Like getting kicked in the (you know where)
I’m a guy. There have been occasions (while playing sport) when I have been hit in the (you know where) and let me tell you - the experience is one of the worst any guy could go through …
Well, that was until this movie came along …
The reason I turned up at Inox on a Thursday night for a special paid preview (to a movie I didn’t know even existed) was because my brother was unfortunate enough to win two tickets to watch the movie due to some Idea contest.
Below is my experience with the movie …
For those of you who don’t know what the movie is about, its about a trip from Bombay to Goa (duh!) which involves the entire cast from the Great Indian Comedy challenge.
It has Sunil Pal, Ahsan Khureshi and Raju Sreevastav in the leading roles …
I am utterly sorry, but none of these people could act even if their life depended on it.
Vijay Raaz (Raghu Romeo) is the only guy who actually acts - and I really feel sorry for him that he has to suffer due to the rest of the cast.
He is extremely talented - and it really pains me to see such talent go to waste …
The plot is completely non existent - so I wont waste keystrokes trying to describe it.
Stuff has been literally thrown in - just to make some extra jokes …
Like, the entire Indian cricket team gets on the bus - just so the comedians can make some Greg Chappel jokes (which aren’t even funny)
The movie drags on from scene to scene - with pathetic editing.
You can clearly make out the cuts during the retakes and editing.
The acting is completely non existent and the dialogues are twisted and turned just so that they can get some more jokes in (which are again not funny - and not at all contextual)
In brief, I had to gnaw my leg off to maintain my sanity while watching the movie.
If you manage to put a brick in a sock, keep rotating it from one end of the sock — till the brick at the other end gains enough centrifugal force and then hit yourself with that brick — on your head - the experience would still be more bearable ..
I have no idea how such films are even made. I mean - do even real, adults sit and discuss the plot and think it makes sense — or is the Indian audience so stupid that they’ll buy the crap these guys dish out???
Please don’t go for the movie - even if it is free !!!
(Which I think is the only way people will enter the halls)
4/29/2006
Cinderella Man
Ron Howard has a knack of making brilliant movies …
If you loved a Beautiful Mind for the lovely Princeton settings and Russel Crowe acting, you are in for a treat.
The movie is based on the life of James Braddock - a boxer from the late 1920s to the earlier 1930s who was named ‘’Cinderella Man'’ for his fairytale rise to fame from a local boxer to the heavyweight champion of the world.
The movie wastes no time as it puts you up with Braddock in a local match. It is still the pre depression era and people are well to do, Braddock is winning matches and is pretty doing well himself.
You notice, at once - the authentic 1920s setting which makes the movie such a treat to the eyes. It has the buildings, the cars, the works.
Not to mention, the camera has that sepia kind of tone to add to the overall experience.
The movie soon fast forwards to the depression era, where Braddock isn’t doing as well as he was (his license gets revoked) … and this is the setting the rest of the movie is based on.
The settings again, reflect the era and the viewer is drawn into empathizing with the people of the time.
The movie also highlights, Braddocks lowest moments of this time - and the scene in which he removes his cap and puts in front of the people he once worked with, begging for some 18 dollars, so that he can pay his electricity bill and bring back his children, is very heart wrenching.
Throughout the movie, Russell Crowe has acted beautifully, both in the ring and out of it. Renée Zellweger who plays his wife, supports him very well.
Paul Giamatti who plays his agent and friend (nominated for Best Supporting Actor) is another great addition to the already existing pool of talent to the movie.
The boxing bouts throughout the movie are very excellently done, especially the last one, and you’ll find yourself being pushed to the edge of your seat every time.
This is not just another boxing movie …
But though the movie about the man - James Braddock - and what he stood for, you can also watch the movie for the boxing bouts (for the ones who are more into the action bit of it). The commentary, setting and the adrenaline are what makes it worth watching more than once.
The background scores and the music are very well done and complement the movie nicely.
All in all, a very good watch. One of the best movies of 2005, one of my favourite movies of all time - and time very well spent.
1/17/2006
Hotel Rwanda
I caught this movie at the Pune International Film Festival just yesterday.
The movie hall which was showing it, was a good 45 minutes drive from our places, but by the end of the movie, everyone was happy that we took the trip.
Hotel Rwanda is a movie which takes us through a true story of a Paul Rusesabagina - who is the house manager of a Four Star hotel and houses more than thousand tutsi refugees in his hotel to save them from the Hutu Militia.
Let me further explain.
The story is from 1994 - when Rwanda was torn up between 2 opposing camps - the Tutsis and the Hutus.
The Hutus take over the country and start killing all Tutsi people - especially the children to stop the next generation of the Tutsis.
’’The movie depicts the very enigmatic nature of Africa and its countries - which can be both, extremely beautiful as well as extremely violent at the same time.
The movie plays around the incident when the entire world turned a blind eye on the thousands of refugees during one of the worst atrocrities in the african history.
When the entire world turned the other way during the mass genocides and slayings of africans, Paul stood up and played his part in saving thousands of people from definite extermination.
The lead role of Paul Rusesabagina is played by Don Cheadle who does stunning work which lets you empathize with the main protagonist without any effort.
The other main characters are played by Xolani Mali as the policeman, Sophie Okonedo as Paul’s wife, Nick Nolte as the UN Colonel Oliver, Joaquin Phoenix as a member of International Press.
All of them gel well together, play their part to the T and as a result are able to bring to you the very disturbing pictures of the struggle taking place and how the world reacts to these things.
The cinematography and the editing of the movie was extremely well done and no one moved a bit during the entire length of the movie - which at 2 hours is a bit long for an English film.
Surprisingly, even without showing a lot of gore and violence, the director is able to capture the essence of every situation and transport us to that place.
The movie overall is extremely well done - and I am sure will be there in one of your ’’best movies made’’ list once you have seen it.
It had been nominated for 3 oscars including best actor in lead role, best actress in supporting role and best screenplay.
In the end, Hotel Rwanda is an extremely hard hitting, powerful movie which one needs to see to really know what goes on behind the superficial news that we see now and then - and what people actually go through.
1/10/2006
King Kong - A Series of clichés
Prologue
To be honest, I had no idea of what the movie was going to be about.
Over the years, I had developed a kind of a subconscious image of the movie King Kong being about a big Gorilla and a human girl he falls for.
I have not seen the earlier movies - there were about 4 of them made according to IMDB, so I don’t really quite know how much this stuck to the originals, but here goes anyways…
The Review
The film starts with a very vintage look - I guess it has too…
It is set about sometime in the 1930s during the Great Depression of the United States (which actually lasted from 1929 - 1940)
The first half an hour of the movie takes us through the New York of the depressions - with thousands of people homeless, out of work, or going out of work.
The cinematography is impeccable.
Here, we are introduced to Jack Black who is sort of an obsessed movie maker who intends to make the next greatest adventure flick ever.
We are also introduced here to the very lovely Naomi Watts, who is an out of work actress and trying hard to make ends meet.
The other leading actor in the movie (besides King Kong himself) is the very suave Adrien Brody, who is also supposed to be the hero of the movie.
The first hour of the movie, as many people would tell is quite slow, but it was very interesting nevertheless.
The cinematography was a Peter Jackson true to life and you could really tell the directors focus to detail.
Even though the entire city was computer graphics, it was very realistic.
The second part of the movie is where the action actually picks up and this lasts for about the one hour and fifteen minutes.
The entire cast, reaches the shore of a ’’to be believed’’ lost island and that’s when the real fun actually begins.
In this part, we are introduced to King Kong and also every other possible creature which has managed to survive through the centuries.
Here the computer graphics are at their best, with action packed chase sequences every five minutes - leaving you pretty much breathless and at the edge of your seat.
There are actually a LOT of chase sequences, but they improve on the ’’adrenaline rush factor’’ with every sequence …
During the second half, which is shot entirely on the island, the scenery is nice but sometimes, things get pretty gory - these guys have not edited out quite a lot of content - and mind you, some parts got pretty squeamish.
You’ll also notice a lot of threads from the ’’Return of the King’’ battle sequences which are very noticeable.
This brings us to the last part of the movie, which again goes back to the city and hence goes into the emotional - drama track.
Though there is a King Kong rummaging through the city sequence, it was not as exciting as the island sequences.
I liked the overall acting of the cast and I think Jackson got the casting pretty much spot on.
Jack Black plays the looney director to perfection till the end, Adrien Brody also is good and Naomi Watts is stunning throughout the movie.
They all play their parts spot on - true to life.
Though, at many places, I found the supporting actors to be mediocre.
The plot of the movie is that there is no plot.
Sadly, there is hardly any story in the movie, and if I had to tell you the story, I could have done it in 5 - 10 lines.
But it is pretty much on the lines of the original movies - I am sure.
The background scores were pretty decent and kept up the pace of the movie at proper places. Though there was nothing outstanding about it (like as in Gladiator or Lord of the Rings)
The Computer Graphics were top notch. No question about it.
You’ll probably get your money’s worth just in the graphics quota.
Lastly, the cinematography is as good as it gets in any movie.
I did not find any flaws at all … and I was really impressed by it.
Ending Notes
At 3 hours 7 minutes, the movie does get pretty long, but it is worth it.
Some parts, in my opinion, could have done with some snipping - and the movie would be best at about 2 hours 45 mins or so.
I think what Peter Jackson has done here, is to take an old movie and do things which were never before possible.
This is apparent in all the action sequences and the amount of detail given to so many things.
After the ’’Return of the King’’, I did find this a touch disappointing, but the second hour almost made up for it.
Though at parts the movie becomes mind numbingly brilliant, there will be parts which go to the level of some B grade movies and make you cringe (this is mostly to do with the supporting actors) or maybe these parts were necessary in keeping with the original King Kongs.
However, many things lose touch with reality (which is kind of acceptable because it is a King Kong) movie.
But I sincerely believe, that the movie could have done with a fewer cliché’s.
In the end, it turned out to be one cliché after another…
All in all, a very nicely made movie with a very nice cast to boast and a lot of effort put in it.
Definitely worth your hundred bucks.
