DON 2

Don! It's a very powerful word that depicts a very powerful man. And a very powerful man is a every man's and every woman's fantasy. No wonder that both Don and Don 2 have worked well at the box office. The trick is simply to bring what everyone fantasizes about, to reel. Not to mention that the director, Farhan Akhtar, does whatever he does very well.

I am not an action junkie. So, this movie did not generate excitement within me (except that I am contemplating getting a 'D' tattoo on my arm just like Don). But, it did for all my friends who loved the man, Shah Rukh and all his charming gimmicks (I do too). They even compared Don 2 to Mission Impossible 3 and claimed that the former was better. As for me, I did crush some nachos and pop-corn in my mouth while I watched SRK in Armani suits and Priyanka in fitted tanks and pants. We all watched the six packs on the screen while we had our family packs on our lap. :)

Like most action movie of the crime genre, there is a very elaborate plan to rob something and become even richer. And the plan heavily depends on hacked surveillance and systems information. Is everything really available by clicking on a computer? I tend to think not. The movie continues to show a secret, unfulfilled romance between Don and Roma. So sad! Roma's just wasting her life yearning for a man who is nothing but a myth. Don 2 doesn't fail to throw in some surprises for the audience, some of which we may have figured out though. And you'll get no points for figuring out how the movie ends. After-all, "Don Ko Pakadna Mushkil Nahi...".

Dookudu (2011)

Daring and Dashing. The words are so apt for this young Hero (Mahesh Babu) in a fitting police suit.

Let me tell you about the story first. Shankar Narayan (Prakash Raj) is an idealistic politician in Hyderabad who thinks and does good for his people and the people love him back. But, rival politician and a Mumbai gangster, Nayak (Sonu Sood) plot together and assassinate the good man. Years later, Shankar Narayan's son, Ajay (Mahesh Babu) picks up his father's traits, to become an IPS officer with incredible records. He is just a chip of the old block and much more i.e. daring and dashing. So, he devises his own plots and sub-plots to avenge everyone who was involved in his father's demise. How could an officer from the IPS, devise such fraudulent schemes such as reality shows with third-rate actors is beyond me. But, thats the best plan he could adopt for dramatic politicians and gangsters like the ones in Dookudu. The politicians, gangsters, reality show actors and even the IPS officers give comic relief to the audience amidst the blood and gore. The theatre around me resounded with happy laughter from the funny dialogues and antics of the actors.

The hero, whom my friend recommended was the reason I tagged along with my friends to see the movie. He looked dashing and very casual in checked shirts, which he wore throughout the movie. But, I liked him best when he donned his police suit (towards the very end of the movie), because he is a police man afterall (who is on a secret mission and hence, the fashionable clothing). Mahesh Babu has undergone some transformation from his earlier days! Today he looks better and his styling works because women like bad boys. Just see his before-after pictures on Google images.

The heroine (Samantha Ruth Prabhu), while pretty is only lip gloss to this movie. Her designers made very pretty clothes for her and we all hope to copy them soon. Ofcourse, we'll look only quarter as good as her, with corsets to control the flab and no padding to help us achieve that hour glass figure. :)

The songs, they are meant to be heard and enjoyed in a theatre. The only one that stuck and keeps drumming in my ears is the night-club soundtrack (Puvvai Puvvai) which featured an even more beautiful woman (Parvati Melton) dancing opposite Mahesh Babu. Her google images are not as flattering as her appearance and performance in the song, which I (and many men) enjoyed very much.

The violence is never ending in this very long movie. I waited, not very patiently, for the intermission because I had felt as much tired and beaten as the villains had been. During violent fight sequences, I resorted to covering my eyes and ears with my sticky fingers (they were sticky from eating Nachos, Cheese and Salsa).

Overall, I'd say I enjoyed this movie with my friends. And the rest of the audience loved it much more than I did because I had a disadvantage which others didn't.

This was my first Telugu movie and I don't know the language. :)

Green Lantern (2011)

I love "super hero" movies. They show men in very good light ;)

I had to watch "Green Lantern" because I like Ryan Reynalds. When I found that he had married Scarlette Johannson, I didn't appreciate it. And when I found out that he had indeed divorced her, I was pleased. Ofcourse, I wonder why his marital status should even matter to continue long distance fascination. :)

"Green Lantern" isn't in the same class as other super-hero movies like Superman or Spiderman. It is based on comic book series, "All American Comics". Ryan Reynalds looks awesome and well-toned in the green suit. The story goes like this.

Hero is promising but a loser.
Hero is entrusted with a power that gives him responsibility.
Bad man enters.
Save the world and get the girl.

There you have it, folks. Please judge for yourself whether you want to see it.

Five Fingers (2006)

"Five Fingers" is not a well-known movie. I never heard of it until I read a review of it on the Economic Times. It had a favorable review and good actors such as Lawrence Fishburne and Ryan Phillppe. I can't tell too much about the story because this a suspense thriller and I'll just spoil your movie experience. 

Ryan's character comes to Morocco to assist in a charity food program. He has 1 million dollars from an unknown donor. In Morocco, he is kidnapped and the kidnappers torture him to find out his true identity. To know more about this story, you'll just have to watch it. I'll just say, you'll be surprised. 

I liked it but won't tell you that it was mind-blowing or use any other flattering adjectives. Watch it and tell me about other movies similar to this.

The Adjustment Bureau

Hmmm, this movie is a romantic thriller. Apparently. I just don't buy that a man will yearn and wait (for years) for a woman he happened to meet in a men's room. Granted, men are very often taken in by opinionated, spunky women, not realizing that the very same attributes will get on their nerves after the honeymoon ends.

Anyway, this has a very odd story that was adapted from a book. There are a group of men (likened to Angels) who wear hats and govern people, their emotions, decisions and the paths that their lives take. There is even someone who is called The Chairman (likened to God) who has the ultimate authority over human lives. I'm not sure if it includes other life forms. Or perhaps, only those with the 6th sense need some governing.

Matt Damon plays a politician who has a promising career that could lead him to the White House. He meets a woman (Emily Blunt) and falls in love with her. But, the men in hats don't approve and try to persuade him to give her up. Don't worry. True love will prevail.
Ok, I didn't enjoy this movie. I think Angels have better things to do than handcuff a man who is adamant to meet some woman. After all, life on earth flourishes due to procreation and higher beings cannot object to that.

The Whistleblower

I'd wanted to watch "The Whistleblower" which released this year, but I couldn't find a copy that included subtitles. There are some scenes where Bosnian and Serbian languages are spoken and I doubted that perhaps there were too many of those for me to follow. But, there are only a few such scenes and you can get by without understanding them fully.

Human trafficking. It is a reality, that I sometimes can't grasp because I live in a very safe world. But, there are places that are too dark and evil, and some people, even some very young, get caught in this unnatural world. Inspired by true events (read the news article), the movie goes on to show you what happened in Bosnia when a female police officer discovered sex trafficking and that the peace keeping forces were either playing blind or were directly involved.
When you read about human trafficking, one thing emerges commonly. The people you trust are almost always the people who get you involved in it. The people who are supposed to protect you, help you, are almost always the people who rip your life apart.
"The Whistleblower" is well done and explains to a small extent, the evil happening at large.

FROZEN

Frozen is a story of three young people, whose lives take a deadly swing when they decide to ski one last time before the snowy slopes close for the week. Just three actors and they are all that the movie requires to keep you frozen to your seat. The background score compliments their dire situation and everything that you see in the movie could happen to anyone in a cold place. The movie didn't make much at the box office but that does not indicate its ratings by any means.