Some films I saw over the last few weeks/months
Arite, I am so lazy. So, those that have already read these elsewhere, bear with me. Will definitely come up with a more original post. In time.
Cheeni Kum - 6/10
Looks like bollywood is finally getting rom-coms right. AB-Tabu are very good as a combo, and director Balki gets Delhi right. And London, seemingly. Good debut, but the film could have used a little less of all the rona-dhona.
Race - 4/10
The plot twists can be seen from quite a distance, and the ones that you cannot have predicted do not seem to be gripping enough to even interest you. And bollywood needs to get rid of songs completely, at least for thrillers. The songs in this film are such a roadblock, and unlike a film like Humraaz where the songs were fantastic, this film has some utterly boring tunes combined with insipid English lyrics and some retarded choreography. I'd be a tad generous and give this movie a 4/10.
No Smoking - 5/10
Great core idea to introduce the "wierdo" genre to Indian movies. But it takes it too far, which is a pitfall that pretty much every neo-filmmaker tends to fall into. Writing mind-job movies is very tricky, you need to know where to draw the line. A lot of budding filmmakers tend to get trapped into the "I want to surprise myself" syndrome, while all they had to look to do is to surprise the viewer. Anurag Kashyap falls too, quite badly in some places. The key to writing a good wierd movie is to not let the wierdness completely take over the entire storytelling, but should be cleverly masqueraded with the mundane. Anurag throws metaphors after metaphors that keep getting more and more difficult to keep track of. John Abraham has a fairly simple role, so does Ayesha Takia. Paresh Rawal is very good in the beginning, but the writer in Kashyap completely lets him down in the second half, with an adamance to pile on the weirdness factor, thus reducing him to a caricature. Overall, interesting start from Kashyap. And instead of blaming the audience for "not being ready" for a film like this, hope he learns from this and produces a simplified weird movie next time.
Aaja Nachle - 7/10
Finally finished watching it. It is very good, but I'd have thought Madz deserved a "great" comeback. The movie is fantastic up until the climax, and Sahni shows his ability to lace in several contrasting characters smoothly into the narrative. But the climax was a big big let-down. The climax should have been a musical that should have been relatable to every one of the main plotlines in the film. Instead, it is only the people portraying characters in the musical that are relatable to members of the audience. That was quite naive, and should have had a lot more depth in the writing. Madhuri is, well, Madhuri, hope she gives us at least one film a year. Akshaye Khanna, Vinay Pathak and Konkana were fantastic - why? Coz they were spontaneous. And Kunal Kapoor was anything but that, and stands out like a sore thumb. He needs acting lessons pronto. Overall, I'd say it was a wonderfully sweet film, immensely enjoyable, but just not great.
And yeah, what is with the songs? The songs have just started sounding so much better to me after watching the movie. The first thing I did after the movie was to download Ishq Hua and Show me your Jalwa. Maybe Adi Chopra has the right idea signing Salim-Suleiman for his next.
Welcome - 3/10
Nana Patekar is superb, and for a change, I did not mind Anil Kapoor here. But, in a comedy, if you can count the number of funny scenes on one hand, it doesn't help.
Mixed Doubles - 7/10
Superb debut from Rajat Kapoor, as director. And Konkana and Ranvir are outstanding. Really really liked the movie.
Indiana Jones IV - 7/10
This is nowhere near as good as Raiders of the Lost Ark (the first scene with the boulder rolling down is in itself worth the price of all 4 dvd's put together). Let's just say that if you are a fan of the series, just sit back, let it unfold and you will definitely have your money's worth. Well, if you are a fan, I needn't tell you this at all. You'd know exactly how to enjoy it. Does Harrison Ford ever age? Shia LeBouff is apparently the next big thing according to Lucas and Spielberg, and he is being groomed well with this film to take over as the next Henry 'Indiana' Jones. Not that the movie is without flaws. Did Lucas and Spielberg not hear about a film called National Treasure:Book of secrets that released earlier this year??? There was a sense of dejavu in a lot of scenes that should have been reshot completely. The other problem I have is with John Williams well underplaying himself and his masterfully original background score in this edition. There are certain scores that just make you smile with satisfaction though. The Star Wars and Indiana Jones themes are such that they can make you want to fasten your seatbelts immediately, eager in anticipation of a joyous filmy ride. His dumbed-down orchestration was a major let down for me. If you are a fan (who isn't? duh!) go watch it. Heck, watch it just to see the original Henry talk of his bearded old man and snatch his fedora away from the pretender, in a I-am-still-the-man moment. And smile.
21 - 6/10
Saw it over the weekend. It is nice, just not great. I haven't read the book, but going by the movie, I'd assume that it sticks loyally to the book. The cast does arite, but I hate it when directors adhere loyally to books. Books and movies are a competely different medium, and movies are supposed to be a lot more entertaining, which gives filmmakers a lot more freedom to veer away from the original text. But then, there are nerds all over the park who accuse filmmakers of that every time a movie releases. I'd give the movie 6/10. There is nothing great in it to shout about, the blackjack skills depicted are expectedly half-baked, Spacey is perfectly cast, but Ms. Bosworth could use quite a few acting lessons. Not a bad watch, just wish it was a lot more than just recollection of facts.
Mulholland Drive - 4/10
Why, why, why. Why did I have to rent this movie out? Why did I have to believe in the David Lynch following? Why do I get carried away when I see Naomi Watts on the cover of any film? Why does David Lynch make such pointless movies? Why are so many critically-hit films so self-indulgent? Why, why, why.
The Breakfast Club - 4/10
This came with really high recommendations. But I was mightily disappointed with the entire movie. I guess me not having had a yankee schooling rendered it unrelatable, but still, I expected a lot more than a bunch of kids complaining about anything and everything in life, so much so I took a lot of pity on their parents and their principal.
Arlington Road - 7/10
A tad slow-paced to start with, providing a mild sense of eerieness to the scenes and depression to its characters. But picks up steam mid-way and ends on an applause-worthy note. It is amazing how many a mediocre movie can be transformed with the one thunderbolt ending. Tim Robbins is perfectly cast and Joan Cusack and Jeff Bridges are tolerable.
Iron Man - 9/10
Robert Downey Jr, I bow to thee. What a rivetting performance. A good summer action blockbuster needs to get one thing right - well, apart from the action that is - humor. And RDJ nails it, his bad boy image persona going real well with the character. Christian Bale was awesome as Batman, but geez, this has gotta be the best superhero performance of the decade. Jeff Bridges turns a commendable performance, but his dialogue delivery still hurts me. He always seems like he is swallowing stuff. But I still have a huge problem with how it ends. Are there any fanboys/fangals here? From what I can recall, Tony Stark never reveals himself as being Iron Man. Very few people know his secret identity. But why does he do so in the movie? But the build-up to it and the final delivery of the statement is just about the perfect ending anyone could have given it I suppose. Bring on the sequel.
Don't Mess With The Zohan - 7/10
Its your typical Adam Sandler movie, but more on the lines of Click than his other absurdities. There is a very good subtext to the movie, with the larger-than-life romanticizing of war heroes and all-powerful reverence to them et al. And they cover it up beautifully with over-the-top goofiness to make the message quite appealing. You could watch it like a Will Ferrell movie, or if you know Sandler stuff well enough and eagerly wait for Rob Schneider to show up, watch it like any other Sandler movie. Then come back and think back about the intent in the film.
National Treasure: Book of Secrets - 4/10
Hate to admit it, but I loved the original. The sequel is more of the same and nothing novel about it. Waste of $$.
I Am Legend - 5/10
Didn't know it was a zombie movie. And I hate zombie movies. Still, I was willing to give this movie plenty leeway, but it is as confused as Will Smith's character is. Some scenes are shot beautifully, but they cannot do enough to redeem this feature.
Cheeni Kum - 6/10
Looks like bollywood is finally getting rom-coms right. AB-Tabu are very good as a combo, and director Balki gets Delhi right. And London, seemingly. Good debut, but the film could have used a little less of all the rona-dhona.
Race - 4/10
The plot twists can be seen from quite a distance, and the ones that you cannot have predicted do not seem to be gripping enough to even interest you. And bollywood needs to get rid of songs completely, at least for thrillers. The songs in this film are such a roadblock, and unlike a film like Humraaz where the songs were fantastic, this film has some utterly boring tunes combined with insipid English lyrics and some retarded choreography. I'd be a tad generous and give this movie a 4/10.
No Smoking - 5/10
Great core idea to introduce the "wierdo" genre to Indian movies. But it takes it too far, which is a pitfall that pretty much every neo-filmmaker tends to fall into. Writing mind-job movies is very tricky, you need to know where to draw the line. A lot of budding filmmakers tend to get trapped into the "I want to surprise myself" syndrome, while all they had to look to do is to surprise the viewer. Anurag Kashyap falls too, quite badly in some places. The key to writing a good wierd movie is to not let the wierdness completely take over the entire storytelling, but should be cleverly masqueraded with the mundane. Anurag throws metaphors after metaphors that keep getting more and more difficult to keep track of. John Abraham has a fairly simple role, so does Ayesha Takia. Paresh Rawal is very good in the beginning, but the writer in Kashyap completely lets him down in the second half, with an adamance to pile on the weirdness factor, thus reducing him to a caricature. Overall, interesting start from Kashyap. And instead of blaming the audience for "not being ready" for a film like this, hope he learns from this and produces a simplified weird movie next time.
Aaja Nachle - 7/10
Finally finished watching it. It is very good, but I'd have thought Madz deserved a "great" comeback. The movie is fantastic up until the climax, and Sahni shows his ability to lace in several contrasting characters smoothly into the narrative. But the climax was a big big let-down. The climax should have been a musical that should have been relatable to every one of the main plotlines in the film. Instead, it is only the people portraying characters in the musical that are relatable to members of the audience. That was quite naive, and should have had a lot more depth in the writing. Madhuri is, well, Madhuri, hope she gives us at least one film a year. Akshaye Khanna, Vinay Pathak and Konkana were fantastic - why? Coz they were spontaneous. And Kunal Kapoor was anything but that, and stands out like a sore thumb. He needs acting lessons pronto. Overall, I'd say it was a wonderfully sweet film, immensely enjoyable, but just not great.
And yeah, what is with the songs? The songs have just started sounding so much better to me after watching the movie. The first thing I did after the movie was to download Ishq Hua and Show me your Jalwa. Maybe Adi Chopra has the right idea signing Salim-Suleiman for his next.
Welcome - 3/10
Nana Patekar is superb, and for a change, I did not mind Anil Kapoor here. But, in a comedy, if you can count the number of funny scenes on one hand, it doesn't help.
Mixed Doubles - 7/10
Superb debut from Rajat Kapoor, as director. And Konkana and Ranvir are outstanding. Really really liked the movie.
Indiana Jones IV - 7/10
This is nowhere near as good as Raiders of the Lost Ark (the first scene with the boulder rolling down is in itself worth the price of all 4 dvd's put together). Let's just say that if you are a fan of the series, just sit back, let it unfold and you will definitely have your money's worth. Well, if you are a fan, I needn't tell you this at all. You'd know exactly how to enjoy it. Does Harrison Ford ever age? Shia LeBouff is apparently the next big thing according to Lucas and Spielberg, and he is being groomed well with this film to take over as the next Henry 'Indiana' Jones. Not that the movie is without flaws. Did Lucas and Spielberg not hear about a film called National Treasure:Book of secrets that released earlier this year??? There was a sense of dejavu in a lot of scenes that should have been reshot completely. The other problem I have is with John Williams well underplaying himself and his masterfully original background score in this edition. There are certain scores that just make you smile with satisfaction though. The Star Wars and Indiana Jones themes are such that they can make you want to fasten your seatbelts immediately, eager in anticipation of a joyous filmy ride. His dumbed-down orchestration was a major let down for me. If you are a fan (who isn't? duh!) go watch it. Heck, watch it just to see the original Henry talk of his bearded old man and snatch his fedora away from the pretender, in a I-am-still-the-man moment. And smile.
21 - 6/10
Saw it over the weekend. It is nice, just not great. I haven't read the book, but going by the movie, I'd assume that it sticks loyally to the book. The cast does arite, but I hate it when directors adhere loyally to books. Books and movies are a competely different medium, and movies are supposed to be a lot more entertaining, which gives filmmakers a lot more freedom to veer away from the original text. But then, there are nerds all over the park who accuse filmmakers of that every time a movie releases. I'd give the movie 6/10. There is nothing great in it to shout about, the blackjack skills depicted are expectedly half-baked, Spacey is perfectly cast, but Ms. Bosworth could use quite a few acting lessons. Not a bad watch, just wish it was a lot more than just recollection of facts.
Mulholland Drive - 4/10
Why, why, why. Why did I have to rent this movie out? Why did I have to believe in the David Lynch following? Why do I get carried away when I see Naomi Watts on the cover of any film? Why does David Lynch make such pointless movies? Why are so many critically-hit films so self-indulgent? Why, why, why.
The Breakfast Club - 4/10
This came with really high recommendations. But I was mightily disappointed with the entire movie. I guess me not having had a yankee schooling rendered it unrelatable, but still, I expected a lot more than a bunch of kids complaining about anything and everything in life, so much so I took a lot of pity on their parents and their principal.
Arlington Road - 7/10
A tad slow-paced to start with, providing a mild sense of eerieness to the scenes and depression to its characters. But picks up steam mid-way and ends on an applause-worthy note. It is amazing how many a mediocre movie can be transformed with the one thunderbolt ending. Tim Robbins is perfectly cast and Joan Cusack and Jeff Bridges are tolerable.
Iron Man - 9/10
Robert Downey Jr, I bow to thee. What a rivetting performance. A good summer action blockbuster needs to get one thing right - well, apart from the action that is - humor. And RDJ nails it, his bad boy image persona going real well with the character. Christian Bale was awesome as Batman, but geez, this has gotta be the best superhero performance of the decade. Jeff Bridges turns a commendable performance, but his dialogue delivery still hurts me. He always seems like he is swallowing stuff. But I still have a huge problem with how it ends. Are there any fanboys/fangals here? From what I can recall, Tony Stark never reveals himself as being Iron Man. Very few people know his secret identity. But why does he do so in the movie? But the build-up to it and the final delivery of the statement is just about the perfect ending anyone could have given it I suppose. Bring on the sequel.
Don't Mess With The Zohan - 7/10
Its your typical Adam Sandler movie, but more on the lines of Click than his other absurdities. There is a very good subtext to the movie, with the larger-than-life romanticizing of war heroes and all-powerful reverence to them et al. And they cover it up beautifully with over-the-top goofiness to make the message quite appealing. You could watch it like a Will Ferrell movie, or if you know Sandler stuff well enough and eagerly wait for Rob Schneider to show up, watch it like any other Sandler movie. Then come back and think back about the intent in the film.
National Treasure: Book of Secrets - 4/10
Hate to admit it, but I loved the original. The sequel is more of the same and nothing novel about it. Waste of $$.
I Am Legend - 5/10
Didn't know it was a zombie movie. And I hate zombie movies. Still, I was willing to give this movie plenty leeway, but it is as confused as Will Smith's character is. Some scenes are shot beautifully, but they cannot do enough to redeem this feature.