'The Ides of March' - It HOOKS you

When it gets dirty in politics, the mess needs to be cleaned up.
George Clooney's latest directorial offering 'The Ides of March' is a very intelligent and a fast paced political thriller. Any film based on this theme of politics shows us how dark the story is and how nasty and conniving can the characters be. This too has the same but what hooked my attention was the ensemble cast's performances.

Stephen Meyers (Ryan Gosling) is the Junior Campaign Manager for Mike Morris (George Clooney), Governor of Pennsylvania and a Democratic presidential candidate. Morris' team also comprises of Senior Campaign Manager Paul Zara (Philip Seymour Hoffman) who is Stephen's boss and mentor. When everything seemed great going for Morris' campaign, Stephen makes a huge blunder by secretly meeting Tom Duffy (Paul Giamatti) who happens to be from the rival camp's campaign manager and also having an affair with an intern Molly Stearns (Evan Rachel Wood). Its after this moment that the story completely goes off to a different level by giving us those unexpected twists in the narrative and the tension in the story is there right till the end. What happens to Stephen Meyers and the other characters thereafter in this thriller is the crux of this high tension-ed gritty political drama.

George Clooney not only acts but also helms the director's chair plus being a part of the riveting screenplay. He definitely knows his art well and this film has brought him back after the splendid 'Good Night and Good Luck'. He enacts the role of the Governor and the Presidential Candidate with poise and command. Philip Seymour Hoffman and Paul Giamatti are splendid to watch where one was loyal and the other was scheming.

But the film belongs to Ryan Gosling who has shown a wide mix of emotions throughout the film with such balance that his transformation in the story shows his brilliance in acting. Unbelievable that in this year alone he has come up with 3 smashing performances that easily reveal that he is one of the most versatile actors around.

Go for this intelligently made gritty political thriller and be blown away by some fine acting of seasoned actors and amidst them, the truly versatile Ryan Gosling.

My Rating - 4/5.

The Journey of the 3 Amigoz was a roller coaster ride...Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara

It's my second review of a film...coincidentally it is another Farhan Akhtar Production but then I assure you that you'll see English/American films too later according to my perspective.
Okay, this time it is the much awaited Zoya Akhtar's second directorial venture after her interesting first film 'Luck By Chance' that was about the Hindi Film Industry. Well, her second film 'Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara' is about three best buddies who venture out on a road trip to Spain. Sounds familiar...3 buddies, trip ('Dil Chahta Hai') ? Well it is not so, the similarity ends there. This is a story of Kabir (Abhay Deol) who plans out a road trip well a bachelor trip with his best buddies Arjun ( Hrithik Roshan) and Imraan (Farhan Akhtar) after he is engaged to Natasha (Kalki Koechlin). The trip didn't take off as they had planned after college four years ago so its Kabir who wants to make the most of it this time around with his two best friends. Imraan is an Ad Copywriter in Delhi, Kabir is in the construction business in Mumbai while Arjun is a financial trader in London and is busy real busy who refuses to go for the trip but finally gives in when Kabir cajoles him. The trio meet at Barcelona (Spain). The adventure trip thus begins. We then witness Spain's locales and trust me the cinematography is excellent. The trio happen to have a chance encounter with Laila (Katrina Kaif) at a beach who later turns out to be their sea diving instructor....Oh before I proceed, the trio also had made a deal that each one would choose any adventure sport and the other two would have to do it with him. The first sport was Deep Sea Diving and it definitely changed the life of one of the trio. There is lot of fun and frolic plus we get to know why Arjun is so money minded and serious in life. The La Tomatina festival of Spain was shot really well with the song Ik Junoon (Paint It Red) playing in the background. There is a strained relationship between two of the friends and it is this trip that helps them bond and overcome their fears. The fun lasts till the interval when Natasha, Kabir's fiancee lands up at Spain.
The story moves forward post interval where we experience the drama, tension and all the conflicts unfold and it is this half of the movie that really changes the tone of the film. It gets serious, the friendship and other relationships all tested and definitely how the three men come of age is the crux of the story and how their lives change forever. Revealing anything more would spoil the fun...oh yes the fun part is definitely breath taking in the Sky Diving Scene and also the symbolic Racing with the Bulls scene where the true theme of the movie is explored-You live only once.

To rate the performances, Hrithik Roshan as Arjun has pitched in an excellent performance since he is the one who goes through a major transition in the story. Abhay Deol as Kabir has dispalyed light and tense moments really well. Katrina Kaif as Laila plays the spirited girl with a lot of elan. She is definitely improving. Kalki as the rich, insecure, possessive fiancee has done well. The cameos by Deepti Naval and Naseeruddin Shah were a treat but in my opinion the scene stealer was Farhan Akhtar as Imraan who played the prankster as well as the most troubled among the trio with ease. He excelled in the dramatic scenes.
The music by Shakar Ehsaan Loy is melodious and goes in sync with the movie with some soulful tracks. There is beautiful poetry that Farhan Akhtar keeps narrating in the story and it has a lot of meaning. The only glitch in the film is that it could have been trimmed by about 10 minutes.
Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara is a fantastic film in every aspect and beautifully directed by Zoya Akhtar. Its totally refreshing and its the characters that will stay in your memory after you walk out of the theatre. A film for those with refined tastes and those who appreciate cinema.

'A Phone(Y) Boomerang'

It all started with a Facebook status update ‘Tragedy at Shillong’ on 19^th June 2011. The update was from my friend Trideep Rabha who had visited our beautiful hill station after almost two years.

Have you ever felt so helpless and handicapped when you lose something that means a lot to you? Yes, it was his mobile phone that he lost when he took a cab from Police Bazaar to Laitumukhrah Beat House. He got down from the cab at the Beat House Junction and in about a minute while crossing the road he realized that his phone was not in his shorts pocket. And before he could look at the cab, it was gone. He had dropped it in the cab while he was inside. It was a Sunday, and since most of the shops were closed he felt helpless and lost. In about 10 minutes, he found a PCO and called up his number and much to his dismay, the phone was switched off. Now, that’s a tragic way to start your trip to Shillong. All that he had was his laptop and his internet data card from where he could communicate with the world and that’s when I read his status update in Facebook.

He was without a phone for a day and finally arranged one (the screen was barely visible because it was cracked) with a Sim-card the next day. We met up and yes he was truly disappointed. It was a Samsung Nexus phone and mind you, that is burning a huge hole in your pocket and losing that phone would be heart breaking. To add more to his tragedy at Shillong, he fell ill and was down with fever too, gosh! it rained a lot these past few days and it was a major change of weather for him since he came from Hyderabad.

Now, in normal circumstances those who have lost their mobile phones give up the hope of ever seeing it again and that too was the case with Trideep. I now introduce the third character in my story Roger Sangma whom we met three days after Trideep’s tragedy and we narrated the story to him. Well, who would know that the only form of active communication (his laptop) would bring that hope back??? Yes folks, there is something that I need to reveal, Trideep’s lost phone was a Samsung Nexus and it was an Android phone. To simply put it, his phone came with a mobile tracking software that was installed in his laptop and it could detect any activity on the phone be it addition of new contacts, call logs and this was synchronized to his e-mail id through a website www.lookout.com and it had the use of GPS (Global Positioning System) that helped in tracking the phone in Google Map via Satellite Image and believe me, you are all going to be blown where this story goes.

On Thursday night, Trideep called me up to say that he has tracked his lost phone in Google Map and the location was in an area very close to the Golf Club at Golf Links. Friday came and it was pouring cats and dogs but yes, we didn’t want to delay it before we lost sight of the phone in Google map. So Trideep, Roger and I took a walk with hope in our hearts and went for the hunt following the map straight to Golf Links area and we reached the place where the phone was located. The rain still didn’t stop and we found out that there were too many houses in that area, so we asked a few people a few questions about cab drivers and a lost phone but then in all case of probability, getting a lost phone and that too an expensive one was one in a million chances. I guess we were way too optimistic and hopeful but in spite of the disappointment we gave it a shot. Trideep was not so bothered about his loss; he had given up hope and was mentally prepared to leave for Guwahati the next day (Saturday). I and Roger on the other hand were really feeling the loss and it was a case of ‘so close, yet so far’. Amidst all the tension and adventure, we were still recollecting our college days in Shillong, laughing, singing and cracking jokes on the road. We went back to our respective places later that evening but the thought of the phone never left us. At around 9pm on Friday, Trideep called me again and gave me the news that I would only ever imagine would happen in a film filled with twists and turns. He told me and this is where I knew that lady luck was on our side. The location of the phone changed from Golf Links to Laitumkhrah, very close to the graveyard and the house was absolutely visible in the Google Map. That wasn’t all; he got an e-mail that all the old contacts were deleted; ten new contacts were added to the phone along with the phone numbers, yes you read it right, phone numbers too. The contact that was our jackpot was: ‘Mom’ with the phone number. Trideep decided not to go down to Guwahati and it was fate that stopped him, there was a 12 hours bandh in Guwahati on Saturday.

Saturday morning, after discussing what should be the next plan of action and following Roger’s sensible suggestion, I went to Laitumukhrah Beat House Police Station and told an officer Mr. Nath about the entire incident and where the phone has been finally located. Trideep came with a friend soon after and after showing the location of the cell phone (Laitumukhrah Graveyard) the officer and his team of three were willing to take us to the location and join the hunt. They were very keen to know more about this technology as it was something new for them and it involved satellite images with proper maps. We reached the spot in their new police Gypsy and then one of the police officers called up ‘Mom’. After the number was dialled three times, on the fourth attempt ‘Mom’ finally picked up and by then we already saw her and were in front of her house. The neighbourhood was active wondering what a police vehicle was doing in their locality. In fact six-seven people of that locality asked us what was happening.  The police team and we told ‘Mom’ what happened and the purpose of our visit, her hands were shivering when she started speaking. It hardly took her a minute to confess that the phone was with them but the person having the phone had just left to start off the day’s business in their ‘Paan’ Shop near NEEPCO. After seeing that the neighbours were getting inquisitive the police team decided to leave and go down to NEEPCO and took us with a relative of ‘Mom’. All this happened in less than an hour and by 11am (25^th June) we reached the shop and the boy who had the phone was barely 15 years old. Trideep’s reaction and expression on his face was priceless. I was brimming with joy. Roger could not make it, he had woken up late but then the news made him jump in joy. Trideep had his phone in his hands after 6 days. Don’t we all give up in a couple of days?

The story didn’t end here, we left the relative in the shop and the officer and his team took us back to the police station and they were amazed at the fact that it was sheer technology that made the hunt successful. Trideep was still in a state of disbelief. After reaching the station ‘Mom’ steps in with two ladies and was rather very loud. She had to defend herself and her son so she said looking at Trideep that he was lucky that he got his phone and in today’s times getting a lost mobile phone is hardly heard of. They were vouching that they were ‘good people’ and so the phone was found. It seems people were telling them that if they sold the phone they could easily get 15 grands but they didn’t. I was amazed at their sheer stupid excuse. Good people?? Were they sleeping for the past five days that they couldn’t get in touch with Trideep? They took out his old Sim-card immediately after they found the phone on the floor of the cab and switched off the phone. Their intentions were rather clear and Trideep also discovered that all his old songs were deleted and mind you 102 hip-hop tracks were added. Some ‘good people’ I say.

Now finally before I put an end to this fascinating journey of ‘lost and found’, I would like to point out that the Android phone and its unique features helped us track the phone. The synchronisation helps in setting e-mail alerts whenever there are new contacts added, old ones deleted even call logs too. The GPS helps us to get in sync with Google Maps and a phone even without a Sim-card when switched on can be traced right up to the house where it is placed via Satellite. I would deeply like to thank Meghalaya Police (the officers of Laitumukhrah Beat House) for their support, cooperation and prompt action. Without them, Trideep would have gone to Hyderabad with a painful loss. Roger even though he couldn’t make it the last day to witness the action, his suggestion was truly intelligent. From this incident, we should learn that those of you who have such types of phones please synchronize it with your laptop or desktop. We tend to neglect it normally. If there is anything we find that doesn’t belong to us like an electronic device (be it a laptop, mobile), wallet we should be responsible citizens to at least get in touch with the owner or give it to the nearest police station. ‘Mom’ and her family had that option but I guess they were unaware of the consequences and the magic of technology.

Moral of the story: Don’t take anything that isn’t yours...who knows, you are being watched!
 

My 1st review....'GAME'

Hey folks, hi again.....this time I want to speak about a film I watched yesterday.... it was promoted as an intensifying thriller and it would bring back the 'Whodunit' genre back to Indian Cinema with a bang. I'm talking about Farhan Akhtar's home production 'Game'.

'Game' generated quite a lot of buzz initially but after watching the film I was left disappointed for many reasons. Before I go to the negative aspects of it, let me just give you a gist of it. A business tycoon Kabir Malhotra (Anupam Kher) invites four strangers to his island in Samos, Greece for a reason that is revealed at the very onset of the story. The four strangers are a Prime Ministerial candidate of Thailand (Boman Irani), a successful Hindi film actor in Mumbai (Jimmy Shergill), a crime reporter in London (Sahana Goswami) and a wanted drug lord from Istanbul (Abhishek Bachchan)...and Kabir Malhotra promises each one of them a business proposition which would turn out to be profitable for each one of them. They all go to the island in Greece and are shocked to discover that the motive of the billionaire to invite them there was that each one of them were connected to his long lost daughter Maya (Sarah Jane Dias) who was dead three years ago. That is where the suspense begins and the twisted story unfolds and shortly after this revelation there involves another twist and each one of the four invited guests are prime suspects of a murder that takes place in the island. So to investigate the entire matter comes an officer from 'IVS' (International Vigilance Squad...some name) (Kangana Ranaut). Revealing anything more would just spoil the fun that I went through (note the sarcasm).

The film boasts of some brilliant cinematography....the locales of Greece, Istanbul and Bangkok have been splendidly captured. But then that is all that can be said about this film. It lacks the intensity that is an integral essence of a thriller/murder mystery. The twists in the film does jolt you but its absolutely bizarre. The music/soundtrack and background score isn't top notch that was expected from the trio of Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy. From a pretty gritty first half, the film loses its plot totally post interval with some crazy twists in the tale and the climax is just not convincing enough behind the motive of the murderer.
What is disappointing is that this film is a product from the brand of Farhan Akhtar. The script is weak and screenplay has a lot of unanswered questions and there are quite a few loopholes and flaws too. To talk about the performances this film was a big project for Abhishek Bachchan especially, he is good in shades but the twist in his character post interval brings out a weaker side of him. Boman Irani has hammed with his over the top loud act. Jimmy Shergill is fine and so is Sahana Goswami. Anupam Kher as the troubled billionaire is wasted. The new find Sarah Jane Dias playing the role of a night club dancer is totally cast in a wrong role as she is a terrible dancer but is just about decent in the role of the lover. Kangana as the investigating officer still needs to work on her diction specially when it comes to deliver her dialogues in English.
The action sequences are slightly inspired from the 'Bourne' movies and the shots in multiple countries simultaneously, lets us know of the inspiration from where the makers have got from.
If you have huge expectations from this flick you will be terribly disappointed as it doesn't live up to the expectations of a 'Whodunit' genre of movies. The film is all stylized and has a lot of gloss and glamor but is weak in content.
Overall rating - 2/5 

The FEVER that has gripped a nation...

Hi everyone.....Cricket in our nation has been religiously watched by millions and this season where the World Cup has been hosted in the subcontinent after fifteen years, the cricket fever has totally caught all of us. It has been a month of some fascinating cricket where in just another week's time we all will witness the finals of the World Cup 2011. After the introduction of the T20 format a few years ago, everyone was skeptical if the 50 overs format would survive or not. But then I can be rest assured that the One-day games are definitely here to stay. The excitement and buzz that the World Cup has created again has been astounding. It has made a major difference this time because we all remember how both teams of the subcontinent India and Pakistan were knocked out in the first stage during the last edition at the Caribbean. 

This time around, things are a lot different.....the World Cup defending Champions (thrice in a row) - the Australians have been knocked out by India in a scintillating battle at the Quarter Finals just a couple of days back and what better could it get for all cricket lovers that the Men in Blue face Pakistan in the semis. So one can easily say that this World Cup has been a true success for the TV viewer, spectators in the stadium and also those whose interest in the game has come back.

One must not forget that the craziest and most inconsistent team of the tournament has definitely been England. They have tied with India, lost to Ireland and Bangladesh (who could believe that), beaten South Africa!!!!! Now when it comes to the South Africans, they definitely lived up to the name they have been rightly given 'Chokers'. Another loss at the World Cup in yet another knockout match must be truly frustrating for this nation. Will we ever see this team ever making it to the finals of a World Cup? Now talking about not making it to the finals are the famous Kiwis as well....They knocked out South Africa yesterday in the Quarters (wonder what the Aussies are thinking) to make their sixth semi final appearance in a World Cup. Now that's an impressive record but they have never made it to the finals.....will they do so this time? Just a few more days to go.

Another interesting aspect is that the Hindi Film industry has used the World Cup as a platform to cash in. They are promoting films in stadiums and also releasing teasers/promos of forthcoming blockbusters (somewhat like what Hollywood does during the Super Bowl).....

So then here we have it.....next week when it matters the most India will face Pakistan and we can all be expecting some high octane drama in this epic battle. After twelve years of supremacy in cricket we are really happy that it will NOT be the Aussies again this time...and we are just waiting to see who is the fourth team to go to the semis....Sri Lanka or England?

Last but not the least this could very well be the last time the LEGENDARY Sachin Tendulkar play in a World Cup....and must I say we all are eagerly awaiting for his 100th ton in International Cricket in the next match.....even at this age of 37, he's been nothing short of extraordinary....his records do the talking.....and of course Yuvraj Singh has been on a roll this time....I wonder what has the bloke been doing....such amazing all round performance.....INDIA should give more than what they have on the field in the next two matches to get the cup back home.....Cheers!!!!!

Movies....Awards

Hi everyone....I've finally started blogging and what better way to start than to express about something I'm totally passionate about....the MOVIES....
Well, today what I want to talk about is this year's Academy Awards at LA. We all know that 'Inception' & 'The King's Speech' walked away with 4 Oscars a piece....with the major big ones swept by the latter. Then a thought struck me - was it a way of the Academy to make Inception not totally left out since Christopher Nolan the genius behind the mind boggling film was snubbed in the coveted Best Director category?
The Academy has done errors before...lets not get into that now.....but overall it was an Award Ceremony that gave the statuettes to those who rightfully deserved it.....
Clearly Colin Firth, Natalie Portman, Christian Bale were the obvious winners in the Acting Category and there were no surprises....what seemed to be surprising in a lot of previous award ceremonies prior to the Academy Awards was the unprecedented hype of the Facebook story - 'The Social Network' which was sweeping the major awards namely Best Picture and Director and it was at the right time that the odds started favoring towards 'The King's Speech.....and it was a matter of time that the Academy didn't fall for this.....and as they say today history was made with The King's Speech winning 4 out of 12 nods.
Anyway over the years that I've been watching the Award Shows (this time it was after 4 years)...I realized that the credibility in our Indian Film Industry Awards is just not there.....its like merit or rather sheer talent is totally ignored and recognition is given to those films based on box-office collections, and sadly most of the movies which do extremely well at the box-office turn out to be absolutely no-brainers to start off with, they lack a strong story and these films turn out to win the awards here in our country.
Films which are well made, intelligent, have a riveting screenplay and above all seem to be realistic are ignored because they are not able to set the cash registers ringing and so these films lose out in the Awards which they rightfully deserve. This wasn't so in the 60's and 70's of Indian Cinema.
What I'm saying is that we should not emulate the Academy Awards but there should be a certain amount of credibility or rather screening process of nominating films and giving due recognition to the films and filmmakers who make sensible and above all GREAT cinema irrespective of box office business.