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‘Replicas’: Poorly developed and staid (IANS Review, Rating: *1/2)
By Troy Ribeiro
Film: “Replicas”; Director: Jeffrey Nachmanoff; Cast: Keanu Reeves, Alice Eve, Thomas Middleditch, John Ortiz, Emjay Anthony, Emily Alyn Lind; Rating: *1/2
Despite having a promising premise, Director Jeffrey Nachmanoff’s “Replicas”, is a big let-down.
Mounted with poorly developed, fictional, pseudo-science which deals with resurrecting the dead, “Replicas” is the tale of synthetic biologist William Foster (Keanu Reeves) who works for a stock biotech firm called Bionyne based in Puerto Rico.
Working on a methodology to transfer a dead person’s consciousness into an android casing, William’s several attempts have been futile. Realising that he is being overworked and at a dead-end professionally, he decides to spend some quality time with his family. He takes a break and travels with his wife and three children on a family vacation.
En route, their car meets with an accident on a storm-swept road and his entire family is killed. Desperate to revive them and despite not having perfected the technology he was working on, William seeks the help from his colleague Ed Whittle (Thomas Middleditch) and how he manages to bring them back to life, forms the crux of the tale.
While the director seem to focus exclusively on the plot, the nitty-gritties in various departments are lost in the on-screen translation. Here, every scene seems perfunctory, as they lack the emotional heft and thus the audience does not invest in the characters.
Case in point is during the set-up. While the dynamics between the members of the family are strong before the accident, neither the director nor the script bother to create the space to even suggest the possible emotional and psychological imbalance William would suffer, which seems very odd.
The plot seemed to propel in a very perfunctory manner. Even the ethics and morality of the subject is rehashed in repetitive dialogues between William and Ed, which is contrary to their action. What further pushes the film to its nadir, is the unwarranted twist at the very end.
The only thing that holds your attention is Keanu Reeves’ sincere efforts to sell you his emotional motivation. He anchors the film like a captain on a sinking vessel.
He is aptly supported by; Alice Eve as his wife Mona, Emily Alyn Lind as his daughter Sophie, Emjay Anthony as his son Matt, Thomas Middleditch as his colleague Ed Whittle and John Ortiz as his unscrupulous boss, Jones. They all in underwritten characters, don’t bring much gravitas to the tale.
The film is intermittently engaging but overall, as initially mentioned, is a huge disappointment.
–IANS
troy/pgh/
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.
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