The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (English)

Obviously by now, you would have already read the book. For those who haven’t, you have about 10 more days to do so coz this one is going to hit the screens in India on the 10th Feb 2012 (hopefully). PVR has started advance booking for the same. You can pre-book your tickets on the PVR Cinemas website. For those who are unaware, here is the link. http://www.pvrcinemas.com/movie/pre-book-form.aspx?pid=8N/SGuOj9j8=&movieid=rDJnnCx7F1KWUI4/ffc0hg==

This is the review for the English version. Just happened to catch up with it in Adelaide. Could not have waited till I got back to India because the damn teasing was getting too much to handle. It was to be released about 2 months back and I have no clue why the distributors were taking so long. Plus, how could I have missed an opportunity to post a review a full 10 days before my primary audience can watch it. Will post the link again a couple of days before the actual release in India if you would like me to that is.

David Fincher has been one of my favourite directors of all time. Starting from the spine chilling Se7en (not including Alien3) all the way to the exceptionally well directed Social Network that got him his second nomination (other than The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) at the Oscars. So you could have imagined my happiness when I realized that TGWTDT was to be directed by him in English. But my happiness has been for the first time ever so slightly belied by Mr. Fincher. Through the movie, there are small instances of deviating from the actual storyline that was written by Stieg Larsson. But it keeps building up to a point where you actually get a little peeved because he changes the ending which is supposed to take Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig) to Australia and closes it at London instead. Left me quite perplexed as to why he would make so many changes. And then there are consistency errors – can you believe that about Fincher. I couldn’t myself so I think I will watch the movie once again to reconfirm the same.

However, Fincher continues to score on all the other aspects. The Casting was impeccable. Rooney Mara well and truly deserves her nomination. A pity she will lose it to either Meryl Streep or Viola Davis. Craig as Blomkvist and Plummer as Henrik Vanger were brilliant. The Editing had Fincher’s direction all over it to say the least. Kirk Baxter & Angus Wall who won it for Social Network continue to give their best here as well. Great camera work especially in some scenes which are outstanding like after Lisbeth tattoos Nils Bjurman on his chest and camera moves right over her. Simply stunning.

I did however think that a lot was overdone. Like the emphasis on the physical relationship between Blomkvist and Salander. The siphoning of Wennerstorm’s funds. And the last few pages of the book which show Salander losing out on love yet again. To name a few, these were the sections which need not have been addressed at all. And therefore, important parts such as Salander’s father and the exciting build up to finding out the murderer of Harriet Vanger get compromised. To Fincher’s credit, he has given the right importance to aspects such as the relationship with Erika Berger which was downplayed in the Swedish version. Overall, not upto Fincher’s standards. But definitely well made. No surprise though that the Oscars have ignored this one. 7 on 10 is what I say.

Watch the trailer at http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi3830160409/

The Iron Lady

Two dialogues which completely personify the spirit of The Baroness Thatcher’s biopic would be, “It used to be about trying to DO SOMETHING but nowadays it is about trying to BE SOMEONE”. That is what the young baroness stated when she was contemplating running for Parliament way back in the 1950s. The basic desire to make a difference i.e. stop fussing and if you CAN do something about the issue then DO IT and not keep sitting on your backsides personifies the reason why The Baroness got the pseudonym of The Iron Lady. The other one being, "The sad part about today is the people are more concerned about "feelings" and not as much concerned about "thoughts"".
Shown as a flashback of her life, The Iron Lady, shows the Baroness as someone who is a really old and forgotten figure today striving to come to terms with her husband’s death. Dennis Thatcher (Jim Broadbent) who is vastly believed to be one of the few men “behind a successful woman” (understatement of the millennium) continues to hound The Baroness – she still believes that he is around her; hallucinations of sort. And as she is trying to get him out of her life for good, she reminisces about how it all started as Margaret Hilda Roberts in the 1940s where she drew inspiration from her father to join politics. Never been one to walk the beaten path, she fights her way through to being elected into parliament and then eventually goes on to become the first woman Prime Minister of The United Kingdom (Great Britain and Northern Ireland). The movie traverses, her life from being the MP of Finchley in 1959 to the Secretary of Education where she earned the name “Milk Snatcher”, Leader of the Conservative Party, the Prime Minister, The Falklands War, The IRA Attacks during her time as PM, sorting out the cold war, falling out of favour of her loyalists and eventually her resignation from office in late 1990 to make way for John Major.

While I haven’t seen Albert Nobbs, My Week with Marilyn & The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and while I have a lot of respect for Glen Close, Michelle Williams and Rooney Mara respectively, I think the Oscars this time around are a 2 horse race only. Meryl Streep OR Viola Davis. Knowing the academy, they would give it to Viola Davis. But in my books, Meryl Streep has once again proved why she is probably the best actress after Katherine Hepburn and why she is probably best placed to beat Hepburn and go onto win 5 Oscars. Her ability to portray a variety of characters is quite unparalleled. Leo DiCaprio could learn a thing or 2 about getting into characters and more importantly selecting character roles from her. For my money’s worth, she should have got 5 by now. Regretably, she has only 2 out of the 16 nominations ( record in itself).

However, take nothing away from director Phyllida Lloyd and the support cast led Jim Broadbent who have do equally well in executing their respective roles. Lloyd in her 2nd movie leaves quite a solid impression and while she doesn’t get a nomination @ the Oscars, she has definitely done enough to give us a movie that is not only well made but is worth watching as well. I am going to go out on a limb as say this - A much better job than Eastwood did with J Edgar. A very watchable biopic – like a documentary in parts and could have lost a few minutes in between but still very good. A nomination in make up was just too logical. 7.5 on 10.

Watch the trailer at http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi1047305753/

Agneepath (2012)

The one thing that I have always believed in when I go to watch a remake is to cancel out everything in my head about the previous movie. Luckily the original to this one was made 22 years back and the memories aren’t that strong. Unlike quite a few that I am acquainted with who swear by the original. But how can I blame them for not being able to shut out the magic created by an aging Big B on his comeback along with a director who India was unlucky to have seen only a little bit of i.e. Mukul Anand. It would be difficult to find too many people from my time (aged between 10 and 20 in 1990) who wouldn’t have seen – “Vijay Dinanath Chavan…. Poora Naam (Full name)”. And who can possible forget, “Hawa tez chal raha hai Dinkar Rao. Topi Sambhalo” (Take care of your hat Dinkar Rao… there is a strong breeze blowing).
First time director Karan Malhotra and Hritik Roshan would have been extremely familiar with the challenges of filling the huge shoes that was left by the Mukul Anand – Big B. But to the credit of Karan Malhotra, he has managed to hold his own. At least for over 2 hours in this nearly 3 hour long attempt to come close to the original. He however, completely loses the plot in the last 30 to 45 minutes. The other thing that doesn’t come up to the original is the calm and composed nature of the original VDC (Big B) as against the VDC (Hritik Roshan) shown in this one who is more angry and out for revenge that he cannot but stop gritting his teeth every time he sees Kancha Cheena (Sanjay Dutt) or thinks about getting Mandwa back.

The story is also ever so slightly different with the introductions of Rauf Lala (Rishi Kapoor), the Dongri ka Don who VDC uses to climb up the mafia ladder and get to a position where he can challenge Kancha Cheena. And the entire aura of M A Krishnan Iyer Nariyal Paani Waala (Mithun Da) has been eliminated. Instead we find a bunch of eunuchs and prostitutes who swear by VDC and are part of the chawl that VDC comes to when Master Dinanath Chavan is killed by Kancha Cheena and the villagers to make way for the Cocaine Trade.

On paper it seems weird but the end result is not really that bad. The story flows smoothly scene by scene and doesn’t seem to get into a rut of sorts ever till much later. The music is average and I have no clue why there is one Ganapati Song in every damn movie which involves a chawl these days. Get over festivals for crying out loud!!!! There can be movies without them and songs which have an aarti. Chikni Chameli of course rocks and it is amusing when u see the “Cigarette Smoking is injurious to helath” warning in Australia. All in all, this one is entertaining enough. Nowhere close to the intensity of the 1990 version. But worth a dekko. 6 on 10.

Watch the trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1FKVW3QHZY

The Descendants

It was definitely on my “must watch” list on my trip down under. With the Oscars and the Golden Globes hullabaloo I would have been rank stupid to miss an opportunity to watch it. Needless to say I am extremely glad that I took some time off early in the morning to catch up with a show of The Descendants. In an era where we are seriously challenged in terms of creativity and originality across the board (Hollywood & Bollywood), Alexander Payne (of Sideways & Abouth Schmidt fame) not only directs but has also written the screenplay for this really simple and yet different movie which will leave you with a bitter sweet feeling at the end of it all. More sweet than bitter is what I can assure you. Payne’s direction has always been refreshingly different in my experience. Although I thought About Schmidt was different, he does experiment a lot with a genre that is quite simple and straightforward cinema. When you experience Sideways, you are quite certain that there is a genre of movies that can be labeled Alexander Payne. The Descendants probably goes one more step in the direction of cementing this status. Simple, funny, straight forward cinema is so difficult to find.

And Payne’s casting is near impeccable in this case. Geroge Clooney – take a bow. People may argue that Clooney is the most good looking guy with a single expression, and they maybe right as well – believe me there has been many a time that I have wondered whether he is angry or plain indifferent. But in case of The Descendants, the role of Matt King demanded the ice cold nature that Clooney would typically be associated with. How else do you play the character of a Realtor in Hawaii? And one who owns 25000 acres of heaven on earth would make you ice cool I would imagine. But all that’s come crashing down (in a manner of speaking) because his wife, Elizabeth (Patricia Hastie), has an accident that puts her into a coma. Matt, now has to take care of a 10 year old daughter – Scottie (Amara Miller) & a 17 year old terror Alexandra (Shailene Woodley) to take care of. A concept that he has been extremely alien to. Because like most marriages, that was Elizabeth’s department. And to make things worse, Alexandra has a new male friend who seems to have the IQ of a chair – Sid (Nick Krause). I am not going to give away anything more coz that would kinda ruin the movie for you guys. Figure it out as the movie unravels itself layer by layer.

Stunning performances from most of the cast is the hallmark of The Descendants apart from the very interesting and different storyline. The only weak performance, if any, would have been from the 10 year old but I guess Payne got her to do what he could get out of her. We don’t have an Anna Paquin or an Abigail Breslin in the making here for sure. Add this movie to your must must must watch list. 8 on 10. I beg Indian houses to release Hollywood movies at the same time in India as it is abroad (if not earlier). We are a huge market and don’t need to be requesting for this anymore.

Watch the trailer at http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi1849990169/

Life As We Know It

This one is a cute RomCom. As cute as it can get I guess. But mind you the operative word is cute. Not good. Cute as defined in the OED and not as we define it these days. OED stands for the Oxford English Dictionary. And you can look up the definition of cute in the OED for further clarification. OK let me save you to pain and the torture of digging up the definition. Cute as defined in the OED is ugly but tolerable. You don’t believe me? Well now you are free to look it up. Google it. OED it. Do whatever pleases you. The definition is not going to change.
So Life As We Know It (LAWKI) is a cute RomCom. Boy and Girl are being set up by best friends. Boy lands up at girl’s place about an hour late and obviously scores a few 100 negative points. Next, he hasn’t shaved. Looks unkempt. And possibly even stinking. A few 1000 negative points. The graph isn’t looking very good at all. No. there seems to be no hope left. But the girl is magnanimous enough to walk out with him and realizes that he has got his bike and not a car – bad idea when the girl is dressed in a hot dress and cannot sit on a bike. Girl suggests that they should take her new smart car. Boy agrees. Boy gets phone call. Takes it coz girl insists. Turns out to be a booty call. Agrees to meet booty @ 2300 hrs…. wait 2230 hrs…. and the graphs goes negative. Girl suggests that the date was a mistake and that they should call it off. To girl’s surprise boy says she is right. Date ends. Mind you boy and girl are best friends with respective married boy and girl who set them up. A few years later, friends pass away in sudden road accident. All this while boy and girl have been bumping into each other and can barely tolerate each other. In their will, friends have left custody of their only daughter to boy and girl!!!! Aaaaaaaargh!!!!! Now what???? Watch to find out.

I will at the risk of sounding like a stuck record again say this. LAWKI is a cute movie. It is a sizzling movie thanks to Katherine Heigl who I am simply in love with and would probably keel over and die for if she were to ask. It falls back to being nearly ugly for the really bad looking and badly behaved Josh Duhamel. And some amount of sanity is restored by the civilized and well behaved Josh Lucas. There is not much left in terms of the support cast which is not quite there. The script is barely manageable. The story is different but then elements of the story are vastly predictable. Some of the scenes like baby diaper changing or eventually landing up in bed with each other despite girl seeing other guy who is much better settled than boy etc. etc. etc. all make up for a predictable but cute mixture. Enjoyable definitely. Worth a dekko for certain. 6 on 10 for this cute RomCom.

Watch the trailer at http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi2623997721/

Flypaper

Rob Minkoff directed the best animation movie of all time – The Lion King. I somehow find it hard to believe that. Primarily because in Flypaper he kind of forgets a few basic tenets of good story telling. Firstly, ensure that it doesn’t get too predictable. No matter how hard you try to confuse the you know what about every single person who is sitting in the auditorium, you have to give credit to the audience’s intelligence that they can and will put 2 and 2 together to come up with the answer before you tell them the answer. And if the audience’s answers match yours then you are out of business. Therefore it is best to build the intrigue slowly but surely and not go about at a frenetic pace in an attempt to really build the tempo up and keep the excitement levels and adrenaline levels as high as you possibly can through a 90 minute session.

Next, if you indeed want to keep the frenetic pace up through the 90 minutes then you need people who can be associated with the frenetic pace and can keep themselves calm, cool and composed during the time. Ashely Judd – fair enough. Patrick Dempsey – no way. Bad casting mate. What you get at the end of it is an effort which borders on the other side of overacting and not as much as an expression of someone who has a borderline case of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

Thirdly, get your support cast to contribute and not look like a bunch of idiots. Give them roles which have some meaning at least. And roles which are not put into this mish mash because there is a requirement of a support staff. And once you have done that, please ensure that you get them to put in the effort that is expected of them to get the end result to meet the mark. Not just hang in there for the sake of hanging in there. Surprising that Minkoff got all of this and more right in the Lion King and then went about unlearning every single thing that he did right to give us a mish mash which is neither an action movie nor a robbery movie nor a drama and not even a comedy. It just has a little bit of everything. And the ground rule to be followed is that you cannot try to be everything to everyone. Just be great at one thing for some people.

Nevertheless, Minkoff’s effort cannot be dissed completely. It does have its good points with the likes of Ashley Judd as mentioned before and the fact that he does attempt to give us some excitement. You will not fall asleep during the movie for certain – mind you I was totally jet lagged and hadn’t slept in a while but still managed to sit through quite comfortably. Just that it seems a bit inane after a while. Still give it 6 on 10.

Watch the trailer at http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi4287863833/

Footloose (2011)

I must admit that the reason I saw Footloose (1984) for the nth time was that Footloose (2011) was also playing in-flight en route to Oz. I first noticed the 2011 version was playing and luckily the 1984 original also happened to be on the list. I am glad I saw the 2011 version in-flight and not in the theatre because it is really not a movie that will finish with a feeling of you having utilized your time well for nearly 2 hours.

Firstly let me dispel any doubts that anyone may have had about the 2011 being different from the 1984 hit. 27 years on, Craig Brewer has done nothing to add any value to the classic. In fact if anything, he has eroded the classic tag that the movie had and ruined any possibility of a fan following from the generation of today. Neither Kenny Wormald nor Julianne Hough can come close to the acting capabilities of Kevin Bacon or Lori Singer. Maybe I am begin harsh when I say that of Hough because Singer wasn’t anything much of an actress as such. So I could reconsider that opinion. But Wormald has a long way to go and if he harbours any hope of becoming as versatile as Bacon turned out to be, then I guess he has to put in many times more the effort that what Bacon had to. What disappointed me most was the severe cut in the role of Dennis Quaid and therefore I am probably not surprised with his lack luster effort. Surely Quaid is a better performer than what I saw. More or less the same analysis for Andie MacDowell.

The 2011 version of Footloose is so uncreative that Brewer has taken the concept of a “remake” to the level of a Xerox Machine. Even the dialogues are the same. And the famous scene where Ren reads out passages from the Bible just falls so flat on its face that it ceases to get funny after a while. Changes if any are exceptionally few in number and may get missed as well. The feet tapping in the titling is marginally different but nowhere close to being better.

Footloose (2011) hasn’t released yet in India and for once I would say that the people in the business have made a sensible decision. It really doesn’t have much to offer that is different, new, inspiring or fresh from the original. If you would really want to watch the movie, see the original. Even if I were to ignore the existence of an orginal, independently, Footloose (2011) would be an average movie at best. With the benefit of the doubt – 5 on 10. Sorry Craig Brewer. Got this one wrong I guess.

Watch the trailer at http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi1510841369/

Footloose (1984)

I have finally added another genre of movies to the list on my blog. Its called “Dance”. And the only movie that could have been better than Footloose (1984) to start this with would have been Dirty Dancing. That too will be added shortly I am certain. But occupying the #2 slot of all time in this genre would definitely be the 1984 version of a movie which starts with that exceptionally addictive Kenny Loggins number of the same name. I am quite certain about most of you playing the opening bars of the song in your head as you are reading this. I can tell you that the song’s playing in my head already as I am typing this…. Been working…. So hard…. I’m punching my card… eight hours…. for what?.... I’ve got this feeling… that times just holding me down…. I’ll hit the ceiling… or else i’ll tear up this town…. Now I gotta cut loose…… Footloose…. Kick off the Sunday shoes…. For more on this visit http://www.lyrics007.com/.

Footloose epitomized the spirt of the youth in the late 70s / early 80s in the US of A. With most of them wanting to get out and really be something and not get stuck in the backyards of the small towns or villages where they have been bought up. They did not want to get stuck in the rut that their parents have been for the past few decades. Now isn’t that what a lot of us have wanted from our lives? To do something different? Whether it is the characterization of Ren McCormick (Kevin Bacon) or that of his lady love Ariel (Lori Singer) who is the preacher’s (John Lithgow) daughter. The common thread that passes through the movie is that of breaking free. All portrayed through a small town where there has been a ban on any activities that could lead to loss of control over oneself. So no drinking under 18, no unsupervised partying and wait…. NO DANCING. Why? All perpetrated by an incident where the preacher loses his son in a road accident after a party. Not that the preacher has any ill intent. He does all of this only because he doesn’t want to see it repeated. The city council agrees. All till Ren comes in and starts questioning the norm.

Footloose can easily be classified under the genre – Drama. But the music and the few dance sequences just compel me to put it under – Dance. A very young Kevin Bacon is at his aggressive best. And one cannot help but wonder how skinny Lori Singer would be in real life if this is what she looks like on screen. The acting part comes later. The support cast includes an extremely young and much better looking Sarah Jessica Parker and also the motherly Diane Wiest who is somewhat the equivalent of Nirupa Roy in Bollywood (or maybe the other way round). Footloose is a great movie again for a Sunday afternoon. Just good fun with some lazing around. 6 on 10.

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

Sleuth

This has to definitely move to everyone’s watch list. I mean, how often would you get a movie that has exactly 4 actors. I am not kidding you. FOUR ACTORS. And now wait for more surprises. One of them doesn’t even have screen time. Carmel O’Sullivan’s role is just that of a voice on the phone. How cool is that? Just a voice on the phone. And Harold Pinter’s role of 33.285 seconds is a recorded version of some TV show. That’s it. In a little over 80 minutes the supremely talented Kenneth Branagh directs 2 of the finest actors of our time – Michael Caine and Jude Law – in a psychotic thriller of sorts.
Set in a completely dark background, Sleuth is about 2 men who have one thing in common and nothing else. Unfortunately, the one thing that they have in common is not the most pleasant thing that could probably be common between 2 men – and no you homophobics I am not talking about the same bed. I am talking about the same woman in their lives. To one – Andrew Wyke (Michael Caine) – she is the wife. To the other – Milo Tindle (Jude Law) – she is the mistress. Hows that for a lethal commonality to have. And hows that as a concept to take to the big screen?

And it took a Malaysian Airlines flight for me to figure out that something like this was not just thought of but actually executed. And the write up on the in flight card said nothing to excite me about the movie. The only reason I picked it up as a movie to watch was because it was a little over 80 minutes long and I have this fetish about finishing as many movies I can on a flight. I could well have missed it had it not been for the length of the movie.

The execution is almost like a 2 act play. Maybe that comes from Branagh’s known fetish for Shakespeare. Most of his directorial attempts have involved the Bard. So it is probably not surprising that Sleuth comes across the same way. Michael Caine’s performance as the gilted husband who is out to seek revenge personifies that old saying popularized by Quentin Tarantino – Revenge is a dish best served cold.

The detailed scheme that is put to action by Wyke is made even more eerie with the dark hue that is part of the movie all through. And then there are some superb camera angles such as shooting the first few minutes of Tindle’s entry from the top view. And the use of mirrors when Tindle and Wyke have their first drink together. Superb direction from Branagh who has adapted the play by Anthony Shaffer into a full length feature. And I should not take anything away from Jude Law’s performance either.

I am lucky to have caught up with Sleuth on an in-flight. I have promised myself to pick up a copy at the earliest. This one is a collectible. 7.5 on 10. Wonder why it didn’t make it to the Oscars for some category at least. I would have thought screenplay.

Watch the trailer at http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi4052222233/

I am Kalam

Missed out this one when it released a year and a half back. And that’s where in-flight helps significantly. Catching up with movies released a little while back and with those which have released internationally and not made it to the screen in little known and unimportant India. Therefore Flight MH134 (if I remember correctly) was inaugurated with a Hindi movie to keep my loyalty to my roots.

Chhotu (Harsh Mayar) is an extremely bright kid who is capable of picking up and understanding almost everything that he reads. He comes from a desolate part of Rajasthan to help his uncle Bhatti (Gulshan Grover) with his tea and small eats shop which supplies food to the palace of the local but erstwhile King or Raja (Suresh Acharya) who has converted the palace to a hotel so that he can continue to have his indulgences. His wife the Queen or Rani (Garima Bharadwaj) and son or Kunwar / Prince (Hussan Saad) make up the family. There are helpers all around like royalty should rightfully have. And like most royalty, there are rules to be followed. For e.g. Treat people lower than you in terms of status well but don’t get friendly with them. Make friends only with royalty. Etc. etc. etc.

But who is to prevent 2 kids of a similar age from getting to know each other and eventually become good friends. Chhotu, inspired by the President of the country rechristens himself as Kalam. Kalam and Kunwar Sa become great friends primarily because they have no one else to talk to or interact with. Kunwar helps Kalam with English and some good clothes and books to read. Kalam helps Kunwar with Hindi and through one of the guests of the hotel (Beatrice Ordeix) with French as well. A metaphorical representation of the India of new which is slowly but surely moving towards not caring much about the differences in class, caste or creed.

I am Kalam represents the aspiration of the average child in this country. The child’s desire to go to a school. To learn. To study. To have fun like any other of their own age. Of equality in treatment in terms of having access to the facilities that any rich kid would have. Of being given an equal opportunity as anyone else to make it big in the real world. To have a shot at stepping into the shoes of arguably the most loved President that India has ever had. To walk in his footsteps and make a difference like he did. In a sense it is a dedication to Hon. APJ Abdul Kalam and his vision for the children of India. Something which has left that office with him a couple of years back.

A good first attempt from Nila Madhab Panda. Average performances overall. Really bad finishing though.especially with the foreign support cast which was relaly bad. Several inconsistencies as well. However, solid message. One that should make you ponder. 5.5 on 10. Watch it if you stumble upon it by chance. Worth a dekko definitely.

Watch the trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Hts1peF2gc

Coriolanus

Ralph Fiennes’ first movie as a director leaves a lot to be desired to say the least. First of all, I have no clue to why he would experiment with his first movie in a language that is not really up everyone’s comfort level. I mean it is English alright but why Shakespearean English????? And that too in verse????

And the morons who seem to be running the movie houses in India could not think of adding subtitles to the movie? Else they should have sold 2/3rds of the tickets and kept a translator for every 2 patrons walking into the hall. Not a feasible solution right? SUBTITLES YOU MORONS!!!! As it is, we aren’t the largest market for Hollywood in the world. Your rank stupidity is not helping the cause. Surely Ralph Fiennes had his reasons to convert a lesser know Shakespearean play in Shakespearean but what is your excuse darlings? And then there is PVR who super intelligently decides to play J Edgar in Juhu and Phoenix but decide to release Coriolanus across all PVRs in the city. I cannot begin to imagine the plight of the Gujju Bens and Bhais (Sisters and Brothers) in Mulund and Goregaon wondering how to pronounce the movie – leave alone walk into the hall and try to understand it. Weird people have infested this industry I tell you.

Coriolanus is about this Roman general called Marcus Caius (Ralph Fiennes) whose arch enemies, the Volscians are led by Tulius Aufidius (Gerard Butler). Marcus Caius has fought several wars for Rome and has successfully defended its pride and honour not just by leading from the front but also by ensuring that orders are followed to the T. So much so that the people of Rome do not quite like him much. But a few wise people in the right places appreciate his efforts and would like to annoit him as Counsellor (the highest authority) in Rome. His closest friend, confidante and Senator of Rome – Menenius Agrippa (Brian Cox) lobbies really hard for his case. However, as luck would have it, he faces severe opposition from not just some of the common people of Rome but also the Tribunes (Paul Jesson & James Nesbitt) who not only oppose him but also get him embroiled in a serious scam which questions his integrity and also get him banished from Rome. Incensed, Marcus Caius Coriolanus, approaches the Volscians and joins hands with them to conquer Rome.

In terms of acting talent and execution, the movie doesn’t leave too much to be desired. It takes great courage to use a dialect of English that may not be best accepted by the people. And even more to get the likes of Gerard Butler and Vanessa Redgrave to narrate with consummate ease. So hats off to Ralph Fiennes for the same. He has also converted the story into a modern day setting with the use of costumes which is equally good. But watch it only if you have subtitles or else you will definitely be left groping in the dark for what was said. OK to watch on DVD. 6 on 10.

Watch the trailer at http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi2877398553/

J Edgar

Is it just me or is there anyone out there who believes that Clint Eastwood has seemingly gone low on his Clint in a manner of speaking? I was one of the few people who thought that Invictus wasn’t really upto the Clint Eastwood mark that kept going up till The Changeling. Hereafter was a notch lower than Invictus and now we have J Edgar which can be at best called out as being at par with Hereafter. Don’t get me wrong here. I love Clint Eastwood. I am just a wee bit disappointed because the intensity and class that we seem to have gotten used to in slowly fading. I think he should also take a cue from the Academy because both Hereafter and J Edgar have been given a cold shoulder of sorts.

Like any biopic would be, J Edgar is centered around the life and times of the longest standing director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) – J Edgar Hoover (Leonardo DiCaprio). It brings to the fore a very well written story of a man who was not so popular during his days as the Director. Someone who every single president tried their best to oust but with little or no success – because J E knew everything that was worth knowing and not worth knowing about the most powerful men in the world. It shows how he quickly works his way to being the director of the bureau even before he turns 30. How he goes about pushing the use of technology to make the bureau as fool proof as possible. His fights with the government to give the bureau its proper place in the sun which he strongly believes it deserves. His gay romance with close friend Tolson (Armie Hammer) and attempted romance with his secretary Helen Gandy (Naomi Watts). And even why he was called “Speedy” as a kid.

I guess what adds to Clint Eastwood losing his sheen as a director is Leo DiCaprio getting into character roles that are beginning to stereotype him and probably get people to believe that even personally he has becaome like his characters. His performance as JE wasn’t too different from his portrayal of Howard Hughes in The Aviator. Gets the audience also thinking as to whether there has been a genuine attempt or not. Both Watts and Hammer were good but not great in any ways. And I am honestly not qualified enough in any manner to comment about Dame Judi Dench’s acting capabilities. Stunning – yet again!!! Oh the woman never ceases to amaze me.

The other departments are quite good. Like Make up for example - by Alessandro Bertolazzi for Watts & Sian Grigg for DiCaprio were worth mentioning but I guess not good enough for the Academy. Check out the photograph of the real JE in the link below http://content9.flixster.com/photo/12/98/51/12985179_ori.jpg and make up your minds for yourself I guess. But even here, Tolson’s make up was a tad over done.

J Edgar is a very slow movie and will take a lot of patience from your end. But Clint Eastwood has never made fast paced movies. Not great by Clint Eastwood standards but way ahead of the curve with respect to some of the crap that we see these days. 7 on 10. Watch the trailer at http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi1849990169/

Underworld: Awakening

OK I am not much of an Underworld fan. It is an occupational hazard and a good time slot that drove me to PVR Phoenix. My complete lack of interest would have been evident to you if you were anywhere around the ticket counter that evening. I walk up in my usual care a damn manner to the counter and say, “1 ticket please for Resident Evil”. The expression that the guy on the counter had was priceless to say the least. He goes, “Resident Evil”? And I am not kidding guys. I actually said, “Yeah – Resident evil 3:10 pm show”. It was the timely intervention of the lady in the adjacent counter that saved me from any further embarrassment the guy at the counter from any further confusion. She goes, “Arre sir ka matlab hai – Underworld. Underworld” (Sir means Underworld. Underworld). And suddenly a thought crossed my mind – why in the blazes do I want to go for this movie in the first place when I all that’s going through my mind is Mila Jovovich and not Kate Beckinsale. And all of this after I had checked for timings on the net not more than an hour before I got to the theatre. Well it was a thought that crossed my mind a bit too late I guess. The smart fellow at the counter (who was super confused a minute ago) had already swiped the card with a grin on his face that said – what kind of a guy are you. You don’t even know which movie you want to go for?

Well that’s enough about the fun part about the movie. Lets now get to the part of reviewing the movie. For those who haven’t been initiated into the Underworld saga, there are 3 kinds of creatures (for lack of any other word). The Lycans are the bad guys. The Werewolves are the good guys. And the humans are the guys who don’t have a clue whatsoever. Underworld fans – please feel free to correct / reprimand me for any mistakes whatsoever – you can call me an insufferable lycan too. Advance apologies.

But to complicate things the last time, they introduced the concept of hybrids – werewolves that look like humans. The lycans have been all but destroyed and the world has lost its chief hybrid played by Kate Beckinsale who by the way comes nowhere close to Mila Jovovich (no points for guessing by now that I am a Resident Evil fan). In part 4 – which is titled – AWAKENING – referring to the resurrection of Subject 1 (Beckinsale) and Subject 2 (India Eisley) – we see the resurrection of the Lycans as well who are back for blood. And this time they are bigger, badder and more powerful because they have immunity to silver – but funnily not to silver nitrate (something I didn’t quite understand and am open to be enlightened on). And there are bullets and bombs and loud random gunfire with the human friend and an extremely good looking werewolf friend and the angle of a child who is more powerful thereby leaving enough for Underworld 5. Yawn. 5 on 10 for the good action sequences. Watch on big screen if you have to. No point on TV or DVD.

Watch the trailer at http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi1011654169/

Arthur Christmas

A few more pointers to those who take decisions on movies to be released in India. Christmas movies should be released on the weekend preceding Christmas. To my knowledge, Christmas is celebrated on the 25th December every year all across the world. So why would a movie that is so clearly about Christmas that it has “Christmas” staring at your face be released 4 weeks after is clearly beyond my limited intelligence.


Secondly, a good movie is a good movie is a good movie. So why delay the release. I am quite certain that we have enough of an English speaking population and a critical audience that looks forward to Holloywood movies more than Europe. So why this differentiation of product? Most consumer product companies have learnt this the hard way. So why should entertainment not learn from them and launch simultaneously across the world – for crying out loud, Tintin released in India before it did in the rest of the world didn’t it????

So why would I take up this rant continuously? Because Arthur Christmas is a wonderful animation movie – a genre of movies that hasn’t seen any major delays to date. Arthur Christmas has just displaced Puss in Boots in my list of Academy award nominations from FY 2012. The list now has – Kung Fu Panda 2, Cars 2, Rango, The Adventures of Tintin – Secret of the Unicorn & Arthur Christmas. The Academy, however begs to differ and has ignored Cars 2 & Tintin. It has included Puss in Boots and a couple of other movies that I haven’t heard of yet.

Arthur (James McAvoy) doesn’t take offence to being ignored anyways because he is used to it. Most of the people in the North Pole do. The million elves that help Santa Claus (Jim Broadbent) deliver Christmas presents through his new & improved S1 suprasonic amphibian craft which is undetectable by radar controlled by his first born – Steve (Hugh Lauri) included – ignore Arthur coz he is more cause for trouble than help. But when the mission misses one girl, Arthur, accompanied with Grand Santa (Bill Nighy) and Brunly (Ashley Jensen) decide that she needs to get her gift wrapped cycle – with 3 tapes only – no later than sunrise on Christmas Day.

Let the adventure begin I say. And be prepared for some moist eyes in this directorial debut for the duo Sarah Smith and Barry Cook. Kids will love it. Adults will equally. Considering that there were 2 adults who completely enjoyed every minute of this novel concept for a Christmas movie and the attention to detail it had. Wait till the end credits which is great as well. 7 on 10 for certain. Watch it!!!

Watch the trailer at http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi2677710361/

The Da Vinci Code

What can you get when you get together 3 people – one who has been widely regarded as the top 10 directors of all time if not the top 10. Another who is responsible for giving us one of the biggest block buster novels of the previous decade – probably the #1 bestseller other than the Harry Potter series and definitely THE most controversial of the lot. And the third who has been regarded by most people as one of the best actors ever to be born – one who is known for his “boy next door” looks and yet regarded as capable of taking up any role that is possible (I would like to see him play a villain though – haven’t seen that yet but I am certain he can and will give us the pleasure of that sooner than later). Well what you get is one of the best adaptations of a book into a movie – I would like to stick my neck out at this stage and call it the best after The Godfather and The Adventures of Tintin – Secret of the Unicorn.
Ron Howard would have been extremely challenged at the thought of directing The Da Vinci Code for certain but he smartly roped in Tom Hanks who is known to be an actor who eases the stress out from the director’s head immensely. And they had the support of Dan Brown to try and get this to life. The way Dan Brown has layered the book and keeps peeling it out like an onion is something which can be very difficult to get alive on the silver screen. I can only say that the team that created the movie should be really proud of what they got out eventually.

I cannot think of any scene that was badly executed or any aspect that was missed out from the book. Difficult sequences such as the point where Sophie (Audrey Tatou) and Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) figure out that a pope actually stands for Alexander Pope and the walk to Newton’s Tomb is superimposed with that of the actual funeral of Sir Isaac Newton. Or the casting for Silas (Paul Bettany) which is impeccable. But nearly not as impeccable as Bishop Aringarosa played by someone who I consider is probably more versatile (if there is something like that) that any other actor who I have seen till date – Alfred Molina. Time and again Alfred Molina has stunned the daylights out of me in the way that he gets into his character and makes you believe that the character in the book was created specifically with Molina in mind – simply scintillating I say.

True to the book as they say, The Da Vinci Code is a great movie to watch any given Sunday. It is edited well, has great cinematography, good solid performances and has a story that is great (apart from the ending where Dan Brown always screws up :p). You can watch it even if you haven’t read the book. 7 on 10 is what I say.

Watch the trailer at http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi2369847833/

The Incredibles

It was only by chance that I saw The Incredibles (yet again :D) while channel surfing last afternoon. In a way, I was trying to get over the near disastrous impact that 4084 had on my brains and the really bad taste that Alvin and the Chipmunks – The Squeakuel had left me with a couple of days back. One way to get over a bad movie is to watch a really good one to balance things out. Sometimes you get lucky and a good one pops up on TV immediately after. This time around, I had 2 good movies on TV on a Sunday both of which I had send before but I wasn’t complaining at all because my mind was actually crying out for quality cinema in 2011. Notice that all the movies that I have seen this year haven’t been that great. So thank you very much once again to Walt Disney & Pixar for having given us this Academy Winner for 2005.


While The Incredibles may not feature in my list of top 5 Animation movies of all time, there is absolutely no taking away from it the fact that it has an Oscar to its credit and that it is an excellent example of good quality animation and screenplay. While I cannot quite understand the technical aspects of movie making such as Sound Editing (another category in which The Incredibles won an Oscar), it would probably suffice to say that the quality of sound and the use of the same is simply stunning – sorry but my understanding in this part is fairly limited .

I had always thought that The Incredibles was another comic book from the stable of Marvel or DC Comics or the likes. It came as an Incredible surprise to say the least when I figured out during my usual research after the movie that the movie was actually written by the director Brad Bird – who I coincidentally lambasted a few weeks ago for his really bad execution of Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol. However, in the creation of The Incredibles he has hardly put a foot wrong. A nomination for screenplay was well deserved to say the least. I cannot actually think of too many super hero movies which were created for the screen. What he lost out to was Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind which was indeed nothing to feel sorry about.

The Incredibles gets to the fore a set of characters, super heroes, who will not catch the fancy of only the segment upto tweenagers but extend itself to much older age groups like this author. Whether it is the lead role of the beefy Mr. Incredible (Craig T Nelson) himself or the minor side role of Edna aka E (The voice of Brad Bird again – how versatile is this guy?). Even the character of Syndrome (Jason Lee) is so clearly sketched out that you cannot but appreciate it. That Bird has prequalified the Incredible nature of his characters helps significantly in building the expectation from the crowd to, “Expect the Unexpected” like any other super hero movie. So even the surprising additional sper hero qualities which appear in Violet (Sarah Vowell) would go pardoned in a manner of speaking.

The Incredibles ended with The Underminer (John Ratzenberger) making his appearance and I wonder why the follow up hasn’t made its appearance yet. It would be so much better than the “squeakuels” that we have been forced to sustain. 7.5 on 10 for The Incredibles from my side. Must watch if you haven’t yet. Playing on Star Movies these days.

Watch the trailer at http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi2963250457/

Alvin and the Chipmunks – The Squeakuel

It doesn’t take much to figure out that you are in for a really corny movie if you decided to pick up Alvin and the Chipmunks – The Squeakuel. Now which movie maker would in his right sense of mind name a movie The Squeakuel??? Now I am surprised that after the near disaster of a first movie, the makers actually went ahead with a sequel. And as we are all well aware, there is also a third one released quite recently. Aaargh. It is true that there is no dearth of suckers in this world. Especially suckers with children aged between 3 and 8 probably. Who else would be the target for a concept such as Alvin. I mean first of all, they are all squeaky squeaky. And not a nice squeaky like Chip ‘n Dale were but a very irritating squeaky like Chip n Dale but with a hint of chalk rubbing against a black board. Could not think of any other metaphor honestly. In a nut shell, really corny and really squeaky I must say. I guess I was kind of hoping against hope that the makers would have learnt from their previous mishap and improvised significantly on this one. Sadly not to be.
And then there is this aspect of changing directors. At least think about having some consistency people. You have a rep to protect and a brand to build. Unless you made all of the series together, you are going to be losing a ton of money because there is a distinct break in the chain when you change directors. Lets for a moment agree that there is no way you could have continued with Tim Hill. To begin with, he was indeed not much to look up to. So you had to pick up someone else. But did that someone else have to be Betty Thomas? Of John Tucker Must Die fame… or should I say infamy? The same Betty Thomas who gave us 28 Days and Doctor Dolittle? Please Madams and Sirs – Corny is what you should have expected I say. Not corny in an endearing sort of a way. But corny in an extremely irritating kind of way. Should I comment about the direction – forget it. No point really.

Add to the tacky direction a really sensational combination of an inhuman acting attempt in the form of Zachary Levi, Jason Lee and David Cross who continue to keep you on tenterhooks and if society had permitted it, you would have jumped onto the screen and torn it to shreds. Even the attractive female star cast cannot save the day. And if 3 chipmunks didn’t get to your nerves in the first part, you have to deal with 3 more in this one. And that too female chipmunks – The Chipettes – Brittany, Eleanor and Jeanette. But then if all of the above coupled with really slapstick American humour with some chipmunky romance thrown in for garnish is up your alley then you must watch this vastly over rated franchise again. I wouldn’t bother going down that road. 3 on 10.

Watch the trailer at http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi441844249/

4084

How often have we seen movies which has a star cast which is on the outside average and it turns out to be an exceptionally great movie. Take the case of Bheja Fry (the first one) or Tere Bin Laden. On the other hand you have movies which have exceptional star casts – actors who are known for their fantastic capability – which turn out to be damp squibs to say the least. Ones which make you tear your hair apart in frustration and disgust. Movies that make you really wonder about the possible weak moment at which the makers of the movie made one of these actors sign on the dotted line – and then used that signature to sell the concept to the other 3. Or were there methods which were not so legal utilized to get the 4 great actors to sign on the dotted line? Or is that that these actors are slaves to some exceptionally good quality marijuana that forces them to be high out of their wits (like those who predicted a 2-1 victory for India in the Australia series – sorry I had to get that in). Well if you haven’t figured out which category of movies tdoes Chaalis Chauraasi (4084) fall under then I am not quite certain who or what could help you out. Maybe the good quality marijuana that these actors are having may help out immensely.

When you see Naseeruddin Shah, Atul Kulkarni and Kay Kay Menon in the same screen you can be quite confident that there is a quality movie waiting for you right? Even when the 4th person in the cast is the not so highly rated but good Ravi Kissen. WRONG. When one of the cast plays the role of a car thief with a fetish for the age old Fiat which is fondly called Dukkar (Pig) in the Mumbai market – WRONG! And then there is one whose dream was to be a singer but is relegated to being a pimp because he gets into the good books of a dance bar owner – WRONG!! Or if you are a drug dealer with a Shetty sounding name and who doesn’t have much of a qualm in spreading the junk in society then – WRONG!!! And of course when one of them plays the role of a retired Head of Department (English) and has spent 10 years in jail for killing his wife then – DEFINITELY WRONG!!!!

Hriday Shetty hasn’t done his chances of a long term career in Bollywood too much good. What kind of a director makes actors with so much talent reduce themselves to the level of trite comedy – actually severely slapstick comedy? Even if it had to be done, then I would have expected some attention to be given to detail and some importance given to finishing or screenplay or dialogues or editing or story or cinematography or whatever it is that makes movies worth watching? Not sure about the actors but Hriday Shetty was surely smoking up when he made this movie because there is nothing much to really look forward to with 4084. A highly avoidable below par flick 4 on 10 is what I give it.

Watch the trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0SaVc24WlY

The Proposal

Now, how many of us (men) would love to have a hot female boss? All those who said no can hang a board around their necks which says “LIAR” in big bold italics in the largest font available these days. Now I am at no point of time suggesting that Sandra Bullock is your version of a “Hot” Boss. It was just a fictional question. Now think about how many of you would want to get married to a boss that looks like Sandra Bullock and behaves like she is the bitchiest (if there was a term like that) person on mother earth? In this case, I am quite certain not too many of us would like to. But then such bosses do not really look at consensual marriages right? Especially when their existence in a country is threatened because she has over stayed the period as allowed by her visa. And worse, there is a promotion due. Well, you have the best possible concoction for a romantic comedy which is not too much of a drag per se but definitely gets a bit boring in parts.

The Proposal is director, Anne Fletcher’s (one of the regrettably few female directors we have on the block) 3rd movie if I am not mistaken. She did have notable mentions in Step Up which has gone onto become a reasonably successful franchise if I understand correctly and 27 Dresses which starred the gorgeous Katherine Heigl and was one of the better RomComs made to date. Doesn’t make Fletcher a great director or anyone in the league of the likes of a Garry Marshall. The Proposal barely makes the cut as a Romantic Comedy. Quite a few unnecessary “awww” moments that are expected to look cute but fall a bit flat. I personally thought the scene with the dog, mobile phone and an eagle thrown in should have been chopped off on the cutting board. Fletcher’s team doesn’t exceed too many benchmarks in terms of screenplay either with it being uninspiring in most parts.

And the acting is barely average. Now that I think of it, almost all aspects of this movie are barely average. Surprising to say the least that the likes of Sandra Bullock who got her Oscar in the same year as The Proposal right – for the Blind Side. I guess she reserved most of her acting talent for the more serious movie. Not that she has been a shining beacon of hope for most actresses but she is definitely more capable than what I saw in this movie. I would say the same of Ryan Reynolds who has been brilliant at picking up some of the most horrible movies ever. Thankfully for him, The Proposal wasn’t really as bad as some of the other disasters in his life. The only performance that seemed to be a bit endearing was that of Betty White as Annie Gammy (Grandma). Entertaining in bits but a bit below par on all counts to sum it up. 5.5 on 10 but watchable.

Watch the trailer at http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi125895193/

Next

Lee Tamahori gave us one of the best movies last year (2011). It was called Devil’s Double. And it wasn’t a great movie just because of a great performance from Dominic Cooper. Mind you, Tamahori has given us equally good movies such as Die Another Day – now purists may argue that it’s a Bond movie and doesn’t take much – yadda yadda yadda I say… duh. It was a well made Bond movie. And then there was this serial killer movie called Along came a Spider starring Morgan Freeman. So pray tell me what is he doing with my favourite (notice the sarcasm) actor and an equally constipated feminine version of him called Julianne Moore. The saving grace in the star cast is the stunning (notice the drool) Jessica Biel. There is actually no one else who seems to have a role in this excuse of a science fiction action thriller of sorts which doesn’t quite do justice to Tamahori’s direction skills. To put it in a different way, it probably was Tamahori’s most challenging assignment to date. It is so not the kind of movie that he is cut out to direct. Consequently – he failed oh so badly at it.

The funda is that the protagonist – Cris Johnson (Nicolas Cage) can see about 3 minutes into the future. A gift that can have a lot of advantages. I could fill the next 10 pages about what I would do with something like this. Cris does use it to his advantage for certain by doing simple magic tricks at a local circus of sorts. But he finds out soon enough that, hot on his heels, are the FBI or secret service or whatever you want to call it led by a lady, Callie Ferris (Julianne Moore) who believes that Cris is the solution to all problems including the one that involves finding a nuclear war head that has been stolen by some really bad men. In between all of this, Cris bumps into the love of his life Liz (Jessica Biel – the only tolerable part of this otherwise quite sad movie) and suddenly he can see like 60 times more into the future – for those who do not know math we mean 3 hours into the future. If you like the story so far then please go ahead and watch Next.

Personally I thought the story was average at best. Most of you know that I have no love lost for Francis Ford Coppola’s nephew who I believe is one of the most over rated actors of our time who somehow manages to get some great movies down his path. He typically makes the most of it but this time around his constipation gets the better of him. There is not too much really to look forward to in the movie but it is just that it is finished well enough for me to still give it a 5 on 10. I would give it lesser because honestly, my sleep did get the better of me a couple of times during the movie but then there are many Nicholas Cage fans… oops sorry to add the “h” which doesn’t seem to have made any difference to the performance. Watch at your own risk.

Watch the trailer at http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi1083769113/

The Brothers Bloom

If you are in the mood for some not so light comedy (cannot call it dark really). Something that is not run of the mill and bordering on esoteric (for lack of any other word). Something different or Hat Ke (off the beaten path) as we would like to call. And yet, something that keeps you entertained and rooted to the screen. A movie that keeps you interested and eager to find out – what next? A movie that has its dull moments but they are few and far between. Then I would recommend that you don’t miss The Brothers Bloom the next time it plays on Television. For the life of me, I cannot remember which channel it was playing on. But I do remember that it will play all this month and you will have many an opportunity to catch up with it. Keep your eyes open for that promo that calls out the time or the TV Schedules that appear in the TOI every day and are reasonably accurate.


The Brothers Bloom is directed by Rian Johnson whose only reasonable claim to fame seems to be another off-beat movie called Brick starring Joseph Gordon Levitt and is rated at 7.5 on imdb which is quite high I must say. So I need to now add Brick to my watch list. But independent of that, Johnson seems to be the one who believes in disjointed stuff which keeps the audience engaged. But he may just be flirting a bit too much with the disjointed in an otherwise quite straightforward story. The experiement therefore leads the movie to be a tad slower than the pace it actually should have set. When you have a storyline about 2 brothers whose only skill set has been conning people since their childhood, one would expect that the movie would be a bit more pacy than the final product.

The Brothers Bloom has a cast which is extremely talented. Despite the scowl that he has on his face most of the time, I have always felt that Mark Ruffalo is a tad under-rated. He is definitely capable of much more than what we have seen – an aspect that is evident with his very strong performance as the elder brother Stephen whose aim in life is to come up with the perfect con – one which is so life like that it is perceived to be true by all those who were involved or affected. And the trust one can put on the youngest winner of the Best Actor Oscar is unquestionable. Even the supporting role played by Rinko Kikuchi as Bang Bang (now hows that for a name) is good. But of course, taking the cake not just with her looks but also with another super performance as the versatile heiress of a huge fortune is the current Mrs. Craig (Rachel Weisz for the ill-informed). It would suffice to say therefore that The Brothers Bloom is a movie led by a strong star cast. It is definitely watchable. In fact you should make an effort to see it. 7 on 10.

Watch the trailer at http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi457245465/

Players

When the director duo – as they so proudly proclaim in the titling of the movie – Abbas Mustan come together, then you can expect some really mindless action coming your way for certain. But in the past few movies, they have shown that they can execute the mindlessness with some class and finesse for sure. Race for instance, had a twist within a twist within a twist and pretty soon you were twistier than the Dominoes Twisty Garlic Bread. But much like the Dominoes Twisty Garlic Bread, you went out of the theatre feeling quite good about the manner in which you spent your past 2.5 hours. It would have felt quite similar when you saw, 36 China Town as well. One would have walked out saying – not bad yaar. Decent. Theekh hai. But I think the run of average luck that these two had over the past few years has finally run out on them in a manner of speaking.
And mind you, I am not complaining about the corny dialogues in the movie. Say when the hottest chick in the movie who goes by the name of Shyla or something, in a skimpy swimsuit throws herself @ Charlie Mascarenhas (Abhishekh Bachchan) who keeps his interest limited to a book that she was supposed to deliver. Shyla goes, “Yahaan poori library padi hui hai aur yeh ek book ke peechhe pada hai” (Theres a complete library available for the taking and the moron is interested only in one book). Such corny dialogues are definitely expected in an Abbas Mustan movie. And I am not talking about how there is a disco in St. Petersburg or Moscow or wherever called “House of Rasputin”… er…Abbas Mustan… maaf hai. And I am not talking about the aspect of a random Indian babe (to the Russians I mean. To us she is known as Bipasha Basu OR of late – a random Indian babe) walks in to con a Lt. General of the Russian Army and waltzes in without any security issues and also manages to sing a raunchy Hindi number along the way. Or that 4 Indians almost drown in the frigid waters of Russia and land up comfortably sitting on the ice with little or no fear of hypothermia. All that is completely acceptable and expected of Abbas Mustan.

But what is not acceptable is the really bad finishing. For once, the action sequences seem badly executed. From the first scene of Jr. B stealing a diamond necklace to the really badly finished gold heist sequence from the newer Italian Job (which starred Mark Wahlberg), there was nothing which had the true Abbas Mustan Stamp on it. For a change – and a bad change at that – the pair has given too much emphasis on the insignificant stuff such as the complicated search for Spider which pans all continents with the exception of Antarctica. There are some random charitable reasons such as an orphanage in Shimla or a paraplegic daughter of one of the “Players” – Ronnie (Bobby Deol). Yaar Abbas Bhai – Mustan Bhai – what is this yaar. Non stop action with no sense is your forte. What is this social messaging etc. doing in your mlovie. Players seemed a little to arty for your taste.

And yes, the next time anyone casts Sonam Kapoor, please don’t give her leopard skin leotards and make up that attempts to make her look like Lisbeth Salander (Girl with the dragon tattoo) – she never could, isn’t and cannot come anywhere close. Also, acting school desperately required. Papa is going places but kiddo is going to stay rooted here if there are no drastic changes.

A best possible score of 3 on 10 for this really bad copy of the Italian Job (2003). Watch the trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgPQ7_xsm3o

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Swedish 2009)

And the debate will continue endlessly as to how true should a movie maker stay to the book. In the recent past, I have experienced Tintin which stayed true to the comic book like nothing else. But then it was a comic book. Translating 60 pages into a 1.5 hour movie is not as much of a challenge as converting a 576 page pulsating paperback super hit novel into the big screen. I am taking nothing away from Spielberg here. My comment is restricted only to remaining true to the movie. And irrespective of what people may say about The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (TGWTDT) I will still say that Niels Arden Oplev has done a fabulous job of getting the first of the Millenium Trilogy onto the silver screen. OK – this review is not for the English movie that was due to be released today in India but has been pushed for no apparent reason. This is for the Swedish movie that released in 2009 and surprisingly took over 2 years for Hollywood to emulate. I am just trying to maximize hits by coinciding the review with the release here :-P :D – sorry for the slime.

Nevertheless, I must also accept guilt for not having seen this movie although I have had it with me for over a year now. But I didn’t see it because I could not get through 50 pages of the novel. I was quite adamant that I will read the book before I watch the movie and I don’t regret it one bit. Once you get the super slow 60-70 pages, the novel is a complete breeze and exceptionally fast paced. The movie on the other hand cuts through the first few pages really quick and gets to the heart of the matter immediately. Now one can argue that it isn’t staying true to the book but on that could I support Oplev. There could not have been a better way to cut through the riff raff. It would have ruined the movie.

Although I wonder why Oplev left out quite a few things from the movie and added a bit of spice towards the end which I do not remember from the book at all. For instance, there has been no importance or even a reference given to the relationship that Mikael Blomqvist (Michael Nyqvist) has with Erika Berger (Lena Endre) or for that matter Cecilia Vagner (Marika Lagercrantz). Was it important to the story-line. I would say yes. Did it affect the final result really badly – not at all. If one were to watch the movie independent of the book, it would still be a great watch. Oplev has kept the movie to the point and despite his best efforts, cannot keep it below the 2.5 hours that one has to go through – but it is a breeze. One aspect that will distinctly change with the David Fincher English version would be the finishing and the editing which has been Fincher’s hallmark through the years. That’s where Oplev lost out. But he more than makes it up by directing a cast which really gives the movie its best. Noomi Rapace is outstanding as Lisbeth Salander – rumours are that Rooney Mara is in line for the Oscars this year in the English version. Michael Nyqvist is somber and extremely solid in his essaying of Blomqvist. Overall a very good way to spend 2.5 hours. Add to the Must Watch List. 7.5 on 10.

Watch the trailer at http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi2735866905/ for the Swedish movie. And while you are at it, you could also take a look at the English one http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi3830160409/%20whichwhich should be in line for a few nominations at this year’s Oscars I believe.

Oceans Thirteen

Willy Banks (Al Pacino) has no idea who he picked up to mess around with. It is indeed important and a mandatory trait for any casino owner to have – ruthlessness. But then one can definitely pick and choose the kind of people one messes around with right? But Banks couldn’t care less. He however, doesn’t realize that his biggest strength – his money – is his biggest weakness. He is about to taste what it feels like to be the recipient of a revenge plan. Little did he know that when he was conning Reuben Tishkoff (Elliot Gould), he was about to rub a few other people the wrong way. These people are led by a suave, slick and extremely talented conman who goes by the name of Daniel Ocean (George Clooney). And whats more, Willy Banks is so cocky that he doesn’t take the request that he receives from Ocean, seriously at all. In fact, he brushes it off only to incense Ocean a bit more. And as the trailer will tell you, Willy Banks is about to experience what it is like to lose $500 million in less than 15 minutes.

Steven Soderbergh continues to charm young and old alike with his signature style of direction which is a summation of several cuts stitched together rather brilliantly in a sepia hue which is so typically of Soderbergh. The classic jazz riffs continue to create an aura of mystique and suspense around what our team of 11 extremely talented con men are upto this time around. Once you know what the idea is i.e. rob Banks of $500 million, the intrigue builds up yet again on how they are going to manage it this time with the challenge of more “state of the art” security systems especially one that teaches itself what to expect. It is just so much fun.

By this time, the cast of the Ocean’s series has immersed itself into the characters they are supposed to play. And one thing that stands out over all 3 movies is the time and effort that Soderbergh takes to flesh out his characters in as detailed a manner as possible. Right from Ocean’s 11, he has given the correct importance to each one of his characters. Even if they are present only for one movie of the series. Like the stunning Ellen Barkin in this one who is given such a meaty role that she really cannot complain. Not to mention that Ellen Barkin is shown in the truest possible light that she can be shown in –stiff upper lip assistant who is probably the sexiest woman alive – heat personified I say.

Some people believe that Ocean’s Thirteen is the best of the 3 parts. I would be inclined to agree purely due to the way Soderbergh has made it contemporary – a fact that most directors forget by the time they are in the 3rd part of a hugely successful series. They tend to get a bit over confident but with people like Soderbergh one can be quite certain that the guard will not be let down. Quite certainly, there is enough appetite that people have for Ocean’s Fourteen but I guess we may not get it. I for one am game but only if it is the same cast and crew. 7.5 on 10 for Thirteen.

Watch the trailer at http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi1654522137/

Cast                 George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Bernie Mac, Elliott Gould, Casey Affleck, Scott Caan, Eddie Jemison, Shaobo Qin, Carl Reiner, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, Andy Garcia, Julia Roberts, Al Pacino, Ellen Barkin, Eddie Izzard

Oceans Twleve

Although Steven Soderbergh didn’t make it very obvious that there was a sequel in the offing when he closed Ocean’s Eleven, it is the sheer method of making the movie that left all options open for the makers. And why just a sequel? Why not sequels would have been a thought always. I for one believe that the contract was signed with the cast and crew for 3 movies irrespective of whether 3 were made or not. It was then just a matter of time to get the right idea in place to maximize what can be generated from a bunch of nearly twenty immensely talented actors. Can anyone confirm this minor conspiracy theory?
Ocean’s Eleven had about 13 very well known faces. Ocean’s Twelve sees the addition of a fantastic face. One of favouritest (if there is a term like that) faces of a lot of people. One who can easily pass off as a South American beauty but is actually Welsh!!! Now how much of a campaign can that be for welsh women!!! We are – for the record – talking about Catherine Zeta Jones, who plays the role of the Interpol officer, Isabel Lahiri. OK now she pulls off being Turkish as well.

We also see the introduction of the charismatic (as if there wasn’t enough of it) and the extremely talented (as if there wasn’t enough of that either) Vincent Cassel. A little bit of French never hurt anyone right. Only makes things more exotic – maybe sultry. Cassel plays the wily François Toulour aka The Night Fox whose only ambition in life is to be known as the best thief ever to have lived. So when his mentor Jaspar LeMarque arguably the best thief to have ever lived doesn’t object to a claim that Daniel Ocean and his team pulled off the biggest heist ever @ the Bellagio, his ego gets the better of him. And he breaks the #1 rule – never rant on a fellow thief.

Ocean’s Twelve takes off pretty much from where Ocean’s Eleven left in terms of all aspects of film making. Soderbergh lends the consistency to the fabric of the movie with his inimitable style and at the same time ensures that he has kept in touch with the times to ensure that the movie looks and feels contemporary. The signature editing and the superb music seem to be blend in beautifully into the final product – the benchmark for which was set in the previous part itself.

Does it live upto the billing of Eleven? Probably falls a tad short but mind you – only a tad. Not terribly short in any manner. A well balanced effort overall which unlike reglar sequels, retains the essence of the first part and adds value in terms of movie making to the 2nd part. It is probably the freshness of the story which falls just a bit short and hence my rating of 7 on 10. Where Eleven was something most people in the audience were watching for the first time as a concept, Twelve didn’t have the novelty. Definitely worth watching despite this gap. Playing on WB TV – Channel 353 on Tata Sky

Watch the trailer at http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi1989804313/

Cast                 George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Bernie Mac, Elliott Gould, Casey Affleck, Scott Caan, Eddie Jemison, Shaobo Qin, Carl Reiner, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, Andy Garcia, Julia Roberts, Michael Delano, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Robbie Coltrane, Vincent Cassel, Eddie Izzard, Albert Finney

Oceans Eleven

I have always wondered what the original Ocean’s Eleven would be like. From what I hear, it was stunning to say the least. From what I hear as well, Steven Soderbergh’s tribute, 40 years since the release of the original was equally brilliant, if not better. I haven’t seen the original and for my money’s worth, the 2001 version is one of the better movies made in the past decade. It is fast paced, slick, super funny, extremely stylish, with loads of eye candy for both genders, contemporary, believable and yet totally edge of the seat – kind of like the James Bond of thievery – for lack of any other words to describe what I had seen. Considering that I had the great fortune of watching both Ocean’s Eleven and Twelve back to back last night, I thought it would be great to begin 2012 with the review of 2 classics. Old but evergreen.


For those who are unfamiliar with the concept and story (and believe me there would be quite a few out there who haven’t seen Ocean’s Eleven) of Ocean’s Eleven, the story revolves around Daniel Ocean (George Clooney) a conman par excellence who decides to rob three casino’s in one night. Did we mention that this was immediately after his release from prison? Danny doesn’t waste much time in rounding up his old cronies and I will not take up space here by calling out their names – suffice to say that each one of them is a great conman in his own right. And once they find a sponsor for their little adventure, it is only a matter of time before they really get down to executing their daring but as mentioned before – very believable plan.

Ocean’s Eleven is a fantastic story independent of any originals. The casting is simply superb. I am quite certain that there has been a tremendous amount of effort put into ensuring that the right people were picked up for each role. Maybe it was decided well in advance that there would be a trilogy and the cast was signed up for all of them put together. Smart idea I must say. Goes a long way in achieving consistency. Needless to say, the performances are simply superb. Each member of the cast has been given just the right amount of screen time irrespective of the stature of the star. And each one has delivered – no questions asked. Soderbergh can really take a course on how to manage multiple stars at one go – seems to have become his specialty of sorts after Ocean’s Eleven.

One of the hallmarks of Ocean’s Eleven would be the editing. The number of cuts in the first 10 minutes would make your head reel just that little bit but Soderbergh has stitched it all up so beautifully that it adds significantly to the intrigue. I am certain that if I would have paid more attention, there would be quite a few consistency errors but I can also vouch for the fact that it would not be visible to the human eye. And then there is the music which I have been searching for since I first saw the movie. It is one of the finest soundtracks used in a movie to date for my money’s worth.

Is Ocean’s Eleven Oscar material? Not by a country mile for any category. But is it an outright entertainer? No questions there for sure. I call it as 7.5 on 10. Playing on WB TV – Channel 353 on Tata Sky

Watch the trailer at http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi1822294297/

Cast                 George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Bernie Mac, Elliott Gould, Casey Affleck, Scott Caan, Eddie Jemison, Shaobo Qin, Carl Reiner, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, Andy Garcia, Julia Roberts, Michael Delano,