Star Wars : The Last Jedi

Rey feels the force awaken within her and seeks a mentor in young Luke Skywalker, who is not so young anymore and is the last surviving Jedi master, or is he? While the First Order is out to decimate any trace of the Resistance and Kylo Ren struggles between the good and the dark sides within him, Leia with the help of Poe, Finn and BB8 try everything under the stars to keep the Resistance alive. If the first half builds the plot up, the second half after intermission is explosive with fantastic screenplay and a few scenes which had me hooting in my seat! I thought I would sorely miss Vader, but I didn't. This movie is a treat to all Star Wars lovers.

Justice League

Before even cooling his heels after his sparring round with Superman, Bruce Wayne realizes a new threat to humanity has emerged out of the woods in the form of the feared Steppenwolf and his army of parademons who are on the hunt for the mother boxes which can be instrumental to the destruction of earth. So he teams up with Wonder Woman, Superman, Aquaman, Flash and Cyborg to thwart the theat. Though the star cast is gold class and there are swoon moments for ladies and gents alike when Jason Momoa takes his tee off or when Gal Gadot comes on screen respectively, the plot sadly feels underwhelming. Whether it is the expectation built up by Batman Vs Superman or the fact that discerning patrons are still soaking in the oomph that Thor: Ragnarok left them with, I cannot say.  Therefore, if you are one of the comic crazies who do not want to miss the movie whatever the case maybe, go for it. Else, you know what to do. 

Qarib Qarib Singlle

A single woman decides to explore love through the internet and ends up meeting up with a lively and slightly eccentric guy. He asks her to join him on a journey to meet up with his ex girlfriends and the story unravels into an exciting journey across India where both the characters discover and rediscover themselves. Parvathy does justice to her role as the vulnerable yet resilient spinster while Irrfan Khan tickles you with his rustic humour. Though the end is what you predict, this is a popcorn watch.

Thor:Ragnarok

Reviewing a Marvel movie? That is blasphemy! Only Stan Lee is allowed to do that.

What a fantastically directed visual treat and laugh riot! An absolute must watch!

Newton

The story of an election commission officer who is sent to conduct the process of voting in the remote jungles of Chhattisgarh, where the Government wants elections, the Maoists oppose elections and the public gives a rat’s bottom about either. The officer is such a stickler for rules and righteousness that he is appalled by the state of affairs on the ground. This is one of those movies which are so true to the facts and delivered so well that they are a class apart by themselves. Each of the cast and crew has delivered impeccably, whether it is Rajkummar Rao as the semantic officer, Anjali Patil as the only educated local in the godforsaken jungle, Pankaj Tripathi as the weathered security forces commandant who balks at the officer’s utopian whims, Raghubir Yadav as the assistant election officer or Amit Masurkar who weaves all these characters into the plot of the story. There are good movies and bad movies and then there are movies with character. This is one such and hence, this is a must watch! 

Kingsman : The Golden Circle

After their encounter with the notorious Richmond Valentine, the Kingsman secret service is targeted by a psychotic drug cartel which calls itself the Golden Circle. After their headquarters get blown up, they have to seek help of their counterparts in the US called the Statesman secret service. What is not to like about Savile Row suited men, high octane action and some upper class British humour. But in spite of all those and an addition to the cast in the form of Jeff Bridges, Channing Tatum, Halle Berry, Julianne Moore and Pedro Pascal with some corny humour thrown in by Elton John, this sequel is rather disappointing. The story line is stereotypical of the first part and even the return of Colin Firth's character doesn't salvage it. The savage touch of Valentine and his blade wielding assistant is also sorely missed. Sadly, this movie suffers from the "Sequel Curse". Watch it only if you have nothing more productive to do.

Hitman's Bodyguard

A renowned security and protection expert loses his business when one of his high profile clientele is murdered while on his watch. His life becomes even rockier when he is called upon to provide protection to an assassin, a man who was his professional enemy. The movie takes us on a high octane journey across Europe and does not have one moment which is low key. The on screen love-hate bond between Samuel Jackson and Ryan Reynolds is dunked in humour and laced with choice expletives by Samuel's character. I haven't laughed so much watching a movie, in a while now! This is a must watch.

Lucknow Central

The story of an aspirant singer who is wrongly convicted of a high profile murder, who hatches a plan to escape from the Lucknow Central high security prison in the pretext of forming a music band to perform on the occasion of the Independence day celebrations. A popcorn watch, though the plot unravels pretty predictably. Though the lead cast including Farhan Akhtar, Rajesh Sharma, Deepak Dobriyal and Inaamulhaq did a great job, for me, the antagonists took the show away; Ronit Roy as the jailer and Ravi Kishan as the CM. Go watch it. 

Dunkirk

When the allied forces are surrounded and trapped on a beach at Dunkirk by the German forces in 1940, the allied forces have to resort to any and every mode to evacuate the soldiers from the beach. Ultimately the civilians from across the channel in Britain become the heroes as they sail in with every vessel available to rescue the troops. Christopher Nolan has this uncanny ability to dial up your anticipation and it is amazing how he narrates the story of different characters on the same beach and then weaves them all together as the movie progresses. With Nolan joined by Hans Zimmer with his haunting musical score, this is a war movie which keeps your intrigued without the flash and the dash and is a must watch. A brilliant one!

Spiderman : Homecoming

After the Civil War, Peter Parker returns to his life with Aunt May with an internship going on the side with Tony Stark. However, lack of any big action bores Peter and he decides to act the self appointed vigilante and go out in search of trouble. What he stumbles upon will promise him far more action than he expected. With Tony Stark dropping in from the sky every now and then to advice the evolving Spiderman in his latest adventure it is a good watch! I guess Tom Holland is a good fit in Spidey's shoes after Tobey Maguire, though they seem to be getting a younger Aunt May in each episode. Hope they don't end up with a 12 yr old Aunt May by the time Infinity Wars is released! Michael Keaton plays the villain, well he plays any role that he is given with panache. 

Wonder Woman

Diana, the princess of the Amazons, a warrior tribe ensconced in a world of their own is intrigued by the stories narrated by her mother; stories of Ares, son of Zeus who plans to destroy the world by promoting a never ending war. Little does she know that she will find herself right in the middle of it all and metamorphose into Wonder Woman when a pilot crashes his plane next to the island she inhabits. The plot of this movie is fast paced in the first half and slightly flat in the second. Nevertheless, this is a must watch purely as a tribute to the beautiful Gal Gadot portraying wonder woman. If you are not smitten with Gal after watching this, I recommend you book an hour with your shrink.

Pirates of the Caribbean : Dead men tell no tales

In this sequel, Will Turner's son Henry takes on the onerous task of freeing his father from the curse of the Dutchman by seeking the Trident of Poseidon with the help of a pretty astronomer, who he develops a fancy for. His journey is intertwined with Captain Jack Sparrow's who unfortunately for him is being hunted by his old nemesis, Capitan Salazar and his army of the dead. The Capitan rather forcefully takes the help of pirate Barbossa and Jack's compass to seek Jack and the whole story unravels into a fast paced adventure. With Depp doing full justice to the rowdy yet most affable Jack Sparrow, yet again with good help from Bardem, Scodelario, Rush and Thwaites, this is a laugh riot. So in the words of Hector Barbossa, "Strike your colours and head to the nearest movie screen you blooming cockroaches, with your head up and popcorns high and demand fo' ye' tickets!" Savvy? 

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol2

Star Lord, Quill and his crew continue their galactic adventure in this sequel when they are hired by a race called the Sovereign to protect their batteries and things go haywire when Rocket steals some of those. Running from an armada of Sovereign ships they come in contact with Quill's celestial father Ego who teaches him how to bring forth his planet creating powers. Whether this reunion will be beneficial for Quill or whether it will call upon the Guardians and their will to protect the galaxy is something you need to find out by buying tix for this movie. With all actors doing a brilliant job of depicting the Marvel characters again and Yondu Udonta with a larger role in this sequel, you don't wanna miss this one as also the multiple post-credit scenes that follow. I don't know about you guys, but am thinking of getting a pet raccoon and teaching him how to kick ass ;) 

Kong : Skull Island

Well the story of King Kong is embedded in our brains so bright what with the umpteen number of movies and TV series on the giant ape. A creature feature is always an entertainer and with the big badass gorilla with a heart and some of the best VFX we have witnessed in the recent past, this one is a real good watch with commendable performances from the cast of Hiddleston, Larson, Jackson and Reilly to go with it. 

Logan

Logan's attempts to slink away from all the action and lead a normal civilian life in a border town in Mexico as also nursing Professor Xavier is short lived as a young mutant is thrust into his life, a mutant who is very much similar to him. This movie, which may well be Hugh Jackman's last as Wolverine is every bit  the action packed drama that you wish for and the fight scenes are guaranteed to get you howling and hollering in your seats! As if Jackman wasn't enough, there is Dafne Keen who was absolute brilliance in her role. You definitely do not want to miss this one!

Lion

The gripping story of a kid from Khandwa in India who gets lost and finally gets adopted by a couple from Hobart in Tasmania and the trials and travails he has to face enroute. The boy finally returns to India in search of his birth mother. This is an emotional drama which is a good watch with Sunny Pawar's cuteness overtaken only by his acting skills well supported by Dev Patel, Kidman, Wenham and Mara with due recognition to Priyanka Bose, who plays the birth mother and her makeup team! Go book your tix.

Hidden Figures

This is the story of three exceptional African American women who worked as mathematical computers for NASA in the 1960s and were instrumental in John Glenn's  orbital journey in space that gave a boost to the American space program. Taraji Henson, Octavia Spencer and Janelle Monae are spot on in their roles of the women who braved the colour discrimination which plagued the world at that point in time to reach out to the sky, ably supported by Costner, Dunst and Parsons. This is one you do not want to miss, so go book your tix. 

John Wick 2

Though the legendary assassin John Wick wants to lead a retired civilian life, providence and a few other gangsters have a different plan for him. He had to take to the gun in the first part because they took his car and killed his dog. In this one he is called upon to repay an old debt and Keanu Reeves is back in action as Wick. With the action choreography as raw as it can get, this adrenaline booster is a must watch for action movie patrons. 

Resident Evil : The Final Chapter

Alice goes to Raccoon City in search of the antivirus to the T-virus and Dr.Alexander Isaacs does everything within his power to stop her. Will he succeed or will 'the three bitch trinity' defeat him? Well for those who have followed the whole series this is a must watch finale. For others, you can give it a try if you can spare a little time for some gory action. The director has even bothered to recap the origin of this story as a prologue for your benefit. 

The Great Wall

Putting The Great Wall of China, Matt Damon and some good action into one movie definitely makes for a heady cocktail. Then there is the beautiful Jing Tian. This is a fictional monster action movie where two mercenaries in search of the explosive black powder run into the elaborate fortifications of the Chinese along the great wall in preparation of a legendary attack. With colourful costumes and brilliant action choreography this one is a visual treat. Go watch this popcorn flick. 

Raees

A young kid who is induced to the illicit liquor mafia in the prohibition ridden Gujarat grows up to be a liquor baron and a Robinhood of the down trodden. He however has to work his way around the politicians and an unwavering cop. Whenever SRK diverts from his stereotype of hopeless romantic, the movie generally turns out watchable. This is no exception. Then there is Nawazuddin Siddiqui who will give you a brilliant performance even if his role is to be a potato. However, there are one too many badly placed songs and fight sequences straight out of Bourne Supremacy and the climax is too convenient in a country where criminals enjoy more luxury than others. Nevertheless, if you are an SRK fan it is worth one watch. For others, well...

XXX: Return of Xander Cage

Xander Cage comes back from the dead when his mentor and handler Gibbons is killed by a satellite which crashes down from the sky. When more satellites crash, a sinister plot is unearthed involving people high up in the administration. Xander gathers a team of high adrenaline junkies like him to prevent the fallout. With high octane action and too many hot women in the cast, this one is a popcorn watch.

Passengers

Two passengers in an inter galactic transport ship on its way from Earth to a different colony in outer space find themselves woken up 90 years ahead of the scheduled landing. Was it by accident or will they serve a larger purpose? Watch this Neil Degrasse Tyson documentary - Silver Linings Playbook combo to find out. This engaging two hour sci-fi space journey is a good watch.