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Petta (2019)
Suave
A mature Rajnikanth delivered a fierce performance, and this Tamil flick became a turbulent action comedy with romance. Vijay Sethupathi played an unsuspecting thug whose naivete betrayed himself and his over-zealous boss,Nawazuddin Siddiqui's Singaar Singh. Sananth and his love interest, Megha Akash's character, faced Bobby Simha's rowdy gang alone until Petta and a mysterious organized crime ring intervene. Simran's role brought a balance to the movie's imaginative antics. A fast-paced action movie rife with comedic and romantic relief showcased Kalanithi Maran's production style with Anirudh Ravichander's musical score. Karthik Subbaraj directed the witty script, dramatic irony, and plot twists with a hint of Coppala's "The Godfather" and tons of pure Tamil flare.
Rush (2012)
Ethical Journalism 101
Shamin Desai's Rush became a bleak thriller. Emraan Hashmi delivered the main character for this ironical plot with a simple script. Sagarikha Ghatge supported Emraan's character against an evil duo, Aditya Pancholi and Neha Dhupia. Pritam Chakraborty's music represented a westernized theme as did Neha Didwania's costumes. Mohammed Fasih produced the film such that material glamour appeared corrupt. Mohamed Ghouse and P Mohan's special effects remained basic yet essential in contrast to the film's opulent antagonists. A virtuous resolution highlighted the simple pleasures of truth over deceit. Fake news was abound in 2016, so this film may have been Bollywood's reaction.
Dangal (2016)
Inspirational
Nitesh Diwari's Dangal becomes a inspirational sports drama. Fatima Sana Shaikh impersonates Geeta Phogat in this biographical film. Amir Khan plays her father, and Sanya Malhotra portrays her sister. The real life story of Geeta Phogat has created headlines in the wrestling world. India has had a weak reputation in international wrestling, and female athletes, in particular, face oppressive social taboos. Three Indian states could show the movie tax free because it resonates rich tenets of fatherhood, sisterhood, family, and determination. Amir Khan Productions and Walt Disney Pictures would spend a budget of just ~1.2 million USD and gross ~11 million USD due to the popularity!
Dhanak (2015)
Sibling Synergy
Nagesh Kukunoor's Dhanak becomes a witty tale of perseverance! Krrish Chhabria plays an enlightened lad with optimism in the face of desperation. Hetal Gada portrays a responsible sibling with realistic ambitions and lightheartedness. The setting in Rajasthan illustrates the happiness still present in impoverished villages and rural areas. Drishyam Films and Kukunoor movies may have spent a modest amount since the plot of the movie relied on the dialogue and not special effects. Tapas Relia's soundtrack compositions convey the ardent spirit of the main characters and their supporting cast. Dhanak offers a whirlwind of emotions for the entire family.
Doctor Strange (2016)
Larger than Life
Scott Derrickson made Doctor Strange a visual masterpiece! Art and visual effects surrounding the story of Benedict Cumberbatch's character were stunning. Chiwetel Ejiofor delivered a dramatic crescendo during this exploration of metaphysical and physical conflicts. Benedict responded with conviction, mastery, and swagger. Jon Spaihts, Scott Derrickson, and Robert Cargill interwove humor, spiritualism, and action into the smart dialogues. Tilda Swinton brilliantly delivered against Mads Mikkelsen's character. Rachel McAdams' character was more of the classic contemporary female role. Vicotria Alonso's production team, Ben Davis, and Sabrina Plisco's editing team stitched together this multi-faceted jewel spectacularly.
Brahman Naman (2016)
Coming of Age
Quashiq Mukherjee's Brahman Nahman hilariously lampooned collegiate coming of age in 1980's Indian bourgeoisie. Sindhu Sreenivasa Murthy played a highly loyal yet unrequited lover. Tanmay Dhanania and Chaitanya Varad acted as the venturesome sidekicks while recruiting Vaishwath Shankar who just wanted to fit in. Denzil Smith chaperoned the rambunctious conquest of the quiz team all-stars at the national quiz championship in Kolkata. Anula Navlekar was captivating while Subholina Sen was flirtatious to the rebellious nerd whom Shashank Arora portrayed. Ashok Mandanna depicted the nerd's orthodox yet lenient father whose factory near Bangalore University played the set for various antics. There were plenty of farcical scenes in this story of a youth society globally shrouded in conservatism and preexisting conventions.
The Angry Birds Movie (2016)
Fun Pop Culture Reference
Angry Birds was full of computer generated physical comedy. Clay Kaytis and Fergal Reilly brought out a much different side of birds from Alfred Hitchcock. Peter Dinklage's burnt out swashbuckler surprised everyone in Pete Oswald's wonderful Bird and Piggy Islands. Josh Gad acted out a devious "Speedy Gonzalez" type of character. Danny McBride delivered more of a sumo wrestler. These two characters met Jason Sudeikis's portrayal of a mis-understood radical in Maya Rudolph's cheerful service. Keegan- Michael Key and Bill Hader played out power-hungry materialists though one finally fell for a Trojan horse ploy of the other. Sony Pictures Imageworks positively gave the original video game's story line a Hollywood treatment!
Independence Day: Resurgence (2016)
The Next Generation
Independence Day: Resurgence further unraveled more of the mystery behind the alien villains from the first Independence Day film. Ronald Emmrich's special effects team drastically contributed to the film's appeal with new aliens, alien technology, and human technology. Jessie T. Usher, the films popular hero, teamed with an international crew to include Liam Hemsworth, who acted as an iconoclast firebrand. The two joined forces with Independence Day vets, Jeff Goldblum, Vivica A Fox, Bill Pullman, Judd Hirsch, and Brent Spiner to face new aliens. Lisy Christi kept the character's costumes modest and let Jay Hart's futuristic set designs create the playground for big computer animation.
Piku (2015)
Vanilla Bollywood Icing on a Cake of Legendary Bollywood Culture
Piku unpretentiously painted a portrait of an average upper middle class family. Amitabh Bachan acted as a retired father and widower who still enjoyed spending time with his daughter while battling health issues. Deepika Padukone's role as the daughter involved hilarious exchanges with her father and other employees of their family. Irrfan Khan's character managed ferrying Amitabh and Deepika in his taxi after being under fire from his mother and sister to do business. Shoojit Sircar delivered a truly simple yet effectual Bollywood film considering the lack of dance numbers and villains. Juhi Chaturvedi sprinkled this award winning hit with lively witticisms for plenty of laughs to accompany the distresses of reality.
Central Intelligence (2016)
The Rock and the Soft Spot
Central Intelligence was hilarious. Sione Kelepi delivered a quintessential high school bullying victim who returns as Dwayne Johnson's portrayal of a super agent. Kevin Hart played the burnt out all star whose workplace nemesis is Ryan Hansen's character. Danielle Nicolet's role as a supportive yet uncertain wife pit Dwayne and Kevin against each other for one of the movie's funniest scenes. These two finally joined forces and faced their grownup high school bully, Jason Bateman, while defeating a crime syndicate. Rawson Marshall Thurber, the movie's director, captured the comedic chemistry among this cast while employing very basic cinematography.
Gunday (2014)
Kolkatta Tag Team
Gunday was a controversial illustration. Ranveer Singh posted as a vulnerable romantic. Arjun Kapoor played the unrequited and jealous lover. Priyanka Chopra delivered a temptress. Irrfan Khan acted as the authority figure. The setting in Kolkatta made for the few short dance sequences. Irony compelled a must-see ending. Bangladesi people were a little outraged with the script's emphasis of Indian and downplay of Bangladesi contribution in the Indo-Pak war. Bangladesh and India each appeared in this ode to Kolkatta's plight. Factual evidence could have been clearly subject to bias for the target audience, yet the entertainment factor had been the main draw. Aditya Chopra produced one of the few Bollywood films having a superhero duo for a fun spirit like Dhoom!
The Nice Guys (2016)
1970's Mix
Nice Guys resembled a Pulp Fiction type of vintage. Russel Crowe and Ryan Gossling suavely portrayed super sleuths. Angourie Rice delivered the role of female sidekick. Kim Basinger played another overly-controlling female character. Margaret Qualley acted as the rebellious one. Clever quips brought out the relationships among the cast. Costumes and dresses from a by-gone era, like Yaya DaCosta's dress in the climax, gave the scenes an authentic look. A soundtrack of hit musical throwbacks helped set the ambiance. Dramatic plot-twists kept the pace of the movie at par with murder mystery movies while the script integrated humor to lighten the premise. The result created a detective comedy for mature audiences!
Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016)
An Absolute Fantasy Curveball for a Sequel to a Classic!
Alice Through the Looking Glass delivered another illustration of Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter's abilities to portray strange and fantastic characters. Mia Wasikowska acted very poignantly and boldly elegant while Anne Hathaway appeared rather queenly. Sacha Cohen made a surprise entrance in this offshoot of Disney's classic Alice in Wonderland story. People, who knew the original fairy tale, still had plenty to wonder from Alice and her band of familiar characters. The wondrous setting and costumes transported viewers into an imaginative time and place characteristic of Disney. There was substance here for the whole family to enjoy together!
Money Monster (2016)
Micro-Economics 101
Money Monster again depicted the on-screen synergy between George Clooney and Julia Roberts. The pair from the Ocean's 11 movies came together for this brief economics based story. Direction from Jody Foster matured in delivering her first profitable film. There was a simple set mimicking a news production studio, so the script was important instead of exotic set scenery as from the Ocean's series. Action was missing though there was plenty of drama, suspense, and irony! George's character, the anchor of a financial new spot, vindicated himself ironically with the help of his capture. The capture took George's character hostage and persuaded him and his team, including Julia's character, to uncover a missing $800 million!
Warcraft (2016)
WoW!
Warcraft, the movie, depicted the fictional war game story in an accessible way for mainstream viewers! The 3D computer graphics and real life actors and actresses were an evolution of the cinematography from the Avatar. Duncan Jones directed the first of a promising series given the success of the 21st century sci-fi and fantasy genre with the Matrix, X-Men, and the Avengers. Help came from the advance of computer generated graphics and the growing comfort of acting with these technologies. There was plenty of action in this gamer's delight though the story line was obviously adapted for a movie audience. Warcraft's fantastic scenery and fictional conflicts manifested magically in this thriller.
Team Foxcatcher (2016)
Documented Demise of the Foxcatcher Team
Team Foxcatcher, the documentary, illustrated the demise of the international wrestling power house, Foxcatcher farm. Integrating testimonials, media footage, photographs, and memoirs austerely depicted one of wrestling's worst moments. John Du Pont's murder of international wrestling champion Dave Shultz shocked the sport's world immediately before the 1996 summer olympics. Dave's wife and family appeared emotionally paralyzed while John's state visibly deteriorated from enthusiastic to resentful. The reality was that John could not imitate the athletes whom he nurtured nor could he accept their victories as his own. Unraveling the mystery behind the superficially staid Foxcatcher Team was an eye opening look at private sports' enterprise.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows (2016)
Solid Sequel
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows illustrated the ability of the four brothers to meet the embrace of the NYPD. These heros faced stereotypes, prejudice, and an evil army in this ode to team play with their friends from the local news channel. The relations amongst the brothers and the NYPD grow tense as Michael Bay and Meghan Fox give another classic cartoon the Hollywood treatment. Tyler Perry even made a cameo this time as the quintessential mad scientist. Johnny Knoxville showed a surprising consistency as Leondardo, the brains of the team, again in sharp contrast to his role from MTV's Jack Ass. Stuntwork, special effect graphics, and a solid climax put the classic turtles into the regular 21st century movie archive.
Grimsby (2016)
Sibling Escapades and Shenanigans
The Brother's Grimsby continued Sasha Cohen's grotesque raunchiness on screen. Resembling very little in comparison to the folktales of the Brother's Grimm indicated Sasha's creative sense of irony and humor. There were plenty of sexual allusions and antics. Borad seemed PG after this look at low class English soccer hooligans and the bonds tested amongst family, world peace, and corruption. If MTV's Jack Ass had a storyline, then the Brother's Grimsby may have been the outcome. Amy Nicholson phrased the spectacle this way "Like last year's Kingsman: The Secret Service, The Brothers Grimsby is a spit-wad at U.K. classism embedded in a spy caper."
Interstellar (2014)
Apocalypse Forces Innovation
Interstellar was a science fiction movie for the space exploration enthusiasts. Anne Hathaway was a strong and smart female character. A stunningly attractive and successful female scientist in the growingly coed profession is still hard to find from the industrial sector. The quality of science behind the film's mechanisms for deep space travel and travel through a black hole appeared inadequate. There was physics illustrated in the movie through conceptually revolutionary scenes in a wormhole yet the spaceships looked contemporary. Modern NASA and private space exploration companies put the same kind of technology into space today. The movie illustrated this real disparity between the depths of science and the capacity of technology!
Fury (2014)
Tank Commander Caper
Fury was as an intimate look at the memorable conclusion to the last world war. The end of this war story's atrocity became well known. Public knowledge of world war two proliferated as America's economy and educated bourgeois grew rapidly. Stories of soldiers were scarcely made public in lieu of patriotic or nationalistic gain, so humanized scripts for this depiction were profound. The jaded renegade Sgt and his rookie enlistee encountered not only the anticipated battles against Axis forces but also the natives. There was a dramatic quartering scene where the ethics and nature of victorious Allies faced the choice to plunder their conquest! "With great power comes great responsibility" came to mind several times while watching this story.
The Martian (2015)
Scientific Fiction vs Science Fiction
The Martian is the latest in the attempts from Hollywood to make a plausible science fiction movie for the masses! There is a little science in this picture of NASA's contingencies against failed conquest of Mars. Biology, chemistry, and agriculture are the three main staples for the star studded cast of The Martian. No light speed warp drives, thugs with advanced arms, or black holes makes this survival story felicitous to the contemporary science fan. Matt Damon, the familiar brainy underdog since Goodwill Hunting, returns as an astronaut lost just a planet away from Earth. Homesteading on Mars has become the object of speculation for space fans and professionals alike, and this type of content can really help.
Delhi Belly (2011)
Tandoori
Dheli Belly is a clever westernized Bollywood film. There is the definite presence of movement towards Western integration. The movie setting in Delhi depicts an environment where students struggle earning an existence and are suddenly facing gangsters. A fluent English version of the film, a soon-to-be divorcée, and a sparse set of dance numbers satire the ethnic coalescence. Indian culture has been shifting with globalization, yet everpresent themes from popular Bollywood films still underlie this work; Innocent hands volunteer and fail to deliver a mysterious package pinning friends and lovers against an underground jewelry smuggling operation.
Triple 9 (2016)
If There is a Speck of Dirt on a Clean Shirt, the Scrutiny of Urban Atl
Having lived in and near the Atlanta area for 24 years helps to appreciate the setting of Triple 9. The moment when a new cop who gets transferred to the unit hears "This ain't Buckhead" you just know, Training Day meets Takers for Atlanta folks this illustration of the South Atlanta region slightly exaggerates. There is an increase of crimes in the Latin American community, but there is a proportional rise in the Latin American general population. Persecution of influentially sensitive cultural paradigms surface as the city's protectors face corruption. Basing this portrait on the thought that there exist shattered neighbors in Atlanta is only acceptable within prudent reason.
Serbuan maut 2: Berandal (2014)
Hare Rama!
Iko Uwais and Oko Antara brilliantly displayed the pencak silat fighting style in a climatic fight between corruption and peace. Rama,Iko Uwais' character, an elite policeman in the Raid movie series, and his family find themselves surrounded in the midst of gang wars. Embedding Rama undercover would result in Rama's familiarization with the power structure that he must dismantle. Saving his home from falling into gang territory forced Rama face to face against Eko, Oko Antara's character. The most notorious hit-man of the Indonesian city's most vicious gang and his henchman pushed Rama through a metamorphosis of character. His fiery resolve became a calm storm and the downfall of this character's protagonist cajolers.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
Setting the Premise of Civil War
Emily VanCamp and Chris Evans flirted modestly through an attack on subversion of the world's super powers. An intimate mind game between loyalty and power forced Captain America, Chris Evans, into alliances with a new hero, Birdman. The super-duo, the rising heroine, Emily VanCamp, and their cast of protagonists won with surprisingly little fire power. Ninja like moves from these Avengers adequately compensated for the arsenal of the heavily armed corruption infecting SHIELD. This world's most powerful defense faced falling to the irony of betrayal and the genocide of millions. Innocent people put their trust in an exuberant team of headstrong superpatriots though the cost would be a quarrelsome Civil War!