tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17955164043058772992024-03-13T16:06:55.319+05:30These pretzels are making me thirstyElmerFuddnavishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08560753025102995101noreply@blogger.comBlogger392125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1795516404305877299.post-15030588492988213432015-05-18T05:54:00.003+05:302015-05-18T06:05:46.022+05:30Not a Review - Mad Max Fury Road<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpA_zsCRWvP3kX66eB4qCfri9H7XRgfSyrzxOCZs-6HkHWbq2EGlEP4FBHFOTCyzYtCgDUznubIkblPyn9K-qzV4AY_MfbOqdBncBTxoP1BvQHwmA3r6A-_VGIqZ00VebUV_yG6HM89w/s1600/mad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpA_zsCRWvP3kX66eB4qCfri9H7XRgfSyrzxOCZs-6HkHWbq2EGlEP4FBHFOTCyzYtCgDUznubIkblPyn9K-qzV4AY_MfbOqdBncBTxoP1BvQHwmA3r6A-_VGIqZ00VebUV_yG6HM89w/s1600/mad.jpg" /></a></div>
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A desolate
man stands with a heavy bag atop a sand dune, looking at the vastness of the
desert sprawled in front of him. The sky is swathed with the heat of a thousand
suns. He’s thirsty, his canteen is almost empty. ‘My name is George Miller’,
the man’s husky voice reverberates, ‘I trawl this desert named Hollywood’.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
Strewn
across the desert are rectangular black boxes with pictures of movies on one
face. Vacant posters float across the dunes, taking them wherever the wind
turns. The sand on the dunes shifts slowly as Miller walks across them. Images
from his past flash in his head from time to time, showing him a bygone era and
a traumatic event that changed his life forever. An image of a dancing penguin
suddenly flashes and he screams. He holds his head to remain calm, rubbing his
sand soaked hair to restrain himself. It doesn’t help much because Babe, the
talking pig then appears in front of him, and he falls on his knees to the
ground and screams again.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
‘Too
much damage has been done’, Miller says, ‘there’s no going back. It’s the end
of the road for me’. He’s old, no longer fit, lacking inspiration and mostly
dispirited by the products in his industry. The lure of easy money had
corrupted him when he made <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Happy feet 2</i>.
He had not once but twice made great sequels in the past, when dancing penguins
were not in the league of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Babe: Pig in
the City </i>and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mad Max The Road Warrior</i>.
He loathes himself, and ever since the box office of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Happy Feet 2 </i>he’s been wandering the desert, scavenging for
minerals just to survive. When you spend your whole life fighting a system,
winning gloriously, and then falling right into the system’s trapdoor, self-respect
goes for a toss. You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself
become a villain. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
Miller
walks aimlessly in the burning heat, sweating and wheezing. He stops to take a
swig from his canteen, when the wind blows it away. ‘This is the moment to give
up’, he thinks, ‘my life is over. I shall die remembered as the director of
Happy feet 2’. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
The wind
suddenly blows a photograph smack on his face. He peels it off, and sees a
picture of Mel Gibson in a black car. The sound of a rumbling engine kicks
inside his chest. There’s a tiny spark. It all comes back to him. He throws
away his bag and runs. He’s faster than the wind, as he scales a dozen dunes. He
stops suddenly, and gazes upon the machine in front of him - a black car
standing majestically amid the sand. ‘This is it’, Miller whispers, ‘if a
sequel almost killed me, a sequel will make me reborn’. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
He
gets inside the car, slams the door shut, hits the ignition and slams on the
gas. As the car careens through the sand Miller is formulating in his mind the
greatest action movie ever made in the history of cinema. ‘It’s got to strike a
balance between fans of the original movie and newcomers’, he realizes. Out in
the distance a cloud of sand can be seen. Miller looks through the binoculars
to see the cloud is formed by a bunch of renegade degenerates on bikes making
their way towards him, with a clear intent to kill him. ‘Studio execs’, he
mutters, ‘they’re ruthless’. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
He
jams the accelerator, and the element of surprise is too much for the execs –
they just stare wall-eyed at the incoming Miller’s car that smashes through all
of them, sending little pieces in the scorching air. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
There
isn’t much time to celebrate because a horde of gangly degenerates on All
Terrain Vehicles suddenly show up on the left and open fire. ‘Goddamn
Expectations, I’m gonna gut you like a fish’, Miller mumbles, 'witness me'. He presses a
button and a machine gun unfurls from the side of the car and opens fire.
Bullets hit the ATVs, sending the Expectations flying in the air, smashing into
the rocks. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
The
noise of the chaos is heard by the dreaded clan of the Franchisers, who swarm
into their gigantic trucks with twisted designs and begin chasing Miller’s car from behind.
Miller looks in his reverberating rearview mirror and smiles. He drives straight into a desert storm,
challenging the Franchisers to follow him. They take the bait, and some of their
vehicles are swept away by the storm, while the others ate struck by
lightening.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
‘Oh
what a day... What a lovely day!’, Miller screams, as he shifts gears, blazes
through the storm in the direction of the city metropolis. His modern
masterpiece is ready to be unleashed upon the world. He’s going to call it
‘Fury Road’.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
(<i>First published in Firstpost</i>)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
ElmerFuddnavishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08560753025102995101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1795516404305877299.post-71693870127122829602015-05-18T05:49:00.001+05:302015-05-18T05:49:05.115+05:30Movie Review: Bombay Velvet<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigL_fSIhcQOkgYNGmKfOLBl-clA4jC-aydR-Mb4-fjoEfnhudPP72k6pMTQr_PDdY6YnkpjaAdBDWhkK-w2Cy3nSfba-YN-gg-8nEbKHtmrNVs3qM16VrqqPS4k8resEMkE6KmTDQCOQ/s1600/velvet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigL_fSIhcQOkgYNGmKfOLBl-clA4jC-aydR-Mb4-fjoEfnhudPP72k6pMTQr_PDdY6YnkpjaAdBDWhkK-w2Cy3nSfba-YN-gg-8nEbKHtmrNVs3qM16VrqqPS4k8resEMkE6KmTDQCOQ/s1600/velvet.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
Few
films have the ability to get your attention right from the opening shot. In <i>Bombay Velvet</i> Anurag Kashyap, jumping
from ‘sort of mid budget indie’ to full on mainstream mode does this
exceptionally well. As the opening credits roll a nostalgic surprise from the
90’s greets you to the backdrop of Amit Trivedi’s Jazz, and the world of <i>Bombay Velvet</i> becomes yours before you
can blink. The atmosphere is intoxicating, the sets, costumes and scope are far
beyond anything done in Bollywood.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
The
film is supposed to borrow from Gyan Prakash’s historical book, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bombay Velvet</i> is no historical sermon,
it’s a love story, pure and simple. There’s Ranbir Kapoor as Johnny Balraj, a
boxer turned mobster. It’s a showy role. He looks great in a boxing vest. He
looks great in a suit. He looks extremely cool as he chats up Rosie, the girl
of his dreams, played by an equally attractive Anushka Sharma. She croons
velvet on stage, he woos her with his eyes and smile. Paisa vasool date movie
stuff, hyper romanticized at the moment Anushka beautifully lip syncs to
‘Dhadaam Dhadaam’. And they’re a great couple – deeply in love even when the
girl smashes furniture on the guy. It’s been a while since we saw an on screen
romantic couple to root for in a Hindi film, Ranbir and Anushka’s chemistry is
a breath of fresh air.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
Then
there’s Karan Johar as the villainous newspaper baron Khambatta, pulling off an
unlikely, uncontrollable snigger when you least expect it, and Satyadeep Mishra
as Balraj’s pal, chewing scenery with just his stare. They’re all only matched
by the incredible production design that recreates 50’s Bombay with such detail
it’s impossible to differentiate real sets from CGI. Truly gorgeous and entertaining
stuff, and the first half glides along to perfection, with Trivedi’s background
music always on to stitch scenes together. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
In
the second half of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bombay Velvet</i>
there’s a sequence featuring a massively long buildup with sexy lighting and music,
that develops into a dazzling slow motion shot of a vengeful man firing dual
tommy guns in slow motion. The walls are peppered with holes, the furniture
explodes into pieces, it’s so powerful it seems like he’s spraying the whole
world with spitfire, extinguishing whole countries in the process. He ends up
killing two, inconsequential and faceless people and you’re left wondering what
the buildup was for. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
This
scene accurately reflects the essence of the second half of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bombay Velvet</i>, and the effect it has on
the audience. Post interval the story wilts out and Kashyap dedicates himself
to making everything look cool, and that is the problem - the film looks like a
million bucks but has no depth. It feels like a beautifully crafted, well-timed
shot only to be caught at the boundary. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
While
the first half is a homage to 70’s films, the second becomes a 70’s film,
complete with clichéd blackmail negative rolls, double rolls, madh island gold
biskut maal, damsels in distress. Kashyap is known to take cinema clichés and
subvert them, but here he goes head first into the clichés with great
seriousness. Despite the magic of Thelma Schoonmaker (and there’s a lot of it),
the film’s story elements are mostly incoherent. There is a 50’s Bombay real
estate scam plot point which is pretty much indecipherable. It’s tough to
figure out what Khambatta actually is about, and what his deals with the real
estate barons are, and what exactly is at stake. There is a rival newspaper
too, the intentions of the editor of which (Manish Choudhary) are unclear. There
is some history about the World Trade Center force fed to us during the end
credits which makes even less sense. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
Rather
than being its own beast this is more a throwback to older, better gangster films
by Scorsese, the Coens and Curtis Hanson. There’s a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Goodfellas </i>car trunk nudge, and a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Miller’s Crossing</i> hat wink, and neither of them add anything to the
plot except for fan service and a strain for greatness that remains out of
reach. There’s a noticeable lack of humor in the film, but the film’s elements
are not dark enough to warrant such seriousness. All the elements are
mainstream ‘filmi’ things, and it’s hard to imagine why there is only one joke
in the whole movie. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
Needing
some sort of punch in the second half, Kashyap makes a late grab for thrills
and renders the aforementioned tommy gun scene, but it speaks more of the
desperation to compensate for a weak story than it does about delivering a great
cinematic moment.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
Make
of it what you will, ultimately what <i>Bombay
Velvet</i> lacks in complexity it makes up for in sheer beauty. It’s a
cinematic achievement for sure, but it doesn’t always succeed in camouflaging
its narrative limitations with its imagery. Clearly, the curse of the second
half gets to even the best.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
(<i>First published in Firstpost</i>)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
ElmerFuddnavishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08560753025102995101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1795516404305877299.post-34810732964576431712015-05-18T05:47:00.000+05:302015-05-18T05:47:06.619+05:30Movie Review: Piku<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwELHDtVp5m_ld4kyFTIcvKfA1bzy9PiDILjNeWuhrus2-OkOt8ZoAn4VIf9G3THsOHfjLYdT-WvcbvEHIZKPuzcKGHzejZJKjz5VwCW3UAz1znUVJwPuZJjH033Cg7fPRYgRNKvbmsQ/s1600/piku.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwELHDtVp5m_ld4kyFTIcvKfA1bzy9PiDILjNeWuhrus2-OkOt8ZoAn4VIf9G3THsOHfjLYdT-WvcbvEHIZKPuzcKGHzejZJKjz5VwCW3UAz1znUVJwPuZJjH033Cg7fPRYgRNKvbmsQ/s1600/piku.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
Having
already watched and being disappointed by <i>Finding
Fanny</i> last year, the thought of seeing another modestly budgeted Deepika
Padukone quirky road trip comedy didn’t inspire much confidence. It’s rare for
expectations to be smashed to smithereens and even rarer for a Bollywood film to
do this with so much confidence. Shoojit Sircar’s <i>Piku</i> has arrived smack in the twilight of the blue moon. This film
features the best ending to a Bollywood movie in a long time, and the stuff
that happens prior to it is also quite lovely.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
So
here we have Piku Banerjee (Deepika Padukone), a Bong architect who live in Delhi
her dad Bhashkor (Big B). Pappy is a raging hypochondriac, and perpetually constipated,
and also, naturally, highly irritable. Everything in his life, and also somehow
everything in the life of people around him depends upon his ungodly bowel
movement. It doesn’t take much for his antics to drive people insane. So it
becomes a task when Bhaskor plans to travel from Delhi to his native Kolkata,
and naturally Pappy declares traveling by flight could be problematic for his
bowel. The solution? Piku has to accompany Pappy on a cross-country road trip,
along with Rana, a cab company owner turned driver (Irrfan), Pappy’s Pot and
Potty assistant, and even the Pot seat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
It’s
incredibly easy to dig this movie at the onset, not just because of fun
performances from Padukone, Bachchan and Irrfan, but because it’s so darn easy
to relate to it. There is a Bhashkor in every family – the stubborn, grumpy old
man with the temper of a child and a heart of gold is omnipresent. And Big B
portrays the character to perfection - he’s a well-meaning chap, just a bit
forward in his manner and cranky owing to his illness. His utter lack of
empathy for those on the wrong end of his forwardness is hilarious, as is his unreserved
innocence regarding his prickly nature. You can’t stand the guy’s
eccentricities but you can’t help love him. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
There’s
a lot going on in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Piku</i>, and writer
Juhi Chaturvedi’s strong script coupled with Sircar’s solid direction somehow makes
it all cohesive. The film explores some rather interesting themes – what does
one do when the parent becomes difficult to handle and is totally dependent on
you? How does one react when the parent is clearly upset about no longer being
able to be independent, and becomes passive aggressive to assuage his
frustration? Where does one draw a line between the parent being merely difficult
and being a life stopping burden? How much can you sacrifice to make a
relatively thankless invalid parent happy? Is it noble to consider moving out of
the house and giving your invalid parent in the care of someone else so that
you can focus on your career and social life? What can the parent do if he
thinks he’s being a burden to his children? <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Piku
</i>doesn’t have the answer to all these questions, but it is bold enough to
take you through them and make you ponder. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
The
film also makes the best case for women empowerment since <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Queen</i>. In the film Piku is single, but has a casual sex life, and
this fact is established very subtly, and not in a pointedly manner. This is
not a ‘character trait’, but it just happens to be another normal thing that
this normal girl does. And to top it all, even her father is liberal enough to
not make a fuss over that. He has the occasional well-meaning concern, but he’s
not the regressive honor killer that is so prevalent in both in and outside our
cinema. When was the last time you saw a Bollywood film where the father
suggests to his daughter that getting married soon is only for those with low
IQ? Last I checked, Sonakshi Sinha wanted to be ‘blessed for marriage’ by seeing
Ajay Devgn’s schlong. In this film, the Bechdel Test is effortlessly kicked in
the nuts in a terrific ‘will they won’t they’ scene between Piku and Rana that
warrants a huge applause for both Chaturvedi and Sircar.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
Most
importantly, the film glides over all of these heavy-duty themes with breezy
lightness and consistent, well-timed comedy. This is a road trip movie after
all, and it’s got hysterical rapid-fire montage of cuts of the back and forth between
the trio of Piku, Bhaskkor and Rana. The teeny bit of melodrama is handled
beautifully by shuffling laughs and tears together like a pack of cards, making
<i>Piku</i> one of the more emotionally
honest films to have come from the industry.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
(<i>First published in Firstpost</i>) <o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
ElmerFuddnavishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08560753025102995101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1795516404305877299.post-82785583110361145062015-05-18T05:44:00.000+05:302015-05-18T05:44:49.825+05:30Movie Review: Gabbar is Back<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9ws9tHrBG8ExUYIS80SCjZTbWaN9QiM8p1cj6_B7A91GGOHQEhpq3gqnI_yN-nQLRwR5R-7jnOu9MGw4NyBQaoEs_cMn0hqxL7_zOVkCMQiHuFBMoPFDcMgtX_cPZGlsmVpRPGm6iuA/s1600/gabb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9ws9tHrBG8ExUYIS80SCjZTbWaN9QiM8p1cj6_B7A91GGOHQEhpq3gqnI_yN-nQLRwR5R-7jnOu9MGw4NyBQaoEs_cMn0hqxL7_zOVkCMQiHuFBMoPFDcMgtX_cPZGlsmVpRPGm6iuA/s1600/gabb.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
I
was always curious to know why the new Akshay Kumar movie was called <i>Gabbar is Back</i>. This isn’t a sequel to
any movie called Gabbar, so why does its title indicate otherwise? My
existential query was answered during the opening credits of the movie, where
we pretty much see the whole film through GIF images. To the backdrop of
blaring music, we see that Akshay Kumar is a vigilante named Gabbar, he fights
corruption, and finally kicks the villain in the nuts. And then the actual film
begins – voila – Gabbar is back!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
Hold
on to your seat belts because this is going to blow you away - <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gabbar is Back</i> is a Hindi remake of, a
Tamil version of, an Akshay Kumar flavored version of, a Gabtun Vijaykanth
flavored version of, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">V for Vendetta</i>. That’s
right, Akshay Kumar’s character Gabbar is the man in the Guy Fawkes mask, out
to avenge his dead family and lead the young men of India to also wear masks
and revolt against corruption. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
The
film is directed by someone named Krish, who, presumably also wants to remain
anonymous, either as a meta homage to the anonymous Gabbar character in the
film, or evade the blame for this laughably bad movie. The thing is, this was
originally a Gabtun Vijaykanth movie, and anyone who’s seen his amazing work in
cinema will know taking the content too seriously will only invite ridicule. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ramanaa,</i> the film on which <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gabbar is Back</i> is based on, was the same
film that contained the worldwide sensation of a scene where Gabtun types a
document in Windows Media Player. The same guy has also performed a heart
surgery with the aid of a mobile phone. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
It
would have been perfect had this movie featured Akshay Kumar pulling a Gabtun
and going the whole hog with ridiculous VLC Player typing and smartphone
surgeries. For some reason the filmmakers decided to root his character in reality,
and attempted to address some ‘serious’ issues and actually ‘inspire’ the youth
with eyeball shattering manipulation. The ‘corrupt officials’ are caricaturist
as hell, as are the ‘long suffering common man’ characters. You literally get
characters expanding their chests, looking at the camera and declaring
something either villainous or jingoist. You get wailing vidhwas, mustache
twirling goons, doctors sniggering and frothing at the mouth while charging money
for treating dead bodies, pot bellied police officers constantly eating, and a
police van driver who somehow takes medical leave, goes undercover and unearths
the identity of Gabbar when the whole Mumbai police couldn’t. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
You also
get a main villain named Patil, who constantly declares that ‘he is a brand’,
accompanied by shots of the brand in question. You also get Gabbar grabbing
Patil by the collar and shouting ‘GABBAR IS A BIGGER BRAND THAN YOU’. It feels
like watching <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gunda</i> without the
amazing characters and lines. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
There
is, of course, an attempt at amazing lines, as Akshay drones in his trademark
passive voice ‘Tum corrupt officials ko rishwat aur naariyal dono ek cheez ho
gaye hai, roz chadhana padta hai’. There is also a cringe-inducing cameo from a
big star, including a song featuring the star and Akki breaking the fourth wall,
in a totally white setup, as if in a soap ad.</div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<i>V for Vendetta</i> is not just ripped off
visually but also aurally, thanks to Sandeep Chowta who simply recycles the
background score and makes it loud enough to turn the Guy Fawkes mask’s smile
into a sad emoticon. The only ray of light in this rumbling assault of
stupidity is that the film is only two hours and ten minutes long, short enough
to return home and assuage your grief by browsing Vijaykanth’s resplendent clips
on YouTube.<br />
<br />
(<i>First published in Firstpost</i>)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
ElmerFuddnavishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08560753025102995101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1795516404305877299.post-77553307645696344602015-05-18T05:42:00.000+05:302015-05-18T05:42:59.727+05:30Review: Avengers: Age of Ultron<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqZmrLChW2uhDzvi4DHBZbPaR_vz50N09-tyzHxaRVID9auge6aBVs24fvOBXmliVo4wAu9-7Zb-nwUH0EaRJrd1dUkfvf-NgcS-AHoxiwOzcjnxRHO8AC9BN26NkVh_yq_avZGlrS9Q/s1600/age.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqZmrLChW2uhDzvi4DHBZbPaR_vz50N09-tyzHxaRVID9auge6aBVs24fvOBXmliVo4wAu9-7Zb-nwUH0EaRJrd1dUkfvf-NgcS-AHoxiwOzcjnxRHO8AC9BN26NkVh_yq_avZGlrS9Q/s1600/age.jpg" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
A
lot of things changed when the original <i>Avengers</i>
hit theaters in 2012. Marvel’s ambitious plan of slowly building a ‘cinematic
universe’ actually worked. Clubbed together, the mediocre <i>Iron Man 2</i> and the <i>Captain
America</i> and <i>Thor </i>films actually
gave way to one of the most astonishing team ups in cinema history. The result
made so much money every single major movie studio is now desperately trying to
replicate the formula.</div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
After
the post <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Avengers </i>films and the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Guardians of the Galaxy</i> world the Marvel
universe is now so big it feels like an unstoppable expanding force. In fact
it’s so big that the sequel to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Avengers</i>, titled <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Age of Ultron</i> has
become a small, middling entry untoward a bigger goal. That is the undoing of
this film, an extremely entertaining summer blockbuster of the year that still
feels like a step back from the first movie. <o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
If
you’ve seen the first film or any of the trailers of this movie, you know the
plot – Iron Man creates a highly intelligent Artificial Intelligence that
somehow goes rogue and threatens to destroy the human race. The AI is called
Ultron, and he’s voiced by James Spader in his trademark sardonic grunt. And
that is the end of the plot. The remainder of the story only involves the
Avengers teaming up, breaking up, and teaming again to thwart the villain. Flimsy
and predictable? You bet. <o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The
thing with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Age of Ultron</i>, apart from
the flimsy plot, is that it drops the ball from the very first scene, by
assembling all of the Avengers for a sequence that is as action packed as the
finale of the original movie. The scale is set to such a rousing high in the
first ten minutes, director Whedon has no choice but to attempt incorporating
more special effects on bigger and grander scales. The only way to do this, is
by making even more buildings crumble, causing more destruction, more pain to
the heroes, and rendering all this with a darker palette. As people witnessed
in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Man of Steel</i>, exploding buildings
don’t necessarily add dramatic heft or much wow factor, you become desensitized
to it after the fiftieth explosion. <o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Regardless
of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Man of Steel</i> Syndrome, the ensuing
mayhem in Ultron is no doubt entertaining. There’s not a penny spared in
creating some of the biggest action set pieces ever in cinema, and Whedon
certainly deserves the praise for that. The money shot in the film is the one
featuring Iron Man and The Hulk battling each other – every second of that
sequence is snazzy enough to make a fan pass out due to excitement. By now the
Avengers have learned how to fight as a team, and some of the stuntwork is like
a tag team ballet dance of nut kicking, and it’s beautiful. What’s missing
however, are those sweeping, crescendo like moments where an action scene culminates
into something jaw dropping, like Banner saying he’s always angry, turning into
the Hulk, punching an alien and leading up to the Avengers assemble in the
first movie. Here it’s ‘smash boom bang wham bam thank you man I’m off to the
next action scene hey look out behind you!’. <o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Age of Ultron</i>, unfortunately, is a
portal to the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Infinity Wars </i>movies,
and thus has the task of introducing new characters into the universe. So apart
from Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, Hawkeye, Black Widow and The Hulk, we get
to meet half a dozen new superheroes, plus a few old friends and that’s where
the film begins tearing apart at the seams. Juggling so many characters is
where Whedon crumbles under the weight of his own ambition, and each character
plays out as a factory-like contractual obligation of X amount of establishing
dialogue and Y amount of stunt work. Characters enter the scenes, add something
unsurprising to the film, and exit awkwardly, disappearing amidst the explosive
chaos. It becomes frustrating after a point of time. The gap between the lack
of characterization and the giant action is padded up by a painfully cheesy
romantic track between two of the Avengers, and it ends up being an eyeroll. Whedon
has publicly ridiculed stereotypical cinema women who keep falling for the hero
for no reason, and that’s exactly what happens in this movie. <o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Some
of the plot points are incoherent. There’s a sequence where Thor meets
professor Selvig and goes to a lake and screams, for no clear reason. There’s a
new all powerful gem stone in this film, but its power is hardly enough to beat
Ultron, which is never explained why. The villain in question, Ultron is like
every other Marvel universe supervillain – inconsequential. We’re shown that
there is a great deal of simmering thought process in Ultron, yet we’re never
told what his plans are and why he’s doing things. We’ve seen the story of AI
gone wrong countless times, so one expects a fresh spin on the genre trope, but
we don’t get any. Ultron is as generic as they come. <o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The
lack of Ultron’s motivation is made up by an addition of Hawkeye’s story,
compounded by some hilarious self aware takedowns. We know a guy with a bow and
an arrow is no match for nuclear powered aliens dropping down from the sky, and
Whedon finally does some fan service to that notion. While the Quicksilver in
this movie isn’t as impressive as the one in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Days of the Future Past</i>, Scarlett Witch (played by Elizabeth Olsen)
is an interesting character that, along with Vision (Paul Bettany) would be the
major draws of the upcoming films.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The
one thing that never disappoints about a Marvel film is the comedy. The salty
humor is present in full form here, from Stark’s throwaway lines to Hulk’s
screaming and pounding, it delivers wonderfully. The comedy makes it easy to
just ignore the film’s gaffes, sit back, unload the tub of popcorn in your
mouth and let the mayhem on the screen awash your eyes. The <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Avengers Infinity War</i> movies are years
away, but there’s a ton of gap fillers on the way. It’s up to Marvel to now
deliver something unexpected, seeing as we already know the path. Perhaps the looming
threat of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Batman vs Superman </i>will
ensure socks being pulled up in the Marvel camp.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
(First published in Firstpost)</div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
ElmerFuddnavishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08560753025102995101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1795516404305877299.post-32342998591147760352015-05-18T05:40:00.002+05:302015-05-18T05:40:53.579+05:30Thoughts on Margarita with a Straw<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1mql5VtGTeIyQ3NI81yK7fafTIeMuAV8r5ck7F8H94kGouCi13NnTveT3dilX5WJzfPXvOFVGiFaUbLxiyIdgHqXst6srosaPyKvo1XGcDrGDBRknVxJ2-qdeGNzw3rB08BfvGqg33g/s1600/marg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1mql5VtGTeIyQ3NI81yK7fafTIeMuAV8r5ck7F8H94kGouCi13NnTveT3dilX5WJzfPXvOFVGiFaUbLxiyIdgHqXst6srosaPyKvo1XGcDrGDBRknVxJ2-qdeGNzw3rB08BfvGqg33g/s1600/marg.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
It’s
never been an easy path for films surrounding issues of disability. They either
veer towards misguided sentimentality or turn out to be downright manipulative
fluff. Some of the even worse films defeat the purpose of showcasing the plight
of differently abled people by insulting them instead of doing the opposite. Disability
has seldom been properly understood by filmmakers, and their lack of insight
into the subject often comes across in their films. So even though their
intentions are noble, the final product often turns out to be a heavy-handed
attempt to address a serious issue without the skill to do so.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
Most
times, it’s a case of a ham-fisted endeavor to extract sympathy from audiences.
There’s either a blaring song to wrench your guts or sobbing faces breaking the
fourth wall. Even the good films fall into this trapdoor. Take for example <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Taare Zameen Par</i> - as good as it was, it
had both of those aforementioned elements. Can you imagine the film without the
‘Maa’ song? Would it have the same emotional heft without that song? Probably
not, because the song in the film does most of the work, the direction and the
acting become secondary entities. That also holds true for the climax of the
film – without ‘Tu Dhoop Hai’ the ‘triumph’ at the end would not have the same
emotional punch. The need for commercialization of a film in India further
takes away its quality, and pandering to lower common denominators takes center
stage, rather than delivering a heartfelt story that feels genuine in both
intention and execution. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
Therefore
Shonali Bose’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Margarita with a Straw</i>
had a lot of ground to cover and obstacles to avoid. It succeeds beautifully.
Halfway. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
Right
from the opening scene it becomes clear that this is a very different film from
what we’ve seen in India before. Laila (Kalki) is in a Matador van driven by
her Mom (Revathy), and is accompanied by her dad (Kuljeet Singh) and her kid
brother. The dad starts singing and the kid makes a side splitting sarcastic joke.
It’s like a scene out of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Little Miss
Sunshine</i>. Laila, a college girl has cerebral palsy that binds her to a
wheelchair but not to the ground. She slurs while talking but is a kickass
lyricist for a rock band. She also has a crush on the band frontman but has no
idea how to tell that to him, because why would the most popular guy on campus
date a disabled girl? <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
It’s
the perfect recipe for emotional manipulation or kitsch. But director Bose is
such a talent there’s not an ounce of manipulation or kitsch to be found here. Every
scene is executed with solid craft - there are long takes, silences, and not a
shred of background music. And with Kalki delivering a terrific central performance
you can’t take your eyes off the screen. You don’t see Kalki pretending to be a
disabled person, you see Kalki completely disappearing into a character you
love and care about, without the easy aid of helpful background music and montages.
Every tick and slur in Kalki’s body language is carefully calibrated, and Bose
has clearly had extensive hands on research. The results are pretty much a very
talented director clashing against an actor who’s done a ton of homework. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
The
attention to detailing and nuance extend to the elements other than Laila as
well. There is sensitivity and authenticity in the way other people in the film
converse with Laila, and even with each other. There are bits of comedy as well
that hit just the right notes, keeping in with the subdued tone of the film. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
The
film goes even further - it explores the situation of a disabled person when it
comes to the uncomfortable topic of sexual mores. Laila watches porn, uses a
friend to assuage her frustration and even has sex with a woman. Exploring a
woman’s sexuality in an Indian film is itself taboo, so going this far in a
Hindi film feels like a triumph in itself. And Bose explores the scenario with
tremendous maturity in her tasteful shots. Through Laila the film renders a few
unsettling questions – how fair is it for a disabled person to be a burden to
her caretakers? Is it possible for a disabled person to be in a relationship
with a ‘normal’ human being? <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
Laila
gets into a relationship with Khanum (Sayani Gupta) a very beautiful woman who
is blind, and it is at this point the film reaches its peak by asking some
dreaded questions – are both these women in a relationship with each other because
men don’t find them attractive or desirable? Can disability only be accepted by
disability? Is it ok for Laila to explore her sexuality by sleeping with a man once
to make sure she’s a lesbian, and not a heterosexual forced to be in a
homosexual relationship due to her disability? And how would the conservative parents
of a disabled Indian girl feel when they get to know their daughter is a
lesbian? Acceptance of disability in society is problematic in itself, but a
disabled lesbian daughter is too much to take. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
At
this point, which is ten minutes after the interval, you’re sure that this is
the best film of the year because by now it has explored a ton of extremely
bold topics with exquisite sensitivity. Call it the curse of the second half,
but a scene pops up that shows Revathy’s Mom character losing her hair, and it
single handedly derails the film. Unfortunately Bose fails to figure out a
proper resolution to the already numerous and heavy duty conflicts at hand, and
adds one more conflict to the story - the Mom character develops cancer. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
So instead
of dealing with Laila’s disability, or her lesbian relationship, or her
confusion in her sexuality, or her cheating on her girlfriend for a man, or her
trouble with her parents accepting her girlfriend, there’s one more conflict of
cancer thrown in. None of it adds up, and the film begins indulging in
melodrama, and doing exactly those things it had avoided previously, like caricaturist
melancholy vocals at the Mom’s funeral. A great deal of the second half is
spent in ruing the mother’s death, but her character was never developed enough
in the first half to make us care about her. On the other hand Khanum
disappears from the movie without any resolution, as does the man Laila sleeps
with. Plot threads are left hanging and the film unfortunately becomes Blue is
the Warmest Color with disability and cancer. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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To
add the final nail in the coffin the film ends with a truly ridiculous literal
message of ‘love yourselves’, followed by an overused Rumi quote. It’s
frustrating beyond belief. It’s also shocking that the film has been through a
script lab, I would imagine someone from the lab would have pointed out the
gaffes in the film, considering they are so basic and so glaring in nature. It
doesn’t matter when a film that is rubbish to begin with ends up in a whimper,
but a film that shows such great promise as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Margarita
with a Straw</i> did becomes an infinitely exasperating experience. Clearly,
even a deeply personal story, and the tools to execute it on a high order of
filmmaking are not enough to deliver a satisfying conflict resolution. <o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
ElmerFuddnavishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08560753025102995101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1795516404305877299.post-88987263227868385282015-04-20T17:18:00.000+05:302015-04-20T17:18:39.190+05:30Interstellar Blu Ray Review<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<br />
<br />
Space, wormholes, black holes, time travel, love, loss, childhood, parenthood, brotherhood, death, afterlife, purgatory, the end of mankind and rebirth. There are an overwhelming number of themes in Chris Nolan’s Interstellar. Nolan’s ambition is unrivaled. He’s one of the few filmmakers in the world whom you’d stand in queue for on the first day. And the themes in this movie are exactly what a Nolan fan craves for. So with such humongous expectations, is it even possible for Nolan to deliver something satisfactory? a) If you’re looking for sweeping, epic science fiction along the lines of 2001: A Space Odyssey, you’ll be disappointed. And you’d also be a fool to expect something of that sort – because nothing will ever be 2001: A Space Odyssey. b) If you’re looking for a moderately smart, and a ‘differently executed’ movie in the commercial Hollywood space, you’ll dig this movie.<br />
<br />
Interstellar is two different movies trying to be one. The first film features the space stuff, where the protagonist Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) is on a mission to save the human race. It’s thrilling, it’s imaginative, it’s gorgeous and it always keeps you on the edge of your seat. The second movie features the protagonist’s children on Earth, hamming, stuck in a cringe-inducing story full of mawkish clichés, doing things no sane adult would do. Interstellar thus showcases both the best and the worst of Nolan. It’s clear than Nolan is trying to emulate 2001 here. A robot in the movie named TARS is basically two walking monoliths, the mysterious black slabs scattered around the solar system in that film. Some of the music is a direct homage to the film. But one wishes the filmmaker tried to make his own film instead of paying homage. If you look at Nolan’s filmography, you either get straight-up action blockbusters with simple stories, or seriously great, complex stories laced in drama. Nothing in between. Interstellar is none of those. It’s got a very simple story, without much action, laced with drama. A tad too much drama. Even a Nolan fan would accept that he’s not very good at drama, let alone melodrama. Of all the films that he’s done in the past, this has the most number of problems. Luckily, it has a ton of goodies too.<br />
<br />
The imagery of the wormhole, called The Gargantuan is stunning. As is all the deep space exploration and the treks on other planets. It takes forever for the movie to take off, but when it does, it just doesn’t let go of you. Whether it’s tidal waves on a deserted planet, or heroically docking a space ship on a rapidly spinning port, the space stuff is great. Nolan also manages to give simple Wikipedia lessons on relativity, string theory and singularity without all of it sounding too pretentious. There is also a small sermon on love shoehorned in to debate the merits of human emotion over scientific data – and it sort of works quite well despite its potential to be silly.<br />
<br />
The plot vehicle of relativity ageing people on Earth faster than those in space is implemented very well. Matthew McConaughey’s performance itself is enough to recommend this movie. Even in the most implausibly hammy scenarios he manages to bring in a tone of quiet dignity and reliability to the role. It seems there is no stopping the McConnaisance. The most interesting aspect of the film features a big name actor you won’t see coming. There are story and plot elements lifted from Back to the Future, Sunshine and Event Horizon (one whole scene about the explanation of a wormhole is lifted from the last named). It’s entertaining for sure, but you wish it weren’t so derivative, coming from Nolan. The most frustrating thing in the film is the rehash of the intercutting style from Inception, where we see two different dramatic things going on at the same time. In that movie all of the scenarios were relevant to the plot – here we cut from a truly thrilling action beat in deep space to a truly boring domestic drama in a farm back on Earth. And it happens constantly, during every dramatic plot point in the space story. Nolan should have kept the establishing shots of the space stuff and removed the unnecessary story back on Earth.<br />
<br />
Regardless of its faults Interstellar offers enough big screen thrills and even has a few interesting questions to ponder over. Is it humane to abandon everyone on this planet to continue life on another? How morally sound are you to sermonize about not abandoning people if you are perfectly okay with abandoning a humanoid to save your own self? And how much would you pay to keep the magic and market of 2D IMAX alive?<br />
<br />
The Blu Ray transfer is as expected, quite gorgeous. The sound issues that some people faced in the theatrical version will not be found in the Blu Ray disc - everything looks and sounds crystal clear. The special features include behind the scenes, which for a change, are actually quite entertaining and fascinating. There's an interesting one hour McConaughey commentary on the science behind the film. If you're a fan of the film you won't really find anything out of the box in the bonus features but it's a nice addition to an already great addition to your movie collection.<br />
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ElmerFuddnavishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08560753025102995101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1795516404305877299.post-48102299266284713872015-04-04T11:12:00.001+05:302015-04-04T11:12:41.985+05:30Not a Review: Fast and Furious 7<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrLz0xsjBxHhaExR_bJTwYk1HIhaO3vQCWYn1HY8V8MBfwaEzLjW8eaii3tjRuZ-8sP6QICd4A_lJi61m6UH_NrNxso3x6l4uS0FBxXKnGC6CbK9Gfa4E-PSEkUWPeLeYyUaF3WuZp6w/s1600/fur.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrLz0xsjBxHhaExR_bJTwYk1HIhaO3vQCWYn1HY8V8MBfwaEzLjW8eaii3tjRuZ-8sP6QICd4A_lJi61m6UH_NrNxso3x6l4uS0FBxXKnGC6CbK9Gfa4E-PSEkUWPeLeYyUaF3WuZp6w/s1600/fur.jpg" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
Blackness.
A familiar, haunting tune from a children’s music box plays. There’s a low
rumbling sound of a car engine idling in the distance.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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White
light floods in. Writer Chris Morgan appears in close up, facing his laptop. As
his hands approach the keyboard in slow motion the sound of the car increases
exponentially. He hits the first key and the camera zooms out to reveal he’s
sitting shotgun in a black Lamborghini Murciaglo. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Next
to him is the driver, a familiar oriental face looking sadly at the tiny music
box on the dashboard. He suddenly throws out the box, stamps his foot on the
accelerator with full force, and as the car screams away Morgan begins writing
the script of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Furious 7</i>. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Cue
in blaring, boisterous rap music as the backdrop to various flashy angles of
the car zooming like a bullet through a Californian desert. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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‘We
need to make this one special’, Morgan’s deep and throaty voiceover booms, as
the car dangerously swerves left. Cut to the men inside the car, at full Zen
despite the insane speed of the car. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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‘You
did well in the preceding trilogy’, the mysterious driver says. ‘We sure did’,
Morgan replies, ‘Justin Lin had the balls to change the racing format of the
films to a heist game’. The driver nods in approval and curtly adds, ‘I can
take this to the next level’. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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The
Lamborghini approaches a stream that magically seems to exist in the middle of
a desert. Around the stream are young nubile girls prancing around aimlessly.
Morgan begins writing the first scene of the film – ‘It has to be a race of
some sort’, he says, as the car runs through the stream, splashing a few of the
nubile girls much to their delight. The driver shifts gear. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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‘Enough
racing and heists, make this one a revenge tale’, the driver says. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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‘That
sounds good,’ Morgan replies, ‘but which of the six antagonists from the
previous films would still matter? They were all as cookie cutter as they
come.’<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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‘The
one with the British accent. We need to appeal to a wider audience than the
great kingdom of America. Give that guy...’ <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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‘… a
brother. Right on’. Morgan finishes the backstory of this new character, Deckard
Shaw, the brother of the random British guy in the previous movie. ‘Whom do we
know who kicks a lot of ass and can look good while driving cars like a
maniac’? <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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The
camera zooms slowly on the driver, who quietly responds ‘You know who’. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Cut
to the driver frenetically shifting gears and Morgan sending an email to Jason Statham.
The car is now careening through the snakelike highway. A metropolis is seen on
the horizon. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Morgan
looks contemplative. He’s unsure of the plot structure and character arcs of
the film. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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‘Are
you unsure of the plot structure and character arcs of the film?’, the driver
asks. <o:p></o:p></div>
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‘Yes,
I am unsure of the plot structure and character arcs of the film’, Morgan
replies. <o:p></o:p></div>
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‘Mix
it up this time’, the driver says, ‘make the characters say everything they’re
doing. Like “I am back guys”, when someone who has disappeared comes back. Or “I
am a great shooter”, when someone does some great shooting’. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The
car does a screaming sideways drift as the desert sand whirls around like a
tornado and Morgan attacks his keyboard. <o:p></o:p></div>
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A
couple of song montages and flashy cuts later the car enters a Middle Eastern
metropolis. ‘Let’s pick the stunts bro’, Morgan says. <o:p></o:p></div>
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‘You
did cars and you did planes and you did choppers’, the driver replies, ‘this
time lets do cars diving from a plane like a Halo Jump, and cars smashing into
choppers’. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
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‘Like
in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Die Hard 4</i>?’<o:p></o:p></div>
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‘Yeah,
but furiously’. The Lamborghini smashes into a shopping mall, breaking
everything in sight, exits back on to the road without a single scratch and
comes to a standstill. A bunch of girls in ridiculously skimpy skirts flock
over to observe the magnificence of the car and its occupants. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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‘Tom
Cruise hung from the Burj Khalifa, we should do better than that’. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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‘We’ll
freaking triplicate the Khalifa and we’ll drive the freaking cars through the
fiftieth freaking floors of the freaking Khalifa’. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The
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skirts, displaying designer underwear. The music amps up, Morgan and the driver
slowly turn towards each other. Even as the car speeds up neither of them look
at the road, they just look at each other, smiling and nodding. They know they
have to bring back every single character from the previous films. They know
they have to introduce a Nick Fury type person who teams them all up. They know
they have a blockbuster on their hands. <o:p></o:p></div>
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‘This
is our Avengers’, they say in union, as the Lamborghini at full speed leaps off
a cliff, unspools a parachute, and floats away into the sunset.<o:p></o:p></div>
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A
fade out later, two shadowy figures approach the cliff, watching the car going
away from them. The camera pans to reveals their faces - a creepy white-faced puppet
in a black suit on a tricycle, and a ghostly woman with a rope around her neck.
Suddenly someone claps twice and we black out. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
(<i>First published in Firstpost</i>)</div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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ElmerFuddnavishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08560753025102995101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1795516404305877299.post-5380575454752880612015-04-04T10:59:00.001+05:302015-04-04T10:59:26.839+05:30Review: Detective Byomkesh Bakshy<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif-Bjp8xYUB3Nyj25I3ztyl7ENY5ADrkvXPE0bfX3bB_axlKerRY6O_mA5d-bFAyhOfQy_yCrs2vfogL9mXj-WsVpJ25JX2m2mWvtcged_whIb7GiOoCooM9nWDevEbsSh4khkvVb_3A/s1600/Detective-Byomkesh-Bakshy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif-Bjp8xYUB3Nyj25I3ztyl7ENY5ADrkvXPE0bfX3bB_axlKerRY6O_mA5d-bFAyhOfQy_yCrs2vfogL9mXj-WsVpJ25JX2m2mWvtcged_whIb7GiOoCooM9nWDevEbsSh4khkvVb_3A/s1600/Detective-Byomkesh-Bakshy.jpg" /></a></div>
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Let’s
first get the pink elephant out of the room – Detective Byomkesh Bakshy is not
for purists. If you’re a raging fan of Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay’s classic
character, you will find a billion things that don’t match your expectations.
This Dibakar Banerjee film is a new take on the character. If you can’t accept
that, exit this review and go back to your VHS tapes. For the rest, let’s get
to the good stuff.</div>
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The
opening scene of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Detective Byomkesh
Bakshy</i> is iconic. It’s a wintry 1940’s Calcutta night, a boat moors along
the coast and we see a pack of Orientals up to no good. A hooded figure emerges
from the darkness, its shadow cast on the wall in a sinister outsize. The
figure warns the Orientals that it wants Calcutta back, guffaws terrifyingly and
slits everyone’s throats open. It’s spine tingling. Hair raising. Mouth
frothing. It plunges you into the euphoric trance of a film buff getting the
most potent possible cinematic fix. At this point you know you’re about to see
something special. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Cut
a few days later straight to the case – the Chemical engineer father of Ajit
(Anand Tiwari) has gone missing, so he enlists the help of a certain Mr Bakshy.
Often times a movie about a larger than life hero showcases the protagonist’s
entry in a bombastic manner. Banerjee’s Bakshy, however, makes an unexpectedly
subtle entry playing carom and getting knocked in the face. It’s one of the
several instances where Banerjee’s direction subverts your expectations. There
isn’t much time to waste - Bakshy gets cracking on the case rather quickly. Clues
begin flooding in and he begins zooming around town sniffing at the
breadcrumbs. Sure enough, a body turns up, so does a seemingly antagonistic femme
fatale (Swastika Mukherjee), and Bakshy and Ajit find themselves afoot a
deliciously seedy conspiracy. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The
film’s storytelling style is pure unbridled sex with the camera. Every passing
clue is a thrilling experience, dragging us deeper into the murky mystery with
Sneha Khanwalkar’s insane industrial death metal music. Your jaw will remain on
the floor for most of the runtime because at any given instance there’s always
something leaping out to dazzle your eyes. Every frame of every scene has an
insane amount of intricate detailing that really brings the pre independent
Calcutta to life. At certain times the film even haughtily shows off the
gorgeous production design, like during the opening credits when the camera
slowly shows us poster clad Calcutta streets through a tram window. The
intoxicating visuals are complemented by the breakneck pace of the case, that
makes the two and a half hour runtime seem like a cool breeze. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The question
on everyone’s mind is if the film borrows any elements or style from Guy
Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes or its BBC counterpart. Fortunately it doesn’t. This
is neither an action movie nor a tale of an unstoppable super genius. This
detective is refreshingly human and grounded, despite being a Bollywood hero. His
‘heroism’ exists on a level that’s exactly between Rajit Kapoor and Benedict
Cumberbatch. It’s surely a tough balance to pull off, considering Bakshy is up
against Samurai tuition teachers, Japanese drug lords from Shanghai and a
mysterious figure that is more dangerous than either of them. So Bakshy is
beaten, both physically and intellectually. This is his first big case and the
rust and mild vulnerability is on full display. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Slipping
seamlessly between shyness to good-natured cockiness to enthusiastic charm,
Sushant Singh Rajput is a fun Byomkesh Bakshy. A lot of times he underplays the
character, letting his costumes and unibrow do the work. Banerjee has no doubt
refined Sushant’s quiet, soft-spoken presence into a likable and offbeat acting
style. He has his showreel moment in a scene in which he gets high and unlocks
a puzzle to the mystery. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Beyond
the hundreds of plusses in the film, there is a shadow of a minus. The third
act of the film will forever be the subject of bickering and argument between
people who’ve seen the film. It’s not that the finale is disappointing – it’s
actually much more than that. It’s really hard to describe what goes wrong
without going into spoiler territory, but there is a certain dependence on red
herrings that Banerjee suddenly indulges in, and it feels cheap and also
frustrating. Something huge happens half way through, and in the third act the
film leads you to believe it’s more than what it is, when it actually isn’t. And
despite that the film runs an hour and a half post interval, making that huge
event a dubious attempt at whodunit storytelling. What makes it stranger is
that the final few minutes go into over the top masala Bollywood territory,
totally out of place when the tone of rest of the film is so beautifully
controlled on a tight leash. No matter how you look at it, the sense of
disappointment is very hard to shake off once you leave the theater . <o:p></o:p></div>
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Another
aspect that falls flat is the femme fatale of Swastika Mukherjee who makes the
worst Bollywood debut since Nargis Fakhri in Rockstar. Most of her seduction is
unintentionally hilarious at best, and her big dramatic moment only hurts the
film at its weakest point. Fortunately she’s balanced out by the rest of the excellent
cast, including Neeraj Kabi, Divya Menon and particularly Tiwari as the
sidekick who literally kicks down doors with his side. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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What
works best in the film is that you absolutely do not have to be familiar with
the old cases of Byomkesh Bakshy to enjoy this film. It’s perfectly calibrated for
both old hats and newcomers to the character. It’s made to render a bit of pop
culture to today’s audiences – after all we’ve never really had an adventurer
in desi cinema. The film, ultimately, is a wicked cocktail of clues, images,
sounds, emotions and sensations, and from start to end you’ll be firmly affixed
to the edge of your seat. Hopefully this is the start of a franchise, and the
dawn of a bold new era for Yash Raj.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZoM4Dfe0HgwlRznFTCs77EKJnf-Qydo-Rh_D3O38RHSK7H6utDDnFsb9D5rAQwqze3CX0v8y5Y6j85LOPhcQKqkQO7s7ngJfSxKwPOF1H7LI4kXBGffIv2DuSlyE-ku36pUT_Er9V-A/s1600/v14c9nox.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZoM4Dfe0HgwlRznFTCs77EKJnf-Qydo-Rh_D3O38RHSK7H6utDDnFsb9D5rAQwqze3CX0v8y5Y6j85LOPhcQKqkQO7s7ngJfSxKwPOF1H7LI4kXBGffIv2DuSlyE-ku36pUT_Er9V-A/s1600/v14c9nox.jpg" /></a></div>
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(First published in Firstpost)</div>
</div>
ElmerFuddnavishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08560753025102995101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1795516404305877299.post-8719626785220305842015-04-04T10:53:00.001+05:302015-04-04T12:14:56.132+05:30Review: Mission A7000<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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‘Mission A7000’ opens with a dark figure locked in a basement
in a rainy night in a remote European location. Dogs barking outside, a bunch
of machine gun wielding masked guards patrolling the area. It’s a saucy opening,
heavy on atmosphere and intrigue. It turns out to be a perfect calm before the
storm because utter mayhem breaks out in a matter of minutes, and the dark
figure from the basement escapes captivity in a grand manner.</div>
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Full of thrills, mystery, snazzy gadgets and exploding
chopppers Mission A7000 is like a Tom Clancy book. The protagonist Louis is a young
college kid and also a tech prodigy who is sucked into a gigantic government
conspiracy because he somehow gets his hands on classified information on his
phone. Louis is on the run throughout the movie, zooming from the streets of
Bombay to the bylanes of Istanbul to the dunes of Arabia. Pursuing him is a
mysterious figure called Blackcat, a seemingly special ops personnel gone
rogue, operating outside the jurisdiction of government officials. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Blackcat’s face is never revealed until the
end of the film, so the filmmakers throw us a bunch of red herrings along the
way. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Majority of the movie is Louis running around, using his gadgets
and know how to uncover the mystery at hand. There’s a great one take scene
where Louis and Blackhat spar each other at an abandoned building, one chasing the
other wherever the advantage lies. As ridiculous as the ‘high concept’ style of
the film sounds, the film also shoehorns in a heartfelt love story between Luois and a sultry French woman who calls herself Vek whom he meets in Istanbul. Surprisingly, the love
story actually adds some gravitas to the plot rather than a side track. The
most interesting part of the film, however, is not the conspiracy involving a
major tech corporation but the brain hacking concept reminiscent of Minority Report. Mission
A7000 takes the concept to a further level and the results are a ton of fun. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS4QGedC4W6Io2YxWJPh6trC36pCQf935he_fkM-xeK5IQ6mOE5qQUpd4sw3GCSp2XRfWb2Lw77TPDayCuU92-qElmLXVkXXcOaqui98oQQdSbA6eg7FusPXj6YkVWWCjUmfKtctqDdA/s1600/8.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS4QGedC4W6Io2YxWJPh6trC36pCQf935he_fkM-xeK5IQ6mOE5qQUpd4sw3GCSp2XRfWb2Lw77TPDayCuU92-qElmLXVkXXcOaqui98oQQdSbA6eg7FusPXj6YkVWWCjUmfKtctqDdA/s1600/8.png" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">I managed to catch a secret screening, get your chance to be invited to the Special MissionA7000 Launch event happening in your city. Book your date here </span><a href="http://www.missiona7000.com/" style="color: #1155cc; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" target="_blank">http://www.missiona7000.<wbr></wbr>com/</a></div>
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ElmerFuddnavishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08560753025102995101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1795516404305877299.post-2911833487788008102015-02-22T22:09:00.001+05:302015-02-22T22:09:07.326+05:30Movie Review: Badlapur<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWla2-0t18GA50SFQtZ-NwAPDp89UVMjhLfnIJKTBknHpX_BOSMOtnxNF6lbNClyC-caany_V47Tgld7yg-TCrN7aYr07GOf1URo3icnFySCNQbwxqIwoQYGjwkRU5ceECkkDzipS8UQ/s1600/bad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWla2-0t18GA50SFQtZ-NwAPDp89UVMjhLfnIJKTBknHpX_BOSMOtnxNF6lbNClyC-caany_V47Tgld7yg-TCrN7aYr07GOf1URo3icnFySCNQbwxqIwoQYGjwkRU5ceECkkDzipS8UQ/s1600/bad.jpg" /></a></div>
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There
were plenty of factors riding against <i>Badlapur</i>.
Director Sriram Raghavan was coming from the failure of <i>Agent Vinod</i>. Varun Dhavan, the star of over the top romantic
comedies was headlining a dark thriller. <i>Ek
Villain</i>, another film with a similar premise of vengeance had just recently
come, made money and gone. That budget was super tight, only movies that cost a
lot of money make a lot of money here.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Much
like the protagonist of this film, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Badlapur</i>
renders a brutal wallop to everything going against it, and emerges as the
first truly great movie of the year. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
Dhawan
stars as Raghu, a successful ad agency professional in Pune whose life descends
into the pits when his wife (Yami Gautam) and child are killed during a car
hijack. One of the culprits, Liak (Nawaz) is caught and put behind bars, but he
refuses to divulge the identity of the other guy. Raghu cannot accept this -
his mind fractures, and what follows is a crazy revenge trip that is set, aptly
in the town of Badlapur. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Fortunately,
we don’t get a rehash of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ek Villain</i>. What
we do get is the Sriram Raghavan of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ek
Hasina Thi</i>. It is surprising that unlike the trailers this isn’t the bloody
vengeful journey that you expect it to be – it’s a black comedy and character
drama with a small dose of violence. The film zips by from one plot point to
another, as we follow Raghu’s weird path of salvation. Raghavan extracts humor
from apathy, like from Koko (Radhika Apte) a hapless wife willing to offer sex
to a murderer without a moment’s consideration. He also extracts humor from
desperation, like Liak’s bungled attempts at escape from prison. There’s also a
lovely dynamic between Liak and his mother (Pratima Kazmi) that ends in a
subtly heartbreaking way. To have such a nuanced and offbeat film as a
mainstream release is quite a nice change. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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At
most times <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Badlapur</i> feels like
Raghavan set out to take badla and mess with the clichés of the formula and
genre. Meandering romantic sub plots? To hell with that - Raghu just uses and
throws. A thirst for revenge? Too easy, let’s make the hero and the villain
wait for fifteen goddamn years until they actually do anything. No one even
smokes in the film, yet there is persuasive mention of Ganja. The familiar
element of a suitcase full of cash is present, and the plotline is quietly
subverted by the end. What’s more, there’s shades of James Hadley Chase and
Vijay Anand in the mix as well, complete with sex based shock value. <o:p></o:p></div>
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What
works best is that Badlapur is stripped down, crystalline filmmaking. There’s
no room for unnecessary BS nor are there any frills that pander to
commercialization. While <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Johnny Gaddar</i>
had a dash of pulp in every frame the shots here are simple and beautiful. There’s
no fancy camerawork here – Raghavan composes his scenes at the most basic level
and lets the terrific acting and narrative do the heavy lifting. The visual
resplendence is seen right from the opening scene, a long and meticulously
composed Haneke style take where a woman simply crosses the road, while two
shady folks in the frame do their own thing, until something horrible happens.
It’s the reason why the tagline of the posters is ‘Don’t miss the beginning’. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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This
is also violence done right. Raghavan seems to know that if there’s too much gratuitous
brutality from the get go the audience becomes numb to it and the scene that
matters won’t be effective. So the little bit of brutality there is arrives at
a point when you least expect it, and whatever happens in that short burst will
make the hair on your neck stand. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
Raghavan
managed to make even Neil Nitin Mukesh seem like a decent actor, and his knack
for getting unheard of performances is on full display here. Varun looks like a
beast, and his presence is felt. Much like Shahid Kapoor in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Haider</i> his transformation is memorably messed
up. This is the film that is going to win everyone over and make him a
household name. A bit more work on his delivery would have been perfect though.
<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Nawaz
is once again effortlessly in top form as the sleazy, film obsessed baddie, and
his chemistry with Huma Qureshi remains intact. Kumud Mishra as a cop is fun,
and really brings the house down in a shouty meltdown scene with Nawaz. Yami
Gautam is fine but she’s played the same role previously in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Action Jackson</i>, so hopefully she won’t
be stereotyped as the murdered wife. The cherry on top are the wonderful cameos
from Raghavan regulars Ashwini Kalsekar, Vinay Pathak, Zakir Hussain and Gopal
Singh, the suitcase guy from EHT.</div>
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The
question of comparison to <i>Ek Haseena Thi</i>
and <i>Johnny Gaddar</i> is irrelevant. <i>Badlapur</i> is the kind of film we need
more of, and also the kind of film that you need to see more of. It’s in
theaters now, so if you want to see a change in the quality of Bollywood
products, I suggest you get a ticket or two.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZoM4Dfe0HgwlRznFTCs77EKJnf-Qydo-Rh_D3O38RHSK7H6utDDnFsb9D5rAQwqze3CX0v8y5Y6j85LOPhcQKqkQO7s7ngJfSxKwPOF1H7LI4kXBGffIv2DuSlyE-ku36pUT_Er9V-A/s1600/v14c9nox.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZoM4Dfe0HgwlRznFTCs77EKJnf-Qydo-Rh_D3O38RHSK7H6utDDnFsb9D5rAQwqze3CX0v8y5Y6j85LOPhcQKqkQO7s7ngJfSxKwPOF1H7LI4kXBGffIv2DuSlyE-ku36pUT_Er9V-A/s1600/v14c9nox.jpg" /></a></div>
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(First published in Firstpost)</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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ElmerFuddnavishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08560753025102995101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1795516404305877299.post-56643115624996516032015-02-22T22:06:00.001+05:302015-02-22T22:06:01.914+05:30Movie Review: MSG<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrCz6EkGC2-7d29l_qC4s6_oNTTZ0WoiDki1iCnhE4vRhcPykUwsNvEyaOWCtCLKPkzWbgnMVuUGbxbcbSkA5ARZ6Z_2ZBXX0xPoDD4-tBVkR4HHrOf9rJU3Si09BaZvSy1k-aXwcyNA/s1600/MS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrCz6EkGC2-7d29l_qC4s6_oNTTZ0WoiDki1iCnhE4vRhcPykUwsNvEyaOWCtCLKPkzWbgnMVuUGbxbcbSkA5ARZ6Z_2ZBXX0xPoDD4-tBVkR4HHrOf9rJU3Si09BaZvSy1k-aXwcyNA/s1600/MS.jpg" /></a></div>
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Let’s
keep aside the censor board controversy behind MSG. Let’s keep aside the unsubtle
self flagellating of Saint Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Ji Insaan. <i>MSG Messenger of God</i> is finally in
theaters – so is it worth the hype?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
The
answer is a resounding, deafening, back flipping, motorcycle riding, dove
tossing, fireworks exploding, lion roaring, Deol screaming yes. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
The
problem with most desi films is that they’re neither genuinely good, or bad
enough to be entertaining. We get a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dunno
Y Na Jaane Kyun</i> or a<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> One Two Three</i>
every now and then but these gems too few and far in between. Step aside and
make room for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">MSG</i> – it’s the granddaddy
of them all – the Nazar Suraksha Kawach of these gems. It is not just a film, but
also a crash course on so-bad-it’s-good filmmaking, and a thesis on guilty
pleasure entertainment.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
The
story is pretty simple – Saint Gurmeet is the Borat of India. Except that he’s
real, dead serious about how amazing he is and also a rock star. Think
Nithyananda crossed with Aerosmith. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
Our Saint,
playing himself, is the alpha male, chick magnet, sports superstar, Grand
Panjadrum and Dear Leader of Dera Sacha Sauda, a religious sect dedicated to
helping helpless people in need of help. People lovingly call him Pitaji and
seek his help by chanting ‘Dhan Dhan Satguru tera hi asra’. The chant works
just like in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Captain Planet</i> and
Pitaji proceeds to heal the unhealable, treat the untreatable, rehabilitate
drug and alcohol addicts, rescue prostitutes and get them married, save
poisoned victims’ lives and create wells for destitute farmers. He does all
this using magic, of course. The local drug lord realizes that Pitaji’s
rehabilitating and anti alcohol abilities could quash his business, and the
film is built around his attempts to assassinate Pitaji. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
Three
fourths of this three and a half hour film is made up of Pitaji parading around
in outrageous clothes and performing wondrous magic. He also constantly does
things that make MSG a stoner’s paradise – like standing on a lion with flapping
wings, or doing pushups between two buses that are draped in the national flag
colors, or headrocking in a car named ‘We luv Sat Guru’, or shooting electric
laser beams from his forehead. It’s like Saint Gurmeet sat down one night with
his creative team with a kilo of the blue stuff from Breaking Bad. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
How
can one make a sword fight more awesome? By turning the incoming flying daggers
into rose petals falling over a smiling Pitaji. How about doing something with
bullets more awesome than <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Matrix</i>?
Let’s convert the incoming bullets into a golden Crown for King Pitaji and then
make him whoop the gundas’ gonads. This is the kind of stuff Rajinikanth can
only dream of, and Pitaji chews every ridiculous scene with the smile of a
huggable teddy. Not to mention the truly epic song lyrics like: <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Papa the Great, mere papa the great<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bas tum karte ho pyaar<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Saari duniya karti hate<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
The
consistently over the top style of MSG is only buoyed by the absolutely
atrocious acting from pretty much everyone in the film. ‘Guwwwuujeeeee’, a gut
bustingly untalented phoren actress in this desi movie asks, ‘can I make a
documentary on you? Pleeeeeaaaaase? Please Please Please Please’. When Pitaji
replies in the affirmative the girl screams in delight, as Bhangra music plays
and random kids begin celebrating. Only Dev Anand’s last few films commanded
acting, character development and direction as hilariously tacky as the stuff
in this movie. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
Behind
the crackpot writing, direction and acting, MSG without a doubt, is a gigantic
advertisement for Dera Sacha Sauda. How dangerous is this, you may ask yourself.
These guys spent tens of crores to promote a controversial cult on a mainstream
level as this great organization that benefits mankind. The Dera has millions
of followers and heaven knows there are people dumb enough to actually believe
all the magical tricks of their Pitaji. Keep your concerns at bay, because it’s
great to have more movies which are bad enough to be fun rather than the ones
that are so bad they’re terrible. Besides, why wouldn’t you want more movies
featuring a Saint, with curly arm hair, in a rainbow costume, playing a guitar
with both hands, while riding a bike, over a swimming pool, in the air, as two female
fans in the pool cheer in awe? <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
Hilariously,
Saint Gurmeet’s ginormous name is present in every single opening credit of the
movie, sometimes in different lengths. It is reminiscent of the film <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Jigarthanda</i>, in which a local gangster
forces a filmmaker at gunpoint to make him a superstar. The third act of that
movie is pretty much the story of MSG’s release and now a bridge between satire
and reality.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
Why
the film faced any ban is a mystery. You can laugh with the movie, and more so at
the movie. It’s a win win. I reckon the censor board wanted to ban the movie
for being too awesome. There is literally no better way to spend your
valentines day than taking your date to watch the Love Charger.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGVnKDo-FmgPJviSXS96tdvJkDVvN17L0HJbjdMA9OPWCoTet3006h2ZDsN7Mtj01V-C5yvU7Fx74IgPA3VJ14pCK-BQcGgLmnLSRLR1m2o9ve9fxnk7X9wFZycF0D5UIRLW5FUFGOpw/s1600/5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGVnKDo-FmgPJviSXS96tdvJkDVvN17L0HJbjdMA9OPWCoTet3006h2ZDsN7Mtj01V-C5yvU7Fx74IgPA3VJ14pCK-BQcGgLmnLSRLR1m2o9ve9fxnk7X9wFZycF0D5UIRLW5FUFGOpw/s1600/5.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
(First published in Firstpost)</div>
</div>
ElmerFuddnavishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08560753025102995101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1795516404305877299.post-91856570471531673392015-02-22T22:02:00.002+05:302015-02-22T22:02:58.719+05:30Movie Review: Shamitabh<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJFpxd1nWDqQRWukjiXMy20E80S-tF6QvwLflcbW1RrU5l3refyRqC7z7LxNzE03jIMSZA9-hmXAJqhkBbttyzj_IPiMnCjqI6stNHjVkRqI0uZCpwm2c9KjoyC02JqnsMRYBqOBxYAA/s1600/sha.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJFpxd1nWDqQRWukjiXMy20E80S-tF6QvwLflcbW1RrU5l3refyRqC7z7LxNzE03jIMSZA9-hmXAJqhkBbttyzj_IPiMnCjqI6stNHjVkRqI0uZCpwm2c9KjoyC02JqnsMRYBqOBxYAA/s1600/sha.jpg" /></a></div>
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Ten
minutes into <i>Shamitabh</i> you’ll begin
to realize you’re feeling something that seems almost alien – entertainment. You’ll
be glad that, after what seems like eons, we have a mainstream commercial movie
that actually attempts to render a story that’s unique and original, without
the tacky underpinnings of the products from the genre. If you’re a Big B fan, the
first half of Shamitabh is going to be your LSD.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
Danish,
a kid from a village grows up into a perfectly cast Dhanush with dreams of
being an actor. Danish moves to Mumbai and stalks whichever filmmaker he spots,
and begins living secretly in a Vanity Van. When he finally gets a chance to do
a screen test he kills it. The only problem? He’s mute. But this is 2015, and
filmmaking now has tools, like Dubbing. With these tools, even a tool can be a
hero. And as the protagonist mentions, if you’ve got the vocal cords of Amitabh
Bachchan, even a dog can be star. So when Danish comes across Amitabh (Big B),
a washed up drunkard with a glorious baritone, the collaboration reeks of
superstardom. Danish + Amitabh become Shamitabh. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Going
with the theme of the film, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Shamitabh</i>
is half a great movie. As you surely have guessed, there’s a ton of Meta in the
film. This is a film about superstardom, starring superstars. It’s about the high
of the rise and the constant threat of the fall, the jealousy, the
disappointment and all the other emotional baggage that comes along with
stardom. In one scene Shamitabh is shooting a movie where his heroine has to
visit the loo, so he builds her a toilet out of snow and the commode becomes a
romantic theme in the song. Yup <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Shamitabh</i>
is also an unsubtle commentary of the nature of commercial Bollywood. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
The
‘conflict’ in director Balki’s previous films <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cheeni Kum</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Paa</i> were
ham handed to say the least, but this time we have something imaginative. As
Shamitabh becomes a star, his greed starts to eat him inwards, and Amitabh, who
is kept a secret, begins to wonder why he doesn’t get the lion’s share of the
credit. Acting and screen presence is all about the delivery, he growls. To get
you high a bottle of whiskey doesn’t need water, but water does need whiskey.
Even if a whiskey bottle is 43% whiskey and 57% water. He’s a washed out
alcoholic because his voice didn’t suit the industry in the 80’s, so how is it
fair that someone with no screen presence becomes a star because of his voice. Neither
can live without the other, and the ego clashes, the jealous bickering between
the two is fun, as are Amitabh’s drunk philosophical putdowns. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
It
seems Balki took the dual nature of his film too seriously, because the second
half of the film crashes and burns. Balki loses the drive and is unsure of what
to do with the characters, so he includes some truly horrendous contrivances to
pad things up. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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There
is also a ton of stupidity in the movie, like the eyeroll inducing Finnish sci
fi technology behind getting Amitabh’s voice in Danish’s throat. Other forms of
sci fi include a random Assistant Director (an awkward Akshara Haasan) suddenly
rescuing Danish from being thrown out of film city for stalking, putting him on
a screen test, sending him to Finland, and convincing her director to cast him
in his film as the star. Talk about luck by chance. There’s also an
unintentionally hilarious subplot of a tabloid reporter who realizes the
discrepancy in Shamitabh’s voice and travels to Finland as an investigative
reporter and then blackmails Shamitabh. Not to mention the hundred thousand
product placements crammed into nearly every frame of the film. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
If
you were disappointed by the endings of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Paa</i>
and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cheeni Kum</i>, prepare to face
something similar. During the closing minutes it becomes clear that Balki
doesn’t know what point to make, so he just abruptly gives up and the credits
roll, leaving you with a mixed bag of emotions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Fortunately
you’ll still remember the one thing that kept the film going – Bachchan’s
performance. Such style and elegance is seldom seen in cinema. Even when he’s
lying in the dirt, blabbering with a sozzled face, he’s a class act. And it’s
great to see him play a character instead of his own French bearded self. Amitabh
points out that he’s the larger part of the name Shamitabh, and Big B is pretty
much the only significant and memorable part of the film. This might as well
have been called ShaMetabh. <o:p></o:p></div>
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(First published in Firstpost)</div>
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ElmerFuddnavishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08560753025102995101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1795516404305877299.post-20682019040554985462015-02-22T21:29:00.002+05:302015-02-23T10:51:50.717+05:30The 40 Best Movies of 2014<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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2014 was a pretty good, if not a great year for cinema. Surprisingly,
a few mainstream films like <i>The Lego Movie</i>, <i>Captain America 2, Edge of Tomorrow</i> and <i>Dawn of the
Apes</i> turned out to be really great. The trusty old auteurs too hit gold with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Grand Budapest Hotel, Gone Girl </i>and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Boyhood</i>. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Since
the Oscars only tell you who the best dressed celebrity was, and not which the
best films were, I take this opportunity to give you 40 of the best
movies of 2014:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">40 - CITIZENFOUR<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggDokLvO_rXg8IIj-GJllaIHShKGqnjBRIvwMVC7X3cmDZGbZgFJnl5j7bpff5PwC-M_5HRGakLoYnQLkA98VXuv6ZNPHHR08vbyd2BIxQOhzK8VI7T940JY71NC1Rfjxf15fY29RmSg/s1600/citizen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggDokLvO_rXg8IIj-GJllaIHShKGqnjBRIvwMVC7X3cmDZGbZgFJnl5j7bpff5PwC-M_5HRGakLoYnQLkA98VXuv6ZNPHHR08vbyd2BIxQOhzK8VI7T940JY71NC1Rfjxf15fY29RmSg/s1600/citizen.jpg" /></a></div>
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The Edward Snowden documentary by Laura Poitras was not just revelatory but also a deeply incisive and upsetting look at the how the NSA spying drama unfolded. The footage itself is explosive, but how she managed to capture it for the film will blow you away. </div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">39 - Coherence<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Yet another example that proves one can make a tremendous
movie even with frightfully tiny budgets. A comet passes by on a dark night,
and a group of friends dining in a house discover another house down the road
that has clones of themselves. Trippy and imaginative stuff.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">38 - IN FEAR<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Couple goes on a road trip towards a romantic getaway. They
get lost. Shit happens. A clichéd plot executed with incredible freshness and a
chilly as fuck atmosphere. Directed by Jeremy Lovering, who helmed the Sherlock
episode ‘The Empty Hearse’.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">37 - I Origins<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Mike Cahill followed up ‘Another Earth’ with another sci fi
indie featuring Brit Marling and a much greater ambition. The film delves into the
fine line linking science and religion, but enveloping the philosophical mumbo
jumbo is an incredible well-made and moving love story between Michael Pitt and
Astrid Berges Frisbey.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">36 - THE ROVER<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
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Aussie filmmaker David Michod’s follow up to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Animal Kingdom</i> isn’t as great but is
definitely an excellent post apocalyptic thriller featuring a career best
performance from Guy Pearce.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">35 - LIFE ITSELF<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Ebert made it look easy. His biography showed how complex it
was. It’s pretty much a go-to movie for anyone who writes about cinema, or even
digs cinema with all his heart.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">34 - IVORY TOWER<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Andrew Rossi’s documentary takes an introspective gander at
one of the most important subjects of modern America – the exorbitant college
fees that forces students to repay loans over 15-20 years. It’s depressing to
know the extent of the system where most kids either don’t receive higher
education or are forever struggling with debt, and to see it affecting the economy
of the entire world.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">33 - CALVARY<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
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The
new Irish film by <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Guard</i> director
John Michael McDonagh is a gorgeous dark drama with heavy-duty existential
themes executed with dry British humor. Brendon Gleeson, who plays a priest
facing an imminent death lost out on an acting nomination.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">32 - HOUSEBOUND<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyx3FBxqQDiUpDJiPMq6RFw87eG7xGjOvMnnCGq38u8r_Hm-W2xx5kF6XSIHj96yalfW1kucbKTB_6XGajQmm_Z2cR71mDs5kIRNZQ4oTWW3QSjm9V55gCq7Rq00GCMPevBEsy9s_LsQ/s1600/house.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyx3FBxqQDiUpDJiPMq6RFw87eG7xGjOvMnnCGq38u8r_Hm-W2xx5kF6XSIHj96yalfW1kucbKTB_6XGajQmm_Z2cR71mDs5kIRNZQ4oTWW3QSjm9V55gCq7Rq00GCMPevBEsy9s_LsQ/s1600/house.jpg" /></a></div>
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A throwback to Peter Jackson’s disgustingly hilarious horror
comedies from the 90’s, this Aussie movie delivered by the truckloads in scares
and laughs. The ’reveal’ in the movie has got to be one of the most fun mystery
unravels in recent cinema.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">31 - WHY DON’T YOU PLAY IN HELL<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi__BGS5e7v6RsfkA3-AMNn8veoUgcGEbSw1EAZDV4acCqYMfOU7qV1IA40OR8uhOdlxAvfMT-AgS7fipoalH1kCMPsMgbKKD3N6suBieqR1u0s15xtswK2ocwVu58H12QNuaKm1E4JMg/s1600/why.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi__BGS5e7v6RsfkA3-AMNn8veoUgcGEbSw1EAZDV4acCqYMfOU7qV1IA40OR8uhOdlxAvfMT-AgS7fipoalH1kCMPsMgbKKD3N6suBieqR1u0s15xtswK2ocwVu58H12QNuaKm1E4JMg/s1600/why.jpg" /></a></div>
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If
you thought <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Birdman </i>was a great meta
film about the film industry, Sion Sono’s new movie dips the theme in some acid
and splashes it on your face. It’s surreal, crazy, hilariously over the top and
very entertaining. It’s also a little less fucked up than Sono’s general
output.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">30 - THE CANAL<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzLb0sF8Ow-U9ojIUJur9VI8qzq70QiQOzv9eUkko8M27qOWpGQC_jKpUGgDwX7MtnWJDzpPWTNoOHJjfj0yV1XnFMI6Re0NnwWNfKK1ZQMVb5hIj5qLzzDvILr8tL_4U9iHabndYYFA/s1600/canal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzLb0sF8Ow-U9ojIUJur9VI8qzq70QiQOzv9eUkko8M27qOWpGQC_jKpUGgDwX7MtnWJDzpPWTNoOHJjfj0yV1XnFMI6Re0NnwWNfKK1ZQMVb5hIj5qLzzDvILr8tL_4U9iHabndYYFA/s1600/canal.jpg" /></a></div>
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A dark, dark psychological horror murder mystery with even
darker mood and atmosphere. Keeps you guessing until the very end, and even
though the payoff polarizes viewers, the journey is terrific. And yes, it’s scary
too.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">29 - SNOWPIERCER<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzqMgj5TuK71zY8xjjqjUwoO5ZyBTnFlLch9kcnajLIs5aVQELN_xoKhjUmn07JEDTqZ9y34oQsh0-4DNCSMfjMBF4gSaMnnOTmgtRmijJSKgL0BNSeo3sReGNMYBD6SOM9IVH24OBTA/s1600/snow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzqMgj5TuK71zY8xjjqjUwoO5ZyBTnFlLch9kcnajLIs5aVQELN_xoKhjUmn07JEDTqZ9y34oQsh0-4DNCSMfjMBF4gSaMnnOTmgtRmijJSKgL0BNSeo3sReGNMYBD6SOM9IVH24OBTA/s1600/snow.jpg" /></a></div>
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The
Weinsteins clearly had a bone to pick with director Bong Joon Ho. Not only did
this excellent film not get a wide theatrical release, but it also didn’t
receive any push in the awards circuit. It’s a pity that Chris Evans delivered
the best performance of his career as an antihero in this movie and he’ll still
be known as Captain America.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">28 - WEB JUNKIE<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsIMQZpCcdVvPT8-MGDTpDtzoYfABh0DW2wmQeXmtJTr4JyI00TbmFknmtKZOFqfNDwhfZnSsETRVMnIjk48H6ciCTYPYHP0-19HpRCH-7sYZYrKZEHQkSs8vzx9PORBY_z8uDybARCg/s1600/web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsIMQZpCcdVvPT8-MGDTpDtzoYfABh0DW2wmQeXmtJTr4JyI00TbmFknmtKZOFqfNDwhfZnSsETRVMnIjk48H6ciCTYPYHP0-19HpRCH-7sYZYrKZEHQkSs8vzx9PORBY_z8uDybARCg/s1600/web.jpg" /></a></div>
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Web
Junkie had very interesting subject matter – the film shed a light on Internet
Rehabs in China. Teenagers who perceivably spend too much time on their
computers are forcibly sent to these military camps and are subjected to brutal
psychological and personality shakeups. It’s kind of a horror movie because it
makes you ponder over how you’d deal with an internet addict child, if you
think brute force is an unfair option.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">27 - FRANK<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL58jRMuNdlIui1UFd6yeLnOxzNFWrit6SpbLlkfmUGorrfi-Wp7IcltQ2yNXARCYXO25WZbR90qaoZbq-bWiGgQ5n-HT7FyQNgrxegB86VeRrb4aGl5zGATLB9fbZIvanTXmFW1fzCg/s1600/frank.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL58jRMuNdlIui1UFd6yeLnOxzNFWrit6SpbLlkfmUGorrfi-Wp7IcltQ2yNXARCYXO25WZbR90qaoZbq-bWiGgQ5n-HT7FyQNgrxegB86VeRrb4aGl5zGATLB9fbZIvanTXmFW1fzCg/s1600/frank.jpg" /></a></div>
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Director Lenny Abrahamson’s film chronicles the bizarre real
life story of musician Chris Sievy (played by Michael Fassbender) who wears a
large mask and turns into an alter ego named Frank Sidebottom. The film
co-stars Domhnall Gleeson, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Scoot McNairy and is a funny
and bittersweet debate on an artist’s insecurity, and dependence of someone
other than himself to find his artistic inspiration.</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">26 - THE RAID 2<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkpOo4hgiR2w-KfFxJ5nb_cjt76_53LNFQMF2buOiyluNLl3FkxWT7Q0EQSMPh-5nQgE4v7mdLPCW_tA-tHcjkdwVVNKSldYjwPcvqWgjtjlLzZaH31r_hxYn-H2boNj8wcipsbZpe-g/s1600/raid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkpOo4hgiR2w-KfFxJ5nb_cjt76_53LNFQMF2buOiyluNLl3FkxWT7Q0EQSMPh-5nQgE4v7mdLPCW_tA-tHcjkdwVVNKSldYjwPcvqWgjtjlLzZaH31r_hxYn-H2boNj8wcipsbZpe-g/s1600/raid.jpg" /></a></div>
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This.. well.. it kicked a lot of ass.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">25 - WILD TALES<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJTt3-NL_cXApr50pUS8fNFSdw5jOUwAcDuZWKdkK1WTwElwTBnU2KXnBcfZ7UV6KA_FweMCQ0-mGrB2ip5ZLge7scYMR7-DbQjkvMQrHsAOQ0jc4el5MosRtuWCIznA1QYVXaHhZZZw/s1600/Wild-Tales-2015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJTt3-NL_cXApr50pUS8fNFSdw5jOUwAcDuZWKdkK1WTwElwTBnU2KXnBcfZ7UV6KA_FweMCQ0-mGrB2ip5ZLge7scYMR7-DbQjkvMQrHsAOQ0jc4el5MosRtuWCIznA1QYVXaHhZZZw/s1600/Wild-Tales-2015.jpg" /></a></div>
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Packed with six shorts connected with the singular theme of
revenge, this Argentinian film is darkly hilarious and enormously entertaining
stuff. It’s also not often that we see six short stories by the same filmmaker
presented as film.</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">24 - ONLY LOVERS LEFT ALIVE<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnPzPpqQR-Q682lxjL1MBHvvnq4oLWW2sq-l34Rlmz9qQSnGp0QVx21AzVTCkTBCMEOyM-0Qn301CQA0b9s_mJeRLQIS7SBlB4jmH5scQul8P5lufv0FvZsJdwBZkMjTMiSImT3neS3Q/s1600/only.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnPzPpqQR-Q682lxjL1MBHvvnq4oLWW2sq-l34Rlmz9qQSnGp0QVx21AzVTCkTBCMEOyM-0Qn301CQA0b9s_mJeRLQIS7SBlB4jmH5scQul8P5lufv0FvZsJdwBZkMjTMiSImT3neS3Q/s1600/only.jpg" /></a></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
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Jim Jarmusch
mixes up the vampire genre with Tom Hiddleston and Tilda Swinton as a vampiric
couple with existential problems. Jarmusch wonderfully subverts the nature of
cinema vampires by making them a bored couple tired of living forever and
staying hidden from the rest of the world. The monotony of constantly searching
for blood without alerting the cops, and the humdrum nature of being in love
forever is explored to smashing effect.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">23 - CLOUDS OF SILS MARIA<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggqRLM2kd2jePSYWFkZZnVBXA47bJjvbBLAM_ebKSP-4Miv5AMhGopinZQdqP_sPEwo-ArXrqs_r6L-lllAVcON0AhdaA8UDa7MPFDGKiFVztUI7ZpPq24O7YD0QknM_0HZ6vNAqVkAA/s1600/cloud.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggqRLM2kd2jePSYWFkZZnVBXA47bJjvbBLAM_ebKSP-4Miv5AMhGopinZQdqP_sPEwo-ArXrqs_r6L-lllAVcON0AhdaA8UDa7MPFDGKiFVztUI7ZpPq24O7YD0QknM_0HZ6vNAqVkAA/s1600/cloud.jpg" /></a></div>
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The
passage of time in the film industry has seldom been captured in cinema and
director Oliver Assayas does this beautifully in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Clouds of Sils Maria</i>. This is yet another meta Hollywood film,
where Juliette Binoche plays an ageing superstar coming to terms with a younger
starlet taking her place. Like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Birdman</i>,
this film also transitions in and out of reality, and it also takes digs at
snooty celebrities, and is also crowd pleasingly fantastic.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">22 - THE BABADOOK<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIM7V2SUM6VOKuu25_KeW_32IDT3_B0jMyOzed9QsP3d3pJwX8CGCg-Fu-uNgtdgDQvRLYh6Yv4V9m0zQaLyOLobEO6-8Kj2CQ2txBWVGYDjFPbe188S2k8gC80FjnH9uW6HLuh55zow/s1600/baba+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIM7V2SUM6VOKuu25_KeW_32IDT3_B0jMyOzed9QsP3d3pJwX8CGCg-Fu-uNgtdgDQvRLYh6Yv4V9m0zQaLyOLobEO6-8Kj2CQ2txBWVGYDjFPbe188S2k8gC80FjnH9uW6HLuh55zow/s1600/baba+(1).jpg" /></a></div>
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Directed with stunning precision and sensitivity by debutant
Jennifer Kent, The Babadook is spine tingling hair-raising razor sharp
entertainment. Dook, dook, dook.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">21 - THE GUEST<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS7ZKWtISJdoWsXwD3wRAxLGEMc8ZwlYTEtM0EBKKX8zhRutG_IHeiyRH0bdtGGntJBT7UwCq6_RiwsCL-9L2ib2PDh5U_9x_-Zcgn4pUz-dm846ZemzIFuZt0dkg9KqiMXjLuhlTbDg/s1600/TheGuest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS7ZKWtISJdoWsXwD3wRAxLGEMc8ZwlYTEtM0EBKKX8zhRutG_IHeiyRH0bdtGGntJBT7UwCq6_RiwsCL-9L2ib2PDh5U_9x_-Zcgn4pUz-dm846ZemzIFuZt0dkg9KqiMXjLuhlTbDg/s1600/TheGuest.jpg" /></a></div>
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The folks behind 2013’s surprise <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">You’re Next</i> up the ante in narrative, humor and genre parodying.
Dan Stevens is fun as the mysterious 80’s antihero on the run.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">20 - PREDESTINATION<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy04QcgMD2xwfB2-ep7w7M_GmusYy8kSVkcWTtxNMimJwlpXQF2vhe6e1b4JFpOa0uYg4HgokYM9ZFJYe242a72RNyaWrHkFdhWab1Gp6-Z6UV_SwX5qFpEQwr2_t1JauuFef5jHETQA/s1600/Predestination.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy04QcgMD2xwfB2-ep7w7M_GmusYy8kSVkcWTtxNMimJwlpXQF2vhe6e1b4JFpOa0uYg4HgokYM9ZFJYe242a72RNyaWrHkFdhWab1Gp6-Z6UV_SwX5qFpEQwr2_t1JauuFef5jHETQA/s1600/Predestination.jpg" /></a></div>
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Perhaps
the most underrated movie of the year, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Predestination</i>
has a tremendous script that puts a new spin on the time travel genre.
Writer-directors Peter and Michael Spierig explore the predestination paradox
to great effect and make <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Looper</i> look
simplistic. The film also signaled the arrival of a major talent in the form of
Sarah Snook.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">19 - TWO DAYS ONE NIGHT<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-nHVS4J7t9b_fm9iWVXm2Eqp9un_Uy1j86USHtuwu7jxWXrPEKHdTJHY2xweTvfF652ox0wGfItnCSceF_UtXUpLxRwRUxcWySmT9mzXKHNL3phPQWI0W6bF2Mx12ellt4ebBQBvWyQ/s1600/two.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-nHVS4J7t9b_fm9iWVXm2Eqp9un_Uy1j86USHtuwu7jxWXrPEKHdTJHY2xweTvfF652ox0wGfItnCSceF_UtXUpLxRwRUxcWySmT9mzXKHNL3phPQWI0W6bF2Mx12ellt4ebBQBvWyQ/s1600/two.jpg" /></a></div>
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The Dardennes never disappoint, and with Marion Cotillard in
a stripped down, unglamorous role they make it even easier for us to love them.</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">18 - SCHIMBARE<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn6r0GmlwnFvcV3P9-h55t0xvaC9RrLRX93gDamQdkYNI9xcolmvBYNSMwzlg43UDPmNmNStA8fx37gUitTO45he-8nlaSOmS2LtKW1Su-nfzROomD57ZZga778ABSWfmz5dQtyQ6ZEQ/s1600/schim.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn6r0GmlwnFvcV3P9-h55t0xvaC9RrLRX93gDamQdkYNI9xcolmvBYNSMwzlg43UDPmNmNStA8fx37gUitTO45he-8nlaSOmS2LtKW1Su-nfzROomD57ZZga778ABSWfmz5dQtyQ6ZEQ/s1600/schim.jpg" /></a></div>
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Through
the eyes of a truly desperate couple (Candela Pena and Luis Zahera) director
Alex Sampayo’s Spanish film takes us through an existential dilemma wrought
with manic depression, blood, murder, illegal organ transplants and kidnapping.
Brutal stuff.<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">17 - CHEAP THRILLS<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgecEbX8NZbt43F0Y1yfKQ0RYU34WpxZEZVZNLUCJwUSvcmIsk2Lf0EnxT6QHYW3Qh_Kuo1IXszLxCRGytAovR4FEjQqWRdIeMM300Lv1ZE1KnBu7hd1PhcE6Wnjp1jJxcoghhwn1y2yQ/s1600/cheap.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgecEbX8NZbt43F0Y1yfKQ0RYU34WpxZEZVZNLUCJwUSvcmIsk2Lf0EnxT6QHYW3Qh_Kuo1IXszLxCRGytAovR4FEjQqWRdIeMM300Lv1ZE1KnBu7hd1PhcE6Wnjp1jJxcoghhwn1y2yQ/s1600/cheap.jpg" /></a></div>
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What if you found a guy in a bar who offers you ridiculous amounts of money to indulge in the most bizarre challenges? How far towards depravity would you go when the chips are down? Do you really care about right and wrong when defecating in your neighbors house gives you one thousand dollars? Debutant director EL Katz answers all your sickening queries in this pitch black, hilarious, and audacious horror comedy.</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">16 - </b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">WHIPLASH</b><br />
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If you haven’t seen this yet, you’re most definitely dragging, when you should be rushing.</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">15 - BIRDMAN</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJU1aDtAdCpwpfMynWOTgNXkNYk9OglGGynS9vLx-dDNN9wbQUDgmiGALaBJi-5UDxgZn_orobJUMG28n_aQyti9pHycPPsSGs5f14dt55rx2cQMI4Er0AgzxVHVOgMGHArPQgOYzbhA/s1600/BIRD.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJU1aDtAdCpwpfMynWOTgNXkNYk9OglGGynS9vLx-dDNN9wbQUDgmiGALaBJi-5UDxgZn_orobJUMG28n_aQyti9pHycPPsSGs5f14dt55rx2cQMI4Er0AgzxVHVOgMGHArPQgOYzbhA/s1600/BIRD.jpg" /></a></div>
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What do we talk about when we talk about love?</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">14 - JODOROWSKY’S DUNE<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3pm6PlD45yY_ifJgWurK73SDFCZnXVMMcDPaTnUxq-s8MCUbge-wvJLuJJ31OcNzLEJEH7TfZPxb9Ypq7SotKTW2wov8lFVQxjsb0Nla3P9Li5qmSAMCHLcD6BGjzw9v4lSXZo3oCog/s1600/dune.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3pm6PlD45yY_ifJgWurK73SDFCZnXVMMcDPaTnUxq-s8MCUbge-wvJLuJJ31OcNzLEJEH7TfZPxb9Ypq7SotKTW2wov8lFVQxjsb0Nla3P9Li5qmSAMCHLcD6BGjzw9v4lSXZo3oCog/s1600/dune.jpg" /></a></div>
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What
if every science fiction film you’ve seen since the 80’s was based on a project
that never got made? And the director of said project faded into depression and
oblivion because his dream was shattered? Director Frank Pavinch whips out a
revelatory, moving film about the forgotten legend that is Jororowsky. It’s poetic
injustice that the Academy failed to greenlight even this movie.</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">13 - ENEMY<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcc7oT74p6rjUWO2YLY2-B36MbUqsNsZCLi7aeGoIISqAIF9mDTDp2ob_rCQG5KC31FMX0qmg4HPlJChF8c9Qa7XYQFWwNQI_MjVDupdC8ejZ-o90mhFZS_hQePg2Knhaokhuj1RULAQ/s1600/enemy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcc7oT74p6rjUWO2YLY2-B36MbUqsNsZCLi7aeGoIISqAIF9mDTDp2ob_rCQG5KC31FMX0qmg4HPlJChF8c9Qa7XYQFWwNQI_MjVDupdC8ejZ-o90mhFZS_hQePg2Knhaokhuj1RULAQ/s1600/enemy.jpg" /></a></div>
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Denis
Villeneuve’s takedown of the human condition explained with baby spiders being
crushed to death by strippers. Difficult to decipher, but easy to fall in love
with.</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">12 - THE DOUBLE<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ5x-0Xz169boRBUnlHXmlC6oFQWCBEtkN00UMm5jMDr14KFupG0O09F3jMJ5WC80uVclwiQTTDo6xlT9OIbn39Vuqq7F-Uy5a0nPd9MxeuYlnadKfzqmj8fZKnZaeJRfSi_BnGA8wfQ/s1600/double.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ5x-0Xz169boRBUnlHXmlC6oFQWCBEtkN00UMm5jMDr14KFupG0O09F3jMJ5WC80uVclwiQTTDo6xlT9OIbn39Vuqq7F-Uy5a0nPd9MxeuYlnadKfzqmj8fZKnZaeJRfSi_BnGA8wfQ/s1600/double.jpg" /></a></div>
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Another
takedown of the human condition, but this one did it with the metaphor of
office space, the choice of good vs evil, and an elegant rendering of
existentialist angst in society. Not to mention it was hilarious and absolutely
gorgeous to look at.</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">11 - A GIRL WALKS HOME ALONE AT NIGHT<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg1441Q1VF2BNOYK_YFvhCqv0gP6MBZYimgiWeOzEapzOiSwaQgQie_Qu-QnBlGfb64Ps08j3B5APKORqmombWHEyPvwZNqelB2kS9fOvI95npwUlUVjHZn3KJ7KJAs5aCwymWFLSweQ/s1600/girl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg1441Q1VF2BNOYK_YFvhCqv0gP6MBZYimgiWeOzEapzOiSwaQgQie_Qu-QnBlGfb64Ps08j3B5APKORqmombWHEyPvwZNqelB2kS9fOvI95npwUlUVjHZn3KJ7KJAs5aCwymWFLSweQ/s1600/girl.jpg" /></a></div>
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Yet
another fresh spin on the vampire genre, Iranian-American Ana Lily Amirpour’s
part noir, part horror, part drama, part romance, part expressionist art, part
comedy, part thriller, part western, part social commentary is one smooth,
seriously gorgeous, black and white, sinfully entertaining package. If there
was an Oscar for the best on screen kiss this would win it, because a stunning
electronic music based five minute slow mo take preceeds the lip lock.</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">10 - 71<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg8Hce7T9kA9w4USyJBjUPSXrxhtbsYT7shQxYENSGLtYDIaRc7nFlKitLGQB2LZ96nvc70PXl2LUAyp8YGysy3VPQmP9BhdExeAJ6PvScYOFbLWrdkMwtzw_02VkVUS-0RiYt0Ta9UQ/s1600/71.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg8Hce7T9kA9w4USyJBjUPSXrxhtbsYT7shQxYENSGLtYDIaRc7nFlKitLGQB2LZ96nvc70PXl2LUAyp8YGysy3VPQmP9BhdExeAJ6PvScYOFbLWrdkMwtzw_02VkVUS-0RiYt0Ta9UQ/s1600/71.jpg" /></a></div>
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A soldier stuck alone in the midst of a raging war. Fighting
for survival. Bullets, bombs and blood. It’s been done before, but never in
such a brutally beautiful fashion. Special mention to David Holmes’ minimalist
electronic music that intensifies the tension to unexpected levels.<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">9 - NIGHTCRAWLER<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Michael Keaton will walk away with the acting trophy, but although he was terrific, he had nothing on Jake Gyllenhaal in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Nightcrawler</i>. It’s not often that an actor completely disappears into his character. And it’s very rare that a movie character scares you and makes you laugh nervously. Gyllenhaal was the devil incarnate, and he was me and you, and he probably didn’t get nominated because he was the voters too.</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">8 - BARF<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Mehdi Rahmani’s stunning writing and direction showcases why Iranian cinema is regarded so highly. The film, set entirely inside a dysfunctional Iranian house weaves through themes of abandonment and social responsibilities, often veering between laugh-out-loud comedy and bitterness.<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">7 - GETT: THE TRIAL OF VIVIANNE AMSALEM<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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The Israeli French drama produced the single most stunning female acting performance from Ronit Elkabetz as a woman who is desperate to divorce her husband in a patriarchal kingdom of Israel. Elkabetz also co-directed the equally hilarious and heartbreaking film, it did manage to come under the Oscar radar but lost out in the penultimate round.</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">6 - MOMMY</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
Xavier
Dolan knocks you in the face with his powerful story of a single mother and her
tumultuous relationship with her son, played to pulsating manic energy by
Antoine Oliver Pilon. The scene when Pilon tears the cinema frame, or the one
where he whirls a shopping cart around in a parking lot, repeatedly kicking and
screaming ‘Who’s your daddy’ should have been enough to score a bunch of awards.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">5 - BLUE RUIN<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
With
razor sharp pacing, a smart script, and a fantastic cast of newcomers, director
Jeremy Saulnier’s film represents the best the thriller genre has to offer. The
film takes familiar elements of a revenge story and approaches it with less
emphasis on the sensational and more on the moody and surreal atmosphere of
vengeance.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">4 - FORCE MAJEURE<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
Swedish
filmmaker Ruben Ostlund’s gorgeous film makes you question the accepted
definition of the ‘man of the family’, and the divide between cowardice and
survival instinct. It’s possibly the biggest upset at the Oscars, and aptly
Ostlund, going with the theme of the film even made a viral video of himself
and his producer watching the Oscar nominations and facing bitter rejection.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">3 - STARRED UP<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
David
McKenzie’s ferocious and uncompromising prison drama boasts the most explosive
acting performance of the year from Jack O Connell as a volatile underage
inmate hauled up in jail. Apart from O Connell Ben Mendelsohn lost out a
supporting actor nom as the estranged father trying to make amends with his
newly arrested prison mate son.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">2 - THE INTERNET’S OWN BOY<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
The
most important and significant story of 2014, Brian Knappenberger’s film
chronicled the rise and the tragic murder of Aaron Schwartz, the kid responsible
for some of the internet’s most iconic applications. The film brings you the hypocrisy
of privacy laws in the US, along with the accompanying corporate bent and
capitalist agenda. Depressing, but vastly brilliant.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">1 - WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
A
New Zealand comedy about a bunch of vampires living as roommates, bickering
about each other, and having catfights with Werewolves. The single most
hilarious movie of the year, and also the best. Directors Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi have arrived in a big way. </div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Honorable Mentions</b>: Black Coal Thin Ice, Guerros, Party Girl,
Girlhood.<o:p></o:p></div>
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ElmerFuddnavishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08560753025102995101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1795516404305877299.post-72404716508113480452015-01-30T12:50:00.002+05:302015-01-30T12:56:26.477+05:30Movie Review: Hawaizaada<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB8c2JZbpsorE2w6TPexkBAzYzyNIDN13cyCSMmSQOapwQo5NlVJgJt9-5CZgT7oaEw1Q7O_G8AT61H4GKknJocqzbxqUqbrnpk2tDoCdEE6LzGh1HxjqIX2vmXnrBFuJ480_YD34cvw/s1600/hawa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB8c2JZbpsorE2w6TPexkBAzYzyNIDN13cyCSMmSQOapwQo5NlVJgJt9-5CZgT7oaEw1Q7O_G8AT61H4GKknJocqzbxqUqbrnpk2tDoCdEE6LzGh1HxjqIX2vmXnrBFuJ480_YD34cvw/s1600/hawa.jpg" /></a></div>
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<i>Hawaizaada </i>claims to be the story of Shivkar
Talpade, a Maharasthrian scientist in the 1890’s who supposedly built the
world’s first unmanned aircraft, almost a decade before the Wright
brothers. </div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hawaizaada</i> should have been called ‘Hawe
me zyada’, because it takes a ton of creative liberties to dole out a
completely fictional story using a real person. That is still permissible,
because most historical movies seldom follow facts. What isn’t acceptable is
that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hawaizaada</i> is the most excruciatingly
boring movie in recent times. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Directed
by Vibhu Puri and starring Ayushman Khurana as Talpade, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hawaizaada</i> is well intentioned for sure – it’s just a simple crowd
pleasing love story set to the backdrop of a historical invention. Boy meets
girl, girl loves and leaves guy, guy invents the airplane – no foreseeable
harm, except for one thing: the treatment. Sample these:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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A
clerk with the intention to help build the plane musters up all his dramatic
range and bellows ‘Ye Britishers hamare pair baandh ke rakhenge, humein rokenge
nahi udne se’. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Khurana’s
Talpade madly bellows ‘Mi khooni ahe’ (I’m a killer) over and over again in a
bout of guilt. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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A
plane, that looks like a prop from early 90’s Indian TV takes off to the
roaring (and by that I mean eardrum shatteringly loud) rendition of Vande
Mataram as onlookers wipe tears in awe. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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The
plane itself is constructed on a gigantic ship on a Mumbai shoreline. And there
are British officers yelling ‘Bloody Indians’ every few minutes. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hawaizaada</i> is so over the top and
operatic it makes Sanjay Leela Bhansali seem like Kiarostami. Everyone,
literally everyone, overacts. Khurana, generally a likable actor, flails his
arms, wildly mouthing hammy dialogue that is too serious for his own good. He
also makes strange comical faces for the ‘lighthearted’ scenes. Pallavi Sharda
does a cartoonish rendition of Meena Kumari, spectacularly stumbling at every
attempt of a serious dialogue. Mithun Chakraborty wears a wig that is only less
hilariously terrible than his mugging performance as a ‘quirky’ scientist. The
cop in the film speaks in a weird anglo Indian accent. The rest talk and behave
in an exaggerated manner, as if they’re in a bad children’s film. Even the
horses in the film make extra grunts. <o:p></o:p></div>
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And
yet, despite having a tone so loud and overwrought the film doesn’t move a
single muscle in your body. No matter how hard director Puri tries to make the
film scream at you, he somehow only manages to bore you to near death. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Apart
from the tonal and performance issues, the film also suffers from one other
tiny little problem – it doesn’t make any freaking sense. <o:p></o:p></div>
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a) The
protagonist’s mentor builds a plane on a ship instead of on the ground. No
explanation why. Then when the plane is fully built on the ship, it
automatically finds itself on the ground, far away from the ship to be tested
for takeoff. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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b) Khurana’s
Talpade is supposed to be an adult sized manly man who’s flunked so many times
he’s still in 6<sup>th</sup> standard. Yet he somehow gains the smarts in a matter
of a month to build the world’s first airplane. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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c) Then
when the plane is finally being built over a period of two years, the kid (Naman
Jain) who helps out Talpade stays the same height and build. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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d) Plus
we get a Muslim extremist/freedom fighter saluting Talpade with a Vande
Mataram. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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e) Talpade’s
mentor (played by Chakraborty) designs a Batsuit. No really – the suit that
Batman wears in The Dark Knight. In 1895. And we see Khurana flying around the
ocean wearing the Batsuit in eye-rollingly tacky CGI. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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f) Not
to mention the blatant attempts at emotional manipulation, and the asinine
attempts of legitimizing Hindu mythology with a fictional story, in megadicebel
loud jingoistic tones, complete with patriotic songs as BGM. This is a fictionalized
story of a man who attempted to make the first plane, why is it shoving
nationalist pride down our throats? How can you feel proud as Indians, if the
film in question is centered on a fictional Indian man? Are we supposed to
believe that a Marathi mulga flew around in a Batsuit in Mumbai and no one
filed for patent? Doesn’t matter, the filmmakers say, just drop your
intelligence, pick up your tutaris and wave the national flag around.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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The
cherry on top, however, is the fact that despite the painful two and a half
hours runtime of a film about the world’s first plane, we’re never shown the
plane actually being built. It’s bad enough that everyone in the film is either
singing or dancing or romancing or hamming instead of making the damned plane,
but it’s infuriating that they don’t even show the plane being made. One moment
Khurana is sharpening his pencil passionately, or taking a gander at his ruler,
the next moment hey presto – the plane is ready. This happens over and over
again – no mention of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">how </i>the plane
was built, because clearly the filmmakers didn’t know either. And that’s only
because 99% of the story is fictionalized.<br />
<br />
The
awkward tone of the movie makes you wonder whom it was made for. There’s too
much romance, too little adventure for children, and it’s too foolish for
adults. Puri attempts to make the film with a sense of wonder - childlike,
regrettably he manages to render a film that is childish.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhphB2UWXIdXMLGFiSaZn7tt0v1AxRppdJRWsPuNG6Lk0nw7eNBUuagvUi99fCCVJ55LCnkH-c4pkCKlLiWZXHFIZfgx0IrL2YgVjZLh0b-FCT_OgJmuhcZUEa8VN2bhBWHUHr9XRlGkg/s1600/oneandhalf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhphB2UWXIdXMLGFiSaZn7tt0v1AxRppdJRWsPuNG6Lk0nw7eNBUuagvUi99fCCVJ55LCnkH-c4pkCKlLiWZXHFIZfgx0IrL2YgVjZLh0b-FCT_OgJmuhcZUEa8VN2bhBWHUHr9XRlGkg/s1600/oneandhalf.jpg" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
(<i>First published in Firstpost</i>)</div>
</div>
ElmerFuddnavishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08560753025102995101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1795516404305877299.post-49962302342516027312015-01-30T12:28:00.002+05:302015-01-30T14:55:10.539+05:30Movie Review: Birdman<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9aZl-xI6_LuntPug6L0kvS0rf7B9aEIFKCHYQf7wLOyPb3ZHB6Z2gWSaoONP1y2dZDCxAP1UvyQCbWzTGYNs9x8uBU0bezahe4u_8emdSQ7Lw0T6OcC58vRS40cwhfbbgx9OSHKPgMw/s1600/BIRD.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9aZl-xI6_LuntPug6L0kvS0rf7B9aEIFKCHYQf7wLOyPb3ZHB6Z2gWSaoONP1y2dZDCxAP1UvyQCbWzTGYNs9x8uBU0bezahe4u_8emdSQ7Lw0T6OcC58vRS40cwhfbbgx9OSHKPgMw/s1600/BIRD.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
Growl.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
It’s
me. Birdman. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
How
did you end up here. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
This
place is horrible. Smells like malls. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
The
cheap, pseudo sanitized, plasticky nature of the thrills. The crummy,
emotionless texture of the narrative. The dead eyed one-note characters. The
over the top acting and visuals. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
This
is not entertainment. This is robbery. And snuff. And you pay for it every
single week, week after week. You champion commercial blockbuster cinema.
You’re the problem. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
Fuelling
a kind of cinema that caters to the lowest common denominator. You should be
ashamed of yourself. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
Lying
on your sofa-facing TV, with a tub of poisonous snacks, feeding your ugly
shapeless potbellied body more calories than the budget of these films. Feeding
your vacant mind with flashy images of robots fighting each other or Adam
Sandler cracking dick jokes with his friends. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
You’re
pathetic. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
Every
two months a great indie or an arthouse movie shows up, and you get a chance to
redeem yourself. But you never do. You don’t even know what indie means. You
wouldn’t know arthouse if it squeezed you by the unmentionables and screamed
its name to your face. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
You
don’t watch a movie unless it’s got a big star or a popular auto tuned item
song with a skimpily clothed actress gyrating lasciviously for you. You don’t
watch a movie unless it harks back to the 80’s, where women are treated like objects
and the men dance like unwashed coked up monkeys. You don’t watch a movie
unless it’s got a superhero in a drag costume blowing up buildings in a suburb
after spending two hours whining about his daddy issues. The louder the
explosion, the bigger the girth of your crotch. The younger the heroine, the
bigger the Michael Bay box office. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
You’re
an embarrassment to humanity. You’re a scourge to cinema.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
Face
it. You don’t watch challenging films because you’re afraid. You’re scared to
death that your tiny little brain, already fried by the years of blockbuster
meals, won’t process anything that’s not made for toddlers. You’re as stupid as
the movies you watch. The movies are as stupid as you. You and movies are the
couple from Gone Girl. You deserve each other. Even bums know the difference
between caviar and a happy meal, but you wouldn’t. Your taste buds reject
anything that isn’t made of cheese. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
You
know I’m right. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
You
only love blood. Or action. Not talky, depressing, philosophical bullshit. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
And your
sheer lack of effort to challenge yourself as a person kills the real talent. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
Listen
to me. You were once not stupid. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
You did
watch that Kieslowski movie on TV during that afternoon and you kind of liked
it. You dug the offbeat style of the narrative. You relished the character in
that film. When was the last time you saw a movie for the characters. You only
watch movies because they’re just extended versions of trailers on YouTube. The
three minute trailers that give away every damn thing in the movie except for
the end credits.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
You’ve
got a chance to do something right. You’ve got to take it. You can go back one
more time and show me what you’re capable of. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Birdman</i> is in theaters this Friday. It’s
got Michael Keaton in one of the most memorable cinematic performances of all
time. It’s got Edward Norton playing himself. It’s got Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s
signature balance of powerhouse performances and tremendous narrative. It’s got
Emmanuel Lubezki’s mind-boggling visuals. It’s got a drummer signifying the
world between reel and real. It’s got a pretentious newspaper critic who gets
his posterior slammed. And the whole film looks like one spectacular long take.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
It’s
a movie about you and me. It’s a movie about how you’ve disappointed me, and about
how you’ve failed cinema and cinema failed you. It’s also about choosing the easy
allure of expensive comfort and settling for mediocrity, versus having the
balls to step away from your comfort zone and gaining some self respect. And
it’s all rendered as a brutally black comedy. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
So
get your lazy buttocks off your couch. Shave off that pathetic goatee. Get some
vitamins. Drive to the cinema. If you find a movie better than this I’ll clip
off my wings, bathe in batter and offer myself on the platter at the nearest
KFC. You can then eat me.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
But
if you choose to not take the effort, I will fucking eat you. And then defecate you on
the poster of the next Rohit Shetty movie.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGVnKDo-FmgPJviSXS96tdvJkDVvN17L0HJbjdMA9OPWCoTet3006h2ZDsN7Mtj01V-C5yvU7Fx74IgPA3VJ14pCK-BQcGgLmnLSRLR1m2o9ve9fxnk7X9wFZycF0D5UIRLW5FUFGOpw/s1600/5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGVnKDo-FmgPJviSXS96tdvJkDVvN17L0HJbjdMA9OPWCoTet3006h2ZDsN7Mtj01V-C5yvU7Fx74IgPA3VJ14pCK-BQcGgLmnLSRLR1m2o9ve9fxnk7X9wFZycF0D5UIRLW5FUFGOpw/s1600/5.jpg" /></a></div>
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<br />
<br />
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<br />
<br />
<br />
(<i>First published in Firstpost</i>)</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
ElmerFuddnavishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08560753025102995101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1795516404305877299.post-89343486691943090972015-01-23T10:43:00.001+05:302015-01-23T11:32:53.655+05:30Movie Review: Baby<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs6HoP6eGxkydOsmFLQE3sSFbokAjGTb0nduFCj4yPsfNEfzJydd6xUdihy4SbXdx8D5UsMmRzCGRPGnQZWZeOtsA41C8M1VXo2WxR8-02DYW8yVX52hitGIWtrqqlun9OvCNzc5-zQg/s1600/bab.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs6HoP6eGxkydOsmFLQE3sSFbokAjGTb0nduFCj4yPsfNEfzJydd6xUdihy4SbXdx8D5UsMmRzCGRPGnQZWZeOtsA41C8M1VXo2WxR8-02DYW8yVX52hitGIWtrqqlun9OvCNzc5-zQg/s1600/bab.jpg" /></a></div>
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Neeraj
Pandey’s films are a mixture of old school Bollywood formula, slickly modern execution
and occasionally intense suspense that doesn't skimp on social commentary and
bombastic tones. His films don’t have clueless idiots with walkie talkies
pretending to be commandoes. They have reasonably realistic depiction of police
work and ludicrous ‘holy cow that was awesome’ thrills.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
His
latest venture <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Baby</i> is another
perfectly outlandish and white knuckled action thriller - a seemingly
intelligent but cleverly mindless piece of well-oiled escapism that delivers
several crowd-pleasing moments of action mayhem. And Pandey does it in such style
and a breakneck pace that one can't help but enjoy the ride. Sure, most of the plot
points in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Baby</i> come dangerously close
to the utter stupidity found in films like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Holiday</i>,
and various action beats will get your eyeballs rolling, but it’s very entertaining.
It’s also a rare piece of event cinema - because how many Akshay Kumar movies
turn out to be anything besides awful?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Baby </i>is supposedly based on real life
missions and characters, but the disclaimer before the movie mentions that all
characters and events in the film are fictitious. It’s probably Pandey pulling
the prank that the Coens did in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Fargo,</i>
but more on that later. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
We’re
introduced to the grave and grim voiceover of Danny as Feroze Khan, the chief
of a super-secret-undercover-counter intelligence-rapid action-surveillance
savvy-first encounter-assault recon-I spy-antiterrorist unit named Baby. Feroze
tells us that Baby has been the most successful force against Pakistan based
terrorism, and since 2008 it has dismantled several terrorist attacks in the
country. The film chronicles Baby’s final mission, starring Akshay Kumar as
Ajay chasing Kay Kay’s Kasab-like escaped terrorist Bilal Khan. Ajay’s hunt for
Bilal takes him (and us) through seedy streets in Bombay, the bylanes of
Turkey, the mountains of Nepal, and the desert sand of the Saudi Arabia. Also
in the mix is a nutty, India bashing, hate spewing Mullah Maulana Mohammad
(played by Pakistani actor Rasheed Naz), a not so subtle derivation of LeT’s Zaki
ur Rehman Lakhwi. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
If
you thought <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Special 26</i> seemed threadbare,
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Baby</i> ups the body count and delivers
the goods when it comes to gritty action, non-stop thrills, mood and style. What
mainly works here is the sense of urgency and Pandey’s ballsy choice of weeding
out the unnecessary bullshit. Our hero sticks to the mission instead of veering
out for a few item numbers, and even though he’s larger than life he remains in
a fairly realistic mode, doing fairly believable (for Bollywood standards)
things. This is a mainstream film but there is no slo mo bullet time rubbish.
There’s some interesting hand-to-hand combat, and Pandey somehow manages to
still make all the grittiness and realism work on the commercial level. It’s
quite refreshing to see a film that caters to its target audience and at least <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">tries</i> to not insult it.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
There’s
not a dull moment here, save for one hopelessly horrible song in an equally
awful love track (Pandey did the same in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Special
26</i> as well). The love track is thankfully short and we’re thrown right back
into a cocktail of bombastic chase scenes and espionage stuff. To
fill the rather large 140 minute runtime there are enough catchy sequences, and
also the unintentional hilarity of head-scratchingly stupid moments that
stretch the material beyond the realm of plausibility:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
Bilal
makes a daring escape from the police van in broad daylight, in the middle of a
completely deserted Marine Drive, after leisurely shooting three cops and
walking away. Anyone who’s been to Bombay knows that the only time you’d find a
deserted main road is during the Rapture. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
There’s
also a scene where Feroze explains to the CM how Pakistani terror organisations
are breeding home grown terrorists in India, much to the CM’s shock. One would
imagine the CM would be well aware of the most basic security threat to the
country. I presume Pandey actually uses that scene to render the message to the
Akshay’s usual audience. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
Speaking
of which, Akshay deserves credit for choosing such a project and making it
work. He’s got his usual cocksure swagger, his impressive athletic prowess and
he manages to restrain himself pretty well during the dramatic beats. He even
hurls a few one-liners in hilariously passive ways. If only he’d stopped
himself from giving into his desire to display his jumping abilities. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
Adding
some much-welcome layer to a very standard character, Taapsee Pannu is rather
fun as Ajay’s team member who kicks a lot of ass during her mission. Her
violent encounter with Sushant Singh’s shady businessman makes, very crowd
pleasingly, the first case of women empowerment of 2015. Kudos also to Pandey
for delivering action scenes that are visually slick, cohesive and also
narratively consistent. Most desi films lazily do quick cuts to cheat their way
through so it’s nice to sit back and watch the onscreen tension unfold.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
A
rewatchable thriller can spark conversations about how unexpected some scenes
were, but most of the conversations following <i>Baby</i> will consist of how true the film actually was. On one hand we’re expected
to simply take everything at face value, assume the anti terrorist unit and the
mission in the film are real, and on the other hand we're also made to digest the vast amount of very obvious
creative liberty. It’s the self-contradictory narrative that also plagued <i>D Day</i> and <i>Madras Café</i>. So no matter whether you like the film or not, it’s
hard to deem Pandey a thought provoking filmmaker because <i>Baby</i> seems a lot sillier a few hours after you see it. It’s right
to deem Pandey as a smart commercial filmmaker then, because <i>Baby</i> is a film that exists for the
singular purpose of rendering two and a half hours of slickly crafted and
frequently outlandish thrills. And just like Ajay Singh himself, the movie
doesn't stop until its mission is complete. Just plug some cotton in your ears
though, the music is loud enough to wake up the dead.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZoM4Dfe0HgwlRznFTCs77EKJnf-Qydo-Rh_D3O38RHSK7H6utDDnFsb9D5rAQwqze3CX0v8y5Y6j85LOPhcQKqkQO7s7ngJfSxKwPOF1H7LI4kXBGffIv2DuSlyE-ku36pUT_Er9V-A/s1600/v14c9nox.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZoM4Dfe0HgwlRznFTCs77EKJnf-Qydo-Rh_D3O38RHSK7H6utDDnFsb9D5rAQwqze3CX0v8y5Y6j85LOPhcQKqkQO7s7ngJfSxKwPOF1H7LI4kXBGffIv2DuSlyE-ku36pUT_Er9V-A/s1600/v14c9nox.jpg" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
(<i>First published in Firstpost</i>)</div>
</div>
ElmerFuddnavishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08560753025102995101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1795516404305877299.post-55191333392823794902015-01-23T10:39:00.002+05:302015-01-23T10:39:52.305+05:30Movie Review: Dolly Ki Doli<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiasW5Iyf6WoTqf8CfT0h0HB58Q6DFqRj0G2qa_cvhKl3wcLVdiSe_jnVCDCbmT-xsIT99BJjsR3_BJrS4RVKNyUgWJBnXjr5vSo7ieOEUTur0rsjgVB0UBMyeT-2DqPt7geaOZ5CzXhQ/s1600/dolly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiasW5Iyf6WoTqf8CfT0h0HB58Q6DFqRj0G2qa_cvhKl3wcLVdiSe_jnVCDCbmT-xsIT99BJjsR3_BJrS4RVKNyUgWJBnXjr5vSo7ieOEUTur0rsjgVB0UBMyeT-2DqPt7geaOZ5CzXhQ/s1600/dolly.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
Some
will call <i>Dolly ki Doli</i> the best
Sonam Kapoor movie as of now. But what those people are saying is that <i>Dolly ki Doli</i> is better than <i>I Hate Luv Stories</i>, <i>Mausam, Players</i> and <i>Bewakoofiyan</i>.
It doesn’t add up to much of a compliment, even if Kapoor is such a beautiful
person.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
In Abhishek
Dogra’s debut film Dolly (as played by Kapoor) is part of a con gang that finds
suitably stupid eligible bachelors, gets them married to Dolly, who mixes sleep
medicine in the suhaag raat doodh and makes off after robbing them dry. One of
her gang members (Mohd Zeeshan Ayyub) who generally plays the brother is miffed
because he digs her. One of her victims (Rajkummar Rao) is miffed because he
still wants her. One of the police officers on the case (Pulkit Samrat) is
miffed because he wants revenge against her. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
If
this all sounds a bit vague and meandering, that's because <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dolly Ki Doli</i> is precisely that. The thing is, wherever the meandering
narrative turns towards, there’s something interesting to look at. Rao is this
hardcore Jatt softened into a weepie after nursing his broken heart. Rao is
such a natural he can make you like anything he appears in, even if the
material is way below his talent level. One of the victims’ mother is Archana
Puran Singh, who brings the house down as the hilariously witchy, crass and
self centered Punjabun mother. Singh’s boisterous bitching makes it really hard
to suppress your giggles. Also bringing on the guffaws is Varun Sharma as the quintessential
Delhi buffoon desperate to please a pretty girl. The funniest moment in the
film is when he’s getting beaten with a shoe by a fellow Dolly victim. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
Plus
there’s the always likable Manoj Joshi, Rajesh Sharma and Brijendra Kala in
tiny supporting roles, lending their bits of assured niceness that they
generally do. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
The
problem is all the disparate goodies rise and eventually crumble because of the
weak foundation of their root - the central character of Dolly who is not only
terribly written but also severely underperformed by Sonam Kapoor. Whether
Dolly is happy, or sad, or scared, or upset, or frustrated, or angry, or tipsy,
there is literally no change in Sonam’s personality. It’s only the volume of
her voice that changes. Her presence is simply too insubstantial to support an
entire story.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
It
doesn’t help that her character has no backstory whatsoever – we never get to
know why she’s into the con game, where she’s originally from or why she has no
interest in a real relationship. One presumes that such things have to be
excised to keep the runtime short, but it takes away a large slice of the
film’s quality. Moreover, when the best thing you can say about a movie is that
its runtime is just 110 minutes, you're not exactly talking about a great piece
of filmmaking. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
There
are also a ton of truly astronomical plotholes in the movie. Dolly’s gang
manages to dupe more than a dozen grooms and their respective families in the
film, yet there is not a single picture of the gang in the wedding photos to
show to the police. The film often tries to make us forget such logical leaps
of faith by asking us to simply go with the flow of the series of the small,
light hearted comedic moments. But then it also renders three completely out of
place songs, one truly nonsensical celebrity cameo, and a couple of seriously
ham handed attempts at ‘emancipation’. A few characters bicker, and they
suddenly forgive each other. The cons are so contrived and the ending so
predictable you’ll wonder why the characters didn’t go ahead with their actions
an hour earlier. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Come to think to it, none
of it makes any sense whatsoever. Including the thakela nature of Malaika
Arora’s item number. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Though
<i>Dolly Ki Doli</i> doesn't qualify as an
awful movie – it’s not tacky looking, and the lingo is fairly funny - it does,
regrettably, end up as forgettable fluff and a hugely wasted opportunity.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjePzNf26ThJfJ7rTrC0fUU3bThvf50wBm-j-5xbbXFglCLOHNoyUWydMnpObMcK7JGHncGHAF7OPSFgsDkCwMWsv29OtWTYizZRKoa4605HbicxfG1QzAZnYbK1gXyw-SVdyePBD0o0g/s1600/5.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjePzNf26ThJfJ7rTrC0fUU3bThvf50wBm-j-5xbbXFglCLOHNoyUWydMnpObMcK7JGHncGHAF7OPSFgsDkCwMWsv29OtWTYizZRKoa4605HbicxfG1QzAZnYbK1gXyw-SVdyePBD0o0g/s1600/5.png" /></a></div>
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(<i>First published in Firstpost</i>)</div>
</div>
ElmerFuddnavishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08560753025102995101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1795516404305877299.post-33702365776365741872015-01-18T10:56:00.001+05:302015-01-18T10:59:32.400+05:30Movie Review: Alone<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifhARCb64cYxcEzlMLwtfJKWxfDDLNG1q8oaLp0WRSG5xdyRONO_XKkCKIF2y-xhRX3ncu-l_pQuvQnT6fC42wptk7spI1Dqz-Pi3rmH4GrJHpZuFdRSQF97ARtOaY8DqixhXdI9S7Fw/s1600/alon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifhARCb64cYxcEzlMLwtfJKWxfDDLNG1q8oaLp0WRSG5xdyRONO_XKkCKIF2y-xhRX3ncu-l_pQuvQnT6fC42wptk7spI1Dqz-Pi3rmH4GrJHpZuFdRSQF97ARtOaY8DqixhXdI9S7Fw/s1600/alon.jpg" /></a></div>
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When
people generalize horror movies and ridicule the genre, <i>Alone </i>is precisely the sort of movie they're talking about. When there’s
a query about films that are neither good nor unintentionally funny, <i>Alone </i>is the kind of movie that pops
into people’s heads.</div>
</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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It's
actually not very surprising that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Alone</i>
is a breathtakingly terrible film. If you’ve been exposed to the works of director
Bhushan Patel – <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">1940 Evil Returns</i> and
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ragini MMS 2</i> – you’d be the one to
blame if you expect anything remotely watchable. And on that front the film
meets your expectations:<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
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a) It
looks more like a Gladrags cover shoot featuring scantily clad Bipasha and Karan
Singh Grover than a movie with a story. <o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
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<br /></div>
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b) The
acting from both the stalwarts ranges from hilariously inept to humiliatingly
abysmal. <o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
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</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
c) The
‘horror’ jump scares are cringe inducingly unoriginal, and also so lame they make
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Stuart Little</i> seem more frightening. <o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
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Although
the credits mention the names of a large bunch of people who certainly worked hard
on the project, the film feels like it was put together by a couple of kids throwing
horror clichés and the wall and cheering at whatever sticks. Here we have a
suburban couple Anjana (Bips) and Kabir (Grover) moving to the former’s Kerala home
after her mother (Neena Gupta) is hospitalized. The house turns out to be,
gasp, haunted by Sanjana, the formerly conjoined and now deceased twin sister of
Anjana. <o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
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<br /></div>
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The
film doesn’t waste any time in hurling a barrage of banal and stupid things
that generally happen in horror films – the clichéd shot of shutting a mirror
and discovering someone standing behind you, the clichéd shot of shutting a
fridge and discovering someone standing behind it, the clichéd shot of a dog
barking at someone who seems possessed, the clichéd shot of vedic tantric
aghori mumbo jumbo exorcism, the clichéd shot of a swing creaking with no one
on it, the clichéd shot of a child giggling in the dark. <o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
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<br /></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
The
filmmakers also go the extra mile by lifting scares from famous short films –
like <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fDzdDfviLI" target="_blank">Lights Out</a>, where a ghost is seen every time a light switch is turned on and
off. Even <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Conjuring</i> is given its
Bollywood treatment, complete with a bedsheet over the head of the possessed
lady tied to the bed. <o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
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<br /></div>
</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
The
only unique thing about the movie is the ghost’s strange agenda – of getting
into Kabir’s pants. That’s sort of the draw of the film – being a Sex + Horror
= Horrex movie. The camera lingers a few times on Bipasha’s bare legs and
Grover’s torso that seems to hide an automobile beneath the skin. Unfortunately
tax forms are sexier than whatever you see in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Alone</i>.</div>
</div>
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When
there’s no smoochie boochie or another romantic number shot in exotic locales, you
get scene after scene of idiotic, unnecessary and cheap ‘walking in the dark’
sequences and household help speaking in the most ridiculous and over the top South
Indian accents. In the midst of all this tomfoolery the film also proceeds to
actually attempt a serious performance from Zakir Hussain as a psychologist
filming an exorcism. A while after you fall asleep, the movie ends, and you
then awaken in the theater to realize why the film is called Alone.</div>
</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe7xxhom1YdR8HeEr6TN6PTM7MINlpKbt_yAkQdvCSFLbajcNFvRCykUWUHtXZJgcdksTf5ZQEvGjaQATPDjlOKIIE9qH8UhWDvrlzDQj2101Es11xd4spm6N9l9ex0gROiBCLBolwDw/s1600/thumbs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe7xxhom1YdR8HeEr6TN6PTM7MINlpKbt_yAkQdvCSFLbajcNFvRCykUWUHtXZJgcdksTf5ZQEvGjaQATPDjlOKIIE9qH8UhWDvrlzDQj2101Es11xd4spm6N9l9ex0gROiBCLBolwDw/s1600/thumbs.jpg" /></a></div>
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(<i>First published in Hindustan Times</i>) <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
ElmerFuddnavishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08560753025102995101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1795516404305877299.post-34616766323943939642015-01-18T10:53:00.001+05:302015-01-18T11:44:35.964+05:30Movie Review: The Imitation Game<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheFmiy2_3a2G9zG1XGG17f0xeOqWRj6UrqBl9MQZucCHJwjoJ05v3yEh4FN4Wm-HAhyphenhyphenmo_lCK8uwLC4KavcRU0MM1rqPTCj6XWhEp3IBU-fsP-MXFJ0yZT17Ud4N0WzyiT1mcVwaXkyQ/s1600/im.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheFmiy2_3a2G9zG1XGG17f0xeOqWRj6UrqBl9MQZucCHJwjoJ05v3yEh4FN4Wm-HAhyphenhyphenmo_lCK8uwLC4KavcRU0MM1rqPTCj6XWhEp3IBU-fsP-MXFJ0yZT17Ud4N0WzyiT1mcVwaXkyQ/s1600/im.jpg" /></a></div>
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So
along comes <i>The Imitation Game</i>, starring Benedict Cumberbatch as Alan Turing, the
scientist who helped break secret Nazi codes in World War 2 and helped Britain
and America give Germany a good buggering. Turing was also responsible for creating
the backbone for personal digital computing and artificial intelligence, and was
also castrated by the British government for being a homosexual. Turns out, <i>T</i><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;"><i>he Imitation Game</i> has been aptly named - </span><span style="font-family: Cambria;">it perfectly emulates every historical World War 2 drama about a legendary man who changed the war and the course of history. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Cambria;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
We’re
introduced to a very handsome Cumberbatch as the young and mildly cocky Turing
who enlists in the MI6 as a code breaker. He has no experience in warfare nor
in the art of interviewing. But he gets the job because he knows stuff that the
general public doesn’t – that the Nazis use a special code called Enigma to coordinate naval attacks. Turing knows that the British army needs
him, and that he can do great things with his already well established research
on AI. He also knows that there is no human on the planet smart enough to crack
the unbreakable Enigma code – so he comes up with the idea to design a code
breaking machine to break the Nazi code machine.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
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Now
a film about an incredibly smart man designing a machine that changed the
course of history is hard to dislike. There are a few things that <i>The Imitation
Game</i> does right, like Cumberbatch’s winning and sensitive performance,
and the production design that renders the chilly atmosphere of England in WW2. Plus
it’s a great story to tell. Unfortunately Hollywood, as expected manages to
commit the same mistake that most biopics do: being too simplistic. It’s
curious that three Hollywood films releasing this week have the same common
strand of drawbacks – they’re all biopics and are all scrubbed clean to make
their protagonists more sympathetic. <o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
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<br /></div>
</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
And
it’s frustrating that the film is directed by Morten Tyldum, who so
audaciously transcended the elements of formula in his native Norwegian film
<i>Headhunters</i>. While that movie had characters without clear segments of
antagonism or protagonism, <i>The Imitation Game</i> paints its characters in very
broad strokes. We’re repeatedly told Turing is a great man, and the Brits were
utterly rubbish towards him, and the Nazis are horrible as well. And yet, none
of those three things are explored in depth. We’re shown Turing’s machine that
beat the Enigma – but no detail on how he went around building it. What does
the machine exactly do? What is it made of? How long did it take to build? How
exactly does it break the Enigma code? We’re told nothing – in one scene Turing
is struggling to fight bureaucrats who don’t believe in him, in the next
they’re rejoicing over the machine being built and working. <o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
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<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Since
that is an unconvincing plot point, the gaps are filled with other unconvincing
plot points, like Turing’s homosexuality. It’s rendered in a ham handed way,
with flashback scenes that keep appearing in dramatic plot points just
before they culminate. So even when Cumberbatch is doing his best to move you,
the sensitivity just doesn’t come across, because by then you already know the
film is trying too hard in some places to gain sympathy from you, and not trying enough in other places to genuinely move you.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
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<br /></div>
</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
There
is a whole subplot featuring Kiera Knightley as Turing’s student who eventually is about to marry him, and the dynamics and complications of a woman marrying a gay man
are never explored. And when the gay angle is brought in, the film is too
scared to give you the full details of Turing’s life. The most important chunk
of Turing’s life when he was living in with a homeless man is excised
completely. Nor are there any concrete details on his life after the war, when
he was lonely and depressed, and forced to chemically castrate himself. Even
his death is portrayed by white text rather than by visuals, so it becomes hard
to pinpoint what exactly the film was trying to portray, when everything it
attempts waltzes by like a checklist of episodes. There’s also a bunch of
people in the secondary cast, like Matthew Goode and Mark Strong, who enter and
exit the frame without much to do.</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><br /></i></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>The
Imitation Game</i> is not a terrible film, it’s just mediocre. If only the writer Graham Moore spent some more time fleshing out
Turing’s life in a less Hollywoody, less Oscar baitey and a more nuanced
manner.</div>
</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjePzNf26ThJfJ7rTrC0fUU3bThvf50wBm-j-5xbbXFglCLOHNoyUWydMnpObMcK7JGHncGHAF7OPSFgsDkCwMWsv29OtWTYizZRKoa4605HbicxfG1QzAZnYbK1gXyw-SVdyePBD0o0g/s1600/5.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjePzNf26ThJfJ7rTrC0fUU3bThvf50wBm-j-5xbbXFglCLOHNoyUWydMnpObMcK7JGHncGHAF7OPSFgsDkCwMWsv29OtWTYizZRKoa4605HbicxfG1QzAZnYbK1gXyw-SVdyePBD0o0g/s1600/5.png" /></a></div>
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(<i>First published in Mid Day</i>)</div>
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ElmerFuddnavishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08560753025102995101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1795516404305877299.post-76707692528886267202015-01-18T10:50:00.000+05:302015-01-18T11:12:31.600+05:30Movie Review: American Sniper<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWDgy_6iZmc15fr2Be8m-fwBkA5oJfqZF5oHjBunE6l4CAFX6F-1mSZuUmnZInqNI4Ip1QI13g4IiBOUUKfnCNNxcapiJzRUx1674pfWd6EQAmrWUScneSnUb3ip0yiNmP74dkLn6_tA/s1600/snip.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWDgy_6iZmc15fr2Be8m-fwBkA5oJfqZF5oHjBunE6l4CAFX6F-1mSZuUmnZInqNI4Ip1QI13g4IiBOUUKfnCNNxcapiJzRUx1674pfWd6EQAmrWUScneSnUb3ip0yiNmP74dkLn6_tA/s1600/snip.jpg" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
A
few years ago we saw a movie where an American soldier stationed in Iraq during
the invasion goes through a severe psychological changeover. He’s so into the
war and he’s so good at warfare he finds it difficult to go back to his life
back home in the peace. Social life makes him awkward. Shopping seems like a
mundane activity to him. And the only thing that makes him smile during the
whole day is when he speaks to his mates at the warfront. That movie was called
<i>The Hurt Locker</i>.</div>
</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
This
movie is called <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">American Sniper</i>, and
it’s a very similar film, only much less interesting.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Eight
years after <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Letters to Iwo Jima</i> Clint
Eastwood goes back to the warzone with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">American
Sniper</i>, a biography of Chris Kyle, the most successful sniper rifle
specialist stationed in Iraq. Bradley Cooper is pretty good as Kyle, bulked and
bearded, with a very heavy Southern accent. Kyle’s journey in
Iraq is very much like the protagonist of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Hurt Locker</i>. He’s sent there as a prodigy, excels in his work by killing
the locals and saving American lives, and slowly undergoes PTSD and eventually
struggles to like peace and quiet when there’s gunplay for work. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Now it’s fine to
tell a story that’s already been done before, but it’s not ok to tell it in a
soulless manner, let alone a story that’s been done before. The lack of soul
makes <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">American Sniper</i> the weakest of
the three Oscar bait biographies releasing this week. <o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
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The
thing with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">American Sniper</i> is that is
goes through the motions like a standard Hollywood bottom feeding machine. There
are certain plot points one expects from a standard issue war action drama –
like the themes of brotherhood and jingoism, the scene where a friend is shot,
the ambush, the sticky situation where negotiations have to be made, and the
ultimate antagonist who has the same set of skills as the protagonist but is of
course dealt with by the hero in the end. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">American
Sniper</i> follows all of those points to the hilt, and still has the stench of
pretentious self-important direction where it wants you to believe it’s showing
you something new. It neither says or does anything new, and nor does it
transcend the clichés.<o:p></o:p></div>
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One
would expect a movie named <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">American
Sniper</i> to showcase something interesting about the way a Sniper works and
how he is different from the other machine gun trotting foot soldiers in the
army. No such luck, because Kyle could be carrying a pistol or even a knife and
you wouldn’t know the difference because he’s the same mega patriotic nice guy
you’ve seen a billion times in cinema. And it doesn’t matter if he’s played by
Bradley Cooper, the character is so clichéd you could replace him with Jack
Nicholson and it wouldn’t matter. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The
most disappointing thing about the film is that it doesn’t even make up for the
lack of originality with exciting action sequences. The aesthetics and style of
shootouts are painfully derivative. You have to hand it to Spielberg and Ridley
Scott for creating a whole genre of cinema with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Saving Private Ryan</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Black
Hawk Down</i> – every single war movie since then has borrowed from these two films. Every bullet fired in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">American
Sniper</i> just reminds you how great the other films were, and how dull this
movie is. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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And
when the film tries to get away from the action part to focus on the drama it
stumbles even harder, because the drama is anchored by the frightfully
charmless Sienna Miller as Kyle’s wife. There is no chemistry between Cooper
and Miller, and their romance is snooze inducing at best. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The only thing <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">American Sniper</i> has going for it is the cinematography by Tom Stern
who continues his good work with Eastwood. The latter, although impressive that
he’s making half decent films at his age needs to pick scripts that would do justice
to his efforts. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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Seemingly
the film gives up trying altogether in the end, when a shocking detail is
presented in words rather than as an actual visual plot point. It makes one wonder
where the director of <i>Mystic River</i>
has disappeared. This film is neither awards worthy nor a crowd-pleasing piece
of escapist entertainment – it’s an awkward combination of the worst side of
both those aspects. One thing is clear though - e<span style="text-align: justify;">ven
if Clint Eastwood makes a video of a plain white doorknob he’ll still score
nominations for best picture and director.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT-n06K7R3RtFkeopGh5_ehnA1LT_VJuUof3vvZmr6tZGmgl8smVn89L4LhY51uPlegFt8RYRQb1QT11qNmN7564suSXvJNfOLAVGvCN364TbgFlbXHNG71LRGaieWkI43wJRSLRIV0g/s1600/4.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT-n06K7R3RtFkeopGh5_ehnA1LT_VJuUof3vvZmr6tZGmgl8smVn89L4LhY51uPlegFt8RYRQb1QT11qNmN7564suSXvJNfOLAVGvCN364TbgFlbXHNG71LRGaieWkI43wJRSLRIV0g/s1600/4.png" /></a></div>
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(<i>First published in MiD Day</i>)</div>
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ElmerFuddnavishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08560753025102995101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1795516404305877299.post-66514409106749724272015-01-18T10:47:00.001+05:302015-01-18T11:25:46.300+05:30Movie Review: The Theory of Everything<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibCjHyIZrOeNoYYkWoxaa97rvd0qkmqZbqIpyWs18J3XolNOrZ_bWJxKwnyedk8SkEYYXYERAxJuXmh4cn5gyQfufFgSZ20026c2a8orA8CzOaAyukh2kf4HxZ0CcqWLU_LfO52omffg/s1600/theor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibCjHyIZrOeNoYYkWoxaa97rvd0qkmqZbqIpyWs18J3XolNOrZ_bWJxKwnyedk8SkEYYXYERAxJuXmh4cn5gyQfufFgSZ20026c2a8orA8CzOaAyukh2kf4HxZ0CcqWLU_LfO52omffg/s1600/theor.jpg" /></a></div>
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Stephen
Hawking’s is one of the greatest minds to have existed on this planet. A large
part of his output is basic syllabus in your physics and mathematics textbooks.
His brain is capable of curating more original thought than most other human
beings in history. So it’s very disappointing that the movie based on such a
razor sharp personality, a true genius in every sense, is so dull and
pedestrian. </div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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A
lot of upsetting things are brought to light in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Theory of Everything</i>. Firstly, the film is directed by James
Marsh, who has earlier made the tremendous docus <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Man on Wire</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Project Nim</i>,
and the excellent British thriller <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Shadow
Dancer</i>. All of those films had depth, nuance and sense of belonging in
their respective genres. This movie, however is unsure of what it is supposed
to be – it tries to be an epic, sweeping biopic of Stephen Hawking, yet it
restricts itself to the bittersweet love story between Hawking and his wife
Jane. It’s neither a full fledged biopic nor a romantic dramedy. It does not belong to any
particular genre, and whatever it attempts to be, it doesn’t succeed in making
any lasting impression. And when you’re watching a forgettable movie about
someone so unforgettable, you know something is deeply wrong. The only thing you'll remember is that <span style="text-align: justify;">this
movie was made for the Academy voters, who
generally fall for manipulative, uninspiring love stories featuring
extraordinary characters in extraordinary circumstances.</span></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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The
film charts Hawking’s life between his university years in the 60’s when he was
a young and awkward campus whizkid all the way towards the late 90’s through
two different marriages. Now here’s the thing: <o:p></o:p></div>
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a)
It does not say anything about where Stephen Hawking was from, who his parents
were and how he shaped up into the prodigal child genius.<o:p></o:p></div>
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b)
It does not cover any interesting details on how he came across his numerous
discoveries and theories about space and time. This guy single handedly changed
the way we look at the inner workings of the universe and the movie completely
glosses over how he got to his findings. <o:p></o:p></div>
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c)
The least interesting aspect of any genius is his love life. And this film is
only about the marriage and eventual divorce of Mr and Mrs Hawking. That would
still have been interesting had the film portrayed the bitter truth about the
fractured and obviously difficult relationship between the two – instead the
film sugarcoats everything and presents the couple as something out of a
Nicholas Sparks novel. <o:p></o:p></div>
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d)
Since there is such little detailing about Hawking’s background, the filmmakers
expect you to already know everything about the man. And this is a conundrum,
because if the audience already knows about Hawking and his achievements then
they need to watch something they don’t already know to be interested. Yet the
film lazily offers the already well-known and also most uninteresting slice of
Hawking’s life. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Now
Eddie Redmayne, the bloke who plays Hawking is truly amazing in his role. I
doubt any other actor would have come so astonishingly close to Hawking’s
persona and parlance. Every single detail, right down to the tilted neck and the
glint eyed broken grin is present. His performance is powerful enough to
permeate the screen - you’ll wriggle your toes in discomfort when Hawking struggles
with his paralyzed feet. In fact one feels for Redmaybe because he’s the most
hardworking person in the movie. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Felicity
Jones, in her Oscar nominated role is also lovely, but you don’t feel anything for her because you know
everything between the couple has been Hollywoodized and sanitized for Oscar
bait purposes. Jones managed to extract tears from your eyes in <i>Like Crazy</i> because
her character was so stunningly real and relatable, here she’s a product being
paraded around to impress Academy voters. <o:p></o:p></div>
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But
what really depresses in <i>The Theory of Everything </i>is that it feels way longer
than it actually is. It’s because there is nothing interesting going on in the
film. You sit down to watch a film about the greatest living genius on Earth
and all you get is sentimental tripe. A well made film about a man who achieves
the impossible in his darkest, lowest part of life will move you, but The Theory of
Everything tries to manipulate you. It could have been great joy to watch
Hawking defy every expectation, both scientific and personal, sadly the film
does not defy even the most basic adversary of cinema – schmaltz. It feels like
the poor man’s <i>A Beautiful Mind</i>.</div>
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If
Hawking’s theories actually pan out, and reversal in the space time continuum
is indeed developed sometime in the future, one hopes someone would travel back
in time to fix this movie and make something that Hawking does deserve.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT-n06K7R3RtFkeopGh5_ehnA1LT_VJuUof3vvZmr6tZGmgl8smVn89L4LhY51uPlegFt8RYRQb1QT11qNmN7564suSXvJNfOLAVGvCN364TbgFlbXHNG71LRGaieWkI43wJRSLRIV0g/s1600/4.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT-n06K7R3RtFkeopGh5_ehnA1LT_VJuUof3vvZmr6tZGmgl8smVn89L4LhY51uPlegFt8RYRQb1QT11qNmN7564suSXvJNfOLAVGvCN364TbgFlbXHNG71LRGaieWkI43wJRSLRIV0g/s1600/4.png" /></a></div>
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(<i>First published in Mid Day</i>)</div>
</div>
ElmerFuddnavishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08560753025102995101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1795516404305877299.post-36738868225353636532015-01-18T10:44:00.002+05:302015-01-18T10:44:24.551+05:30Movie Review: Taken 3<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheyw4pz1wBECy9E_UreenaWOTwfRO9iVwEmE9KC43CKK7UJ3wzc2dyqwAi0NZyPYsCqlG1Kvj1ToR1QXnYaT2rwX9mzpTO3PWFTsH6TyLLIWNiIdUX9qmmi5JRKuqTpW9HMdbbpkP4pw/s1600/taken.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheyw4pz1wBECy9E_UreenaWOTwfRO9iVwEmE9KC43CKK7UJ3wzc2dyqwAi0NZyPYsCqlG1Kvj1ToR1QXnYaT2rwX9mzpTO3PWFTsH6TyLLIWNiIdUX9qmmi5JRKuqTpW9HMdbbpkP4pw/s1600/taken.jpg" /></a></div>
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In the first Taken, his daughter was taken.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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In the second Taken, his wife was taken.<o:p></o:p></div>
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In the third Taken, your money will be taken.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Welcome to yet another Liam Neeson cash grab, featuring a
bunch of people who first piss Liam Neeson off, then frame him for something he
didn’t do, then get punched in the face repeatedly. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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We’ve seen this plot unfold already in two Taken films and
in Non Stop (which was basically Taken in a plane). Megaton and his writers make
zero effort to bring anything new to the table – they know that the formula worked
in the second movie and would still generate a lot of cash even the third time.
Everything remains the same, the stakes are not three times higher, or the
action isn’t three times more powerful. There is only one major increment – the
stupidity is three times stupider. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The film opens with the same cringe inducing establishing
shots of Bryan Mills (Neeson) being the best dad in the world, craving for love
from his daughter (Maggie Grace) and still having a ton of affection for his ex
wife (Famke Janssen). Then we get cringe inducing establishing shots of Mills
being set up by an unknown entity whom Mills will naturally find. This is
followed by the usual run and gun style action told through cringe inducing
establishing shots of the city scape – the services of which are rendered this
time by Los Angeles. One presumes LA was used because this time the filmmakers
didn’t even want to bother going to a European country.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Also from LA are the set of baddies – which includes Sam
Spurell as Malankov, the stock shady Russian goon with tattoos. The central
villain in the film is hidden for a laughably long period of time, and the
twist is presented to us in a manner which only expects the audience members to
stay below the age of five and express shock. <o:p></o:p></div>
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When you’re sitting in the theater noticing the way the
film’s technicalities, it only means neither the story is interesting nor the
filmmaking, and Taken 3 is pretty awful on both counts. What worked in the
first Taken was the lean and mean, stripped down attitude and execution of the
film. There were no bombastic chase sequences, and the stunts were quick and
fast, staying within the dark, which gave Mills’ character a suave Batman like
vibe. Things sort of fell apart in the second film when Mills began throwing
bombs all over the city. This time the action is painfully generic, loud,
overblown and ultimately underwhelming. Even the fight sequences are shot with
a drunk camera that stays just enough still to make you realize Neeson is just
acting as an action hero, rather than being one. <o:p></o:p></div>
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No one holds back – it’s like everyone decided to turn Mills
into a lovechild of Bourne and John McClane. Mills does everything from
outrunning cops, outgunning villains, and driving a porche into a plane to stop
it from taking off. If that’s your idea of entertainment well and good, but
there’s not a lick of humor in the film – at least the intentional kind. Plus
if you’re going to show us an action hero repeatedly pummeling people and
escaping a spray of bullets from Russian automatic machine guns, there has to
be a sense of danger and adventure to it. Yet, every stunt in Taken 3 seems
sterile, as if Mills is just going through the motions, as are the audience,
knowing that even if he gets hit, Mills is going to get up, escape and kick the
goon’s heinie.</div>
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It does not help that there’s Forest Whitaker playing the
most over the top cop to have graced cinema screens lately. He carries a chess
board Knight, and solves the central case in the movie by smelling a packet of bagels.
It doesn’t really get stupider than that. Oh but it does, in the form of
Dougray Scott who spends the majority of the movie doing an embarrassingly
terrible Russian-Irish-American accent, and mugging for his paycheck, clearly
still upset about not taking on the offer of playing Wolverine fifteen years
ago. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXYSKYsRGRQnkG5PFU0_EXqGzkCWdQVuugh5sHPTlblqCsSKTW09BvJgoKuTSgWf-7mueLBCF69X9qWGw2DeMYV8lE89Hm_rgxhaTp4intQSbe6Er1fIUJPcCjD8-djF7AveOLVFurBg/s1600/game.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXYSKYsRGRQnkG5PFU0_EXqGzkCWdQVuugh5sHPTlblqCsSKTW09BvJgoKuTSgWf-7mueLBCF69X9qWGw2DeMYV8lE89Hm_rgxhaTp4intQSbe6Er1fIUJPcCjD8-djF7AveOLVFurBg/s1600/game.jpg" /></a></div>
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(<i>First published in Mid Day</i>)</div>
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ElmerFuddnavishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08560753025102995101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1795516404305877299.post-26472993518534183232015-01-18T10:34:00.000+05:302015-01-18T10:34:29.738+05:30Movie Review: Big Eyes<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqkD8qWBwFJdgw5hbVMbjd1eiVTxHaUiFXrD1epByrJP0_Kkefw8OuDNlrYsSK6j9W_96LsNibeZCf0JoQXLjsaUru9wX6opTkSbDYlxe1PwA2vM_6OW0rFpajXP4yZyrctMtg_NAvqQ/s1600/BE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqkD8qWBwFJdgw5hbVMbjd1eiVTxHaUiFXrD1epByrJP0_Kkefw8OuDNlrYsSK6j9W_96LsNibeZCf0JoQXLjsaUru9wX6opTkSbDYlxe1PwA2vM_6OW0rFpajXP4yZyrctMtg_NAvqQ/s1600/BE.jpg" /></a></div>
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Tim
Burton is one of the most prolific filmmakers of all time yet he faces a lot of
heat for indulging in commercial interests over the past decade. Since the
terrific Big Fish he’s made just one good film, about a demon barber of Fleet
Street, and cashed in on underwhelming big budget stuff like Alice in
Wonderland Dark Shadows.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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With
Big Eyes Burton reteams with his Ed Wood writers Scott Alexander and Larry
Karaszewski, and the results are really quite fantastic. It’s the film Burton’s
fans have been waiting for a long time.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Big
Eyes chronicles the really strange but darkly funny true story of Walter Keane
(played by Christoph Waltz), who pioneered the famous Big Eyes paintings in the
60’s. The paintings sold like hot cakes back then, generating millions of
dollars for the Keans and gaining the attention of the biggest bigwigs in the
art and showbiz industry, not to mention creating a cultural phenomenon
previously unheard of. Little did the world know that Kean hid something huge –
he had zero skill in arts, and that his wife Margaret (played by Amy Adams)
secretly did all the paintings, while Walter took all the credit. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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It’s
a great story and Burton and his writers flesh out the film in a winningly
comedic manner. Burton restrains his direction to downplay the ‘artiness’ yet
the film retains that unmistakable Burton charm in pretty much every scene of
the film. There are dark themes, like a man rescuing a woman from a divorce,
sweeping her off her feet and eventually putting her in the same prison she was
initially in. There’s also the subject of a willing participant in a fraud
being unsure of the love for or the fear of being harmed by the other participant.
But the film is very funny, hitting the perfectly right notes in the dark
region linking a farce and a drama. There’s a great scene in the final act
where Keane battles in court both as the lawyer and the client – that whole
sequence is so ridiculous you won’t believe it’s true but you’ll eventually
realize the filmmakers have toned down the real life craziness in the film.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Waltz
is yet again terrific as Keane, he seems to have mastered the character of an
inherently unscrupulous man, but this time he gets his comedic chops out. Amy
Adams is wonderful again in the wistfully sad avatar, and her own eyes are a
not so subtle indication of the casting decision. If superb performances, a
winning script, and beautiful visuals are your thing there’s no reason why you
shouldn’t see this film in theaters.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZoM4Dfe0HgwlRznFTCs77EKJnf-Qydo-Rh_D3O38RHSK7H6utDDnFsb9D5rAQwqze3CX0v8y5Y6j85LOPhcQKqkQO7s7ngJfSxKwPOF1H7LI4kXBGffIv2DuSlyE-ku36pUT_Er9V-A/s1600/v14c9nox.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZoM4Dfe0HgwlRznFTCs77EKJnf-Qydo-Rh_D3O38RHSK7H6utDDnFsb9D5rAQwqze3CX0v8y5Y6j85LOPhcQKqkQO7s7ngJfSxKwPOF1H7LI4kXBGffIv2DuSlyE-ku36pUT_Er9V-A/s1600/v14c9nox.jpg" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
(<i>First published in MiD Day)</i></div>
</div>
ElmerFuddnavishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08560753025102995101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1795516404305877299.post-56586473179929289942015-01-18T10:31:00.001+05:302015-01-18T10:31:36.225+05:30Movie Review: Tevar<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhPJxbyHEtXMnK1FXFOOaetTfatb76AIdaAhEVAc1BBuAGuWYYMa9hiobr0PjlejFdYreFegXGXqjKi5WZXUyLYKrAHZM-3jHafXuzQKjo3TFyEgyMsIJajmJk51Z8Af2u-rvokCXqnw/s1600/tevar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhPJxbyHEtXMnK1FXFOOaetTfatb76AIdaAhEVAc1BBuAGuWYYMa9hiobr0PjlejFdYreFegXGXqjKi5WZXUyLYKrAHZM-3jHafXuzQKjo3TFyEgyMsIJajmJk51Z8Af2u-rvokCXqnw/s1600/tevar.jpg" /></a></div>
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The
moment in <i>Tevar</i> when Manoj Bajpayee
says 'Jo chane khaate hai wo badam ke paad nahi maarte', one is sure of what
this film is about. </div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
One
becomes even more assured of this film, when, in another moment Bajpayee’s
kidnap and potentially rape victim Sonakshi Sinha runs away, and Bajpayee
permanently takes off his pants to proclaim ‘Pant upar tab hi chadhegi jab Baby
waapas mil aayegi’. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
Starting
off the new year with the bang of a stinkbomb, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tevar</i> is a reassurance of the fact that no matter how budgets, technology
and the human race advance in time, Bollywood would keep reverting back to the
80’s. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tevar</i> is directed by Amit Sharma, a well
respected ad filmmaker but the film seems like it was made by the central
character from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Human Centipede</i>. Yet
again, we have a remake of an already terrible South film. Yet again we have a
heroine who is not only proud to play a mere object but also an embarrassment
to woman empowerment in cinema. Yet again we have a gunda mawali hero clashing
with the local gunda mawali villain to whisk away the moronic woman that he even
more moronically loves. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet again we
have a barrage of eardrum piercing massy songs, migraine inducing dialogue
baazi, rage-rendering lapses in logic, eyeball squeezing violence and head
pummeling instances of contrived melodrama. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
Done
right, all these things can either be a lot of fun, if not a lot of headache. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tevar</i> furiously lunges on to the latter.
<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
Arjun
made an interesting impression in his first movie, but since then he’s played
just variations of the same character in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gundey</i>
and now in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tevar</i>. He wears sidey
clothes. He is a kabaddi champ. He is the quintessential roadside Romeo who
also happens to save women from being picked upon. After being hit by bullets
and knives, he first falls down to make us believe he’s dead, and then like a
WWF wrestler he screams and shouts and gives the goons a proper whooping.
Clearly he’s been cast in this movie as a vanity vehicle to create the new
Salman Khan. How well do you think this idea would work? <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Sonakshi,
after playing a character who wants to see the hero’s nether regions for good
luck in her previous movie shockingly outdoes herself. Her character is the
sister of a respected news channel head, who is off to the US for the post
graduation, and also a dancer, and also someone who would rather hide in the
house of a goon than go to the police, who after days of running away from a
murderous and rapey rowdy finally reaches the airport, checks in, gets her
ticket to the US, and comes back out to be in the arms of a rowdy she met two
days ago. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Why
is the concept of love been degraded to something so asinine to make an already
regressive audience even more vacuous? Why are these elements present in a film
of this day and age, when Bollywood is supposed to make an impression in world cinema?
Why are desi filmmakers assuming that even the lowest common denominator of
audiences deserve to be subjected to brutal torture. Why even with gigantic
budgets do films like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tevar </i>even look
like crap? Why would any audience pay money to see a movie that looks, sounds, plays
out and even feels ugly as hell? Even under the garb of ‘commercial masala’ why
are the fight scenes so dull, why are the stunts so clumsy looking, and why is
the comedy so awful it makes you want to suddenly get off your seat, run
towards the cinema screen and smash your face against it? <o:p></o:p></div>
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Until
anyone from the creative team of Tevar has answers to any of these questions, I
leave you with a rap song inspired by the beats and lyrics of Let’s Celebrate:</div>
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<br /></div>
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The
tagline of this movie</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Tells
you to show your Tevar <o:p></o:p></div>
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But
this movie ain’t groovy<o:p></o:p></div>
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Covering
your eyes is a life saver<o:p></o:p></div>
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Arjun
tries a Salman Khan doodie<o:p></o:p></div>
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While
Sonakshi is as if she’s doing us a favor<o:p></o:p></div>
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Regression
is her hoodie<o:p></o:p></div>
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Or
maybe it’s the only talent acting school gave her.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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(<i>First published in Firstpost</i>)</div>
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ElmerFuddnavishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08560753025102995101noreply@blogger.com0