RocknRolla (2008)

Set in London with a bunch of crooked guys ruling the roost. We have Lenny Cole, the man who calls himself the boss of London. He has the judges, the councilors etc in his pocket. Archy is his right hand man and makes sure things are going fine.

Then, we have The Wild Bunch - One Two, Mumbles and Bob, a bunch of small timers waiting for any chance to make money. There is also a Russian who deals with Lenny to enter the real estate scene in London. His accountant Stella is in the mood to make money and she takes the services of The Wild Bunch. They steal 7 million euros meant for Lenny and give a small share to Stella.

The Russian's favorite painting which was given to Lenny also goes missing. Finally, we have Johnny Quid - the rocknrolla who goes missing often to boost his music sales and is proclaimed dead many times. He is Lenny's step son and the painting is actually with him. His managers are instructed to find him.

There are more small characters and everything goes seamlessly and Archy takes control towards the end after knowing the truth behind Lenny. Archy, Johnny and The Wild Bunch survive and are supposed to be back in a sequel. I am waiting!!!

Review

• Typical Guy Ritchie style. Engaging, complex, light hearted and never a dull moment. 
• All the actors have a small part in the bigger scheme of things. They are all competent actors. Mark Strong, Gerald Butler, Tom Hardy, Toby Kebbell, Tom Wilkinson, Thandie Newton (sexy and seductive) etc. lead the huge ensemble cast. 
• The lighthearted banter that One Two and Bob have over the fact that Bob is gay, Johnny's drug trips and philosophies, Archy's narration, Lenny's modus-operandi, Stella's scheming ways, the Russian bodyguards who constantly chase The Wild Bunch during their 2nd steal etc etc. Engaging stuff. 
• The theme music is terrific. A real rage. The title credits are addictive just for this music and the title graphics.

VERDICT

Another Guy Ritchie classic in typical style

The Descendants (2011)

Matt King is a lawyer based in Hawaii. He is always into work and doesn't spend much time with his family comprising his wife Elizabeth and 2 daughters Scottie and Alex. All this changes when Elizabeth meets with a boating accident and falls into a fatal coma. It is decided that she would be taken off life support in a short while.

Matt has to deal with his daughters, his in-laws and also finds about an affair that Elizabeth had with one Brian Speer, a real estate guy. He needs to break the news of the death, to all his cousins and friends. Above all this, as the trustee he also has to decide about the fate of about 25,000 acres of Hawaiian land that has been inherited to his family through their ancestors. All his cousins who are broke, are waiting for this sale to see some much needed money.

Matt handles all these emotional roller coasters in a level headed manner and comes out as a good father and as a responsible Hawaiian inhabitant.

Review

• George Clooney is the soul of the film and the way he handles his foul mouthing daughters, Alex's friend Sid, his cousins, the land deal and his wife's affair, is beautifully underplayed and thoroughly realistic. 2 scenes in particular - his final moments with his comatose wife and the scene when he refuses to sell the land. A-RATE. He is insanely handsome and charismatic as always. 
• The daughters Alex and Scottie are terrific and the guy Sid makes a surprise impact as well. Shailene Woodley is a superstar in the making. Solid support roles for all these 3 youngsters. They are prodigally talented and make a mark in the emotional scenes as well as the typically naughty scenes where they use foul language.
• The soundtrack of the movie has light hearted songs in Hawaiian language I believe. The locations are a big treat. Delightful cinematography that captures the beauty of the land. The costumes are also in sync with the culture - colorful shirts and shorts. 
• Special mention to the ending of the movie which is simple yet striking. 

VERDICT

Simple yet beautiful family movie with a heart. Making such simple movies work, is a big skill indeed.   

Agneepath movie review

A remake of the 1990s movie of the same name. The treatment is also outdated. The only pluses are Hrithik Roshan's incredible looks and screen presence, Ajay-Atul's songs and the rich production design and sets.

It's a typical revenge saga and a blood bath. Vijay has to avenge the death of his father Master Deenanath Chauhan who is killed brutally by Kancha in front of the entire village (Mandwa) because Kancha's ways are opposed by the Master.

After 15 yrs Vijay completes his life's mission of revenge and joins his father in the afterlife. There is a love track, lots of blood, songs, an honest policeman, a corrupt politician, mother/sister sentiment and another gangster in the form of Rauf Lala who opposes Kancha. Stale remake.

Review

• The success of this movie proves that Bollywood is mostly just about a big hero, lots of hype, an item number and very little stuff. Sad state of affairs. Our audience is still welcoming such stale affairs purely believing the hype. Ra.One and now Agneepath, didn't deserve big success. 
• Sanjay Dutt looks seriously scary and overacts at times. Rishi Kapoor is a surprise casting in a negative role. Priyanka Chopra stands beside her man and looks pretty. She emotes well in one dragging scene prior to her marriage and death. Katrina Kaif dances as if she is possessed by a dancing spirit. Chikni Chameli rocks purely as a music video. The sister looks pretty and has some sister sentiment scenes with the Greek God. Om Puri is earnest as always. 
• Too much religious flavor in the songs. The music of the movie is a major plus though. 

VERDICT

Outdated revenge saga and a bloodbath at that. A movie that didn't deserve success. Our audience has been cheated by marketing hype once again. Sad!!!

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)

On her deathbed, Daisy narrates to her daughter, the story of Benjamin Button through his diary. Benjamin is a truly remarkable man in the sense that he is born old and dies a baby. He ages in the reverse and while he feels young, he appears old and while he is actually in his old age, he appears a toddler.

His life's experiences are inspirational and feel-good to the core. His experience at sailing, women and finding the love of his life are all beautifully told. A fascinating story that takes you on an emotional ride. The makeup and visual effects in portraying a reversely ageing Brad Pitt are top notch and never seen before.

Review

• Eric Roth's amazing story and screenplay. Fascinating imagination and beautifully implemented by David Fincher. His touches like the man repeatedly narrating his experiences at being struck by lightning and Benjamin telling that Daisy has met with an accident in a truly unique way, are brilliant. The scene when Benjamin learns to walk is mesmerizing. His bonding with the mother who raises him is heart warming. As Benjamin is about to die as a toddler, it really makes the heart heavy.  
• The makeup and VFX are top notch and deservingly awarded handsomely. Brad Pitt's veteran makeover takes the cake. His voice modulation for his old makeover is so realistic. The walk, the facial reactions, the bald head are all pitch perfect. 
• Cate Blanchett is brilliant in a very emotional role that spans a long life span. Brad Pitt as usual, looks a killer dude in the scenes where no special makeup is required. The way he rides his bullet is cool. Taraji P. Henson as the mama is endearing. The tug boat captain, the twins in the boat, the man who makes the reverse clock etc. are other small characters that make a huge impression.  
• The movie gives the same feel good appeal that Forrest Gump gave. The romance and the sailing part are very similar to the Tom Hanks' classic. 

VERDICT

A feel good classic with top notch makeup and visual effects. Fascinating concept and a beautiful romance. 

Kochadaiyaan first look

They have smartly opted to go for performance capture technology to hide SSRK's wrinkles and old age. They have given the character a set of abs and flowing long hair, which won't be possible with the human avatar of Rajini ... The still looks surreal, nicely designed. EROS is involved, A.R.Rahman is involved. Big names indeed for the biggest star in India. His youngest daughter is wielding the megaphone for the first time after her failed attempts at resurrecting Sultan/Hara or whatever.

The only minus is the involvement of Rajini's favorite director K.S.Ravikumar. He also happens to be Kamal's favorite director. He has lost touch with the current trend and his past few films have been disastrous to say the least. He is a good man-manager and appeases the ego of big stars. That's why he continues to work with the biggest stars in Tamil cinema.

Hope this movie hits the screens soon and gives us a Rajini treat after Endhiran way back in 2010. After his troubles with his health and giving fans a real scare over his long stays in hospital, Rajini must be raring to go. Such a movie won't place any strain on his health too. Smart move. India's first performance capture photorealistic film ... The makers are proud of their pioneering effort. Hope the final product lives up to it. 

Contagion (2011)

A mystery illness is spreading all over the world and with each passing day, there are more affected people and more deaths. How the world deals with this mystery disease, is the plot. Starting from common people to journalists to doctors, a variety of people are affected and their only goal is to get hold of the vaccine that would get them immunity against the virus.

The process of fear and panic spreading, the way the virus spreads, the various conspiracy theories and the long wait for the curative vaccine are shown well.

Review

• There is a huge star cast giving tremendous face value for the film. Each of them has a small role that could have been done by anyone else. The stars are all impressive, nevertheless. 
• The scientific terms used in this unwavering medical movie are beyond the realms of understanding for a normal human brain. 
• The screenplay is gripping particularly the way the virus propagates across the various cities in the world with the passage of time. The origin of this virus shown in the very end is shocking. Such simple acts leading to catastrophic occurrences. 

VERDICT

An unwavering medical movie which is a warning at how normally inconsequential acts can cause major grief.

Memories of Murder (2003)

The movie traces the investigation of a series of murders of young women in a small Korean village, by 3 cops in 1986. Each of these cops has his own ideas and modus operandi.

While 2 of them are locals with stupid, immature ideas the 3rd cop is from Seoul and he brings in professionalism to the investigation. They are at loggerheads most of the times due to their conflicting ideas.

This investigation turns out to be frustrating and endless for them as they can't find enough evidence that can send the murderer behind bars. All the murders have an element of similarity and perversion with beautiful women being the target.

At one point, the cops are almost sure of the murderer. They investigate him and look for the final evidence and proof but, in vain, till the end.

Review

• This movie shows that investigation of a series of murders is no cake walk as shown in commercial movies. The investigation process done by the Seoul based cop with the help of the lady cop in the station is pretty interesting. 
• All the cops have acted well. One particular retard named Kwang Ho is very natural 

VERDICT

The frustrating side of a murder investigation. Very realistic and engaging stuff