Oz – The Great and The Powerful

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The film has everything yet something is missing. A stellar cast (James Franco, Rachel Weisz, Michelle Williams, Mila Kunis), great effects, but the screen play doesn’t hold your attention. The plot has been changed from the original novel, but is weak and shallow. The actors use very dramatic delivery, as if they are performing live in a theatre, the way its shot too gives that effect. Whether that works to its advantage is another story. There seems to be room for a sequel. And Sonakshi Sinha has made her secret Hollywood Debut as the loud and cackling Evil Green Witch. Don’t tell me you haven’t been warned!

2/5

Silver Linings Playbook

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Based on an unlikely and unusual premise, where people’s imbalances, irrational behaviours and erratic actions bind them as families. To call them dysfunctional would be a modest start, but to be completely honest, there is a rational as to why these people have arrived in their present state.

To say any more would ruin the experience of the film, so let us talk about the performances. All 4 principal cast members were nominated for the Oscar’s (besides winning and being nominated for other awards), in their respective categories, which in itself is a record. Bradley Cooper, Robert De Niro, Jacki Weaver and Jennifer Lawrence show you sides of human behaviour so difficult to capture, but here they are on display, so raw, no fear, no graph, no predictability! Anything can happen in the scene and that’s the beauty of the film. How they deal with events or outbursts and move on as if nothing happened, you swear you are watching the most real, stripped down montage of human psychology. Can’t wait to read the book!

At age 22, Jennifer Lawrence won the Oscar, in a year of tough competition with some very female-centric films. Kudos Kid! This film is witness to pure talent which has got the due credit it deserves.

There is method in this madness 😉

4/5

Kai Po Che

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A dream team film. Directed by Abhishek Kapoor of ‘Rock On’. Based on Chetan Bhagat’s Novel ‘The 3 mistakes I made in my life’. Produced by UTV.

At 2 hours 4 minutes, this film serves you the meat, without ANY fat. (Maybe not an appropriate analogy for a Gujarati themed movie!) 3 friends, an unconventional livelihood and some memorable historic events make this a gripping film. Appropriate music, real sets, natural locations and sharp characterization leave you with a complete experience. Gujarati culture has not been portrayed like this on screen before, very true and identifiable. The story moves fast, but captures detail and connects with the viewers on many levels.

Raj Kumar has done a few films before and is dependable. Sushant Singh Rajput, who makes a debut with this film, has one overriding personality trait which he displays well. His acting graph is surely more diverse and will show up in his future films. But it is Amit Sadh who steals the show with a controlled performance, intense expressions and a hidden rage.  Amrita Puri lights up the screen with her vivacious character and looks gorgeous in all the close up shots.

For the love of cinema, cricket and the spirit of friendship, watch Kai Po Che. This kite is gonna soar!

4/5

Zero Dark Thirty

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The biggest man-hunt in history, presented as a journalistic account on screen, has a history of its own. The Director, Kathryn Bigelow, who also produced the film with the writer Mark Boal, was working on a film which showed the failed attempt to capture Bin Laden. Once his capture was announced, they changed course and were left with 2 years of research which ultimately led them to write this script.

The story has a lot of information, which may or may not appear classified to the regular viewer. While Jessica Chastain, who plays Maya, the tenacious defender of this lost cause of an operation, is shown as the sole driver for this operation, it seems that the process of elimination and eventual location of OBL involved a lot more people. But just like we need a devil, to antagonise, we need a hero. She has done a brilliant job; no doubt, she won the Golden Globe for it as well.

The strength of the film lies in showing what actually went on behind the closed doors of CIA in countries where they were trying to find information. It wasn’t an easy task to convince the team that this mission should be pursued, by a lone woman nonetheless, and politics was invisibly weaved in, to give the right flavour.

While the film is filled with controversial details, which may or may not be artistic liberty, they work to move the story along. The catch is, is it entertaining? It is riveting, yes. The story spans many years of seemingly dead-end work, which is rewarded in the end. As the film closes, do we feel entertained, or informed? I would choose the latter, as I take home some brilliant moments and scenes. As a film which walked the tight-rope between fact and fiction, it left me with a version of the story I could believe, but choose not to.

3.5/5

Hotel Transylvania

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Am sure you have heard of Adam Sandler and are familiar with his work J Here, not only does he surprise you with his accent and voice modulation for Count Dracula, he has also written two songs, sung four songs and is Executive Producer for the film. A lot of talents from a man who has done a line-up of some regular average Joe movies.

The animated realm is getting so vivid with detail, that it feels you are watching a real account of a real alternate world. A human wanders into this getaway for monsters only, run by the Count of course, causing chaos and love! The story is predictable, but it is the many moments that take you by surprise and entertain you.

Good music, great humour, cool characterisation and some fine detail make this a hotel you definitely want to check in to!

3.5/5

Arthur Christmas

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We have seen numerous films around and about the topic and festival called Christmas. If there ever was a more modern take on this age old tale, it is this film!

From the origins of Santa Claus, to the present day infrastructure and challenges he faces, this flick is a new theory altogether!

The magic of course, is in the story. We forget that the purpose of giving gifts to children, is to see their wonder and joy, and it’s this precise moment, amongst many others, that the film captures.

From ninja trained elves to precision delivery on 24th midnight, this animation has it all!

Watch it for a fun ‘relic’ ride (you will get the joke once you see it)

3/5

ABCD

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Any Body Can Dance is India’s first 3D dance flick. It didn’t need to be 3D, barring a few scenes, being the first the dance orientated film was good enough. Remo has presented us with very good choreography, but not very balanced. It was concentrated on street style and hip hop, but we would have liked more traditional dance forms as well.

Stock caricature characters, ‘Good vs. Bad’, the ‘Under Dog vs. The one who has it all’ make it a predictable film, but we are not looking for a story here. Neither are we looking for acting, from the wooden Prabhudeva or the choreographers who are there to dance, not act. The surprise here is Ganesh Acharya, who acts, dances and is adorable in his part. Some of the hurdles that could crop up in a dance group/competition scenario are presented as twists and turns, with adequate solutions.

The end seems hurried, not well thought off and doesn’t tie up the film as it should. You saw the end coming and the way it’s done is disappointing. This is Remo’s second film, so we expected more. If it’s an extended Dance show you are after, it’s a good flick, otherwise it’s passable.

2/5

Special 26

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Based on true events in India back in 1987, this film has a slow and steady pace. I don’t understand why filmmakers insist on shoving songs down our throat, especially in films like this. When it’s needed, please have them there, don’t keep them as loo and snack breaks. Anyway, moving on…

The CBI is looking for a group who poses as fake CBI and loots targeted individuals/companies. First of the many loop holes, which I shall not discuss, the films leaves many questions unanswered.

By the time the second half starts the film has picked its pace and you are engaged in the drama (barring any songs which appear for your benefit). Twists and turns present themselves and voila, you have a fitting end for a film which has many good actors. At least they will be remembered for a decent film.

A one time watch if nothing else to do, good for TV or flight.

2.5/5

Midnight’s Children

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A rich tapestry of story telling, a plethora of talented actors, stunning visuals and some Magic Realism, combined with the tragedy of war and struggle for independence, make this film THE DEFINITIVE WATCH!

It is difficult to write about a movie which spans more than 7 decades, portrays changing cultures, uses undivided India as a catalyst, makes magic of the midnight of independence, romanticizes post independence, makes the wars (both civil and between neighbours) that followed as an invisible backdrop. It becomes more complex when it successfully does all this and more, showing you different sides of history and how it affected people’s lives, destinies and life paths.

You will lose count of how many characters are played by brilliant talent on screen. You will do so because here, THE STORY IS THE HERO. Based on Salman Rushdie’s novel, a 3 time booker winner, it is a literary treat as well as a very difficult story to adapt on screen. But it was done and done supremely well, by Deepa Mehta. This is her best work to date and should have gotten far more acclaim than it has.

In a world where stories have taken a back seat, this film makes you sit back in awe and wonder at how much one tale can tell, how much depth a story has, without going overboard. How much reality is weaved in to the story, never once making you believe one over the other, they both are equally remarkable.

The characters are complete, in their varied lengths and forms, with some excellent performances. I will not name them, leaving them and the film, to your own experience.

Watch this film to have your breathe taken away and be mesmerised by the talents of many celebrated individuals.

4.5/5

Lincoln

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Though Steven Spielberg doesn’t need to reaffirm why he is one of the most brilliant film-makers of our time, he still does with this very ambitious period film. We get to meet the quietly charismatic Abraham Lincoln, played magically by Daniel Day-Lewis, who just won the Golden Globe and BAFTA amongst many other awards for his performance.

The film is shot as if it captures history, LIVE! The cinematography, set and costumes are flawless. The supporting cast, all of them, effectively show us the 19th century America. The feelings about slavery and colour, which would shock the present viewer, were perfectly normal at that time. It’s Lincoln’s vision and his ability to communicate it via interesting and anecdotal story telling, that paved the way for a tolerant and free USA.

If you don’t have a good understanding of the amendments and how they were passed during that time, then this film is a crash course! It is perhaps its biggest strength but also its weakest point, for it gets too detailed and sluggish at times, in the effort to inform.

Tommy Lee Jones’ character provides the wit, humour and required lift in the graph of an otherwise temperate film, and it’s those moments which give us relief from the history lesson J

A long film which is brimming with talent, but maybe not with lasting entertainment.

3/5