Change Your Image
Moviebuff_IITian
Ratings
Most Recently Rated
Lists
An error has ocurred. Please try againReviews
Sherlock: The Hounds of Baskerville (2012)
Disappointing!
Let me begin by stating that I am a huge fan of both the Sherlock TV series as well as the Robert Downey movies. The first episode of the series was action packed, great suspense and AMAZING music effects, particularly in the cellphone unlocking scene, but "The Hounds of Baskerville" was a big let down, to say the least.
Without going into spoilers, let me inform you beforehand that this episode is completely different from Doyle's masterpiece. Different motives, different settings, even the protagonist's name has been changed. Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss did a good job with the modern day version, but made it over the top. Also, Cumberbatch's great punchlines didn't pack quite a punch, and some of the scenes were outright unrealistic. The story was pretty bland as well, and coincidences were more. Plus, the recurring gay references have started to get on my nerves by now.
Just hope that the duo comes back with all guns blazing in the final episode of the second season, because I, for one, am greatly looking forward to it
Hera Pheri (2000)
One of the best comedies of the 90s (and not just Bollywood)
I just saw the movie for the twelfth time, and my ribs are still cracking from laughter.
Hera Pheri is an amazing movie. Typical Priyadarshan movie - a scan mishandled by a bunch of novices leading to a comedy of errors, the movie has excellent comic timing and witty one-liners. Without giving away the plot, I can mention few instances, for instance when Sunil Shetty gives the kidnapping threat - "I'll cut your dog to pieces and feed it to your granddaughter" (It's the other way round - granddaughter was to be killed in the threat"
Jokes apart, the movie has an excellent depiction of the problems faced by the urban poor - those who flock to the cities in search of opportunities, the bonds of friendships among the people in small communities, bureaucratic mess and a load of others, lending a humane side to the comedy The performances are good, particularly Paresh Rawal, the crude garage owner with a heart of gold. Music, thankfully, takes a backdrop in the movie, and the romantic portions (a bane on Bollywood movies) are limited to a few.
Rating: ******** and a big thumbs up to Priyadarshan. All in all, a great family movie (the few crude alcoholic jokes not- withstanding), one that you would doubtlessly enjoy many times over.
Firefly (2002)
Move over Captain Kirk, Captain Spock, Han Solo ... there's a new cowboy in Town
I started watching Firefly after I was done with the Star Wars and Star Trek Series. The series takes a clichéd story...
... and turns it into something amazing. We follow Captain Malcolm Reynolds, a rebel soldier-turned-small time smuggler, as he takes his crew on small heists and the adventures (or misadventures) that follow.
While the story is always driven, it is the charisma of the characters that grab your attention. Nathan Fillion delivers a stellar performance as Malcolm Reynolds, the disillusioned former soldier, with a foreboding past, charismatic leadership under terrible circumstances, and a dark sense of humour. The supporting cast doesn't disappoint either, particularly Morena Baccarin (a.k.a. Inara) - the underlying shades of attraction between the two is the best chemistry I've seen in years.
The music is deep, yet subtle, and the fusion of the sci-fi and western genres is a stroke of brilliance. I cannot recommend this series highly enough, anyone who ever loved a saga simply cannot pass it over. The sales figures of 200,000 DVDS speak their own stories (critics, producers, even studios may be fake, but numbers don't lie). And so I join the numerous fans wanting to bring back "Firefly" on the small screen.
Bad Teacher (2011)
Bad? Terrible, pathetic, RIDICULOUS!
Bad teacher received a number of scathing reviews and yet my friends persuaded me that it was a good one time watch. After watching the movie, clearly, they were not my friends.
The movie goes from bad to worse and continues in free fall throughout the one hour and 32 minutes of its duration (which by my count, is far too much). I have NEVER seen such a ridiculous plot being made into a movie, hats off to Jake Kasdan for the courage, and the audacity to make this.
Without going into spoilers, the movie boasts of one terrible, pathetic (read: bitch) protagonist who has to make a fresh start as a middle school teacher, and then does everything wrong to earn a potload of money. One ridiculous attempt after another, the movie tries every trick in the book that a teacher might use to make money, and clumsily glues them all together. All the while, the good teachers try to befriend her, and she keeps on taking advantage of them.
Worst of all, the movie portrays the nice in such a negative life, that it is actually a serious concern, if the trend is carried on. Wake up Hollywood, we don't like good people being ripped off! And lo and behold, the bad teacher suddenly turns good (Really? I was shocked! What an unpredictable plot twist). Would it kill you to at least give ONE reason behind this miraculous transformation.
Cameron Diaz tries her best to portray the cold bitch, with success, but with such a terrible plot, it's hard to applaud. The co-stars do have their moments (if only far apart). The music and cinematography was dull, the editing botched at best and the visuals - glum (if not for a few shots like the car wash and a portion of the trip)
Here's to an hour and half of my life that i am never getting back, though I tried my best to redeem my warning others about it.
Tip: If you hate someone, there's no better revenge than making them sit through this movie