Flagging Race

Race 2 moves fast, entices, glitters with Jacqueline Fernandez and Deepika Padukone glam, but does not captivate. Ranvir Singh (Saif Ali Khan) is on a  revenge trip against Turkish don Armaan Malik (John Abraham), but whether Armaan’s girlfriend Omisha (Jacqueline Fernandez) and sister Elena (Deepika Padukone) are friend or foe, are to be determined over the course of the movie’s many twists and turns. In the end, Race 2 is an entertainer that does not quite live up to its hype

11/20

Power in Grey

In the power plays in an ad agency, ad maven Rahul (Arjun Rampal) and protégé Maya (Chitrangda Singh) turn competitors and lovers. Even as they get into daily workplace skirmishes, the tension between them manifests itself in an ugly sexual harassment lawsuit. Inkaar is not about taking sides in the “sexual harassment in the workplace” debate. Rather, it is about two individuals, drawn by mutual attraction and shared levels of ambition, yet pitted against each other in the typical Darwinian workplace. Some pretty demanding character acting sets this one apart – though in the end the movie trails off rather inconclusively. Inkaar has been generally poorly received, a fact that does not do justice to the rather intense performances by the two not-so-seasoned leads

12/20

Rise of Innocence

 

Do you believe in Jack Frost? How about Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Rabbit, and Sandman? It is when the innocence of children believe in these, that they come to pass. Else, they disappear. And what of Pitch, aka the Boogeyman? Again, the belief of children alone makes it come to pass, or otherwise. Together, the Guardians must defeat Pitch, who is out to basically steal from children the very essence of childhood – the sense of wonder. What stands out in Rise of the Guardians is the truly exceptional visual effects. The quality of production herein is truly outstanding, which keeps it from becoming just a children’s fable at the theater and keeps the adults – well, believing. A must watch for children that parents will enjoy as well

14/20

Chulbule II

The irrepressible Chulbul Pandey (Salman Khan), now hitched to wife Rajjo (Sonakshi Sinha) is now posted in Kanpur, where he continues his streak of doing the right acts for the wrong reasons. Replete with item numbers and catchy one-liners, Dabangg 2 however does not quite pack the element of surprise that was Dabangg. Nevertheless, it has been quite successful, commercially (expectedly) and is apparently leading to a prequel that explores the origins of Chulbul Pandey

11/20 

More ghosts of Bengal

Close on the heels of Bhooter Bhobishyot, a fairly successful spook movie in Bengali, comes Jekhane Bhooter Bhoy, a bouquet of three ghost stories directed by none other than Sandip Ray. A seasoned spook-watcher hits the trail in North Bengal on an overnight stakeout. An avid reader reaches out to a friend for spending a day in an erstwhile English mansion, where a rumoured ghost called Simon does the haunts. An author in search of solace and inspiration comes across a ghost with an agenda, and much treasure instead. Simple and unpretentious, reasonably original, and good for a single viewing

12/20