This brutal contract killer must be seen : The Iceman

Directed by : Ariel Vromen
Imdb link -> http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1491044/

The film is based on true story of a contract killer Richard Kuklinski (played by Michael Shannon) who easily hides his identity from his family. They come to know about him only when Richard is caught and tried out in court, but almost 10-15 years later.

The director shows Richard as very cold person who isnt afraid of death as seen in the scene when Roy (Ray Liotta) points gun at his head and he shows no sign of fear. Only times when you see fear in his eyes is when a eye witness is girl while he performed a hit, and he had his rule of not killing girls or kids. Or when Roy came at his home warning of informing his family about who he is.

The brutal murders aren't shown in detail, except for the latter partnership Richard goes in with, where he is shown in some body exposing sequences but thankfully they aren't shown from close.

Michael Shannon (for me) looked fit to play this role, that beard and moustache look made him look even more dangerous, and the walk he has as if he lives a good normal person life. He easily played role of a guy who was different to the world, and so opposite to his family, almost like a multi personality disorder.

Winona Ryder does great work as wife of Richard in the movie, I like two scenes particularly, one is the opening date with Richard, and the other where she questions herself if she is a spoilt brat and then tells Richard, she likes the way he takes care of her.

Richard works in Porn lab, and gets interested in the offer of Roy to work for him. He doesn't think of denying his offer for a second because he sees the profit, the money he would earn and provide to his wife and future kids. His wife and the kids were the only people whom he cared for, as he says later in the movie.

He never feels regretful for the people he kills, he considers it a job and does it perfectly. Though, I somehow felt the montage of his killings came too soon, maybe 1 extra full murder like the beggar one would had been better, just to highlight how brutal killer he is.

Special mention to the scenes where Richard loses his temper, once while driving, and other time at his wife in his own home.

The later part of movie goes on the lines of Goodfellas, Roy parting ways and Richard in need to earn money finds new partner betraying Roy. The way he gets caught is very well shot (don't know if thats how it happened in real), it came very much as a surprise to me as it does to him in that scene. Probably it was a intention to catch the audience unaware without putting extra scene of 'yes, his end is coming now'.

I like the fact that no dialogue conversation is shown of his and family after or during the time he gets caught. There's one shot of his car passing by her car when police takes him in, and the shocked look on his wife at court trials learning what his husband in real was.


Great direction and Michael Shannon performance makes it a pretty good movie, though latter part of the movie slips down a bit and could had been dealt better. Still, worth a watch for sure.

One of best romantic movie ever : Lootera

Directed by : Vikramaditya Motwane
Imdb link -> http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2224317/

Vikram hits the right notes once again so well in just his 2nd movie after Udaan. Having Ranveer and Sonakshi as lead actors, one would had been skeptical about the quality of movie. Though for me Ranveer has been good in his earlier movies. Lootera is a welcome change to both actors who have given one of their best performance of career and who knows might turn out to be their best one even after many years.

The film is set in 50's  in Manikpur where Pakhi's (Sonakshi Sinha) father is a zamindar whose friend keeps advicing him of a potential chance of zamindari getting abolished with new laws. Varun (Ranveer Singh), a con-man arrives at Pakhi's place as a archaeologist with aim of taking away all the priceless statues Zamindar had at his place. But as expected in such situation, the character falls in love with the girl. Due to certain reasons, he choses his profession over love.. but destiny makes them meet again in Dalhousie allowing the love to blossom once again.

Vikram establishes key points of the whole film straightaway without telling the background of the characters like the health problem of Pakhi, the story his father narrates to him moments later, dreams of Varun. And that works in favour of the film. He keeps the pace of movie steady, some might find it slow but I felt it was in sync with the story.

He never tries to make Varun-Pakhi romance as priority, the purpose of Varun is more important in 1st half. That is why, their romance isnt given extra time to establish.. we see Pakhi falling in love instantly when she drives car into his bike, and Varun on other hand is slowly falling in love while he is working his way into the work he is doing secretly. I would say it worked for me this way, then it would had if there were more romantic scenes between them.

The best romantic scenes come when Varun and Pakhi interact with their eyes speaking minimal dialogues, or the slow whisper talks. Also, there's one scene where Pakhi and Varun look at each other in 2nd half when Varun is painting, and lips of both actors move very slightly as if they just talked to each other on something (my bad, that was only scene I couldn't interpret). That final dialogue conversation they have, and few secs of silence used when it ends.. loved the entire sequence, probably after mann-marziyaan my best moment.

Editing is good, excellent cinematography, that makes the initial moments of 2nd half more lovable. That is the only time in movie when the pace goes very slow, and again much to the requirement of story. Very good lighting, specially that romantic scene between Varun and Pakhi at her home in 1st half. Even the car scene is well done if the grainy part is ignored. I like how Vikram deals with the dreams of Varun, certain other directors may have glorified it a lot, but he keeps it just a part of story. Dialogues are good, 'ladki ne ladke se kaha ki woh sabse jyada duniya mein usse pyar karti hai ?'

Amit Trivedi's music and background score compliment the screenplay immensely. Ankahee background when Pakhi's father narrates story to her, interval bg and the haunting mann-marziyan bg were my most fav ones. Mann Marziyaan was such a romantic as well as emotional song the way its used into the movie, simply loved that moment in 2nd half. Only Zinda was the track where I would have preferred a good bg, as the song looked out of sort.

There are certain loopholes in the movie, one of that being some loud sound mixing. Like the violin that plays when Varun shifts at Pakhi's place, it was important that it started on low note and lifted up after that (making sure it was low always when dialogue is said). Then, 'taqdeer se bigdi huyi' song almost overlaps the dialogue conversation going on between Varun and Pakhi's father. Also, two grainy sequences, one in 1st half 'the car romantic scene' and the other in 2nd half', wonder if it was intentional or just a mistake gone un-noticed.

Sonakshi Sinha steals the show for me, something I didn't expect would happen as she was the only reason why I felt this movie wont work for me. If you add all her previous films, then also she would come no where close to what she did in just the 2nd half alone in the movie. She simply nailed it. Even  in 1st half she is very lovable, note that scene where she says 'mera dil rakhne ke liye toh haan keh dete'. Or when she cutely asks her dad that she wants to learn painting. and how she says 'mat jao' to Varun. The anger and love she shows towards Varun in 2nd half, the way she looks at the tree outside her house, specially the last time with a surprised look.

Ranveer Singh was complete opposite of the roles he did until now, and he did very well. Though at places, he under-played it, and at 1-2 places his dialogue didn't come out rightly, for instance 'tum meri zindagi mein woh eklauta mauka thi' which looks awkward the way he speaks it. I love the scene where his angst at Pakhi comes out in 2nd half, also the interval sequence when he is torn between two worlds.

Adil Hussain as the cop is efficient as always. That chase sequence is another of great sequence of the movie.

The actor playing Pakhi's father was effective too. Also, good performance by Vikrant Messey who plays friend of Deb who time and again imitates Dev Anand being a great fan of his. Dibyendu and Divya Dutta are fine in small roles.

In terms of entertainment, the film has not too much to offer, 1st half has some scenes like the bulb dialogue or painting scene or Pakhi scolding driver. But essentially its a romantic love story of Varun and Pakhi that may or may not find its way together.

I loved 2nd half more, while the final 15 mins is just splendid.

Lootera works for me, it isn't perfect movie but romantic movie lovers (non-fiction specially) should most likely love the movie, specially if you have ever loved anyone.


Verdict : MEMORABLE

Expected lot more crazy movie, dissappointed : The Lone Ranger

Directed by : Gore Verbinski
Imdb link -> http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1210819/

Either I mis-read the trailer or the film was in real low on the crazy insane stuff it should had. There are some good scenes like the robbery one, or the train chase  when John (Armie Hammer) choses right way to punish wrong guys is law and not himself, as a result making a mess of what Tonto (Johnny Depp) was attempting. Or the final action sequence on the train. Thats all this film has.

Both Tonto and John (the lone ranger) share good sequences together, though the look of Tonto aint pleasant to eyes (I dont know the history behind it, not seen earlier movies of Johnny depp). I actually liked Armie Hammer's performance more than Johnny Depp. Its just the slowness of the proceedings that doesn't allow the movie to make a mark. Easily 30 mins too long.

The Lone Ranger is a decent watch for the lead performances, and some good one-liners. My fav is 'there comes a time when good man must wear mask'.

Below Average, but not as bad as it looked initially : Policegiri

Directed by : K.S Ravikumar
Imdb link -> http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2861320/

If you leave out all the over the top action sequences, and some punchlines repeated uselessly, and the silly Rajpal Yadav plot, then Policigiri is very much watchable. No, I didn't leave out the entire movie with that line.

The main plot somewhat resembles Singham, to fight criminals even if it requires out of police duty action. As Rudra (Sanjay Dutt) says in the movie, he considers himself Combo - buy one get one free. He is police as well as a gunda. The first sequence showing him using beer in different ways was over-done. The rivalry he has with Nagori (Prakash Raj) is what makes the film interesting. Rudra is always against him, but Nagori is so impressed that he isnt keen to make him his enemy until he loses his temper completely. No doubt Sanjay Dutt is given importance but Prakash Raj isn't sidelined as he was by Arbaaz in Dabangg2.

Some punchlines are very good, 'sur one' or 'combo' or karan arjun ayenge'.  Music is average, and they are used in the movie forcefully making them look even worse.

Sanjay Prachi pair look very odd. Prachi does fine job, but its time she experiments a bit. Sanjay Dutt has always looked great in cop roles, would like to see him do one such role in future on the lines of Kurukshetra, more serious than comedy.

Prakah Raj shines again, in a villianeous role giving his typical comedy touch to it.. but I feel its getting repeated too much. Time to do different roles, bhaag milkha bhaag would actually be a pleasant change in that respect.

Om Puri is wasted in small role.


Policegiri is watchable for Sanjay Dutt-Prakash Raj performances plus some good punchlines. If you love over the top action, then you may like the film.


Verdict : BELOW AVERAGE

Journey of Directors : Imtiaz Ali

Last Updated on : 3rd August, 2017

Most Loved movies :

Rockstar > Tamasha > Love Aaj Kal > Jab We Met > Highway 

Disliked movies : 

None

Yet to watch : 

Socha na Tha

Fav Songs : 

Tum se hi (Jab We Met), Main kya hoon (Love Aaj Kal), Jo bhi Main (Rockstar), Saadda Haq (Rockstar), Tum Ho (Rockstar), Aur Ho (Rockstar), Patakha Guddi (both versions, Highway), Maahi Ve (Highway), Matargashti (Tamasha), Safarnama (Tamasha) 

Best Scene : 

• Jordan telling Khatana in middle of a road that he isnt happy despite getting all the fame (Rockstar)
• Jordan hugs Heer and asks what feeling is this, just before Aur Ho song starts (Rockstar)
• The entire Tara-Ved sequence from start of introducing as Don and Mona, and continuing till end of Matargashti song (Tamasha)
• Tara telling Ved that he isn't the same guy anymore she met as Don in Corsica (Tamasha)
• Geet asking TT whether he is convinced or she needs to say more (Jab We Met)
• Geet-Aditya conversation in Ratlam ki gali (Jab We Met)
• Jai realizing how that last good-bye is so important when someone you love is leaving at airport (Love Aaj Kal)
• Jai conversation with Meera on the wedding night (Love Aaj Kal)
• Veera telling Mahabir that she doesn't want this journey to ever end (Highway)

Imtiaz Ali has in short time become one of my very favs in romantic genre and possibly many others too. There are numerous directors who make romantic movies, but what seperates them from Imtiaz is the real feel he brings to the movies.. the situations and dialogues aren't over the top. He brings the vulnerability in characters very well, a reason why many people don't like his cinema as they get un-comfortable watching films which in a way questions them or people they would know in real life. Most of the times the character in Imtiaz movies goes through a self-discovery phase trying to find what he/she has been missing till now in their life. Like Aditya (Shahid Kapoor) in Jab we Met is broken but finds a new way to live life after meeting Geet (Kareena Kapoor). In Love Aaj Kal, Jai (Saif Ali Khan) doesn't take love seriously until he finds the job he dreamt of having one day not giving him any satisfaction at all because all he wants is to be with Meera (Deepika Padukone). Or Jordan (Ranbir Kapoor) in Rockstar who becomes a great musician only after meeting Heer (Nargis Fakhri),  the time spent away from her brings the best music out of him and he doesn't even realize how quickly fame is reaching him. With time he realizes, that his love for Heer has overtaken his dream of becoming a famous musician.. but its too late.

There's Veera (Alia Bhatt) who has gone through child abuse, and wants to break out of fake society norm, live the life the way she wants, the freedom she finds with Mahabir (Randeep Hooda) when he kidnaps him taking her to a journey she wants to never end. And then there's Ved (Ranbir Kapoor) who since childhood wanted to be a storyteller but bows down to parents demand of a regular job and be a robotic person like others, until he meets Tara (Deepika Padukone) who shakes up his life as she is able to see the real Ved which others haven't. It doesn't come as a surprise to me when I see Imtiaz getting labelled as modern 'Yash Chopra' but if I had to choose one, I will go Imtiaz way. Also his movies are never stuck at one place, a character is always travelling to some different city/country and it ends up having some kind of effect on him/her. 

Rockstar is above all for me and that comes as no surprise. Though what surprises me is Imtiaz saying in a interview that he felt the 2nd half wasn't well done, he could had directed better, which he actually feels for most of his films. But then, I personally don't see any change required, maybe loving imperfect things gives more pleasure. I still like watching Jab We Met  as its his most entertaining movie till now. But, the level Imtiaz has reached in Rockstar, Highway and Tamasha, that makes Jab We Met look not so spectacular. That makes me wonder if Imtiaz would outdo Rockstar one day ? Its very much like asking will Nolan ever make a film as spectacular as Prestige or The Dark Knight ? The answer in both cases at present is No! 

I remember how I felt wierd to see some of the people I knew online when Love Aaj Kal released, who had loved the film, and here I was battling to even like it due to lack of connect. I almost kept forcing myself to find the love for film, watching it 3 times. But, as its said.. jo hona hai woh hona hai. One day I bunked college class, and went to watch movie in a casual mood for a 4th watch and that was the time, the movie finally hit me big time.

A confession to make here, there's not a single Imtiaz movie that actually worked fully at 1st watch for me. Its like Rahman music, keeps growing with each watch until you realize 'Oh fuck, I madly love this film'. 

Both Rockstar and Love Aaj Kal go on similar ways, their 1st half entertains completely and 2nd half brings scenes and dialogues that you may not accept because the character behaves the way you aren't expecting it to. Meera in Love Aaj Kal saying to her husband, that she will leave him as she loves Jai and further says 'Main tumse baad mein maafi maang lungi'. That single dialogue had almost everyone in theatre laugh hard, unintentionally ofcourse. I wont deny that even now I may not feel comfortable watching that scene, and I don't really have a valid reason. Maybe we say stupid things when we have no control over our feelings, don't we? 

Similarly in Rockstar, Heer tries to stop Jordan going further in their love when he kisses her, but she can't control her own feelings either.. as a result another scene created laughter. This time, I was with the character, not the audience. 'Aur Ho' I would describe as Imtiaz's best filmed song till now, two lovers who want to be together but the thought of society keeps stopping them, what should they listen to, their heart or the reality of life. It brought out the vulnerable moments of Jordan and Heer very beautifully.  

Highway is only Imtiaz movie that despite being narrated in a lighthearted manner like his other movies, still ends up more serious. There's that amazing scene where Veera completely lets her anger out at the people who are related with her family. Not to forget, Highway was the film that showcased Alia has acting talent (which her debut SOTY didn't), and she hasn't disappointed ever since. I have rated Highway at last, but it still has the appeal factor me, just that I prefer other movies more.

Tamasha would easily be Imtiaz's most tough movie to understand, not for the way he presents it, but the mindset Imtiaz shows of Ved, the constant daily fight he goes through with himself, and in film we get to see only the portions after he meets Tara. Just think how it would had been even before (few flashbacks Imtiaz does show where he is angry trying to focus for some college assignment), going to a routine job that doesn't give him satisfaction and yet consoling himself at mirror to not divert away, this is the best for you.  Every conversation that Ved has with Tara post interval makes for a great watch, its a pity Deepika gets small role in 2nd half but then maybe we won't have been so invested in Ved then.

I have always loved how Imtiaz has handled romantic moments in his films, and then the moments that come after that including the troubles, pain, misery or the vulnerabilities character faces. Its only Tamasha where I actually prefer the entertaining portion more, the entire Corsica  sequence made me feel like this should just go on and on, don't end this chapter.  

Music has always been great in Imtiaz movies, Pritam for Jab We Met and Love Aaj Kal giving good punjabi flavour. 'Tumse Hi' by Mohit is still one of the songs I love listening to. 'Aaoge jab tum' however never works for me. 'Main Kya hoon' was something only Imtiaz could had done, a character repeating a particular act on daily basis and slowly the fun becomes a boring habit and eventually a work that gave pleasure during start of song, starts giving him headache as the song ends. Rahman with Rockstar brought best album of his career (probably for me atleast). Mohit's 'Jo bhi main', 'Saadda Haq'  and 'Aur Ho' still gives me the same great feeling they did 6 yrs back. And 'Tum ho' I like listening whenever I feel like putting on romantic songs. Mohit Chauhan continued his trend of giving his best songs when working with Imtiaz with 'Matargashti' in Tamasha and also there's lovely rendition of  'Safarnama' by Lucky Ali. Like film, music of Highway didn't appeal to me completely, Rahman's 'Maahi Ve' was soulful, but the slow tracks and lullaby weren't my cuppa of tea. Best takeaway though was it gave Nooran Sisters 'Patakha Guddi' to our industry, I totally adore their singing. 

Another thing in Imtiaz films is the casting. Shahid and Kareena was perfect, but what a timing it was for Imtiaz to get the film done with. If the breakup happened much before shooting started, everyone would had lost a great character of Geet because I don't see any other actress doing that role perfectly. Then, Saif and Deepika were unusual pair but the moment Love Aaj Kal trailer came out.. it appeared that its going to work. Only question was will Saif pull off the sardar role, which he did. 

With Rockstar, Imtiaz tried new actress who didn't knew hindi, as a result in film her voice is dubbed by some other girl. But, she didn't disappoint with her performance. I personally feel that if you haven't loved her in Rockstar, then you don't have the right to say that you loved the film. And as I had said, some roles demand imperfect actors so I disagree everytime I see someone say Deepika or for that matter any other actress would had been better.

Then, there was unusual pairing of Alia Bhatt and Randeep Hooda, which I felt won't work when trailer came but it did. Whatever my views on the film are (I hope they change when I get time to watch film with Imtiaz dvd commentary), Alia-Randeep not only were a pleasant fresh pair but they also gave top-notch performances. Tamasha was the only instance when Imtiaz went for established actors, Ranbir-Deepika which I feel was again perfect choice, there was too much in the script to risk a newcomer or for that matter Tara-Ved roles are tailor-made for Ranbir and Deepika.

Next up is 'Jab Harry Met Sejal', Imtiaz is trying to move away from the 'he makes heavy films' tag, by trying a light-hearted happy movie. Its first Imtiaz movie where I am going to theatres tomorrow feeling that disliked movies 'none' may change in this post. All because of very average music of Pritam (songs released till now) and promos where Shahrukh doesn't seem to have come out of his starry mode. Remember the scene in Love Aaj Kal where Deepika taunts Saif at breakup party that he must have forgotten to flirt in 2 years 'aadat daal lo, jang lag gaya hoga', that resembles Shahrukh who despite doing good films since Fan, isn't able to act as good as he used too, the sideffect of doing bad films! I know its suppose to be a happy film, but I would so love to be surprised with a ending where Harry doesn't end up with Sejal at climax. If Imtiaz can make it more than just a happy rom-com movie, then I am still in for it.

Missed out Reviews

Okay doing it again.. writing my views on seen movies in past month or so in fewer lines. Will try once more to be regular from this Friday onwards.

Hindi Movies 

Bombay Talkies : I am not a fan of short movies that have no connection to each other directly used as a entire film, still the big names of directors and actors, plus the storyline had me interested. Celebrating 100 yrs of cinema, this movie is in no way a commerical movie. Karan pulls off a triangular love story that is based on gay brilliantly, but the impact isnt great due to small duration and the end which looks very abrupt as well quick, songs like ajeeb dastaan and lag jaa gale are superbly used in narration. Saqib Saleem and Alisha Shaikh are the picks of this story. Dibakar's story is the best one out of all 4 with Nawazuddin Siddiqui as main lead showcasing his great acting talent once again. The idea of wide shot with Nawazuddin reciting old famous dialogues was very good, and that whole long sequence was best one of film. Also, Sadashiv Amrapurkar asking Nawazuddin, how he will say 'Ae'. One may complain that the story proceeds at a very slow pace but I felt that made me understand the life of Nawazuddin's character much more. Zoya's story surprised me as I from trailer I felt I won't like it. Except for unwanted sequence of Katrina Kaif appearing before Vicky (played by Naman Jain), the story was perfectly narrated. The conversations between Vicky and his sister, and the way Zoya handled the dream of Vicky was applaudable. Also, the use of 'Sheila ki Jawaani' song at the end. Anurag Kashyap story was good in pieces, it was Vineet's struggle to reach Amitabh Bacchan and the breakdown he has that was likeable in the story. Quite dissappointed being a lover of Anurag Kashyap cinema. Special mention to the 'Give it up for Bacchan' song. The final tribute was good until Aamir enters, after that its plain boring.. they should had kept the current actors scenes edited to the song too. So, as a whole the film was NICE. Another thing to note was that all short films had something filmy in it. My order in the end was, Dibakar > Zoya > Karan > Anurag.

Go Goa Gone : Powerful 1st half with super funny dialogues and comic timing of all the characters, 2nd half is slightly low with the proceedings getting repeated. Condom scene, the talks between Vir and Kunal on Vir's old gf or new gf, the face-off with zombies and many more hillarious sequences. Just wish the writer had some more twists in 2nd half, maybe give new power to Zombie, but climax was very well thought of.  Khoon Choosle and Slowly Slowly songs were great to watch. Vir and Kunal were superb in their performances. That scene where Kunal makes his last night gf who is not turned into zombie run around him to divert her from boat was excellent spoof on old hindi movies. Also, 'What do we know, what have we learnt' use time and again. To try and move like a zombie and fool them, was a good idea.. VERY ENTERTAINING MOVIE  portraying zombie concept comically.

Gippi : Students who haven't  got great looks or are fat, can even be fun loving and have the right not to be made fun of... is what the theme of movie is. Basically, its a chick movie with many girly sequences that are presented in very larger than life manner. Yet the director Sonam Nair shows her talent in the way she handles Riya Vij (gippi) and her mother Divya Dutta (pappi) private conversations or when Gippi tries to make her mother talk to her ex-husband at his 2nd marriage. No preaching at the climax either, and no change of heart between Gippi and her rival in school. Even though her rival, Shamira is portrayed way too mean probably I never witnessed anything like that in my school life. Good tribute to Shammi Kapoor with all those dance scenes. Nicely edited, keeping it short and sweet at 1hr 45 mins. Riya Vij and Doorva Tripathi (playing gippi's best friend) are the best performers in the movie, along with Divya Dutta and Taaha Shah in supporting roles. NICE movie that will have its audience.

Aurangzeb : Way too heavy dialogues, otherwise Rishi Kapoor performance driven this film has some good twists coming specially in 2nd half. The pace also was too slow, plus some unintentional comedy like 'hum big boss big boss khel rahe the'. Arjun Kapoor isn't as convincing as he was in Ishaqzaade. Good to see Jackie Shroff in a decent role. The character of Prithviraj had scope to be developed much more.  'Barbaadi' song was well used, my most fav song of album.  AVERAGE film it turns out to be in the end.

Ishkq in Paris : My main problem with the film was the irritating dubbing voice of Rhehan Malliek, plus the screenplay which was very boring. There was no need to narrate the story with a voiceover of Preity Zinta's wife, and at interval say that the story begins now, really ? The best part of the movie is the adventure both Preity and Rhehan have together, and sadly thats totally inspired from 'Before Sunrise'.. still I didn't mind watching it as it took the movie into the good looking rom-com way, until it took the usual back turn. Performances of both leads were good but Preity needs to do a better film to make any kind of comeback to the category of well known actresses at present. Another AVERAGE movie.

Yamla Pagla Deewana 2 : The first sequence of movie, and I told myself you are in for a headache movie. But even 1st part was good in parts so I thought I will find something good, and I kept searching good part until end of the movie. Yes, Dharmendra provided 2-3 funny moments, nothing more. The songs were average, Sunny and Bobby were hamming to the fullest. Neha had not much scope, while Kristina did well acting dumb, but when the script itself is full of dumb scene, how can one judge acting talent. The movie is full of wierdest and idiotic sequences, not to forget the monkey/gorilla (Whatever it was) to provide humour.. nothing new, havent we seen Anees Bazmee do it many times too. Anupam Kher and Johnny Lever were in roles I would not like to remember at all. Even Annu Kapoor was wasted. Only 'Q' dialogue and spoof on 1st part were laughable scenes. One of those films that I thought of leaving mid-way. Eventually I left it when climax ended without watching the end credits song 'Main taa aida hi nachna' which was my only fav song of album. Maybe deols fans will love this film, don't see anyone else liking it at all. INTOLERABLE movie.

Fukrey : I liked Pulkit much more in this movie than I did in his 1st one. Specially his lottery number telling, and the relation with Priya Anand. Manjot played the innocent part efficiently. Varun Sharma was very funny.  Richa Chadda was slightly loud, still likeable. Pankaj Tripathi was superb in supporting role. Special mention to the music, loved most of the songs especially Ambarsariya and Rabba. One of good things was the movie never went into other sub-plots and instead kept them as part of main proceeding which was the lottery. The climax was little weak and also Ali Fazal's story, otherwise enjoyed the movie pretty much. VERY GOOD.

Raanjhanaa : The movie is narrated from the point of view of Dhanush mostly, and I am happy director opted for it. He is the reason why the movie worked for me despite it having a name called 'Sonam Kapoor'. Though Sonam unlike her previous films, wasn't totally plastic though her dialogue delivery still irritated at most places, so did the way she played the 2nd half part. Abhay Deol has a small cameo, and is fine in it.. like his dialogue in hospital with Dhanush. Swara Bhaskar and Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub are mindblowing in their acts as supporting roles. Notice Swara during Banarasiya song, and Zeeshan saying the 'Sanjay Dutt' and 'Katrina Kaif' dialogues to Dhanush. They both compliment  Dhanush fully as great performances. Dhanush is the real life of Raanjhanaa, despite his problem in speaking hindi.. except for maybe 1-2 scenes, his dubbing looked perfect.. hardwork pays off for him. What I loved about his character was the love that he had for Sonam remains intact despite all the events that happen, be it her love for Abhay or her ignorance towards him. Though Dhanush is given scenes where he shows his anger at her too, like the one where he takes scooter inside lake and walking off not caring about Sonam or the one where he warns her about cutting her wrist this time. But at the end of the day, his love over her was above anything else, even Swara Bhaskar's love towards him. It was Sonam and the track between Sonam and Abhay that derails the movie, because before the entry of Abhay.. it looked very lovable movie. 2nd half specially goes haywire, only Dhanush kept it going till the end, otherwise the political angle was not convincing at all. The final dialogue sequence of Dhanush is simply fantastic with beautiful visuals, 'par saala ab kaun uthe, kaun phir se mehnat kare.. dil lagaane ko.. dil tudwaane ko.. par uthenge kisi roz uss ganga ke kinare damroo bajane ko, unhi galiyo mein daud jaane ko, kisi zoya ke ishq mein phir se padh jaane ko'. Infact dialogues of the film were quite good.  Rahman music is good, specially Tum Tak, title and Banarasiya. NICE movie, wish it was much better in 2nd half.

Ghanchakkar : Raj Kumar Gupta fails to make it a hat-trick of great movies after Aamir and No one Killed Jessica. But the script and screenplay are to blame a lot too. The film's story moves at highly low pace with the scenes repeating themselves, like Emraan and Vidya's dining table talks including his mother's call, mujhe kuch yaad nahi hai dialogue said by Emraan time and again, and the over-dose of laugh by Rajesh Sharma and Namit Das when they meet Emraan for 1st time. The film is more of a dark comedy thriller, its hard to guess who is speaking truth but the journey towards the truth is painful, sadly. The robbery sequence is one of hillarious scenes of the year, thanks to the idea of using those 3 particular actor masks. Also, the scene where Emraan and Vidya dine with Rajesh/Namit.  The final twist in the climax is good one too, and so is the fact that they used just 1 song in the narrative, and I liked the way song is picturised on Emraan. Performances wise, its 2nd time in a row when I haven't love Vidya in a Emraan hashmi starring movie. She is again good, but not convincing enough for me. Emraan is quite good if you consider the climax and think of how he made the character look vulnerable and doubtful without giving a clear angle. Ghanchakkar dissappoints me when I expected a awesome movie, totally let down feeling it was. Wish they had worked on script/screenplay. BELOW AVERAGE. 

English Movies 

Mud : Interesting film with great cinematography. Two kids who find a boat across a river, meet a guy called Mud. Out of them, Tye Sheridan gets curious to know more about him, even travel to his girlfriend's place trying to re-unite Mud and her. Tye even makes his own new gf, but as the story goes on.. Tye realizes ugly side of love, be it his parents where he stays, his gf who forgets him or Mud and gf having their own issues. Felt slightly slow at times, yet its definately one time watchable movie. Good performance by Tye and  Matthew McConaughey. 

Star Trek into Darkness : I haven't seen any of previous versions of this movie, so dialogues or punches made in relation to that didn't click to me. Yet, as a new film too I was very much bored watching it. Plus, Zachary hairstyle was big turn-off. His love and hate relation with Chris was good, also scenes of Benedict were nice. 

The Great Gatsby : The first 20-30 mins is narrated in way to tease the decaprio fans and also create a certain mysterious image of Gatsby as its for the characters in the movie or Tobey Maguire. And it works. What a entry scene Leonardo has, and that dialogue of Tobey with it. Treat for fans of decaprio. If there's some weak link, then its the military scenes of decaprio that look not so real, but more filmy. I haven't read the novel, so don't know how much justice the film did to it. The green light reference with life and love was very good one. Leonardo so easily brought that mad lover, who would get rich and do anything he could for his love, and just to imake sure she likes it all. That scene where he shows her his place, and everything that he kept for her like major variety of clothes, or the love letters turned into a book. The song 'Young and Beautiful' further enhances that major romantic feel in that whole sequence. Its like two lovers are re-united for good. But, destiny has something in stores for them or one of them to be specific. The cruelty of love shown through use of 'love is blindness'. Liked how director has filmed scenes, special note to the cinematographer for those river scenes. Also, how leonardo enacts when he is to meet his love Carey Mulligan after 5 years, that fear to see her eye into eye, one hell of a funny scene. Tobey Maguire narrates the whole story, so his role becomes important, and he did very well.. 'I was within and without', one of his main dialogues.  Good sad end to the life of gatsby. The background score also was really good. Easily one of my fav hollywood movies. 

Now You See Me : Very pacy thriller, well edited.. but the face they hide in start and reveal at the end.. made the film look less convincing. The magic acts were good, once again how much they were real and how many illusions left to wonder. Jesse Eisenberg, Melanie Laurent and Woody Harrelson were pick of good performers. Isla Fisher looked gorgeous.

Man of Steel : Dissappointing film completely, only  Hans Zimmer background kept me stay glued to the screen. Even from Zimmer standards, the score wasn't exceptional.. my fav being 'Earth'. The problem with film was screenplay, too many flashbacks connected to present.. and time and again reminding Superman that he shouldn't use his power and reveal it. The scene where his acting dad dies was very well directed, also when his real dad saves his life by sending him out of the planet towards Earth at start of movie was another good scene worth enjoying. Though Russell Crowe's role after death in film was unintentionally funny. Henry Cavill as the superman was pretty good, but a weak script and screenplay didn't allow him any space. I liked him more when he felt vulnerable, than when he used his super powers.

World War Z : My second zombie movie after hindi Go Goa Gone. This one too very thrilling but takes zombie in serious way. Few changes here been that zombies here walk quite fast, and instead of drugs there's a cure by which you become invisible to them. Again one may argue with this cure in terms of logic but I think this one is still far better than drugs one. The first 20-30 mins of movie were slightly let down by the lighting, though it added to the scary feel the characters were in while running from the zombies, possibly the intention of director. The movie takes Brad Pitt as central character who will try to find where and how zombies started, but he would only drag himself into upcoming struggles facing zombie whom you can attack on head to kill but if they attack you, you would also become a zombie. As a dialogue says in movie 'Every human being saved is one less zombie to fight with'. Love the climax sequence, though I would say there could had been just one more extra scene. Somehow that feeling came that it all ended sooner. But then the story of movie shows that they just found a cure to fight zombies and not end the zombies, so if at all 2nd part is to be made, it may continue the story where it ends in this one.

The Heat : Very good entertaining movie, what works is the great punches and the comic timing both leading ladies Sandra Bullock and Mellisa McCarthy carry. Infact Mellisa performance is so good that even in her serious scenes which are very few, I feel this should end quickly and her next great line or act should come up. Love the scene where Sandra helps her fbi team locate guns which even the dog fails, or when she reaches Mellisa place for next case she keeps going in wrong direction, Mellisa trying to park car and then beats car door badly (hillarious), Mellisa making Sandra's outfit look good enough for club with her comments passed over her, Mellisa putting the knife back on Sandra, Sandra trying to reach room of hospital and the final scene where Mellisa brings the cat to Sandra only to realise that Sandra lied to her about it being her own cast. They both share awesome chemistry between them, and since the runtime of movie is just 117 mins, the plot never gets time to get too serious into the brother of Mellisa case, which is not much convincing aspect of the movie.

1st and 3rd my fav parts : Iron Man Trilogy

Directed by : Jon Favreau (1st and 2nd Part)
                    Shane Black (3rd part)
Imdb link -> http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0371746/
                     http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1228705/
                     http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1300854/

1st Part : 
I just finally know what I have to do.  And I know in my heart that its right. 

Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr) is careless, and therefore we see him more of a casanova and taking life and his work not seriously, until a incident happens when he has to make a weapon in 7 days to avoid getting killed. Almost 10 mins and we reach that point of film, Tony meets Yinsen (Shaun Toub) and helps him save his life and also asks to value it. Tony is a changed man after return, and now he wants to stop making weapons that his Stark Industries is known for.

I love the way director shows the transformation of Tony to a responsible guy who wants to save people with the powers he has now got. Also, the detailings of how he builds everything is good too.  How he establishes the homeplace of Tony Stark with a extreme wide shot and the small non-linear narration in the start.

Tony and Jarvis share many funny moments of the movie. Pepper (Gwyneth Paltrow), his assistant,  is the only person Tony trusts the most. Initially she's like the best friend he has got as a assistant, who takes care of everything related to him, and later signs of relationship come in, which isn't given too much importance in 1st part, leaving it in balance. I love the dance sequence between Pepper and Tony, and no wonder he feels totally lost watching her in a gorgeous outfit.

Also, Tony and Rhodey (Terrance Howard) are good friends, and often Tony needs his help as Rhodey deals with Military exercises and as a result prevents Tony getting into troubles.

The weak link in this part was the villian, Obadiah (Jeff Bridges) whose acting wasn't bad but except for that great final sequence where he gets into a massive weapon machine much larger than Ironman of Tony, there's very less of evilness scope given to him. That actually reminds me of Batman Begins, even there the case was similar though atleast the villian in it had much more interesting role.

And the background score also was limited, nothing exceptional kind one would think of in a superhero. I like the one that plays when the suit of Ironman is introduced first time when Tony is fighting for his life, and 2nd time when he again re-builds it at his own home.

Robert Downey Jr surely was the best actor to do this role, the way he awesome comedy out of a good enough punchline is commendable. He enacts the careless casanova, getting to terms with his work, fighting for his life, and the transformation to a new Tony Stark exceedingly well.


2nd Part : 
If there's one thing I've proven it's that you can count on me to pleasure myself.

Like how the movie starts, recap to that speech of Tony in 1st part and move over to the next villian story he would be facing. Though, one again I am dissappointed by the impact as well as performance of the villian, yet its much better than the previous one.

Since Tony chose to tell world he is Ironman, the story gets scope for Tony to dress up as Ironman and attend functions, dance or party like a sequence in film. But alongside, its shown how Tony is worried about his health deteriorating consideberely having no clue how to find a cure, something he hides from Pepper or Rhodes too.

I love the way he replies to the senator who requests him to hand over the suits before it becomes danger for country. There's confidence in himself as well as arrogance at same time when he walks off.

The birthday party scene gives uneasyness feeling, and the Avengers getting involved brings the movie as well as Tony back to track. I have no idea if Avengers was shown in detail in any other movie until then, because Avengers came much later. But didn't face much trouble understanding them in this movie.  Natalie (Scarlett Johansson) looks super sexy, and first time Tony fails to have a girl. That was funny scene where Pepper keeps refusing Tony's request of having Natalie for the night like a small child. Also, the action scene of Natalie is wonderful.. must had got lots of whistle in theatre.. that scene makes me feel wish I had seen movie in theatre.

Tony and Pepper share great chemistry in this part too, love that scene most when she gets hyper and angry on Tony for not telling about his health to her in middle of a villian fight, and Natalie requesting them to sort it out later. Also, the balance of their working and being more than  a friend got over, as they finally enter into relationship.

The background score was once again average.

Don Cheadle played role of Rhodes in this as well as next part. He was much better I feel than the previous one, and did well in supporting role. MickEy Rourke was decent in his portrayal of Ivan, liked his racing scene. Sam Rockwell was good, though on occasions he over-acted his part. Nice cameo by Samuel L.Jackson.

Robert Downey Jr was again flawless in his performance. My fav moment of his was when he realizes how much his father loved and cared for him, and the expectations he had from him. Also, the help he got from his father.

Another thing this movie lacked was, the final fight with Ivan ending too quickly and no powerful speech as final scene. Despite been low on certain levels, Ironman2 still works and isn't bad or unwatchable movie. Just that it falls short of 1st one by some distance.


3rd Part : 
You experience things, and then they're over. I can't sleep, and when I do I have nightmares. Honestly, there's a hundred people who want to kill me. I hope I can protect the one thing I can't live without...

The first scene takes us back to times when Tony loved been careless, the time when he wasn't Ironman, the time when he actually met Yinsen for 1st time. A demon he had created unknowingly, and this movie tells the effects that demon is going to create in the current time.

For the first time in this Ironman Series, Tony is shown more focussed. Therefore, a much better villian (thank goodness) is what he faces. As a result, this time he struggles from the start to find a way to win (ala The Dark Knight Rises).

This final (or 3rd if more comes) part in Ironman series turns out to be my most fav as it has very less loose ends. My probs were mainly background score and villian, and both works here.. Though background is good at best, nothing worth listening again and again. Love it the most when Tony gets attacked at his home and when he unleashes his attack with group of suits together. The main reason for my love however was the entertainment value and the number of punchlines which were much more this time around. And who doesn't like the superhero to struggle badly and then win.  The finale was especially very exciting to watch.

The scene where the home of Tony is blown off, and the big final action sequence were best ones. Also, christmas present Tony gives first to the villians and then to Pepper. And the lovely conversations Harley (Ty Simpkins) and Tony have were way too funny.

Tony-Pepper are more romantic in this part as expected, and this time around Pepper gets a chance to wear suit and offer help to Tony on occasions. Special mention to her smile, love it. My fav scene of them would be when Tony tells her, that nothing can be ever okay as she is in relationship with him.

Guy Pierce plays the main villian role very well, and he gets enough scope too. Only dissappointment was Mandarin played by Ben Kingsley, because in trailers it was shown how menacing and dangerous he would be. But in film when you find the real Mandarin, you feel little bit cheated. Though Ben Kingley played both parts very well. But, how good it would had been if he was given negative role adjusting the story accordingly.

Jon Favreau who played Happy Hogan in last part too, gets a larger role this time. The badge scene was funny.

The final scene is superb, giving a end to each sub-plot (again ala the dark knight rises) and the final dialogue of Tony, 'there's one thing you can never take away from me, I am Ironman'.

Robert Downey Jr is the reason why all 3 parts are immensely lovable. He is witty and great in emoting the serious scenes. And the way he brings comedy in a normal dialogue makes his performance special. I think they should make 4th part with him and Pepper, even if the story is average they both will make it work and be loved.