Gam-si-ja-deul (Cold Eyes)

Cold Eyes is a new take on Johnnie To's scriptwriter, Yau Nai-Hoi's 2007 crime thriller, Eye in the Sky. Although the film is impeccably stylish and sleek, I must confess that I have watched better Korean thrillers in the past. The story doesn't lack in pace, but the narrative is not structured around a layered plot, with relative paucity of pulsating thrill as expected from this genre despite the extravagant chasedowns and slick cinematography. Sol Kyung-gu plays a cop with stoic intensity, a toned down and reserved character compared to his hyper-frenzied roles in films like Peppermint Candy and Oasis. Han Hyo-joo looks pretty and delivers on a perfect pitch, playing a rookie cop wriggling between professional duty and emotional turmoil. It is Jung Woo-sung who gives the best performance in the film, exuding a sense of vicious knavery coupled with stone cold efficiency of unsympathetic and forbidding ruthlessness.

The Necessary Death of Charlie Countryman

The Necessary Death of Charlie Countryman, Frederik Bond's debut film, is an exquisite delight. A zig-zag flight of fancy into the eerie corners of exotic Romania, a gritty, genre-defying mash-up of surreal spiritualism, requited love, quirky humour and vicious violence. The chemistry between Shia LeBouf and Evan Rachel Wood is electrifying and magical, with an elemental force of mysticism. Stuck in a brooding limbo of grief and memory, trying to cope with the loss of parents, they discover each other, within and without. What really works is the spontaneous impulsiveness of the characters despite the incoherent incongruity of the narrative. From the visual intrigue of the trippy LSD ride, the story moves into violent action centering around the propulsive, Heathcliff-like underworld crime lord. Intensely ruthless and unpredictable, Mads Mikkelsen is outstanding with the chilling efficiency of a methodical terroriser and an agent of disruption. The soundtrack is arguably the best of this year, woozy, haunting and techno-classic-melodious.

The Way, Way Back

The storyline of The Way, Way Back is a predictable ride, and yet, it manages to survive the trappings of a typical coming-of-age comedy/drama, emerging a triumphant winner in the end. It is heartfelt, moving, honest and most importantly, uplifting. All the characters are sketched beautifully, dallying between exuberant profundity and poignant authencity. Comprising an enviable supporting cast of Steve Carell, Toni Collette, Allisson Janney and Maya Rudolph, the one who stands out is Sam Rockwell, with his charming wackiness and irresistible comic timing, winning hearts rather than splashing a bravado. This marks the directorial debut of the talented writer duo of Nat Faxon and Jim Rash, the ones who gave us the heartwarming George Clooney starrer, The Descendants. The soundtrack is implausibly delectable, playing the role of another riveting supporting actor in the film. One of the best feel-good entertainers of this year.

Krrish 3

We grew up in the 90s when CDs were unaffordable and cassettes reasonably costly. So we used to wait for Greatest Hits compilations of international artists rather than buying the individual albums. Papa Roshan and his gang of 5 scriptwriters have done exactly that, concoct an unoriginal tale with select scenes from all the possible superhero flicks in the last 10 years. Chacha Roshan is not far behind, engaged in a healthy competition with his brother, lifts scores from two Hollywood blockbusters. A Marvel and DC mutant, Krrish is the First World's envy and Third World's pride. Herculean in built, he suffers from chronic mask-gasms though, his facial muscles shivering and quivering everytime he puts on that damned mask. With countless ad placements in the film, you are convinced that: with great power, comes greater brand value. As a parent, if you're encouraging your kids to push retail trade of discover-the-Krrish-in-you wristbands, be warned that they might end up being a waiter or a security guard, sacrificing their lofty ambitions of medicine or engineering. Some of the dazzling special effects do manage to laboriously razzle but they're intertwined with heavy dose of 70s melodrama. Kyunki Superhero Bhi Insaan Hote Hain. Krrish Senior, after playing a precognitive computer genius in the last film, finds cures for deadly viruses and even plays God bringing back the dead to life with his light experiment mumbo-jumbo. Virologist, geneticist, physicist, computer geek - all rolled into one. A man-child multifacético, thanks to Jadoo. Kaal, the vampire robed Prof X-meets-Magneto SuperBaddie, transmutes into a junk-metal suited RoboCop with an ill-fitting baseball helmet. He leads an army of minion-mutant fashionistas, and makes a compelling case for participation in Halloween-themed ramp shows in the future. There's also another battle within the epic battle: who is hotter than the tropics? Krissh's exotic wifey who loves to booty-shake to bhajans at midnight or Desi Mystique a la Femme Fatale in black leather tights?

Wara no Tate (Shield of Straw)

Takashi Miike's latest, Shield of Straw is inadequately non-zany and adequately disappointing. It's an entertaining thriller nonetheless with the regular dose of Miike's signature styled set-piece action and large scale shootouts but not engrossing enough. Uncharacteristically sedated offering from the otherwise outre and maverick director, (perhaps) to accommodate the conventional elements of commercial filmmaking. Tatsuya Fujiwara is the most uninspiring, unmenacing, unintimidating villain in any Miike film I have laid my eyes on. Takao Osawa's retrained intensity is commendable. But the biggest gain from this film is the cinematographer, Nobuyasu Kita with literally breathtaking widescreen and overhead shots, mixing the colour gradients with perfection.