The Commuter is a film directed by Jaume-Collet Serra. The trailers for the film looked OK and I just wanted to see the film because of Liam neeson. And after seeing the film I would say that I wasn't disappointed.

Plot: Follows, Michael MacCauley, who is unwittingly recruited into a murder conspiracy after meeting Joanna while on his daily train commute.

Story and direction: This is the fourth time this actor and director combo have worked together. And I can definitely say that the experiences of their films has never been dissatisfying. Although I would like to point out that this is the weakest of their combinations. But, let's start out with the good. The characters of the story are very interesting and heart-touching. You feel for them each time they make a decision. Also the story is very fast paced. So actually no time is wasted and that always pumps the adrenaline in your body. The action sequences are so greatly filmed. Never for a moment they felt fake. And very great editing and camera work. Kudos to Collet-Serra and team for bringing good action movies to the screen. Now coming to the negatives. Firstly, it was basically like Non-Stop except this time it is a train. That means, I felt nothing new was being contributed to the film as such. Also, details of some characters were not much. No such motivation was known, which made me confuse a bit. And finally, the film felt implausable many times. I felt like is that even really possible.

Performances: Liam Neeson does what he is good at and he excels at it. You do feel for his character every single second and that's why he is my favorite. Vera Farmiga does good too although I did feel her character could have been given more. Same goers for Patrick Wilson too. It was good to see Sam Neill on the screen after a long time. The passengers too gave a good performance.

Verdict: This film is a decent action film. If you are a Liam Neeson fan, go watch it and you will not be disappointed. But if you are expecting a real good experience, then this film is far away from that and you can surely avoid it.

I am going with a 7/10.

Annhilation is a film written and directed by Alex Garland. I watched the trailers for this film and was impressed by it. Before that, I had followed the film for over a year as I loved Alex Garland's Ex Machine. And I can definitely say the same for this film too.

Plot Lena signs up for a dangerous, secret expedition into a mysterious zone where the laws of nature don't apply.

Story and direction: This is the kind of science fiction film that not only has a great story but also does challenge your mind. The film builds every minute. Not a single minute felt dull. the characters of the story were great and you could actually connect with each of them. Each of them had some sort of pain or loss that makes you feel for them. A salute to Alex Garland for giving us a compelling story and women (lead) characters that don't feel like sugar coating. The film is left open ended which I liked because I could keep thinking about this film, which I wan't from any film that I see. The VFX for the film is awesome. This goes on to show that no big money is needed to create some great VFX. But I did feel a little disconnected at one aspect of the film. It was the scenes between Dan and Lena. That could have been avoided as that did nothing much to the forward the story.

Performances: Natalie Portman was great in her role. She especially excelled in the emotional scenes. Jennifer Jason Leigh was great too. And so were Gina Rodriguez, Tessa Thompson and Tuva Novotny. Oscar Isaac acted with great ease with what was given to him. This film is all about the women and I can say that this was quite a riveting women-centric film in recent times.

Favorite Scene: No spoilers, but it would be a scene in the lighthouse with Natalie Portman and another character. The struggle, the VFX and the acting was what took my breath away in this particular scene.

Verdict: Alex Garland is one of the best sci-fi directors out there and with this film he has certified that. Great performances and visuals make this film a treat to watch.

I am going with a 9/10.

Source Code is a film directed by Duncan Jones. I had this film on the back of my mind. So I decided yesterday night to actually watch the film. And man, I was highly impressed.

Plot: Colter Stevens is sent into a computed reality to find a bomber on a train.

Story and direction: I have seen many time travel movies but none like this. The concept was fantastic. Kudos to writer Ben Ripley and director Duncan Jones for successfully creating a world where this is possible. Every second is utilized properly. Never do you feel bored in this 90 minute film. Also the characterization is so perfect. For every minute of the film, you feel for your lead character. You are connected with the character on screen. Also, I didn't see any sort of trailer for this film, which was an added advantage as I could enjoy the film very nicely. Also the editing was razor sharp and crisp. It felt like a nice flow, which is what makes a film believe-able. The cinematography is awesome too. But there were some flaws for me. The VFX was a bit fake. I could know in some scenes where green screens were actually used. Also towards the climax, the film felt a little bit cliched.

Performances: Jake Gyllenhaal has always impressed me and he cotinued to do in this film too. He acted his role so perfectly. Michelle Monaghan was also good for the part given to her. Vera Farmiga was also impressive. The complexity given to her added a different layer to her character that accentuated her performance too. Jeffrey Wright was good too.

Favorite Scene: No spoilers, but there is a phone call scene during the climax of the film which really touched me. That displayed Jake Gyllenhaal's character at his peak.

Verdict: This film was a great use of my 90 minutes. While watching the film I was never bored. This is a highly recommended film for those who like mind-bending movies. I assure you it is worth a watch.

I am going with an 8.5/10.

Fukrey Returns is a film co-written and directed by Mrighdeep Singh Lamba. I watched the previous part of this film some months back and I was a fan. So I was eagerly waiting for the sequel. And I was very well impressed.

Plot: One year after the events of Fukrey, Bholi Punjaban comes out of take to exact revenge on the 4 boys.

Story and direction: This film shows Delhi to its fullest. Some of the locations made me quite nostalgic that I was living in such a place. The story is also quite nice and entertaining. Hats off to Vipul (Vig) and Mrighdeep to give us such a satisfying sequel. They never diluted our beloved characters just because its a sequel. They kept the same naughtiness and innocence that makes the characters who they are. Also the jokes were spot on. I bursted into laughter each and every time a joke was cracked on screen. The jokes never felt forced or never the film went slapstick. But this film had a few issues. The film after the first hour gets a little slow for some 20 minutes which bored me a lot. I felt that except for Bholi, none of the female characters were given that much importance. Then the villain of the film didn't seem very convincing. Also, I just cringed on how fake the tiger and the cub were. If you can't produce good VFX, then why waste money.

Performances: Each of the characters feel so correctly portrayed, that I can't fault even one the main performances. Pulkit Samrat once again nailed the persona of a Dilli ka chokra. Varun Shrama was born to play Choocha (again my favorite character of the film) and he portrayed it honestly. Manjot Singh was the most adorable Sardar ever in any film. Ali Fazal was also good. Pankaj Tripathi is a gem and it is a treat to watch him. No one could ever portray the role of Bholi Punjaban so perfectly as Richa Chaddha. The other girls (Priya Anand and Vishakha Singh) roles were minimal but good. Rajiv Gupta's character needed something to connect me with,

Music: As with the on-going trend now-a-days, multiple music directors have rendered songs to this venture. None of them could match the magic Ram Sampath put into the prequel (Thank God, he was credited). The background score incorporated sounds form the prequel which made it sound nothing new to me.

Favorite Scene: It would be the one where Laali and Hunny take Choocha to a hospital because Choocha suffers from a snake-bite. The aura of the scene and also Varun Sharma's phenomenal acting made it for me the scene of the film.

Verdict: As with many people, who have seen the prequel, I would say that the first part was better than the second. But still, I will not shy away by saying that I had a wonderful time watching this film. It was an entertaining venture. If you do plan to see this film, please do watch part 1.

I am going with a 7.5/10.

Ant-Man is a film directed by Peyton Reed. Back in 2015, when I saw the trailers for the film I was quite excited for the film. But not knowing much about the character I still had doubts. But I had a blast watching the film. Three years later as the sequel to this film is approaching, I felt it was the perfect time to review this film.

Plot: Hank Pym, a former Ant-Man mentors Scott Lang to take his place and help him with a heist.

Story and direction: Knowing that Edgar Wright would have directed the film, I felt the film would be quite different from what we have got as of today. But this film is not bad. It's quite entertaining and good. Thank God, the studio retained Edgar Wright as the writer for this film. The characters except for some instantly attract you. The jokes also don't seem out of place. They feel natural to the story. The human element of emotions is quite well balanced in this film. Considering the budget was kept lower the what MCU invests in other films, I felt the VFX was at par to the previous ventures. Never for a moment I felt I was seeing CGI. Kudos to the VFX team. But as with positives, do come certain negatives. I felt as a villain Darren Cross didn't appeal to me. He was very lousy and awkward. Also there is a scene post the epic battle that was a bit over-melodramatic. And then the editing regarding some action scenes. This is where Edgar Wright would have succeeded. The editing is quite choppy which is very cringe-worthy which makes some action sequences less enjoyable.

Performances: It will be very hard for me to imagine Ant-Man without Paul Rudd. I loved him and he embraced his character so nicely. Evangeline Lily was great too. Micheal Douglas was awesome. The pain, anger, sorrow he carried all those emotions with so ease. Micheal Pena was easily my favorite character each time he opens his mouth, I was bursting with laughter. T.I. and David Dastmalchian as provided great support to Rudd's character. Corey Stroll was very unimpressive. I couldn't connect with him for even one scene. Bobby Cannavale, Judy Greer and Abby Forston were good. It was good to see Marvel Alum gracing this film with their presence. And finally Stan Lee. Although he comes only for about 10 seconds I always will love him.

Favorite Scene: It would be the one where Scott and Hope have a pep talk and Scott finally learns how to control the ants. This scene was where you could feel the strong bond between Scott and Cassie. This is why this scene resonated with me the most.

Verdict: Although it misses on a few points, I do feel for an origin story it did quite a decent job. Can't wait for this character's appearance in Infinity War and also the upcoming sequel to Ant-Man.

I am going with an 8/10.

The Mummy is a film co-written and directed by Alex Kurtzman. The trailers for the film were just OK and it didn't raise my expectations a bit. I just needed an excuse to see Tom Cruise. After watching the film, I can say that I was not entirely dissapointed either.

Plot: Nick Morton, accidentally unearths the ancient tomb of an entrapped Egyptian princess, Ahmanet.

Story and direction: This film was going to be the first installment of the so called 'Dark Universe'. Now that Universes are very famous, each and every Hollywood Studio is cashing onto this opportunity. But what gets affected is the story of the film. Each scene of this film felt like I was seeing another movie. It's like they had four or five movies and crammed it to get one movie. Also the comedy of the film is very forced. It doesn't feel natural. The women of this film are sexualized to most extent, which is very sad. The action (which is one thing that Tom Cruise gets right is every film) is also dull. Not a single action scene pumped up my adrenaline. The production design and VFX were impressive. But that would have added more value if the story was interesting.

Performances: Tom Cruise was great in his role. I don't know what he got a Razzie Award. Annabelle Wallis was pale. She just did nothing to arouse my interest in her character. The same can be said for Sofia Boutella. Russell Crowe was a big dissapointment too considering the caliber he has. Jake Johnson was the most irritating for me.

Verdict: This film should come as a lesson to the big studios that without any story the film deemed to be a bomb at the box office. The film must have something for people to care about it and not make millions of dollars.

I am going with a 5/10.

Newton is a film co-written and directed by Amit Masurkar. I had this film in my mind for quite some time. After some friends said that this was a great movie, I decided to give this a watch. And I can say that I was impressed.

Plot: Newton Kumar, a rookie government clerk is sent on election duty to a Naxal-controlled town in the conflict-ridden jungles of Chhattisgarh.

Story and direction: Firstly, I would like to commend director Amit Masurkar and his team for bringing this film to us. It had a sense of sincerity and honesty embedded in it. That was visible in each and every scene. The characters of the film are unique in their very own way. Each of the characters do have a point while making their statements which makes it quite difficult to side with any particular character. Each of them had a particular trait to be liked. Also the film doesn't get preachy while delivering messages of social relevance. It comes straight to the point. Even with a shoestring budget, the film delivers in quality. Even the jokes, which were made to bring out some laughs, clicked with me. I liked the song-less approach to the film (there is only one song I guess, that is beautifully sung by Amit Trivedi and very correctly defines the situation taking place in the film). It was also quite commedable on the makers part to use real locations.

Performances: This film is filled with some great and impressive performances. Rajkummar Rao is the future of Indian cinema and this film tells us why. Pankaj Tripathi was impressive too. Anjali Patil was a great addition to the cast. Raghubir Yadav was great too and I liked the small portions of comedy that were inserted to make his character likable. Even in his small role, Sanjay Mishra delivered quite a performance.

Favorite Scene: It would be the one where Newton goes to see a girl for marriage. The scene very correctly depicted India and its people's mentality. You even side with Newton's views.

Verdict: Would highly recommend it for people who want to see quality films. If you are a person who doesn't have a liking for films without songs or any sort of commercial viability, I would say to seriously avoid this film.

I am going to give it a well-deserved 10/10.

Call Me By Your Name is a film directed by Luca Guadagnino. I herad of the fim mostly because of the acclaim from the critics and its nomination in various cermeonies. I was quite curious to know as to what was so great about this film. After viewing the film I can say that it was quite a decent watch.

Plot: Tells the relationship between Elio and his father's assistant, Oliver in 1983, Italy.

Story and direction: To be very honest, I am not quite keen on films that deal with same sex romance. So the film came as a bit challenge for me. I was quite in doubts. But all got cleared after watching this film. I felt it was very beautiful and pure. It never felt adulterated. The characters instantly strike a connection with you. It feels that you are living with those characters. That's what I liked about this film. Kudos to Luca Guadagnino. Also it was great of Luca to use Italy as the location. It felt like no sets were used and all locations were real. So much detailing was done to make it look like the 80's. But still I felt some issues with the film. I felt the film stretched at times. Although the runtime is 132 minutes, I did feel the film would be perfect if kept under 2 hours. Most of that is due to the fact that the first hour of the film felt like it was wandering and had no such real motive.

Performances: Timothee Chalamet was the star of the film. I could very easily get connected with his character. It was maybe the first time I liked Armie Hammer's performance. He delivered quite a performance. Michael Stuhlbarg was also good in what he was given. The rest of the cast offered good support to the film.

Favorite Scene: It would be the one near to the end where Elio and his father have a talk. This scene summarized the whole film into one scene and also showed the love of a father towards his son.

Verdict: I would say that this film is not everyone's cup of tea. I would like to see the film again as I think I would love the film more if I see it more number of times.

But for now, I am going with an 8/10.

Phantom Thread is a film written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. The film was on my radar for quite some time mainly because of Daniel Day-Lewis. Finally after seeing the film I can definitely say that he is a treat to watch.

Plot: Reynolds Woodcock, a fashion designer in the 1950s falls in love with a waitress, Alma.

Story and direction: The film is a very correct depiction of what famous people are. The characterization to the minutest detail has been very nicely done by Anderson. This is what caught on to me for the entire runtime. The problems, fame, tensions, etc.. all were shown without any adulteration. It felt very genuine on screen. It was as if I was looking at an autobiography of a very famous person living in 1950s London. One thing that very well caught my attention was the costumes. Considering that the film is based all around costumes, it was natural that my attention would be to that aspect. For the first time, I felt in awe of the costumes. Also the BGM by Johnny Greenwood. His score is very simplistic yet very beautiful and melodious. But the film is not without any faults. The very much linear narrative of the film itself is its problem. There are no high moments of the film where you feel that the film will standout. Also I did feel that there was not much time given for Alma and Reynolds' relation to develop.

Performances: I felt this film more of a performance oriented film than a story driven one. Daniel Day-Lewis nails the role of Reynolds. The mannerism and attitude by him was perfect. For him acting is not a word, its art and passion which is very clearly seen in his performance. Vicky Kriepes role was not that great. I don't know whether it was the script or her acting I did feel something lacking in her role. Lesley Manville was good as Reynolds' sister, Cyril. She provided great support to his character.

Favorite Scene: It would be the one where Alma cooks diiner for Reynolds and he looks at it in a very disgusting way and comments of being very off from his routine. That scene showed the greatness of Day-Lewis as an actor which captivated me the most.

Verdict: Although not so great in its story, the performances are worth a watch. If this is Day-Lewis' last role, I can very well say that he ended on a high note. He will severely be missed a lot.

I am going with an 8.5/10.

The Shape of Water is a film co-written and directed by Guillermo del Tero. I heard of this film for quite some time and was pretty sure that it was going to be good by looking at the trailers. Finally after seeing the film I can say that I was impressed.

Plot: Elisa, a mute janitor, at a research facility forms a bond with an alien like asset bought on for research at the facility.

Story and direction: Having not seen much of del Tero's work, I didn't know what to expect. But I knew that it will be something to look out for. The story has not much to it. But the way it was said was very impressive. Much credit goes to del Tero for giving us a great visual experience. The characters also are to look out for. Each are different and contrasting from each other. But you feel for each of the characters, which anyone wants out of any film. The production quality and make up for the characters (especially the asset) is top notch. I don't know how much of VFX was used for the film, but if used it was excellent. The costumes and cinematography made it look like the ear of Cold War. Hats off to del Tero for putting up a fabulous crew with a shoestring budget. But the film still has issues. Apart from the film being quite known, some scenes felt a bit cliched. I could guess as to what would happen next. Also the score from Alexandre Desplat was not that interesting. Yes, the old songs used were good to hear but apart from that nothing in the score was a stand-out.

Performances: This film is filled with great performances. Starting with Sally Hawkins. I was mesmerized with her performance. She nailed her character so perfectly. Richard Jenkins was also to look out for. Octavia Spencer also did a fabulous job. Many didn't mention but I did like the performances of Michael Shannon and Michael Stuhlbarg. And finally, Doug Jones was quite good as the Alien.

Favorite Scene: It would be the one where Eliza shows the Asset how to eat the egg. This scene felt very crucial to the bond formed between these two characters. The honesty and earnest-ness is what captivated me towards the scene.

Verdict: This film was great and a visual masterpiece. The film is a great example that a big budget is not needed for anyone to make a great film.

I am going with an 8.5/10.