Rio International trailer

22 films to look out for in 2011

22 Films to look out for in 2011

Tom Huddleston and David Jenkins count down the 22 titles they're most eager to catch in 2011

That's it! Adios 2010, ola 2011! But what should be looking forward to in the cinemas this year? Well, Tom Huddleston and David Jenkins have put on their horn-rimmed glasses and deerstalkers and gone in search the great cinematic prospects of the coming year.

1. The Congress
Director: Ari Folman

Awesome trailer from Zack Snyders Sucker Punch ( updated with new trailer )

Sucker Punch ( HD )

Santosh Sivan's URUMI

Genelia, Prithvi, special appearances by Tabu and Vidya Balan and promise of a Hindi dub makes this an interesting wait!

Vishal's World

Grounded: Bhardwaj says he wanted to become a director after watching Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction. 

Abhijit Bhatlekar/Mint

When 19-year-old Vishal Bhardwaj returned from cricket practice that morning, his home had been emptied out on the street. Chairs, tables, utensils, clothes, photo frames—everything lay strewn on the road outside his home in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh. In the midst of it, right there on the street, his poet father—for long his best friend—lay sprawled. And lifeless.

Insidous , Apollo 18 trailers

Thor Trailer

7 Khoon Maaf - Review

2.9/5 so far!
Pankaj Sabnani glamsham.com 3/5 The film gets a bit predictable after a while but the engaging screenplay makes sure that there aren't any dull moments. The gradual ageing of Susanna from a 20 to 65 year-old is deftly shown.
Gaurav Malani Times of India A different, daring and darling attempt, 7 Khoon Maaf is killer stuff. In a Vishal Bhardwaj film, music certainly has to be a highpoint. From the Russian folk inspired ' Darling ', to the rock number ' O Mama ', to the sublime ' Bekaraan ', he simply weaves magic with Gulzar. 
Nikhat Kazmi Times of India 4/5 In terms of performances, 7 Khoon Maaf would undoubtedly end up as a milestone in Priyanka Chopra's career graph. The actor displays exquisite command over a complex character that is definitely a first in Indian cinema. She renders a subtle and restrained portrayal of a lonely and wronged woman who wanted love and only love from life.
Blessy Chettiar dnaindia.com 3.5/5 All in all, no words can fully express the wicked experience of 7 Khoon Maaf. Go catch it for some ‘bloody’ good performances and a great storyline.

Raja Sen rediff.com 2/5 Priyanka tries her best, but is simply not a good enough actress to justify being in a role this nuanced and demanding. It is a fantastic character, one deserving of a Sofia Loren or a Penelope Cruz..
Anupama Chopra ndtv.com 2.5/5 But this mysterious gothic world of murderous servants and their mistress who keeps cobras as pets, needed to be more fully realised and our journey into it needed to be far more seductive and engaging.
Mayank Shekhar hindustantimes.com 3/5 his movie, in some ways, is the complete, exact opposite of the popular, American 'fem-jep' ('females in jeopardy') genre. Wherein a woman silently goes through male hell.
Kahlid Mohamed passionforcinema.com 2/5 First day-first-show sprint to the multiplex on a Friday morning. You go all gung-ho but but but.. you return mumbling oh-no. What in the name of Belzebub was that?
Namrata Joshi blogs.outlookindia.com unrated Here’s a film which could have played out like a simple yet profound fable, somewhat like Blue Umbrella. Instead you find the opulence of the dreamlike frames clashing unnervingly with references to actual events
Kaveree Bamzai India Today 3/5 It makes a wonderful series of vignettes, with Susanna, the hostess, played by Priyanka Chopra, graciously allowing herself to be used and abused. Sadly, though, it's no more than that.
Taran Adarsh bollywoodhungama.com 3/5 However, the film will meet with diverse reactions - some will fancy it, while some will abhor it. The film will appeal more to the critics/columnists and the festival circuit. However, it is not the kind of cinema that will set the box-office ablaze.

Akki tries for his Lagaan moment – Patiala House!

After the box office disappointment of Chandni Chowk to China, director Nikhil Advani returns with a film set in London with full on Punjabiyat and nationalism at its core. Right at the start we see racial riots, skinheads, racially motivated killing of a member of the Kahlon family and are given the back story for why Rishi Kappor is the kind of patriarch he is. He lives in his own little enclave, populated with his extended family that we are never really introduced to, other than to be told that they all have aspirations that do not match the expectations the patriarch has of them.

Incendies - best Foreign film nominee

What an astonishing trailer!

7 Khoon Maaf updated 2 song trailers

Patiala House - reviews

Ratings at 2/5 SO FAR!

Anupama Chopra - NDTV 2.5/5 gigantic loopholes hobble Patiala House. As does the lazy writing – none of the other family members make an impression and Bauji is such an exasperating character that even Rishi Kapoor can’t humanise him.
Kunal Guha yahoo movies 1.5/5 what's terribly disappointing for anyone who understands the game even a bit, is that our Punjab express chucks every single time (check bowling action!).
Taran Adarsh bollywoodhungama.com 4/5 On the whole, PATIALA HOUSE is a film about attachments, affiliations and familial bonding. It's a compelling watch, more for its drama and histrionics than anything else.
Sonia Chopra sify.com 2/5 Director Nikhil Advani's storytelling is archaic and simplistic... when Gattu explains .. that his dad's heart would break if he played cricket, you actually hear a thunder-and-lightening sound effect.
Mayank Shekhar Hindustan Times 2/5 To use popular journalese, the peg of this Patiala (House) story is British racism of the early '90s. . . If anything, this is one of the best of recent Akshay Kumar flicks, from a rapidly expanding annual inventory, of course.
Rajeev Masand CNN IBN 1.5/5 Akshay Kumar as Gattu ... it’s a labored performance, lacking the subtleties and nuances that could have made it truly heart-felt.

Khalid Mohamed passionforcinema.com 2/5 They’re U K, you’re not O K. In fact, you suffer in silence as the cliché-drops keep falling on your head
Nikhat Kazmi Times of India 3/5 Every little twist and turn of this self-realisation soap opera is pre-ordained and terribly familiar.
 

Super Bowl Movie Spots

So Aamir has signed on to do Dhoom 3 – rewind back to Dhoom 2!

Reading the news of Aamir signing on to do Dhoom 3, and also that Katrina would be in the film led to a flashback to my attempt to see Dhoom2!

I watched this one in installments. The first 15 minutes go by -
1. Thief defies laws of Physics and para drops right onto a moving train, landing with his feet firmly planted
2. The queen coincidentally has a long face and beaked nose just like the thief – what was he, her long lost son or something?

Caught Between Three Walls – Teen Deewarein

I saw Teen Deewarein recently and was mesmerized by this film. At first I got the feeling that I had seen all of this before and I hate that. A little bit of analysis told me that I had seen all that in Bas Ek Pal which came out 3 years later. Nagesh Kukunoor’s masterpiece inspired a lesser ripoff which still managed to keep me engaged.. but that is another topic. Back to Teen Deewarein..

What if Bachchan was one of us?

Raja Sen
Audiences refuse to believe that stars are human too
Aishwarya Rai has the worst fans. Being an Internet-based film critic for awhile now, I can attest to having received a wee bit more than my share of hate-mail. It’s quite staggering, really, to realise just how passionate people are about cinema, and more than a trifle alarming to wrap the brain around the fact that a very significant number of folks would love to bash my skull in based merely on disagreement – simply because, for example, I didn’t like 3 Idiots.

And while I haven’t yet faced physical violence – threats stopped fazing me quite some time ago – it’s always interesting to see just how quickly people jump to their feet to democratically proclaim an opinion wrong. And then there are the bizarre kneejerk reactions – like being branded ‘unpatriotic’ after finding fault with something Amitabh Bachchan does — and fantastical accusations of favouritism.