Rann February 5, 2010
Posted by Shujath in Hindi, Movies, Reviews.Tags: 2010, Amitabh Bachchan, Bollywood, Competition, corruption, DVD, Entertainment, Film, Gul Panag, Headlines, Hindi, India 24X7, Media, Mohnish Behl, Movie, Neetu Chandra, News, News Channels, Paresh Rawal, Rajat Kapoor, Rajpal Yadav, Ram Gopal Varma, Rann, Review, Ritesh Deshmukh, Simone Singh, Suchitra, Sudeep, TRP
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Ramu’s take on the media looks more like a Bhandarkar-esque affair – still it works because the film doesn’t compel you to take it seriously. This is a theme whose Bollywoodization was long overdue and even if the end result seems inexcusably dumbed-down, it is still fairly engaging. I actually loved Paresh Rawal as the vile politician – it’s been so long since he has played a role like this. Even though it is hands down the most throwback eighties character you’ve probably seen on screen these days.
My favorite nevertheless was Mohnish Behl – as the scheming head-honcho of a news channel he is top class – would love to see him more on the big screen. Sudeep, Suchitra and Rajpal Yadav are also impressive. Surprisingly the lead characters – Amitabh and Ritesh are the most uninteresting characters of the entire enterprise. The latter especially plays the dumbest investigative journalist ever – somebody please tell him that there is a silent mode on a cell phone, a rear view mirror to a car and that it is possible to make copies of DVDs.
Rann is far from being among RGV’s better films, still it makes the cut when you compare it with his more recent ventures. Worth a look.
Movie Roundup: 03/02/2010 February 3, 2010
Posted by Shujath in Articles, English, Movies, Reviews.Tags: blockbuster, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, DVD, English, Film, Hollywood, Movie, Review, The Men Who Stare at Goats, Up in the Air
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1) Up in the Air (2009)
Director: Jason Reitman
Cast: George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, Anna Kendrick
Reitman’s latest is an enjoyable cynical take on relationships (or the lack of it) centered around its quirky lead (played with ease by George Clooney) who’s job is to fire people “with a personal touch” and accumulate airline miles. Down the line it starts to get a bit too familiar to my liking but there are pleasant surprises towards the end. Anna Kendrick excels in a supporting part.
2) The Men Who Stare at Goats (2009)
Director: Grant Heslov
Cast: George Clooney, Ewan McGregor, Jeff Bridges, Kevin Spacey
A satirical look at non-traditional techniques used by the US Defense establishment to turn their men into Jedi warriors. Led by an excellent cast, the movie is fun most of the times – and equally unbelievable given that the premise is “based on true events”. It loses steam in its final portions but still worth a watch for its unique premise.
3) Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009)
Director: Phil Lord, Christopher Miller
Cast: Bill Hader, Anna Faris, Neil Patrick Harris, James Caan
I’d prefer to settle for actual meatballs. For me Cloudy… was only amusing in parts. Though it had most elements of any successful animation flick in place it seemed to me like just another Pixar wannabe. I’ve read somewhere that quite a few of the sight gags work mainly in 3D – which could be one of the reasons I didn’t enjoy it on DVD.
Movie Roundup: 29/01/2010 January 29, 2010
Posted by Shujath in Articles, English, Movies, Reviews.Tags: Bad Lieutenant, blockbuster, District 9, DVD, English, Fim, Hollywood, Movie, Port of Call: New Orleans, Review, Sherlock Holmes
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1) Bad Lieutenant – Port of Call: New Orleans (2009)
Director: Werner Herzog
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Eva Mendes, Val Kilmer
When Nicolas Cage is stoned and on the brink of a breakdown one can safely assume that it is one of the very few good films he makes to redeem himself. Bad Lieutenant easily qualifies for that. A regular gritty cop drama elevated singularly by Cage’s performance.
2) Sherlock Holmes (2009)
Director: Guy Ritchie
Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Rachel McAdams, Mark Strong
With the ultimate geek combo of Downey Jr, Law and Ritchie this film would still have made the cut even if it was far less impressive than what it is. Except for Holmes purists who might take exception to Ritchie’s treatment I don’t see how one cannot like it. A perfect blend of action, suspense and humor – I absolutely loved it and it definitely ranks among the best flicks of the year gone by…..bring on the sequels!
3) District 9 (2009)
Director: Neill Blomkamp
Cast: Sharlto Copley, Jason Cope, David James
Worth all the hype it deserves, District 9 is an visually stunning and though provoking sci-fi flick which defies a lot of traditions in the genre. The premise might seem familiar with the usual themes of evil corporations but Blomkamp’s visual narrative takes it to a different level. It’s hard to get this film out of your head for a very long time after seeing it.
Veer January 28, 2010
Posted by Shujath in Hindi, Movies, Reviews.Tags: 2010, An Epic Love Story of a Warrior, Anil Sharma, Aryan Vaid, Bollywood, DVD, Film, Jackie Shroff, Lisa Lazarus, Meherbaaniyan, Mithun Chakraborty, Movie, Neena Guptha, period film, Pindari, Puru Raajkumar, Review, Sajid-Wajid, Salman Khan, Surili Akhiyon, Veer, Vijay Galani Moviez, Zarine Khan
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You might have seen the savage bashing this flick has received till now, so I’ll skip that part and write about a few redeeming things about Veer. For starters, when he isn’t sleepwalking through a movie Salman can pull off just about anything and Veer is a perfect example of that. No, it’s far from being a good film but ironically it’s camp quotient works to an extent to make it to the watchable category.
Honestly, I don’t know how Anil Sharma’s Gadar became such a huge hit but the only thing which I actually liked about the film is that one song (Udja Kale Kawa) – which keeps popping up at crucial moments and somehow (unintentionally) seemed to capture the true essence of the film (which was non-existent in the first place). Anil Sharma successfully repeats that in Veer with a couple of numbers – Surili Akhiyon Wali and Kanha – and that’s why I actually liked the film more than I had wanted to. Indeed, the surprise really are Sajid-Wajid who come up with an overall winning score. Apart from the two numbers mentioned before there’s the wonderful “Meherbaaniyan” track – equally well filmed (isn’t is unthinkable not to have an energetic Salman dance number!!!).
Well…that’s pretty much what I liked about the film. Coming to the performances, except for Mithun and Salman none make an impact. I would love to see both of them together again in a better film. I wouldn’t really recommend this film to anyone – except maybe for a Salman Khan fan (or if you happen to share to my quirks for Anil Sharma’s musical money-shots).
Movie Roundup: 18/01/2010 January 18, 2010
Posted by Shujath in Articles, English, Movies, Reviews.Tags: (500) Days of Summer, DVD, English, Film, Hollywood, K-19: The Widowmaker, Movie, Review, The Last House on the Left
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1) The Last House on the Left (2009)
Director: Dennis Iliadis
Cast: Tony Goldwyn, Monica Potter, Sara Paxton, Aaron Paul
I don’t think one has to see Wes Craven’s original to figure out how crappy this remake is. It’s just another of those mediocre alone-in-a-house-stalker thrillers. If it weren’t the remake of a famous film, nobody would have even been talking about it. Skip it unless you are game for anything with a horror label.
2) K-19: The Widowmaker (2002)
Director: Kathryn Bigelow
Cast: Harrison Ford, Liam Neeson, Peter Sarsgaard
The “Based on a True Story” part of the film was quite disputed but nevertheless this one’s a pretty gripping cold war submarine thriller about a famed Russian sub called K-19 which ends up in troubled waters – faced with the choice of its crew asking for American assistance or pull off an impossible nuclear missile fix under the command of its eccentric captain (Harrison Ford). It’s mostly enjoyable but could have been shorter.
3) (500) Days of Summer (2009)
Director: Marc Webb
Cast: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Zooey Deschanel
Not quite the anti-romcom I expected – it’s more of a cleverly designed one where the narrative and quirkiness disguise its mundane premise. Despite my bias against the genre, I did enjoy it a lot thanks to the clever non-linear screenplay and winning performances from the lead pair. For chick-flick lovers, it can’t get better than this – for others this is one of the rare films you’d enjoy without embarrassment. Also check out Chloë Moretz (from the upcoming Kick-Ass) in a hilarious supporting role.
Movie Roundup: 11/01/2010 January 11, 2010
Posted by Shujath in Articles, English, Movies, Reviews.Tags: DVD, English, Film, Five Minutes of Heaven, Hollywood, Movie, Point Break, Review, Serenity
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1) Five Minutes of Heaven (2009)
Director: Oliver Hirschbiegel
Cast: Liam Neeson, James Nesbitt
An ex-IRA member is scheduled to come face-to-face with the vengeful brother of one of his victims after 33 years….for some “reconciliation” TV documentary. It’s quite interesting and has some funny moments (especially the retakes during the filming) but loses steam midway. The guilt-redemption theme doesn’t work that well as expected – watchable on the whole.
2) Serenity (2005)
Director: Joss Whedon
Cast: Nathan Fillion, Gina Torres, Summer Glau, Adam Baldwin, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Alan Tudyk, Morena Baccarin
I remember reading a lot of good things about this during its release, but that never translated to box office gold. Nevertheless, Serenity is one of the most entertaining sci-fi flicks I’ve ever seen. Loads of action and humor with some very impressive SFX given its medium budget. This little gem is a must watch if sci-fi is your genre.
3) Point Break (1991)
Director: Kathryn Bigelow
Cast: Keanu Reeves, Patrick Swayze, Gary Busey, Lori Petty
Keanu Reeves in his first major action role stars as an FBI rookie out to nab a group of serial bank robbers. His quest leads him to befriend a bunch of surfers which ensures you get a heady dose of alternating action and surfing sequences. Viewed today, the film clearly seems to mark the transition between the eighties and nineties action flick incorporating elements from both. I didn’t dig the surfing part much but the rest of the action makes it a great watch.
