The little nuances you're faced with when you're running a family is just beautifully depicted and as a husband and a father, I could relate to a lot of things. Baby Jack-Jack, whom we had seen glimpses of in the first one is terrific in this one. I would say the scenes with him are the best. Like how Mr. Incredible stumbles upon his powers. A bundle of joy indeed.

The weakest link in the plot is the villain Screenslaver and unfortunately, you can see the twist from a mile away. I wouldnt say it spoils the movie but Incredibles set a standard so high for villains that this antagonist looks ill-conceived. What I also found lacking were the 'goosebumps moments' that were sprinkled lavishly in the first Incredibles. Maybe its because the novelty has faltered in the second outing but yet again, it wouldn't have hurt to include a scene or two reminiscent of the 'Dash running on water' sequence from the first which was an absolute blast to watch.

Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl are flawlessly embodied once again by Craig T Nelson and Holly Hunter makes them feel like real life people than animated characters. The same goes for the supporting characters, Samuel L Jackson as Frozone, Bob Odenkirk as Winston, Sarah Vowell and Huck Millner as Violet and Dash respectively. Edna Mode voiced by Brad Bird himself is still a rockstar! Michael Giacchino's score still packs the same punch and is absolutely spellbinding. Who would have thought blending a kind of 60's campy music with James Bond-esque themes would create such wonders.

In the end, Incredibles 2 despite all its mesmerizing visual glory, the brilliant family dynamics, and the action setpieces, live a little short of its expectation. Don't take me wrong its still a good sequel and I understand 14 years worth of anticipation should be hard to live up to but seems like Brad Bird was playing it safe. If Incredibles was You Only Live Twice, Incredibles 2 plays more like Tomorrow Never Dies (an exaggeration). Five years from now, Incredibles will be the movie I'd love to watch with my kid; Incredibles 2 though, I will still have to watch for its a great extension to the original.

After a short break, Soderbergh follows up his comedy-drama, Logan Lucky, with a psychological thriller: Unsane. Unsane is the story of Sawyer Valentini, a victim of a bad case of stalking, who inadvertently signs herself into a mental institution and amidst her helplessness and her greatest fears coming true, what follows is a question that lingers throughout the movie: Is she really insane?

Before delving into if its worth a watch, I have to tell this up front: I haven't watched The Crown but after seeing Claire Foy's performance in Unsane it's safe to assume that she deserved all those awards she bagged for The Crown. She's just absolutely captivating in Unsane and that's that!

While Unsane has been showing up on a lot of movie streaming sites labeled under the 'Horror' genre, it's more of a psychological thriller which constantly makes us question if the protagonist is actually crazy or not. Even the marketing and promo materials come slapped on with a 'Is She or Isn't She?' tagline. Plot-wise there's little to cling on to, but its the general idea of a sane person stuck in an asylum while their worst fears come true. How would it feel had it been you in her place? What ensues is something very similar to a Twilight Zone episode. Add to that Claire Foy makes it worth seeing the fate of Sawyer.

Despite being a solid psychological thriller, Unsane is making more news because it's completely shot on an iPhone. With an iPhone and a mix of lenses, Soderbergh made it look more like a documentary than mainstream cinema. Yes, the visuals definitely take a bit of time to get used to but you'll be drawn more into Claire Foy's performance and once that's done you will slowly sink into the tone and feel he's created which kind of feels apt. It's arguable if he should have used conventional film equipment but its just Soderbergh doing Soderbergh things.

There are also a few stand out performances in Unsane. A seemingly innocent looking Joshua Leonard, known for playing one of the leads in the Blair Witch Project, makes for a brilliant antagonist in Unsane. The same goes for Jay Pharoah who plays an inmate and the only person Sawyer befriends in the institution. Juno Temple, convincingly enough, plays another inmate who might actually be crazy. There's also a not-so-surprising cameo included. Academy Award nominee Thomas Newman, in a first-time collaboration with Soderbergh plays with minimal background score here but man it stands out and how.

Unsane is by no means Soderbergh's best or let's just say it doesn't even come close to any of his best works. But what Unsane is, is a well acted, well-directed thriller which keeps you glued to your seats despite its unconventionally shot visuals and weird camera angles. Watch it for Claire Foy's masterful performances and a mildly disturbing narrative.

Minutes into The Martian, Matt Damon's Mark Watney says "I'm gonna have to science the s**t out of this" and I swear I chuckled so loud that the guy next to me was eyeballing me. I never thought I'd be in for a treat going for Ridley Scott's The Martian. Of course I am a huge Scott fan but his last two movies were a bit too tiresome to sit through. The aging director's prowess felt bumbling a bit, but The Martian proves that he's still got it. This is Sir Ridley Scott's awesome Comeback!

Lets get the obvious stuff out of the way. NO, I am not going to compare Interstellar or Gravity or even Apollo 13 with this one. 'Apples, Oranges and a PERIOD' is what I'd add if anybody'd even start to argue about the same. The Martian sits cozily in a niche that Scott has carved so well.

The Martian is a straightforward sci-fi drama about an astronaut stranded on Mars. It is about his sheer will that he "wont die on Mars" and up to his wits to survive in hopes of a rescue team to arrive. Its equal parts drama, sci-fi and survival genre and it never tries to be anything more than that. There is nothing that's too complex to comprehend, nothing that beckons for multiple viewings and despite its flaws it comes out a winner. The flaws were too obvious and felt deliberate as if Scott wanted us to ignore it and go with the flow. I had already sunk into the fact that there were so much flaws and to think about the same while watching the movie would ruin it for me. And it did wonders for me! What you get is a well acted, well written, visually arresting and unambiguous sci-fi movie with chuck-loads of comedy and tension to drive you till the finale.

The Martian is a Matt Damon show! He was never a bad actor but his post-Bourne roles never needed much of an effort. Scott opened an awesome sandbox for Damon where he makes the most of it. The 'log files' worked out for a great mechanic that was used to document most of Watney's life on Mars and it felt like Damon was interacting more with us than a video capture device. A stellar supporting cast also supplements The Martian's narrative. The AAA cast included Jeff Daniels, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig, Michael Peña, Sean Bean, Kate Mara, Sebastian Stan, Mackenzie Davis, Donald Glover and instead of overcrowding the movie, each one of their performances were memorable. Even Donald Glover's barely 5 minute of screen time remains etched in my mind. Agreed it was much more fun watching Damon 'Science-ing the S**t out' but at the same time the supporting felt integral and never came off as a 'me too' addition.

The Martian could have easily been a tense drama or rather have an over-all grim tone but it successfully injects well paced comedy and balances out the tension and drama. Thanks to Drew Goddard the comedy in The Martian doesn't feel forced. Get me started on the licensed tracks in the movie and I might not even stop; brilliant selection of licensed tracks that gave the movie a quirky beat.

Sci-fi need not be mindbogglingly complex or have logical explanation for every damn detail on screen or even demand multiple viewings. Most of yesteryear's sci-fi classics focused more on 'fiction' than 'science' and it worked out well. I loved The Martian more than Interstellar or Gravity. I am no scientist and I am not here to argue about the plausibility of everything that happened in The Martian. I was there for entertainment and boy, did I get it served hot! Absolutely terrific performances by Matt Damon and the supporting cast, superbly written by Goddard and all executed perfectly well by Sir Ridley Scott. Come to think of it, even the the recent discovery of liquid water on Mars feels like a huge Marketing stint for The Martian.

Ich seh, Ich seh aka Goodnight Mommy's previews were all over the internet a few weeks back. Hailed as one of the creepiest trailers this season, it had turned enough heads with its visuals and characters alike. 'Creepy' was slapped all over the trailer and the fact that it was more an art-house movie than a commercial movie, intrigued me more. Had Sundance's The Witch trailer not released earlier this week I would still have stuck to Goodnight Mommy's disturbing trailer.

From the get go you'll know that Goodnight Mommy isn't your average horror movie. Rushing through the movie like any horror movie wouldn't do justice and you wouldn't get the gist of it. Goodnight Mommy counts on being more atmospheric than in-your-face. Along with its 3 leads, its eerily disturbing locales had a life of its own and contributes a lot to the unnerving factor of the movie. A look at the initial scenes with a house in the middle of nowhere and two 9 year old twins playing would make you think that there's something very off about everything that follows.

The plot is paper thin but ain't much straightforward. From the first scene itself you'll find yourself piecing the plot together like a jigsaw puzzle. It isn't brain teasing but it all ends when 'the hunter becomes the hunted' (I wont spoil that implication). Halfway through you'll be questioning the events happening in the movie at the same time your mind will be stern on what it has already grasped in the first half. The leads were terrific, be it the Elias & Lucas Schwarz Twins or the Susanne West's The Mother. The Twins' performance were natural and as naive and, may I say, 'mischievous' as any 9 old's could get while Susanne West's almost covered face could emote more than you can ever imagine.

The weaker points here are the story and the ending. While the trailer boasts like it could be the next best thing in horror genre it isn't so. Call it brilliant marketing, the trailer beckons you to label this as a horror masterpiece. And as they say "Don't judge a book by its cover", the same applies here. Pure horror fans will be disappointed here as there are a lot less scares compared to other movies.

Towards the end or possibly much earlier than that, you'll be able to figure out where its headed and it doesn't help that the ending was equivocal. Its a common horror trope to make the ending ambiguous and while works out well for commercial horror movies, the same just didn't work out here. You will be left with questions that's not pleasing to ponder through.

Goodnight Mommy will shock you, disgust you and rattle you at times, but it wont scare you…much. This movie deserves to be watched in patience and taken in with a pinch of salt. Goodnight Mommy revels in its atmospheric dread and a certain mystique that runs almost till the end. Considering its a movie coming from debutantes, Severin Fiala & Veronika Franz, its a commendable effort indeed. This isn't a bad horror movie, its just not what its advertised to be.

Mad Max Fury Road is everything you've never expected from a modern day action movie. And if you've set your expectations low or aren't into post-apocalyptic movies, you'll be in for a surprise. And by the end of it, you'd have wished that you'd never thought so low about George Miller's ambitious masterpiece.

30 years since the fourth movie, George Miller sets Mad Max Fury Road in a world where almost everybody has gone insane, including its lead, Max Rockatansky. The plot is paper thin and its nothing but an escort mission, lead by Max Rockatansky and Imperator Furiosa, through barren post-apocalyptic wastelands and chased by the main antagonist, Immortan Joe and his maniac War Boys. This is a standalone movie and can hold strong on its own, but if you do want to get into the tone and mood of Mad Max, you oughta watch the old trilogy as it also sheds some light on Max's story and arguably on who Immortan Joe really would be.

Its one orgasmic chase sequence, from start to end, and there is little room for character development. But who's complaining when you are glued to your seats, entertained shitless with its almost unrelenting brutal action. Nothing can prepare you for the intense action in Mad Max Fury Road and this review might feel meaningless until and unless you've experienced it. Its all out gritty and it'd help if you've got a wicked sense of humour. You are also not given much time to think as you are pushed from to one action set piece to the next.

As Max, Tom Hardy does have an ample role to play in the narrative, but this is essentially a Furiosa movie set in the Mad Max universe. Charlize Theron's Furiosa is indeed the lead protagonist and Max just accompanies here in her insanely dangerous 'road trip' and you cant help but applause at Theron's strong performance here. I am not a huge Nicholas Hoult fan, but in Mad Max he delivers as Nux. As for Immortan Joe, Hugh Keays-Byrne delivers and it is a real feat when he has a mask on which covers most of his face. It would have been great if they had shown his face at least once, at least for old time's sake to see how 'Toecutter' from the original looked like now.

The visuals, doubtlessly, are spectacular and what adds to the sheer beauty of it are practical effects. We've all been conditioned to watching and, growing on, CGI heavy movies this past decade and the difference here could be instantaneously felt. Its not completely devoid of CGI wizardry but practical effects dominates the visuals here and its nothing less than eye popping. For the first time, normal 3D felt serviceable and at the same time I kept repenting that I didn't see it in IMAX. You know its good when you see your partner dodging car parts and entrails every now and then. Normal 3D does wash out, what would have otherwise been, a brilliant color palette and the end result is a somewhat dark and de-saturated film. Exceptional sound design and Junkie XL's background score is the cherry on top.

Compared to the old trilogy, The Road Warrior still stands supreme. Suffice to say, Mad Max Fury Road had me, breathless, gaping at the extremely well choreographed action sequences. I had to wait a few hours before I could collect my thoughts on the movie and rant about it. This is by far the best action movie I have seen this year, OH YES, much better than Avengers Age Of Ultron. As for the feminism critique revolving this movie….WHO CARES! This here is a fine piece of action cinema, Thank you, George Miller!

Indies had always come up some cult horror movies, be it The Blair Witch Project or the very first Paranormal Activity it always garnered enough attention despite their minimal budget and often lesser-known actors. Martyrs, Monsters, V/H/S, the list of remarkable indie horror could go on and on. Touted as what could be one of the noteworthy horror movies this year, Honeymoon had turned enough heads, mine included, with its eerie trailer. I'd seen it previewed in almost all sites that featured Horror movies and it was intriguing enough.

Directed by Leigh Janiak, Honeymoon stars Rose Leslie and Harry Treadway on a honeymoon trip to her 'cabin in the woods'. Of course when there is a cabin in the woods, you know somethings gonna go awfully wrong and it does. Honeymoon starts off with the lovey-dovey couple, canoodling and enjoying their trip until one night Rose's Bea goes off strolling into the woods and something dreadful happens there. As I previously mentioned, the trailer had me thinking what could have gone wrong with a little harmless sleepwalking and that inquisitiveness was what tugged me through till end in this slow paced thriller.

Rose Leslie was brilliant as Bea. Fresh from her fan-favorite role, Ygritte from Game Of Thrones, her bewitching performance was applaudable. The charm she'd brought to Ygritte was so memorable that I half-expected her to say "You know nothing, Jon Snow..err..Paul" here. If you follow Penny Dreadful, you'd be familiar with Harry Treadway and he's done decent job here caught between the web of love, doubt and impuissance. Suffice to say that these two leads carried the movie on their sole shoulders. The movie is about 87 minutes and unlike many others, I wasn't bored, thanks to their sincere efforts in making us care about them, whats happening to them and where it was all gonna end.

It would be a severe injustice if you call this horror as it was not the least scary. It could be called a good thriller with enough mystery to boot. I love the mood it set, with the happy couples moving into the cabin and spending their romantic days and then things going spiraling down. But after the third act and almost sitting through 80 minutes the pay off felt bad poorly conceived and executed. I saw people comparing this with Scarlett Johansson's Under The Skin but I felt it wasn't even remotely similar.

Considering it was Janiak's debut directorial, it wasn't all that bad but the tonal shift from the promising previews to the final movie just cant be forgiven. For what its worth, watch Honeymoon for the leads' performances.

Automata had oodles of promise in its first trailer. Just one preview was enough to draw the crowds to watch this movie. Set in a post apocalyptic world and Antonio Banderas in the lead, Automata tells the story of an insurance agent investigating the robots or Automatas that populates the city that alters itself, which by the way happens to be a direct violation of their own cognitive laws.

Directed by a lesser known Gabe Ibáñez, Automata had everything is place from visuals to ambiance and a good lead. This mid-budget flick offers an experience reminiscent to District 9 with robots yet seemed very different from movies like I, Robot. Unlike I, Robot there are no set piece moments or flashy sequences, Automata, though sets its world on 2 Laws of Robotics inspired from Asimov's 3 laws. The laws in Automata being 1. An Automata is not supposed to hurt a human 2. An Automata is not supposed to alter itself. The plot revolves around these two laws when some of the Automatas starts altering itself and the corporations that made them feels tries to keep under wraps, one of the first Automatas that was capable of evolving thinking how they'll be a threat to human kind itself.

Automata clearly draws inspirations from a multitude of genre movies like Blade Runner, The Animatrix's Second Renaissance, District 9, etc. Automata's city screamed Blade Runner in almost every frame and even the investigative lead had his shades of Deckard.

The only human character worth investing is Antonio Bandera's Jacq Vaucan and despite his efforts to put as much personality in, it fails due to a bad script. The other characters were purely one dimensional, even Vaucan's pregnant wife lacked so much that it was tough to connect or care for them. As for the antagonists, they popped outta nowhere and what initially seemed like a deep conspiracy in works fell flat flat towards the second act. In the end, the lesser said the better.

Automata's promises were kept to some extend in terms of the over- all tone, visuals and its core idea, but half-way through it fails miserably in an ocean of clichés and underdeveloped characters. The Robots themselves looked cheap and didn't have much to do other than being devices to plough the narrative forward. Had it been made a short, Automata would have still had a chance. For a better robot movie, lets us all wait for Neil Blomkamp's Chappie.

Directed by Alexandre Aja, Horns stars Daniel Radcliffe in yet another non-Harry Potter movie. Adapted from Joe Hill's novel of the same name, Horns tells the story of Ig Perish, grief stricken and blamed for his girlfriend's death, he wakes up one day to find two horn like protrusions growing on his head which gives him the power to extort the deepest and darkest secrets of the people he comes in contact with.

Having read the book, its interesting to see how its visualized. I didn't have any 'faces' when I was reading the book and just like Harry Potter the book's characters came to life while watching the movie. Daniel as Ig, at least visually, fit the profile and his initial struggles to understand what exactly was going on was well done. I liked the fact that the first half introduces you to the characters whom you'd be seeing till end and each and everyone of them in the town had something off and intriguing about them. It has this immense dark tone that clambers to come out, but shies away.

I was a bit skeptic when I heard Alexandre Aja, who directed Piranha 3D and The Hills Have Eyes, was helming Horns and my worries came true as well. The movie has huge tonal shifts and it somewhat took the charm away from the book. Sprinkled with equal bits of dark humour, romance and mystery the movie does work but the odd choices of injecting the same here and there was a bit baffling. Joe Hill's book on one hand focused on being horror-first, the movie on the other invested unnecessarily in mushy romance and end result being way too schmaltzy.

Its been almost 3 years since the last Harry Potter movie and Daniel Radcliffe is still hellbent on shaking off his 'The boy who lived' image. He definitely shows promise but just like his Harry Potter portrayal it was a little rough around the edges. Harry Potter came to life coz its character had a persona that was fleshed out through 7 books, though Ig's adequately well written character from the book couldn't be found in the movie. The supporting characters were just intolerable, Juno Temple and Mike Mignella especially did get on my nerves at times.

Horns did have some good stuff, especially the mystery element and along with some fun touches here and there and those definitely stood out, especially the scene where Ig makes some journalists fight among themselves for an interview with him and another with him walking outta a burning pub with Marilyn Manson's 'Personal Jesus' playing in the background. But those good sequences were few and far between. If I had to put the quibbles down, there'd be a ton and frankly its unfortunate that such a good source material with so much potential was wasted here. It was completely twisted and bit of gonzo fun but there are better movies to watch this Halloween!

I'd started reading Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl a few months back and a few chapters in, I thought to myself "Know what? I'd give Fincher a chance with this one and then I'll finish reading!" Since then I'd been patiently waiting for Gone Girl's release. I was excited what with Fincher being one of my favorite directors. The previews didn't tell much but still had that eerie touch to it that kept me waiting. Finally, yesterday I got to watch Gone Girl and without further ado I'd like to add that it was without doubt one of the best movies I'd seen this year.

Nick Dunne and Amy Dunne, upon losing their jobs and going bankrupt, relocates to Missouri and on the morning of their 5th anniversary, Amy goes missing. Investigation ensues and all eyes, including the media's, rests upon Nick who has no clue what happened to Amy. As the movie progresses all odds are against Nick and it becomes a crime drama thriller, a whodunnit putting all suspicion on Nick. Has he killed her or not? Nick also unravels some stuff about his wife. Gone Girl goes back and forth from the investigation and the media circus to flashback scenes where Amy narrates her fears about being with her husband. What's pretty obvious is that the victim is not who you think she is and throughout the movie you are trying to find out what's off with the whole scenario and at times you will find yourself perplexed as to who you should be rooting for, Nick or Amy.

I have always adored David Fincher's movies be it the ill-received Alien 3 or Se7en. Of course most of the his films are adapted from original source materials but on celluloid he does know how to deliver an intellectually supreme thriller. David Fincher plays all the cards right here and Gone Girl makes for an immersive, tense and compelling crime drama thriller. You yourself adorn the detective's cape and try to figure things for yourself but Fincher makes sure that you don't reach the conclusion that easily as he constantly throws twists and turns at you that glues you to your seats.

There's not one performance that could be looked down upon and along with Fincher's solid direction it all comes to a fine full circle. I remember seeing Rosamund Pike as a ravishing bond girl in Die Another Day and in many more mediocre roles from Doom to Wrath Of The Titans etc. Who would have thought she would deliver a performance that makes you go all dumbfounded. She went from vulnerable to intimidating to manipulative to sheer conniving. I'd say the best part about Gone Girl would be her. I'll just put this here, I am not a Ben Affleck fan and I was one among the many who cringed at the news that he was going to be the next Batman. I love his direction, I love his writing but I just don't like to see him screen. But its time to put all that out of the way. Affleck is solid here and gives one of his career-best performances and I am one step closer to tolerate seeing him on screen. Carrie Coon plays Margo, Nick's twin sister and she was adorably cute and her scenes with her brother were some of the best ones. Supporting cast also includes Tyler Perry, a celebrity lawyer who charges his clients a $100,000 as retainer fee and he does his part just fine. I am not used to watching Tyler Perry movies (thanks Madea), but some of the jovial moments were well done. Initially, I thought Neil Patrick Harris was an odd choice for a David Fincher movie but he gave an impeccable performance as well. Media also plays a major role in the movie and it almost plays like a character even manipulating you at times.

Gone Girl is beautifully shot. It looked as if the whole of Missouri looked mourning in Amy's missing and it takes a more warm tone during the films third act. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross's score is indeed an icing on the cake goes perfectly sync with the spellbinding visuals. Fincher's own The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was banned in India due to its graphic rape scene and I was skeptic if Gone Girl, with its domestic violence scenes, would walk down the same alley. I thank the censor board for being sensible and not doing so and also zooming in on the non nude parts than chopping off entire scenes made much more sense.

Mark my words, this movie is gonna test your bladders and you will feel like keeping it in so do go for this movie with an empty bladder and don't even think of that maxi size Pepsi at the counter. You wouldn't want to miss anything. Its close to 3 hours and the only times I looked at my watch was due to my impatient bladder than due to getting bored. Its that much engrossing.

Gone Girl is a bit about marriage and what all can go worse in a marriage. Its a bit superficial, yes, but Fincher grounds the movie in a believable reality that it doesn't really matter. This isn't Finchers Magnum opus in fact it doesn't even come close to it, ie Fight Club. Nonetheless he manages to build a cohesive and immensely immersive Crime Drama that plays with your wits till end. Can't recommend this more!

There is nothing that could concise David Wnendt's Feuchtgebiete aka Wetlands in a single word. Well if one's given the liberty to express what they'd seen or rather witnessed in a plethora of words, it'd most likely be something close to obscene, disgusting, repulsive and most of all shocking. If you've seen its red band previews, you can figure out instantly whether the movie is for you or not. On the other hand if you thought this'd be a usual sex- comedy with some gross factor, believe me when I tell ya what you saw in the preview is nothing compared to the movie. Nothing will prepare you for Wetlands' odd 105 minutes.

Greeted initially with a splendid shot of a skater girl, it quickly goes downhill before you can say "ugh". Wetlands follows the sexual and unhygienic adventures of Helen Memel, a girl who is hellbent on making her life as unhygienic as possible and labeling it as her 'experiments'. Helen played charmingly by Carla Juri, is on an experiment with her own genitals and whatnot as she initially states in the movie. Its kind of a parallel she draws with how she feels for her parents and their divorce. While light at heart, the seemingly damaged 18 year old as Helen may seem it also brings out how bad she needed to be loved.

Beneath the layers of her weird habits and unimaginable sexual fantasies, lies the conflict with herself and an intense yearning for her parents' reconciliation. And Carla Juri does justice to the role. Her performance was inexplicably good, shuffling from cute and sexy to crude and repelling seemed like an easy feat for her. Right from the CG titles, her narration reminded me sorely of David Fincher's Fight Club.

I for one consider myself hardened, watching movies like A Serbian Film, The Human Centipede, Martyrs, Inside, Hostel or even Salo but there were scenes in Wetlands that truly deserved to be called cringe worthy. I wouldn't suggest Wetlands for the faint of heart/stomach or the more perverse either. As evident from the trailers this was marketed as a over the top raunchy comedy but if you overlook all those gross and perverse segments (which is hard I know), there is a sensibly written story about the perils a late- adolescent girl goes though be it physical or emotional. This movie does a decent or rather an indecent job of blending the aversion with a story of someone who aches for some love. I wonder if the same would work had it been a male lead, and of course an immediate reminiscence was Qaushiq Mukherjee's Gandu.

"This movie isn't for everyone!" a line that I have used time and again and while it may sound like an easy bail for a movie that I'd enjoyed yet can't recommend others, I can't emphasize the line enough here for one of the best Malayalam movies this year. Munnariyippu starring Mammootty and Aparna Gopinath, isn't going to turn a lot of heads or be discussed among the casual movie-goers. But it was able to etch its impressions in my head and invoke a multitude of emotions, from sheer helplessness to supreme fear, and ending in being haunted even after the credits had rolled in. If you find yourself as immersed as myself in this movie, you are warned and assured you will go through similar range of ires as well.

Veteran cinematographer turned director Venu's second offering (since 1998's Daya) Munnariyippu tells the story and life of C K Raghavan portrayed by Mammootty and how a meeting with him changes the life of an aspirational freelance journalist Anjali Arakkal played by Aparna Gopinath. Its extremely slow paced and yet I found myself intrigued with the titular characters. My first impression was that it was gonna go the usual artsy movie route and the ending would be something ironic yet hard to comprehend. As the movie progresses, every turn, even if they are less in number and minute in magnitude, will keep you guessing and try to make you foresee the ending. But its safe to say that predictability takes a backseat here and nothing would prepare you for the ending, not that the ending is what made the movie.

You'll be able to say if this movie is for you or not from the titles itself. There was this line about Kafka that Prathap Pothens character utters in the movie. It was sheer coincidence that a movie had something about Kafka just a day after I'd finished reading one of his books. If you are familiar with the works of Kafka you'll see the essence almost instantly here.

Bijibal's haunting score is another gem in the crown. It was almost reminiscent of Mica Levi's score from Under The Skin, and by reminiscence I meant the haunting goodness of it. Much like the movie even the score had equal tones of liberating calm and disturbing melancholy.

While others near me shrugged in their seats, muttering to themselves "When'll this be over?" and "Why did I even come for this", I was completely invested in this movie, thanks to the awe inspiring performances from Mammootty and Aparna. Mammootty was inexplicably terrific as C K Raghavan, having minimal lines and acting mostly through body language. This will be hailed as one of his most challenging and complex roles ever. Aparna Gopinath effortlessly slides into the shoes of Anjali and brings out the bold that we've usually seen her portray but at the same time we also get to see her charming and vulnerable sides as well.

Sharing what I'd exactly thought about the movie in itself would act as a super-spoiler and I wouldn't want in the world to spoil this for you. I could easily tag this movie with a certain genre but then again that tag would be yet another spoiler. Sitting through till the end ain't easy, but when you are sucked into the simple narrative complemented by tight direction, an enthralling script and sincere performances from both the leads, nothing else matters.

I remember the time when I was all jacked up when I saw the previews of X-Men. I was blown away when I saw the movie on VHS as well. Such an ensemble cast and Wolverine seemed to pack quite the punch. X2 Xmen United was better than I'd expected and the less said about X- Men The Last Stand, the better. Bryan Singer undoubtedly a skilled director as evident from The Usual Suspects and not to mention handling an ensemble cast like X-Men was no easy feat. But a look back at his recent flicks (Superman Returns, Jack The Giant Slayer), you are bound to set your hopes a bit low for X-Men Days of Future Past. Despite his fairly brilliant initial track record, I myself was skeptic about X-Men Days of Future Past especially when Matthew Vaughn's X-Men First Class had a set a bar at how well made an X-Men could be.

Off to a very rocky start, Days of Future Past introduces to a dystopian 2023 run by Sentinels and the few remaining mutants fighting for their lives. I mentioned 'rocky' coz you are thrown into the thick of the action and despite the brilliant sequence, if you are not familiar with the X-Men lore you'd be wondering who these mutants are. You'll feel right at home when Charles Xavier, Eric Lensher Logan and Storm enters the scene. Logan is sent back to 1973 by Kitty Pride to prevent Trask Industries to ever build these Sentinels. Logan meets up with a younger Xavier, Hank, Eric and Raven and sets about to save the world once again. What ensures is a good two plus hours of entertainment.

Time Travel is used as a plot device and a lot could go wrong if there ain't much thought put into it. Thanks to Bryan Singer the comic series of the same name, time travel n Days of Future Past works just fine. It fills in most of the conflicts caused in the franchise's timeline but then again by the end of Days Of Future Past, the original X-Men trilogy supposedly never happens (If I am correct). There are some nifty sequences that'll make you go Whoa. The Magneto Prison break sequence in particular, left me in awe, thanks to Quicksilver. This rendition of Quicksilver was so good and leaves me wondering if this version would come on top if it had to go head to head with the upcoming Joss Whedon version from The Avengers Age of Ultron. I guess you cant have too much of a good thing as Quicksilver is sent home just after the said sequence.

Unlike the spinoffs the X-Men series had always been about the Mutant-Human war and its the same here. There is a ton of other story arcs that had loads more potential but it sticks to the same formulaic arc. Another qualm were the mere glimpses of mutants like Bishop, Wink, Colossus and even Storm and used as just baits. While the mutants showed off some cool combat, these are pretty relevant characters from the X-Men series and to make them just cannon fodder, not cool! X- Men Days Of Future past delivers but I felt it doesn't have that charm or the heart X-Men First Class had. And if ranked X-Men Days of Future Past might be a notch below X2 X-Men United and First Class. There is a ton of fan service here and it is also advised to watch the past X- Men movies to get the complete gist of Days of Future Past.

Bryan Singer once again proves that he's good with an ensemble cast. Hugh Jackman, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Peter Dinklage, Ian McKellan, Patrick Stewart, Ellen Page all plays noteworthy roles in Days of Future Past. If this isn't star studded, I don't know what is. In almost all the previous X-Men movies Hugh Jackman usually steals the show, and he does most of the heavy lifting here as well but a bit of the limelight is also shared or rather snatched by James McAvoy playing the younger Xavier. McAvoy displays a remarkable performance and brings in layers of emotions to the man in the wheel chair. Michael Fassbender also shines throughout with his cold steel looks and grey shades. Jennifer Lawrence excels in being Mystique as well as sexy and becomes one of the most indispensable characters in the narrative. Boliver Trask wasn't even a dwarf in the original X- Men lore and yet Peter Dinklage nails it, his acting prowess was all that was needed and not his height.

The visuals were fairly impressive, but I did notice some itsy bitsy flaws here and there. I loved the way the footages from 1973 had a kind of Eastman color shade to it. The Future Sentinels were impressively rendered and felt daunting indeed. The X-Men theme makes a comeback as well, Thanks to John Ottman. While it wouldn't even come close to Henry Jackman's awe inspiring original score from X-Men First Class, Ottman's score still brought forth a sense of nostalgia.

X-Men Days of Future Past is a great comeback for Bryan Singer and some of the faith in him has been restored. It doesn't break any grounds and despite its gaping plot holes and flaws, X-Men Days of Future Past makes for a good entertaining flick. Go watch it!

PS: As its tradition, do wait for the credit roll to get over for some awesome Post Credit Sequence paving way to the next in series: X-Men Apocalypse.

One would argue that Hollywood is saturated with comic-book movies these days. I wouldn't complain though coz some of the best Hollywood blockbusters came to life from their comic book counterparts. The Dark Knight, Avengers, Sin City, 300 to name a few. But at the same time it does a tad bit tiring when studios like Marvel, Warner Bros and 21st Century Fox dishes out a dozen of these so called superhero movies with 'save the world from the bad guy' premise. Lets keep aside DC for the time being coz it gave us THE best superhero movie of all time, The Dark Knight. Yea, I am a DC fanboy, throw eggs at me, I don't care. Lets talk about Marvel who's on a winning streak since Iron Man, setting up their Phases flawlessly. The Avengers was no doubt, one of the best comic book movies ever made but you gotta agree, some of the Phase One movies that the studio churned out to fill in till the finale just felt like..well…fillers.

It bewildered me why Marvel was making a movie on some lesser known galactic superheroes while they could have easily pulled off a Nova Corps, Alpha Flight or an Excalibur movie, hell they could have even gone for X-Factor. While I am fairly positive the aforementioned still might be in the pipeline I frankly thought that Guardians Of The Galaxy would be a quick cashing in before the behemoth release, Avengers Age of Ultron. My skepticism hit the roof when I learnt that James Gunn was directing the movie. No offence, I like the guys' movies, be it the darkly comic, Super or the disgustingly humorous Slither but Gunn isn't what I would call fit for a superhero movie. Turned out I was wrong and his weird humor and direction earned him my respect and admiration for making an Awesome Anti-Avengers movie.

Thanks to no Worldwide release I had to wait out a week rummaging through the internet avoiding stumbling upon a Guardians of the Galaxy review/spoiler. But then again I wouldn't lie, storywise Guardians of the Galaxy is a paint by numbers save-the-world story and wouldn't have made a difference even if I had stumbled on some spoilers. But its those these dysfunctional crooks that make magic out of it. This group of outlaws comprising of Starlord, Gamora, Rocket, Groot and Drax is everything you've never expected in a superhero movie and when they team up, it works perfectly. Don't go in expecting an Avengers-esque movie coz you'll be let down coz Guardians of the Galaxy and The Avengers are tonally poles apart, almost. Thanks to James Gunn, the movie promises chuck loads of his signature humour and chockful of action. Amidst all the ruckus you'd almost forget the fact the antagonist is the least bit intimidating, oh yea that's flaw you are likely to look past.

I had not thought once, when I'd seen Chris Pratt getting his teeth bashed out by James McAvoy in Wanted, that he'd end up as a main lead in a major studios' production. Chris Pratt was just amazing as Peter Quill aka Star Lord, his comic prowess stood out till end. When I asked one of my friends if he'd liked to go for Guardians of The Galaxy he scoffed saying "I am not going for movie which has a talking squirrel", I sincerely sympathize with the fellow for addressing so, one of best characters in the movie, Rocket the Raccoon voiced by Bradley Cooper. Vin Diesels' Groot was adorable and having just 2 lines through out the movie didn't hurt at all, instead you'll saying it yourself post watching the movie. Zoe Saldana played Gamora and it would have helped to fill in her backstory just a bit more. While I initially questioned Dave Bautista's acting skills, I'd say he did his part well. Surprisingly the leads' packed the same kinda charm the Avengers had on its plate.

I tapped my foot every time those soundtracks kicked in. I have a thing for old school music and Guardians of The Galaxy's soundtrack is most definitely my cup of tea. It includes Blue Swede's Hooked On a Feeling which had been a favorite since the Ally McBeal days, plus Redbone's Come and Get Your Love, Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terell's Ain't No Mountain High Enough, 10cc's I'm Not in Love are some of the frequent tracks in my usual playlist.

Marvel sure had balls to make a movie on these less notable heroes and an unconventional director and the fact it worked out well amuses me more. Guardians of The Galaxy might not be as epic as The Avengers, but its a surefire entertainer and no comic-book movie fan would say NO to it. I am sure this would have boosted Guardian of The Galaxy comics sales, not to mention filling up Kevin Feige's pockets, but as long as Marvel churns out movies like this, count me in.

PS: James Gunn's weird sense of humour came into play once again when the post credit sequence popped up, though take it with just a pinch of salt.

Vidya Balan is the reason why I go in for a movie without a second thought. The amount of charm she packs in a movie is just unreal. She has proved more than once that she can effortlessly carry a movie on her sole shoulder. She was on a winning streak with Paa, Ishqiya, No One Killed Jessica, The Dirty Picture and Kahaani and that streak inevitably broken by movies like Ghanchakkar and Shaadi Ke Side Effects. Well guess what, she is back on track and hell, she can capture audiences like ever before.

Bobby Jasoos stars Vidya in another brilliant role, Bilqis, a girl who so desperately want to be a detective despite her orthodox Muslim family. She busies herself in solving her petty cases from the neighborhood eyeing for THE big case that would make her father proud. That's when she stumbles upon Anees Khan a seemingly big shot who hands her a case to find two missing girls and when she is asked to be discreet, she starts digging into what Anees is really upto. The tale enlaces itself in a beautifully cinematographed Hyderabad, bright colors and good shots all making it all a gorgeous affair.

Its one thing to have unlimited charm and its another to carry a movie on her sole shoulders from start till end, all the while entertaining. While the supporting cast did an ample enough job to make it all gel well, Vidya, obviously stole the show. You just cant take your eyes off her when she's on screen and that's how Bobby Jasoos wins. The story was novel but nothing to brag about and the mystery Bobby was assigned to solve was nothing but predictable. The finale can be predicted miles away yet it somehow works, thanks to debutante director Samar Sheikh. Vidya also adorns a number of disguises that felt novel but its a short stint that hardly made any difference. This is especially true as those disguises were the USPs highlighted on the moves posters. The movie does get a bit slow in the second act when an indigestible romance blooms between Bobby and Tasawur played by a very adolescent looking Ali Fazal. The supporting cast comprising of Prasad Barve, Arjan Bajwa did a decent job and thumbs up for Rajendra Gupta and Kiran Kumar performances as Bobby's dad and Anees Khan respectively.

Bobby Jasoos has subtle undertones of a typical middle class girls' hassles to go against her family to do what she really loves. The final scene with Vidya and Rajendra Gupta was a real tearjerker bringing out the best in both. In the end Bobby Jasoos doesn't have a strong script or the best direction but its a light-hearted family entertainer that sure to win hearts, of both, Vidya fans as well as the female audience.

Schmidt and Jenko's back and if you thought this is gonna go exactly like that previous reboot, you are oh so right! 21 Jump Street, as I had previously stated, had me in splits, it was one of those movies that genuinely tickled my funny bone. While the 1987 TV show that it was based on was a bit serious and had little humor, the reboot starring Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum was made to be screamingly hilarious. Thanks to the directors duo Phil Lord and Christopher Miller who also bestowed upon us the brilliant Lego Movie this year, 22 Jump Street is on the same page as 21 Jump Street. It is the same 21 Jump Street formula, rinsed and repeated and the directors takes a jab at it every chance they get and that's exactly why it works.

After the successful bust of the high school drug circle in 21 Jump Street, Schmidt and Jenko is sent to college this time to investigate another drug case. Its the same thing all over again but it works out well promising truck loads of fun. The directors addresses this as a sequel-sequel to 21 Jump Street and does almost everything that made the original a terrific comedy. Much of the 80s nostalgic moments from the original is missing here instead the role reversal works out again, this time in favor of Jenko. Even the investigation plays out pretty much same with us as the audiences trying to guess and figure out the whodunnit mystery. Familiar faces pop up here and there and we get hooked on thinking they'd be the culprit, without spoiling anything I'd like to add that the movie does the job fairly well. But of course you are not here to watch a perfect thriller, you are here for the same awkward, goofy moments and NSFW fun from the original and you get that served in plenty.

Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum once again shines through as the undercover duo and a lot of bromance is to be found here. They still carries on their terrific chemistry from 21 Jump Street and keeps em coming till end. Even Ice Cube gets extended sequences here and a particular scene with him and Hill was particularly uproarious. On the downside though, I'd say Peter Stormare's screen time wasn't up to the mark, the same goes for the female leads which weren't as compelling as 21 Jump Streets'.

21 Jump Street was Pure Comic Gold, and 22 Jump Street is no different. While the first cracked me up, 22 Jump Street still managed to crack me up if not as much as the original. The comedy might not be as hard hitting as 21, many of the sequences may not work as much as the original but 22 Jump Street is still hilarious and if you loved 21 Jump Street you'll be right at home with this one. Wait for the credits to roll and I assure you, you wont repent the 5 minutes you've kept your pee in; just make sure you don't laugh too hard.

Marvel may have lined up their live action movies till 2019 and DC is still far far behind. Justice League is still a vague idea for them, of course Zack Snyder is helming Batman V Superman Dawn of Justice and the Trinity has been revealed but would it end in a JLA Movie? I have my fingers crossed. Although there is one thing that DC aces every time, the DC Universe Animated movies. Marvel's animated movies have lacked that essential oomph factor that DC nails in almost every animated movie. Yes of course most of DC's animated movies are based on DC Comics' original material, and some did have a few pitfalls here and there but you have to admit many of DC Animated movies are a sheer pleasure to watch, be it Superman Doomsday, Flashpoint Paradox or the recent The Dark Knight Returns adaptation…its all top notch adding to DCs wonderful soirée.

We did get a glimpse of things to come in Arkham Origins. What was thought to be a Suicide Squad game/DLC culminated in being a DC Animated movie, Batman Assault On Arkham is the latest offering from DCU Animated and for once DC has focused on the antagonists of Gotham instead of the Dark Knight himself. Assault on Arkham is based on Rocksteady's Arkham game franchise and its a pleasure to see the Suicide Squad organized by none other than Amanda Waller and going up against Batman for a secret mission deep inside Arkham. To make things smooth, the movie introduces the Suicide Squad members in slick intros and onto the thick of the plot. You are introduced to Harley Quinn, Deadshot, Killer Frost, Captain Boomerang, King Shark and Black Spider and it works well, initially, as a heist movie and from there on things go downhill of course. Where's the fun without some bloodshed and fireworks ain't it? Its fun to see these Gotham baddies dishing it against each other. While its not huge there's plenty of plot twists to keep you glued to your seats till end.

One thing I love about DC animated is that they never shy away from things. This is indeed a cartoon but its never intended for kids. Its embellished with with gut loads of violence, sex (no nudity) and adult humor, once again its not over-the-top but still makes it appealing for teens as well as adults. It does get pretty whacky towards the end and it also inclines on being a little predictable but hey this ain't competing for the Academy Awards, this ain't even trying to be a cult classic, its just good fun and the definiteness might as well be intentional.

Kevin Conroy once again steps in as Batman. Other voice overs by Neal McDonough as Floyd Lawton / Deadshot, C.C.H. Pounder as Amanda Waller, Greg Ellis as Captain Boomerang, Giancarlo Esposito as Black Spider, John DiMaggio as King Shark, Jennifer Hale as Killer Frost were all fairly done well. Call me crazy. but cant help fall in love with Harley voiced by Hynden Walch. The icing on the cake is definitely Troy Baker as The Joker. We did get a sample of his flawless portrayal as The Joker in Arkham Origins replacing Mark Hamill and he does an awe-inspiring job here as well. This guy is gonna make it big and I wouldn't be surprised if he lands up with a live action role soon. That familiar voice of Oswald Cobblepot / Penguin is also done by another veteran video game/DC voice over artist, Nolan North.

Assault on Arkham features locales which will be instantly familiar to those of you who's played the Arkham games. There are also tons of souvenirs/Easter Eggs from the movies as well as the games. Seeing one of the Joker masks from The Dark Knight did bring a smile to my face.

While its not as brilliant as The Dark Knight Returns, Batman Assault on Arkham is well written albeit with a few clichés here and there and IMHO its OK! Fluid animation compliments the great visuals and story and makes for another gem in the DC Universe Animated crown.

I am not familiar with a lot of Jonathan Glazer's work. The only one that I'd seen was Birth and frankly, at the time, I wasn't quite pleased with it. Like they say about wine, it might get better after a few viewings. But the thing about Birth was that it felt commercial and I found nothing in the movie that I could connect to. Coming to the movie in discussion here, Under The Skin packs almost everything I love and yes that initially included a Scarlett Johansson going full frontal. I wouldn't lie, I saw this movie after watching and being teased by the dozen bootleg clips and trailers that had come out prior to the movie. Call me a pervert but its not everyday you get to see Scarlett Johansson so. But on the contrary I was intrigued by the fact that this movie was raking in good reviews as well.

Unlike the usual Hollywood tropes, where aliens and explosions runs rampant, Under The Skin shouldn't be rushed into. Its off to an awfully slow start and you have to get drenched in the visuals however meaningless they seem. There is an apparent Cronenberg and Kubrick influence to be found here. The story is pretty much simple. Scarlett Johansson plays an alien in an astoundingly beautiful woman's body and she seduces men and harvests them for god knows what reasons. Its a fairly straightforward narrative. I'd been hearing a lot of people telling that they were trying figure out what it was all about, conversely I found it had the perfect mix of mystique and ambiguity to it which made it more meaningful to me. I didn't have to go 'why/what/when/how' watching it. All that you need was right there in the narrative. Of course post the initial perplexity of long silent shots, everything came right in place despite the baggage of unanswered questions left behind. Its got a lazy pacing but it keeps you guessing and never gets boring throughout its 1 hour 48 hours runtime. It also might be labeled pretentious and this is definitely not a movie for the casual audience. This is a movie for people with patience but for the impatient though, a full frontal Scarlett Johansson can be motivation enough.

Under The Skin is a very visual experience and its accompanied by some astounding cinematography. It has got bare minimum dialogs and that's where the visuals and score come to play. There were many a times where I stared, jaws agape at the visuals, letting the cold creep in through my toes. Had I to concise the soundtrack in a single word, it'd be bizarre. Mica Levi's positively terrifying score adhered close to the equally bizarre visuals. Once you watch the movie you won't be able to shake that haunting score from your head and believe me you WILL remember it. There were some scenes that displayed some genuine shock. The Beach scene in particular appalled me beyond limits.

And of course Scarlett Johansson with her gorgeous eyes and aphrodisiacal body is captivating enough and she does deliver one of her career-best performances here. I'd been wondering why Scarlet was chosen for the role and post-watching this, I knew exactly why. Glazer wanted someone insanely beautiful for the role, someone who could roam around Glasgow and pick guys up for real. He had to make sure the guys couldn't say NO to this ethereal beauty. I can't think of another actress than Scarlett Johansson who would suit the role. Of course there is the Marketing side to it as well, Scarlett Johansson hasn't ever gone full frontal before and Glazer had made sure that if the movie ain't for you, at least those scenes will turn enough heads. Furthermore it beats me how real men from Glasgow were cast in this movie and as a result it brings out the hard-to-miss rawness of it.

Under The Skin is an out of the world experience that begs to be seen attentively. Its hard to miss the undertones here as at its core, it all shows how it feels to be human. It's incredibly atmospheric, rather than being much about plot. I predict it will become a cult film, because it practically looks designed to be just that. Its almost two months since I'd seen the movie and it still haunts me to this day, there are only few movies that yearns me for multiple viewings, do so and it becomes much much more than just Scarlett Johansson in her birthday suit.

When I first saw the trailer for Rise of the Planet of the Apes, I remember posting a Facebook status: "Slap the word 'Rise' to a franchise and make a reboot out of it". Little did i know that it'd be one of my favorite movies of the year. The movie was a brilliant reboot for the franchise especially considering what Tim Burton had done to it way back in 2001. Rise Of Planet Of The Apes told the story of Caesar the Ape and how he started an Ape Revolution and the movie also ended setting up everything for a sequel.

Enter Dawn of The Planet of The Apes, and when you are done with pronouncing the overlong title, the movie picks up the story after a decade or so from the events of Rise of the Planet of the Apes, most of the human population had perished due to the Simian Flu and Caesar has started his own herd, his own family deep inside the woods. Going in for Dawn of The Planet of The Apes, I had no clue what was in store for me, the opening scene itself blew me away and I wouldn't want to spoil it for you. While Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes was for the most part commercial and pleasant, Dawn of The Planet of The Apes is definitely dark it gives out that grim feeling. The story is well crafted and leaves no room for a single speck of boredom. If you were someone like me, I am sure you would have tried to piece together a sense of story from the previews but believe me, the movie goes nothing like you've ever imagined, predictability takes a back seat and the movie throws at you, everything you've never expected.

Needless to say Caesar is once again the core of the story and it doesn't disappoint, not even a bit. The movie was about 130 minutes but it kept me on the edge of my seat, wanting more. Its well paced and you will never feel one scene out of place or unnecessary. Instead of dialog-ridden human sequences, I preferred the ape sequences more, of course it was a total pandemonium what with the apes screaming and making a ruckus but when Caesar's on screen there no possible way to get my eyes off it. Like many even I wanted Andy Serkis to win an Academy Award for Best Actor for playing Caesar in Rise of Planet of the Apes, such was power and perfection that he had brought underneath the layers of CG and you can see more of that here. If I had to give you one single reason to watch this movie other than Caesar, it would be his trusted right hand, Koba. Koba is insanely intimidating and could be considered one of the best anti protagonist in recent times. The humans, played by Jason Clarke, Keri Russel and Gary Oldman did their parts well. Jason Clarke did bring about a sense of empathy backed up by Keri Russell while Gary Oldman's character was a prisoner of his own tragedies from the past.The visuals have been beefed up to an extend where you'd think twice seeing an Ape, if its indeed CG or real. Its a huge leap from the first movie and there were scenes where I was truly dumbfounded. I know 5 years from now, there might be something more advanced and visually arresting than this, but when I was watching this at the big screen, all i could do was gape at WETA's visual wizardry that went into the movie. Michael Giacchino's score became that icing on that immensely appealing cake.

Having directed movies like Cloverfield and Let Me In, Matt Reeves skillful direction comes into play and makes Dawn of The Planet of The Apes a great watch. Had i to concise and compare Dawn of The Planet of The Apes, it would be with The Dark Knight, Rise of Planet of the Apes being Batman Begins of course. I know I went overboard here comparing it with the Dark Knight, but still it deserves to be compared with no less. Dawn of The Planet of The Apes is undoubtedly one of the best movies in recent times, I even felt it's a notch above X-Men Days of Future Past. I can assure you this'll be one of those movies that'll keep you glued to your seats. On a surface it looks like any good summer action blockbuster, but there's more to it that meets the eye just like the undertones of Rise of Planet Of The Apes. Dawn of The Planet of The Apes is not monkey business, well sorta, but its still a must watch and SHOULDN'T NOT BE MISSED.

I made the severe crime of watching this movie on an empty stomach. I should have known, after all the movie was basically food porn. Anyways back to business, Chef is a delicious comedy out this season and without much ado, I'd like to say that Chef is a great watch and anybody who loves food will definitely love this movie as well.

Chef is Jon Favreau's latest and he's directing, producing, acting and making loads of food. It an adult comedy that is both fun and deliciously tempting. I know I cant help myself talk without food but it is so. This ain't a laugh out loud comedy and instead of bouts of heavy laughter here and there, it promises more subtle chuckles adding up to make it more memorable. Jon Favreau plays Carl Casper, an egoistic chef who gets fired from the restaurant he works for, he sets about with his son and his colleague on a road trip to find what he was really meant to do. It's a roadtrip movie, its a family drama and has some good father son bonding. The way he slices, dices and seasons, its just so tempting. As soon as the movie was over I headed over to the nearest restaurant with a boatload of drool in my mouth.

Jon Favreau is obviously a skilled director having scribed the brilliant indie flick, Swingers and then moved onto shape the the Marvel universe with Iron Man that shot him to the top among all the AAA directors. But then Iron Man 2 happened which wasn't all that bad but still lacked something very integral, followed by the piteous Cowboys Vs Aliens, the less said about it, the better. With Chef, he's back to his indie roots and packs that essential Favreau tone. Social networking plays a major role Chef and it stands to be a good marketing lesson as well.

Chef's also got a terrific cast which screams for an applause. As for Favreau himself, this is by far his best performance. Up until now we have seen his short goofy roles in the movies he's played in and for the first time hes in a legitimately good role having layers of different nuances in his character. John Leguizamo was pleasant and was a good supporting actor who the landed the role of Carl's friend and colleague. All the characters are lovable, especially the kid who played Carl's son. Sofia Vergara isn't the usual self that we are all familiar in Modern Family, she is more poised and refined here. Throughout the movies he's made, Favreau has made loads of friends and most of those friends makes a cameo in Chef. From the oh-so-gorgeous Scarlett Johansson to Iron Man himself.

Chef isn't without its flaws though. Its an R Rated comedy with loads of abuses spewed, so even if it handles a family drama and father- son story well its not recommended for viewing with a younger audience. And it does get a tad bit boring when there ain't no cooking happening on screen. Its also long and could have used a good amount of editing. But count these out, you've got a well made entertaining movie.

Chef marks Favreau's departure from comicbook movies and poorly made action flicks and back to good indies which makes for a great feel good comedy with loads of loads food. Believe me its gonna make you drool watching all the delicious food being made, so Don't make the same mistake that I'd made. This particularly stands out like the gem among the mediocre big budget flicks thrown at you this season.

With the Drishyam wave slowly fading, there definitely comes a niche that needs to be filled in. I tried my luck with 7th Day and One By Two but was sorely disappointed. Moreover I have been longing for a feel good Malayalam movie ever since 2012. The last one I'd cherished so much was Ustad Hotel and the same guys have come up with a movie that deserves much more than an applause.

Bangalore Days from director and scribe Anjali Menon and produced by Ustad Hotel's Anwar Rasheed could be considered an epitome for 'feel good'. Packed with so much energy and heart, Bangalore Days tells the story of 3 cousins whom, under circumstances, comes to Bangalore with dreams, big, and discovers the wonders of life the city holds for them. Like any Bangalore based Malayali I could instantly relate to the characters and that itself makes it a success. Whether it be a marketing ploy aimed at the large Malayali crowd here or the genuine intention to weave a good story in a this great city, it definitely works. Taking turns in effectively telling the intertwined stories of the characters, Bangalore Days assures a pleasant watch. It has everything going for it. AAA contemporary actors, well written characters, awe inspiring cinematography, good music a well paced narrative and chuckloads of humour. Not to mention the ton of Bangalore souvenirs thrown at you in almost every frame. From Nandi Hills and MG Road, to Namma Metro and Kormangala, its all there and any Malayali who's been in Bangalore for an ample time will feel right at home.

The stellar cast is handled with so much ease by Anjali Menon and it seems even they are having as much fun as the audience. Nivin Pauly, Nazriya Nazim and Dulquer Salman shares an even screen time bringing in their own stories. While Nivin Pauly's section promises chuckles aplenty, Nazriya and Fahad's story takes on a wedlock drama and finally Dulquer and Parvati's makes for a good romance. Fahad Fazil and Nazriya Nazim plays a married couple and its good to see the the soon-to-be-hitched couple create some great chemistry on screen. Nivin still proves that he's good at playing your average guy next door and also handles comedy well. Of all the cast, I felt Dulquer Salman was still playing the same character from every other movie he's played in. Agreed, this guy has got potential as evident from Ustad Hotel yet it feels he's not given a bit of challenge in his roles. Parvati, fresh after her brilliant role in Maryan, blew me away. Commendable performances also comes from Kalpana and Vijayaraghavan (for that letter sequence, it had me in splits like most of the other elders among the audience who were trying hard to make a straight face throughout the sequence) I loved the humour in the movie, I forgot the last time I'd laughed so hard watching a Malayalam movie. Nods to the blockbusters of the yesteryear also made for a fun addition.

Gopi Sundar's score once again brings in a refreshing feel. Songs like Thudakkam Mangalyam kicks in the festive mood and other songs are all remarkably good to the ear, hope to see it all soon in Gopi's Sound Cloud channel. My one single qualm was the use of a heavily modified Requiem For a Dream score (original composition by Clint Mansell) amidst some Dulquer scenes. I mean why? Gopi Sunder has proved himself to be a skilled composer, then why the plagiarism? It'd most likely be passed off with an 'inspired from' but still "WHY?". Sameer Thahir's cinematography will make you fall in love with the city. Colors seeps in from every other frame and it all made for a visually rich experience.

Bangalore Days works a bit like An American Dream, while in real life most of the Malayalis would be stuck in cubicles, this is what they'd really dream of. Yes, it still feels a bit too glorified for an average Bangalore Malayali yet it still feels good. 10 years from now, I'd watch this again for a whiff of sweet sweet sweet nostalgia. I just can't recommend this enough. Kudos to Anjali Menon and the cast for making it a beautiful affair.

Robert Rodriguez's Sin City was one of my favorite movies at the time (2005) and still remains so. The first thing that comes into my mind when I think of it is "SLICK", its smooth and a pleasure to look at and at its core its the brilliant graphic novel by Frank Miller. Rodriguez used the graphics novel panels for the storyboards and it works like a charm. Frank Miller's graphic novel in itself is a piece of fine art and its movie counterpart, a commendable and striking neo-noir visual extravaganza that told its story through gritty visuals, a ton of monologues, sex and violence, extraordinaire. I was hooked the instant I'd seen the Sin City preview with The Servant's Cells track, on many levels it was one of the best trailers I'd ever seen.

Cut to 2014 and we realize it has taken about a decade for the Sin City sequel and the anticipation was definitely high. While Sin City was based on the 6th book in the series, Booze, Broads & Bullets, A Dame to Kill For was based on A Dame To Kill For along with two original stories written exclusively for the movie by Frank Miller. I myself am a die hard fan of the graphic novels and I still remember avariciously reading through the books relishing each frame.

Sin City was built on its arresting visual style, a great monochrome palette with colors red, yellow, blue that contrasts against it and a great story to boot. A Dame to Kill For follows suit but with a weak script it tries desperately to entertain you and fails. Even with the same visual wizardry A Dame to Kill For quickly falls flat because the novelty wears off a few minutes into the movie. I was rather excited when the titles rolled in, panels and characters from the graphic novel animated in 3D, wow, that was a sight for sore eyes. Yes at times the movie looks stunning, like it'd just pounced from Miller's acclaimed comic panels but it only proves that only visuals cant make a good movie.

And talk about the stories itself, the adapted material stands out and the originals comes off as the weak point here especially the last sequence, Nancy's Last Dance. I wouldn't complain had it been Jessica Alba gyrating throughout the sequence but unfortunately the section is the weakest and acted as a filler. The movie starts with Just Another Saturday Night, stars Marv and he's his usual bad-ass self here. The Long Bad Night, another original tells the story of Johnny, a gambler who goes against none other than Senator Roarke. A Dame to Kill For moves in typical Sin City fashion re-introducing Dwight and keeps you intrigued a bit until it drags us till its end.

The performances were decent enough with Joseph Gordon Levitt and Mickey Rourke taking a front seat. Josh Brolin replaces Clive Own as Dwight and does a good job. Eva Green plays the Dame in question and she does what she does best. No not showing her assets off. Well, that and she kinda reprises the same role from 300 Rise of an Empire. Powers Booth plays the villain in most of story lines yet he didn't seem as intimidating as the antagonists in the first movie. Jessica Alba, yea she's there too (read "meh"). There were cameos aplenty, with Bruce Willis, Ray Liota, Rosario Dawson and Jamie Chung. Oh btw, thank the ever wonderful Indian Censor-board to chop off around 20 minutes due to nudity. I wouldn't have bothered with nudity, the thing is those 10- 20 minutes also had trivial plot- points without which the story felt bland. After all what's a Sin City movie without sex, drugs and violence?

I am disappointed as this much awaited sequel doesn't even come close to the original. Sin City will be remembered as one of the best graphic novel adaptations by Rodiguez/Miller/Tarantino. A Dame to Kill For on the other hand will be forgotten in a couple of days. Watch it for the visuals had you not watched the first, then again, watch Sin City on Blu-ray and forget that a sequel had ever been released.