Us, Review: Shadow boxing Us takes its own time in building up a premise and gives no indication that it is going to turn-out as a horror film, with macabre goings on and blood-baths included. To its credit, the film gives a whole new dimension to the genre, but having got there, it does not know what to do next. Repetition is the bane of any thriller, horrific or otherwise, and Us falls into that quagmire a little too early. Back in 1986, young Adelaide Thomas is on a vacation with her pare...

In a festival full of artistically layered and creatively structured films, Abe Forsythe’s Little Monsters stands out by telling a classic three-act narrative with predictable beats that lead to an ending we’ve all seen before. Usually, that would not be a compliment in my book, however, this film executes it’s ‘save the cat’ style story to perfection. It gives the audience everything they want in a film. It is chock-full of humor that has the crowd boisterous thr...

In a festival full of artistically layered and creatively structured films, Abe Forsythe’s Little Monsters stands out by telling a classic three-act narrative with predictable beats that lead to an ending we’ve all seen before. Usually, that would not be a compliment in my book, however, this film executes it’s ‘save the cat’ style story to perfection. It gives the audience everything they want in a film. It is chock-full of humor that has the crowd boisterous thr...

Black Panther, Review: Pantherium Vibranium Compendium You first heard the name in 2010’s Iron Man 2. It was mentioned in 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron, but Wakanda became an entity to reckon with in 2016’s Captain America: Civil War, with Chadwick Boseman making his debut as Black Panther. So, do not confuse this outing with The Black Panther (1921) or The Black Panther (1977). On hand is no less than the eighteenth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). And hey, it ...

Star Wars-The Last Jedi, Review: The Lost Jedi George Lucas maintains that his Star Wars films were for kids. Back in the late 70s, when the trade-mark skewed angle intro rolling text greeted us as the film began, I was not a kid. Maybe the sensibilities of an Indian film-goer at 25 were akin to the school-kids in the West, but I loved what I saw. Since, I have seen most, if not all, the core movies and the spin-offs/anthologies, most of them likeable, but the 40th anniversary release saw me ...

Siraj Syed reviews The Queen of Katwe: Chess champion comes from Ugandan slums Madina Nalwanga, the Ugandan teenager who plays the titular role in The Queen of Katwe, was asked after the red carpet at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) what she would like to do next. She replied, “I want to go back to school. And I want to continue with acting and also dancing.” Madina’s native tongue is Luganda, and she had to work very hard to speak the English required for the...

The Jungle Book, Review: Unputdownable A fitting tribute to the 1967 version on its golden jubilee, The Jungle Book is unputdownable. You might find differences in the two versions, and in the book itself. Don’t bother comparing. If the smooth-sailing songs make you sing-along (a friend seated on my left just wouldn’t stop), even better. Gaze into the volcanic eyes of the animals, marvel at the resourcefulness of the man-cub, and applaud the imagination of the writer who spun this...