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Reviews
Taare Zameen Par (2007)
Aamir Khan's great directorial debut
'Taare Zameen par' hits the screen with lot of hype and expectations around it. Frankly, it supersedes them and stands out as one of the best ever made bollywood films of recent times. A movie about a child with Dyslexia is a new concept and the treatment that 'Director' Aamir Khan gives to it wonderful.
Aamir, the long celebrated 'Perfectionist' of Bollywood, does stand up to the expectations as a Director – Actor and a producer. The movie starts with the child Ishaan (Darsheel Safary), and slowly educates the audience with the problems faced by him. It is not revealed at this stage to the audience about Dyslexia. When packed off to a boarding school and the child's metamorphosis into an introvert from being an active kid, and the subsequent entry of the 'Temporary' art teacher in Ram Shankar Nikumbh (Aamir Khan) is where the real problem of Dyslexia is revealed in good detail, with examples that sounds like the 'Who's Who List'. The rest of the movie is about the teachers efforts in making the child, his parents and the school faculty on how to deal with the kid.
First, kudos and praises for Aamir Khan, to have directed a masterpiece in his debut as a director. The actor Aamir too has every reason to smile for his splendid yet non-overshadowing portrayal of the teacher's character. The child artiste Darsheel Safary is the real hero of the film, rightly depicted in the title credits with his name appearing before that of aamir. Darsheel does act naturally with all the innocence of an 8-9 year old.
The movie is captured in a very poetic way. The photography, the music by the very talented trio Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, the story flow, everything is so poetic that it feels like traveling with a small kid with his own problems and a 'Pied Piper' to help him out. The music and the songs have also boldly created for the script and not for the audio sales. The title track 'Taare Zameen Par' and the tearful 'Maa', both rendered by Shankar Mahadevan do stand out.
Actors other than Darsheel and Aamir, to have been true to their roles, be it the mother or the always supporting elder brother, the characterization seems so non-bollywoodish. This is also one of the plus points to this film; being natural and realistic without the 'Drama' feeling.
As many have said, there are lots of scenes from the film that remains with you even when out of the cinema. Like, the 'Ishaan's Day out in the city alone' scene, 'Don't send me to boarding, mein sab kuch seekhoonga' scene, 'Aamir explaining Ishaan's problem to his parents' scene and the final 'Revealing of the two paintings' scene. It was an emotional journey into the life of a kid with Dyslexia. Personally, this movie seems like the next best one after Anjali by Mani Ratnam. The movie goes with a tagline 'Every Child is Special'; so is this movie. A MUST WATCH FOR ALL, NO AGE BAR.
12 Angry Men (1957)
My favorite!
My friend, Tejas, recommended the movie '12 Angry men' to me. Frankly, till then I had never heard about such a movie. He then said that it is an old B&W movie made in late 1950′s. But the reason I really got interested in this recommendation was because, he mentioned that the whole movie was shot in a single room – in a single setting.
The movie takes off brilliantly from the start. The characters and their personalities are gradually disclosed to the viewer as and when required. The cast of actors have done their part remarkably well, though at times it seems that Henry Fond does steal his moments (Henry Fonda was also the co-producer of the movie). Apart from the unique situation, that of a jury in a criminal case with a split verdict, in which the movie is set, it is also the dialogues (or the arguments of the case) that keeps us hooked to the screen. There is no moment where there is a distraction or a chance for the viewer to yawn. The brilliant pace, the heated debates, the moments of short surprises keeps us interested till the very end. It's a masterpiece and I would recommend this as a 'MUST WATCH'!
I am keeping this review short without even giving the synopsis of the film, so as to let you enjoy the film.
Happy Viewing .
The Blue Umbrella (2005)
A Visual treat of Ruskin Bond's literature
I had read about the film in some reviews which were all positive. The names Vishal Baradwaj and Gulzar did create some expectations in me. And did they meet? Well, frankly..more than that !
The story is simple. A girl in a remote village with an attractive blue umbrella, is suddenly grieved by the loss of it and she suspects all those in the village who had an eye on it, especially the 'Kathri', the tea shop owner, amazingly portrayed on screen by Pankaj Kapur.
Never before, have I seen Himachal so beautifully captured on screen, with all the green and the snow white during the last part of the movie. The director goes poetic when on screen he shows the transformation to the winter, from the cotton dust to snow flakes. The other main character of the movie is the music. The songs and the BGM do add to the feel and look of the film.
It's a treat to watch this one. Though categorized as a children's film, it is for all ages.
Ratatouille (2007)
PIXAR at its delicious best!
It is usual to expect PIXAR Animation Studios to churn out meaningful animation entertainers. Once again they have cemented this belief, by presenting RATATOUILLE (pronounced RAT-A-TOO-EE).
RATATOUILLE trailers were first showcased during PIXAR's previous CARS shows in cinemas. This did generate the interest in this venture among the film goers. The first word remark about the movie -> FUNTASTIC!
PIXAR Animation Studio seems to be getting better at animation technology, with the 'world' in its films' canvas closer to the actual world. Adding to this technical brilliance, the characterization and handling of the emotions, which has been a forte of both PIXAR and Walt Disney Pictures makes this movie, as I see it, a better one than its predecessor CARS. CARS, though a brilliant work of imagination, did not connect with me as much as RATATOUILLE due to its lack of the 'HUMAN' factor. But with RATATOUILLE, it is the perfect combination of IMAGINATION, EMOTIONS, MESSAGE, and CHARACTERIZATION that makes it for me a better fare than the splendid CARS.
I am not going to talk about the plot or its characters. It is a thing to be experienced. I am blogging this to express my astonishment and excitement over the animation film. Some people have dubbed it, without watching the film, as an 'Animation film for the children'. Trust me, its not. It's for everyone. This is one more feather in PIXAR's hat, having made a genre that was thought to be for the children reach out to all age groups.
This week, if you have decided to watch a movie, watch RATATOUILLE, at a cinema near you. If it's not running at a cinema near your place, wait till November 2007 to buy the original DVD and watch it. But make sure, YOU WATCH THIS ONE
..
Escape from Alcatraz (1979)
Nice Clint Eastwood classic
'Escape from Alcatrz' is always tagged as one of the good films of the impeccable CLINT EASTWOOD.
But, I was not very much impressed by the film. It was definitely a good film, with a nice cast and a tight script, but I had a feeling of watching a re-hash of 'THE SHAWSHAK REDEMPTION' while watching this film (It should have been the other way around, but I ended up watching the SHAWSHANK before ALCATRAZ !).
To start with, I do agree with my buddy Suppi who says 'All prison movies look similar'. Have to, it is not expected that prisons (in US or elsewhere) differ to a great extent from one to the other. But the librarian in both the films being a black, both the films having characters that tend to assault the newcomer physically, the warden being a person with a stone heart
..all these gave me feel of watching a SHAWSHANK again.
But the film is a good one. Clint Eastwood, true to his reputation gives a splendid performance right from the place where he confronts the WOLF with a cool attitude (BLONDIE !!??) to the scene where he shows his controlled temper during the sudden death of character who is supposedly Al Capone
he is just brilliant !
The actual escape, right from its planning stage is described well and depicted in a time frame that appears close to the real. It is also not over-dramatized, except for a scene where in the prison guard has a doubt on the sleeping figure in Frank's (Eastwood) cell and goes near to discover Eastwood in the bed and not a dummy as he suspected. The last scene, where in the warden finds a flower left behind by the escaping men, is a nice touch.
I did feel the lighting could have been better at some parts of the movie, where darkness overshadowed the physical movements of the screen characters.
But on the whole a good movie. A must watch for Eastwood fans.
Inception (2010)
Mind Blowing ! Splendid !
I like Christopher Nolan's works. Till date, of what I have seen – Memento, The Prestige, Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, he has dished out fabulous films. I would agree to the accepted notion that he is the one who is capable of handling complex themes, especially the ones with deal with mind, the conscious and the subconscious. So when I stepped into watch 'Inception' I was all ready for a complex theme. But of course there was a fear of not able to grasp or understand what is being narrated.
Its been long since I have watched such an edge-of-the-seat thriller. Its complex, yes, but keeps you enthralled and entertained. Nolan's greatness is evident when he realizes the complex theme on the screen and makes the film goer understand the concept. Its a huge challenge and he has accomplished it. It takes time to get the grip of what is happening, but once you are into it, its a great watch. Parallels will be drawn with the 'Matrix' series, which also shares a similar theme, of a world away from this 'Real' world. But here its not a world, but 'Dreams'. And not just one, but dreams inside dreams inside dreams inside
Its complex and interesting to watch, so I wont divulge much details here. Full credit to Leonardo DiCaprio for his fabulous portrayal of 'Dom Cobb'.
If you are game for a thriller, good action, wonderful effects and above all an intelligent film, go watch INCEPTION !!
Harishchandrachi Factory (2009)
Interesting biography of a Pioneer of Indian Cinema
This Marathi film was India's official entry to Academy Awards (Oscars) in the Best Foreign Language film category for the year 2009. The movie is about the making of India's first feature film, Raja Harishchandra in 1913 by Dadasaheb Phalke. Phalke is a business man, who leaves his company and does magic shows to maintain his family. One day he and his son end up watching a film being shown in a local makeshift cinema, which makes Phalke curious. He then sets out to dream of making the first Indian movie and goes through many hardships to realize his dream. Right from the start the narration is crisp and garnished with light moments. I would say, these light comic moments and energetic portrayal of Dadasaheb Phalke by Nandu Madhav are the highlights of the film. Never once during the course of the film you feel like watching a biography. The other actors too have done their job quite well. The background music complements the script and narration effectively. A brilliant work by director Paresh Mokashi, this film is a 'very good watch'.
Lucia (2013)
Good cinema in Kannada
There is one particular scene in 'Lucia' that is of special interest to me, but I will deal with that later. At this juncture any analysis of that scene will be an injustice to all the efforts put forth by the team that created Lucia.
I remember seeing some mails and posts in Social media, a year ago, about an attempt to make a movie with public funding. It was something new but I did not think at that time that it would make it 'this' big – a world premiere at the 'London Indian Film Festival' and winning an award at the same event.
The film is a psychological thriller, which is a welcome relief from all the commercial potboilers crowding the Kannada silver screen of late. The movie starts off at a slow pace and picks up steam post intermission. The non-linear narrative structure aided with the complex switching between 2 parallel story lines (of which one is 'Reality' and the other is 'Perceived') makes it a real thriller. The use of different color schemes helps to keep track of both the story lines. For a movie that was shot using a digital camera/DSLR, the visuals are stunning. There are few frames with blemishes but overall the cinematographer Siddhartha Nuni has done a good job.
Neenasam Satish who portrays the role of the protagonist of the movie is a real find. He comfortably switches between the 'two' roles in the parallel story lines. He clearly makes the audience distinguish his 'two' characters with the difference in body language, dialogue delivery and the accent of the language. I doubt how many of the current top actors in Kannada cinema, except for Sudeep, can portray such characters in a movie. The other actors also do their part convincingly.
The only problem in the movie in my opinion is the length, especially the songs. The music by itself is good but I felt a thriller such as this should have been spared the burden of carrying the regular song/dance routine. Some of these songs are short but still act as speed breakers. Songs apart, the movie could have been trimmed short. It was not required to speed up the pace at the end moment and tie all the loose ends together.
Now for the scene that is of particular interest to me. In the climax portion of the movie, the protagonist in one of the parallel storyline emerges out of the sea during twilight. To me the scene appeared to be a direct reference to the opening scene of Inception. Both these movies deal with 'Lucid Dreams' and it is highly probable that Inception would have been an inspiration to the makers of Lucia. Note that I say 'Inspiration' because though they deal with 'Lucid Dreams' they are set in different contexts and story lines. If this scene was the director's way of acknowledging this inspiration I would say it is a job well done.
This is one Kannada movie that should not be missed. This movie really raises the bar for Kannada cinema among the current set of creators. There is still a long way to go, but it's a good start.
Naduvula Konjam Pakkatha Kaanom (2012)
One of the best in Tamil
I watch films of all genres. I watch films in many languages, with the aid of subtitles for those in tongues that I am not fluent in. And so it's really not easy for a film to satisfy me. Though I can thoroughly enjoy a mindless commercial potboiler, when it comes to serious/art house films, they should be of really good quality to satisfy me. Naduvula Konjam Pakkatha Kaanom (NKPK) is one such film that had me hooked till the end and I had no major complaints at the end of it. It has been a long time since I have enjoyed a Tamil film to this extent.
The movie has a thin premise, but a thrilling one. The film has a time line of 2-3 days and hence the locales and costumes are few. The story revolves around a certain 'Incident' and its aftermath that affects the lives of a group of friends. How the friends manage to manage through the crisis is the crux of the film. This could have been made as a serious film or a full length comedy, but the film makers tread the middle path with excellent results. There are no mindless jokes and forced situations to evoke laughter. The characters are genuine and the comedy too is subtle and stays with the film. I do not want to divulge more and spoil the experience for the readers who are yet to watch this film.
The whole crew of Actors, Director, and Writers has done a commendable job. The film is said to be inspired by the incident that occurred in the life of the film's Cinematographer (Premkumar) and one of the friend's depicted on screen is actually the film's Director (Balaji Tharaneetharan). One of the real-life friends, Bhagavathi, plays himself on the screen and is a treat to watch. There are no conventional songs in the film and the background music is sufficient and apt. I felt the film could have done better with some crisp editing in the last 30 minutes. Though the production values appeared to be not so high, I think it was in line with the films context and atmosphere.
I would urge all those who like to watch good cinema to watch Naduvula Konjam Pakkatha Kaanom. It's a comedy thriller and will leave you with the satisfaction of having watched a good film
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967)
Another great film from Stanley Kramer
I am a big fan of the classic 'It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad world'. So when I started watching 'Guess Who's Coming to Dinner' directed by the man who gave us the above comedy classic, Stanley Kramer, and featuring Spencer Tracy I expected a full length comedy. Astonishingly it is a serious drama, with a lighter tone. The film showcases the dilemma of a family whose daughter arrives announced with a 'Colored' man and tells them that she plans to marry him. This starts a set of troubling questions to all involved, except the girl. The father worries about the inter-racial marriage and the consequent problems; the mother is worried about her husband disapproving of their daughter's choice and making their daughter unhappy; the man in question, beautifully played by Sidney Poitier, decides not to marry his love if her parents disapprove of this match; His father worries about his son getting into a whole lot of trouble marrying a 'White' girl. So they all debate, discuss, convince each other over a period of a day up until Dinner, when it all ends well.
The strength of the movie is not to overdramatize the sensitive issue of the 'race difference'. Spencer Tracy and Sidney Poitier bring life to the movie with their performances. Sidney Poitier delivers a powerhouse performance in the scene where he confronts his father in the study room and Spencer Tracy takes all the applause in the final scene. Stanley Kramer excels in handling such a sensitive issue with finesse. This is one classic which is a 'must watch'.
127 Hours (2010)
Inspiring
I entered the cinema prepared for what I will go through. A story of a person, Aron Ralston, trapped in canyon for 5 days. The story told in a big canvas to bring out his grief and self-pity lines. I couldn't be more wrong.
For a movie with such a premise, it starts of with an amazing musical split screen shots. The first few minutes are a real treat to the eyes, and you get loads of that treat throughout the movie. Split screens, orange sand, the bluer skies and the bluest waters, the visuals just leave you gasping for more.
Danny Boyle doesn't waste time getting into the real story, and the expected fall happens unexpectedly to the viewer with no drama or a dramatic score. There is a brilliant musical score, but silence has been used to a good effect. Surprisingly, once Aron is trapped with the boulder, its not tears and pity all the way. There is humor, self- analysis, struggle, desperation, frustration, planning – a bouquet of human emotions. There is also a point in the film, where even in the deepest hour of crisis Aron is tempted to pleasure himself. I haven't read the book by Aron Ralston, but the movie definitely makes you feel like you are seated in front of him during his crisis. James Franco deserves accolades for his brilliant performance. It's astonishing to see Danny Boyle come out with this amazing biopic, after an India Cinema inspired pot boiler. The narration and the detailing is praise worthy. A R Rahman's music is different and sets the mood of the film. The score is more emotional at times and uses a lot of other composers' tracks.
There is a very hard and disturbing scene, of about few moments, towards the end of the movie which would not be suitable for very weak hearted people. Discount that, this is movie of true hope and courage. Loved the movie. Don't miss this one.
Enthiran (2010)
Rajni's show all the way, with less of Sci-fi and more of Shankar's gimmicks
This movie has been in the making for a long time. A 'Rajni' movie in itself is a festival in some parts of India, but this time it grabbed more limelight because of its budget, speculations of 'never-seen- before' special effects and promise of a sci-fi plot after a long time in Indian screen. Association of big names like Aishwarya Rai, A R Rahman, Resul Pookutty and Stanwinston Studios drove the media and the laymen into frenzy. And at last, with all the hype and attention the movie hit the silver screens across the world on the 1st of October 2010.
I watched the movie in Bangalore in Rex Cinemas on the 3rd of October 2010 at 11:30 AM. Following is my review of 'Enthiran':
The Negatives first:
- Movie is a bit too long .in the second half I actually looked at my watch once .first time while watching a Rajni movie! - Movie could have done with couple of songs less ..the main in this list would be Kilimanjaro (though beautifully shot in a breath taking locale) - Could have snipped off few scenes which add no real value to the movie (like the mosquito sequence). This would have reduced the movie length and made the movie more crispier.
The Positives:
- Rajni, Rajni & Rajni .yes, the man carries the movie in his able shoulders, not in one but totally three avatars (I won't tell what those are). He has shown great restraint, minus the usual antics in the role of scientist. But wait till you see the 'evil' persona of robot .for some (though not for many) it will be a revelation .laugh out loud at people who say Rajni can't act - You have a good plot/storyline. This is not your usual Rajni flick. This has character & message. - Technically brilliant – be it cinematography / Music / Direction / Stunts and the much talked about Special effects (After reading the other reviews, don't go with a super hyper expectation and imagination. Just go without expectation, you will be surprised) - Complete entertainer – This is not a complete sci-fi or a usual masala fare. It's a concoction of all that is staple for an entertainer. The movie has thrills/action/romance/humour/emotions all woven into the screenplay. - ARRs music. Yes, the movie could have done with fewer songs, but what we have is great. Added to that, the BGM is splendid. - Shankar. The man's amazing vision and great sense of screen writing has paid off well. Hats off to his vision and effort.
Initially when it was announced that Rajni will do 'Robo', I was not sure that Rajni can pull off such a role. We are all used to seeing Rajni in a 'Larger-than-life' heroic character, but to see him in a sci- fi would be something else. But what a surprise! He is just splendid both as a scientist and a Robot. And you get more towards the end of the movie. Other than the characters essayed by Rajni, the other characters seem not so important, spare that of Aishwarya Rai. But nobody complains, off the screen. Fans will be shocked to see the movie without the ritualistic 'Introduction' song or any 'punch dialogues'. The movie starts and gets into the storyline immediately, garnished with light humour at places. Kids will enjoy some of the 'Robot acts'.
Cinematography is top-notch. Rathnavelu has managed to bring out crystal clear images with the right colour tone required. Amazing art direction by Sabu Cyril (he even gets a small acting role) brings out a futuristic feel to the movie. Music and sound have played a major role in raising the standard and the quality of the movie. As said before, the movie could have done with a couple of songs less, but the songs complement the movie and its theme. Dialogues by Shankar and Karky are apt and they keep it simple, that enables even a non-technical person to enjoy the film, by not overloading with technical jargons. Same goes to the lyrics by Vairamuthu and Karky too; they have tried to 'Tamilize' the science to make it enjoyable to the common man. And they do succeed to an extent in that.
Technically, as said by many, it will take some time to better the climatic sequence of 'Enthiran'. The animatronics aided by the grand imagination of Shankar, surely does set the screen on fire. The last 20 minutes of the movie is real 'paisa vasool'. And this is also the part, where Rajni gives a splendid performance, which is surely going to drive the audience crazy. A thrilling end to an awesome movie. But wait; there is an epilogue too, with the 'message' from the movie.
The movie has its flaws, but one tends to overlook and forgive those when in awe of watching a technically brilliant masala entertainer.
Now, the BIG question? Should one watch it?
Answer – YES! Should watch it at least once. Though we are still a long way to catch up with Hollywood (or do we really need to do that?) we sure have the imagination and the means of converting that into a cinematic experience. This is truly a magnificent effort mounted on a lavish scale. Go watch it !!!