Reviews of Movies Now Playing on Cable/Dish/Theatres - 24 May 12

Now Playing

This page lists all slightly older movies that are playing in theatres, or are available on pay-per-view / video-on-demand on cable / dish services. (The information in these lists are as available on the official sites of the said services) Last updated: 24-May-2012

Airtel Movies	Kahaani, London Paris New York
Dish TV Movie on Demand	Agneepath, Don 2
Reliance Choice Pay	Ekk Deewana Tha, Deool (Marathi), Jhootha hi sahi
TataSky Showcase	Bittoo Boss, Blood Money, Kahaani
Videocon d2h Pay Per View	Kahaani, London Paris New York, Don 2
In Theaters (English)	What to Expect When You're Expecting, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Dark Shadows, Hugo, The Avengers, Titanic 3D, Wrath of the Titans
In Theaters (Hindi)	Department, Dangerous Ishq, Ishaqzaade, Jannat 2, Vicky Donor, Housefull 2
In Theaters (Marathi)	Chintu, Ajintha, Kaksparsh, Masala

Chintu - Review

wogma rating: Even the keen, wait for DVD ^(?) - For kids only.

quick review: A cute collection of sub-events that end up as a choppy and preachy film. But kids will enjoy their time with Chintoo. Strictly not for adults though. Read more...

Department - Review

wogma rating: Watch if you have nothing better to do ^(?)

quick review: The perennial "right vs. wrong" debate is put up against a new-sounding "Smartness vs 'an A-Rated word'". This complex debate soon becomes incomprehensible as characters become more and more ambiguous. Vague characters can be interesting but the experimentation with the camera is too distracting for anything else to be processed satisfactorily. Read more...

wogma review

Notepad

External Reviews 0.1/5.0

Readers Reviews 3/5.0

Twitter Verdict 1.3/5.0

What to Expect When You're Expecting - Review

A wogma guest review by Swetha Ramakrishnan

wogma rating: Watch if you have nothing better to do ^(?)

quick review: The biggest disappointment in What to Expect When You?re Expecting is its lack of ambition. The film revels in its predictability, making no attempt to try a different brand of humour or a different revelation of human experience. While some moments have the potential to make you laugh, for the most part the movie is banal and unsatisfactory. Read more...

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel - Review

A wogma guest review by Swetha Ramakrishnan

wogma rating: The keen must watch on screen; else DVD ^(?)

quick review: On their first visit to India, Judy Dench?s character, who also plays the narrator of the film, describes her feeling with an extremely apt line: ?An assault of the senses?. Director John Madden shows us a clichéd, but comfortable India filled with colors, sounds and a large handful of people, but also manages to strike a chord with the stories of the seven characters. Watch The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel for its performances and a well-written unfolding of intertwining stories. Read more...

Dangerous Ishq - Review

wogma rating: Watch if you have nothing better to do ^(?)

quick review: Dangerous Ishhq reminded me of a Jitendra film from the 70s-80s (have been wrecking my brain to remember the title of the film, but it just won't come, maybe there were more than one.) in which there were all kinds of curses and counter-curses. But at the very least it had a mythological background. Dangerous Ishhq exasperates you with the witchery while trying to keep the setting modern. Just doesn't gel. Read more...

wogma review

External Reviews 0.5/5.0

Twitter Verdict 1.5/5.0

Ishaqzaade - Review

wogma rating: Even the keen, wait for DVD ^(?) - That too only for the actors and treatment, don't expect anything from the story

quick review: A love story we've gotten too used to over the decades to be interesting despite fresh performances and a slick, rustic treatment. Read more...

wogma review

External Reviews 2.9/5.0

Readers Reviews 3/5.0

Twitter Verdict 3.5/5.0

Dark Shadows - Review

A wogma guest review by Swetha Ramakrishnan

wogma rating: Even the keen, wait for DVD ^(?)

quick review: Okay I?ll admit Dark Shadows is better than the soapy Twilight series ? both Johnny Depp and Eva Green give you enough to laugh once in a while. But if you?ve been following the Burton-Depp franchise since Edward Scissorhands in 1990, you will find yourself disappointed with this complacent effort of a film. Read more...

Ajintha - Review

A wogma guest review by Pradeep Menon

wogma rating: Even the keen, wait for DVD ^(?)

quick review: Inspite of some technical merit, Nitin Desai?s directorial debut, Ajintha, offers very little to the viewer as a film, due to some weak writing and direction. The only possible reason to watch it could be its sporadically grand production design, which itself is honestly not a strong enough reason. Avoiding Ajintha will be no loss at all. Read more...

Hugo - Review

A wogma guest review by Pradeep Menon

wogma rating: Must see - on the big screen ^(?) - Anywhere else will just be gross injustice, not to mention the experience that you?ll miss.

quick review: It had to be a film that is as diametrically opposite to, say, Taxi Driver or Goodfellas, to show the world just what cinema means to Martin Scorsese. This love letter to the movies from one of the legends of our time is nothing short of a wondrous watch on the big screen. If the recreation of some of the most iconic moments in the history of cinema is not good enough for you, then the visually thrilling 3D experience definitely will be. Only one thing needs to be said ? Please watch Hugo on the big screen. Read more...

wogma review

Readers Reviews 4/5.0

Jannat 2 - Review

wogma rating: Watch if you have nothing better to do ^(?)

quick review: While Jannat 2's lead character, Sony Dilli has a decent conflict, the film isn't worth watching because of the dull manner it is narrated in. In many ways, Jannat 2 feels like a film that could've been a film worth watching once if it had a little better of everything, especially better actors to play the side characters and the villain. Read more...

wogma review

External Reviews 1.1/5.0

Readers Reviews 5/5.0

Twitter Verdict 3.2/5.0

Kaksparsh - Review

A wogma guest review by Pradeep Menon

wogma rating: Watch for sure, preferably in theatre ^(?) - If not, then definitely watch it when it comes on TV/DVD.

quick review: A lot of people may not find Kaksparsh the easiest film to watch, but Mahesh Manjrekar deserves a pat on his back just for the story that he has chosen to tell. A tale of love that transcends what is considered acceptable by society even today, this period piece is a credible film and a feather in Mahesh Manjrekar?s cap. Read more...

wogma review

Readers Reviews 5/5.0

The Avengers - Review

A wogma guest review by Swetha Ramakrishnan

wogma rating: Watch for sure, preferably in theatre ^(?)

quick review: The Avengers manages to capture the attention of the avid-fans as well as the newcomers. I could overhear Marvel comic fans discussing the move rigorously during the interval, and surprisingly, I also overheard a bunch of new-comers talk about how they?re going to buy the comics and read up on the film. We all collectively, however, walked out of the theatre starving for more. Don?t miss The Avengers! Read more...

Masala - Review

A wogma guest review by Pradeep Menon

wogma rating: Watch for sure, preferably in theatre ^(?)

quick review: With Masala, Girish Kulkarni?s conquests as a writer and actor continue. Fresh on the heels of his National Award for Deool, comes a charming little film about two protagonists whom you start feeling for within minutes. The rest of the film?s experience is about some excellent performances and the smile that you?ll have on your face throughout. Masala should be watched. Read more...

Vicky Donor - Review

wogma rating: Buy the DVD already ^(?) - And if by any chance you miss it in the theaters do make sure to catch it on DVD.

quick review: Vicky Donor has a story which weaves in and out of a subject that is taboo, that too in an enjoyable and entertaining manner. Quick, witty lines are delivered with comfort and awesome performances. Even if you don't end up watching it on screen, do make sure you catch it on TV/DVD. Read more...

wogma review

Preview

External Reviews 4.8/5.0

Readers Reviews 5/5.0

Bittoo Boss - Review

wogma rating: Watch when on TV ^(?)

quick review: Bittoo Boss has a couple insights about society and its outlook towards porn and sex. But it puts these points across in a dull, jerky manner and often without energy. Not discardable, neither enjoyable. Read more...

wogma review

Preview

External Reviews 1.2/5.0

Readers Reviews 0/5.0

Twitter Verdict 1.8/5.0

Titanic 3D - Review

A wogma guest review by Swetha Ramakrishnan

wogma rating: Buy the DVD already ^(?)

quick review: Titanic is an epic film ? much like ET and Casablanca for their respective generations. So many people have told me how it?s one of the first English films they?ve watched in a movie theatre ? also one of the only English films that they would gladly sit through (all 3 and half hours of it). I realized Titanic?s popularity when my domestic help mentioned she?d seen the film in Hindi on cable TV on a Saturday night and loved it. It?s a film we?ve all loved at some point in our lives ? Titanic is a beautiful celebration of nostalgia. Read more...

wogma review

Readers Reviews 4/5.0

Housefull 2 - Review

wogma rating: Watch if you have nothing better to do ^(?)

quick review: Housefull 2 is nothing more and nothing less that what you'd expect from it. you know the director and his genre, so you know how you'll like the film. I was a tiny bit surprised with the momentum maintained in the chaos. But an 'aah...interesting' kind of a surprise doesn't necessarily make it a fun experience. Read more...

wogma review

Preview

External Reviews 1.8/5.0

Readers Reviews 4/5.0

Twitter Verdict 3.9/5.0

Wrath of the Titans - Review

A wogma guest review by Swetha Ramakrishnan

wogma rating: Switch channels if it's on cable ^(?)

quick review: If 3D effects and visuals graphics are the only reason you want to go watch Wrath of the Titans, please save yourself the time and watch Lord of the Rings instead. If it?s the Greek mythology that intrigues you, however, I strongly suggest you rent Troy or even Disney?s Hercules. Basically, give this film a miss. Read more...

Blood Money - Review

wogma rating: The keen should rent; else TV ^(?)

quick review: A strong middle hour sandwiched between twenty minutes of silliness at the beginning and an absurd last half hour, make Blood Money hanging between engaging and ridiculous. A clear indication that the writers didn't quite believe that they had it in them to give Blood Money a fair chance. Read more...

wogma review

Notepad

External Reviews 0.5/5.0

Twitter Verdict 1.6/5.0

Kahaani - Review

wogma rating: Buy the DVD already ^(?)

quick review: An extremely quirky atmosphere is created by the camera, the narrative, the sound, the music and Vidya Balan. An experience that might seem incomplete if not watched on the big screen. Read more...

Audio review (subscribe):

wogma review

Notepad

Preview

External Reviews 4.9/5.0

Readers Reviews 5/5.0

Twitter Verdict 4.9/5.0

London Paris New York - Review

wogma rating: The keen should rent; else TV ^(?)

quick review: Yet another rom-com. But this time the story and characters touch your heart. Mostly. Ultimately, London Paris New York falls prey to typical drama. Read more...

wogma review

Preview

External Reviews 2.7/5.0

Readers Reviews 3/5.0

Twitter Verdict 3.9/5.0

Ekk Deewana Tha - Review

wogma rating: Watch if you have nothing better to do ^(?)

quick review: A dull romantic film adds twists in the end to put every thriller worth its salt to shame. And an attempt to mask stiff, expressionless actors with awful makeup and even worse dubbing. Read more...

wogma review

Preview

External Reviews 0.7/5.0

Readers Reviews 3/5.0

Twitter Verdict 1.6/5.0

Agneepath - Review

wogma rating: Add to 'must watch' list ^(?)

quick review: And this is how you make a remake! Weed out the unnecessary elements, fill in the blanks, and be ready for the brickbats from those for whom the original is now "cult". For those like me, who are not a part of that sect, it was a pleasure to see the 90s style of narration blend beautifully with contemporary aesthetics and sensibilities to form a pakka entertainer. So, steer clear if you don't like that kind of masala in your films. But, make sure you go for it, if intense drama mixed with song and dance entertains you. And while at it do lend a special applause to makers for resisting the urge to use exotic locales and most importantly, slapstick/lame comedy! Read more...

Audio review (subscribe):

wogma review

Notepad

Preview

External Reviews 3.5/5.0

Readers Reviews 4/5.0

Twitter Verdict 3.7/5.0

Don 2 - Review

wogma rating: The keen should rent; else TV ^(?)

quick review: Smart lines and slick camerawork turns into tiring witticism and regular big-budget technicalities because it is over-written and over-stylized. The few extra seconds taken to establish a scene with elegance give the crux of the scene away. This keeps this action-thriller from being crisp. Multiple, smart twists are pointless if you are going to chicken out in the climax. Read more...

wogma review

Notepad

Preview

External Reviews 2.6/5.0

Readers Reviews 3/5.0

Twitter Verdict 3.8/5.0

Deool (Marathi) - Review

wogma rating: Buy the DVD already ^(?)

quick review: A very satisfying experience. Even if you don't get the language the cast is so expressive without over-doing it that you'd enjoy it. And as usual some brilliant cinematography by Umesh Kulkarni's team. Read more...

wogma review

Readers Reviews 5/5.0

Twitter Verdict 5/5.0

Jhootha hi sahi - Review

wogma rating: Watch when on TV ^(?)

quick review: Gen X - it takes everything in stride - pre-marital pregnancies, sexual orientation, double-timing - everything is cool. A group of friends excels in the leg-pulling game and has fun like you and I do. If only, they didn?t end up in a tiring climax that doesn't have a superlative or expletive to describe it. Quick quips are shot down by aimless sub-plots, songs and did I mention, awful climax. Read more...

wogma review

Notepad

Preview

External Reviews 1.6/5.0

Readers Reviews 5/5.0

Twitter Verdict 3.3/5.0

Chintu - Review

Review

Chintoo feels like a film that was made by a team that really wanted to make a film for kids and show adults a child's point of view. Therein lies the contradiction. If it is a film for kids then why bother showing their point of view to adults? If the point is to show a child's perspective to adults, then the movie needed to be made for adults and not for kids only. Chintoo doesn't have enough material or rather is too childish to be considered a film for adults. Yet, it does work for kids because it does capture their way of looking at things around them and their imagination. Though it is not a must watch even for kids, it's not like kids have too much choice this summer.

Chintoo is full of moments that are both worthy of spending time on and are executed well. But, they do not come together as one complete story. The build-up of the team called the 'waanar vede warriors', their acknowledgement for the need for fitness, the struggle of putting together their stadium, their aspirations, their struggle with an opposing bunch of children, and finally their battle against an adult who can't see their way - are among the many things that Chintoo wants to talk about. In the middle of all this you see various interconnections - parents struggle with today's age of couch-gaming, parents-as-a-unit and their relationship with a child, a mother-son tie, bonding between a grandparent and their child. Unfortunately, all these different things stay different and don't link with each other to form one smooth-flowing story.

What makes Chintoo worthwhile (at least for kids) is that each of these sections is treated with a lot of love and care. For its little bit each section engages you and you look forward to what it is going to end up with. That it doesn't end up in anything substantial, meaningful or interesting is a different thing all together. In that sense, Chintoo might have aimed at the attention span of 10-year olds.

As an adult, what started off for me as a perfect look into familial interactions between parents and children ended up as an overdose of the same whining that I had left behind at home for some peace and quiet in the theater. Yet, let me not speak on behalf of those for whom the Chintoo comics are reason for nostalgia. I didn't grow up with them and wouldn't know what that means to someone who has.

On the other hand, I'd assume the film is directed equally towards people who hadn't read the comics. So, as a part of that audience I know that I have too many problems with how Chintoo panned out. From what has already been said to the innumerable questions that the climax with the many inconsistencies in writing throughout, Chintoo is far from a 'must watch' experience.

Sure, the kids acted well but there was nothing exceptional about the performances. The adults all looked and sounded like caricatures except for Vibhavari Deshpande. But she does have too much make-up on which is extremely distracting. That and Subodh Bhave's wig/hair-do. So distracting that I choose to mention it before mentioning the apt amount of cuteness that the child artists have. Just the typical right amount that is.

Just for the lack of choice that kids have this summer, Chintoo might be a film worth a watch for kids. For adults, we can survive with another week out of the theaters, can't we?

- meetu, a part of the audience

Department - External Reviews

38 reviewers have given Department an average rating of 0.1/5.0 ^(?)

Warning: clicking on "full review" will take you to an external website that could contain spoilers.

See Also

Department - Twitter Reviews

8 tweeters have given Department an average rating of 1.3/5.0^(?)

• BHUPENDRA01: sanju baba what a bad movie department ...god wasted 3 hours...... @ @duttsanjay
• thisismepratz: She doesnt knw hw to dance and fr expressions msking her sex face # rgv #department cant stoop lower!
• pshreyasv: amitabh bachan is roking in department
• iamsleepysid: Watchin department wth @ganarajkhandige.. Pathetic cinematography due to rgv's craze for camera angles..
• rshankar_eeka: hows is #department? movie is blurry at times cos of the cameras and movie plot is also not that gripping
• PRIYASONI2385: watched "DEPARTMENT"..it was a nice movie ..!!!
• BHARAT_NCVT: Department: nothing special, not need to waste time
• sunyy7: #Department iz huge flop:it would be officially announced very soon!!!

See Also

What to Expect When You're Expecting - Review

Review

What you expect from What to Expect When You?re Expecting doesn?t falter one bit through the 110 minutes of the film. The film is adapted by the non-fiction book of the same name and its main draw, much like other ensemble films like He?s Just Not that Into You and New Year?s Eve is the variety of familiar faces, (gorgeous Cameron Diaz and Jennifer Lopez playing pregnant woman who look cosmetically flawless) virtually no character-viewer relationship, some funny moments and a predictable story-line.

Based in New York, the film graphs seven couples who have one thing in common - they?re all having a baby. Soon they realize that pregnancy is harder than they imagined. The many characters include Cameron Diaz, a fitness guru celebrity who winds up with an unexpected pregnancy. While Jennifer Lopez finds trouble adopting a child after having difficulty in conceiving, Elizabeth Banks preaches on a perfect pregnancy but all her rules go topsy-turvy when she?s expecting, and Chace Crawford (Gossip girl fame) and Anna Kendrick (of the Twilight saga) play ex-lovers who reunite to result in an accidental pregnancy.

The movie does have its funny moments though ? mostly to Elizabeth Bank?s credit, where she plays the uptight mommy-to-be who becomes a chaotic mess by the d-day. Her trail is the funniest to follow, and you find yourself waiting for her bit to pop up amidst the ensemble. On the flipside, most of the humor adopted for the bigger stars like Diaz and Lopez seem repetitive and remind you of an American sitcom.

The film, predictably so, relies on many clichés - the beautiful first touch of a new-born baby, the surge of emotions that a mommy-to-be faces and the parallel track of the husbands, which I would have preferred to be more inclusive. As it is, the husbands are quite negligible, and much to our disappointment most of the couple are pretty straightforward. No gay couple or even inter-racial couples for that matter. A cultural or homosexual complexity while having a child could have provided fodder for further humor.

The film unfolds mostly through predictable background score and you can virtually check off every cliché being used in the film: every trouble is eventually justified with the larger joy of being a mother, the character who has the most trouble ends up with the happiest ending and the actual act of conceiving is as glamorous and colorful as the posters of the film. Being the biggest stars in the film, Lopez and Diaz mostly disappoint with the plastic performances.

If what you?re looking for is a happy-fun film with many faces and characters I suggest you rent Love Actually. What to Expect When You?re Expecting is a disappointment.

This article is by guest author Swetha Ramakrishnan. Swetha Ramakrishnan is currently living and working in Mumbai. She's a self-confessed film enthusiast and can most likely be found talking to anyone and everyone about popular cinema and her love for SRK. Swetha Ramakrishnan also blogs at http://swetharamakrishnan.blogspot.com/.

22 Female Kottayam - Review

Review

?Well, let's just say I like to live dangerously.? ? Tommy Plympton

As the end credits of 22 Female Kottayam roll, the first credit that appears reads ?Filmography?, and it lists three films that ?22 Female? is inspired from. While two of those three films would make it to my all-time favourite lists, even those to whom the films are not as special would see the similarities that these films share. Naming those films, of course, would be a thorough disservice to those who are yet to watch 22 Female Kottayam.

Tessa K. Abraham is a Malayali nurse living and working in Bangalore, who is looking to settle in Canada. In the quest for her visa, she meets Cyril, a man who runs a visa agency. With his school-boyish charm and earnestness, Cyril wins Tessa over and love blossoms. But stories never end when the boy and girl fall in love, do they?

While 22 Female Kottayam is a thriller, which has been appreciated because it is at its core an engaging fiction story, why it really needs to be lauded is because of its treatment. Director Aashiq Abu, in the course of narrating the tale, shows rare insight into the life of a young, city-bred woman living in a cosmopolis in India.

Women check out a man?s posterior, they don?t fear revealing that they aren?t virgins before getting into a relationship, and some young women get into relationships of convenience with older, married men. All these, and more, are truths with no notions of morality affecting them, and a majority of India is yet to come to terms with it even in real life. Cinema, then, is still some distance away. But Aashiq Abu and his writers weave their story around these facets of life, and therein lies the truth behind why 22 Female Kottayam is being hailed as a path-breaking film.

The film however, is far from perfect. Both halves of the film are starkly different from each other, and though one can see that the makers have tried to let each side of the story build slowly, the fact remains that the film tends to sag. There are long stretches which are devoted to establishing and then re-establishing what has been established, rather than carrying the story forward. And this repeats throughout the film. Had the film been pruned by 20 minutes or so, it could have possibly been more impactful.

Rima Kallingal, who plays Tessa, has a mysterious presence that is always smouldering just below the surface. She looks convincing throughout, even though she isn?t naturally blessed with the acting mettle to pull off the complex character that she portrays. She manages to hold the film up, for which she needs to be lauded. However, I couldn?t help wonder if the film would have turned out better if a more competent actress had played the part.

Fahad Fazil as Cyril is excellent. He isn?t a typical Malayalam film hero and he?ll never be able to pull off the grand entrances that some Malayalam superstars make. Instead, he is like a counter-balance to them. Fahad Fazil could possibly be the poster boy for the new paths that commercial Malayalam cinema seems to be treading. Prathap Pothen, in a rather pivotal role as a father figure to Cyril makes a mark.

Where 22 Female Kottayam lacks the most is the music. A story like this would have been served well if it had that one hooking piece of music, that one melody which haunts the viewer even hours after he has left the cinema hall, which helps him relive the tale he experienced. 22 Female Kottayam is a film that can be appreciated better with its second viewing in the theatre, but it will possibly miss out on its repeat audiences because of the lack of enduring music. Still, with its twisted, engaging story and effortlessly slick cinematography, the film is bound to draw the claps that I heard once the end credits roll.

This article is by guest author Pradeep Menon. Pradeep is a filmmaker and a dreamer. He loves books, rain, winters, tea and his parents. Cinema, however, is the only truth he believes in. He breathes and bleeds film, mostly in hues of saffron, white, green and blue. You can watch his short films at www.youtube.com/cyberpradeep.

See Also

Or if you prefer use one of our linkware images? Click here