The Revenant

Once you've passed the opening scene and the grizzly scene, feel free to go and refresh your popcorn - you won't miss much. The last hour and a half is incredibly slow paced.

Overall, the film is self-consciously bleak and overdetermined. A better director might possibly have made this a good film.

If DiCaprio gets an Oscar for this it will be because the Academy think they owe him one and possibly because of the hype. This is a film that will be forgotten. Nothing special.

6

Ip Man 3

We do not see much fighting as part of Ip Man's action in here - we see his soul and dedication to China and his values/morals. We see a man with all heart to his wife - ready to give up who he is just to be with her till the last days. We see a father who would do anything, even if that means disgracing his beings, to save his children. We see a citizen that stands up against the bad guys, single-handedly defeating them all to bring peace to the streets. And still, we see a great master.

All fighting scenes are highly precise and beautifully performed, I love the 3-minute versus battle - where 2 genres of martial arts collide and finish in a very fair act of both. Also I enjoy the moments of husband-and-wife, almost shedding a tear in the process. You can find laughter in some parts - which makes the movie closer to real-life.

Very thoughtful film which will be with me for a long time.

9

Wazir

When you have powerhouse of talents like Amitabh Bachchan and Farhan Akhtar in one film, the expectation obviously soars sky high. The trailer of Wazir was taut and crispy. Unfortunately, the film could not leverage the tension and excitement built by its teaser.

Wazir stands on the shoulder of two strong performers who compliment each other in every possible way. Farhan Akhtar delivers an impeccable performance as a man trying to seek redemption. The one-liners from Amitabh Bachchan are alluring and the legendary actor gives an outstanding performance with aplomb. Aditi Rao Hydari looks gorgeous and enacts her part well.

Overall, Wazir is watchable only for two talents Amitabh Bachchan and Farhan Akhtar who saves the film from falling into a rabbit- hole.

6.5

Room

Don't listen to the haters or those that want to chip away at the overall brilliance of 'Room'. What film doesn't have small flaws, they pale into insignificance during the 2 hours of continuous emotional maelstrom that follows. This film wrings every last drop of emotion and drama out of the allotted playtime. Make no mistake, despite short bursts of touching serenity, this films starts up full throttle and doesn't let-up. This is a first rate drama with stand out performances all round, especially from the child protagonist and new sensation, Jacob Tremblay.

9

The Big Short

Another movie that I was really pumped to see, killed by idiots. Shaky cam, quick cuts, bobble-head cam, crash zooms, and horribly edited audio made this unwatchable for me.

I'd like to know who it was that thought, hey lets make a movie about banking, and market it to pre-teens. I found this too boring quite frankly, although well done to the acting performances which were on par. I really like Steve Carrel.

5.

Joy

The biggest failure was the script, which seemed more like a rough draft.

The screenplay was a let down and had so much potential. The whole drama lacked a good score and inspiration and "feel-good" vibes were in short supply.

Jennifer Lawrence was very good, but hard to take seriously after Hunger Games movies, despite success's in similar roles previously.

Slow 1st half, worth a peek though.

6.5