In the end it’s neither thrilling nor stirring. Just a wasted opportunity.

This is that rare sequel that does’t just deliver more of what worked the last time, but forges ahead with brave new ideas.

Pahuja communicates how two kinds of women blindly seek empowerment in their own ways. And yet, they are waylaid by a feudal system. ‘The World Before Her’ is a powerful documentary and I strongly recommend that you see it – this is the kind of cinema that will leave you shaken and stirred.

Despite borrowing bits and bobs from many films including Moon director Duncan Jones’ grossly underrated Source Code, Liman still succeeds in delivering a film that skillfully melds a high-concept premise with thrilling action and even spurts of unexpected black humor. For a film about repetition, it never feels tired.

‘Filmistaan’ works best as a movie about the magic of movies. It’s a celebration of India’s song-and-dance film culture and heightened emotions… one that unites fans in their shared love for this unique art-form. For its sheer inventiveness and for some terrific comic moments, this film is worth a watch.

Akshay Kumar livens up the proceedings now and then, but a lot of it is just thookpatti in this Thuppaki remake.

That this film is still not as awful as most typical Akshay Kumar starrers, despite several such harebrained sequences, is to the credit of director AR Murgadoss, who doesn’t let something as insignificant as common sense come in the way of telling a convenient story. In Holiday, Murgadoss remakes his own Tamil hit Thuppaki and he doesn’t tinker with the blueprint at all.

If you have the stomach for it, this is pretty good fun.

Where ‘Citylights’ succeeds is in telling the story of ordinary people living below the poverty line people we seldom cast a second glance at people who sometimes have to resort to desperate measures just so they can keep their children alive. It’s a good film, but not without its flaws.

When the lights come back on in the end, it’s unlikely that much will stay with you, apart from Jolie’s scorching presence. She deserved better, and so did we.

In the end, Singer succeeds in infusing a kind of popcorn blockbuster quality to a drama rich in emotion. Blessed with a solid cast, he gives us characters we actually care for.