zorrothefox Reviews

Uri: The Surgical Strike (2019)

Superb movie, very realistic rendition

[10/10 · 11 January 2019]

Superb movie. It re-enacts the happenings of the Surgical Strike done by India on terrorist camps in Pakistan in a very gripping manner.

Excellent movie, great acting, just the right amount of emotion, and best of all, no jingoism, or hysterical melodrama. There are a few scenes which made me tear up, watching the sacrifices that our brave soldiers (and their families) do every day!

Even though we all know approximately how the surgical strikes occurred, this movie manages to keep us on edge wondering how they carried off such a precision attack.

What I loved most about the movie was the very understated way in which all the characters are portrayed. No jingoism, corny lines of patriotism, Just the determination and love for the country which our soldiers would be having.

Also, no super-evil Pakistanis or Terrorists. Each person is shown pretty much the way they'd be in real life. Pakistanis are not shown with evil guffaws and chop-licking, but yes, their intent to hurt India and Indians is depicted in a proper manner!

There are some unrealistic scenes in the movie (esp. the part about the UAVs - such drones don't have the range or the sensors that are shown in the movie) but overall very believable.

Definitely worth watching!

Shaadi Mein Zaroor Aana (2017)

Superb acting, directions, songs

[10/10 · 19 November 2017]

I noticed this movie after seeing the Song "Jogi" on Youtube. I loved the very romantic and endearing way in which the couple bonds just after their deciding to marry each other. The songs were all very beautiful (except the painful "Pallo Latke" ). The trailer piqued my interest in watching this movie.

The acting by Rajkumar and Kriti is superb to say the least. The director takes pains to show the romantic connection between the couple. Kriti has a very fresh, mischievous look in the first half, and a very classy yet sober demeanor in the second half of the movie.

The movie grips you in it's story line, and you never feel that the story is dragging anywhere. You keep wondering what happens next, and though some aspects are predictable, yet the director does a good job of steering the characters through the tale. The songs too are an important part of the storyline, and add to the story.

Definitely a must-watch for couples! Might remind you of your own pre-marriage incidents! :)

Baahubali 2: The Conclusion (2017)

Amazing movie!

[10/10 · 1 June 2017]

I'm reviewing the Telugu version of this movie, being the original version. I've watched the Hindi version too, so will also mention the overall quality of the dubbing.

I'm primarily a Hollywood movie viewer, as many of the viewers of reviews here on IMDb would be. But this movie is in a class of it's own!

First of all, I was shocked to see hundreds of negative reviews of this movie! These people seem to have a hatred for Indian movies, and don't even stop to judge fairly. These are the same people who'll upvote and go ga-ga over 300, Lord of the rings, and similar movies, but can't seem to find anything positive to talk about this movie, which is extremely mature in it's story-telling. The harsh injustice portrayed in this movie reminds me of Game of Thrones, but even better, as it delivers many messages in the midst of all this.

The crispness and richness of this movie leaves me shaken! Finally, an Indian movie which involves you in it's story, making you laugh, tugs your emotional heartstrings, and leaves you walking taller by the end of the movie....well... at least till you come back home! :)

The sheer masculinity of this movie seems almost too much to absorb, but you fall into it's sway, and root for the larger-than-life characters in it.

Be it Sivagami Devi, or Amarendra Bahubali, the dashingly handsome and villainous Bhallala Deva, the loyal-to-death Kattappa, and last but not the least, the exquisite Devasena!, each of these characters is impressive and rich in depth!

The songs too are superb, with the lyrics adding to the story-line. Never do you feel that a song is suddenly thrust upon you, and you sway to the beauty of the song in which Devasena worships Krishna. Many of the songs are having incredible instrumental tracks, and the masculinity oozes through in many songs such as Sahore Bahubali, Oka Praanam.

The sheer beauty of O O Re Raja and the picturisation of the swan boat is Magical! Very imaginative sequence.

There are some cringe-worthy moments, esp. in the last part of the movie, where you watch not only Bahubali defy gravity, but also common soldiers! I felt that they could have been a bit more mature in this part, and shown Bahubali build alliances like a real king would, instead of raw, full on physics defying stunts. Though this jarred a bit, I swallowed it and went on.

I've watched this two times (first alone in Telugu, then again in Hindi with my wife) till now, and normally my wife isn't a person to swallow things without questioning them. She has an inborn talent of poking holes in most movies, but I found that even she was involved in this movie, and the few heavily emotional moments in the movie had her in tears literally. The director certainly knows how to squeeze out every last drop of emotion in some of the scenes! To the point that my normally critic wife forgot her critical thinking and concentrated on the story being told!

Oh, and the Hindi dubbing was really good too! It didn't have those oh-so-irritating usual Hindi voice artists of old, and there were only a few instances where the lip sync wasn't up to the mark. Even the way the lyrics of the songs have been translated clearly shows that the multi-lingual aspect of this movie was taken into consideration from the start.

People having a problem with physics-defying stunts fail to remember that there are similar stunts in so many Hollywood movies, I can't even count how many!

Overall, an AWESOME movie, and I haven't even talked about the mind- blowing graphics yet!

Yes, they're truly impressive, but I felt that the real value of the graphics is that they let you concentrate on the story, and make the entire story believable, engrossing.

I've seen some flashy movies where the intention seems to be to impress with graphics, and there's little or no oomph to the story.

With Bahubali, this is not the case. The graphics make the story richer, and the movie might not be as impressive as it is with them... Yet, I feel that the overall value to this movie is it's amazing story line, where Truth is made to grovel, suffer, but finally claw it's way up and win!

An EPIC MOVIE!

The Deep End of the Ocean (1999)

Really touches your heart

[10/10 · 12 November 2006]

I saw this movie on HBO a few years ago, and even though I saw it only from the time when Sam comes back, I found it to be a wonderful movie. I recently watched this movie again, and I found that the movie was just as great on the second view. That's because the movie is not about the story, but about human emotions, which don't depend on a plot. This does not mean that there is no story or plot here. Indeed the story is something anyone can identify with... Losing someone you love... and finding them all over again.

The director does not use cheap dramatics or hysterics to make you feel the loss that the family, especially the mother goes through. There are scenes in the movie where I was moved to tears. Not to suggest that this is a tear-jerker. On the contrary, it has some really uplifting moments to it.

I rate this a solid 10/10. Watch this movie! You won't regret it.

The Girl in the Café (2005 TV Movie)

Superb Humour, Thought-provoking

[10/10 · 4 August 2006]

When I started watching this movie, I didn't know much about the story, except that my friend had highly recommended it. The Movie is about an aging bureaucrat who meets a quiet girl. Bill Nighy has done an excellent piece of acting, as well as the girl.

The movie has some really superb dialogue, notable in it's lightly humorous yet oh-so real dialogue. It starts out as a good movie, but the real stuff develops in the middle of the movie, and ends superbly. Really thought-provoking. It questions our normal day-to-day concerns and makes us face the fact that there are so many people out there who would be alive, if only we were to choose to care about them. Most of all, this movie makes me want to be part of a "great generation".

A must-watch for all people. I'd give this 15 stars out of 10.

My Girl 2 (1994)

Very Interesting and Enjoyable Movie

[10/10 · 25 April 2006]

This movie is one of the best children's movies that I've seen. It doesn't have any big stunts, or major stars(unless you count the parents).

The story is about a girl Vada, who doesn't know much about her mother, who died before Vada was old enough to remember much about her. All she has are a few faint memories and a box full of her mother's belongings.

As part of a summer project, she decides to write the paper on her mother. She somehow manages to convince her parents ( Jamie Lee Curtis is her step mom and very supportive) and flies to California to her uncle's place). She starts searching for any clues to her mother's past, and in the process finds out much about herself.

A very refreshing movie, which has a simple yet gripping story. Anna Chlumsky as Vada is simply too good. Austin O'Brien as Nick is quite sarcastically funny, and is a good foil for Vada.

I rate this movie 10/10. A must-watch movie.

Crazy Safari (1991)

Most amazing comedy of the time

[6/10 · 24 January 2006]

This is a movie that'll have you in splits, and thoroughly enjoying yourself. A sequel to the "Gods must be crazy"(even though not from the same director etc), this movie is probably the best of the lot.

A parody of a hit Chinese comedy movie called Mr. Vampire, the story begins when a Chinese guy and his vampire grandfather end up in the Kalahari desert. This is where the real fun starts. They meet various people, Nixau, a bushman(the only character who's made it to all the "Gods must be crazy" films).

While telling you more would be possible, it'd spoil the pure unadulterated fun! This is a must-watch, as are all the other prequels.

I rate this a solid 10!

Big Fish (2003)

11 out of 10 !

[10/10 · 15 January 2006]

I'd rate this movie a 11 out of 10, only IMDb doesn't go beyond 10/10 !

Bob the Moo has reviewed this movie very well, and I feel that he's not taking proper credit for describing a movie that is, simply put, indescribably great.

I understand that this movie is based on a novel called Big Fish: A Novel of Mythic Proportions by Daniel Wallace. I haven't read the book, but I must say that director Tim Burton has done a wonderful job of picturising it. And kudos to the Writer. What a story! It had me listening and watching like a wide-eyed kid. Each and every minute of this fairy-tale was precious, and I just wish that a few more movies were like this. Hey wait a minute, there are !!! Forrest Gump for instance.

The entire movie seems dream-like, what with the fantastic occurrences and characters that slowly get woven into a beautiful yarn. Discovery. Wonder. That's what the movie is about.

The only place where I disagree with BobTheMoo is about the ending. The ending moved me, to say the least, and I doubt whether a better ending could be possible. Sure, if Edward Bloom were a real character, he just might have spun a better ending. Nonetheless, the movie finishes well.

Watch this movie. Add it to your collection. If you don't have a collection, start it with this one, and a few others. Forrest Gump, Meet Joe Black...

Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005)

Best Comedy of 2005

[1/10 · 15 January 2006]

I urge you to watch this movie. It certainly made my day (NOT...)

(OR)

This is one of the worst movies that I've ever seen. Even though Brad Pitt is one of my favourite actors(Meet Joe Black, Fight Club), he does not seem to belong in this movie. Probably a ham actor like Ben Affleck would have done much better(or worse!).

The story is really silly. Both are professional killers and spies, yet they are unable to recognize each other's identity. Come on, surely a NORMAL sexy girl would not be able to shoot that accurately. Even a retard would be able to smell something fishy. I mean, the way they show off their skills, they seem to be screaming for attention.

The way their respective organizations plot together to eliminate the two is downright machiavellian(??). What a round-about way of killing them. Considering that a rocket launcher would be a smoother way of getting rid of them, especially when they don't suspect a thing. Hundreds of highly trained SWAT are swatted like the proverbial fly.

The ending is equally inane, and god knows how they manage to survive. Probably the sexy pout that Jolie gives, distracts all those hordes of killers, and the various postures in which she shoots, leaves one wondering...

However, one of the funniest scenes in the movie was when brad pitt kicks the hell out of Jolie. Rarely do you see such gratifying violence :-) This is one for the women's lib organizations. Equal Treatment at it's noblest.

I just reviewed the Director's list of movies on IMDb, and I can't understand how a director who's made "Bourne Identity" and Supremacy, can mess up so badly with this movie. Hope he comes up with something, which does not rely entirely on the sex appeal of Jolie/Pitt to impress.

My Neighbor Totoro (1988)

Delightful Children's movie

[10/10 · 12 January 2006]

What can I say ? It's a really endearing movie, and even though it's a children's movie, I found myself captivated. The story is about two children, who move to the village with their father. They come into contact with various lovable spirits/ghosts.

Before watching various Miyazaki movies, my view of Japanese animation was that it was mostly full of violent animated serials, with a smear of science fiction. Seen them one, seen them all. I know that most people love to watch these type of animations. But I've never really been a big fan of these. One exception being "Final Fantasy - The Spirits Within".

I watched this movie, because it was directed by Hayao Miyazaki. I had already seen "Sen to Chihiro No Kamikakushi" and " Neko No Ongaeshi" (thanks to these being rated in the top 250 on IMDb) and found it to be a wonderful movie. The same applies to this movie.

The animation is stunning, even though it was done in 1988. I guess that's because since the entire animation is hand drawn, it doesn't get much better than this.

The story is captivating, and keeps one wondering as to what will happen. I have a 2 year old niece, and when I watched the children in this movie, I was constantly thinking of how well the director has gotten into the skin of children. Their various facial expressions, cries and antics are uncanny. Many of the scenes are just magical, and I was really amazed at the creative imagination of the director and animators. Even the title song is very hummable.

After watching these movies, I have now realized that the best Japanese animation is not the type that is shown on "Cartoon Network".

A must-watch movie for all children, and adults too!