CHENNAI EXPRESS ("DERAILED")

August 8, 2013

Cast: Shahrukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, Sathyaraj.

Director: Rohit Shetty.

His recent films might have made money at the box office, but Shahrukh Khan has been trying hard of late to work his magic like he did during the 90s and early parts of 2000. Chennai Express is his latest attempt at regaining that.

Rahul(Shahrukh) who stays with grandparents is forced to go to Rameswaram by his grandma to perform the last rites of his late grandfather. But he plans to go to Goa instead, with his friends. He gets into Chennai express just to fool his grandma planning to get down at the next station where his friends are waiting for him. After a small slip, just as he is about to get down from the train, Meenamma (Deepika) who is trying to run away from her marriage to Thangabali comes dashing towards the train with a few goons chasing her,(you have a few DDLJ moments there) and Rahul gets trapped.

Some scenes inside the train are nice and creative and you will have a few laughs. The film then moves to Southern India, Komban in Tamilnadu to be exact, from where Meenamma hails. Once Chennai Express reaches Komban, Meenamma’s father Periya Thala (Sathyaraj) who is the local don makes a grand entry. Meenamma cooks up a story telling that she is in love with Rahul.

Rohit Shetty sets up a perfect plot till now for bringing on his usual comedy filled with confusion which is considered to be his forte. But very soon afterwards the signs of things fizzling out get apparent and the waywardness of the script and the director starts to show.

Apart from being incomplete in a lot of aspects the screenplay tries really hard to make you laugh but it’s sad that it has nothing new or funny rather to make that happen. If the idea of an entertainer is a lotta deafening and senseless BGM, unnecessary songs, villains shouting regularly and some really stupid “so called” tamil dialogues, then it would bode well for Rohit Shetty to rethink his strategy.

Almost all the emotions and relationships are so half baked that they leave no effect on the audience. This is perhaps a conscious decision to make the film fast paced, but the sad fact is that the end product ends up being neither.

Shahrukh plays the part written for him well but it is Deepika who outperforms him most of the time. This is not to mean that Deepika is excellent, considering the horrible and unforgiveable accent with which she mouths her dialogues in Tamil. Most of the Tamilians are sure to fume at the way Tamil has been slaughtered!! It can be called a big time blunder casting Deepika for this role when someone like Asin would have been the perfect choice.

Bringing in Kerala art (&martial art) forms like Kathakali, Theyyam and Kalaripayattu, whether intentional or otherwise, is another blunder that hits the audience right on their faces. After all the energy draining scenes with the usual Rohit Shetty “Shtyle” fights you have a “so called” emotional scene where Rahul gets all preachy and touchy. Though intended as a touching scene this could be one of the scenes where you will burst out laughing mainly because of the naive dialogues and silly execution.

When you are finally getting ready to run away from the theatre there is a climax fight where Rahul braces upto Thangabali after beating the hell out of a number of goons which is downright silly and beyond credibility. The only relief is the Lungi Dance song that comes after the credits roll out. It would do well for you to wait for that to get a minimum worth for your time and money.

I am giving a 1.25 for Chennai Express. Barring a few scenes It would bore you to death!

Rating Scale (Out of 5)

Less than 2                   -           Unwatchable.

2    to 2.25                   -           Below average.

2.5 to 2.75                   -           Average.

       

3    to 3.25                   -           Good.

3.5 to 3.75                   -           Really Good.

4    to 4.25                   -           Great.

4.5 and above               -          Extraordinary.

THE CONJURING ("WORTH YOUR TIME")

August 2, 2013

Cast: Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Lili Taylor, Ron Livingston.

Director: James Wan.

Devils exist just like Gods do. This is the premise on which The Conjuring is based. It has been taken from one of the several real life experiences through which the Warren couple have gone through.

The Perron family moves into a new home in Rhode Island in 1971, and you know what to expect right from the scene where their pet dog Sadie refuses to enter the house. Slowly slowly they start facing different problems till at last they seek the help of the Warrens.

The Conjuring stays very true to the incident portraying it as realistically as cinematically possible. You get hooked onto the film right from scene one and James Wan makes sure you stay anxious till the end.

At a time when films like Mama are made in the name of horror, The Conjuring is a fresh breath of air. Though you cannot expect to be petrified every other scene, the film offers thrills, shrieks and cries in an ample dose at regular intervals. Beware of your children taking a disliking towards the clap sound from now on.

The hand-held shots along with fresh music give a realistic and eerie feel to the film. The performances from the lead cast and the children in particular is really commendable.

While the credibility of certain scenes may be debated it would be unfair to delve too deep into it owing to the fact The Conjuring is meant to be so being a feature film rather than a documentary.

A section of the audience might feel the climax to be a bit underwhelming, some even going to the extent of claiming it could have been better had the director wanted it so. But a fact to be held in mind is that it is based on a real life and not a story.

I may be a bit biased in giving 3.5 for The Conjuring. Go into the theatre after you clear your mind of the normal horror films and you will be rewarded.

IMDB Rating

Rating Scale (Out of 5)

Less than 2                   -           Unwatchable.

2    to 2.25                   -           Below average.

2.5 to 2.75                   -           Average.
       
3    to 3.25                   -           Good.

3.5 to 3.75                   -           Really Good.

4    to 4.25                   -           Great.

4.5 and above               -          Extraordinary.

THE WOLVERINE ("COME OON BUB!!)

July 26, 2013

Cast: Hugh Jackman, Famke Janssen, Will Yun Lee.

Director: James Mangold.

After the underwhelming “X mens Origins – Wolverine”, The Wolverine gained much leeway when it was announced that Darren Aronofsky is to helm the project. Due to reasons unknown James Mangold took over which dealt the first blow to the film, then the impressive trailer gained what was lost above. But sadly most of the action was covered in the trailer itself leaving nothing much for the main feature except for some introspection on the part of the Wolverine.

The film opens with Wolverine saving Yashida from the Atomic bombing in Nagasaki and then moving onto the present day where Logan has forgotten being the Wolverine. He is more of a caveman having sleepless nights over the guilt of killing Jean and that is when the dying Yashida calls for Logan to bid good bye.

After the promising start the film moves into introspective mode focussing on Logan which was very much a good move on the part of the writing team and the director. But where they slipped is in providing a plot strong enough for the audience to get involved.

The plot seems simple enough and you see the twists coming too early itself for them to have any sort of an impact, this includes the Silver Samurai. “Knight and Day” did not do as well as expected not because it was less in action but because of the lack of feel; sadly The Wolverine falls prey to the same mistake.

The writing team has included a lot of a villains for the Wolverine in a bid to make the duels juicier but perhaps they forgot the fact that it’s character development that is the key to a film’s success rather than the number of villains.

What made X men more interesting was the presence of a super strong character in the form of Magneto and the consequent face offs between Wolverine and equally strong opponents, both of which are absent here!
The fights have been executed very well in a very credible manner but that is all that you can talk about the film apart from the terrific Hugh Jackman. Mangold should be appreciated for his effort to bring out the acting abilities of Hugh, in which he has fabulously succeeded.

With such a wonderful character in the form of Wolverine, one of the best and most loved superheroes of all time, one would expect much more from the film. Such a terrific performance by Hugh is wasted by the lacklustre script.

I am giving a 2.5 for the film and 0.25 for Hugh Jackman. Watch it if you must, for the fights and Hugh Jackman. If you do, make sure you wait till the credits roll out to watch the nicely shot scene that sets up the eagerly awaited “X Men- Days of the future past”.

IMDB Rating

Rating Scale (Out of 5)

Less than 2                   -           Unwatchable.

2    to 2.25                   -           Below average.

2.5 to 2.75                   -           Average.
       
3    to 3.25                   -           Good.

3.5 to 3.75                   -           Really Good.

4    to 4.25                   -           Great.

4.5 and above               -          Extraordinary.

D DAY ("INDIAN ZERO DARK THIRTY")

July 19, 2013.

Cast: Rishi Kapoor, Arjun Rampal, Irfan Khan, Shruti Hassan, Huma Qureshi.

Director: Nikhil Advani.

D Day is a surprise package coming from Nikhil Advani both content wise as well as execution wise.

After a few moments showing the 1993 Bombay blasts the film comes to the present, where, during the discussion between a top police official and the Chairman of R&AW, the possibility of an operation to hunt down India’s most wanted criminal ‘Goldman” (Dawood Ibrahim) in the lines of Operation Geronimo is discussed.

The fiction that follows talks about the possible route that the Indian Government could take in bringing down Dawood through a covert operation using four Indian operatives.

A few minutes into the film “Operation Goldman” takes place and from there on the brilliantly crafted screenplay cuts across to 40 days prior to the operation, gradually coming back to the operation by the middle of the film and then moving onto the current day events. With a lot of realism in the way the film pans out you are in for a gripping piece of art.

No praise is enough for the amazing screenplay that links so many events in the most perfect way possible. The set pieces showing the nabbing of Goldman first in the initial scenes and next that comes later on are so beautifully written and executed. Add to that the wonderfully choreographed fight sequences coupled with top class editing and the Zero Dark thirty kind of camera, and you have a film that is really appealing. The music by Shankar Ehsaan Loy is much better compared to their last outing Bhaag Milkha Bhaag.

Coming to the performances it is Rishi Kapoor and Arjun Rampal who steal the limelight followed by Irfan Khan to a large extent. This is definitely one of the best roles of Arjun Rampal till date. Rishi Kapoor seems to have really enjoyed playing Dawood considering the end product on screen; apart from some of the best dialogues in the film going to him the lengthy dialogues in the climax are surely gonna be a showstealer!! The rest of the cast also comes out with equally good performances, thanks to the able direction and screenplay.

The romantic angle involving Arjun and Shruti, though well shot, could have been avoided as it does not help the film’s cause in any manner whatsoever. Advani makes sure not to add masala at all in any of the scenes, however, showing how serious he wants this film to be, which works almost all the time.

The film made on a documentary style to a large extent is a cut above the usual bollywood films.

I am giving a 3.75/5 for D Day. Thumbs up to the effort from Advani.

Rating Scale (Out of 5)

Less than 2                   -           Unwatchable.

2    to 2.25                   -           Below average.

2.5 to 2.75                   -           Average.

       

3    to 3.25                   -           Good.

3.5 to 3.75                   -           Really Good.

4    to 4.25                   -           Great.

4.5 and above               -          Extraordinary.

PACIFIC RIM ("MONSTERS V/S ALIENS")

July 12, 2013

Cast: Charlie Hunnam, Idris Elba, Charlie Ray.

Director: Guillermo Del Torro.

It is not too much to expect something different from the man who gave us Pan’s Labyrinth and Hellboy. Guillermo Del Torro continues his way of surprising people with Pacific Rim.

Here it is a different take about the alien invasion where the Godzilla like aliens called Kaijus come from a passage way seated deep within the Pacific. When the humans realise the Kaijus are not gonna stop coming unless they take some drastic measures they start building “Jaegers” or biomechanically linked human-driven robots as defense.

After the US Jaeger “Gypsy Ranger” loses a battle to Kaiju resulting in the death of one of the Railegh brothers (the pilots), the governments across the world decide to abandon the Jaeger program in favour of a wall built against the Pacific. When that, as expected, fails miserably it’s upto the Jaeger teams across the world to form a resistance that will decide the fate of the world.

Plot-wise Pacific Rim has nothing new to offer except for the timespan and the enormity of the events happening which is done by Del Torro with the help of a voice-over (something he seems to have deliberately planned so as to make the film loaded with nothing but action).

After the first battle between Gypsy Ranger and a Kaiju, Del Torro dedicates a little bit of time to build up the scene for the final battle against the Kaijus. But the waiting time, that seems to fly by, is very well rewarded once the action starts rolling sometime before the interval. And once it starts you are in for a feast followed by a heavy desert!!!

Del Torro seems to have made the film keeping in mind only two words – Entertainment galore!! The people who thought the Transformers look alike robots would be much similar to the Transformer series are in for a real surprise. Del Torro offers a dazzling display of action loaded with splendid special effects especially during the Jaeger-Kaiju encounters!

The battle involving Gypsy Ranger and the category 4 Kaiju where Gypsy Ranger beats the living hell outta the Kaiju with a ship is one of the highlights of the film. As an action junkie you would never be able to ask for more.

I am giving a 3.25/5 for Pacific Rim. You are being offered 2 hours of jaw dropping effects and some kick ass action. This one is a battle you do not wanna miss!!

IMDB Rating

Rating Scale (Out of 5)

Less than 2                   -           Unwatchable.

2    to 2.25                   -           Below average.

2.5 to 2.75                   -           Average.

       

3    to 3.25                   -           Good.

3.5 to 3.75                   -           Really Good.

4    to 4.25                   -           Great.

4.5 and above               -          Extraordinary.

BHAAG MILKHA BHAAG ("OVER INDULGENCE KILLS")

July 12, 2013

Cast: Farhan Akthar, Sonam Kapoor.

Director: Rakesyh Omprakash Mehra.

For the last few months a particular trailer has been revving up excitement amongst all Indians promising to deliver a fiery adventure full of fast paced action; and that is the trailer of Bhaag Milkha Bhaag!

But the moment you see the Censor Board certificate of Bhaag Milkha Bhaag with 187 minutes runtime, the first sensation of doubt and anxiety strikes you. Your doubts start getting solidified once the film starts rolling and a few minutes into it you would bid adieu to all that hope of a fast paced thriller. Inspite of being a person who enjoys serious drama, I found myself checking the time every now and then.

Bhaag Milkha starts off very promisingly enough with the 1960 Rome Olympics race where Milkha Singh finishes fourth. But after that bit by bit boredom creeps in when Mehra starts showing signs of over indulgence bringing in a barrage of details; way too many details! The unnecessary songs in the already long film add fuel to the fire!

The inclusion of various flings of Milkha (some which might have been necessary for the film) coupled with the songs for each of those flings do nothing other than adding to the length of the film. Same is the case with the real footage of the various Olympic meets and the extra long depiction of his childhood, notwithstanding the fact that it is a director simply trying to be earnest in his portrayal.

When it is a biopic it is understandable to include as many details as possible to portray a correct picture, but then there is also a few parameters that determine the intensity of a film, something which Mehra seems to have utterly missed in his effort to come up with an epic, and the end result is a stretched out film with bits and pieces of inspiration!

If there are two reasons why you should watch Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, they are Farhan Akthar and Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra and the sheer effort they have put in for achieving perfection. Farhan Akthar sizzles as the inspiring Milkha, who would have been one of the greatest icons in Bollywood if not for the ultra long screenplay. Divya Dutta and Pavan Malhotra play their parts very well offering support to Milkha.

Visually spectacular, Bhaag Milkha has the trademark Mehra slo mo shots in a song, the likes of which you have seen in Rang de Basanti’s “Khalbali”. The BGM is more like an ECG offering some really innovative tunes at times and very clichéd ones otherwise.

The moments in the film involving training and athletic meets are nothing short of fabulous and Mehra has to be really appreciated for such splendid execution, something that is a rarity in Hindi Cinema where you always require masala no matter what!

This film could have been an epic if Mehra had seen it from a third party’s perspective, something that would have gone a really long way in limiting the over indulgence.

I am giving a 3/5 for Bhaag Milkha Bhaag. Watch it for Farhan Akthar and the sheer honesty and efforts involved in it’s execution. If you are patient enough and you will be rewarded with some really exciting races.

Rating Scale (Out of 5)

Less than 2                   -           Unwatchable.

2    to 2.25                   -           Below average.

2.5 to 2.75                   -           Average.

       

3    to 3.25                   -           Good.

3.5 to 3.75                   -           Really Good.

4    to 4.25                   -           Great.

4.5 and above               -          Extraordinary.

LOOTERA (" DIL LOOT LIYA RE")

July 5, 2013

Cast: Ranveer Singh, Sonakshi Sinha.

Director: Vikramaditya Motwane.

Vikramaditya Motwane made his mark with his debut feature Udaan a few years back and seems like he is in no mood to let go of that novelty with Lootera, which has been inspired by O.Henry’s short story “The Last Leaf”.

Lootera opens in the 1950s Bengal where Varun Shrivastava (Ranveer Singh) comes to the Manikpur Zamindar’s mansion with an ulterior motive. He falls for the Zamindar’s daughter Paki (Sonakshi Sinha), who reciprocates the feelings. On the eve of their engagement Varun leaves the mansion without telling anyone. The Zamindar dies from that shock. An year later Paki is in Dalhousie trying to leave her past behind pursuing her ambition of being a writer, where she ends up bumping into Varun again.

As such it is a pretty straightforward plot (only the climax being a bit of a surprise package) but then Lootera is full of surprises right from the casting to execution. With an awesome screenplay combined with terrific performances it is pure pleasure watching Lootera unfold onscreen.

When you could not have blamed anyone for thinking what in the world someone like Ranveer Singh is doing in a movie like this, you would be surprised at the way you would start empathising with his character . It is certainly the best roles that both Ranveer and Sonakshi have gotten till date and they make the best use of it; but then, even at the risk of sounding biased, if I had to choose the between the two it is undoubtedly Sonakshi who dazzles, shines, mesmerises and LIVES as Paki. It is a treat to watch Sonakshi emote frustration, vulnerability, resistance, love and struggle and for the same reason it would not be surprising if she gets a National award nomination for the role.

At an age when Hindi cinema is mostly filled with brain numbing loud masala cinema, it is but obligatory to bow before Vikramaditya Motwane to have included so many scenes without any BGM, yet capturing the audience’s rapt attention. And when you do have BGM it is nothing short of spectacular (strangely reminding Hans Zimmer at times); in addition, Amit Trivedi has come out with some heat warming melodies as well.

The wonderful cinematography and stunning sense of lighting make the film very appealing visually. The intimate scenes between Varun and Paki have been aesthetically shot, which is one of the main reasons for Lootera belonging to the top league along with terrific chemistry that the lead pair exudes onscreen.

In the end you come out of the theatre having experienced a variety of emotions all of which you would fall in love with. Lootera is nothing short of a classic.

I am giving a 4/5 for Lootera. The best hindi film of the year till date has arrived!

Rating Scale (Out of 5)

Less than 2                   -           Unwatchable.

2    to 2.25                   -           Below average.

2.5 to 2.75                   -           Average.

       

3    to 3.25                   -           Good.

3.5 to 3.75                   -           Really Good.

4    to 4.25                   -           Great.

4.5 and above               -          Extraordinary.

SINGAM 2 (SINGAM LE!)

July 5, 2013

Cast: Surya, Anushka, Hansika, Radha Ravi, Vivek, Santhanam.

Director: Hari.

After the flop show of Maattraan Surya is back with one of his most appreciated and cherished role as Duraisingam.

Duraisingam is now working undercover as an NCC master at a school in Thoothukudi. Thoothukudi is ruled by Bhai and Thangaraj who are arch rivals. Thangaraj’s niece Sathya(Hansika) is studying in the school where Duraisingam works. Soosu(Santhanam) is a local who helps Duraisingam with simple stuff.

Barring the unnecessary songs(especially the below average item song featuring Anjali) and separate comedy tracks, Singam 2 scores very good points in it’s first half which is very entertaining with the usual formula for masala films, which has been rightly baked by Hari with the aid of his long time mate Priyan helming the camera. All the usual shots that you have seen from the Hari-Priyan combo are present (including a lot of slow mo shots; some hitting the mark and the rest going completely off track).

Hari has worked very hard on the screenplay infusing a lot of technology and technical aspects into it but it almost completely goes off track in the second half with the introduction of a lot of sub plots and unnecessary characters. The international angle involving Danny Sapani seems to be really unnecessary when a simple continuation of the fiery action in Thoothukudi in the first half could have sufficed; something which Hari seems to have overlooked in his effort to make the sequel much more appealing than it’s predecessor. The unnecessary and below substandard songs continue appearing in the second half as well and you would most likely be tempted to take a loo break.

One of the most disappointing things with Singam 2 is the absence of a strong character like that of Prakashraj in the first part. All the 3 villains combined do not come anywhere near the sheer intensity that Prakashraj had brought on screen in the first part which was one of the main reasons for it’s huge success. Though the terrific screen presence of Surya almost negates that, a better antagonist would have made the duel much more juicy.

Anushka has almost negligible role here, which is why Hari must have added an extra song or two, but that idea falls flat on it’s face offering only irritation to the audience. The same is the case with Santhanam who,  though does nothing to harm the film, only seems to lengthen the already long film. The one surprise package though is Hansika who has given a much better performance compared to her previous films. But as mentioned above it is 

Surya who single handedly carries the film on his reliable shoulders.

Singam 2 could have been crisper with a much simpler screenplay which would have made it a great entertainer like the Saamys and the Geminis but on the whole you end up getting a good entertainer.

I am giving a 2.75 for Singam 2 and a 0.25 for the amazing Surya. Watch it for the first half and the terrific and inspiring Duraisingam!!!

Rating Scale (Out of 5)

Less than 2                   -           Unwatchable.

2    to 2.25                   -           Below average.

2.5 to 2.75                   -           Average.

       

3    to 3.25                   -           Good.

3.5 to 3.75                   -           Really Good.

4    to 4.25                   -           Great.

4.5 and above               -          Extraordinary.

DESPICABLE ME 2 ("MINIONS ARE BACK")

July 3, 2013

Cast: Steve Carell, Kristen Wig, Miranda Cosgrove.

Director: Pierre Coffin, Chris Renaud.

DETAILED REVIEW COMING SOON......!

GHANCHAKKAR ("SO LAZY")

June 28, 2013

Cast: Emraan Haashmi, Vidya Balan, Rajesh Sharma, Namit.

Director: Rajkumar Gupta.

From serial kisser to an actor; that has been a long journey for Emraan Hashmi. Now that he has started getting recognition as an actor, especially after Once upon a time in Mumbaai, seems like he has decided to take it seriously. But the sad part is his choice of films of late which are flop after flop after flop, of which league Ghanchakkar might as well belong, unfortunately.

Ghanchakkar, coming from director Rajkumar Gupta whose previous outing No one killed Jessica was a riveting drama, seems to have taken it’s tagline for the hero “Lazy” very seriously!

Sanju (Emraan Hashmi) is a “consultant for robbers”,if i may put it so, who is married to Neetu (Vidya Balan). He gets affected with retrograde amnesia, after meeting with an accident, just after he helps Pandit (Rajesh Sharma) and Idrees (Namit) rob a bank. Now he does not remember anyone except a few people like his mother, wife etc. To make things worse he does not remember where he hid the money he robbed.

With the scene set for a thriller promising to be filled with confusion and comedy what you end up getting is a lazily written, boring 2 hrs 20 minutes of mostly yawn inducing scenes with little laughter spread between eternity.

It will be surprising if you do not get an eye sore seeing Vidya Balan who looks ultra heavy rather than “ultra modern” as her character likes to think of herself. While her character is intended to look ugly with the supposed fashionable dressing it would have been highly recommendable on the part of the director to have had Vidya Balan lose twenty kilos at the least!

Emraan Hashmi does a really good job as Sanju who is really confused about what is true and what is not, he has truly come of age as an actor. Equally good are Rajesh Sharma and Namit as the frustrated yet fun loving robbers who are desperate to get their share of the loot back.

But as mentioned above the lazily written screenplay takes the sheen off the performances. The only time that you as audience would get engaged is towards the end when things start getting tense a little bit; Amit Trivedi’s “Allah Meherban” serving as the perfect ingredient for the recipe.

I am giving a 2.5/5 for Ghanchakkar. It is a disappointing product from such an envious cast and a talented director.

Rating Scale (Out of 5)

Less than 2                   -           Unwatchable.

2    to 2.25                   -           Below average.

2.5 to 2.75                   -           Average.

       

3    to 3.25                   -           Good.

3.5 to 3.75                   -           Really Good.

4    to 4.25                   -           Great.

4.5 and above               -          Extraordinary.