Paddington

The first kiddie movie of 2015 is here and it draws itself from a 1997 series of children’s books called “The Adventures of Paddington Bear”.  It was probably only a matter of time before the little bear from Darkest Peru found its way to the silver screen.

Brave

Sorry! Sorry!! Sorry!!! Like Really Really Really Sorry!!!! Most of all to Disney and more to the readers of this blog. It has been nearly a week since I saw the best animation movie of the year to date and I haven’t done anything to urge you folks to make your way to the nearest theatre to watch an absolutely gorgeous Red Haired Merida (Kelly Macdonald) ride through not the just the woods but into your hearts with absolute ease. And I know I sound like a fan boy but what the heck. I love animation and I love Disney Pixar. So all bias forgiven.

The essence of Brave – and there is no need to scream “Spoiler Alert” – is summarized in the last 2 lines of the movie. Something that all of us could actually take away a lot from. “Our fate lives within us. You only have to be BRAVE enough to see it”. That one line is what people keep giving us but very few of us are actually BRAVE. Princess Merida definitely was.

Not because Princess Merida was a brilliant archer – which wasn’t what a princess is supposed to be. Not because Princess Merida could ride like the wind (especially on her favourite steed Angus) – which wasn’t what a princess was supposed to be. Not because Princess Merida wanted her frizzled red hair to be open enough to breath (or for that matter her clothes) – which wasn’t what a princess was supposed to be.

It was because she had a belief in herself that pushed her to stall a wedding which was all but sealed in blood. A belief that got her to run away from home and do something really stupid i.e. get a witch to create a concoction that turns her mother into a bear. But the same belief that gets her to stand up to the situation and find a way out of the mess that she has got herself into.

Brenda Chapman was the first American woman to direct a full length animation feature film from a major studio in Prince of Egypt. Why did she stop is something I am not familiar with. But the magic that she created in 1996 is only magnified significantly with the use of technology that is accessible to us these days. She has also partnered in the screenplay with the lead directors Mark Andrews and Steve Purcell both of whom had no major experience in directing before. Surely Chapman was of great help.

Original music by Patrick Doyle (also the voice of Martin) & fabulous editing by Nicholas Smith come together to give us an extremely enjoyable movie from the house of Disney Pixar (tell me something new… yawn!!!...). The good news for us animation fans is that Dreamworks is also doing fabulously well. So one can expect more such blockbusters in the near future. 8 on 10 for Brave. Watch out for the slow motion release of the arrow when Merida challenges her suitors – makes the entire movie totally worth while.

Watch the trailer on http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi678863641/

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2

To start on a humourous note, here is a letter that was doing the rounds yesterday. It read

Dear Mr. Harry Potter,
If I had taken 8 movies to kill the villain in my movie, I would have give the money back
Rajnikanth

8 movies and 10 years down the line after creating enough derangement amongst fans and generating euphoria like never been seen before amongst young & old alike and contributing new the English language through hilarious but useful spells such as Wingardium Leviosa or the more deadly Avada Kedavra and spawning the careers of 3 kids aged 11, 12 and 13 who have now grown upto being 21, 22 and 23 (what a mathematical genius I am) respectively Pottermania finally comes to a close – correction – pottermania can never die; the series has come to a close. Pottermania took the world by storm in the late 90s, moved into being a cult figure which was sought only by the geeks of the world and has now left a legacy for many many generations to come. Purists may debate if I were to compare J K Rowling to the evergreen Enid Blyton but that is what marketing has done to the field of writing and extended the same to movie making. The fact of the matter is that kids these days would rather swear by Harry, Hermione and Ron and would have no clue to who Julian, Dick, Anne, George and Tim were.

The last edition of the series will probably break all previous records of collections and earnings simply because it has been by far the most anticipated to date – thanks to the hype created around Harry Potters imminent death at the hands of Tom Riddle aka Lord Voldemort because the dark lord has got his hands on the Elder Wand. The movie takes exactly at the spot where Part 1 ended and continues with its dark cinematography. I get the concept of the deathly hallows guys but why would you want to make a movie primarily meant for kids into something that is so painful on the eyes. And in such a dark environment, the search for the remaining 3 Horcruxes (or should I say 4) starts with right earnest. Our 3 heroes break into Bellatrix Lestrange’s locker, talk to the ghost of Ravenclaw Tower, take the fight to Nagini (remember the hideous snake from the first part) and also take on Voldemort’s army in the bargain. All makes up for the right mixture of a wonderful way to spend your evening with family or friends. At the risk of sounding like a stuck record – maybe they could have added some light to the movie – just too damn dark.

The direction is as consistent as David Yates can get it to be. Considering that he has directed more Potter movies than anyone else (Chris Columbus -2 and one each for Alfonso Cuarón & Mike Newell), he would be – rightfully – under the skin of his character. The effects are as always fabulous but it is not at all mandatory to watch this or Part 1 in 3D and definitely not @ PVR (cant get enough of putting my request for lighter glasses). Wholesome entertainment as I had called for Part 1 also. Same score 7 on 10. Have a lovely Potter filled weekend folks!!!!

Watch the trailer at http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi128621593/

Gnomeo & Juliet

I am an amateur critic and would probably not understand the finer nuances of animation. But in my not so expert opinion, I think Disney has given us a lovely movie yet again. This time with director Kelly Asbury (Shrek 2; Spirit : Stallion of the Cimaron) they give us an adaptation of a The Bard’s classic and make no bones about it when they start the movie by saying “The story you are about to see has been told – A LOT”. It is definitely just another Romeo and Juliet movie but it is told a bit differently and Disney has ensured that it doesn’t turn out to be insulting to a classic like Rob Letterman did to Gullivers Travels. In fact it is an extremely entertaining animation movie for both adults and kids alike. And rest assured, the kids will totally love it.

In Stratford upon Avon (Shakespeare’s birth place) stay an elderly gentleman by the name of Mr. Capulet (Richard Wilson) and an equally elderly lady called Ms. Montague (Julie Walters). They are forever at loggerheads with each other. But this enmity is not restricted to just them. Even their ceramic garden gnomes come to life when there are no humans around and take the fight way too seriously for their own good. In the Blue corner is a team of gnomes led by Lady Blueberry (Maggie Smith) and her son Gnomeo (James McAvoy) along with their trusted ally Benny (Matt Lucas). In the Red corner is Lord Redbrick (Michael Caine), Tybalt (Jason Statham), Fawn (Ozzy Osbourne) and the extremely cute martial arts expert, Juliet (Emily Blunt). Their fights range from ruining the opponents garden to their favourite “national” pastime – Lawn mower racing. The not so obvious twist in the tale is when Gnomeo meets Juliet and it is love at first sight. Of course they take a few minutes to figure out what they are getting into but as Juliet’s frog nanny – Nanette (Ashley Jensen) puts it – the relationship is DOOMED from day one. And things only get worse when Tybalt decides to raid the Blue Lawns and destroy a flower that Gnomeo’s late father had lovingly planted and the Blue Army had tended to all these years.

A slew of corny one lines and references to Shakespearean classics do not prevent this movie from being great fun to watch. Stuff like Juliet being stuck to her pedestal with the “Taming of the Glue” or the fact that the warring elderly couple stay on Verona Drive or Nanette telling Gnomeo’s pet mushroom “You look like a fun gi”. And it is garnished with Elton John songs from the past 3 decades. The voice overs are excellent. The distinctly identifiable ones are those of Michael Caine, Ozzy Osbourne and surprise surprise Hulk Hogan as the Terrafirminator – the mean lawn mower that sets you back by a 1000 pounds of hard earned money only to cause the complete destruction of the back yards. The resulting product spread over just under 85 mins is a lovely way to spend a weekend afternoon. And it would not matter if you don’t see it in 3D coz the effects are quite bland. A very entertaining flick but on second thoughts, may not make it to the Oscars this year. Guess there were many other animation movies that were better off. I give this a 6 on 10.

Watch the trailer at http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi854264089/

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1

If it’s a Harry Potter movie one has to see it whether I write a review or not right? So I was wondering for all of yesterday about what I should be writing in this review. Tough one to decide. But after all of that, I thought, maybe I should tell you about a story within a story. They story of the deathly hallows.


Once upon a time, there were 3 brothers, The Peverell brothers, who were on a journey somewhere (didn’t pay attention :P) and they get to a river that is in spate. The river would have normally swallowed anyone who dared to pass but not the Peverells. They used their magical skills and built a bridge across the river. As they were crossing the river, they encountered someone who was extremely upset. Someone who is not very pleased about being cheated – DEATH. But contrary to what you expect, Death doesn’t kill them. The scheming person that he is, he offers them 3 wishes instead – one each only. None of them realize however, that it is a trap that Death is setting for them, to claim their lives at a later stage in their lives.

The eldest brother, Antioch Peverell asks Death to craft him a wand from Elder wood. He wants it to be the most powerful wand ever made. Wish granted. However, as he goes about defeating all his enemies, he is killed in his sleep by an envious adversary – Death Wins. The 2nd brother, Cadmus Peverell, asks Death to give him a stone that would help raise anyone from the dead. Armed with the stone, he goes back and tries to get the love of his life back. He does get her back but is unable to truly be with her. Distraught he commits suicide – Death Wins. The youngest of the 3, Ignotus Peverell, the most humble of them all asks death for a method which would shield him from everyone’s sight. He goes on to live a long fulfilling life and death is really not able to locate him thanks to a wish that was granted by death himself – ironic right. Nevertheless, years later, Ignotus finally welcomes death into his life after handing over the cloak to his son. Hence the sign of the Deathly Hallows as seen with Xenophilius Lovegood (Rhys Ifans) who tells our heroes the story.

Peppered with the search for the Horcruxes that would finally lead to the death of Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes), the Legend of the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 makes a heady combination for not just Harry Potter lovers but for the population in general. David Yates is known only for directing the previous 2 editions of Harry Potter i.e. Half Blood Prince & Order of the Phoenix. But I guess he did go to film school and learn a thing or 2 about creating excitement in movies. The last but one edition of Harry Potter (thanks to the smart work of making it into a 2 part movie) is not your complete edge of the seat drama but it has its own thrilling moments. Some of them are quite scary. This one is definitely for the family all the way through. 7 on 10 like probably all Harry Potter movies to date.

Mamma Mia!

I wonder how Mamma Mia! did when it was launched a couple of years back in India. I thought I was one of the few people who was unable to watch it then. But I am guessing it should have. I mean it is as good as a Bollywood love story – only much bolder, much more slickly made, much much much much better acting talent on display and much more ABBA thrown in for good measure.


Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) is all of 20 (and I challenge someone to believe that!!!! With her face she doesn’t look a day over 15 – but in the real world she will be 25 in a month). She has been bought up on a Greek island by her single mother, Donna (Meryl Streep). She is about to get married in a few days to Sky (Dominic Cooper – who is also her boyfriend in the real world). But she is a confused soul. She feels a void in her life. She is troubled with a question – Who will walk her down the aisle? Who will give her away? The worry is not that she doesn’t have a father. The worry is she doesn’t know who her father is. Its Donna’s well kept secret all these years.

But the wily Sophie digs around and finds her mother’s old diary – coincidentally of course. She traces the diary back to 20 years ago and is now even more confused. She could have been fathered by one of 3 possible men that her mother was seeing at that time. Now Donna was not promiscuous in any manner. She just moved out of failed relationships much quicker than anyone else. So now, Sophie has zeroed down to one of 3 possibilities – Bill (Stellan Skarsgard) – an adventurous writer, Sam (Pierce Brosnan) – an architect & Harry (Colin Firth) – a extremely successful financial advisor of sorts. Obviously her mother will not hear any of it an so without a choice, Sophie – to the background of “I have a dream” – sends across invitations on her mother’s behalf to all of them – What’s to lose anyways?

The movie unfolds at a really solid pace after this. Mind you, I have only written about the first 10-15 mins till now. Mamma Mia! is a beautifully made movie, with a generous dressing of ABBA. Almost every ABBA number worth its salt and even not worth its salt finds a place either through normal dialogues or full fledged songs. And mind you – all songs are not the studio versions but covered by the actors themselves. Simply amazing I say!!! I picked up the soundtrack much before the movie (a quizzer’s habit) and was floored with the voices of Streep, Walters, Seyfried and Brosnan. Thanks to DVD – I have seen the movie as well now.

No point in waxing eloquent about the seasoned Meryl Streep, Julie Walters, Stellan Skarsgard, Pierce Brosnan or Colin Firth, all of who have very rarely or never disappointed on screen. Who stands out is Amanda Seyfried. She seems to have come a really long way from her days of portraying the bimbo Karen Smith in Mean Girls. Mental note made to watch Letters to Juliet which is her latest flick. She seems to be very comfortable on screen and most importantly not over awed by the really huge stars. Direction was pretty much spot on with very little loose ends towards the second half. Phyllida Lloyd comes on tops in her first serious attempt to date. Overall a 7 on 10. Must must watch.