Change Your Image
lethal_smile
Reviews
Benedetta (2021)
Verhoeven is brilliant
Paul Verhoeven is one of my favourite directors, this film proves why he is, I was hooked the time I started watching the film. Shame he hasn't done my films, all the little details in the films, set, extras, it actually takes you in that era, and he has dealt with the topic amazingly. Hats off !!
Verna (2017)
Women must rise and put an end to this inequality
05/12/17
I got home after a hectic day at work, I had been planning to watch this film since it was released, been asking my pakistani friends to go with me, some of them even haven't heard of it and mostly I get asked this question "is it Indian"? or "who's in it" and after my reply, the reply I get from them "oh" and then I would tell them it's from Shoman (Shoaib Mansoor) behind Khuda Ke Liye, Bol, man behind Alpha Bravo Charlie and Vital Signs. They were like OK, yeah can do it but again no one made proper planning but yesterday I told myself if that's the way it is then okay I will go by myself, Shoman don't make films that often and I haven't seen any of his previous films in the cinema.
I went to the theatre nearby Cineworld, under the impression it was Tuesday half price. I bought popcorn with a drink for £5 and hoping ticket would be £5-£6 but it was like £12 which I wasn't happy about. I walked into the screen, it was a small screen which I wasn't used to as last film I went to watch in cinemas was latest Kingsman: The golden circle and Dunkirk, there were Pakistani families women with head covered probably, young couples, elderly couples, one sikh and more families.
Film started with good music especially lyrics but again it's an art to make good music with a message in it, music I haven't heard before in any of Shoman's films before, I was pleasantly surprised as it was quality. I wouldn't go in to too much details about the film but first of all, this film is for women, as me being a feminist I have always believed in equality as growing up in Pakistan I did see this unfair treatment towards women everywhere, example is one of my best friend whenever I went to visit him, he wouldn't let me in to his house unless his sisters hide from me and this was very common among my other friends, but then later he would go out with me for "poondi" (checking out girls) on shopping mall, universities, college vans etc, This is the sad male attitude in the society, women aren't allowed to do anything but man can do whatever he likes. Most common phrase you get to hear is "he is a man, he can do it". Film is regarding serious issues I could hear some man constantly laughing in the cinema during some serious scenes when character of Mahira Khan made some strong statement, elderly lady sitting in the row infront of me kept on rolling her eyes, I think people are not liking this film as you can see the character rebelling against her husband, rebelling against her parents, woman talking about sex openly and it's heart aching truth all of it as I have seen it happening around, all of it. People don't want women to be independent it's including parents, brothers and husbands. They want to control them.
What annoys me the most and it's not just Asian problem this attitude is worldwide as living in England from a very long time I have had the opportunity to meet people from all different backgrounds but I want to make this clear "WOMEN'S BODY IS THEIR PROPERTY, WHAT THEY DO WITH IT, IT'S THEIR CHOICE" you are no one to judge or to tell them what to do with it whether you are brother, husband, partner, father etc.
I have great respect for Shoman because his films are always original and you can actually hear him talking through the characters, he does not copy Hollywood unlike 95 percent of bollywood films and Hollywood copies whole world, situation we have in Pakistan at the moment it is critical, it hasn't been this bad and it's time for people to wake up. Film is about general male attitude towards female and mafia political leaders.
Not just the story, this film is very well made. It doesn't has big cast as it did in Bol and Khuda Ke liye. I nearly fell asleep watching WARR (still was a good film) in first half but this film is nearly 2 and half hour long but there wasn't any dull moment. It is equally entertaining. I have seen a lot of Pakistani films since Khuda Ke Liye, films are not like they used to be before bad acting, same story in every film, and poorly directed still there are some bollywood inspired films which aren't for me if you are typical stereotypical Asian male who thinks women are an object and they should be listening to men then don't go bother watching it but if you want to change the attitude then go watch it. If you are inspired by Bollywood and want to watch some "commercial film" then it's not your cup of tea, go and watch some film with Raj and Rahul.
I don't go to cinema that much as it's so pricey if I go I check the reviews first, I read a review first on some website called "Review it Pk or something" from some lady called Fatima ranting about it's a sad film, not commercial and etc etc. Genre is drama so it won't be comedy and what is commercial because there is no non sense dancing in the film. Don't listen to it, go watch it with an open mind and decide it yourself. I paid £12 for the ticket last night and I would say it worth every single penny. Shoman is without any doubt the best director in South Asia and for the record I am a man.
Grave (2016)
Dull bizarre film
I saw the ad on my Facebook about this film, watched it last night with high expectations as on IMDb this movie has 7.1/10 rating which is considered to be very good for a horror film and most of the times I do agree with the ratings here and France have produced some quality horror films e.g Martyrs, Livid, High Tension, Inside, Frontiers but this film has let me down with the ratings especially.
Making a good film is an art, otherwise any Tom Dick and Harry will pick up the camera and will go and direct a film. You need to keep the film interesting and entertaining. I do not mind weird films but this film was just very dull, boring story if I put it in one word garbage. I would rather spend my 1 hour 39 minutes looking at the wall just above my telly rather than watch this absolute crap. Feel sorry for people who would have gone to cinema and actually spent any money.
Alien: Covenant (2017)
Disappointed
I was impressed by Prometheus as personally I always had this theory that there could be some super intelligent species out there who could have created us (not man made religions) if we think about how big the universe is, we could be a tiny spec of dust in a big desert. Anyways this movie was entertaining but it was like any other Alien sequel. I had higher expectations since Ridley Scott was directing it and headlines of the films were all questions left in Prometheus will be answered in this one. Yes they were but poorly done I wish Ridley Scott start working bit harder or soon he will be forgotten as recently his direction is below average. That's the difference between a good director and an average director, good directors don't direct until they have a solid script and story, disappointed.
Student of the Year (2012)
Bad Bad Badddd !!!
This film I watched after watching "Ae dil ha mushkil" being optimistic.
This film was bad, to start with apart from the building of the college from outside, everything you could tell it's a film set, student reminiscing made me cringe, bad acting, bad clichéd unrealistic story, bad direction. I was bored from the beginning hoping it may get interesting but nope it got more awful and worse.
I wish I haven't wasted my time on this film.
Love (2015)
Love from Gaspar Noe's point of view
Gaspar Noe at his best. I love this film, watched it twice. It takes a lot to make me watch a film twice especially a new released. It's an arty and very well made film about love. It's not always rainbows and butterflies. What I love about Gaspar Noe is he takes risks and experiment with the films. Most of his films are controversial then people start liking it as no one likes a change in the beginning and I love creativity. This film has a very simple plot, simply made with simple acting if you want to watch it expecting some unrealistic cheesy rom com Hollywood commercial film because name of the film is LOVE then this is not for you. Reading people reviews here, repetition of the word "PORN" because of unsimulated sex scenes and a lot of sex scenes. There is a good story to the film and the sex scenes compliments with it. I have always been in favour of unsimulated sex as it is one of natural act which every adult goes through. It's about time when people should watch sex scenes without feeling uncomfortable and without the idea that every time you watch unsimulated sex scene you have to play with yourself. I just find it ridiculous, it is just a natural act. Get over it and fix your brain. If people feel uncomfortable with that do some research before you go and watch a film if unsimulated sex makes you feel uncomfortable why did you go on the first place to watch it?
A great film !! must watch !!
Befikre (2016)
Unfair IMDb user reviews
I just watched this film last night. Aditya Chopra is one of the best Indian directors. I checked the user reviews here first and I was kind of put off to be honest but I watched "Ae Dil ha Mushkil" mainly because of Fawad Khan and also because it was directed by Karan Johar which was a great entertaining well made film I thoroughly enjoyed it but again people haven't been fair with the reviews then I watched "Dear Zindagi" and "Tamasha". "Dear Zindagi" has 8.1/10 of user reviews and "Tamasha" has 7/10. Both films badly directed, boring story and bad jokes. Overall boring films. I wouldn't go to cinema to watch those films.
People wrote things like "A lot of kissing", "Nudity", "Cliche". There is not a lot of kissing and if a swimsuit or seeing someone in under garments is a nudity then yes a lot of nudity. Falling in love is a cliché, why do you do then? People kiss and make love. Get over it if you don't do this. This film is set in Paris, about Indian guy and an Indian Parisian girl so it is Europe, not India. People live together in Europe before they get "married" to get to know each other more as marriage is a big decision.
This film is obviously a high budget film but it is well directed and I am not a big fan of Indian musical films but I must say it is one of the best dance choreography I have seen in Indian films. Great music, it is musical but good music. It is an entertaining film with good acting, set in beautiful romantic Paris. I started watching like 11 pm and I had to get up for work at 6:45 am next day. I was thinking before if it turns out to be boring I would either not finish it or I will watch half of it and leave it other half for next day but I couldn't stop watching until it finished. One of the strong feature of the film is dance choreography both lead actors have performed well.
It is not the best Indian film made but this film is definitely worth watching and entertaining. Watch it with an open mind, don't relate it to your life as like I said it is set in Europe and it is about Indian born Parisian girl if it relates to your life then bingo. I normally agree with IMDb reviews for most of the films but I am bit unsure about Indian films now. You watch it yourself and make up your own mind.
Mary and Max. (2009)
One of the best animation made
This Aussie animation is one of the best animation made. It has humour, drama and a message. After I watched this I started looking for more films directed by Adam Elliot but unfortunately, he hasn't directed anything else apart from some short films which were funny too.
I love dark animation with adult humour and sadly there are not many out there. People do admire it, example is Family Guy but we need variety, different humour and this film delivers that. Hopefully Mr Elliot is working on a new project and there will be another animation to come as this film is far by one of my most favourite animation of all time as it makes you laugh most of the time, makes you cry and most importantly makes you think. Highly recommended !!
Nine 1/2 Weeks (1986)
Best love stories don't have happy endings
If people calling this film a porn than 50 shades of grey is what? There is hardly any nudity in the film. Yes there are sex scenes and we all do have sex. Sex is a part of our life. Why people just jump and start labelling "porn" if any film has number of sex scenes. This film is classy, arty, stylish, romantic, sexy and have a deeper meaning. The way Mr Lyne has directed the film I know Kim Basinger went through a lot but if she didn't, this film wouldn't be this good and chemistry between those actors wouldn't be this superb. This film has been my all time favourite. I have always been open about sex as I am not shy to say I enjoy it a lot, open about it and like to explore and I am sure a lot of people do and there is nothing wrong in admitting it, it's one of the joy which life has given you, enjoy it until you are able to. I believe in films these days, sex should be exposed more than it is now without being labelled "porn" and censorship system should change too which restricts the directors and producers and limits the audience and limits the promotion. That's why I am a big fan of European cinema than American as they have more tolerance and I have great respect for directors like Lars Von Trier, Gaspar Noe and Paul Verhoeven.
This film is way better than that boring 50 shades which has the exact story but wait which film or book was released first? no no actually which book is based on a true story (do your own research on that).
This film is a true masterpiece but if your sexlife has always been limited to the bedroom then this film is not for you.
My Name Is Khan (2010)
Rain Man meets I am Sam meets Forrest Gump
There was one time I was a big fan of Shah Rukh Khan which was when I was like 12 and when I didn't have exposure to other cinema but then I unplugged myself and started watching films from around the world (not just Hollywood as many are bad as well) then I realised definitely he is over rated. He is a good actor but definitely not the best in the industry. There are so many better actors from indie side and Amir Khan definitely better than most of commercial actors at the moment and definitely better than Shah Rukh. His acting is the same in every film, his looks are same in every film, his humour is the same in every film even if you watch Hollywood you will notice even he copies actors mainly Hollywood actors and bollywood (Amitabh) his voice, Amitabh started doing this deep voice from that film Agneepath (copying Al Pacino from Scarface) that's how bollywood industry is. Rather watching this film I would suggest watch Rain Man Oscar winning performance from Dustin Hoffman then you will realise how original so called "King of Bollywood" is. Story is not original, jokes are not original, acting is not original, overall a let down.
Tamasha (2015)
"Before sunrise " "Before sunset" non sense version
I don't understand why Indian film industry don't have good writers. They make big budget films comparison to world cinema and what budget it used to be and now where they are. Instead of paying to big actors and using latest cameras and special effects. I would say pay bit more to a writer and get some original scripts and story or invest in writers and promote writing as Indian industry need that badly as 95 percent of films are copy of something if not Hollywood then French, Korean, Spanish etc. I was literally yawning and bored through out apart from watching beautiful Corsica that was the only good thing about the film "the island" otherwise silly unrealistic story with over acting and jokes trying too hard with references to old films. Bad acting, bad direction, awful jokes and awful story line. After watching "Ae dil ha mushkil" and "Kapoor and Sons" I started to think they started making good films again but nope. It is definitely over rated on here, don't deserve a 7.
Bol (2011)
Master piece !!
Shoaib Mansoor has never let us down, man behind first boyband, has made some finest comedies, dramas even documentary, he has made stars. He writes (not just the script and story, even songs), directs, produces, multi talented. Man is a genius - I have a lot of respect for Shoaib Mansoor. Without exaggeration, he is one of the best directors in the world. It's coming from a guy who loves films and not just limited to one cinema I mean all films around the world. What I love about film is something original and this film delivers, he has touched the side which people are afraid to talk about and this all happens sadly. Women are oppressed in the name of religion if a boy is born parents are more happy, all this inequality does exist unfortunately. This film does prove that women don't need men to be strong and yes it's coming from a man. I salute Shoaib Mansoor for his work and his courage. One of the finest film ever made. Keep up the good work, Sir.
Ae Dil Hai Mushkil (2016)
Not for narrow minded, stereo type people
I love films and I watch films from all around the world - French, Japanese, Korean, Iranian, Spanish, British, American etc.
When you go and watch a film please watch with an open mind, don't relate it to your life. Karan Johar has a certain style which does come across his films. I haven't seen all of his films apart from Kuch Kuch Hota hai, Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Ghem which were both well made films though if I had to rate those films I would rate 7-8/10. All others films I was bit disappointed but this film collaboration of Indian and Pakistani actors, story, acting, humour were up to the mark. I have read some reviews people comparing and saying "He is Hollywood Wannabe" 90 percent of Indian films are a copy of some Hollywood film, many of them are literally same setting, same scenes, same acting only badly done. I wouldn't say this film was entirely original but least it wasn't entirely a copy. It was funny, glamorous, heart breaking. Overall a very strong film. I was going to rate it 9 but people being unfair rating it 1-2. I am going to rate this film a 10.
Waar (2013)
Taking Pakistani film industry to another level .. Brave attempt
I love films and I love films from everywhere Korean, Japanese, f French, Iranian as long it's a good film with good story. I am not limited to any genre either. I haven't been a big fan of Bollywood as mainly they are all musical with bad dance choreography, non sense songs and stories are not original. When I went to watch this film I was bit skeptical but after I watched Shoman's Khuda ke liye and wanted to watch Bol in the cinema but shame both were never released anywhere close to where I lived that time. On top, I think cinema tickets are just pricey now, going to cinema paying £10-£11 if you get popcorn and drink it adds up on top of that and if you have some annoying crowd there, some ill mannered teenagers or some bad parents who can't control their kids then your money is wasted and cinema cannot give you comforts of home so I only go to cinema once I am sure it is a great film, not good - Great. This film delivers.
I dragged my partner who's non Pakistani with me to watch the film, I would have given this film solid 7-8 for overall - 5/10 for 1st half as it was bit dull and 5-10 minute scene where Ali Azmet is taking a shower was bit ridiculous and I would give 9 /10 for other half. I think major let down was CGI effects, some of them were brilliant some of them weren't at all and funny enough bad ones were small scenes like the scene where people from special forces doing checks on people profile's on their computer, looked bit fake or when Shaan has a nightmare where his wife and kid catches fire, fire looks fake completely. I know we don't have the resources same as Hollywood/Bollywood but if I make a film I know I can't give the quality I wouldn't use it. Other let down was no subtitles, they did not release the film anywhere in subtitles though the most of film was in English but many scenes were in Urdu. I think if you are releasing a film abroad you should release it in subtitles and especially if most of film is in English, did not make much sense to me but despite of all these, it was a brilliant film, making action film is not a walk in the park it's brave taking on a project like that, this also proves you can make a great film without any stupid songs and because it was his Bilal's first film. I have given 9/10.
Maalik (2016)
Putting a ban on this film makes it great
I was going to rate this film 7.5-8 based on direction and story as story is not entirely original, we have seen many films from other countries in the past where one hero rises and raise a voice against the corrupt leader and brings justice in unlawful way but still story telling and his direction is unique but some action scenes could have done better or there was no need to jump and shoot, you don't need that but considering Aashir's film directorial debut I will say it's a well made film still it wouldn't get a 10.
The reason I gave it a 10 is that it has been banned by the government, people are literally fed up seeing corruption everywhere, rich is getting richer who is getting away with anything and poor is getting poorer, being abused, no justice for them. One scene in the film where this rich family kids abuse this Pachto maid who works for them as she can't understand English the word "MILK" made me feel sick as growing up there I have seen this how we treat our maids and servants there which is inhumane absolutely no need for it, sadly I have done it myself when I lived there and I was young which I regret but why rich is getting richer and poor is getting poorer. Why? open mafia political system in the country, so called democracy, one political mafia family (Bhuttos) from Sindh takes over then next turn is other family (Nawaz) which is from Punjab they take over both come and rob the country as much as they could in mafia style, starting with rigged elections as it is a poor country majority of population is poor, small percentage is rich. One vote all it cost is one time good meal, get them chicken korma they will be over the moon instead of their daily daal (lentils) or some vegetables and yes that poor person will give you the vote. Government begs money from US and UK, take billions of loan and it goes all in the family's pocket.
Conclusion: This film shows a small part of corruption in our society, yes I am saying small as our country is so infested with corruption that it makes it a small part. This film's a cliché but this is all happening, it's all true, this country is going back and back as most of countries are moving forward but it is going backward, people are turned against each other based on stupid reasons like cast, religion so corrupt people can divide and rule. People need to wake up. I am glad there are movies made on real issues thanks to Shoman who started it all. I watched this film on YOUTUBE I wish I would have gone to cinema to watch it if it is released in the UK I would go just to show my support, it is one of finest film made in Pakistan. I would definitely recommend to watch it.