Rashomon (1950)

The plot
The movie starts off at a temple on a very rainy day where 3 men wait to see off the rain. They discuss an incident involving a bandit and a husband-wife couple in the forest, where the husband is killed. There are varying versions of the same incident.

The bandit, the wife and the husband's ghost testify before the court. Each of them gives a very different take on the actual incident. The bandit says that he killed the husband for the wife's sake after a fierce fight, the wife gives a very unconvincing testimony and the husband 's ghost gives his own version. There are also 2 witnesses who testify. These 2 are there at the temple in the first scene. They are actually narrating the entire story to the 3rd man at the temple.

Finally one of the witnesses tells to the 2 men in the temple, that he actually saw the incident taking place before his eyes and this one differs widely from all the 3 versions.

                                                                 
Hits

• Pioneering screenplay technique
• The music is dramatic and grand
• The camerawork through the forest scenes is racy and quite impressive for such an old movie
• Toshiro Mifune as Tajomaru, the bandit acts well as the manic man with a loud laugh. 

Misses

• There is still confusion in the end as to which is actually the true version. No one's testimony is trustworthy
• The entire movie is about this incident and the varying points of view but, the movie ends with a sermon about the goodness of humanity between the 3 men, after they find an abandoned baby in the temple. Quite irrelevant
• The screenplay is quite slow due to the repeated focus on the same incident. 

VERDICT

Watchable for the pioneering screenplay by Akira Kurosawa. 

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (2008)

The Plot

A German soldier's family comprising of the man, the wife and 2 kids move out of their Berlin home to a countryside as the soldier gets a promotion in the army ranks. His new job is regarding terminating Jews at the concentration camp that is located right behind their home. A chimney that spews out the ugly smoke from burning the Jews alive, is a shocking indicator of the job that he does. 

The daughter doesn't have trouble in fitting in to the new scenario. But the wife is really disturbed by how heartless her husband has become. The young 8 yr old boy Bruno due to sheer boredom, decides to explore what is there behind his house and he befriends another 8 yr old Jewish boy Shmuel,who is on the other side of the barbed wire at the concentration camp.

In the end, when the mom and the 2 kids are about to be moved to Heidelberg due to the mom's sheer discomfort with this place and her husband's work, Bruno and Shmuel are busy in the camp looking for Shmuel's lost father. Bruno digs his way through to the other side to help his dear friend. What happens then is a shocking climax that is quite brutal

                                                                        

Hits

• The 2 kids are so natural and behave rather than act
• Vera Farmiga as the conscious and disturbed mom is very emotive and impressive. 
• Just the idea behind the friendship between a young German and a young Jew from across the barbed wires is very touching. The scene where they play chess is quite emotional. 
• James Horner dazzles with his use of strings, piano and the chorus.

Misses

• Though the movie is very touching, it is quite predictable from the outset

VERDICT

A different take on the atrocities committed by the Germans on the Jews, told through the eyes of two 8 yr old boys. MUST WATCH 

Classic Revisited: The Godfather (1972)

The Plot
The movie shows the life of Sicilian gangsters settled in America. Vito Corleone is the most feared Don and he has all the politicians and decision makers in his pocket. He is surrounded by an entire entourage of other Dons who will die for his sake and consider him as their Godfather. The Don is busy even on his daughter's wedding day.

He has 3 sons, 1 daughter and 1 adopted son. Sonny, the eldest son is very short tempered and not a good family man. Tommy Hagen, the adopted son is the family's legal adviser and Michael, the youngest son is a war hero and a civilian. Due to the Don's stand against drugs he is incapacitated and shot badly by the Sollozzo gang. Sonny takes over the reigns. Michael takes revenge on Sollozzo and goes away for a while to their ancestral village Corleone where he marries a village belle.

Michael returns back to the US after his brother's brutal murder and his wife's murder in a blast and totally takes over in his own style. He marries his lover Kay. Vito Corleone also dies due to old age. Now Michael re-organizes and wipes out all his rivals and all his traitors. He is THE Don Corleone and the GODFATHER now ...

Hits

• This movie is the inspiration to all the legendary Indian gangster movies made till date. Scores of Tamil movies starring superstars like Kamal and Rajini derive from The Godfather
• Marlon Brando is perfect as the ageing gangster who wants to sort things out in a reasonable manner. Velunayakar ka bada baap :)
• Al Pacino as the cold blooded and calculating Don is another menacing character.
• James Caan as the aggressive and short tempered Sonny spews terror.
• Robert Duvall as the ice cool legal adviser to the Corleone family is the perfect foil to the violent characters around him. 
• All the supporting characters who come as Dons are all aptly cast and register themselves in our memory through their characters. Clemenza, Barzini, Brasi, Tessio, Fredo, Moe Greene etc etc
• Legendary musical score by Nino Rota. 2 themes in particular are ones for the ages. Haunting. 
• Some terrific and catchy dialogs. "I'll make him an offer that he wont refuse"
• There are a lot of scenes that buildup slowly yet they are so thrilling. The hospital scene, the scene where Michael kills Sollozzo and McCluskey etc etc

Misses

• Michael wipes out all his rivals and traitors so easily. Though these sequences come parallely along with his baptism sequences in a brilliant manner, they are quite hard to believe. 
• After his first wife from Corleone dies, Michael again approaches his old flame Kay after leaving her in the wilderness for so many years. Michael's character reaches a trough in this scene. 

VERDICT

Legendary phenomenon that has become the reference for all other gangster movies made in any country and in any language. 

Dum Maaro Dum (2011)

The Plot
How a lonely and aggressive police officer, Vishnu Kamath cleans up the drug racket in Goa is the plot. Kamath is after a major drug loot worth 670 crores that is stashed away somewhere in Goa.  He has his small team of 2 more cops. Lorsa Biscuta is the drug lord in Goa and many foreigners and locals work for him. Entire Goa is ruled by drugs and it leads to all the crimes.  Biscuta uses innocent, aspiring youngsters for his drug trafficking business. Lorry and Zoey are 2 such pawns that he uses. The former agrees for his education expenses and the latter agrees for her career as an air-hostess.

There is also a major mystery regarding Michael Barbosa, a mysterious character. In the end, everything becomes clear. Joki, Zoey's former lover is also involved in this as he wants to save Lorry. One of Kamath's trusted cops plays spoilsport and he is actually an informer to Biscuta. After many deaths, some needless, all the drugs are found and burnt in the end leaving Biscuta fuming. Joki also clears himself and Lorry of all the criminal charges and they get back to their normal lives in the end.

                                                                         
Hits

• Abhishek Bachchan is picture perfect as the aggressive cop. Top class show. He looks the part as well.
• Good songs by Pritam
• The film moves very well in the initial stages due to some stylish editing and great visuals. Quite daring for Indian film standards. 
• Rana Daggubati looks macho and mean but is very limited in emoting. Bipasha Basu again looks fabulously sexy. 
• Prateik Babbar as the young Lorry is a natural. His childish voice also suits the part he plays

Misses

• The film loses grip towards the end. A slow moving screenplay might be the reason. 
• The climatic twists are also not very shocking. They leave very little impact.
• The decision to kill the lead police character really backfires. That too for a movie of this genre and that too after showing him in all his glory for most of the film. 

VERDICT

Half baked attempt. Could have been much better given the promising plot and interesting initial scenes. 

New York (2009)

The Plot

How Muslims living in the US are driven to take up terrorism due to the torture that the Americans inflict upon them post 9/11 is the movie’s theme. It is told in the backdrop of 3 friends (Sam, Maya and Omar) and their college life. Sam and Maya are lovers and they also marry each other. Omar is used by the FBI to infiltrate Sam’s suspected sleeper cell. Omar goes back to his friend Sam’s house after many yrs and slowly starts to know about Sam’s real existence.

Yes. Sam is indeed planning some major attacks on the FBI and Omar wants to stop this as an undercover FBI agent and as a friend to Sam, and ensure that Sam is not killed. He also gets a guarantee from the FBI officer Roshan to this effect. But, things turn haywire and it is needless bloodshed for the husband-wife due to the hyperactive nature of the Americans in the FBI. Omar takes over as the guardian of Danyal, Maya and Sam’s little son, in the end.

                                                                        

Hits

• Yash Raj's production values are top notch. It looks like a Hollywood product. The cinematography is the main reason for this richness. 
• Katrina Kaif has acted very well for the first time in her career. As the understanding lover, wife and mother, she is top notch. She looks a million bucks as always. An elegant goddess
• Despite the robotic voice modulation, John Abraham scores in the emoting area. Neil Nitin Mukesh also impresses with his earnest show of desperation and frustration. His voice is cute. 
• Irfan Khan looks and plays the part of the Indian FBI officer to perfection. His sarcasm at the friendship between the 3, is enjoyable. The man who comes as Zilgai, the tortured Muslim portrays all the angst and embarrassment through his eyes. Great talent. 
• The torture scenes are very hard hitting. 
• The songs are all melodious and peppy at the same time. Credit to Pritam for that 
• The messages given in the end credits about the detention of foreign nationals in the US post 9/11 makes a lot of impact.

Misses

• The climax though beautifully shot on a grand scale, is very melodramatic. A played down climax would have worked much better.

VERDICT

One of the better 'serious' Hindi movies. Kudos to the director Kabir Khan for taking a heavy subject in his very first film. 

Aaranya Kaandam (2011)

Plot
This is another gangster movie based on the theme "The survival of the fittest". A bag of cocaine is the bone of contention among 2 groups of gangsters headed by Singaperumal and Gajendran. The cocaine belongs to Gajendran's gang while Pasupathy of Singaperumal's gang sniffs it and wants to sell it off and settle in life.

Singaperumal is impotent and he has Subbu as his keep. Sappa is a small time guy with an addiction for video games who is with Singa for small time jobs including matters regarding Subbu. Sappa falls for Subbu and she also reciprocates his feelings or that's what we believe till the very end.

Kalaiyan and Kodukkupuli a father-son duo are in the city to recover some money to pay off their debts. Their rooster is their only source of income. They lose their rooster to Singa's sickle and the cocaine bag ends up with this duo incidentally and what follows is a series of kidnappings, lots of bloodshed and murders and finally it is the smartest and the fittest that survive. The brawny macho gangsters are all eliminated and in the end a new gang-leader is born and there is also a major boost to womanhood in the climax.

Hits

• Yuvan boosts the movie in unimaginable ways. His use of violins, strings, piano leave us with goose bumps on many occasions. The jazzy style music heard in Guy Ritchie and Tarantino movies is also heard here. Yuvan continues to dazzle.
• The fight choreography is a straight tribute to Tarantino's style. Blood literally sprays all over the place like in Kill Bill. Marvelous to see and a sight to behold. 
• The cinematography is innovative to say the least. The picture clarity, the angles, the slow motions etc. are all top notch
• The slick editing also adds to the style quotient. This is in fact one of the most stylishly made Indian films
• The dialogues are all spot on and earn claps at many places. Liberal use of expletives add to the rustic effect. The Rajini, Kamal, Vijaykanth, aunty jokes are all spot on.
• Some brilliant acting by the guy who comes as Kalaiyan. Very spontaneous. The kid Kodukkupuli also has a major role and his part is another applause worthy show. His dialogs almost always earned the applause of the crowd. 
• Sampath can give any hero a run for his money. Very suave and debonair as the gangster. Jackie Shroff is imposing and his lazy style suits the character perfectly. The way he grins his teeth bare is superb. Ravikrishna is again aptly cast as the useless Sappa who trusts everyone. Yasmin pulls off a shocker in the end as Subbu. Initially very naive, her's is among the most weighty characters in the movie. 
• All the other small characters like the money minded police, the Gaja brothers, the guy who cracks aunty jokes make a mark easily

VERDICT

Near perfect ... in fact perfect. How humans are also part of the food chain where humans consume other humans is what this movie tells. A brilliant debut by Thiagarjan Kumararaja. He is one for the future. 

Avan Ivan (2011)

The Plot
Walter Vanangamudi and Kumbidren Saamy are step brothers. While Walter wants to be a dance artist, Saamy is happy with doing petty robberies with his small side kick. Walter is slightly effeminate thanks to the influence of 'Highness', the entire family's godfather and a highly respected man in the village. The brothers have their petty rivalries over who is the better thief and their mothers are also constantly at loggerheads over who is the superior son. But they are very close and their bonding is very strong. The brothers also have their love stories going on with 2 timid village girls, a policewoman and a college girl.

The brothers have their stints with the police who are mere buffoons. They also have a minor disagreement with Highness over Saamy's girl, which ends well nevertheless.There is also a villain in the story in the form of a man who deals in illegal cow business. 'Highness' gets mixed up with this man's business and what follows is a brutal last half hour which will surely leave a lump in your throat for the sheer intensity and emotionally draining nature of Bala's film making.

                                                             

Hits

• Vishal has come up with the performance of a life time. His intro scene is among the most daring. His comic sense during the scenes where he woos his girl, the scene where he performs before the entire school and his performance in the final half hour of the movie is surely worthy of many awards. 
• Yuvan is supreme as usual. His title score is mesmerizing. His BGM for the villain is also quite chilling. He has given 2 extra songs both of which are very good. At lots of places, the BGM adds to the emotional value of the film 
• Arya is also impressive with his comic timing and his bonding with Arya is evident. His act is very similar to Suriya's Pithamagan role. 
• Both Arya and Vishal have become experts at the 'kuthu' dance
• G.M.Kumar as Highness makes a huge impact in the second half. His role is among the most daring character roles in Tamil cinema history. 
• Ambika and the lady who comes as the mother of Arya bristle with energy and typical village charm. The young side kick of Arya is another typical village lad.

Misses

• Suriya's absolutely needless cameo and his attempts at self promotion show him in very bad light. He better stay away from such nonsense in the future.
• The obvious similarities to Pithamagan
• The characterization of the police as sheer buffoons
• The 2 lead ladies, though very pretty (particularly Madhu Shalini) are mere show pieces and their love with the lead guys is also very cinematic. 

VERDICT

A typical Bala product. The performances of Vishal, G.M.Kumar and Arya, in that order,being the major resurrection.   

Smokin' Aces (2007)

What's it about

Buddy 'Aces' Israel, a part of the mob, wannabe gangster and a showman, decides to turn police informant and give vital information about Primo Sparazza and the rest of the La Costra Nasa gang. Word spreads around about this and a whole lot of hit men are out to kill Buddy and get his heart for Primo. The FBI is also hot on heels to keep Buddy safe in protective custody at a hotel in Lake Tahoe.

Slowly things start turning out really violent at the hotel and there is a whole lot of bloodshed. One of the FBI agents Carruthers is also killed. Things go according to the FBI Deputy Director Locke’s plan and all the hit men who are out to get Buddy are left humbled.

Finally it becomes clear to Carruther’s dejected partner Agent Messner that it is all a part of the FBI’s plan to get Agent Heller one of their old time agents, who actually is Primo Sparazza. He had gone undercover many many years back and Buddy is actually his son. They need Buddy’s heart due to the blood compatibility, for a transplant to save Sparazza aka Heller. The FBI would get all the information about the mob that they need from Sparazza himself, after this operation

The FBI had used many ppl including their 2 agents as mere pawns in this operation. Messner is totally blown out hearing this huge setup by the FBI, from Locke and he pulls out the life support of both Buddy and Sparazza in one go, in the end. He feels that this FBI created monster Sparazza is a man who has killed so many FBI agents and that he doesn't deserve to live, along with the other wannabe Buddy Israel. 

                 

Hits

• The screenplay is chaotic and very fast. Lots of characters and complexities. Full attention needed. 
• Very stylish making by Joe Carnahan. 
• Good BG score by Clint Mansell
• The characterization of Buddy Israel is very impressive. Always hyperactive and lively with a pack of cards in hand. Jeremy Piven rocks. 
• Ryan Reynolds as the rugged FBI agent is apt too. All the other characters in this huge cast also play their parts well. 
• The final twist in the tale about the identity and mystery surrounding Sparazza is quite shocking and makes us sit up. 

Misses

• The final scene at the hospital room where Messner pulls the plug, is quite cinematic. 
• Ben Affleck's role proceeds so stylishly until he is killed off suddenly. A big dampener that was. 

VERDICT

A chaotic ride that is engaging and the final twist in the tale is sharp too. Worth watching.                                                                        

The Hangover (2009)

What's it about:
             3 childhood buddies Phil, Stu, Doug and Doug's soon to be brother-in-law Alan, go on a bachelor party to Vegas to celebrate Doug's last few days of bachelorhood. They take a Mercedes and vow to have some crazy fun and also to not tell anyone about all this fun. In short, they want to forget what they would be doing in these days.
             As expected they have some amazing fun but unfortunately, Doug's whereabouts become a real mystery to the other 3 men, after they wake up in the morning at their villa . They find a tiger in their bathroom and a baby at their doorstep. Stu is missing a tooth and all the 3 have no clue as to what happened the previous night. As the wedding nears, the 3 friends need to find Doug and reach the marriage on time.
             After a lot of searching and roaming, they find that Stu had married a stripper the previous night, and that the tiger belongs to Mike Tyson. They piss off the cops and also get involved in a mix-up with a Chinese big shot over gambling at the Bellagio casino.
             Finally after a lot of confusions, they realize that they had left Doug on the terrace of their hotel, the previous night. They put the pieces together in the end and reach the marriage just in time. All is well and fun in the end after Stu breaks up with his control freak girl friend, Melissa
     

                                                                     
Hits

• Zach Galifianakis must be one of the most funny men around. Just seeing him, brings in the laughs and his style of dialog delivery is cool and unhurried. That makes it even more funny.
• Bradley Cooper looks every inch the cool dude and has great screen presence. Ed Helms impresses with his frustration and desperation as Stu
• Ken Jeong in a short cameo as Mr. Chow is a riot. His intro scene where he springs up naked, bashes the 3 men and runs away, is one of the most funny scenes ever. His dialog delivery is cute too. 
• The sound track is rocking and has many famous party songs.
• One of the most feel good, jolly buddy movies ever made. 
• Crazy comic situations and hilarious dialogs. 

VERDICT

This will be the very first movie that will come to your mind whenever you need a stress-buster and some wholesome hearty laughs ... 

Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (2009)

What's it about:

    Connor Mead is a fashion photographer and a very high profile one at that. He is a hard core playboy and has a way with the women. He sleeps with countless women. He goes back to his uncle’s home for his brother’s wedding. People are surprised to see him there, including his childhood sweetheart Jenny.

    He starts messing up things there unintentionally. The marriage is even broken at a stage. Then, he realizes all his past follies thanks to the intervention of 3 ghosts (his first sex partner, his secretary and an angelic woman) and his uncle's ghost. They take him through his past life, his relationship with Jenny, his numerous flings at women and he realizes his faults and repents for them. 

    Finally he patches up the marriage again and he also gets back his sweetheart Jenny. 

                                                                      

Hits

• A normal story of a playboy mending his ways, told in a funny and cheeky way through ghosts and all.
• Matthew McConaughey looks handsome and is apt as the playboy, but he looks gay with long hair in the flashback sequences. 
• Michael Douglas as Uncle Wayne is uber cool with his attitude and demeanor. The way he calls Connor as Dutch is terrific. 
• Jennifer Garner looks chic and charming. 

VERDICT

A feel good and pleasant relationship movie. Rated very low in IMDB but ... 

Classic Revisited - Fight Club (1999)

What's it about:
     A man gets so frustrated with his mundane life, mundane job and materialistic condo life. He doesn't sleep and he goes to all sorts of health group sessions to meet other losers and feel a bit better. Still something is missing as he finds another person called Marla Singer who is also a roamer like him without any diseases.
     Then he meets a person called Tyler Durden who happens to be everything that he aspires to be in life. He loses his apartment to a fire, moves in with Tyler, starts a fight club which soon becomes really famous among scores of other frustrated men.
     Soon a big movement called 'Project Mayhem' starts. More people are recruited by Tyler who gives them all sort of assignments that mock at the materialism in society. These men are all bald and live their lives in teams and in a set pattern. Marla Singer is also very much a part of Tyler's life and they have so many spectacular sessions in bed.
     Then one day, Tyler ditches our man and he disappears. Our man is perplexed and slowly he figures out in a shocking turn of events that he actually is Tyler Durden. He had created an alter ego to make himself feel better and this alter ego is all that our man wanted himself to be. He dresses like how our man wants to, looks like how he wants to and fucks like how he wants to.
     People around him knew all along that Tyler Durden is only one man, Marla knew it too. But, our man believed all along that Tyler Durden is a separate individual. He had been hallucinating on many occasions about his alter ego. He had caused so much pain to himself thinking that Tyler Durden is doing it to him. He had been imagining that Tyler had been fucking Marla, and not him.
     Finally he figures it out after a major struggle with his alter ego and after so many self inflicted punches, bruises and bullets. But, he can't stop Project Mayhem because of the sheer strength of his army and he watches all the credit card companies biting the dust in the end along with his re-united lover, Marla Singer.

                                                                       
Hits

• Brad Pitt as the imaginative, alter ego of Tyler Durden turns in one of the most stylish performances in motion picture history. His looks, his body, the fighting style, the attitude and the dialog delivery are a class apart.
• Edward Norton is overshadowed by his alter ego, Brad Pitt. But still the sophisticated and neat style of Norton is immensely like-able. The final half hour where he struggles with himself is a desperate treat to watch. How can he hit himself so convincingly :)
• The male oriented dialogs are a major plus. They spew aggression, attitude, desperation and frustration. The "I am Jack's" series of dialogs are something totally new. 
• The twist in the tale about the identity of Tyler Durden is shocking. 
• Helena Bonham Carter as Marla Singer is another performance that is brimming with attitude and carelessness. Her unique relationship with Tyler that starts in the group sessions, is new to cinema. 
• The tryst with the world of therapy sessions is new too. All sorts of groups. Testicular cancer, tuberculosis, brain tumor etc etc. 
• Nice information thrown in here and there about the making of soaps too :)

Misses

• The method that Tyler uses to eliminate his alter ego in the climax is highly debatable. He shoots himself in the mouth and still comes out alive. People around him say that he is a tough motherfucker. But still this scene is a bit too much. He even talks properly within minutes of the bullet firing. 

VERDICT

The very best guy movie that is full of style and attitude. The climatic twist that brings in the hallucination element is the cherry on the cake. 

Source Code (2011)

What's it about
A dead American soldier, Colter Stevens is sent on a 'Source Code' mission which is all about time re-assignment and parallel reality. Colter's brain is activated from inside an isolated chamber and Colleen Goodwin and Dr.Rutledge give him instructions as to what he has to do. He is on life support all through the mission.
     Colter assumes the identity of a teacher Sean and he is sent to the scene of a Chicago train just 8 mins before a major explosion. His task is to find out the bomb and also the person responsible for the bombing. This bombing is expected to trigger a series of further explosions in Chicago.
     The thing with this Source Code mission is that the past can't be altered but the future can be affected. So the persons who are on the train with Colter are already dead. He can't save the people on the train or that is what Dr.Rutledge and Goodwin assume.
     Colter finally nabs the person responsible Derek Frost, after a series of failed 8 min attempts where he is brought back and forth between the chamber and the train scene. He prevents the bomb blast, arrests Frost and takes away Christina Warren, a woman who is known to Sean and who is very attractive to Colter as well, for coffee in the streets of Chicago.
    Rutledge plans to use Colter for more such missions by re-initializing him and wiping his memory whereas Goodwin wants to shut down Colter's life support and give him his death after his great service. But Colter proves to them through a message, that the Source Code leads to a parallel world where the past can be altered. Quite a complex and debatable climax.

                                                                     
Hits

• The utterly original cinematic concept of 'Source Code' based on quantum physics and parabolic calculus, by the director Duncan Jones. Too complex and worth paying attention to. 
• Breathtaking cinematography, particularly the aerial shots of the Chicago train and the city.
• Rugged yet sophisticated looking Jake Gyllenhaal is perfect and like-able as Colter Stevens
• Cute role for Michelle Monaghan as Christina. Quite a serious and dignified role for Vera Farmiga as Goodwin.
• The VFX effects for the bomb explosion are decent.
• Good support role for Jeffrey Wright as Dr.Rutledge, the utterly brilliant and path breaking scientist.

Misses

• The climatic twist stating that the Source Code leads to a parallel world blots the otherwise brilliant movie. The movie could have ended at the point when Colter kisses Christina, on preventing the bomb explosion, after his final 8 mins of life support in the chamber. 

VERDICT

Plenty of food for thought and entertaining too. Another mind bending fantasy from Hollywood.