If I've criticised your favorite book/movie/music album please don't feel offended.
WARNING: Some spoilers here; if you intend to watch/read any of the listed movies/books, watch out!
Movies
| Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull | This is more of a tribute to the entire Indiana Jones series that teams Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, John Williams and Harrison Ford. The characters were visibly older in the movie. The plot was reminiscent of Spielberg's childhood fantasies. This movie finally made it to the Box office after Spielberg rejected several versions of the script. Most of us fans were even watching out from other Lucasarts fan portals to find out whether this sequel was just a rumour. It was indeed a pleasant surprise when it was announced. Shia LaBeouf has done justice to his role. I remember him as the kid from "Constantine" and later his role in The Transformers. For all those who had enjoyed Harrison Ford with his whip and hat, this is a nice last appearance not to be missed by Harrison Ford fans. |
| The Chronicles of Narnia - Prince Caspian | Well, aside from the romantic view of Narnia and over-reliance on Aslan, this movie has sabre wieding mice. It's enjoyable for the crowd who'd be interested in the series. But I have to be brutally honest in mentioning that this doesn't have the touch of fantasy, and worse still is too predictable. I bet the girls would want to take a look at Ben Barnes who plays Prince Caspian. I remember watching him in an earlier fantasy flick, Stardust which seemed to be better than this one any day. I havent read C.S. Lewis at all, so I wouldn't want to comment on his writing. But Neil Gaiman strikes a better fantasy note with Stardust and the film pays good tribute to it. Wait a minute, which movie was I reviewing? |
| Jodhaa Akbar | Hrithik Roshan plays the role of India's historically famous Moghul Emperor, Akbar. He had the right physique and height to portray one of the most famous figures in Indian history. I like historical flicks, but after this one, I prefer not too much a mix of romance with history. With modern historical epics trying to show either alternate history or a graphic illustration of those times (thanks to CG), this one comes quite close. After the success of Dhoom II, Aishwarya Rai seems to have been paired with Hrithik Roshan. I wasn't sure this was the right choice for both the actor and the movie. The Indian historical movie festival is yet to begin and this is hardly a great starter. The battles at best are just okay for CG with no illustration of battle tactic. The role of the young Prince Jalaluddin (later Emperor Akbar) is belittled in the Second Battle of Panipat. Some of the historical detail is inaccurate including the romantic plot. But that probably helped Ashutosh Gowariker sell the movie in a space where earlier flicks like Ashok failed. The idea of the controversial Hindu-Muslim matrimonial alliance shown in the movie is also debated by several scholars. Akbar is shown to be too ideal and too correct to make administrative mistakes or commit acts of violence which is against historical accounts. The historical Akbar, was certainly no peace-lover. He might have been a good administrator to have earned the title "The Great." (literally Akbar.) Attempts to use the authentic Persian/Urdu did not come out well either. If you have time to kill, this movie is worth it. |
| Guru | This is one more Indian movie in the list. Mani Ratnam is known for creating biopics, particularly of people who are still living. At least, in this case, his main character is thankfully not alive. However, to stay out of trouble this time, he says the movie is "Fiction" and not based on the story of the creator of Reliance Industries. |
| Blood Diamond | This year, Hollywood has continued its abysmal mess of creating very few films worth watching. However, Blood Diamond was labeled by most movie review websites as a movie with a message. It does have good actors (Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Connelly, Dijmon Hounsou) coupled with good (not excellent) cinematography. However, the movie joins the ranks of all those movies which talk about chronic political issues that have never been solved. The movie tries to stay away from showing too much of blood and gore (so there's just the rifle fire and dead people) to give the audience a taste of grim reality. There are better movies like "Havana" in this class made much earlier. Hollywood has lost its interest in making good movies of late. This started with remakes of Batman, Superman and a good deal of retrospection.My verdict; the movie has a message - " maybe I need a better pastime than watching Hollywood movies." For one reason, I hate characters who are marksmen (DiCaprio as a Rhodesian mercenary) and heroes most of the time. I like movies that are a bit more realistic. Despite all the criticism, the movie is worth watching. The characters breathe life and hope, unlike similar movies whose only point was to highlight the hopelessness (e.g. Beyond Borders.) |
| Omkara (2006) | I don't write much about movies made in India out here, there are of course exceptions you can spot down here. I have taken an admiration to Vishal Bhardwaj's interpretation of Shakespeare. It started with Maqbool (an adaptation of Macbeth, in a style I haven't seen before.) I dismissed that as a one off attempt. Now, with Omkara, he has also allowed more actors to play challenging roles. Most people I enquired told me that the movie was good to start with, and then became uninteresting. I finally realised that they had to feel that way as Vishal actually gave everyone an Icy stab of tragedy in the latter half of the movie, in a way only he could deliver it. Othello being one of the four renowned tragedies of Shakespeare. It has Saif Ali Khan playing an awesome role, almost eclipsing Naseeruddin Shah and Ajay Devgan. It also has Konkona Sen blending into the Bihari landscape quite comfortably as she takes on any role. Anyone who loves adaptations of Shakespeare, ought to seriously watch this movie. The music again, is by Vishal Bhardwaj (being a music director earlier in his career) and that too blends with the film. His critics have labeled him as a one-style movie maker, but I'd disagree any day. There have been so many adaptations of Shakespeare, but his works stand out. He denies that these are pure Shakesperean adaptation but the movies spell contrary. |
| Pirates of the Carribean (Dead Man's Chest) | Want to watch a movie that doesn't have a serious plot and was meant to just entertain? This movie does exactly that, it entertains. The world is not coming to an end, nobody's there to stop that from happening; and no the humans aren't under threat from alien creatures in weird flying saucers. Don't watch this movie if you aren't a fan of Johnny Depp. This movie revolves around the character he plays (Capt. Jack Sparrow - The Pirate.) Well, if you're after Orlando Bloom, the story also revolves around his character (duh!) There are enough old-sea tales that are pulled in starting with Treasure Island (which is obvious from the name), The Flying Dutchman, The Kraken - made immortal by Alfred Lord Tennyson. The music from Hans Zimmer is enough to make you want more, and adds the eerie yet fantasy world feeling as you watch the movie. Adding to that the word Kraken literally means twisted (from its Swedish root), and that's how the plot goes. The goofs in the movie are hardly noticeable if you're watching it for the first time (... wait a minute, did I watch it again?) And for those after easter eggs, The HMS Edinburgh is also sailing in this time (I remember it was built only in 1939.) There's much more for people who aren't just seeing the superficial movie and look into the artistic handiwork behind it. All I can say is, watch this movie and be "entertained." |
| Memoirs of a Geisha (2005) | A movie with several Oscar nominations which I wanted to see. The movie, in most likelihood like the book concentrates on revealing the system of The Geisha as it was before the first wave of modernisation took over Japan. It also does attempt to concentrate on the life of an individual played by Zhyang Ziyi and tries to provide a romantic perspective; one that is lost in focus. However the director failed to capture the strong emotions of personal rejection and superficial acceptance of the way of life that needed to be illustrated. In more ways, the movie was not just about a Geisha, it was about the way causality shapes human lives today and how little we seem to be able to do about it. Despite Michelle Yeoh, Ken Watanabe adding on strong and subtle performances the movie fails to make a strong impact due to excessive westernisation of the theme. The movie, being quite long requires quite some time and patience in watching. |
| The Final Cut (2004) | Styled the Philip K Dick way, this is more subtle and peaceful than Phil's themes that reach out too far into the negative possibilities of the future. This one is on recording the better part of human history erasing the darker parts of one's life. It is both reflective on history as well as how we'd treat the same recording of history in the future attempting to eliminate the darker side of ourselves. The movie is loosely based on the concept of Sin Eaters. It has an impressive cast in Robin Williams and Jim Caviezel supported by Mira Sorvino and a host of others. The film is written and directed by Omar Naim, a person little known for his works in Hollywood and seems to have a career that started out only in 1999. I liked the movie for the concept, the pace, lesser emphasis on the technology in use. It still does classify within the Cyberpunk category if you've watched Johnny Mnemonic. But nothing is overdone here and makes pleasant viewing. |
| The Jacket (2005) | Another movie filled with good acting, an attractive story line that has far too many twists that do make it enjoyable. Similar plots and story-lines have been tried in the past relating to experiences of people undergoing sensory deprivation. This one actually takes an odd tangent and I don't want to spoil it for those who haven't yet watched the movie. To start with, we have Adrien Brody (who won an academy award for his performance in The Pianist), Keira Knightley playing an awesome role. Director John Maybury doesn't have too many feathers on his hat, and this might just set it right for him. Although I haven't seen any of his earlier films (dating back to the 1980s), It seems that they might have a similar style. He seems to have perfected his style by this movie. Interestingly Kelly Lynch is almost invisible in the movie with the part she plays, and Jennifer Jason Leigh also has a bit of screen time, but the focus remains with the main character almost from start to finish. The acting and portrayal of the characters and the twisted plot dominate the movie so much that cinematography and background scores go almost unnoticed. This movie is quite a surprise for the first time viewer and it doesn't cram you down with boredom like movies with similar plots in the recent past. There's not much memorable dialogue to quote as the story and acting become the centrepiece. |
| War of the Worlds (2005) | Initially some of the reviews I read were not too positive (and 6.8/10 on IMDB didn't look too good) about the movie so I decided to wait a while. I ultimately decided to watch the movie looking at the Spielberg tag and having enjoyed H G Wells' work on paperback. I enjoyed every bit of the movie. Tom Cruise does play a character who works out to his profile which kind of fits the fact that he is separated. His notion of running away rather than trying to fight back is maintained throughout the movie. That makes him a nice spectator to the start of the events and to the end as he runs (and that's how H G Wells had it written.) Great acting by Tom Cruise and Dakota Fanning. The little girl once again steals the limelight after "Man on Fire." I read reviews where some seemed irritated by the fact that the "visitors" without no attempt from our side just fall down and are impossible to fight. Of course there is one thing I don't like about such movies, particularly disaster movies like "The Day after Tomorrow" - "happy endings" [spoiler] after all stark and graphic portrayal of a disaster; maybe Spielberg had his reasons, but that blew it for some people who like movies filmed to the book not to have script or thematic additions that deviate. Actually, I like the idea of sticking to the book here instead of showing Independence Day (there's a cheeky reference in the movie to this) like crap of uploading a cybernetic virus (gagh!) The one nice thing Spielberg manages to do is never have anyone mention the word "alien" or "Mars" as in the original. In fact, this would be one of the earliest works in literature exposing our fear (rather terror) of first contact. John Williams is back with Spielberg at what he does best. Nicely filmed with absolutely no attempts at heroism, graphic depiction of over-reaction by people in mobs and extremely graphic depiction of ... well watch the movie and find out ... |
| Sin City (2005) | This was the first movie that exactly gave the feel of a comic book. My comic loving friends would know better. I liked it for a unique artistic style, with a guest directorial touch by Quentin Tarantino. The cast was long with babes - Rosario Dawson, Jessica Alba, Devon Aoki, Alexis Bledel, Brittany Murphy and quite a few well known guys, Rutger Hauer, Mickey Rourke, Bruce Willis, Elijah Wood , Michael Clark Duncan, Clive Owen, ... For one, the movie was dark, but not gruesome (no graphic blood and gore). It didn't tell a story (in the conventional way), but rather revealed the graphic landscape of the comic. It had special effects that fit the style including speeding 60's style cars, stylised to fit the art. The nudity was happen stance, and one interested in the comic style of the movie would hardly be distracted. It comes as no surprise to me that Sin City 2 is on its way in 2006. Still, impressive though as it was, I would love a closer-to-movies plot set in the midst of this styled landscape. Owing to the narrative, the actual movie score is less audible, but fits the movie (never too loud though.) I haven't met someone who's been feasting on Frank Miller's work to really know if the movie was close to his real work, but I bet it is. With Frank himself playing a role in his movie, I am sure there are enough Easter Eggs in here for comic lovers. Watch this movie for style, action and staggered screenplay. It's also fetched a 8.4/10 on IMDB. IMDB ratings seem to mean something! (Actually "Graphic Novel" describes Sin City better than "Comic".) This is Miller's first serious Directorial début; Hats off to him. He's already written screenplay for two Robocop (2,3) movies. |
| Kingdom of Heaven | Orlando Bloom likes playing blacksmiths, no doubt about that. (Remember Pirates of the Caribbean!?) He did fit the role of Balian the younger, and the story is supposed to arouse mutual religious respect. (A noble cause indeed, in our troubled times.) The Battle scenes were well portrayed and Salahudin is also played well by Ghassan Massoud (his debut in Hollywood?). Ridley Scott's keeping up his reputation. The film carries the message that the Crusaders were misplaced in trying to build the Kingdom of 'Heaven' on land in Jerusalem. I must say, Harry Gregson Williams has ripped off a little music from "The Thirteenth Warrior" which had a truly nice theme from Jerry Goldsmith which in turn seemed to have ripped some parts from "Air Force One" by John Williams. |
| Constantine | Whew, finally the movie I was waiting for! A movie with Angels, Demons and a twisted fate hidden inside. A reminder of Keanu Reaves in "Devil's Advocate" albeit with a sorry looking Satan (no, no one comes close to Al Pacino when playing Lucifer, except maybe Gabrielle Byrne [End of Days]). Awesome graphics, plot, adventure story that could well have been a kind of swashbuckler of the modern day. I loved the movie and every moment of it. It isn't meant to be a scary movie although the creatures it deals with do look scary at times. Many wonder why it isn't classified as a Horror movie, it clearly isn't one. Rachel Weisz too plays a memorable role in the movie. This movie is not to be confused with the DC/Vertigo comic, Hellblazer from which the character (and the plot) originates. Comic followers probably hate the plot, the movie and the cast. The last time they made a movie to the comic book, (Daredevil), people who didn't read the comic book (a good majority) didn't seem to like it. The decision on whom to please is quite a difficult one. They seemed to have achieved this in the first version of Spider-man, but didn't quite stick to it in the second, although those movies received better ratings. |
| Cleopatra (1999) TV | Timothy Dalton as Julius Caesar and Billy Zane as Marc Anthony was real good casting. Even Leonor Varela as Cleopatra fit in really well. This made for TV production has an accurate depiction of Caesar's defeating of Ptolemy and Arsinoe (Cleopatra's half brother and sister). However, there's a lot missed out, like Caesar angered by the presentation of Pompei's head. The initial meeting and the later passion between Cleopatra and Caesar is depicted correctly including the fact that she was not let into the city of Rome but had to stay in a palace outside the city being not a Roman. However, the murder of Caesar, the behavior of Octavian are not accurately shown nor is the punishment of those who killed Caesar. Her alleigance to Marc Anthony against Octavian is depicted quite well and her intentions of begetting a girl child from Marc Anthony to create the rightful heirs to the throne of Alexandria are not depicted well. Marc Anthony was not master of the horse when accompanying Cleopatra to Rome nor was Caesar dictator for life, he had given it up before his travel to Egypt. These misconceptions make the movie inaccurate. |
| The Aviator | Finally, I got to lay my hands on an English subtitled version of the movie (as DVD) and also had a Hindi Language track. So I saw the movie twice and enjoyed the adaptation of Tagore's play by Rituparna Ghosh. The casting has worked out right with Aishwarya Rai as the bold Binodini. I've seen Prasenjit Chatterjee once earlier, and he's done a wonderful job too. The movie doesn't have the usual slow pace that many earlier Bengali movies I've watched had. I liked the pace, the boldness of Tagore's subject, the neat casting. However, the background score doesn't seem to be there. |
| Veronica Guerin | An Irish journalist who risked her life, her children and everything to bring to light the drug cartel in Ireland. She lost her life doing so, but brought down the crime rate by 15%. Cate Blanchett plays a strong role in the movie, trying to show enthusiasm, energy and limitless cheerfulness to the public while she fears for her own self, for her own son and hides these dark feelings. 1994 to 1996 was her year of glory after which she was shot down on her car in cold blood. The courage and the guts of the real Veronica are beyond imagination. She confronts every adversary headfirst and never fears anything. This portrayal is almost as real as the real Veronica Guerin herself. |
| Raincoat | The only early Rituparna Ghosh movie I have watched is Choker Bali, which I watched in Bengali with no subtitles (and understood little of it.) This movie, was _not recommended_ by Ravi, but mentioned as a _to watch_ by Aditya. I enjoyed every minute of it. Extremely artistic film making, an 'O Henry' approach to the story, with a Maugham like touch through it. Of course, coupled with the originality of 'Rituparna', this movie made my day (err... night). It's a bit on the depressive side (I wonder whether 'O Henry' believed there was a joyful side to humanity at all), but has a very theatrical and artistic touch. It is meant to be watched as a play and not a real life drama. Although Rituparna has made that thin line almost vanish through his movie. Ajay Devgan and Aishwarya Rai have given good performances, although Ms.Rai seems a little stereotypical of her role in Choker Bali, Ajay can do wonders and seems to love acting. I recommend you watch this movie, Two(2) hrs of your time when your mind is pensive and blank. Actually Ms.Rai's role was offered to Nandita Das who supposedly refused it as she hadn't been considered for "Choker Bali". But Rituparna's actually made Ms.Rai's acting and style work well within the bounds of the movie. |
| The Hudsucker Proxy | I watched this movie on "HBO" (being on a holiday with no multiplexes around). With Tim Robbins and Paul Newman, this was a hilarious movie with a connection to Wham-O (the inventors? of the hula-hoop and later, the frizbee). It's not a slapstick, but has it's funny moments. It's also a "feel-good"ish film, worth the time. It's got a worse-than-dilbert portrayal of corporate life (if that sounds interesting). |
| The Human Stain | If you liked "The Hours", you want to watch this movie (gosh I'm beginning to sound sarcastic). Anthony Hopkins, Nicole Kidman, Ed Harris, Gary Sinise - whew, call that a cast? Absolutely awesome acting, dialog[ue] and some content (unlike 'The Hours'). I don't even remember the background score, hours after watching this movie. Beyond the content, there is an element of depression highlighted in this movie (my wait for the 'lift_your_spirits' movie is still on!) This movie is directed by Robert Benton of Kramer vs Kramer fame. |
| Man on Fire | A movie with a trailer I didn't like. I was expecting a lot out of "Tony Scott" (of 'Top Gun', 'Crimson Tide', 'Spy Game' fame) and he delivered! The movie has a cute little girl (Dakota Fanning) who's exceedingly sweet and adorable. "Denzel Washington" is realistic in his portrayal of an ex-US marine. The movie gets a bit graphic in the latter half, but is worth your time. It's got a background score that blends right in. |
| I, Robot | Bold attempt to showcase the Asimov universe by Alex Proyas. (I've seen one of his earlier movies - "Dark City" and liked it.) The movie is well made and the special effects aren't wasted. I enjoyed it for the storyline and good casting. The only spoiler was the inconsistency with the Asimov universe that ought not to be, but was part of the main story theme. Most hardcore Asimov fans wouldn't really like the way the laws are being interpreted on-screen. It's definitely worth watching and joins the likes of "Minority Report" with its action-packed recipe. "Bicentennial Man" still remains the best depiction of the Asimov universe ever, and I doubt anyone can do better in the near future. |
| The Hours | This movie is probably best remembered for Nicole Kidman's Oscar winning performance. With her rubber nose, she's barely recognizable through the movie. The movie has all the elements of impressive screenplay and compelling acting. What it lacks is a good story-line. It delves into the topic of depression and suicide hovering over the lives of three different people without a plot surrounding it. I recommend not to watch it alone (and never when you're depressed) because of the strong message it carries. Philip Glass has made a memorable background score, one that I liked a lot. |
| Taking Lives | I hadn't expected much from this relatively unknown director D J Caruso (known for the 'Smalville' series). The cinematography and the suspense element for most part of the movie was impressive. Ethan Hawke delivers a nice performance in the movie. Angelina Jolie plays a stereotype of her role in the Bone Collector (and couldn't keep her shirt on for the whole of the movie). The story element gets a bit lost (that's an understatement) towards the end of the movie (something that killed the movie almost). Philip Glass has made the background score haunting (and reminds you of "The Hours"). Worth watching through the first of half of it though. |
| Troy | The cinematic portrayal of the "Illiad" is possibly the best ever screen render. Brad Pitt's portrayal of Achilles makes it very convincing. Eric Bana also does a great job as Hector. Sean Bean as Ulysses doesn't have much of a role in the movie and doesn't look like a convincing image of the legendary Ulysses. I loved the introduction of Achilles and almost all scenes with him. Helen was a big disappointment and played an unconvincing passive role with changing accents. It does have its (incorrect) interpretations of the period of the war, the death of Menelaus, Paris and the Trojan Horse. |
| The Passion of the Christ | An impressive and realistic version of the gospel for the first time on screen. Casting Jim Caviezel for the title role was awesome! (remember 'Willem Dafoe' for "Temptation"?) Acted out in Aramaic and Latin, it has a strong message. The performances delivered by the actors is classic. I liked the movie and its impressive quality. The only downside was that it was too graphic (beats Kill Bill) for everyone. Mel Gibson can direct almost as well as he can act (watch Hamlet(1990) for his best performance ever as an actor.) |
| The Bourne Identity | The screen rendering of Robert Ludlum's book is almost as good as the book! If you haven't read the book, watch the movie. If you have read the book, what the heck, watch the movie and you'll only love it more. While the whole movie maybe about a spy with a killer instinct, it has really nice elements of cinematography blended with a surreal version of the novel. I liked the effect of the action sequences which weren't too graphic and bloody but are still very appealing. |