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I see no big difference between the two versions except for Vikram who did it a tad better, but that ain't a masterpiece either nor is it a highly commendable for an actor of his stature. His accent sure is laudable.Prithviraj gets away with an average easily forgettable performance just like Vikram did in the hindi version.Ash keeps screaming in this too and her voice seems ordinary without any 'feel'.Karthik again is forgettable, Govinda was much better and funny too.Prabhu's presence adds on weight on our head and Ravi Kishen was much better.Camera work and music remain the same. They are the only things to watch out for.Overall its nothing special, Raavanan is 'lackadaisical' and so is Raavan. Forget both of them and have a peaceful summer.Rating: 1/5
The much awaited movie of the year, Raavan finally hit the screens on 18th June. When bollywood slowly veered into releasing senseful movies, Does Raavan continue the legacy? Has Mani Ratnam proved himself once again? Read on to find out...Raavan, starring celebrity couple Ash-Abhi and Tamil hero Vikram, is a typical adaptation of the Ramayana but it doesn't quite live up to the epic's magic. Mani Ratnam is a fine director, he totally loses it right from the start.Anyways, here is the story, Dev (Vikram) is supposed to be a police officer who, along with his wife Ragini (Ash) moves into a village (Don't quite remember the name) where Beera (Abhishek) is a big shot. Then its Blah! Blah! Blah! - Beera kidnaps Ragini - Blah! Blah! Blah! - Dev hunts for them - Blah! Blah! Blah! - emotional flashbacks - Blah! Blah! Blah! - Killings, Violence, Explosions - Blah! Blah! Blah! - Ram captures Raavan! And that is it..So complex a story right? Even super computers wouldn't be able to decipher it.The movie was a fultoo waste of time, energy and money (if you are watching it in the theatres).Mani Ratnam , known for his brilliant flicks like Roja, Thalapathi and Guru, miserable fails to create an impression. Even if one let goes the story, detailing and logic part, the trademark style of Mani Ratnam is missing. He has let it loose totally and it goes all wrong. Totally wrong. In fact its a blunder!While its Ash who keeps screaming in the first half, its her real life spouse who keeps screaming in the second half. Overall its cacophonous to hear. Its ironic when the movie ends with Ash whispering.....Beera!The Acting of any particular character isn't special and doesn't deserve a mention. Abhishek has done a pretty decent job portraying Beera but nothing so commendable. Neither does the potential Vikram. His is similar to the 'Saami' character. Ash screams, weeps, screams and she screams all the way.Music and Cinematography were the only aspects laudable in this flick. Even they faltered at places. The camera kept moving unwantedly but it did picture the exotic places ecstatically. Few unanswered questions:1) If Ragini was ready to sacrifice her life, why had she to follow Abhishek all the way. (They are a married couple. But Still! )2) Dev, inspite of spending 14 days in the jungle, ends up wearing clean dresses. How? (He has a portable washing machine or what? )3) How does Dev end up climbing up from the wrong side of the cliff after his mysterious fall in the other side.4) the locations are confusing. Nowhere is the police station shown and nowhere does the village has any relation with the forests and hills.5) How does Ragini know how to reach Beera even when she's blindfolded all the way when she is kidnapped?Positives: Music and Cinematography.Negatives: Everything else!Rating: 1/5Raavan - A total misfire!
Jackie Chan turns master in this flick, 'The Karate Kid'.
Is it worth the watch? Is it the usual Jackie Chan flick? Find out the answer below.
Harald Zwart, the director who made average flick 'The Pink Panther 2' and 'Agent Cody Banks' is back with 'The Karate Kid', which seems to be an above average flick carved out with a huge budget and a protagonist duo of Legend Jackie Chan and a budding legend Jaden Smith but the latter takes much of the screen space and literally steals the thunder but he does it with stupendous awe. This movie takes him to high altitudes in terms of his acting skills and the little chap needs serious 'pats on the back' for his brilliant performance in 'The Karate Kid'.
The movie on the whole is a huge drag, runs for over 2 hrs. It could have been loved even more if the drags were dropped but the director thinks this serene version of the classic would work. Seriously, it works wonders.
PLOT:12- year old Dre parker moves to Beijing owing to his mom's sudden transfer of work.And then there is the usual, He totally hates the place, he meets a cute girl, he gets bullied by her admirants (:P) and then it turns out to be a one-on-one encounter between the kids. They choose a kung-fu tournament to display their wits.
Such is the story of The Karate Kid. Doesn't it seem to be 'Kollywoodish'. Yes, it does and the stunts and drama make it similar to one South-Indian flick.
But what makes it click in the viewers' mind is the style, the charisma, the stunts of young lad Jaden Smith and of course the mesmerizing music of James Horner coupled with some really awe-inspiring cinematographic shots by Roger Pratt (of Troy and Harry Potter 2 & 4 fame).
Jaden finds love, Jaden finds kung-fu, Jaden finds acting, Jaden conquers it all. Will Smith's magnetism is felt all over Jaden's expression. He certainly has made his dad real proud. You've done it, Jaden. Keep up the good work going. His mere screen presence and eloquent dialogue delivery shows his panache and his apprehension of cinema in such a young age.Hats off to you!
Jackie Chan, probably for the first time in his life doesn't beat up anybody and neither does his funny bone (Screen presence in itself) tickle ours. He surprisingly plays a serious teacher without any fuss. At the end of the movie, you just take him as a ordinary character in the movie and the only reason for this is Jaden Smith's ecstatic and powerful performance.
Music by James Horner (of Avatar fame) is simply spellbinding, hypnotic and soulful.
It simply boosts up your energy and deviates it to your heart and mind only to LOVE the movie even more.Cinematographer Roger Pratt adds life to the existing beauty of the exotic locales of China. It looks like as if you are watching discovery or national geographic channel (It wasn't an offense of any sort. I meant only the scenery to resemble those coming in the mentioned channels and nothing else. :) )
The stunts were stunning with the average viewer wanting more of it.
All in all, The Karate Kid gets a two thumbs up from me. Watch it in the theatres to get engraved in Harold Zwart's The Karate Kid.
Negatives: A little stretched, less of stunts, little over dramatic.
Positives: Music. Camera. Screenplay. Dialogues. Depth in storyline. Sticking to the classic story. and Jaden Smith's screen presence all the way.
Watch it for the soulful music, Watch it for the magical imagery.Watch it for Jackie Chan's sombre yet inspiring avatar. Watch it for Jaden Smith's amazing and charismatic performace.
If not for all these, Watch it for the entertaining summer movie experience.
Rating: 3.5/5
The Karate Kid : Magical, Soulful, Inspiring and of course Entertaining!
From the maker of dark flicks like 'Apaharan' and 'Gangaajal', here comes his straight take on politics - Raajneeti!
Raajneeti shows the darker side of politics blended with an over dramatic and a lengthy family feud. But the fact is that these things do not fail to entertain nor do they deviate from the premise. There is an equal amount of everything. So is Raajneeti a must watch? Does Prakash Jha keep up his name? Read on to find out....
The movie centers on a political family and things which happen inside it when the head of the family dies. The family on the whole gave me a striking resemblance to the current scenario in Tamil Nadu but all that kept aside, Raajneeti is a neat, dark, filmy yet real (at places) take on politics.
Starting with the cast, its huge. With people like Naseeruddin Shah, Nana Patekar, Ajay Devgan, Arjun Rampal, Ranbir Kapoor and Katrina Kaif, what would one expect? An ardent movie goer would definitely feel that - " Oh! there are so many people in the movie? Then it wouldn't be worth watching. It would definitely be a boring movie." But Raajneeti isn't. All of them have the necessary screen space but the only one sad thing about it is that an actor like Naseeruddin Shah is completely wasted. Anyone could have fit in his role.
Anyways, the story is simple or one can say there is nothing so different about it.
The movie is lengthy and could have been shortened but there wasn't a time when you actually looked at the time! It was gripping on the whole with few lackadaisical hence unwanted drags here and there.
The music by Wayne Sharpe is laudable and the central theme is one of the factors which made the movie likeable and watchable.
There wasn't much scope in editing and neither were there any songs which would have possibly made the viewer exit the theatre.
Ranbir Kapoor and Katrina Kaif were surprise packages. I never knew that they had the acting potential. Nana Patekar and Ajay Devgan do their parts well with their trademark stamp embossed on every scene of theirs.
Too many kissing scenes for a movie of this genre. (Spoiler: Naseeruddin Shah also has a smooching scene, :) )
Prakash Jha, the man from 'my state' : Jharkhand-Bihar, definitely needs a pat on the back for bringing this huge cast together and making a sensible movie and a movie which will attempt to veer the existing Bollywood trend of continuous non-sense into something which will bring back the magic which existed once upon a time.
So all in all, Raajneeti is a mix masala of Godfather, Sarkar and Mahabharata. Watch it for Prakash Jha's take on politics and also for your knowledge refreshment on the crude truth in today's political world.
Rating: 3/5Politics is esoteric, Raajneeti throws light on it!
