Change Your Image
gops-s21
Reviews
Permanent Roommates: The Attempt (2016)
Heart breaking and mature
Can't remember the last time I saw such mature writing in an Indian TV series. The finale was breathtakingly real. Me and my wife are a huge fan of this series and this final episode tore us down big time. It had no additional characters.. No gimmicks... Just the two primary characters attempting to move on. The previous episode ended with a shocker and then this one was a heart-ache but the way everything was handled deserves all kinds of superlatives. No parents should ever face this situation though. The concept here was probably never touched by any film or TV series in India till now. Thank you TVF for creating a genuinely fun and moving piece of work.
PS: The end credits made me laugh out loud. :D TVF universe rocks! :)
Kai po che! (2013)
Cricket, Love, Friendship, Passion, Politics.... phew... what a film!
Before watching "Kai Po Che!":
Me: Hey! Let's watch Kai Po Che.. A movie about Friendship, Forgiveness, Passion and..
Bro: wait.. yet another movie on 'friendship'! Another 3 idiots! Another Zindagi na milegi dobara... Come on! Don't you get tired of watching movies about same old stuff.. Can't we watch 'Die Hard'..? Yippee ki yay!
Me: No.. 'Die Hard' got bad reviews.. And seriously? Choosing 'Die Hard' over 'Kai Po Che' is the dumbest thing that must have ever come to your mind. Nopiee ki nay!
Bro: OK then.. let's go.. But we will watch Die hard after we are done with Kai Po Che.. OK?
Me: OK. Cool.
The film:
The film title Kai Po Che is originally a Gujarati phrase that means "I have cut the kite" which refers to a kite competition where one of the competitors uses his kite to cut off another competitors kite and yells "Kai Po Che!"
Adapted from "The 3 Mistakes of my Life"(Chetan Bhagat) and Directed by Abhishek Kapoor (Rock On!!) this is a character driven film about friendship, forgiveness, passion, love.. all in the backdrop of some real events. The story mainly revolves around three friends, Ishaan played by Sushant Singh Rajput, Govind played by Raj Kumar Yadav and Omi played by Amit Sadh, who set out to open a sports training academy.
The Good:
A film about friendship is not a new thing in Bollywood. We have already witnessed "3 Idiots", "Rock On", "ZNMD", "Dil Chahta Hai". "Kai Po Che" looks similar at first but peel off the layers and it's much more.
Adapted from a book titled "3 mistakes of my Life" this film is a tightly scripted and crisply edited drama that never bogs down or dumbs down for its audience and instead resorts to subtlety.
Playing with themes like dreams and aspirations, friendship standing test of time, a commentary of our education system is not an easy task and the director does an incredible job of weaving everything together.
Cinematographer Anay Goswamy has made look Gujrat so beautiful that I feel like taking a vacation and running off to that place for the Kite festival. Also, music given by "Amit Trivedi" is refreshing especially the song "Manjha".
But it's the characters that drive this film and the three leads are a revelation here. Rajkumar Yadav, Amit Sadh and Sushant Singh Rajput not only have a good screen presence but they can actually ACT! (Sorry about me shouting and all.. but can't control my emotions right now) The actors have such great chemistry that it reminded me of my college days. These guys are not actors in this film. They ARE Govind Patel, Omkar Shastri and Ishaan Bhatt. And this is where this film hits it out of the park.
A capitalist money minded friend. A political friend. An emotional/day dreamer friend. These are people whom we have met somewhere at some point in our lives. These are people whom we can relate to and care about.
The Bad: Not applicable.
Final verdict: Cricket, Love, Friendship, Passion, Politics.. It's all what India is about and it's something that any sane minded Indian wouldn't and shouldn't miss.
After watching "Kai Po Che!":
Bro: Damn you
(sniff)
Me: What! You didn't like it? (sniff)
Bro: My eyes are watery. It's so embarrassing! F***ing friendship movies
(sniff)
Me: Oh come on now! Since when did you start crying for a film (sniff)
Bro: Oh and why is there a bubble under your nose?
Me: I.. I got cold. (sniff..) OK.. So next Die Hard.. I'll go buy the tickets and then..
Bro: F*** Die Hard. Let's watch this again. (sniff)
Special Chabbis (2013)
Asli power dil me hoti he...
A movie, in my opinion, in a given running time should be able to involve us in its world and should do justice to what it's trying to be. That's all I ever want from a movie, whether it is commercial, non-commercial or any weird stuff.
"Special 26" directed by Neeraj Pandey (A Wednesday fame) is a cleverly written commercial drama/thriller/heist film that managed to suck me into its world and kept me hooked till the end.
Inspired by a real-life heist that took place on March 19, 1987 where a group posing as CBI officers executed an income tax raid on the Opera House branch of Tribhovandas Bhimji Zaveri in Mumbai, this commercial flick kicks into action from the word GO but unapologetic-ally takes pit stops for some appalling & unconvincing love angle.
Peppered with witty one-liners and some good 'chor-police' drama, the film with its running time of two and a half hours feels aptly paced and only bogs down in parts.
If a film says its set in 1980's India, it has to be shot well enough to make you believe. Late cinematographer Bobby Singh succeeds in creating an authentic world that looks real and convincing.
The booming background score by M. M. Keeravani and Himesh Reshammiya though mediocre makes sure that you don't look away from the screen but the lousy songs add nothing to this film.
But what keeps this film alive is the charming performances.
Akshay Kumar , Jimmy Shergill, Manoj Bajpai and Anupam Kher and even actors playing little characters play their parts well with an exception of Kajal Aggarwal who sticks out like a sore thumb.
"Special 26" wouldn't be half as good as it is if not for the director who succeeds to keep you on the edge of the seat with some good direction.
Though not as effective as the director's previous venture "A Wednesday", this film has more than enough wit for a commercial cinema.
Final Verdict: Entertainment guaranteed. :)
David (2013)
Three lives.. Three destinies.. One word.. Boring
Here's how the director must have convinced the producer for getting a green signal for this flick.
Director: Hey I got an idea. Producer: Tell me. Director: Three lives.. Three destinies.. One name. David. Producer: Whoaaa..! That sounds so cool man.. Here's your cheque.
David(2013) is an action/crime/drama thriller directed by Bejoy Nambiar,(the man behind Shaitan) that tells three stories of three men from three different eras that are linked by one name David or so we know until the final few minutes when the actual connection is revealed. Sound's promising isn't it?
David is one of those films that try to be different. So if you are a person who chants 'Different is good.. Different is great' every time you enter the movie hall then chances are you might just end up liking this one.
As for me I am fine with 'different' as long as it doesn't bore me which sadly this movie does. And to be frank there was nothing different except the editing that mixes three different time periods skillfully and some good music mixed with innovative slo-mo sequences that got me saying "Yeah.. now we are talking baby!"
If you find my opinion horribly inconsistent, then seriously it's not me
it's this film that jumps up & down from entertaining to deathly boring every few minutes.
So in a story set in 1975 London we have David(Neil Nitin Mukesh) who works for Iqbal Ghani, a mafia don.
Then we have another David(Vinay Virmani) in another story set in 1999 Mumbai where he is a musician born to a Christian middle class family who struggles when his family is dragged into a political issue
And there is a third David(Vikram) who is a fisherman living in Goa who falls in love with a deaf-mute girl Roma(Isha Sharvani) who would be getting married to his best friend in 10 days.
So in simple words.. 1- Serious Action 2- Political Khichdi/Action 3- Romantic Comedy
Of all the three stories the first one is easily the best of the lot. Shot in sepia and nicely acted this story seemed intriguing in parts. The second plot felt contrived and OK. The third one was entertaining in parts but horribly boring otherwise.
Surprisingly this movie has such good actors and no one is convincing. Neil Nitin Mukesh and Vinay Virmani are OK and Vikram tries his level best to inject some life into an otherwise dull and poorly written character. At the end of the day it's the gorgeous Isha Sharvani who saves the film.
Stylishly shot and slickly edited this movie is attractive to look at but the writing is so ardent for being 'out of the box' that it never settles its butt.
Conclusion: Disappointingly average.
Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola (2013)
If I ever interviewed Vishal Bharadwaj and his cast in this life
Me: I am a huge fan of your films and especially the stories that you write. How did you come up with MKBKM?
VB the Writer: Well. One day, on my vacation, when I was watching TV, I saw Khiladi 786 and I thought "These movies lack a social issue
Why can't I take a real issue and present it in a mainstream satire" and so I began writing the script for MKBKM.
Me: But mainstream satires are supposed to be entertaining and the people didn't find this one funny at all. VB the Writer: Pass VB the Director: Yes. They are supposed to be entertaining but everyone has their own opinion. Not everyone is a fan of dry humor you know.
Me: OK so you mean to say that this movie has dry humor. But there were so many situations in the film that seemed forced and idiotic. VB the Writer: Yes. That is a 'type' of humor. It's called slapstick humor. And sometimes it does look forced but there is an audience for it so we included it in the film.
Me: But you said the movie has dry humor. How can both forced and dry humor co-exist.? VB the Writer: Pass VB the Director: Pass VB the Producer: Now-a-days there is a drastic change in commercial cinema. Today's audiences are bored of the usual stuff and want new things, new ideas, new
Me: But this movie has nothing new except for some cool visual gimmickry like a flying airplane in the middle of the night. VB Writer, VB Director, VB Producer: Pass VB the Music Director: ahem.. We included some good music too.
Me: I agree but there was only one song that was being repetitively used. "Sharara". I personally felt irritated towards the end. VB the Writer: Yeah but the lyrics were good and so were the dialogs in the film.
Me: But half of the time I and my friends couldn't make out what Pankaj Kapoor was trying to say when he was drunk. VB Writer, VB Director, VB Producer, VB Music Director: Pass Imran Khan(8-|): Yes but you see he's a great actor and his expressions are enough to tell you what he's trying to convey.
Me: Yes. Do agree with that. But the same can't be said about rest of the cast. Talking about actors, how difficult was the role for you Imran? Imran Khan(8-|): It was difficult. I had to grow a beard and learn Hariyanvi. (Smirk)
Me: Yeah.. but the audience felt cheated when they saw your performance. Many said the dialect and mannerisms looked very fake. Imran Khan(8-|): As I said. It's difficult for an actor to get into the groove of things. You know. Grow a beard and learn Hariyanvi and.. (Smirk)
Me: Wish you learn't acting. And what about you Anushka? Anushka: It was a very bold role to play..
Me: Oh! You mean less clothes.. yes yes. Agreed. And what about you Pankaj sir?
Pankaj Kapoor: Pass
VB(interrupts): See basically it's all about opinions and sometimes they differ. But that doesn't mean the actors are very bad and the movie is very bad. Is it?
Me: Pass
For more reviews visit my blog : http://gopal-themovieholic.blogspot.in
The Office: The Whale (2012)
Why the bad reviews??
I don't get it. Am i the only one who's enjoying this season? I mean come on! I don't know what's gotten into the critics..! This was the best episode of this season yet. For me this is the episode where the little story arcs start to develop fully. Of course it isn't as great as Season 1-7.. thats because there's no Michael in it. But i think critics should stop whining about it and move on.
I really liked how they are exploiting Dwight. And the Oscar-Senator affair is just getting deliciously complicated. It's more like a nod to the Dwight-Angela affair when she was engaged to Andy in one of the previous Seasons. So what happened to Andy is sort of happening to her. :) There were some really good funny lines like when Pam says, "I used to watch Pulp fiction and laugh, now I'm like, 'that poor gimp is somebody's child!' "... :) Very good episode. Please do not stop watching because of the critics. Just trust yourselves and enjoy. :)
1920: Evil Returns (2012)
Best unintentional fun!
"Tum achha sangeet gaa leti ho. Tumhara naam Sangita rakhenge." is one of the few gems that is delivered with a serious face by Jaidev Verma played by none other then Aftab the great, in a movie that is so genuinely entertaining(unintentionally).
Talking bad about a movie that made me laugh so hard through out non-stop would not do justice because I got more than my money's worth. So here's what I thought about this movie.
This movie is one of the best unintentionally enjoyable films that you would ever find.
Talking about all the different factors in this film like direction, acting and all is hilariously futile. Except for one actor named Sharad Kelkar who does something that resembles the word "acting".
But I'm sorry I never went into watch anyone act! In fact this isn't a movie that you sit and seriously watch.
It's a movie to make fun at and in the process get all your money's worth.
So go buy a cheap ticket and be the dialog writer of this movie along with your friends. Bring out the creativity in you man!
Conclusion:
Go strictly with a group of friends, keep an open mind and have a blast.
You will enjoy like you have never enjoyed before.
Thank you Vikram Bhatt.
Skyfall (2012)
What's all the bloody hype?
"Old dog, new tricks" says Eve played by Naomie Harris and the movie pretty much sticks to that. But after starting off on such a high note with the Casino Royale, does that "old dog" and his "new tricks" live up to the hype and expectations? "SkyFall" directed by Sam Mendes is something that i could sum-up as a "wanna-be-Nolan-movie". Don't get me wrong here. The plot here is indeed dark but it never gets darker than the screen. The sense of intrigue and tension is near-to-absent and the background score makes it worse by playing the traditional bond tune that we are so used to by now thereby making it look somewhat silly at times.
On the bright side, the action sequences are spectacularly choreographed especially the first 10 minutes has some of the best action sequences seen in any bond film and an action piece involving a comodo dragon was totally fun to watch.
But what bothered me were the bloody boring gaps. There are way too many dry spells in between and it all could have been excused if I cared about the characters. But the screenplay just doesn't do justice to the actors.
There is humor, some intentional, some unintentional and there are a few good one-liners thrown in. However, they are far and few in between and all that dialog would have made sense if there was some layer/depth to the characters or the story.
In the acting department everyone's done a fair job but it's "Javier Bardem" who stands out for making a lamely written clichéd negative character look marginally interesting.
Conclusion: For me "Skyfall" is an overrated film that comes dangerously close to being an average movie. It's an uneven piece of work that probably wouldn't disappoint if you keep your expectations as low as possible.
Inception (2010)
He is delivering a spectacle, but to enjoy it completely the audience must earn it
After watching this movie a big question got raised in my mind. 'Was AVATAR really a cinematic revolution?' The answer is a BIG NO.
'Inception' is a movie that sets a new standard not just for Hollywood but for movie makers from all the over the world. It's a kind of movie that can't be explained in words and can simply be experienced (of course with immense concentration) in order to fully understand the depth of the story.
I have been a huge fan of Christopher Nolan after I saw 'Memento' (another masterpiece of his) and since then have been mesmerized by his direction and the way he narrates a story. 'Memento' changed the way I used to think about movies. 'The Dark Knight'(2008) was another brilliant work that changed the way I looked at comic book heroes. And now here comes 'Inception', a movie that not only changed the way I think about my brain but also 'planted a new idea in it'! (Christ sake Nolan! :-O)
Now coming to the point. I had heard from many of my friends that this movie is too complicated to understand. Now let me get this straight to you. YES. The movie becomes complicated at times not because of the plot but simply because of the narration which turns out to be the best way Nolan could have unfolded the story. If you watch movies for spending some leisure time with your girlfriend and grabbing some popcorn then the whole thing might go above your head. The movie requires your full attention. In fact it challenges you to understand the various concepts explained about dreams i.e. dreams within dreams within dreams and so on. The whole first hour is spent in explaining about our subconscious mind and how it works, my personal favorite being 'The Paradox'. Sounds like an overdose of knowledge rite? Not at all. In fact you won't even realize that the movie is more than 2 hours in length. Action
Love
Thriller
It was a perfect mixture of
well
. almost everything! I even witnessed a fair amount of humor.
Next, about the star cast
well
do I need to say anything about it! Everyone
I mean literally every single actor was very fitting in his/her role. Leonardo DiCaprio as Dom Cobb was topnotch. He brings genuine emotion to the scenes in which we see Cobb overwhelmed with love for his wife and children, and he is every bit as convincing in his action star avatar. But my favorite was Joseph Gordon-Levitt who creates a composed, confident character that is a clever foil to DiCaprio's Dom Cobb.
Hans Zimmer's music is haunting. Seriously, it would resonate inside your head for at least a day or two after you've done watching the movie. Editing by Lee Smith is top notch.
And finally that brilliant and the most debated ending. Chritopher Nolan has given us the best ending you could have ever possibly imagined. Because it's been a week since the movie got released and me & my friends are still discussing about it. Jesus Christ I never discussed so much in my life (not even for my high school project! ;-) ) I couldn't help but stand up and applaud after that one spectacular moment which just holds your attention and you literally beg for it to end the way you want it to. And when it was over and the credits rolled, a very rare thing happened in the room. The crowd inside started cheering and applauding for what they had just witnessed. And I have never ever ever ever seen the crowd behave like that in my entire life. Conclusion: With Inception, Nolan fuses the core agendas of both his previous films (Memento and The Dark Knight) – "HE IS DELIVERING A SPECTACLE, BUT TO ENJOY IT COMPLETELY THE AUDIENCE MUST EARN IT."
Paranormal Activity (2007)
A well directed home-video
Now, let me be straight about this movie. It's hyped. Absolutely no doubt that it's hyped. I went in the movies this Saturday expecting another 'Cloverfield' or a 'Blaire-witch' and what I got was only a few minutes of goose-bumps. I am not saying that it wasn't scary. I totally agree that it was hell scary so much so that I didn't sleep that night after returning home. But that doesn't necessarily mean that it's a good movie. The movie's plot development is damn slow and I am not complaining about the pace either. But in such cases the director is supposed to cover that up with some 'genuine' drama and it is here that it fails miserably. The dialogs are so dull that they never come out from 'Please don't go in there Micah. You are not going in there. ' and for the most part of its 85 minutes running time nothing really happens.
Another problem with the movie is the camera work. Now I am not saying that it's hand-held camera technique made me dizzy(I actually love that stuff) but it's the camera positioning. I mean the camera stays over at one place in the bedroom where you actually get all the scares. Instead the director should have used it at various places. May be it was the part of their plan to develop that sense of Deja-vu that you have been in the bedroom for quite some time but they could have used it more creatively.
Another flaw that I noticed is that there are a lot of places where you would ask "Why didn't he just
." and this isn't good for a movie especially a horror flick.
On the 'up-side' this movie was genuinely scary at places. The scene where the lady stands up staring at Micah for hours and hours was damn scary and the last 15 minutes or so also provided the best goose-bumps that stay with you even after you leave the theater. It's a movie that makes you believe that there are indeed such things happening somewhere. It expects its audience to use their imagination and completely relies on it. And that is the reason why there is so much of difference of opinion towards this movie. It seriously depends upon various factors such as the place or the time or even the people with whom you are watching this flick. If you are going in a theater room fully packed with kids or teenagers shouting from every corner then the movie might turn out to be outrageously funny! It does provide you with some terrific moments that might take you by surprise BUT they only come in bits.
It certainly deserves a 6/10 because it's just a well-directed home video that was 'I assume', probably shot by the director with an intention to scare his friends.
Somebody told me that you need to be 'strong-hearted' to watch this movie. I agree that to some extent but to me the movie requires you to be 'strong-minded' because it tests your patience for most of the time.
Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain (2001)
A treat for the eyes, ears, and of course heart!!
I know this is crazy because i'm commenting on a movie that was released almost a decade ago. And you might find it even more crazy the fact that 'i watched it recently' but i cannot stop myself from writing about it. Once in a while there comes a movie that touches you emotionally and stays with you for your entire life. And this is it. This is a perfect example of what a movie can do to you. It does everything to you. It makes you cry,laugh,smile,feel,learn.... and so on. Its a visual delight and the music.... 'boy oh boy'... the music so beautiful that you just don't want to stop listening to it. Each and every character is impressive but its the beautiful 'Audrey Tautou' as Amelie that stays in your heart.I thank director Jean-Pierre Jeunet and the of course the entire cast for creating a gem of a movie. I would watch it again and again and again till i die.....