shariqq Reviews

Mutant Chronicles (2008)

A dirty, bleak and sordid story, of an equally morbid Earth

[8/10 · 17 January 2009]

War and Sci-fi movies are generally studio products while Independent movies tend to be smaller personal dramas. So when you do have an independent movie that deals with a global war, alien invasion and retro science-fiction, it's an oddity - one that stands to be examined. The Mutant Chronicles is such an oddity that takes a bleak past and throws it into a grim dystopian future. It's part orthodox, part crazy and part artsy. But most importantly, very independent.

In the year 2707, a future that seems more probable than one would like to believe, Earth has been stripped of its resources. The world itself is divided into three corporations that wage wars (using their private armies) to battle for the remaining resources. Lack of oil and a polluted skyline pushes machines back to the steam engine. Amidst this, while humanity faces extinction due to the appearance of a multitude of deathless mutants, a rag-tag team of unified soldiers attempts to eliminate the common enemy. Deprived of humor and hope, the soldiers resign themselves to a fate they accept but are willing to fight against.

The Mutant Chronicles, in its lack of color and faith in Humanity, is bleak to the extent that the surviving humans do not even hope for Earth to be saved and abandon it easily, moving on to other planets to possibly scourge more worlds. The movie does defy logic, and consciously so, such that the outcome is quite predictable. But it's a dirty, bleak and sordid story, of an equally morbid Earth, that is populated with scenes of pure bliss – scenes that make it a significant departure from the heroic movies that Hollywood churns out.

"Faith" is woven into the movie's storyline as an important theme, but serves an ancillary purpose – one to add subjectivity to the motives of some of the characters, and to form an interesting parallel to many of today's belief patterns. Eventually though, what really makes The Mutant Chronicles an astounding movie is the same reason why it will have detractors, and that is the incongruous mix of traditional and eccentric.

My Rating --> 4 of 5

The Hurt Locker (2008)

Putting Bombs Away

[7/10 · 10 January 2009]

Kathryn Bigelow is one of the few woman directors in Hollywood who can make a good action movies for the boys. With Heat Locker, this protégé of James Cameron turns up the heat in a movie clearly for the testosterone audience. Set in Iraq, the movie looks at a bunch of Bomb Disposal experts who are stationed in Baghdad for a count of days. As these men go through bomb after bomb losing fellow-soldiers along the way, the movie impresses upon the hopeless state to which the war-zone has fallen, and the mostly thankless high-risk job of the soldiers that risk their lives there. Yet the movie is not about the war, or its politics, but a zoned in look at one team's existence in it. While one soldier counts his days until they're relieved from duty, another lives at the thrill that the risk of their job brings them. Some great bomb sequences, a supremely-confidant lead performance by Jeremy Renner and a few awesome great cameos make this a great time at the movies. At least for the boys.

Twilight (I) (2008)

As good as mediocre can be.

[6/10 · 25 December 2008]

When watching a movie that is clearly not intended for you, it's best to let yourself flow with it and judge it on its own merits rather than on pre-conceived notions or prejudices. So with that in mind I walked into a screening of Twilight, clearly aimed at the tween female audience, expecting to watch a vampire-love-story - and it actually turned out to be exactly that! So, in essence, it was not disappointing.

Twilight is the first movie in a four-part saga adapted from Stephenie Meyer's best selling books, and is mostly depicted and narrated from the viewpoint of Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart). Bella is the beautiful girl-next-door type that exists only in movies. She moves in with her Dad, Chief of Police at Forks, Washington and joins the local high-school where she eventually befriends Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) who turns out to be a vampire.

The Cullens, family of seven including a father & mother figure with adopted "children", are good vampires who are just trying to live a normal life in a city that keeps them away from the sun as much as possible. But there are Vampires of the bad kind too and do make the essential appearance. Yet it is mostly Forbidden Love that keeps Bella and Edward as the center of attention in this tale.

As vampire movies go Hardwicke has made an interesting movie that, while realizing there is not much new in the source material to add to the myth, concentrates on the relationship and dilemma of Bella. And barring a melodramatic outburst, Kirsten Stewart succeeds in delivering a performance that mostly requires her to look inquisitive and pretty. Robert Pattinson, on the other hand, has to be the most underwhelming B-actor to debut in a box office phenomenon. Apart from the confused/constipated look that he sets a new standard for, Pattinson's performance has "wannabe" stamped all over it; definitely something that does not add to his portrayal of a vampire. Most of the other actors are acceptable in performances that would be equally at home in a TV series. The one that does stand out is Peter Facinelli as Dr Carlisle Cullen, Edward's foster father. Facinelli, although on screen for four scenes, plays his character of a vampire trying to be good with a cool resonance and more importantly, looks the part.

Hardwicke's movie will please the target audience, that there is no doubt about. It's quite visible in the way she harmonizes the scenes - the colors, music & visuals are very soft and pleasing to the senses. It makes Twilight an easy time at the movies - there's no intelligence here, but no stupidity either.

My Rating --> 3 of 5

Blindness (2008)

A vile imagination, lack of trust in the Humanity & a disregard for logic

[1/10 · 20 December 2008]

How would mankind react to sudden blindness? Not man, but mankind. Apparently, we turn into brutal savages who abandon all rationality and humanity for carnal needs. Plausible? My biggest problem with Blindness, that walks this territory, is that it is a movie that is devoid of humanity. Understandably, the movie does not explore the reasons for the lost eye-sight, but rather explores the human condition. But in doing so, it takes an extreme view of post-apocalyptic savagery that crosses, nay, obliterates most moral boundaries. The filmmakers (in this case the author of the book that the movie is based upon) reveal a severe lack of trust in the Human element (Humanity itself), a complete disregard for logic and a vile imagination of the worst. These three elements together create a confused, contrived and convoluted storyline that is discernibly absurd. Unique visual stylization, which starts as a novelty, soon becomes jarring due to overkill. The final litmus test for this polarizing movie is one question: Would you actually rape/murder if you knew you could get away with it? Rating --> 0.5 of 5

A Summer in Genoa (2008)

An outside view of a small family

[6/10 · 20 December 2008]

After a car-crash results in a death, the widower and his two daughters move to the city of Genova in Italy to escape the sorrow that haunts their life. As each of them comes to terms with the loss and the new beginning in their own way, the director of the movie takes a turn to show us how the three-way relationship adjusts rather than concentrating on each character's development. The younger daughter's night-time crying becomes something for the father to handle. The new sense of rebellious freedom in the elder daughter is more seen from the younger sister and her dad's POVs. But without getting too dramatic or philosophical, or without even getting too close to the characters, the movie remains an outside view of the small family in somewhat distant, documenting way.

My Rating --> 3 of 5

Tokyo Sonata (2008)

Resonates simplicity

[7/10 · 20 December 2008]

Tokyo Sonata resonates such simplicity in its telling that it's difficult to not like the movie. But in doing so, it also becomes victim of over-simplifying many of the issues its main characters face. The story is of a family of four: The husband has just been downsized, the wife is stuck in mundane mediocrity, the elder son doesn't have any sense of identity and the youngest is a rebel (he wants to play the Piano!). In an attempt to retain his honor and respect at home, the husband hides his jobless status from his family. He dresses up every morning for work, but instead spends the day in the queue for jobless for free food, or job placement. While the first act sets the characters and their dilemmas quite well, it's the second act where the movie really fails to connect. The younger son's fascination with his Piano Teacher and the elder's change-in-career weakens the story-telling before picking up again for a fascinating (and weird) third act, when the situations of the characters open up for all. Some bizarre turn-of-events brings the movie to a close that could be worthy of a rousing applause, but gets an awed gaze of amazement instead.

My Rating --> 3.5 of 5

Slumdog Millionaire (2008)

A wonderful celebration of hope, destiny and Cinema.

[8/10 · 20 December 2008]

Once in a while you get to watch a movie like Slumdog Millionaire. A well-crafted, well-written tale of destiny and triumph, Danny Boyle and Lavena Tandon take us through three timelines simultaneously in Jamal Malik's journey from Dharavi's slums to the Hot Seat of the Indian version of "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?". Encountering a wave of colorful characters along the way and events that leave lasting imprints on his mind, Jamal eventually plays the game with one purpose - and it's not winning.

Laced with a wonderful engaging soundtrack by A R Rehman, many scenes of young Jamal are presented with such charm and down-to-earth honesty that you start rooting for the protagonist early on. A few Bollywood actors fill in some of the supporting roles, notable Anil Kapoor, Irfan Khan and Mahesh Manjrekar, to bring added vibrancy to a movie set against and for the undying spirit of a city that's seen it all.

Unfortunately, and in a bad choice by the makers, they have made the movie predominantly in the English language. Those familiar with the city, country or the culture will find it absurd that a boy from the slums speaks with a British accent, let alone that most of the other characters are conversing in English (the cop & his "havaldar" or the "bhai").

This glaring issue aside, the movie succeeds on all accounts as a wonderful celebration of hope, destiny and definitely of Cinema.

RocknRolla (2008)

Unexpectedly, this time Guy Ritchie is not on an adrenaline rush

[6/10 · 6 December 2008]

A few years and dismissible movies after he had been written off as a one-trick pony, Guy Ritchie proves that he can yet make a decent movie. With RocknRolla. Ritchie goes back to his trick-defining movie Snatch yet steps forward in his career with a mellowed down and grown-up movie, but, relative to his own movies.

RocknRolla is about Sex, Thugs & Rock n Roll, but a very different kind of all of these from what we would immediately expect from any movie, let alone a "Guy Ritchie" movie. The movie doesn't really have defined protagonist/antagonist characters - it's about everyone wanting a bit more than they have, and what they have to go through to achieve it. Ritchie refrains from falling into his own traps, possibly with all the will-power he could muster, but still does not leave his trade-mark stylization behind in this labyrinth story where everyone is connected to everyone else. What also helps this movie to elevate itself is the starcast, and among the ensemble, one Mark Strong. He follows a powerful turn in Body of Lies with another omnipresent performance here, well accentuated by Tom Wilkinson, Gerard Butler and Jeremy Piven(!).

The criss-crossing mish-mashing story never missteps and stays intriguing enough to warrant this movie a watch. Unexpectedly, this time Guy Ritchie is not on an adrenaline rush, and lets the movie unfold at a more human pace, though there is one key scene that fans of his stylization will thoroughly enjoy.

My rating --> 3 of 5

The Crow (1994)

A "dark" superhero 14 years ago.

[6/10 · 4 November 2008]

14 years after its original release, and the movie still holds up well! This inspite of watching dozens of movies that have copied or have been inspired in different ways from Alex Proyas's excellent 'dark' superhero movie.

Although the movie comes across very simple and straight forward, considering that we have seen all the movies that this pioneered, it still stands on its own for the wonderful portrayal of a back-from-dead vigilante out to avenge the destruction of his life. Brandon Lee, who died in a freak accident while this movie was shot, plays his resurrected character of Draven coming to terms with his new found powers with such fierce glee that it becomes difficult to disassociate the actor from the character. It's not that he is a good actor - it's just the physical grace he brings to his movements that makes the supernatural element of his character's presence more effective. Most of the movie plays out in the night (two nights a year apart from each other), something which Proyas had done in Dark City too before succumbing to the Hollywood machine. If seen these movies when they were released, it would be easy to be excited about the future of this promising director.

The movie is a let down though when it comes to the supporting characters and the villain. As much as the Crow goes about executing his oppressors over one night, there is no sense of threat to him as he finishes them off with relative ease - although in spectacular fashion.

For fans of cinema, the movie adds a lot to enjoy. It starts with a homage to Blade Runner. And references to The Crow are equally easy to find in later movies, especially in The Matrix. Or when relating Heath Ledger's Joker to Brandon Lee's Crow in a few key scenes. What a tragic coincidence that both actors died before their milestone performances were released.

My rating --> 3 of 5

Roadside Romeo (2008)

Curry Canines

[4/10 · 2 November 2008]

I ended up watching this yesterday while a few of us had 2hrs to kill before dinner. Seems, it is the only excuse you can really have to watch this movie. It really is not worth the effort to take time out, drive to the cinemas and dedicate a part of your evening for Roadside Romeo - it will be too much of a disappointment.

The bad: - Animation might be a big step for audiences used to only Bollywood movies, but it's not really much for international audiences, even when compared to a decade older Pixar. - Too many songs!! What in the world was the director after, we have no idea. Possibly nothing else to fill in the gaping holes of the narrative. - The painfully overused and redone masala story that now every Indian is born with the knowledge of. - Bad (or mediocre) voice work by most of the cast incl. Saif & Kareena.

The good: - Javed Jaffery. Actually, he can do a lot better than he has done here, but it still is very good. The guy is hilarious as the Madrasi-accented top-dog "Charlie Anna", accompanied by three bitches he calls Yangels - "Charlie's Yangels" - and he names them.... Silk Sunitha, Nylon Nandai & Polyester Padmini!! - Sanjay Mishra as Chhainu, Charlie Anna's sidekick. This is a gifted comedian, and possibly the strongest character in the movie. Even in his relatively smaller role, he does such a great job with his Tapori-ishtyle quips. - Kiku Sharda as Hero English. Again, a small character, but with such great humor in him. He has a tendency to repeat everything he says in a literal word-by-word English translation. For example, he announces "Charlie Anna aa gaya!! Charlie Anna come go!!" or the hilarious "Wo tumko Jaan se maar dega! He will hit you with life!"

Apart from this, there is one good idea of the dog-world in the movie, that explains why dogs love to howl so much in the middle of the night (it's a game they play!)

All-in-all, an easy one to forego. But equally easy to sit through if you have to wait for 93 minutes.

My rating --> 2 of 5.

The Maltese Falcon (1941)

As classic as Noir gets.

[8/10 · 2 November 2008]

There is something very genuine in the pleasure of watching classic movies, and probably especially so for film-noir. Movies today, except for a few art-house works, tend to become as much about grandiose and fanfare as much about the movie itself. But watching classic cinema detaches the marketing angle of the movie, and you tend to watch the movie for what it really is.

The Maltese Falcon is celebrated as one of the best noir movies ever made, and rightly so. Bogart plays PI Sam Spade with such craft and character that you wonder if they make men like that anymore. From the way he handles news, situations, women and enemies to his own style in the way he stands, speaks and reacts - without ridicule, Sam Spade epitomizes the classic detective that we have grown up watching cartoon characters and stereotypes imitate - whether it is to shake off a tail, confront the cops, cunningly use the display of anger to evoke a reaction or turn on the charm for the women around him.

Complementing him is a host of equally rich characters in the forms of the highly-quotable king-pinesque Kasper Gutman (played by then débutante Sydney Greenstreet), damsel-in distress/femme-fatale Brigid O'Shaughnessy (Mary Astor) and the conspiring Wilmer Cook (Elisha Cook Jr.).

The Maltese Falcon is not a very confusing movie. It uses a simple formula of limiting the audience's knowledge to what the detective knows. And as he unravels the mystery more and more, the eventual barrage of information leaves you reeling for a an explanation that makes sense. And when it does, it's just in time to find out something more! As the movie ends, it becomes easy to acknowledge the brilliance of the story's setup and resolution, and the path it takes to get there.

My Rating --> 4 of 5

Max Payne (2008)

The pun - Max PAIN - is quite obvious.

[2/10 · 16 October 2008]

Max Payne is a celebrated game, and with its film-noir/graphic novel roots, becomes an easy property to adapt for a movie. Yet, Uwe Boll... no, John Moore botched it up. The movie plays out like a cheaply-written foreword to what a real movie could have been. Although the visuals are spot-on, with muted and gray colors, bleak and contrasting visuals and especially the way the camera follows Max Payne in most of his movements, just like the game, that is all the movie picks of what made the game a success. The game's omnipresent voice-over narration by the titular character did begin the movie, but it dies a natural death hardly ten minutes in.

Max Payne (Mark Wahlberg, back in Happening mode) is an NYPD detective whose family was left murdered one fateful day. He spends subsequent months hunting for one escaped killer. The movie picks up from when the dead-case heats up, and Max finds himself episodically partnered with a female assassin out of high-school.

Max Payne really has nothing to go for it. The story itself takes you nowhere and the action sequences – the main expectation from this movie – leave a lot to be desired. Mark Wahlberg himself evokes no empathy or sympathy as we mechanically follow him from point to point in an inactive trance. The absurd obviousness of the antagonists for the audience also makes the entire runtime of the movie a ritual waste. To make it worse, all the "cool shots" were used up for the trailer. It ends up like a dream-less sleep – a lot of time goes by being inactive, but you are still tired at the end of it. Eventually, the anticipated end-credits come as a blessing.

Eventually, the only thing to remember about this movie will be the effective use of Marilyn Manson's "If I was your Vampire" for its trailer.

My Rating --> 1 of 5

The Dark Knight (2008)

A saga of crime that is not expected of a superhero movie

[9/10 · 25 July 2008]

One week of release and The Dark Knight has broken every major box-office record it could, even touching IMDb's top spot in highest rated movies. This fervor, attributed mainly to the ingenious viral marketing campaign and the tragic demise of Heath Ledger, dictates the response to the movie being as emphatic as it is. Once the noise settles, sifting through that manic praise, the movie surfaces as a great crime-saga, even one of the best ever made. It just happens to be a Batman movie.

In the closing moments of Batman Begins, we believe that Gotham city now has a savior in Batman. And quite so, The Dark Knight begins with batman-wannabes combating scared criminals, and nervous mob bosses holding meetings during the day. In the tradition of "Gravitas, Pietas, Dignitas" the new district attorney, Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart), joins forces with Lt. Gordon (Gary Oldman) and Batman (Christian Bale) to rinse Gotham of the crime wave that grips it. What they or the criminals don't expect is a madman, the Joker (Heath Ledger), taking matters into his own hands.

Much like Batman, the Joker uses fear as his main weapon. But what makes him truly scary is his lack of moralities – he crosses every line that holds Batman to good. In doing so, he becomes Batman's opposite. And equal. Heath Ledger plays the Joker with an eccentric freedom hardly seen before, and in doing so comes as close as humanly possible to the demented Joker of the comic books. His stammering speech and shuffling walk exemplify the chaos in his mind. The Joker brings such dread, that you anticipate yet fear his arrival on screen – there are no limits to what he would do. In facing him, Batman and Harvey Dent are pushed to a limit that neither should cross.

At 2hrs 32mins, the movie is relentless and unforgiving. "The night is darkest before the dawn", proclaims Harvey Dent in once scene. "Why so serious?" asks the Joker in another. Christopher Nolan humorlessly depicts Gotham at its darkest hour, and weaves a saga of crime that is not expected of a superhero movie. The characters are given a depth that makes them as believable as timeless. Indeed, the movie transcends the comic-book-movie genre to reach a level of sophistication hardly ever attributed to superheroes. It makes for almost-a-must multiple watch.

In becoming what it is, where the movie does disappoint is in its superhero parts. In favor of the story, sacrifices are made of Batman. Being one of the world's favorite super heroes, it does become injustice to not depict his iconography – visual representations of his towering persona, the batcave being replaced with a secret garage, the Harvey Dent arc in favor of the Batman-Joker conflict. Christopher Nolan, in making an exemplary movie has sacrificed Batman and pushed himself into a corner. If he does complete his trilogy, he would have to go back to the dark knight.

Wanted (2008)

Slo-mo moves out of the shadow of The Matrix.

[7/10 · 20 July 2008]

n the midst of slow-motion action, gravity-defying leaps, bullet-time sequences and curving bullets, the hero puts on a pair of sunglasses, then promptly takes them off quipping "Bad idea!". Wanted belongs to the generation of movies after The Matrix that have benefited from the success of slo-mo stylized and choreographed action sequences. But Wanted distinguishes itself in the most prominent way possible: it enjoys what it is.

Wesley Gibson (James McAvoy) is a regular office cubicle-dweller who discovers, in quite style, that he is the son of a legendary assassin. Mastering his 400-beats per minute heartbeat to super-sense makes him one of the Fraternity, a group of assassins led by Sloan (Morgan Freeman) that exist as the hand of fate. As Fox (Angelina Jolie) says: Kill one, maybe save a thousand.

Timur Bekmambetov, the Russian director of visual stunners Nightwatch and Daywatch, brings the same manic imagination to Hollywood that has become his forte. Kids with toys hardly come up with wilder sequences. These set-pieces occur in frequent intervals through out the movie with enough story filling in-between them to make the movie work, starting with a jaw-dropping gun-fight involving two skyscrapers. Almost all of the action is physically impossible, so the movie does require a suspension of belief. But having Angeline Jolie as the instigator of most of these scenes only adds to them; she resonates the screen with a coolness that makes it far easier to enjoy what could otherwise be quite absurd. Look out for her scenes with the red car – who else can pull that off with such charm? Morgan Freeman, as the leader of the assassins, is voice and presence. It is always a relief to watch Morgan Freeman play characters like Sloan (or The Boss from Lucky Number Slevin) after all the serious work he does.

Surprisingly, after the movie is over and you have left the cinema, you are not left with just an imprint of some screenshots of visual beauty. Wanted has a life longer than usual popcorn summer movies. It has a rare mix of arrogance and humility that brings it closer to home and makes it likable in retrospect. Saying any more would be giving away too much.

My rating --> 3.5 of 5

Kung Fu Panda (2008)

Put Jack Black's voice in a warm big fluffy Panda, and you just have to love him.

[8/10 · 22 June 2008]

Even though he is as much a motor-mouth as so many other actors who become annoying with time, there is something incessantly likable about Jack Black. Put his voice in a warm big fluffy Panda, and you just have to love him. Put this Panda in a Kung Fu setting complete with training-school dojo, grand masters and a nemesis to fear, and you have the first Dreamworks Animation movie that can stand up among Pixar's annual excellence as one of the best 3D animation movies made.

A Giant Panda is a 250-pound black-and-white bear that lives in the mountains of China, and although carnivorous, the panda has a diet which is 99% bamboo. That's how pacifist it is. But when Po (Jack Black) gets accidentally selected as the mighty Dragon Warrior by the Grand Master, there is no option left but for Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) to train the clumsy Panda into a Warrior of the highest order – much to the resentment of the Furious Five (Tigress, Monkey, Viper, Crane, Mantis). But Po, as much as he loves Kung Fu lore, would rather eat. Yes, that's how pacifist he is. But Master Shifu has not much choice as his ex-student, the evil Tai Lung, has escaped from his maximum security prison to claim the position of Dragon Warrior for himself.

Some sequences in this movie are breathtaking, I exulted at the thought of animation finally telling us such diverse stories. Two sequences (and this is not a spoiler): Tai Lung's escape from prison and the foot-bridge fight are extraordinary in exigency. Dreamworks has been churning out animated movies for a few years now, but apart from Shrek, none of their movies have really hit any mark. But this is easily the best animated movie out of their bucket yet. The voice cast, although stellar, does not overshadow the characters with their star-power. The likes of Jackie Chan and Angelina Jolie get limited voice-time, but just as much as the movie requires. Jack Black & Dustin Hoffman are wonderful as loud obnoxious student & controlled cool master. And unlike Madagascar, the movie has very soft colors, curves and a glowing focus. It works very well with the cuddly look of the Panda.

A special mention for Tai Lung. Not since Lion King's Scar has a villain taken himself so seriously. Tai Lung is a warrior extraordinaire, and he is beyond humor or humility. Just like Jeremy Irons' Scar, Ian McShane's Tai Lung speaks with a sense of superiority. It makes him that much more of a nemesis – a villain worthy of a much more formidable opponent than a pacifist panda. See, that's how impressive his sense of superiority is! My rating --> 4 of 5

The Incredible Hulk (2008)

You're making me sleepy... You wouldn't like me when I'm sleepy!

[4/10 · 19 June 2008]

HULK SMASH! Yes, the Incredible Hulk does utter those lines in this newer, updated version of the comic-book superhero movie. He does the Thunder Clap, uses two halves of a squad car as boxing gloves and does not fly for miles. The studio has spent a lot of money, hired an A-list star cast, got a famous director and even distanced itself from Ang Lee's critically-panned outing five years ago. Edward Norton re-wrote the script and Marvel has made sure the movie is littered with direct references from the Hulk comics and the Marvel universe that fan-boys will geek over. Yet, this movie misses the target quite spectacularly. It suffers from the same problem that X3 did – the movie just does not come together due to extremely poor execution and hence seems mediocre at best.

The movie starts with Bruce Banner (Ed Norton) hiding away in a Brazilian town doing small jobs while researching for a cure. In the next tedious 100 minutes, we see Banner/Hulk returning to USA, fighting the US army, reuniting with Betty Ross, and facing & triumphing over arch-nemesis (a grayish, spiny, talkative Abomination).

Now you hardly expect Ed Norton to go wrong, especially when he's writing as well, but this has to be the vainest attempt by the actor yet. Bruce Banner's portrayal fails because his green monster brings never brings any sense of threat to his scientist. We see him suffer without clothes, money and shelter but we never really see him suffer under the weight of guilt or responsibility for the force of destruction within him. This not only makes the Hulk that less effective, but his oft-repeated roar and mayhem seems superficial. A bimbo Betty Ross (Liv Tyler) and reluctant semi-pacifist Gen. T Ross (William Hurt) don't help matters much. Tim Roth (pre-mutation) comes as a huge saving grace though. His Russian-born, British-schooled operative Emil Blonsky may just be the one of the best supervillain characters yet. Without much of a backstory, and with absolutely no insight into his psyche, he still makes the vile and single-minded Blonsky a formidable opponent – one that I cheered for! Yet, the bad CGI and campy dialogues bring any momentary expectations crashing down. (It has one of *the* worst dialogues this year: "You're making me hungry… you wouldn't like me when I'm hungry"!!) It comes as no surprise though that the deathmatch finale is all mind-pollution. The numerous plot-holes and the unforgivable sin of using Hulk for comic relief just plunges the standards of this movie lower.

One thing though – with Ironman and now with Incredible Hulk, Marvel studios has hit the perfect formula to close these movies. Even if the movie is bitter or bland, you finish with a touch of excitement.

My rating --> 2 of 5 p.s.: The movie can't help but make references to Ang Lee's movie through out its running – the starting notes of the theme music, the opening scene, the dialogues ("he has managed to stay unseen for five years", HULK released in 2003). IMHO, I think it is about time the world revisited HULK, and give it its due.

The Happening (2008)

It might be cliché, but it has to be said: The Happening is not happening.

[4/10 · 12 June 2008]

Shyamalan has proved to us earlier that he can be as good as the best with masterpieces of cinema with The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable. Yet, since then, he has declined steadily. Signs and Village were good movies, but with Lady in the Water and now The Happening, he has touched a level of incompetence that could never have been expected of him.

The Happening is about a pandemic that is gripping north-eastern USA. It starts with a stunning sequence of events that show people succumb to an unspecified threat – the brilliance of this opening repeated only once more for a five-minute sequence towards the end of the movie. Unfortunately, Shyamalan's writing is a big let-down for the rest. As the focus moves from metropolitans to towns and from crowds to smaller groups, the sense of fear is lost – the biggest sin a horror movie can commit. In the oft repeated criticism for its director, this movie would have been best served as a half-hour episode of Twilight Zone to make it really work.

And to add woe, the actors do not do much to better the experience – Mark Wahlberg and Zooey Deschanel are grossly miscast as the protagonists. Any of his previous leading men (Bruce Willis, Mel Gibson, Joaquin Phoenix and Paul Giamatti) can be imagined to have done a better job for the Science teacher that Wahlberg plays. The camera scrutinizes the performance to a degree that requires an actor with strength in emotions – Wahlberg instead brings a physical presence that the role does not need. Zooey, on the other hand, struts around like in a Disney movie, not for once threatened by the pandemonium.

This time, though Shyamalan humbles his vanity – you don't see him on screen. He now should swallow his pride and leave the writing to the writers. Armed with a better script, we can still expect Shyamalan to make his future movies worth waiting for. For now it is only the memory of the opening sequence, which can be proclaimed as mind-numbing greatness, which is really worth taking away from this movie.

Iron Man (2008)

Like a Cheese Burger - nothing more, nothing less.

[7/10 · 7 May 2008]

Since Batman Begins released three years ago, most new superhero movies have been particular about their casting – especially about the non-lead characters – and also great care is taken to please the geeks with trivia scattered all about the movie. Iron Man is the first such "production line" movie for Marvel since they have started producing their own movies. And with all our luck, they succeed. Iron Man balances a big budget/big explosions popcorn movie with a host of intelligent actors to make it a worthy opener for Hollywood's Summer Season this year.

Iron Man is an origin story that focuses on how genius billionaire industrialist playboy inventor Tony Stark goes from creator of WMDs to an iron-clad superhero standing up against selfish war-mongering. Robert Downey Jr. plays Stark as a fast-talking faster-thinking man-boy, yet instills likability to his shallowness. Get this: his secretary reminds him it's her birthday; he asks her to get herself a present from him; she says she already has; he then actually asks her if she likes it! The secretary (& babysitter) is played by Gwyneth Paltrow in a very cute turn - she harbors a secret crush on her boss yet is conscious of their social difference. Terrence Howard plays Stark's best buddy and the Army's liaison to Stark Industries (fanboys: hint, hint!). The supporting character that does stand out though is Jeff Bridges as Obadiah Stane in a menacing bald & beard look accentuates his jaunty performance. It just shows how important it is to have a strong actor in villain roles (think Brian Cox from X2).

John Favreau does not really carry a legacy to set any valid expectations for his latest movie. Considering he did a passable turn with Zathura, most of the anticipation for Iron Man comes from recognition of the superhero himself and the wonderful cast. Each of the four actors brings a conviction to their characters that lend the required believability to the world they inhabit. And yet, the movie recognizes itself to be an entertainer and sticks to its purpose. It finds a niche spot between the successes of Batman Begins and the Transformers movie. Much like the Cheese Burger that Tony Stark craves – it is fun, fulfilling and easy. Nothing more, nothing less.

The Bucket List (2007)

Inspires you to do the things you always wanted to!

[8/10 · 26 March 2008]

The Bucket List starts with a narration from Morgan Freeman's Carter talking about Jack Nicholson's Edward while a solitary figure climbs a snow covered mountain slope. His narration has the same timelessness as that of Red's from Shawshank Redemption. Edward, on the other hand, reflects too much of Melvin from As Good as It Gets. This forms an immediate barrier in letting the movie get through to the audience, but not for long. Reiner does not waste much time on the set up - very soon these two seniors, sharing a hospital room, are diagnosed with cancer that sets the full-stop on their life-span after a few months. The rest of the movie is about the bonding between these opposite people - black polite mechanic family man & white rich obnoxious business man playboy - as they go about fulfilling their 'Bucket List', a wish list of things they want to do before they 'kick the bucket'.

It is not difficult for these veterans to play their parts - for one, they are great actors in their own right, and for second, they play exactly to their type. But let that not discount the wonder of their performances or from the movie that Reiner gives us. It's been some time since Reiner has given us a movie to discuss; he does so with The Bucket List. Reiner makes a very simple movie, with simple situations and modest aspirations - yet the same simplicity works in its favor. The two great actors that they are, Morgan Freeman & Jack Nicholson inject subtle warmth to their dying screen-selves that makes them at once likable and identifiable.

The Bucket List may not make you look back at your own life, but it may inspire you to do the things you always wanted to. And that works for me! My Rating --> 4 of 5

Cloverfield (2008)

Strong Stomach? Be ready for a fun ride!

[8/10 · 8 February 2008]

Cloverfield is to monster movies what Blair Witch Project is to horror movies. But while the latter was a gimicky low-budget fiasco (forget Box Office, it is no measure of quality), Cloverfield is a decently budgeted polished piece of film-making.

Shot entirely from the POV of a hand-held digicam initially being used to make a home-video, the movie takes us through the disaster that NY faces through the experiences of a small group of youths. So while the camera focuses on the bunch of three-four friends, the backdrop shows us what we would have seen in full-focus in a Godzilla or Independence Day - Buildings collapsing, destruction all-around, the monster in attack-mode, the army retaliating, etc.

What really impressed me was the way the movie uses most of its budget (physical/visual effects) only for the background. The production has done a wonderful job in recreating an extraordinary event as it would look, and have a few regular people to react to it. Soon after the first disruption, immediate thoughts go to survivors of 9/11 and their experience to the actuality of the disaster.

Mixed reactions to the movie are mostly because hand-held video for the entirety of the movie can induce motion-sickness though. There were a few walk-outs mid-way, and I know of people running to the toilets due to the shaking effect throughout. As long as you are prepared for and have the stomach for it, be ready for an experiment of a movie that actually works as an experience.

Rambo (2008)

More Violent, More Mature

[8/10 · 26 January 2008]

John Rambo, as the title sequence called this movie, is indeed a movie that finally completely proves how violence can be used to preach anti-violence. This movie has such realistic gore, without ever glorifying it, that I had to convince myself while watching it that it is just a movie. Rambo's insanely calm and cold-blooded demeanor while he massacres an entire infantry is reminiscent of how killing so many people has killed him of human emotions.

Sly Stallone is indeed a good writer; a better writer than a director. The movie makes no pretense in sophisticated urbanism. It plays out exactly and as simple as expected from Rambo's POV. This man lives only because he is alive, without ever forgetting what he really is. His mundane life is interrupted and eventually unhinged due to a simple decision - to help others, and only because he can rather than he should. The movie is equally linear in its plot and telling, yet leaves an impact as powerful as after a Saving Private Ryan.

In First Blood and the two sequels, John Rambo has fought bigger battles and faced situations of a lot more peril. He has run away from 'what' he is, or accepted and despised his self. But here, with age and the maturity it brings, he finally comes to peace with 'who' he is. And that is where as a personal story, this scores well over the first three movies.

Like for all muscle-men, Stallone's physique has taken away any recognition he deserves for the mind he has. Multiple Razzies and stereotypical roles has him always judged as a bigger better version of Van Damme. But with a lot more creative control and less media focus, he is finally able to continue what he started of as a nobody in the first Rocky.

Overall this may not the best Rambo movie (First Blood still takes that cake), but it surely is the most effective one.

Saawariya (2007)

Mishap or Misunderstood?

[9/10 · 26 January 2008]

A grossly misunderstood masterpiece of a movie from Bhansali that might just drive him back to commercial facades only because hardly anyone is able to understand this movie, far appreciate it. I consider it as good as his best work (Khamoshi - The Musical) and in some ways even better. It is more thematic, more intimate and far more mature, yet made with the fervor of boyish charm that Raj (Ranbir Kapoor) exudes as the main lead. It also equally shares the beautiful self-alluring dream-world inhabitance as lived by Sakina (Sonam Kapoor), the other half of the lead pair. On par with any of world cinema in techniques (direction, editing, cinematography, production - oh, the production!), Bhansali weaves for us an exquisite experience that is so illusive that it is an achievement in itself that he actually got a free hand from the producers to make and release the movie as it is.

I may have lost my marbles completely and this movie may forever be forgotten, but I am willing to compare it to the fate of Pyaasa - chided, derided and unforgiven on release; one of the greatest masterpieces out of India in retrospect.

Johnny Gaddaar (2007)

Retro Cool

[8/10 · 26 January 2008]

There is no dispute on Vijay Anand being the de facto Master of Suspense/Thriller in Indian Cinema history. So when we have a movie that pays tribute to this master (starting from quite an obvious title), purists like me sit up and get ready to tear apart any failings. Consider the astonishment when the movie not only lives up to the name, but dignifies it! That this movie actually got made, and then received a wide-release is in itself a surprise - hardly are any studios or distributors in India who support movies that do not conform to the fabric of established norms of Bollywood. Yet we have this movie. Raghavan gives us a genuine film-noir that is so rare that it is easy to lose it in the mêlée of mediocrity that Bollywood blockbusters represent.

An almost gray-scale visual theme with shocks of Red (very Sin City - nobody is innocent), no break-out sessions for song&dance and a crisp running time (135 minutes) alienates it from regular cinema. The movie revels in what it is, and religiously refers to the works it inspires from. Yet, and in doing so, it establishes a unique identity that would live through the said mêlée.

The casting choices of the movie also make for a great ensemble, especially with the presence of Dharamendra, whose stature and age are also put to great use. Neil Nitin Mukesh makes his debut, and is already lost in the shadows while lights shine on other star-kids. Yet he plays the most daring and convincing maiden role to establish a sure-fire position on the "to-be-watched" list.

Raghavan makes the most inherently "cool" movie of the year, complete in 60's retro garb of film-making (cinematography, editing, character focus, color grading) that fits right in with the film-noir subject. If not for the obvious anachronisms, this could easily have been a movie from the 60s, if not from the Master himself.

Life in a Metro (2007)

an amalgamation of six stories between nine characters from one suburb

[7/10 · 19 June 2007]

With one movie, Anurag Basu rose quite high in my books as a director to look out for. Gangster was in many ways a complete movie for an Indian Movie audience and one of the best features of last year. Expectantly, Life in a... Metro was highly anticipated, especially with the movie repeating most of Basu cast & crew and a few more welcome actors. Basu sits right on top of the breed of Bhatt-nurtured directors who, if nothing else, have always made movies distinctly different from regular Bollywood fare.

Life in a... Metro is an amalgamation of six stories between nine characters from one suburb. These stories entwine and intersect at various points to portray personal lives for regular middle-class suburb dwellers. Passion, Sex, Loyalty, Romance, Lust, Stress and Love become the underlying themes woven into the fabric of the movie.

Basu is not in top form here, but this could be more due to constraints of mainstream Bollywood. Visibly a bigger and a more conformist producer like UTV (Ronnie Screwwala) is not as liberal as the Bhatts with Basu. Melodrama and formula somehow creep in and take over the final act of the movie in a complete departure of style from the rest of the movie. Apart from this major gripe, Basu deftly handles interspersing between stories and fleshing out his characters. Adultery becomes a major theme in most of the stories, but moral questions are not raised and neither ignored. Events are simply depicted "as is", letting the viewer judge for him/herself of their moral implications. That extra-marital affairs and sex-for-favors exist is taken as fact rather than implied, taboo'd or endorsed. Rather, the effect of it on individuals is depicted differently and quite aptly. Among the troupe of (mostly) wonderful actors, Kay Kay Menon thunders ahead portraying a selfish and chauvinistic husband and boss. Any scenes with him are the highlights of the movie proving again beyond doubt how wonderful an actor he is, regardless of the character he plays. Yet, for the genuinety of him you are left wanting to see more of him on screen than the limited screen time the director could afford. Complementing him in a parallel story is Irrfan, an equally gifted actor, playing a passionate and philosophical middle-age single guy looking for an ideal wife through matrimonial ads. Sprinkle around them a host of characters to support their stories, and you have a wonderful ensemble that is as true to the setup of the movie as any. Shiny Ahuja and Kanga Ranaut play easy parts but their talents are used only to a minimum. Dharmendra, Nafisa Ali, Sharman Joshi and Konkona Sen Sharma play regulars. Exception: Shilpa Shetty. Her character and performance are so out of this movie that you wonder if she walked into the wrong movie set with a different script. Shamelessly flaunting her star status and new-found celebrity, she proves yet again that being and "Actor" and a "Movie Star" are not mutually inclusive.

Basu's association with Pritam continues to produce some really good music. The movie's music is more of a soundtrack with a single musical theme in all the tracks. Basu also has the three-member band appear throughout the movie inbetween and during scenes. These band members are part of the crowd, or drifters singing the tracks that are sprinkled through the movie. A high-end concept for Indian Cinema, and one that works for me completely.

Although the climax reaches levels of extreme campyness, it is easy to forgive the director for the battle he fights with only a few others on his side against Bollywood conventionalism. Yet, after the powerful Gangster, Basu's latest is a step down. For his and our sake, I wish him back to the Bhatts.

My Rating --> 3.5 of 5

300 (2006)

Wonderfully visceral and testosterone–fuelled experience

[8/10 · 23 March 2007]

Before, during and after watching this movie I realize this movie was made with just one purpose - to entertain. No social messages, no character study. Just plain fun. Well, maybe not so plain, but sure as hell lots of fun.

I have not read the book; hence I am not in a position to judge how true the movie stays to the book - in look or in feel. Watching the movie in itself is such a wonderfully visceral and testosterone–fuelled experience that it stands for itself apart from the book.

In essence, Snyder has taken the elemental attraction from what was Blade's Blood-Bath or Matrix' Security Shoot-out and made an entire movie out of it. Over-done? Heck no. Exhausting? Heck Yeah!

The movie depicts the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 B.C of 300 Spartans that held the Persian Army of thousands for three days (giving Greece enough time to raise their own army for defense) before falling, but told in Frank Miller's heavily-exaggerated and violently Politically Incorrect style. Gerard Butler plays the bearded, screaming Spartan King.

The exaggerations of Spartans into Herculean warriors and of Persians (and their army) into grotesque mutant abominations are as much a part of fictionalized and stylized story-telling as are the fantastic beauty-enhanced visuals. From the expansive use of Slow-motion (most of the movie was shot at high-speeds between 50-150fps vs a norm of 24fps) and painting the movie in shades of only three colors (Black to White, Yellow to Brown, Red) to the extensively choreographed battle moves and formations – this movie does not have a single frame that does not look like an art-still. And as a story-teller, Snyder (or Miller?) spins his tales large but roots it firmly within the world realized in the movie with a dramatic voice-over by David Wenham (much like his Faramir of the LOTR trilogy). And the movie has some amazing dialogues - as dramatic and exaggerated as everything else within the movie. (Xerxes: Cruel Leonidas demanded that you stand. I require only that you kneel.) Snyder has set a new bench-mark for stylized visuals with this movie – something that tends to be set too often now-a-days. But upping the ante can only bring better things to us as viewers. 300 is exactly what it set out to be. Looking for historical facts, trying to tie it down to current events or expecting deeper meaning within this fun-fest is being fool-hardy.