Blog | Amodini's Movie Reviews - Part 49Amodini's Movie Reviews | Movie Reviews by Year, Genre and Rating

Movie Preview : Hasee Toh Phasee (7th Feb 2014)

Posted on January 23, 2014 by amodini

You might remember Siddharth from “Student Of The Year”. Here he returns with peppy Parineeti Chopra (of Shuddh Desi Romance fame). HTP is produced by Karan Johar and Anurag Kashyap; Kashyap’s inclusion gives me hope that this will be more than Johar-esque flimflam. Here’s my favorite of the nice soundtrack – I like this better than the official trailer :

Posted in 2014, bollywood, Previews, romance | 5 Comments

What to Watch on Netflix Instant : Edition #15

Posted on January 18, 2014 by amodini

[amazon_link id=”B00BB8XEJY” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ][/amazon_link]- Little White Lies (“Les petits mouchoirs”, France, 2010) : I loved this film. This is a fine, fine film, and one of the best movies I have seen recently. The movie is about a group of friends who vacation together every year, and it focusses on the relationships between them.

It is directed by Guillame Canet who also directed the thriller “Tell No One”, and it stars lovely Marion Cotillard, Gilles Lellouche (who was also in the fantastic “Point Blank”) and Francois Cluzet among others. For Hindi film lovers, this is like “Dil Chahta Hai” + “Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara”. But better.

[amazon_link id=”B001FOPOD8″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ][/amazon_link]– Timecrimes (“Los cronocrímenes”, Spain, 2007) : This is my favorite kind of sci-fi film – a time-travel movie. In this film, our very ordinary protagonist Hector travels back in time by one hour, via a handy-dandy time-machine. Trouble is, he’s not the only one using the time-machine. Plus there’s a masked man running around with a very sharp object. Things get messy, and keep getting messier as Hector attempts to sort out the original problem.

This film has a nice dose of suspense, with some violence and general creepiness. Don’t take any bathroom breaks during this one, or you’ll lose the plot.

[amazon_link id=”B0036RPM8Y” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ][/amazon_link]– The Messenger (USA, 2009) : Woody Harrelson is one of my favorite actors. He delivers in every role, making you believe he is what he says he is. In this film he is Captain Tony Stone, the bearer of bad news, because he is the messenger who delivers news of death to a soldier’s next of kin. He is joined by Staff Sergeant Will Montgomery (Ben Foster) who is back in the States recuperating from a war injury.

It is a hard job, delivering this message to wives, parents, husbands and it takes a toll on the stoic messenger. Harrelson and Foster make you feel for them and for the many innocent victims of war. Great film, if a bit of a downer.

[amazon_link id=”B005MMY7GO” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ][/amazon_link]- Kai Po Che (India, 2012) : A Hindi film about three fast friends and their struggle to maintain their friendship, this was one of my Top 10 Films of 2013. Kai Po Che is based on Chetan Bhagat’s novel “The 3 mistakes of My Life”. It’s heartfelt, with realistic locales and language, and develops each character finely.

Here is the complete review.

– Bill Cunningham New York (USA, 2011) : This documentary is about fashion photographer Bill Cunningham, his work and the city he did most of his work in – New York. The film focuses on the 80 year old photographer, and his point of view, chronicling the way fashion sensibilities change. We see him on the street taking photos of passers by, at home and with other personalities of the fashion business, all of whom seem to hold him in high regard. A very interesting film indeed!

Posted in 2014, All Netflix, bollywood, book to film, documentary, drama, english, french, Hindi movies on Netflix, hollywood, Netflix Recommendations, recommended, sci-fi, spanish, suspense, WhaTWON | 1 Comment

The Music of Mademoiselle Chambon

Posted on January 13, 2014 by amodini

[amazon_link id=”B0045W9D3E” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ][/amazon_link]I recently saw Mademoiselle Chambon on Netflix, and while I didn’t care for the film too much, the soundtrack of the film is magnificent. It is composed of classic violin pieces, played in the film by the female protagonist, school teacher and accomplished violinist, Veronique Chambon. Vincent Lindon also stars in this film; I’d rather you see his 2009 movie “Welcome” rather than this one.

Anyway, here are three of the violin pieces Mlle Chambon plays in the movie – “Salut d’amour” by Edward Elgar, “La Valse Triste” by Franz von Vecsey and Ange Ghinozzi’s “Remember Time”. There is also 1 vocal “Quel Joli Temps”, which appears in the film towards the end, as the credits roll. The remaining 5 pieces in the the video below are from movies I haven’t seen :-). Regardless, enjoy!

Posted in 2014, All Netflix, drama, foreign, french, music | Comments Off

Movie Review : Dhoom 3

Posted on January 9, 2014 by amodini

Rating : Average (3/5)
Genre : Action/Thriller
Year : 2013
Running time : 2 hours 52 minutes
Director : Vijay Krishna Acharya
Cast : Amir Khan, Abhishek Bachchan, Jackie Shroff, Katrina Kaif, Uday Chopra
Kidwise : PG-13

Many die-hard Dhoom fans have told me that they didn’t like Dhoom 3. I wasn’t too thrilled with it myself, but then I didn’t like Dhoom 1 or Dhoom 2 either. I have to admit though, that relatively brainy and exacting Amir Khan’s entry into a heretofore brawn-preserve had upped the ante; I’d been looking forward to this just on the basis of his reputation. Alas it was not to be (Big Sigh); happiness eludes me yet again; my tears pool at my feet etc. etc.

The story is as such stories will be. Wily illusionist/magician Sahir (Amir Khan) is also a skilled thief, looting big US banks with an unnerving sleight of hand. Saahir lives with a traumatic memory – that of his father’s (Jackie Shroff) death after the failure of his venture The Great Indian Circus. The cause of death as Sahir sees it, is evil, cold Chicago banker Anderson, and since Sahir is the dutiful desi beta, his life’s goal is revenge. A few greenbacks on the side wouldn’t hurt either.

Aaliya (Katrina Kaif) is the amazing circus girl who has a thing for Sahir. And Abhishek Bachchan as ACP Jai Dixit, and Uday Chopra as Ali Akbar, are the nincompoop Indian policemen hot on his trail. Really, this film treads the old comfortable path except for a very interesting twist towards the middle and the unexpected ending.

Now, I’m not one for appearances, but Aamir’s wardrobe in this film does him no favors. You’d think that they’d take care to NOT dress a short, stocky actor in skintight jeans, knee-high-boots, mock-necked shirts and a bowler, but amazingly this is what they do! Exactly! To the T! Thus, Amir loses the neck he has, and appears almost a dwarf. And really, if your hero is a dwarf who has to literally look up to every other character in the film, your film is shot. Not that the desi public bothers about minor details like this – the last I heard Dhoom3 was making its way into the 300 crore club.

Dear Katrina is in the film only sparingly. She is mostly seen and not heard, which according to my husband is a good thing. Jackie Shroff looks very zombie-like, all deathly, dark under eye shadows and sallow complexion. One had hoped to never see him grace the silver screen again, but oh well! Uday Chopra has risen from retirement for this film (one must wonder why), and I hope he will go back to where he came from. Abhishek Bachchan hasn’t retired yet although it sure feels like it – here’s hoping he’ll pursue an alternate career in 2014. I feel for the guy – I really do. He has two super huge personalities to contend with. There’s Superstar Dad Amitabh Bachchan and Wonder Woman Wifey Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, and together the two cast such a glow that Abhishek Baba is having a hard time just coming out from under their shadows.

On the plus side – yes, amazingly there is one – there are some interesting chases and some good CGI. Amir does as Amir will, so some good solid acting in a weak, ill-defined role. The problem with this film, from my very informal survey, was that it attempted to infuse some story (such as it was) into a film that should have been non-stop, mindless action. D3 definitely had some drama going on, only it was a tad psychotic and banked on good old desi familial emotional blackmail and melodrama. You could seriously make a case for abuse for Amir Khan’s character; if he wasn’t in this film, he would have spent years in therapy.

Relatively speaking, this movie is the least annoying of all the Dhooms. All said and done, the verdict is : OK for a one-time watch. Keep your expectations low, and you’ll be fine.

Kidwise : Relatively clean. Nothing to scar the kids with except for one dance number, a PG-13 strip-tease disguised as a circus act. In it, Aliya auditions for the Great Indian Circus, starts off in loose-fitting dungarees and a floppy hat and ends up in a sports bra and fairly teensy bike shorts. If she’d gone any further, that circus would have done very well.

Posted in 2013, bollywood, crime, cringe-worthy, drama, masala, rating-PG13, suspense, thriller | Comments Off

Bollywood Roundup : 2013

Posted on January 4, 2014 by amodini

[amazon_link id=”B00FOP6SOI” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ] Chennai Express - DVD (Hindi Movie / Bollywood Film / Indian Cinema) [/amazon_link]Good Hindi Movies are like a mirage – the closer you get the more it seems to deteriorate. Pickings were slim this past year, but nevertheless, I valiantly cobbled together for you The Best Movies of 2013, and the very best non-headache-giving songs Bollywood had to offer. Now here are the rest of the Hindi films of 2013:

– Bullett Raja
– Ram-Leela
– Besharam
– Krrish 3
– Fukrey

[amazon_link id=”B00F1RTVWA” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ] Lootera (Hindi Movie / Bollywood Film / Indian Cinema DVD) [/amazon_link]- [amazon_link id=”B00EHI03JE” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ] Raanjhanaa Hindi DVD (Bollywood/Indian/Cinema/2013/Film) [/amazon_link]- Chennai Express
– Lootera
– Aashiqui 2
– Raanjhanaa
– Nautanki Saala
– Aurangzeb
– Go Goa Gone
– Ek Thi Daayan
– Table No. 21
– Matru ki Bijlee ka Mandola

Posted in 2013, annual roundup, bollywood, lists | Comments Off

Best Hindi Films of 2013

Posted on December 29, 2013 by amodini

[amazon_link id=”B00GFLULF2″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ] Madras Cafe Hindi Blu Ray (2013/Bollywood/Indian/Cinema/Film) [/amazon_link]2013 was an average year for movies. Lots of big banner films just turned out the same old commercial crap and succeeded (Chennai Express), while others failed miserably. Reasonable films were few and far between, and I’m having trouble just cobbling together 10 films for my Top Ten Hindi Movies of 2013. Here they are:

#10. Madras Cafe : This rare political film (for Bollywood that is) is about the civil war in Sri Lanka where Indian Intelligence Officer Major Vikram Singh is deployed. This documentary-ish film is a great watch.
[amazon_link id=”B00FEELHJA” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ] Bhaag Milkha Bhaag - DVD (Hindi Movie / Bollywood Film / Indian Cinema) 2013 [/amazon_link]#9. Bhaag Milkha Bhaag : Sporting a beard and turban, Farhan Akhtar goes Sikh in this film. He plays the Flying Sikh Milkha Singh in a very impressive performance. Director Rakesh Omprakash Mehra does justice to this real life story.

#8. Kai Po Che : Sushant Singh Rajput has had a good year; 2 of his films make it to my Top 10. Here he plays one of three close friends who find their friendship tested to breaking point. The other two main characters are played by Amit Sadh and Raj Kumar Yadav (of Talaash and “Love, Sex aur Dhokha” fame). Abhishek Kapoor directs this well-made film.

[amazon_link id=”B00GSFIHRE” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ][/amazon_link]#7. Listen Amaya : This little-known movie swept me off my feet! Veteran actors Farouque Sheikh, Deepti Naval and relatively new actress Swara Bhaskar (you might have remember her from “Tanu Weds Manu”) give us superbly nuanced performances in this wonderful film.

A great watch for all you folks who appreciate fine actors in a strong, clean, classy story. Avinash Kumar Singh directs Listen Amaya; I look forward to more films from him!

[amazon_link id=”B00EZZB60Y” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ][/amazon_link]#6. Shuddh Desi Romance : Lots of people disliked this film for its bold, forward approach to live-in relationships. I thought it well-crafted and telling-it-like-it-is. Sushant Singh Rajput is the doe-eyed young man with the indecisive heart. Peppy Parineeti Chopra and lovely debutante Vaani Kapoor play the smart, confident ladies who have a thing for him. Good music and lovely cinematography enhance the appeal of this very likeable film.

[amazon_link id=”B00CJE3JN0″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ][/amazon_link]#5. Jolly LLB : I’ve always thought that Arshad Warsi was one of the best actors the industry had, but Bollywood seems to have offered him very meagre roles in which to display his talent. There was Sehar, and then there was Ishqiya. And now there is this; Warsi is getting pretty skilled at playing the underdog. Amrita Rao and Boman Irani co-star in this classic good vs. evil tale.

#4. Ghanchakkar : A zany, wild ride filled with just as quirky characters, Ghanchakkar is an interesting and humorous watch. Emran Hashmi is great as the lead character and Vidya Balan gives us an impressive, gusto-filled portrayal of his style-challenged, opinionated wife.

[amazon_link id=”B00BP5FHVQ” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ][/amazon_link]#3. Special Chabbis : Akshay Kumar heads up a team of lovable conmen, and even finds time to find his Lady Love. A whole new twist to the comedy-crime genre, Special 26 makes it to #3.

#2. Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani : Fun and romance and glamor all packaged together in one alluring bundle, YJHD well-deservedly comes in second. It had charismatic actors – Ranbir Kapoor oozes charm and Deepika is the very picture of gracious beauty – and a great soundtrack. A must watch!

[amazon_link id=”B00DOWLO5Q” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ][/amazon_link]#1. D-Day – This intense fictional account of Indian Intelligence Agency RAW on a mission, is the Best Film of the Year, and made my Top Ten List as soon as I’d seen it; there are other reasonable films this year, but none to dethrone this magnificent movie from the top spot.

Irrfan Khan, Huma Qureshi (of “Gangs of Wasseypur” fame), Rishi Kapoor and Arjun Rampal star.

That was the best. Here are the rest.

Posted in 2013, annual roundup, Best hindi movies, bollywood, lists, ratings, recommended, Top 10 | 10 Comments

Top 10 Hindi Film Songs of 2013

Posted on December 21, 2013 by amodini

Lately clangy music has started giving me a headache (I think I’m turning into my mother), so most of these songs are on the softer side. Unless of course the number is just too good to be ignored. I assume you’ve seen the Top 10 Movies of 2013? Enjoy!

– Ajnabee from Madras Cafe (Caution: video has violent images)

– Dichkyaon Dhoom from Chashm-e-Buddoor : The movie might have been utter crap, but what a fun song! Reminded me of the Rishi Kapoor-Neetu Singh numbers!

– Chahun Main Ya Naa from Aashiqui2 : I didn’t think too much of this film, but it had a lovely soundtrack.

– Mera Man Kehne Laga from Nautanki Sala : Again, not a very good film, but fabulous sound-track.

– Dhak Dhak – A very well done remix of an old, stolid number!

– Ambarsariya from Fukrey

– Aise na dekho from Raanjhanaa

– Dilliwali Girlfriend from Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani

– Titli from Chennai Express

– Alvida from D-Day (Caution : video has violent images)

Posted in 2013, annual roundup, bollywood, lists, music, recommended, remix | 2 Comments

Movie Review : Bombay Talkies

Posted on December 14, 2013 by amodini

Rating : Above Average (3.5/5)
Genre : Drama
Year : 2013
Running time : 2 hours 7 minutes
Director : Karan Johar, Dibakar Banerjee, Zoya Akhtar, Anurag Kashyap
Cast : Rani Mukherjee, Randeep Hooda, Saqib Saleem, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Ranvir Shourie, Vineet Kumar Singh, Sudhir Pandey
Kidwise : PG-15

Four directors present short stories, a tribute to 100 years of the film industry. Each short is different and individual, and alludes to Mumbai’s hindi film industry.

In the first “Ajeeb Dastan Hai Ye”, Karan Johar takes a stab at presenting the marriage of a young, yuppie couple. Dev (Randeep Hooda) is a news anchor while Gayatri (Rani Mukerji) is a magazine editor. Her friendship with new intern Avinash (Saqib Salim) makes Dev uncomfortable.

Dibakar Banerjee directs the second short “Star” with Nawazuddin Siddique in the lead. This is an adaptation of Satyajit Ray’s “Patol Babu, Film Star”. Chawl-resident Purandar wanders to a street-side film-shoot where he is randomly picked out for a minor role. Unbeknownst to the harried director and the casual minions who toil under him, Purandar has been an actor once. His almost accidental foray into prime-time acting brings back long-forgotten memories.

The third short is by Zoya Akhtar and titled “Sheila Ki Jawani”. Vicky (Naman Jain) and his elder sister live in an apartment with their parents. Their father (Ranvir Shourey) wants them to do appropriately girlish and boyish things, i.e.; soccer for Vicky. Vicky however only wants to dress up and dance like his idol Sheila (of “Sheila ki Jawaani” fame), but of course dad will have none of that. What is Vicky to do?

Anurag Kashyap’s short “Murabba” is about (Vineet Kumar Singh) who, under his father’s direction, sets off for Mumbai to get Amitabh Bachchan to partake of homemade murabba. Outside Prateeksha’s big, opaque gates, this lad from Allahabad waits and waits.

Out of these four, I have to say I like “Murabba” best. It is humorous, laughs at itself and at us – the fans who idolize film-stars to absurd levels. This small-town tale is well done, down to the small details. Vineet Kumar Singh is fabulous as the dutiful son (I hope we see him in other films too), and veteran actor Sudhir Pandey is fantastic as the father who waxes nostalgic about Yusuf Sahab and the magic of the silver screen. This is a smart, witty film with dialogues crackling with irony. Wonderful!

A close second is Banerjee’s “Star”, a very different film from “Murabba”. Banerjee manages to capture the pathos of the little man, his big dreams crushed under the weight of mundane life. Siddiqui is fabulous as the thwarted actor, who nevertheless takes his little victory and offers it up to his precious, bedridden daughter – an anecdote to make her smile.

I’m not too impressed with Akhtar’s short. She takes up an important topic – the desire to not follow socially prescribed gender roles, and the social frowning upon that results. This is new for desi audiences, but done often (and better) in films like “Billy Elliott” etc. The kids were cute though, and acted very well. Johar’s work comes in last, as the film that failed to move me the least. While the actors did well enough, and the story was pertinent, the film itself seemed to flounder at the edges. His “filmi connection” seemed contrived and an after-thought.

This is a good one-time watch; I might watch just “Murabba” again though!

Kidwise : Stories 1 and 2 (“Ajeeb Dastan Hai Ye” and “Star”) might be inappropriate for younger kids, both visually and conceptually. Kids might enjoy Vicky’s story and Murabba is a fairly benign watch.

Posted in 2013, bollywood, book to film, directors, drama, rating-PG15, social issues, watchable | 3 Comments

Movie Preview : Dedh Ishqiya (2013)

Posted on December 10, 2013 by amodini

Another Vishal Bharadwaj movie directed by the director of Ishqiya, this one has a fantastic cast : Naseeruddin Shah, Madhuri Dixit, Arshad Warsi, Huma Qureshi and Vijay Raaz and releases 10th January 2014. I feel good about this one.

Posted in 2013, bollywood, Previews | Comments Off

Movie Review : Bullett Raja (2013)

Posted on November 30, 2013 by amodini

Rating : Below Average (2.5/5)
Genre : Drama
Year : 2013
Running time : 2 hours 18 minutes
Director : Tigmanshu Dhulia
Cast : Saif Ali Khan, Sonakshi Sinha, Vidyut Jamwal, Raj Babbar, Ravi Kisshen, Gulshan Grover, Chunky Pandey
Kidwise : PG-15

I went to see this because of Dhulia’s excellent track record. Unfortunately, Bullett Raja is the exception, and a total disappointment. It is Dhulia’s genre – crime in the badlands of Uttar Pradesh. Saif Ali Khan is Raja Mishra, a small-time rabble rouser, who is looking at taking the straight and narrow road to staid middle class life. However trouble finds him, as he gate-crashes a wedding and poses as a baraati. A skirmish at the wedding venue and his fearless gun-toting defense of his host earns him accolades and an invitation to join a gang. Both he and new found friend Rudra (Jimmy Sheirgill) demur and decide that they’d like to live their ordinary lives instead. Of course, it’s never their decision. Not only do these two get pushed into a life of politics and violence, they rise up to become feared gangsters with a great many enemies . . .

This film is an utter waste of time, and that’s putting it mildly. It does not know what it wants to do or where it is going. The story makes little sense; there isn’t a big goal or problem in the film, it just goes meandering along. The flawed script is only slightly better than the terrible acting. Saif Ali Khan is grotesquely miscast. His suave-boy mannerisms which might have worked in films like Cocktail, seem odd and out-of-place in his son-of-Bihar “Misra” character – just pronouncing Mishra as Misra doesn’t a Bihari bad-boy make. Jimmy Sheirgill is dependable, but is unable to keep this sinking film afloat single-handedly. I’m not very impressed with Vidyut Jamwal either – seems self-conscious and wooden. Sonakshi Sinha, a decent enough actress, comes ready with her trademark pout, but her silly character overshadows her natural charm. Raj Babbar has a pivotal role, but since he’s one of the actors who gives me the hives (and not in a good way) I’m none too pleased. Chunky Pandey appears to have risen from the dead, or maybe just looks it, with that thickly-lined surma and the pencil-thin moustache in his gaunt face.

Bullett Raja fails on all counts : plot, acting and execution. And the music – the last straw – is nothing to write home about. The film has many action scenes and gun-fights. But most of them are executed so shoddily, that were it not for it’s A-list star cast, this would easily have been a C-grade film. The characters – Raja, Rudra and love interest Mitali are giant cardboard cutouts. We do not not know who they are or why they are what they are. There is no raison d’etre to their lives; they generally behave inconsistently (and stupidly) throughout the film. As you can tell then, rooting for these characters is the last thing on my mind (there goes the film!).

Bullett Raja was an hour too long for me. I was ready for the torture to be over, and we’d just hit intermission. I’m very surprised that the director of “Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster” can make a film as shoddy as “Bullett Raja”. It might be that Dhulia is trying to get on the commercial film bandwagon, and cash in on big names. With this debacle though, he’d do better to stick to real actors – Irrfan Khan, Mahie Gill etc. and continue to produce the vernacular, gutsy cinema that has made him famous in the first place.

Kidwise : Many gun-fights/scenes of violence. One of the vulgarest dance numbers I’ve seen this year “Don’t Touch My Body” takes Hindi cinema to new lows (they think up new ways of debasing the female form in every movie – so much for the great Indian “culture”), and sinks the rating to a PG-15. I highly derecommend this film for kids (and adults).