How does one get through an entire role without changing expressions? Ask Sweeney Toad..err Todd. Johnny Depp has made it an art form to get through a role without changing expressions. Even a toad has more expressions than that. He did that in Edward Scissorhands and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. But this is not about Johnny Depp, this about the a successful musical not being let to just be, but going ahead and celluloiding it.

Why on earth would anyone keep repeating the same mistakes over and over again? Nothing really to say about this, thankfully my flight ticket paid for this movie. Also helped me catch up on my much needed sleep.

Sorry JD, hopefully you will do better in Shantaram.

My Take: Eeeks! ■■■■■

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.

My Take: Yeah! ■■■■■ 

I watched this movie pretty much at my better half’s insistence. I was expecting a mush romance which it eventually also turned out to be. But this one is a fairy tale set in modern day New York. Nothing expectionally great about this movie except that the good ole musical seems to be back. Storyline is standard mish mash of a fairy tale and a standard hollywood romance so nothing is out of the ordinary. If you have to watch this get your hands on a rental DVD. The musical extravaganza in the songs is a treat to watch.

My Take: Hmmm! ■■■■■

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.

My Take: Yeah! ■■■■■

Welcome? Firstly I wonder why would anyone name their movie ‘Welcome’. This mindless comedy that also has become Akshay Kumar’s 4th hit of the year dilutes the coming together of two powerhouse performers Anil Kapoor and Nana Patekar after Parinda.

Why on earth would anyone make such a movie? The comedy is slapstick with some innuendos. Katrina Kaif is supposed to only look pretty while Mallika Sherawat walks away with the meatier cameo.

Ok I’m sorry I took my mind with me - didn’t do full justice to it. But then when you pay Rs. 200 for a movie you do expect to get some return. Right? Watch it at your own risk…preferably through cheap DVDs available in the market for less that Rs. 100.

My Take: Hmmm! ■■■■■ 

If you want to see an editing masterpiece this is one of them. The true display of non linear narration is in movies like these. Amores Perros or Love’s a Bitch is a Spanish flick with English subtitles. Directed by the acclaimed Alejandro González Iñárritu of Babel fame this movie keeps you to your seat till the end. Excellent performances from the entire cast. A must watch and if you are a movie connosiuer you should have this in your DVD collection.

My Take - Wow! ■■■■■

Let me first admit that I’m not a fan of fiction or fantasy books, especially the latter and I always feel that tto he Harry Potter series is a media beast that is thrust on is. It is like if I have not read or seen Harry Potter then I’m this ‘atheist’ of this world. So I succumb to this and end up to watch ‘The Order of the Phoenix’.

I ate popcorn, snoozed a little, saw a little, was bored a lot and walked out of the theatre feeling what on earth do these Potter fans see in this movie or book (I can’t comment on the book as you know why by now). Maybe I’ll watch the next one in Hindi, probably then I’ll enjoy the movie.

Less said the better - I’m just waiting for some doofus to tell me whether Harry Potter will live or die in part 7 and rest in peace.

My Take: Huh! ■■■■■

The answer is a vehement NO. Basically I have been conned by the trailers of the movie. If they would have done half the justice to the movie that they did to the trailer this would have been a fun flick to watch.

Partner is a contexualized copy of the Will Smith hit Hitch. While the latter was very well made and had good performances from Will Smita and Eva Mendes but this much touted David Dhawan - Salman Khan - Govinda comedy leaves a bitter taste in the mouth and a gaping hole in the pocket.

Way too much hamming and slapstick comedy, this movie is best avoided unless you are a desperate fan of any of the three. Save some money and wait for your cable guy to show it.

My Take: Eeeks! ■■■■■

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.

My Take: Yeah! ■■■■■

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.

My Take: Yeah! ■■■■■