Gangs of Wasseypur : by Anurag Kashyap

'Teri Keh Ke Loonga' - says Sardar Khan with malevolence and pain in his eyes seeking vengeance from the lynchpin of Wasseypur- Ramadhir Singh.

Gangs of Wasseypur is an Indian mafia setup in the small town of Wasseypur - part of Dhanbad city. The coal mafia is deep rooted with a cut throat rivalry between the Qureshis & Khans.

The film spans across the early 1940's to the present day context in 2004. Sardar Khan's father is killed when the Ramadhir learns about his ambitions of ruling the coal mines syndicate.

Sardar Khan's shaves his head swearing not grow his hair back till the objective is complete.He rises to become the most feared ganglord with the only aim of finishing Ramamdhir and his empire.

Manoj Bajpai , a superlative actor enacts Sardar Khan with so much spitefullness yet being innocent charming husband. His allurement spells a cast on the women in his life  - wife ( Nagma ) and bahar-wali (Durga) played with enduring gusto by Richa Chadda and Reemma Sen respectively.

The hilarity is the main ingredient of a serious plotline which would have become another Godfather - Sarkar mash up. The dialogues are remarkable with nuances bringing the house down!

The supporting actors revolving around the main protagonist Bajpai completes one of the most virtuoso ensemble cast seen in a decade of hindi cinema -

• Ramadhir Singh -  played by Tigmanshu Dhulia  

          (Director of Sahib, Bibi & Paan Singh Tomar!!)

• Sardar Khan's father  - played by Jaideep Alahwat
• Sardar Khan's youngest son -  played by Nawazuddin Siddiqui

         (Inspector in Kahaani , Bandit in Tomar!)

• Sardar Khan's wife - played by Richa Chadda

          (Dolly from Oye Lucky Lucky Oye!)

• Sardar Khan's guardian - played by Piyush Mishra

Anurag Kashyap's films always had the music inherent to the plotline & Sneha Khanwalker as a composer has done a mind blowing job of moving the narrative a level up -  Track in particular - 'Keh Ke Loongaa'

Bajpai's is the performance of the year by far , Wasseypur scores on its crudeness & mirthfullness!

Badland was never so good!

Rating: 4.0/5.0

Hugo : by Martin Scorsese

Martin Scorsese , this name rings a series of hard hiting , gut wrenching dramas and thrillers. He has been in the Jake LaMotta (Raging Bull) of the Hollywood fraternity.

Hugo is a masterclass in film making!

As introduced in my opening lines , film of this stature  from Scorsese is mind boggling.

A simple fairy tale of a young boy who lives alone at the Paris railway station maintaining the clocks , stealing food and working on his father's ambitious piece of art  - a automaton - a mechnical man who writes with a pen upon wound up.

The film's pace is easy and unfolds layer by layer flowing like a river.

Hugo , one fine day is caught by a sho owner stealing his spare parts.

There in starts Hugo's journey , an adventure of a lifetime where he unearths the truths.

Hugo played by Asa Butterfiled is believable and affable.

Ben Kingsley plays the Georges Melies , a renowned illusionist and filmmaker who has not got his due.

The supporting cast is able in particular the station inspector who is a hard-boiled man cleaning up the station

of the orphan kids.

3-D is a technology which pushes all boundaries , and Scorses had to use it to pay rich tributes of the pioneers of illusion and special effects.

The panoramic beauty depicted of Paris is breathtaking . The joy of seeing the camera move like silk from the cityscape and right in to the busy platform ending at the clock tower , Hugo peeking out.

Awwww... Bliss! 

 

Golden Globe for best director and 5 oscars including Best Cinematography speaks volumes of the splendor in front of the cinegoers.

Mesmerising Grandeur in 3D

Rating : 4.5/5.0

The Descendants : by Alexander Payne

The Descendants is a drama film set in Kauai , a Hawaiian island.

This film traces the journey of a land baron , Matt King played by quintessential George Clooney. He owns a trust with a 25,000 acres land in his name.

The King family decides to sell it off to a Kauai inhabitant , Don Holitzer.

A sudden turn of events - Matt's wife suffers a major accident on a boating trip forcing her into a coma. Matt is left with the guardianship of his 2 daughters Alex and Scottie.

George Clooney plays the dad to perfection , considering himself as a 'back up parent' , being not very close to his daughters.

His anxiety and helplessness is executed brilliantly and forms the crux of the storyline. Matt accidentally comes to know about his wife's secret affair and all hell breaks loose.

Matt's inner strength and anger management is all there to see as he sets out in his pursuit of confronting the other man.

The Descendants is truly a rippling comedy with layers of relationship unifying at different moments of the film. George Clooney excels big time as a unaided parent in trying circumstances

The screenplay is superior and well adapted by Payne and his team. It is treat to watch a comedy yet have an emotional connect with the characters.

'A true vintage comedy with a pinch of salt'

Rating: 4.5/5.0

The Dirty Picture : by Milan Luthria

The Dirty Picture .. ever since the trailer hit the marquee .. eyeballs started rolling!

       Vidya of all the actresses has pushed the envelope , removing the veil.

       

Unabashed , Luscious , Dauntless , 'Silk'

Words , Sharp , Wit , Ungenerous , 'Emraan'

Lewd , Cocky , Narcissistic , Superstar , 'Naseer'

Loser , Writer , Timid , Weak-Kneed , 'Tushhar'

 Titilating , Hooking screenplay

Parody of the 80's

Saucy dialogues par excellence

'Filmein sirf teen cheezon ke wajah se chalti hain, entertainment, entertainment, entertainment..aur main entertainment hoon' 

Balan , buxom (hero)ine is back and how!  With gusto!

Ooh la la ..  Surrender to her talent!

Rating : 3.5/5.0

Blue Valentine : by Derek Cianfrance

Hollywood traditionally makes slapstick romantic flicks which are high on crudeness and college humour.

Blue Valentine is truly a remarkable performance driven film about two individuals. An unknown director Derek has come up with simple storytelling experience and has extracted the best out of his limited resources.

Dean (Ryan Gosling) & Cindy (Michelle Williams) play a married couple at rural Pennsylvania with a daughter named Frankie. Cindy is a nurse and Dean works as a painter.

The film inter cuts between their young romance courtship days and the troubled marriage of the present. The juxtaposition of the scenes depicting their happy days of love and bitter arguments of today is done with tact.

The relationship goes downhill day by day as Cindy is totally engrossed in family chores with Dean not contributing at all.

One fine day , to resurrect their lost fascination , Dean takes her to a motel where they end up in an argument.

Dean is drunk big time & it results in a violent fracas at Cindy's clinic. The conclusion of the film is really despondent & despairing.

The performances of the couple are extremely natural and uninhibited.Michelle Williams is one of the talents to watch out for and truly deserved the Oscar nod.

Ryan Gosling is indeed a good actor and can be seen as a bright star in the making.

“How can you trust your feelings if they disappear?” Cindy asks.

A Tragic Side of  LOVE!

Rating : 3.5/5.0

Bodyguard : by Siddique

Salman Khan , an enigma is here with another insipid dish.

B  - Body Abs Show

O - Ostentatious

D - Dimwit & Dumb

Y - Yawn!

G - Good Ol' Himesh , imitator

U -USP , Kareena , Nah!

A - Action par excellence

R - Ringtone Sing Song

D -  Drab

Lousy cinema at its peak!

Rating : 1.0/5.0

Dhobi Ghat : by Kiran Rao

Kiran Rao , makes her debut with an arty script with her husband Aamir at the helm of his acting prime and business acumen.

Dhobi Ghat is purely experimental cinema and a change for typical Hindi Film Milieu.

The film has primarily 5 characters :-

• Arun , the painter played by Aamir
• Shai , the banker played by Monica
• Munna , the dhobi played by Prateik
• Yasmin , the homemaker played by Kriti
• City Mumbai , played by the cinemascope

Its an interesting mix of people which creates magic on and off screen time of 90 minutes.

Moments which are noteworthy :-

1. Munna visits Shai's home for a cup of tea.
2. Shocking home video revelation of Yasmin which leaves Arun dazed.
3. Shai and Arun's vulnerable vibes
4. Munna's silence love for Shai and his modelling ambitions
5. Heart warming Climax

Dhobi Ghat will not appeal to all , as its slow and sluggish yet captures the essence of Mumbai beautifully.
Kudos to the cinematography of movie , picking the nuances of the city of dreams.

Special mention to the background score given by the renowned 2 Time Oscar Winner Gustavo.

Prateik is the next big thing and he had shown the spark in Jaane Tu... earlier. Monica has a photogenic quality about her and Kriti seems to be a natural. Aamir was the most disappoinitng of the lot.


Kiran's attempt is applause worthy but not everybody's cup of tea.


Rating : 3.0/5.0

Raging Bull : by Martin Scorsese

 
Raging Bull , is a 1980 biographical film based on the life of a middleweight boxer Jake La Motta.

Martin Scorsese was still finding his way into Hollywood as an A-list director till he decided to adapt this biopic.

Jake La Motta was sadomasochistic and his temper was way beyond his terror inside the bull ring - Robert De Niro plays him to the 'T'.

De Niro is ably supported by Joe Pesci , a small time actor then.

He is Jake's brother and his well wisher manager,who tries his level best to smoothen his rage.

The boxer , Jake climbs up the middle weight ladder but in the process loses his composure leading to jealousy pangs and domestic violence- his wife Vickie , the prime sufferer.

Technically , Martin Scorcese has shown upmost skill in the boxing bouts scenes. The violent bursts of Jake are extremely real and one feels for his family.

The film is taken to another plane by the performances , Robert De Niro is a class act , and he proved it then and has done it time and again.


His expressions , his emotions , his distress , his anger , his lasciviousness , his killer-instinct , his calmness in the ring , his love , his determination - Jake LaMotta is one heck of character to play - Indeed he deserved the Best Actor Oscar.


The blood dripping on the ring side rope epitomizes the movie , blood and sweat inside and outside the bull ring!


Must Watch for connoisseurs of film making!

Rating : 5.0/5.0

Peepli [Live] : by Anusha Rizvi

Peepli Live is a comical satire on the village life prevailing in India with the omnipresent farmer suicides.

It also delves into the 'Limelight & TRP'  hogging media fraternity and its workings through the eye-piece of the journalist turned director herself : Anusha Rizvi.

Aamir Khan Productions has been into subjects which are untapped and unexplored in Bollywood , & Peepli is one such pointer.

It is a simple story of a farmer named Natha who is out of money to support his family comprising of his brother played by Raghuvir Yadav , his wife and his ailing mother.

The elections are near in his district and he comes up with an idea of committing suicide to get compensation for his family from the Govt. and as a result save his land.

The film takes pot-shots and hilarious anecdotes upon the Media and the Politicians as the news of Natha's suicide leaks out.

The performances are exemplary with Natha played by Omkar Das Manikpuri, expressing with minimum interlocution.

Special mention to the supporting cast :

• Budhia Das  (Raghuvir Yadav )  -  Brother in need , a brother indeed , quintessential , Mr Yadav.
• Amma (Farookh Zafar)  -  Natha's ailing mother , brings the house down :) 
  
• Dhaniya (Shalini Vatsa) - Her constant bickering sets the tone of the frustration of the family.
• Nandita Malik (Malika Shenoy)  - Modelled on , Barkha Dutt , very convincing portrayal.

The length of the film is just over 1.5 Hour mark making it enjoyable ride till it lasts. Music scope is less but is gelled well into the screenplay.

A Nice , well documented and researched satire after a long time!

Rating : 4.0/5.0

Raajneeti : by Prakash Jha

 

Prakash Jha has been one of the finest exponents of hard-hitting cinema dealing with the fundamentalist issues surrounding us.

He has given us , Gangajal to Mrityudand to Aparahan , true eye-opener flicks.

This time he as compromised a little in going commercial yet the building blocks remain intact.

Rajneeti is a complete rehash of Godfather meets Mahabharata yet a political thriller never seen before.

 Why Rajneeti should not be missed ?

• Ranbir and Katrina doing off-beat non-popcorn stuff.

• In Rajneeti, Brij Gopal (Nana Patekar) plays a role inspired by Lord Krishna who guides Ranbir Kapoor who plays a role derived from the legendary character of Arjuna, Veerendra (Manoj Bajpai) plays the evil Duryodhana and Ajay Devgan is Karna. All characters are well fleshed out and what makes Rajneeti interesting is the fact that all characters have grey shades.

• The screenplay in the first half is gripping to say the least & keeps the audience hooked.

•  Performances ar exemplary , Nana Patekar and Manoj Bajpai are stupendous , Ranbir  and Arjun are the surprise packags.

• Ajay Devgan expresses with the intensity he is known for and Katrina does play her part well. 

Negatives?

• Length of the movie is tad long and becomes very predictable in the second half.

• Music is just ok.

• Kansa - Kunti track has no heart , and becomes comical!

On the whole , Prakash Jha has given us a compelling film in recent time.

Go for it!!

Rating : 4.0/5.0

Raavan : by Mani Ratnam

Raavan brings back the quintessential Aishwarya , Abhishek , Mani Ratnam trio with a permanent AR Rahman stamp.....

Mani Ratnam has been one of the sought after director's of Indian Cinema , and has the up most respect as filmmaker through his visionary films like Roja , Bombay , Yuva to name a few...

Raavan seemed to be in flavour of Ratnam's style of complex human relationships with a backdrop of struggle , hardship , emotions and bonding.

This film has taken its elements from Indian Mythological Epic Ramayana with the Good vs Evil theme as the morality behind it.

Abhishek plays the title role , Beera  who is the most revered yet feared local hero in the village. 

His mission is to avenge the death of his sister , and he does that by kidnapping Ragini played by Aishwarya.

Ragini is wife of police inspector , Dev who had led an encounter to capture Beera in midst of his sister's wedding and eventually tortured her to death.

So the premises of the film is mainly how Dev rescues Ragini and the triumph of the Good over Evil.

There are many references to the Ramayana including the characters Hanuman played by Govinda who helps Dev reach his goal , or the indirect innuendo to Surpnakaha , Ravan's sister.

The film has nothing going for it at all in the initial half of the reel , the story is such a drag , that the cine goer will find himself in a spot whether to see through it or not ?!?

The performances of the character artists like Ravi Kishen and Govinda are far better than the main protagonists , Abhishek is neither spine-chilling nor eccentric.

Aishwarya has nothing much to do , but to screech and look good , Vikram does his part well.

AR Rahman's music fails for the first time to lift the film and is mediocre as compared to his benchmark.

Pluses :

Direction of Photography is par excellence , the natural beauty of the forest is captured magnificently.

Minues : 

Far too many .. 

Avoid it if you can , watch it strictly for the respect of a gr8 film-maker , who has goofed up!

Rating : 1.5 / 5.0

Kites : by Anurag Basu

 

Kites was pitted as the first bollywood cross-over film made for as per the sensibilities of the West.

Hrthik Roshan and Barbara Mori make one of the hottest screen pairs on Bollywood.

The plot was wafer thin ,with the story moving along like a tuk-tuk in the 1st half.

There is nothing much happening in the initial reels except Hrithik showing his dancing skills

which didn't make me go Oooh lala ...

 The latter half ,where the protagonist are on the run , had lot of masala action and stunts.

The film is too predictable and the climax will raise eyebrows.

Noteworthy is the director's sincere effort to keep the milieu in sync with the film's mood.

Anurag Basu has given us exceptional films like Gangster & Life in a Metro , Kites reaffirms that.

Hrithik enacts well and looks like a Greek God! , Barbara is gorgeous and compliments Hrithik.

Music is soulful from Rajesh Roshan in particular KK's rendition of Dil Kyun Yeh Mera.

So, What's the verdict ??

Gr8 Experiment , Wish it was without flaws!

Rating : 2.5/5.0

My Name Is Khan : by Karan Johar

My Name is Khan ... so be it

Karan Johar trying something different .. so be it

Shiv Sena vs Khan ... so be it

Kajol & Shahrukh back together ... so be it

Pro-Muslim ; Anti-Muslim ... so be it

Is he a Terrorist?  ... so be it

Asperger's syndrome ... so be it

Shankar Ehsaan Loy's weak music ... so be it

Fox is distributing it ... so be it

KJo , KJo & Khan miss the bus .. so they have

Rating : 2.5/5.0

Ishqiya : by Abhishek Chaubey

Ishqiya generated a lot of interest in me the day I came to know

it was from Vishal's den.

Abhishek Chaubey proves his mettle with this film & is yet another feather in the cap of the youth brigade wannabe directors!

Ishqiya has a rather unusual off-the-mill storyline and the combinations of actors , Vidya , Arshad and Naseer outshine the script in itself.

A story of a strong-willed woman who can go to any lengths to seek revenge from her husband

with the help of 2 thugs on the run is surely bollywood coming off age cinema.

Vidya Balan is superlative and packs yet another body blow to size zero actresses of today.

Sexy damsel in cotton sarees simply sparkles the screen with her body language and expressions,

captivating Arshad Warsi and the veteran Naseer.

A word on the music , best of 2010 by far with Gulzar & Vishal stamp written all over it

'dil to baccha hai' and 'ibn-e-batuta'

Tarintinoesque cinema in Bollywood , we are in safe hands of Vishal Bhardwaj!

Rating : 4.0/5.0

Avatar : by James Cameron

Avatar marks the return of my all-time favourite filmmaker : 'James Cameron' . 

I have simply relished "Cameron Cinema" be it..

T1 , Abyss , True Lies , Titanic , Aliens , & T2 Judgement Day.

Avatar has raised the bar , and makes me wonder what more can this man offer!

The film is set in 2154 , where humans are in the hunt for precious mining material on Pandora , an expansive lush green moon!

With the expansion of the mining colonies it threatens the existence of the local tribe of Na'vi.

The humans develop genetic hybrids of the Na'vi to interact with the Pandora species and take them into confidence.

What makes this movie , 'Extraordinary' , is the research and technology gone into the filmmaking process.

Reasons for it to be a 'Once in a lifetime experience' :

1. The Screenplay 

2. The Creation of a fictional universe 'Pandora' 

3. The Native Na'Vi Language

4. The RealD 3D Technology & Stereoscopic film development to bring characters to life.

I always felt Cameron had that charisma to bring forth an emotional rollercoaster backed up by state of art technology a 'la bollywoodesque

The film boasts of a dedicated set of actors in particular SamWorthington as Jake Sully. 

Cameron had this sub-concious attraction to the Hindu mythology hence the name ' Avatar' , and predominance of color blue in the film confirms that.

 

Watching Avatar in 3-D cinemascope will always be a cherished event  

It will surely have a lasting impact on the face of filmaking in years to come .. 

Watch Avatar for Cameron's  wizardary  ... !!

Rating : 5.0/5.0

Paa : by R.Balki

Paa marks the return of AB Corp into film production after a hiatus.

AB Senior & AB Junior combine together for a heart-warming story

a father & a son relationship tale .

Vidya Balan plays AB senior's mother and AB junior plays an ambitious wannabe politician.

"Auro" , protagonists name , suffers from a speedy ageing syndrome.

AB Junior relinquishes Auro , leaving Vidya Balan as a doting mother.

The highlight of the film is the mannerisms & make-up transformation of AB as "Auro"

Vidya Balan is mind boggling actress in the age of size-zero non-performers.

Music is sweet to the ears , AB junior is good within his hem.

Good "emotional-connect" flick viewing..

Rating : 3.5/5.0

Inglorious Basterds : by Quentin Tarantino

Inglorious Basterds marks the return of master storyteller Quentin after  his Kill Bill series finale.

This time around , he brings us a world war drama broken into 5 chapters , a typical Tarantino narrative.

Chapter One : Once upon a time .. In Nazi Occupied France

This chapter is the starting point of the film & by far the most captivating , Col Hans Land notoriously called as the 'Jews Hunter' interrogates at a dairy farm for a suspect Jews hideout.

This particular chapter in the screenplay , is the cornerstone of Christopher Waltz's performance as the Colonel ..

Subsequent chapters , talk about introduction of the band of American-Jews soldiers with an 'straight as an arrow' aim to dislodge each & every Nazi in France.The group is called as 'Inglorious Basterds' led by Lt. Aldo Raine , played by Brad Pitt to the T.

The plot becomes interesting with two parallel tracks going forward to converge at culmination.

1. Shossana plots a revenge on the Nazi's by planning to burn down a theater on the Premier of a Movie.
2. The 'Basterds' conspire to create havoc at the Premier , upon learning Hitler visiting the theater.

The climax , boom boom bang bang! , is unique to Tarantino, seen in all his films from Pulp Fiction to Reservoir Dogs to Kill Bill.

As far as performances are concerned , Hans Landa is simply super as clever penetrating Nazi security chief.

Brad Pitt does well to get the accent right & is just ok. The supporting cast plays dutifully.

On the whole , Inglorious Basterds is one of the finest talkie of last year , still 'Pulp Fiction' takes the prime.

Rating : 4.5/5.0

Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year : by Shimit Amin

Rocket Singh ,  Salesman of the Year looked like a run of the mill story based on the promotional campaign done. I went with an open mind , Ranbir has had a rocking year so far , can he rocket himself to infinity & beyond was the question!?!

Verdict : It is by far the film of 2009 ! That puts the record straight !

Ranbir plays HP Bedi , who has just barely passed out of college and is ambitious enough to take the

trodden path of a Sales Executive.

The master combo of Jaideep Sahni & Shimit Amin (Chak De fame) have lent such realism into the script , 'make you believe' storytelling.

HP's relationship with his grand-father played by Prem Chopra

(who is a revelation ! ) gives heart-filled moments to cherish.

Cut to the millieu of the film, AYS computer service company , where HP lands as a sales trainee.

The nuances of a sales corp setup are splendid, just goes to show the authenticity of the film maker.

The under hand dealings , the politics , work hard , party harder, doing a jig in office wear ,whiskey in plastic cups , bitching and what not!

Seldom in a film , a romantic track is taken up so casually and thank god it keeps the film on track .

Shazahn Padamsee makes an ok debut.

Rocket Singh's second half really takes a sky high countdown with witty humour & boss bashing dialogues.

The characters to die for :

1. Koena as ambitious receptionist

2. Lascivious Maintenance Guy , Giri

3. Chote Lal Mishra , the office peon

4. Nitin , the sales manager (Oh Raghu , a triplet sibling!)

5. Puri , the schemer boss of AYS

6. HP , sales trainee ( Ranbir plays it to the 'T')

My favourites : Giri & Nitin

"Pursuit of Happiness meets Khosla Ka Ghosla"

R.S rocks big time , watch it now!

Rating :  4.5/5.0

Children of Men : by Alfonso Cuarón

Children of Men is set as a dystopian fiction film with a troupe of brilliant artists , 'Claine' , 'Moore' & 'Owen'.

The world is set in 2027 , United Kingdom ,where the world is seeing infertility as a major concern , no human child born in last 18 years.

The world is collapsing with the exception UK as the only sane state , seeing millions of refugees take shelter. As an aftermath it has developed into a military police confinement.

Theo played by Clive Owen embarks on a journey to fetch travel permits for a young refugee girl named Kee for a substantial money.

Theo is flummoxed when he comes to know , Kee is pregnant , the glimmer of hope for mankind.

This forms the backdrop of the film , with Theo's objective to transport Kee to safety , and reach the 'Human Project' team working towards curing human infertility.

Some of the sequences in the movie had me boggled , specifically the 'Single Shot' sequences in extremely complex action scenes : -

• Theo searches for Kee in abandoned building where cross-firing is crescendo ( 454 sec)
• Kee gives birth to a child (200 sec )
• Theo , Kee & the baby walk past astonished soldiers of war.

The performances are exemplary , screenplay keeps the audience hooked , & the climax bowls you over.

No wonder , IMDB rates it amongst the best 250 flicks.

Rating : 4.0/5.0

London Dreams : by Vipul Shah

London Dreams talks about an emotion called ' Envy'

++Pluses

Ajay & Salman's nerve cracking performances

-- Minuses

Shankar ,Ehsaan, Loy's Dud Music

Asin - A waste of talent

Plot is reminiscent of yesteryears

Disappointing Climax

Way off target Vipul , Namaste London was better :)

Rating : 2.5/5.0