The Twilight Saga – Breaking Dawn Part 1

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

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

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

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

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

The Ides of March

I am a huge fan of movies direted by George Clooney. Many of you may have read my review of “Good Night and Good Luck” which was a runaway success both commercially and at the Oscars. Of course, with GNGL he had a stellar performance from David Strathairn to prop up the movie but then Clooney has always been one to pick up his cast with utmost precision. And The Ides of March is no exception. Other than himself (surprisingly in a dark role), he picks the vastly under rated Ryan Gosling, the always bankable Paul Giamatti and the truly versatile Philip Seymour Hoffman as the lead male cast. Not much of a role for the women in TIOM with the exception of the bit part given to Marisa Tomei which I thought was a waste of one of the most talented and capable actresses of our time. One could argue that the role was pivotal but the screen time was too little – 3 scenes if I remember it correctly.

But despite the strong cast and some stunning performances, I still believe that The Ides of March was a below par delivery from an otherwise very capable director. One expects George Clooney movies to be a bit slow and intense which TIOM is. So don’t get me wrong here. I believe all aspects of movie making were covered exceptionally well in our man’s 4th attempt at direction. All aspects but for the story – honestly that left me stumped completely. The build up in the first few minutes of the campaign of Governor Mike Morris (Clooney) in the primaries was superb and leaves you gasping for more. And just as you believe that the dominoes are all falling in place for a strong finish in the 2nd half, Clooney decides that the movie is just going to peter off into a damp squib. Somewhat like a question – “What? You expected some kind of a twist or something? Sorry mate. That’s not going to happen”. Maybe there was some larger than life reason or greater good at stake in this political drama or something that I am not familiar with but really TIOM didn’t cut much ice with me.

What you could watch the movie for would be the fantastic performances that I spoke about from each member of the cast, some superb cinematography and excellent editing. Clooney pretty much gets everything else bang on. Can easily be used as a bench mark for the technical aspects of movie making. I had a sense of déjà vu. The same incomplete feeling that I got from Steven Soderbergh’s Contagion earlier this year. So I guess Clooney has just added credence to the hypothesis that the most important part of a movie is the story and not the star cast. I give The Ides of March 5 on 10. I know most people are raving about the movie but I don’t think most of India is going to resonate with it. Hope to see a stunning come back from George Clooney.

Watch the Trailer at http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi1103731737/

Force

This is the 2nd movie involving Nishikant Kamat that I have seen this year. The first one was 404 as an actor where he was quite solid. But Nishikant Kamat the director has probably not translated his acting talent or for that matter his directorial talent - from his the Marathi Cinema repertoire (I hear Deool is really good and will be watching it soon) into Force. The direction is sincere no doubt but I would rate it as average at best. Not impactful in any manner. Plus the lack of emphasis on consistency just keeps getting to me. Do Indian directors really believe that the population is naïve enough not to catch up with some of them – maybe they are true but I guess that’s what differentiates the great ones from the good ones. So if Nishikant Kamat wants to be a great director the I guess he has to start paying attention to the finer details.

Now I agree that one can probably do only this much with a chatterbox who speaks through her teeth and thrives on saying, “ACP Sir” all the time so much that you forget that the ACP is actually called Yashwardhan (John Abraham). After a point of time Maya (Genelia D’Souza) starts sounding like the chalk scratching the black board which makes the kids cringe and clamp their ears shut. Not that the hunk of meat is far superior. But at least he isn’t a put on. I have always believed that John Abraham is one of the most sincere actors in Indian cinema. That he will stick to commercial cinema that may require him to take his shirt off (he gets paid for it unlike Sallu Bhai who does it gratis) is not a surprise. And then there is the supporting cast of a constipated Raj Babbar, a mature looking Mohnish Bahl, a less irritating Sandhya Mridul, A young Shashank Shende, a crass and unpolished Kamlesh Sawant and an insignificant Anaitha Nair (please please start finding more meaty roles – I would love to see you on screen more often. I think you have looks and talent. Why waste it )

A typical formula movie of a lead good looking inspector, a young upstart who will get killed, An older mature officer in the team and a crass hot blooded honest cop to complete the quartet. Sincerely made for certain. Could have been better. Has generated enough interest in me to look for the Tamil DVD. But not a bad way to spend a Saturday or Sunday afternoon and its playing on TV. Not required to watch on the big screen at all. It’s a little weird but I just noticed that this was a remake of a Tamil movie by a Marathi director in Hindi – anyone knows if other such combinations exist? Never Mind my “google swamy” avatar speaking. 5 on 10 to Force

Trailer on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MpB95_ArXA

RockStar

Away…. Beyond all the concepts of wrong doing and right doing
There is a field….. I will meet you there – Rumi

The movie ends with this couplet. And probably sums up the entire story quite aptly. The story of Janardhan Jhankhad (Ranchhod Das Chanchad has started a trend with Bollywood which will be here for a long time to come) – JJ for short is a sadak chhap Dilli ka Chhokra (a roadside romeo) from Pitam Pura. He has known only the guitar from the time that he was born probably. But as the lyrics state is, “Jo Bhi Mein, Kehna Chahoon, Barbaad kare, Alfaaz Mere” (Whatever I would like to say are ruined by the words I use). There is no X factor. And as his mentor, Khatana (Kumud Mishra) tells him – he can never be a star because he has never seen tough times. Never been hurt in love. Never fallen seriously ill. Still has his parents and family. So JJ decides to make an attempt to fall in love with Heer Koul (Nargis Fakhri) from St. Stephens. Violent rejection followed by a slight softening of the stand followed by a friendship which never seems to turn into love for a long time. But after Heer gets married, JJ or Jordan as he is known now finds his groove and turns into a Rockstar.

Something missing in the story? Maybe I have summarized it in a matter of fact way. But that’s not it. There is that little something that has me a bit muddled in my head. Because I left the hall feeling a little let down and yet reasonably satisfied with my experience. Rockstar is definitely not giving Shaitan a race for the best movie of the year in my books. But it is not that feeling that has me confused. I will definitely pen it down in the future.

The editing is slick from Aarti Bajaj. Just the right cuts at the right times and piecing it together to give a collage that just comes together very well. Rahman’s music along with Irshad Kamil’s lyric is superb. One of his better pieces of work. Most importantly, fits very well with the movie and comes out as a blend of a soundtrack and typical Bollywood singing. The costumes are real and very appropriate. Jordan’s costumes will definitely start a fresh trend in dressing and facial hair. Some consistency errors but only if you have a good eye. The camera work is solid again which ensures that Ranbir’s fingers on the guitar are not visible (mostly) when he may not be playing the right notes.

Imtiaz Ali keeps getting better with his direction in each movie. Rock Star is his 4th movie and he experiments this time by varying the pace from the exceptionally fast moments to the snail paced sequences. And just as you are about to give up, he ups the ante and gets you back into the movie. Ranbir Kapoor continues to be intense and committed on screen (so what if he isn’t with his women). And the support cast has performed really well with Kumud and Piyush Mishra bordering on outstanding.

The only thing I could genuinely find fault with is the acting of the speculated next Kapoor Khandaan Ki Bahu (Daughter-in-law of the first family of Bollywood). It was Nargis Fakhri who probably single handedly took away the intensity of the movie and probably the only reason I will give Rock Star less than the 7 it could have got. Nargis dear – New York calling back I guess.  We will miss you at least for your gorgeous looks. But don’t worry – Ranbir will be with you where ever you decide to go – the chemistry between the 2 of you is so thick, you will need an axe to chop through.

All in all, RockStar is a well made movie and worth a dekko if not 2. I give it 6.5 on 10. Shaitan’s place as the best movie of the year from Bollywood is firmly secure. Don’t see anything else coming up in the next few weeks to displace it.

Watch the trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cn1jx_JUpi0

The Adventures of Tintin - The Secret of The Unicorn

The ever revered and loved Herge (may his soul rest in peace) had once gone on record to state that if there was anyone who could have made Tintin into a movie it would have been Steven Spielberg. Now why would anyone else not dare to challenge this statement? To figure out the answer to this conundrum, you will not have a choice but to watch the movie. It is only Spielberg who can do justice to an enigma that has regaled us for over 8 decades now. A fantasy, that has transformed every child’s ambition at sometime or the other from wanting to become a pilot or a businessman or a doctor or an engineer to just that of an investigative journalist. A cult classic that has been enjoyed by even those who have crossed the half century mark in terms of years walked on earth. A phenomenon that took the world by storm in 1929 and has truly stood the test of time. On a different note, only Tintin could have inspired Spielberg to make his first animation movie. Spielberg was meant for Tintin and Tintin (the movie) was meant to be made by Spielberg and no one else.

For those who have not had the good fortune of being Tintin slaves, I can only quote the term, “deprived children”. Do take this opportunity to read The Secret of The Unicorn before you watch this movie because it personifies another term that expresses the desire of any book lover (comic or otherwise) – being true to the book. Spielberg has turned every single window from the comic book into a frame and not left anything to chance. Every single detail has been brought to life and that would hearten both the Tintin maniac or otherwise alike.

John Williams start to the movie with the jazzy tune does remind you a bit of “Catch Me If You Can” (DiCaprio, Walken) but I don’t think it could have been done better than what you hear. The soundtrack is simply stunning and one track is aptly titled “Loch Lemond” (visit any of the Tintin fan sites to research this piece of trivia). I could not resist smiling when I read this in the credits.

The casting is picture perfect. Jamie Bell is superb with the voice of Tintin but the highlight to me was Andy Serkis as Captain Haddock and Daniel Craig as Red Rackham.

What catches your eye immediately after the titling are the blue grey eyes of Tintin. Herge would have been thrilled to bits (and I would be putting this mildly) with the idea of the simple dots being replaced with “eyes”. The attention to detail is stunning – including the simplest of details like the anchor on Captain Haddocks jaded blue sweater. And yes, one cannot help but wait for the “Billions of Blue Blistering Barnacles” and “Thousands of Thundering Typhoons”. If it would get a tear to your eye – fear not my fellow Tintin Crazy Fan because it is indeed worth shedding a tear on.

The trailer calls it - A Race against Evil. A World Beyond Imagination. An Adventure beyond belief. I don’t think words would do this masterpiece any justice. It hurts me to say this but my lead runner for this year’s Oscars in the animation category, Cars 2, has just found itself some really stiff competition. It would break my heart to see Cars lose out yet again but Spielberg has given the jury enough to chew about. I give this 8.5 on 10. I leave the judgement to you as to which one was better.

One last point - This is the first Hollywood movie to be premiered in India.  Over the world, it is releasing only Christmas Day.  Rocking I Say!!!!!!

Trailer on http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi2415828505/