A Quiet Place is a film co-written and directed by John Krasinski. The film already had me ears when I saw the trailer. It was something I never saw before. The reviews came out and increased my anticipation for the movie. Finally, watching it last night, I had a smile on my face.

Plot: The Abbott family live their life in silence when a creature hunts people by the sounds they make.

Story and direction: Even when writing the plot of the film down in one sentence, I can’t believe that such a piece of work exists. It is something that maybe hasn’t been created in years. Kudos to the writers and Krasinski for bringing this piece of art onto the screens. I was just glued to my seat for each minute in the film. I liked the way in which the film opens with no exposition as to what has happened. In this way I was able to give my full attention to the film. Each moment is filled with intensity and suspense. Even though the antagonist is seen for just few moments, Krasinski knew how to keep the surrounding full of tension. That’s what anyone wants from a horror film. It even didn’t have jump scares that normally any horror film has (or even overuses these days). The characters of the film also draw your attention a lot. Each of the character has a certain pain of their own and you can relate to that pain, which made it easier to connect to them. The creature design is just good and so are the visual effects (considering the budget in which the film was made). Something that caught my attention were the sounds. They were also kept quite minimal, true to what the story intends to do. Hats of to the sound team for this amazing feat. If I had to note some flaws, it would be the score. Marco Beltrami’s score is one that has been heard before in certain horror films and felt quite repetitive. Also, one scene felt a bit impossible from my point of view.

Performances: The film has some amazing performances packed along with the watertight script. Emily Blunt we all know is a great performer and she cements it with her performance in this film. John Krasinski (who also rewrote the script in addition to directing it) did an amazing job as a father who cares for the safety of his family. Millicent Simmonds was the star of this film. Although she is deaf in her real life, the emotions that her character went through spoke louder than words. Noah Jupe also gave a compelling performance.

Favorite Scene: It would be the scene where the father and son have a small conversation on the riverside. That conversation shed some light on how a father cares for both of his children and loves them no matter what.

Verdict: This film is certainly one of the best that 2018 has to offer. This goes on to show that with great talent and an extraordinary script, the results are more than expected. The makers have announced a sequel to this one. I don’t know how they will top this film.

I am going with a 9/10.

Race 3 is a film directed by Remo D’Souza. I am one of the few people who was impressed by the trailer and was hopeful that this film was going to be a sheer blockbuster. But then the promotions of the film started that reduced my interest in the film. After watching the film yesterday, I can say that I have watched the worst film anyone could make.

Plot: Things suddenly begin to change for the Singh family when Jessica Gomes enters their lives.

Story and direction: I remember in 2008 when the first instalment came out and me being quite excited when no one talked about the film. The film surprised everyone and subsequently a sequel came out in 2013 which was not as good as its predecessor. But still the film worked for its convincing plot and setting. Let me get one thing straight. This film had the makings of a blockbuster. The set pieces of the film looked quite awesome and set the screens to be blazing on film. But alas, that’s where the excitement stops. The plot is so weak and paper thin that it couldn’t invest me for a second. There were so many things that the makers packed into this film that it felt irritating after some time. Watching the film, I felt that given a director’s job I could have done a better job. Remo D’Souza just spoils the whole film. He just tries every formula in the book without giving his own input that would make the film standout in comparison to others. Many scenes felt so impossible that I wondered how the writer thought of putting it in the script (if there was one). The dialogues were already trolled even before the film released but I can say there are plenty more. Not as a Salman Khan fan, I was disappointed more as an action film fan. The stunts looked so amateurish (considering a Hollywood action director was hired). There was a lot of green screen and stunts dumbed down for the Indian audiences. Even I could know the difference between the actors and their stunt doubles. Slow motion has been used a lot which negated the possible effect the scene should have.

Performances: Anil Kapoor was top notch and maybe the possible reason why this film was still bearable. Salman Khan was his usual. We know Jacqueline’s acting skills and as to why she is taken in films. Bobby Deol basically does nothing in the film. Daisy Shah was horrible. Saqib Saleem and Rajesh Sharma were wasted. Sharat Saxena did good with what was given.

Music: Salman Khan, who is known for providing chartbusters, fails miserably in this department. None of the songs felt natural or good. It felt like they were compensating for the lack of story. If I had to pick out the worst song it would be the Salman Khan written and performed song ‘I Found Love’. Salman Khan should stop writing songs after this experience and stop taking Iulia Vantur to sing songs. The BGM works in places but I have heard better.

Worst Scene: It would be any scene where Anil Kapoor and any other character converse in Bhojpuri. It felt very forced and funny. The dialogues were full of trash.

Verdict: Salman Khan should have thought even before investing a huge amount in a film like this. If that wasn’t enough, he hired Remo as the director (we all know what happened with FLYING JATT). The makers have announced a sequel to this film. Hopefully they understand what they are doing. RACE 3 was more a comedy film than an action thriller. It is the worst film this franchise has to offer.

I am going with a 2/10.

Parmanu – The Story of Pokhran is a film co-written and directed by Abhishek Sharma. I had an idea about the film when it was announced a year ago but didn’t follow any of the promotions the film did. I watched it since I heard the praises for this film (which I knew somewhere down my heart).

Plot: Ashwat Raina is appointed as the lead for a team to conduct a nuclear test at the testing site of Pokhran in 1998.

Story and direction: With films based on real life stories/incidents, it is bound that the creative team will take certain liberties to make the film viewable for the audiences. Sometimes those liberties work, sometimes they just don’t. But in this film, I would prefer saying the latter (for the most part). The build-up and suspense is maintained all throughout the film although we know what the end result we be. I was especially caring for the lead characters for the entire runtime. And that is where this film wins. Abhishek Sharma and his team were able to bring me into the environment of tension the film is in and grasp my attention for all the 122 minutes of the film. The production values for the film are good (considering the tight budget of the film). The makers successfully transported me back to 1995 and 1998. Even the subplots that are introduced are not just for the sake of it. It meant something. I felt the makers have extensively researched the film and presented it to us, which is commendable. My only small issues were the tid-bits of commercialism that were thrown into the film, but that is fine.

Music: The film has music composed by Sachin-Jigar and Jeet Ganguuli with BGM by Sandeep Chowta. While the later was good and tuned in with the film, I did have an issue with the former. The songs felt just like additions which were not so good. The film could have just done it without them. But still I did have a favorite song. And that was ‘Thaare Vaaste’ by Divya Kumar.

Performances: A good film is defined by its actors. And this film has a good number of them. John Abraham did good on his part. Diana Penty was fabulous in her role. Aditya Hitkari, Yogendra Tiku, Vikas Kumar and Ajay Shankar performed with ease as if they were really the characters they portrayed. Anuja Sathe and Boman Irani did add their talent to this film.

Favorite Scene: It would be the one where Prem and Ashwat during their first meeting say that all differences don’t matter, and we should be concentrating on the work as hand. This scene was very important in establishing the relationship these 6 charcaters would embark on and how it would affect their work culture.

Verdict: I would go on to say that this is Abhishek Sharma’s best film as a director. With this film he proved that not only he is a good director but can also dabble genres other than comedy. This film was great from start to finish.

I am going with an 8.5/10.

Bhavesh Joshi Superhero is a film co-written and directed by Vikramaditya Motwane. The film had caught my attention immediately and I was waiting to watch the film. Finally, after the watching it I can say that team Phantom did it yet again.

Plot: Sikandar and Bhavesh form an internet video channel called ‘Insaaf’ that deals with the different rule breakers of Indian society. But when matters get out of hands, it is Sikandar who has to save the day.

Story and direction: From the trailers itself, it felt like this is going to be different (as the Phantom people normally do). The setting of the film offers a lot of promise. I did like the cinematography. It used natural light which is seen very rare in recent films. Also something quite good is the sound design. The sounds used resemble to actual sounds in real life which do make them believeable. The action sequences (for the most part) were nicely done and edited properly. It felt believable. Where the film actually falters for some reasons is the writing. The themes actually dealt with in the film are beautifully written. But with that being said, some scenes actually felt very unreal. I mean I racked my brain for a few minutes as to how that was possible. Then there is an unnecessary love story that is put into the picture. When will Bollywood understand that if you have to throw a love story give it some solid ground to stand on. While most of the characters on screen actually worked, it was the villains that caused problems. They were the usual bad guys that would just give orders and have some stupid ulterior motive. Also for some reason the pace of the film dragged at places.

Performances: I don’t know what problem did critics have but Harshvardhan Kapoor did justice do the role. He fit the role perfectly and was just fabulous. Priyanshu Painyuli who was lauded provided a great support to the film. Ashish Verma and Pratap Phad also were good in their roles.

Music: The film is scored by Amit Trivedi and he does have some wonderful songs to provide to the film (which actually I didn’t expect). The film does have some meaningful (unlike most) tracks in its belly. Although ‘Chavanprash’ was unique and a full massy song, it was ‘Qasam Kha Li’ that stole my heart.

Favorite Scene: It would be where Bhavesh and Siku have a fight over what’s right and what’s wrong and Bhavesh keeps his point while Siku records it on his phone. This scene brought out some arguments which were actually right and I could’nt side with any one of them.

Verdict: Even with its flaws and runtime, this film deserves some recognition for its brave attempt.

I am going with a 8/10.

Blackmail is a film directed by Abhinay Deo. The film’s trailer had me hooking and finally I watched it yesterday night. I can say that this experiment was partially successful.

Plot: When Dev finds out that his wife Reena has been cheating on him he decides to blackmail her boyfriend Ranjit for money.

Story and direction: None other than Abhinay Deo could have done justice to the film. His expertise in dark comic thrillers is well known. The film has some excellent dialogues thanks to Pradhuman Singh Mall (who we know as Paddi from BIN LADEN Series and playing Anand in this film). Abhinay has a good way of using certain symbols in his films that depict the state of the characters. Also good are the characterization and the setting that this film uses. The blackmail itself had a very unique approach to it since the lead character had some loans and bills to pay off and him being short on money. But where the film actually lacks is the writing (story and screenplay). Praveez Shaikh (writer) has an interesting premise and characters with him. He also starts off on a great note. But after an hour or so, the film starts to get weird and twisted in not such a good way. Some subplots are introduced that have no bearing to the main story of the film. Towards the climax the film regains itself. But then the film has a kind of anti-climatic ending which was at least not understood by me.

Performances: Irrfan is a gem that Bollywood has and he brings life to the character that he plays and the film he is in. He just is beyond any words. Kirti Kulhari was another great artist in the film. Arunoday Singh and Divya Dutta were good in their roles. Pradhuman Singh is just awesome. Anuja Sathe and Gajraj Rao did justice to what was given to them. And finally, a special mention to Omi Vaidya who was just funny and outstanding in his role.

Music: The film’s music sits perfectly with the scenes and didn’t obstruct my viewing of the movie (Although I still would say that Guru Randhawa’s Patola seemed absolutely unnecessary). The track I liked was ‘Satasat’. Amit Trivedi’s mesmerizing voice and Amitabh Bhattacharya’s lyrics are things that made this song worth listening.

Favorite Scene: It would be the one where Dev has his first face to face meeting with his boss in his office. That scene was just hilarious and having Irrfan and Omi act in that scene was just awesome.

Verdict: I would not term it as a bad film, but had the story been more concrete I would have appreciated it more. Watch the film for some amazing performances and jokes that actually make you laugh.

I am going with a 7.5/10.

102 Not Out is a film directed by Umesh Shukla. The trailers of the film impressed me and I was looking forward to watch this film. Finally, I watched this film and was totally impressed.

Plot: Dattatraya Vakharia decides to send his son Babulal to an old age home if he doesn’t fulfill some of his conditions.

Story and direction: The film’s strong point is its writing. Saumya Joshi (who adapted it from his own Gujurati play) has proved to be a very nice writer as his voice is heard in almost every scene. The film knows how to balance its light-hearted and dramatic moments. I laughed hard durimg the funny moments and became emotional during the dramatic ones. And that comes when the writer and director are on the same page (that was the very case in this film). In each and every condition that Dattatraya keeps, an important life lesson is learnt that is applicable in real life too. There was never a dull moment in its 102 minute runtime. The characters are so awesome and real, that you feel the emotions they are going through in a particular scene. A department that deserves full credit is the make-up department. The actors did look convincing as 102 and 75 year olds. However, the film does have its flaws. There are many scenes which felt like product placement. It felt very annoying. Also, the climax of the film felt clichéd and guessed from a mile away.

Performances: This film is filled with award winning performances. Starting with the evergreen, Amitabh Bachchan. This man just goes on to defy every norm and rule of acting and delivers a great performance in each film. He also nailed the Gujurati accent. Rishi Kapoor in the couple of years has redefined himself in his career and this film will go down as one of his gems in his illustrious career. Complementing these 2 stars is a mammoth task which Jimit Trivedi did fantastically. He was awesome and one of the shining elements of this film.

Music: The film has 3 music directors composing for 6 songs. But each of the songs sits comfortably in the scenes. My favourite was ‘Kulfi’by Sonu Nigam. That song was just awesome.

Favorite Scene: I won’t say much but this is the one where all the 3 central characters are involved and the song ‘Waqt ne Kiya’ plays. After that, there is dialogue that made me emotional and struck my heart with a lighning bolt.

Verdict: Do watch this film not for some amazing performances, but a heartfelt story.

I am going with an 8/5/10.

Jumanji – Welcome to the Jungle is a film directed by Jake Kasdan. I am not particularly a fan of the 1995 film but I would still say that I had a good time watching the film. The announcement of this film quite astonished me and the trailers for the film seemed OK. I was actually surprised as to how much I liked the film.

Plot: Spencer, Martha, Bethany and Anthony are all sucked into the video game Jumanji where their only way to survive is to finish the game.

Story and direction: Sony is mostly famous for taking something that is famous and turning it so commercial that the profit is earned but the quality is very bad. But this film understands that it has to deliver, quality wise. I wouldn’t say the story has groundbreaking elements or things that we haven’t seen before, but the film manages to entertain. I liked the way we have troubled characters that are sucked into one situation and their only way out is if they work with one another. Also very nicely incorporated is the video game aspect of Jumanji. WE have a life bar, character strengths and weaknesses, non player characters, exposition that helps us understand what the game is. This entire world of Jumanji seems very much believable (because of it being a video game world). The action sequences were good and nicely done. However, there were one or two places where horrible VFX (or green screen) has been used to execute the action sequences. The score by Henry Jackman also adapts to the situation and adds something refreshing to the film. My other problem with the film is that certain scenes are not explained very properly. They seemed to have just let that go for the sake of it.

Performances: Dwayne Johnson is good what he does. Kevin Hart did add his touch of comedy to the film. Karen Gillian’s character was different and I liked it. I didn’t understand the casting of Nick Jonas since he wasn’t acting at all. Jack Black was the surprise package. I know he is good, but in here he is the highlight of the film. Rhys Darby, Rohan Chand and Bobby Cannavale did provide good supporting roles. Even the teenagers in the real world delivered compelling performances.

Favorite Scene: It would be the one where Bethany (in Sheldon Oberon’s body) teaches Martha (in Ruby Roundhouse’s body) how to flirt with someone. I can seriously say that I laughed so hard in the scene because of its awkwardness and absurdity.

Verdict: WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE is a good follow-up to the 1995 film. I was highly entertained by the film and had a very good time. I don’t know what the sequel in 2019 will consist of as no room was left for a third instalment.

I am going with an 8/10.

Jurassic World – Fallen Kingdom is a film directed by J.A. Bayona. The trailers of the film looked quite good and with me liking the first part (Jurassic World), I was quite excited for this one. But alas, it mostly disappointed me.

Plot: Owen and Claire travel to Jurassic World to rescue the remaining dinosaurs in Jurasic World from a volcano that would explode any minute.

Story and direction: This film series boasts mainly for its special effects and visuals. That box is ticked with every instalment in this series and it never fails to impress me. The action sequences are spot on and have been directed very nicely. The character designs for the dinosaurs also surprised me. The music of the film is also wonderful (partial thanks to John Williams who did the main JP theme). The technical department work on this film is accurate and wonderful and never for a moment did I feel it was superficial. The main problem this film posed was the story itself. The story was just a normal action-adventure movie when I expected something more out of the film. While JURASSIC WORLD had its small character moments, this film fails in that aspect. Where the first half of the film felt justified, the second half is where the film goes downhill. The plot turns absurd and I was cringing almost every minute and waited for the film to finish. Even the characters (especially the villains) were poorly written. The film does have a post credit scene too, which was totally unnecessary.

Performances: Chris Pratt was good at his role and did provide some comedy in the film. Bryce Dallas Howard also complemented Chris’ character. James Cromwell gave a good performance. Justice Smith’s character was very poorly etched and was very disappointing. Same can be said for Rafe Spall and Toby Jones. Finally, it was great to see Jeff Goldblum reprise his role from the previous instalments. Even though it was roughly a role of 10 minutes, it was a treat to watch him.

Favorite Scene: It would be the one where Own watches a video of him training Bue and the others raptors. This scene very well depicted the bond that Owen shares with Blue and how much he cares for him. If this theme was stretched a bit then the film would have worked wonderfully.

Verdict: FALLEN KINGDOM felt more like a filler film which was just needed to make a trilogy. The scenes basically make no sense and were full of absurdity. This felt more like a money making vehicle. I do hope the third instalment (and the final one, hopefully) brings back a good story and throws back some sense into this series, that has just run out of ideas.

I am going with a 6/10.

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is a film directed by John Madden. Since the film was with me in my DVR, I decided to give this a watch with no hopes. But at the end of it, I felt very satisfied.

Plot: A group of British pensioners moving to a retirement hotel in India, run by the young and eager Sonny.

Story and direction: If I do watch it from a story point of view, it isn’t ground-breaking in any way. The film has the most predictable story ever. We have a couple facing issues, an old man finding a perfect mate for himself, a woman who is fearful of almost everything, etc.. These themes have been dealt with in ample number of films. But what attracted me to this film more is the setting and the characters. The characters of the film make the story so believable that you can forget the story for some time and enjoy the flow of the movie. India is shown in the best way possible. I being an Indian was happy in the ay India was depicted here. It showed me the real India. The atmosphere and climate of the film instantly attracted me. Ben Davis has done a wonderful job of capturing the very essence of India. Thomas Newman’s score also adds to the beauty of the film. He scores the film the way A R Rahman would have scored it.

Performances: This film is filled with wonderful performances. Judi Dench just lives her role and it is always a treat to watch her perform. The same can be said for Maggie Smith. Bill Nighy and Penelope Wilton play the most realistic husband-wife with ease. Ronald Pickup and Celia Imrie also complemented the film. Diana Hardcastle gave a compelling performance. Tom Wilkinson made us believe in his character by his incredible performance. Dev Patel and Tina Desae gave earnest performances. It was good to see Lilette Dubey too. The other local Indian actor added to the beauty of this film.

Favorite Scene: It would be the one where Douglas comforts Evelyn much to the chagrin of his wife, Jean. It showed the bond that formed between the characters Douglas and Evelyn very nicely.

Verdict: With its stellar performances and its premise, if the film would have worked on the story going rather an unconventional route rather than the route that has been taken several times, the film would have worked wonders. Nevertheless, I had a good time watching the film.

I am going with an 8/10.

Mission: Impossible – Fallout is a film written and directed by Christopher McQuarrie. Having watched the trailers and being a fan of the series, I was very excited to watch the film. And once again, the M: I series did the impossible.

Plot: Ethan and his IMF Team are tasked to work with CIA Agent August Walker to recover 3 plutonium cores that could be used for nuclear fallout.

Story and direction: This series doesn’t fail to surprise me. Each time I wonder what new they will bring to a franchise. Because by the time a sixth film does come in there is franchise exhaustion. But McQuarrie (who also directed ROGUE NATION) very well understood what he is dealing with and gave us and enthralling and memorable action film to watch. The story may not be ground-breaking in any way, but it was engaging enough to keep me glued to my seat and relish 147 minutes of pure fun. I was not bored for a single scene. The film is quite darker and mellowed down than the previous films, which I very well appreciate. The cinematography is just wonderful and captures the essence and beauty of the captivating locations perfectly. The action scenes and VFX are top-notch. The makers really upped the ante in terms of both the story and action aspect. Even the score is just awesome. Lorne Balfe has really done a good job and I can also term it the best score of the series.

Performances: Tom Cruise is as usual the main star of the series and it is quiet a sin to fault him for a role he has excelled at doing for 22 years. Same goes to the eccentric Ving Rhames. Simon Pegg never fails to impress me even in the scenes that don’t require comedy. Henry Cavill gave a compelling performance. Where it was felt in ROGUE NATION that Solomon Lane was not justified, Sean Harris just nails the role here. Rebecca Ferguson also added her charm and charisma to the screen. Vanessa Kirby, Angela Basset and Michelle Monaghan were good additions to the film.

Favorite Scene: Not spoiling anything, the scene was kind of an epilogue between Ethan and Julia. It was beautiful and poignant to see these two characters on screen together after a very long time. Also the dialogues in that scene were very beautiful, which instantly attracted me to the scene. In addition to this scene, the final action sequence of the helicopter chase was jaw-dropping. Each time I was on the edge of my seat.

Verdict: FALLOUT would be the best the M: I Series has yet to offer. I feel that for a sixth film they did justice and lived up to the name. I walked out of the hall satisfied both as a fan and a movie-goer. If there will be a seventh instalment, it better be in par with this one or above this (which I think is very difficult to top).

A Perfect 10 from my side for this film.