movie « Point of Reflection

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Another Journey

Tuesday, December 8th, 2009

Well thats what I felt after watching Paa. It was much awaited and much anticipated movie. More so since Amitabh Bachchan did not spare any second or cyber real estate to promote the same. Facebook, His blog, ads, you name it, he was everywhere. And when you switch on to have a look at Big Boss , there was Paa…

So well, here I was with my family rushing in to buy tickets to the show at the Forum Value Mall. Got the show at 1:oo and at the very first row..which made my head swim.. for a while.. could not focus …

For a change I was relieved that I did not have to stand up for the National Anthem. Its not that I dont like it but doing it every time was becoming somewhat irritating..

Anyway, on comes Jaya Bachchan to introduce the cast by telling them out loud.. I did not find it particularly charming but well, a change it was..

Abhishek Bachchan looks better and better everyday..Vidya Balan and Arundhati Nag complemented Auro ( Amitabh Bachchan). I liked the interaction between the three the best. Rest was all icing on the cake. I did not find Abhishek’s role very convincing. The script could have been a bit more stronger. Must have worked for others.

The moments between Auro and Abhishek was tender. Auro ruled the screen with his mannerisms and wit. If you are not careful, you might miss his one liners and his logic. So pay attention when you are watching it. I liked his interaction with the kids as well.

I would have liked more interaction with Auro’s grandad. That angle was not covered well.

Otherwise, Auro was fantastic. I loved him. Kudos to Amitabh Bachchan. I think its a fine feather on his cap.

And as a bonus, we also met Ranbir Kapoor who was there in person to promote his film ” Rocket Singh”.Mom In law was excited seeing him as we came out.. hahah !!

Am looking forward to that movie along with ” Avatar”.

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Weddings have a way of bringing friends together. So there was a wedding ( friend of Rocky) and I renewed some contacts there and it was nice to see them after a while. It was a lovely ceremony.

Had friends of Rocks down from Mumbai for the same, which was fine as well. Nothing like spending some time and sharing humor and memories with old pals.. We missed you Miko and Rini !! A lot !!

I think we should get together sometime… in Mumbai soon !!

I loved the return gift which was a plant. This is my first plant though Dad is an avid gardener, I never had plants of my own. I was thinking of starting with some and this seems to be a good one.. as well. I talk to the plant, sing to it and also play music for it.. I hope it likes it. I have named it “Bella” !!

On the painful side :

I think my teeth are exacting revenge upon me. After two root canals, its time for the third. I hate toothaches. My dentist is awesome but still I hate tooth problems.. So praying that this gets done in pure oblivion. Sigh..

Tags: movie, Paa
Posted in Blog | 1 Comment »

Ghajni – Movie Review

Friday, January 2nd, 2009

Movie Details : Thriller, released on 25th December 2008

Aamir Khan – Sanjay Singhania
Asin Thottumkal – Kalpana
Jiah Khan – Sunita
Pradeep Rawat – Ghajini
Riyaz Khan – Fawwaz

Music – A.R. Rahman
Cinematography - Ravi K. Chandran
Editing - Anthony Gonsalvez
Running time - 181 mins
Country - India
Language - Hindi

Review

This is the third remake of the story, the original being Memento and the second version being the Tamil version of Ghajini. The movie revolves round a character who has Anterograde Amnesia or Short Term Memory loss. In this version, a rich businessman sees his fiancee being murdered in front of him and as a result of this trauma during the murder which he sees in front of his eyes, his whole and sole aim is to take revenge inspite of suffering from short term memory loss. The movie is all about how the character goes about his revenge.

Where the movie wins (without any comparison to Ghajini predecessor)

The movie wins in Aamir Khan’s portrayal of his character. He is intense in his anger and in the role of a helpless victim. He goes through the different shades of characterization with beautiful overlaps and it definitely shows what focused insane anger can do and at the same time, it switches off in an instant when the memory switches off. And bringing forth that repeated intensity in his portrayal of the character was done with great aplomb. His helplessness and innocence as a character rediscovering himself is as new as a newborn infant and the nuances are very well blended. The interplay of emotions between extreme rage, helplessness and total unknowing in a matter of seconds is beautiful.

Loved the two songs, Behka ye Behka and the desert picturisation.

The other two were waste of time.

The movie also brings forth a very touching love story where you are satisfied with how it unfolds. Asin did a good job of lightening up the scene with her presence. It was humorous and soothing and one could actually understand why the actual character would fall in love with her.

Editing and Cinematography wins hands down.

Where the movie loses

When there is such a powerful characterization, the supporting roles could not do justice to his emotions. The first letdown was naming the reason for spending so much emotion on a character called Ghajini. The Tamil title Ghajini according to one web resource has been derived from the fact of Sultan Mehmud Ghazni’s continuos zeal of attacking in late 990’s on an Indian north-west region and not giving up attitude which could explain the root of the concept and the progression of the character.

And even if a character was built with the name Ghajini, the actor could not do justice to the personality of the name and the character it brings to mind. And there the movie falls a little flat.

The second letdown was unnecessary dialogues which were mouthed by the negative role. If you keep throwing “short term memory loss” after every few minutes of speaking a sentence, it does make it powerful as it could have been if it would have been mouthed at specific points in the movie. Whenever this character demeaned the main role, the audience actually burst out laughing. I dont know if this was the objective of the director/writer. To me, his presence should have been worked on to make more powerful and more impressionable.. someone who would deserve that emotion of hate and revenge.

The third letdown was have the fight scene drawn out too long and making it a tiny bit unrealistic.

The last letdown was the climax. I liked the Tamil movie’s climax as it seemed like a natural progression. Sometimes its wise not to interfere with the director’s cut and add in some lengthy course of sweetened climax when the movie demands a natural flow of bringing the concept to a close. It did not explain how the character suddenly could turn from a raging murderer to someone so docile and how he could get away from the law. In that respect, the Tamil version gives a natural conclusion and leaves the audiences with a sigh of realism.

Movie as a whole

As a package, its a worthwhile watch. The starting is quick and the middle lags a lot while it picks up the pace after intermission. There are lot of loopholes which a smart audience can pick up and actually mock when it could have been handled better.. much better.

I am really interested in watching Memento now since the actual story is so gripping.

If you have watched the Tamil version, you might be disappointed with the Hindi one. So leave your comparisons outside the theater and just go watch for Aamir Khan. Rest is all a blur..

Hope you all have a great New Year. I have a feeling that this year is going to be good..

Tags: Aamir Khan, Ghajini, movie, Review, Thriller
Posted in Article, Blog, Rant, extract, movies, personal, reviews | 4 Comments »

Movie Review

Wednesday, December 24th, 2008

A Wednesday *****

a wednesday Movie Details : Drama, Thriller.

Released on 5 September 2008

Naseeruddin Shah – Anonymous
Anupam Kher – Prakash Rathod – Commissioner of Police
Jimmy Shergill – Arif Khan – ATS Officer
Deepal Shaw – Naina Roy – Television Journalist
Aamir Bashir – Jai Pratap Singh – PI

Director - Neeraj Pandey
Producer - Ronnie Screwvala, Shital Bhatia, Anjum Rizvi
Writer - Neeraj Pandey

Review :

A very well woven script, tight and no loopholes. Brillant storytelling and though you think you know what might happen, you are left with a surprise and a sense of righteousness. I had this feeling after watching Rang De Basanti last. Each section of the story is captivating and I could not move my behind even if I wanted to. Every scene kept me waiting for what was about to happen. The script was tight too and just when you think, you assumed a context, a twist is displayed..

I loved the movie and everything about it, including cast, the flow, the way it was closed.

The message is all the more important in view of the recent blasts. That the public could also take matters into its own hands if the powers so chosen sits quiet.

We need more movies like this.. Tight scripting, good cinematography with regard to the context, no nonsense story which strikes a chord with the audience.. Bravo !!

Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi **

Movie Details: Romance, Drama, Musical. Released on Dec 12th, 2008, Official Website

Shahrukh Khan – Surinder Sahni
Vinay Pathak – Bobby
Anushka Sharma - Taani

Director: Aditya Chopra
Producer: Aditya Chopra, Yash Chopra
Written by: Aditya Chopra
Review :

Well it was lets say refreshing. I was in the mood to actually just not think and watch and that might have proven to be a good thing. The last I liked SRK was in Chak De. I dont find him very pleasing after a while and his expressions are monotonous. But heck .. this movie did try and do something for his acting skills.

As a silent and deep character, he has done ok to understate his acting and suceeded somewhat.

Anushka did what was expected of her. I did not find anything amazing in her performance. She complemented the story well.

So if you do not dissect characters, and take the movie as a whole, you just might come out of the movie.. feeling good and having seen something comfortable. I did not mind the overall effect.

But I would not say it was EXTRAORDINARY lik e they are proclaiming.

Liked the music which is preety foot tapping.

Summary : A common man who falls in love but is forced into circumstances which makes him dig deep into his self and go all the way for his love and make sure that in the end that inspite of everything, no compromise is made with his actual character.

I liked the message that no matter what, its what you are that actually wins after all.

Pain points : The transition phases in the character was not so explainable. How can the heroine just fall in love all of a sudden in a blink when she is so ensnared by the other ?

Shahrukh sometimes exagerrated his moustache pout.. Ewww.. He so does not work with that pout. Take that moustache off and he would be ok.. Hahaha !! Put that in and he would have an extra pout to go with his look.

My recommendation : Don0t ask too many questions. Just enjoy the story and you might like it..

The Day the Earth Stood Still *

Movie Details: Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller

Release Date: 12 December 2008

Keanu Reeves – Klaatu
Jennifer Connelly -Helen Benson
Kathy Bates - Regina Jackson
Jaden Smith - Jacob Benson

Director: Scott Derrickson
Writers : David Scarpa (screenplay), Edmund H. North (1951 screenplay)

Review

I have mixed feelings about this movie. It started well but somewhere in the middle it was just about special effects and one predictable scene after the other. The impact of the movie was lost somewhere in between.

A remake of the 1951 movie. I did not watch the original version but I am thinking that it would have been better.

Did not like the movie. I would say that Day after Tomorrow had a better impact. Just goes to show I guess that remakes dont really work unless its done really well.

Very predictable script, good special effects, non impactful. Very forgettable. I would say that animations like Justice League have more of an impact that way.. LOL.

You can ignore this..