Rockstar is unconventional, Flawed and brilliant - Highly recommended

Unconventional, Flawed and brilliant  -Not the regular three word that would be used in a sentence to express a thought. Maybe that the best way to describe the movie – not regular. It’s a very unconventional attempt for India, the kind of movies which would hardly be made in India. We are not used to musicians with bad attitude (other than drunken performances of the legendary and extraordinary musician Pt Bhimsen Joshi).

It was so refreshing to see the kind of passion that went into making this film and a admirable execution of an unorthodox plot. Rockstar is essentially a love story with romance and pain constituting the central themes. The story is about Haryanvi boy Janardan Jakhar from delhi, who goes from being a desperate and struggling college singer/guitarist to a angry outlaw rechristened as Jordan. He falls in love with Heer, a Kashmiri girl who was the out-of-his-league girl in college when he befriended her and is now married in Prague. The story takes a turn when he realizes how much he likes the girl, this influences him to an extent that the musical stardom that follows is inspired by pain and love from his relationship with her.

The first half has lot of sharp wit at display and some scenes keep you in splits for the most part. Imtiaz Ali understand the nuances of portraying relationships on screen and never misses the lovely little moments. They do become cheesy sometimes but Imtiaz is not the one to shy away from it - little scenes like the one in which Heer covers both her and Jordan under white cover and calls it their world, was especially well captured.  The characters are so well defined and the chemistry is evidently burning, so much so that Heer becomes healthy and happy each time Jordan is around. The director tells the tale in an unconventional yet passionate fashion and story is seamlessly weaved together going back and forth flashback and then joining the present.  The use of sudden silence in the middle of a song sequence to deliver a story piece was also noteworthy.

The camerawork was outstanding whether it was the landscapes or close rock show angles in neon lights or even the last few dream like sequences, the frames looked brilliant and  fairly artistic. Especially the whole sequence showing transition from Jordan arrested in Prague to his outrageous rock performance to newspapers and album cutouts like a comic book, were a visual delight. Its followed by a scene in which Jordan records with shehnai artist Jamil Khan played by the legendary Shammi kapoor, is quite outstanding.

The movie is far from perfect but has the depth and passion, which is missing mostly in Indian cinema today. The script is flawed that it doesn’t convincingly translate into the assured storytelling style that we know Imtiaz for. To add to that, the lead actress kills the essence of most scenes when she appears on the screen.. She’s pretty, but at best can be described as a poor man’s Katrina Kaif.

The music plays a huge part in the movie and form the integral part in the storytelling. A R Rehman give a real rock music feel to the soundtracks and crooning painful voice by Mohit Chauhan draws you to the scenes in the movie. I have never heard Mohit Chauhan sing in those high before and I was pleasantly surprised. This is one of those films where the songs felt so much better in the movie than just listening to audio tracks.

But Ranbir Kapoor was the real star of the show. His performance towered way above the rest of the crew whether he was playing a simple Jakhar boy with rakish charm or angry and in pain rockstar, he did both with equal aplomb. If someone wants a lesson in “getting into character”, they should watch his performance.  A standing salute to a fantastic performance

Its not the best film ever made, but deserves a watch for an effort at unconventional cinema, Ranbir’s fabulous performance and the fact that it makes you think. Trust me it would stay with you long after you come out of the theatre.

Rating: 8/10

10 probable reasons why ZNMD is a huge hit

• It’s genuinely funny. It’s a great idea to have got Farhan Akthar to write the dialogues. Well, he produced it, his sister directed it – so, just glad he opened that writing pad and started writing. Charming, witty script –full marks on that front. It makes you LOL even when you are watching it alone.
• Well, the funny narrative had to be delivered suitably; hence a good cast was sought. And the good cast is not just good at dialogue delivery, Zoya made sure they are good looking too. Draw all types of women might as well been the plan– the arty falls for Abhay Deol, the smart ones for Mr Akthar and the rest for Hrithik Roshan. And these girls will make sure that their boyfriends are there. Katrina might have been the backup plan.
• Place good looking people in great locations with a good story – that’s a good strategy to start with. Throw in a talented director and cinematographer for good luck.
• It’s filled with surprises. Exploring the new country, the past, old friendships, new relationships –a tremendous range of emotions for a single movie to cover. The movie manages to do this with grace.
• It didn’t underestimate me. It didn’t underestimate the cinema going audience of India. It didn’t expect everyone to understand Spanish (the reference to a movie about flying objects made from paper merely coincidental). It didn’t hold placards or canned laughter – the story believed that you were with it at all times and good film making ensured that you were.
• Good music even in a movie without an actor or a story has created box office hits in the past. So good music in ZNMD was not a bad idea. It gives the movie a few more Filmfare entries. And the songs are fun. It’s nice to see Abhay Deol dancing, even though he looks as clumsy as an ice skater on rapidly melting ice.
• Good filming made everything look cool. Did you notice how it made even the Indian Airlines airhostess look cool?
• Katrina is particular preachy when with Hrithik. And Hrithik is particularly impressed every time she says advocates the obvious. “A man should be in a box only when he dies”, “Wow…you know how to live”, he exclaims. They don’t subject the other characters to this side show of theirs.
• It showed you things that you wanted to see. Things that the average movie goer wishes he could be a part of.. Hot girl rides the bullet, hot girl turns up as the scuba instructor, hot guys jump out of planes and then proceed to sing quite well- you get the drift, don’t you?
• There are moments in the film without back ground music. I don’t know if you noticed. But something about that made it more realistic. After all as Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara so does life often happen without a background tune.   

The Three Musketeers is a silly yet fun adaptation

The Three musketeers is a silly yet fun adaptation of the literary classic of the same name by Alexandar Dumas(which BTW was one my 3 fav books growing up), although its been masalafied to make the movie more fun.

Directed by Paul Anderson, this movie is centered around the hot headed D'Artagnan and his three friends - Athos, Porthos, and Aramis, respectively - the production follows the musketeers as they uncover secret plots, upset the local royals, and rescue damsels in distresss. They leap into action there are impressive swordfights, stunts, and smart quips. Individually they are charming, but it's also their convincing camaraderie that makes this plain good fun.

Cinematically its brilliantly shot and for a change the 3D did not look forced and unlike other movies i did not feel the need to take off the heavyweight glasses. Infact 3D added great depth to the panoramic shots and the exquisite palace sequences. The good thing about the movie was that in never drags and remains fun with a fair amount of attention to detail on creating old France. Although some of the character's like the king and queen were little "caricatured" instead of being the literary characters.

It's the bits between the action that are the problem, where there's rather silly and simply scripted plotting by mischievous villains trying to provoke war between France and England. Milla Jovovich as Milady is central to this; a double agent, she looked like a poor man's Catherine Zeta Jones (from entrapment) with spy/fighting skills along with being sly and charming. Jovovich gets to show off her stunt moves, which are all the more impressive for being done wearing a corset. Orlando bloom (plays duke of Buckingham) looks like he's carrying on the same costume from Pirates of the Caribbean and is hard to take seriously at any point.

They're an average bunch of baddies - not amusing, interesting or evil enough to interest us in their political games. The real fun is in the musketeers stopping them.

The last scene makes sure that the sequels to this franchise will go on for some years.

Overall, good job Mr Anderson (matrix pun intended)

RATING: 6.5/10

"Warrior" is well made and intense

Frankly i hadn't heard much about the movie until it hit the theaters last Friday. But what a nice decision to go and watch it. I'm a big fan of mixed martial arts and so glad the movie will give the sport its deserved spotlight. But even if you are not a fan of the violent sport, you'd like the movie for the characters and the intense emotional journey that they go through.

Warrior is a movie about two brothers - Tommy & Brandon, who enter the ruthless MMA tournament for their own reasons, but are pitted against each other in the finals. Although the fact that this would happen was predictable when the tournament started but the director keeps you engaged into the sequence in anticipation.
The two brothers were once close, but they haven't seen each other in 14 years. The only thing they have in common now  is a bitter hatred for their father Paddy (played by Nick Nolte), a recovering alcoholic whose drinking tore the family apart.

The beauty of the movie is that it is as much about the actual fights in a steel cage as it is about the emotional journeys of the characters from a broken family. Brandon played by Joel Edgerton is a likable character who's physics teacher but gets back to fighting to save his house. He shows sense of humor in the difficult and intense situations which make him a character most people would like. Tommy played by Tom Hardy is however a non nonsense tough guy who's mostly rude with a devil may care attitude but as the story progresses, you feel for the character as he's burning from inside. He becomes a hit on youtube when he takes down the local MMA favorite in a gym.
Even the fighting styles depicted in the tournament add to the characterization. Tommy comes to a tournament, where music and razmattaz forms a part of the intimidation techniques, with no music, no press conference and has mysteriousness shrouding him. He does not even wait for the referee to raise his hand or the crowd to cheer. He just walks away as soon as he knocks down his opponents and knock them down he sure does. His style is sledgehammer and tongs where he knocks down opponents in the first round and he is kinda of a favorite after crowd finds out about his ex marine status. The only time he acknowledges the crowd is when the US marine sings their anthem
Whereas, Brandon comes with Beethoven as his entry music and is not the knockout guy. He's a more ressiliant fighter and underdog who keeps coming back after taking a beating each time. He also takes out Koba, the unbeatable championship favorite after taking 2 rounds of beating. Seeing Kurt Angle play Koba has the fun part and i was screaming with the crowd :)

The fact that they are brothers is known to the crowds only during the final match and the climax although predictable makes you want to root for both of them for different reasons. Very solid performances from Edgerton and Nick Nolte. It did remind me at times of "the Wrestler" and "The Fighter" but the storyline is way better as the background of each character unravels slowly in front of you while you watch the fight sequences. It surely left an impression enough for me to write a review :)

Rating: 7/10

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, finally clears the dark mark

“No story lives until someone wants to listen” – J K Rowling

The Harry Potter series has had half the globe gripped before this book released and now before its finale movie, as this is where "it all ends."

David Yates (director of the last 3 books), steered this movie to a whole new fantasy experience with his movie making skills. Finer details were taken care off so well, the trip to Ministry to get started on the Horcrux hunting, to amazing and actually breathtaking visuals of the tale of the 3 brothers who got the Deathly Hallows, cheating death itself, and to exploring the depths of Gringotts with Griphook the Goblin on a roller coaster ride. Excellent screenplay and the characterisation of Dobby who makes you shed a tear, Bellatrix (Helena Bonham Carter) who makes you hate her.

The trip to Godric’s Hollow, Harry’s birthplace and the village that saw Voldemort’s downfall, sends a chill down your spine. Nagini playing Bathilda Bagshot keeps you on the edge of the seat and you might let out a mild scream. The memory of Snape (Alan Rickman) was such a brilliant scene, a perfect performance teamed with a perfect edit, revealing his regret of joining the dark side and his true love for Lily potter, his trust in Dumbledore and how he endured Harry despite hating him. Some of the characters though matured well, didn’t come so strong in the movie like Ginny (Bonnie Wright)

Part 2 of the movie captures the story from Harry and friends breaking into the Gringotts Wizarding Bank, to the downfall and end of The Dark Lord in one night. But for me, the film lacked the epic feeling that I expected and hoped for. While exclusions from the book were acceptable, some essentials were really missed. The final duel between Harry Potter and Voldemort was supposed to be a spectacle that would leave everyone in awe, situated in the Great Hall at Hogwarts.

But the duel here was fought between the two with no spectators and there was no sense of rejoicing and peace among the magical lot. Voldemort was to look foolish and deceived, unable to comprehend the alliance between Snape and Dumbledore. Why the Elder wand never worked for him, how love is always a stronger form of power that Lily Potter left behind, the need to have something to live for – friends. That is not to say that David Yates did not get it right. The action scenes were fun to watch and the background score was apt. There are light humorous moments that dip the pressure that has engulfed ones mind.

Some of the other doable scenes were, the Elder wand was to be returned to its true owner (Dumbledore) and Harry was to get back his old wand, fixed by the most powerful wand itself, instead of breaking it into two. The Third hallow didn’t make its appearance during the fight with the Dark Lord, which was disappointing. The epilogue could have simply been avoided.

But, it’s still worth a watch in 3D as it makes the story come alive and completes the decade long Potter era perfectly.

Rating - 8/10

Delhi Belly is a crass entertainer

If you have the belly for a crass entertainer which is designed to have a shock value, this is the movie for you this season. Most of the scenes are disgusting and yet funny to make you laugh your guts out. When you come out of the cinema hall after 90 mins (no interval), you don't feel like you did not take a break and are entertained by the end of it. Of course, some of us were more entertained than the others.

Delhi belly is not a very new story nor its is complicated, it won't leave you 'wowed' but it would leave you in splits. I call it the reverse parental guidance (PG) - DO NOT watch it with your parents ;)

The movie is about 3 friends who are struggling to pay the rent and live in disgusting condition mainly due to the laziness of the 3 characters. Tashi, played by Imran Khan, is a journalist with a nagging fiancée Sonia (played by Shenaz Treasurywala). An airhostess, Sonia unknowingly picks up a smuggled parcel she's promised to deliver as a favor for a friend. It all starts to go terribly wrong when the package is mistakenly swapped by Arup (played by Vir Das). The real "shit" hits the fan when the gangster, played wonderfully by Vijay Raaz, receives a stool sample instead, belonging to Nitin.

Nitin's "Delhi Belly" becomes the prime character of the movie as this upset stomach is what provides the constant twists to an otherwise simple storyline. Its disgusting and "in your face" (all puns intended) but also very funny. The other angle in the story is provided by Tashi's colleague played by Poorna Jagannathan, who is constantly trying to lossen up Tashi. All the characters in the movie fit like hand to glove and kudos to the casting director for a job well done. All actors shine on screen with superb performances but the silent scorchers of scenes were provided by Maneka and Tashi who's portrayal of physical tension/attraction was hard to miss.

The music of the movie is already topping the charts but it comes alive even more in the movie, Ram sampath's background score can be called another character in the movie. Claps and whistles were a plenty each time the audience anticipated the song. Although the showstopper was the funny spoof dance by aamir Khan at the end of the movie.

Delhi belly may disgust you but will entertain you enough to overlook that


Rating: 7.5/10

Shaitan is an engaging evil

My first reaction - This movie is like a namaste to Quen Tarantino :)

Anurag Kashyap and his production house never disappoints whether its Black Friday, Dev D, No smoking or Udaan. Extraordinary directorial debut by Bejoy Namibiar, who makes each scene look like a masterpiece. Having seen some of his short films (thanks to a friend of mine), i kind of expected it to be good but it turned out to be way more than that. The use of camera angles, capturing close up emotions, flashbacks and slow motion shots are simply superb.

The movie is about the story of 5 brash youngsters whose lives are aimlessly drifting and they waste their rich parents money for drugs, alcohol and make merry. When they run down two innocent people in a rash-driving accident, they must come up with big money to close the case. Going to their parents is not an option; hence one of them, Amy (played by Kalki Koechlin), an NRI with unresolved mommy issues, suggests that her friends fake her kidnapping so they can demand ransom from her dad. Obviously their plan goes caput very soon and this becomes a national issue for the news channels, and that's when the "shaitaan" inside each of them decides show its color.

Its made in a way that it seems like a dark movie but it has elements of drama, psychedelia, humor and violence. Each scene has so much directorial effort and each frame leaves so much impact, especially the ones where slow motion is used to draw parallels in the story. The movie questions our conscience at each level and each act. The background score and sound adds so much character to each frame and enhances the impact on the viewer by making it more dramatic.The use of "Khoya Khoya chand" as a narrative during parallel shooting/killing sequence is the highlight.

The central theme is that there is a "shaitan" of a different kind in each of the characters and Bejoy sticks to that. Rajeev Khandelwal shines in the movie with a stellar performance and makes even simple scenes look very convincing and engaging. The film loses steam towards the second half of the story but the technical flaboyance of the director keeps the movie afloat.

Only film after Dev D to have this much impact with its technical brilliance.

Rating: 8/10

Kung Fu Panda 2 is a superb entertainer

Funny thing - I got inside the hall and realized that it was 3D version!!!

I'll admit it... I hate the whole 3D brigade. After Avatar, i haven't enjoyed any 3D movie because of dirty glasses that you have to wear which becomes strenuous after a while and then we have movies which used 3D as a selling gimmick and there isn't anything 3D in the movie. Coming back to the topic of Kung Fu Panda, it was a happy accident that i booked a 3D show and it was worth it. Its was a full 3D experience and used very well throughout the film.

After becoming the Dragon warrior, Po (the panda) and the Furious Five team up for all threats to the region. But this time he's confronted with the evil peacock Shen who had killed Po's parents when he was a baby, and panda does not clearly remember these events and the visions from his past keep bothering him. Shen is trying to take over China with his destructive canon and wants to end the existence of Kung Fu.

The plot is serious but is garnished by really funny situations especially the food/fat jokes about Po. There is a scene where Po and furious five are trying to use "stealth" to get into the city when panda bangs into every visible object and gets noticed. The movie keeps you in splits for the most part but the movie shows a lot of conflict in emotions of getting to know your sad past and finding inner peace. Even the tigress from furious five is shown as soft character this time.

And of course there is a lot more action, superb use of 3D to add to the action sequences. The jumping off the cliffs during fight in the start is more real in 3D and the scenes wher all the old legendary fighters fight together is exhilarating. The last fight sequence of Po fighting the canonballs is one of the most impressive ones you'll see.

Watch it for full on entertainment.


Rating: 7/10

Stanley ka dabba is simple and endearing

This one is for Rahul - friend from school - present

Stanley ka dabba is a endearing movie which brings you back to the wonderful days of school. Those little noises in the back benches, weird teachers and their mannerism and a nice teacher (generally English teacher :)) that kids can have crush on, all bring you back to school as the story unfolds in front of you.

I had heard about its comparisons with Taare Zameen Par, since this one is also written by Amol Gupte. Barring the fact that its about the subject of children, there is no similarity between these two movies. Stanley Ka Dabba is more like scenes from a well written play which have a strong message about child labor woven into the film itself and the "dabba" becomes the prime plot for this message.

Stanley (played by Partho) is a lovable schoolboy who's particularly popular with his classmates and is backed by the class teacher (Divya Dutta) who sees the unique qualities that Stanley has. Partho plays the role so well that you tend to believe it his real life story, by making the character look vulnerable and resilient at the same time. But his bright and unique ideas are generally disapproved by other teachers as they stick to the book like most Indian teachers. His lighthouse project or  his ability to write beautifully is ignored by teachers and only Divya Dutta encourages him and she is aptly called "Rosy miss" in the movie.

Amol Gupte plays the character of Hindi teacher who hogs food from everyone's tiffin like a glutton. With his reputation preceding him everyone starts avoiding him and when he pulls up stanley for not bringing the "dabba" everyday, Stanley friends make a fool of him everyday by hiding during lunch time. This brings the central moments in the film where Stanley is asked to stay away until he gets a tiffin, and the boy's dignified absence cause a lump in your throat. The rest of the story makes one think how we differentiate people on basis of their resources and follows it up with feeling of silent guilt that people around feel.

There are times when the movie seems stretched and the screenplay lacks a little bit. But the cast more than makes up for it with very honest performances and the fantastic portrayal of characters along with directer Amol Gupte who narrates the movie like a seasoned storyteller.
Watch it for its honesty and endearing characters, it doesn't force a message rather makes you feel one.

Rating: 7/10

The Boy in the striped Pajaymas is a simple tale

The Boy in the striped Pajaymas is a movie set in World War 2 and is a simple tale of unimaginable circumstances that existed. Its not much of war movie as much as the story of people during those times.

The movie is about the war period seen from the eyes of 8 year old Bruno, who's father is the Nazi Commandant. They were enjoying a charmed life in Berlin before the commander is transfered to the countryside. Bruno struggles to be at peace with his new surroundings where he cannot wander around and play. The kid loves to explore things around him but the people (even teachers) keep trying to give him taste of harsh reality.

The Jewish community during that time were treated as outcasts and this story revolves around the friendship that Bruno develops with the Jewish boy(Shmuel) from the concentration camp. What is interesting about the movie is that each of the characters is affected by Nazi policy in their own small way and the conflict is evident. Asa Butterfield shines in the role of Bruno but the unsung star of the film is Vera Farmiga who plays a classy role of the mother constantly fighting between saving her kids from Nazi school of thought and living with her husband who's executing the same policies. Bruno is conflicted with the new image of his father, the perpetrator of Nazi hate against innocents, who was once a hero figure to his son. 

The developing friendship between Bruno and Shmuel provides the best moments in the film. The fantastic scene where they tell each other that they haven't heard a name like theirs OR where they are seen playing checkers divided by the barbed wire is a joy to watch. But this same friendship is what forms the devastating end to the movie.

It is a remarkable film which handles a difficult subject with great sensitivity and grace. Be prepared to be stunned into silence by the time the movie ends. Highly recommended watch.

Rating:7.5/10

My Sister's Keeper is touching

I first watched this movie with great reluctance at the behest of my friend Geetika and was told that it was a very touching movie. It turned out to be much more than that.

Cameron Diaz and Jason Patric play the characters Brian and Sara Fitzgerald, whose daughter Kate (Sofia Vassilieva) is diagnosed at a young age with leukemia.  Cameron plays this paranoid mother who does everything to protect her child and even gives up one her personal life. On doctor's "offline" advice, they conceive another child with genetic modifications so she can serve as a donor to her sister. The rest of the story unfolds from there.

My Sister's keeper is kinda 2 stories - one of a unique 11 year old girl, Anna (Abigail Breslin), who is suing her parents so that her body will no longer be used for spare parts for Kate, Anna's long-dying sister. But the actual story completely belongs to Kate. The scenes with Kate growing through a scrapbook/collage of her life with each of the special people around her is so touching, that even a person with neutral emotions like me was moved. Going through the collage also forms a part of the narrative in a beautiful way.

Its essentially a story about human relationship and their reactions to the difficult stages in the lives. The difference in views of the parents and Anna on the subject of trying to save the ailing Kate gives different shades to the film. This film asks the questions of how far you should really go to keep someone alive.

Its also a sensitive yet non-victim-like take on the subject of cancer. The scenes where Taylor another cancer patient jokes with Kate about the treatment sessions that they would have and where the kiss between these teens is pointed by Kate as tasting of chemotherapy, makea one feel strongly for the characters.

Because of moments like these and the stellar acting performance by the starcast make it a movie worth watching. This one has the heart in the right place.

Rating: 7/10

Tearjerker alert: If you are the emotional or sensitive type, keep the handkerchief handy

This Butterfly is Effective

The butterfly effect is a movie based on the chaos therory for time travel. Ashton Kutcher plays the protagonist, a young man who blocks out harmful memories of significant events of his life. As a child, he has had traumatic formative experiences with As he grows up, he finds a way to remember these lost memories and a supernatural way to alter his life

The movie isn't so much about time travel as its about how seemingly insignificant alterations beget major consequences. Its a rivetting 2 hrs of back and forth into the events and lives of the protagonist and others around him.Ashton Kutcher shines in the movie with his mix of expressions and characters of anger, criminal and mostly confused with events that he has altered.

The movie keeps you engaged through the series of time travel and one keeps wondering what memory will he alter next. Director did  a brilliant job of defying viewer expectations and keep suspense building by continually creating new crises for Evan (Ashton) to resolve. Concepts like chaos theory, alternate reality have been dealt in other movies too and successfully so. But this one is made with such engaging storyline and almost everything a movie can show - Troubled love, college, prison, madness, lots and lots of nosebleeds :)


Rating: 8/10

You just have to watch Sita Singing the Blues

Sita Sings the Blues, is a film that carries deep emotions carefully wrapped in humour and imagination. It’s visually delightful and highly original. This 2D animation film of about 70 minutes, combines four different styles of narration and ties them together with a common thread.

Sita Sings the Blues has Valmiki’s Ramayana running parallel to the modern biographical story of the film maker, Nina Paley. The epic is narrated from Sita’s perspective with a fair share of feminism. It’s a simple story made stunning by unusual storytelling, delightful visuals and a captivating script, that is both funny and irreverent. It combines the ancient and the modern without any obvious effort. There is Nina’s story set in San Fransico running parallel with Sita’s story set in Ayodhya, there are shadow puppets that have an ancient frame but use modern script, there is Sita singing blues in the forest of Lanka and yet to the story teller’s credit, these disparities appear natural.

Nina uses paintings to show episodes from the Ramayana, narration with the help of Indian shadow puppets that helps put scenes into context and adds immense humour to the script, seamless musical interjections where Sita uses music to convey her emotions and loneliness and a contemporary modern story.

It might not be easy to find a DVD of this movie, but you can visit sitasingstheblues.com, download a copy legally as it's a creative common film, buy movie merchandise or even make a donation if you want to.

It’s art. It’s brilliant story telling. It’s a burst of new thoughts. You must not miss this one.

Rating: 8/10

"The Oxford Murders" dies of poor acting

The Oxford Murders is based on a Novel of the same name by Argentine mathematician Guillermo Martínez. It stars Elijah Wood as Martin, an American grad student who comes to Oxford so that he can study with renowned professor Arthur Seldom (John Hurt). However, Martin and Seldom find themselves thrown together when they stumble on the murder of Martin's landlady (Anna Massey) and join forces to try and crack the code.

The movie has very cold overtones throughout the movie and maintains a "bitter" flavor both in terms of the characters & look of the movie. Especially the sharp and bitter Mother-daughter conversations, when the protagonist played by Elijah Wood in introduced, is particularly well written screenplay. The editors have done a good job in keeping the mysteriousness of the story while maintaining the cold outlook of the movie.

But that’s pretty much the only good about the movie. It’s an astonishingly bad movie, as the good subject matter is marred by poor acting especially from the poker face Elijah. The film never really takes off and keeps moving like a pretentious intro to Philosophy 101. The film tries to impress with its erudition but it’s the mathematical concepts which make it slightly interesting, but only very slightly. Infact I liked the first 10 mins of the movie and was looking forward to the rest. The subject matter had a lot of potential but the execution did no justice to the story. To add to it, the script is quite bad and most scenes the actors keep talking gibberish with each other without any conviction. The movie about solving puzzles ends up being one itself.

Bad casting especially for the lead role makes the movie sink with very little trace. Only John Hurt pulls it up a little but bad chemistry amongst actors and a very average script makes it a rather dull movie.  In comparison this one makes Da Vinci code look like a masterpiece :)

Watch it if you want to pass time while sipping on coffee on a dull rainy day.

Rating: 5/10

The King's Speech -it's a film that triumphs

I went for the movie with a fair amount of reluctance. I expected it to be dramatic and aesthetic, but not really engaging. The King’s Speech surprised me and surpassed the expectations I had of the Oscar winning movie.

Casting, Screenplay, Direction and Storytelling – they got all four right.  Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush, who play the stammering King George VI and the rather radical speech therapist Lionel Logue respectively, carried the story on their shoulders very efficiently. Every other character did their piece in an unobstructive manner.  The movie in short is about triumph –triumph of an unexpected friendship between the king and his speech therapist, the triumph of king’s voice over his stammer and the triumph of perseverance built into almost every single character.

An ordinary theme such as a king getting over his stammer is garnished with a fine sense of narration and an even better sense of story development. From the mouth of possible clichés, this story blossoms, allowing the two prime characters to come to life. A vulnerable yet haughty king succumbing to the radical and unconventional ways of an irreverent yet capable speech therapist is a predictable story with an unpredictable storytelling method.

By the end of the movie, the king’s and Lionel’s victory becomes important to their viewers, which in itself is a testimony to their splendid performances. It is slow in parts, which allows in a strange way, the time that the story is set to sink in. What comes through without a stutter is the screenplay and timing.  The flowing lines punched in with wit and brilliance takes the crown in the King’s Speech. It’s an excellent film with a fine story. 

Rating : 8.5/10

Michael Clayton - slow buildup to a good end

Michael Clayton was one of those movies that i watched waiting for it to give me brilliant experience and it didn't quite do that. With all the Oscar nominations (and wins) and George clooney, it was supposed to be a movie which would blow you away atleast in my head.

Its named after the protagonist played by George Clooney who plays a "fixer" for a highly successful law firm. He seems to have a reputation of fixing everyone;s problems just not his own. But the conflict arises when the main attorney of the firm has a birth of conscience while defending a mega corporation and even Clayton cannot handle the mess.

But the movie was not particularly remarkable or the one which i would be wowed with. It moved at a slow pace and the buildup to the story was too long to have the effect that the last 15 mins had. Its a kind of role which fits Clooney like a glove but then again we have watched him play such roles before.
It a decently good movie if you decide to stick to it for a while. Maybe its that kind of a movie that would grow on you but then i wasn't that impressed with it the first time.

Rating: 6.5/10

"Rachel Getting Married" is not that much about marriage

It’s a story about a dysfunctional family and the whole drama about the wedding of Kym’s sister- Rachel. Ann Hathaway plays Kym who’s just comes out of Rehab for her sister’s wedding. The whole story revolves around the uneasy situations that are created by unwanted Kym being backed up by her dad and lack of belief in Kyms goodness due to history being a junkie/addict (even their brother’s drowning). It’s a typical scenario of a good child –bad child seen in completely different light.

Its shot in a “blank verse” style (if I can use that for non-poetry media), sometimes loosely stitched scenes and personally I like it. But the shades of discomfort are captured very beautifully and characters dilemma portrayed quite remarkably by the director. Some mundane house situations are woven into a unique drama. There is a scene where Kym realizes she actually inspired a fellow rehab guy to start his life again by her made-up stories, which upsets her sister. This escalates into a situation which eventually makes family open to each other’s point of view and Kym being a misunderstood girl.

Its moments like these and the completely different take on a wedding in a family makes this movie worth watching. However, most characters other than Ann Hathaway’s are not quite convincing esp. the couple who are getting married. It was nominated at the Oscars in 2009 only for best actress role and we know why J

Rating: 7/10

Tangled - A good tangle to be in

Grimm’s fairy tale comes untangled in this Disney animation film, the 50th from the house of Disney. This modern take on Rapunzel is an entertainer. Simply put – it’s clever, it will make you feel good and will make sure that you come out of the theatre smiling. It’s a straight forward story with some great musical interventions. The songs are unfussy like the movie. ‘I have a dream’ is the most hummable piece followed by ‘Mother knows best’.

The story is simple. Rapunzel, the princess is kidnapped from the palace by a witch who yearns eternal youth. While the entire kingdom waits with hope (in this case, lighted lanterns) for the return of their princess, Rapunzel stays locked up in a tall castle with no awareness of the world outside. The turn of events manifest when a charming thief lands up at her place and an engaging bond is formed between them. The events unfold in a very simple way. And quite as expected, has Rapunzel falling in love with the hero of the story.

The length of Rapunzel's hair keeps varying through out the film, which is rather distracting. But it does not take away from the movie. The characters are filled with life, as is every frame in the film which makes a rather predictable story engaging. The songs add life, break the monotony and add to the story building. The imagery is beautiful and tickles the imagination. It’s a warm, fun story, only made better with a fine dose of wit in the screenplay. Tangled is a fine tangle of music, fun and colours. It’s an easy laid back watch for the weekend.

Rating: 7.5/10

7 Khoon Maaf - This crime is unforgivable

The highlight of 7 Khoon Maaf is the song ‘Darling’. The rest of the film is a disappointment. 7 Khoon Maaf is everything you would not associate the maker of engaging movies like Omkara, Maqbool, Kaminey with. Vishal Bhardwaj has created a very uninspiring, rather boring and a definitely loosely packaged movie this time.


The movie is based on the short story by Ruskin Bond, Sussana’s Seven Husbands, a thrilling black comedy. However, the inspired piece is predictable, devoid of thrilling moments and is far from funny. What is a pity is that the potential of the subject is underutilized to an extent that it renders the movie unimaginative. It seemed like a story that didn’t wait to be developed but was delivered in a hurry without weaving the 7 stories into a single one. It failed to bring out the horror or the trauma of an effected mind, or the emotional build of the girl who marries wrong seven times and ends up killing her husbands in order to get out of the bad marriage. Even brilliant actors like Priyanka Chopra, Naseerudin Shah, Konakana Sen Sharma were poorly presented and suffered the whiplash of erratic story telling.


If there is one word I could use to describe this movie, it would be ‘patchy’. From the make up to the acting, to the story telling, if there is one common element, it was the fact that they consistently remained patchy. Neil Nitin Mukesh however deserves a mention for the playing his role, albeit small as Susanna’s first husband with great charm.


No revelations, no surprises, poor storytelling and a patchy delivery turns this movie into a long boring watch and leaves us with no empathy for any of its characters. No Maafi for Vishal Bharadwaj for this movie!
Rating : 3/10

Black Swan is dark and powerful

It’s definitely a dark movie and make no mistake about it, quite disturbing for the most part. But all the things we had already heard about the movie (because of its late release in India) for being thriller/horror movie is something I absolutely disagree with. At the end of the day it was melodrama, although a bit disturbing and uneasy.

The storyline is twisted and quite psycho (for the lack of better word), yet so stunningly shot and fascinating. The audience (who I love to glance at, in movie halls after a scene), was feeling uneasy in most scenes coz the movie makes you feel that ways, with its out and out intense and violent scenes. The best thing about the movie was the performance of Natalie Portman, who plays Nina – the aspiring lead who gets the role of Swan queen in the upcoming dance production. Her portrayal of a silently devious character, who starts to live in figments of her imagination and dark ones at that, is fantastic. Even her eye movements are so convincing that you start feeling sympathy for a character although we can see the dark shades of her.

The last 10 mins of the movie are a slight contrast to the uneasy scenes previously. In these minutes, beautiful photography is combined with superb dance sequences, especially the one where her transformation into black swan is shown by growing wings on her, is simply stunning.

Watch this movie for its 2 best things - Natalie Portman’s acting & original and unpredictable storytelling.

8.5/10

Never Let me go is an unsettling drama

Calling “Never Let me go” a romantic drama would be a misnomer. Its non mushy yet engagingly endearing drama with such a strong storyline that I was impressed by the unraveling of the whole story albeit in very slow paced frames.

The portrayal of a bizarre concept of breeding people to be organ donors and turning it into the story about relationship speaks of fantastic storytelling. Its based on a Kazuo Ishiguro novel but captured quite convincingly on film by Mark Romanek. The usage of little peculiar actions of each of characters and explaining them in the later scenes of the movie is done quite well.

It stars Keira Knightely as one of 3 friends in a love triangle. All three actors act brilliantly but Carey Mulligan ,who plays Kathy, is the most compelling and convincing of the three. It’s the actors who added the life in the film and you should watch it for their performance. It’s a compelling film which will linger in your memory.

Consider this my word of mouth. Go Watch it

A good 7.5/10 from me (the Yin)

127 hours in compelling 2 hrs

I have been waiting for this movie for 3 months now and finally get a chance to see it on a first day first show and a completely instant plan all thanks to Dina

And i was not disappointed... A beautiful portrayal by Danny Boyle of ordeal of Aron Ralston (Real life story) who got stuck in the Grand Canyons... My personal bias and wait for the movie is because its about rock climber and its made by Danny Boyle :) Whats not to like. The movie has everything going for it... Amazing camerawork (shades of quintessential Boyle style - shades of "Millions"), a very convincing and fantastic performance from the lead actor, and a screenplay which captures the essence of the climber's ordeal. Franco in the lead role is so much better than his performances in Spiderman and Danny Boyle tends to have that affect on his actors.

There is no addition to the real story as Boyle sticks to the facts. The beauty of the movie is in its simple scenes and fantastic camerawork. It manages to show the conflicts in the climbers head when he thinks he's going to die but he's still keeps his wits about him. The simple scenes like him cracking a joke about storing and drinking his own pee by saying "That tasted like a bag of piss" or him wanting to masturbate fantasizing about women he met while his hand is crushed below a rock.  The storytelling is so compelling that in some portions the movie, i saw the crowd feel so happy when they show him getting out of the situation when it turns out to be just a dream.

All you outdoor type people, watch it for its main subject and all movie buffs watch is for a compelling and fantastic movie making and performance... Everyone...  GO WATCH it

A very healthy 9/10 tending towards ten

Kites

Anurag Basu’s ‘Kites’, is a classic example of how even extra ordinary hype or for that matter Hrithik Roshan with his Greek God looks, cannot make a film better than it actually is. Boy meets girl with money – Boy meets girl who he loves – Boy and girl act stupid and people around them go crazy. There is a bit of everything in this movie - romance, music, violence, charm, beauty, action, dance – but not a single element strong enough to help the movie through. It is a confused movie that constantly switches genres from romance to action to just portraying a slice of life. This lane changing nature of the film leaves the audience feeling no connect with its characters or the story itself. It’s like constantly adjusting your seat while you are driving at a 100 kph. Is this movie about love, good looks, revenge, action – one would never figure I guess.


Hrithik Roshan’s acting, Barbara Mori’s charm could do only that much for a film that wasn’t going anywhere in the first place. And Kangana’s role seemed to be just playing catalyst for Hrithik to meet his love, in life or after life. And for that matter the whole -wealthy, Casino owning, confused gangster - Grover family was so contrived and lacked authenticity for us to buy the plot. And one thing I want to truly understand is, if a movie is in English mostly, and you also expect people to read English subtitles to understand the Spanish bit… in a country like India, that is a sure shot formula for disaster. Here are the other signs that this movie has failed to make its mark. 1. At the intermission one is convinced that it will take a miracle to revive the plot. 2. When the hero of the film is dying a painful (physical and emotional)death, the audience laughs 3. The first scene which evokes a laugh in the entire movie happens after an hour of the movie, when Hrithik is accidently knocked down by a car door 4. The movie ends on a tragedy and the audience leaves the hall laughing.


Kites, is somewhat beautiful in the way it’s made, but it lacks depth and lure to such an extent that the story and its characters went plummeting, literally and figuratively by the end of the film. The movie is slow and refuses to carry the audience with it. Just like a lonely kite, it makes a solitary journey. Kites for me, is stuck between electric cables of confusion and refuses to take flight.
Rating : 3/10

Raavan... the beautiful one

I saw Raavan much later than the rest of the world and actually came out with different opinion than the rest of the world. It is one of the most spectacularly shot movie I've seen in Indian cinema (after Dev D i guess)

I tried hard but could not call it a bad movie as much as i tried to agree my friends opinion. The storyline was definitely aimlessly drifting and slow for the most part. It would have been a brilliant one if the weaving of the story was more seamless and less drag. As it is the viewers, would know the basic plot of the movie before entering the movie halls.But the endearing crazyness of Raavan;s character was a treat.


I was so glued to the screen due to sheer magic of photography created by Santosh Sivan. Kudos to the creative team and directors of cinematography and photography. The scenes with Aishwarya stuck in the tree after falling from waterfall and her slow drop to the waters was breathtaking and simply beautiful.


Even in the storyline there are patches of brilliance.. and the new take on Ramayan where Raavan doesn't look like a villain to even the Sita character.. 


A couple of things we'd remember from the movie... very well written characters by Ratnam... Abhishek Bachhan's superb acting... Govinda's overacting.. and the unforgettable... absolutely Spectacular photography and just BEAUTIFUL cinematography


As total impact 6.5/10