Keenly Anticipated Movies Of 2017, Which Surprisingly, Just About Made The Cut - From Strictly Average To Almost Disappointing
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- DirectorA.R. MurugadossStarsMahesh BabuRakul Preet SinghS.J. SuryahAn intelligence officer attempts to save the city from a psychotic serial killer who kills people just to hear their loved ones cry.Murugadoss’ vision is once again on point in SPYder, but his execution isn’t as slick as it normally is. The popular South Director displays his famous acumen for creating massy moments with brains like Shiva’s plan to save his family, the entire flashback sequence that establishes Bhairavadu disorder, and the riveting pre-interval block. However, for every such moment there’s another completely jarring, over-the-top one that dilutes the thrilling impact of the film. The entire roller-coaster stunt or the part where Shiva engages untrained, unsuspecting housewives to corner a dangerous killer are just too implausible to be taken seriously. The songs, too, appear completely out of sync with the narrative. Still, the film does have its moments of brilliance, with a sincere Mahesh Babu and sadistic S.J. Suryah in full flow, to more than merit a passable watch.
2.8/5 stars - DirectorSabbir KhanStarsTiger ShroffNidhhi AgerwalNawazuddin SiddiquiA young man, tries to follow the footsteps of his idol, The King of Pop, Michael Jackson.Munna Michael is the weakest of Sabbir Khan and Tiger Shroff’s three collaborations. It neither has the novelty of Heropanti nor the spellbinding action of Baaghi, and for a dance film, both its music and dancing fail to leave an impact, besides there being very little dancing in the first place. Watch it if you must for some genuinely funny moments in the first half, and Nawaz and Tiger’s crackling chemistry, which just about saves the film from slipping on the dance floor.
2.5/5 stars - DirectorDavid F. SandbergStarsAnthony LaPagliaSamara LeeMiranda OttoTwelve years after the tragic death of their little girl, a doll-maker and his wife welcome a nun and several girls from a shuttered orphanage into their home, where they become the target of the doll-maker's possessed creation, Annabelle.Barring a few good jump scares and even fewer suspenseful moments, Annabelle: Creation is a strictly average horror film with scarce world-building or mysterious manifestations, which the two Conjuring films or last year's Lights Out did so well. The chills aren't that chilling; the thrills fall up and down (mostly down); the shocks seldom manage to even surprise you; and the big plot twist not only comes too late to be played upon, but it can also be guessed from miles away. Also, all the shock-and-scream shtick is getting old now, particularly if it isn't accompanied up by a truly suspenseful back story. For an origin tale, this one has precious little in the way of making Annabelle's origin frightening or even relevant to the Conjuring universe. And what awful lighting for a horror movie (zero atmosphere compared to the other films in the series). It passes muster in way of a few tense moments or being marginally better than its own predecessor, but, overall, this one is quite a middling entry to the Conjuring stable. Maybe it's time to pack away this doll and concentrate solely on the demonic 'conjurings' that the Warrens do battle with.
2.5/5 stars - DirectorSrijit MukherjiStarsAmitabh BachchanPallavi ShardaPitobashThe story of eleven prostitutes who refuse to part ways with their brothel and each other during the partition between India and Pakistan.2.5/5 stars
- DirectorSeth GordonStarsDwayne JohnsonZac EfronAlexandra DaddarioDevoted lifeguard Mitch Buchannon butts heads with a brash new recruit, as they uncover a criminal plot that threatens the future of the bay.Baywatch is a bit like that theme-park ride, which starts off with a bang, but loses steam soon after, only to slightly rev up its engine toward the last lap. If a few adult jokes and raunchy gags that crank up the laugh meter are your thing; or if you’re dying to see Priyanka Chopra in her Hollywood debut; or, perhaps, have been a lifelong fan of The Rock, then you may find the ride somewhat enjoyable.
2.5/5 stars - DirectorSebastián LelioStarsDaniela VegaFrancisco ReyesLuis GneccoMarina, a transgender woman who works as a waitress and moonlights as a nightclub singer, is bowled over by the death of her older boyfriend.2.5/5 stars
- DirectorAlex KurtzmanStarsTom CruiseSofia BoutellaAnnabelle WallisAn ancient Egyptian princess is awakened from her crypt beneath the desert, bringing with her malevolence grown over millennia and terrors that defy human comprehension.The Mummy is a strictly average movie. The first half moves along decently, but, the second, is a total mess, presenting yet another classic case of Hollywood mistaking overblown CGI and immense noise for a sense of adventure. The climax, in particular, goes off the rails in its quest of pumping us with VFX and explosions. Tom Cruise is still cool and delivers some neat lines, but, at his age, he needs to be picking his projects more wisely, lest he, too, falls off the radar like his contemporaries have. He still has it in him to be the big moviestar for a few more years, before age dictates that he takes a step or two back. It would be sad to see him robbed off a few more years of entertaining us with his sheer star-power - not to mention his severely underrated acting credentials - just because of silly choices. To put it plainly, The Mummy chugs along sedately for a while before completing running out of steam, with more than half the journey left. Certainly not among Cruise's worst, but still, quite a misfire.
2.3/5 stars - DirectorKushan NandyStarsNawazuddin SiddiquiBidita BagJatin GoswamiThe movie, filled with humor and romance, is a quirky ride into the life and times of a small time contract killer, Babu, played by Nawazuddin Siddiqui. The film spins around his love, his friends, his rivalries and his revenge.Babumoshai Bandookbaaz proves to be a giant misstep for awazuddin Siddiqui who’s one of the flag-bearers of gritty, dark niche cinema that runs parallel to more mainstream fare in Bollywood. Gone are the hard-hitting dialogues, rustic characters, and neorealism of his erstwhile works that we’ve come to love and proudly boast about as a part of Indian cinema. What we get instead is a film that tries too hard to ape these elements but ends up being nothing more than a pale shadow of them.
The biggest issue with Babumoshai Bandookbaaz is that it’s tailor-made for a terrific 30-40 minute short film, but has been stretched over two hours with the addition of long-drawn out scenes, unmelodious songs, hackneyed dialogues, and coerced lovemaking. Most of the plot twists can be seen from miles away. There are some redeemable moments though, like the action scenes and the game of cat-and-mouse between Babu and Bankey when they first encounter each other, but they’re too few to offer enough solace. A few other sequences like the simmering sexual tension between Babu, Bankey, and Phulva also make for welcome detours from the otherwise mundane narrative, but they appear like a needle in a haystack to really make a marked difference to the film’s outcome.
Those looking for another unique diversion from mainstream Hindi films, headlined by an actor known to deliver with his idiosyncratic cinematic choices, will be left sorely disappointed. Barring an admirable dual act by Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Jatin Goswami, coupled with some tense moments and hard-hitting scenes, Babumoshai Bandookbaaz has precious little to offer in terms of earthiness or realism. This one’s quite a misfire.
2.1/5 stars - DirectorAnshai LalGoswami Mahesh Gari TulsigiriFeroz Khan BollybrothersStarsAnushka SharmaDiljit DosanjhSuraj SharmaA man must marry a tree to ward off threats to his love-life, but the tree turns out to have more spirit than the man bargained for.Phillauri isn’t a bad film as much as it’s a boring one. It doesn’t have many glaring errors or plot-holes, but the package as a whole doesn’t say much.There are a few moments of genuine humor and emotions, but, beyond those, you’re left checking your watch way too often wondering when it’ll all come to an end. It certainly had potential, but, alas, it’ll go down as one of those huge’ what-could-have-been’ ventures in cinema.
2/5 stars - DirectorAmit MasurkarStarsRajkummar RaoPankaj TripathiAnjali PatilA government clerk on election duty in the conflict ridden jungle of Central India tries his best to conduct free and fair voting despite the apathy of security forces and the looming fear of guerrilla attacks by communist rebels.Newton is a film that makes many valid points, makes you feel that you need to pay attention to those points, but, somewhere, between making these points and conveying their message, the overall effect gets diluted because of a lack of cohesive storyline that falters to engross you for its entire duration.
It’s clear that Director Amit V. Masurkar sets out to hold a mirror by attempting to unveil the harsh reality of civilians residing deep in the interiors of the country, forgotten by a system who no longer even considers them citizens, and, in turn, how this has led to their complete lack of trust and apathy towards that same system. However, while Masurkar focuses on highlighting these situations, he forgets a crucial aspect of making such real-life matters hit their mark – conveying them through a plot that holds the attention span of the audience.
Newton has little to no plot – it merely ambles along like a documentary with characters and dialogues that are added as an afterthought. A lot is being said over here, but precious little eventually gets conveyed on account of a complete absence of plot narration, dramatic conflicts, or a storyline that has a start and end point. The problem is that you can’t have documentary with made-up characters nor can you have a scripted film sans any drama, and Newton falls smack in the chasm of a no man’s land between these two schools of filmmaking. Rajkummar Rao, Pankaj Tripathi, Anjali Patil, and the rest of the cast, flush with ace performers like Raghubir Yadav, do their best to keep you attention from wavering, but there’s only so much a bunch of exceptional actors can do when they’re left with no tools to display their dramatic chops.
Regardless if you’re a connoisseur of more-entertaining mainstream fare or serious, gritty cinema, Newton is likely to disappoint all schools of thought on account of its lack of clarity and inability to wrap its topical message in a dramatic screenplay. You could watch it for the actors and some interesting points it makes. But, then again, you could just as well watch these actors in better stuff and read the same points on Google..
2/5 stars - DirectorAnubhav SinhaStarsTaapsee PannuRishi KapoorAshutosh RanaOne family member tries to help her own family when they are trapped in a dark controversy.