Tron Legacy

What is this movie all about? Well I have more questions than answers.
* Why were they playing games?
* How did Sam know the passwords of his dad's secret systems?
* How come some were in white, some in blue and some in red?
* What was supposed to be the motto of Sam before entering the maze?
* Why was the character of Zeus needed?
* How did the program move into human life with so much ease?
* How did Cora get her hand back?

* Did the editor understand the movie after it was done?

* Could they have made it a bit more verbose?

* Is it only me who didn't follow what was going on?

* Why did I go watch this movie?

Band baaja baarat

A YashRaj movie...so you know its a romantic movie. But what's missing is the mushy romantic full of emotional songs melodrama.
The story is rather trivial, storytelling is good. There is nothing in the movie that makes you say "wow".

The story is set in a city Janakpuri in Delhi. Shruti (Anushka Sharma) is completing her graduation, but she already has her career plans set. She aspires to be a successful wedding planner. She runs into Bittoo (Ranveer Singh) who convinces her that she needs a business partner. Together they set out to create a career. Starting with small weddings i.e. budgets in lakhs, tens of lakhs they finally graduate to big weddings which have budgets in crores. This is when personal fallouts creep in and they decide to quit. Then the same old saga, wherein they realise what a great team they were and etc etc..proceeds to a happy ending.
The music is catchy, but nothing that would make you want to go on humming it. There is nothing fresh about the soundtracks.
The only part of the movie that is worth watching, is the acting. Both the leads have done a good job. That is the reason I could sit through the entire movie. So, if you do happen to go watch it...its just the acting and the spontaneity that you should look out for.

Khelein hum jee jaan se

An Ashutosh Gowariker movie. And what a gem. The only debacle in his movies till now was What's your raashee. (But this movie is one of importance for me..and will always remain..for personal reasons ofcourse :)
So, back to the movie.
Its based on the Chittagong conspiracy and built from excerpts narrated by those who participated in the uprising.I must the say, the movie is well researched. The cast was chosen due to their facial resemblance to the real heroes.

The story telling is poerful, the direction superb. Every character is etched out before we are taken to the finale. The background score adds to the emotion being portrayed very well.
All the actors, the ones who lead the uprising, the teenagers, have acted exceptionally well. You can feel the pain when they are hurt and you can feel the immense patriotism when they decide to do or die for the freedom of the country. Deepika, I felt was a bit too stiff. Yes, she was a teeny weeny bit better than herself in her previous movies, but all her efforts fell flat considering the other power packed performances by the kids.
The movie bring tears in your eyes, brings fear, brings an immense pride for your motherland, makes you feel like doing something great of your life, because so many have fallen to make the country independent. After the movie was over, I was frozen in my seat for almost 2-3 minutes. I didn't feel like rushing out, but just sat there reading the names of all the heroes who started the new wave that ultimately won us freedom.
This movie should be shown to all our current politicians. Let them know what went in getting us freedom and if the current state is anywhere near what we call an independent country!
Hats off to Gowariker. A very nice movie indeed. I would like to applaud him for his efforts.
It is a serious movie, but very well made. All the youngsters out there, go give it a watch. It is sure to trigger a feeling of "so or die" in you. Vande Mataram!

Do dooni char

This movie has been directed by Habib Faisal and is his first.  Kudos to him for such a fine film for his directorial debut.
This movie is very real, fresh and light hearted. Yes, now that I think about it, is there any movie that spells out the facts of life, the hardships a middle class family faces, and yet is light hearted? None I think. But this movie is different.


It is a story about the Duggals and how they finally buy a four wheeler. Mr. Duggal is a professor, and his income is meagre (as is the case with most in the teaching profession). His wife left her job to take care of kids. He has two children. A daughter, who has finished junior college and has dreams of being rich and owning the poshest possible car. The son, is studying in school but has dreams of a millionaire. 


So, this family is going through its own ups and downs, squabbles, problems etc etc, when Mr Duggal's sister comes to invite them for a wedding. She insists "car mein aana aap log, varna mere sasural wale kya bolenge" So typical of India right? So this is what finally, a little indirectly though triggers the "I will buy a four wheeler" saga.


All the actors have done a brilliant job. Rishi Kapoor, Neetu Singh, Archit Krishna, Aditi Vasudev. The direction is good. Cinematography good. Background score nice. There is a little melodrama towards the end, but I guess that much is bearable.


All in all its a must watch, once. Its a different movie and I'm sure you will enjoy it!

--
Zaru

Robot

Don't tell me you haven't watched this movie? You have to give it a watch. Watch it in hindi. Its a fun ride throughout (if you can somehow ignore Aishwarya)

The plot is very much bollywood, the sets and action scenes creative. Yes, I know its a copy+paste from various movies but then, putting copied ideas together well is also creativity :)

The plot is : Vasikaran (Rajnikant) makes a humanoid (Chitti). He wants this robot of his to be used by the Indian army in wars, to avoid loss of humans. The panel which decides the fate of the robot also includes Vasikaran's teacher Danny, who is jealous since he hasn't been able to make a robot himself, for a couple of years now. He proves to the panel that Chitti is not worth the army. He also somehow convinces Vasikaran that if Chitti had feelings, he could be useful. So now Vasikaran is on a new mission - he installs software emotions in Chitti :D And now is where the plot is typical bollywood. A love triangle.
The last part, where Chitti and his self created army fights against the Indian army is worth a watch. The graphics are good and worth your time.
The comedy part in the movie is also wonderful. What comedy? The songs. What sets..what words...what movements..and Aishwarya...Ohh God..someone forgot to tell her that she wasn't walking the ramp..it was a movie set!
Yes, so as I said earlier, if you can somehow ignore the actress, you have a laugh ride. Its a fun movie for a huge group. Go enjoy!

Aakrosh

This is a Priyadarshan movie. I was definitely hoping for much better.
Aakrosh is a take on honour killings (details). The concept is good. The presentation is good doesn't give you the much required goosebumps though and is patchy.
The performances are okish. Paresh Rawal has done a superb role as a corrupt, law non-enforcing policeman. He plays his wart so well, you almost wish he was killed. It reminds me of his early days in the film industry, where he was always cast as a villain. It was only after Hera Pheri that he started getting roles as a comedian. Ajay Devgan, was good. But I would say there was nothing different or new in his performance skills. Akshaye Khanna, not sure what he calls acting. Bipasha was hardly there, she only had to cry and yell, but yes she did a good job. Reema Sen has played her part well. Specially the scene where she tries to report the killer after her tongue has been cut off.
The characters were not built up really well. The story just starts and then it appears that parts of the movie have been stuck together to somehow carry it on. The item song with Sameera Reddy? Why was it put there and who wrote the songs? Who choreographed it? Was it even a teeny weeny bit like an item number? Totally not needed here, as there were already so many things that were not working for the movie.
The concept was good, could have been made better.

Khichdi - The movie

For all those Khichdi fans out there, this movie is a must watch!
It has the innocent Praful and his always decked up wife Hansa.

Praful what is? decked up matlab?
Hansa..Hansa...decked up.....
you remember those numerous english words that Praful has screwed up :)

There is babuji too, the always irritable babuji. Jayshree is there too, though the original character is not in the movie, but Nimisha Vakharia has played her part really well to keep up the good old, always conspiring against babuji, Jayshree. Himanshu, kisi ko pata nai chale, is as always ... always cooking :)
Jacky and Chakki are not the original characters and do not really mix up really well with the others, but they are hardly there throughout the movie.
So, Jacky and Chakki are out on a summer camp where everyone is narrating stories. These two kids start talking about their mad family, the Parekhs. The movie revolves around the story "How Himanshu gets married to Parminder". The story is pretty straight forward, but Himanshu wants a love story that is a legend. So the Parekhs put forces together, to make Himanshu's love story a one that will be talked about by everyone for a long time. You can imagine what all the Parekhs together can do :D

I won't reveal all the funny and senseless twists and turns in the movie as its worth riding the madcap boat with all its surprises and giggles.
All those who have enjoyed the series Khichdi on TV, go enjoy the movie. You will not be disappointed.

Aisha

It has been adapted from Jane Austen's Emma. Ok, I hope this itself tells you that this is a movie that guys will not enjoy. Just for experimentation, take along a guy and see what innovative things he will do to pass his time :P

The story of the film is not bad. Its like a fairy tale that kept me in a trance throughout the movie almost. Everything moves so fast, everything is so much like a fantasy...so much money that you do not think before buying a gucci or a prada...! man!
Ok anyway, so when I came out of the non-real air created rather well by the director, I started observing the performances.
Abhay Deol is always good! A tad bit too underused here though
Sonam Kapoor I would say, her expressions are same almost everytime. Don't think she could have pulled the movie for even a week, without the songs, the feeling of being in a fairy-tale all through the movie.
Infact, I liked the performance by Ira Bose. She was really good. Her dialogue delivery, her nakhras, latka jhatkas.
As for the story, Aisha is a matchmaker and a compulsive one at that. She would go to any extent to make the two she feels are soulmates come together and get married. As confused as she is, she takes it upon her to find a life partner for Shefali. Little does she realise that love, relationships are not made, they just happen.
The movie ends - happy ending and everything that was messed up by Aisha, is straightened out in less than a few minutes. All the characters in the movie (as pointed out by the guy who was so bored to death by the time the movie ended) do nothing but attend parties, shows etc and still keep saying that they are busy. Wonder where they get all those huge bags of money from :)

--
Zaru

Help

I'm sure no one heard the cries for help. And I'm sure even if you did, you ignored them just because of Bobby Deol!
Okay, if you haven't heard about this movie...its a movie starring Bobby Deol and Mugdha Godse. Its a horror, directed by Rajeev Manoj Virani.
The plot was good and had all the qualities that could have made this film a good Bollywood horror film.
I won't explain the plot here, just in case you decide to watch the movie. It does give you chills and thrills but fails to keep up the tempo and make good use of the story.

Some of the things that clicked
1. The plot
2. The cinematography
3. The background score
4. The direction in some scenes
5. Mugdha's clothes ;)

Things that could have been better
1. Some parts were directed really well. Towards the end it felt that the director has given up. The climax could have been shot/directed in a better way which would have left the audience thrilled!
2. The performance by the actors!
Bobby, I didn't really expect much from him other than his usual stone faced-never changing expression.
Mugdha, she was not that bad, but could have done better, specially in scenes towards the end where she comes up like the ghost.
Shreyas...you too? I had expectations only from you. A disaster. Not sure what went wrong, you being in guest appearance or the director!

The best scenes you should watch..in a dark room with silence around
1. The start, when the titles are coming up
2. The first scene of the movie
3. When the peon in the hospital explains how the patient was not schizophrenic but demonically  possessed
4. When Mugdha is alone in the hospital
5. When Mugdha is chanting something like a nursery rhyme and Bobby confronts her

So..I'd say...to enjoy a few chills do watch the movie. But yes, it could have been much much better!

Mumbai-Pune-Mumbai

Mumbai-pune-mumbai, as the name suggests is a story about people from these two cities.
Swapnil is a Pune bred lad, while Mukta Barve is from the always fast moving, no time to breathe city Mumbai.
Mukta comes to Pune to meet her prospective husband, but her ideas about people in Pune are not so welcoming for any Puneite. While looking for directions to her destination she accidentally bumps into Swapnil. Swapnil now embarks on a mission to get her to her destination. He takes her to the guy's place, but unfortunately the house is locked. Swapnil then is on a new mission, to prove that he is a gentleman and that he cannot now leave a lady, in a new city alone. So he shows her around Pune. Tulshibaug, sarasbaug, Sinhagad. During the day they share their life stories as acquaintances. They also share their ideals, beliefs.
When the time of departure arrives, Mukta has a freer mind, as she has come over her trials, hard feelings for guys in general because of her past spoilt relationship. She is now eager to meet the guy she had originally come to meet and then, the climax. A nice twist, though trivial.
The lead actors, Swapnil and Mukta as usual have acted rather naturally. The direction and the story telling are nice.
Its a nice one time watch!

Eclipse

This is for all those gals (and guys) who have enjoyed reading Stephenie Meyer's vampire love story saga.

Its a passionate, fairytale love story between a vampire(Edward) and a human(Isabella).

I've loved the first one Twilight and adored even more the second New Moon, so this movie had to be a must watch.

This movie has no secrets to reveal, we now know that Edward is a vampire (part of Twilight) and Jacob is a werewolf (part of New Moon), so this one is more about the three central characters, their interactions, how Edward and Jacob who are enemies still try and pool in forces and work together to protect their love, Bella.
It is a mushy love story, but this time with a couple of good fight sequences. The encounter with the new bred vampire army is really nicely shot and the effects are worth a watch.


As for the actors, you already know both the guys are hot! and the gal is sweet. As far as acting goes, I guess its okish. Story, direction are good. And no I haven't read the book so cannot compare there. 
All in all I'd say its worth your time once. For guys, you might go just to enjoy the fight sequences.


--
Zaru

Khatta Meetha

Its a Priyadarshan movie. I shouldn't have had more expectations after his De Dana Dan and that is the sole reason why I didn't leave the screen midway.
The pivot of the story is corruption. This time round the corruption in the construction business, road construction is explored.
But, the movie lacks direction. Somewhere in between you hear dialogues like "tu to grahan ke din paida hua tha. Tu to mhanoos hai. Tujhese kuch nai hoga" i.e. "You were born on the day there was an eclipse, you are unlucky. You will never be able to accomplish anything in life". Which made me think, is it this topic we are highlighting?
Somewhere in between, we have an honest person, become corrupt so that he can make money. So he makes roads which are of low quality. Okay, so this is the topic right?
But then, you see someone kill an innocent person, after pushing the blame of his wrong doings on him. And a reporter who is trying to unveil the truth of the incident. He is killed before he can reach the court etc. since he is killed by a politician So, we are now talking about politicians here.
But then, in between, we have good comical dialogues and scenes where the road roller keeps moving down a slope and breaks into someone's house. So this is a comedy flick right?

There was an effort I believe to bring out humour in theis corrupt world of ours, poignant humour (I hope this term exists). But, the effort failed terribly. Songs come and go in between for no rhyme and reason, reminds you of typical bollywood movies right? But we have come way ahead of that stage in bollywood, so why keep going back? And Priyadarshan...come on, if you can make movies like Hera Pheri, why make Khatta Meetha?

Akshay Kumar is the same as always, and it feels like an overdose. Rajpal Yadav does well, but cannot save the movie. Johnny Lever, do not accept such roles, so that atleast your previously hard earned honour remains intact. And the heroine, Trisha Krishnan is a part of the movie only for an effort of glamour.
Please, don't bother!

--
Zaru

Salt

Intention - make money
Achieved - using Angelina Jolie. She has fans .. a huge lot of fans. Then again she's doing all those cool stunts. So the shows are houseful.

Story - Is trivial. There is a traitor somewhere who wants to kill the Russian President, someone frames her and spreads the word that she is a Russian spy. The story is nothing more but her struggle to prove her innocence, find the real traitor and save her husband.

Direction - Even though the story was rather trivial, this movie could have been a lesser disaster. There is too much confusion throughout. You have no clue whether you are being shown the past or the present. At the end you are left with questions like "Who was this guy?" "Why was this guy in the story?" "Where did this mega destruction weapon fit in?"
and finally
"Why did I go watch this movie?"
and even worse
"Why was this show houseful?"

--
Zaru

Hotel Rwanda

This is a movie that released in 2004 that won many accolades internationally. I happened to find the name a little hatke and so decided to give it a watch. And believe me, you will not be disappointed.

In Africa, there were mainly two tribes the Hutus and the Tutsis. The Hutus believe they are supreme and the Tutsis are cockroaches and need to be eradicated. There is a radio station that keeps broadcasting how the Hutus should join forces and clean the earth of these cockroaches. It is in this state that there arises a civil war, with the Hutu army coming out on streets killing Tutsis..mainly the children so that they can finish off ther next generation and thus prevent any more from stemming. The hutu army called the militia killed mercilessly any Tutsi they saw.

Here we have Paul Russesebagina who strives in difficult situations to keep his family alive. It is a true story about Paul Rusesebagina, a Hutu and his wife Tatiana a Tutsi, and how he strives to save his family and also helps others in need against all odds.

Paul is a hotel manager of an international Hotel Mille Collines. He shelters almost more than a thousand Tutsis and takes them to security. We also see how corrupt the militia are and bow down if given booze and money. Also the UN who is supposed to intervene and help these people only makes arrangements to evacuate the whiltes from the province. They very easily turn their back on the others since they are black, they are Africans!

The movie is very well made. The best scene is where Paul is going to get supplies for the hotel and his car keeps hitting roadblocks and the expression on his face when he sees why. After he comes back to the hotel all his composure is lost. He knows he cannot tell his wife the truth for it will be too much for her to take. It gives you goosebumps. The performances of all the actors is so real that for the whole movie you feel it is you who is being tortured, who is fighting for life, who is striving to keep people safe.

I'd say do watch this movie when you can. Its an awesome movie and it makes me wonder...the same thing might have happened in Kashmir...but the Bollywood movies we make on such subjects never have such an effect on you. We should learn to keep serious movies serious and not add songs and love scenes to spice it up where not needed. 

Anyway, kudos to this director for such a fine piece of direction. Thanks!

I Hate Luv Storys

...and if you don't, you will if you live through the movie.
The movie's story is ...oops sorry I know its not present, but if you call it a story, then..it is based on how horrendously non-different all Bollywood love stories are. But, what do we have here, another typical mushy, happy-ending-always, dumb-dialogues and extra-exaggerated-climax-proposals. How "different" right?

The movie starts off and you know you've made a wrong movie choice. Anyhow, you can sit through the first half. But the second half, is super stretched as if it wasn't already a typical Bollywood movie.

Direction...I'd say not bad but wasted on an invisible script. Though there are places where the direction fell short, for example the song "I hate luv storys" is put there with no connection at all. If an average viewer like me can notice that, it should have been worked upon by the creative teams that develop and scan and rescan movies to check for flaws they could correct.
But, I'm sorry..it is the director's responsibility to make "actors" act..am I correct? Then I'm sorry the director has failed.
Imran Khan, Aamir's blood runs in him, but his expressions throughout the movie were the same. Be it a scene where he is laughing mischievously or a scene where he is supposed to be dejected on being rejected. Come on, don't play a chocolate-lover-boy character if you cannot at least portray the emotions of love. Sonam, I'd say has done a much better job. In scenes where she is supposed to be dejected, she at least isn't smiling..never mind the stone faced gaze which portrays no emotion at all.
Okay, can I also tear apart the dilaogues now that I haven't liked anything about the movie? No, I think I'll spare that, they were bad, but then there were worser things. So, please please don't bother. And if you do, let me know if your views differ.

Toy Story 3

This is a movie, you should really really not miss! It has been released in 3d too, but you could skip the third dimension. The 3d effects are clean just like in Alice in Wonderland, but not necessarily needed.

The movie starts with, sorry I cannot miss the part before the movie. There is an animation about day and night which is in no way connected to the movie. But it has been put there for your entertainment and your awe. It is very creative and only so, has made its way to Pixar. Do no miss that part (This is for all those like me, who generally miss the beginning of movies :P).

Now, the movie. It starts with a flashback, the kid playing with his toys. That part is particularly funny and cute and imaginative. Ever considered a death option like 'death by monkeys' :D Then reality dawns on Andy's toys. Andy has grown up and is moving out to go to college. He will no more play with his childhood favorites Woody and Buzz Lightyear. One statement that touched me was, one of the toys said "Yay, he touched me...he touched me". This was when Andy touched a toy to pick it up and place it in the storage trunk, where all his childhood toys now lied. All the toys like to be played with. But here they were feeling abandoned. Woody tries to keep all the toys together by explaining to them that even if Andy does not play with us anymore, he will not abandon us. He will keep us safe in his attic.
But then, as fate would have it, all the toys accidentally reach a day care center where there are lots of kids and toys they play with. All the toys are delighted that they would be played with after all, that is what they are made for. But woody is firm on his decision and feels that Andy needs them. He leaves the group and makes his way towards Andy. On the way he faces some difficulties and meets a small cute kid named (I don't remember her name) who takes very good care of her toys. And that's where he learns that the day care center is a nightmare for the toys. There is an evil bear who runs the place and the only way toys can leave that place is after they are dead i..e broken. Then starts the great escape and realization that Andy in fact meant to keep them in the attic and not abandon them.
The movie is very well made. The creativity and the thought behind each character is amazing. Even a toy's life is not as easy as it seems :).
What this movie did for me was, bring back all my childhood memories and transported me into a world where I had my Barbie dolls and Lego houses and all the dreams we then had as kids.
So, don't miss this movie. It is a must watch!

Raajneeti

This movie, a Prakash Jha film made waves early on since it seemed Katrina was portraying Sonia Gandhi. However false that part was, it sure made everyone want to see the movie. Yes, you do go with lots of expectations and you will not be disappointed.

There are plenty of characters in the movie and they are well woven into the story. You will not feel that any character is un-needed. The plot is good and it seems a little exaggerated with the violence, but I've heard its true in some places of India. The storytelling keeps you want to keep watching. The screenplay is nicely done.The background score compliments the ongoing sentiment in the movie. The best scene I'd say, is the blast when Arjun Rampal is trying hard to save Sarah Thompson. I actually had goosebumps.

Lets move towards cast and their acting skills now. Manoj Bajpai was too natural. Nana Patekar has done a different role where he has to keep calm and keep all the characters calm too.he has done it rather well. Arjun Rampal can act well and he has proven his acting skills. Ranbir always does act well and he does not disappoint you. Katrina does not look as bad as I had expected her to be. She has tried her best to do justice to the character, only her accent gives her away in the scene where she has to give a speech. Rest she does not have much of a role. Ajay Devgan, I didn't really appreciate his acting. I have seen him do better in Gangajal, Yuva. Here he just looks rather out of place as far as acting skills are concerned. Possibly because he was always in the same frame as Manoj Bajpai, and his acting is way too superior.

All in all, I'd say its a superb movie that deserves a watch! enjoy!

Raavan

Raavan is a much awaited movie of the season, which is to be expected when it's coming from Maniratnam. Watched it yesterday. Raavan is short movie (by Bollywood standards) and a I think a short review will do.
Good: Artistic potential, some scenes are extremely well crafted.
Bad: Or rather not-so-good. The same thing, art goes over the head of mango people. So they laugh when they should be scared. And I think subconscious stereotyping has a role to play here. The script requires intensity and your mind won't accept it from face familiar from romantic movies or something. Very few people can pull this trick (senior B is one, certainly), but Junior B has also tried hard. Rest of the cast is ok, but rather unremarkable. Music I found boring. All in all, a one time watch.

Kites

It is a Rakesh Roshan film. And how do I know it?
Actor : Hrithik Roshan
Music : Rajesh Roshan
has to be a Rakesh Roshan film :P

The story of the movie is not very great, but the direction by Anurag Basu makes it worthwhile to watch. Though the story is usual, the way it unfolds gives the audience a good experience.
Gals can watch the movie for Hrithik. Guys can watch it for Barbara Mori. She is pretty (I know guys will have much better words to describe her ;) ).
The scenery is refreshing. Barbara's accent is nice to listen too. I liked the chemistry between the lead actors. The dance that Hrithik and Kangana perform together is awesome! Kangana has worked really well and has done a good job. To share the dance floor with Hrithik and still stand out is a big achievement.

Overall, the movie is not so great..but its not that bad too. So, i'd you may give it a chance!

Half baked

Had loved Iron Man, and had great expectations from the sequel too.. But expectations are a sure way to disappointment. Thanks to the sequel for helping me see the lesson a bit more clearly. Talking of which 'half baked' is the necessary and sufficient review for this one. It seemed to me that the director tried to fit in too much of stuff to please every-one and the resultant mess ended up pleasing no-one. Some salient blahbah
1. A villian who creates an electric whip in twenty first century is dumb.
2. Remote controlled robots is as old as Baba Aadam.
3. Second lead with nothing to do is older even than Point #2, but I object to the underutilized tin-suit.
4. Too many hollywood stereotypes (father, legacy n stuff), Iron man the original was much more realistic.
Overall, a few good graphics, but not worth your time.

Badmaash Company...Bakwaas Company

You wonder why I saw this movie? If yes, then this review is unnecessary. You already know that its not worth it. But then why do I write? Just for keepalive sakes :D

So, this movie, with trailers showing Anushka Sharma in hot attires and all time favourite of chicks Shahid Kapur, did do okish at the box office. Whom do I blame for the headeache I had after watching the movie? The writer of course.It has a very "unusual" plot. Unusual? atleast that's what the trailers suggested. And if you do watch the movie you will realise that all the script does is try and prove that the hero always wins. He makes mistakes but in the end he always makes things right. Did you mark his dialogues? No? Can't be..unless you did sleep through the movie. All his statements give one the impression (this was an observation made by another person who bore the torcher of watching this film) "I am the hero..so I have to be cool"
Let us now start with the acting part. Anushka..I think she has hardly acted. All she did was show skin. Shahid, I felt overacted. Rest of the characters were hardly needed.
Story? You really want to know? Ok then, I won't take the trouble of going through the "unusual" plot once again. I'll direct you and basically reuse some else's good work :P. So here it goes. Enjoy! (not the movie..the story :P)

The Back-up plan

It is a nice light hearted romantic comedy. A one time watch if you adore Jennifer Lopez.
The movie is about a woman in her thirties 'Zoe' who still hasn't met a man of her dreams and feels its time to have kids. So she conceives through artificial insemination and then meets Stan, the man of her dreams the very same day. She seems to like him and cannot get enough of him but is afraid of losing him on telling him the truth.
The movie proceeds almost predictably with Stan feeling she cheated him by not telling him about it before and then he anyhow is so madly in love with her that he agrees to raise the kids as his own. But then when everything is going right, Zoe thinks Stan doesn't consider the kids his own and then walks out on him. However when its time to deliver realization dawns and she asks for forgiveness and for Stan back in her life. So, they have kids and live together and then after a while Stan asks Zoe for marriage and she says 'yes'. A happy ending!

I didn't really see much sense in the movie. Even the comedy was hardly there. Acting didn't really catch my eye as the movie couldn't keep my attention.

Remember Me

The movie starts with a terrible murder at the railway, leaving a small girl to live without her mother. She is the daughter of a detective in chief who is over protective of her. He blames himself in some way of his wife's untimely death and hence tries to keep his daughter away from everything except himself. He fails to realise the needs of a teenager. The daughter hear is Ally (Emile De Ravin).
The second lead actor Tyler (Robert Pattinson of Twilight fame) has a family with an elder borther and a baby sister. His parents have separated after his brother committed suicide.
The story proceeds with Tyler asking Ally out as a part of a bet (a very usual trick used in many bollywood movies too) and then..as always predictable, he truly falls in love with this simple homely girl. Tyler's relationship with his father is strained since, his father Charles (Pierce Brosnan) is a very successful business man who never has time for his family (another very common formula of bollywood).
Slow and steady all the strains start getting relaxed and moving towards normal when we have the 9/11 which shatters the twin towers to disappearance.
The last part with the twin tower disaster makes your heart cry out. The remaining part of the movie is pretty usual with nothing out of the ordinary to offer. The direction is not bad. The acting is also not bad. The only thing that was missing according to me is a script.

House full - why was the show house full?

This yet another Sajid Khan's movie. As if I didn't ask the question "why does he make movies?" after I saw Heyy baby..I stepped into this movie too. And yes, not very surprisingly I asked the same question after I stepped out of this movie..."Why the hell does he make movies?".

Lets start from the very beginning. The movie starts with a song about how unlucky Akshay Kumar is..and the words of the song..are pathetic. It sounds worse than a poem being recited. If you think I may have over reacted..sample this "he is a panauti..." so go the words.
The comes the script..was there any story? Its just another All the best. The same old some lies being spoken, some more to cover it up and then so much confusion added just to keep it all going and create a pseudo comedy effect.
The acting is pathetic and overdone. The dialogues don't make you want to laugh. The only reason you might laugh is just because your desperate to leave the screen and get back to a saner world. The three ladies are there just to try and keep the screens house full, since they wear bikinis and dance away to songs for no rhyme or reason. Chunky Pandey and his "Im just joking" really doesn't fit into the movie. And the worse part being the premise of the movie...Akshay Kumar's bad luck! How on earth can someone really really think of making a movie on this theme? I know India is a country where people do believe in luck etc but to go out and make a movie on the same, I find very dumb.
The end to the movie was also too senseless and not well directed. It ends up with all the people including the Queen of England (I don't know why she was needed here) laughing out their wits (since "santa-banta" leave the room filled with laughing gas) while the lead characters clear up the confusion that has built up.

A really really sad state of comedy films for bollywood. A senseless and brainless movie is NOT a comedy flick.Our industry is maturing and comedy is the piece that still lacks in content and luster.

City of Gold

Mahesh Manjrekar is all out making movies on true stories and the mood is rebellious.
This movie is a hindi-remake of the film Lal baug paral. You could watch the marathi original too for better dialogues (So I've heard)

This movie is based in Mumbai. It is a story about the mill workers and their plight when mills close down because of the owner's greed. The owner's close down mills to sell the land to builders making commercial buildings and multiplexes etc. The workers are not paid their wages and not even their pension. The movie delves into details of one such mill and the chawl the workers lived in.
Their lives, their joys, their desperate moves for money to save their loved ones is all depicted very well in this movie. It is the reality..the harsh reality which makes you want to go out and scream and think...that all the hardships we face today are not as big as what people faced earlier and even face today in small villages in our very own country India.

The movie is very well directed and the story telling is brilliant. All the actors have done a good job.
All in all the movie is a serious flick and is a must watch.

Date Night

This movie is a light hearted romantic comedy. Shawn Levy has done a good job of the movie and the script is also entertaining. The dialogs are nice..and the comic timing of both the lead actors viz., Steve Carell and Tina Fey is applaud-able.

The movie is about this couple, who has been married for quite some time now. They have kids too. But they still follow a small tradition i.e. they have a date night every Friday. After a while it gets monotonous and the two start feeling they need something new. One night when Claire(Tina Fey) dresses to kill, her hubby Phil (Steve) feels the need to impress his wife all over again. So they go out to an over-hyped restaurant and a simple move to take a reservation of another couple leads them to live an unexpected night. This night not only cements their relationship but also helps them sort out their differences and disappointments.

The movie keeps its pace till the end, never making you ask for it to end. The comic timing is good and makes it a nice movie to watch. And yes, the comedy is not brainless as in bollywood movies. So I'd say..its definitely worth your time once.

Prince..its not showtime!

Kumar Taurani's action thriller with supposedly hot bikini babes hit the screens this summer.

I agree that action thriller's may not require a story, but then when you're making the film with Vivek Oberoi, you should have atleast a script. Not even the babes were hot enough to keep you sitting through the entire film.

So, no script..no acting..no oomph factor..no thrill in the action. That is prince for you.

I don't think I'll take efforts to describe the very long and complicated non-existing storyline. I'll reuse resources that have very well drawn out the entire script. Here it is. Enjoy!

And ya..please please..don't bother!

The blind side

The name of the movie doesn't really tell you much about the movie. The beginning itself explains what the term 'the blind side' means. Its a term used in the game of rugby here in this movie, which means a move, or a side that was left uncovered and hence lead to the team's loss. However, the movie is not entirely about the game and its intricacies.
This movie is about a poor black who resides in USofA and whose athletic ability would have gone unnoticed or unused, or worse his life would have ended in some gang war, if he hadn't met a kind soul Leigh Anne (Sandra Bullock) at the right time. Leigh Anne, is a well to do mother of two and living a happily married life with her husband and kids. She is often involved in charity work and thinks it is each one's duty as a Christian. When she sees Michael (Quinton Aaron) in the same set of clothes day in and day out, picking up leftover popcorn at the stadium for food she knows that he needs help. She helps him and he is now part of their family. A black among the whites (cat among the pigeons?)
The story thus moves on, Leigh Anne boosting Michael's long lost confidence and thus evolves a beautiful story of emotions and relations.
The actors have done a brilliant job. I specially liked Sandra Bullocks acting, all her expressions were very natural. Quinton Aaron has also done a brilliant job.
The story is simple, the direction good and the story telling makes you want to watch it.

I'd say its a must watch!

LSD

Its a movie made very differently for bollywood standards. Its three stories, connected in some way, all shot by a camera which unfold backwards. The stars of the movie, all of them newbies have played their roles well.
The three stories are each about love, sex and dhokha.
I won't write much about it, just say that its worth a watch, just for the different and fresh feel and the way the story tells itself.

Go watch it!

Well done Abba...well done Shyam Benegal

Its a nice, light, jovial movie that portrays the serious not so good problem of corruption. I won't let out the plot just so that you get over your inertia and go and watch the movie. However, I'll say just this...the story is the usual one but the portrayal, the way the story unfolds is refreshing.

The overall look of the movie is a simple village in Hyderabad. The actors Boman Irani, Minissha Lamba, Ila Arun all have done a brilliant job with their Hyderabadi accents and pronunciations. The performances are great. Boman Irani's dialogue delivery and his timing is just incomparable. The dialogues are very witty and delivered flawlessly by the actors. There are no unnecessary songs and you never need to ask "ye movie kab khatam hogi?". The only part that was not needed at all was Sonali Kulkarni's role. I wonder how she agreed to play the part of a wife to a husband obsessed with the idea of sex. All the so-called steamy scenes are pushed in for no rhyme or reason.The movie could have surely done without her role. Ravi Kissen her husband in the movie, obviously plays his natural.

The last part(I won't give details) , the award ceremony is just hilarious. Go have a good laugh and enjoy the movie! I'd say "A must watch"!

Shaapit

Its a Vikram Bhat movie the director of Raaz (and 1920 too they say, but I don't feel its worth mentioning..)

Anyhow, so...Shaapit. Debut movie for Aditya Narayan, who became popular (and girls went crazy whenever he came on stage) after hosting a singing competition on Zee(IIRC). He has done a good job for his first and it would surely be fun to see him do more roles where acting skills are all that the script depends on.

The story is about Kaaya(Shubh Joshi) who is under a curse and Aman(Aditya Narayan) who is in love with her and pledges to remain so till eternity. Kaaya's curse will not let her get married, and if she decides to do so, she will be killed. Aman will not let the curse do them apart and hence starts his journey to achieve the impossible. In his quest he meets a professor who has studied spirits and written a detailed book about live examples. The professor will not help Aman, just because fighting with spirits is not a cake walk and he can't stain his hands with Aman's blood (A typical dialogue you'd say right...but maybe the script writer didn't realise that in bollywood the lead protagonist (male) never loses :P)
So, Aman takes on a challenge and proves to the professor that he has what it takes, to fight the spirits (How he does so, find out by reading the book page 117 (IIRC) :P)

The story is quite believable and the effects are damn good, as per bollywood standards. The sound and light effects are good. If a little more time would have spent on effects and aatmas the 'thrill' i.e. the effect the movie should have, would have been noticed atleast. The script is a bit stretched towards the end which makes you ask "ye aatma kab nasht hogi?".

Overall, I'd say for the effects is a good watch. Acting is not bad. Direction is good too.

Harsihchandrachi Factory

Its a true story about the first Indian motion film made ever. It was Phalke who fought the odds and the crude mentality of Indians at that time and setup this film making industry in India that today earns has shown its presence all over the world.

Back then, this industry was new and no one knew how it worked. Working in a film was also considered a madness and was looked down upon as a profession. However with the never ending support of his wife and kids as well as some of his well wishers his quest for a new business setup and his journey till success is what the story revolves around.

A brilliantly made film with no unnecessary filmy masala proceeding in the right direction and never letting you get bored. This film keeps you glued to your seat while you enjoy some funny lines and more importantly the perseverance of the man in question.

I'd say its a must watch!

Alice In Wonderland

Its a movie made on the very famous 'Alice in Wonderland' story we all must have surely heard of, or even followed the cartoon series that came on TV when we were kids.
Its the same story with the same characters.
Performances are good. Make up is awesome. Direction is good. And top of all, the 3d animation is wonderful. Go if you want to enjoy the 3d effect, its very nice.
Anyway, after the movie starts it gets a little bit boring and stretched towards the end. So, a good family and kids watch I'd say.

Enjoy!

Atithi tum kab jaoge

Its a simple, fun, not so usual but not so different story.

In today's 'time is money' world where family life is diminishing how would one cope up with the demands of a guest, who lives the age old way i.e. get up early, have a bath and then make food else its unauspicious etc etc.

Paresh Rawal steals the show with his brilliant acting which makes it look so natural. Konkana is as usual natural but hardly stands out as outstanding. Ajay Devgan with his usual 'im so coll, im so bhola bhala' expressions does his bit in keeping up with Konkana. The direction is good, but could have been better.
The background score and the song 'atitihi tum kab jaoge' is nice.

Story as I said is simple and some moments make you think if the way our family culture is diminishing is really helpful. What with the current scenario where both parents are working, the child is at school and with friends, he hardly gets time with his parents etc etc.

Anyhow, a nice one time watch. Go enjoy!

My name is Khan

The label says its 'worth ur time once' as well as 'don't bother'. Why the confusion? Because its an out and out bollywood masala movie. So those who enjoy masala will like the movie.

The movie is about this man called Rizwan Khan who is autistic. The first part about his life as a child, his intelligence are all good. I would have preferred if the movie procceeded in the same direction. Anyway, so then he meets the love of his life, who is a single mother and has gone through hardships to raise her son (I told you...it has all the masala needed). So he marries this girl, whose voice makes him skip a heart beat (I guess that's a valid reason right? :P).

Okay so the movie proceeds and his son is now Sameer Khan and is a muslim instead of a Hindu and then calamity strikes and there is 9/11. So all the muslims are treated as terrorists and one such a fight kills Sameer. So now Mandira (Kajol) obviously blames Rizwan (I told you masala) and tells him to meet the president and tell him that 'My name is Khan and I am not a terrorist'. Okay so he takes up the task and sets out to accomplish it. Then as he is the hero, he faces lots of problems helps many people and also helps the FBI to catch hold of a muslim instigator who is trying to get people to fight against the Americans in the name of jihad. Then our hero also helps people who have faced a terrible storm somewhere in Virginia and then Khan is all over the news. So the president now decides to meet Khan, what a twist :P

But then again before happy ending we have a Khan who is almost killed by some enraged supporter of the muslim instigator. Wow what a climax! :P

Okay, SRK's acting is good. But the movie, I didn't like it. Its full of bollywood masala, nothing new. So you decide if you would rather not bother, or watch it once.

Karthik Calling Karthik

This unique movie name, started many funny PJs :P one of them being (Im assuming I have been granted permission for posting your patented jokes :P) 'karthik calling karthik, toh engage tone lagega' :P

Anyway, the promos made me want to watch the movie. The story seemed to be good and different, and so off we went for the movie.Reviews that we heard before the movie were 50% people found it boring, 50% found it out of the box. So with mixed expectations we were all set to experience KCK.

The movie is about a weird call from the same person to the same person. Unbelievable but a nice thought. The movie starts with Farhan being a simpleton, not being able to refuse anything he is asked to do. And then this weird call changes his life. He gets the love of his life and everything is going on smoothly until the day he tells his Shona about this mysterious caller. ANyway, I won't pen down the entire story here, just in case you still haven't watched it.

As for the story, it is a nice fresh concept. It is done well but not very practical. The psychiatrist for example is doesn't help the patient in anyway. A psychiatrist usually listens to his/her patient and very nicely and calmly talks the patient out of his/her problems. But here our doctor says 'Move on.' 'Let me come to your place at 5am to confirm if these calls exist'. Utterly not plausible. Some of the dialogues are nice and witty. The love story is nice but nothing very new. Farhan's acting is no doubt superb. And as for Deepika as usual a little overdone.

The movie gets a little boring in between and it feels a bit stretched towards the end. But overall its a fresh concept which could have been made a little better. A one time watch I'd say.

The Namesake

This movie by Mira Nair, I was supposed to have watched much earlier as early as 4 years ago!
Anyway, make sure you don't miss it, if you haven't seen it already.

I won't say its a masterpiece of direction, infact I found some parts and scenes rather patchy and out of place. But the story and the narration are too good. The way marriages took place earlier, one meeting and its decided. And the funny part, the female is asked to sing or recite something (wonder if they are looking for a bride or a trained singer!)
The way the relationship between husband and wife develops is not emphasised as much, but the loyalty and trust and compatibility they develop after years of marriage is very well portrayed. The children, born and brought up in the USofA, can hardly be expected to learn and cherish and follow Indian values, and this in turn results in a weak family bond. The children stay away from home and are least bothered about their parents.
What changes things, is Irfan Khan's death. The way the part Irfan's death is narrated is touching! His son's reaction and the change afterwards is nicely described. And the story that proceeds from here is touching and practical. Ashima's (Tabu) daighter settles down and her son, after a broken up marriage starts life anew.

I'd say a nice movie to watch once, for the performances and the story telling!

Ringa Ringa

What do you call a movie with a strong script, good performances, good background score, good dialogue delivery, good direction, good dialogues, good screenplay? You got it right, Ringa ringa :)

The movie starts nicely and then keeps moving at a pace that keeps everyone engaged and guessing the plot till the end. It is a story about Siddharth (Bharat Jadhav) who is the bodyguard of a corrup politician Rang Rao. He decides to let the world know his master's evil doings and thereby save Goa, the state the movie is shot in. This eventually ends up the bad way and then the movie proceeds and Mansi (Sonali Kulkarni) and her lovely sarees and her awesome performance is all you can see. The way her expressions and eyes help the dialogues to be effective is a must watch.
The story is very well twisted so much so that you can keep guessing till the end but can be never sure. It is a bit dramatic towards the end, but then thats Indian cinema for you :)
Enjoy it and I'm sure you will have nothing but words of praise for this beauty!

P.S. Don't watch it at CPK, their sound system is so bad that it'll give you the impression that Sonali has over acted!

Click

Its a bollywood horror movie which atleast does not make you laugh. The promotional videos of the movie looked inviting (let me clarify again its a horror), the lead aatma looked scary even without makeup :P It is a cut + copy + paste from different movies and it seems to be inspired a lot from grudge.

But, seriously I liked the movie because it didn't make you laugh. It did give you some shrills and scary moments and then went on to bore you. The story was okish and the direction could have been much better. When the 'scary' mood was just setting in, the direction took it to a love story with senti dialogues and mushy hugs and songs which did not let you get into the romantic mood.

As for the acting, the lead actors Shreyas and the newbie (imdb has no record for this movie ;)) are average. The movie maybe does not demand more than skin show and screeches.

It is much better than other bollywood horror movies, but it could have been much much better.
I'd say one time watch else..don't bother!

Couples Retreat

Don't ask me why I saw this movie..I cannot think of any good reason..

There is absolutely no story. Performances meagre. Story telling..absent. There is nothing for sore eyes too ;)

Rann

Doesn't it sound like 'run'..run away..save yourselves..;)
It is a very usual..well known story. The only thing the movie does is "throw the truth in your face".
Nothing about the movie is extraordinary. Even the starcast doeas not help as the performances are below average. What I don't understand is - why does an actor like Gul Panag even sign a role where she has no more than three or four meagre minute scenes, none of which show her great acting calibre? Amitabh Bachchan has given some great performances in movies like Black and Paa ; he is no more a beginner to be signing roles like these; is he listening?
The only consolation is that the background music is nice.

Please don't bother!

Ishqiya

Bore.
(A couple of jokes are good btw).

Accident on Hill road

This movie is a typical example of a good script in the wrong hands! Had there been someone who can atleast make an effort to act, had the director read the entire story before directing the movie, we could have had, if not a super duper hit, atleast a reasonable amount of applaud for a nice movie!

For starters, Celina Jaitley isn't as hot as she thinks she is. The actor in the lead role (whatever his name is) isn't a stud, as he may decide to assume. Farooq Shaikh is totally wasted. The director has mistaken these two actors as pornstars and made them act in a thriller (sorry a thriller that could have been). Maybe the director was too confused about what the movie is going to be about. He thinks he did his part in making the movie a success (success he may have dreamt of) by adding (unnecessary) scenes of drugged people acting stupid or making out (which doesn't even make you feel the passion).

The story is good. It is about an accident and the after effects and what extent people can go to, to save themselves from facing the music of their misdoings. The way the story proceeds is umm..sorry it doesn't proceed in a single direction. It looks as if the director was trying multiple directions to find out the best possible way of getting the story to be told, but then ended up portraying this trial and error as the movie.

Sadly, for the concept (whosever it was), it wad totally wasted. Please don't bother!

Natrang

Natrang is much in news these days. I watched it this morning. A small tip, don't buy a 9 AM show on a holiday (at least applies to our group :). We had bought 5 tickets and only 3 people showed up, all late. My alarm sounded at 8 AM, I woke up, turned the alarm off, decided I won't go for the movie and pulled the sheets over my head. It was by sheer chance that I woke up again at 8:30. This time better thoughts prevailed, and I reached CPK at 9:10. I found our slot of five seats, all empty. I was the first one to reach! I might have left after some time, but MD and Lalit turned up few minutes later.

As I said, Natrang is much is news these days. And for good reason. Watching it will make you realize that Marathi cinema is back with a bang. When I was a kid, Mahesh Kothare, Laxmikant Berde, Sachin and Ashok Saraf were ruling Marathi cinema (masterpieces like Ashi hi banvabanavi come to mind). But over time, the train ground almost to a halt. What was left was mostly Alaka Kubal type family dramas (which I maintain are enormously stupid). But Marathi cinema has started picking itself up really well these days. I hope that Natrang is just one of a string of excellent movies to come by in the near future.

Natrang is based on a folk art named Tamasha. There was a time when it was looked down upon by almost everybody (and things have not changed that much even today in rural areas). Here is a story of man, fascinated with this art, and dreaming of making a name for himself. He is opposed by his family, his elders betray him, circumstances work against him, but he rises to the challenge in the end. The depiction of rural Maharashtra is pretty accurate. And there is a sense of professionalism (thanks to MD for the word) in the making, take costumes, backgrounds, direction, music. No chindichori. All in all it's a great movie. Do not miss!

PA

Notice there is only one 'A'. So this is definitely not about Auro. I am talking about Paranormal Activity. First thing, don't watch this movie in theater (at least not in Pune). If that is not possible, book the entire show. The movie is definitely a must watch, but there is good chance that a mighty horde of stupid assholes is sitting just next to you. If the previous statement hurt your sensibilities, please stop reading this post right now. A lot more shit's gonna come. So back to stupid assholes. Here are a couple of principle categories I encountered

1) Ohh I am so hep category: I laugh at every scene, even when it has nothing to laugh about. Am I shit scared? Probably yes. Also my parents have taught me how to dress, and sent me to super fundoo (TM) English school, but they just missed a little bit on basic manners. So I keep giggling and explaining shit to my friend who is probably just as stupid even after I have been asked multiple times (and by different people) to shut the f*** up. I also use the f word a lot (makes me more hep, at least I think so).

2) The guy sitting next to me is blind (or I'll just assume so) category: Are wo dekh daewaje pe shadow. Dude, is your friend blind? I don't think so. Plus I (also sitting next to you) am neither dumb, nor blind. I can see and I can understand. Let me repeat, coz you never get it the first time. I can see and I can understand. Now shut the f*** up.

There are more. They are not half as bad, but still annoying enough to deserve a mention.

1) I'll put an interval in 90 mins movie, so that I can sell more popcorns.
2) I have a ticket, so I'll travel, in and out of theater, any moment I want. That is definitely OK with something like Wanted, not here.

OK, that's enough blah blah. (anybody still with me?). Let me (at last) say something about the movie. Must watch. Chances are, you'll be genuinely scared at least a couple of times. But you will probably be better off watching it alone in your room with your headphones on.

Enjoy!