This weekend is surprisingly busy with some big releases for a Ramadan weekend, plus we are highlighting two Bollywood releases. That and also the usual Ramadan dump that we get, so let’s check them out
Finding Dory
Directed by: Andrew Stanton, and Angus MacLane
With: Ellen DeGeneres, Albert Brooks, and Ed O’Neill
What is it about? The friendly-but-forgetful blue tang fish reunites with her loved ones, and everyone learns a few things about the real meaning of family along the way.
Heads Up: As perhaps one of the most anticipated sequels of the year, this film has the added burden of living up to its wildly beloved predecessor Finding Nemo. Our critic Faizan Rashid gave it 3/5 stars. In his review of Finding Dory he wrote: “It’s a charming, sweet, characteristically frivolous affair, but you can see exactly the path it’s taking and when it finally gets to the end you wonder if this was the best they could come up with after a 13 year wait.”
Now You See Me 2
Directed by: Jon M. Chu
With: Jesse Eisenberg, Mark Ruffalo, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco, Daniel Radcliffe, and Lizzy Capalan
What is it about? The Four Horsemen resurface and are forcibly recruited by a tech genius to pull off their most impossible heist yet.
Heads Up: I personally did not care for the first film, but many did as it made a lot of money that it justified a sequel. Our own Lloyd Bayer attended its premier and was not enchanted at all. In his 2/5 stars review he wrote: “Fans of the first film might find themselves in a giddy bag of tricks. For the rest, it’s like watching a street magician perform with Parkinson’s disease.”
Yoga Hosers
Directed by: Kevin Smith
With: Lily-Rose Melody Depp, Harley Quinn Smith, and Johnny Depp
What is it about? Two teenage yoga enthusiasts team up with a legendary man-hunter to battle with an ancient evil presence that is threatening their major party plans.
Heads Up: Judging by its trailer, this film looks bizarre and silly and not in a good way. The critical response so far hasn’t been kind at all. Given Kevin Smith‘s bad track record of late, I’d say sit this one out.
The House On Pine Street
Directed by: Aaron Keeling, Austin Keeling
With: Emily Goss, Taylor Bottles, and Cathy Barnett
What is it about? A psychological horror about a young woman coping with an unwanted pregnancy after moving into a seemingly haunted house.
Heads Up: It looks like the usual haunted house fair that we get all the time, with the added element of a pregnant woman which adds a Rosemary’s Baby‘s vibes as well. The film is already available on DVD, so I don’t see why one needs to watch it on big screen.
Udta Punjab
Directed by: Abhishek Chaubey
With: Kareena Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, and Shahid Kapoor
What is it about? A story that revolves around drug abuse in the affluent north Indian State of Punjab and how the youth there have succumbed to it en-masse resulting in a socio-economic decline.
Heads Up: This film has been through so much controversy which involves a fight between the censors and the filmmakers, which the court settled mostly in favor of the filmmakers. The publicity aside, the movie has some serious talent attached to it, and addresses an even more serious issue: the widespread drug abuse in the state of Punjab. From the director of Ishqiya, produced by Anurag Kashyap, and starring Shahid Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor (Who has not been in a film together in 6 years since their personal and professional breakup). For all these reasons, this is a must watch for this week.
Dhanak
Directed by: Nagesh Kukunoor
With: Hetal Gadda, Krrish Chhabria, and Vibha Chhibber
What is it about? Orphaned siblings Pari and Chotu lives in in a picturesque village nestled among the sand dunes of Rajasthan. Pari has promised her little blind brother Chotu that she’ll help get his eyesight back before he turns 9. When she spots her favorite star Shah Rukh Khan on the poster for an eye-donation drive, she is convinced her hero will help her on her mission.
Heads Up: This small Indian film was screened last year in DIFF, but unfortunately none of our critics managed to see it. It sounds charming and it garnered decent reviews. So I would say go for it.
