Film Review: Sarbjit

Once upon a time there was Sunny Deol's dhai kilo ka haath, which uprooted a hand pump to scare off the entire Pakistan Army. Today there is Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's index finger.

To be fair, Sarbjit is not the unrelenting screamfest that Gadar was, but Deol's film came to mind as the former Miss World held up her famous slender digit to intimidate an armed Pakistani security official. She did this right after delivering a loud speech to a Pakistani mob about how Pakistanis stab us Indians in the back while we bravely fight them face to face. As expected, the gun-bearing Pakistani meekly moves aside, and she proceeds to grandly walk past him as only Indian movie stars can when up against the dreaded dushman from across the border.

Sarbjit

Director: Omung Kumar

Cast: Randeep Hooda, Darshan Kumar, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Richa Chaddha

Rating: 1.5/5

   That Sarbjit favours emotional manipulation over restraint or logic is evident at several points, but one moment in particular stands out. After years of incarceration in a Pakistani jail, Sarbjit Singh is finally to be set free. We see him emerge smiling from behind the guards at the border and cross over to the Indian side. As his sister, Dalbir (Aishwarya Rai Bachchan), wife, Sukhpreet (Richa Chadha) and daughters rejoice, he kisses the ground. Then, without any noticeable change of perspective, we see a different person standing where he was. The Pakistanis have released another prisoner in his place, Sarbjit’s still in prison, and the scene we’ve witnessed is a lie.

Based on the life of Sarabjit Singh, a farmer who was wrongfully convicted in Pakistan and died after a fatal assault inside jail, the movie Sarbjit focuses on his sister Dalbir Kaur’s fight against the system to prove his innocence.

However, given the very real context of the plot, the movie is an almost fictitious, drum-beating melodramatic saga that suffers from an overly-worked-up lead actor.

Applause is due for Aishwarya Rai Bachchan who plays the struggling Dalbir. But, in the same breath, the 42-year-old actor doesn’t manage to bring alive the character. Her lip-twisting, chest-thumping and shouting does not help either. Instead, the melodrama alienates us from an otherwise evocative character.

The constant harping on Indo-Pak relations – mostly about the sympathy people should show for innocent people, but at times digressing to more political and subtle anti-Pakistani sentiments – loses the plot. Simple humane moments focusing on the struggles of a family that has lost a member to an unfair system would’ve taken the movie much further.

It’s a movie, so melodrama and fiction is all right, but it does take some doing if the audience is expected to identify with characters using phrases like ‘Khauf ki badboo’ or burning their own effigies. Or accept the Pakistani advocate who faces attack for supporting Sarbjit (played by Randeep Hooda) and decides to join the violent crowd protesting against him! Because, apparently nobody knows what he looks like.

Randeep as Sarabjit evokes pity and sympathy. He is sweet as the brother and brings a smile on our face when he is with his family. The movie would have been much better, had director Omung Kumar given Randeep a little more space. The few sequences where we do see him make us teary-eyed, but the movie quickly moves on.

One of the rare engaging scenes is where Sarbjit’s family goes to meet him in jail. The frisking of the women in his family is disturbing and also offers a moment where Aishwarya looks authentic in the movie.

Richa Chaddha, yet another talented actor wasted in this star-driven plot, leaves her mark as the silent wife who painfully waits for her husband.

'X-Men: Apocalypse' movie reviews

There are two kinds of superhero films being made right now. The ones with the dark, gritty and 'end of the world' themes, and the good ones.

With so much superhero content out in theaters it becomes more a monthly exercise and less a 'movie event' for a film buff to watch a film from the genre.

X-Men: Apocalypse
Director - Bryan Singer

Cast - James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Sophie Turner, Tye Sheridan, Oscar Isaac

Rating - 2.5/5

X Men: Apocalypse is yet another dark and gritty superhero film with a villain proclaiming the end of the world, but thanks to Bryan Singer's direction and some unexpected horror themes it becomes a passably entertaining watch.

The long answer is that the rights to Quicksilver lie with the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which is why he’s referred to by his human name, Peter Maximoff, in this, an X-Men Universe film. The short answer, of course, is that no one in their right mind should care. I’m glad they featured him in some form, because Peter is responsible for the best sequence in the movie, in which time seemingly freezes as he zips around saving people from a collapsing building. It’s an expanded version of a similar scene from X-Men: Days of Future Past—not the only borrowed idea in the movie, but done with humour and some style.

Picking up a few years after the events of Days of the Future Past, X Men: Apocalypse is both the final installment of a trilogy and the first installment of a new trilogy. Singer has probably realized that audiences are kind of tired of seeing Xavier, Magneto, Mystique and Wolverine so there's a whole new set of young mutants in this film, with an unsubtle hint towards future films with the new kids on the block.

En Sabah Nur, an ageing, ancient Egyptian mutant (hinted to be the world's first mutant) indulges in a weird occult ceremony inside a pyramid. With the help of some chants and four other mutants his soul is to be transferred to a young body. Right before the transformation takes place the pyramid collapses and the mutant is buried underground, until someone awakens him in the modern world.

Hard boiled film buffs will realize that this is the exact same plot as The Mummy. The awakened Sabah Nur rebrands himself as Apocalypse and like the Mummy, vows to destroy the entire human civilization with mystic powers.

As long as the story of Apocalypse continues, the film is a riveting watch. Horror film fans will appreciate the body horror and surprising amount of gore and brutality in the film. This is a monster film, quite different in tone from the previous X Men movies, in a good way. Apocalypse's powers are insane and his presence, despite his crappy blue costume makes an impact. He turns some teenage mutants into ninja mutants by giving them greater powers. This guy has some serious amount of power and looks invincible.

The problems arise when we're taken away from Apocalypse and back to the rusty relationship between Xavier (James McAvoy) and Magneto (Fassbender). Once again there's Magneto dealing with contrived hate for humanity, Xavier once again unsuccessfully trying to persuade him to join the good side, and Mystique once again hogging unnecessary screen time because she's played by Jennifer Lawrence.

This story has been told five times before and going back for the sixth time is a real stretch, no matter how good the visual effects are. Both McAvoy and Fassbender are terrific actors, but you can't help but wish the film focused more on other superheroes in the X Men universe.

The younger set of mutants are a bit more interesting. It's nice to see Sophie Turner (aka Sansa Stark from Game of Thrones) as Jean Grey, Tye Sheridan as Cyclops and Kodi Smith as Nightcrawler. All three characters were given lousy screen time in the previous X Men films and it looks like they'll finally get their due in the future films.

Evan Peters as Quicksilver is once again the highlight of the film. If you enjoyed his slow motion Deus Ex Machina in the previous movie you'll be satisfied with an extended version of the same trope in this one. If the makers of X Men are smart enough, they'll put Deadpool and Quicksilver in the same film some day.

Salman Khan to tie the knot on December 27

After the pictures of Salman Khan and Iulia Vantur at Preity Zinta-Gene Goodenough's reception went viral, Salman's relatives and near and dear ones started sending him congratulatory messages at his home.

Salman Khan and Iulia Vantur might have not made it official, but speculations are rife that the Sultan actor is all set to get married to his rumoured girlfriend by the end of this year. Salman's entry with Iulia at Preity Zinta-Gene Goodenough's wedding reception sent the fans into a tizzy and further added fuel to the rumours.

After the pictures of them at the reception went viral, Salman's near and dear ones started sending him congratulatory messages at his home. According to a report in Pinkvilla, the Bajrangi Bhaijaan actor's house has been filled with bouquets and gifts and he is quite embarrassed about the attention he has been getting.

There were reports that Salman has also introduced Iulia to his close friends at Preity's reception including Shah Rukh Khan and Abhishek Bachchan. The rumours of them getting married first sparked when a blind item in Mumbai Mirror suggested that Salman's mother has not been keeping well and wants him to get settled by the end of this year.

And Iulia was also recently been spotted with Salma Khan at the airport taking care of her. Salman's relationship with Iulia has been the daily fodder for the gossip mills for quite some time now. But Salman has always remained tight-lipped about his relationship status all this while.

On the work front, Salman Khan will next be seen in Ali Abbas Zafar's Sultan. The film will hit the screens on Eid this year.

source : http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/salman-khan-iulia-vantur-marriage-is-salman-embarrassed-with-congratulatory-messages/1/670308.html

Azhar movie review

If you go by the initial disclaimers (yes, there are several, filling the entire screen) you will know that what you are about to watch is a ‘kaalpanik chitra’ (imaginary film) which is based on the ‘vibhinna ghatnaon’ (many episodes) of the life of a disgraced captain of the Indian cricket team; that any resemblance to any real event is ‘matra ek sanyog’ (a mere coincidence), and that it doesn’t intend to ‘hurt’ any ‘sanstha’ (organization) or ‘corporate’.

Phew.

Why bother calling it ‘Azhar’ then? Why not Sachin or Ajay or Manoj or Ravi, or any of the other ‘imaginary’ players of the Indian cricket team, who were compatriots of the cricketer who faced a `life-time ban’ on the charges of match-fixing?

Using only first names as a dissembling tactic while referring to actual events and dates and places and times, is silly enough. Such is the extent of craven-ness on display that one of the most gripping cricketing stories of our time, featuring one of the most colourful captains of the Indian cricket team, is turned into a dull, dispirited tale.

‘Azhar’ was presumably made because it had such a controversial figure at its centre, arising out of the fixing-matches-for-money controversy itself, which had such a deep-seated impact on the game not just nationally but internationally.

You can also see that it’s been made to clear the real player’s name: a court did over-turn the ban but the whole process took so long that it became besides the point. The film remains strangely ambivalent about its hero while mouthing ‘seeti-maar’ dialogue about ‘desh’ and ‘qaum’: to have made the point the way it needed to be made, the film needed to have been braver and sharper. Alas, this bio-pic has no teeth. Oops, sorry, this ain’t no bio-pic, ‘coz, look momma, it names no names.

Not only is there a parade of Kapils and Sachins (no, gasp, Dev or Tendulkar), the eponymous hero is not, double gasp, Mohammad Azharduddin but `Azhar Mohd’ who just happens to be a Hyderabad lad, whose affections for a Bollywood starlet lead him to abandon his first wife, and whose accidental dealings with a bookie leads him into abyss.

Emraan Hashmi, usually so watchable, is buried under the inept script, which hints at shadowy dons and the guilty parties in a fuzzy, indistinct manner. But Hashmi is earnest, and the only saving grace here. Prachi Desai is rouged and demure and distressed, Nargis Fakhri as Sangeeta (not, never, Bijlani) is pouty, Lara Dutta as the lawyer for the cricket council (not, never, BCCI), is svelte but miscast, and Roy Kapur struggles with a bad wig and exaggerated accent.

This could have been a great cautionary tale about a great sport at a time when it was just becoming the arena it has grown into—full of big money and glamour, bigger endorsements and never-ending temptations: it is, instead, an inept ‘tamasha’, not very different from the stuff Bollywood churns out, the cricket just the superstructure for tired song-and-dance and melodrama, in living rooms and courtrooms.

Nope, this ‘Azhar’ doesn’t hit it out of the stadium.

Cast: Emraan Hashmi, Kunaal Roy Kapur, Prachi Desai, Nargis Fakhri, Lara Dutta, Kulbhushan Kharbanda

Director : Tony D’Souza

One and a half stars.

Auluck : The Jungle Book Movie review

The Jungle Book review: Thank you Disney  for this intelligent and nostalgic visual spectacle 

Director: Jon Favreau

Writers : Justin Marks (screenplay), Rudyard Kipling (book)

Stars: Neel Sethi, Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley

Rate :  4/5

The Box Office:

The Jungle Book opens in US on April 15^th courtesy of Walt Disney. It starts its overseas rollout on April 7^th in some territories before slowly expanding around the world over the next two weeks. It will be playing pretty much around the world by the weekend of the 15^th, with a Japan release set for August 11th. That’s ironically one day before the U.S. release of the next one of these Disney “live-action version of an animated film” movies, Pete’s Dragon, opens in America and much of the world.

The film is, of course, the latest in a series of live-action adaptations (or live-action sequel/prequels) of their popular animated features. It comes on the heels of Alice in Wonderland, Oz: The Great and Powerful (yes, not technically from a Disney toon, but it still counts), Maleficent, and Cinderella.

The Mouse House has been full-steam ahead in this newest little quasi-franchise, greenlighting a Tim Burton-directed Dumbo, a Bill Condon-helmed Beauty and the Beast, and new versions of Mulan, Pete’s Dragon (coming in August) and a Reese Witherspoon Tinker Bell movie along with an Emma Stone-led Cruella de Vil movie. I’m sure I missed a few, but you get the idea.

All of these films have been varying degrees of successful, and this summer’s Alice Through the Looking Glass will be a test case as to whether these films can be sequel-ized. But back to The Jungle Book. The film will open three weeks before Captain America: Civil War and six weeks before the aforementioned Alice Through the Looking Glass and hot on the heels of the unexpectedly massive Zootopia.

The film’s biggest selling point will be its world-creating animation, shot and animated not in the jungles of India but Los Angeles studios using the kind of technical wizardry that helped create the likes of Avatar, Gravity, and The Life of Pi. Pre-release tracking has this one pegged at a $60-$65 million debut weekend, and I imagine the flood of (spoiler?) positive reviews two weeks before opening will only send that figure up accordingly.

The Review:

Jon Favreau’s The Jungle Book is every bit as visually splendid as you’re hoping it would be. I could spend the next paragraph explaining in detail how the film was constructed. Just know that nearly all of what you see during its 105-minute running time is created via animation and motion-capture work. My four-year-old son was entranced from beginning to end, totally unaware (save perhaps for moments of animals talking and singing) that anything was amiss, and hell if I am going to spoil the illusion for him.

The greatest strength of this new-fangled “live-action” adaptation of Rudyard Kipling’s novel (or more specifically, the 1967 Walt Disney animated version of said novel) is not just its effects work but rather the sheer believe-your-eyes achievement. Yes, there are moments where the camera goes to incredible places and gives us impossible perspectives (the opening seems like a live-action recreation of the vine surfing from the animated Tarzan), but there is just enough restraint to achieve the idea that what we’re watching is “real.” Favreau and company make the effort to maintain a hint of plausibility concerning how the picture is shot and edited.

As a result, the gorgeous (shot by Bill Pope) film feels “live action real” in as impressive fashion as, yes, Avatar, Gravity, and The Life of Pi. This is next-level wizardry, with just enough story and emotion to avoid feeling like a technical exercise. I am not going to say it’s as revolutionary an experience as Who Framed Roger Rabbit, but the fact that said all-time-classic came to mind should give you an idea of how engrossing this movie quickly becomes. It’s an unmitigated audio/visual knockout. It looks gorgeous in 3D, but I imagine it would look just as scrumptious in 2D as well.

As far as the story, well, you only get the “bare necessities” (sorry). This new film adds some attempted emotional beats and something of a hero’s journey arc that takes bits and pieces from Babe, The LionKing, and Tarzan. That will only be a (very slight) problem when Disney decides to use this technology to give us a “live-action” Lion King movie.

The story concerns young Mowgli (Neel Sethi, giving a remarkable reactionary performance as basically the only flesh-and-blood thing onscreen) as he is forced to flee his forest home after he is marked for death by the insidious Shere Khan (a deliciously cruel Idris Elba). Although initially guided by Bagheera (Ben Kingsley), he eventually finds himself in the company of a friendly (if conniving and self-interested) bear named Baloo (Bill Murray). Murray and Kingsley play off each other quite well as dueling surrogate dads and Chris Walken adds late-in-the-game charm and menace as a rather ginormous King Louie.

It was during Louie’s big scene where my son got the most frightened (a temporary and non-perilous situation), and I will admit some glee at my son having achieved the “freaked out by Christopher Walken” rite of passage. Yes, we do get renditions of the animated film’s two iconic songs, and yes the film does have its fill of exciting and intense action sequences. But despite the periodic escapes (and a blisteringly awesome climactic battle) that pepper the film, the overall feeling is more lackadaisical than a conventional action movie. The emphasis is on watching Mowgli and his animal compatriots talk with each other as opposed to fighting with each other.

There are some intense moments (the film doesn’t suffer fools regarding its PG-appropriate action and peril), but the film applies the Beauty and the Beast formula of interchanging a dark or dramatic scene with a light or comedic scene. The first act is comparatively grim as Mowgli struggles with his forced exile, but Bill Murray’s Baloo shows up right when the proceedings are getting a bit glum. Murray is this film’s comedic shot in the arm, equivalent to Robin Williams’s Genie in Aladdin or Mark Hamill’s Joker in (the obviously not Disney) Batman: Mask of the Phantasm.

All-in-all, The Jungle Book is a remarkable achievement and yet more reason to be optimistic about Disney’s “turn an animated classic into a live-action feature” sub-genre. I could quibble about the thin plot or the cribbed-from-The Lion King thematics, but the picture works precisely as intended. It’s a thrilling and visually splendid bit of popcorn entertainment that walks just enough on the wild side to make kids think they’re getting away with something.

It is also another fantasy winner for Jon Favreau who has somewhat unassumingly established himself as a genuinely successful “indie-to-blockbuster” triumph. He crafted a genuine holiday classic in Will Ferrell’s leggy blockbuster Elf and then basically created the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe with Iron Man. This one is closest in spirit to Zathura, and I mean that as a compliment. The Jungle Book works as both a fine stand-alone piece of action fantasy as well as a worthwhile companion to its animated predecessor.

Auluck: Jacobinte Swargarajyam movie review

 Jacobinte Swargarajyam movie review:Old wine in a refreshing new cocktail

Rating: 3.5/5

Family entertainers, an age old success formula of mainstream Malayalam cinema, is always a safe bet in this industry as movie makers over the years have used Malayali’s sentiments for family attachments to great successes on screen. Vineeth Srinivasan, on his fourth directorial venture ‘Jacobinte Swargarajyam’, has woven this old formula into a refreshing cinematic experience, showing discipline while handling dramatic situations in the movie.

The movie, based on a true story, follows the life of an NRI businessman, Jacob, and his family who are settled in Dubai and visualises how closely knit family relations stick together at times of crisis. The director has used his observations to good effect as the strong relationship bonds inside Jacob’s family members and their informal homely behaviour was captured with shots that impart warmth and positive vibes, like the feel of an early morning coffee.

Renji Panicker dons the title role of Jacob, a righteous business entreprenuer and an ideal family man, while Lekshmi Ramakrishnan portrays the powerful role of Jacob’s wife Sherlyn, a lion hearted woman. Nivin Pauly, other lead actor of the movie, essays the role of Jacob’s elder son Jerry while Sreenath Bhasi, Aima Sebastian and Stacen play Jacob and Sherly's other kids, Abin, Ammu, and Chris, respectively.

The growth in Vineeth Sreenivasan’s direction skills are reflected on his characters as each of them have an identity and importance in the movie. The entire cast of the movie do justice to their roles and debut actor Ashwin Kumar needs a special mention for his imposing screen presence as Murali Menon, a rude businessman.

The movie gradually progresses into more captivating situations with effects of global economic recession prompting an ungraceful fall of Jacob and his family from their financially secured happy lives to survival struggles of an ordinary human. It is at this point that Jerry, with the support of his clear headed mother, steps up in life and starts everything again from scratch to sustain their family, which forms the crux of the movie.

By glorifying the economic and infrastructural development of Dubai and simultaneously ridiculing Kerala’s pot holed roads, Vineeth Sreenivasan, the scriptwriter, seems to have ignored how the blind notions of profit motive development and corporatisation of natural resources is wrecking our natural ecosystem worldwide.

On the other hand, being cautious to avoid many scenes in the movie from slipping into over dramatic clichés, he is without doubt improving as a director with every movie. The editing team also needs to be appreciated for their crisp interventions between shots of emotional intensity, thus allowing a smooth flow to the move. The songs of the movie, composed by Shan Rehman, might not make imprints on the heart, but the movie just might.

Auluck : The Jungle Book 2016 Movie Trailer

The Jungle Book (2016 film)

The Jungle Book is a 2016 American fantasy adventure film directed by Jon Favreau, written by Justin Marks, and produced by Walt Disney Pictures. Based on Rudyard Kipling's eponymous collective works, the film is a live-action/CGI reimagining of Walt Disney's 1967 animated film of the same name.[2][3] The film stars and introduces Neel Sethi as Mowgli and features the voices of Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley, Idris Elba, Lupita Nyong'o, Scarlett Johansson, Giancarlo Esposito and Christopher Walken. The film is scheduled to be released in the Disney Digital 3D, RealD 3D and IMAX 3D formats on April 15, 2016.

Auluck: The BFG 2016 film

The BFG (2016 film) Movie Trailer

The BFG is an upcoming American fantasy adventure film directed and co-produced by Steven Spielberg and written by Melissa Mathison, based on the novel of the same name by Roald Dahl. The film stars Mark Rylance, Ruby Barnhill, Penelope Wilton, Rebecca Hall, Bill Hader, Rafe Spall and Jemaine Clement. Principal photography on the film began on March 23, 2015. The film is co-produced by Walt Disney Pictures, DreamWorks Pictures, Amblin Entertainment, and Walden Media, and is scheduled to be released in the Disney Digital 3-D and RealD 3D formats on July 1, 2016.

Auluck: X-MEN 2 APOCALYPSE OFFICIAL TRAILER (2016)

X-MEN: APOCALYPSE SECOND OFFICIAL TRAILER (2016)

X-Men: Apocalypse Official Trailer #2 (2016) - Jennifer Lawrence, Oscar Isaac Movie HD

With the emergence of the world's first mutant, Apocalypse, the X-Men must unite to defeat his extinction level plan.

The Fandango MOVIECLIPS Trailers channel is your destination for the hottest new trailers the second they drop. Whether it's the latest studio release, an indie horror flick, an evocative documentary, or that new RomCom you've been waiting for, the Fandango MOVIECLIPS team is here day and night to make sure all the best new movie trailers are here for you the moment they're released.

In addition to being the #1 Movie Trailers Channel on YouTube, we deliver amazing and engaging original videos each week. Watch our exclusive Ultimate Trailers, Showdowns, Instant Trailer Reviews, Monthly MashUps, Movie News, and so much more to keep you in the know.

Auluck: Batman v Superman review

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

Director: Zack Snyder

Cast: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Gal Gadot, Jesse Eisenberg, Amy Adams

Rating: 2/5

The most difficult thing about all this is accepting the hard fact that Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice simply isn’t a good movie. But once that hurdle has been crossed, it’s as if the floodgates have opened. Suddenly, nothing is sacred. All your hopes and dreams were destroyed an hour ago in a giant CG fireball and it left you angrier than a recently orphaned Bruce Wayne.
Batman v Superman is not so much a superhero movie as it is a story about two mamma’s boys measuring the length of their capes, finding that they disagree, and proceeding to poke each other with threats of ‘you wanna go first?’ for a solid two-and-a-half hours.
Don’t get me wrong: The film has its moments, but there comes a point when you can’t justify it to yourself any longer. There is only so much grim brooding one movie can accommodate, and Ben Affleck uses that quota up in the very first scene, which, either on purpose or by complete fluke, foreshadows the self-contradictory nature of this movie.


 To go forward we must first revisit 2013, the year this movie’s predecessor Man of Steel came out. Its 45-minute action finale that destroyed half a city and left thousands dead was controversial. Perpetual Boy Scout Superman’s decision to make out with Lois Lane, literally against the backdrop of murder and chaos, was met with quite a few raised eyebrows. Director Zack Snyder promised to address that violence in this movie; a decision I’m convinced was an afterthought, one that struck him two seconds after the realisation that he had, indeed, gone overboard with the mayhem after all.
We open with Bruce Wayne hightailing it to a Metropolis that inconveniently finds itself in the middle of an alien duel. He has friends there, colleagues and businesses that are in direct line of fire. He is chased by loud explosions and an even louder Hans Zimmer ft. Junkie XL score as he rushes to their rescue.
Snyder’s way of directly addressing the criticisms of the previous movie is by stranding you in the middle of the exact same scene in this one. Only this time, we are looking at it from a completely different perspective. The scene is effectively convincing: Not for one second do you doubt Bruce Wayne’s hatred towards Superman, and what caused it. His actions have just killed countless men, women and children. Of course Bruce would consider him a threat.
Unfortunately, this is where the movie peaks. And a wise man once said: It’s never good when a movie peaks in its first scene.
We jump ahead 18 months. Things are getting back to normal. Superman is being tried in a senate hearing for his part in a recent African fiasco. Lois Lane is pretending to be a Vice correspondent, mouthing off to discount Boko Haram warlords. Perry White (Clark’s editor at the Daily Planet) has suddenly turned into J Jonah Jameson, visualising the next big headline on an imaginary page in front of his face. Meanwhile, Bruce Wayne has taken it upon himself to investigate Superman, for the first time cinematically, living up to the tag of ‘greatest detective in the world.’ Across town in Metropolis, the psychopathic Lex Luthor is arranging to have a recently unearthed chunk of Kryptonite (the mineral from Superman’s home planet that messes up his powers and plays the MacGuffin in this movie) imported.
Already, there are too many moving parts in this picture. In an effort to give due screen time to these disparate storylines, Snyder and writers Chris Terrio and David S Goyer can never really take their time fleshing out their characters. A lot of their legwork has already been done by history. Both the Superman and Batman origin stories are as well known as the tale of our independence. But Snyder gives you one anyway, probably in an attempt to give a twist later in the movie’s emotional impact. It doesn’t. No matter how much of it he decides to shoot in his trademark slow motion, it can’t help but feel unnecessary.
In a way, the needless inclusion of this scene sums up the rest of the film. Too much time is spent on building up to the clash of the titans, only for the movie to pull a fast one on you when ‘fight night’ finally rolls around. I’m being very careful about spoilers here, but let me put it this way: They didn’t leave much out in the trailers.
Oddly, despite being largely messy and mostly incoherent, the film moves at a rather brisk pace. It’s never dull, just disappointing. It feels clumsily edited, with plots remaining half-explored and scenes ending either too soon or lasting too long.
As I watched, for more than an hour, neither Bruce nor Clark spend any significant time as Batman or Superman, and as I tried to make sense of a pedestrian chase sequence that had no business being anything less than spectacular, considering it counted the Batmobile as the vehicle doing the chasing, I wondered: “Perhaps my expectations were too high.”
Batman v Superman is Zack Snyder’s worst film. And this comes from someone who absolutely adores Sucker Punch and considers both 300 and Watchmen to be minor classics. He was always reverential about comics. He treated these crazy characters with the respect that they deserve. But this is a joyless film, much too serious for its own good. Ignoring what was wrong with Man of Steel altogether, Snyder once again defaults to loud, unending, curiously isolated CGI action. What’s confusing is that this isn’t even his default setting.
Ben Affleck’s one note performance doesn’t help. Especially since he spends most of the movie as Bruce and not Batman. Henry Cavill manages to make Kal-El edgier this time, but in doing so, loses the character’s inherent humanity. Clark is supposed to be optimistic, not forlorn. He finds beauty in darkest places. But here, he just seems to be fighting a losing scowling battle against Affleck. Christian Bale and Christopher Nolan need not worry.
And then there’s Jesse Eisenberg’s categorically outrageous performance as Lex Luthor. You thought Gene Hackman and Kevin Spacey were deranged? You ain’t seen nothing yet. Eisenberg plays Luthor like a psychotic version of his Mark Zuckerberg character from The Social Network and it sticks out like Spider-Man in the Justice League.
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. I still can’t figure out how a movie that liberally takes from both Superman (Death of Superman) and Batman’s (The Dark Knight Returns) most famous comics arcs can be so misguided. But there you go.
The one bright spark, however, is Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman. She seems perfect for the role and her solo movie is now just as high on my radar as Suicide Squad. But for Justice League, I’m officially worried.
Acceptance is the first step they say. I’ve accepted that Batman v Superman is not a good film. There are 11 steps more to go until I can put this disappointment behind me.

Salman Khan Breaks His 'No Night Shift' Rule For 'Sultan'

Bollywood superstar Salman Khan, who will be next seen playing a Haryanvi wrestler in YRF flick Sultan, is going out of his way for the shooting schedule, we hear.

We had recently reported that the Bhaijaan has reportedly kicked the bottle for the duration of the shoot and we have now learned that Sallu has also broken his 'no night shifts' rule for the film. For those who do not know this, Salman doesn't like to shoot at nights, but for Sultan, Salman has done away with this rule so that the shooting gets wrapped up on time.

Salman will be paired opposite Anushka Sharma in this film, which releases this Eid.

THE SHALLOWS OFFICIAL TRAILER (2016)

THE SHALLOWS OFFICIAL TRAILER (2016)

When Nancy (Blake Lively) is attacked by a great white shark while surfing alone, she is stranded just a short distance from shore. Though she is only 200 yards from her survival, getting there proves the ultimate contest of wills.

Director:

 Jaume Collet-Serra

Writer:

 Anthony Jaswinski

Stars:

 Blake Lively, Óscar Jaenada, Sedona Legge

The Jungle Book Hindi dubbed trailer in Priyanka Chopra voice

Disney’s upcoming movie The Jungle Book Hindi dubbed trailer got released and actors like Priyanka Chopra, Om Puri, Irrfan Khan, Nana Patekar and Shefali Shah have given the voice for the film. The film is a official remake of 1967’s Walt Disney animated film.

Priyanka has given voice to draconic Ka, Irrfan Khan to bear Balu, and Shefali Shah to wolf Raksha. Om puri has given voice to Tiger Baghira and Nana Patekar has given voice to Sher Khan. Nana Patekar also given his voice to Sher Khan in 90’s animated series which were aired on Doordarshan. The film is going to release on 8th April in India.

Movie review : 'Teraa Surroor'

Himesh deserves an award for exposing himself so skilfully to public ridicule 

Himesh Reshammiya is a gutsy man. It takes courage to do what he has been doing since 2007, exposing himself to public ridicule by starring in film after film, only to be minced to bits by critics while even his fans gradually wander away.

His 'acting' debut in Aap Kaa Surroor - The Moviee - The Real Luv Story turned out to be a box-office hit on the strength of those very fans, people who have enjoyed his work as a music composer over the years, and were keen to see him before the camera in a full-fledged film role. Sadly, this initial success encouraged him to 'act' in more moviees (his spelling, not mine). Teraa Surroor is one such endurance test for viewers.

This is the story of an Indian chap called Raghuveer (Himesh) whose girlfriend Tara Wadia (Farah Karimi) is caught in Ireland with drugs in her possession. She is convicted, and to prove her innocence, Raghu must find Anirudh Brahman, the faceless stranger who befriended Tara on Facebook and invited her to that country.

Also in the picture: Raghu's Mummy (Shernaz Patel), Kabir Bedi playing a top gun in the Indian police, Naseeruddin Shah as the incarcerated crook Robin B. Santino who comes to Raghu's aid, a lawyer called Elle (Monica Dogra) in Dublin who is clearly attracted to men old enough to be her Granddaddy since her husband Rajveer, the Indian ambassador to Ireland, is played by veteran director/actor Shekhar Kapur.

For the record, it is evident that a good deal of money has been spent on Teraa Surroor. Almost the entire film appears to have been shot abroad, no expense has been spared on the casting of the Indian supporting actors, and the production design, cinematography and sound design are top-notch. Inexplicably though, the foreigners in bit parts are - as has been the norm with Hindi cinema for decades now - uniformly laughably bad.

Actually, that is an understatement: they are so tacky that they lend moments of passing enjoyability to an otherwise dull film. Bollywood really really really needs to find a better agency for white extras.

That being said, money can buy you good character actors, foreign locales and talented technicians, but I'm willing to bet that even the combined bank balances of Bill Gates, Carlos Slim, Amancio Ortega and Warren Buffet would fail to induce Himesh's facial muscles to move.

In all fairness, the singer-composer-'actor' cannot be accused of maintaining the same expression on his face throughout the film. The truth is that he does not manage even one.

He is not Teraa Surroor's only failing. This is the sort of film that feels the need to spell out every detail for the audience. When a character tells us that X befriended Y on Facebook, the next shot is of X typing a Facebook message. When Robin tells Raghu he must learn the map of Dublin well, we are promptly shown a map of Dublin the very next moment. You must be familiar with your getaway vehicles, Robin adds. Cut to shots of Raghu with cars. This happens so often in the film, that it almost becomes amusing.

In the midst of all the back and forth in the story, we get several in-your-face, occasionally even contextually irrelevant efforts to cash in on the hyper-nationalism plaguing our political discourse these days. In one randomly placed scene, a couple of shooting instructors in Dublin (more of those bottom-of-the-barrel extras) taunt an Indian man for being useless with a gun.

They make snide remarks about how you just need to ask India's neighbours about our incompetence in that department. When Raghu strolls over, these two mockingly assume he cannot understand English. Instead, he coolly fires several rounds from a gun and hits his mark each time - of course - then lectures those cheeky firangis about desi prowess in fluent English.

SBI starts auction of Mallya's Kingfisher House 

Mumbai: Lenders to long-grounded Kingfisher Airlines, owned by beleaguered businessman Vijay Mallya, today began auctioning the KFA headquarters - Kingfisher House -situated near the domestic airport here.
The property, with a built-up area of over 17,000 sq ft in Vile Parle area, is being auctioned by SBICAPS Trustee, a subsidiary of SBI Caps through an e-auction.
The auction is being conducted on e-auction property platform, Auction Tiger. The base price for the property has been set at Rs150 crore. The auction is being conducted under the Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest Act (Sarfaesi), 2002. 

Deepika Padukone and Donnie Yen on XXX The Return Of Xander Cage sets will make your day

Deepika Padukone and Donnie Yen on XXX The Return Of Xander Cage sets will make your day

Deepika Padukone is busy shooting for her Hollywood debut film, XXX The Return Of The Xander Cage. Quite a number of times, the Indian diva has shared photos on social media from the sets of the film. The recent picture which is doing rounds on the internet is with actor Donnie Yen, who plays the character of Xiang in the XXX 3.

Donnie Yen replaced Jet Li in the film, when the latter dropped out of the project due to unknown reasons. The Ip Man star Donnie Yen can be seen clicking a selfie with Deepika Padukone in the image.

Ruby Rose, who plays Adele Wolff in XXX sequel, also shared an image with her co-star Vin Diesel. The Orange Is The New Black actor shared the image with a captioned the image, "Laughs on set."