The Dead Pool (1988)

This is the last of the Dirty Harry movies. Here, Harry has to get to the root of a series of murders of celebrities in San Francisco. These murders are based on a sick game called The Dead Pool where a list of celebrities are listed. Horror film director Peter Swan is the prime suspect but is he really the killer? Harry also has to survive many attempts on his life due to his hand in sending Lou Janero to prison.

Journalist Samantha Walker provides the female interest for Harry in this movie.

There are sparkling dialogs as always (the one comparing opinions to assholes is the ultimate) and lot of gun shots. Clint Eastwood looks aged yet majestic. Liam Neeson impresses as the frustrated director who earns a lot of media coverage. The suspense behind the real killer is not that great.Jim Carrey has a small crazy cameo as a drug junkie.

VERDICT: Another typical Dirty Harry movie but without a strong villain. Works purely due to Clint.

3 100 days

For whatever it was, 3 was a good attempt. Bipolar disorder was never handled in Tamil cinema and for a debut director, Aishwarya Dhanush had guts to try something different in her first film. Being the daughter of commercial superstar Rajini and the wife of another top young hero Dhanush, she could have followed the tried and tested masala route and could have garnered handsome box-office returns. But, she dared to be different. Salutes to that guts.

Dhanush performed brilliantly in the 2nd half. Both Dhanush and Shruti looked the part as the school kids in the 1st half. Songs by Anirudh were amazing. Nice BGM too.

I loved the movie personally. People who haven't seen the movie can definitely give it a shot.

100 days is a good landmark for 3. It has been made to run. That is a different story altogether and something that is unique to South Indian cinema. 

Bol Bachchan review

2.5 / 5

This is the Rohit Shetty - Ajay Devgn team’s 8^th movie together. Expectations are high given their previous track record of delivering commercial blockbusters. Fox Star Studios have bought the worldwide theatrical release rights for a whopping amount. Abhishek Bachchan joins this celebrated team and whether they have lived up to the original Golmaal released in 1979? Read more to find out. 

Abbas Ali (Abhishek Bachchan) comes along with his sister Sania (Asin) to a village named Ranakpur after running into problems back in Delhi. Prithviraj Raghuvanshi (Ajay Devgn) is the most influential man in this village and he is a man who firmly stands by trust and hates lies. He is a mammoth body builder but is very naïve and is a child at heart. Abbas wins Prithvi’s trust and starts working for him but, only after his friend lies that his name is Abhishek Bachchan. This single lie cascades into a bundle of lies as Prithvi is literally taken for a ride by Abbas and his trusted friends. Whether Prithvi gets to the bottom of the issue and comes to know the truth is the finale of this laugh riot.

The comedy is all situational and the characters don’t try too hard to be funny. It is the circumstance that creates all the fun and the actors have all done a terrific job. Abhishek Bachchan leads the way and is a riot particularly when he is forced to pose as an effeminate dancer. The dance medley that he does before the interval is a wholesome laughathon. This movie would boost Abhishek’s box-office stature. 

Ajay Devgn looks majestic with his thick mustache and spiked hair. His styling is amazing and the way he peppers his dialogues with English sentences has to be experienced. You will find yourself laughing your guts out when Ajay is on screen. This one is a milestone for the hunky actor. A perfect blend of comic timing and macho mannerisms, Ajay is. There are references to Singham at apt points in the movie when Ajay terrorizes the people around with his stern voice. 

The way Abbas and his friend (played by Krushna Abhishek) struggle hard to cover all the lies is funny to say the least. Veteran actors Neeraj Vora and Asrani also have a part to play in all the cover-ups, goof-ups and comic mishaps. Archana Puran Singh sparkles as the ‘mujra’ dancer who has to play the most unlikely role in all this drama.  

One does feel that Prithvi is being fooled so easily. But, that is the intention of this movie. Ajay’s naivety throws open the house for more comedy. 

There is a small surprise with regards to Asin’s role. She is the romantic interest of Ajay and looks serene and absolutely cute. Prachi Desai shines once again in her role. Her smile is a major plus. She is the romantic interest of Abhishek. As you can see, both the heroines are related to both the lead men in diametrically opposite ways. The heroines are more than just mere eye candies and have a small part in the larger scheme of things. 

Among the songs, the title credits song makes a mark and also comes prominently in the BGM score. The Big B makes a nice cameo and is majestic as always. The dance moves in this song border on the funny. 

The action scenes are extravagant. Rohit Shetty must get a major kick seeing men and machines flying around. Such scenes do make a mark but we feel there is an overdose of such scenes. Nevertheless, the action on screen is highly impactful and the sound design for the fights has also been done to give maximum impact. But in a comedy movie, such elaborate action scenes do stick out sorely. 

The cinematography is pretty basic but shines in the action scenes. The way the heroes are projected in the action scenes is larger than life. The movie is pretty long at 154 minutes but it never gets boring or dull. 

The climax has elements of thrill as well as comedy. The VFX for these scenes are decent. On the whole, Bol Bachchan has good chances of raking in handsome returns at the box-office as the target audience is the masses who come to cinema just for entertainment. No point in dissecting a movie like Bol Bachchan too much, as its sole intention is entertainment though it is mindless. 

In that sense after Rowdy Rathore, Bol Bachchan also falls under the wholesome entertainer category. Will it enter the elusive 100 crores club? We will know in 2 weeks’ time.

VERDICT: An entertaining web spun around a bunch of lies

...And Justice for All. (1979)

An honest, ethical and upright defense lawyer is getting increasingly frustrated with the judicial system in the US. He treats his clients with humanity and tries his best to give them a good deal. At one stage, he is required to defend the very same judge whom he despises the most, in a sexual assault case. He is literally forced to take this case. Else his career would be on the line. What does he do? Does he stand up to justice and the truth or does he just do his job according to the rule book?

Al Pacino is a firebrand as the frustrated lawyer. He rocks such intense roles that require him to vent his anger and rage. The angry young man to the core. He looks freaking handsome too and literally carries the movie on his shoulders as Arthur Kirkland.

2 of his clients Ralph and Jeff have very sensitive cases and they touch us too with their helpless and hopeless state in the prison. Jay is Arthur's fellow partner lawyer who goes crazy due to his frustration with the justice system. Gail is Arthur's close lady friend who is part of an ethical committee that is watching all practising lawyers with an eagle eye. Judge Rayford is an eccentric man with suicidal tendencies while Judge Fleming is the hotshot judge who thinks he is beyond the law and is despised to the core by Arthur.

The climax of the movie is a real rage ride by Al Pacino. There are some entertaining moments earlier in the movie, thanks to the eccentric Rayford and the crazy Jay.

VERDICT: Al Pacino as the angry young lawyer ROCKS as always in this gripping legal drama.

The Notebook (2004)

The movie opens with Duke narrating a story to Allie at an old age care home. Allie is suffering from dementia while Duke is relentless in trying to revive her memories of her past life.

The story that Duke narrates is about a young couple, Noah and Allie, who are madly in love with each other despite their obvious social differences. Circumstances cause them to drift apart before they are brought back together. Whether they unite or not is what this story is about.

As the movie progresses, we come to know that the couple whose life is shown is actually Duke and Allie. Their love transcends time and all barriers. It is true love at its purest

The love chemistry between Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams is cracking. Ryan is particular is passionate to the core. His 2 getups look majestic.

The scene when he asks Allie out for a date on top of the Ferris wheel, the couple's first date, their romantic escapades, the easy bonding between Noah and his father & the scene when an enraged, bearded Noah asks Allie to do what she wants are gems. The movie infact is a classic replete with more such impressive scenes.

Rachel impresses in parts while she overacts and becomes artificial at times. She is charming though. James Marsden is really lively in a small role as Allie's engaged fiancee, Lon.

The nurses in the movie have nice little roles while the elder couple make a mark too with their intense bonding in the sunset of their lives.

The movie has a moving soundtrack and some lovely locales that add to the endearing quality of the lead pair's romance. It's poetic on the whole

VERDICT: An intense romance that lasts a lifetime. Moving and Poetic.

Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted

Central Park Zoo animals Alex (lion), Marty, Melman and Gloria decide to go to Monte Carlo to get the penguins to fly them back to New York City, their home. But, in the process they piss off Captain Chantel DuBois at a hotel's casino. She is now after Alex's life as if that's her life's only mission.

During this escape run, the 4 animals encounter some circus animals and plead them for shelter. Alex and co. not only join the circus but also turn around the circus' fortunes big time and make this 'animals only' circus a major hit among the masses. Their shows are truly spectacular and mind-blasting. Alex turns out to be the inspirational leader and even manages to convince Vitaly (tiger), who was once the circus' main attraction with his daring moves. Alex also falls in love with Gia (jaguar)

Whether Alex and co. return to the zoo, whether they manage to escape the 'madly in pursuit' DuBois and whether they continue being in the circus with their newly found friends and enjoy freedom, is the conclusion. 

The animation is truly fascinating. The 3d effects add to the appeal. It is one unimaginable experience and cinema at its best. Though the prime target audience is the kids, even adults will be bowled over by the magic on screen.

Highlights include the highly imaginative chase scene in the start between DuBois & the animals, scenes showing Vitaly's daredevilry, the combination scenes between Alex and Gia & the circus scenes which are a celebration of extravagance, magnificence and color. Opera music has been beautifully used by Hans Zimmer in the BG soundtrack. The character modelling is funny as always. Highly imaginative and creative. 

Among the voices, Martin Short as Stefano (sea lion) is the biggest highlight. Such cute English. The characterization of DuBois is mean yet uber stylish. Melman (giraffe) and Gloria (hippo) have a cute love angle going on. There is another endearing love story between Sonya (bear) and Julien. The way they prance around in the Ducati bike is awesome.  

There are so many other minor things that can be enjoyed and cherished

VERDICT: Glorious animation replete with amazing visualization, imagination and top notch 3D effects. MUST MUST WATCH

Ishtam review

This film talks about the present day couples (IT professionals living in Adyar, Chennai) who take important decisions related to marriage and premarital sex, in a haste and without much thought. They are driven by hormones and believe in instant gratification. There is no respect for the institution of marriage and even second marriages aren't a big deal for them.

Saravanan and Sandhya is one such couple whose life has been portrayed in this movie. The film has some very sexy scenes thanks to the unimaginably cute yet hot Nisha Aggarwal, nice songs by Thaman (his BGM passes muster too) and some heavy message sermons in the end to put some sense into the youngsters.

The biggest problem with the movie is Vimal as Saravanan. Till now, he has acted as the rural vagabond lad with ease. But here he has gone for a makeover with trendy clothes, accessories, spiked hair et all. Looks wise, he is OK but his English diction is murderous. He reminds us of Vijayakanth with his English. Pronunciation has gone for a big toss and his English is laughable to the core. Total misfit and miscast.

Nisha Aggarwal teases and torments the male viewers with some strategic exposure of her assets. Kudos to the cameraman for that. She is damn cute and has the necessary oomph quotient as well, in ample measure. Perfect combination. A new dream girl. Her acting chops are strictly average. But, who cares!!!

Santhanam's comedy can't save the movie either. Anoop Kumar impresses in a small role. On the whole, Ishtam could have been better with an urban hero and a better comedy track. It has its share of titillation and messages, otherwise. 

VERDICT: If not for Vimal, this movie could have passed muster. Nisha Aggarwal ROCKS though!!!