[Movie] A Christmas Carol

Its gonna be a week since i saw this movie, so thought its about time i wrote about it...  A Christmas Carol , the last show was what we managed to watch, that too Sunday morning 9am show.. Can you beat that? And we feasted on it in 3D style~!! :-)

Starring: Jim Carrey, Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Bob Hoskins, Robin Wright Penn, Cary Elwes, Fionnula Flanagan

Director: Robert Zemeckis

Did you know that A Christmas Carol is actually a book by Charles Dickens? I discovered that piece of trivia only recently, and was mighty curious to watch the movie to know more...

 In Disney’s A Christmas Carol, Ebenezer Scrooge is not a man people want to be associated with, they hate him- for his grumpy attitude, misrely qualities... He shouts and bah humbugs at everyone who wishes him Merry Christmas!! His partner at work has recenlty passed away!!!

He returns home on Christmas Eve only to be confronted by a series of ghosts. They take him through life, showing him various scenes involving people around him and how their lives are. How difficult his clerk's life is, and how inspite of all that, and the pittance he earns, he praises Scrooge during the Christmas meal... Each of the ghosts teach Scrooge a lesson - about hiimself, about how others view him and what he can do to change his fate....

The part where the ghost takes him to his nephew's place where the dinner party is being hosted is beautiful...  How his own nephew mocks him, bringing to light what people actually think of Ebenezer and the effect these playbacks have on him is the bottomline of the movie....   We saw it in 3D, and there were scenes with snowfall and i could literally feel them on me.. wanted to put my hand out and catch a few.... !! A beautiful tale of how people's attitude changes the minute your approach/outlook/attitude alters is what the movie teaches us....

It is a children's movie, but meant for adults as well, there are quite a few scenes that kids just wont understand... But i was amazed at the boy sitting 2seats from mine, his dad next to me.. the kid was full of vigour and was literally narrating the tale to his dad [who sadly wasnt too interested in the movie, but was more into his phone...] :-)

[Movie] Michael Jackson - This is it!!!

Directed - Kenny Ortega

 

Produced - Paul Gongaware, Randy Phillips

 

Starring - Michael Jackson and his group of dancers, singers, musicians, performers...  

 

This is it released on 28th Oct and was gonna be in Theaters for only 2 weeks.. I was hoping to catch it and i sure did... the last day it was being screened, at Sathyam Cinemas.. And what an experience it was.... !!!

I grew up listening to Michael Jackson's songs and the day he died, i felt very sad... Like someone i knew close was gone... After watching this movie, this tribute, i miss him more..!!  Here's why..

The movie opens to show his dancers and backstage guys sobbing and talking about how much they were looking forward to the shows, and how close they'd gotten to MJ during the practice sessions.. From there, it is an amazing rocking beautiful soulful music filled tribute to the Man himself.. Rehearsals for various songs, dancers setting the floor on fire, the film editing, singing, vocal sessions, and so much more is what we get to see during the 2hr movie...

It's amazing to watch MJ control every nuance of the performance, from the dancers' cues to details in the music that goes unnoticed most times... even how he describes his earpiece hurting -"it felt like "fists in my ears, but am trying to get used to it"... The little "God Bless you"s he says every now and then to his team and to the director.... 

The part when the music director makes a joke about bringing more booty into the song, Jackson sort of walks away giggling like he'd heard a naughty joke. When Ortega tells him that the cherry picker he's on is only on the low setting, he laughs and says that Ortega shouldn't have told him that because Ortega knows he'd just want to go higher. :-)

Be it Beat it, Earth Song, Man in the Mirror, I just cant stop loving you, The way you make me feel, each of the songs shown, each step they practice had us engrossed.... Woww!!! Words fail to describe the amount of effort that goes into a show [ i know this much effort goes into every show, but not many you get to see, right!!?] The footage they shoot for  Thriller is just mind blowing, almost like they've recreated the video as it were... hey were working on and the music video intro shoot for "Smooth Criminal" that uses '50s movies with Jackson merged into it. I am curious to know if Thriller was finished after Jackson's death, because the doc shows him and Ortega watching the screen wearing 3D glasses as it's being filmed, and we're shown a 2D, more final version. 

Audiences are given a privileged and private look at Jackson as he has never been seen before. Michael Jackson's "This is it" captures the singer, dancer, filmmaker, architect, creative genius and great artist at work as he creates and perfects his final show........... It was like watching a live performance, actually a live rehearsal i should say... had me singing along with the songs, grooving to the beats and wishing He was alive.... 

Have never seen my mom so engrossed in a show before.. Infact she called saying - can we go for a movie and when i was browsing through Satyam website, and saw MJ's This is it, i was tempted to ask her, but thought she might not like watching it.. Alas, who would have thought.. she picked that exact movie and said "chk if tickets are there and lets go"... Am so glad!!! She was engrossed it.. completely emotional... Infact i think the entire theater was glued in like never before...  probably the  1st movie where not a soul [ apart from the ones sittig right in the front, they just pay Rs10 and come sit in theater for AC comfort i guess.. most of them look like that ]... Everyone was in their seat as credits rolled on and till the very last word was done with!!!  Beautiful................

Only thing i felt could have been incorporated was his interaction wit others, few words from his family, an interview... something more than just practice...!!!

[Movie] Inglourious Basterds

A name that kept resounding in my ears, a movie i had been wanting to watch but that hadnt hit Chennai theaters then... And finally, one day my uncle walked in home with the DVD in his hand... Aaaah.... *rubbing hands together and sparkle in my eyes, i grabbed it from him* ... what movie you ask -- Need you even ask[err, since i had put it up in the title of the post..hehe] .. it is Inglourious Basterds by Quentin Tarentino....

Infact, i took the dvd with me on my holiday thinking if i find time or am bored, i shall watch.. Alas, that dint happen... managed to watch it day before, here at home!!

Cast: Brad Pitt , Mélanie Laurent,Christoph Waltz
 

Director: Quentin Tarantino

Rating: ****3/4 

Remember, its a Tarantino movie!!! So, watch out for a bit of goryness, full on action and plenty of blod shed... ;) You also need to remember to read the subtitles [since most of the movie is in French and German] and not to miss any of the action, verbal exchanges happening on screen... 

Inglourious Basterds begins in German-occupied France, where Shosanna Dreyfus (Mélanie Laurent) witnesses the execution of her family at the hand of Nazi Colonel Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz). Shosanna narrowly escapes and flees to Paris, where she forges a new identity as the owner and operator of a cinema.

The film, divided into five chapters, begins in Nazi-occupied France. Landa, known as the Jew hunter, waltzes into a quiet farmhouse to flush out hidden Jews. After drinking two glasses of milk, Landa, quietly, chillingly, calls his men in and has them shoot a Jewish family hiding under the floorboards. Only the daughter, Shoshana, escapes, running for her life.

Chapter 2 introduces us to the Basterds --- Lieutenant Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt) organizes a group of Jewish soldiers to engage in targeted acts of retribution.  The Basterds pulverize Nazis by killing as many as they can, in the most hideous way possible, and then scalping them. To watch them actually do it has us takes quite a bit of grit...[but luckily these scenes are far and few]  

 

The following Chapters are all about the clashes between the titans.... !! 

 

Lt Aldo, the Apache demands 100 Nazi scalps from each of his dirty dozen.. Must make a mention of the "Bear Jew" played by Hostel movie director Eli Roth. After sneaking into France dressed as civilians to take down the Reich, the Basterds team with British soldier Archie Hicox (Michael Fassbender), a film critic assigned by a British general.. Adding spice to the movie is femme fatal German actress Bridget Von Hammersmark, who is now a spy for the allies. The two revenge plots converge at Shosanna's theater, which will premiere a propaganda film, Nation's Pride, and boast a red carpet walked by the Gestapo elite and the man himself, Herr Hitler (Martin Wuttke). Shosanna along with her Black assitance Marcel is  all set and completely poised to carry out a revenge plan of her own....  :-) 

What happens then is the climax of this gripping movie...

 

Hats off to Waltz, as the "Jew Hunter" of the SS, who dangles his host French farmer over the precipice of revealing what he cannot reveal numerous times, then pulls him back with obsequious lines of friendship and understanding. Every scene where he takes charge is amazing, has us amused at the way he gets the point across -- the opening scene where he switches languages so the Nazi's wont understand him,  How he speaks fluent Italian and stumps the Basterds at the movie premiere or the scene where he has captured and confronts the Basterds trying to make a deal with them... the shot where he calls Bridget aside into the room and shows her he knows she was in the bar and was the one who escaped the killings... Absolutely brilliant acting...

A second sadistic German, well-played by August Diehl, functions as an important actor in the final plot twist. Diehl's Nazi Major, who has an ear for German accents, is almost as good as Waltz...... just about.. almost!!

A movie that i thoroughly enjoyed and wouldnt mind watching again...

[Movie] Air Buddies.

Its been raining incessantly here in Chennai, and there was no way i could head out yesterday.. Sunday, spent at home driving myself up and over the wall.. Finally, decided enough is enough and pulled out my external hard drive and started scanning thru to see what movies i had on it...

The one that i knew would cheer me up was "Air Buddies"... What better movie than one with Dogs and pups!!! :)

Air bud, a succesfull ball player finds true love and they bring into this world 5 adorable pups- Air Buddies!!

The next generation comes along with five puppies. Budderball is crazy about football and all he thinks about is his next meal. B-Dawg plays basketball, isn’t exactly a team player, and speaks of himself in the third person. Buddha is into meditation, yoga and  loves baseball. Mudbud loves playing in the dirt and is a mutt who enjoys simple pleasures, including volleyball. Rosebud is the only girl in the clan, loves soccer, and is a true lady, but one who will do anything to protect her brothers!! :)

Five puppies around the house, all of them active and rambunctious, turns out to be too much for the family. That’s made particularly clear when the nanny the family hires to look after the puppies gets tied in her chair  and her blueberry pie completely devoured by the pups, while the family is at a basketball game. 

The movie is all about the family wanting to give the pups up for adoption and they running away just so they can be with each other.. What follows is an amazing tale of how the parents go looking for their pups, and the twists and turns they encounter and what happens in the end has us all going "Awww, how chweet"...

Air bud and his girl are kidnapped all bcos a rich spoilt brat wants a pet he can play with... A tiger was the 1st choice, but Duh, whats the point of having a wild tiger for a pet, right?  What follows it that the bad guys are sent to find the pups as well, cos they are worth quite a lot... This is when the plot thickens and the pups decide to go looking for their mom and dad[ parallely the bad guys are looking for them] , they come across quite a few interesting characters... But the 1st thing they do is to consult the town map to figure out where the bad guys are headed..The chase through the farm involving the billy goat is especially well done, and the showcasing 101 Dalmatians receives while at the movie theater fits in nicely. The dogs run helter skelter, proving to be more than a handful to the bad guys...!! 

Even the silly Sheriff's Sniffer dog is adorable.. How he thinks a skunk's spray cured his sniffing problems... and ultimately helps lead the boys to their pups.. And how can we forget the wolf that takes the pups into his den and helps them find their way....

Air Buddies is a great family film.. how can it not be right? It has it all - Romance, drama, thriller, mystery, comedy...  Was quite impressed with how good the head movements and body language of the puppies works beautifully. Not only that, but the character of each of the puppies is clearly defined and allows them to sound and act unique.

If you are a dog lover, do watch it..

Books books.. Am back to you, my love!!!

Its been a while.. and now am finally back to reading like the maniac i am!! Had bought a couple of books at the newly opened Full Circle abt 2months back!!! And now those books keep me company at night before hitting the zzzzz..!! i love you booooooks.... every page is divine!!!

Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell

I have read his earlier books.. Blink, recommended by a friend, following which i read Tipping Point[ which is in fact his 1st book]...

In this book, he talks about what makes high-achievers different from others.... According to him, we pay too much attention to what successful people are like, and not enough to where they are from: that is, their culture, their family, their generation, and even links their birthday or month or year to their success. Along the way he explains the secrets of software billionaires, what it takes to be a great soccer player, why Asians are good at math, and what made Beatles the greatest rock band.

Just about 100 pages into the book.. will finish reading and write complete review!!!

The 2nd book i've started is Alexander Frater's Chasing the Monsoon... The cover looked appealing and it was related to India, so thought let me give it a shot!! Not bad i must say!! :)

Alexander Frater follows the monsoons-unsteady northerly progress, pursuing its bliss and destruction as well is his own family ghosts, Elegantly insightful and humorous, he captures the delirious celebration and relief with which India greets its liquid transformation. If all travel books were this good, everyone would just stay home and read.

The last book in the list was what i got day before evening-- Chai Chai by  Bishwanath Ghosh

This book has me engrossed... its a super light read.. things we can relate to, identify with.... He decides to roam the towns beyond station yards — towns with unique names like Itarsi, Mughal Sarai, Arakkonam and Jolarpettai, Jhansi, and Guntakal.. All he does is mix with locals, learn about history, discover the lives of those who pass by that town.........

There's a discussion on this tomorrowe... Hoping to go for it... will be my 1st such book meet.... :)

[Movie] Wake up Sid

Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Konkona Sen Sharma, Anupam Kher, Supriya Pathak, Rahul Khanna

Director: Ayan Mukerji

Music: Shankar Ehsaan & Loy

Rating: ****1/2

Verdict: Good light fun movie!!


“Wake Up Sid” was one delightful movie. The movie has a constant smooth flow throughout; no over the top or understated drama scenes; no ultra emotional strangulation of the audiences; absolutely no hippie-yuppie cool dude acting by Ranbir; and last but not the least, a very realistic, and refreshing story.

 
  A movie that reminds you of those fun college days,  where there is one guy who is the rich brat, not worried about anything in life, always surrounded by money and fancy stuff. Wake up Sid is the story of how Sid transforms from a spoilt rich brat to a responsible young man.. and the journey is so real and so so much fun, the audience is with him through the way!!!

 
While the film actually becomes really engrossing in the second half, the first half facilitates an adequate groundwork for the story to progress. As you watch Sid mature, and by the time he returns to his dad (Anupam Kher in a short but effective role), you realise that the destination was eventually met even as the journey wasn’t quite ‘on your face’ or ‘over the top’.

 Meanwhile Konkona gets yet another complex role for herself. She is absolutely brilliant. Watch out for her in the interview scene with Rahul Khanna and the emotional outburst when Ranbir decides to go back to his parents’ house. Her irritation is so utterly believable and so are the tender ways in which she looks after him, and the slow process of falling in love with the guy she thought was her total opposite.... :)

 The beauty of ‘Wake Up Sid’ lies in the honesty with which all the characters have been portrayed, bringing them so close to the real life. Be it the problem of English-speaking Sid not being on the same wavelength as his Punjabi-speaking Mom or the Sid who is simply wonderful with his friends, we identify with him completely. The simple dialogues of the movie make it all the more easy to relate with.The good part about the ‘transformation’ that Sid undergoes in the movie is that it comes over a period of time, not overnight or within the space of a song.
 
Yes, the character of Sid has various similarities to Hrithik in Lakshya, Aamir / Saif in Dil Chahta Hai but this movie will leave an imprint in your heart, and you will walk out of the theater humming Wake up Sid!!
 
Fav songssssss that i've been tripping on multiple times during the day... -- Kya Karoon?', 'Iktara', 'Wake Up Sid'
 

[Movie] The Soloist -"Based on a True Story."

Director: John Wright

Cast:

Jamie Foxx (Nathaniel Anthony Ayers)

Robert Downey Jr. (Steve Lopez)

Catherine Keener (Mary Weston)

Tom Hollander (Graham Claydon)

Rating: ****3/4

The Soloist opens with Los Angeles Times Columnist Steve Lopez (Robert Downey Jr.) riding his bike down a slope and crashing head first on the ground.... But the real story begins when he meets Nathaniel Ayers (Jamie Foxx), a talented musician who's been playing a two-stringed violin while living on the streets and battling mental illness[hears voices in his head] ...Instantly drawn to Ayers’s passion for music, especially Beethoven, Lopez begins to write a series of columns about his new acquaintance while attempting to get him off the streets and perform again.

The lady who sends the Cello she has used for 15odd years before Arthritis confined her to a chair, and how the Cello rides to Lopez is a beautiful scene... The way Nathaniel looks in awe at the New Cello, how he does not want to let go of it are heart wrenching scenes...  Amidst numerous achievements and setbacks, Lopez and Ayers develop a friendship based on mutual respect despite their many differences, and Lopez rediscovers his humanity.

The movie uses sound and silence very well. Two great examples are a flaming car passing Nathaniel’s window in a flashback during the race-riots and Steve jumping into his fancy car to escape the sights and sounds of the homeless around him. This is a perfect way of showing two different worlds.

The voices in Nathaniel’s head give us an insight into how frustrating life must be for him but there are too many scenes with people sitting listening to him play. The sequence with neon colours flashing on screen while an orchestra performs has quite an effect on the audience...

The driving force behind this movie is, without doubt, the lead actors in the form of Foxx and Downey Jr as they prove to be a powerful combination. Foxx is left to run with his character of Ayers, whose only desire is to play music, and his performance is every bit as good as that in Ray.

Jamie Foxx- with his eyes darting, head bowed down, wacko sense of dressing, anger on a low simmer, doesn't cheat in his portrait of Ayers' illness. Something inside him will always remain unreachable. Downey's eyes finally come to reflect that acceptance, capturing the film's heart.  

The Soloist isn't about Big fancy moments, a fairly slow movie, it leaves you wondering what happens next... even after switching the DVD off...!!  beautiful is how i would describe the movie!!

[Movie] Prey

I'd been wanting to watch this movie, Prey for some time. and finally it got released in Sathyam cinemas, alas i knew no one would want to come with me for this gory gruesome movie.. SO, went and bought the dvd and watched it last night.. One hellova movie!!!

Directed by: Darrell Roodt
Written by: Darrell Roodt, Beau Bauman and Jeff Wadlow

Starring:
Bridget Moynahan -Amy Newman
Peter Welleras -Tom Newman
Carly Schroeder - Jessica Newman
Conner Dowds - David Newman

Jamie Bartlett - Crawford

Rating  ****1/2

The movie opens with a herd of female lions hunting in the dead of the night and scavenging on zebras and deers... The Newman family come to in Africa; Tom is there on work, and so rest of them decide to take a relaxing safari to see some of the wild animals. Unfortunately, the minute their guide/driver takes them "off the beaten track" do their troubles begin. David wants to take a leak, and the driver accompanies him out when they are attacked by a couple of hungry lions. David manages to rush into the car, while the driver is chewed up..Amy and the kids are now stranded, surrounded by these lions,who see them nothing more than a meal wrapped in a Jeep. As Tom returns, he finds his family missing, and the rangers talking about going for rescue operation in the morning only. He then takes it upon himself to contact this Mr Crawford who's supposedly the only man for the job, convincing him to help out...

A movie that has blood and gruesome scenes around every corner.. With every step, you think "This is it", "Oh God No, what is she doing"... and are left biting your nails, chewing your fingers till the very end... 

Amazing locations... awesome cinematography had me glued to the screen, as i sat through it in the middle of the night...!!! Enjoyed it immensely... For those of you who like such movies, also watch Ghost and the darkness 

Remember... " Out here, you're the endangered species..."