#CelluloidCritic

Critic - No. 214 Director : Florian Zeller Written by: Florian Zeller, Christopher Hampton (based on Le Père by Florian Zeller) Produced by : David Parfitt, Jean-Louis Livi, Philippe Carcassonne, Christophe Spadone, Simon Friend Casts : Anthony Hopkins, Olivia Colman, Mark Gatiss, Imogen Poots, Rufus Sewell, Olivia Williams Language: English Genre: Drama SYNOPSIS:  Anthony refuses all assistance from his daughter, Anne (Olivia Colman), as he ages. As he tries to make sense of his changing circumstances, he begins to doubt his loved ones, his own mind and even the fabric of his reality.   REVIEW: Based on the acclaimed, award-winning play, The Father starts out as a harmless simple drama that touches on the familiar notes of a dementia drama. Anne (Olivia Colman) is losing patience with her 80-year-old father, Anthony (Anthony Hopkins), whose grip on reality is slowly fading but who refuses to allow a carer to look after him. She tells her father that she is moving to Paris and needs

  Critic - No. 213 Director : Vishwesh Krishnamoorthy Written by: A.R.Rahman (story) & Vishwesh Krishnamoorthy (screenplay) Produced by : A.R.Rahman Casts : Ehan Bhat, Edilsy Vargas, Lisa Ray, Tenzin Dalh, Lisa Ray, Warina Hussain Language: Tamil (dubbed) Genre: Musical, Romance Music: A.R.Rahman SYNOPSIS:  Challenged to compose 100 songs before he can marry the girl he loves, a tortured but passionate singer-songwriter, Jay embarks on a poignant musical journey.   REVIEW: Jay’s (Ehan Bhat) heart beats for two - his music and his girlfriend Sophie (Edilsy Vargas). While he is not quite there on his road to success yet, his rich girlfriend’s father Sanjay Singhania (Ranjit Barot) challenges him to compose 100 songs before he can think of marrying Sophie. This kick starts Jay’s strenuous journey that takes him to the beautiful and bumpy journey of self-realisation.  Staying true to the genre of the musical, the film is filled with a generous amount of soundtracks and scintillating

Critic No. 212 Director : Prabhu Deva Produced by : Zee Studios, Salman Khan Films, Sohail Khan Productions, Reel Life Production Private Limited Casts : Salman Khan, Disha Patani, Randeep Hooda, Jackie Shroff Language: Hindi Genre: Action, Crime, Thriller Music: Score - Sanchit Balhara, Ankit Balhara; Songs - Sajid–Wajid, Devi Sri Prasad, Himesh Reshammiya SYNOPSIS:  As Mumbai’s youth are falling prey to rampant drug abuse, suspended cop Radhe (Salman Khan) is recalled for a clean-up mission. But Radhe is up against a dangerous new outlaw Rana (Randeep Hooda), who will stop at nothing to rule the city.   REVIEW: Set in Mumbai, ‘Radhe: Your Most Wanted Bhai’ is a Salman Khan actioner that picks up from the Bollywood superstar’s previous venture, Wanted (2009). Built as a spiritual sequel to Wanted , Radhe is an encounter specialist with 97 encounters and 23 transfers to his credit, in the last 10 years. Now, as the city is in the grip of a dreaded drug mafia, it’s time for Radhe to

Critic No. 211 Director : Praveen Kandregula Produced by : D2R Indie Casts: Sandeep Varanasi, Vikas Vasistha, Rag Mayur, Sindhu Sreenivasa, Trishara Language: Telugu Genre: Comedy, Drama Music: Satyavolu Sirish, Varun Reddy SYNOPSIS:  When Veerababu, an auto-rickshaw driver finds an expensive camera in the back seat of his rickshaw, he comes up with a ridiculously ambitious plan to gather the village and make a film - a ticket to get their drought-hit village out of its dreary conditions.   REVIEW: Personally, I like films that realistically capture the journey of filmmakers, especially when real practical humour is thrown through the obstacles. When a bunch of people from the village set out to make their own film, they inevitably derive from standard Tollywood tropes and aesthetics and they are convinced in a second that making a film would be a breeze. At no point, they worry whether they are making a good film or even getting good actors. They just go all out without any doubt o

Critic No. 210 Director : Appu N. Bhattathiri Produced by : Anto Joseph Film Company, Melange Film House, Tentpole Movies Casts: Kunchacko Boban, Nayanthara, Izin Hash, Divya Prabha Language: Malayalam Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller Music: Sooraj S. Kurup SYNOPSIS:  First Class Judicial Magistrate John Baby (Kuchacko Boban), who is recouping from a traumatic accident, meets Nitin (Izin Hash), a young boy who interests him with murder stories. When Baby explores the possibility of Nitin's stories by mapping the events, it matches with the real-time incidents.   REVIEW: Award-winning film editor Appu N Bhattathiri's debut directorial Nizhal kicks off with an accident involving John Baby, which instills post-traumatic stress in him that haunts him. During a conversation with a clinical psychologist friend Shalini (Divya Prabha), he learns about a little boy named Nitin (Izin) who narrates a couple of strange murder stories with disturbing details. When John meets Nidhin and h

Critic - No. 209 Director : George C Wolfe Written by: Ruben Santiago-Hudson (screenplay), August Wilson (original play) Produced by : Denzel Washington , Todd Black, Dany Wolf Casts: Viola Davis , Chadwick Boseman , Glynn Turman, Colman Domingo, Michael Potts, Jonny Coyne, Taylour Paige  Language: English Genre: Drama Music: Branford Marsalis SYNOPSIS:  Tensions and temperatures rise at a Chicago music studio in 1927 when fiery, fearless blues singer Ma Rainey (Viola Davies) joins her band for a recording session.   REVIEW: “White folks don’t understand about the blues...They hear it come out, but they don’t know how it got there. They don’t understand that that’s life’s way of talking.” , says the pioneering singer Ma Rainey, as imagined by August Wilson and remarkably performed by Viola Davies.  After a stunning song performance of the mother of blues, the story kicks off, we see African-American musicians hanging around a white-owned Chicago studio one stiflingly hot day in the