Releasing on 18th june 2010

This June 18th 2010 you will enter the world of ‘RAAVAN’, in which good and evil is just a thin line to divide. A brilliant masterpiece of Mani Ratnam that will lead you see deeper into a man’s soul. The story itself was inspired by the Indian epic ‘Ramayana’ – the story of Lord Rama’s wife, Sita, who was kidnapped by the demon, Ravana.

Featuring Abhishek Bachchan as Beera Munda (Raavan), Aishwarya Rai Bachchan as Ragini Sharma (Seeta), and Vikram Kennedy as Dev Pratap Sharma (Ram), the main roles of ‘RAAVAN’, with Govinda, Ravi Kishan, Priyamani, Nikhil Dwivedi, Ashish Vidyarthi, Manisha Koirala, and Bipasha Basu as supporting casts.

Feel your heartbeat throbbing at the song ‘Beera Beera’, significantly depict the powerful Beera as the leader of the Lal Maati tribe. Mani Ratnam presents Beera as ‘undisputed, unlawful, untamed’ character, while Dev is ‘the punisher, the law, the righteous’, and Ragini ‘the conscience, beauty, music’. These three contrast characteristics are going to face an ‘identity test’ in a dangerous forest.

The story is about a police (Dev) who fell in love with a beautiful traditional dancer Ragini. They got married and then Dev decided to ‘tame’ the lawless small town Lal Maati in North India. Lal Maati’s law laid on a man, their leader, Beera Munda. To tame Lal Maati, Dev knew that he had to defeat Beera first. The battle was furious and drove all Beera, Dev and Ragini into the forest. The forest was confusing and scary – the exact battlefield for their consciences, beliefs, emotions and true identity.

A ‘must-seen’ movie for every heart that belongs to love. Since love changes everything … when evil turns to virtue and virtue seems to become evil, which side will you stand? Let love lead you find the best answer, only in ‘RAAVAN’.

{Source}

8 X 10 Tasveer is a film that has been getting much attention lately from critics. However, it seems that many others haven’t even heard of Nagesh Kukumoor’s latest offering. This is no surprise as most reviews of the film have been quite horrific.

The story follows Jai Puri (Akshay Kumar) who possesses the power to relive events through photographs. He is a young man who works in Canada as a forest ranger and environmental activist. Although his power seems to be something that would be quite desirable, but as the plot begins to unwind it certainly doesn’t come without its consequences. Some of these consequences include the blood transfusions and electroshock therapy that Jai must endure in order to survive after utilizing his powers.

There are many different people have been worried about whether or not Nagesh Kukunoor went a little bit too far with this film. This is especially true when it comes to the fans of his highly acclaimed films such as Dor and Iqbal. The overall execution of the film was lack luster at the best of times and this is even considering that some of the action scenes and stunts were quite entertaining. However when it comes to whether or not this film will be able to restore Kukunnor’s career is something that is yet to be seen. The fact is that critically it has been received quite poorly and any attention the film has been getting seems to be geared more towards the films star, Akshay Kumar. The many different subplots that come into play throughout the film will do nothing more than confuse the average viewer and the ending is something that you will either hate or love. This has left most people that have seen the film quite undecided about what impact 8 X 10 Tasveer will have if any for its director and cast.

When we all began to see the new trailers for the film “Fast & Furious”, most of us didn’t know whether it was a sequel, prequel, or remake of the already critically despised franchise. The trailer appeared to be an advertisement for a collector’s edition or director’s cut DVD of the original film but way too late. However it turns out that it actually is a new movie, kind of.

To give you a quick impression of how exhaustingly unbearable and unoriginal this movie is; the title simply drops “The” from the original film’s title, “The Fast & The Furious”. The film itself carries on this train of thought by a simply modified or updated version of the movie we already have seen and didn’t particularly enjoy.

The first half an hour of the movie will be enough for at least the vast majority of the theatre to empty, minus maybe the teenage girls. After a quick tanker robbery sequence, most of which is seen in the trailer, you get taken on the probably one of the most cliché half an hour of character development. This was unexpected and actually made me remember the original film being a little bit more exciting at the very least.

It is definitely not a secret why this movie was even funded at all. The original franchise was able to capitalize on the pre-adolescent teen market and deliver action packed scenes that were moderately exciting. It was also able to become quite successful for its competition at the time. However, does this merit the new, “Fast & Furious” mysteriously taking theatergoers money? In my opinion, no! Would like to see the same old regurgitated action sequences, with some seemingly adlibbed dialogue? If so, then by all means go see the new film, “ Fast & Furious”.

When setting out to review newest installment of the Pink Panther franchise, “The Pink Panther 2”, one phrase keeps coming to mind; “Dream Team”. Probably because the phrase is thrown around this movie so much it stop being funny really quick, perhaps even from as earlier as the first film. However the sequel of the remake of this legendary franchise doesn’t completely disappoint with an all-star cast full of comedy legends and beloved actors. Although the cast would seem to make for quite a great film, the film seems to be a bit a stretch and at the end of the day quite unnecessary.

Of course, for those of you that are familiar with the franchise, the film follows the fumbling but seemingly confident inspector Jacques Clouseau (Steve Martin) as he searches for the elusive and priceless titular diamond. Also on the prowl for many other historical and priceless treasures, the task is proven to be too much for the inspector and this is where the “Dream Team” comes in.

The dream team is made up of much of the All-Star cast I mentioned earlier including the Brit (Alfred Molina), Indian girl (Aishwarya Rai Bachchan), the Italian (Andy Garci), and the Japanese guy (Yuki Matsuzaki). Other silver screen heavy weights joining the Dream Team as certain points throughout the film include Dreyfus (John Cleanse), and Ponton (Jean Reno).

Although the film was able to maintain a certain charm that originally made the franchise so beloved, it fails to capitalize on its cast and relies way too much on cheap laughs. For those of you that were fans of the first film, this sequel probably not disappoint, however it will certainly not become a classic like the original has.

The Reader is a film directed by Stephen Daldry that is an adaptation of  Bernhard Schlink’s  “Der Vorieser” which translates to the English title. Screenwriter David Hare brings the 1995 novel to life with the help of a truly upper caliber of talent that makes for many stunning performances. However there has been much controversy surrounding the film due to its questionable depiction of a sexually driven fantasy within Nazi camps.

The star cast of the film includes Kate Winslet giving a notable performance as a woman living in West Germany during the 50’s named Hanna. Early during the film she crosses paths with Michael played by David Kross who she finds sickly near her where she resides. This quickly turns into a passionate affair followed by a rather mysterious disappearance by Hanna.

Many years later Hanna and Michael would eventually cross paths once again. Michael is a law student somewhat surprised to see Hannah much older. The intense emotion that the film is able to maintain relies much on the inner struggle that Michael attempts to cope with. Much of this comes from trying to understand his admiration for a woman with such a dark past and seemingly evil occupation.

The Reader is definitely not for everyone. However those who can get past its settings and at times unimaginable depiction of Nazi Germany may be able to find the ironic serendipity rather fascinating. In my opinion, much of the criticism that the film has received is unwarranted. The dramatic way in which the story seems to move is something that many people will find a change of pace from many other films similar in tone that have come out recently. This is one that you will have to go see and judge for yourself.

America of the 1950s, just saying it conjures up images of a time when men wore neat suits and worked in nice office jobs and women wore nice dresses and aprons while they did their cooking and cleaning.  Sam Mendes’ Revolutionary Road explores this world through the eyes of a young couple, April and Frank Wheeler (Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio), who dare to feel they are not destined for the simple mundane lives of their neighbors.

In Revolutionary Road, based on a novel by Richard Yates, April is dissatisfied with her life as a suburban housewife and Frank works at the same marketing company that his father spent his whole life working for.  April strives to find a way to break out of this mold and tries to persuade Frank that they should move together to Paris where she can support him and he can realize his dreams.  Throughout the movie we see the struggle against mass conformity and the lack of dreaming which was widespread in that era.

Kate Winslet is brilliant in this film.  She is such a stunning actress, who can transform herself to suit any role.  I think she brought a tenderness to the desperation of April.  Leonardo DiCaprio, as well, is a highly gifted actor and shows us the heart of a man lost in the midst of the 50s, desiring more from life, but not knowing how or where to find it.

Brilliant acting, however, could not save the film from its flop on the big screen.  Revolutionary Road is a fantastic and moving novel, however much of what makes it great are the thoughts and struggles which rage in the characters’ minds. Sam Mendes captured the inner struggles of his characters masterfully in American Beauty, however in Revolutionary Road his approach seemed clinical and dispassionate.

Though the story behind Revolutionary Road is compelling and the acting impressive, the feelings and tragedy seems somehow lost in translation from novel to big screen.

Confessions of a Shopaholic is every bad stereotype of women thrown together with horrible clichés of romantic comedy.

Rebecca Bloomwood (portrayed by Isla Fisher) loves to shop. Apparently the only thing in life that makes her feel fulfilled is buying designer handbags.  Thus she gets herself into an awful fix and ends up owing thousands of dollars in credit card bills and dodging calls from debt collectors.

Rebecca dreams of writing for a top fashion magazine, but can’t quite get a job there.  She gets an interview but when she arrives the position has already been filled.  So she ends up getting a job with a different magazine run by the same company.  This magazine is a financial magazine called, “Successful Saving.” Obviously our redheaded shopaholic who is deeply in debt must conceal her weakness and her poor financial habits from her boss in order to work there.

Her boss, Luke Brandon (Hugh Dancy) loves her proposal to help people save money by comparing it to the way women shop for shoes.  Of course sparks fly between Luke and Rebecca and her growing debt threatens her budding relationship and her job.

Isla Fisher’s portrayal of Rebecca is vacant and difficult to like.  I can’t say I blame her, I think it would take an amazing actress to make a character as ridiculous as our little shopaholic into a realistic meaningful person.  I realize this is a comedy, but the predictable ridiculous plot is way out of touch with reality and sensibility.

In the over the top world of director PJ Hogan, people who spend money on frivolous things, lie about it and get in debt up to their eye balls get happy ever after endings and the boyfriend of their dreams.  Rubbish.

Confessions of a Shopaholic gives an unrealistic portrayal of life, love and women and, in my opinion, takes Hollywood cinematic nonsense to a whole new low.

Firaaq is out to prove a point, from its harrowing opening scene, right through to its dramatic ending, it will leave the audience sitting on the edge of their seats and to their surprise it will have them begging for more. The main reason this will come as a surprise is that the move is disturbing and presents an interpretation of the true stories of the events following one month after the terrible riots that took place in Gujarat in 2002.

The film follows a small collection of characters whose lives have been changed forever after the horror they witnessed during the riots. They consist of a wealthy couple who decide to move to Delhi due to the fears of the Muslim husband (they are a mixed religion couple). Next up is a rickshaw driver and his wife. Their house was burned and the wife is positive that this was done by a Hindu acquaintance. An elderly musician is also part of the group, a Muslim man who hopes beyond hope that music is the answer to the madness that surrounds him. There is also a submissive Hindu wife who is constantly abused by her husband. The group is rounded off by a small Muslim boy who hunts day and night for his father not knowing that the riots have left him an orphan.

The intensity of the film is perhaps its greatest gift to the audience. It does not judge the situation, but rather provides the audience with the tools to do this for themselves. It does not seek to determine who is wrong or right, but actually asks the question whether this whole situation can be viewed as a victory for anyone at all. It is terribly powerful given the current political situation facing the sub-continent and definitely worth a trip to the cinema.

Straight to the laughter but that’s it

This is the latest release from director Parvathi Balagopalan who works in conjunction with Music Director Sagar Desai. The film is a comedy focusing on the issue of confused sexual orientations. It features one man caught between the affections of a beautiful girl and an equally handsome young man, who somehow thinks that our hero is gay.

Critics have stated that the movie had two main failings. The first is that the plot is stretched out for far too long in order to make a full length feature. It is felt that the same material could have been handled in half the time and to a far better level of quality. In addition to this the movie’s ability to sustain the comedy grows weaker by its second half and the characters are too familiar. The lead’s portrayal of a sweet natured, good boy who wouldn’t hurt a fly, isn’t bad but it just isn’t compelling enough to make one want to sit through the entire production.

The main character in the movie has to struggle with issues and fears such as the worry that he is thought to be gay. The two people in his life make it even more interesting for him and given that they work with him at his restaurant, it is a constant barrage of funny situations. The audience ends up feeling sorry for the lead character but then you also might feel sorry that you paid to watch the movie. The actors try their best to make the comedy keep on coming, but this would be a huge task for even the very best actor and unfortunately they just don’t succeed.

While it is entertaining in parts, it is certainly not compelling and this movie would score two out of five stars.

Celebrate Life

The movie of Barah Aana has something in common with another film called Firaaq. This is not that it is disturbing or makes one wonder how people can do such cruel things to one another, but it does pose some difficult questions in the same way that Firaaq does. It does not answer these questions but encourages the audience to do this by themselves and perhaps the biggest challenge it poses to the audience is to do this by starting to look at themselves first.

The movie is about the achievement of what some have termed as the “Indian Dream” and this does not mean becoming a massive commercial success. So the achievement of companies such as Tata and Reliance that have world wide empires and whose products can be found in almost every household in India. No, this is about something far greater than that. It is about the ideal of India building a country where all of its citizens are equal and secure. There is no longer any issue of different social standing brought about by the ancient caste system which still exists to this day. Religious diversity would be encouraged and celebrated, not despised and feared.

The film has three central characters, a driver, a watchman and a waiter. All of them have very distinct personalities with one being dependable, another ambitious and the other full of mischief. They have different outlooks on the world and share these with one another in the same way in which they share a house. It encourages the audience to see matters from another perspective.

The film is very valuable in today’s society given that the world seems to be a far less tolerant place and people are increasingly persecuted for their beliefs and value systems. This movie encourages us to see past this and establish a society where everyone can live to their full potential.