Well, I finally went ahead and watched it. Yep, that's right. Now, I really dont like to write about something I didn't enjoy, but I had been waiting for this movie for so long, I must say it's a bit..awkward. Frankly speaking, nothing spectacular about the movie. Sure, it's a very faithful adaptation of the book. I first read it a couple of years ago. As it is with most books-turned-blockbusters, the film did not appeal to me as much as the book did. Although I have read much better fiction than Dan Brown's potboiler, it is an undeniable fact that the bestseller is a page turner in a most extreme way.
I first read a review somewhere about the movie before I watched it last weekend. As most critics would say, it was a so-so movie. So thats why I wont waste too much time in this post (I am still waiting to write about the fabulous 'Memento' after my second viewing). But before I end this post with yadayadayada, I want to point out what hollywood does in order to garner acclaim and blockbuster status. First, Ron Howard is a great director..I liked the guy's movies; And he has a good friend who is also a great actor..Hanks. So it may not be surprising when you see the next movie by Howard with Hanks in a leading role. But in the Da Vinci Code, Hanks is horribly miscast as Prof. Robert Langdon. Sure, he probably looks intelligent enough to pass for a professor in Symbology (snigger, snigger), but man does he look bored in the movie! Tom Hanks probably just did the movie out of pressure from his good friend Ron Howard, who in turn must have been under even more pressure from the production companies and more importantly, his prospective audience to cast a huge, bankable star! If you have read the book, Robert Langdon's character development has some minimal authenticity around it. The film chooses to ignore even that..character development is totally nil. Also, the other lead character in the book, Sophie Neveu is one of those tall, intelligent policewomen who doesnt take crap from anyone. Audrey Tatou is just...cute! She is dwarfed by Hanks' 5ft.11in. frame and I guess the decision of not making anything romantic between the two was a good choice afterall.
Well, to end it on a simpler note, The Da Vinci code is a watchable movie with nothing extraordinary about anything..the action (or whatever is missing of it), the performances, the special effects and if you know the story..then its just one of those Hardy Boys detective thrillers with a load of religious history thrown in for good measure. If you want a summer entertainer, I suggest watching probably MI-3!! (Horrors, but true).
Disappointing. Get ready for a good laugh in the most critical, serious moment in the film's running time! Unbelievable, isn't it?
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Memento
Okay, here goes..first of all apologies and thanks to Amodini, who reminded me to continue writing and that there are people reading stuff on the internet! Of course, its just too bad that there are not enough comments for the posts, although I agree that doesnt mean people are not reading one's blogs. Anyway, I am posting this just as I finish watching 'Memento'..director Christopher Nolan's dark indie thriller. Was reading an article on Nolan and was surprised at how low key this film was when it was released. Imagine this 'review' being written almost six years after the movie released! This interview made me go out and rent out this movie. I must say, after watching the movie, I was just not ready to write anything about it..yet. But I do wanna write lots and lots about the movie...after a second helping, that is. The movie in question is just so amazingly intricate and complex, that for a normal person (yours truly..being modest, am I?), its just not possible to grasp at the details on a single viewing.
I do not want to present too much of the movie at the moment, but for a viewer who is into the dark, mysterious movies, this is a must-watch. I cannot remember any other movie making me think so much back..not only while watching, but hours after finishing it. Remember, if you are looking for a straight-forward movie with edge-of-the seat thrill rides along, forget it. Watching this movie was actually like solving a mind-numbing puzzle. So if you are thinking about popping the DVD in for a relaxed evening, you better consider sitting in the washing machine yourself while doing the laundry, because thats how I felt afterwards.
Here's the brief overview of the story..the remaining part to be continued after my second viewing. Please bear with me!
Opening shot..a man's left hand holding a polaroid photograph displaying something bloody. The hand keeps shaking the photograph once in a while. That's pretty normal..so you think. The print on the photograph slowly starts fading into black after each shake of the hand. That's right, but before you start imagining things related to industrial light and magic, the scene is actually the director's way of telling you how he is going to present the film to you. Right again..backwards. So the last scene in the movie is going to be the first one chronologically! In a funny way, you realize you are in for a terrible headache. Anyways, coming back to the story, as scenes pass by, you slowly get a grip on the story which is basically that the 'protagonist' if you could call him that is actually a guy called Leonard or 'Lenny' who is suffering from short-term memory loss because of a head injury. To top that off, he has to find his wife's killer to avenge her. Characters involved along with Leonard are Teddy, a mysterious guy who pops up from time to time trying to get involved with Lenny's activities, a woman named Natalie whose bar- tending antics made me really wary of chugging down beers which are on the house and a motel front desk operative among others.
Remember that feeling about sitting in a washing machine I mentioned earlier? Well, its just getting started. But slowly as the movie progressed, I realized I had a smile creeping up my face...and halfway through the movie, I felt like an idiot just thinking about that headache I mentioned above. This is not a headache!! It's pure bliss, if you are one of those who likes to put on your thinking cap once in a while! I still haven't figured out the whole movie yet, but I am going to..and I am writing about it! Until then, try watching this well crafted movie if you can and have fun.
See you soon! And oh, please, please leave comments if you are visiting..just a bit of motivation for the writer. :-)
I do not want to present too much of the movie at the moment, but for a viewer who is into the dark, mysterious movies, this is a must-watch. I cannot remember any other movie making me think so much back..not only while watching, but hours after finishing it. Remember, if you are looking for a straight-forward movie with edge-of-the seat thrill rides along, forget it. Watching this movie was actually like solving a mind-numbing puzzle. So if you are thinking about popping the DVD in for a relaxed evening, you better consider sitting in the washing machine yourself while doing the laundry, because thats how I felt afterwards.
Here's the brief overview of the story..the remaining part to be continued after my second viewing. Please bear with me!
Opening shot..a man's left hand holding a polaroid photograph displaying something bloody. The hand keeps shaking the photograph once in a while. That's pretty normal..so you think. The print on the photograph slowly starts fading into black after each shake of the hand. That's right, but before you start imagining things related to industrial light and magic, the scene is actually the director's way of telling you how he is going to present the film to you. Right again..backwards. So the last scene in the movie is going to be the first one chronologically! In a funny way, you realize you are in for a terrible headache. Anyways, coming back to the story, as scenes pass by, you slowly get a grip on the story which is basically that the 'protagonist' if you could call him that is actually a guy called Leonard or 'Lenny' who is suffering from short-term memory loss because of a head injury. To top that off, he has to find his wife's killer to avenge her. Characters involved along with Leonard are Teddy, a mysterious guy who pops up from time to time trying to get involved with Lenny's activities, a woman named Natalie whose bar- tending antics made me really wary of chugging down beers which are on the house and a motel front desk operative among others.
Remember that feeling about sitting in a washing machine I mentioned earlier? Well, its just getting started. But slowly as the movie progressed, I realized I had a smile creeping up my face...and halfway through the movie, I felt like an idiot just thinking about that headache I mentioned above. This is not a headache!! It's pure bliss, if you are one of those who likes to put on your thinking cap once in a while! I still haven't figured out the whole movie yet, but I am going to..and I am writing about it! Until then, try watching this well crafted movie if you can and have fun.
See you soon! And oh, please, please leave comments if you are visiting..just a bit of motivation for the writer. :-)
Friday, March 24, 2006
Crash
Watched 'Crash' recently and I must say I was depressed immediately after watching the movie. The movie itself was great I thought..amazing performances and slick story-telling. Although the movie rides mostly on these performances and editing, I felt the director held back a lot of things he wanted to say, but couldn't..for some reason. He leaves the movie saying racism exists..yeah, we know that, duh! Also, most sequences in the movie involve explaining to the audience that its misunderstanding which leads to racism. Interesting thought..
I've had my share of experiences, good and bad on this topic. Generally, I think that people exhibiting racism are the ignorant ones (this is my point of view, of course). Ignorance of being a part of the society which is a melting pot in a majority of cases. Of course, one may argue that its basically ignorance which usually leads to misunderstanding!
Coming to the part which I liked most about the movie, the performances. A near perfect cast for this movie, I would say. Director Paul Haggis must have been licking his lips at the prospect of directing actors like Don Cheadle, Sandra Bullock, Matt Dillon and Terrence Howard. None of these actors disappoint. You hate them, pity them and only can try understanding them in this movie which aims to be a critique. Although there are some 'nice, goody' roles in the movie, the ones that stay with you are these 'bitchy, racist' ones..naturally. Matt Dillon effortlessly walks through his role as a racist cop who is later shown to be having a sensitive side as well. Cheadle has the most screen time with no particular reason, although the movie begins and ends with him on the receiving end of things. Bullock is at her 'maniacal' best..as the rich, angry, embarassed and actually humiliated wife of Fraser. Commendable. But none of these big names could match up with the performance of Terrence Howard as the black TV director. His portrayal of a man caught between accepting racism, dealing with it and coming close to losing his senses is in a way, magical. Howard mostly uses subtle body language and awesome intensity in his eyes. The director takes full advantage of this and uses it to generate maximum effect in the scene which has the showdown with the cops. Fiery scene!
Other performances worth mentioning include Michael Pena as the humiliated but extremely patient locksmith and Shaun Toub as the persian store owner. Bahar Soomekh, who is cast as his daughter is beautiful and embodies the young generation of today. Ludacris catches your eye in some scenes but fizzles out in an artificially made-up image makeover.
The one thing which might wear you down in this movie is the sheer number of coincidences popping up one after the other. I initially thought it was interesting and in a way, keeps you thinking..but after some time into the movie, you feel ridiculed. Come on..this is LA..are these the only people in the whole greater Los Angeles area??
It'll be interesting to see and hear others talking about this movie too..and their experiences watching it. For me, it was a movie in which performances ruled over the story, cinematography and music score..however honest an intention was to make the story a worthwhile one.
I've had my share of experiences, good and bad on this topic. Generally, I think that people exhibiting racism are the ignorant ones (this is my point of view, of course). Ignorance of being a part of the society which is a melting pot in a majority of cases. Of course, one may argue that its basically ignorance which usually leads to misunderstanding!
Coming to the part which I liked most about the movie, the performances. A near perfect cast for this movie, I would say. Director Paul Haggis must have been licking his lips at the prospect of directing actors like Don Cheadle, Sandra Bullock, Matt Dillon and Terrence Howard. None of these actors disappoint. You hate them, pity them and only can try understanding them in this movie which aims to be a critique. Although there are some 'nice, goody' roles in the movie, the ones that stay with you are these 'bitchy, racist' ones..naturally. Matt Dillon effortlessly walks through his role as a racist cop who is later shown to be having a sensitive side as well. Cheadle has the most screen time with no particular reason, although the movie begins and ends with him on the receiving end of things. Bullock is at her 'maniacal' best..as the rich, angry, embarassed and actually humiliated wife of Fraser. Commendable. But none of these big names could match up with the performance of Terrence Howard as the black TV director. His portrayal of a man caught between accepting racism, dealing with it and coming close to losing his senses is in a way, magical. Howard mostly uses subtle body language and awesome intensity in his eyes. The director takes full advantage of this and uses it to generate maximum effect in the scene which has the showdown with the cops. Fiery scene!
Other performances worth mentioning include Michael Pena as the humiliated but extremely patient locksmith and Shaun Toub as the persian store owner. Bahar Soomekh, who is cast as his daughter is beautiful and embodies the young generation of today. Ludacris catches your eye in some scenes but fizzles out in an artificially made-up image makeover.
The one thing which might wear you down in this movie is the sheer number of coincidences popping up one after the other. I initially thought it was interesting and in a way, keeps you thinking..but after some time into the movie, you feel ridiculed. Come on..this is LA..are these the only people in the whole greater Los Angeles area??
It'll be interesting to see and hear others talking about this movie too..and their experiences watching it. For me, it was a movie in which performances ruled over the story, cinematography and music score..however honest an intention was to make the story a worthwhile one.
Thursday, March 16, 2006
Paint it Yellow
Ok, this must be the umpteenth article you must have read in the past couple of months about 'Rang De Basanti'. Well, its not exactly a surprise when people see a good film, they tend to write about it..a lot. Anyways, while the movie itself was undoubtedly well made, what made it connect to the audience in such a way? What made people sing praises about the movie's brilliance in executing such a story (patriotism? Rebellion?) I think its the characters. Director Rakeysh OmPrakash Mehra smartly creates characters who are poles apart in personalities but still manage to hang out together as buddies. I feel there is this magic in showing characters like this...take the best known example in the history of Bollywood..yep, Sholay. Jai and Veeru are like chalk and cheese but still there is one common thing that binds them together..friendship? I dont think so. Of course, characters designed for movies have to be different to make the proceedings interesting, thats the age-old formula! But in RDB, what Mr. Mehra does is more than just create characters and have talented actors play them. He creates characters and 'shows' them as he wants them to be. The audience, in this case does not have a choice but to view that person in the exact same way the director wants. Take Aslam..the character is first introduced spray painting a wall with quotes like 'The rebel has arrived' and graffiti of sorts. Slowly, in the course of the movie, he is shown to be an inferior of sorts..he actually does not like getting into fights. When Laxman taunts him, he prefers to walk away rather than answer back. It is DJ, who is the hothead and comes to the 'aid' of Aslam. Sukhi is shown as a guy full of fun and frolic..a guy who seems to never take anything seriously. The audience is then treated to a scene later where Sukhi is the first and only person among the friends to actually insult and doubt the loyalty of his own buddy, Karan. It is this shock treatment, which I think makes RDB so interesting.
Let's look at the other characters as well. Sonia, the only girl in the gang is shown to be a simple, down to earth, caring and friendly person. She is the one who actually comes up with the idea of murdering the defense minister. While this is not exactly shocking, since she is shown in another character (a revolutionary) at that moment in time, the character's double identity is something which the director considered his trump card. People hide things, and when the actual identity of the person comes in full view at times of necessity, the acquaintances around him/her also tend to be shocked, let alone the audience.
While I agree that only Aamir Khan could have given DJ the life of the character..the vibrancy, mischievousness, I feel he underplayed his character very well. For the second time, I have seen a great actor (a superstar) actually give his best without going over the top. The first time being 'Swades'. It's such a treat to watch these 'bigger than life' actors just walk through the movie effortlessly and gracefully in characters that have been tailor-made.
Siddharth is a revelation of sorts producing one of the most electrifying performances in recent times. His Karan is the most silent and is the introvert. In spite of being completely alone in his personal life, he manages to bond well with the rest of the friends. Mehra shows Karan's character in a very interesting way. In a repeat viewing, I saw that Karan, in his earlier scenes chooses to be just a bystander..doesnt take a single decision (except maybe a very shocking one, which is not shown in the movie) and waits for others to actually talk about something. In the climax however, Karan is the one who tells the world about what their thoughts are and what they had planned. Finally, the one character that Mehra leaves unchanged in the whole movie is Atul Kulkarni's Laxman. A violent, firm believer of nationalism, Laxman is a confident man who is just on the way to becoming a major political figure representing the youth. Even though Laxman's thoughts about his party change in the course of the movie, he is still the same violent, extremist deep inside. I feel Mehra, in a way misled the character into showing himself to be a frustrated person who needs to vent out his anger at the world. Kulkarni does not disappoint and his rendition of 'Sarfarosh Ki Tamanna' still lingers..days after I watched the movie.
In this movie of introverts, extroverts, young, angry, frustrated people..the screenplay is king. The way the director, editor and screenwriter put together bits and pieces of our history is nothing short of genius film-making. All these technicians mentioned have a very, very serious knowledge of the art of convincing people by showing them pictures..beautiful pictures. Last, but definitely not the least..Mr. Rehman infuses each frame of the movie with such a delectable score that you cannot stop wondering how this man can come up with such a versatile range of music..all in one go. I loved all songs in the movie..the best one being the title song 'Rang De Basanti'. The energy of this song is so evident right from the beginning, that you just cant stop yourself doing a jig, the bhangra way!
Let's look at the other characters as well. Sonia, the only girl in the gang is shown to be a simple, down to earth, caring and friendly person. She is the one who actually comes up with the idea of murdering the defense minister. While this is not exactly shocking, since she is shown in another character (a revolutionary) at that moment in time, the character's double identity is something which the director considered his trump card. People hide things, and when the actual identity of the person comes in full view at times of necessity, the acquaintances around him/her also tend to be shocked, let alone the audience.
While I agree that only Aamir Khan could have given DJ the life of the character..the vibrancy, mischievousness, I feel he underplayed his character very well. For the second time, I have seen a great actor (a superstar) actually give his best without going over the top. The first time being 'Swades'. It's such a treat to watch these 'bigger than life' actors just walk through the movie effortlessly and gracefully in characters that have been tailor-made.
Siddharth is a revelation of sorts producing one of the most electrifying performances in recent times. His Karan is the most silent and is the introvert. In spite of being completely alone in his personal life, he manages to bond well with the rest of the friends. Mehra shows Karan's character in a very interesting way. In a repeat viewing, I saw that Karan, in his earlier scenes chooses to be just a bystander..doesnt take a single decision (except maybe a very shocking one, which is not shown in the movie) and waits for others to actually talk about something. In the climax however, Karan is the one who tells the world about what their thoughts are and what they had planned. Finally, the one character that Mehra leaves unchanged in the whole movie is Atul Kulkarni's Laxman. A violent, firm believer of nationalism, Laxman is a confident man who is just on the way to becoming a major political figure representing the youth. Even though Laxman's thoughts about his party change in the course of the movie, he is still the same violent, extremist deep inside. I feel Mehra, in a way misled the character into showing himself to be a frustrated person who needs to vent out his anger at the world. Kulkarni does not disappoint and his rendition of 'Sarfarosh Ki Tamanna' still lingers..days after I watched the movie.
In this movie of introverts, extroverts, young, angry, frustrated people..the screenplay is king. The way the director, editor and screenwriter put together bits and pieces of our history is nothing short of genius film-making. All these technicians mentioned have a very, very serious knowledge of the art of convincing people by showing them pictures..beautiful pictures. Last, but definitely not the least..Mr. Rehman infuses each frame of the movie with such a delectable score that you cannot stop wondering how this man can come up with such a versatile range of music..all in one go. I loved all songs in the movie..the best one being the title song 'Rang De Basanti'. The energy of this song is so evident right from the beginning, that you just cant stop yourself doing a jig, the bhangra way!
Thursday, March 02, 2006
Bollywood's 'Sehar'
Last weekend, me and my roomies went shopping..the usual, first stop - desi shop, then a walk around city center and dinner at a thai restaurant. We are four guys among which one is married and waiting for his better half to join him sometime later this month. Munich is a lovely place, has heart, soul and the city is very attractive..except for the cold, that is. It was especially cold on Saturday, the day we were out and we were glad to have caught the tram from outside our apartment to the city center. On the way, Sashi, who we call Mr.? because of all the questions we get from him each day asks me..'Bro, how's Sehar?'. I ask, 'What, the movie?'. 'Yes'. Having already watched the movie once a few weekends ago, I said 'Yeah, I thought it was okay, kinda slow moving..but a good movie nevertheless.'
And that ended the conversation. We came back home, our tummies full. Next morning, we carry out our usual sunday chores and settle down for the 'matinee'..our post lunch dvd session. Sashi pops in 'Sehar' and we settle down in our designated couches. I was apprehensive about watching this movie again for a repeat viewing. Only Ajay, the other guy has seen the movie and Venkat was naturally looking bored already after having learnt that 'Sehar' means Dawn in Urdu!! Anyways, we are 15 minutes into the movie and all four of us are watching the movie with rapt attention. Me, I was kind of surprised about my ability to sit still without a comment on my second viewing. An hour into the movie, I had to tell the guys that the cinematography reminds me of Ram Gopal Verma's 'Company'...which I would regret saying later.
'Sehar' is a movie which has been made with utmost care, precision and most importantly, an honest intention to make an honest movie. And director Kabeer Kaushik succeeds in doing so. I have not experienced the joy of watching a movie the second time so much since a long long time, and a bollywood movie at that! Even watching 'Company' which I wrongfully mentioned earlier, a second time seemed stale. Sure, Ajay Devgan and Vivek Oberoi have great screen presence but Arshad Warsi is no comedian in this movie. To cut a long story short, 'Sehar' is just falls short of being a perfect thriller of a movie.
The story: SSP Ajay Kumar is newly transferred (for the 14th time in his career) to Lucknow and the first thing he has to face is indifference from his superior officer on how to eradicate organized crime in the city. Slowly, the story moves on to how Ajay manages to convince his superiors of allowing him to create a special task force specially for combating organized crime. The man they are up against is Gajraj Singh, who with pure ruthlessness has managed to wipe out every single hurdle in his path and is well on his way to becoming a don with 'absolute power'. I will not reveal much more of the story here, but would like to mention two more characters which will leave a lasting impression on one's mind after watching the movie. Naved Aslam, as 'Solanki' is the gritty police officer and Pankaj Kapur, as the professor both of who work for Ajay Kumar. Kaushik's direction is depicted in harsh, realistic style with stunning visuals as backup. Dont miss the climax, which I thought was just awesome, just looking at the way it was picturised.
It was really hard for me to imagine that this movie has been directed by a first time director whose background was ad making. I mean, looking at the way Kaushik builds his characters, takes care to show the slightest detail in his shots, the subtlity, its amazing. Screenplay plays a very important part in the fact why this movie is so enjoyable in watching. So is the Cinematography. Music? Beautiful. Performances? Terrific. So what is it that's not good? The pace...there were a few instances when we looked at each other and thought..'I can imagine myself wanting to go out for a loo break if this were in a movie theatre.' For some reason, maybe conscience...the director lets the pace drop in a few instances which could have been easily avoided with various 'fillers'. But apart from that, Sehar is a movie worth watching just for the 'narration style' as Venkat put it and of course, Warsi's career best performance to date. Watching this movie, I couldn't help but thinking about these new directors who nowadays are popping up with these incredible films..sense has started to 'dawn' upon bollywood.
Rating 4 out of 5 stars.
And that ended the conversation. We came back home, our tummies full. Next morning, we carry out our usual sunday chores and settle down for the 'matinee'..our post lunch dvd session. Sashi pops in 'Sehar' and we settle down in our designated couches. I was apprehensive about watching this movie again for a repeat viewing. Only Ajay, the other guy has seen the movie and Venkat was naturally looking bored already after having learnt that 'Sehar' means Dawn in Urdu!! Anyways, we are 15 minutes into the movie and all four of us are watching the movie with rapt attention. Me, I was kind of surprised about my ability to sit still without a comment on my second viewing. An hour into the movie, I had to tell the guys that the cinematography reminds me of Ram Gopal Verma's 'Company'...which I would regret saying later.
'Sehar' is a movie which has been made with utmost care, precision and most importantly, an honest intention to make an honest movie. And director Kabeer Kaushik succeeds in doing so. I have not experienced the joy of watching a movie the second time so much since a long long time, and a bollywood movie at that! Even watching 'Company' which I wrongfully mentioned earlier, a second time seemed stale. Sure, Ajay Devgan and Vivek Oberoi have great screen presence but Arshad Warsi is no comedian in this movie. To cut a long story short, 'Sehar' is just falls short of being a perfect thriller of a movie.
The story: SSP Ajay Kumar is newly transferred (for the 14th time in his career) to Lucknow and the first thing he has to face is indifference from his superior officer on how to eradicate organized crime in the city. Slowly, the story moves on to how Ajay manages to convince his superiors of allowing him to create a special task force specially for combating organized crime. The man they are up against is Gajraj Singh, who with pure ruthlessness has managed to wipe out every single hurdle in his path and is well on his way to becoming a don with 'absolute power'. I will not reveal much more of the story here, but would like to mention two more characters which will leave a lasting impression on one's mind after watching the movie. Naved Aslam, as 'Solanki' is the gritty police officer and Pankaj Kapur, as the professor both of who work for Ajay Kumar. Kaushik's direction is depicted in harsh, realistic style with stunning visuals as backup. Dont miss the climax, which I thought was just awesome, just looking at the way it was picturised.
It was really hard for me to imagine that this movie has been directed by a first time director whose background was ad making. I mean, looking at the way Kaushik builds his characters, takes care to show the slightest detail in his shots, the subtlity, its amazing. Screenplay plays a very important part in the fact why this movie is so enjoyable in watching. So is the Cinematography. Music? Beautiful. Performances? Terrific. So what is it that's not good? The pace...there were a few instances when we looked at each other and thought..'I can imagine myself wanting to go out for a loo break if this were in a movie theatre.' For some reason, maybe conscience...the director lets the pace drop in a few instances which could have been easily avoided with various 'fillers'. But apart from that, Sehar is a movie worth watching just for the 'narration style' as Venkat put it and of course, Warsi's career best performance to date. Watching this movie, I couldn't help but thinking about these new directors who nowadays are popping up with these incredible films..sense has started to 'dawn' upon bollywood.
Rating 4 out of 5 stars.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)