Life Is REEL

Reviewed by: K. Gautam

It was my first visit to an Ajith movie at the theaters after the disastrous Paramasivan of 2006. Before watching the movie, I read mixed reviews about it. Hardcore Ajith fans obviously gave a thumbs-up, there were others were so-so about it, and there were a few others who called it a bag of hogwash.

Admittedly I felt the movie was a disappointment as it fell short on direction and acting and paled significantly in comparison to the Shah Rukh Khan starrer ‘Don’ of 2007. The one real positive factor was Ajith’s stylishly stunning looks. He could probably have done a bit of workout to hide a subtle paunch he displays in the movie, the exact opposite of how he was in Paramasivan, where he was astoundingly lissome -- this makes him look a bit clumsy in the dance sequences. I also felt director Vishnuvardhan could have done better to alter Ajith’s rather gawky looks.

For readers who are not familiar with the story - a pick pocket Velu (Ajith) is picked by DSP Jai Prakash (Prabhu) to impersonate Billa (Ajith), an underworld don to infiltrate the activities of other gang members and top bosses.

The action sequences were quite well shot, with Ajith reportedly performing his own car stunts -- not surprising for a renowned car racer. Nayanthara for an acclaimed actor could have done a better job -- again looking a bit too gawky, although she looks stunningly sleek in her costumes. Namitha’s role was an absolute waste. Though Namitha is not known for her acting prowess, I would blame the director for not thinking out of the box to give more significance to her role.

Prabhu impresses in his short role and I wish he had lasted till the end of the movie. Rahman is more than impressive in his role as Interpol officer Gokulnath with this elegant costume. I have always felt Rahman has been under-utilized as a character actor by Kollywood; he has got a lot of potential. Santhanam is hilarious in the short role he gets, more than making up for some dullness in the middle.

Though I have been critical of Vishnuvardhan for below par direction of characters, I would still commend him for a courageous attempt to direct a script that has already been tried out thrice, twice in Hindi (‘Don’ 1978 starring Amitabh Bachchan and ‘Don’ 2007 starring Shah Rukh Khan) and once in Tamil (‘Billa’ 1980 starring Rajnikanth). He has tried to give a different perspective from the earlier versions. His Hollywood style of direction of action sequences could be a trend for future films.

Yuvan Shankar Raja disappoints on the music front, and there was not a single song worth mentioning. Even the remix of the likeable ‘My Name is Billa’ is not worth hearing. The re-recording was too jarry and there was just one little piece of music worth humming.

Special mention and credit has to be given to Javed Akthar and Salim Khan, who scripted the original story and screenplay for ‘Don’ in 1978. Their strong ideas have inspired Indian directors even after 29 years.

Rating: 2/5

Labels: Kollywood, Tamil

Posted by Peak Day Blues at 1:04 AM | Permalink | Comments

Reviewed by: K. Gautam

These days, I go into Hindi movies just to have fun – never mind the poor screenplays, below par direction, kiddish dialogs. For a change, I went to see Taare Zameen Par with lots of expectations for the simple fact it was an Aamir Khan directed movie, knowing his penchant for perfection - and I wasn’t disappointed.

A leading Bollywood director has commented that Aamir takes himself too seriously rather than just his work. Perhaps you have to be that serious enough to create movies like TZP.

So, what is it about TZP that is so enchanting! For one, the kid reminded me of myself - the same idiosyncrasies, stargazes. More importantly I always felt I was grossly misunderstood.

This is a movie I would recommend for parents to watch, especially future ones. My neighborhood 4-year-old who doesn’t understand a word of Hindi was mesmerized by the actions of Ishaan Awasthi played by Darsheel Safary. So, taking your kid along wouldn’t be a bad idea.

The story is about eight-year-old Ishaan, who suffers from low grades and is subsequently sent to a boarding school. It takes the efforts of art teacher Anurag Basu (Aamir Khan) to identify his problem and set it right. Darshan Safary provides a very apt performance of a typical 8-year-old. Aamir Khan as a director seems to have gone into the finer details of child acting, which is normally below average in Bollywood.

Equal credit and mention should be given to Amol Gupte, who has given a great screenplay, which is the heart and soul of the movie. The fantasies of a child are well written. The clever animation of the fantasies shown would keep a child spell-bound.

Darsheel Safary is the hero of the movie and all the others revolve around him. Aamir Khan cleverly brings himself only in the second half of the movie, so as not to overemphasize his role. He reminds me of Clint Eastwood’s direction where he gives equal importance to his fellow protagonists in movies he played major roles in. The roles by the affectionate mother (Tisca Chopra) and the indifferent father (Vipin Sharma) are quite believable. Tanay Chheda as Ishaan’s friend at the boarding school does a good job for a modest role. The teachers at the school are witty and entertaining, especially the one who speaks in perfect British English.

The Shankar Eshan Loy trio has provided thoughtful music. The song “Maa” sung by Shankar Mahadevan is truly heart warming.

Taare Zameen Par might bring a tear out of you, but never makes you cringe with an overdose of sentiments.

My only complaint would be the length of the movie, which is obviously because of the number of songs.

Aamir Khan has probably arrived on the Bollywood as a world-class director. Hopefully he would live up to the expectations.

Rating: 3.75/5

Labels: Bollywood, Hindi, Reviews

Posted by Peak Day Blues at 11:55 PM | Permalink | Comments

Reviewed by: K. Gautam

A very good advice someone gave me long ago before watching a Bollywood movie was not to expect too much - you just go, watch the movie, enjoy whatever you can, come back and try not to ask too many questions. Unfortunately, I have never heeded that advice. Too may questions linger after watching OSO.

Whatever said, the tried and tested recipe of color, songs, and comedy has delivered yet again at the box office. The Farah-Shah Rukh Khan duo also managed to get the entire Bollywood fraternity (with the exception of Aishwariya Rai) out into the sets. Bollywood really partied!

Now for some of my questions. What was the exact genre of the movie? Was it a parody, a thriller, a comedy? Keeping one guessing about the genre is a unique trait attributed to most Indian movies.

Secondly, with all the spoofs and songs, why even attempt a storyline in the first place? Yes, I know shooting a movie is difficult without a storyline - even for Bollywood. For OSO, the story was a mere formality.

The story is simple. A junior artiste, Om Prakash Makhija (SRK) avenges the death of Shanthipriya (Deepika Padukone), who gets murdered by villain Mukesh Mehra (Arjun Ram Pal), in his next incarnation. Farah Khan has been shouting at the top of her voice that OSO was not inspired by another Indian movie. So, I wouldn’t go into it.

Let us talk about the good points, and there are many. SRK is funny as ever and at his silliest best. His self-deprecating stuff as the reincarnated, rich and famous Om Kapoor is reminiscent of his real-life late arrivals at the sets in his early part of his career. There are real good performances by Kirron Kher (SRK’s mom) and Shreyas Talpade (SRK’s best friend), who shares a good chemistry with SRK. Deepika Padukone for a newcomer has done a commendable job. She has definitely sent the right signals as an actor. She can only get better. However, Arjun Rampal disappoints as the villain, especially in the second half of the movie as the old man.

SRK’s spoof of South Indian Cinema of the late 70s in his all-red attire was hilarious. I wouldn’t dare say whom he was trying to imitate.

Farah Khan is a world-class choreographer, but has a long way to go as a director. Below par direction is one of the low points of the movie. She could have done much better with the performances of the actors in some of the sequences, especially of Arjun Rampal.

Music Directors Vishal and Shekhar have done a decent enough job with the songs. The song ‘Aankhon Mein Teri’ sung by KK is delightful.

Despite all the shortcomings, I have to admit it was quite an enjoyable movie – around 160 minutes of fun and entertainment.

If you are having a dull day and would like to end it, go watch OSO.

Rating: 3/5

Labels: Bollywood, Hindi, Reviews

Posted by Peak Day Blues at 3:11 AM | Permalink | Comments

Reviewed by: K. Gautam

There are some movies, which are etched in our memories forever. This movie was certainly one of them for me. Watching it on the big screen made it even merrier. I have never seen such thunderous applause for an English movie from a Chennai audience - and they were not just for Matt Damon; they were for the entire movie, from beginning to end. For its sheer intensity, I would rate ‘The Bourne Ultimatum’ as the best of the series, slightly ahead of ‘The Bourne Identity’ and far ahead of ‘The Bourne Supremacy.’ All the three are based on best sellers by Robert Ludlum.

Matt Damon’s career graph probably crescendoes in this movie. He has proved yet again he is not a one-dimensional actor as he was made out to be during the early part of his career. He has shown variety with comedy in the Ocean’s series, as a dirty cop in ‘The Departed,’ and a fiery combatant as Jason Bourne.

There are also brilliant supporting roles from Joan Allen (Face-Off) as Pamela Landy and David Strathairn as the CIA Deputy Director Noah Vosen, who equally share the intensity with Damon.

In this movie, Bourne continues his hunt for the truth about his mysterious past, with government agents hiring assassins to get rid of him, to prevent the skeletons from being detected. I wouldn’t want to go further into the story, as it might kill the suspense.

The chase scenes are breathtaking and edge of the seat, and the fight scenes are believable. The very few minus points I would give would be for some unnecessary camera shakes and jerks during certain action sequences. Especially the bike chase scene could have been more convincing, with Damon’s face being hardly shown.

Overall, an assortment of great action sequences and great acting has delivered ‘The Bourne Ultimatum’ at the Box Office big time.

Director Paul Greengrass does an excellent job of keeping the audience captivated. Tony Gilroy and Scott Z. Burns have written the screenplay.

My request to movie watchers would be to watch the first two of the series before watching the third, for better understanding of the movie. Watch out for ‘The Bourne Identity’ and ‘Bourne Supremacy’ on HBO.

The ‘Bourne Ultimatum’ is ‘The Ultimate.’

Rating: 4.5/5

Labels: Hollywood, Reviews

Posted by Peak Day Blues at 9:29 PM | Permalink | Comments

Reviewed by: K. Gautam

I enjoy swift paced movies, but this was too fast for my liking. I had to watch the movie twice to see whether I had missed something - anyway I found I hadn’t missed much. The subsequent Ocean’s movies haven’t lived up to the trend-setting Ocean’s 11. Ocean’s 11 had a great screenplay by George Clayton Johnson and Jack Golden Russell (1960). Hope I get to watch the 1960 version one day.

The charm of George Clooney, Matt Damon, Brad Pitt, Andy Garcia, and Julia Roberts along with the other Ocean’s crew made watching O’s 11 a very memorable experience. The hyped up O’s 12 was too boring.

The greatness of O’s 11 was its simplicity. O’s 13 was too complicated and too flashy. A glitz-crazy technologist might love it. Anyway, it was a much better effort than O’s 12.

The impracticality of some of the heist moves also was a concern. Every move looked too simple too soon. Even the most impossible of tasks was accomplished by some gizmo or the other. Only the antics of the cast keep you occupied.

The story begins with Reuben Tishkoff being double-crossed by Willie Bank (Al Pacino), a casino owner. Danny Ocean decides to do something about it and regroups his team to take Bank to task.

I was gung ho about Al Pacino being cast in the movie, the great actor that he is. Disappointed to see he fails to make the coveted impact he so effortlessly makes. I felt his role was overcooked beyond taste.

One of the few real positives in the movie was Andy Garcia, who was at his suave best as the 13th member of the team (the team persuades him to join). George Clooney was steady and Brad Pitt had hardly anything to say. Matt Damon was more than amusing with his funny nose as Lenny Pepperidge. Watch out for David Paymer who plays the restaurant reviewer, who has to bear the brunt of the team’s plot to disgrace Bank’s dreams. The other members of the crew just get a scene or two.

Hope Director Steven Soderbergh (Oscar Winning ‘Erin Brockovich’) comes up with a much better version next time.

Rating: 2/5

Labels: Hollywood, Reviews

Posted by Peak Day Blues at 12:15 PM | Permalink | Comments

Reviewed by: K. Gautam

I had watched this movie in bits and pieces on more than one occasion. I got the opportunity last weekend to watch the entire movie on Star Movies last weekend.

It is probably one of those under-rated De Niro movies not many movie watchers remember. When you think of Robert De Niro, only classics like Godfather 2, Casino, Good Fellas come to mind. Midnight Run is a light, action comedy, which sets you roaring from time to time.

The movie is directed by Martin Brest of the ‘Beverly Hills Cop’ and ‘Scent of a Woman’ fame. Screenplay is by George Gallo.

De Niro is Jack Walsh, a bounty hunter, also an ex-honest, ex-Chicago cop, his honesty and conscience coming to surface very much reluctantly in the story. Walsh is hot on the trail of an embezzling accountant Jonathan Mardukas played by Charles Grodin (played the father in ‘Beethoven’). Though he succeeds in tracking down Mardukas and capturing him, he finds himself being trailed by the FBI and also by the mafia, from whom Mardukas had dared to embezzle from. With the mafia vying for Mardukas’ blood for his impudence and the FBI determined to get to them first, the trail gets really hot. De Niro and Grodin develop a certain chemistry, which keeps you entertained throughout.

The character I really found funny was FBI Agent Alonzo Moseley played by Yaphet Kotto, who takes great delight in depriving detainees of their much-needed cigarettes from their pockets, for his own use. Moseley is also at the receiving end from Jack Walsh, who manages to get through airports and railway stations impersonating the FBI agent using the agent’s ID card, leaving him fuming throughout the movie.

John Ashton as the bungling Marvin Dorfler, another bounty hunter on the trail of Mardukas, is hilarious.

It is advisable to avoid viewing this movie in front of children for its profane language.

Watch out for ‘Midnight Run’ on Star Movies.

Rating: 3.5/5

Labels: Hollywood, Reviews

Posted by Peak Day Blues at 12:08 AM | Permalink | Comments

Reviewed by: K. Gautam

This movie was recently screened on HBO. It is a 2003 television movie based on a true story.

It is a very tragic story of a woman of high repute falling into the trap of compulsive gambling. What starts as something as fun (ironically encouraged by her husband) ends up destroying her family and career. The movie portrays the bitter truth about compulsive gambling by American women that has left lots of families in shambles.

The roles of the wife (Laura Bancroft) and husband (Jim Bancroft) are efficiently enacted by Delta Burke and Gerald McRaney, who are also husband and wife in real life.

The movie has a very smooth flow, with reality hitting you hard and leaving you pale, as Laura Bancroft crosses the proverbial line with her compulsive gambling. I could feel the horror as I watched the crumbling of a well-knit family. I kept asking myself, “How could a mother of two, with a caring husband, a woman entrusted with handling a children’s fund-raising organization, manage to lose everything and destroy herself and her family in a matter of days, with such continued acts of foolishness?” If you watch “Going For Broke” very closely, it can be scarier and chilling than a horror movie.

This movie has a lesson for all of us. I cannot forget one line, which goes something like ‘if you win $1000 on your first wager, and if you want to continue, keep $500 aside and wager the rest. Always make sure you keep aside half of whatever you win.’ Very wise words indeed.

Statutory warnings about the vices of gambling became compulsory at all casinos and gambling centers across America. This has been done to create awareness that gambling can be as addictive and destructive as alcohol, nicotine and substance abuse.

The movie is directed by Graeme Campbell, with effective screenplay by Deborah Serra.

Going For Broke can really leave you broken.

Rating: 4.25/5

Labels: Hollywood, Reviews

Posted by Peak Day Blues at 5:26 AM | Permalink | Comments