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Reviews
Jail (2009)
Jail Is Just Plain OK
Madhur Bhandarkar is getting too repetitive and as a result, Jail turned out to be a drag.
Bhandarkar's banal way of storytelling has lost its appeal and originality. Consequently, Jail is boring, tediously slow, extremely clichéd (the bane of our movies) and way too predictable.
The story doesn't need an elaboration, but the situation Neil Nitish Mukesh's character finds himself in isn't one that garners sympathy. You feel sorry for him because he is falsely accused, but the cops don't know that and they gotta investigate. Only he and his roommate (who goes into a comma) know that the drugs found in his car weren't his. But it was his car; hence, he is an offender. So his having to go to prison makes sense. You don't feel the kind of sympathy for him that the director wants you to feel.
Life in prison is shown at its worst, but then being in prison is supposed to suck. What was ironic was showing inmates getting together to pray to God. OK, we have killed a few people but now please get us out of this hellhole so that we can be nice for a week and then start killing again.
Performance-wise, Neil Nitish Mukesh (all three of them ;-)) is very good. His previous films have proved that he is a good actor, and Jail vindicates that. The dude if felt sorry for was Manoj Bajapayee. It was totally sad to see him in a single-expression side role, although it's good to see that he's back in the movies at least. Mughda Godse is unglamorous for a change but doesn't get enough screen time to show her acting prowess. The other characters are the usual bunch of Bhandarkar's real-life-type actors.
Overall, you won't miss anything if you don't go for Jail.
Annie Hall (1977)
One of Allen's Finest
This one is a must for serious Woody Allen fans. Those wanting to explore a new genre or trying to find out why Allen is hailed as a genius filmmaker shouldn't miss Annie Hall either.
Annie Hall is set in New York and Los Angeles in the mid-70s. The story is about Alvy Singer (Woody Allen) and Annie Hall (Diane Keaton). The relationship between the two protagonists is the crux of the movie. In between, we are given snippets of their lives before they met each other. Alvy Singer, a comedian, with two divorces runs into Annie Hall, a budding actress-singer, during a friendly game of tennis. They start dating and have a passionate affair, only to find out later that they have little in common. An amiable split, getting back together, being friends, trying to get back together; theirs is a see-saw relationship of two neurotic characters clashing with one another.
In true Woody Allen fashion, the characters are far from normal. Alvy Singer is perpetually nervous (a trait he attributes to growing up under a roller-coaster), while Annie Hall needs to smoke grass to enjoy sex. Throughout the film, Woody Allen, through his character, talks to us, the audience, and on a couple of occasions brings in someone else from the plot to talk to us as well.
The central genre of the movie is comedy. With Woody Allen at its helm, one can expect goofy sequences and numerous one-liners. Woody Allen's comic one-liners have achieved cult status and here are a few one-liners from the film: Annie Hall saying, "I can't have sex tonight. I'm singing tomorrow and need to rest my voice." Alvy Singer saying, "Don't knock masturbation, its sex with someone I really love." And, "Sex is the most fun I've had without laughing." And, on Beverly Hills being clean, "They don't throw their garbage away, they make it into TV shows." And that's just a sampler.
Annie Hall was released in 1977 and is one of Allen's most loved and appreciated movie. At the 1977 Oscars, it won numerous awards like Best Picture, Best Actress in a Leading Role, Best Director and Best Screenplay. Woody Allen was also nominated for the Best Actor award.
The Gods Must Be Crazy (1980)
A great satire.
Released in 1980, The Gods Must Be Crazy is apparently a classic. I watched the movie because it was supposed to be one of the best satirical creations ever made. For me, the movie didn't live up to its billing, but then maybe my expectations were a tad too high.
Set in Africa, The Gods Must Be Crazy is the story of a bushman, a scientist, a schoolteacher and a gang of guerillas. The bushman's family – devoid of any knowledge about the existence of a world outside theirs – discovers a bottle of Coca-Cola. The bottle comes in handy while performing a number of their tasks and they end up fighting over it. Proclaiming that the bottle is evil, the bushman decides to go to the corner of the earth and throw it away. Meanwhile, a schoolteacher comes to work in Botswana, South-Central Africa. Her paths cross with a scientist who is preparing a thesis on the animals in Africa but is woefully cumbersome around women. The scientist instantly falls in love with the schoolteacher, who takes him to be a clumsy idiot out to take advantage of her.
Adding to the mix is a gang of insurgents (two of whom want to do nothing else but play cards) running away from the police. The movie tracks their advancement towards the culmination, where they all end up facing each other.
The Gods Must Be Crazy does have its bit of humour and satire, but only in sporadic bursts. The story begins very well, with a comparison between the nomad's life and life in a city. In fact, the start is so good that I was almost grinning and rubbing my hands in anticipation for more. Sadly, the middle part got a bit boring. And the end a bit obvious.
That said, there were a few scenes and sequences that did crack me up. The scientist's clumsiness at different times was hilarious. So were the actions scenes involving the guerillas. And the interactions between the bushman and other civilized people.
I definitely recommend it as a Sunday evening watch at home.
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I Love You, Man (2009)
A cool friendship flick.
No, this ain't another Brokeback Mountain. I Love You, Man has a ton of gay moments, but of the fun variety, not the sexual attribute kind. The movie tackles the niceties of male friendship, and it does so without even the slightest hint of homosexuality. And that's what makes it a very cool friendship movie.
I Love You, Man is a movie about man-to-man friendship, male bonding, drinking beer, talking about who you had sex with and how, jamming, going hiking, taking a dog out to poop, standing up for a buddy, giving career tips, helping him shop, playing poker, watching games, playing games, sharing masturbation techniques, screaming at the top of your voice, loaning money, and just plain hanging out for no reason.
Starring Paul Rudd (the Mike from Friends, who Phoebe marries) and Jason Segel, the story goes thus: Rudd's character, Peter Klaven, is getting married but doesn't have any male friends. He has no one close enough to be his best man. All his friends are chicks. His fiancé, and her friends, find this unusual and hence, Peter Klaven sets out to find a friend. He goes on numerous man-dates that fail miserably. Enter, Segel's character – Sydney Fife. The two meet and get on like a house on fire. The rest is what makes this movie rock.
Rudd plays an introvert while Segel plays an extrovert. The two share terrific on screen chemistry. I simply had to call up my best friend after watching I love You, Man to tell him that I loved him.
I love You, Man is a light-hearted fun flick, with all the right emotions in the right places, you'll love it. Watch it with your best friend and you'll love it even more.
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