A2Z Movie Picks and Pans - 2015

Prem Ratan Dhan Payo
(2015 -  November 12 [English Subtitles])

Drama, Romance
2 hr. 46 min. 
Rated: Not Rated | I would consider the film a PG-13 due to violence, death and fight scenes. There is romance that it is tastefully presented without nudity or vulgar innuendo. There are traditional Indian bare midriff costumes on the women. The film is about the contrast of choices to do either good or evil.

Grade: B+ | his film is panoply of costumes and settings coupled with an abundance of singing and dancing. The story is not exceptionally original but it is BIG on moral values. It is sort of an Indian variation on the Prince and the Pauper story, played out with adult characters. with the major theme being that of honor and doing what is right no matter the cost. It can be a bit difficult to follow the story due to flashbacks and all the unfamiliar names and trying to keep up with the subtitles while still trying to catch the action and the splendid visuals. The costumes, sets, music and cinematography are first class. Since I don't speak the language It is difficult to judge the acting quality, the delivery of the dialogue an it's nuances, however, Salman Khan is a huge star in India and I've seen him in other movies and find him very charismatic and charming. I think the acting is on par with many of Hollywood's offerings, Musical or otherwise. It is refreshing that to be able to take the entire family to a film without fear of foul language, vulgarity, horrible role models and gratuitous nudidty. PRDP is the long awaited reunion of Salman Khan and director Barjatya who haven't made a film together in 16 years.

Director: Sooraj R. Barjatya

Writers: Sooraj R. Barjatya (story), Aash Karan Atal (dialogue)

Stars: Salman Khan, Sonam Kapoor, Neil Nitin Mukesh | See full cast and crew

Baahubali: The Beginning

India: Released in Telugu and Tamil (with English subtitles) and dubbed into Hindi, Malayalam and French

(2015 July 10)

Action, Adventure, History

2 hr. 39 min.

Rated: Not Rated | I would consider the film a PG-13 due to considerable bloody, violent, battle and fight scenes. One needn't be concerned about sexual content although there is romance it is tastefully presented without nudity. There are traditional Indian bare midriff costumes on the women. 

Grade: B+ | This film is majestic in scope and presentation. The story is original but interwoven with bits and pieces of Indian legends and traditions to flavor it and give it the feel of an historical epic. It can be a little difficult to follow the story due to flashbacks and all the unfamiliar names. The costumes, sets, music and cinematography are first class. Since I don't speak the languages, Telugu and Tamil, it is difficult to judge the acting quality. However, I think it is on par with many of Hollywood's blockbuster offerings.

Director: S.S. Rajamouli

Writers: Vijayendra Prasad (story), S.S. Rajamouli (screenplay), 4 more credits

Stars: Prabhas, Rana Daggubati, Anushka Shetty | See full cast and crew

This epic dispute between brothers spans across two generations. Baahubali: The Beginning is part 1 of a 2 part period drama. Part 1 shows the brothers Baahubali and Bhallaladeva fight for the right to the thrown of the Mahishmathi Kingdom.

Seventh Son
(2015 -  February 6 [USA])

Action | Adventure | Fantasy
1 hr. 42 min.

Rated: PG-13 | For intense fantasy violence and action throughout, frightening images and brief strong language. Common Sense Media says: OK for 13+ There's a unnecessary and surprising single use of "f--k" (used in exasperation)

Grade: C- | This is a disappointing film considering the talented cast. Having never read the novels I can't comment on how far they stray from the source material. However, Seventh Son appears to be a very loose adaptation of The Last Apprentice series by Joseph Delaney, The film has aged the young hero, one has to assume to increase the sex appeal for the young adult audience, but leaves him only a passing similarity to the books. Aside from the one instance of profanity the film is safe age appropriate family fare. The fantasy violence could be too much for the little ones. Sadly, Jeff Bridges, a.k.a. mumbles, has become a caricature of an old actor gone to seed.

Director: Sergey Bodrov (as Sergei Bodrov)

Writers: Charles Leavitt (screenplay), Steven Knight (screenplay), 2 more credits

Stars: Ben Barnes, Julianne Moore, Jeff Bridges, Olivia Williams, Djimon Hounsou, Antje Traue, Alicia Vikander, Kit Harington | See full cast and crew

In a time of enchantments when legends and magic collide, the sole remaining warrior of a mystical order (Oscar winner Jeff Bridges) travels to find a prophesized hero born with incredible powers, the last Seventh Son (Ben Barnes). Torn from his quiet life as a farmhand, the unlikely young hero embarks on a daring adventure with his battle-hardened mentor to vanquish a dark queen (Julianne Moore) and the army of supernatural assassins she has dispatched against their kingdom.

Blackhat
(2015 - January 16)
Action | Crime | Drama 
2 hr. 13 min.

Rated:R |  For deadly action sequences. Cars explode, sometimes with people inside, there is a gruesome stabbing sequence involving a screwdriver to the head. The camera lingers on bloody bodies. There is some profanity, including "f--k", social drinking, smoking, and implied sex, although all that is shown are bare backs. Common Sense Media say: OK for 16+ Read more

Grade:C- | Mildly intriguing but overlong, violent, thriller filled with intrigue and deadly action. It may have been the theater but the sound was out of balance, with the sound effects overpowering the dialogue. The film was dark and the camera work felt amateurish. If you think a film about computer hackers furiously tapping their keyboards sounds a bit boring, Blackhat proves you right. Blackhat strands Chris Hemsworth in a muddled misfire from director Michael Mann. I didn't buy the chemistry (that was missing) between Chris Hemsworth and Wei Tang. Viola Davis was completely unbelievable in her role. The plot also seems to have a lot of gaps in its logic. One quickly tires of the clichéd camera pans along the inner workings of computer networks which are simply filler for the dull computer elements of the plot. Nor does Blackhat make any of its exotic locations attractive, based on this film I would never want to travel to any of these southeast Asian cities.  

Director: Michael Mann

Writer: Morgan Davis Foehl
Stars: Chris Hemsworth, Viola Davis, Wei Tang | See full cast and crew

Set within the world of global cybercrime, Legendary’s BLACKHAT follows a furloughed convict and his American and Chinese partners as they hunt a high-level cybercrime network from Chicago to Los Angeles to Hong Kong to Jakarta.