Gulf News, Hindustan Times, Firstpost, Deccan Chronicle
Reviewing since 2015 · Last review Apr 2018
Films
Scoring fingerprint
8 scored reviews · 0–10
AP rarely scores films: 8 of 32 reviews carry a score.
From the archive
But it is often thrillingly shape-shifting: a gloriously unwieldy spectacle that fuses monster movie and science fiction into a blistering and bonkers saga of otherness — human and otherwise. Yet 'Hope' clears out for a sensational, open-road, wide-expanse chase scene that's one of the most exhilarating and ludicrous sequence of the year.
Full review ↗TRM 6.3+1.2
"Clayface" is a surprisingly good revenge thriller-romance, body-horror origin story for a lesser-known villain from the Batman comics. We may not have asked for it, but it's a crowd-pleaser, mimicking its title character's ability to be a little something for everyone.
Full review ↗TRM 6.5+1.0
"Practical Magic 2" abandons some of the original's best elements, including the campy fun that helped it find an unlikely second life. The sequel sacrifices some of that whimsy in favor of a more genuinely spooky undertone that doesn't quite fit.
Full review ↗TRM 5.0
"Greenland 2: Migration," a serviceable but rather low-key, even grim affair starring a sturdy, understandably melancholy Gerard Butler, would make anyone want to get the heck out of Greenland. The problem is, none of this is compellingly rendered, and is forgotten when convenient.
Full review ↗TRM 5.2
The fourth entry in an ever-more engrossing franchise is absolutely bonkers — and a triumph. It mixes dark, queasy disembowelment and laugh-out-loud humor in a way that both subverts the genre and leads a way out of it, too.
Full review ↗TRM 6.1
Sadly in "Mercy," in theaters Thursday, it's an ever-present reminder of just how much longer you must endure until you too are free of Chris Pratt, Rebecca Ferguson and that chair. Unfortunately for Raven, he woke up with some gaps in his memory between angrily busting into his home to confront his wife about something and being arrested and bludgeoned at a bar later that day. Like Raven, we're largely stuck in the chair watching things play out on multiple screens, acutely aware of just how much time is left.
Full review ↗TRM 4.3−0.5
As a B-movie with a couple of A-listers, "The Rip" will probably go down as a minor and flawed genre exercise. But even in their lesser efforts, the sincerity of Damon and Affleck's buddy routine remains winning.
Full review ↗TRM 5.5
Johnson, so recently in the jungle for Jumanji, remains a truly indefatigable movie star capable of carrying even the most half-baked of premises with colossal charisma. Rampage would surely sink a less sturdy action star, yet even here the wayward mishmash of monster-movie tropes only seem to ping off him like bullets deflected by Superman.
Full review ↗TRM 5.1
It might drift out of the memory just as easily as it drifted in, but there's a goofy likeability to Pacific Rim: Uprising, a primal thrill to be had, and a confident slickness behind it that means, despite a nearly two-hour running time, it doesn't outstay its welcome. DeKnight has already hinted that a cinematic universe could be on the way and given the wafer-thin structure of the plot, that seems like a mistake, so before the waters get muddied once again, switch off and enjoy.
Full review ↗TRM 4.5
Game Night isn't perfect, and an electric first hour gives way to a slow third act that's handicapped by the gimmick wearing thin and a too-earnest side plot about Max and Annie's shifting plans to have a kid. But it kind of redeems itself by the end with a series of twists and turns fitting of the absurd premise.
Full review ↗TRM 5.3
At the end of the day, representation is a powerful force and more people need to see themselves in the content they spend their hard-earned money for. Hopefully, more studios and directors will grab onto the momentum that Black Panther will unquestionably create, and not let us wait another lifetime for a story like this.
Full review ↗TRM 7.7
The wrenching tale of a woman's love for a man and a man's love for his work. A dry, comic study of the asymmetries and conflicts at the heart of a marriage. A refined gothic nightmare in the manner of Henry James. A perverse psychological fable of unchecked ego and unhinged desire. That's a partial catalogue, and one that can't quite capture how bizarre this movie is. Or how bizarrely true to life — to art, to love, to itself — it feels.
Full review ↗TRM 7.6
The old equation of man-plus-locomotive has been a dependable one for the movies since Buster Keaton rode the rails in The General. (See also: Burt Lancaster in The Train, and Denzel Washington in Unstoppable.) The Commuter isn't in that class, but there are worse tickets to punch, especially in January. Such a woeful time of year for new releases warrants repeating the old warning: If you see something, say something.
Full review ↗TRM 4.9
Where the previous films painted the Bellas as scrappy underdogs, here they're kind of sad sacks who can't cope with adult life. That's a real challenge for anyone after college, but fans of the Bellas know they have their friendship to fall back on. In the Pitch Perfect world, that's what a cappella competitions are all about.
Full review ↗TRM 4.5
If there's an eleven-o'clock number, it's got to be This Is Me, ably sung by Broadway belter Keala Settle, a motivational anthem that seems meant to stop the show but sounds too familiar to really stir the spirits. "I'm gonna send a flood, gonna drown them out," the bearded lady sings, and alas, it's an apt description of what this movie seems to be doing: Drowning us in pizazz and feel-good emotion, but not making us think, or learn. In the end, not much is happening under that circus tent.
Full review ↗TRM 6.2
Ultimately, it may not be a fitting tribute vehicle to the late Robin Williams, but works as a fun watch if you're a huge Johnson or Hart fan.
Full review ↗TRM 5.7
The Last Jedi is not a film for the faint of heart. But courage, a sense of wonder, a resounding faith in the strength of love, and a healthy dose of hope will take you far.
Full review ↗TRM 7.6
Too much time is spent creating those stunning visuals as the majestic train embarks on its voyage from Istanbul, when that could be time spent on flushing out the medley of characters that jumped on board for the ride. That said, the experimental camerawork and the scenic itinerary at least offer some redeeming moments.
Full review ↗TRM 6.2−0.2
All of these characters, or nearly all of them, are given backstories, heralded by their names in intertitles, sympathetically letting us in to their private lives. (Not Julian though: he gets to be the bully, and that's it.) But there are no real ironies or complexities and Miranda's secret emotional journey is outrageously unlikely. It is a film with all the depth of a fridge magnet.
Full review ↗TRM 6.7
The film is blissfully free of any lazy romantic subplots (was anyone actually invested in Thor/Jane?), but unresolved tensions between characters are a welcome addition. In the meantime, some seriously cool battle scenes feature from start to finish, and the use of Led Zeppelin's militant Immigrant Song will have even the most unenthused of audience members rooting for the God of Thunder and his motley crew of unlikely heroes.
Full review ↗TRM 7.4
American Made, written by Gary Spinelli, has glossed up the story, of course. Seal's life wasn't nearly so shiny as it is as played by Cruise. But then again, whose is?
Full review ↗TRM 6.5
It looks so unrehearsed, so spontaneous.... just like the film where the characters probably existed long before the writer and director thought about them. We just didn't know or care.
Full review ↗TRM 5.3+2.7
...flaws aside, it is a darn good heist, and sure to leave you with a smile on your face. We should be glad Soderbergh is back, hopefully this time for good.
Full review ↗TRM 6.4
Kidnap is a solid and economical piece of filmmaking. It just goes to show: A big budget isn't necessary to make a big impression.
Full review ↗TRM 5.3
Theron doesn't so much as dominate Atomic Blonde as steadily subjugate every other soul in the film — and those in the audience — into her complete command. She is most definitely atomic, but I'd try to do better than calling her a blonde. Don't miss it
Full review ↗TRM 5.9
War for the Planet of the Apes is a riveting and surprisingly poignant epic that's a shade above the rest of the franchise dreck populating every multiplex in the country. It's as though director Matt Reeves, screenwriter Mark Bomback and the production actually put care and thought into what they were doing with their characters.
Full review ↗TRM 6.4
The truly breathtaking spectacle and technical achievements can make you feel like you too are on a vertical slope at 29,000 feet. But this awe-inspiring movie is also one that's laced with dread, little triumph and even less perspective as you wait, with a knotted stomach, for the disasters to manifest.
Full review ↗TRM 6.3
Yes, Shakespeare would have had a field day. And so does Hollywood, namely director Scott Cooper and a top-flight ensemble led by Johnny Depp in a performance that reminds us, after a string of uninspiring movies, why he's one of our most compelling actors. Yes, Depp is excellent. But the star attraction here? That's the stunning story itself.
Full review ↗TRM 6.3
Regardless of your taste for pulsing electronic music or actor Zac Efron, both are undeniably appealing in this feature debut from director and co-writer Max Joseph. Though the plot may be predictable, Joseph energizes his coming-of-age musical romance with creative animation, explosive dance scenes and a vibrant soundtrack that's like an entree to the EDM genre. And Efron brings such heart to the main character, he's easy to root for.
Full review ↗TRM 4.0
This disappointing comedy falls apart before it begins because no one would behave the way its characters do, and their ridiculous choices drive the action.
Full review ↗TRM 3.9−1.9
However many Terminators are unveiled, the mechanical heart and soul of the series will always be Arnold Schwarzenegger's T-800. He's the android version of earlier, cast-aside operating systems: a Game Boy with a gun. "I'm old, not obsolete," he says in "Genisys." And that, surprisingly, is the case. Schwarzenegger's return to his most iconic role provides much of the appeal of this otherwise purposeless redo.
Full review ↗TRM 4.7
What's most refreshing about "Inside Out" is its inversion of the standard prescriptions of big-budget animation: It's ultimately about the importance of embracing sadness. This, you may have noticed, isn't exactly the conventional moral one generally finds at the multiplex.
Full review ↗TRM 7.5
