A review on Pakistani Animated feature length film, ‘Allahyar & the Legend of Markhor’ (2018). The Production House is 3rd World Studios while its Distributor is ARY Films.

 

+ Crew

• Written & Directed by Uzair Zaheer Khan
• Cinematography by Arooj Azam
• Edited by Muhammad Azeem
• Music by Ahmed Ali
• Produced by Usman Iqbal

 

+Note

Allahyar & the Legend of Markhor aims to shed light on the preservation and illegal hunting of wildlife, with main characters Mehru, a Markhor and Chakku, a snow leopard being endangered species.

Natasha Humera Ejaz is also a singer and a very good theatre artist where she plays a famous role of Jill in ‘Equus’ (2017) directed by Sunil Shankar. The first song released for the movie was a rendition of Zohaib Hassan’s 1982 song “Muskuraye Ja”, was sung by her.

 

+ Main Cast

1. Anum Zaidi as Allahyar
2. Natasha Humera Ejaz as Mehru
3. Ali Noor as Mani
4. Azfar Jafri as Hero
5. Abdul Nabi Jamali as Chak’ku
6. Arieb Azhar as Bablu
7. N/A as Wolf Leader

 

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+ Supporting Cast

1. N/A as Wolf #1
2. N/A as Wolf #2
3. N/A as Ranger
4. N/A as Old Monkey
5. N/A as Tourist Hunter
6. N/A as Master Ji
7. Ali Rehman Khan as Mr. Rabbit (Cameo)
8. Hareem Farooqui as Mrs. Rabbit (Cameo)

 

 + Plot

A young boy, Allahyar who one day finds himself is able to communicate with the animals and needs to take Mehru to her home for safety from the hunting poachers.

 

+ High Points

i – Good voice performances by almost entire cast.

Ii – An enjoyable comic relief character, Hero voiced by Azfar Jafri is written well for its role and hilarious in most cases.

Iii – The punch lines were often pleasant, amusing.

Iv – Good animation of the characters and the surroundings.

v – A warm welcome to the cameo voices by Ali Rehman Khan and Hareem Farooqui.

 

+ Low Points

i – Unnecessary lengthy third act of the film.

ii – This film assures us that ‘Death’ has no meaning.

iii – Even if the target audience is children, still there is no excuse to include toilet humor.

Iv – Predictable twists and turns, including its end.

v – I don’t remember listening to more than a couple of songs. Although only one I can recall properly is of ‘Muskuraye Ja’ by Natasha Humera Ejaz. But even that one was too short.

vi – Other animals are not shocked to find themselves able to communicate with Allahyar.

 

+ Overall

Allahyar & the Legend of Markhor is a good effort, to come up with a light entertaining animated film for families and kids alike.

 

Rate: 3.0 out of 5 stars

 

A review on Pakistani romantic feature length film, ‘Arth: The Destination’ aka ‘Arth 2’ (2017). The Production Houses are Cinestar and 5th Element while its Distributor is HKC Entertainment

 

+ Crew

• Written, Directed & Produced by Shaan Shahid
• Cinematography by Luke Rocheleau
• Edited by Sagheer Ahmed and Garry Madisonas
• Music by Sahir Ali Bagga
• Co-Produced by Hammad Chaudhry and Faraz Chaudhry

 

+Note

Arth is a remake of Mahesh Bhatt’s 1982 film Arth. Mahesh was interested to see his film remake by a Pakistani director and contacted Shaan. The film’s story was originally written by Mahesh Bhatt but was later adapted by Shaan Shahid.

The Production Design is done by Hashim Ali Chaudhry. The product placement is correctly handled. This is something very rare to see been done properly in a good budget Pakistani feature length film.

 

 

+ Main Cast

1. Shaan Shahid as Ali
2. Uzma Hassan as Uzma
3. Mohib Mirza as Umar
4. Humaima Malik as Humaima
5. Emu aka Imran Momina as Ali’s Best Friend

 

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+ Supportive Cast

1. N/A as Uzma’s Best Friend
2. N/A as Doctor
3. Yasir Hussain as Writer (cameo)
4. Ali Azmat as Friend (cameo)
5. Rahat Fateh Ali Khan as Himself (cameo)

 

 + Plot

A struggling musician meets a writer, whose marriage with her husband, a film director is in turmoil because of a fame actress.

 

+ High Points

i – If people remembered this film, it might be due to its songs. They (almost all of them) are very pleasing to listen to.

ii – The humor throughout the film is quite hilarious. It helped in keeping the interest level.

ii – Love the supporting role performed by Emu. He should give preference on acting career.

iii – Amusing and memorable cameos played by Yasir Hussain, Ali Azmat and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan.

iv – Art direction is nicely executed. According to film’s content, Hashim Ali Chaudhry has done a swell job.

v – The makeup & hair-styling have done justice on their part. Stars such as Shaan Shahid, Humaima Malik and Mohib Mirza looked very glamour on-screen.

 

+ Low Points

i – The first half is a complete mess. It seems as though the director is himself confused in which direction the film should be heading to. The friendship development of Ali and Uzma happens so quickly that the audience could not enjoy it. There was hardly any spark in their chemistry.

As for Umar and Humaima, their scenes were completely dull and boring.From the start, we are shown two hollow characters are in ‘Make Believe’ love. And to add up more spice, their love is so secretive at first that they can’t help it but to date openly in board daylight or to continue their lust affair in public washrooms. It was hard to enjoy watching any of the two couples.

ii – Bad Editing can ruin a respectable performed, directed or written film. This was one of the major flaws of this film.

iii – Weak writing & story telling by Shaan. Since it was adaptation, the original source material should have helped in coming up with (at least) a decent final material.

iv – Mediocre direction by Shaan Shahid. Yes, he is a great actor but not sure on his directive skills. Perhaps he needs more time to improve.

v – Humaima Malick’s only performance I ever enjoyed was in Shoaib Mansoor’s film ‘Bol’ (2011). After that, her work was executed as ‘Overacting’ and ‘Poorly Performed’. Soon she may well be labeled as ‘One Wonder Film’ actress. Her bathing scenes may be very crucial to this film. It is why it was shown at least THREE TIMES.

vi – Cinematographic shots were taken on multiple occasions, similar to how it is shown in the dream sequences or in music videos. They barely touch reality.

vii – Useless / empty role given to Mohib Mirza. A great actor is wasted in a film like Arth.

 

+ Overall

Arth – The Destination has a talented main cast, led by the always worthwhile Shaan Shahid, but this remake is muddled and curiously withdrawn.

 

Rate: 2.25 out of 5 stars

 

A review on Hollywood epic War feature length film, ‘Dunkirk’ (2017). The Production House is Syncopy Inc. while its Distributor is Warner Bros. Pictures.

 

+ Crew 

• Written, Directed & Produced by Christopher Nolan
• Cinematography by Hoyte van Hoytema
• Edited by Lee Smith
• Music by Hans Zimmer
• Co-Produced by Emma Thomas

 

+Note

It portrays the Dunkirk evacuation of the Second World War.Nolan wrote the script, told from three perspectives—land, sea, and air—with little dialogue and intended to create suspense through visuals and music. Cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema shot the film on IMAX 65 mm and 65 mm large format film stock. It made extensive use of practical effects, such as employing thousands of extras, gathering boats that had participated in the real Dunkirk evacuation, and using era-appropriate planes for the aerial sequences.

In the mid-1990s, director Christopher Nolan came upon the idea when he and his future wife Emma Thomas sailed across the English Channel in a recreation of the Dunkirk evacuation. He later decided to postpone Dunkirk until he had acquired sufficient experience directing large-scale blockbuster action films.

Dunkirk received praise for its generally realistic representation of the historical evacuation. It has been critical acclaim for Nolan’s screenplay and direction, the acting and cinematography, with some critics calling it Nolan’s best film to date, as well as one of the greatest war films ever made.

 

 

+ Main Cast

1. Fionn Whitehead as Tommy, a British Army private
2. Tom Glynn-Carney as Peter, Mr. Dawson’s son
3. Jack Lowden as Pilot Officer Collins, a Royal Air Force Spitfire pilot
4. Harry Styles as Alex, a private in the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders
5. Aneurin Barnard as “Gibson”, a French soldier masquerading as a British Army private
6. James D’Arcy as Colonel Winnant
7. Barry Keoghan as George
8. Kenneth Branagh as Commander Bolton, the pier-master during the evacuation
9. Cillian Murphy as Shivering Soldier
10. Mark Rylance as Mr. Dawson
11. Tom Hardy as Farrier, a Royal Air Force Spitfire pilot
12. Michael Caine as Fortis Leader (Voice Cameo)

 

+ Plot

Allied soldiers consisting of 400,000 men from Belgium, the British Empire & France are surrounded by the German Nazi army and have to be evacuated during a fierce battle in World War II.

 

 

+ High Points

i – We have many unfamiliar faces in the main cast including recurring star power from TDK trilogy such as Tom Hardy, Michael Caine, Cillian Murphy and Kenneth Branagh from Harry Potter film series. The unknown faces worked well with the story-line and the star power itself boasts up the list of main cast.

ii – The performances by every actor are superbly executed.

iii – The Music to create intensity of the particular scenes have been well composed, Hans Zimmer is the composer responsible for TDK trilogy and BvS: Dawn of Justice film’s music / soundtracks.

iv – Brilliant Direction yet again by the genius himself, Christopher Nolan.

v – Stunning Cinematography, visually stupendous and beautifully shot.

vi – The director played with its audience in terms of its Film & Sound Editing. There is high possibility that Dunkirk would most probably be nominated at the Oscars in these two categories at least along with Best Picture & Director.

vii – Excellent Screenplay, with very interesting story.

viii – The Visuals effects have done quite a good job, especially the bombard of the land and sea troops.

ix – Costumes and its props are almost accurate to connect realism with the audience.

 

+ Low Points

i – Disappointment to see no subcontinent or African troops’ presence, their important contribution in the fight at Dunkirk during World War II is left out.

 

+ Overall

Dunkirk is not only one of the best World War II films ever produced but also one of the finest films ever directed by Christopher Nolan.

 

Rate: 4.75 out of 5 stars

A review on Pakistani feature length film, ‘Actor in Law’ (2016). The Production House is Filmwala Pictures while its Distribution is done by Urdu 1 Pictures.

 

 

+ Crew

• Written & Directed by Nabeel Qureshi
• Co-Written & Produced by Fizza Ali Meerza
• Cinematography by Rana Kamran
• Edited by Asif Mumtaz
• Co-Produced by Medhi Ali

 
+ Note

Actor in Law is based on struggling young actor who is unable to find a lead source for a role in a film but due fortunate event, his luck changes. Its trailer already created great hype among public and media. Prior to this, Nabeel Qureshi’s debut film ‘Na Maloom Afraad’ (2014) was a super hit. Thus, everyone had great expectations with this film.

Its music is composed by Shani Arshad. Songs such as ‘Khudaya’ and ‘Dil Dancer’ are sung by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and Atif Aslam.

Most of the film is shot at Karachi, Pakistan. In 2017, Actor in Law received the Best Film award at the 16th Lux Style Awards.

 

 

+ Main Cast

1. Fahad Mustafa as Shan Mirza
2. Mehwish Hayat as Meena Screwala
3. Om Puri as Rafaqat Mirza
4. Alyy Khan as Muddasir Sultan
5. Saife Hassan as Irfan Motiwala
6. Saboor Ali as Shabana / Annie Mirza
7. Nayyar Ejaz as Lawyer
8. Talat Hussain as Judge

 

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+ Supporting Cast

1. Lubna Aslam as Shan’s mother
2. Kaizer Behram Irani as Meenu’s Mother
3. Ahson Talish as a Politician
4. Anoushay Abbasi as Meenu’s Friend
5. Saleem Mairaj as Mehboob Bhai
6. Irfan Motiwala as Fridge Man
7. Rehan Sheikh as Opposition Lawyer
8. Rashid Khawaja as Judge

 

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+ Minor Cast (Playing as themselves)

1. Mahira Khan
2. Humayun Saeed
3. Ayeza Khan
4. Annas Kashif
5. Atif Aslam
6. Ali Zafar
7. Imran Abbas
8. Nabeel Qureshi
9. Nazar Ul Hassan
10. Kaleem Ghouri

 

 
+ Plot

A young man, Shan who dreams to be a super star in film industry but his father Rafaqat disapproves it. Instead he wants his son to be lawyer, just like Rafaqat is. One day Shan happens to be at his father’s office (Court House) and people in desperation think he is an actual lawyer who might fight case for them. Now it depends on Shan whether he tells them truth and walks away or uses his theatrical expertise in bringing justice to ‘Aam Awam’ (General Public)?

 

 

+ High Points

i – I was so focused in the film, that I didn’t even notice how easily time passed by.

ii – Fahad Mustafa’s performance as Shan is a must watch!

iii – The dance sequences are entertaining to feast your eyes on.

iv – Several references are made on either celebrities, politicians or mediums which were very humorous.

v – Thank God, there is no item song, but rather good songs to enjoy yourself.

vi – The script was written splendidly and had many moments of laughter.

vii – Like always, Mehwish Hayat looked stunning and performed well.

viii – Humanyun Saeed’s minor role is really laughable as he played the role as himself.

ix – I thoroughly enjoyed the film which was for almost two hours. Not even once, I had to look at my watch for time. If these kinds of films kept coming from our film industry, then I believe in just few years we would leave Bollywood behind. Thoroughly enjoyed this director’s previous film ‘Na Maloom Afraad’ as well and now this!

 

+ Low Points

i – The story was new for the viewers, yet mostly people had already predicted the end.

ii – A very handful of songs, I should say. A couple of more, would have been sufficient.

iii – Om Puri character was ‘Empty’. He did not have much screen time, nor saw strong performance from his side.

iv – There were some movie mistakes, such as in one scene Fahad Mustafa is totally wet due to rain but in the next scene of court room he is completely dried up.

 
+ Overall

Ladies and Gentlemen, I am proud to announce that Pakistani film industry has a rising star director on our hands. And his name is Nabeel Qureshi!

 

Rate: 4.25 out of 5 stars

 

A review on Pakistani feature length film, ‘Abdullah: The Final Witness’ (2016). The Production House is Taurus Films while its Distribution is done by IMGC Distribution Club.

 

+ Crew

• Written, Directed & Produced by Hashim Nadeem
• Cinematography by Saleem Dad, Melcome and Liaqat
• Edited by Adeel Zaidi, Sheryaar and Bilal
• Music by Roger John and Sohail Keys

 

+ Note

Abdullah: The Final Witness is based on ‘Kharotabad Incident’ involved the killing of five Russian & Tajik citizens at the Kharotabad check post by the Frontier Constabulary who claimed that they were terrorists. However, footage was aired on media channels who reported that these five victims were in fact innocent civilians. The findings of Kharotabad Inquiry Report have never been made public while the case itself remains unresolved.

Just after 40 minutes, intermission came. It means that this film of 80 to 85 minutes. There were three ‘Major’ cuts at the censor board (due to the present security situation and sensitive issues in the film) before it was released for the public.

The shooting took a total of 25-30 days and it was shot mainly at Quetta; Pakistan. Abdullah: The Final Witness was selected to screen in 2015 Cannes Film Festival and said to be the 3^rd film to do so.

 

+ Main Cast

1. Hameed Sheikh as Abdullah
2. Sajid Hassan as FIA Sr. Officer
3. Imran Abbas as Abdullah’s Younger Brother
4. Sadia Khan as Zohra

 
+ Plot

It centers on Abdullah who is by profession a truck driver of a rural area. Due to ill-fated incident, he is in the custody of Pakistani Police Force as he is the final witness to ‘Kharotabad Incident’. While all this is going on, Abdullah’s younger brother is given small time period to either start earning hard cash money or see his lover Zohra to be wed off soon to some other guy.

 

+ High Points

i – We have star power of well-known celebrities i.e. Hameed Sheikh, Sajid Hassan & Imran Abbas.

ii – The main story is based on true tragic incident which is still kept hidden from the public by Pakistani govt.

iii – The performance by Hameed Sheikh & Sajid Hassan is very decent.

iv – A pleasant surprise to see a minor role performed by Abdullah Ghaznavi.

 

 

+ Low Points

i – It seemed to me that Sajid Hassan and Hameed Sheikh had entered into a 5th dimension, where they themselves did not know where they are?

Okay. I tell you in simple words. The film is very poorly executed. Actually, I won’t even call it a Pakistani Industry film …it was more like a low budget Tele-film. It is definitely NOT a cinema type of film. Suppose, if I am changing channels on TV and came across this film, then perhaps would give a few minutes to watch it just to check it out.

ii – There is no proper story here. Although it is based on a very important incident but the writer did not make it into an interesting story to tell. Since the story was not interesting. No one in the audience bothered what was happening in the film. We paid for the tickets. We watched. And then we went back home.

iii – The Balochi accent by Imran Abbas & Sadia Khan seemed forced. The acting by these two stars was mediocre especially by Imran. And as for his makeover, it indicated that soon some truck driver would take him to a private place.

iv – One of the BIGGEST flaws to the film’s downfall is that there was no character development, no emotional bond able to connect with the viewers, the characters were empty and lifeless. If this occurs in any film, no one in the audience really cares that who lives or who dies. Just like in a slasher film, no backstory is shown or introduced of the characters. Then as the film progresses, people start dying in it. And as a viewer, you just don’t care. I mean why you should?

vii – There were some dialogues between the family who were the victims of ‘Kharotabad Incident’. I could not understand which language that they were speaking though the subtitles in Urdu were provided in those scenes. Yet they were in such small fonts that before you could make out what is actually written, we are moved on to the next dialogue.

viii – The supporting plot that is of Imran Abbas’s character story with Sadia Khan’s character was hardly watchable.

ix – The film is so dull that I was sitting in a very limited audience at the cinema hall. It consisted of only 12 – 15 people whereas 2 persons walked out just after the interval.

x – I sincerely respect and admire Hameed Sheikh and his acting a lot. I wish to see him in a film where at least a good effort is given by their film crew. I paid reasonable ticket price to watch it in the cinema, but since the film was not good at all therefore I felt that I was cheated. If the ticket price was of PKR 100/-, even then I would not recommend or suggest people to watch it.

 

+ Overall

It would have been better if Abdullah: The Final Witness had come ‘Direct-to-DVD’ rather than releasing it at the cinemas. Unfortunately, it is one of ‘Those’ films.

 

 

Rate: 0.75 out of 5 stars

 

A review on Pakistani feature length film, ‘8969’ (2016). The Production House is A J Media Productions and Distributed by Play Pictures.

 

+ Crew

• Directed by Azeem Sajjad
• Cinematography by Sabahat Qamar
• Written by Azeem Sajjad
• Music by Raheel Fayyaz
• Edited by Salman Khan
• Produced by AJ Khan

 

+Note

8969 claims that it is based on true events.

 

+ Main Cast

1) Azeem Sajjad as Detective #1

2) Hussain Tiwana as Detective #2

3) Sadaf Hamid as (Undisclosed)

4) Saba Qamar as Dancer

5) Ali Jabran Khan as (Undisclosed)

 

 

+ Plot

An unknown killer is on the loose who keeps murdering young females and leaves a trademark ‘8969’ written at the crime scene. In able to solve this tough murder case, two detectives (Azeem Sajjad & Hussain Tiwana) are assigned for this job.

 

+ High Points

i – Lead performances by Azeem Sajjad & Hussain Tiwana were so-so.

ii – One or two songs are average enough to listen to.

 

+ Low Points

i – Why is it so difficult for our film makers to make a movie in our demographics setting, show how our investigation dept. really works on a case rather than making a cheap rip off from Hollywood films?

ii – Acting by almost every actor here is trash.

iii – Even if this film is based on true events, yet the story was not intriguing to watch it easily.

iv – The antagonist has heavy muscular body but gets a good beating by an average man.

v – Please contact Saba Qamar for ‘Item Songs’. Acting is just part time for her.

vi – We have two detectives in the style of ‘Good Cop & Bad Cop’. The good cop is a bit non-serious personality while his scenes usually have one song keeps playing to remind us (as if we are interested) that he is the ‘Cool’ cop. The bad cop is sober, always very, very serious. In his scenes sad theme / song is played as he is still in love with his ex-girlfriend. — All this is so unnecessary to show but what the heck, right?

 

 

+ Overall

Another crappy thriller where the director should not even bother on what 8969 feedback really is. The audience would have more unpleasant time than being entertained.

 

Rate: 1.0 out of 5 stars

 

A review on Pakistani Fantasy-Drama Feature Length Film, ‘7 Din Mohabbat In’ aka Love in 7 Days (2018). The Production Houses are Dawn Films and IMGC Global Entertainment While its Distributors are Distribution Club and B4U Motion Pictures.

 

+ Crew

• Directed by Meenu Gaur & Farjad Nabi (Matteela Films)
• Written by Fasih Bari Khan
• Cinematography by Rana Kamran
• Edited by Rizwan A.Q
• Music by Arshad Mehmood, Shuja Haider and Shani Arshad

 

+ Note

7 Din Mohabbat In is about a young man on a quest to find his true love in a crowded Karachi neighborhood. There he must overcome the obstacles, both spiritual and physical, to achieve his goals. The shoots were filmed in Karachi. Rimal Ali is a Pakistani transgender model and has done an item number in this film.

The song “Yunhi Rastay Mai” lyrics are written by Piyush Mishra while its music is composed by Shuja Haider and sung by Ali Sethi and Aima Baig.

 

+ Main Cast

1. Sheheryar Munawar as Tipu
2. Mahira Khan as Neeli
3. Javed Sheikh as Dwarka Prasad
4. Amna Ilyas as Ghazala
5. Mira Sethi as Princess Sonu

 

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+ Supporting Cast

1. Hina Dilpazeer as Tipu’s Mother
2. Aamir Qureshi as Naseer Kankatta
3. Adnan Shah Tipu as Burger Wadera
4. Beo Rana Zafar as Pino
5. Danish Maqsood as Tingu Master

 

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+ Minor Cast

1. Fareeha Jabeen as Women’s Rights Co-leader
2. Salahuddin Tunio as Mob Boss
3. Rimal Ali as Club Dancer
4. Ayesha Omer as Girl at Cafe (Cameo)
5. Imran Aslam as Goon

 

 + Plot

Tipu has accepted a challenge to find his true love in seven days and become a womanizer before he has to live his life as a slave to an evil jinn’s world for all eternity.

 

 

+ High Points

i – Mahira Khan plays as Neeli, a shy relative, childhood friend who is in love with Tipu and wants his attention on her at all times. We as audience and critics know how well Mahira performs and expect a great performance from her at least. She yet again wins audience hearts with her cute, innocent lovable character.

ii – Beo Rana Zafar as Pino performed well once more on big screen. Though her role was small but made the audiences’ laugh. Her previous praise worthy performance was in Cake (2018), in the role of a mother. Other Honorable Mentions: Amna Ilyas, Javed Sheikh, Aamir Qureshi and Danish Maqsood.

iii – Song, Yunhi Rastay Mai is the only one I enjoyed listening to.

iv – Visual effect department did an amazing work, made the scenes of jinn believable.

v – The direction of photography is beautifully shot, as expected from Rana sb. The lighting and its colors did a swell job, in giving us a visual treat.

vi – Production design and sets were of high quality.

 

 

 

+ Low Points

i – It is far worse than any super natural fantasy comic film you could come up with. It means that you should avoid it watching at all cost. Anyone with right mind would never consider watching this crap especially at big screen.

ii – The character transformation from zero to hero by just changing clothes and hairstyle. The sympathizers may disagree and argue that Tipu was gradually changing with time but that was not the case. He suddenly has ‘Balls of Steel’ while facing jinn inside his world. What I didn’t understand of this scene particularly is that, jinn lives inside the bottle and when Tipu face him inside the bottle (somehow), he has the same bottle in his hand too. Wha-? How is this possible? Maybe perhaps this is a Buffoonish comedy where logic doesn’t matter? Or maybe this is one of his (unlimited) dreams shown in the film.

iii – The film dragged so much that many times I gave serious thought to leave the cinema hall but the only reason I stayed behind was that I may not be able to give right review by watching incomplete picture.

iv – Being comic in the start, the film turns out to be a very dramatic in the end.

 

 

+ Overall

7 Din Mohabbat In is a big budgeted, high star power trash film with mediocre story, lack of genuine jokes and an abomination to your tolerance level.

 

 

Rate: 2.0 out of 5 stars