The Sane Lunatic

'Tis the times of remaking classics, fa la-la-la-la-la la, la-la la la. We have here a remake of a classic murder mystery adapted from a novel, which in 1975 which got 6 oscar nominations including a win. This is the tale penned by the popular and acclaimed author, Agatha Christe - Murder on the Orient Express. Kenneth Branagh has taken on the task of directing the modern day iteration of a classic, while simulataneously doning the role of Hercule Poirot, possibly the greatest detective in the world. We get a star-studded ensemble including Judi Dench, Johnny Depp, Willem Dafoe, Josh Gad, Olivia Colman and Michelle Pfeiffer as part of the seventeen main characters. And that right there is the problem. I have not read the novel nor seen the 1974 film, so this new screen adaption of Murder on the Orient Express was seen and experienced with a clean slate. While the IMDB listing states the movie has a runtime of 1hr54m, I distinctly remember the film being at least 15 minutes...

Finally!! After all those teasers and trailers and whatnot, it's finally here, the DC comics ensemble of Earth's mightiest warriors – the Justice League! We move onto the next adventure in the DC timeline following the events of 'Dawn of Justice: Batman v Superman', and Justice League is a better film for sure, but that doesn't mean it's a really good one either. The plot has us following Batman and Wonder Woman recruiting more people with special abilities to defend the Earth from an impending alien invasion. Classic comic stuff, in the right scenario. But as is the problem with having major characters all in the same movie, nobody gets enough character development. The Ben Affleck Batman was introduced in his fight with Superman, along with Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman (moment of happy recollection of her beauty). She got her solo film to explain her character and origin story and we got Henry Cavill's Superman story in 'Man Of Steel'. That lea...

Yep. The Loon went for a Hindi rom-com of sorts. But, I was pleasantly surprised, hence this review. The film takes on the topic of moving on from past relationships once you cross your thirties, for whatever reasons and the challenges that one might face in the process. It also makes a comment on the disgusting humans, almost mainly men, who are often found on online dating sites, but humorously.  'Qarib Qarib Single' has the brilliant Irrfan Khan headlining as one of the protagonists, Yogi the poet, and is accompanied by Parvathy as Jaya. The talented actress here making her Bollywood debut does a good job of channelling a 35-year old widow who works as a Web developed in Delhi, and also nails the fourth-wall breaks in the film.  The jokes are silly but innocent and well-delivered by Irrfan's character while Jaya provides good banter with occasional outbursts that reflect the flip side of how repressed she feels around most people in her life. The two me...

This is it! The third and last solo Thor movie in the MCU before we get the Infinity War movies, and Marvel has gone all out. In terms of action, colour, humour, music and outright quirkiness. 'Thor: Ragnarok' might just be the best bromance superhero movie yet. I've been hyped up to see this one ever since the first trailer came out with the Led Zep back-track and it does not disappoint. It actually uses that song for an action-sequence which in itself wins it some brownie points in my book. The plot of the movie is pretty straightforward while the characters around them do make a point of mentioning it too. Chris Hemsworth has managed to look even more badass as Thor with short hair though that might have something to do with him getting control over his powers as the God of Thunder. Tom Hiddleston is brilliant and brings an unexpected endearment to Loki given how much I disliked him in the first Avengers movie. Mark Ruffalo finally gets some interesting and funn...

Oh man. I've been delaying this one for more than half a year now. Which I know kind of defeats the purpose of making this a series for you readers. But to be quite frank, I put it on hold because I had nothing interesting to share with you good folks, but given that I am no longer there, this may well be a fitting time to end it. In a way, this post in the series should have been written back in June, when I did move out of my bed in Colaba. I'd moved to a flat in an area called Kurla West, where I had a sizeable room to myself in a 2BHK layout and a living room as well, for the same rent. The tradeoff was living in quite a shitty part of Mumbai, where I'd get creepy vibes everytime I went down to get some groceries. It also meant having to commute to work by the local train. The station itself was just 10 minutes away on foot, and the journey would take 30 minutes. If I'd schedule it properly I could take the direct trains and get space quite easily, both when...

A redneck heist movie directed by the same guy whose resume includes the Ocean's Trilogy and The Informant, that stars Channing Tatum and Daniel Craig, involves Nascar and a one-armed bartender. Needless to say, this one was on my watchlist since the first time I saw the trailer and it entertained me more than I expected it to. The narrative revolves around the Logan family, mainly the two brothers - Jimmy (Channing Tatum) and Clyde (Adam Driver). Jimmy was an American football player in college but suffered a lifelong leg injury while Clyde is an Iraq war veteran who lost his right arm..sorry, hand and uses a prosthetic while working as a bartender. Jimmy also happens to have an adorable daughter, Sadie (Farah McKenzie), that he shares custody of with his ex-wife Bobbie Jo (Katie Holmes) while his sister Mellie (Riley Keough) works as a nanny for Bobbie's new family. Jimmy gets laid off from his construction/digging job as his employers see his injury as a potent...

So you've got Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey as the lead characters of a film based on a book by Stephen King, pitted against each other in a classic good vs evil, stopping the end of the world kind of film narrative. Sounds like something that should offer at least 90 minutes of entertainment and brilliant voices if nothing else, right? Well that's what I was expecting from 'The Dark Tower' but Director Nikolaj Arcel has managed to...how shall I put it? Fuck it up. The film is a disappointment, to say the least. The premise, as already unveiled in the trailer, revolves around something called the 'Dark Tower'. Apparently, it is at the centre of our universe and is responsible for protecting it and its inhabitants from what in essence is a version of hell and means the end of all things and all worlds. The movie's narrative introduces us to it and the antagonist through the visions/dreams of 11-year old Jake Chambers (Tom Taylor). It is through th...