Review Scrap

English Vinglish : Movie Review

2012-10-03T22:15:00.002-07:00

English Vinglish is Sridevi’s return to the golden screen as leading lady. It is directed by debutant director Gauri Shinde and produced by R. Balki (Cheeni Kum, Paa). English Vinglish was premiered at the 2012 Toronto Film Festival, where Sridevi’s performance drew a standing ovation and critical acclaim.

Gauri Shinde makes a fabulous debut as director. Amit Trivedi’s music is really good, especially the Navrai Majhi (excellent timing, especially when Shashi introduces her classmates) and title tracks. Editor Hemanti Sarkar has done an apt job. Laxman Utekar’s cinematography gives you such wonderful scenes. The script, the performances, the cinematography, music sync gorgeously on screen.

As writer and director Gauri Shinde’s first film, English Vinglish is remarkable! The characters are well researched and written and cast appropriately. At any point, the script doesn’t break away from its central plot line, which is Shashi and her small world, into random scenes, which is wonderful and rare. Shinde pulls off the pace of the film just right and the background score and music add to the story’s flow.

The film has a clutch of fine performances. Both Adil Hussain and Mehdi Nebbou, despite their sketchily written roles, are solid. Priya Anand as the niece turns in a noteworthy performance. But it is Sridevi who is obviously the soul of English Vinglish.

This is the first time in her legendary career that Sridevi has worked with a female director and to that, I can only say, Gauri Shinde was the right choice! That Sridevi chose to step out after 15 long years from her cocoon of marital bliss for English Vinglish is definitely something audiences won’t forget for a long time simply because they have been spoiled by her incredible acting skills all over again! That too, sans the song and dance numbers and her body writhing in studio rain to a Kaate nahin kat te track ala Mr India! It’s like leave the acting to Sridevi and the “shacting” is best left to the rest of her ilk.

Fashion’s most adored designer, Sabyasachi, has done an excellent job with Sridevi’s sarees in the film and she carries them off superbly on her lithe frame.

Her hesitant but heartfelt climactic speech, delivered undemonstratively, is the high point. But it takes two hours too long in coming. Chances are that by then you might cease to really care about her newly acquired spoken English skills. If you don’t, you might actually feel a little lump in your throat. That is the kind of film English Vinglish is. It would work strictly for those who can discount the film’s oversimplified worldview.

Rating

OMG - Movie Review

2012-09-28T11:29:00.000-07:00

Contriving a conflict between a rational agnostic and gargoyle-like godmen , OMG Oh My God, is the sort of exercise that compels you to quit believing in Bollywood cinema. Hey if this is supposed to be entertainment, then you might as well pray for its rescue from the lowest depths it’s fast sinking into. Honestly, the outcome’s a punishment.

Bhavesh Mandalia’s popular Gujarati play Kanji Viruddh Kanji – also a house full draw in Hindi as Krishan vs Kanhaiya – should have remained a theatrical experience. On screen, it is much too self-consciously clever. Worse, it is so raucously narrated that you wish you had vegetated instead on your couch. Home shanti home really.

Presumably, Paresh Rawal who has pulled in enormous crowds at every stage show of Krishan vs Kanhaiya was convinced that its film adaptation was a sure bet commercially. Not surprisingly, the actor’s billed as co-producer, and is supported by star prop Akshay Kumar. Plus, there’s the item number Go Govinda featuring Prabhu Deva, with Sonakshi Sinha who shows off a pair of two left feet. Ms Sinha’s dance moves are close to pathetic. Yikes.

First, OMG makes its point without fuss and without going over the top. Provoking as the subject is, the film was clearly not intentioned to insult faith. It is a script idea that could have easily gone wrong. Films adapted from plays often tend to get too melodramatic. OMG avoids that trap.

Secondly, the film works for its lead pair. Akshay and Paresh share crackling chemistry as God and the man who will finally learn to accept the concept of God as a positive presence in life. Together, the two actors lend the film its biggest USP.

For a mainstream film that takes on such a massively sensitive subject as religion, and insists on being funny while making its arguments, OMG is a resounding success.

verdict

Thandavam - Movie Review

2012-09-28T11:08:00.000-07:00

Vikram is back with a bang! Returning as a silent but deadly blind revenge seeking hero, he takes centre screen to kick butt. Infusing a credible premise with honesty, and peppering the film with tender moments, director Vijay creates an engaging drama that you’re happy to emotionally invest in.

Technically, Thaandavam is one of the best films to have emerged out of Kollywood in a long time. Add to that some peppy melodies from GV Prakash and comedy that goes with the narration makes it entertaining.

The film is set in London, with Thanjavur and New Delhi coming only in flashbacks. It opens with Kenny (Vikram), a Pianist in a church and a blind man who is on a vendetta mission in London, which has been ravaged by a series of bomb blasts.

Technically it is Vijay’s best film with superior eye-catching camera by Nirav Shah and peppy melodies by GV Prakash with ‘Oru Paadhi Kadhavu’ being the pick of the lot. The action choreography by Manohar Verma is awesome especially the fast paced fight scene when a blind Vikram is attacked by six foreigners in a London park.

On the downside, logical loopholes are quite obvious. Here’s a little sample -An intelligent doctor Anushka thinking that her husband who goes to office in suit and drives a high end SUV is an inspector or SI and recommends to the police commissioner for his promotion is hard to digest. The London police is made to look like a set of idiots. The film is a tad too long at 156 minutes, and at times taxes the viewer’s patience especially the ‘Roja’ like village wedding scenes.

Anushka is a breath of fresh air, and you wish she'd been given more screen space. Amy Jackson looks gaunt; Santhanam looks uncomfortable. Nasser looks like he could have done more but again, the screenplay gives him no space. Jagapathy Babu acquits himself quite well under the circumstances.

Nirav Shah's cinematography is sparkling when it showcases London, but the movie's screenplay drags it down.

G V Prakash's numbers barely pass muster and sound like his previous songs; they're inserted so randomly in the movie that except for one, they don't make much sense and hamper the pace.

Manohar Varma, who has choreographed the action sequences, and Daniel Kish himself, who provided the inspiration for the film, are the ones who deserve genuine kudos.

Verdict

vulgaria - review

2012-09-27T22:02:00.001-07:00

Vulgaria is super fun for fans of Hong Kong Cinema and filmmaking in general, though it may remain esoteric to some. Pang Ho-Cheung's crass creativity makes up for the loose story and lack of sight gags, and Pang manages decent emotions too. Fluency in Cantonese is a must to get the full effect.

"Vulgaria" is a workplace comedy set in the world of moviemaking instead of the confines of an office. This fanciful if raunchy story from director and co-writer Pang Ho-Cheung ("Love in the Buff") centers on a struggling film producer who's juggling commitments to his ex-wife and daughter as he's attempting to get his next film together.

The film features a shady, pervy financier known as Tyrannosaurus and an actress referred to as Popping Candy because of a sex trick she does with a mouthful of Pop Rocks. Even amid the naughty flourishes, with "Vulgaria," Pang again shows himself to be a wise, playful chronicler of modern life.

Rating

Nokia Asha 309 - Review

2012-09-25T23:42:00.001-07:00

Nokia Asha 309 devices claim to offer a fluid 'swipe' user interface and an open environment for third-party application development. Nokia Asha 309 is 2G-enabled devices featuring a 3-inch WQVGA capacitive display with multiple home screens, FM radio, loud speakers, 1110mAh battery and 64MB internal storage with up to 32GB microSD card support.

The Nokia Asha 309 is a single SIM phone with Wi-Fi support.The phones also come with 40 premium EA games, Facebook and Twitter integration, the Nokia Messaging Service and video streaming through the browser from sites like YouTube, a first within the Asha Touch range.

Apart from the new Asha device, Nokia also released a new version of the Nokia Xpress Browser, which offers up to 90% more efficient mobile browsing and faster access to rich web applications compared to conventional browsers.

Nokia also introduced the Nokia Life+ web app that allows users to access content ranging from education and health to infotainment as well. Nokia Life+ is available in English across 18 countries, with local versions coming to India, China and Indonesia in the fourth quarter of this year. Nokia Life+ can be accessed through the Nokia Xpress Browser or the Nokia Store.

Price : $100 ( Rs. 5300 )

Verdict

Phone Specification

-------------------------------------

Height

109.9 mm

Width

54.0 mm

Thickness

13.2 mm

Weight

102 g

Display size

3 ''

Touch screen technology

Capacitive Multipoint-Touch

Display orientation

Portrait

Screen height

400 pixels

Screen width

240 pixels

Display features

Light time-out
Tactile feedback
Orientation sensor

Internal memory

64 MB

Memory card size

32GB

Mass memory

128MB

Expandable memory card type

MicroSD

Camera sensor (main camera resolution)

2.0 megapixels

Flash type

No Flash

Carl Zeiss Tessar lens

Camera resolution

1600 x 1200 pixels

Main camera focus type

Fixed focus

Barfi - Movie Review

2012-09-17T12:03:00.000-07:00

Barfi proves that Ranbir's climb to B-towns A list actors is just a matter of time. This Anurag Basu film is a perfect treat for audience. The story of Barfi moves back and forth from 1978, 1972 and 2012 in an easy to follow fashion. Every frame in this movie is just like a Ravivarma painting. Cinemetographer Ravi Varman ( just coincidence ), captures the beauty of North Bengal in a splendidly beautiful way.

Ranbir's Barfi is an amalgamation of Charlie Chaplin, Raj Kapoor and Mr.Bean, with a pinch of his coolness. Barfi is a cool person, with speech and hearing impairment. He lives with his patient father in Darjelling of 1970's.

Southern hottie, Illeana D'Cruz, got the best character of her career, so far. She plays a young bengali women battling the societal norms. Her portrayal of Sruthi so believable. Priyanka plays Jhilmil Chatterjee, an autistic person. She tried too hard for this character and it can be seen in this film. But there are some moments in which she is very convincing. Of the two actresses, Illeana get more applause than Priyanka.

Barfi is a simple and beautiful film, but it is not a great film. It lacks a good story. This film heavily depends on the acting powers of it's lead roles.

My verdict is to watch it for Ranbir and his kissing scene with Illeana :)

Rating

Apple Iphone 5 - Review

2012-09-16T03:36:00.000-07:00

In the hand Iphone 5 feels comfortable than it's predecessors. The width of Iphone is same as that of Iphone 4S. The reason for it is that, it fits the hands very easily. The length of Iphone 5 has increased slightly, so it best suite to watch movies in the new Iphone. This new screen size will give developers much more flexibility in developing new apps for Iphones.

The change from glass to aluminum is good for the Iphone, as it gives premium feel to the users. The introduction of new A6 chip is a welcome move, many 4s users had complains about the processor performance in the past. The screen of new Iphone is bright and colorful.

Most significant feature of the new phone is it's operating System, IOS 6. The new map facility has been developed from scratch. New Iphone map is faster and smarter than the old google maps. For the map functionality, Iphone had collaborated with TomTom. Siri also got some upgrade in Iphone 5. We can take photos much more faster and easier in new phone.

Iphone 5 will support 4G network. Iphone 5 will come out in 16,32 and 64 GB models.

Verdict

The Artist : Movie Review

2012-01-26T23:48:00.000-08:00

Set in the late 1920s, the story centers on George Valentin (Jean Dujardin), a famous movie star who is truly on top of the world. His movies are some of the biggest in Hollywood and he is constantly surrounded by fans who heap praise upon him. One day, by pure chance, he meets a young background actor named Peppy Miller (Berenice Bejo), with whom he has an instant connection. What he doesn’t know is that their careers about to take completely opposite trajectories. Ignoring the trades and warnings from a powerful producer (John Goodman) that talkies are becoming the big thing, George refuses to change up his act, and watches his career sink lower and lower as Peppy rides the talkie wave and gets bigger and bigger.

Much like actors in early films, star Jean Dujardin must over-emote in order to compensate for his inability to express himself verbally. But in doing so, he puts on a marvelous performance. A challenging role, to say the least, Dujardin never pushes himself so far that it becomes hammy and we always know exactly how he feels and what’s going through his mind. What’s more, the French actor looks as though he’s been ripped straight out of the era, looking perfectly natural wearing a tailcoat tuxedo and sporting a pencil-thin mustache. He sells the drama, makes us laugh and is, in short, perfect as George Valentin

Strictly speaking Mr. Hazanavicius’s film is not a silent movie. There is a lot of music on the soundtrack and also a few strategic moments of onscreen noise that are both delightfully surprising and wildly illogical. The whole conceit of the picture is spun in willful disregard of the laws governing time, space and sound, an embrace of the preposterous that is perhaps more reminiscent of the spirit of early French cinema than of the old Hollywood where the action takes place.

Mr. Hazanavicius accomplishes this with not only showy ambition but also a winning modesty that grows out of an appreciation that popular art is, above all, about the efficient and inventive delivery of fun. Its techniques are impressive and various, though its most persuasive special effects are Mr. Dujardin and Ms. Bejo, physically graceful performers with faces the camera cannot resist. He has a solid athleticism that meshes perfectly with her supple, long-limbed grace, and their features are at once iconic and lively, in the manner of the ancient movie stars to whom they pay tribute.

Thanks in no small part to their expressiveness and dexterity — they dance beautifully and also portray emotion with just the right blend of naturalism and melodramatic exaggeration — “The Artist” is more than a clever pastiche of antique amusements. It may be something less than a great movie, but it is an irresistible reminder of nearly everything that makes the movies great.

What a wonderful picture this is: one of those films you yearn to watch again and again, while yet being fearful of spoiling the experience. It is one of the most eloquent movies imaginable.

Rating:

Agneepath: Movie Review

2012-01-26T23:29:00.000-08:00

Amongst the first recall values for the original Agneepath is Amitabh Bachchan's trademark self-introduction dialogue of Vijay Dinanath Chauhan. While evaluating its official remake, the first thing that crosses your mind is how the reinterpretation of this signature scene would be. Unlike in the original, the monologue plays pretty late in the remake, whereby it establishes Vijay's identity over merely introducing him and with such individuality and elegance that it pays a perfect homage to the original, while at the same time not blatantly imitating it. That is how a remake is supposed to be! Retaining the spirit of the original and having a soul of its own. This dialogue kinda summarizes the overall aura of the remake.

Melodramatic, choir-inducing sentiment, ecstatic. Agneepath is that rare mainstream movie that is written well. Sanjay Dutt's Kancha Cheena speaks Sanskritised Hindi, referencing the epics. Priyanka Chopra's Marathi lilt is a carryover from her cheerful role in Kameeney. Hrithik Roshan, well, Hrithik Roshan just burns silently, seething, waiting, plotting, planning. His gangster is the purest form of criminal because he has no motive but to restore his father's reputation. His father who taught him to work without waiting for results, to recite poetry, how to eat, how to respect life.

The film is a metaphor for the world we live in and Mandwa, the benighted Mandwa, which sold its soul for the money it expected to come from cocaine, is what India is today. A nation perhaps which has sold its spirit for the joys of consumerism. A nation which has to sacrifice its most honest citizens because they have chosen shaitan as their malik. A nation which watches helplessly as its soul is stolen.

Piyush Mishra's dialogues are impressive with rhetoric punches every now and then. And even when the lines go unrefined for Rishi Kapoor's crude character, it leaves immense impact without crossing the familial domain. Cinematography by Ravi K Chandran and Kiran Deohans is remarkable. Akiv Ali's editing is accomplished and despite the film having a three-hour runtime, you never lose the narrative for a moment. The only slacker is the obligatory romance track (Priyanka Chopra) but thankfully even that is kept short. Ajay-Atul's music and esp. the background score are effective. Abbas Ali Moghul's action is raw and unrestrained.

Every component of the film falls into place, with a resounding thump. "Agneepath" is brilliant in its brutality. It's a riveting and hectic homage to the spirit of the cinema when revenge reigned supreme. And content was King. This new "Agneepath" takes us back to the era when there was no computer or cellphones. And communication with the audience was immediate and electrifying.

Rating:

Don 2 - Review

2011-12-30T21:47:00.000-08:00

The movie starts from the where the early episode ends, but the Don is not shown as the usual the so called intelligent hard hearted one. He get himself arrested to get “Vardan” out of jail, to get the key to the video footage so that he could blackmail a vice president of a bank. The usual old fashioned prison break, the super hero was not spotted while escaping at all (what a crap…..). Talking about the super heroic effect, the introductory action and the conventional car chase was not at all exiting.

Most of the scenes and sequences were ordinary and with rare moments of thrills. The second half of the movie attempted which ended up in the robbery was complete copy of multiple holly wood movies right from the “Oceans series” to “Mission Impossible “ to even the drama between Shahruk and Priyanka reminded about the “Hannibal” series where the psycho doctor always had a soft corner towards the intelligent detective and ready to give his life for her.
Above all the so called 3D effect was literally horrible( I don’t know if it was because of the so called “Multiplex” theater at my place)
In short personally could have been more thrilling, less of drama and more of action, give importance to other characters too and not just for Don.

Looking forward for a better Don3…….. Rating

Sherlock Holmes A Game of Shadows - Review

2011-12-20T21:13:00.000-08:00

The second installment of Ritchie’s adaptations, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, was released in theatres on December. Though it received a lukewarm reception due to economy and a myriad of other films being released, it is a successful film.

Robert Downey, Jr. carries the majority of the weight in this film as far as dialogue and action, considering he is the titular character, Sherlock Holmes. But Jude Law certainly does not slouch in his portrayal of Holmes’ stalwart and logical sidekick, Doctor John Watson. The drama over Watson’s marriage that was presented in the previous film carries over to A Game of Shadows, causing humorous and endearing scenes in which Holmes must come to grips with his impending loss of Watson. Though, as many audience members guess, you cannot keep a good partnership down, so the two men find themselves stuck together through odd situations throughout the movie.

Ritchie’s ‘Sherlock Holmes’ is effective as a caricatured comedy adventure and shows some fidelity to Arthur Conan Doyle, especially in Downey Jr’s portrayal of the eccentric but cold-hearted Holmes. The banter between Holmes and Watson isn’t as witty as it should be, but the detective’s lone mutterings, especially his deductions, are fun. The film’s biggest success is its evocation of Victorian London, via much location work and CG rendering: here, Ritchie’s grittily romantic view of our city comes into its own, culminating in a delicious climax on the girders of a half-built Tower Bridge.

Rating:

Mission Imposible 4 Review

2011-12-16T22:34:00.000-08:00

Director Brad Bird made his action sequences as carefully as he did with the "The Incredibles", and the result is one heart-pounding crisis after another in this secret-agent thriller.

The action scenes did not disappoint the audience. They are beautifully shot and adeptly edited to make you sit at the edge of your seat. Most of the action sequences was filmed with 65mm camera. The 27 minutes of Imax footage gives considerable visual flair to the film.

This film has all the ingredients of a usual secret agent film.A glamorous party in Mumbai, India. A seduction scene in a rich man's bedroom, a fight to claim a briefcase in an automated parking garage, foot chases, car chases, a race to beat a ticking clock.

Highlight of the film is unswerving performance by Cruise, whose onscreen commitment to the role is unquestionable. Even at 49, he is able to do a shirtless scene without embarrassing himself.

Cruise may be the star here, but Bird's the story, a director who's only making his fourth movie and, remarkably, just his first live-action feature. This is the best of the 'Mission Impossible' movies.

The movie's weakness is the number of coincidences, pieces of luck and magically appearing resources needed to keep this yarn unwinding. But Bird's pacing, the clear-headed way he shoots a scene and the engaging cast keep you from minding much. There is an overdose of violence and sex in this film.

Rating:

Nokia Lumia 800 Review

2011-12-16T09:36:00.000-08:00

The Lumia 800 is the best Windows Phone on the market, but it is not the best smartphone. If you think it is iPhone 4S killer, then you are wrong.
It has a wonderfull design , but it's hampered by limitations of the Windows Phone ecosystem. There are fewer apps available in the market.The Lumia 800 isn't perfect, but its one of the best products from Nokia. It has a wonderful hardware and is a solid performer to boot.The body is made of polycarbonate shell, which is durable and not prone to any scratches.Windows Mango is an amazing operating system.

You can buy Lumia 800 in three colours – Black, Fuschia and Cyan.Black is of more professional look, the Fushcia and Cyan colours are more girlish an cool too. The 3.7-inch glass display has a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass which makes it scratch-resistant.The curves on the edges adds softness to the four sharp corners.

General	Network	GSM
	Style	Bar
	Dimensions	116.5 x 61.2 x 12.1 mm
	Weight	142 g (With Battery)
	Battery Type	Li-Ion 1450 mAh (BV-5JW)
Display	Display Colors	16M Colors, WVGA
Display	Display Resolution	800 x 480 Pixels, 3.7"
Memory	Memory InBuilt	512 MB (Program) + 16 GB (Internal)
Memory
Messaging	SMS	Yes
	MMS	Yes
	Email	Yes
	Push Mail	No
Camera	Camera	Yes
	Mega Pixels	8.0 MP, 3264 x 2448 Pixels
	Camera Zoom	Digital Zoom with Auto-Focus & LED Flash
	Video Capture	MPEG-4, H.264, 3GP, 3GP2, MP4, M4V, MBR, WMV
Connectivity	Ports	USB Port 2.0
	Infrared	No
	Bluetooth	Bluetooth v2.1
	A2DP	No
	Wifi	Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
	Internet	HTML
Entertainment	Music Player	MP3, M4A, M4B, WMA 9, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, AMR-NB, EVRC, QCELP
	FM Radio	Stereo FM Radio
	Games	XBOX Live Hub, See Friends Presence and leaderboards, Find Friends to Play Games, 3D Avatar Control & Creation
	Ring Tones	Yes
	Loud Speaker	Yes
Technology	3G	HSDPA upto 14.4 Mbps; HSUPA upto 5.76 Mbps
	OS	Windows Phone 7.5

	Touch Screen	Capacitive Touch Screen



Network	Operating Frequency	Quad-band GSM 850 /900 /1800 /1900 MHz
	Talk Time	Upto 13 Hours
	Standby Time	Upto 265 Hours
	GPS	A-GPS, Nokia Maps, Bing Maps

Rating:

Samsung Galaxy s2 review

2011-12-16T04:41:00.000-08:00

It is the best android phone available in the market. It has a dual-core 1.2GHz processor that proved brilliant for apps, games, music and playing videos. The screen has the brightness pumped out by its Amoled Plus display.

It has an 8-megapixel camera into the S2′s slender chassis, making it an all-around hardware powerhouse. This 4.3-inch handset feels great in the hand. It has beautifully curved sides, which gives a comfortable grip.

Operating System	Android 2.3 Gingerbread
CPU	Arm cortex A9 Dual Core Processor
Display	4.27 inch Super AMOLED Plus with 800 x 480 resolution
Processor	1.2 GHz Dual Core Processor
Network	3G
Memory	1GB RAM
Applications	Android MarketAdobe 10.1 support Samsung TouchWiz Document View/Editor Android Browser and RSS Reader Swype Google Maps
Battery	Talk time: Up to 1,100 minutes for 2G, up to 520 minutes for 3G Standby: Up to 710 hours for 2G, up to 610 hours for 3G
Size	125.30 x 66.10 x 8.49mm
Weight	0.116 Kg
Camera	8 MP (Back Camera)2 MP (Front Camera) With LED Flash
Messaging	SMS, MMS, Email, IM,
Connectivity	Bluetooth 3.0 + HS, USB 2.0, WiFi, AGPS, TV-Output
Internal Memory	16 GB
Input Device	Full Touch

Rating: