amitkoikkarah

To begin with I am biased towards romantic movies and usually find them excruciatingly boring. Midnight sun is no exception to that. There are a few emotional tear-jerky scenes that may move you but to be honest the plot rationale just seemed lethargic.

Midnight Sun will definitely appeal to the lovers of Nicholas Spark novels and the love characterization in them . Especially the movie " A Walk to Remember"; if you are fan of that movie, you wouldn't want to miss this one then.

Romantic movies with terminally ill patient as the protagonist is an age old tale and we have seen plethora of movies addressing it. This movie too has an interesting premise away from cancer and tumor and talks about a disease called Xeroderma pigmentosum that makes interaction with sunlight deadly for the patient. The drama could have been more nuanced but the director plays old school and you basically see the formula of every such teen romantic movie being repeated.

The actors including Bella Thorne, Patrick Schwarzenegger and Quinn Shephard have done their parts satisfactorily but to be honest there is nothing commendable in anyone's performance partly due to a weak screenplay. The technical details of the movie are well presented and to be honest the movie is not too boring as well.

Finally, if you are a fan of Nicholas Sparks styled romance, I would suggest this film. Otherwise its better giving it a miss.

Historical dramas are often the toughest to bring to the celluloid. Since history cannot be modified so it is always difficult to deliver the element of surprise. The entire weight is then on the shoulders of the film's presentation and more importantly acting. Padamaavat ( earlier named as Padmavati), is based on a historical account of the same title by Malik Muhammad Jayasi narrates the tale of Rani Padmini, who has a god-like stature among the Rajput and Hindu community for demonstrating valor and being an epitome of beauty and wisdom and chronicles the episodes of her royal life and how the arrival of the Khilji ruler Alauddin Khilji makes a marked change and how she and her husband Raja Ratan Singh of Mewar resist the tyrannical motives of Khilji, who is completely enamored by Rani Padmini's beauty forms the rest of the story. No more surprises beyond that.

Let's start with the positives for the movie. The movie is lavishly mounted, and every scene is meticulously crafted with finesse. The cinematography by Sudeep Chatterjee, costumes by Rimple and Harpreet Narula and others and the art design are truly pitch perfect and give the movie a totally classy look. Bhansali has invested a lot of time in presenting the set pieces and costumes with perfection and the hard work can be seen on the screen. The visuals will definitely arrest your attention throughout the film. The background score is also fine, but not the strongest point for the film. The editing team has tried its best to make the proceeding racy.

Now on the negatives, after delivering quite a compelling one with Bajirao Mastani, Bhansali's story for Padmaavat appears stale. The screenplay befits more of a historical documentary movie that is shown on History Channel HD or Discovery Channel and less of a celluloid extravaganza. The issue with the screenplay is Bhansali has only treated scenes individually and not cohesively together and thus makes it a non-engaging offer, in the sense the scene might be fine but does not seem to evoke much emotions as the screenplay is not taunt enough. As mentioned earlier, owing to the controversy the story is now familiar to everyone, so it was up-to the screenplay to engage the audiences and I must admit it was a disappointment. Now coming to the acting, Ranveer Singh as Alauddin Khilji has attempted to be menacing and his efforts can be observed. But then again, the issue is there is only sparks of terror as he takes centerstage, but no dread that we would except from him. He has tried to be an overwhelming villain and though his efforts can be appreciated, it fails the mark that was necessary for this movie. Shahid Kapoor is a misfit as the Raja and appears too stoic. His abs and torso are perfect, but his acting was bummer. Deepika as Rani Padmini looks angelic and ethereal, but also with her the acting is not fluid and her emotions in the end seem stifled in the climax. The best show was by Malik Gafoor played Jim Sarbh. He was a treat to watch. The rest including Aditi Rao, Raza Murad and Anupriya Geonka are okayish with their parts, nothing much to comment. The action sequences are dull and should have been taken care of much better given the fact the drama in the movie is truly weak. Finally, to the add on the Sati sequence, maybe it's a part of the historical account, but given the fact Bhansali has fictionalized certain parts he could have added a more appropriate sequence. Personally, Sati was not what I wanted as the ode to Rani Padmini. Even the Sati sequence falls flat and has no emotions raised and some of the antics by the ladies, to be honest appear way too lame. There is noting controversial in the movie, other than over-top emphasizing Rajput valor and honor.

Finally, Padmaavat will fall in the bracket of the historical drama that had the extravaganza but lacked the soul. It will not be one of those movies that will have an eternal shelf-life. Padmaavat had the opportunity to be a classic of how a king and queen bravely faced the advances of an evil tyrannical ruler and protect their kingdom but gets itself relegated to being more of a costume drama. Watching Padmaavat will make you realise why there is only Dilip Kumar Saab, Madhubala ji and one Mughal -e- Azam. Truly, a stale outcome by a fine storyteller.

At the onset I have to admit I am a Star Wars fan and this review might be slightly biased in this favor. However, I also want to state the fan in me felt satiated seeing the movie and hence the review is a reflection of the same!

The movie begins with the Rebellion lead by Princess Leia is combating the First Order forces led by Supreme Leader Snoke and Kylo Ren. Meanwhile Rey arrives to meet the Jedi master Luke Skywalker to seek his help to crush the First Order. The movie then expands on the battle strategy sought by the Rebellion and the interactions Rey and Luke have regarding the latter's participation in this war. Will Skywalker be convinced to fight alongside his twin sister? What does Kylo and Snoke have in store for the Rebellion? What role will Rey and Finn play in the battle forward? To answer these questions and catch some other interesting turns you must definitely watch the movie.

Talking at first on the script - it is very well developed and though its a longer than the last one by at-least a good 20 mins, it manages to capture your attention, particularly owing to the fact they introspect the main characters. The movie will remind fans of the second part of the LOTR trilogy wherein the character development is made for the final showdown. Personally, I found the climax emotional and I cried (yes, I did!!) and it might be due to my fandom to Star Wars. I cannot wait for Episode IX.

The acting by the lead cast is particularly brilliant and everyone has showed their prowess in their own fashion. Daisy Ridely has everything in her to be a Star Wars phenomenon. The movie also has a some good jokes that keeps the tone relatively light and enjoyable. The length might be an issue to a few and maybe restricting to 130 minutes would have been better. But, I personally did not find the running time an issue. The technical team is brilliant and John Williams keeps the movie upbeat and exhilarating with his resonant soundtrack.

Finally, Star Wars is a franchise and the core fans might have a different view on the movie than the one presented here. To the non-fans a bit more understanding of Star Wars will help you appreciate the true marvel.

My recommendation is not to miss this spectacle and is a perfect Christmas Treat!!

As Robin Cavendish clamors repeatedly that he wants to die after feeling stifled living in a Hospital, it takes much persuasion from his wife Diana to think the other way round. Here is a man who wants to see and cherish the outside world and his incapacity to do that makes him shun from the very existence of it.

The movie "Breathe" transports you to a period where the severely disabled and in this context from the malignant polio are restrained from the rest of the society and how they spend the rest of their lives in the hospitals, even though they ache for Freedom. Robin decided to embark on freedom and this movie is an ode to his attempt to integrate into society despite his breathing difficulty, for which he uses an electric breathing tube. Robin aided by his good friend Teddy and his supportive wife Diana and son Jonathan finally manage to live the dream. Though the climax is a bit of an aberrant, but since the real life Jonathan Cavendish financed the movie and initiated the screenplay on his fathers' life, the events in the climax should be true.

Andy Serkis in his directorial debut offers a decent movie with the focus mostly on Robin's life during the polio crisis. There is nothing extra-ordinary about his directing, but he manages to deliver a sensitive topic with charm and light humor, though these kind of movies require much more coherent drama and I found that lacking. The actors have a good job with the pick being Andrew Garfield, who continues to dwell in different characters and his portrayal of Robin is definitely note-worthy. Claire Foy, has a decent chemistry with Garfield, but compared to her titular role in the Crown, this seems kind of a cake walk. The rest of the cast including Tom Hollander,Hugh Bonneville and Jonathan Hyde play the parts with what the characters demand.

The light hearted nature of plot is indeed a drawback as this movie somehow lacks the strong punch. The romantic portions between Robin and Diana is nothing extraordinary even in presentation and seems quite a cliché. Yes, the intent of the movie was not the romance, but even that somehow feels fizzled out.

Overall, Breathe is a decent movie owing to the actors and less with the screenplay. Its worth a watch, however I personally believe the tale of Robin Cavendish needed a more packed and stronger plot. Considering the movie Wonder that had so many beautiful moments, this one kind of fails in that.

Wonder is movie that deals with the perspectives of characters that revolve around August "Auggie" Pullman like planets in a solar system and how their lives are not only linked with the protagonist but provides the scope of self -introspection amongst themselves. Auggie is a wonder kid who is a diagnosed with Treacher Collins syndrome,a genetic disorder characterized by deformities of the ears, eyes, cheekbones and chin with potential complications leading to breathing problems, blind vision, cleft palate, and hearing loss. He was home-schooled by his mother Isabel till Grade 5 and the story primarily is devoted to his experiences in being a part of the normal middle school life.With that being the central pivot, the movie also focuses on his elder sister Olivia who many times is sidelined due to the attention and care Auggie receives and how situations test her relationship with her friends and her family.

The biggest success of Wonder is its light-hearted humor and its emotional moments that are executed brilliantly. The emotional sequences resonates particularly well and is not done over the top. Though the strenght of the film relies on the hypothetical setting of an understanding family for Auggie, it might also remain as a slight aberrant from reality considering the fact in real-life the moments are going to much more tense and a calm composure as espoused by the movie may not possible every now and then.

The actors have done a fantastic job, starting from Jacob Tremblay as Auggie, to the ever-talented Julia Roberts as the mother, Owen Wilson as the father, Izabela Vidovic as Olvia the sister and the everyone else starting from Auggie's schoolmates to Olivia' best friend and boyfriend. Each cast member brings in the perfect proportion of emotion palette to the celluloid that the entire proceedings does not boring even for a moment. The only drawback was with Owen Wilson being cast as Julia Roberts' husband as he at times looks like her son.

Auggie's story does a familiar template especially with the school episodes and eventually the climax where he is felicitated for his achievements. The character development is something we have observed earlier but what makes it different is the acting and the presentation. I, however liked Olvia's story much more, especially her relationship with her boyfriend Justin and her best friend Miranda and how she often-times felt lonely at home and still remained understanding. Olivia character emotes the raw emotions of longing and frustration perfectly and it is a character that will leave a big impression on the audience even after the movie is over.

To be honest, Olivia's story will make me more teary-eyed than Auggie's story and there are several instances of that in the film.

I have limited knowledge on the Treacher Collins Syndrome and am no expert to comment on whether the film's portrayal has been true or not. However, as an audience who wanted to enjoy a good emotional family drama, I must say Wonder surprised me beyond expectations .

Catch this movie and you will not be left disappointed and there is a chance you might have a stronger set of feelings towards your family.