Blog | Amodini's Movie Reviews - Part 66Amodini's Movie Reviews | Movie Reviews by Year, Genre and Rating

Movie Review : The Lincoln Lawyer

Posted on April 19, 2011 by amodini

Director : Brad Furman
Starring : Matthew MacConaughey, Marissa Tomei, William H. Macy, Ryan Philippe, John Leguizamo
Rating : 4.25/5

The Lincoln Lawyer is based on Michael Connelly’s book of the same name. Matthew McConaughey plays Mick Haller the wheeling-dealing, smart lawyer who works quite a bit from the back of his Lincoln Town car (hence the name). Haller goes about defending his usual clientele – several low-life criminals, but one day hits pay-dirt. Louis Roulet (Ryan Philippe) a richie-rich kid from Beverly Hills embroiled in a nasty case involving a woman and extreme violence, wants to plead his innocence and wants Haller to defend him. Street-smart Haller smells a rat, but takes the case anyway.

If it looks fishy it usually is. And Haller finds out the hard way. What’s worse is that there doesn’t seem to be a way to extricate himself from the mess . . .

McConaughey is a good fit for this role. He naturally exudes a rascally good-natured-ness, and so, shines as sassy, smart-mouthed Haller. Because, like all good Hollywood heroes, underneath that smart-talking, gruff exterior, Haller has a heart of gold. Which he displays only to ex-wife Maggie (Marissa Tomei), his daughter, and his chauffeur. And to us (else whither the movie ?)

This film is well-made, well-paced and interesting. The story offers up a protagonist too good to resist, a smart, sassy hero in a spot of trouble with the real bad boys. In Haller, we have a likeable criminal lawyer who defends the not-so-worthy. He’s short on scruples, swaggers with a smarmy “I-can-do” confidence, and is loaded with street-smarts. But he’s a softie underneath (present wife and kid as evidence). When this intelligent alpha male gets into some serious trouble, he cannot look to anyone to bail him out; he’s all he’s got. Well, there is Maggie, who’s still a friend post-divorce, but she has to remain within the confines of the law, being a public prosecutor and all. But just as trouble come to the hero, payback is coming to the bad guys. We know. And we’re waiting for it.

William H. Macy plays Haller’s private investigator, and does a great job. Tomei is Haller’s ex-wife Maggie, a public defender, who’s apparently split-up with Haller because as she puts it, she wants to keep the scum off the streets and he keeps putting them back. Of course the film is what it is because of McConaughey’s portrayal of Haller. He is impeccable in this role, and delineates Haller’s hard-to-define character with a fine edge.

Now, legal thrillers are sort of predictable, we know there’s someone seeking justice, justice being hard to find. We also know they’ll get it, courtesy the hero/heroine. A good legal thriller is one which still gives you enough red herrings to make you sweat, within the narrow confines of said predictability. “The Lincoln Lawyer” then is one of the better legal thrillers I’ve watched. It is a twisting, turning lawyer drama, featuring court-room scenes, action and lots of personality. Fine tuned under Brad Furman’s strong direction and John Romano’s nicely paced screenplay, this one is worth the watch. Recommended.

Posted in 2011, action, hollywood, recommended, thriller | 2 Comments

Movie Review : Source Code

Posted on April 8, 2011 by amodini

[amazon_link id=”B004XQO90E” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ][/amazon_link]Director : Duncan Jones
Starring : Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga, Jeffrey Wright, Russell Peters
Rating : 4.25/5

This film is by Duncan Jones, director of Moon. “Source Code” has the same feel, although the story is quite different. SC is a time-warp film mixed in together with a potential terrorist plot. Jake Gyllenhal plays Colter Stevens, a soldier deployed in Afghanistan, who finds himself suddenly transplanted onto a moving train in Chicago. As he is trying to orient himself to his new surroundings the train explodes. Stevens amazingly survives and finds himself strapped into a seat in what looks to be a space shuttle. Right across from him is a TV monitor with a woman’s face on it. The woman is telling the groggy Stevens that the cycle will repeat until he can do something about it. . . And Stevens finds himself back in the train again. It explodes. Again and again and . . .

This is a “mind-bending” film, and words like parallel reality, alternate universe, quantum physics are bandied about. We never quite know how all this technology works; suffice it to say that it does and soldier Colter Stevens has been volunteered to “try” it out to potentially save the citizens of Chicago from a deadly attack. He has 8 minutes to save the world.

I wanted to see SC because the premise looked interesting. I adored “Groundhog Day” and Moon, and while SC seems to resemble both, it is quite different. Like Moon, SC is presumably set in a world where technology is allowing us to accomplish unheard of things. Like Moon, SC also has a lead protagonist entrenched in events which seem almost virtual and unreal, and who must extricate himself without any help from the outside world. And like Groundhog Day, SC has that sense of déjà vu.

SC is interesting and keeps you engrossed. The film opens well, and I was completely absorbed trying to figure out the mechanics of it all. As it progresses and we are clearer on the time-warping and Source Code technology, the film morphs into an action thriller with the hero on a time-critical mission. There’s never a dull moment.

However SC never gets quite as good as I expected it to be. It has a storyline and teaser which heighten expectation. Thus, I expected a rather bombastic film which would bring me to the edge of my seat. Jones, however, under-does the film. With his subdued treatment, the film never quite becomes as big as one would expect, and the bare space-pod-ish sets, few main characters, and minimal sound effects give it a low-budget, indie feel. This indie feel worked for Moon (which I saw on DVD), but do not bode well for Source Code which is a theater release, and from which I expected a slicker, more polished look.

Jones has a bare-bones style of directing. Moon lacked melodrama, as does SC. And while I have been guilty of pooh-poohing melodrama, I’ve got to say that without it one does not quite feel the punch to the gut as effectively as one should. Our hero Stevens is in the thick of it, but one doesn’t quite feel it – there’s not much emotional rooting-for-the-knight-in-shining-armor (or space pod) going on here. I know that Colter Stevens is a good guy, but he is a little daft (disoriented ?) and does indulge in racial profiling. There were also minor irritants in the film like the clichéd bad guy and sets which looked like they’d been built during the Cold War Era. Source Code is supposedly futuristic technology, so why doesn’t it look it ?

All that said, this is s decent film; it just isn’t your rah-rah Friday night entertainer.

P.S. : Comedian Russell Peters has a small role in the film as one of the passengers on the Chicago bound train.

Posted in 2011, hollywood, sci-fi, thriller | 1 Comment

Movie Review : Patiala House

Posted on March 31, 2011 by amodini

Rating : Above average (3.5/5)
Genre : Drama
Year : 2011
Running time : 1 hour 35 minutes
Director : Nikhil Advani
Cast : Akshay Kumar, Anushka Sharma, Rishi Kapoor, Dimple Kapadia, Hard Kaur, Tinnu Anand
Kid rating : G

PATIALA HOUSE : MELODRAMA IN LARGE DOSES !

An over-bearing patriarch and his over-wrought Punjabi family; put these 2 together with some drama-shama (because they are Punjabi, and Punjabis – they are like that only!) in the same film, situate the film in London and what do you get ? Why, Patiala House ofcourse ! Yes, I kid you not people – this is one overdone film. They’ve taken the Punjabi-ness and run with it.

For starters they have Gurtej Kahlon aka Bauji, Rishi Kapoor as a portly patriarch. Bauji is an intrepid and out-spoken man whose word is law in his home and in the community he has built up and aided against British racists. Then there is the salwar-clad long-suffering and very, very patient wife of the patriarch – doe-eyed Dimple, aging, but as pretty as ever. And then there are the bacchas – sons and daughter, nieces and nephews and daughter-in-laws, all sweltering in the heat of Bauji’s overt Punjabi-ness. The kids can’t assimilate into the British culture around them, nor can they do or speak as they wish. Bauji decides everyone’s fate and that’s that.

Things come to a head when Bauji’s obedient son, Pargat Singh Kahlon aka Gattu (Akshay Kumar), who has long since given up his life’s dream at Bauji’s behest, spies a ray of hope. Phir kya logon, – it’s mutiny time ! It’s covert mutiny ofcourse, it’s all hush-hush – Bauji hasn’t a clue what his honhaar beta is doing. But really, like all Bollywoodian plans, (and you can see it coming a mile away), this one’s going to go awry.

Yes, yes, yes – it’s high drama. Kapoor has a thing for the melodramatic and this script and the just as melodramatic dialogues give him all he needs. He milks it to kingdom come. Dimple by comparison, looks subdued and gives her matronly role the whole suffering mother treatment. Akshay Kumar playing the well-behaved son weirded me out. He was fine when he was covertly dancing to bhangra rap in the basement, but as seedha-saadha Gattu he was just morose. And oh, Ms. I’m-so-thin-I-could-be-one-dimensional Anushka Sharma turns in another sterling performance as the perky Simran.

Singer Hard Kaur acts. She’s a cousin sis of Gattu’s in the film – the one who wants to rap but quails at what Bauji will say. Interesting to see that out of her “rapper” get-up, and in a simple salwar-kameez, she looked really domesticated. Like she’d be frying samosas any minute. And for all you folks tripping down memory lane, there was a turbaned-up Prem Chopra and a blooming (and ballooning) Soni Razdan, both playng their bit parts quite effectively.

Anyway, I say it’s overdone, but it was still fun to watch. Direction, script, screenplay all passable. Great songs, some nice thrumming bhangra beats, and some cricket to boot. There’s lots of color and energy and a variety of characters, all with interesting quirks. The only thing that wasn’t developed well was the romance between the lead pair, so yeah, it’s not going to get you weak-kneed or anything. This is a family film, focusing on family ties – so I doubt that Gattu and Simran were going to get kissy-kissy anyway (they barely say a couple of words to each other, collapsing gratefully into holy matrimony).

Fairly slick, clean, and wholesome, “Patiala House” is a decent watch.

Posted in 2011, bollywood, drama, family-friendly, rating-G, watchable | Tagged akshay kumar, anushka sharma | 2 Comments

Movie Review : Road, Movie

Posted on March 12, 2011 by amodini

Rating : Below average (2.5/5)
Genre : Drama
Year : 2009
Running time : 1 hour 35 minutes
Director : Dev Benegal
Cast : Abhay Deol, Satish Kaushik, Tannishtha Chatterjee, Mohammed Faizal, Virendra Saxena, Suhita Thatte, Yashpal Sharma
Kid rating : PG-15

ROAD, MOVIE : ASPIRES HIGH, BUT DOESN’T GET ANYWHERE

Road, movie is an unusual Hindi film, starring Abhay Deol, the stalwart of many unusual films. Deol plays the role of Vishnu, a young man of the middle-class, un-interested in taking over his father’s hair-oil business. His father Atma, proprietor of Atma hair oil business is pushing his son to show greater interest in his soon-to-be-inheritance. In a desperate attempt to get away from his ordinary small-town life, Vishnu volunteers to deliver some materials to a museum in seaside Samudrabad. The journey to the museum will involve a drive through the desert, in a rickety old Chevy truck. The truck is a mobile “talkie”; a truck outfitted with an old-style projector, meant to take cinema on the road to fairs and melas.

Well-armed with his mother’s (Thatte) ghar-ka-khana, home-made charms to ward off the evil eye on the six-day long trip, and his father’s tender remonstrations to sell Atma hair oil on the journey (three boxes of the oil are also placed in the truck), Vishnu sets off. On the journey, he grudgingly picks up passengers – a boy (Faizal) from a local dhaba wanting to get to the big city, Om chacha (Kaushik) – a portly mechanic who wants a ride to a mela, and a young gypsy woman (Chatterjee) in search of water. Thrown into an alien environment, will sheltered, self-absorbed Vishnu find his life changed by this different experience?

Now, “Road, Movie” is a festival-circuit film, so I was expecting an arty, non-commercial film. What I wasn’t bargaining for, was a film which lost it’s rhythm midway. Director Dev Benegal probably meant to tell us a soulful story of life and cinema, highlighting some truths about the haves and the have-nots. However despite the interesting start to the film, a story which held much promise, and an excellent cast, the flagging screenplay meant that I could only guess at the message he meant to convey.

Out of all the characters in the film, Vishnu’s character was the best sketched. Deol plays his character with much sympathetic skill. The supporting cast is also able, and I cannot blame them for the faltering characters and the sometimes contrived situations. The problem with this film was that is was inconsistent in it’s tone and direction. There was much philosophy, dreaminess, and elements of the fantastic, but there were also the hard-to-believe, pragmatic encounters with the corrupt policemen and the seemingly merciless water mafia.

The film falters. It is boring. It was hard keeping my finger away from the stop button. I de-recommend this one heartily.

Posted in 2009, All Netflix, bollywood, drama, Hindi movies on Netflix, rating-PG15 | Tagged abhay deol | Comments Off

Movie Review : Dil to baccha hai jee

Posted on March 1, 2011 by amodini

Rating : Above Average (3.75/5)
Genre : Comedy
Year : 2011
Running time : 2 hours 30 minutes
Director : Madhur Bhandarkar
Cast : Ajay Devgun, Emran Hashmi, Omi Vaidya, Shazahn Padamsee, Tisca Chopra, Shradha Das, Shruti K Haasan
Kid rating : PG-15

DIL TO BACHCHA HAI JI : ENTERTAINING !

Madhur Bhandarkar, the director of such quality films as “Page 3” and “Fashion” returns with a different genre this time. “Dil to baccha hai ji” is a light-hearted look at the many travails of love, and presented amusingly. And I’ve got to say that even this far from his usual genre/forte, Bhandarkar does well. This film could have lapsed into ordinariness, but keeps up the entertainment value right through.

DTBHJ is an entertaining tale about 3 men in different stages of their lives. Naren Ahuja is a 30 something divorcee, Abhay is a young gym trainer with a roving eye, and Milind Kelkar is a gentle-hearted do-gooder working in matrimonial services. All three desire just one thing – to find the love of their lives. And there are candidates galore; will it all end happily for them ?

Ajay Devgan is Naren, a divorcee on the wrong side of 35. Afraid of being too old for the girl next door, he finds himself in just that predicament, when fetching office intern June Pinto (Shazahn Padamsee), who looks like she’s barely out of her teens, takes an inordinate amount of interest in him. He stands out among her youthful friends like a sore thumb, in age and in maturity. Ajay plays Naren with a wry humor, and does just about OK. It is well known of course that light-hearted comedy is not Ajay’s forte, dark drama is.

Abhay (Emraan Hashmi) is a playboy, plain and simple – no qualms about it. He’s looking to find the next rich girlfriend who’ll give him the luxuries he can’t afford. Life looks set when he snares a rich industrialist’s wife (Tisca Chopra). But then he meets the love of his life, and is faced with a choice – love or money ? Will filthy lucre have the day ? Hashmi suits this role 🙂 and plays the part to the hilt – nicely done.

Omi Vaidya, last seen in ”3 Idiots”, plays Milind as a mild-mannered, gullible fool in love. Attracted to Radio Jockey Gungun Sharma (Shraddha Das), Omi is willing to sacrifice his all for her – but does the lady return the favor ? Vaidya is a little wishy-washy as Milind, probably what was required, but his presence is ineffectual. I wasn’t quite interested in his story as I was in the others, and his Ugandan accent didn’t help.

The three leads were allright, but there was a spate of talented and good looking women in the film. Tisca Chopra and Shradha Das stood out, and Padamsee suited her almost juvenile role. Shruthi Haasan as Abhay’s true love lacked acting finesse. Even Daisy Irani made an appearance as June’s grandmother. Overall the good quality supporting cast helped make this film believable. And another feather in its cap was the wonderful music. Melodious and catchy, songs like “Ab kuch dino se” (sung by Mohit Chauhan) up the ante.

I hadn’t expected much from this film, except a few goofy situations and some forced laughs, but this one did unexpectedly well. This is a well-made film, and if you can ignore the obvious clichés and plot-holes, and the fact that this is about men (in love) behaving like imbeciles, this is kinda fun to watch. DTBHJ is a much better candidate for a light-hearted film than some of the films (must I call them that ?) that purport to be comedies. A feel-good wry comedy, this one is well worth a watch.

Kidwise : This is fairly clean – and by that I mean very little vulgarity/cheap innuendoes. There are some conversations that are meant for the grown-up ear, so I’d say this was a PG-15.

Posted in 2011, bollywood, comedy, directors, Good Hindi Movies To Watch, humor, rating-PG15, recommended | Tagged bhandarkar | 2 Comments

Movie Review : No one killed Jessica

Posted on February 22, 2011 by amodini

Rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2
Genre : Drama
Year : 2011
Running time : 2 hours 16 minutes
Director : Raj Kumar Gupta
Cast : Rani Mukherjee, Vidya Balan, Neil Bhopalam, Mohammed Ayub
Kid rating : PG-15

NO ONE KILLED JESSICA (NOKJ) : TRUE-LIFE TALE !

As is well known NOKJ deals with the true-life murder of model Jessica Lall. Jessica, serving drinks at a posh Delhi night-club refused to serve drinks, after a certain time, to an arrogant Manu Sharma. Manu then took out a revolver and shot her at point blank range. After the murder Sharma, the son of a powerful government minister, was shielded by the law, and a case against him failed to bring about any justice for the slain girl and her family.

The case was re-opened only after NDTV took up a campaign against the obvious injustice and middle-class urban citizens signed petitions and held candle-light vigils to bring Jessica’s murderer to book. After a re-trial Sharma was declared guilty and sentenced to a life-term. There were reports though, that even later in jail, he was treated with a lenient hand.

In the film, some names have been changed, so the accused is now Manish Bharadwaj instead of Manu Sharma. Rani Mukherjee plays Meera Gaity, an intrepid investigative reporter for a news channel, and Vidya Balan plays Sabrina, Jessica’s sister.

Meera’s character is roughly based on Barkha Dutt, NDTV’s senior news editor. She appears to be a brasher, loud-mouthy version of Barkha, and as desi films require it, quite a bit prettier and well-dressed. Meera is going around doing her thing when she hears of the Lall murder case on television, and is surprised that Sharma gets away with murder, inspite of being in a packed night-club with several witnesses. Outraged, she decides to make the injustice a main story for the television channel, and persuades her boss to let her work on it.

Meanwhile Vidya as Sabrina is trying to re-appeal the verdict, and making the rounds to see why the witnesses backed out of speaking the truth. We see her struggle, in the face of rampant corruption, unhelpful officials, and an ineffectual justice system, trying to keep afloat her hopes of getting a rightful conviction for her slain sister. And we sympathize, knowing the laxity of the Indian law, when it comes to the rich and powerful.

NOKJ is not quite the super-slick film, but it does pass muster. It’s screen-play hangs a little loose. Direction is average, and the weak supporting cast doesn’t quite bring a sheen of reality. Both Rani and Vidya though, bring presence and vitality to their roles, and stop this film from being a superficial controversy-based film.

Before watching the film, I hadn’t expected much, since films based on such notorious cases rarely mirror the true angst of the tragedy. This one, fortunately, comes close to doing it, courtesy the two lead actresses. Also for all you MTV fans, you might actually see some familiar faces – Param Baidwan and Rahul Dwivedi of Splitsvilla fame are in this film as supporting actors. Param plays accused Manish’s friend and Rahul has a couple of seconds on-screen as a potential witness in the case.

This one is fairly watchable. For all you Netflix-ers, this is now also available to stream.

Kidwise : The subject matter, obviously, is not suitable for kids. Apart from that, the film is not un-naturally violent or sleazy. Might serve for children 15 years and older.

Posted in 2011, bollywood, drama, rating-PG15, social issues, watchable | Tagged vidya balan | 4 Comments

Hello and a very Happy New Year !

Posted on February 8, 2011 by amodini

Yes, it’s kind of late for the wish above :-). But, bear with me, since it’s taking a while to find my feet again in Blogger World in the New Year. I did see “No one killed Jessica”, “Phas gaye Obama” and Aakrosh and recomend all of them – reviews coming up shortly.

Posted in 2011 | Tagged of me, status | Comments Off

The Best Hindi Films of 2010

Posted on December 27, 2010 by amodini

2010 had a lot of films, but the good ones were few and far between. Here are my Top 10 :

#10 – Karthik calling Karthik : A who-dun-it involving some heavy phone usage. A passable for a thriller, this one starred the fetching Ms. Padukone and director-turned-actor Farhan Akhtar.

#9 – Peepli Live : Producer Aamir Khan’s bid for the Oscars, at number 9 is a well-made, rural story of two brothers and their get-dead-to-get-rich scheme.

#8 – Well done Abba ! : A simple village based story, Abba is Shyam Benegal’s piece-de-resistance. Nicely flavored and beautifully told, this comes in at the 8th spot.

#7 – Ishqiya (Podcast Review) :Vishal Bharadwaj’s offering for 2010, Ishqiya was a comedown from his usual product, but was still engrossing and well-made. Naseeruddin Shah, Arshad Warsi and Vidya Balan star as delighfully quirky characters in this of-Uttar-Pradesh film.

#6 – Do dooni char : Rishi and Neetu Kapoor’s comeback vehicle, this has a decent story, character development and good acting. Plus it has loads of class, is clean and my pick for the Best Family Film of the Year.

#5 – Rajneeti : 2010’s magnum opus, Rajneeti has this year’s hottest stars Ranbir Kapoor and Katrina Kaif fighting a political game.

#4 – Once upon a time in Mumbai : This year’s crime thriller (and really there was only one) this one had brooding Devgn in a role tailor-made for him. With Emran Hashmi, Kangana Ranaut and Ms. Goody Two-Shoes Prachi Desai this makes it to the Top 5.

#3 – Band Baaja Baaraat : A YashRaj production that sparkles with music, color and charm, BBB stars Anushka Sharma and newcomer Ranveer Singh, is a fun-filled romp, and total paisa-vasool.

#2 – Aisha :The desi verion of Emma, Aisha is Sonam Kapoor’s film all the way. Abhay Deol lends his charm to this good-at-heart film, and the foot-tapping music and slick production values vault this one into the second spot.

#1 – Udaan : Vikramaditya Motwane’s excellent film which straddles both arty and commercial cinema, Udaan is wonderfully told and made, and undoubtedly the best movie of the year.

Posted in 2010, annual roundup, Best hindi movies, bollywood, lists, ratings, recommended, Top 10 | Tagged 2010, best, bollywood, entertaining, films, hindi, indian, movies, top 10 | 5 Comments

Moview Review : Do Dooni Char

Posted on December 19, 2010 by amodini

Rating : Good (3.75/5)
Genre : Drama
Year : 2010
Running time : 2 hours 5 minutes
Director : Habib Faisal
Cast : Rishi Kapoor, Neetu Kapoor, Archit Krishna, Aditi Vasudev, Akhilendra Mishra, Supriya Shukla
Kid rating : G

DO DOONI CHAR : HEART-WARMING TALE !

Rishi and Neetu Kapoor make it to the big screen as a couple after many decades. While Rishi has been seen in films like Chintuji and Delhi-6, this is quite the return of the prodigal actress for Neetu. Written and directed by Habib Faisal (who has also written the screenplay for the recent Band Baaja Baaraat), Do Dooni Char makes a perfect comeback vehicle for the still-charming couple. He has put on more than a few pounds (following in the footsteps of his father and brothers), while she has grown slimmer, but they share the same sparking on-screen chemistry as in their heydays.

Rishi is Santosh Duggal, a middle-class Delhi school teacher struggling to make ends meet in the big city, by working two jobs – one at school and one at the tuition center. His harried wife Kusum handles the home front, scrimping and saving, while the teenage children wish for all the toys and trinkets that only more money can bring. Believing in living within their means, they live in a small over-crowded flat, and he drives the trusty old scooter to work.

When Santosh’s married sister invites them for a wedding in her in-laws-family, true to Punjabi form, she wants her brother to flash his non-existent money around to show his well-heeled status to the world, and to keep her “izzat” in her family. And what better way than to arrive by car at her home ? Of course Santosh has no car, so a car is borrowed, but he determines that they must needs have one of their own. This is what this film is about – the quest to go from a 2-wheel drive (literally, the scooter) to a 4-wheeled one (the much desired car) when money is tight and there are many wrong (and tempting) ways to a little extra cash . . .

After a long time comes a film that is clean, interesting and well-made. Faisal writes the film with an eye for detail and character development. The dialogues are believable and earthy, and he fleshes out incidents which lay bare the plight of the Duggals. Thus we have no trouble sympathizing with the Duggal family. Rishi and Neetu are great at what they do, and a big reason why DDC succeeds like it does, but I must also give credit to the actors who portray their children. Aditi Vasudev makes daughter Payal’s sprightly, out-spoken character come alive, while Archit Krishna is quite good as the son, Sandeep, who finds alternative means to get what he wants. The supporting cast members like Akhilendra Mishra who plays car-owning neighbor Farooqi, and Supriya Shukla who portrays Santosh’s sister are also very competent, and help make this heart-warming tale even more believable.

In a world of consumerism and living-by-credit, comes this, dare I say old-worldly film, which tells us of the virtues of contentment and satisfaction. Yes, it might sound a tad preachy, but really is so well done that the message goes down easy. Unlike most current films Do Dooni Char is a simple, modest tale sans the filmi frills and frippery. A film with creativity, class and charisma, it is one of the better films of the year, and a totally worthwhile watch.

Posted in 2010, bollywood, drama, family-friendly, rating-G, recommended | Tagged habib faisal, humor | 4 Comments

Movie Review : The Tourist

Posted on December 15, 2010 by amodini

Director : Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
Starring : Angeline Jolie, Johnny Depp, Paul Bettany, Timothy Dalton, Steven Berkoff
Rating : 3.5/5

The Tourist starts off with our introduction to Elise Ward (Angelina Jolie), in Paris currently and being followed by the Parisian & British police. The reason for the attention – Elise is the lady love of now-missing tax-fraudster Alexander Pierce. Elise, well aware of the surveillance, picks a fall guy to divert attention. On a train from Paris to Venice, she chats up a random person, picked because he has a build similar to Alexander’s. The guy picked, Frank Tupelo (Johnny Depp) tourist and American school-teacher, is smitten with the mysterious beautiful woman who offers him her friendship and her hotel room, and does not realize until too late, that the police and a mobster, whom Pierce has wronged, are now out to get him . . .

This film was fairly engaging, but not, by any means, a whopping success. The premise is interesting enough with all its twists and turns, land and water chases and the almost-about-to-appear mystery man. The story is a tad sketchy, and hole-ridden, and Donnersmarck can’t quite get the plausibility across. So it sits on me rather like a masala Bollywood film would – yes, you have the siren, and the mobster and the bad guy who might not be so bad, but it does take some suspension of belief to get into the mood.

Jolie and Depp, paired together as romantic leads, don’t smolder on screen. (If there were any sparks they were probably doused by the excess facial hair Depp, as Frank, sported.) They do well enough; she, with her perpetually tip-tilted chin, red-carpet attitude and the sultry seductress routine is believable as the mobster’s moll, and he, as understated Frank is quite the improbable action-man (as required). Despite that, I’m left a little cold as far as rooting for the characters is concerned. Elise is mysterious, adding to the intrigue, but it is hard to see her execute physically demanding tasks in 5 inch heels, diamonds and perfectly set hair. And Frank, forced to run from people he does not know, bumbles along, but does not exude the charisma required for an arresting leading man.

Paul Bettany stars as the London Metropolitan Inspector John Acheson, hot on Pearce’s trail. Timothy Dalton is Inspector Jones and Steven Berkoff rounds off the impressive supporting cast as mobster Reginald Shaw. The film is beautifully shot in Paris and Venice. Despite its enviable star-cast, larger-than-life gangster drama, and lovely locales, this film can’t quite get it’s mojo on.

If you’re out of films, this one might do on a Friday. But if you have a better alternative, take it.