Reviews

There has indeed been a lot of "shor" throughout 2011. The cacophony of corruption , the noise made by Anna Hazare against it , the cheer of India triumphing at the cricket world cup , the hullaballoo of the royal wedding , the euphoria surrounding Osama's death and not to forget the annoying IPL trumpet.

We are indeed living in noisy times. Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK get it right stating with the title itself.Mumbai in the last few years has ceased to be the dream city conjured up by Bollywood over the years. It has emerged into the city of the Slumdog , of Aamir , of Dhobhi Ghat and now as a noisy ,dirty and eccentric metropolis.

Three stories run parallely during the Ganpati festival. Each story deals with fringe characters desperate to make it into the mainstream. So we have petty criminals , foreign returned Indians and an out of favour cricketer. In Inarritu style they criss-cross each other's lives which culminates into the climax.

Hats off to the directors for the mood they lend to the film. The opening credits run amidst chaotic Mumbai streets where cars narrowly miss you. A sense of claustrophobia persists throughout along with intense , scorching heat. The bustling and crowded outdoors , the narrow dingy lanes , the deserted rooftops hardly give you any breathing space. The viewer is immediately overtaken by a sense of visual noise.

The sudden cuts coupled with edgy music and pedestrian language keeps the narrative tight. Again , hardly any breathing space anywhere. The performances blend into the story. Pitobash as Mandook stands out. Special mention for Tusshar (he's dropped the Kapoor) here for whom its been a long journey from Bore to Shor .

The 'shor' gets heightened as Tilak (Tusshar) who been married for a while now hardly even knows his wife. The story unfolds during the Ganesha festival with his idols dotting the city. But its almost as if God himself has been rendered helpless against the times. Is he just an excuse for another festival? While the ending may remind one of Travis Bickle from Taxi Driver , its best left to the viewer to be the judge of it.

This is a film "full of sound and fury" Signifying existence in between -Sushovan Sircar for MuvieMadlyDeeply.com

Young kid : Hey Mister are you really the Irishman? Danny Greene: What about it? Young Kid: My cousin says you have more balls than anyone else, he wants to be just like you! Wonderful piece of Cinema, starring Ray Stevenson best known for his role as Titus Poulo in the legendary T.V series Rome. Stevenson stars in and as Danny Greene, a tough Irish thug working for mobsters in Cleveland during the 1970's. Greene who looks to turn over a new leaf in the second half of the movie by going legitimate faces the wrath of the Mafia.

The Mafia are after him he don't care! The Cops are after him, he don't care! Calls himself a descendant of the Celtic Warriors in short " one tough son-of-a-gun!" The movie follows Greene's rise to power, although his practices were corrupt he maintained a certain amount of dignity and a code to how he went about doing his work.

Great performance by Stevenson, but poor supporting performances makes the viewer lose the flow of the movie, Director Jonathan Hensleigh fails to use actors like Christopher Walken and Val Kilmer effectively, definite shades of the Scorsese classic Goodfellas in the narrative perspective, in fact the knife stabbing scene behind the car boot is directly lifted from there, Alas Jonathan did not have Joe Pesci to liven up the screen! All-in-all an entertaining watch, witty dialogue, powerful scenes, fast narrative and one of the few movies these days with a great background score. The U.S.P of the film is Stevenson's performance, the guy has tremendous screen presence and he carries the movie alone. I would give it a 7/10.

Anshuman Bagri for MuvieMadlyDeeply.com

Road, Movie is director Dev Benegal's tribute to the magical realm of cinema. He is back in style after a decade-long sabbatical following Split Wide Open, to show the world how much he has matured as a filmmaker. He adds his Midas touch to such an offbeat piece of celluloid, giving it a western aroma only to take you on a journey that is sure to find you wherever you are and promises to take you wherever you want to go.

Vishnu (Abhay Deol) is a young man who is sick and tired of the life that is thrust upon him. To escape from his father's hair oil business, he volunteers to drive an antique 1942 Chevrolet truck across the desert to a museum, only to experience the thrill of adventure amidst his humdrum life. On his way he picks up a young tea-stall boy (Mohammed Faizal Usmani) who wishes for a better life in the neighbouring city and a voluble mechanic (Satish Kaushik) who intends to attend a local fair. Vishnu's road trip is filled with its initial hiccups with the truck breaking down at the drop of a hat. He encounters a corrupt cop who looks for sport in Vishnu amidst the lifeless desert. This is when Vishnu discovers that his truck houses a movie projector and is a mini theatre-on-wheels. He trades their release with the cop who has a libido alive enough to watch blue films.

The third character Vishnu picks up en route is a young gypsy woman, played by Tannishtha Chatterjee of Brick Lane fame. Time and again, amidst the drought-struck desert, Vishnu and his mates pass by a band of women frantically searching for water, the imagery being heightened when they see Vishnu drink from a bottle. Vishnu's presence of mind is heightened in the climax when he dupes the desert-don (Yashpal Sharma) with his hair oil advertisement gimmick. Unfortunately, after 97 minutes, Road, Movie comes to an abrupt halt, leaving you desirous of much more.

Road, Movie, as the name suggests, is both about the life on the road and how the characters are rescued by the movies they screen. Cinematographer Michel Amathieu (Paris Je T'Aime) has captured the barren virgin deserts of Rajasthan with immense grandeur and élan and deserves the laurels for providing the visual imagery. The background score by Michael Brook (Into the Wild) is reminiscent of Gustavo Santaolalla in The Motorcycle Diaries and sets the tone of the journey. Production design by Anne Seibel (Munich) illuminates the sequences of the fun-fair amidst the dull and dry desert, which sadly is just a dream sequence. The dialogues are hilarious and coupled with the comic timing of such seasoned actors trigger giggles and laughs, especially those of the little boy and Satish Kaushik when he is verbose, drunk on Old Monk and high on ganja!! The plot does have scope for improvement and could have been thickened. The characters could have been further developed. All but the protagonist are unnamed. Satish Kaushik is at his comic best. Tannishtha does justice to her limited screen time reaching her peak when she sings an impromptu gypsy song. Abhay Deol shows exactly why he was always who Dev Benegal had in mind. Abhay Deol has grown from strength to strength such that none of his cousins are even distant competition to him. He comes across as very disillusioned and enigmatic and unlike in Dev D, he is shown in this movie searching and drinking water. His chemistry with Tannishtha seems coercive and feeble.

This film is sluggishly slow, just as the speed of the vehicle depicted and it requires tremendous patience to watch and appreciate it. The film conveys an important message of self-discovery and fulfillment albeit it loses direction. Road, Movie is sure to tug at the strings of your heart and is a must watch for all ages. So, get on the road and watch this movie. I am going with a 3.5 stars out of 5.

• Joydeep Roy for MuvieMadlyDeeply.com

Francois Truffaut had given us 400 Blows and 50 years later, Vikramaditya Motwane gives us Udaan, his directorial debut in a veiled biography. Udaan is a celebration of innocence amidst adolescence coupled with a youthful and rebellious spirit. It is a very crafty and intensely personal script that you will surely identify with.

Udaan is a coming-of-age tale of Rohan Singh, brilliantly portrayed by Rajat Barmecha, a 17-year-old motherless teenager who is expelled from boarding school and has to live with his tyrant of a father Bhairav Singh, played by Ronit Roy. He learns of his 6-year-old step-brother only after his new life with his authoritarian, oppressive and abusive father is thrust upon him in the industrial town of Jamshedpur. Forced by his father to work in a steel plant and then study engineering and often subject to capital punishment, Rohan's only silver lining is his jovial and cheerful uncle Jimmy, aptly played by the rotund Ram Kapoor.

Udaan resonates with absolutely anyone who has had to break away from convention and suffer oppression in order to pursue one's dreams. It is a film about hope and every teenager will connect with Rohan when he rebels in his own ways by sneaking out after hours in his father's car and drinking with new found mates, by bunking college and blissfully penning poems along railway tracks and disobeying his father time and again.

Udaan takes flight and reaches an unimaginable height which is purely attributable to its honest and well-paced plot. With a story devoid of pretentious and unnecessary attractions, director Vikramaditya Motwane and producer Anurag Kashyap have recreated their Dev D magic all over again. In the climax when Rohan outruns his father after punching, you cannot help but give him a standing ovation.

The cast delivers a stellar performance. Rajat Barmecha is a discovery made by the Dev D duo and Ronit Roy with his superb portrayal of the frustrated father makes you wonder why he has been dormant all this while and making appearances only in soaps. On the lighter side is child actor Aayan Boradia who speaks volumes with his facial expressions. Oye Lucky Lucky Oye's Manjot Singh is commendable in his cameo as Rohan's school friend and partner-in-crime.

Amit Trivedi composes for Udaan after winning awards for Dev D and the track Aazadiyan is sure to move you while the other scores set the tone for the plot without distracting you. Vikramaditya Motwane has struck gold and each chord in our hearts with his directorial debut and this film is sure to linger in your minds for long. Arguably the best movie in 2010 amidst various disappointments, no wonder this was screened at Cannes this year.

I suggest go watch Udaan and celebrate Rohan's triumph as breaks free from his shackles. I give Udaan 4 stars out of 5.

-Joydeep Roy for MuvieMadlyDeeply.com

Cinema is an art, beautiful, complex and surreal . To make a good film requires more than just money and a fancy equipment. The problem nowadays is that it has become more and more difficult to actually find the art in cinema . We have movies coming out, it seems in factory lines, with a particular format of budget and emotions. And all this while we forget to add the soul in films.... the soul which makes it what it is, but then again every once in a while we come across something which surprises us but at the same time we find the familiarity of likeness which we have been seeking for so long. It need not be too fancy or too flashy. All it needs to be is a good idea, cleverly executed. Source Code is a perfect example of that! Having heard a lot about the film, I still kept my expectations low. In comparison to the brand of cinema (in 3D, might I add) we've been witnessing lately, it wasn't surprising that people have developed a tendency of appreciating anything mediocre these days. What I saw, however, blew my mind away. Not because it was an extremely well crafted script, not because Jake Gyllenhaal performed spectacularly but because it managed to join the small list of films which I entitle as beautiful. Made on a reported budget of a mere 35 million dollars, it did what most of these so called blockbusters haven't managed to do, made me sit in one place for one and a half hour......in awe.

"Captain Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal) wakes up to find himself on a train heading to Chicago. Although the other passengers all seem to know him, he has absolutely no idea where or even who he is. The last thing Colter remembers is flying a helicopter mission in Iraq, but here he is in someone else's life, being referred to as "Sean" by his traveling companion (Michelle Monaghan). Even the man in the mirror looks nothing like him. Before he can find out what's going on, an express train zooms by on the opposite track and a bomb on the train explodes.

Colter then wakes up in a chamber where an officer on the screen (Vera Farmiga) tells him that he has just returned from the "Source Code", a secret government project which lets him go back to the last 8 minutes of a person's life and re-live it. His job is to use those 8 minutes in order to find out who the bomber on the train was as that is their only key to saving the other places where the bomb has been planted.

The movie works on a large scale mostly due to the combined brilliant efforts of both the director and its lead actor. Jake Gyllenhaal displays a wonderful presence of character and has, after a long time given such a wonderful performance, supported well by the rest of the cast members which includes a surprise number in the form of Russel Peters. Also remarkable were the special effects which showed that YOU DO NOT NEED 3D TO MAKE A VISUALLY WELL SHOT FILM, but what works most for the film is its human element which manages to make an otherwise imperfect film, beautiful. Being a science fiction film it could well have gone down the path taken by most science-fiction films where good concept is traded off for action scenes and everything that could have helped it become a masterpiece is flushed down the drain. Instead, Source Code walks down a different path... it chooses to have a soul (a la Vanilla Sky, Blade Runner and Inception) Every time Colter goes back for eight minutes, it feels as if we are back for another short adventure, building our anticipation about what indeed we are going to find next. Director Duncan Jones manages to make a fast-paced gripping thriller and displays enough reasons why he will be the one to watch out for in the years to come! With every film, he is evolving into a fantastic direct0r. Moon suggested it and now Source Code confirms it too. That's 2/2 for you!

If Inception and now Source Code are anything to go by, rest assured this decade, might turn very well turn out to be the age of intelligent, thrilling science fiction movies.

Thank you Duncan Jones, for re-establishing my faith in the new breed of film directors. Not all's lost!!

Rating: 8/10

Written by Vikram Agarwal for MuvieMadlyDeeply.com

"Guess who got shot? Serpico.

• You think a cop did it? I know six cops who said they'd like to." Fresh out of the Godfather, Serpico was the film that further cemented Al Pacino's status as a powerhouse performer. Based on the story of real life cop, Frank Serpico, who had almost the entire police department turn against him for being an honest cop, "Serpico" is a gritty drama about dirty cops and the politics that came with it in the police department in the 60s.

Given the material, this could've been an edge of the seat fast paced thriller that could have easily catered to the "popcorn" entertainment bracket but when you have Sidney Lumet's name in the credits, you could almost always be rest assured that it wasn't going to be the case. Now, make no mistakes though. Serpico may not be "fast paced" and it certainly isn't a "pop corn" entertainer but a thriller it still is, and intense in ways that makes this film worthy of an intelligent audience.

Adapted from the Maas book by Waldo Salt and Norman Wexler, "Serpico" is a difficult film about police corruption and the man who tried to fight it. Although backed by a fine supporting cast, "Serpico" is a film that belongs to one man and one man alone and not only does he justify his presence in the role by giving it what it demands, instead, he goes two steps further and delivers a splendid performance! Near flawless and a testimony to the enormous amount of talent the man is credited for.

From the clean Shaven look to the handlebar mustache to the bearded Hippy look, which Serpico adapts to avoid alienation from the regular crowd which a normal cop suffers, Pacino slips into the skin of the character and shines in what has to be one of his most natural performances. This was the Pacino before he got into his other avatar. The Pacino before Scarface and Tony Montana. The Pacino, before he developed his other "loud" style which to be honest, still kicks ass!! This was the Pacino that you saw in The Godfather and you would go on to see in The Godfather Part II and Dog Day Afternoon.

Like all Sidney Lumet films, this one too, is a slow film and tests your patience at times, but sit there till the end and you will be rewarded with a film that goes beyond just making a shallow statement or telling a simple story. It tickles your conscious and makes you question and that, in my opinion, has always been the sign of a good film. The fact that you can relate to a character like Serpico, a man who wants to do what he always wanted to do and will not turn a blind eye to things, even if it risks his own life, is not surprising. Serpico is a character who's in a place where you've once been yourself or you surely know someone else who was.

At 2 hours and 10 minutes, Serpico may feel lengthier than it is, but at the end of the day the big question always is that whether it's worth it or not! Thankfully in Serpico's case it is! A fine example of good writing and a realistic approach, there's a good reason why this movie is rated as one of Pacino's finest. Lumet, to me, as brilliant as he was, was a hit-or-miss director. From that perspective, not only is Serpico a hit, it hits the bloody bull's eye! Recommended!! 8/10 Written by Aamil Keeyan Khan for MuvieMadlyDeeply.com

It's official. Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra is one of the finest talents we have in Indian Cinema today. Before I saw Delhi 6, I was warned by many of my friends who had gone for an early screening about how terrible the movie was, lacked a storyline and was absolutely bizarre! Well, bizarre it is... for never before have I seen a film like this! Granted that a film like Delhi 6 is not meant for all types of audience but then again, which movie is? Delhi 6 belongs to that rare breed of cinema that one rarely gets to see- intelligent, thought-provoking, interesting, entertaining, enlightening, fresh, unique and most importantly, beautiful like no other!!!

A lot of people seem to be complaining about how Delhi 6 lacks a storyline and hence, its a bad film but then I wonder, why does a Bollywood film always have to be story-driven? I can imagine the amount of bashing Tarantino would've got for Pulp Fiction and Scorsese for Taxi Driver had they made those character-driven masterpieces for audiences with such sensibility that the majority of Indian viewers tend to possess.

Going by the basic plot, this movie would've been such a turkey had it been handled by any other director but Mehra takes the plot and very interestingly weaves a series of incidents through which he underlines almost every sensitive issue that he had set out to address without ever getting into a very "in-your-face" approach except for the ending which becomes a little more preachy than intended but none of that takes away from the film what it is- a gem of the rarest kind!

As far as comparisons are concerned, its like I said before, too unique to be compared to a film made before but if I had to, I'd say its more on the lines of Swades than RDB. A lot of sequences in this film seem to be inspired by the ones in Swades but that's just where the resemblance ends- inspiration. As for the filming, special mention must be made about the song "Dafatan" which is shot as a dream sequence. Watch out for it! Its pure magic...

Coming to the performances, I can't remember when was the last time when I had seen such an excellent collage of actors. Deepak Dobriyal, Vijay Raaz, Om Puri, Pawan Malhotra, Atul Kulkarni, Waheeda Rahman, Rishi Kapoor, Supriya Pathak, Divya Dutta, Prem Chopra and Sonam Kapoor- everyone adds a strong flavour to this delicious dish of Delhi 6 served by Mehra with Abhishek Bachchan being the cherry on top. Yes, this is Abhishek's finest since Guru. He never tends to go overboard with the American accent, is likable and packs in a powerful performance especially towards the last 30 minutes of the film. Sadly, the only portrayal that sticks out like a sore thumb is that of MTV VJ, Cyrus Sahukar's. Roping in an actor for his part would've really helped.

Musically, the film stands at par with Rahman's finest works till date with every track scoring brownie points and the background score being the icing on the cake. Lyrically, this is Prasoon Joshi's best piece of work since Rang De Basanti (Dafatan, Arziyan, Rehna Tu, Masakkali). In short, Delhi 6 carries Mehra's winning streak on. For those expecting a Rang De Basanti will be disappointed because Delhi 6 is an entirely different outing. Going by the general opinion, you'll either love this film or hate it. For me, this one scores big-time! Its 8 on 10 for Mehra and the team! Keep the good work coming!

8/10 (Reason I've voted 10 stars is to counter-balance the no of less votes its receiving from that section of the audience that hails Ghajini as well-crafted cinema).

http://aamilkhan.vox.com

Just came back from the first day, first show screening of this film! I must say that, due to all the pre-release hype and going by the excellent (and a very original) music score achieved by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, I had very high expectations. To say that I'm a little disappointed won't be wrong but hey! Rock On!! isn't a bad movie! In fact, its far from it. Director Abhishek Kapoor (Aryan) does a fine job donning the director's cap but one can't help but see the influence that Farhan the director must've had on the movie for there are scenes which have his typical trademark style! Well, honestly when the end product is a movie like Rock On!!, I couldn't be bothered more by who's directed it and who's credited for it.

The story of Rock On is all about following your dreams and, as the tagline says: Living it! Now coming to the story, its about four friends: Aditya (Akhtar), Joe (Rampal), Rob (Kenny) and KD (Kohli) and their band that they choose to call "Magick". Their struggle to follow and accomplish their dream of making it big with "Magick". Cut to present day, Aditya is a businessman, Rob works under Anu Malik (yeah! watch out for the cameo by Malik lol, also look out for Javed Akhtar in the movie..... you'll be surprised to find him there, and where!! lol again!), KD does a job and Rampal runs a music shop and gives guitar lessons to kids. What caused the band to break up and will these guys get back to pursue their dreams again is what forms the rest of the story.

To say that Rock On!! succeeds in reminding you of Dil Chahta Hai in parts, of your schooling / college days, of the good old times that you shared with your friends, of the rare innocence you had when you started out would be nothing but describing the strong points of the film. There'd be parts where I'd feel "ditto" coz I've been there, done that... so have all of us at some point of time or the other.

Talking about the strong points of the films, well, there's more that needs to be written about! In terms of performances, this is, undoubtedly, Rampal's film. No other character has been more well defined or better performed as Rampal's Joe Mascarenhas. The scenes in which he emotes some of the feelings that his character goes through are the the high-points of the film. Oh, and btw, that's a sexed-out Santana look that Rampal carries and pulls off with panache. Watch out for him during the climax-- he steals almost every scene that he's in! Following Rampal is debutante-actor / singer, Mr. Versatile, you make Mr. Javed Akhtar proud with almost everything that you do! Farhan Akhtar gives an impressive performance and its hard to tell that this is his first (keeping in mind that The Fakir of Venice is yet to be released). Of course, the lisps and his cracked-up voice are some of the biggest flaws that Akhtar needs to work on. Surprisingly, its the same husky voice that works to his advantage as a singer. I don't know whether SEL worked on his voice in music editing softwares to get the desired results but truth be told, he sounds amazing, at least on record he does! In terms of whether Akhtar has a very bright future as an actor or not, is hard to tell just basing it on one film but if I had to go with my intution and understanding of the industry, I'd say that Akhtar the actor doesn't have a very long life span (no complaints about his performances at all! Just a word of what I feel). Prachi Desai, Purab Kohli, Bird and Luke Kenny provide apt support and all the four cast members mentioned here manage to stand their own ground, in short- impressive performances! Now coming to the music, there is nothing I could say or write that would justify the brilliance of the job done by S-E-L. Truly truly different soundtrack after such a long time. In fact, its the soundtrack which made me want to watch the film on the first place. Javed Akhtar matches the trio at every step of excellence that they tread. Its tough to point out a single favorite in an album that so many. Tum Ho To is according to me, the best-sung track by Mr. F. Akhtar in this collection of musical gems. A clever move on SEL and Akhtar's part, taking the theme music of Lakshya and making a Rock On title track out of it that truly rocks, way to go!! Zahreelay, of course, in terms of lyrics, composition, and performance is the most hatke track of the album! Listen to it carefully and you'll realise it has genius written all over it. Finally we have our first Hindi Metal number!!! Phir Dekhiye is another very, very beautiful track. Socha Hai has been my callertune for a month now--- need I say more? And of course, Pichle Saat Dino Mein: the track that soooooo defines one's life in the early years! Yeh Tumhari Meri Baatein sort of reminds me of a track that SEL had delivered in one of their earlier flicks, Yeh Kya Ho Raha Hai but then, who's complaining?? In fact, to seal it, it wouldn't be wrong to say that this is Akhtar-SEL-Akhtar's greatest album to have released since Dil Chahta Hai and that is, a very bold statement but true!

Rohit Jugraj, the same man who had given us the horrible "James (2005" was directing this one and it had Kunal Khemu whose last few releases (Dhol, Traffic Signal, Kalyug) failed to impress me, so I had almost written him off as just another child star who failed to make it. However, the only thing that made me watch this film was the fact that Tulip Joshi had signed it and her choice of scripts have never let me down (Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai, Matrubhoomi, Dhokha)... so I gave this one a try! And my oh my! This movie totally surprised me! It has everything you'd want in an entertaining film, and more! The storyline is in fact very clichéd and had it been directed a weak director, this movie would've headed to where it belonged- the trash bin, but Rohit Jugraj really proves himself by raising the bar of a film whose script wasn't very refreshingly original. Super Star is undoubtedly one of the better films to have come out of Bollywood this year (2008). It's a pity that not many people watched it probably because it didn't have star value or it was poorly promoted. Whatever the reason be, I'm sure this movie has breathed a new life into Khemu's career that almost crashed.

Coming to the performances, Sharat Saxena (best known for his performance in Ghulam) really really shines in this one. Reema Lagoo, Tulip Joshi and Aushima Sawhney do their parts well. Vrajesh Hirjee and Darshan Jariwala are a great combo but at the end of it, this is Kunal Khemu's movie! In fact, I feel this movie marks the arrival of Khemu as a leading man. Everything you could complain about him has been put to test in this film and boy oh boy! He's passed 'em with flying colors! Music-wise too, Shamir Tandon does a brilliant job. I liked his work in Page 3 too but this one has a much better soundtrack. "Don't I love you" is a decent number. "Ajnabi" is a beautiful song, but its "Mann Tu Talbat" (which is arabic and means "I love you") by Hamza which is my most favorite track from this movie, been on my playlist ever since it got released. Kudos to all for giving such a refreshingly entertaining flick!

PS: Watch out for the tribute to "Sin City". Crazy stuff!

Having heard so much about Stanley Kubrick and this movie, atlast I got to watch it. For a movie made in 1971, I was completely blown away by the sheer brilliance of it. Without giving away much, A Clockwork Orange is based on a novel of the same name by Anthony Burgess. Set in the future Britain where 16 year old Alex is jailed after one his raped victims die, he volunteers for an experiment designed by the government in an effort to solve the crime problems of the society. To begin with, I must admit, A Clockwork Orange is undoubtedly one of the most artistic pieces of cinema I have seen in a long, long time. The character of "Alex" (played brilliantly by Malcolm McDowell) is pure evil, sending shivers down your spine. Everything about him is so evil, so dark. The movie, which looks more like a stage-play version and less like a movie is enthralling, especially the conversations between Alex and his partners. The movie is disgusting, dark, sinister, gross, violent and very very artistic. The power of the movie is that it stays for hours after it has ended. In fact, this is one of the reasons why it took me a day and a half before I got down to review this movie, those disturbing images stick with you in your head... "A Clockwork Orange" is one of the best films that I've seen and I wish I never see it again.

The performances are all top-notch and it wouldn't be wrong to say that Malcolm McDowell's "Alex" is in the same league as Sir Anthony Hopkins' "Dr. Hannibal Lector". The background score goes perfectly with the movie's theme. The dialogues are both, very well-written and very well delivered. Honestly, its tough to find negative things about a movie that's, in my opinion, nearly flawless, but here's what I could manage to find: The movie starts losing its grip towards the middle. Some scenes in the movie were completely unnecessary and the nudity element could've been cut down a little, it disgusts you but I guess that's exactly why Kubrick chose to put it in the first place.

"A Clockwork Orange" is strongly recommended for anyone that loves cinema in its purest form. It has everything you could ask for... and then some more. Of course there's a lot of violence and nudity in the movie but it all serves the purpose. Rated to be one of Kubrick's best pieces of work (I wouldn't know coz I haven't seen much but it's definitely one of the best I have seen), "A Clockwork Orange" is almost perfect in every term. Watch it, if for nothing else, then an experience called "Kubrick's cinema" that you're surely not going to forget for a very long time.... if ever!!! Rating:- 8.5/10

I seriously still can't believe it that Jaane Tu... failed for me! Especially after knowing that its a product from Aamir Khan Productions, written and directed by Abbas Tyrewala, the same guy who wrote Maqbool?!!! Hard to swallow but true!...and most importantly, the fact that this film has been hailed so much by the film critics touting it as a feel-good college-romance kind of cinema that's "cute, fresh and so well directed". Surely, these people must've seen something that I didn't coz for me, the film tries too hard and that is, perhaps the film's biggest flaw. Abbas Tyrewala is a let-down. After spending 5 years on a movie, if this is what you come up with, then surely there is something seriously wrong somewhere.

I've always been fond of "youth cinema" especially the ones that starred Aamir. Ever seen Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar or Dil Chahta Hai?? Now that's what you call a feel-good film about youth, romance and friendship. Hell, even a low-budget film like MP3: Mera Pehla Pehla Pyaar worked for me, for its the innocence with which the aforesaid movies presented themselves. Jaane Tu... on the other hand, is a movie that tries too hard to look innocent but all that I could see in it was artificiality. Most of the friends of Jay and Aditi are such fake wannabe characters. Performance-wise too, Imran Khan doesn't impress too much, he's just about OKAY, an average actor I'd say but I guess that could change with time. Genelia D'Souza on the other hand, was a lot better! Of course, we need to keep in mind that she's been acting for a long time now. Naseeruddin Shah, Ratna Pathak, Arbaaz Khan, Sohail Khan and Manjari Phadnis play their characters really well but it is Prateik Babbar, the son of the great Smita Patil, who is the film's greatest discovery! A complete natural in front of the camera, watch out for this dark horse in the days to come! The story is the same old typical Bollywood formula film story but like always, its the execution that makes all the difference. Sadly in this case, the execution is worse than the script. Most of the jokes are soooooo not funny and completely predictable. A. R. Rahman's music (which is as usual, amazing) is completely wasted with not even a single song being presented in the way it should be. Aamir Khan claimed that he didn't interfere with the director's vision... well, all I can say is that it's a pity he didn't.

JT is at best, a pop-corn flick! Don't keep your expectations high and you may just like the film. As for me, I belong to that section of the audience that wants its money back!

Oh my god! My head is still aching... I cannot believe my friends recommended this movie to me and "Wait... the next scene will be a nice one, I'm sure" is what I kept on thinking throughout the movie until I realized it had ended. Now I am seriously very fond of comedy but I do believe that its not everyone's cup of tea. Rohit Shetty (Zameen, another disastrous flick) was his debut film and the director goes from bad to worse in Golmaal. A movie starring comic actors like Paresh Rawal, Arshad Warsi, Sharman Joshi and Tushhar Kapoor for that sake (Kya Kool Hai Hum), I expected Golmaal to be good if not great but the movie falls flat. The scenes are not funny. Tusshar will get some marks from me for his performance. Arshad Warsi manages to make his presence felt. Vrajesh Hirjee is competent. Other than that rest of the entire cast disappoints. Ajay Devgan is sad and Rimi Sen needs to try out something different than doing movies in which she's the only beauty in the entire world and guys get engaged in a cat-and-mouse game to impress her (Deewane Huey Pagal???), its irritating now.

The music of Golmaal is decent but it cannot rescue a movie this bad. The title track "Golmaal" is pleasing to the ears and the video of "Aage Peeche" is funny when viewed individually but in the movie as a whole, it didn't help much. Rohit Shetty tried so hard to make a scene look funny but that's all that this movie is, a wannabe. Even the worst of the comedy genres do have scenes which'll make you laugh but Golmaal is just sad. In Bollywood, what hurts me is that creativity without commercial success is meaningless. Look at Nagesh Kukunoor. After making masterpieces like Hyderabad Blues, Rockford and 3 Deewarein, he got noticed only after Iqbal (another brilliant movie) got big and that was because on the producer's seat sat Mr. Richie Rich Ghai. Golmaal, too no matter how bad was a hit at the Box office and therefore, they've decided to make a sequel of it :(. I just hope they know what they're doing and I wish it fails miserably at the Box Office.

3.5/10 from muviegeek.blogspot.com

I wanted to see Don, not because of SRK but mainly because Farhan Akhtar was directing it. Before I start reviewing Don- The Chase Begins Again, I want to say that I tried my level best not to compare the two movies but unfortunately ended up doing so and what I realized in the process was that although Don is a remake of the original version, they're too very different movies. They're as different as cheese and chalk. So does Don surpass the original? Well, kinda yes and kinda no. Quite frankly, I never felt that the original Don had set any high standards or so because it was funny at times. The entire sequence where Don's associates find out that it is not Don but Vijay and its because of him that they've been arrested, lol, it was funny. I understand that Don was a low budget movie but just like N2D had said, its utterly stupid for anyone to store all the contact information about the Underworld Criminals in one red dairy. A disc in this one.

What Farhan has tried to do with the new Don is make it cooler, sharper and more foxy (yea that's the word). And despite the fact that a talented director like Farhan Akhtar was making this movie, Don does suffer in some departments if you start being logical but not as many if you understand why things are happening the way they're happening and even though Don could've been better, it could have also been worse. The movie starts out brilliantly. Check out the first scene of the movie featuring SRK & Chunkey.

The big question that everyone has been making around is that- Does Shahrukh live upto what Amitabh had done in the original? Well, I'd like to quote Shabani Azmi on this, "Its like you're comparing apple and oranges". Where Amitabh had mastered the art of being Vijay, here it is exactly vice-versa. SRK dons the role of DON with complete brilliance. Excellent is the word. I got to admit that I had my fears if SRK will be able to do justice coz I agree, the actor is one of the best in the industry but hardly does he display it on screen. Fortunately this is one of those movies where he does. SRK looks every bit of the Don that he portrays and once again proves that he is the one of the coolest villains on screen- the man you'd love to hate. I do not wanna get into the debate of how some other actor could've pulled it off better coz well, they're not. Hrithik as Don would've been BAD and I am dead sure about that. My friend said Saif could've played a better Don and I agree on that but well, too bad he's not playing it so the discussion is basically useless and after all that I've seen SRK do with this role, it'll be sad if I thought of any other actor playing the role of "Don" anymore. SRK is the king!

Now that I've spoken about the lows of the movie, its time I told you how I felt after watching the movie. Well, I felt completely taken up by the charm of the movie and if you're willing to forgive Farhan Akhtar for the few mistakes that he's made, Don is a movie you would want to remember. Especially for the action and the performances. Man O Man! If I had to point out 3 main performances that I liked in the movie, it'd be tough but I'd pick SRK, Boman Irani & Arjun Rampal. Of course there are those that are equally marvelous. For example, Pawan Malhotra as Narang is one performance to watch out for. For all those critics out there saying how bad the movie is... here's my opinion about Don- I LOVED THE MOVIE!!

And for all those people going on about how bad Kareena was... well, I can't remember when exactly did Kareena look soooooooo hot as compared to her appearance in Don.

For Priyanka Chopra, this has to be her performance after Aitraaz. She perfectly fits in. I do feel they could have got a better vamp than Isha Koppikar but I doubt if the bigger names would have done a role so small. What I really liked is what Farhan Akhtar has done with Arjun Rampal's Jasjit as compared to Pran's. I did go around saying how Arjun wouldn't be able to live upto Pran's performance but how wrong was I. Post-Moksha, out here Arjun Rampal is in full-form again and after Don, he's the second most coolest character in the movie, loved his performance. Boman Irani, too was excellent. I am glad Om Puri took up the role because if he didn't do it, somebody else would have and I wouldn't have liked it. He has a small role in the movie but an important character and with the likes of Boman, SRK and Pawan Malhotra around, you cannot afford to have bad actors around.

Don is a complete adventurous ride and barring the few little plot holes, its got enough twists, turns, performances, music and action to keep you glued to the screen right from the first frame to the last. At times you do feel that the movie is getting a bit boring or is lacking the pace but otherwise, its great. I did feel Aaj Ki Raat shouldn't have shown SRK dancing with the chicks, didn't make sense but that's my opinion. Don is truly a nice remake. Much better than the so called action flicks like Krrish, Dus or the Sunny Deol films. You'll enjoy watching it.

7/10 from muviegeek.blogspot.com

Last night I woke up at 8.30 in the night after sleeping for like 6 years at a stretch after the overnight stay me and my friends had. 9 PM. On air is "Khosla Ka Ghosla". Now I really wanted to watch that movie when it was released but just didn't had the time to and right now, I wasn't in the mood for it but since nothing else on TV was worth a watch, I decided to see the film.

After a while I realized that 40 minutes had gone by and not for one moment did I feel that KKG had a scene so far which was boring or unnecessary. KKG is truly gripping. It sucks you into it and you'll start getting concerned about Kamal Kishore Khosla (Anupam Kher). Khosla is a very innocent middle-class service man who gets a plot of land from Kishan Khurana (Boman Irani) out of his life-savings, a lump amount of 30 lacs but things get terrible when Khurana doesn't exactly let Khosla get the land until Khosla would pay Khurana another 10-15 lacs.

As much as I would love to say that Khosla Ka Ghosla was a movie which belonged to Anupam Kher and Boman Irani, I cannot deny that it belonged to the other artists as well. What I like so much about Khosla Ka Ghosla is that it does not star big mainstream artists in it except Boman Irani & Anupam Kher and if it did, maybe it would have lost its simplicity. Anupam Kher has been doing really lesser number of roles as compared to what he used to in the 90s but after Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Maara, Kya Kool Hain Hum and Rang De Basanti, Kher almost steals the show again. Khosla Ka Ghosla is very very realistic and that is its USP. Of course there are a few little flaws in the script but that does not stop KKG from becoming an entertaining ride without moving away from the realistic world. The brand of humour used in the movie is simple and enjoyable and one thing which I liked very much about this film is its characterization, I cannot deny that I liked every character present in the movie and it felt that they were straight out of someone's lives. Although Khurana and his assistant reminded me of Lucky Singh & Kuku in Lage Raho Munnabhai bit, basically because of the role they played.

Boman and Anupam of course do play the parts beautifully but one performance which I liked a lot was that was Bappu's (Navin Nischol). Now what Bappu is doing in the film, I cannot say because I feel that would give out a part of the story. Ranvir Shorey and Vinay Pathak come together again after they did once in Jism. Ranvir as Anupam's elder son and Vinay as the guy whom Boman had betrayed play their parts with ease and rock it. Tara Sharma's accent is weird but I liked her here and the director gets credit for that. Parween Dabas too... actually its not the actors that are there but the characters. Such is the magic of débutante director Dibakar Banerjee and writer Jaideep Sahani. Full marks to the director who's earned my respect.

The music by composers Bapi, Tutul and Dhruv too is great. "Chakk De Phadde" sung by Kailesh Kher which is also the OST of the movie is nice and totally in mood of the film. The other tracks too offer great help in carrying the story forward.

When Anupam Kher had said that this is a tribute to Hrishikesh Mukherjee's film-making style, I'm sure he truly meant it. Khosla Ka Ghosla is simple, innocent, realistic and entertaining. Go watch it if you want to see a quality film. Much better than the Karan Johar or Rakesh Roshan flicks which are recognised by Filmfare, not for their creativity but commercial success. Khosla Ka Ghosla made my mood. Three cheers to the movie! 7.5/10 from http://muviegeek.blogspot.com

Nagesh Kukunoor's best to be placed with Iqbal I guess.

An original film with some great music from Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy and Leslie Lewis.

The direction is superb and so is the acting.

Kukunoor shines as the PT teacher but its newcomer Rajesh Naidu's film... actually its your film... and mines... you take the movie with you and you'll treasure it. It takes you back to those good old school day... the scenes seem to have been taken straight out of our lives.

The problems, the solutions... the journey... the friendship... the love...

Rockford is truly a must-watch...... a great one from Bollywood! My Rating: 10/10

What happens when a psychopathic Bank Manager is expelled from the Bank for having beaten up an accountant almost to death for stealing 1000 bucks? Revenge is the answer... when all the man has done his entire life is look after the Bank, like his baby.... day and night... not even getting married for that sake... However, when he gets expelled... not seeing his own faults... he feels cheated and betrayed! He promises himself that he will take his revenge...

Then comes the twist. The man plans a bank robbery where three blind men will be used by him for his purpose... to train these men, Sushmita Sen is employed and does she have a choice when he little brother has been kidnapped by this man? A dangerous game is about to begin! Aankhen is truly a masterpiece... The direction is almost flawless and the thrill of the movie keeps you on the edge of your seat. Bachchan shines as the evil man... Sushmita Sen gives a very mature performance... Akshay gives one of his career best.... Rampal looks good and Rawal gives one of his career best too! Aditya Pancholi is competent.

The music by Jatin Lalit is great with "Aankhen", "Kuch Kasmein Hain Jawaan", "Phatela Jeb" and "Challka Challka" all being great numbers.

The ending did get a bit confusing but now that they've announced there'll be a sequel, I guess its started to make sense... Here's looking forward to Aankhen 2!

Arjun Rampal, "the unlucky guy" as I do refer to him as for all his films bomb at the Box Office... but why is he so under rated as an actor? Moksha came during the beginning of his career and trust me, if you like Rampal or you hate Rampal, if you're a serious film-watcher, watch Moksha... and it will all change.

The guy, literally carries the movie and gives the best performance till date. The music is tremendous... Jaanleva is still a favorite till date... The action scenes are well executed...

The direction is superb. Moksha is not for the typical Indian Audience who would only like the Johar flicks but if you've like those good movies like Rang De Basanti, Dil Chahta Hai, Lagaan, Swades or Lakshya for that sake, you'll love Moksha. Moksha literally takes us for a ride into the character, Vikram Sehgal's mind... Rampal makes you believe that he IS Vikram Sehgal.

The movie shows every aspect of his character right from his concern for the poor, his hatred against the system, his dilemma and his guilt...

I cannot reveal the story but all I gotta say is that if Rampal gets the right movies and the right Director, he got potential even if his movies do bomb at the B.O.... here's looking forward to Don...

Tanuja Chandra is back after showing her directorial skills in Dushman and Sangharsh, this time she chooses a more original topic... that of a teacher and a student and how the student's success makes the teacher jealous.

Lucky Ali, as the music teacher gives a power-packed polished performance... but hey after all he's Mahmood's son Gauri Karnik is another performance to watch out for... all the people: Simone Singh, Achint Kaur, Ehsan Khan, Harsh Vasisht and Divya Dutta give excellent performances.

The movie just touches your heart and you can't help but watch it again.

60% of the movie's credit goes to the genius composer, M.M. Kreem (Zakhm, Jism, Criminal) who yet again delivers... and what compositions! All the tracks are brilliant with "Aa Bhi Jaa" needing special mention...

Overall a film you must experience.... Simple and straight from the heart!

Too predictable... Too cheesy... not scary...

Mr. Ram Gopal Varma if you have so much of extra money with you, just pass it on to me. Won't be wasted and trust me, audiences won't be tortured this way.

It seems Mr. RGV is angry with this world and his sense of making the world pay is by watching his movies....

6 kids landing up in 1 haunted house.... stories follow and all of them are known by you even before they get started.... The ending, too is something you know and you realize that at the beginning of the movie itself.

Nothing scares you.... a bad comedy if that was what this movie intended to be. The only stories which stand out are the ones starring Randeep Hooda, Arjun Rampal and Anil Kapoor. Sajid Khan's version is more like a good theatrical trailer.

Watch it but trust me, you won't get scared... you won't get entertained... you'll just get angry, at Mr. RGV... biting nails? Yeah you better!