For age groups 4-10 year olds.

Film: Ice Age 4: Continental Drift

Director: Steve Martino, Mike Thurmeier

Voices: Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Denis Leary, Queen Latifah

Genre: Animation | Adventure | Comedy

Like everyone else, I have also cherished previous Ice Age films to the core and being a fan, I was very much keen for their latest outing. When I actually witnessed it, I not only felt disappointed but also lost faith in the genre itself. Reason is not the latest Ice Age film. In this season, we also passed by Pixar’s melodramatic ‘Brave’ & Dreamworks’ not-so-creative ‘Madagascar 3’. Problem isn’t that they are bad, problem is they are just not meant for adults. Just like board games, these films also should’ve come with tagline “for age groups 4-10 year olds”.

Opening scene of Ice Age 4: Continental Drift expectedly shows Scrat (voiced by Chris Wedge) chasing his prized acorn. Alike previous three films, this time also it’s hilarious and raises the expectations of the viewer. That emotional & enthusiastic chase of Scrat causes cataclysmic event of continents setting apart which departs Manny the mammoth (voiced by Ray Romano) from his family. Along with him are his faithful friends, brave tiger Diego (voiced by Denis Leary) & noticeably funny & innocent buck-toothed sloth Sid (voiced by John Leguizamo).

In their adventure to return home safely, they meet dangerous pirates who of course are villians. Pirates here are a bunch of nonsense, totally unentertaining & badly written characters which make this film uninteresting. To add predictability to the plot, there’s a humdrum teenage drama plus one love story and if that’s not all we also have one granny. At certain point it felt like Ice Age 4 was inspired from Balaji Telefilms’ daily soaps. 

Mind-blowing set pieces and glorious 3D add much required thrill to the action sequences and are praise worthy but nowadays 3D & set-pieces look so common that they can’t act as the yardstick to measure any film’s strength.

Film still is consistently humorous, thanks to ever funny Sid whose actions and reactions are so unpredictable and amusing that you wish for more scenes featuring him and only him. Another reason why this film works is, Scrat. Scrat is the kind of character for which one can cheer devotedly.

Sid in the film utters that there’s rainbow around every corner. Hope, the makers will find that corner next time around.

Rating: 3/5   

Soaring high, with pride & passion !

Film: Gattu

Director: Rajan Khosa

Cast: Mohammad Samad, Naresh Kumar

Genre: Drama

Famous film-maker & actress Nandita Das is about to complete her tenure as a Chairperson for CFSI (Children’s Film Society India) and this is her last gift to CFSI. No distributor was ready to touch this sweet little gem of a film because it didn’t promise BO success as it was devoid of any known face. With all the hardships, Nandita Das managed to get a commercial release, thanks to generous Rajshri Productions. In the last 57 years, no other film (total 250 made so far) under the banner of CFSI has got commercial release so Gattu is also a cape of good hope for them.

Set in Roorkie (mostly known for IIT situated there), Uttarakhand, Gattu is a simple and straightforward film which endearingly delivers a significant social message. We’ve already seen I am Kalam (released in 2011) so how different is Gattu ? To be honest, it’s quite similar. This film also deals with the issues like child labor & RTE (Right to Education) but if you look at the final outcome, it’s done so nicely that you can’t resist yourself from cheering for lovable & cute protagonist.

Gattu (played by eight-year-old Mohammad Samad) is a street brat who reluctantly works in his uncle’s scrapyard & whose vision & mission are so clear that stopping him to achieve his goal is quite impossible. His passion for kite-flying is invincible which he proves by chopping-off his friends’ kites confidently but he’s not able to cut the Kali, it’s a black colored big batman-like Kite which is famous in whole town and everybody thinks that it’s not possible to cut it off from blue skies. Gattu is all set to make this unachievable goal achievable & for that he must get to the highest peak to get proper wind and that leads him to school where he not only learns the essential fundas like gravity but also treasures valuable principles & aspects of life.

Rajan Khosa’s ‘Gattu’ is a well-made and well intentioned film which deserves a watch because of its simplicity. No surprise that it won international acclaim at prestigious film festivals (the Berlin International Film Festival, the Los Angeles Indian Film Festival and film festivals at New York). From 12 different schools, total 200 students were auditioned & it was Mohammad Samad who made it and he has flied kites in films on his own. Well, it appears. His acting skills too are terrific and he is totally believable as “Gattu” which makes him win empathy easily. In his uncle’s role is Naresh Kumar who plays the character with equal conviction.

I am sad for the fact that it has released in the time when commercial films are roaring real loud but I do wish that maximum number of people watch it and spread the word. It’s a beautiful film which needs a little help from everybody. Just don’t miss !

Rating: 3.5/5

Rise !

Film: The Dark Knight Rises

Director: Christopher Nolan

Cast: Christian Bale, Tom hardy, Sir Michael Caine, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Gary Oldman, Anne Hathaway, Marion Cotillard, Morgan Freeman

Genre: Action | Drama | Thriller

The film which acted like fodder for gossip for months has finally released. Isn’t that great ? Yes, feeling is amazing. The Dark Knight (released in 2008) was perfect and it’s not an easy task to top the perfection but still Christopher Nolan dared to go beyond it and made The Dark Knight Rises. I’ve never ever seen fans participating in the strategic viral marketing this actively for a particular film. Therefore, The Dark Knight Rises is the most awaited film of 2012 and it wisely pretends to be the greatest superhero film history has ever witnessed.

Film involves lot many characters and hence, elongated drama. 8 years have passed since Harvey Dent’s death and city under the Dent act is crime-free. No one has seen Batman/Bruce Wayne (played by Christian Bale) in this span and now when Gotham city is under the threat & claws of masked beast-like terrorist Bane (played by Tom Hardy), he must come and do the needful (like always). There’s more to it and I won’t tell because I want you to get goosebumps.

Bruce Wayne is between the harbinger of pain & depression so it’s not possible for him to show up instantly so we witness mostly drama in the first half. Christian Bale is flawless throughout the trilogy. I can’t imagine any other actor playing it more convincingly.

Every character in this film is smart but Catwoman/Selena Kyle (played by Anne Hathaway) is the smartest of the lot. She has the pace; she is sexy, smart & is the distinguished thief. Ever faithful butler Alfred (played by Sir Michael Caine) once again does everything he can to save Master Wayne from suffering & great actor has done a commendable work. He made the drama relatable and also evoked emotions which were much necessary to root for the ultimate hero. Commissioner Gordon (played by Gary Oldman) is not alone this time. For all the investigation and chases, he has got courageous Officer Blake (played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt) in whom he can invest his trust.

My favorite character of this film is Blake and not Batman. Joseph is just terrific and is consistently getting better and better with each film passing by. Whether he’s catching the guilty, searching some clue or chatting with character(s), he has performed superbly in each and every scene. Presence of Miranda (played by Marion Cotillard) will surely be felt at certain point and last but not the least, gadget guru Lucious Fox (played by Morgan Freeman). Fox returns with one hell of a surprise.

Even if Bane was audible, it wouldn’t have made much difference. Tom Hardy has successfully managed to transform himself into monster & I appreciate but he is not even 1% of what Joker was. Hope that sums up everything.

Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy isn’t just about action. It speaks much more than that. But action here is pretty remarkable. Witnessing Batpod rocketing on Gotham streets & performing some magic with its front wheel was a tremendously joyful experience & the last chase sequence comprising all the Batman mean machines made me totally speechless. 1 hour of the film is shot in 70 mm IMAX camera and you know what, it appears. Gotham’s horrific condition is captured marvelously & of course there’s that spectacular football field scene which is absolutely thrilling. For all that, lion part of credit also goes to the film’s cinematographer, Wally Pfister.

Background Score by Hans Zimmer is rich & deep enough to make you drown completely. Chant ‘Deh shay’ (meaning Rise) will surely stay in memory for long.   

Nolan brothers have given TDKR some smart twists and dialogues too are impressive but still it doesn’t outrun The Dark Knight. TDK still remains the greatest superhero film ever made. Psychological browbeat between Joker & Batman made it special but here there’s a physical combat which isn’t up to the mark plus there are some loopholes which you don’t expect from the man who utilized his god-like imagination & gave us some extraordinary mind-bending films. But I’d still strongly recommend everybody to watch TDKR because no other superhero will touch your emotional chord like Nolan’s Batman touches. To enjoy the finale to the fullest, one must have watched its predecessors.

Rating: 4/5

No, not amazing !

Film: The Amazing Spider-man
Director: Marc Webb
Cast: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans, Irrfan
Genre: Action | Fantasy

I am unhappy to reveal that my kind heart couldn’t appreciate the insensitivity with which Marc Webb has rebooted my favorite superhero. Yes, Spider-man is my favorite superhero because when I was 12 years old, batman movies weren’t as gruesome & enthralling as they are now & at that time, Avengers were not cinematically present. To be honest there are some very sweet memories attached with Sam Raimi’s Spider-man (released in 2002).

If one’s re-booting a superhero film first thing which need modifications is a storyline. And story of The Amazing Spiderman is absolutely pale and uninteresting. First half of the film will not only make you realize how good Raimi was in constructing simple heartwarming moments but will also make you angry for the absence of novelty this film has. Basketball sequence reminded me of Koi Mil Gaya and even in that film I knew the obvious outcome (like everybody else) but I enjoyed it much more than this one. May be because today I am no more a kid or may be because today’s kids are smarter & they deserve something funnier & clever than utter silliness.  

Director Marc Webb has used his key-strength wisely and luckily, there’s one aspect in this film which is pitch perfect. Romance is marvelously rendered. Peter Parker (played by Andrew Garfield) & Gwen Stacy (played by Emma Stone) have enough chemistry to win your heart. But hey, superhero films are basically about good vs. evil and not romance. If we underline that fact, The Amazing Spiderman fails though not completely.         

Andrew Garfield injects everything he had into Peter Parker and he succeeds. There’s not even a single scene in which one can notice imperfection from his side. And same can be said for Emma Stone. She makes Gwen a believable brave character & comfortably replaces arty Mary Jane.    

I seriously missed parker’s best friend - Harry Osbourne (played by James Franco). He is one of the significant elements of previous spider-man films and James Franco was remarkable in it. Harry’s love and hate relationship with peter parker really was riveting. Story is somewhat changed and I guess there’s no scope for that character but something substantial is much needed to fill that void.  

Coming to the action & CGI part, it’s all getting repetitive & there’s nothing much to say. 3D could’ve been more effective with some more wall-to-wall climbing & swinging scenes. There’s one scene which I immensely liked irrespective of the fact that it was devoid of tension, thrill & suspense. Idea of making 6 cars dangle on the bridge at the same time alone is worth appreciating. Webb has beautifully executed the imagination in that particular scene.

I won’t comment on the choice of villain but his motives seemed vague & Lizard / Dr. Curt Connors (played by Rhys Ifans) wasn’t menacing at all. And he is the weakest point of this ambitious film. Plus predictability also kills much of the film’s gusto.

So far I’ve not mentioned anything about our talented Irrfan Khan. You know why? Because it’s not worth mentioning.

Uncle Ben’s famous words go like this: With great power, comes great responsibility. Sony Pictures have given Webb a great power to reboot the spider-man in his own way and for the sake of good, he should better understand the latter part as soon as possible.

Rating: 2.5/5

Action at its best.

Film: The Raid: Redemption
Director: Gareth Evans

Cast: Iko Uwais, Joe Taslim, Yayan Ruhian, Ray Sahetapy
Genre: Action


The Raid: Redemption is gonna satisfy those nerds who have deep affection for PC games & also those who have always enjoyed Tony Jaa’s work.

Plot is like that of video game only. Platoon of local police is supposed to catch a gangster who resides in a 15 storey-building. Building is studded with loud speakers, cameras and main villain’s tapori gundas and whole film is shot in the same building. Gundas here are skilled, they know martial arts very well and they also possess weapons viz. machine guns and knives, with which they easily destroy whole platoon. Platoon of course was not capable enough to reach and grab the main villain and whole plan was actually a conspiracy but one man, Rama (played by Iko Uwais) as expected rises above the expectations of everyone, successfully turns the table and film is centered on his conviction to achieve impossible.

Length of the film is just 103 minutes and it has no dull moment. It’s all about cheese, we know it. But the way film is made, it’s just stupendous. Camera work here is purely magical; camera brilliantly takes us through and inside wall of the building. No cables, no CGI, no vfx – how hard is that to imagine in this era! But that’s how this film is made.   

Hand-to-hand fight sequences are undeniably remarkable and that’s the very main reason why this film works. Last fight portraying two vs. one is the film’s longest combat sequence and is the most excellent action sequence I’ve seen in recent times which in point of fact rejuvenates the traditional Indonesian martial-arts. All the three actors (Iko Uwais, Donny Alamsyah & Yayan Ruhian) who performed the last fight deserve a big round of applause for representing the extreme level of enthusiasm in the most authentic way.

The Raid: Redemption is bone-crunching, skull-smashing & furiously paced actioner which I liked very much and all those who love action films are sure to adore this film.   


Rating: 3.5/5