Movie Review: This Is It

Before all the plastic surgery madness and child-abuse accusations, Michael Jackson was universally loved,admired and in extreme cases worshiped. He revived pop music that was an almost forgotten genre in the seventies. His songs were catchy and his videos catchier. The kind of euphoria one attached to him was unprecedented and his mere sighting was enough to send fans into frenzy. Everyone knew who Michael Jackson was. That is a huge compliment to the man who strangely went on a path of absurdity and caused damage not only to his health but also to his reputation. In a last bid to salvage that lost pride, he decided to participate in a series of 50 concerts in London which was paradoxically titled – “This Is It”. The movie is an amalgamation of selected rehearsal videos and on/off stage footage shot during the practice sessions for the concert.

I went into the movie with normal expectation- if at all the two words can co-exist . The hall was completely full and people could be heard talking about MJ. As the first shot of MJ appeared, a few enthusiastic people shouted in unison ‘Aauuu’. That set the tone for the whole movie. Every few minutes we were made to witness this man’s genius,talent,dedication and humility. People were singing along to his famous tunes and there was a round of applause after every segment. I personally was amazed at his dancing prowess. I mean, he was just sensational even when undoubtedly, he was not in the best of shape. At 51, he could give any b-boy or hip hop dancer a run for their money. Even when there were disagreements, he voiced his opinions in a manner that was so mild and unlike his status. I guess, that is why he had such an amazing career. Incredible is the only word to describe his passion for this concert. Unlucky that we were not able to witness the concert in totality but lucky that we could still see glimpses of his genius.

What I liked about this movie is that it does not make any attempts to cash in on his untimely death. The movie stays true to what it states in the beginning and it does not get overtly-emotional or filmy. Shot in a documentary style and intercepted with interviews of people who worked with him for the tour, you can clearly see the awe in which people held him. He speaks in a child-like tone and fleetingly takes off his sunglasses during the movie. Yet, his music manages to connect and so does he. His singing is still effective and his ability to match with newer and fresher talent is visible at many places.On a lighter note,any person who can make crotch-grabbing such a rage, deserves a movie .

Pros: The simple narrative, the awesome routines and Michael Jackson.

Cons: Very limited personalized interaction between the camera and MJ.

Special mentions: The routines for ‘Thriller’ and ‘The way you make me feel’.

Overall rating: 3.5/5

Movie Review – Jennifer’s Body

Before I proceed with my observations of the movie, the reason I saw this movie was not to check out the hotness of Megan Fox or disapprove of it. I can totally understand why people(as in boys/men/wannabe men ) worship her ,and I will not question their faith. I just think that she,Katrina Kaif,Fardeen Khan and the likes should form an occult and offer prayers to a higher power to grant them some acting prowess – and ya pouting,running in slow motion,opening the car bonnet seductively and smiling incessantly into the camera are not counted as acting capabilities. Now that my job of being sarcastic is over…lets proceed.

Diablo Cody is a kickass writer. Her wit is twisted and dark which makes JB more than a slasher film. Amanda Seyfried is a gifted actress and she is the only one who manages to rise above the sometimes faulted script of JB. JB is not as great as Juno but its a pretty good movie and is one of those kind that you either love or hate. I loved it for its brilliant dialogue and the fab mix of comedy and horror. The movie is set in a place called ‘Devil’s Kettle’ (buck name) and from the start you are led to believe that there is something weird about it. Jennifer(Megan Fox) and Needy (Amanda Seyfried) are bff’s and in spite of representing opposite sides of the high-school stereotypes spectrum, they get along really well and seem to genuinely care for each other. Needy also has a boyfriend who seems to dote on her as much as he despises Jennifer’s diva attitude. A rock band is playing at their local pub/club and Needy is dragged by Jennifer to attend the event because she thinks the lead singer (Adam Brody – with eyeliner and all) is ’salty’. Okay, so there is a song, a fire accident , some rambling and tadaaah…we have our first look at some gory,bloody scenes. Something happened that night and Jennifer is not the same person anymore. There are a few deaths in the town after that which makes Needy extremely suspicious and she sets out to figure things out (of course , whats new). She eventually does figure things out and that makes for a pretty amazing climax. Although the story is nothing spectacular or novel, the way it has been shot and the dialogues are what makes the movie stand out. I found myself laughing on several occasions when the scenes were supposed to be scary. I guess that is the whole point of the movie. Its somewhere between a spoof and a horror movie. Overall, its the kind of film that will go on to gather a cult following but will not be liked/appreciated right now.

Pros: Diablo Cody’s writing, Amanda Seyfried’s acting and Megan Fox(she is the major reason why people will go to watch the movie and she does look very good in the movie).

Cons: Sometimes over indulgent script, some loose ends in the screenplay and Megan Fox (she can’t act although she is much better in this movie when compared to Transformers)

Overall Rating : 3.5/5

Movie Review – Away We Go

To be honest I had not heard about this movie at all and am sure a lot of people must be opening imdb pages now to check its existence. Its a gem of a movie and will have you in splits with its clever dialogue and natural performances. The movie is fillied with lovely moments and sparkling one-liners and has been exceptionally well directed by Sam Mendes.

Plot: The movie is about a couple who is about to have their first child – a daughter. Although the pregnancy is unexcpected and unplanned in a way, the couple accepts it and seems very stable and happy. The movie is about the journey of this couple to various cities across USA and Canada to find a suitable place to raise their family.Along the way they meet family,friends etc and learn new things about relationships,life and most importantly about themselves.

Strengths: Natural acting by the lead pair – John and Maya,and some clever dialogue. Also, the movie benefits by some eccentric performances courtesy Maggie Gyllenhal and Catherine O’ Haara who both mouth weird dialogues with great conviction and end up with some really funny scenes.

Weakness’ : None really coz’ I absolutely loved everything about the movie. The theme of the movie is in a way a little self-preachy and the lead couple come across as the most sane and likeable which may not be to everyone’s liking but a love story like this is much better than the depressing one in Revolutionary Road.

Favourite Scene : The scene where a boy is asked by his mother to tell the couple about babies had me rolling on the ground. Its a genius scence .

Overall Rating: A definete 4/5 for the sheer simplicity and sincerity of the movie. A must watch for indie-flick lovers.

My favourite songs – tag post

First off, thanks to Himank for tagging me ( See, I have marketed your blog now ). Earlier – by which I mean when I was in school, I would listen to only movie music be it hindi or telugu. College introduced me to a lot of international music and I am glad that I have so many more options to listen to. Here’s my list and the reason why I picked them –

1. Bohemian Rhapsody (Queen) – Kickass song. Just incredibly composed and great fun to listen to.

2. Kal Ho Na Ho (Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy + Sonu Nigam + Javed Akhtar) – Its a dream combination,no? (hehe I sound like Nadal in his interviews ). I get really emotional whenever I hear this song. Its a beautiful beautiful song.

3. If I Fell In Love With You(Beatles) – I love the simplicity yet strength of Beatles’ music. This song in particular has really honest lyrics and I could listen to it any number of times.

4. I Can’t Get No..Satisfaction ( Rolling Stones) – I have not heard many songs of RS but got to know of this song through some source and thank God for that because it’s a unique song and was definetely pathbreaking in more ways than one. Its very peppy and young.

5. Aanewaala Pal (Kishore Kumar + R.D Burman) – Heard this song in our car courtesy my mum’s obsession with old classics. I cannot analyze the song much but to me its one the best Kishore songs ever.

6. Black Or White (Michael Jackson) – This song had to be on the list for its universality of theme and the awesome music video. MJ really brought together people through his music. I know Thriller is also a great song but for me this song is definetely more enteraining.

7. Cry Me A River (Justin Timberlake/Timbaland) – Huge Justin fan and he is a supremely gifted artist. This song talks about breakup but it is not sappy which is a great thing. Lovely writing complemented with some heartfelt singing.

8. Hey,Jude (Beatles) – One of the most recognized Beatles song and one should listen to it to understand how brilliant a song it is.

9. Fallin (Alicia Keys) – Simply superb song.

10. Waiting on the World To Change(John Mayer) – Extremely well written with a very simple tune but hard hitting meaning behind it. John Mayer is God!!

11. Ray Of Light and Hung Up (Madonna) – An evergeen artist and both these songs are very catchy. The former showcases her versatality while the latter is foot-tapping and makes you stand up and dance.

Have loads of other songs as well especially some by AR Rahman but do not know which one to put. Loved all his songs from Roja,Dil Se and RDB. Also,
- Single Ladies and Crazy in Love by Beyonce,
- Lose youself and Stan by Eminem
- Mad World by Gary Jules ( loved the song after listening to Adam Lambert on AI )

Marley and meeee :D

I am neither a dog person nor a cat person. For that matter I am not that much of an animal lover. Zoo or a movie – I pick a movie. Animal Planet or a boring soap opera – hmm, I would still pick the latter. Not that I hate animals or anything but the affection should come naturally and it does not in my case. Having said that I have to confess that my face is covered with a grin whenever I look at pictures of cute pups (courtesy the forwarded mails on yahoo!). Strangely enough both my mum and dad had pet dogs when they were young but constant transfers and staying in apartments never really gave them an opportunity to get me and my sister a pet. We never really showed any interest in getting one either because there is the feeding, the cleaning etc etc which I never really wanted to do. In a nutshell – I like animals from a distance.

Of late though I have wanted to get a pet. I do not know why but Animal Planet does not bore me as much as it used to and I am not scared of animals that much (well lizards are reptiles ). Coming back to the plot, I asked my parents a few times this past one year about getting a dog and as much as they would love the company (both me and my sister are away in hostels), they do not have the energy or the time for that. I left the topic there but today I saw this wonderful movie called Marley and Me and I feel like I should get a pet dog. The movie captures the growth of a couple and their dog through several years and how unconditional the love of a dog is. I still like people but I guess sometimes you need to be around living things that do not judge you all the time, do not care what you look like or dress like, do not care if you are rich or poor and just care for you as long as you give your love to them. Wow, I guess I just broke my personal record for the cheesiest line ever.

So, the point of the post is.. well, there is no point to it except that I wish people start taking in pets and start caring for animal shelters and stop hunting and stop wearing fur. I for one know that I am going to buy a lab and give him/her the coolest name!

The year that was

2008 was a strange year. It was a lot of other things as well but it was a strange year more than anything else. We went from being amazed at the shooting fuel prices to being distraught at the faltering economy; from dancing to 20 year old Chris Brown’s hip hop to 42 year old SRK’s dance pe chance; from a growing economic superpower to a vulnerable nation sick and tired of terrorism ; from Bush to Obama ; from Federer crazy to a little less Federer crazy and I went from 20 to 21!

I learned a lot about myself in this past one year but the most important lesson I will take away is that ‘if good things are not happening to you, it only means that better things are in store’. More about that some other time. This post is a review of the year 2008 from my perspective.

Politics in 2008 - Nothing caught my imagination more than the US presidential elections this year. I always wanted Democrats to come back to power and being a feminist at heart I wanted  Hillary Clinton to bag the nomination but I am happy with Obama as well. He looks like a sincere guy and lets hope he doesn’t go the bush-way. On a sadder note, I think I am going to miss all the jokes and satires on Bush when he leaves office. He truly was(is) the most entertaining president I have ever seen.

Indian politics were well….. Indian. There was the no-confidence motion which the Congress turned into another sweet victory by means better known to them. There was this whole Raj Thackeray saas-bahu type ka drama in Maharashtra. I pity the guy and his followers because a few years down the line when they look back at all the crap they pulled out, they will melt due to embrassment. The year ended on a bright note with the J&K polls proving that democracy is still a privelege and a right we cherish. I hope Omar Abdullah turns out to be a model CM because our country needs young politicians and leaders with charisma.

Sports in 2008 -  India had a very good Olympics this time. There were the usual disappointments but we won a gold in shooting and a bronze in boxing – totally unexpected and totally awesome. We need to build on these athletes and not just give them appearances on reality shows and ads for fairness creams. Cricket was great this year. The men in blue were pretty consistent in their wonderful performances and it gives me so much happiness when I see Australians losing. Go Proteas !!! Tennis was the biggest winner last year. There was so much high quality and so much talent to look forward to. Men’s tennis is in great hands with Nadal, Murray , Novak and several others coming through but it was an okayish year for Fedex who will come back strong though. Lewis Hamilton won the F1 championships and although I do not follow the sport at all, I think he is much better looking than that Ferrari driver (cant even remember his name ). Saina Nehwal is the new Sania Mirza. She is supertalented and has achieved so much this past year that she needs to given the attention and shown the appreciation that she has earned with her hardwork. All said and done, 2008 was a superb year for sports.

* – Liverpool are going to do the double this year

Movies in 2008 - Lots of great movies this year. Tollywood first , small budget films with no big names like Vinayukudu and Nachavule etc did good business which is a positive sign. Brahmanandam is a genius. He made two ordinary films like Ready and King super hilarious. He should be elevated to a higher status. Bollywood had an average year. I did not like SIK or Ghajini or Rnbdj which apparently are the three superhits of the year. I was also not too entertained by Jaane tu … and Rock on! . A wednesday, Oye Lucky Lucky Oye, Mumbai meri jaan and Dasvidaniya were the picks of the year. Salman was a huge disappointment. Hollywood had a fantastic year. TDK, Slumdog, Curious Case, Milk, Burn After Reading, Wall-E, Vicky Christina were all fantastic films. It is going to be a very very interesting awards season. I would also take this opportunity to congratulate certain films on achieving all time lows in filmmaking like Yuvvraj, Tashan (inspite of being a Saifeena fan) , Jimmy (Mimoh needs to find another profession) , Maan gaye mughal-e azam etc. When will an Indian filmmaker make a Slumdog Millionaire.

Here’s hoping for a much entertaining, less political and sportingly spectacular new year.

The Dark Knight

My all time favourite movies happen to be Shawshank Redemption, The Godfather and Fight Club and in that order as well. The fact that The Dark Knight has taken over the No.1 spot on IMDB is a little confusing for me. The Godfather is a movie with a great mind and Shawshank is a movie with a great heart. The Dark Knight has both a great mind and a great heart but yet it somehow failed to make a great impact on me inspite of the fact that it is perhaps one of the finest films ever made.

I have seen most of Nolan’s earlier work as well and I still feel Memento and The Prestige were his best works creatively. Christian Bale is a superb actor but an underrated star and this movie might definetely help him rise above his limited worshippers that includes me. Coming to the movie – the performances are superb. Bale’s restricted but dignified portayal is such a refreshing change when compared  to all the superhero junk movies that have been thrown at us in the recent past. Caine and Morgan are seasoned artistes and do what they do best. Ledger is incredible and all the buzz about an oscar nod is well deserved.Even the guy who plays Harvey Dent and the other police officer are brilliant and definetely the strongest parts of the movie. Everything else is perfect and thats what makes this movie a little confusing for me. I like movies that are not perfect and that leave you with a sense of curiosity, the Dark Knight does that but I am not curious at all about the next installment which is not a good thing I suppose.

All put aside, its a great movie and a must watch for everyone who loves Batman or who doesnt love Batman.

Oscars 08

I prefer the Razzies to be honest because they are so much fun, do not take themselves seriously and the deserving person or movie always wins the award. On the other hand the Oscars are like those football and cricket matches that promise a lot and deliver below par. This year it was an extremely boring ceremony in spite of the effort put in by Jon Stewart.

For starters the red carpet was disappointing. Out of all the celebrities Regis was the best dressed !! As for the awards, I was rooting for Juno all through but I guess an Indie flick getting nominated is more than the makers would have expected. I have seen Atonement, No country for old men and Michael Clayton. No Country for old men is an amazing movie and deserved all the accolades that came its way but Michael Clayton was plain boring despite the fact that I love George Clooney. Out of all the awards the one that I thought was the most deserving was the one won for the best song by Glen and Marketa for the movie Once. It is a lovely movie and a must watch for indie film lovers.

It was good to see lots of Non-Americans and Non-Englishmen doing well this time. It was also good to catch a glimpse of Johnny Depp. This guy is incredible. The fact is critically acclaimed movies this year – with the exception of Juno dealt with dark themes and were not the kind of films one would root for. I guess awards are not the yardstick to judge a movie’s merit.

PS: SRK and Kareena won the Filmfare awards this year. Both are my favourites. Atleast I agree with one jury.

Hollywood-Bollywood.

This post is an outcome of a lengthy and intriguing chat I had with one of my friends.He only watches English movies and it takes immense amount of persuasion to make him go see a Hindi movie and I was wondering why.

I am a movie geek and I have seen loads of English,Hindi and Telugu films.I took a keen liking to some of the Hollywood flicks I saw and then found it increasingly difficult to appreciate hindi movies because the plots were so haywire.It baffles me because there is this whole ‘mob mentality ‘ in our country.If something succeds everyone wants to use that very formula.Aping the west has become such a common point in every filmaker’s profile though they give it the name ‘inspiration’.Why doesnt Do Beegha Zameen or Mother India inspire them as much as say Godfather inspires RGV or Old Boy inspires Sanjay Gupta.I saw the movie Karam a few weeks back and was so happy to see the visual brilliance of the movie.Then I happened to see Quentin Tarantino’s work in Kill Bill and realised that Karam was ‘heavily inspired’ by the technicalities of the former.Rang De Basanti is one of my all time favourites because I loved the whole getting inspired by the freedom fighters as they were portraying the characters thing(Siddhart being the other reason!!).The time shift and the dialogues in the time shift were awesome.Then I saw Jesus Of Montreal and although the movies are miles apart in terms of story the whole time shift thing is a direct lift though I wouldnt term it a copy.

People keep saying Karan Johar films are sappy and Sanjay Leela’s is to magnamopous etc etc.They are original.They are Indian.Dancing,festivities,relations,emotions are all part of our lifestyle.I love the fact that he chose to remake Devdas -an Indian classic, and told it from his perspective.Don was a great remade movie to watch too.Munnabhai MBBS was on the lines of Patch Adams but the franchise came back strong with Lage Raho which was so Indian.KANK was criticised from all quarters but things like that happen.Lagaan was a brilliant film and deserved to go to the Oscars.RDB – maybe but people out there had seen Jesus of Montreal and were not so amazed by the movie though it was exceptionally told.Omkara would be my choice for the best film of 2006 because it was an incredible adaptation.Desmodana’s handkerchief became Dolly’s waistband.It was inspired from a book.A lot of movies in the West are inspired from books.On the contrary only a few in India.That is why a Maqbool or an Omkara or even Pinjar are delightful works of art.Guru may not be Mani Ratnam’s best but it was a great move to make the strory of an industrialist.
I think that with multiplex cinema taking such a leap , more and more independent films will be made and people will take a liking to them. I love Indian films and churning out the maximum number of movies per year is not the criteria.I guess big banners should take it on them to ensure creative minds get the platform to let their work get an audience.

Black Friday – are there more to come???

Wow – I am still at a loss of words.Notwithstanding the failure of Indian movies to garner international recognition I think I can safely quote ‘Black Friday’ to be one of those rare masterpieces that could well break the jinx for India.I was desperate to watch the flick and I was not disappointed when I saw it today.There have been brilliant movies before too but the honesty and the courage with which director Anurag Kashyap has made the film makes it stand apart.

It is the true story behind the Bombay blasts of 1993.The performances are incredible and its a shame that the movie had to lie in the cans for 2 years because a ban was imposed on it.Watch the movie and you will know why

a .It speaks the truth

b.No ficitious characters or names.

c.If they talk about ISI ,its in the open if they talk about Advani,its in the open too.

Watching the movie especially the last 10 minutes was a wake up call.Its so disgusting that on the name of relegion we forget the very basics of humanity.If I can ,let me take the liberty of saying that all of us have had wondeful childhoods.We were taught relegious tolerance – well there was no necessity because the topic of relegion never ever sprang up.At 16 you are friends with everyone .. at 19 you are waging war against your own fellowmen.I could never understand how a person’s ideals could change so fast and so drastically but after black friday I know that it is not a difficult job to change people’s thought process especially people who are broken and are insecure.A mosque was demolished in a state,riots broke out everywhere,another state became the target of bomb explosions and all this is done by people who are not even in our country.Jesus – are we in such a vulnerable position.

I was reading Himank’s post a few days back about the condition of Muslims in India and it is such a relevant topic because I have seen more successful Muslims than Hindus.When you are poor , you are poor.It doesnt matter whether you are a Hindu or a Muslim or belong to any other relegion for that matter.If you work hard and strive for excellence your worth and not your birth decides your destiny.Its a pity that even today we need a few movies to arouse the spirit of unity amongst us.

Politics – a word whose meaning needs to be changed immediately in the dictionaries of India because it has been reduced to a cat and mouse game today.Vote banks,film personalities campaigning for parties,people being granted MP seats because of their contribution to music.What in the world does that prove?Confer an award ,ask them to encourage charity but without any prior experience how can they be chosen to formulate laws and make decisions for millions of countrymen.All said and done have we learnt our lessons.Experience is the best teacher but have we made note of that?I dont think so.Otherwise what would explain the Gujarat riots.People die , channels make merry , we brood over it,abuse people and then it all goes back to being what it was.

I wish and hope from the bottom of my heart that communal harmony prevails in our country because we are perhaps the most tolerant,kind,loving and sharing people in the world.Lets not get carried away by what some frustoo has to say.Instead lets transform him/her.Heres hoping for a peaceful world.

PS: Do watch Black Friday – the movie that provoked me to write this post in just 8 minutes.It happens to be my fastest thought about,written and published blog ever.