My Review - Funny People

From the opening credits itself you get the feeling that this one would be a great watch. Directed by Judd Apatow and starring Adam Sandler and Apatow regulars like Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill, Leslie Mann etc, Funny People starts on a good note.

George Simmons(Sandler) is a successful stand up comic slash movie star diagnosed with a rare life threatening disease. Simmons has no family or friends, GF or otherwise, leads a pretty lonely life sleeping with random women here and there and is seemingly, selfish. Ira Wright, played by Rogen, is a struggling stand up comic looking to make his mark while his roomies are making decent money with dim witted TV shows. They meet by chance and George takes Ira under his wings as an assistant slash confidant. George gets a friend and Ira gets to write jokes for him and learn from 'the best in the business'. Ira is also introduced to Laura(Mann), George's ex, who is married with two kids. She lets George know that she misses him and her husband(Eric Bana) also cheats on her just as George used to do. Meanwhile, the twist in the story comes from the fact that George starts responding to medicine and is on his way to recovery.

I had a lot of expectations from this one. I like Sandler, however low-brow and crass his movies might seem to be. But this one doesn't make the cut. Sandler is unconvincing as the womanizing George. He does not have 'that' personality. A 'Robert Downey Jr' would have been perfect here. The dialogues have an overdose of the word 'big cock' which get annoying after a point of time. The only saving grace is Seth Rogen, who in a stark contrast to playing a foul-mouthed guy in most of his movies, goes reserved and subtle here. Some of the moments he has with George, his roomies and 'the girl he likes' are the high points of the film. 

At 2 hours and 35 minutes, its too long as well. 

2 stars for the movie and 1 extra for Seth Rogen. *Rajeev Masand style*. Dissapointing!

My Review - Yeh Saali Zindagi

This is going to be short and simple. 

Went to see as it was highly recommended by a friend. Plus wifey has a thing for Chitrangda. Too many subplots, too many characters(half of which get killed off), uneven screenplay, improper dubbing(Yeah!) and amateur acting too(at least by Arunoday Singh). A lot is there to put you off.

What works here however is the story which is gripping in parts and makes you wonder what the f#$@ will happen eventually, earthy dialogues(some of them are real gems) and fiiinally Irfan Khan, Irfan Khan and Irfan Khan. Some of his lines are the real high points of the film wich could easily have been edited by 15-20 minutes to make for a thrilling ride. Sushant Singh is perfect as the corrupt inspector and some of the supporting cast is also near perfect. Chitrangda is all dusky and sexy but has a problem emoting in hindi. She would do great in Hinglish films I guess while Aditi Rao hasn't much to do than other than kiss Arunoday Singh. No. There are no 22 kisses. Arunoday Singh is passe while Saurabh Shukla is awesome as the haryanvi real estate guy.

I am giving it a little more than 3 stars. Don't expect much and you will have fun for sure.

My Review - Ishqiya

Finally I saw Ishqiya. And I liked it. And I swear I won't listen to other people's reviews and NOT watch a movie. Simplistic, crude, earthy and very very enjoyable, Ishqiya talks of Gorakhpur and Faizabad, locations which the Johars, Chopras and even RGVs can neither reach nor understand. All three main actors give top notch performances with Naseer taking the cake. His expressions in the song "Dil to baccha hai jee" are alone enough for an award.

I give it somewhere between three and four stars.

My Review - 27 Dresses

Starring Knocked Up star Katherine Heigl, 27 Dresses is a funny and light rom com about a girl who is always trying to please everyone, has attended 27 weddings as a bridesmaid and is madly in love with her boss. As with all rom coms, the setting is in New York and there is a good-at-heart reporter who has to 'do' a story for which the protagonist suits perfectly.

The movie starts with a bang, slows down and ends merrily. Not bad for a lazy sunday afternoon!

My Review - Love Actually

You must be wondering - a rom com, with nine different stories and starring Hugh Grant?!! Is it me or something has changed? Well actually after watching the extremely witty Notting Hill I wanted to check out 'any other great works' of the said writer(Richard Kurtis) and Love Actually was the only unseen one on the list. (other ones being the Bridget Jones series). Incidentally, this is one of Grant's and Curtis' highest grossing films worldwide.

So what did I think of it? Better than Notting Hill. No. Wittier than Notting Hill. At some places.

The best stories are the ones with the aging rockstar(Bill Nighy) and his manager, the boss(Alan Rickman, the baddie from Die Hard) and the secretary and the stand-in body doubles. The story about the Prime Minister(brilliantly played by Hugh Grant) and Sarah(played by Laura Linney), who likes a fellow colleague at her office, have a good start but are not developed quite as well.

A highlight of the film is this scene where the PM addressess the media alongwith the President of the US. And for this reason alone I give this film 3 stars.



Needless to say the Bollywood copy of this film was the very boring Salaam-E-Ishq!

My Review - There Will be Blood

There will be blood is about the struggle and rise of Daniel Plainview(Daniel Day Lewis), a manipulative and eccentric oilman during the oil boom of the late 19th century in the US. In his pursuit of oil and wealth, he comes into regular conflict with Eli Sunday(Paul Dano, the elder brother from Little Miss Sunshine), a young preacher who is himself looking to make some easy money from the same boom.

Like all of Paul Thomas Anderson's previous movies(Punch Drunk Love and Magnolia), the narrative of the movie is slow. But that does not bother you because of the wonderful cinematography and some equally wonderful acting.

Somehow I felt that the film was more about Plainview's rags to riches story and subsequent loneliness than the fight between him the young preacher as suggested by reviewers.

Daniel Day Lewis, who won an Oscar, BAFTA, Golden Globe for this one, gives a powerful performance as the eccentric Plainview.

Definitely a one time watch for a lazy Sunday afternoon!

My Review - Notting Hill

This is such a funny thing. Just day before yesterday, my wife was telling me all about Notting Hill, how it's the most wonderful(est) romantic comedy ever made and how she remembers each and every line of it and how blah blah blah...by the time she had completed, I was off to sleep.

Coincidentally, it was playing today on HBO and I managed to catch it along with sandwiches and tea. An engaging first half , an innovative ending(though not an airport one), a little boring in the second half is how the movie sums up. The writing in some scenes is pretty amazing especially the 'apricot and honey' bit. Hugh Grant is cute as usual and carries the same expression throughout(Britain's Shahrukh, anyone..eh?). Julia Roberts is... well Julia Roberts.

Total ChickFlick. One time watch!!!

P.S. - An interesting fact is the this $40 Million movie made almost $350 Million dollars in total. That is almost an I, Robot. Also, this is Hugh Grant's biggest hit.

My Review - Sex and the City

Caught Sex and the City(SATC) on DVD. The TV series ended on a very happy note with Carrie back with Big, Miranda settled with Steve, Samantha confessing(shockingly) to Smith and Charlotte getting a baby through adoption. My only intention was to see where would Michael Patrick King take the story next. Unfortunately, King fumbles and so do the girls(you can't really blame them, they are just following the script). Although die hard fans of SATC would love to see the girls doing their usual routine in New York, the plot is twisted and turned in the worst possible way to make it look like another chapter in their lives.

Dissapointing. Some things should just be left untouched.

My Review - Patton

My obsession with world war movies continues. Patton is a 1970 Hollywood film which won seven Oscar awards including Best Film, Actor and Director. It is based on George Smith Patton Jr, who was a brilliant but eccentric US military general in world war II. My father used to mention a lot about him along with Rommel(who was a German General). It has been on my to-do list for a long long time. The film documents the general's exploits in the buildup to the second world war. George C Scott, who won the Best Actor Oscar in 1970,(and refused it famously) is brilliant as Patton. The film does not focus on the war as such but more on Patton's personality and his views and opinions on a host of issues like reincarnation, war, honour etc.

Watch it for George C Scott's brilliant performance!

My Review - Out of Africa

Casually surfing through Wikipedia, I stumbled upon this movie and I got to know that this real-life romantic drama got a Best Oscar for Picture, Director, Adapted Screenplay among others in 1985. I saw this movie last Sunday. If you are the one who has Discovery and Nat Geo as their favourite channels and Big Cat Diary as one of your favourite shows, you are bound to love this movie. The pace is slow and boring at times but it tells of a much simpler time and very simple people(African tribals). Meryl Streep is brilliant with her Dutch accent, Robert Redford is sexy and the cinematography is mindblowing. Some of the supporting cast also does well in their tiny but significant parts. A perfect watch for a lazy Saturday or Sunday afternoon!

My Review - Apocalypto

I read a lot of great reviews and went for this one. Got the DVD and saw it with my better half. I am thankful I am still married! Depiction of Mayas and the Maya Civilization is nice and the cinematography is excellent. The first half has a lot of brutal violence(Be ready to see human sacrifice with hearts being ripped out) which is pointless cause it does not lead anywhere.

The actual fun is in the last 50 minutes when the chase begins. Its like you want him(Jaguar Paw) to run run and run faster. This would have been a top of the line film had the chase started 30 mins into the movie. Great idea, bad execution. One time watch strictly!

My Review - Rock On

Finally I saw Rock On. And I have to say that Rajeev Masand's review is spot on. The film has its moments but its not a cult film(which I am guessing most of us thought it will be right?!!). First the bad things. Some of the dialogues and scenes are very awkward - the one where the band members fight or the scene where Aditya(Farhan's character) leaves his girlfriend overnight etc. The first half is painfully slow and Aditya's attitude seems irritating. The second half has its moments(when Prachi watches her husband in a new role and the channel V performance) but the cliches are hard to miss.


About the cast, Purab is the funniest. Farhan, sadly, is a better singer than actor. Shahana Goswami(plays Arjun's girlfriend and wife) is a revelation(she is sexy, dusky and can act). Arjun Rampal has given a nice understated performance. But the real scene stealer is Prachi Desai(sooooooooo cute) who looks so damn fresh and so elegant. Also, I have to add that the songs make much more sense once you see the movie. You can't help but admire Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy for their mindblowing music. Pichle saat dinon main and Yeh tumhaari meri baatein are the best songs.

I would conclude by saying what Rajeev Masand said - Watch the film Cause at least it tries to be different. Three out of five stars is what the film deserves.

My Review - Platoon

Last to last Monday, I saw Platoon, the supposedly iconic 1986 film by Oliver Stone. I was pleasantly surprised to see 'some' negative portrayal of Americans as Hollywood generally has a legacy of hyping up all things American. I found it to be an average film maybe because I have seen so many war movies of the 90s and 2000s and now I am going backwards. Watching Charlie Sheen in a serious role was a bit awkward as I am used to watching him in stuff like Scary Movie and Hot Shots. I quite liked the character of Willem Dafoe, the Officer with morals. All in all, a one time watch.

Reviews - Aamir & The Incredible Hulk

I saw two films over the last four days. Different Worlds. Different Genres. Different Industries. One is a superhero trying to live upto his name and a weird first outing. And the other is by a debutant trying to make his mark in a star obsessed industry.




THE INCREDIBLE HULK
I felt TIH was not upto the mark. There seems to be no story, casting is terrible, the Abomination comes in way too late, chemistry is missing between the lead pair and kanu dear, yes, Liv Tyler "HAS" grown old. In the Univerisity fight scene it seems for a moment that The Hulk is the bad guy and Emil Blonsky is the good guy. The long fight scene at the end will remind you of the boring Spiderman 3 scene at the end - too dark and too 'difficult to make out'. Really dissapointed. Was waiting for it for a long time!

AAMIR
I expected Aamir to be a typical secular rant but it's actually a smashing debut by Rajkumar Gupta and a sensible one by Rajeev Khandelwaal. I was made to see the film by my friends on a 'pirated' CD which I don't normally do but eventually it turned out to be a pleasure. A typically good muslim vs bad muslim story. I like the scene especially where he tells the guy on the phone - "I was not lucky. I studied in govt schools and colleges, worked hard, got a scholarship and made my destiny on my own". Brilliant line! The 'checking of luggage four times' scene at the start was unnecessary. Best film of the year?!! We will see! :-)