This is an AB corp movie and so we had decided to give it a week till the reviews came out. But then since we wanted to go for some movie and this show being at a convenient time we decided to take it. And we were happily surprised.
As you all know the movie is about a kid who is suffering from progeria. This is a rare medical condition which makes the body grow ten times the mental age. The child is Amitabh Bachchan (Auro) and his parents are Abhishek Bachchan (Amol) and Vidya Balan (Vidya). He has a grandmother too named Bum ;)
Before the movie starts we have the titles read out in an unusual way. Jaya Bachchan is very excited about the film it seems and reads out all the names. It is sure a different way to do it, but at some point it got on my nerves. What with the artificial excitement about announcing names of people she may not even know.
Anyway, back to the movie. The script is I would say a little mix of stuff that is needed and some that is unnecessary. The direction by R.Balki is outstanding. The emotions and the relationship of Auro with his mother and grandmother are very well portrayed. The actors have done a fantastic job. The screenplay is outstanding. I think R.Balki has done a wonderful job of creating the character named Auro. Usually when Amitabh Bachchan is on screen you cannot miss his magnetic personality. But here you just keep asking to see more of him i.e. Auro. His dialogues are very well written and very well timed. Vidya has done a good job. Abhishek was good too. The story could have done without the stress on the unusually honest politician and his messages to the public. That part seemed a little out of place as well as artificial.
The emotional scenes between Auro and his father as well as the scenes towards the end with the pheras leave you no option. However strong you maybe, you are bound to feel the tear glands overflowing.
I would say it is a definite must watch, for the performances, for the director and his brilliant handling of emotions.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Monday, November 30, 2009
De Dana Dan - Take 2
Priydarshan + Akshay Kumar + Sunil Shetty + Paresh Rawal. This equation has worked wonders in the past, so it was not so unreasonable of me to expect a little bit of fun from their latest venture. How wrong I was! Wo kahte hai na.. Jane do yar, jo bhi kahte hai.. Presented below are a fraction of the salient features of the crap that is collectively known as 'De Dana Dan'!
The problem of employment: Bollywood produces around 800 movies per year, and one would think that that would be enough to solve the unemployment problem. Apparently that one is wrong! So this movie gives screen space to everybody. But as every character is as devoid of purpose as the next one, you would never feel that one of them deserved more.
Cheapness sells (at least some think so): Thanks to Ms. Sherawat, I thought I knew what sells. The team behind DDD begs to differ. They tend to think that putting lot of cheap dialogs like dikhau mere sanskar is gonna fetch them audience.
Audience are Einsteins: The filmmakers made some generous assumptions regarding the IQ of the average moviegoer. As I mentioned, there are tons of characters, and the complextity goes up with n2. It's OK to have the element of confusion, but not to the point where one has to constantly ping 'bajuwale' with ye kaha se aaya?'
Songs: There MUSTMUSTMUST be songs. Doesn't matter if they absolutely suck in every possible way. You HAVE to put them in. At least that's what the movie tends to say.
OK, I can go on like this, but here's a thought that just came to me. I might be a lukkha, but not so lukkha as to waste any more of time writing a review for this totally worthless movie. Jitna likha kafi samzo, n dekhna hi hai to kuch aur dekho!
The problem of employment: Bollywood produces around 800 movies per year, and one would think that that would be enough to solve the unemployment problem. Apparently that one is wrong! So this movie gives screen space to everybody. But as every character is as devoid of purpose as the next one, you would never feel that one of them deserved more.
Cheapness sells (at least some think so): Thanks to Ms. Sherawat, I thought I knew what sells. The team behind DDD begs to differ. They tend to think that putting lot of cheap dialogs like dikhau mere sanskar is gonna fetch them audience.
Audience are Einsteins: The filmmakers made some generous assumptions regarding the IQ of the average moviegoer. As I mentioned, there are tons of characters, and the complextity goes up with n2. It's OK to have the element of confusion, but not to the point where one has to constantly ping 'bajuwale' with ye kaha se aaya?'
Songs: There MUSTMUSTMUST be songs. Doesn't matter if they absolutely suck in every possible way. You HAVE to put them in. At least that's what the movie tends to say.
OK, I can go on like this, but here's a thought that just came to me. I might be a lukkha, but not so lukkha as to waste any more of time writing a review for this totally worthless movie. Jitna likha kafi samzo, n dekhna hi hai to kuch aur dekho!
De dhana dhan - a disaster
You know what this movie reminded me of?
Just recently I heard of a movie, the story of which revolves around a couple who lose their memory and then they are hunted down by people who saw the movie this couple made.
This move, de dhana dhan, made me feel like tracking down the makers and bashing them dhana dhan.
It had no elements of Hera Pheri. The characters were totally new., only the actors were the same. There was no simpleton baburao who made you laugh for no rhyme or reason. There was a story, but a very complicated one. There were so many characters and plots that you actually forgot some characters when they were not part of an ongoing scene.
It just felt as if the director was given a bunch of actors to employ and he had to create a movie with those people.
I didn't even feel like appreciating the acting and comic skills of the actors. The whole movie just made me keep yawning and looking around to see how the audience was reacting. My point was reassured by the blank and bored stares I got back from people.
There were songs too in the movie. And they were all focussed on Katrina and Akshay. It was more about their (hardly developed) love story.It would have been better if it was a love story and not a comic confusion.
Actually the confusion was built into the movie. So much so that even the characters looked confused as to their existence. Maybe the director was directing two movies and thought they were so similar that he brought them together as one sing;e three hour movie.
Take my word, its a torture! Please don't bother!
Just recently I heard of a movie, the story of which revolves around a couple who lose their memory and then they are hunted down by people who saw the movie this couple made.
This move, de dhana dhan, made me feel like tracking down the makers and bashing them dhana dhan.
It had no elements of Hera Pheri. The characters were totally new., only the actors were the same. There was no simpleton baburao who made you laugh for no rhyme or reason. There was a story, but a very complicated one. There were so many characters and plots that you actually forgot some characters when they were not part of an ongoing scene.
It just felt as if the director was given a bunch of actors to employ and he had to create a movie with those people.
I didn't even feel like appreciating the acting and comic skills of the actors. The whole movie just made me keep yawning and looking around to see how the audience was reacting. My point was reassured by the blank and bored stares I got back from people.
There were songs too in the movie. And they were all focussed on Katrina and Akshay. It was more about their (hardly developed) love story.It would have been better if it was a love story and not a comic confusion.
Actually the confusion was built into the movie. So much so that even the characters looked confused as to their existence. Maybe the director was directing two movies and thought they were so similar that he brought them together as one sing;e three hour movie.
Take my word, its a torture! Please don't bother!
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Jail
It is a Madhur Bhandarkar movie. So you can expect a movie on some face of reality we never have seen. The name suggests its the jail this time.
The movie is a typical MB film, with a corrupt system and how a common man lands in there. His plight there and how he makes his cool with the way things are. His trials to fight the system and his failures. The end result is not always very happy.
This movie is well directed. Neil Nitin Mukesh has done a fantastic job. Throughtout the movie he hardly has any dialogues, but his eyes and his expressions speak wonders. Kudos to him for his performance. Mugdha Godse has a very small role and there is very little acting calibre that she could show off. The major part of the movie focusses on Neil and his life in the jail. Manoj Bajpai as usual has enacted his small role with power.
I liked the the scenes shot inside the jail. They seem authentic and plausible. One really feels sorry for the people in there, and that is where I think the movie gets its rewards. There are so many people in there who are innocent but have not been heard just because our judicial system is too slow, or rather moves only with the fuel called corruption.
I wouldn't say the movie is a must watch, but if you like applauding a brilliant performance, this movie is worth your time at least once.
The movie is a typical MB film, with a corrupt system and how a common man lands in there. His plight there and how he makes his cool with the way things are. His trials to fight the system and his failures. The end result is not always very happy.
This movie is well directed. Neil Nitin Mukesh has done a fantastic job. Throughtout the movie he hardly has any dialogues, but his eyes and his expressions speak wonders. Kudos to him for his performance. Mugdha Godse has a very small role and there is very little acting calibre that she could show off. The major part of the movie focusses on Neil and his life in the jail. Manoj Bajpai as usual has enacted his small role with power.
I liked the the scenes shot inside the jail. They seem authentic and plausible. One really feels sorry for the people in there, and that is where I think the movie gets its rewards. There are so many people in there who are innocent but have not been heard just because our judicial system is too slow, or rather moves only with the fuel called corruption.
I wouldn't say the movie is a must watch, but if you like applauding a brilliant performance, this movie is worth your time at least once.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Dil Bole Hadippa!
Can you believe I saw this movie!
Throughout the movie I kept saying to myself, why do you think I'm watching this movie. Why in the world am I sitting put. And the answer. Just to write a review..that's the only reason I could think of!
Its about a cricket expert Rani (Veera). Just because she is a girl she cannot play in the men's team and cannot compete with the best of the best. So, she plays disguised as a man. Fundamental question is, how is it ever possible for a gal to dress as a guy and not be made out. Anyway, considering bollywood does not stress too much on the right and wrong we move ahead. Now comes an NRI Shahid Kapur(Rohan) who does not really belive in his 'jhappiyon sa desh' and Veera shows him how our country is so beautiful. Rohan then falls head over heels in love with Rani. Now obviously she does not tell him that it is her who is playing in Rohan's team.
Now she plays very well and throughout her love Rohan does not realise that the guy playing is not Veer but Veera. Everything is going good when during the final match Rohan finds out that there is no Veer. Now his heart is broken (I wonder why?) and he tells her that women and visitors are not allowed in the men's chaning room. Okay, I would have said go and win the match yourself. But here is our bharatiya naari who is in tears now. She can see her dream fall apart. Let me ask a question here. How is her dream of being known as a famous cricketer going to be fulfilled if she is going to play guised as a man (which no one can unearth) ? Anyway, so then finally Rohan has no option but to call back his strong player because he is going to lose otherwise. Now put in the melodrama and dialogues such as 'Tumne mera istamaal kiya team mein aane ke liye, ab mein tumhara istamaal karunga jeetne ke liye".
Then the tension of who's going to win, how are they going to pull it through. But then they win, obviously. And then comes a speech which suddenly enlightens people and they accept that she had no other option but to play guised as a man.
The story is ridiculous. But if you hear and watch the songs, you'll agree with me that the story is much better! The direction I will not say was bad but there was no story. Rani's acting skills are wasted. Shahid's charm is wasted too. Sherlyn Chopra was maybe happy with her 'show your skin' even if there is no character etched for you in the film.
All in all a bad bad movie. Please don't bother!
Throughout the movie I kept saying to myself, why do you think I'm watching this movie. Why in the world am I sitting put. And the answer. Just to write a review..that's the only reason I could think of!
Its about a cricket expert Rani (Veera). Just because she is a girl she cannot play in the men's team and cannot compete with the best of the best. So, she plays disguised as a man. Fundamental question is, how is it ever possible for a gal to dress as a guy and not be made out. Anyway, considering bollywood does not stress too much on the right and wrong we move ahead. Now comes an NRI Shahid Kapur(Rohan) who does not really belive in his 'jhappiyon sa desh' and Veera shows him how our country is so beautiful. Rohan then falls head over heels in love with Rani. Now obviously she does not tell him that it is her who is playing in Rohan's team.
Now she plays very well and throughout her love Rohan does not realise that the guy playing is not Veer but Veera. Everything is going good when during the final match Rohan finds out that there is no Veer. Now his heart is broken (I wonder why?) and he tells her that women and visitors are not allowed in the men's chaning room. Okay, I would have said go and win the match yourself. But here is our bharatiya naari who is in tears now. She can see her dream fall apart. Let me ask a question here. How is her dream of being known as a famous cricketer going to be fulfilled if she is going to play guised as a man (which no one can unearth) ? Anyway, so then finally Rohan has no option but to call back his strong player because he is going to lose otherwise. Now put in the melodrama and dialogues such as 'Tumne mera istamaal kiya team mein aane ke liye, ab mein tumhara istamaal karunga jeetne ke liye".
Then the tension of who's going to win, how are they going to pull it through. But then they win, obviously. And then comes a speech which suddenly enlightens people and they accept that she had no other option but to play guised as a man.
The story is ridiculous. But if you hear and watch the songs, you'll agree with me that the story is much better! The direction I will not say was bad but there was no story. Rani's acting skills are wasted. Shahid's charm is wasted too. Sherlyn Chopra was maybe happy with her 'show your skin' even if there is no character etched for you in the film.
All in all a bad bad movie. Please don't bother!
Life Partner
I don't know why I saw this movie. Possibly because it was a Sunday afternoon and I the best I could find on TV was this movie.
There is a divorce lawyer who does not believe in marriages. He runs his business by trying to get couples apart and then grant them divorce by fighting their cases. There are two couples his friends.
One Tusshar Kapoor and Prachi Desai. An arranged-love marriage. Tusshar cannot stand up to his father's baseless rules and regulations and a girl of modern ideas Prachi cannot fight against her father in law single handed. Finally she leaves him and our lawyer 'friend' Govinda gets them a divorce.
Second couple is Fardeen who falls in love with Genelia who is a rich spoilt brat. She cannot even operate a washing machine because she thinks that is the work of a servant. Issues between these two after marriage escalate and again our lawyer 'friend' comes to their rescue and gets them a divorce.
But, the twist in the story is that now Govinda falls in love with Amrita Rao. Now he suddenly begins to believe in love and the institution of marriage. So much so that he devises a plan and gets the other broken couples to realise their mistakes and get back together.
Wow! what an impressive plot right?
Performances are too artificial. You cannot take in for a moment what each character is trying to enact. The only actor who has done what she is paid for i.e. has acted is Prachi.
I'll say, maybe I shouldn't even write a review for a movie like this, but then I'll save you people the torture of sitting through the movie.
There is a divorce lawyer who does not believe in marriages. He runs his business by trying to get couples apart and then grant them divorce by fighting their cases. There are two couples his friends.
One Tusshar Kapoor and Prachi Desai. An arranged-love marriage. Tusshar cannot stand up to his father's baseless rules and regulations and a girl of modern ideas Prachi cannot fight against her father in law single handed. Finally she leaves him and our lawyer 'friend' Govinda gets them a divorce.
Second couple is Fardeen who falls in love with Genelia who is a rich spoilt brat. She cannot even operate a washing machine because she thinks that is the work of a servant. Issues between these two after marriage escalate and again our lawyer 'friend' comes to their rescue and gets them a divorce.
But, the twist in the story is that now Govinda falls in love with Amrita Rao. Now he suddenly begins to believe in love and the institution of marriage. So much so that he devises a plan and gets the other broken couples to realise their mistakes and get back together.
Wow! what an impressive plot right?
Performances are too artificial. You cannot take in for a moment what each character is trying to enact. The only actor who has done what she is paid for i.e. has acted is Prachi.
I'll say, maybe I shouldn't even write a review for a movie like this, but then I'll save you people the torture of sitting through the movie.
Tum Mile
I wanted to see this movie only because of Soha Ali Khan because I think she is a brilliant actor. No she did not disappoint me. And surprise is that neither did Emraan Hashmi do the honors. It was the direction.
The movie is about a creative jobless man (Emraan) and his love, rich girl working in a steady business (Soha). Typical love story. Problems in the relationship. Guy does not share his frustration, thoughts. Makes Soha feel that she's just a muse for this artist Emraan. All this is the usual right? But the director tries to put all this with the backdrop of the mumbai floods.
There is a lot of to and fro between present and past. This works fine, till the climax of the floods. When the floods and the effect it ha don people is the top most on the audience's mind, you can't switch to a fight between a couple just because they have communication issues. The effects as far as the flood goes are good. They even manage to make you feel sorry for the people stuck in there and it makes you applaud the mumbaikars spirit. But alas, if there had been a little less stress on the couple issues during this I guess the movie would not have looked like a total mess.
As far as the performances go, I think both Soha and Emraan have done good. The story was simple but could have been presented better. Give it a shot for Soha. Else, let it pass.
The movie is about a creative jobless man (Emraan) and his love, rich girl working in a steady business (Soha). Typical love story. Problems in the relationship. Guy does not share his frustration, thoughts. Makes Soha feel that she's just a muse for this artist Emraan. All this is the usual right? But the director tries to put all this with the backdrop of the mumbai floods.
There is a lot of to and fro between present and past. This works fine, till the climax of the floods. When the floods and the effect it ha don people is the top most on the audience's mind, you can't switch to a fight between a couple just because they have communication issues. The effects as far as the flood goes are good. They even manage to make you feel sorry for the people stuck in there and it makes you applaud the mumbaikars spirit. But alas, if there had been a little less stress on the couple issues during this I guess the movie would not have looked like a total mess.
As far as the performances go, I think both Soha and Emraan have done good. The story was simple but could have been presented better. Give it a shot for Soha. Else, let it pass.
Monday, November 16, 2009
The exorcism of Emily Rose
I think its a gem of a thriller movie. It has its horror moments. And no its not filled with gore or a sick manhunter killing people to satisfy his craving. It has the age old spirit which holds a human in its possession.
Its about a girl named Emily Rose, who suffers the torcher of being possessed and then when given the choice to die peacefully, chooses to suffer and through her suffering prove that demons exist. That makes her a saint according to the movie. Anyway, Im not sure this movie induced me into believeing if demons really exist.
I liked the court room scenes. I liked the clash of science and pseudo scientific beliefs in a scientific and logical manner.
The performances by Laura Linney(the lawyer), Tom Wilkinson(the priest), Jennifer Carpenter (Emily Rose) are outstanding. The dialogue delivery by the lawyer is very fine. All the dialogues are very well written and executed. You might want to check out some of the nice ones here.
The direction is just perfect. It suits the mood and is capable of creating those tense moments.
The horror moments are wonderfully shot. One of my favorites is the one where Emily is lying on the floor all folded like an insect is. It was just a little short of making me scream (Okay, it is scary but I guess it takes much more to make me scream). All the moments where the spirit takes over Emily, particularly during the exorcism are very clean and don't ask you to close your eyes just to get through it. You can easily look at it, even though it may scare some people. Its very beautifully shot, it does not make you want to puke as in some scenes in Exorcism.
So, if you want to get scared this is the movie to watch.
Its about a girl named Emily Rose, who suffers the torcher of being possessed and then when given the choice to die peacefully, chooses to suffer and through her suffering prove that demons exist. That makes her a saint according to the movie. Anyway, Im not sure this movie induced me into believeing if demons really exist.
I liked the court room scenes. I liked the clash of science and pseudo scientific beliefs in a scientific and logical manner.
The performances by Laura Linney(the lawyer), Tom Wilkinson(the priest), Jennifer Carpenter (Emily Rose) are outstanding. The dialogue delivery by the lawyer is very fine. All the dialogues are very well written and executed. You might want to check out some of the nice ones here.
The direction is just perfect. It suits the mood and is capable of creating those tense moments.
The horror moments are wonderfully shot. One of my favorites is the one where Emily is lying on the floor all folded like an insect is. It was just a little short of making me scream (Okay, it is scary but I guess it takes much more to make me scream). All the moments where the spirit takes over Emily, particularly during the exorcism are very clean and don't ask you to close your eyes just to get through it. You can easily look at it, even though it may scare some people. Its very beautifully shot, it does not make you want to puke as in some scenes in Exorcism.
So, if you want to get scared this is the movie to watch.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
2012
Had great expectations from this one! Luck favored us with seats at screen 5, which is the biggest at E2 and this movie demands it. The story is as usual, I mean non-existent, but that bothered me in the least (in other words, it did not bother me at all). The special effects are so mind bogglingly awesome that I would've put up with any crap anyway. You might be aware of the theme, the end of Mayan calendar and the end days on 21 December 2012. In the movie, solar neutrinos start to heat up earth's core which also coincides with an alignment of all the planets that happens every 640,000 years. Wah! A scene seemed to suggest that dinos went extinct in the last round, but dinos actually went extinct 65 million years ago, which is 65,000,000. Anyway. Let's not go there. The movie is a must must watch if you care a teeny weeny bit about the eye candy. And just for the record, I would have preferred space ships.
On a different but not unrelated note (and this could be considered a spoiler, so you might want to stop reading), not all of the earth is destroyed. Of course the directors thought not many people would be willing to put up with such a pessimistic outcome, but many good SF stories have gone there and were well received (e.g. Childhood's End by Arthur Clark). I wonder why the movie medium does not explore it? [An inherent bias between reading public and movie going public? I don't know]. Minor earthquakes were felt in Pune the same day, I wonder if they made the movie that much real for any of us. So dude (or dudette), Run! We all have a limited amount of time in this wonderful place (n = 3yrs and 37 days approx if you go by the movie). Make the most of it! [I beleive the former statement applies for all values n takes].
Enjoy!
On a different but not unrelated note (and this could be considered a spoiler, so you might want to stop reading), not all of the earth is destroyed. Of course the directors thought not many people would be willing to put up with such a pessimistic outcome, but many good SF stories have gone there and were well received (e.g. Childhood's End by Arthur Clark). I wonder why the movie medium does not explore it? [An inherent bias between reading public and movie going public? I don't know]. Minor earthquakes were felt in Pune the same day, I wonder if they made the movie that much real for any of us. So dude (or dudette), Run! We all have a limited amount of time in this wonderful place (n = 3yrs and 37 days approx if you go by the movie). Make the most of it! [I beleive the former statement applies for all values n takes].
Enjoy!
Monday, November 2, 2009
Aladin
I have many cherished memories of Disney's Aladin, which was one of my most favorite cartoons from the legendary Disney hour. So when someone from Bollywood decided to make a movie about Aladin, I took notice. The promos had thrilled me with their fundoo special effects. So it was with great expectations that I entered E-square yesterday.
Good things first, the special effects are the best Bollywood has yet seen, and can rival what Hollywood has to offer. I am only too glad to see this level of technical mastery in our own movies. Sadly, immediately, we come to the not-so-good part, the most important of which is a lack of focus. The movie tries to be a children's movie with a lot of colors, jokes and so on; and it tries to be a non-children movie devoting a disproportionate amount of time to the love angle. The result entirely pleases neither. Too many unrelated (and inaccurate, as I pointed out to a friend) songs do not help. More action sequences, and cutting out the love angle (or at least keeping it to a minimal, or at least handling it reasonably) would have made the movie much better. I don't know if you'll like it, but I love Aladin's story so much that I just can not not like it. Maybe I should point out that it's impossible for me to write an unbiased review on a topic so close to my heart.
Enjoy!!
Good things first, the special effects are the best Bollywood has yet seen, and can rival what Hollywood has to offer. I am only too glad to see this level of technical mastery in our own movies. Sadly, immediately, we come to the not-so-good part, the most important of which is a lack of focus. The movie tries to be a children's movie with a lot of colors, jokes and so on; and it tries to be a non-children movie devoting a disproportionate amount of time to the love angle. The result entirely pleases neither. Too many unrelated (and inaccurate, as I pointed out to a friend) songs do not help. More action sequences, and cutting out the love angle (or at least keeping it to a minimal, or at least handling it reasonably) would have made the movie much better. I don't know if you'll like it, but I love Aladin's story so much that I just can not not like it. Maybe I should point out that it's impossible for me to write an unbiased review on a topic so close to my heart.
Enjoy!!
Friday, October 30, 2009
Dial M for Murder
This is a brilliant movie I came across last weekend. Its an Alfred Hitchcock movie. Needless to say, it has an ingenius plot and great performances.
Typical mysteries, start with a murder and then the detective investigating the same. Some of these type of stories, keep you guessing who the murderer is till the end. Some suggest who the murderer is, but you cannot decide the method and the motive, since these facts are concealed from the viewer till the end.
This is just what is not an AF movie. Here, all the facts are right in front of the viewer. The plot is discussed with the viewer in the loop. The execution of the plan is also shown to the viewer, without concealing anything whatsoever. What your job as a viewing detective is, it is to deduce how the murder was carried out and determine the scheming mind, not using what you know, but using all the facts placed before you on the scene of the murder.
The directions is awesome. The performances are outstanding. It is a gem of a movie and a masterpiece of direction. It is a must watch!
Typical mysteries, start with a murder and then the detective investigating the same. Some of these type of stories, keep you guessing who the murderer is till the end. Some suggest who the murderer is, but you cannot decide the method and the motive, since these facts are concealed from the viewer till the end.
This is just what is not an AF movie. Here, all the facts are right in front of the viewer. The plot is discussed with the viewer in the loop. The execution of the plan is also shown to the viewer, without concealing anything whatsoever. What your job as a viewing detective is, it is to deduce how the murder was carried out and determine the scheming mind, not using what you know, but using all the facts placed before you on the scene of the murder.
The directions is awesome. The performances are outstanding. It is a gem of a movie and a masterpiece of direction. It is a must watch!
All the best!
Earlier I thought the title suggested keep away, and if you can't then all the best! Even the title song where cars flew from here to there and everything looked like one big modelling photoshoot, suggested the same.
But, surprisingly I enjoyed the movie thoroughly.
It is a brainless comedy that revolves around two friends. One(Fardeen Khan) is the brother of a filthy rich businessman (Sanjay Dutt), whereas the other(Ajay Devgan) is a failed mechanic who wants to build his dream race car.
The plot is simple. Fardeen lies to his brother about his marriage just so that his pocket money(sounds funny right? ;) ) is doubled. Then the obvious, brother comes in suddenly. Confusions galore, some fight sequences interspersed. There are some songs in between too, that look like, different photoshoots put together as a song. The dressing and styling for all the characters is highly fashionised. It looks a promotion campaign for all the actors.
Direction wise, I'll give it a 4on5. Its difficult to keep the audience glued for two hours on a brainless comic ride. The comic timing of all the actors is good. Their performances are satisfactory. I'd say, its worth a one time watch!
But, surprisingly I enjoyed the movie thoroughly.
It is a brainless comedy that revolves around two friends. One(Fardeen Khan) is the brother of a filthy rich businessman (Sanjay Dutt), whereas the other(Ajay Devgan) is a failed mechanic who wants to build his dream race car.
The plot is simple. Fardeen lies to his brother about his marriage just so that his pocket money(sounds funny right? ;) ) is doubled. Then the obvious, brother comes in suddenly. Confusions galore, some fight sequences interspersed. There are some songs in between too, that look like, different photoshoots put together as a song. The dressing and styling for all the characters is highly fashionised. It looks a promotion campaign for all the actors.
Direction wise, I'll give it a 4on5. Its difficult to keep the audience glued for two hours on a brainless comic ride. The comic timing of all the actors is good. Their performances are satisfactory. I'd say, its worth a one time watch!
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Main aur Mrs. Khanna
Sohail Khan production. This is what is written so prominently as the tag line of the movie. Do they think this will encourage movie goers to steer themselves to the screen showing this movie? The only ones to profit are theatres who have sofa-like-comfortable seats. Why? Because the movie is a good and effective sleeping pill.
I have never seen a movie made as chilidishly as this one. The direction is not good. The story is a typical bollywood masala movie script. Yes, typical bollywood stories also do well (take for example Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam) only if the story is well told, told in some sort of a different manner. Here, the story unfolds so differently that it is so hard to forsee what's going to happen next (ofcourse this is sarcastic!).
Sohail Khan tries to add in a few comic punches, but the timing is bad. Salman is not as bad. He does well. Only complaint is his hairstyle in the film. Kareena, well she's as usual, bigger than life aura around her. Everyone running around her. Preity and her role as a seductress is a waste, she does not even come close to being able to seduce anyone.
There are so many mistakes in the movie. We spotted around five in fifteen minutes itself. No one of my friend could not take in more than 5 minutes of the movie before he slept off happily.
I suggest, please don't bother!
I have never seen a movie made as chilidishly as this one. The direction is not good. The story is a typical bollywood masala movie script. Yes, typical bollywood stories also do well (take for example Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam) only if the story is well told, told in some sort of a different manner. Here, the story unfolds so differently that it is so hard to forsee what's going to happen next (ofcourse this is sarcastic!).
Sohail Khan tries to add in a few comic punches, but the timing is bad. Salman is not as bad. He does well. Only complaint is his hairstyle in the film. Kareena, well she's as usual, bigger than life aura around her. Everyone running around her. Preity and her role as a seductress is a waste, she does not even come close to being able to seduce anyone.
There are so many mistakes in the movie. We spotted around five in fifteen minutes itself. No one of my friend could not take in more than 5 minutes of the movie before he slept off happily.
I suggest, please don't bother!
Monday, October 19, 2009
Bolt
Its an animated movie. Its cute. It has a cute puppy(named Bolt)...and a cuter humpster (named Rhino).
The movie has a good story and I could repeat 'cute' umpteen times, but it will still be cuter!
The way the story unwinds is good. It keeps your interest till the end.
But, the parts I loved the most were:
1. When bolt realises that what he believed to be his real life, was in fact his reel life. The realisation is part is fantastic! He has never even seen blood...and hunger is also new to him.
2. The part where the cat (named Mittens) teaches Bolt, how dogs live is awesome! You can map that to your life too. Everyone feels that one knows themselves the best. However, it is always someone else who tells you your true reflection from the false.
3. The humpster..Rhino. He's the best. He lives in a world where his hero (Bolt) rules. It is so difficult to get him out, since he truly believes in Bolt. His expressions, dialogues are outstanding! He's such a small creature and his dreams so huge! Its real right? We all dream big..and that's the way it should be.
4. There is one scene, where this tiny creature, Rhino is laughing a deadly 'evil laugh'. And they portray the same sound as a human hears it..its just a rat nibbling on something. True isn't it? :)
Guys, you have to watch this movie. Its a must must must watch!
The movie has a good story and I could repeat 'cute' umpteen times, but it will still be cuter!
The way the story unwinds is good. It keeps your interest till the end.
But, the parts I loved the most were:
1. When bolt realises that what he believed to be his real life, was in fact his reel life. The realisation is part is fantastic! He has never even seen blood...and hunger is also new to him.
2. The part where the cat (named Mittens) teaches Bolt, how dogs live is awesome! You can map that to your life too. Everyone feels that one knows themselves the best. However, it is always someone else who tells you your true reflection from the false.
3. The humpster..Rhino. He's the best. He lives in a world where his hero (Bolt) rules. It is so difficult to get him out, since he truly believes in Bolt. His expressions, dialogues are outstanding! He's such a small creature and his dreams so huge! Its real right? We all dream big..and that's the way it should be.
4. There is one scene, where this tiny creature, Rhino is laughing a deadly 'evil laugh'. And they portray the same sound as a human hears it..its just a rat nibbling on something. True isn't it? :)
Guys, you have to watch this movie. Its a must must must watch!
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Wanted - Against
No, the promos aired on TV didn't attract me. No, not even the songs with their no(n)sense choreography.
However, the company of a precious friend made me book tickets to a show for Wanted.
It stars Salman Khan and Ayesha Takia and is a movie directed by Prabhudeva. Now I don't know whether Prabhudeva is going to sleep peacefully after seeing what he has made, but nevertheless I suggest you go for the movie in case you want to fall asleep ;)
It starts with a typical bollywood fight scene, hero is so strong that he makes villains fly around. There is dust, noise, punches and Salman Khan. It is those movies where, the hero is the pivot and everything just revolves around him. The actress is just there to add some oomph, which sadly in this case is a wasted trial by Ayesha. The villain and his expressions are the only things you could possibly bear throughout the movie. Mahesh Manjrekar has acted well as a corrupt cop. Salman Khan as usual overdoes his part and hogs all the attention (undue may I add) which all his fans so shower on him.
As for the story, there isn't any. The action is highly exaggerated and the dialogues are well, I laughed at them. I'm not sure if I laughed at them, since I was bored to death or they genuinely tickled my funny bone. They were witty, I think.
I don't think there is any need to mention direction, since there seriously isn't any direction in which the movie proceeds. Its just hero blows villains, which heroine merrily brings along with her.
My advice, please don't bother!
However, the company of a precious friend made me book tickets to a show for Wanted.
It stars Salman Khan and Ayesha Takia and is a movie directed by Prabhudeva. Now I don't know whether Prabhudeva is going to sleep peacefully after seeing what he has made, but nevertheless I suggest you go for the movie in case you want to fall asleep ;)
It starts with a typical bollywood fight scene, hero is so strong that he makes villains fly around. There is dust, noise, punches and Salman Khan. It is those movies where, the hero is the pivot and everything just revolves around him. The actress is just there to add some oomph, which sadly in this case is a wasted trial by Ayesha. The villain and his expressions are the only things you could possibly bear throughout the movie. Mahesh Manjrekar has acted well as a corrupt cop. Salman Khan as usual overdoes his part and hogs all the attention (undue may I add) which all his fans so shower on him.
As for the story, there isn't any. The action is highly exaggerated and the dialogues are well, I laughed at them. I'm not sure if I laughed at them, since I was bored to death or they genuinely tickled my funny bone. They were witty, I think.
I don't think there is any need to mention direction, since there seriously isn't any direction in which the movie proceeds. Its just hero blows villains, which heroine merrily brings along with her.
My advice, please don't bother!
Monday, October 12, 2009
Wanted
I wanted to watch Wanted since I first saw the trailer. The chance came over the weekend. The key is to go with correct expectations (watch trailer for an initializer). If you do that correctly, you will absolutely enjoy the movie. If not, chances are you will feel sleepy. This is kind of flick that made Bollywood famous. One hero, kicking butt, and with story patched on him for no apparent reason. Did I say I am a diehard fan of this kind? I am. Bollywood is throwing too much subtlety, gray shades and other complex stuff at me these days. Can't I have something simple? If you feel the same, Wanted is for you.
Enjoy!!
P.S. I recently got my hands upon Pokkiri, the Tamil original. Bwuhahaha...
Enjoy!!
P.S. I recently got my hands upon Pokkiri, the Tamil original. Bwuhahaha...
Wake Up Sid
The movie is about a rich guy, who gets everything so easy and his journey towards realizing that life is not just 'eat, sleep, quit'.
You have to earn it to spend it.
The movie starts with Sid (Ranbir Kapoor) not knowing what he wanhts from life. A typical teen, who is happy with whatever he gets from life, and flows with the current. He meets new girl in the city Aisha (Konkana Sen Sharma) who is firm willed and wants to make a life for herself. Coming from a small town in Kolkatta, Mumbai (err Bombay ;) ) has always been her city of dreams. They start talking and soon gel on like friends made for each other. Aisha gets her job in a magazine she always wished to work with, under a boss who is 'her type'
Meanwhile, Sid's blissfully simple life is rudely interrupted when he fails his exams. All his friends have moved on, but he cannot. Argument with his parents, and his strict dad(Anupam Kher), who should have been stricter earlier throws him out of the house. The money source is tapped, and hence Sid has to make a living for himself. He stays with Aisha, who soon discovers that Sid's true professional interest is photography.
The story is simple and is well executed. The transformation from 'no idea what I want from life' to 'this is what I always wanted from life' is too subtle. There are a few touchy moments, which Sid shares with his mother, when she shows him his childhood snaps.
Each character is built up well and the songs and background score do their bit too. The actors are good. The story well narrated. All in all, I enjoyed the movie but there wasn't that spark which said...this is an outstanding movie. Maybe the dialogues, or maybe the subtlety in the transformation, or maybe the predictability of the story was the cause.
However, I suggest the movie is worth your time atleast once. So go and watch wake up Sid!
You have to earn it to spend it.
The movie starts with Sid (Ranbir Kapoor) not knowing what he wanhts from life. A typical teen, who is happy with whatever he gets from life, and flows with the current. He meets new girl in the city Aisha (Konkana Sen Sharma) who is firm willed and wants to make a life for herself. Coming from a small town in Kolkatta, Mumbai (err Bombay ;) ) has always been her city of dreams. They start talking and soon gel on like friends made for each other. Aisha gets her job in a magazine she always wished to work with, under a boss who is 'her type'
Meanwhile, Sid's blissfully simple life is rudely interrupted when he fails his exams. All his friends have moved on, but he cannot. Argument with his parents, and his strict dad(Anupam Kher), who should have been stricter earlier throws him out of the house. The money source is tapped, and hence Sid has to make a living for himself. He stays with Aisha, who soon discovers that Sid's true professional interest is photography.
The story is simple and is well executed. The transformation from 'no idea what I want from life' to 'this is what I always wanted from life' is too subtle. There are a few touchy moments, which Sid shares with his mother, when she shows him his childhood snaps.
Each character is built up well and the songs and background score do their bit too. The actors are good. The story well narrated. All in all, I enjoyed the movie but there wasn't that spark which said...this is an outstanding movie. Maybe the dialogues, or maybe the subtlety in the transformation, or maybe the predictability of the story was the cause.
However, I suggest the movie is worth your time atleast once. So go and watch wake up Sid!
Monday, September 28, 2009
What's your Raashee?
Watched What's your Raashee? yesterday. Again, kinda unplanned. Being an AG movie, the expectations were a bit on the higher side. We missed a few minutes of the movie (with which I have no issues) and the trailers (to which I strongly object). Google said the show begins at 12:30, my ticket said 1 O'clock, so I guess the powers that be at Rahul decided to take an average and began the show at some time in between.
The story of the movie is simple. A faaren return guy wants to marry in India, and that in a hurry, and he has recently learned that each Rashee has its own distinct characteristics, so putting his newfound knowledge in practice, he decides to meet one girl of each Rashee. The question of why an Univ. of Chicago MBA chooses to believe in astrology is not answered. But the handling is good. The movie is lengthy, like most AG flicks, more than 3.5 hrs, but I did not get bored. Little subplots are nicely integrated with the main theme. AG's acute observation of aam aadmi (so called mango people), and attention to detail (just to take one example, how two different characters from different backgrounds pick a champagne glass. A seemingly trivial thing, not at all important to the narrative, but I think that's the way to perfection). Priyanka has done justice to all the twelve different characters she plays. Even Harman is good. If you've watched his earlier movies, you'll notice how much he has improved. I think the guy has great potential, but needs to be careful of who he chooses to work with.
Overall, this is paisa vasool movie, a good timepass (thanks partly to the length :p). Again, this stands somewhere in between must watch and passe, and again having no brighter ideas for tags, I'll put it in must watch. So go and watch it and have a nice time. Just remember one thing, astro-vastro sab bakwas hai :p.
The story of the movie is simple. A faaren return guy wants to marry in India, and that in a hurry, and he has recently learned that each Rashee has its own distinct characteristics, so putting his newfound knowledge in practice, he decides to meet one girl of each Rashee. The question of why an Univ. of Chicago MBA chooses to believe in astrology is not answered. But the handling is good. The movie is lengthy, like most AG flicks, more than 3.5 hrs, but I did not get bored. Little subplots are nicely integrated with the main theme. AG's acute observation of aam aadmi (so called mango people), and attention to detail (just to take one example, how two different characters from different backgrounds pick a champagne glass. A seemingly trivial thing, not at all important to the narrative, but I think that's the way to perfection). Priyanka has done justice to all the twelve different characters she plays. Even Harman is good. If you've watched his earlier movies, you'll notice how much he has improved. I think the guy has great potential, but needs to be careful of who he chooses to work with.
Overall, this is paisa vasool movie, a good timepass (thanks partly to the length :p). Again, this stands somewhere in between must watch and passe, and again having no brighter ideas for tags, I'll put it in must watch. So go and watch it and have a nice time. Just remember one thing, astro-vastro sab bakwas hai :p.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Donnie Darko
No, I'd never heard that name before...and neither does it ring any bells. Heard of the movie from Hemant and since his previous movie choices were outstanding I gave this one too a try.
This movie is nice. Its different and there are a variety of ways the watcher can interpret the concept.
Basic theme is time travel. But its done so well, without ridiculing any beliefs/concepts and so clean is the direction that its definitely worth much more accolades. Now I don't know if anyone else had heard about the movie before. Has anyone?
As for the actors, they are good. The lead protagonist Jake Gyllenhaal, we'll call him Donnie has performed very well. At first I found his acting too sleepy, but then as the movie proceeds you realise that his performance befits his character in the movie. He has done very well in showing a slow paced progression in emotions of a troubled teenager.
The movie starts slow, but it picks up speed speedily and then keeps you guessing till then end. And when the end comes, you are left clueless as to what it meant, what was it! And that's when you make your own interpretation of the movie. So I suggest a must watch!
My interpretation follows from here. I suggest you don't read it until when you have seen the movie and formed your own.
What I made of the movie is that, the whole movie was Donnie's dream. He knew he is afraid of being alone. And hence he made his own fictional character calledCharlie Frank. Or even better the whole movie was like a glimpse he saw of his life as he wanted it to be, just before he died. If anyone thinks differently please feel free to write :)
After you are done with your reasonings, you have to read this. There's a bit too much explanation and I found it confusing too. But, the article tells me that the concept of the movie is not as simple as I thought it is but rather a complicated one with time loops and stuff. Do read.
This movie is nice. Its different and there are a variety of ways the watcher can interpret the concept.
Basic theme is time travel. But its done so well, without ridiculing any beliefs/concepts and so clean is the direction that its definitely worth much more accolades. Now I don't know if anyone else had heard about the movie before. Has anyone?
As for the actors, they are good. The lead protagonist Jake Gyllenhaal, we'll call him Donnie has performed very well. At first I found his acting too sleepy, but then as the movie proceeds you realise that his performance befits his character in the movie. He has done very well in showing a slow paced progression in emotions of a troubled teenager.
The movie starts slow, but it picks up speed speedily and then keeps you guessing till then end. And when the end comes, you are left clueless as to what it meant, what was it! And that's when you make your own interpretation of the movie. So I suggest a must watch!
My interpretation follows from here. I suggest you don't read it until when you have seen the movie and formed your own.
What I made of the movie is that, the whole movie was Donnie's dream. He knew he is afraid of being alone. And hence he made his own fictional character called
After you are done with your reasonings, you have to read this. There's a bit too much explanation and I found it confusing too. But, the article tells me that the concept of the movie is not as simple as I thought it is but rather a complicated one with time loops and stuff. Do read.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Up up and above...
That's precisely what happens in this movie. If you don't want spoilers don't click the link. Ok, the movie we're talking about here is UP. Its an animated entertainer. The 3D effects add to it.
Yes, people might say its a kiddie's watch, but I beg to differ. It does tickle your funny bone, no matter your age. Its cute and sweet and kiddish and funny and enjoyable.
The movie theme is simple, just tells you to go and chase your wildest dreams once in your lifetime and no its never too late to do so. The small kid is fun with his 'ohh so smart of me' dialogues. The old guy is much more fun with his 'yes, I know you think you're smart' dialogues.
And the dogs doing all weird stuff is fun to watch. Throughout the movie imaginations runs wild and the scenic beauty is just too beautiful! Pay attention to the mild rainbow that just shows up when you first see the waterfall. Its breathtaking!
I wouldn't want to write more, that's because then I would put in spoilers, which I don't want to.
So all I can say is, go and enjoy the movie. I bet one time is not enough, you would surely want to watch it again :)
Yes, people might say its a kiddie's watch, but I beg to differ. It does tickle your funny bone, no matter your age. Its cute and sweet and kiddish and funny and enjoyable.
The movie theme is simple, just tells you to go and chase your wildest dreams once in your lifetime and no its never too late to do so. The small kid is fun with his 'ohh so smart of me' dialogues. The old guy is much more fun with his 'yes, I know you think you're smart' dialogues.
And the dogs doing all weird stuff is fun to watch. Throughout the movie imaginations runs wild and the scenic beauty is just too beautiful! Pay attention to the mild rainbow that just shows up when you first see the waterfall. Its breathtaking!
I wouldn't want to write more, that's because then I would put in spoilers, which I don't want to.
So all I can say is, go and enjoy the movie. I bet one time is not enough, you would surely want to watch it again :)
Monday, September 21, 2009
Enigma
As the name suggests, the movie plot is truly brilliantly inexplicable. The story revolves around a young cryptanalyst who is trying to decrypt German codes as well as the mystery surrounding the woman he loves.
It is fascinating to see the machine called 'enigma' used to decrypt intercepted messages. You put in the settings and then press the same letter twice but each time it outputs a different character. Nice, I loved it!
I also liked the mystery girl and her involvement in the whole plot, though she wasn't present physically throughout. The puzzle as to what the motive for a traitor could be and the journey towards discovering the traitor is built up well.
The movie also throws some light on the unfortunate 'Katyn Massacre' wherein thousands of Polish officers were murdered, and the government denied the mass murders.
I also liked the way the appalling state of the male protagonist is portrayed, when his lady love leaves him, since he denies discussing government secrets with her.
I recommend a must watch just for directorial and story telling intelligence.
It is fascinating to see the machine called 'enigma' used to decrypt intercepted messages. You put in the settings and then press the same letter twice but each time it outputs a different character. Nice, I loved it!
I also liked the mystery girl and her involvement in the whole plot, though she wasn't present physically throughout. The puzzle as to what the motive for a traitor could be and the journey towards discovering the traitor is built up well.
The movie also throws some light on the unfortunate 'Katyn Massacre' wherein thousands of Polish officers were murdered, and the government denied the mass murders.
I also liked the way the appalling state of the male protagonist is portrayed, when his lady love leaves him, since he denies discussing government secrets with her.
I recommend a must watch just for directorial and story telling intelligence.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Race To Witch Mountain
**Warning, there are spoilers if you intend to watch the movie.
This is another alien movie I watched over the weekend. And after watching District 9, this movie just falls flat on its face. Okay, aliens don't need to look like insects with antennas etc., they could look human is what this movie suggests.
Aliens can no more survive on their planet because of the atmospheric changes there, and so they are looking for a new habitat. Of course earth is their favorite choice, but these two child aliens know how it is so wrong to invade another's land. So they come looking for something that would prove to the aliens how life on their planet can be sustained.
They come to earth and are helped by a taxi driver "The Rock" and a astrophysicist "Carla Gugino". The script is very weak and hence fails to utilize acting talent. The special effects are also way too normal and fails to create a must watch movie. The direction is not bad and the screenplay is fine too. There is a government official too that is chasing the aliens as they are a must have biological experiment. There is so much confusion and so many people and so many missions that you fail to understand why they were all made part of one small movie like this.
My suggestion is there is nothing to watch, except if you just want a nice airconditioned seat ;)
This is another alien movie I watched over the weekend. And after watching District 9, this movie just falls flat on its face. Okay, aliens don't need to look like insects with antennas etc., they could look human is what this movie suggests.
Aliens can no more survive on their planet because of the atmospheric changes there, and so they are looking for a new habitat. Of course earth is their favorite choice, but these two child aliens know how it is so wrong to invade another's land. So they come looking for something that would prove to the aliens how life on their planet can be sustained.
They come to earth and are helped by a taxi driver "The Rock" and a astrophysicist "Carla Gugino". The script is very weak and hence fails to utilize acting talent. The special effects are also way too normal and fails to create a must watch movie. The direction is not bad and the screenplay is fine too. There is a government official too that is chasing the aliens as they are a must have biological experiment. There is so much confusion and so many people and so many missions that you fail to understand why they were all made part of one small movie like this.
My suggestion is there is nothing to watch, except if you just want a nice airconditioned seat ;)
Another mushy romantic movie
I watched P.S.I Love You just because I had seen books with the same name, supposedly based on the movie. And I had seen so many of them so too often, that I somehow felt the movie is a must watch!
The movie starts by showing how inseparable Hillary Swank(Holly) and Gerard Butler(Gerry) are. One moment they are swearing at each other and the next they are in each others arms. But then suddenly Holly's world is devastated. She is left alone. Gerry is no more. This feeling is the remaining part of the movie.
The movie moved me...as it showed how one can love someone so truly that he could anticipate her every move even after he was dead. The movie also tries to portray how one feels when someone loses their most valued possession.
The funniest thing I remember is when Holly is trying to find a profession she likes. her options display the likes of 'vampire slayer' which is hilarious.
The screenplay with past and present intermingled is good. All other characters play their part well. I liked the part where Holly's mother tries and tells her how she felt when she lost her husband. The only thing the movie portrays is that life moves on even if we don't. Its upto us to move against the current or with it.
The movie is good, but it hardly comes close to pinching your tear glands. It just passes by without leaving much of an impact. So I would recommend a one time watch for someone who enjoys romantic movies. Others don't waste your time.
The movie starts by showing how inseparable Hillary Swank(Holly) and Gerard Butler(Gerry) are. One moment they are swearing at each other and the next they are in each others arms. But then suddenly Holly's world is devastated. She is left alone. Gerry is no more. This feeling is the remaining part of the movie.
The movie moved me...as it showed how one can love someone so truly that he could anticipate her every move even after he was dead. The movie also tries to portray how one feels when someone loses their most valued possession.
The funniest thing I remember is when Holly is trying to find a profession she likes. her options display the likes of 'vampire slayer' which is hilarious.
The screenplay with past and present intermingled is good. All other characters play their part well. I liked the part where Holly's mother tries and tells her how she felt when she lost her husband. The only thing the movie portrays is that life moves on even if we don't. Its upto us to move against the current or with it.
The movie is good, but it hardly comes close to pinching your tear glands. It just passes by without leaving much of an impact. So I would recommend a one time watch for someone who enjoys romantic movies. Others don't waste your time.
The Game Plan
This movie stars 'The Rock' and Maddison Petis. Maddison Petis as peyton plays a wonderful job of a daughter in serach of love oh her father. She's cute, and witty and intelligent and smart and uses her head to think not only for herself but for everyone's well being.
This movie is nothing out of the world. It has a character who is very self centered, so much so that his wife abandons him and doesn't even inform him that he has a daughter. All he knows is his game, his championship and his workouts. All he thinks about is his image and how he could use this image to earn money and fame. All's going well when suddenly out of nowhere his daughter pops out and he is forced to look after her. The the usual daughter troubles father and father still succumbs to daughter's please etc are good to see. Especially when the daughter is so cute and enacts her role very well.
The movie has a happy ending when the father realises how he cannot live without his daughter and all of a sudden he realises how selfish he has been over the years.
This story is a bit too predictive and has forced moments of laughter and the art of balle dancing pushed in for no rhyme or reason. However it can make an enjoyable family viewing.
This movie is nothing out of the world. It has a character who is very self centered, so much so that his wife abandons him and doesn't even inform him that he has a daughter. All he knows is his game, his championship and his workouts. All he thinks about is his image and how he could use this image to earn money and fame. All's going well when suddenly out of nowhere his daughter pops out and he is forced to look after her. The the usual daughter troubles father and father still succumbs to daughter's please etc are good to see. Especially when the daughter is so cute and enacts her role very well.
The movie has a happy ending when the father realises how he cannot live without his daughter and all of a sudden he realises how selfish he has been over the years.
This story is a bit too predictive and has forced moments of laughter and the art of balle dancing pushed in for no rhyme or reason. However it can make an enjoyable family viewing.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Not just another Alien movie
Aliens are humans. Watched District 9 yesterday. Thanks to Vodafone Tuesday, we had to pay for only three tickets, for six people. For one thing, this movie does not have aliens wanting to conquer earth, but aliens accidentally trapped here. They are pretty human like too, I mean, they manage to survive in Earth's atmosphere without special suits, they have similar body structure to that of humans (though all are size 0, thanks to Rabbitt for pointing out), even red blood. Hell, they even understand English. They love their kids like we do, they care for their friends like we do. And they want to go home, just like we do.
And there are humans. The hero (or at least the main character) is no mahaatma , just an ordinary guy, with ordinary hopes and fears, which was a big relief. Being a Peter Jackson movie, fundoo special effects are to be expected. The cinematography is good, keeps you glued to your seats. I liked the sound effects too. And the poignant humor. We meet people betraying their own daughter, others eating alien flesh thinking they will get alien powers this way, still others hunting an innocent man like a dog. As I said, sometimes, Humans are aliens.
And there are humans. The hero (or at least the main character) is no mahaatma , just an ordinary guy, with ordinary hopes and fears, which was a big relief. Being a Peter Jackson movie, fundoo special effects are to be expected. The cinematography is good, keeps you glued to your seats. I liked the sound effects too. And the poignant humor. We meet people betraying their own daughter, others eating alien flesh thinking they will get alien powers this way, still others hunting an innocent man like a dog. As I said, sometimes, Humans are aliens.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Y.M.I - Why do I exist if I make no change?
Yes, that's precisely what I felt. Why do I exist if I cannot make a change, if I cannot try and improve the current state the country is in? And the movie gives hope, hope that good exists, hope that we are progressing in our beliefs, hope that we will remove the biases and prejudices of caste and creed and live together harmoniously.
And after watching a gem of a movie like this one, it seems bollyworld isn't dead after all.
It has all hard hitting facts. And yes they hit you hard in the face. These are the facts you have all seen and/or experienced at one time or another. Do we believe in goodness? No, we believe in doing unto others what they have done to us. But this movie teaches differently.
It starts with a very funny and cleverly told story which says "You know why I believe God exists? I have proof because I went to India. There is so much hatred there. A hindu hates a muslim and the muslim hates a hindu. A car driver hates an autorickshaw wallah. A person residing in a state hates people who have come from a different state. Now when there is so much hatred, but yet the country is progressing...it has to be God who is working this wonder!" This gives you a gist of the movie right. Yes, that's precisely what the movie hits at.
Every aspect is very well portrayed. All the characters are well built and they have enacted their roles extremely well. Credit goes to the director for the same. There are a couple of parallel running stories that seem to be independent. But all the threads reach a common point. It is a story of one day in the life of Mumbai.
The dialogues are very precise and to the point and have an everlasting effect on your mind. Consider these "Bura majhab nahi hota, insaan hota hai", "Jisne is daur ke insaan ko paida kiya hai, wo mere bhi khuda ho, manjoor nahi".
Every story has a different issue associated with it. Just because a person residing in a different region in the same country, migrates to another region in the same country doesn't give anyone the right to ridicule him. The country is one. Every Indian is at home whether he resides in Maharashtra or Bihar. Being rich does not give you the power to buy another individual's self respect. Neither does it give you the right to ridicule someone poorer than you. Being poor doesn't label you as a thief. Similarly being a muslim doesn't label you as a terrorist.
It is because we play the blame game, that we never really look at our own faults.
Why is it that we have failed to trust anyone these days? It is only because of some few selfish individuals who have planted seeds of hatred in the heart of the innocent that the country has to come to a state where we cannot trust even our own parents.
The movie has a happy ending, and it is very much needed because it gives us a hope that the current state is about to change.
I recommend a must watch! It is a serious movie, but it leaves you all charged up and looking forward to a bright future for the country!
And after watching a gem of a movie like this one, it seems bollyworld isn't dead after all.
It has all hard hitting facts. And yes they hit you hard in the face. These are the facts you have all seen and/or experienced at one time or another. Do we believe in goodness? No, we believe in doing unto others what they have done to us. But this movie teaches differently.
It starts with a very funny and cleverly told story which says "You know why I believe God exists? I have proof because I went to India. There is so much hatred there. A hindu hates a muslim and the muslim hates a hindu. A car driver hates an autorickshaw wallah. A person residing in a state hates people who have come from a different state. Now when there is so much hatred, but yet the country is progressing...it has to be God who is working this wonder!" This gives you a gist of the movie right. Yes, that's precisely what the movie hits at.
Every aspect is very well portrayed. All the characters are well built and they have enacted their roles extremely well. Credit goes to the director for the same. There are a couple of parallel running stories that seem to be independent. But all the threads reach a common point. It is a story of one day in the life of Mumbai.
The dialogues are very precise and to the point and have an everlasting effect on your mind. Consider these "Bura majhab nahi hota, insaan hota hai", "Jisne is daur ke insaan ko paida kiya hai, wo mere bhi khuda ho, manjoor nahi".
Every story has a different issue associated with it. Just because a person residing in a different region in the same country, migrates to another region in the same country doesn't give anyone the right to ridicule him. The country is one. Every Indian is at home whether he resides in Maharashtra or Bihar. Being rich does not give you the power to buy another individual's self respect. Neither does it give you the right to ridicule someone poorer than you. Being poor doesn't label you as a thief. Similarly being a muslim doesn't label you as a terrorist.
It is because we play the blame game, that we never really look at our own faults.
Why is it that we have failed to trust anyone these days? It is only because of some few selfish individuals who have planted seeds of hatred in the heart of the innocent that the country has to come to a state where we cannot trust even our own parents.
The movie has a happy ending, and it is very much needed because it gives us a hope that the current state is about to change.
I recommend a must watch! It is a serious movie, but it leaves you all charged up and looking forward to a bright future for the country!
Saturday, September 5, 2009
A walk in the clouds
This is a nice, simple love story. Anyone who likes romantic stories with happy endings will surely enjoy this movie. The script as I mentioned is fairly simple and highly predictable.
The lead pair is cute i.e. Keanu Reeves and Aitana-Sanchez Gijon. All the characters play their part well and the story unfolds clearly and enjoyably.
Though the movie is not that great, there are some parts that you will truly enjoy. I liked the part played by Alberto Aragon (Victoria's father) and the relationship between him and his daughter. It is so rough that you would hardly believe they were father and daughter. The final realisation that love and attachment need to be displayed affectionately is depicted very well. Alberto viz.,Giancarlo Giannini has played the part really well.
All in all, an okish movie.
The lead pair is cute i.e. Keanu Reeves and Aitana-Sanchez Gijon. All the characters play their part well and the story unfolds clearly and enjoyably.
Though the movie is not that great, there are some parts that you will truly enjoy. I liked the part played by Alberto Aragon (Victoria's father) and the relationship between him and his daughter. It is so rough that you would hardly believe they were father and daughter. The final realisation that love and attachment need to be displayed affectionately is depicted very well. Alberto viz.,Giancarlo Giannini has played the part really well.
All in all, an okish movie.
Cloverfield
Alien attacks are common. In Hollywood, I mean. Watched Cloverfield recently which is based on the same theme. Alien monsters (of people eating variety) attack a city, and what happens next. There is in an important variation though, you experience the movie not from the god's eye view of the director's camera, but from a survivor's camera. It might not look like much, but really makes a difference. This guy (Hud) runs, screams, jokes, panics, holding the camera on which he was documenting the party earlier that night. The movie has the look and feel of a fast paced FPS. OK, there are no guns, but it reminded me of that. The story is pretty straightforward, but it succeeds in keeping you glued to your seats. I would've liked more on Aliens though (at least where they came from). This movie falls somewhere on the line between Must Watch and Passe, more towards the latter. You'll not learn anything (or maybe you will, I did not for sure), but you'll enjoy the moments. As I currently don't have any bright ideas about a tag name that falls in between (at least not brighter than [(Must Watch + Passe)/2]), I'll put it in latter.
Enjoy!!
Enjoy!!
Friday, September 4, 2009
Following
Watched Following yesterday, which was on my list since long. It's a Christipher Nolan movie, which is another way of saying, it's different!. The narrative is non linear, not the reverse flow of Memento, but more like the pieces of a jigsaw. At first I was a bit confused, but as the movie progresses, things fall into place. It's as exciting as solving a jigsaw (or at least watching a clever solution in action). Another impressive thing is the clever use of sound. The annoying sound that follows and precedes Joker in The Dark Knight had much impressed me. Clearly Nolan has used the trick before. The tension in some scenes is conveyed wonderfully effectively using sound effects. As an end note, I suggest you keep an eye on the end titles. You'll find something there. Highly recommended!
Enjoy!!
Enjoy!!
Shadow
Yes, it is very well hyped. A blind actor as the lead protagonist. If you try to watch the movie from that perspective, you may still not find a good reason to have seen it. No, I'm not denying the fact that Nasser Khan has done justice to his role, his acting is not bad. I would place the blame on the director. The story does not build up. Its just bits and pieces put together. The major stress being, nasser can do action and comedy and romance and dance and action and sing too.
The underlying story is just left underneath. Acting talents such as Sonali Kulkarni, Sachin Khedekar are wasted. Even a single character has not been built up. A new character pops out from nowhere, and their existence is nowhere explained. The corrupt politicians daughter suddenly appears and threatens to leave the house, but were we ever shown that she exists? The director has taken the concept of "love at first sight" much too literally. The female protagonist falls in love with a mechanic after just speaking to him for less than a minute, during which he does nothing more but annoy her (and the audience) by his try at being funny.
The movie appears to have been made, just for Nasser Khan to showcase all his skills. Obviously you could display your skills in a way such that the onlookers may enjoy it too. I guess someone failed to think about the audience while churning out this movie. Even the songs and choreography (however irrelevant they may be) fail to generate some gluing agent to keep you in your seats. So, my advice 'Don't bother'
The underlying story is just left underneath. Acting talents such as Sonali Kulkarni, Sachin Khedekar are wasted. Even a single character has not been built up. A new character pops out from nowhere, and their existence is nowhere explained. The corrupt politicians daughter suddenly appears and threatens to leave the house, but were we ever shown that she exists? The director has taken the concept of "love at first sight" much too literally. The female protagonist falls in love with a mechanic after just speaking to him for less than a minute, during which he does nothing more but annoy her (and the audience) by his try at being funny.
The movie appears to have been made, just for Nasser Khan to showcase all his skills. Obviously you could display your skills in a way such that the onlookers may enjoy it too. I guess someone failed to think about the audience while churning out this movie. Even the songs and choreography (however irrelevant they may be) fail to generate some gluing agent to keep you in your seats. So, my advice 'Don't bother'
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Life is Kaminey
Kaminey was in the news since long. For one, it's a Vishal Bhardwaj movie, and his movies generally receive great critical acclaim (I remember even checking wikipedia to see what play of Shakespere's Kaminey is based on, none is the answer). The cleverly crafted promos and catchy songs (esp. Dhan te tan) had created much hype. Everybody was waiting for it, and then came H1N1 panic. Yes, a real problem was there, but it was hyped beyond proportions (thanks to our responsible media). More to the point, it caused Multiplexes to close. First for four days, then a week. Meanwhile Kaminey was released, and we're like, "multiplexes khulne do, fir jayenge". (One of my friends rode 100km to Pane Pen to watch it). Eventually the multiplexes did open, but I guess the steam had cooled by then. I would have probably missed it, or at least missed it watching in a theater, if not for Lalit and Zarin. Thanks for coming up with a pilan.
We missed the first few minutes of the movie. The most impressive thing I found was that Shahid can act and quite well too. Probably it depends much more on the director than previously imagined. Priyanka's performance is superb too. The growl in her accent does justice to the character. Other performances are good too. The story is simple, even rather trivial, but direction and cinematography set this one apart. On the whole, the narrative feels rather arbitrary, but there are these small things that make almost every scene memorable. Even simple lines like "kaife kaife log, aife aife hote hai..". And that looks exactly like life to me. It may seem arbitrary, and rather trivial on the whole, but there are those small things to make it worthwhile. A song, a book, a movie.. Like I said, Life is Kaminey. And the lesson of the movie (if there is one) is, everybody's a kamina (at some point or another). In this other sense also, Life is Kaminey. Awefome movie! Do not miss!
Enjoy!!
We missed the first few minutes of the movie. The most impressive thing I found was that Shahid can act and quite well too. Probably it depends much more on the director than previously imagined. Priyanka's performance is superb too. The growl in her accent does justice to the character. Other performances are good too. The story is simple, even rather trivial, but direction and cinematography set this one apart. On the whole, the narrative feels rather arbitrary, but there are these small things that make almost every scene memorable. Even simple lines like "kaife kaife log, aife aife hote hai..". And that looks exactly like life to me. It may seem arbitrary, and rather trivial on the whole, but there are those small things to make it worthwhile. A song, a book, a movie.. Like I said, Life is Kaminey. And the lesson of the movie (if there is one) is, everybody's a kamina (at some point or another). In this other sense also, Life is Kaminey. Awefome movie! Do not miss!
Enjoy!!
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Aa gaya tu.. (shayad tum ye kaho)
Arey Deewano,
Mujhe Pahchano,
Kaha se aaya,
Mai hu kaun..
Mujhe Pahchano,
Kaha se aaya,
Mai hu kaun..
So yes, here I am, yours truly, a movie buff since a child, not in the sense of watching every movie, but in that other sense (you try defining that :). Let me first thank Zarin for giving me the opportunity to contribute to this blog. I keep ranting about movies on my other blog too, (some of it here), now I have one more place. Yippee! I think the things I would be talking about (whenever I get my lazy a** to do that) would be quite different, owing to our different tastes (I swear by Angrez :), so you'll see diversity here. I guess that's enough for an introduction. I will close with those immortal lines from one of my all time favorites (no need to tell it's name),
Neo: I thought it wasn't real.
Morpheus: Your mind makes it real.
Morpheus: Your mind makes it real.
Enjoy!!
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Wait Until Dark
This is one gem of a movie. Is quite slow as per my likings, but since i'd heard that its a very nice movie,I held on to my patience and saw the entire movie. Its a movie made in the sixties, so you know what to expect in terms of grandeur of sets or wardrobes or background score.
It stars Audrey Hepburn in a most fascinating role, that of a recently blinded woman. The movie starts on a very slow note, and the plot is not unfolded until after the first one hour or so. But once it starts rolling, there's no option but to sit glued to your chair.
How easy cons feel it is to fool a blind person, but little do they know that even though he/she is blind, he/she has the ability to outsmart those who can see...just you wait until dark! That's the conviction with which Susie(Audrey Hepburn) saves herself from the three thieves.
The performances were unbelievably good, especially Susie's. So simple, elegant and yet so powerful.
This movie is a must watch, on the big screen. But since its impossible to find this movie playing in any multiplex now, I recommend watching it with the room pitch black. The goosebumps you will feel are a much needed part of the experience. So go and enjoy this movie.
It stars Audrey Hepburn in a most fascinating role, that of a recently blinded woman. The movie starts on a very slow note, and the plot is not unfolded until after the first one hour or so. But once it starts rolling, there's no option but to sit glued to your chair.
How easy cons feel it is to fool a blind person, but little do they know that even though he/she is blind, he/she has the ability to outsmart those who can see...just you wait until dark! That's the conviction with which Susie(Audrey Hepburn) saves herself from the three thieves.
The performances were unbelievably good, especially Susie's. So simple, elegant and yet so powerful.
This movie is a must watch, on the big screen. But since its impossible to find this movie playing in any multiplex now, I recommend watching it with the room pitch black. The goosebumps you will feel are a much needed part of the experience. So go and enjoy this movie.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Confessions of a Shopaholic
Starts off with a very nice note about credit cards and how handy they are and how we spend so much shopping just because of this magic card...the credit card.
This movie has a very cute lead pair in the form of Isla Fisher and Hugh Dancy. The director P.J Hogan has done full justice to the script, but since the script was a little too predictive, it wasn't that different. However, some scenes are definitely enjoyable like the one when Rebecca and Luke are in a ball dance and Rebecca has no clue about ball dancing. Another one worth mentioning is the one at the meeting of shopaholics to try and cure themselves and Rebecca ends up convincing each and everyone present there that shopping like your addicted to it, is not wrong.
The movie starts off very well, and showing rooms full of clothes and accessories to go with them at the victims house. The after effects of overusing the credit card are also well highlighted. The part where Rebecca is supposed to speak in Finnish when she knows nothing of the language is impractical and can be attributed to luck alone, which is non-existent.
As far as the acting goes, Isla Fisher and Lrysten Ritter have done a fantastic job. The rest of the cast have also played their parts well, but its these two who steal the show.
The trial to fit in a romantic story didn't go very well, as there was not much scope for their love story to develop. It appears as if a usual story was picked up and squeezed through the main plot. The movie would have definitely survived without the love story.
So, as far as the watchability of this movie goes...I would say it is definitely seeable since its a short movie of one and a half hour. But, its definitely not a must watch.
This movie has a very cute lead pair in the form of Isla Fisher and Hugh Dancy. The director P.J Hogan has done full justice to the script, but since the script was a little too predictive, it wasn't that different. However, some scenes are definitely enjoyable like the one when Rebecca and Luke are in a ball dance and Rebecca has no clue about ball dancing. Another one worth mentioning is the one at the meeting of shopaholics to try and cure themselves and Rebecca ends up convincing each and everyone present there that shopping like your addicted to it, is not wrong.
The movie starts off very well, and showing rooms full of clothes and accessories to go with them at the victims house. The after effects of overusing the credit card are also well highlighted. The part where Rebecca is supposed to speak in Finnish when she knows nothing of the language is impractical and can be attributed to luck alone, which is non-existent.
As far as the acting goes, Isla Fisher and Lrysten Ritter have done a fantastic job. The rest of the cast have also played their parts well, but its these two who steal the show.
The trial to fit in a romantic story didn't go very well, as there was not much scope for their love story to develop. It appears as if a usual story was picked up and squeezed through the main plot. The movie would have definitely survived without the love story.
So, as far as the watchability of this movie goes...I would say it is definitely seeable since its a short movie of one and a half hour. But, its definitely not a must watch.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Crash
These days, we don't touch people. That is why we crash into them, to feel human. This line sets the mood for the movie. The theme is racism. Yes, it still exists in the heart of the US of A. There are 6-7 characters whose stories unfold individually. The way each character and his story is built right from the beginning is nice. All these threads get intertwined at some point and thus the director very smartly starts bringing in meaning to each scenario. Some people support racism to the hilt. Some others have been victims and thus mean to harm only the whites. Some whites are so scared of the hatred planted in the hearts of the blacks that they commit regrettable actions.
Innocence is also displayed very well where this father tries to encourage his five year old daughter by giving her an invisible cloak which won't let any bullet penetrate. When the father is held at gunpoint, the daughter believes she can save her father and boom. There are stronger relationships in this world than friendship. A friend does not help her friend when she needs to be rushed to the hospital, just because she was having a massage. Such is the world. Portraying harsh reality in a way that it has the desired positive impact is very difficult. All such scenes have been handled very well.
Fear, hatred, innocence, regret, inabilty of action its all here in one movie. Well put together and well enacted. I would recommend a must see.
Innocence is also displayed very well where this father tries to encourage his five year old daughter by giving her an invisible cloak which won't let any bullet penetrate. When the father is held at gunpoint, the daughter believes she can save her father and boom. There are stronger relationships in this world than friendship. A friend does not help her friend when she needs to be rushed to the hospital, just because she was having a massage. Such is the world. Portraying harsh reality in a way that it has the desired positive impact is very difficult. All such scenes have been handled very well.
Fear, hatred, innocence, regret, inabilty of action its all here in one movie. Well put together and well enacted. I would recommend a must see.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
The Notebook
That's a movie's name I saw yesterday. Was a recommendation from a friend of mine Hemant, whose choice usually is repelling. But this choice was worth the watching. A very nice, sober, well put story. A hindi flick U Me aur Hum is also based on the same theme. There are minute differences in the way the story proceeds, but overall its the same.
If you've seen both the films, you are bound to appreciate Nick Cassavetes' (Director for 'The Notebook') direction. There is no need to show the lead protagonist yelling and screeching every 10 minutes to generate pity. Overacting doesn't create the much needed impact, which many bollywood movies have proved every now and then, by trying hard to make an "inspired" copy of a well known hollywood flick.
The most difficult part, the part when she has to make "the" choice, is so well portrayed. Compare that to any hindi movie and there is no dearth of all the typical dialogues talking about the true power of a woman and blah blah.
Yes, it is a love story, which i usually don't recommend (except a few like Serendipity, City of angels) but this one is a must watch. N yes, it did mobilize my tear glands, which is very difficult for any movie.
If you've seen both the films, you are bound to appreciate Nick Cassavetes' (Director for 'The Notebook') direction. There is no need to show the lead protagonist yelling and screeching every 10 minutes to generate pity. Overacting doesn't create the much needed impact, which many bollywood movies have proved every now and then, by trying hard to make an "inspired" copy of a well known hollywood flick.
The most difficult part, the part when she has to make "the" choice, is so well portrayed. Compare that to any hindi movie and there is no dearth of all the typical dialogues talking about the true power of a woman and blah blah.
Yes, it is a love story, which i usually don't recommend (except a few like Serendipity, City of angels) but this one is a must watch. N yes, it did mobilize my tear glands, which is very difficult for any movie.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
How would you judge...?
I saw this movie "House of sand and fog" and had to write about it...right away. It sure made an impression on me.
Imagine that you are the judge. The people pitted against each other, each have a reason...a justified reason and you have to choose the guilty from amongst them. If each of them are right...(yes try and prove any one of them to be unjustly right...its impossible) how would you judge? How would you react if you were put in any of these situations?
I thought about it, and the only conclusion I reached is that, money kills. It makes one so desparate that we cannot see, that we are digging a grave, not only for ourselves but for everyone we love. Money makes us so helpless...and when we see an opportunity to earn it, however immoral it may be...we go for it.
So true, and so well done. The best shot I liked is the one where the colonel loses his most precious (won't mention who..coz I don't want you readers to miss the emotions due to foresight..;) ) and then, is in a dilapidated state. Hats off to the actor Ben Kingsley and the director Vadim Perelman. They have done a fantastic job. I've seen such a 'worth it' movie after a long time.
Thanks to whoever made it 'access'ible..thanks..:)
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