#SeventhSon #EnglishHollywoodFilmMovieReviews #JohnsonThomas #Rating: * * 1/2

#SeventhSon #EnglishHollywoodFilmMovieReviews #JohnsonThomas #Rating: * * 1/2
#Picks&Piques/SnippetFilmReview30thJan2015/#JohnsonThomas
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#Picks&Piques/SnippetFilmReview30thJan2015/#JohnsonThomas

#Hawaizaada(Hindi) Rating: * * Farcical ‘flight’ of fancy, a historical period(1800’s) drama/fantasy in retro-fitted plumes, with overdone, frivolous and inappropriate ‘Barfi’ like songs, soundtrack and ‘Chaplinesque’ treatment and a runtime that stretches far beyond the bearable. Cluttered Production Design and weird styling gives the impression that the film is peddling an antique store filled with items of indiscriminate periodicity.  There’s also little evidence of any science behind this ‘flight’ to nowhere! #AyushmanKhurana #PallaviSharda #MithunChakravarthy #RelianceEntertainment #TrilogicDigitalMediaLtd #FilmFarmers #VibhuVirendraPuri #VishalGurmani  #SpicePR

#Rahasya(Hindi) Rating: * * ½   A murder mystery/crime thriller fashioned around the Arushi murder case-but transported to a Mumbai setting. It’s a whodunit that wanders way beyond the plausible. Far too many red-herrings and all-too convenient assumptions, act as spoilers. With zero tension there’s not much of an experience to be had here. And the stereotypical behavior exhibited by the cops and CBI investigator puts paid to any expectations of realism per se! Really, there’s no secret worth unraveling here. #Viacom18MotionPictures #UVIFilmProductions #AshishVidyarthi #TiscaChopra #ManishGupta #KayKayMenon #AshwiniKalsekar #RaindropPR #MonicaVimalMaluka

#ChalGuruHoJaaShuru(Hindi) Rating: * It’s about Godmen running amok and then getting a taste of their own medicine. Absolutely inane and unbearable. There’s really no chance that you will get a rise out of this one. #HimanshuPR #DwaparPR #ManojSharma #HemantPandey #TikkuTalsania #BrijendraKala #ManishTewari #VrajeshHirjee
 
#Khamoshiyan(Hindi) Rating: * * A manipulative seductress aiming to capture the soul of men, the story appears to be something that came out of those shabby sex novellas and the treatment is equally ritualistic and voyeuristic. A concerted advertorial campaign can do little to raise this unexciting attempt to arouse mass carnality- to the level of intellectual satisfaction or worth  #VikramBhatt #MukeshBhatt #MahashBhatt #GurmeetChoudhary #AliFazal #VisheshFilms #FoxStarStudios #KaranDarra #SapnaPabbi #MukeshBhatt #FoxStarStudios
#SeventhSon(English/3D) Rating: * * ½ Splendorous action can only make this passé fare just a little likeable. The 3D effects and depth make the CGI animatronics exciting enough but the mythical legend bit has been done to death so many times over that it just doesn’t raise any new excitement ! #MoesArt #UniversalPictures #JascintoFernandes #JeffBridges #JulianneMoor,#BenBarnes #AliciaVikander #OliviaWilliams #KitHarington #SergeiBodrov
 
#Birdman(English) Rating: * * *1/2 Silly , Manic, incredulously credible take on self-absorption and ego-trips of actors on stage. It’s ironic, satirical and completely weird-much like actors are perceived to be. And that’s the beauty of it! #AlejandroGonzalezInarrittu #ParagDesai #FoxStar #UniversalCommunications #MichaelKeaton #EmmaStone #EdwardNorton #NaomiWatts, #LindsayDuncan #AndreaRiseborough #AmyRyan #ZachGalifianakis
 
#Foxcatcher(English) Rating: * * * * A chillingly told docudrama about John du Pont, the schizophrenic millionaire who infamously shot and killed his friend and Olympic Gold Medal wrestler Dave Schultz. Moneyball's Benett Miller does the helming in a steady slow to chill mode. Once the dramatics erupts it achieves shocking effects! Amazing performances from Channing Tatum, Mark Ruffalo and Steve Carell
 #ChanningTatum #SteveCarell #MarkRuffalo #BenettMiller #SiennaMiller #SonyPictureClassics #HardlyAnonymous



English film review
Johnson Thomas

Tame Legend
Film: Seventh Son
Cast: Jeff bridges, Julianne Moore,  Ben Barnes, Alicia Vikander, Olivia Williams, Kit Harington
Director: Sergei Bodrov


Rating: * * ½ 


Runtime: 112 minutes

Synopsis:
A powerful knight trains his young apprentice to do battle against a diabolical witch who is gathering an army to wage supernatural war on all of mankind in this adaptation of author Joseph Delaney's young-adult novel The Spook's Apprentice.

Review:
Years ago, brave Master Gregory (Jeff Bridges) succeeded in capturing evil enchantress Mother Malkin (Julianne Moore), and locking her away to rot in prison. Now Mother Malkin has escaped, and she's hungry for revenge. As her followers gather power, the dreaded witch reveals her infernal intentions to the noble knight who once imprisoned her, and who now has until the next full moon to train Tom Ward (Ben Barnes), the seventh son of a seventh son, to defend humanity against a threat whose evil knows no bounds
 
Bodrov is best known for his Oscar-nominated drama Prisoner of the Mountains, which he followed with international action flicks including Mongol: The Rise of Genghis Kahn. Those two films were a credit to his talents. This one though lacks distinctive style and plays along in mysthical legend assembly line fashion.
The film’s runtime is 100 minutes so it’s not too taxing on the senses. And that’s a blessing for something that doesn’t have any  great selling point. The animatronics, effects and digital imagery are pretty much on the up and up. 3D achieves much depth but the story itself  doesn’t have any salient features that stand out or are memorable. It’s kind of like Disney’s ‘Maleficient’ in a ‘Legendary’ domain.

The good guys are led by Master Gregory — played by Bridges with a peculiar accent. Gregory is a 'Falcon Knight' (aka, The Spook as adapted from "The Spook's Apprentice", the first book in Joseph Delaney's "The Last Apprentice" series).  He's out to take down a master witch named Mother Malkin (Moore), who escapes his clutches to breed more evil across the land. They were once in love with each other and a misunderstanding magnified her evil and left him baying for her blood.
Gregory’s apprentice/assistant is a “seventh son of a seventh son” — a young man born with prophetic visions of doom. The first trainee (Kit Harington), is quickly disposed of, so Gregory searches out his next sidekick, Tom Ward (Ben Barnes of The Chronicles of Narnia), a naive farmhand with much to learn about the dark forces. He, the apprentice, quickly falls for a gorgeous enchantress (Alicia Vikander, A Royal Affair) who is a witch  doubling as a spy for the bad girls.
Performances are pedestrian at best while the writing is unremarkable. the events that unfold , including the confrontations with evil, have little spark or nuance. Charles Levitt and Steve knight, veteran screenwriters credited with this film, appear to have done this job while asleep. Such is the blandness and disinterest shown for developing the material into something worthwhile. The CGI and A list stars(that’s all there is) don’t add up to a thrilling experience!



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