'Tomorrowland' review: Disney's summer treat

Disney's "Tomorrowland" is a typical sci-fi, blockbuster adventure film, a perfect offering for teenagers this summer.

Narrated in a non-linear, he-said, she-said manner, the film is initially confusing, but gradually settles down as the exposition gets clear.

The film begins with middle-aged George Clooney, as Frank Walker, telling us: "This is the story about the future and the future can be scary." He goes on to give reasons for his belief and then states: "When I was a kid, the future was different."

His version is then followed by Cassey's.

Frank's version starts way back in 1964 at the New York World Fair, where, as a teenage inventor, he enthusiastically goes to present his creation, a "jet pack". His creation is half-baked, but nevertheless he manages to impress Athena, a young girl, about his age, who offers him a shiny badge marked with the letter 'T'. This pin leads him to a futuristic place called Tomorrowland.

Over the years, Frank is exiled from Tomorrowland and he now leads a secluded life.

On the other hand, Cassey, an optimistic enthusiast, daughter of an ex-NASA scientist, is unwittingly introduced to Tomorrowland by Athena. Her quest to learn more about the place leads her to Frank and then their journey begins to save the world, doomed by wars and environmental disasters.

It is their story. Packed with life's lessons and fantasy effects that include soft-lens-clear images of a beautiful world, Tomorrowland is a dreamer's paradise. Some of the lessons of optimism are: "The tiniest of action can change the future" and how "In every moment there are possibilities of a better future".

The film belongs to the brilliant children; Brittany Robertson plays Cassey Newton, Raffey Cassidy essays Athena the machine girl "designed to find dreamers", Pierce Gagnon plays Cassey's young brother Nate Newton and Thomas Robinson, the ever-charming young Frank. They steal your heart with their performances.

George Clooney as the grumpy genius Frank Walker along with Hugh Laurie as the ruler of Tomorrowland offer nothing exceptional.

Unlike other films that speak about dystopian societies, "Tomorrowland" has a very positive and optimistic approach. Visually, the film is bright and cheerful thanks to cinematographer Claudio Miranda's brilliant camera work, production designer Scott Chambliss's fine production output and music composer Michael Giacchino's elevating background score.

The only issue is that though the film ends on a very upbeat note, it does not offer any solutions to the issues it raised.

Movie Review: 'Kuch Kuch Locha Hai' - Avoid please!

Mumbai: Devang Dholakia's "Kuch Kuch Locha Hai", touted as a sex comedy, is in fact a large-scale mindless Gujarati drama on celluloid, packaged like a never-ending Balaji Telefilms soap, with skin show and cheap, ineffective thrills galore.

The story revolves around Praveen Patel (Ram Kapoor) aka PP, a middle-aged Gujarati shopkeeper settled in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He lives with his dramatic and stereotypically loud Gujarati wife Kokila Patel (Suchita Trivedi), whom he lovingly calls KoKodile and musician son, Jigar Patel (Navdeep Chabbra).

Like most NRIs, PP is besotted by Bollywood and in fact has a quirky obsession for the Bollywood 'sex bomb' Shananya (Sunny Leone).

How PP manipulates his way through to fulfil his dream for a date with Shanaya, forms the crux of this long and convoluted tale.

Unfortunately, the premise is staid and it's treatment obnoxious. Most of the scenes are tackily canned. The direction is; careless, on the face close and upfront and theatrically projected.

On the performance front, though over-the-top, Suchita Trivedi as Kokila Patel and Mehul Buch as Chanpa Patel, PP's friend, are the only two, who stand out. There is some element of sincerity in their performances. They are believable characters.

Sunny Leone is there for the oomph factor and she delivers uninhibitedly in 'full' measure, without any qualms.

Ram Kapoor as the stout PP with a moronic smile and constipated look, just hams his way through his performance. Once claiming to be a method actor, he now delivers, just as he does in every TV serial -- a lacklustre performance. With buffoonery in most of his scenes, he is an eyesore in this film.

Equally unbearable, are Navdeep Chabbra as PP's son Jigar and Evelyn Sharma as Jigar's girlfriend Naina. They are a mismatched couple. This oddity is fairly noticeable in the scenes that they are together.

The script is packed with frivolous, laugh-by-the-minute gags that are below mediocre in presentation and projection. The characters are cardboard thin with no depth or graph and the dialogues too are oft heard, cliched with Bollywood references.

The music is passable and the background score rendered with techno beats is too loud and ear blasting.

This film is a highly avoidable, unless you happen to be a Ram Kapoor fan.

'The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water' - chaotic but enjoyable

Film: ‘The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water’; Cast: Tom Kenny, Douglas Lawrencce, Bill Fagerbakke, Clancy Brown, Carolyn Lawrence, Matt Berry and Antonio Banderas; Director: Paul Tibbitt; 

Based on the Nickelodeon television series ‘SpongeBob SquarePants’, created by Stephen Hillenburg, Paul Tibbitt's "Sponge Out of Water" is a sequel to the film, ‘The SpongeBob SquarePants’, which was released in 2004.

Treated like a story within a story, like in the first film, this one too, seamlessly integrates live action and animation, where the story blends two worlds; the live world and the animated universe. It is an ideal action packed adventure film that will appeal to young kids, this summer.

The narration rolls on with Pirate Burger Beard traversing to a remote island to obtain a magical book. Once he lays his hands on the book and is back on his ship, he narrates the story of the loyal cook who protects the restaurant's secret recipe, to the seagull minions.

He transports you to a place called Bikini Bottom, where, the childlike sea sponge, SpongeBob SquarePants (Tom Kenny) works as a cook at Mr. Krabs' (Clancy Brown) Krusty Krab Fast Food Restaurant. Their Krabby Patty Burger is the most addictive and sought after snack in town and their Krabby Patty recipe is a highly guarded secret.

Their arch rival Plankton (Douglas Lawrence) from Chum Bucket has an eye for the recipe. He makes fruitless attempts to steal it. Then one fine day, while he is in a tug-of-war with SpongeBob attempting to steal, the recipe mysteriously disappears.

In the meanwhile, chaos prevails in Bikini Bottom due to the scarcity of the Krabby Patty Burger.

Everyone blames Plankton, except SpongeBob. He believes that Plankton is innocent. So he proposes that Plankton team up with him to get the formula back. But then Plankton does not understand the meaning of "Team Work". So together, they create a time machine to track the sequence of events.

Unfortunately, they travel too back in time and come across Bubbles, the magical dolphin, whose job is to oversee the cosmos. They eventually succeed in retrieving the formula, but it turns out to be the fake Plankton had left.

Not happy with this ending, the Pirates' Seagull minions discard the last page of the book and rewrite the ending so that Burger Beard gets the formula. The discarded last page lands in the bottom of the sea on the dome of Sandy Cheeks, SpongeBob's friend and a squirrel living underwater.

Sandy thinks this page is a sign from the "sandwich gods" and to appease the god, he suggests a sacrifice to be made. And they decide that SpongeBob would be the ideal sacrificial offering to appease the gods. But when the crowds surface, they smell Krabby Patties. They follow the scent and soon nab the thief.

The 2D animation rendered in 3D effects is fresh and exciting. The voices rendered by the star cast are sound perfect too. Antonio Banderas as the lone live action character, Pirate Burger Beard is over-the-top and unwarranted. He grows on you but in general he does not add any substantial entertainment value to the film.

The background score and music adds some elevating spirit to the narration.

Considering this to be a children's film, the plot is a bit complex and a torture to keep track of. The humour too is not focussed; it oscillates from catering to the adults and children.

Ultimately, with the chaotic excitement of the adventure, the little life's lessons for the kids are lost in the narration. Nevertheless, kids will enjoy the film.

‘Piku’ review: You will fall in love with Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone and Irrfan Khan!

Some people are blessed with the talent of narrating a story on celluloid with incredible beauty. And Shoojit Sircar’s ‘Piku’ starring Amitabh Bachchan , Deepika Padukone and Irrfan Khan is one such masterpiece, which will certainly not fail in striking an emotional chord with the viewers. After ‘Vicky Donor’, Shoojit has come back to the family fold with a story that beautifully meanders through the finer nuances of the relationship between an unusual father-daughter duo.

Bhaskor Banerjee (Amitabh Bachchan) is a Bengali, based in the Delhi’s Chittaranjan Park with his roots deeply soiled in his hometown – Kolkata. His bizarre passion and obsession for constipation drives his only daughter Piku (Deepika Padukone) crazy.

30-something Piku is sandwiched between her duty towards her father and herself. Her father’s constant interference in every little affair (even the ones related to domestic chores) leaves her completely exhausted.

She co-owns an organisation along with her business partner Syed (Jisshu Sengupta) but has little time to focus on her work because of her father’s “potty” related issue.

An adamant person that Bhaskor is, he gets his “independent” daughter to do things that he insists on. And thus a road trip to the city of joy begins from Delhi. Thanks to Rana Chaudhry (Irrfan), the owner of a travel agency, who is perhaps the only vehicle provider in town to withstand the tantrums posed by Bhaskor and his ‘grumpy’ daughter, who are indeed (unfortunately) his regular clients.

Rana, Piku, Bhaskor, Bhudan ( Bhaskor’s domestic help) and the potty seat chair ( loving tagged as Singhasan meaning throne by Rana) are on board the four-wheeler, which speeds through the highway connecting the capital and Kolkata.

As the tiresome road trip begins, Rana and Piku play hide-and-seek with their emotions for each other. It begins with “I can’t stand you” and eventually blooms into a relationship that needs no introduction.

With a legend like Amitabh Bachchan and a pro like Irrfan on board, you are bound to see some matchless performances on display. And joining the league of “method actors” is Deepika Padukone. The dimpled lady has indeed evolved as an actor and is certainly going to grow stronger with time. Veteran Raghubir Yadav (though has a very minute role) is fabulous. Senior actress Moushami Chatterjee, who plays Piku’s aunt is typically Bengali and adorable.

Shoojit Sircar’s love for his roots is evident from the way he lays emphasis on one’s roots. This sequence featuring an otherwise difficult Bhaskar substantiates the observation - once Bhaskar reaches Kolkata, he rediscovers the little joys of life. He pedals through the by-lanes of the city, enjoys the local savouries and does things that is least expected from a man of his temperament- live life to the fullest.

Rana and Piku’s subtle love story too has been beautifully and softly told.

The cinematographer has brilliantly captured the essence that was required to lay justice to requirements of the story. The shot, especially the one that captures the indescribable beauty of the Hooghly river during sunset is worth a mention.

Dialogues are natural and hilarious. Music is soothing and pleasant.

In totality, ‘Piku’ is a wonderful family film, which will certainly make you wear a broad smile.

'Hot Pursuit' review: An enjoyable no-brainer

Film: ‘Hot Pursuit’; Cast: Reese Witherspoon, Sofia Vergara, John Carroll Lynch, Robert Kazinsky, Joaquin Cosio, Michael Ray Escamilla, Vincent Laresca and Richard T. Jones; Director: Anne Fletcher

Packed with impulsive situations, ‘Hot Pursuit’ is an engaging, mainstream Hollywood comic caper with an overall feel good effect, but it's not effective.

A formulaic action comedy film based on the 'buddy cop" genre, this film involves two female protagonists -- a rigid and morally upright police officer called Rose Cooper (Reese Witherspoon) and a mafia henchman's wife, Daniella Riva (Sofia Vergara).

The film begins with a brief detailing of Cooper's character. She is a firecracker who scares off her dates and colleagues with her intense personality. But because of her sincerity and sticking by the books attitude, she is assigned to escort Daniella, to Dallas to testify against a Drug mafia Vincente Cortez (Joaquin Cosio).

The tale gathers momentum after the shootout at the Riva's villa, where Daniella's husband gets killed. As the duo drive away in the Rivas' classic Cadillac convertible, they figure out that they've been targeted not only by vicious mobsters but by the "bad" and "good" police too. So, with no one but each other to lean on, the officer and outlaw grudgingly join forces to survive the drive to a safe sanctuary in Dallas.

There is no story! And the plot is simple and silly. Prudes may feel it is below their dignity to laugh at the mindless situations that offer lighter moments to life. But don't moments like these that make life memorable and grant you a chuckle? ‘Hot Pursuit’ offers plenty of such moments which begins with; the young Cooper's reaction to a transsexual in her father's patrol car, followed by her chasing her date, then her reckless act of attacking an unarmed student, the list goes on.

The script may sound frivolous with strands found in various films like, ‘Midnight Run’, ‘48 Hrs’ and ‘The Squeeze’. And the characters don't rise beyond their pigeon holed graphs. But it is their performance, however ridiculous they are, that keeps you hooked.

Reese Witherspoon as the no-nonsense Cooper is a huge contrast from any of her previous characters and she is a pleasant surprise. She clearly has some fun playing the constantly chattering policewoman with a masculine gait.

Vergara on the other hand as the sassy, spirited Latino lady, fixated about her age and who lugs around a suitcase full of jewel-encrusted shoes is superb too. Together, they make an interesting, mismatched, screen pair with powerful over-the-top performances, projecting stereotype characters.

The rest of the supporting cast have nothing much to do nor do they register except for Robert Kazinsky, who plays Rose's Love interest. He has a meaningful rounded character graph that makes you root for him.

Technically with its modest cinematography, fine edits and good production value the film is above average.

Director Anne Fletcher who had earlier delivered ‘Step Up’, ‘27 Dresses’, ‘The Proposal’ and ‘Guilt Trip’ has this time delivered a no-brainer that fails to break cinematic ground but certainly provides ample laughs.

A must watch this weekend.

'Ek Paheli Leela' review: A voluptuous fairy tale

Film: ‘Ek Paheli Leela’; Cast: Sunny Leone,Mohit Ahlawat, Rajniesh Duggal, Jay Bhanushali, Rahul Dev; Director: Bobby Ahmed

It is interesting to see Sunny Leone's name as a solo credit during the titles while the names of her male co-stars are bunched together.

Yup, the Hindi film heroine has come of age. How much so, is apparent when we see Sunny Leone, the brunt of so many giggly jokes just two years, take centre-stage in this surprisingly engagement and yummy yarn about a sexy British-Indian model who in her previous life was a sexy Rajasthani chokri whom the local sculptor lusted after.

Amusingly Ms Leone flashes more of her ample cleavage 300 years earlier in the pre-incarnation flashback than she does in the present. The very fetching Ms Leone's skin-show, done in temperate measures, provides an apt sense of continuity to a plot that is partially inspired by Shakti Samanta's ‘Mehbooba’. The hummable Amaal Malik track ‘Tere bin nahin laage’ is used to nudge Sunny Leone's memory awake in much the same way that the haunting R.D. Burman track ‘Mere naina saawan bhadon’ was used in ‘Mehbooba’ to refurbish Hema Malini's memory.

Either way Ms Leone just can't stop taking a stroll down mammary, sorry, memory lane.

‘Ek Paheli Leela’ is a voluptuous feast for the eyes, and I am not only referring to the film's heroine who is supremely confident in her skin. It's the aura of the film. The images splashed across the frames to represent two differences eras, are done in tastefully flamboyant colours that seem to pay a homage to the flamboyant aesthetics of Sanjay Leela Bhansali.

And just to get the Bhansali image out in the open, director Bobby Khan uses the very perky ‘Dholi taro dhol baaje’ from ‘Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam’ to spice up the proceedings.

In all honesty, just like one part of our heroine's anatomy, the audiences' interest level is never allowed to sag. The plot moves through two completely antithetical eras with surefooted steps, making sure that none of the characters trip over in their enthusiasm to inject a freneticness into the plot.

And for once, the songs do not brake the proceedings. They carpet the narrative forming an attractive tapestry of love and betrayal, as Ms Leone moves from playing Mira in London to Leela in Rajasthan.

Stunningly mounted and sumptuously narrated, "Ek Paheli Leela" is a feast for the senses. Basha Lal's camera caresses Ms Leone's assets and the sand dunes of Jaisalmer with equal affection.

Though the luscious Ms Leone dazzles in her double avatar, the question is, can she act? Well, dear friends,while the jury is still out on that one, let's just say this. Could Zeenat Aman act? Like the sex bomb of the yesteryears, Sunny Leone fills up the screen with her voluptuous presence. Curiously she looks different not only in her two avatars but also from one frame to another.

Happily her male co-stars are also largely competent. Rajniesh Duggal (his eyes exuding the innocence and adoration of Rishi Kapoor) and Rahul Dev provide powerful support.And yes, it's good to see Mohit Ahlawat return to the screen with a quiet controlled and thoughtful performance.

Jas Arora's hamming gets annoying. And the gay comic jokes featuring the veejay Andy suck. These could have easily been avoided. This film with its disarming mood of a fairtytale didn't need perverse props. It moves forward with confident steps creating a world of unabashed makebelieve.

And yes, the twist in the climax is jolting.

It may not be revolutionary in concept or path-breaking in execution. But make no mistake. ‘Ek Paheli Leela’ is the surprise of the year.