My first memory of Patrick Dempsey was when he was all of 25 years young in a movie called Run (remember that movie starring Sanjay Dutt & Urmila titled Daud? Now you know that even the name was ripped off). That was over 20 years back. But most of you would know him as McDreamy a.k.a. Dr.Sheperd from Grey’s Anatomy. Well, for those who fall in the latter category, let me assure you that Dempsey’s repertoire extends far beyond the walls of Seattle Grace Hospital.
Made of Honor (MoH) is one of Dempsey’s more recent movies. He plays the role of the Casanova – Tom, who is best friends with Hannah (Michelle Monaghan). Yep. They have never heard of that Salman Khan one liner – Ek Jawan Ladka aur Ek Jawan Ladki kabhi dost nahin ho sakte (A young man and a young girl can never be “just friends”).
Or hasn’t he? Over a casual conversation with his friends, Tom realizes that the years that he has spent with Hannah, since their college days, are actually a good enough indication that he should consider moving from being just friends to much more. All of this, when Hannah is in Scotland for some personal work for over a month.
Tom lands up @ the airport specifically with the intent of telling that it is time to move to the next level. But instead, he is introduced to Colin (Kevin McKidd) – a Scottish Lord, an owner of a distillery and a lot of land in Scotland, with a line of royalty of sorts in the family and most importantly, Hannah’s fiancé. The wedding is in 15 days. And guess who is going to be the MoH and therefore best placed to break up a wedding?
Paul Weiland has been a Television director for most of his life and his claim to fame can be only some parts of the Mr. Bean series. So, I guess it was expected to have a TV like feel and nothing spectacular in terms of direction. With that expectation you would not fall short. In fact with that expectation, MoH is a very reasonable movie. Average on most counts and feel good at the end of it all.
The movie does have some interesting points (cannot call them high points). Patrick Dempsey juggling China, Kevin McKidd dunking in a basketball game, and of course the Scottish strongman tradition (amongst several others) where Tom fails miserably to say the least. But the best has to be Grandma Pearl and her pleasure beads. And of course – riding a horse into the altar as part of the climax. 6 on 10 for all of these.
Watch the trailer at http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi3081896217/
Saturday, 29 December 2012
Friday, 28 December 2012
Jack Reacher
A nanny – Chrissy – who stayed back for a week more because one of the most important person in the world – the six year old she takes care of – wanted her to stay back for her seventh birthday.
A middle aged cleaner at a hyper market –Vida – who is struggling to make ends meet but wants her son to watch a basketball game as a birthday present and was on her way to the stadium to buy tickets.
A stoic owner of a construction company – Oline – who hates her business but takes over the reins of a dying enterprise when her husband kicks the bucket – deep in debt.
A husband – Darren – who leaves home in the morning after a fight with his wife but apparently wanted to make it up to her and bought flowers on the way to work (funnily).
A woman – Nancy – who is about to celebrate her 10th wedding anniversary and has just picked up an expensive watch as a present for her husband and is walking down the pier without any care in the world.
What is common to all of the above? James Barr. A twenty something Iraq return sniper. Who has probably lost his bonkers and one fine morning decides to drive down to a desolate building facing the pier, pay for his parking and take all 5 of them out over a couple of minutes tops.
In the bargain, he leaves enough evidence at the scene of the crime that points towards him. And in a matter of 16 hours gets caught by the cops. When asked to confess, he simply writes on a piece of paper – CALL JACK REACHER (Tom Cruise).
Based on a book titled – One Shot – by Lee Child, Jack Reacher is the story of the protagonist of the same name who is an army investigator. He sees something amiss where everyone else sees an open and shut case. He doesn’t care much for the law but only about what is right and wrong. And goes to great lengths to protect the right. Much like a super hero but only human.
Written for the screen by Christopher McQuarrie (Known more for writing – Usual Suspects / Valkyrie), JR is definitely not McQuarrie’s best to date. He builds up the suspense extremely well for certain and leaves you waiting for the story to move to the next angle. The first few minutes have no dialogues and yet a lot spoken – very well done. But somehow, it doesn’t come upto the level of excitement that a Valkyrie or Usual Suspects generates.
A tough act to follow for certain but it could have been – with some right casting. Rosamund Pike seems over anxious to prove a point and looks very unconvincing throughout the movie. Tom Cruise is surprisingly composed but average – which is the best he can get to. And the support cast doesn’t contribute too much either.
In short, well written, reasonably directed, good story line but falls short primarily due to performances. Despite that, definitely worth a watch. 7 on 10. Make it a part of your weekend.
Watch the trailer at http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi1158194201/
A middle aged cleaner at a hyper market –Vida – who is struggling to make ends meet but wants her son to watch a basketball game as a birthday present and was on her way to the stadium to buy tickets.
A stoic owner of a construction company – Oline – who hates her business but takes over the reins of a dying enterprise when her husband kicks the bucket – deep in debt.
A husband – Darren – who leaves home in the morning after a fight with his wife but apparently wanted to make it up to her and bought flowers on the way to work (funnily).
A woman – Nancy – who is about to celebrate her 10th wedding anniversary and has just picked up an expensive watch as a present for her husband and is walking down the pier without any care in the world.
What is common to all of the above? James Barr. A twenty something Iraq return sniper. Who has probably lost his bonkers and one fine morning decides to drive down to a desolate building facing the pier, pay for his parking and take all 5 of them out over a couple of minutes tops.
In the bargain, he leaves enough evidence at the scene of the crime that points towards him. And in a matter of 16 hours gets caught by the cops. When asked to confess, he simply writes on a piece of paper – CALL JACK REACHER (Tom Cruise).
Based on a book titled – One Shot – by Lee Child, Jack Reacher is the story of the protagonist of the same name who is an army investigator. He sees something amiss where everyone else sees an open and shut case. He doesn’t care much for the law but only about what is right and wrong. And goes to great lengths to protect the right. Much like a super hero but only human.
Written for the screen by Christopher McQuarrie (Known more for writing – Usual Suspects / Valkyrie), JR is definitely not McQuarrie’s best to date. He builds up the suspense extremely well for certain and leaves you waiting for the story to move to the next angle. The first few minutes have no dialogues and yet a lot spoken – very well done. But somehow, it doesn’t come upto the level of excitement that a Valkyrie or Usual Suspects generates.
A tough act to follow for certain but it could have been – with some right casting. Rosamund Pike seems over anxious to prove a point and looks very unconvincing throughout the movie. Tom Cruise is surprisingly composed but average – which is the best he can get to. And the support cast doesn’t contribute too much either.
In short, well written, reasonably directed, good story line but falls short primarily due to performances. Despite that, definitely worth a watch. 7 on 10. Make it a part of your weekend.
Watch the trailer at http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi1158194201/
Wednesday, 26 December 2012
American History X
How many times have we seen or heard of a point of view that seemed absolutely ridiculous and immediately taken a stance against it. And at all points of time, there is a simple piece of learning that we had all through school – there are always 2 sides to the story. Simple but yet too difficult to digest.
Especially when you are faced with the prospect of going head on against a neo-Nazi, shaven head, hot blooded young man who believes that ethnic races have all but invaded the US of A and are responsible for ALL the problems that the country is facing today. All of this is fuelled by the fact that he lost his father – a fire fighter – at age eighteen leaving him with the responsibility of handling a slightly warped family.
Derek Vinyard (Edward Norton) picks up the cause for the white man at a very early age. He is extremely influenced by Cameron Alexander (Stacy Keach) who is a smart operator who doesn’t have age on his side but surely has the strength of experience and capability to manipulate young white blood.
After his father is killed, Derek joins the movement with a vengeance and ensures that all ethnic communities are put through as much suffering as possible. So ransacking a supermarket that has been taken over by a Korean is just part of a day’s work for Derek. He is the uncrowned king in a manner of speaking.
All going reasonably well till a few African American goons decide to steal from him. Derek kills them and in the bargain gets 3 years in prison. Along the way, his brother Danny (Edward Furlong) also joins the white supremacists. But when Derek gets out of jail, he seems to be a completely changed man and no one is able to figure out why.
I speak a lot about intensity in my blogs and Tony Kaye gets that aspect bang on. He has used Edward Norton to the hilt. I have always believed that Ed Norton is a superb actor. Especially in roles that are dark or grey. There is a sinister tinge in him that makes your blood crawl in a weird way (Primal Fear). And he has given the character of Danny the harsh intensity that makes you hate him from the first shot itself.
It is not for some random reason that American History X is one of the top 500 movies on imdb. I only wonder why Tony Kaye never got around to making a better movie. Some brilliant work in AHX. Aspects like using black and white over colour in flashbacks just gives the movie just that additional seriousness it needs. All of it with a clear message at the end of it all. Not too many movies can claim that. 8 on 10. Must Watch it you haven’t.
Watch the trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UV0VEstvjMM
Especially when you are faced with the prospect of going head on against a neo-Nazi, shaven head, hot blooded young man who believes that ethnic races have all but invaded the US of A and are responsible for ALL the problems that the country is facing today. All of this is fuelled by the fact that he lost his father – a fire fighter – at age eighteen leaving him with the responsibility of handling a slightly warped family.
Derek Vinyard (Edward Norton) picks up the cause for the white man at a very early age. He is extremely influenced by Cameron Alexander (Stacy Keach) who is a smart operator who doesn’t have age on his side but surely has the strength of experience and capability to manipulate young white blood.
After his father is killed, Derek joins the movement with a vengeance and ensures that all ethnic communities are put through as much suffering as possible. So ransacking a supermarket that has been taken over by a Korean is just part of a day’s work for Derek. He is the uncrowned king in a manner of speaking.
All going reasonably well till a few African American goons decide to steal from him. Derek kills them and in the bargain gets 3 years in prison. Along the way, his brother Danny (Edward Furlong) also joins the white supremacists. But when Derek gets out of jail, he seems to be a completely changed man and no one is able to figure out why.
I speak a lot about intensity in my blogs and Tony Kaye gets that aspect bang on. He has used Edward Norton to the hilt. I have always believed that Ed Norton is a superb actor. Especially in roles that are dark or grey. There is a sinister tinge in him that makes your blood crawl in a weird way (Primal Fear). And he has given the character of Danny the harsh intensity that makes you hate him from the first shot itself.
It is not for some random reason that American History X is one of the top 500 movies on imdb. I only wonder why Tony Kaye never got around to making a better movie. Some brilliant work in AHX. Aspects like using black and white over colour in flashbacks just gives the movie just that additional seriousness it needs. All of it with a clear message at the end of it all. Not too many movies can claim that. 8 on 10. Must Watch it you haven’t.
Watch the trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UV0VEstvjMM
15 Minutes
Director (The Death and Life of Bobby Z)
Cast
Year 2001
Genre Action
15 Minutes deals with a topic that has probably been spoken about over the past decade to death. In my limited knowledge, 15 Minutes could have been the first movie to deal with the topic. What is the extent to which the media can go to generate stories? What is acceptable and what is not? In the race for the highest TRP is it acceptable to take someone’s life?
Detective Eddie Flemming (Robert De Niro) is one of New York’s finest cops. Well at least he is the most popular if not the best there is. Why is that? He ensures that crime scenes are well covered by the news channels. So, the media gets there as quickly as he does. How cool is that? For the media that is. In return, he gets repeatedly featured in the important news segment and a show that is run by the famous Robert Hawkins (Kelsey Grammer).
As Eddie is going about his day to day attention grabbing activities, 2 Eastern Europeans have made their way into New York City to settle some old scores. A Russian by the name of Emil Slovak (Karel Roden) and a Czech guy called Oleg Razgul (Oleg Taktarov). They are bank robbers and have come to NYC to track down an old partner in crime. A bank robbery from back home which left Emil and Oleg serving hard time.
Oleg is also a movie buff and doesn’t take time to steal a camera from a store. And when they find out that there is no money left (how surprising), Emil decides to cut open his old friend and wife. And as if that was not enough, they torch the place down. But Daphne (Vera Farmiga) sees this from the apartment across. Of course Emil and Oleg cannot take any prisoners.
The amazing part about the story as it unfolds is the manner in which Oleg and Emil actually take advantage of the rot that has set in the system to sell the footage of the killings and some more that they get done along the way to Robert Hawkins’ channel for a mere $1 million. Awesome isn’t it? Harsh truth I guess.
15 Minutes is one of the better movies on the topic. It is of course helped with some strong performances led by the man who played The Raging Bull and ably supported by Edward Burns & Kelsey Grammer. Karel Roden makes your blood crawl & cringe. Oleg Taktarov is more amusing than fearsome – exactly like his character should be. There is also a fleeting glance of the amazingly talented Charlize Theron.
In all, 15 Minutes is a decent watch. The performances prop up the movie to a level that it would not have been able to reach otherwise. But there is something missing in John Herzfeld’s direction that I am unable to place a finger on. Therefore, I will go with a 6 on 10. Watchable on DVD.
Watch the trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCa4c8D5THc
Saturday, 22 December 2012
Dabanng 2
Did you know that in a Zeus phone you can play songs and the package includes a camera as well? And did you know that in that phone, you cannot figure out that your own son is calling you to poke fun by pretending to be a woman who is cheating on her husband.
And did you know that the only way to be Dabanng other than being Salman Khan is to buy a Suzuki Hayate? Did you also know that you need to buy insurance to keep the future of your family safe? In fact, you can buy insurance products where you will earn continuously after death as well.
Did you also know that Hajmola is the best cure for an upset stomach? And that you could have more Hajmola to cure an upset stomach because of having too much Hajmola. And lets not forget www.xoom.com. That’s the latest word in money transfer. It gets your money across to your loved ones within 24 hours!!! WOW!!! I mean how cool is that? 24 hours??? Who could have thought of that???
Lastly, did you know that it takes a few weeks for Makkhi Singh (Arbaaz Khan) to figure out it was he who came back from the jungle. Oh come on!!! What am I ranting about? Maybe it is just my frustration and disappointment with all the irrelevant crap that I was put through for over 2 hours!!! Thankfully it was just a little over 2 hours but the 40 mins for ads and fillers also contributed
By now you would have figured out that there is very little to speak about in Dabanng 2. I know sequels are difficult to make and especially if you do not have the same director (Abhinav Singh Kashyap). But in case of Dabanng 2, it didn’t matter much. Arbaaz was as bad. Actually he was probably a bit better also. But that could not compensate for an absolutely stale story.
There was a title song, a street romaans (romance) song, a song in Dubai, a song with cops getting drunk and an item song. All by Sajid Wajid. Al sounded near identical if not actually identical. There were a few fight scenes. Actually lesser that Dabanng. And this time they weren’t even believable. Either ways, I should not have expected too much. Disappointing. It will do well but nowhere close to Dabanng. 3 on 10.
Watch the trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nPN1M9zVcI
And did you know that the only way to be Dabanng other than being Salman Khan is to buy a Suzuki Hayate? Did you also know that you need to buy insurance to keep the future of your family safe? In fact, you can buy insurance products where you will earn continuously after death as well.
Did you also know that Hajmola is the best cure for an upset stomach? And that you could have more Hajmola to cure an upset stomach because of having too much Hajmola. And lets not forget www.xoom.com. That’s the latest word in money transfer. It gets your money across to your loved ones within 24 hours!!! WOW!!! I mean how cool is that? 24 hours??? Who could have thought of that???
Lastly, did you know that it takes a few weeks for Makkhi Singh (Arbaaz Khan) to figure out it was he who came back from the jungle. Oh come on!!! What am I ranting about? Maybe it is just my frustration and disappointment with all the irrelevant crap that I was put through for over 2 hours!!! Thankfully it was just a little over 2 hours but the 40 mins for ads and fillers also contributed
By now you would have figured out that there is very little to speak about in Dabanng 2. I know sequels are difficult to make and especially if you do not have the same director (Abhinav Singh Kashyap). But in case of Dabanng 2, it didn’t matter much. Arbaaz was as bad. Actually he was probably a bit better also. But that could not compensate for an absolutely stale story.
There was a title song, a street romaans (romance) song, a song in Dubai, a song with cops getting drunk and an item song. All by Sajid Wajid. Al sounded near identical if not actually identical. There were a few fight scenes. Actually lesser that Dabanng. And this time they weren’t even believable. Either ways, I should not have expected too much. Disappointing. It will do well but nowhere close to Dabanng. 3 on 10.
Watch the trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nPN1M9zVcI
Saturday, 15 December 2012
The Last Act
Trust Anurag Kashyap to come up with an idea that can be best described as superb!!! One story that spans 12 cities. So what does Kashyap do? He decides to make the movie with 12 up and coming directors. One for each city. Now how cool is that for an idea?
So at around 3 in the morning… or it could be 2… or was it 4 am? Well, whatever the time was – a bunch of cops on their regular beat route find a dead body of a person who is quite smashed up. In the literal sense of the word. His face is smashed up beyond any recognition. Like someone has actually done a Raman Raghav on him – if you know what I mean.
With little there could have been done – the cops pick up the body and put it in the back side of their van along with some pieces of evidence. Their fear is that the public will start coming in (so I guess it was 4 am) and cannot handle such a gruesome sight.
Full points on that count but how in the blazes can you pick up a body from the middle of the road without any preliminary police work being done on site? And could you have made the body look a bit more realistic!!! This body looked like a large stuffed toy. Nevertheless, putting that basic error (that will eliminate The Last Act from the running for the Oscars) behind us, lets look at what the cops find along with the body.
A pamphlet of an English speaking course from Ghaziabad, A bank pay in slip from Kolkata, A mobile phone with a Delhi number, A pair of spectacles from Kalyan (close to Mumbai), An obituary about a surgeon and a godman, something written in Chinese on a pamphlet of a hotel from Chandigarh, An id card from an organization in Bangalore, A photograph of a weighing bridge in Hisar (Haryana), A watch with a sticker from a Lucknow dealer, A ticket from Bangalore to Chennai & a Coat from a tailor in Gwalior – Phew!!!
The next 2 hours covers how these things are all inter linked in some way to reach the eventual climax – The Last Act.
While there maybe several errors and some silly cost cutting measures, the story and the performances more than make up for it. The ensemble cast is simply superb. The only story I didn’t get was the one in Chandigarh – a bit too esoteric for my taste. The tempo is built up beautifully and while 12 directors leave their own stamp, the end product is seamless. Watch it because it is a different concept and well executed. 7 on 10. Definitely in my top 10 for the year. May squeeze into Top 5.
Watch the trailer at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTBKbxbNrWU
So at around 3 in the morning… or it could be 2… or was it 4 am? Well, whatever the time was – a bunch of cops on their regular beat route find a dead body of a person who is quite smashed up. In the literal sense of the word. His face is smashed up beyond any recognition. Like someone has actually done a Raman Raghav on him – if you know what I mean.
With little there could have been done – the cops pick up the body and put it in the back side of their van along with some pieces of evidence. Their fear is that the public will start coming in (so I guess it was 4 am) and cannot handle such a gruesome sight.
Full points on that count but how in the blazes can you pick up a body from the middle of the road without any preliminary police work being done on site? And could you have made the body look a bit more realistic!!! This body looked like a large stuffed toy. Nevertheless, putting that basic error (that will eliminate The Last Act from the running for the Oscars) behind us, lets look at what the cops find along with the body.
A pamphlet of an English speaking course from Ghaziabad, A bank pay in slip from Kolkata, A mobile phone with a Delhi number, A pair of spectacles from Kalyan (close to Mumbai), An obituary about a surgeon and a godman, something written in Chinese on a pamphlet of a hotel from Chandigarh, An id card from an organization in Bangalore, A photograph of a weighing bridge in Hisar (Haryana), A watch with a sticker from a Lucknow dealer, A ticket from Bangalore to Chennai & a Coat from a tailor in Gwalior – Phew!!!
The next 2 hours covers how these things are all inter linked in some way to reach the eventual climax – The Last Act.
While there maybe several errors and some silly cost cutting measures, the story and the performances more than make up for it. The ensemble cast is simply superb. The only story I didn’t get was the one in Chandigarh – a bit too esoteric for my taste. The tempo is built up beautifully and while 12 directors leave their own stamp, the end product is seamless. Watch it because it is a different concept and well executed. 7 on 10. Definitely in my top 10 for the year. May squeeze into Top 5.
Watch the trailer at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTBKbxbNrWU
The Hobbit – An Expected Journey
I wonder what the problem was last morning and surprisingly there is no coverage over the press about the delay in the screening of The Hobbit across Mumbai yesterday. That is the reason this blog has been delayed by nearly 24 hours. What should have gone up last afternoon @ the same time is going up today. Sorry folks. Some problem between the distributor and movie screens I am told. But no idea about the truth. Anyone?
Having said that, my joy knew no bounds when I walked upto the PVR counter in Mulund later last night and was told that the screening has started. Yipee!!! And although I did walk in a minute after the start, I was completely in awe of what I walked into as soon as I did. One would have thought that the magic that Peter Jackson have woven with LOTR would be difficult to continue with? You could not have been further from the truth!!!
The Hobbit (for those who are unaware), like LOTR is broken down into 3 parts – A Unexpected Journey, The Desolation of Smaug and There & Back Again. It is (again for those who are unaware), a precursor to LOTR. If I were Peter Jackson, I would have probably made this before ;) :-p .
Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) – a Hobbit, is smoking a pipe and blowing smoke rings in yet another laid back, lovely morning in the shire when a very tall person in a grey cloak with a long grey flowing beard and a grey pointy hat, wielding a staff that is as long, walks upto him asking if he is ready to go on an adventure. The tall man is of course Gandalf the Grey (Ian Mckellan). But, Baggins, being the Hobbit that he is declines – not so politely at that. You see Hobbits are not the adventurous kinds.
But the sly Gandalf ensures that the Dwarves led by Thorin (Richard Armitage), son of Thráin, son of Thrór, make themselves welcome @ Baggins’ place. They share with Baggins their plan to travel to The Lonely Mountain – the Dwarves erstwhile homeland – that is currently guarded by the deadly Dragon Smaug. If anything, Baggins, freaks out more and refuses to accompany them. But the Took (his mother) blood in him ensures that he joins the gang the next morning – The Unexpected Journey.
There are 2 kinds of people in the world. Those who love The Lord of The Rings & those who do not know about The Lord of The Rings – if you know about it, you cannot, not love it. The Hobbit falls into a similar category mix. And no one but for Peter Jackson could have bought this project to life with the same consistency. It is a visual treat and definitely in line for the top 10 of the year. It may not win because The Academy may want to pick something different.
One cannot help but have the same feeling that you had at the end of The Fellowship of the Ring. This 3 part affair gets really irritating. You want to see all parts at one go. IMMEDIATELY. But then That’s Peter Jackson for you. So, if you want to watch the next 2 parts – 2013 and 2014 Christmas it will have to be. 8.5 on 10.
Watch the trailer at http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi650683417/
Having said that, my joy knew no bounds when I walked upto the PVR counter in Mulund later last night and was told that the screening has started. Yipee!!! And although I did walk in a minute after the start, I was completely in awe of what I walked into as soon as I did. One would have thought that the magic that Peter Jackson have woven with LOTR would be difficult to continue with? You could not have been further from the truth!!!
The Hobbit (for those who are unaware), like LOTR is broken down into 3 parts – A Unexpected Journey, The Desolation of Smaug and There & Back Again. It is (again for those who are unaware), a precursor to LOTR. If I were Peter Jackson, I would have probably made this before ;) :-p .
Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) – a Hobbit, is smoking a pipe and blowing smoke rings in yet another laid back, lovely morning in the shire when a very tall person in a grey cloak with a long grey flowing beard and a grey pointy hat, wielding a staff that is as long, walks upto him asking if he is ready to go on an adventure. The tall man is of course Gandalf the Grey (Ian Mckellan). But, Baggins, being the Hobbit that he is declines – not so politely at that. You see Hobbits are not the adventurous kinds.
But the sly Gandalf ensures that the Dwarves led by Thorin (Richard Armitage), son of Thráin, son of Thrór, make themselves welcome @ Baggins’ place. They share with Baggins their plan to travel to The Lonely Mountain – the Dwarves erstwhile homeland – that is currently guarded by the deadly Dragon Smaug. If anything, Baggins, freaks out more and refuses to accompany them. But the Took (his mother) blood in him ensures that he joins the gang the next morning – The Unexpected Journey.
There are 2 kinds of people in the world. Those who love The Lord of The Rings & those who do not know about The Lord of The Rings – if you know about it, you cannot, not love it. The Hobbit falls into a similar category mix. And no one but for Peter Jackson could have bought this project to life with the same consistency. It is a visual treat and definitely in line for the top 10 of the year. It may not win because The Academy may want to pick something different.
One cannot help but have the same feeling that you had at the end of The Fellowship of the Ring. This 3 part affair gets really irritating. You want to see all parts at one go. IMMEDIATELY. But then That’s Peter Jackson for you. So, if you want to watch the next 2 parts – 2013 and 2014 Christmas it will have to be. 8.5 on 10.
Watch the trailer at http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi650683417/
Friday, 14 December 2012
The Collection
Have you guys seen the SAW series? If you haven’t and you come from my school of thought then you are lucky. If you have and you come from my school of thought then you may not want to experiment with The Collection. If you have and loved it then you should see The Collector (2009) first and then watch The Collection (2012). Simple 3 case scenarios I guess to figure out what you are going to do over the weekend. Especially because some silly distributors have decided to play the fool and not release The Hobbit this weekend.
Now, the writer of The Saw (Parts 4 through 7) and Piranhaa 3DD is a guy called Marcus Dunstan. It would seem that Mr. Dunstan, in his spare time also directs movies. The 2 that he has to his credit are The Collector and The Collection. And the smart fellow has left the option open for another. Maybe The Collective (corny – I know :-p).
Elena (Emma Fitzpatrick) is the daughter of a rich man. A very rich man. Considering that she stays in a mansion (and I am mincing my words here). She is waiting for her boyfriend to pick her up for a night about town when he calls and cancels. As luck would have it, her friend lands up just in time to get into an underground discotheque – one that needs a password to enter (I almost burst out laughing here).
Arkin (Josh Stewart) is a small time criminal. He has disappeared from the surface of the earth. Chances are that he has been picked up by a serial killer who is running rampant. A really sick person who doesn’t seem to have a modus operandi. He kidnaps people and no one knows what he does with them. Man, Woman, Child – it doesn’t matter. Police are baffled and have no clue where to look for the guy (my 2nd instance of laughter).
Now, obviously when Elena goes to a password only place, the killer man is there. This time with some fancy gadgets and booby traps which kill the entire place – well almost – save for Elena. And guess who he has stowed away in a crate at the same venue? Arkin!!! Arkin escapes. Elena gets captured. Elena’s dad hires strike team to get her back. Guess who they go to? Arkin again!!!
After all of this, if you still want to watch The Collection then you are indeed a sucker for punishment. There are psycho killer movies and there are psycho killer movies which turn out to be more comical than horrifying. This is clearly the latter. Little or no direction. No essence of screenplay or the likes of it. A lousy story to add to your misery. And wait a second – total absence of acting or anything remotely close. Even more reason for you to hunt down the distributors of The Hobbit and make them suffer. Really suffer!!!! 2 on 10.
Watch the trailer at http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi2982913049/
Now, the writer of The Saw (Parts 4 through 7) and Piranhaa 3DD is a guy called Marcus Dunstan. It would seem that Mr. Dunstan, in his spare time also directs movies. The 2 that he has to his credit are The Collector and The Collection. And the smart fellow has left the option open for another. Maybe The Collective (corny – I know :-p).
Elena (Emma Fitzpatrick) is the daughter of a rich man. A very rich man. Considering that she stays in a mansion (and I am mincing my words here). She is waiting for her boyfriend to pick her up for a night about town when he calls and cancels. As luck would have it, her friend lands up just in time to get into an underground discotheque – one that needs a password to enter (I almost burst out laughing here).
Arkin (Josh Stewart) is a small time criminal. He has disappeared from the surface of the earth. Chances are that he has been picked up by a serial killer who is running rampant. A really sick person who doesn’t seem to have a modus operandi. He kidnaps people and no one knows what he does with them. Man, Woman, Child – it doesn’t matter. Police are baffled and have no clue where to look for the guy (my 2nd instance of laughter).
Now, obviously when Elena goes to a password only place, the killer man is there. This time with some fancy gadgets and booby traps which kill the entire place – well almost – save for Elena. And guess who he has stowed away in a crate at the same venue? Arkin!!! Arkin escapes. Elena gets captured. Elena’s dad hires strike team to get her back. Guess who they go to? Arkin again!!!
After all of this, if you still want to watch The Collection then you are indeed a sucker for punishment. There are psycho killer movies and there are psycho killer movies which turn out to be more comical than horrifying. This is clearly the latter. Little or no direction. No essence of screenplay or the likes of it. A lousy story to add to your misery. And wait a second – total absence of acting or anything remotely close. Even more reason for you to hunt down the distributors of The Hobbit and make them suffer. Really suffer!!!! 2 on 10.
Watch the trailer at http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi2982913049/
Friday, 7 December 2012
Playing for Keeps
When you have the name Gabriele Muccino associated with your movie, you have to expect a lot of – and I really mean it when I say it – A LOT OF TEARS. He has that innate capability to build in moments that are poignant and force your lachrymal glands into overtime action. And if you don’t believe me then you have to watch Pursuit of Happyness and Seven Pounds.
But, if you walk into the screen expecting a tear jerker but intense movie like what you have seen Muccino make in the past – you are in for one hell of a shock. Playing for Keeps has only some amounts of background music that shows some semblance of his previous work. If anything, PFK, looks more like Nancy Myers has somehow found her way into Muccino’s mind.
Now don’t get me wrong. I am a huge Nancy Myers fan. But Muccino is expected to get some really intense and gut wrenching scenes into the movie. He is supposed to make you think about stuff. He is supposed to make you debate about right and wrong. Not trail the life of an erstwhile soccer player who is separated from his wife and kid and is now looking at some kind of redemption by trying to get back with them.
George Dryer (Gerard Butler) is our victim of a failed marriage. A famous soccer star in from Scotland in his hey days, his relationship with the love of his life – Stacie (Jessica Biel) – has always been strained thanks to his priorities being slightly warped. It has nothing to do with the fact that Stacie comes from across the Atlantic. However, when the marriage fails, George makes the arduous trip across the Herring Pond to do the right thing – finally.
He tries his hand at sports-casting without success. And after watching his son Lewis’ (Noah Lomax) soccer coach teaching the wrong things, he steps in to be the school soccer coach. Of course, doing that comes with its benefits (read – 3 soccer moms). Denise (Catherine Zeta Jones), Patti (Uma Thurma) & Barb (Judy Greer) are either divorced or cheating on husbands with guess who – George!!! – I thought you would never guess.
By now, you are sure that this is anything but a Muccino movie right? So you will agree with the disappointment that I faced. However, to its credit, it is only the story that is not Muccino. Everything else is. I am also convinced that if there is a serious romance movie that you need a lead actor for then Gerard Butler has to be your man. No one else can get the male emotions of being in love better than Butler. And of course it is an added benefit for you women that he is eye candy. 6 on 10. Decent watch. But wait for the DVD.
Watch the trailer at http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi3070338073/
But, if you walk into the screen expecting a tear jerker but intense movie like what you have seen Muccino make in the past – you are in for one hell of a shock. Playing for Keeps has only some amounts of background music that shows some semblance of his previous work. If anything, PFK, looks more like Nancy Myers has somehow found her way into Muccino’s mind.
Now don’t get me wrong. I am a huge Nancy Myers fan. But Muccino is expected to get some really intense and gut wrenching scenes into the movie. He is supposed to make you think about stuff. He is supposed to make you debate about right and wrong. Not trail the life of an erstwhile soccer player who is separated from his wife and kid and is now looking at some kind of redemption by trying to get back with them.
George Dryer (Gerard Butler) is our victim of a failed marriage. A famous soccer star in from Scotland in his hey days, his relationship with the love of his life – Stacie (Jessica Biel) – has always been strained thanks to his priorities being slightly warped. It has nothing to do with the fact that Stacie comes from across the Atlantic. However, when the marriage fails, George makes the arduous trip across the Herring Pond to do the right thing – finally.
He tries his hand at sports-casting without success. And after watching his son Lewis’ (Noah Lomax) soccer coach teaching the wrong things, he steps in to be the school soccer coach. Of course, doing that comes with its benefits (read – 3 soccer moms). Denise (Catherine Zeta Jones), Patti (Uma Thurma) & Barb (Judy Greer) are either divorced or cheating on husbands with guess who – George!!! – I thought you would never guess.
By now, you are sure that this is anything but a Muccino movie right? So you will agree with the disappointment that I faced. However, to its credit, it is only the story that is not Muccino. Everything else is. I am also convinced that if there is a serious romance movie that you need a lead actor for then Gerard Butler has to be your man. No one else can get the male emotions of being in love better than Butler. And of course it is an added benefit for you women that he is eye candy. 6 on 10. Decent watch. But wait for the DVD.
Watch the trailer at http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi3070338073/
Khiladi 786
Lets start by recounting the entire list.
1. Khiladi – 1992
2. Main Khiladi Tu Anari – 1994
3. Sabse Bada Khiladi – 1995
4. Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi – 1996
5. Mr. & Mrs. Khiladi – 1997
6. International Khiladi – 1999
7. Khiladi 420 – 2000
Am I missing something here? I thought there were more but could find only 7 as of now. It has been 20 years since the first one but there is none that has come remotely close to the excitement that was generated with the first in the franchise.
Lets cut from the gut wrenching excitement of a murder mystery (remember it was 1992 and Khiladi was a good movie then) to a slapstick comedy in which Akshay Kumar pretends to do a Rajnikanth. You know my sentiments when someone tries to ape the great man no knowing that the closest they can come to is be an ape!!! Put these 2 in perspective and you have a disaster in the making.
Lets view some classic examples of atrocious dialogues
1. Duniya mein teen cheez aise hai jo hoti hai lekin koi dekh nahin sakta – Bhooton ka sansaar, sachcha wala pyaar aur Bahattar Singh (AK) ki raftaar (there are 3 things that exist in the world but no one can see – The world of ghosts, true love and the speed of 72 Singh – yes his name is 72)
2. Jilla (District) Malkanpur, Gaon (village) Taasi, Sar par haath rab ka (God’s hand on my head) aur haath pe Saat Sau Chhiyaasi (number 786 – god’s number – on my hands)
3. Bachpan se chhod ta aa raha hoon. Bag lekar school gaya toh master ne kaha School chhod doh. Bat Ball leke cricket khelne gaya toh doston ne kaha cricket chhod doh. Scooter leke ghar se nikla toh padosi ne kaha Malad chhod doh (I will not even bother to translate that one)
At the end of it all, K786 lands up being a cheap imitation of Dabanng and the great man. AK – please remember the next time. There was, is and can be only one Chulbul Pandey and that rule doesn’t change even remotely for Rajnikanth. So respect that space and create one of your one.
The only saving grace – believe it or not – is Himes Bhai’s moosik and his acting (pretty decent). How Mithun Da finds accepts such cheesy roles is beyond me. I can understand that about the rest of the cast especially Shri Raj Babbar. But you are Mithun Da. Why? Why?? Why???
Watch this one if you are a fan of extreme slapstick and AK. Because if you are not, then you may find it difficult to survive. 3 on 10
Watch the trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHdtpTrrxuo
1. Khiladi – 1992
2. Main Khiladi Tu Anari – 1994
3. Sabse Bada Khiladi – 1995
4. Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi – 1996
5. Mr. & Mrs. Khiladi – 1997
6. International Khiladi – 1999
7. Khiladi 420 – 2000
Am I missing something here? I thought there were more but could find only 7 as of now. It has been 20 years since the first one but there is none that has come remotely close to the excitement that was generated with the first in the franchise.
Lets cut from the gut wrenching excitement of a murder mystery (remember it was 1992 and Khiladi was a good movie then) to a slapstick comedy in which Akshay Kumar pretends to do a Rajnikanth. You know my sentiments when someone tries to ape the great man no knowing that the closest they can come to is be an ape!!! Put these 2 in perspective and you have a disaster in the making.
Lets view some classic examples of atrocious dialogues
1. Duniya mein teen cheez aise hai jo hoti hai lekin koi dekh nahin sakta – Bhooton ka sansaar, sachcha wala pyaar aur Bahattar Singh (AK) ki raftaar (there are 3 things that exist in the world but no one can see – The world of ghosts, true love and the speed of 72 Singh – yes his name is 72)
2. Jilla (District) Malkanpur, Gaon (village) Taasi, Sar par haath rab ka (God’s hand on my head) aur haath pe Saat Sau Chhiyaasi (number 786 – god’s number – on my hands)
3. Bachpan se chhod ta aa raha hoon. Bag lekar school gaya toh master ne kaha School chhod doh. Bat Ball leke cricket khelne gaya toh doston ne kaha cricket chhod doh. Scooter leke ghar se nikla toh padosi ne kaha Malad chhod doh (I will not even bother to translate that one)
At the end of it all, K786 lands up being a cheap imitation of Dabanng and the great man. AK – please remember the next time. There was, is and can be only one Chulbul Pandey and that rule doesn’t change even remotely for Rajnikanth. So respect that space and create one of your one.
The only saving grace – believe it or not – is Himes Bhai’s moosik and his acting (pretty decent). How Mithun Da finds accepts such cheesy roles is beyond me. I can understand that about the rest of the cast especially Shri Raj Babbar. But you are Mithun Da. Why? Why?? Why???
Watch this one if you are a fan of extreme slapstick and AK. Because if you are not, then you may find it difficult to survive. 3 on 10
Watch the trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHdtpTrrxuo
Hotel Transylvania
I like it when movies are previewed on Thursday. I think all movies should have a paid preview a day before at least. Helps us lowly mortal bloggers get a one-up on the mainstream critics. Hopefully .
Sony Pictures is definitely doing its best to bridge the gap that has been existant in the animation business. A gap that one would have expected Disney to fill up but they have only one movie this year – Brave (my favourite and pick for this year’s Oscars). Dreamworks has given Madagascar (a close 2nd) and Blue Sky studios continue their Ice Age Franchise. Can you believe that there are no other Animation movies this year? Sad but true.
Adam Sandler adds his first full length animated feature to his repertoire with Hotel Transylvania – an exclusive resort meant for the monsters in the world who have no home otherwise and demand all the privacy that they can get. And who has built this hotel? None other than the Count himself. The Count. Oh come one of course you know the Count who owns Transylvania – Dracula (Sandler).
However, the main reason for building the resort is his daughter – Mavis (Selena Gomez) – who he wants to keep safe from the human race. A race that killed his beautiful wife Martha (Jackie Sandler) and left him to take care of Mavis alone. With that sole intent in mind and then the well being of fellow monsters such as Frankenstien (Kevin James), and Wayne the werewolf (Steve Buscemi).
HT showcases some of the most exotic monsters of our time and puts the Count on a tailspin with the entry of Johathan (Andy Samberg) – a regular backpacking human – who inadvertently walks into HT unbeknownst to anyone. He, however, soon gains the confidence of all monsters thanks to his new ways – the count is still in the days of Mozart and Beethoven. Of course, he has to pose as Johnnystein – Frank’s arm’s cousin.
The plot gets convoluted in parts and Adam Sandler’s over the top antics continue even in animation format. An aspect that I have never enjoyed in his movies and probably never will. But the quality of animation is top notch. And the story at an overall level makes you feel good at the end of it all.
First time director Genndy Tartakovsky (only claim to fame being the TV Series – Dexter’s Laboratory) has a long long way to go in the world of great animation movies. I have mentioned this in the past and will continue to believe in it. Great animation movies should seem as good as a regular motion picture. Only with cartoons in it instead. HT falls a bit short on that count (all pun intended).
I was expecting quite a bit from HT and that’s probably the reason for my disappointment. I found the screenplay to be tacky and slapstick at times. But then with Sandler in the cast, I should have expected it. 6 on 10 from my side. Not a great start to the weekend but not too bad thankfully.
Watch the trailer at http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi2571739673/
Sony Pictures is definitely doing its best to bridge the gap that has been existant in the animation business. A gap that one would have expected Disney to fill up but they have only one movie this year – Brave (my favourite and pick for this year’s Oscars). Dreamworks has given Madagascar (a close 2nd) and Blue Sky studios continue their Ice Age Franchise. Can you believe that there are no other Animation movies this year? Sad but true.
Adam Sandler adds his first full length animated feature to his repertoire with Hotel Transylvania – an exclusive resort meant for the monsters in the world who have no home otherwise and demand all the privacy that they can get. And who has built this hotel? None other than the Count himself. The Count. Oh come one of course you know the Count who owns Transylvania – Dracula (Sandler).
However, the main reason for building the resort is his daughter – Mavis (Selena Gomez) – who he wants to keep safe from the human race. A race that killed his beautiful wife Martha (Jackie Sandler) and left him to take care of Mavis alone. With that sole intent in mind and then the well being of fellow monsters such as Frankenstien (Kevin James), and Wayne the werewolf (Steve Buscemi).
HT showcases some of the most exotic monsters of our time and puts the Count on a tailspin with the entry of Johathan (Andy Samberg) – a regular backpacking human – who inadvertently walks into HT unbeknownst to anyone. He, however, soon gains the confidence of all monsters thanks to his new ways – the count is still in the days of Mozart and Beethoven. Of course, he has to pose as Johnnystein – Frank’s arm’s cousin.
The plot gets convoluted in parts and Adam Sandler’s over the top antics continue even in animation format. An aspect that I have never enjoyed in his movies and probably never will. But the quality of animation is top notch. And the story at an overall level makes you feel good at the end of it all.
First time director Genndy Tartakovsky (only claim to fame being the TV Series – Dexter’s Laboratory) has a long long way to go in the world of great animation movies. I have mentioned this in the past and will continue to believe in it. Great animation movies should seem as good as a regular motion picture. Only with cartoons in it instead. HT falls a bit short on that count (all pun intended).
I was expecting quite a bit from HT and that’s probably the reason for my disappointment. I found the screenplay to be tacky and slapstick at times. But then with Sandler in the cast, I should have expected it. 6 on 10 from my side. Not a great start to the weekend but not too bad thankfully.
Watch the trailer at http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi2571739673/
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