Hello (Hindi)

Our Rating: 0.25
Yahoo India Movies: 4

---

Starring: Sharman Joshi, Gul Panag, Sohail Khan, Amrita Arora, Isha Koppikar, Sharat Saxena, Dilip Tahil.
Director: Atul Agnihotri.

And I thought Chetan Bhagat's One Night @ The Call Center would make a good movie. After all, it had everything packed into it-from love, to deceit, to a gripping storyline-all with a pinch of the spiritual. Coffee-book spirituality, as I put it. But then, out came this movie, and a friend dragged me along for it. And...SHIT!!! This is by far the most atrociously bad movie I have ever seen. The screenplay (by Atul Agnihotri and Chetan Bhagat, himself) is jerkier than a ride on an Agra by-lane, the music by Sajid-Wajid is only melodious to deaf ears, and the acting is just blah...
The story, in a nutshell, revolves around a group of call center employees, each bashed up by life in someway, who one night, get a call from God. So, you have Shyam (a below par Sharman Joshi) and Priyanka (hammy Gul Panag), ex-lovers who are trying to now co-exist in the same office space; Esha (Isha Koppikar, in the worst get up in movie history), a wannabe model and victim of the casting couch (oops, that was a spoiler. Go back, and try not to read that last line); Vroom aka Varun (Sohail Khan, trying and falling on his bum too hard), the cool dude who's after Esha; Radhika (whiny Amrita Arora), a sati-savitri whose hubby dear (Arbaaz Khan) is cheating on her; and 'Military Uncle' (Sharat Saxena, bringing all his 'acting talent' to the fore), a grandpa trying to connect with his grandson by sending him pics of apes. Thrown into this is the double-crossing boss, Bakshi (played VERY loudly by Dilip Tahil), some very cheesy songs (one of which, also features, for no apparent reason, the cheating hubby dear) and the Sharman-Gul 'steamy' scene, which is actually much ado about nothing. Really, the Censor Board should show much more maturity, and stop creating such a furore about such idiotic things.
Oh, and, how can I forget the cameo-ing couple? Salman Khan, though hogging every hoarding in sight, has a 2 minute bit role, cameo-ing as himself, and looking older than my great grandfather. Katrina Kaif, as the narrator/God, looks divine, but even in the bit role she has, can't act for nuts.
Overall, this is such forgettable fare, that miss it at any cost. If a friend insists on dragging you along (like was the case with me), say sorry, and kill that 'friend'. Oh, and, if you ever happen to meet Mr Atul Agnihotri, please, please convince him to give up filmmaking...

---

Post Comments Feed

You Don't Mess with the Zohan

Our Rating: 3
Rotten Tomatoes: 35%
Yahoo Movies Critics: C
Yahoo Movies Users: C+

---

Starring: Adam Sandler, Emmanuelle Chriqui, John Turturro.
Director: Dennis Dugan.

He's crass. He's crude. He's rude. He pats his genitals ever so often. He's a Mossad spy. He wants to be a hairdresser. He bangs every gal in sight. And, unabashedly so. He's funny. He's Zohan. And, everyone loves him. Or, comes to love him, eventually.
Forget everything everyone's ever told you about this movie. Forget everything the pretentious critics have said about this movie. For me atleast, it was a no-brainer. I like this flick, and am not ashamed to say it. Sure, the humor is below the belt, and largely centered on Zohan's genitals, and often slips into the juvenile. So what? Leave your brain behind at home, and you'll like this one. Watch it with a few of your no-brained friends, and you'll like it even more.
This movie doesn't teach us anything. It has no social mesage. It offers no solutions to the Israel-Palestine conflict (except an extremely idiotic one, which was more of a joke than anything else). And, it doesn't pretend to do any of the above. It tries to be a moronic, entertaining, comedic ride, and it fares reasonably well on that count. Sure, it slips at a few places (like the half-baked romance track), but then, so do all movies.
Adam Sandler, though not in Big Daddy or 50 First Dates form, is quite reasonable as Zohan. One grouse against him, though, is the extremely weird accent he's put on. It is initially very difficult to understand a word of what he's saying. Nothing major, once you get used to his accent. Chriqui, looking splendid as always, is a mere prop. Clearly, this is Sandler's movie, and it feels like that too. Rob Schneider gives a really surprising performance. Really, I had no idea that guy could act, let alone give such a passable performance.
All in all, go into this movie with zilch expectations, a rat's mind and a couple of your friends, and you'll end up having a jolly good time...

Opening line, and some other little lines in the middle, unintentionally copied from Harsh Kumar...

---

Post Comments Feed

The Breakfast Club

Our Rating: 4.5

Rotten Tomatoes: 90%

Yahoo Movies Users: B+

---

Starring: Emilio Estévez, Anthony Michael Hall, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald, Paul Gleason.

Director: John Hughes.

Ok, so nobody from this generation's even heard about this movie. So what if none of the actors made it really big, with Anthony Michael Hall being the only one of them to have been in the news recently (courtesy The Dark Knight, where he played Engel)? This is the definitive teenage coming-of-age films. It's the movie that literally jettisoned the genre when it was released in 1985. And, rightly so.
The movie follows a pretty simplistic storyline. Five teenagers, representing the different cliques of students in a high school, have to spend one Saturday together in detention. So, you have 'the brain', 'the athlete', 'the princess', 'the criminal' and 'the basket case' locked up with each other for one whole day. To add to their woes, the teacher-in-charge has asked them to submit a 1000 word essay on "who you think you are" by the end of the day. But then, as the day progresses and they come to know and understand one-another, they come to realize that each one of them is much more than what they have been typecast as. In each, lurks an athlete, a brain, a criminal....Each one faces the same issues and parental and peer pressures.
The sad part of this journey is that though, they have come to accept each other, they realize that their other friends will not be as open as them. That is, because of peer pressure and a sense of wanting to fit in, they will not be able to openly acknowledge one-another as a friend. As 'the princess' puts it, and is seconded by 'the athlete', she'll feel really embarrassed if 'the brain' walked up to her every day in the corridor and talked to her...
The film rather poignantly addresses issues of dealing with what society expects of, and finally, makes people. And, it does it in a really entertaining and humorous manner, never getting too preachy. The character of the criminal, Bender, is portrayed really well by Judd Nelson. His bluntness, though hypocritical, makes you think. And, his I-don't-give-a-shit attitude makes for some really darkly comic situations. In fact, all the characters are extremely well fleshed out and enacted.
All in all, though I'd recommend this one to everybody, it'd really be appreciated by the slightly more discerning audience...

---

Post Comments Feed

21

Our Rating: 2.9
Rotten Tomatoes: 35%
Yahoo Movies Critics: C
Yahoo Movies Users: B

---

Director: Robert Luketic
Starring: Jim Sturgess, Kevin Spacey, Kate Bosworth, Lawrence Fishburne.

Whoever said first impression is last impression, must not have seen this film. Whoever said a film inspired by the true story of the MIT Blackjack Team (that of the house breaker fame) has to be inspiring and smart, must not have seen this film. What this film actually is, is a pale shadow of the casino heist genre, the best example of which, according to me is the Ocean's series. Huh?! What is it that I hear? This isn't even supposed to be a casino heist flick, but a biopic of the MIT Blackjack team? Well then, tell me, why does it pretend to be casino flick? Why does it masquerade as something it is not? Why was the casino angle played up so much?
Don't get me wrong. I have little problem with most of the movie (the starting and middle are mind-blowing). Just that the ending is so goody-goody cliched, that I don't even feel like remembering the good parts. The whole third act is wrong, wrong, WRONG! In what world, other than the cliched world set up in the movie, would you find a hero so naively humble and down-to-earth? Oh of course, he can afford to be an idealistic bimbo because, after all, he is Ben Campbell, and the movie revolves around him, and so, in 21-land, he will eventually get the girl and the path to Harvard, but no money, because he has realized that there's more to life than the money. Humph...what a bore!
The acting, mercifully, is pretty decent. Kevin Spacey as the autocratic leader of the team, Micky Rosa, is brilliant. I would've loved to see him disposed off in a better way than has been presented in the film (again, the weak third act is to be blamed). Kate Bosworth as Jill Taylor, the love interest, is just that-pretty good eye candy. Jim Sturgess, as Ben Campbell, is nice. He appears lost in parts, but on the whole, his act is pretty effective. Lawrence Fishburne, as Cole Williams, the security in-charge of the casinoes, is wasted. Anyone could've done this role, and there was no apparent need to get someone of Fishburne's talent to essay, what was basically, a prop role.
All in all, I'd advise everyone to watch this one with zero expectations and absolute gullibilty. Though a lot of parts are spectacular (especially the veiled verbal confrontation that Campbell and Rosa have in the middle of Rosa's maths lecture), the third act takes a lot of steam out of the movie.

---

Post Comments Feed

Rock On!! (Hindi)

Our Rating: 3.95
Yahoo India Movies: 4.5

---

Starring: Farhan Akhtar, Arjun Rampal, Purab Kohli, Luke Kenny, Prachi Desai, Koel Purie.
Director: Abhishek Kapoor.

I don't normally watch Hindi films. The song and dance sequences just get on my nerves. But then, once in a while, if the promos look interesting enough, I do break that rule. And boy, am I happy I saw this one! The only thing identifying this one as a Hindi movie, is well, the language (and, to some extent, parts in the second half), but other than that, it really is a special movie. It gets the attitude and spirit just right, and that's what sets it apart.
The story, though a little clichéd, is well presented, with the contrast between the youthfulness of rock and the hum-dum of a 30-something's life really well brought out. The characters are well etched and you really start to feel for, and identify with them. They could be just about anybody from today's youth generation.
The young star cast delivers decent performances, with Arjun Rampal as Joe, a man of few words who lets his guitar do the talking, really stealing the show. He really gets Joe's on-stage and off-stage personas right. You get goosebumps (atleast I did, and I'm sure, all guitar fans would too) everytime you see him pick up the guitar. His fingers really have 'Magik' (that, by the way, is the name of the band in the movie). Farhan Akhtar, as the lead singer, is really good. Though he appears lost in some scenes, his overall act is good. Special mention of his vocals, which are simply amazing! Mr Akhtar, if ever you decide to stop directing films (I hope not!), you could easily become a rocker, and with some work, an amazing actor! Purab Kohli, as K.D. aka Killer Drummer is the typical Sharman Joshi-isque sidekick who provides ample smart-aleck moments. Only disappointment was Luke Kenny, who somehow, manages to make Rob look like a rank A nerd, especially when spouting dialogue (thankfully, he doesn't have too many of those).
The music by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy is foot-tapping, though I doubt whether it'll be able to generate the same hysteria if heard in isloation of the film. What I mean is that, even though Mssrs Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy get their power chords right, there's something missing in the music. It all appears good onscreen just because the Aktar-Rampal-Kohli-Kenny quartet is so good.
All in all, this is a really good effort, a new-age Dil Chahta Hai, if you want to call it that. You'd have to be a fool, or not understand Hindi, to miss this one.

---

Post Comments Feed

Kung Fu Panda

Our Rating: 4
Rotten Tomatoes: 88%
Yahoo Movies Critics: B
Yahoo Movies Users: B+

---

Featuring the voices of: Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Lucy Liu, Jakie Chan.
Directors: John Wayne Stevenson, Mark Randolph Osborne.

Jack Black is back, baby! Woohoo!
One of my favourite actors of all time (sorry, random fact, I guess), Messr. Black voices the animated panda, Po. Bumbling, overweight and often clumsy, Po still dreams of become a Kung Fu warrior (like his idols, the Furious Five).
Po's father, however, has different plans for him; Mr.Ping (daddy goose), you see, owns a flourishing noodle restaurant which, he hopes, Po will take over some day. For that to happen, Mr.Ping instructs Po in the art of noodle-making but constantly refrains from letting Po know the "secret ingredient".
Kung Fu Grand Master Ogway, meanwhile, gets a premonition that the dreaded Kung Fu Warrior Tai Lung will escape prison and threaten the Valley of Peace once more. To counter this, he announces that he will soon choose the new Dragon Warrior, the one fighter who will stop Tai Lung once and for all.
I won't spoil the fun and tell you how this happened, but what happens is that Po inadvertently gets chosen as the Dragon Warrior (like you didn't already know/guess).
What follows is an intensely hilarious tale of a coming-of-age blundering panda. Yes, there are foes-turned-friends, there are caricature villains, there's the inevitable disapproving-but-proud father track, but it's all been presented in one of the best ways ever.
But the most amazing thing about Kung Fu Panda is its hidden message (which only becomes clear towards the climax of the film): belief.
I won't expand on that, go watch the movie, but lemme tell you this: it's the stuff legends are made out of. The message might be lost on kids and adults alike, specially since it's being depicted in an animated film, but I'll go so far as to say this is the second best moral-driven, comedic animation flick ever (the first being The Lion King, of course).
The animation rocks. It's been superbly done by DreamWorks who, of course, prove time and again why they're one up on Disney and Pixar. The expressions of all the characters are nearly life-like, specially in the close-ups, the one place where you'd most expect the life-likeliness to fail.
As the voice of Po, Jack Black is phenomenal. I can just about imagine him in the studio, coffee cup in hand, going crazy with Po. This film is his stage to prove to the world, again, just WHY he was born. He rocks. I'm sorry if I'm gushing but I can't help it. I am a maniacal Jack Black fan and extremely proud of it.
Angelina Jolie's inclusion in the cast was much hyped but, frankly, she doesn't live up to it. Don't get me wrong, as the voice of Tigress, she's awesome-but there's nothing of the Angelina Jolie stamp in her this time, no extra zing like there usually is. At the end of the film, I realized that this was a role any female could've done, which is weird since I walk out of most Angelina Jolie films either drooling/foaming at the mouth or talking so loudly about her that my friends usually stand a few hundred feet apart pretending not to know me.
Dustin Hoffman as Master Shifu is just perfect. I seriously cannot imagine any other actor whose voice would've suited the character more. Maybe, just maybe, Marlon Brando in his Godfather days but, sadly, this film is a few decades too late for that.
Jackie Chan's role, too, was much talked about. But as Monkey, he's there for hardly a few scenes (where he's required to talk. Otherwise, he's there in the entire film, like an animated extra). He's simply wasted but I guess including him was the producers' way to lure the audience (specially after the success of The Forbidden Kingdom).
Lucy Liu as Viper rocks. Again, it's a role that any other lady could've done, but Lucy Lui's good, no doubt about it. I'll give credit where it's due. :D
A very, very special mention to Randall Duk Kim, the man who voices the tortoise, Grand Master Ogway. He's TOO GOOD. He's hilarious and he's old and restrained and he's convincing and he's annoying all at the same time. Phew! Imagine one guy doing all of that in one sentence! That's Master Ogway/Duk Kim for you :D
I go with a 4/5 for Kung Fu Panda (only for the third time in my history-after The Shawshank Redemption and, more recently, The Dark Knight). If you walk out of this film without a smile on your face, you're out of this world....and I don't mean that in a good way.

---

Post Comments Feed

Money Hai Toh Honey Hai (Hindi)

Our Rating: 2
Yahoo India Movies Users: 3.5

---

Starring: Govinda, Aftab Shivdasani, Celina Jaitley, Manoj Bajpai, Upen Patel, Hansika Motwani.
Director: Ganesh Acharya

What could have been an immensely funny plot in the hands of somebody like David Dhawan becomes a semi-palatable khichdi with Ganesh Acharya.
Prem Chopra plays a psycho-industrialist who loses his mind when he remembers he has no heir to his fortune. To counter this, he somehow dreams up the numbers of six losers (Govinda, Aftab Shivdasani, Celina Jaitely, Manoj Bajpai, Upen Patel and Hansika Motwani) and names them the heirs to his empire. In doing so, he inevitably angers his long-time business manager Ravi Kishen (superb in the little role he has) who then starts plotting to kick the six off and usurp the throne for himself.
Where the movie fails is its treatment: Govinda’s made to ham as if his life depends on it (though, frankly, he still infuses enough of himself in his character to make him likeable. Plus, he dances like a dream); Upen Patel shows off more of himself than any decent movie-goer would like to see; Celina Jaitely is surprisingly restrained in her performance; Manoj Bajpayee is phenomenally awesome as the anti-Murphy, ever-optimistic “businessman”; Hansika Motwani is shamelessly exploited in cleavage-bearing, tight-fitting outfits that would put Celina Jaitely in a fix (which is saying something).
The music is a let-down, the cinematography is okay-ish and the costumes look like recycled hash from Govinda’s old films.
Speaking of Govinda’s old films, what’s with the crazy rap version of Main Toh Raste Se Ja Raha Tha? I mean, if you’re trying to pass Govinda off as a 20 year old, is that the only thing you could think of, Mr. Director?
Overall, I'd give the film a 2/5. Here's the break-up: 1/5 for Govinda, Manoj Bajpayee and Ravi Kishen and 1/5 for Esha Deol in that scorchingly hot avatar of hers in that one song. :D

---

Post Comments Feed

Following

Our Rating: 3.75
Rotten Tomatoes: 80%
Yahoo Movies Users: B+

---

Starring: Jeremy Theobald, Alex Haw, John Nolan.
Director: Christopher Nolan.

It doesn't contain any known actors (as can be divined from the 'Starring: ' field above). At it's time of release, the director wasn't as frighteningly well known as he is today (I mean, Chris Nolan, did, after all, make The Dark Knight). It doesn't have any high octane action, nor any real length. All that this movie has is a good story, an excellent script and lots of intrigue.
This is Nolan's first full length movie (clocking in a really short 70 minutes), but apart from the fact that it lacks just a wee bit technically, you don't ever feel that this is a newbie director. Even though it's been shot on a shoestring budget, the cinematography is pretty stylish, with the footage being completely black and white. Infact, the emphasis, technically, seems to be on innovation to best utilize the funds, yet the movie doesn't ever come across as a cheapskate impersonator.
The story revolves around Bill, a young wannabe writer (played rather competently by Jeremy Theobald), who, in order to develop his characters, follows people to observe their mannerisms. But one day, he runs into Cobb (Alex Haw), a rather sophisticated burgler, and things start to go awry for Bill as his he gets sucked into lies, deceit and murder. The twist at the end is pretty unexpected and really, it is only then that you realize just how much trouble Bill really is in.
Edited in typical Nolan 'fractured timeline' style, this voyeuristic movie packs in quite a punch. It is an intelligent thriller, utilizes all of its limited runtime quite well, and is generally, an amazing effort for a first timer working on a restricted budget.

---

Post Comments Feed

The Departed

Our Rating: 2.5 (that too, just because of Jack Nicholson)
Rotten Tomatoes: 92%
Yahoo Movies Critics: A-
Yahoo Movies Users: B+

---

Starring: Jack Nicholson, Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Mark Wahlberg.
Director: Martin Scorsese

Oscar winner? This movie?! 92% on Rotten Tomatoes? This movie?! No wonder critics are thought to be utterly pretentious and unreasonable! What does this movie have that all cops and moles movies don't? Well, there's Jack Nicholson, and then there's the disappointment of watching this movie. Make no mistake, Jack is AMAZING in this movie, but all the rest is utterly boring cliches stuck together.
You know a movie is special when it manages to send me off to sleep. In that respect, this movie is top-notch. It is ultra-special. One of a kind. Had it not been for Nicholson, this would've been even more 'special'. But then, Jack Nicholson plays Jack Nicholson to great effect in each of his movies. There's nothing new about that.
What is new, is just how low a great director like Arty-Marty will stoop just to give this film a gritty feel. Whoever said that cursing by the truckload on screen gives the movie a realistic, gritty feel, must've been born yesterday. No really, you can't count the number of times our beloved f-word has been uttered on screen. The only gauge of how ridiculous the dialogue sounds due to the infestation of the f-word (in its root form, not even as some imaginative hybrid!) is the fits of laughter I was sent into every time I heard it being uttered. Had I not known better, I would've thought that this was a spoof on the f-word. Seriously, it's been overdone to the point of ridiculousness. A little more effing restraint would've made the dialogue more natural and the movie more gritty.
The effing f-word isn't my only concern. The fact that, by their very nature, cop stories are supposed to be engrossing, and this particular one put my off to sleep, really tells you something about the loosness of the script. In fact, the character of Sullivan's (Matt Damon) wife, played by Vera Farmiga, does nothing to either entertain you, nor further the story. A lot of sub-plots are murky to say the least, and should have been dropped altogether. The pacing is extremely jerky, with the twistless ending being to bloody and abrupt. Yeah sure, all that blood spatter and all does look impressive, but you really have to ask yourself, what was the need? why are characters behaving the way they are?
It all boils down to the fact that not even Jack Nicholson can carry such a convoluted offering on his own, and he really could've done with some help, at least in the script department. Watch this one only to find out how over hyped movies can get...

---

Post Comments Feed

DVD Recco-In The Valley Of Elah

Our Rating: 4
Rotten Tomatoes: 72%
Yahoo Movies Critics: B+
Yahoo Movies Users: B-

---

Starring: Tommy Lee Jones, Susan Sarandon, Charlize Theron, James Franco.
Director: Paul Haggis

I recently caught this 2007 movie, In The Valley Of Elah on DVD and BOY does it rock (ok, just because I wrote digital video disk in abbreviated capitals doesn't mean that BOY stands for something as well....just thought I'd make it clear).

Directed by Academy Award (I'd produce the encircled 'R' if I could) Winner Paul Haggis (Crash), In the Valley Of Elah is an extraordinary tale of ordinary people doing extraordinary things. Sounds confusing? Haha, read on.

Tommy Lee Jones is Hank Deerfield, a retired army military police sergeant, who learns that his son, SPC Mike Deerfielf, is absent without leave (AWOL). Hank immediately leaves for the army base in order to search for his missing son. When he arrives, he's shocked and shattered to find that his son has been murdered.

How he solves the heinous, brutal murder (Mike was chopped into lil' pieces and burnt up after that) forms the rest of the tale.

Supported ably by veteran Susan Sarandon (who plays his wife, Joann) and classy Charlize Theron (Detective Emily Sanders), Tommy Lee Jones shoulders a breathtakingly touching tale of a man who sets out to find the truth about his son.

In doing so, he unknowingly comes closer to Mike than he realizes (which is apparent through the introspective flashbacks that pepper the screenplay). However, this isn't a film about posthumous love. No, it's an out-and-out emotional thriller cum tragedy cum a tale of truth. (Frankly, whatever the specific genre, it works).

This can easily be described as one of Jones' best performances to date (I still think he was his best in Men in Black) though correct me if I'm wrong in saying that his ultimate best is yet to come.

Charlize Theron as the hassled, overworked, semi-cynical detective is simply awesome. It's a role which requires her to look menacing, calm and collected without her usual stunning looks to distract the audience. She pulls it off with elan. With considerable elan, in fact.

As Detective Sanders, Theron is convincing. The best in her comes out in that one scene where she finally puts her male, chauvinistic colleagues in their proper places. It's a treat to watch her nonchalantly whip their asses (pardon my French) into a fuzzy mess (pardon that, too). Their reactions are to die for :-D

Susan Sarandon doesn't have too much to play with, but her character helps support the story if not help progress it. She's extremely effective as the mother who's lost it all and the wife who's about to lose it all. Watch her in that scene where she curses Tommy Lee when he tells her Mike was murdered.

James Franco (Spiderman), frankly, is wasted. He's good, he's got cropped hair and he's wearing military uniform but you can't really imagine him as a senior commanding officer. The role doesn't suit him at all. Therefore, it's a blessing in disguise that his role is as minimal as it can get.

Mike Deerfield's played by some chap who doesn't really need to act since the most we see of the guy is in short video clips taken from a mobile phone. Oh yeah, just WATCH those lil' clips....they're amazing. It's just unbelievable the way they've been shot, almost as if they were taken real-time in Iraq. Without the clips, the movie would've been plain boring.

I like the supporting cast (the soldiers) but I don't know their names (in any case, there are too many of them to name). In particular, I like the Mexican runaway soldier who Tommy Lee degradingly calls "Chiko" (a degrading term used for Mexican refugees who inhabit America).

The ending. Oh man, what can I say? Haggis, sir, you're a god-damned genius, if there ever was one. In recent times, barring the Shawshank Redemption (yes, it's my favourite movie, live with it) and The Dark Knight, I haven't seen a better ending. It made me sit up and understand what you're trying to convey. It makes so much sense it's amazing no other movie with a war in its background hadn't thought of it. Simply brilliant.

Verdict? I'll go with a 4/5 for Paul Haggis' In The Valley Of Elah. It's a film you should miss at your own risk.

---

Post Comments Feed

Memento

Our Rating: 2.5
Rotten Tomatoes: 94%
Yahoo Movies Users: B+

---

Starring: Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano.
Director: Christopher Nolan.

Borrowing a line from Chris Nolan's Batman Begins, and updating it a little, I'd say that "This is a movie you'll never understand, and you always fear...what you don't understand...". But, having said that, I'll also add that when you do understand this, it'll turn out to be nothing more than a sleight of the hand, a common trick, a formulaic story wrapped in a lot of (distracting) fluff, to make it seem more interesting.
The original short story by Jonathan Nolan was novel and highly gripping, to say the least. But sadly, the film adaptation, in trying to stretch the story out, and thus fill the required 2 hours of runtime, loses the novelty. Along the way, you start feeling more than slightly tricked, and by the end, you're really uninterested. The twist at the end, also doesn't grip you, or make you jump in your seat the way normal Nolan endings do.
Guy Pearce goes about his role of Leonard Shelby, the guy who can't make new memories, looking extremely lost. He just about appears in each scene, mutters his line, and then the director cuts to another scene, where Pearce is again seen muttering his lines. No, actually, not even muttering, but puking out. Like he's just about remembering to say the lines. Like his heart's not really in it. What could have been a great tragic character in the hands of someone more capable, just about segues into a bumbling fool.
The worst thing about the movie is its editing. People have raved and ranted about it, but frankly, to me, it was just gimmickry. It does nothing, but distract from the actual story. Alright, it's a new approach, but seriously, the movie would have connected better if it would have been edited conventionally.
The best thing about the movie undeniably, is Joe Pantoliano (Baby's Day Out). He just excels in the role of John Gammell, who, you are told in the very last scene, is an honest undercover cop. Trust me, and take that guy's dialogues literally, and the movie will be clear as daylight. Joe just inhabits the role, and brings the right amount of warmth and deceit to the role. The way he plays the role, Gammell appears to be just a sleazy pimp trying to swindle Shelby, but it as only at the end that you realize that Gammell is actually one of the few good guys (if not the only one) in this twisted and convoluted tale.
This movie is actually one big lost opportunity. The director, in trying to befuddle the audience too much, loses control of the movie. The critics also hyped this movie too much, I think partly because they didn't really understand the movie. They weren't really looking carefully, because obviously, they "wanted to be fooled". This movie really represents the absolute nadir of Nolan's filmmaking, and thankfully, a guy of his obvious talent, went on to greater things (not just the Batman movies, but also The Prestige). Considering that his previous film (Following) and his recent films, have all been way better, this can only be considered as a momentary lapse of concentration, and not an alarming sign. Watch this one, only if you want to know what all the hype was about, and please, please don't fall into the trap of doubting Gammell.

---

Post Comments Feed

The Dark Knight

---

Our Rating: 4.75
Rotten Tomatoes: 95%
Yahoo Movies Critics: A-
Yahoo Movies Users: A

---

Starring: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine.
Director: Christopher Nolan

It wasn't just the hype, but rather the confluence of such amazingly talented people that had me waiting for this flick like I haven't ever waited before. I had such great expectations out of this movie, that good movies would have crumbled before them. And, that is exactly my point-this film isn't just good, it's 'dark knight' good, a classic. Right up there with the very best of cinema. This isn't just a superhero movie, rather it's a smartly packaged crime drama with enough twists and turns to make the head spin. But then, Chris Nolan, being the director he is, packages these extremely well in the 140 minute run time, even finding time for some really well choreographed action sequences. There is never a dull moment, never an implausible twist, and certainly no loopholes in the script.
The film starts of with a brilliantly conceived and staged bank robbery. The Joker and his goons, wearing clown masks, break into the mob's bank. Through the robbery, we never get to see the Joker, only hearing about him from the other goons. As the robbery progresses, the sheer brilliance of the Joker's plan starts to emerge. Playing on his goons' fears and distrust for each other, the Joker manages to make of with all the money himself. It's a theme repeated often in the film-the Joker is shown as the purveyor of anarchy, playing on others' fears to his own advantage, or rather, pleasure. He isn't "looking for anything logical" and just wants to "watch the world burn". Heath Ledger doesn't just play the character, he actually becomes the character. All the mannerisms and mood swings come naturely. Nothing is forced, nothing is put-on. Ledger disappears so completely into the role, that it's hard to imagine him in any other role.
Bale plays Batman as a tragic and flawed hero. It's clear from the very first scene that Batman is bleeding and has too much on his plate. Not only is he fighting off the mob, but also a horde of his imposters. The general public can't decide whether Batman is the messiah Gotham needed, or just a common thug who should be locked up. The cops treat him like a criminal, with only Gordon seeing him for the man he is. With the introduction of the Joker and his anarchy, the debate becomes stronger, with the public blaming Batman for creating the Joker. While Begins focussed on the creation of Batman, this movie focusses on the struggles of being Batman. The personal sacrifices and hard decisions are beautifully protrayed in the movie, with the ending taking the cake, and justifying the movie's title. By the end, Batman isn't just a vigilante in a costume, he becomes something else, something much more heroic.
Eckhart excels in the role of Harvey Dent, the courageous new Gotham DA. He is the 'official' version of Batman, someone who has vowed to clean the streets of Gotham while working within the framework of the law. His arrival even prompts Bruce Wayne to consider hanging up his boots and start leading a normal life. But then again, things don't go exactly according to 'plan', and Harvey ends up as the villainous, coin flipping Two-Face. How the transformation takes place is the actual crux of the movie, and thus, I'll steer clear of it.
The supporting cast (if you can call them that) of Michael Caine (as the butler, Alfred), Morgan Freeman (as Lucius Fox, the Wayne Industry inventor) and Gary Oldman (as Lt. Jim Gordon, the only honest GCPD cop), all bring their A-game to the movie, instilling a never-before-seen earnestness to their roles. Maggie Gyllenhaal adds gravitas to the pivotal role of Rachel Dawes (which was played by Katie Holmes in Begins), the love interest of both, Dent and Wayne.
The film raises important social questions about the corrupting nature of power and vesting too much power in one individual, all within the framework of a superhero movie. The scale of the movie is epic, the action is better handled than in Begins, and generally, this is one of the better movies dished out by Hollywood. It's so good, that the hall actually burst out into applause once or twice during the show I was in. This is one of the few films that entertain, and still have a shot at the Oscars, and for that, it's really one to be seen!

---

Post Comments Feed

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

---

Our Rating: 2
Rotten Tomatoes: 76%
Yahoo Movies Critics: B
Yahoo Movies Users: B-

---

Starring: ET, Harrison Ford, Cate Blanchett, Shia LaBeouf.
Director: Steven Spielberg.

First things first-I haven’t seen the previous 3 Indiana Jones films and am judging this film purely on its own merits and not on the reputation built up by the previous 3 flicks.
The first thing that strikes you about this movie is just how boring it is, the whole mountain out of a mole-hill joke notwithstanding (it’s a visual joke involving the mountain in the Paramount logo). At least on that count, the film is consistent-the beginning’s boring, the middle’s boring and the ending, is well, absurd. And boring.
The story is one twisted pile of mumbo-jumbo involving a crystal skull that has the power to influence people’s thoughts. Woven into all this is some more mumbo-jumbo about the power of thought and “the space between spaces”. The movie has just too much of plain, dry, drabby dialogue to keep you engaged for a span of more than 5 minutes.
Indy is portrayed as some super-archaeologist who can decipher clues before you can say “Dr. Jones” and survive a nuclear blast by sitting inside a lead lined fridge. But one thing has to be said, he really hasn’t slowed down. The stunts that guy manages are pretty decent, the high point being the bike chase culminating inside a library. That to me, was also the best sequence of the film, but sadly, it came too close to the beginning and from there, the film was pretty much sliding way south. Very quickly.
To his credit, Shia stands his ground against the likes of Ford and Blanchett as the James Dean style greaser. The attention he constantly endows on his hair provide some nice little comic relief. Sadly, the rest of the support cast is just wasted. Even the main baddie, Irina Spalko (played by Blanchett) has little to do, other than look cold and aloof. John Hurt as Professor Oxley, the man because of whom the whole quest for the crystal skull starts, does little to further the story, and a lot to cloud your mind by spouting philosophical mumbo-jumbo at every opportunity he gets. It is really sad seeing someone of his calibre wasted in a role like this.
For all of Spielberg’s talk that this movie was going to be CGI free, the ludicrous climax DOES feature A LOT of CGI which just cramps Indy’s style. In fact, the CGI comes out with a vengeance as soon as the story shifts to the jungles. A lot of scenes look embarrassingly artificial.
The music by the otherwise dependable John Williams is just clumsy and boring to say the least. Williams shows complete lack of imagination while scoring the action bits and the bike chase I mentioned earlier lost a lot of its steam because of the music (which, I can only guess, was dance music at best) playing in the background. Williams neither builds upon, nor rehashes his old Indy themes, leaving a rather sore ear at the end of it all.
All said and done, this movie shows what poor scripting can do, with the combined likes of Ford, Blanchett, LaBeouf and Williams at a complete loss about what to do. Watch it only if you have to. Although, I would strongly advise people to give this one the miss.

---

Post Comments Feed