Review: Rush & The Lunchbox (2013)

 

It is all about emotions!

 

First, I've been feeling very low about everything around me in recent times. I watched a movie called "Stuck in Love" at home yesterday and couldn't control myself. It was so emotional and touchy.

 

Today, Me and 2 of my roomies decided to watch 2 movies back to back. Both of which we were very sure will turn out to be great entertainers. And we were not mistaken.

 

It started with "Rush", a true story of one of F1 racing's greatest rivalries. The movie was so intense that never did anyone of us felt bored or even looked into the phone (which people usually do). Whatever be the rivalry, there was an emotional connect between the 2 stars. The way they acted was so real. The editing, the music, the cinematography was bang on target. This could easily be one of the year's best movies.

 

Next up was "The Lunchbox" by first timer Ritesh Batra and produced by some heavy weights. The trailer struck a chord with everyone who watched it. Everyone knew that they were going to be treated to some Oscar-worthy cinema. We did get what we expected until the climax. I would agree if it was left open-ended with some vantage point but on the contrary it just ended abruptly. If there is anything that did not please me that would be this thing. There was a lot of scopefor this movie and this could be one of the reasons why "The Lunchbox" is not India's entry to the Foreign Film Category in this year's Academy Awards.

 

The common aspect of both these movies was that both had something to do with human emotions. That is what made them click. That is what made them likeable. While "Rush" was thrilling, "The Lunchbox" was dramatic. Both did not miss out on the smallest details. Both movies would definitely make up anyone's day.

 

Rating: 3.5/5

 

You may think of them as David and Goliath but both won my heart!

 

P.S. This attempt of reviewing is a little different from my usuals. Please let me know your comments.

 

 

Review: Madras Cafe (2013)

Most of the reviews of "Madras Cafe" would start off by saying how this movie is a game changer in bollywood. Yes it is one.

Shoojit Sircar's Madras Cafe is a top notch action thriller that every movie goer should watch. It is so well made that it fails your eyes to catch any flaws. There were some here and there but then I didn't care so much. The intense detail to which the movie conveys the story is one of Shoojit's many plus points. The way he has changed his cards from a movie like "Vicky Donor" to weave Madras Cafe is definitely noteworthy. Prior to Vicky Donor, he also directed "Yahaan" which was again an army based movie but both of them are completely different from each other.

"Madras Cafe" throws light on Rajiv Gandhi's assassination indirectly. One could well connect this to the original happenings. The movie ends logically and throughout the whole of the film there is absolutely no nonsense or any kind of heroism involved. 

Talking about characters, everyone plays an important role and everyone does with brilliance. Shoojit's cast is so relevant to the story that you end up believing that they are the original characters. Siddhartha Basu was a surprise. I mean, his acting was brilliant. His voice is so interesting to the ears (It always was ever since his Mastermind India, a BBC show, days). Nargis Phakri and Rashi Khanna play their parts well. Just wanted to mention their names here. What I also noticed was that most of the characters were taken from tamil movies. This shows how much detail Shoojit wanted on the screen. 

The background score was brilliant. Perhaps, this is one of those very few movies where background score will take special notice as there were no songs at all. Not one bit except till the end when the credits roll out.

Exceptional movie I must say. Please watch it in the theatres. This one is sure to grip you to your seats and captivate your thoughts. I watched it totally with my eye brows forming wrinkles.

Rating: 3.5/5

Madras Cafe: Absolutely Gripping!

Review: Thalaivaa (2013)

Riding high on the success of Nanban and Thuppaki, Vijay and Director Vijay would have expected their latest venture Thalaivaa to do well too but unfortunately, it is yet to see a release in TN and Puducherry with some miscreants playing spoilsport 2 days before the release. However, the movie released elsewhere (rest of India and worldwide) and that gave way to a pirated version circulated over the internet. So now we know that the pirated copies are made outside TN only. 

I obviously had access to the pirated version but I decided to drive to Gurgaon to watch it during my Holiday at Delhi. 

I must say that overall I was disappointed with the movie. There wasn't much to go "Wow" over. The movie started with some comedy sequences and then slowly turning serious and then going the revolutionary way. The plot was simple and the ending could be predicted as the second half started. There wasn't much for the director to take credit except for few brilliantly lit shots with the help of the cinematographer.

Coming to the acting department, Sathyaraj and a lot of his closely connected characters had to underplay from what we'd seen of them. They had done pretty well. Especially Manobala whose dialogues peak the equalizer. The villain and lot of Mumbaikars spoke in tamil with a north Indian touch (which seemed natural because of the plot setup). Santhanam's comedy was good. It brought some smiles often (though not always) and some were scripted totally to make fun of Vijay. It was good of Vijay to have accepted such a comedy track. Vijay was at his usual best. A total freak out character in the first half and a direct opposite type of a character in the second half. The transformation was good. Amala Paul dubbed herself and she did a pretty good job. She looks good too. The character sketch of a lot of artistes kept losing its path midway. 

Music by GV Prakash was great and his background score played well with the pixels too. The intro song choreography was good. Melody "Yaar indha saalai oram" was well thought of while capturing the video and did not require travel to any ice capped mountains or a green garden. The song and dance teams score full marks in this movie.

A lot of technical glitches coupled with a poor storyline and some weak character sketches make "Thalaivaa" an "Arrow missing the bull's eye by a mile". Watch it for Vijay, Santhanam and the songs but watch it in the theatre as the team has already lost a lot of money (It hasn't got released yet + the pirated version is out).

Rating: 2.5/5

Thalaivaa: A Swing and a Miss!

Review: Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)

Star Trek (2009) was one of my favourite movies that year. I loved it so much that I was waiting every day for its sequel to release. May 10 saw the release of a film that quickly got added to my all time best list. Star Trek Into Darkness is one hell of a ride...

J.J. Abrams. I don't have enough words to appreciate him. I never knew that character bonding could be a strong point to a movie of such huge stature. Star Trek Into Darkness could very well be termed as the epitome of an emotional/dramatic/action packed adventure.

Right from the first frame, there is action and there is hope for something better in the next frame. Never is a scene that disappoints. Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto are 2 such artistes who bare the weight of the movie. Every character is so well etched into the storyline that you love them all. Benedict Cumberbatch, the infamous Sherlock, plays anti-hero. If you'd watched his Sherlock, you would not have liked the fact that he was going to be the villain of this movie. But as you get in, he takes you on a totally different ride altogether.

Music by Michael Giacchino adds further value into the frame. His legendary Star Trek tune is what I'm humming while writing this review. I would love to watch the movie once again.

Some movies are solely made for IMAX 3D viewing and Star Trek is one of them. Watch it in the best possible quality available and you are sure to love it.

As a famous RJ says, it was an awesomatic of the movie experience. Will never forget this ride.

Rating: 4/5

Star Trek Into Darkness: Ultimate!

Review: Bombay Talkies (2013)

 

Before I get to writing about the movie, I have something for you to read.
It's been long since I've blogged. I don't have any particular reason as to why there was such a gap. My last post was 3 months back. Something kept me away from writing and I sincerely apologize for people who waited for my review for so many movies (in vain). This post is something special. What was I waiting for my 100th blog post? To tell you my experience of watching a tribute to 100 years of Indian Cinema...

The poster above the first paragraph has 3 big names. I haven't counted it wrongly. Karan Johar, Dibakar Banerjee and Anurag Kashyap need no introduction. They are the industry's finest and most established. Amit Trivedi and Zoya Akthar are budding artistes. While the former's music is out of the world, the latter's direction sees naturality.

Bombay Talkies is about 4 different stories told one after another without any thematic or character connections between them.

Ajeeb Dastaan Hai Yeh
Directed by Karan Johar

The movie opens with this segment. Probably this is the director's portrayal of "his" own life. Karan Johar, who lately lost his image after Student of the year, tells us a bold story. A story which brings Rani Mukherji (the yesteryear budding actor), Randeep Hooda (the next Emraan Hashmi, both in terms of serial kissing and a hearthrob among women) and Saqib Saleem (the actor from Mere dad ki Maruti and Mujhse Fraandship Karoge) together. Just by reading Karan Johar with 3 characters, one might feel that this would be the usual love triangle. It is...but with a twist. Great acting by all 3 of them. Rani fits the character so well that her body succumbs to the character.
Bold scenes and double meaning dialogues with still cameras makes this segment set the base for more emotions...

Star
Directed by Dibakar Banerjee

This segment is probably the best of Bombay Talkies. An emotional journey in an ordinary man's life who chases his dream of becoming a Star. Nawazuddin Siddiqui brings tears to your eyes. I've told this before but just reiterating the same, he is an upcoming legend. With great finesse, he lives the character. I was in serious awe.
Nawaz steals the show here and you don't expect anything more..

Shiela ki Jawaani
Directed by Zoya Akhtar

A simple story of a middle class family with 2 kids. A boy who dreams of becoming a dancer while his dad forces him to be a "man" and play sports. Story seems simple but the storytelling is compelling. A story which teaches you to go after dreams. One might wonder that this is something which has become common but watch it to realize how to achieve it. As the name suggests, Katrina plays a cameo and here unlike an item song she reveals something that everyone should think about and not just watch her shake and go.
Cute expressions by the kid and a great supporting role by her sister makes this segment give strong competition to the previous one...

Murabba
Directed by Anurag Kashyap

Anurag, to me seemed a guy who makes dark movies. He captures my attention with his execution of this yet another simple story of a guy wanting to meet a superstar (Amitabh Bachchan). Unlike many other characters where they go behind a star to get a chance to act, this one is different. A very emotional and strong tale of a journey beyond troubles. Well played by Vineet Kumar Singh.
Vineet's common man antics gain him more respect..

There is no common theme as such but each story puts your emotions to test and your minds to deep thinking. A brilliant tribute to Indian Cinema, I must say! All the bollywood stars come together at the end for a song that takes you through these 100 years. This song has clips from so many movies with all the legends singing parts of this song. (What great lip sync!) A brilliantly directed piece.

I have a disclaimer though: As I was watching this movie with great interest, a lot of people in front and behind of me did not like the way certain things were shown. I certainly do not want to categorize these people. It is their money and their views at the end of the day. They were booing, they were making "mmch!" sounds and facepalming. I do not care!

My opinion and out of my interest, I would like you to watch this movie not to give tribute to Indian Cinema but to understand what it can do to you!

Rating: 3.5/5

For those who missed me, Sorry to keep you waiting..Will be back with more...Soon...

Review: Vishwaroopam (2013)

Third time lucky! After 2 failed attempts (screening stopped due to court order) to watch Vishwaroopam, I got lucky the third time. And then...

 

Vishwaroopam is a great movie experience. It has its own best and worst sequences with the former overpowering the latter. To start, Vishwaroopam doesn't boast of a brand new story. It is a usual terrorism based film packaged in a fresh manner by the maestro himself.

 

The movie starts off artistically with a brilliantly choreographed classical song marking the entry of the legend himself. Great camera work and I was in total awe. I knew from this very frame that I'm in for an artistic treat.

 

Later, the story takes its own time to weave and it does get boring at times. The editing could have been a bit more sharp to make it a slick entertainer.

 

Despite being a fictional movie, there is a lot of intelligence and humor. Kamal has toyed with the dialogues even in tense moments to bring a smile on your face. His acting needs no comments. He clearly shows why we call him a legend.

 

What amazing execution! Any filmmaker would be in awe after seeing the technical aspects. The sound, the audio clarity, the shadows, the blood, the fight, the gunshots, war scenes, explosions...everything seemed so real. Great work by the visual effects and the props team. Although, there were a few instances where the frames looked computer generated, it still was a good attempt.

 

The editing gets sluggish towards the end just to make some room for a part 2 which is sure to be more interesting the way its been marketed.

 

The acting by co-stars Pooja, Andrea, Rahul Bose and Shekhar Kapur is good but their struggle to pronounce tamil in order to lip sync with their dubbing artistes makes it a little odd to watch. Their pronounciation however cannot be commented on as the story demands them to talk in a particular accent.

 

Cinematic excellence could be a phrase to describe Vishwaroopam concisely. I was very impressed particular in scenes with the New York backdrop.

 

For a person who goes in with huge expectations, you might not be very impressed and even if you did go with no expectations at all, the initial part of the movie raises the bar and sets your expectations so high that you tend to expect more brilliant stuff and in the end you get a little less than that.

 

There is too much of violence. Wondering how it escaped with just a U/A. I thought it should clearly be an A certificate but then if it is classified as A, you can't show it on TV so DTH fails.

 

For Kamal fans (and also a few others), my review might sound a bit negative but my final rating should make up for it. The movie is a fantastic attempt. It is one of Kollywood's commerical best.

 

Again, story wise its similar to any terrorism based flick but what does the trick for Kamal is his Midas touch and inclusion of certain intelligent and creative aspects to story telling.

 

Do not miss Vishwaroopam to witness the living legend in action!

Go with an unbiased mindset and you will definitely be entertained.

 

Note: There is nothing derogatory against Islam. However, there is a lot of Islam in the movie throughout right from the way the title is introduced.

 

Pluses: Kamal, Camera, Sound, Music, Story telling, Dialogues, Stunts

Minuses: Sluggish screenplay, edgy editing

 

 

Rating: 3.5/5

 

Vishwaroopam: Artistic Excellence!

Review: The Hobbit - An Unexpected Journey (2012)

 

Peter Jackson is a legend! Period.

 

First things first, watching "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" in IMAX was in itself an unexpected journey. Until a few months earlier, IMAX was only present in Hyderabad and Mumbai. Now that PVR cut short the long wait by opening one in Bangalore, it was a treat for a person like me who watches movies mainly for the visuals and the "movie making" style. Today, I was fulfilled of a dream - The IMAX Experience! (But was a little disappointed because we were promised to be shown a special 9 minute preview of the Star Trek sequel.)

 

Coming to the movie, The Hobbit is a 3 hour long movie and no where in these 3 hours do you look at your watch. The screenplay is so engaging that you don't feel like looking away from the screen. Now couple that with a huge screen and IMAX projection + 3D. You are taken into the world of Peter Jackson's The Hobbit!

 

What an experience. Fortunately, the movie was screened in 24fps, the images looked life like and huge. The characters move through you and things happen at your back. An experience not to be missed.

 

Music by Howard Shore is original and in places remind you of LOTR only to remind you further how the movie is connected to its epilogue (read. LOTR).

 

Visuals were simply stunning. Peter Jackson has kept most of his LOTR crew here too and no doubt they do magic on screen when brought together.

 

I don't want to comment on the story for it speaks for itself. The connections that The Hobbit has to LOTR is amazing. I mean I know its a prequel to it but still.

 

Martin Freeman, yes the man who played Watson to Sherlock Holmes in the U.K. TV series "Sherlock" does a fantabulous job in keeping us interested. All the other characters have played their parts well.

 

I'm not an avid book reader, I prefer to watch movies and I shall be eagerly waiting for the next part. Looks very promising.

 

Watch "The Hobbit" simply for its visual magic (only if you don't like the story) and its amazing story telling. You will be in complete awe, I promise.

 

Rating: 4/5

 

The Hobbit-An Unexpected Journey: Highly Impressive!

Review: Talaash (2012)

 

Why did Aamir Khan do a guest appearance in India's longest running Crime serial C.I.D? Obvious, He was promoting his latest movie "Talaash". Why? Because Talaash is not something which will stay in the theatres for long.

 

To start off, Ram Sampath's haunting background score forced the viewer into consuming this as a Thriller movie. Not a bad thing but you start to expect too much.

Then comes the character introductions. Every character is serious. There is no one who fools around.

Aamir Khan plays, Inspector Shekawat, a man who is in pain and is assigned to solve a mystery.

 

The screenplay is too good. It keeps you at the edge of your seat and puts your grey cells into action. Right throughout the movie, I was thinking and looking for clues but I couldn't find any and then when the climax was there, I couldn't digest the answer (which apparently lies within as per the movie tagline).

 

Performances of Rani and Kareena are top class! Rani plays her role perfectly without any fuss. Great to see her like this after "Aiyya". Kareena looks plastic at certain contacts but that kept aside she is deadly with her killer looks and seductive body. (I am not editing the last 2 words).

 

Talaash starts off very realistically and I was blown over by its brilliance but when it came to finishing, it was very unrealistic. It did waver around somewhere in the middle where the focus was lost but just when the viewer grew impatient, the story was back on track only to disappoint.

 

With dialogues by Farhan Akthar and Anurag Kashyap, one would certainly want that department to rock. Barring a few amazing and provoking one-liners, there wasn't much to appreciate.

 

I would say Talaash is over-hyped. But it still is a welcome change from commercial cinema. Despite the fact that it doesn't enthrall you enough, it still is a decent attempt at film making by Reema Kagti. Aamir plays the role so perfectly that you start to see him like any ordinary actor. He gets down to the skin of the role everytime. Nawazuddin Siddiqui is an upcoming legend. He has an amazing actor in him.

 

Watch Talaash if you would like to give a pinch of exercise to your brain otherwise you can just let it go.

After a lot of thinking, I finally found a social message which could have been the aim of the movie. But you never know, it might well not be. Watch out for the dialogues.

 

Oh and No, Rani is not the murderer! (For those active on facebook or twitter)

 

 

Rating: 2.5/5

 

Talaash: Still Searching...

Review: Life Of Pi (2012)

 

A Visual miracle!

 

I call it so for stunning and breathtaking special effects. You feel furthermore ecstatic when you come to know that it was all VFX. Everything!

 

The movie opens up to a melodious tamil song with a carnatic touch (rendered by Bombay Jayashree). When you hear it, you are assured that you are in for something divine.

 

Life of Pi is best consumed when watched in 3D. The starting titles and the visuals are magical. The narrative is beautiful inspite of no gripping plot because you know the ending right from the start.

 

The journey of Pi is adventurous and at one point of time, you start questioning - Is it really true? But then it is a fantasy movie so there is no questioning the truth! Simple.

 

The story is a story inside a story. The main character narrates his unbelievable adventure to a novelist and his childhood is exciting. I say this because there are a lot of questions raised about spirituality and the answers are amazing.

 

The music by Mychael Danna is soulful and equally magical.

 

Coming to the plot, if you actually liked reading the book, you might love the movie but for a direct movie watcher like me, I just wasn't baffled enough to quote it as one of the best movies ever made or seen. For me, Life of Pi is nothing but a visual miracle where in you see HD version of "Man vs. Wild", "Animal Safari" and "How to survive" tagged with great music.

 

The best visuals are during the ship wreck and something which deserves a replay (a million times). What power of Ang Lee to actually visualize something so magical yet it feels real. (Take a Bow)

 

At the end of the movie, you are satisfied but still you think "What was missing?" and it only leads you to deeper thinking...

I'm caught in that abyss..but I would still say that it is a spectacle that is not to be missed for its breathtaking special effects.
 

 

Rating: 3/5

 

Life of Pi: Stunning!

 

P.S. Please don't compare it with Avatar. Nothing is close/common between them.

Review: Jab Tak Hai Jaan (2012)

 

 

Whoa! This Diwali seems to be a time to pay tribute to our Nation's terrestrial heroes - The Indian Army. We have Thuppaki from Kollywood and Jab Tak Hai Jaan as the Bollywood affair.

 

The King of Romance, late Yash Chopra gives us, one last time, his contribution to Indian Cinema. Most of his movies had Romance as the main stream and so does Jab Tak Hai Jaan which promised to be another poetic tale of a couple in Love.

 

At a runtime of over 3 hours (which is not new to Yash Chopra), Jab Tak Hai Jaan is literally a "never ending" tale of Samar and Mira. The movie never seems to end. The viewer gets so bored that the whole essence of the movie is lost. It takes time for the user to put things in place and finish the puzzle and finally understand why the movie was made.

 

Jab Tak Hai Jaan is not a bad attempt but a slow one (not steady either). No one is expecting a fast paced love story but there are ample number of places where the movie could have been cut short. (read. the draggy songs)

 

The movie starts off normally with character introductions and that is when Anushka lands herself in a rock in the middle of a lake wherein she's unable to get herself out. (How did she get to the rock in the first place?). And then our hero helps her out and leaves his diary with her for no reason and just walks off from that place. This is where the story starts.

 

From here, the movie reel movies centimetre by centimetre and by the time the projector cries for help, the intermission sign pops up and the viewer is relieved.

The first half contains interesting interactions between SRK and Katrina. The story could have been told faster. 1 hour into the movie and you aren't sure of what the movie is about. Somewhere close to the interval, the movie tells you why you are actually watching it.

 

Yash Chopra's movies are always abundant of the "Emotional Quotient" and that never seems to go from him. Even his demise has left us very emotional.

 

ARR's music is pathetic to say the least with the only hummable tune being that of "Challa" by Rabbi Shergill and in his usual style he plays this song as the background music in all the interesting/important scenes of the movie. Some of the tunes remind you of "Veer Zaara" and "Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna".

 

Katrina proves that she is a goddess in the song "Saans.." and you start watching her more closely.

 

Both Katrina and Anushka show off throughout the movie. (And by show off I mean the literal "SHOW OFF....")
Anushka comes up with a fabulous performance and scores more than Katrina who is not far from "acting" either. Anushka's character dwelves into you and you will adore her Jab Tak Hai Jaan.

 

Cinematography is decent and the colors are pleasant to the eyes.

 
SRK is at his usual best. He plays his character perfectly and being 40+ in real life, he really doesn't look so. Kudos to him and one suggestion..Never ever play a health illness patient. Bohot Ho Gaya!
 

The movie doesn't respond to the phrase "Time-Out" and continues to keep running for its own sweet time. Jab Tak Hai Jaan is a serious No-No for theatre viewing but it will surely make a good watch on Home Entertainment. So wait for it!

 

If not on the emotional factor, watch Jab Tak Hai Jaan for its creator, Yash Chopra, the man who shows us why we will miss him. The man who will never die!

 

Rating: 2.5/5

 

Jab Tak Hai Jaan: Endless....