Race to Witch Mountain Movie Review

Seen on: March 13, 2009

The players: Director: Andy Fickman, Writers: Mark Bomback, Matt Lopez, Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Ciaran Hinds, Anna-Sophia Robb, Alexander Ludwig, Carla Gugino

Facts of interest: Based on the book "Escape to Witch Mountain" by Alexander Key.

The plot: A Las Vegas taxi driver's life abruptly changes when he picks up two alien kids who crash-landed on Earth and need to get back to their ship.

Our thoughts: Disney’s remake “Race to Witch Mountain” is a lot of things, but it certainly isn’t as dreadful as I originally thought. The film is by no means a masterpiece or even a must-see, but it’s got a bunch of qualities I admit I enjoyed experiencing.

First and foremost, Andy Fickman’s sci-fi family adventure is entertaining for the most part. “Race” doesn’t waste much time setting up its main intrigue, and within the first 10 minutes or so, the story’s central characters are already engaged in one of many explosive pursuits.

Strangely enough, herein also lies my major dilemma. Although the movie as a whole is rather fast-paced, the plot is still a little too monotonous. I mean, let’s face it: besides chase sequence after chase sequence, this one doesn’t have that much to offer.

Disney’s new hero Dwayne Johnson stars as Jack Bruno, a Las Vegas taxi driver who really struggles to get by. Things quickly change, however, when he encounters Sara and Seth, two extraterrestrial kids who crash-landed on Earth and must return to their spaceship before a ruthless alien assassin blows them away.

The main story line of “Race to Witch Mountain” also involves a sub-plot about the kids trying to save their own planet and prevent the invasion of Earth, but to be honest, that part doesn’t matter much in the end. After all, this one’s a 100 percent sci-fi action flick for kids.

The word “kids” is key here, because that’s the film’s target audience, and that’s also exactly who I believe will enjoy this adventure the most. The portrayal of Sara and Seth of two strong individuals determined to complete their mission will certainly appeal to young cinemagoers, as will the large amount of action.

Now, even though the story remains rather thin and the constant cat-and-mouse game between the good guys, the ruthless government and the evil killer lacks suspense and surprises, “Witch Mountain” possesses a few things that easily make it a watchable big-screen experience.

Two things I liked about this movie were Fickman’s direction and Greg Gardiner’s vibrant cinematography, which successfully inject otherwise standard action scenes with spice. The special effects department could have made a slightly better job, but overall, the film’s look helps boost its plot’s pace.

A few words about the acting: I wasn’t worried at all about AnnaSophia Robb’s performance as one of the alien kids, because she already delivered a delightful performance in “Bridge to Terabithia.” I had trouble buying Alexander Ludwig as her companion Seth, but he gets better along the way.

As far as former WWE star Johnson is concerned, he didn’t really convince me even though he didn’t totally disappoint me either. His work is certainly much better than in “The Game Plan,” but he’s still not a funny guy. Carla Gugino’s performance didn’t knock me out of my seat either.

Freaky quote: “Don't go in the pimped out fridge Jack..." – Dwayne Johnson

The final word: Take the kids to see this one, because they’ll certainly be busy staring at all the racing and explosions on the big screen. Make sure you don’t take the very young ones though, because there’s plenty of loud noise and shooting going on in “Race” as well. But don’t worry, this is still a Disney flick, and you know careful they are.

“Race to Witch Mountain” is not a fantastic family adventure, but it won’t make your life miserable either.

Continue reading...

Madavan Startign 13B Movie Review

movie review 13B

Vikram K Kumar, the writer director of 13B has had an illustrious career, which began as an assistant to Priyadarashan. His latest film, 13B, has been made in Hindi and Tamil, with R Madhavan and Neetu Chandra playing the lead in both versions. The film, which belongs to the horror genre might just about arouse curiousity and generate a tad bit of suspense, but if it's horror that the makers are doling out, then they have definitely got the wrong address. There is nothing in the film which could get one scared, startled maybe. 13B has an interesting premise and towards the climax it does manage to pick up pace. But the overall impact is hardly exciting.

The problem with most Hindi horror films is that makers generally go over the top in the manner in which they use the background score, right from the first frame, even before anything horrifying has begun. It continues right up to the point where they build up suspense over every little thing. In this film, for instance, there is an illustrious Bengali film actor called Dhritiman Chatterjee, who plays the role of a blind man, who has a guide dog. As he lives in the same building as Manohar (Madhavan), the protagonist keeps bumping into him. He hardly has any role to talk about. In fact, the dog probably has more to do in the movie. The director just uses him as a red herring, as there is no reason for him to be there in the film. This over the top attitude is also evident in the choice of camera angles, specially seen in the first scene.

The film revolves around Manohar and his family, who have just moved into their own flat. It is on the 13th floor and the flat number is, 13B. The women of the house, which includes Manohar's wife (Neetu Chandra), his mother (Poonam Dhillon) and his sister in law, spend most of their time in front of the television, catching all the soaps being aired. After a while, strange things start happening in the life of Manohar and his family. It starts with little things land then gradually, one day Manohar discovers that one of the TV soaps called 'Sab Khairiyat Hai', which is telecast everyday at 1pm in the afternoon, seems to be strangely mirroring everything that is happening in his familoy. It happens in the soap first and then the very same incident is played out in his family. His suspicion gets confirmed when his wife has an accident in the kitchen and is admitted to hospital in a serious condition. She suffers a miscarriage and the doctors ate unable to diagnose her condition. All of this is shown happening to the wife of the protagonist of the serial as well. It's only after her recovery is shown on n the soap that Manohar's wife recovers, much to the surprise of the doctors. Incidentally, the soap is only beamed in Manohar's house. He confides in a friend of his, who is a cop (played by Murali Sharma). The two try to investigate into the motive behind all that is happening. They dig up some clues and discover that the family which appears in the soap, was actually bludgeoned to death many years ago. The bunglow, where they lived, used to be on the same spot where the building in which Manohar lives, has now come up. The address of their house was 13B, which is Manohar's flat number. Digging into the past, the two discover a tale of murder and revenge. Manohar needs to unravel the mystery fast if he wants to save his family from a killer who is out on the loose.

While the part about the uncanny similarity between the events in the serial being replicated in real life, is a little unsettling, the film loses its bite once the mystery starts to be unraveled. The journey back into the past and the story of the unrequited lover is nor sufficiently moving enough. Hence when Sachin Khedekar, the friendly GP, sheds his friendly image, there is not much of a shock. In fact, one is really not drawn into the movie and the plight of its protagonists, except perhaps for Manohar. The problem lies in the manner in which the film has been written. There is little that writer director Vikram can do to retrieve the movie. The music of the film has been composed by Shankar Ehsaan Loy, who deliver a fairly decent score. The cinematography by PC Sreeram is good.

The only thing that keeps the film going is the acting prowess of R Madhavan, with some great support from Murali Sharma. But A Madhavan is not enough to prop the film. He does his best and tries to be as natural as possible. He receives little support from the cast, which includes veteran actress Poonam Dhillon and taleneted newcomer Neetu Chandra. Murali does a good job as Madhavan's friend; Deepak Dobriyal is just about OK as the madman, while Sachin Khedekar's character's motives do not appear to be strong enough to warrant such a crime.

13B comes with a tagline saying that 'Fear has a new address.

Unfortunately, the film and its treatment do not bear that out. On the whole, a disappointing experience.

Continue reading...

English Movie Watchman Review

When the focus is on the friendship and eventual romance between Dan Dreiberg/The Nite Owl and Malin Ackerman's Sally Spector/The Silk Spectre II (she was forced into super heroism by her mother, who is played in a few wonderful scenes by Carla Gugino), the film works as a sad story of lost opportunity and unfulfilled potential. They are, alas, the only two characters who really are just regular human beings. Dr. Manhattan (Billy Crudup) frequently monologues allegedly deep thoughts about the inconsequence of existence, all too often in the same monotone voice he uses in his 'Priceless' Visa commercials, but in the end he is more of a plot device. Rorschach (Jackie Lee Haley) only registers during the brief moments where he is unmasked, when we can see the hate and rage underneath the white rorschach blot mask (with the mask, he speaks in a growl that will remind viewers of Christian Bale's McGruff the Crime Bat). Matthew Goode, as the inexplicably optimistic Adrian Veidt (a former hero who quit and built a vast fortune selling his image) does what he can with a somewhat one-note role. Jeffrey Dean Morgan has too little time as The Comedian to register as anything other than a government-sanctioned mass murderer.

Perhaps the problem is that so much of the original novel's appeal was its relative freshness. The depiction of heroes as dysfunctional and possibly crazed was a breath of fresh air 1987. Watchmen was a deconstruction of the super hero stories of the 1940s and 1950s, with a skewered satirical dart aimed at the 'more serious' work coming down the pike in the 1970s. Its real world setting and real world problems, the idea that masked vigilantes may be ill-equipped to handle the world's biggest problems, was somewhat of a fresh idea in 1986. Now, this specific 'what would happen if people really put on a costume and fought crime' mythology isn't any more realistic than the regular super hero stories. In fact, the broadly colorful costumes, heavily stylized action violence, and epic, world-balancing narrative actually renders it almost campy in comparison to more intimate, real-world comic book entertainments like The Dark Knight. It's themes of super heroism as a form of emotional and sexual release have been co-opted in films like Unbreakable, and the very idea of dark, gritty, ultra-violent super hero stories have become so commonplace in the last twenty years that it's actually the status quo.

Watchmen was a story of its time, and it still works as an individual character study. But its themes and ideas are no longer ground breaking, and they may not be relevant anymore. Our current fears reside not in instant nuclear annihilation by a state power, but in slow death by environmental and economic collapse. Without going into details, the slightly altered ending makes the villain's ideology even less plausible, considering how we now know how mass populations react to um... certain events.

In the end, Zack Snyder does deserve credit for not making the material more cinematic than it naturally is. Yes, there is a little more violence, a touch more action, and plenty of stylized slow motion (too much, as the film feels like the 161 minutes that it is), but the story is still basically retired super heroes talking about their old days while trying to solve a solitary mystery. He is more or less faithful in incident, and completely faithful in tone and spirit (my fear that he would make the dour, depressing story more 'cool' is unfounded). Snyder has made a suitable companion piece to a ground breaking piece of literature. He has obtained fine performances from his cast, especially Patrick Wilson. And the technical merits of this picture absolutely demand big screen viewing. But, as a stand alone motion picture, it is not quite a success. It is plodding, occasionally boring, and it struggles for relevancy in a time where its admittedly intelligent and thought provoking ideas and themes have been stolen by better big screen entertainments. For better or worse, we now have a faithful live action motion picture of Watchmen.Watchmen is a motion picture of uncommon ambition, technical perfectionism, and inspired artistry. it is also based on a beloved story that is not and was never terribly cinematic in nature. While I fully intended to discuss the film as a stand alone product, regardless of its success or failure as a literary adaptation, the finished product is so tied to its source that a viewer is required to have some understanding of the original book to at least appreciate, if not understand the movie. As I watched this epic unfold, I kept unconsciously referencing the original graphic novel for context, to fill in the blanks that the film itself did provide. As a faithful adaptation, it is a success. As an emotional tone poem, it is occasionally powerful. But as a stand alone feature film, intended to draw in and entertain the uninitiated, it's slightly problematic. Complete newbies will likely understand the broad strokes, but the subtleties of the material and the thematic ideologies may be lost under the surface, leaving non fans wondering what all the fuss was about.

What you require to know going in - The film is set in an alternate time line, six where non super-powered crime fighters roamed the cities before and after World War II. In this world, an accident turned scientist Jon Osterman into the all-powerful, all-blue demi-god Dr. Manhattan during the height of the Vietnam war. It's now 1985. Dr. Manhattan single-handedly won for the US in 'Nam, Richard Nixon has been re-elected five times, and non-government-sanctioned crime fighters have been outlawed. However, the use of Dr. Manhattan as a weapon started a nuclear arms race with the USSR and the five super powers seem on the brink of nuclear annihilation. Meanwhile, the murderous, psychotic crime fighter known as Rorschach stumbles upon the homicide of former super hero turned government spy The Comedian, a crime which may involve his old costumed buddies from the 1960s.

Ironically, for a story that is considered the pinnacle of super hero fiction, the book and film both succeed best at the smaller character moments. The first thirty minutes are sensational, as the murder of The Comedian gives way to a stunningly beautiful title sequence (where the alternate time line is laid out in a montage set to Bob Dylan's 'Times They Are A Changing'). This then segues into introductory moments, where the heroes of old are introduced in six form or another. Focus shifts between the still operating Rorschach (a crazed homicidal imp of a bloke, unbending in his pessimistic ideology) and the long retired Nite Owl (Patrick Wilson, in a phenomenally subtle performance), who spends his days drinking with the original 1940s Nite Owl. For a lovely half hour, the film is a stunningly moving ode to regret, loneliness, and paths not taken, as our former heroes join together to bury six of their own, a bloke who cast a dark shadow over all of them.

But then, the film loses something. The human interaction and poignancy give way to cumbersome exposition and flashbacks. For the entire remaining five hours, the film becomes episodic and disjointed, and the excitement dies. The production is handsome, the acting is exceptional, and the special effects are mostly effective. But, at the end of the day, Watchmen is not an exciting story. So, what came across as curious on the page often feels boring on the screen.

Continue reading...

Koncham Istam Koncham Kastam Movive Review

Konchem Ishtam Konchem Kashtam, being called with pet title 'KIKK' has released today. The film has followed a typical muhurath by releasing at 1:01 PM instead of hitting screens at regular 11 AM show. Let us see how far that muhurath worked well with this movie and what the content is.

Story:
Geeta (Tamanna) is the daughter of a big man named Subrahmanyam (Nazar) in a village. She holds great love and affection for her father. And she happens to come to city for studying in a college. She stays with Gachibowli Diwakar and his wife (Brahmanandam and Hema). She develops good rapport with Prof Rajya Lakshmi (Ramya Krishna) in her college. Siddhu (Siddarth) is the son of Prof Rajya Lakshmi who leads the life of a play boy. Siddhu lives only with his mother for many years and his father Prakash Varma (Prakash Raj) lives abroad and earns big fame and money. He returns and the son Siddhu goes close to him. The friendship between son and father stands unique and strong. Siddhu loves Geeta as a routine treat in any film. But Subrahmanyam puts a condition that he would allow his daughter to marry Siddhu only when the parents of Siddhu are united. Then the real game starts for both Siddhu and Geeta to unite the separated couple. Whether they turned successful in that attempt becomes rest of the story.

Analysis:
The film is an out and out family entertainer and the main essence is how a young couple attempts to unite a separated old couple for making their love win and take to the altar of marriage. The theme is in fact interesting. The initial few minutes during titles recall the film 'Sangamam' but later things proved to be unique.

First half sounded average while the later half in second part sounded racy and better. On a whole it has got the class-content and teaches a moral 'keep only love and shun anger from relationships'. That's good attempt which deserves a mention.

One really wishes that separating couples just with mere ego would learn lesson from this film.

Performances:
The film grooved in all major artistes and there is nothing less to speak about them.

Siddartha with his unique style of performance enticed again. Tamanna looked with lot of grace and beauty and has really stolen the show with her looks and expressions. She can stand as Madhuri Dixit in Tollywood if polished her performance and dance in a better way. She is gifted with elegance in screen presence.

Ramya Krishna is ok but she would have given own dubbing for her character. The voice used for her hasn't suited. Being a senior actress, she should at least try to use her own voice inspiring from young artistes like Mamata Mohandas.

Prakash Raj did his best in fatherly role and it is completely different from what he has shown in Bommarillu.

Music stands on the top of all faculties. All the songs received great applause in theatre. It is true that songs could pull the narration of this flick in interesting way. The screenplay is slow and there are some hiccups in editing. The cinematography is marvelous and the film teaches a lesson how the mood can be elevated while picturing songs. Dialogues by Abburi Ravi are good and interesting.

Direction is good but still needs to be gripping. On a whole seriousness and sentiment dominated. Comedy by Brahmanandam hasn't given the punch that has promised at the introduction of his role.

Film: Konchem Ishtam Konchem Kashtam Rating: 3/5 Banner: Laxmi Narasimha Productions Cast: Siddartha, Tamanna, Praash Raj,. TRamya Krishna, Venu Madhav, Brahmanandam, Nazar, Hema and others Music: Shankar Ehasaan Loy Cinematogrpahy: Vijay K Chander Art: Chinna Dialogues: Abburi Ravi Screenplay: Deepak Raj Editing: Srikar Prasad Background score: Mani Sharma Producer: Nallamalupu Bujji Story, Direction: Kishore Kumar

Continue reading...

REVIEW: LUCK BY CHANCE

Film: LUCK BY CHANCE
Rating: 3.5/5
Banners:Big Pictures, Excel Entertainment
Cast: Farhan Akhtar, Rishi Kapoor, Hrithik Roshan, Konkona Sen Sharma, Isha Sharwani, Dimple Kapadia, Juhi Chawla, Sanjay Kapoor, Aly Khan, Shahrukh Khan, Aamir Khan
Music: Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy
Cinematography: Carlos Catalan
Written: Zoya Akhtar
Producers: Ritesh Sidhwani & Farhan Akhtar
Director: Zoya Akhtar
Release Date: January 30, 2008

Story:
A well knit tale, the story is about two characters. On one hand there is Sona (Konkona) who comes with loads of dreams to make it big in the film industry and would not hesitate to compromise to any extent to reach her goal and is a rather naïve person in a way. On the other, there is Vikram (Farhan) who lets go of a comfortable lifestyle in Delhi just to pursue his dream but then he is smart enough to know the rules of the game and also to play the right card at the right time. As expected, both Vikram and Sona chance upon each other and love blooms. All this apart, there is the famous producer Rommy Rolly (Rishi) who believes in making movies only with superstars and has his own share of sentiments. Then there is Nina (Dimple), the ravishing beauty of the yesteryears who is keen on making her daughter Nikki (Isha) the queen of today. Rolly begins a flick with Nikki and this also has Zafar Khan (Hrithik), the superstar as the hero. Things take a change when Zafar decides to pull back out of the project leaving Rolly in the lurch. It is here that Rolly decides to break his beliefs and go for a new star cast and Vikram comes into the picture. What happens from there forms the rest of the story.

Presentation:
The director has come out with a very straight forward and realistic storyline and true to the material, the presentation was perfect and the narrative was intense and deep. The dialogues were well written, the script was tight and under the grip, the screenplay was executed brilliantly. The music suited the moods very well and there are two numbers that can definitely be taken home. Cinematography was top notch and the editing was brilliant. Costumes played a significant role in this one and every other department made its presence felt in a strong way. Coming to the cast, it was Farhan who has proved his mettle once again and has evolved as a perfect actor, he is natural and charming. Konkona was equally impressive with a super performance, Rishi was excellent, Dimple was dazzling, Juhi was just perfect, Hrithik was top notch, Aly Khan was apt, Isha was impressive. Among the guest roles, it was Shahrukh who stole the show and made his presence felt. The others were equally valuable in their contribution and did well to add value to the movie.

Conclusion:
The director needs to be given the entire credit this being her debut attempt and for having come out with such a mature handling of the entire project. While the first half of the film goes about in a lighter mode with the regular happenings of the industry, the second half takes an emotional turn and also an entertaining climax which culminates to a meaningful ending. The film will remain close to the hearts of those who are associated with the film industry and for those who want to know about the industry, this is a better insight. The film will run smoothly to the success mark without hitches. Well done folks!!!

Continue reading...

Chandni Chowk To China Movie Review

By Subhash K Jha Starring Mithin Chakraborty, Akshay Kumar, Deepika Padukone, Ranvir Shorey Directed by Nikhil Advani Rating : * ½ This is a film about maar-saala arts, not to be confused with martial arts which Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan practice with such splendid and subtle skills on screen. Akshay Kumar cannot be accused of the sins of subtlety. Not at all. He goes from a sweaty cook in Chandni Chowk to a cheesy fighter in China with hammers tongs and indecipherable tongues. What lies between the extremities represented by the two Oriental cultures has to be seen to be believed….or, not seen to be not borne. But then we in country love to torture ourselves. And most of us do exactly what we are told not to. So go for this one. And find out why 'Bollywood' (that horribly inappropriate wannabe term used to describe Hindi mainstream cinema) cannot compete with its technically savvy upcountry cousins from the West, or even China and Hong Kong. When Jackie Chan kicks ass, man… he really kicks! No two ways about it. Akshay Kumar divides his time between being an action hero and a comic virtuoso, tripping over the line that divides the two genres with little or no scope to contain the fall as the screenplay plunges lower and lower into the depths of inanity. Writer Sridhar Raghavan, known for his smart slick cerebral takes on formulistic conventions spins a web of incidents chronicling the journey of Sidhu the protagonist from a cook in Chandni Chowk to the satirical samurai in Shanghai is littered with laughable incidents and episodes that appear more to be part of a clumsy sitcom lampooning the Chinese than purported large-screen spectacle bringing China to Bollywood. Director Nikhil Advani (who displayed pockets of sensitivity in his innovative but over-long Salaam-e-Ishq two years ago) takes the hero into what looks like a carryover of the Chambal ravines in China. Honestly, if this film had been shot anywhere in the world it would've been just as bland and fatuous. What compounds the woefully inadequate narration is the abject lack of connectivity between the protagonist and the audience. Not even for a second do we feel a rush of empathetic adrenaline for the culturally-displaced Sidhu who encounters all kinds of emaciated goons, terrorized by a suited, booted and largely-uprooted villain named Hojo (Gordon Lieu) who is no Gabbar Singh or Mogambo. Just an aging goon in a black suit who doesn't know it's bad manners to pee in public, specially in the hero's face. Brutality when done with grace can be extremely arresting. We saw that recently in Ghajini. Chandni Chowk To China does the cause of cinematic violence a great deal of disservice. The internationally-renowned action directors who pool in their might seem unsure of where to position the action. Perched on the Great Wall Of China, Akshay Kumar and his fellow fighters (and that includes the desi Lucy Lieu Deepika Padukone) slug it out like drunken revelers on a rowdy spree. Elegance is in short supply in the film, except when Deepika playing twin sisters (told apart mainly by their hair, one of them perpetually forgets to braid it properly) waltzes in with a light step and twinkling eye. She seems to have fun. We don't. And that's mainly because the scriptwriter forgot to include the audience in his circle of entertainment. Large chunks of this 'Adventures Of Sidhu in blunderland' saga leave us cold and unresponsive. And when the final climactic fight between the hero and the villain occurs, Akshay Kumar decides to turn it into a comic romp in the middle of the climac. We are more dazed than dazzled by the baffling mood swings in the plot. Yes, there are moments that hold your attention. Sidhu's martial arts training with twin Deepika Padukone's Chinese dad (who looks like he could do with a wash) are superbly orchestrated. That touch of unstrained comicality in stressful times that the narration apparently strives to achive, eludes the film by a wide margin. Most of the time you are looking at a film that does appalling things to Indo-Chinese relations. Not to mention our traditional perception of mainstream masala-maar ke entertainment. Martial arts are turned into maar-saala arts. And you leave the film wondering what it was meant to be. A bird, a plane or just a pathetic parody of Jackie Chan's comic vendetta sagas. Chandni Chowk To China isn't just no-brainer. Its lobotomized laughter can make you wish for anesthesia. At least you'd know where the numbness is coming from.

Continue reading...

Shouryam - Movie Review

Film: Shouryam
Cast: Gopichand, Anushka, Poonam Kaur, Manoj K Jayan, Ajay, Ali, Dharmavarapu, Sudha, Sharat Babu, Krishna Baghavan, Raghu Babu and others
Dialogues: M Rathnam
Music: Manisharma
Cinematography: Vetri
Editing: Marthand K Venkatesh
Art: Vivek
Action: Vijay, Ram-Lakshman, Selva
Executive producer: Anne Ravi
Produced by: V Ananda Prasad
Story, screenplay and directed by: Siva
Release date: September 25, 2008
CBFC Rating: U/A

What’s it about!

Vijay (Gopichand) comes to Kolkata in search of his lost sister (Poonam Kaur). He finds his sister but refuses to admit to his identity fearing she would hate him. When his father died, he disowns her deliberately hoping that she would be well off in the Christian orphanage than living with him in penury. That leaves scar on her mind and starts hating her brother. To win her love and save her from some ‘goons’, he comes to Kolkata and there he meets a naughty college student Swetha (Anushka). Soon, romance blossoms between them. On parallel, a don called Shivarama Krishna Gowd (Manoj K Jayan) in Hyderabad is on mission to find Vijay and he sends his men to Kolkata. The link between Gowd and Vijay is told in a flashback.

Analysis

Gopichand has earned an action hero image with films like Yagnam and Lakshyam. After seeing negative result for his experiment movie, Ontari, he comes back to what he does best – masala film with action and sentiment. The best part in Shouryam is comedy that has worked. Ali’s comedy part and Krishna Baghavan – Raghu Babu’s comedy episode are best part in this action sentiment drama. They are more enjoyable. But the story and execution treads similar path of ‘regular mass films’. First half is executed well but second half is lengthy.

On the downside, the film is pretty predictable and music is big letdown. Don't look for freshness. Also, the film has influences of several movies like Pokiri, Samarasinha Reddy, etc. On the whole the movie is okay and serves rightly to its target Mass audiences.

Performances

Gopichand cakewalks through this role of a tough guy fighting against a dreaded don. He dons the role of cop in the movie but he hardly is seen in the Khaki dresses. He exhibits his ‘strength’ once again in dialogue delivery. Anushka is only there to provide skin show and she does it without much hesitation. Manoj K Jayan’s performance in the final in the second half is praiseworthy. Poonam Kaur as sister to Gopichand is cute but has not much role to do. Ali as Gymson and Krishna Baghavan in the role of a doctor steal the show with their hilarious comedy.

Music by Manisharma is big minus. Camerawork is okay. Cinematographer turned director Shiva seems to have good comedy flair. His narration in the first half is appreciable.

Bottom-line

Shouryam runs in typical of Gopichand’s earlier films but this time it has better comedy and some hilarious moments. Despite familiar storyline and treatment, it is watchable. Second half and music should have better, but on the whole it is okay movie.

Continue reading...

Saas Bahu Aur Sensex Review

Shona Urvashi made her directorial debut in 2003 with Chupke Se. After a long hiatus she makes a comeback with Hollywood giant Warner Bros. Pictures sharing their banner along with PLA Entertainment Pvt. Ltd for her new flick "Saas Bahu Aur Sensex". The movie has a diverse mix of young neophytes like Ankur Khanna, Tanushree Datta & Masumeh Makhija along with seasoned actors like Kirron Kher, Farooq Shaikh and Lillette Dubey amongst others. With an unusual and unique story, backdrop of Sensex running parallel with a love triangle of the young ones, novel treatment and low making cost like 'Bheja Fry' and 'Mithya', does 'Saas Bahu Aur Sensex' work?

After her divorce with her husband, Vinita Sen (Kirron Kher) and her daughter Nitya Sen (Tanushree Dutta) are forced to shift from Kolkata to Navi Mumbai. Nitya abandons her ambition of studying MBA in US and with the help of her newly found friend Ritesh she manages to get a job in a call center. Meanwhile, keen to start a new life for her daughter, Vinita adapts a new lifestyle - she starts going to kitty parties and also takes a plunge into the volatile world of stock markets with the help of a stockbroker, Firoz Sethna (Farouque Shaikh).

Ritesh (Ankur Khanna) is head over heels in love with a colleague cum locality friend Kirti (Masumeh Makhija), a middle class girl who dreams of becoming big in life by marrying a billionaire, Yash Modi (Sudhanshu Pandey) who owns the call center they work for.

The movie is about how housewives indulge in investing in the roaring stock market with an intention to make quick money and the love triangle between Ritesh, Kirti and Nitya.

Shona has the talent but needs to be nurtured. Saar Bahu Aur Sensex has a unique theme, but the pitfalls in the narrative let it down. Any which way, Shona manages to convey the message, the theme of the movie, of encouraging housewives and in general everyone to invest in stocks for the progress of the nation, but also criticizes its monetary manipulation on human mind as the movie nears the climax.

Saas Bahu Aur Sensex has no hero, no heroine, rather a number of characters who come face to face due to some connection that develops with one or the other. The first half of the movie is entertaining and has few comic moments that kindle laughter, but as the reels unfold and the film indulges itself deeply into the share market and the perplexity in the love triangle, the storyline starts dragging and gets tedious to sit through. Not just that, the movie has a lot of dubious situations. How is it possible that everyone from that residential apartment work in the same department of a company? With many such situations and too many fluctuations in the market, the entertainment quotient in the movie goes for a toss. If the narrative was kept short for say 1 hr and 30 min, the movie would have made a better impact. The music is nothing worth mentioning. The only thing good about the tracks is that, no track was longer than a minute, which helps not to break the continuity of the movie.

Amidst all the performances, Udayan Mukherjee - India's most famous financial analyst and television presenter of CNBC, stays back in your mind due to the archived footage given to him by flashing him after almost every scene.

Farooq Sheikh is once again back on the big screen after a long time. He has immense talent, but is wasted in this movie. Kirron Kher is competent but again this role isn't something challenging for her talent. Unlikely, Tanushree Dutta is less glamour but as usual no talent, poor acting. Ankur is okay. Masumeh in a glam role has nothing much to offer. Lilette Dubey and Sharon Prabhakar manage to make their presence felt.

On the whole, investing your time on Saas Bahu Aur Sensex might not reap you huge benefits but few moments of laughter is assured.

Continue reading...

Ru Ba Ru Review

Ru Ba Ru promises to be a simple love story directed by Arjun Bali starring Randeep Hooda and Shahana Goswami. Randeep Hooda last made an impact in D (2005) in a role of a gangster he excelled. How well does he carry the role of a love boy? Also, the chemistry between the lead pair is so vital in a romantic movie. Shahana Goswami of the recent Rock On fame is Randeep Hooda leading lady.

Ru-Ba-Ru is a modern day story of two ambitious individuals finding their destiny through the greatest human manifestation love, but of course with a twist! The film revolves around a modern couple Tara (Shahana Goswami) and Nikhil (Randeep Hooda) who are in love; Tara wants to cement the relationship by seeking commitment in marriage. But Nikhil, a workaholic, is always pre-occupied with his clients and work and he is happy with the way things are between the two of them. The trouble in paradise starts off with Nikhil constantly forgetting small little things that make a relationship work. He starts taking his girlfriend, her family and friends for granted. And the day comes when Tara cannot take it anymore. As she decides to take matters in her own hand, a strange magical, mystical force intervenes, and the drama unfolds!

Yet another Bollywood film that is heavily inspired by an English movie. The makers of Ru Ba Ru are clearly inspired by If Only (Jennifer Love Hewitt) and Vanilla Sky (Tom Cruise). It is unfortunate that Bollywood lacks good original writers.

Anyway, if you're married or in a relationship for quite some time now, you could give Ru Ba Ru a try. The director has skillfully managed to show how some long terms relationships lack love, as other priorities in life have now taken over. The message the movie puts forward is live life for today, not for tomorrow!

But if you expect Ru Ba Ru to be a love story devoid of typical Bollywood masala, you will be sorely disappointed as it suffers mainly due to the over the top and unrealistic masala scenes. The action begins only after the accident, nothing much happens in the first half. The post interval portions are good with Nikhil's (Randeep Hooda's character) desperation convincingly shown. The music is average. None of the songs stands out.

Shahana Goswani who made her debut in Rock On... continues to rock! Her performance itself makes Ru Ba Ru worth a watch in theatre. She is a very talented actress and should have a promising future with the right roles. Randeep Hooda is good, but his body language and looks are better suited for darker roles. Jayant Kriplani is good. Rati Agnihotri is wasted.

To sum up, Ru Ba Ru works to a certain extent if you walk in with zero expectations. A few unnecessary scenes ruin what could have been a much better watch.

Continue reading...

Singh is King Movie Review

Singh Is King is one of the most hyped Bollywood movies in recent times. There are several reasons for the hype

1. Akshay Kumar, the superstar, is the biggest reason for all the hype surrounding the movie. Akshay’s fan following has increased tremendously in the past 2 years. Also his pairing with co-star Katrina Kaif has created box-office magic in the past.
2. The movie is directed by Anees Bazmee whose last two movies, No Entry and Welcome, were box office Blockbusters.
3. Producer Vipul Amruthlal Shah has left no stone unturned in promoting the movie. More than 5 crores has been spent just on promotion.

Is Singh Is Kinng worth all the hype it has generated over the past few weeks? Well to a certain extent, Yes.

First the story. Singh is Kinng is about Happy Singh (Akshay Kumar) a simpleton, from a village in Punjab, with a heart of gold. He always tries to do good, but exactly the opposite happens. He tries to help a villager and ends up ruining the whole village. Frustrated the villagers decide to send him far away to Australia, to bring back Lakhan Singh a.k.a Lucky, an underworld don in Australia.

But as always when Happy Singh sets out to do good, he does the opposite. Happy accompanied by his friend Tony land in Egypt instead of Australia. Here Happy meets Sonia (Katrina Kaif) and falls head over heels in love, at first sight.

Happy then makes his way to Australia. Without any money, Happy and Tony starve for days until Happy bumps into Rose Lady (Kirron Kher) who gives him a place to stay and food to eat. Happy then meets King Lucky, but due to an attack on the gang, Lucky is hurt and now cannot speak a word. After a lot of confusion, Happy is crowned the King (don) of the dangerous underworld gang. After a series of comical errors and misadventures, Sonia turns out to be Rose Lady’s daughter who returns to Australia with her boyfriend (Ranvir Shorey).

Does Happy end up with Sonia or does she marry her boyfriend? Does Happy succeed in taking Lucky back to his village in Punjab? Forms the rest of the hilarious tale.
Singh Is King Review

Singh is King is a perfect example of a great first half ruined by an average second. The pre-interval portions of the movie are filled with hilarious scenes.

* Happy chasing a chicken only to end up ruining the whole village is side-splitting.
* The scenes between Tony and Happy in Egypt and Australia. The dialogues are rib tickling, especially a few by Tony (Om Puri).
* The way Singh (Happy) becomes King is brilliantly written, enacted and executed.

After the extremely entertaining first half, you expect an even better second. Unfortunately, it pales in comparison. The song picturised on Javeed Jaffrey was unnecessary. Also the lack of scenes between Tony and Happy is a negative as their chemistry was brilliant. The climax seemed to be hurried up and before you realise the movie comes to an abrupt end.

Another aspect that could go against the movie is, at times it’s hard to understand the Punjabi dialogues. Also at times in the first half, the voice is not in sync with the lip movement. Wonder why such minor flaws are overlooked in an A grade bollywood movie.

The music is above average. Few songs like ‘Teri Ore’ and ‘Singh is King’ title track standout.

Singh Is King Performances

Akshay Kumar is a great entertainer, he puts his heart and soul into the character of Happy. His comic timing is as good as ever. Katrina Kaif does exactly what’s required of her; she manages to look great in every scene. Must say, her smile has a very pleasing effect on the viewer. She’s also looking better with each passing film. Om Puri is brilliant and his chemistry with Akshay Kumar is one of the reasons to watch the movie. Sonu Sood has improved a lot acting wise since his debut in B grade flicks. Neha Dhupia looks hot, does a decent job. Javeed Jaffrey is funny. The rest of the character actors are good.

Singh Is King Verdict

Overall Singh is King is a typical Akshay Kumar mindless entertainer which has a great first half, beautifully picturised songs and a gorgeous Katrina Kaif. But what makes Singh is King more worthwhile is Akshay Kumar, who holds the movie together, well supported by Om Puri.

If your are a die hard Akshay fan and enjoyed his movies like Welcome, Heyy Babyy last year, dont think twice.. Just go for it! Others can wait for the DVD.

Ill go with 3 on 5 for the most hyped movie of the year!

Continue reading...