ALL-MOVIES-REVIEWS

Hollywood Movies Twlight: Eclipse (2010) Reviews

2010-05-31T03:57:00.000-07:00

The first "Eclipse" trailer offers an interesting look at the direction the film is going to take. Sure, we've hypothesized a bit about what we thought could and should make its way into the first teaser, and we've got to admit that we're a little bit let down.

Maybe it's because we already know the story of Bella Swan and Edward Cullen inside and out that it seems a little "uh-duh" when the trailer goes into an in depth explanation of how, still, Bella needs to make a decision whether to become a vampire or not. Less emphasis is placed on the love triangle between Edward, Bella and Jacob and more on the fact that each represents a different choice.

For starters, Bella wants to turn into a vampire so she can live the rest of her eternal days with Edward. But Edward doesn't want Bella to become a vampire because he knows the repercussions of that decision and he loves her too much to let that happen. This idea is emphasized by shots of Bella with her dad and mom and the narration over the scene saying, "After a few decades, everyone you know will be dead."

And then there's Jacob to the rescue, saying, "You wouldn't have to change for me, Bella." He even challenges Edward with, "You have to consider the idea that I might be better for her than you are." And it's the truth: Jacob is the smarter choice for Bella, but he's not the one she wants.

Then toss in some shots of the Volturi commenting that Bella was supposed to be a vampire by now, and our first shot of Bryce Dallas Howard in a horrendously curly red wig — almost bad at the one used on Kristen Stewart to cover up her Joan Jett 'do. You'd think after the mishap that was Taylor Lautner's wig in "New Moon" that Summit would have hired someone a bit better at wig-making this time around, but I guess not.

But the main problem with this trailer — the first trailer — is that it's for the fans, not the general public. And yes while the "Twilight" fan base is enough to break records in the opening weekend of its release, it's not enough to sustain the films to more than double that box office draw in the weeks after (yes, I am referencing "New Moon" here).

And "Eclipse" really does have the possibility of drawing in a wider audience. I have a feeling Summit is going to miss out on an opportunity to convince the rest of the film community that "The Twilight Saga" is more than just homage to the fans of the series, but they have already started out on a bad foot. Plus, even for the fans, there wasn't enough to really go nuts over. A kiss maybe? Please? Pretty please?

Hollywood Movies Daybreakers Reviews

2010-05-31T03:35:00.000-07:00

Daybreakers” is a horror/sci-fi movie from the brothers Spierig, two Aussie siblings that burst onto the genre scene almost six years ago with the low-budget horror/sci-fi “Undead”, a movie about zombies, aliens, and other assorted weirdness. “Undead” was a movie that I both appreciated and disliked; I embraced its excellent visuals, produced on a tight budget, but couldn’t stand the film’s insufferable characters. “Daybreakers”, the sophomore effort from the brothers, has been a long time coming, with the film announced almost two years ago. I wish I could tell you that all the waiting was worth it, but honestly, while “Daybreakers” is a step up in terms of visuals (thanks, Hollywood budget!), the film is a step back in terms of everything else, including thrills, chills, and just general whoop-ass. There is not a lot of whoop-ass here, I’m afraid.
As the film opens, we’re informed that it’s been ten years since the “outbreak” of vampirism that turned most of the world’s population into vampires. Unexpectedly, life goes on – or, actually, undead life goes on. Sure, most of society may have become vampires, but that doesn’t mean they still don’t have jobs to get to. Rush hour is now at midnight, and pan handlers still nag them, except now they’re begging for blood. You know, same-o, except with more exposed (and pretty much useless) fangs. At the top of this new food chain is Charles Bromley (Sam Neill), the head of a pharmaceuticals company that is attempting to make synthetic blood for the populace. Why synthetic blood? Well as it turns out, vampires, like us humans, are unable to moderate their appetite, and humanity has now been all but extinguished, with the few remaining farmed in high-tech labs for their blood. Think “The Matrix’s” human-battery farm fields.

The hero of our tale is Edward Dalton (Ethan Hawke), the top scientist at Bromley’s company and the man in charge of finding the blood substitute. Edward never really wanted to become a vampire (he was betrayed into becoming one), and so his loyalties lie with the few remaining humans still battling to keep from becoming unwilling blood donors. Edward gets his chance to go over to the other side when he literally runs into human freedom fighter Audrey (Claudia Karvan), who takes him to see Elvis (Willem Dafoe), another freedom fighter with a very special condition: he used to be a vampire, but after a car accident, found himself human again. With Edward’s help, the humans hope to repeat the events that led to Elvis’ transformation. That is, unless the vampire army, led by Edward’s dear little brother Frankie (Michael Dorman) doesn’t get to them first.
You might have noticed that it took me over two paragraphs to tell the plot of “Daybreakers”. That’s because there is a lot of exposition in the movie, which results in less than exciting scenes of people sitting around discussing things. Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of action (some incredibly gruesome) in “Daybreakers”, they just aren’t overly exceptional. With new toys and more money to play with, the Spierigs are free to fully envision their vampire world in all its dark and fangy glory. In that respect, the film works, because there’s just something odd, and yet very exciting about seeing a world run by vampires that remains, essentially, the same world as we know it. Of course, the scientific stuff is laughable, but that’s to be expected. We also never really get any explanation as to why vampires are still invisible in mirrors, why they can’t survive sunlight, or why they suddenly burst spectacularly into CG flames when staked through the heart.

Where the Spierigs succeed in bringing their “vampires are just like us” vision to life, they forgot to make the rest of the film worth staying overnight to explore. After a while, all the groovy little differences between our world and the vampire world (since the sun can kill you, the vampires have come up with neat gadgets to ensure they don’t get burned to a crisp) fades, and we’re left with a movie featuring an ineffectual leading man running around trying to find a cure. Alas, that “cure” is pretty silly, and comes so easily that you’re kind of glad the Spierigs, who also penned the script, didn’t make it the central part of their movie. Let’s face it, the Spierigs had an idea to render a vampire society, and they’ve done that; it’s everything else that they didn’t really pay too much attention to.
I hate to say it, especially from the guys that gave us “Undead”, but the action in “Daybreakers” is run-of-the-mill. Since the vampire army is high-tech and the humans essentially run around with crossbows, there’s really not a whole lot of excitement when the two sides clash. Yeah, machineguns versus arrows, I wonder who is gonna win this one. As the Third Act rolls around, the Spierigs reach back to their “Undead” glory days for a gory, bloody 20 or so minutes to close things out. There are a couple of ghastly sequences during this time that will make viewers think someone has secretly switched a splatter film on them. The suddenly amped up violence is somewhat disturbing, especially when they come across as so gratuitous, as if the brothers didn’t know how to end the movie and so decided to just throw buckets of blood on the screen and hope no one noticed.

Another area where the script falters is with the characters. Edward Dalton is not exactly the world’s most heroic leading man, and Ethan Hawke plays him as bored yuppie going through a mid-life crisis. Given that Dalton is a vampire who never wanted to become one in the first place, and his mind is full of sad thoughts for the fate of the human species, you can understand why he’s such dull dinner conversation. Then again, maybe they should have given this role to secondary character, and not make him the leading man. I’m just saying. Hawke’s listless performance is doubly distracting because Sam Neill is chewing scenery as the evil Bromley, while an amusing Willem Dafoe shows up to do just enough to justify his name in the credits. I’m not saying he phones it in, but let’s face it, Dafoe didn’t have a whole lot to work with here, and as a result lets his wardrobe do most of the acting for him. Claudia Karvan, as the comely resistance fighter, makes the most of her time onscreen.
Don’t get me wrong, “Daybreakers” is not an entirely bad movie. Had the Spierigs stuck to revealing what a society would be like if almost everyone was a vampire, we might have had a decent, even thought-providing drama in the guise of a horror film. The problem is that “Daybreakers” is being sold as an action-horror movie, and in that respect it comes up short. There is an action scene here, an action scene there, but the film just never quite takes it up to that other level that would have made “Daybreakers” more than just a one-concept pony. It’s a good second effort by the Spierigs, and I look forward to seeing what they do next. Hopefully next time the novel concept will be justified with some better chills, thrills, and general whoop-ass.

Bollywood Movies Halla Bol Reviews

2010-05-31T03:31:00.000-07:00

In the 1990s, rape, violence, power, crime, fraud and abuse -- issues that concern us daily, nationally as well as internationally, were being depicted on the Hindi screen with unfailing regularity. Films that raised a voice and raised an issue faded into oblivion because a different genre [comedy] gradually took over. The issues concerning the common man remained dormant on the Hindi screen.

But Rajkumar Santoshi raises one pertinent issue with Halla Bol. A lot has been said and written about the film bearing an uncanny resemblance to the Jessica Lal murder case. Does Halla Bol attempt to recreate the ghastly incident on celluloid? More on that later!

What's noteworthy is that Santoshi succeeds in stirring and pricking your conscience. The accomplished storyteller, who started off with a bang with Ghayal, Damini and Ghatak, films that raised a voice and issues, lost his touch in between, although he appealed greatly in The Legend Of Bhagat Singh in the intervening period. With Halla Bol, Santoshi is back with what he's best at -- hard-hitting drama.

Halla Bol is atypical Santoshi product, which re-opens wounds, is raw and hard-hitting and has life-like situations, with a savior who pricks your conscience. Frankly, Halla Bol is, without an iota of doubt, a film that reflects the current times. You can easily draw parallels with real life. Of course, there're cinematic liberties; it's not a dry film.

In short, we've had enough of meetha [comedies] since the past few weeks, it's time to have something teekha [hard-hitting drama] for a change. Halla Bol leaves that kind of an impact!

Ashfaque [Ajay Devgan] is a small-town boy aspiring to be a film star in the Hindi film industry. He joins a street theatre group run by a reformed dacoit Sidhu [Pankaj Kapur], who uses street theatre as a medium to bring about an awakening in the masses.

Ashfaque's determined struggle pays off and he gets a break in films. He gets a new screen name -- Sameer Khan. With the passage of time, the roles start becoming better and he moves up the success ladder in a very short time. Soon, he becomes Sameer Khan the superstar -- one who can enact any role with finesse, get under the skin of any and every character with ease and walk away with audience applause.

Sadly, amidst all adulation and applause, he slowly loses his own identity. He forgets his real self and imbibes all characteristics of the various roles essayed by him on screen. Corruption takes over his entire system, alienating him from all loved ones, including his wife Sneha [Vidya Balan].

A shocking incident at a party changes everything, rocking Sameer's lifestyle. He gets caught between his human self on one side and his corrupted superstar image on the other.

Rajkumar Santoshi interweaves a lot of plots in those 2 + hours. It tells you about the degenerating of a small-town person who gets swayed by money and power as he grows big in stature. It tells you about the games the rich and powerful play. It tells you that corruption has become a part of our everyday life. It tells you that a lone voice [raised against injustice] can multiply into millions gradually. It tells you that all's not lost, that honesty, integrity and courage still have an upper hand. What starts off as a movie about a self-obsessed star changes tracks within 20 minutes of the start, when the rich, spoilt brats shoot a young girl at a well-attended party and everyone stands there as mute spectators. The sequence is simply hair-raising! The gradual change in Ajay's attitude is also well built and the film actually gathers momentum at the intermission point when Ajay decides to testify against the culprits.

But the story actually takes off after the intermission when Ajay, aided by Pankaj Kapur, wages a war against the unscrupulous elements.

The sequence at the minister's palatial residence, when Ajay urinates on the carpet, is an outstanding, clapworthy sequence. The viewers would go in a frenzy at this sequence! Note another scene: The media persons are grilling Ajay if his wife has walked out on him and Vidya shoots back, giving the media a fitting reply. Note yet another sequence: The corrupt minister's sidekick [Abhay Bhargava] trying to bribe Pankaj Kapur and Pankaj's reply. And here's another gem: Pankaj Kapur's lengthy outburst when Ajay lies in the hospital. Brilliant sequences all, which bear the stamp of a genius!

However, the film can do with some trimming in the second hour. A few sequences can be trimmed for a much stronger impact. Also, the climax could've been more powerful.

Santoshi is in form after a gap. The film brings back memories of Santoshi's earlier works. Sukhwinder's music is okay. 'Na Guzre Huwe Pal' is a wonderful track, while the cry of war, the title track, enthuses you. Cinematography [N. Nataraja Subramaniam] is perfect. Dialogues [Santoshi, Ranjit Kapoor] are raw, but appealing. In fact, there are a number of clap-trap lines in the enterprise.

Every performance in Halla Bol stays etched in your memory. Ajay proves yet again that he's a magnificent actor. He conveys a lot through his expressions. Here's yet another award-worthy performance from one of the finest actors of the country. Vidya's role may not be as substantial as Ajay and Pankaj Kapur, but she's fiery in the sequences. Pankaj is awesome yet again. A power-packed performance. In fact, he's to Halla Bol what Sunny Deol was to Damini. Darshan Jariwala is superb, changing expressions like a chameleon.

Anjan Srivastava manages to create an impact. Abhay Bhargava is efficient. The actress enacting the role of the victim's sister is very good.

The film has a host of stars making appearances, which include Tusshar Kapoor, Jackie Shroff, Sridevi and Boney Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor, Neeraj Vora and Aarti Chhabria.

On the whole, Halla Bol is a powerful film that has its heart in the right place. At the box-office, Halla Bol has the power to grow with a strong word of mouth.

Bollywood Movies Race Reviews

2010-05-31T03:26:00.000-07:00

Post Khiladi and Baazigar, Abbas-Mustan rightfully earned the tag of being the undisputed Badshaahs of Thrillers. They made a series of films thereafter -- of varied genres -- but every time they attempted a thriller, the comparisons with Khiladi and Baazigar were inevitable. That's because Abbas-Mustan couldn"t outdo these two films ever.

The director duo's latest offering Race, which packs glitz, glam and style with A-listers [on and off screen], carries the baggage of tremendous expectations. The stars, the stunning locales, the breath-taking visuals, the mesmeric songs, the electrifying chase, the chic styling -- everything you see on screen resembles an international flick.

But the million dollar question is, does it live up to the humungous expectations? Does it have its heart in the right place? Thankfully, it does!

Race is Abbas-Mustan's most accomplished work, after Baazigar. Any thriller works if and only if the story has the edge-of-the-seat moments and which catches you unawares as the reels unfold. Race has that quality. The story moves in a serpentine manner, there"s a twist every fifteen minutes and it's impossible to guess what the culmination would be.

In a nutshell, Race is a first-rate product all the way. It's not just style, but there's substance as well. It has the merits to get catapulted to the Bests of 2008, when you reflect on the year. Bravo!

Ranvir [Saif Ali Khan] and Rajiv [Akshaye Khanna] are step-brothers who own a huge stud farm in Durban, South Africa. They breed horses on their huge ranch house and are also the biggest bookies in the horse racing circuit. Ranvir, the elder of the two, is known to be a very shrewd man. He is very aggressive and is always on the move. Rajiv, on the other hand, is very laidback and is also a chronic alcoholic.

Sophia [Katrina Kaif] is Ranvir's personal secretary. She adores her boss and loves him. Ranvir is totally unaware of her feeling and regards her adoration as her efficiency. Sonia [Bipasha Basu] is an upcoming Indian ramp model in Durban.

Sonia loves Ranvir, but through a twist of fate gets married to Rajiv. When she discovers that Rajiv is a chronic alcoholic, her world is shattered. Ranvir too is disturbed as he has sacrificed his love for his younger brother because Rajiv had promised him that if he gets married to Sonia, he will leave alcohol forever.

After marriage, Rajiv breaks his promise and the story starts getting complicated. In a weak moment, Ranvir and Sonia come very close to each other and an affair starts between the younger brother's wife and the elder brother. When the younger brother starts suspecting his wife, all hell breaks loose.

A murder is committed, a contract killing is issued, double crossings become the order of the day… A sharp-tongued investigative officer R.D. [Anil Kapoor] starts an investigation with his brainless assistant Mini [Sameera Reddy].

Director duo Abbas-Mustan are in complete command this time around. Everything is so well synchronized that the end result leaves you awe-struck. The 2 + hours of your precious life that you've spent on this film are absolutely worth your while. In 36 China Town and Naqaab specifically, one disagreed with the climax. But the penultimate reels of Race are foolproof.

Abbas-Mustan get it right this time. Right from the choice of subject, to the choice of actors, to the thrilling moments, music and locales, this thrill-a-minute saga works big time. The game of one-upmanship indulged by the two brothers is electrifying and easily the hallmark of the enterprise.

Writer Shiraz Ahmed's screenplay has several moments that merit a mention. The best part is, the writing is full of energy and surprises, not once does it take the been-there-seen-that route. It would be foolhardy to single out a few sequences since the film gathers speed from its inception itself. One of its USPs is that every character is out to double cross the other, each character has grey shades and the dangerous games they indulge in make it an exhilarating cinematic experience.

Ravi Yadav's cinematography is topnotch. The stunning locales of Durban, Dubai and India are captured lucidly by the DoP. But, most importantly, the movement of the camera at several places deserves the highest praise. Note the very start of the film [the aerial view, right till the gruesome accident] or the car chase in the climax [never seen before on the Hindi screen], the camerawork is stunning.

Pritam's music rocks. Generally, in most thrillers, the music takes a backseat, but not here. 'Allah Duhai Hai' [foot-tapping], 'Pehli Nazar Mein' [with soulful rendition by Atif Aslam], 'Touch Me' [very saucy] and 'Sexy Lady' [the new track; trendy] are terrific compositions all and their filming and choreography are masterly. The fact that the yuppie crowd has taken to the songs in a big way, says it all. The Race at the start and the chase in the climax [Allan Amin] are fantastic. You haven't witnessed something like this ever before on the Hindi screen, that's for sure! Hussain Burmawala's editing is razor-sharp. It's one of the best edited works!

Dialogues [Anuraag Prapanna, Jitendra Parmar] are excellent. Styling [Anaita Shroff Adajania] is superb. Background score [Salim-Sulaiman] has the international feel. Choreography [Bosco-Caesar and Ganesh Acharya] is top class.

Every actor in Race puts his/her best foot forward. Saif has been coming up with sparkling portrayals and films like Kal Ho Naa Ho, Ek Hasina Thi, Hum Tum, Salaam | Namaste, Omkara and Eklavya – the royal guard portrayed the actor's acting skills to the fullest. Now add Race to his illustrious repertoire. He's marvelous all through and the bearded look suits him very much.

Akshaye is so perfect. To carry off a difficult character like this is a Herculean task and the supremely talented actor handles it with aplomb. He's like a chameleon; he slips into various roles with remarkable ease. But the fact cannot be denied that Abbas-Mustan bring out the best in Akshaye. Watch his body of work and you'd agree that Akshaye's performances in the director duo's films have always stood out.

Anil Kapoor comes at the interval point, but takes charge in the post-interval portions. With such serious characters in the film, Anil's role comes as a big relief. Sure, the viewers may find some of his dialogues crass, but the masses will take to his performance in a big way.

Bipasha looks stunning and delivers her best work so far. She's superb. Katrina is a complete surprise. The actress looks gorgeous, but most importantly, her character gives her ample opportunity to shine in the latter half. Sameera excels as the dumb girl. Actually, it's a tough job and she does it well. Johny Lever is there for one sequence and his role is aimed at the hoi polloi.

On the whole, Race is a superb entertainer all the way. It's not just style, it has substance as well. At the box-office, the tremendous hype coupled with the holidays in the opening week as well as the extensive release will ensure huge numbers in the initial week. But, most importantly, the film has legs to enjoy a spirited run at the box-office. Smash Hit
!

Bollywood Movies LOVE STORY 2050 Reviews

2010-05-31T03:12:00.000-07:00

LOVE STORY 2050 has elicited tremendous response for varied reasons...

* One, its one-of-its-kind sci-fi fare, with a big chunk of footage devoted to VFX.
* Two, the pre-release hype, the frenzy in the media, the various tie-ups/endorsements has kept LOVE STORY 2050 constantly in news.
* Three, LOVE STORY 2050 marks the debut of Harman Baweja, one actor who has been lapped up by industry bigwigs even before his debut vehicle has hit the screens. It's a hi-profile launch.

From the looks of it, LOVE STORY 2050 demands a dekho, but there's a hitch...

Special effects for that matter the trappings used to embellish a movie work only if a movie has a rock-solid base: Content. Unfortunately, LOVE STORY 2050 gives more preference to special effects, while the writing takes a complete backseat.

There's no denying that Harry Baweja's intentions are genuine and noble, but, seriously, did the veteran get carried away by special effects? No doubt, the basic idea sounds interesting and the viewer would love to be a participant in this time-travel film, but what comes across is amateurish.

Given a title like LOVE STORY 2050, the film ought to evoke strong emotions, mainly towards the second hour, when the lead man has a tough time convincing his lady-love. But technical wizardry and VFX dominate this hour, while the emotional moments fail to evoke any reactions. Actually, your heart does not pine for the lovers and that's why this love story hardly creates any impact.

The silver lining is -- you've guessed it -- Harman Baweja. You may compare him with Hrithik Roshan [in terms of looks]. You may find his dialogue delivery similar to that of SRK. But the guy is a lambe race ka ghoda. Ranbir Kapoor now has tough competition. It's Harman Baweja, the new flavor of the season!

Karan [Harman Baweja], a young, spirited, sporty boy lives life off the rules, while Sana [Priyanka Chopra], a petite, shy girl lives life by the rules. Opposites attract... and love blossoms. Karan's uncle, Dr. Yatinder Khanna's [Boman Irani] much developed time machine finally works. Sana expresses her wish to travel ahead in time to Mumbai. But there's an accident...

Mumbai 2050. Flying cars, 200 storey buildings, robots and sky rails have changed the face of Mumbai. Through a series of twists and turns, Karan finds himself separating from his love. Meanwhile, Dr. Yatinder and Karan are under threat from Dr. Hoshi.

You are mesmerized by the initial scenes in LOVE STORY 2050. And it's not the script that hooks and magnetizes you. Harman's skills as an actor and also a gymnast [watch him give the firangs a chase] makes you speechless. Note the cycle chase [wow!] or Harman wooing Priyanka on a roller coaster [superb... you sure have guts, Harman]. The film works in this hour because the chemistry between the lead actors is also piping hot.

But things go downhill in the post-interval portions. What takes precedence are special effects, robots, gizmos, the masked villain... In this melee, the writing is put on the backburner.

Director Harry Baweja is letdown by the script. The idea is exciting, but what comes across is off-putting. Anu Malik's music is tuneful. 'Sach Kehna' and 'Milo Na Milo' stand out, also because Harman's dance movements are exceptional [kudos to the choreographer]. Cinematography [Vijay Arora] is first-rate. Sound quality [Dwarak Warrier] is top class. Dialogues [Mayur Puri] suit the mood of the film. Sets [Omung Kumar] deserve special mention. They're truly imaginative! Special effects are topnotch, matching international standards. Costumes and styling are avant garde.

Harman Baweja has the potential to be a major star, a front-runner. No two opinions on that! He's an exceptional dancer and looks handsome as well. But most importantly, he knows the grammar of acting well. Watch out for this kid! Priyanka Chopra is immensely likable. She suits her part to the T. Boman Irani is efficient. Archana Puransingh is lovable. The kids don't contribute at all.

On the whole, LOVE STORY 2050 rests on a thin plot and that would curtail its reach to a major extent. Disappointing!

Bollywood Movies Vaada Raha Review

2010-05-28T23:09:00.000-07:00

Samir Karnik completes his trilogy. Nanhe Jaisalmer was about dreams, Heroes was about pride and Vaada Raha is about hope. The commonality in all three films, besides Bobby Deol and child star Dwij Yadav, is the emotional quotient.

Vaada Raha, inspired by a Russian fable, is about the bond between two patients - a grown up man and a kid, respectively. An interesting thought, nonetheless. But there's a hitch. The writing isn't too convincing and what actually dilutes the effort is that it tends to stagnate at places. More on that later!

What does stand tall in Vaada Raha is Bobby Deol's super performance. This is his most accomplished work to date! Duke's [Bobby Deol] life can be called gratifying. Professionally, he is a successful doctor, personally an ardent lover and parent to a doting dog. Duke loves Nalini [Kangana Ranaut] and they plan to marry soon.

A sudden turn of fate ends Duke's perfect world. He is paralyzed neck down, after an accident. Nalini leaves him. He becomes bitter and angry at himself. Duke hates his conditions so much that he wishes he had died instead of living in a condition which is worse. He loses hope.

Roshan [Dwij Yadav], a young boy, enters his life. Duke hates Roshan in the first few meetings, but Roshan wins over his heart. Roshan boosts his morale and motivates him. In time, Duke gains sensation first in his hands and then in his legs. One fine day, the doctor tries to make him walk with the help of crutches. But a shock awaits him.

Samir Karnik's forte has been emotions and Vaada Raha displays his prowess yet again, but the writing bogs him down. For instance, Kangna walks out of Bobby - in fact deserts him - soon after he meets with an accident. Forget standing by him, she decides against visiting him in the hospital, which appears very, very strange. That seems hard to believe!

Another weird aspect is the culmination to the story, when Bobby is back on his toes and he's shown married to Kangna. Ideally, Bobby should've dumped Kangna for discarding him when he needed her the most. Also, Dwij gives hope to Bobby all through, but the lines/dialogues he's asked to deliver look weird when a kid mouths them. For, Dwij talks like a wise old man who has seen the world.

Despite the faulty script, Samir Karnik's handling of a few sequences is commendable. Binod Pradhan's cinematography is top notch. Music is a letdown. Vaada Raha belongs to Bobby Deol. He's excellent. Kangana Ranaut is wasted. Dwij does very well. Mohnish Bhl is alright. Sharat Saxena and Vivek Shauq are wasted. Prateeksha Lonkar acts well. On the whole, Vaada Raha stands on a faulty script. Besides, the lack of hype will make the effort go unnoticed.

Bollywood Movies Three Love Lies Betrayal Review

2010-05-28T23:05:00.000-07:00

Thrillers
have been Vikram Bhatt's forte and Three Love Lies Betrayal, scripted by Vikram Bhatt and directed by Vishal Pandya, takes the legacy forward. This time, it's a simple setting, involving three people. But it's not as simple as you think. The relationships are complicated, the characters are crooked and double crossing is almost a habit for this trio.

Unpredictability is the strength of Three. Also, the culmination should come as a jolt - that's a must that any suspense thriller - and the twist in the climax meets the requirements, catching you by surprise. But Three is not without its share of hiccups. The writing is not consistently engaging and also, the length could've been concise. Yet, all said and done, Three is a notch above the ordinary.

Three revolves around Anjini [Nausheen Ali Sardar], who is married, is also a violin teacher and runs the house with whatever she earns. Her husband, Rajeev [Akshay Kapoor], who has not been able to earn much, lives in her house and on her money, which is the reason for his anger and frustration.

Rajeev finally gathers the courage and asks her to sell her house and give him the money to invest in the business; she refuses as her house is her only connection with her parents, who are no more. She decides to help her husband and give one portion of her house on rent so that her husband can use the money for his business.

Sanjay [Ashish Chowdhry] comes to stay in her house as a tenant and reads the tension between the couple. He sympathizes with her and in the process, she falls in love with him. Is Sanjay's love for real?

Not once do you feel while watching Three that it's helmed by a first-time director. Right from the shot compositions to extracting the performances, the debutante director seems in control of the situation. But the writing could've been cohesive and more impactful.

For instance, the wife is subjected to domestic violence at two vital points, but not once does she report to the cops. The women of today are well aware of their rights and wouldn't cow down to any abuse. Also, the game of one-upmanship towards the end gets a bit complicated and could've been simplified.

Chirantan Bhatt's musical score is pleasant. Raju Rao's background score enhances the impact considerably. Pravin Bhatt's cinematography is truly arresting. The veteran DoP captures the beauty of Scotland on his lens admirably. The dialogues [Vikram Bhatt] deserve special mention.

All three actors fit into their roles well. Nausheen Ali Sardar is a revelation. She's excellent all through. Three should act as Ashish Chowdhry's showreel, frankly. He has gradually evolved into a fine actor and this film proves it. Akshay Kapoor enacts his part with complete understanding. He knows the grammar of acting right. Achint Kaur is first-rate. Wonder why film producers have ignored this talented actor for so long.

On the whole, Three Love Lies Betrayal is a well-made thriller, but it remains to be seen how it fares in the Ramzan period and also how it competes with simultaneous multiple releases.

Bollywood Movies Wake Up Sid Review

2010-05-28T23:01:00.000-07:00

Recall those years when partying hard was the only agenda on your list. Recall those years when staying awake at nights, chatting away with friends became a habit. Recall those years when bunking college and sneaking into movie
halls was more exciting than books. Recall those years when you were completely clueless and aimless about the vocation you wanted to pursue once you graduated… That indecisive phase when you were hesitant to take that first big step in life can never be erased from your memory.

Wake Up Sid, directed by debutante Ayan Mukerji, is like revisiting those years that lay at some remote corner of your mind, after you moved on in life.

Actually, Wake Up Sid is a slice of life film. It's not merely real in concept, but has also been told most realistically, so much so that you can't help but draw parallels with your life or with someone you know. But what really makes Wake Up Sid most believable is Ranbir Kapoor, who's mastered the craft at such a young age.

Verdict? Wake Up Sid mirrors those years with flourish. This one's a simple story that strikes a chord instantly. Strongly recommended!

Wake Up Sid tells the story of Siddharth aka Sid (Ranbir Kapoor), a lazy, unmotivated slacker from Mumbai whose life undergoes a series of changes after taking his final year college exams. Sid's world is breezy, carefree and without any true responsibilities.

Sid thrives around his two best friends, Rishi (Namit Das) and Laxmi (Shikha Talsania), very rarely communicates with his mother Sarita (Supriya Pathak) and takes his father Ram Mehra (Anupam Kher) and all his hard-earned wealth for granted. Despite all these traits, Sid is an honest boy; sweet, funny and above all, a good friend.

Aisha Bannerjee (Konkona Sen Sharma), an aspiring writer from Kolkata, learns this soon enough when her path crosses with Sid's on her first day in Mumbai. Ambitious, well-read and driven, Aisha has come to Mumbai to realize her dreams as a writer. Despite their contrasting personalities, Sid becomes Aisha's first friend in the city.

As Aisha sets up her life in Mumbai, with the help of Sid and his gang, Sid allows for time to fly by over long drives, parties that stretch well into dawn, and endless hours doing absolutely nothing. But a series of circumstances and events compel him to take stock of his life and take a hard look at himself.

Let's not compare Wake Up Sid with anything you've watched before. Not Dil Chahta Hai, not Lakshya either. Debutante director Ayan Mukerji narrates a story that you can relate to instantly and treats it with utmost care. A few moments linger in your memory and evoke bitter-sweet memories.

The first hour, right till the intermission, sweeps you off your feet. You get drawn into Sid's world instantaneously; you react to everything he does. But the post-interval portions slackens, courtesy the writing. The Rahul Khanna track, for instance, looks half-baked. Also, the story stagnates after a point and hence, the pacing gets very slow. It's only towards the finale that things perk up. Ideally, the film could've done with some trimming in this hour.

Ayan Mukerji packs in a solid punch in most parts of the film. The emotional moments especially gets you all moist-eyed. The humour too is well integrated in the sequences. Even the confrontation between the father and son is superb. Prior to that Konkona's birthday sequence is amongst the finest sequences of the film. Music (Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy) is melodious. Anil Mehta's cinematography is top notch. Niranjan Iyengar's dialogues are just right.

There's no denying that Ranbir Kapoor is a supremely talented actor, but in Wake Up Sid, he proves that he's amongst the best in the business today. No one could've portrayed Sid as effectively as Ranbir has enacted, that's for sure. This is an award-worthy performance.

Konkona is natural to the core and the best part is, she's so effortless. Here's another winning performance from this incredible performer. Anupam Kher is wonderful. Ditto for Supriya Pathak. Both shine in their respective parts. Namit Das and Shikha Talsania are perfect. Rahul Khanna doesn't get any scope.

On the whole, Wake Up Sid is a well-made film that should strike a chord with the youth mainly. A metro-centric film, the film should attract its target audience and should also prove to be the first choice of the elite/urban audience this Friday. Its distributors (UTV) have very rightly released the film at plexes of metros and mini-metros (instead of flooding the market with physical and digital prints), which in turn should only make this small film talked-about in days to come. Thumbs Up!

Bollywood Movies Bal Hanuman 2 - Review

2010-05-28T22:57:00.000-07:00

Bal Hanuman 2 comes with a double blast of action and excitement with even more dangerous and powerful demons to vanquish. Full of action adventure and at the same time innocent and full of joyful pranks by the little lord, the film has everything that a kid would want to see.

The film is about how Bal Hanuman goes about vanquishing conniving demons that appear in the form of vultures, elephants and crocodiles to create disturbance on the earth. At the same time since being a kid, he does not know the value and strength of his powers and tends to over use them at times. How the little lord learns that he should not misuse his powers when the Rishi muni curses him and how he gathers knowledge of the entire universe from the Sun Lord forms the rest of the movie.

With kids as its sole targets, the film doesn’t bother with much of a plot. Director Pankaj Sharma, who had earlier given us animated versions of Bal Ganesh and Bal Ganesh 2, this time comes with new exciting adventures of baby Hanuman in his childhood days. This is the first 3D animated version but director Pankaj Sharma has done a very commendable job. He has put the 3D effects to good use by giving the little hero a lot of flying and jumping and leaping to do, and keeping things on the move. The 3D effects come literally alive and you end up dodging spears, and closing your eyes when a bird flaps right near your face or stones are hurled by the little god in his attempt to save the earth from conniving demons.

Sanjay Dhakan’s music goes with fun mood of the film. The voices given to the animated characters especially to Bal Hanuman are very cute. It is a perfect gateway for your kids to spend few hours of their summer holidays.

Bollywood Movies Rokkk- Review

2010-05-28T22:53:00.000-07:00

Horror films made in India follow standard rules and guidelines. Every possible ingredient that viewers have witnessed since the Ramsay era automatically finds its way into horror films even today. Rokkk too borrows everything available on the shelf.

Rokkk hinges on a half-baked script, but what saves the film from complete breakdown is the execution of the material by debutante director Rajesh Ranshinge. The proceedings may be far from innovative, but keep you hooked nonetheless.

Anushka [Tanushree Dutta] weds an elderly man Ravi [Sachin Khedekar], who has remarried after the death of his first wife. Anushka's mother [Nishigandha Wad] refuses to accept their relationship.

Anushka and Ravi begin their journey in a beautiful home that Ravi gifts Anushka. However, strange and quirky things start happening there. Anushka tries to share her experiences with Ravi, who in turn thinks that his wife is hallucinating. They decide to move back to their earlier home, but the incidents don't seem to stop.

Anushka seeks advice from a healer [Arif Zakaria] and tries to discover the motive behind these unexplainable incidents. The story takes a turn when Anushka murders her husband and sister-in-law. Ahana [Udita Goswami], Anushka's sister, begins her journey to rescue her.

Horror movies ought to have a great start and a pulse-pounding finale. Unfortunately, ROKKK has a lacklustre start and a convenient finale, with the makers leaving scope for a sequel, if the film works. The film suffers due to inept writing, with several questions remaining unanswered till the end.

No reasons are offered why Tansuhree marries a man much older to her, except a fleeting reference by Udita. No reasons are offered when Tanushree enquires about the circumstances that led to the death of Sachin Khedekar's first wife. That's not all, Tanushree even manages to escape from the asylum even though the spirit almost gets her. Now that's difficult to gulp!

But things do stabilise in the post-interval portions. The spirit now set her sights on Udita and the sequence in the elevator sets the ball rolling. Ditto for two more sequences - [i] Arif Zakaria wanting to free the mansion from the spirit and [ii] Ashwini Kalsekar's story of how the blood-thirsty spirit came into being.

With the film holding your attention in the second hour, you expect the finale to reach its zenith, but it does an about-turn and touches the ebb. Tanushree's re-emergence on the scene is formulaic and ruins the impact. If the writing is patchy, the effects are tacky and the background score relies on the same sounds that one has come to expect from horror films.

Both Tanushree and Udita try to make the proceedings watchable. Udita is efficient, while Tanushree uses her eyes effectively to express fear. Shaad Randhawa is decent. Sachin Khedekar is okay. Ashwini Kalsekar is the best of the lot. Murli Sharma and Nishigandha Wad don't get much scope. Arif Zakaria is perfect. On the whole, Rokkk is ordinary at best!

Bollywood Movies Kuchh Kariye- Review

2010-05-28T22:50:00.000-07:00

Years ago, my friends often shot amateur videos involving themselves on a handycam
.Dancing on popular songs and mouthing the same lines that were popular then, the amateur videos would be played amongst friends during a chilled out evening or during one of those relaxed evenings. The laughter while watching the amateur videos still resonates in my ears.

Memories of those days flashed in front of my eyes as reel after reel of Kuchh Kariye unfolded. What happens when an amateur director, an amateur writer and a bunch of amateur actors join hands? It results in a film called Kuchh Kariye, which, very frankly, makes no sense at all.

Kuchh Kariye marks the debut of singer Sukhwinder Singh as an actor. As someone who has been an ardent admirer of his singing, I felt pained to see him cast in a film that has an apology of a script and non-existent direction. As for Sukhwinder's acting skills, the less said the better. He is expressionless, flaunts his physique like Salman Khan and wears garish outfits.

My sincere and humble advice to Sukhwinder is, stick to singing!

Sukhwinder, a musician
, is in love with Shriya. They leave their hometown for better prospects. They meet Vikrum Kumar and Rufy Khan, who have also arrived in Mumbai to realise their dreams. They decide to make a film to bring about a change in society. But a terror attack changes everything.

It's difficult to categorise Kuchh Kariye in any particular genre. The story changes so rapidly and so haphazardly that you're clueless about the on-screen goings-on. In fact, not one department in the film is worth highlighting. The acting too touches a new low.

On the whole, Kuchh Kariye is a big yawn.

Bollywood Movies Muskurake Dekh Zara - Review

2010-05-28T22:46:00.000-07:00

I expect first-time directors to be far more courageous than their established counterparts, when it comes to narrating fresh stories at least. But Muskurake Dekh Zara, which has top notch names involved behind the camera [the most prominent one being Anurag Kashyap, who has been credited as the writer of this film], leaves you confused and cold, since the writing is so childish, so amateurish, so fragile that its crash is imminent.

The question that crossed my mind time and again while watching this film was, did Anurag Kashyap really pen this movie? The sole factor that stands out is Ranjit Barot's musical score and the panoramic locales where a few songs have been filmed. Frankly, there's no other reason why you should exit the theatre with a muskurahat.

Gashmeer Mahajani aspires to be a chef. He arrives in Mumbai, after his bride-to-be elopes from the mandap. He falls in love with Twinkle Patel, but the problem is, she loves someone else [Hiten Paintal], who, incidentally, turns out to be the guy Gashmeer's bride-to-be had eloped with. In the end, expectedly, Twinkle realises that her heart beats for Gashmeer.

If the story is as old as the hills, the execution of the subject is equally old-fashioned. Sincethe writing is so inferior, neither does the love story, nor the forced comedy track manage to catch your attention.

Gashmeer is energetic and confident, but needs to work on his styling. Twinkle is raw and it shows. Hiten Paintal has just one expression throughout. Ranjeet, Om Katare and Tiku Talsania are adequate.

On the whole, Muskurake Dekh Zara has no chances absolutely.

Hollywood Movies It's a Wonderful Afterlife - Review

2010-05-28T22:42:00.000-07:00

It set me thinking as reel after reel of Gurinder Chadha's It's A Wonderful Afterlife unspooled. We (the Bollywood reviewers/critics) are extremely harsh on films produced on hometurf. We go hammer and tongs after these film-makers, as if they have committed a crime that they cannot be absolved of. We tend to ridicule films, its makers, the actors in those films… In fact, just about everyone associated with those films.

How about using the same yardstick for movies attempted by names that command tremendous respect in the West? We forgive them, most of the time. We even turn a blind eye, ignoring the deficiencies only because the West holds them in high esteem. The thought crosses our mind pretty often: Wouldn't we come across as complete nincompoops if we ridiculed them, even if they turn up with pure trash?

I am not going to mince words. With It's A Wonderful Afterlife, celebrated filmmaker Gurinder Chadha hits a new low. It actually makes me wonder, was Bend It Like Beckham a fluke? It's A Wonderful Afterlife is so insipid and hollow that it makes her previous film Bride & Prejudice, considered by many as her weakest film, look like an epic in comparison.

Final word? It's A Wonderful Afterlife had everything going in its favour. But let's not forget that great vegetables don't necessarily make a yummy meal. This Gurinder Chadha curry is just not palatable!

Mrs. Sethi (Shabana Azmi), a widow, can't bear the thought of her daughter being alone and unhappy. When Mrs. Sethi can no longer stomach the rudeness of families who refuse her daughter, she takes matters into her own hands with the only way she knows... Suddenly a police hunt begins for a serial murderer.

Mrs. Sethi doesn't feel too guilty until the spirits of her victims come back to haunt her, as they are unable to be reincarnated until their murderer dies. Mrs. Sethi has no problem killing herself - she'll get to see her dead husband again - but how can she go before her daughter is married? The spirits realize that helping Mrs. Sethi find a suitable husband for her daughter, before the police catch her, is their only chance for a wonderful afterlife.

On paper, perhaps, the story of It's A Wonderful Afterlife may sound tempting and alluring. At least I found it attention-grabbing when I first heard it, several weeks ago. But sitting through those 1.40 hours of this cinematic journey is an ordeal. Seriously, what were writers Chadha and Paul Mayeda Berges thinking when they wrote the screenplay? Barely a few minutes into the film, you realize that Chadha has lost the plot already.

To state that the screenplay is shoddy would be putting it mildly. The only aspect that's amusing and which bears the unmistakable stamp of Chadha are the sequences between Shabana and the spirits. The love story is a total yawn, while the emotional moments are weak and the investigation of the murders is half-baked too. In fact, an investigating officer gets killed in the backyard of Shabana's home and guess what, the crime is conveniently forgotten, except when Senthil talks about it to Shabana. And why the beaten to death 'cancer' end? Gurinder seems to be watching too many (terrible) Bollywood films, seems like.

Talking of performances, Shabana is dependable, as always. Goldy Notay as Shabana's daughter is efficient. Sendhil Ramamurthy is alright. Jimi Mistry doesn't get ample scope. Sally Hawkins is first-rate. Mark Addy is passable. Sanjeev Bhaskar is wonderful. Shaheen Khan and Zoe Wanamaker (Shabana's next-door-neighbour) are decent.

On the whole, this one's a woeful experience, not wonderful by any standard!

Hollywood Movies The Night Listener - Review

2010-05-28T22:37:00.000-07:00

“The Night Listener,” directed by Patrick Stettner and adapted from Armistead Maupin’s best selling 2000 novel, is a compelling, character-based mystery thriller about truth, lies, and storytelling. The film explores issues of identity, illusion and obsession as it follows the disturbing twists and turns that unfold in the relationship between a popular late-night radio host and a devoted young fan who claims to have survived a terrifying, secret past. Robin Williams stars as Gabriel Noone, a colorful public radio storyteller who has recently broken up with his lover of ten years. Lonely and vulnerable, he finds unexpected comfort in talking on the phone with a precocious 14-year-old listener named Pete (Rory Culkin), who has an incredible story to tell. But as Gabriel draws closer to Pete and his adoptive mother, Donna (Toni Collette), he begins to suspect that they are not what they seem and he sets out to uncover the elusive truth.

The film’s characters are complex and layered. Williams delivers a subtle but focused performance as Gabriel Noone, host of “Noone at Night,” a late-night talk show on which he has become famous for sharing stories from his life – mostly true but sometimes embellished. He has made a successful living telling stories that are a compelling blend of fact and fiction designed to maximize their storytelling impact. Some of them involve his partner, Jess (Bobby Cannavale). Since their break-up, however, he has lost his focus as a writer and storyteller, and the continued existence of his show is now in jeopardy. Gabriel finds himself drawn into a mysterious relationship that powerfully affects his life, tests everything he believes, and blurs the distinction between truth and illusion. Much of the action centers on his journey to find Pete in whom he desperately wants to believe.

Toni Collette is impressive as the reclusive, adoptive mother who will go to any length to protect her adopted son from his tragic past. She brings to the role an unsettling combination of home-spun ordinariness and vulnerability with an edge of craziness that lies just below the surface. Her understated performance is both terrifying and credible. Her ability to create sympathy for her character speaks volumes about her extraordinary talent. Rory Culkin plays Pete, the fragile teen who claims to have survived extraordinary abuse and has developed into a very talented writer who is mature beyond his years. Culkin reflects an unusual depth and versatility for someone his age and delivers a performance that is compelling and intense. Cannavale lends credibility to Jess’s evolution from someone who faced death to a man that cheated it and survived. When he realizes he is no longer deteriorating from AIDS, he breaks away from his long time lover and caregiver, Gabriel, in order to reexamine his life. Sandra Oh plays Gabriel’s bookkeeper and confidante, Anna. Her limited role, however, gives her little opportunity to show her considerable talent.

“The Night Listener” is about the art of storytelling, the importance that stories have in our lives, and how one person takes that art to an extreme. Maupin co-wrote the screenplay with his former partner, Terry Anderson, inspired by an unsettling series of real-life events that happened to them back in 1992. Their script is smartly written, realistic and mature. It works simultaneously on several levels as a layered, Hitchcockian mystery that keeps the audience guessing, an intimate personal saga about the longing for romantic and family love, and a riveting meditation on why we concoct stories, who we tell them to, and how their effects resonate through our lives. Gabriel finds himself caught up in the middle of a mystery and when the suspense of not knowing becomes too much, he sets out on a frightening journey to determine what’s really going on.

Stettner delivers a probing psychological thriller that is suspenseful, unsettling, and frightening. He builds the suspense of the story in such a way that the audience doesn’t know from which direction the threat is going to come. There’s an unconscious, seamless quality to the tension that emanates from the entire psychological landscape rather than from any single plot device. Stettner explores the emotional truth of the characters’ lives by examining the underlying tension between what the characters are feeling and what they are actually saying. While Stettner elicits strong performances from his cast, at times his pace is slow and ponderous. Indeed, the film might have benefited from some trimming.

Stettner’s visual style explores the provocative themes of the story and captures the feeling of fantasy and reality colliding. He uses subtle repetitions, delicate visual cues, and cycles of patterns, colors and imagery that resonate subliminally, where things look one ways in Gabriel’s imagination and another way when he meets Donna in person. Director of photography Lisa Rinzler creates an elegant, deeply saturated look that enhances the film’s aura of suspense and mystery. Her subjective shots give the audience the sense that the voyeur is also being watched. Rinzler’s work is complemented by the superb contributions of the film’s production designer Michael Shaw and costume designer Marina Draghici.

Hollywood Movies Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Review

2010-05-28T22:30:00.000-07:00

Do you feel that a Harry Potter film is incomplete without the regular scenes of thrilling Quidditch matches? If yes, just watch the latest film in the series that enthralls the entire world. Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix, which hit the theatres on 11th July 2007, will entirely trans lift the Pottter fans' attention to the wizard world. Read the exclusive review:

Harry Potter starts his 5th year at the Hogwarts School Of Witchcraft And Wizardy. His vacation period was eventful due to the narrow escape from dementors and subsequent Ministry hearing. Even the entry to Hogwarts does not lift his spirits, due to his fellow students believe that he is a lier who spreads the fear of Lord Voldemort's return.

Harry's life at Hogwarts gets worsened due to the new appointment of the Hogwarts teacher Dolores Umbridge. She sets a bad eye on Harry and start to restrict the other teachers even replacing the Headmaster. Harry's revived interests in forming Dumbledore's Army and the love affair with Cho Chang get shattered as Umbridge has a way to prohibit them.

Harry also experiences terrible nightmares, which he realizes to be the usurping feelings of the Dark Lord. Even though these overlapping emotions help him to save Arthur Weasley from death, it also becomes a trap for him. Harry feel that the Dark Lord is torturing his godfather Sirius Black and reaches the Ministry with his friends. A ferocious battle follows between them and Death Eaters. The Order Of the Phoenix, including Sirius Black arrives at the spot and in the following battle Bellatrix Lestrange kills Sirius Black.

Harry Potter wants to avenge the death of his godfather but, interrupted by the Dark Lord himself. Albus Dumbledore arrives at Harry's aid and a battle of titans follows. Dark Lord flees away once again as the Ministry members arrive at the spot. Even though Voldemort tries to shatter Harry's mind at the last moment, the magic power of love and friendship retrieves his spirits.

Differences From The Text
There are many deviations in the film from the original text of J.K.Rowling's Harry Potter. However four of the striking deviations are as follows:

    * In the novel Harry Potter and Cho Chang gets separated after Cho Chang's friend Marietta cheats the D.A. Cho Chang also suspects the relationship between Hermione and Harry. When Harry and Cho Chang have different view points of Marietta's treachery, it is Cho Chang who ends the relationship.
    * In the film it is Cho Chang who tells about D.A to Dolores Umbridge. She does this under the power of 'veritaserum'. Even when Cho Chang tries to explain her innocence, it is Harry who stops the relationship.
    * There is detailed description of Hermione and Ron becoming Perfects in the book. These scenes as well as the detailed scenes of Qudditch matches are omitted in the film.
    * The Prison breakout from Azakaban is not mentioned in detail in the original text. The film depiction of the scene gives more positive effect to the plot.
    * Harry sets to battle Lord Voldemort after confirming Sirius' absence with Kreacher. In the film Harry flies to the Ministry based only on his dream.

Cast&Crew
The major actors of the film remain same at a time when the two major anchors have changed. David Yates and Michael Goldenberg make their debut in the Harry Potter series as the director and script writer respectively. Nicholas Hooper's soundtrack composing makes this film more attractive than its predecessors.

Settings Potter fans unanimously agree that the setting of Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix, is apt to their text descriptions. Stuart Craig has used a wonderful talent in creating the 200 feet in length Ministry Of Magic. Carig's designs are inspired by the London underground stations. The other familiar place in shooting include Leavesdon studios, Oxford premises, River Thames, London Eye, Canary Wharf, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace and HMS Belfast.

After all, Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix, is a highly recommended film! Even the muggles who are totally alien to Harry Potter stories admit that they find the film worth entertaining.

Hollywood Movies Pink Panther 2 - Review

2010-05-28T22:24:00.000-07:00

There is a thief on the loose and it's up to the bumbling, yet genius detective Jacques Clouseau [Steve Martin] and a team of experts like him, to find and put away the criminal. As the movie opens, it's the Pope who is in distress he has been relieved of his ruby ring by the same felon who stole the Magna Carta, the Japanese imperial sword and the Shroud of Turin. Hence the team of detectives called in to retrieve the stolen goods comprise a Britisher (Alfred Molina), a Japanese (Yuki Matsuzaki), an Italian (Andy Garcia), of course Jacques. This rather queer group, with help from the ravishing Sonia (Aishwarya Bachchan) an expert in criminal behavior, jet start the humour with stunts that ideally only cartoon characters can escape from, alive!! We all know right away that they are going find the culprit, in spite of their soon-evident clumsiness, just as we know the journey promises to be a rich blend of action and comedy.

Buzz up!
The opening sequence sets the pace for the rest of the movie. Here's how it goes: Jacques and his team are questioning the Pope, when Jacques begins rummaging through the Pope's wardrobe. On a whim, he wears one and steps onto the balcony overlooking St Peter's Square. As he leans over, trying to imitate the Pope as he blesses the people below, he trips and falls down. But thankfully, he manages to hang on to a flag pole. And there he hangs with his robes flapping and his assets on display, till help arrives. Likewise, the movie is filled with similar adventurous exploits that come in quick succession - sometimes you get the feeling the director had a number of fun ideas and tried to cram every single one into the movie.

From burning down the same restaurant twice to parading in funny costumes, treading on his partner's feet and falling through a chimney, Jacques does it all, but just as we begin to see the humour in one scene, he's already moved on to the next and the next comic moment is taking shape. Steve Martin and his team have done a commendable job and manage to tickle our funny bone quite often. The only drawback is that none of the comic pieces develop into bellyaching hilarity. If Herald Zwart intends making the next installment of the series, he better give that aspect more thought and more reel time.

Hollywood Movies X-Men Origins Review

2010-05-28T22:20:00.000-07:00

Hugh Jackman and Liev Schreiber had last shared the screen in the romantic comedy
Kate and Leopold in 2001. Eight years hence the two immensely talented stars come together for one of the most awaited movies of the year X-Men Origins Wolverine. The film directed by Gavin Hood is a continuation successful X-Men comic series and tells the back story of one of its most popular characters Wolverine.

Buzz up!

The story is set in 1845, Northwest Canada where Hugh Jackman (James Howlett /Logan/Wolverine) is a young boy who not aware of his mutant power. In a fit of rage Logan kills his father and runs away from home. His half brother Victor (Live Schreiber) who too is a mutant escorts Logan to safety and makes him aware of his mutant powers.

Both Logan and Victor due to their mutant powers do not age and die like other human beings and fight in numerous wars such as American Civil War, World War I and II and Vietnam. However with time Victor transforms into a monster who loves destruction. Both the are court-martialed after which an Army Major William Stryker (Danny Huston) approaches Logan and Victor and promising them a new beginning. Blood thirsty Victor is driven by the opportunity to kill where as patriotism drives Wolverine to follow Stryker.

Logan returns to his roots and becomes a Canadian lumberjack and settles with his girlfriend Kayla Silverfox (Lynn Collins) Soon Stryker comes back to his life and pours adamantium into Logan's system making Logan into an indestructible mutant Wolverine with immense powers to fight Victor. Stryker helps Wolverine find Victor but Wolverine comes to know about Stryker's betrayal and starts seeking revenge. Will Wolverine be able to save the love of his life due to his mutant self?

Directed by Gavin Hood the movie has been penned David Benioff and Skip Woods. X-Men Origins: Wolverine is much has a sharper look than its predecessors. Wolverine however lacks a good screen play simple narrative drive with many bloopers around for instance the story being set in Northwest Canada in 1845 where as Canada became a nation only in 1987.

The only saving grace for the movie is Hugh Jackman who lives up to the core of his character. Live Schreiber provide a good supporting role in the movie. The special effects in the movie
are awesome which has become a trademark of the X-Men series. 107 minutes of runtime although not too long seems to be dragging at times. Overall the movie is worth a watch if not for anything else than for Hugh Jackman.

Hollywood Movies Away We Go Review

2010-05-28T21:46:00.000-07:00

After American Beauty and Revolutionary Road, director Sam Mandes has now come out with his fifth feature in ten years. Hollywood movie Away We Go is the tenderest film that he has done upto date. The director has milked malaise from Burt and Verona’s road trip through suburbs.

Buzz up!
Away We Go is a little road comedy, which has everything - great cast, prestigious director, tender concept, clever script from acclaimed novelists. Husband and wife Dave Eggers and Vendela Vida have penned the willfully woolly screenplay for the movie, which is episodic narrative and it is spun from a thin, cute premise.

Away We Go is about the flight from adulthood, from engagement, from responsibility. The movie deals with ideas and ideals that could not be more true to life. It is a sincere story about making it. It is buoyed by a couple’s genuine rapport and insecurities. It brings out their melancholy state of being both unsure and essentially hopeful about living in this world.

Burt Farlander and his girlfriend Verona (John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph) are enjoying a marriage-less relationship. They live in a ramshackle, poorly heated house and drive a boxy old Volvo. They are expecting their first child and searching for a place to raise their unborn baby.

The movie begins with Burt and Verona's visit to his over-sharing parents (Catherine O'Hara and Jeff Daniels), who announce their trip to Europe. Then Burt and Verona head out on their homesteading journey through Arizona, Wisconsin, Montreal and Florida to visit other family and friends.

Away We Go is a metaphor about filling a house with love. It suffers by being a movie about a theme and meaning. All the supporting cast simply rotates in and out during Burt and Verona's trip. Each of them demonstrate to the main couple, in glaringly obvious ways, how not to raise their baby.

Ellen Kuras’ cinematography has grown somewhat louder. His leads before the camera find themselves giving low-key a good name. Thomas Newman’s music evokes the film's emphasis on drowsy vocals and a quiet guitar. Special song score by Alexi Murdoch is probably his silliest creative error.

Away We Go is a change of pace for Sam Mendes, but unlike his previous movie, it ends without hanging around in hope of an Oscar nomination. It looks like a short story. It has obscenity and sexual situations. It is just obnoxious.

Hollywood Movies Everybody's Fine Review

2010-05-28T21:39:00.000-07:00

Kirk Jones directed Everybody's Fine is a remake of the 1990 Italian film Stanno Tutti Bene but has very little in common with Stanno Tutti Bene. While Stanno Tutti Bene impressed the audience Everybody's Fine seems to be packed with too much with the same basic sadness in every frame. Who’s fine? Everybody’s Fine ponders seems to ponder around the question and Kirk Jones unfortunately doesn't seem to have any answer for it.

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Once regarded as the one of America's best actors Robert De Niro hasn't delivered a good movie or good performance in a long time. Although he tried re-inventing himself venturing into comedies but he is yet to stroke gold. Everybody's Fine doesn't do any good to his career either. Everybody’s Fine is exactly the sort of role that De Niro doesn’t need at this point in his career where he doesn’t seem to know what he was doing.

A lonely widower Frank Goode (Robert De Niro) spends his lonely days keeping his empty nest tidy and its surrounding foliage immaculate in the way the retired tend to do. He is saddened when all of his four children cancel their visit after the death of his wife. So he embarks on a cross-country trip to visit each of his child Kate Beckinsale (Amy), Sam Rockwell (Robert) and Drew Barrymore (Rosie). He has leaned huge expectations on his children. Frank wants to know that they all are happy in their lives.

As he goes from home to home, he begins to realize some uncomfortable truths about the relationship he has with them and, even worse, that there’s a bigger secret they’re all hiding. Nothing is quite as he believed it was as his wife had told him it was. It’s not that the kids don’t love Dad: it’s that, perhaps, they love him too much, and have sought to protect him from the hard truths of their lives. The drama in how the lives of the kids are not fine is all deceptively low-key -- this is no screeching, sappy melodrama but a powerfully affecting story, and emotions will run very high by the end.

Everybody’s Fine eventually leads to that question of whether or not to trouble the ones we love with our bad news. Everybody’s Fine isn't enough to give this story the emotional punch it requires to make an impact in this coming holiday season. Everybody’s Fine is a terrific choice for those who want something more in-depth from their Xmas viewing than tinsel and tired sentimentality. It rather seems Everything's Wrong!

Hollywood Movies The Twilight Saga Review

2010-05-28T21:33:00.000-07:00

Let's get first things first New Moon is no match to its predecessor Twilight. But that doesn't make Chris Weitz directed movie bad. Robert Pattinson who has mesmerised his fans rises from the grave again to feast on blood and set teenage pulses racing in The Twilight Saga New Moon. The movie based on Stephenie Meyer's book comes with a stiff challenge to live up to the expectations after its Twilight had grossed more than $350 million at the Box Office.

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On her 18th birthday Isabella Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) is on top of the moon when Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) the vampire she falls in love with and his family throw her a birthday party. While unwrapping a gift, she gets a paper cut, which causes Edward's adopted brother, Jasper (Jackson Rathbone), to be overwhelmed by the smell of her blood and attempt to kill Bella. To protect her, Edward decides to end their relationship, and the Cullens move away from Forks. This leaves Bella heart-broken and depressed.

In the months that follow, Bella learns that thrill-seeking activities,= such as motorcycle riding. This allows her to hear Edward's voice in her head. She also seeks comfort in her deepening friendship with Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner), a cheerful companion who eases her pain over losing Edward. Bella later discovers that Jacob is a werewolf. He and his fellow werewolves protect Bella from the vampires Laurent (Edi Gathegi) and Victoria (Rachelle Lefevre), the latter of whom seeks revenge for her dead mate, James, whom the Cullens killed in Twilight.

Communication gap leads Edward to believe that Bella has killed herself. Edward flees to Italy to provoke the Volturi, vampire royalty who are capable of killing him. Alice (Ashley Greene) and Bella rush to Italy to save Edward, arriving just in time to stop him. Before leaving Italy, the Volturi tell Edward that Bella, a human who knows that vampires exist, must either be killed or transformed into a vampire. Edward tells Bella that he has always loved her and left her only to protect her. She forgives him, and the Cullens vote in favour of Bella being transformed into a vampire. Edward gives Bella a choice to either change herself after her graduation he will change her himself.

New Moon effortlessly sweeps you along in a swirl of intoxicating passion. New Moon has one major flaw, being a supernatural adventure it seems to be packed with too much of romance. Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart carry great performance from Twilight. The screenplay at times seems weak but can surely make patient characters stick to their seats.

The movie won't disappoint the majority of its teenage fans. But it is a let down for many Twilight fans who felt that Catherine Hardwicke who had directed the first flick had improved upon Stephenie Meyer's novel. New Moon doesn't seem to justify why Chris Weitz was chosen over Catherine Hardwicke. At 112 minutes of runtime New Moon seems ideal for a romantic tale of this sort. Although no comparison to Twilight, New Moon is certainly a movie worth spending a few bucks on.

Hollywood Movies The Stepfather Review

2010-05-28T21:31:00.000-07:00

Director Nelson McCormick, who was earlier helming TV serials, entered the big screen through the remake movie Prom Night. Now, he has come out with another remake movie with most of its characters being the TV actors like Nip/Tuck's Walsh, Gossip Girl's Badgley, series veteran Ward, Damages's Turco, The Closer's Tenney, and ER's Sherry Stringfield (except Heard). The movie is nothing but a TV movie quality remake.

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Veteran TV director Nelson McCormick's The Stepfather is a remake of the 1987 cult classic, which was directed Joseph Ruben. Donald E. Westlake had penned the original screenplay and Terry O'Quinn had played the lead role as a serial killer. Now, the remake features Dylan Walsh and Sela Ward in lead roles.

JS Cardone, who had written the script for remake Prom Night, has now once again reworked the original screenplay for The Stepfather. But the script of new Stepfather is astonishingly dull and it is so relentlessly dumbed down the original. Cardone has lifted many sequences from other movies.

The original movie has an enduring reputation as a suspense thriller. Although the remake is considered as generic thriller, it does not provide thrill to the audiences. It is a bland movie. The scattered murders are perfunctory and the suspense is nonexistent until a climax as overwrought as it is predictable. There are no surprises or revelations, but just the playing out of the inevitable conflict between David and Michael.

Wayward teenager Michael (Penn Badgley) comes back home after spending a year in military boarding school to see his mother Susan (Sela Ward) and his insanely hot girlfriend Kelly (Amber Heard). But he finds his mom is engaged to a new man called David (Dylan Walsh). David goes out of his way to make Michael feel welcome. But suspicions unravel his nasty track record of marrying widows and divorcees and then killing them and their kids.

NIP/TUCK’s Dylan Walsh is good in the title role. But he is nowhere near Terry O’Quinn when compared to his canny charming/crazy performance in the original. Sela Ward is also pretty good as his wife Susan. The real star here is probably Penn Badgley of Gossip Girl. Amber Heard fares better as his insanely hot girl friend.

However, the movie The Stepfather utterly fails to create interest among the audiences with its predictable screenplay. It can be a negligible horror film.

Hollywood Movies Valentine’s Day Review

2010-05-28T21:28:00.000-07:00

Director Gary Marshall's latest Hollywood movie Valentine’s Day is a light-hearted romantic comedy
. It has a star-studded ensemble cast of Hollywood power players. The film doesn't create any great myth like his Pretty Woman, but it fits in with the mood of February 14.

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The major highlight of the movie is that it has a huge cast of well-known actors like Jessica Alba, Jessica Biel, Bradley Cooper, Eric Dane, Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, Anne Hathaway, Ashton Kutcher, Queen Latifah, Taylor Lautner, Julia Roberts, Taylor Swift. Moreover, audience will get to see the chemistry between different stars on screen.

With a couple of surprises, the movie has a contrived and predictable story, which is the interwoven story of several couples and singles as they experience sex, love and relationship issues with the added pressures and expectations associated with 'Valentine's Day'. It deals with a variety of relationships from first dates to longtime commitments, from young crushes to old flames and from interracial relationship to gay's love affair.

The movie Valentine's Day has a message that a person can find love at any age. It is meant for people of all ages. The movie cuts across generations from a childhood crush to teenage angst and old age in showing the sweet and messy sides of either approaching or avoiding love. Besides this, it offers some great laugh out loud moments and interesting twists.

The movie has few drawbacks too. Firstly, the movie seems to have violated reasonable expectations of the audience. It delivers plenty of wish fulfillment, but hardly fulfills any of them. Secondly, several characters lack realism and basic human nature. Somewhere, they seem to be behaving according to the demands of the screenplay. Finally, it has very less number of sentimental sequences and it hardly touches the emotional chord of audience.

Hollywood Movies The Wolfman Review

2010-05-28T21:26:00.000-07:00

First things first, remakes of classics are difficult to make and The Wolfman is a remake of the 1941 classic horror film of the same name. Directed by Joe Johnston, the film stars Oscar winners Benicio del Toro and Anthony Hopkins. It also has Emily Blunt, Hugo Weaving and Geraldine Chaplin. Joe who had helmed the blockbuster Jurassic Park III tries to revive the classic monsters at a time when vampire stories are making quite a comeback and are popular with a younger generation of fans.

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Lawrence Talbot (Benicio Del Toro) a haunted nobleman who has a very childhood and it almost ended the night his mother died. After he left the sleepy Victorian hamlet of Blackmoor, he spent decades recovering and trying to forget. He is lured back to his family estate in Great Britain after his brother vanishes and dies mysteriously. He reunites with his father Sir John Talbot (Anthony Hopkins) who tells him that his brother 's body was already found in a ditch. Lawrence inquires about the body and goes to see it. Ben's remains are thoroughly mangled and torn apart.

Lawrence agrees to investigate his brother's disappearance at the request of his fiancee, Gwen Conliffe (Emily Blunt) who tracks him down and brings him back home. He starts his inquiry at a travelling gypsy caravan, and while he's there, a marauding beast attacks. Lawrence is bitten, and though he survives, he discovers that he has incurred a grim fate. He learns that something with brute strength and insatiable bloodlust has been killing the villagers, and that a suspicious Scotland Yard inspector named Aberline (Hugo Weaving) has come to investigate.

While hunting the murderous beast who killed his bro, Lawrence is bitten but survives, thus contracting Wolfman disease himself. The plot unfolds and he pieces together the gory puzzle, he hears of an ancient curse that turns the afflicted into werewolves when the moon is full. Now, if he has any chance at ending the slaughter and protecting the woman he has grown to love, Talbot must destroy the vicious creature in the woods surrounding Blackmoor.

The Wolfman tries to be a legitimate remake of a classic monster movie. It however fails in its pursuit due to some horribly acting coming from Oscar winners Del Toro and Hopkins. Joe Johnston tries his best to control the movie but the movie seems good only in splits. The Woflman is spectacular in the occasionally gruesome special effects. It is all done in typical monster-movie but surely fails to live upto the hype created around it.

Hollywood Movies The Back-up Plan Review

2010-05-28T21:23:00.000-07:00

The Back-up Plan is a comedy that explores dating, love, marriage and family in reverse. After years of dating, Zoe (Jennifer Lopez) has decided waiting for the right one is taking too long. Determined to become a mother, she commits to a plan, makes an appointment and decides to go it alone. That same day, Zoe meets Stan (Alex O’Loughlin) a man with real possibilities. Trying to nurture a budding relationship and hide the early signs of pregnancy becomes a comedy of errors for Zoe and creates confusing signals for Stan.

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When Zoe nervously reveals the reason for her unpredictable behavior, Stan commits fully and says hes in. Never before has love seen a courtship where a wild night of sex involves three in a bed Stan, Zoe and the ever-present massive pregnancy pillow. Or, where date night consists of being the focal point at a near-strangers water birth which does for kiddie pools what Jaws did for swimming in the ocean. The real pregnancy test comes when both of them realize they really don’t know each other outside of hormonal chaos and birth preparations. With the nine month clock ticking, both begin to experience cold feet. Anyone can fall in love, get married and have a baby but doing it backwards in hyper-drive could be proof positive that they were made for each other.

There are so many problems here it’s hard to know where to begin. The cast strains to create a tone of cuteness, which proves grating, while the number of odd circumstances that keep Zoe and Alex running into each other is insulting. Not only do they happen to stumble upon each other trying to nab the same cab, not once but twice, but they also randomly meet at a farmers market. I’m sure this happens in a city of nine million all the time. However, this perfectly matches the script, which is all over the place as well. There is a slapstick sequence involving fire, dirt and a water hose, a pregnant J-Lo trawling in a dumpster and a climax involving, you guessed it, a dramatic birth. These scenes speak to the depths to which The Back-Up Plan stoops.

It is nice to have Jennifer Lopez back in a romantic comedy and for the most part it is an acceptable vehicle for her. O’Loughlin is a wise choice as her leading man and the two of them make a compatible couple. You just wish the script was not as cutesy and clichéd as it is. This makes the film just an okay one rather than a thoroughly entertaining one like some of her past movies have been.

The Back Up Plan needed a back up script in which all the clichés had been eliminated and all the cuteness had been toned down a notch or two and only then it could have made a better view.

The Back-up Plan- Needed a better back-up script

Hollywood Movies Shutter Island Review

2010-05-28T21:20:00.001-07:00

Shutter Islands is one of the most awaited movies of the year brining in two legends of Hollywood together. One of Hollywood's most famous directors, Martin Scorsese who is known for a different genre of movies than horror casts Titanic star Leonardo DiCaprio on the movie. The two legends are teaming up for the third time after having delivered two great movies Gangs of New York in 2002 and The Aviator in 2004.

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Shutter Island is a screen adaptation of the 2003 novel of the same name by Dennis Lehane. The movie revolves around this hospital for criminally insane on an island in the Boston Harbor in the year 1954. Shutter Island is not about mystery but about solving the mystery. Once again Martin Scorsese proves that he cannot be predicted beyond an expectation. The movie combines some breathtaking technical work with memorable performances.

US Marshall Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) has been sent to a mental asylum on Shutter Island to investigate the disappearance of an inmate who is believed to still be somewhere on the island. However, along with his partner Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo), he finds his investigation blocked at every turn by the doctors in charge of the facility chiefly Dr. John Cawley (Ben Kingsley). A hurricane hits, they uncover a sinister experiment, patients escape, and all hell breaks loose.

Teddy starts to suffer from flashbacks to the murder of his wife Dolores Chanal (Michelle Williams) and unsure of exactly who to trust. He had murdered his manic depressive wife after she had drowned their three children. All this had taken a toll on Teddy Daniels's life and he had been a mental patient at the hospital for two years. In a twist of life he turns an investigator and comes to investigate in the same mental asylum.

Shutter Island is a trademark Scorsese movie and seems very moody and enigmatic at times. Leonardo DiCaprio is at his magical best in the movie and carries through Scorsese's idea on his shoulder through perfection. At 138 minutes of runtime, Shutter Island is one of the most intriguing of the recent times. Martin Scorsese has added yet another film to his list of cinematic achievements. With Shutter Island.