19. Little Zizou (English/India) (7/10)
A wonderful movie based on Parsi community. Told by the eyes of a 9-1 year old boy who is big fan of footballer Zizou. The movie tells the story of his community which involves his father, a wannabe leader, a newspaper editor Boman Irani and his family, Zizou's older brother who wants to become a graphic novelist. How all these people affect each other's lives and struggle through everyday chores makes this cute small film. A very well made film with an interesting cameo by John Abraham and Kamal Sidhu, I loved the film.
18. Kal Kissne Dekha (Hindi) (4/10)
Some producers directors never learn. They keep giving viewers a mix dose of comedy, action, drama, song, dance and somewhere along the line story and think they can fool audiences. Jackie Bhagnani has the ability to see future. Once he leaves his small town and goes to Bombay, he falls in love with Vaishali Desai (who had absolutely nothing to do in the film). He starts seeing some bombings in future and then helps the police from these incidents to happen. Turns out the mastermind behind these is his profesor Rishi Kapoor. (yawnn!!) Completely avoidable.
17. Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince (8/10)
One of my most fav Harry Potter films ever. This one had story, pace and was simple and emotional. It did not have too many side tracks. I wish though that parts of the movie were in 3D. These days I have some strange fascination for 3D movies. A lot of chemistry between lead characters and other students was introduced which was fun. Definitely a worth watch.
16. Batman Begins (7.5/10)
This movie starts back the series on how Batman started. Batman flees Western civilization following the murder of his parents. He is taken in by a mysterious instructor named and urged to become a ninja in the League of Shadows. The instructor now wants him to destroy Gotham city because it is full of corrupt people but instead batman wants to improve the situation. He instead returns to his native Gotham City resolved to end the mob rule that is strangling it. I wish I had seen this movie before Dark Knight. Bale cuts a good figure as Batman, intense and dangerous but with some of the lightheartedness. I liked it.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Sunday, July 19, 2009
And the list continues
15. Jashnn (Hindi) (5.5/10)
Like the title it is a story of nobody who wants to be somebody. Adhyayan is Shahana's brother. She is mistress of a Humayun and thats how they live. Anjana Sukhani is his sister and she falls in love with Adhyayan. HE wants to make big with his music but he always et hurt whenever he wants to do something big. Slowly al his dreams die and he is shattered completely. At this stage, his love helps him come out of his shell, prove that he can be someone and give back a life of respect to his sister. Decent performances and an emotional film. I would have rated it better but I just cant digest Adhyayan and Anjana. Shahana Goswami was superb as expected.
14. Kiss of The Spider Woman (6.5/10)
Hemmed in by the narrow walls of a Latin American prison cell, Molina (William Hurt) is telling his new cellmate, Valentin (Raul Julia), his favorite story. Molina is a gay man imprisoned for seducing a minor; Valentin is a bearded revolutionary still bleeding from his interrogation. There are stories twisting within stories, each drawing a new, surprising level of difference between the two heroes: escapism versus realism, romance versus politics, gay versus straight, hero versus coward. As their unstable friendship grows more real, their stories become more vivid. A well deserved Oscar for the leading man in 80s. Must watch.
13. Vicky Christina Barcelona (7/10)
This is my second time watching this film. Vicky and Cristina are two young Americans spending a summer in Spain. Vicky is engaged to be married and Christina is in search of herself. They meet a charming Casanova and Vicky ends of sleeping with him and thereby confused but she doesn't pursue it further because she is engaged. Christina meanwhile has full fledged affair and even moves in with him. And then comes Penelope Cruz (his ex-wife) and what follows is a complex look at relationships with each of the character and how they directly or indirectly affect each other. Brilliant film and even more brilliant Penelope Cruz.
12. Sankat City (Hindi) (7/10)
A great intelligently made comedy film. This is worth a dekho. KayKay is a car thief who works with Dilip Prabhawalkar (garage owner) in overhauling the car and selling it. Once he find a mercedes and 1 crore rupees with it. What hey dont realize is that the car belongs to Anupam Kher, a don. Then we have RImi who cons people and is trying to do one big final heist and retire. The guys she is targeting at owes money to Anupam Kher. There are a couple of other people involved too with the Don. How do these people interact each other, how money keeps exchanging hands and how things get resolved ultimately make this fun filled roller coaster. The screenplay is the best part. Its not easy to develop the inter relations of the characters.
11. Mamma Mia! (7/10)
One of the first Hollywood musicals that I liked. The story is simple. A girl lives on an island with her mother. Its time for her marriage and she wants to know who her father is. There are 3 possible options but fun is that the mother herself doesn't know. She invites all 3 men for her wedding and the fun, confusion follows. Music of course is great. Title song and dancing queen and their choreography is amazing. I now want to see it on Broadway.
10. Wendy and Lucy (5/10)
Michelle Williams is in economic crisis and is on a road trip on her way to work Alaskan fishing boats with her dog Lucy. Her Honda breaks down, and while shoplifting once she loses Lucy. She befriends a local security guard who genuinely helps her find her dog. As the film speaks to many young people who have been broke and stranded, one will inevitably wonder why Wendy makes the unwise choices she does, for example sleeping in a dangerous area along a train track instead of finding a safer campground, or wandering the streets looking for her lost pooch in lieu of hunkering down for a temporary part-time job. A slow decent movie.
Like the title it is a story of nobody who wants to be somebody. Adhyayan is Shahana's brother. She is mistress of a Humayun and thats how they live. Anjana Sukhani is his sister and she falls in love with Adhyayan. HE wants to make big with his music but he always et hurt whenever he wants to do something big. Slowly al his dreams die and he is shattered completely. At this stage, his love helps him come out of his shell, prove that he can be someone and give back a life of respect to his sister. Decent performances and an emotional film. I would have rated it better but I just cant digest Adhyayan and Anjana. Shahana Goswami was superb as expected.
14. Kiss of The Spider Woman (6.5/10)
Hemmed in by the narrow walls of a Latin American prison cell, Molina (William Hurt) is telling his new cellmate, Valentin (Raul Julia), his favorite story. Molina is a gay man imprisoned for seducing a minor; Valentin is a bearded revolutionary still bleeding from his interrogation. There are stories twisting within stories, each drawing a new, surprising level of difference between the two heroes: escapism versus realism, romance versus politics, gay versus straight, hero versus coward. As their unstable friendship grows more real, their stories become more vivid. A well deserved Oscar for the leading man in 80s. Must watch.
13. Vicky Christina Barcelona (7/10)
This is my second time watching this film. Vicky and Cristina are two young Americans spending a summer in Spain. Vicky is engaged to be married and Christina is in search of herself. They meet a charming Casanova and Vicky ends of sleeping with him and thereby confused but she doesn't pursue it further because she is engaged. Christina meanwhile has full fledged affair and even moves in with him. And then comes Penelope Cruz (his ex-wife) and what follows is a complex look at relationships with each of the character and how they directly or indirectly affect each other. Brilliant film and even more brilliant Penelope Cruz.
12. Sankat City (Hindi) (7/10)
A great intelligently made comedy film. This is worth a dekho. KayKay is a car thief who works with Dilip Prabhawalkar (garage owner) in overhauling the car and selling it. Once he find a mercedes and 1 crore rupees with it. What hey dont realize is that the car belongs to Anupam Kher, a don. Then we have RImi who cons people and is trying to do one big final heist and retire. The guys she is targeting at owes money to Anupam Kher. There are a couple of other people involved too with the Don. How do these people interact each other, how money keeps exchanging hands and how things get resolved ultimately make this fun filled roller coaster. The screenplay is the best part. Its not easy to develop the inter relations of the characters.
11. Mamma Mia! (7/10)
One of the first Hollywood musicals that I liked. The story is simple. A girl lives on an island with her mother. Its time for her marriage and she wants to know who her father is. There are 3 possible options but fun is that the mother herself doesn't know. She invites all 3 men for her wedding and the fun, confusion follows. Music of course is great. Title song and dancing queen and their choreography is amazing. I now want to see it on Broadway.
10. Wendy and Lucy (5/10)
Michelle Williams is in economic crisis and is on a road trip on her way to work Alaskan fishing boats with her dog Lucy. Her Honda breaks down, and while shoplifting once she loses Lucy. She befriends a local security guard who genuinely helps her find her dog. As the film speaks to many young people who have been broke and stranded, one will inevitably wonder why Wendy makes the unwise choices she does, for example sleeping in a dangerous area along a train track instead of finding a safer campground, or wandering the streets looking for her lost pooch in lieu of hunkering down for a temporary part-time job. A slow decent movie.
Monday, July 13, 2009
These new films are bad
9. Kambakkht Ishq (Hindi) (5.5/10)
Glamourous pair and hit songs but they dont make a good entertainer. Akshay is a stuntman in LA and Kareena is a medical student who models to pay her fees. Its a battle of sexes between them where they both hate each other and try to put each other down. Ultimately there minds change and they fall in love. Akshay has done this role so many times before that he can sleepwalk through it. Kareena looks stunning. Amrita Arora looks and acts dumb though she is probably better than Denise Richards.
8. Short Kut (Hindi) (2.5/10)
Arshad Warsi is a wannabe actor whm no one gives a chance. Akshaye is working on writing a script for his forst direction. Arshad steals his script and becomes a star overnight. SItuation brings them together where Akshaye is forced to work with Arshad to make his foothold in the industry. In between all this, Amrita Rao keeps appearing for glamour quotient and songs. I dont even understand why this film is a comedy. I am tired of watching Arshad hamming in all his movies and repeating himself.
Glamourous pair and hit songs but they dont make a good entertainer. Akshay is a stuntman in LA and Kareena is a medical student who models to pay her fees. Its a battle of sexes between them where they both hate each other and try to put each other down. Ultimately there minds change and they fall in love. Akshay has done this role so many times before that he can sleepwalk through it. Kareena looks stunning. Amrita Arora looks and acts dumb though she is probably better than Denise Richards.
8. Short Kut (Hindi) (2.5/10)
Arshad Warsi is a wannabe actor whm no one gives a chance. Akshaye is working on writing a script for his forst direction. Arshad steals his script and becomes a star overnight. SItuation brings them together where Akshaye is forced to work with Arshad to make his foothold in the industry. In between all this, Amrita Rao keeps appearing for glamour quotient and songs. I dont even understand why this film is a comedy. I am tired of watching Arshad hamming in all his movies and repeating himself.
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
I dont feel like watching movies any more
7. Sita Sings the Blues (4/10)
This film is an interesting animated version from the director's vision. It intersperses events from an episode of the Ramayana, illustrated conversation between Indian shadow puppets, musical interludes voiced with songs and scenes from the artist's own life. The ancient mythological and modern biographical plot are parallel tales, sharing numerous themes. One of the parallels of what is happening in a couple's life in modern day is actually autobiographical.
6. Kirayadaar (Hindi) (5.5/10)
It was good to go back in time and watch one of those middle class targeted Basu Chatterjee's movie. Padmini Kolhapure lives in a flat in Mumbai with Mother Vidya Sinha for 15 yrs. The flat is owned by Utpal Dutt who lives in Lucknow with son Raj Babbar. When he gets a job in Bombay, Utpal Dutt wants them to leave the flat but they refuse. They ultimately get in a court case which is going nowhere because the lawyers are just getting money out of the whole deal. Of course all's well that ends well and the hero heroine get married. Not to much fun to watch in today's times but still much better than the crap that is coming out these days.
5. Runway (Hindi) (2/10)
Amarjeet is a young man who loves Deepal Shaw. She is into drugs and now needs liver transplant. To earn money for that, the hero works for a don, kills a guy and now someone is after his life to kill him. On the run, he meets Tulip Joshi who helps him save his life and go back to India. Terrible movie, contrived plot and ridiculous acting.
This film is an interesting animated version from the director's vision. It intersperses events from an episode of the Ramayana, illustrated conversation between Indian shadow puppets, musical interludes voiced with songs and scenes from the artist's own life. The ancient mythological and modern biographical plot are parallel tales, sharing numerous themes. One of the parallels of what is happening in a couple's life in modern day is actually autobiographical.
6. Kirayadaar (Hindi) (5.5/10)
It was good to go back in time and watch one of those middle class targeted Basu Chatterjee's movie. Padmini Kolhapure lives in a flat in Mumbai with Mother Vidya Sinha for 15 yrs. The flat is owned by Utpal Dutt who lives in Lucknow with son Raj Babbar. When he gets a job in Bombay, Utpal Dutt wants them to leave the flat but they refuse. They ultimately get in a court case which is going nowhere because the lawyers are just getting money out of the whole deal. Of course all's well that ends well and the hero heroine get married. Not to much fun to watch in today's times but still much better than the crap that is coming out these days.
5. Runway (Hindi) (2/10)
Amarjeet is a young man who loves Deepal Shaw. She is into drugs and now needs liver transplant. To earn money for that, the hero works for a don, kills a guy and now someone is after his life to kill him. On the run, he meets Tulip Joshi who helps him save his life and go back to India. Terrible movie, contrived plot and ridiculous acting.
Thursday, July 02, 2009
A good start to July
4. The Hangover (6/10)
4 friends go for a bachelor party. The next day they wake up with the room missing, room completely shattered with a baby and a tiger. What follows are hilarious sequences of what happened that night and where did the groom disappear. The film is funny in lot of parts and completely college fun filled film that you will bound to enjoy with friends.
3. New York (Hindi) (6.5/10)
Dealing with terrorism, this film starts with 3 close friends. Seven years after 9/11 FBI asks Neil to work for them to prove that John is a terrorist or else they will put Neil in detention. Neil doesn't believe but still agrees. John is now married to Katrina and has a baby. Neil soon finds out that FBI was right but also now understands the reasons why John is doing what he is doing. A very interesting take on terrorism and on what Muslims in different pats of the world had to face. Enjoyable.
2. Let's Dance (Hindi) (4/10)
New girl Gayatri Patel is an exceptional dancer. She runs a dance school and wants to make it big but doesn't want to compromise on her principles. She gets a chance but cannot make much out of it because she refuses to sleep with video director. She ultimately makes a team with students including with roadside goondas and presents one of the best shows the city has seen. The only good thing about the movie was excellent choreography. Gayatri can move.
1. Glass House- The Good Mother (2/10)
Teenage Abby and brother than move with foster parents after their parents die. BUt all is not hunky dory. Abby son realizes that there new parents are crazy and the mother has the psychiatric disease where she slowly poisons her kid and kills them. She has so far killed 4 foster young boys. Abby finds out about this and helps herself and brother escape. A story with lots of loopholes ideally suited for a 1 hour TV episode. Poor acting.
4 friends go for a bachelor party. The next day they wake up with the room missing, room completely shattered with a baby and a tiger. What follows are hilarious sequences of what happened that night and where did the groom disappear. The film is funny in lot of parts and completely college fun filled film that you will bound to enjoy with friends.
3. New York (Hindi) (6.5/10)
Dealing with terrorism, this film starts with 3 close friends. Seven years after 9/11 FBI asks Neil to work for them to prove that John is a terrorist or else they will put Neil in detention. Neil doesn't believe but still agrees. John is now married to Katrina and has a baby. Neil soon finds out that FBI was right but also now understands the reasons why John is doing what he is doing. A very interesting take on terrorism and on what Muslims in different pats of the world had to face. Enjoyable.
2. Let's Dance (Hindi) (4/10)
New girl Gayatri Patel is an exceptional dancer. She runs a dance school and wants to make it big but doesn't want to compromise on her principles. She gets a chance but cannot make much out of it because she refuses to sleep with video director. She ultimately makes a team with students including with roadside goondas and presents one of the best shows the city has seen. The only good thing about the movie was excellent choreography. Gayatri can move.
1. Glass House- The Good Mother (2/10)
Teenage Abby and brother than move with foster parents after their parents die. BUt all is not hunky dory. Abby son realizes that there new parents are crazy and the mother has the psychiatric disease where she slowly poisons her kid and kills them. She has so far killed 4 foster young boys. Abby finds out about this and helps herself and brother escape. A story with lots of loopholes ideally suited for a 1 hour TV episode. Poor acting.
Wednesday, July 01, 2009
Number for June is 18 :(
18. Paying Guest (Hindi) (6/10)
It wasn't a bad film (like I was expecting). This is story of 4 friends who pretend to be 2 couples to get room in a big house (Shreyas and Javed Jaffri pretend to be woman) after they lose their job and original room where they were living in Bangkok. They live in Johny Lever's house and a lot of funny incidents follow involving these 4 friends and their love interests. A total time pass film. It doesn't let you get bored but just dont think too much while the film is on.
17. Aparichit (Hindi) (6.5/10)
Dubbed from Tamil film Anniyan, I wished I had seen the original version with real voice than fake dubbing. Vikram suffers with multiple personality disorder with 3 dominant personalities - simple village man in love but the girl doesn't reciprocate and strict follower of rules, aparichit who can kill people whoever goes against the laws and principles and a very modern young man who finally sweeps of the girl. Very well made film it has a very interesting premise and well directed by Shankar. Why dont more mainstream bollywood film makers look for similar subjects?
It wasn't a bad film (like I was expecting). This is story of 4 friends who pretend to be 2 couples to get room in a big house (Shreyas and Javed Jaffri pretend to be woman) after they lose their job and original room where they were living in Bangkok. They live in Johny Lever's house and a lot of funny incidents follow involving these 4 friends and their love interests. A total time pass film. It doesn't let you get bored but just dont think too much while the film is on.
17. Aparichit (Hindi) (6.5/10)
Dubbed from Tamil film Anniyan, I wished I had seen the original version with real voice than fake dubbing. Vikram suffers with multiple personality disorder with 3 dominant personalities - simple village man in love but the girl doesn't reciprocate and strict follower of rules, aparichit who can kill people whoever goes against the laws and principles and a very modern young man who finally sweeps of the girl. Very well made film it has a very interesting premise and well directed by Shankar. Why dont more mainstream bollywood film makers look for similar subjects?
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