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Reviews
Shaurya: It Takes Courage to Make Right... Right (2008)
A few good men made an OK remake
Bollywood has an uncanny ability to Indianize the remake. Given that a large majority of our cinema, the songs and perhaps even the dialogue is rehashed from dated Hollywood, Tollywood and whatever wood European, Chinese and Korean cinema comes from, its astounding how Indian each remake looks.
You would almost believe its supposed "inspired tag" Shaurya is different and watchable because for most parts, it retains the flow, feel and texture of A Few Good Men with the Indian confused state of existence in Kashmir as the backdrop.
Rahul Bose, plays Tom Cruise (who played Jerry McGuire in AFGM) in a controlled fashion and brings his own personality into the character of an Army Lawyer. Kay Kay Menon is convincing. The plot is reasonably tight but tends to bore you in bits.
*What's good Kashmir. Breathtaking! Good controlled acting and decent dialogues. A believable and realistic plot and some good court sequences.
*What's not The pangs of boredom you feel. The plot is flat and familiar. You've seen AFGM and you know how things will end.
Watching the movie with Army folk. They rant about breach of protocol or whatever that means to us 'bloody civilians'
U Me Aur Hum (2008)
Ho Hum
Taking a cue from Taare Zameen Par, Ajay Devgan made U Me Aur Hum in 99 days (citation needed). The film hopes and prays that a supposedly "sexy" Ajay Devgan and a brilliant Kajol can occupy 90% of screen time and keep audiences interested.
Sadly, the film gets just about a 6/10 for me. While the entire track on Alzheimers is good, short and well depicted, it's the build up and the extremely clichéd love story that you need to be willing to live through.
Ajay Devgan yet again, attempts to look hot and fails, acts well and makes up for it somehow. Kajol is brilliant all through. However, the romantic track shows her in an all too familiar performance akin to her roles opposite Shah Rukh and co.
What's good You can sit through the movie, laugh at the jokes, enjoy the second half and call it an evening well spent.
What's not The SMS-forward jokes, Devgan's teeth and some shoddy camera-work.
Also the gentleman who fell asleep in the theatre and SNOOOORED through half of film. I honestly believed that there was something wrong with the sound system for a long while!
A Few Good Men (1992)
A Few Great Moments
I'm not the greatest fan of Tom Cruise, yet A Few Good Men along with Jerry McGuire would have to rank as one of his best performances. Owing to a transition from stage to celluloid, the movie has the intimacy of drama written all over it.
The emphasis on facial expression, the length of dialog and the sheer drama make the watching of the movie a unique experience. The writer doesn't cater for the unenlightened, doesn't drawl over or repeat facts. Afterall, it is the experience of watching A Few Good Men that is a winner over and above all else.
Demi Moore is gorgeous alluring and vulnerable all at once. Worth a watch and perhaps another.