#TheBoyNextDoor #EnglishHollywoodFilmMovieReview #JohnsonThomas #Rating: * *

#TheBoyNextDoor #EnglishHollywoodFilmMovieReview #JohnsonThomas #Rating: * *

#Picks&Piques/SnippetFilmReview6thFeb2015/#JohnsonThomas

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#Picks&Piques/SnippetFilmReview6thFeb2015/#JohnsonThomas

 

#Shamitabh(Hindi)Rating:  * * * Unusual but not satisfying. #RBalki does yet another ga-ga-set on #AmitabhBachchan, this time giving him a series of repetitive monologues as a tribute to his so-called phenomenal acting prowess. The Advertising guru that Balki is, this film will probably do more for the Bachchan brand than for Bollywood cinema. The film’s concept story with the now expected ‘twist’ is more of a promotional video for Bachchan’s talents than a cinema worth ruminating over. This is basically a showboat for the three main leads that also includes #Dhanush and #AksharaHaasan. Too indulgent and self-congratulatory to be deemed worthy.  #RaindropMedia #ParagDesai #UniversalCommunications #Dhanush #AksharaHaasan #RBalki #AmitabhBachchan #AbhishekBachchan #ErosInternational #MADEntertainment #BalajiMotionPictures #HOPEProductions

 

#JaiJawanJaiKisan(Hindi)Rating:  * ½ poor conceptualization and singular lack of vision deals a death blow to a story that could have become an inspiration for the new generation.  An inglorious  biopic on former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shashtri's glorious life. This film plays out in amateurish, kindergarten playschool fashion with actors parroting lines without any of the essence of it coming through. The lack of inspiration in the telling is quite galling.  #MilanAjmera #AshwaniShukla #AltairMedia #KishanPaliwal #VictoriousEnterprises #SanjayChakraborty #JatinKhurana #OmPuri #PremChopra #RatiAgnihotri #RishiBhutani #AkhileshJain #MadanLalKhurana #PankajDua #SeemaChakrborthy

#HumTumDushmanDushman(Hindi) Rating: * Too dysfunctional to be appreciated. Poor craft and zero tension makes this quite a tedious and unremitting experience.  #DollarGroupInternational #IqbalDurrani #MashaalDurrani #TapasPaul #SohiniPaul #MukeshRishi #EhsanKhan #ShahbaazKhan #poojaSaxena #MushtaqKhan #MohanAyyer  

#IAmOffended (English/Hindi) Rating:  * * ½  Topical, timely but not effective. An interesting though lethargic documentary about the growing intolerance against stand-up comic acts in the India. Too casual to be serious. Defiant but not powerful. The funnymen give voice to their angst but fail to turn it into a power stroke. There’s not much humor, wit or energy on display here and that’s a sore point for a documentary that seeks to represent Indian stand-up comediennes’ first major salvo against repression! #JohnnyLever #VirDas #RajuSrivastav #VarunGrover #SanjayRajoura #AditiMittal #SorabhPant #TanmayBhat #GursimranKhamba #AshishShakya #RohanJoshi #RajeevNigam #RajneeshKapoor #PuLaDeshpande #hardlyAnonymous #SaturdayFilms #Love&Faith #VijayalakshmiRajan #MilindDhaimade #JaideepVarma

 

#WildCard(English)Rating: * *  #SimonWest’s meandering remake of the 1987 #BurtReynold action thriller sparks inter-mittent interest at best. Too much of contemplation with mini bursts of action.  #JasonStatham #WilliamGoldman #B4U #VenessaRoy #RelativityMedia #PSLive #SimonWest

 

#TheBoyNextDoor((English) Rating: * *  Gender reversed ‘FatalAttraction’ lacks eroticism and thrills. Poor acting and even poor direction make it quite a damp squib. A burnished #JLo and hunky #RyanGuzman manage to turn on the heat!  #RyanGuzman #JenniferLopez #RobCohen #MoesArt #SarjitaJain #JohnCorbett #SaurabhRathore #UniversalPictures

 

#JupiterAscending(English) Rating: * * ½  #Wachowski charm can do little to make this female antagonist lead sci-fi adventure to hit the right notes. It’s big but not exactly beautiful or exciting. Promises much more than it can deliver.Visually extravagant but conceptually wanting. Spectacular action can’t cover-up the dubiousness of character motivations.   #ChanningTatum #WarnerBros #MilaKunis #WachowskiBros #AnkitAgarwal

 

#MrTurner(English) Rating: * * * ½   Mike Leigh's biography of the landscape painter #JMWTurner is grimly contemplative in expanse yet captivating.  Wonderful performances outstanding cinematography  are high-points of this experience #MikeLeigh #JMWTurner #TimothySpall #RogerAshtonGriffiths #JamieThomasKing #LesleyManville #LeeIngleby #PVR #PriyankaVaswani    #AvianMedia  

 

#Baji (Marathi) Rating: * * * This desi Zorro has a long-winding storyline but manages to spark interest and engagement with credible performances, bone crushing action  and deliberate, gritty story-telling craft. #DarMotionPictures  #ShreyasTalpade #AmrutaKhanvilkar #JitendraJoshi #AffluenceMovies #IndianMagicEyePvtLtd. ‪#‎DeeptiTalpade ‪#‎AmitAhirrao ‪#‎VivekRangachari‪#‎NikhilMahajan ‪#‎SuhrudGodbole ‪#‎SuhrudGodbole#VirtueEntertainment #LatikaChindarkar #BlueDrop #IMEMotionPictures 

English film Review

Johnson Thomas

Ordinary Games

Film: The Boy Next Door

Cast: Jennifer Lopez, Ryan Guzman, John Corbett, Kristin Chenowith

Director: Rob Cohen

Rating: * *

Runtime: 92 mins

Synopsis:

When a handsome, charming teenager named Noah (Ryan Guzman) moves in next door, newly separated high-school teacher Claire Peterson (Jennifer Lopez) encourages his friendship and engages in a little bit of harmless -- or so she thinks -- flirtation. Although Noah spends much of the time hanging out with Claire's son, the teen's attraction to her is palpable. One night, Claire gives in to temptation and lets Noah seduce her -- but when she tries to end the relationship, he turns violent.

Review:

Claire’s husband (John Corbett) had an affair with a younger woman, leading to their separation so Claire is lonely and being egged on by her best friend , the Vice Principal (Kristin Chenowith)of the school she teaches in, to move on and find a new love instead of hankering over her unreliable husband. But Claire hasn’t yet come to terms with the betrayal and is loath to precipitate matters. Her teenage son also needs his father’s influence so Claire is doubly wary. Into this situation comes a personable young twenty year old Noah, with striking good looks and a body to match, and also with a rare liking for classics close to Claire’s heart- he also appears to have a sort of ‘Fatal Attraction’ for Claire.

Noah is too good to be true. He fixes cars and cleans out storm drains. The first thing he repairs is Claire’s broken garage door. He beats up the bullies who antagonize Kevin and gives the kid enough of a leg up to ask out the prettiest girl in school. But he’s also a literature buff who can quote extensively from “The Iliad.”  He also finagles his way into Claire’s English class, having never graduated from high school because of his troubled, orphaned past.

 

 Yeah, you guessed it. After a night succumbing to his charms, Claire gets stalked and harassed by Noah who refuses to just go away quietly. So eventually, the end result is bloodshed where Claire’s friends and family are at risk!

The storyline is neither new nor exciting. We’ve seen many films like this where a lover goes berserk after being rejected and then wreaks revenge through violence and bloodshed. It’s template that usually provides enough thrills. unfortunately, the way this one plays out, there’s not much of thrills to eke out. The acting is not very convincing. both Ryan (StepUp) Guzman and  Jennifer Lopez look their best and display their perfect bare bodies to great effect but that’s about all the heat they can raise. Tepid treatment, poor tension, and a narrative that veers towards the implausible, don’t allow for much attachment. Rob (Fast & Furious) Cohen doesn’t appear to have the skills to create a thrilling drama. It’s only in the mini chase sequence that you get a feel of a  bit of an adrenaline rush. And that’s because speed is where his forte lies. 

The narrative is especially awful because it concentrates on letting us know that Jlo is still hot and has what it takes. It’s the kind of obviousness associated with has-been sex symbols who need the validation badly. She looks good no doubt but the glam is so distinct that it distracts from the lie-at-risk set-up. ryan Guzman’s Noah is another of those typical deranged types who appear to get a second and third wind just when you thought they would never get up! the irony lies in the casting of JLo who in real life has been seen to be in relationships with toy boys playing an older woman engaging in a one night stand with one and then having to pay a heavy price for her folly. this one’s not a moral issue anymore- not in Hollywood anyway!

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