It’s nice for Gippi to be saying what it does. That fat and frumpy is not bad. That it is quite all right to be who you are, and not anyone else. That winning is not everything. But it would have been nicer if it had been said in a newer, fresher way.

The dialogue, smutty and excessive, is poured heavily upon everything. Not as much bang for my buck as I would have liked.

Once the lovers come together, and the first act is over, why does everything slide? This Aashiqui 2 holds out promise, but doesn’t make the most of it.

It also has a story that creaks . Minus these irritants, it would have been a pure adrenaline rush. Step out for the popcorn when the actors break into song; rush right back in when the fists start to fly.

Sippy has a feel for staging scenes, and some are laugh-out-loud. The idea that true love can be found through such a random route is also nice, and lends the film a pleasing slightness. But the nautanki in this film is an on-off thing. I wish there was much more of it.

Why remake a classic if you can’t improve upon it? Truly bad-door.

I expected Himmatwala to be predictable, not only because I have faint memories of the older film, but because it follows such a template. I also expected it to be annoying, and it doesn’t disappoint on both scores. But I didn’t think it would be so dull.

Sona Spa has gone straight to the top of my so-ghastly-they-are-terrific films of the year.

With its somber palette and plot-with-potential, Aatma could have been a true scare-fest. But it winds down to being well begun, half done.

Priyadarshan has been growing so steadily unwatchable these days that you fear the worst when you step into Rangrezz, a remake of the Tamil hit Naadodigal. As the film unspools, each of those fears come true: this is rock-bottom.