Wishing everyone a very Happy New Year.
Hope you all have a nice time celebrating the beginning of 2006. Its becomes soo very usual now to have to celebrate the NY Eve.
I had a kinda quiet start of the year.. relaxed through most of the weekend and did my fave past time these days.. catch on some movies..
So there are some movies that I have seen off late.. and that brings up that time again when I would like to vent my comments about em..
So here goes the list:
1. Vaah Life ho to aisi...Watched it at Prasadz cineplex. Well, where do I begin. It was plain crap. I went in expecting a typical masala flick a proper no-brainer which would be a nice refreshing change.
It was a no-brainer allright, but beyond it was it dint have one decent joke. The story was as old as the hills and I knew exactly what will happen and how. Sanjay Dutt was annoying with his over the top portrayal of Yamaraj, hamming away like no tomorrow. Shahid Kapur was tolerable in the horrifying script. Give it a miss unless you can manage to get paid to sit through it. (
Rating :? 2 / 10)
2. BluffmasterAfter Vaah life ho to aisi.. life can only look up. And it did.. Bluffmaster, though no masterpiece is a solid and well written script foremost. Good strong and robust story (mostly). It is a story when you come to the finale, you can rerun it back in your mind and actually see what all was going on and how. And it mostly adds up without any major 'Chocolate' size holes. Acting, well, AB Jr is kinda ok in it. He doesnt have to do too much.. Carry his suave and style and look intense. He can do that without a sweat. Priyanka Chopra is again ok. Ritesh Deshmukh is good.. at looking like a moron, what his role demanded of him. Nana is solid as always and adds a dimension to the movie. Direction, well, its not as solid as it should have been. That is what could have elevated the good story to giddying heights. But its plain average. No blunders and no great moments.
(Rating : 6 / 10)3. Life is beautifulLife is beautiful, the Academy Award winning film by Roberto Benigni is the perfect watch for a day gone awry. Or on a rainy and gloomy day when you can find out one nicety in life. Its a fast and engrossing movie set in the Holocaust era. But it is more a story of a quick witted and cheerful Italian waiter who doesnt give in to the doom right in front of his eyes. How he protects his 8 year old son from the horrors of a Nazi Concentration Camp and making it up all as an elaborate game for the young lad. Anyway, most of you might be aware of the story of this often discussed movie. Its screenplay is very taut and there isnt a dull moment. At places it is kiddish and slapstick but likeably nonetheless. One of the most poignant moments of the film comes in when Guido (Roberto Benigni) comes across his old German friend Dr Lessing in the camp, and he sees his ray of hope to exit this place. But on realisation that the friendship was all soo peripheral takes away his hope all for a moment, but he doesnt give up still. A feel good movie, do watch it to uplift your sullen mood sometime. And the title is just perfect, inspite of all the horrors, "Life is Beautiful".
(Rating : 8.5 / 10) 4. Mangal Pandey - The Rising
Well, I had to see it with my own eyes after all. Having read up all the criticism and brickbats to this long in waiting Aamir Khan flick, I risked my money and time on it one eventless weekday evening. With my expectations rock bottom, let me confess I didnt regret my decision to rent this movie. It aint a classic but it is engrossing. Lets get our facts together first. Its a movie from a director who has his own vision of a particular event in history. No one really knows what transpired in 1857.. so the director (with his own artistic liberties) lends his own vision and imagination. Nothing wrong with that. So lets not debate on whether what is featured in the movie actually ever happened or not. Thats not the point actually.
So all I care for is, that I was not repulsed by the story that unfolded before. I actually thought it was an interesting story to an extent well told. It is soo much better than all the rubbish we get to see in the name of entertainment from directors like David Dhawan and Co. What really appeals to me here is that in 1857, before the first signs of the rebellion (as shown in the movie) people were really undecided whether they hated being under British supremacy or not. It was like any other government. It promised junta justice (it did) and a good life. What it did actually was otherwise is everyones knowledge. But isnt that the same today? We have politicians promising justice and welfare for all, and then get caught accepting bribes for petty reasons. The fact that one segment within the system (the sepoys) actually got together for the first time and realised that this was NOT freedom was for sure a Big moment for our country. The small faction of sepoys never really had a chance on their own to win the freedom of the country.. but it did light up the first match to make it a forest fire. Aamir Khan was as usual good. He melts into a character and you usually forget that its Aamir on the screen. Even here, he does an encore. Rest of the caste is ok too. The British officer as portrayed by Tobey Stephens looks quite unusual. I think this was artistic liberty taken a step too far. Anyway, watch it for yourself before branding it a Big Dissapointment.
(Rating: 7 / 10)
So until next time,
Ciao !
~Krishna~
