nitin77

flixtime, that smoking warning thing, its basically a legislative requirement for any movie with a smoking scene, nothing to do with movies overdoing it but the population in general overdoing it.

flixtime

As always, appreciate the input nitin...perhaps it is a result of the movies I've watched but it does seem like they have gotten more aggresive, obtrusive, "creative" with regard to enforcing the smoking mandate...South Indian films especially.

I'm almost done with this recent run of Indian film watching...maybe TEZZ and then South Indian entries such as ARAVAAN, GABBAR SINGH, and BILLA 2 still to go.

All said things went rather smoothly...maybe I won't wait until BARFI to kick off the next round...I'm am curious to watch GANGS OF WASSEYPUR, COCKTAIL, EK THA TIGER...and then some filler viewings such as TERI MERI KAHAANI, JISM 2, SHIRIN FARHAAD..., or whatever else might catch my eye.

I'm not wild about the trailer for BARFI...it looks too artificial and...self-congratulatory, or too pleased with itself (a better description escapes me at the moment)...anyway, hope that isn't the case.

flixtime

nitin, if you want some more to go on before perhaps taking the plunge on ISHAQZAADE, then filmbiz.asia just posted their review. As I've mentioned recently, I enjoy reading Derek Elley's reviews there.

Here's a link:
http://www.filmbiz.asia/reviews/ishaqzaade

toddly6666

When Osborne disappeared, that's when I joined DVDtalk. Add two and two together, and guess who I really am?

flixtime

Gabbar Singh (2012 - Telugu) - Not much to say really with regard to this remake of DABANGG. Absent from this remake is everything that made DABANGG appealing...the retro feel, well-done mix between playful and semi-serious, perfect performance from Salman Khan, a strong female lead, great music/item number, quality action, etc. And besides Telugu cinema hasn't evolved much at all as compared to Hindi cinema or even Tamil cinema, so GABBAR SINGH is basically what they do all the time...but in this case not even to that generally unimpressive level. They even totally botched the Malaika Arora item number...there was a total disconnect between the music and dance choreography. "Power Star" Pawan Kalyan has to be the most inexplicable action star in the history of cinema; the late Michael Jackson appears a tough guy in comparison. And Pawan Kalyan is a terrible dancer when compared to other Telugu leads. Actually, of all the Telugu A-listers, Pawan Kalyan is by far the least appealing. Telugu films in general are fairly lousy but at least I generally find the A-list performers to be reasonably charismatic so they are an asset in that respect...Pawan Kalyan fails in that regard. There wasn't anything worth singling out for praise anywhere in the 151-minute runtime. Avoid.

flixtime

Cigarette Smoking Is Injurious To Health. Smoking Causes CANCER.

Grrrr...don't get me started on the above.

Perhaps this post will be of little interest sans my longwindedness, but I'll just do a quick commentary on some recent Indian films that I've, umm, watched recently...none of which rated well enough to tag as "recommended", not saying some weren't okay enough viewings, just that none were strong enough to call "recommended". So here goes:

Barfi! (2012 - Hindi) - Didn't do a lot for me. Ranbir Kapoor's Chaplin/Raj Kapoor schtick was beyond its expiration point not even twenty minutes in to the movie...plus the character was an annoying doofus. Ileana in her Hindi film debut never looked better...the 60s-70s hair/makeup really suited her. But I couldn't buy for a second that there was any romantic connection between her and Ranbir Kapoor's character. The film got a little bit of an uptick upon the introduction of Priyanka Chopra's character but I was bothered by her performance. Now I can't say that I have any first hand experience with regard to autism so perhaps her performance was accurate...given too that they mention her condition in those days was not properly diagnosed. Still, to me, it seemed like her performance was more that of an overgrown toddler than an autistic person. The film is at its best when all three members of the love triangle share some screentime but that screentime is too brief and comes maybe at the 3/4 mark of the film. Plus the film simply felt too derivative of a number of other film works...I mean it's good they copied from a large number of films and different styles than India usually copies...but it simply never came alive as having its own identity. The production values/technicals were unquestionably first rate. The pacing and me caring about anything going on...well the film didn't succeed in that regard. Also, another chief complaint is that I didn't like how the film was structured (aka how they told the story), it just felt unnecessarily complicated. Oh frack...here I was trying not to be too longwinded and I've already failed on that front...so I'll cut this short...more movies still to go.

Billa 2 (2012 - Tamil) - This was actually quite entertaining over the film's first half...which is basically an entirely derivative, but nicely done, Indian version of SCARFACE. The second half sees a change in tone as is goes from being a gangster/crime film to more of an action movie. The second half was thus less successful. Still, this was much better than something like DON 2.

Cocktail (2012 - Hindi) - Another love triangle, but more successful than BARFI!. Problem being they spend the opening third of the movie making two parts of the love triangle too unlikeable...couldn't stand Saif Ali Khan's character, ditto for Deepika Padukone. The third point...newcomer model-turned-actress Diana Penty was impressive in her debut. The film is much stronger over the final 2/3 but the emotional hook was irreversibly damaged by the handling of the two characters early in the film. Otherwise, it is sort of your usual Indian romantic triangle but from perhaps a more modern perspective. Indian cinema acting as a promotional tool for world tourism is start to really get on my nerves...if I remember right this was mostly UK based and also South Africa (meaning Caucasian friendly South Africa as is the norm in Indian films).

Ek Tha Tiger (2012 - Hindi) - another RAW agent film but this actually has as its backbone the romance between former real-life romantic partners Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif. The pair thus share a very comfortable screen presence with each other, at the same time that is a hindrance in that they are too comfortable with each other and thus their relationship lacks a little sizzle. Again, we get world tourism promos for assorted countries...Ireland being the most prominent...and Cuba the most interesting. The film gets a little dumb in the action/suspense department during the closing action scenes.

English Vinglish (2012 - Hindi) - material that might be found in a mid-grade (at best) sitcom. World tourism promo for New York City this time around. Way too long for the subject matter.

Gangs of Wasseypur (2012 - Hindi) - two-part, five-hour and twenty minute crime film. As most might be aware, I enjoy the crime film genre. This movie was a crushing bore...sitting through this - spread over two nights - was a complete chore...the pacing was like trudging through swamp water. Plus the whole thing was rather pointless...characters that didn't interest me doing nasty things and then you jump ahead in time and repeat the aforementioned. There also was way too much time spent with the female characters and all the attached relationship drama. And then in Part 2, director Kashyap lays it on way too thick with all the film references. Yeah, the performances were fine...and if someone were to tell me that the dialogue - to those who speak Hindi - was very interesting to listen too, then that wouldn't shock me at all. Director Anurag Kashyap comes up short yet again...I give him credit for being "interesting" but, boy, as a bit of a darling with the critic/festival crowd he is way overrated and undeserving. As far as two-part Indian crime films go, the earlier entry - RAKHT CHARITRA - was a far superior experience for me. GANGS OF WASSEYPUR should have been handled as perhaps an Indian HATFIELDS & MCCOYS, but it wasn't, thus it was a failure in effective storytelling and the sort of work that really didn't warrant two separate films and over five hours of screentime.

Jism 2 (2012 - Hindi) - The Hindi film debut of DVDTalk's own Sunny Leone. I can't lay too much of the blame of this on Sunny...though her "heaving bosom" acting style doesn't inspire much confidence that she'll ever turn up in something good. But really, she wasn't the problem...Pooja Bhatt was awful as a director, and too many other actual professional actors really need to be prevented from future film ventures...Randeep Hooda was fine but no so much the other cast members. Plus the whole story was too stupid. I realize it was a low-budget, B-movie, so to compare apples to apples, something like HATE STORY was much better.

OMG: Oh My God! (2012 - Hindi) - nice enough in concept and anything that takes aim at organized religion earns goodwill in my book, but it should have been much better. I don't recall it too clearly so I can't share anymore on the film's shortcomings...I think it got too repetitive and probably ran on for at least fifteen minutes longer than it should have...there were other issues but again I can't remember what they were.

Thuppakki (2012 - Tamil) - Meh, the usual South Indian fare. The female lead was annoying. At least the film was quite successful as a salute to the Indian military (something which is generally bungled in Indian cinema)...reminded me too a little of BATTLESHIP in that regard. It's a shame that actors such as the lead villain in this film don't get any chance for hero roles...I guess that he is an model-turned-actor...handsome fellow, solid screen presence, well-built, and athletic.

toddly6666

Flixtime, gonna have to disagree with ya about Barfi! There is quite a range for autism so Pryanka did an amazing job when she could have gone the full overracting retard Juliette Lewis style from The Other Sister. Here's my review: www.couchpotatofarm.com

Oh My God was crap.

English Vinglish was just good but nothing special. Good representation of NYC though when foreigner filmmakers usually exagerate NYC.

flixtime

Fair enough...I'm willing to concede that point. Still the movie didn't work for me...I would've preferred it to be more "earthy" and less high gloss production values, Jeunet whimsy/quirk...it just felt artificial. And as I mentioned I didn't buy into Ileanna's character falling for Barfi, and I didn't care for how the film was structured, and I just didn't connect with the character of Barfi until too late into the film.

By the way, Happy New Year toddly...naturally to nitin as well if you're still around...and of course all the rest of you who might be reading.


I caught DJANGO UNCHAINED. The more I consider the film, the less I like it (and I wasn't too happy with it upon exiting the theater in the first place). It started off well enough for sure...easily very good/excellent, and very amusing. When Leonardo DiCaprio enters the film, there is a significant drop-off to only "good". And this entire section was just way too long and slow. And when the film should have ended (I'll be vague and say around the "handshake" scene), it just keeps going on...don't know for how long exactly as I didn't have my watch but let's call it twenty minutes and I just think Tarantino completely fumbled this climactic section of this film...it was just an awful closing section in so many ways, and it just didn't feel like it fit with the rest of the movie...I was certainly disinterested in watching this added bloat to the runtime. Christopher Waltz was terrific and in a way that hurts the film as he completely overwhelms everything else. As the film is currently structured, I think it would have benefitted greatly from an opening chapter...maybe ten minutes...that showed Django and his wife in their plantation/slave days. That would've helped better balance the film. Generally speaking, the movie wasn't as edgy or provocative as I thought it might be. Also, I don't really think it was very "spaghetti" at all. Actually, it felt closer to perhaps serio-comic American Westerns of the late 60's/early 70's. One of the first thoughts I had upon leaving the film was something along the lines of "I'd prefer to re-watch THE SCALPHUNTERS before sitting through DJANGO UNCHAINED again". Tarantino's latest comes up well short of INGLORIOUS BASTERDS and the Kill Bill pictures.

nitin77

yep still around, and in circumstances that only the mayans could have predicted, I too saw Barfi! recently. Here is my c'n'p from my post at bluray.com:

"Saw this a few days ago, have to say the movie was actually really good even though I was skeptical going in (had seen bits of it in passing and it looked cloying in those parts, but its a much different experience watching it as a whole). Probably the best hindi movie in quite some time.

The best way to describe it is probably Jeunet doing a Chaplinesque movie but set in India. It is very obviously inspired heavily from at least those two sources (downright copied/imitated in parts, usually with an acknowledgment though), but still manages to create its own distinct tone and world, something most hindi movies never achieve.

As Todd says in his review, the chmeistry between Ranbir and Priyanka is great, in fact the chemistry between all the actors is quite excellent. Script wise, it does tend to drag a bit in the second half with an unncecessary mysetry angle thrown in but Anurag basu keeps things moving at a brisk clip generally and there is always a decent visual gag or two even when the plot starts getting bogged down.

Blu-Ray wise, its quite good, decent sharpness and depth and vibrant colour. There is some DNR but I would say it is actually done in post production to the actual print, particulalry in closeups of the two actresses. Todd metnioned two brief issues of macroblocking after the intermission in his user review, I noticed these too (although it was not macrolocking but pixellisation). Similar to what is there twice on the remastered 3 Idiots Blu Ray. Audio is terrific."

flixtime

One more comment with regard to COCKTAIL, Deepika Padukone's gams put on a good show...she looks good in a bikini too...kind of seemed to have a Beyonce-like thing going on in this movie...so it gave the film a nice "frisky" factor (more satisfying in that sense than the "erotic" thriller with Sunny Leone).

flixtime

Forgot to mention in my previous post...just wanted to say...lots of movies still to go, but at this point my top three of Indian cinema for 2012 are:

1 - KAHAANI

2 - ISHAQZAADE
3 - EEGA


I've watched KAHAANI a second time. I was anticipating that it might not hold together on a second viewing. Interestingly enough, though I rated it highly the first time through, I liked it even more on second viewing. I thought familiarity with the story would hurt the second time through, but the experience was quite the opposite.

nitin77

that is good to know, I think she is really pretty but quite too often subject to horrible makeup and/or bizarre clothing.

flixtime

Julayi (2012 - Telugu) - I really don't know why I do this to myself...meaning waste my time on Telugu films...I must be a glutton for punishment. This actually started off okay in the sense that it felt - not so much like a Telugu movie - but instead a Tamil movie (a compliment indeed for a Telugu film). But after the first half-hour that sole charm vanishes, and you get the typical Telugu dreck for the remainder of the runtime. If Ileana looked her best in BARFI (actually there is no "if" about it), well that gets balanced out here where I don't think she was in top form in terms of appearance. I expected that, if nothing else, the viewing experience would prove salvageable thanks to the charismatic presence of nice guy "Stylish Star" ALLU Arjun...but, for the first time, I found his usually spark to be missing in action...don't know why...he is sort of looking over-muscled and it is that soft, bloated muscle kind of look...and for a "stylish" star he needs a new hair stylist. So, yeah, JULAYI is yet more proof that Telugu films blow big time.


Hmm...that wasn't especially interesting so I'll ramble off-topic. I very much enjoyed THE GREY with Liam Neeson...if films such as THE EDGE with Anthony Hopkins and Alec Baldwin, or maybe THE HUNTER with Willem Dafoe are your thing, then THE GREY is definitely something to check out. Some might find the depiction of the wolves in the film to be a curious mix of realistic and fantastical (in this sense they felt like something out of ATTACK THE BLOCK at times), but it didn't throw me out of the experience. And I did quite like the aforementioned THE HUNTER as well. As far as crime films, LAWLESS was mediocre.

I watched the first two seasons of SONS OF ANARCHY. While I consider it to be comfortably a positive experience, I do have some mixed feelings about it. It is certainly on-par with other shows I've watched in terms of plot, storytelling, story arc...and in that sense it does have that addictive quality that makes you want to keep watching. My issue is that the characters are all kind of losers...such that I don't find myself with a rooting interest for them...I don't know it just seems like their values, morals, ethics, life code, etc.,....well it just seems like it all has a self-serving, hypocritical nature to it. The show is undoubtedly entertaining and I'm eager to watch further seasons...but the show feels more comic book or pulp-ish as compared to something like THE SHIELD. Plus, I'm not sure how "real" some of the characters feel to me...more like actors playing roles (as compared to some of the other shows I've watched). I've finished off five episodes of JUSTIFIED Season 3...I'm a little disappointed...the characters and especially the dialogue are still first-rate, but the season so far is really scattershot and unfocused in terms of plot, storytelling and establishing a compelling season-long arc.

Something was really itching at me with regard to DJANGO UNCHAINED and I've figured out what it was...now I didn't much care for the movie so I didn't spend any time reading up about it afterwards...so maybe this is common knowledge already mentioned by Tarantino in an interview or something, or perhaps it is something obvious that has been discussed in DJANGO UNCHAINED discussion threads around the net, or even something so obvious it need not even be mentioned...but I don't know if it has or hasn't so I'll comment. It seems like Mario Van Peebles' POSSE from 1993 was a significant influence on DJANGO UNCHAINED. POSSE is a movie that I think is better than its reputation. To refresh my memory, I did a quick run through my copy of POSSE. A number of things - far more than my itch had anticipated - caught my eye, and while they certainly may be too generic and as such just simple coincidence, at the same time it wouldn't surprise me to learn that Tarantino would cite POSSE as being heavily influential to his film. I'll be general so as not spoil much for those who haven't seen DJANGO UNCHAINED yet. The first thing that caught my eye was the dentist sign in POSSE and how the tooth symbol matched up with the tooth on the wagon in DJANGO. Yeah, yeah, what the heck else is a tooth supposed to look like, I know...but I'm being longwinded so just hear me out. Another thing is the general feel of the flashback structure in POSSE and how it felt similar to that of DJANGO. And how about names, Don Johnson's character in DJANGO was Big Daddy, and in POSSE one of the actors (in a significant role) was Big Daddy Kane...Big Daddy Kane by the way came across as Idris Elba-like. And also, we had King Schultz in DJANGO and there was a King David in POSSE. Let's see what else...you had a KKK scene in both movies, and the one in POSSE was played more light than heavy too. And there was sort of an albino or super fair white bad guy henchman in POSSE and I seem to remember a similar character in the second half of DJANGO (though I could be mistaken). And there was a pond bath scene between the male and female leads in POSSE, and I seem to remember the same in DJANGO if you count Jamie Foxx as the male lead. And finally the climactic scenes are visually similar. So yeah I have too much time on my hands...this post is worse than my longwinded post comparing the aspect ratios on the BAARIA trailers. Maybe it is all simple coincidence, or maybe I'm an idiot and this has already been discussed to death...still I found it interesting. Again, I just did a quick pass through with POSSE (as it is a film I'd already watched many years past and this time through I just wanted to refresh and check some things), but these points did catch my eye. I also just read some of the reviews of POSSE and some of the criticisms to me are interesting, in the sense that POSSE felt very Tarantino-esque...was Mario Van Peebles' Jesse Lee an homage to Ossie Davis' Joseph Lee in THE SCALPHUNTERS, and of course the casting of lots of old faces...Pam Grier, Woody Strode, Roberts Hooks, etc., also paying homage to older obscure films (the end credits of POSSE)...nowadays this is the sort of stuff that cinephiles and critics seem to groove on with regard to Tarantino, and yet when Van Peebles did it, it didn't seem to connect.

flixtime

Forgot to mention one more point, you might even be able to line up the Blair Underwood character in POSSE with the Samuel L. Jackson character in DJANGO UNCHAINED. Anyway, no more to say...just thought it might be of interest for some to give POSSE a viewing in relation to DJANGO UNCHAINED.

bluetoast

I saw Dabangg 2 today. Very over the top.

flixtime

As a big fan of DABANGG - and expecting nothing from the follow-up - I actually thought - primarily because of Salman Khan and his sidekick cops - that DABANGG 2 was somewhat okay enough...at least for those in search of a DABANGG fix...I preferred it over most of the other Hindi movies that tried to coattail the success of the first DABANGG.

Special 26 (2013 - Hindi) - Well-received caper flick...at least according to most everyone else...so...well, you can kind of anticipate that is the kiss of death for me. The good...no one smokes in the movie...so you aren't subjected to that increasingly gross-out anti-smoking nonsense...man, I could go off on that topic...but I'll save the eruption for SPECIAL 26. Now, well, let everyone be forewarned...I'm grumpy...so I'm going to say something really mean...it isn't meant to be as venomous as it may read, but good gosh, the good reviews this film has gotten really makes me wonder about the mental capacity of the reviewers. I suppose it started off okay...meaning the opening twenty-plus minute setpiece...even that section had a fair amount of bloat and I didn't like the overactive camerawork and editing...but it was okay. But then you get a short romantic song and a few minutes later yet another song and all interest generated by the opening fizzled away and we were well on our way to a complete implosion just past the half-hour point. Nothing worked after the opening setpiece. I didn't much care for any of the primary cast...Akshay Kumar was especially dull...Manoj Bajpai failed to impress...etc. The film felt totally padded and the story was severely underdeveloped. Besides the unnecessary songs, they introduce Manoj Bajpai's character with a lengthy chase scene which serves zero function...except to be a lengthy chase scene. The movie was in need of severe editing. And then when we get to the final heist, twists, etc...it is all just so stupid and senseless. I wasn't as high as others with regard to the director's first effort A WEDNESDAY, but that was a significantly better film than SPECIAL 26 aka SPECIAL CHABBIS...it takes a special amount of incompetence to bungle a caper/heist flick...Director Pandey did just that...avoid.

zoran009

Could this be a rip off of ocean, 11-13x2=26? Lol
Just to add up, to concur with you, after coming from likeness to Dabaang, I concur thought Dabaang 2 was just ok ish, but kind of disappointment as ever from part 2, 3 onward..series.
One thing for sure, stood out chemistry between lead , Salu and Sonakshi gels so much better than Katrina, with.Sarook a hd Salu;( it sucked in both Tiger and you know what? It is coming to Aish way, where KK is a show piece not a character that she can carry;(

Secondly after watching every second Dabaang take off, did edge to D2 by all means.
Thirdly when film is not about actors( Tourist) but characters, look at Javier Bardm in sky fall, Christopher Waltz a small tv actor from Deutcheland winning oscars consecutively , almost, with Inglorious Bastards and this year Django unchained it is amazing how well his character so well penned both times and he is doing eternal justice to it and thus rightfully acclaimed I just watched Django because of him( not my cup of tea film), and thoroughly enjoyed IB because of Waltz character being so promising!
Highly recommended! Sorry getting off point, but film to show case, Akko, Sarook, Salu, KK are mostly sucky in the essence, hit or miss who cares? A Wednesday was beautifully crafted two characters only, not 26;(

nitin77

I saw the first 30 min and could not even be bothered to finish the rest. The good reviews are probably a reaction to having to sit through regular tripe like Murder 3, Raaz 3 and Himmatwala, Son of Sardaar etc.

zoran009

Btw what do you guys think, am I in for eye and brain surgery after being extremely disappointed with Vishal and his Matru ka Mandola??

flixtime

Hey zoran, I've kind of been circling around giving a spin to MATRU KI BIJLEE KA MANDOLA...I'll slot it for viewing either this weekend or early next week...I'll chime in after.

flixtime

If you really want to impress me then figure out a way to make me see the light with regard to the good reviews for SKYFALL...

I just got done watching it...I don't know what was more shocking...how bad the movie was or reading the glowing reviews for it (which I also just finished doing). SKYFALL indeed...everything under the sky collapsed on this franchise...SKYFALL was godawful...a complete defamation and defecation on this once proud film series. It was a complete snoozefest. No more rooftop chases around Turkey please...been there done that...too much of this film felt recycled. And then it turns into SILENCE OF THE LAMBS with a less virile Hannibal Lecter...and then it becomes a dumb version of STRAW DOGS...and then when the villain is just too comic book...this movie turns Bond into Bruce Wayne (well, actually that came just before the STRAW DOGS part). Just posting for equal opportunity purposes...because the climax of this movie was as dumb as any Indian movie (I halfway expected an Intermission when they introduced Javier Bardem's character at the midpoint).

I know the "user reviews" section at IMDb catches heat but in this case, they preserved my sanity...at least the first few currently listed...and a special thanks to the fellow who posted the one titled "So so so bad. Critics need replacing"...that certainly captures my stance with regard to SKYFALL...I've been rough with regard to Hong Kong cinema and such...but SKYFALL is as big a dung heap as I've seen these past few months. And the new Q felt like a reject from the latest casting calls for Dr. Who or Sherlock Holmes (UK TV version). SKYFALL...proof that a big budget cannot buy a wit of creativity or imagination...everything felt generic and picked over from other standard films of this general type...but again the killer for me is that this movie was deadly dull (the cinematography during the Asian sections was pretty though...same too for during the Skyfall sections).

I'll probably slate MATRU KI BIJLEE for tomorrow...it can't possibly be worse than SKYFALL...at least I hope not.

Another thought I had towards the latter stages of SKYFALL...that T.V. show STRIKE BACK (meaning the first Cinemax season) was a hundred times more satisfying as a Bond fix when compared to SKYFALL.

Actually, after SKYFALL, that proposed Cuba Gooding Jr. DTV mini-fest I mentioned in the Asian thread is looking like a pretty good idea...at least they'd keep me free from another 143-minutes of dullsville.

nitin77

hehe, I really liked Skyfall although I'll admit to being not a huge Bond fan (I think I like maybe 5 in total).

flixtime

Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola (2013 - Hindi) - Despite having a positive stance with regard to Director Vishal Bhardwaj based on his previous six films, I took a little while to get to his latest...I actually think it was something as superficial as not really feeling the film based on the movie's promotional poster/DVD cover art. The total runtime on this was 150-minutes. The 70-minute pre-intermission section was excellent...actually that doesn't quite capture my near-orgasmic enthusiasm...the first half had this on track to be a modern classic of Indian cinema...and stepping outside of just Indian cinema...this movie was still terrific enough that it seemed a safe bet to secure a spot on my best of the year list. As I've said before, I think Pankaj Kapur is awesome...and Imran Khan deserves high praise for his effort here...the chemistry between the two is top notch...their scenes together are electric. Anushka Sharma as the female lead also turns in an impressive performance...and her scenes with Pankaj Kapur also shine. In the second half, the story/plot comes more to the front and there is a tail off in the dynamic between the three aforementioned characters. It's fine as they couldn't keep spinning their wheels and not start digging in to the story, but the more plain, simplistic, conventional, and familiar white hats versus black hats type conflict - while still a good effort - just loses a lot of the inspired and special feeling that went along with the first half. There are still some moments where the magic shines but not like the first half. And then again I felt a slight drop-off over the final quarter which felt a bit longwinded, routine in terms of the romantic aspects of the film, and not clever enough in a general sense. MATRU KI BIJLEE KA MANDOLA is a good movie...however there is a sense of disappointment in that the second half didn't live up to what I had hoped for based on the opening half. In a similar ballpark, I'd say that something like PEEPLI LIVE (2010) was the better film overall...but I sure did love the first half of MATRU KI BIJLEE KA MANDOLA and the performances of the three leads especially in their scenes with each other were a pleasure to watch. All that said, Vishal Bhardwaj seems to be a lot more promising candidate in terms of perhaps delivering a modern classic than does Anurag Kashyap.

nitin77

"All that said, Vishal Bhardwaj seems to be a lot more promising candidate in terms of perhaps delivering a modern classic than does Anurag Kashyap."

I would add that to date, I think his output completely smashes what AK has offered. At least Omkara and Maqbool are excellent films in my eyes although I also like Kaminey too, while from AK's side I dont mind Dev D (it's not as good as the 3 I have listed from VB though) but that's about it.

flixtime

Jab Tak Hai Jaan (2012 - Hindi) - Wow, just wow...dumb, stupid, idiotic...actually perhaps this movie doesn't even deserve that description as it may imply that I actually thought those involved were making an effort...this is the type of movie that calls for my infamous "negative rating scale"...rich folks spending a lot of money to construct a product designed to make them even more money...shameless...those involved have so much film experience and this is what they churn out...176-minutes of consistent stupidity...and I mean that...I recall looking at the counter at the 9-minute mark and realizing it was going to be a long slog...and the senselessness of this movie remained consistent all the way through the very end...also the song and dance was as weak as I've ever experienced for a high-profile Hindi entry such as this.

Hey flixtime...buy a period, would you please.


Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu (2012 - Hindi) - Refreshingly trim 111-minute runtime...this was an okay/average romantic comedy. Of note is that the movie is more in the style of Hollywood romantic comedy entries...speaking strictly in that sense...I'd say it was successful in mimicking what Hollywood churns out. Kareena Kapoor rehashes her sassy girl performance from JAB WE MET, but this time I found it far less appealing...plus she is starting to age out of this type of role. And I don't think she shared much chemistry with her counterpart Imran Khan...nearly unrecognizable when compared to his role in MATRU KI BIJLEE KA MANDOLA. The pre-credits opening reminded me of RISKY BUSINESS.


Chakravyuh (2012 - Hindi) - First off...Arjun Rampal is one handsome fella. If I were female, a three-way with him and John Abraham would be my number one fantasy. Umm...okay, yeah, that was weird. So, anyway...

The latest from Director Prakash Jha and also the latest entry in the Naxalite movie sub-genre. I found CHAKRAVYUH to be highly entertaining! The story is entirely conventional...childhood friends...one goes undercover to bring down a group of Naxalites but instead goes native. Yup, the story is old-fashioned but I thought it was silky smooth in execution. It's a finely delivered popcorn entertainer with a message. Arjun Rampal as the cop turns in a nice performance and I enjoyed the dynamic between him and the lovely Esha Gupta (who plays his wife and fellow cop). Abhay Deol is the buddy who goes undercover...the capable cast is rounded out by Anjali Patil, and vets Manoj Bajpai, Om Puri, and Kabir Bedi. There's some nice song and dance including a good item number with Sameera Reddy. The 147-minute runtime flew by...one of my favorite Hindi films for 2012...I preferred it over Director Jha's recent efforts such as Aarakshan, Raajneeti, Apaharan, and Gangaajal.



What else can I ramble on about...I watched ZERO DARK THIRTY the other night...found it to be a letdown (and I didn't expect much going in). The first hour plus was a snoozefest (and the runtime needed trimming). It flowed better from then onwards. I didn't care for some of the supporting cast. And in general I just didn't find it all that interesting or compelling...it should have been far more riveting than it was...it just wasn't successful in conveying anything interesting about the trackdown...and replay value for this movie is zero. Kathryn Bigelow used to know how to make entertaining movies...now she makes dull awards bait. As a point of comparison, I also watched ARGO...while I didn't find it to be anything special...at least in terms of Best Picture type special...I very much enjoyed it and found it far superior to ZERO DARK THIRTY in every respect.


And back to a thought brought about by DABANNG 2 (which I forgot to mention earlier)...and following on my "if I were female" comment earlier...the end fight in DABANNG 2 features a shirtless Salman Khan...to my eyes a thoroughly unappealing sight...all these big Hindi actors seem to be in love with their totally hairless torsos (including shaved armpits)...well if I were female I'd be totally grossed out by that look...do the majority of women really find that appealing...I don't know...I just couldn't trust a guy who was so hairless (unless he was an Olympic swimmer). Shah Rukh Khan too is into the overly groomed look. I just think it looks totally unmanly.