Monday, June 30, 2008

*ollywood

One thing I always manage to do in abundance in India is watch movies. This time I think I created some kind of a record. I behave like a film critic when I watch movies. Start pointing out faults and mistakes. Try and imagine a scene being shot differently. Here's what I thought of the movies that I watched.

Iron Man

Marvel have some really interesting stories to tell. From Spidey to the Fantastics. Iron Man is a really good way to make more money whilst providing entertainment. Any engineer would have a blast during this sci-fi flick, especially the Mech-geeks. The movie can boast of some really well-executed stunts coupled with the special effects. Robert Downey Jr. has done justice to the role, though I still prefer him in total comic roles. Gweneth Paltrow, ummm, is okay. They could have put in anybody in her place to be frank and it wouldn’t have made a difference. I loved the soundtrack and will be downloading it once I can get my hands on some free unlimited internet. I’ve heard that Marvel will be coming up with Wolverine too, starring Hugh Jackman. Can’t wait to catch that. But up next should be Dark Knight, Heath Ledger’s last.


Iron Man gets a metallic A minus.

Sarkar Raj

I don’t tend to like too many hindi movies, mainly due to chunks of useless reel shoved where it doesn’t belong. I absolutely loved Sarkar. It didn’t have any songs and it never deviated from the subject. Sarkar Raj is just more of the same. Quite frankly, such movies can be transformed into a neverending series. It will be one hell of an ATM series for the producers no doubt. Big B is awesome, just awesome. Small B and Aishwariya are good. The cast is filled with young, ripe talent. Ram Gopal Varma sure has an eye for talent and his directing masterclass just keeps on surpassing the previous. There could have been a few more twists and turns in Sarkar Raj, but I’m not sure anyone except me would have liked an overdose of surprises. A powerful movie!

Sarkar Raj gets a powerful A.

21

I have to admit, I have tried counting cards before. I’ve never done it professionally because I am not that good at it. I am more of an aggressive poker player than a card-counting blackjack player. 21 deals with a very real and confusing subject. It happens everywhere nowadays, card-counting. People pay their grocery bills because of it. The movie and the subject would be hard to grasp if you didn’t know how to play blackjack. I was expecting a lot out of 21, probably too much. I was disappointed. Kevin Spacey’s traits as an actor have been covered with a cloak of invisibility in this flick. Jim Sturgess and Kate Bosworth are only okay. Stories like these are bound to involve a lot of money and a lot of greed. In such situations, the story-line can be modified as seen fit. But there’s a touch of realism to the end.

21 gets a B for blackjack.

Sex and the City

A total woman-movie! Hundreds and thousands of women will flock in herds to see this stylish chick-flick. What they might not notice is how the characters are so different from the characters in the serial. This point too was put forward by my very sex-and-the-city-loyal female companion during the movie. I need not say more or I will be bitten by a smitten kitten.

B minus.

Bhootnath

This film was a timepass movie that maybe most people will enjoy due to the humor and sentimental bhav attached to it. But then again, songs shoved where they don’t belong and a stretched screenplay are minuses. Big B and Bankoo Bhaiya have done well in it. It makes me happy to see ghosts and objects flying without seeing the strings attached to them. The special-effects train has finally arrived from Hollywood.

Bhootnath gets a disappearing B minus.

De Dhakka

This movie will be fondly remembered by me. I hadn’t seen a marathi movie in ages, maybe the last one I saw was 12 years ago and I don’t even remember which one it was. Inspired by Little Miss Sunshine, De Dhakka has totally original characters and a totally different feel to it. The rural marathi rocks and so do the cast. There were times when I didn’t actually understand the dialogue, but the way a scene is portrayed just makes it so much easier to understand. A journey of a loving, dysfunctional family!

De Dhakka gets a B+.

I also managed to see Blue Planet, Mysteries of Egypt and Space Station at the Imax Dome Theatre. It was indeed a privilege. I wish they actually made more movies for the dome.

6 comments:

Satish K Mantha said...

visited india more than an year after your previous visit and the best thing you do is to watch movies! i hate you! you don't know the value of the trip. :P

Ashwin said...

It is not the "best" thing I did, but I did it a lot anyway. It's one way of spending time with family and friends.

Anonymous said...

you are sitting in a dark theatre concentrating completely on the movie......
how is that spending time with family and friends?

Ashwin said...

Driving to and from the theatre.... fighting over the last of the popcorn... discussing random stuff during the movie.... going shopping or to a restaurant just before or after the movie... etc etc, isn't that a way of spending time with family and friends?

Rohit said...

dude u r slowly turning into a woman!! sex and the city serial, sex and the city movie, shopping!! dont tell me u r a oprah fan too!!

~The Dream Catcher~ said...

I beg to differ, but being someone who saw three of these movies with him, I think seeing movies together is in itself a different experience. Time is spent in a million ways, but the joy of seeing movies in Mumbai, Hindi movies on the big screen, popcorn served the way you like it.. samosas to accompany if you so wish it.. Lying down on the recliner seats and enjoying the film by making comments like "Oh my god, they cut that scene!", "Ooh, Aishwarya looks so hot" and the ensuing discussion during, and after the film.. talking about immature kids sitting besides you, bunking college to see a banned film and their immaturity.

Sigh. Trust me, its an awesome way to spend time. :) Especially for cinemaholic people..