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Business News/ Industry / Media/  Friday Film Wrap: ‘Alita’ battles it out over a dull weekend in theatres
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Friday Film Wrap: ‘Alita’ battles it out over a dull weekend in theatres

Hollywood action film Alita: Battle Angel is directed by Robert Rodriguez
  • Rosa Salazar, Christoph Waltz, Jennifer Connelly and Mahershala Ali play lead roles
  • Alita: Battle Angel comes to India this weekPremium
    Alita: Battle Angel comes to India this week

    New Delhi: With no major Bollywood offerings available, it is up to Hollywood releases to grab eyeballs in movie theatres this week.

    Farhan Akhtar and Annu Kapoor-starrer The Fakir Of Venice, directed by Anand Surapur, has promise that it doesn’t deliver on, just like the hybrid Indian film type that it represents, says Scroll. The decade between its completion and its release shows in every frame. Mumbai and Venice are visibly less crowded than they now are and the actors are younger and more energetic, but the movie’s art world con made little sense then and even less sense in 2019.

    Horror thriller Amavas, directed by Bhushan Patel and starring Nargis Fakhri and Sachiin Joshi, is a dreadful attempt at the genre, says Gulf News. The film is unintentionally funny, mostly because Fakhri and Joshi are unable to breathe life into a string of lifeless dialogues. It has nothing new to offer in terms of a storyline. Bad acting, coupled with a flimsy plot makes this a wretched viewing experience.

    For the Hollywood fans, action film Alita: Battle Angel directed by Robert Rodriguez starring Rosa Salazar, Christoph Waltz, Jennifer Connelly and Mahershala Ali comes to India this week. The film is best enjoyed for the fun, slick action and the astonishing, super-expressive realisation of Alita herself, because elsewhere it’s cyberpunk business as usual, marred by some sloppy plotting, says Empire magazine.

    Read | Film review: 'Alita: Battle Angel' is only fitfully thrilling

    Animation comedy The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part directed by Mike Mitchell starring Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Charlie Day, Alison Brie and Nick Offerman, seems a bit confused about its messages, says Variety magazine. The second installement ought to have raised the bar, and while it’s faster, denser, and jam-packed with all sorts of catchy new, all that energy only goes so far to cover for the wobblier foundation on which this film is built.

    Black comedy Cold Pursuit, directed by Hans Petter Moland starring Liam Neeson, Laura Dern and Emmy Rossum, is surprisingly low-key, and strangely funny, says news.com.au. It’s not overtly funny, it never goes for the broad choice but it makes the awkward silences work so well. It may be conscious of its own hilarity but it’s also subtle in its execution, expertly building it up over its two hours run time.

    Tamil action film Podhu Nalan Karudhi directed by Zin starring Santhosh Prathap, Adith Arun and Karunakaran has a not-so-bad plot and some intriguing characters (half-baked, though) which have grey shades, but one loses interest in the flow of events as the story progresses, says The Times Of India. A few thrilling moments and more appealing characterization would have made it a better watch.

    Tamil horror comedy Dhilluku Dhuddu 2 starring Santhanam and Aanchal Singh directed by Rambala is a distasteful horror film, barely funny or scary, says The Indian Express. The film is a huge let down because it has plenty of offensive jokes, but the audience in the theater doesn’t seem to care.

    Telugu action drama Seema Raja starring Sivakarthikeyan and Samantha Akkineni directed by Ponram is colourful and entertaining, says Indiaglitz. The first half has all the commercial elements of comedy and romance but the second half sadly nosedives.

    Telugu biographical film Yatra on Andhra Pradesh chief minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy, directed by Mahi V. Raghav starring Mammootty is a patience testing two-hour video which attempts to cater more to current political needs than showcase his journey, says telugu360.com. While Mammootty is very good in the lead role, for most viewers this may end up as a propaganda vehicle.

    Marathi drama Bhaai - Vyakti Kee Valli Part 2 starring Sagar Deshmukh and Irawati Harshe Mayadev directed by Mahesh Manjrekar, a biopic of Marathi humourist, playwright and musician PL Deshpande does a better job of fleshing out its subject than the first film, says Scroll. Manjrekar’s films work adequately as an introduction to the celebrated writer, but also leave the door wide open for a fresh biopic with greater depth and a deeper focus on what made Deshpande tick. His contributions to the Marathi cultural scene are so outsized that it becomes clear that even two films are unable to contain his brilliance.

    Several releases this week haven’t inspired any reviews yet. These include Hindi films SP Chauhan, Jhol and Dosti Ke Side Effects, Tamil movies Nethraa, Avathara Vettai, Vaandu and Urangapuli, Telugu films Vicharana and M6, Marathi dramas Aasud, Premawaari and Readymix, Bengali films Prem Amar 2, Baccha Shoshur, Tritio Adhyay and Finally Bhalobasha, Gujarati drama Saheb, Chattisgarhi movie Dahaad and Odia drama Premo Pain Mahabharat.

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    ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    Lata Jha
    "Lata writes about the media and entertainment industry for Mint, focusing on everything from traditional film and TV to newer areas like video and audio streaming services. She loves movies and spends a lot of her free time watching them, which makes her job both fun and a bit of a challenge. Lata tries to find and write about things in the entertainment world that most people don't notice, even though a lot of people in her country are really into movies and entertainment news often just talks about the glamorous side of things. "
    Catch all the Industry News, Banking News and Updates on Live Mint. Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates.
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    Published: 08 Feb 2019, 12:16 PM IST
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