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

3 Idiots : by Rajkumar Hirani

 

3 Idiots marks a milestone in hindi film legacy, Hirani strikes a hat-trick

Based on Chetan's novel "Five Point Someone"

Madhavan plays Farhan , Sharman plays Raju & Aamir plays long lost friend "Rancho" , budding engineering students.

Boman reprises his role as a professor "Viru Sahastrabuddhe" aka Virus with eccentricity written all over his demeanor.

 Kareena plays a geeky medical student , Pia , daughter of the professor.

 The support cast is quite extraordinary , special mention "Chatur", played by Omi , an American Actor ,

The memory machine to the hilt !

Music is the icing on the cake by Shantanu Moitra , Sonu Nigam is THE best in the country.

Hirani is the reigning czar of 'feel-good cinema'

Sequences to die for:

• Chatur's speech
• The culmination of the song 'Aal Izz Well'
• Aamir's snivelling upon his pals conquest
• Dilapidated Raju's 70's Home
• Hospital Sequences

The characterization & adapted screenplay just accentuates the story to cloud nine.

Aamir is multifaceted par excellence.

  Indeed ... Aal Izz Well !

Rating : 5.0/5.0

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

2012 : by Roland Emmerich

Apocalypse films have been abundant from the West

2012 is no different

CGI mastery is at helm in Hollywood

2012 reminds us of the Mayan prophecy : End of the World!

Perfect re-hash of films :

The Perfect Storm

The Day After Tomorrow

Deep Impact

Godzilla

Twister

Rating : 2.5 /5.0

Kurbaan : by Rensil D'Silva

Kurbaan ..... Karan Johar getting adventurous

Kurbaan ..... Saifeena , flavour of the season

Kurbaan ..... Hard- hitting flick

Kurbaan ..... Vivek Oberio's comeback trail

Kurbaan ..... Hardcore Sufi music

Kurbaan == New York

Zero Novelty!

Rating : 2.0/5.0

Ajab Prem Ki Gajab Kahani : by Rajkumar Santoshi

Ajab Prem Ki Gajab Kahani marks the return of Raj Kumar Santoshi into mainstream rom-com genre.

Andaz Apna Apna has achieved cult status in the bollywood with its characters immortalized as the best in comic genre and Santoshi must be proud of it.

My expectation sky-rocketted..

Things going for APKGK :

* Katrina & Ranbir's fresh pairing

* Rocking Music by Pritam

Things failing for APKGK :

* Everything Else!

One of the dumbest movies to come in a long time , I wish I could find an iota of portion to cheer about....

High point of the Film : ' Tera Hone Laga Hoon' ,

Awesome rendition ...

Darn the rest!

Rating : 2.5 / 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

Up : by Pete Docter

Pete Docter is back after his much acclaimed Pixar movie 'Wall-E'.

'Up' , the film talks about the journey of a kid who always wanted to be an explorer.

The flick goes into flashback on how Mr. Fredricksen was fascinated by world explorers and a cute teenager girl sharing common interests.

The story is about the unfulfilled wishes of this sweet couple to have a house at the beautiful 'Paradise Falls' in South America.

The screenplay depicts the plight of an old man where in modern age , his sweet home is surrounded by huge buildings and he becomes a recluse on demise of his senile wife.

Adventure begins when Mr Fredricksen decides to go up up n away in his house on helium balloons to Paradise Falls!!

On his journey , he is accompanied by Russel , a wilderness explorer.

'UP' is a feel-good adventure with fun filled moments to cherish. Pixar has always produced top-of-the-draw animation & this feature is no exception.

But for me still ' Wall-E' will be the ultimate animation flick , till something better comes along.

Rating : 3.5 / 5.0

Rashomon : by Akira Kurosawa

Akira Kurosawa is considered to be one of the most revered filmmakers of all-time , 1950 flick , Rashomon is one such treasure.

The film revolves around an apparent murder and rape of a woman as narrated by 4 different witnesses which includes

-'the woman' ,

-'the bandit' ,

- 'the dead samurai' ,

- 'the woodcutter'.

The stories are mutually contradicting and is left for the audience to determine which one is infallible.

The woodcutter on a rainy day begins recounting the accounts of the witnesses , its a flashback within flashback.

All 4 stories seem plausible and at the end , I was bemused & benumbed from every possible argument stated by the three act tragedy!

Akira , the director brings to light the morality in today's milieu in the end credits and makes me sit up to the expression

'It's a selfish selfish world we live in' ....

The performances by the actors is exemplary in each version & you don't feel disconnected from the characterization in the face of Japanese turf.

The technical aspects leaves you spellbound for instance :

• Symbolic Lighting Usage
• Multiple Camera Angles
• Contrasting Shots

This film is one of many ... Take a bow to a masterclass 'technician' !

Rating : 5.0 / 5.0

All The Best : Fun Begins : by Rohit Shetty

Rohit Shetty's 'Golmaal' series started with a bang and then fizzled out in between , here he is now with a fresh quintet....

All the Best is yet another wacky comic ride which promises super fun-filled moments.

The story revolves around two friends played by Ajay and Fardeen and their respective love interests. Fardeen plays a spendthrift younger sibling to Sanjay Dutt.

In need of some quick money , the two friends decide to participate in a car race and in return have huge bets placed on themselves by the Leader of the Goons: 'Topu' played by Johhny Lever.

Vir (Fardeen) and Prem (Ajay) fall flat in their plans , the point where Sanjay Dutt enters , the plot becomes a gamut of mistaken identities and comedy of errors.

The plots & the sub-plots had me in splits after a long long time , the chemistry between Sanjay Dutt & Ajay Devgun is exemplary.

Few Stomach Aching , Guffaw moments :

1. Topu's unique style of communication ,

Johnny Lever is back with a bang!!

2. Prem's hilarious altercations with Dharam ( Sanjay)

3. Pre-Interval entry of Mughda Godse

to take the confusion to heights!!

4. The bullet driven climax takes the cherry on top :)

The noteworthy performances are from the veterans Sanjay Dutt and Johhny Lever.

The leading ladies have supporting roles only. The supporting cast does a tremendous favor in keeping the audience in splits special mention : Yesteryear Pran's caricature and the South Indian maid.

Music is passe' , punches are outstanding ...

Rohit has caught the pulse this Diwali .... Mad Mad Comedy :)

Rating : 4.0 / 5.0

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