Review: Spectre 2015 - James Bond was it? The question all critics ranting against watching the movie seem to be asking. To me this was a mish mash of all the previous Bond flicks. A villain wanting to do something really bad and Mr Bond the savior uses some cars, a copter, a plane etc. not too many gadgets, goes over to some amazingly great cross country/continent locales, rather beautifully shot to save the day. While, the story appears cliched and sometimes predictable, the movie comes out as more rounded, grounded and thoughtful. A tad slow for a true Bond fan, it offers a bit of sentiment, a touch of reality and great pulsating background score. Craig comes across as a credible Bond unlike a put on act like that of Pierce Brosnon. And oh yes, there were some talk of censors being too harsh on the kiss kiss scenes. Censoring these lip locks did not damage much and thought that kids can watch as well. Will put this as a "Please watch" rather than a "must watch" item with an expectation of 3 out of 5. I am more inclined for a 4 out of 5 though.
Showing posts with label Movie Reviews. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Movie Reviews. Show all posts
Friday, 11 December 2015
Friday, 23 October 2015
Movie Review – San Andreas (2015) – English
Movie Review – San Andreas (2015) – English
Ok ! Here’s how the movie came into being I guess. Some random guy with tons of money employed a
writer to script a “Disaster” movie. And
this “adherence to standards” kind of a writer went about penning down or rather
creating the plot and sequences.
Alrighty, for now let you and I create the story through an evolutionary “Fill in the blanks
technique”.
- ______________ Disaster___________city______________happy ending
- ______ disaster earthquake ______seismic zone_____California, San Fransciso, bridge collapse_________happy pending (Logic – 9 out of 10 disaster movies happen in California and the iconic bridge will have to collapse and the Hoover dam as well you see). Ok first the Hoover dam and then the Golden Gate bridge in that order.
- __________trapped family _____ disaster quake seismic zone, California....lot of buildings will collapse.....happy ending
- Add several doses of emotion. Ofcourse all disaster movies will have an estranged family. Wife wants divorce and is seeing some other guy...husband the hero (we all need to sympathize with this poor fella), and add a son or a daughter. If daughter then the daughter will love the Dad soooo much...but she will have a boy friend and the father does not like his cho chweet daughter to be with the boyfriend until there comes a force fit scene where the boy friends fights through challenges, doesn’t care about his life and saves the daughter. And lo behold, the father suddenly acknowledges the boyfriends presence. Usually in disaster movies the family will have a daughter and not a son.
- Estranged trapped family with husband (the “paapam” guy), his wife who is wanting to settle with someone else, the daughter who is travelling (she has to be in a different city when disaster strikes) suddenly are struck with a disastrous earthquake. Meanwhile, there is another nerdy professorial researcher (in California Tech) who models quakes with a bunch of students. He is feeling very happy first because his models are predicting the right things...but hold on a bit..there is “Oh My God”..this can’t be happening..”oMG” there is a mother of all quakes that is going to hit. And the first quake hits.....happy ending.
- Estranged trapped.........the earth will split only after the heroine crosses the road or the earth will split just by the side of where the heroine is running...and after sometime the earth will shatter on the path the heroine is running ahead of her and she will have no where to go. Aha, here comes the hero, he jumps, swims, crawls, uses his muscle to move mountains and gets his wife out of the situation...happy ending
Honey, It’s going to be alright, Honey, I will get our
daughter back. Honey, are you ok,
Honey..Honey...Honey. Suddenly, there
will be lots of dialogues starting and ending with Honey, i will be right back,
I love you some more honey honey honey.
Finally, after some 75% of the junta dies, the bridge
collapses, the hero, heroine and daughter are ok..they are together and there
is honey all around.
Easy isn’t it.
Scripting a disaster movie??.
Good, now get the SFX fellow, ask him to create some tall and very tall
buildings, get them to crash and lo you have a movie.
The SFX were good, but as you would have guessed by now the
banality, (or the lack of originality)
in the story I will go for a 2 * rating for this one.
Movie Review: Mission Impossible 5
Movie Review: Mission Impossible 5 - Rouge Nation: I went, I saw and I liked. Liked "why because" I understood every dialogue and the entire plot. Unlike MI 1 and others, the masks were lesser and I exactly knew who was doing what. Liked because, the stunts were good....aeroplane stunt covered check, car stunt covered check, bike stunt covered check..they missed a train stunt and a boat stunt though. I liked the background score and I lovvveddd Rebecca Ferguson (eye candy stuff she was). The plot kind of love hate story between the US intelligence and the British. Ofcourse the guy has to be from the US and the girl (Rebecca, if you will) from the Great Britain....a bit of "Don" I need the disc that has the names of....and a rogue villain who will destroy the globe. All said, I still liked MI5. Watch it in a good theatre. A definite 4 out of 5 if you like some James Bondish action..
Movie Review: Baahubali 2015 Telugu
Movie Review: Baahubali - Much has been written about this movie (and I will hence resort to brevity). It was good. The Cinematography and the scale unparalleled in Indian Cinema. Some of the stunt sequences were breathtaking. Well not too much of gravity defying stunts thankfully..I felt that the cast could have been better. For an epic movie like this, the lead actor should have a thunderous voice, should have good expressions, passion for example. Prabhas was a minus on these counts. Just having a great built is not the only qualification. Ramyakrishna definitely stood out..Rana looked good but yet to see more of him. Saw this movie in Dolby Atmos and the background score was very good. For those you have not yet watched, please do. A 3.5/5.
Movie Review Kick 2 (2015)
Movie Review: Kick II (Telugu) - Aug 2015
Expect the expected. It was a Ravi Teja flick. Lots of energy, lots of noise, lots of shouting, lots of fights, lots of melodrama and lots of comedy. But kind of disappointing, I must say. Ravi says he lives and wants to live in "Comfort" but add an "un" to that word and that was how I felt. Comedy went awry at times even though there was Brahmi. The drama was a bit hard to digest. The shouts a bit unbearable. Could have done with some lesser fights. A bit of Rowdy Rathore, a bit of Sholay, a bit of "the savior" will come to rid us from the Thakur...Tending towards 3 out of 5 but not there I should say.
The photo was shot before we entered the hall...we thought of taking another facing the poster and kicking it post coming out smile emoticon
Expect the expected. It was a Ravi Teja flick. Lots of energy, lots of noise, lots of shouting, lots of fights, lots of melodrama and lots of comedy. But kind of disappointing, I must say. Ravi says he lives and wants to live in "Comfort" but add an "un" to that word and that was how I felt. Comedy went awry at times even though there was Brahmi. The drama was a bit hard to digest. The shouts a bit unbearable. Could have done with some lesser fights. A bit of Rowdy Rathore, a bit of Sholay, a bit of "the savior" will come to rid us from the Thakur...Tending towards 3 out of 5 but not there I should say.
The photo was shot before we entered the hall...we thought of taking another facing the poster and kicking it post coming out smile emoticon
Movie Review - Everest 2015
Movie Review - Everest (2015) - This is not a regular "Vertical Limit" Human vs Human but more of Human vs Mountain kind of a movie. Not really a documentary but a Movie-mentary if you will. Stunning cinematography, exquisite capture of the mountain ranges are the highlights. You feel how tiny you are in perspective. There is not much of a story though. Slow to start getting the characters in place and then rushing the adrenaline pushing part quickly. Certainly, Everest leaves you with questions on "Why at all does one take on challenges in life, knowing very well the risks it offers". There are some answers to this when the characters reason it out. But then again not too convincingly. Watching Everest on the big screen/IMAX helps magnify Everests' majesty. You will certainly have the vicarious feeling of being there, feeling dizzy, breathless and climbing by yourselves. It certainly is a substitute for the real journey...A 3.5/5.
Movie review: oohalu gusagusalade 2015
Happiness and a good sense of light heartedness (?) (not sure if that is an appropriate expression): The feeling that you get when you watch a happy ending where the hero and the heroine are in love but are not able to express due to ego clashes or are either too shy or keep thinking will I lose her/him in case I propose or just for the heck of it but finally unite through some twists and turns. Watched "Oohalu Gusagusalade" for the second time. Simple romance with a dash of embedded comedy, excellent expressions and taking to the edge the line of "I love you" but not really saying it out..a beautiful heroine (excellent choice of colourful sarees, elegance personified) and a smart hero, no villains and hence no fights, soulful music, an earthly plot. Some other movies that fall in similar genre that I liked Godavari, Uyalla Jampala, Anand, 7G Brindavan Colony, Ye maaya Chesave, Ashta Chamma, Gundajari Gallantainde......
Movie Review: Kerintha Telugu 2015
Kerintha - 2015 Telugu: One song was all it took to pique my otherwise dormant interest in this film. The trailer playing since the past few days on the Telly aroused expectations of yet another "light hearted" (please see my post of Oct 4th) evening. 15 minutes into the movie brought me to a great realization. Not all "feel fresh, nice color tone" kind of movies are good, not all happy happy college friends stories are good, one good song does not make the movie good and so on. Far from being light hearted, I cursed the story writer..not an iota of thought towards realism. Ofcourse, movies are not supposed to be real but good movies are those that are adept at being close to the make-belief. Some snippets of how idiotic the writer and the movie maker can get:
Flash back - A tiny forgettable fellow, can't really see the road once in the car seat dons an oversized coat, sports expensive gogs, projected as an achiever in the Corporate world, starts narrating in an extremely irritable tone his college reminiscences. 2 years ago, the screen reads...Start of the academic year, 3 guys and 3 girls with completely uncommon interests become thickest of friends. How?? I am still wondering.
Just a few Un-realisms:
1) Where the hell is a University where students graduate in just an year??
2) An overprotective well educated mother believes that her son is studying MCA whereas the guy is actually attending MA Music. The overprotective mom, herself an academician maintains a overly strict regimen on her son so much so that she taunts him on why he returned 15 mins late from college. Will such moms not go to the college to enquire how her son is doing or check mark sheets??
3)Wow, the college does not have classes nor lecturers in any of the frames. There are just a bunch of college going lads and girls shouting.."Hey", "hi" and that's all??
4)One of the sophisticated girl falls in love rather inexplicably with a village bumpkin whose aim is life is to patao girls in a cosmopolitan city. This guy can't even speak properly, terribly irritating getting on nerves character, has not one good thing to write home about and yet, this sophisticated girl is lovey dovey on him.
I sometimes wonder, how stupid do people get to put their money on making such movies, where does the little iota of common sense get hidden during these times. What is it that they are teaching the younger generation through this medium. #%#&#^@$%$^&&**#$% (My famous expletives - not being translated here for obvious reasons)
I am giving a one star for this movie. The lone star is for the song remember. It goes Mila Mila Mila....
Flash back - A tiny forgettable fellow, can't really see the road once in the car seat dons an oversized coat, sports expensive gogs, projected as an achiever in the Corporate world, starts narrating in an extremely irritable tone his college reminiscences. 2 years ago, the screen reads...Start of the academic year, 3 guys and 3 girls with completely uncommon interests become thickest of friends. How?? I am still wondering.
Just a few Un-realisms:
1) Where the hell is a University where students graduate in just an year??
2) An overprotective well educated mother believes that her son is studying MCA whereas the guy is actually attending MA Music. The overprotective mom, herself an academician maintains a overly strict regimen on her son so much so that she taunts him on why he returned 15 mins late from college. Will such moms not go to the college to enquire how her son is doing or check mark sheets??
3)Wow, the college does not have classes nor lecturers in any of the frames. There are just a bunch of college going lads and girls shouting.."Hey", "hi" and that's all??
4)One of the sophisticated girl falls in love rather inexplicably with a village bumpkin whose aim is life is to patao girls in a cosmopolitan city. This guy can't even speak properly, terribly irritating getting on nerves character, has not one good thing to write home about and yet, this sophisticated girl is lovey dovey on him.
I sometimes wonder, how stupid do people get to put their money on making such movies, where does the little iota of common sense get hidden during these times. What is it that they are teaching the younger generation through this medium. #%#&#^@$%$^&&**#$% (My famous expletives - not being translated here for obvious reasons)
I am giving a one star for this movie. The lone star is for the song remember. It goes Mila Mila Mila....
Sunday, 7 December 2014
Movie Review: Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014, English)
Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014, English)
Simply put, it’s the story of Ramses and Moses. And if you have seen “The Ten Commandments”
already, then Exodus has nothing new to offer except that it is a paler version
of the original. Shot in 3D, in a much
larger scale, Exodus flatters to deceive.
Watching the trailers led me to believe that I was about to witness a
magnum opus with quite a bit of pulsating battle scenes where metal meets metal
amidst thundering horse hooves and an absorbing background score. I was looking forward to intense exchanges
between the protagonists. Alas, the
movie meandered into many a silence moments and appeared to drag in
places. And since it was the story of
Moses, predictability of what’s going to happen next became a given. As with respect to SFX, except for the parting
of the Red sea there is nothing much to write home about. Having said this, the last 10 minutes of the
movie beholds the spectacle that is uniquely created and is certainly worth a
mention. Christian Bale (Moses) and Joel
Edgerton (Ramses) are no comparison to the intensity that Charlton Heston and
Yul Brynner (of the 1956, “Ten Commandments” fame) brought in. No screen presence at all. I would like to compare this with the
electrifying performance of Russell Crowe in Gladiator. The reference in here, since, the Director,
Ridley Scott is a common denominator.
On a lighter note, amusingly, I was drawn into a comparison
of my daily work life. There is a
General (read “Project Manager”) leading a bunch of slaves (read “Team Members”)
extracting every ounce of flesh and blood at a far location (read “client site”)
and the Kings rep (read “Delivery Excellence Auditor”) is sent to inspect how
the Project is coming up. The Kings rep (the
auditor) demands, documents, project plans, authorizations on excess money
spent, approvals from the King on deviations conducts a few slave interviews
and threatens to report the project as an abject failure. The General meanwhile pleads and counters, “I
do not have skilled manpower, the resources are scarce, there are no tools to
automate, the environs are harsh and hence the delays on Project Delivery....” Sounds familiar ??? -J.
On the rating part now, would give it a 3 out of 5 and would
not put it on a “Must Watch” list on the big screen.
Sunday, 12 October 2014
Movie Review – Loukyam (Telugu, 2014) Starring: GopiChand, Rakul Preet, Pragathi Mahavadi
Movie Review – Loukyam (Telugu, 2014) Starring: GopiChand,
Rakul Preet, Pragathi Mahavadi
An out and out entertainer with Brahmi as one of the central
characters. And when Brahmi is in…will others
matter much? Yes, they do in this flick.
The central theme is not much to write
home about as it gives a sense of déjà vu…been there seen that. No twists, no turns, a little bit of flash
back…2 Reddy families battling it out for something that is passe....Reddy 1s sister wants to marry Reddy 2…but you Reddy 2
does not want because of abc and def.
Reddy 1 takes objection and unleashes his side kicks on Reddy 2, Reddy 2
has another sister…enter Reddy 2s brother Reddy 3 and somewhere in this plot
are thrown Brahmi and other comics. A
few fights, some tricky situations, some passable but not worth home to write
about songs and lots of comedy mark this film.
Rakul Preet offers lots of eye candy moments…which may not go too very
well with protective parents who would take their children along. All in all a good refreshing movie…A 3.5 out
of 5.
Friday, 4 July 2014
Movie Review – Transformers 4 – Age of Extinction
Movie Review – Transformers 4 – Age of Extinction
Pre-scriptum – You will find this to be a rather long review…had
to kill some time on this 2 hour flight from Kolkata to Hyderabad. So please be
as patient as I have been while typing this out with lots of angst…
Expecting the expected, we trooped into the movie hall
anticipating a good bit of metal rub metal, we have come here to help you
humans, autobots…this bot…that bot, kind of imagery and audio-phonics. Was not
one bit disappointed as the familiar magic began to unfold. Pleasantly taken in on a slow but yet,
entertaining story build up. Presenting,
a young barbie doll faced teenager and her over protective dad…No boy friends,
no late night parties, no this no that, while our expression less doll goes
around in her micros educating her dad about her being good and yada yada yada.....and
you guessed it…with this familiar build up comes, surprise surprise…an existential
boy friend J….surprise
surprise…there will be dialogues later…with the Dad screaming a few words…thou
shalt not touch my daughter…she is too very young…and surprise surprise…the boy
wins over the Dad by saving him and his daughter from surprise surprise…the
vagaries of some bang bangs and Governmental Agencies and the bad bad bots. Hokay, so far so good, the movie is moving the way
you thought it would go…now this will happen and that is bound to happen..deja
vu…I’ve seen this earlier…I can write this script and so very predictable…but
where the heck are the bots ??? I need some action now…and lo…there you go…our
good old Optimus Prime comes back to life.
The very very battered Prime (remember Transformers 3..almost beaten to
pulp, sorry to metal sheets !!!) 40 minutes into the story, pop the bots and
some more bots and many more bots and soon the screen is filled with some tall,
some short, some new looking, some oldies..a bot here a bot there and a bot
there and another bot to the left and they are everywhere !!! Hokay, I’ve now gotten used to watching
gigantic human looking metals in Transformer 1, 2, 3 (the degree goes up),
Pacific Rim, a bit of Iron Man 1, 2, 3…and a host of others..High time, I
stopped going to one of these kinds any more…Alright, I was waiting for a
surprise element to make the story a tad more interesting. Was looking for an estranged “Mom” to appear.
You see, the dad and the barbie and the boyfriend…but where is the Mom?? Then I reckoned and thankfully felt…good No
Mom lest I would have to make do with some more clichéd exchanges of “Honey”…”Sweetheart”….”I
will be right back…” et al. Anyways,
back to the story or the lack of one…the bots are fighting with each other, rather
mindlessly, some more bang bang, some more clunk, thunk, ding, doong, dhunks
and while the screen lights up with some mega explosions, and the dolby system
is put to sound test…courtesy the bad bots, our father dear, daughter dear and
boy friend dear go unscathed..tut tut…they cannot die, fire cannot burn them,
bullets cannot pierce them, bombs cannot blow them, smart and super duper senses
laden dog-teligent creatures cannot find them ??? Come on give me a break…ZZzzzzzzzz…I slipped
into a slumber…What the suddenly awakened by a bizarre sound…only to find some
new bad bots beating the heroic Optimus Prime and his friends to
mittens..Zzzzzzz…nudge nudge from my Son a while later exclaiming…Dad, when can
we go home…while I look over to my right
only to find my spouse and daughter blissfully and oblivious to the madness and
cacophonic eruption unfolding on the screen, asleep. I felt sad, pity, remorseful for dragging
them to this movie…The pain ended thankfully a long time later. It was only 10 pm in the night and it was as
if we had slept the entire night…I wondered why spoke aloud the question: “Where
the heck are the bots?”
I guess you would have arrived at the verdict
and the numbers by now. Plusses, the
first 30 mins of the movie 3.5 out of 5 and 1 out of 5 for the rest 4
hours. Yes, the balance 1.x odd hours
seemed to be like 4. And the average 2
out of 5. Go watch it if you want to
catch up on sleep. Thankfully, I did not
get tickets in Prasadz Imax and the Atmos digital sound theaters, else, I would have ended up with a megatronic ache
in the head. Extinction was the name of
the movie…ha ha the Director has the last as he leaves behind a couple of transformers on mother earth
for a Transformers 5. I can hazard a name.
Transformers 5 – Obliteration. That
is, was and will be the last of the Transformer movies for me. I can tolerate no more lest I become extinct….Sigh
!!!!Saturday, 14 June 2014
Movie Review : NON STOP (2014, English, Liam Neeson)
Rather frivolous and hackneyed it seemed as the action drama
unfolded 40k feet over the MSL. Liam
Neeson with his “I’ve lost everything in the world” look tries to rev up things
of what I thought ok, now there will be something good I will get to watch, but
alas the ending was too trivial for the palate.
I give this movie full marks because the Hero, is not the one who lands
the plane and saves lives...else, there will be like....the control tower
howling terse and tense directions, “Do you see the switch that is next to
the...turn it on, get to 8000 ft level and ....” and so on for a Hero who would
have flown many a smaller thingy.
Unfortunately, the build up to the movie where the Hero observes
co-passengers with earnest intent, giving a feeling that ah here is a thinker and he will use these
observations to solve the mystery...but alas..nothing of this is played back
later and the film degenerates into some engaging action with the end giving a feeling
more of a shrug than a “Oh wow” or a gasp.
Watch it if there is nothing better to do with an pre-notion of 2 out of
5 rating and you will finally settle at 3 by 5.
On a side note: (This has got nothing to do with NON STOP). I am glad that Liam Neeson had only one Wife and One daughter. TAKEN 1 was getting his daughter back....TAKEN 2 was getting his Wifey and daughter back...One more in his family and we would have been TAKEN again for the third time :-).
Thursday, 1 May 2014
Race Gurram [Telugu, 2014, Allu A, Shruti H]
Laugh Laugh Song Laugh Cry Laugh Laugh song Twist Dishum
Dishum Laugh Song Twist Dishum Song Laugh Cry Twist Dishum Song Laugh Laugh
Laugh Song Dishum Twist Laugh THE END
That is how the movie went, a perfect masala entertainer
with liberal doses of clean comedy that did not appear for once as a put on or
on a parallel track....and no this was not Brahmi type comedy..but nicely
interwoven into the plot with some of the main characters providing the comic
relief. A couple of nice songs. Was not
too impressed with the choreography bit, but the lavish sets keep you
involved. The theme appeared a bit new
and natural...was not abrupt especially the transformation part. Brahmi I felt was wasted, for once I guess
his magic did not work. Allu holds your attention signs of coming of age, Prakash Raj was
brilliant as usual, Shruti H ofcourse
provides the glam quotient, the villain appeared to be a mish mash of lots of villain
characters across several movies...nothing original here. Just as you start wondering that the hero
could have killed the villain or vice versa but why did he leave him...you are
provided with an honest answer..and several such answers....Overall, a good decent entertainer, can go
with kids and your family. A 3.5/5.
Sunday, 20 April 2014
Movie Review - Rio 2 (April 2014)
Foot tapping music, Colourful screen, Good 3D animation, some good dialogue exchanges, not too much of violence (to scare lil children) but a run of the mill story summarizes Rio 2. Do not expect too much out of this sequel, but a feeling of pleasantness, a happy childs' face and probably an urge to get up and dance at times. If you have seen EPIC (read my review...elsewhere on this site), there is not too much that you would see differentiating the caricaturisation and. the look n feel. All in all a good dekho with the kids this summer and a 3 on 5 from me....
Sunday, 16 March 2014
Review: 300 Rise of an Empire [2014] English
No. This was neither a sequel nor a prequel to 300 but what I could term as a Sidequel ie the events happen around the same time of Leonidas and his men's heroics against Xerxes, the one with an embellished attire. What 300 missed to present, was covered in The Rise, viz., how the mighty and fearful Xerxes came into being and what made him and his Commander"ess" seek seething revenge against the Greeks. This part has been exquisitely interwoven into the main stream story of The Rise. Action, blood and gore right from the word go with some terrific hard beat pulsating background score and stunning visuals with a rare blend of light effects sums up The Rise. Unforgettable was the 3D effect when Xerxes walks out to address his people, unforgettable are most of the scenes that were shot on the seas. Dialogues were good too..the one that I remember "Better we show them, we chose to die on our feet, rather than live on our knees". I found The Rise better than the 300 for its music, for its action and for its script. Save some aberrations of bringing in colloquial English into the film, for example, a couple of words that end with "k" and a by now ubiquitous sentimental "son" wanting to fight with "dad" with only one of them surviving, the movie is worth a dekho. If blood, gore, cut heads and a stereophonic acoustic of "kresh " that you get to hear when Steel cuts through flesh or "liquid droops" read "blood droops" is not your cuppa....you could give this a miss for sure...But if you are upto it, then you could well make your way into the theaters. Ofcourse, the best place in town Screen 4 @Prazads, Hyderabad for its Dolby Atmos effects. I would classify this second to probably "Gladiator" for its screenplay and edge of the seat theatrics and would safely give it a 4 on 5.
Saturday, 8 March 2014
Review - Pompeii (English) 2014
A quick Trailer watch or a look at a few posters would surely set you thinking of the "Mother of All" action movies viz., Gladiator and if Pompeii, a new historical-kitsch disaster movie, was Gladiator 2 with some flower pottish Mt Vesuvius volcano thrown in as a masala element. So it was Gladiator (2D) vs Pompeii (3D). Even with several scenes lifted straight from the Original, Pompeii was a big big let down. Poorly shot, with some very predictable twists (?) or the lack of them, cheesy dialogues, crass acting, terrible screenplay, the hero and the herione never die or will to the last minute despite the fiery explosion of Mt. Vesuvius spewing cauldrons of fire all around but save on them and of course the villain (there has to be a one on one last scene fight, No) sums up Pompeii. Visual effects $^%&**$$ (my favourite expletives) MY FOOT, were much much to be desired. The problem I guess was comparing Pompeii with the benchmark that Russel Crowe, the amazing star cast and the story laid out by Gladiator. As is the universal law, every sequel of a movie is much less impressive than the previous one, Pompeii lives up to the expectation of a Gladiator IV or even V. You would do well by giving this a miss for sure....
Monday, 13 January 2014
Review : Movie 1 Nenuokkadine – meaning (1 - I am Alone) – Telugu 2014 Starring Mahesh Babu, Heroine: Idontknowhoo.
1 Nenuokkadine –
meaning (1 - I am Alone) – Telugu Movie 2014 Starring Mahesh Babu, Heroine:
Idontknowhoo. So to give company to
our Lone-Alone Hero Super Star Mahesh Babu, two other stars viz, Sharan and “yours
truly” joined to run alongside him in one of the innumerable races that he
indulges in throughout the close to 3 hours flick. (See picture attached). There have been a good number of reviews
already on FB and other media…but as is customary, I am offering mine.
Our Hero suffers from delusion and its complexities. “What is” and “What is not” is something that
he grapples with as the audience is transported into a make believe world of a psycho-thriller. Plot seemingly inherited from the likes of
the Bourne Series with twists to suit the Indian/Telugu mindset, the movie
takes one through some real serious stuff.
It is bold, it is experimental and plotted differently. However,
the movie suffers from one chase too many…a 10 min chase on the seas, and
multiple 10 min chases on roads, bikes, cars as also on foot. It also suffers from one song too many. Formulaic as it may seem ie 3 song and dance
sequences before the interval and 3 post, it could well have done with one
absorbed into the Titles in the beginning and another towards the Credits end
so as to retain the seriousness of the subject or the pace. Songs are forgettable and the background
score…nothing much to write home about. Thankfully, no Comedy track. Our hero, true to his nature does not smile
keeping the backdrop in mind…no Brahmanandam..(can you believe it !!!!).
Now, we would be
stunned by the “Wowness” if the goody chasing the baddies are shown in a Bond
movie, but this kind of “Ahaaness” or “Wowness” escapes us in this movie
despite the engagement being of an excellent quality. Reason, I thought was the un-realism. Our
Indian Heros do not die, they cannot be killed by Machine Guns and high impact car crashes cannot hurt them..…they
are capable of “Rat – tat- tatting” multiple rounds of blazing shooting from a
teeny weeny pistol all amidst 10 other baddies shooting at our Subject in a
concentrated mode using the most sophisticated weapons. I guess, if this bit is addressed, our guys
can churn out good palatable realistic movies matching Hollywood.
There is one particular scene, where, a
fellow shoots from a floor below onto a higher floor (at a possibly 60 deg
angle) with the subject standing so far away that a straight line trajectory would
miss him by miles. However, the bullet, with a mind of its own, as if it
were a Guided missile homes in on its target.
A case for our Daya and CID to solve…Will be curious how our CID would
tell umpteen times…”Goli yehin se chali hogi..iska matlab…” while stating the
obvious but would never be able to get to the bottom of it and would perhaps
attribute the death to the use of a supernatural futuristic weapon and solve
the case.
I also did not like one of the best macho stars around in
Tollywood being addressed as “Doodoo”.
It kind of took away the image…Not sure if he was being addressed in a “Teluguised
version of “Dude”.
It actually depends on how you look at it..through one
colored glass, the movie appears to be good and through some other it fares as “Passable”. My son
said…”Dad..it was not a pleasant movie” while my wifey remarked.. “I did not
see my favorite hero Smile..” I would
give it a 3 out of 5.
Sunday, 27 October 2013
After Earth (2013) English:
After
Earth (2013) English - Disastrous, Terrible, Horrendous, Distasteful,
%$^&^&$#$%**(% (some of the expletives that I use which for
obvious reasons are not being transliterated here) kind of a
catastrophical [to ones health] kind of a movie that leaves one
senseless, dumb, "what crime have I committed" kind of a feeling that I
am having to go through this numbing torture...Will Smith, Night Shyamalan's
combo, I thought will deliver something watchable but this was far from
it. The movie (which is an insult to the word movie) stars 2
characters, the father and the son, who try extremely hard to act that
looks so put on that you would feel that the gross creature (URSA) or
the monkey in the movie was better at it. Don't even go near this one
even if offered a free DVD or better you could probably gift one to your
choicest of enemies on his/her birthday to extract some sadistic
revenge. Glad that I saved a few bucks by not going to the theaters
tempted by the Cast of Will Smith. He must have had some compelling
reason to pick this up. My rating 0.5/5. Why you might ask that I have
been liberal on the rating...Well some of the visuals were stunning...
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