[Movie] Saving Mr Banks

Cast: Emma Thompson, Tom Hanks, Paul Giamatti, Jason Schwartzmann, B.J. Novak, Colin Farrell, Bradley Whitford, Ruth Wilson

Direction: John Lee Hancock

Inspired by true events, this movie is almost like a behind the scenes look into how Walt Disney (Tom Hanks) managed to  convince the author P.L. Travers [Played by Emma Thompson] to visit USA and convert her book Mary Poppins into a feature film. 

The Trailer:

In short, the movie "supercalifragilisticexpialidocious"... haha.. I've always wanted to use that word in a sentence and here is my chance! I watched Mary Poppins movie as a little girl with a bunch of cousins and we ran around singing the songs from it "Spoonful of sugar" and "supercalifragilisticexpialidocious"... And so to watch a movie that shows how the movie got made was quite an exciting moment. 

Was at a friend's house and she showed a bunch of DVDs she had bought recently, and this is what both of  us picked. And what a right choice that was. The 2hours went by so fast, we went through several emotions through the movie- happy, excited, appaled, sentimental and finally a big fat grin on our face as the credits rolled by.   

The movie begins with Pamela Travers deciding to fly to America to meet with Walt Disney who hopes to convince her that they should convert her book into a movie [which is also a pomise he made his daughters]. But Pamela is not an easy woman to work with as you discover during the movie.  She has an opinion about everything, and quite the stiff upper lip as well. When people address her Pamela, she corrects them [every single time] that she is to be called "Mrs Travers". 

There is another story that runs in parallel, Pamela's childhood years set in 1901 in the Australian outback...She dotes on her father [Colin Farell] who loses his job in the Bank and decides to move to another town [moves his family on foot bags children and all]. But over years, he loses all his jobs and takes to drinking eventually succumbing. It is her mom [Ruth Wilson] who brings the children up single handedly. All that she went through as a child, the times spent with her dad gives us a sneak peek into her life and why she is the way she is. Infact, as the movie wears on, you discover the Mary Poppins story is her very own story.  

It is brilliant watching the scenes where Walt Disney tries to work his charm  on her, her small interactions with her driver and the way she finally melts.  

This is a movie that is good for people across ages, that will leave you feeling all warm and fuzzy by the end of it. 

Overall Rating- 5/5

[Movie] August: Osage County

There is a man sitting in a dark room saying “Life is very long,” and that it is taken from T.S. Eliot, which is why now when we say it ,we need to add the name after the phrase. that is Beverly [Sam Shepard] talking to the new girl he has hired to help around the house when his wife Violet [Meryl Streep] stumbles into the room mumbling something. The dialogue he says is almost like he is describing his life, for after this one scene he disappears from the house and from this world as well. 

Once their 3 daughters come to know of their dad's disappearance, they all come home to Osage Plains in north Oklahoma, and so does their Aunt Margo [Mattie Fae Aiken] with her husband Charlie[Chris Cooper]. Soon, they find Beverly's body, and this is where the actual movie begins.  

The 1st to come home is Ivy (Julianne Nicholson), a freckled girl who is still single, lives close by and who surprises her mom with her recently straightened hair. Even though she stayed back and took care of her parents, the other siblings dont really show any gratitude nor have they pitched in so far.  

Barbara (Julia Roberts) said to be her father’s favorite by Violet more than once comes with  her husband, Bill (Ewan McGregor) and her teenage daughter, Jean (Abigail Breslin). She is going through a struggling phase in her marriage, is seperated from Bill and is all set to take over her mom's life and control the same. 

And then there is the vivacious Karen (Juliette Lewis) who lives in Florida and is currently in town with her latest catch, her fiance Steve (Dermot Mulroney), who zooms in on his red Ferrari and has told her they are headed to Belize for their honeymoon right after the wedding on New Year's eve.. Even though Steve is nearly 50, he has his eyes on the young Jean who keeps brushing him off.

Once Beverly's funeral is over, all gather at home minus Little Charlie [ Violet's nephew played by Sherlock famed Benedict Cumberbatch]. There is constant bickering, fighting, arguments, words getting flung on each other during the meal till Violet makes an entry. Little Charles misses the  funeral because he forgets to set the alarm and comes home little later. He is constantly getting a earful from his mom about what a loser he is, but his dad keeps defending him and knows he is a good kid. The scene where he takes Ivy, plays a song for her on the piano is quite a moving scene.. 

During the dinner, Violet talks about how Beverly had meant to change the will to leave all the money to her but dint get around to it. After a whole host of screaming and swearing, the day wears on and at night, Ivy tells her sisters of her love for Little charles. The next morning Barbara discovers from her aunt that Little Charles is infact their half brother and not a cousin. She tries to get Ivy to break it off with him, but only ends up with her driving away from the house. That is when the girls discover their mom knew of their dads affair with their aunt. Violet repeats  “Nobody slips anything by me,” often and she is right. She has such a sharp tongue, that we are left wincing everytime she lashes out. Infact, when  she reveals others’ secrets, we cringe because we know she is deliberately stepping over the line to make the point that she is a know-it-all.

It is a movie that is well made, but then it reminded me of all the soap operas I have seen on TV, incl the likes of Brothers & sisters, where it is all about over the top drama. 

August: Osage County is a movie about a family, a dysfunctional one at that, one very similar to what we see around us. I just wished it had been crisper...  

Overall rate: 3/5 

Movie review: The Magic of Belle Isle

Every now and then comes a movie that makes you cry; feel so warm and smile.. One such movie is the new Morgan Freeman starrer "The Magic of Belle Isle".

A movie about a writer who had put his pen away and about a woman with 3girls stuck in a messy divorce in a small obscure town in the middle of nowhere..

When Monty(Morgan freeman) is dropped off at the old rickety house an told this is where he'll be spending his summer in and that he'll have to dog air he is none too happy! Armed with an endless supply of Scotch and sharp tongue he goes about the day..

Things change when his neighbors recognise him, and a little 9yr old comes to him with $34.18cents asking him to teach her to bring out her imagination..

This is an endearing movie-
Showcases the battles of the mother Mrs O'Neil (Madison) with 3girls, includes a teenager who resents her and thinks the mom is the reason for the divorce

A writer who is inspired by a tiny toy and the mom to write once again, who falls in love with the town, and it's people, even the dog.

It's about reinventing oneself.. Rekindling what you once had..

As always, Morgan Freeman blows you away with his acting, especially the scenes where he tries to teach the dog to fetch; shoots his revolver when Twed the clown yells at Carl and his way of tellin Fannigan that if he ever had a little girl, she'd be just like Fannigan..

Do watch or let me know and I shall loan he DVD..

Starring - Morgan Freeman, Virginia Madsen and Emma Fuhrmann. Directed by Rob Reiner

Safe House

Director: Daniel Espinosa
Writer: David Guggenheim
Starring: Denzel Washington, Ryan Reynolds and Robert Patrick

After much talk about Safe House movie, i finally went to watch it on Sunday. Well, Safe House is a 2 hour ride that was packed with action but thats about it.. Like many others, i saw the trailer, heard the leading stars names and decided i want to watch it. 

 The story opens with Matt Weston (Ryan Reynolds) who is a a housekeeper at CIA's Safe House in South Africa. Weston's is clearly frustrated that he has seen no promotion and his boss keeps promising him the clouds and stars, but nothing has changed. He bids adieu to his French girlfriend [who's a student at the local hospital] and assumes his place at the Safe house. Life for him changes with the entry of the fugitive Tobin Frost (Denzel Washington). Frost,a former CIA operative went rogue and was last heard to have sold classified information to the highest bidder and gone off the radar nearly 9years ago. 

After years of eluding the CIA, Frost walks straight into the Consulate one morning and there begins the twist in the tale. Heavily armed CIA men take him to the Safe House, but there is a breach and the place is raided, with Weston escaping with Frost on toe. Weston, being duty conscious decides to look for another Safe house to take Frost to, during the course of which he battles quite a bit for Frost's safety. The dialogues between Frost and Weston as they are weaving through the narrow lanes of South Africa are worth a watch. How Frost judges and assess Weston, talks to him about the filth within CIA and so on.... The scene in the stadium where Frost flips and makes it look like Weston was kidnapping so he could escape is quite ingenious. Quite a bit of blood is shed, and fights rage on through the movie. As much as it is to watch the action, it kinda strays away from the main plot and the audience is left wondering "where the hell are they going with this"

It was a thrill to watch Weston, a rookie fight, all the time keeping his eyes on Frost. But it was sad to see the same old pattern of the big guns in the CIA being involved in the sham, and out to get their own, to save their asses.  Denzel with his suave character, quite demeanor steals the show as well. He fits well in the role of Frost.  The movie is all about the slogan "no one is safe", it should also be "trust no one". 

Safe House is a one time watch if you a die hard Denzel or Reynolds fan and enjoy non stop action. When the movie ended and credits rolled, all i can say is "so, what else is new?" Looks like Hollywood story tellers are fast running out of plots, and story lines. The movie had me thinking of Mission Impossible, Bourne Identity series and every other cop-criminal based movie that had ever been made across the world. The ending of the movie left a bad taste in my mouth, couldnt the director have come up with something bit more original? Why did he have to rip off the end from MI4 to the T ? sad....  And well, i am glad they dint go and make this movie in 3D.. would have been painful to watch,albeit for the fight and chase sequences.

My Rating: 2.5/5

Tower Heist

There is Eddie Murphy... Wait, there is Adam Sandler... Oh, hold it there, there is Alan Alda too.. Now, a movie with such fine actors has to be fun filled right? Well, that is what i thought before sitting down to watch Tower Heist...  What i ended up thinking towards the end.. well, read on...

The movie opens with Arthur Shaw [Alan Alda] who plays chess daily with Josh [Ben Stiller] and who promises to help triple the pension money of all the staff at the Tower apartments faking a kidnapping, which is when his true colours are unveiled.

Apparently, he was faking a kidnapping to flee the country to escape from all the frauds and federal charges. Josh and others feel it is a mistake, but soon realise it is indeed True and that Shaw has made all their money vanish into thin air...

Since all the Tower employees are good hard working souls and they trusted Josh with their pension, it is now Josh's turn under the spotlight where he is made to feel guilty for trusting Shaw with the money... When Shaw is put under house arrest, Josh along with  the new elevator operator Enrique Dev’Reaux  and Charlie, the concierge with a very pregnant wife march into Shaw's apartment under the pretext of making breakfast enquiries and bash up the Ferrari he has parked in his apartment that he claims belonged to Steve McQueen... The trio are fired and banned... 

That night while getting drunk with FBI agent Claire [Tea Leoni] that he gets an idea on how to set up a Heist and get back the money Shaw stole from them... he puts together his Oceans Team, oops heist team - Enrique, Charlie, Mr. Fitzhugh [Mathew Brodrick who seems to have aged and looks 200],ex-wall street guy who has just been evicted from his Tower apartment,Slide [Eddie murphy], his next door neighbour who is forever getting into trouble and decide to break into Shaw's apartment and hunt down the Safe where he feels the money is tucked away....

As the movie rolls, we get such strong traces of Oceans 11 that it is hard to focus on Tower heist.... The plan, the tricks, the little twists and turns are all good, and well chalked out which keeps us in the edge of our seats, sometimes rolling with laughter and other times wondering will they pull it off... Pretty soon we discover the other characters who are part of this plan... Lester, the adorable doorman and the spunky lock picking "i want to get married to retain my visa" Odessafrom Jamaica.... 

The scene where Eddie Murphy orders them each to shoplift an item worth $50 is howlarious....

For some strange reason, i was also reminded of Ben Stiller in Night at the museum while watching this... probably his style of acting or delivering dialogues....

This is a movie you will enjoy while you are watching it,  you just might not remember it too long, or go around recommending your friends watch it... but what the heck.. value for money :)

Go enjoy.... just dont have expectations.. any!!

Muran- sleek and smooth...

 

 

Genre: Thriller
Directed by:  Rajan Madhav 

Cast:  Cheran, Prasanna, Jayaprakash, Nikitha, Hari Priya, Suma

The story is fairly simple: it is about these 2 guys, who are poles apart in terms of their personalities and how fate brings them together, leaving one of them no choice but to follow suit... The 2 men are Nandha [Cheran] and Arjun[Prasanna] 

The movie opens with Cheran and some others sitting in a table having a drink while Prasanna is standing on the ledge asking a waiter to count to 3 so he can jump down and hopefully fall into the Swimming pool.. he is piss drunk and not in his senses, but hell bent on doing this feat...   

And the following day it so happens that Arjun gives Nandha a ride to Chennai when his car breaks down [no thanks to a bunch of drunk driving rash on the highway].. With time, they start sharing their life stories... As the flashback unfolds, Nandha passionate about music, plays the guitar talks about being married to  Indhu (Nikitha) who hates music, wont give him a divorce till she gets her hands on her father's possessions and is possibly having an extramarital affair. Nandha is vexed with his marriage, but then he smiles once again when he meets Lavanya (Hari Priya) with whom he develops a strong bond and possibly even love.

On the other hand, there is Arjun, son of a millionaire and, all he wants to do is party and blow money [kinda like Ranbir in Wake up Sid]. He talks about how his father Devarajan (Jayaprakash) has ruined his life, the love he had for Linda [who worked in his dad's office and who was forced to have sex with his dad during an official trip and thtereon committed suicide].. Arjun talks about how Nandha can move on with Lavanya if his wife was taken out of the equation and how his life would be better when his dad is removed from the picture.  

 

Arjun loves Thrills, while Nandha is a "play it safe" kinda guy. But Nandha realises Arjun is serious about this plan of his... But then, he walks away giving Arjun the number of a leading psychiatrist to seek out!!

This is where the movie takes quite a turn and twist.... One day, as Nandha goes about his routine he receives a call that his wife met with an accident and has died.. He is stumped and shocked.. That evening, he receives a surprise visitor... no prizes for guessing.. it is Arjun who comes to say "no need for Thank you" :-)

It is then that we feel chills down our spine, wondering what is Arjun really capable of! Arjun has actually put his words into action, proving he was serious and that he now expects Nandha to do the 2nd part of the deal- kill Devaraj.... Nandha does try, but fails and then calls it quits!
 

And as days go by.... he comes to know what Arjun is capable of , the extreme he goes to which leaves Nandha with no choice but to follow suit and go kill Devaraj based on the plan laid down by Arjun... What happens next is the grand climax and finale... let me not spoil it for you....

A friend mentioned that the movie was inspired by Hitchcock’s film, Strangers on a Train (1951).. Now since i have not seen this, i quite enjoyed it and felt the movie had a very Hollywoodish touch to it, the sleek neat way of execution, with each scene flowing smooth...  

Its a movie that will have you glued to your seats, wondering what next.. who will kill whom... if Nandha or Arjun will get caught.... 

The songs are ok, i dont really remember any of them...

Plot is good, the pace is maintained through the movie... 

Cheran and Prasanna have done an amazing job, doing justice to their roles to the dot.. Prasanna as a bad guy is quite a feat, it suits him!!

Mankatha- Game of In or Out

"Mankatha"- the title says it all...  Ajith has pulled off quite a performance in his 50th Movie and Arjun along with the rest of the team adding to it, although i wonder what was the reason behind making this movie in  the 1st place!

After Chennai 28 that was based on Cricket, Venkat Prabhu has taken on yet another sport as the theme for his next movie-"Mankatha".. It is based on the sport that involves Money and the Men involved.  

Vinayak mahadevan [Ajith], a cop suspended for letting a Terrorist go is the KING MAN in this plot... He plays a Bad ass who is focussed on nothing but MONEY.. The movie is Ajith all the way- with his loud laughs, body language, suave moves, and dialogue delivery.... and ofcourse it shows very obviously that Venkat Prabhu has tried very hard to portray Vinayak as Danny Ocean from the Ocean Series, and it kinda obviously falls flat...

Coming back to the story, Vinayak goes about his days meeting people, and enjoying a carefree life, that also includes his gilfried Sanjana (Trisha) who is the daughter of an influential local goon Arumuga Chettiyar (Jayaprakash of Yudham Sei fame).

Vinayak is a fun guy, who will do anything for money, but goes about it quite smooth- befriending the right kind of people, tech savvy enough to plant bugs to learn about the plan others are making and all the while living his life to the full...

The movie loosely involves the Betting that goes on  in the IPL matches... Assistant Commissioner of Police Prithvi (Arjun) is given the case to end the betting scandal.

Arumuga Chettiyar discovers that Rs 500 crores is the money involved in the betting for the Final IPL match. He uses his nexus with underworld in Mumbai and tries to route it through his recreation centre- Golden Theater in Mumbai.

He has a team of young guns, amongst who Sumanth (Vaibhav) is Arumuga Chettiyar's protege. Sumanth makes a plan with the Police officer Ganesh (Ashwin) to loot the money. Also joining them in the plot are Mahanth (Mahanth), who runs a bar in Mumbai and Prem (Premgi Amaran) an IIT pass out who's recently landed in Mumbai with money dreams in his eyes.

Vinayak comes to know of their plan and takes over as the leader guiding them through the loot, till one morning he along with Ganesh and Sumanth land at the place where the booty is stored to discover it all gone! Mahath and Prem have gone missing which makes it obvious that they have disappeared with the cash.  

This is when Arumuga Chettiyar begins the hunt for the treasure, interrogates Sumanth by threatening to hurt his wife and chases after the gang to repossess his loot. Vinayak follows every move of Arumuga Chettiar, and this is where the chase begins to heat up ...  

Some interesting dialogues in the movie--

* Thappu seiyurathellam sernthu senjuringa aana thandanai mattum thaniya avanukka?

* Sathiyama inimey kudikkavey kudathu da.

* Oh.. Sanjay Ramasaamy.. Mel maadi. Avar marakkurathukulla pooidunga.

* Inimey namma ellam thanni adicha, orey brand aa maintain pannanum. Mix  panna kudathu.

* The King!! No no no.. The King Maker!!

* Over confidence udambukku nallathu illa King Maker.

* Cha cha cha cha Ivan ippadi solla mattaney? Yeppudi solluva sollu…

* Money money money money money Ummah

* Vaada Bill Gates!!

* Action King!! I’m impressed!! Gimme More!!

 

Let me not reveal the spoilers... but Ajith and Arjun have managed to pull off the twist in tale quite well... Venkat Prabhu has created a movie that shows of Ajith's various facets... which have also been delivered well.. The movie has strong traces of Ocean 11 series, and Italian Job as well.. It does have a Hollywood style direction as well, which was good to see in a Tamil movie...I know i have said this earlier, but heck, i cant get over the similarities ....

I wish movie makers realise they can create movies without song sequences and the audience will still enjoy them... A background score would have been good enough.... In this movie, i felt there was no need for a heroine leave alone half the tracks belted out, some of which made no sense..!! Again, Venkat Prabhu has created another song like the Saroja Samaa nikalo with this "Machi open the bottle" for Premji...

The bloopers during the credits are worth a watch... yet another 1st in the Tamil film industry!! This was the best part about the movie!! but then being able to endure 3hours just for a few laughs?!!

[Movie] True Grit

True Grit... Had picked up the Dvd few weeks back at my regular store and it had sat abandoned in my shelf till yesterday noon... 

The Summary on the DVD: A tough U.S. Marshal helps a stubborn young woman track down her father's murderer. 


Main Stars: Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon- NOw these are names we know.. but the one that caught my attention and had me glued to the movie was Hailee Steinfeld. That little girl sure can act, and she has a voice and grit that stood out through the movie through Mattie Ross!


My Review: 
This little girl walks into town with her head held straight and conviction on her face. She is determined and ready for battle. The motive: She is looking to kill Tom Chaney, the man who killed her father....   She decides to take matter to her hands when the Sheriff just shrugs her off. Standing outside the loo where "the toughest U.S. Marshal "Rooster" Cogburn" sits, she works hard to convince him to take on her case and help her find Chaney.. A smart cookie, she also manages to make a trader part with his money for the ponies her dad had bought and for his saddle... 


Cogburn is an old, one eyed drunk, who does nothing but act as a Bounty hunter, killing scums, and making some money in the process.   He takes on Mattie, promises to help her , and sticks by her side till the mission is accomplished. 


The morning after, she wakes up to find Cogburn gone.. Racing on her horse, she finds that she is refused passage on the  ferry that took Cogburn and LaBoeuf across.. Determined, she crosses the river on her horse.. She  then learns that the two men have agreed to split the Texas reward for Chaney. Accusing him of fraud, Mattie threatens to have Cogburn arrested for breaking their agreement. Cogburn reluctantly agrees to let her come along, but does nothing to make it a comfortable one. 

More than anything, the movie is about how Mattie goes against Cogburn's wishes to stay put in town while he goes on the search, and her determination every step of the way. The trio find themselves battling through heat, unfriendly goons, and nature where their grit is put to test.  


Rate: 4/5 [absolutely amazing watch]
A true blue American Western flick.... 


Infact, this is an adaptation of the movie that was made in 1969 starring John Wayne. Am curious to see the earlier version, to see how different it was!

[Movie] Black Swan

After a brief hiatus, i am back!! Been catching up on Movies- in theaters and on DVD..One movie that i saw few days back was Darren Aronofsky’s The Black Swan

Black Swan is not a run of the mill movie, and not a lame Ballet based movie either.... it is an intense movie, filled with multiple layers of symbolism, psychosexual metaphors, and rich thematic undertones.

Watch the Black Swan Blossom on stage

The story is a twist on Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake.  Portman plays Nina Sayers: a protected, single-minded ballerina in New York City who finally gets a shot at stardom when the director of Swan Lake Thomas Leroy (Vincent Cassel) casts her as to play both the White Swan and the Black Swan, replacing Prima ballerina Beth MacIntyre (Winona Ryder) .  Nina, who’s goal in life is to attain perfection, she breezes through as the  White Swan, but has a tough time trying to let go, and bring out emotions required by the Black Swan.  As Tomas taunts her of her emotional shortcomings, Nina in turns faces sharp rivalry from Lily (Mila Kunis), another ballerina who is all about the darkness that Tomas is looking for in the Black Swan.  

Teetering on the edge of madness, lust, paranoia, frustration, and jealousy build as the pressure on Nina intensifies, culminating in a stunning finale which takes place on opening night, when the world is finally introduced to her black swan, and when all her worst fears are realised.  

It's a flamboyant movie, Aronofsky  has created a deep screenplay thats just as powerful if not more as his earlier Requiem for a Dream.

The beautiful cinematography by Matthew Libatique, breath taking background score by Clint Mansell, and the highlight of it all is Natalie Portman’s phenomenal performance lets you wander into the magical world.

The Black Swan is an al out Natalie Portman's film, and she delivers the performance of her career as Nina. It's no surprise that the camera loves her, but this may be her most subtle and nuanced work yet, perfectly capturing Nina's physical and mental meltdown.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button....

I had been getting mixed reviews about this movie, only my friend Anita had said its a good movie, watch it, i know you will like it... :) our tastes do match!!! Anyways, reached Satyam around 6.40 and made our way inside and eagerly waited for the movie.. I had no clues about the movie, hadnt heard the story or anything...

A movie that  is a narration, kind of a flash back through Benjamin's diaries helps us relive his days in this world.. For an english movie, it is quite long..nearly 2 .40 hours, but the time goes by, not a moment of it is boring [ except for the silly Interval with the annoying ads...]...  

The Cast includes.......... 

 Benjamin Button - Brad Pitt
Daisy - Cate Blanchett
Queenie - Taraji P. Henson
Caroline - Julia Ormond
Thomas Button - Jason Flemyng
Tizzy - Mahershalalhashbaz Ali
Captain Mike - Jared Harris
Monsieur Devereux - Elias Koteas
Grandma Fuller - Phyllis Somerville
Elizabeth Abbott - Tilda Swinton
Preacher - Lance Nichols
Ngunda Oti - Rampai Mohadi
Daisy age 7 - Elle Fanning
Daisy age 10 - Madisen Beaty

Benjamin's diary recounts his entire extraordinary life, the primary unusual aspect of which was his aging backwards, being born an old man who was diagnosed with several aged diseases at birth and thus given little chance of survival, but who does survive and gets younger with time.... 

Set in 1920s, around the time when World War I ends, its a tale about a baby[Benjamin] born with diseases and looks like it is 100yrs old,..His Mother dies at childbirth and the dad runs away with the baby leaving it at the footsteps of a senior citizens home... Queenie, ablack woman who works there stumbles upon the baby and brings him up!!! What starts there is the journey of Benjamin who grows younger physically as he grows older... 

The costume... The make up will have you wondering how this movie dint run away with all the Oscars.... It won 3 Awards only.... 

Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett  were simply outstanding.....

An amazing tale that left us all speechless... His every action..discovery of who is father is... the way he embraces the changes his body goes through... the love, the wait, the family., the maturity and the ending... Gosh, i dont know where to start!!!  

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is one of the most moving stories , collectibles infact.... A movie that one needs to experience and cannot enjoy simply by reading a review!!!!

A movie that tells us it does not matter what you look like,your outer appearance is just a shell to your inner soul ..... :)

[Movie] Changeling

One more movie i had picked up a Pondy was Changeling, infact the only reason i bought the movie was cos the cover looked interesting... But last night, managed to watch the movie and wow, it was amazing... Moved me, disturbed and affected me.... Here is a peak into this fascinating story, which reallly happened way back in LA... A movie that is a must watch, has been directed by Clint Eastwood

 

Set in 1928, "Changeling" is a about Christine Colins (Angelina Jolie) who loses her son, who was home alone while she went to work and her battle with the Los Angeles Police Dept. Christine gets upset to discover that Walter was nowhere to be found and no sight of him across the neighborhood. From there on, she works tirelessly looking for him, and trying to get the Cops to help find him. When all hope seems to be lost, she gets a visit from the LAPD and she comes face to face with a nine-year-old boy claiming to be her son. Inspite of her refusal, the kid states all details related to her son and the cops convince her he is her son!!!

Overcome with emotions and uncertain how to face the authorities or the press, Christine invites the child to stay in her home despite knowing without a doubt that he is not her son. When Christine points out that he is not her son, she is treated first as a hysterical, traumatized woman and then as a lunatic and a threat to public order. She is ignored, smeared in the papers and then locked away in a mental hospital....  Christine then, with the help of the Reverend Briegleb (John Malkovich), ploughs through the red tapes, corrupted Cops and emerges in bringing out the truth....

 

What was most disturbing about this movie is that the stark reality of what actually happened to about 20 kids who went missing, the teenager who reveals scary truths along with the Cop-Lester Ybarra [Michael Kelly] who is responsible in working on this case,but who is shunned by the Inspector.

 

 

 

Its been a while since a movie touched me so much... Had me thinking of the Nithari killings that happened in India, which was in the news awhile ago!!! Why do people  act the way they do??? What happens to the mother???? does the search ever end???????????? .............................

 

[Movie] The Fall

Couple of days back, my sis and i went to the DVD store and raided it clean!!! was fun!! Thanks to all the work, and projects flowing in, i've not been to a theater in over 2weeks... so decided this was the best way of destressing~!! :) One of the movies i brought home was THE FALL by Tarsem Singh

The movie is set in 1915- 1920 at a hospital in Los Angeles, where a dejected stuntman,Roy (Lee Pace) is recovering from a mishap that has left him bed ridden. Scampering around the hospital is Alexandria (Cantinca Untaru), an adorable girl with a broken arm, who carries around a box that has her treasures in it. She speaks English with a bit of an accent and isnt really fluent in it, which adds to her character. 

 

She meanders into Roy's room one day, and Roy, upon hearing her name, tells her about Alexander the Great. She is so entranced by his yarn-spinning that she wants to hear more from this mysterious man.... Roy goes along....

From then on, every morning Alexandra makes her way to Roy's room, and he starts to weave a tale of old-fashioned adventure. The story is about a band of five men from all over the globe who are united by their hatred of an evil man named Governor Odious. They are: a former black slave (Marcus Wesley), an Indian man (Jeetu Verma), an Italian explosives expert (Robin Smith), a masked bandit [who finally turns out to be Roy himself] and, finally,err, ummm.. Charles Darwin (Leo Bill), accompanied by a monkey that gives him advice from within the satchel in which he is carried (and the monkey is always right)

The five revenge-seekers, each wearing costumes of a different predominant color, travel the world to reach Gov. Odious, guided at one point by a babbling mystic warrior (Julian Bleach) who comes out of a burning tree(amazing visuals).... 

The masked bandit's tiff with Odious is that Odious killed his brother[Blue bandit]. In real life, the Odious stole Roy's girlfriend[which is why Roy is so depressed and feeling suicidal]. In between the story, Roy and Alexandra's lives are also woven in... Roy tells Alexandria he is unable to sleep and that he wants her to get him some MORPHINE [ she reads it as M O R P H I N 3 :)], and obliges since he says only when she gets it for him will he resume.... the story goes on till finally Alexandra is part of the tale, and ends up rescuing Roy..... :) 

"you always stop at the same part, when it's very beautiful" - a dialogue Alexandra says everytime Roy stops the story..... 

 Darwin--- "Shoot, you animals. They'll pay you well for Darwin's hide."

The settings in which the story unfolds are mind blowing.... fascinating.... and most parts have been shot in india.. If one has seen Jodhaa Akbhar, you will know what am talking about... all the forts, palaces that come in that movie are here! except they look grander and majestic!! 

A lovely warm movie that left me feeling "wow" and "am glad i picked this up".. yes, there are parts that are unbelievable... but hey, it is just a fable that Roy is creating !!!

Movie marathon!!! :)

 

My friend and i went for the movie - The Mummy:Tomb of the Dragon Emperor/ The Mummy 3, with tickets not being available for any others... anyways, we enjoyed the movie... loads of wacko scenes.. action... amazing effects... the sights are worth it!!!  Jet Li and Michelle Yeoh launch into a vigorous sword fight — and what a grand pleasure it is to watch these two world-class stars in action again... 

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Ever since we saw the promos for Bachna ae haseeno, me and my friend wanted to check it out... we knew it was probably a brainless romantic , but dint expect a diff version of DDLJ....  

The journey of rich spoilt boy Raj Sharma (Ranbir Kapoor) is the main plot of this movie.... He meets three girls at different stages of his life: Mahi (Minissha Lamba) - a small-town girl from Punjab, who is looking for Raj(SRK of DDLJ), Radhika  who becomes Shreya (Bipasha Basu) - a model from Ranchi in Mumbai, with whom he has a live in relationship and finally flees when he gets a proj in Aus... and finally Gayatri (Deepika Padukone) - an NRI taxidriver from Australia. The film is about a boy who goes from one love affair to another, only to run into true love and then being dumped, cos she isnt ready for marriage... this forces him to look back on all the nasty heartbreaks he has been responsible for, and he goes back to all those women!!! 

Oh, how can i sign off without mentioning the drop dead Gorgeous Kunal kapoor...divine!!! :) 

Except for Khuda jaane, none of the other songs are really nice.. infact songs not really needed!!  

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I saw this movie at my friend's house.. she was sleeping and i was sifting thru her dvd collection, thought this might be fun.. and i LOVE animated movies.. but it was wacko and a bit boring!!!  Am talking about The Ugly Ducklinbg and me... the only sweet thing about the movie is --- don’t worry if you’re not accepted by those around you, you are special!!!  

[Movie] Freedom Writers

It is very rare to come upon a movie that affects us so deep and leaves us soaking in its dialogues and acting...

A movie i saw couple of days back was like that ... i was randomly surfing channels, when i hit upom HBO and what i saw had me glued, so much so, i told my grandparents to wait a bit to have dinner... The movie was  Freedom Writers

These are days when am so glad i have a set top box and have the privilege of watching such wonderful movies...!!!

It is based on a true story of a young idealistic white school teacher who gets a job in a high school filled with black kids and gangs. Yes, the initial many of the scenes reminded me of Michelle Pfeiffer in  Dangerous Minds,  and Sidney Poitier in To Sir with love, but this was different.. It is Freedom Writers, adapted from the diaries of Woodrow Wilson High School students, with Hilary Swank as the teacher[her 1st time in the job] who is trying to change the world, or atleast teach and make a mark on couple of students, who have the potential but not given adequate attention.

Erin Gruwell aka Miss G, (Hilary Swank) is a simple white girl with grand ideas and thats is when she volunteers to take her first teaching job[actually she is a student teacher] at racially charged, run down Wilson High School in South Central Los Angeles [ The film is the city reeling with the aftermath of the 1992 Los Angeles riots]. Located in gang-ravaged Long Beach, California, Woodrow Wilson High is a filled with rough kids and  violence. On her first day, she walks into the class in a bright cherry-red suit and black pumps, her strand of pearls gleaming in her neck, and looks quite goofy in a class of rugged black kids...

The students are understandably skeptical, excruciatingly contemptuous. From where they sit, slumped and hunched, some with their backs literally turned away from the front of the room, Erin looks like the stranger she is, but slowly weaves her way into the lives of these helpless kids!!

While never having heard of the Holocaust, these kids are well-versed in the pain of poverty, the legal system, and death. Their devoted teacher Erin Gruwell never gives up, she slowly bonds with her class, giving them books to read{Diary of Anne Frank, Odyssey], helping them vent out all the pain and agony within them through the journals. The Scene where she gives them each a book and says she will read them only if the student gives her permission is where the change happens [ the trust develops and slowly they open up to her and learn to alter their lifestyles,. looking fwd to school...]  

  

Meanwhile, a strain is put on Erin's marriage as her student involvement gradually takes priority over her personal life. The intensity with which Erin relates to her work threatens her husband (Patrick Dempsey), who in seeing Erin's transformation, is reminded of his own stagnancy.. She even pleads with him to take up studying architecture, which is what he wanted, but he walks out, leaving her lost and alone... 

Erin asks the kids to write letters to Miep Gies (Pat Carroll), the woman who hid Anne from the Nazis. In order to raise money for Gies to come to California, Erin takes a weekend job at the Mariott! With three jobs, shewords towards taking her students on field trips (to a Holocaust museum) and dinners at the hotel’s restaurant.  The other teachers balk. They go to the school board and protest,but Erin wins!!!! :)

Freedom Writers works because the group of teenage actors they’ve brought together in it are anbsolutely awesome, raw, and their  performances make it worth watching. 

Starring: Hilary Swank, Imelda Staunton, Patrick Dempsey, Scott Glenn, Robert Wisdom

Director: Richard LaGravenese
Screenwriter: Richard LaGravenese
Producer: Danny DeVito, Michael Shamberg, Stacey Sher

[Movie] The Holiday

A movie i've seen earlier, but that had me glued last night to the TV.. The Holiday...

A simple story, about two gals who are heart broken and looking to get away from their routine life., go somewhere and try getting over the men they were in love with.. The interesting part about the movie is how they end up in each other's homes for 2weeks, and find men who they care about and fall for pretty hard...


Cameroon Diaz (Amanda Woods), and Kate Winslet(Iris Simpikins), the main leading ladies, accompanied by Jude law(Graham) and Jack Black(Miles) make this movie fun, sweet, romantic, mushy mushy and adorable.. Oh, not to forget the sweet 90year old Eli Wallach as Arthur Abbott, a famous screenwriter of yesteryears...

Iris, a British social columnist who continues to love a man she can't have, but who tries to make sure to be in touch with her, inspite of him being engaged to other woman and Amanda, a L.A. film trailer producer, who simply cannot cry, and has not since she was 15, when her parents split up... Though Iris and Amanda live thousands of miles apart, they are in exactly the same place: Just before Christmas, Iris and Amanda decide to take a needed break from the men in their lives (played by Edward Burns and Rufus Sewell) ... While looking for a holiday destination, Amanda stumbles upon Iris's cottage home, but on the condition that its up only for home exchange[meaning they swap homes] ...

how their lives change.... How instead of getting over the men, they fall for new men... and the sweet journey from London to LA....

the cutest scene acc to me is when Amanda gets ready to head back to LA, and on the doorstep tells Graham .. Am gonna kiss you for the millionth time and tell you 'be seeing you".... brought tears!! and the Doggie is adorableeeeeeeeeeee....

Ohh... oh.... not gonna spoik it in case you havent seen it~~ pick up the DVD and watch it