La La Land [2016]

Language - English
Director - Damien Chazelle
Run Time - 2 hours, 8 minutes
Genre - Musical/Romantic
Starring - Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone

La La Land, could be called equivalent to a whirlwind of fresh air. Damien Chazelle, who brought us Whiplash last year, brings another musical extravaganza and brings back to life an almost dead genre of movies - A musical.

Rarely do we get to see good musicals these years, but Chazelle here shows us that there is still some scope for the genre yet with this piece of grandiose cinema. The sets, the shots were so beautiful and exquisite.

The leading actors of this film have already made two films together, 'Crazy, Stupid, Love' and 'Gangster Squad', and have shown sizzling chemistry together. Once again, they manage to make magic and take us for a beautiful trip.

The plot could be called cliched; it follows the life of two struggling artists in Los Angeles - Mia, an aspiring actress, and a part-time barista, and Sebastian, a talented jazz artist, struggling to find his place amidst jazz itself dying. We follow the flamboyant fantasy as these two strive for success or settle for mediocrity?

The soundtrack, created by Justin Hurwitz is magical, especially the song 'City of Stars' and the last song of the movie. On that note, I would like to give credit to the director on the way he ended the movie. The entire last scene was so engrossing, as well as exhilarating.

In all, I would say that La La Land, is an intoxicating movie, that thrills you every second, and proves that musicals are not yet dead. A movie not for entertainment seekers, more for the art lovers. Not everybody's cup of tea as I did note a sense of disappointment among the friends I went to the movie with.

My Rating - 8/10

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them [2016]

Language - English
Director - David Yates
Run Time - 2 hours, 13 minutes
Genre - Fantasy
Starring - Eddie Redmayne, Colin Farrell, Katherine Waterston and Ezra Miller.

Agreed, Fantastic Beasts is no Harry Potter, but Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scamander hardly disappoints.
JK Rowling has managed to spin off an interesting (and profitable) franchise (hopefully) from the Harry Potter saga.

As a prequel of sorts for the Harry Potter series, Fantastic Beasts delves into the adventures of Newt Scamander, a self-acclaimed guardian of 'magical creatures'. The movie is set in 1926, in the United States, and shows us an entirely different magical society from the one we witnessed in the Potter films of 1980s in Europe. The movie revolves around Mr. Scamander's adventures in the country trying to achieve his mission. Along the way, we have some side plots, that involve the 'MACUSA' - Ministry of Magic for the USA and it's aurors. Apart from this, we have a grander plot involving a certain Dark Lord working his way behind the scenes.

One has to stop comparing Fantastic Beasts to the Harry Potter series to enjoy, or even appreciate the movie. Academy award winner Eddie Redmayne has proved himself to be an extremely versatile actor, and pulls off the character of Newt Scamander with utmost ease. I however, did not like the leading lady of the movie. Katherine Waterston as Tina Goldstein, in my opinion was the weakest link of the movie, and her unimaginative acting drags the movie down. Colin Farrell as Director Graves also gives a performance well below his standard. Although, unfortunately, he was not given much screen time. Ezra Miller portrays the squib Credence, and validates why he is touted as the next big thing.

The beasts are FANTASTIC and Magnificent. But the movie became more about the cause of Grindelwald and the greater good, possibly trying to build up a story to take forward the franchisee, and in doing so, it became a tad bit long too.

Otherwise, an enjoyable film, which takes forward the mythology of Harry Potter. A fan of fantasy films should not ought to miss it.

My Rating - 7.3/10

Doctor Strange [2016]

Language - English
Director - Scott Derrickson
Run Time - 1 hour, 55 minutes
Genre - Fantasy/Superhero
Starring - Benedict Cumberbatch, Tilda Swinton, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rachel McAdams and Mads Mikkelsen

Doctor Strange is a typical Marvel movie, packed with a good script, brilliant actors, and a right mix of drama, action and comedy. Marvel Studios has done relatively well in introducing their 'non-mainstream' heroes to their shared universe. The story is gripping, and has been acted out brilliantly by Cumberbatch and the rest of the star cast.
One could say it's a smart addition to the already massive franchise.

Also, the movie is a visual treat. It has amazing reality and time bending sequences which have been generated so brilliantly, it would seem to throw you into a 'trip'. Although the storyline is a tad-bit predictable, it is still quite an enjoyable movie, mostly because of Cumberbatch and the VFX.

The story starts with Cumberbatch playing a successful, albeit an ego-maniacal surgeon, who loses the use of his hands due to a car accident. He tries to regain the ability through conventional and unconventional ways, but fails to do so. His last attempt takes him to Kathmandu, where a paraplegic had learnt to walk again. There he finds 'the Ancient One' (Swinton) who introduces Strange to the mystic arts which he must master to finally use his hands. Under the Ancient One and other trainers, Strange excels, until Kaecilius (Mikkelsen) attacks the magical sanctums of the world to summon 'Dormammu' from the dark dimension. The tale lies on how Strange attempts to defeat both Kaecilius and his master Dormammu.

Apart from Cumberbatch; Tilda Swinton and Chiwetel Ejiofor, portray their roles with great ease, both being extremely talented actors. Mads Mikkelsen can portray any villain which has already been proved in the hit TV show Hannibal as well as in James Bond starrer 'Casino Royale'. I felt Rachel McAdams was wasted in the movie, and she should have gotten a bigger role.

Not the best Marvel movie, but not the worst Marvel movie either, I would say Doctor Strange lies somewhere in the middle. But Kudos to Marvel for delivering such a niche superhero like Doctor Strange for the layman, cleverly. In all, a fun movie to watch, one should not want to miss out on it.

My Rating - 7.6/10