Reviews

Just back from an unearthly experience, still trying to digest the thrill and cope up with the normal life again. Such powerful voyage in to the space! And in the end, in typical Nolan style, the movie gets so deep into your head and tries to mind-f*** you leaving you with an orgasmic awe!

My head still resonates with the visuals and the questions Nolan has raised about human capabilities! How far can we really go in our quest for knowledge? What if we could explore the dimensions inaccessible to humans? And what the relativity of time could be in the real sense? We have just majorly heard about it in theories. . Or what would it like be going through a warm hole or getting trapped in the never- explained singularity of black hole?

This is a grand journey, be ready to be mind-blown!

Nolan proves it yet again, Visionary Cinema is his life!!!

Less cinematic & more theatrical!

This movie seriously has too much! And too much of everything..

The psychic-eccentric character of Haider in so many ways resembles Prithvi Bana (Gulaal) and has deeper connotation to the character's get-up & dialogs, some which can stay with us for long and make us get deeper into it every time we check it again!

The '3 old men firing snipers' is the best western scene I've seen in Indian Cinema. Sergio Leone feel!

The 'Bismil' sequence: Wow! What an achievement in theatrics in cinema! The best theatrical sequence since 'Jaane bhi do Yaaro' I would say! Much more than a song; it is a sequence that gets things out of control and sets the pace of the movie in the second half...

'Aao Na Grave-digging' sequence is yet another beauty & I spurted out laughing crazily for some minutes! 'O Brother! Where Art Thou' feel!

'Haider Stand-up Performance' is bloody good & gets metamorphic!

Emotional turmoil handled in a spectacular way. The confrontation that the characters 'Haider', 'Arshia' & 'Ghazala' face is shown in an epic way… The confrontation ignited by the dominant society for so-called larger good (haha…)

And what if this confrontation is prevalent everywhere in the society around you and there's a very thin line between being a 'friend of the society' or an 'enemy of the society'? Things get out of proportion and messy and sad and brutal and bloody…

A brutal take on the Kashmir dilemma. I haven't experienced it in a better way...

Super metaphorical mimicry on 'AFSPA' & 'Chutspa'

Music that would just perfectly blend & leave deep impression!

Power-packed performances make this movie an epitome of talent showcase… I guess we get such output when the director doesn't compromise at all and expects nothing less than perfection in each aspect, in each sense… And he eats, sleeps, drinks, thinks, trips just this movie for a very long time in life… But however he does it, VB delivers something par excellence… Has to be a super ambitious work!

Mile stones in Hindi Cinema: 1. Gulaal & Haider 2. Maqbool 3. Gangs of Wasseypur and so on and so forth

Right at the top for now! Wow!

How can such a pathetically sad movie win an Oscar?! And how can the saddest actor ever be even nominated for an Oscar??!!

There's always a disconnect in the movie, it never at all connected to me... not for a bit... And the screenplay is irritatingly slow and expected... The end of the movie is dragged to hell... Even after bidding goodbye to each other, they forcibly keep on meeting... For what intents and purpose, Ms. Sofia Coppola??!! And after meeting also, they don't speak a thing, neither does their meeting suffice anything in the story and neither are their meetings any interesting... They talk sometimes in the movie and that too is so so boring... Scarlett Johansson keeps asking him stupid questions that rarely have any relation to what's going on in the movie or what the director is trying to show and Bill Murray as expected keeps giving lame replies and still Scarlett manages to laugh forcefully... lol... Like the instance when she asks him "Why Japanese people speak 'L' instead of 'R'?" or the instance where she asks him "Does marriage get any easier?" All Bill Murray manages to reply is "It's hard" with a stone face and then starts narrating his pathetic personal story... On how his wife doesn't roam around with him these days... haha... Get a break man... Firstly, it was a really lame reply, then a lame story and some lame acting and lame lame dialogues and no personal connect at all!!! God! Why did I waste my time on such a movie?!

Bill Murray, as I said, is the saddest actor ever, especially in this movie... What a stupid selection of the main actor by Sofia Coppola!!! He doesn't let his emotions out at all... He doesn't open up as an actor. If he's asked to do something, he'll just move his face without expressions and monotonously speak what he has to speak.... I mean if he's asked to walk, he'll just walk without any expressions; if he's asked to talk on phone, he'll just talk without a hint of sentiments or reaction or excitement or anything for that matter... He lacks all of it... Just speaking and talking and sitting and walking does not mean acting, Mr. Murray! An actor has got to be smart, apply his brains and open up whereas Bill Murray is just stone faced in the whole movie... And those few good one liners don't suit him cos he wastes those good one-liners and neither is he strong enough as a lover...

Its really a movie that's lost somewhere... Sofia Coppola is not 1% of what her father is!!! Not recommended at all!!! Do not waste your time. Period.

How perfectly Scorsese tackles stand-up comedy with an underlying theme of mania. Its a bleak satire on the hoopla and hype for getting into popular media and show business. Its a fantastic dark comedy and De Niro in a role of an aspiring comedian gets his timing really perfect. De Niro stars as a maniac who can go to any length in order to get into his dream show business. De Niro's acting and performance as Rupert Pupkin is as good as and as unique as that of Jake La Motta or Travis Bickle. I've lost words now for De Niro's acting skills.

The film is significantly different from every other Scorsese movie but is still one of the most refreshing and unique stories told on screen! The movie's not a masterpiece or something but its really solid and enjoyable. The beauty of the movie is that throughout the movie one would think Rupert Pupkin would fail miserably... Flaw after flaw after pathetic flaws; but he doesn't fail... He comes out as a winner... He shines bright... The end as well as the movie is really classic... Some dialogues are really hilarious and some are really hard-hitting! Some scenes make you laugh out loud and some just manage to disturb you! Overall, a brilliant movie. Must watch for Scorsese and De Niro fans at least!

"Rupert Pupkin: I'm gonna work 50 times harder, and I'm gonna be 50 times more famous than you."

A provocatively taut thriller, this was the movie that gave Clint Eastwood a new identity, different from Leone's typical spaghetti westerns... A simplistic crime thriller driven by the characters mainly and a fiercely strong protagonist who gets all the dirty and shitty jobs as a cop... Dirty Harry doesn't bother about rules... the only thing that matters to him is getting results and he successfully gets results in all situations so brilliantly... How he solves all the messy situations with verbal intimidation and a magnum .44! The movie gives us some of the coolest lines and dialogues in film history!

And now I understand the similarity of the Zodiac Killer and the Scorpio Killer. It's interesting to know that this movie took "Zodiac Killer" just as a reference and Fincher actually narrated the whole "Zodiac Killer" story through his movie "Zodiac"... And now I understand the references to "Dirty Harry" used a lot of times in "Zodiac"... Both are brilliant movies...

Eastwood is just so fantastic in whatever he does. With a strong performance, knock-out dialogues and super-cool attitude, he is bound to leave a mesmerizing effect. Andy Robinson is good as the main villain too, especially in the freak out scene with kids in the bus. Don Siegel has a remarkable eye for camera and minute details too, a few scenes like the one in the stadium, are brilliantly shot.

Overall, a must watch movie. I'm sure you'll like it. And it you don't, I gotta ask you, "Well, do you feel lucky, Punk?" :D

"Shanghai" is a rare political thriller which does not use exaggeratedly dramatic plots and that makes it all the more difficult to execute... I respect Dibakar Banerjee for masterfully executing almost each and everything... Right from the set-up to cinematography to music to those dark scenes to acting... Emraan Hashmi's acting takes you by surprise for a change; rest all of them are good too and the mini truck driver Pitobash (Bhaggu) needs a mention; he can be the next Rajpal Yadav for the industry...

A slow build up in the first half picks up amazingly later on and the movie ends at the peak. You'll like Abhay Deol's style in the end sequence... A good watch but a little less than what I expected out of Dibakar Banerjee. I experienced a little disconnect in the movie at times, the first half could've been more rewarding I believe... Though the movie is slow, I like it...

Shanghai kicks in the teeth, surprises, engages and makes a powerful statement... Must watch for fans of serious Bollywood... I'm being a little stingy while giving 7 stars to the movie...

A compelling and powerful movie. An interesting character study of how prison made Malik a criminal. Excellent & charismatic lead performance by Tahar Rahim. And Neils Arestrup complements him perfectly in terms of acting.

"A Prophet" beautifully shows the dark side of the French penal system and the viciousness that the inmates go through each day. Malik's transformation from being a petty, nervous boy to a mastermind criminal is entirely convincing- the cumulative effect of Malik's endurance shown by various events in the movie, make us feel like the movie ain't too far from reality. This can in fact happen to anyone who endures so much. In fact, he's taught crime inside the prison, day in and day out. And Malik is a fast learner at that.

The film really gets brutal and violent at times and that too seems realistic. The sudden burst of loud music at times and the cinematography is good too. One of the best French films I've seen and one of the best prison dramas. A very much accomplished and ferocious movie. Highly Recommended.

A very smart thriller, the plot unfolds time to time and turns and twists and surprises and toys around with your mind and builds hyper- tension and plays a game with the viewers. "The Game" is just another reason why Fincher is hailed as one of the best living directors of Cinema. A highly imaginative piece of Cinema. The way Fincher sustains the intrigue throughout the movie and arouses the fear of excitement is just top-notch.

The visual style combining dark sense and imaginative/creative capabilities is always something to watch out for in Fincher movies. What he wants the audience to feel and imagine, we exactly feel the same way. That's always been his trademark!

The ending does have a few plot holes but with a little cinematic liberty, Fincher makes the whole movie-experience all the more interesting for us. Michael Douglas gives a riveting performance. He and Fincher together makes us experience the same emotions as Nicholas Van Orton character feels in the movie. So it turns out to be an emotional ride where we also along with the main character (playing The Game) don't know the truth till the last moment.

"You don't go to the Game, it comes to you!" A really brilliant and clever movie. Must Watch.

A decent enough western. Unforgiven is a classic study of characters, life, man and the real west. The whole cast pretty much shines. Gene Hackman steals the show though as Sheriff "Little Bill". He got an Oscar for the best supporting actor for this movie. Morgan Freeman does his little part with such an ease. The town of Big Whiskey also unfolds slowly as a character.

The movie did have a Sergio Leone touch though I loved all Sergio movies better than this. Leone has perhaps set a different height and discovered a new formula for Westerns. The sound & music did not appeal me that much. Leone Westerns are always characterized by typical sound effects that leaves a thrilling effect and we would hardly find light- hearted characters.

Clint Eastwood definitely not at his best as a director. Though as an actor, he has been brilliant always. Unforgiven is a great movie but definitely not one of the bests. It would definitely excite and entertain you. Though the movie is a bit overrated. I don't think it deserved the award for the best picture. Good one time watch...

De Niro is a fierce force behind the camera as well as in front of it. A phenomenal directorial debut by De Niro. A powerful and beautiful story backed by brilliant acting by everyone involved. Written by himself, Palminteri really seemed to have gotten into the character.

De Niro and Palminteri go head to head over De Niro's son. A wonderful story about a kid who has two fathers; the real one being a working man and the other a gangster. The kid studies in two schools too; one normal and the other street school. It beautifully narrates the dilemma created in the kid's mind about life and the correct way towards it. He keeps asking questions to himself. This coming-of-the-age drama does have some Scorsese style but it also finds a new angle of depicting a gangster story.

A really powerful and rare movie. The most respectable and perfect second cousin to Goodfellas. Highest Recommendation :)

A terrifying performance by De Niro as a psychopath Max Cady. Towards the end, he becomes a monster; as good a monster as Col. Kurtz! Cape Fear is not one of the greatest films but it holds your attention throughout and doesn't bore at all. The Music, plot, dialogs and De Niro's dialog delivery and acting, all of them make the movie really enjoyable.

A treat to watch. The movie says a lot without dialogs at a lot of places. The tattoos, the actions, the scribbling on the walls, on the car, the mention of some historical books, etc. keep throwing messages throughout the movie. De Niro actually researched his role as Max Cady and built on it later, went in and out of jails and picked up tattoos and all.

Max Cady: "I ain't no white trash piece of s***. I'm better than you all! I can out-learn you. I can out-read you. I can out-think you. And I can out-philosophize you. And I'm gonna outlast you. You think a couple whacks to my guts is gonna get me down? It's gonna take a hell of a lot more than that, Counselor, to prove you're better than me!"

Such dialogs delivered by De Niro will definitely let some chill run down your spine. Overall, a shocking, disturbing, mind-blowing, creepy and brooding edge-of-the-seat thriller. Definitely worth watch :)

As good a disappointment as American History X. That's what I had to say about AHX that I couldn't connect or relate to the movie and something similar happened with This is England also. The movie didn't generate any sympathy or connections for the characters. At a few places, when the drama gets too serious, the movie gets a bit boring.

Though there are some brilliantly filmed scenes with good acting and hard hitting music. You gotto give it to Young Thomas Turgoose for some brilliant acting as Shaun! Overall it came off as a bland yet thoughtful movie to me. Just a little bit underwhelming perhaps due to the hype about it! Was good for a one time watch though!

Easily a 4.5 star movie if we delete the ending scene which is the only sad part in the movie. Its a pathetic rip off of the famous Raging Bull ending scene with the mirror. If only the movie would've ended a little early.

P.T.Anderson gives due respect to all the characters and impresses us with his story telling skills. He solidifies himself as a filmmaker through this movie. The techniques he uses with the (moving) camera in almost all the bar scenes like the opening set in a club, are quite unique and mesmerizing. The script is handled in a terrific way such that the film never loses any of the energy it has right from the beginning. He managed to assemble a perfect cast too and to get the best of performances from them all.

After watching a lot of his movies recently and specially this one, PTA has just made it to my list of top 10 filmmakers alive. Mark Wahlberg too impresses by his acting, a career defining movie for him.

Overall, an enjoyable and sometimes disturbing movie. Don't be put off by the content of the movie about the adult industry; the movie might just surprise you. A classic, undoubtedly. An epic that won't be soon forgotten. A low class subject handled in a high class way. Highly recommended.

"I.... I Need to know who he is. I... I need to stand there, I need to look him in the eye and I need to know that it's him."

And Graysmith had the guts to do everything he could to solve the case; without any kind of fear!!

A fast paced thriller that keeps the audience so focused. The Zodiac killer and Fincher together manage to keep us fascinated and engaged through out. The character of Robert Graysmith is just enthralling, the way his life gets messed up as the Zodiac obsession intensifies and takes over him. A few scenes rise up our heartbeats and make it scary for us to digest that all of this actually happened, that its based on a real story!

Through dialogs and incidents, Fincher pays tribute to the movie 'Dirty Harry' and through killings, the Zodiac pays tribute to the movie 'The Most Dangerous Game!'

David Fincher slightly tweaked his style to fit the time period, but it still is very much his film. Nice watch :)

Now, this also qualifies in the VOID category. Aronofsky has one thing clear in his mind: "No conventional story telling."

An ambitious movie! For an Aronofsky flick, you can be rest assured about the artistic crafting of the film. Sad that the film was a flop and people could not perhaps relate the symbolism brought across by the three parallel sequences. Some real good allegory, cinematography and music effects. The Clint Mansell-Aronofsky combination has produced wonders!

"We're her salvation. And through her command, we shall live forever. We shall not die, not hear, not now!" Hats off to Hugh Jackman for his dialog delivery as well for acting! Highly recommended!

A gritty script backed by bold and brilliant performance by Kalki. Gulshan's character also needs a mention, he's emerging out to be a matured actor.

I loved those random unconnected appearances of powerful actors like Piyush Mishra, Makrand Deshpande, Ronit Roy & Rajat Kapoor; they alongwith Naseeruddin's character very finely & subtly divert u from your expectations or predictions...

Backed by brilliant camera-work and music, we're left surprised that a movie shot on handycam can have such a mesmerizing effect... A few scenes and sequences leave a mesmerizing effect... Kalki's smoking scene with traffic lights in background; The whole 'Chhitiyapa' ki entry wala sequence are just brilliantly executed... Ending leaves you with a fine food for thought! AK has that effect that we can't just ignore; can't just afford to miss a second in the movie... AK is definitely the GOD of the Indian new wave...

ELIC focuses on the tragedy of a paranoid child who lost his father in 9/11, essentially a metaphor for a much larger tragedy. Intriguing plot which freezes later on to be just any other film.

Stuffed with contrivance, the movie fails to instill the heartfelt experience for the audience that it perhaps wants. Though you'll cherish a few moments in the movie.

The movie is occasionally moving and Horn pulls off a brilliant role as the protagonist with such an ease. Google predicts, this movie could emerge as a surprise winner at the Oscars though I have my doubts. Nice one time watch.

Reminded me of 2001: A Space Odyssey! 2001 was good as an experimental movie but the tree of life fails for me! Lot of dragged, prolonged and meaningless visuals! These visuals can only work for a movie like 'Enter the Void'

Sean Penn seeks answers to his life, faith and origin but I don't think Penn or even the audience got those answers at the end of the movie! Unclear message, the run time and the enigmatic narration failed to entice me.

Though Malick deserves a mention for the experiment and the cinematography!

The worst out of all the Oscar finalist movies (at least for me)!

With the prior movie still fresh in our minds, a remake is always a difficult task. Though Fincher pulls it off quite nicely. Somewhere the film loses the flavor or this is just my perception as Fincher has raised the expectations bar through his previous works.

Rooney Mara is sensational and intense! My choice for the best actress in a leading role at Oscar.

This dark and disturbing film has the potential to break the mold and be accepted as a stand alone work! Go watch it for Larsson's thrilling story, Fincher's style, Rooney's performance, Reznor's background score and the beautiful cinematography!

Hugo: "The whole world's one big machine. Machines never come with any extra parts. So I figured, I couldn't be an extra part. I had to be here for some reason."

A visual treat for all the cinephiles though I couldn't watch it in 3D. Scorsese is the ultimate artist and this movie is his humble homage to his favorite art. A film lover's dream movie. The technical wizardry is marvelous. Hugo is the most unlikely film that Scorsese would make yet it's one of his best works.

In his hunt of fixing machines, Hugo Cabret ends up fixing lives. With highest (11) number of nominations in the Academy, Hugo's bound to win a lot of awards. My bet for best art direction at the Oscars. Must watch. Long Live Scorsese.

"...if only he could talk"

Well, The Artist does not require talking at all! In the 3D era, I never thought watching a silent, black & white movie in a multiplex could be so much fun... The movie is witty, clever, interesting, moving and beautiful altogether with flawless acting and direction... And Uggy, the dog (as in the end credits :P) deserves a special award at the Oscar for best animal performance (if there has to be any such award :P) Such a dramatic & witty dog! The background score acts like the heart of the movie and is impeccably done.

My pick for the best movie at Oscar (Anurag Kashyap's too ;)) and for the best actor in a lead role (Jean Dujardin)! The Artist resurrects the previously thought dead art form which goes almost a century back!

A simple movie (and plot) that'd sweep you off mainly through it's style! Go watch it, now!

A technically efficient and sentimental melodrama about a miraculous horse. The highlight of the movie is the barbed wire scene of the horse. Though I did not like Spielberg's staunch insistence on happy ending which leaves a soft impression to such a superfluous and heavy handed movie based on the World War calamity!

WAR HORSE is merely a mixed bag. The fashion in which plains, prairies, fields, and even horses are depicted is downright beautiful. But that's to be expected from a Spielberg film, who has all the money in the world to throw into his productions. And I can only imagine and I'm almost sure if I'd have read the novel, it would have bored me to death. All in all, nice one time watch.

A dark & disturbing war movie which becomes a thriller in the end. Marlon Brando, in his little cameo as Col. Kurtz, is one of the most disturbing characters in the history of film. Together the characters Col. Kurtz and Capt. Willard show the pure horrors and evils of war!

The opening intro scene with "The End" by "The Doors" playing in the background is commanding and impressive. "Apocalypse Now" takes us into the human psyche and makes us understand the terrible insanity men experience during wars. The only film that I'd rate better which takes you to a similar journey is "The Deer Hunter".

A visionary piece of film making by Coppola. More than a film, he takes you to an experience, a journey! Must watch!

A surprising mindbending mystery from Scorsese. A classic film noir and one of the most wonderfully crafted psychological thrillers! I've always been impressed by Dennis Lehane's story plots. This is one of the movies which would be better in second time viewing. All the pieces of puzzles you couldn't comprehend the first time, you will in the second time!

Great writer, great actor and one of the greatest directors combine for a prodigious experience. They make an excellent team. A film that will leave you with plenty of thoughts and searching for answers. Another solid film in Scorsese's cannon! Must Watch. Longlive Scorsese!