Never Let Me Go (2010)

The Plot
Tommy, Kathy and Ruth are 3 young students at Hailsham, a place where young kids are raised with the sole purpose of donating their vital organs to people who need them. These kids are born to be donors. Some become carers and then start donating. Usually the youngsters complete their lives by the time of their 3rd donations.

It's quite a sad depressing plot. Ruth falls in love with Tommy just to keep Kathy away from Tommy. Ruth is the first to complete her donor cycle. Then Tommy and Kathy appeal for a deferral citing their true love for each other. But, they discover that there is nothing called a deferral and Tommy eventually completes his life too. The movie ends with Kathy reflecting on their lives and getting ready for her first donation

Hits

•  Beautiful acting by all the 3 lead players be it Andrew Garfield, Keira Knightley or Carey Mulligan. So natural, poignant and touching. The young kids who play the 3 roles are also perfectly in sync with their roles.
• Aesthetic sense is perfect be it the locations, the BG score or the general serene setting

Comments

• Very sad and depressing theme. 
• The donors often talk about finding their perfect match and the persons based on which they were modeled. This is quite confusing. 

VERDICT

A movie that makes us sober and feel quite low. Worth watching for the top class aesthetics and the acting

Engaeyum Eppothum (2011)

The Plot
The film talks about a very important issue amid the backdrop of 2 beautiful contrasting love stories.

Kathiresan and Manimekalai are a pair in Trichy. While the guy is very shy and ever obedient, the girl is the exact opposite. She dictates terms and makes her guy move according to her wishes. But, it is true love between the two.

The other love track between Amudha and Gautham happens in the span of 1 day as Gautham helps a totally helpless Amudha around Chennai for her interview. Their love travels through the Chennai buses, lanes and after they part at the end of the day it becomes stronger.

Kathir and Mani board a Trichy -> Chennai government bus as Kathir wants to introduce his girl to his family at Arasur near Villupuram. Gautham and Amudha go in search of each other to Trichy and Chennai respectively. While Gautham is in the aforementioned Trichy -> Chennai bus, Amudha is in the Chennai -> Trichy bus.

A terrible bus accident happens involving the above 2 buses and what happens to the 2 pair of lovers and their lives is the climax which has high impact and is very emotionally involving.

Hits

• All the 4 performers Anjali, Jai, Ananya and Sharvanand. Anjali is boisterous, lively and turns in a spellbinding performance in the climax. Jai is perfect as the shy and soft guy who doesn't have any bad habits. Sharvanand is the suave Gautham who slowly falls for the naive Amudha and Ananya is the beautiful innocent small town girl who slowly starts falling for Gautham. 
• The Jai - Anjali track is very lively and entertaining thanks to the contrasting pair. Ananya makes the other love track tick with her innocence and suspecting nature. The emotions in both the love tracks make the occurrences in the climax even more involving. 
• The much hyped bus accident scene is a total shocker. Such details, such pain and such impact has never been seen in Indian cinema before. 
• The songs are lovely. Great debut by composer Sathya. The 'Maasama' song has been beautifully picturized. It has one highly addictive shoulder movement as part of the dance. 
• The editing is top notch. The post accident and pre accident scenes are beautifully juxtaposed using certain elements.
• The cinematography by Velraj gives the required jerk, nervous energy and tension. 
• A poignant message about organ donation is thrown in the climax amid all the blood and death. Hats off. 
• Each character in the bus has a beautiful story board. So touching. 
• The climax is a complete emotional pot boiler. Uff. 

Comments

• Gutsy production by Murugadoss and Fox Star. More such small budgeted gems need to be rolled out at regular intervals. 
• The BG score is too loud at places. 

VERDICT

A movie that entertains and yet gives out a very socially relevant message. Miss it at your own risk. Flawless debut by director Saravanan. Another stunner from Tamil cinema. 

Thor (2011)

The Plot
The film is a visual fantasy that shows 2 realms in outer space, Asgard and Jotunheim. Jotunheim has the 'Frost Giants' who have the power to freeze their opponents. The earth is also one of the nine realms.

Asgard is ruled by Odin who has 2 sons Thor and Luki. Luki is actually an adopted son found in Jotunheim post the conquest by Odin. Luki is jealous of his brother Thor and wants to become the king of Asgard.  He is a cunning manipulator with magical powers.

In the beginning, Thor looks to aggressively demolish Jotunheim with his small gang of aides. He almost pulls it off when his father intervenes, strips him off his powers, his hammer and banishes him from Asgard. Thor lands on Earth in New Mexico.

He is helped by a curious scientist Jane Foster in his mission to find his hammer and return back to his home land. Jane is intrigued by Thor's story. They start loving each other. Erik and Darcy are Jane's company. Thor is countered on Earth by the Frost Giants who are instigated by the scheming Luki. Thor gets his hammer at the right moment and banishes the enemy.

In the end, Thor realizes the value of life and starts believing in wisdom. He returns to Asgard with his hammer. He convinces his ailing father that he will indeed be the future king. Luki is banished now and he lands somewhere on Earth.

Jane waits for Thor while he is in Asgard listening to Heimdall the gatekeeper who has extra-ordinary powers to see people on Earth too. The bridge called Bifrost, that connects Asgard to Jotunheim and also to the Earth, is broken and hence Thor can't get back to his love on Earth.

The films ends with the premise for a sequel.

Hits

• Terrific VFX, graphics and imagination. As expected.
• Natalie Portman as Jane is goddess personified with her elegance and pure, innocent beauty.
• Chris Hemsworth as the macho super hero is imposing and very charming as the huge Thor
• Lots of mystic creations like Bifrost, Asgard, Jotunheim etc. etc. 
• Entertaining references to SHIELD and Tony Stark from Iron Man. 

Comments

• Very simple story of a superhero realizing the purpose of his life. The standard templates like a demure girl who loves the superhero are all present in Thor. 

VERDICT

Another "Marvel Comics" visual effects extravaganza

Mausam (2011)

The Plot
The film is basically a love story between a Punjabi boy Harinder Singh aka Harry and a Muslim girl Aayath. It starts in 1992 and finally meets a happy ending in 2002. Their love travels from the Punjabi village Mallugat to Scotland and back to India at Ahmadabad.

Their love has many hurdles in the form of the Babri Masjid riots in 92, the Kargil war in 99 and the final Gujarat riots in 2002.

Harry's duties as an IAF pilot are also a reason for the delay in the happy ending. But after some major drama in the climax due to the Gujarat riots, the lovers unite and live happily ever after.

Hits

• Shahid Kapoor is the rock of the film. The various transitions from the young village boy to the young pilot to the final mature look, are all perfect. He emotes very well and looks like a million bucks as always.
• The cinematography is the next major plus. Be it the pristine locales of Punjab or the Scottish locations, they are extremely pleasing to the eye.
• The initial scenes in the Punjabi village where the love blossoms are light hearted and entertaining. Then, the scene in the Scotland train where Shahid madly searches for Sonam is another thrilling highlight amid the total bore. 
• Among Pritam's melodies, 'Rabba' is very pleasing to the ears. 

Comments

• Sonam Kapoor is plastic and fake. She doesn't know to act and has one or two standard expressions. Looks pretty and elegant at places.

Misses

• Extremely slow moving and boring at many places
• The editing by Sreekar Prasad is a major letdown. 
• We expect at-least the war scenes in the fighter aircraft to have some fizz. But, that too goes bust. 

VERDICT

A flop in the making. Shahid Kapoor is the lone reason to check out this long drawn out love story. 

Analyze This (1999)

The Plot
Paul Vitti is a dreaded gangster who starts getting some panic attacks due to his troubled past. The exact reason is the death of his father when he was a young kid. Paul doesn't know the exact reason for his panic and hence he approaches a psychiatrist with a lot of hesitation.

The psychiatrist is Dr.Sobel who is about to get married for the 2nd time. Paul and his side-kick Jelly repeatedly barge into Dr.Sobel's space for Paul's consultation. There are a lot of funny moments as Sobel botches his marriage ceremonies on some occasions.

Finally, Paul fixes his issues thanks to Sobel's expertise and Paul decides to quit the mob business for good. He is sent to jail and continues to have sessions with Sobel who visits him. Sobel also gets married. The climax scene where all the mob bosses meet up and Sobel as Paul's acting lawyer gives one helluva funny speech, is a riot.

Hits

• Robert De Niro as the gangster who struggles with his emotions in private while putting up a brave face in public, is a charmer. The way he cries is particularly funny.
• Billy Crystal as the psychiatrist impresses in the scenes where he is caught up between Paul and his wedding commitments. His speech in the climax is THE moment of the film
• Paul's side-kick Jelly looks so funny and chubby. 
• The scenes showing the gangsters with all their crazy names and their plans, are quite funny. For a funny movie, even such serious scenes look spoofed and entertaining. 

VERDICT

Some light hearted fun.

Shooter (2007)

The Plot
Bob Lee Swagger is a retired gunner in the US Army. He leaves the force after a mission in which he loses his close friend and spotter Donnie. He lives in a hilly area with his dog Sam.

One day, he is approached by Colonel Johnson and his men asking for a favor. They want him to plan an assassination of the US President because they feel there is a threat to the life of the President as he is to tour Washington, Delaware and Philadelphia.

Bob plans it, gives them valuable recon and details as to how this assassination can be carried out. But, in a shocking twist, Bob is shot by his own men and he is blamed for the assassination. The actual plan was to shoot the Archbishop of Ethiopia and not the US President.

He is badly hurt but he recovers taking the help of Sarah, Donnie's widow. Another FBI guy Nick Memphis also wants to know more about this obvious conspiracy and he joins hands with Bob to find the truth.

The bad guys are expectedly Johnson and the US Senator. The reason why they want to shoot the Archbishop is because they had wiped out an entire African village for the sake of oil. The Archbishop was about to tell this truth at the Philadelphia meeting and hence he was killed.

Bob finds the truth but he isn't able to prove that Johnson and co. are guilty. So, he shoots them out in the climax in his own inimitable style and precision.

Hits

• Mark Wahlberg is made for such rough and touch action movies and he is perfect with his stubble and aggressive swagger
• The screenplay of the movie is very engaging and fast. Like the Bourne series. 
• The cinematography is top class particularly in the starting war sequence and the pre-climax sequence on top of the snow clad peaks. 
• Kate Mara as the damsel in distress Sarah is super hot. We can empathize with her character as the war widow.
• Michael Pana as the FBI officer Nick who is eager to make a difference to the case and save his dignity, is the second most important character in the film.  

Misses

• The villains in the movie are like caricatures. They aren't imposing. 

VERDICT

Another super fact action entertainer on the lines of the Bourne series. Worth watching.                                                                       

Mere Brother Ki Dulhan (2011)

The Plot
Younger brother Kush has to choose an appropriate bride for his brother Lav. Lav is in London and he has just broken up with his girl friend Piya

Kush sees a lot of girls but none of them look like suiting his brother. Then he comes across Dimple. He and Dimple had already been acquainted some yrs back when they were in college. He decides that Dimple will be his brother's dulhan and Dimple also does a video chat with Lav. The marriage is set.

Then, Kush and Dimple get very close as they make all the arrangements for the marriage together. They fall in love, elope but, decide to return back.

Then they plan a big drama involving Lav's girlfriend Piya who comes to India as Dimple's friend. There the fire is rekindled between the 2 broken-up lovers and they elope and get married. Kush and Dimple also get married as planned after some more drama involving the 2 families.

                                                                       
Hits

• It's Katrina Kaif's movie completely. What style, attitude, cuteness and energy. She acts very well nowadays. 
• Imran Khan is boyish, charming and very handsome. Decent show
• Ali Zafar is debonair and acts well as the cool dude London brother. His girl friend Piya looks hot too. 
• The songs by Sohail Sen are a major plus. Very colorfully picturized too. Dhunki, Choomantar, the title song, Madhubala etc. etc. Aural and visual treat.  
• The first half is very likable and moves like a dream. 
• A lot of popular Bollywood characters have been spoofed most notably My Name is Khan's SRK. Good fun ... 

Comments

• The second half has all the typical Bollywood drama elements. The drama before the climax in particular is needless

VERDICT

Good time-pass entertainer. Yash Raj ishtyle light-hearted romantic drama

Disturbia (2007)

The Plot
Kale loses his father in an accident before he is even 18 and he gets into a shell. He punches his Spanish teacher at school and is ordered to be in house arrest for 3 months.

He has nothing else to do other than spy on his neighbors with his binoculars. His mother cuts off his XBOX, his itunes and he is left no other option. He can't go beyond a certain limit in his home because the house arrest device will then start beeping with a red light thereby alerting the cops. He is in safe limits as long as the device shows a green light.

His friend Ronnie comes along to his home and gives him company in his adventures and Kale also finds an attractive girl friend Ashley, in the neighborhood who is also chained in her home.

These 3 together, expose a serial killer in their neighborhood named Turner who is busy chopping off the heads of redhead girls. They use their guts, fearlessness and some cheeky technology to kill Turner. This part of the movie is very gripping and thrilling.

                                                                     
Hits

• Shia LaBeouf as the smart, gutsy and boyish Karl carries the movie on his shoulders.
• David Morse as the serial killer is imposing and devilish. Good casting.
• Sarah Roemer as Karl's girlfriend is super hot and cute. Their romantic track is very likable and involving. 
• The movie has enough and more thrills and gripping moments towards the end. The climax is a clincher too. 

VERDICT

Very good thrill ride that gives a good adrenaline rush. 

Bad Teacher (2011)

The Plot
Elizabeth Halsey is a very self-centered person who works in a middle school that calls itself JAMS. She is a very bad teacher who just shows movies to her students while she does drugs, dopes and drinks in the class itself.

She is obsessed with getting a new pair of big tits and she starts swindling money for the breast enhancement surgery through all possible shady means. She is a big manipulator who doesn't respect the gym teacher Russell who has all along had an eye for her. Halsey has a crush on Scott, a fellow teacher. But, he is in love with Amy, another teacher. Elizabeth and Amy are always at loggerheads and Amy wants to expose Elizabeth's shady dealings to the entire school but, in vain till the very end.

Finally Amy is sent out due to Elizabeth's cunning moves and Elizabeth doesn't get her surgery done, snubs Scott and finally agrees to Russell's proposal.

                                                                         
Hits

• Cameron Diaz as the bad, brat teacher is apt for the role due to her slutty looks and flashy makeover. 
• Justin Timberlake is charming and acts cutesy. 
• Lucy Punch as Amy is very funny with her attempts to expose Elizabeth. The shots of her big tits are a welcome addition to the movie. In-fact there are a lot of shots of big tits at close quarters. A treat for the guys. That too the one scene at the clinic, where a model exposes her huge tits and nipples right in front of the camera to Elizabeth and Elizabeth fondling with the tits, is AMAZING. 
• Jason Segel turns out to be the hero in the end, as the gym teacher. Funny and earnest at the same time. 
• Phyllis Smith as the obese and shy teacher Lynn is another funny character.

VERDICT

Sort of a bad movie aptly titled. Strict one time watch that too just for the shots of the tits :)

(500) Days of Summer (2009)

The Plot
Tom Hansen falls head over heels in love with Summer who comes to work in his office as an assistant to his boss. He works at a greeting card company though he is qualified to be an architect.

The relationship is always very honest and true from Tom's side while Summer is very confused, inconsistent and never treats Tom as her guy. Finally she breaks up with him and moves on in life just like that and casually marries another guy.

Tom comes out of the rut and finally decides that his life is in his control and that there is no such thing as fate. He quits his job, moves on and is on track to be an architect. Then in the end he meets a super attractive girl called Autumn and decides to give it a shot with her.
                                                                       
Hits

• Joseph Gordon-Levitt turns in a real earnest performance as the intense and true lover. The scene where he breaks down in the office meeting about how the greeting cards, movies and songs shape people's perception about love, is very moving. 
• His friends in the movie give some naturally light hearted moments. The sister is also very candid and sharp with her comments 
• Zooey Deschanel is beautiful as Summer and lives up to her inconsistent characterization. 
• Nice innovative screenplay in the way the timeline of the relationship is shown in the backdrop of trees in the various seasons. Such out of the box touches are seen throughout. The expectation vs. reality sequence earns extra brownie points. 
• Regina Spektor has given 2 mesmerizing songs for the movie, in "Us" and "Hero". The main reason why I saw the movie again is due to these songs. 

VERDICT

A realistic take on how a couple behaves contrastingly while they are dating. Sort of a comment on how girls dump guys so easily and move on while the guys take much more time to rehabilitate themselves. 

Classic: Se7en (1995)

The Plot
It is the travails that 2 investigative cops, David Mills and William Somerset experience while trying to uncover the mystery behind serial killings based on the deadly sins - gluttony, greed, wrath, sloth, pride, lust and envy.

John Doe is the killer and the 2 detectives nab him after he has completed 6 murders. Detective Mills is forced to complete Doe's masterpiece of the 7 deadly sins due to tragic circumstances in the climax.

Doe has reasons behind each of the murders and comes across as a real thinking psycho and Mills' condition in the climax is highly pitiable.

                                                                     
Hits

• A totally script driven movie. Terrific grip, thrill and intensity
• Kevin Spacey as the psychic killer is terrifying and cold blooded. Brilliant
• Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman as the 2 detectives support the script with their solid shows. Pitt is remarkable in the climax. 
• Gripping and haunting BG score by Howard Shore. 
• Gwyneth Paltrow as the wife of Brad Pitt is so cute, adorable and pretty. 
• Royal salute to director David Fincher for showing gory deaths and murders in such unflinching and painstaking details 

VERDICT

Master-stroke by David Fincher. The best investigative thriller.

Crank: High Voltage (2009)

The Plot
Chev Chelios' heart is wanted by Poon Dong. Chev's heart is taken away and is replaced by an artificial heart that runs on battery and requires constant charge to keep it running. Chev has to be in contact with electricity or some sort of friction to stay alive.

Poon Dong is transplanted with Chev's heart and Chev's physician Doc Miles plans to get back Chev's heart from Poon Dong.

Chev is after Johnny Wang (the guy who is supposed to have his heart in a box) and El Huron - The Ferret (the brother of Verona who is after Chev for revenge)

Finally he gets his enemies as usual and stays alive inexplicably. Another sequel is definitely on the cards

                                                                     
Hits

• Equally bad ass and wacky as the first part. Action and crazy fun interspersed.


• Jason Statham rocks in this part as well and looks leaner and meaner in this part. 


• Amy Smart is hot as usual and exposes like crazy. She covers just her 3 spots else its a free for all. The sex scene with Chev in so many different positions, in full view before the public on the race track is the best example of comic porno seen in films in a long time. 


• There are some other crazy characters like the prostitute who is mad about Chev, Kaylo's twin gay brother Venus, El Huron (he even preserves Verona's head in a water box), Poon Dong, Dark Chocolate (Doc Miles' sex partner). All these characters up the fun quotient multi-fold. 

Comments

• Too much sex and female skin exposed. This is the closest to an actual porn film. Not that I am complaining. 

VERDICT

A super crazy follow-up to Crank. Expecting much more in the sequel. 

Crank (2006)

The Plot
Chev Chelios is given a Chinese poison by Ricardo Verona, one of his rivals. Chev is a professional hitman who is about to give up his job for the sake of his love, Eve. He doesn't kill his last target Don Kim and lets him go.

As a result of this Chinese shit that is in his system, he has only 1 hr to live and he needs constant adrenaline to keep his heart pumping. Else it'll slow down and he' ll die

His physician Doc Miles gives him all crazy ideas to keep up the adrenaline like taking in epinephrine, fucking his partner to speed up his adrenaline etc etc.

Finally he gets Verona and with the help of Don Kim he vanquishes all his enemies including Carlito. He even stays alive in the end after falling off the sky.

                                                                       
Hits

• Some crazy ass entertainment. Totally wacky and full-on adrenaline rush. Hats off to the makers. Nice comic moments are interspersed in many places


• Jason Statham is perfect for this role and such action packed roles can be done by him even in his sleep. His dialog delivery style is awesome too.


• Amy Smart as the hot girlfriend Eve has a crazy part and the scene where she is fucked in full public view by Chev for some adrenaline, is a riot. Doc Miles is another perverted character who is always into sex but he is a constant support for Chev

Comments

• The violence is quite over the top too. 

VERDICT

Bad-ass stuff. Totally racy and pacy entertainment. 

American Pie (1999)

The Plot
4 friends - Jim, Oz, Kevin and Finch enter a pact to lose their virginity by the time they complete high school.

While Jim always gets seen by his father while doing some sexual act or the other, Kevin has a lover but still hasn't had sex with her. Oz is a lacrosse player who falls in love with a choir girl and Finch has a skewed reputation among the girls that he is amazing in bed. But this reputation goes bust before the prom night . Stifler is sort of a jerk who hosts all the parties, uses girls just as a sex tool and finally Finch gets laid with Stifler's hot mom.

Jim finally loses his virginity to Michelle a band camper. But, Jim does have a lot of sexual fun and embarrassment with Nadia before the camera that gets accidentally broadcasted to the entire college via the net.

The 4 friends successfully lose their virginity on prom night as per their pact.

                                                                       
Hits

• The scenes where Jim is embarrassed as he performs sexual acts that are seen by his parents are seriously super funny. His exploits with Nadia in his bedroom are hot and funny at once. 


• The girls in the movie are hot and expose at will particularly Nadia. 


• The scene at Stifler's party where Stifler drinks a glass of beer that has Kevin's semen is another perverted yet super funny scene. Stifler's younger brother impresses with his reactions at being exposed to sexual scenes. 


• The scene where Finch is embarrassed as he shits in the ladies toilet amid loud farts is a riot. His encounter with Stifler's mom in the climax is legendary too. 

VERDICT
Some of the sexual scenes are seriously funny while the others are not so. On the whole the film is a serious stress buster. 

Scary Movie (2000)

The Plot
A spoof movie that takes on many movies like Scream, I know what you did last summer, Usual Suspects, Matrix etc etc. and gives us some hearty laughs through some really silly jokes. Most of the funny scenes have a sexual tone and that makes it all the more enjoyable.

The plot is basically a ghost like creature chasing a group of friends and killing them one by one. This group of friends had run over a man on the road while driving fast, a year back. One by one they get killed in bizarre funny ways that make us laugh.

The 2 niggers give a lot of fun through their gay jokes and doping stints respectively. The women are basically used to give some sexual fun be it big silicon boobs being busted with a knife, pubic hair being cropped, tongues being tied while kissing etc etc.

Some scenes are very amateurish and don't bring out the necessary laughs.

                                                                         
VERDICT
Some light hearted fun. Not meant to be taken seriously. See it, laugh and forget it ...