Reviews
The Fall Guy (2024)
Another example of a blockbuster trailer of an otherwise average movie
Sorry, couldn't agree with the critics giving glaring reviews. I am not sure what they found in the sloppy script and even sloppier direction.
I am giving it 5/10 only for the occasional comedies that made me laugh and the beautiful locations in Sydney. Some of the stunts were truly impressive, but I guess that was a core requirement for a movie about a stuntman.
The chemistry between Gosling and Blunt was lifeless. There was no spark even in the most romantic scenes. Emily Blunt is one of the overrated actors getting a lot of attention in Hollywood nowadays, in my opinion.
The pace was rather uneven, and it did not feel like it was planned - but rather lack of. At times, it felt such a drag that I could not connect to what these characters were doing on the screen.
Not worth spending your hard earned money at the theatres.
Laal Singh Chaddha (2022)
Had every potential to be the most iconic Bollywood movies in recent times.
I would like to start by saying it seems implausible that so many thousands of people have jumped in within hours of the release and yet the theatres are empty! People who are badmouthing so vehemently here, I suspect many of them haven't even watched it yet.
LSC is a masterful adaptation of Forrest Gump in Indian context. The first half is brilliant apart from a few obnoxious gestures of Aamir Khan trying to be over the top to play the character.
The second half had a few heart touching moments, but the pace became too slow and more camera time should have been given to the other characters.
One major flaw was the fellow passengers' failure to recognise the name Laal Singh Chadda since he was already well publicised in the media for his cross country run.
The extension of the Pakistani character's role and his redemption was not necessarily. There really should have been at least one lingering animosity and deadly conflict with LSC in that half to bring a new twist in the adaptation.
I wish the brilliant minds behind this film could have done a better job with the second half.
All in all, the movie is highly watchable.
Extraction (2020)
Creative freedom should not be synonymised with forgoing social responsibilities
I understand Extraction is a fiction and the genre is violent action with superhuman like protagonists. A handful lead actors can easily wreak havoc on an army trained professionals and literally send them to oblivion. But we are not talking about Avengers or Thor here.
It becomes a problem when a production like this creates an allusion that the story setting and production design of the movie is 'the' true presentation of a real country, and it's capital, people and armed forces. Especially, if that country is the main setting of major Hollywood production for the first time ever.
The production team might have taken some 'plateshots' of some filthy, dingy, overcrowded outskirts of the capital city of the story, which is fine, but that seemed to be the only thing to say about the city. The real nicer locations (not some artificial set) and millions of well educated middle class residents of the same city are totally missing. This is wrong, in my opinion.
The law enforcement agencies as a whole have been portrayed as utterly corrupt and incompetent. Almost every single members of the force seemed to be chasing Chris Hemsworth and his band of hired guns like spellbound insects heading to light traps to meet their brutal ends. Explosions, gun fires, car crashes all happening nonstop in overcrowded and narrow suburban streets with complete disregard to many many innocent lives to save only the life of a kidnapped son of a drug lord. And this is somehow a redemption for the protagonist that audience should empathise with or even deem heroic!
It is very unfortunate to see how a respectable movie personality like Chris Hemsworth may have tarnished the image of a country (he most likely has never visited) and its people in the name of fiction and entertainment.
Dracula Untold (2014)
Another abashedly malicious attempt to defame Muslim rulers
Thank God that general audience has turned away from this wretched plot of some Hollywood producers!
Whilst the movie must be a delight to the people who have animosity towards Muslims (rightly or wrongly) and want to see the whole history in the light of the recent rise of Islamic militancy, for anyone with some insight into the most widely accepted history and common sense this movie has only one aim in its heart; malign the history of the golden age of Muslim rulers.
No one argues how formidable a warrior Mehmet was, but creation of barbaric soldiers by prolonged torturing of captured youths from enemy territories, where the hell did it come from? Perhaps from the concept of creation of Orcs from Elfs in LOTR. And then trying to show the Muslim Turks' torture and training had originally turned young Vlad into "The Impaler", that's utterly disgusting.
In all honesty, I don't see much difference between creators of this type of movies and radical Muslim clerics who preach hate. They just use different media and audience to propagate lies and hatred.
Apart from a few visual effects, the movie is a failure.
Veer (2010)
A Missed Opportunity
Veer's production budget was rumored to be around Rs 50 crore. Obviously that raised my expectations to a new height. Had my fingers crossed and hoped that Salman Khan might have finally delivered something laudable. But within 10 minutes into the movie, I knew that I was going to be greatly disappointed, once again.
The story was simply absurd. Any story on the struggle for independence against British Raj should not be narrated with so much surrealism. The viewers must be somehow influenced to be sympathetic and respectful to the characters who fought long and hard to win our freedom. Instead, the movie felt like a stupid joke at times and many people inside the theater started laughing. In the process of writing a period movie, the writer seemed to have been lost in time a few times. Certain parts of the story (in London) felt too modern to be early twentieth century. If Mangal Pandey ought to be criticized for lacking sense of proportion then I am not even sure what to say about Veer.
Salman Khan should consider some training in serious acting. His expressionless face became a burden to watch at times. He should realize that it is time for him to come on the screen as the character, not as Salman Khan. The lead actress was equally inept in her role. Mithun Chakravarty was melodramatic as usual, but he was bearable. The quality of the English actors was mostly poor.
I must admire the technical aspects of the movie though. The sets, costumes, artifacts, decorations, computer graphics, cinematography, etc were one of the best I have seen in Indian movies. Editing could have been better. Some of the fight scenes and stunts seemed old school and felt flimsy in comparison to standard Hollywood action movies.
Anyway, I believe such astronomical production cost and efforts could have been much better utilized on a story from Ramayan or Mahabharat.
Fanaa (2006)
A complex love movie with a brilliant second half
Fanaa is a complex movie. Aamir Khan has continued his trend of working on unusual plots and delivering extraordinary performances and Kajol has outshone Aamir on many occasions in the film.
The emotional intensity of the movie gets to the core of the viewer's heart. It may help people to look at the Kashmir issue from a different angle but it does certainly portray one fact, and that is a seemingly ruthless terrorist can actually be a simple and kind man fighting for his land's freedom. For him, making judgement on greater good or lesser evil is a constant struggle. Even though Rehan (Aamir) did not derail from his cause (terorrism apparently) till the last breath in his body, he will draw sympathy from the viewers.
The splendor of light, sound and colors in big budget Hindi movies is achieving new heights every day. Viewers will be simply spellbound to the screen during most of the song sequences. The music of the movie was like a breath of fresh air. The viewers will also enjoy a ride of convincing and innovative action sequences.
The first half of the movie could have been made better though. Sometimes the pace felt a little off. The constant exchange of poetry did feel irritating at times. Perhaps, if Aamir could shed off a few kilos, things could have looked a little more natural. It was also unusual for a blind Muslim girl like Zooni (Kajol) to indulge into a physical relation with Rehan (who did not pledge any commitment to their relation) so early. But I guess these things follow typical commercial Hindi film unofficial rules.
Overall the movie is certainly worth watching and, compared to most of the Hindi films, quite a unique one.
Mangal Pandey: The Rising (2005)
An Almost Perfect Masterpiece
What is the definition of a good movie? Has there been any movie ever made that satisfies everyone's definition of a good movie? Perhaps not.
My definition of a good movie is something that commands my attention from start to end and that helps me exercise my intellect. A good movie makes me feel good when I talk about it.
A good movie can belong to any genre and can definitely have its own style (sometimes completely original). The Rising did not have a focus on the character development of all of its lead roles, like a typical movie, but that seems to be intentional. It was a little frustrating to see some movie experts dwelling on that issue.
The rising is about the character transformation of an idealistic but confused man called Mangal Pandey. It shows how he realized the true meaning of freedom and how it was passed on to an oppressed nation. The minute details of his personal life did not need any depiction in the movie. That could stir up even more controversy especially for some people in our subcontinent who need so little to feel offended and create chaos. The movie also shows the genuine remorse of a great soul like Captain Gordon who constantly tried to bring balance between rule and fairness. Hundred years old history became alive in the remarkable performances of the crew and the cast in this movie.
The movie is a masterpiece in almost all aspects. I sincerely have not seen many Indian movies of this standard. The only criticism I would have is the placement of the holy festival which could have been discarded in favor of showing more development of mutiny preparation, politics of the Indian kings and above all some more drama. The last 15-20 minutes seemed to have hasted a bit. The dance sequence of the two gypsy girls also felt a bit out of place.
Overall, I must say that I felt deeply satisfied after watching this movie.
The Passion of the Christ (2004)
A strong message of love and forgiveness
I think this movie has unleashed a new era of movie making. I don't remember seeing any movie like it. The beginning of the movie, the optimum pace of gradual unfolding of pain, suffering, deceit and love, the raw emotions on everyone's face and voice, the angle of the shots, etc were simply incredible.
I agree that a lot of people can find it violent and bloody and I would definitely recommend them not to watch this or the movies like Gladiator or Hannibal. But I don't agree with the idea that we should not make movies which might upset a certain group of people even though the movie is based on stories regarded as facts by the majority of the world population. We should all try to accept the fact and learn from it.
I don't think the movie encourages hatred against anyone in any way. I strongly feel it teaches us to be passionate about our beliefs and to try winning hearts of others with love and compassion