Sorry! Sorry!! Sorry!!! Like Really Really Really Sorry!!!! Most of all to Disney and more to the readers of this blog. It has been nearly a week since I saw the best animation movie of the year to date and I haven’t done anything to urge you folks to make your way to the nearest theatre to watch an absolutely gorgeous Red Haired Merida (Kelly Macdonald) ride through not the just the woods but into your hearts with absolute ease. And I know I sound like a fan boy but what the heck. I love animation and I love Disney Pixar. So all bias forgiven.
The essence of Brave – and there is no need to scream “Spoiler Alert” – is summarized in the last 2 lines of the movie. Something that all of us could actually take away a lot from. “Our fate lives within us. You only have to be BRAVE enough to see it”. That one line is what people keep giving us but very few of us are actually BRAVE. Princess Merida definitely was.
Not because Princess Merida was a brilliant archer – which wasn’t what a princess is supposed to be. Not because Princess Merida could ride like the wind (especially on her favourite steed Angus) – which wasn’t what a princess was supposed to be. Not because Princess Merida wanted her frizzled red hair to be open enough to breath (or for that matter her clothes) – which wasn’t what a princess was supposed to be.
It was because she had a belief in herself that pushed her to stall a wedding which was all but sealed in blood. A belief that got her to run away from home and do something really stupid i.e. get a witch to create a concoction that turns her mother into a bear. But the same belief that gets her to stand up to the situation and find a way out of the mess that she has got herself into.
Brenda Chapman was the first American woman to direct a full length animation feature film from a major studio in Prince of Egypt. Why did she stop is something I am not familiar with. But the magic that she created in 1996 is only magnified significantly with the use of technology that is accessible to us these days. She has also partnered in the screenplay with the lead directors Mark Andrews and Steve Purcell both of whom had no major experience in directing before. Surely Chapman was of great help.
Original music by Patrick Doyle (also the voice of Martin) & fabulous editing by Nicholas Smith come together to give us an extremely enjoyable movie from the house of Disney Pixar (tell me something new… yawn!!!...). The good news for us animation fans is that Dreamworks is also doing fabulously well. So one can expect more such blockbusters in the near future. 8 on 10 for Brave. Watch out for the slow motion release of the arrow when Merida challenges her suitors – makes the entire movie totally worth while.
Watch the trailer on http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi678863641/
Friday, 29 June 2012
Saturday, 23 June 2012
Teri Meri Kahaani
The last time a movie released with the initials TMK was the 24th December 2010. The twitter hashtag of that movie was actually changed to TMKN. I think Teri Meri Kahani has retained it as TMK. And the initials haven’t proved to be remotely as bad as the earlier movie landed up being. If you aren’t aware of the earlier blockbuster – in the literal sense of the word, it busted at the box office – it was called Tees Maar Khan. Kunal Kohli’s TMK however turns out to be a mush gusher from frame 1 without any undue delays whatsoever.
Spread over 102 years (yeah... a really long time), this TMK can be a fantastic question for a Match the following – the kinds we used to get in school. Match Rukhsar/ Aradhana / Radha with Krish / Javed / Govind. The correct answer would be the love stories of Rukhsar : Govind, Radha : Krish (the most obvious) and Javed : Aradhana. I wouldn’t expect you to know that unless u have seen the movie.
The first is set in a 1960s Bombay (that’s what it was called then and that’s what quite a few of us prefer to call it even now) which involves an aspiring musician who has no income and has put his life savings to stay in an expensive city for 3 months. He meets a gorgeous actress Rukhsar on the vintage train ride from Pune. Instant chemistry is followed by a predictable love triangle.
The second is set in 2012 London where Krish has broken up with his girlfriend Meera (Neha Sharma) on his birthday but bumps into Radha (how corny) over a case of alleged phone thievery. And as it happens only in the movies, they spend the entire night across several London night spots. Instant Chemistry. Another predictable Love Triangle. This time with Social Networking thrown in.
The third is set in 1910 Lahore where Javed is a vintage Casanova to who has no trouble unlocking the doors of nubile and gullible women. He believes that the Brits are actually doing a good job with India during the Raj. But all of this till he meets Aradhana as he is fleeing from the Brit officers after doing one of their daughters. Instant Chemistry. Thankfully no love triangle.
Good music from Sajid Wajid and the average soppy direction from Kunal Kohli are the hallmarks of Teri Meri Kahaani. Shahid Kapoor continues to raise doubts about his gene pool. Priyanka Chopra (and this is a thoroughly biased opinion) continues to dazzle with her looks and acting (ok I may have lied just a bit there). Not much of a rest of the cast. Kunal Kohli is also quick to take credit for a movie that has been inspired by the 2005 Taiwanese movie – Three Times.
If you like the soppy Kunal Kohli types morantinc Romaaans movies then this is the right way to spend Sunday afternoon. If not, then avoid it like the plague. 5 on 10 because it was reasonably made, not finished too well and the fact that I am sucker for romance.
Watch the movie on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBfk0MqD67s
Spread over 102 years (yeah... a really long time), this TMK can be a fantastic question for a Match the following – the kinds we used to get in school. Match Rukhsar/ Aradhana / Radha with Krish / Javed / Govind. The correct answer would be the love stories of Rukhsar : Govind, Radha : Krish (the most obvious) and Javed : Aradhana. I wouldn’t expect you to know that unless u have seen the movie.
The first is set in a 1960s Bombay (that’s what it was called then and that’s what quite a few of us prefer to call it even now) which involves an aspiring musician who has no income and has put his life savings to stay in an expensive city for 3 months. He meets a gorgeous actress Rukhsar on the vintage train ride from Pune. Instant chemistry is followed by a predictable love triangle.
The second is set in 2012 London where Krish has broken up with his girlfriend Meera (Neha Sharma) on his birthday but bumps into Radha (how corny) over a case of alleged phone thievery. And as it happens only in the movies, they spend the entire night across several London night spots. Instant Chemistry. Another predictable Love Triangle. This time with Social Networking thrown in.
The third is set in 1910 Lahore where Javed is a vintage Casanova to who has no trouble unlocking the doors of nubile and gullible women. He believes that the Brits are actually doing a good job with India during the Raj. But all of this till he meets Aradhana as he is fleeing from the Brit officers after doing one of their daughters. Instant Chemistry. Thankfully no love triangle.
Good music from Sajid Wajid and the average soppy direction from Kunal Kohli are the hallmarks of Teri Meri Kahaani. Shahid Kapoor continues to raise doubts about his gene pool. Priyanka Chopra (and this is a thoroughly biased opinion) continues to dazzle with her looks and acting (ok I may have lied just a bit there). Not much of a rest of the cast. Kunal Kohli is also quick to take credit for a movie that has been inspired by the 2005 Taiwanese movie – Three Times.
If you like the soppy Kunal Kohli types morantinc Romaaans movies then this is the right way to spend Sunday afternoon. If not, then avoid it like the plague. 5 on 10 because it was reasonably made, not finished too well and the fact that I am sucker for romance.
Watch the movie on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBfk0MqD67s
Gangs of Wasseypur
It is very difficult to find fault with the likes of Anurag Kashyap because more often than not, he makes masterpieces. Masterpieces which are fleshed out to the level of detail that leads to most people to interpret the movie as too slow. Like I mentioned to someone a couple of days back that movie makers such as Kashyap and Dibakar Banerjee put so much of emphasis on characters that the intensity often comes at the expense of pace and is not appreciated by most people. Gangs of Wasseypur is no different from any such movie that you have seen from Tipping Point productions.
GOW gets to the table the atypical commitment towards making a movie that one has come to associate with the likes of Anurag Kashyap only. The emphasis on each character and each frame is stunning. And in this case, Kashyap has gone to great levels to get the back story absolutely in place before moving on to the actual story, for which we will have to wait for a while. The back story itself has taken over 150 minutes of which the first 90 minutes itself gets to a point where you actually start to wonder – is there an interval to this movie? So on a not so serious note, ensure that you relieve yourself before the movie starts lest you are not able to hold back too long
The back story starts way back in the 1940s where the roots of Wasseypur are established. It is a small village on the outskirts of Dhanbad – primarily dominated by the Qureshis who gain their livelihood by robbing trains of the British Raj. A new smart alec Sultan Khan throws a cat amongst the pigeons and earns the wrath of the Qureshis who are actually butchers by profession.
He is banished from the village and starts to make a living in Coal Country where he is noticed by a new Thekedar (Contractor) Ramadhir Singh and taken under his wing. Sultan eventually gets eliminated by Ramadhir when inadvertently learns of Sultan’s ambitions to take over from him. Many moons later Ramadhir is a politician and Sultan’s son Saradar has grown in stature and slowly but surely starts avenging his father’s killer.
Part 1, spans 3 generations of the Khans and the Qureshis with Ramadhir being the constant feature across all of them. GOW, one may rightfully feel, is a bit stretched because after all of this, we still have another part to go. If there is a flaw, this would be it. And that in some scenese, Anurag’s human nature comes to the fore with some silly consistency errors and some even sillier factual errors. Albiet not visible to the normal human eye for certain.
One this is for certain though. The performances from every single person – lead or supporting is stunning – superb work by the Casting director – Mukesh Chhabra. The extras may not have done too well though which is very unlike Kashyap again. The screenplay is absolutely Jharkhandi and so is the music from Sneha Khanwalkar. Both keep the interest and humour alive in the movie which would otherwise have put the audiences to deep sleep. I was unable to catch the name of the editor but without the superb cuts, GOW would not have turned out to be a brilliantly finished movie.
That its an Anurag Kashyap movie in itself is enough reason to watch it. But that it is a very well made one will only make it better. But be prepared for the slow pace. 7.5 on 10 as of now. I may take the rating higher once I have watched 2. Mind you, watch 1 and you will not be able to skip 2. Enjoy!!! Oh yes, I forgot – extreme violence and super gory scenes – not for the light hearted.
Watch the trailer on http://www.youtube.com/user/Viacom18Movies?v=j-AkWDkXcMY
GOW gets to the table the atypical commitment towards making a movie that one has come to associate with the likes of Anurag Kashyap only. The emphasis on each character and each frame is stunning. And in this case, Kashyap has gone to great levels to get the back story absolutely in place before moving on to the actual story, for which we will have to wait for a while. The back story itself has taken over 150 minutes of which the first 90 minutes itself gets to a point where you actually start to wonder – is there an interval to this movie? So on a not so serious note, ensure that you relieve yourself before the movie starts lest you are not able to hold back too long
The back story starts way back in the 1940s where the roots of Wasseypur are established. It is a small village on the outskirts of Dhanbad – primarily dominated by the Qureshis who gain their livelihood by robbing trains of the British Raj. A new smart alec Sultan Khan throws a cat amongst the pigeons and earns the wrath of the Qureshis who are actually butchers by profession.
He is banished from the village and starts to make a living in Coal Country where he is noticed by a new Thekedar (Contractor) Ramadhir Singh and taken under his wing. Sultan eventually gets eliminated by Ramadhir when inadvertently learns of Sultan’s ambitions to take over from him. Many moons later Ramadhir is a politician and Sultan’s son Saradar has grown in stature and slowly but surely starts avenging his father’s killer.
Part 1, spans 3 generations of the Khans and the Qureshis with Ramadhir being the constant feature across all of them. GOW, one may rightfully feel, is a bit stretched because after all of this, we still have another part to go. If there is a flaw, this would be it. And that in some scenese, Anurag’s human nature comes to the fore with some silly consistency errors and some even sillier factual errors. Albiet not visible to the normal human eye for certain.
One this is for certain though. The performances from every single person – lead or supporting is stunning – superb work by the Casting director – Mukesh Chhabra. The extras may not have done too well though which is very unlike Kashyap again. The screenplay is absolutely Jharkhandi and so is the music from Sneha Khanwalkar. Both keep the interest and humour alive in the movie which would otherwise have put the audiences to deep sleep. I was unable to catch the name of the editor but without the superb cuts, GOW would not have turned out to be a brilliantly finished movie.
That its an Anurag Kashyap movie in itself is enough reason to watch it. But that it is a very well made one will only make it better. But be prepared for the slow pace. 7.5 on 10 as of now. I may take the rating higher once I have watched 2. Mind you, watch 1 and you will not be able to skip 2. Enjoy!!! Oh yes, I forgot – extreme violence and super gory scenes – not for the light hearted.
Watch the trailer on http://www.youtube.com/user/Viacom18Movies?v=j-AkWDkXcMY
Tuesday, 19 June 2012
Happy Birthday
I have always been a fan of short movies or what the academy terms as “Live Action Short”. And my love for them has only grown over the years. It is incredible what can be told through just simple frames which capture not just some deft screenplay but also so much in images that the viewer gets an extremely solid understanding of what is trying to be told. I experienced the same feeling during my visit down under where I saw a few short films which were absolutely mind blowing to say the least.
Sadly, the genre has some time to go in India. And the reason is not a lack of talent at all I must say. I promised a friend that I would watch his movie and put it up on my blog – I wonder why he believed that it would help – but a promise is a promise. So Tatha, here is my review of your first movie as an actor and my 2nd short film review on my blog.
Happy Birthday is the story of Shruti (Bidita Biswas) who is a twenty something young girl from Kolkata. She has been swept of her feet, albeit unconvincingly, a few years back by Vedant (Sumit Banerjee). A drama that was acted out in the middle of a by lane somewhere in the deep dark recesses of the City of Joy. Shruti is surprised at the middle of the road proposal but accepts it and a relationship begins. Like most relationships, this one also goes through the initial period of euphoria and a lot of excitement.
Vedant manages to surprise Shruti quite often, an aspect that goes really well with most women I am told. Most importantly, he makes Shruti feel special on her birthday. He does so convincingly the first time and then every subsequent time drops the excitement factor. First by coming late and then eventually by not even wishing her – now haven’t we heard this before .
This year on her birthday, he hasn’t even called her up – leave alone meeting her. Obviously Shruti is disappointed to no end. But is surprised at someone singing Happy Birthday to you suddenly in the still of the night. Shruti’s dead body is found the next morning.
Director Sumit Banerjee, also plays the role of Vedant, doesn’t leave too much to be guessed about his amateur status. Not just through a directorial attempt that can be described as very basic, but also because of his acceptance of very average performances all across. The only person who seems to have done a reasonable job is Bidita Biswas who plays the role of Shruti reasonably well.
None of the other performances appear natural at all. The screenplay is again below par and the use of music (including Metallica’s Sad But True) is good in patches. For an amateur attempt, Happy Birthday is not bad. One can easily say that there is a long way to go. But a lot of hard work would be required from the crew to take this to the next level. 4 on 10 and lots of best wishes to the team.
Watch the movie on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-DtXNmgaDg
Sadly, the genre has some time to go in India. And the reason is not a lack of talent at all I must say. I promised a friend that I would watch his movie and put it up on my blog – I wonder why he believed that it would help – but a promise is a promise. So Tatha, here is my review of your first movie as an actor and my 2nd short film review on my blog.
Happy Birthday is the story of Shruti (Bidita Biswas) who is a twenty something young girl from Kolkata. She has been swept of her feet, albeit unconvincingly, a few years back by Vedant (Sumit Banerjee). A drama that was acted out in the middle of a by lane somewhere in the deep dark recesses of the City of Joy. Shruti is surprised at the middle of the road proposal but accepts it and a relationship begins. Like most relationships, this one also goes through the initial period of euphoria and a lot of excitement.
Vedant manages to surprise Shruti quite often, an aspect that goes really well with most women I am told. Most importantly, he makes Shruti feel special on her birthday. He does so convincingly the first time and then every subsequent time drops the excitement factor. First by coming late and then eventually by not even wishing her – now haven’t we heard this before .
This year on her birthday, he hasn’t even called her up – leave alone meeting her. Obviously Shruti is disappointed to no end. But is surprised at someone singing Happy Birthday to you suddenly in the still of the night. Shruti’s dead body is found the next morning.
Director Sumit Banerjee, also plays the role of Vedant, doesn’t leave too much to be guessed about his amateur status. Not just through a directorial attempt that can be described as very basic, but also because of his acceptance of very average performances all across. The only person who seems to have done a reasonable job is Bidita Biswas who plays the role of Shruti reasonably well.
None of the other performances appear natural at all. The screenplay is again below par and the use of music (including Metallica’s Sad But True) is good in patches. For an amateur attempt, Happy Birthday is not bad. One can easily say that there is a long way to go. But a lot of hard work would be required from the crew to take this to the next level. 4 on 10 and lots of best wishes to the team.
Watch the movie on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-DtXNmgaDg
Sunday, 17 June 2012
Ferrari Ki Sawaari
It is a pity that the association of Parsis with the game of cricket has actually come down to levels where the only representation at an international level is through one umpire – Shahvir Tarapore. The last Parsi cricketer to play for India was our stylish wicket keeper batsman called Farookh Engineer. There were some illustrious names before that but of late there is not one person of Parsi origin who is even in a Ranji team. As I said – a pity because they get so much character to the field – any field that they get themselves into.
But Kayoze Rustom Deboo (Ritwik Sahore) hasn’t really heard of the big names in Parsi cricket. He has been bought up in the world of someone who most of India refers to as God and goes by the human name of Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar. Kayo in fact has no idea about how famous his Mota Papa (grandfather) Behram Deboo (Boman Irani) was in his hey days. And how he was actually deprived of a chance to play for India thanks to the devious ways of one Dilip Dharmadhikari (Paresh Rawal) who was actually his best friend when they were growing up.
Now Kayo is a brilliant #3 and is rated by many as one of the best school players in the city. He gets a chance to visit the mecca of cricket (read Lords) but Rustom (Sharman Joshi), Kayo’s father, needs to cough up Rs.1.5 lacs ($3000 approx) to send him. Now they may be staying in South Bombay (like most parsees) but they are not rich (like most parsees). A normal honest clerk @ the local Road Transport Office cannot afford this kind of money. But when Babbo Didi (Seema Bhargava) asks him to help in borrowing God’s Ferrari for a couple of days, the temptation of making Rs.1.5 lacs is too difficult for Rustom to resist.
The bitter-sweet story that follows is extremely endearing – like most movies that involve Vidhu Vinod Chopra movies. But what makes Ferrari Ki Sawaari a really good watch is the cast and screenplay. Nothing over the top whatsoever. No fancy dialogues – just simple and really funny ones thrown in for good measure. And a tremendous amount of consistency. For e.g. when God’s Ferrari gets towed away, from Mount Mary, it comes to the Bandra Towing area under the bridge and not some random place.
The performances are superb and more importantly sincere. I tweeted last night and I say this again. Is there any actor who is more versatile than Boman Irani in India today? The most entertaining performances came actually from the support cast in pairs. Akash Dabhade & Deepak Shirke as the servant and guard @ God’s home are hilarious. Seema Bhargava, Vijay Nikam and Nilesh Divekar give us some more funny moments as the wedding planner and the wedding party.
All in all, a true family entertainer and a movie that you will walk out of, feeling very good. The only flaw – stretch, stretcher and strechest – at least 45 mins could have been cut from the movie to make it really crisp. Out of the 45 minutes would be 5 minutes of an absolutely wasted view of Vidya Balan’s midriff. But then this is what sells I guess. Wonder why VVC was getting so worked up about Rowdy Rathore’s success? 6.5 on 10 and definitely worth it not just for the family entertainment but also notably shows the plight of even cricketers who have played the highest level in India but don’t seem to have existed. Well done Rajesh Mapuskar for a debut movie - very well done.
Trailer on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyU34nS9Ztw
But Kayoze Rustom Deboo (Ritwik Sahore) hasn’t really heard of the big names in Parsi cricket. He has been bought up in the world of someone who most of India refers to as God and goes by the human name of Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar. Kayo in fact has no idea about how famous his Mota Papa (grandfather) Behram Deboo (Boman Irani) was in his hey days. And how he was actually deprived of a chance to play for India thanks to the devious ways of one Dilip Dharmadhikari (Paresh Rawal) who was actually his best friend when they were growing up.
Now Kayo is a brilliant #3 and is rated by many as one of the best school players in the city. He gets a chance to visit the mecca of cricket (read Lords) but Rustom (Sharman Joshi), Kayo’s father, needs to cough up Rs.1.5 lacs ($3000 approx) to send him. Now they may be staying in South Bombay (like most parsees) but they are not rich (like most parsees). A normal honest clerk @ the local Road Transport Office cannot afford this kind of money. But when Babbo Didi (Seema Bhargava) asks him to help in borrowing God’s Ferrari for a couple of days, the temptation of making Rs.1.5 lacs is too difficult for Rustom to resist.
The bitter-sweet story that follows is extremely endearing – like most movies that involve Vidhu Vinod Chopra movies. But what makes Ferrari Ki Sawaari a really good watch is the cast and screenplay. Nothing over the top whatsoever. No fancy dialogues – just simple and really funny ones thrown in for good measure. And a tremendous amount of consistency. For e.g. when God’s Ferrari gets towed away, from Mount Mary, it comes to the Bandra Towing area under the bridge and not some random place.
The performances are superb and more importantly sincere. I tweeted last night and I say this again. Is there any actor who is more versatile than Boman Irani in India today? The most entertaining performances came actually from the support cast in pairs. Akash Dabhade & Deepak Shirke as the servant and guard @ God’s home are hilarious. Seema Bhargava, Vijay Nikam and Nilesh Divekar give us some more funny moments as the wedding planner and the wedding party.
All in all, a true family entertainer and a movie that you will walk out of, feeling very good. The only flaw – stretch, stretcher and strechest – at least 45 mins could have been cut from the movie to make it really crisp. Out of the 45 minutes would be 5 minutes of an absolutely wasted view of Vidya Balan’s midriff. But then this is what sells I guess. Wonder why VVC was getting so worked up about Rowdy Rathore’s success? 6.5 on 10 and definitely worth it not just for the family entertainment but also notably shows the plight of even cricketers who have played the highest level in India but don’t seem to have existed. Well done Rajesh Mapuskar for a debut movie - very well done.
Trailer on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyU34nS9Ztw
Saturday, 16 June 2012
Rock of Ages
It has been a really long time since we have got the opportunity to watch a musical in the purest sense of the word. And whats more, I cannot reemeber the last time I saw a musical which was based solely on Rock!!! School of Rock technically was a Rock movie but not really a musical all the way. Rock of Ages addresses that gap – and does it quite well I must say.
Drew Boley (Diego Boneta) is an aspiring musician who has found his way to the most sought after night spot on the famous or should we say infamous “strip” @ Los Angeles. Its called The Bourbon. A place that has been the launch pad for many an artist of the past few years. Chief amongst them being the lead singer of a band called “Arsenal” – Stacee Jaxx (Tom Cruise). A rock star par excellence. A star whose fame precedes him like nothing else. A fame that makes women throw themselves at him and give up every single piece of their honour and self respect like no one else can. But even Jaxx has his nuances and is going through a really rough patch.
Coming into the scene early on is Sherrie Christian who comes to LA to make a name for herself in the music world and of course the Bourbon is the place she would ideally like to start off with. However, the small town girl gets robbed of all her records on the strip. And guess what – as luck would have it – right in front of the Bourbon. And right when Drew is on the other side of the road. Drew finds her a job @ the Bourbon despite the resistance from Bourbon’s owner – Dennis Dupree (Alec Baldwin).
On the other side, there is the recently elected mayor Mike Whitmore (Bryan Cranston) whose campaign mantra has been cleaning the city of everything that can be harmful to their kids. And chief among the clean up targets is the strip. He is not only supported but also leading the charge is his wife Patricia (Catherine Zeta Jones) who seems to be obsessed with shutting The Bourbon down.
One of the better musicals in recent times and definitely one worth watching, Rock of Ages show cases some really good talent in mixing new age lyrics with some totally classic rock. Don’t look much at direction or acting talent per se. Although there is sufficient amounts of the latter. Nothing much that Adam Shankman could have got to the table per se. But he is definitely saved with some solid performances from the entire cast. I particularly liked Baldwin and Russel Brand. I give it 6.5 on 10. Watch it.
Trailer on http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi956080153/
Drew Boley (Diego Boneta) is an aspiring musician who has found his way to the most sought after night spot on the famous or should we say infamous “strip” @ Los Angeles. Its called The Bourbon. A place that has been the launch pad for many an artist of the past few years. Chief amongst them being the lead singer of a band called “Arsenal” – Stacee Jaxx (Tom Cruise). A rock star par excellence. A star whose fame precedes him like nothing else. A fame that makes women throw themselves at him and give up every single piece of their honour and self respect like no one else can. But even Jaxx has his nuances and is going through a really rough patch.
Coming into the scene early on is Sherrie Christian who comes to LA to make a name for herself in the music world and of course the Bourbon is the place she would ideally like to start off with. However, the small town girl gets robbed of all her records on the strip. And guess what – as luck would have it – right in front of the Bourbon. And right when Drew is on the other side of the road. Drew finds her a job @ the Bourbon despite the resistance from Bourbon’s owner – Dennis Dupree (Alec Baldwin).
On the other side, there is the recently elected mayor Mike Whitmore (Bryan Cranston) whose campaign mantra has been cleaning the city of everything that can be harmful to their kids. And chief among the clean up targets is the strip. He is not only supported but also leading the charge is his wife Patricia (Catherine Zeta Jones) who seems to be obsessed with shutting The Bourbon down.
One of the better musicals in recent times and definitely one worth watching, Rock of Ages show cases some really good talent in mixing new age lyrics with some totally classic rock. Don’t look much at direction or acting talent per se. Although there is sufficient amounts of the latter. Nothing much that Adam Shankman could have got to the table per se. But he is definitely saved with some solid performances from the entire cast. I particularly liked Baldwin and Russel Brand. I give it 6.5 on 10. Watch it.
Trailer on http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi956080153/
Sunday, 10 June 2012
Snow White and the Huntsman
How many adaptations of Snow White in a single year. 2 already. Mirror Mirror and now Snow White and the Huntsman. And news is that Disney is already planning a re-mastered release of the original animation this year. Technically, Mirror Mirror released last year world over and came into this country a wee bit later. So I guess it is one adaptation a year. The good news though is that all of them have been really well made and distinctly different from the other. Not just for getting news bites which say, “We have a different take on Snow White” but a serious attempt at differentiation.
Snow White and the Huntsman, is my first experience with a version of the fairy tale which is distinctly action oriented and not soppy fairy tale types. It begins with the story of Ravenna (Charlize Theron) who is saved by the king and taken back home to be the queen. But little does the king know that he is adding to the list of Ravenna’s victims to date. Ravenna’s desire to stay young forever drives her to move from kingdom to kingdom and she uses her power and magic to suck the youth out of young girls at frequent intervals. She takes over from the king and jails his daughter Snow White.
Many years later, when Snow White turns 18 and the mirror has to inform Ravenna that she is not the fairest anymore, Ravenna sends her brother to get Snow White. However Snow White escapes into the Dark Forest where Ravenna’s powers are useless. So she sends a desperate huntsman (Chris Hemsworth) after her by promising him a life time of joy and happiness by bringing his wife back to life. And so the chase begins.
This time around, the emphasis on the dwarves is very minimal. Although we have the likes of Ian McShane and Bob Hoskins playing them, their part is restricted to less than 25% of the movie. There are other aspects such as the sinister nature of the Dark Forest and the village of women who have scarred themselves in an attempt to stay alive have been given a lot of screen time.
And that’s what makes this version very watchable to say the least. Add to these twists, a finale that has an amazing set of special effects. Actually made me wonder why this was never released in 3D in India. Would have been brilliant. Something that debutante director Rupert Sanders missed out on I guess. And surprisingly too. Because he had only Charlize Theron to play with in the cast – who was brilliant as Ravenna – but the rest of the lead cast with the insipid Kirstin Stewart and plastic Chris Hemsworth gave him nothing much to play with. As such, it didn’t matter because the movie was well made and entertaining for certain. 6 on 10 and worth a dekko I say.
Trailer on http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi2494275609/
Snow White and the Huntsman, is my first experience with a version of the fairy tale which is distinctly action oriented and not soppy fairy tale types. It begins with the story of Ravenna (Charlize Theron) who is saved by the king and taken back home to be the queen. But little does the king know that he is adding to the list of Ravenna’s victims to date. Ravenna’s desire to stay young forever drives her to move from kingdom to kingdom and she uses her power and magic to suck the youth out of young girls at frequent intervals. She takes over from the king and jails his daughter Snow White.
Many years later, when Snow White turns 18 and the mirror has to inform Ravenna that she is not the fairest anymore, Ravenna sends her brother to get Snow White. However Snow White escapes into the Dark Forest where Ravenna’s powers are useless. So she sends a desperate huntsman (Chris Hemsworth) after her by promising him a life time of joy and happiness by bringing his wife back to life. And so the chase begins.
This time around, the emphasis on the dwarves is very minimal. Although we have the likes of Ian McShane and Bob Hoskins playing them, their part is restricted to less than 25% of the movie. There are other aspects such as the sinister nature of the Dark Forest and the village of women who have scarred themselves in an attempt to stay alive have been given a lot of screen time.
And that’s what makes this version very watchable to say the least. Add to these twists, a finale that has an amazing set of special effects. Actually made me wonder why this was never released in 3D in India. Would have been brilliant. Something that debutante director Rupert Sanders missed out on I guess. And surprisingly too. Because he had only Charlize Theron to play with in the cast – who was brilliant as Ravenna – but the rest of the lead cast with the insipid Kirstin Stewart and plastic Chris Hemsworth gave him nothing much to play with. As such, it didn’t matter because the movie was well made and entertaining for certain. 6 on 10 and worth a dekko I say.
Trailer on http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi2494275609/
Madagascar – Europe’s Most Wanted
There is an interesting piece of trivia that I bumped across over the past few days of Madagascar advertisements on the radio. What are the team of Alex (Ben Stiller), Marty (Chris Rock), Melman (David Schwimmer) and Gloria (Jada Pinkett Smith) called collectively? If you said Zoosters then you are right. If not, then you haven’t been listening to the radio. I guess one cannot underplay the popularity of a lion, a zebra, a giraffe and a hippopotamus together on the screen. With their past 2 roaring successes, it was only obvious that a 3rd edition was around the corner. And it has only added to the previous 2 blockbusters.
Madagascar 3 – Europe’s Most Wanted is definitely going to be loved by one and all. I can assure you that I found it quite difficult to stop laughing my guts out. The Zoosters are in their natural habitat (Africa) but are severely homesick. So they decide to all head back “home” i.e. New York. But for that, they have to first find the Penguins who are in Monte Carlo blowing up all their money. Their Mission Impossible type attempt to grab the penguins turns into a public riot. And in walks their worst nightmare ever to date – Captain Chantel DuBois (Frances McDormand) of the Monte Carlo
DuBois has the reputation of having the head of almost all animals in the world on the wall. All but for the king of the jungle. And the prospect of capturing Alex is just to mouth watering for her. The chase takes the Zoosters and DuBois all through Europe’s exotic locations. En route, the gang meets up with a travelling circus which they also buy out and then go to work to repair the confidence of a bunch of animals who have not been so low in their lives.
Madagascar 3 introduces some new characters such as Vitaly (Bryan Cranston) the Russian tiger who can pass through a ring, Stefano (Martin Short) an Italian Sea Lion and the gorgeous East European cheetah Gia (Jessica Chastain) amongst others. The strike team of our 4 heroes are brilliant as they have been.
Primarily due to the consistency factor yet again. Eric Darnell & Tom McGrath who directed the earlier editions of this brilliant comic caper are joined by Conrad Vernon of Shrek2 & Monsters v Aliens fame. The 3 team up to give an awesome sequel and will definitely be back with more in the not so distant future for certain. For those who are Madagascar fans, the brilliant dialogues continue. For those who aren’t – u will be tempted to convert for certain. 7.5 on 10. That rounds up a brilliant weekend at the movies after a really long time. Three movies. Three scores of 7.5. Aaaah the joys of cinema!!!!
Watch the trailer at http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi1169137689/
Madagascar 3 – Europe’s Most Wanted is definitely going to be loved by one and all. I can assure you that I found it quite difficult to stop laughing my guts out. The Zoosters are in their natural habitat (Africa) but are severely homesick. So they decide to all head back “home” i.e. New York. But for that, they have to first find the Penguins who are in Monte Carlo blowing up all their money. Their Mission Impossible type attempt to grab the penguins turns into a public riot. And in walks their worst nightmare ever to date – Captain Chantel DuBois (Frances McDormand) of the Monte Carlo
DuBois has the reputation of having the head of almost all animals in the world on the wall. All but for the king of the jungle. And the prospect of capturing Alex is just to mouth watering for her. The chase takes the Zoosters and DuBois all through Europe’s exotic locations. En route, the gang meets up with a travelling circus which they also buy out and then go to work to repair the confidence of a bunch of animals who have not been so low in their lives.
Madagascar 3 introduces some new characters such as Vitaly (Bryan Cranston) the Russian tiger who can pass through a ring, Stefano (Martin Short) an Italian Sea Lion and the gorgeous East European cheetah Gia (Jessica Chastain) amongst others. The strike team of our 4 heroes are brilliant as they have been.
Primarily due to the consistency factor yet again. Eric Darnell & Tom McGrath who directed the earlier editions of this brilliant comic caper are joined by Conrad Vernon of Shrek2 & Monsters v Aliens fame. The 3 team up to give an awesome sequel and will definitely be back with more in the not so distant future for certain. For those who are Madagascar fans, the brilliant dialogues continue. For those who aren’t – u will be tempted to convert for certain. 7.5 on 10. That rounds up a brilliant weekend at the movies after a really long time. Three movies. Three scores of 7.5. Aaaah the joys of cinema!!!!
Watch the trailer at http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi1169137689/
Prometheus
3 movies released this weekend and I got the chance to watch all 3 of them. The one I picked last night was Ridley Scott’s much awaited multi starrer – Prometheus. Once again it was an opportunity to see a master director with a style that’s clearly differentiated from any other director. You will not find it too difficult to identify a movie from Ridley Scott if you are in a quiz. He has maintained the same style over the past 30 plus years.
Whether it was Blade Runner or Aliens in the Sci Fi genre or the more serious American Gangster, there is an attention to detail that would amaze most people. In the Sci Fi genre where Ridley Scott seems most comfortable with, the quality of the effects have gone sky rocketing with the increase of technology available. However, the basic essence of slowly building up tempo to a stunning crescendo and leaving enough room to build a franchise at the end of the day. Prometheus is no different.
Prometheus revolves around the basic question that has dogged mankind for eons as of now – Where did it all begin? Where did we come from? Do we blindly accept 200 years of Darwinism or do we look upon it with the skepticism that we have always looked at things around us? All it takes is Dr. Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace) and Dr. Charlie Holloway (Logan Marshall-Green) to stumble upon some interesting murals dated back to over 3000 years in Scotland in the year 2098 to raise questions. A pattern clearly emerges around murals discovered across the world that points to a galaxy trillions of miles away.
It takes a very rich man – Peter Weyland puts his financial muscle behind Shaw and Holloway. A space mission over a 2 year period on a shuttle called Prometheus finds itself in the same planet indicated by the patterns. The planet is extremely similar to earth and could actually give us answers that we have been searching for.
Prometheus is, as always an extremely well made Ridley Scott movie. The emphasis on the alien beings is again – as always – very high. The detailing of every single feature is stunning. And therefore, the fear of what the being is capable of is supreme. Right from the small and insignificant looking worm to a gory octopus like being or the thing that is left behind at the end of it all that looks like the alien from Scott’s earlier movie of the same name – everything has the stamp of Ridley Scott on it. Now all you need to do, is to find your way to the IMAX Screen to maximize the impact. 7.5 on 10 again. Superb.
Watch the trailer at http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi2405016345/
Whether it was Blade Runner or Aliens in the Sci Fi genre or the more serious American Gangster, there is an attention to detail that would amaze most people. In the Sci Fi genre where Ridley Scott seems most comfortable with, the quality of the effects have gone sky rocketing with the increase of technology available. However, the basic essence of slowly building up tempo to a stunning crescendo and leaving enough room to build a franchise at the end of the day. Prometheus is no different.
Prometheus revolves around the basic question that has dogged mankind for eons as of now – Where did it all begin? Where did we come from? Do we blindly accept 200 years of Darwinism or do we look upon it with the skepticism that we have always looked at things around us? All it takes is Dr. Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace) and Dr. Charlie Holloway (Logan Marshall-Green) to stumble upon some interesting murals dated back to over 3000 years in Scotland in the year 2098 to raise questions. A pattern clearly emerges around murals discovered across the world that points to a galaxy trillions of miles away.
It takes a very rich man – Peter Weyland puts his financial muscle behind Shaw and Holloway. A space mission over a 2 year period on a shuttle called Prometheus finds itself in the same planet indicated by the patterns. The planet is extremely similar to earth and could actually give us answers that we have been searching for.
Prometheus is, as always an extremely well made Ridley Scott movie. The emphasis on the alien beings is again – as always – very high. The detailing of every single feature is stunning. And therefore, the fear of what the being is capable of is supreme. Right from the small and insignificant looking worm to a gory octopus like being or the thing that is left behind at the end of it all that looks like the alien from Scott’s earlier movie of the same name – everything has the stamp of Ridley Scott on it. Now all you need to do, is to find your way to the IMAX Screen to maximize the impact. 7.5 on 10 again. Superb.
Watch the trailer at http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi2405016345/
The Grey
Director Joe Carnahan is best known for his last block buster action flick which was most well received. It was called The A Team. Packed with edge of the seat action sequences and a pace that was quite difficult to keep up with, The A Team was every boy’s dream come true – a man movie in the truest sense of the word. Carnahan should have stuck to that formula when he moved on to direct The Grey.
Don’t get me wrong. What he does very well is create a huge fear of probably the largest of all canine species – the Alaskan Wolf. He builds it in a manner that borders on being super eerie and spine chilling. The villain in this movie is not a human being but a hungry bunch of wolves who find themselves with a juicy target – a bunch of humans who are all but shattered because their plane crashed into the middle of nowhere. Middle of Nowhere for us humans but for the wolves it’s their home and when fresh meat arrives – they feast.
And if it the irony in the world was not sufficient, one of the survivors of the crash is Ottway (Liam Neeson) who is actually a wolf tracker by profession and suddenly finds himself in a position that is totally unfamiliar. He has turned from being a tracker to being the one who is tracked. Not just unfamiliar but scary as hell. Would the wolves be able to sense the fact that here is a man who actually takes most of their kin away? And would they, if they sense it, focus their energies on getting him by putting their collective might behind running Ottway and the others to the ground? Whether the former is true or not is immaterial because the latter is.
The Grey is a movie that joins a list which doesn’t release in this country along with the rest of the world. It has taken over 6 months to find its way here. But when you see it, one can probably understand the reason for the delay or skepticism from the distributors. There is, as the name of the movie suggests, a lot left to the interpretation of the audience – especially the end which I thought was really well done. Something that the average Indian audience doesn’t take too kindly to.
Add to this, while Liam Neeson is the central character, he doesn’t really have the clear mantle of the hero. It is the joint effort from 7 men who are trying their best to survive against nature. And compared to the A Team, this moves at a snail’s pace with some action sequences thrown in as garnish. Overall, a good movie but nothing really mind blowing. I give it 6 on 10. Watch it if you can.
Trailer on http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi2672533017/
Don’t get me wrong. What he does very well is create a huge fear of probably the largest of all canine species – the Alaskan Wolf. He builds it in a manner that borders on being super eerie and spine chilling. The villain in this movie is not a human being but a hungry bunch of wolves who find themselves with a juicy target – a bunch of humans who are all but shattered because their plane crashed into the middle of nowhere. Middle of Nowhere for us humans but for the wolves it’s their home and when fresh meat arrives – they feast.
And if it the irony in the world was not sufficient, one of the survivors of the crash is Ottway (Liam Neeson) who is actually a wolf tracker by profession and suddenly finds himself in a position that is totally unfamiliar. He has turned from being a tracker to being the one who is tracked. Not just unfamiliar but scary as hell. Would the wolves be able to sense the fact that here is a man who actually takes most of their kin away? And would they, if they sense it, focus their energies on getting him by putting their collective might behind running Ottway and the others to the ground? Whether the former is true or not is immaterial because the latter is.
The Grey is a movie that joins a list which doesn’t release in this country along with the rest of the world. It has taken over 6 months to find its way here. But when you see it, one can probably understand the reason for the delay or skepticism from the distributors. There is, as the name of the movie suggests, a lot left to the interpretation of the audience – especially the end which I thought was really well done. Something that the average Indian audience doesn’t take too kindly to.
Add to this, while Liam Neeson is the central character, he doesn’t really have the clear mantle of the hero. It is the joint effort from 7 men who are trying their best to survive against nature. And compared to the A Team, this moves at a snail’s pace with some action sequences thrown in as garnish. Overall, a good movie but nothing really mind blowing. I give it 6 on 10. Watch it if you can.
Trailer on http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi2672533017/
Saturday, 9 June 2012
Shanghai (Hindi 2012)
We are slowly but very surely making our way towards a style of directions which will very soon be classified under a different genre. A genre that will go with the initials of DB. He is just 4 movies old or should I say 4 movies young but Dibakar Banerjee has given us enough and more to feel really good about. Starting from Khosla Ka Ghosla, he has always entertained us with his signature style of directing. One that doesn’t push the movie to the limits of speed that the audience that can be pushed to but takes the absolute easy paced way of entertainment. One that ensures that each scene is shown for just the right amount of time – flirting with the arty farty long shots at times but never going overboard. A style that I am personally getting very addicted to and am enjoying every bit of.
If there is a fault I can find with Shanghai then it would be with its pace. DB tends to get a wee bit carried away in getting the intensity up. With the whirring of the fan in the background of a seriously intense scene or with the Clock ticking in the background of an intense hospital scene where Ahmedi (Prosenjit) is fighting to stay alive. The other aspect would have been that the performances from the extras looked forced in a couple of scenes. Barring this, Shanghai is near perfect.
Shanghai is a political drama if ever there was one. Ahmedi is a social activist who is campaigning for the fair treatment of people who are being relocated from Bharat Nagar for building a new SEZ. He realizes that the people are getting a raw deal from the ruling coalition. Of course the coalition is not planning on keeping mum and has him disposed off. And then puts up an enquiry commission to save face. But… the commission is led by a person with an elephantine memory called T A Krishnan (Abhay Deol).
Emraan Hashmi delivers on the confidence that DB put onto him in his picture perfect execution of Jogi Parmar, a sleazy photographer. Abhay Deol yet again convincingly executes the role of a South Indian IAS officer who is struggling to come to terms with being on the right side of the politicians but on the wrong side of his values. The rest of the cast has names which have always been dependable and continue to be so.
I had predicted a very good movie in Shanghai. But now I am rephrasing my judgement. Shanghai will finish in the top 5 movies of the year for sure. And it may be remembered for quite some time to come. And mind you that is primarily due to DB’s ice cold, fluent and effortless direction. Right now, I am only wondering how good Gangs of Wasseypur will turn out to be. At 7.5 on 10 Shanghai is going to be a tough act to beat.
Watch the trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3VRi50BLgc
If there is a fault I can find with Shanghai then it would be with its pace. DB tends to get a wee bit carried away in getting the intensity up. With the whirring of the fan in the background of a seriously intense scene or with the Clock ticking in the background of an intense hospital scene where Ahmedi (Prosenjit) is fighting to stay alive. The other aspect would have been that the performances from the extras looked forced in a couple of scenes. Barring this, Shanghai is near perfect.
Shanghai is a political drama if ever there was one. Ahmedi is a social activist who is campaigning for the fair treatment of people who are being relocated from Bharat Nagar for building a new SEZ. He realizes that the people are getting a raw deal from the ruling coalition. Of course the coalition is not planning on keeping mum and has him disposed off. And then puts up an enquiry commission to save face. But… the commission is led by a person with an elephantine memory called T A Krishnan (Abhay Deol).
Emraan Hashmi delivers on the confidence that DB put onto him in his picture perfect execution of Jogi Parmar, a sleazy photographer. Abhay Deol yet again convincingly executes the role of a South Indian IAS officer who is struggling to come to terms with being on the right side of the politicians but on the wrong side of his values. The rest of the cast has names which have always been dependable and continue to be so.
I had predicted a very good movie in Shanghai. But now I am rephrasing my judgement. Shanghai will finish in the top 5 movies of the year for sure. And it may be remembered for quite some time to come. And mind you that is primarily due to DB’s ice cold, fluent and effortless direction. Right now, I am only wondering how good Gangs of Wasseypur will turn out to be. At 7.5 on 10 Shanghai is going to be a tough act to beat.
Watch the trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3VRi50BLgc
Saturday, 2 June 2012
Rowdy Rathore
How many movies do you know that has most songs which are foot tapping to say the least. And also have an item number with 3 item girls….yes… not 1, not 2 but 3 item girls. And in one song!!!! And 3 hot looking ones at that – Mumait Khan, Maryam Zakaria and Shakti Mohan.
How many movies do you know which not only had the music as above but also had a lead actor in a double role. Yes!!! As if one Akshay Kumar was not enough. We have 2 Akshay Kumars!!!! And not only all that but also improves your vocabulary with words such as “Lapadjhandi” (now don’t ask me what that means).
How many movies do you know that have all of the above mixed with an absolute masala story line that involves a thief called Shiva (AK1) who is a spitting image of an inspector called Vikram Rathore (AK2). Rathore has been killed trying to save a village from the clutches of a goon (Nasser) but one of the villagers sees Shiva in Mumbai city and informs the goon that Rathore is still alive. The chase then begins.
How many movies do you know that have all of the above and have an extremely solid dose of brilliant action. The sequences (action ones) are choreographed extremely well in true South Indian style that sees the bad men flying through the air with just one kick from the hero. That sees the use of some of the most exotic weapons which have ever been used in Indian cinema.
How many movies do you know that have all of the above and have actually been made in 4 languages before Bollywood caught up with it? In fact Bollywood could catch up only after the Hindi dubbing called PRATIGHAT - A REVENGE. The Telugu film, VIKRAMARKUDU, was also made in Tamil as SIRUTHAI, in Kannada as VEERA MADAKARI and in Bengali as BIKRAM SINGHA: THE LION IS BACK.
And how many such masala movies do you know which were produced by Sanjay Leela Bhansali and directed by PrabhuDeva? That more or less zeroes down on what makes Rowdy Rathore not just unique but one of the better made movies in recent times. My respect for Prabhudeva as a director has gone up manifold because most of the times, directors forget that finishing is an extremely crucial aspect of movie making. So what if it was a masala movie. And Prabhudeva scores full points there.
Music by Sajid Wajid & Sandeep Chowtha background score are the icing on the cake. Watch Rowdy Rathore because you like complete masala movies. But you will like it because it has been well made indeed. 6 on 10 as a movie. 8 on 10 for full entertainment. Worth a dekko.
Trailer on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCAcU3p9GNo
How many movies do you know which not only had the music as above but also had a lead actor in a double role. Yes!!! As if one Akshay Kumar was not enough. We have 2 Akshay Kumars!!!! And not only all that but also improves your vocabulary with words such as “Lapadjhandi” (now don’t ask me what that means).
How many movies do you know that have all of the above mixed with an absolute masala story line that involves a thief called Shiva (AK1) who is a spitting image of an inspector called Vikram Rathore (AK2). Rathore has been killed trying to save a village from the clutches of a goon (Nasser) but one of the villagers sees Shiva in Mumbai city and informs the goon that Rathore is still alive. The chase then begins.
How many movies do you know that have all of the above and have an extremely solid dose of brilliant action. The sequences (action ones) are choreographed extremely well in true South Indian style that sees the bad men flying through the air with just one kick from the hero. That sees the use of some of the most exotic weapons which have ever been used in Indian cinema.
How many movies do you know that have all of the above and have actually been made in 4 languages before Bollywood caught up with it? In fact Bollywood could catch up only after the Hindi dubbing called PRATIGHAT - A REVENGE. The Telugu film, VIKRAMARKUDU, was also made in Tamil as SIRUTHAI, in Kannada as VEERA MADAKARI and in Bengali as BIKRAM SINGHA: THE LION IS BACK.
And how many such masala movies do you know which were produced by Sanjay Leela Bhansali and directed by PrabhuDeva? That more or less zeroes down on what makes Rowdy Rathore not just unique but one of the better made movies in recent times. My respect for Prabhudeva as a director has gone up manifold because most of the times, directors forget that finishing is an extremely crucial aspect of movie making. So what if it was a masala movie. And Prabhudeva scores full points there.
Music by Sajid Wajid & Sandeep Chowtha background score are the icing on the cake. Watch Rowdy Rathore because you like complete masala movies. But you will like it because it has been well made indeed. 6 on 10 as a movie. 8 on 10 for full entertainment. Worth a dekko.
Trailer on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCAcU3p9GNo
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