Welcome 2007

I walked out of the movie before the interval. dont heed the welcome please.

2/10

live free or die hard 2007

If you have seen the previous die hard movies then its the same thing a lot bigger. more explosions, more hard macho talk and plus cos its 2007 there is some computer hacking thingys thrown in. If you havent seen The Die Hard row of movies then you are not a fan of blowing things up and men scratching, punching, biting, shooting and doing other violent things to each other. So desist.

6/10 for keeping up the same shit for so long.

Hairspray 2007

Its a very cute movie. A musical about integration in 1960's america and accepting differences. The main heroine is a short, fat but cute tracy who loves dancing and the corny collins show. Its a dance show sponsored by a hairspray company. Then the usual bitchy counterparts and songs and dances and all...and ofcourse John Travolta in a dress to spoil it all. I hated him, the girl playing Tracy was great and so were the other characters including Michelle Pfiefer,Christopher Walken and Amanda Bynes,but Travolta was an uncomfortable misfit. Queen Latifah does what she does best but could have been a little better (the smiles didnt actually reach her eyes.) The songs are nice although some are a bit too long and the dances (very very) energetic. helped me spend a very very boring afternoon in office.

8/10

The Simpsons (2007)

Well Im a die hard fan, but for the past few seasons wasnt exactly happy with the way the series was. A little repititive, a little trying too hard and over all a little too dumb. The series has dumbed down considerably (maybe just like the country its "made" in - apparently its just the writers and producers who are real americans, the rest of it is done in south east asian countries which i think goes totally against what the show stands for, or maybe its supposed to be ironic) Anyways back to the film- its lackluster performance all through, the usual one liners are missing, bart wants to have a dad like Flanders!!! yes i know i will never forgive him for that! Lisa is more pathetic than usual and Maggie can be glimpsed only in a few scenes. The usual characters that we love have been sidelined for Homer. I like Homer, but it was his interaction with the rest of Springfield that made it worth watching. The rest of Springfield just like in the movie- is nowhere and amounts to nothing. The story revolves around Homer who f@#ks up everything like usual and Springfield suffers. This time it is to be vaporised. So to escape he moves to Alaska. Then he comes back to save the day blah blah blah. and top it all the ending - believe it or not Homer and Marge ride off into the sunset swapping saliva with Maggie in their lap..blech!! I wanted the Simpsons i got something that Meg Ryan and some Amul Baby would star in. 3/10

No Reservations - 2007

God! What a slow movie! I fast forwarded a few scenes and still it seemed so long. Catherine Zeta Jones as a cook is totally unbelievable - as in all through the movie i just thought of her as a glamorous woman pretending to be a cook. Which is of course what she is, and hence defeats the purpose of the word "acting" . The story was good, apparently copied from the german movie "bella martha" but the situations potrayed so wooden and unbelievable that after a time you just dont care. Watch it if you are a die hard fan of Catherine and dont want to miss any of her movies. Abigail Breslin is there in the movie too and is as cute as ever!! The rest of the cast- forget it

3/10

OM SHANTI OM - 2007

After the hype surrounding the movie, its pregnant director, its superstar hero and the "girlfriend of every cricketer who is single" heroine, I thought the movie would be horrible. I was wrong. Shahrukh delivers as always except for the dard e disco song. Why on hell do men in their middle ages decide to become 18 all over again. I do not, I repeat, I do not want to see a forty year old mans artificially enhanced body in various stages of undress anointed with oil and other assorted liquids dancing with girls a quarter his age dressed in itsy bitsy nothings. Even a decent porn star wont agree to appear as an oily fireman in a psychedelic nightmare fire set. Farah khan, madam please never mix oil and fire especially not on a forty year old body. Although on second thoughts he was a caricature of a superstar bollywood hero and would be expected to do such songs, so maybe that is what the director wanted to show. Who knows and who cares.

Other than that the film was proper timepass. loads of insider jokes and funny moments. Whatever said and done, though it may never win any awards or get mentioned as a creative piece of film, it entertains. Reincarnation inspired by Karz and every hero and heroine in town appearing in a song except for Amir "snooty" khan and some other not so famous ones is more than enough to draw crowds. By the way Deepika is stunning, even though i have said a few uncharitable words about her previously (in the previous paragraph to be exact) I loved her. She was gorgeous as a seventies heroine and even more gorgeous as a modern wannabe heroine.

As for the non story, poor junior artiste dies trying to save famous heroine killed by villainous producer, is reincarnated as a superstar and wants to take revenge using, surprise surprise, a similar looking girl. PS: The dead non reincarnated true love appears in the end as a ghost. comedy , drama, emotion, action, romance! By the way there are two OM's and one Shanti hehehehe.

kya istory bhai!! 8/10

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (2003)

The word Afghanistan itself brings about strong emotions in most people around the world. Now couple this word with a story that grips you by the heart and doesnt let go even after you have finished reading the book. The main "hero" is Amir, a very very relatable character. A boy growing up in Kabul, privileged and with a friend who is also the servant boy and undiscovered half brother. The tale shifts from afghanistan to pakistan to the US and then back to afghanistan. It is a story of redemption without the glorified unrealistic drama that most redemption stories use. The prose is beautiful and the emotions beautifully potrayed. Wish I could etch out characters like him. 8/10

Edward Scissorhands (1990)

It was late but i wasnt exactly in the mood for zzz's. The remote bore the brunt of my boredom when suddenly something familiar and well loved flashed on screen. It was Johnny Depp with a gray face and a leather outfit that wouldnt look out of place on a Vivien Westwood show.
I had seen the movie long back but couldnt resist a second look. The tone for the movie is well set in the beginning itself when a canary yellow car passes through a dark, huge gate more suited to a gothic horror movie. The blend of garish "suburban" colors with the dark gothic imagery of a boy with scissors for hands is smoother than you would expect. After all its a Tim Burton movie, you cant expect any less.
The story is the usual outcast freak boy, in this case with scissors instead of hands (he makes beautiful topiary) who falls in love with the all american fresh faced teenager and how society does not let him be. Usual story, unusual outcome. It moves you, makes you hate the conventional and as always with Depp by the time the movie ends you are left with a bittersweet aftertaste. Not surprisingly left me with a craving for more of Depp's and Burtons movies. score: 9/10

Bourne Ultimatum 2007

At the outset let me make it clear that i have a very short term memory. Movies kinda bleed away from my brain leaving only vague impressions. Now you may ask why im even writing about movies if i cant remember them well. I enjoy the two or three hours that i spend on them, followed by maybe an hour of thinking about them. furthermore good movies do not leech out of your brain, the entire length of the movie may not be imprinted on your hypothalamus or whatever, but a feeling of the movie remains. I do remember life is beautiful, Manichitrathazhu, Godfather, Schindlers List, Shawshank Redemption etc etc....... and certain episodes of wonder years and the Simpsons and Friends and that 70's show. i remember almost every episode of No Reservations and Ian wrights shows,may be because I not so secretly long, ache, would die for a life like that.
So coming back to Mr Bourne i loved the first two movies, they fast, well shot and pretty intelligent for an action movie (thanks to Robert Ludlum). The third part delivers all of this ....just taken to new heights. Matt Damon does what he has to do, but the films main draw is the well synchronised almost dance like scenes, from a rendezvous with the journalist that ends in a sniper killing to the bombing and chase scenes. The best car chase scene in a long time and sexy looking killers. 8/10

the lighthouse - pd james

As usual pd james delivers, a simple well used plot of a group of people stranded on an island with a murderer among them, but with a few modern twists thrown in including a sars epidemic. The story has enough twists and turns to make you seasick, but somehow the characters pull through. the little insights into the characters are well thought out and adam dagleish as usual is the epitome of everything a human can be. not exactly unputdownable but will help you pass a rainy afternoon or two.

5/10

Zodiac 2007

It was a night show and i wasnt particularly in the mood for any dark stories, but zodiac managed to hold me thinking from start to finish in a manner thats pretty rare nowadays. The characters are very well etched, never over the top and never overshadowing the story. The movie could have easily become the story in the book, but it is the story of the book. The frustration at not catching the killer and the effects on lives subtly creeps onto us, making us not just sympathise but empathise. it doesnt feel like a usual movie based on real events but more like a collage of moments captured perfectly from real life. it was a little too long for many people in the theatre, but Robert Downey and Jake Gyllenhaal prove yet again their histrionc capabilities and Mark Ruffalo was a pleasant surprise ( i havent seen much of him before) The evil lurking in the shadows is potrayed with a subtle but chilling clarity. 8/10

Chak de - 2007

Finally a hindi movie I enjoyed from start to finish, except for some lengthy emotional dialogues by srk which was done in the usual drawn out, taery eyed srk style. The girls were stupendously, mindblowingly wonderful. Dont worry about the future of indian cinema......there are enough actors to carry us through, this movie amply shows it. The movie is about a disgraced hockey captain, played by srk who being a muslim is certified as a traitor for loosing blah blah. he comes back to coach the women team and thats when the magic begins. the problems faced by these women, pre conceived notions, the infights, the prejudices are shown beautifully. Special mention should be given to the punjabi, haryanvi and the naik girl. they carried the movie from start to finish. also srk's motivation for coaching a girls team should have been illustrated a little further.

i especially loved the little potshots at cricket, my cricket loving half was sitting next to me so that played an important role :)... an 8 / 10 from me

The final harry potter

Yes harry potter dies, ok sort of(actually he doesnt really die.....read the book for further explanations) This is the darkest and most disturbing compared to the previous books. buts alls well that ends well....voldemort dies, but so does ...dont read ahead if you havent read the book yet.....fred, lupin,snape and to my greatest dismay, tonks. everything is wrapped up nicely, except for luna. we never know how her life turns out to be...although seeing the predictable happily ever after. she also would be living somewhere nice, married and with kids going to hogwarts. a lot of history is explained and a lot of people turn out to be not so bad after all.

Not that im complaining about the "happily ever after" if it had ended with any of the trio being killed...i would have been emotionally scarred for life...or atleast emotionally scarred for a month or maybe two.

Gravediggers Daughter - Joyce Carol Oates

It tears you apart but you cant tear your eyes off the pages. The chronicle of a girl born in New york harbor, on a ship from Germany, filled with fleeing refugees. This is as real as life, not a tale of conquests or rising against the odds, but a story of pure survival. Her father's job as a gravedigger and her mothers not so gradual decline portrayed with heartbreaking clarity. She grows up, becomes a wife - albeit a battered one, a mother and then a fugitive,. hiding from her past and herself. It even got me thinking (a rare occurance, i assure you) if she had been given the gift of her history, the story of what she could be if she wasn't the grave diggers daughter, an understanding of her past, she would have got the dignity to face life a little better. But then that is the beauty of this book, it shows human frailties without apology.

minority report

When criminals are caught before they commit the crime, are they accountable or do they have a choice when their destiny is already predicted?? This Steven Speilberg movie has Tom Cruise as a policeman in the precrimes division. When he is accused of a precrime, to what lengths must he go to avoid his destiny and can he avoid it? Superb vision of the future and nailbiting sequences make this a movie that has speilberg written all over it.

blades of glory 2007

Will Farell all the way. crude jokes and unreal people take center stage. A world where Will Farell is a sex god with women throwing their underwear at him is a skewed world indeed. The confused teenager from Napolean dynamite plays a confused man and arch rivel of our will in what else but figure skating. when they are banned from the sport for fighting in public, they combine forces to compete in the figure skating competition which is currently ruled by will arnett and sis.

i was watching this movie in texas and the crowd laughed out aloud for every joke in the movie...even the not so funny ones, but when an old president and his forbidden love joke came along, nobody laughed, except yours truly!!! is texas more patriotic or was it because that particular dear president was killed in this state. anyways leave your brains behind in order to enjp this movie.

Born into brothels 2004

Sometimes there comes along a movie that moves you so much that you realise the true power of the moving picture. Here is a movie that leaves you in love with the characters. Zana is a photographer in calcutta's red light district, she befriends and teaches photography to the kids. And what kids!!! you fall in love with them from the moment they come on screen. Their hopes, their life and ultimately their shattered dreams.

I was moved and even worse ashamed, every person trying to do good in this documentary was a foreigner. the people running the schools to the photographer trying to showcase their plight. Please watch it...you might be shaken enough to do something or at the least be thankful for the little things that you took for granted.

the shooter

Well it is a testosterone filled movie with Mark Walberg and Danny Glover. full of sniper shooting and a teeny weeny bit of 'oil is evil' preaching. Its not one of the best of is genre but its ok watching. it falls down somewhere in between being an action flick and a preachy action flick. Watch it if you dont have anything better to do..

The savage garden- Mark Mills

It was a book i took out of the library without knowing anything about the author or the story, and i was pleasantly surprised. Its a murder mystery with history. It was easy reading and the visualisation was great. Although the story tended towards the over dramatic at times, it was welcome breath of fresh air into my usually blood and gore filled choices. Set in Italy with a century old murder and a beautifull garden with a bloodthirsty beginning.

Well if you didnt understand what the heck i was talking about in the previous paragraph.....an italian guy murders his wife and builds a garden in her memory with clues to the murder. cool plot aint it..thats not all, his descendants also have some blood on their hands, plus there is a mysterious grandma and the beautifull scarred woman. all of this is solved and romanced by an english student. And it has a happy ending!

Possible side effects - Augusten Burroughs

If you have read Running with Scissors, you will be familiar with Burroughs method of making horrendous life experiences sound funny (atleast i think so) This book is a series of experiences (filled with his special brand of sarcastic masala ofcourse) not in exact chronological order. Since i have a teeny weeny bit of advertising experience, his chapters on those were relatable and hilarious. Plus ofcourse his mad mother, his dog, his messy(understatement) apartment, his partner and his hatred for dolls (which i share with him) Read it on a rainy afternoon and you will be laughing out loud and getting horrified in succesion.

PS: his writing does have gay written all over it, that certain brand of sarcastic, cruel humour that unfortunately i relate with them (is it a form of defence i wonder). which is good in a few books but will not keep him in the writing business for long. at this point i would like to say i am not homophobic or dislike homosexuals. people who know me will know its just the opposite (wink wink)

leon (1994)

If you want to see the brilliance of Natalie Portman this is the movie to see. She steals every frame she is in. Luc Besson manages to combine action and a controvertial love story, that between a 12 yr old and a hired assasin. (can it get wierder?) Jean Reno is more comfortable in the action scenes managing to convey some emotion in the other scenes, but is overshadowed by the fiesty natalie portman. watch it for pure timepass purposes.


6/10