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Reviews
The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
The Dark Knight truly did rise!
If i am writing review no 111(which is the nelson's no by the way) there has to be a reason especially when i have so many other things to do! Yeah...it's that good.
I went to see The Dark Knight Returns assuming that nothing can beat the last Dark Knight but somewhere down my heart,i was anticipating my utter failure again(to my pleasure). It turned out to be true. This picture truly is the humble reminder of living greatness in the form of Christopher Nolan. Either you can live a lifetime of a scholar by reading thousands of books or you can live a lifetime watching or i should rather say experiencing greatness.
One thing which i can't cease to notice is that how grotesque the scenes of the collapse of Gotham were and how brilliantly he managed to encapsulate the desolated spirit of the people of the city. Some visuals were breathtaking and nerve chilling. To be honest,you truly start feeling somewhere in the middle of the movie that the Dark Knight won't rise. Since i haven't read the graphic novel so i thought so,but the part where he comes out of the well is one hell of a scene! There are moments,where you can just marvel at the genius of the director and this movie will provide you hundreds of such moments.I thought it would have its share of dull moments as its a long movie but i was proved wrong again.
As fantastic as Nolan's concept itself is, The Dark Knight Returns truly belongs to the actors performing the difficult task of playing protagonists within the tragedy. Their individual talents, as well as diverse personalities, shine through to make the story poignant and the emotions so real that I found myself in awe in one instant, only to replace the admiration with shock in the next.Photography was brilliant especially when the city came under siege during the football match.
Finally the bottom line is you just cannot judge greatness.A piece of art is called great not just due to the recognition it gets at its profane stage but finally when it is measured in its totality,when its message outshines the concoctions which made that piece invaluable.The Dark Knight Returns is one such movie. Christopher Nolan is a revolutionary and i can say with pride in my eyes that i lived in an era,which had people like Nolan who were instrumental in giving us such blaze of glory that we forget that the world in which we live has a Batman in real or just in books! 10 on 10.
Hachi: A Dog's Tale (2009)
It's God's way of telling us what Loving someone truly is.
If i am writing review no 132 for a movie,then it clearly suggests i would not have much to say.But still,despite the repeated calls,my heart disobeys my mind and here i am scribbling something about a movie which is beyond the realms of any accolade or criticism.That's what this movie embodies.It is the call of the heart over the mind.It's an eternal classic which goes on in your mind forever.The greatness of the movie lies not just in the fact that it struck a hitherto concealed chord in your heart but in the fact that it will continue to do so even if you watch this movie again and again.It's as pristine as the first ray of sunshine after a long thunderstorm,as melancholic as "The Autumn of the Middle Ages" by Huizinga.It grows on you like a vintage single malt.It's prose lies not in the words but in the expression.It's as beautiful as Dante's Divine Comedy,and as long and enthralling like "The Mahabharata".I would just like to say that if human emotions were a artist then Hachiko would be the oeuvre of that artist.
I would not tell you the story as many people have done that but i would just tell how this movie changed me as a person and what this change means to me.There's a concept called "Interspecie Altruism" which even Darwin failed to explain.Now i know why...this movie was god's way of telling us what loving someone truly is all about.To say that i was sobbing by the end of the movie is just as understatement.I should say i was weeping heavily and i can say with firm conviction that anybody who has even an iota of a lovable heart will be deeply moved by this wonderful movie.It made me understand myself better as a human.The essence of Hachiko lies not in being lovely in looks but lovely in heart..and indeed he is.Now if i can say that a dog was more adorable than Richard Gere then you can just imagine what it would have been.His wait for his master is not only epic but the slow pace of that wait signifies a much deeper feeling.The feeling of solitude.When one loses someone in life,life seems so be eating us,leaving us crippled.Anyone who has lost his or her loved one will be very familiar with what i am saying.We usually see pain of a human of that sense of loneliness which overwhelms us.This movie gave us an insight into that sense for a Dog and it was more than i could take.It's a movie which cuts across all genders,class,age and appeals to everyone.It's a bonding shared by everyone who has been loved and who has loved anyone truly.I am truly amazed that how this movie has not been released in USA.In this age of vulgar comedy,bloodbath combats,this movies comes across as a lesson for all of us that you can make a truly timeless movie with the bare minimum one has.
Finally a word for the bonding between Richard Gere and Hachiko...the subtle expressions which this movie shows can truly be comprehended by those who have had a pet.It's too real to be taken as just acting.
I saw some reviews here which criticized the movie.As i have earlier stated that this movie is beyond any criticism but still i would like to say something to those who disliked this movie.All your points like the movie being slow,too predictable,loose and boring stand irrelevant when we try to get hold of the central message of this movie.It was never intended to be technically perfect or poignantly sharp and witty.It was intended to just make everyone of us realize our most basic emotion-Love. If you have ever loved anyone,human or animal,you have to love this movie.In an era when one can like and even recommend craps like "American Pie" and "Euro trip" then i find it hard,almost impossible, to comprehend how one can even dislike this movie.Richard Gere has effortlessly produced a gem of a movie for humanity and has brought us closer to the universal truth of love and peace.If a dog can teach us what love is,we can definitely spread the message.
To rate this movie is merely a futile exercise as i truly believe that masterpieces like this are beyond any judgement or analysis.It's simply the most touching movie i ever saw.
Red Alert: The War Within (2009)
War is on and would continue!
Seldom do we see movies being produced even after knowing very well that it would be get a lukewarm response at the box office.RED ALERT is one such movie and this thing really propels me to think that why such movies do not attract audiences?As very evident from the earlier reviews this movie circumscribes the most burning issue which has exposed the whole agenda of "Inclusive Growth" of Indian Government.It is one thing to make a movie which is concocted with issues like poverty,politics,violence and it is other thing to show the reality...and when i mean reality,it stays reality.I am assuring you..when you would be through with this movie,i don't know whether it would leave a good impression in your mind or a bad one but it would for sure stretch your mind and bring you closer to the conscience of Naxalite problem.As expected,in my city,this movie did not get a single screen presence and audience did not care too.I feel this movie should have been promoted on a large scale so that everyone would have understood what the problem is all about.I mean,we have poverty in northern India too,but we don't have Naxalism there.This movie pierces the realms of any other movie till date on Naxalism.
If "Hazaron Khawhishe Aise" was the starting,"Red Alert" is the culmination.What i really liked about the movie was that it was not about how the Naxalites operate or how the govt operates against them.The soul of the movie was that how poverty and desperation drives common pastoral people to their revolution.This is brilliantly portrayed by Sunil Shetty who i thought played the role of his life.He is not concerned about the revolution even after he joins it and he is unsure about the means of achieving their ultimate goal.He openly questions Vinod Khanna too,who is the mastermind behind this so called revolution.This process reflects some interesting points.
1st is the attitude of the group leader towards the newcomers.This is brilliantly reflected in a scene where the leader is interviewed by a pro Naxalite journalist and he makes tall claims about socialistic ideas and his vision of development,but finds himself a bit embarrassed when Sunil Shetty demands his monthly wage saying that he has been denied that before too.The journalist watches the proceedings quietly and the leader in order to redeem his image,gives some money to Sunil Shetty but after making his displeasure very clear.That scene showed the shallow root of this movement.
2nd point is the attitude of police towards the villagers and how the Naxalites use it to their advantage.Sameera Reddy was also quite convincing in her role and i was particularly impressed by the scenes where she was convinced by her comrades that violence is the only option and that having a bullet in your hand is good.
3rd point is where Sunil Shetty expresses his willingness to study and is helped by an intellectual who for unknown reasons is also a part of the revolution.This shows the human side of Naxals and unfurls an hitherto obscure mindset of the naxals.These conversations also subtlety points to the failure of government to tap the talents of educated people and how they join this movement.
4th and the most important point which i felt made the movie worth watch are the two conversations between Sunil Shetty and Vinod Khanna.While the first conversation is about indignant defiance of the methods adopted,the second conversation is about introspection.This passage rightly focuses on how the Naxal movement has lost not only its way but also its purpose.The point which Vinod Khanna makes is very interesting where he says that he has no idea that whether he can live a peaceful life in his lifetime and what would he achieve out of it!The second conversation remarkably reflects how the leader accepts the loss of vision and how he could have done differently to avoid this day.
Finally acting skills displayed by the complete cast are amazing.Sunil Shetty's neural recess was perfectly captured in the scene where he feels the guilt of murdering a person who trusted him and when he is unable to save a school children.I believe he has matured as an actor during this movie.Vinod khanna was a big relief after his stupid role of a maniac father in dabang.He justifies his role as a leader and looked tough.All other people were excellent though i don't understand why Naseerudin shah was given a solitary scene.I also felt that Gulshan Grover could have been used more effectively.
The movie has its share of glitches with the most prominent glitch being how the Naxals find out the informer.But i feel that the movie has heralded a path where most others did not go till now and that to me is the biggest achievement.Music is excellent and the last song is amazing.The lyrics are from Javed Akthar so you can expect some class here.The lyrics of the last song where credits roll out are excellent.It is a pity that most of the audience would miss this movie but the people who would watch it would be experiencing anything but gratification.It leaves you with a heavy mind and compels you to introspect how and where did we go wrong?are we too responsible for the mess which is continuously gulping thousands of individuals in this useless Armageddon?
My last suggestion would be go and watch this movie.Do not expect technical brilliance or eye catching cinematography!Just focus on the soul of the movie which is the message,and then you would feel the agony of the protagonist which despite all odds is only concerned about his family.
LSD: Love, Sex Aur Dhokha (2010)
Dibakar banerjee is a revolutionary!
I think the headline says it all.Its been almost 24 hours since i watched love,sex aur dhoka and its 24 hours since i have been resisting the urge to write a review due to my exams before finally succumbing to it!Its that kind of a movie.I was actually surprised to find such articulate reviews here on IMDb which just goes to show that not only Indian cinema but the Indian mindset is changing for sure.
A revolutionary has the extraordinary power to pierce the realms of what is deemed ordinary and materialize what is rendered impossible by the sheer virtue of determination and brilliance.A revolutionary invokes a thought which acts as the pivotal point of the turnaround of the society or an organization in general.I can firmly say that Indian cinema is right now the hotpot of revolutionaries.There is a famous proverb which says "the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step".Dibakar banerjee has not only taken that step but consolidated his footprints on the panoramic landscape of greatness.Forget torrentino,forget kubric,forget spilberg,forget satyajit ray,the prince has arrived! Already loads has been written about the amazing deluge of brilliance witnessed in this path breaking movie.The distinct thing about this movie is not only its direction but its adaptation in a total Indian manner.This metamorphosis could only have been accomplished by a brilliant director.I think that there are only 3 diretors who could have managed this.
3 stories that were brilliantly stitched,finally culminated in what is termed as realistic tragedy.As fantastic as dibakar's concept itself is, 'Love,Sex aur Dhokha' truly belongs to the actors performing the difficult task of playing protagonists within the tragedy. Their individual talents, as well as diverse personalities, shine through to make the story poignant and the emotions so real that I found myself laughing uncontrollably in one instant, only to replace the laughter with shock in the next.Photography was brilliant,especially the savage scene of murder in the 1st story.
Finally the bottom line is you just cannot judge greatness.A piece of art is called great not just due to the recognition it gets at its profane stage but finally when it is measured in its totality,when its message outshines the concoctions which made that piece invaluable.LSD is one such movie.It would be the cult movies of future although it couldn't fare well in what should have been its heyday.I think Indian cinema is now proceeding towards its heyday due to the likes of few good men like dibakar banerjee! Dibakar Banerjee is the third musketeer of bollywood along with Vishal Bharadwaj and Anurag Kashyap!We should rejoice at this epoch making event.10/10.
Shaurya: It Takes Courage to Make Right... Right (2008)
It was Quintessential KK!
Oh my god!! One Man,One Actor,One God...it has got to be KK.no doubt about it.A very very average movie with a performance which seldom can be seen,even more seldomly apprehended.Even Aeneid would have found it difficult to find some verses about what excellence is.KK is perhaps the best talent being wasted in Bollywood.I am sure he would have grabbed many Oscars had he been an American.
I would bifurcate this movie in two parts.1st is the part which is devoid of godliness...i mean to say the part in which kk is not there.An inchoated experience!What was meant to be the copy of a few good men turned out to be a rather sluggish movie devoid of the grip which is necessary to keep one glued.Rahul bose as an actor was not what we expect from him.Frankly speaking even amir khan would have been scared of this role had he envisioned the impact of the role of kk.RB looked more like a spoiled kid out on a vacation in bahamas rather than an army lawyer.The movie is very loosely bound by the case which he is handling.Then comes the miss NRI!(Non required Indian).There was no scope for manisha lamba and also for javed jaffery which again brings us back to the point that why is is necessary to stereotype any movie.The young audience want an intense movie rather than corny songs and goofed up romance!
Then comes the 2nd part which i would recommend to everyone who is a fan of aesthetic art!It has got power,vigour,exuberance,brashness,menace,Vanity,Pugnacity and endless terminologies.watching KK in this movie is in itself an experience.Although just for 30 minutes in this movie,he makes such a mark which is unparalleled in contemporary modern cinema.3 scenes artistically shot,intelligently framed and matchlessly delivered by kk would make you realise how RB has been outplayed comprehensively in each of those scenes.I would say shaurya is an average movie but for the KK fans...this is an eternal gold mine.Strike gold ASAP.