Movie Review: Don’t Underestimate Shamitabh

Don’t underestimate this movie as another Bhoothnath flick. If you don’t believe me yet, check the IMDB rating. The story is good, acting is better and Amitabh Bachchan is the best. This movie made me laugh and enjoy several moments that includes sarcasm and egoistic remarks shared between Dhanush and Amitabh. Some things did fall apart for me like the lessons given by Akshara in a primary school and the chemistry between Dhanush and Akshara. But I guess it’s ok as per Bollywood standards. What I liked though, is that the movie also had an important appeal with it which makes us think about people who work behind the scenes and never get the recognition.The fact that you will see the names of the corresponding valets in the credits at end, establishes this further.

It also explains how ego can hurt us all if not controlled at the right time. Some of the sequences were simply excellent and succeeded in sparking the targeted emotions. The theme set for Dhanush as a die-hard movie fan, plays an important role in justifying some of his extreme actions. The child like playfulness, the fun loving personalities and the human bonding is portrayed very well.

I also felt that what Dhanush was trying throughout the movie while acting as dumb, Amit Ji pulled off right at the end with much more perfection.

Movie Review: Highway 2014

I gave this movie a rating of 8/10, because it made me think about things that I once pondered upon but then forgot. In the daily rush of life, we often get so involved with our tasks that we forget what we were aiming at. There comes a point in the lives of most of us, when we are performing mundane tasks just for the sake of it. The best way to learn if this is true, is to sit alone and think; why are you doing this? What was your goal when you started? What all things have changed? Do you think what you are doing is not making you happy? Once you find these answers, you will know what you have to do next and more importantly, what you need to stop doing.

This movie is another form of such a philosophy. If you believe in free spirit, if you were once confident about your life’s aim, go watch this movie, and it will help you get back on the right track.

P.S.: Happiness is the answer!

More reviews at: http://www.imdb.com/user/ur23208665

Would you like to live a recluse life?

Just watched another Korean movie called “Castaway on the moon”. A very insightful movie indeed.

We often come across incidents when people lock themselves in a room and cut off from the society. What leads us to think like that? Even animals like birds like to stay in a group, then how can a human being want to be alone? After all, man is called a social animal.

I started by looking into my own thought process. Of course I don’t like being alone but there are times when I just need my space. I tried thinking about the reasons and I couldn’t come up with one that is justifiable. Maybe the mind gets so confiscated that it starts asking for a vacation. But our mind never stops working, so even when we are trying to sleep or just doing nothing, we are thinking about one thing or the other. Which makes me wonder, can we really give our mind a rest by meditation? I have tried meditating, but I could never reach the state when my mind stops questioning. No matter how hard I try to keep my eyes closed and relax, it doesn’t work that way for me.

Coming back to the recluse thing, many of us are already moving towards this lifestyle without even knowing it. It’s natural for us to stay busy with our work and ignore the society. This habit of ignoring then becomes a way of living. For instance, we may stop greeting people, first due to lack of time and later because we just don’t find it comfortable. We get so busy making friends on social networks that we forget how to make new friends in real life. We are so scared of getting duped that we can’t risk to pass a smile to a stranger. This is why I have created a poll:

If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then probably you like a recluse life.

But one is not born thinking like that. It is what the society makes of us and what we make of the society. People may accept us or cast away, we may adjust with them or just run away. Just something we need to figure out.

You can watch the movie with english subtitles here:

Part 1:

 

Part 2:

 

When I watched the Bollywood Movie Kahaani

The word of mouth that I have been getting from all those who watched this movie before me turned out to be true. The movie had an awesome plot and was jumbled very appropriately so that the audience can try connecting the dots while the climax is being planned differently. The comedy elements were placed nicely; for instance, the deplorable guest house in which the main character (Vidya Balan) was staying had a board saying “Running hot water”. Thus, when the manager was asked why there is no hot water in tap, he explains very plainly that it is delivered to the rooms by a kid who RUNS with a hot kettle in his hand and thus it’s called “Running Hot water service”. The humor was also tried with the name ‘Vidya’ being translated as ‘Bidya’ by the Kolkata people.

The quick shots that were showcased in the beginning as well as during some of the songs, were very impressive and showcased Indian culture the right way. From local vendors to the school kids all the routine activities that can be seen in an Indian metro city were demonstrated well.

On one side there were people like the taxi driver and the police officer ‘Rana’ who were kind enough to offer help to a pregnant woman. While on the other hand officers like “Khan” depicted the hauteur and arrogance towards the inferiors.

Vidya has done a praiseworthy job and the emotions of a wife and a mother were very well addressed. Again the shots that accompanied the corresponding scenes were well planned. For instance, during one of the songs there was focus on ‘kids with their parents’ which was well connected with the story.

The feelings that ‘Rana’ builds up for ‘Vidya’ are demonstrated at few points and were handled very well towards the end as he offers Vidya a saree on behalf of her husband.

The last thing I would like to add is that while being a suspenseful flick, this movie not only exhibited the Indian culture but also gave a message that Women can be very strong and impregnable indeed. The reference to ‘Ma Durga’ was made in the same context.

If you know how to care, you know how to love

This weekend I was lucky enough to watch some Korean movies. I have waited for my training to get over, so that I could continue downloading such movies on my laptop as they are not easily available in the market.
After late night party on Saturday I started streaming these movies on YouTube via wifi. With continuous browsing and comparing the comments I ended up watching these three movies in a row:

Love A Holic:
This emotive Thai movie depicted the problems of a married couple. It is full of emotional sequences with some effective comedy elements in between.
The boring lifestyle of the couple leads each of them to try other means of pleasure but they only end up feeling guilty.

The story has been twisted well and maintains the interest as several shots are connected to give a different meaning.

Daisy:

Few are the movies that can portray the feelings this well. Though as for Korean flicks I have experienced many.

The love and helplessness of an assassin who delivers daisy flowers to a girl daily, doesn’t change even when she thinks that the man she has waited for is a detective who was using her as a cover.

The craving for a person and the pain coz of losing the same are depicted well. The inability to express love is emotive.

This movie portrays the true meaning of love; To make sure that the person is happy is more important than getting him/her in your life.

P.S.: If you know how to care, then you know how to love.

You’re my pet:
As I have watched movies all night and was sleep deprived I decided to go for this Korean comedy flick.

An executive woman is having a human pet who is actually a famous ballet dancer.

There are many cute scenes between the master and her pet but this joy adds up to love eventually.

The characters portray innocence and purity other than the fact that the girl keeps lying about her pet. As it’s impossible to understand the complex mind of a girl; I can only guess that she couldn’t tell her boyfriend about it, as she was not sure about her feelings.
Still this reason doesn’t sound good enough to me, but then again her happiness would have mattered more than any justification.

You can find some Korean videos in my YouTube playlists:
Korean Movies: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEC9CDFB896A59357&feature=g-list
Korean Collection: http://youtube.com/playlist?gl=US&hl=en-GB&client=mv-google&list=PL097960FDDDB0711B

Have you ever walked into a movie hall without having any clue about what’s gonna play?

Wrote this on one of the weekends:

It was a lazy Sunday and I decided to employ myself into watching  movies at the multiplex.

First movie-

The Artist: Other than the fact that it has a nice rating(8.3/10), I had no clue about the movie while I was buying the ticket. This is why I was kind of appalled when the numbering started and remained confused till I read the synopsis via IMDB app on my phone.

Why so?
Well I didn’t know that it’s a black and white movie and that too without any dialogues and it didn’t even have Charlie Chaplin!

At first I thought it must be a flashback or implementation of one of those creative ideas that directors decide to experiment with.

I would have left the hall if I didn’t learn that it was released recently.
So I decided to stay as there were no other plans for this sunny day, and guess what?

This silent movie spoke more without words as the expressions and cinematography were just commendable. In simple words I would say: “I loved it!”

There was romance, there was pride, there was regret and the comedy was mirthful.

My favourite actor: The dog of course.

The second movie I watched was “kahaani” but I’ll probably write a separate post for it.

What I liked about the movie Rockstar?

This happened to me recently when I watched the new release by Imtiaz Ali, “Rockstar”.

Ranbir and Nargis

 

I have listened to the songs since the audio release and had already become a fan.
So, I was ready to spend my bucks blindly just to know what goes between those songs. The most effective song is “Kun faya Kun” which depicts how God is there for us, even when the world turns away.
Another song called “Sadda Haq” is an adrenaline-pumping master-piece. Just watch the videos below to understand what I am talking about.

The movie completely lived up to my expectations as I laughed on Janardhan Jakhar, smiled on the naughty talks between the duo and felt my heart sinking as JJ aka Jordan walks through his simple life to a successful yet painful one.

The stars Ranbir(Jordan) and Nargis(Heer) made a perfect combo and portrayed ground-breaking chemistry between the characters.

Heer’s bucket list to be kicked off before her marriage includes the weirdest tasks to do and just if you have enough luck with you, trying this out is surely a great option.

Even though some people find problems with the plot and didn’t like the end, I for one have no complaints at all.
It includes all the things that I like in a typical Bollywood movie, viz. effective comedy, romance that can make you feel butterflies in your stomach, beautiful song lyrics with even more beautiful cinematography, a heart-break and the vulnerability of pain.

If you think that it missed ‘action’, then go and watch movies like scarface or death race. Don’t try to get all things in a single go or you may end up watching a movie like Ra-one which seems to be a flux of all super-hero movies.

So if you think you have a similar taste as that of mine, then go ahead and watch it.

https://twitter.com/#!/speedoholic/status/135085010377113600
https://twitter.com/#!/speedoholic/status/135087528976982016
https://twitter.com/#!/speedoholic/status/135088720813633536

Read reviews elsewhere:

• http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/news-interviews/Rockstar-Movie-Review/articleshow/10690625.cms
• http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/rockstar-review/1/159451.html
• http://entertainment.oneindia.in/bollywood/reviews/2011/rockstar-movie-review-111111.html

Another emotive movie: Koizora

Another Asian movie that can be regarded as tear-jerking. If you like emotional movies and have enough patience to let yourself dissolve into the story, then Koizora is your type. It is not a comedy or action film, but simply an affectional romantic flick.

Note: Following content may contain Spoilers
The movie is about a shy girl  who falls in love with a guy who started calling her on phone as a stranger. Even though she acted reluctant at first, the guy was able to win her heart easily. There are some turns and twists after this. The boy stays by her side and decides to marry her after knowing that she was carrying their child. Though, the baby is no more as she falls down after getting pushed by the guy’s ex-girlfriend. The girl and her lover decides to visit this place every year in memory of their lost child (where they lay the flowers presented by the guy on their first meet).
The guy breaks up with the girl and keeps avoiding her until she gets to know about his disease. A friend of the guy who came at the decided place on behalf of him, reveals the truth.
The guy dies eventually while calling the girl’s name as he sees her through the video call made via phone. He cherished his last moments with his love and wrote in his diary that he will always take care of her by becoming the sky.
The girl decides to live a happy life, while loving… the sky.