Talking about the technical aspects of the movie. Roger Deakins’s cinematography and Lee Smith’s editing are praiseworthy with many scenes captured beautifully through the camera lens. The color palette of the movie is remarkable and gives a realistic feel of the war-like situation. The last fight scene where Schofield is trying to reach Mackenzie by running parallel to the trench of marching British soldiers is the best scene of the movie. That’s the epitome of Sam Mendes’ mastery of movie-making.
To be frank, except at a couple of places, I am largely disappointed with this film. Giving strong messages in short scenes of 2-4 minutes may work for the European audience. But as far as the Indian audience is concerned, I don't feel the same. I am giving About Endlessness 7 out of 10.
I only recommend this film to those who have a real penchant for European or Scandinavian cinema. The kind of humor and other elements present in the film may not be comprehensible for all kinds of audiences.
As I said in the opening lines of this article that I was having high hopes from this film but I am a bit disappointed. So, I am giving this movie 7 out of 10. The reasons are many, such as I felt that the makers decided to make this movie because they had to. But the most disappointing reason was the weak and less exciting plot. Compared to this part, Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle was definitely a notch up.
Although the film fails to send across a strong social message but succeeds in providing wholesome entertainment. And, I believe this is what it is all about. We don’t need to delve too deeply into the subject and scrutinize it just for the sake of scrutinizing it.
One thing that I didn’t like about the original movie was the fact that at the end after going through all the troubles, Ranjeet (Sanjeev Kumar) apparently seems to have learned nothing. While Mudassir Aziz’s protagonist, Abhinav is shown having learn a lesson or two when he meets Neha (Kriti Sanon).
Tanuja Chandra's Qarib Qarib Singlle has no novelty or exciting factor, it has a theme that has been used over and over in many Bollywood movies. However, this movie is a bit different, the protagonists are in their mid-30s and have already seen much loneliness and pain in their lives. Jaya is a widow and is finally trying to move on with her life, but the love of her late husband is preventing her. Viyogi, a carefree man had three unsuccessful love. Now he wants to finally succeed in one. They embark on a journey to understand each other before falling for each other despite a myriad of differences.
I am giving Bala 9 out of 10 for its wonderfully executed plot and an impressive climax, something that Ujda Chaman couldn’t achieve last week. Bala’s excellence lies in having layered characters, excellent performances, and never-ending subtle humor. Despite a couple of flaws, this film is worth watching and I am confident that it is going to be one of the Top 10 Bollywood Movies of 2019. Also from the Box Office point of view, Bala is a certified hit and has every reason to join the 100 crore club.
I am not disappointed by Ujda Chaman, the reason is simple: I knew it was going to be a decent one-time watch movie. And, it is a good one time watch stuff anyway. Now coming to the sensitive topic of baldness that this movie portrays. I feel that Abhishek Pathak ruined a good opportunity to make a name for himself. The film goes overboard at places where students are seeing disdainfully teasing their teacher. I have never heard or seen such an incident in my whole life! So, I suggest you take Ujda Chaman’s story with a grain of salt. It feels closer to real-life at the start but as the predictive and monotonous plot moves forward the narrative becomes unrealistic. However, one thing that remains consistent is laughter.
It would have been great on the part of the director to show better character development. The monologue at the end too feels unconvincing; you can't just change youngsters by giving a 2-minute speech. I am giving Ujda Chaman 7 out 10 for Sunny Singh and entertaining consistent comic punches.
What Works for Dream Girl
Well, the answer is Ayushmann Khurrana and unlimited comic punches throughout the movie. Dream Girl is one crazy ride that starts with comedy and ends with it without indulging too much into social commentary. However, the monologue at the end conveys the social message in an effective way without disturbing the overall flow of the film.
After the success of Vicky Donor, this is the second time we are seeing Annu Kapor and Ayushmann Khurrana together and it works wonders here too. The script, dialogues, cinematography, and direction are awesome by every definition. Being born and brought up in Western Uttar Pradesh I loved the khadi boli/brij bhasha dialect used with perfection in the film. The songs are beautiful and memorable especially Radhe Radhe and Ik Mulaqaat. I am sure people are going to remember them for years to come.
