Pictured Moving

Watched Johnny Gaddaar finally. It is a slick flick modeled on the 70s bollywood thriller genre made famous by the likes of Vijay Anand. Neil Nitin Mukesh has done both is grandfather the legendary singer Mukesh and father ‘the would have been legendary’ Nitin Mukesh proud. He has the looks to make his presence felt on screen. Enough said about Neil - the plot in the film is the regular deal/heist plot, but what is good is that Sriram Raghavan the director manages to hold your interest till the very end with slick editing and the customary twist at the end. The supporting cast of Dharam Paaji, Vinay Pathak, Rimi Sen, Zakir Hussain and Rasika Joshi also do justice to their roles.

It is a must watch if you want to relive the thriller days of the 70s.

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Watched ‘Mithya’ the quintessential low budget good actors Rajat Kapoor latest venture. Firstly I think Rajat needs to be complimented for not stereotyping his cast in movie after movie that he tends to use them. What comes out of Mithya (essentially means Illusion or Bhram) is a tale of a struggling actor (Ranvir Sheorey - impressive everytime I see him) and his being drafted in the role of a real time Don and his journey through that role. The rest of the cast is impressive as well with the likes of Naseeruddin Shah, Saurabh Shukla, Vinay Pathak, Harsh Chayya and Neha Dhupia putting in realistic performances. Though I heard some people didn’t like the ending but then this is not one of your regular films either which have the predictable ending.

Hats off to the team of Mithya and I would recommend to definitely watch this movie.

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I finally did catch up on Capote and the resuly was amazing. Based on a true life incident of American non fiction author Truman Capote in the run up to his book In Cold Blood, this is truly fascinating. With Phillip Seymour Hoffman in his Oscar winning role, he has been able to catch and execute the emotion of an author caught between his human side and his professional side, besides all the mannerisms of the real Truman Capote. For serious movie fans this is a must watch.

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I watched Akeelah and the Bee yesterday on DVD. I was avoiding it for a long time at my DVD Rental store, but yesterday it somehow landed for my viewing. A moving about the hugely popular and intensive middle school spelling contest called Scripps National Spelling Bee in the US; it shows the journey of a talented black kid all the way to the nationals.

The performances by Keke Palmer (Akeelah) and Laurence Fishburne (Dr. Larabee) are phenomenal. The best part of the movie is a quote that Dr. Larabee asks Akeelah to read - “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate; Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure…” Truly profound! This is a must watch for people wanting to succeed.

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How do the young and restless behave - watch Rang De Basanti to find out. What changes for them in that one tipping point of their lives from no hopers/wanderers to people with a mission however far fetched it may seem. This is a truly inspirational film especially if you are an Indian concerned about the future of this country. This is about fighting the establishment, this is above love, and about finding purpose. All perfomances are well executed, Siddharth and Aamir are the best of the lot, with the rest not so far behind. Alice Patten is cute.

Music gets you dancing in your seats especially tinga dinga dinga dinga ding No prizes for guessing which song that is. Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra hasn’t disappointed in his next film after Aks. He is one of the best “before intermission” film makers I have seen. Overall don’t miss it…and buy/hire DVD only after you have experienced it on the big screen.

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Blasphemy! That’s what the Christian world said when they saw “The Last Temptation of Christ”. It’s been 17 years since the controversy on this Martin Scorsese flick. Deftly executed in terms of the content and cinematography, this movie rakes up a lot of issues on the divinity or rather the humanness of Christ.Got a chance to see it at last and yes even though I don’t call myself a hardliner it did make me a little uncomfortable watching it. I’m of course willing to believe that Martin Scorsese had access to some information that the laity in the christian world is not aware of (read as the non fictional Da Vinci code if there may be).

All in all, I must say do watch it, but with a lot of caution lest you need to question your belief system.

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Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is a well crafted movie. I had to see the original after my disastrous viewing of Charlie and the Chocolate factory“”. This one is much better and more believable than the remake. Gene Wilder is wonderful so is Peter Ostrum as Willy Wonka and Charlie Bucket respectively. The truth of the matter is please leave the classics as they are, do not remake them atleast not in a way that people get to see your incompetence. Also, I’m glad that now I have my own personal copy of the film on DVD. This one is a not to miss especially if the kid in you is still alive and of course if you like chocolates.

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Nagesh Kukunoor of Hyderabad Blues fame is getting better with every movie he makes. Iqbal the story of a deaf and dumb village boy who dreams of riding his dream of becoming one of the men in blue. The struggle he goes through against all adversity is the highlight of this movie, along with performances from Shreyas Talpade who play Iqbal and Naseeruddin Shah. Shweta Prasad who plays Iqbal’s younger sister is also well played.

All in all a feel good movie to watch if you are an ‘underdog’ supporter. Besides if you are a fan of Nagesh Kukunoor’s brand of movies, this one is pretty slickly made.

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Al Pacino, Robin Williams, and Hilary Swank are exceptional in the 2002 murder thriller Insomnia. Slickly shot in Alaska where the sun never sets, this crime thriller is
well executed with great perfomances. It’s unimaginable that you’ll find that Al Pacino and Robin Williams set a wrong foot when it comes to performances, and this one is no exception. Christopher Nolan well known for his crime flicks is one filmmaker to watch when it comes to gripping crime thrillers replete with tight characterizations.

This one needs a rerun because each moment has some tale being told. Needs a keen eye to pick the relationships each of them share and the worlds they live in, and ofcourse how protective they are of their worlds.

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The latest from the Yashraj Films stable and it doesn’t disappoint you. Salaam Namaste is a refreshing look at the westernised concept of a live in relationship. Adeptly handly by debutante director Siddharth Raj Anand and beautifully potrayed by the ever youthful Saif Ali Khan and the dimple cheeked Preity Zinta. The supporting cast of Arshad Warsi, Javed Jaffery and the rest add comic timing that without fail will get you in splits and also add to your cult dialogs or fun dialogs list. Do try spotting the scion of one of India’s premier business houses doing a very special appearence - don’t blink lest you miss him. The director does an hitchcockian appearence as well, but I’m told that it was because the primary actor didn’t turn up.

The movie has excellently picturized exotic locations in Austrailia that make you go and want to settle there. The music is very refreshing and hummable. All in all a great film to go and watch for everyone who is in love or wants to be in love (aren’t we all suckers for that). They could have however done better on the climax than picking it up from Nine Months. Nevertheless, watch it on the big screen for the fresh colors used by the film maker.

Way to go Siddharth for adding your name to the ever growing list of Indian film makers who are making a difference to the film industry.

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