Real Steel is the real deal

Reviewed by Debolina Sengupta

Confession first. I went to watch Real Steel only and only for Hugh Jackman (girly reasons completely). And 15 minutes into the movie I was slightly bored. It looked all too obvious. I half thought that it would be one of those emotional drama movies with robots in it, but with the movie's progression, I started enjoying it. Jackman is to die for as a father, lover and a robo-boxing freak while his on screen son Max, played by Dakota Goyo is believable.

Won't give out too much of the movie since the last complaint that I have been typing out spoilers, but this is one movie you can't miss if you are looking for a complete package. Most of the moments in the movie are guessable, but the way they are treated makes them perfect in every sense. You will cry with the characters, be on the edge and pray for the "little guy" to win over the powerful and you will also be completely involved in every step of their journey.

In an age of 3D cinema, Real Steel proves that it's the story that makes a film a winner. The robot part of the movie is carefully intertwined in the narrative without making it jarring while the father-son bonding is given more preference. Perfect combo of acting, special affects and post production. This movie is a winner staying true to its tagline- courage is stronger than steel.

In case you are someone who loves spending time and money on a movie that gives you a good feeling in your heart, Real Steel is the real deal.

Rating: 4/5

F.A.L.T.U is not that Faltu

Reviewed by Sab Khan

The very title of the movie F.A.L.T.U is quite interesting as the dots between the letters says that it’s an acronym and when you pronounce it, it becomes faltu, means worthless. Vashu Bhagnani introduced Remo D’Souza, a choreographer, as the director of the film. The cast of the movie involves Ritesh (Jackky Bhagnani), Pooja (Puja Gupta), Vishnu (Chandan Roy Sanyal) and Nanj (Angad Bedi) with several special glittering appearances like Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, Akshay Kumar, Kareena Kapoor, Salman Khan, Mallika Sherawat, Sushmita Sen and others.

The movie is a steer clear inspiration of 2006 release Accepted. It focuses on youth and their educational activities like 3 Idiots. The four friends Ritesh, Pooja, Vishnu and Nanj are fun loving youngsters who have barely managed to pass their exams but couldn’t manage to get admission in any university. For that matter, they come up with a plan of making a fake university named as Fakirchand and Lakirchand Trust University aka F.A.L.T.U. To keep it real in front of their parents, they even publish advertisements in news papers and allotted a place to it, which results in actual interest of many other students, forcing them to face the actual reality of life.

A college life’s story manages to make you nostalgic. The director has done a great job arousing sentiments and excitement in the audience. F.A.L.T.U is a movie full of fun and frolic reminding you of your own golden days. All the actors displayed a light casual style with a tint of grim and gravity where required. If you aspire to have some playful time  to relax your mind, F.A.L.T.U is the right choice.

Rating:3/5

Gul Panag wedding: looking at Turning 30

Turning 30

Reviewed by Sab Khan

A lady Devdas in a Hindi film? It all felt bizarre. But thankfully, Turning 30 isn't a complete mess. Director Alankrita Shrivastava has taken the bold and the beautiful step in putting up a female oriented film but it seems like the overall making of the movie didn’t end up becoming what it was supposed to.

The movie is about Naina (Gul Panag), as she is turning to 30, who has just been broken up with her boyfriend Rishabh (Siddharth Makkar) and throughout the movie she has been trying to overcome the shock which is quite depressing for her. In the beginning, I related it to Sex and the City but no, not at all, this is more of Bridget Jones Diary. Naina tries everything to get  Rishabh back in her life, who in turn has moved on with a younger and prettier woman. And Rishabh is only part of her problems as her boss fired her from her job for no apparent reason.

Enter Jai (Purab Kohli) who is supposed to be a ray of hope for Naina but adds to her confusion. Overtly confused, as an audience I was awaiting Naina’s final decision when the movie becomes lengthy, drab and dragged. And the wait ends simple when Naina's book gets published, she becomes famous and Rishabh comes crying back in the last bit of the film.

Packaged and marketed as a new age chick flick with a lot of oomph and style, Turning 30 failed to impress me completely. If it was trying to show modern women, it should have shown Naina moving on and not looking back rather than her pining for her love. Gul Panag suits the character well, but her bike wedding is something that comes closer to  the concept of a "modern woman".

Alankrita did her best to come up with female jargons and Panag tried her level best to eliminate the monotones that are spread across the film. I would not give a very high recommendation but ah, yes, if you have ample time, then go for it.

Rating: 2/5

The Fighter Will Knock You Out

The Fighter

Reviewed by Adam Minor

2010's The Fighter is a hard hitting masterpiece from David O. Russel about what it takes to be a prize-winning fighter and the people who help you get there.

Mark Wahlberg plays Micky Ward, a boxer who's making his way up the ladder for a shot at the title. With his trainer brother Dicky Eklund (Christian Bale), manager mother Alice Ward (Melissa Leo) and supportive girlfriend Charlene Fleming (Amy Adams), Micky will get his chance. That is, if his crack-addicted brother doesn't get in his way.

Wahlberg is the lead in this film, but the pride is in the supporting cast. Christian Bale, Melissa Leo and Amy Adams were all nominated amongst the best supporting actors and actresses at the Academy Awards for The Fighter, with Bale and Leo taking home the trophy. Christian Bale's Dicky sneaks in as the real meat of the film- one that (at least) I cared about more. Bale has shown his physical commitment to any role as evidenced by The Machinist (2004). Here he loses a tremendous amount of weight to play the drug addicted brother.

The Fighter was also up for a slew of other awards including Best Original Screenplay, Best Achievement in Editing, Best Direction and Best Picture.

Based on real-life brothers, the story here is more than heart-wrenching. Torn between achieving his goals and alienating his family, Micky must decide what is more important to him. Dicky's drug-addiction keeps him from following through on his promises to help Micky train which leads to strife between the brothers.

Throughout the film, an HBO documentary crew is filming Dicky's "comeback". Dicky never lets anyone forget that he used to be the champion before his brother became "the pride of Lowell". The film toys back-and-forth between Dicky's desperate attempt to make a return to his former glory, and his obligations to his brother.

Amy Adams adds exciting tension as Micky's girlfriend who sees through his family's "support" as nothing less than self-gratifying gestures.

With marvellous acting, directing and story, The Fighter is the total package of a film.

Rating: 4/5

Yeh Faasle Review

Yeh Faasle

Reviewed by Sab Khan

A typical hindi movie revolves around human behaviour and relationships. Yeh Faasle by Omprakash Mittal portrays the same things, but through a  dramatic “non-conventional type” series of events. The movie has suspense, romance, and an entanglement of relationships in a very novel manner. This is a story about Devinder Devilal Dua (Anupam Kher) who has a past that his daughter Arunima Dua (Tena Desae) needs to unearth.

The movie begins with the joyous reunion of the father and daughter after several years. Anupam Kher depicts a new age father, who is financially supporting his daughter’s friend’s engagement party, whose brother has feelings for her. This is from where the love story starts. But the focus of Yeh Faasle is not about the “faasle” (distance) in a love story but the fast approaching distance between the father and daughter. 

Arunima one day finds her mother’s diary and this is from where the actual story of the movie starts. After going through the diary, she becomes doubtful about the sanctity of her father and tries to investigate the truth about her mother’s death, which she knew was caused by a car accident. The diary opens up new questions for her as she finds out that her parents weren’t happy together. Her doubts makes her drag her father to the court. For the sake of not adding spoilers to this review, I would rather not reveal the outcome of the case. It is an engrossing movie, which you won’t regret watching. 

Performance wise, Kher was the perfect choice of his character. Tena Desae successfully depicts the anxiety and disbelief needed for her role. In all, Yeh Faasle is a good mix of emotion, suspense and drama.

Rating: 3/5

Best Picture 2010 - The King's Speech

The King's Speech

Reviewed by Adam Minor

Tom Hooper's latest film, The King's Speech scored big at this year's Oscar ceremony. Racking up awards for Best Lead Actor for Colin Firth, Best Original Screenplay for David Seidler, Best Directing for Tom Hooper and Best Picture for producers Iain Canning, Emile Sherman and Gareth Unwin, The King's Speech won four out of its twelve nominations.

The film centers on King George VI (Firth) and his vigilant struggle with stammering. Aware that he'll be addressing the nation in an important speech about England's entry into the second World War, Queen Elizabeth (played by the marvellous Helena Bonham Carter, who was up for best actress in a supporting role, but lost) seeks vocal coaching from various physicians before finally finding the idiosyncratic Lionel Logue (the equally wonderful Geoffrey Rush, who also lost his bid as Best Supporting Actor).

Lionel finds himself in a difficult position, having to coach his king while protecting the royal family's privacy. Nevertheless, Lionel makes no changes to his style of delving into his patient's personal lives to find the base cause for their stammering. King George VI, with pressure from his overbearing father, and passionate brother, who abdicates the throne in favour of an international love, continues in his lessons in order to survive unscathed from his public speaking appearances. What follows is a simple and joyful relationship that simultaneously serves the king's needs while the men begin a close friendship.

This was simply a wonderful film. Serious when it needed to be, hilarious when it called for it, the tone of the film never took itself too seriously, but when the gravity of the climactic speech hit, the audience was fully aware what was at stake. Tom Hooper won the Oscar for Best Direction for this film. This wasn't my choice for that category in that it really didn't seem to stand out as a uniquely directed film. It was directed to its purpose. It definitely told the story efficiently, but it lacked directorial flourishes that some of the other films nominated showed.

David Seidler, the writer of the screenplay, struggled with stammering himself as a youth. He spent years researching King George's impediment. He contacted not only Lionel Logue's last living relative, but the Queen Mother herself who asked David not to publish the screenplay during her lifetime. What resulted was nothing less than a beautiful and interesting story, that, when brought to the screen by premiere actors and actresses rightfully took its place among the top of the list for this year’s award season.

Rating: 5/5

Saat khoon, no maafi.

7 Khoon Maaf

Reviewed by Sunanda Pati

Heartwrenching, cold-blooded, passionate, sinful, clever... I wish at least one of these adjectives could court Saat Khoon Maaf. But alas, Vishal Bharadwaj's newest offering fails to shake or stir. It seems like a great opportunity gone waste for Ruskin Bond's short story 'Susanna's Seven Husbands' have been Bollywoodised and pretty badly at that. Seen through the eyes of narrator Arun Kumar (Naseeruddin Shah's son), the story rests upon the deeds of a certain beautiful woman named Susanna (played by Priyanka Chopra. After watching this film, I really think the name Piggy suits her better). From the ravages of a jealous husband-in-uniform to the sickly erotic fantasies of a Kashmiri poet, poor Susanna has to bear torture and trauma for a great pursuit. And, that great pursuit's name in the film is love. Pure love. I wish Mr. Bharadwaj were clearer about the kind of love Susanna is really in search of. From falling for the charms of a shallow musician named Jimmy (played by John Abraham) to finding a soulmate in Russian Nikolai Vronsky (who, by the way, fails to tickle you with his 'mere paas ma hain' act), Susanna keeps repeating the mistake of making all the wrong men her husband. In line with the original story, Susanna kills each one of them. But the film fails to portray the intensity of Susanna's passionate love and do justice to the way she experiences scorn and hatred. Susanna's angst doesn't touch me. And, that's the biggest problem.

Well, that doesn't mean the film has nothing good about it. Naseeruddin Shah is splendid as Modhusudhan Tarafdar (quite adeptly he pronounces it perfect Bong-style 'taw-roph-dar') and Neil Nitin Mukesh as the sadist General Rodriguez. Now back to my bashing best, John Abraham is yet again successful in being a ham and Alexander Dyachenko is pathetic. Even if one were to forgive these unpalatable performances, it would be because Bhardwaj composed a brilliant score. But no, this tackily presented murder movie doesn't even have that. As my temples throb, I can't help but hear a faint 'Jag ja re gudiya'...

A beautiful story of a woman's soulful search for love has been bungled. I wouldn't take away from the little thrill the film provides by giving away the plot. I'd rather watch Omkara once every day rather than Saat Khoon even once. And, I'd rather wait for Bharadwaj's next, in hope.

Rating: 2/5

7 Khoon Maaf review

7 Khoon Maaf

Reviewed by Sab Khan

 

The long awaited movie 7 Khoon Maaf, is a female oriented roller coaster ride about a black widow, who is not bound to any fixations and could cross any limitations to seek true love and happiness in life. Playing the multi-dimensional character is Priyanka Chopra, who in recent times has proven her acting skills. 7 Khoon Maaf is an extraordinary show for people who love watching drama movies with generous hints of crime, murder, love and mystery. So if you are setting up your mood for a jerky ride of entertainment, better get the tickets for this movie- they are selling off fast.

Vishal Bhardwaj, whose last films Ishqiya and Kaminey surpassed all box office and critical expectations bases the story of this film on Ruskin Bond’s book, Susanne’s Seven Husbands. Susanne (Priyanka) is a black widow who, in search of happiness and love marries seven different men but her relationships don’t exactly end the way she wants them to. She plans up bloody revenges and executes them to perfection. Playing Susanne’s seven unfortunate husbands in the movie are Naseeruddin Shah, Irrfan Khan, John Abraham, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Anu Kapoor, Aleksandr Dyachenko, and Vivaan Shah.

The mystified darkness of the movie reveals the story turn by turn. From the very first scene, the movie is gripping and makes the audience anxious for more. Most women should relate to Susanne’s character, not because she commits murder but because of the inner passion and desires that remain uncultivated in her. Probably the difference lies in the fact that she took extreme steps to change her circumstances and most of us don’t dare. Even though, she’s been a murderer using techniques ranging from poisoning and gun fire, we don’t blame her for her real cause. Her typical male-dominating husbands are portrayed as the usual chauvinistic “man next door” who beat their wives up, dictate them, are aggressive or just use their women for sexual gratification. Though women are a lot empowered these days and do raise their voices, Susanne is someone who prefers to change it in her own way. Though bloody, the hope for change is heart touching for the oppressed women who watch the film.

The director did an enormous job in manipulating the entire seven husbands respectively. It was one of Priyanka Chopra’s best performances as she maintains her stance as the centre of attraction. Vishal’s music and Gulzar’s lyrics, as proven in their previous collaborations, could never go to waste. Vishal cleverly uses each track to musically represent the relationships and characters. 7 Khoon Maaf is an absolute must watch for this weekend!

Rating: 4.75/5

Patiala House Review: full masala flick

Patiala House

Reviewed by Sab Khan
  

When I first heard of Patiala House, Akshay Kumar’s new release, I got excited and hoped it was different from his other recent lack lustre releases. Thankfully, Patiala House packs a punch with real drama, good screen play and great acting.

The director of the movie, Nikhil Advani has successfully created a family oriented film about a father and a son which has scenes of laughter and heartbreaks. The film is about Gattu (Akshay Kumar), an obedient son and his father (Rishi Kapoor) who is the head of Patiala House and abhors the prejudiced attitude of Englishmen towards Indians. His father’s attitude becomes a roadblock in Gattu’s life who wants to play for the England cricket team.

Gattu’s family is annoyed with him because he is submissive to his Bauji, whose attitude not only makes him suffer, but is affecting the other youngsters in the family as well. The female lead in the movie, Simran (Anushka Sharma) steps in as a huge support for Gattu and gives him moral support to fulfil his dreams. She tries to convince his family to give him a second chance at life, which not many people get.

The family members of Patiala House (supporting cast) add to the emotional drama of the film. Personally, I wish Dimple Kapadia had more dialogues in the film, but I suppose it was all part of her role. Most of the movie has heavy doses of relationships, moral values and family ties. Adding the cricket angle was probably a business decision since the world cup is fast approaching and people who love movies generally enjoy cricket too- on field or on screen. The movie could have been based on any profession.

The movie was filmed in London, South Hall, which has the highest density of Indian and Pakistani families. Shankar - Ehsaan - Loy created music that well suited the theme of the film and was pleasing as well. Santosh Thundiyil of Kuch Kuch Hota Hai fame is the cinematographer of Patiala House and does a fabulous job! Though the film is based on a lot of typical elements, it has been weaved together beautifully. Patiala House is what you would call a “full masala flick”.

Rating: 3.75/5