HAUNTED 3D: Average spooks, unintentional laughs

As in Vikram Bhatt's earlier release 1920, the setting is a bungalow faraway from the city, with fog as blinding as vehicular smoke, the imprint of a hand, standard shrieks, severed heads and scampering feet. A woman's dead spirit is ravaged by the dead spirit of her perverse piano teacher, for 80 years and counting, until our dour-faced hero Rehaan (Maha Akshay, decent) arrives at the scene. With the ghost working a night-shift, Rehaan has to wait for darkness for the blood and scream show to take over. Unable to release the girl from the evil spirit's clutches, the hero is conveniently transported back in time to prevent the chain of events from occurring.

Things get predictably romantic with kisses exchanged, the ghost making some lustful attempts in invisibly tearing through a woman's old-fashioned attire. Thanks to 3D, there are a few rare heart-stopping moments. Also inclusive, is an abundance of unintentionally-funny moments of raw, average dialogues.
As in 1920, Bhatt exploits the sway of religion to build on beliefs, symbolisms and superstition. But then, ghosts, like our knowledge of death, been unknown territory, are allowed their liberties and free will. We only say, this could have been so much fun.

It is not that borrowed ideas from movies like The Entity, What Lies Beneath, is a deterrent. The weakness is the tepid, old wine script, that runs on similar lines. Laugh while you can, the scare moments are limited, and even if this is your first 3D movie, Haunted displays what not to do in 3D at several instances. You are advised to take someone along with a good sense of humour, if you are risking it. You will need the jokes to keep coming, a 3D screening on 70mm has no intervals, yet.

As to why we need to be frightened at the movies, and when did the whole thing begin, that is for another blog post.                             

Movie Review: Shor in the City: Humour, characters work wonders

SHOR IN THE CITY is a juxtaposition of random sound and visuals of Mumbai during the sonorous Ganesh Festival,enlivened with frothy humourous dialogues, lively city-bred characters and some drama.The film mostly works in its humour bits. The drama is a little steely, with people getting away with murder umpteen times, without any police intervention.Thankfully, the director duo (US based, of Indian origin), do not take things too seriously and spin a fun yarn of three bumbling goons,a NRI, a budding cricketer, a newly-wed couple and a girl flooded with marriage proposals.

Tilak (Tushar Kapoor, adequate), Mandook (Pitobash Tripathy, standout) and Ramesh (Nikhil Dwivedi, good) steal a bestselling author's manuscript, Tilak plans to publish the same to boost his pirated book business. Abhay (Sendhil Ramamurthy, cast suitably), back in India to start a new business, is hounded by local goons for 'protection' money. Sawan (Sudeep Krishnan, fits the part), is a struggling cricketer hoping to make it to the Mumbai under-22 team.

The central idea, how the city's arrested, shunted spaces, the booming human population, the resultant noise, affects the way people act, is reflected vibrantly on the characters. A Lord Ganesh idol strapped to a car seat, couples kissing at Marine Drive in broad daylight, are couple of eye-catching vignettes.

The familiar Mumbai lingo finds its crazy outlet in Mandook's loafing character, and this is where we find the most engaging scenes. The female strands are as unconventional as they come, though it is never clear how Tilak's wife (Radhika Apte, arresting) ends up in wedlock. Yet, there is a bitter-sweet humour in how a young girl (Girija Oak) complains about her dry lips and later of a forcefully extracted ring.

There are not many complaints, as the directors seem to have achieved what they set out to achieve - an entertaining, irreverent tale of Mumbai, with both real and comic book style interpretations gelling in to the narration. Go for it, best watched on 70mm. 

Final spark
A 'professional' protester douses himself in kerosene and rants a mock-sacrifice monologue, then goes stiff in horror when a lighter flame is held before him.  

Movie Review: DHOBI GHAT: Sparkling, despite weak storyline

A raw yet assured directorial debut by Kiran Rao, Dhobi Ghat is more a documentation of four different lives even as they mingle and then scatter into their isolation, rather than an attempt at telling a singular dramatic story. Contrived situations are rare here. Arun (Aamir Khan) is a reclusive painter, who stumbles upon a set of video tapes of Yasmin (Kriti Malhotra), the (newly-wed) previous occupant of the room Arun has recently moved to. Then there is Munna (Prateik Babbar) - washer man by day and a municipality-employed rat-killer by night, who is befriended by Shai (Monica Dogra), an American banker on a sabbatical, indulging in her passion for photography.
There is a lingering in the proceedings, which is outlined well by Gustavo Santaolalla's score. Glimpses of  Mumbai life are insightful, the film begs for more of it. We do get lively street children frolicking when they realize they are been recorded in Yasmin's camera, a family caught in the frenzy of the morning rush - a rapidly made breakfast, a man tucking in his shirt, pulling at his school uniform clad son's hand, and forcing open the door, all in one motion. The gunny-bag draped Gateway of India, the rain-drenched Marine Drive, a leaking roof, all convey soft images, seldom seen on a cinema screen.

Lacuna
The cribbing would mostly be for the lack of punch in the story itself, which replicates the continuity of life, but droops in intensity. We do get a very real, yet brief love triangle, a tragedy revealed - whose effect on Arun is more than on the audience. So, while the visuals and characters have a soothing quality, there is lively Mumbai city literature ( "We have 24 hours water."), the effect in totality, is of delightful glimpses in to lives in the city across classes.

Yet...
Certainly worth experiencing, the film has top-notch performances, Aamir Khan succeeds in conveying the character, shedding the commercial star drab. We only wish Arun was more vulnerable and devastating. Prateik Babbar gets that vulnerable skin in Munna which he uses to great effect. Monica Dogra is a perfect casting choice for her cosmopolitan character, a confident act. Kriti is good as Yasmin, we wish she was more haunting, considering the pathos of her character. We say, no grumbling, a great promising start for Rao, and more risk and verve in the story next time.

Great execution
Munna runs right through the middle of the stuffy Mumbai traffic after an elusive car, and not for one moment does it seem made up. The one masterstroke scene in the film.

127 HOURS: Celebrating The Will To Live...

In April 2003, Aron Ralston, a 28 year-old American hiker and adventurer, finds himself alone and in deep trouble. Even as he hikes through a part of the Grand Canyon, called the Blue John Canyon, Aron stumbles through a wedge, a rock topples, and crushes his right hand against a rock wall. Unable to budge the rock, and with no one of his family or friends informed of his whereabouts, Aron is on his own.

Death seems inevitable even as five days pass, Aron makes occasional recordings on his digital camera for his potential finders and his parents. He passes in and out of hallucinations, recalls the past, and meanwhile, still tries to chip away at the rock, more at an attempt to keep warm. Finally, the desire to live swells in Aron to such an extent, he takes desperate measures.

Achingly real, Danny Boyle's take on this astonishing tale of survival, is a mix of vertical, collage-like visuals, precise, humourous storytelling and one hell of a performance by James Franco. The critical scene,while horrifying, (A couple of them passed out at the screening) is still essential to convey Ralston's spirit.

Decorated with apt music from various pop artists and a quality music score by A.R. Rahman, 127 Hours is one roller coaster of a cinematic ride. Go for it.             

       

The 9th Pune International Film Festival (PIFF) Pick: Old Boys (Denmark)

8/1/2011
Screened at 1200 hours, Inox

A road movie with pleasant twists and turns, pathos, humour and love, the rigours of senility, Old Boys (2009) tells of a group of old men in Denmark who stumble, pant and swear through their football practice. There is an exasperated middle-aged coach whom nobody listens to, yet he still keeps at the pep talk. Preparations are on for the annual game, where the team plays another ageing police team in neighbouring Sweden. The story focuses on Vagn, the team's depressed, unmarried goalie, even as he is forgotten by the team at a gas station and has to hitch a ride from a young man, who makes a living, eh, robbing gas stations. The other strand of the story follows the antics of the rest of the team on the bus on their way to the game. Real as they come, despite some contrived part, Old Boys is an entertaining watch.

As the independent movies screened at PIFF have shown, again this year, that neither Hollywood or 'Bollywood' can claim to have made movies with such disarming sincerity.       

Movie Review: Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey: 'True Story' Luxuries

Ashutosh Gowariker is back to familiar territory with KHJJS, it has a similar 'Underdog vs Goliath' scenario as the entertaining Lagaan (2001). It also has, like the Oscar nominated movie, an impressive ensemble cast. Only, this one happened for real.

On April 18,1930, a band of young teenagers and revolutionaries led by Surjya Sen, (Abhishek Bachchan) a school teacher) attacked five main centres of British-ruled Chittagong (In undivided Bengal), in order to wrestle control and drive away the rulers, at least from their little sleepy town. Their plan was to capture all the ammunition and use it against the British themselves. What happened next? The film brims with the element of uncertainty many a time, a huge plus.

That Gowariker has no luxury of twisting fiction here (beyond a limit), acts to the film's advantage. The only causalities - Surjya comes off as a cardboard-dull person in the first half, rather than the quiet simmering patriot he is intended to be. Abhishek, acts well, has his moments, but doesn't bring out the fire of a person inspiring a large group of freedom fighters. The same can be said, to an extent, of Kalpana (Deepika Padukone), one of the two women who were part of the uprising, which is more to do with limited scope of the role. The rest of the cast are all very real, especially the young teenage actors who provide an unexpected punch to the proceedings.

Sohail Sen's music adds charm, his background score is understated, a charming ally to the proceedings. The title song rendition and depiction plays well as a upbeat musical transition, the same can't be said for Nayan tere - it makes for an awkward introduction to the female characters. Lip-synching of songs don't fit in in these settings. 

KHJJS is original and poignant for most of its running time, the length is not a deterrent, as it was in Jodha Akbar (2008) and What's Your Rashee? (2009). As a viewer, I was disappointed by the lack of a powerful opening scene (Random shots of football playing kids), and the quiet introduction of Surjya Sen. Despite the flaws, this is a movie that burns slowly into our hearts. Yet, there is nothing extraordinary as we have come to expect from Gowariker.

Silent explosion
The noose around his neck, his mouth oozing blood, a man looks up as a full moon is ominously shrouded by clouds.

Movie Review:RAKTA CHARITRA II: Lost in Kill! Kill! Kill!

Stretched, a relentless bloodbath, a loud merciless background score (Dharam-Sandeep, the culprits), the overused slow motion technique, irritating upside down camera angles, and Ram Gopal Varma make up for a messed up second part of this movie - based as it on a true story. The politics of it is kept to the background, all we get to see is how revenge comes full circle for Pratap Ravi (Vivek Oberoi), as Surya (Tamil actor Suriya) has only one thing is mind - Ravi's death. Apparently, Ravi's men had killed off Surya's entire family in a murderous rampage of killing all potential enemies of Ravi.

Instead of effectively depicting how violence transmits - from a person's anger to a mass culture, what we get is an escapist orchestra of killings - bullet-holed bodies, vehicles in flames, and again the sickle. Some scenes work, like the tense slow-motion sequence of Surya's arrival at the court. Finally, at the end of it all Rakta Charitra makes a mild impact in its intended message. It certainly makes for gory, gritty drama but nothing more. The director's signature clad epilogue at the end says it all - it ends up making violence look more attractive and justified than deplorable.              

Watch it strictly for the performances and RGV's technical expertise and experimentation, and the engaging cameos.

Movie Review: The Social Network: Fun, stingy take on Facebook founders

Filled with characters just going blah-blah-blah, The Social Network could have so easily been a bore of a movie. After all, this is about the real and alleged founders of Facebook, the worldwide social networking phenomenon, of people who mostly sat at their desks and typed code. The great outdoors - sunshine, rain and a rowing race make fleeting appearances on reel. In fact, the film has most characters seated, most of the time.
Instead, thanks to the genius of a screenplay adaptation by Aaron Sorkin of the Ben Mezrich book - The Accidental Billionaires, and David Fincher's (Seven, Fight Club) serene, matter-of-fact vision (direction) of the proceedings, gives us a gem of a picture - contemporary, one of the wittiest and funniest films ever, giving a tongue-in-cheek insight into the world of the so-called nerds.

No other movie has yet conveyed the confined borders of the computer and Internet world with such delicious bite. Go for it!

Movie Review: Golmaal 3: Overcooked, raw, nonsense - some great laughs though...



Not thrice as fun, not bad either...

The Golmaal Series has always worked for its skit-like sequences, the storyline is a mere prop for the proceedings. Director Rohit Shetty has the undeniable thing for pulling out genuine moments of laughter and Hindi film spoof pieces.

The third film of the series doesn't disappoint.

It starts with a bang with a war of words between the eight (more than ample) main characters, but paling in terms of coherent story-telling, needless plot threads, tepid, unconnected fight and action sequences (finger-bending crap), length, and the tired, repeated, mercilessly extended Johnny Lever act.

Nonsensical, asinine, cluttered, bumpy are some of the words that describe the movie, would recommend it for the genuine moments of laughter it raises in the first half, and some in the second half. The cast and the dialogue delivery adds punch to the scenario.

Arshad Warsi is a live cracker, he seems to have enjoyed this the most; Ajay Devgan is good - a gem of a actor wasted with limited scope; Tushar Kapoor dumb act is still endearing; Kunal Khemu makes for freshness, making most of the opportunity; Shreyas Talpade, the amazing talent that he is, is again not given his due.

Mithun Chakraborty is the show-stealer, effortlessly gliding into his badly sketched role with charm and understated lines. Ratna Pathak Shah is wasted, while Kareena Kapoor's tomboy act is a gap-filler than a solid cameo it could have been. There, that is just the main cast.

Considering the sheer talent and promise Rohit Shetty continues to display, and despite the original, not-so-run-of-the-mill stuff, the film is a disappointment for the classic movie experience it could have been. So good, yet so, so, so many 'bads'. Still, worth a watch, cut the stunt mania and add more flesh to story, we say.

Real Fun

Mithunda reprising one of the over-the-top roles of his 80's potboilers and getting to deliver one the film's best spoof lines...translated - "Thee, whose houses are made of glass, change your clothes in the basement."                                   

Movie Review: Iron Man 2: Hard Metal Fun!

Gleefully light-feathered and witty in its dialogues, enlivened with mysterious and well-defined characters, Iron Man 2 is a enjoyable non-superficial ride. A contrast, if you may compare, to the very dark 'cult-in-the making' Batman movie The Dark Knight, this sequel keeps it non-serious, engaging and tight, despite a much-repeated plot of bad guys from Russia and a tedious final showdown.

Much of the movie's freshness lies in Robert Downey Jr.'s superb portrayal of a seemingly arrogant genius billionaire scientist and Iron Man; his rapid repartees with the other members of the cast - especially Paltrow and Cheadle. Then there is a zany stunning act by Scarlett Johansson, a bit part by Samuel Jackson and a solid part by that rare actor Don Cheadle. Rourke's villain is intimidating, but breaks no new ground like The Joker in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight.

All together, with each character given ample screen time to establish themselves with the audience (doesn't happen too often in Hollywood movies lately), there is an individuality in each that works well with the film's superhero drab. Fantasy mingles with fun, watch out for that last scene with the senator, the birthday party, and for Scarlett's stunning attire, among other things. Now we know why we love those fluffy comic books, Iron Man 2 is as close as one can get to a precise comic book adaptation. All said and done, the first Iron Man movie was much better though.

Movie Review: The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

Andy, a quiet young bank vice-president gets two life terms for killing his wife and her lover. Only, Andy (Tim Robbins) is innocent.

He is transported to Shawshank Prison, a place ruled by a greedy and cruel warden, filled with perverted homosexuals who prey on him and also people like Red (Morgan Freeman) who can smuggle him odds and ends like film posters, cigarettes, and a small tiny rock hammer. Over the course of the next two decades, the two form a strong bond. Finally one evening, as Red puts it, "Everyone has his breaking point," Andy indicates that this may be his last day at Shawshank, "You get busy living or you get busy dying," are his last words to Red. The next morning, at the roll call, Andy doesn't emerge from his cell. The exasperated guards rush to reprimand him...

The Shawshank Redemption is a celebration of the human spirit, and for those who have not yet seen it, grab a DVD of this gem, and enjoy the experience of one of the best movies made, ever. No kidding.

Movie Review:Karthik Calling Karthik: Thriller let down by repeated premise

Karthik Calling Karthik works as a witty one-liner romantic comedy within its psychological thriller body in the first half. It just lets the cat a little too soon out of the bag as things turn eerie in the post-intermission part. 

The mental disorder that is the base of the movie, is both the film's strength and its give-away. Even if you manage to figure out the puzzle yourself before the film's characters, there is enough strength in the film's story, visuals, performances and music to make up for an entertaining (if not nail-biting) evening.

I probably expected a classic, but Karthik Calling Karthik does hold its ground as a decent thriller. Worth the ticket.

Credits

Vijay Lalwani is certainly a director to watch out for and Farhan Akhtar plays his most difficult role (yet) of his acting career competently. Deepika is adequate. Composers Shankar-Ehsan-Loy have a couple of winners- Hey ya and Uff teri ada that gel with the scenes, so does Kaise yeh udasi - Kailash Kher's vocals elevate the song.

Movie Review: INVICTUS: Nelson Mandela and the courage to forgive

Clint Eastwood's latest directorial venture is an entertaining portrait of Nelson Mandela's initial days as President of South Africa - and what a time it was! Leading a nation - "balancing black aspirations with white fears" and confronted with rising crime, Mandela plays a gamble by backing the National Rugby team - still considered in 1994 especially by many blacks, to be a symbol of apartheid. The team is not doing great either, plunging to defeat after defeat. With the Rugby World Cup (South Africa been the host nation) barely a year away, Mandela calls upon the team captain and asks him, without actually saying it, of a service - to win the 1995 World Cup. His hope, it seems, is that the entire nation will be united and inspired if this occurs. 

Invictus - after a poem that inspired Mandela during his 27-year long ordeal in prison, may seem to be another underdog story, but it is more about the courage to change and forgive, about taking that big risk to bring together a nation. It is about Nelson Mandela, played so lovably by Morgan Freeman, while Matt Damon is competent as the Rugby team captain.

Watch it to know more about Nelson Mandela, and how he and a rugby team inspired a nation. A good watch - to think that it all really happened...

Other threads

Mandela's 'mixed' security personnel, his separated family, Damon's sceptical father and a little exaggerated part about the little poor boy.

Here is the poem INVICTUS written in 1875 by William Ernest Henley

Invictus 

Out of the night that covers me,

Black as the Pit from pole to pole,

I thank whatever gods may be

For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance

I have not winced nor cried aloud.

Under the bludgeonings of chance

My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears

Looms but the Horror of the shade,

And yet the menace of the years

Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,

How charged with punishments the scroll,

I am the master of my fate:

I am the captain of my soul.

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Movie Review: My Name is Khan: Getting the message across

My Name is Khan is significant because of the message it effectively gets across that individuals need to judged by their actions, and not prejudiced because they happen to belong to a particular religion. There are not many over-the-top moments in Karan Johar's direction this time - nobody cries, screams or breaks into a dance, unless the situation demands it. The two and half hour plus length of the film is a mitigating factor, as the intensity drops to fill in for the 'feel-good' moments. But we are not complaining. For its relevance, performances and its entertainment, My Name is Khan is certainly worth a watch.

Also...

Shankar Ehsan Loy's music compliments the frames in parts though - Sajda and Noor-e-khuda spark some magic.

Movie Review: DISTRICT 9: Edgy action drama

An alien gets eviction orders at the refugee camp

At the cinema hall, what finally matters is the experience. It goes beyond getting the ticket's worth, or killing time. 

The story

District 9 is the name of the refugee camp in Johannesburg, South Africa for more than 1 million prawn like aliens who were shifted there after their mother ship was found lost, hovering over the city twenty years ago. Now, a weapons manufacturing company, MNU, that shifted them in search of alien weaponry, plan to shift them to a new location away from the city due to the nuisance that wandering aliens have caused among the human population. What unfolds when MNU eviction representatives are send to the impoverished camp makes up the rest of the story.

What works

The 'real' documentary adds 'authenticity' to the lie that fiction is. The characters, their vulnerability, and the breaking away from the formula, all work in the film's favour.

Movie Watch: Ironman: Witty, clever, some great acting

Robert Downey Jr. plays Ironman

Ironman is not a classic superhero movie but is consistently witty and likable. A good script and some great acting are its core reactors.

Robert Downey Jr. excels as Tony Stark and Ironman. Gwyneth Paltrow returns to the screen as Stark's best friend and assistant. Ironman is exactly how a comic book adaptation of the irreverent kind must be.

Don't go too deep, don't take the storyline too seriously, entertain and give audiences a rich appealing playboy genius hero with a cool armored metal suit to root for. Let the metal man get the bad guys and after getting through a villain, rush to a happy sequel-promising ending. That is what Marvel Studios clearly aims for and gets there.

Ironman is a breezy, enjoyable experience on the big screen.