Mine (2016) - 106 min

Mine is an Italian psychological thriller film directed by Fabio Guaglione.
Starring Armie Hammer, Annabelle Wallis, Tom Cullen & Clint Dyer.
Mike is returning to the base camp after a failed mission. Accidentally he puts his left foot on a land mine. If he moves, it will explode. Help is on the way, Will he survive???
It's a psychological thriller movie and it was very effective in that manner. A remarkable performance from Armie Hammer and all the supporting actors did justice to their roles, especially the British actor Clint Dyer. Overall, If you like the concept, just go for it.
Verdict: Good

The Unknown Woman (2006) - 118 min

The Unknown Woman (Italian: La sconosciuta) is an Italian psychological thriller mystery film directed by Giuseppe Tornatore.
Starring Kseniya Rappoport, Michele Placido, Claudia Gerini, Piera Degli Esposti & Alessandro Haber.
Irena is a Ukrainian woman who is searching for a job in Italy as a maid. She starts working as a cleaning woman in a rich apartment building. Finally, Her hard work pays off and Adacher family hired her as a nanny to their daughter Tea. Irene is trying to run away from her past and At the same time she tries to find some unknown answers of her past life.
The mind blowing original orchestration from Ennio Morricone provides a whole new experience to the mystery movie from the moment it starts. Rappoport delivers a classic performance and displays a range of emotions in her character. Overall, it's a must watch for Suspense - Mystery movie lovers.
Verdict: Good

I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore (2017) - 96 min

I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore is a comedy crime thriller film directed by Macon Blair.
Starring Melanie Lynskey, Elijah Wood, David Yow, Jane Levy & Devon Graye.
Ruth lives an unhappy life and when she realizes her home is robbed, Ruth gets frustrated. With the lazy attitude of the police to solve the crime, Ruth teams up with her oddball neighbor Tony, heavy-metal-loving neighbor to track down the criminals who stole Ruth’s stuff.
Melanie Lynskey provides a genuine performance of a normal nurse who later turns into a vigilante. Elijah was likeable as Tony, a comic character. The combination of comedy and brutality makes it interesting sometimes. Overall, it's an entertaining movie with occasional comic scenes.
Verdict: Average

A Street Cat Named Bob (2016) - 103 min

A Street Cat Named Bob is a British family comedy-drama film directed by Roger Spottiswoode.
Starring Luke Treadaway, Ruta Gedmintas, Joanne Froggatt, Anthony Head, Caroline Goodall & Bob the Cat.
It is adapted from the real life story of James Bowen and his best buddy Bob, a ginger cat. James is a drug addict and he plays guitar on the streets for a living. Out of nowhere one day a cat pops up into his apartment through a window. The cat became a regular companion and James named him bob.
It's a feel good movie and also deals with some serious issues. Treadway portraits the role of James and the pain, struggle was evident in his face. The music was good and some of the camera angles got my attention too. This movie will give you a whole new experience and I love cats, for me it's a special movie. There are a lot of emotional ups and downs and the director succeeds to draw you into the emotional scenes. Overall, highly recommended to those who love feel good movies and must watch for cat lovers.
Verdict: Great

Collateral Beauty (2016) - 97 min

Collateral Beauty is an American drama film directed by David Frankel.
Starring Will Smith, Edward Norton, Keira Knightley, Kate Winslet & Helen Mirren.
Howard's six year old daughter passed away and his company is collapsing. Howard was very good at his job, but now he sent letters to Death, Love and Time. His partners Whit, Claire and Simon decide to gather evidence that shows Howard is not stable.
This film has a solid cast and the emotional scenes were nicely handled by the actors. There are few moments of humor and all the credits goes to Will Smith's dialogue delivery. Allan Loeb, the writer tried to bring a sub-plot in the movie, which can be likeable or not, that's up to you. Overall, it's a watchable drama movie and it has a surprising climax.
Verdict: Average

Our Times (2015) - 134 min

Our Times is a Taiwanese romance film directed by Frankie Chen.
Starring Vivian Sung, Darren Wang, Dino Lee & Dewi Chien.
Truly Lin is a hard-working optimist trapped in a busy job and she really misses her old school life. It tells the flashback story of Truly Lin's high school life and She has a crush on Ouyang Fei Fan, the school's most popular male student. She teams up with Taiyu, school's notorious gangster boy to help each other win their dream dates.
For a directorial debut, this film did very well. A well scripted and the image of Taiwan in the 1990s was fascinating. Pop songs, hairstyles, letters and teenage obsession with star Lau all made a strong impression of the story. It was a pleasure to watch it and it has all ingredients for a teenage love story. Overall, I really enjoyed it and it's worth a shot.
Verdict: Good

Detour (2016) - 96 min

Detour is a British thriller film directed by Christopher Smith.
Starring Tye Sheridan, Stephen Moyer, Emory Cohen, Bel Powley & John Lynch.
Harper is a law student and his mother is in a coma after a car accident. He strongly suspects his stepfather Vincent is responsible for all this and also believed Vincent is having an affair with another lady. Harper meets Johnny Ray and his lady friend Cherry in a bar and they plan to go Las Vegas and kill Vincent.
Tye Sheridan as Harper is very likeable and at the same time very convincing too. This film borrows the old style of story telling way, but executed it well. Christopher Smith's script is solid and multi-narrative plot is very impressive. Overall, It's not a great movie, but it is a watchable road movie.
Verdict: Average

Dressed to Kill (1980) - 105 min

Dressed to Kill is an American erotic thriller film directed by Brian De Palma.
Starring Michael Caine, Angie Dickinson, Nancy Allen & Keith Gordon.
Liz Blake is a prostitute who witness a mysterious woman brutally murdering Kate Miller. The police think Liz is the murderer and Now, the mysterious woman is behind Liz, in order to kill the crime's only witness. Only Kate's son, Peter believes Liz and they team up to find the real culprit who behind all this.
This De Palma's thriller has ups and downs. The cinematographer Ralf Bode and editor Jerry projects De Palma's vision nicely. Michael Caine portraits a calm doctor. The explanation given by De Palma was not convenient at all. Overall, it's a one time watchable movie.
Verdict: Average

Hidden Figures (2016) - 127 min

Hidden Figures is an American biographical drama film directed by Theodore Melfi.
Starring Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monáe, Kevin Costner & Kirsten Dunst.
The film tells the true story of three African-American women who worked for NASA doing complex mathematics and engineering tasks to help launch the manned spaceflight program of sending astronaut John Glenn into orbit. They work in NASA's Langley Research Center and have different dreams. Katherine Johnson is very good in calculations and works under Al Harrison, director of the Space Task Group. Meanwhile, Dorothy works hard to get a supervisor job and Mary needs an engineering degree to apply for an engineer post.
The friendship between the three leads is the heart of the story. An incredible true story and It's a tribute to real Johnson, Vaughan and Jackson. The storytelling style is conventional, but engaging. Theodore's storytelling way really helps the movie and the story is mainly concentrated on Katherine's character. Overall, it's an inspirational movie and watchable too.
Verdict: Good

The Salesman (2016) - 125 min

The Salesman (Persian: Forušande) is an Iranian drama film directed by Asghar Farhadi.
Starring Shahab Hosseini, Taraneh Alidoosti, Babak Karimi, Farid Sajadhosseini & Mina Sadati.
Emad and Rana lives in Tehran and they are forced to move into a new apartment. The previous occupant was a woman who has lots of “male friends” and the neighbors don't like her. One day, Rana hears a foot step and leaves the door open for her husband Emad. Unfortunately a stranger showed up and attacked Rana.
Another spectacular movie from Iranian director Asghar Farhadi. When it comes to relationship and feelings story, Farhadi is the master of it. Like his previous works, this film also has a strong story and well acted by the three leads Shahab Hosseini, Taraneh Alidoosti and Babak Karimi. Overall, it's a beautiful movie that tells the story of human aggression.
Verdict: Good

Thursday (1998) - 85 min

Thursday is an American black comedy film directed by Skip Woods.
Starring Thomas Jane, Aaron Eckhart, Paulina Porizkova, James LeGros & Paula Marshall.
Casey was a drug dealer and now he lives a normal life with his wife. One day Casey's old partner Nick showed up. Nick borrows Casey's car for a ride and  leaves a briefcase full of drugs without telling Casey. Peoples starts to show up in search of that briefcase.
It's a one day story, moreover looks like a Pulp Fiction type movie. The music also plays out nicely and black humor works sometimes. The plot is simple with phenomenal scenario and actors handled their role amazingly. Overall, it's a watchable chaotic movie and I really enjoyed it.
Verdict: Average

The Bullet Vanishes (2012) - 108 min

The Bullet Vanishes is a Hong Kong-Chinese mystery film directed by Lo Chi-leung.
Starring Nicholas Tse, Lau Ching-wan, Yang Mi, Boran Jing & Wu Gang.
Song Donglu is a prison police officer who is very friendly with all the Prisoners and also has a brilliant mind to solve cases. He got promoted as a detective and posted in a town where crimes are high. Donglu team up with a local cop Guo Zhui to solve the case of vanishing bullets. The victims were shot, but the bullets are missing from their body.
Like Sherlock Holmes, the logic explanation scenes were very good and also some action scenes that come from nowhere. Apart from this, the film has good sound effects and gorgeous frames. The pace of this mystery movie was constant and visuals tells the remaining things. Both Ching-wan and Tse delivers a stylish performance and loved it. Overall, it's a good investigation movie even though some scenes were inspired from Sherlock Holmes movies.
Verdict: Good

The Unknown Girl (2016) - 113 min

The Unknown Girl (French: La Fille inconnue) is a Belgian drama film directed by the Dardenne brothers.
Starring Adèle Haenel, Olivier Bonnaud, Jérémie Renier & Louka Minnella.
Dr. Jenny Davin is a caring doctor. One evening She hears a knock on the surgery's front door after closing time and decides to ignore it. The next day, the body of the unknown visitor found on the banks of the Meuse and it's not from natural causes. With the help of security camera footage, Jenny decides to find out the identity of the unknown visitor.
The story of the movie is very intimate and like Dardenne brothers previous movies, this film also focuses on a female character. Jenny's character was nicely handled by Haenel. They always place the female character in an unfamiliar situation. Like 'Two Days, One Night' this film also follows some door to door conversation. Overall, it's a one time watchable investigation drama and Haenel's caring character was one of the best things that happened in this film.
Verdict: Average

Breaking News (2004) - 90 min

Breaking News is a Hong Kong action film directed by Johnnie To.
Starring Richie Jen, Kelly Chen, Nick Cheung, Eddie Cheung & Simon Yam.
A squad of detectives led by Nick Cheung was following a bunch of criminals through the city. It was all going normal until they started to shoot each other. When a TV news unit live broadcasts the embarrassing defeat of the police force, the credibility of the police department drops. In order to regain the credibility, Inspector Rebecca decides to create a show for the people, at the same time trying to catch the robbers.
Both Criminals and police need a breaking news to regain their credibility. The interesting fact about the film is its opening scene and climax shoot out were shot in one take with effective split screen technique. It's a cat and mouse, shoot out with enjoyable tension and full on action. Overall, it's a watchable action flick.
Verdict: Mediocre

Welcome to the Punch (2013) - 99 min

Welcome to the Punch is a British action thriller film directed by Eran Creevy.
Starring James McAvoy, Mark Strong, Andrea Riseborough, Elyes Gabel & Peter Mullan.
Police detective Max was chasing a criminal named Jacob Sternwood and gets shot in the knee. The injury is a daily reminder to him and Sternwood escaped to Iceland. Years later, Sternwood's son gets caught at the airport by the police and the incident forced Sternwood to come back in action.
The film opens with a heist scene and As a lightweight entertainer it works. McAvoy portraits the cop role and Strong handle the tough criminal role. The pace of Eran's story negatively affects the whole movie. The Creevy's film has a different approach to its genre and the only thing that actually works in the movie is the intense chase scenes. Overall, It's an action oriented movie and watchable one too.
Verdict: Mediocre

Passengers (2016) - 116 min

Passengers is an American science fiction adventure film directed by Morten Tyldum.
Starring Jennifer Lawrence, Chris Pratt, Michael Sheen, Laurence Fishburne & Andy García.
A spaceship is traveling to Homestead II, a new planet and it transports over 5000 passengers on a journey that takes 120 years to complete. All the passengers and crew are in a separate sleep pod and due to some malfunction Jim wakes up and he finds out that 90 years is still remaining to reach the destination.
The chemistry between Pratt and Lawrence is one of the key factor of the movie. The spaceship structure was also likeable and got a fine music. The expectations will be high because of the cast and Morten Tyldum, the director of 'The Imitation Game'. The special effects and visuals keeps the movie interesting, especially the swimming pool scene. Overall, it's a watchable sci-fi movie and somehow I enjoyed it.
Verdict: Average

Don't Hang Up (2016) - 82 min

Don't Hang Up is an American horror-thriller film directed by Alexis Wajsbrot and Damien Mace.
Starring Gregg Sulkin, Sienna Guillory, Garrett Clayton & Bella Dayne.
Brady and Sam are best friends and their hobby is to make prank calls. They put those videos online to get more popular. One night they receive a call and the caller knows everything about Brady and Sam. Soon the caller starts to play a deadly game with them.
The film actually shows how youngsters misuse their social media services for cheap publicity. The slasher scenes were placed towards the end and directors Alexis & Damien generates some sympathy scenes to make it even. Joe Johnson's weak invasion thriller have nothing much to offer other than some violent scenes. Overall, it's a one time watchable movie.
Verdict: Mediocre

The Good, the Bad, the Weird (2008) - 135 min

The Good, the Bad, the Weird (Korean: Joheunnom nabbeunnom isanghannom) is a South Korean action film directed by Kim Jee-woon.
Starring Song Kang-ho, Lee Byung-hun, Jung Woo-sung, Yoon Je-moon & Ryu Seung-soo.
The film tells the story of a treasure map that can easily change the lifestyle of the one who holds it. A bandit leader hires "The Bad" Park Chang to steal the treasure map from a Japanese Banker who is traveling in a train. Accidentally "The Weird" Tae-goo steals it first. "The Good" Park-Do-wan, a bounty hunter was also in the train who was hired by a Korean officer.
The film is slightly inspired from "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" and Kim Jee-woon presented it in a fun adventurous mode. The Weird character played by Song Kang was the center of attraction and the actors did their own stunts, which was quite impressive. It's a visual treat with bullets flying all over the place and the soundtrack by Chan Young-gyu makes it more exciting. Overall, It's a full on entertainer and I really enjoyed it.
Verdict: Good

The Killer Inside Me (2010) - 109 min

The Killer Inside Me is a crime drama film directed by Michael Winterbottom.
Starring Casey Affleck, Jessica Alba, Kate Hudson & Bill Pullman.
Lou Ford is a deputy sheriff in a small West Texas town and he was sent to investigate a girl named Joyce. He winds up in a sexual relationship with Joyce even though he is engaged to a local girl named Amy. Lou and Joyce decide to kill Joyce's boyfriend, a powerful citizen. Apart from this plan Lou has some different ideas in his mind.
The film tells the story of a serial killer and also contains some controversial scenes of violence against women. Affleck's performance as Lou Ford was quite interesting, at the same time he nicely handles the mental and physical behavior of Lou. Even though Jessica and Kate Hudson shares few intimate scenes with Affleck, Both succeed in fascinating the viewers. Overall, the film has some violent scenes and only recommended to those who can handle it.
Verdict: Average

The Brand New Testament (2015) - 115 min

Country: Luxembourg
Director: Jaco Van Dormael
Cast: Benoît Poelvoorde, Catherine Deneuve, François Damiens, Yolande Moreau & Pili Groyne.
God lives in an apartment in Belgium with his wife and his 10-year-old daughter Ea. God spends most of his time in ruining people's life by making weird rules. His daughter has also power and she wants to create a brand new testament. Ea sneaks inside Gods locked office and sends text messages to everyone in the world informing their scheduled dates of death.
It's a film that has full of imagination and also has a dark comedy side. The concept of the movie was catchy and visually it's a wonderful film. Van Dormael does not lack the skill to pull of beautiful moments from this fantasy movie. Cinematographer, Christophe Beaucarne captures the craziness of God character superbly. Overall, I highly recommend this film to anyone who likes fantasy movies.
Verdict: Good

In Darkness (2011) - 145 min

Country: Poland
Director: Agnieszka Holland
Cast: Robert Więckiewicz, Benno Fürmann, Maria Schrader & Herbert Knaup.
The film tells the story of Leopold Socha, who helped Jews during the Nazi occupation of Lvov, a city in Poland. Socha is a sewer worker and one day he encounters a group of Jews trying to escape through the underground. He decides to hide them in exchange for money.
It's a powerful story and center of attraction goes to Robert Wieckiewicz's character Socha. It's always hard to execute Holocaust movies and this film offers a new equation to the Holocaust films. It was Poland's entry for the Academy Award for Best Foreign language film, but lost to 'A Separation'. Overall, it's a powerful film with most of the sequences shot in dark atmosphere and At the same time it's horrifying and intense too.
Verdict: Good

One Day (2011) - 107 min

One Day is an American romantic drama film directed by Lone Scherfig.
Starring Anne Hathaway, Jim Sturgess, Tom Mison, Jodie Whittaker & Rafe Spall.
The film tells the story of Emma and Dexter over the course of their 20 year relationship. They meet on the evening of their college graduation in 1988. Both have different dreams and they made a pact to meet on the same day each year.
The acting was much better than story, moreover, it was convincing. The chemistry between Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess was the only thing I liked about the film. Apart from that it's a slow paced movie and the final act didn't make much impact on the story. The film has some good romantic and emotional scenes, unfortunately some were really dragged out. Overall, it's a one time watchable flick and full credits goes to the acting.
Verdict: Average

Blow Out (1981) - 108 min

Blow Out is an American neo noir thriller film directed by Brian De Palma.
Starring John Travolta, Nancy Allen, John Lithgow & Dennis Franz.
Jack Terry works as a sound technician creating natural effects for low budget slasher movies in Philadelphia. While out at night recording sounds, he mistakenly records an audio clip of a car crash that can change his life forever.
The first scene is enough to impress any type of audience towards the movie and it can be easily considered as one of the best movie of Travolta. Like all DePalma movies the camera tricks and unexpected twists were mind blowing. Although the movie was a box office flop, now it is praised as DePalma's masterpiece. Overall, it's a stylized thriller movie with breathtaking sequences from the moment it kickoffs.
Verdict: Good

Seven Pounds (2008) - 123 min

Seven Pounds is an American drama film directed by Gabriele Muccino.
Starring Will Smith, Rosario Dawson, Michael Ealy, Barry Pepper & Octavia Spencer.
Ben Thomas is the only sole survivor of a fatal car accident that killed his fiancee and six others. Ben is an IRS officer and the whole car crash changes him completely. He decides to track down seven individuals in order to help them in an extremely personal way.
This is the second time director Gabriele Muccino team up with Will Smith and It's also an emotional ride like "The Pursuit of Happyness". The story of the movie is very unique and Will Smith once again proves that he is very good in emotional type roles. Also Rosario Dawson handles the role of Emily beautifully. The story of the movie was a little confusing in the first few minutes and it takes time to settle down. Overall, it's a suspense filled drama that can easily capture your attention from the moment it starts.
Verdict: Great

Confessions (2010) - 106 min

Country: Japan
Director: Tetsuya Nakashima
Cast: Takako Matsu, Masaki Okada, Yoshino Kimura, Yukito Nishii & Kaoru Fujiwara.
Moriguchi is a school teacher, whose four year old daughter is found dead in the school's swimming pool. As a result, she decides to quit her job. As a Farewell speech, she begins with the importance of life and Later reveals that her child's death was not an accident. She knows the students behind this murder, who are in fact from her own class.
The performances were all top notch, especially from Matsu and the kids. It's a dark revenge story that actually works because of its narrative style and It can easily keep the viewers on the edge of their seat. The plot was very impressive and the soundtrack also plays an important role in this flick. The film is quite stunning in every aspects and the overall effect of the movie was awesome.
Verdict: Great

Running Out of Time (1999) - 93 min

Running Out of Time is a Hong Kong action thriller film directed by Johnnie To.
Starring Andy Lau, Lau Ching-wan, Yoyo Mung, Waise Lee & Benz Hui.
Cheung is a cancer patient who has only a few weeks to live. He decides to make his remaining days interesting and for that he enters an office building and creates a hostage situation. Cheung needs the attention of Police negotiator, Sean, who is very good at his job. From there onwards a 72 hour cat and mouse game begins between Cheung and Sean.
It's a stylish movie. The cat and mouse game between Andy Lau and Ching Wan Lau was nicely handled by the director. Also the screenwriters mainly focused on these two characters, both lead actors were highly likeable and direction by Johnnie To was impressive. The film has a 3 minute love story which was very nice to watch and loved it. Overall, it's a surprisingly well executed thriller movie that has some nice twists and highly recommended.
Verdict: Good

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back (2016) - 118 min

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back is an American action thriller film directed by Edward Zwick.
Starring Tom Cruise, Cobie Smulders, Aldis Hodge, Danika Yarosh & Patrick Heusinger.
Jack Reacher, a former military policeman travels to Virginia in order to pay a visit to his old friend Turner. Jack finds out that Turner has been relieved of her command and charged with espionage. Jack started to investigate about the whole incident in his way.
It's an entertaining movie and in that sense it actually works. The fight sequences were good and the plot was very easy to predict. Like every Tom Cruise action flicks, this one also has some running scenes and Cruise is very good at running. It could've been a better movie and sadly it was a normal action flick from Cruise. Cobie Smulders was very impressive in her role. Overall, it's a one time watchable flick.
Verdict: Mediocre 

Tae Guk Gi: The Brotherhood of War (2004) - 148 min

Tae Guk Gi: The Brotherhood of War (Korean: Taegukgi Hwinallimyeo) is a South Korean war film directed by Kang Je-gyu.
Starring Jang Dong-gun, Won Bin, Lee Eun-ju, Choi Min-sik & Gong Hyung-jin.
The film tells the story of two brothers whose normal life changes when a war breaks out. Lee Jin-Tae is the older brother who runs a shoeshine stand in order to make money for his brother's education. Due to the sudden war between North Korea and South Korea, the two brothers were forcibly dragged into the battlefield.
Visually, it's a wonderful war movie. This film has too many characters like all other war movies and it's hard to figure out who is fighting during the war sequences. The two lead actors were excellent in their roles and Like any other Korean movie, the emotional scenes were right on the money. Anyway, the film has high standards of an epic war film and slightly inspired from 'Saving Private Ryan'. Overall, it's a solid movie from the beginning to end and it's a must watch.
Verdict: Great

Hidden (2015) - 84 min

Hidden is an American horror film directed by Matt and Ross Duffer.
Starring Alexander Skarsgård, Andrea Riseborough, Emily Alyn Lind & Heather Doerksen.
A mysterious virus outbreak leads Ray and his family to take refuge in a fallout shelter to hide from the monsters outside. The family has been in this shelter for 301 days and their supply of food is running low. The only way to survive this situation is to follow some basic rules. Unfortunately, the creatures spotted their hiding place.
It's not a perfect film, but it actually works as a claustrophobic thriller. The flashbacks were rightly placed in the story and those scenes actually helps the movie in a good way. The lead actors have gotten an equal chance to shine in their own character. The film is easily predictable from the beginning, but surprisingly the film's final act was mind blowing. Overall, it's a thriller film that actually satisfies me with a satisfying conclusion.
Verdict: Average

Ezra (2017) - 147 min

Ezra is an Indian Malayalam horror film directed by Jay K.
Starring Prithviraj Sukumaran, Priya Anand, Tovino Thomas, Sudev Nair, Vijayaraghavan, Babu Antony & Alencier Lopez.
Rajan and Priya, a newly married couple shifts their base to Kochi. Rajan decides to buy a villa and the house renovation works were handled by Priya. In the mean process, she buys an antique which turns their life upside down.
Performance wise, Both Prithivi and Priya did a brilliant job in this film. Tovino's character was grounded and somehow he manages to show his acting skills. The sound effects plays a vital role in this film and the three songs that shown in the film was actually needed at that point of time. It's a Hollywood style of film making and thanks to cinematographer Sujith Vaassudev who captures each frame superbly.
The film has a good story and there are some jump scare moments. Also, suspense and revelation parts were nicely handled by the director. Ezra actually breaks all the previous equations of Malayalam horror category and the introduction of dybbuk and how it plays out was quite impressive. Overall, this is the first Malayalam film that can actually compete with foreign horror films.
Verdict: Good

Bleed for This (2016) - 117 min

Bleed for This is an American biographical boxing film directed by Ben Younger.
Starring Miles Teller, Aaron Eckhart, Katey Sagal, Ciarán Hinds & Ted Levine.
The film tells the true story of a boxer Vinny Pazienza. In 1988 he loses a match and his trainer suggests him to retire. Frustrated Vinny finds a new trainer, Kevin Rooney, who suggest him new techniques and as a result Vinny wins a title. It was all going well until he gets into a car accident that fractures his neck.
Teller is one of the versatile actors of his generation and this time he comes up with a boxer character. He did a fine job in portraying the Vinny's character. It's not an outstanding performance from him like 'Whiplash' movie. The ring scenes were nicely shot and it was less intense when compared with other boxing movies. Younger's direction was solid, especially the second half. Overall, it's a nice inspirational movie and please don't expect a Rocky type movie from this small flick.
Verdict: Good

Fences (2016) - 139 min

Fences is an American drama film directed by Denzel Washington.
Starring Denzel Washington, Viola Davis, Stephen Henderson, Jovan Adepo & Russell Hornsby.
Troy is a garbage collector who enjoys telling the stories of his glory days. Troy has also done jail time for killing a man during a robbery. In old days Troy plays baseball in order to make into the Negro League and dropped out due to age limit. The only one who can handle Troy's rage is his wife Rose.
Acting wise, it's a superb movie. Denzel Washington portraits the role of a very complex man and as a dynamic performer Denzel once again show his acting skills. The film's script is based on an unfinished draft by Wilson, who died in 2005. The Supporting actress role was handled by Viola Davis and casting her as Rose was one of the best things that happened in this film. Overall, it's a beautiful movie and highly recommended to everyone.
Verdict: Good

Toni Erdmann (2016) - 162 min

Toni Erdmann is a German comedy-drama film directed by Maren Ade.
Starring Peter Simonischek, Sandra Hüller, Michael Wittenborn, Thomas Loibl, Trystan Pütter & Hadewych Minis.
A young professional German woman, Inès who works in a multi-national company has to survive a weekend, when her father Winfried comes to visit for the weekend. Winfried is a practical joker who wears false teeth and speaks in funny accents. After a couple of days Winfried starts to show everywhere Inès goes and also ruining her job.
It's a performance oriented movie. Both Simonischek and Hüller's performance was equally remarkable and their chemistry also helps the movie in a good way. There is a birthday party in the film towards the end and this is the first time am watching a party like this. This is one of those films in which the punch line is always delayed and offbeat comedy unfolds over a long time. Adé's film never loses its touch and shows the way how parental love can overcome any difficult situation. Overall, it's a must watch for drama movie lovers.
Verdict: Mediocre

Collide (2016) - 99 min

Collide is an American action film directed by Eran Creevy.
Starring Nicholas Hoult, Felicity Jones, Marwan Kenzari, Ben Kingsley & Anthony Hopkins.
Casey needs money to pay for his girlfriend's medical emergency and he got a job offer from a gangster, Geran to pull out a drug heist. The heist goes terribly wrong and now Casey should run for his life from a ruthless mob boss Hagen. At the same time Casey set out on a mission to save the love of his life before it's too late.
It's a fast moving thriller film that keeps the viewers entertained. It's a car show and Casey is switching cars every five minutes and destroying most of it. Each new car is faster than the previous one and action factor is constant in this particular movie. Hopkins and Kingsley plays the gangster role and their characters are grounded. It's an action movie and in that sense it actually works. Overall, it's a full on car chase movie that can satisfy action movie lovers and a watchable flick.
Verdict: Average

Black Coal, Thin Ice (2014) - 110 min

Black Coal, Thin Ice (Chinese: Bai Ri Yan Huo) is a Chinese thriller film written and directed by Diao Yinan.
Starring Liao Fan, Gwei Lun-Mei, Wang Xuebing, Wang Jingchun & Yu Ailei.
The discovery of the body parts of a man scattered across northeast China calls in Detective Zhang to investigate about the incident. The investigation goes wrong and they suspended Zhang. Five years later similar type of murders starts to happen again and Zhang teams up with his old partner once again to hunt down the killer.
Diao's intention is to make a realistic movie and somehow he succeeded it. Cinematographer Dong Jinsong captures the whole story in a unique way which creates a nice ambience all the time. The climax was visually interesting, especially the end credits were shot in a way nobody could anticipate. Overall, it's a watchable investigative thriller and it could have been a better one if it has a good pace.
Verdict: Average

The Hole (2009) - 92 min

The Hole is an American fantasy horror film directed by Joe Dante.
Starring Chris Massoglia, Haley Bennett, Nathan Gamble, Teri Polo & Bruce Dern.
Siblings Dane and lucas lives with their mom, Susan and they just moved to a new neighborhood. The only thing that matters to Dane is the beautiful girl next door, Julie. Susan spends most of her time in office. Everything was going well until Dane and Lucas finds a black hole in their basement.
Technically, the film can be watchable without getting bored and Joe Dante actually reminds me of old style film making. It's a simple movie that can be watchable in relaxation time.  The effort was made to make a nice engaging horror movie, unfortunately it doesn't particularly deliver. Overall, it's a one time watchable flick.
Verdict: Mediocre

Dhuruvangal Pathinaaru (2016) - 105 min

Dhuruvangal Pathinaaru is an Indian Tamil crime thriller film directed by debutante Karthick Naren.
Starring Rahman, Ashwin Kumar, Karthikeyan, Prakash Raghavan, Praveen & Sharath Kumar.
The film opens with a mysterious guy stepping out of a car and enters into a house. Retired cop Deepak recalls his unsolved murder case and started to share case experience to his friend's son, whose ambition is to become an IPS officer.
The best thing about an investigation movie is to force audience to keep guessing throughout, in that sense it really works. The film has some twists that were left open to viewers and it's hard to call it loop holes, let's assume those scenes are self explanatory. Karthick Naren's first priority was Arvind Swamy, unfortunately he can't get through to him. Rahman was one of the best thing that happened in the movie and Without him it might have been a film with a brilliant script.
Rahman was effective as a police officer and the realistic way of police officers talk was also good to see. With the help of lights and equipments cinematographer Sujith Sarang gives the feeling of a beautiful crime investigation movie. The director, Karthick Naren a 21 year old crafts an investigation movie that grabs you from the first scene onwards and his dedication level was evident in each scene. Overall, nothing to say more about this movie, just go and watch it.
Verdict: Great