BRIDGE OF SPIES - Nominated for 6 Oscars!

When you have a combination of the writing of the Cohen Brothers, the Direction of the Cinematic Genius, Steven Spielberg and the Acting Prowess of Tom Hanks, you already know that this is going to be more than just another movie. Nominated for 6 Oscars this year, Bridge of Spies is far from being one of the frontrunners, but you certainly want to see this one!

The Story is Inspired by True Events about the US Attorney, Donnovan who is asked to represent an alleged Soviet Spy, Rudolph Abel who is caught by the US Government at the height of the Cold War. Having forced to take the thankless job in the first place, you think this might be leading to a Period Courtroom Drama which is Pro-National, but what transpires is an unlikely bond of mutual respect between the US Attorney and the Alleged Spy while at the same time there is an American Spy who lands up as a prisoner of the Soviets!! Would Donnavan serve his duty as a US Citizen and a Family Man or would he be an honest lawyer and serve his 'client' in the best way possible at the risk of being called a Traitor!

Now, Tom Hanks has been brilliant in his performance and it's really sad to see that he did not get a nomination for the movie but the much deserved Mark Rylance(who plays Abel, the alleged Soviet Spy) is nominated for Best Supporting Actor for an amazing performance to say the least. He portrays the indifference with such ease and extracts sympathy effortlessly. I would love to see him win this one.

Now the main man, Spielberg, also did not get a nomination for Best Director, but the fact that the movie is nominated for Best Motion Picture, speaks volumes for his direction as well. What could have been a grim period war drama turns out to be an warm story of an unlikely friendship. It tells the story of an American Hero but without patronising him. And Only Spielberg is capable of infusing humour in the most tensed situations without it seeming forced.

Bridge of Spies is a long movie, but definitely not a boring one. Give it your undivided attention, and you will appreciate it for what it is- a Diplomatic Movie about Morals and Friendship. I'll rate the movie at a 4 out of 5. Watch out for this Dark Horse at the Oscars!!

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Eh Tha Tiger-aur uski Tigress!!

The Biggest Hit of the Year! The most anticipated release of the year and Salman & Katrina’s first BIG hit are few of the things that we have already associated with Ek Tha Tiger in the last 5 days since the movie’s release. The phrases that you may have also heard are-‘Salman’s looking too old now’, ‘There’s not enough action’ and ‘Katrina’s Hot’. One thing which is common among all of them is that hardly anyone is commenting on the actual content of the movie, which is what happens usually with BLOCKBUSTERS like these anyway, but more so because people are craving to see the stars already. After a long 7 and half months with hardly any BIG HITS, this comes as a breath of fresh air to people. The International Locales, The Seeti-Maaro Scenes and 2 of the biggest Box-office Churners in Bollywood on-screen together all adds up to the hype! And if a Salman Movie releases around Eid-it is a surefire formula for success even if the movie is crap as hell.

Not that this movie is that bad, but you know what I mean. The movie is about Salman aka Tiger who is a RAW agent, RAW- the secret service of India who are trying to defend the country every single day.  Of course, he is the volatile yet honest guy who would do anything for his country and always ready to take up a task. One of his missions involves him to spy on an ex-scientist who is suspected of having links with the Pakistanis. Here he meets Katrina aka Zoya who is the caretaker of our scientist’s household. Now Tiger is not someone who is easily distracted but will this mission be the end of him, or will he figure a way out and be loyal to his nation? That’s pretty much what the rest of the movie tries and answers in a clunky and for me at least, a disappointing manner. It makes matters of National Security a joke and the focus on the love story is honestly a bit too much to handle. The one thing I have been telling everyone about the movie is that the first half is good, but if you are disappointed about what happens at the interval, then the movie is finished for you. If you like the so-called ‘twist’ though, you will have an enjoyable 2^nd half as well.Salman and Katrina honestly lack the chemistry for this one, but make up for it by their good looks. I wish Salman would diversify a bit now and try something different as well because he does have it in him still. Katrina I was never a fan of in Boom, and till date my opinion remains unchanged. Good supporting cast as well but ultimately irrelevant.

This is ultimately time pass fare and a movie that I guess not many people would miss no matter what the review. I’m going with 2 out of 5 for Kabir Khan’s Ek Tha Tiger.

I honestly found Kabul Express and New York better than this.

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Cocktail-Three is not a crowd!

One of the most anticipated Hindi Movies of the year-Cocktail released this past week to mixed reactions from everyone. But even as everyone was contemplating what would be the fate of this movie-it had already earned 36 crores in 3 days making it among the biggest hits this year.

From the Director-Actor Duo who brought us 'Being Cyrus' and the Writer-Actor Duo who brought us 'Love Aaj Kal' the genres of those movies coming together itself is a reason to call this movie-Cocktail

Now this is certainly a romantic comedy, but the treatment is different. For one, there is hardly any background music throughout the movie-something which I was irritated about at first but gradually it grew on me. Secondly, the dialogue and screenplay feels real and not dramatic and over-the-top. There is this particular scene in the kitchen of their home where Saif is talking out a serious situation with Deepika and Diana and that could have been full of tears, drama and other such nonsense..But the way it has been shot is truly commendable. It says so much by saying so little.

The premise, I do not want too give away but of course,you must know by now that it is indeed a tale of 3 friends who are a little too close for comfort and when you have one couple among them, it certainly complicates things.

What I do want to talk about are the performances, because to be honest, the script is not top-notch. Neither is the music in the second half. What holds this movie together are the performances of EVERYONE involved. To start of with Saif's performance has been criticized by many for this film. But trust me, if there is anyone who makes you laugh the hardest-it's him. His timing and delivery will leave you howling with laughter for much of the first half. Secondly, Newcomer Diana Penty is a real find. She is not only simply stunning with her captivating presence on screen but also is not a bad actor-there is scope for improvement though but certainly Penty is better than her contemporaries of recent times(Fakhree-this means you).Thirdly Boman and Dimple-the pair who are playing siblings in the film are  expectantly brilliant with their performances and ensure they leave a mark with their short performances. I am hoping that Kaka saw this movie before he passed away and felt proud of what his wife is still capable of.

The Standout Performance as you might have guessed by now is our very own Deepika who delivers something that is certainly the best of her career. She is brash and bitchy as Veronica but handles the emotions oh-so well without making it seem too dramatic and keeping in tone with the movie.Trust me, her shedding her clothes for this movie doesn't take away anything from her performance but instead adds so much to her character. It's one performance that she will remember for a long time to come.

Overall, Cocktail is a breezy film that could have been a tad shorter towards the end, but nevertheless will keep you entertained and won't disappoint if your expectations were as much as mine.

I'm going with 3 out of 5 for Homi Adjania's Cocktail.

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Desi Summer Blockbuster:Gangs of Wassepur

As I begin to write this review, I just think that for these kinds of movies I am in such a dilemma. There are several reasons for me to feel this way. Firstly it is a movie that has been appreciated extensively by the West. It is a movie that has got mixed reactions right here in India and most of my close friends either like the movie or do not understand it. So at this juncture, it does cross one’s mind that do I play it safe and go with the review that people want to hear and what is pretty established about its perceptions, or do I give an honest opinion from my heart. I’m glad to say that for this one, I am certainly going with the latter to give you a different perspective and to tell you my experience in it’s entirety.

Anurag Kashyap is known to have mastered the ‘noir’ genre in Indian Cinema. He has been compared to greats like Tarantino and for good reason, although his consistency is still far from the people he is compared to. In the prologue of the movie you can see that he has thanked certain people to help inspire him to go back to his roots, which in my head is him smoking up and writing stories, but it also means making cinema purely for cinema and without any commercial expectations. This Film currently has recovered enough money to be called a hit, and with the sequel to release(yes, there is a sequel) in 2 months time, it will ensure that the movie earns way above it’s investment. But had it been that this movie released 10 years back when ‘Anurag Kashyap’ wasn’t a brand of filmmaking, this movie would have been down in the dumps, much like his most brilliant film ever-Black Friday.

But times have changed, audiences have changed and movies have changed and how! Gangs of Wassepur is a new-gen take on what is actually the oldest concept in Hindi Cinema-Revenge!!..it does not go all out like Zanjeer or Agneepath, nor does it go slick like Don, it’s just lazy, laidback and plays like a backstory actually, which is sort of the thing that I have the biggest problem with. It has made a movie of 2 hours and 45 minutes to say so little and is pending it’s conclusion in a sequel which is going to be equally long, and it’s not kine there is a lot to show really, it’s just that he has stressed on situations and characters in the movie who might not even have any consequence to the real story!!...

Too many characters, too many sub-plots, although lend entertainment to the movie no doubt, but could have been well avoided. Like my cousin, who I saw the movie with said, ‘Dude, you should smoke up and watch this movie’ and I agree, coz Anurag himself might have been in a trance-like state while making this. It’s too self-indulgent to be mainstream cinema and not like I have a thing against alternate cinema-I liked DevD and loved Black Friday from the same director, but this just a bit too extreme. I will certainly watch the sequel when it comes, and I hope all the characters they so painfully introduced in this film, will have some effect on the outcome of the story.

I cannot finish this review without mentioning the guy who holds this movie together, the most underrated actor ever-Manoj Bajpai. Sheer Genius is what you could call his performance in the film!.In every Frame, whether the situation is comical, dramatic or even romantic, this guy definitely delivers the goods and deserves all the accolades that he is getting. I won’t say too much but I hope he is there in the sequel as well.

Overall, I honestly do not know know whether to recommend you to watch this movie or not because a lot of my friends like it, and I don’t. I would suggest you watch Teri Meri Kahaani and let me know how that was ;-)

I’m going with 2.5 out of 5 for Gangs of Wassepur!!

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X-Men:First Class-Indeed!!!

No this is not the MARVEL hangover...this was in fact among the Biggest Blockbusters of Last Summer, and honestly I was surprised. This is a franchise that took off slowly but with each movie they have surpassed the people's expectations-especially with this one. This is a Prequel, and the 5th movie of the X Men Franchise, so one might think that this is just another cash card waiting to be en cashed at the Box Office and move on. It does not have the original actors and although they are characters we know, it's really hard to connect with a different actor playing your favorite character, right? Either that, or this creates a whole new dimension for your favorite characters and you start appreciating the franchise even more. That's what happened with me at least.

The Story takes you back to the Origin of the Leaders of the 2 factions-The X Men & The Brotherhood of Mutants that we know now under Magneto and Professor X, both having their own viewpoints about whether or not Mutants belong among Humans.
This gives a picture of their childhood, how they become friends and how they ultimately split due to their varied ideologies. Fassbender again is a revelation for me with him playing the younger magneto. Keeping my partiality aside(as my favorite character is Magneto as well), I must say that he has been a revelation and has taken this movie several notches higher. The angst, the confusion, the determination and the fall of Magneto have been perfectly depicted in the best way possible. He has lived Magneto in a way.

The rest of the ensemble have played their parts well and it was refreshing and surprising to see the relationship that Prof.X and Mystique share prior to the separation.
There is a certain Mutant who makes a cameo as well, and is a 5 second scene but will stay with you long after you have seen the movie-I guess that is indeed the sign of a good cameo.

Besides everything else, one must keep in mind that this is a period film as well a superhero film. Captain America did a bad job out of the combination( which also released last summer) but X Men:First Class shines out as a part of both Genres and also adds in the comedy, drama and thriller elements.

It's the kind of movie which you would not at all get bored of and there is something in each scene that will keep you wanting more. It's the kind of movie which will pleasantly surprise you with how good it really is.

And with sequels planned for X Men Origins: Wolverine and this movie as well, this franchise looks far from over and if they keep improving the way they have been, this might just go on to be the best superhero movie franchise ever!!!

I'm going with 4 out of 5 for X Men:First Class..Lives up to the name...

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Prometheus-A Sci-Fi with a soul!

One of the most anticipated summer blockbusters is finally here. Or is it??...firstly watching the movie in a theatre that was half empty on a Friday is really discouraging especially when you have a movie of this scale and magnitude from a studio you know won't disappoint with the visuals and deliver the 3D promises and ofcourse behind the lens is one of the most visionary Directors of our time-Sir Ridley Scott!..What went wrong with the ticket sales, I'm not sure, but what I can tell you is what went right and wrong with the movie. So read on...

Now Prometheus was actually a Greek Titan who was known to have created man from clay. This fits in so perfect with the title and the premise of the movie-it's absolutely perfect in hindsight once you have seen the movie. Reason, being that this movie is about the hunt for our origin. Where do we come from? Why are we here?...According to one of the movie's characters, the most meaningful questions a man has ever asked. And if in the near future we get a chance to explore this possibilty and discount God, would we do it??

A bunch of people in this movie do though.The year is 2089 and the two archeoligists discover a pattern that is found across civilazations that spanned thousands of years. Now they see this as an invitation to see their 'engineer' and they hop on on the Spacecraft aptly named Prometheus funded by a huge corporation to go and discover man's origin-to go where no man has gone before. Upon reaching there they see that things are not as simple as they would have hoped. A scientific exploration becomes a battle for their survival as a couple of the crew members unexpectedly die on their expedition. What follows is a sort of thrilling prequel to the Alien series but hopes for a sequel to Prometheus itself lingers around as there are still a few unanswered questions that should be answered in the sequel.

Now I haven't seen Alien and that may be a good thing in this case because I have no scale to compare. People who have seen Alien and then have seen this, seem to be a tad disappointed with the movie. My only comparison is with AVP which was HORRIBLE!!!

The movie is definitely good, no doubt about that, but it falils to be EPIC. The 3D is definitely impressive and the build up to the thrills is quite good, but I just wish that the thrills were not so few and far between.

Out of the cast it's Fassbender playing an Android who stands out. Theron is just wasted again really with a significant yet small part but lends the tiny bit of star power that is required for a film of this scale.

Overall it is definitely a must watch for people who seek a massive 3D Blockbuster this summer, but not necessarily for an action freak because like I said earlier, the thrills are few in number.

I'm going with 3.5 out of 5 for Ridley Scott's Prometheus!

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Snow White & The Huntsman!-A Twisted Fairytale

The Summer Blockbusters are here and we are kick starting with one of the most eagerly anticipated movies of the season starring Twilight’s Kristen Stewart as Snow White and Chris ‘Thor’ Hemsworth as the Huntsman in this unique twisted fairytale that is meant to be a ‘Dark’ take on the story. Now if you’ll remember ‘Red Riding Hood’-with it’s ‘New Moon-ish’ feel, failed badly to make a mark. Snow White & The Huntsman is no classic either, but first time director Rupert Sanders ensures that he is remembered for his visuals and drama(which is expected from the producers, Roth Films as well as this is their second movie after Alice in Wonderland).

Now the basic premise of the story is known to all of how the evil queen wanted to be ‘fairest of them all’ with only her step-daughter, Snow White in the way & the way she tried to trick her and kill her so that she can remain young forever. All this is certainly there, with it’s own twisted outtakes and brilliant cinematography and special effects. Credit should also go for the background score and sound mixing for giving it a contemporary yet classical sound that we associate Big-Ticket movies to be. It’s one of those movies which ensure that you feel the scale of it, even if it does not overwhelm you.

Now Charlize Theron is perfectly cast as the Evil Queen, but my only problem with her is that she overacts a bit too much in sections which makes her performance feel inconsistent inspite of her being brilliant in some of the scenes. Apart from that you cannot possibly have a woman looking like that at her age. Absolutely perfect. Chris Hemsworth seems to have carried on from Thor where the only thing is that an Axe has replaced his Hammer. He definitely draws a huge visual appeal but his acting skills can still improve(that being said, he was most impressive among the 3 with his acting). And ofcourse Kristen Stewart looks like she could be fairest in the land and looks much better than she did in any of the Twilight movies but as my friend aptly put-she seems to have a set of expressions which she just keeps reusing. The versitality is highly missing in her but again, for a movie like this, it does not matter that much to be honest.

*SPOILER ALERT*Do not read this if you do not want to-The Biggest Surprise Package has to be the dwarves-I mean, I was almost prepared to do away with 7 dwarves for 1 Huntsman, but the makers realized their importance and they really do create an impact. They are funny and ferocious and their relationship with Snow White is indeed a special one.

Overall, this might not be the Biggest Blockbuster of the season but if you are itching to watch even half an entertainer and you don’t have the patience to wait for the rest of the movies coming, then this might be a safe bet. It’s that kind of movie which isn’t really good, but not unwatchable either.

I’ll give it 2.5 out of 5.

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