All The Best

Cast : Ajay Devgan, Sanjay Dutt, Bipasha Basu, Fardeen Khan, Mugda Godse

Director : Rohit Shetty

"All The Best" is a well made potent fun movie, packed with highly enjoyable hilarious moments for the needy viewers.
Moving around the same lines of "Golmaal" (2006) and Inspired by the play "Right Bed Wrong Husband", the story has the same old elements of mistaken identities, which in turn gives rise to some amusing funny moments to enjoy. The story mainly revolves around the character of Sanjay Dutt, who is a big business tycoon just visiting his younger brother, Fardeen Khan for a few hours. Mistaking Ajay Devgan's girl (Bipasha) as Fardeen's wife, the confusions start cropping up which even get worse when Sanjays's few hours stay gets converted into days due to the flight cancellation.

Though, the movie starts with the same routine stuff of introducing the characters and their love connections along with the two unwanted songs right in the beginning. But after the first 15 minutes it straight away comes back to the job of making you laugh and also manages to complete its job quite successfully. The hilarious interaction between various characters entangled in the identity trap, generates enough laughter to give you a good time in the theater.

With the entertaining comic timing between Sanjay Dutt & Ajay Devgan, the film picks up fast and gets good support from the side tracks of Johny Lever & Sanjay Mishra. In fact Johny Lever returns with his impeccable mannerisms posing as a Don who can't speak. He mimics Prem Nath's act of Karz in a very engaging manner and just excels in the climax when he gets his voice back accidentally. Sanjay Mishra as the rich man from the slums is also at his best, especially in his interaction scenes with Sanjay Dutt. Along with the superb performances of Ajay & Sanjay, Fardeen Khan as usual, just provides the required support to both. Bipasha also tries well to match up the comedy acts of others and looks after the glamour quotient of the movie too. But Mughda Godse is hardly there to prove herself.
In short, the multiple character entangle once again proves lucky for the director Rohit Shetty

Rating :

* * *

Dharm

Cast : Pankaj Kapoor, Supriya Pathak

Director : Bhavna Talwar

Tagline : Come, Question Your Faith

Dharm is a film that needs to be made mandatory viewing in all schools across India if we really want to build a secular nation, whilst not giving up on our traditional heritage. More importantly, it needs to be screened – FREE public viewings – for each and every communally sensitive town, locality, and colony. Finally, it should be made compulsory viewing for some of our political leaders – and I don't take names – who have made a killing out of orchestrated communal frenzy and caste violence.

Dharm is not an ordinary film. Its power lies in the fact that it gives us a progressive interpretation of religion, straight from the head pontiff who has pursued a life of unwavering religiosity. A respected Brahmin priest, Pandit Chaturvedi (Pankaj Kapoor) has dominated the spiritual landscape of Benares with his strict adherence to the traditional tenets of practiced Hinduism. Like all conventional priests, he believes in the caste and communal differences and his world almost falls apart when he realizes he has adopted a Muslim child. The foundling who became Kartikeya for him was actually Mustafa, a child lost in the communal carnage that had ripped the city apart. When the child's mother returns, Pankaj as the devout priest; as the man who falls in love with the child; not only lets Kartikeya go, but as the torchbearer of his faith also cleanses his home, mind, body and soul by undergoing days of penance.

Is this the true essence of Dharm? No, declares the devout priest, when the city begins to rage once again in the communal cauldron and his followers brandish their sharpened swords in half-burnt colonies. Then, an enlightened Priest is the one who stands amidst the bloodbath and challenges his followers who attack with swords and fire torches. Eyes drop, swords fall to the ground, as he calls out to Kartikeya in the locality they have come to burn, and kill, and walks hand-in-hand with a Muslim child.

Set against the scenic backdrop of the Benares ghats, the film ends up equating Dharm with its true tenets: the world is one big family; any discrimination on the basis of caste, color, community and religion is anti Dharm. Pankaj Kapoor towers like a colossus amidst the dying social fabric and what could have been an instructive sermon on spirituality,turns up as an uplifting soul curry.

Brilliant photography, a very good soundtrack and top class performance from Pankaj Kapoor. I would recommend this film for every youngster. In fact, schools should put up a circular urging their students, besides facilitating them, to see this movie. Education begins at the grass roots. Let's teach the future of our nation, that religion is all about humanity. That to love one another as God loves us is the biggest act of faith.

Rating :

* * * & 1/2

Anything Else

Cast : Woody Allen, Jason Biggs, Christinia Ricci

Director : Woodey Allen

Tagline : In any relationship, one person always does the heavy lifting

Is there anything worse in the movie world than a comedy that is completely unfunny? If comedy is not accomplished, what exactly is the point of the picture? The end result is a two hour experience that feels like five hours.

I'm wondering if this was a bad movie to get introduced to Woody Allen. I've never watched a Woody Allen comedy before, and I know he's quite different from other comedic directors, but after watching Anything Else, I just don't get it. They were a few chuckles here and there, but for the most part, the movie was just boring, unfunny, irritating and depressing (a depressing comedy? What an oxymoron!)

I just could not relate to the characters at all. Jason Biggs supposedly plays a comedian who falls in love with Christina Ricci's character. Both characters are just annoying especially the one played by Christina Ricci. I guess her instability and constant complaining was supposed to be funny. It just dragged the movie on even longer.

Two other minor characters played by Jimmy Fallon and Danny DeVito were completely dispensable. Danny DeVito's character was just plain annoying as a groveling, unsuccessful agent. Maybe the point of the movie was to create so many annoying characters that we can laugh at them. Lastly, Woody Allen played a character in this movie, and he was really the only somewhat bright spot for the whole picture. He had some funny lines and gave the story a little extra pep but definitely not enough.

Overall, I'd say this is not a movie for the recreational moviegoer. I think you have to be a die-hard Woody Allen fan to appreciate droning chitchat as comedic gold. It aint for me..

Rating :

* *

Ajab Prem Ki Gazab Kahani

Cast : Ranbir Kapoor, Katrina Kaif

Director : Raj Kumar Santoshi

Some ppl told me that Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani has nothing new to offer. Its just 'another' comedy movie. I strongly felt opposite of that. OK, agree it has 'nothing new' regarding storyline. But its absolutely a delightful tell. And no, its not just 'another' comedy movie. Its special because it is a clean comedy. No double meanings, no racist jokes - just pure fun.

After arguably 'the best' hindi comedy ever- Andaz Apna Apna (AAA), Rajkumar Santoshi had this extra heavy burden to make a comedy, cause comparisons must be there. But I wasn't expecting that this would be as great as AAA. Cause somethings are made only once. But overall, its worth watch.

Ranbir Kapoor steals the show. In his regular avatar, with happy go lucky attitude, he makes lovable appearance. His energy throughout the movie is extremely pleasing. Not even a single joke goes wrong. Also he has done a great job with dancing. I would surely vote for him in sequel to this. [Yes, it's in the making] Katrina is, as usual, Gorgeous! She also has perfected her regular character, rather NRI or Christian. Where her accented Hindi is acceptable. She also does nice job.

What's surprising in the movie is Darshan Jariwala. His role of Ranbir's dad is really fun. Though clichéd, one can't help but laugh all the way throughout his scenes. Watch out for the scene when he is made to sing a song.

References to AAA are definitely there. Even the villain is carbon copy of Paresh Rawal's character. But yes, all references are fun. Movie loses its pace just before intermission and in starting of second half, but it is required to move the story further.

Music of Pritam is great and fits the movie perfectly. Ranbir on screen is a treat to watch in the songs. So is Katrina :)

Overall a great entertainment is guaranteed and A must watch for rom-com lovers.

Rating :

* * * & 1/2

Distric 9

Cast : Sharlto Copley, Jason Cope

Director : Neill Blomkamp

Tagline : You are not welcome here

District 9 had all the potential in the world. It could have been one of greats of science fiction. Somewhat disappointingly though, what we're left with as the closing credits start to roll is an above average movie that certainly manages to entertain but falls significantly short of greatness.

The heart breaker is that everything starts out so well! The first part of the movie is presented as a documentary describing how twenty years ago a giant spaceship descends upon Earth and comes to rest above Johannesburg, South Africa. After a few months with no movement from the hovering ship and no contact from whatever may be inside, the decision is made to break into the craft to try and get some answers. What the humans discover is a race of alien beings obviously malnourished and in need of aid. Through the use of news clips, security camera footage and interviews with experts and the citizens of Johannesburg, a meaningful, though not very subtle, allegory of apartheid is presented.

The aliens are brought down to the Earth's surface and given the aid that they need but are soon segregated from the general population and placed into District 9. Living conditions worsen for the beings, known almost exclusively by the derogatory term "prawns", as overcrowding and militarization lead District 9 to becoming a slum. Tensions grow as the human population grows more and more hostile towards the outsiders and the decision is made to move all of the "prawns" away from the city to the newly developed District 10, another less than subtle reference to the forced removals during apartheid.

It's a simple premise with deep, complex themes. At this point while watching the film I was happily expecting to spend the next hour and a half experiencing a meaningful story that deals with heavy issues all contained within a unique take on the summer blockbuster. Unfortunately this is the point where everything started to unravel.

The protagonist of District 9, Wikus Van De Merwe, is a bumbling, slightly cowardly, less than intelligent man who is very hard to empathize with. He works for the MNU, the company tasked with the job of transporting the "prawns" to their new homes, and is given the task of leading the effort to "evict" the aliens not through his merits as a leader but instead through nepotism. Like nearly every other human depicted, Wikus is a bigot that treats the aliens as if they don't deserve even the most basic forms of respect or compassion. As Wikus enters district 9 in order to serve the residents with their eviction notices the documentary aspect starts to fade away and a more traditional cinematic approach is taken. The change isn't for the better.

From here on out the movie consists mostly of limited characterization, lots of impressive special effects and more than a few exploding bodies. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, it's definitely fun to watch, it just could have been so much more.

The "prawns" themselves aren't given much characterization at all. Most of them seem pretty primitive, intelligent enough to communicate but quick to revert to an animal like state. It seems only a select few have intelligence comparable to humans. One of these few, who's taken the name Christopher Johnson, is presented as the face of the entire race and is the one we are supposed to show compassion for. We know this because he shows sadness over a fallen friend and more importantly, he has a cute, wide eyed child. Through him we're meant to care about an entire race. We do end up caring about Christopher and his kid but maybe it's not just because he seems like a good guy who just wants to get home, but also because all of the humans are just varying degrees of bad.

As stated, Wikus is not a likable person. Almost every action he takes is selfish in nature and almost always ends up hurting someone. If his actions happen to help someone else along the way then it's merely a happy coincidence. He's out for himself first and foremost with very few exceptions.

Still, he's definitely the most likable human here. From the MNU who disregards both alien and human life in the pursuit of weapons technology, to Mumbo, the leader of a black market preying on the "prawns", to the MNU mercenaries who are obviously evil (as evidenced by their goat's head logo), humans are definitely the bad guys here.

Having said all of this though, I still enjoyed District 9. Is it as amazing as many people say it is? I personally don't think so. It's smart movie that makes a point that's driven home with bullets and gore. If it had stuck to it's initial idea and presented that same action through the lens of a documentary camera the entire time I think the results would have been more unique and moving, causing it to stand out from the crowd more than it does.

Rating :

* * *

Heat

Cast : Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Val Kilmer

Director : Michael Mann

Tagline : A Los Angels Crime saga

Heat, though in the action genre, completely violates that genre. Oh and if you are wondering, that is a good thing. Heat is not your typical action film. It could be said that Heat is story, with some action sequences. Michael Mann always makes his films with something deeper. It is true that he only makes films within the action or thriller genre, but he takes them to new heights, and they are brilliant to watch. Heat is no exception.

Characters are what drive Heat. The wonderful casting of Robert De Niro (playing the brilliant criminal Neil McCauley), and Al Pacino (playing no-nonsense detective Vincent Hanna) is perfect. What is so great about Heat is that it goes inside the lives of each of these men, showing us the personal feelings of Neil and Vincent, and it adds much needed depth amongst all the flying bullets. We simply see their lives. It is as if we are watching two movies, about two different people, who happen to have a connection to the same crime. Neil McCauley is a thief... an expert thief... one of the best. His philosophy in life - become attached to nothing in life that you can't walk away from if the "Heat" is on. His crew of criminals is a high-tech outfit pulling off professional jobs that impress even the likes of Detective Vincent Hanna. But Hanna, a man driven through life only by his work, becomes obsessed, at the expense of his private life, with bringing McCauley down. As McCauley's crew prepare for the score of a lifetime, and Hanna's team tries to bring him in, the two find that they are challenged by the greatest minds on the opposite side of the law that either one has ever encountered. But the movie does not just follow that plot in a straight line. We takes off on tangents that develop the characters, and that is what elevates Heat to greatness.

Michael Mann's direction absolutely brilliant. As we saw in his latest film Collateral, Mann has a way of adding character to a location, just like he did with the night of Los Angeles in Collateral; Mann finds character in all the many locations of Heat. For instance take a scene near the end of the film when Neil and Vincent meet outside of an Airport runway. During this confrontation planes fly overhead, and lights go on and off. He makes a character out of the runway, and it adds many dimensions to the scene, making not just a shallow action film, but something deeper and more true. One attribute that of Mann's is that he knows how to use his actors, and with two veterans like Pacino and De Niro that is a great thing. They more than do their jobs, and are always brilliant to watch. Also Mann loves to deal with casuality, having one action lead to another. Nothing in his films go without consequence, positive or negative, and Heat is a prime example of that.

Overall Mann's Heat is one of the best action movies ever made. With wonderful and real performances, and brilliant direction and writing by Mann, and it merits more than one watch. Heat will always be one of my favorite films. It was positively brilliant.

Rating :

* * * *

The Proposal

Cast : Ryan Reynolds, Sandra Bullock

Director : Anne Fletcher

Tagline : Here comes the bribe...

If you ask me, what was the one scene that stood out a couple of days after watching ‘The Proposal’, I honestly cant pick up anything. Ok, maybe the beautiful Alaskan landscape, but that’s it. Its not a bad movie at all – it is a feel-good happy movie shot in beautiful locales – but you come out of the theatre thinking “Hey, haven’t we seen all this before?”

Plot-wise, it’s a combination of Devil Wears Prada and fake-marriage-couple-falling-in-love. Sandra Bullock stars as Margaret Tate, the terrorizing boss who has employees trembling at the sound of her footsteps and Andrew Paxton (Ryan Reynolds) is her meek secretary/servant. Trouble erupts when she is informed that her visa application wasn’t processed in time and she is going to be deported back to Canada. She has the immediate solution – marry Andrew to get fiancé visa. And to make the marriage appear legit, she travels with him to his Gradma’s 90th birthday celebrations in Alaska. Where all the fun begins.

While the broader storyline is predictable, there are enough little surprises in the script so that you don’t get bored. The chemistry between Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds is terrific and I was especially impressed with Ryan Reynolds’ performance – he has got a great comic touch. And I have to mention the adorable little white dog as well – he is … well ... adorable !!

So that’s it – a happy romantic comedy to watch if you are in the mood for one ..

Rating :

* * & 1/2