MOVIE REVIEW

THE OTHER WOMAN

Director: Nick Cassavetes
Writers: Melissa Stack
Stars: Cameron Diaz, Leslie Mann, Kate Upton
Runtime: 109 min
Strength: Acting, dialogue
Weakness: Character development
Showbiz Rating: 3/5
Plot: After discovering her boyfriend is married, a woman (Cameron Diaz) tries to get her ruined life back on track. But when she accidentally meets the wife he's been cheating on (Leslie Mann), she realizes they have much in common, and her sworn enemy becomes her greatest friend. When yet another affair is discovered (Kate Upton), all three women team up to plot mutual revenge on their cheating, lying, three-timing lover.
Review: This was one funny movie! I found it hilarious! I came to a point where I couldn't breathe as I was laughing so much - a nice bit of stress relief. That's what this movie was made for – to give light hearted fun surrounding a ridiculous story. Leslie Mann was the shining star of the movie- so was Cameron Diaz (slightly less so than Mann). Kate Upton, contributed very little but will definitely be the movie's highlight for most men! Nikolaj Coaster-Waldau also stood out in her role. While "The Other Woman" raises some thoughtful questions about independence, identity and the importance of sisterhood, ultimately it would rather poop on them and then throw them through a window in hopes of the getting the big laugh.

Reviewed by Imtiaz Hossain

***

KAANCHI

Director: Subhash Ghai
Writers: Subhash Ghai
Stars: Kartik Tiwari, Mishti, Rishi Kapoor, Mithun Chakraborty
Runtime: 151 min
Strength: Storyline, music, acting
Weakness: Plot development is a bit clumsy
Showbiz Rating: 3/5
Plot: Kaanchi is a story of the inner power of a woman who represents over one million suppressed youth against injustice in the country. It is also the story of an innocent rural beauty and her fight against power.
Review: Kaanchi is about revolutions brought about by one beautiful young girl's strength and fight against injustice. Other casts of the film include Mithun Chakraborty, Rishi Kapoor, Hazel Crowney and Rishabh Sinha. Kaanchi's music is composed by Ismail Darbar, Salim-Sulaiman & Subhash Ghai. Irshad Kamil has written most of the lyrics. Mishti (Kaanchi) is a beautiful young lady from a small village who fights for justice. The love between Aaryan and Kaanchi is set against the backdrop of the 'pahadi' village. Kaanchi fights for the unjust things happening in the city, making her a youth icon. Kaanchi is an inspirational story for the women especially which will appeal to the audience for sure. The storyline is gripping, Rishi Kapoor in a negative shade is excellent and Mithun shines majestically in his role. The chemistry, love, romance between the star cast is outstanding. Kaanchi's fight for justice is worth a watch.

Reviewed by Mohammad Haque

***

RESERVOIR DOGS (1992)

Director: Quentin Tarantino
Writers: Quentin Tarantino, Roger Avary
Stars: Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen
Runtime: 99 min
Strength: Blood and guts
Weakness: None
Showbiz Rating: 5/5
Plot: After a simple jewelry heist goes terribly wrong, the surviving criminals begin to suspect that one of them is a police informant.
Review: Tarantino directs the film and writes the film in such a way that it was impossible to ignore him even if the film was only a cult hit. The dialogue is both witty at points but, more importantly, very tough and loaded with testosterone. It is the writing that makes us like these coffee shop jokers at the start before shocking us by suddenly throwing us into a backseat bloodbath. The entire job happens off camera, and only occasionally do we actually see the immediate effect of violence - usually we
get the aftermath. It is incredibly tight and very tense throughout. It is considered it to be one of the best `job gone wrong' films. It may not be original (there's a thin line between a homage and a rip off) but it is certainly effectively done. The cast are excellent and turn the hardboiled dialogue into convincing scenes. Keitel is wonderful. His character is a father figure of sorts and he is wildly out of control at times and balanced at others. Likewise Buscemi is wide-eyed and freaking out for much of the film's duration, but he does it well. Roth is more balanced but is still good for it; it is his job to carry the emotional weight of the film and he does it well. Madsen is great, maybe not the best character but wildly out of control. Tierney was a great piece of casting. Penn is good but not the best of the cast.

Reviewed by Zia Nazmul Islam