It's All About My Movies

Back to watching loads of movies :)

2010-02-28T02:09:00.002+05:30

On the weekends I catch at least 3 movies.

What is interesting is that I have started watching a lot more international films thanks to World Movies and NDTV Lumiere. It still bugs me that I have to read the 'dialogues' but it's a small price to pay for some really good movies.

Done with 2 movies today itself already and got 2 more lined up for tomorrow. Maybe I'll even get back to putting down a few reviews in the next few weeks :)

But totallyyyy realized what a movie buff I am and how I dislike people who don't like the movies.

The Ugly Truth

2009-09-20T13:41:00.002+05:30

My Recommendation : Worth 1 watch.

The story is nothing original but the treatment of the film is done nicely. It's hilarious certain places. I expected it to be very average but the funny moments made it well worth the watch.

I expected Katherine Heigl to be very average but she did a good job (for some reason she's a TV actress in my mind but surprisingly seems to pull off these solo lead roles fairly well). Though she mostly likely is going to get typecast this way I feel.

Haven't seen Gerald Butler before this. He was pretty good too.

Director : Robert Luketic
Cast : Katherine Heigl
Gerald Butler
Eric Winter
Bree Turner

Watched a lot of movies recently

2009-04-13T20:05:00.003+05:30

Some were brilliant. Some were so so.

Untraceable
Eagle Eye
Lucky By Chance
Central Station
Casablanca
Harry Potter 1 and 2
Memento
Man on the Moon
Straight
Revelation Road

And a bunch more. Not going to write reviews about them. Though I would recommend Eagle Eye, Untraceable, Central Station (it's a Brazilian movie) and Memento.

Pink Panther 2

2009-03-02T19:30:00.005+05:30

Recommendation - If you love slap stick comedy, a must watch.

I totally enjoyed the movie. Some scenes were just super hilarious.

Aishwaria Rai had lots of screen time but not much to do in terms of acting. She didn't even look as good as she usually looks. Some how I always find she carries of Indian outfits way better than any western wear.

Steve Martin was brilliant (as usual).

I haven't seen Part 1 which a lot of people have told me is better than Part 2. Have never seen the original movies either. But after watching Pink Panther 2 I am going to definitely get the movies and watch them.

Director : Harald Zwart
Producer : Robert Simonds
Cast : Steve Martin
Andy Garcia
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan
Jean Reno
Alfred Molina
Emily Mortimer

Many movies :)

2009-02-27T03:37:00.002+05:30

Seen a bunch of movies since the last time I posted. Might write reviews later.

Dev D
Kung Fu Panda
Gone Baby Gone

Yes Man

2009-01-11T02:29:00.004+05:30

Recommendation: Worth a watch (especially if you are a Jim Carrey fan)

The movie is typical Jim Carrey. But on the whole it had more than a few good laughs here and there. What struck me the most though was what if everyone became a 'Yes' man/woman - what if everybody 'chose life', how different would their life be?

Don't want to put in any spoilers so won't say much but the most hilarious scene is with the old lady.

Go check it out if you haven't already.

Director: Peyton Reed
Cast: Jim Carrey
Zooey Deschanel
Bradley Cooper

Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!

2009-01-11T02:19:00.003+05:30

Recommendation: Don't bother with this one.

I still can't comprehend why this movie got some great reviews. I didn't like the movie at all. Maybe it's because I am not from the North of India....I don't know.

Abhay Deol was alright. He does have a certain charm. I didn't get all the double and triple roles being played by certain actors. It would only make sense to me if that was done to either 1) Give more screen time to the actors 2) Save money by getting more characters played by the same actors.

Totally love the theme song of the movie but that's the only thing I loved about the movie.

I seriously wonder if Ronnie Screwvala just has way too much money. Seriously thinking that Dev D is going to be way too 'hutke' also.

Give it a miss. Watch something else instead.

Director: Dibakar Banerjee
Cast: Abhay Deol
Paresh Rawal
Neetu Chandra

Madagascar : Escape 2 Africa

2009-01-11T02:05:00.005+05:30

Recommendation - A must watch.

Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa is just totally brilliant. The first half at least. Totally hilarious. Second half was a little too sentimental but it doesn't get boring.

The animation was totally fabulous (as expected).

The penguins and King Julien are brilliant as always. Hehe this time the monkeys are too.

It's definitely worth a watch.

Voices of -
Ben Stiller (Alex)
Chris Rock (Marty)
David Schwimmer (Melman)
Jada Pinkett Smith (Gloria)

Dasvidaniya

2008-11-26T01:21:00.004+05:30

Recommendation: Worth a watch but not necessarily in a theatre.

Won't reveal the story or anything in case some hasn't heard it yet. Dasvidaniya is 'Goodbye' in Russian.

The success of the movie goes to show that you can have a simple story/concept and you can have 'real life like' characters and still make a hit movie. You don't need huge sets, big celebrities, big budgets etc. Just need to present your story in a fashion that will touch people either emotionally or philosophically.

The movie is apparently 'inspired' by a Hollywood film. Haven't seen the English one so I'm not sure.

The movie is slow or at least I felt it being that way. I mean sure there need to be moment when nothing is really happening on the screen so that the emotion or thought sinks in (into the mind of the audience) but these stops were done at the right points.

The cast did a good job.

Director: Shashant Shah
Cast: Vinay Pathak
Rajat Kapoor
Neha Dhupia
Gaurav Gera

Sarkar Raj

2008-11-26T01:09:00.004+05:30

Recommendation: Worth a watch.

The movie was not half as bad as I thought it would be. I actually enjoyed it. Of course it was slow and the cinematography (or that's what I think it is called-basically movement of the camera) is terrible - but that is typical of a Ram Gopal Varma film.

Abhishek was very good. I think the whole dark brooding character suits his personality. I know people like him in comedy but I think these sort of roles are better for him.

Aishwarya Rai looked really good.

Don't know if this story was a rip off of some other movie/book but I liked it. The end was a little too predictable.

Didn't like some of the dialogues and also didn't like the presentation of some of the dialogues.

But over all it was a good watch.

Director: Ram Gopal Varma
Cast: Amitabh Bachchan
Abhishek Bachchan
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan

Fashion

2008-10-29T15:41:00.006+05:30

Recommendation : Worth a watch

Maybe many people might not agree but I liked the movie (at least over all). Yes it was a little slow and wasn't as much 'fun' as a Madhur Bhandarkar movie usually is but I was quite satisfied with it over all.

While the film does lack dirt and filth (as most Madhur Bhandarkar movies have), the message in this also is quite subtle about what the industry is like. Which I found a little odd, especially after promos of 'You will lose more than just your morals'. It wasn't as dark as I expected it to be.

Oh and there has to be a note about Priyanka Chopra because she was absolutely fantastic. I am not a huge fan of hers and also thought she would have been wrong for the movie but she was outstanding. Not only did she look very good (in most places) but she acted quite well too.

Arjun Bajwa was quite good too :) Kangna Ranaut and Mugdha Godse weren't bad either. Arbaz Khan also did a decent job.

I only wish they had edited it a little better (read more) so that it didn't feel so long.

Director : Madhur Bhandarkar
Cast : Priyanka Chopra
Kangna Ranaut
Mugdha Godse
Arjan Bajwa
Arbaz Khan

P.S. Ronnie Screwvala is producing A LOT of films.

P.S.S - First time I have caught a First Day First Show of a film :) It was fun.

Phoonk

2008-10-26T17:14:00.000+05:30

Recommendation : Don't bother at allllll

Well when it comes to scary, this movie is shows how scary it is to have money get wasted (on it) so easily. Okay there are some scenes where you might jump with a start but that's normal in any movie that is silent for a few seconds and then blasts some noise at you.

The only good thing in the movie was the kid. She didn't just look cute but even acted well. But even she isn't that good that you should go out and watch the movie.

Director : Ram Gopal Verma
Cast : Ahsaas Channa
Sudeep
Amruta Khanvilkar

A Wednesday

2008-10-02T01:17:00.003+05:30

Totally Brilliant Movie. A must watch.

Not at all typical. Fast paced (though some scenes were a little too stretched). There is only one questions that ruins the experience - they don't mention how the 'common man' gets so smart.

Director: Neeraj Pandey
Cast: Naseeruddin Shah
Anupam Kher
Jimmy Shergill
Aamir Bashir

Welcome to Sajjanpur

2008-10-02T00:58:00.004+05:30

Recommendation : If you want to watch a movie with a strong story, give this a miss. If you want to watch a movie that gives you a perspective you wouldn't have, watch it.

The movie had a lot of interesting characters and a lot of interesting mini-incidents but lacks a strong story line.

Shreyas Talpade as usual was quite good. His character of a letter writer seems unusual but apparently the movie was inspired but a person who did letter writing for some village folk.

It was interesting to sit and watch what a village life seems like. From the dirty politics to the blind rituals. Some of the movie was not understandable because of the language that was spoken in the film which was very annoying. And for the thinking audience, few things obviously don't make sense because the way the scenes are portrayed.

Some scenes were very funny. The songs were terrible and totally useless. Everyones acting was fantastic. The rural setting was nicely done.

If the story was crafted a little better, the movie would have been a lot better.

Do check it out if you want to see something different.

Director : Shyam Benegal
Cast : Shreyas Talpade
Amrita Rao
Divya Dutta
Rajeshwari Sachdev
Ila Arun

Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na

2008-10-02T00:41:00.004+05:30

Recommendation : If you are into love stories and stuff, you better watch it.

I know the whole country seems to have gone crazy about this movie. I thought it was okay. Bearable. Mainly because I don't like sappy movies. And yes this wasn't super sappy but still the only romantic movies I can watch are - City of Angels, Run Away Bride and Just Like Heaven.

Genelia D'Souza can't speak Hindi for nuts. Imran Khan wasn't bad. He did seem a little awkward in some scenes but over all he was quite good.

I remember a friend saying - Oh I loved the movie, it reminded me of my college days. You know the hanging out, calling each other names.... Well my college days were quite different so needless to say I didn't feel the connect. But anyways it was not too bad a movie, so go watch it.

Director : Abbas Tyrewala
Cast : Imran Khan
Genelia D'Souza
Prateik Babbar
Sugandha Garg
Manjari Fadnis

Arjan Bajwa

2008-10-01T00:43:00.005+05:30

He is soon to be seen in Madhur Bhandarkar's Fashion.

He has done a few movies before but I never noticed him before mainly cause his movies weren't blockbuster type movies.

Bottom line - I think he looks really good :)

And I think if he does a good job in this movie, he might go places.

Hancock

2008-07-15T21:48:00.003+05:30

Recommendation : Not your typical super-hero movie but worth a watch.

Less of a guy which extra ordinary powers saving the earth and more about his inability to do think in spite of being super human.

The special effects were nice. Loved them. The movie was a little too sappy for my liking but at least not as bad as Spider-Man being all tongue twisted about his lady love or whatever.

Charlize Theron I must admit looked really good.

Love the scene when Will Smith goes in to save the lady cop. Pretty funny.

Director : Peter Berg
Cast : Will Smith
Charlize Theron
Jason Bateman

Movie Ratings and Reviews

2008-07-14T01:38:00.002+05:30

I think your expectations before you watch a movie has a lot to do with how you feel about the movie after you are done.

At least that is the case with me. If I am told a movie is great, and I feel it's not great, I actually don't think it's good but rather that it is average at best.

Similarly with movies I think I will hate, I actually end up enjoying them to some extent if they are tolerable.

Aamir

2008-06-22T02:43:00.003+05:30

My Recommendation : It's not utterly horrible even though it is slow.

I actually liked the movie a little more than expected. Maybe because I was actually thinking what it might be like to be in Aamirs situation.

The movie is draggy and ideally should have moved faster in certain places. But I guess it isn't bad enough that you fall asleep.

Rajiv Khandelwal did a fairly decent job.

The story is interesting because it takes up a very simple idea and then winds it up to something bigger.

My favourite scene is when Aamir gets a call in the bus.

The end could have been better for sure. Also the real issue wasn't really tackled. There could have been a lot more discussion about right-wrong, good-bad, individual-community, etc.

Director : Raj Kumar Gupta
Cast : Rajeev Khandelwal

21

2008-06-22T02:33:00.004+05:30

My recommendation : You could give it a miss if you have something better to do.

The movie was a let down. And I doubt if that was because I was expecting a lot of it. The story wasn't strong enough. It wasn't as much about card counting as it was about the boy getting an experience of his life.

It also was a little predictable which made it worse.

It's not like the movie was terrible and you can't sit though it or anything. It's just that it's not fabulous.

Director : Robert Luketic
Cast : Jim Sturgess
Kevin Spacey
Kate Bosworth
Laurence Fishburne

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

2008-06-22T02:23:00.004+05:30

My Recommendation : Worth a watch.

Nicely made. The effects were brilliant. The plot isn't very nicely laid out but a good movie none the less.

Director : Steven Spielberg
Cast : Harrison Ford
Cate Blanchett

:(

2008-05-22T01:02:00.001+05:30

Haven't watched a movie in ages....

Race

2008-03-21T21:23:00.003+05:30

Recommendation: Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh yeahhhhhhhh

I had a lot of apprehension about watching the movie today, firstly because I am not the kind of person who wants to watch a movie on the first day of its release because I want to hear about the movie from other people.

But I am so glad I caught this movie today. I was totally floored. And ya I usually end up saying things like 'this movie was good for Bollywood standards', but I would say this movie was brilliant. Period.

It would be highly disappointing if this movie was a copy of a Hollywood movie.

The story was good (lots of twists and turns but not going to reveal any). The acting of nearly all the stars was very good. Saif not only acted well but even looked really good.

I am not going to put more about Race in the review because you should go watch it.

Director: Abbas Mustan
Cast: Saif Ali Khan
Akshay Khanna
Bipasha Basu
Katrina Kaif
Anil Kapoor
Sameera Reddy

Enchanted

2008-03-18T16:06:00.004+05:30

Recommendation : You can give it a miss if you aren't into sappy fantasy type movies. If you are into sappy movies, you will like it for sure.

I liked the animation but that was about the only thing I liked. The story was a little tooooo mushy for me. I liked the whole girl in a fairy tale lands up in New York but I don't think they did enough with it. The story revolved too much around 'love'. It was a little funny in parts but not enough. The trailer was brilliant but it was like the best of the movie or best fitting scenes of the movie put together so you expect something super wonderful. Unfortunately the movie doesn't really deliver.

Patrick Dempsey looks tired and old. Not like McDreamy on Grey's Anatomy. Amy Adams is alright.

Director: Kevin Lima
Cast: Amy Adams
Patrick Dempsey

Michael Clayton

2008-03-10T23:38:00.003+05:30

Recommendation : Worth a watch once.

I did find that the movie was hyped up a lot. But at the end of the day it isn't a bad movie. It is predictable at times and is also moves slowly which actually leads to a negative experience. Personally I didn't think this was Clooney's best work but it cannot be denied that he is very good.

Director : Tony Gilroy
Cast : George Clooney
Tilda Swinton
Tom Wilkinson

Cannot believe it

2008-02-23T15:37:00.003+05:30

I haven't watched a movie in monthssssss.

I can't believe it myself. Especially seeing that there are so many nice movies coming out.

I think Jodhaa Akbar will be next but I need to find someone to watch it with me :( most people I know already have.

Aaja Nachle

2008-02-23T15:36:00.002+05:30

Recommendation : Okay for a watch.

I don't know why everyone hate the movie. I personally thought it was alright. Maybe I expected it to be bad before I started watching it and so wasn't highly disappointed like others might have been.

The music is brilliant.

The story wasn't very bad either.

Madhuri was good in her 'come back' I thought. Never been a big fan of hers but she wasn't too bad.

The other actors did a fairly decent job too. Kunal Kapoor doesn't fit in the role of a 'mawali' though.

Over all I liked the movie. The music was great. Especially 3 songs - O Re Piya, Is Pal and Ishq Hua. Obviously the end is pretty obvious cause everyone is a sucker for happy endings but the movie would have been more hated if it ended any other way.

Director: Anil Mehta
Cast: Madhuri Dixit
Konkona Sen Sharma
Kunal Kapoor
Akshay Khanna
Ranvir Shorey
Vinay Pathak

Ratatouille

2008-01-10T00:02:00.000+05:30

TBC

The Messengers

2008-01-10T00:00:00.000+05:30

TBC

Taare Zameen Par

2008-01-09T23:58:00.000+05:30

TBC

Dus Kahaniyaan

2007-12-31T23:39:00.000+05:30

Recommendation : If you like the idea of something 'new' in Bollywood then check it out.

I think short films are great - less is more right. But bunching a number of short films (10) together and presenting is like a normal length movies is not something that is good.

I don't know why people made such a fuss about it not being good. I think it was well worth a watch. Some of the stories were actually good. The ones I liked were (in order of preference) - Matrimony, Pooranmasi, Gubbare, Strangers in the Night & Rice Plate. 5/10 isn't too bad - I think it is better than liking 50% of a normal movie.

I think they hyped it up a little too much. I mean if I have 10 stories then obviously I can have 6 director (don't know what was visionary about them) and some 500 'stars'.

Over all it wasn't that bad. I mean 4 stories were SO crap but it's okay. The problem with the packaging though is that none of the story really stays with you. The impact of any one of the story is totally diluted.

I am not going to bother with feeding in directors and cast details. Instead if you are interested please visit the official website.

Om Shanti Om

2007-12-31T23:23:00.000+05:30

Recommendation - Can be tolerated for sure.

Maybe I was expecting this to be on the lines of Mein Hoon Na (which I pretty much hated), because of which I actually found OSO not so bad.

Shahrukh as usual over acted. (the 6 pack looks really bad on him).

Shreyas Talpade really held his own.

Deepika Padukone was pretty good - she not only looks good but can act fairly well too.

Arjun Rampal not only looked fantastic but even acted pretty well.

I won't reveal anything about the story but it wasn't anything refreshing. Om Shanti Om seems to be inspired by 'Karz' but of course Karz was better.

I don't know why everyone made such a hue and cry about the whole 70s look. I didn't think it was that great - I mean all they did was have long hair and wear weird pants and shirts. Everyone went on about it as if this was a period film.

Producer : Gauri Khan
Director : Farah Khan
Cast : Shah Rukh Khan
Deepika Padukone
Shreyas Talpade
Arjun Rampal

Bhool Bhulaiyaa

2007-12-11T23:43:00.000+05:30

I don't know why people hated it. I sort of liked it. I would suggest you check it out.

Also if you haven't seen it and plan to, don't read further.

Akshay Kumar is a ROCK STAR.

The good thing about the movie was it was slightly scary, sometimes funny, sometimes mysterious and also interesting.

It actually gave a good scientific explanation of people being possessed (if it was actually the scientific reason). I would rather believe that people are 'possessed' not because there are super natural powers at play but because their brain has an imbalance.

Anyway Shiney acted soooooooo horribly, it makes me sad. You usually think actors become better with each movie - he seems to have the opposite trend

Vidhya Balan was really good. Though Akshay Kumar stole the show. He might not have been his very best but some how the scenes he was in, no matter how stupid, seemed to be so nicely done. Especially that rickshaw scene when he enters.

The rest of the cast was good. I thought the story was good and moved fast. The thing that could have been totally avoided was Rajpal Yadav.

Worth a watch I feel.

Director : Priyadarshan
Cast : Akshay Kumar
Vidhya Balan
Shiney Ahuja
Amisha Patel
Paresh Rawal

Laaga Chunari Mein Daag

2007-11-26T00:09:00.000+05:30

If you miss it, you are only missing good cinematography and a stunning looking (at times) Rani.

Recommendation : Don't bother.

The movie on the whole is so typically Bollywood, it's sad.

I keep saying it, the potential of such movies is so great. It starts out showing a family in the city of Banaras in desperate need of money. The man of the house has 2 daughters (Rani Mukherjee and Konkana Sen Sharma - both of whom have weird character names) and is upset that he doesn't have a son.

Anyway I won't bother giving out the story here in case someone wants to watch it.

The cinematography was brilliant. The colours were great. Rani surprisingly looked really good at some points in the movie. Jaya Bachchan acted very well (though the character was so pathetic).

The flaws in the story might not have seemed so much if only the characters were more well etched.

Of course the tag line just makes me feel like puking - I wish they would have left the tag line (The Journey of a Woman), for some more deserving movie which was actually a real journey of a woman

I would have expected more from Pradeep Sarkar (director and writer of LCMD) - the director of Parineeta.

Director : Pradeep Sarkar
Cast : Rani Mukherjee
Konkana Sen Sharma
Jaya Bachchan
Anupam Kher
Kunal Kapoor
Abhishek Bachchan

Cash

2007-11-18T18:47:00.000+05:30

Please don't waste your cash on this one.

Music was the only thing that was great - Vishal - Shekhar rock (always).

The choreography was soooooooooo pathetic. You hear the song and visualize the video to be a certain way, but in the movie, the songs end up seeming totally off.

The worst part was the movie had no story whatsoever.

The huge star cast is just such a waste. Also all of them gave nothing by average performances. Also I think Bollywood actors should stop playing roles where they have to be super cool, James Bond style. No matter how hard they try, it doesn't work too well - Just makes them look highly foolish. (Even Hritik in Dhoom 2 couldn't really pull it off). Class is not something that you can acquire over night.

Director : Anubhav Sinha
Cast : Ajay Devgan
Ritesh Deshmukh
Zayed Khan
Suniel Shetty
Esha Deol
Dia Mirza
Shamita Shetty.

Jab We Met

2007-11-05T22:53:00.000+05:30

Recommendation: Watch it if you like cute stuff.

The movie on the whole is worth a watch. It's not Karan Johar types - you can watch this one peacefully even if you aren't into mush.

I think Kareena Kapoor was very very good. Maybe I haven't seen too many of her serious movies where she has done 'acclaimed' work (her character in this one isn't serious though).

There were a lot of small things I liked in the movie, and a few that were just silly.

Anshuman is a really bad actor. Mr.Dara Singh was really cute.

The music was nice.

Go watch it.

Producer: Dhillin Mehta
Director: Imtiaz Ali
Cast: Shahid Kapoor
Kareena Kapoor
Dara Singh

Bourne Ultimatum

2007-10-27T15:29:00.001+05:30

Brilliantttttt movie. A must see if you can handle good plots.

Matt Damon was great. The story line is fantastic (Didn't like Robert Ludlum's book I have read in the past but I think I'll pick another one up soon).

Of course most credit needs to go to the way the film was made. The chases and running around was totally out of the world. Brilliantly shot.

For more on the film check out the Official Website of 'The Bourne Ultimatum' - pretty cool.

Director: Paul Greengrass
Cast: Matt Damon
Julia Stiles
David Strathairn
Joan Allen
Edgar Ramirez

Bheja Fry

2007-10-11T01:09:00.000+05:30

Recommendation : You could give it a miss but worth watching the character played by Vinay Pathak.

While the movie is not bone tickling funny, it's still smart in a funny way because the characters and events are etched out very well.

Won't reveal much but totally love the whole 'redial' bit.

Director : Sagar Ballary
Cast : Rajat Kapoor
Vinay Pathak
Sarika
Milind Soman

Derailed

2007-10-11T01:01:00.001+05:30

Recommendation - Worth a watch.

Don't want to put in spoilers so won't reveal much. Get a little predictable at times but good suspense.

The name is very apt cause it all really starts in a train (actually a jail but you know what I mean).
The plot is really good and therefore it deserves at least 1 watch.

Go check it out.

Director : Mikael Håfström
Cast : Vincent Cassel
Clive Owen
Jennifer Aniston

Johnny Gaddar

2007-10-04T23:49:00.000+05:30

*Spoiler Present*

Recommendation - Go Watch It.

Well I reallyyyy liked the movie.

The story wasn't original - was inspired by this story I remember reading as a kid in school about some thieve who loot a lot of money and start killing each other so that they don't have to share the pie. Of course the story isn't the same but a major undertone.

Neil Mukesh was a little disappointing when it came to acting but he makes up in looks (and a little dancing hehe).

Was surprised at how 'young' Dharmendra looks.

One of my best executed scenes in the movie is when Shardul (played by Zakir Hussain - not the table one) finds out who has robbed them, he is changing and is standing shirtless and is super happy obviously and comes towards Rimmi Sen and then plays with her hair (or caresses her face - can't remember - maybe both). It actually gives you the creeps and you can see why she doesn't want to be with her husband.

The end was just BRILLIANT though. Most people might not like it but I don't think there could have been anything more perfect.

Also I totally loved how the character of Niel Mukesh evolves through the movie. Nicely done.

Director: Sriram Raghavan
Cast: Dharmendra
Neil Mukesh
Vinay Pathak
Rimmi Sen
Govind Namdeo

Niceeee

2007-09-17T23:13:00.000+05:30

Neil Mukesh - Soon to be seen in Johny Gaddar

Movied Watched - Reviews Pending

2007-09-10T12:49:00.000+05:30

1) Heyy Babyy
2) Provoked
3) Namesake
4) Turtles Can Fly
5) Deja Vu

What a find...

2007-08-28T01:05:00.000+05:30

I just watched Chuk De India (totally loved it) and you can read the review here or just scroll down a little.

What struck me most about the movie was Sagarika Ghatge (playing the role of Preeti Sabrawal). I think she is the find of the 3rd quarter of this year. While there are a lot of new comers being talked about (namely Deepika Padukone to be seen in Farah Khans Om Shanti Om, Anil Kapoor's daughter Sonam and Rishi Kapoor's son Ranbir to be seen in Sanjay Leela Bansalis Saawariya), I hate launch of stars in this manner.

True finds are what Kiera Knightely and Parminder Nagra of the Bend It Like Beckham fame would be. They weren't very well known. They did one big film and proved to the world that they were talented and deserved to be doing what they were doing.

Sagrika Ghatge seems to be on the same lines. While her acting wasn't out of this world, what she bought to the film (Chuk De India) was unbelievable. No one can deny that she looks very good and I think actually playing a role like the one she has, will only help her because no everyone knows she could switch from young girl next door types to hot babe or whatever you say.

She got a very good part of course and that helps but I think she would have got noticed no matter what part she played. She seems to have the ability (like I have mentioned in my other post) to play a down to earth, quiet girl "who can be your best friend" types (which might mean that she's a good actress too cause in real life I seriously doubt people who look that good are down to earth, quiet, friendly types - usually they are arrogant, nasty bitches) and I am sure she has the look and the ability to play a super hot pompous model type too.

Just hearing so much about Deepika Padukone, already has made me sick of her. I mean at least let a movie release. Of course most of this publicity will be a stunt to push the movie up, which makes me not want to even think of watching the movie cause then it obviously has nothing in it.

Anyway like I mentioned before, Sagarika Ghatge is here to stay. She's young, good looking, can act decently and already has a successful film under her name. I think she got a really good start and I'm sure she's not going to do anything other than take it forward.

[She apparently is an ex-student of H.R. is what I hear]

Here's to all the talented new comers.

Chak De India

2007-08-26T20:11:00.000+05:30

Now this is what I call a good movie

*Spoilers Present* - If you plan to watch the movie (which I do recommend), you should not read this review.

Sure in typical movie drama style, the Indian team wins the finals of the Womens Hockey World Championship against all odds but it's okay - every good movie can have a few mistakes. The movie could have ended with India coming in second and everyone who had something in a gold, still being avenged.

It was a little too patriotic but the whole idea of playing from India v/s playing from a state or team is something that I think our teams actually do need to learn.

Also the focus on Kabir Khan the coach was totally unnecessary. It actually took away from my experience of the film. Mainly because he preaches that you should first play for the country, then for the team and then if you must, for yourself, but he himself had only personal motives to want the team to win.

Anyway totally loved the movie.

The find of the movie I think was Sagarika Ghatge (playing Preeti Sabarwal) in the movie. I am sure we will be seeing more of her in the coming years. She has this ability to seem like the charming, super hot, but sweet girl next door (which is needed for a movie like this).

Sure all the players were a little super glamorized and in reality nearly no one on a hockey team would look this good but it is showbiz and being realistic has its limits too.

All the girls did a super job. Very nice acting. The movie nicely weaves a personal story about a lot of them. Even small things are so nicely taken care of. Like the character of Nethra Reddy (played by Sandia Furtado) who says she is Telgu and the registrar guy says 'ahh Tamil'. Or the two girls from Manipur and Mizoram are told to enjoy as guests and they get upset because how can they be guests in their own country.

Chuk De India Rocks.

Director : Shimit Amin
Cast : Shahrukh Khan
Vidya Malvade (Vidya Sharma)
Sagarika Ghatge (Preeti Sabarwal)
Chitrashi Rawat (Komal Chautala)
Shilpa Shukla (Bindia Naik)
Tanya Abrol (Balbir Kaur)

[Binda (to me) - 'You toh would have loved the movie for sure - all woman oriented and all' - Right said Binda]

Cheeni Kum

2007-08-22T00:02:00.000+05:30

Recommendation : Not bad but nothing earth shattering.

*Contains Spoilers*

Don't know why there was such a hype about it. It was alright but nothing super. The story was a little difficult for me to swallow because I personally don't believe that someone who is 34 would fall in love and want to marry someone who is 64.

Tabu was good as usual. Amitabh was alright. The whole falling in love didn't seem realistic enough. The story was not too bad but it's not new for Bollywood. Jogger's Park in 2003 was based on the same lines except the guy was married there. I would rate Joggers Park over Cheeni Kum as CK didn't seem to have as much substance as JP.

The one thing portrayed very well was the scene where he waits all day for her to come and creates new dishes but she doesn't turn up.

The whole 'it rains because I need to give you my umbrella so that you have an excuse to visit me' was just SAD.

The scene after 'sexy' dies was just totally filmy - dramatized to the core.

It's worth a watch though. The character of Sexy is nicely created and executed. Same with Paresh Rawals character.

Director : R Balki
Cast : Amitabh Bachchan
Tabu
Paresh Rawal
Swini Khera (Sexy)

Jhoom Barabar Jhoom

2007-08-21T23:50:00.000+05:30

Recommendation : You are better off missing it.

*Spoilers Present*

I think the story is a COPY but I can't place which movie it seems to be picked up from. 2 strangers meet, tell each other they are engaged and make up unbelievable fiances for themselves and then realize that they fell in love in the 2 hours they spent together.

The movie also seems highly westernized in a bid to seem sleek, cool, glam and new age. It fails miserably on all counts for the same.

Abhishek was sad. Priety looked real good. Lara I think did a super job - her accent might not have been typically French but it at least sounded very good. Bobby Deol too was not too bad - he seems to have improved on his dancing skills some what. Also he has better comic timing than I thought. Amitabh was such a waste.

Producer : Aditya Chopra
Director : Shaad Ali
Cast : Abhishek Bachchan
Priety Zinta
Lara Dutta
Bobby Deol

Perfect Strangers

2007-08-08T23:08:00.000+05:30

Recommendation : Very Nice. Worth A Watch

The story has nice twists and turn and I totally love the end. Don't want to make this a post with spoilers so I won't give the details.

What is also interesting is how throughout the movie you think you know what is going on and who it is but that's cause the movie pushes you down a track and then suddenly it changes and again you feel for sure you know what's happening and then...boom sudden surprise. Might be obvious to some but it sure wasn't to me.

The story was good. Even though it seems like a lot of other mystery films out there, it's still slightly different so you enjoy it.

The build up was nicely done. It seems realistic. The acting was pretty good too - just as was the casting.

Director : James Foley
Cast : Halle Berry
Bruce Willis
Giovanni Ribisi

Ta Ra Rum Pum

2007-07-06T23:11:00.001+05:30

Don't Bother

So I don't like movies that are totally commercial and trying to give a social message. One has to take precedence over the other.

Ta Ra Rum Pum revolves around Saifs character who is a super star (he becomes a car racer because he drives a taxi of the taxi driver - who is actually a race team manager with broken dreams) and due to unfortunate circumstances (an accident that makes him mentally weak), he stops being a stud and can't get a job.

But while he was a hot shot, he lived life like a hot shot. He purchased things that were beyond his means. Everything he owned was purchased on installments.

So guess what? No Job = No Money = No EMI Payments = No Car = No House ...you get the picture.

And then comes the part about where he and his wife and kids have to live like poor people. To keep the kids from worrying, Saif and Rani tell them that they are all participating in a Reality TV Show where they have to pretend to be poor but must stay happy through out the ordeal. It's just a game and at the end of it you not only go back to life as you knew it, but end up being famous (on TV). Sounds like another move? Yup - Life is Beautiful.

Basically a stupid movie.

Also typical of Bollywood - Saif kids lands up in the hospital and they need money desperately for an operation and guess what...Rani's father is super rich but ya they won't ask him for money even though their kid is dying...anyway guess what again...Saif over comes his insecurities / mental block / fear whatever and wins a race again to save his son from death.

Producer
Cast : Saif Ali Khan
Rani Mukherjee
Javed Jaffery

Life in a Metro

2007-07-06T23:09:00.000+05:30

*Contains Spoilers*

Totally Brilliant (for not all the right reasons). Worth a couple of watches.

So the whole bit in the start where Sharman Joshi is trying to adjust dates with people who want to use his house was just totally ridiculous - but who knows maybe it happens - fact sometimes is stranger than fiction right?

The only other thing about the movie that wasn't well done was the whole Shilpa Shetty and Kay Kay Menon sour relationship. A failing marriage that seemed to have no real reason for failing.

Anyway the reason I love this movie is for the whole scene between Irrfan Khan and Konkana Sen Sharma, one day before Irfan Khan's wedding.

The line 'Woh Toh Mein Bol Raha Hoon - Gaadi Nikalo - Take a chance baby' made so much sense, it's not even funny. I have a post on the same at my Nicks blog and another post on my Ranting blog, so I won't write in detail about it here.

The other scene that was really good was when Dharmendra says that he spent the last few days of his life with Nafisa and that they were the best days of his life and that he realises now that all the days of his life could have been this beautiful.

The movie had it's nice share of comedy too - the best one being Irfan Khan on the horse saying 'blouse toh uske size ka ban gaya' when Konkana comes and tells him she loves him.

The other 'couples' in the movie were nothing great. I was actually annoyed at how Shilpa Shetty was portrayed. I mean she has a cheating husband but she apologizes to him so profusely even though she didn't sleep with Shiney. Also she takes him back. I never understand this whole nonsense of taking a cheating partner back. I think it's the worst, most disgusting and disgraceful thing someone can do especially if the cheating is something that is intentional and long term (meaning more than once).

Anyway that's a whole different topic for a whole different blog.

The must uncool thing in the movie were the songs where the 3 guys are standing around singing on the streets. I mean it could be acceptable if they all at least looked real good.

Didn't like the songs too much since I am not into this kind of music.

I think this movie can be watched multiple times.

The cast was not only huge but also very very good. Irfan Khan obviously being the best of the lot.

Director: Anurag Basu
Cast: Irfan Khan
Konkana Sen Sharma
Nafisa Ali
Dharmendra
Shiney Ahuja
Kay Kay Menon
Shilpa Shetty
Sharman Joshi
Kangna Ranaut

Bhagam Bhaag, Bhaagam Bhag, Bhagam Bhag (or how ever it is spelt)

2007-06-26T00:48:00.000+05:30

Recommendation : Worth 1 watch.

I don't know why everyone hate this one so much. I actually enjoyed it. While it wasn't hilarious through out, it had its moment.

Also I liked the story line.

Govinda looked horrible. Akshay also looked pretty bad - it's interesting how from this action hero role, Akshay Kumar today has moved so smoothly into comedy.
Paresh Rawal was good as usual.
Lara Dutta looked pretty glamorous. I think I would like to see her in more movies. She isn't a bad actor. (Though I heard she was horrible in Jhoom Barabar Jhoom - which is a movie I am going to not bother with).

The songs were horrible and I hate when I have to sit through songs in a movie, if I don't like them. Most movie makers think it's cool if you intertwine them with the story. But if the songs are bad, I think the director shouldn't bother so that people can at least forward the songs and get on with the movie.

The story I thought was interesting. Little predictable but still interesting. For a while I thought it was a copy of the movie 'The Game' but quickly realised it wasn't.

On the whole I enjoyed the movie.

Director : Priyadarshan
Cast : Akshay Kumar
Govinda
Lara Dutta
Paresh Rawal

Vivah

2007-06-26T00:43:00.000+05:30

If you ever want to torture someone - make them sit through this movie.

Soooo slow.

Soooooo useless.

Silly story, silly acting

Director : Sooraj Barjatiya
Cast : Shaid Kapoor
Amrita Rao
Anupam Kher

Can't figure it out.

2007-06-17T23:02:00.000+05:30

It's so funny that you can watch a movie you didn't totally love over and over.

Watched 'Just Like Heaven' from start to finish for the second time again (Have watched parts of it more often).

It's not like the most brilliant movie in the world. I wouldn't even put it in my top 30 - 40 films but I am so sure if it came on TV again tomorrow, I will watch it.

I can't figure why though. I mean sure it's cute and all that but is that good enough? There obviously must be more to it...

Ocean's Thirteen

2007-06-17T22:51:00.000+05:30

You'd be making a mistake if you decide to skip this one.

The story was Super.
Performances was great.
Direction was very good.
Pace was excellent.
Ocean's Thirteen is SO MUCH BETTER than Ocean's Twelve. Of course sequels are rarely as good as the originals and I don't think this one beats Ocean's Eleven.
When 11 came out, it was the first of its kind. The script was totally mind blowing. This one does some justice as a sequel. Totally enjoyed it.

The Oprah bit was hilarious.

Will not ruin it by giving away even part of the story.

Check it out.

Director : Steven Soderbergh
Cast : George Clooney
Brad Pitt
Matt Damon
Al Pacino
Andy Garcia

Pirates of the Caribbean - At World's End

2007-06-02T03:00:00.000+05:30

*Contains Spoilers*

My Recommendation: Go watch it.

So I finally catch a movie on the big screen, and I am so happy I didn't miss this one.

So nothing earth shattering except the effects, the story (I think this was better than 1 and 2), the acting (for once I loved Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow).

The movie surprisingly doesn't revolve around all the characters trying to get Johnny Depp back from 'world's end'. The movie starts off with trying to find and save Jack Sparrow - and I must admit some of the starting stuff where they show Johnny Depp for the first time is highly strange.

Anyway the reason they are out to find Jack Sparrow isn't because they miss him / love him etc but because the pirates are in trouble as one of the Lords of the East India Company has taken over the Flying Dutchman (the ghost ship) and is using it to destroy pirate ships. So the 'song has been sung' and all 9 pirate leaders have to meet to try and defeat the lord. Jack Sparrow is one of the 9.

Anyway the movie takes some interesting twists and turns. It is interesting to see the whole mix of the real with the surreal. It is kind of disorienting to begin with but then you realise that there are humans and then there are ghosts and the English etc.

Most part of the movie revolves around how the main characters try to get back control of the Flying Dutchman. They wish to get rid of Davy Jones - They being Will Turner - to free his father and Jack Sparrow for his greed to be immortal.

There is this whole play on betrayal and misunderstanding too.

There is a deeper story here than there was in part 1 and 2. [To be very honest I neither understood much of 2 nor liked it very much]. It also involved a lot of the past. Thus references to the Ocean Godess Calypso, who was imprisoned in an earthly human form.

Producer: Jerry Buckheimer
Cast: Johnny Depp
Orlando Bloom
Kiera Knitley

Some people I have to thank -
Aashish - I wouldn't have said yes if I wasn't sure of getting dropped home.
Nileshh - For driving us to the movie and back.
Berty - For sharing pop corn.

Guru

2007-05-20T23:38:00.000+05:30

*Contains Spoilers*

My Recommendation - Worth a watch.

While I didn't love the movie, but I didn't hate it either. It was a little upsetting though.

I was a little disappointed that the movie didn't REALLY portrait the rise of a villager into a multi-millionaire as much as it did his love life or his nature.

I didn't think Abhishek has proved he is Gods gift to Bollywood. Nor did I find the whole Ash-Abhi pair too great. What was pleasantly surprising was seeing Mithoon Chakrobarty doing such a decent job. Also Madhavan looked great and acted fantastic too. Vidhya Balan was great also.

The movie had some food for thought though. I would never consider Gurubhai as a super man. He broke laws. No matter how ridiculous the laws are. I was very furious about the dialougue where Abhishek says in court that there was a 40 years ago who broke all the rules and we considered him a Mahatma. I am not a big fan of Gandhis ways and don't think ever will be but it is ridiculous to consider Gandhiji to a CRIMINAL. Gandhi never had motives of becoming super rich by breaking the law. He had no selfish motives unlike Gurubhai. The whole 4 and a half minute speech in the court was ridiculous. Sure the industrial policy was very different back then and I wouldn't know how badly (if at all) individual businesses were being stiffled but by the law is the law and ethics and morality are not things in fairy tales.

Maybe it's my view on all things dark grey but I would always consider Gurubhai as unethical law-breaker rather than a small time visionary who made is big. And showing him as being a hero to the world, is not my idea of a great movie. Even if he were Robin Hood, Prince of Theives (giving ALL his money away), I might still not have approved of his ways.

The other thing that makes me hate a character like Guru is why he got married. For the reason of the dowry. And all the while his wife felt in-debt to him for he married a girl who ran away and thus had a bad name now.

Anyway as usual I have strayed from a review on the movie..

The only thing in the movie that I didn't find over the top was Gurubhai's dark circles. (hehe sorry couldn't resist)

I don't know if it is based on the life of Dhirubhai Ambani or just inspired by his life. Anyway at least it was different and proves that there is enough of 'masala' in the world around us to make stories that make sense.

Director : Mani Ratnam
Cast : Abhishek Bachchan
Aishwaraya Rai
Madhavan
Vidhya Balan
Mithun Chakraborty

Little Miss Sunshine

2007-05-11T21:16:00.001+05:30

I honestly didn't get it...

get = understand
comprehend
absorb
etc
etc

The Pursuit of Happyness

2007-05-11T21:11:00.000+05:30

My Recommendation - Check it out.

Though I never heard of this Gardner guy and I didn't find his story super appealing, or like his character, the movie still had enough for me to feel satisfied.

I think what I loved the most was that it didn't only show how important it is to keep at something, but also showed that an 'ordinary guy' (or even less than ordinary guys) had 'extra ordinary potential for something.

Of course it is always wonderful to hear a rags to riches story and dream that the same thing happened to you, it does show that it is possible for people to do it in half a life time.

TO BE CONTINUED

Eklavya - The Royal Bodyguard

2007-04-17T19:02:00.000+05:30

My Recommendation : Can live through it.

I must admit is was better than what I expected it to be. Of course I expected it to be totally crap because I heard lots of bad reviews about it.

The location was great where ever it was. The palace looked real - guess cause it was real. The story was nothing super but it wasn't too bad either - it was based on duties and responsibilities and what is considered right and wrong. Some how a lot of it was predictable.

The story of Eklavya from the Mahabharat is as follows - Eklavya wanted to learn how to use the bow and arrow and he comes to Dhronacharya who refuses to teach him cause he is of a lower caste (or something on those lines). So Eklavya goes into the forest and creates a statue of his 'teacher' and starts practicing.
One day Dhronachary goes into the jungle with his dog for hunting and suddenly his dog stops barking and Dhrona finds that someone has put 15 arrows into the dogs mouth and the arrows are shot so well that there is neither a drop of blood dropped nor any pain must have been felt by the dog. Eklavya comes and Dhrona asks how he learned to use the bow and arrow and Eklavya takes him to the statue of Dhrona himself. Dhrona realises that this boy is a better shoot than Arjuna and tell him that since he has been learning with the help of Dhrona (in statue form), Eklavya would have to give 'guru dakshna' and ask for Eklayvas thumb. Eklavya without hesitation cuts off his thumb because he believe it's his 'dharma'.

Boman Irani was horrible. Amitabh is too old to have lead roles. Saif was good. Vidhya Balan was so not needed. Songs were alright. Jackie Shorff was an idiot as always.

Director : Vidhu Vinod Chopra
Cast : Amitabh Bachchan
Saif Ali Khan
Boman Irani
Sanjay Dutt
Vidhya Balan
Jimmy Shergill

Traffic Signal

2007-04-15T01:35:00.000+05:30

My Recommendation : Don't bother unless you love super over dramatized 'reality'.

Madhur Bhandarkars Movies just seem to go from brilliant to bad.

Chandani Bar and Page 3 in my opinion were fantastic but both Corporate and Traffic Signal were so totally sad.

Traffic Signal revolves around the 'business' that goes to the underworld and even politicians which comes from all those at a signal - the beggars, hawkers, etc.

While it can be appreciated that Madhur Bhandharkar is trying to bring to light these kind of 'real' stories that a common man might not know, unfortunately these stories are not good enough for movies or at least not the way they are made.

Another thing that I notice in Corporate and also then realised existed in Page 3, and is again apparent over here is these small sub-stories that are connected to the main story but have no real relevance to what the main theme is. While these might be 'good to show' things, they take away from the main plot.

Anyway the movie was too over dramatize and I didn't like it at all. Could be I expected much more cause it was a Madhur Bhandarkar movie but unfortunately I am very disappointed.

The other major let down was that Konkana Sen Sharma acted so badly in the movie. She sure as hell can't carry off being a prostitute.

Neetu Chandra though was pretty good. Kunal Khemu was average. Music was pretty good.

So glad I don't end up wasting too much money on these movies in the theaters.

Director : Madhur Bhandarkar
Cast : Kunal Khemu
Konkana Sen Sharma
Neetu Chandra

30 seconds of fame - Maybe

2007-04-06T02:52:00.000+05:30

My comment on Black Friday got posed on IMDB.

It's the exact same review of Black Friday like in the blog - basically just did a copy paste. Anyway just thought it would be cool to leave my mark at IMDB. Won't be doing any more copy pasting (of course many people would argue that you need something to copy paste - ya sorry I haven't watched too many movies and when I have I am too lazy to write up a review. I think simplifying things might help. Lets see).

Dying to watch movies

2007-03-25T02:22:00.000+05:30

So many 'good' movies are out -

300
Namesake
Little Miss Sunshine

I plan not to miss any of them. Let hope I can live up to that.

There are others that I wish I can catch too -

The pursuit of happyness
Honeymoon travels pvt ltd.

Kabul Express

2007-03-19T01:15:00.000+05:30

What a waste of time. Sure they went to Kabul and shot it but nothing seemed real or scary or anything that one should feel about the aftermath of the war there.
Trying to make people believe that terrorists are humans too is just so ridiculous.

Water

2007-03-11T15:09:00.000+05:30

*Contains spoilers*

My Recommendation - Watch it only if you are totally unaware of what widows went though long time ago. While the film is based in 1938, I think the time frame is a little off (even though I believe this kind of treatment happens to some unfortunate women even today).

The movie is slow, dry and not made of Indian audiences. The kind of sensibility used in the direction and cinematography didn't have an favourable appeal.

While the story is based on real life, it doesn't feel real. Sure there are instances when you feel angry at what's happening to the characters but it is not something that you can believe happens (or even happened) in the real world once you leave the cinema hall.

I am glad that there is this sensitive issue that has been talked about but what good does it do if this is shown to urban audiences where this all seems like things that happened in the Dark Ages. Also what good does it do to just portrait the 'facts' as they are rather than coming out strongly and showing why such treatment towards widows is wrong.

The emotions of the characters whether innocence, hope, despair, sadness, anger, greed or any other, doesn't come out strongly enough. The change of Shakuntala from a faithful follower of the great scriptures to a woman who lets go of her traditions because she finally sees the light, doesn't come out strongly either. Neither does the reason for Kalyani's suicide

The story of why Deepa Mehta made the film is more touching cause it brings out true despair.

" There are some images that become indelible in our minds. One such image that has stayed with me for 10 years is that of a Hindu widow in the Holy City of Varanasi in India. Bent like a shrimp, her body wizened with age, white hair shaved close to her scalp, she scampered on all fours, furiously looking for something she had lost on the steps of the Ganges. Her distress was visible as she searched amidst the early morning throng of pilgrims. She was paid scant attention to, not even when she sat down to cry, unsuccessful in her attempt to find whatever she had lost.

It was this image of a widow, sitting on her haunches, arms outstretched on her knees, head bowed down in defeat that became imprinted in my mind and led to the idea of a screenplay which was to become the film Water 10 years later."
....
"Now that the film is complete, I can look back on the journey it has taken to make it. The anguish, the death threats, the politics, the ugly face of religious fundamentalism – we experienced them all. Has it been worth it, I often wonder? Then the image of a widow 10 years ago surfaces in my mind, as she sits on the steps by the Ganges, her toothless mouth making gasping sounds of despair. I found out later that she had lost her only pair of spectacles. Without them, she was half blind. "

-From the 'Director's Note' on the official website of Water

The movie doesn't come out strongly also on the issue of child marriage either other than showing how so many of these widows are actually women who were all married as women.

I am not surprised it didn't win the Oscar. Though I do wish everything was shown in a more depressing manner so that it at least would make people think about this a little more.

The only plus point was that the cast did a fairly decent job.

Producer : David Hamilton
Director : Deepa Mehta
Writer : Deepa Mehta
Cast : Sarala
Seema Biswas
Lisa Ray
John Abraham

Disappointing awards

2007-02-26T22:38:00.000+05:30

Not that I follow film awards but this years Filmfare Awards were very disappointing

Dor won nothing - not even a critic award.

Lage Raho Munnaibhai would have been my pick for best film of the year.

Dhoom 2 also should have won some award.

The only award I was really pleased with was Hritik Roshan winning the Best Actor for Dhoom 2.

Abishek Bachchan as Best Supporting Actor was a BIG joke. So was Kareena as Best Supporting Actor Female.

I was surprised at the number of Awards Omkara got though.

Filmfare

2007-02-26T22:34:00.000+05:30

I am pretty upset that Rang De Basanti won best movie at Filmfare this year.

I didn't like the movie and I have my reasons.

No new movies

2007-02-18T23:05:00.000+05:30

Well yup haven't been watching movies lately and I have a damn good reason for that - Got season 2 of Lost and am totally glued to it. What a fantastic show.

Black Friday

2007-02-11T23:32:00.000+05:30

I personally didn't like the movie because I believe it was made badly.

The story had not real goal I feel. Even as a documentary it fails because the route the movie follows is horrible. At some point in time you are feeling sorry for the terrorists because of police brutality. Sometimes you are laughing at how these terrorists actually escape from the police. Sometimes you are feeling sorry for the cop who 'has to do his job'. Sometimes your in the case and then you have suddenly jumped to the past and then you don't know which time frame you are in again. I couldn't even remember have the names of the criminals. The feeling I get is that Anurag Kashyap didn't want to say one thing with this film so he put everything in it and so it ended up being nothing in the end.

It doesn't show the pain for the victims of the blast or for that of the riots. It doesn't talk about all the damage except showing a few things blowing up. It doesn't bring out the need for harmony. It doesn't show these terrorists as brainwashed idiots who deserve to rot in hell. It doesn't show how Mumbai gets back onto its feet so quickly. It doesn't show anything about the event and the international reaction it go. For an incident that was so vast and so strong, the movie is highly disappointing.

Why this movie fails even as a documentary are that the facts are not given out in the most effective manner. You don't end up feeling even a sense of 'knowing the truth' in the end.

The only good thing that came out of me watching the film was that I remembered a few facts about all the incidents that I had forgotten.

Director : Anurag Kashyap
Cast : Kay Kay Menon
Pavan Malhotra
Aditya Srivastava

The Break-Up

2007-01-28T01:55:00.000+05:30

My Recommendation : Don't even dream about watching this one.

Well it was just a super waste of time. I mean at least in other movies of this sort, they show real problems that couples have etc. Here it was about a guy who wants everything his way and doesn't realize he wants everything his way until it's too late.
Jennifer Aniston looks old.

Director : Payton Reed
Cast : Jennifer Aniston
Vince Vaughn

Dor

2007-01-26T13:29:00.000+05:30

I always say it - Nagesh Kukanoor is king.
While I didn't go totally nuts over Dor, it takes a certain sensibility to make a movie like that. True I actually found the movie lacking a little but firstly I was expecting a lot out of the movie and secondly I am sure that all movie makes who want their movie to 'sell' will make their movie appeal to the masses. The movie could have had more depth. While the movie did touch on the issue of how difficult the life of a dependent woman can be, it was only superficial.
The story on the whole was good, even though it seemed patchy and abrupt. Though I hear that it's not totally original but is inspired. Don't know which movie it is inspired from though - Here are two women, so similar and so different. Both strong and both broken. One from the mountains, the other from the desert. One so independent and strong, the other dependent and conscious. Both teaching the other about the live the other never lived. Both are different because of where they come from. But both end up in having nearly the same life - that of a widow.
Just goes to show that you don't need out of the world plots to create something beautiful. I mean the story even has smaller stories in it. It's a story about a man who believes his pride (which is his 'haweli') is more important than anything else in the world. It is a story about a girl left to die in a well. It is a story of a con man who falls in love with a woman because he has never seen anyone like her before. It is a story of a widowed old lady and her nasty daughter-in-law.

Anyway Shreyas Talpade was totally mind blowing. Who would have tough he is this talented. I have seen him in both Iqbal as well as Apna Sapna Money Money but this was a totally different role. I am sure even he loved doing this role.

Gul Panag was horrible. Personally, I don't think she can act.

Aisha Takia was very good. Though I must say that her role didn't seem long enough. The scene between her and the grand mother-in-law was fantastic.

Nagesh Kukunoor, no matter how great a movie makes, cannot carry of a negative role. I don't think he should even try.

The locations were fantastic.

The only thing that was TOTALLY avoidable in the movie was the DDLJ style ending.

Director : Nagesh Kukunoor
Cast : Ayesha Takia
Gul Panag
Shreyas Talpade

City of God

2007-01-26T13:26:00.000+05:30

No I haven't watched it yet Sid. I can finally play it though.
I must admit I hate movies where I have to read sub-titles to understand what's going on.
Anyway I liked the starting especially the scene after they get down for the tree and the guy says he won't do this anymore and that he was going back to God. And he is walking and the cops are there and this guys keeps working and the cops run after the other guy who starts running.
I am watching it this week.

Don

2007-01-26T00:28:00.000+05:30

While the movie was surely a khichadi of a number of Hollywood movies (Assassins and Face Off for sure to name just two) but the execution in this was very good.
The funny thing is that the end was a little predictable, I don't know how come.
Anyway I believe Farhan Aktar has giving us another good movie. Why he chose to call it Don, I am not sure, but I hear it's very different from the original Don movie.
The movie had good twists and turns every now and then.
On the whole I enjoyed the movie. Of course when I compare it to other Bollywood movies.
Shahrukh looks old. Very old.
The two remixes of the original Don songs, I didn't like.
Isha Kopikar shouldn't have even been around.

Producer : Ritesh Sidhwani
Director : Farhan Aktar
Music : Shankar Ehsaan Loy
Cast : Shahrukh Khan
Priyanka Chopra
Boman Irani
Arjun Rampal

Movies this weekend

2007-01-02T22:55:00.000+05:30

1) Don
2) The Perfect Catch - too much of a chick flick so I am not even going to write a few review about it. Total waste of time if you aren't into mush
3) The Departed.
Hopefully I will stop being lazy and write a few reviews (content, content, content).

The movies I am going to watch the coming weekend are going to be -
1) City of God - yes finally (of course provided my computer doesn't act up again).
2) Dor - yes I haven't seen it yet.

Dhoom 2

2006-12-24T15:56:00.000+05:30

My Recommendation : Spend the cash cause it is worth it for some reason or the other.

Okay I am not going to go into details about the movie. Just a few thing I feel about the movie.

1) Hritik is ohhhhhhhhhh so totally mind blowing. Whether your talking about his dancing, his looks, his acting, his different avtars, anything and everything is oh so totally fantastic. I think just going to watch the movie for Hritik makes it totally worth the effort and money.

2) The first half was totally mind blowing. As good as a Hollywood movie. Not sure if any of it has been "inspired" but any Hollywood film.

3) The second half is the typical Bollywood kind of film and therefore it ends up being below average.

4) The ending was totally pathetic.

5) While Uday Chopra is around the provide all the comic relief, a movie like this would do better without someone who looks like a monkey, and acts like one too.

6) In Dhoom 2 you actually realize that Aishwarya Rai actually has LEGS.

7) I really feel bad for Abhishek, but if I was him, I would never have made the mistake of starring in this movie, with Hritik being as he was in the film.

8) The music is good.

9) Some locations are totally super.

Producer: Aditya Chopra
Director: Sanjay Gadhvi
Music: Pritam
Cast: Hritik Roshan
Abhishek Bachchan
Aishwarya Rai
Bipasha Basu
Uday Chopra

Have put up lots of pictures for viewing pleasure of anyone who does happen to come to this blog.

V for Vendetta

2006-12-12T22:59:00.000+05:30

My Recommendation : Okay for one watch.

Always use to hear how great this movie was. I didn't find it that fantastics. It wasn't very bad but it wasn't that exciting.
The bit where he 'rids her of her fear' was cool but it was kind of predictable.
The whole mask thing was freaky.
The whole 'I only had one goal but after I met you I realised there was more to life' was so pathetic.
The pink hands were gross.
The shoot out was kick ass.
The whole 'V' talk was over done.
The whole future as the past was cool thought - history repeats itself. But the future being bleaker than the past - I really don't see that happening.

Director: James McTeigue
Cast: Natalie Portman
Hugo Weaving

Been a while

2006-12-12T22:37:00.000+05:30

Well haven't posted in a long time but haven't stopped watching movies.
Now I don't remember all but the few I have caught are

1) Dhoom 2
2) A Good Year
3) X-MEN - The Last Stand
4) V for Vendetta

Woh Lamhe

2006-11-27T23:55:00.000+05:30

Verdict : Watchable

Well I do hate when a serious issue, that not a lot of people know of and can get educated on, with the help of a movie that revolves around the topic, get totally dramatize with a love story and some songs etc.

Weekend movie watching

2006-11-20T00:50:00.000+05:30

Realised how much I miss HBO and Star Movie.
Hate the guy who filed that stupid PIL. If you cant they care of your kids they are going to end up rotten any which way.
Also how can you ban ONLY TWO channels because of objectionable content? What about you remix songs with Rakhi Sawant dance more than half naked? Are those not corrupting our children? Why do we not ban those? Also what about new channels today - show all gruesome events as they happen - LIVE. Should those not be banned? I mean I am sure watching bombs go off and seeing people bleeding and crying affects children too. And what about Tom and Jerry beating each other up? Why wouldn't children get affected by that?
I have had enough of no HBO and Star Movies. And I plan to write about this anywhere and everywhere I can, starting with my own blog.
Either ban all television or give us HBO and Star Movies back.

Bas Ek Pal

2006-11-12T16:29:00.000+05:30

The only thing about this movie that I would recommend you check out is the Music and Website.

The movie was such a major disappointment.

Okay so the star cast should not be a movie to base a judgment on how good or bad the movie would be but come on it has Urmila , Juhi Chawla, Sanjay Suri and Jimmy Shergill - all of whom seem to do movies that are different and interesting. Sure this was slightly different but it wasn't interesting - at least not unless you are insane.

I mean think about it - the foundation of the whole story itself is so baseless - this guy sees this girl and totally falls in love with her and believes she is totally in love with him too. What non sense.
Then there is this over obsessive husband who is willing to kill not one but 2 guys who he believes his wife is having an affair with.
Then there is this dude who has an affair with one friends wife and then gets into a relationship with the love of this other friend. He knows that his friend is rotting in jail for an accident but wants to revenge cause he got hurt in the accident.
And the end sees more people being shot and dying and stuff that doesn't make sense.

The only thing that's great about this movie is the music. But songs cannot save a movie that has a story that makes little sense. Neither can a great star cast.

This movie would have been very different if a few things in the story were taken care of. Unfortunately this one was doomed to fail.

Director : Onir

Cast : Jimmy Shergill
Juhi Chawla
Urmila Matondkar
Sanjay Suri
Rehaan Engineer (he is a horrible actor - though he did a good job in Page 3 but in this movie his acting was totally pathetic).

Music : Vivek Philip and Mithoon

Corporate

2006-11-05T01:52:00.000+05:30

Mudhur Bhandharkar fans - this movie will disappoint you to the core.

Well I didn't too much right with the movie except the cast maybe. It's good to see not very famous but reasonably good actors working on a film. Reminded me for Hazaaron Khwashien in a way.

What was wrong with the film - well in my opinion lots. I don't think too many people can relate to a movie like this. I mean its about a super ambitious (though it doesn't come off that way) woman in a leading corporation who is ruthless (comes out so badly in the movie) to the extent that she steals information of the competitors by hook or by crook. While not many people are celebrities or bar dancer types, both Page 3 and Chandani Bar (Madhur Bhandarkar's movies) had certain elements that appealed or at least pulled out some emotion because the characters were strong. That was not the case in Corporate.

The second worse thing about this movie was bring in 'pesticides in soft drinks' as a controversy that breaks a big famous firm. I mean I still can't figure why Madhur Bhandharkar didn't chose another topic. I mean you can literally put any product in there and show it as being of highly inferior quality or illness causing in people etc. Was this some sort of social responsibility message to tell people that the whole Coke Pepsi pesticide fiasco shouldn't be taken lightly cause all the clearances were cover ups?

The other thing that was silly was how Bipasha Basu's character has no issues with industrial espionage but suddenly feels super guilty cause they are manufacturing a product that could harm people health? Her character neither came across as someone ruthless enough to steal competitor secrets nor as someone who would feel guilty for giving the public a product thats harmful.

Also none of the other characters in the film seemed 'real'. Unlike Page 3 where every character was so distinctive and 'strong', here no character seemed to fit the role of a real life business person. No one came across as being intelligent. I mean you don't build business empires just because some 'baba' is blessing you or because you go to a house where women are arranged for you. Sure the bit about how politics and business are so strongly inter-linked was an important message but that too didn't really come out well.

Oh and another very silly thing about the movie is how they show all the women dressing. I mean you are still in India. Most women would we a sari and not a business suit like Bipasha wears all the time. Even if not a sari I would think it would be a skirt and not trousers. Sorry but something like this is just one of the smaller things that ruin a movie for me...

Over all the movie was a super let down...

Director : Madhur Bhandharkar
Cast : Bipasha Basu
Rajat Kapoor
Kay Kay Menon
Raj Babar

Lage Raho Munnabhai

2006-10-31T22:43:00.000+05:30

My Recommendation: Worth a watch

I am a strong believer of the theory that if something had great results/effects, then it is great. And by this understanding Lage Raho Munnabhai is a great movie. What I consider here as great results / effects has got nothing to do with the box office but rather the Gandhi hysteria (if I may call it so) that seems to have been born thanks to the movie.
Suddenly thousands of people want to know more about Gandhi, his life, and his teachings. People are inspired by his principles (of course known as ‘Gandhigiri’ now) after the movies. Lots of books related to Gandhi have sold recently – something that has shocked shopkeepers and publishers out of their wits. This movie has done for Gandhi what no textbook ever did. It has done for Gandhi what no major follower of his could do.
I am no fan of Gandhi, never have been. Always thought that the freedom ‘struggle’ wasn’t struggled in the right way. No one can of course say that Gandhi’s principles were off. He was a pious man and did spread important messages. Non-violence is something we desperately need because all we seem to be doing today is fighting. But I don’t believe ‘Gandhigiri’ would ever really work. I am no fan of honesty myself but unfortunately I am a big follower. I keep saying that if I could be more crooked I would be happier but some how I always end up sticking to being ‘miss nice’ (of course this can be a mistaken perception seeing as how everyone else calls me ‘hyena’, ‘cunning’, ‘sinister’, etc).

This movie has proved without doubt what a strong medium films can be. Unfortunately we either don’t have enough talent or enough inclination to use this medium to our benefit. If it’s well crafted, any message can be given to the audience.

Anyway I am straying too much – about the movie. Well over all I think the movie was pretty good. There was one thing I hated though. Actually its 2. This was NOT a sequel to Munna Bhai MBBS. It should not have been promoted as if it were. Sure your main character is a gunda (gangster of sorts) and sure his name is munna but that doesn’t mean that I can just start any story of munna from anywhere and take it anywhere. We have already seen the life of munna in MBBS. He is the good-hearted gunda who lies to his parents but loves them immensely and fulfills his father’s dream of his son opening a hospital. He is also married to Chinky and has 2 kids with her. So where does she disappear with the kids and the hospital and how is it that the same happen with Circuit’s wife and kid? How come he falls in love with DJ Janvi? I think this is a very valid point when it comes to characters. Unfortunately in India we never see the importance of a character. We know everyone loves munna and circuit so obviously we should have them just as themselves in the movie. It doesn’t matter whether they have totally different lives in another film. Would this movie have has a little less of an impact without munna and circuit. Surely yes cause after all how can there be any ‘gandhigiri’ if there is no bhai around? But I think it’s the job of the writer and director to see that the life of this character (who we, the audience should feel is a real person) is like the life of a real person.

Anyway my ranting is over. But will always consider this movie a little less than how great it could have been for the above stated reasons.

The movie on the whole was good. Aren’t all ‘feel good’ movies that way?
Both Arshad Warsi and Sanjay Dutt were great. Vidya Balan was pretty good too (she looks way older than 24 and in my opinion is reallyyyyy silly). The movie could have done without the songs. The only one that was really good was ‘Pal Pal’ but that’s a copy of an English song is what I have heard. There was a good mix of comedy and emotion in it. Haha my favourite scene is where Arshad Warsi is walking Gandhi to the cab for him to go home.

Final verdict – good movie – entertaining but I don’t believe anyone at all will start practicing ‘gandhigiri’ anytime in the near future. Though knowing about Gandhi does add to something and therefore a movie like this is much appreciated.

Producer: Vidhu Vinod Chopra
Director: Rajkumar Hirani
Writers: Rajkumar Hirani
Vidhu Vinod Chopra
Cast: Sunjay Dutt
Arshad Warsi
Vidya Balan
Diya Mirza
Jimmy Shergill

Coming Up...

2006-10-23T18:28:00.000+05:30

Been a little lazy and it does not help that my home comp is busted - but have been watching movies and the latest ones I have seen and which I will be writing about -
Lage Raho Munnabhai
Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna
Omkara

Krrish

2006-10-02T18:47:00.000+05:30

Krrish was so pathetic.

My Recommendation : Don't even think about watching it if you haven't already wasted time and money on it.

For those who don't know, the whole 'machine that can see the future' is a copy from a Ben Afflect movie (don't remember the name unfortunately). That movie was worth a watch, not this one.

Not only was the story such a flop, the acting was pathetic too, so was the make up and even the special effects. Hate the whole running motion of Hritik while he was flying. It looks so stupid. If you know your going to take this huge jump and get lifted into the air, why would you jump and then 'run on air'?

Also why is it that he was a super hero for only 2 - 3 instances? And how come they didn't show what harm Dr.Arya would do with this machine? And why did they make him look like a crack pot? Lot of people wish to be god without being insane enough to run into a news commentary.

What a waste of time...it wasn't even worth while to watch it for Hritik Roshan.

Director : Rakesh Roshan
Cast : Hritik Roshan
Priyanka Chopra
Rekha

The Devil Wears Prada

2006-09-26T23:04:00.000+05:30

My Recommendation - You should watch it if it costs less than Rs.50 to watch. Nothing great but it's got life lessons that we don't remember on a regular basis.

Well the movie is based on a novel (same title) by Lauren Weisberger.

The story is of this young girl wanting to become a serious journalist but starts work at a fashion magazine and has to work under Miranda Priestly (played by Meryl Streep). And she hates this job even though everyone tells her how coveted it is. After a while she starts telling herself that this is the ideal job for her at the moment. It's just like real life where we lie to ourselves and pretend we believe those lies.

Anyway don't want to give away too much of the story - not because I will ruin your movie experience, but because I realise I am not good at giving movie stories in a gist...hehe. What I did love about the movie though was the story - it was so real and even though it all seems so obvious while you are watching it and even a little after, when you think about it, there are lessons that life teaches us the hard way which we forget in our day to day lives. The one message that was so strong through out the film was about how everything we do is our own choice. I so totally believe this.

Meryl Streep was great. Though I think she should do a little more serious movies. I'm sure she can bag a few more Oscars if she does better films. Anne Hathaway was pretty good too. Didn't know she could look that old. Last saw her in Brokeback Mountain (where I do admit she did look like a 20-30ish aged woman) but always associate her with The Princess Diaries, in which she looked like a real kid. Anyway only after going online to look for an image for this entry did I find out that Anne Hathaway is 24.

Anyway if you are not going to ever watch this movie and have read till down here - Always remember - our actions are a result of the choices we make. Everything path we take in life, is a choice that we have made.

Director : David Frankel
Cast : Meryl Streep
Anne Hathaway
Adrian Grenier

Just My Luck

2006-09-21T23:40:00.000+05:30

My Recommendation : Nothing great. Pretty silly. Give it a miss if you got something better to do.

First off I'm not into these 'chick-flick' sort of movies. The only reason I end up watching them is because either the library has nothing new or because I have to watch it with someone etc.

Everything was way over the top but still don't we all wish we had luck like Ashley Albright - Lindsay Lohans character - where the day actually turns bright and it stops pouring just because she has stepped out to get to work haha. And poor Jake Hardin - Chris Pines character - can anyone have that much bad luck....wayyyyyy over the top. Anyway I think most of us have more of Chris Pine sorta luck than the Lindsay Lohans type.

Anyway what happens is their lucks get switched and obviously their lives change dramtically blah blah blah till they realise they are in love with each other blah blah blah and for their great love, give away their luck to a kid - how silly right. There are a few hilarious moment but not worthy enough to sit through the movie to check it out.

None of the cast was great. Chris Pine can pass off as cute/hot but thats about it. Everyone looked like they were 16. Lindsay Lohan especially. I think she should stick to playing younger characters but then the 'transition' might become very tough.

Director : Donald Petrie
Cast : Lindsay Lohan
Chris Pine
Faizon Love

Who is right?

2006-09-13T22:14:00.000+05:30

I always hear this argument and every now and then side the film makers. But I am still wondering...

Bollywood movies suck. Atleast in terms of story, originality, characters etc. Now film makers always say that they don't change themes and make better movies because audiences want to watch what they are dishing out.

When asked about quality of films, the audience always says that they watch what they watch because that's the only thing that is available for them to watch.

Well why I side film makers in this debate is that, when 'experimental cinema' movies are released, they either bomb or don't do very well. Sure it could be all a marketing issue where these movies aren't really sold to audiences before they are released but still I wouldn't say this one parameter is the only parameter to the success of a film.

Now my wondering still happens (and the debate in my mind continues) because the Indian audience seems very accepting to Hollywood movies - even the ones that are purely story drive. We all know that Hollywood and Bollywood are very different, then how is it that both are given equal weightage?

There are a couple of reason too that this would make sense though - Indian audiences are film freaks and will watch anything that comes their way or Indian audiences love both Hollywood and Bollywood styles [And the Hollywood films work this time around and not the experimental cinema which comes close enough, because a Hollywood film is Branded as being from Hollywood].

Is this acceptance of both english and hindi movies a Urban/Rural thing?, is it a Classes/Masses thing?, is it a typical Saas Bahu family/Modern age DINK family?

I don't know but I still always ask - Why do we make such shit movies? Do we not have enough talent to do good work? Is there really no market for good quality films? Is it because film makers will always keep believing that cinema is escapisist and people want only fairy tails? Is it because there is no will to change?

All I want is some good hindi movies (there have been quite a few Pinjar, Naach, Raincoat, Munnabhai MBBS, Swades, Chandini Bar, Page 3, etc [while many people might cringle at the list - I have my reasons]). Is this too much to ask for?

Dor

2006-09-09T22:24:00.000+05:30

Been looking at the trailers of Dor and I can most definitely say that this is one movie I CANT WAIT to watch.
Reasons -
1) Rarely does India looks sooooooooooooooooooooo damn beautiful. The only place I think India looks really scenic is in the Tourism Promotion Ads of Incredible India. I mean just the little 3 second shots of various locations in the movie trailers look great.
2) The movie has an authentic rural look. Its not a shahrukh khan in turban and dhoti adding 'ne' to the end of every word. Both Ayesha Takia and Shreyas Talpade look like they are from a village setting - or atleast as far as Bollywood can have someone in a village setting. Not saying that we haven't had films that have done a good job before on this front but its just refreshing every now and then to see a film that makes the effort.
3) It's a Nagesh Kukunoor film. Well I just came to know when I was searching for images for this blog entry. Even though I'm not a die hard fan of Nagesh Kukunoor, I still like his movie A LOT. He tells stories that one enjoys hearing. Not your multi-billionaire guy seeing an uneducated poor girl doing a jhatka matka song and falling in love with her. Of course there seems to be a lot of talk that this movie looks like Nagesh's real steps into commercial cinema but that doesn't matter lots of movie that weren't made for 'commercial cinema' now days end up doing well.
4) The colours of the film. Don't know why but I have always had a fascination for movies that seemed so colourful but in 'real earthly' colours. Meaning the blue skies, the green hills, the brown sands etc. A big aspect of getting this right I would assume is touching the film after its made to get those sort of colours in. I don't think it happens naturally but I don't know. I mean even while I watch the trailers it all seems to be shot in this warm but not hot bright day. I just love movies like that.
5) The story line seems interesting already. Even though I haven't seen really anything of it except some 20 - 30 seconds but I guess if you take Kukunoor, rural India, women who look like they are real and facing crisis - I think that makes for a good story.

But mostly going to watch the movie because the scenic location look SOOOOOOOOOOOO good.

Home comp's busted :(

2006-08-24T18:55:00.000+05:30

So no reviews for a while...

Mona Lisa Smile

2006-08-04T21:48:00.000+05:30

My Recommendation : A must watch

I had this movie in my top 15 list somewhere but never remembered why it was on there because I didnt remember the movie. Not how can a movie you dont remember be in your top favourites right...It shouldnt and for a long time after I had seen that list I kept thinking I have a place in my top 15 for a new movie cause Mona Lisa Smile was out. But I rewatched the movie a couple weeks ago (it was on TV) and even if I never ever remember the story, it will always be in my top 15. (Top 10 is too cramped and will only change if something major happens in life).

Why would I choose a movie in my favourites if I couldnt even remember what the story was about - because the movie is great. Me forgetting the movie is a fault of my own....
I dont know if everyone will like this film but I did. Maybe I love it so much because I connect with it. I too want the world to change. I too want to see women do things no one things they can or should do. I too want women to pursue their dreams - not go into a traditional lifestyle of being a home maker, wife and mother. Life is suppose to be more than that.

Of course if it wasnt about rebelling, about changing, about leaving behind old ideas, about standing up for yourself, I might not have liked it so much. Its about changing with times - about seeing the world around you and adapting to make the most of life. A subject these girls take for easy credit becomes the most important subject in their lives. I swear I love every minute of that movie so much that I dont even know how to express it.

I have 3 favourite scenes in this movie -
When Julia Stiles gets married and decides to move, she tells Julia Roberts she doesnt want to go to law school and Julia Roberts tells her she doesnt have to become a perfect house wife...this isnt the end of the road...this and that and Julia Stiles turns around and says 'Well you told us we could do whatever we wanted to do and this is what I want to do'.
Also when Julia Roberts comes to know that Dominic West lied and they have their little show down, he tells her 'You didnt come here to teach these girls that can can choose their way but you came her to teach them your way'. Okay maybe I am screwing this up because I cant rememebr the exact lines but the impact of those 15 seconds was totally MIND BLOWING.
There is this other scene where Kirsten Dunst is yelling and screaming at Maggie Gyllenhall and Maggie Gyllenhall rushes to her and you think shes going to go hit Kirsten Dunst but actually goes and hugs her - of course this wont make sense if you havent seen the movie, but if you do, when you do, I am sure you will love the scene too.

Awesome star cast too.

Tagline :
In a world that told them how to think, she showed them how to live.

Director :
Mike Newell

Writing Credits :
Lawrence Conner
Mark Rosenthal

Cast :
Julia Roberts
Kirsten Dunst
Julia Stiles
Dominic West
Laura Allen
Maggie Gyllenhall
Ginnifer Goodwin
Marcia Gay Harden
And so many other talented actor.

Fanaa

2006-07-30T02:02:00.000+05:30

My Recommendation : Watch It!

Statutory Warning: I am not a 'professional' movie critic therefore if you haven't watched a movie I have written about and do plan to watch it, do not read further - it might ruin your movie experience.

Well the reason I have caught it so late is because I thought it was just another love story but only that it had a terrorist right in the middle.
Was pleasantly surprised that the movie wasn't just a love story.
Also for the first time I have been very impressed by both Aamir Khan and Kajol.
The movie was beautifully shot and also well made. The ending was a little too obvious, obviously. The only thing I found lacking was that there was no real conflict - No conflict in Aamir character of whether he was doing wrong. He wasn't even torn between right and wrong on the morning he had to hand over the trigger. Neither was there any real conflict in Kajols mind. It didn't seem like she was killing the man she was madly in love with. Also there was nothing much about Aamirs 'passion' to get Kashmir free - terrorists usually totally believe they are doing the work of God. I know this might have made it typical, but these are important things I believe. And even if things are repeated there is always a different way of portraying them.
My favourite scene in the whole movie was when Aamir takes Kajol to a fort and tells her about how the walls still cry of blood and she says 'what will a person who has never seen any colour get scared of the colour of blood' and then he holds her and tell hers that now she is getting scared. Very original and crisp.
Totally loved the background tune they played over and over.
Also have to admit that I loved Aamirs wardrobe in the first half of the movie.
[Hated the whole Truman Show bit about how she is sticking faces together to try and figure his face out.]

Director : Kunal Kohli
Cast : Aamir Khan
Kajol
Tabu
Shiney Ahuja (do wish he has a longer role)
Rishi Kapoor

Just Like Heaven

2006-07-23T00:16:00.001+05:30

My Recommendation : Definitely watch it!

Statutory Warning: I am not a 'professional' movie critic therefore if you haven't watched a movie I have reviewed and do plan to watch it, do not read further - it might ruin your movie experience.

Even thought I'm not into sappy movies - I really liked this one. Not because its has a feel good feeling about it, and has this whole thing about 'destiny' and love and being truely alive and all that. What I liked most about the film was the situation. Here is this woman who suddenly realises she isn't alive but she still is (in a way). Imagine if you had to look back on your life like that. Imagine not remembering who you are and learning things like how people thought you had no life or that all you could remember doing with your life was working. Having regrets for not living your life and then being in a situation when you know, you will never have an opportunity again. It was SO REAL - we all live away our lives believing we are doing things that are important, things we must do, making sacrifices we believe we must, 'saving up for later', will the later come though? What if it doesnt....

[Loved the scene where Mark Ruffalo is taking about his ex]

Genre : Romance
Director : Mark Waters
Cast : Reese Witherspoon
Mark Ruffalo

Must say that Reese Witherspoon is way more talented than I imagined. She should stop doing roles where she plays dumb blonds. She was so fantastic in Walk the Line too. Also I think black hair suits her more.

Failure to Launch

2006-07-20T21:56:00.000+05:30

Movie name should have been - Failure to Impress.
My Recommendation - If you were me, you wouldnt want to watch this movie because you would hate it.

Movie pretty much sucked . Watched it cause I was on a flight (no personal tvs :( - only bad thing about Thai Airways - otherwise I liked the airline a lot). Well is your sappy love story of 2 people with broken hearts and cracked minds. The only thing I liked about the movie was the way the guy dumps women. Of course that strategy would never work in India.

Director : Tom Dey
Cast : Matthew McConoughey
Sarah Jessica Parker

Wallace and Gromit: The Curse Of The Were Rabbit

2006-07-17T23:31:00.000+05:30

My Recommendation : Watch It

Well it's not without reason that the movie has won an Academy Award. Its funny and better still its fun. Well a lot of funny movies are fun, but this is different. The 'were' in the title here is for were of werewolf. The movie has friendship, romance, tragedy, villains and best of all bunnies - why wouldn't it be a super hit?
Believe it or not, we (Tarana and me) actually acted this movie out in dumb charades. Neither us nor any of the 'guessers' had ever heard of it before. And believe it our not they did figure it out, only it took us all 10 mins. After this, its obvious we would have to watch the movie. (Siddhesh got a copy for us to watch).
Anyway it's a nice movie - never thought I would live through a movie where the animation was the clay type one - you know where the figures look like they were created using clay but I really enjoyed this one.

[Have you ever noticed how 'kiddy' movies aren't just for kids - adults enjoy them a lot too. Is it because there is a child in everyone one of us or because these films are made by adults?]

Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events

2006-07-16T04:07:00.000+05:30

My Recommendation : Worth a watch (even if you arent into movies for kids)

Well there is something about this movies - you may never love it but you will never hate it.

I actually watched the movie for the second time last night. And it wasnt terribly boring, which is always considered very good in my books.
What stands out most about the movie is the way the movie actually feel - I cant quite explain it, I am sure if you have watched it, you know what I am talking about. I dont know how they managed to give it the effect. I would assume its the dark backgrounds.

What makes the movie totally worthwhile is the last 2 mins of the movie. There is so much emotion packed in those 2 minutes, its magical how the film makers actually pulled it off.

The one thing that I am sure most people wouldnt like about the movie (in India atleast) is the 'hanging' end. Nothing is shown and it is left for the viewer to make up in his mind what happens next. Some how I feel Indian audiances hate doing that.

Jim Carey though should take a walk - he goes way too over the top. Dont know how people are not getting fed up of his acting. He was so good in Bruce Almighty. I really think he should do more serious films.

Not able to figure yet if its good or bad to have such a narrative style in a movie. I'll mull over this later.

[I love the last name of the family - the 'Bauedelaires'.]

Genre : Adventure
Director : Brad Silberling
Cast : Jim Carey [Count Olaf]
Emily Browning [Violet]
Liam Aiken [Klaus]
Kara & Shelby Hoffman [Sunny]
They actually had quite a cast (Meryl Streep, Catherine O'Hara, Dustin Hoffman and more)

Where are guys like that

2006-07-16T03:49:00.000+05:30

Just watched 'In Her Shoes'. Will do the whole review later but had to post about my favourite scene in the movie - Simon (Mark Feuerstein) starts kissing Rose (Toni Collete) and she leans over and switches of the lamp. He stops and switches is on and then starts kissing her again. She again reaches over and switches it of. And he again stops switches it on, looks at her and then starts kissing her. [I guess this would really make sense only if you watch the movie].
I bet every woman wants a man (or woman) like that, or who loves (or wants) her like that.

Movies on flights

2006-07-15T15:16:00.000+05:30

Love movies on flights - well at least on Cathay - where you have your own personal tv. Travelled Thai this time - and they have only one screen. So you have to watch the movie they are showing. Well I caught Failure to Launch and Shadows in the Sun - both very average - now if I had a personal tv (which I think they have on their longer duration flights - to the US and stuff) - I would have caught 2 really good movies - cause they had a good collection. I kept saying I will write down the names of the movies so I can get home and borrow them, but just like everything else - felt lazy and then forgot.
Anyway I'm hoping to be regular with this blog again. So you should be seeing quite a few more reviews happening.

Love the weekends

2006-06-18T23:59:00.000+05:30

Watched 2 movies this Saturday night - Cellular and Fun with Dick and Jane. Cellular was good. Fun with Dick and Jane not too bad. Will write up a proper review on both when I can find some more time.

Lots coming up

2006-06-11T01:51:00.000+05:30

Man I'm so way behind. Problem with internet at home and therefore unable to blog much. Seen a lot of movies which I havent posted about yet
1) Wallace and Gromit and the curse of the were rabit
2) A serious of unfortunate events (only saw half of it)
3) Gangster
4) Van Helsing
5) 13 going on 30
6) Taxi No. 9211
And a few more that I cant remember.

The Da Vinci Code

2006-06-06T22:59:00.000+05:30

My Recommendation : Worth one watch (unless of course you hate movies that have plots.)

Well the movie was sort of a let down. Mainly because it wasn't as exciting as the book. The book not only seems fast paced but also since there are more details it seems so much more interested. In movies there are time constraints. I am sure lots of people who havent read the book must have had trouble trying to understand what was going on. I loved the book btw, but as Harsh says I wish I hadnt read the last 15 pages. Dan Brown takes you to this peak and then just drops you flat. His ending always seem to leave a bad taste in your mouth. It should be a more in your face kind of end. Something big, something earth shattering...but it never ends up being that.

What does not come out well in the movie (and thats why I think more than the book the movie should have been banned) is that the controversy of Jesus having a wife and child. Neither does the aspect of 'the feminine' come out strongly. The few lines about how the pagans worshipped 'the woman' doesnt even get highlighted and therefore 'Christianities who effort to suppress all of these pagan beliefs' does not even get notice.

Anyway I loved the end of the movie. [If you havent watch the movie please dont read the next line] -
Where the female dips her foot in water and says 'Naah....maybe I'll have some luck with the wine'

On the whole the film was very heavy and not as exciting as the book. So first go out and read the book and then watch the movie (and feel disappointed).

Of course having seen some of the places, paintings etc mentioned in the book was great but none of these places were shown as wonderfully as they were described.

Genre : Drama / Thriller
Director : Ron Howard
Cast : Tom Hanks
Audrey Tautou
Ian McKellen

The Librarian : Quest for the Spear

2006-05-29T17:39:00.000+05:30

My Recommendation : It's cute so if you can catch it, do. But its a 'U' rated film so if your not into 'kiddy' movies, dont bother.

Your typical nerd boy saves the world by harnessing his skills and certain abilities he never believed he possesed.
I like the little bits about history and the other general knowledge...I totally wish I was like Noah Wyles character. Haha the bit I loved the best is when the old man say 'Hitler had one piece of it'. What I hated was the protector didnt show any real reaction when she finds out her ex love is alive and has actually joined the bad guys. In reality she would have reacted like crazy. Also the one funny thing is that even though this guy is a nerd and had bad social skills he still talks a lot...doesnt usually work like that in real life. Anyway it was a cute movie. And I didnt mind watching it.

Genre : Thriller
Director : Peter Winther
Cast : Noah Wyle (of ER fame)
Sonya Walger
Bob Newhart

Cheaper by the Dozen 2

2006-05-19T21:24:00.000+05:30

My Recommendation : Go watch it

Definitely better than Cheaper by the Dozen (part 1). That was toooo much on the emotional side. Cheaper by the Dozen 2 was hilarious, had a better story line, was just the right balance of emotion, and I felt connected better. A lot of the actors were really good. But I liked most was that here was this father pushing his kids so that HE could win a match. It's so reflective of todays time. Parents always pushing their children, saying it's for the childs good but secretly hoping that their child accomplishes something they never could. Or they can make they kids, trophy children - look what my son did, my daughter came first in class, he practices 5 hours a day, putting him in an exchange program etc etc etc. Chetan Bhagat wrote a very interesting article in the Times Of India regarding this issue. We see more and more suicides committed by kids today, because of silly reasons like bad marks. Maybe parents can take more than just laughs from this movie.

Genre : Comedy
Cast : Steve Martin
Bonnie Hunt
Alyson Stoner
Eugene Levy
Hilary Duff
Piper Perabo
Carmen Electra