Filmmaker Tim Burton and actor Johnny Depp have collaborated on countless films. Some of their most prolific films include the touching Edward Scissorhands or the visually stunning Alice in Wonderland and the bloody Sweeney Todd. The same team is now back with another quirky, offbeat cinematic offering in the form of Dark Shadows which sees Johnny Depp try his hand at being a vampire.

Based on the1966-71 gothic horror soap opera of the same name, Dark Shadows is essentially a dark comedy which delivers in the first half and falters in the second. 

Johnny Depp stars as Barnabas Collins, a 200-year-old vampire who is buried alive by a scorned witch, Angelique Bouchard (Eva Green). When he wakes up, two centuries have passed and the world has changed significantly. It’s incredibly funny as Barnabas makes his way through the real world. And even as he’s charming, he is still a vampire, one who isn’t afraid to take human life to quench his blood thirst. Make no mistake. Barnabas Collins is nothing like Twlight’s vampires such as Edward Cullen.

Upon his return, Barnabas heads straight for the family home, the Collins Manor and is horrified to see what has become of it. We learn that Collins family was so powerful and influential (once upon a time) that the whole town is named after them.

Presumed dead, the return of Barnabas is met with skepticism by the matriarch of the Collins family, Elizabeth Collins, played superbly by Michelle Pfieffer. It’s an eccentric family with some quirky characters lingering in the household but one in need of some desperate help to save the family business.

The descendants of Barnabas Collins are perhaps just as eccentric as him. Other than Elizabeth, there is Roger Collins (Jonny Lee Miller), a greedy, deadbeat dad to David Collins (Gulliver McGrath), a small boy who sees the ghost of his mother and Carolyn Stoddard (Chloe Grace Moretz), the moody and rebellious teenage daughter of Elizabeth. Another member of the Collins family is Doctor Julia Hoffman (Helena Bonham Carter), a sarcastic live-in psychiatrist and vulnerable governess Victoria Winters (Bella Heathcote).

As the film unravels, we discover that the witch of Collinsport, Angelique Bouchard has become a huge success in the canned fish business. As a consequence, the Collins, also in the same business, are struggling.

What happens next as Barnabas and Angelique clash in the town of Collinsport… that’s essentially the film in a nutshell.

The good news is that the first half of the film is captivating. When it comes to quirky characters, there is no better actor than Johnny Depp. With films like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise behind him, it makes complete sense that Burton cast his favourite actor once more in this film. Johnny’s Barnabos is hilarious as he discovers the new world. He’s also charming even with a streak of darkness.

Michelle Pfieffer reunites with Tim Burton after Batman Returns and once again, the reunion is worth the wait. Elizabeth Collins is the most fascinating character in the film after Barnabas. What makes it oh-so-special are Michelle’s expressions that go from disdain to disgust to skepticism without losing sight of the bigger plot.
On the other hand, the other Tim Burton favourite, Helena Bonham Carter is just wasted as Dr. Julia Hoffman. Her character is appealing at first but as the film moves forward, it comes across as inadequate and ultimately useless because she leaves the plot just as quickly as she arrived.

Chloe Grace Moretz has a small role but she plays it impeccably. As the rebellious daughter, she is completely believable and is very convincing. Bella Heathcote brings vulnerability and a kind of shyness to the front that adds to the film.

The other compelling performance belongs to Eva Green who shines as the witch through her despicable acts.

Unfortunately, all this is undone in the second half which is completely dedicated to the long-standing feud between Barnabos and Angelique Bouchard as they destroy the Collins Manor and everything else. After a while, it becomes long and boring, making one just want to switch off the film.

If you’re a Johnny Depp fan, this film is a must but otherwise, skip it. It’s nothing new and fancy.

– Maheen Sabeeh
*CINEMATIC SUICIDE
**FORGETTABLE
***WATCHABLE
****COLLECTIBLE
*****AWARD-WORTHY

Ishaqzaade ***1/2
*ing: Arjun Kapoor, Parineeti Chopra, Gauhar Khan and Ratan Rathore
Directed by Habib Faisal

The movies under the Yash Raj banner are more often than not, legendary. These are evergreen movies that people don’t mind watching over and over. Recently, Yash Raj has taken to experimenting with cast and directors - experiments that don’t always work out. Habib Faisal, who debuted as director with Do Dooni Chaar starring Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Singh had an average reception, but won a Best Hindi Film National Award. His second movie, Ishaqzaade is doing tremendously well.  From the beginning, Ishaqzaade built up the right hype with raw and edgy trailers and music that piqued interest. Ishaqzaade doesn’t disappoint; the movie meets expectations and then some.

Yash Raj are once again turning to their USP, which is romance, for success. After a long break they have come back with passionate love stories and Ishaqzaade is emphasizing on this theme. The story is set in North India and how people belonging to different faiths falling in love would be received.

The story revolves around Arjun Kapoor as Parma and Parineeti Chopra as Zoya: one being Hindu, while the other belonged to a Muslim family. The chemistry between the characters is reminiscent of old Yash Raj films that are still loved by people, and Arjun and Zoya just upped the ante further. The movie did remind us of the old Yash Raj concepts but they were and are again loved by the audiences.

Ishaqzaade has the recipe for the perfect film; good songs, touching dialogues, and moving emotions. At some point the movie did start to drag, but because of the incredible story and tremendous acting, all was forgiven and the audience stayed put. The movie has captured interest across the world and is doing surprisingly well in the international market. The whole Hindu-Muslim concept is there and it t does not gloss over the issues of religious discrimination in today’s world - or the Hindu-Muslim divide in modern-day India to be specific but tackles the subject head on. This is what holds the movie together, but in no way does it seem that the film set out to offend anyone. There will be people who still find reason to be offended, but hopefully those will be few and far between.

The music is another scorer in Ishaqzaade:  Amit Trivedi gives us affable songs like ‘Ishaqzaade’, ‘Pareshan’, ‘Aafton Ke Parinde’, ‘Chokra Jawan’ and ‘Jhalla’; each of these songs became popular before film released.
The best things about the songs are that they too are grounded in reality. There is none of the romantic landscapes and dreamland that are so loosely used in Yash Raj songs. The music, like everything else in the movie, is sensible.

Often new actors are unable to fully show off their acting chops in a first movie, but Arjun Kapoor proved it that if someone has the talent and the passion, it will be seen from the start. He did unexpectedly well and stole the show, making a fantastic debut. His body language was flawless and implied a careless kind of approach to the character which was an approach that worked. His untidy look and ruggedness made the girls in the audience go crazy for him.

On the other hand one of the stars of Ladies Vs Ricky Bahl, Parineeti Chopra has set her trademark which is bold roles and she does fit well into them. In this movie she proved that she being a daring girl can also do emotional scenes which adds to her portfolio as an actress. Arjun and Parineeti carried the film on their young shoulders, and nailed it.

Gauhar Khan plays a special role in the film and she dances well. The rest of the characters help keep the pace of Ishaqzaade going. This movie is a must watch but only  if you can keep an open mind towards the subject matter.

On the whole, Ishaqzaade is a violent love story which has romance, performance of actors, popular songs, breathtaking moments which should appeal to the fans and audiences. In short, it is the complete package. There have been people who did not like the way the film ended - but once again, it’s all about perception, and keeping a broader view of things. To judge whether this holds true, you must watch Ishaqzaade yourself. Highly recommended.

– Faiz Rohani