Movie Review: 21 Jump Street (English)

Story: Nothing gives two not-so-happening cops a kick of their life more than an opportunity to bust a drug racket on college campus.

Critic's Rating: 

Direction: Phil Lord and Chris Miller

Cast: Channing Tatum, Jonah Hill, Dave Franco, Brie Larson

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 1 hour 49 minutes

Avg Readers Rating: 

Movie Review: You know this one's about two cops who are all out to make high school teens say no to drugs. So you obviously know what to expect -- car chases, gun shots and swearing unlimited. But then what you really do not expect turns out to be the highpoint of 21 Jump Street. Ghosts from the past, in this case one's college life, staring right into the face. What does one do? Still remain the cool cop who has everything under control? Or think a zillion times before asking a girl out on a prom night? Can't really blame the boys - Jenko ( Channing Tatum) and Schmidt ( Jonah Hill) - for they have their share of rejections to deal with. But before that, it's some unfinished task.

21 Jump Street is the place where the men in uniform decide to do something more fruitful. And what better way to nab the drug peddlars on campus than by being a part of the campus. Once within the campus, things fall in place and the brain behind all that nefarious activities is exposed. Who is that? We don't really care for this time it's all about how the boys gel well with teens on campus... and how the boys resist all that temptation. Get your dose of haha moments from here; get your I've-been-through-that-in-college-too moments here. All this and more as Channing and Jonah actually seem to have a ball of a time. They find it too hard to follow the rules of the undercover programme. First, no sexual relations with students, no getting them drunk. But what can they do when the teachers of this high school are rather high on the libido quotient. Next is no trying out HFS (the drug) themselves. But what can they do when peer pressure is the driving force. They do it and then tounges go waggling, Peter Pan goes texty, iconic bond in the chemistry class becomes the four letter word and the rest is all laughter. Finally, no nightout for buddies when mom and dad are away. But what can they do if friends drop by. Enjoy, get drunk, get naughty and when stabbed (all that hot blooded stuff post a couple of tequilla shots), just say 'it's awesome'.

The back to school cops, Channing and Jonah, fit the campus bill with ease. Not only do they look like they belong to the Justin Bieber-Miley Cyrus looking generation and live their teenage angst all over again, but eventually do what they ought to - get all to stay away from deadly drugs.

21 Jump Street (2012) clearly says cops Jenko and Schmidt have got to revive an undercover police programme of the 1980s. Remember Johnny Depp's television series by the same name? Incidentally it ends up reviving more - laughter and teen insecurities.


Courtesy: Movie Reviews @ Times Of India

Housefull is BACK again!

Story: Everyone's chasing tycoon JD's son 'Jolly' for their daughters - but when four Jollys appear, there's a House-full of confusion! 

Critic's Rating: 

Direction: Sajid Khan

Cast: Akshay Kumar, John Abraham, Riteish Deshmukh, Shreyas Talpade, Asin, Jacqueline Fernandes, Zarine Khan, Shahzahn Padamsee, Rishi Kapoor, Randhir Kapoor, Boman Irani, Johnny Lever, Mithun Chakraborty

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 2 hours 30 minutes

Avg Readers Rating: 

Movie Review: Sajid Khan is in love - no, it's not what you're thinking. The director of 'Housefull-2' is in love with the movies - especially 1970s Bollywood, all disco-balls, leering villains and hard-chested heroes. Khan mixes this with luscious English locales, PYTs in short shorts, cheeky jokes and star power - and lo. You have 'Housefull-2' - a castle full of mischief under a midnight-blue sky, lovers, fathers, imposters and 'Prince Charles'. For those seeking Albert Einstein, step aside. For those who'd like an apple-pie comedy, all slapstick - and some slap and tickle - Housefull-2's a breeze.

Khan follows Manmohan Desai's funda - give the audience so much, so fast, they'll be too dazzled to carp. It works - most of the time. Housefull-2 opens in London with sibling rivalry between, ahem, the Kapoor brothers (Randhir and Rishi), elder Dabboo 'najayaz' but given part of his father's business, younger Chintu bitterly resentful. The resentment seeps across this house - Rishi's daughter, Heena ( Asin) and Randhir's girl, Bobbie (Jacqueline) at each other's throats. Each brother wants to marry his daughter to tycoon JD's son, 'Jolly' - Riteish who loves full-figured model 'J'Lo' (Zarine) but is too terrified to tell Daddy - Mithun Chakrabarty, striding across his English castle in a starched dhoti, a tycoon who smiles frostily only at Man Friday, Patil (a frothy Lever). 

But the Kapoors engage 'Aakhri Pasta' - Housefull-1's Indo-Italian, Chunky Pandey - still wearing skin-tight neon suits, delivering his 'I'm-a-joking!' line with creepy panache. Marriage-fixer Pasta brings an eligible match to Chintu, but playing a vinegary uncle with tang, Kapoor insults the father - with offensive 'African jokes' - landing him in hospital. His son (Talpade) swears revenge, begging buddy Jolly to romance Chintu's daughter, then break it off - but jittery Jolly drags in muscular Max (Abraham) to have him play 'Jolly', employing sleazy Sunny (Kumar) for the other brother to get the same. 

The rival Jolly-boys enjoy purani dushmani - but that's forgotten with two hot girls, a crocodile and a desert island that, like a skit in British comedy 'Little Britain', has a luxury resort behind the beach. Yet, some starvation for the clueless girls ensures love and soon, there are four pairs - and four Jollys - hotting things up. With each Punjabi Papa - and one Batuk Patel (Irani, all dimples and nasal inflexion, father of Parul, Talpade's sweetheart - Shahzahn, with more bikinis than lines) - vying for Jolly, the 'dirty dozen' reaches JD's house. But they're walking on water here. JD's got a temper, a dark secret - and a gun. 

Housefull-2 is a bag of laughs with eye-candy - Akshay in linens, Jacqueline in minis - and some crackling performances. Mithun commands with sheer presence while the climax belongs to rip-roaring Lever. Riteish plays 'helpless' with flair while a guest scene by '70s veteran Ranjeet - "From rapist to therapist" - provides a vibrant stroke of colour on this house-wall. Abraham manages the muscle-man while Malaika Arora Khan sizzles in 'Anarkali Disco Chali' - and an oomphy little scenario later. But the film belongs to Akshay Kumar who carries off a sharp suit and 'jhaari-mein-chalein' jokes with glossy aplomb. And to Sajid Khan who, despite a smorgasbord of stars, ensures one prevails - the mad storyline. The music (Sajid-Wajid) could have been punchier while some scenes sag. But with cracks like, "Aasman se gire, Khajuraho mein atke," as Akshay parachutes down on his mum-in-law, you can't complain - unless you were looking for Einstein, of course.

Courtesy: Times Of India