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
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)
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.
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
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: 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: 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.
Film: Badmaash Company (2010) Language: Hindi in Theaters
synopsis: 4 friends graduate from college and decide to start a "business" smuggling in foreign goods to India, thereby avoiding the heavy import taxes. Calling their venture "Friends and Company", they proceed to make a large fortune, smuggling expensive foreign goods in from Bangkok. They go to USA and more or less do the same thing. Entertainment and major drama ensues.
The Good + Shahid was super hot, I mean, hotter than I've ever seen him before. + the clothes were amazing! + the clothes they wore to con people were often hilarious, and there were quite a few funny moments. + pretty decent acting, and clever conning.
The Bad + 1994 never looked so good (obviously filmed with modern-day clothes). About the only thing consistent to the time was the lack of mobile phones. + very predictable, but 90% of Bollywood is. + nothing about the film, other than the clothes, really stood out as "OMG awesome!" + The music was mediocre.
Final Thoughts: Was it worth watching? Yes. If anything it was pure entertainment. I thought the actors had a good chemistry with each other, but apparently some news stories say otherwise.
