Spoiler Alert – There are several brilliant actors in this movie who play multiple characters – upto 6 of them each. We start with the great Tom Hanks who is definitely on his way to an Oscar nomination if not an eventual win that will take him to the maximum Oscars won by an actor in a lead role. I called it a spoiler alert because it is an intrinsic part of the movie.
There is Hugh Grant who has come up with what could be argued as his best performance to date. There is the ever dependable Jim Broadbent whose powerful presence and even more powerful characters take away the sheen from the performances of those who aren’t as experienced as this brilliant actor. And then there is the most under rated of all – Hugo Weaving who looks and acts as sinister as ever.
And I haven’t touched upon the other people in the star cast – Halle Berry, Jim Sturgess, Doona Bae, Ben Whishaw, Susan Sarandon, Keith David, James D’Arcy – oh the list goes on and on. Needless to say, Cloud Atlas is a movie that owes a lot to its actors. Full marks to the casting directors.
Full marks again to the Wachowski Brothers (or should I say siblings, now that Larry is Lana after his sex change operation) who have collaborated with Tom Tykwer (Run Lola Run / The International) after a hiatus of 4 years. And what a project!!! To get David Mitchell’s Epic Science Fiction novel of the same name onto the big screen was a project that – let me stick my neck out here – only the Wachowskis were capable of pulling off.
Cloud Atlas is a complicated series of 6 stories in different time periods from 1849 in the South Pacific to what I could only call as a really distant future. The movie calls it 106 winters after the fall @ the Big Isle. All central characters in each story can be perceived as reincarnations of the central character from the previous story. Each one of them is identifiable through a birthmark that resembles a comet.
Now I haven’t read the David Mitchell book yet but have made a mental note to get my hands on it at the earliest possible. I suggest you do as well. And if you can manage to hold back your patience and not watch the movie till you read the book, it will hold you in good stead for sure. Hazarding a guess – The Wachowskis would have stayed true to the book with some not so subtle changes that are signature to them.
Cloud Atlas is the kind of movie you will watch only if you love Epic movies and are excited about the idea of multiple story lines that are around a central connect of some kind and totally confuse the heebijeebies out of you. If you don’t like such movies then avoid it like the plague. In my books – 8 on 10 and must watch. Will watch again during the week for certain. Loved it!!! Go Wachowskis!!! Definitely top 10 for the year!!!!
Watch the trailer at http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1371111/
Saturday, 27 October 2012
Friday, 26 October 2012
Rush
I have immense respect for Emraan Hashmi and his choice of movies. When he is part of a Mahesh Bhatt venture, you can be rest assured that the quality of music will be brilliant, the movie will be just about average, there will be at least one hot woman in the movie and to top it up, there will be a few kissing scenes and a love making scene if you are lucky.
To get this recipe bang on right from the first time and then to repeat it time after time can be only classified as an art form. One which Hashmi has mastered over the years. Or has he? Lets start the process of picking apart Rush. But first a quick look at the story
We have Sam Grover (Hashmi), who is a successful crime reporter @ Pulse 365. He gets an opportunity to interview a contract killer Prince (Murli Sharma) who spills the beans on some killings he has been part of in the cent past. But things go awry when the cops start chasing Sam and the big bosses take offence to the coverage of the killing of a reputed socialite. Sam is asked to leave.
But waiting to pounce on the opportunity are Lisa (Neha Dhupia) and her boss Roger Khanna (Aditya Panscholi) who seduce Sam with a more than lucrative offer. Sam is to replace the recently murdered editor in chief of Crime 24 (owned by Roger). Despite sme doubts, Sam takes up the offer but soon starts smelling a few fish.
Rush is peppered with several inconsistencies throughout. Firstly, the entire operation of Crime 24 seems to be too easy to be believed. More importantly, no one actually understands how they are always first on the scene every single time. Then there is the ease with which Sam manages to get his girlfriend Ahana (Sagarika Ghatge) out of the clutches of kidnappers. All too much to be believed.
Unlike most Hashmi movies, the music is average at best and really badly timed. The dialogues are insipid and sometimes just downright low standard - Jo Adams risk nahin leta, USA future risky ho jaataa hai (one doesn't take risks has a risky future). What was the script writer thinking???? The only thing better this time owns the presence of 2 really hot women (not including the bikini clad Eurasian models). Hashmi gets lucky with both (grrrr)
Lesser said about newbie director Shamin Desai, the better it would be for his career. Hashmi and Dhupia do reasonably well in their roles but to too great. The rest of the cast is either non existent or just downright bad. No reason for the show to have been houseful @ PVR Goregaon. Don't waste your time on this one. 4 on 10.
Watch the trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJkQEVWHl3A
To get this recipe bang on right from the first time and then to repeat it time after time can be only classified as an art form. One which Hashmi has mastered over the years. Or has he? Lets start the process of picking apart Rush. But first a quick look at the story
We have Sam Grover (Hashmi), who is a successful crime reporter @ Pulse 365. He gets an opportunity to interview a contract killer Prince (Murli Sharma) who spills the beans on some killings he has been part of in the cent past. But things go awry when the cops start chasing Sam and the big bosses take offence to the coverage of the killing of a reputed socialite. Sam is asked to leave.
But waiting to pounce on the opportunity are Lisa (Neha Dhupia) and her boss Roger Khanna (Aditya Panscholi) who seduce Sam with a more than lucrative offer. Sam is to replace the recently murdered editor in chief of Crime 24 (owned by Roger). Despite sme doubts, Sam takes up the offer but soon starts smelling a few fish.
Rush is peppered with several inconsistencies throughout. Firstly, the entire operation of Crime 24 seems to be too easy to be believed. More importantly, no one actually understands how they are always first on the scene every single time. Then there is the ease with which Sam manages to get his girlfriend Ahana (Sagarika Ghatge) out of the clutches of kidnappers. All too much to be believed.
Unlike most Hashmi movies, the music is average at best and really badly timed. The dialogues are insipid and sometimes just downright low standard - Jo Adams risk nahin leta, USA future risky ho jaataa hai (one doesn't take risks has a risky future). What was the script writer thinking???? The only thing better this time owns the presence of 2 really hot women (not including the bikini clad Eurasian models). Hashmi gets lucky with both (grrrr)
Lesser said about newbie director Shamin Desai, the better it would be for his career. Hashmi and Dhupia do reasonably well in their roles but to too great. The rest of the cast is either non existent or just downright bad. No reason for the show to have been houseful @ PVR Goregaon. Don't waste your time on this one. 4 on 10.
Watch the trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJkQEVWHl3A
Ajab Gazabb Love
Jackky Bhagnani and Uday Chopra have two things in common. Rich fathers who produce movies. And more importantly those who are willing to ignore the fact that their sons are incompetent actors and nowhere remotely close to good looking. Regretably, one of these days their luck is bound to run out because their families will start figuring out the losses they are making repeatedly. And apparently, the additional k in the name hasn’t made any difference to Jackky’s competencies and luck.
Along with Jackky in Ajab Gazabb Love, we have to tolerate several people. Arjun Rampal in a double role that is excruciatingly painful. And it has very little to do with the corny names – Karan – Arjun. It has a lot to do with the constipated attempt that they falsely call acting. There should be a penalty for lying to the people in this manner including ban on any further performances till marked improvement is noticed.
Then there is the newbie Nidhi Subbaiah who could not have picked a more horrible movie to debut in. Usually in a good movie, even if her acting was below par, it would have gone un-noticed thanks to the really good looks. Unfortunately for Nidhi, she is as horrible an actress as the movie is. The support cast led by Kirron Kher 7 Darshan Jariwala can do very little to salvage any pride for the movie.
Rajveer (Jackky) is a multi millionaire whose father (Jariwala) is a massive industrialist. They are in the business of cars. And Rajveer has worked for nearly 2 years building his DC – Dream Car. While his mother (Kirron Kher) is waiting for her DB – Dream Bahu. And that is not the corniest line in the movie. There is more.
Anyways, our hero sees a girl listening to music and walking down the escalator of his office and falls in love immediately. Only to find out in a couple of days that she hates rich people. So to make her fall for him, our hero decides to get his entire family pretend to be miserably poor. That, in sum and substance is the story.
I wonder what director Sanjay Gadhvi thinking when he put in so many cavalcades in the movie. Everyone and their uncle comes with their entourage of 6 to 7 cars that would put the Prime Minister’s rally to shame. And then there is the usual useless fat friend who speaks in horrible Hindi – and I am being nice when I say that.
All in all, a horrible waste of time. The best part of the movie was the trailer of Jab Tak Hai Jaan in the interval. 1 on 10 for Ajab Gazabb Love
Watch the trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VrAvbrSm00
Along with Jackky in Ajab Gazabb Love, we have to tolerate several people. Arjun Rampal in a double role that is excruciatingly painful. And it has very little to do with the corny names – Karan – Arjun. It has a lot to do with the constipated attempt that they falsely call acting. There should be a penalty for lying to the people in this manner including ban on any further performances till marked improvement is noticed.
Then there is the newbie Nidhi Subbaiah who could not have picked a more horrible movie to debut in. Usually in a good movie, even if her acting was below par, it would have gone un-noticed thanks to the really good looks. Unfortunately for Nidhi, she is as horrible an actress as the movie is. The support cast led by Kirron Kher 7 Darshan Jariwala can do very little to salvage any pride for the movie.
Rajveer (Jackky) is a multi millionaire whose father (Jariwala) is a massive industrialist. They are in the business of cars. And Rajveer has worked for nearly 2 years building his DC – Dream Car. While his mother (Kirron Kher) is waiting for her DB – Dream Bahu. And that is not the corniest line in the movie. There is more.
Anyways, our hero sees a girl listening to music and walking down the escalator of his office and falls in love immediately. Only to find out in a couple of days that she hates rich people. So to make her fall for him, our hero decides to get his entire family pretend to be miserably poor. That, in sum and substance is the story.
I wonder what director Sanjay Gadhvi thinking when he put in so many cavalcades in the movie. Everyone and their uncle comes with their entourage of 6 to 7 cars that would put the Prime Minister’s rally to shame. And then there is the usual useless fat friend who speaks in horrible Hindi – and I am being nice when I say that.
All in all, a horrible waste of time. The best part of the movie was the trailer of Jab Tak Hai Jaan in the interval. 1 on 10 for Ajab Gazabb Love
Watch the trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VrAvbrSm00
Wednesday, 24 October 2012
Chakravyuh
Naxalite - a member of an extreme Maoist group in India that originated in 1967 in West Bengal and which employs tactics of agrarian terrorism and direct action. Named after Naxalbari, a town in West Bengal where the movement started.
That’s how the world knows them. But every coin has 2 sides is what they say. And Prakash Jha’s Chakravyuh tries to paint a picture that gives us a perspective of both sides of the story. At no point of time in the movie does Jha take a side. He leaves it to the intelligence of the audience to figure out right or wrong by themselves.
Adil Khan (Arjun Rampal) is married to Rhea Menon (Esha Gupta). They are both cops and with a great amount of difficulty ensure that they get posted at the same location – Bhopal. Adil’s best friend is Kabir (Abhay Deol). They completed their graduation together and then join the police force. Kabir is a hot head and stands for what is right. He gets into a fight with a cop and is forced to leave the forces.
Seven years later, after several failed business attempts, Kabir re-surfaces and makes up with Adil. At the same time, Adil decides to take up a challenging posting deep in Naxal territory. Stupid decision but one that prompts Kabir to step in to help him. They plan to seed Kabir into the Naxal group led by Govind Suryavanshi (Om Puri) and Rajan (Manoj Bajpai). The group is ably supported by Naga (Murli Sharma) and Juhi (Anjali Patil).
As Kabir goes about building his credibility and playing the role of an informer, he slowly but surely starts seeing merit in what the Naxals are upto. How the poor get more and more marginalized and how the rich (read politicians) squeeze the maximum out of the land. But he is also well aware of the fact that the way the Naxals are going about their job is not the best possible way. That’s where Jha strikes a fine balance.
Which side is right in the war where truck loads of blood is being spilt through ages of in-fighting? At the end of the day, if there are 2 parties losing they are the police force and the naxals. The people who are in power, running the country are sitting pretty and laughing their way to the bank. Only a matter of time before this entire movement reaches a boiling point and both cops and naxals start targeting who need to be targeted.
Prakash Jha’s attempt, however, falls flat. Mainly in the aspects of finishing. The cheapest of all green screens gives an effect that’s over 30 years old. The sound mixing and quality was poor. The stunts were even worse. Adil Khan charging into a band of naxals like Bajirao Singham was comical to say the least. Why would Jha stoop to such levels is beyond understanding.
The screenplay and dialogues were not too great either. Abhay Deol is fast losing his edge as an actor who takes his role seriously. Esha Gupta has about 6 minutes and 32.83 seconds of screen time where she manages to hold her own. And Arjun Rampal is as always only eye candy for the women. The music is not too inspiring either. Overall a very disappointing effort from Jha. Without the good story line it would have been a disaster. 5 on 10. Watch it on TV.
Watch the trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnamEA8iLGY
That’s how the world knows them. But every coin has 2 sides is what they say. And Prakash Jha’s Chakravyuh tries to paint a picture that gives us a perspective of both sides of the story. At no point of time in the movie does Jha take a side. He leaves it to the intelligence of the audience to figure out right or wrong by themselves.
Adil Khan (Arjun Rampal) is married to Rhea Menon (Esha Gupta). They are both cops and with a great amount of difficulty ensure that they get posted at the same location – Bhopal. Adil’s best friend is Kabir (Abhay Deol). They completed their graduation together and then join the police force. Kabir is a hot head and stands for what is right. He gets into a fight with a cop and is forced to leave the forces.
Seven years later, after several failed business attempts, Kabir re-surfaces and makes up with Adil. At the same time, Adil decides to take up a challenging posting deep in Naxal territory. Stupid decision but one that prompts Kabir to step in to help him. They plan to seed Kabir into the Naxal group led by Govind Suryavanshi (Om Puri) and Rajan (Manoj Bajpai). The group is ably supported by Naga (Murli Sharma) and Juhi (Anjali Patil).
As Kabir goes about building his credibility and playing the role of an informer, he slowly but surely starts seeing merit in what the Naxals are upto. How the poor get more and more marginalized and how the rich (read politicians) squeeze the maximum out of the land. But he is also well aware of the fact that the way the Naxals are going about their job is not the best possible way. That’s where Jha strikes a fine balance.
Which side is right in the war where truck loads of blood is being spilt through ages of in-fighting? At the end of the day, if there are 2 parties losing they are the police force and the naxals. The people who are in power, running the country are sitting pretty and laughing their way to the bank. Only a matter of time before this entire movement reaches a boiling point and both cops and naxals start targeting who need to be targeted.
Prakash Jha’s attempt, however, falls flat. Mainly in the aspects of finishing. The cheapest of all green screens gives an effect that’s over 30 years old. The sound mixing and quality was poor. The stunts were even worse. Adil Khan charging into a band of naxals like Bajirao Singham was comical to say the least. Why would Jha stoop to such levels is beyond understanding.
The screenplay and dialogues were not too great either. Abhay Deol is fast losing his edge as an actor who takes his role seriously. Esha Gupta has about 6 minutes and 32.83 seconds of screen time where she manages to hold her own. And Arjun Rampal is as always only eye candy for the women. The music is not too inspiring either. Overall a very disappointing effort from Jha. Without the good story line it would have been a disaster. 5 on 10. Watch it on TV.
Watch the trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnamEA8iLGY
Sunday, 21 October 2012
Argo
I have always respected Ben Affleck as a director in comparison to Ben Affleck the actor. Most movies where Affleck has been in the lead role have exposed his weakness. I can think of probably one movie where his performance as an actor was quite controlled and well executed – Valentines Day (if I remember correctly).
But the minute our man dons the director’s hat, he seems to be much better placed. I thought The Town was slow but it was quite well made. There was an effort to paint a picture with each character and the overall story. Ditto with Gone Baby Gone. Both were very intense movies.
I have heard that both Affleck and Matt Damon – the young guard of Hollywood about 20 years back are great thinkers when it comes upto cinema. Screenplay and direction. With Argo, Affleck has definitely taken himself to the next level – both as a director as well as an actor.
Cora Lijek (Clea DuVall), Mark Lijek (Christopher Denham), Kathy Stafford (Kerry Bishé), Joe Stafford (Scooty McNairy), Bob Anders (Tate Donovan) and Lee Schatz (Rory Cochrane) owe their lives to one Antonio Joseph Mendez (Ben Affleck). Tony was or should I say is an exfiltration expert of sorts – someone who specializes in getting people out a particular troubled country and take them back home.
Why does he need to do that because the 6 of them are holed up @ the house of the Canadian Ambassador to Iran – Ken Taylor (Victor Garber). This is after the revolutionary Iranians take the US Embassy Hostage on the 4th November 1979. Our 6 diplomats escape just in the nick of time and find their way to Ambassador Taylor’s house after being rejected by a couple of other embassies.
Along with Lester Siegel (Alan Arkin) and Academy award winner John Chambers (John Goodman), Tony hatches a plot to make a sci-fi movie – Argo. It would be set in a middle eastern location. To ensure that there are doubts which creep up, the team does everything that a movie maker would have been expected to do from the script to the director to press releases to posters – the works.
Argo differs from most other espionage movies on two major counts. Firstly there is a distinct addition of humour that makes it easy to watch. There are almost no action sequences but enough and more of edge of the seat drama. Other than these 2 aspects there is a stunning start with a background of the revolution which grabs you by the scruff of your neck and pushes you down to your seat.
Great use of fade in and fade outs at the appropriate moments. Some really good camera work there. The use of 2 audio tracks overlapping like when the Iranians are proclaiming that severe action will be taken on the hostages and the Argo screenplay reading is being done for the press – superb!!! The screenplay is fantastic.
My prediction – Argo should get nominated in the top 10 of the year. It would get a nomination for screenplay and just maybe (an outside chance based on the Hollywood movies that I have seen this year) a nomination for direction for Affleck. If none of these work out… Argo Fuck Yourself (watch to understand). 8 on 10.
Watch the trailer at http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi1537319449/
And read the article on the Canadian Caper http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Caper
But the minute our man dons the director’s hat, he seems to be much better placed. I thought The Town was slow but it was quite well made. There was an effort to paint a picture with each character and the overall story. Ditto with Gone Baby Gone. Both were very intense movies.
I have heard that both Affleck and Matt Damon – the young guard of Hollywood about 20 years back are great thinkers when it comes upto cinema. Screenplay and direction. With Argo, Affleck has definitely taken himself to the next level – both as a director as well as an actor.
Cora Lijek (Clea DuVall), Mark Lijek (Christopher Denham), Kathy Stafford (Kerry Bishé), Joe Stafford (Scooty McNairy), Bob Anders (Tate Donovan) and Lee Schatz (Rory Cochrane) owe their lives to one Antonio Joseph Mendez (Ben Affleck). Tony was or should I say is an exfiltration expert of sorts – someone who specializes in getting people out a particular troubled country and take them back home.
Why does he need to do that because the 6 of them are holed up @ the house of the Canadian Ambassador to Iran – Ken Taylor (Victor Garber). This is after the revolutionary Iranians take the US Embassy Hostage on the 4th November 1979. Our 6 diplomats escape just in the nick of time and find their way to Ambassador Taylor’s house after being rejected by a couple of other embassies.
Along with Lester Siegel (Alan Arkin) and Academy award winner John Chambers (John Goodman), Tony hatches a plot to make a sci-fi movie – Argo. It would be set in a middle eastern location. To ensure that there are doubts which creep up, the team does everything that a movie maker would have been expected to do from the script to the director to press releases to posters – the works.
Argo differs from most other espionage movies on two major counts. Firstly there is a distinct addition of humour that makes it easy to watch. There are almost no action sequences but enough and more of edge of the seat drama. Other than these 2 aspects there is a stunning start with a background of the revolution which grabs you by the scruff of your neck and pushes you down to your seat.
Great use of fade in and fade outs at the appropriate moments. Some really good camera work there. The use of 2 audio tracks overlapping like when the Iranians are proclaiming that severe action will be taken on the hostages and the Argo screenplay reading is being done for the press – superb!!! The screenplay is fantastic.
My prediction – Argo should get nominated in the top 10 of the year. It would get a nomination for screenplay and just maybe (an outside chance based on the Hollywood movies that I have seen this year) a nomination for direction for Affleck. If none of these work out… Argo Fuck Yourself (watch to understand). 8 on 10.
Watch the trailer at http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi1537319449/
And read the article on the Canadian Caper http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Caper
Saturday, 20 October 2012
Premium Rush
One would be fair to wonder how we are seeing a lot of Joseph Gordon Levitt of late. Last week with Looper and now with Premium Rush. That’s 2 movies in 2 weeks. The Dark Knight Rises earlier this year. And Lincoln – that is yet to be released. Quite a line up for someone who till recently was considered to be a baby in Hollywood. 31 is definitely a baby by Hollywood standards.
Did you know that Hawala is a word that is not restricted to only India? I was kind of surprised when I heard the word come up not once but twice through the movie. First when the old Chinese man says it (in subtitle) and then the corrupt cop, Bobby Monday (Michael Shannon) tells Nima (Jamie Chung) that she will not get too far ahead with the Hawala money that she intends to transfer. Nima does transfer the money but all she gets in return in a small chit of paper with a smiley from the old Chinese Man.
That is the simple package that Wilee (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is asked to deliver as part of his responsibility as a cycle courier guy for Security Courier. It would seem there are 1300 such couriers in NYC (That’s quite a number right. But then that’s quite a city from what I hear). But our man has no clue about the contents of the envelope. It is only when Bobby Monday starts chasing him down the streets of NYC does he start suspecting that there is something fishy about the package.
David Koepp is not the most well known director of our time but he is definitely known for his screenplay. The star studded list includes Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Spiderman and Mission Impossible amongst other big names. So it comes as no surprise that Premium Rush turns out to be a thrill a minute ride that runs through the Big Apple.
Premium Rush was portrayed through all its trailers as a movie that was studded with edge of the seat chase sequences on bicycles as against the regular cars or bikes. That definitely upped the intrigue value of the movie manifold. Unlike Looper, Premium Rush shows just what is required in the trailer and not the entire movie.
In fact there is a lot more that the movie has to offer other than the trailer and that adds to the great 90 minute ride. As the sign off line says – Fixed wheel. No Gears. Steel Frame. Enjoy the ride!!! 7 on 10.
Watch the trailer at http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi2131665433/
Did you know that Hawala is a word that is not restricted to only India? I was kind of surprised when I heard the word come up not once but twice through the movie. First when the old Chinese man says it (in subtitle) and then the corrupt cop, Bobby Monday (Michael Shannon) tells Nima (Jamie Chung) that she will not get too far ahead with the Hawala money that she intends to transfer. Nima does transfer the money but all she gets in return in a small chit of paper with a smiley from the old Chinese Man.
That is the simple package that Wilee (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is asked to deliver as part of his responsibility as a cycle courier guy for Security Courier. It would seem there are 1300 such couriers in NYC (That’s quite a number right. But then that’s quite a city from what I hear). But our man has no clue about the contents of the envelope. It is only when Bobby Monday starts chasing him down the streets of NYC does he start suspecting that there is something fishy about the package.
David Koepp is not the most well known director of our time but he is definitely known for his screenplay. The star studded list includes Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Spiderman and Mission Impossible amongst other big names. So it comes as no surprise that Premium Rush turns out to be a thrill a minute ride that runs through the Big Apple.
Premium Rush was portrayed through all its trailers as a movie that was studded with edge of the seat chase sequences on bicycles as against the regular cars or bikes. That definitely upped the intrigue value of the movie manifold. Unlike Looper, Premium Rush shows just what is required in the trailer and not the entire movie.
In fact there is a lot more that the movie has to offer other than the trailer and that adds to the great 90 minute ride. As the sign off line says – Fixed wheel. No Gears. Steel Frame. Enjoy the ride!!! 7 on 10.
Watch the trailer at http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi2131665433/
Friday, 19 October 2012
Secondhand Lions
I first saw Secondhand Lions on my trip to Singapore way back in 2004. It was part of the inflight entertainment on Singapore Airlines. And I remember having searched for the DVD for quite a while before I eventually found it. Needless to say, I picked it up the moment I laid my eyes on it.
And I do not usually let an opportunity by to watch it again. So, when Prarthana said she had not seen it, I had to make the most of the opportunity. Took us a few weeks to get around to eventually seeing it but I would not be lying if I said that both of us enjoyed it thoroughly. She was seeing it for the first time. I had lost count.
Garth (Michael Caine / Kevin Haberer) and Hub (Robert Duvall / Christian Kane) are seventy something young men – I say young because of their immense zest for life. They are now retired and rumour has it that they are loaded. Not with assets and money in the bank. But with hard cash. Cash they have stowed away somewhere on their estate. Far away from most civilization.
Cash that has various theories about its origin. One of them states that Garth and Hub were extremely famous bank robbers of the 1940s. Led by the brave and courageous Hub. Backed with the intelligence of Garth. A more popular story was about them being bounty hunters and the money was hard earned and to a significant extent given by a Shiekh (Adam Ozturk) who Hub defeated while wooing their mutual love interest – Jasmine (Emmanuelle Vaugier).
So, when Mae (Kyra Sedgwick), gets wind of the fact that her uncles are loaded, she decides that the best way to get her hands on the money is by leaving her son Walter (Haley Joel Osment) with them. Truth is that she wants to leave a life that is far more adventurous than handling an eleven year old. The rest of the story is about how Walter actually builds a strong bond of trust, love and most importantly faith with his uncles.
I must forewarn you that there is a possibility of shedding a tear of joy or two while you watch Secondhand Lions. Thankfully it will be a tear of joy for a wonderful story of faith. Of how we choose to be either happy or sad. To be either trusting or skeptical. And it is the faith that we have around the stories that we hear that gives us the strength and happiness to go though life – one day at a time.
Director Tim McCanlies’ best piece of work would be this one. And he probably had very little to do with it. The sheer ease with which Duvall, Caine and Osmont essay their characters is just stunning. Needless to say, Secondhand Lions is a movie worth watching due to 2 aspects – Story and performances. Both of which are superb. Don’t miss an opportunity to watch this one. 8 on 10.
Watch the trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-COMJckISVY
And I do not usually let an opportunity by to watch it again. So, when Prarthana said she had not seen it, I had to make the most of the opportunity. Took us a few weeks to get around to eventually seeing it but I would not be lying if I said that both of us enjoyed it thoroughly. She was seeing it for the first time. I had lost count.
Garth (Michael Caine / Kevin Haberer) and Hub (Robert Duvall / Christian Kane) are seventy something young men – I say young because of their immense zest for life. They are now retired and rumour has it that they are loaded. Not with assets and money in the bank. But with hard cash. Cash they have stowed away somewhere on their estate. Far away from most civilization.
Cash that has various theories about its origin. One of them states that Garth and Hub were extremely famous bank robbers of the 1940s. Led by the brave and courageous Hub. Backed with the intelligence of Garth. A more popular story was about them being bounty hunters and the money was hard earned and to a significant extent given by a Shiekh (Adam Ozturk) who Hub defeated while wooing their mutual love interest – Jasmine (Emmanuelle Vaugier).
So, when Mae (Kyra Sedgwick), gets wind of the fact that her uncles are loaded, she decides that the best way to get her hands on the money is by leaving her son Walter (Haley Joel Osment) with them. Truth is that she wants to leave a life that is far more adventurous than handling an eleven year old. The rest of the story is about how Walter actually builds a strong bond of trust, love and most importantly faith with his uncles.
I must forewarn you that there is a possibility of shedding a tear of joy or two while you watch Secondhand Lions. Thankfully it will be a tear of joy for a wonderful story of faith. Of how we choose to be either happy or sad. To be either trusting or skeptical. And it is the faith that we have around the stories that we hear that gives us the strength and happiness to go though life – one day at a time.
Director Tim McCanlies’ best piece of work would be this one. And he probably had very little to do with it. The sheer ease with which Duvall, Caine and Osmont essay their characters is just stunning. Needless to say, Secondhand Lions is a movie worth watching due to 2 aspects – Story and performances. Both of which are superb. Don’t miss an opportunity to watch this one. 8 on 10.
Watch the trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-COMJckISVY
Delhi Safari
I must admit first of all that a few minutes into Delhi Safari, I started losing interest and my ability to stay awake for too long. I, however, managed to stay awake all the way through using quite a bit of my will power in the process.
Now, Delhi Safari is not just an outright bad movie by any stretch of imagination. It is just that we may be the biggest suppliers for animation world over but when it comes to creating animation movies ourselves, we fall woefully short. I wonder why?
Delhi Safari tracks the story of a bunch of animals who stay in the Sanjay Gandhi National Park in Borivili, Mumbai. Thankfully, the animals are the same ones that are found around this area. A family of leopards – Sultan (Suniel Shetty), Begum (Urmila Matondkar) and their cub Yuvraj (Swini Khara).
Then there is the laid back and sensible Bagga the Bear (Boman Irani). But the chief mischief maker and the grey character is the monkey – Bajrangi (Govinda) who harbours hopes of ruling the jungle because as per him – the monkeys used to rule the world much before man came in.
Trouble starts brewing when rampant construction starts moving into the park and in the bargain, Sultan gets killed. The rest of the animals, pushed by Yuvraj’s innocence and confidence decide to take their voices all the way to Delhi – to the powers that be. Accompanying them is Alex (Akshaye Khanna), a parrot – who is the only animal who can speak the language that us humans understand.
Now, here was a superb opportunity to pivot India into the fascinating world of animation. There was a story that had a strong social angle. There were characters which were created quite well and true to the local landscape. The voice overs were to be done by a bunch of really talented people – Govinda, Boman Irani, Sanjay Mishra, Saurabh Shukla and even Prem Chopra were really good with their voices.
But there were the tacky dialogues and weak one liners that fall flat. And most importantly, when you feel that the paws of the animals don’t look like they are touching the ground – you feel the disappointment. Why not spend that extra bit of money to get the end product finished well. Always the case with Indian animation – penny wise, pound moronic – not just foolish. 5 on 10. Watch on TV if ever it comes up there.
Watch the trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMem1yAmAQw
Now, Delhi Safari is not just an outright bad movie by any stretch of imagination. It is just that we may be the biggest suppliers for animation world over but when it comes to creating animation movies ourselves, we fall woefully short. I wonder why?
Delhi Safari tracks the story of a bunch of animals who stay in the Sanjay Gandhi National Park in Borivili, Mumbai. Thankfully, the animals are the same ones that are found around this area. A family of leopards – Sultan (Suniel Shetty), Begum (Urmila Matondkar) and their cub Yuvraj (Swini Khara).
Then there is the laid back and sensible Bagga the Bear (Boman Irani). But the chief mischief maker and the grey character is the monkey – Bajrangi (Govinda) who harbours hopes of ruling the jungle because as per him – the monkeys used to rule the world much before man came in.
Trouble starts brewing when rampant construction starts moving into the park and in the bargain, Sultan gets killed. The rest of the animals, pushed by Yuvraj’s innocence and confidence decide to take their voices all the way to Delhi – to the powers that be. Accompanying them is Alex (Akshaye Khanna), a parrot – who is the only animal who can speak the language that us humans understand.
Now, here was a superb opportunity to pivot India into the fascinating world of animation. There was a story that had a strong social angle. There were characters which were created quite well and true to the local landscape. The voice overs were to be done by a bunch of really talented people – Govinda, Boman Irani, Sanjay Mishra, Saurabh Shukla and even Prem Chopra were really good with their voices.
But there were the tacky dialogues and weak one liners that fall flat. And most importantly, when you feel that the paws of the animals don’t look like they are touching the ground – you feel the disappointment. Why not spend that extra bit of money to get the end product finished well. Always the case with Indian animation – penny wise, pound moronic – not just foolish. 5 on 10. Watch on TV if ever it comes up there.
Watch the trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMem1yAmAQw
Student of the Year
Let me at the outset clarify for the benefit of the younger generation who will be the key target audience for Student Of The Year. Just because the business tycoon Nanda (Ram Kapoor) decides to wear a striped tie over a striped shirt and a striped jacket with striped trousers – DOES NOT MAKE IT ACCEPTABLE FORMAL DRESSING!!!!! Ram Kapoor could have, with a little bit of common sense, refused to make such a clown of himself in front of a billion Indians. Thankfully, the gaffe is not oft repeated during the extended 3 hours that you have to tolerate SOTY.
If you walk into SOTY expecting the usual cheesy Karan Johar movie which includes any or all of the following, then you would probably leave the cinema hall very satisfied
1. There will always be a super rich boy – Rohan Nanda (Varun Dhawan) and a super rich girl – Shanaya Singhania (Alia Bhatt) who will be either great friends or having an affair. In this case it is the former.
2. There will be a school or a college – in this case school – St. Teresa’s. The school will be situated in an exotic location in India – say Dehradun – but will seem like it is actually in Switzerland and have a Highland Metroploitan Hospital. Metropolitan??? Dehradun???
3. Students of a School are allowed to dress in the fanciest of clothes. Boys in Tight T shirts that show rippling muscles and if not good enough can lose the T Shirt to reconfirm your deepest doubts. Girls will be in various stages of skimpiness but will be the homely “ghar ki bahu” types in behavior when it comes to it.
4. There will be a not so rich academically brilliant boy or girl who will enter the life of the school and will shoot to fame. In this case it is Abhimanyu (Sidharth Malhotra). But even this not so rich boy will come from a household that is an independent villa with 4 parking lots and cutlery at a dining table that is worth killing for – emphasis on killing and not dying.
5. There will be a series of events that will lead to some misunderstanding or a fight between the lead trio – in this case it is a doubtful relationship between Ro (that’s short for Rohan) and Shanaya where Abhi comes in as a prospective option for the woman. And there is of course the annual SOTY contest that has been conducted under the aegis of Dean Yoginder Vashisht (Rishi Kapoor) for over 25 years. The dean has since then retired and stays in his own 23.83 bedroom villa and continues to talk to his bonsai plants. Did I mention he was gay?
So if you expect all of this and the latest in fashion and some gorgeous bodies in various stages of dress and undress then SOTY is just the movie for you. Don’t expect much in terms of dialogues or screenplay or whatever it is that makes movies better than the rest. Definitely expect corny one liners like “Tata ke stocks hila dega aur Bata ke rates badha dega” (He will get the stock market rates of Tata down and the retail rates of Bata up).
You can also expect weird situations like when Abhi threatens his grandmother (Farida Jalal) – “Tumhe kuch ho gaya toh mein tumhare saath baat nahin karunga” (If something were to happen to you, I will not talk to you ever). Dear Abhi – your Dadi was on her death bed. If something untoward were to happen to her then it would only be death. How can you speak to hear after that anyways?
Karan Johar all over from frame 1 to frame 26543 – 3 hours of standard mush. With loads of crappy dialogues and slapstick one liners thrown in. Watch it at your own risk. But if you liked his previous movies then this is a must watch. 3 great looking human specimens on display though. Which Karan Uncle is quick to take the credit for from the first frame itself. All the best if you decide to watch it. 4 on 10.
Oh and one more thing. A couple of great tracks - especially the Radha one. And it is definitely better than Aiyya if you were to ask me.
Watch the trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fivOhPjX9YM
If you walk into SOTY expecting the usual cheesy Karan Johar movie which includes any or all of the following, then you would probably leave the cinema hall very satisfied
1. There will always be a super rich boy – Rohan Nanda (Varun Dhawan) and a super rich girl – Shanaya Singhania (Alia Bhatt) who will be either great friends or having an affair. In this case it is the former.
2. There will be a school or a college – in this case school – St. Teresa’s. The school will be situated in an exotic location in India – say Dehradun – but will seem like it is actually in Switzerland and have a Highland Metroploitan Hospital. Metropolitan??? Dehradun???
3. Students of a School are allowed to dress in the fanciest of clothes. Boys in Tight T shirts that show rippling muscles and if not good enough can lose the T Shirt to reconfirm your deepest doubts. Girls will be in various stages of skimpiness but will be the homely “ghar ki bahu” types in behavior when it comes to it.
4. There will be a not so rich academically brilliant boy or girl who will enter the life of the school and will shoot to fame. In this case it is Abhimanyu (Sidharth Malhotra). But even this not so rich boy will come from a household that is an independent villa with 4 parking lots and cutlery at a dining table that is worth killing for – emphasis on killing and not dying.
5. There will be a series of events that will lead to some misunderstanding or a fight between the lead trio – in this case it is a doubtful relationship between Ro (that’s short for Rohan) and Shanaya where Abhi comes in as a prospective option for the woman. And there is of course the annual SOTY contest that has been conducted under the aegis of Dean Yoginder Vashisht (Rishi Kapoor) for over 25 years. The dean has since then retired and stays in his own 23.83 bedroom villa and continues to talk to his bonsai plants. Did I mention he was gay?
So if you expect all of this and the latest in fashion and some gorgeous bodies in various stages of dress and undress then SOTY is just the movie for you. Don’t expect much in terms of dialogues or screenplay or whatever it is that makes movies better than the rest. Definitely expect corny one liners like “Tata ke stocks hila dega aur Bata ke rates badha dega” (He will get the stock market rates of Tata down and the retail rates of Bata up).
You can also expect weird situations like when Abhi threatens his grandmother (Farida Jalal) – “Tumhe kuch ho gaya toh mein tumhare saath baat nahin karunga” (If something were to happen to you, I will not talk to you ever). Dear Abhi – your Dadi was on her death bed. If something untoward were to happen to her then it would only be death. How can you speak to hear after that anyways?
Karan Johar all over from frame 1 to frame 26543 – 3 hours of standard mush. With loads of crappy dialogues and slapstick one liners thrown in. Watch it at your own risk. But if you liked his previous movies then this is a must watch. 3 great looking human specimens on display though. Which Karan Uncle is quick to take the credit for from the first frame itself. All the best if you decide to watch it. 4 on 10.
Oh and one more thing. A couple of great tracks - especially the Radha one. And it is definitely better than Aiyya if you were to ask me.
Watch the trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fivOhPjX9YM
Thursday, 18 October 2012
Taken 2
Taken was directed by Pierre Morel who had no experience with direction. But Morel was responsible for the cinematography of Transporter 1 and 2. The fetish of the producers of the franchise with Transporter stays. This time, they have taken to (all pun intended), the director of Transporter 3 – Olivier Megaton. The fact that both names – Pierre and Olivier – sound French, is not the only similarity I guess.
Olivier would have know for certain that he had big shoes to fill in when he picked up Taken 2. Taken was an absolutely edge of the seat drama that most of us would have enjoyed. So if Mr. Olivier had just stuck to the drama and the thrill that he is used to creating (Transporter 3, Colombiana), Taken 2 should have been a walk in the park. But I guess the expectation was too huge and it comes up just that bit short on Taken.
Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson) is back with his obsessively protective behavior – one really cannot blame him for that considering the events that took place in Paris not too long back. But Kim (Maggie Grace) is now nearing adulthood and already has a boyfriend Jamie (Luke Grimes). Much as Lenore (Famke Janssen) asks her ex-husband not to interfere, his natural self gets the better of Bryan.
Simultaneously, a bunch of Albanians led by Murad Krasniqi (Rade Serbedzija) is plotting revenge. Revenge on Bryan for killing Murad’s son – Marko – in Paris. And as the poster says very subtly – They picked the wrong guy to seek revenge. So the setting moves from Paris to the extremely rustic and beautiful Istanbul with loads of bylanes which form a luscious recipe for inch perfect car chases.
Taken 2 – as mentioned earlier & as the lady on the seat behind me in the theatre commented was definitely not as good as Taken 1. One of the several reasons could be the fact that it took a long while to get to the part of being “Taken”. Add to that, the aspect of age having caught up with Mr. Neeson dramatically over the past 2 years and the hand to hand combat sequences seemed distinctly slower than the previous occasion.
Taken 2 also had some finishing issues with some clear consistency errors. It just didn’t seem to fit as well. I also have a basic question related to physics. If sound takes 4 seconds to travel then @ 340 m/s the distance should be 1540 meters i.e. 1.5 kms right? Why the, does Bryan, ask Kim to draw a circle of 4.5 kms when tracking him down? Would love to understand that.
As such, Taken 2 is definitely worth a dekko and if you haven’t seen the first part then you will enjoy it. But overall, it comes up as a 6 on 10 in my books.
Watch the trailer at http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi1529652505/
Olivier would have know for certain that he had big shoes to fill in when he picked up Taken 2. Taken was an absolutely edge of the seat drama that most of us would have enjoyed. So if Mr. Olivier had just stuck to the drama and the thrill that he is used to creating (Transporter 3, Colombiana), Taken 2 should have been a walk in the park. But I guess the expectation was too huge and it comes up just that bit short on Taken.
Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson) is back with his obsessively protective behavior – one really cannot blame him for that considering the events that took place in Paris not too long back. But Kim (Maggie Grace) is now nearing adulthood and already has a boyfriend Jamie (Luke Grimes). Much as Lenore (Famke Janssen) asks her ex-husband not to interfere, his natural self gets the better of Bryan.
Simultaneously, a bunch of Albanians led by Murad Krasniqi (Rade Serbedzija) is plotting revenge. Revenge on Bryan for killing Murad’s son – Marko – in Paris. And as the poster says very subtly – They picked the wrong guy to seek revenge. So the setting moves from Paris to the extremely rustic and beautiful Istanbul with loads of bylanes which form a luscious recipe for inch perfect car chases.
Taken 2 – as mentioned earlier & as the lady on the seat behind me in the theatre commented was definitely not as good as Taken 1. One of the several reasons could be the fact that it took a long while to get to the part of being “Taken”. Add to that, the aspect of age having caught up with Mr. Neeson dramatically over the past 2 years and the hand to hand combat sequences seemed distinctly slower than the previous occasion.
Taken 2 also had some finishing issues with some clear consistency errors. It just didn’t seem to fit as well. I also have a basic question related to physics. If sound takes 4 seconds to travel then @ 340 m/s the distance should be 1540 meters i.e. 1.5 kms right? Why the, does Bryan, ask Kim to draw a circle of 4.5 kms when tracking him down? Would love to understand that.
As such, Taken 2 is definitely worth a dekko and if you haven’t seen the first part then you will enjoy it. But overall, it comes up as a 6 on 10 in my books.
Watch the trailer at http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi1529652505/
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