REVIEW OF P.K.

An alien struggles to accustom to human tradition while searching for his stolen remote.

PK- a movie in making for close to five years has overwhelmingly satisfied all its expectations. Gems like these are rare and whether or not it is considered Oscar-worthy, the movie should be preserved as a case study for future film makers.

Just like his production house's logo (puppet show), Raj Kumar Hirani's films are simple in theme yet very attractive by means of its presentation. He has a magical lens that peers into the Indian Diaspora and tears down its misbeliefs elegantly, no matter how high it is held. It wouldn't be an overstatement when I say, " he is one of the very few in the business who consistently satisfies both producers and (global) audience."

Hope was seeded in me during the movie. Every time a religious belief was opposed there was claps and whistles from all around the screen, a clear sign that the general population is becoming increasingly logical rather than being superstitial. With several close-up shots (especially in the Belgium episode), Anushka's pout was hard to miss. Don't be surprised if she wins the Best Pout Award.

From a broader perspective it's not just an alien who would struggle in this world. For the sake of argument, imagine bringing back one of the early humans to the present world. He would face the same dilemma that Aamir does in this movie. Clearly it's our evolution (with plenty of revolutions in it) that is to be blamed (or praised).

Despite being a sci-fi "based" movie with love and emotion it is humour that persists till the end. Be it the dancing cars that act as Aamir's ATM cum wardrobe, his search for God, the slipper that he steals when his own are missing, his questions to god-men, all of them no matter how serious an issue, are presented in a humorous enjoyable way. But irrespective of  how much the movie takes upon god-men it doesn't hurt the basic ideology of religion.

Various modulations of accha ("Good"), I love Chicken, Anushka'a analogy of PK with child are worth mentioning among many such beautiful lines.

But tell us Aamir, why did you settle for an outdated transistor radio when there were plenty of other cool devices.

AAA: Despite being a U-rated movie, three A's ruled the movie. Aamir,Alien,Atheism. Enough said.

PS: A surprise cameo awaits you at the end.

REVIEW OF HOBBIT: BATTLE OF FIVE ARMIES

After rescuing Erebor from Smaug, it’s now upto Thorin and Company to defend it, come what may.

Where the battle was lost:
1.      Bilbo throwing stones at Orcs and stopping them.
2.   Thorin Oakenshield becomes Middle Earth’s second psychiatric patient (first being his grandfather). 
3.   The end which never ends. Jack Nicholson quoted after the LOTR trilogy, “What happened at the end?” referring to the lengthy end. There’s something similar here but not as long as the former.
4.     Despite being a battle it was uncomfortable looking at the bleeding face of Tauriel who went left and right through the same set of Orcs a few days ago (as per the movie).
5.      Lack of a scenic change (battle ground throughout) is another low note in this finale.
6.    I am not in for spoilers. So, here’s the thing. It’s a pity that something like this should happen to someone so big, so soon (Go figure).

Where the battle was won:
1.      CGI stands apart, be it when Smaug ravages Dale, or when elves gather outside Erebor in their shining golden armor, or when Galadriel and co fight shadow monsters it’s CGI that makes the 3D glasses worth its while.
2.    Unlike its predecessors this one goes easy on the viewers with a runtime of just 131 minutes (excluding the credits). 
3.      Legolas’ duel stands apart for its choreography while Thorin’s physical balance act with Azoc is another memorable moment.
4.      Most impressive of all is how the Hobbit was placed in the middle of all this mess. He is, after all that he has been through, still a hobbit and not a hero. Peter Jackson could have just given him a blade (not the letter opener that he already has) and made him fight orcs. But rather the Hobbit is moving between camps, using the ring to the fullest and playing a vital part in the battle without actually fighting and thus justifying the title.

Having presented the pros and cons of the battle, I leave it to your better judgement to decide whether or not this battle is worth fighting (watching).

PS: People die, People with a capital P (duh it’s a battle, what do you expect?). 

REVIEW OF INTERSTELLAR

By the time you are reading this, there is a good chance that you have watched Interstellar. Hence, I will refrain from explaining the story-line and rather jump directly into the review itself.

Christopher Nolan's  tenth work on screen and his first work off earth is as big as the journey (taken by the crew in the movie) itself.That is only if you agree that $165,000,000 (the movie's budget) is actually a huge dough. 

Just like Necessity is the mother of Invention, Imagination is the power of Cinema. But there are many fellow movie-buffs who felt that Nolan had taken it too far under the cloak of imagination.When the question of whether all we see is possible arises, the answer comes from the McConaughey himself , "It is not Possible, but it is necessary". Now go back to the beginning of this para and 

read the quote (to understand the pun). 

I am from India, where we have our own flourishing movie industry and our moviegoers are second to one. In taste of good cinema we treat Hollywood as one of our one but it has been too long since I hear applause from the crowd once the credits started rolling. Now if it was FDFS, I wouldn't be surprised. But I watched it a good 3-4 days after its scheduled India release which tells us a lot about the way the common moviegoer perceived the movie. Applause may have stemmed from the Hope that was injected at the end or the brilliance of Nolan, I leave that your better judgement.

My only grunt was that Einstein wasn't hear to see this venture. For it was he who wrote the ABCs on which the movie's foundation was laid.

The character that impressed me the most, others may not feel the same way, was Dr.Mann. It wasn't Matt Damon's performance but the way it was penned that added grace and Drama to the story. It has proved that typical Human Survival instinct takes front seat no matter how far from earth we are. Before we start judging Dr.Mann (those who have watched the movie), we should ask ourselves the same question, "Would I have done the same?"

The cast has done its role, but let's be frank, they won't get Oscars for their performance. But they can settle down with a satisfying performance and for many in the crew, working with Nolan, is one off the bucket list.

Interstellar: Stellar Indeed.

REVIEW OF GONE GIRL

How far will you go to hurt the one’s you love and when will you know that you have crossed the point of no return? And what will you do, once you know that you have crossed it. Does Mercy have limits? If so, how much before Mercy before it is seen as weakness. These questions might seem random but after watching the movie you will understand, why I have asked them in the first place.

When a suburban house wife goes missing, the detectives begin their investigation which catalysed by an intense media-circus turns into a national sensation and at one stage turns against the husband who becomes the prime accused. But, the truth is buried several layers deep.

Time and again Hollywood comes with movies on How to lead a matrimonial Life?  Here’s a movie that tells us How “not” to lead a matrimonial Life? The stress that everyday couples meet, along with perversions, secrets, dis-communication and lack-of-trust built up to a point where, all it takes is a single match to turn everything else to ash.

Rosamund Pike, as the titular “girl” is anything but a girl. A detailed description would spill beans on the storyline. But let me say this, she’s not what it seems and her performance is easily the front-runner for the next year’s Oscar. (Note that smile towards the end that she sheds on Affleck).

Ben Affleck, as the husband, is always on the receiving end until the end. His helplessness tickles us nine out of ten times, but rarely do we feel sorry for him. It’s going to be hard to digest that he will be playing Batman in his next, when people are gonna say “Hey he’s the guy who got messed up by his own wife in the previous movie”.

Tyler Perry and Neil Patrick Harris are the other notables in the movie, each playing a role that has a weight of its own and also add sheen to the overall glow of the movie.

David Fincher is back with a bang and, he like Pike, is another front-runner for the next year’s Oscar. No Bullets, No shape-shifting robots, No Government conspiracy, No Tom Cruise jumping from Burj-Khalifa and yet we are presented a gripping thriller which goes from good to too-good to too-damn-good.

Major Kudos to Gillian Flynn without whose Novel (and screenplay) this would have never happened.

Watch it and if you are married, there is a good chance that you will sit down and talk with your wife and if you are not, you will think twice about getting married.

GONE Girl: Here to STAY.

REVIEW OF ANNABELLE

Story: How a raggedy Ann Doll turns into something more than just raggedy and the trouble it creates in the lives of a couple pretty sums up the plotline of “Annabelle”.

Horror Elements: Let me begin by saying that I am one of the millions who went in expecting a conjuring-par movie. But what I found was a horror movie which became a victim of its own success. The hype created around its making was not completely satisfied as the best scenes were revealed in the teasers and trailers and some of other horror elements turned out to be, for the lack of better word, predictable (like injury from a sewing machine, baby being the centre plot and some more).

But I am not going to deny, yes the movie did have some of its own horror elements (the carpet-moment, noises-on-top moment) but they were just not enough to satisfy the thirst. Lack of too many characters, lack of an in-depth into the cult mentioned, lack of in-depth about the said demon, presence of demon in very few frames all let to an ending which felt more like abrupt than like an end. If anything the popcorns jerked inside the tub but none of it overflew while for “the conjuring” almost all of it spilled without some of them flying to the back seats.

The absence of the stewardship of James Wan was felt on the whole. With a few more gripping elements in the early half, the movie would have become more likeable but still far from the conjuring-effect.

In short Conjuring-2: Victim of its own success.

REVIEW OF YAAN

Storyline: A happy-go-lucky unemployed youth after being insulted by his girlfriend’s father takes up a job in a foreign nation and lands in deep trouble.

What should have been a pointless entertainer has turned to be just pointless. Entertainment, if any, was only in the director’s mind. Filled with numerous cliché this is just another movie made for the sake of making a movie and nothing more.

Flaws begin in the first half (love-at-first-sight, US return who messes with the hero) where the protagonist’s immaturity haunts us. What should have been a riveting fun filled episode (like in Endrendrum Punnagai) is nothing more than passing cloud which just won’t pass and keep pestering us. Only when we shift into the second half do we realise that it is not the hero’s immaturity but the director’s (in particular script writer) immaturity that shines on screen.

Two-thirds into the movie, most of us were busy doing things other than watching. I was praying (for the credits to roll down soon), my counterparts were snoring and other were creating memes.

Some of the flaws which I find worth mentioning: Lack of a gripping screenplay, logic has been thrown into the sea, powerful actors not being properly utilised (Nasser and Thambi Ramaiaah) and other flaws that I don’t even want to recollect.

PS:My friends who woke after sleeping never felt like they missed a scene despite missing minutes together.

In short Yaan=Yawn.

A must avoid.

4/10.

REVIEW OF JIGARTHANDA

What does it take to create a genre out of nothing? What does it take to bring a fresh experience to a genre that is already chewed worse than a betel nut? The first question can be answered via a 300 page paperback. Hence I have no choice but to take a rain check on that. Let’s focus on the second for now.

Gangster-a character that attained cult status thanks to the Brandos, Pacinos, Tarantinos and many other o’s that I miss here. A man with blood on his hand who always thirsts for another’s is every villain’s dream. In fact, every actor who enters the silver-screen with an anti-hero aspiration is sure to portray one such role within the first three films of his career. Such is the frequency of gangsters in world cinema. But looking back in time how much such gangsters stand the test of time. Countable. Definitely in the single digits. It’s either poor scripting or poor portrayal or a bit of both. But time and again there comes a gangster who will make us see the true emotions that is covered by a façade of anger at all times.

Jigarthanda (Cold-Heart) (which is also a popular drink in Madurai) is a gangster saga painted in red white and dreams. The story spins around a gangster named “Sethu” in the first half who makes the story to spin around itself in the latter half only to give us a run through the ups and downs of being a gangster with some unforgettable cinematic moments coupled with some eye catching cinematography.

Maybe it was my exposure to world cinema or something else; the film reminded me of some lesser known Hollywood films (notably America’s Sweetheart). But let’s not take the credit from the team. Their hard work and a different take on the over-chewed genre (go back to first para) is definitely a (Usain) Bolt from Blue.

First thanks to the producer for the obvious reason. The second thanks to the director for the more obvious reason. The biggest congrats (no thanks to him) goes to Simhaa who has literally been a gangster in both the halves only to give us a lesson that it is indeed possible to come out of the bloodshed life if you will for it.

Few touchy moments, few racy moments, few hair-raising, edge of the seat along with an intelligent screenplay is what makes this a must-watch if possible twice or thrice experience.

JigarThanda- A cool movie about a cold-hearted gangster.