Men In Black 3- Movie Review

Its just 10 years since the last installment of Men in Black came. It doesn’t seem that long though.  MIB 3 looks fresh and fun that it feels like we recently watched its prequels. And throughout the series we have seen the Agent J (Will Smith) & Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones) bond, grow and fight aliens together. Though to me Will Smith looks like he is still in the groove.

So this time around the men in black have to catch the extra-terrestrial serial killer Boris the Animal (Jemaine Clement) who escapes from his maximum security prison on the moon and travels back in time to kill K. Nobody else but J remembers K’s existence. It’s up to him not to venture through time and look for a young K (now played by Josh Brolin) and stop Boris from destroying the world and save K.

Can history be rewritten and K be saved?  Emma Thompson joins the task force as O, (Alice Eve plays her younger self). But amongst everything one will hardly notice them.  The script by Etan Cohen  is fun riffing the ’60s. The casting of Flight of the Conchords‘ Clement as Boris is good. He delivers a good performance but I expected a better stronger villian.  The 1969 segment features the requisite encounters with the era’s racism and hippie culture, but Smith’s boyish charm keeps the screen light-hearted. The movie also  incorporates a couple of big moments from 1969 (The Factory, the Mets World Series upset, the moon landing) into the plot. Also excellent is Michael Stuhlbarg (Hugo) as Griff who knows all the possible scenarios for what happens next, depending on what happens now. His scenes with J and K are the film’s highlights.

Directly Barry Sonnenfeld seems to find his groove once again with the movie. Josh Brolin impersonates Jones in the role of a younger K brilliantly. Brolin sounds and acts exactly  like Jones here. His expressions, mannerisms and delivery are identical. Rick Baker does terrific work on all of the alien creatures here. Overall MIB 3 is fun and Sonnenfeld tells his story in an easy 103 minutes. Even better rite! There is a twist in the tale but I don’t want Spoilers here. The attempt at character development impresses me the most, the need to go deeper, even back in time, to develop character was fun. In a nutshell the third installment is fun and as good as the first. A welcome comeback of the series after the disastrous second sequel. Watch this one for Brolin, Smith and a small cameo by Nicole with a cake. 1969  was indeed a good year for MIB and reminded time travel is fun.

I like the overall look and feel of the film. Go watch it without high expectations and you won’t be disappointed.

Rating- 3 out of 5

The Avengers- SMASH ASS – Movie Review

Handling 7 great comic book characters and link all the stories is a difficult thing. And Joss Whedon impressed me with it. A comic book fan himself, Joss with Marvel’s The Avengers, give us a Hulk Smashing, action packed entertainer. The movie has everything. Action, Comedy, a bit of drama and of course Scarlett Johansson.  Several years in the making, The Avengers concludes a  journey that Marvel Studios  began with Iron Man, and continued through The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Thor and Captain America. And with the hype created by the movie, it lived up to it.  Whedon included clever banter, gripping action and an air of excitement. Whedon has an utter love for comic books, and it is proudly displayed in The Avengers.

The film starts with Thor’s  brother and villain Loki (Tom Hiddleston) teaming up with the Chitauri alien army for his invasion of Earth and steals Tesseract that was seen crashing with Captain America (Chris Evans) into the ocean.   Loki puts Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) and Dr. Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgard) under his spell and sweeps away before the entire facility is destroyed. Meanwhile, Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) heading S.H.I.E.L.D.  assembles the Avengers. Whedon introduces his superheroes one at a time and then make  these superheroes battle each other.  Thor takes on Iron Man, and then Captain America, Hulk takes on Thor and the Black Widow before they all find a way to get along and save the world.

Iron Man as usual is witty, egostic and entertaining in the first half until Bruce Banner gets angry and Hulk sweeps away the second half. Captain America  comes on strong in the beginning but gradually fades.  Clark Gregg’s Agent Caulson returns, and Cobie Smulders makes her Marvel films debut as Agent Maria Hill, and she is a welcome addition. The movie is slick and time will just fly by.Probably the best part of The Avengers are the characters, and Writer/Director Joss Whedon finds a way to make sure that none of the Avengers falls waywide. Mark Ruffalo takes over for Edward Norton as Bruce Banner and excels in that role. Joss also gives us a sneak peak in the next villain with Thanos, who appears in between the credit sequence.

A question remains what are these superheroes avenging, and also how are they talking to each other, but all that doesn’t mattter. The friendly banters amongst each other is fun. The Avengers represents the perfect fusion of an intelligent, witty script. The movie is action packed with a power punch. Whedon provides more than just a standard comic book film, but a story with reason that’s backed up with incredible action and humor. The movie is a comic book fan’s fantasy.Can’t call it THE BEST Superhero movie but surely one of the best and entertaining.

Rating- 4 Out of 5

Paan Sing Tomar- Movie Review- Go Watch It NOW

“Beehad mein baaghi hote hain, dakait parliament mein milte hain”

The movie delivers the punch line at the end. dedicated to all the unsung sportsmen who died penniless. Tigmanshu Dhulia’s Paan Singh Tomar is one movie which Bollywood should be proud of.  After Udaan this was one movie which shows us we still have good filmmakers in the country. (Sorry Karan Johar, I don’t consider you one). Tigmanshu delivers a film about a real life athlete from the heartland of Chambal who eventually becomes a dreaded dacoit. Paan Singh Tomar is what good cinema is. A perfect blend of drama, humour and tragedy. And Irrfan Khan is simply brilliant. Paan Singh Tomar is the journey of an Athlete (for both food and honor) who loses faith in the law enforcement and picks up the gun to seek revenge and protect the pride of his family.

Tigmanshu first encountered the tragic story of Tomar while in Chambal on the sets of Shekhar Kapur’s Bandit Queen(1994) (Another Dacoit film we loved), for which he was Casting Director. He finally managed to bring Tomar’s story to the screen this year after a long gap. The movie starts with a stuttering local journalist (Brijendra Kala) who is going to interview Paan Singh and then the film moves swiftly into flashback.  Biopics are never easy but this one is “one shot on the dot”. The one doesn’t bore you with an art movie sorta feeling but its also not too commercial. Just a perfect blend of everything. Irrfan Khan is effortless and brilliant with the portrayal of Tomar. He is as rustic as required, as raw as desired and he is a viewers delite. Mahie Gill as Tomar’s wife delivers a subtle performance which could have been done by anyone else too.

Tigmanshu Dulia potrays the rustic feel of Madhya Pradesh so well that it sets the tone just right. And the dialogues written by Dhulia himself is another masterstroke. The dialect, the language, the delivery- everything is on the spot. The line – “Beehad mein baaghi hote hain, dakait parliament mein milte hain” says it all. Ok yes the movie is predictable and a bit slow and draggy in the second half but one should watch it because this movie is a rare treat for the way it has been told and made and acted. Watch it for the brilliance of  Irrfan Khan for a role which can be remembered as role of his life. The romance between husband and wife has been handled with gentleness, with sequences such as the couple sends their children to buy “lemon-choos” so that they get some time alone.

The movie touches some serious issues of the Indian sports and Indian sports persons. In a scene where Pan Singh participated in Asian Games at Tokyo , the organizer gave him new spike shoes which become the cause of his defeat because the athlete never practiced with those shoes earlier and sponsors want to show that India can afford spike shoes shows the level of training in the country even applicable today

A biopic which throws a light on the poor conditions of our national level athletes, the unsung heroes who died an unknown death is the perfect synopsis for Paan Singh Tomar. Also, the  film is an excellent critique of how outlaws are often a result of a corrupt and immoral society – nation, which could put into perspective a lot of our views on Naxalites. A quote from the movie, Paan Singh Tomar says it all – ‘In a race there are rules, rules which state that once you have started the race it doesn’t matter if you are ahead of behind or how much time it takes you have to reach the finish line’.

Rating- 4.5 out of 5

P.S – If you haven’t seen Tigmanshu’s Haasil, Sahib Biwi and Gangster please go and watch it NOW

The Descendants- Movie Review

I think I know one winner for this year’s Oscar. And I am quite sure to say that Director Alexander Payne’s family drama “The Descendants” will surely win this years best adapted screenplay award.  Adapted from the novel by Kaui Hart Hemming, The Descendants is all about dealing with the past while confronting the present and contemplating the future. This is a grown-up, perceptive film about family and responsibilities, disaster and salvation with a hint of humane humour. The Descendants is deeply rooted in Hawaiian history with George Clooney playing one of his best roles after Up in The Air.

Clooney plays Matt King, a successful real-estate lawyer in Hawaii.His wife, Elizabeth, has suffered a head injury in a speedboat accident and is in coma. Doctors have given up hope and want to set her free.  Also she has an advance directive in her will, calling for her to be taken off life support so that, as her father (Robert Forster) says to Matt, “she won’t just lay there and spoil — like milk.” Matt has to tell his daughters  Scottie (Amara Walker) and Alexandra (Shailene Woodley), with whom he doesn’t have good relations.  Alexandra is in a rehab school for Drugs and alcohol abuse . When back home She reveals to Matt, how she caught her mother sneaking around with another man, something about which Matt was completely clueless. Then begins his chase t find out the guy, meet him face to face and tell him how he feels and what he wants. The Plot thickens.  Matt’s family, descendants of some of the original Anglo settlers of Hawaii  owns a huge parcel of undeveloped land on Kawai, which the family and cousins wants to sell off and make money out of it.  In his mental state of conflict within himself he fights again all odds to sort out his life and give his wife a good farewell keeping his Descendants tradition and history in place.

Matt is caught in between Ethical dilemmas . The first is the revelation that Matt’s wife was in the throes of an affair in midst of the decision of life support to be taken away. Secondly, Matt has to decide whether to sell of the vast acres of prime Hawaiian real estate handed down to him after generations of ownership by his family.

George Clooney is as suave as ever. Acting his own age,  believe this was a role tailor made for Clooney. Wearing those Hawaiian prints shirts and shorts, he is has portrayed a a with depth and simplicity. One of his best performance for sure. Supporting performances from  Shailee Woodley and Amara. Both impress in their emotional maturity, and Robert Forster makes an impact as an angry and bitter father who has to say goodbye to his “little girl”. Least satirical among all Payne films, this movie is as character driven as the others. The whole story is so well written and acted upon genuinely  that it will make you smile as well has make your eyes water. Character are superbly written and acted.  The Descendants keeps its harder truths about family relationships at bay. Thriving on internal battles and some good performances, the movie is a good watch.

 

Rating – 3.5 Out of 5

Rockstar Music Review- Rahman’s & Mohit’s masterpiece

Rockstar has been one of the most awaited movie of the year. I was most interested to see what kind of music and magic  A R Rahman creates for this one. And I am proud to say he doesn’t disappoint. Imtiaz Ali also raised expectations because of good music in his past two movies and I think his movie delivers it again.

The USP of the album besides A R Rahman’s music is Mohit Chauhan. The way he has been used in each and every song is brilliant and the way he has delivered is also good.  It starts with Mohit Chauhan featuring Phir se ud chala. An inspring song, which sounds very fresh and will just sweep you off your feet. Written by Irshad Kamil, the song is quite good in its lyrics part too but Rahman’s music and Mohit’s voice just croons it brilliantly. A classic Mohit Chauhan song.

Next in is Katiya Karun. Harshdeep Kaur is just perfect for this number. Quite Earthy, quite rocking  with some interesting lyrics.  A fun  song with the tinga linga ling to catch some attention for sure along with the earthy flavor.  Saadda Haq is going to be the next anthem of the country. A Rock song by all means. Now this is a change from Mohit’s crooning voice is Phir Udd Chala to Mohit’s rockstar voice. Rebellious lyrics with some Attitude filled singing  with some brilliant use of guitar and vocals. This is the winner of a track and gonna be a chartbuster for sure. Sadda Haq aithe rakh is a song for many seasons and will make you listen again and again.

Just like the first song  Jo Bhi Main starts off again slowly with Mohit Chauhan and then catches a rock feel that also of a live  concert performance. The guitar is splendidly used in the interludes . And l lines like “Jo bhi main kehna chahoon, barbaad karen alfaaz mere …. Yeah yeah… yeah yeah yeah” are used brilliantly. Another winner of a track.  Kun Faya Kun, is Rahman’s tribute to god and sufi music. Sung by A R Rahman, Javed Ali and Mohit Chauhan, Iwould call this one a sufi rock number. Some call it brilliant, some call it genius, I would say its a masterpiece  from another world.

This album has everthing. From a a rock number to a desi track to a sufi track to now a typical Bollywood number with Sheher Main.Sung by Karthik & Mohit , the song is about the lead star learning to sing. A different arrangement all together where Karthik does the teaching part and Mohit learns. One can see the difference in voices here beautifully. Hawa Hawa is  an experimental number with fusion of  various international music. Mohit keeps the experimentation process in his singing while Rahman keeps it is the arrangement and music and together they deliver a number worth a listen.  Now comes the other Rock track -Aur Ho. A song which starts off on a low pitch begins with Alma Ferovic’s voice turns into a high pitch rock number with Mohit going in the Rockstar mode again. Look for the old Rahman touch to it.  Kavita Subramanium sings  Tum Ko. A light Indian-Western fusion number with some haunting melody. Rahman experiment continues with  Naadan Parindey. Another rock number Rahman style. Full of Guitar, drums, high burst and high pitch vocals Mohit style.

Wait it’s not over yet. We need a Romantic number too. Here comes Mohit Chauhan & Suzanne D’mello’s with Tum Ho . It starts off crooning the theme melody of Rockstar. The song is based on the same lines of Tum Ko but in different style all together.  The Album has three instrumental tracks- Tango for Taj, the Dichotomy of Fame, The Meeting Place. Listen to these three and it will tell you about the Genius of A R Rahman.  Tango for Taj is a three minute instrumental typical Tango track which will make you put your dancing shoes on. Dichtomy of Fame is based on Shehnai and guitars & The Meeting Place, is rendition of a single sentence by Ranbir, based on Rumi’s poem.

The music of Rockstar is like a journey. Every songs takes the journey ahead. Every song is an experiment and I shall say an experiment very well done.  A R Rahman sets a benchmark.Sets a standard for others.  Besides Rahman, this is Mohit Chauhan’s album and he kills in this. Mohit shows what he is capable of. Each song has a variation and Mohit Chauhan adapts to each variation marvelously. Rockstar has everything. From Rock to Indian traditional to romantic to Bollywood to international music with Punjabi, Sufi and Indian flavours. A R Rahman will leave you spell bound with this. The album is not the usual Rahman but still tSufiypical Rahman.  You need to own this album for sure.

Rating- 4.5 out of 5