#ThePathOfZarathushtra #EnglishIndianFilmReview #JohnsonThomas Rating: * * *

PicksAndPiquesSnippetFilmReview4thSept2015 #JohnsonThomas

                         

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#PicksAndPiquesSnippetFilmReview4thSept2015

 

#WelcomeBack (Hindi) Rating: * * * Absurd yet wildly entertaining. A no-holds-barred ( mindless ) riotous comedy that floors us with it’s punchy one-liners and eccentric, crazily orchestrated and succinctly performed comedic set-pieces. It’ll get you rollicking in the aisles. The substance may be missing but the nonsense hits bulls-eye quite audaciously. Firing on trusty megastar cylinders and misfiring on the few light-weight ones, and set among glassy grandiose opulence in the UAE desertscape, this laugh-riot with a repeat meter still manages to keep the humor and the ribbing bubbling over. The nonsense here has it’s own essence and #AneesBazmee manages to keep it all light, frothy and meaningless. And yes he has managed to do one better than the prequel.  #RaindropMedia #ErosInternational #FirozANadiadwala #BaseIndustriesGroup #AANadiadwala #SwissEntertainmentPvtLtd #AjayNawandar #ShrutiHassan #JohnAbraham #AnilKapoor #RajpalYadav #MushtaqKhan #NaseeruddinShah #PareshRawal #AnkitaShrivastav #DimpleKapadia #ArjunKumar #VijayKhanna #AneesBazmee #SanjayMorakhia #RajivKaul #RajShandaliya Runtime: 152 mins

 

#LakhonHainYahanDilwale (Hindi) Rating: * * Nostalgia driven musical serenade , a sort of #chhayageet homage to the past, has two street singers falling in love and seeing success until the age-old(read #AdityaPancholi) villain puts the brakes on their rehashed romantic duets. While the retreaded 60’s and 70’s heyday classic film songs/music add entertainment value, the story and treatment lack grittiness. A couple of decent performances by #KishoriShahane and #Krutika manage to stave off boredom at least for a wee while! #HimanshuJhunjhunwala #DwaparMedia #AdityaPancholi #VijeBhatia #KrutikaGaikwad #ArunBakshi #KishoriShahane #MunnawarShamimBhagat #MeenaShamimFilms #HMV Runtime: 124 mins

 

#TheTransporterRefueled (English) Rating: * * ½ It’s not #JasonStatham but the #GameOfThrones actor #EdSkrein driving this redux which has beautiful locations, fabulous cars, hot girls aplenty with a few great screen shots thrown in for good measure but the busy action especially the hand-to-hand combat sequences don’t have that special Statham feel to them.  The hyperventilating camera also makes it a little too chaotic for comfort. #LucBesson #RayStevenson #ParagDesai #EdSkrien #JasonStatham #UniversalPR #RelativityB4U  #KarishmaPandya #UniversalCommunications #VenessaRoy #EuropoCorp #FundamentalFilms Runtime: 96 mins

 

#ShesFunnyThatWay(English)Rating:**1/2 A screwball comedy from the veteran filmmaker responsible for iconic films like #TheLastPictureShow #PaperMoon #WhatsUpDoc? returning a decade after his last feature #TheCatsMeow. But it’s not quite funny that way. It’s Interesting and frivolously light-hearted minus the biting witticism one expected. #PeterBogdanovich #JenniferAniston #Pictureworks #AmandaKarmerkar #PVRPictures #ImogenPoots #RhysIfans #QuentinTarantino #OwenWilson #KathrynHahn #WillForte #RhysIfans #LucyPunch #DebiMazar #JenniferEsposito #TatumONeal #CybillSheperd #ColleenCamp #IlleanaDouglas #JoannaLumley #RichardLewis Runtime: 93 mins

 

#HitmanAgent47  (Englsih) Rating: * * This film centers on an elite assassin who was genetically engineered from conception to be the perfect killing machine, and is known only by the last two digits on the barcode tattooed on the back of his neck. He is the culmination of decades of research ­ and forty-six earlier Agent clones -- endowing him with unprecedented strength, speed, stamina and intelligence minus emotions. A generic sci-fi actioner, this one is brutal in it’s acts of violence and lacks empathetic sustenance. The script is all jumbled up and the narrative lacks clear cut direction. #AleksanderBach #RupertFriend #HannahWare #ZacharyQuinto #FoxStarStudios #ShrutiSundaram #SiddharthRoyKapur #HemanshuMistry  Runtime: 96 mins

 

#ThePathOfZarathustra (English) Rating: * * * A young woman, Oorvazi, born into Zoroastrianism, the religion of her forefathers leaves the isolation of her remote home when her grandfather, with whom she lives alone, dies. This sets her on a quest of enlightenment. The film uses magic realism to enlighten the vaunted quest for spiritualism. It’s a multi-layered and fairly vivid representation that might not have many takers because of it’s studied emblematic pace and philosophical moorings. The film has been scripted by Farrukh Dhondy and produced-directed by Oorvazi Irani who also stars along with #TomAlter #RushadRana #ShishirSharma #DariusShroff & #OorvaziIrani #FarrukhDhondy #FirdausiJussawala #MoesArt #ShabditaShrivastav #FarukhDhondy #SaurabhRathore  #SBIImpresario #PVRDirectorsRare Runtime: 79 mins

 

#BestFilmsReleasedthisWeek4thSept2015 #JohnsonThomas

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#WelcomeBack (Hindi) Rating: * * * Absurd yet wildly entertaining. A no-holds-barred ( mindless ) riotous comedy that floors us with it’s punchy one-liners and eccentric, crazily orchestrated and succinctly performed comedic set-pieces. It’ll get you rollicking in the aisles. The substance may be missing but the nonsense hits bulls-eye quite audaciously. Firing on trusty megastar cylinders and misfiring on the few light-weight ones, and set among glassy grandiose opulence in the UAE desertscape, this laugh-riot with a repeat meter still manages to keep the humor and the ribbing bubbling over. The nonsense here has it’s own essence and #AneesBazmee manages to keep it all light, frothy and meaningless. And yes he has managed to do one better than the prequel.  #RaindropMedia #ErosInternational #FirozANadiadwala #BaseIndustriesGroup #AANadiadwala #SwissEntertainmentPvtLtd #AjayNawandar #ShrutiHassan #JohnAbraham #AnilKapoor #RajpalYadav #MushtaqKhan #NaseeruddinShah #PareshRawal #AnkitaShrivastav #DimpleKapadia #ArjunKumar #VijayKhanna #SanjayMorakhia #RajivKaul #RajShandaliya Runtime: 152 mins

 

#ThePathOfZarathustra (English) Rating: * * * A young woman, Oorvazi, born into Zoroastrianism, the religion of her forefathers leaves the isolation of her remote home when her grandfather, with whom she lives alone, dies. This sets her on a quest of enlightenment. The film uses magic realism to enlighten the vaunted quest for spiritualism. It’s a multi-layered and fairly vivid representation that might not have many takers because of it’s studied emblematic pace and philosophical moorings. The film has been scripted by Farrukh Dhondy and produced-directed by Oorvazi Irani who also stars along with #TomAlter #RushadRana #ShishirSharma #DariusShroff & #FirdausiJussawala #MoesArt #ShabditaShrivastav #FarukhDhondy #SaurabhRathore  #SBIImpresario #PVRDirectorsRare Runtime: 79 mins

English Film Review

Johnson Thomas

 A fairly vivid spiritual journey

Film: The Path Of Zarathushtra

Cast: Oorvazi Irani, Rushad Rana, Tom Alter, Shishir Sharma, Darius Shroff,  Firdausi Jussawala

Director: Oorvazi Irani

Rating: * * ½

Runtime: 79 mins

A young woman, Oorvazi, born into Zoroastrianism, the religion of her forefathers leaves the isolation of her remote home when her grandfather with whom she lives alone, dies. Before his death, her grandfather entrusts her with a holy book that encapsulates within it all the teachings of the holy fathers of the religion. But to know what’s inside the book she has to embark on a spiritual quest in the real world and put together the clues from the people she chances upon in her life in the city where a dwindling set of Zoroashtrian believers reside. 

The filmmaker takes the magic realism route to telling this story and there’s a divinely humbling feel and texture to the narration that is enhanced by amazingly lit frames that add profoundness and depth to the quest. A steady somnambulant tone enriches the proceedings while securing it with a halo of mystery and divinity. The mystery is revealed in layers as Oorvazi has the strangest encounters with historical figures from the pantheons of Zoroastrianism. Needless to say, at the end of it all, Oorvazi is a more enlightened being- whether in love or the divine. While the film’s pace and content may not suit every taste , it certainly has merit in the manner it sheds light on contentious issues that have affected the community-ones that could well render it extinct!

Johnson Thomas

johnsont307@gmail.com