TheReviewMonk
AK

Aakash Karkare

Scroll.in

12Reviews
1Publication
A Quiet Place

A Quiet Place

2018 · Scroll.in · Apr 2018

Most of the film is silent, and the sound design accentuates every creak, whimper and breath. However, the melodramatic touches in the scenes depicting the relationship between the parents and the children prove to be jarring in an otherwise restrained and minimal narrative. Whenever an attempt is made to gaze deeper and uncover family secrets, the gaps in logic quickly become apparent.

Berlin Syndrome

Berlin Syndrome

2017 · Scroll.in · Jul 2017

What really works for Berlin Syndrome is Shortland's ability to create atmosphere and her untypical handling of a familiar situation. The creepy tone is immersive and doesn't allow audiences to ever feel truly comfortable, like a good horror story should.

John Wick: Chapter 2

John Wick: Chapter 2

2017 · Scroll.in · Feb 2017

...is a delirious ride. Fingers snap, bones crunch and the body count keeps ticking as Keanu Reeves gets to work.

The Founder

The Founder

2017 · Scroll.in · Jan 2017

The minutiae of the fast food business is explained and then extolled. At times, the film resembles a deftly made piece of advertising, with an end scroll helpfully telling audiences that McDonald's feeds 1% of the world's population every day. The resemblance to a corporate video becomes complete when actual footage from the McDonald's archives is used to depict the corporation's global march.

Passengers

Passengers

2017 · Scroll.in · Jan 2017

'Passengers' is an enjoyable sci-fi yarn but a creepy romance The chemistry between Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence helps dilute the sinister overtones in Morten Tydlum's movie.

Rogue One

Rogue One

2016 · Scroll.in · Dec 2016

With little new material to explore after eight films, the journey to the end point has become less and less interesting.

La La Land

La La Land

2016 · Scroll.in · Dec 2016

Chazelle directs the film with the movie-geek obsession of Quentin Tarantino and things could have easily gone wrong with an over reliance on callbacks to those classic films. But he is able to maintain enough distance from his influences to infuse the story with touches of realism that ground it while at the same time maintaining a sense of playful whimsy that made its forebears so successful.

Moana

Moana

2016 · Scroll.in · Dec 2016

'Moana' is Disney with a difference...The directors behind 'Aladdin' and 'The Little Mermaid' explore Samoan culture for this musical adventure.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

2016 · Scroll.in · Nov 2016

There is enough escapist entertainment, from well-staged battle sequences and signature British wit to explorations of Scamander's never-ending suitcase (occasionally hampered by stodgy CGI), to make the film perfectly primed for the dreary times in which humanity finds itself.

Train to Busan

Train to Busan

2016 · Scroll.in · Oct 2016

Much of the film is a cat-and-mouse game between the zombies and the humans. The fight scenes lack the visceral punch that would make them interesting and the emotional moments are at times corny and overtly dramatic.

MSG: The Warrior Lion Heart

2016 · Scroll.in · Oct 2016

The religious leader seems to be able to churn out his propaganda films at an incredibly fast pace, much to the misfortune of the filmgoing public who are not his followers. A sequel, Lionheart 2, is in the works, which the end credits promise is coming soon to a cinema near you.