Title: Dhobi Ghat (2010) language: Hindi, English internet
synopsis: There are 3 interweaving storylines: a painter named Arun (Aamir Khan) trying to regain his muse, an American banker, Shai, is on sabbatical to take photos, and a washerboy, Munna, (Prateik Babbar) who lives in the slums and has aspirations to be an actor. Their stories revolve around each other as this movie looks at the different classes of people in India. ((Sorry this synopsis is kind of crappy. It's hard to summarize this movie))
The Good + a score from Gustavo Santaolalla, who's style is becoming quite recognizable but perfect for films such as this. He also did the score to Babel, also a movie about interweaving storylines. + Fantastic directing from a first time director (Aamir Khan's wife Kiran Rao). + Prateik Babbar, as often said about this film, is really the star. I was always left wondering more about him and his thoughts.
The Bad + There were some things that were kind of confusing to me, mostly the character Arun. I felt like he was the least developed of the 3 characters and had the least explained about his motives/drives.
Final Thoughts: This movie is a character study or a slice-of-life film. Therefore there isn't really an ending to it, or often people will say "what was the point?" I love these kind of films, but for some reason, I just didn't get as sucked into this film as I often do for this genre. I love that this is from India and so different from the stereotypical cinema coming from there, but there was just something that was lacking from it and unfortunately I can't put my finger on what that 'something' is. To quote an online friend of mine: "The most interesting character was the city of Mumbai".
Rating: 3/5
Favorite song None, since there wasn't anything beyond the background score
film: Nuvvostanante Nenoddantana (2005) language: Telugu DVD
synopsis: Siri (Trisha) and her older brother Krishna (Srihari) grew up as orphans, making their way as farmers in the countryside. When one of Siri's childhood best friends is getting married, she meets Santosh (Siddharth) a wealthy NRI from London who drives her crazy. As the wedding draws near, Siri realizes that she feels 'something something' towards Santosh. In order for him to be with her, Krishna challenges Santosh to grow his own crop and have a better harvest than himself. Will he be able to do it with so many friends and family working against him?
The Good + Fantastic cast! All have excellent comedic timing and there was no flat acting anywhere. + This movie was hilarious - especially the usage of the American pop song Who Let the Dogs Out, and Siddharth's extremely expressive face. + Speaking of expressive faces, I like in the song picturizations how much they did use facial expressions to play off each other. + The characters were relate-able
The Bad + This isn't bad, just there were some gestures made and references to things non-Indian audiences (such as myself) wouldn't understand. But it never hindered the film. + There's one actor's voice that gets quite annoying. I felt sorry for the actor for having such a horrible voice more than anything. + Be prepared for lots of cow poop.
Final Thoughts: Was this movie worth watching? Yes! I'm beginning to think South Indian films > Bollywood, or maybe I'm just watching all the correct films. This movie was highly entertaining and I love the chemistry between Siddharth and Trisha. I've only seen Siddharth in dramatic roles (Rang De Basanti, Aayutha Ezhuthu), but I have a feeling comedic roles are his thing. My friend who is brand new to Indian cinema adored this film as well. Magadheera is the only other Telugu film I've seen, so it was kind of funny seeing some of the same actors.
Rating: 4/5
Favorite Song Adire Adire - c'mon COWS AND PUPPETS! Love it! (btw, this video has Slavic subtitles, so um... yeah) I love the costumes too
synopsis: Arush (Akshay Kumar) is a loser (no lie, they sing about it), quits his job, and goes to London to visit his best friend Bob (Ritesh Deshmukh) and his wife Hetal (Lara Dutta). Unfortunately for Bob and Hetal, Arush is full of bad luck and is jinxed, causing misfortune wherever he goes. Trying to get him off their back, they set him up to marry their boss's daughter. When the newly married couple go to Italy for their honeymoon, it sets off a series of events causing Arush to meet Sandy (Deepika Padukone) and fall in love with her. Calamity ensues when lies get spun out of control that eventually get worse when Hetal's father (Boman Irani) and Sandy's brother (Arjun Rampal) decide to visit London at the same time.
The Good + The music lyrics were HILARIOUS. By far the most entertaining songs I've heard in a movie. + Boman Irani, I've seen him in a ton of films, and he's definitely the best character actor out there. He always invests time into his characters and they always come out great. He's definitely under appreciated. + Despite not being an Akshay Kumar fan, he does have excellent comedic timing and you defnitely can tell the cast got along and had fun making this film.
The Bad + Alot of the scenes cause secondhand embarrassment. You can't help to feel more sorry for the characters rather than laughing. (Or maybe you laugh because you're embarrassed for them) + Weak writing which leads to weak or lame situations + I know it wasn't suppose to be anything like real life, but the ending was just too ridiculous to accept (but the Queen of England knowing Hindi was pretty hilarious) + I hate how older male actors get paired with female leads half their age... but Akshay painfully looks old enough to be these girls' father. I'd like to see him be paired with someone more age appropriate.
Final Thoughts: Was this worth watching? It's debatable. If you like slapstick comedy (which I personally am not a huge fan of) then this is definitely up your alley. If you like Akshay Kumar, than this is up your alley. Some scenes tend to be overacted (and that's mostly thanks to the poor writing) and just stupid but I did have a few good laughs. (Arush vs. the Italian monkey was hilarious if only for the fact there are no wild monkeys in Italy and a very WTF moment. Also the Italian hotel owner's comments trying to create publicity for Arush "attempting suicide" were pretty hilarious too.)
Rating: 2.5/3... there just wasn't enough good to outweigh the bad. And the fact they're making a sequel kind of makes me cringe yet slightly curious.
Favorite Song I really liked all the songs, they were all quite catchy, but this one won due to the song picturization (Arush's wedding night and has never slept with someone before, so he was just going to let his wife show him what to do)
Synopsis: Army officer Jaidev (Anil Kapoor) manages to capture terrorist Abhrush and becomes a national hero. Coming back to his hometown, he meets up with childhood friend Anjali (Madhuri Dixit) who has held a long time crush on him. While at a party, Jai ends up meeting Pooja (Namrata Shirodkar) and starts vying for her attention much to Anjali's jealousy. Angry corrupt politicians take notice and use Anjali's jealousy to help push forwards plans against Jai and of India.
The Good + Good music from the remake of Que Sera Sera, to the love song picturization in the snow + Madhuri Dixit and Anil Kapoor actually make a good pair… and Madhuri is gorgeous as ever + There were plenty of unintentional funny moments… such as the scene with using rocket launchers to take out cars.
The Bad + The movie was SO LONG. Despite me breaking it up over a few days time, there were moments where I would lose interest + Anil Kapoor's character - the stereotypical SUPER SOLDIER. No one can shoot, fight, or know better than him. He's so good, he can beat up people while still successfully drive a car, and single handedly bring down a helicopter + This movie probably had the worst sound effects team ever. I think they only had 2 or 3 sounds in their inventory for fights… there's this one "slapping" sound they'd use that annoyed the hell out of me - it didn't even sound natural! + This is kind of embarrassing, but I had a hard time telling the difference between Madhuri Dixit and Namrata Shirodkar at times. Please don't hate me.
Final Thoughts: Was this movie worth watching? Kind of. I was interested in seeing an Anil Kapoor film (Sadly I've seen more of his daughter's movies than him, and he's by far a better actor) and Madhuri Dixit is always fantastic on screen… This movie really over played the melodrama, and successfully made you feel sad for Anjali, so I did really enjoy the love storyline. (I know, I'm such a girl). But some of the political parts lacked thought behind them.
Rating: 3/5
Favorite Song: Kay Sera Sera... Madhuri and Prabhu Deva dancing together? YES PLEASE!
synopsis: Veeru (Dharmendra) and Jai (Amitabh Bachchan) are well known thieves. They end up being caught by police inspector Thakur Baldev Singh, go to jail, and later meet with him once again. Only this 2nd time, Thakur hires them to find and capture notorious bandit Gabbar Singh for a money reward, feeling they are the only two men capable of doing this. As the story progresses, you find out who Gabbar Singh is and why the inspector wants him captured so badly. Veeru and Jai accept this offer only to find out this request isn't as easy as they thought.
The Good + Loved how the comedy fit well with the action. The movie was never too serious or never too silly. An equal balance of both. + Despite the long running time (just over 3 hours), it filled up each and every minute. Sure, some of it might've been slightly excessive (but what Bollywood isn't like this?) but it never got overwhelming or too boring. + Each of the main characters were well fleshed out and developed. + Gabbar Singh, probably one of the few movie villains not afraid to do his evil-doings. He doesn't waste time.
That Bad + Basanti, played by Hema Malini, was annoying at times, but you couldn't help to like her anyway. Gorgeous, peppy, a good dancer - what's there not to like. Just she talked a bit too much. + 70's clothes, what can we say? Not the best era for fashion. + I always loved how old movies, whenever someone got shot/hurt, there was so little or no blood at all. + One scene was a bit ridiculous. "Dance or I will shoot him!" I'm not so sure how I feel that my life is in the hands of a girl dancing... Entertaining nevertheless.
Final Thoughts: Was this movie worth watching? YES! This was a fantastic film! No wonder it's often referenced and considered a "must see". It really did have a very nice balance between comedy and action... I was expecting it to be all action and was worried about it being so long but it really wasn't that bad (then again, I did watch it over 2 days). Also it was kind of fun seeing 2 well-known movie couples: Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bhaduri, Dharmendra and Hema Malini. And seeing the actors so young! Wow!
Rating: 4/5
Favorite Song: Yeh Dosti - funny video, nice song, nice friendship between the two characters.
From the Wikipedia page, I thought this was a nice photo of the main male characters.
title: Anjaana Anjaani (2010) language: Hindi online links
synopsis: Akash (Ranbir Kapoor) and Kiara (Priyanka Chopra) have the worst lives ever and decide to commit suicide. Right at the moment Akash is about to jump off a bridge in New York he meets a drunk Kiara getting ready to do the same thing, but both end up getting caught and stopped in their process (him getting hit by a car, and her slipping and falling and hurting her neck). They both wake up and escape the hospital at the same time, and during the process strike up a strange friendship. Giving each other 20 days to spend together fulfilling wishes they had before finally carrying through with their decision to commit suicide.
The Good + the music. I downloaded the music before I saw the film, and I was already hooked on it. + It doesn't really have anything to do with the movie, but Priyanka Chopra causes the biggest hair envy I've known to exist within me. Her hair is always perfect - I wish I had her hair! It's so thick, nicely styled, looks healthy... ok, I'm done. + Ranbir and Priyanka are a cute pair, they had nice chemistry with each other and did look like they had fun together. That being said, they aren't my favorite couple. (I kind of like her and Shahid Kapoor together the best.) I saw them as better friends than potential lovers. + I thought the dialogue was funny/witty at times. I loved the bantering between Akash and Kiara. + I have an amusement in these films where a character has his/her own little theme song. All my friends remember "Sexy Sam! Sexy Sam!" from KANK, but the fact the CAR HAD IT'S OWN THEME SONG? I nearly fell off my couch laughing.
The Bad + Both character's reasons to commit suicide was selfish (but isn't all suicide selfish?). I was kind of angry that it was a little more evident that Kiara needed more help in the psychiatric department, but it was never addressed. + More horrible American acting... I don't know if Bollywood tries to find the cheapest white people they can find, but nearly EVERY SINGLE ONE is a horrible, horrible actor. Do Indian audiences notice how awful they are? + Bollywood manages to bring out the realist in me. That being said, I wish I was a waitress and living in that swag apartment Kiara had. I mean, really? In New York? That had to be at least $2,000 a month. You really have to suspend disbelief and go with it.
Final Thoughts Was it worth watching? Yes, for something light-hearted-ish and fun. Like I said, if you don't think about how dumb it is for their reasons to commit suicide, and if their lives are OMG SO HORRIBLE, how do people's lives worse than theirs look? Anyway, I wasn't exactly a fan of the storyline, but the silly bantering and their time with the car being stolen was rather entertaining. All that being said, I'm really glad I didn't spend money to see this in the theater, since it ended up being disappointing.
Rating: 3/5... if they had just revamped it as more of a road trip across the US, I think I would've enjoyed it more.
Liz's mini Bollywood rant: I'm getting tired of getting caught up in the hype of films, since it's obvious that nearly all the ones I get hyped up about end up being disappointments (I think Kites and Raavan have been the only two that lived up to the hype in my mind). I'm also getting tired of movie trailers that are better than the films.
For Anjaana Anjaani, I was so pumped after seeing this trailer:
I was totally expecting a fresh juicy drama after seeing this trailer. I remember thinking, "YESSS, this movie is going to be super cute and full of drama". WRONG. But this goes for American films too. Very frequently, the trailer is more awesome than the movie. I think I'm just a sucker for the whole longing/angsty look, or the glazed over 'I'm in love' eyes. I think I just need to see KANK again, since that fits my drama needs.
Favorite Song: This is hard, since I enjoyed all the songs, I Feel Good is a fun upbeat song.
I really should make a blog post of my favorite obligatory dance club dances in all these movies... here's the one for this one. (Love the song and the dancing, but not sure what the whole pants around ankles thing was about)
title: Vinnaithaandi Varuvaaya (2010) language: Tamil youtube
Synopsis: Karthik (Silambarasan) is a Hindu boy who falls in love with his Christian neighbor Jessie (Trisha Krishnan). Their love is complicated by her father's rejection of her marrying a non-Christian.
The Good + Everyone already knows how obsessed I am about cinematography. That being said, for such a basic film, it was filmed VERY nicely. Loved the varying shades of blue and how Trisha's wardrobe always popped against the scenery. + A.R. Rahman did the music. Need I say more? Very catchy songs! + If that really was Kerala, WOW! Very gorgeous place and it totally makes me want to visit.
The Bad + Once again, another film where the boy's perseverance in his love comes off as a totally stalker/creeper (I still think SRK is the master of this role, complete with heavy breathing in Dil Se). + There were a few cultural aspects that didn't quite translate to me. Why was it so horrible that the girl was 1 year older than the boy? Is that a genuine issue? + Jessie frustrated me more than anything with her indecisive nature. "Leave me alone" "no, I want to be with you." "Wait, no leave me alone" - Make up your mind!
Final Thoughts: Was this movie worth watching? This is actually a tough call for me. I know this was quite a successful movie when it came out (made in Telugu at the same time and a Hindi version coming out soon), but I'm really not a fan of these movies where the guy relentlessly chases the girl because he's so in love with her. I actually felt sorry for the girl (then later was frustrated with her in above argument), having been in similar awkward situations she was put in, yet I never did find myself returning the feelings. Maybe I'm biased (I most likely am). I talked to a friend about this earlier today, and he mentioned this was a popular theme in 90's Indian cinema, and is always entertained how the guy gets the girl in the end. I just think this is whole concept sends the wrong message (But then again, who said cinema is real life?). Ok, rant finished. I'd say it's totally worth watching for the music and the cinematography.
Rating: 3/5... the music saved it for me. I was rather disappointed with it overall. I was hoping a really good drama of how inter-religious relationships are totally acceptable. Which it was... but I'd rather not have a stalker as the leading man.
title: Aayutha Ezhuthu (2004) Language: Tamil youtube links
Synopsis: This is a story of 3 men and how their stories all come together. Inba (Madhavan) is a rough man, who doesn't have the best relationship with his wife and can't hold onto employment. Being bailed from jail by his brother, Inba meets a corrupt political minister and agrees to stop/control a group of rebelling college students on the upcoming election. Michael (Surya Sivakumar) is the popular leader of the rebelling college students. He believes the Indian youth should show more interest in politics so they can shape and change India's future. Finally there's Arjun (Siddharth) who is a recent college graduate determined to study in the USA, but ends up falling in love with a girl he meets at a club. Together the three men's stories come together at a bridge where Inba is chasing after Micheal, and Arjun is on the side professing his love to Meera (Trisha Krishnan)...there the stories merge together and continues to an intense climax.
The Good + The mood of the film. What I mean is, the film was intense when it was suppose to be intense. Funny when it was suppose to be funny. All the scene fit together. + I liked the whole concept of separate storylines coming together and merging as one (like the movie Crash or Babel). I really was struggling to see how Arjun's storyline would fit, but they all came nicely together. + The last 15 minutes had one of the better fight scenes I've seen in a film. For a film that wasn't necessarily suppose to be action-oriented, the fight was well choreographed.
The Bad + The musical interludes weren't terrible, and as much as I look forward to these moments, I felt this film would've been far better without them. They didn't hinder the film, nor did they necessarily enhance the film. + You definitely have to be in the right state of mind to watch this, which is probably why it took me so long to finally finish watching it (despite my busy work schedule). No where near a happy-go-lucky film, but it does make you think about things a little, and then you have to keep track how everything ends up being related. I suppose you can say the whole point of this bullet is: don't watch this film starting at 1 in the morning like I did. + Poor treatment of women, but it served it's purpose in the film. It had it's place, I just felt sorry for the characters.
Final Thoughts: Was this movie worth watching? Yes. Acting wise, this film was fantastic. To me there was never a moment where it was over acted and far over the top. Madhavan once again proves he's a fantastic actor, and he does an excellent job of making you hate his character. I also liked the message of youth needing to participate more in politics/future of the country and speaking out.
Fun Fact: This movie is also made in Hindi - Yuva - starring Rani Mukerji, Abhishek Bachchan (who plays Madhavan's character and with Rani Mukerji won 2004's Filmfare awards for best actor/actress), and Kareena Kapoor. I haven't seen this version, though. Esha Deol plays the character Michael's girlfriend in both Tamil and Hindi versions of the film.
Rating: 3/5
Favorite Song: Yaakai Thiri... Trisha is so pretty! The dancing seems like an endurance race! haha
Synopsis: Aditya (Shahid Kapoor) is a businessman who wanders off on his own with after the loss of his girlfriend being married to someone else and the death of his father. On a train, he has no destination in mind and even contemplates suicide until he meets Geet (Kareena Kapoor), who is extremely loud, bubbly, and obnoxious. Geet is on her way to elope when she pulls Aditya into her complicated plan, thus making things greatly chaotic.
The Good + the music, catchy and with some nice costumes + The storyline isn't exactly new, but it's a really fun movie to watch + dynamic between Shahid Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor. It's sad they're no longer together in real life, since they do really well on screen together. I doubt we'll see these two team up again. + The "dramatic hug scene" as a I call it. Makes me laugh every time I see it!
The Bad + the graphics. There are some scenes of horrible green screen work, and using toy/models for a exterior shots that are painfully obvious that they had a tight budget. + There are moments where dialogue really drags. + Joking about rape. This scene makes me uncomfortable every time I see it. That is not something that should be joked about. Maybe there was a translation error.
Final Thoughts: Was it worth watching? Yes! This is one of my top 5 favorite Bollywood films. I've seen it numerous times and enjoy watching it every time. I'm not a big fan of Kareena Kapoor, but I find her highly enjoyable to watch as a crazy woman. Shahid Kapoor is a favorite actor of mine to watch (mostly for his excellent dancing), but really, his acting is hit or miss. This is definitely a hit for him.
Fun Fact: Although I have not seen it, the Hollywood movie Leap Year is based off this movie. That's right, a Hollywood movie inspired from a Bollywood film. Usually it's the other way around. That being said, I've heard it's horrible.
Rating: 4/5
Favorite Song: Nagada Nagada (it's no secret that I love bhangra)
Aagey Se Right (2009) Language: Hindi Netflix streaming
Synopsis: Dinkar is a police officer who doesn't care for his job. During his commute to work, he ends up getting his gun stolen and is in a wild goose chase to find it again. Every time he comes near to reclaiming it, he finds himself stuck in bad (and hilarious) situations that some how turn him into a citywide hero. During this time is a terrorist, Janu, who decides to part from his line of duty in pursuit of love.
The Good + shortness of the film: 125 minutes, which allowed it to not drag too much + I wouldn't consider the movie hilarious, but it was pretty funny at times + Actors I've never seen nor heard of, so it was nice coming into this completely unbiased.
The Bad + the randomness of the plot. One minute you're at this point, then next minute you're at another. There were plenty of times where the plot would jump around, and you weren't given too much detail as to...how they got there. + Because of the randomness, I personally had a difficult time keeping up with who was who, mainly with the girls. + some of the acting was hit or miss, but never completely distracting or terrible.
Final Thoughts: Was this movie worth watching? Maybe. It was entertaining and cute, but I most likely won't ever watch it again. It has it's funny parts, but not exactly a movie I can watch over and over (such as Dostana).
Rating: 3/5
Favorite Song: Mahiya - I think this is my favorite, just because of the funny picturization.
Synopsis: A scientist creates a first of it's kind android, named Chitti, who can do just about anything. He wants to try and sell Chitti for use with the military, but after a failed interview with the board and his mentor, he was rejected. Being told that Chitti can't be used in the military since he has no moral values (i.e. he would kill on command even if it's subject was the commanding officer), Dr. Vaseegaran gives him a moral code/philosophy which causes Chitti to fall in love with Dr. Vaseegaran's girlfriend Sana. Things begin to get complicated after that...
The Good + graphics... this was the most expensive Indian film to date made with a budget of $35 million. C'mon USA, if India can make something this well done with half the budgets we use? Very well done CGI, and the action scenes were fantastic. + action! It's been a while since I've seen action this well done/creative. + Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was SMOKING HOT. Seriously, she was so gorgeous! Flawless make up, amazing outfits... she's seriously becoming a favorite actress of mine. + Song picturizations... this movie probably has some of the best song cuts ever, just for the costumes and filming style alone. Did I mention Aishwarya was smoking hot? + the dubbing. I pretty much forgot this was a Hindi dub of a Tamil film. I could tell Aishwarya dubbed her own voice, is that the case for the other actors too?
The Bad + length. At least 30-45 minutes of the film could've been cut out. As I joked with a friend, I don't think Indian film believe in deleted scenes. + The biggest pet peeve I have with Indian cinema, I hate how they pair quite older male stars with female leads that are half their age, or in this case, old enough to be her father. At least it didn't feel too bad since make up helped him look younger. + The clear message that rich upper class is superior to the lower class. I can see this film not being popular everywhere in India for that. This was a friend of mine's first time seeing an Indian film, and even he noticed this.
Final Thoughts: Was this movie worth watching? A million times yes! Amazing action, costumes, graphics. It was just an awesome experience and excellent movie to show friends that were unfamiliar with Bollywood and the like. The only complaint I had was the theater I was in had their sound way too high, so I had to cover my ears occasionally.
Rating 4.5/5
Favorite Song: Naina Miley... this is the Tamil version of the song in the video
Film: Magadheera (2009) Language: Telugu youtube link
Synopsis: In the 17th century, there is a warrior that swears to protect a princess, and shortly afterwards they fall in love. A war breaks out and both are killed only to be reincarnated 400 years later. Harsha is a bike racer and one day out on the town with his buddy, he happens to touch the hand of a woman who sparks strange memories within him. Determined to find her (he didn't see her face), he stops the rickshaw to try meet this girl, only to meet Indu who says she can help him, knowing she is the one he is looking for. They couple starts spending alot of time together, only to have things grow extremely complicated when Raghuveer, Indu's cousin, enters the picture.
The Good - The music. Very catchy, fun, and able to easily become stuck in your head. - The story. The way they edited it, it seems confusing at first, but as events play out, you start to understand more and more. - Again, the story - alot of masala as they say. Comedy, drama, romance, action... there's really no genre that was left untouched.
The Bad - There were a couple times I believe the subtitles were off or incorrect, but it didn't deter from the story. - Many loopholes in the editing, but can be overlooked if you're not paying alot of attention. - There was a small dance scene towards the beginning of the film was so strange, yet hilariously bad. An older male actor was cartoon-ized to allow him to be an impressive dancer. It was just weird... - I'm not sure if it was due to translation errors or what, but some things, such as the characters' relationships, were undefined. I was left confused trying to figure out if the man after Indu was really her cousin or not.
Final Thoughts: Was this movie worth watching? A million times yes! The end of the movie has been going somewhat viral lately on youtube which is what inspired me to watch it in the first place. There were so many hilarious parts, good action, and an interesting story. I ended up staying up to 3am watching it (It's a LONG movie). This is definitely a movie worth watching with a group of friends.
Film: Kurbaan (2009) Language: Hindi streaming on netflix
Synopsis: Two college professors Ehsaan (Saif Ali Khan) and Avantika (Kareena Kapoor) meet and fall in love. During this time, Avantika is offered a job in the U.S. to teach at a university there. After accepting Ehsaan's proposal, they get married and move overseas to start their new life together. After moving in their new house, things change and their neighbors aren't who they seem, and soon both are involved in terrorism plots against the U.S.
The Good + Cinematography was top notch in the film, and the filming/editing in general. Once again proving that Indian cinema can be done just as well as American cinema. + Acting. As much as I'm not a fan of Kareena Kapoor or Saif Ali Khan, both of them really performed well in this film and their off screen partnership really helped their chemistry of their characters. + Pacing of the movie. At first I wasn't sure how they were going to drag out 2.5 hours of plot after giving away much of it within the first 45 minutes, but it all came into place and didn't seem to drag too much and kept things interesting.
The Bad + Many things about the story doesn't make sense. Many 911 phone calls not being made, immigration aspects that were over looked (getting a SSN before moving to the US), allowing public transport to continue to happen after shots fired. Just simple things that the viewer isn't suppose to think about. + Even though I said the pacing of the movie wasn't that bad, I still do think it could've been kept at 2hrs.
Final Thoughts: Was it worth watching? Yes. The movie's tension kept me interested and curious to know what will happen. This movie didn't perform that well and you can totally see why. There was ALOT of things that happened that were either 1. dumb 2. didn't make sense. I can't really go in depth without spoiling, so I'll leave that to be seen. I did like the film, though.
Rating 3/5
Favorite Song Music did not play a big part in this film, and nearly all of it was religious-themed relating to the plot. I'll have to skip favorite song this time.
Synopsis: Based off of the Jane Austen book Emma, the movie revolves around 20-something socialites in New Delhi. Aisha (Sonam Kapoor) is fixated on helping her gal pals find love all the while being selfish and arrogant in the process. In the end, she finds out that love can't be forced and she should've listened to her friend Arjun to stop meddling in other's lives.
The Good + the wardrobe was any fashionista's dream. Alot of designer name dropping and expensive items. I'm not going to lie, I was pretty much in love with most of the stuff. Also, the girls' makeup was gorgeous too (although I found it kind if hilarious with them in full make up in bed!). + I enjoyed Aisha's friends: Shefali and Pinky. I don't think those two actresses have been in anything else and they definitely were the best actors in the film. + There were a couple catchy songs, which I thought were nice.
The Bad + Weak script. I honestly don't know how I sat through this all in 1 sitting, because honestly the movie was slow and boring until maybe the final 30 minutes. + Sonam Kapoor. I don't know if it's from all the negative reviews of her from other Bollywood blogs I read rubbing off on me, but her acting is indeed weak. Sometimes she's not expressive enough, other times she delivers her lines flatly. But I guess I can't say it's entirely other people's opinions when I noticed this too during I Hate Luv Storys. Sonam, you're gorgeous, but you definitely need some acting lessons.
Final Thoughts: Was it worth watching? Yes and no. Yes, because it was a fluff film you didn't have to think about and enjoy the costumes, no because 80% of the film was watching spoiled brats doing nothing. I did think it was hilarious during the part of the film where they're camping. I don't see socialites camping, ever, and their tents had actual beds/side tables/lamps! But it did look like the cast had fun together.
Rating: 2.5/5
Favorite Song: Gal Mitthi Mitthi (Maybe because the radio played it often, but I found it quite catchy)
Film: Rang De Basanti (2006) Language: Hindi Netflix streaming
Synopsis: A British film maker (journalist?) had been reading a journal written by her grandfather who worked at a jail during the Indian independence movement in the 1920s. She's inspired by the 5 freedom fighters he had written about and wants to make a movie based off of them, but is refused the funding. Sue then goes to India to make the film herself and becomes involved with a group of college kids whose lives start to prove similar as those of the 1920/1930s. A tragedy occurs that soon catapults them at the forefront of Indian politics fighting for justice.
The Good + The acting. This has to be the first Bollywood film I've seen with a foreign actor who was actually pretty decent. She didn't take away from the scenes like most do. + The large cast actually meshed well together and I felt like they genuinely got along well. + New-to-me storyline, kind of nice to see something other than a typical Rom-Com + Madhavan... again, I'm so crushing on this man + Aamir Khan really did look like a college-age student for once.
The Bad + I felt the movie was kind of long, but I also don't like political films that much, so really, it probably was fine. + Political songs are fine, but I didn't feel this was A.R. Rahman's best work (for what it's worth, I'm not a big fan of American patriotic songs)
Final Thoughts: Was it worth watching? Yes. I actually went into this film not realizing how much it was going to be about politics. That being said, the film doesn't revolve 100% around it, I'd say a good 60%. I did enjoy the coming together of the characters and their political activism for their friend's tragedy. A very realistic film, despite the fact they got a little carried away with their plans. I felt the worst for the female characters, though.
Film: Alaipayuthey (2000) Language: Tamil youtube links
Synopsis: Karthik (Madhavan) is an engineer starting up his own company and comes across med student Shakti (Shalini) and after continuous chance meetings, they fall in love. Their relationship isn't easy especially when their families don't get along and call off the approval of their wedding. Therefore, they secretly get married with help from Shakti's older sister, yet still live in their same living conditions waiting for things to improve between the families. They don't, and they end up moving out of their homes into an unfinished apartment together where their marriage is tested.
The Good + The directing (another Mani Ratnam film) coupled with the nice cinematography = very well done + Madhavan and Shalini's chemistry. It was very natural and they played off very well with each other. Everything about this film was realistic and believable + Probably one of the only Indian films (that I have seen) where a relationship/marriage is realistically portrayed. Not everything is song and dance-worthy
The Bad + It's not bad at all, but some of the outfits/dancing were pretty hilariously awful, considering this film is from 2000. But it actually kind of adds to the charm of the film. Really, I can't think of any serious complaints about the film, since it was so realistic depiction of real life.
Final Thoughts: Was it worth watching? Yes! I'm a sucker for indie-like films that are character studies/coming of age/"slices of life". This definitely fit that category. Don't watch this expecting something exciting/fun with friends, it's not meant to be. Mani Ratnam has definitely sealed himself as one of my favorite directors. I've yet to see any of his work to be deemed 'crappy', although Dil Se has to be my least favorite of his films so far.
I adore Madhavan, and this is his Tamil film debut (also one of his first films). I think he's a fantastic actor and love to see more of his things.
Rating: 4/5
Favorite Song: Pachai Nirame. I loved it for the colors and the cute/goofy dancing of Madhavan's
Film: Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003) Language: Hindi youtube links
Synopsis: Naina lives in New York with her family minus her father who had committed suicide some time ago. She's pretty irritable between the loss of her dad and her grandmother refusing to acknowledge her granddaughter, Naina's sister. Enter her visiting neighbor from India, Aman, who proceeds to initially irritate her more and turn her world upside down. And by upside down, I mean fall madly in love with him. But the entire time, Aman is hiding a secret and works his magic to get Naina together with her friend/classmate Rohit.
The Good + Acting, by everyone. Even though the storyline wasn't entirely anything new, it was very well acted. + The movie kept me completely invested the entire time. Typically if I'm watching a Bollywood film on my own at home, I never watch it all in one sitting. For this film, I actually did. It never grew sluggish at any point to me.
The Bad + The messed up "Oh, Pretty Woman" song. I guess it was great for the hilarity of it all, but bad song cover is bad. + The blatant racism against the Chinese. What was up with that? Totally not needed to be in the film and rather surprising it was. Even though, I have to admit the Lagaan song playing during that scene had me chuckle. + Some of the wardrobe choices. From SRK's crazy BRIGHT orange pants to Saif's questionable clubbing shirt, I don't know what was going on.
Final Thoughts: This is definitely one of my top 5 favorite Bollywood films, and probably my favorite SRK film. He tends to go over the top in his films (which, honestly, I don't mind typically until he starts crying), but I felt he kept himself in check in this film. It had the right amount of comedy, sadness, and all over joy.
Rating: 4.5/5
Favorite Song: It was hard to pick... It's the time to disco & Kal Ho Naa Ho. (Of all the playback singers, Sonu Nigam is the only one I know/can pick out easily. I LOVE his voice, and feel it fits SRK almost perfectly for his lipsynching)
Film: I Hate Luv Storys (2010) Language: Hindi in movie theater
Synopsis: Jay (or sometimes J depending on what the subtitles felt like), is a director's assistant. Problem is, he hates romance and anything to do with romantic films, yet of all the jobs he could've had, he's working on one. Simran is a set designer who is obsessed with anything to do with romance and romantic films. She considers her job perfect and has a perfect boyfriend. That is until she meets Jay. They become fast friends both become determined to ruin the other's beliefs about love and romance. Their friendship turns into infatuation, first on her part, then on his. Will they ever see eye to eye?
The Good + Imran Khan. Good looking guy, a pretty decent actor, the camera loves him + I enjoyed the t-shirts they were wearing (I think it was Sonam's character that was wearing a Mario Bros. shirt at one point?) Very modern. + All the SRK-film parodies. I think most of the audience would be lost if they weren't familiar with all the references to these well known romance films.
The Bad + Some of the acting. Again, casting awful foreign actors, yet there were some poor acting on Sonam Kapoor's part as well as the actor playing her boyfriend + The subtitles were sometimes off or they left some things out. Also, they didn't subtitle any of the songs, which is quite strange. I know alot of the times, the songs don't have to do with the film, but I actually like to know what they're saying!
Final Thoughts Was it worth watching? Yes. It was a cute/funny film. Even though I've only seen Imran Khan in 2 films, he seems to be very promising. The scenery and cinematography were nice too for a romantic comedy. This isn't the best romantic film I've seen from Bollywood, but it's cute and worth a watch on a boring day.
Film: Krrish (2006) Language: Hindi youtube videos
Synopsis: A rough sequel to Koi...Mil Gaya (which I'll write the review eventually). Krishna Mehra (Hrithik's character) is a kid who is super awesome at EVERYTHING. He's super smart, super fast, and super socially awkward (albeit less so than his daddy in KMG). Anyway, he meets the love of his life, Priya (Priyanka Chopra with extremely long hair). Naturally, she plays on his super social awkwardness and adoration for her and convinces him to come to Singapore. When there, he becomes a SUPERHERO!
The Good + the graphics were pretty amazing. Very few Bollywood films are this well done. + nice action scenes/stunts along with cinematography
The Bad + TOO LONG + This movie was all over the place to me. Starting out in happy rural city, to Singapore, it just seemed so disorganized. + Bad acting. Bollywood really needs to stop finding random foreigners that agree to be in their films. Their poor acting just really makes a nice moment into a hilariously bad/awkward one.
Final Thoughts Was it worth watching? Maybe. Yes, it was a campy film that gives you something to be amused with and smile about, but at the end you can't help to think you wasted 3 hours of your life watching something that should've been cut down to 2. Priyanka and Hrithik work well together, but I can't say they're a favorite pairing of mine. Apparently they're going to make a sequel for this, or at least there are talks of one. I'll wait for it to hit youtube or come on video. Can't say I'll go out rushing to see it. Also, all I could think about during this film was how much I wanted to cut Hrithik's Jesus hair. It was driving me crazy!
Also, I'm not really sure why I liked Koi...Mil Gaya better, since I'm probably the only person to say that. I just felt it didn't jump all around/be so disorganized. It at least had a consistent location. Who knows. Maybe Krrish 2 will be better.
Film: Raavan (2010) Language: Hindi in movie theater
This film was directed by Mani Ratnam, who was the director of the last film I saw (A Peck on the Cheek). No doubt he is an amazing director. I can't imagine Aishwarya and Vikram doing all this twice. They had to have some pretty serious bruises/cuts.
Synopsis: Based off Ramayana. Dev is a police inspector out on the hunt for Beera, a well known outlaw said to have "10 heads" who steals Dev's wife, Ragini. It's a wild goose chase that lasts 14 days, all the while Ragini stays fiercely loyal to Dev, she does witness the more human side of Beera.
The Good: + The cinematography! O.M.G. This director is known to travel all over the world to get the 'perfect shot' and rightly so! Next to Devdas, I'd have to say this was probably one of the most beautifully filmed movies I've seen in Bollywood. + The music! Again, A.R. Rahman doesn't let us down, but even the score was amazing. I really wish I could get the score... The music really fit the location and added to atmosphere. The songs never really seemed out of place or completely random (there were a couple moments in the score that did seem out of place, however) + Aishwarya was the best actor in this film. Again, I've never been crazy about her, but in nearly every movie I see her in, the more I like her (especially Devdas and now this one). + Abhishek was freaking CRAZY in this film. It's so different from anything he's done before. Despite alot of criticism he's been getting, I thought his performance was excellent. Unfortunately, it seems I'm in the minority here.
The Bad: + some of the camera work was a little crazy. They abused the whole 360 spinning around effect. At one point, I thought I was going to get motion sickness, because it was at least 2 minutes of spinning around and around Abhishek (granted at that time it did make sense), but there were times where I think the same power/emotions would've been felt if they DIDN'T spin around the characters. + Vikram's Dev. First of all, I think Vikran is a scary looking guy so he did work as the police inspector. But there were far too many frustrated/guttural war cries from him for my taste. I wonder what his interpretation of Beera is like. I heard him and Abhishek's performance are quite different.
Final Thoughts: Was it worth watching? Yes! Bollywood is looking more and more like Hollywood if they keep up at the rate they're going. I loved my friend's comment of "I'm amazed. I mean, it doesn't look like they shot it outside their garage or anything". I must admit, the first half I was kinda "ehhh" about the film, but by the end (esp the climatic Beera vs. Dev scene) I was like "Oh.My.God!"
Rating: I really debated whether it's 3.5 or 4, but I'm going to give it a 4/5 really to the beautiful scenery, music, and seeing Abhishek like you've never seen him before.
I really want to see the Tamil version, since I heard it's better.
