Wake Up Sid - by Ayan Mukerji

Wake up Sid is a coming of age cinema to the core & coming from Kjo's den is huge surprise...

Its a sweet simple story of a boy growing up as he experiences....

Ranbir plays Sid who is a pampered kid whose world revolves around all masti n fun which includes , bunking classes , video games , eating pizza and what not.

The film primarily has milieu revolving around Sid finding his feet in today's times , his relationships with his parents , friends , pals and supposedly girlfriend too.

Konkana plays an alter ego to Sid , an independent self -motivating girl seeking her dreams in the city of Mumbai.

Wake up Sid has no item songs , no gigantic ensemble of actors , no humongous sets , and it strikes a cord instantly.

The chemistry between the lead pair is fresh and Konkana is a tad ahead of Ranbir as it should be because of her experience.

The film's music is also path-breaking in ways of new sound by S-E-L trio.....

But one track that makes feel romantic again n again is :

'Iktara' by Amit Trivedi
( Dev D & Aamir fame)

On the whole the screenplay makes the film worth in gold and with young turks like Ayan ,

Bollywood is in safe hands...

Rating : 4.0 / 5.0

Do Knot Disturb : by David Dhawan

Do Knot Disturb ....

Some disturbing facts :

1. 'Taken for Granted Cinema'

2. Govinda in a female voice ... Ughhh

3. Sohail Khan as a hyper boyfriend ... Ughhhhh

4. Urgent need of VLCC sessions for Miss Sushmita

5. Skin Show by Lara - Hamming all the way.

6. Ritesh - saving grace of a sinking ship.

7. Ranvir Shorey - Bheja Fry is what he needs.

8. David Dhawan's Midas touch is fading.

9. Stay away even if your life is on mortgage ....

Rating : 1.0/5.0

What's Your Raashee? : by Ashutosh Gowariker

To me , Whats your Raashee? was a novel concept and an acid test for Mr. Gowariker ...

The film is based on a novel which talks about the journey of a Gujarati MBA guy in search of a perfect match .. which forms the bottom-line of the movie.

The initial credits rolling has Priyanka gyrating in 12 different avatars depicting each zodiac.

The screen lights up and the expectations soar high.

Mystique characterization and play-acting by Priyanka in the below embodiment is exemplary.

1. Aries - (Anjali) - Girl's , snort had me in splits.

2. Virgo - (Pooja) - This doctor was as fastidious as ever.

3. Scorpio - (Nandini) - True Blue Sexy Scorpio (just like me ;)

4. Libra - (Rajni) - Stone-Hearted Practical Charmer.

5. Cancer - (Hansa) - Emotional Lady to the 'T'

The eligible bachelor played by Harman Baweja brings forth his sincerity and honesty to the role and we should give him his due this time around after duds like LS2050 & Victory.

Music of the film by debutant 'Sohail Sen' has a nice easy feel particularly tracks like 'Bikhri Bikhri' and 'Jao Na' , though the Rahman stamp was sorely missed.

All in all , the film's length would be a impediment but for a breezy performance by Priyanka , its definitely a one time watch.

With such a script , one could have done wonders ....

but it ain't no Swades or Lagaan .... !

Rating : 2.5 / 5.0

Dil Bole Hadippa! - by Anurag Singh

Cricket's predictability rehashed with Veer-Zaara & Bunty Aur Bubli

Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar - 5/ 5

Lagaan - 5/ 5

Chak De India - 4.5 /5

Hadipppa - 2 /5

District 9 : by Neill Blomkamp

District 9 talks about a story of extra-terrestial species living on the face of earth past 20 years.

Story starts in a faux-documentary fashion , giving snippets on the backdrop of the film. It introduces the protagonist Wikus played brilliantly by novice Sharlto Copley.

MNU , a private contractor is hired with the objective of re-locating the 'Prawns' (derogatory name for 'Aliens') from the infamous slum District 9 to a better facility in Johannesburg , South Africa.

The realism of the movie struck me big time making it a surreal experience.

The film's backbone is the performance by Sharlto , giving an impression that he is a virtuoso.

Key Moments:

• Wikus tet-e-tet with Prawns (in particular Christopher) in District 9 slums
• The MNU undercurrents and the volatile images on Television Networks
• Transformation of Wikus
• Heart Wrenching Climax

The flick draws parallel with the historical events that took place in Cape Town area named District 6 on the grounds of apartheid.

Recommended for Sci-Fi fans , strict no-no for people aversive to bloodshed.

Rating : 4.0 /5.0

Kaminey : by Vishal Bhardwaj

Non linear dark story lines makes me lap up all the nitty gritties of cinema since it explores the unexplored . How I wished , bollywood would have the fortitude to take the plunge ... Kaminey is an awesome experiment with this genre.

The film is a story of two brothers Charlie and Guddu , where in one stammers and the lif(s)p(f).

Shahid plays the astute race-course gambler while Guddu is a man with a purpose in life.

Screenplay moves back and forth with parallel tracks of the two brothers , Charlie and his sidekick provide wholesome parade with edge of the seat chase sequences.

It gives a typical Gangster flick feel ,with goons and cops all around.

Priyanka Chopra plays Sweety , an impressive portrayal of a Maharashtrian girl , her life revolves around one person , Guddu.

The tet-e-tet between Guddu and Sweety will definitely bring smiles on people's faces. The supporting cast is the real backbone of the flick apart from Shahid.

Amol Gupte (story-writer for Taare Zameen Par!?!?!) plays Sweety's brother , a caricature on Bal Thackrey. Half way mark pushes the envelope and the anticipation reaches sky-high.

'Faahid rockf big time , fuperlative growth of an actor fince Jab we met , will take him placef '

The biggest draw for me was the treatment similar on the lines of Tarintino , Scorsese & Ritchie , stalwarts in the said genre.

The climax constantly reminds me of The Departed / Reservoir Dogs / Pulp Fiction / Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels ....

Vishal Bhardwaj , is developing into a master class storytelling visionary , be it his Maqbool to Makdee to Blue Umbrella to Omkara with creative music pieces 'Dhan Tan Nan' & ' Pehli Baar'

Watch it for the 'Fharp' and 'Fmooth' ride ... to die for 'Kaminaapan'

Rating : 4.5/5.0

The Hangover : by Todd Phillips

Hangover came into my city and I was curious ever since the hoopla ..

Voila!!! ... It was delirium ...

I went mad laughing literally...

Todd Phillips had a few average endeavours in his movie making career with only Road Trip coming to my mind.. This time around he brings in a hilarity circus.

The story is about a group of friends who wish to celebrate Doug's soon leaving bachelor status in Las Vegas ... the league is a relatively new bunch of actors and super comic timing is on display.

Vegas brings on a roller coaster ride for the 3 friends on the morning after the night bash , where they find themselves in a complete disarray......... opened up a 'Can of Worms' :

1. DOUG's missing!!

2. Tiger is in their washroom

3. A Baby is in the closet

4. One of them has lost his tooth

5. One of them has got married to a whore

6. Condom lying in their Merc

7. A Chinese gagged at the back of the Merc

... and many more surprises in store ...

The characters of the bunch is well-crafted from a Dentist to a Schoolteacher and a socially awkward Zach takes the cherry on top !

The chintzy dialogues and the x-Rated punches made me to crack-up and howl as if N2O had its extreme effects.

Shower all praise to the cheesiest comedy in a long long time !

Rating : 4.5/5.0

Special Mention : First Ever - A Chinese Gay :)

Love Aaj Kal : by Imtiaz Ali

Imtiaz Ali has been offering quite enterprising love stories since his debut with Socha Na Tha .

His latest flick 'Love Aaj Kal' fells way too short .. Saif turns producer , plays a safe bet , and generates an old wine in a new bottle.

The film revolves around two parallel tracks , one in the past (vintage Kolkatta) and one in the present (London)

The present day corny reels has Deepika and Saif in a non-committal relationship , hanging around , partying and boozing streets of London.

The gags just fall flat from Saif and I just felt bored in the first hour , with the film meandering to no definite denouement.

Deepika is simply expressionless , she might need to give some competition to Sania Nahiwal in the near future :).

The second hour of the film has quite a few moments worth noting , where the saving grace is Saif's potrayal of a quintessential sardar and his innocent love for a Kaur girl.

The songs of the movie have a Pritam stamp written all over , and Mohit Chauhan has definitely arrived post-silk-route , Ye Dooriyan being my pick.

In a nutshell ,

I felt a sense of inadequacy and yearned for Shahid-Kareena enchantment...

Rating : 3.0 /5.0

Harry Potter & the Half Blood Prince : by David Yates

Pottermania is back after a hiatus of 2 years when the Order of Phoenix released back in 2007.

JK Rowling's sixth installment offered a maze of dark secrets , and this film captures the essence of it.

Half Blood Prince starts where the Order of the Phoenix finishes , Dumbledore brings Harry back to Hogwarts. In the process , he convinces , Slughorn , the Potions Professor to re-join Hogwarts.

There starts the journey of unraveling the Dark Lords secrets at Hogwarts , where in Harry indulges in eavesdropping , secret meetings , uncanny rendezvous' and what not.

Quidditch returns to Hogwarts ,with Ron making a great goalie impressing one and all!

There are a few romantic endeavours involving Hermione & Ron which are sweet reiterating the growing up of the characters in the book as well as the film.

The milieu was eerie as it should be for a dark movie. Last half hour made me sit up for once :)

A sense of more is felt once I left the theater though , there was lot of undercurrent and clandestineness and less action.

Waiting for the Voldemort and Harry showdown in 2011 !!

Rating : 3.5 /5.0

Kambakkht Ishq : by Sabbir Khan

One of the cheapest films to come out in decade with the
1. Humour so crass
2. Over hamming from the pair
3. Insipid storyline.

Akki's going down low in an obsession to churn hits , is falling flat on his bum ....

Rating : Bring some sanity , Puhleeeeeez.

New York : by Kabir Khan

New York is a sensitive portrayal of the lives of Asian community post 9/11 in the big apple and director Kabir Khan gets the due credit for it.

Story begins with the interrogation scenes between Neil and Irffan Khan (reprising his role as a cop a la' Slumdog , please don't typecast you self .. it would be a waste of talent ! )

The tet-e-tet between the two leads the audience into a flash back when Neil joins the NYSU as a graduate student.

The first half has its moments like the Chess Match between John and Neil , the Junoon song and Neil breaking down upon heartbreak.

The last half an hour before the break , brings the real drama into the flick with Irffan's motives come to fore , and Neil's predicament.

The post-interval gives you the insight into the plight of the Muslims post 9/11 and John just takes the cake with big big cherry on top... he has come of age ...

Neil playing Omar has done a remarkable job and I have been a fan since Johhny Gaddar.

Climax , gives you a feel of a Hollywood production , with superlative edge-of-the-seat execution.

All in all , Kabir Khan brings out a great storyline , churning incredible performances and perfect message.

Rating : 3.0 /5.0

Special Mention : Awesome Cinematography blew me away , New York never seen before.

Training Day : by Antoine Fuqua

Training Day is a story of a novice cop who is given a day to learn the tricks of busting up Narcotics Racket in LA.

Ethan Hawke plays Jake , the amateur LAPD cop and Denzel Washington plays Alonzo Harris , the weirdo Narcotics Detective.

Alonzo is entrusted with the job to impart training to Jake for a day and this forms the boundaries of the film.

The director has shot pretty authentic stuff ranging from the street brawls of LA to niggers & pimps dirtying the streets with drugs and booze.

The movie itself tends to linger along with no particular direction. Ethan Hawke does his best to play the confused nascent cop who has just given parking tickets past 9 months of his duty.

Denzel has put in a sterling performance and the oscar was truly deserved.

Apart from the performances , the film didn't impress me much in terms of the screenplay and the objective behind the storyline.

Strictly for Denzel fans ....

Rating : 2.5 / 5.0

Monsters , Inc. : by Peter Docter

Pixar has always amazed me with their animation histrinoics , and I was surprised to miss Monsters, Inc earlier in 2001.

Luckily got hold of the rip and was instantly spellbound....

Monsters, Inc. is about this big enterprise , having monsters as its employees , with the vision of sapping as much energy as they can for the town of Monstrapolis.

The mechanism to do so is the USP of the movie. The Monsters scare children and collect their screams to the generate the power.

The concept simply blew me away , Pixar has proven it time and again.

The characterization is as always is unique and spot on. The milieu and the animation lends the backbone of the flick.

Mike Wazowski & James P. Sullivan (the top scarer of Monsters, Inc.) make an adorable pair and bring the house down on many instances in the movie.

"We scare because We care" .... Go for it .....

P.S : But for me the best pixar animation movie still is "Wall-E" till I get to see the

Peter Docter's next " UP " and I am eager to catch it soon.

Rating : 4.5 / 5.0

Delhi 6 : by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra

Delhi 6 , I eagerly wanted to see what Rakesh Mehra has up his sleeves this time around post Rang De.

The film starts with the audience getting the flavour of desi apna pan when Waheeda Rahman along with her grandson Roshan embark to the walled city of Delhi -110006.

The first hour looks at the rat-a-tat of Purani Delhi with jalebi's paratha's , kabootar's , Jama Masjid and rickshaw pullers taking the limelight.

The supporting cast here is splendid with at one side we have stalwarts like Om Puri , Supriya Pathak to the nascent actors like Sonam Kapoor and Cyrus.

The film's premises is the parallelism shown with the Ramayana and "today's environ we live in" depicted well by the frequent Ram Lila sequences.

The love track between Abhishek and Sonam never takes off and the Kala Bandar episode creams through the second half of the film , culminating marvelously , bringing forth the soul of the movie.

High Points :

1. Divya Dutta's performance (Jalebi , the kudewali)
2. Vijay Raaz's performance (Daroga)
3. The Mandir Sequence in last hour
4. AR Rahman's Music

Rakesh Mehra gave a fitting morality opera in today's times and the subtlety just blew me away.

Rating : 4.0 /5.0

Dev D : by Anurag Kashyap

Devdas aka Dev D in this flick is a contemporary guy who is lascivious all the way!

Anurag Kashyap has always gone into the uncharted territory in terms of film making be it Black Friday or unreleased Paanch.

.. and who better than Abhay Deol to execute the same....

London  bred Dev returns to Punjab to meet here childhood sweetheart Paro played by Mahi , in awe of her lust fullness.

Thereafter starts the sweet , sexy , horny guftagoo between the two characters in midst of traditional Punjabi family milieu.

The turning point of the movie , when Dev D leaves Paro seeing her getting married to another , is absolutely mind blowing , with "Emotional Atyachar" track alliviating the same.

The film in the latter half loses track , with alcoholism taking over Abhy's character.

He meets a call girl , Chanda , whose character is etched on the famous Delhi school girl MMS scandal.

The soundtrack of the film is splendid and keeps the story moving. Abhay has lived Dev D , Mahi is a potential Smita Patil!

Anurag , looking forward to some more atypical , bizarre , flaky stuff.

Rating: 4.5/5.0

Billu : by Priyadarshan

Billu , brings together Irffan Khan , a contemporary theater actor in frame 2 frame footage with a superstar SRK ..... and we expect fireworks ....

Priyardarshan , the captain , has been always been associated with feel-good comedy flicks with an ensemble of stalwarts , permanent fixtures like Om Puri , Paresh Rawal and Rajpal Yadav to name a few ..

Billu is a little different from the Hungama and Maalamal Weekly installments as it boasts of big wigs ( Deepika , Priyanka and Kareena in cameos)

Its feel good cinema all the way , Billu with his wife (played convincingly by Lara) and kids try to cope the penury in a small village named Budbuda.

Billu has scarcity of customers , kids keep mocking their father and has a doting wife.

One fine day , Sahir Khan , superstar from the tinsel town zooms into the village for shooting of his film , and an off-cuff remark by Billu , triggers a cascade in the village....

The supporting cast is just ok , with Irffan Khan giving a heart warming performance.

I personally found 3 moments worth mentioning :

1. Post Interval Shooting Drama , is one of the hilarious scenes I have ever witnessed.
   
2. Last 30 minutes of the film , brings a flood of emotions...
3. Songs are supremely catchy.

Go and watch it with the entire family...

Rating : 3.0/5.0

Slumdog Millionaire : by Danny Boyle

Slumdog Millionaire has created a furore worldwide and I was keen to analyze it frame by frame.

The film starts with a young kid being interrogated by a local indian cop played by Irffan Khan with the charges of cheating in the desi version of the show 'Who wants to be a Millionaire' .

Dev Patel is the notorious contestant aka Jamal , and there starts a peek into his childhood meandring through to  where he stands today on the brink of winning millions!!

Danny Boyle the director has made a fitting tribute to Bollywoodesque style of filmmaking ranging from Gangsters to Rags to Riches screenplay often seen in films like Satya , Salaam Bombay and yesteryears Deewar.

It truly binds the audience in a tizzy to see the journey of the two slum kids , Jamal and Salim , joined by Latika , the third musketeer.

To go Ga-Ga over AR Rahman  , which we have been doing for years since his debut Roja , is a cliche' , he was destined to be at the big stage , and I am not surprised at all!!

Scene Stealers : 

• Jamal and Salim's constant effort for the moolah
• Q and A  - 1 to 10
• Rivetting opening song ' O Saya ' 

Food for thought : Cut to 2001 ..

Lagaan , directed by Danny Boyle bags 10 oscars at the Academy Awards Nite in Kodak theater.

The fictitious newspaper headline makes me feel sad , but we can swallow the pill ...

... In celebration of a fairy tale quality ,and a magical gritty experience.

Rating : 4.0/5.0

Chandni Chowk to China : by Nikhil Advani

Chandni Chowk to China ...

Crappiest Movie of the Decade ...

Akshay Kumar ... For God's Sake ..

Show some versatility

Stay Away even if you get free tickets

Rating : I'm at loss of numbers 

Ghajini : by A. R. Murugadoss

Aamir Khan is one heck of an exceptional actor ..

This is an understatement  ... and Ghajini proves it!

This film is a re-hash of my favourite Hollywood flick Memento , the director AR Murugadoss remaking it in Hindi after his Tamil version.

It is a story of an entrepreneur who is besotted by an innocent , kind-hearted and a bubbly girl played by Asin. 

The turn of events lead to Kalpana ( Asin ) being brutally murdered , and Aamir Khan losing his memory , ailed by the predicament of short-term memory loss.

The protagonist memorizes stuff using a Polaroid camera and sticky notes and tattoos all over his body. 

Enter , Jiah Khan , a medical student who leads Aamir to vengeance.

Aamir Khan's dedication to his art is mind-boggling , creating a body structure which accentuates the climatic action sequences to the hilt.

Asin plays Kaplana with self-confidence , Jiah Khan is ordinary . Ghajini played by Pradeep Rawat ( Famous for his role in Lagaan as the Sikh Bowler)  is simply oustanding.

In a nutshell , Ghajini is a power-packed film , Aamir makes it happen.

Rating : 4.5/5.0

Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi : by Aditya Chopra

Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi .. brings back Aditya Chopra after a long hiatus .. SRK and Adi combo has done wonders yet again...

It is sweet simple story of a middle class Punjab Electricity Board employee , Surinder . He leads as a simpleton , till love blossoms with a bubbly girl played by Anoushka.

Circumstances forces Anoushka to marry Surinder who is way off from prince charming.

Chemistry which crackles incidentally between opposites , makes the screenplay buoyant.

The songs make you really dance , SRK and Anoushka play their roles to the Tee.

Special Mention :     I just loved the climax !!!

Splendid Watch  :)   ... Go for it ...

Rating : 4.0/5.0