tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-190594202024-03-07T14:29:58.104-08:00Magnum OpusWelcome to the MOVIESUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger45125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19059420.post-87378931910246571642008-01-07T01:00:00.000-08:002008-01-07T01:10:22.213-08:00We have MOVED to a NEW ADDRESS<div align="center">This is for all the people read my posts through RSS Feeds. Hi everyone. We have moved from this address to<br /><a href="http://oneknightstands.net"><h2>One Knight Stands</h2></a><br />Check out the new site for all my latest posts on Movies, Music, Pop Culture, Humor and much more.<br /><a href="http://oneknightstands.net"><img src ="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2405/2153691861_5e527e4632_o.png"/></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19059420.post-71766538549181375272007-12-30T01:30:00.000-08:002007-12-30T03:47:10.067-08:00Taare Zameen Par<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2115/2145433893_ae9f49271f.jpg?v=0" /><br /></div>In everyway possible, Ishaan of <span style="font-weight: bold;">Taare Zameen Par</span> (TZP) miraculously brings the mirror in front of me and makes me look back with nostalgia at the fond memories and even at some of the childhood dilemmas that I faced, along with the utter peer pressure which we have always been subjected to, right from Day 1 of School.The untied shoe laces, the uncombed hair, the shirts with the buttons out, and the free spirit crying and trying to let free from the shackles of the “conformity” and social compatibility. But then, this is not a personal confession, but the movie review (but a bit personal in a way) of TZP.<br />What makes TZP work for me is the very personal message that it carries of how children are exploited by their own parents by measuring them on the criteria of percentages and treating them as marks churning bots. Creativity and Arts are hardly encouraged enough and children face the grind of preparing for the Rat Race. TZP weaves this extremely sensitive message, which could actually fall flat as a niche topic appealing only to a handful, with a beautiful story of Ishaan Awasthi, a child suffering from dyslexia but with the gift of imagination and grabbing it into his world of crayons and wet brushes. Needless to say, Papa Awasthi is not pleased by the failure of young Ishaan at academics, given that his elder brother is a school topper. TZP spans across the imaginative world of Ishaan and his continuous struggle with the straitjacket of conformity. Subsequently he emerges triumphant with the help of his Fine Arts teacher Ram Shankar Nikumbh( Aamir Khan), and it is this journey of triumph of the honest and innocent spirit of a child which keeps our eyes glued to the screen and moistened throughout.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2417/2148733670_f7e77fed75.jpg?v=0" /><br /></div>The opening credits remind me of the numerous stop animation shorts that we have literally grown on, and yet in a very effective way, help us to explore the imaginative world of Ishaan. The Saturn hoola-hoops, the flight to Pluto and sea horses gallop, the flight of imagination has no bounds and to put them down to celluloid is a feat in itself.<br />Ishaan’s imaginative universe replete with bright hues and splashed shades stirs the soul and yet keeps it real without going overboard. As in, we do not get to see any Picasso or Da Vinci , but we get to see a child prodigy’s crayon works which look like a child’s. That’s how real it is. But then, TZP, being a commercial movie, has its elements of “Bollywood” in Aamir’s intro scene as the musical Patch Adams meets Pied Piper with a playback of Shaan on Bum Bum Bole. The kids are surprisingly too musically correct, which in my case isn’t too real. Because I know, my 5th standard class wasn’t at all, by any stretch of imagination. But then, complaining about that would be just plain nitpicking.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2039/2148732768_92b669d54c.jpg?v=0" /><br /></div>TZP’s real spirit comes alive with its music, and vice versa. Shankar Ehsaan Loy have given soul to the body of this celluloid piece and in my opinion, this is their best work since Dil Chahta Hai. With Vishal creating the aura of the very Rock “Duniya Ka Naaraa….Jamey Raho” we sense the mechanical nature of today’s materialistic world, where early morning routines of the typical working class and their children finds accurate definition. And as Shankar enters with a classical twist to it with “ Yahaa Alag Andaaz hai…” we see little Ishaan waking up in his own pace. Instant Reaction:-the 9 inch smile- <blockquote>Ye Waqt Ke Kabhi Ghulam Nahi, Inhe Kisi Baat ka Dhyaan Nahi, Titlee se Milne Jaate Hai, Ye Pedho se Batiyate Hai</blockquote> ( He is not a slave to time, He doesn’t care about anything, He goes to meet the butterflies, He talks to the Trees). One of my favorite on the soundtrack is the imaginative Mera Jahaan with Adnan Sami and cute,childish yet perfectly pitched Auriel and Ananya who remind me of Connie Talbot singing Somewhere Over the Rainbow. The falsetto rendition of “All I need is to be …..Freeeee….” just gives me goose bumps everytime I listen to it. And then the very relaxed and dew fresh vocals of Adnan take over the acoustic guitars in the background as he murmurs” Sapno ka buna…Sweater..”. Young Ishaan explores the streets of Mumbai all alone and yet, the song sings “ Akela Nahi Main, Khuli Aankho se Neend main chalta, Girta zyada,Kam Sambhalta “( I am not alone, I am walking in my sleep with my eyes wide open, I fall often and I am very less careful).<br /><br />The First ace of the soundtrack however is Maa. Shankar Mahadevan is aged 40 plus, yet he miraculously blends the sentiments of an 8 year old in his vocals, and surprisingly enough for me, I started believing that it’s Ishaan crying out “Main Kabhi Batlata Nahin<br />Par Andhere Se Darta Hoon Main Maa » ( I never say it, But oh mother,I am scared of the dark). Even the coldest heart would melt down and for me, it was time to change the handkerchief. The title track “ Taare Zameen Par” shows why Prasoon Joshi is taking home all the awards next year for Best Lyricist. Innocent thoughts unadulterated by the cunning thoughts of adulthood, is what can describe the sheer sincerity of the lyrics. Take this –<br /><blockquote>Jaise Aankhon Ki Dibiya Mein Nindiya<br />Aur Nindiya Mein Meetha Sa Sapna<br />Aur Sapne Mein Mil Jaaye Farishta Sa Koi</blockquote><br />(Like Sleep in the Box of the eyes, And a Sweet Dream in the Sleep, And in that Sleep, finding an Angel).<br />And then we have Raman Mahadevan taking control of the offbeat guitar strokes with “Kholo Kholo”. This is where Indian Rock just made its presence stronger in Bollywood Music. I so much love it, and I can’t stop my air-drumming. Even Ishaan’s theme set to the Youtube-ish Home video footage of kid Ishaan made me tears trickle down. Okay, I admit that I am weepy. So what?<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2282/2148733052_cb1ebdb87c.jpg?v=0" /><br /></div>As far as the performances go, I believe Aamir Khan is winning the award for the Best Supporting Actor. Because Darsheel Safary as Ishaan Awasthi spells magic and gives life to this character to such an extent, that we do not for even a moment get to think that a piece of filmed material is being screened. All the pranks, all the frustration, the anger, the wicked smiles, the fears and the tears are all so real, and noticeably without the “extra sugar coated” boy image that Bollywood movies are populated with. Aamir Khan, the director, or Aamir Khan, the actor. BOTH. You really know how to tell your story and dude, you’ve just outdone yourself.Give him all the awards, all the honors, and Darsheel you deserve a trip to Disneyland for this. Now where’s my third handkerfchief?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19059420.post-41372623314574173122007-12-18T21:30:00.000-08:002007-12-18T21:43:31.987-08:00American Gangster<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/movie/gallery/1174257/photo_01.jpg" /><br /></div>This is that Gangster Magnum Opus everyone’s talking about. And if you haven’t laid your eyes upon it, you better do it soon. All because there’s Denzel Washington playing heroine magnet, Frank Lucas and Russell Crowe as Detective Ritchie Roberts. And oh btw, Ridley Scott is pulling the strings. Need anymore reason? This goes straight to the Oscars nominations list and SHALL emerge triumphant. Having said that, I’d also like to add, that this is Mr. Scott’s earnest tribute to the crafty art of Gangster mafia movies which Hollywood completely digs. From the Coppola’s Corleones, to the Sopranos to Scorsese’s Goodfellas, “American Gangster” gives you that familiar taste of the gangster movie, but wait, it isn’t that simple. The taste is familiar but at the same time, so very IRRESISTABLY SEDUCTIVE and CRISPY. Some might just term it as Godfather with Black People. I can just pity those ignorant people and hope they get their conscience back.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/movie/gallery/1174257/photo_05.jpg" /><br /></div>For the uninitiated this is based on the 1970’s real-life account of kingpin Frank Lucas, who rose from the dark and dirty slums of North Carolina to undermine the cartels of New Jersey with a freakishly innovative way of trading heroine which he discovers while he was watching a news story about the high strength heroin laying out American servicemen in war-zone Vietnam. Lucas flies directly to Bangkok to make a direct deal with the drug makers, thus cutting out every possible middleman in the mafia clan and even guaranteeing a monopoly in the purest product –Blue Magic.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/movie/gallery/1174257/photo_34.jpg" /><br /></div>Meanwhile, troubled by a failed marriage and his honesty coming across as a career obstacle in a corrupt world, Detv.Ritchie Roberts emerges as the nemesis of Frank Lucas who is investigating on the emergence of a new market leader , BLUE MAGIC, and is amazed how someone can sell a product almost twice as pure as its nearest competitor at half the price. It takes a long time for the two to face each other, but as the scenes unfold, we experience an inexplicable symmetry between the two and their working minds. Both have absolute dissimilarities, but also have a clear idea of having things done their way.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/movie/gallery/1174257/photo_31.jpg" /><br /></div>The settings and the entire dark alley backdrop of 1970s New York just makes me spellbound and I couldn’t have asked for more. Of course, that is what you can expect from Ridley Scott, an ace ad-director of the 1970s era. Many would expect the NY backdrop demands the skyline shot and the skyscrapers. But this is a movie where the action is on the streets, where there are small coffee shops with green windows and clean glass panes. The winter is freezy , and so is the cold death shots that Lucas shoots on the streets. Of course, the immediate comparison with Godfather is inevitable, as Lucas moves his family from North Carolina to New Jersey, to help him run the business. The deaths are as cold blooded as you could expect, and there’s enough of unexpected and unwanted nudity onscreen surrounded with white powder and blue pouches. And for those who complain, there’s not enough Bam-Bam here for a gangster movie, wait till the climax mammoth confrontation.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/movie/gallery/1174257/photo_26.jpg" /><br /></div>The typical gangster movie would feature boring dialogues in perfect Italian accent and long silent stares with gleaming eyes. Of course, this is not the case here. The star power of Denzel Washington takes control of the screen as though he reigned it with only his smile and the simple uttering of the words “Mah Man”. It’s been a while now since Al Pacino’s “Scarface” happened. Russell Crowe on the other hand, is the rugged cop, who doesn’t have the power stare working. But yes, even his silliest jokes and nervous appearance makes you wonder, if he is the guy who played Maximus. It’s pure onscreen fire when you see these two collide, face to face. The powerhouse performance by the duo is just so convincing enough to make this a cracking of a movie, but at the end of the day, with no disrespect to the white Oscar Winner, this is Washington’s , through and through. Not only because it is called “American Gangster”, not American Cop, but because he can say “Blue Magic is a brand, like PEPSI” and he makes me believe so.<br />Not to be missed by people who love good cinema. Now stand up and APPLAUD. Spare me the ratings.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19059420.post-21574512832217211962007-12-08T11:39:00.000-08:002007-12-08T11:52:03.159-08:00Khoya Khoya Chand<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2230/2095384825_33c31daf06.jpg?v=0" /><br /></div>O Re Paakhi…O Re Paakhi resonates in my ears and as I sit down to write the review of Sudhir Mishra’s Khoya Khoya Chand, all that flashes into my eyes is the wet paint of the film sets, the halogen flood lights, the larger than life posters, and the filled theatre screenings of 1950’s -1960’s Bollywood, build perfectly to the last inch. Khoya Khoya Chand is sincere, honest and almost perfect in technique but unfortunately what starts off as story telling ends up being a history lesson. It is so much like a long lecture which started as being interesting and colorful, until the colors became repetitive and started blinding my eye. Of course, I’d stand up and applaud the technicians of the movie again and again throughout this review for making it almost feel like being seated in a Time Machine and getting deported to an era of the pot-bellied Producer getting bullied by the Superstars, the sleazy divas, the “favourable” Superstar, the struggling writer, the non-compliant industry-outsider director, the run of the mill dialogues and screenplay and the mom accompanied struggling wannabe. All of this and much more is taken care of perfectly and this is no small feat. What OSO (the other tribute to Bollywood movie, yeah the more commercial one) tried to attempt, Khoya Khoya Chand has achieved all of that and much more and it effortlessly makes us believe in Sudhir Mishra’s vision of the Black and White era of Indian Cinema.<br /><br />Having said that definitely doesn’t necessarily mean that Khoya Khoya Chand is a gem of a film. Though it is accompanied by really strong performances by the main cast as well the supporting members, it fails on many accounts. The story narrates the story of a struggling actress, Nikhat (Soha Ali), who is awestruck by the glam and glitz of cinema. She willingly submits to the reigning superstar Prem Kumar (Rajet Kapoor) in return of her favours. Soon enough , she starts climbing up the ladders of success, until she realizes that she has been used when Prem announces his marriage. Nikhat finds solace in the arms of the aspiring writer, Zaffar(Shiney Ahuja). Zaffar reminds me of the villain of the same name in Disney’s Aladdin, yeah but he did not have any relationship issues, neither did he have any ego clashes. This Zaffar had all of them, including a troubled childhood resulting from a polygamist father and 3 stepmoms. The relationship between Zaffar and Nikhat goes through enough trying times, strenuous enough to make your head ache and force you to scream out “Stop you lady, and you, yes You Mr. Shut Up and listen to her for a sec”.The relationship itself is so confusing at times, and Nikhat as a person just leaves me gasping for more explanation. But then, Zaffar’s comeback and Nikhat’s sudden appreciation of him makes us feel that yeah, probably, the director has finally realized, “Okay , that’s enough indulgence for one film, its now time for a good climax “.<br />That’s when the climax song Thirak Thirak features in and the entire set, including the producer and the strict manager crack up, over a silly Ghungroo joke. WTF, I smiled out for no reason.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2348/2096159298_dba0457bae.jpg?v=0" /><br /></div>Shantanu Moitra scores an ace yet again with the soundtrack, and lemme tell you honesty, there are no mediocre tracks here. Just one ace after an ace, of course the Ace of Spades is O Re Paakhi by Sonu Nigam. Given the era of cinema depicted here, the soundtrack has an amazing jazz and blues element in it. Take for instance, the first track Ye Nigahein or the cabaret Khusboo Sa . Both are so very blues, so very intoxicating and both depict the smokes and mirrors of cinema effectively. The title track Khoya Khoya Chand features lyricist Swanand Kirkire rhyming lines to the backdrop of a 60’s rock n roll bass-line which ultimately finds climax in a beautiful qawwali. Shreya Ghosal is the next Alka Yagnik to say the least. I don’t need to say more, just close your eyes to Chale Aao and you’ll know what I’m talking about.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2225/2096159774_33694f1bd7.jpg?v=0" /><br /></div>Talking about the performances, I’ll begin with Saurav Shukla who actually ends up being the most memorable character in the entire movie. Perfect Punjabi flavored producer with the best of the lines. Sushmita Chatterjee appears in just a couple of scenes but makes her presence felt. Vinay Pathak as the narrator, and the strict manager of Nikhat is a complete waste of his potential. He could have done so much more, but has ended being just a sidekick in this movie, almost reminds me of his Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam days. Rajet Kapoor commands the screen with his “haraami” portrayal of superstar Prem Kumar. Sonya Jehan as the yesteryears’ diva is one of the highest points of the movie. She effortlessly makes you remind of Meena Kumari ,Madhubala, and Nadira. Shiney Ahuja must have taken his urdu lessons way too seriously and it starts to irritate a bit when it gets overboard. But it helps coz he is supposed to be from Lucknow. Nevertheless, he certainly delivers a wonderful performance as the grief stricken Zaffar searching for his eternal and internal peace. There is so much credibility in his tears and his anguish , how could Nikhat resist that? This is by far Soha Ali’s best performance as Nikhat, the ACTRESS which takes us down memory lane through the pages of Filmfare 1960’s . The pages flashing stories of the actress’ rise, romance, gossips, fall from glory and eventually finding retreat in alcohol. Soha plays the character with intense credibility, thanks to the costumes, the make up and hair stylist to have made it possible. Worth mentioning is the scene when she enters the bedroom of Zaffar while he is sleeping. She is so much like Sharmila Tagore . But yes, the best performance is by the cinematographer Sachin Krishnan who blends the perfect hues with the best of settings. Absolutely impeccable. Only if Mr.Sudhir Mishra could have woken from his indulgence a bit early in the second half, Khoya Khoya Chand could have resulted in being a memorable piece of cinema, which it has failed to be.<br />2 on 5. Top notch music though. I am still humming O Re Paakhi.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19059420.post-18728311705536452392007-12-01T01:03:00.000-08:002007-12-01T01:23:03.168-08:00Aaja Nachle<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2197/2077005417_8f49e9db01.jpg?v=0" /><br /></div>This is not one of those posts which should be considered to be written by yet another fanboy. Rather this is a devotee writing about his Goddess. Madhuri or Madz as she would like her to be called (I guess), mother of two, aged 40, but still sizzles in her truest form. And I do not care if all those critics fail to recognize it. Probably they should get their lenses checked, or perhaps change their retinas. But that is one thing and we are here to talk about Aaja Nachle,the movie by ace cinematographer Anil Mehta. We have seen Mr. Mehta’s works as a cinematographer in many Yashraj flicks and he has captured some of the most breathtaking scenes on the Indian 70 mm. Be it the utterly urban Manhattan of <i style="">Kal Ho Na Ho</i>, or the rustic rural Bhuj as <i style="">Lagaan</i>’s Champaner, or the picturesque <i style="">Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam</i>, Mr. Mehta’s artwork needs no introduction. Having said that, <i style="">Aaja Nach Le</i> ,is also spell bounding as far as the visuals are considered. But here lies the problem. It is too unreal. Of course, what else can we expect from a story by Aditya Chopra which just too fits the Yashraj run-of-the-mill mould.So you say, that well, movies are meant to be unreal, portraying a make-believe world so to say. But then, why did it take off on the real note?The problem is that we have to assume so many things that you lose count. I started doing it just for Madhuri(but of course), but I ended up getting tired. So I said to myself, well, screw it, let’s just enjoy this as a mindless dance joyride, and I started to enjoy it more after that.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2235/2076999511_a43939bdfe.jpg?v=0" /><br /></div></div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">For all those curious ones, the story is about a rebellious Dancer (shockingly!) called Diya who leaves her hometown Shamli when she is forced to get married and flies off to NY and becomes an established choreographer. She returns back hearing of her Dance master’s illness and discovers that the stage where her dance was nurtured faces a demolition notice. Enter the MP(Akshaye Khanna) who challenges her that if she wants to prevent the demolition, she better put up a show with the entire cast from Shamli itself. Hence, the search begins for the characters and they all fit the part to the T. The cast of course has to be as mad and varied as it could be which reminds me of yet another “cast”ing movie which told a story of “Once Upon a Time in India”( It’s <i style="">Lagaan</i> you fools. <i style="">Kuch nahi ho sakta tum morons ka</i>). The audition scene just looks like a rip off from the RDB audition scene and well, I loved the original. Here, it is pretty much forgettable. Where’s Prasoon Joshi? The ensemble jigsaw starts to take shape with the entry of some colorful characters like Ranbir Shourie, Vinay Pathak, Konkona Sen, Sushmita Chatterjee( of Karamchand fame) and of course the unputdownable Raghubir Yadav. But yet again, another assumption strikes me .The title track( yeah, the one in the news for the wrong reasons) features blue chandeliers ( Mr. Mehta has a thing for them, including breaking them in ultra slo-mo), and blue screens and absolutely gorgeous sets put up in a course of a day. Am I questioning the power of Bollywood?<br /></p><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2193/2076997591_dd4cd22150.jpg?v=0" /><br /></div><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Moving on, of course the entire ensemble goes through a lot of other worries, as in fitting the chemistry between the lead pair, the dance training, the corrupt MP( Akhilendra Mishra, better known as Krur Singh ‘Yakku’ from Chandrakanta), the greedy businessman (Irrfan Khan) and the challenging MP who loves Pizzas apparently.But somehow, Madz manages to swoop in and put up a brilliant show, even when Laila’s<span style=""> </span>Abba is picked up just minutes before the final show ( not even the final rehearsal and all). And OMFG, the final show is so perfectly lyrical, the music is top-notch, no one forgot their lines, everyone danced in sync( hey, where did these toned bodies with the 6 packs come from? ) and my oh my, the choreography and the lights blend and flow like the satin that hangs from Laila’s window. Who handled all of that? But of course, Madhuri, I mean Diya. She must have grown so much as a choreographer. If you can do with all of the above assumptions, (I did, partially) you’ll end up grooving to Aaja Nachle. And I think everyone in my auditorium resonated with that groove.<br /></p><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2413/2077790392_9220975435.jpg?v=0" /><br /></div><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Talking about the soundtrack, the movie begins with Dance with Me, which instantly took me to Dil to Pagal Hai and the familiar Shiamak Davar danceroom. Only that,its Vaibhavi Merchant here who’s giving the cues. The intro song just makes the point that Madhuri cannot just only dance, but dance far better than anyone out there. A straight challenge. A few minutes later, she is dancing Kathak with her Ghungroos on to Rahat Fateh Ali Khan’s O Re Piya. This song is my favorite and well, I loved the Ghungroo sounds added to it (which is absent in the OST). The tile track Aaja Nach Le is just a forgettable number which you’d be repeatedly hearing on radios and Puja Pandals this year, because of the utterly predictable Bollywood spiced up sound in it. Nothing remarkable,except for the yummy choreography and Madhuri dancing to it.BTW, the so called “controversial” lyrics reported goes something like:-<br /></p><div align="center"><blockquote>Mohale mein kaise mara mar hai,<br />Bole mochi bhi khud ko sonar hai </blockquote></div> <p class="MsoNormal"></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="" lang="FR"><blockquote></blockquote></span>( There is so much chaos in the society, Even the Cobbler calls himslef a Goldsmith). I really don’t get what is the fuss about. Moving on,the cast audition song <i style="">Show me Your Jalwa</i> is a typical Nautanki flavored song with the voices of Madhuri herself doing the narration and Richa Sharma and Kailash Kher displaying the power of their lungs with the powerful rendition of <i style="">“Zamane ko Bida Kar De..” </i>.<i style="">Soniye Mil Jaa</i> shows you Vinay Pathak can dance as well and he is hilarious and as usual Sukhwinder Singh does the job perfectly. The Laila Majnu sequence song “Koi Patthar se naa Mare” is just an add to the soundtrack because the musical needs it, but doesn’t add to the quality. <i style="">Is Pal</i> and <i style="">Ishq Hua </i>are both duets by Sonu Nigam and Shreya Ghosal which can be effectively recycled across any Yashraj flick. Not meaning that the songs were any bad, but well, weren’t integral or great either, and somehow I can’t remember which one was which.<o:p></o:p></p><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2387/2077789254_d352f095df.jpg?v=0" /><br /></div><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The performances from the ensemble characters could have been much better, but it is too much to expect, is it? Konkona Sen is an actor of a different league and she didn’t do justice to her caliber. Kunal Kapoor looks and plays the stud he is, but well, that’s it. The love chemistry between the play’s lead pair, just didn’t work for me. Vinay Pathak as usual, brings the 9 inch smile whenever he gets the screentime, and Ranbir Shourie as Mohan,CEO of Mohan Hotel is perfect as the real Majnu/Devdas. Akshaye Khanna’s role is just limited to a few conversations but somehow he manages to pull it off. Divya Dutta and Irrfan Khan have again put up roles shorter than what deserves their potential, and still managed to shine. Raghuvir Yadav, love his unchoreographed dance and unscripted acting. But of course the movie belongs to Madhuri.<br /></p><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2133/2077788296_a99b73be0a.jpg?v=0" /><br /></div><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Madhuri sizzles and takes control of the entire movie and it wouldn’t be wrong to say that everybody else was just a member of a supporting cast. She can shake that leg far better than any actress we have today (I know I’m repeating myself over and over again), she can act better than any actress today, and well, she looks as pretty as ever. True that the role has been written keeping her in mind. Beat this! An uncle, probably in his 60s, says while he walks out of the theatre <i style="">“15 saal pehle Dhak Dhak ki Dhadkan abhi tak nahi gayee” </i>(I saw her Dhak Dhak 15 years ago, and I still feel the pulse). </p> <p class="MsoNormal">While I’d give this movie <span style=""> </span>2 stars out of 5, add another one coz a Star is already there. Madhuri did "Show her Jalwa".<br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19059420.post-77578438392694391882007-11-30T10:36:00.000-08:002007-11-30T10:40:13.261-08:00Blog of the Day AwardYippeeeee!!!! So after the Flogger Award, I just won the Blog of the Day Award. Feels jubilant. But I think I should get back to my senses. So, here's the code to be pasted.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://blogofthedayawards.blogspot.com/" title="Blog Awards"><img src="http://quotes.home.worldnet.att.net/blog_small.jpg" alt="Blog Awards Winner" border="0" height="98" width="201" /></a></div><br />Lovely. This weekend it's gonna be Aaja Nach Le. Expect a longer post than my <a href="http://itsmagnumopus.blogspot.com/2007/11/om-sweet-om.html">OSO review</a>. Peace. Thanks for the love!!!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19059420.post-77424715007132126892007-11-22T05:01:00.000-08:002007-11-22T05:09:16.384-08:00Flogger Award ...YippeeApparently I've won the Flogger Award(some award for blogs...doesn't matter as long as its an award) courtesy Fattebaaz.com. So the badge is here.<br /><a href="http://www.fattebaz.com/"><br /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.fattebaz.com/"><img alt="Flogger Awards for the Best Bloggers by www.fattebaz.com" src="http://www.fattebaz.com-a.googlepages.com/image.png" border="0" width="200" /></a><br /></div><br />And well, Congratulations to me, and thanks to Mum and Dad,SPC,all my dear friends, and of course to all the readers of Magnum Opus who have survived through the tension of my words here. Get ready for some more. This award has already given an effect of 300mg of Steroids. Shall be right back with some good reviews.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19059420.post-31450352007936443402007-11-13T09:26:00.000-08:002007-11-13T09:34:36.435-08:00Protest for Nandigram<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2368/2003078603_9ec43fe484.jpg?v=0" /><br /></div>This is a protest image protesting the recent barbaric violence at Nandigram in West Bengal,India. The brutality caused innocent lives and homeless people. To quote Wordsworth:<br /> <div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;"></span><blockquote><span style="font-size:130%;">Have I not reason to lament<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"> What man has made of man?</span></blockquote><span style="font-size:130%;"></span></div><br />Please join the Blog Protest campaign and let the world know. For more on it read <span style="font-size:130%;"><a href="http://tathastu.blogspot.com/2007/11/protest-for-nandigram.html">this</a> </span>and <span style="font-size:130%;"><a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/How_CPM_recaptured_Nandigram/articleshow/2533801.cms">this.</a></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Spread the WORD!As a blogger, that's the least you can do.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19059420.post-26689689739226427862007-11-10T00:40:00.000-08:002007-11-21T00:25:49.073-08:00Om SWEET Om!<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2060/1944294774_fbc577c302.jpg?v=0" /><br /></div>I have "Ajab Si" playing in a loop for the 16th time now on my Creative 5.1 and no,I am not exaggerating. As I sit down to write on the movie Om Shanti Om, all I can remember is the ethereal eyes, the strategically placed dimple, the Goddess like smile and the beauty we all know by the name of <span style="font-weight: bold;">Deepika Padukone.</span> She has arrived and Bollywood,stand up and take notice. I went to see this movie not because of the much talked about sculpted physique of SRK, nor for the 31 guest starred Title Track, nor for Farah Khan's directorial skills. I went for only one reason-pretty obvious one, you do the math, my hormones are all over the place!! I paid 59 bucks for the ticket and I swear, the first glance made it all even-stevens and every scene that followed was a <span style="font-weight: bold;">Diwali Bumper Lottery</span> for me, which was striking the Jackpot and made me feel I was Gladstone eh! Take the scene when she lifts the veil, and my jaw dropped on the floor and all I could speak out was <span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">"FISHHHHHHHH!!!!!!"</span> </span>( which is a jargon we used to say in our college, in lieu of the other famous F word, you know..).<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2005/1944291056_7797465086.jpg?v=0" /><br /></div>Deepika is Vyjantimala meets the Diwali Pathaka-Cover South Indian beauty meets Vogue and Ralph Lauren meets non-plastic Aishwarya meets each and every friggin beautiful lady who knocks your socks off. It is like listening to Master of Puppets for the first time, except this one's heavier in a completely different way. OMFG!!! I am emotionally drained and I think I'm in love again. Last time was when I saw Malena, and the time before that was when I saw La Isla Bonita performed by Alizee. That's a different story.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">*************SPOILERS AHEAD*************</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2300/1943453819_250b59b283.jpg?v=0" /><br /></div>The story here is Om Shanti Om. Farah Khan's second directorial venture comes from her own writing desk, but is a straight rip-off/tribute( whatever) to the Subhash Ghai retro-reincarnation magnum opus <span style="font-weight: bold;">KARZ.</span> We even get to see some reels of Rishi Kapoor in the original Om Shanti Om song. Only that, Simi Garewal is Arjun Rampal(they both share the same hairstyle,I swear) and SRK and Deepika play Rishi Kapoor(It takes two to fill a Kapoor's shoe-Quote of the Day).There's no Tina Munim Ambani here, yeah but a Ghai cameo indeed.The story begins in the late 70-early 80s era of Bollywood. I think Farah has a strong inclination to the era of Jawanee Diwanee, the bobby prints, the huge wigs, the badminton courts with white pants and pink salwars, and of course Extra Large Collars for extra protection( I donno from what!).The entire retro look could have been done much better which at parts was feeling like pieces of make up peeling off from a Ramsay flick Heroine. But then, all in all the special effects made it all up. The Sunil Dutt-Rajesh Khanna-Jeetendra morphed song was absolutely brilliant( reminded me of the first time I saw Forrest Gump). The lookalike party was ewww for me coz it freaks me out everytime to see a fake Dev Anand.( I mean one is enough,..I mean there can be only one Dev Anand, respect Dev Saab!!! )<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2392/1943446811_141b88396c.jpg?v=0" /><br /></div>I really don't know if making a Bollywood movie is as dysfunctional as it was shown here. You know the kind where the Director is dragged along and is manipulated by the Producer and probably a famous Lead Actor/Actress. SRK does a pretty well job, but hey! he has overdone it. I mean the gym regime. And it all shows on his face. He looks 10 years older, which means he looks 50. The abs are perfect no doubt! Coming back to the special effects, picture perfect. The fire sequences are one of the never seen before scenes in Bollywood and have been handled pretty amazingly. The art direction is also very commendable. The retro studio feel, the chandeliers , the stairs and all the candles shouted one and only one point ie. this is the Diwali movie of the year. And this is similar to the Thanksgivin' season of Movie releases in Hollywood. You know this is our LOTR. We got it all. The perfect masala in full throttle bay beh. Farah Khan knows how to do it just right. If it's masala, we make it Yummy. Featuring the biggest Guest Appearance Song with stars from the retro league to the now-Bollywood-A-league and well the sub-junior league comprising of Dino,Arbaaz,Aftab,Amrita,Malaika et al.<br />P.S.Shilpa Shetty is <span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >WHOA!!! TNT.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2140/1944292022_c1f1a28ee9.jpg?v=0" /><br /></div>Om Shanti Om intelligently makes a spoofy-tribute to the different genres of Indian filmmaking.Be it <span style="font-size:130%;">Quickgun Murugun</span>-the Rajni-isque Cowboy who's tag line is -Mind It(thhh)! or the Sindoor dialogue, ,the Red Chaddi <span style="font-size:130%;">Mohabbat Man</span>,the overacting, melodramatic mother-Kirron Kher , the rhyming acceptance speech or even the "tharkee" Producer.The mock Filmfare Award thing was a riot of laughter for the batch of girls who were sitting next to me who fainted just at the glimpse of AB Jr. Another thing worth mentioning is the RING inspired scene, when Deepika is busy combing her hair.That was awesome!!!LOL. I LOVED IT. <span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >ABSO-FRIGGIN-LUTELY. </span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2143/1943450693_bdf9c69b22.jpg?v=0" /><br /></div>The music just uplifts me everytime I listen to it. Trivia time: Pyarelal of Laxmikant Pyarelal has done the arrangement of the <span style="font-weight: bold;">Dhoom Tana</span> Song in a very 80'ish style.You know the Sridevi in an Apsara costume with Jeetendra in his yellow pants and lots of Sarees and Pots and huge percussions kind of arrangement where you need 120 strings to play simultaneously when Sridevi 's chin touchers Jeetendra's chin. Dhoom Tana takes you to that era and it still doesn't feel out of the place. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Dastaan-e-Om Shanti Om</span> sung by Shaan is very very-Ek Hasina Thi. The recap song with the musical flashback. The background score by Sandeep Chowta is brilliant. The bass rhythm on this song is very heavy.\m/ .<span style="font-weight: bold;">Jaag Soona Soona</span> by Rahat Fateh and Richa Sharma is a sufi-isque song which is pretty decent, a good song individually, but then when the entire soundtrack is so brilliant, this qualifies as the out of focus song which everyone won't remember after the movie.<span style="font-weight: bold;">Dard-e-Disco</span> is signature Sukhwinder. The <span style="font-weight: bold;">Deewangi-guest Item song</span> is just one of those run-of-the-mill Bollywood bhangra songs you hear a DJ playing now and then and is just average. NOW READ CAREFULLY. While Ajab Si would remain my favorite track in the movie for the sole reason of where this song is featured, my vote for the best song of the album goes to <span style="font-weight: bold;">Main Aggar Kahoo</span> by Sonu Nigam and Shreya Ghoshal. What a track!! Sonu takes the entire soundtrack to a level best described as <span style="font-weight: bold;">zenith</span>.That's it.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2275/1943456429_998f280fde.jpg?v=0" /><br /></div>Finally,<span style="font-weight: bold;">Ajab Si </span>interestingly doesn't start( both the times) from the Mukhda. It begins with ..."Aayee aisi Raat Hai Jo bahut Khushnaseeb Hai..." in the first half and in the second half it begins with "...Tere Saath Saath aisa..koi Nuur aaya hai", and both are the intro songs of Deepika ( the rebirth thing, yeeah!). KK does a very good job and he could land up winning the Filmfare for this finally.The lyrics by Vishal is heartfelt and inspiring, as in he is the lead vocalist of Pentagram and he wrote Ajab Si-WHOA!!!<br /><br />Now as I (am expecting to)recover slowly from the Deepika fever in the next few days, I can only say this. FORGET SAAWARIYA.I haven't seen it and I don't even care to give it a glance. This is the Diwali movie of the year by all means. Grab your popcorn because this reminds you what it used to be like being at the movies. SRK still rules at this age. DDLJ was released in 1995,12 years back and the girls still love him!! And Deepika,aaah!!!Sigh!<br /><span style="font-size:180%;">She came, I saw, she conquered.<br /><br />FIN!<br /><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19059420.post-49550789859323247362007-11-05T21:53:00.000-08:002007-11-10T00:39:59.291-08:00Jab we Clicked!<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2224/1944781848_eed42251ac.jpg?v=0" /><br /></div>Jab We Met-what a silly title!- what a cool movie!Fast, heartfelt, sincere and real dialogues, no fake melodramas and wonderful. Shahid and Kareena really make it work. But much of the credit goes to the el-capitano Dir:Imitaz Ali who has infused the movie with the dew freshness ( I wish Fa was one of the sponsors and they had a shower scene..lol) which is hardly seen in Bollywood romance.It is finally done. Shahid Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor never looked "the Made for each other" couple until this movie happened. Trust me, it's written in stone now. It is a brilliant follow up to Diro Imtiaz Ali's bubbly and fresh romantic film-Socha Na Tha, which I loved and you know what,this one's even better.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2020/1944780686_30ac5bc9d2.jpg?v=0" /><br /></div>The story is pretty predictable, the sequences and dialogues aren't, in a very good way. The story gives me a kind of dejavu' of earlier forgotten flicks like the Abhi-Ash bummer "Dhai Akshar Prem Ke" which was <span style="font-style: italic;">inspired</span> from "A Walk in the Clouds", and well, the Govinda Urmilla starrer-Kunwara. It somehow also reminded me of the recent Cameron Crowe film"Elizabethtown" in a very special way. Uncanny!! But yeah, I started comparing Kareena with Kirsten Dunst and she ended up doing a pretty good job. Full of life,zeal and enthusiasm and equally childish-childlike ideas. Kareena is brilliant as the big mouth,no-brainer chic(no offense), is absolutely credible and fun to watch. The story is of Aditya (Shahid), son of a late business tycoon,who's entire business empire starts to fall because of his father's demise, and his girlfriend dumps him to get married to someone else. Frustrated by life, Aditya steps into a random train, and sets off aimlessly, attempting suicide and saved by Geet(Kareena). What happens next is a journey that brings Aditya and Geet closer and in the process, Aditya finds a new life and hope in it. Aditya goes on with Geet to Bhatinda, only to be confused as his boyfriend and this results in a whole bunch of confusion which occupies the entire movie. But its fun right!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2025/1943937835_60138d35bd.jpg?v=0" /><br /></div>Some portions could be omitted easily, and I did feel the drag in the second half . I mean,it was going great,dude! what just happened. But the final act catches up again and we are back in the game. Throw in some real groovy Bhangra number-Nagara..and we are swaying to it. Yeah, but they could have done without the Shaan -road travel song. I mean, they could have just made it play in the background. The entire script just comes to a halt when you make the lead lipsync after that fast-paced real talk. I really haven't seen a Bollywood flick in a long time it seems!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2251/1944783980_0cf23b41a5.jpg?v=0" /><br /></div>All's well in the end and the Hero gets his HEROINe....hahaha GOTCHA. Hehe. And add to that, the spice of the item song.Mauja Mauja! Mika yeah! You say Mika-who? The one who kissed-forget it. This one's really great and I was tapping my feet throughout this number. Awesome Pritam!!! But is it another arabic song inspirado result? One question though-Why can't you just reduce a few item girls in the Mauja Mauja song, and well shoot a real Taxi Drive Outdoor Scene or a real Night Train on the tracks scene,instead of using Hot Friggin Wheel Models. I was really pissed off. Reminded me of the Turning Brain-I mean,the Burning Train!!<br /><br />All in all, what you take back home is some very well written lines, and excellent scenes,perfectly executed by the Kapoor duo. Especially Shahid who has come of age. He has come a long way from Ishk Vishk to Jab We Met. Bravo. 3.5 on 5!!!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19059420.post-46985564075452031482007-11-05T20:27:00.000-08:002007-11-05T21:43:12.264-08:00Superdope!<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/movie/gallery/1183404/photo_03.jpg" /><br /></div><br />Just when I thought that my Sunday would turn out to be yet another pathetic day in the long week I had, I decided to give a thenga ( it's an Indian PG13 version of the Middle Finger) to the strenuous week and go to the movies all by myself. I had heard all the praise and adulation about the adult, potty-mouthed comedy hit of the summer -Superbad, and I knew what to expect. Only that I also knew, it being released at the cinemas meant skipping,editing of certain vital portions. And I wasn't disappointed by the movie as well my dear Indian censors. Lemme tell you, if you are the kind who gets offended easily by the mere mention of FUCK, go grab a cup of Lemon tea, and watch this movie. You'll be changed for life( as in, you'll start to feel how cool it is , or how relieving it is to prefix,suffix your speech with the F word). Anyway, coming back to Superbad.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/movie/gallery/1183404/photo_13.jpg" /><br /></div>Seth (Jonah Hill) and Evan (Michael Cera) are best friends who will soon be graduating and going off to different colleges. The mission:Not to arrive at college as virgins. As expected, there is an utter frustration in these main protagonists of being unpopular at High School. Seth is the chubby, curly haired guy, absolutely foul-mouthed and with a clear vision: to be the drunken mistake of Jules! Evan on the other hand is the shy, reserved and has a huge thing about Becca, his high school crush and wants to make things special with her. This is their chance as High School's coming to a close and tonite is "the Jules' party! "(Jules' is Seth's culinary class mate, absolutely hot,cute and perfect ass.Sorry couldn't help mentioning about the tushy!). Of course Seth overheard about it, and asked Jules if she wanted booze for the party as they could get a Fake ID and bring in alcohol for the party;Seth of course hoping to make her get drunk and you know what next. (Let's not get all judgemental about underage drinking, and drunken mistakes and shallow hooking ups. Just enjoy this comedy).<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/movie/gallery/1183404/photo_16.jpg" /><br /></div>Enter Fogell, aka <span style="font-weight: bold;">McLovin' </span>with the Fake ID who saves the day. The Fake ID here is of an organ donor from Hawaii.LOL. Christopher Mintz-Plasse as McLovin' is absolutely brilliant and plays it with the utter geekiness of a high school Bill Gates and with a mouth filled with saliva.He is the THING of the movie, just like Stifler was the THING of American Pie and not Jim. Many would debate it was Stifler's mom,anyway! Writers Seth Rogan( from Knocked Up, and who also con-stars as a rookie cop) and Evan Goldberg have infused the right spirit and perfect dialogues for the movie( I really don't know if it can get more foul-mouthed and funnier than this!). Many would agree that there is so much raunch in it than all the three American Pie movies. The entire raunch factor has been handled in a no -classy way, just because it is a teen flick,if you don't know about sex, how can you be classy eh! LOL.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/movie/gallery/1183404/photo_02.jpg" /><br /></div>The best part though(if there is any, coz this one whole huge chunk of cinema's best comedy, for this year at least) is that Dir: Greg Mottola and comedy films capitano: Judd Apatow as producer have somehow managed efficiently to bind all the raunch with an extremely sincere heart, and that is the friendship of Seth and Evan, and the insecurity of losing each other after all these years from childhood to High School.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/movie/gallery/1183404/photo_22.jpg" /><br /></div>Who am I kiddin'? That's not the best part. I love the raunch-a-rama more .From the period stains, the booze pukes, sniffin coke, shooting stop signs, random party fights, emptying detergent gallons to fill beer, to just the mere sight of refrigerator filled with golden Beer( sigh!), the utterly eww BJ jokes, and McLovin' telling-I'm in! ,balls to the walls, the list is just endless. Superbad is one big party you wanna be at.Just because it is so chaotic and there is so much booze! Woo hoo. I just wish I could see a sight of a chicken roasted on a barbecue.I love it.I love it . I read somewhere about this caption and it sounds so cool-Superbad is <span style="font-weight: bold;">American Pie</span> meets<span style="font-weight: bold;"> South Park</span>. Beat that! American Park or South Pie? I got a better one (may be). Superbad is <span style="font-weight: bold;">SUPERDOPE!</span> Hell Yeah! Miss it and you miss IT.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">P.S.</span> Sources inform that there are already T-Shirts available reading: <span style="font-weight: bold;">I'm McLovin'</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19059420.post-39535323435152362102007-10-24T07:54:00.000-07:002007-10-24T11:21:23.392-07:00Ram Gopal var'MA' ki Aag<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2245/1729299331_619325dd63.jpg?v=0" /><br /></div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Interesting revelation:</span> There was a Sanjay Dutt movie which also starred a thick-browed Chandrachur Singh(I hope that's the correct spelling, my mozilla can't spell check this one.) and Mahima Chaudhry and had a song called Lucky Kabutar. The film was called, wait for it...DAAG..the FIRE. History as they say repeats itself . And it is the turn of RGV's factory to do the honors. This time he has done it by making a sequel to DAAG..the FIRE, and it is called AAG..the STAIN-in every way possible. I mean, for Pete's sake, how can one go so wrong with a flwaless script as Sholay.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2120/1729297969_1e0aee9a42.jpg?v=0" /><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">How can one go so wrong with Surma Bhopali, Jay,Veeru, Thakur,Ramlal, Gabbar and to top it Basanti? These questions haunt me sometimes and well I am sure Mr.Bachhan and his entire clan comprising of Ambanis and Amar Singh(G) would resonate with my emotions.<br />Funny thing, Saturday morning , my friend calls me up and tells me, "Dude, you wanna hear the dialogue of the millenium? <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">'Kab hai Diwali'</span>...."<br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2359/1729298695_e511f2fce9.jpg?v=0" /><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Yes, RGV ki Aag is that crap a movie. And I am gonna grab each and every chance of bashing it out to extreme degrees, because, yet again, being a responsible citizen of my country, it is my duty to avenge the disturbed minds of my dear friends who have been traumatised by the 2007 spoof of Indian Cinema's most celebrated movie. I also am amazed at the range of RGV. He is the same guy who gave us Shiva (the first one),Raat( one of the scariest Hindi movies I have seen, way ahead of its time, and with no shower scenes , in white saris ), Satya, Rangeela,Company and Sarkar. And now add to that impressive list -Ramgopal var'Ma' ki Aag. It is the most let down of his entire filmy resume.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2179/1730144638_4c3b6a1f05.jpg?v=0" /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:180%;">Urmila-Very Hot!!!!!</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Mohanlal Anna</span> ,c'mon. How could you agree to do this? Did Ramu trick you? I even heard Mr.Bachhan walked out of one of the screenings unable to withstand the 70 mm torture in which he was himself being framed.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Nisha Kothari</span>-<span style="font-style: italic;">Naacho, mooh bandh rakho aur haa..kuch pehen lo.Chahe to mooh pe patti baandh lo ..mooh bandh rakho,</span> or else I'll tell Rakhi Auntie.<br />Who's that guy playing Jay? Are you high?<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Ajay Devgan</span>-what are you doing here?<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Sushmita Sen</span> - Its a widow's role, not a clear skin commercial.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Big B</span>-You did what you wanted- Killed the soul of Gabbar. You will be answerable to Mr.Amjad Khan when he asks you," Kitne Aadmi the"--who were writing this crap-a-load-of-a-movie.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">RGV</span>-Shame Shame!!<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">AB Jr.</span>-You wanna get tagged as the Item Boy with the beard and the yo yo moves. Huh?Go grab ya Razr and sit in the corner.<br /><br />What my friend has to say about RGV ki Aag is : Bahut hi badbudaar movie hai. Lagta hai kisi ne nahi nahaya hai.(Which means: This movie stinks. It seems that nobody has taken a bath)<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">P.S.</span></span> I haven't watched this movie. Thank God. Thanks Baggu.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19059420.post-71619307289199198642007-10-23T11:21:00.001-07:002007-10-24T07:53:40.578-07:00Screen Fixed 2<span style="font-size:180%;">Movie Reviews of Movies I missed: For all the reasons</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2089/1725996963_f9cbff7d1c.jpg?v=0" /></span></div><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:180%;" >GO:</span><br />Okay what's the deal with short names in Hindi Movies. That too attached with some kinda actions. Take Daud,Run and now the recent bomber at the B.O.-GO. What is the tiny-winy thing that relates all of them?They all suck, equally in every degree possible.While RGV's Daud was enjoyable in parts which revealed Sanjay Dutt's characters name in the movie was Daya-Parvati, and Urmila's was UmaShanker.<br />Coming back to GO-its got someone called Gautam as the male lead,if you may say so,flexing his muscles and trying to fill each frame with more stunts than the amazing videos you get to see on Youtube. Nisha Kothari as the female lead, shows more skin than a green viper shedding on Animal Planet(both are equally fascinating in their own rights and well the latter gets more viewership). Story-Yeah,right. Another one of those 1950-60-70-80-ish cheap Bollywood flicks from Factory right in the year 2007. Is time being bent or RGV has something missing in his cranium?<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">What would I prefer to see instead: </span>Any of the Ramsay Bros flicks. The music is class, the female leads have no problem shedding their saris even if they have been fighting a losing battle against obesity. (There exists a word in Webster's for this league of Actresses-Power thighs). And yeah, there is Shakti Kapoor.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2327/1727090052_527b8c0741.jpg?v=0" /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:180%;" >BREAKING NEWS:</span> So F#$king what if Koyel Purie is the daughter of Arun Purie,the head-honcho of India Today.That doesn't mean she can spring up any moment as a journo on each friggin frame ,wherever available.I mean c'mon.On Colgate ads enquiring if your toothpaste has salt ? What the F. And now this dumba$$ movie. I did like her in Rahul Bose's "Everybody says I'm fine" . Well, as Tyler would put it,<blockquote>" The feeling starts to fade away...I used to feel your fire, but now its cold inside.."</blockquote>The plot is as predictable as Himess' 16th repetition of the word 'surooooor' after 'tera..tera'. It involves more sting operations, more sleaze,more breaking news tags flashing on the idiot box than any friggin news channel but Rajat Sharma's India TV.<br /></div></div><span style="font-weight: bold;">Factoid:</span> When India TV was launched it had Tarun 'Tehelka' Tejpal in the editorial team, and among others, Nalini Singh and Menaka Gandhi too, until Shakti Kapoor happened. That's how you screw it all up.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">What would I prefer to see instead: </span><span>Any Late Night show on India TV.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2216/1729522006_f301dca0c3.jpg?v=0" /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Budhha Mar Gaya: </span></span><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Yeah probably any Budhha should die of shame . And probably well I would after watching such a load of crap. And so I didn't. <span style="font-style: italic;">Maana ki Raakhi Sawant kuch bhi kar sakti hai. </span>(Agreed, that Rakhi Sawant can do anything.)Agreed that Paresh Rawal, Om Puri and Anupam Kher after having done Sardar,Ardh Satya and Saaransh respectively, have landed on a shit-junction called BMG(Budhha Mar Gaya). And what the F is Ranvir Shourie doing here? OMFG, Rakhi Sawant gets to do some spanking on Prem Chopra's arse. Wanna know more. Om Puri drives his car on both sides of the road,if you know what I mean, and rubs himself against a mountain of skin (I mean an obese lady). There's a huge spectrum of characters in one wholesome family, which was last only seen in Rajshri films. Hail Rakhi maata.</span><br /></div><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">What would I prefer to see instead: </span><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Anything but Rakhi Sawant.<br /><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2065/1728868147_37c8368f99.jpg?v=0" /></span></span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:180%;">DARLING:</span> </span></span><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Fardeen Khan has gained weight at the wrong places. In our lingo we call it suffering from 'BappiLahirosis'. Esha Deol as the psychotic, wooden face ghost ,not dressed in the traditional white sari is a welcome change from the dead pan rendition of dialogues on her GARNIER ads. Isha Kopikar as the sari clad wife(I mean sari is supposed to be the most sensual dress a woman could ever have) is just not sexy enough,not even in the trailers. Do I need any further reason why I gave it a miss and a thumbs down.</span><br /></div><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;">What would I prefer to see instead: </span><span>Kambaqht Ishq ,Khallas and Dilbara Dilbara(the song from Dhoom, yeah the one which has a lot of Esha..if you know..I know you know)</span><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19059420.post-89388111821802155792007-10-13T14:52:00.000-07:002007-10-13T15:39:57.719-07:00Insanely Enjoyable!<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2361/1563052474_d7764fec22.jpg?v=0" /><br /></div>Ok here's the difference. Immad is "<span style="font-weight: bold;">impotent</span>"(well, in his speech,ie). Yes,I have not recovered from the trauma of Dil,Dosti excreta..!!!!And Mr.Naseeruddin Shah, his father, kicks serious ass. Coming back to the movie "review" or whatever, <span style="font-weight: bold;">Monsoon Wedding</span> goes down in my list as one of my hot favs. Absolutely no second thoughts. I have seen Mira Nair's other works such as Namesake, KamaSutra(for obvious reasons), and Salaam Bombay.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2337/1563056506_103377c6da.jpg?v=0" /><br /></div>While Salaam Bombay remains a huge milestone in Indian cinema, it doesn't leave me as moved (read Jubilant,infectiously Celebrating,exuberant and Joyous,all in the same breath).It is difficult to write something limited of a movie that spans across all cultures,and brings together all cliche's attached to "Indian" cinema as seen by the firangs(u know ,the colors, the music and the singing routine) in a very respectable way, and simultaneously deals with intense elements of child abuse, pre arranged marital infidelity,growing old and (non)settled NRI housewives and their puttars and betis with the tag of confusion of being an ABCD...or a Muscat born whatever...phew!!!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2117/1563062854_e2f89fa444.jpg?v=0" /><br /></div>And then you have the Event manager-wedding producer of Old Delhi and his love ,the maid who knows what an email ID is and has a name taken from the pages of Lewis Carol. Whoa! Monsoon Wedding , or Matrimonia Indiano( as it is known in Italy),has it ALL. And I love them all, from the minutest of the details that Ms Nair has put together with a brilliant ensemble cast that comprises of someone as versatile as Lilette Dubey as Mrs.Pimmi Verma,cigarette smoking-hair-curling-nervous mother of the bride, Shefali Chaya as the unmarried elder cousin Ria Verma,Parvin Dabas as the IIT alumni-Softie Export settled in Houston,Vasundhara in one of her most major roles as D-Bride (wont say a word more about here,c'mon she has already faced so much)and (in his debut)Randeep Hooda as the Muscat raised guy who dreams of Hot Indian girls.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Points to be noted:</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">1. Monsoon Wedding gave birth to the usage of <span style="font-weight: bold;">KLPD</span> in college lingo,and it spread like wildfire during my college days.<br /></div><br />2. "<span style="font-weight: bold;">Tej bhaisaab</span>" became synonymous to being a pedophile, so much that we still laugh at a friend who is called Tej.Well, we treat him with some respect you see. Brilliant Job Mr.Rajat Kapoor.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2341/1562178519_86edd96a62.jpg?v=0" /><br /></div>3.The obtuse-angled auntie/dadeejee in white sari grooving to <span style="font-weight: bold;">Chunari Chunari.</span>Now that's called Freaking out Bay-Beh!!!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2072/1562357769_62698fb9ee_o.jpg" /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">4.<span style="font-weight: bold;">Shefali Chaya</span>,what an actress yaar!The family group photo scene when she is supposed to smile while she sits below Tej Bhaisaab.That's something <span style="font-weight: bold;">Brilliant.<br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2151/1562177111_572650887e.jpg?v=0" /><br /></div></div>4.Naseeruddin Shah is the greatest actor of Indian cinema.Give him the Oscar,the Golden Globes, the Golden Lion, the Golden Unicorn, damn it!!<br /><br />The <span style="font-weight: bold;">drenched city of Delhi</span> also somehow blends so smoothly into the color of the movie or rather adds to the glory of it. The hustle and bustle of Chandni Chowk's Saari Bazaar, to the rickshaws and <span style="font-weight: bold;">CP</span>, to huge painted posters of Hindi Movies have been captured brilliantly. Not only does Ms Nair show this part of Delhi, but she also narrates through her characters,how globalisation has transformed us.Elements like becoming cellphone addicts,fast food, sexual freedom and all the other manifestations of the new global American culture ,Cosmopolitan mags, tattoos and well democratic chat shows like"<span style="font-weight: bold;">Delhi.com</span>"<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">***BING***BING***BING***ALERT</span><br />Delhi.com is one of the other points to be noted which I forgot to mention, for obvious reasons-The top dubbist Shivanita Lakhia..Bade Ladke..<span style="font-weight: bold;">ROTFL</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2141/1563054550_539c7da16d.jpg?v=0" /><br /></div>Rarely do we find a movie that brings all the chaos and components which are so cluttered, yet tied to a very sensitive string called family. I wish the KOFFEE guy could understand that family movies are not made with chiffon saris and song sequences in London or Switzerland or mansions hanging crystal chandeliers.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2069/1562179267_d9d9412c1c.jpg?v=0" /><br /></div>Most importantly, Monsoon Wedding infuses in me a feeling of TRIUMPH and well an infectious urge to dance, of course thanks to Sukhwinder Singh for <span style="font-weight: bold;">Kawa Kawa</span>, Anu Malik (singers Abhijit and Anuradha Sriram) for the hot hot number <span style="font-weight: bold;">Chunari Chunari</span>, and well Hans Raj pajee and Bally Sagoo for <span style="font-weight: bold;">Aaja Nachle</span>. <span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Simply LIBERATING!!!!</span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2318/1563053162_43d9f99f0a.jpg?v=0" /><br /></div>Naseeruddin Shah is the BEST! Likhwa Lo. I mean, maine Likh Diya.And Hollywood,please don't consider him for movies where he has to play a bloody bearded thick-accented Maharaja called Captain Nemo. Bollywood tum khush raho!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19059420.post-24435206779486420732007-09-29T22:52:00.000-07:002007-10-02T01:36:00.305-07:00Dil, Dosti,Excreta!!<div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><img src="http://i.indiafm.com/stills/07/dildostietc/still4.jpg" /><br /></div>I watched Jenna Jameson and Tera Patrick being banged to cleanse myself from the trauma and disturbia that left me numb for the 45 odd minutes I spent at the theatre watching Manish Tiwary's Dil Dosti etc. This is a movie which has left me disturbed to the core, more than ever.Of course, can't promise that this tops my worst movies list, but well it might qualify as a very strong contender. Immad Shah(Naseeruddin Shah's son) plays Apurv with a deadpan look throughout and a speech style which can be best expressed as "impotent". Wonder how's he gonna complete the hat-trick he keeps talking about.Forget talking about comparisons, because we know how good an actor Mr.Shah Senior is. I am talking about an individual performance and to be precise, it sucked more than a Black Hole (as in the Black Hole, not the one you are imagining.Of course, all you can imagine after this movie is what you are thinking of.) What has happened to Smriti Mishra? As my friend puts it,"One of the most disturbing scenes on celluloid is the frame of the prostitute with the sagging belly". And well I have a word for it-Eww!! Isshitta Sharma (more famous in our circle as Preeti Patel from Loins of Punjab) disappoints as the school girl who is confused whether she wants to or not to get laid, or well I don't really care what is the confusion. Shreyas Talpade as Sanjay Mishra, the future politician from Bihar is a complete misfit in the ensemble.<br /><br />The synopsis at IMDb for this movie reads: Dil Dosti Etc is a fresh, unabashed, no holds barred look at how young men of today think and choose to live their lives.<br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">My take: </span>Mr.Tiwary and Mr.Prakash Jha ,get a grip and hold on to your lives first. Focus. Please just dont excrete on the celluloid and give it a title.<br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Regrets:</span> I am not gonna get those 45 minutes of my life.<br />Watch it if you are emotionally blackmailed or if Preeti Patel is your fiance'.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19059420.post-86464310587514096742007-09-29T02:29:00.000-07:002007-10-01T05:49:22.210-07:00Johnny Scores!!<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1364/1456817241_054958de73.jpg?v=0" /><br /></div>Neons,Red neons, Yellow Milestones, Pune Railway Station,Lancers, maroon Maruti 800, Bombay-Pune Highway,more Neons and UV Lights in da Club, no Bling Bling, only CASH and Bam Bam. Phew!! What a ride!!Johnny Gaddar is ..wait for it...the Best Hindi movie of its genre. Should I say that again or was I loud enough to make my point clear? ADLABS presents, ...Sriram Raghavan's...and then Boom. The title credits are absolutely a thing to watch and watch out for. Awesome is the Word..or is it Legendary. Ok, I should come out of the Barney-shell and just tell you more about the movie and why I loved it.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1354/1456816023_3d6c138d68.jpg?v=0" /><br /></div><span style="font-weight: bold;">Reason 1:</span> Solely for the title credits which is a huge tribute in its own right to all the 60's and 70's thrillers, especially ( and well clearly mentioned too) to Vijay Anand's works from Johnny Mera Naam( from which the movie's title has been taken) to Jewel Thief . I definitely felt that Mr.Raghavan always wanted to pay a kind of homage to them, and what rightfully done!!<br />In scenes like, Rimi Sen reading R.K.Narayan's 'Guide'( made into a film by Vijay Anand) or well, Vikram, the protagonist who is a big Big-B fan, watches Parwana (may be for his influences eh!) to Johnny Mera Naam. Well,there are other trivial stuff too which would soon make their way on the trivia list of IMDb like, while Shiva is being called the first time, he is watching Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut. The movie also brings back the genre of "Kaun-Kaise-Kaha-Kyun" in a very crisply done script just like taken from the pages of " James Hadley Chase".<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1224/1456816269_631276576e.jpg?v=0" /><br /></div><span style="font-weight: bold;">Reason 2:</span> This is not a Who-Dun-it? It is more of how did he-when did he-kinda flick, and it continously kept me( and also all the people at the theatre) at the edge of my seat and made me wonder, about what next?It made me think and think, and hold on to the chair tight, made me wanna kick the guy sitting in front of me talking over the phone, cause I was sensing the air of suspense and was totaly gripped by the claws of this reel-o-magic.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1220/1457683618_ec3a83c2cb.jpg?v=0" /><br /></div><span style="font-weight: bold;">Reason 3:</span> The entire cast,from the mastermind of the "plan-A" Seshadri (Dharmendra) to Prakash a.k.a Pakya(Vinay Pathak) to the very briefly kept Twinkle a.k.a Mrs.Shardul (Rimi Sen),everyone has been able to pull off exactly what the film expected them to. Debutante Neil Mukesh as Vikram a.k.a Johnny G is a discovery. He is not just plain wood as the other six-packs,sculpted physique league of bloody ordinary gentlemen are, but makes his presence felt throughout and has been absolutely successful in making the character of Johnny Gaddar come to life. Johnny isnt a strong guy, he is a smart guy. He has his weaknesses and he is scared of the bigger and stronger Cons. But his smartness,his luck and his perfect timing makes his Plan-B work. And Neil makes us believe that he IS Johnny while he deceives and betrays everyone. Last but not the Least, Zakir Hussain as Shardul is absolutely brilliant and Ashwini Kalsekar as Mrs.Pakya a.k.a Beauty Parlor is the icing on the Cake. Go watch the movie to find out why.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1215/1456816799_403d978b35.jpg?v=0" /><br /></div><span style="font-weight: bold;">Reason 4:</span> The movie includes PUNE. Yippeee. From Pune Station to MG Road, to glimpses of Magnum Mall and Bombay Garage(was it?) . Woo hoo. I loved it.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Reason 5:</span> all of the ABOVE and even more. Johnny G offered me a slice of Tarantino even in vernacular. Especially the scene when Shardul is being hit and falls down back-first on his glass center table. Kill Bill revisted. Woohoo. What I liked most about the movie besides the Title Credits, is the pace at which the movie carried on. There are no extras or fillers or any element of Priyadarshan or RGV ki Aag. I have watched Mr.Raghavan's previous flick "Ek Hasina Thi" and I thought it was a good movie. Johnny G just surpasses all the expectations I had. It is a brilliantly made movie in all aspects, from the sets to the script to the action chodeography to the fast paced editing to the jaw-dropping fast cinematography which captures the closed Train Toilets to the dim-lit compartments as brilliantly as the crowded dance floor of Club Escape or the intense nightmare mood of Vikram's apartment.Shankar-Ehsan-Loy's score is set to set the mood of the movie and it does it well. Just well enough. But it is a bit too loud at times, or perhaps I am too claustrophobic for closed club Sounds.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1349/1457683968_c70740213d.jpg?v=0" /><br /></div><span style="font-weight: bold;">Complaints:</span> Only complaints are that it is a rated-A movie. So well, besides the Bam-Bam and the Dhishum Dhishum, I wanted some Muah-Muah too. Not that the movie did not have any scope for it. Rimi and Neil could have had a moment . Friggin!!!!! Just when you thought that it was flawless, my hormones popped-out. LOL.<br />Need I say more. A word more spoken and I would start sounding like I have been paid for the publicity of this movie. Go watch it and you will and shall LOVE it.<br />3.5 out of 5.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19059420.post-75985085489887427432007-09-22T07:17:00.000-07:002007-09-23T10:29:51.793-07:00Loins of Punjab Presents<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1170/1423725998_37bcdd1b2e.jpg?v=0" /><br /></div>Loins of Punjab Presents is a riot of laughter through and through. Abso-Friggin-Lutely Hilarious. It is a beautiful ensemble piece,yet a very disorganised one jumbled together like a mismatched jigsaw puzzle which only starts taking shape and form as the story unfolds. The pieces here are equally colorful and hilarious in their own way.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1414/1423726478_cfa1fce7f1.jpg?v=0" /><br /></div>To begin with ,the organisers and the title sponsors of the main event . Loins of Punjab is an organisation which has been run by an NRI who made it big in the US by well selling pork loins. They happen to be the title sponsors of a Talent hunt contest (like the many that we see on TV these days, yet very different) and the event management company that handles the event is Bokade Mgmt Company, run by a certain Mr.Bokade who believes Gypsy Kings turn women horny.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1018/1422841231_483f3dfbd2.jpg?v=0" /><br /></div>The talent hunt is the search for a Desi Idol , the songs would be only in Hindi, and the grand prize is a handsome 25G. The contestants: Preeti Patel & the Patel Squad. Needless to mention here how the Gujjus enjoy their Theplas and self packed Dhoklas EVERYWHERE. They sure know how to have a Good Time and well bargain at that too. Next in Line is a White Guy , Joseph Cohen who loves everything Indian including his girlfriend Opam ( Ayesha Dharkar).<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1393/1422841711_e445653e3d.jpg?v=0" /><br /></div>There's also the high society ,stiff upper lip and envious Mrs. Rrita Kapoor ( Shabana Azmi) who wants to win the competition just to win the prize and donate it to some women fundraiser( you know , high society show offs). There's a Business Analyst, Vikram Tejwani (played by the Director Manish Acharya ) who talks in numbers and well his love interest eventually, Sania Rehman who pretends to know Hindi, a guy who got fired for his name being Saddam Hussein, and to top it all, Ajay Naidu as the Turbanotorious B.D.G. , the Bhangra King raplord.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1036/1423725760_3d1f7d9287.jpg?v=0" /><br /></div>I can just go on praising about this character, but its better to just say , BRILLIANT. B.D.G.s intro happens in a open mic night when he comes up with his partner, with the turban on, and in typical Yo-Hip-Hop-Hustle Style shows some Respecc to his Fols, Mummy-G and Papa-G and begins his rap with Yo-MadaF@#$ and F@#$ U ***. You get it. I was roaring with laughter.<br />Well, I had not seen any promos of the movie whatsoever and to be frank did not have any sort of expectations with the movie. But well, I was bursting out with laughter in the very first 2 minutes of the movie and it continued till the end credits. To say that the movie was funny would be an understatement.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1432/1423726098_7c1330470d.jpg?v=0" /><br /></div>Debutante Director Manish Acharya has done a very commendable job and dealt with extreme expertise handling the mad cast of the movie and has made every inch of the movie whacky and whackier without resorting to cheap slapstick humor.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1343/1423726760_2a4ae97b4f.jpg?v=0" /><br /></div>I have seen a lot of these Indy-Indie Humor Flicks on ABCDs and NRIs. But this is by far the best.The jokes are a take on post 9-11 America, the ethnic backgrounds that comprise of the brown population of New Jersey, the Gay Fashion Desginers, the Gay-Brown-Bhangra-Pop Guy singing Khoon Kharaaba, the elite Socialites and to top it all how the National Anthem binds us all ,no matter what. I guess I haven't had such a good laugh since Khosla ka Ghosla .Loins of Punjab Presents is a wholesome entertainer, but well do mind the A-Rating. From me its 3.5 stars. BRAVO.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19059420.post-67227764948046074502007-09-21T04:04:00.000-07:002007-09-21T04:18:33.936-07:00Transformers<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/movie/gallery/1165257/photo_46.jpg" /><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Its another one of those Michael Bay Blockbusters blown out of proportion. There is so much action filled into this one than all the summer action flicks combined and multiplied thrice. And no, I am not exaggerating. With a price tag of 150 million $ , the Transformers sure didn't come cheap, and well it shows, clearly with each and every scene.Michael Bay is well, known for that.His last few works haven't made a big impression on me though. The very forgettable Island, the Titanic-isque 'Pearl Harbor'( but I loved Pearl Harbor), and well Ben Affleck in the orange suit, what was that Movie with the Aerosmith soundtrack?<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/movie/gallery/1165257/photo_37.jpg" /><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Anyway, coming back to Transformers, the Hasbro franchise and the zillion year old mythology of Cars and vehicles transforming into Metal Monsters made popular by an equally old Cartoon Series. Sounds like every 6 to 16 year old boy's fantasy. I personally haven't been a fan to the whole Transformers franchise and well, frankly speaking haven't seen any of the cartoons. But well, the movie just doesn't need any prerequisites.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/movie/gallery/1165257/photo_14.jpg" /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">The voice of Optimus Prime(Peter Cullen) welcomes us to the universe where machines rule SUPREME.If you want me to tell you the plot, mail me. This ain't the place.LOL. Anyway, there are good machines who want to prevent the human race from being hurt , and there are the bad ones who well want to beat the crap out of the good ones. And there is well the EVIL one , who is deep in sleep(made to sleep by Liquid Nitrogen), and there is the Underdog who has the good ones to his side. You fit in the pieces. Quite predictable.<br /></div><br /><img src="http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/movie/gallery/1165257/photo_29.jpg" /><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">But yes, as I mentioned before. When you walk in to watch a Michael Bay film, you go in to enjoy . Just forget the performances, forget there are even humans existing in the movie. Just sit back, and buckle up your seat belts as you are set in for a roller coaster ride.<br /></div></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/movie/gallery/1165257/photo_13.jpg" /><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The SFX are very finely woven with live action feed and makes it impossible for the human eye( at least the two I know) to distinguish between real and the UNreal. The effects to be simply put are jaw-dropping and the sequences give a new meaning to the word Action Powerhouse. It's the transformation of robots that will blow your mind .<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/movie/gallery/1165257/photo_32.jpg" /><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Add that to the eye-popping robot smackdowns and good old fashioned car chases, and you have a movie that is going to get your blood pumping and your heartbeat racing. I came away convinced I'd had the most sheer, loud fun of any blockbuster in a summer that has delivered too little of that quantity.Well, what can I say, I really wonder if my movie ticket could get me so much for so less.Phew. 4 STARS and a Thumbs up to Michael Bay.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19059420.post-51903515903194123172007-09-21T03:15:00.000-07:002007-09-23T10:24:30.041-07:00Ratatouille<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/movie/gallery/1164826/photo_01.jpg" /><br /></div>Let me begin with..It was Delicious. Absolutely. Frame to Frame, Edge to Edge. The Master Chefs at PIXAR have done it yet again. Just when I thought how on earth can anyone better the Incredibles or Nemo, they have done it yet again, proving that it is not done yet for PIXAR. Far from it.<br />To begin with , well ,I loved the short animated feature before the movie and also the preview of the next summer Pixar Release.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/movie/gallery/1164826/photo_03.jpg" /><br /></div>Coming back to Ratatouille, it is so heartfelt and sincere, and the emphasis on the characterisation is so honest to the core that you just can't stop applauding the genius of the PIXAR guys, along with enjoying the visual delight of the animated French Delicacies in all their grandeaur.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/movie/gallery/1164826/photo_16.jpg" /><br /></div>Initial reactions over a movie which has a Rat as the main protagonist would definitely throw reactions of it being considered as yet nother dosage of slapstick humour that we have grown with and perhaps, been fed too much. But trust me on this, Ratatouille excels as the best G-rated entertainer, the best food movie, and perhaps, one of the best comedies better than most of the PG-13 and R-Rated Teen Flicks filled with skimpily clad bombshells and dumber brains.<br /><br />Just don't tempt me to reveal the plot. It is awesome. Ok, well what the heck, here it is.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/movie/gallery/1164826/photo_17.jpg" /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The story is about a young French blue rodent named Remy (voiced by comic Patton Oswalt), who is gifted with an extraordinary sense of smell and taste buds.He's positively inspired by a TV cooking show with Chef Anton Gusteau (Brad Garrett), whose motto is "Anyone can cook!"<br />When Remy is accidentally swept into a storm drain, he turns up at Gusteau's restaurant in Paris, which has fallen on hard times.<br /></div>Gusteau is dead, the place has been demoted to three stars (from five) - and the place is lorded over by Skinner (Ian Holm), a diminutive despot who has licensed Gusteau's name for dubious frozen foods.A rat, of course, is less than welcome in the kitchen - except by the ghost of Gusteau.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/movie/gallery/1164826/photo_10.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The spirit encourages Remy to surreptitiously turn a soup accidentally ruined by a bumbling kitchen assistant named Linguini (Lou Romano) into a culinary masterpiece.When the talentless Linguini is ordered to duplicate this masterpiece, he's forced to turn to Remy as his partner.<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Hiding under Linguini's toque, Remy yanks on the young man's hair like a puppeteer to steer him to the proper ingredients and spices.<br />This Chaplin-caliber physical comedy, which puts most live-action comedies to shame, is alone worth the price of admission.</div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/movie/gallery/1164826/photo_12.jpg" /><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">Its one helluva watch. A plot filled with surprises, beautiful visuals (one of which includes the spellbounding scene of the Eiffel Tower), great characters ranging from the main character Remy, the rat who wants to be a Chef and Linguini,the clueless,gangly dishwasher, and the entire bunch of chefs .<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/movie/gallery/1164826/photo_13.jpg" /><br /></div>Another noteworthy character is Janeane Garofalo as the very French Colette, the only woman in the Gusteau kitchen - and, with more than a little help from Remy, Linguini's love interest<br />The one that kinda steals the climax is definitely Anton Ego, voice given by Hollywood legend Peter O' Toole. I don't know how to put it in any other form .O' Toole's voice just sinks in the character so bloody well.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/movie/gallery/1164826/photo_08.jpg" /><br /></div></div><br />The details of the animation just make me look at it with my eyes wide open and just wonder in awe. Because everything is so real. From the sauce stained aprons of the Chefs, the Copper Pots, the Mint Garnish,the beads of moisture on the freshly cut vegetables to the matt fur of the rodents, everything is Perfect. The chodeography of a busy restaurant kitchen, to the intense chase scenes on the street of Paris, it has it all.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/movie/gallery/1164826/photo_07.jpg" /><br /></div><br />Just go watch it, absolutely unmissable.Its the perfect Entertainer in a long long time.Written and directed by Brad Bird and displaying the usual meticulousness associated with the Pixar brand, “Ratatouille” is a nearly flawless piece of cinema. It provides the kind of deep, transporting pleasure, at once simple and sophisticated. Spare me the Ratings. This goes beyond that. I would give it a 100.Prepare to be very hungry.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19059420.post-10880109413149203132007-07-14T13:47:00.000-07:002007-09-20T10:15:36.603-07:00Screen FixedWhat is up with the movies? Well, the last movie I watched was Die Hard 4.0. It has been two weeks since and I haven't seen any. Faced with the question what the F will I blog,( I really don't care if anyone is reading this or not),I decided upon writing upon the trailers of the movies I missed, wanted to watch and couldn't , or I probably I never wanted to watch,or the ones I watched and never wrote about.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Movies I saw, and didn't write about until now.</span><br />To start with <span style="font-weight: bold;">POTC-At World's End</span>.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><img src="http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/movie/gallery/1165611/photo_16.jpg" /><br /><p></p><div style="text-align: left;">Yeah, given that El Capitano jack Sparrow cracks me up every time, this flick just didn't work for me. Firstly, because I was too consumed by the fact that Aerosmith would be performing the very next day and I would be watching them, and secondly becuase Keira Knightley,Orlandoo Bloom, Heavily Made Up Geoffrey Rush,and an army of dentally challenged,extremely filthy pirates sailing to the world's end,fighting octopusses and slimy monsters did nothing to keep me on the edge of my seat. Well, primarily so, because we have been there and seen it all already, and evrything seemed like Pirates 2 screened again, with a more complicated storyline, which I really didn't care to follow.<br /><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="http://www.hindu.com/2007/03/20/images/2007032017670201.jpg" src="http://www.hindu.com/2007/03/20/images/2007032017670201.jpg" /><br /></div>NextUp: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Sivaji.The Boss. </span>Aah.I did watch Sivaji, with a Telegu guy who knew elementary Tamil I sure did ruin his movie experience by asking him every 5 mins about the plot.<br />Well, you really dont need to know Tamil to enjoy Sivaji. Especially, with an audience which starts whistling at the mere sight of Rajni's shoes. The jokes, oh, I couldn't get em, my incapability, but the crowd seemed to love it. Rajni earns hundreds of crores abroad by working as an IT professional ( VISA Power, go get it!). Comes back home to set up a medical college. Bad guy doesnt want him to. Corrupt guys ask more moola.Rajni shows "thenga" (That's the Indian PG Version of the Middle Finger) and sweeps all of them off their feet, in a very unromantic way.His lady love on the other hand wants him to be get Fair and Handsome , or else the relation is over. Tormented Rajni goes in the pool of Multani Mitti, has Papaya facials, puts on Manish Malhotra desinger jackets,and fights the goondas at his ladylove's music store. Throw in some Rahman scores, 20 different hairdos including a bald look,and catchy lines like---Coool, Finisshh...whats not to like or love?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Some of the movies I didn't see and why?</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Ck2MK</span>-Chain Khuli Ki Main Khuli. Puhleezzz, I prefer to refer it as the dialogue from Satte pe Satta<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Train</span>-Catch Ya Never,coz, Some Lines should Never be Crossed. Sure, the threshold of the screening room playing the Train.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Premonition</span>-Premo who...????Sandra Bullock. Next please<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Fool N Final</span>--Already have downloaded the video Ye Dooriya. So , am good.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Shootout at Lokhandwala</span> - hmm. I wanted to see it, but I got affected by the virus of Vicky Pollard, the symptoms being frequent uttering of " yeah but no but yeah but no but yeah but no..."""""<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Red Swastika</span>: When is Mithun Da's next releasing?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Some of the movies I really had to NOT see.<br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="http://www.moviewalah.com/files/Image/jhoom_barabar_jhoom.JPG" src="http://www.moviewalah.com/files/Image/jhoom_barabar_jhoom.JPG" /><br /></div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;">JBJ:</span> When the promos were out, and AB Sr. did a Jack Sparrow on a Bhangra No. by Shankar Ehsaan, with the Yashraj films Banner gleaming below,first reactions were, no matter what, even if its crap, I will go to watch the movie. At Least for the songs. I got the soundtrack, and fell in love with Bol Na Halke Halke, sung by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan.<br />Friday Came, and my friend called. You are watching this movie over my dead body. I had no other options.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="cursor: -moz-zoom-in;" alt="http://www.planetbollywood.com/Pictures/Posters/Apne/Apne1P.jpg" src="http://www.planetbollywood.com/Pictures/Posters/Apne/Apne1P.jpg" width="345" /><br /></div><span style="font-weight: bold;">Apne</span>:hehahahahaha..Kutte Kamine...I felt scared..what if the Deols teared the screen open..I mean for God's sake it ain't one..not two, but all three of 'em.<br />And Sunny Paaji playing Rocky Balboa for Papajee. I think, I'd better settle for Ghayal's DVD.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i.indiafm.com/stills/07/aapkasurroor/still2.jpg" alt="Aap Ka Surroor - The Moviee, Himesh Reshammiya, Mallika Sherawat, Hansika Motwani, Raj Babbar, Sachin Khedekar, Pankaj Jha, " border="0" /><br /></div><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Aap ka Suroor:</span> I didn't like the spelling mistake. I couldn't believe that a movie of this stature with an actor like Himmesssss could be released with spelling mistakes in its promotional posters.I felt let down.Yeah,on a serious note, primarily because , I ,being a responsible citizen of this nation, wanted to protect my fellow countrymen from the possible torture they call: Aap ka Suroor,the Sequel to the Reaalll Love Storyy.And I have failed to do so. Even after holding myself down and controlling the curiosity I had to watch Himesss on big screen, curiosity got the better of millions of my fellow countrymen,and yes, the sequel is happening. Aaj, khusshh to bahut hoge tum. Himess , you must be proud to have yur pic on me blog. Haayy<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="The image “http://specials.rediff.com/movies/2007/jun/28slid5.jpg” cannot be displayed, because it contains errors." src="http://specials.rediff.com/movies/2007/jun/28slid5.jpg" /><br /></div><span style="font-weight: bold;">Awarapan</span>: The Paki Music Techno Remix didn't work for me this time.BTW, I havent watched Zeher,Wo Lamhe and even Gangster.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="http://www.moviewalah.com/files/Image/naqaab_01.jpg" src="http://www.moviewalah.com/files/Image/naqaab_01.jpg" /><br /></div><span style="font-weight: bold;">Naqaab: </span>Please No. Abbas Mustan are the biggest cost cutters, do you know. I wont watch their movie until they change their attire. They have been wearing the same white shirt, and white pant, I mean the same, since Khiladi was released. The VHS tape of Khiladi has got all the reels demagnetised and Wada Raha plays backwards, Ayesha Jhulka is now on Telebrands, but Abbas Mustan still haven't changed their white dress. Has TIDE sponsored all of their movies?<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc308/imsujoy/bongconne.jpg" /><br /></div><span style="font-weight: bold;">Bong Connection:</span> Simply because, it isn't getting released in Pune.But I am sure that I'll catch it in Kolkata.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/movie/gallery/1163672/photo_02.jpg" /><br /></div><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Harry Potter</span>: Bachho ne Sab Tickets le liye. No tickets for me. BoohoooUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19059420.post-54511498334197032482007-06-30T06:42:00.000-07:002007-06-30T07:03:15.098-07:00Too Much 4.0<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/movie/gallery/1167907/photo_05.jpg" /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Geeks Free for Dry Fart </span><br /></div>That is what I would like to call it.Doesn't make sense, but it rhymes!Anyway, going back to the movie,the good thing is it is worth all of the 60 bucks I spent on it on a Saturday morning. But was it worth of me waking up on a Saturday morning , hungry and sleepy, rushing to the multiplex,braving the rain of Pune, which left me drenched .Well to some extent yes,coz it was money's worth. Now that I have started sounding like a baniya, lets just tell you, that this is a movie solely for those who swear by the Masala Hollywood Potboilers, and for those who go to the theatres to watch a piece of magnificent moviemaking, I'd rather recommend them to stay indoors, get hold of a Spielberg DVD instead, and just get cozy with their remote. For others like me, its nostalgia revived and its time to say hello to 'Detective' John McClane(Bruce Willis, did I actually need to mention it),well for the 4th time.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/movie/gallery/1167907/photo_02.jpg" /><br /></div>The plot: based upon an article from <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Wired</span> entitled "A Farewell to Arms"by John Carlin,is as simple as one could be.It's actually about confusing the entire audience about how technology can take a toll of the entire functioning system of a country and how crooked minds ( moles in FBI and hired Russian chamche) can use it to blow up their bank balances.Hmm, sounds quite original.Lost in this digital chaos,is our very analog ,good old McClane who is trying to make sense of it all,with the help of a Hacker,Matt Farell(Justin Long) and fatty accomplice Warlock(Kevin Smith) to save America from the wrath of ex-Fed Thomas Gabriel (Timothy Olyphant, last seen in Girl next Door, remember the guy who planned about the shooting of prom video Version ahem.ahem!!!).<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/movie/gallery/1167907/photo_06.jpg" /><br /></div>Anyway,assisting Gabriel is hot chi(n)ckie Mai Lihn (Maggie Q) who kicks some serious McClane Ass ,kung fu style, while deploying some serious code simultaneously.I never knew geeks( Geeks here do not necessarily mean people who are "Geeks",you know, more like a Techie)could be hot as well.Well, none that I know of. At the end of it, McClane manages to save the day, and after a whooping 2hrs and 40 mins roller coaster ride,McClane survives with a few scratches and a shoulder shot and also manages to find a Techie(won't use Geek this time)future son-in-law .See, who said only Karan Johar said "It's all about loving your family".<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/movie/gallery/1167907/photo_07.jpg" /><br /></div>The problem: I personally enjoyed every bit of every green dollar spent on this movie. Because it all showed on the screen.Cars banging each other, Old-school, bare-knuckle, wham-Bam sequences, Fighter Planes exploding , our Hero and his sidekick being hunted down in Dark Tunnels, Cars being thrown on them,SUVs on a Lift, Concrete Bridges breaking, Cars bringing down Choppers, and of course John McClane bringing down armies of assasins with just a handgun.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/movie/gallery/1167907/photo_11.jpg" /><br /></div>But after a while, it stats getting on you. Simply put, you start drawing parallels between McClane and our very own Mithun Da or Rajnikanth Anna (no offense). It is too much action happening around you, and McClane still manages to survive through each and every obstacle as if hopping through turtles in Super Mario.<br />And well, not to mention ,the many cliches attached to this genre.The geeks know it all,the villains are supergeniuses and also have been trained in combat fighting, Russians are always bad hackers, carrying MP5s ,no matter what, there is always a good hacker who can encrypt everything up and show an "up-yours" in a decrypted way,Hackers always type on the keyboard very fast and never use their mouse,the FBI is dumb and arrives late, Operating Systems of the Computers have lovely User Friendly interfaces to make even Macs burn with envy et al. But well, perhaps , I am too much complaining.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/movie/gallery/1167907/photo_12.jpg" /><br /></div>John McClane is supposed to be like this,and so is Die Hard. The amount of hair on Willis' scalp has seen a downward trend , but the action, the charisma and the power of John McClane has been sailing the skies. The chemistry between the Brute and the Brains in the movie clicked, and well , I do miss the Rupa Banyan Look of John McClane, but I am happy about one thing and that is, the Geeks/Techies have still a way with the ladies... :P<br />My Rating: 3 on 5Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19059420.post-55924670771366782742007-06-17T05:59:00.000-07:002007-06-17T06:22:22.242-07:00Surf's Up!<p align="center"><img src="http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/movie/gallery/1163664/photo_01.jpg" /></p>Fantastic Four:Rise of the Silver Surfer. I don't know who made this movie, except for the fact that Stan Lee has been having cameos in almost all the Superhero Movies lately. Just as I had started getting cozy in my seat , I could see the fast turning of pages of Marvel Comics, and of course the Trademark 20th Century Fox Studios Opening. Okay, I don't need to go that level of detail. The point is, with movies like Fantastic Four, or X-Men or Spiderman, we do not expect Award-winning performances. All we expect is money-worth entertainment and trust me, I got more than just that.<br /><br /><p align="center"><img src="http://www.hotmovienews.com/images/news/1099-f-1.jpg" /></p><br />Silver Surfer delivers every bit of it and much more. The plot ain't very complex and any child would be able to predict what would happen next. Something that looks like a meteor is flying all over the world, confounding weather patterns. In Japan, the sea turns to ice, and snow falls over the pyramids in Egypt. Electricity goes out all over Los Angeles, and everywhere this energy ball goes, it creates craters. It's strange enough that people start thinking this might be the end of the world. Come to think of it, that's not a bad guess.Meanwhile, everything is cozy with the Fantastic Four. Mr.Fantastic is about to get married to Elasti-girl(is it?). The Thing is happily engaged to his blind love and the Torch is enjoying the life of a New York bachelor.They are urban dwellers, like all superheroes, and so when Reed and Sue opt for an outdoor wedding, they hold it on a rooftop. Or maybe they do this out of plot convenience.<br /><br /><p align="center"><img src="http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/movie/gallery/1163664/photo_32.jpg" /></p>Before the rings are exchanged, the meteor flies by -- only, on closer look, it's not a meteor. It's a silver man on a silver surfboard, who looks like an Oscar statuette in motion. He has access to a seemingly unstoppable supply of energy, and he's sowing destruction everywhere.The actions involved are definitely noteworthy and enjoyable, and well the transformation is spellbounding and very easy on the eyes. What can I say, the illusion is done!<br /><p align="center"><img src="http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/movie/gallery/1163664/photo_31.jpg" /></p><br />Von Doom shows up, like someone too mean to die, oozing menace and that very word called "kamina-pan"(English is too fancy a language to have a synonym to it).There are oblique attempts at making the film topical: For example, the Army brings in a torturer to interrogate an alien, because the alien has no "human" rights. Anyway, where was I? Yeah, I was here to praise the movie, so here I go. Its all about popcorn and edge of the seat action sequences. The ones which should be mentioned:battle between the Torch and the Silver Surfer,battle in London, which endangers the Millennium Wheel, to the outer-space scenes,and the ultimate climax in which a creeping darkness threatens to cover the earth.<br /><p align="center"><img src="http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/movie/gallery/1163664/photo_34.jpg" /></p><p><br />At 92 mins, its much crispier than the previous average attempt on the Marvel franchise, and of course to a huge extent a better one.Well, to say more, Jessica Alba has definitely stopped doing that thing she did throughout the previous "Fantastic Four" movie. You know, that thing in which she'd speak a line and then look around nervously to see if she'd fooled anybody? Alba doesn't do that anymore. She's just fine now -- and so is the new "Fantastic Four" movie.To say that "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer" is better than the original isn't enough. </p><p>Of course :FF3 would be there. Von Doom isn't gone yet. My rating: * * * / 5 </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19059420.post-65734517451623855412007-06-07T01:38:00.000-07:002007-06-07T02:44:52.890-07:00Sugar Free<p align="center"><img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d7/CheeniKumPos1.jpg" /></p><br />Adman R.Balki's directorial debut "Cheeni Kum" is ,as the name suggests, less on sugar-coated entertainment and high on satire, unlike mainstream Bollywood cinema, and for a change, treats the audience maturely, which is a welcome change , by not spoon feeding every detail about the characters, their relations, and their emotions . Cheeni Kum tells us a story about Budhha( Amitabh Bachhan) , a perfectionist chef of Spice 6, an authentic Indian restaurant in London. Budhha takes pride in his eye for details, and in his work, and also claims his restaurant to be the best and the most authentic Indian restaurant, unlike other fake ones, which serve Indian food, directly copied from Indian recipe books.<br /><p align="center"><img src="http://www.apunkachoice.com/upload/movies/movgal5801.jpg" /></p><p><br />Budhha lives with his old mother(Zohra Sehgal), has a deep affection for his 8 year old neighbour whom he calls Sexy, and his life sums up between his restaurant and his home. The main plot starts when Budhha is challenged by a customer, who sends back Hyderabadi Zaffrani Pulao back to the kitchen, complaining it to be "sweeter" than it should be. Buddha offended by the act, goes up to the table , and says that his recipe is authentic , and rudely tells the customer to ask their parents back home in India about the recipe of Zaffrani Pulao. The customer here, is Neena(Tabu), who is very much offended, and to prove her point, sends back a plate of Zaffrani Pulao, the next day. Buddha discovers that the fault was of his chef, and to apologise to his customer, asks her out for dinner. <p align="center"><img src="http://www.apunkachoice.com/upload/movies/movgal5809.jpg" /></p>But Buddha is so much surrounded by his own ego and self-righteousness, that he fails to say " I am sorry". What begins as a bittersweet acquaintance between Buddhadev and Neena soon transforms into mutual attraction and love blooms . Meanwhile, Budhha's mom keeps nagging to him about joining the gym. The irony in 'Cheeni Kum' is that the romance and the love angle between the main characters is often met with the contrasting story line of the tragic leukemia patient Sexy who keeps asking Budhha to bring A-rated DVDs. Budhha and and Neena finally decide to get married , but circumstances forces Neena to get back to India. <p></p><p>This leaves Budhha with no choice , but to ask Neena's father's (Paresh Rawal) permission for them to get married. The catch here is, Neena's diabetic father is 6 years younger to Budhha, and the eternal struggle between the two and how they come to terms, is what forms the second half of the movie.<br /><p align="center"><img src="http://www.apunkachoice.com/upload/movies/movgal5805.jpg" /></p><p><br />R.Balki's treatment with the entire narration of the plot is absolutely fresh, almost something unseen in Hindi cinema. The satire, specially with the Sardar chemist, " Chacha ko Chatree Chahiye" was well thought of which left the entire audience roaring with laughter. Of course, not to forget, the dentally challenged waiter with his wonderful rendition of " Hyderabadi Zaffrani Pulao", and also his categorisation of chatree as" dotted,ribbed, strawberry, banana..et al". The movie is filled with likeable moments like the ones when Tabu discovers that Budhha is a vegetarian and calls him "Ghaas Poos", and in return Budhha calls her "Tangdee Kabab". But well, some scenes could have been done away with , like the Tree Chase scene, and well, the subsequent scenes that followed, where Bachhan tries to pursue Tabu to "do it". I mean, c'mon, who are we kidding? Mr.Bachhan , you are a wonderful actor, but you are no Kevin Spacey, or Al Pacino. Please act your age, and remain a respectable role , and please do not show us shades of Sexy Sam. It almost disgusts me sometimes. Paresh Rawal as the Gandhian diabetic is just ok. We have seen much better performances from him, so this is just passable. Tabu as Neena is nothing brilliant nor ordinary. The role seemed to easy for her in fact. The only character that made a deep impact on me , was Zohra Sehgal's . <p align="center"><img src="http://www.apunkachoice.com/upload/movies/movgal5807.jpg" /></p><p></p>It was such a wonderful protrayal, especially in the scene when Neena reveals that she wants to get married to Budhha. The smile on her face, and the way she says," Do din Gym gaya to usse tu mila hai."( He just went to the gym for two days, and he got you. )And of course the scene at Qutub Minar, when she starts singing a Bhangra number filled with claps and merry making. Simply brilliant. Swini Khara, however as Sexy comes across to me as the extra smart, Sayanee Ladkee who has riped before age. I just do not like such kids, who know their meta physics before revising their rhymes. <strong>Illayaraja's</strong> comeback score of the movie is very easy on ears, but that is it. The title track "<strong>Cheeni Kum hai..Cheeni Kum hai..</strong>" keeps lingering every now and then, and you start thinking, whether your ears are echoing or is it that the filmmakers did actually put it in the soundtrack. <p></p><p><br />All in all, R.Balki's "<strong>Cheeni Kum</strong>" is praise-worthy for its overall entertainment value, its wonderful writing, and its narration. I will wind up with 3 out of 5.Check it out at a theatre near you. If not, wait for the DVD to be out soon.<br /></p><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19059420.post-25438581650325378812007-05-13T06:27:00.000-07:002007-06-12T09:35:30.165-07:00Life In A Metro<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRmRI5Hme4FCWETjsToZKIEuXQ7SnMoZLiI0U_k3UXd9I4ouWRtDEKRBWxhHUxSviKrTU5PC_ooSMJbJdfvc4zmp0CAmIzrpiHaW75p0DI2WRp1oRexXMWPr9n11sCtRjGgrradQ/s1600-h/still4.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5064037887932767586" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRmRI5Hme4FCWETjsToZKIEuXQ7SnMoZLiI0U_k3UXd9I4ouWRtDEKRBWxhHUxSviKrTU5PC_ooSMJbJdfvc4zmp0CAmIzrpiHaW75p0DI2WRp1oRexXMWPr9n11sCtRjGgrradQ/s400/still4.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Jab Mile Thodi Fursat, Mujhse Kar Le Mohabbat. That is what the movie is crying out , and you will love the movie. Of course, it is a very lovable movie. And it does not get lost in the crowd of the many multi-cast, multi-story driven movies of recent Bollywood , all of which bombed at the Box Office. Metro is definitely in the safe hands of diro Anurag Basu.The film begins, and you know it , you smell that you are going to like the movie. So what is there to like about LIAM(Life in a Metro)? Almost everything. One point at a time, shall we? </div><div><br /><strong>The Plot:</strong> It is nothing new or original, in the sense, this is what we might get to read in one of those Metro tabloids of how infidelity, extramarital and premarital sex is totaly overloading the metropolitan lives. So, as far as the plot is concerned, I can pretty much sum it up saying, everyone here wants to get laid. Ok, seriously , the story revolves around 9 characters. </div><p align="center"><img src="http://media.glamsham.com/movies/stills/metro/metro18.jpg" /></p><div>Homemaker Shikha(Shilpa Shetty) and Ranjeet(Kay Kay) are married and have a 6 year old daughter. Their marriage is on the rocks, but still Shikha tries to keep things going until she finds solace in the arms of a stranger Akash(Shiney Ahuja). Shikha's sister Shruti(Konkona Sen) is almost 30 and still unmarried and is desperately seeking for her someone special and ends up meeting Monty(Irrfan Khan) who is also searching for his perfect one on marriage portals. </div><div></div><div>Ranjeet on the other hand is having an extramarital performance with Neha(Kangana Ranaut) who works in his office, a relation which can be best termed as mutually exploitative. Caught in the drama is Rahul(Sharman Joshi) who is willing to do anything to climp up the corpo ladder of success. He even offers his apartment's keys to his philandering bosses as a quick way to climp up that very ladder. And well of course, Shivani ( Nafisa Ali) and Amol (Dharmendra) who want to come back together to rekindle their lost age-old love.<br /><strong>Performances:</strong>Kay Kay Menon comes across as the epitome of Indian male chauvinism and well that is what Diro Basu would have wanted it to be. He plays it so perfectly, that sometimes he starts appearing as the Green Goblin. ( Secret Revealed: I have been drawing parallels between the two: Spidey 3 and LIAM, and you know what, I liked LIAM more than Spidey.Primarily because, the drama here is better and Shilpa is much sexier than ageing Kirsten Dunst ) <p align="center"><img src="http://media.glamsham.com/movies/stills/metro/metro24.jpg" /></p><br /><br />Shilpa Ooh Shetty. She has come a long way now, of course from London's Leicester Square Premiere of the movie. But seriously, leave aside Big Brother, and that "kiss" with Mr.Gere. Shilpa wooes on the big screen. I love her Sari, I love the way she fights with Mr.Menon and I love the scene where Shiney urges her to succumb to desire, and Shilpa responds with utter confusion ,remorse and emotional outburst. Shiney Ahuja, a well polished actor , hasn't been put to much use in the movie. Sharman Joshi is very likeable as Rahul and the initial scenes between him and his neighbour Doctor just crack you up. Kangana Ranaut has very less to say, but well she must be happy with the role she got to play. Because in the silence of Neha, is what her inner tumoil comes out best.<br /><p align="center"><img src="http://media.glamsham.com/movies/stills/metro/metro26.jpg" /></p><br />But the crown goes to Irrfan Khan and Konkona Sen for giving the most enjoyable moments of the movie, especially the one at the beach, when Monty cries like a baby over the thought of his wife not allowing him to see Shruti.And well, the dialogue that follows after " Gaadi Nikalo, Chance Leke Dekho". Although Dharmendra's intro scene is a very likeable one, when he crosses the railway tracks to meet Nafisa Ali, the story of the two gets a bit sluggish , and even a bit unreal at a certain point when they elope on a stolen bike. I mean, where has the sugar problem and the arthritis disappeared? But then, it would be almost like nitpicking on such a loveable movie.<br /><p align="center"><img src="http://media.glamsham.com/movies/stills/metro/metro27.jpg" /></p><br />Diro Anurag Basu has proved it that cinema is indeed a director's medium. Crisp editing, lovely narration and a brilliant soundtrack from Pritam. LIAM has it all. But well, I have some complaints too. 1: Why was James featured in Alvida, even when KK's version in the album is so much better?2: Why Pritam playbacked on In Dino, even when Soham has sung the song and he features on the TV Promos?3. Why does the band need to feature in every song?I mean it is ok if it is one, acceptable if its two, but all the songs.C'mon, give me a break from Electric Guitars flying in the Rain, to James posing in his ancient constipated hairy look and that other guy doing " i-dunno-what" on his "i-dunno-what".<br /><p align="center"><img src="http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/movie/gallery/10008291/photo_05.jpg" /></p><br />Bobby Singh's cinematography is impeccable. From the cosy scene of the dingy apartment where Shiney and Shilpa get intimate in almost no light,only lit up by the street red neon, to the skyline reflecting from the glass window pane of Sharman's apartment as Kay Kay and Kangna lean back , covered in white satine,and of course the red umbrella in the middle of the Mumbai Rain, the visuals are as they say eye-candy. Pritam, a very good job. In Dino is the song you will get tired of singing , but you will get back to it yet again. Alvida-umm, KK's version is so cool. And so are the other songs in the soundtrack. The movie certainly has its share of loopholes , but the soundtrack more than makes up for it. All in all, a good entertainer in a long long while. </div><br /><div>Bravo!!!! 3 and a Half Stars</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19059420.post-10254883482169400162007-05-13T05:12:00.000-07:002007-06-12T09:35:51.708-07:00Bad Spidey<p align="center"><img src="http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/movie/gallery/1161990/photo_19.jpg" /></p><p><br />Still struggling to get over the hangover of my last torturous tryst with the Big Screen, I was expecting a better date with the Friendly Neigbourhood guy in the Blue and Red Speedo. I have actually grown on an overdose of Stan Lee's creation right from the days of the Amazing Fantasy to the many renditions of the imaginative world of the Spiderman by different authors. It had been a thumb rule in the world of Hollywood Cinema that a comic book movie would always land up being like a Joel Schumacher's cheap treat of the Dark Knight. All that changed when Spidey swinged to the tunes of Sam Raimi . </p><p><br />The first Spidey movie had the innocence of a nerdy high-school teenager who wants to be cool, just discovering the comfort of getting rid of his carbon frames and also defying gravity at the same time. Clubbed with first love in an upside-down fantasy kiss in the middle of a dark Manhattan Street still wet with the rain, and of course serious ass-kicking action scenes against the very green and very evil Goblin. Spidey one was my favourite Superhero Movie. </p><p align="center"><img src="http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/movie/gallery/1161990/photo_28.jpg" /></p>Not until Spidey 2 came out. Spidey now was dealing the real evils of reality of making both ends meet, juggling his time to save the world along with delivering pizza , and also getting enough sleep to wake up and prepare for the next lecture's assignments. Simultaneously, our hero had to deal with his love, Mary Jane slipping away , as she demanded more attention. Oh, I forgot to mention, Alfred Molina's wonderful portrayal of Spidey's nemesis Dr.Octavius. Spiderman 2 had it all, in exactly perfect doses making it a brilliant recipe, in fact a real treat. When Spidey-3's teasers got released on the internet last fall,you know what kind of excitement it generated in the minds of people like me, a whole generation of people like me who swear on the Marvels of Marvel and DC. And then to add to the franchise, the wallpapers and the online streaming of trailers revealing that this time around , its gonna be not one, not two, but three separate baddies fighting against our Spidey. It was getting really heated. So heated up, that when I could not get the tickets to the Saturday's shows , I cursed everyone around. Not to mention, I went ahead and read the spoilers at wikipedia.com. But still, my spirits were all high and my eyes grounded on the screen as I entered the auditorium. Somehow, as I entered the hall, I could sense , this movie will not live up to the extremely high expectations that I had almost framed in our mind.I don't know how, but I did sense it.<br /><p align="center"><img src="http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/movie/gallery/1161990/photo_27.jpg" /></p><br /><strong>The Plot:</strong>Opening scene-an unusually happy and content Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) is reveling in how well things are going for him -- his relationship with Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst) is rock solid, he's at the top of his class at the university and he's about to go from freelance status to staff photographer at The Daily Bugle.Simply put, picture perfect . But evil begins to reassert itself on several fronts.As Peter and Mary Jane gaze at the stars from their spider-web hammock overlooking the city, a modest "War of the Worlds"-like meteor crashes nearby and emits a gooey black silk that slithers and slides of its own accord.A hard-outside/soft-inside criminal ,Flint Marco(Thomas Haden Church), who turns out to have been responsible for the murder of Peter's beloved Uncle Ben, escapes from prison and, through a process that defies comprehension but is undeniably eye-catching, turns into a shape-changer named Sandman who can blow through the caverns of Manhattan or become a giant hulk with fearsome pummeling power.<br /><p align="center"><img src="http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/movie/gallery/1161990/photo_52.jpg" /></p><br />And then there is Harry Osborn (James Franco), who, still blaming Spider-Man for the death of his father, decides to emulate the great green one by engineering a new designer Goblin outfit and flying board and taking to the skies to avenge his old man.Peter acquires yet another adversary in the person of Eddie Brock (Topher Grace), an aggressive street photographer who vies with Peter to capture the revelatory shot that will reveal Spider-Man for who he really is, a coup that will land the winner a full-time job from editor J. Jonah Jameson (J.K. Simmons) at the Daily Bugle. The rivalry turns into outright war when Eddie morphs into one more Marvel supervillain, the fanged Venom, whose skills eerily match those of Spidey.Early going is enlivened by a couple high-wire action sequences, a Goblin attack and especially a vertigo-inducing scene in which an out-of-control construction crane demolishes part of a nearby skyscraper, sending platinum blonde Gwen (Bryce Dallas Howard), a classmate of Peter's, heading toward the pavement, only to be saved at the last second by guess who.But the dramatic temperature is brought way down by Mary Jane, who's become a real drag. Fired, in a poor scene, from her Broadway play, she pathetically begs for attention, becomes petulant when Spidey plants a public kiss on Gwen after saving her, then seeks solace from Harry. What happens in the climax is everybody's guess: Mary Jane gets kidnapped (yet again) by the baddies, and Spidey manages to kick their asses with the help of an old (accomplice) foe. Nothing inspirational.Oh did I forget to mention, Aunt May speaking about volumes about how Ben Parker proposed to her.Yeah, I paid my ticket to see that.<br /><p align="center"><img src="http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/movie/gallery/1161990/photo_42.jpg" /></p><br /><strong>The problem:</strong>The problem with most third movies in a film franchise -- be it Star Wars or The Godfather, Batman or Superman, Indiana Jones or The Matrix -- is that the primary reason for their existence is greed. It's not that the filmmakers aren't trying to make a good film. It's just that, unless you're dealing with source material rich enough to warrant three separate pictures (like The Lord of the Rings), all the best ideas have already been spent on the previous two installments.The only reason to go back, then, is to wring a few more bucks out of a proven success. This is why most part threes are, with precious few exceptions, so disappointing. Spiderman 3 is in fact not one of those exceptions. It repeats all the tried and tested character insights scripting done previously in Spidey 2, to an excessive extent that it becomes painful enough to bear the pain of Aunt May and ageing Mary Jane. No wonder, Peter wanted to break up with her.<br /><p align="center"><img src="http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/movie/gallery/1161990/photo_04.jpg" /></p><br />Even longer than its predecessors, 3 piles on the series's usual comedy scenes and action sequences while adding some black slime from outer space and a few new actors (Thomas Haden Church, Topher Grace) to the more familiar faces (Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, J.K. Simmons, Rosemary Harris). And a pile is what it feels like, especially when two superheroes ultimately join forces to defeat three supervillains. Given how bogus the movie is whenever it departs from formula, it's not surprising that the funniest bit (in which Peter Parker becomes a disco smoothie) is stolen from Jerry Lewis's The Nutty Professor or that the best special effects, involving a gigantic Sandman, dimly echo King Kong. Director Sam Raimi tries to pump some life into this dutiful enterprise but seems more than a little bored himself, especially when he's getting mushy about Spider-Man's moral decline and regeneration. It feels like the end of Sam Raimi’s big-screen comic-book adaptations. (Ready or not, the studio is talking about a fourth.) Aesthetically and conceptually wrung out, fizzled rather than fizzy, this latest installment in the spider-bites-boy adventure story shoots high, swings low and every so often hits the sweet spot, but mostly just plods and plods along, as if its heart were pumping tired radioactive blood.Maybe it’s middle age. <p align="center"><img src="http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/movie/gallery/1161990/photo_14.jpg" /></p>In fictional terms Spider-Man a k a Peter Parker a k a Tobey Maguire looks like he’s pushing 23, but there’s something about the guy that shrieks midlife crisis. Peter is still hitting the books and still snapping photographs for The Daily Bugle, run by the flattop blowhard J. Jonah Jameson (J. K. Simmons, in clover, as usual). It’s a living, kind of, enough for an enviably situated dump in Manhattan with artfully peeling walls and a fabulous picture window through which Peter regularly bounds into the air in full superhero drag. (The neighbors in this part of town evidently always keep the blinds drawn.) It’s a calling, sort of, though it’s also started to feel a bit like punching the clock.<br />The programmatic screenplay credited to Mr. Raimi, his brother Ivan Raimi (a third Raimi brother, Ted, plays a tiny role in the picture) and Alvin Sargent certainly feels more like work than play. The only selling point in “Spider-Man 3” is that Spider-Man or Peter or some combination of the two discovers his so-called dark side when an inky extraterrestrial glob (a symbiote in Marvel-speak) spreads its gooey tentacles over his body, turning his suit and soul black. Though there’s something dubious about the idea that black still conveys evil in our culture, pop or otherwise (tell it to Batman and Barack Obama, for starters), the idea of messing with Spider-Man’s squeaky-clean profile, smearing it with dirt, a touch of naughtiness, seems too good to resist. I would have loved to see a bit more of Spidey-the Dark Man, or shall we call him Peter Darker. May be , he could end up killing Gwen or Mary Jane perhaps, rather than playing the piano or grooving to the Jazz.<br /><p align="center"><img src="http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/movie/gallery/1161990/photo_02.jpg" /></p><br />But then, having said enough of how Spidey 3 did not meet much of my expectations, people at Sony have the cash bells ringing continuously, without giving a shit about what the critics say.Left dangling for the past three years, arachnophiles everywhere finally have cause to celebrate.<br />The biggest (with a production budget due north of $250 million) and longest (clocking in at 139 minutes) and quite possibly the capper of a trilogy featuring the current talent lineup, "Spider-Man 3" has done it again.Certain to please the geek squad by remaining ever true to its comic book roots while retaining that satisfying emotional core that has registered with equal numbers of female fans, "Spider-Man 3" has all its demographic bases covered.Having already received its world premiere in Tokyo in a nod to piracy concerns, "Spider-Man 3" premiered in a good portion of the globe ahead of its May 4 North American bow. And the opening weekend collection is a worldwide highest breaking the feat of POTC-Dead Man's Chest.<br /><p align="center"><img src="http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/movie/gallery/1161990/photo_08.jpg" /></p><br />Factor in those additional Imax screens, and the Columbia Pictures blockbuster should spin a worldwide web that should build substantially on the $1.6 billion already brought in by the first two installments.And so , it doesn't matter if Spidey got a little way too much emotional on this one, and Aunt May was high on her Prozac,neither if Mary Jane desperately needs some face lift, as far as the cash is flowing, Spidey 4 is very much on the cards. Early speculations: Carnage could be the next villain.My Rating: 3 out of 5, just for the extra-cool, hyper special effects worth 250 million $. <strong>Money speaks.<br /></strong>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0