Kung Fu Panda 2

Kung Fu Panda 2




While there are enough and many more than enough movies that make you cringe and make you kind of border on regret the option of being a minor movie critic, there are many and more that make you eagerly wait for what they term as AWESOMENESS. And you are watching the trailers that build up to the actual movie and really find it difficult to wait any longer because you are so close to the real thing that the excitement is killing you. The saving grace though is the trailer of Cars 2 that plays in between giving you that respite. But then again you are waiting for only Awesomeness to begin. And then it does. And how!!!!!

Long long ago in China (of course) – somewhere to the south east – in a place called Gongmen City, there lived the Peacock King and the Peacock Queen. They lived a completely peaceful existence and had a son Shen (Gary Oldman). Shen was a pyromaniac of sorts and started dabbling with fireworks and over a period of time had built a love for them that bordered on insanity. Like all courts in China, this one too had a Soothsayer (Michelle Yeoh) who foretold that the passion for fireworks would lead Shen to nothing but disaster at the hands of “a warrior of black and white” – rings a bell somewhere doesn’t it. And it did ring a bell in Shen’s head as well. What no one anticipated is the rampage that Shen would go on to prove the prophecy wrong. He coloured the misty white and green and blue landscape of the hills of the south in a colour that no one had imagined. He coloured it RED – The red blood of the Pandas – every single panda that he could get his hands on. He retuned with the feeling of being victorious but his parents had other ideas. Displeased and disappointed with Shen’s reaction – shell shocked was more like it – they banished Shen from Gongmen City. Shen leaves but returns 30 years later – this time with a weapon that threatens the very existence of Kung Fu in China. He takes the lives of the most prolific Kung Fu artist in China and the master of the gaurds of Gongmen City – Master Rhino (Victor Garber). He spares the lives of Master Croc (Jean Claude Van Damme) and Master Ox (Dennis Haysbert). Now, the only people who can stand in his way are the Furious Five – Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Monkey (Jackie Chan), Mantis (Seth Rogen), Viper (Lucy Liu) and Crane (David Cross). And of course there is Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) who gives his discourse on Inner Peace to the ever puzzled Dragon Warrior – Po (Jack Black).

First time director Jennifer Yuh retains the essence left by Mark Osborne & John Stevenson and gives you a wholesome entertainer. I need not say anything about the star cast coz in the spirit of KFP they are just TRULY AWESOME!!! For fans and non fans alike, KFP2 proves once again that if it is touched by SKG DreamWorks then Pixar better watch out. This one is definitely up there in the nominations for the Oscars next year. Kung Fu Panda 2 relives the magic that was created by the first edition and also leaves enough scope for its loyal fans to be excited – yes my dear Kung Fu Panda friends… there will be, soon enough a Kung Fu Panda 3!!!! This time with Po’s biological dad. As my close friend Dhammo would have said, “The excitement is KILLING me”!!!! 8 on 10 without doubt.

Watch the trailer at http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi1639488793/

Gulliver's Travels

A classic book is a classic book. The sooner movie makers understand that, the better it is. One should not be deprived of a freedom of expression or thought but there should be a certain quality of execution that is expected. And I am all for prosecution of film makers who ruin the entire concept like Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag (which I believe was probably the worst movie in that year) did for Sholay. A pity that this vice is wide spread. Gulliver’s Travels from Rob Letterman’s table is one such example. Johnathan Swift would have looked the other way and feigned any association with Letterman for the indifferent attempt made by Letterman in converting his 1728 classic to the big screen.

Lemeul Gulliver (Jack Black) is a mail room man who thinks he is super confident and can make it to places but all he does is talk about it and do nothing. He is the atypical Jack Black that is found in most of his movies to make it easier for you guys to understand. His normal life would start @ 7 in the morning followed by his many shenanigans and gets to his mundane work. It takes a new recruit to familiarize him with the fact that he is all talk and no ball. Needless to say he is mighty depressed by the end of the day when he realizes that the new recruit has been promoted as his new boss (not that it would happen in the real world).

Now Gulliver has this huge crush on the Travel editor of the magazine that he works for (Ooops… did I forget to mention that he works as a mail room clerk for a travel magazine? Sorry :P). Darcy Silverman (Amanda Peet) is the love of his life for the past 5 years (something reminded me of Karthik Calling Karthik here). But he has never managed to build up the courage to even have polite conversation, leave alone the thought of having coffee with her. But when the new guy is made the boss, he decides to try and do something about it. He is about to ask Darcy but chickens out and instead takes an application for being the new writer. He spends the rest of the night putting together articles from several books and magazines and submits a few pieces of writing to Darcy. Just to impress her. What do you know… the next thing, he finds himself in the Bermuda Triangle which is where the story decides to move into the true Gulliver mode. By the time it gets here, you have lost nearly half an hour and wonder how is it that Letterman is going to take you through Lilliput, Brobdingnag, Laputa, Balnibarbi, Luggnagg, Glubbdubdrib, Japan and the Country of the Houyhnhnms in the next hour or so. Well… the fact is that he does not.

There is so much more that could have been done by Letterman with a classic of this proportion. It is mighty disappointing to see the end result on most counts of movie making. Instances like these put the stereotype tag on otherwise extremely talented actors like Jack Black and Amanda Peet. The support cast of Jason Segel (Horatio), Emily Blunt (Princess Mary), Billy Connoly (King Theodore) and Chris O’Dowd (General Edward) are completely insipid. I would like to document a severe objection for the use of the name Lemuel Gulliver. Unless your parents where die heard Johanthan Swift fans, you would not want to name your son Lemuel. And mind you, your ancestors would have taken up the Gulliver name much earlier than that. Sounds more like a curse than a compliment. Disappointing to say the least. I had expected much better despite the bad reviews that I had read about the movie. 3 on 10 for this one.

High Fidelity

Aah the pleasures of inflight entertainment on an international flight!!! There are so many movies that don’t see the light of day back home.  And I wonder why?  During the flight to down under, I happened to see 2 such movies.  High Fidelity is a funny RomCom with some serious acting talent on display.

Rob Gordon (John Cusack) is a loser of sorts.  He has the opportunity to make it big but is too darn lazy to move his ass in a positive direction.  He drops out of college and keeps doing odd jobs till he finally lands up doing something that he really wants to but doesn’t pay him enough to keep up with the rent and expenses.  He owns a music store along with his friends Dick (Todd Louiso) and Barry (Jack Black).  Dick is a diminutive, reserved kind of a person who barely speaks but has a supreme command over music.  Barry on the other hand is a riot.  He is reckless and has a huge liking for rock / cult music which is different and not run of the mill.  So much so that he would refuse to sell stuff to people who he believes don’t have the right taste in music.  The trio struggles through life but have that one thing that binds them together – music.

However, Rob’s life is turned a bit topsy turvy when his girlfriend of two years, Laura (Iben Hjejle) decides to dump him.  A distraught Rob tries his best to stop her but she is not willing to go through this anymore.  Rob is even more crushed when he realizes that she has temporarily moved in with the guy next door, Ian ‘Ray’ Raymond (Tim Robbins), a karate expert and a weirdo.  Unable to figure out the reason for this sudden turn of events, he tries to wind the clock on all his previous relationships which have failed and boils down to his top 5 break ups starting from a passing high school romance that lasted for a few hours but left him completely shattered.

High Fidelity is a dark RomCom – if there is room for any such classification.  Director Stephen Frears has been around for over 40 years now (30 at the time of making HF).  He spent a better part of the first half of his career on Television – primarily with short films and TV movies.  But he kind of burst into the silver screen with the 1988 block buster – Dangerous Liaisons. His last known work was the Oscar nominated “The Queen”.  One cannot help but notice that his movies are studded with supremely strong actors.  A trait that he uses in HF as well – very successfully.  John Cusack’s portrayal of the loser character of Rob Gordon is simply superb.  He is not just ably but wonderfully supported by one of the best comic actors of our time – Jack Black.  Together they completely light up the screen on what could be otherwise considered as a not so strong script or story line.  The supporting cast is also superb – so is it kudos to direction or just that Mr. Frears picks his actors very carefully? Doesn’t really matter I say.  The output is a very strong movie which could probably have been pushed to the next level with a stronger script.  7 on 10 from my side for HF.  Watch it if you are a lover of Dark Comedy.