Pain and Glory - Pedro Almodóvar
“There’s something so special about this film, it’s hard to pinpoint. It’s like watching life in motion. It wasn’t a thriller or a whodunnit or a mystery but it still had me arrested for the duration of his running time. The last shot of the movie is the best piece of cinematic moment I’ve seen in a while. It reminds you that this is a filmmaker telling a very personal story, a snapshot from his life.”
Little Joe - Jessica Hausner
“It’s a beautiful little film that competed at this year’s Cannes. It reminded me of Hitchcock, in many ways.”
Article 15 - Anubhav Sinha
“I think Anubhav made a really powerful film but then he added that rap at the end of it, which didn’t quite make sense. Why did Anubhav do that only he knows. Because Hindi film hai, rap to hona chahiye! Made such a good film though.”
(Read our review of Article 15 here )
Gully Boy - Zoya Akhtar
″‘Apna Time Aayega’ is such a powerful chant. I love the songs that Javed saahb (Javed Akhtar) and I love everything about this movie. I did have some problems with the screenplay - Murad (Ranveer Singh) goes and sleep with Sky (Kalki Koechlin) - and Safeena (Alia Bhatt) eventually is shown to not have a problem with it. That was the only concern in an otherwise perfect film. Can’t wait to see what Zoya makes next.”
(Read our review of Gully Boy here )
Joker - Todd Phillips
“I just absolutely loved Joaquin Phoenix’s performance. In parts, I felt the violence was a bit celebratory but overall, the film made its point quite well. I may not make a film like that but I absolutely enjoyed watching it.”