DELHI BELLY (2011)

Because I'm not a fan of crude comedy, Delhi Belly didn't make me want to hit the theaters after its theatrical release. But, some good reviews from friends and my partner (who watches movies very selectively) prompted me to give it a watch. I pulled my cousin along, who being on a two-month long vacation, needs regular dozes of entertainment. Otherwise, he resorts to napping often during the day. He was skeptical about this Bollywood comedy and was unsure that it would suffice as entertainment on an already dull afternoon. So, we both sat down without high expectations for this 95-minute movie that has no intermission for a bathroom or a snack break.

Having watched the movie, I applaud this production from Aamir Khan. Delhi Belly reinforces one's belief that AK is a perfectionist who makes few but good movies. The movie grabs your attention right from its opening credits which start by showing you the squalid apartment of 3 bachelors who get entangled (by accident) in shady business as the movie progresses. What's interesting about this movie is that its makers have made it as vulgar as things sometimes are and yet, you can unabashedly laugh over this comedy of errors. For example, constipation can usually draw some laughs from the audience. Fart sounds are just extremely funny to us humans. But the movie makers pushed this a little further and didn't hesitate to show you a stool sample, as well. Heh! O.K. Before you decide that this is really dirty, stop! The story requires it and its all part of the comedy. I watched the movie in English and I wasn't disappointed with the dialogues. I wouldn't have understood its Hindi version, anyway. All the actors seem to have been carefully chosen for the movie. All of them, except Imran Khan are either fresh faces or character artists who've only done smaller, insignificant roles earlier. The soundtracks and the background scores are all very, very good, stimulating pieces of music, especially Saigal Blues. Love it!

My thumbs are all up for this movie! Hit it!

Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara

ZNMD will catch your attention when you look at its poster. What a great, good-looking cast, Zoya Akhtar roped in! I've been waiting for it to release since the soundtracks started airing on 9XM. My enthusiasm for this movie was so high, I grabbed a bunch of tickets a day before it released, for the 2nd day show and headed out with friends, all eager to spend an evening with like-minded souls or ogling at Katrina. Even a 3-year old kiddo was eager to see Katrina Kaif. She is amazingly beautiful and its a double treat watching her on the big screen. Ofcourse, the male actors aren't far behind either. Hrithik Roshan, Farhan Akhtar and Abhay Deol, they are all handsome, chiseled, cool (not simply because one of them shows off a black Apple Macbook) and attractive. Abhay is the only guy who didn't bear his chest while Hrithik and Farhan show plenty of well-toned skin. ;)

So, the story of ZNMD is not unusual. It's a story about three friends going on a journey (extended bachelor party before one of them weds Kalki Koechlin's character) and discovering more about themselves and life. Because they are mostly wealthy, they go to Spain for a few weeks. Almost everything about their journey, experiences, conversations and the relationships they share are very real and identifiable. With friends, you share everything and yet, you still keep some secrets. With friends, you tell what you think, even if they hate you for it. You're friendship runs deep but sometimes you hold a grudge for some bad deed. You have different opinions and you argue. You share many experiences and you laugh over it. You form a tight circle that formed, probably, from your childhood. You are not brothers or sisters, but you know each other very well. You are not thick as blood but water flows easily.

There is not much drama in the movie. So you won't see sloppy sentiments or a battle between good and bad. ZNMD will take you on a journey with these wonderful and beautiful actors and remind you of what you've done with friends. Or maybe, it will prod you to embark on a such a journey with your buddies. Either ways, you just might enjoy it. I did. It's running in theaters now but it's bad timing due to Mumbai blasts. God bless the people of Mumbai.

TROY

"Troy" is one of those movies you can watch over and over again because there are so many interesting characters, each so different from one another and together they make up a great story adapted from Homer's legend.

There is Agamemnon, a greedy king who created wars just to carve a larger, ever expanding Greece on his map. He would say the word "peace" as if he were spitting. He would bellow "burn Troy" and laugh at the destruction only to celebrate his victory.

Hector, the wise and brave prince of Troy (played by Eric Bana) wanted to protect his country and his family. He would rather have lived a simple life, watching his son grow than kill other sons on the battle field. 

Paris is the young prince of Troy, because of whom the story begins. He thought love was enough to ruin his country and bring soldiers to Troy's beaches.





Helen of Sparta, who later came to be called Helen of Troy, has beauty that is legendary. She runs away from her vulgar husband, Menelaus, only to bring grief to Troy.

Priam, the king of Troy who, unlike his son is superstitious and unwise and thought that listening to the priest and his omens would bring victory to his country and protect his people. Hector warned him not to attack while the Greeks sorted their issues on Troy's beaches. Paris warned him to burn Poseidon's offering from the Greeks. But, Priam wouldn't listen to wise counsel.

Breseis is a royal princess and cousin to Hector and Paris. She chose to be a priestess but fate led her to worship Achilles instead. She teaches him that glory is not glorious if killing is the means to it.

And then, there's Achilles, the seeker of glory, the bravest of men, most talented of warriors. This character is aptly played by Brad Pitt and no other man could have. If Achilles did look like Brad, why did the people worship Greek gods when there was Achilles on land? Hector and Achilles, could have been brothers because both were valiant and courageous. Achilles was wild and fierce while Hector was wise and noble. But, Achilles's anger and Hector's error got in the way of a better life.

There are so many brilliant, sometimes sad moments in the movie. You must watch the opening scene which also introduces Achilles and the fight sequence between Hector and Achilles which displayed more of latter's signature strike and stance. There's a scene where Priam pleads with Achilles, to let him take his son's body home. When Achilles whispers "I'll see you soon, brother" to Hector's dead body, you'll drop a tear along with Achilles. There are many other interesting scenes. I almost know all the scenes well and each time I watch, I look for something that I missed earlier. You can also learn a little bit about battle strategy of yore. Somehow, history's battle techniques seem a lot more heroic than today's guns and bombs.

If you haven't watched the movie or rerun it recently, get a chance to do it.

Insidious

I didn't know what the word "insidious" meant until I looked it up after watching the movie. And now, I understand why they named the movie so. Insidious means "awaiting a chance to entrap".

I can't tell you much about the movie without taking all the thrill out of watching it. It got an A- on Yahoo user ratings and my friend thought it was scary. So, I took a chance. See, I love horror movies or so I thought until I watched the "Exorcist" movies. After watching them, I kept the light on for many days and would hear the spine-chilling voice of the movie's demon. But there are other horror movies that have come and gone and have not left a lasting effect on me. Most horror movies are repetitive with a similar storyline. You know, it is about a haunted house or of demonic possession or about the undead, etc. Insidious was all that but still managed to be a little different. Sometimes, even the repetition works if it manages to scare the audience. Was it thrilling? Yes. But, not by showing green vomit and hoarse voices.

So, go ahead and take a chance on this horror.

The Proposal

Ofcourse, you have watched this movie already, right? If not, come on! What are you waiting for? This is my current  #1 favorite movie in the romantic comedy genre with my #1 all-time favorite actress starring in it, Sandra Bullock. I am writing this review on "The Proposal" long after I watched it for the first time and after many more reruns of it. My movie blog is incomplete without it.
Sandra Bullock is a great actress and she looks good in this movie despite being in her 40s. Wow! She is 46 now and that makes me worry because I'd like to see her starring in a lot more romantic comedies. I hope that she retains her youthfulness and charm for years to come. In this movie, she stars alongside Ryan Reynolds who is 34 years old. That's a huge age difference but you feel no trace of that as you watch this fun movie about a ruthless publisher and her assistant who is blackmailed to marry her, so that she can retain her visa status in the States.

I love so many scenes in this movie and never tire of watching it all over again. I love the guy who plays Sitka's exotic dancer cum storekeeper cum bartender cum wedding officiant. I love the granny who fakes a heart attack to hush her warring son and grandson. I love Sandra's dance around the fire and her wacky 'chant'. I love the names chosen for the protagonists, Andrew and Margaret. Classic. I love it when Andrew races up the stairs, loosening his tie, to look for Margaret who left him "wifeless" at the altar. I love the scene where Sandra drops a dime to dial into Sitka's Internet connection and the archaic modem tones that she wonders about. Ok, I can go on and on.
Just go and watch it, alright!

Trust (2011)

As I promised, this isn't a review about another romantic comedy. This is a drama about a serious subject that not many people accept as a reality.
"Trust" goes through how pedophiles lure young children into believing that they are "friends" who understand them. How parents react when they find out they had no inkling of what was going on, right in front of them all the while. How the child is groomed by the molester and comes to believe that nothing wrong happened and that he (the pedophile) isn't to be blamed, until that nagging feeling of guilt and violation comes to light.

What might surprise you is that pedophiles aren't what you picture them to be. They don't necessarily have crooked, stained teeth with lecherous eyes. They are among us, as teachers, counselors and in other such respectable positions. They have access to children. The last scene in the movie shows you that.

Karmayog.org lists some statistics from India about child molestation. The numbers are quite alarming and the statistics are not in favor of our children. Don't assume that statistics are just a manipulation of numbers and only represent a sample group. If anything, it could only be the tip of an iceberg.

Marry Me

Yea, I know. I've been watching too many romantic comedies and maybe, you're bored reading about them. I promise, my next review will cover another genre. "Marry Me" is not a movie you can catch in the theaters because it's made for home viewing i.e. LifeTime. So, I didn't think it would entertain much when I started to play it. But, Lucy Lui plays the lead and I wanted to while away some more of my time. Besides, romantic comedies simulate artificial glow for sometime. :) It comes in two parts and stretches to about 3 hours or so. But, fear not, it does entertain. The comedy is good, the timing is good and you can laugh a bit while Ray, Lucy Lui's character, searches for her fairy tale to happen and people try to tell her that she'll only end up an old maid.
Are there any girls/women who don't dream about the fairy tale? I don't mean castles and prince's (although it did happen for Kate Middleton). Ofcourse, a pauper wouldn't do either. Doesn't everyone (i.e. from the female species) dream about finding a loving, affectionate, chivalrous, handsome male, who'll sweep her off her feet, whisk her to beautiful locations and shower her with beautiful gifts. I think it must be the influence of movies and books that make women wish for this fairy tale cos' it sure doesn't happen in real life. By the way, I do wonder, what do men want? Do they have an equivalent of this fairy tale? Or are they just unconsciously looking for a woman who'll do all their work. :)
Back to the movie... so, that's what the movie is about. Ray gets dumped by her boy friend and worries if her fairy tale will ever happen. And then all of a sudden, she gets a lot of male attention. But which one is the one that she wants? Like I said earlier, it is entertaining. So, give it a shot.