Citadel, Review: When James meets, Jane it’s a Bond Two franchises have set the benchmark as far as spy thrillers go. No marks for guessing that these are James Bond and Mission Impossible. It’s been a mind-boggling 61 years since the first James Bond film was released. Ethan Hunt, of Mission Impossible, first appeared on screen in 1996, 27 years ago. And neither seems to have called it a day. Both have a male protagonist, who performs mind-boggling stunts and survives against al...

Pathaan, Review: Exploits and exploitation Encyclopedia Brittanica defines a pathan thus: Pashtun, also spelled Pushtun or Pakhtun, Hindustani Pathan, Persian Afghan, ethnolinguistic group residing primarily in the region that lies between the Hindu Kush in northeastern Afghanistan and the northern stretch of the Indus River in Pakistan. The Pashtun constitute the largest ethnic group of the population of Afghanistan and bore the exclusive name of Afghan before that name came to denote any na...

The Courier, Review: Delivers on time A spy story with no fights, no gadgets, agents who neither carry guns nor seduce each other, The Courier is a hark-back to the genre that can be traced at least to deglamourised espionage outings like The Ipcress File and Funeral in Berlin, way back in the 60s. It’s not positioned as a competitor for the James Bond or Mission Impossible series, or their spin-offs, and is, in fact, based on a true story. Unwavering focus on the plot, and all round co...

Spies in Disguise, Review: Walter, Pigeon and These Guys You might say that being in disguise is an essential qualification of being spies, so why give your film an obvious title? There is a rhyme and reason. The spy in this film turns into a pigeon, no less, upon drinking a serum, invented by a teenager called Walter Beckett, and that is one hell of a disguise! Use of the plural is questionable, though, since there is only one spy in the picture, while the other guy in ‘disguise’...

Mission: Impossible-Rogue Nation, Review: Bond-Bourne amalgamation You couldn’t escape noticing that the Mumbai press preview of Mission: Impossible-Rogue Nation was being held at the renovated Fun Republic. Two hours and eleven minutes later, you found out that the film was not about a 'nation', but about international rogues. That stated, for once, the expectations, unconsciously raised by a trivial similarity in the names of the venue and the film, were met. Inspiration for...

Sisters.Carrie.The Fury.Blow Out.Dressed to Kill.Scarface.The Untouchables. Raising Cain.Mission: Impossible.Femme Fatale.On Sunday, July 22,the Movie Geeks give the Master his due.BRIAN DE PALMAA spectacular 2-hour tribute to one of our greatest cinematic artists.Stay tuned for more details. Click on the names below to listen in on our special tributes to:AL PACINOandDAVID LYNCH...

On Sunday, July 22, MOVIE GEEKS UNITED!, one of the most popular motion picture-themed radio programs on the internet,  will broadcast a special 2- hour tribute to legendary director BRIAN DE PALMA from 6 – 8pm (EST).  The broadcast, which will be made available live or on replay via their website at www.blogtalkradio.com/moviegeeksunited, will feature interviews with several of De Palma's creative collaborators, as well as film scholars who admire his work.   "From 'Carrie'...