Ali Hassan (Ali Zafar) is your regular UDP (Ullu Da Pattha – as the song claims) from Karachi whose only obsession in life is to move to Amreeka as a journalist. Unfortunately, his first attempt leads to him getting deported thanks to something he does (which is why he is called a UDP) and then 6 unsuccessful attempts later, he finds himself as a small time reporter @ Danka TV run by a self obsessed Majeed Khan (Piyush Mishra). Ali’s cameraman is Gul (Nikhil Rathnaparkhi).Majeed ensures that his employees, especially the editing guy Mohammed Latif (Chirag Vora) is given as much hell as possible. Ali on his part keeps stepping in to save Latif from Majeed’s tantrums.
Ali is still not willing to give up on his Amreekan Dream and makes contact with Jamaal Bhai, proprietor of Lashkar-e-Amreeka (invading Amreeka since 2002). Jamaal claims to be able to send anyone to Amreeka thanks to his contacts @ the right places. But his services come @ a hefty price of Rs.272000 OR he could send you over free in more questionable methods at your own risk.
Ali and Gul are always given insignificant coverage areas one of which leads them to Muqabla-e-Baang, the local Rooster Crowing Contest which is won by Sikander, owned by the local chicken farmer Noora (Pradhuman Singh). While editing the shots, Ali & Gul realize that Noora bears an uncanny resemblance to none other than Osama himself. Desperately in need for the money, Ali hatches a plan and convinces Noora to shoot for a programme for an Arabic Channel. Latif poses as the owner of the channel. Being the proud chicken farmer that he is, Noora is more than glad to get his 15 mins of fame with Sikandar.
Now Ali is faced with a task of building the rest of the team and he ropes in Zoya, a local make up artiste who works with Jamaal Bhai and wants to start off her own beauty parlour if she has the monies. The last team member would be the voice over artiste who goes by the name of Comarade Qureshi and is currently a small time Radio Jockey. Qureshi takes some convincing but finally gets on board.
Our gang of 6 now goes on to shoot the video where Noora, unknown to himself, is sending out a warning threat to Prez George W Bush about how his atrocities will not be tolerated anymore. After this, Ali (posing as Khabri) locks in a deal for Rs.10 lacs with Majeed himself who in turn sells the video to Live India for Rs.30 lacs. What follows is a brilliant satire on how paranoia strikes the US and how our heroes cope up with the same. The humour is very slick and definitely way ahead of the slapstick junk that we get these days.
What makes TBL extremely good for Indian Cinema is that most of the names are vastly unknown. First time director Abhishekh Sharma should be thrilled at what he has achieved with TBL. Thank you so much Abhishekh for reaffirming our faith that the breed of good tasteful humour is not dead.
The acting is significantly above par with the exception of Nikhil Ratnaparkhi who could be perceived to be a little over the top – but only just a little. Ali Zafar shows good promise. The rest of them have always been cast as less than supporting roles in other movies but TBL gives them a good chunk of screen time which no one else has got to date with the exception of Sugandha Garg in Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na.
Tere Bin Laden is an exceptional effort and a welcome relief to the world of Bollywood Comedy. This one is a must watch @ 7 on 10.
Sunday, 25 July 2010
Khatta Meetha
The build up to this movie was as big as it turned out to be a damp squib. Akshay Kumar visiting RK Laxman and the movie touted to be oriented towards the common man couldn’t have been further from the truth. Somewhere I had expected maybe just a little bit better than what it turned out to be. Thankfully I can provide 2 excuses for having watched this movie – that I need to review it and that mum wanted to have a dekko coz this was a remake of a Malayalam movie, Vella Anakalude Naatu (Land of White Elephants in translation).
Sachin Tichkule (AK) is a something of a good for nothing black sheep in what is considered to be an otherwise very successful family. The family used to be one of the royals of Satara but is currently relegated to having only one large mansion in which Sachin stays the parents (Kulbhushan Kharbhanda & Aruna Irani), 2 brothers who are married, 1 sister and her husband and 1 young sister (Urvashi Sharma). Our hero (wonder how we can call him that) is a government licensed contractor who is heavily in debt thanks to his payments not getting cleared by the municipal corporation thanks to him taking the easy way out and cutting corners.
Not that the rest of the family is not involved in spurious methods of making monies but the junior Tichkule is typically made the scapegoat coz he has no money ever. Things do start falling apart for the other members of the family when a bridge that they built collapses and leads to the death of 65 people. Using the family driver (Tinu Anand) as a scapegoat and with the help of the local politican Sanjay Rana, the elder Tichkules manage to wriggle out of a sticky situation. However they did not consider the effect one Azad (Makarand Deshpande) would have coz he has lost his wife and kid in the accident. When he does not receive any support from the government he decides to take matters up himself and starts investigating the people involved.
Parallely, Sachin is now thrilled to hear that a new commissioner has arrived in town and hopes that his payments would be released. New commissioner or not, how he expects the government to release payments when he has a case pending against them is beyond me. Nevertheless, to add to his misery, the new commissioner turns out to be Gehna Ganpule (Trisha) who was his college love interest – an aspect that is revealed only a bit later in the movie but is extremely predictable. Now it would seem that Sachin and Gehna parted ways in less than an amicable way over an argument when Sachin slaps her in a fit of rage coz she refuses to support the college strike. Now what comes to light is that our hero used to be a staunch follower of papa dear – Gandhivadi and all. But the tragic turn of his love life and 3 years of slogging of in Mumbai has gotten him down to ground zero. The love hate relationship comes to a head when Sachin gets Gehna incorrectly trapped in a bribery case.
Priyadarshan continues with his string of really loud movies which started with either Hulchul or Hungama (I cant recollect). For some reason he believes that the audience really cannot hear and that unless he gets his actors to scream, the message may not get through. The idea of the movie of course was to try and expose a corrupt government system which drains monies at every available instance. A little too late in the day to talk about this Mr.Priyadarshan coz it has been beaten to death. Tata Tea does a better job in under 60 seconds with each one of their Jaago Re campaign ads. Also, dear Mr. Priyadarshan please try and avoid the slapstick in your Hindi versions. If you can make much better / stronger movies in Malayalam which not only provide quality entertainment but also give a very solid message then why do you assume that the hindi movie goer does not have a bent of mind for serious cinema.
The acting throughout the movie is passé. AK really really really needs to take a long hard look into himself to see whether he would like to exit cinema with some respect left or bide his time some more and exit when he has no respect left. Trisha’s debut in Bollywood turns out to be a dampner. I don’t think she has dubbed for herself but at times u may be inclined to believe that she has especially when the accent heavily moves towards the one Hema Malini has in the Kent Aar Wo Purifier ad. The support cast has the usual suspects from Mr. Ps movies. Rajpal Yadav – please get a life. Manoj Joshi – capable of much more but relegated to some sidey role as the brother in law. You can do much better than playing a role of a sadak chhap Tharki. Johnny Lever was probably the only saving grace in his 6 mins and 48.5 seconds of screen time but there were moments where u would be inclined to think that Johnny bhai was really not interested in doing this movie.
Net Net Khatta Meetha was an experience worth forgetting. Keeping aside the fact that Trisha’s earnings were as big as the screen or the fact that she was a municipal commissioner wearing silk south Indian kancheepuram sarees in Satara or that girls in satara have started showing the bra strap as fashionably as they would in Mumbai or outside the country or the fact that the Computer animated elephant really appeared computer animated – it was still a bad bad experience. I would be kind if I were to give this movie 2 on 10. Clearly Ms. Kazmi has been bought out.
Sachin Tichkule (AK) is a something of a good for nothing black sheep in what is considered to be an otherwise very successful family. The family used to be one of the royals of Satara but is currently relegated to having only one large mansion in which Sachin stays the parents (Kulbhushan Kharbhanda & Aruna Irani), 2 brothers who are married, 1 sister and her husband and 1 young sister (Urvashi Sharma). Our hero (wonder how we can call him that) is a government licensed contractor who is heavily in debt thanks to his payments not getting cleared by the municipal corporation thanks to him taking the easy way out and cutting corners.
Not that the rest of the family is not involved in spurious methods of making monies but the junior Tichkule is typically made the scapegoat coz he has no money ever. Things do start falling apart for the other members of the family when a bridge that they built collapses and leads to the death of 65 people. Using the family driver (Tinu Anand) as a scapegoat and with the help of the local politican Sanjay Rana, the elder Tichkules manage to wriggle out of a sticky situation. However they did not consider the effect one Azad (Makarand Deshpande) would have coz he has lost his wife and kid in the accident. When he does not receive any support from the government he decides to take matters up himself and starts investigating the people involved.
Parallely, Sachin is now thrilled to hear that a new commissioner has arrived in town and hopes that his payments would be released. New commissioner or not, how he expects the government to release payments when he has a case pending against them is beyond me. Nevertheless, to add to his misery, the new commissioner turns out to be Gehna Ganpule (Trisha) who was his college love interest – an aspect that is revealed only a bit later in the movie but is extremely predictable. Now it would seem that Sachin and Gehna parted ways in less than an amicable way over an argument when Sachin slaps her in a fit of rage coz she refuses to support the college strike. Now what comes to light is that our hero used to be a staunch follower of papa dear – Gandhivadi and all. But the tragic turn of his love life and 3 years of slogging of in Mumbai has gotten him down to ground zero. The love hate relationship comes to a head when Sachin gets Gehna incorrectly trapped in a bribery case.
Priyadarshan continues with his string of really loud movies which started with either Hulchul or Hungama (I cant recollect). For some reason he believes that the audience really cannot hear and that unless he gets his actors to scream, the message may not get through. The idea of the movie of course was to try and expose a corrupt government system which drains monies at every available instance. A little too late in the day to talk about this Mr.Priyadarshan coz it has been beaten to death. Tata Tea does a better job in under 60 seconds with each one of their Jaago Re campaign ads. Also, dear Mr. Priyadarshan please try and avoid the slapstick in your Hindi versions. If you can make much better / stronger movies in Malayalam which not only provide quality entertainment but also give a very solid message then why do you assume that the hindi movie goer does not have a bent of mind for serious cinema.
The acting throughout the movie is passé. AK really really really needs to take a long hard look into himself to see whether he would like to exit cinema with some respect left or bide his time some more and exit when he has no respect left. Trisha’s debut in Bollywood turns out to be a dampner. I don’t think she has dubbed for herself but at times u may be inclined to believe that she has especially when the accent heavily moves towards the one Hema Malini has in the Kent Aar Wo Purifier ad. The support cast has the usual suspects from Mr. Ps movies. Rajpal Yadav – please get a life. Manoj Joshi – capable of much more but relegated to some sidey role as the brother in law. You can do much better than playing a role of a sadak chhap Tharki. Johnny Lever was probably the only saving grace in his 6 mins and 48.5 seconds of screen time but there were moments where u would be inclined to think that Johnny bhai was really not interested in doing this movie.
Net Net Khatta Meetha was an experience worth forgetting. Keeping aside the fact that Trisha’s earnings were as big as the screen or the fact that she was a municipal commissioner wearing silk south Indian kancheepuram sarees in Satara or that girls in satara have started showing the bra strap as fashionably as they would in Mumbai or outside the country or the fact that the Computer animated elephant really appeared computer animated – it was still a bad bad experience. I would be kind if I were to give this movie 2 on 10. Clearly Ms. Kazmi has been bought out.
Salt
Evelyn Salt (Jolie) is rescued from a North Korean Prison Camp thanks to the efforts of Mike Krause (August Diehl) an Archnologist who is completely smitten by her. He is unaware that she works for the CIA. A few years later, they are married, happily at that, and celebrating their anniversary. Evelyn is leaving for home with her close colleague, Ted Winter (Liev Schrieber) when they get info about a Russian defector Orlov (Daniel Olbrychski). Much against their wishes, Evelyn and Ted go ahead with their interrogation under the watchful eyes of Agent Peabody (Chiwetel Ejifor) who is the CIA equivalent of Internal Affairs.
Orlov seems to have a past till 1993 but before that is a blank. He claims that there is a plot to assassinate the Russian Premiere @ the funeral of the US Vice President the next day. He also gives details of a specific Russian Programme called KA12, till now considered to be a myth, wherein Russian kids have been prepared on a really long term mission to hit specific targets on a specific Day X. The agent, he claims, is known as Evelyn Salt.
Needless to say, all hell breaks lose since Evelyn herself if interrogating Orlov. Knowing the way this would pan out, her immediate concern moves to Mike who is by then unreachable. She uses all her field experience to escape from the CIA HQ and gets home to pick up suitable back up ammo and then immediately takes off to NY where the funeral of the VP is to be held.
A few sets of amazing chases later, she finds herself in NY @ the funeral with the CIA hot in pursuit but unable to locate her and actually kills the Russian Premiere. A completely twist in the tale for the entire audience which by now thinks that she is actually trying to clear her name of all charges.
Salt is an extremely fast paced movie which in the words of a very close friend resembles a Bourne movie especially at the end. However, if he would have been aware of the background of Philip Noyce, the director, he would have claimed Tom Clancy instead of Robert Ludlum. Philip Noyce has directed both the Tom Clancy movies made to date i.e. Clear and Present Danger as well as Patriot Games. However, the last notable movie was over 10 years back in Bone Collector in 1999. To round off the espionage special he also made a very slick spy thriller starring Val Kilmer called The Saint.
The 10 year hiatus seems to have done Noyce a lot of good since he has come up with another very slickly made movie in Salt. Truly edge of your seat gripping spy thriller all the way till 5 minutes from the end where like a Dan Brown novel it kind of just fizzles out. Coming from the background of movies that he is famous for, one would have expected much better.
Jolie continues to prove that she is by far the best female star one can get for any action flick. Story goes that she refused to be a Bond girl coz she felt that she could be Bond herself. I would be inclined to concur with that observation. If Bond would be a woman, she would have to be played by none other than Angelina.
The rest of the cast seem to be pedestrian in comparison with the exception of Live Schrieber who I believe is waiting for a movie where he would be cast as the clear lead. Loads of potential there. His screen presence is quite charismatic. Chiwetel Ejiofor is an extremely talented actor but often relegated to secondary roles without much importance. Somehow he does not seem to have it in him to be a leading man anyways.
All in all, Salt is a fantastic roller coaster ride for the most part. I would have loved to give this a 7 on 10. But the ending pretty much seals my rating @ 6 on 10.
Orlov seems to have a past till 1993 but before that is a blank. He claims that there is a plot to assassinate the Russian Premiere @ the funeral of the US Vice President the next day. He also gives details of a specific Russian Programme called KA12, till now considered to be a myth, wherein Russian kids have been prepared on a really long term mission to hit specific targets on a specific Day X. The agent, he claims, is known as Evelyn Salt.
Needless to say, all hell breaks lose since Evelyn herself if interrogating Orlov. Knowing the way this would pan out, her immediate concern moves to Mike who is by then unreachable. She uses all her field experience to escape from the CIA HQ and gets home to pick up suitable back up ammo and then immediately takes off to NY where the funeral of the VP is to be held.
A few sets of amazing chases later, she finds herself in NY @ the funeral with the CIA hot in pursuit but unable to locate her and actually kills the Russian Premiere. A completely twist in the tale for the entire audience which by now thinks that she is actually trying to clear her name of all charges.
Salt is an extremely fast paced movie which in the words of a very close friend resembles a Bourne movie especially at the end. However, if he would have been aware of the background of Philip Noyce, the director, he would have claimed Tom Clancy instead of Robert Ludlum. Philip Noyce has directed both the Tom Clancy movies made to date i.e. Clear and Present Danger as well as Patriot Games. However, the last notable movie was over 10 years back in Bone Collector in 1999. To round off the espionage special he also made a very slick spy thriller starring Val Kilmer called The Saint.
The 10 year hiatus seems to have done Noyce a lot of good since he has come up with another very slickly made movie in Salt. Truly edge of your seat gripping spy thriller all the way till 5 minutes from the end where like a Dan Brown novel it kind of just fizzles out. Coming from the background of movies that he is famous for, one would have expected much better.
Jolie continues to prove that she is by far the best female star one can get for any action flick. Story goes that she refused to be a Bond girl coz she felt that she could be Bond herself. I would be inclined to concur with that observation. If Bond would be a woman, she would have to be played by none other than Angelina.
The rest of the cast seem to be pedestrian in comparison with the exception of Live Schrieber who I believe is waiting for a movie where he would be cast as the clear lead. Loads of potential there. His screen presence is quite charismatic. Chiwetel Ejiofor is an extremely talented actor but often relegated to secondary roles without much importance. Somehow he does not seem to have it in him to be a leading man anyways.
All in all, Salt is a fantastic roller coaster ride for the most part. I would have loved to give this a 7 on 10. But the ending pretty much seals my rating @ 6 on 10.
Friday, 23 July 2010
Toy Story 3
An-i-mate (v. an-uh-meyt; adj. an-uh-mit)
verb, -mat•ed, -mat•ing, adjective
–verb (used with object)
1. to give life to; make alive: God animated the dust.
2. to make lively, vivacious, or vigorous; give zest or spirit to: Her presence animated the party.
3. to fill with courage or boldness; encourage: to animate weary troops.
4. to move or stir to action; motivate: He was animated by religious zeal.
5. to give motion to: leaves animated by a breeze.
6. to prepare or produce as an animated cartoon: to animate a children's story.
Pixar – an incomparable organisation that does all of the above with PERFECTION.
Nearly 15 years back, Pixar studios burst into the animation scene with the first edition of the Toy Story Franchise. Although they were incorporated over 10 years before this, Toy Story was their first ever block buster. Most animation studios on the block at that time knew that they had seen who would be the BIG DADDY of animation in the years to come. It took 4 years more to make Toy Story 2 and a further 11 to come up with what is clearly the best animation movie of the year and the best animation movie after Pixar released “Up” last year.
Woody (Tom Hanks) and Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) are back with their gang of friends at a time when Andy has turned 17 and is off to college. Faced with a predicament of whether to throw them away or stow them in the attic, Andy decides to go for the latter. He puts all of them but Woody in a garbage bag and is going to the attic when he sees Molly having some trouble with her box of toys that she is donating and helps her out. Since the toys are in a garbage bag, Andy’s mom puts it out with the rest of the garbage. The gang now thinks that Andy wanted to throw all of them away anyways but using Rex’s pointy tail they manage to escape out and make their way to the garage. They all get into a box labeled Sunnyside along with Molly’s toys. Woody’s effort to tell them that Andy never wanted to give them away goes in vain since none of them are ready to accept it. Also, their desire to be played with and not stay in an attic drives them to make a choice of Sunnyside much to Woody’s disdain. But before Woody can move out of the car, Andy’s mom arrives and drives them off to Sunnyside Day Care.
Much to their relief, the gang is given an extremely warm welcome @ sunnyside by Lotso (Ned Beatty) and the other toys at Sunnyside. Little do they know that Lotso runs his own empire here and that all new toys are first sent to the “initiation” with the new toddlers who come to Sunnyside. Although Woody travels with the gang to Sunnyside, he tries his best to convince the gang to come back with him but when they don’t listen, he decides to take off himself. His dare devil escape gets him over the wall @ Sunnyside and hanging off a tree without his hat and right in the way of Bonnie who promptly takes him home with her. @ Bonnie’s place Woody meets Trixie, Buttercup and Dolly who tell him about the horror that lies in store for his friends @ Sunnyside and how Lotso runs his it like a brutal emperor. Stunned @ the revelations, Woody changes his plans about going back home and decides to help his friends escape.
Lee Unkrich finally gets to direct his first solo movie with Pixar. He was till date only the co-director on Finding Nemo, Monsters Inc and Toy Story 2. Proves that good things come to those who wait. Although I would personally feel that Finding Nemo was far superior that this effort, its also because of the amount of work that could have been done with Nemo that made it probably the 3rd best animation movie of all time. Toy Story 3 however, to Unkrich’s credit clearly transcends the benchmarks set by the previous 2 editions of this franchise and takes it to the next level. Best of all, it leaves options open for a fourth edition. In one of my previous reviews I had said that a successful franchise is one that should be scaleable. Toy Story is a fantastic example of what I was speaking then.
The voices of Tom Hanks and Tim Allen are nostalgic and take you back over a decade to the previous 2 editions. The characters are absolutely true to life. The narration absolutely superb. But I sometimes do wonder if animation movies are ever going to be just for kids. The story coupled with the quality of execution makes it so easy for even an average adult to go through what would otherwise have been targeted only for less than 12 year olds. Lovely movie for people of all ages. I give this a 8 on 10.
verb, -mat•ed, -mat•ing, adjective
–verb (used with object)
1. to give life to; make alive: God animated the dust.
2. to make lively, vivacious, or vigorous; give zest or spirit to: Her presence animated the party.
3. to fill with courage or boldness; encourage: to animate weary troops.
4. to move or stir to action; motivate: He was animated by religious zeal.
5. to give motion to: leaves animated by a breeze.
6. to prepare or produce as an animated cartoon: to animate a children's story.
Pixar – an incomparable organisation that does all of the above with PERFECTION.
Nearly 15 years back, Pixar studios burst into the animation scene with the first edition of the Toy Story Franchise. Although they were incorporated over 10 years before this, Toy Story was their first ever block buster. Most animation studios on the block at that time knew that they had seen who would be the BIG DADDY of animation in the years to come. It took 4 years more to make Toy Story 2 and a further 11 to come up with what is clearly the best animation movie of the year and the best animation movie after Pixar released “Up” last year.
Woody (Tom Hanks) and Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) are back with their gang of friends at a time when Andy has turned 17 and is off to college. Faced with a predicament of whether to throw them away or stow them in the attic, Andy decides to go for the latter. He puts all of them but Woody in a garbage bag and is going to the attic when he sees Molly having some trouble with her box of toys that she is donating and helps her out. Since the toys are in a garbage bag, Andy’s mom puts it out with the rest of the garbage. The gang now thinks that Andy wanted to throw all of them away anyways but using Rex’s pointy tail they manage to escape out and make their way to the garage. They all get into a box labeled Sunnyside along with Molly’s toys. Woody’s effort to tell them that Andy never wanted to give them away goes in vain since none of them are ready to accept it. Also, their desire to be played with and not stay in an attic drives them to make a choice of Sunnyside much to Woody’s disdain. But before Woody can move out of the car, Andy’s mom arrives and drives them off to Sunnyside Day Care.
Much to their relief, the gang is given an extremely warm welcome @ sunnyside by Lotso (Ned Beatty) and the other toys at Sunnyside. Little do they know that Lotso runs his own empire here and that all new toys are first sent to the “initiation” with the new toddlers who come to Sunnyside. Although Woody travels with the gang to Sunnyside, he tries his best to convince the gang to come back with him but when they don’t listen, he decides to take off himself. His dare devil escape gets him over the wall @ Sunnyside and hanging off a tree without his hat and right in the way of Bonnie who promptly takes him home with her. @ Bonnie’s place Woody meets Trixie, Buttercup and Dolly who tell him about the horror that lies in store for his friends @ Sunnyside and how Lotso runs his it like a brutal emperor. Stunned @ the revelations, Woody changes his plans about going back home and decides to help his friends escape.
Lee Unkrich finally gets to direct his first solo movie with Pixar. He was till date only the co-director on Finding Nemo, Monsters Inc and Toy Story 2. Proves that good things come to those who wait. Although I would personally feel that Finding Nemo was far superior that this effort, its also because of the amount of work that could have been done with Nemo that made it probably the 3rd best animation movie of all time. Toy Story 3 however, to Unkrich’s credit clearly transcends the benchmarks set by the previous 2 editions of this franchise and takes it to the next level. Best of all, it leaves options open for a fourth edition. In one of my previous reviews I had said that a successful franchise is one that should be scaleable. Toy Story is a fantastic example of what I was speaking then.
The voices of Tom Hanks and Tim Allen are nostalgic and take you back over a decade to the previous 2 editions. The characters are absolutely true to life. The narration absolutely superb. But I sometimes do wonder if animation movies are ever going to be just for kids. The story coupled with the quality of execution makes it so easy for even an average adult to go through what would otherwise have been targeted only for less than 12 year olds. Lovely movie for people of all ages. I give this a 8 on 10.
Thursday, 22 July 2010
The Sorcerers Apprentice
Veronica (Belluci), Balthazar (Cage) and Horvath (Molina) are the 3 closest aides of Merlin the lord of all Magicians way back in 740 AD. Merlin’s sworn enemy is Morgana who is the lord of the dead. Horvath betrays Merlin and joins hands with Morgana. Merlin dies but in the attempt to protect Balthazar, Veronica casts a spell through which she consumes Morgana into her mortal self and Balthazar in turn traps both of them in a Grimhold – a doll that looks like those Matryoshka Russian 9 in one dolls takes u back to your childhood. Balthazar also traps Horvath in one of those. Before he dies, Merlin hands over his ring, a dragon, to Balthazar. The ring will find its true owner who would be the Prime Merlinian (true descendant of Merlin). It is only the Prime Merlinian who can eliminate Morgana.
The story then moves to Y2K in NY where David, all of 10 years, is totally smitten by Becky, his class mate. On a school trip he gives Becky a note in which he asks her whether she would like to be his friend or girlfriend. Now, Becky does write the answer down but the wind blows it half way across the block to an antique store called Arcana Cabana. No points for guessing who runs the place – our long lost friend Balthazar . Balthazar senses that this is no coincidence and shows David the dragon ring which quickly crawls onto his palm and wraps itself around the finger of its rightful owner. But, David does not heed to the warning given by Balthazar of not touching anything and inadvertently frees Horvath from his Grimhold. A fight ensues between Balthazar and Horvath resulting in both of them getting trapped inside a 10th century Ming vase inside which they spend the next 10 years. David on the other hand gets out of the store and is ridiculed by his classmates coz they think he has lost it.
In the meantime, David (Jay Baruchel) has grown up to being a 20 year old Physics geek. And he bumps into his classmate – no points for guessing again – Becky (Teresa Palmer). The Ming Vase has found its way into a Russian household in NY and our hero and villain reappear and continue their search for David. Horvath finds David but is unable to locate the Grimhold coz even David does not know where it is. Balthazar arrives just in time to save David and uses his Grimhold Tracking Device ( yes everything is possible in a fantasy) to find out where the Grimhold is.
David agrees to helping Balthazar and his training begins. Parallely a relationship with Becky also develops which Balthazar is quite wary of. Horvath in the meantime has also found an apprentice of his own, Drake Stone.
The Sorcerers Apprentice takes you through a phenomenal fantasy world of what sorcery could do. Plasma Bolts, Fire Bolts, Hungarian Mirror Traps, Reverse World, Persian Quick Rugs et al. The graphics and special effects are very well done. One does not expect anything less from a Disney Production. John Turtletaub uses all his experience from his previous 2 Disney Block Busters – National Treasure and National Treasure –Book of Secrets and his 9 other movies as director to give us a nicely finished fantasy. One which does justice to the Disney brand association.
Nicholas Cage is his usual confused self. I have never quite managed to figure out how he made it this big. I am sure people love the fact that he is confused. Yet to see a movie in which he has not looked as if he didn’t know what hit him. But consistency does deserve points I guess. Monica Belluci in her 3 minutes of screen time looks luscious as ever. I wonder how these nearly 50 year olds manage to look so hot. Jay Baruchel will be loved by most of the girls who watch this movie coz he does look true to the definition of cute – ugly but tolerable. Teresa Palmer is probably just furniture. But the pick of the lot is one of my favouritest and versatile actors of all time. Alfred Molina. What cant Molina portray is a question that I have always asked myself. I keep coming up with the same answer – Molina can play any role that you give him. Versatality is probably his middle name. Although the kids would not like Horvath but when they grow up to understand the finer nuances of acting, Molina will be up there in their books. Truly a super star!!!!
All in all, The Sorcerers Apprentice is a wonderful treat for the family. It is definitely not the best movie ever made by Disney but is worth a dekko for sure but then Disney’s average movies are far superior to any other in their genre or otherwise. I give it 5 on 10.
The story then moves to Y2K in NY where David, all of 10 years, is totally smitten by Becky, his class mate. On a school trip he gives Becky a note in which he asks her whether she would like to be his friend or girlfriend. Now, Becky does write the answer down but the wind blows it half way across the block to an antique store called Arcana Cabana. No points for guessing who runs the place – our long lost friend Balthazar . Balthazar senses that this is no coincidence and shows David the dragon ring which quickly crawls onto his palm and wraps itself around the finger of its rightful owner. But, David does not heed to the warning given by Balthazar of not touching anything and inadvertently frees Horvath from his Grimhold. A fight ensues between Balthazar and Horvath resulting in both of them getting trapped inside a 10th century Ming vase inside which they spend the next 10 years. David on the other hand gets out of the store and is ridiculed by his classmates coz they think he has lost it.
In the meantime, David (Jay Baruchel) has grown up to being a 20 year old Physics geek. And he bumps into his classmate – no points for guessing again – Becky (Teresa Palmer). The Ming Vase has found its way into a Russian household in NY and our hero and villain reappear and continue their search for David. Horvath finds David but is unable to locate the Grimhold coz even David does not know where it is. Balthazar arrives just in time to save David and uses his Grimhold Tracking Device ( yes everything is possible in a fantasy) to find out where the Grimhold is.
David agrees to helping Balthazar and his training begins. Parallely a relationship with Becky also develops which Balthazar is quite wary of. Horvath in the meantime has also found an apprentice of his own, Drake Stone.
The Sorcerers Apprentice takes you through a phenomenal fantasy world of what sorcery could do. Plasma Bolts, Fire Bolts, Hungarian Mirror Traps, Reverse World, Persian Quick Rugs et al. The graphics and special effects are very well done. One does not expect anything less from a Disney Production. John Turtletaub uses all his experience from his previous 2 Disney Block Busters – National Treasure and National Treasure –Book of Secrets and his 9 other movies as director to give us a nicely finished fantasy. One which does justice to the Disney brand association.
Nicholas Cage is his usual confused self. I have never quite managed to figure out how he made it this big. I am sure people love the fact that he is confused. Yet to see a movie in which he has not looked as if he didn’t know what hit him. But consistency does deserve points I guess. Monica Belluci in her 3 minutes of screen time looks luscious as ever. I wonder how these nearly 50 year olds manage to look so hot. Jay Baruchel will be loved by most of the girls who watch this movie coz he does look true to the definition of cute – ugly but tolerable. Teresa Palmer is probably just furniture. But the pick of the lot is one of my favouritest and versatile actors of all time. Alfred Molina. What cant Molina portray is a question that I have always asked myself. I keep coming up with the same answer – Molina can play any role that you give him. Versatality is probably his middle name. Although the kids would not like Horvath but when they grow up to understand the finer nuances of acting, Molina will be up there in their books. Truly a super star!!!!
All in all, The Sorcerers Apprentice is a wonderful treat for the family. It is definitely not the best movie ever made by Disney but is worth a dekko for sure but then Disney’s average movies are far superior to any other in their genre or otherwise. I give it 5 on 10.
Lamhaa – The Untold Story of Kashmir
“The biggest casualty of war is the innocent” – This statement kind of personifies the intent that the director had to give “The Untold Story of Kashmir”. But neither does he give us something that was untold but also keeps us waiting for the essence of the message to come through strongly. Yes there is an attempt to get the message across but Rahul Dholakia comes up short. Surprising that this is the same guy who gave us Parzania which was far more hard hitting and true to reality.
Mohd Hussain Rauf (Yashpal Sharma) is an undercover ISI officer in India who works closely with Brigadier Sharma from the Indian Army known to be a corrupt guy but no proof for the same. The key to their success is Samar Singh a power broker.
In an attempt to break their nexus, Col. Kapoor (Vipin Sharma) calls for Vikram Sabharwal (an extremely ragged 50 year old Sanjay Dutt )– an agent from outside i.e. outside of Kashmir returning after 18 yrs. Then current year is shown as 2009 and past is shown as 1989. Then Dear Mr. Dholakia, mathematically it is 20 right? Anyways… about 20 years back is when the leader of Azaad Kashmir movement Mir Owais Ansari was shot dead following which almost every male Kashmiri for interrogation. Thousands of such Kashmiri men disappeared sometime in the early 90s. Kashmiri Pandits left kashmir and no one tried to stop them. People had taken to arms. Sabharwal now makes his way back into the valley undercover as Gul Jahangir. No one knows about him and what do you know… no one can find out either
People for Kashmiri Freedom is an organization led by Haji Syed Shah (Anupam Kher) who took over the reins after Mir Ansari’s death and adopted his only daughter Aziza Ansari (Bipasha Basu). Aziza is romantically involved with Aatif (Kunal Kapoor), one of the key members of PKF but is expelled due to his aversion to arms and wanting to make a difference without involving external militant entities like the Lashkar e Toiba. Aziza also is a key member of the Fatima Squad, a bunch of burkha clad women who like to take action against any societal atrocities.
Aziza starts rubbing the seniors @ PKF the wrong way when she inadvertently uncovers a sex scandal that involves someone senior from the PKF
Things take a slightly nasty turn when a 17th attempt is made on his life. But this time under the watchful eyes of Jahangir who smells a fish and takes to investigating it. Haji’s right hand man is Pervez (Yuri Suri) who seems to be like the fish. He poses as Yusuf Khan (now I am going to lose track of who he is… Sabharwal, Jahangir or Khan) and recovers a CCTV footage of the blast (wonder how it survived the blast in the first place). His investigations slowly lead him to Anwar who is the guy responsible for the blast and then eventually to the fish (Pervez… in case u have lost track of the review by now). But Sabharwal’s mission has just started. There is more to come and he needs to figure out what the root cause of the problem is.
There are several attempts from the director to try and paint a sentimental picture. He tries to do that through a village cornily called Dardpura which has half widows (who don’t know whether their husbands are alive or dead). Through a scene where Sabharwal wakes up to see a kid play with bullet shells instead o marbles. Through a bunch of kids screaming “Ai Ai Lashkar Ai - Bharat Teri Maut Ai”. But none of these scenes have any amount of intensity in them.
There are a whole host of corny dialogues – “God made Heaven. Man created Hell. This is the story of Kashmir” OR “Aakhon mein gussa har kashmiri ko virasat mein milta hai” OR “Aaj hamari identity I card banke reh gayi hai”. Mr. Dholakia – I refuse to believe that you made Parzania.
Several editing flaws and consistency flaws and sound editing flaws dot the movie. I have no clue why Sanjay Dutt needs to have a swagger in a movie that is oriented around Kashmir. Completely gets the seriousness out of the movie. Bipasha speaking Urdu… well the lesser said about it the better. Kunal Kapoor does not have even a % of intensity that he showed in Rang De Basanti. Performances are insipid all around. Wouldn’t highly recommend Lamhaa. Its at best a 3 on 10 for just the effort of putting it together.
Mohd Hussain Rauf (Yashpal Sharma) is an undercover ISI officer in India who works closely with Brigadier Sharma from the Indian Army known to be a corrupt guy but no proof for the same. The key to their success is Samar Singh a power broker.
In an attempt to break their nexus, Col. Kapoor (Vipin Sharma) calls for Vikram Sabharwal (an extremely ragged 50 year old Sanjay Dutt )– an agent from outside i.e. outside of Kashmir returning after 18 yrs. Then current year is shown as 2009 and past is shown as 1989. Then Dear Mr. Dholakia, mathematically it is 20 right? Anyways… about 20 years back is when the leader of Azaad Kashmir movement Mir Owais Ansari was shot dead following which almost every male Kashmiri for interrogation. Thousands of such Kashmiri men disappeared sometime in the early 90s. Kashmiri Pandits left kashmir and no one tried to stop them. People had taken to arms. Sabharwal now makes his way back into the valley undercover as Gul Jahangir. No one knows about him and what do you know… no one can find out either
People for Kashmiri Freedom is an organization led by Haji Syed Shah (Anupam Kher) who took over the reins after Mir Ansari’s death and adopted his only daughter Aziza Ansari (Bipasha Basu). Aziza is romantically involved with Aatif (Kunal Kapoor), one of the key members of PKF but is expelled due to his aversion to arms and wanting to make a difference without involving external militant entities like the Lashkar e Toiba. Aziza also is a key member of the Fatima Squad, a bunch of burkha clad women who like to take action against any societal atrocities.
Aziza starts rubbing the seniors @ PKF the wrong way when she inadvertently uncovers a sex scandal that involves someone senior from the PKF
Things take a slightly nasty turn when a 17th attempt is made on his life. But this time under the watchful eyes of Jahangir who smells a fish and takes to investigating it. Haji’s right hand man is Pervez (Yuri Suri) who seems to be like the fish. He poses as Yusuf Khan (now I am going to lose track of who he is… Sabharwal, Jahangir or Khan) and recovers a CCTV footage of the blast (wonder how it survived the blast in the first place). His investigations slowly lead him to Anwar who is the guy responsible for the blast and then eventually to the fish (Pervez… in case u have lost track of the review by now). But Sabharwal’s mission has just started. There is more to come and he needs to figure out what the root cause of the problem is.
There are several attempts from the director to try and paint a sentimental picture. He tries to do that through a village cornily called Dardpura which has half widows (who don’t know whether their husbands are alive or dead). Through a scene where Sabharwal wakes up to see a kid play with bullet shells instead o marbles. Through a bunch of kids screaming “Ai Ai Lashkar Ai - Bharat Teri Maut Ai”. But none of these scenes have any amount of intensity in them.
There are a whole host of corny dialogues – “God made Heaven. Man created Hell. This is the story of Kashmir” OR “Aakhon mein gussa har kashmiri ko virasat mein milta hai” OR “Aaj hamari identity I card banke reh gayi hai”. Mr. Dholakia – I refuse to believe that you made Parzania.
Several editing flaws and consistency flaws and sound editing flaws dot the movie. I have no clue why Sanjay Dutt needs to have a swagger in a movie that is oriented around Kashmir. Completely gets the seriousness out of the movie. Bipasha speaking Urdu… well the lesser said about it the better. Kunal Kapoor does not have even a % of intensity that he showed in Rang De Basanti. Performances are insipid all around. Wouldn’t highly recommend Lamhaa. Its at best a 3 on 10 for just the effort of putting it together.
Tuesday, 20 July 2010
Valentines Day
Here’s one of those extremely feel good romantic comedies. An out and out chick flick. Minor tear jerker. But what it does give you is a slightly different perspective. The idea of course being what happens on Valentines Day. But with a slight twist. What happens when u get dumped or find out that the love of your life has cheated on you or that the love of your life is actually old enough to be your mother or you have no clue why you are in love with the person but you still are or you realize that your current boyfriend is married with 2 kids or you meet the one meant for you doing something that you really don’t want to be doing…. 6 such stories intertwined form the basic premise of Valentines Day.
Now I am a self confessed romantic and missed out on the movie when it released about 6 months back. But got myself the DVD anyways as soon as it released a couple of weeks back.
The story begins with Reed Bennett (Ashton Kutcher) who in typical V Day style starts off his day by proposing to Morley Clarkson (Jessica Alba) who says yes. Reed is a florist who has his own reasonable size hand me down business from his granddad and is one of the few people in the world who is always happy. Obviously Morley says yes but much to the surprise of most people who know Reed for reasons best known to them. It is very typical of most of your friends who don’t tell you in as many words that the woman who u think is the one is probably not actually THE ONE.
Reed's best friend is Julia Fitzpatrick (Jennifer Garner) who is currently dating Dr. Harrison Copeland (Patrick Dempsey). Julia’s close friend is Kara (Jessica Biel) who is a PR specialist for NFL player Sean Jackson (Eric Dane) and is having a tough time deciding whether to continue with his career or not. Kara does not believe in V Day and spends it each time throwing a “I Hate Valentines Day” party. Julia also teaches at a school where Edison (Bryce Robinson) is a primary school student. Edison stays with his grandparents Edgar (Hector Elizondo) and Estelle (Shirley MacLaine) who spend V Day every year by watching a movie @ a Cemetery which is actually top draw on V Day. Edison’s baby sitter Grace (Emma Roberts) believes she has found her THE ONE and is planning to lose her virginity on the same day to Alex (Carter Jenkins). Grace’s best friend is Felicia (Taylor Swift) an 18 year old bimbette who is totally in love with the school’s star athlete Willy (Taylor Lautner) for purely superficial reasons.
Sean’s agent is Paula Thomas (Queen Latifah) who portrays herself as a self confessed class A bitch of a boss. But her stand in secretary Liz (Anne Hathaway) finds out that beneath that tough exterior is actually a soft person. Liz moonlights as an Adult “Remote Entertainer” (Phone Sex operator ) and has recently met Jason (Topher Grace – Christopher for short… gah!!!!) who is a mail delivery man in Kara’s office.
Kara’s business associate is another self confessed “player” Kelvin Moore(Jamie Foxx) who is the 2nd best correspondent of the local sports station and avoids doing the rounds on V Day coz he is secretly waiting for THE ONE (yet again).
Lastly, Sean’s best friend Holden (Bradley Cooper) is a stinking rich man who is on a flight back home and is seated next to Capt. Kate Hazeltine (Julia Roberts)
Phew… I believe I have managed to successfully cover all characters in the movie for sure. No point in explaining what happens in this melee of relationships. Its upto you to find out. If u are not the rom com kinds then avoid this like the plague. If you are then u will definitely like to see this once. Can watch on the tube whenever a movie channel decides to play it. No need to really own it despite the fact that Garry Marshall has directed it. Not really up with his best movies like Pretty Woman, Frankie and Johnny, The Other Sister, Raising Helen etc. Garry Marshall is a specialist in Rom Coms for sure but this one is not his stand out performance by far. Long way to go to catch up with the likes of Nancy Meyers who gives us amazing rom coms every single time.
The casting, however, is probably perfect. The likes of Kathy Bates who is the only person not shown as romantically inclined (Kelvin’s boss) have a screen time of less than 2 mins and leaves a powerful impact. What has helped Marshall is that each actor is on her/his own quite wonderful and therefore gives their best.
Good movie to get your valentine to see. Especially if you would like to get brownie points. But overall 5 on 10 for this one.
Now I am a self confessed romantic and missed out on the movie when it released about 6 months back. But got myself the DVD anyways as soon as it released a couple of weeks back.
The story begins with Reed Bennett (Ashton Kutcher) who in typical V Day style starts off his day by proposing to Morley Clarkson (Jessica Alba) who says yes. Reed is a florist who has his own reasonable size hand me down business from his granddad and is one of the few people in the world who is always happy. Obviously Morley says yes but much to the surprise of most people who know Reed for reasons best known to them. It is very typical of most of your friends who don’t tell you in as many words that the woman who u think is the one is probably not actually THE ONE.
Reed's best friend is Julia Fitzpatrick (Jennifer Garner) who is currently dating Dr. Harrison Copeland (Patrick Dempsey). Julia’s close friend is Kara (Jessica Biel) who is a PR specialist for NFL player Sean Jackson (Eric Dane) and is having a tough time deciding whether to continue with his career or not. Kara does not believe in V Day and spends it each time throwing a “I Hate Valentines Day” party. Julia also teaches at a school where Edison (Bryce Robinson) is a primary school student. Edison stays with his grandparents Edgar (Hector Elizondo) and Estelle (Shirley MacLaine) who spend V Day every year by watching a movie @ a Cemetery which is actually top draw on V Day. Edison’s baby sitter Grace (Emma Roberts) believes she has found her THE ONE and is planning to lose her virginity on the same day to Alex (Carter Jenkins). Grace’s best friend is Felicia (Taylor Swift) an 18 year old bimbette who is totally in love with the school’s star athlete Willy (Taylor Lautner) for purely superficial reasons.
Sean’s agent is Paula Thomas (Queen Latifah) who portrays herself as a self confessed class A bitch of a boss. But her stand in secretary Liz (Anne Hathaway) finds out that beneath that tough exterior is actually a soft person. Liz moonlights as an Adult “Remote Entertainer” (Phone Sex operator ) and has recently met Jason (Topher Grace – Christopher for short… gah!!!!) who is a mail delivery man in Kara’s office.
Kara’s business associate is another self confessed “player” Kelvin Moore(Jamie Foxx) who is the 2nd best correspondent of the local sports station and avoids doing the rounds on V Day coz he is secretly waiting for THE ONE (yet again).
Lastly, Sean’s best friend Holden (Bradley Cooper) is a stinking rich man who is on a flight back home and is seated next to Capt. Kate Hazeltine (Julia Roberts)
Phew… I believe I have managed to successfully cover all characters in the movie for sure. No point in explaining what happens in this melee of relationships. Its upto you to find out. If u are not the rom com kinds then avoid this like the plague. If you are then u will definitely like to see this once. Can watch on the tube whenever a movie channel decides to play it. No need to really own it despite the fact that Garry Marshall has directed it. Not really up with his best movies like Pretty Woman, Frankie and Johnny, The Other Sister, Raising Helen etc. Garry Marshall is a specialist in Rom Coms for sure but this one is not his stand out performance by far. Long way to go to catch up with the likes of Nancy Meyers who gives us amazing rom coms every single time.
The casting, however, is probably perfect. The likes of Kathy Bates who is the only person not shown as romantically inclined (Kelvin’s boss) have a screen time of less than 2 mins and leaves a powerful impact. What has helped Marshall is that each actor is on her/his own quite wonderful and therefore gives their best.
Good movie to get your valentine to see. Especially if you would like to get brownie points. But overall 5 on 10 for this one.
Inception
In our day to day lives (especially if you are a B School student), we are always asked to raise the benchmark. Well if we need to look for inspiration to do this, there is one person who has since 1997 been raising the bar each time. He goes by the name of Christopher Nolan. Yes, the guy who probably shot to fame in India with Dark Knight but the journey started over 13 years back with a movie called Doodlebug. His 9th movie, INCEPTION, is yet another masterpiece that makes his previous efforts look slightly pale in comparison. Yes my dears, we have one of the strongest contenders for the Oscars this year.
Dom Cobb (Leo DiCaprio) along with his trusted aide, Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) specialize in a technique of entering your mind to figure out your ideas. He does this by getting into your dreams i.e. your sub conscious mind which is where the best of ideas are hidden. He can, by doing this, also reveal your deepest darkest secrets. The concept is called Deception.
In his current role, Cobb is working for an organization to get into the mind of Saito (Ken Watanabe) a Japanese entrepreneur whose organization is one of the world leaders in energy. However, Cobb is not successful in his attempt and therefore has to face the consequences which could even be death. However, Saito, realizing Cobb’s expertise offers him a trade off. He is also aware that Cobb is on the run and cannot make it back to the US because he allegedly killed is wife, Mal (the ever so beautiful Marion Cotillard). Saito wants Cobb to take reverse the idea of Deception i.e. plant an idea in the mind of his biggest competitor Robert Fischer Jr. (Cilian Murphy) heir to the largest energy company in the world owned by Maurice Fischer (Pete Postlewaithe – Usual Suspects – Kobayashi). Maurice Fischer is on his deathbed. Saito wants Cobb to plant an idea into Robert’s mind that he has disappointed Maurice and that he should dissolve the company and start all over again – INCEPTION.
Tempted by the possibility of being back with his children Phillipa and James, Cobb takes up the assignment and sets about building his team. He first approaches his father, Miles (Michael Caine) in Paris who puts him through to the first person in the sequence – the architect – the person who creates the dream/s as required. This is Ariadne (Ellen Page – She looks all of 16 but is actually 23!!!!!). Two more people join the team – Eames (Tom Hardy) and Yusuf (Dileep Rao) a chemist who is required to create chemicals that can keep the subjects sedated for over 10 hours and that too in a stable manner.
Now that the plot is clear, fasten your seat belts for what I believe is definitely the most exciting roller coaster ride of the year if not the decade. Nolan weaves a complete maze to keep the audience riveted to their seats and continuously wondering – what next? And if you were to curse Nolan in the end to leave the interpretation entirely to yourself – I would not be surprised at all. But then, that my friend is the magic of the movies and the magic created by Christopher Nolan.
I would like to see Inception once again. That it’s a brilliant movie kept aside, I would really really like to try and look for some mistake. Inception, at first look seems to be brilliant in probably every department. The only place that I could think of some chinks seem to be in the acting department. I say this because I have seen all these actors render roles that were far superior than their performances in Inception. However, I cant help but be fair to them and say that they all gave what was expected of them. The editing is picture perfect. The screenplay brilliant. Cinematography – oh so amazing. Special Effects superb. OK not I seem like a very easy man to please. Have a look at it yourself. This one is a collectible. This one is 9 on 10. Right up there in the list of movies that are absolutely must own and must watch. Christopher Nolan – Take a Bow.
Dom Cobb (Leo DiCaprio) along with his trusted aide, Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) specialize in a technique of entering your mind to figure out your ideas. He does this by getting into your dreams i.e. your sub conscious mind which is where the best of ideas are hidden. He can, by doing this, also reveal your deepest darkest secrets. The concept is called Deception.
In his current role, Cobb is working for an organization to get into the mind of Saito (Ken Watanabe) a Japanese entrepreneur whose organization is one of the world leaders in energy. However, Cobb is not successful in his attempt and therefore has to face the consequences which could even be death. However, Saito, realizing Cobb’s expertise offers him a trade off. He is also aware that Cobb is on the run and cannot make it back to the US because he allegedly killed is wife, Mal (the ever so beautiful Marion Cotillard). Saito wants Cobb to take reverse the idea of Deception i.e. plant an idea in the mind of his biggest competitor Robert Fischer Jr. (Cilian Murphy) heir to the largest energy company in the world owned by Maurice Fischer (Pete Postlewaithe – Usual Suspects – Kobayashi). Maurice Fischer is on his deathbed. Saito wants Cobb to plant an idea into Robert’s mind that he has disappointed Maurice and that he should dissolve the company and start all over again – INCEPTION.
Tempted by the possibility of being back with his children Phillipa and James, Cobb takes up the assignment and sets about building his team. He first approaches his father, Miles (Michael Caine) in Paris who puts him through to the first person in the sequence – the architect – the person who creates the dream/s as required. This is Ariadne (Ellen Page – She looks all of 16 but is actually 23!!!!!). Two more people join the team – Eames (Tom Hardy) and Yusuf (Dileep Rao) a chemist who is required to create chemicals that can keep the subjects sedated for over 10 hours and that too in a stable manner.
Now that the plot is clear, fasten your seat belts for what I believe is definitely the most exciting roller coaster ride of the year if not the decade. Nolan weaves a complete maze to keep the audience riveted to their seats and continuously wondering – what next? And if you were to curse Nolan in the end to leave the interpretation entirely to yourself – I would not be surprised at all. But then, that my friend is the magic of the movies and the magic created by Christopher Nolan.
I would like to see Inception once again. That it’s a brilliant movie kept aside, I would really really like to try and look for some mistake. Inception, at first look seems to be brilliant in probably every department. The only place that I could think of some chinks seem to be in the acting department. I say this because I have seen all these actors render roles that were far superior than their performances in Inception. However, I cant help but be fair to them and say that they all gave what was expected of them. The editing is picture perfect. The screenplay brilliant. Cinematography – oh so amazing. Special Effects superb. OK not I seem like a very easy man to please. Have a look at it yourself. This one is a collectible. This one is 9 on 10. Right up there in the list of movies that are absolutely must own and must watch. Christopher Nolan – Take a Bow.
I Hate Luv Storys
Jay (not Jai) Dhingra (Imran Khan) is your average twenty something dude living in the city of dreams who has time for almost everything in his life but for love. He works as an Assistant Director to Vir Kapoor (Samir Soni) who is the leading director in Bollywood. Vir’s passion is to make sobby, atypical, Bollywood, style love stories which involve scenes where the heroine should have pink bedrooms and precisely 4 drops of water on her face in a rain sequence. Ironically, Jay, as the title suggests, hates love stories.
Jay’s best friend is Nikhil (Aseem Tiwari - the fat guy in the sprite commercials) who spends the better part of his life (wonder where he gets the time) making graphs on various parameters related to love. In their spare time, Jay and X spend hours @ the local joint living their singledom to the fullest through litres of beer. Atypical youth of today I say… sigh…. reminds me of my heydays. Wish I cud go back
As luck would have it, Jay is sent by Vir to watch the latest love flick in theatres and voila… he bumps into Simran (Sonam A Kapoor) who as luck would have it, is watching the movie alone. Another twist of fate gets them to be seated next to each other. I only wish I was as lucky. Now u know why I don’t mind going to movies along (Roshni Gomes are you listening???)
Jay manages to chew Simran’s brains to the hilt and ruins her movie experience but doesn’t realize that yet another twist of fate is going to land him working for the lass since she is Vir’s new art director.
Jay’s initial attempts to flirt with Simran come to naught since she is already engaged to guess who – Raj (gawd – how much will we stretch this Raj Simran story) Dholakia who is probably the one of 2 things that could be labeled as over the top in the movie. Raj’s is a Gujju boy and Simran’s mum wants her to get married to one and definitely not a Punjabi Munda (a mistake she made some twenty years back).
A very close friend of mine once told me that the best person you could get married to is someone who works with you. You just spend so much of time with each other that the familiarity and more importantly the respect is second to none. Although I don’t believe in the same, this is exactly what happens over the few weeks that Simran and Jay spend time over work. The Bad Boy gets the nice girl to fall for her. What happens next? Watch it to find out.
Other than the colour co-ordinated clothes of Jai & Simran and the over the top acting of Jennifer (Bruna Abdullah), the rest of the movie is good fun and worth a Sunday afternoon watch along with the family
Imran Khan continues the freshness that he got to the table with Jaane tu Ya Jaane Na. I hope he forgets about Kidnap and moves on. Sonam A Kapoor, I have always believed will metamorphise into a good actress. She has improved with each of her performances, albeit marginally. But I am betting on her giving a great performance in Aisha which is up next. The supporting cast is above average and delivers what is expected of them.
Vishal Shekhar’s music takes us back to the Dostana days. Similar genre of music. Easy listening. 2 songs which stand out are Bahara and Bin Tere. Will be the caller tune for quite a few people in the days to come.
Punit Malhotra, the 28 year old debutant director gives us a lot to look forward to in the future. I am quite sure he will come up with a couple of really good ones in the days to come.
I Hate Luv Storys plays the numerology card with the title Luv Storys not Love Stories. Sonam A Kapoor not just Sonam Kapoor also seems to have worked. I think it is so so much better than Sonaam Kapur or some other permutation. Either ways, both of these seem to have worked as the front page of TOI earlier this week proclaimed. I “HIT” LUV STORYS.
Verdict – Worth a watch. 5 on 10…. Lets make that 6 on 10 for good first time direction and my new found love for Sonam A Kapoor and the fact that I am a sucker for happy endings.
Jay’s best friend is Nikhil (Aseem Tiwari - the fat guy in the sprite commercials) who spends the better part of his life (wonder where he gets the time) making graphs on various parameters related to love. In their spare time, Jay and X spend hours @ the local joint living their singledom to the fullest through litres of beer. Atypical youth of today I say… sigh…. reminds me of my heydays. Wish I cud go back
As luck would have it, Jay is sent by Vir to watch the latest love flick in theatres and voila… he bumps into Simran (Sonam A Kapoor) who as luck would have it, is watching the movie alone. Another twist of fate gets them to be seated next to each other. I only wish I was as lucky. Now u know why I don’t mind going to movies along (Roshni Gomes are you listening???)
Jay manages to chew Simran’s brains to the hilt and ruins her movie experience but doesn’t realize that yet another twist of fate is going to land him working for the lass since she is Vir’s new art director.
Jay’s initial attempts to flirt with Simran come to naught since she is already engaged to guess who – Raj (gawd – how much will we stretch this Raj Simran story) Dholakia who is probably the one of 2 things that could be labeled as over the top in the movie. Raj’s is a Gujju boy and Simran’s mum wants her to get married to one and definitely not a Punjabi Munda (a mistake she made some twenty years back).
A very close friend of mine once told me that the best person you could get married to is someone who works with you. You just spend so much of time with each other that the familiarity and more importantly the respect is second to none. Although I don’t believe in the same, this is exactly what happens over the few weeks that Simran and Jay spend time over work. The Bad Boy gets the nice girl to fall for her. What happens next? Watch it to find out.
Other than the colour co-ordinated clothes of Jai & Simran and the over the top acting of Jennifer (Bruna Abdullah), the rest of the movie is good fun and worth a Sunday afternoon watch along with the family
Imran Khan continues the freshness that he got to the table with Jaane tu Ya Jaane Na. I hope he forgets about Kidnap and moves on. Sonam A Kapoor, I have always believed will metamorphise into a good actress. She has improved with each of her performances, albeit marginally. But I am betting on her giving a great performance in Aisha which is up next. The supporting cast is above average and delivers what is expected of them.
Vishal Shekhar’s music takes us back to the Dostana days. Similar genre of music. Easy listening. 2 songs which stand out are Bahara and Bin Tere. Will be the caller tune for quite a few people in the days to come.
Punit Malhotra, the 28 year old debutant director gives us a lot to look forward to in the future. I am quite sure he will come up with a couple of really good ones in the days to come.
I Hate Luv Storys plays the numerology card with the title Luv Storys not Love Stories. Sonam A Kapoor not just Sonam Kapoor also seems to have worked. I think it is so so much better than Sonaam Kapur or some other permutation. Either ways, both of these seem to have worked as the front page of TOI earlier this week proclaimed. I “HIT” LUV STORYS.
Verdict – Worth a watch. 5 on 10…. Lets make that 6 on 10 for good first time direction and my new found love for Sonam A Kapoor and the fact that I am a sucker for happy endings.
Knight & Day
A really old looking Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz come together for an out and out action thriller in Knight & Day. I think the last time these 2 acted together would have been Vanilla Sky (correct me if I am wrong) when they were probably looking half their age. I haven’t seen Vanilla Sky yet but have heard that it was a disaster. Will keep u guys posted about the same when I get around to seeing it.
June Havens (Diaz) specializes in refurbishing used old cars. She bumps into Roy Miller (Cruise) on her way to Boston for her sister’s wedding. Roy, the smooth operator that he is, uses June as a mule to carry a certain something for him. Of course this is done without her knowing about it. However, she cannot board her flight coz it is called full.
But a set of secret agents (don’t know which organization at this stage of the movie) ensure that she manages to make it on board. Funnily she is the only civilian on board. Everyone else, the pilot included in a matter of a few minutes has been changed to be an agent who is out to kill Roy. A superb fight sequence and a plane crash later, Roy escapes but ensures that June is safely returned to her home.
The agents who now pose as the FBI pick up June for questioning but obviously realize they have hit a dead end. They are about to dispose her off when Roy reappears to save her. A fabulous car chase sequence ensues.
The cool agent that Roy is, he explains the situation to June about how he is carrying with him a perpetual energy source called the Zephyr, a battery that lasts for ever, and that the people who are after him and June are really the bad guys – not him. This battery was made by a geek called Simon Feck (Paul Dano) who is also being protected by Roy.
Turns out that there is not 1 but 2 organisations after him – The CIA (not FBI) and a Spanish arms dealer, Antonio (Jordi Molla).
James Mangold’s previous efforts have probably superseded this one. Somehow difficult to believe that this is the same guy who directed Kate & Leopold, Walk the Line and Girl, Interupted. Quite mushy movies right as compared to the one in question right. But I guess 3:10 to Yuma was more action oriented. However, something tells me that if someone like Jerry Bruckhiemer OR John Woo would have done so much of a better job with it. Some of the car chases are executed quite patchily. It clearly shows the use of a blue screen. Seen much older movies and for that matter some locally made movies as well executed in a much better manner.
Cruise and Diaz as mentioned, have started looking their age. Somehow cannot relate to Cruise doing this Mission Impossible / Miority Report kind of roles. However, he seems to be able to just about pull it off. Diaz on the other hand manages to execute her role of a not so bright blonde to near perfection. The support cast does not give much to crow about. Not too many dialogues or one liners worth writing home about. Also, the fun aspect is limited to June fainting over and over again over the same drug.
The background score is actually a stand out in the movie. Very different from what a typical action movie would use. Not the usual heavy metal, thrash metal types. some reggae, some hip hop, some lounge and many other genres all baked in. But all of it blend beautifully. Must get a copy of soundtrack if possible.
It is also a whirlwind trip of sorts through some of the most exotic locations in the world. Begins with Boston but moves into Andalucia, Spain, Jamaica, LA, Salzburg.
Knight & Day takes you through a series of fabulous car chases, Plane Crashes, island bombings and great fun indeed. An all out man movie positively. Not too many women would enjoy the show but guys… you are in for a fabulous ride I am sure!!!! Not the best movie made for sure. I would give it 5 on 10. Which coincidentally is better than what I expected it to be. I was quite sure that K&D would not get more than 1.5 or 2 in my books. Pleasantly surprised. What kind of upsets you is that the movie had the potential to move to the 7 on 10 level if executed correctly.
June Havens (Diaz) specializes in refurbishing used old cars. She bumps into Roy Miller (Cruise) on her way to Boston for her sister’s wedding. Roy, the smooth operator that he is, uses June as a mule to carry a certain something for him. Of course this is done without her knowing about it. However, she cannot board her flight coz it is called full.
But a set of secret agents (don’t know which organization at this stage of the movie) ensure that she manages to make it on board. Funnily she is the only civilian on board. Everyone else, the pilot included in a matter of a few minutes has been changed to be an agent who is out to kill Roy. A superb fight sequence and a plane crash later, Roy escapes but ensures that June is safely returned to her home.
The agents who now pose as the FBI pick up June for questioning but obviously realize they have hit a dead end. They are about to dispose her off when Roy reappears to save her. A fabulous car chase sequence ensues.
The cool agent that Roy is, he explains the situation to June about how he is carrying with him a perpetual energy source called the Zephyr, a battery that lasts for ever, and that the people who are after him and June are really the bad guys – not him. This battery was made by a geek called Simon Feck (Paul Dano) who is also being protected by Roy.
Turns out that there is not 1 but 2 organisations after him – The CIA (not FBI) and a Spanish arms dealer, Antonio (Jordi Molla).
James Mangold’s previous efforts have probably superseded this one. Somehow difficult to believe that this is the same guy who directed Kate & Leopold, Walk the Line and Girl, Interupted. Quite mushy movies right as compared to the one in question right. But I guess 3:10 to Yuma was more action oriented. However, something tells me that if someone like Jerry Bruckhiemer OR John Woo would have done so much of a better job with it. Some of the car chases are executed quite patchily. It clearly shows the use of a blue screen. Seen much older movies and for that matter some locally made movies as well executed in a much better manner.
Cruise and Diaz as mentioned, have started looking their age. Somehow cannot relate to Cruise doing this Mission Impossible / Miority Report kind of roles. However, he seems to be able to just about pull it off. Diaz on the other hand manages to execute her role of a not so bright blonde to near perfection. The support cast does not give much to crow about. Not too many dialogues or one liners worth writing home about. Also, the fun aspect is limited to June fainting over and over again over the same drug.
The background score is actually a stand out in the movie. Very different from what a typical action movie would use. Not the usual heavy metal, thrash metal types. some reggae, some hip hop, some lounge and many other genres all baked in. But all of it blend beautifully. Must get a copy of soundtrack if possible.
It is also a whirlwind trip of sorts through some of the most exotic locations in the world. Begins with Boston but moves into Andalucia, Spain, Jamaica, LA, Salzburg.
Knight & Day takes you through a series of fabulous car chases, Plane Crashes, island bombings and great fun indeed. An all out man movie positively. Not too many women would enjoy the show but guys… you are in for a fabulous ride I am sure!!!! Not the best movie made for sure. I would give it 5 on 10. Which coincidentally is better than what I expected it to be. I was quite sure that K&D would not get more than 1.5 or 2 in my books. Pleasantly surprised. What kind of upsets you is that the movie had the potential to move to the 7 on 10 level if executed correctly.
Wait Until Dark
Been reviewing most of the new ones lately. So about a couple of weeks back I decided to go back a bit in time. Actually almost 50 years back in time, in Technicolor however. Sometime back on a Facebook update I had mentioned that Katherine Hepburn is probably the best actress ever to be born. I still hold on to that opinion. Although it’s the other Hepburn, the Audrey variety, who would take the title of probably the most beautiful actress of both her time as well as the decades to come. Marrion Cotillard probably comes really close but just not up there. Now some of you may debate that Catherine Zeta is incomparable, but you will kinda figure out what I am talking about if you see Audrey in her element.
In Wait Until Dark, Audrey plays the central character of Susie Hendrix, the twenty something, blind protagonist. A role that would remain as probably one of the best that she has ever executed in her career (other than Roman Holiday and Breakfast at Tiffany’s)
Sam Hendrix (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) is a reasonably successful photographer who bumps into the sexy looking Lisa (Samantha Jones) who uses him, without his knowledge, as a mule to transport a good quantity of coke across customs. The coke is slipped in neatly into a doll which Lisa leaves with Sam in an attempt to avoid her contact. She kinda wants to go out on her own in the drug business. But she does not realize that Roat (Alan Arkin – who looks much younger than the Arkin we know who won the academy award for Little Miss Sunshine) is not going to be pleased with the idea.
Mike Talman (The incredibly handsome Richard Crenna) and Carlino (Jack Weston) are 2 small time criminals who run suspicious odd jobs for a fee. They come over to the Hendrix residence thanks to a message assumed to have been sent by Lisa. A message on the door asks them to be comfortable but there is no sign of Lisa. Warily they make their way inside but quickly do as instructed – get comfortable. A few minutes later Roat walks in but without Lisa. As of now, both Mike and Carlino have no idea that this is the Hendrix residence.
Roat offers them a large sum of money to recover the doll which obviously get the 2 suspicious. They casually start searching the house only to find Lisa’s body stashed away in a cupboard. Their obvious immediate attempt to pull out of the deal comes to naught coz by then they have left fingerprints all over the place.
Around this time Susie returns home. Although she is blind, she does sense something amiss but is not sure. Once she leaves, the trio of Roat, Mike and Carlino decide to leave and work on a plan to figure out what needs to be done to recover the doll.
What follows is an extremely thrilling 60 minutes which show several layers of emotions. On one side there is Sam who is a caring husband to a blind wife but still pushes her to be independent in every way possible. He does not hand hold her for every small thing and does his best to ensure that Susie lives as normal a life as possible. Then there is an extremely soft corner that Mike develops towards Susie during his efforts to recover the doll posing as Sam’s close friend from Philadelphia. The tension between Roat, Mike and Carlino is way too obvious to be missed with Mike and Carlino on one side as the bad guys with heart and Roat on the other as the really mean drug dealer who will go to all extents possible. Last but not the least, there is the most pivotal character of the movie – a ten year old – Gloria (Julie Herrod) who is the next door neighbour of the Hendrix’s and helps Susie with odd jobs around the area. She shares an extremely bitter sweet relationship with Susie. But all she does is act her age.
Terence Young’s claim to fame is that he directed the first few Bond Movies Dr. No, From Russia with Love and Thunderball. He far exceeds these performances with Wait Until Dark. Fredrick Knott was the original playwright for the Broadway production. I get goose pimples by simply thinking about how powerful the play would have been. Rest assured, dear Mr. Knott would be extremely pleased at the conversion to celluloid.
Performances are brilliant. I really cannot say enough about each an every one of the 6 main members of the cast and the 2 supporting actors. Each person delivers exactly what is expected of him or her. Surprisingly Julie Herrod did not take up a career in acting. Her performance as a 10 year old should have given her enough encouragement to take a career in acting very seriously.
For those who love the classics, a simply MUST WATCH. A clean 8 on 10!!!!
In Wait Until Dark, Audrey plays the central character of Susie Hendrix, the twenty something, blind protagonist. A role that would remain as probably one of the best that she has ever executed in her career (other than Roman Holiday and Breakfast at Tiffany’s)
Sam Hendrix (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) is a reasonably successful photographer who bumps into the sexy looking Lisa (Samantha Jones) who uses him, without his knowledge, as a mule to transport a good quantity of coke across customs. The coke is slipped in neatly into a doll which Lisa leaves with Sam in an attempt to avoid her contact. She kinda wants to go out on her own in the drug business. But she does not realize that Roat (Alan Arkin – who looks much younger than the Arkin we know who won the academy award for Little Miss Sunshine) is not going to be pleased with the idea.
Mike Talman (The incredibly handsome Richard Crenna) and Carlino (Jack Weston) are 2 small time criminals who run suspicious odd jobs for a fee. They come over to the Hendrix residence thanks to a message assumed to have been sent by Lisa. A message on the door asks them to be comfortable but there is no sign of Lisa. Warily they make their way inside but quickly do as instructed – get comfortable. A few minutes later Roat walks in but without Lisa. As of now, both Mike and Carlino have no idea that this is the Hendrix residence.
Roat offers them a large sum of money to recover the doll which obviously get the 2 suspicious. They casually start searching the house only to find Lisa’s body stashed away in a cupboard. Their obvious immediate attempt to pull out of the deal comes to naught coz by then they have left fingerprints all over the place.
Around this time Susie returns home. Although she is blind, she does sense something amiss but is not sure. Once she leaves, the trio of Roat, Mike and Carlino decide to leave and work on a plan to figure out what needs to be done to recover the doll.
What follows is an extremely thrilling 60 minutes which show several layers of emotions. On one side there is Sam who is a caring husband to a blind wife but still pushes her to be independent in every way possible. He does not hand hold her for every small thing and does his best to ensure that Susie lives as normal a life as possible. Then there is an extremely soft corner that Mike develops towards Susie during his efforts to recover the doll posing as Sam’s close friend from Philadelphia. The tension between Roat, Mike and Carlino is way too obvious to be missed with Mike and Carlino on one side as the bad guys with heart and Roat on the other as the really mean drug dealer who will go to all extents possible. Last but not the least, there is the most pivotal character of the movie – a ten year old – Gloria (Julie Herrod) who is the next door neighbour of the Hendrix’s and helps Susie with odd jobs around the area. She shares an extremely bitter sweet relationship with Susie. But all she does is act her age.
Terence Young’s claim to fame is that he directed the first few Bond Movies Dr. No, From Russia with Love and Thunderball. He far exceeds these performances with Wait Until Dark. Fredrick Knott was the original playwright for the Broadway production. I get goose pimples by simply thinking about how powerful the play would have been. Rest assured, dear Mr. Knott would be extremely pleased at the conversion to celluloid.
Performances are brilliant. I really cannot say enough about each an every one of the 6 main members of the cast and the 2 supporting actors. Each person delivers exactly what is expected of him or her. Surprisingly Julie Herrod did not take up a career in acting. Her performance as a 10 year old should have given her enough encouragement to take a career in acting very seriously.
For those who love the classics, a simply MUST WATCH. A clean 8 on 10!!!!
The Edge of Darkness
Do you like Mel Gibson? Do you like the intensity that he gets to the movie screen. Do you like the fact that he hogs most of the screen time in most of his movies probably because the others in the movie are lesser known or unknown actors. Do you love Lethal Weapon and Ransom and Payback. Well if the answer to all of these was in the affirmative then Ladies and Gentlemen – He is back!!!! And back with a bang.
Detective Thomas Craven is an experienced detective in the Boston PD who receives a surprise when his 24 year old daughter, Emma Craven (Bojana Novakovic) who decides to visit. However, it isn’t the best of surprises since she turns out to be extremely unwell – she throws up in the car. As Tom is about to take her to the doctor, calamity strikes with Emma being shot dead right @ his doorstep.
Obviously the case takes high priority since it involves a cop’s family. The cops believe that the assassins were after Tom and not Emma and begin a massive investigation.
However, Tom not only believes that the cops are in the wrong direction, but also starts a covert investigation of his own which leads him to find a gun in Emma’s baggage. However, the gun is not registered in Emma’s name but is in the name of her boyfriend (Shawn Roberts). Tom tracks him down and after a minor fight contains him. David is petrified but not of Tom. He believes that the organization he and Emma are working for, Northmoor, is spying on them.
He returns home and as he is burning Emma’s effects in the lawn, he encouters Jedburgh (Ray Winstone), a consultant in clearing up government messes. The kinda guy like Wolf (Pulp Fiction – Harvey Kietel) – only this time its kinda official and not ganster. Jedburgh would usually have disposed off the problem but somehow decides to just forewarn Tom about the mess he is getting into.
Failing to heed Jed’s warnings, Tom makes his way to meet Jack Bennet (Danny Huston), CEO Northmoor to figure things out about what his daughter was working on. However, he only meets with the word – CLASSIFIED.
Further investigations lead him to understand that Emma was working on something that was sensitive enough not to come out in the open and that somehow it was also linked to 3 bodies that were found on the banks of the Connecticut river, the night before his daughter was shot dead. Obviously it was also intriguing that everyone else Tom speaks to is not just worried but scared of losing their lives.
The movie is peppered with shots where Tom speaks to Emma as if she were still there next to him. As if he would rather be with her than alive. Like he regrets not having spent enough time with her when she was alive and is trying to make it up to her.
Martin Campbell does not create as much excitement as he does in Goldeneye and then Casino Royale. There are enough thrills and loads of intensity but honestly its not like anything you haven’t seen before.
As the story builds, one gets the distinct feeling that it is another typical Mel Gibson movie where he is the good guy ensuring that the bad guys are beaten up. Dear Mr. Gibson – u r pushing 60. need something different at least now. The intensity is still there but need a new concept folks.
Other than Ray Winstone who is really good in his minimum screen time, the others are not too great or just don’t have any significant part to play. All in all, as mentioned earlier, great for a Gibson Fan. But nothing new. 5 on 10 for this one.
Detective Thomas Craven is an experienced detective in the Boston PD who receives a surprise when his 24 year old daughter, Emma Craven (Bojana Novakovic) who decides to visit. However, it isn’t the best of surprises since she turns out to be extremely unwell – she throws up in the car. As Tom is about to take her to the doctor, calamity strikes with Emma being shot dead right @ his doorstep.
Obviously the case takes high priority since it involves a cop’s family. The cops believe that the assassins were after Tom and not Emma and begin a massive investigation.
However, Tom not only believes that the cops are in the wrong direction, but also starts a covert investigation of his own which leads him to find a gun in Emma’s baggage. However, the gun is not registered in Emma’s name but is in the name of her boyfriend (Shawn Roberts). Tom tracks him down and after a minor fight contains him. David is petrified but not of Tom. He believes that the organization he and Emma are working for, Northmoor, is spying on them.
He returns home and as he is burning Emma’s effects in the lawn, he encouters Jedburgh (Ray Winstone), a consultant in clearing up government messes. The kinda guy like Wolf (Pulp Fiction – Harvey Kietel) – only this time its kinda official and not ganster. Jedburgh would usually have disposed off the problem but somehow decides to just forewarn Tom about the mess he is getting into.
Failing to heed Jed’s warnings, Tom makes his way to meet Jack Bennet (Danny Huston), CEO Northmoor to figure things out about what his daughter was working on. However, he only meets with the word – CLASSIFIED.
Further investigations lead him to understand that Emma was working on something that was sensitive enough not to come out in the open and that somehow it was also linked to 3 bodies that were found on the banks of the Connecticut river, the night before his daughter was shot dead. Obviously it was also intriguing that everyone else Tom speaks to is not just worried but scared of losing their lives.
The movie is peppered with shots where Tom speaks to Emma as if she were still there next to him. As if he would rather be with her than alive. Like he regrets not having spent enough time with her when she was alive and is trying to make it up to her.
Martin Campbell does not create as much excitement as he does in Goldeneye and then Casino Royale. There are enough thrills and loads of intensity but honestly its not like anything you haven’t seen before.
As the story builds, one gets the distinct feeling that it is another typical Mel Gibson movie where he is the good guy ensuring that the bad guys are beaten up. Dear Mr. Gibson – u r pushing 60. need something different at least now. The intensity is still there but need a new concept folks.
Other than Ray Winstone who is really good in his minimum screen time, the others are not too great or just don’t have any significant part to play. All in all, as mentioned earlier, great for a Gibson Fan. But nothing new. 5 on 10 for this one.
Marley & Me
“A Dog doesn’t care if you give him diamonds or gold. He just needs a wet stick. A Dog doesn’t care if you are rich or poor or live a huge house. Give him your heart and he will him yours back. How many people can you say that about? How many people really make you feel extraordinary”?
I loved the last line of the movie and if you are dog lovers then you would too. Not because its feel good and deep and etc. etc. But because only a dog lover would understand that the statement is 120% true!!!!
John Grogan (Owen Wilson) is an up and coming journalist who has always wanted to be a reporter. Jenny Grogan (Jennifer Aniston) on the other hand writes for the Palm Beach Post but gets much more importance than John. Nope this is not leading towards a friction between husband and wife. Both are very much in love and do not really consider the other as competition. Ideal nah? Sad that life unfortunately is not the same way.
Sebastian (Eric Dane) is John’s more prominent reporter colleague who writes front page news unlike John. Now Jenny wants to go the family way and John is lets say, not quite ready for it. Over a conversation Sebastian suggests that John should get a dog since they are the best way to prepare for a baby (I second that opinion) And therefore for Jenny’s birthday, John decides to surprise her with a puppy. Now, I am a huge dog lover (for those who know me) and seriously found the scene with 6-7 golden lab puppies irresistible to say the least.
And they name him Marley after the Bob variety.
However, what they were not prepared for is the fact that Marley is one hyper active li’l beast whose only passion in life is to completely wreak havoc with the house. Now I say that’s one normal dog . But, not only does Marley bring in happiness at home but also luck. John is able to crack a deal with Arnie Klien (Alan Arkin) for writing 2 columns a week to discuss everyday life in general. Marley becomes his inspiration for the column.
What follows is the life of an everyday family who tries to cope with the nuances of having a growing dog at home. The movie shows very common place situations that every dog owner would be familiar with. The irritation at the constant demand for attention, the disgust at the poop and pee in all the wrong or the right places, the trauma of cleaning up a house that has been ripped to shreds when u were away. The usual stuff. But all that is replaced with the unconditional love that one receives when s/he is back from a tiring day at work.
One failed pregnancy and a trip to Ireland later, John and Jenny are finally blessed with a baby boy Patrick. He is followed by another boy Connor and then a daughter Colleen. As the pressures of the family get to the couple, Jenny in a moment of weakness asks Marley to be sent away. Reluctantly John agrees to the idea and leaves Marley with Sebastian. However, like most people, they quickly realize that a dog is an integral part of a family and not just a pet.
Probably for the first time, a movie handles the bringing up of a dog and the effects it has on an normal family. The transition from being perceived as an incorrigible brat to an inseperable part of the family. The panic that sets in when he decides to run away. The pain that one goes through when he falls ill. The immense vacuum that is left in your life when he passes away :’)
The movie is well directed by David Frankel (Devi Wears Prada, 6 episodes of SATC). Imagine having to use 22 dogs in the same movie to play one part. Would have been one really difficult experience. But he comes out trumps.
This is the first time I have seen Owen Wilson playing a serious kind of role and not something dreadfully slapstick. I think he does a really good job. Jen Aniston is as always successful in playing the kind of woman, every man would like to get married to. I think she is getting to be an expert in the same after Bruce Almighty, He’s just not that into you, Love Happens and many others over the past decade. Alan Arkin as always is superb in his execution of Arnie Klien.
Marley and Me is a wonderful movie to catch with your family on a Sunday afternoon. Just like I did. It also gives you reason to change your mind about not getting a dog – if u were undecided till date. Trust me, it would be the best decision you take. And while you are at it, adopt a stray. Score for the movie – 5 on 10….. actually 6 on 10. Marley independently deserves to take the movie a notch higher.
I loved the last line of the movie and if you are dog lovers then you would too. Not because its feel good and deep and etc. etc. But because only a dog lover would understand that the statement is 120% true!!!!
John Grogan (Owen Wilson) is an up and coming journalist who has always wanted to be a reporter. Jenny Grogan (Jennifer Aniston) on the other hand writes for the Palm Beach Post but gets much more importance than John. Nope this is not leading towards a friction between husband and wife. Both are very much in love and do not really consider the other as competition. Ideal nah? Sad that life unfortunately is not the same way.
Sebastian (Eric Dane) is John’s more prominent reporter colleague who writes front page news unlike John. Now Jenny wants to go the family way and John is lets say, not quite ready for it. Over a conversation Sebastian suggests that John should get a dog since they are the best way to prepare for a baby (I second that opinion) And therefore for Jenny’s birthday, John decides to surprise her with a puppy. Now, I am a huge dog lover (for those who know me) and seriously found the scene with 6-7 golden lab puppies irresistible to say the least.
And they name him Marley after the Bob variety.
However, what they were not prepared for is the fact that Marley is one hyper active li’l beast whose only passion in life is to completely wreak havoc with the house. Now I say that’s one normal dog . But, not only does Marley bring in happiness at home but also luck. John is able to crack a deal with Arnie Klien (Alan Arkin) for writing 2 columns a week to discuss everyday life in general. Marley becomes his inspiration for the column.
What follows is the life of an everyday family who tries to cope with the nuances of having a growing dog at home. The movie shows very common place situations that every dog owner would be familiar with. The irritation at the constant demand for attention, the disgust at the poop and pee in all the wrong or the right places, the trauma of cleaning up a house that has been ripped to shreds when u were away. The usual stuff. But all that is replaced with the unconditional love that one receives when s/he is back from a tiring day at work.
One failed pregnancy and a trip to Ireland later, John and Jenny are finally blessed with a baby boy Patrick. He is followed by another boy Connor and then a daughter Colleen. As the pressures of the family get to the couple, Jenny in a moment of weakness asks Marley to be sent away. Reluctantly John agrees to the idea and leaves Marley with Sebastian. However, like most people, they quickly realize that a dog is an integral part of a family and not just a pet.
Probably for the first time, a movie handles the bringing up of a dog and the effects it has on an normal family. The transition from being perceived as an incorrigible brat to an inseperable part of the family. The panic that sets in when he decides to run away. The pain that one goes through when he falls ill. The immense vacuum that is left in your life when he passes away :’)
The movie is well directed by David Frankel (Devi Wears Prada, 6 episodes of SATC). Imagine having to use 22 dogs in the same movie to play one part. Would have been one really difficult experience. But he comes out trumps.
This is the first time I have seen Owen Wilson playing a serious kind of role and not something dreadfully slapstick. I think he does a really good job. Jen Aniston is as always successful in playing the kind of woman, every man would like to get married to. I think she is getting to be an expert in the same after Bruce Almighty, He’s just not that into you, Love Happens and many others over the past decade. Alan Arkin as always is superb in his execution of Arnie Klien.
Marley and Me is a wonderful movie to catch with your family on a Sunday afternoon. Just like I did. It also gives you reason to change your mind about not getting a dog – if u were undecided till date. Trust me, it would be the best decision you take. And while you are at it, adopt a stray. Score for the movie – 5 on 10….. actually 6 on 10. Marley independently deserves to take the movie a notch higher.
Up in the Air
Ryan Bingham (Clooney) probably has the most thankless job in the world. He works with a Career Transition Counseling (CTC) firm. In other words - He fires people for a living. He spends most of his time flying between cities. He lives out of a suitcase.
He also makes time for a lecture that he gives called “Whats in your backpack” in which he encourages people to not make commitments in your personal life, a mantra which he diligently follows in his life.
An atypical male fantasy - Ryan also has one huge goal – To be the 7th person in the world to make 10 million miles on American Airlines.
On one of his trips Ryan meets Alex (Vera Farmiga), a charming, terribly attractive 34 year old woman who leads a similar life to Ryan. A “different” relationship develops slowly but surely.
Enter Natalie Keener (Anna Kendrick) a 23 year old Management Trainee from Cornell who has spent 1 year with the organization. She aims to change the culture of the organization by moving CTC to video conference – much to the chagrin of Ryan who asks her to accompany him for the next few days to actually find out what it is like to be in his shoes.
The Casting is Fabulous. Both Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick are brilliant and completely deserved their nominations for this year’s Oscars although I would have pushed at least Vera Farmiga to the best Actress category. George Clooney is perfect for the role. Cant think of anyone else who could have done it better.
The other characters in the movie are also extremely clearly etched out. There are Ryan’s 2 sisters who have all but given up on him thanks to his own tenet in life of staying away from commitments of any sort. So much so that his elder sister has to beg him to do a favour of getting a photograph of some locations with a cardboard cut out of his younger sister and husband to be in the location. The cardboard cut out sequences add to the fun element of the movie as well.
Director Jason Reitman (Juno) gives us yet another masterpiece. A movie that forces one to sit back and actually reflect on whether the journey so far has actually been worth its while. Who do we really care about… What exactly is in our Back Pack???
The entire essence of the movie is summed up by one dialogue between Ryan and Alex when she tells him, “You are an escape, a way for me to break away from the usual, A Parantheses” – stunning and mind $#%&* blowing!!!!!!! Totally gets your goat!!!!!
A Great background score by Rolfe Kent is the icing on the cake.
I haven’t read the novel yet but Walter Kirn would be quite happy with the movie.
Add this to your MUST POSSESS list. Truly superb. 8.5 on 10!!!
He also makes time for a lecture that he gives called “Whats in your backpack” in which he encourages people to not make commitments in your personal life, a mantra which he diligently follows in his life.
An atypical male fantasy - Ryan also has one huge goal – To be the 7th person in the world to make 10 million miles on American Airlines.
On one of his trips Ryan meets Alex (Vera Farmiga), a charming, terribly attractive 34 year old woman who leads a similar life to Ryan. A “different” relationship develops slowly but surely.
Enter Natalie Keener (Anna Kendrick) a 23 year old Management Trainee from Cornell who has spent 1 year with the organization. She aims to change the culture of the organization by moving CTC to video conference – much to the chagrin of Ryan who asks her to accompany him for the next few days to actually find out what it is like to be in his shoes.
The Casting is Fabulous. Both Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick are brilliant and completely deserved their nominations for this year’s Oscars although I would have pushed at least Vera Farmiga to the best Actress category. George Clooney is perfect for the role. Cant think of anyone else who could have done it better.
The other characters in the movie are also extremely clearly etched out. There are Ryan’s 2 sisters who have all but given up on him thanks to his own tenet in life of staying away from commitments of any sort. So much so that his elder sister has to beg him to do a favour of getting a photograph of some locations with a cardboard cut out of his younger sister and husband to be in the location. The cardboard cut out sequences add to the fun element of the movie as well.
Director Jason Reitman (Juno) gives us yet another masterpiece. A movie that forces one to sit back and actually reflect on whether the journey so far has actually been worth its while. Who do we really care about… What exactly is in our Back Pack???
The entire essence of the movie is summed up by one dialogue between Ryan and Alex when she tells him, “You are an escape, a way for me to break away from the usual, A Parantheses” – stunning and mind $#%&* blowing!!!!!!! Totally gets your goat!!!!!
A Great background score by Rolfe Kent is the icing on the cake.
I haven’t read the novel yet but Walter Kirn would be quite happy with the movie.
Add this to your MUST POSSESS list. Truly superb. 8.5 on 10!!!
Love Sex Aur Dhokha (LSD)
What do you get when u mix Dibakar Banerjee (Oye Lucky Lucky Oye & Khosla Ka Ghosla), a bunch of not so well known but really good actors and a steady cam? Add to these 3 parallel yet intertwined story lines – A couple who get married against the wishes of their parents, a childish bet oriented around lust and a classic case of the Casting Couch.
Ladies and Gentlemen – Welcome to LOVE SEX AUR DHOKHA
For the first few minutes one is left wondering as to what is happening? The titling is simply superb!!! Not only because it has never been done before this way but also because it has been executed brilliantly.
If I were to describe LSD in one word - BRAVE.
Brave because it gets out the gruesome nature of a hugely sensitive yet relevant topic of honour killing for the first time in Indian Cinema and that too in a manner that is as close to reality as possible. Brave because it gets you up close and personal to the casting couch like never before. Brave because it dares to go beyond conventional thinking and casts actors who have never been seen before on the screen. Brave because it uses first time music directors to get out a very good sound track – one will hear the title track for a while to come now. Brave because DB chooses not to edit out a lot of aspects which would not have gone down too well with the censor board. Brave because it does all of the above with a steady cam!!!!!
The average movie watcher, however (and sadly so), would slowly but surely succumb to an inability to relate to what I believe was DB’s pet project. Surely, he needed to have 2 very successful movies under his belt to get someone to invest in his bold venture – LSD
In a nutshell – LSD is not meant for the masses. It is definitely not for the faint hearted. Watch it with an open mind and u have in your hands an 7 on 10 movie!!!
Ladies and Gentlemen – Welcome to LOVE SEX AUR DHOKHA
For the first few minutes one is left wondering as to what is happening? The titling is simply superb!!! Not only because it has never been done before this way but also because it has been executed brilliantly.
If I were to describe LSD in one word - BRAVE.
Brave because it gets out the gruesome nature of a hugely sensitive yet relevant topic of honour killing for the first time in Indian Cinema and that too in a manner that is as close to reality as possible. Brave because it gets you up close and personal to the casting couch like never before. Brave because it dares to go beyond conventional thinking and casts actors who have never been seen before on the screen. Brave because it uses first time music directors to get out a very good sound track – one will hear the title track for a while to come now. Brave because DB chooses not to edit out a lot of aspects which would not have gone down too well with the censor board. Brave because it does all of the above with a steady cam!!!!!
The average movie watcher, however (and sadly so), would slowly but surely succumb to an inability to relate to what I believe was DB’s pet project. Surely, he needed to have 2 very successful movies under his belt to get someone to invest in his bold venture – LSD
In a nutshell – LSD is not meant for the masses. It is definitely not for the faint hearted. Watch it with an open mind and u have in your hands an 7 on 10 movie!!!
Independence
A slum child goes is trying to sell flags on Independence Day to earn her daily bread. She is too young to not have faith or hope because she has not seen much of what us self sufficient people would call “good” in her life.
She comes to the respected Freebird High School (affiliated to the CBSE Board) where a guard allows her to sit at the gate. He is also kind enough to buy a flag. But why would he do that if there are a few dozen flags already put up on the gate?
A parent (or official) driving into the school assumes her to be a beggar and just palms a penny off to her. Much to the child’s disappointment of course. Her pride, however makes her leave a flag on the windshield anyways.
Neeraj Ghaywan, may provoke thought with people who will watch this movie. This may not be a challenge since its only a minute long and junta will ensure that the movie is spammed to death. But will he be able to provoke any action? I sincerely doubt that. Not because Ghaywan’s effort is passé but for the same point that he has tried to communicate in his short film – the very social fabric of our country is circumspect.
We as a race or a country would rather give alms to a beggar than help her / him make a respectable living. The social structure is such that only a person below a certain economic level can understand the plight of another such person. Funnily the same person moves ahead in life and forgets where s/he came from. Sad but true – Is the colour on our social fabric like a cheap garment that bleeds in the first wash? Till that changes, will we ever be truly Independent?
Must point out the sincerest effort by Meenakshi who is probably no more than 6. Would like to know if she is actually a slum kid.
Noble effort overall. But not brilliant. 5 on 10 at best. Check out the link as under
http://www.desimartini.com/videos/view-video.php?vid=5FJTeKmXZ4o
She comes to the respected Freebird High School (affiliated to the CBSE Board) where a guard allows her to sit at the gate. He is also kind enough to buy a flag. But why would he do that if there are a few dozen flags already put up on the gate?
A parent (or official) driving into the school assumes her to be a beggar and just palms a penny off to her. Much to the child’s disappointment of course. Her pride, however makes her leave a flag on the windshield anyways.
Neeraj Ghaywan, may provoke thought with people who will watch this movie. This may not be a challenge since its only a minute long and junta will ensure that the movie is spammed to death. But will he be able to provoke any action? I sincerely doubt that. Not because Ghaywan’s effort is passé but for the same point that he has tried to communicate in his short film – the very social fabric of our country is circumspect.
We as a race or a country would rather give alms to a beggar than help her / him make a respectable living. The social structure is such that only a person below a certain economic level can understand the plight of another such person. Funnily the same person moves ahead in life and forgets where s/he came from. Sad but true – Is the colour on our social fabric like a cheap garment that bleeds in the first wash? Till that changes, will we ever be truly Independent?
Must point out the sincerest effort by Meenakshi who is probably no more than 6. Would like to know if she is actually a slum kid.
Noble effort overall. But not brilliant. 5 on 10 at best. Check out the link as under
http://www.desimartini.com/videos/view-video.php?vid=5FJTeKmXZ4o
In the Valley of Elah
Hank (Tommy Lee Jones) and Joan (Susan Sarandon) Deefield are an elderly couple who have lost one of their sons to war. Their second son Mike (Johnatan Tucker) also joins the army, much to the disappointment of his mother. He returns to the US and surprisingly goes AWOL - Absent Without Leave for those who are unfamiliar with Army parlance. Its very unlike Mike not to have called.
After waiting for a couple of days, Hank who is a retired Military Police Sergeant decides to follow up with the MP and people at the base. A two day drive gets him there but most of them prove largely unhelpful. Other than expressing their concern and surprise, no one is able to give any leads. The officer leading the investigation Lt. Kirklander (Jason Patric) stonewalls any questions that Hank may have.
Luckily, when Hank visits Mike’s quarters, he manages to squeeze out his old mobile phone – illegitimately of course. A local phone / computer geek offers to help Hank with the images / videos that are stored in the phone which is in badly damaged condition. With no choice left, Hank accepts the offer and leaves the phone there. Maybe…just maybe it may have some evidence that would lead him to Mike.
Not happy with the progress @ the base, Hank decides to go to the local police where he meets Detective Emily Sanders (Charlize Theron). Unfortunately, since the case involves the army, the only people who are authorized to investigate are the MP. Sanders and the other detectives refuse to help.
Coincidentally, that very night, the local police is called to investigate a badly burnt body that was found close to the military base. Before further investigations can take place, the army intervenes and claims the property to be theirs and hence out of local police jurisdiction. The local police is more than glad to give up. Kirklander then calls Hank over to the base to identify the body which they have placed as Mike, thanks to a partial fingerprint. The MP now believes that Mike was involved with some drug dealers and was a mule for them and the Drug Dealers were responsible for the murder. The investigation strongly takes shape towards this theory.
Unconvinced and obviously not to pleased that the MP is handling the case, Hank hounds Sanders till she takes him to the spot of the crime. Sanders and Hank then come together using Hank’s experience as an MP and Sanders’ intent of proving a point that she is as capable of being a detective in a male dominated job.
Paul Haggis has in each of his attempts created a super movie. Although ITVOE does not have the concept of parallel story lines that Crash had, it is equally layered and explores the myriad of emotions that people go through. How do old parents feel when they are informed that their only son is no more and no one knows why? What goes through the mind of an up and coming woman in a man’s world when she is continuously ridiculed and questioned on her way up? How does an officer in the army put duty before the truth so that the army does not have to face the brunt of it?
Could not have thought of anyone better to execute the role of Hank and Joan Deerfield. Tommy Lee Jones’ intensity on screen is incomparable. I probably use the word “intensity” too often in my reviews but isn’t that what acting is all about. Susan Sarandon is simply brilliant in what could probably be the smallest role that she has played in her life. And then there is Charlize Theron who cannot but give her best to every single role that she does.
Paul Haggis has successfully portrayed the pressures that defence personnel go through. The day to day experiences of an average private in the US Army OR for that matter a Jawan in the Indian Army have severe repercussions both physically and psychologically. It handles the sensitive topic of Post Traumatic Stress in as bold a manner as possible.
In the Valley of Elah was nominated for the Best Movie in the 2008 Academy Awards. Cant quite remember who it lost out to. But it ought to have been brilliant enough. Else Paul Haggis would have got his 2nd oscar for sure. Surprisingly, Katherine Bigelow made it with the Hurt Locker that handles a similar issue albeit in a with a different perspective.
Definitely a 8 on 10 in my books. However be forewarned that the pace is quite slow and the movie is dialogue intensive.
After waiting for a couple of days, Hank who is a retired Military Police Sergeant decides to follow up with the MP and people at the base. A two day drive gets him there but most of them prove largely unhelpful. Other than expressing their concern and surprise, no one is able to give any leads. The officer leading the investigation Lt. Kirklander (Jason Patric) stonewalls any questions that Hank may have.
Luckily, when Hank visits Mike’s quarters, he manages to squeeze out his old mobile phone – illegitimately of course. A local phone / computer geek offers to help Hank with the images / videos that are stored in the phone which is in badly damaged condition. With no choice left, Hank accepts the offer and leaves the phone there. Maybe…just maybe it may have some evidence that would lead him to Mike.
Not happy with the progress @ the base, Hank decides to go to the local police where he meets Detective Emily Sanders (Charlize Theron). Unfortunately, since the case involves the army, the only people who are authorized to investigate are the MP. Sanders and the other detectives refuse to help.
Coincidentally, that very night, the local police is called to investigate a badly burnt body that was found close to the military base. Before further investigations can take place, the army intervenes and claims the property to be theirs and hence out of local police jurisdiction. The local police is more than glad to give up. Kirklander then calls Hank over to the base to identify the body which they have placed as Mike, thanks to a partial fingerprint. The MP now believes that Mike was involved with some drug dealers and was a mule for them and the Drug Dealers were responsible for the murder. The investigation strongly takes shape towards this theory.
Unconvinced and obviously not to pleased that the MP is handling the case, Hank hounds Sanders till she takes him to the spot of the crime. Sanders and Hank then come together using Hank’s experience as an MP and Sanders’ intent of proving a point that she is as capable of being a detective in a male dominated job.
Paul Haggis has in each of his attempts created a super movie. Although ITVOE does not have the concept of parallel story lines that Crash had, it is equally layered and explores the myriad of emotions that people go through. How do old parents feel when they are informed that their only son is no more and no one knows why? What goes through the mind of an up and coming woman in a man’s world when she is continuously ridiculed and questioned on her way up? How does an officer in the army put duty before the truth so that the army does not have to face the brunt of it?
Could not have thought of anyone better to execute the role of Hank and Joan Deerfield. Tommy Lee Jones’ intensity on screen is incomparable. I probably use the word “intensity” too often in my reviews but isn’t that what acting is all about. Susan Sarandon is simply brilliant in what could probably be the smallest role that she has played in her life. And then there is Charlize Theron who cannot but give her best to every single role that she does.
Paul Haggis has successfully portrayed the pressures that defence personnel go through. The day to day experiences of an average private in the US Army OR for that matter a Jawan in the Indian Army have severe repercussions both physically and psychologically. It handles the sensitive topic of Post Traumatic Stress in as bold a manner as possible.
In the Valley of Elah was nominated for the Best Movie in the 2008 Academy Awards. Cant quite remember who it lost out to. But it ought to have been brilliant enough. Else Paul Haggis would have got his 2nd oscar for sure. Surprisingly, Katherine Bigelow made it with the Hurt Locker that handles a similar issue albeit in a with a different perspective.
Definitely a 8 on 10 in my books. However be forewarned that the pace is quite slow and the movie is dialogue intensive.
Fracture
Willy Beachum (Ryan Gosling) is an up and coming attorney @ law. He works on crucial cases at the District Attorney (DA) office and has a 100% track record – especially at the tough ones. Little does he know what is going to hit him over the next few weeks – A 50+ year old problem called Ted Crawford (Anthony Hopkins)
Mr. Crawford is a successful engineer who has smelt a fish about his young, extremely attractive wife, Jennifer (Embeth Davidtz). Most of us would have probably felt this gut wrenching experience, doubled up and died. But not Ted. Ted needs to ensure that his deepest darkest fears are confirmed or not (hopefully). He leaves work early one day and drops into an inconspicuous little motel in outskirts of the city to find Mr & Mrs. Smith (Jennifer) having a romp in the pool.
His fears being confirmed, Ted returns home and waits for Jennifer to get back home. A few hours later and few cold blooded dialogues later (no one else can be that cold blooded on screen than Hopkins) and shoots her in the face.
Now Mr. Smith goes by the actual name of Detective Robert “Rob” Nunally (Billy Burke) who, as bad luck would have it, lands up being the lead detective on the case. It would seem that he doesn’t have much on his hands coz Ted confesses to the crime @ the scene and is promptly put behind bars, pending trial.
Willy, in the meantime has landed up a great job in a leading law firm thanks to the recommendation of Nikki Gardner (Rosamund Pike). However, before he leaves for good, he has one small case to take care of – that of disposing off a deranged man who has killed is wife and has confessed to it as well. Piece of Cake right….. Not as much.
Mr. Crawford, true to his profession in a manner of speaking, seems to have engineered his wife’s killing and is not about to give up without a fight. He does just enough to ensure that the young Willy Beachum is enticed enough to take up the case against him who Ted decides to defend himself. What follows is a brilliantly crafted murder mystery which holds you to the screen for the next 60+ mins. Like a good 10 round World Boxing Championship match where one is a super experienced crafty fighter and the other who has raw energy and strength on his side.
Gregory Hoblit (Director – Fallen, Hart’s War, Frequency and also NYPD blue) sure had his work cut out for him when he signed on Hopkins for the role of Ted Crawford. But I have this feeling that it was not too challenging. Just run through the role with Hopkins and he delivers yet another one of his masterpieces – but then with Hopkins, every one is a masterpiece to say the least.
Ryan Gosling is good in his performance of the young, raring to go attorney who has not learnt to give up. The rest of the cast really doesn’t have much of a presence but kinda do what was expected.
Like Hoblit’s previous attempts, this one centres around just a couple of characters backed by a really really strong story line.
Playing on one of the movie channels (cant remember which one) in June / July. Worth a dekko. I give it 6 on 10.
Mr. Crawford is a successful engineer who has smelt a fish about his young, extremely attractive wife, Jennifer (Embeth Davidtz). Most of us would have probably felt this gut wrenching experience, doubled up and died. But not Ted. Ted needs to ensure that his deepest darkest fears are confirmed or not (hopefully). He leaves work early one day and drops into an inconspicuous little motel in outskirts of the city to find Mr & Mrs. Smith (Jennifer) having a romp in the pool.
His fears being confirmed, Ted returns home and waits for Jennifer to get back home. A few hours later and few cold blooded dialogues later (no one else can be that cold blooded on screen than Hopkins) and shoots her in the face.
Now Mr. Smith goes by the actual name of Detective Robert “Rob” Nunally (Billy Burke) who, as bad luck would have it, lands up being the lead detective on the case. It would seem that he doesn’t have much on his hands coz Ted confesses to the crime @ the scene and is promptly put behind bars, pending trial.
Willy, in the meantime has landed up a great job in a leading law firm thanks to the recommendation of Nikki Gardner (Rosamund Pike). However, before he leaves for good, he has one small case to take care of – that of disposing off a deranged man who has killed is wife and has confessed to it as well. Piece of Cake right….. Not as much.
Mr. Crawford, true to his profession in a manner of speaking, seems to have engineered his wife’s killing and is not about to give up without a fight. He does just enough to ensure that the young Willy Beachum is enticed enough to take up the case against him who Ted decides to defend himself. What follows is a brilliantly crafted murder mystery which holds you to the screen for the next 60+ mins. Like a good 10 round World Boxing Championship match where one is a super experienced crafty fighter and the other who has raw energy and strength on his side.
Gregory Hoblit (Director – Fallen, Hart’s War, Frequency and also NYPD blue) sure had his work cut out for him when he signed on Hopkins for the role of Ted Crawford. But I have this feeling that it was not too challenging. Just run through the role with Hopkins and he delivers yet another one of his masterpieces – but then with Hopkins, every one is a masterpiece to say the least.
Ryan Gosling is good in his performance of the young, raring to go attorney who has not learnt to give up. The rest of the cast really doesn’t have much of a presence but kinda do what was expected.
Like Hoblit’s previous attempts, this one centres around just a couple of characters backed by a really really strong story line.
Playing on one of the movie channels (cant remember which one) in June / July. Worth a dekko. I give it 6 on 10.
Duplicity
How many movies have you seen where the good guys finish last. I mean, in real life they always do. Which is probably why most of us are suckers for the feel good finish in reel life (like me :P). If, you come from that school of thought and are rigid about it (unlike me) then I would suggest you avoid Duplicity. Its not a sad finish. Just different.
Garsick (Paul Giamatti) and Tully (Tom Wilkinson) are rival CEOs in a supremely competitive FMCG world. Given a choice, they would tear not only the other organization but also themselves apart to shreds. Their rivalry is one for the record books in a manner of speaking.
Claire (Julia Roberts) and Ray (Clive Owen) are rival secret agents. They work for the CIA and MI5 respectively. They are both distinctively attracted to each other but share a bitter sweet relationship. Ray is typically left feeling bitter more often that not
Work fatigue catches up with both Ray and Claire and they get their minds together on how to break away from their respective agencies and go off on their own. After all the best person to work for is oneself right? The target is to make $40 million between the two and then retire in peace. That’s how they get together into the wonderful world of Industrial Espionage. Does something like that exist in the first place in the real world? Are organizations really as competitive as shown, that they go to almost every extent as possible to achieve their goals?
However, Claire and Ray do not quite get off on the right foot. Their intrinsic tendency to doubt, thanks to years with the agency, is obviously not good for any enterprise. As luck would have it, both land up separate assignments and break the first rule of keeping the other person informed. They pan through the next 5 years of constant doubt only to land up with a situation where Claire comes across an opportunity to seed Ray into Garsick’s team of spies. Claire herself is part of Tully’security team but working undercover for Garsick to uncover any interesting developments @ Tully’s end.
Director Tony Gilroy has about 15 movies under is belt as of now as a writer. But his previous and only directorial venture was another brilliant movie called Michael Clayton. In Duplicity he does recreate some of the magic. But is unable to exceed the previous benchmark. The narration is quite intense and keeps you on the look out for the “what next” but is not the most gripping of movies.
Clive Owen is as always ice cool. Julia Roberts, I have for the first time seen, as a secret agent. Not something that I would have associated with Ms. Roberts. But she does quite a good job out of it. Paul Giamatti has always been one of the actors that I have admired. He plays the role of the power hungry sinister CEO to near perfection. Lastly there is Tom Wilkinson. One of the few actors who I believe gives a 110% almost every single time he gets in front of the camera. A Director’s dream come true.
Duplicity is an exciting movie to watch. Keeps you quite engaged. And also explores an otherwise not so experimented with topic of Industrial Espionage and the dangerous nature of the concept. Its not just about transferring information from one organization to the other. I liked the movie. I am quite sure you guys will. This ones a 6 on 10.
Garsick (Paul Giamatti) and Tully (Tom Wilkinson) are rival CEOs in a supremely competitive FMCG world. Given a choice, they would tear not only the other organization but also themselves apart to shreds. Their rivalry is one for the record books in a manner of speaking.
Claire (Julia Roberts) and Ray (Clive Owen) are rival secret agents. They work for the CIA and MI5 respectively. They are both distinctively attracted to each other but share a bitter sweet relationship. Ray is typically left feeling bitter more often that not
Work fatigue catches up with both Ray and Claire and they get their minds together on how to break away from their respective agencies and go off on their own. After all the best person to work for is oneself right? The target is to make $40 million between the two and then retire in peace. That’s how they get together into the wonderful world of Industrial Espionage. Does something like that exist in the first place in the real world? Are organizations really as competitive as shown, that they go to almost every extent as possible to achieve their goals?
However, Claire and Ray do not quite get off on the right foot. Their intrinsic tendency to doubt, thanks to years with the agency, is obviously not good for any enterprise. As luck would have it, both land up separate assignments and break the first rule of keeping the other person informed. They pan through the next 5 years of constant doubt only to land up with a situation where Claire comes across an opportunity to seed Ray into Garsick’s team of spies. Claire herself is part of Tully’security team but working undercover for Garsick to uncover any interesting developments @ Tully’s end.
Director Tony Gilroy has about 15 movies under is belt as of now as a writer. But his previous and only directorial venture was another brilliant movie called Michael Clayton. In Duplicity he does recreate some of the magic. But is unable to exceed the previous benchmark. The narration is quite intense and keeps you on the look out for the “what next” but is not the most gripping of movies.
Clive Owen is as always ice cool. Julia Roberts, I have for the first time seen, as a secret agent. Not something that I would have associated with Ms. Roberts. But she does quite a good job out of it. Paul Giamatti has always been one of the actors that I have admired. He plays the role of the power hungry sinister CEO to near perfection. Lastly there is Tom Wilkinson. One of the few actors who I believe gives a 110% almost every single time he gets in front of the camera. A Director’s dream come true.
Duplicity is an exciting movie to watch. Keeps you quite engaged. And also explores an otherwise not so experimented with topic of Industrial Espionage and the dangerous nature of the concept. Its not just about transferring information from one organization to the other. I liked the movie. I am quite sure you guys will. This ones a 6 on 10.
Alex and Emma
Is there really a dearth of ideas in this country or is it just a figment of our imagination? I mean, all we have to do is look westward and each movie that is made can be at least credited with originality. The ironic part is that we as a race are far superior when it comes to creativity than the west. Then why is it that movies like Alex and Emma are not only unreleased in India but just relegated to being played endless number of times on one of the movies channels on offer these days.
Luke Wilson plays the role of Alex Sheldon, a struggling author who is suffering from writers block and is also suffering from a financial crisis. Almost no money in the bank and a few gambling debts have led him to a situation where he has to finish his novel in the next 30 days or the loan sharks would have him six feet under.
Kate Hudson plays the role of Emma Dinsmore who is a stenographer helping Alex type his new book. Much to Alex’s surprise, Kate does not limit her responsibility to taking dictation. She keeps jumping into the story that Alex struggles to start and continuously adds her inputs.
Alex’s novel is set in the 1920s where a gentleman by the name of Adam Shipley (Luke Wilson again) moves in as an English Teacher to the children of Polina Delacroix (Sophie Marceau – is it just me or is everything French just gorgeous???). En Route, he meets John Shaw (David Paymer) who is a successful businessman with loads of cash and is smitten by Polina. Polina, like any woman with 2 children and not much of money left over would love to settle down with someone who is financially stable. But she also likes Adam albeit just a little bit. Adam, though starts building an extremely strong sense of affection to Paulina and before he knows it, has fallen for her.
All along this time, the housekeeper changes from being Swedish (Ylva – pronounced Ilva) to German (Elsa) to Spanish (Eldora) and then finally to American (Anna). All this thanks to the change in fascination of Alex who just does not seem to be satisfied with any of the previous avatars. All 4 roles are played by Kate Hudson.
Adam in the meantime, in his sheer desperation to get Polina to fall for him, decides to take the easy way out and gets into gambling. He borrows large sums of money and after a significant winning streak, loses all the money that he has made.
By this time, the viewer cannot help but draw parallels between the novel and the movie. It takes only a little bit of time to realize that Alex has all but converted his own life story over the past few weeks into his novel. Isn’t it the all but obvious manner to look for inspiration to write. One’s own life. Just a matter of tweaking it a bit.
Has anyone out there seen some Rob Reiner movies? The man is about 63 years old now. He started his movie career @ the age of 12 in 1959. 50+ years later Rob is one of the few people in this world who acts, writes and directs. The important part is that he does all of it well. Reiner does a wonderful job of making the right cuts between the literary and reality.
Was never a big fan of Luke Wilson and he hasn’t done much to gain my favour any more. Guess this is as good as he can get. Kate Hudson though breezes through her 5 roles as if it were a walk in the park. Now I am partial to the fairer sex always but rest assured this time it is not too much of partiality as you will see.
Playing of late, as mentioned, one of the movie channels. Alex and Emma is a good easy watch. 6 on 10 most definitely. Nothing that will blow your pants off. But surely worth a watch on a easy Sunday afternoon.
Luke Wilson plays the role of Alex Sheldon, a struggling author who is suffering from writers block and is also suffering from a financial crisis. Almost no money in the bank and a few gambling debts have led him to a situation where he has to finish his novel in the next 30 days or the loan sharks would have him six feet under.
Kate Hudson plays the role of Emma Dinsmore who is a stenographer helping Alex type his new book. Much to Alex’s surprise, Kate does not limit her responsibility to taking dictation. She keeps jumping into the story that Alex struggles to start and continuously adds her inputs.
Alex’s novel is set in the 1920s where a gentleman by the name of Adam Shipley (Luke Wilson again) moves in as an English Teacher to the children of Polina Delacroix (Sophie Marceau – is it just me or is everything French just gorgeous???). En Route, he meets John Shaw (David Paymer) who is a successful businessman with loads of cash and is smitten by Polina. Polina, like any woman with 2 children and not much of money left over would love to settle down with someone who is financially stable. But she also likes Adam albeit just a little bit. Adam, though starts building an extremely strong sense of affection to Paulina and before he knows it, has fallen for her.
All along this time, the housekeeper changes from being Swedish (Ylva – pronounced Ilva) to German (Elsa) to Spanish (Eldora) and then finally to American (Anna). All this thanks to the change in fascination of Alex who just does not seem to be satisfied with any of the previous avatars. All 4 roles are played by Kate Hudson.
Adam in the meantime, in his sheer desperation to get Polina to fall for him, decides to take the easy way out and gets into gambling. He borrows large sums of money and after a significant winning streak, loses all the money that he has made.
By this time, the viewer cannot help but draw parallels between the novel and the movie. It takes only a little bit of time to realize that Alex has all but converted his own life story over the past few weeks into his novel. Isn’t it the all but obvious manner to look for inspiration to write. One’s own life. Just a matter of tweaking it a bit.
Has anyone out there seen some Rob Reiner movies? The man is about 63 years old now. He started his movie career @ the age of 12 in 1959. 50+ years later Rob is one of the few people in this world who acts, writes and directs. The important part is that he does all of it well. Reiner does a wonderful job of making the right cuts between the literary and reality.
Was never a big fan of Luke Wilson and he hasn’t done much to gain my favour any more. Guess this is as good as he can get. Kate Hudson though breezes through her 5 roles as if it were a walk in the park. Now I am partial to the fairer sex always but rest assured this time it is not too much of partiality as you will see.
Playing of late, as mentioned, one of the movie channels. Alex and Emma is a good easy watch. 6 on 10 most definitely. Nothing that will blow your pants off. But surely worth a watch on a easy Sunday afternoon.
A Team
In the early 80s Stephen J Cannell and Frank Lupo came together and created an action adventure was then made into a TV Series. It featured 4 Vietnam Veterans framed for a crime they did not commit and who help people when on the run from the Army. Well the TV series completed nearly 100 episodes. Joe Carnahan’s silver screen version is either a prequel to the TV series or probably the first few episodes.
Col. John “Hannibal” Smith (Liam Neeson) leads a team of 4 on high risk missions that the army is otherwise not too thrilled to take up. The A Team as they are called include Lt. Templeton “Faceman” Peck (Bradley Cooper) who is one heck of a handsome womanizer. The number of women I have heard swooning on him is unimaginable. I have always found him to be despicable. But then my opinion is influenced by the fact that most characters he has played before this are not stuff that one can look up to. However, my opinion counts for little since the women still seem to be obsessed with the guy.
Next in line is “Howling Mad” Murdock (Sharlto Copley), a nutty doc who can also fly almost anything. Rounding up the A Team is Bosco B.A. Barcus (Quinton “Rampage” Jackson) whose first love is his GMC Vandura Van – one mean looking all terrain vehicle.
The A Team is contacted by a CIA agent who goes with the name of Lynch and reveals that a billion dollars of counterfeit cash is being moved out of Baghdad very soon. He also informs them that the insurgents in possession of the cash also have the treasury plates that are used to manufacture the currency. The mission – Steal the cash and the templates and return them back to the government. Somewhere here is when Agent Charissa Sosa (The oh so hot Jessica Biel), also a CIA agent comes in. Being Peck’s ex-girlfriend or the one that got away, she does not have too much of respect for Peck or the team. She however, gets in touch with Peck to warn him and the A Team to stay away from the plates. Much against the Commanding Officer, General Morrisson’s (Gerald McRaney) wishes, Hannibal accepts the assignment, recovers the plates and the money only to be blown away by the ruthless Brock Pike (Brian Bloom) who works as part of a security team called Black Forest.
As they see their efforts being blown to smithreens, they also realize that the only person who could have vouched for them, Morrisson, has also been pretty much disintegrated. The army, for obvious reasons find them guilty of treason and puts them all into prison for a period of 10 years.
Six months later, Lynch visits Hannibal once again and informs him that the plates are being sold by Pike to an Arab of whom the CIA know nothing of. With Lynch’s support, Hannibal escapes from prison and in due course gets his team out of their respective hell holes in quick time. The only way they can redeem themselves is of course by getting back the plates. Do they manage to get them? Watch it to find out.
Liam Neeson, as always turns in a super performance as Hannibal. I for one am pleasantly surprised at his ease of transformation to action oriented roles. First Taken and now A Team. The rest of the team Brad Cooper, Copley and Jackson are very good in their respective roles. Jessica Biel, although extremely hot, is more like good looking furniture. She does not have much of a role to write home about.
Joe Carnahan never really had any great movies before this one unless you count Smokin Aces which is the only one I have heard about. Not sure how it was either. However, A Team would make me want to at least have a dekko. The movie is very slickly made with good effects where required. Unlike K&D, this one does not have any blue screens that look like blue screens.
The A Team completely fulfils the dearth of man movies in the recent past. Non Stop slickly done action which includes all kinds of stuff like crashing planes, blowing buildings and most of all flying off a plane in a tank!!!!! All ye men out there… WATCH IT… clearly 6 on 10!!!!!
Col. John “Hannibal” Smith (Liam Neeson) leads a team of 4 on high risk missions that the army is otherwise not too thrilled to take up. The A Team as they are called include Lt. Templeton “Faceman” Peck (Bradley Cooper) who is one heck of a handsome womanizer. The number of women I have heard swooning on him is unimaginable. I have always found him to be despicable. But then my opinion is influenced by the fact that most characters he has played before this are not stuff that one can look up to. However, my opinion counts for little since the women still seem to be obsessed with the guy.
Next in line is “Howling Mad” Murdock (Sharlto Copley), a nutty doc who can also fly almost anything. Rounding up the A Team is Bosco B.A. Barcus (Quinton “Rampage” Jackson) whose first love is his GMC Vandura Van – one mean looking all terrain vehicle.
The A Team is contacted by a CIA agent who goes with the name of Lynch and reveals that a billion dollars of counterfeit cash is being moved out of Baghdad very soon. He also informs them that the insurgents in possession of the cash also have the treasury plates that are used to manufacture the currency. The mission – Steal the cash and the templates and return them back to the government. Somewhere here is when Agent Charissa Sosa (The oh so hot Jessica Biel), also a CIA agent comes in. Being Peck’s ex-girlfriend or the one that got away, she does not have too much of respect for Peck or the team. She however, gets in touch with Peck to warn him and the A Team to stay away from the plates. Much against the Commanding Officer, General Morrisson’s (Gerald McRaney) wishes, Hannibal accepts the assignment, recovers the plates and the money only to be blown away by the ruthless Brock Pike (Brian Bloom) who works as part of a security team called Black Forest.
As they see their efforts being blown to smithreens, they also realize that the only person who could have vouched for them, Morrisson, has also been pretty much disintegrated. The army, for obvious reasons find them guilty of treason and puts them all into prison for a period of 10 years.
Six months later, Lynch visits Hannibal once again and informs him that the plates are being sold by Pike to an Arab of whom the CIA know nothing of. With Lynch’s support, Hannibal escapes from prison and in due course gets his team out of their respective hell holes in quick time. The only way they can redeem themselves is of course by getting back the plates. Do they manage to get them? Watch it to find out.
Liam Neeson, as always turns in a super performance as Hannibal. I for one am pleasantly surprised at his ease of transformation to action oriented roles. First Taken and now A Team. The rest of the team Brad Cooper, Copley and Jackson are very good in their respective roles. Jessica Biel, although extremely hot, is more like good looking furniture. She does not have much of a role to write home about.
Joe Carnahan never really had any great movies before this one unless you count Smokin Aces which is the only one I have heard about. Not sure how it was either. However, A Team would make me want to at least have a dekko. The movie is very slickly made with good effects where required. Unlike K&D, this one does not have any blue screens that look like blue screens.
The A Team completely fulfils the dearth of man movies in the recent past. Non Stop slickly done action which includes all kinds of stuff like crashing planes, blowing buildings and most of all flying off a plane in a tank!!!!! All ye men out there… WATCH IT… clearly 6 on 10!!!!!
Monday, 19 July 2010
X Men Origins - Wolverine
What defines a successful movie franchise? Or for that matter, any successful franchise? I would guess it would be scalability. In the easiest possible manner. When the first edition of X Men, directed by Bryan Singer was released 10 years back, I think the makers would have given serious thought to ensure that it was not the last time an X Men movie was released. 3 successful movies later, it was only natural that they go into letting people know how they all started in the first place. One can’t help but think that Wolverine is the first in the series of X Men Origins. Actually, one would hope that this is not the last coz they are all very well made to say the least. And they have Stan Lee and Jack Kirby to thank for starting it all nearly 50 years back.
James Howlett, as a young boy, kills his biological father Thomas Logan in a fit of rage when Logan Sr. kills his father John Howlett. Logan Sr. leaves behind Victor, who is James’ elder brother. Both of them then take off and Victor gets James to promise that they would look out for each other for as long as it takes. What they don’t quite understand is that they have natural regenerative powers. In other words, it would take a lot and I mean A LOT to really kill them. Over the next few decades, they grow into James (Hugh Jackman) and Victor (Liev Schrieber) Logan through all possible wars from the late 1800s to date.
As the years roll by, Victor’s rage gets completely out of control till he kills an officer who stops him from raping an innocent girl in ‘nam. After a while, Major William Stryker (Danny Huston) offers the brothers a place in the Team X which includes Bolt (Dominic Monaghan) who can control electricity, Wade (Ryan Reynolds) and manic swordsman, Agent Zero (Daniel Henney) an expert marksman, John Wraith (Will I Am) who can teleport and Dukes (Kevin Durand) who is indestructible in a manner of speaking. However, with Victor’s rage not improving and not being in agreement with the concept of Team X, Logan decides to part ways.
Six years later, Stryker tracks Logan who is now settled with Kayla Silverfox (Lynn Collins) and informs him that someone is killing the members of Team X one by one. Stryker asks Logan to help him in vain. However, when Kayla is killed shortly after, Victor agrees and gets enrolled into a programme where his bones are bonded with a new substance called Adamantium which is literally indestructible and recovered from a meteorite. However, he hears Stryker asking the team to erase his memory and flees. Knowing that Kayla was killed by Victor, Logan begins the search for his brother so that he can get his revenge. The transition is complete when he changes his dog tags from Logan to Wolverine.
Wolverine is directed by little known director Gavin Hood whose claim to fame before this would have been the 2005 South African Academy Award winning movie Tsotsi. That one was quite critically acclaimed. I haven’t seen that one yet and Wolverine does not completely inspire me to either. Hoods direction is just about at par and does enough to ensure that the excitement of the X Men franchise continues and keeps you looking forward to the next one.
Hugh Jackman continues to play the role of Wolverine like no else I can think of. The rest of the cast is quite passé. The movie overall is very exciting and quite full of action. Similar to the previous 3 editions of the X Men. Special Effects are definitely up there. Overall I would give this a 6 on 10. Worth a watch for sure. Preferably on the big screen though.
James Howlett, as a young boy, kills his biological father Thomas Logan in a fit of rage when Logan Sr. kills his father John Howlett. Logan Sr. leaves behind Victor, who is James’ elder brother. Both of them then take off and Victor gets James to promise that they would look out for each other for as long as it takes. What they don’t quite understand is that they have natural regenerative powers. In other words, it would take a lot and I mean A LOT to really kill them. Over the next few decades, they grow into James (Hugh Jackman) and Victor (Liev Schrieber) Logan through all possible wars from the late 1800s to date.
As the years roll by, Victor’s rage gets completely out of control till he kills an officer who stops him from raping an innocent girl in ‘nam. After a while, Major William Stryker (Danny Huston) offers the brothers a place in the Team X which includes Bolt (Dominic Monaghan) who can control electricity, Wade (Ryan Reynolds) and manic swordsman, Agent Zero (Daniel Henney) an expert marksman, John Wraith (Will I Am) who can teleport and Dukes (Kevin Durand) who is indestructible in a manner of speaking. However, with Victor’s rage not improving and not being in agreement with the concept of Team X, Logan decides to part ways.
Six years later, Stryker tracks Logan who is now settled with Kayla Silverfox (Lynn Collins) and informs him that someone is killing the members of Team X one by one. Stryker asks Logan to help him in vain. However, when Kayla is killed shortly after, Victor agrees and gets enrolled into a programme where his bones are bonded with a new substance called Adamantium which is literally indestructible and recovered from a meteorite. However, he hears Stryker asking the team to erase his memory and flees. Knowing that Kayla was killed by Victor, Logan begins the search for his brother so that he can get his revenge. The transition is complete when he changes his dog tags from Logan to Wolverine.
Wolverine is directed by little known director Gavin Hood whose claim to fame before this would have been the 2005 South African Academy Award winning movie Tsotsi. That one was quite critically acclaimed. I haven’t seen that one yet and Wolverine does not completely inspire me to either. Hoods direction is just about at par and does enough to ensure that the excitement of the X Men franchise continues and keeps you looking forward to the next one.
Hugh Jackman continues to play the role of Wolverine like no else I can think of. The rest of the cast is quite passé. The movie overall is very exciting and quite full of action. Similar to the previous 3 editions of the X Men. Special Effects are definitely up there. Overall I would give this a 6 on 10. Worth a watch for sure. Preferably on the big screen though.
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