Stories by Mohammad Kamran Jawaid

Review: Predator franchise finally finds its footing in Badlands

Badlands leads directly into a sequel — one that brings in another character from Predator lore. Published 27 Nov, 2025 06:36pm

CINEMASCOPE : PREDATORY BEHAVIOUR

Although Predator: Badlands is not built on an original premise, it is a superior, familiar story that works. Updated 27 Nov, 2025 07:09pm

Why do movies not feel like films anymore?

The magic of yesteryear's cinema seems lost amidst mountains of vaguely similar content. Published 21 Nov, 2025 03:56pm

Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein on Netflix is gorgeous — but strangely superficial

The director’s long-awaited take on Mary Shelley’s classic dazzles with scale and spectacle, yet leaves the emotional core stitched together at the seams. Published 18 Nov, 2025 12:31pm

STREAMING : STUNNING BUT SUPERFICIAL

Writer-director Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein dazzles visually but fails to create a lasting impact Published 16 Nov, 2025 05:48am

ESSAY : WHY MOVIES DON’T FEEL LIKE FILMS ANYMORE

Were movies really better in the good ol’ days compared to those made today? Published 16 Nov, 2025 05:48am

FESTIVAL: KARACHI AS THE WORLD’S STAGE

The Arts Council of Pakistan Karachi is hosting the 2nd edition of the World Culture Festival — showcasing music, theatre, dance Published 09 Nov, 2025 07:03am

STREAMING: DAMP DYNAMITE

Kathryn Bigelow’s A House of Dynamite is devoid of any spark after the first third of the film Published 09 Nov, 2025 07:03am

CINEMASCOPE : THE GOD OF MEH

Tron: Ares jumps from a one-star film to a two-and-a-half star mediocre film, if you can sit through till the half-way mark Published 02 Nov, 2025 06:38am

CINEMASCOPE : PHONE FIXATION

Black Phone 2 stands apart from formulaic horror Published 26 Oct, 2025 06:57am

Lights, camera, computation: Hollywood’s new ‘AI actress’ isn’t acting at all

Tilly Norwood, the much-hyped AI actor is just a prompt imitating humans. Published 20 Oct, 2025 06:01pm

SPOTLIGHT: THE GHOST IN THE SHELL

The hype and hysteria around the Artificial Intelligence-generated actress Tilly Norwood often obscures a critical question Published 19 Oct, 2025 08:14am

STREAMING: MURDER ON THE SEAS

Netflix’s The Woman in Cabin 10 starring Keira Knightly is a highly recommended dark thriller Published 19 Oct, 2025 08:14am

CINEMASCOPE: AUTEUR BATTLEGROUND

One Battle After Another lives on auteurist whims, where human flaws, agendas and a filmmaker’s preference overtake order Published 12 Oct, 2025 10:15am

CINEMASCOPE : UNCERTAIN FANGS

Luc Besson’s Dracula: A Love Tale is unsure of which direction it wants to take Published 05 Oct, 2025 07:10am

The Japanese Film Festival 2025 brought 8 movies to Karachi, including the whimsical Penguin Highway

Given that the Japanese consul-general said they are seeing a rise in anime's popularity in Pakistan, it made sense that 4 of the films were anime. Published 01 Oct, 2025 05:34pm

SPIKE’S LATEST HIGH

Highest 2 Lowest, a thriller starring Denzel Washington, is stylistically, cinematographically, and statement-making-wise Published 28 Sep, 2025 04:21am

RITES OF PASSAGE

The Conjuring: The Last Rites is a last film about the Warren family and an old encounter that returns with a vengeance Published 21 Sep, 2025 05:40am

STREAMING: MURDER ON THE MIND

The Thursday Murder Club ain’t Agatha Christie because the mystery here isn’t that smart Published 14 Sep, 2025 07:24am

STREAMING : SPIRALLING NIGHT

Netflix’s Night Always Comes is highly recommended for all those who have had to make a life-changing decision Published 06 Sep, 2025 04:55am