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.

Black Panther is a film co-written and directed by Ryan Coogler. After a brief appearance in Civil War, I was very happy to hear this character getting a solo film. The trailers looked awesome and increased my expectations for it. Finally, after watching the film I can say that it was a great film.

Plot: T'Challa returns home as king of Wakanda but finds his sovereignty challenged by a long-time adversary, in a conflict with global consequences.

Story and direction: Ryan Coogler was the perfect director for this film as he breathed new life in the MCU as he very nicely did it in the Rocky Series. The story very nicely intertwines the African culture along with the issues that every African American faces. This film is not the regular sueprhero film, which makes it stand apart from the rest. The characters of this film also make you glued to the screen. We have T'Challa who has a lot of responsibility not only as king but to the world also as a citizen. Then Killmonger, who also has a point in his statements but goes about it maybe in the wrong way. Which makes his villain mean something and stand-apart. Dora Milaje aspect was also great. The production values are enormous and it feels justified. Also the designs for Wakanda were awesome. It looked like a country that I would like to visit in the future. The background score was awesome. It further infused in the African Culture. Hats off to Ryan and team for the hard work put into this venture. The action scenes although minimal, were awesome and great. Where the film failed were the VFX. Considering that MCU have given great spectacles for almost 10 years now, VFX not being upto the mark is almost equal to a sin.

Performance: Chadwick Boseman was great as T'Challa. The various shades of his character were perfectly acted by him. But the icing on the cake was Michael B Jordan. He pulled of the conflicted character with ease. People may not be wrong in saying of him being the best villain since Loki. Lupita N'yongo and Danai Gurira were earnest in their roles. Letitia Wright was quite the Q in this venture. Her comic timing was spot on. Daniel Kaluuya delivered a good performance.Winston Duke was great too. So was Angela Bassett and Martin Freeman. Andy Serkis proves that not is he only great at motion capture but also in real acting too. It was good to see Forest Whittaker and Sterling K Brown utilized nicely. And finally, Stan Le. No Marvel movie is complete without this genius.

Favorite Scene: It would be the one where T'Challa comes to know about something in the past and shares his thought with Nakai. Then Nakai says that its upto T'Challa as to what kind of king he wants to be. This scene stuck with me as this showed even though Wakanda was the most advanced technologically but the people using it are humans.

Verdict: Although it may not be the best of MCU, but it still is an enjoyabke and entertaining film for me. I had a great time with this film and yes, if you are wondering, I had to wait till the credits as there are post credit scenes in this film. Can't wait for Infinity War.

I am going with a 9/10.

Plot: It tells us the story of Malik (Ajay Devgn), an underworld don who appoints Chandu (Vivek Oberoi) to work with him. Sreenivasan (Mohanlal), tries to nab both of them.

Writing: Jaideep Sahni (Known for Chak De India) has done a great job yet again. His story beautifully brings out some truths of the underworld. It keeps me engaged till the very end. ()

Music: Not much good. Some songs I liked were 'Khallas' and 'Sab Ganda Hai'.

Acting: Ajay Devgn is as usual the best. Vivek in his debut film comes as a dark horse. Manisha Koirala was also good. Antara Mali was good. Mohanlal is also one to look out for.

Action: Mostly consists of gunfights rather than any kicking or boxing which is much relevant in these films.

Favorite Scene: When Chandu tells Malik that he will not leave him. Another one is when Sreenivasan visits Chandu at the hospital.

Verdict: It is a must watch. A film that comes once a year.