Blog | Amodini's Movie Reviews - Part 68Amodini's Movie Reviews | Movie Reviews by Year, Genre and Rating

Upcoming Films : October 2010

Posted on October 1, 2010 by amodini

Two animated features slated for release this month. Plus the carry-overs from last month, i.e.; Anjaaan-Ankaani is releasing today, instead of last Friday. Am looking forward to Tigmanshu Dhulia’s “Paan Singh Tomar”.

Release Date	Film Title	Genre	Director	Actors
Oct 08	Lava Kusa	Animated	Dhavala Satyam	Unknown
Oct 08	Do Dooni Chaar	Drama	Faisal Habib	Rishi Kapoor, Neetu Singh, Archit Krishna
Oct 08	Crook	Drama	Mohit Suri	Emraan Hashmi, Neha Sharma, Arjan Bajwa
Oct 15	Knock Out	Action	Mani Shankar	Sanjay Dutt, Kangana Ranaut, Irrfan Khan
Oct 15	Ramayana – The Epic	Animated Drama	Chetan Desai	Manoj Bajpai, Juhi Chawla, Mukesh Rishi
Oct 15	Jhootha Hi Sahi	Drama/Romance	Abbas Tyrewala	John Abraham, Pakhi Tyrewala, Madhavan
Oct 15	Aakrosh	Drama	Priyadarshan	Ajay Devgan, Akshaye Khanna, Bipasha Basu
Oct 15	Dunno Y . . . Na Jaane Kyun	Drama	Sanjay Sharma	Aryan Vaid, Kapil Sharma, Maradona Rebello, Zeenat Aman
Oct 22	Allah Ke Banday	Drama	Faruk Kabir	Naseeruddin Shah, Sharman Joshi, Faruque Kabir
Oct 22	Rakta Charitra	Action	RamGopal Verma	Vivek Oberoi, Radhika Apte, Shatrughan Sinha
Oct 22	Paan Singh Tomar	Drama	Tigmanshu Dhulia	Irrfan Khan, Mahie Gill

Posted in 2010, bollywood, Previews | Tagged upcoming | Comments Off

Movie Review : The Expendables

Posted on September 29, 2010 by amodini

“The Expendables” is Sylvester Stallone’s artillery heavy macho fest about a bunch of guys, a plane and lots of guns. Mercenaries for hire, this gang is lead by Barney Ross (Stallone). Lee Christmas (Jason Statham) is his right hand man. Ying Yang (Jet LI) and Gunner Jensen (Dolph Lundgren) bring up the rear. And Mickey Rourke plays Tool, an old friend and ex-gangmember who bides his time as a tattooing artist these days.

Ross, who is a principled gangster (ah ! nostalgia !) almost refuses Mr.Church’s (Willis) offer to overthrow an island’s dictator, General Garza. However while scouting out the island of Vilena, Ross meets a girl who is passionate about freeing her people from the General’s rule, and changes his mind. So he sets out of on a mission and his gang follows. Do they succeed in their unholy war ?

This film is a true Stallone product. It’s got brute force, guns and lots of gore. Bullets feature in almost every frame of the film. It’s also quite old-fashioned in the sense that technology doesn’t seem to exist except in those ultra-modern guns strewn about the sets. Ross and his men seem to function quite well on the impromptu plan, which is to barge in and shoot everything in sight. So yes, it’s good old brawny bluster, presented in Sly’s own inimitable style.

It was pretty clear what this film offered up; there were no pretensions to anything cerebral, or technological (for this band of mercenaries time seems to have stood still). And yes, it is clichéd, ham-headed drama, very been-there-seen-that. Even so, this is a decent watch, although the popcorn does run out after a while, and you sit there bereft wondering if there’s anything besides the action holding up the film. There isn’t. Watch this for 2 hours of mindless, zone-out, get-your-80s-fix kind of masala.

Posted in 2010, action, english, hollywood, watchable | 1 Comment

Indian Film Festival Houston : 2010

Posted on September 24, 2010 by amodini

Wow, it’s been a year ! An year already! It’s September and here’s the Indian Film Festival back again. I blogged about this last year at almost the same time, and here we are again. I’m glad they’ve kept it going; here’s to one more filmi tradition in the making!

The Festival started the 22nd, is currently ongoing, the last day being Sunday the 26th of September. The film selections are interesting and reasonably priced; $15 for two films – 1 short/documentary and 1 feature. And it’s at the Studio Movie Grill, where you can eat while watching your movie.

See you there !

Posted in 2010, bollywood, film festival, recommended | Tagged houston, usa | Comments Off

A.R. Rahman’s “Jai Ho” concert in Houston

Posted on September 21, 2010 by amodini

Rahman’s “Jai ho” concert finally came to town this past Friday September 17th. It had been originally scheduled earlier in the year, but due to an accident on stage in Detroit, they had cancelled all the remaining shows and rescheduled for September. Held in the Toyota Center in downtown Houston, the show here was well worth it.

Firstly they immediately got down to business. And by that I mean that they didn’t waste much time thanking one another; there was a short emcee routine, and then that was it. The show started. The first few numbers were kind of low-key and I remember thinking that if this is how it was going to be, getting some cheese nachos to chomp on might not be such a bad idea. Well, then it ramped up, and the 2.5 hours passed rather quickly.

Now, Rahman is basically a composer and a singer although I’d say he is better at the first. He also seems fairly modest, and on the songs that he was not singing seemed content to walk around playing an instrument (an electronic keyboard/guitar) slung around his neck. Accompanying him were singers Hariharan, who has this beautiful, strong, sonorous voice, and Javed Ali, Benny Dayal, Blaaze, Shweta Pandit, Neeti Muhan. All of them were pretty good, and energetic – they danced and sang, which is pretty hard to do simultaneously.

And then there was the presentation of the show. Since this was a “singing” show and there was no film star around, you’d think it’d require some creative thinking to keep it alive. But keep it alive they did. They were dancers for most songs – some desi and some non-desi. Then there were the lighting effects and the props, which were most creatively used. The stage had this movable staircase which the singers sat upon (like for a jugalbandi session) , and it could come apart, rise up or down as required. Very interesting.

The stage had a large sheer curtain upon which images were projected. And Rahman did a duet number with Lata Mangeshkar, who’s image was projected on the curtain – quite spectacular.

The stage also extended into this half-moon ramp walkway which the performers walked upon, so they seemed to be in the middle of the audience.

Posted in 2010, bollywood | Tagged houston, music | Comments Off

Movie Review : Salt

Posted on September 16, 2010 by amodini

Meet the female version of James Bond, CIA agent Evelyn Salt, Angelina “Pouty-Lips” Jolie in her “anything-Bond-can-do-I-can-do-better” (and in a skin-tight, pencil skirt, no less !) avatar. On a routine day at the Agency, Salt is getting ready to celebrate her marriage anniversary with her husband, when she is called in for a last minute meeting. A Russian agent has information for the CIA, and the information is that the CIA has a Russian mole, a mole who works under the name of Evelyn Salt.

Salt flatly denies the accusation, but finds her colleagues skeptical. Refusing to turn herself in until the matter can be investigated, and believing herself and her husband to be in immediate danger, she goes on the run. Now she must thwart both her ex-colleagues and others to do what she must . . .

I didn’t go into this film expecting reality based drama, and I didn’t get it. It does fulfill it’s promise of being an out-an-out action film, starring a heroine unfettered by the Laws of Physics like us mere mortals. So high above the city, Salt perches and walks upon narrow windowsills, jumps from one vehicle to another, and blasts her way through to her goal, all the while managing to look beautifully made-up, glossy-haired, and smartly trench-coated. More power to her !

Angelina does look a tad frail bringing down huge chunky villains, however it is to her credit that the film is as entertaining as it is. This is her film and she brings the oomph, as well as a grim determination of a woman-on-a-mission, to her role. An engrossing and thrilling ride, this masala, Total Time Pass flick, is a must see. And yes, don’t forget the popcorn on the way in.

Posted in 2010, action, english, hollywood, thriller, watchable | 1 Comment

Gulzar turns 74

Posted on September 12, 2010 by amodini

Gulzar, Indian film lyricist, poet and director, recently celebrated a birthday on August 18th. Born Sampooran Singh Kalra in a Sikh family, he took the name of Gulzar Deenvi when he started writing. Although he has a number of beautiful dialogues, song lyrics and films that he directed, to his credit, this song of his, from the 1978 film Ghar (starred Rekha and Vinod Mehra) remains a favorite of mine :

Posted in 2010, bollywood, directors | 3 Comments

Movie Review : Peepli Live

Posted on September 7, 2010 by amodini

Rating : Above average (3.8/5)
Genre : (Dark) Comedy
Year : 2010
Running time : 2 hours
Director : Anusha Rizvi
Cast : Raghuvir Yadav, Omkar Das Manikpuri, Naseeruddin Shah, Shalini Vatsa, Malaika Shenoy
Kid rating : PG-15

PEEPLI LIVE : A SATARICAL LOOK AT CORRUPTION

From Aamir Khan productions comes a very unlikely film; a tale of 2 Indias, one rich and privileged and the other poor and desperate. So desperate in fact that the protagonist must resort to suicide to support his deeply poor family eke out their miserable existence.

Thus it is that in the village of Peepli (situated in the fictional state of Mukhya Pradesh) there are two brothers. Both farm their family’s land, but the crops having failed this season, they are deeply in debt and unable to pay the bank loan. Having exhausted all their resources, they hear about a government scheme where an amount of 1 lakh is awarded to the family of any farmer who has committed suicide. Budhia (Raghuveer Yadav), the elder brother convinces the younger, simple-headed brother Natha Das Manikpuri (Manikpuri) to commit suicide.

Before the brothers can put their plan into action however, a local reporter gets wind of the “live” suicide, and soon, Peepli is awash in hordes of journalists looking for fresh grist for the TRP mill. Soon politicians are involved, with the government trying to prevent Natha from giving up his life, and the Opposition trying to egg him on. Will Natha live ?

Anusha Rizvi directs with a firm hand and has a fine film to show for it. In her efforts she is ably aided by two most remarkable actors – Raghubir Yadav, an impeccable performer who hasn’t been able to garner much acclaim in commercial cinema, despite his great talent, and Omkar Das Manikpuri, a stage artist who deserves much of the acclaim coming to this film. There are also veterans like Naseeruddin Shah (as suave, smooth-talking Agriculture Minister Salim Kidwai) who essays his small role with convincing ease.

Peepli Live is quite the rustic tale, and reminds me of yesteryear films like Manthan and Hari Bhari which explored rural problems. It also has shades of Jaane bhi do yaaron which also tackled the subject of corruption, albeit in a different context. The film has a very vernacular feel; it was shot in the village of Badwai in Madhya Pradesh. It has dialogues in the local vernacular, and folksy music (soundtrack composed by Indian Ocean)

Based on the spate of farmer suicides, Peepli Live is a fine blend of satire and irony, and presents it’s indictment of society and governance in humorous terms. The well-written script and screenplay uses wit (and some choice epithets) to put out in finely grained display the complete corruption of the system, at whose mercy lies the fate of much of India’s rural poor.

This is not quite the Friday night entertainer, it is not light, frothy or frivolous. Peepli Live is a low-key, moderately paced drama, but it is worth your time. I do wish that more film-makers have the courage to make films, such as this one, which deviate so strongly from the usual mindless song-and-dance masala. Although, if I am truthful about it, films like this one, however worthwhile they may be rarely recieve theater releases like Peepli Live has done. Most often, unaided by an influential production house, they disappear into filmi oblivion.

I’m glad this one hasn’t.

Kid-wise : Clean really, except for some verbal expletives/profanity. The film will probably not interest younger kids anyway, since the plot is subtle and slow.

Posted in 2010, bollywood, drama, rating-PG15, social issues | Tagged amir khan | 3 Comments

Upcoming Films : September 2010

Posted on September 2, 2010 by amodini

Release Date	Film Title	Genre	Director	Actors
Sep 03	Emotional Atayachar	Dark Comedy	Akshay Shere	Mohit Alawat, Kalki Koechlin, Vinay Pathak , Ranvir Shorey, Ravi Kissen
Sep 10	Dabangg	Action	Abhinav Kashyap	Salman Khan, Sonakshi Sinha, Arbaaz Khan, Malaika Arora-Khan, Vinod Khanna, Dimple Kapadia
Sep 24	Enthiran – The Robot (tamil)	Sci-fi	S. Shankar	Rajinikanth, Aishwarya Bachchan, Danny Denzongpa
Sep 24	Crook	Drama	Mohit Suri	Emraan Hashmi, Neha Sharma
Sep 24	Anjaana Anjaani	Romance	Siddhart h Anand	Ranbir Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra, Zayed Khan

Posted in 2010, Previews | Comments Off

Movie Review : Timer

Posted on August 30, 2010 by amodini

This film’s story is inspired by the perennial question : Is there one person who’s meant to be your soulmate ? And what if you could predict the exact moment that you meet him/her ? In the future, apparently you can; all you have to do is install a little timer on your wrist. Keep in mind that it does cost, and installation does hurt, but once installed, the timer initializes and counts down to the day you will meet The One.

Sound tantalizing ? Well, there is a downside – your timer might never start counting down at all, because the SoulMate hasn’t had his/hers installed yet. This is precisely our heroine’s Oona’s (Emma Caulfield) plight. Beautiful Oona is smart, intelligent and an orthodontist to boot. However all she can hear is the ticking. Of her biological clock that is. A diehard romantic, Oona is turning 30 and her timer hasn’t even initialized yet. Undeterred she gets potentially promising dates to install timers on their wrists, in the hope that she will soon be able to spot The One.

In her search for true love, Oona is supported by smart-talking step-sister Steph (Michelle Borth), who’s Timer predicts true love blossoming in about 15 years or so. When however Oona meets a guy who could be the one (and he doesn’t believe in the whole Timer theory), she must think hard about what it means to find true love, and if love can indeed be predicted using another tool – her heart.

This was a sweet film, with a well-told story and great characterization. The sci-fi-ish, future-ish angle was a bonus. Although the future portrayed in this film doesn’t seem that far off; it is quite like the present day, except for the Invention of the Timer, and of professions like the MatchMaker, who seemed Ministerial like beings ordained with the tasks of Timer installation, as a coming-of-age ceremony.

P.S. : This film is available via Netfix Streaming – that’s how I saw it.

Posted in 2009, All Netflix, english, hollywood, rating-R, recommended, sci-fi | Tagged streaming | 1 Comment

Remembering Ravi Baswani

Posted on August 23, 2010 by amodini

Probably the best remembered comedy of all time, Jaane bhi do yaaron was and is a giant. In it’s humor, subtlety and satire, it stands tall and apart from all the tomfoolery that is passed up as “comedy” these days. I remember this film fondly after almost 27 years, and I’m almost sorta convinced that there are a whole lot of folks out there like me.

And what is a film without it’s actors ? Those, in this case are Naseeruddin Shah and Ravi Baswani. I should probably say were, because Baswani himself is no more, having succumbed to a heart attack on July 27. Baswani started off and featured in many serials on Doordarshan, for those of you that remember “Idhar Udhar”. One of his most memorable films was “Chashm-e-buddoor” with Farooque Sheikh and Rakesh Bedi.

A wonderful actor who didn’t quite make it in prime-time Bollywood because of the roles he preferred to essay, he will always be remembered for his slightly zany, bespectacled Sudhir.

Baswani was 64.

Posted in 2010, bollywood | Comments Off