Tezz review

Genre: Action Thriller

Prolific director Priyadarshan has decided to try out some thrills and spills, leaving behind his favorite comedy genre. Senior statesmen Ajay Devgn and Anil Kapoor are part of the cast which includes some more bankable names in Boman Irani and Sameera Reddy. Made at a generous budget of 40 crores, Tezz released in close to 2000 screens. Does it provide the expected adrenaline rush?

An Indian immigrant (Aakash Rana) with a maligned past suddenly lands up in London after a 4 year exile and decides to plant bombs in a  goods train and more importantly in the London – Glasgow bullet train. Expectedly the railway network and the police force are forced to take the requisite measures. What forced Aakash to take this step, what happens to the bomb & the 500 passengers and whether he unites with his estranged family are certain questions for which the answers may be found in a theater near you where Tezz is playing.

Though the actual trigger that makes Aakash do what he does, is not very convincing, the action on screen and the pacy screenplay make you forget such glitches. There are all sorts of terrific action blocks featuring Parkour, bike stunts and river rafting. The cinematographer Tirru must be given major credit for the superior cinematography and the aforementioned pulsating action fest.

On the performance front, Anil Kapoor and Boman Irani compete for the cake. After a long time, Anil is intensity personified and really turns in a solid show as the investigating cop. His working style is reminiscent of the legendary Harry Callahan. Boman Irani also keeps the tension going with his proactive moves as the railways traffic head. Ajay Devgn doesn’t have much scope as the lead other than looking grim, manly and speaking some serious lines. Zayed Khan must be a proud man for all the Parkour stunts that have been credited to him, thanks to the stunt double.  On the ladies front, Sameera Reddy has an action packed role in which she excels while Kangana Ranaut is crying most of the time in her artificial style. Mohan Lal in a cameo as the cop looks pretty stuffed and there isn’t much required out of him.

Technically, the movie is superior thanks to some stunning cinematography by Tirru. His aerial shots of the bullet train are captivating. The songs by Sajid-Wajid pop up at odd times including the totally unwarranted item number by Mallika Sherawat right at the beginning of the movie. But, despite these speed breakers, Tezz mostly gallops to the finish line.

If only the setup to why Aakash decides to plant these bombs had been convincing and the needless songs had been chopped off completely, this movie would have been more taut and riveting.

To conclude, Priyadarshan has come out with an action thriller that is convincing to a large extent inspite of the obvious inspiration from ‘Speed’, that classic Keanu Reeves action thriller.

VERDICT: Save a few minor glitches, this one fittingly lives up to its title

2.5 stars

The Avengers review

Every year, there comes a Hollywood blockbuster that will send you into a tizzy and give you total paisa vasool entertainment. Such films are generally visual effects-heavy and are superhero films. This one is like the big daddy of all superhero films. Yes, Avengers, it is

Iron Man, Hulk, Captain America, Thor, Black Widow and Hawkeye form this terrific superhero ensemble. Black Fury is the guy who brings this team together to save the earth from the clutches of Loki from Asgard. The Tesseract is an unlimited source of energy and it lands in Loki's hands. He wants to use this to vanquish the earth. The Avengers stand between him and his mission.

Hulk reigns supreme in many scenes when he shows his anger and aggression. The crowd goes crazy during such instances. Iron Man comes a close second with his AC/DC soundtrack, his casual punchlines and style. Thor is brutal with his physique while Captain America shows his mettle when he leads the team in the final showdown in Midtown Manhattan. Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow is sexy to say the least. Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye is stylish with his moves as the master archer.

Ultimately, this is not a movie to be analyzed much. It is to be experienced on the big screen with 3D glasses. The effects are crazy at times as they just come on your face. Nice gimmickry. The last one hour is pure madness. The action on screen makes the child in you go WOW. There are some sober moments in the first half of the movie which is resurrected by the Iron Man's charm. But. the last hour is unanimously marvelous. There is a sequel as well coming up sometime in the near future.

VERDICT: A marvelous action fest from Marvel Studios and a perfect distraction from the terrible Indian summer. Switch off your mind and get consumed by this high octane action fest

The Enforcer (1976)

This time Harry has to protect SF city against a bunch of militants who are supposed to be Vietnam war veterans. There are hookers, pimps etc. who are involved in this gang.

Harry gets a female partner Kate with whom he isn't very enthusiastic about working with. But, she is earnest and puts in the required effort and earns Harry's respect.

Harry's troubles with his seniors and his absolute contempt for needless stunts, rules and protocol is apparent in this part too.

Clint Eastwood is in top form in a very smart avatar. His dialogs are casual yet pack a lot of punch. Oozing style as always. Tyne Daly as Kate is very cute and endearing. Her combination scenes with Harry are very entertaining. Sparks fly.

The soundtrack and photography are awesome as with the first two parts. There is one nice running chase sequence as well

VERDICT: Justice in typical Harry style. A better movie compared to the 2nd part.

Oru Kal Oru Kannadi movie review

Director Rajesh must indeed be a lucky man. He has solely banked on current comedy king Santhanam to dish out a close to 3hrs long movie that is entertaining only when our comedy king is on screen. The story is the same old "hero pursuing heroine with the support of Santhanam", like it was in SMS and BEB.

While Jiiva was a super match to Santhanam in SMS and made it a cult, Arya tried his level best to make 'Nanbenda' a memorable affair too. Here Debutante Udhayanidhi's only plus point is his pretty decent voice. He is funny at dance and poor at emoting. Blessed with boyish looks and shitloads of money, a new hero has arrived. His dance moves need serious addressing. He is much better producing blockbusters, personally speaking.

But OKOK has become the biggest hit among Rajesh's 3 movies so far. Strange fact. The quality is dipping with every movie but the collections are almost doubling.

There are some needless cameos for a fat,jaded Sneha, the sexy Andrea and the charming Arya. The movie has really been extended thanks to these cameos. The sequence in the plane is one big drag. The editor has seriously slept off while working in his FCP or whatever.

Harris' songs are on the money. His luck and good time seem to be never ending. That said, the Venam Machan song looks good on screen.

Saranya turns in a typically delightful performance as the mother of our hero. Her attempts at passing her degree exams since 20 long years and her relationship with her stubborn husband are a nice sub-plot in the movie.

Hansika has been taken for a ride. In the 'Azhage Azhage' song, she runs around the screen all through the song exposing her ample cleavage in extremely tight, low neck gowns. The intentions of the director and choreographer are obvious in this song. Her fat body, her makeup sense, her dresses etc have been made a mockery too, through some dialogs in the movie. She looks perplexed all through the movie. It seems young heroines can do anything for a good pay package. A sad performance after a delightful one in Engeyum Kadhal.

Finally our man Santhanam. With colorful clothes, a Brahmin slang to his English, terrific one liners / one words, a funny profession, a hilarious car etc etc. this man is a riot and a superstar in his own right. This movie is another feather in his already decorated cap. It would not be off the mark to say that OKOK would have been a headless dead body if not for Santhanam.

VERDICT: Only Santhanam ... nothing else. The entire team must be indebted to this one-man army.

Magnum Force (1973)

There are a bunch of cops on motorcycles who keep bumping off anti-social elements in SF city, one by one. They take the law into their own hands. Harry calls them the death squad within the police force.

Though Harry bends the rules, he always upholds the law. He manages to find out the people who are part of this shady group and succeeds in getting rid of them.

In this part, Harry also does some other routine police work like preventing a hijack and burglary, all in his own inimitable style. The ladies also seem to have an eye for him as evidenced by two women showing an interest in him.

His troubles with his higher authorities continue in this movie as well. That's the USP of the man. The antagonists look terrific in their motorcycles but their moves against Harry aren't great.

There are some smart one-liners, breathtaking cinematography and a pulsating BG score like the first part. The climax somehow seems long drawn-out and lacks that solid punch.

There are some solid chase sequences where the use of dupes for Clint seem obvious at certain places.

VERDICT: Lacks the punch of the first part. The antagonists are also not as imposing. 

Dirty Harry (1971)

Inspector Harry Callahan is hot on the trail of a psychotic serial killer with a penchant for using the sniper. The killer calls himself Scorpio. Harry is always given the shit end of the stick and all the dirty cases come to him. He doesn't regard the law and silly rules. Justice is what he covets. The methods he uses piss off his higher-ups but Harry doesn't care. Service to the citizens is of utmost importance to him. He succeeds in getting rid of the killer with great difficulty and he is sure that will be suspended from the force, as well.

A really pioneering movie as there have been countless cop movies all over the world following this pattern. Of course, in Indian films, there would be a romantic track for the cop. But, here Harry is a widower. His bonding with his partner Chico is his only humane side.

The movie has some breathtaking aerial shots of SF and the BG score is terrific & lifts the movie considerably. Andy Robinson as the killer has gone through considerable physical pain for this role and his manic tendencies must have inspired the Joker from TDK as well.

Ultimately it's a Clint Eastwood heroic fest. His punchline is legendary and it's likely that this series was made keeping only Clint in mind. After being the cowboy in some Western movies, Clint plays the cop with the same ease and style.

VERDICT: An even match between a flamboyant cop and a terror-inducing serial killer. MUST WATCH

Machine Gun Preacher (2011)

Sam Childers is a former tough guy who is into drugs and stuff. Slowly he is on the path to reformation after he accepts the presence of God. He comes to know of the plight of the children of Sudan and how they are abducted by the LRA led by Joseph Kony, and tortured, raped and used for many ritual killings.

He doesn't just stop at knowing. He decides to do something about this. He moves to Sudan, builds all facilities for the children and also doesn't hesitate to use the gun if the situation demands. Sam increasingly grapples with his frustrations at being helpless. His family life also adds to his worries.

This is a true life biographical account of Sam Childers who is still involved in rehabilitating children in Northern Uganda and Southern Sudan. The preacher or the white preacher as the African children call him is indeed a great man

Gerald Butler has that rough manly charm which is terrific. More so, for this role that requires lot of aggression and passion. He is truly a manly superstar. Any movie set in Africa, has some sort of energy and raw vibrancy. Same with this movie.

The intentions of the lead character really endear us to this movie. Once the action shifts to Africa, the movie starts becoming gripping.The real life footage shown in the end credits and the stats about the state of such children give a nice finishing touch to this movie.

VERDICT: Worth a watch for the noble intentions, Gerald Butler and the African setting. 

Hate Story movie review

Genre: Wannabe erotic drama

Hate Story is supposed to be the first Indian erotic thriller. It has been written and produced by Vikram Bhatt. Vivek Agnihotri helms this lackluster movie that tests your patience. The posters give a seducing feel but the actual movie leaves you restless.

The plot goes like this. A promising journalist, Kavya Krishna, succeeds in conducting a sting operation to bring down a major cement enterprise called Cementica Infra. Siddharth Dhanrajgir, son of the cement mogul (Kumar Dhanrajgir), is given the task to set things right within 12 hrs. As part of his plan, he lures Kavya with a job and other perks. She also naively and stupidly accepts the offer. As expected he dumps her later, vanquishes her and throws around the F word liberally. Kavya takes the F word at face value and decides that getting into the ‘F’ing business is the easiest way to get her revenge at Sid. Stupid right? If you still want to check this movie, at your own risk, you may do so.

It is hard to understand how a so-called promising journalist can be lured into an offer by the very same company which she exposed. The lead lady in the movie actually gives us doubts whether she is insane. She, of course, goes about exposing more dirty secrets about the company in the 2^ndhalf thanks to her innocent friend Vicky who stands by her all along her skin shown.

The only reason why someone might even remotely be interested in checking out this movie is by believing the titillating posters. There are some sex scenes which can compete with the C-grade Indian porn movies at best. No shades of aesthetic value or class in these hot scenes.  Paoli Dam does expose liberally and there is even a full frontal nude scene which is shown from the back. Her looks and dresses are in line with her ambition of being the best ‘randi’ in town. Gulshan Devaiya has taken his role seriously and impresses whenever he stammers in front of his dad. He is smart and carries off the young businessman’s role with conviction. The rest of the actors must feel lucky that they have been paid for their work in this movie.

The songs by Harshit Saxena are passable. None make a lasting impression. The BGM is better and tries to give a thriller effect. The cinematography is pretty decent. Shots of Delhi in winter and the general look of the movie are pleasing.

The dull action on screen might make you want to check out your mobile phones and your watch more often than not. Single screens at mass centers might offer some respite at the cash counters thanks to some third rate sex scenes. Other than that, this movie deserves the cold shoulder. Only a sadistic viewer will recommend this movie that too only to his worst enemy.

VERDICT: Very apt title. You are bound to ‘hate’ this story

Contraband (2012)

Genre: Action Drama

A smuggler, Chris Farraday, who reforms after getting married and having 2 kids, is forced to do one more 'job' following a fuck-up by his brother-in-law Andy. Andy gets mixed up with a baby faced badass guy Tim Briggs

Chris plans to use counterfeit money to pay off Briggs. That's the only innovative part of this movie. For this he goes to Panama in a shipping vessel. Chris also comes to know of the true colors of his trusted aide Sebastian during this mission.

Mark Wahlberg plays a role that he is used to, the tough guy with a swagger and lots of aggression. Kate Beckinsale is the cute wife. Giovanni Ribisi is the bad guy who is chicken compared to our hero.

The movie is interesting at few instances. The last scene is one such upbeat sequence which has shades of the last scene in 'Lock Stock'

VERDICT: Regular Hollywood action fare which can be given a miss. 

Vicky Donor movie review

Genre: Emotional romantic comedy

Vicky Donor is another movie with a heavy Punjabi flavor following last week’s Bittoo Boss. It stars relatively unknown stars and has been helmed by Shoojit Sircar and Juhi Chaturvedi. John Abraham turns producer with this offbeat entertainer and Eros have made sure it has got adequate number of screens to make an impact, 750 to be precise. The subject of infertility and sperm donors has been touched upon in a very entertaining manner that makes you laugh and also appeals to you on an emotional level.

‘Vicky Donor’ is set in Delhi where Dr.Chaddha runs an infertility clinic. He caters to a lot of infertile couples and his dream is to set up a sperm bank from where he can service all his clients. So, he is on the lookout for a suitable donor who is flamboyant, dashing and attractive. Vicky Arora, a 25 yrs old Punjabi youngster is the chosen one and after much coaxing and convincing, Vicky agrees, predominantly for the pocket money. He is supported by his mom and grand-mom, who are amongst the coolest women around. As expected cupid also strikes and Vicky decides to settle down with Ashima, a Bengali banker. How his body of work as a sperm donor plays with his marriage life is the remaining part of the movie. 

Annu Kapoor is a riot as the doctor who is always thinking about sperms. His mannerisms while he describes sperms in various adjectives like greedy, complicated etc. are to be seen to be enjoyed. Ayushmann Khurana is earnest and more than adequate. His smart, boy next door looks and his street smart ways make him a perfect fit for this role. Yami Gautam is angelic in her looks and is pretty decent in emoting as well, save the scene when she becomes serious and starts yelling. The mom and the grandmom light up the screen whenever they are around. The way they enjoy a drink will put even hardcore male drinkers to shame. The Bengali family of Ashima also provides some very enjoyable moments when they deliberate about the merits of Bengalis and the demerits of Punjabis prior to the marriage between Vicky and Ashima.  The marriage scene is a real festival that is played out on screen.

The songs take the movie along and are all montages save the end credits song where John Abraham, the proud producer, flaunts his insane physique to the happy audience. The production values are all in line with the movie. Nothing flamboyant. Smart production.

The humor quotient of the movie is its biggest USP. It might not appeal to people who are a bit sensitive about sex and fertility. There is more than a fair share of sperm mentions in the movie. But, for the young minded, it’s a ‘laughathon’ all the way. The romance angle has also been treated very tastefully and realistically. The movie does lose its pace and energy when it becomes serious in the 2^nd half for a while but, it recovers pretty well for a nice emotional climax that isn’t too cheesy or teary

On the whole, kudos to the team for treating a subject that has been considered taboo in Indian cinema till now. They have made sure that the audience will leave the theater smiling and not regretting the time and money spent. A different attempt that has struck the bulls-eye. John Abraham must be a proud man for sure for this decision. A handsome run at the box-office can be expected safely. This sperm will definitely make the producers fertile.

VERDICT: Grab your tickets, your popcorn and enjoy this whole new experience which is super fun and has a heart as well

A Separation (2011)

Genre: Family/Legal drama

Nader is a typical middle class family man with a 11yrs old daughter and an ill father who is suffering from Alzheimer's. His wife Simin decides to move out of the country citing all the domestic problems and her daughter's future. But, Nader refuses to move and is ready to grant divorce to his wife. As Simin moves out, Nader employs a pregnant housemaid Razieh to take care of his father. Razieh is accompanied by her small kid. At a point of time, things boil up to a stage where Nader actually is forced to push out Razieh from the house. And we are also shown that Razieh has a miscarriage and that she loses her baby.

What follows is an intriguing legal battle between Nader and Razieh's husband Hodjat deliberating whether Nader is responsible for the 5 month old baby's death. Nader refuses to give in and bravely fights the case. He has to deal with jail sentencing, the case investigation, an aggressive Hodjat, his domestic problems with his wife & his father, his kid's future etc etc.

What happens to the case, his marriage with Simin and the future of their daughter is the climax. The film is intriguing, very serious and totally driven by the tension of the legal drama that plays out. All the actors are into the script and deliver very intense performances. It's as if their moves are being captured without their knowledge. Such realism and there is no accompanying music too except the end credits track. Total 'slice of life' movie with no fairy-tale climax, no exaggerated cinematic elements and total commitment from all the actors involved. Special mention to the 11 yrs old kid who totally owns the climax with her innocent tears

VERDICT: Deserved the Oscar and all the other 55 wins. Intriguing and unwavering family drama 

Bittoo Boss movie review

Bittoo Boss is from the producers of last year’s sleeper hit ‘Pyaar Ka Punchnama’. The film stars mostly newcomers and comes with comparisons to ‘Band Baajaa Baaraat’ thanks to the similar setting and posters. It has been directed by Supavitra Babu and has been distributed by Viacom 18 Motion Pictures. The mention of thanks to Salman Khan in the opening credits makes us sit up but, there is no trace of Sallu Bhai in the actual movie.

Set in Punjab, Bittoo Boss is about a video (V.D.O) shooter who is the toast of the entire town. All wedding parties wait for him to add that extra happiness and ‘sesky’ charm. Bittoo is also very happy that he is capturing people’s emotions. But, after some soap-style drama where Bittoo is embarrassed, Bittoo decides to capture the aftermath of marriages i.e. the first night. Whether he indeed captures these moments or whether his moral values prevent him from doing so, is the finale. He also has a love story with a girl (Mrinalini) he meets at one of his video assignments.

What happens in the second half is predictable. The film drags to the finish line. People actually expected the movie to finish earlier and once the movie extended beyond that with a mellow song, they got pretty restless. The first half moves pretty quickly though the actual action isn’t very gripping.

There are some nice songs by Raghav Sachar which haven’t been placed cleverly. The BG music has a heavy, stereotypical Punjabi flavor with the typical ‘bhangra’ beats et al. The film belongs to the hero, Pulkit Samrat who is earnest and is there right through the movie. He is a terrific dancer, can emote and seems to be a total package. His looks are an amalgam of Ram Charan, Emraan Hashmi and Ranveer Singh

The other hero of the movie and the main reason why people were a bit happy in the theater was the character called Bicki that appears in the second half as Bittoo’s assistant. His dialogs, his style, his desperation at seeing some sex and the way he calls ‘Boosss’ are a real riot. He steals the show completely. A new comedian star in the making. The new groom from UP provides some more laughter in the second half.

The heroine Amita Pathak is nothing special and her looks, emoting are nothing much to rave about. There are a couple of villains who are brought down just to make our hero victorious in the end. These characters don’t make any impact. 

The viewing experience is pretty standard and there isn’t anything special in the cinematography department. The opening song has some electrifying dance moves, though.

This movie doesn’t have much chance at the box-office thanks to the juggernaut that is Housefull 2 which is rock solid in its second weekend as well. Bittoo hasn’t got any merits to stand up to last week’s super hit comedy. The comedy in the 2^nd half might warrant a watch for this low budgeted new release. There is also a message against voyeurism thrown in to the mix

VERDICT: Entertains during few scenes, drags during most others

Dhobi Ghat (2011)

The film is a 'ground level' look at the hustle and bustle of Mumbai city through the eyes of the 4 lead protagonists - an introverted painter (Arun), an NRI investment banker (Shai) who is on a sabbatical in Mumbai, a young Muslim woman (Yasmin) who wants to give a video tour of Mumbai to her brother through a series of tapes and a young dhobi (Munna) who wants to make it big in the movies.

There isn't any particular story as such, as just some incidents affect these 4 protagonists. While Arun gets hold of Yasmin's tapes and is engrossed by them, Munna falls in love with Shai. Shai is attracted to Arun's intense yet recluse nature while she treats Munna as a good friend.

Prateik Babbar as the young dhobi is too good to be real. His style sense, his dressing, his shoes and grooming are hard to believe, given his social stature. He acts earnestly. Aamir Khan in a de-glam avatar tries to be cool and casual. There are generous helpings of English in the movie giving it a 'wannabe' effect. Monica Dogra as Shai is super smart and heavily anglicized. Kriti Malhotra is beautifully naive and wins us over with her pure innocence and intentions.

The way Tushar Kanti Ray has captured Mumbai is the highlight. The crowd, the hustle and the bustle etc. are all 'live' on screen. The shots on the streets of Mumbai are another example of smart production. Internationally renowned composer, Gustavo Santaolalla's music is there as a support stream without being particularly brilliant.

VERDICT: A different, offbeat attempt by Kiran Rao. Though not uplifting, it has good intentions nevertheless. 

3 movie review

After some mixed feedback about this movie and due to a late release in Mumbai, I finally got a chance to see the movie. A late but latest review, so to speak. First things first, 3 is definitely watchworthy. The first half sparkles at places while the 2nd half is a total Dhanush show, which is shocking yet striking. Loved the second half personally.

The first half impresses during the school romance portions but, limps towards the interval when the actual action starts and Dhanush casts a spell on you, literally. Sundar has a good support role in the second half while Siva Karthikeyan continues his 'Marina' ' love nakkal' form into this too. Prabhu has a very natural underplayed cameo after long. Rohini is pretty dramatic while Bhanupriya appears sorry on screen. Shruti's younger sister in the movie has a cute role too.

Shruti is miserable while crying (which she is most of the time) but looks like a dream in her salwar suits. Humans are meant to be miserable while crying, agreed, but actors need to look good while crying too. Shruti, learn this fast. Her body language is perfect during the school portions. Dhanush is too hyper in these portions and the mustache doesn't look good on him. He is better off with a nice rugged stubble.

Aishwarya Dhanush must be commended for trying something different in her first film. She has not made a formulaic happy film, she has not seen sentiments and she has given her husband another acting milestone. Dhanush has totally mastered the darker emotions of the human psyche. The way he cries, screams, struggles with his own self, grapples with his conscience, repents etc etc. TOP CLASS. Definitely a successor to Kamal Haasan is coming up in the most unlikely family. I would even go as far as to say that Dhanush is the best at portraying psychotic shades.

Anirudh is the other hero of the movie. His 'bell' BGM is pounding and is so very much in sync with the dark content on display. The other BGMs are also pretty popular thanks to the audio and the trailers. A dream debut. He has been inspired by Yuvan, that is certain. His songs are awesome as everyone already knows. Po nee Po takes the cake for picturization.

Why this Kolaveri is decent on screen. Too many brands have been integrated into this song. Rather than media partners, in the title card, these brands could have been displayed as Kolaveri partners. This song has painted a wrong picture of the actual movie. 3 is not all about Kolaveri. That's why the masses aren't enthused by the second half in particular. They are lame enough to laugh when the hallucinations and bi-polar disorder scenes are played out.

A nice message about bi-polar disorder and suicide puts an end to the movie followed by a dreamy end credits roll. The way Dhanush acts just before his breaking point, is something that is seen to be believed. His second half act justifies a repeat viewing for 3

VERDICT: Dhanush makes the second half a must watch for the 'serious' movie buff. The first half is for the general masses. Watch-worthy for sure, on the whole. 

Classic Revisited in 3D: Titanic (1997)

The 3D version of this true magnum opus was just an excuse to check it out at the theaters. Of course, the prospect of seeing some intense romantic scenes and a tastefully done nude scene on the big screen, also played a part in my decision to check out James Cameroon's 1997 epic. I wasn't taken to the theater when Titanic released first, as I was not even 11 then.

Today, the movie made me emotional with its absolutely magical BG score by James Horner, which haunts and gives you an indisputable high. Goose bumps whenever the main theme played in the background. Actually sat till the end credits rolled out completely. Such was the charm that the two 'James' wielded with this classic.

The greatest ship made by man, the ship of dreams sets sail from Southampton to New York city on her maiden voyage. Due to an iceberg, the lower floors are first flooded and as time progresses, the entire ship is flooded and finally the entire ship breaks into two and crashes into the ocean floor. A diamond necklace called the "Heart of the Ocean" plays a main role in the state of affairs.

LDC and Kate Winslet weren't big stars then. But now they are stratospheric. Leo is so naive, raw and he fits the bill perfectly as the low-society Jack who floors Rose with his absolute love and honesty. Kate as Rose bowls you over with her passionate love particularly in the final scene when she screams at a dying Jack "Come back, Come back" and the scene when she jumps back into the ship from the life boat, just to be with her man. The scenes when Jack and Rose run around in a drowning ship show their magical true-to-life romantic chemistry. Among the best romances in cinema history though it is a typical poor guy meets suppressed rich girl story. The villain in the story is the typical rich man who is engaged to Rose and he loathes Jack to the core. This rich man's moves and characterization are stereotypical.

The 3D effects are subtle and there are no gimmicks. Titanic was magnificent without the added dimension, itself. The production of the movie is mammoth with gallons of water being used. The number of actors used and the way they have been managed is a lesson for any production crew. The way the Titanic has been recreated and the VFX scenes during the final collapsing of the ship are mind-blowing. That said, the ice berg was pretty lame.

James Cameroon makes sure that the human element and emotions connect big time with the audience unlike say the disaster movie specialist Roland Emmerich whose films just make you clap hands but, never move you to tears. Samples - the musicians on the ship who play till the ship is about to collapse, the guards who operate the life boats and their dilemma whether to send more people into the life boat, the ship's captain and the maker's emotional connect with the ship etc. etc.

Made at a budget of 200million USD, the box-office collections are fast approaching 2billion USD. Only Avatar is ahead but by sheer number of tickets sold, Titanic is the biggest blockbuster of all time. 14 Oscar nominations and 11 Oscars are the mere icing on the cake.

VERDICT: Magnum opus in every sense of the word. Experience the magic again in a nearby theater to commemorate the centenary of the tragedy.   

Classic Revisited: Little Miss Sunshine (2006)

An entire family is forced to go on a road trip for the sake of the youngest in the family, little Olive, in her quest to be crowned "Little Miss Sunshine". They travel around 800 miles in their broken down bus and finally make it. This trip is life changing in many ways. A real roller-coaster.

Each of the family members has some USP which makes the character make a deep impact - kid Olive is mad about being a beauty queen, uncle Frank survives a suicide attempt and he is a homo, young Dwayne is on a vow of silence till he gets into flight school, grandpa Edwin is a loud mouth who doesn't mince words even before the kids in the family, father Richard loves winning and he tries to sell his 9 steps to success & mother Sheryl is caught between these characters

When the family finally makes it and Olive gets on stage for her talent round, all hell breaks loose as Olive dedicates her performance to her Grandpa. This act epitomizes everything that the old man stood for - typically loud and no holds barred. It brings the family together. There are small pearls of life lessons thrown in through the dialogs.

The soundtrack of the movie is among the best ever. It mellows you down. There is ample drama in the movie but, the sentimental strands are the highlights. Alan Arkin deservingly won the Oscar for his performance as Edwin. Such a superb and striking cameo. Steve Carell, Greg Kinnear, Toni Collete, Abigail Breslin and Paul Dano have put their heart and soul into the movie as well. Each of them make a mark in one scene or the other. Perfect synergy between the cast.

The movie has been directed by an husband-wife duo and was made on a shoe-string budget of a mere 8 million USD. Perfect example of 'content being king'.

VERDICT: All time classic, with ample doses of comedy, sentiment and lessons for life.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)

Mikael Blomkvist is the co-owner of Millenium magazine and he has just lost a libel case brought against him by a high profile businessman Wennerstrom. The lack of sufficient evidence is his undoing. A big shot Swedish business magnate Henrik Vanger wants Mikael for a job related to a girl (Harriet) missing from his family for the past 40 years. Henrik assures Mikael that he will be helped in nailing Wennerstrom in return for this favor.

Lisbeth Salander is a researcher and expert computer hacker. She does the initial background check on Mikael and later joins him in his work. Lisbeth is a 23 yrs old ward of the state. She has a weird hair style, a dragon tattoo, lot of piercings, doesn't trust men, is subjected to bad sexual abuse and has socializing problems.

As the investigation proceeds, Lisbeth starts falling in love with Mikael, who has a teenage child as well. Mikael also has a sexual relationship with his partner at the Millenium magazine.

Lot of dirty secrets are revealed about the Vanger family. There were a lot of serial killing of women based on biblical phrases. These murders are uncovered by Mikael and Lisbeth. The truth behind Harriet and the serial killer is known towards the end. Mikael also nails Wennerstrom in the end. This time with adequate proof thanks to Lisbeth's timely help in this. In the end, Lisbeth rides away after she finds that her love won't be reciprocated.

The mood and treatment of this thriller is very similar to Fincher's 1995 classic 'Se7en'. That was based on the seven deadly sins whereas this is based on biblical phrases. Both are serial killer mysteries. But 'Se7en' was in a different league.

This movie has a sleep walking Daniel Craig who is hardly impressive, personally speaking. Rooney Mara's characterization must rank among the most daring and weird. Very bold makeover. The way she rides the bike is super-cool. The investigation scenes are interesting as expected.

There are some explicit sex scenes and a graphic rape scene. The BG score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross has a 'Social Network' hangover but, is terrific for the mood of the movie. The locations in the movie make us feel cold too. Good production design.

Very aptly titled because it is the girl with the dragon tattoo who takes this movie to the winning post.

VERDICT: A decent serial killer thriller thanks to Rooney Mara. Expected something more and new from Fincher though. 

Housefull 2 movie review

Another Akshay Kumar multi-starrer comic caper has released and it is by the same director who gave us the 2010 hit ‘Housefull’. Sajid Nadiadwala has produced this movie and it has music by Sajid-Wajid. Almost entirely shot in London, ‘Housefull 2’ has kick started the lineup of big budgeted Hindi releases for this summer. It has taken on the IPL bravely. The plot which is heavily inspired by Crazy Mohan and Kamal’s brand of comedy goes like this

2 step brothers (Daboo and Chintu) are always at loggerheads with each other. While Daboo calls his family, Kapoor and son, Chintu calls his family, Kapoor and ‘real’ son. Such is the level of their nonsensical rivalry.

Their wives and daughters (Bobby and Henna) can’t stand one another too. The only goal of these 2 brothers is to get their daughters married to the son of the richest man in London, which happens to be JD, a former dacoit. Jolly is his only son who is pretty scared about his uptight father. Jolly is in love with J Lo. 2 useless loafers, Sunny and Max are lured into this comedy of errors and mistaken identities & both of them are paid to act as Jolly. While Sunny goes to Chintu’s house and woos Henna, Max goes to Daboo’s house and woos Bobby.

This drama is initiated by Jai who wants to get even with Chintu for his father’s ill health. Jai is in love with Parul.

In the climax, all the people who were merely behind money reform and all is well, according to typical Indian cinema rules. There is some stupid drama in the climax which tests our patience. The jokes work at places while at other places they are downright silly. The episodes at the island are entertaining while the scenes with the crocodile and snake are absurd to say the least.

Chunki Pandey as the marriage broker and Johnny Lever as JD’s assistant add value to the movie with their silly laugh-cracks. The veterans Rishi, Randhir, Mithun and Boman play their requisite parts which require them to be loud. John Abraham tries too hard to succeed at comedy. Shreyas and Ritesh don’t have the screen presence and they also try too hard like John. Akshay is a riot and he is a past master at such comic roles. His one liner “kyuu takrei” and his “eeeii” gesture are his USPs in this movie.

The girls are all hot and look picture-perfect. Asin looks super chic and has really spiced up her clothes with her generous necklines, micro-minis and hot pants. The other 3 girls, Shazahn, Jacqueline and Zarine, have even more miniscule roles but look good as expected. 

3 of the songs are real winners – ‘Anarkali’ featuring the ever-hot Malaika, ‘Papa Toh’ and ‘Right Now’. The girls make sure all the songs aren’t just mere excuses to go out for a smoke. The frames are picture perfect like all big budgeted Hindi films. No compromise on the production values.

The single screen audiences will really love this one while the multiplex counters should also keep buzzing over the next week or so. Akshay Kumar can bank on this one for a hit after a pretty lean patch.

VERDICT: Leave your brains at home for some mad fun which is silly yet entertaining too.

Classic Revisited: Fistful of Dollars (1964)

An American cowboy (Joe or "The Man with No Name") wanders around into a town called San Miguel. This town is deserted and the only two people who have a job are the bell-ringer and the coffin maker. Silvanito gives him shelter and tells him about the bitter rivalry between two rival clans in the town, the Baxters and the Rojos. The Rojos, led by Ramon are the more powerful.

Joe decides to two-time these 2 gangs and succeeds in causing more tensions between the 2 gangs. He gets caught by the Rojos when he decides to help Marisol (Ramon's secret mistress, who is married and has a small kid). He escapes, makes one last comeback and vanquishes the Rojos after the Baxters are wiped out by the Rojos when Joe escapes.

The film runs purely on the star power of Clint Eastwood with his nonchalance, lazy yet macho mannerisms and elegant style. It is a fairly simple story but very fresh if we consider the fact that this movie came 48 years back.

This is the first movie in the Dollars trilogy made by Sergio Leone with Clint in the lead. It has a super catchy, haunting and cheeky soundtrack by the master, Ennio Morricone. The shots with the characters riding their galloping horses in vast dry lands are a delight to the eyes. The gun shots sound simply awesome.

VERDICT: A pioneering movie that kick-started the spaghetti-western genre and made Clint Eastwood a demi-god. 

Dookudu (2011)

My first Telugu movie and I chose to see it for Mahesh Babu alone. I was impressed by his style and the hype that he has among Telugu movie watchers. Superstar Mahesh as the title proudly proclaims and I must say this man has amazing screen presence, solid dialog delivery, decent dancing skills, good emotive skills and above all he is a superstar without a shade of a doubt.

In Dookudu he is a cop (Ajay) and while he is not busy plotting the baddies' downfall as an undercover cop, he takes care of his father (Shankar Narayana) who has just recovered from a coma. At some other times, he woos the girl he covets. There are adequate doses of drama and staged comedy. The main plot diverts quite often. When the baddies are the very same people who were responsible for backstabbing his father, it becomes more convenient for our hero. He uses brawn, lots of staged comic drama and of course some pure star power to overthrow the baddies led by Nayak.

There are some nice songs by Thaman. The movie is pretty long at close to 3 hours but Mahesh Babu holds the movie together. There is no crass comedy or skin show. It is a pretty decent movie for commercial standards. But, the action scenes are absurd. They have taken too much cinematic liberty.

Sonu Sood plays the typical Indian commercial movie villain. There are other villains too like Sayaji Shinde. Brahmanandam tries to make us laugh with his trademark style. Prakash Raj has a larger than life 'messiah' like role

On the whole, a wholesome treat for Mahesh Babu fans as we get to see him as a mass hero, a police officer, a politician, the entertainer etc. all in one movie. His punch dialogs were a rage, thanks to the subtitles, I was able to enjoy them as much as a Telugu speaking watcher.

VERDICT: Proper masala entertainer. Mahesh Babu carries the movie to the winning post. 

London, Paris, New York (2012)

A nice short & sweet romance on the lines of Before Sunrise and Before Sunset. The treatment is typically multiplex-centric and it is pretty sad that the movie didn't find acceptance among the target group.

Boy (Nikhil) meets girl (Lalitha), falls in love at first sight, girl also reciprocates etc. etc. But, the thing is it all starts during a single day together at London. Sparks fly but, they have to part ways and get on with their lives. The boy doesn't make it to New York as he had promised when they part ways. They later meet in Paris, revive the sparks but, in a moment of immature foolishness Lalitha loses her mind and they part ways yet again. Finally, New York is the scene of action and this time Nikhil nails her just as she is about to get married. All is well that ends well.

Ali Zafar overacts during the light scenes as he tries too hard to be cool. But, he rocks in the emotional scene in the climax. Aditi Rao Hydari is the best around now. My God, what a woman. Such big, vulnerable eyes. It freaks you out. These two can sing as well. Ali has in fact composed the music and written the lyrics as well. The songs are awesome, each one of them.

The production is rich and glossy, on the whole. Nice locations as the title so obviously proclaims. Can't fathom the x-factor that prevented this movie from succeeding.

VERDICT: A sad case of a well made romance failing to please the target audience.