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Reviews
Quantum of Solace (2008)
Bond, shames Bond the review of Quantum of Solace
(Karthik Narayan)
When you see your first Bond movie in a theater, you naturally go with great expectations. Especially when a movie is hyped big time, and releases a good week before it releases in the US!
A typical Bond movie would have cheesy punch lines that would shame a Rajinikanth movie, romance scenes that would give Kamal Hassan second thoughts if he was growing old; not to forget the techno wiz and gadgets that would make NASA feel they were playing with toy balloons.
Being a sequel to Casino Royale, which many swear by as one of the best and most realistic Bond movies of all time, this movie started off with action sequences right from the word GO. All the action scenes were brilliantly choreographed; the visual imagery was mind boggling. Mind you, this is supposed to be a believable human Bond.
Here's a little something I typed in my mobile while watching the movie!!
With Daniel Craig brutally assaulting and killing people at will The movie was all about the licence to kill
And all through the movie we had this chill (Definitely not because of air conditioning) but because of the thrill
To get out of this movie halfway you had to summon your will Simply because you had already paid the entire bill!!
The only thing that made Bond yet again not so humane was that in spite of his cards getting blocked, his bills being unpaid and his movements being tracked, he always managed to get what he wanted and too easily. Also, without hi-tech gadgetry, Bond always manages to get to the low down and track the enemy. Maybe some things are best untold, but if the movie makers want to make Bond more believable, they need to make things normal rather than superhuman. But yes, there was the emotional Bond that made him human in this movie.
Bond girls and villains, however stole the show. I particularly enjoyed the role of Mathieu Amalric as Dominic Greene; his beady little eyes showed an array of emotions such as greed, lust and hatred in a beautiful sort of way. I would surely look out for more of his movies from now on, with a well toned body, good looks, he is good material for movies.
Olga Kurylenko doesn't have much to say except a few words now and then her opening one-liner "get in" and at the end, when she says "get in" have good touches to it; other than that she isn't much. She has this resemblance to Catherine Zeta Jones (only slightly). Gemma Atherton is too cute and pretty and doesn't deserve the treatment she gets in the movie.
A hundred sms-es, a few inside jokes, buckets of drooling (Ananth, Samba and his friend were eyeing all the girls in the theater), and a few verses later, the movie finally came to an end.
Keeping in line with our usual habit, we did stay in the movie hall till the end of the credits hoping to see something good to get our money's worth, but the sweepers of the theater were so annoying, they just popped in and asked us to vacate. So what's the big deal with credits?
As I walked to the parking lot, I asked my friend who had watched the movie with me, what does quantum of solace mean?
He shook his head at me and we never spoke a word after that about the movie. Somehow it didn't all bond
Rating: 6/10 (purely for action)
Kung Fu Panda (2008)
haiya, Cool!
(Karthik Narayan) Po seems a funny name for a Panda living in China, let alone consider Kung Fu as a passion. Well, Po is a dreamy young Panda whose ambitions are to become a Kung Fu expert, maybe even a master! Being a big fat Panda and the son of a Duck running a Noodle Soup restaurant in China, Kung Fu is certainly out of question.
Po goes to watch the selection of the Dragon Warrior by the Kung Fu greats and finds himself in the irony of things.
What follows next is a series of comic events, great action from the studios of Dreamworks SKG and the final showdown between a legendary Kung Fu warrior and an ordinary Panda.
The comic attack is pleasant and not in your face, though one feels the cute panda getting hurt too often gets a little too slapstick but then this movie is about facing life as it is vs as you like it; so the hit will be brutal, no doubt.
Two messages that are left in your mind as you finish watching this movie: Never give up. There is no secret ingredient to true happiness.
Overall, you will find that there is no secret ingredient to this movie, just don't give up watching this one a must watch.
The perfect movie to watch when you really want to relax and get away from the traffic, noise and hectic work.
On the personal front, this movie reminded me of those underdogs in the quizzing circuits, who aren't the best at what they do, and can only look awestruck, jaws open at the Greats of Quizzing.
Then one fine day, one of these underdogs rise up to become a world beater. Lessons for all those eager beavers not to give up and to chase dreams.
There aren't any Kung Fu movies around these days, this is your best bet to revive that Golden Age...
Rating: 7/10
Memento (2000)
A momento if you understand memento
(Karthik Narayan) Before we start, note the spelling its M-E-M-E-N-T-O and not MOMENTO, as I had thought! Now let's start this movie review: Imagine having a jigsaw puzzle in hand, and you don't have a clue what completes it. You don't have all the pieces required to finish it. There is no picture in your mind, and you are left to search for your answers. What do you do? To what sounds like a treasure hunt and a jigsaw puzzle combined, add a strong flavor of revenge and you get a masterly movie all set before your home screens! All you need to do is get the DVD and watch it. Maybe over and over again, like I have been doing
The movie begins with the end and the end marks the beginning of the story (did I say that right?). Yes, that is how this movie unravels itself. The plot thickens as you move backwards (pun intended) and when all the pieces are slowly knitted together, the beginning (or is it the ending) is quite beautiful.
The alternating between the Black/White and the color every ten minutes or so makes it all the more compelling to watch. And how do you watch this movie? Ideally it should be shown from back to front to understand.
This isn't a murder mystery movie its more of a thriller that takes so many twists and turns as you move towards the beginning (Oh no, not again. Somebody stop me) that you never get enough of watching it once.
The movie doesn't end telling you what to make of it. You have to draw your own conclusions and decipher your own riddles. When the movie brilliantly closes with the credits, it leaves you wondering about reality and what you had been watching all along.
As you still can't get over Guy Pearce's (the protagonist, Leonard) handsome looks, also note that he has a blank look on his face most of the time. That says it all he looks helpless. You don't know how to react to his confused state of mind you get stuck between 3 things whether to slap him and bring him to shape; or feel pity for him hoping he would recover. The other thing that keeps us interested is how to crack the case. How would he find revenge, and how would he remember it? All confusions and the "don't trust anybody" funda psychologically affects us as well as we are left with no choice but to not trust what we see and hear of other characters.
Christopher Nolan has directed the movie excellently, with an adapted screenplay based on the short story by Jonathan Nolan (are they related?), that keeps us all on the edge of our seats. This movie carries more mystery and as each piece falls in place.
But the first half of the movie makes no sense at all; you really get things moving along only after the removal of the tattoos on Guy's body. Overall, this is not a movie which you will appreciate if you want to watch a fun movie. It needs your attention and you get engrossed in the thick of action.
There are some scenes which could have been done away with, for example, the hotel scene where Pearce calls for an escort, but it all adds up to the confusion, so I am not to complain.
Carrie-Anne Moss as Natalie still carries her looks of Matrix, and though there isn't a meaty role in the movie for her, so she does well.
Joe Pantoliano as Teddy steals most of the scenes with his corny jokes and at one point of time, you can't help loving his casual approach to the whole thing.
The acting is brilliant, the settings and camera work are good. The music by David Julyan is racy and keeps the pulse ticking faster with every scene. I'm sure I would be hearing a lot of and from him.
Simply for creativity and keeping the adrenaline and brain cells ticking all the time, this movie deserves great accolades. This is an all time classic that I would recommend to test your thought process. If I were to put up an all time list of best movies, this would definitely find its place in the top 25. Rating 8.5/10.
As for the book, if you ever get hold of it, keep me informed!
Agent Cody Banks (2003)
"Banks" totally on fun
(Karthik Narayan) A kid becoming a Junior CIA Agent? That is surely something cute and worth watching a teenager going beyond everyday problems of homework and cleaning their lockers and rooms and taking on higher problems like assassins, gangsters. Picture that at one end, and consider this for the other side of the story: CIA agents doing the kid's homework and house cleaning! The tagline for the movie says it all: save the world, get the girl, pass math
The whole theme is hilarious, Frankie Muniz (best known for his "Malcolm in the Middle" TV series) as Cody Banks is funny and down to earth. He is your average teenager, definitely not your super hero type and has this very normal issue of talking to girls (any teenaged boy's nightmare). Hillary Duff looks pretty as Cody's love interest and is cast purely for that, I guess, since she doesn't do much apart from looking cute.
When a super villain plans to use a scientific invention to destroy the world, it is left to Agent Cody Banks to try and stop him. En route, he has to face his biggest challenge overcome his shyness and ask a girl out. And it's not just any other girl it's the daughter of the scientist who is on the good side but has been held captive.
It's a special day in the office for Cody Banks and Co with a beautiful partner, cool gizmos to work with and best of all, to get a pretty girl as a girlfriend! Any teenager's heaven, I am sure.
The best part of the film is that it is a fresh concept, is funny, even though the baddies try to be extra bad. (Yeah, it's a tough world for baddies in kids' movies) plus its by a director (Harald Zwart) who, with all due respect to him, was a nobody in Hollywood before this film. Now he is "BANK"-ing on this movie franchise and is directing the next Pink Panther movie.
The not so good part is that storyline is as predictable as it gets. Plus, some of the stunts are too much for a teenager to perform, and some parts are not explained at all. Overall, it felt like a Hollywood movie dished out in Bollywood style in some parts.
A good kid's movie provided you watch it without thinking ahead of the plot.
Rating: 6/10
Ratatouille (2007)
Ratatouille delicious stew well served
(Karthik Narayan) I am not sure whether the movie title and the lead character being a rat was purely coincidental, but Ratatouille brings with it a whiff of freshness.
Adventure through the eyes of a rat presents something never seen before on film. The novel simply melting your heart, as Remy goes upon realizing his greatest dream in life becoming one of France's best chefs. Goes to show that you can do anything when you believe in yourself. To quote Chef Gusteau: "If you focus on what you left behind, you will never be able to see what lies ahead" says it all.
Adrenaline rushing first few moments lead up to a fascinating watch over the next one hour as the creativity and fun begins. Witty lines add to the comedy, the storyline is fast paced and charming, to say the least.
There isn't much to say as a critic; the voice-over blends with the nature of the character and the mix of characters provides for most of the human emotions of anger, love, jealousy and most importantly, the value of thought and intellect.
"Not everyone can be a great artist, but a great artist can come from anywhere." Quality of the animation is top quality especially the scene where Remy and the cookbook get wet one can see and feel the wetness, the droplets of water. And the scenes with the food looks and feels like real food your tongue drops with the eagerness to taste it. Keeps your taste buds alive.
The creativity is what makes this movie one of the finest needless to say, I would rate this in my top 50 movies of all time.
Virtual seamlessly integrates with the real that you simply can not believe your eyes that all that you see is just computer generated. Pixar has done it again (after the grand success of "The Incredibles"), to prove that they are the best the closing credits are innovative as well. No stone unturned in the innovation category Ratatouille sweeps it all! It's a food lover's delight, a message that cooking is fun and anyone can be good at it.
Killer lines, great animation, brilliant storyline and music, scenes etching human thoughts (and animal thoughts) and lovely, steaming mouth watering food! What else can you ask for in a movie? What are you waiting for hurry up, the stew's getting cold! This was a movie which I never wanted to end. And if you felt the same way, it was more like staying hungry after a full, delicious meal for plenty more. Bring it on! Rating: 9/10
The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)
The Pursuit of Happiness or the happiness of pursuit
(Karthik Narayan)
My good friend joked, "Is it the pursuit of happiness or the happiness of pursuit?" Well you never know what happiness is... Two songs that come to my mind are: "It's all about the Money" by Meja and "Ka ching" by Shania Twain. Though both songs have different perspectives, the idea is simple is money happiness?
How can you find happiness in a place that can't even spell it right? Chris Gardener just opened up my mind to the question of what happiness is. I managed to ask a few people just to get vague answers like what you like vs. what you get is matched and the result is happiness or otherwise.
Is money happiness? Is fame happiness? Is glory happiness? Is being able to match wits with the best minds in the world happiness? Is merit happiness? So many questions with no answers.
But then I remember the opening lines of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams) which reads "This planet has - or rather had - a problem, which was this: most of the people on it were unhappy for pretty much of the time. Many solutions were suggested for this problem, but most of these were largely concerned with the movements of small green pieces of paper, which is odd because on the whole it wasn't the small green pieces of paper that were unhappy."
So in the hope that this movie would help me find the answer, I sat through the troubles of Chris Gardener (Will Smith) and his cute son (his real life son). What I saw was the hardship of poverty; how in spite of not being able to make ends meet, a person can come out and win in life. And most importantly, how society looks so happy when you are not able to even understand what it means to be so.
Life is like bending a steel bar. A steel bar is so rigid that you need to exert yourself to try and bend it. Happiness is the result of hard work. When the attempt to bend blends with a positive result, we would become happy. But happiness doesn't end with bending one bar.
There is no recipe for happiness. It is not just an emotion it is the purpose of life. Why do we pursue happiness to complete our otherwise incomplete life? Why do we live? It is not to wait for death, but to bring joy into the lives of many people including ours.
Will Smith continues to impress many of us in this movie. The movie isn't a blockbuster because it was full of violence, abuse, expletives the theme is simple; the actors are simple. Sans heavy makeup that make them handsome.
Will Smith's transition from a cool guy to an actor who can taste and display emotions of normal people is groovy.
There are some instances when you don't know whether to laugh or to cry these provide comic relief from the otherwise serious turn of events in the movie.
The message is simple have dreams, never give up and follow those dreams; you will get to where you want to be.
This movie will provide you happiness when you find the DVD and after you are finished watching it, a smile that says it all.
How this missed getting into the Top 250 movies of all time is a wonder! More miracles, such good acting went unnoticed at the place where they gave away awards for so called "Bests" of the year 2006.
The Matrix Revolutions (2003)
The Matrix Revolutions The revelation of a revolution
(Karthik Narayan) Knowing this was the final of the trilogy of the Matrix movies, which has revolutionized the movie world, the movie carried great hype in my mind and all across the globe.
After watching the movie, I realized it captured the very essence of Hinduism/ Buddhism and the way to reach life's ultimate goal to find out the meaning of life itself.
Each one of us comes into this world with hopes, dreams and aspirations of attainment, what path we choose is our own. However, after a while, most of us get sidetracked by so many other things.
The immediate purpose of existence in this world is survival now that is reality.
But the ultimate purpose of life is to find out the meaning and role of our lives. This will not happen if we stand in one spot and trust things will happen over time. It requires the belief in oneself to own up and go forth to find the glory of light.
For only the one who seeks with their hands raised to the sky and their feet moving along the earth can find their true destiny and beyond darkness, there is light. We need to believe in the light that sparks up our lives and move towards it. This light is what we call the truth.
And the truth is not for us to seek but to make. For one writes his own truths and lies in life.
This movie seeks to bring to light all of this and much more. I got my enlightenment, watching the good vanquish the evil, sacrificing self to the truth. For it is a consuming factor, this truth.
Go watch this movie and I am sure you will, beyond a shadow of doubt, be entertained and most importantly, enlightened.
Rating 6.5/10
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)
Awesome flick for wit and fast paced action
(Karthik Narayan)
George Lucas's dream superhero appears in yet another thriller of a movie. This is the second movie in the sequel to "Raiders of the Lost Ark". This movie series has enthralled and enamored audiences worldwide for its breakneck speed of action, comedy and witty dialogues all packed in a short, crisp way.
Harrison Ford has his slick ways and punny ways of doing things, living life dangerously in the fast lane as Indiana Jones. This time, Indy lands himself a beautiful lead-actress for that touch of glamour (frankly, it wasn't required at all). As they meet, they go through dangers that lurk in the shadows and they are chased all the way to India. There, they meet a prince en route to their quest for a sacred stone and the missing children of a nearby village, and confront his witchdoctor, who salvage* Ma Kali's blessings through human sacrifices.
Amrish Puri has given a brilliant performance as Mola Ram he looks fierce and fits the bill as a witchdoctor in India. I guess some people outperform themselves in certain roles Amrish Puri's Mola Ram will go down in history as one of the finest villains ever. There is one scene (amongst many others) where he exclaims: "Kali Ma protects us! We are her children! We pledge our devotion to her with an offering of flesh... and blood!" this scared the wits out of me!
The little prince provides a dangerous proposition for the viewers whether to admonish his brash and evil acts or to adopt his cute looks. Indiana's little sidekick Short Round (Jonathan Ke Quan) steals our hearts with his acting.
There are some moments when Indians are shown in poor light this is where Lucas really stumps us, after all that hype of his adopting Hinduism for his Star Wars sagas. Maybe he was making amends later in Star Wars! But he could have done away with those morbid scenes, and surely, there was no need for the lead actress at all.
Tantric, mystic and terrific scenes smolder each one of us in terror and delight of fine cinema, sans modern moments of cell phones and weapons of mass destruction. Here man faces man in dark moments of hypnotism.
The special effects are awesome, and that too for a movie made in the timeline of the early 1980s (1984 to be exact)
Sacrilege to those who cannot stick to this storyline! You are doomed to be glued to your seats in this gripping tale of dripping sweat and blood and the final triumph of good over bad
I Am Legend (2007)
The Legend rolls on and off
(Karthik Narayan)
One man against an army of zombies on a deserted New York city (What am I saying! Which part of "deserted" did you not understand?) That is the storyline of this movie which shows mankind in its last stages.
Based on the book by Richard Matheson, this movie brings us Will Smith as Col/ Dr. Neville, the last man standing (if you don't consider the zombies) and Samantha, his loving dear dog. (For dog lovers like me, this movie was great as Samantha appeared in a lot of frames).
For action lovers, this isn't quite the movie; the first half of the movie is a crawl, but with great acting by Smith. It's never easy playing a lonely man in the middle of a big city you do get the hallucinations, the delirium Smith plays that with the finest of ease his facial expressions tell you that this seasoned actor has come a long way since his days as the Prince of Bel Air. Apart from Smith and the dog, there isn't much at all in the first half (literally) unless you consider his talking to mannequins in the DVD rental store.
But once the zombies smell human blood, the action begins. In the movie theatre we were all actually rooting for the zombies because they brought in all the action to an otherwise silent movie.
The second half promised a lot and I should say, it was more of a comedy movie in the first half and a horror movie partly in the remaining part. Smith found out he wasn't the only human being left on earth, he found the cure for cancer, but didn't live long enough to collect his first Nobel (No chances for Oscar either), the humans managed to survive and beat the virus with his miracle and life moved on after his legend.
Overall, a good movie to watch if you want to test your patience for at least 40 minutes, then test your adrenaline with 50 minutes of zombies, gory blood and good music. One of the good sci-fi movies I have seen this year (if this wasn't the only movie, that is)
The graphics were spectacular just imagining NYC to be vacant, cars smashed, deserted with cobwebs lying around the big skyscrapers simply mind-boggling. Out of this world, really! Sony Pictures, take a bow. And Brooklyn Bridge was a sight to see, really. Worth watching, for each of the $5 million spent to film that scene.
For pure cinema and great graphics, I rate this movie a 7/10.
Feast of Love (2007)
tasty but not tangy
(Karthik Narayan) I went hungry to this movie literally, trying to fill my mind and stomach during the movie and the intermission respectively both my hopes were foiled until after the first half.
The first half of the movie looked like it had been shot in patches and stitched together just that none of the patches seemed to match. The first half was so sober and dull I was wondering if the actors would start delivering more than one line every two minutes! Distinctly the director shows a lack of taste as far as the settings, props and the actors are concerned; half the time it looked like a documentary film, bad print quality and all, with cut scenes lacking continuity. Yet it lacked the distinct taste of a documentary. There was no action, no comedy really. Bland, really like someone wants to make us feel like diabetes and Blood Pressure patients.
As always, Morgan Freeman gets the best lines in this movie, and he does deliver it the way only he can especially the first lines of the movie, which stood out like an oasis in a desert. Apart from his lines, nobody says anything really worth hearing.
It surprising that "a meaning of life" storyline comes from an American stable not many would take it as a movie and go watch it, but it has its own good moments. Just that those are not good enough to make this a movie by itself. In a rather harsh way, you are shown the meaning of like, love and lust the three things that rule life; from happiness to misery in three words, in that order (incidentally, the alphabetical order as well).
If you're hungry for a really good movie, then this is definitely not the feast that you will look forward to. But if you step back and look at this movie for the value and the meaning it holds to human beings, yes, it's good.
Overall, you get values for life, not value for money.
Verdict 5.5/10; get your own hunger pangs, and choose for yourselves whether you want to go back ravenous as ever, or taste the bitter truth and return wiser, but no less hungrier
Iqbal (2005)
Iqbal Black and Blue (the men in blue!)
(Karthik Narayan)
Going to a movie is always fun, but it is important to choose the right movie. I had a variety to choose from Salaam Namaste, Rising (Mangal Pandey) were the two movie names which came to my mind. But then I was surprised to hear that a movie by Nagesh Kukunoor had released and the theme was CRICKET! Being an avid cricket fan how could I ever afford to overlook this one!
This story entirely revolves around Iqbal Khan, a deaf and mute 18 year old and his ambition of playing for the Indian cricket team as a fast bowler. His physically challenged state never hampers his ambition, his greatest strength is his commitment and his desire to chase his dreams no matter what happens. His never-say-die attitude is the highlight of the entire movie.
Impediments and blocks are always a part of our life, and Iqbal faces enough obstacles in the nature of his father who hates cricket, and enough politics in the game itself.
Then hope and inspiration comes in the form of angels his sister and mother help him on with encouragement, and his drunkard coach moulds his cricket.
Emotions run very high in the movie, naturally one is moved the way Shreyas Talpade as Iqbal is totally determined to realize his dream of playing for the team, and the scenes where he forces the deposed Naseeruddin Shah to come out of his drunken state and make him as his coach are too good for words. Can you believe that he is a debutant in Bollywood?? Really amazing talent!
Shweta Prasad plays Iqbal's sister and her bubbly wisdom is a total show stopper. Girish Karnad and Naseeruddin are underrated stalwarts in our movies. Naseeruddin especially acts magnificently with his subtle facial expressions. The background music which has been tuned by Salim-Suleiman blend with the on screen moods, euphoric and sad happenings are beautifully set alive with the music.
Our involvement in the movie becomes very emotional, we feel and breathe every moment of agony in the life of a 18 year old, and in the end, we spontaneously want to make Iqbal win, to win in his attempt to play for the National team, to don the colors of blue and bliss as he marks his run up to bowl. Ultimately the ecstasy on the face of the young man naturally brings total delight to all our faces and it is an outburst that I also felt. One of happiness, those tearful joyous moments on screen.
Poverty is another aspect that has been subtly depicted in the scenes where Iqbal runs in the "nets" to bowl his balls with barefeet! Even the stone-cold hearted people would be totally touched to the core of their hearts in this movie. The movie goes beyond the game, and the dirty authorities and politics. It deals with a positive message for all those watching that ONE SHOULD NEVER GIVE UP IN LIFE.
Nagesh Kukunoor, an American Desi (he hails from Andhra Pradesh and lived in America for a while) has been a revelation in the movie industry he became an overnight celebrity with his "Hyderabad Blues". Being one of the youngest directors around and with a sound mind and fantastic themes such as "Bollywood calling", "Rockford" and "teen deewarein", he has rocked the Bollywood basement with meaningful, simple themes based on actual incidents. Even though these movies weren't as successful as Hyderabad blues, they were eye openers to all of us that a great director is present amongst us.
This movie combines the sentiments reflected in BLACK and LAGAAN, but then again, the theme is different from those movies. So a comparison may not be quit e fair.
One might dare to say this is different from Lagaan where in the end, Amir Khan holds our breaths with the heave for a six at the end, carrying all of us to the edges of our seats. If you expected such heroics, you will indeed be disappointed.
Overall one can say that this is a great movie and one that brings tears out of us, also presenting a strong message of FAITH and determination. Great movie, great cast and hats off once again to Nagesh Kukunoor! Get your money's worth, folks
Guru (2007)
The tirade of the bhais
(Karthik Narayan) The bhais have invaded Bollywood "mum-bhai", then "Aslam Bhai" and later, Munnabhai. Now, Gurubhai. While Munnabhai moved the nation with his silly humor and good natured bhai-dom, Gurubhai places India on the world trade map.
In 'Guru' Abishek Bachchan manages to consolidate his career, after the success of Dhoom 1 and 2.
Guru is that rare movie where a businessman's success is related positively to the success of a nation.
This is the rags-to-riches story of a man who dares to take on the system. The road to success is not smooth and the protagonist overcomes obstacles by by-passing the system. Naturally, he gets into trouble how he overcomes that forms the rest of this story. He struggles to lead a decent family life in the midst of busy schedules and chaotic stress. Friction with his mentors and relatives leads to distortion of relationships. "Gurubhai" has only Paisa, profit or munafa in mind while doing his polyester business and much later, with new lines of businesses like petroleum.
Success comes with a price the honesty and straightforwardness disappear and Gurubhai takes on another avatar, closely watched by Nanaji (Mithun Chakraborthy) and his pet reporter Shyam Saxena (a chocolate faced Madhavan plays this cameo to perfection).
Madhavan meeting "gurubhai" for the first time & taking on the challenge of exposing Guru's corrupt practices to the world is good cinema. Ash looks gorgeous. The music by AR Rehman is pleasant - one stand-out song is the "barso re megha" song by Shreya Ghoshal. The sweetness and melody fuse to give sheer magic.
Gurubhai leaves you with a distinct taste of victory achieved after chasing it mercilessly.
The Bhais are definitely here to stay.
The Terminal (2004)
THE TERMINAL received message, loud and clear!
(Karthik Narayan) The word "Terminal" means a couple of things - terminal meaning an airport terminus or a station, and also meaning communication system And all are powerfully and intellectually captured in this movie; A rather intriguing, pressing film about a guy who gets into nowhere, a position that he didn't get into, but owing to circumstances beyond his control, has to live in an airport terminal for God-knows-for-how-long! Based on a real life story, the movie shows how language can become a barrier and also how it can be overcome once you have the right attitude. Survival instincts of a man trapped in no-man's land are so sharply showcased in this motion picture.
A beautiful picture painted of the adage where there is a will, there is a way out, and there certainly was a "way out" for our hero Victor (talk about the perfect name for your hero- victor indeed)! The movie keeps you guessing; the elements of suspense, thrilling moments that one would associate with Steven Spielberg (the director) are there.
The fictional country of Krakozhia is well represented by Tom Hanks and he delivers the Bulgarian language smoothly; not that most of us know Bulgarian, but it is hard for an English speaker to pretend he doesn't understand English so in that context its great acting.
Tom Hanks looks young and handsome, and interestingly even though this movie came in 2004, he looks younger than in 2002 ("Catch me if you can"). And after Castaway, most of his movies seem to portray him getting into all sorts of problems and his coming out of them.
Catherine Zeta Jones is a confused American woman who can't choose for herself. She and Hanks has something going, or so it seems, but we gather that in the end, she can't make up her mind at all. Now, I am not for male chauvinism, but her role had major flaws in it. However, she does excite us all with her appearances now and then.
The end was rather surprising shocking may be the right word, with all the interest and chemistry generated by the lead woman (Catherine Zeta Jones), as Shakespeare would have aptly named it, much ado about nothing. Or a blown experiment, even. But that's the story, to like it or not like it that's left to you.
Rating 7.5/10 (for its suspense mainly).
Ocean's Thirteen (2007)
Ocean's 13 - getting even is not odd... :)
(Karthik Narayan)
What are the odds of getting even?
No, not a question, it's the tag line of Ocean's 13, the latest movie in a long list of sequels that Hollywood directors have been pouring in this year Spiderman 3, Shrek 3, Pirates of the Caribbean 3 not to forget Fantastic Four.
After a disastrous Ocean's 12, the sequel had to very good to draw in the audience. So chopping and changing was required. The difference can be felt. The movie has an odd beginning with Reuben falling into a dizzy after being cheated in a business deal by Bank (Al Pacino). Reuben banks on Danny Ocean and his team to get revenge.
Like in Ocean's 11 (the first movie of this series), this movie is also all about the ingenuity that this team can never fall short of. Being chronologically, technologically and logically well advanced, they go on to rig Bank's ultra hi-fi casino and ruin him.
Naturally money is a high value factor in the scheme of things and after the fiasco in Ocean's 12, the team runs out of money and seeks their old enemy, Benedict (Andy Garcia) to pitch in. Benedict, always the selfish double-crosser that he is, looks for more than a mere lending-returning transaction. Danny and team are forced to steal the diamonds in Banks' secret vault (even though they don't want to). Benedict hires Toulour (the Frenchman who torments Ocean in Ocean's 12) to steal it before Ocean can.
How Danny's ever increasing army of thieves baffles everyone and still manages not to get caught forms the rest of the movie.
The best part about the Ocean series of movies is that it doesn't have violence or abusive language (Yes, this movie will not win an Oscar for best script-writing!); there is no fist clenching and definitely no guns (though there are lots of Big Guns, if you know what I mean), except in the end when Toulour fools Linus (Matt Damon) with an empty gun barrel.
The entire series always has belonged to Brad Pitt, Matt Damon and George Clooney (who no doubt is aging but looks cool). I haven't seen an Al Pacino movie, so I can't comment on his acting as "Bank", but there isn't much anyway for him. There is no big female lead this time no Julia Roberts, no Catherine Zeta Jones.
Following a little custom that we saw in Ocean's 11, (Lennox Lewis did a cameo) this time it's Oprah Winfrey with a surprise end to the movie that is worth waiting for.
Of all the sequels that were released this year, I would say this movie would rank among the better few.
My mom doesn't believe in Hollywood movies to her, its all violence and nothing else. But I am going to ask her to watch Ocean's 11-13 to make her believe it's not always violent and intellect does remain in the movie world!
And yes, the movie tag line is a pun on its title, in case you didn't get it already!
The Matrix (1999)
The Matrix embedded arrays of pure class
(Karthik Narayan) In the world of computers, there is an abbreviation WYSIWYG What You See Is What You Get! The Matrix is a movie based on computer programs, viruses and Artificial Intelligence after watching this movie I did a little jig of my own WYBIWYA What You Believe Is What You Are. In Latin (and Greek, perhaps??) Cogito, ergo sum (I think, therefore I am).
The Matrix has the perfect blend of everything action, mystery, suspense and a little romance of sorts thrown in at the end. And there are various versions of thrilling moments in the movie in the beginning where you are not supposed to understand anything; the middle where you are supposed to begin understanding the turn of events but your mind refuses to believe what you see; and finally the end where you can't understand the "reality" but like it anyway. One thing holds you to your seat - the adrenaline never stops pumping.
The moments of truth hit you hard as you progress from one scene to another and sooner or later, you realize you are looking at a philosophy strongly etched in principles of fate, Good vs Evil and the eternal search and battle for belief, faith, freedom and justice.
Keanu Reaves as Neo is too good the bewildered look on his face match ours as nothing really materializes in his head and his emotions on screen look very "real" even though it's supposed to be virtual (get it?). Laurence Fishburne as Morpheus is the coolest dude around and the way he carries himself in the movie makes it come alive. Andy and Larry Wachowski have outdone themselves in the Direction of this movie (duh) easily their best work and the one which skyrocketed them to the Hollywood walk of fame.
Carrie-Ann Moss as Trinity has a glossy look on her face as though she has been transformed into some machine, but redeems herself in the action scenes where she looks stunning. If looks could kill (and looks do kill) she would be the perfect hostess for that idiom for this movie. And what can I say about the Agent! If all villains could look this smart, I would cheer for them any-day but yes, the last hurrah is always for the hero in any movie, and so I give in.
Action-oriented, adventurous, eye-catching stunts, visually stimulating camera-work (especially the scenes in the rain) mind-boggling fight scenes and awesome display of dialogue delivery make the Matrix easily one of the best movies of the century. It most certainly features in my best movies for all time to come.
The Incredibles (2004)
Slick Flick The Incredibles
(Karthik Narayan) When I saw this movie rated quite high on the movie websites, I wondered why an animated picture could be given high preference as an all-time great movie. That inquisitiveness made me watch this movie more than anything else. But after watching it, I staunchly recommend it to everyone who likes classic comedy, super hero clashes and a down to earth storyline that anyone can associate themselves with.
Action super hero movies have come in aplenty, mostly taken over from comics. This movie isn't the proverbial average Super-hero (oh boy, what an oxymoron). A superhero family who try to live a common man's life and suffer the consequences and the pang of not being able to save the world in time. Instead they are at home reading the newspapers, listening to the radio which alerts the world against danger which is bound to happen anyway.
The family of Mr.Incredible is secluded away from the rest of the action simply because the Government wanted them to stay away from daily life; The Government poking its nose into the common man's world, so what's new about that, you might ask. Mr.Incredible isn't able to judge what is right to save the city against the dangers or to save his family against the dangers of the city (read people). The moral of the story is trouble is always by the people and for the people. For without people, there is no trouble.
In their quest to save themselves against the world, the Superheroes succumb to the temptation to save the world against the real lurking dangers that were carelessly ignored. This causes them to throw all caution to the wind and take on the dangers that were more impeding and important. Along the way, the family unites as a team and the children learn a valuable lesson in confidence and self defense mechanisms to take on the world.
The villainous fan is outrageous, the practicality of a superhero living a human life is well said and the Super powers are quite staggering especially that of the children.
The theme is superb; the comic way in which the story is woven is marvelous and overall, incredible indeed! This movie is honey spread on a plate waiting to be tasted. Don't forget to take the toasted bread with you as you move on to relish it.
Mr. Bean's Holiday (2007)
A merry-go-round movie
Ever heard of the fairy tale Jack and the Bean-stalk? This movie is not the adaptation that's for sure, but everyday Jack gets his own version of the magic bean-stalk with "Mr.Bean's Holiday".
The magic is in the smile and that rollicking laughter that you won't be able to stop. You get giant sprouts of laughter, barring a slight grimace as you see Bean troubling himself to make you laugh and in the end, you just can't stop loving him. That makes one sweet recipe to be anybody's favorite movie Well, since I don't want to spill the "beans", I shall keep it short and sweet.
Bean wins the raffles on a rainy day in June in London (makes you wonder about the timing of Wimbledon each year, doesn't it). The grand prize is an all expenses paid trip to Cannes in the French Riviera. He meets a colorful lot of people to make the trip eventful and memorable.
Without any idea of the French language except "oui", "non" and "gracias" (which isn't even French!!), Bean steps on with the kind of humor that you can associate only with him. The facial expression combined with the body language that wins all our hearts is seen all over the movie.
Willem Dafoe is at his best after being the wily and wicked "Goblin" in Spiderman, he is seen in such a comical role that he delights and the part with his movie screening at Cannes is too good for words. Excellent actor, I must say, I am impressed! The movie is full of fun, some parts are a little rascally, but Willem Dafoe sets the pace going. The film finishes with a flourish, and a happy ending too.
I personally have tremendous respect for Rowan Atkinson (yeah the real name of the man behind all the hard work), for his story is one of grit behind the glory. Hans Christian Andersen said at his deathbed that after he was dead, there should be a march with short steps. The short steps were for the tiny feet of the children that would follow the march. I am sure Mr.Bean has already accomplished that I say this as I see my little cousins and nieces wait anxiously to see Bean one more time on Pogo, even though they have seen the same episode some 100 times.
Yes, it is annoying sometimes to see a man look and act so stupid, but it is also lovable to see after a while. Moron or childish prankster the argument continues, but Bean certainly is the best comedian around.
Time to bring out the bean bag and watch this movie to laugh your brains out. Laughter therapy at its very best.
In all, a total beanfeast! Or as the French would say C'est bon! If you work out a rating for this movie, I would put it at 8/10.
Blood Diamond (2006)
Good blood, bad blood
Disclaimer: This is not an autobiography of yours truly. This is the review of a great movie blood diamond. Details, facts, information are a strict no-no in this review, so if you were looking for the standard monotony of all that, try elsewhere! First of all, I would like to push this article back to my childhood days please. All right thanks! English class - I was taught one tongue twister. I didn't realize the value of it then, nor did I say it right when I tried to say it fast. Today I know what I was taught in four simple words good blood, bad blood.
Then I learnt science in class the arteries bring the blood from various parts of the human body to the heart for purifying.
I tried relating my lessons to this movie and this is what I came up with: THE BLOOD-LINE The veins bring the blood to the heart and to the rest of the body.
Danny Archer (Leo di Caprio) was one such vein, smuggling and supplying the diamonds mined by the slaves to the prospective buyers (obviously white men).
The blood in this context is the diamonds which are mined and dug by the slaves in Africa. They pay with their lives if they try to escape a stone; they are worse off anyway by finding one.
One such enslaved family is that of Solomon Vandy (played by Djimon Hounsou). For those who are bad at history like me (and for all those nerds out there making quizzes and stuff), look up the history of Sierra Leone.
Solomon is forced to work in the diamond fields while his son is being taken by the "terrorists", or typically the bad guys who teach the kids to smoke marijuana and kill relentlessly and mercilessly without reason. Now Solomon finds a diamond stone big enough to make a person choke (but honestly I thought it looked rather small), and everyone is after it.
How Danny goes after it by making a deal with Solomon to redeem his family and life in exchange for the diamond forms the rest of the movie. Along the way, they meet Maddy Bowen (Jennifer Connely), a reporter who is rather nosy and manages to fall in between the danger and the love that both she and Danny never had in their lives.
I don't know how emotionally or otherwise Danny and the reporter got linked, but even while waging the war of words, they fall in love. Leo di Caprio seems to do what he does best save die a martyr in all his movies Titanic, The Departed and Blood Diamond. That seems to be a pattern with Leo movies, but we still love it makes him dearer to us, doesn't it? One quote worth remembering from the film is where Danny meets the reporter in the island; I forgot it anyway
but Leo puts across the truth of how the white women wanting the diamond rings for their weddings are the reason for the blood diamonds.
TO ADD MORE VEIN TO THIS REVIEW
Man's obsession for metal has always been against nature; just as man himself has been and will continue to be. Science couldn't figure out the stark predation for these shiny little things. The whole thing has only advanced so much that he can kill another of his kith and kin for obtaining the silly stone and proceed to find his happiness.
This movie is just about that how man goes against his own brotherhood to proclaim what he calls happiness, which in reality is foolhardiness to follow one's eyes and not the heart or mind.
Along the course of this voyage there are people who pass on the stone across the bridge, under the table and what lies beneath is just grit, grime and dirty blood.
Good blooded ones were slaved by the bad blooded ones, asked to mined (mind?) their own business. And in this case, anything to do with blood has to do with matters of the heart, literally! This movie also gives way to a fact of life that the heart purifies bad blood into good blood just as Danny Archer found out at the end of the movie.
Well, I definitely didn't get any wiser with my tongue-twister, but I most certainly managed to spin a yarn with it enough to end this review thus: I have always been a rebel in my family I didn't know why humans were longing after a shiny piece of metal. I did not know what joy it gave them, but after watching this movie, I know this one man's blood is another man's diamond (or gold or any metal for that matter!!). I know de Beers or any jeweler would be after my "blood" after reading this review, but remember that in the end, Good Blood always prevails!
The Departed (2006)
The departed - leaves one soul-less
The name of the movie says it all departed. Now who departs? The dead depart from the face of the earth. The dead die because someone wants them dead. And someone wants them dead because they want money.
The movie storyline? Trivial matter, but anyway here it goes two men from opposite sides cops and criminals work as spies. Leo is a good guy on the bad side and Matt is a bad guy on the good side (I didn't make any sense of that, did you?). Leo finds out what the bad guys are doing, and Matt finds out what the good guys are doing to prevent the bad guys from doing. In the end they all find out that they are something that they lost track of, and end up killing each other. Picture this scenario and make a movie out of it and win an Oscar hats off to Mr.Martin Scorsese.
Violence through guns makes life easier for many to die. Death is made to look so simple in this movie that there is no gory, no pain. Just plain kiss of death! Who dies? Well everyone does
the movie portrays the emotions of betrayal, hatred, greed and above all, the killer attitude. Among all these is the noble virtue, almost omnipresent yet unseen sacrifice! A funny word in a gangster's world, yet it is not uncommon to find old loyalty amongst the dirty rats.
The movie totally belongs to Leonardo di Caprio and Matt Damon. I mean, you got to give to Damon he plays the negative role well. You love to hate him throughout the movie. And you find comic relief actually in the end to see him dead..
While on the other side, Leo looks the perfect part totally disgusted with himself, vulnerable to the "glory" that is bestowed upon him being one of the youngest gang members and having to put up with the terror in his eyes. You can see Leo give his best shot in this movie I think he is getting outstanding with every movie that I see him in.
Yet again, Leo dies in a movie! Oh boy, I think he could teach a thing or two to the feline community (cats which supposedly have nine lives).
The script-writer of this movie (William Monahan) had it all so easy (oscar worthy script??) all he had to do is write up a few four letter swear words and voila! The movie dialogues are ready for delivery.. There is only one dialogue that stands out and its at the beginning of the movie "when I was your age they used to say you could become cops or criminals. What I'm saying to you is this... When you're facing a loaded gun, what's the difference?" If you look to spend quality time for a quality flick (that you won't come to terms with, anyway), you can consider this movie. But it is pure cinema, the typical gangster flick with modern facilities thrown in. but if you aren't the type who can handle gunshots at will and cant stop sweating at swearing without a pause you better send out the SOS Save Our Souls. Because when you have departed from the movie hall, you won't have a soul left. Start your prayers already
Action is thy name death? Then, this movie is thy address for two hours full of it. Martin Scorsese scores with ease in the gangster brand of movies; his cup pa tea for a while now Goodfellas was perhaps the best of his creations.
All said and done - as they say, the departed go to heaven. And truly, "The departed" did go to Oscar heaven
Lage Raho Munna Bhai (2006)
Lage Raho indeed! Aptly named!
Easily the most loved "dynamic duo" in today's cinema world, Munna Bhai and his sidekick, Circuit are back! And this time, they come together in the sequel of the fame hit to Munna Bhai MBBS is Lage Raho Munna Bhai.
It's a normal day for this happy go lucky duo. The love interest this time is Vidya Balan as a Radio Jockey. The radio jockey idea seems obvious with the hit of Priety Zinta as the RJ in Salaam Namaste, and also keeping in touch with the recent trend of radio coming into vogue again, this time with a bang.
The basic idea behind Munna Bhai is the same, mistaken identity and doing crazy things to keep the girl interested in him
this time, however, Munna does not go to college as a student (thank god). Jahnvi (Vidya Balan) mistakes Munna for a history professor! The Movie carries on where it left, lots of fun, extremely witty and not to forget humor with a message - with Jahnvi testing Munna's "historical interests".
This is not just another movie in the park - I don't want to spoil the surprise, but, here is a spoiler: Gandhi playing a "role" in the movie, there are some interesting moments.
With a twist in the run of events, the movie proves how contemporary the Gandhian values are.
The Songs are not what you might call chart busters, with Kabhi Alvida na Kehna topping every music channel in sight, but songs are a luxury anyway in this wonderful movie.
Investing money in watching this movie will pay you rich dividends laughter, fun and extreme satisfaction! There are apprehensions over the prices of cinema tickets, but this movie makes you sigh and gives you value for money From student to teacher, Munna has most definitely graduated and come of age! Arshard Warsi is too good once again
They say sequels are not so successful as the first movie, but this movie shall be the path breaking movie breaking that theory! Lage Raho indeed! Aptly named!