Sivaji, The Boss

Rating : 6/10
Release Date : June ‘07
Time : 185 minutes
Director & Writer : S Shanker; Music : A R Rahman
Starring : Rajnikanth, Shriya Saran, Vivek, Suman
This is a Rajnikanth masala movie through and through. If this genre appeals, go for it as you wont get any better and may not get too many more. Else, please avoid at all costs.


The premise, though hardly relevant, is that of an NRI who returns and wants to do good, open up universities and hospitals which will be world class but free. But obviously doesn’t find it easy in terms of getting permissions, has to grease a few palms and then some more. Has to deal with politicians who are only interested in their percentage. And also runs foul of a person who is a power broker and runs colleges / hospitals and fears his business will run aground if Sivaji succeeds in his mission. All these forces combine to reduce Sivaji to a pauper and put him behind bars.


Sivaji then decides no-more Mr Nice Guy and from then on nothing can stop our hero. He comes up with an interesting way to liberate black money and then uses that to fund his venture and ensure every village and township of Tamil Nadu prospers. In all this, he also finds the time to woo (hilarious courtship) the delectable Shriya Saran and sing many a song in fancy locales (the Guggenheim at Bilbao among them) and elaborate sets. He also does his trademark moves with chewing gums and coins, changes more dresses than Imelda Marcos and has several disguises designed to fool cops and others but never the audience.

Like I said, its great if you like this kind of stuff. I don’t think over-the-top agrees with me anymore. And this one is so blatantly over the top, that even James Bond, Superman and others of their ilk will shudder to go there.

The International

Rating : 4/10
Release Date : Feb ‘09
Time : 118 minutes
Director : Tom Tykwer; Writer : Eric Singer
Starring : Clive Owen, Naomi Watts, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Ulrich Thomsen
Standard fare, a spy thriller where its known right from the beginning who’s the villain & who’s the hero but we judge the film purely on how much fun we have watching one take down the other. The script is quite implausible, the dialogue ordinary / normal and as there are no fancy cars or fancy women, its understandable why this didn’t make the screen sizzle. Clive Owen’s coldness added to the lack of heat and is matched only by the German villain’s, though in the latter case it was probably deliberate.

What’s good here are the locations, they picked nice cities and didn’t just go for the obvious landmarks but some interesting venues. There is a good shootout scene in a museum, interesting just for the sheer scale and audacity of it all and another chase in Istanbul on the rooftops. Armin Mueller-Stahl (from Eastern Promises) continues to impress me for the credibility he brings to the screen.

Buy the dvd only if its on a bargain sale – the kind where if you buy something else, you get it free. I saw it on a flight and that’s probably the best place to watch it, as its decently paced and simple to understand even after you’ve downed a couple of drinks.

Two Lovers

Rating : 3/10
Release Date : Nov ‘08
Time : 110 minutes
Director & Co-Writer : James Gray; Co-Writer : Ric Menello;
Starring : Joaquin Phoenix, Gwyneth Paltrow, Vinessa Shaw
This is one of the films I didn’t get. Sure, there was a good performance by Joaquin Phoenix (worthy of an Oscar nomination ? Not really, I think that’s more reflective of a bare cupboard), decent one by the two women, who also happen to be the lovers.


That, in short, is what the film is about. A guy, who is a little weird / lives with his parents, and suddenly has to choose between two women. One, who’s kind of arranged, daughter of a family friend. And the other, a neighbour, also a little weird, a bit self centered, in love with someone else but not sure, seeking advice and comfort from our guy.

And finally, our guy decides. Its slowish, mildly interesting at best, but never really grabs you and makes you feel for any of the characters. The one scene, though, that was really enjoyable was when Gwyneth asks Joaquin to join her & her friends for a party. Watching this nerdy, geeky, weird guy transform in the cab and on the dance floor was good fun.

I think the key issue here was lack of involvement. None of the characters were truly that nice or interesting enough to make me care. And without that, this was just another ship that passed me by at night…

Superbad

Rating : 6/10
Release Date : Aug ‘07
Time : 114 minutes
Director : Greg Mottola; Writer : Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg;
Starring : Jonah Hill, Michael Cera, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Seth Rogen, Bill Hader, Eva Stone, Aviva

Two nerdy high-school kids, fast friends, decide that they must have sex before reaching college. Their best, and in their eyes, almost only chance lies in this cool party where they’re requested by these hot chicks to get the booze. So far, so good, but then all else doesn’t go to plan, rather goes spectacularly wrong, not just bad but ‘superbad’ !



They enlist the help of another friend, they get fake id’s, they meet mobsters, they get into fights. And they meet two hilarious cops, who clearly have a unique way of looking at things, who have a need for the limelight, a sense of humour that is politically incorrect, a desire to do things their own way.


It’s a nice film, some laugh out loud moments and genuine surprises but it kind of stopped there. Seen too many teen flicks for anything more than mild interest in the genre. And I’m probably the wrong target audience, so my comments are also ‘unfair’ in that sense. Watch if the genre interests you, its as good as such films can get is probably a fairer way of putting it.

Le Premier Jour Du Reste De Ta Vie

Rating : 7/10
Release Date : July ‘08
Time : 114 minutes
Director & Writer : Remi Bezancon
Starring : Jacques Gamblin, Zabou Breitman, Deborah Francois, Marc-Andre Grondin, Pio Marmoi

The First Day of the Rest of Your Life

Simply brilliant way to tell a story…

This tells us the tale of the Duval family, comprising parents and three kids (2 boys and a girl), by showing us only 5 days in their life, though spanning some twenty years. We watch the kids grow, the parents age, the characters develop, deal with death and loss, celebrate birthdays, anniversaries and really understand what makes the individuals tick.






Its amazing how much we can learn about people merely watching them go about their lives over five days.
• Papa Duval – drives a taxi, is a very loving father (though has a hills and valleys kind of relationship with his kids), not very demonstrative as most men are, and is fighting against his father most of the time, struggling to find recognition and love, which he feels was always denied to him

• Mama Duval – lovely, trying to cope with middle-age, seeking her own place in the household (as most housewives are), joins a course in college and much to her delight, even shares some classes with her daughter

• Daughter Duval – much to her dismay, has to share some classes with her mom, we watch her grow from a little girl, looking up to her eldest brother, to a woman struggling to find love within her family and outside

• Eldest son – the rebel of the family, cant wait to get out of the house, wants to make his own mark, doesn’t think much of his father or younger brother though does try to be protective (till he falls in love) of his younger sister

• Younger son – the odd one, quiet, artistic, part DJ / part connossieur, finds hidden reserves of discipline and dedication when given an unexpected opportunity by his grandfather


How they interact with each other, how their relationship develops and how each one of them in their own way finds peace and love is shown in the most beautiful, real and gripping way possible



People in Hindi cinema who write complicated and convoluted plots have much to learn from this little gem in terms of script writing, editing and narrative style. And actors who exaggerate (don’t think I need to name them) can learn much from the excellent understated performances of each of the actors. All in all, a lovely slice of life film that makes us look inwards into our own relationships and actions…

Bride Wars

Rating : 5/10
Release Date : Jan ‘09
Time : 89 minutes
Director : Gary Winick ; Writer : Greg DePaul, Casey Wilson, June Diane Raphael ;
Starring : Kate Hudson, Anne Hathway, Bryan Greenberg, Chris Pratt, Steve Howey
This is a concept made for India. Its about two best friends, who ever since they were kids, have wanted to get married at a particular venue, the Plaza. Both co-incidentaly get engaged at the same time, and then due to a quirk of fate, it becomes obvious that only one of them will get to fulfil her dream, while the other will have to choose another venue. And neither of them is in a mood to compromise !

Sparks fly, friendships and relationships are put in jeopardy to ensure that they have the perfect wedding. Obvious solutions, suggested by their fiance’s – one of them getting married at another venue (‘do you know how long I’ve dreamed of this’) or doing a double wedding (‘it’s the one day for myself’) – are quickly and ruthlessly cast aside


The two friends soon turn to bitter enemies and the funny moments come when they dream up innovative ways to begin to sabotage each others wedding plans. The two characters shown are also contrasting types – one a ball-busting corporate lawyer and the other a much more pliable, dormant school teacher. However, these are never fully built up and the script lacks conversation / dialogue where the inner thoughts of the characters are explored and we understand what really is driving them. The role of their common friends is also minimised to point of implausibility – I mean, in reality, surely someone would’ve made one of them see sense ?

Its all quite obvious, very predictable (apart from the methods they use to sabotage each other – that was deliciously devious) but even so it was enjoyable for the journey and leaves you with one unshakeable moral of the story. Don’t mess with women and their wedding plans !

Race to Witch Mountain

Rating : 4/10
Release Date : Mar ‘09
Time : 98 minutes
Director : Andy Fickman ; Writer : Matt Lopez (from Alexander Key’s book
‘Escape to Witch Mountain’)
Starring : Dwayne Johnson, Anna SophiaRobb, Alexander Ludwig, Carla Gugino, Ciaran Hinds
Standard sci-fi flick with decently funny dialogue, some over the top characters, the mandatory love interest and too much implausibility all thrown in equal measure. Does it keep you hooked till the end ? Not really – the sheer predictability of it all does get to you after a while. The only thing that really kept me going is the cool screen presence of ‘The Rock’ – this guy is really good as an action hero and I’ve enjoyed his films like ‘Welcome to the Jungle’ and even ‘Walking Tall’.

So, some aliens land in the USA (where else ?), a top secret government organisation (what else ?) reaches the site first in an effort to capture the aliens and keep this fact secret from the unsuspecting Americans (their TV reporters are clearly not as enterprising as their Indian counterparts). The Aliens are actually formed like human kids, which is a nice touch, as it instantly makes us like them. They are on a mission to save their planet and the Earth (why else ?) and they co-incidentally run into ‘The Rock’ (who else ?), who helps them fulfil their mission, while picking up cute lady scientist along the way.

I’m a bit surprised it did as well as it did at the box-office (approx $ 100mn) but then we know the American’s can be very gullible – after all, they elected Bush twice !

Sankat City

Rating : 7/10
Release Date : 10th July, 2009
Time : 120 minutes
Director & Writer : Pankaj Advani; Music : Ranjit Barot
Starring : Kay Kay Menon, Rimi, Anupam Kher, Yashpal Sharma, Manoj Pahwa, Chunky Pandey, Sanjay Mishra, Rahul Dev
After the two turkeys that I’d just seen previous to this, this one was like an oasis for a water starved desert traveller. Its a comedy caper, kind of ‘Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels’, kind of ‘Fish Called Wanda’ and a little bit of ‘Oceans Eleven’. But its well put together, supported by a stellar character star cast and works…



It stars the following kooky characters
• Faujdar Bhai (Anupam Kher) : mobster cum money lender, has a unique way of dealing with people who cant pay him. He lets them roll a pair of dice and if they get a 3, they have 3 days to pay him etc. He is also a devotee of a baba and though he does follow him in letter, he doesn’t always follow him in spirit.
• Gogi (Manoj Pahwa) : Film director who would want nothing more than to get his now flop leading actor killed on the set so that his film becomes a hit. He wants nothing more than to retire and open a studio with his assistant director.


• Lingam, The assistant (Sanjay Mishra) : helps out in any way, including not going to the toilet for many hours so that he doesn’t miss an important appointment for his boss. Will run the studio but has one precondition – Aishwarya must come for the studio opening, minus Abhishek
• Pachisia, The builder (Yashpal Sharma) : owes Faujdar 2 crores, has a soft spot for pretty ladies and popcorn but not the stomach for them.
• Guru, The car thief, (Kay Kay) : steals cars and does well for himself, along with old man Ganpat in a run-down garage, until he steals Faujdar’s car and money
• Mona (Rimi) : street smart con artist, who’d conned the car thief on a previous occasion. Is friends with Faujdar’s driver who’s in trouble as the car got stolen on his beat.
• Suleiman Supari (Rahul Dev) : will kill anyone, as per his self-confession, even his dad



The interaction between these assorted ‘madmen’ is good, the dialogue is very good, funny, the situations come naturally, don’t seem contrived. And while it does all ‘fit’ in the end, it doesn’t really do it with the brilliance of a ‘Lock, Stock’ – though maybe that is too high a benchmark. It drags a little bit in the end, the whole garbage dump sequence was a bit too long / unnecessary, but you are still kept on the edge of your seat, waiting for the madness to resolve itself.

Also, for a change, its not brainless, its not timepass, it has good performances and its better than the two crap films I saw recently – though maybe that’s too low a benchmark ! I enjoyed the film, a few laugh out loud moments and I’m sure you will too…

Shortkut...The Con is On

Rating : 2/10
Release Date : 10th July, 2009
Time : 138 minutes
Director : Neeraj Vohra; Writer : Anees Bazmee; Music : Shankar Mahadevan
Starring : Arshad Warsi, Akshaye Khanna, Amrita Rao
The con was on us. I’m going to struggle to name anything more than one good thing in this one, it wasn’t even a straight forward time pass, brainless film. It was a twisted & convoluted brainless time pass film, hence double the agony. Not content with the pathetic jokes, the relatively decent ones already having been shown in the trailer, they add a love story, a story of a struggling director/writer, an ‘Abhimaan’-esque angle, some very irritating chawl neighbours, some more farcical twists and turns and finally many ill-conceived item numbers, which make you sink lower and lower in your seat.


The only good thing was Akshaye Khanna, who almost literally stood tall amongst the ruins around him, actually looking convincing even when it wasn’t. Amrita Rao wasn’t bad, would at least credit her with a decent effort. The one who really does seem to have lost his way is Arshad Warsi. After Sehar and Waisa Bhi Hota Hai Part II (and maybe two Munnabhai’s), I think it has been nothing but downhill in terms of acting. I don’t think he’s become bad – just that he’s not choosing the right roles or scripts and is stuck in a rut.


It sometimes hurts me to be so harsh, especially since I know the kind of effort that goes in making a film. But I am convinced that with just a little thought, a little more interrogation of the script, this film could actually have been decent. In its current avatar though, it would’ve been the perfect cure for insomnia, except that its too loud and irritating…

Hangover

Rating : 8/10
Release Date : 26th June, 2009 (India)
Time : 100 minutes
Director : Todd Phillips; Writer : Jon Lucas, Scott Moore;
Starring : Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifikianis, Justin Bartha, Heather Graham, Mike Tyson, Ken Jeong

A group of 3 friends and a very eccentric future brother-in-law go on a trip to Las Vegas. When they wake up in the morning, their fancy suite is a mess, there is a very long legged model tip-toeing out trying not to disturb the chicken clucking around, the friends are in various stages of undress and sleeping on the floor or sofa’s or anywhere but on the bed, the dentist is missing a tooth, there is a tiger in the bathroom, a baby in the closet, instead of their Mercedes, the car valet gets them a police car. And oh, I almost forgot, the groom is missing and none of the friends can remember a thing about the previous night. Sounds interesting ? Curious as to what really happened that night ? I think it was brilliantly put together, and made for a highly enjoyable film as we, along with the friends, discovered the previous nights shenanigans….



I don’t want to spoil the fun, so will restrain myself from revealing anything. The interesting thing is that the characters are well-built as well. One is a dentist, who’s in a very constricting relationship with a very dominating woman, the type who wants to be called as soon as you check in, who finds strippers & Las Vegas offensive etc. There is a school teacher who cant wait to leave his family, the little tykes in school, take their school trip money and escape to Vegas. The brother-in-law deserves a book all unto himself. His choice of underwear, his demeanour, the fact that there is a restraining order against him not to go near any school or Chuck E Cheese, his satchel bag, all point towards a person we’d like to know better.

Throughout the film, we’re on tenterhooks as try to find out what really happened and it all ties in neatly at the end, except for the chicken, which curiously never gets explained. The jokes fly in thick and fast. Different eccentric people make their respective entry’s and exits (am really restraining myself from revealing more).

It’s a simple story, well told, well enacted, great music, and it has just the right degree of suspense. I deduct some points for the slightly implausible ending and their failure to reveal the origin of the chicken. And I just loved the band at the wedding in the end – I think India could use someone like them !

Ice Age3 : Dawn of the Dinosaurs

Rating : 6/10
Release Date : 3rd July, 2009 (India)
Time : 94 minutes
Director : Carlos Saldhana; Music : John Powell
Starring (voices of): Ray Romano, Dennis Leary, Queen Latifah, John Leguizamo, Simon Pegg

Its not as funny as the previous two movies but still a pretty good film. Scrat has a companion. Ellie is expecting. Diego is not sure whether he should still hang around – he’s finding it difficult to catch gazelle’s and is hopelessly out of shape. Sid is feeling the need for a family. And that’s why, when he finds some giant eggs, he decides to keep them.

There is an interesting new character introduced as well. Buck, the English-accented, crocodile Dundee style, tough talking, free-wheeling, dinosaur-tracking creature. There are enough gags to keep the kids in splits. I don’t remember laughing out loud too often, while I remember having a stomach ache in the previous two versions from laughing too much.

There may even be a fourth but methinks I doth have seen my last one….

Kambakkth Ishq

Rating : 2/10
Release Date : 3rd July, 2009
Time : 142 minutes
Director : Sabbir Khan; Writer : Sabbir Khan, Ishita Moitra; Music : Anu Malik
Starring : Akshay Kumar, Kareena Kapoor, Aftab Shivdasani, Amrita Arora, Vindu Dara Singh and Guest Appearances by Sylvester Stallone, Denise Richards, Boman Irani, Kirron Kher, Brandon Routh

All the beautiful locations, the Hollywood stars guest appearances, the cool threads, the various long legs, lingerie and swimsuit shots, the repeated use of swear words cannot hide the fact that the movie is an asinine farce, running on empty, with no script worthy of its name, no plot, nothing holding the film together. Everything in the movie reeks of trying to be big, bigger than anything before – the stunts, the Hollywood biggies, the completely unnecessary locations (the whole Italy shoot was redundant). The sad thing is that the current movie-starved audience may still make this one a commercial success...kambakkth luck !


Akshay Kumar, super stuntman hates Kareena (a part time model who is trying to be a surgeon). Just to emphasize that point and ensure no one doubts this fact, they call each other bitch/dog/bastard a couple of dozen times. At one point, though, Kareena has to perform an operation on Akshay and mistakenly leaves her musical watch (which plays ‘om mangalam’) inside him. Then she has to pretend to be in love with him to retrieve it. That’s really about it. Except there are many stupid sub-plots to accomodate Aftab Shivdasani, Amrita Arora, Kirron etc etc

Kareena pouts as only she can, shows off her long legs, her size zero figure and cleavage repeatedly. No complaints so far. Akshay, though, is so way over the top, – right from his clothes, which reek of someone desperately trying to be cool, to his very jerky and loud acting, that it makes you cringe. He seems to have lost his way. He’s much better than this and I wish he would do a pure, slick action thriller and not farcical comedies.


Its loud, screechy, makes you laugh about once per 25 attempts, vulgar in parts, completely implausible in all other parts. The kids and all of those with a similar IQ loved it. All others will hate it and will think twice before watching the next Akshay starrer, especially after its coming so close to his previous turkeys.

P.S. There’s plenty of eye candy throughout the film but the sheer number of such shots and the swear words really make me question the U certificate.

New York

Rating : 6/10
Release Date : 26th June, 2009
Time : 153 minutes
Director : Kabir Khan; Writer : Sandeep Srivastava; Music : Pritam
Starring : John Abraham, Katrina Kaif, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Irrfan

In most countries, civilized ones that is, if the cops come and arrest you on mere suspicion (no evidence), detain you for 6-9 months, torture you, beat you, deprive you of your basic civil rights (food / clothing / right to a lawyer) and racially insult you / your religion, its regarded as a major human rights violation. In the USA, this is routine procedure as per the Patriots Act.


This point and how such procedures / violence in turn breed terrorism is the central point of Kabir Khan’s second film, New York, which traces the lives of three friends who are immigrants in USA and how the events of 9/11 impacted them and so many others like them.

They are college students, John, Katrina and Neil, there is an unspoken love triangle amongst them, lots of fun and games, laughter, partying. 9/11 happens towards the end of their college, shaking things up. Unrelatedly, they drift apart, Neil returning to india and then coming back to USA, running a taxi service. And then the FBI comes in, makes the three get back together and things change forever….


My Dad used the word taut while describing the film and its edited quite well, for sure, keeping it nice and tight, the story moving at all times. The camera angles are interesting and the first half is speckled with some good jokes, the most memorable being Neil’s “I’ve just come.” Followed by John’s “Really ? Bas gale milne se hi ?”. The three central characters act well. Neil was better than what I expected. Katrina, after a long while, got a role that required her to be more than just eye candy. John was as good as we would expect – fun in the party section and serious when he was needed to be.


It is a bit heavy though, and there are parts during the film where you wish you could watch in FF mode. The journey to the slightly predictable, mostly implausible end is not all fun and games and while not bad, is not brilliant either. In fact implausibility is writ large over a lot of the film, both major and minor, as the FBI would not have so many meetings with an informant in the open, a lot of the in-car shots showed the front car passenger without a seat belt etc


Kabir makes nice, thoughtful films. His first feature, Kabul Express, took a wry look at Afghanistan. This one focuses on USA’s response to 9/11 and I could kind of sense Kabir’s dilemma throughtout the film – I feel he thinks the USA did wrong, they’ve created more terrorists through their own actions etc. He tried to provide an ‘other side’ through Irrfan, the Muslim FBI agent, but he comes across as too trite, too flat. In the end, unfortunately, despite a few sparks and some good performances, even the film rises above mediocrity, but only just…