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Monkey Man (2024)
Plenty of action for the masses
If you like a movie with lots of action and violence with plot and subplots in between then this is the one for you. Our desi boy Dev Patel who has done well in Hollywood does a John Wick type of suppressed anger unleashed on the baddies and the movie will keep you engrossed. The movie has flashes of " Slumdog millionaire " with a smattering of Hindi dialogues and songs used in the background. The plot is a hackneyed one used many times over in movies, about an oppressed boy Bobby growing up to seek vengeance with a one point aim of annihilating the antagonist, a cop Rana ( Sikandar Kher ) who had burnt down Bobby's dwelling and village for the land mafia. A smouldering performance from Dev who systematically and ruthlessly destroys the villain, his many goons and their vice den during the second half of the movie. He is anger personified, he takes inspiration from Lord Hanuman's valour as described by his mother in childhood, he trains on the punching bag to the beat of the tabla ( played by virtuoso Hussain ), and he fights in the ring wearing a monkey mask.
Director Dev Patel has clearly targeted the masses and it should work as money's worth for them. There are extended fight scenes with lots of mayhem to watch. The editing makes an overuse of fast cutting which becomes irritating at times. There in an overuse of close ups too in most scenes.
Three of Us (2022)
A serious movie on memories revisited
After seeing this movie you will have a strong desire to visit your childhood home and school. This is the story of Shailaja, a lady marriage counselor who has just retired ,she suffers from dementia and decides to visit Vengurla a small town in Konkan where she lived and studied in school many years back. Her husband Dipankar, an insurance agent accompanies her. At Vengurla she visits her home, school, dance school, temple and sea beach refreshing long forgotten memories a few bitter, a few sweet. She meets her classmate Pradeep ( now married with children) and spends time reminiscing past times. In all these visits and discussions they are joined by Dipankar. It is a melancholic and poignant tale of nostalgia, guilt, regret, grief, loss and redemption. Plenty of serenity and sadness in the narrative and the movie is clearly not meant for all types of audiences.
What's good.
1. Masterclass performances of Shefali Shah and Jaideep Ahlawat. They live in their roles. In support Swanand Kirkire and Kadambari Kamat as the respective spouses have acted well. Director Avinash Arun has done a good job but for slow pace.
2. Superb mesmerizing cinematography by director cinematographer Avinash Arun .The visuals of town, greenery, seashore are awesome.
3. Intermittent spells of profound discussion on poetry and philosophy of life
4. The background songs on a classical base have a soothing effect. The dance sequence is also good.
5. The simplicity of the movie is endearing.
What's not so good
1. The movie is not for all. It is too serious an affair for a commercial feature film. The morose expression of the heroine is overdone. A little related humour would have done no damage.
2. The movie has a very slow unhurried pace and it tests your patience at times. 15 minutes need to be reduced.
3. The 3 main characters are too introverted for comfort. Maybe Jaideep's character could have been made lighter.
Reservoir Dogs (1992)
Robbery goes wrong, blame game starts
It is throwback Thursday again and this time I saw Tarantino's first movie of 1992. As per trivia he was not so well off with funds at that time and had difficulties in making the movie. The production, costumes, filming etc were all a make shift arrangement and initially he planned to make it in Band W. Apparently he could finally make it in the way he wanted. All the Tarantino touches including stylistic picturisation, non linear narrative, violence filled scenes, excessive conversations on mundane issues, profanity in dialogue, an extended cameo by Tarantino himself etc etc were possibility formulated in this movie. Few scenes were familiar like discussion in a restaurant and a grievously wounded guy in the backseat of a car. Almost half of movie is set in a warehouse where extensive discussions take place and it appears like a photographed stage play at times. One notable aspect in this movie was that the background music was not though an orchestra but playback of recorded songs of the 70s. The plot was about a group of gangsters who blame each other after a jewellery heist goes horribly wrong specially after they come to know that one of them was an undercover cop who had informed the police.( It seems the title refers to dogs fighting amongst themselves in a closed reservoir). Just like " Pulp fiction" ( his later movie) one has to put the episodes in a chronological sequence to understand the plot. This one is comparably simpler though. I find that there are no stars in this movie not that it matters since stylistic picturisation is the star in Tarantino movies.
Dhak Dhak (2023)
Four women bikers on a road trip
This is a story of four women of different age groups and backgrounds who have a common passion of going on a road trip riding their motorcycles. The eldest is Mahi a grandmother out to prove she is something to reckon with, the second is Uzma a middle aged housewife with a dominating husband and a teenaged daughter, the third is Shashi a young woman vlogger recovering from a broken relationship and the fourth is Manjari an orthodox, timid young woman on the threshold of getting married. They all their reasons to be a part of this 7 day road trip from Delhi to Leh organised by Shashi as an assignment to present to her boss so that she can move to Barcelona for a project.
The movie will specifically relate to women, bikers and to road trip/ adventure lovers in general. The plot is fairly predictable since we all know what happens on a road trip and just about everything happens here. The tyre puncture, the breaking down of bike, the minor accident, the roadside dhabas, one of them lost enroute and then found, the bad weather/ terrain, falling sick ---they are all there. Of the good experiences there is friendship, bonding, the spirit of adventure, self discovery and good times spent not forgetting the helpful truck drivers and fellow travellers. The movie has a well directed, fairly interesting narrative, some good acting by the four actors and excellent cinematography of the picturesque locations. It is not without flaws and cringe worthy moments but then which movie doesn't have them ?
Das Lehrerzimmer (2023)
Tension filled narrative in a school
The movie is set in a school in Germany. Carla Nowak is a lady teacher of the 7th grade and teaches mathematics. She is quite happy in her job but recent theft of money from the teachers' Lounge has been disturbing for her. She decides to investigate, places a video recorder, identifies the clothes worn by the person stealing and confronts an administrative colleague wearing similar clothes. What could have easily closed the issue now spirals out of control as the colleague refuses to accept the blame and higher authorities of the school get involved.
With this plot director Ilker Catak spins a tense and gripping narrative taking place within the premises of the school. With the help of some fine acting by Leonie Benesch as the harassed teacher, a very taut and tension filled screenplay and superb cinematography highlighting attention to detail ( a single location throughout) the director has used Hitchcock type of dramatic filming to keep the audience riveted. ( The aspect ratio of 4:3 helps). One definitely remains glued to this story of teacher- student dynamics and teacher- colleague relationship even while character assassination takes place and the search for truth continues. The movie is moving and thought provoking. The aspects of racism, adolescent behaviour, toxicity of strained relations, underlying suspicion, the anxiety of parents, the anger and the anguish of all are very palpable. One may find fault with the development of the script as there are a few loose ends and one feels the investigation could have been done more professionally. The open ending of the movie is also debatable and the movie throws up questions rather than give answers.
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. (2023)
Simple, sweet, endearing
This is a coming-of-age story of a 12 year old American girl Margaret who has a Jewish father and Christian mother. She is happy at school with her secret club of 3 other girl friends who are all coming to terms with the changes taking place in them and all around. All the girls are at the threshold of puberty, their bodies and hormones are changing and they somehow want to become attractive ladies as early as they can. They even tell lies when they want to impress the other girls. Margaret is confused with religion, family relationships, societal norms and also with the physiological changes in her body. She has just learnt that her mother was disowned by her parents after her marriage with a Jewish man. Margaret is not affiliated to any religion and everytime she has a confusing issue bothering her she exclaims " Are you there God ? This is me, Margaret " and then hopes God would give her a solution. She is close to her paternal grandmother who loves her dearly. In due course she meets her maternal grand parents. The movie is cute and heartwarming. The subject about adolescence is relatable.
Director Kelly Fremon Craig has made a simple, sweet and endearing film without making it complicated with sub plots. Maybe the movie has turned out so well since the director is a lady and so the "girlie" problems are presented realistically. Additionally the movie is based on a story whose author is a lady. Acting wise the little girl Abby Ryder Fortson has performed nicely projecting the correct amount of innocence and the expression required. Rachel McAdams is good as usual as the mother expressing her apprehensions and affections very well indeed.
Pulp Fiction (1994)
An outstanding movie from Tarantino
This throwback Thursday, the movie which I saw was " Pulp Fiction " after 30 years or so. It had the same riveting effect and this Tarantino movie will never get out of date. This 1994 movie is Tarantino's second after " Reservoir dogs" ( 1992). The movie has this acclaimed director's stamp throughout and that includes intermittent scenes of violence to shock you , a non linear narrative to get you to concentrate, a shifting timeline, some humour at every point to entertain, some bits of profanity and lots of sharp dialogue to keep you engrossed. There are top stars like John Travolta and Samuel L Jackson as two hitmen, Bruce Willis as a boxer and Uma Thurman as the boss's wife each better than the other in performance. Above all we have Quentin giving a stellar performance too. There is some loud jazz music in the background to accentuate the action. The star of the movie however is a taut, gripping and well written screenplay which had gotten the well deserved Oscar award. It is an outstanding movie no doubt.
Director Quentin Tarantino has designed this 154 minute movie as an omnibus affair with 3 storylines having around 7 episodes played out during two days and which are intertwined in an interesting way. In this non linear narrative if we were to chronologically sequence the episodes the beginning of the movie is linked to the end, a middle episode of the movie should come first and so on. At the beginning of the movie the defining of the words " Pulp fiction" sets the mood ( a book containing lurid subject matter printed on rough unfinished paper) Amusing are the razor sharp discussions on mundane issues which the characters have at various points. Examples like what is a pilot of a TV serial, what does an uncomfortable silence mean during conversations, what are types of burgers, what is a miracle, which pet is better a dog or a pig etc etc.
Dune: Part Two (2024)
A spell binding cinematic experience
This movie is a spell binding experience. It is an almost perfect amalgamation of the various departments of film making starting from screenplay, dialogue, direction, sets, acting, cinematography, editing, music, sound, makeup and costume. With 2 hours 45 minute runtime the movie starts in a slightly sluggish manner but halfway through it picks up momentum and the last 45 minutes is superbly presented high drama. The setting is a desert area of sand dunes, with shifting sands and sand storms unfolding before you as an awe inspiring spectacle. There is intrigue and action with people with mystic masks performing bizarre rituals. The sound effects of whirring machines, vehicles moving through sand and explosions are stupendous. Scenes of the Gladiator arena have fabulous visuals. There are flying aircraft of unusual designs shown carrying out attacks. All with mesmerizing BGM.
Take a bow director Denis Villeneuve for creating this marvel ( pun intended) of a movie of stupendous proportions and for extacting the best from writers, actors and technicians. He has made the scenes totally believeable even though some costumes and make up appear bizarre. Acting wise Timothee, Zendaya and Javier have prominent roles and they have given superb performances. Music by Hans Zimmer is top class. This movie could well be a coaching class for cinematographers , editors and sound recordists. The connoisseurs among the audience in any case will relish each scene.
Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya (2024)
Falling in love with a female robot
I remember seeing a Hindi movie sometime back where the salesman of a clothing department store falls in love with an attractive mannequin of a lady. This over emotional guy has a tough time conveying his sentiments to the mannequin and maintaining his mental balance. In this movie a handsome young man Shahid Kapoor, a robotics engineer, falls desperately in love with an extremely beautiful female robot
( Kriti Sannon) created by his aunt Dimple Kapadia, owner of a robotics company. This situation of their meeting and falling in love was stage managed by the aunt as an experiment to check the reactions of the robot to such emotional issues. However complications develop when Shahid starts planning to marry the female robot to the shock and surprise of his family members.
The plot is fairly new to Hindi films and has been developed well into an interesting narrative. The entertainment aspect has been looked into with a few glamorous dance situations and peppy numbers performed very well both by Shahid and Kriti. One however feels that with a human-robot romance a number of additional romcom situations could have been created. Luckily there are no boring situations, the movie does not drag anywhere and the comedy scenes do entertain.
Lift (2024)
This caper in the air provides escapist entertainment
When you know that it is a heist movie and as per the storyline an aeroplane load of 10 tons of gold is going to be stolen in the air, the possibilities of an over the top, outlandish and audacious narrative becomes high. So the best is to settle down with popcorn, send your brain on a 107 minute holiday, ask no questions, find no faults and sit back to enjoy the movie. I did just that and believe me it works. The plot is about fake art pieces, fake kidnapping and greedy millionaires. The protagonist is an international thief, his girlfriend is an Interpol agent and the others in the group are a pilot , a safecracker, a hacker and an engineer. Together they plan and execute this heist with the help of some thrilling special effects to overcome laws of physics and aerodynamics. This group is able to build a modern plane to fly alongside the plane carrying gold and make it do incredible maneuvers to carry out this task. There are a few hiccups in the execution but with their wit and quick thinking the group members find solutions just in the nick of time.
Director F Gary Gray has done everything to make an exciting movie which offers thorough escapist entertainment. Full marks to him .Maybe a disclaimer saying that don't ever plan such a heist is called for. Or maybe not because such movies can't be taken seriously.
Merry Christmas (2024)
A riveting murder mystery
Director Sriram Raghavan is well known for making good suspense movies. His movies like Andhadhun, Ek Haseena thi, Badlapur had his signature style of storytelling which kept the audience hooked with not a dull moment . This movie is no exception but some may not consider it upto the mark. I agree. Essentially the story develops over a Christmas night and because it is a murder mystery it is hardly a " merry" Christmas for hero Vijay and heroine Katrina Kaif who get embroiled in a murder in her home. If one goes by the filming style I find director Raghavan is clearly influenced by Hitchcock among others and also pays homage to Hindi film makers like Shakti Samanta. He has also very suitably used song " Chor chor" from 70s movie " Raja Rani". The police station scenes are done well. (Watch the guy serving water/tea going about his job in a mechanical manner totally oblivious of the serious questioning going on.)
As it happens in movies of this genre there are a few loose ends but that should not be an issue. Some sequences need to be clarified from the logic angle. The end could have been done more clearly. Set in Mumbai city on Christmas night ( beautiful night time cinematography) with Christian characters like Albert, Maria, Ronnie the plotline is quite convincing. The crisp editing has given a fine pace to the movie. The lead couple have acted well . Sanjay Kapoor impresses in a short role.
Leave the World Behind (2023)
A doomsday scenario
It is difficult to review this movie without getting into spoilers. Some points to mention. At 138 minutes it has a long runtime ( there are 5 parts) and you need a lot of patience to sit through because of some drab scenes in between and they are quite a few. Minus all these redundant scenes the movie could be easily reduced to 100 interesting minutes or so. The movie talks about a sudden world wide power break down and how it could cripple the appliances used in everyday life. This could be the work of hackers or even worse, the work of anarchists. There is uncertainty and mystery all around. There is no information on what is happening. Due to some kind of environmental pollution things get eerie as groups of animals and birds start behaving in a scaring and intimidating manner. Vehicular traffic gets affected and there is chaos on the roads. At such times no one comes forward to help. It seems that you are on your own.
Director Sam Esmail draws up a gloomy, dystopic and apocalyptic scenario which is unduly extended leaving the audience weary and perplexed. He makes considerable use of top view shots and ominous music to create suspense. In between these weird happenings there are long unnecessary scenes full of dull dialogue on philosophy of life in general. As strange events keep taking place Julia Roberts is understandably irritated with her laid back and supercool husband Ethan Hawke. She is egging him to do something and he has no clue. Both have done better movies and this movie was a disappointment. ( I need to see Pretty woman or Erin Brockovich to get over this).
Amar Singh Chamkila (2024)
Diljit lives in the title role of this superb movie
This is a biopic of famous Punjabi singer Amar Singh Chamkila who rose from scratch to great heights due to his singing in Punjab in the 80s. The movie is full of Punjabi songs and director Imtiaz Ali has used animation and documentary format to appeal to a larger audience. The use of different narrators with different points of view along with photos has enhanced the viewing effect. Nevertheless it will be liked more by Punjabi audiences. The attraction is a super soul stirring performance by Diljit Dosanjh in the title role. Every facet, every shade and every nuance of the character has been extremely well projected by him. Supporting him all the way is Parineeti Chopra as his wife and co singer. Hers is also an awesome piece of acting.
Director Imtiaz Ali is back in direction with a bang after a few years. He has presented an engaging narrative of on Chamkila's life with all it's complexities and vulnerabilities. Some basic questions do come up as some elders do some moral policing and want him to stop singing so called obscene songs filled with innuendos..Chamkila says that the public loves these songs and continues singing them leading to tragic consequences. It is a debate of freedom of expression vs tolerance of society. Some real footage of the couple has been used very artistically. The movie has outstanding music by AR Rehman which is used extensively in this essentially musical film. There is some splendid choreography, cinematography and editing too.
Irish Wish (2024)
An enjoyable romcom with attractive visuals
God bless those script writers who keep churning out variations of the classic boy meets girl type rom coms. This movie set in Ireland comes with a twist where an Irish fairy ( Saint Brigida) grants a wish, an Irish wish for heroine Maddie ( Lindsay Lohan) who wants to marry author Paul Kennedy ( Alexander Viahos) but fate has other plans. Waiting in the wings is young and handsome James Thomas ( Ed Speelers). At the beginning of the movie it is clarified by the makers that the word "wish" means "to want something that cannot now happen or that probably will not happen". (Google says so). Later in the film it is said that if the wish fairy wants to act mischievous then you just might get what is good for you rather than getting what you desire. In the movie Saint Brigida not only sets the course of events but also has the power to " undo" events. Serendipity however plays its role and things happen to unite the lovers but not before many amusing incidents take place which include a scuffle by the suitors a few minutes before the wedding.
Director Janeen Damian has made an enjoyable movie despite the fact that the scenes are familiar, we have seen it all before and it has a predictable storyline. It is a light hearted and charming tale. The attraction of the movie is the exquisite cinematography capturing the mesmerizing outdoors of Ireland. The countryside is amazing. These scenes are a visual delight and such scenes are in plenty.
Red Eye (2005)
A top class suspense thriller
Once in a while on a throwback Thursday I try to see a good movie made 20 years back or so. This movie of 2005 is a top class thriller made in a simple orthodox style minus all the technical gimmickry or special effects used nowadays. The narrative is extremely interesting and the suspense builds up slowly but surely leading to a thrilling edge of the seat climax lasting for the last 30 minutes. The casting of Rachel McAdams as a terrified, scared pretty girl and Cillian Murphy as a cold menacing criminal is almost perfect. Both have acted very well and it makes the storyline believable.( Interesting trivia is that twenty years back in this movie Cillian as the villain was planning the death of just a dozen people or so but in 2023 as Oppenheimer he built a nuclear weapon capable of genocide). Rachel is a hotel front office executive travelling to Miami and her co passenger is a charming Cillian who has sinister plans. He blackmails her to become a part of an evil plan and harasses her throughout the flight.
Director Wes Craven has made a gripping movie and a high level of suspense and thrill is maintained as the plot unfolds. The last 30 minutes keeps the audience riveted to the screen. The movie is shot and edited brilliantly. I recommend that you take time to watch this thriller.
Shirley (2024)
Chasing a dream to reach the highest office
The movie chronicles the efforts of the first black US Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm to get a nomination to run for President of the United States. The incidents in her life in 1971-72 are in focus here and the movie is by no means a biopic. ( I am only focusing on the movie since I have no knowledge of real life incidents relating to her). One can see that an ordinary middle class black lady in US is able to pursue her dream to reach the highest office of the land with hardly any resources at her disposal and how she ruthlessly bulldozes her way in the face of adversities. Her husband doesn't think she has any chances and her sister is upset with the ridicule being heaped upon them by the public in general. She doesn't like her staff using the word " Can't " and she lovingly manipulates people to give in to her plans. She is confident and plucky while displaying a cool demeanor when facing issues .( She is described as 100 lbs of nuclear energy). Watch her in her " never say die" attitude even when she gets around 4% of the votes. She is happy making a beginning for others and considers herself as a catalyst for change.
With some good direction by John Ridley Regina King gives a spirited performance and does project the nuances of her complex character to near perfection. In a way she underplays the role convincingly. Regina's sister Reina plays the role of her on screen sister very effectively.
Murder Mubarak (2024)
A whodunit with quirky characters and a cool investigator
In terms of filming and presentation this whodunit seems to be inspired by the " Knives out " franchise and to a certain extent the Agatha Christie mysteries. Not a problem here but the movie has to have a narrative interesting enough to grip the audience attention by its suspense and unpredictability. The movie appears disjointed with a collection of individually well shot scenes edited in an erratic manner. It is a whodunit with the usual ingredients including a collection of well to do people of all shapes, ages and sizes all being interrogated by a Hindi speaking supercool ACP ( Pankaj Tripathi ) and of course there is a dead body which is the reason for the hullabaloo. The storyline is confusing at a number of points. The characters appear too fake ( sophisticated? ) for comfort and no one seems to behave normally. They all behave in a quirky, crazy and cheesy manner. They have been reduced to caricatures. I don't think the filthy rich inspite of their attitude and pride ever behave this way. Inspite of the star studded lineup the movie is a lackluster and a confusing mess. With a botched up storyline and mundane dialogue it falls flat at many places. Artists like Pankaj Tripathi, Vijay Verma and Sara Ali Khan haven't been able to save it. Other artists like Dimple Kapadia, Karishma Kapoor and Sanjay Kapoor have overacted and don't impress at all.
Tiger 3 (2023)
Full on action as Tiger is alive and kicking enemy butt
This one is a full on and non stop action movie which refuses to die down anytime. Salman reprises his role as Tiger and is hell bent on destroying evil forces. After around 2 hours into the movie he is joined by SRK( Pathan) and they together demolish few more guys. ( It is like SRK returning the help which Tiger had given him in Pathan. That's what friends are for.) The movie will thrill fans of Salman, Katrina and action movies. Some fight scenes resemble video games. The stunts are definitely hair raising, awe inspiring , jaw dropping and gravity defying apparently not subject to laws of physics. A couple of jumps by these super men from broken bridges to a chopper in the air are thrilling. They also manage to sky dive and parachute down to safety. And they are expert bike riders too. All this will give you value for money as you munch on your popcorn and you are not supposed to ask questions.
Salman is handsome as usual and carries the movie with his swagger and panache. Katrina looks beautiful and does some good stunts. Director Maneesh Sharma has given a good pace to the movie and has used cinematography/ editing to good effect. Not a dull or boring moment there.
Fighter (2024)
Entertaining movie for masses
It is not difficult to guess why this movie did not do as well as expected despite having top stars and director. The reason apparently is the long duration of almost 3 hours which tends to get tiresome. It is based on real events of an offensive attack on terrorist hideouts and the incidents before and after this operation. Some cinematic liberties have been taken which is understandable. As it happens in movies of this genre there is lots of action both on ground and in the air supplemented with special effects. There is a dash of jingoism, obnoxious villains, romance, family drama all with the background of defence force. The climax is typical rescue mission (" Lets get our boys back" type). It however gets overextended and ends in a hand to hand combat of hero vs villain. The main actors play brave nation loving defence officers with tragic personal back stories which keeps them grounded.
Director Siddharth Anand has packed in all ingredients of popular entertainment. Only a better impact could have been created if he had kept the movie within 120 minutes or so. Since the movie has been made for the masses there is no point finding technical faults in the dog fights shown. The two emotional scenes with parents Ashutosh Rana and Geeta Agrawal Sharma have been handled well and are touching. Actors Hrithik Roshan, Deepika Padukone and Anil Kapoor have done well as defence officers. Hrithik's physique and Deepika's sensuality will please their fans.
Dunki (2023)
Chasing dreams of prosperity through treacherous donkey route
Many people have opined that this movie is not upto the standards set by director Raju Hirani in his earlier movies. I agree. Probably that is the reason why it hasn't done as much business as expected. Though the subject is an interesting one the movie seems to be targeted mainly towards audiences in Punjab. The message is that while the educated
( with college degree) or the rich ( with lots of money) find it easy to emigrate to UK it is the uneducated and the poor who fall prey to greedy agents who arrange to take them illegally in boats/ containers via the life threatening donkey ( dunky ) route.
The movie has a sketchy and predictable screenplay which plays to the gallery for the first 40 minutes with some flat comedy where a group of five from a Punjab village struggle to talk for 2 minutes in English in front of the visa officer. The scenes were without novelty, were repetitive and the effect was lost. Later in a scene the protagonist SRK tells a judge in court that large number of immigrants are good for your economy because it will result in job creation for the locals. Another humorous question asked in the movie.. When the Brits came to India before partition we didn't ask them if they knew Hindi.
The film is however entertaining and watchable due to SRK. Tapsee Pannu is good too. Vicky Kaushal has put in an impressive cameo.
Road House (2024)
Jake Gyllenhaal is the attraction of this action flick
Middle weight fighter Elwood Dalton ( Jake Gyllenhaal) is going through desperate times. Frustrated with his fights in the ring he is on a death wish due to which he loses his car. Thereafter he lands up at Florida Keys to take up the job of a bouncer at the " Road house" , As he alights from the bus he tells a friendly teenager Charlie (who manages a bookshop) that he has come to clean up the place of the ruffians who cause disturbance and damage in the "Road house." Charlie responds " Just like the old westerns?". This then is the one line storyline of the movie.
A number of movies have been made on the larger than life hero who comes to demolish the oppressors and save the innocent . In fact this movie is based on the 1989 movie of the same name starring Patrick Swayze. There is therefore the inevitable comparison. But I am not doing that.
For me this movie is super because of actor Jake Gyllenhaal. Ever since I saw " Nightcrawler " and " The covenant " I am his big fan. This actor has extraordinary talent of becoming the character he plays to perfection. He is super in this movie too and is easily the highlight. He carries the movie throughout and it really doesn't matter who the director and the actors are. There are a number of mean guys without shirts showing their well toned bodies and posturing, threatening and intimidating their opponents. Lovers of action will like this movie . The movie is engaging enough and is full of action scenes assisted with CGI. Notwithstanding the violence the location is shown beautifully. There are some foot tapping music tracks which gives the movie a good pace and keep the audience entertained.
Animal (2023)
All revenge, violence, fury and dysfunctional relationships
As compared to the average Hindi movie this is an unconventional one which has ingredients like unbridled and mindless violence, toxic masculinity, glorification of misogyny, a protagonist who is more of a psychopath on the loose, some skewing thinking of the main characters, nauseating scenes, mind numbing action, apparently no legal system for miles around, loud garish wooden characters, a beaten to death of a vendetta inspired plot, dysfunctional relationships galore, scenes of blood and gore, disturbing and embarrassing scenes, regressive suggestions, highlighting of bold and the atrocious, titillating scenes for the masses and many more unconventional and unorthodox contents which not only will make you squirm in your seat and make you question your sanity in deciding to see this drivel.
The bottom line is however that the makers have raked in millions and are having the last laugh. They are making a statement loud and clear which is "shock the audience with forbidden content and they are not only gonna love it but recommend it to friends/relatives". This approach worked wonderfully for the maker. Gone are the days when heroes were all white and villains were all black. Now the hero is 90% black with a minor portion of goodness. So our hero Ranbir Kapoor is anger and fury personified, he holds grudges, wants to annihilate everything and everybody, he mistreats and insults women and he does obnoxious things. He is unapologetic, irreverent, intense, Intolerant and is out to destroy. He operates a huge machine gun to create nayhem. I suppose all this gives value for money for audiences.
12th Fail (2023)
Rise of the underdog through grit and determination. It has high class direction and acting
The rise of an underdog from his humble beginning to the pinnacle of his ambition makes for good cinema and if it happens to be a true story, then all the better. The dogged pursuit of desire overcoming obstacles, difficulties and adverses has always captured the imagination of writers, directors and actors from years. This is one such story of perseverance, grit and determination. The protagonist is an extremely poor teenager, the son of a poor farmer in rural Bihar who has dreams of making it big as a government officer. The antagonist is cruel and merciless fate/ destiny which places seemingly insurmountable hurdles in his path.
The movie has outstanding direction by Vidhu Vinod Chopra and superb acting by Vikrant Massey. Both deserve all the awards they get and no surprises if they get the National award too. All other aspects of the movie including screenplay, dialogue, cinematography, editing, costume, makeup are top class giving the movie an all round excellence rarely seen in Hindi movies. The scenes of the dusty village, cramped coaching class rooms, the tea shop, the cramming students are all real and rooted to the ground. Not once does anything appear forced or artificial. Vikrant Massey has probably set a benchmark in acting masterclass. The dress he wears, his disheveled appearance, his hesitation to express himself, his shyness, his frustration and agony, his breaking down and his acceptance of reality are all high quality acting and could form a coaching class ( pun intended) for budding actors and for those who call themselves actors.
The message of the movie is clear. Keep pursuing your ambition regardless of failures, start again ( restart) when you fail and never give up.
Sam Bahadur (2023)
Vicky Kaushal excells in the title role in this superb movie
Making a good biopic is never an easy job specially if it is about the highest decorated soldier of the Indian Army namely Field Marshall Sam Manekshaw but director Meghna Gulzar has made a pretty decent movie and has got Vicky Kaushal to deliver his best performance so far. The canvas is wide one covering 40 years of Indian history including a few wars and many memorable incidents. Character development takes place from a Cadet in 1934, to the Burma campaign, award of Military Cross, the action in J and K, his wrongly getting court martialled , the 62 war with China, the 71 war with Pakistan and finally his being made Field Marshall soon after.
Enough meat for the director Meghna to create good drama though there are chances of possible inaccuracies but the talented director sails through with the creation of some good, interesting and absorbing docudrama. Does Vicky manage to pull off the charishma, the panache, swagger, gait, mannerisms , humour and wit of the Field Marshall ? Definitely yes. It never looked fake or a caricature. One can compare Vicky's realistic acting with the videos of the Field Marshall to reach the conclusion that he has done an excellent job. Around a dozen other characters are there in the narrative but the focus remains on the Field Marshall rightly so. A number of popular quotes of the Field Marshall are used effectively like...If a man says he is not afraid then he is either a liar or a Gurkha, Leaders are made not born, The Field Marshall rank is my birthright, We are not political soldiers, Confidence comes from professional knowledge/competence, I am not a yes man, There will be no withdrawal without my written order and I will not give this order etc etc.
To Kill a Tiger (2022)
A father's legal crusade to get justice for his daughter
The movie is set in a small sleepy village in Jharkhand near Ranchi. One morning the villagers wake up to the shocking news that a 13 year old girl of the village has been brutally raped by three boys of the village. The father who is a poor farmer decides to pursue the case legally to get justice for his daughter. Most of the villagers specially women folk want to hush up the case and get the girl married to one of the boys. This is however not acceptable to the girl, the mother and the father. A local NGO and the state agencies turn counselors and advisors.
Director Nisha Pahuja has certainly made an outstanding documentary feature which missed getting an Oscar. The entire legal process of getting justice has many obstacles and the movie shows this with great detail and sensitivity. Through the many artistically framed close ups we get to see and feel the helplessness, anger and agony of the girl and her parents. There are many moving sequences particularly how she is made to memorise her statement by the father and the coolness with which she gets ready for the D day. Really some good story telling which keeps you riveted. The movie throws up some uncomfortable questions and tends to shake up the viewer.
It is heartening to see that 26 producers ( including some well known celebrities) have chipped in to support this timely ,topical and Oscar worthy project which has a universal appeal. It needs to be seen by all.