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| (Taran Adarsh) It started with the super-successful Kannada actor-director Upendra flashing just the pictogram of a hand across the posters of his film, instead of a regular film title. Now Percept Pictures is striding the same course with the icon of a question mark for their newest offering -- ? -- a movie on 'found footage'. For those unacquainted with this variety of cinema, 'found footage' can be described as a genre of film-making, predominantly horror...more |
| (Avijit Ghosh) In times of information overload, garnering eyeballs is tough task for any experimental filmmaker. But the makers of ? appear to have hit upon a marvelously inventive idea of attracting attention. By just naming their film the way they have seems to have raised online curiosity and become possible fodder for tweets. The movie takes its basic template from the 1999 guerilla Hollywood hit, The Blair Witch Project, and it is possible to suggest other influences too...more |
| (Ankur Pathak) In the year 1999, the American studio Haxan Films financed an unusual film about three teenagers going into the woods to film a documentary. They never return, but their technical equipment is later discovered, through which the film unspools. The film, called The Blair Witch Project, inspired from a local legend, terrified American viewers like no psychological horror film had before and had a fantastic run at the box office, raking in millions compared to its miniscule budget...more |
| (Karan Anshuman) Found footage. Newbie filmmakers are still flogging this genre popularised in 1999 by The Blair Witch Project as a budget concept for their first films. "?" is so shamelessly plagiarised from BWP, that even the opening text about disappearing student filmmakers is nearly identical. Why only BWP? Obviously Paranormal Activity, the other American indie sleeper hit, also finds homage in the way the ten odd thrill moments are presented...more |
| (Shubha Shetty-Saha) Horror films might be the toughest to make. One misstep and it could end up making the audience double up with laughter instead of shivering in their pants. I must say ? has managed to stay in the right side of this thin line for most part of it. A group of seven students in their final year decide to go out of town to shoot a film. Vicky (Yaman Chatwal) is the director of the film, Varun (Varun Thakur), the cameraman, is obsessed with filming everything...more |
| (Martin D'Souza) Low budget films getting a generous nod is indeed a shift in the right direction. Newer talent gets the platform they need to help them enhance their skills and grow in the profession they have chosen. '?' is one such Endeavour which helps those who want to experiment. They have received liberal help from percept pictures. This film is about a group of seven youngsters on a trip in a remote jungle for their college assignment. All's well as they begin their project...more |
| (Gaurav Malani) No, there isn't any syntax error or typo in the title. '?' is what this film wishes to call itself. And it makes sense for everything from the cast, crew to the identity of ghost in this horror film remain unknown. But what's easily identifiable, once you know the plotline of the film, is the fact that it's an offshoot of the popular Hollywood flick The Blair Witch Project. In fact the success of that film almost created a genre of footage film which was subsequently followed...more |