Reviews

Here's my issue with the film. It was made while blindly following the latest trend, the trend of setting the film in Delhi. The following is the recipe for film's script: Ek Chaalis Ki Last Local + Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! + Clichéd/Corny Dialogues + In distress couple(s) + Delhi. That's it. That's all this film has, predictive and boring scenes. Mildy amusing, but that's about it. I want my money back. I want to sue film critics who ranked this film 3+ on 5. Why would you want to create clichéd characters like "Bholi Punjabi", straight up copying a female antagonists everyone's done watching. Same old dialogue which are supposed to sound like "Delhi lingo" but trust me, no body talks like that. Then of course, using Manjot Singh because he fits in the Delhi settings.

Here's my good deed of the day, saving your time and money. Take my word for it, you're better off.

When Ishqiya's trailer came out in October last year, I got hooked, just in one go. It was clearly one the best trailers I'd seen in a long time! So today was the D-Day, the star studded premier of the movie, and I was lucky enough to get the passes. Well, I'll try to keep it simple and write what was my opinion. First of all, I thought it was a great ensemble of artists, from Naseeruddin Shah Sahab (Khalujaan) to Vidya Balan (Krishna Verma), Arshad Warsi (Babban Hussain) and of course, Vishal Bharadwaj, even though he wasn't the director, yet you could make out it was his writing, it had his "essence". This was Abhishek Chaubey's debut movie as a director, before this he wrote screenplay for Vishal Bharadwaj's earlier movies like Kaminey, Omakara etc. so probably that too justifies the "essence" I mentioned above. Even though it was an ensemble of one of my all time favorite artists, unfortunately the movie didn't work for me, and I'm all heartbroken writing this. I really had high expectations from it, but the whole storytelling went haywire. Half way through the movie I was looking for pieces of puzzle to put together, just so it could justify what was happening on the screen. First half was somewhat an intro, with hilarious dialogs, which is how most movies are. But, the main story and confusion began in the second half when things started to converge. Instead of converging at one point, the stories started to overlap each other. What could have been a great story, became complex for no apparent reason, plus there were some glitches in the movie, the kind of glitches I didn't expect this movie to have. After the movie, there was small session with the entire cast of the movie, where Vishal Bharadwaj mentioned that this project was being worked on for over 2 years. Well whenever that happens, either we a get Great story or a Confused story. That's probably what happened with Ishqiya, and when the movie was about to end, in my mind an episode of Entourage was running, because of the similarities. The one where Meddellin premiers at Cannes Film Festival and people walk in with big expectations post all the hype, and come out disappointed, but here people seemed to like it, or at least they said so. The freaky part: Abhishek Chaubey does resemble Billy Walsh (Character in Entourage, played director of the movie Meddellin) . Anyway, back to the story, movie has been set in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, which happens to have the perfect small town feel to it. Like Vishal Bharadwaj's previous movies this too has the raw earthy feel to it, be it the accent, locations, dialogs, everything. Other than the story, what did work perfectly, were the performances, the three in lead were undoubtedly brilliant, but special mention to Alok Kumar, the kid who played Nandu, and Rajesh Sharma, owner of the KK Steel Co. (You might remember him as Munjal from Khosla Ka Ghosla), even though small roles they did deliver perfectly. However, it was really hard to catch Salman Shahid's dialogs (Mushtaq - Brother in law of Khalujaan), because of the accent he had in the movie. -Tiny spoiler- Apart from great performances, do look out for a passionate kiss between Arshad Warsi and Vidya Balan, well I'm mentioning this because I have NEVER seen such a kiss before in ANY Indian movie. I don't know how elder people watching the movie took it, but I certainly found it as a sign that Filmmakers have started showing intimate scenes like they happen in real life, but not throw in just for the sake of showing it. Also, make sure you watch the movie without any distractions, because there are some really hilarious dialogs and strong language (read curses) in the movie which you might miss out if you don't pay attention, and yeah, super songs as well. Even though the movie fails in storytelling, watch it for the performances and dialogs, sheer brilliant. I still feel sorry, had so wished for the movie to be great. But yeah, one thing is certain; director Abhishek Chaubey has great potential.

Again, please watch the first two parts of the series, Ice Age and Ice Age: The Meltdown. For two reasons: 1. It's just not justified watching a sequel if you haven't seen the earlier parts. 2. This part is not as great as the first two. -- Okay, now Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs. First of all, don't go for the 3D version, pure waste of money. As for the movie, one word: disappointment. I have got to stop expecting more from the sequels from now, but can't help it; promos they make, raise your hopes! Ice Age 1 and 2 were these super hilarious, and no exaggeration there, movies that made you laugh your lungs out! I hope I could say the same for Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs. I feel the recent trend is to add an unnecessary Emotional-Angle to the sequels, despite what genre the prequels belonged to. I'm talking about something what you got to see in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Terminator Salvation, Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa and now, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs. Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs did not have more than two or three laugh-out-loud moments. The makers of the movie should keep this thing in mind, why the prequels became hit? Ice Age series was supposed to be an out-and-out comedy series, but thanks to this sequel, it isn't anymore. I can't remember one exceptional scene or moment in the movie that I should mention here. But if we take into account the first two parts, I can make a whole list of awesome scenes. Rest, you can look forward to some good wit from Diego and Manfred, and yeah, Sid, Crash and Eddie are awesome as usual. Anyway, I'd suggest you watch it at a not-so-expensive theater, since going at an upscale one or buying DVD will not be worth it. Or you can just wait for the DVDrip torrent to come out. Honestly, I felt bad writing about Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs like this.

As Good as it Gets is a light hearted romantic-comedy, starring two of the finest actors in the leading role, Jack Nicholson and Helen Hunt. Movie has nothing exceptional yet it is a delight to watch. Helen Hunt plays a single mother working as a waitress in New York, but sick of all that she's going through. And Jack Nicholson plays the character of a cocky OCD novelist, and both play it really well, so well that they won Academy Award for leading role. There was nothing bad about the movie, it starts, runs for 190 minutes and done. It's a simple romantic comedy which comes out almost every year. But As Good as it Gets is a perfect example of 'creating something out of nothing'. Look out for some really witty comments in the movie, by Jack Nicholson and Cuba Gooding Jr. Get your pop corn, and watch this one on a lazy Sunday afternoon. Just the right kind of blend of Comedy, Romance and Drama.

Another movie for which I got only good things to tell! The brilliance that lies in the Quentin Tarantino's work is distinctive in it's own commendable way! He is known for overdoing certain things, like the bloodshed, fight sequences which work perfectly, for him, and of course throwing in some awesome dark humor (Pulp Fiction - best example), you will get to see all this in Inglourious Basterds. I might have little bias for the movie, probably because of the duo, Quentin Tarantino-Brad Pitt, and come on, I bet just first look of the movie would have got you hooked on for sure! I personally find the movies set in the Nazi era very fascinating and also the ones based on racism, like The Pianist and Schindler's List (Both Oscar winning flicks - must watch by the way) based on former, and American History X & Crash, based on latter.

Now coming on to Inglourious Basterds, movie is set in Nazi era showing slaughter of the Jews by the SS and Nazi Army but not to the extent of Schindler's or even Pianist, more than the Jews, it has gore filled with slaughter of Nazi army, and that too, Gore-Tarantino-Style!

Even though it might appear that the story's protagonist is Brad Pitt, I really didn't find that way, in fact I found the story somewhat revolving around Mélanie Laurent (Shosanna Dreyfus) (who by the way is a French actress) and what amazing performance she delivered, I'm a fan!

Speaking of performance, do look out for Christoph Waltz, the guy in "negative role" - Nazi Col. Hans Landa, sheer brilliance! The characters or the "Bastards" if you may, have been hand picked and have done perfect justice. Take for example Eli Roth who played Sgt. Donowitz aka The Jew Bear, great screen presence. Now, Brad Pitt - Lt. Aldo Raine, supporting a thick Southern accent, gave out a great performance, as always, but didn't really have a lot of screen time, as I said earlier, not really the protagonist. Mike Myres has a "guest appearance", nothing that'll stick to your memory. There are some really hard hitting sequences in the movie, like at the end when the projector keeps rolling but projection comes on to the Smoke with the sound still on, it sent chills down my spine. Or the one where The Jew Bear lashed out on a Nazi Officer in the middle of the Jungle, whoa! Now having said all this, the movie did not leave a mark in my memory, which obviously I expected it would. And what could have been better, the background score, there was so much possibility there. Anyway, this one the biggest movies of this year and worth catching on big screen, and a little heads up, movie has lot of French and German, so keep an I on the screen - subtitles . P.s. I still have to confirm if Inglourious Basterds is remake of the Italian movie - Quel Maledetto Treno Blindato.

Haven't we've had enough of all the "guy meets girl, separate (enter the song "Dooriyan"), realize they've made a mistake when it's too late" bull-crap movies? Unfortunately, NO! And sadly enough, I don't even see it happening anytime soon, especially after looking at the box-office opening of Love Aaj Kal. To put it simple for you, picture a movie with Hum Tum & Jab We Met sorts humor, and cheesy dialogs of any corny Hindi movie, with usual London in the background and some "peppy" soundtracks and of course, a "Mr. Cupid" (Rishi Kapoor in this case, same as Hum Tum but not as Saif's father this time), you have Love Aaj Kal. By the way, by "Cupid" I mean the guy who puts all the sanity in the actor to go after his "love" and also, he's been through the same and blah. Movie has some witty jokes thrown at the right moments but that's about it. No. of times I saw my watch: 5 (In a 2 hrs movie, that's a lot, it felt never ending).

Saif Ali Khan (Jai Vardhan Singh) has sort of replayed the character of Karan Kapoor (Hum Tum). As for Deepika Padukone (Meera Pandit), to put it subtly, she doesn't know how to act. She looks great on the big screen and knows how to dance, but story ends there. The girl has potential but it can only be tapped if she joins an acting school.

By the title Love Aaj Kal, they simply mean how love stories used to be in the past and how they are now. Anyway, if you don't have anything better to do (like today, I didn't) go for this one, better yet wait for the DVD.

Foreign Cinema at its best! This movie is so strong, so hard hitting, it's able to leave a very strong mark in your memory, which is the best compliment for any movie. Cidade De Deus was on my list for a very long time, but it takes me a lot of time before I brace myself to start a movie with subtitles, but I'm glad I finally saw it! Based on a true story, set in Brazil, movie covers every essence of a "Drug movie", violence, sex, blood, and the extra topping in this one, Children Gangsters. If you thought you saw it all about Children holding guns in Blood Diamond then watch this, it'll definitely prove you wrong. With all the bloodshed and gore, movie does have some really heart wrenching moments as well. The cinematography of this movie took me aback! Especially while introducing new characters, and adding extra angle to the story, brilliant! Same goes out for the performances by every single character in the movie. The only glitch was the movie feels a lil dragged and I was starting to feel the movie is overrated, but just as you start to feel that, BOOM, it picks up the pace! Look out for the kid who portrays young Lil' Dice, one of the finest performances by a child artist I've ever come across. This is a must watch for everyone, especially for those who thought Slumdog Millionaire was the best movie to be shot in slums. Time to discover underbelly of Brazil, real dark!

Sorry Bhai! shows a situation that no one would want to get in to! Falling in love with your brother's fiancé, whoa.. Movie boasts of a great star cast, Boman Irani, Shabana Azmi, Sharman Joshi, Sanjay Suri and of course, Chitrangada Singh, but no exceptional performances! With run span of just 100 minutes, movie might come off as dragged at moments, especially when Chitrangada Singh is contemplating and trying to "woo" Sharman Joshi. But good soundtracks help in keeping you hooked. I really liked Onir's previous movies, My Brother... Nikhil & Bas Ek Pal. Even though latter didn't get much appreciation and went unnoticed, it was a good flick! Sanjay Suri gave amazing performance in both the movies. For Sorry Bhai! I feel, the subject of was good but the way it's been shown could have been way better. It's the kind of movie you enjoy while watching but you forget it the moment it's over. Watch this one without high expectations, just try and enjoy the movie. I'm still a little confused about the rating but I'd go with 2.5/5.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is a visual treat! Rarely do you come across sequels better than the original. From action to comic timing and adventure, this movie has it all! Complete package this. Make sure you watch it at a place with great sound and screen. Even before the release of second part, makers of Transformers, already announced the release date for the third installment of the series, can't wait! Kudos to the makers for creating such visual effects to blow you away! You can possibly expect anything less from Michael Bay, the maker of Bad Boys, Armageddon and The Rock. Miss it and you'll regret it. ...and Megan Fox is so hot, I cried throughout the movie.

A remake of Pulp Fiction? Yes and NO! Yes, because it does have the "feel" of Pulp Fiction and you can relate Kaminey to it. No, because even though it does feel like Pulp Fiction a little, it doesn't matter since the movie has way more to offer! Kaminey is a great package, in terms of performance, plot line, humor, romance and action, which was much needed by the Industry and the viewers as well. It definitely reaches the top watch of this year, after Dev.D (In case you missed this one, then you have no idea what I'm talking about). A "masala flick" which is perfectly directed, and so well, that it gives a whole new definition to "masala flicks". What I personally feel, Vishal Bharadwaj tried his best that no one could typecast this movie; he molded two to three different genres of every aspect, in it. OK, let's start from the star cast first: Shahid Kapur & Priyanka Chopra, who are out-and-out "mainstream" actors, then Amole Gupte and Shivkumar Subramaniam (I remember his movie Parahar, brilliant!), the ensemble of actors was made from different forte. Then the humor in this movie is again a mix of different kinds, from lame jokes to dark humor to strategically placed punch lines, and situational comedy. There are loads of moments in the movie where you'll really laugh-out-loud! And, same thing goes for the music (which is very good by the way)! As for performances, kudos to Vishal Bharadwaj for squeezing out the best from Shahid Kapur and Priyanka Chopra, now both of them can proudly go around saying they are "good actors". Both of them have performed with such an amazing ease, watching them on screen makes it a delight! Amole Gupte too has done an amazing job! Speaking of actors, I just realized Kaminey has just 6 characters out of which only 4 have names. Now comes Vishal Bharadwaj, OK, I'm going to be a little biased as I'm a big fan of this guy! He has done a great job on this movie, not his best but definitely great! But the movie does have brilliant cinematography! Very well balanced movie yet the second half feels a little dragged, and the masses might find the movie "dark colored", you'll find the whole movie has been shot either in dawn, dusk or at night. One more special mention goes to the sequence when both the brothers confront each other, for a moment you'll forget there's only one Shahid Kapur in real. Even though the movie has the title which translates to Rascal in English, and it's a Vishal Bharadwaj's movie, surprisingly it doesn't have any strong swears like Omakra and Maqbool. So you can watch this one with your family without any awkward air. What I personally feel, it's because of Directors like him, Anurag Kashyap and Dibakar Banerjee, Indian Cinema has a meaning! That pretty much sums up the whole movie, but I still feel there's lot more to be mentioned here, but it might work as spoiler.