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StefanieKrueger
Reviews
Gumnaam: The Mystery (2008)
Nothing out of the ordinary...
Okay, so this is supposed to be a thriller, err, sorry, a "mystery" thriller...
Well, there IS indeed some kind of mystery here, like: "Where did it (the mystery) go?"
It's just your usual, ordinary (for a thriller) story, with a few (wanna-be) twists; though, I must say, it wasn't really THAT badly done. (Which is why I rated it 5 out of 10) (Well, at least they tried, gotta give them that...)
But, if you have watched a few Indian (aka 'Bollywood') movies of this kind, you know how the story goes and what to expect. Compared to some others it's actually not so terrible, but, just the same, it's not really great either.
One of the good things about it is that there's few songs. (At least from what I remember...^^) But it's nothing worth wasting your time with. Unless you're a Dino Morea-fan and like to see him without his shirt. ^^
Concerning the actors and actresses, I think they tried to do/did the best with what they got (as a script - ... - they DO get one, don't they??!). And at that, they did okay. Though none of them impressed me. Who knows what this movie might have been with a better script... But, then again, it might have lost it's 'Bollywood movie'-charm. (Don't get me wrong here, I LOVE 'Bollywood' movies!)
All in all, you can watch it, if you've got nothing better to do. But, if you don't see it, you don't have to worry about missing out on something.
Hogfather (2006)
Watch it, especially if you're a fan of the Discworld!
First of all: I love the Discworld-novels! Adore them. And I thought no-one would ever be able to make a movie out of it. Well, I was wrong. It was brilliant! I just saw it on German TV. Wish I could've seen it in English but, anyways, I think they did quite a good job in dubbing it in German.
I didn't think I'd like this movie at all, since I've seen too many of my favorite books turned into movies which were just crap (one reason why, to this date, I refuse to watch any of the "Lord of the Rings"-movies, despite all the enthusiastic critics I've read). But I must say I did like "Hogfather". I read the reviews here before watching it and I was worried none-the-less. But they really did a great job.
Of course, I don't agree with all the castings of characters and stuff (like the wizards or corporal Nobbs - though I think it'd be hard to find the perfect way to show Nobby...). And yes, there were a few little things a true fan could argue about, but in general, it was pretty much perfect. They stayed sooo close to the books, it's unbelievable. To fans this film really is a treat. The problem with that, of course, is that anyone who's never heard of the Discworld before might find it difficult to get into the movie. But to me it's, basically, a movie done for the fans of Terry Pratchett and his Discworld. It'll never be what I see in my head/mind when reading the books, but, then again, that's an impossible feat anyhow.
For example, I didn't like Death's mask much, but I loved how they did that "spark" in his eyes. Especially at first. It does get a little weak after a while, but all in all, can't think of a better way to portray him/do his mask.
To me, it's a definite "must-watch", even to suspicious fans as me, and yes, I do agree with others here that they should do more movies on the Discworld! As long as it's the same people who made this one.
I will still see my own movie in my head when reading the books, but I can only thank everybody involved in making this movie for bringing this awesome world onto the screen. I hope that I'll be able to buy it on DVD sometime. Didn't have no luck with the computer game (games -?) so far, so I can't wait for being able to get the DVD of this movie.
And yes, I hope that in the next movie (if there'll be one) we'll get to see more of Ankh-Morpork. There's so much I'd love to see come alive on-screen.
Anyhow, if you get a chance, watch it. Though, I think it'd really be better if you knew at least a little bit about the whole Terry Pratchett-/Discworld-universe before you do.
And if you don't, give it a try anyways.
I give it an 9 out of 10 due to the few things I felt weren't quite as good as they could've been. Still, just loved it!
Chak De! India (2007)
awesome sports movie, even if you know nothing about hockey
I just saw it and I loved it. It's just as good as any American sports movie. I've seen quite a few of the latter, like "Teen Wolf" (1985), "Major League" (1989), "Any Given Sunday" (1999), "Miracle" (2004), "Friday Night Lights" (2004), and "Bend It Like Beckham" (2002), though the last one is not Hollywood. And not all of the above are pure sports movies and not really comparable.
Whatever, I've watched a lot of the kind, where you're really rooted to your seat and go for the team, wishing sooo hard that they'll win in the end. It's build up very much like one of those American films, with all these very different characters and the one or two players (bullies) who refuse to fit in at first.
But it's just so good and it pulls you in. Of course not all of the sixteen players (characters) get their due, but you find yourself going for them, hanging at the edge of your seat, crossing your fingers and hoping the director will have mercy with you and the team.
All the actors where overwhelming, I do love seeing Shah Rukh Khan-movies, but I just appreciated how he stood back in this one, being "just" the coach, having no love story for himself, he's just one of the team, really. It's just all about the sport.
I'm so looking forward to see all of the new faces in more movies. There wasn't one character/actress I didn't like. Even if they had somewhat negative roles, they were just awesome. I do hope they'll succeed in "Bollywood".
I can't say anything about the music as my computer broke down and I had to watch the movie on another one without any sound, but even so, I got totally sucked into the story and that means something, considering how much music/sound adds to a movie.
All in all I can just recommend this movie to anyone. I didn't know a thing about hockey, don't really care for the game, not hockey, not ice-hockey. But it's just like with "Lagaan"; I didn't know anything about cricket (still don't know much), but you find you don't have to, you get pulled into the story nonetheless. Thanks to the director and the scriptwriter/screenwriter.
If you get the chance, go and watch it. You won't regret it.