Rohan Naahar
Hindustan Times·Indian Express
Most Divergent Takes
- Daddy's Home 2 (2017)0.0 vs TRM 4.6-4.6
- Hellboy (2019)1.0 vs TRM 4.6-3.6
- Skiptrace (2016)1.0 vs TRM 4.6-3.6
- The Mummy (2017)1.0 vs TRM 4.5-3.5
- Blade Runner 2049 (2017)10.0 vs TRM 6.6+3.4
War Machine
2026 · Hindustan Times
This Brad Pitt performance is something else. In fact, it often overwhelms the film... War Machine is - bizarre, darkly funny, occasionally sharp - the sort of film in which characters don't quite know what to do with their hands, or their mouths.
The Gorge
2025 · Indian Express
The Gorge isn't as intelligent as a movie like this ought to be, though there's only so much that actors of Teller and Taylor-Joy's calibre can do, but after a point, you begin to wonder if Derrickson and writer Zach Dean have more to say beyond the obvious. What you're left with is a movie that is immensely enjoyable, but only in stops and starts.
The Idea of You
2024 · Indian Express
Anne Hathaway delivers a deceptively fine-tuned performance in Prime Video's steamy, seductive romantic drama. The Idea of You is an unexpectedly adult romantic drama featuring excellent central performances that more than make up for its shortcomings, with genuine sexual tension and mature conversations that elevate it beyond typical streaming romance fare.
The Substance
2024 · Indian Express
A gleefully grotesque satire of success, director Coralie Fargeat's English-language debut, The Substance, lives up to its title. But it has plenty of style to spare as well. It's the kind of film that requires courage from everybody involved, and the final act positively challenges you to keep your lunch in your stomach.
Road House
2024 · Indian Express
Prime Video's remake of the '80s cult hit isn't as trashy as the original, but it certainly isn't a knockout either. Road House doesn't come together as the sum of its well-oiled parts.
How to Have Sex
2023 · Indian Express
Director Molly Manning Walker's How to Have Sex hums with life. It's both dreamlike and dreadful, unfolding with a tenacity that few first-time filmmaker can conjure. By subverting teen movie tropes and spotlighting the very personal experience of one girl, How to Have Sex is able to make grand statements about the patriarchy, about gender, and about the teenage experience.
Joker
2019 · Hindustan Times · Oct 2019
Joker is a great film, not because of what it provides, but because of what it withholds. It's brave, beautiful, and bound to annoy some people. Expect Oscars.
The Lion King
2019 · Hindustan Times · Jul 2019
A monument to Hollywood excess; the greatest visual effects spectacle since Avatar...Disney's latest, big-budget remake is a narratively bankrupt, towering monument to Hollywood excess. It's also the greatest achievement in VFX since Avatar.
Toy Story 4
2019 · Hindustan Times · Jul 2019
Pixar's latest film, starring Tom Hanks and Tim Allen, is an anomaly -- a fourth entry in a franchise that has only produced masterpieces.
Spider-Man: Far From Home
2019 · Hindustan Times · Jul 2019
A passable postscript to Avengers Endgame, but a marvellous ode to Iron Man...Even in death, Robert Downey Jr's Tony Stark looms large in Tom Holland and Jake Gyllenhaal's a passable postscript to Avengers Endgame.
Men in Black: International
2019 · Hindustan Times · Jun 2019
Even Chris Hemsworth can't charm his way out of director F Gary Gray's unfunny, unmemorable and utterly unbearable sequel.
Dark Phoenix
2019 · Hindustan Times · Jun 2019
Sophie Turner stars in a lousy film that spits on the memory of the X-Men; dispassionately performed, ineptly scripted and gratingly scored.
Avengers: Endgame
2019 · Hindustan Times · Apr 2019
They're insisting that this is the end, but it's like Tony choosing pizza over cheeseburgers - we all know that's never going to happen. The more movies they keep making, the more they're going to dilute the impact of Endgame, But for fans who've been there from day one, it will be the satisfying conclusion they've been waiting for, and a love letter to the franchise they adore. The MCU, in this moment, has given us a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Cherish it. Hold it dear. Whatever it takes.
Us
2019 · Hindustan Times · Apr 2019
Oscar-winner Lupita Nyong'o delivers a stunning dual performance in Jordan Peele's groundbreaking follow-up to Get Out.
Hellboy
2019 · Hindustan Times · Apr 2019
An unmitigated disaster, may it rot in hell....Director Neil Marshall and star David Harbour take over from Guillermo del Toro and Ron Perlman, only to deliver an utter catastrophe.
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World
2019 · Hindustan Times · Mar 2019
As it stands, The Hidden World is a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy. It's likely, however, that in times of need in the future, Dreamworks might reboot the series for an entirely new generation of fans, forcing us to confront the bittersweet nature of franchise filmmaking. Like Hiccup, we will be forced to make difficult decisions - about moving on, yet never forgetting the past.
Bumblebee
2019 · Hindustan Times · Jan 2019
Travis Knight saves the Transformers series from the scrapyard with a heartfelt new adventure, starring Hailee Steinfeld.
Mary Poppins Returns
2019 · Hindustan Times · Jan 2019
A magical Emily Blunt reinvents the Disney classic for a new generation.
Aquaman
2018 · Hindustan Times · Dec 2018
Jason Momoa and Amber Heard star in the DCEU's best film since Wonder Woman. James Wan just saved a series from drowning.
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald
2018 · Hindustan Times · Nov 2018
JK Rowling's annoying streak of making irreparable changes to her Harry Potter series breaks all limits of decency.
First Man
2018 · Hindustan Times · Oct 2018
Ryan Gosling takes one giant leap towards an Oscar in Damien Chazelle's Neil Armstrong biopic...First Man movie review: Ryan Gosling and Damien Chazelle reunite after La La Land for one of the most thrilling films of the year. Expect Oscars from this Neil Armstrong biopic.
Venom
2018 · Hindustan Times · Oct 2018
Tom Hardy is the antidote poisonously dull Marvel rip-off...Tom Hardy delivers a bravura one-man show in this poisonously drab Spider-Man spin-off which pales in comparison to its Marvel counterparts.
Crazy Rich Asians
2018 · Hindustan Times · Oct 2018
Crazy Rich Asians' social victories far outweigh its creative accomplishments - it is, admittedly, a giant win for representation in a white male dominated industry - but it never lets you forget that with only a slight adjustment in tone, it could pass off as a feature length advertisement for Singapore tourism.
The Predator
2018 · Hindustan Times · Sep 2018
Director Shane Black's hyper-violent and jarringly comedic reboot of Arnold Schwarzenegger's '80s action classic feels stuck in the past.
Satyameva Jayate
2018 · Hindustan Times · Aug 2018
John Abraham and Manoj Bajpayee's film is a torturous, deeply irresponsible, phony and tone-deaf waste of time.
Karwaan
2018 · Hindustan Times · Aug 2018
By talking about the hardships of his life, and his unstoppable survival instinct, it is almost as if Shaukat is mocking death, taunting it for being a weak opponent. It is, of course, a cruel twist of fate that this line has taken on new meaning in light of recent events. But there's strength to be derived from Shaukat's words, and he'd be the first one to boast that they're almost poetic, wouldn't you say?
Mission: Impossible – Fallout
2018 · Hindustan Times · Jul 2018
Tom Cruise's latest film has some of the greatest action ever put on film, and a plot that every Indian can relate to.
Skyscraper
2018 · Hindustan Times · Jul 2018
It is also disappointingly derivative. It borrows the hubris of the Towering Inferno, the European villain from Die Hard, and the family in peril from Johnson's own Fast & Furious films.
Ant-Man and the Wasp
2018 · Hindustan Times · Jul 2018
Even the irresistible charm of Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly can't save Marvel's new film from being a let-down after Avengers Infinity War.
Isle of Dogs
2018 · Hindustan Times · Jul 2018
Director Wes Anderson's latest, despite featuring a talented voice cast that includes Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton and others doesn't have his usual bite.
Sicario: Day of the Soldado
2018 · Hindustan Times · Jul 2018
Director Stefano Sollima can't quite capture the brute magic of Denis Villeneuve's first film, but Benicio del Toro and Josh Brolin are on top form.
Hereditary
2018 · Hindustan Times · Jun 2018
...it isn't a watered down crowd-pleaser, it's an aggressively strange experience that wants to be the best version of itself for the few who will appreciate it.
Incredibles 2
2018 · Hindustan Times · Jun 2018
While it might not be as emotionally powerful as some of Pixar's best films, Brad Bird gives us a spectacular superhero alternative to the insane stakes of Avengers: Infinity War.
Lust Stories
2018 · Hindustan Times · Jun 2018
Through four short films, directed by four of the country's most prominent Hindi filmmakers, it presents the sort of unusual stories that feel fresh, yet familiar. It's almost like a sampling platter that you might find at a fancy restaurant, an unexpected marriage of contrasting styles and sensibilities, tones and textures that highlights the best (and worse) of what we have to offer.
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom
2018 · Hindustan Times · Jun 2018
Despite Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard's charms and director JA Bayona's horror-centric approach, Fallen Kingdom is the worst film in the series.
Solo: A Star Wars Story
2018 · Hindustan Times · May 2018
Ron Howard delivers a delightful origin story for one of Star Wars' most beloved characters; part gangster movie, part film noir, part western and a lot of fun.
Deadpool 2
2018 · Hindustan Times · May 2018
Ryan Reynolds' sequel is bigger, more violent, filthier and surprisingly, much better than the first film. It's a Marvel that they let him get away with this.
A Quiet Place
2018 · Hindustan Times · Apr 2018
John Krasinski's ingenious horror film is destined for greatness. It's also one of the best scary movies of the last decade. You will be haunted for days.
Ready Player One
2018 · Hindustan Times · Mar 2018
We invented the movies, and through them, we travelled to worlds both familiar and unknown. We escaped. It's what we do best. And Steven Spielberg knows where to take you.
The Strangers: Prey at Night
2018 · Hindustan Times · Mar 2018
This horror sequel is a throwback to the old-fashioned thrillers of the 1980s, but without the wit, scares or humour to warrant a recommendation.
Pacific Rim Uprising
2018 · Hindustan Times · Mar 2018
A brighter, louder and more dumbed down sequel to Guillermo del Toro's original. At the very least, it's better than the last couple of Transformers movies.
The Square
2018 · Hindustan Times · Mar 2018
Like his fellow Cannes winners, Thai maestro Apichatpong Weerasethakul and the great Turkish filmmaker Nuri Bilge Ceylan, Östlund is a champion of constructing long scenes that could work just as well as short films. He thrives on silences and discomfort, taking immense pleasure in throwing his characters in awkward situations and watching from a distance as they flail about trying to escape. Which is what Christian does in every scene of the film - from making idiotic attempts to retrieve his stolen phone to confusing even himself whether or not he's still relevant.
Tomb Raider
2018 · Hindustan Times · Mar 2018
It's too comfortable supplying the bare-minimum to an audience it knows wants nothing more than that. And perhaps that's fine. But that being said, it could so easily have been so much worse. Video game movies still have a long way to go, unfortunately. Tomb Raider is hardly the Wonder Woman it should have been, but there's hope yet.
Lady Bird
2018 · Hindustan Times · Mar 2018
With 3 Academy Award nods, Saoirse Ronan, 23, is one of the finest actors of her generation. Lady Bird, however, can't help but feel like the token nominee at the Oscars.
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
2018 · Hindustan Times · Feb 2018
Like his previous movies, Three Billboards strives for such a microscopic sweet spot tonally that the fact that it not only finds it, but sustains it for two hours, is miraculous. It not only aspires towards greatness, but confronts it, screams at it, and when it has everyone's attention, revels in it. It's a profane and profound masterpiece that will evolve into a time capsule of sorts, when things get better. Bring your children.
Hostiles
2018 · Hindustan Times · Feb 2018
Despite what it thinks about the world - there are several not-so-subtle comments made about Donald Trump's Red State America - Hostiles is a rewarding movie that deserves to be given a shot. It might not be as great as Bale's other Western, 3:10 to Yuma, but boy does it come close.
The Shape of Water
2018 · Hindustan Times · Feb 2018
It's a film only Guillermo del Toro could've made - full of injustice, but also, crucially, decency. It deserves each of its 13 Oscar nominations.
Black Panther
2018 · Hindustan Times · Feb 2018
Marvel's new film will be discussed for decades, groundbreaking in so many ways
Phantom Thread
2018 · Hindustan Times · Feb 2018
Daniel Day-Lewis's final film is strange and sadomasochistic, it's Freudian and bizarre. It is also director Paul Thomas Anderson's answer to Fifty Shades of Grey.
The 15:17 to Paris
2018 · Hindustan Times · Feb 2018
This over-reliance on dialogue means two things happen: There is a lot of talking, and almost all of the words spoken in this movie have the subtlety of an assault rifle. What makes this experience all the more aggravating is that there was no reason for Eastwood to do this. Presumably, his intentions, whatever they might be, would still have remained intact had he used professional actors, like he has, on numerous occasions in the past.
Den of Thieves
2018 · Hindustan Times · Feb 2018
It's the best Gerard Butler action movie since 300...
Maze Runner: The Death Cure
2018 · Hindustan Times · Feb 2018
The final movie in the young adult trilogy is neither as satisfying as Harry Potter nor as campy as Twilight, but for its fans, that shouldn't matter.
Darkest Hour
2018 · Hindustan Times · Jan 2018
Gary Oldman delivers one of the finest performances of his career in director Joe Wright's technically brilliant but narratively flawed companion piece to Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk.
The Commuter
2018 · Hindustan Times · Jan 2018
Without spoiling anything, I regret to inform you that as usual, the mystery was ruined for me based only on the casting. If you get the hint, then you understand what a pain this trend is, but if you don't, lucky you.
The Post
2018 · Hindustan Times · Jan 2018
These aren't necessarily the debates we're either willing or confident enough to have. But we must. To doubt, to challenge, to never settle - that's what The Post is about. Journalism has seen worse days, so there is no question that it will survive this worrisome phase in its undeterred story. We will not see it survive, but we can help make sure it stands a chance.
Downsizing
2018 · Hindustan Times · Jan 2018
Downsizing is the sort of movie that will only improve with age, when many of the concepts it imagines turn into reality. Right now, it's ahead of its time, understandably rejected by audiences (and in an unbelievable betrayal, also by the critics). They should pick on someone their own size.
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle
2017 · Hindustan Times · Dec 2017
...a fine holiday movie for undemanding families — the action is competently done, there's an emotional story for those looking for one, and The Rock is in top form. It could be worse, but it couldn't really have been better.
Borg Vs McEnroe
2017 · Hindustan Times · Dec 2017
The actual tennis looks convincing, an achievement that should go a long way with fans, who can easily be turned away by messy recreations of their favourite sport (I'm looking at you, Kirsten Dunst). But as a piece of filmmaking, we deserve better. As a sports film, we've seen better. The ball is now in Emma Stone and Steve Carell's court. Advantage, Battle of the Sexes.
Daddy's Home 2
2017 · Hindustan Times · Dec 2017
Starring two convicts (Mark Wahlberg, Mel Gibson), one tragically unfunny Will Ferrell, for zero stars. Categorically the worst film of the year.
Wonder
2017 · Hindustan Times · Nov 2017
It doesn't come close to Marvel's Avengers, but thanks to top work by Gal Gadot, Jason Momoa and Ben Affleck, it's certainly a more lighter film than Batman v Superman.
Murder on the Orient Express
2017 · Hindustan Times · Nov 2017
Broken souls are mended, old wounds are healed and order has been restored to the world; the Orient Express, is back on track. As the train finally arrives at its destination - thematically, and literally - Hercule Poirot is summoned to his next adventure. For our sake, let's hope we're invited for the ride.
Justice League
2017 · Hindustan Times · Nov 2017
It's the sum of all its predecessors' parts; as grand as Man of Steel, as murky as Batman v Superman, as messy as Suicide Squad, and as hopeful as Wonder Woman.
Geostorm
2017 · Hindustan Times · Oct 2017
It's dull, too earnest for its own good, and like Gerard Butler's 2016 gem Gods of Egypt, completely unaware of its own silliness. For God's sake, it's a movie in which a Scotsman, an Englishman and an Australian play Americans, an Irishman plays an Englishman, an Egyptian plays a Frenchman, and an American plays an Indian. Come. On.
Blade Runner 2049
2017 · Hindustan Times · Oct 2017
Blade Runner 2049 is bold, challenging cinema, an almost Biblical success; like Terence Malick's The Tree of Life, Martin Scorsese's Silence, and Nolan's Interstellar, it positively demands multiple viewings.
American Made
2017 · Hindustan Times · Sep 2017
Tom Cruise is at his charming best in this incredible real-life tale of greedy Americans confronting Pablo Escobar's Medellin Cartel. It's like Narcos meets Breaking Bad.
It
2017 · Hindustan Times · Sep 2017
Muschietti has made one of the best horror movies of the year. It's funny and warm and touching and frightening and profane and profound. It's a terrific set-up to what is going to be a restlessly-anticipated Chapter 2. It floats. You'll float too.
Kidnap
2017 · Hindustan Times · Sep 2017
At 85 minutes long, it doesn't really overstay its welcome, but it kinda invited itself anyway.
The Dark Tower
2017 · Hindustan Times · Aug 2017
One of the worst adaptations of Stephen King's works; even Matthew McConaughey and Idris Elba's talents aren't enough to save it from collapsing.
Annabelle: Creation
2017 · Hindustan Times · Aug 2017
While Annabelle: Creation is by no means a perfect film, and nor is Sandberg the best director currently working in the genre – he doesn't, for instance, have the sixth sense of a M Night Shyamalan or Fede Alvarez (Don't Breathe, represent) – he has made a film that's a vast improvement over its predecessor, and I would go so far to say, even the two Conjuring movies.
Atomic Blonde
2017 · Hindustan Times · Aug 2017
in the hands of David Leitch, one-half of the team that brought us John Wick, it's a film that has one of the best action scenes of the last decade. Not even exaggerating. The scene arrives a little after an hour into the movie, and without a shadow of doubt, is worth the price of admission alone.
Berlin Syndrome
2017 · Hindustan Times · Jul 2017
Dare I say it, even Imtiaz Ali's Highway, which has one of the most colossally misguided tones – and third acts – in recent memory, managed to convey the slow psychological paradox of being in a relationship with your kidnapper more palatable.
Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets
2017 · Hindustan Times · Jul 2017
Luc Besson's new film is one of those legendary box office bombs – the sort of film that's written about for years to come, and spoken about only in hushed tones.
War for the Planet of the Apes
2017 · Hindustan Times · Jul 2017
One of the finest blockbuster trilogies comes to a thrilling, sombre conclusion, thanks to Matt Reeves direction, and Andy Serkis' great performance.
Spider-Man: Homecoming
2017 · Hindustan Times · Jul 2017
Tom Holland brings an innocence to Peter Parker we've never seen before. Robert Downey Jr meanwhile, can play Tony Stark in his sleep.
Transformers: The Last Knight
2017 · Hindustan Times · Jun 2017
Director Michael Bay returns for the fifth time, and Mark Wahlberg for the second, to pound your brain into a pulp with wall-to-wall cacophony.
Cars 3
2017 · Hindustan Times · Jun 2017
After two films that couldn't match up to Pixar's high standards, Cars 3 - buoyed by Owen Wilson's earnest performance, and a darker, more emotional story - races away as the best entry in the series.
The Mummy
2017 · Hindustan Times · Jun 2017
It is categorically the worst movie of Tom Cruise's career. Sitting through it was a pain unlike any other. One can only hope that this awakens something in Cruise, much like Ahmanet, and sends his career down a new path. He's 54 now. He can't run forever.
Baywatch
2017 · Hindustan Times · Jun 2017
This is a shipwreck of a film. Everyone involved is flailing about overboard. And the best lifeguards in the business are busy solving crimes.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales
2017 · Hindustan Times · May 2017
Pirates of the Caribben: Salazar's Revenge, a film that feels twice as long as it really is, and roughly five times as boring. It's the sort of film that, when confronted with the challenge to be creative, chooses to have its characters topple over for laughs instead. In the end, it drowns in a typhoon of CGI action, which, as far as death by drowning goes, is perhaps the most painful way for this series to have floated away. But there you have it.
The Fate of the Furious
2017 · Hindustan Times · Apr 2017
For a franchise whose sole purpose of being hinges on the age old mantra 'go big or go home', Fast and Furious 8 sure does follow the rulebook. But sadly, the fatigue is setting in. A couple of films ago – even three films ago – you'd never have believed it. The series had just witnessed a comeback unlike any other. In that moment, to quote a teen novel of all things, we were all infinite. Dom was in love. The Rock was breaking concrete by stomping on it real hard. Tyrese was yelling. Women were being objectified…
Ghost in the Shell
2017 · Hindustan Times · Apr 2017
Scarlett Johansson cements her position as one of the best action stars in the world with this adaptation of the classic Japanese anime that inspired the Matrix.
Life
2017 · Hindustan Times · Mar 2017
What struck me most about Life was how well it was written. Really, it's so rare these days to see such a solidly put together piece of popcorn entertainment. By definition, these movies are supposed to be filled with plot holes and cardboard characters, convenient contrivances and pathetic, laughable dialogue. But not Life, no.
Logan
2017 · Hindustan Times · Mar 2017
Hugh Jackman's final Wolverine film changes the face of superhero movies forever. It's the farewell the most iconic X-Men character deserved.
Split
2017 · Hindustan Times · Feb 2017
Spilt, for better or for worse, is classic M Night Shyamalan. It's his most purely entertaining movie in years.
Lion
2017 · Hindustan Times · Feb 2017
These aren't pleasant thoughts, and in that respect, Lion is not a pleasant film, however cathartic that ending may be. But thank God it exists. We need more films like it, like Slumdog, to shame us into being better by showing us our worst, and to inspire us into being brave, by showing us our best.
The Lego Batman Movie
2017 · Hindustan Times · Feb 2017
Its plot works on some surprisingly complex levels, seemingly playing to several different audiences at once. On one had, it is the sort of deep-cut fanboy fantasy that will likely alienate the best of us, filled with in-jokes and obscure references that are impossible to spot in just one viewing, and on the other, it works splendidly well as a delightful kids' adventure. It's dazzling, witty and self-deprecating. It's Batman.
Rings
2017 · Hindustan Times · Feb 2017
If you love horror as a genre, skip this one and revisit the 2002 film instead or perhaps, watch Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh's latest MSG film. That's bound to give you the creeps.
The Great Wall
2017 · Hindustan Times · Feb 2017
...it's a fairly run-of-the-mill fantasy epic with 3 spectacular action scenes that more than make up for one very muted Matt Damon.
A Monster Calls
2017 · Hindustan Times · Jan 2017
To have captured grief with such raw honesty, not just the confusion, but also the rage, is where Bayona has knocked it out of the park. This immense burden – to project the battered heart of this story, to grapple mortality (and morality) has been placed on the young shoulders of Lewis MacDougall, who, it has to be said, is a rare find. Not only does he carry the film for long stretches by himself, he also overshadows the towering Liam Neeson (who has voiced the monster).
La La Land
2016 · Hindustan Times · Dec 2016
La La Land is one of my favourites of all time. Depending on how life has treated you, its final moments will be either devastating or irrecoverably shattering. It's one of the finest sequences ever put on film.
Rogue One
2016 · Hindustan Times · Dec 2016
This is our generation's Star Wars story. Go own it...
Deepwater Horizon
2016 · Hindustan Times · Dec 2016
It doesn't reinvent the wheel, but unlike the monumental machine at its centre, works efficiently within its tight confines.
Hands of Stone
2016 · Hindustan Times · Dec 2016
Without a journey in which to invest the viewer, the film feels more like an after-the-fight highlights show, than an emotional biopic.
Moana
2016 · Hindustan Times · Dec 2016
Moana is a terrific Disney movie; vibrant, joyful, with great music and enthusiastic performances. It is steeped in tradition, both of its many legendary predecessors and the colourful culture it celebrates.
Nerve
2016 · Hindustan Times · Nov 2016
It's an annoyingly good-natured film about the meanest, most lawless hellscape on earth: The Internet.
Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk
2016 · Hindustan Times · Nov 2016
Even in regular old 2D, Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk was one of the year's most quietly meditative experiences, respectful, despite the frills. Its success will depend largely on how well it does in the awards season. It'll fail. But don't let that deter you.
Doctor Strange
2016 · Hindustan Times · Nov 2016
If only the care that was put into the staggering, MC Escher-esque visuals from the final act were put into the characters. If only the fantastic special effects and a strong central performance from Cumberbatch were put in service of a more cohesive script. Maybe then Doctor Strange could've been the trippy, psychedelic adventure it always promised to be, and not a middling entry in a 14-film-old franchise.
Train to Busan
2016 · Hindustan Times · Oct 2016
Train to Busan is one of the best surprises of the year; a redemption tale that reminds us how close we are to losing our humanity, but also the compassion we are capable of. All aboard.
Jack Reacher: Never Go Back
2016 · Hindustan Times · Oct 2016
There's a reason this film isn't called Cobie Smulders: Never Go Back. It needs to be stripped of all this pretense, and it needs to embrace what it really is: A film that would have been sentenced to an eternity on the 3-for-2 aisle of the local DVD store had Tom Cruise's face not been on those jingoistic, Trump state posters.
Inferno
2016 · Hindustan Times · Oct 2016
It took substantial self-control to resist making fire jokes, but it's now or never, so here goes. Inferno, despite the best efforts of an always-dependable Tom Hanks, burns up in a raging fireball. Sorry.
Queen of Katwe
2016 · Hindustan Times · Oct 2016
Queen of Katwe is a real movie, with real people, real drama and a real sense of place. It's aided by a soundtrack filled with local flavour, and despite being a Disney film, it isn't afraid to shy away from the harsher truths of slum life. When it hits, it hits hard. But there's humour in the unlikeliest of places, there's a spirit that just refuses to die. No matter what, that chin stays up. On a side note, do not miss the end credits.
The Magnificent Seven
2016 · Hindustan Times · Sep 2016
Fuqua's film is sleek and shiny, like the barrel of Denzel's gun. It is sweeping, just like the vast landscapes upon which it is set. It ends with one of the most stunning gunfights you could hope for.
The Shallows
2016 · Hindustan Times · Sep 2016
It's a magnificently crafted film, tightly paced, impeccably cut, with tense direction, just enough drama to anchor it all, and a livewire of a Blake Lively performance to keep it afloat when it threatens to get swept under the current.
Sully
2016 · Hindustan Times · Sep 2016
The final few minutes of Sully are exhilarating. It's what the film has been surging towards. Watching it unfold on that huge screen was incredible. The sounds, the images, the atmosphere envelopes you. And then, another curious thing happened. There was applause – not hooting or whistling – but real applause - genuine, respectful, appreciative and very uncommon. Like Sully.
Skiptrace
2016 · Hindustan Times · Sep 2016
...unless you've ever found yourself wondering what it would be like to watch Jackie Chan dance to a Mongolian tribe's cover version of Adele's Rolling in the Deep, you needn't suffer Skiptrace.
Ben-Hur
2016 · Hindustan Times · Aug 2016
Ben-Hur is exactly what it says on the tin: A remake of a remake, that is also a prime example of Hollywood whitewashing and another addition in the growing list of religious-themed films. Oh, and they put Morgan Freeman in a Bob Marley wig.
Jason Bourne
2016 · Hindustan Times · Aug 2016
Jason Bourne is the worst of the Matt Damon Bourne series – it might even be worse than The Bourne Legacy. But it's almost as if Bourne knows… He knows his best is behind him. He knows he deserves better than this movie, and that makes him want to return to the only life he's ever known, the only life he's understood – a life in which no one is safe, a life spent looking over his shoulder.
Star Trek Beyond
2016 · Hindustan Times · Jul 2016
Star Trek Beyond is an extension of the movies that came before it. It makes the series feel connected and whole.
Brahman Naman
2016 · Hindustan Times · Jul 2016
For better or for worse, this film is like the characters it depicts. It's like The Inbetweeners that way – crude, crass, foul, sweaty, occasionally funny and relentlessly perverted. It's like that childhood friend of yours that kept giving you the most disgusting dares in a round of truth or dare, mocking you for not having the courage to follow through, a shameless grin on his face. And you know you did them all. You did all those despicable things. And then, you bowed your head in shame, just like you will when you're done with this movie.
The Legend of Tarzan
2016 · Hindustan Times · Jul 2016
What makes a movie, that might on the surface look like it's just another release date, another intellectual property exploited for its lasting legacy, another grim retelling of a beloved modern hero – transcend every hurdle in its way, and become satisfying, surprising… What makes a film win you over, and become, against all expectations, something you can picture yourself watching again?
Warcraft
2016 · Hindustan Times · Jun 2016
Warcraft is joyous fun. It might be cluttered and overwhelming at times, there is no denying that it is a film made with love. It is unafraid to be nerdy, it laughs in the face of mockery. It embraces its goofiness. When it beckons you to join in on the fun, let it.
Money Monster
2016 · Hindustan Times · May 2016
As for the film, as long as you don't go in expecting a critical indictment of Wall Street, and accept it for what it is – a pulpy B-movie – it's going to be an immensely satisfying couple of hours. Or hour.
10 Cloverfield Lane
2016 · Hindustan Times · Apr 2016
Cloverfield – the original – is a personal favourite, as is last year's Room. So 10 Cloverfield Lane, at least on paper, sounds almost too good to be true. But it sure comes close. With its perfectly timed twists, equally captivating silences, engrossing performances, and a sense of foreboding mystery that is stretched to breaking point, it succeeds.
The Huntsman: Winter's War
2016 · Hindustan Times · Apr 2016
Totally worthless, despite Hemsworth...
Demolition
2016 · Hindustan Times · Apr 2016
It's a sad truth that Demolition will probably be forgotten. Movies like this usually are. But not by the few who saw it. Because it's hopeful, it uplifts and it makes promises. Who cares if it can keep them?
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
2016 · Hindustan Times · Mar 2016
Here's a film that'll leave both fans and casual moviegoers unsatisfied. And since it isn't breaking any new ground story-wise, this is quite unforgivable, considering especially the excellent work Marvel is doing.
Eye in the Sky
2016 · Hindustan Times · Mar 2016
Eye in the Sky, I am pleased to inform you, is a minor classic. It is a magnificently crafted little film with huge ideas. It is one of those rare movies that does not let a modest budget get in the way of pure ambition.
The Program
2016 · Hindustan Times · Mar 2016
...this movie, despite being staunchly non-conformist, ends up, like Armstrong, a disappointing let down. What stops it in its tracks is the fact that we already know every detail about this case that there is to know. He is a public figure who made it a point to install himself in the consciousness of the world and there is very little Frears could have done with this story to make it fresh.
Gods of Egypt
2016 · Hindustan Times · Feb 2016
The film, pun fully intended, is an ungodly mess. What could have been an adventurous buddy comedy, an old-fashioned, Ben-Hur style epic, or a knowingly deranged B-movie ends up being an early contender for the worst film of the year. Too bad. Those trailers looked good.
Deadpool
2016 · Hindustan Times · Feb 2016
The biggest achievement of Deadpool has to be the fact that it literally revives a genre that seems to be hitting saturation point. With Guardians of the Galaxy, this, and the upcoming Suicide Squad, we can be sure of one thing: No villain is going to beat this genre anytime soon. Like the comics on which these characters are based, the movies too will keep evolving.
Room
2016 · Hindustan Times · Feb 2016
Room is timeless. It will live forever, and in its immortality, it will continue to inspire generations after we are all gone. It is one of the best films of the new millennium and after its two transcendent hours, you emerge a changed person, one who has a new appreciation for the tiny miracles of life that are usually ignored. Room is an ephemeral moment in time and I will always remember it with fondness because there's no way in hell I'm watching it again.
Mastizaade
2016 · Hindustan Times · Jan 2016
Mastizaade isn't even a movie. For almost the entirety of its run time, it feels like getting screamed at by a pissed off plastic clown. It's as pointless as a punctured condom. It's as ghastly as a bad boob job. It's like entering a lunatic pervert's Internet search history tab and discovering only cake recipes. Let me repeat: Mastizaade isn't a movie. It's a bunch of sweaty sleazeballs exploiting Sunny Leone's star power and straight up robbing your cash. Don't let them.
Joy
2016 · Hindustan Times · Jan 2016
Russell is a genius. It usually takes just one great movie to be called that. He has three. Joy doesn't work and that's disappointing more than anything else.
The Danish Girl
2016 · Hindustan Times · Jan 2016
Perhaps some day, a filmmaker with a real passion for the subject can come along and tell this tale the way it's meant to be told. Till then, don't watch The Danish Girl. Watch your phone run out of battery instead.
In the Heart of the Sea
2015 · Hindustan Times · Dec 2015
In the Heart of the Sea works as a survival drama, a rip-roaring adventure and even a monster movie, but what it really accomplishes, like Interstellar, is to remind us that once upon a time, humanity was unflinching in its thirst for discovery.
Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension
2015 · Hindustan Times · Nov 2015
You walk out with the hope that they stick to their promise and end this nonsense already. You know the best jump scare they can come up with is announcing part 7. A part of you feels pity, but that part slowly dies as your eyes adjust to the sunlight.
Sicario
2015 · Hindustan Times · Oct 2015
This film isn't concerned with tender moments, but when it takes a breath and surveys the meaningless chaos in the world, it hits hard. And then you realize it's only been two days since those hidden bodies, and you take a breath and survey the chaos in the world. That is when Sicario soars. This war will never end, but the battles can.