“Beware the ides of March,” warned the Soothsayer in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. While a tragedy of such terrible proportions did not befall the screen, The Daily Eye’s opening reviews for March were of films that either led to startling disappointment or a horrifying look at a vacation gone awry.

Chappie (March 13th), though an innovative idea, seemed a dragging, conceptual overkill from director Blomkamp’s earlier work with themes of sci-fi and the oppressed underdog.It was NH10 that truly gave oppression a new low, putting all arguments for social justice at bay with an unwavering look at the consequences for intervening in “family matters”. Anushka Sharma deserves every accolade coming her way for producing a daring venture and pulling off the avenging angel part.

Where one woman morphed into a femme fatale, another remained mournfully subjugate until magic rescued her. Cinderella (March 20th) is a dazzling tale come to life, with the picture-perfect effects and the bright fondant colours which would appeal to children – whether your own or your inner moppet. To end the high of the fantastical tale is Black Home, made with the best of intentions to depict the plight of the juvenile inmates in remand homes. It is a bleak, downer film for all the wrong reasons. Hunterrr would have been a better bet for the weekend, if sex comedies are up your alley.

That is when we thank the heavens for escapism, which however trashy or entertaining (depending on the sensibility of the viewer), does deliver on its purpose. At that end,Run All Night  (March 27th), though a standard Liam Neeson thriller, works for the regular viewer. Those among us who have seen the Taken trilogy among his other action-packed outings are likely to be left cold. If you cannot have enough of the genre, there is also Sean Penn’s The Gunman, if you need a change of hero.

Jackie Chan’s Dragon Blade will be a bolt from the blue in terms of action and sheer departure from story-telling. Even the most discerning of viewers will be able to sit back and let the unintended hilarity unfold at a startling, uneven pace.

It was essentially NH10 that opened March on a high note andit is Detective Byomkesh Bakshy! That might kickstart a winning streak for the film industry. Regardless, the cinegoers shall come in attendance, armed with little more than their popcorns and optimism that this here will be the outing worth the penny before another one releases.