rohanthomas1988 Reviews

Shaadi Mein Zaroor Aana (2017)

Lacks Commitment

[6/10 · 25 November 2017]

Its not that the script lacks punch. The narration was overdone and perhaps if it kept true to its message, it could have been a beauty.

Our man is out to take revenge. The girl he was supposed to marry runs away fearing she wouldn't be allowed to work after the wedding. Quite reasonable. Only issue is that she doesn't tell our hero in time for him to swallow it along with his ego.

Our man clears his Indian Administrative Service exam and acts like a total douche-bag. He makes life living hell for the girl who five years later is now forced to call him 'Sir'. All hail Babuhood.

Rao delivers a solid performance as usual. If only the story was believable. Rent a DVD.

The Punisher (2017–2019)

Binge-watch this or Castle is coming for you...

[10/10 · 25 November 2017]

Bernthal did such an amazing job with the character in Daredevil that he absolutely had to have his own show. The Punisher overshadowed everyone. As an anti-hero, The Punisher hasn't had as much success as other Marvel characters. He would make occasional appearances in Archies too. The black costume with the menacing skull along with the tag of The Punisher was enough to assume some heavy duty punishment.

The Netflix series draws a brilliant story to the character. It does not rush. It lets you relish the violence when it is unleashed. When Frank smashes in skulls, the sound effects made me feel like a fruit was being squished. It was hardcore.

Bernthal breathes life into the character. The slow angry growl and the limited facial expressions gives Frank the feel of a beast. His smiles doesn't come easy, but when it does, you sympathise with him. You understand his pain. His need for justice. His objective to Punish.

Frank Castle in on a mission. Can't wait for the next season.

Ray Donovan (2013–2020)

Terrific depth of emotions

[10/10 · 12 July 2017]

It was 3:30 am, my eyes hurt, but I couldn't put myself to sleep. How was Ray going to save himself and his family this time? I mean surely, this time he was way over his head. The Russian Mafia wasn't going to let things slide and Barnes wasn't the pussy he once was. In the middle of Rattus Rattus, my stomach made odd grumbling noises. I was out of snacks. Surely, the nailbiting finish wouldn't occur without some chips and chai. Having waited till 5:30 am, I cycled to the nearest store. Boy, it was worth every single crumb.

Ray Donovan is terrific. The characters are real. They are brutal and oh so human. Ray is no angel and neither is his family. A bunch of crooks, getting saved at the nick of time by some excellent editing. Spotlight brought Liev out in the open to larger audiences. The summary on Netflix wasn't so compelling, but Liev made me want to give it a shot. Four seasons later, I can't wait for more.

Jon Voight is a gem. What a stellar performance. Having done 20 years for a crime he did not commit, he surely isn't going to live a saintly life now. His role as Mickey is nothing short of iconic. The black humour he generates with his subtle expressions and dialogue delivery is worthy of the highest appreciation. Mickey's character is loathsome, but it's surely Voight's expertise that I hoped throughout that nothing bad should happen to him.

Bunchy and Terry are complex characters played with some supreme finesse.

What a friggin' show. Fan for life.

Spectral (2016)

Attention GIJOE Fans

[10/10 · 24 December 2016]

The makers of all those crappy GIJOE movies they've been making need to put a foot on the brake and watch Spectral. I watched the entire thing twice. The second time, I watched it from the a GIJOE viewpoint. The Joes against COBRA mayhem. I gave the individuals names suitable to their identities - Hawk, Duke, Lady Jaye, Mainframe et al. With minor tweaks in the plot and some A-listers, this would have been that blockbuster GIJOE movie you've been waiting for since your teenage days. About the movie itself, what a stunner! Some really good action coupled with some believable acting and really good CGI. This is Dope. You have to watch it.

Me Before You (2016)

Food for your Soul

[10/10 · 14 August 2016]

A film is a work of art. An author's expression, the director's creativity, the performer's charisma and the captivating music can embrace a person and touch some of those primal feelings, hidden deep within vaults in our heart.

At its base is a very simple story requiring some astounding performances to make it come to life. The film focuses on the feelings of innocence, simplicity, commitment, loyalty and love. How true are you with the people around you? Will you stick around at a trying time of another's life?

The film makes you dwell on the unpredictability of life. In a moment, everything can change and maybe in a way which is not possible for us to bear.

A truly magnificent piece of cinema.

Suicide Squad (2016)

Save your money and time

[3/10 · 5 August 2016]

What did I just watch? I realize, stepping into the theater, I had some pretty high expectations. How do you do this DC? How? You had the cast, you obviously had the budget and your graphics are pretty cool, so what's happening? Is Marvel paying everyone better? Why didn't you have someone standing outside the theater to punch me in my friggin face for being so dumb.

The trailers were great. The characters looked solid. The dialogues were catchy. So why can't you just get it right? What is going on man. Why do you want to screw up my weekend? Aaarghhhh.

If you thought Batman v Superman was dumb, wait till you see this epic. I swear to you, its worth a watch, just to see for yourself how dumb DC is.

Dum Laga Ke Haisha (2015)

Its not about size...

[8/10 · 6 March 2015]

If the idea of a perfect girlfriend for you is defined by her size, this film is for you. Unlike the 60s and 70s when voluptuous women ruled the fashion scene, in the 21st century models eat tissue papers to fill their stomach. Coupled with a few movies and the business propaganda of health products and gyms, you have the perfect formula for disaster.

In DLKH, the story surrounds a family which has reached an agreement with another for the marriage of their children. The groom is particularly unhappy with the shapelessness of his bride, but having to abide by custom chooses to get married anyway lest it should make his family upset. Soon after the wedding, the bride realises the extent of her husband's mental block, when he refuses to get anywhere close to her.

The narrative is slow, covering the intricacies of the character's behavior coupled with the happenings of a small town in India. The acting is top-notch, allowing the viewer to diagnose every aspect. The film throws out its moral at you and even if you don't accept it, you are left with no choice but to appreciate it nonetheless.

Worth a watch.

Badlapur (2015)

Watch it to THINK!

[8/10 · 21 February 2015]

In today's Indian society which is undergoing a transformation from agricultural to industrial coupled with one of the largest populations of youth in the world, the country is up and running with free thinking as its agenda. The movie acts as a neutral ground for the delivery of its message, accepting this societal transformation and treating its audience as smart individuals. It allows the viewer to decide the nature of the message herself. This is the strongest aspect of Badlapur.

Two sides of this transformational Indian society; the lower middle- class and the upper middle-class, come to clash when their interests collide and things invariably go wrong. Nawazuddin Siddiqui plays Liak whose family is dependant on the small tea-shop his mother runs, while Varun Dhawan plays Raghav who belongs to a well-to-do family in Delhi. As fate would have it, Liak driven by desperation and deprived of opportunities chooses to rob a bank and use the money to earn not just his but his love's freedom, which at the moment sat selling its flesh for survival. Raghav on the other hand is an ad-maker, is happily married with a child and seems to be having everything going his way.

When the robbery results in Raghav's wife and child's death, he disassociates himself from his society and lets revenge mold his mind. Liak had cleverly allowed his accomplice to make a run for it with the loot, hoping to return after 20 years of incarceration to retrieve his share. The script is beautifully executed by the Director aided by some fabulous acting.

Is revenge really sweet or does forgiveness help heal deep wounds? For any movie to make a viewer think of an answer to this question takes a lot of gutso and Badlapur does it flawlessly. There are a few plot holes, but these can be ignored considering the pace of the movie.

Definitely worth a watch!

RoboCop (2014)

The New Knight in Black

[10/10 · 11 March 2014]

What a cast! Leave it up to Oldman, Haley and Keaton to drive the story, while letting Robocop do his thing. Joel Kinnaman was simply brilliant in The Killing and after watching this movie, I cannot imagine any actor more suitable for this role.

The action sequences are believable and the suit is fantastic. The bike is definitely one above what Judge Dredd had to settle for, and while Dredd was more violent, Robocop is more efficient.

The story builds on the present-day concerns over the use of drones in warfare and draws the viewer into the possibility of controlled armed robot soldiers being used to prevent loss of human lives. Though efficient, these machines would be prone to problems such as shooting juveniles.

The novel method to counter this issue is arrived at by a defense giant Omnicorp-Put a man inside the suit. From here the movie is predictable, but the sequences and the acting, gave me every bit of that entertainment I could not derive from I Frankenstein.

It is a great movie. Definitely worth watching on the big screen.

Babel (I) (2006)

Mistake, Love and the World!

[10/10 · 10 June 2013]

There are so many things about this movie that left me in a daze; multiple thoughts swirling in a heady mix. Powerful emotions arose from the deepest crevices of my brain, bringing that occasional tear which is now too hard to come by, considering how coldly it is that the world makes us look at facts.

Nations separated by power, humans separated by color and customs, preference of a mate based on wholeness, the loose use of the word terrorism and a single folly, interconnected into a maze of reality. Needless to say, the execution of the script needed exceptional acting and direction. To say it delivers would be an understatement, because it delivers to perfection.

Simply Beautiful.

Game of Thrones: The Rains of Castamere (2013) Season 3, Episode 9

Spoilers and Criticism! (For the GoT book-lovers)

[8/10 · 3 June 2013]

This episode was really funny in parts (unintentionally of course) and pretty damn good, adaptation-wise in the other. I, like all fans of the series had been waiting with bated breath to see Robb Stark get what he deserved for slighting the Freys and the return of our hand-less warrior at King's Landing. Though the latter did not happen, which again sets the tone for the last episode of the season, the former does and how!

Lord Edmure has never lived up to the book's interpretation in the first place and to me, the wedding with the Frey girl was just really stupidly interpreted. A scene where Lord Frey raises his brows and shrugs at Robb at the beauty of his daughter shows why it was badly constructed. Perhaps it is for the benefit of people who have not read the book i.e. to keep the murders a twist, that such silly scenes have been included. Lord Frey is a bastard and nothing should lighten that!

Further, in the scene where lover-boy Daario and Sir lover-boy run through the back-door into the city, only to encounter the Yunkai, the fight sequence looks completely unprofessional and borders on a practice match for some form of tribal dance with bamboo sticks. Was not Daario meant to be a rugged handsome hero as per the book, who with his rustic candor seduces Lady Targaryen? Where did they find this joker?

In other parts, it lived up to my expectations, such as the scene where Jon shows his true Crow self, Robb asking for forgiveness in front of Lord Frey and finally the carnage at the end. I just wish Lord Bolton went Django on Robb and said,"I love the way you die boy!", but alas, that's not to be.