The Black Hole (2006: PG)

Blackhole (2006: PG) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0433883/
Director: Tibor Takács; Starring: Kristy Swanson … Shannon Muir; Judd Nelson … Eric Bryce; David Selby … General Ryker; Heather Dawn … Sgt. Alicia Bennett; Jennifer Lyn Quackenbush … Elizabeth Williams; Christa Campbell … Advisor Coldwell; Peter Mayer … General Tate; and many more. Rated PG for sci-fi violence, peril and thematic elements. It’s your typical physics experiment goes bad. Down low in a atomic research facility outside of St. Louis, Missouri; scientists somehow tear the fabric of space and time opening a black hole. The hole is the least of their worries as some kind of energy predator comes out terrorizing the city and power grid, disintegrating humans and sucking energy. Linked to the blackhole this creature feeds the hole to enormous proportions. A drunk-up Judd Nelson who plays the washed up military scientist chases after it with the ever-cute Kristy Swanson trying to capture the energy monster and put it back in its hole. Its definitely a B-rate flick, but worth a laugh. Effects are ok, but nothing to write home about. Rated: 2.5 stars out of 5.

Trailer Park Boys: The Movie (R: 2006)

Trailer Park Boys: The Movie (Canada 18A; R: 2006)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0425601/
Director: Mike Clattenburg. Starring: Robb Wells … Ricky, John Paul Tremblay … Julian, Mike Smith … Bubbles, Lucy Decoutere … Lucy, Lydia Lawson-Baird … Trinity, Cory Bowles … Cory, and many more.
One of the Canadian comedy series and flicks that is brought to the movie screen. From producer Ivan Reitman - a comedy full of petty thieves, strippers, and alcoholics. Based off the series, stories from the raunchy ruckus inhabitants of Sunnyvale Trailer Park. From a petty crime leading to prison, hockey leagues, and a final “Big Dirty”. With your typical Canadian National Lampoon-like humor, the movie carries the expected well. Stupid humor that you just have to laugh at for its own foolishness. I found humor in it even though its not my run-of-the-mill choice flick. Rating: 2.5 stars out of 5.

Incubus (R: 2006)

Incubus (R: 2006)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0462359/
Director: Anya Camilleri. Starring: Tara Reid … Jay, Akemnji Ndifernyan … Bug, Alice O’Connell … Holly, Russell Carter … Josh, Christian Brassington … Peter, Mihai Stanescu … Sleeper, and many more.
This film is a total B-rate. Typical story about a bunch of young adults getting into a car accident, getting stranded in the middle of nowhere, and stumbling upon horrors and murder upon their search for safety. This time it takes place is the frigidly cold mountains of Montana - six friends stumble upon a facility in the middle of nowhere, breaking in to find warmth and shelter, discover absolute horrors in the halls of the medical facility. Some surviving scientists go mad and they discover a serial-killer in a coma that is being experimented on. Turns out this coma-tose killer is an incubus who still attacks people through their dreams. It has a decent plot, but fails horribly in presentation. Rating: 2 stars out of 5.

Trailer Park of Terror (2008: R)

Trailer Park of Terror (R: 2008)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0892109/
Director: Steven Goldmann. Starring: Nichole Hiltz … Norma, rest of cast listed alphabetically: Trace Adkins … The Man, Priscilla Barnes … Jean, Stefanie Black … Tiffany, Jeanette Brox … Bridget, Madonna Cacciatore … Trucker, Ryan Carnes … Alex, and many more.
Rated R for strong sadistic horror violence and torture, sexual content, pervasive language and drug use.
Based on the Imperium comic book of the same name, this flick brings the crazy/wild/psychotic style you can only come to love from classics like “Tromaville”, “Texas Chainsaw Massacre”, “House of 1000 Corpses”, “The Devil’s Rejects”, and some other wild horror adventures. Its a tale about 6 troubled teenagers and their preacher/chaperon going off for a weekend at a retreat in the woods that find themselves broken down and stranded by the Devil’s trailer park. They find bizarre yet alluring hospitality by a woman named Norma in the park. Little do they know that the evening will bring mayhem, horror, violence, and torture in many different ways. Norma, the damned redneck reaper and her consortium of cursed trailer trash have a zeal for blood, gore, and sex that they have relished in craving over the last 20-30 years, with the trailer park taking victims annually. I enjoyed it and found humor in it. A must for any campy horror fan. Rating: 3.75 stars out of 5.

Taare Zameen Par

After watching Taare Zameen Par I m fascinated by the kind of movies that Aamir Khan chooses to make. There is a missionary zeal about him to make the world a better place by spurring people to action. I guess most of us forget everything as soon as we exit the movie hall but if after those two and a half hours if one person walks out of the hall and changes his life, he must consider his job well done. That the movie makes money is secondary.

It is easy to say that the movie is about a dyslexia but it goes the root of the human paranoia with all things different .We dont like people who worship different Gods, whose melanin levels are different, who speak a different language or basically who is unlike us. Ishaan played brilliantly by Darsheel is a dyslexic child who does not even know that he is different. Because he is unable to read and write , he has a poor academic record, his teachers dislike him, his father loves him lesser ( at least that is what the child thinks) and he always feels inferior and useless. The one thing he does wonderfully well is painting.

Understanding a child is such a challenge and the people around him are not upto it. Few today in our materialistic world really have the time for it. We are so engrossed with the rat race for success. Irrespective of how well we do in that race , His parents want their child to be ahead in that futile race. Teachers want to keep their horses ahead and schools want their 100% pass records.

But some like Ishaan’s mother accepts him and it is her love is what keeps him sane.
However when the teachers insinuate that he could be mentally retarded, his father give up responsibility by promptly sending him to a boarding school. In order to avoid social stigma, they deprive the very love he needed the most. The manner in which he rages from within, withers and almost dies from inside is painful to watch.
Aamir ,the temporary art teacher being dyslexic himself understands him and saves him and prevents this beautiful stars from imploding.
There were shades in the movie which I could relate to myself. I had short sight from class two but I feared the stigma of wearing a spectacle. No one in my family wears spectacles how could I? Being tall I was a last bencher and I never saw the board. However I was terrible at outdoor sports, never took catches in cricker and was quickly labelled a bookworm. It was a fearful secret of mine throughout my childhood and frustrated me, ate me from within. That my mom loved me so much and helped me channelize my energies towards studies and reading and top my classes to help me to feel happy about myself. She played chess and carrom and was my only friend. When I finally spilled the beans and got glasses in class IX I realised how silly I had been . I saw the world and its immense beauty for the first time.

The movie asks many questions of me. Did I have it in you to be a good father to my child - the patience, the understanding, the courage? Can I teach my child to reach out for her dreams and find herself? Can I be strong and love her for what she is when she falls on the ground struck down by reality?
And most important of all, can I make an example of my own life? Something which will tell her what is love all about?

Dhaam Dhoom

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Before i write this review, let me make one thing clear to everyone who might be reading this review……In my opinion Harris Jayaraj has stopped giving genuine good compositions after Laysa Laysa, which was one of his premier movies, so u can imagine how much mediocrity has prevailed since then, not to mention the frequent (peeeeeeeeeeep peep peep CLICK!) i.e XEROX technique….I’ve tried my best to listen to all the songs of Dhaam Dhoom with an unprejudiced mindset to give a fair assessment (man i had to get drunk for that[:D])….lets begin with…..

1.SAKIYAE (Bombay Jayashree, Krishh):

Frankly i’m bored with the cliche usage of BJ by HJ in his music, but she has sung this song well…but the start of this song and the main Sakiyae line is very similar to Pani Thuli from Kanda Naa mudhal, and certain usage of instruments seem to sound very familiar……the chord transitions sound effect are sounding like Illayaraja’s a keys at times…..the pitch transition at the end of the song is pretty ok…..Krishh bores us with his same feeble voice and his chorus can get monotonous……Perhaps this track is one of the best in this album……RATING:6.8/10

2.AZHIYILAE (Haricharan):

This song starts off well with Haricharan singin it beautifully, but the tune is so predictable and even tone deaf people can figure certain parts out…..This song is like a modern devotional Bhajan at times…..Great Potential was there in this track, but for some reason HJ decides to keep this song short and i guess he didnt work too much on this track….wasted oppurtunity!!!….
RATING:6.9/10

3.ANBE ENANBE ( Harish Raghavander):

This is song is totally obnoxious for the sheer reason that the first basic tune in this song is the same as Loosu Penne from Vallavan!!!! i couldnt believe it , but its true…..This is song however is boosted by Harish Raghavander who has sung a decent song after a long time…..I’m sick of the same choir girls….HJ music sounds like goin to a same church every sunday!!!However i like the usage of violin in this song…..Latter half of the tune is better but still not impressive on the whole..RATING:5.3/10

4.UYAALALO (Kailash Kher, Sujatha):

Song starts like Varaagha Nadhi from sangamam……then we hear an avg folk tune with some gibberish in between…..beats like Adangakka (anniyan)……The punjabi ‘Oho’s sound like they have been pasted from Rang De Basanti…..lol! Basically as i said its a very average track…..Kailash Kher has sung it with a lot of energy…his tamil pronunciations are gettin better and better….Listen to this track once, thats all!!! RATING: 3.5/10

5.THIKKU THIKKU (Sayanora Philip, Benny):

When you hear this song, u think about Maaricham from Sillendru oru Kadhal till the humming stops, then a nerrupae sikku mukki style start beginning….the thikku thikku line’s tune is similar to Hello miss imsaiye(unnale Unnale)’s second stanza…….. but the ‘ thom thom’ line gets really irritating….first G.V prakash copies Akon ’s Smack that in polladhavan, and now its HJ, who tries to fool us by changing the beat alone……The second fiddle interlude sounds like HJ’s song Para para pattam poochi from Majnu……The Positives of this song are however the vocals….Benny seems to be maturing as a singer with every song…Sayanora Philip has got one of the most sexiest voices i’ve heard….She adds the extra punch to this song……This is a decent Dance track though with the Grind’like beats….RATING:5/10 (2 bonus points for vocals)[:D]

6.PUDHU PUDHU (Suchitra,Benny,Guna):

What happens when HJ tries to stop xeroxing and tries to make an own genuine composition?
……Simple answer…….this can get you Freakin KILLED!!!!!!!!!!!! This is one of the worst songs i’ve ever heard and unfortunately HJ seems to not taken this from anywhere but his mental workhouse!!!!Seriously HJ, either u have no music in you or u were drunk along with Suchitra during the making of this song……yes folks, thats how Suchi sounds……like a girl mutterin rubbish after her first Hangover due to 6 shots of tequilla!!!!!!!!!!! The vocals in this song can seriously cause a rash!!!!itch! itch!……..i understand that when u mix different styles , u get Fusion, but all HJ achieves with this song is Confusion!!!!(especially the sudden yogi b’like bit in the second stanza).
Even HJ’s hardcore fans would ask him ‘HJ WHAT WERE U TRYING????’
If anyone has the patience to listen to this song fully for the first time without causing a road rage scenario, they are great!!!My rating system cant give a zero so……….RATING:0.1/10

OVERALL VERDICT:

* This album seriously disappoints most people…..2 or 3 potential tracks are there but totally wasted ……Probably Sakiyae and Thikku thikku will enter the chartbuster list for a while…..

* Dhaam Dhoom’s music will appeal to only those people who are HJ worshippers or have those who dont have much knowledge in music.

* Thank God that Jeeva didnt have listen to this album especially that ‘Pudhu Pudhu’ song………

* On the whole,my rating for this album will be 5/10.

Arai enn 305′il Kadavul

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I guess it is pretty late to write this review for 305 (gonna use 305 instead of the actual movie name) but never have i encountered a more worthy movie in recent times…..
‘Brilliant’ would be the best and shortest review, but a lot can be said…….

305, from its inception, has been a very awaited movie……..for many reasons….firstly, Chimbudevan and Shankar re-united after the stupendous success of Imsai Arasan……secondly,Santhanam ,the rising youth comedian and Ganja Karruppu were selected as the lead characters…..finally,the veteran Prakash Raj was chosen to play the role of Kadavul!!!The sheer curiosity felt by people to see ‘Chellam Muthupandey’ in the role of the Almighty was considered to be a factor good enough to ensure this package’s success……

But a big star cast and initial hype cannot ensure the box office success of any movie…i think Bheema is a good example for the side effects[:)]!!!

When the movie hit the screens,the first ten days enveloped 305 in a sea of mixed reviews……
B and C centres were probably expecting another slapstick laugh riot spoof……..keeping that as an expectation, this movie failed heavily, and everyone thought it wont be a success……But then the creative genius within Chimbudevan stuck a chord amongst the hearts of the A centre audience and many people who didnt like the movie the first time decided to watch it again
and they found the movie to be quite enchanting………

The story goes on like this…..Santhanam and Ganja are two miserable unemployed misfits who blame God for all their mishaps……God decides to come down in person and help them understand what is true happiness and who is responsible for their situation….What follows is an interesting tale of enchantment,divinity,deception,love,kindness and many other emotions…..

Santhanam has shed a few kilos and looks pretty decent (better than simbhu)…He has given a convincing performance……whether it is a serious scene or a comedy scene……ganja is hilarious as his sidekick……….Prakash Raj steals the show with his brilliant performance……The manner in which He displays God’s love,power and divinity with such ease and subtlety is totally mind blowing………

M.S.Bhaskar, Delhi Ganesh and Rajesh have played some brilliant cameos in the movie! The dialouges ,the art direction and the graphics are absolutely stunning……Shankar has ensured that 305 gets the best technical expertise available in the market….

The movie is not a laughter riot, but it gives a feast for thought……..the concept of God is understood even by atheists…..The scene involving Prakash Raj and Rajesh where they discuss about the existence of God is truly memorable……

Vidyasagar’s music is pretty good…….some of the songs are catchy and pleasant to hear!!!the ‘Naangal thaan Kadavul’ song’s lyrics is pretty interesting……

The movie gets a very interesting turn at the interval!!!The ending is fabulous!!!

A non-commercial pure cinematic effort by Chimbudevan that has resulted in a wonderful movie…….For those who just want masala flicks,watch movies like KURUVI!!! But if your looking for meaningful cinema then 305 is the room u’ll wanna be in cause Prakash Raj has given a whole new dimension to our version of the Almighty!!1
Three cheers!!

RATING: 6/10

Sarkar Raj

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Well this movie was one of the most anticipated movies in bollywood for this year for many reasons.

* The Cast consists of all the Bachchans (except for Jaya Bacchan whom RGV couldnt fit in with an appropriate mafia role)
* After the agony and widespread damage caused by Ram Gopal Varrma’s AAG (stomach Eruchal in Tamil’ ,people wanted to see whether RGV and the Big B can resurrect themselves.
* plus this movie was a sequel to 2005’s Sarkar which was RGV’s tribute to ‘The Godfather’

To make sequels in Bollywood has always been a very tricky issue as the comparisons are too critical in nature with the first part.Lage Raho Munnabhai was probably the first major Hindi movie which became a major success when compared to its prequel…

If any of you guys thought that Sarkar Raj was based on another one of the Godfather series, well then u r grossly mistaken! Writers Prashant Pandey and Ram Gopal Varma have come up with a fresh,new and brilliant plot to assure the audience of 125 entertaining minutes….

I dont believe in blogging movie spoilers, so i’ll be as vague as possible….cause this movie is a must see!!

The movie mainly revolves around three characters ( The Bachchan Arena) Subash Nagre (Big B), Shankar Nagre (Abishek) and Anita Rajan (Aishwarya Rai)…Subash has full faith in his son Shankar though he finds it difficult to deal with the fact that its Shankar who is the actual ‘Sarkar’…Shankar wants what is best for Maharashtra and Anita Rajan steps in from London as a CEO of Sheperd group…her aim is to make India’s largest power plant. Anita realises Maharashtra as a potential site.Even though Subhas is against the proposition, Shankar strongly believes it is for the state’s betterment and he decides to support Anita and her project no matter what stands in their way…

When so many crores of rupees are at stake, the plant project becomes a battleground for dirty politics, deceit and corruption.I do not wish to disclose any more facts of the movie !!u should see it…..The villains are convincing and the supporting cast has small roles with clearly defined characters….The 3 Bachchans have given subtle yet strong performances and it is difficult to see who is the real Sarkar amongst them….

The Dialogues of the movie are powerful and crisp and act as the real Forte of the movie…The background score is impressive though the ‘Govinda Govinda’ chantings do tend to get annoyingly over used!!

RGV gets full marks for his direction…the editing is perfect as well…..even though there are no song and dance sequences the movie doesn’t bore you one bit…

The movie is self explanatory and one need not have seen Sarkar to follow Sarkar Raj…thats another plus point…

The action scenes are spectacular and more importantly ‘Very Realistic’!!! RGV clearly demonstrates that the Bullet penetrates both-the Hero and the Villain.

The first half is kinda slow but RGV constructs a proper platform to carry the movie further with ease…the second half is totally gripping and moves at a fairly quick pace…No matter what happens don’t miss the 2nd half…especially the part where the suspense of the entire plot will be revealed by Subhas Nagre….thats an amazing scene that will take all by surprise!!

Overall, a brilliant movie which i totally enjoyed !!!

VERDICT:
Sarkar Raj - will extinguish the agony caused by RGV’s AAG!!! A must see!!!
RATING: 7/10

Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na

First there was the hype surrounding producer Aamir Khan, then there was Rahman’s brilliant music album, and finally came rumours that some song lyrics were targetted at Salman, so finally when the movie was released, I sat down to it with a lot of expectations. And boy does JTYJN deliver. Abbas Tyrewala in his debut directional venture has created a simple blend of romance and humour that will definitely strike a chord with the youth.

The story revolves around two college goers and their fun gang of friends . A quick word of praise for Tyrewala in refraining from portraying a bunch of rich city kids as in Dil Chahta Hai. Here, it’s easier to identify with the lifestyle of these kids. Jai and Adithi are best friends but fall in love with each other(no surprise!) Their gang of friends and parents are able to see this, but unfortunately for these two, they don’t admit this and end up dating other people, with terrible consequences.

Imran Khan does a commendable role in his debut role as Jai Singh Rathore(alias “Rats”), a teen of rajput heritage who is sooo non-violent that he might have featured in a pacifist’s wet dream. On the other side of the character-spectrum, Genelia plays the role of Adithi(alias “Meow”) , a complete fight-a-holic. The lead pair have great chemistry together, and you couldn’t ask more from them.

While the story may not be exceptional, the real strength of the film lies in its humour. The dialogues are witty and hilarious. The director loses no opportunity in converting a sentimental scene into a comic one.(The policeman in the ending acted as the perfect embarrassment-antidote which did the job as well as Solomon Poppaya’s ‘idu daan vaida’ dialogue in the film ‘Boys’)

Then there are the scenes with misunderstanings such as when Jai and Adithi’s parents discuss their daughter “wedding proposal” while Jai thinks he is talking about his job!
Bhaloo and Bhagera - the two jolly guys who haunt Mumbai’s night clubs in cowboy costumes, the relationship between Jai’s mother and his late father (Nasruddin Shah) who talks through a portrait are really hilarious. The patchy relationship between Aditi and her talented but introverted brother Amit(played superbly by Prateik Babbar), lends some excellent emotional moments to the film. Credits must be given to Ratna Pathak Shah(Jai’s mom Savitri), for playing the role of a cool but protective. Manjari Phadnis does a good job in playing the complex role as Jai’s girlfriend. Paresh Rawal as the police inspector cracks you up.

The only dissappointment in the film for me was the climax. Yes, we all like a happy ending but the scene where the hero woos the heroine seemed to be inspired from the climax of the hollywood film ‘Love Actually’. Nevertheless, it was done cleverly enough so no complaints there!

As far as the audio is concerned, the director has done a great job in utilizing Rahman’s talents. He has distributed some songs cleverly such as “Tu Bolein” and has also ensured that the story line has not been accomodated for the music, interweaving the film and the songs flawlessly.

Overall, this is one film that is definitely worth spending an evening on. It is really light-hearted and will surely lift your spirits. With the positive word of mouth and excellent opening, Jaane Tu is all set to become a smash-hit!

SCORE - 7/10

Sa-Ro-Ja

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SAROJA impresses the viewer from first frame to the last frame.
5 minutes into the movie and one gets to notice that the presentation is chic and contemporary and the aesthetics used to convey the ticking away of time itself serves as a constant reminder of the rich visuals to follow.
There have been many films in this genre where the length of the movie is roughly equal to the length of the main plot of the storyline.
Saroja’s main USP that sets it apart from all other films in this genre is the exquisite interlacing of situational humour at unimaginably frequent intervals.
The film has a very simple storyline of the coming together of a kidnapping coup that slowly falls apart due to the acts of a bumbling set of four friends who lose their way in an attempt to reach Hyderabad to watch a cricket game live the following day, after they decide to take an unknown diversion from the main highway which is completely jammed due to a very damaging accident. (An eighteen wheeler carrying sulphuric acid topples over).
While Prakash Raj, Jayaram and Sampath essay their characters with professional ease, the four friends comprising SP Charan, Premgi Amaren, Shiva (Radio Mirchi Fame) and Vaibhav (upcoming Tollywood hero) prove to be an amazing combination of situational humourists.
Each of the four gets their fair share in providing the perfect comic relief to an otherwise tense story narration. But it is Premgi Amaren who amazes everyone with his unique style of comedy.
He has mastered the art of reeling off of a famous punchline of a hit film in the most inappropriate situation in this film that he has you in splits.
The main punchline parodied by him throughout the movie is

*
Evvalavo Pannitom…Idha Pannamaatoma (quoting Vijay from Azhagiya Tamizh Magan)….

However he draws more applause when he uses two punchlines from Sivaji

*
When the other three stop to pick up Premji who has a very bad fall in a desparate attempt to escape in a goods train, he responds with the punchline “cool” when the others approach near him to check if he is ok.
*
The one which takes the cake is when the others cry hoarse in reprimanding him for saving the kidnapped girl and bringing her along since they feel that they themselves are in a pitiable position…..Premji uses the same Rajni intonation of the Sivaji courtscene and exclaims “I was cornered. I was helpless” which draws a huge applause from the audience.

Music is definitely a plus point of the film. But I guess Music will definitely be good if the music director is inspired by such a young and energetic team wanting to make a difference to the way wholesome entertainers are conceived and presented.

Yuvan even appears in the video of the first song ‘Cheeky Cheeky’ and has shed a lot of his shyness compared to his first appearance for a song in Punnagai Poovae a few years ago.

His BGMs lend very good support to the story narration. BGM is at the heart of comedy in this film as yesteryear BGMs are reused at perfect places to induce laughter. A classic example being the introduction of the Volkswagen Caravan with the famous music of Karakattakaran Perichambazham scene.

In his only second film, Venkat Prabhu has shown variety in all departments of movie making that you certainly want to put him in the big league of directors of Tamil Cinema. He certainly deserves the title credits “A Venkat Prabhu Movie”

Venkat Prabhu’s sharp intellect is showcased by some interesting facets of movie making.

1.
A needless scene showing the actual toppling of the lorry is avoided. (saving the budget for better utilization)
2.
Keeping a lingering connection to the super duper Chennai 600028 on two counts > A slender connection to the game of cricket is maintained. > All the key characters of Chennai 600028 make a cameo appearance in the highway scene (The best one being that of ‘Subramaniyapuram Jai’. The subtle nature of humour in his part is too good to mention in this review and has to be seen to be enjoyed along with the surprise element built into it).
3.
The picturization of the road song, Dost Bada Dost, is very pleasing to the eye. Almost a powerpoint presentation feel is given to the way scenes flow. The Volkswagen caravan is used as the axis point of the next frame from which the the entire frame zooms out giving it a novel appeal.
4.
The last scene could have very well been at the venue of the cricket match where the four friends watch the match in some VIP box together with Prakash Raj and his family…..Instead Venkat chooses to end the movie with a humourous note of showing the Telugu veteran comedian (i forgot his name) losing his way by following the four heroes and ending up in Kerala instead of Hyderabad.

In my opinion it is a brilliant decision not to show even one frame involving the game of cricket although the interest in seeing the game live is the main starting point of the story narration. This ensures that there are no comparisons of this movie with Chennai 600028.

Actually one leading daily has played spoilsport in revealing the hidden aspect of a key actor’s role by interviewing him on the very element of surprise built into his role. But the movie will hardly be affected by that exposure since there are so many aspects of the script that act as its positive elements.

On the whole it is a fabulous movie that entertains the viewer from start to finish.

My verdict: 7 on 10

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