Hunger Games Mocking Jay Part 1

If you haven’t seen or Hunger Games and Catching Fire Or read the trilogy by Suzanne Collins then I suggest you do so before you decide to watch Mocking Jay.  While some may argue that a movie has to be evaluated independently, those who haven’t seen the prequels will never be able to understand the story completely.

La Belle et la Bête (Beauty & The Beast) (2014)

There is a special fascination that I have always had for French cinema although I cannot understand a word of what the cast says (Thank God for subtitles).  There is a regal feeling in the language itself and the expressions speak a million more words in itself.  I had no idea (thanks to my laziness) that Beauty and The Beast was actually a French re-telling of the timeless fairy tale.

Divergent

The size of the Young Adult Fiction Market in 2009 was estimated at about $3 billion!!! (yes – with a “buh” – Alan Harper).  A certain Veronica Roth was terribly cued into this market at published her first book “Divergent” somewhere in 2011.  Even before she graduated, the movie rights were sold.

Vampire Academy

Richelle Mead’s award winning fantasy series of Vampire world found its way to celluloid (or should I say digital print) last week.  The poster of the movie very proudly shows 2 gorgeous looking girls dressed in black with the words THEY SUCK AT SCHOOL prominently plastered across (http://www.imdb.com/media/rm267050240/tt1686821?ref_=tt_ov_i).

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Several factors have contributed to this extremely later review of The Hobbit – The Desolation of Smaug.  Firstly, I saw the movie on a Sunday (15^th December 2013) as against the Thursday (12^th December 2013) preview that was organized @ PVR Juhu – Now that was on principle because it is nothing less than rank insulting to watch The Hobbit at any other screen but for an IMAX one.

Hunger Games : Catching Fire

Apparently Gary Ross (Director of Hunger Games) turned down the opportunity of directing the sequels.  After approaching 8 more directors including the likes of Alfonso Cuarón (Gravity) and Joe Cornish (Star Trek 3), the opportunity landed on Francis Lawrence’s table who has then proceeded to give us a rendition that tempts me to ask him to remake Hunger Games 1.

Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters

I started blogging a few months after the first installment of this very average adult fantasy series.  Percy Jackson and The Lightning Thief was the first in the series by Rick Riordian that was a much awarded book but an average movie.  I am told by reliable sources that the book is readable.

The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones

Judith Rumelt aka Cassandra Clare is best known for The Mortal Instruments Series of books that has been apparently very well received out west over the past 5-7 years.  But what does Cassandra Clare go through when the book goes onto the silver screen and the movie makers come to her with a dime a dozen changes.  I guess that’s a problem that most authors come up with and hence the term “True to the book”.

The Host (2013)

How many of you are fans of Stephenie Meyer? The same person who tortured us with the Twilight series and the movies that came in after that.  Even if you are a fan, you will find The Host to be one of the biggest drags that has ever graced cinema – one that will challenge every single muscle in your eyelids from not dropping off.

Firstly she has moved from Fantasia to science fiction – a genre that she should keep away from for the rest of her life.  Because there is nothing in SciFi that can be slow.  Right? But Meyer thinks differently and therefore she has challenged the status quo only to get egg on her face.

We have reached an age on earth where there are little or no worries There is no pollution.  The ozone layer has come back to the way it used to be.  There are little or no instances of terrorism.  It is a peaceful existence. But there is more to it.  We have been invaded by an alien force which has got us to this situation.

Hell.  I say get those aliens into this world soon.  It would seem that they take over human beings like parasites.  They use their bodies to survive after erasing their memories.  They have taken over mother earth and the last living human beings are struggling to stay alive and keeping away from the Seekers.

One of the last few humans is Melanie (Saoirse Ronan) who gets captured by The Seeker (Diane Kruger).  She gets her new soul which will be called Wanderer and eventually Wanda.  However, Melanie’s mind resists the change and slowly but surely converts Wanda into an empathizer and eventually a supporter of the human race.

By now, if you haven’t clawed your hair apart or scratched your face like you see in those zombie movies, then you should be given a medal (1 am first in line there).  If that doesn’t kill you, don’t worry, the complete lack of any sensible screenplay or dialogues will definitely manage it.

What is surprising is that an otherwise sensible director, Andrew Niccol (Gattaca, In Time) actually agreed to direct this piece of writing.  That it was produced by Stephenie Meyer herself comes as no surprise because no self-respecting producer would have probably agreed to it.  Ditto for Saoirse (Seersha) Ronan and Diane Kruger who are fine actresses and find themselves in this silly soup.

Do you remember that Tom & Jerry episode where Tom is feeling so sleepy that he has to use matchsticks to prop his eyebrows up? Take as many matchsticks as you can because you will need them.  The Host is better than most of the sleeping pills available in the market.  3 on 10 purely because of some decent performances and effects.

Watch the trailer on http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi1617274649/?ref_=tt_ov_vi

Oz The Great And Powerful

Sam Raimi is no mean name in the business of entertainment.  He has given us a superbly webbed trilogy (how corny is that???) over the past decade – one that I am told, held the record for the best opening ever for a really long time.  With Oz The Great And Powerful, Raimi gives us yet another reason to celebrate.

Jack The Giant Slayer

It is probably the most “in” thing these days in Hollywood.  A trend that started a year or so back.  The fairy tale with a modern twist.  A story of Snow White which has the seven dwarfs but it also has elements of thrill and fear woven into it.  Or as in this case, the story of Jack and the Beanstalk.

The Hobbit – An Expected Journey

I wonder what the problem was last morning and surprisingly there is no coverage over the press about the delay in the screening of The Hobbit across Mumbai yesterday. That is the reason this blog has been delayed by nearly 24 hours. What should have gone up last afternoon @ the same time is going up today. Sorry folks. Some problem between the distributor and movie screens I am told. But no idea about the truth. Anyone?

Having said that, my joy knew no bounds when I walked upto the PVR counter in Mulund later last night and was told that the screening has started. Yipee!!! And although I did walk in a minute after the start, I was completely in awe of what I walked into as soon as I did. One would have thought that the magic that Peter Jackson have woven with LOTR would be difficult to continue with? You could not have been further from the truth!!!

The Hobbit (for those who are unaware), like LOTR is broken down into 3 parts – A Unexpected Journey, The Desolation of Smaug and There & Back Again. It is (again for those who are unaware), a precursor to LOTR. If I were Peter Jackson, I would have probably made this before ;) :-p .

Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) – a Hobbit, is smoking a pipe and blowing smoke rings in yet another laid back, lovely morning in the shire when a very tall person in a grey cloak with a long grey flowing beard and a grey pointy hat, wielding a staff that is as long, walks upto him asking if he is ready to go on an adventure. The tall man is of course Gandalf the Grey (Ian Mckellan). But, Baggins, being the Hobbit that he is declines – not so politely at that. You see Hobbits are not the adventurous kinds.

But the sly Gandalf ensures that the Dwarves led by Thorin (Richard Armitage), son of Thráin, son of Thrór, make themselves welcome @ Baggins’ place. They share with Baggins their plan to travel to The Lonely Mountain – the Dwarves erstwhile homeland – that is currently guarded by the deadly Dragon Smaug. If anything, Baggins, freaks out more and refuses to accompany them. But the Took (his mother) blood in him ensures that he joins the gang the next morning – The Unexpected Journey.

There are 2 kinds of people in the world. Those who love The Lord of The Rings & those who do not know about The Lord of The Rings – if you know about it, you cannot, not love it. The Hobbit falls into a similar category mix. And no one but for Peter Jackson could have bought this project to life with the same consistency. It is a visual treat and definitely in line for the top 10 of the year. It may not win because The Academy may want to pick something different.

One cannot help but have the same feeling that you had at the end of The Fellowship of the Ring. This 3 part affair gets really irritating. You want to see all parts at one go. IMMEDIATELY. But then That’s Peter Jackson for you. So, if you want to watch the next 2 parts – 2013 and 2014 Christmas it will have to be. 8.5 on 10.

Watch the trailer at http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi650683417/

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

The realms of human imagination have never ceased to surprise people over the years. if one were to put their mind to it, there is no telling what your next big idea could turn out to be right? And so what if the next big idea was a totally out of this world, whacked out, unbelievable, audacious, ridiculous conspiracy theory that drives you to make a movie out of it no matter how absurb the idea were to sound.

The idea could be as weird as suggesting that the United States of America came really really really close to become the United States of Vampires – possible I guess. And that The States really owe a lot to Abraham Lincoln for their existence and I am not for once suggesting that it was because of his star studded political career. At least that’s not what Timur Bekambetov (director of superb action flicks such as that Angelina Jolie starrer called Wanted) wanted to say.

Timur wanted to let us know that President Lincoln came through to his pinnacle of success not just with great leadership but also with his lesser and to date hidden skills of Vampire Hunting. A skill that he was driven to pick up when one of “those” kind killed his mother in her sleep and he watched her die. A desire to seek revenge drove him to try and kill Jack Barts (Marton Csokas) with a simple bullet – a task that he almost messes up but manages eventually. Only to be saved a few seconds later by Henry Sturges (Dominic Cooper). Because Vampires don’t die if you put a bullet through their eye.

Sturges goes on to help young Abe Lincoln (Benjamin Walker) learn the finer nuances of not just seeking out vampires but also killing a variety of them who would otherwise have been quite sticky to handle – in the literal sense of the word. Especially when they having a variety of skills other than brute strength and immortality. Strengths such as the capability to disappear in a split second and reappear behind you. And the fact that their only known weakness is towards silver (I always thought that was a werewolf characteristic – but then its fiction and anything is possible).

If your tolerance levels to fantasy and vivid imagination is really high, you could find Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter to be an enjoyable flick and a good use of your time. I on the other hand enjoy fantasia but not such far-fetched fantasia with not so great effects. Bekambetov is usually known for some fantastic stunts and action sequences. The ones here seemed to be a bit not so well done unfortunately. What could have been a movie as slick as Wanted turns out into one that’s average at best. I give this 5 on 10 because other than some action sequences and a fascinating conspiracy theory, there is really nothing much to look forward to.

Watch the trailer at http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi2367398425/

Snow White and the Huntsman

How many adaptations of Snow White in a single year. 2 already. Mirror Mirror and now Snow White and the Huntsman. And news is that Disney is already planning a re-mastered release of the original animation this year. Technically, Mirror Mirror released last year world over and came into this country a wee bit later. So I guess it is one adaptation a year. The good news though is that all of them have been really well made and distinctly different from the other. Not just for getting news bites which say, “We have a different take on Snow White” but a serious attempt at differentiation.

Snow White and the Huntsman, is my first experience with a version of the fairy tale which is distinctly action oriented and not soppy fairy tale types. It begins with the story of Ravenna (Charlize Theron) who is saved by the king and taken back home to be the queen. But little does the king know that he is adding to the list of Ravenna’s victims to date. Ravenna’s desire to stay young forever drives her to move from kingdom to kingdom and she uses her power and magic to suck the youth out of young girls at frequent intervals. She takes over from the king and jails his daughter Snow White.

Many years later, when Snow White turns 18 and the mirror has to inform Ravenna that she is not the fairest anymore, Ravenna sends her brother to get Snow White. However Snow White escapes into the Dark Forest where Ravenna’s powers are useless. So she sends a desperate huntsman (Chris Hemsworth) after her by promising him a life time of joy and happiness by bringing his wife back to life. And so the chase begins.

This time around, the emphasis on the dwarves is very minimal. Although we have the likes of Ian McShane and Bob Hoskins playing them, their part is restricted to less than 25% of the movie. There are other aspects such as the sinister nature of the Dark Forest and the village of women who have scarred themselves in an attempt to stay alive have been given a lot of screen time.

And that’s what makes this version very watchable to say the least. Add to these twists, a finale that has an amazing set of special effects. Actually made me wonder why this was never released in 3D in India. Would have been brilliant. Something that debutante director Rupert Sanders missed out on I guess. And surprisingly too. Because he had only Charlize Theron to play with in the cast – who was brilliant as Ravenna – but the rest of the lead cast with the insipid Kirstin Stewart and plastic Chris Hemsworth gave him nothing much to play with. As such, it didn’t matter because the movie was well made and entertaining for certain. 6 on 10 and worth a dekko I say.

Trailer on http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi2494275609/

Mirror Mirror

Tarsem Singh Dhandwar’s first directorial attempt was with a movie that very few could understand. I was part of the other half of people. The Cell starring J Lo was a movie that had so many layers in it that one got lost in a matter of minutes. Regretably, it didn’t work out. I haven’t seen his next movie – The Fall – but a curious fact presented itself to me while researching for Mirror Mirror. Tarsem was the Assistant Director for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Now I haven’t heard of any director who would have gone back to being an Assistant after directing 2 full length features. Speaks volumes about the man’s courage and I guess it did manifest itself a bit in Immortals which released last year (and was part of the list of movies I missed ).

With Mirror Mirror, Tarsem has given himself a chance to be considered as a director of substance and more importantly, one who wants to stick around for a while. Tarsem’s take on Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is made very slickly with the right mix of special effects and performances. I guess it was only a matter of time that someone took the story of Red Rose’s sister to the big screen in a big way. And it was also only a matter of time before Julia Roberts played a negative role isn’t it? So Tarsem kills 2 birds with one stone.

The Evil Queen (Julia Roberts) has schemed away over the years and finally uses her magic to get rid of the king (Sean Bean). Over the next few years, she fritters away all the money that is available to her and resorts to more and more taxes to take care of her lavish lifestyle. She is assisted in this effort by her timid and reluctant aide Brighton (Nathan Lane). Her source of power comes from the Mirror which is beautifully shown at right angles to the world. The Mirror keeps warning her about the fact that magic comes with its own price and is never without any adverse effects. But she pays little heed and continues with her ways.

When Snow White (Lily Collins) turns eighteen, she ventures out of the castle and first bumps into Prince Alcott (Armie Hammer) and then into the seven dwarfs who play giants by using flexible stilts. Their names – Butcher, Half Pint, Grub, Napoleon, Chuckles, Grim and Wolf. Together, they get the evil queen to her knees and regain control of the castle.

Mirror Mirror is a wonderful adaptation of the Brothers Grimm classic. Jason Keller (Machine Gun Preacher) and Melissa Wallack (Meet Bill) have combined to give us an exciting adventure. It is peppered with some nice corny dialogues – corny but really nice. Like, “Don’t do that. The prince has to come in to save the princess. It has been focus grouped and it works the best”. And the performances across the board are near perfect with Julia Roberts taking the cake. I really liked this one. I am going to stick my neck out and give it a 6.5 on 10. Try and catch up with it on the big screen.

Trailer on http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi3708919321/

Wrath of The Titans

Remember Clash of the Titans from nearly 2 years back. The One directed by Louis Leterrier (Transporter 1 & 2)? The one where a Greek man by the name of Perseus (Sam Worthington) finds out that he is no ordinary human being. That he is the son of the great God Zeus. And that makes him a demi god. He then goes on a great adventure to save the world and kill the mighty beast called Kraken. Remember?

Well I wouldn’t be surprised if you don’t but I wouldn’t be surprised if you did either. Clash of the Titans was as my close friend Sandy says, “Pop Greek Mythology”. What made Clash even more Pop was known as “Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief”. But they were both that kind of a movie. Imminently enjoyable when you watch them but with not much shelf life. Well the news is that, Wrath of the Titans is the much awaited sequel and is probably a bit better and maybe a bit more memorable than the first one.

What started off in the Clash has moved a decade and Perseus has decided that he wants to have nothing to do with the Gods or godliness or anything that is prefixed with the “G” word. He wants to move back to the “F” word. OK now don’t get all excited we are talking of the word called “Fisherman”. He is peacefully settled on a coastal village with his son Helios (John Bell). That’s when his father Zeus (Liam Neeson) decides to come back and ask him for help. He doesn’t reveal much but expects Perseus to trust him and leave his son to save the universe once again. This time from the Supreme God Kronos – the father of Zeus, Posiedon (Danny Huston) and Hades (Ralph Fiennes).

I must accept that Wrath of the Titans is definitely better made that The Clash of the Titans. The Clash also had its thunder stolen by Percy Jackson who was I would guess more contemporary (or pop as mentioned earlier). The Wrath doesn’t have that problem lurking around for certain. The Wrath also sees a change of directors and for the first time probably, the direction to a sequel is distinctly better. Jonathan Liebesman doesn’t waste too much of time building up the story and doesn’t leave you short of action at just the right moments.

The use of special effects this time around is also much better. Especially the quality of the 3D which I thought was probably the best since Tintin last year. The recreation of the larger than life demons and the aspects such as Hephaestus’ (Bill Nighy) maze to the underworld prison of Tartarus is simply superb. This one has to be seen on the big screen to get the real impact. Without the effects, there is not much to the movie. Definitely worth a dekko for this weekend. 6 on 10.

Watch the trailer at http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi3446710553/

Hunger Games

I was walking past Crossword in Vashi on Thursday i.e. 22nd March 2012 and I came across this 6 x 3 drop down of Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games. I honestly had no clue that it was a book and therefore had to pick it up – despite Crossword’s attempts to deny me the right to buy a book thanks to their gross mismanagement (the guy in the store had no clue to where the book was kept). They finally managed to find it in the Young Fiction section and I was wondering as to why is it that it is kept there of all places. Add to it, it’s a trilogy which I am told is in fashion today. So there is Hunger Games 2 (Catching Fire) and 3 (Mocking Jay) which are already made by the way and slotted for release in 2013 and 2015 it seems. Talk about planning.

Hunger Games starts with a quick backgrounder on how 75 years back, a whole bunch of states in the US rebelled against the government at that time. Of the 13 districts, one was obliterated and no signs of life were left. The remaining 12 now owe their life and allegiance to what is described as the Capitol. The Capitol, in an attempt to keep their memories fresh, holds the annual Hunger Games. Each District (currently based on profession) sends 1 boy and 1 girl between the ages 12 to 18 to a no holds barred fight to the death which in turn is telecast live to the entire population who now don’t have a choice but to view it.

This time around, the draw of lots picks out Primrose Everdeen (Willow Shields) who is all of 12 years old and has no clue on how to fight – leave alone one to the death. Her sister Katniss Everdeen’s (Jennifer Lawrence) on the other hand is a fighter to the core and survivor. She has been taking care of the family since her father’s passing. She loves her little sister to death. And so it isn’t surprising that she volunteers in place of her sister to be part of the 74th Hunger Games. The story is about Katniss’ fight for survival.

The book is reasonably paced I thought. Not the best of writing but quite pacy. The movie on the other hand turns out to be quite slow and stretched in parts. A bit too much of time is spent on the build up and very little on the actual action sequences. And surprisingly hardly any special effects. The movie is quite true to the book with very few liberties taken. The good part is the effort taken to show the dialogues that happen behind the scenes before the decisions are taken by the team that runs the show. And there is a sneak peek into President Snow’s (Donald Sutherland) character which is absent in the book. And why is there so little use of music? Anyways, read the book if you can before the movie. 6 on 10 overall. Not something that you will sorely miss.

Watch the trailer at http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi1187553561/

John Carter

We are actually looking at a character that was created 100 years back!!! Would you believe it??? By one of the leading authors / creators of our time. By an person who gave us one of the most memorable characters to ever be born – Tarzan. Yes. John Carter is also a child of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ imagination. He was created in 1912 and the Disney picked up a fine time to hit the screens. 100 years!!! And that too with a character that carries the name of the maker. How cool is that.

But one cannot help but wonder as to why did anyone take 100 years to come up with John Carter the Movie? From the looks of the trailer, it seems like a movie that would not be remotely short on entertainment value. The stunts seem to be miraculous to say the least. The characters are very Star Warish for lack of any other word – ergo the possibility of a fan following is huge to say the least (don’t even think that I am for once indicating that Star Wars in replaceable in any manner). Then why would it take 100 years for any production house to pick the story of John Carter and explode it onto the silver screen? Lucky for Disney that no one else did it to date.

Andrew Stanton had the backing of Finding Nemo and Wall E – 2 Animation movies that would get into the top 10 list for Animation – Any Given Sunday. And therefore, the expectations from his side were not ill placed at all. To say that he has disappointed would be unfair. But he hasn’t come upto the levels that one would have expected.

A lot of work has been done with the special effects to spruce up the movie but the screenplay and the narration get a tad complicated for the average audience as the movie moves at a brisk pace. One could not fault the audience if they were to get too confused between Tars Tarkas (Willem Dafoe) and Tal Hajus (Thomas Haden Church) and Dejah Thoris (Lynn Collins) and Tardos Mors (Ciarán Hinds) and Matai Shang (Mark Strong). Kinda difficult to keep up unless you have read the books and are familiar with the story. Very Star Warish as mentioned earlier. And capable of gaining cult status like Star Wars also.

What Stanton does well though is to keep the story alive through the 130+ minutes. Gives us great quality of action sequences. Gets the near plebian star cast (except Hinds and Strong) to act a bit. And he is supported with the voices of the reliable Willem Dafoe and Thomas Haden Church. He has also left enough of a window to go into a sequel/s. And most importantly finishes off with a nice little twist. Watch out for it. Well done Mr.Stanton & more importantly Mr. Burroughs.

John Carter is a movie that can be seen by people from all walks of life and all ages. There is nothing offensive in the least. Trust Disney to make clean family movies. Definitely on your must watch list for the weekend. 7 on 10. Big screen entertainer.

Watch the trailer at http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi2340397337/

Hugo

Hugo is already @ 198 in imdb top 250. One of the movies that has entered this list in Calendar Year 2011. And it has been nominated for 11 Oscars. Yep. You heard me right. 11 Nominations. Which if my research serves me right, is the highest number this year after which we have The Artist. The categories are Art Direction, Cinematography, Costume Design, Directing, Editing, Motion Picture of the Year, Adapted Screenplay, Music Written for Motion Picture, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing, Visual Effects. Once you have seen it, you would not be left with any questions in your head as for the reasons for the same.

Now I have always maintained that I have no clue in my head about Sound Mixing and Sound Editing – never had an ear for it I guess. And I cannot comment on the Screenplay bit since I have not read the book written by Brian Selznick – childrens book writer – The Invention of Hugo Cabret. But in the other 8 categories Hugo is definitely one of the front runners this year. Probably the only reason Hugo will not win the Motion Picture of the Year would be a the lack of a lead actor or support actor nomination. Although I seriously thought that Ben Kingsley did a fantastic job as George Milies. Hugo is as good if not better than either The Descendants or The Artist which undeniably are the favourites for this year’s Motion Picture of the Year but would miss it by a whisker.

It was only a matter of time before the likes of Martin Scorcese dabbled with the genre of Fantasia and The Invention of Hugo Cabret probably gave him the best platform to come up with one of his best movies to date. The thought process behind movies in the Fantasia genre just blows me to bits. There is just so much that you can assume to be possible under the genre but it does take great writing and better execution with the movie for it to be viewed as believable. Even if it means inanimate objects or robots such as the Automoton to be created using the basic principles of winding mechanisms as in a watch. Objects which then can become the object of affection for a 13-14 year old who has just lost his father and takes upon himself to get it working by stealing odd parts from the railway station in Paris. Simply stunning I say.

It does surprise me that the likes of Ben Kingsley, especially with his endearing performance, didn’t get a Best Supporting Actor nomination. Or for that matter Asa Butterfield or Chloë Grace Mortez who have both come up with such sincere and heart touching performances that they definitely deserve a strong mention. Hugo joins another endless list of movies which haven’t been considered by a bunch of morons to deserve a release along with the global release in India. 8 on 10 once again. I would think The Artist was just a tad better. Difficult call to take though.

Watch the trailer at http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi2781978137/

The Twilight Saga – Breaking Dawn Part 1

What is it that could make 20 tweenage girls (people between the ages of 17 and 23 if you didn’t know) scream out in public for a good 10 seconds as if they were having the most gut wrenching orgasm ever in their lives? What is it that can get the quietest and the most simple girls out of their closets and bare themselves as if they were the most vulnerable to any external stimuli? No we are not talking about the latest stimulating device that has hit the market place. The answer my friends and I am sure you weren’t aware of it – ROBERT PATTINSON. Duh. Robert who? What? Where? When? Why? How? If these 6 questions flashed through your mind then my dear friends – Welcome to my tribe. My first tryst with the white ghost was in a movie titled Water for Elephants where he personified the term “eye candy”. My 2nd intervention was about 3 days back when I almost mistook him for a white plastic cupboard. Even cupboards would have more expressions than this so called heartthrob.

Needless to say, I had to really struggle through the 90 odd minutes that the director – whose family name can be easily mistaken for a birth control measure – puts us through. Bill Condon (with an n and not an m) is best known for his musical called Dream Girls (which I haven’t seen). And after the first part of Breaking Dawn, I am convinced on a few points – Dream Girls could have at best been average & I would need a few hundred horses to drag me to the screen when Breaking Dawn 2 releases.

Honestly, I was conned into watching this one by a friend (who I have since disowned) who told me that she had picked up tickets for “In Time”. Now the concept of Twilight is completely the kinds that I would like. I am, as you would be aware if you are a regular reader of my blogs, definitely into Fantasia and that’s the best way I can describe the Twilight Saga. Anyone who would tell you that its about a lethal mixture of romance and action doesn’t quite know his left arse from his right. Its just pure Fantasy which would, in the hands of a specialist director, turn into a superb reality. That I hadn’t read the series didn’t help much with my lack of appreciation. So as you would have gathered by now, I was dead pan bored 15 minutes into the movie and only wondering how I could take advantage of the weak legged women who were around me. But my sleep got the better of me.

There is no perceivable reason I can ask you to watch The Twilight Saga – Breaking Dawn Part 1. Maybe if you are a die-hard Twilight fan, you could take the risk. I wouldn’t be surprised if you still don’t like it much. 3 on 10 from my side.

Watch the trailer at http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi2052299801/