The Hangover Part II - Preview
(Releasing on 26th May)
Director - Todd Phillips (Previous Film: Due Date)
In a nutshell....
Stu is to get married but wants to have a safe and subdued pre wedding brunch after what happened in Vegas. Along with Phil, Alan and Doug, Stu goes to Thailand for his wedding. Things go haywire when the men lose the 16year old brother of Stu's fiancee and end up realising they don't know how they lost him.
In 2009 came a movie that broke all records of making people laugh out loud. They went in massive numbers to watch that film again, and again and over and over again. It was a cult of sorts, and was tagged as the best adult comedy in a long long time. It's 2011, and the makers are offering us a sequel to the magnanimous hit, Hangover. Alan, Phil, Stu and Doug have almost become household names after the worldwide success of the first part, so much that everybody is dying to watch the sequel. The best part about Hangover was that it was an adult comedy that wasn't cheap, which very few writers and directors are able to achieve. It seems Todd Phillips knows the pulse of the cine goers. This time his leading men move West, and with a whole new cultural difference it'd be very interesting to see how the sequences turn out to be. I'm extremely eager to watch this film like most other Hangover fans. The trailer promises a exactly what we saw in the first film, humour and more humour. An earth shattering box office opening is a guarantee, worldwide, because of the fan following and a long weekend.
Runtime - 102 mins
Genre - Comedy
Rated - A
Principal Cast
Bradley Cooper - Phil (Last seen in: Limitless)
Zach Galifianakis – Alan (Last seen in: Due Date)
Ed Helms - Stu (Last seen in: Cedar Rapids)
Justin Bartha - Doug (Last seen in: Holy Rollers)
Paul Giamatti - Kingsley (Last seen in: Iron Clad)
Principal Crew
Craig Mazin, Todd Phillips, Scott Armstrong - WritersLawrence Sher - Director of Photography
Debra Neil-Fisher, Michael L. Sale - Editors
Christophe Beck - Music Director
Film’s USP
Cast + SequelAnticipation Level - POTW (Pick Of The Week)
Kucch Luv Jaisaa - Preview
Director - Barnali Ray Shukla (Debut)
In a nutshell....
Madhu's birthday happens to fall on the 29th of February, a day that comes just once in 4 years. Her husband has forgotten this important day and it is now upto Madhu to either sulk or find a new self. She decides the latter. It is also Raghav's birthday, a criminal who is running away from a trap laid by the police. Raghav wishes to have a new beginning and make normal friends, lead a normal life. Madhu and Raghav bump into each other at a coffee shop and things change forever.
This story reminds me of Hollywood films in which a hitman, trying to change his life, falls in love with a housewife. The story might be a little seen there, watched that, but the trailers look very interesting. Vipul Shah rarely makes a mistake in producing films and the same can be said about Rahul Bose, who never fails leave a mark. Shifaali Shah is a powerful performer but the lead pair are more used to the serious and art house cinema. This, on the other hand, is a commercial comedy flick which might just test the entertaining sides of these actors. Also, the director is making a debut with this film, so you never know. However, I'm very eager to see how this one turns out to be because it's something different for Bollywood.
Runtime - Unknown
Genre - Drama/Comedy
Rated - U/A
Principal Cast
Rahul Bose - Raghav (Previous Film: I Am)
Shifaali Shah – Madhu Saxena (Previous Film: Karthik Calling Karthik)
Sumeet Raghavan - (Previous Film: My Name Is Khan)
Principal Crew
Barnali Ray Shukla - Writer
Bobby Singh - Director of Photography
Hemanti Sarkar - Editor
Pritam Chakraborty - Music Director
Film’s USP
Chemistry between the lead pairAnticipation Level - Wait For The Reviews
Kung Fu Panda 2 - Preview
(Releasing on 26th May)
Studio – DreamWorks Animation (Previous Film: Megamind)
Director - Jennifer Yuh (Debut)
In a nutshell....
Po, along with his friends and the Furious Five, is living his dream as the Dragon Warrior in the Valley of Peace. His new life is threatened by a formidable villain whose plan is to use a secret weapon to conquer China and destroy kung fu. It is now upto Po and his friends to fight the evil villain, and protect China and kung fu.
Like the other release of this week, Hangover's sequel, Kung Fu Panda 2 is also a sequel of a super duper hit film, Kung Fu Panda. Po is almost a kung fu legend thanks to the millions of people who liked the film and the characters, especially the Panda. Although animated, Kung Fu Panda won hearts of both young and old. This sequel, too, promises to entertain everybody with some hilarious and adventurous sequences. The film has superb star cast who all are extremely popular world over. The only doubt in my mind is whether Yuh would manage to recreate the magic that the director duo of the first film did. The trailers are very impressive and I'm sure its going to rule the box office despite the release of another potential blockbuster, Hangover 2. Both are targeted towards different age groups, and hence they won't end up eating each other's profits. I would have rated this one as the Pick Of The Week, but for Hangover 2.
Runtime - 90 mins
Genre - Animation/Action/Adventure
Rated - U
Principal Cast
Jack Black - Po (Last heard in: Kung Fu Panda)
Angelina Jolie – Tigress (Last heard in: Kung Fu Panda)
Jackie Chan - Monkey (Last heard in: Kung Fu Panda)
Seth Rogen - Mantis (Last heard in: Paul)
Gary Oldman - Lord Shen (Last heard in: Planet 51)
Dustin Hoffman - Shifu (Last heard in: The Tale Of Desperaux)
Lucy Liu - Green Tree Viper (Last heard in: Tinker Bell)
Principal Crew
Jonathan Aibel, Glenn Berger - WritersJohn Powell, Hans Zimmer - Music Directors
Film’s USP
Cast + SequelAnticipation Level - Second Choice
Something Borrowed - Preview
Studio – Warner Bros. Pictures (Previous Film: Arthur)
Director - Luke Greenfield (Previous Film: The Girl Next Door)
In a nutshell....
Rachel White is un unhappy, single, talented attorney working in a New York law firm. She drinks too much on her 30th, and finds herself with Dex, her crush from law school. The problem is that he is also her best friend, Darcy's husband-to-be. Relationships and friendships are tested as Ethan, a long term friend of Rachel, stands by her with a secret of his own.
Something Borrowed is film that does not have a star cast. Such films have to rely on a good story and a well written screenplay. I think this film's overall theme is a little cliched but having said that, there is some good drama on the cards. Such films don't raise the expectation levels and that is what works in their favour most times. But the reviews from UK and US haven't been pleasing and so I think this film's box office collections will be below average, especially because it is competing against two major Hollywood film sequels.
Runtime - 112
Genre - Comedy/Drama/Romance
Rated - U/A
Principal Cast
Kate Hudson - Darcy (Last seen in: The Killer Inside Me)
John Krasinski – Ethan (Last seen in: Twelve)
Ginnifer Goodwin - Dex (Last seen in: Ramona And Beezus)
Colin Egglesfield - Rachel (Last seen in: It's Complicated)
Principal Crew
Jennie Snyder, Emily Giffin (novel) - Writers
Charles Minsky - Director of Photography
John Axelrad - Editor
Alex Wurman - Music Director
Film’s USP
Test of relationships
Anticipation Level - Wait For The Reviews
