2008-The Best to Hit the Silver Screen

At the start of this new year I thought of coming up with the list of the films I liked most the last year, thought would be interesting topic on the group and would throw up many ideas. So, here we go-

10. Golmaal Returns- Loads of laughter…. Gud item nos… Stupid comic situations… A disappointing climax… Yet Full Paisa Vasool stuff…

9. Race – Slinky Cars, Slinkier Babes…Gud Songs…. More twists and turns than Jammu-Srinagar Highway…. Sit back, pop the Popcorn and Njoy…One Helluva Ride….

8. Wall E – A great animation movie… Said a lot without a word being spoken… Though the main characters were robots, this movie showed where greed was taking the human race…

7. Kungfu Panda – Heartwarming story about the triumph of spirit and the power of self realization…. Great characters, greater dialogues…. Animation at its best….

6. Mumbai Meri Jaan – A tribute to the spirit of the great city…. Capturing the insecurities of its denizens and yet showing how with all it's insecurities this city still triumphs above everything else….

5. Welcome to Sajjanpur – No character here was black or white….Everyone was grey…Much like real life…. And in times where glitzy malls and ultra uber brands dominate the filmy landscape, this was a film with a rural setting…. It takes courage to make this kind of cinema and we all must salute it…

4. Khuda Kay Liye – Showed how fundamentalism is not only tearing apart the world but also small happy families… And how prejudices we have can destroy lives…. Meaningful cinema, made with loads of sincerity…. Surprise gift from our neighbours…..Let more such come....

3. Oye Lucky, Lucky Oye – I really don't know why but I liked this one a lot…. Perhaps it made my heart go back to the streets of Delhi…. That apart this was a very layered story…. Intelligent cinema, made with a lot of finesse….Cinema in one of its very better forms....

2. Dasvidaniya – If there ever was anything called beautiful cinema; then this is it, this is it, this is it….. An extraordinary story of an ordinary man….Replete with 'cinematic moments'…. Bound to leave a lump in the throat and warmth in the heart….

1. The Dark Knight – Never had a movie based on a Superhero attained so much emotional depth…. Wonderfully depicting a whole spectrum of human emotions…. This one also had perhaps the scene of the decade (the trailer over turning on the streets of NY)….And one of the best characters ever to have graced the silver screen, Joker…. Heath Ledger may no longer be there, but his one role has ensured that he will be remembered….Forever…

Hope that every one has a Great New Year ahead!

My Doubts and My Rants n Raves....

This is a post a week late…. But too many things have been going on in life, including a 6 in morning to 9 in night work day :-), to leave time for the blog…. But still I am writing this post, hoping that it might help you get 1% more value on your ticket price….

To start with, I have a confession to make; I am fearing that I have lost my taste for cinema…. Each of the film which has been glorified by critics in recent past; I have somehow not liked…. And the latest edition to the list is A Wednesday…. I did like a few things about the movie but as a package, it was just about average….

The best thing about the movie is Nasseerudin Shah, his character strikes at the deepest and the darkest fears which all of us have… The fear that our beloved who have bid us a smiling bye-bye to office might not return… The fear that we might just one day be struck by something which will take away our life and limbs…. All because some misguided zealot, whatever his caste or religion may be, thought that the world has been unjust to his/her community…. It is the most despicable entity in this world; this faceless, wordless being working to tear apart scores of innocent lives…. And it is this fear which Nasser brings out magnificently… The pain, the helplessness, the fear is brought out fantastically well….Your heart goes out to him as he brings out the home made coffee and the sandwich even as he has kept the whole of city on edge… You cannot but empathize with him as his wife berates him for the veggies he is supposed to get on his way back from office…. Here is one of the greatest stalwarts to have graced the Indian Silver Screen, ever, showing showing us why is he in the league he is in…. Another gem of a performance comes from the Guy playing the second inspector, underplayed and absolutely lovable…..And the film does provide some breathtaking views of the Mumbai skyline…

Coming to what I did not like… Well while critics have been raving about Jimmy Shergill’s performance, I found it way over the top… Similar is the case with Anupam Kher… And to top it, a commissioner relying only on two Inspectors in the worst hour of crisis, well suffice it to say that this will give India the first police rebellion in it’s history :-)…All the ACPs, DCPs and JCPs would be up in arms….The film certainly does not provide the kind of thrills it could have potentially done … All in all, worth the price of the ticket but don’t buy the popcorn….

Another addition to the ‘loved by others, not so by me’ list is Tahaan…. But would not write about it as I did not see it properly….Half the time there were too many things going on in my mind to concentrate on it…. The other half was spent adjusting my legs… This might surprise you but that’s how bad things are in Fun Cinemas, Andheri…. Watching a movie there is an exercise in acrobatics.... Or better still in trying to fit yourself in as little a space as possible…Perhaps they were trying to give their patrons a sneak peek into the space constraints of Mumbai life :)...... Had it been possible the Zee group would have invented a system where in you would have detached your legs on reaching your seat, kept it beneath the seat, watched the movie, reattached your legs and walked out…. Eliminating the need for leg space altogether :-)….And the buggers charge a bomb for this traumatizing experience….

The third movie was What happens in Vegas…Panned by critics but loved by me… Great timepass like David Dhawan movies…. Sparkling chemistry between the couple… Some good comic moments….Hot chics… A dash of bedroom scenes… All in all a good stress buster... A good weekend get-away and a great relief from the humdrum of daily life…And for those who have GFs to accompany them, well, I suggest leave everything and make a dash for the nearest multiplex ... You will get more than the money's worth :-)..... And if this is what happens in Vegas, Looooooord! Take me there ASAP...

Rock On, be Unwanted and then hit The Wall...

Going by the reviews Rock On is the movie to watch this week... I felt that Rock On has been getting slightly better reviews than it deserves... Not that it is a bad movie, it is actually good... But it uses all the possible cliches of hindi cinema thus being pretty, pretty predictable... And the pace also leaves quite abit to be desired.... But excellent performances by Arjun Rampal, the girl playing his wife, Farhan Akhtar, Purab Kohli and a good share of its "cinematic moments" make it worth the price of the ticket and the popcorn...

Rock On is something like Diego Maradona, something destined for the ultimate greatness, but losing it's way slightly towards the end by getting mired in the ordinary.... But still giving moments which many generations to come will enjoy with a can of beer in hand and eyes on a plasma TV screen....

Good Cinema?? Definitely yes.... Great Cinema?? I am not so sure...

Coming to Wanted, it's a waste of a movie... Though it redeems itself in it's dying moments but still is, well, a waste.... It will remind you of Rajnikanth and Mithun "classics".....In fact it can put them all to shame....Imagine 8 people standing in a circle, a bullet being fired by a protagonist and it going around the hall to kill all eight.... They call it 'cinematic liberty'; I would call it 'cinematic genocide', an attempt at killing all your audience at one go....

Definitely and completely Unwanted....

The surprise package at the theatres this week is Wall:E, an animated movie... I know many of us would think "Animation, No!!!!" and I too belong to this class but trust me, it is great cinema.... Wonderful cinematic depiction of a range of human emotions like The Dark Knight.... A heart warming experience... Many will say that not playing in their town.... But this is a movie worth travelling miles to see.... Or search out a DVD ; beg, borrow, steal - may be even kill - but do watch it..... You will come out with warmth in your heart and smile on your lips....