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Jolly LLB 2 (2017)
Jolly LLB-2 review
Jolly LLB -2 review
Courtroom dramas always have a sense of drama in them and this flick has quite a bit of it.Jolly LLB-2 sets the premise straight with Jogeshwar Mishra a resident of Kanpur trying the odd even formula which would make a certain trigger happy leader in helping out students crack the English exam .Jolly is a 12th assistant to a leading lawyer and knows all the tricks in the books to get his work done . Akshay Kumar as Jolly is endearing , goofy ,winsome and quite a revelation as a lawyer who grows into the role which is not all black and white initially. This movie is all about a staged police encounter with justice being shown the door.Jolly is waiting for that one moment when he can land a fat case which is worth arguing for and ensure his family lives happily ever after. Due to an untimely death of a pregnant mother which leads to a precarious situation in the courtroom ...Jolly ends up fighting for what is right . The movie has its moments . The courtroom scenes between a top lawyer played by the man who is as animated in Antakshari as he is in the courtroom.. Annu Kapoor and Akshay kumar are whistle worthy . Umud Mishra plays the cop who orchestrates the entire fake encounter to land himself a promotion and his eyes talk more than his dialogues . The judge played by Saurabh Shukla does a mean Shandaar dance and makes his heavy presence felt standing out in one scene where there is a slap , gun shots and a hammer . Huma Quereshi as Jolly's wife knows how to gulp down a glass of whiskey in the neatest manner and that's about it and yes she likes her Gucci dress. This is an Akshay Kumar movie all the way . He wins you over with his sincerity, street smart cred and his ability for standing against a system. The movie has loopholes , a tad too long and the songs are unnecessary but the supporting cast does their job well. If you like Akshay and for the versatile choices he makes which is quite different from the rest.. you will like it .
Life of Pi (2012)
Life of Pi-mind boggling visuals,profound narrative and story telling at its best
Life of Pi- a must watch It's quite apparent going by the trailers and the buzz generated by this movie that its all about a young man's survival from a terrible ship wreck and a certain Bengal Tiger ( named Richard Parker for mildly amusing reasons) during a storm in the Pacific Ocean. A middle aged Pi ( with a generous mop of curly hair , played by the subtle and extremely engaging Irrfan Khan) recounting his tale to a wide eyed Canadian novelist.
The older Pi takes the novelist down memory lane and in the process paints a picture postcard of Puducherry, the zoo owned by his rational and strict father and his innate faith in godliness, religion whetted by his curiosity during the adolescent years. The parents had a different perspective on religion and spirituality – the father an atheist and the mother – mildly encouraging and endearing do not impede the young boy's religious intentions giving him the wherewithal to choose his own path.His life is not devoid of love as Pi in an understated manner states " We both had just enough time to break each other's heart" In due course of time due to the unstable financial and business climate post emergency, the father takes the stellar decision of migrating to Canada for a better future aided by the sale of zoo animals. Aboard the ship, nature plays spoilsport in form of a terrible thunderstorm leaving Pi the only human survivor with a ferocious tiger for company Picture this – it's just the boy and the Bengal tiger out there in the dark deep sea along with the forces of nature playing against him ( rain or shine plays true here) The Bengal tiger aka Richard Parker is an offshoot of digital imagery – the eyes, majestic walk, fur and the famous roar makes it all the more believable. This story is appealing as it deals with the problems Pi must solve which forms the most dramatic center piece of the film and you start identifying with Pi and the leap of faith he sorely needs. How in the middle of the ocean would he find food and water, avoid turning into Mr Parker's meal of the day, guts and gumption required to sale through this ordeal. The relationship he shares with Parker shows shades of fear, competition, predatory instincts, compassion and love with the director showing remarkable restraint and control in not following the predictable path.
LOP's background score does not distract you, rather it plays a supporting role (the Tamil ditty at the beginning of the movie sung in a very soft and mellifluous voice) . The 3d visuals speak a language of their own (turquoise blue water, flying fish, dancing dolphins) aided by engaging story telling make it a visual spectacle Sooraj Sharma who plays the teen age Pi, is utterly believable as the character and you live and identify his trials and tribulations, while Irrfan Khan underplays the ordeal he has survived with an uncanny blend of normalcy. Adil and Tabu as Pi's parents in their own sublime way add a lot to the character of the boy who transforms into a man with a life changing experience The movie is one of a kind which is a visual marvel aided by wonderful storytelling , has profound lines , goose bump inducing moments and makes you believe in all the wondrous things and the avalanche of emotions the director has used to play with the human psyche be it Pi or us.
It may also make you ponder and ramificate in the end whether you have seen anything at all :)p Love,Life,Luck and Laughter, Shekhar Vijayan.
Skyfall (2012)
The name is Bond .... 'James Bond' of course!!
The name is Bond .... 'James Bond' of course!!
James Bond – everybody needs a hobby Villain – so what's yours? James Bond – (cryptic and sardonic as ever) resurrection
Yes the man with the most famous alpha male sir name is back and is he is on a resurrection drive. The movie starts with an elaborately mounted action sequence starting from a non descript marketplace in the latest low cost location for shoots (a busy marketplace in turkey) staged on all man –made machines – mini truck, motorbike, train , JCB machine culminating in a man to man fist fight with Mr Bond and a random villain fighting it out till death do us apart and then James Bond is shot by one of the MI6 Agents accompanying him on the wild goose chase.
James Bond is pronounced dead and his obituary is written in an appalling manner by Madame M . The security of the MI 6 agents are compromised as there is a creepy villain- Silvia who has an old axe to grind with Madame M and he hacks into the security system of MI 6 containing classified information causing mayhem by revealing lucid details of the Agents to all the terrorist organizations of the world Bond does come back from the dead with a day old stubble and crinkly eyes to save the Madame M from the ignominy of a fast looming retirement and save the world at large from the menacing villain. As per his job requirements (would love to have a look at his job description ) he criss crosses across Shanghai and Macau bedding the mole to get to the elusive villain . There is quite a bit of intrigue build around Silvia and the way his devilish mind work ( He's all blonde hair and matching eyebrows and can build a story out of rats – inspiration from the pied piper story gone bland ) Bond does need a villain who is more substance than style and Silvia does pack a mean punch. Silvia does get caught by the MI6 and there is a certain element of suspicion on how such a crafty villain is captured so easily
a few frames later one understands the bigger reason for his capture and how he benefits from it. The film in a nutshell is a revenge drama between a deranged person ( ex agent gone hostile) and the indestructible Madame M with James Bond caught in the crossfire.
The film makes James Bond appear very vulnerable, an irresistible potion of no nonsense and old fashioned stubbornness( yes he does have a thing for objects which are sharp – complementary for the morning ablutions and killing the villain in the end) and senor does fill into the suits well minus the accompanying belt. One just feels he likes to get on with job and has the gambling instincts of a street fighter- raw and visceral Judi Dench as Madame M is solid as ever and carries her reputation as a no nonsense hard taskmaster with elan .There are a few additions to the supporting cast ( we will be seeing more of Ralph Fiennes in future installments, Q has a younger , nerdy avatar and there is a back story on the introduction of Eve Money Penny). Javier Bardem as Silvia is creepy and and creates the aura of a wily villain ( read – Joker from Dark Night minus the clownish makeup) and this is one villain who has bad dentures and a smooth face The film has quite a few stand out moments. Primarily – the electric introduction scene between James Bond and Silvia ( a hint of homoerotic happiness here) , the brilliantly shot action sequences which speak a language and have a color of its own ranging from the gun fight in the minister's office to the pre climax action sequence which incidentally is brilliantly shot against the dull ,dreary climate of Scotland . Hell there's even trivia on James Bond's parents and where he spent his formative years.
The film looks beautiful and the color as well as the tenor changes as the story develops from the busy market place of turkey to the myriad dragons of Macau and the skyscrapers of shanghai City. The villain fittingly is killed in an old run down church (resurrection remember)
The Film has everything for James Bonds Aficionados in plenty and there's one more coming soon to a theater near you.