I think I would just curl up on my couch with a glass of wine and watch (again) this movie.
My dream pair, however, would have been Jude Law and Kate Winslet.
Pic from here
New Year Eve Plans?
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Category Archives: movies
The SRK!
While Raj and Rahuls made my generation fall hopelessly in love, it was Kabir Khan of “Chak de” and Mohan Bhargav of “Swadesh” that made me respect him.
I don’t think there would be any other Bollywood star who can even come close to the phenomenon that this man is. An eternal charmer. So much so that even my daughter says that she likes him and is waiting for “Pathan”!
If you want to cry bucket full of tears
Watch: Raaiselkind
A nine-year-old autistic boy is found dead in the bath tub. His mother Ingrid, who spent her life caring for him and loved him dearly, is being investigated for murder. (From IMDb)
Kantara: As grand as it can be-
-and yet, rooted deep into our culture and traditions.
As we get more ‘educated’, our definition of who is cultured and who is a savage ‘evolves’ as per who our ‘teacher’ is. As we grow ‘wiser’, we realise that those who stay close to their origins are no less or more than those who decided to call the cosmetic pretences as ‘refined’. To each his/her own, I say.
Getting back to the movie, the complex relationship between the tribals and the Forest department and the landlord is depicted beautifully. It is one of those few movies where the characters are rich and are consistently growing. It is almost as if we are watching them in real life. The story itself may not be based on “true events”, but as all legends go, it surely feels like so.
And this song would haunt me forever…
One good thing we did was to watch it in Kannada, instead of Hindi dubbed one. I do wish though that I understood the language better to not depend on subtitles for more clarity.
Pic from here
Padmaavat(i) – because we all are supposed to express our opinion on it
And also because I didn’t understand what the whole hullabaloo was about. To me, it felt like a propaganda to boost the “Rajput” image instead of tarnishing it. Although people talking about themselves in a third person voice and bringing in the whole “Rajputana” tradition in every sentence could be considered as an assault to its reputation! Oh and I didn’t quite get the problem with showing “Jauhar” on screen. Not that I would condone it or any other form of self harm, but I have strong feelings about the way women have progressed in their ways and means to safeguard themselves. Jauhar was a reality of those times. It was how women saved themselves, it was also a sign of protest against the intruders trying to own them as war trophies. We have to accept that it was a part of our past, glorious or not.
Special 26
What a movie!! It was like a welcome break after series of disasters that I watched on big screen or TV. I had a hunch that it was going to be good even before it got released and that is the reason why I refrained from reading any reviews!
So where to start from? Anupam Kher? Of course it has to be him.. He as a strict CBI officer or a bumbling old man – it was a delight to watch. Jimmy Shergil – one reason I can excuse men for keeping mustache! (Ok, that is silly!) But in the brief role which he essays, he simply shines. Akshay Kumar – Now, this is exactly why he should put some more brains in his roles, because the results are just amazing! And Manoj Bajpai – well! he is simply beyond words, isn’t he?! Each and every character was just worth watching. Each contributing his/her own bit to the delight that this movie is.
The story is simple, narration is brilliant, There is a romance track which is so not required, and sometimes it feels like hampering the flow of the story. The efforts in making the look of the film conforming with Eighties is quite evident. All those Marutis and Thrill advertisements, the almost no people on the roads, the background score – it was all Wow.
I give it 4 out of 5 stars.
(This review seems to be from someone who had a great time watching the movie 🙂 And it most definitely makes me look forward to the next Neeraj Pandey film.)
Pic from here
Why do we need an Oscar award to feel good?
When we are happy with the mediocre movies that are produced and lovingly watched all over the country, it amazes me that a section of people still seeks an Oscar award!!
Oh! and if our Oscar entries include movies having the merit of being commercial successes. But that is just about it. The fact that most of them are unoriginal and rehashed-formula, isn’t it better to give up the dream instead of reaching a stage where Indian movies are banned from such contests?
Remember this?
Cocktail – A complete mockery of the word ‘cinema’
Of course, with exception of some beautiful shots, lovely use of colors and a picture perfect cast!
The reasons why I didn’t like it at all are many! Like –
– Why are we still obsessed with showing that ‘only good girls win heroes’!! Really, what is this obsession with a virginal beauty who prays and cooks and looks like the perfect ‘bahu’! Why can’t a happy go lucky girl who has a career, who is uninhibited, cares for her friends, knows her body , be a ‘marriage material’??!!!
– The movie looked like frames being shot and strung together. I found the flow jerky and irritating.
– Saif, Dimple and Boman looked BORED! perhaps they sensed what ‘effects’ they were having on the audience 😉
– And did any girl really fall for those cheesy/corny lines that Saif’s character used to ‘trap’ girls!!! Really? I hope those girls were paid really well to act as if they fell for his ‘charm’!!!
All in all a BOGUS movie… I DO NOT recommend it to anyone!! Except those who might like a couple of songs in it!!
My rating : 1 out of 5.
(1 – for the two songs I loved)
Kahaani
What a thriller!!
Spoiler Alert: Please don’t read it further if you haven’t seen it yet..
It was a last minute plan and we made it just in time (Thanks to the initial advertisements, less traffic and RoyalEnfield 😉 ). Since we hadn’t booked in advance, we could get seats in the row that was second from the screen. But since we are very ‘positive’ people, we decided that it gave the screen a 3-D effect 😉
I wanted to watch this movie ever since the promos had come out. It seemed to be an interesting plot. But you realize how deep it is only as the story progresses. By interval, you are so much with the characters that it becomes difficult to see the obvious. I believe that is what a good thriller is all about.
The best part about this movie is the character-sketching. Each of them is lovingly developed. The events, the setups, the details – amazingly clear and logical. I do have a couple of issues though. The most important one is the flashback scenes in the movie. I can understand the dilemma faced by the director. If the flashback scenes were truthful, the entire thrill would have been lost. But it could have been restricted to only those instances where Vidya’s character was narrating her case to others. In solitude, such flashbacks convey an entirely different meaning which may not irritate you then but they mock you after you have come out of the movie hall.
Vidya Balan is as superb and a delight to watch on screen.
Parambrata Chatterjee as Satyaki Sinha/Rana is sweet and charming. Also the moment where he develops a crush (?) on Vidya Bagchi is so beautifully captured.
Nawazuddin Siddiqui as Khan is convincing as an easy-to-hate IB Officer
Saswata Chatterjee as Bob Biswas is scary. And also the proof that there are monsters beneath sweet masks.
Other characters too help in building up as well as retaining the interest in the movie.
I liked the climax. (And if I may please go off-topic once again – A white saree with red border can convert any woman into a Goddess! ) And I loved the small yet significant things set in the backdrop of this movie.
I give it 4 of 5 stars as per my ratings.
Picture from here
‘Tere Bin Laden’ and ‘Khatta meetha’
Fun… Pure fun!! This movie proves that a no-brainer plot can also be enjoyable without being an assault on your senses. It makes even the impossible look plausible, in a very twisted manner! Ali Jaffar is superb and so are all other characters. I couldn’t find a single flaw in acting or characterization. Ok, the story is a little far fetched. But that is fine since it turns out to be a real entertainer!
Just loved it!
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Now, this is a real migraine-inducing product that they have come out with.. The loud dialogues, over acting (by almost all except perhaps Kulbhooshan Kharbanda and Aruna Irani). A very stupid plot for a story.
I wish Akshay would stop doing such terrible movies. He is a good actor. Either he doesn’t know it or he plans to go the Mithun way…
pictures from here
Five Senses ... 