Change Your Image
salilgoyal
Reviews
Rock On!! (2008)
Spot On!!
I didn't have many expectations from this one before the release. Then, came the reviews and they were surprisingly positive which raised my expectation bar. And after watching the movie, I realized that both (moive and the reviews) were Spot On!! Abhishek Kapoor's 'Rock On!!' is indeed a rocking and a refreshing film.
It tells the story about four young friends who put together a wonderful band called 'Magik' but could never make it big. The movie brilliantly depicts the life of aspiring rock stars in India and carefully handles their rise, fall and reunion. The whole movie see-saws between the past and the present which keeps the viewer interested.
Acting is also nice. Frahan Akhtar acts well and is a capable singer. Though I hope he doesn't become Himesh #2 and keeps his singing within limits. Rest of the cast- Arjun, Purab, Luke, Prachi and Sahana also do well.
As for the negatives, the movie was a little lengthy. Plus, I believe the incident with "Rob" was unnecessary which didn't suit the general "feel-good" mood of the film.
Despite some shortcomings, Rock on!! is indeed a noteworthy attempt and needs to be applauded. Well done.
Singh Is Kinng (2008)
Singh is Boring
Wake up Bollywood. Loudness and Comedy are not the same. Singh is King (or kinng, for god's sake) is one such terrible attempt at comedy which desperately tries to be funny but ends up being a loud and unfunny movie.
Akshay Kumar is the saving grace and acts well so does Javed Jeffrey. Om puri is miscast, Katrina is only for songs, Ranvir and Kiron Kher are wasted and Neha Dhupia appeared to be forcibly cast.
Comedy is less. 'Attempt at comedy' is more and that's where Singh is Kinng fails. 'Anything goes' is the mantra when it comes to comedy films these days in Bollywood. Either the movie makers simply copy the story from a hit Hollywood flick or simply write a crappy story themselves and make a movie. They are intelligent enough to know that People in India only come to cinemas when there's a brilliant star cast. What's actually in the movie is a secondary affair.
Ever wondered why there's not a writer's strike in bollywood?
Bachna Ae Haseeno (2008)
Khuda Jaane ke.. What was special?
Grow up YRF.. Such movies are not gonna fetch you a Super hit which you need desperately these days after the debacle of Tashan and Thoda Pyaar.. Though this one is way better.. It still disappoints big time considering the potential this flick had.
Had this movie been a super-cool playboy flick as the promos suggested, it could have scored way better. The emotional scenes introduced in the film were pretty weak and unrealistic. Plus the movie was at least 30 minutes long, considering a just-average storyline. Deepika's cold performance is also a setback.
As for the positives, Ranbir and Minisshha look all-set to be the next-big thing in Bollywood. Bipasha looks hot as usual. Plus the movie does have some fine moments to cherish.
Overall, a potential trend-setter turns out to be an average time-pass flick.. Go for it but don't expect much..
God Tussi Great Ho (2008)
Shameful
When a writer turns director plans to make a movie. What do you expect? At least an original story if not a perfect direction. But Mr. Rumi Jaffery shamelessly copies Bruce Almighty, adds some idiotic sequences of his own, throws few songs and here's what we get- a horrible copy of Bruce almighty. To add to the shame quotient, director denies it being a copy.
If the director had blindly copied the almighty, the movie could have been at least watchable. The modified script has easily made this one of the worst flicks of this year. Less said about the star-cast, the better. Throw money on us, we'll do any crap you say. Come on Mr. Khan and Mr. Bachhan, You've achieved a lot in your career. At least pay attention to the scripts you choose.
If India had Razzie, this one would have been a sure winner.
Aaja Nachle (2007)
Aaja Nachle Se Bhaag Le
Why does it happen in Bollywood? If a person is successful, what is the surety that his kid will be the same? Exceptions, like Hrithik Roshan, do exist but in most cases, the kids are awful. Here, I am talking of Aditya Chopra. He's burying his father's hard-earned name with a series of senseless movies which is bringing Yash Raj Films to an all-time low. They have already started cutting down on movie promotions. Except for Chak de, all YRF movies this year- Tara Rum Pum, Jhoom and Lagaa chuneri have bombed. We say- once bitten, twice shy. But even thrice shy is not working. Now, Junior Chopra comes with another Dumbo- Aaja Nachle.
As far as Madhuri is concerned, the dhak-dhak lady has not lost it. She still looks charming and can dance unbelievably well. And as a mother of 10 year old, she looks great in the role.
The problem is script, direction, music and the wrong selection of cast.
The script is predictable, boring and spontaneous. By spontaneous, i mean that whenever some event happens in the movie, it is solved in the next 5 minutes. Also, the play in the end was below average. I could hear some emotions and applause in theater during the play but that was only from the audience in the movie itself. Moreover, the overall story is not strong. And if you add an average direction to a predictable storyline, the end result is definitely gonna be boring.
Another problem is music which is just OK. For a movie revolving around dance, you need to have a breathtaking music but there is hardly anything there in that department. The songs are equally boring.
When we talk about good actors not being given enough opportunities, we mean give them movies which lazy star-kids are ruining. If you want Konkana Sen Sharma and Kunal Kapoor to form a Dancing Couple, you have gone nuts. They are best suited for demanding roles which involve strong character. As for other actors, they don't get much of screen presence. But, i did like the little girl who portrayed Madhuri's Daughter. Looked an original NRI kid.
Anyways, watch this movie on a boring weekend if you have nothing much to do or wait for it to come on the idiot box. Just to cheer you up, it is better than the torturous Jhoom Barabar Jhoom.
Om Shanti Om (2007)
One of the Worst Climaxes I have Seen
Almost an year back, a similar kinda movie released known as Dhoom 2. It has some striking resemblance with Om Shanti Om. First, the hype. The movies were promoted quite extremely. Second, star cast. Both featured an excellent star cast; enough to pull people to the theaters . Third, Good Music. Both Music Albums were instant hit. Fourth, Silly and Senseless Plot. And Last, Majority liked it and made (making) them blockbusters.
The major difference is that Dhoom 2 was a crap all the way while Om Shanti Om is a garbage, only in second half. I've to admit that I enjoyed first half well and was expecting something even better in second. But things got so worse in second half that I wanted the movie to end 30 minutes earlier. The climax was so terribly shown that made me question Farah Khan's ability as a movie maker.
I have no problems with the comic filmfare award ceremony and all hilarious stuff. I enjoyed it. The problem was that the scenes that demanded seriousness were also made comical. Now a 2007 actor (Om kapur aka SRK) playing a character like 'Mohabbat man' seems unacceptable. If he's a filmfare award winner superstar how can he play such roles when he later accepts in the film that he chooses his scripts carefully.
The reincarnation and revenge plots demand seriousness and creativity because you have to make people believe in things that are somewhat unacceptable. But the movie was too focused on 'destiny' that Farah Khan didn't take pain in having a good storyline. Perhaps she is intelligent enough to know that a good story and plot has no takers in Indian cinema. It is the hype and star status that sells.
Anyways, +3/5 for 1st half and -1/5 for the 2nd. This one gets 4/10 from me.
Johnny Gaddaar (2007)
Was it a Hollywood Movie?
Now, here comes a thriller that will surprise you with its twists n turns and a highly unpredictable nature. May not be a box office success, but this one is surely a good watch.
The direction, the story, the camera work is great. But thing that stands out for me is acting. Great performances because good actors have been chosen for the movie. No lazy sons of yesteryear actors here.
Also, the songs are few, short and faithful to the film. However, there are few problems.
First half is perfect. But next 40 minutes are quite average and the film tends to drag but in the final stages, it again picks up and regains its form. Another problem is length. Shouldn't have been more than 1 hr 45 minutes but it was almost 40 minutes lengthier..
Anyways, it was a good watch and easily comparable to good Hollywood thrillers. Recommended.
Dhamaal (2007)
It's a mad mad mad mad Rat Race...
Well, the title of the comment is good enough to suggest what i am referencing to. It's a 40% copy of "It's a mad mad mad mad world", 15% of "Rat Race", 5% of others (like Mr.bean). Rest 40% is original, i guess.
Enough of Segregation.. Now, coming to movie. After see(tolerate)ing movies like Partner and Heyy Babyy, this one comes as some serious refreshment.
Though copied, movie has some nice comic sequences of its own. Best part, i believe was that none of the actors overacted and performed their acts quite well. Javed Jaffrey stands out as the best of the lot. His performance, similar to the character "Blaine Cody" of "Rat Race", was brilliant. Vijay Raz's sequence as tower controller was the best moment i guess.
Aashish Chowdhry has improved a lot. Ritesh performs well. Sanjay Dutt is just OK and cameos by some TV artists are good as well.
For the shortcomings.. Arshad Warsi disappoints after a long time. His performance wasn't up to the mark here.
Another bad thing is that some scenes are xerox copy of the originals. Bollywood needs to trust its capability. More Indians now watch English movies than ten years back and copying scenes now could backfire. No matter how good a movie is, people are still gonna blame you for copying. Moreover, there's a danger of lawsuits being filed which can be a big shame for Indian cinema.
Anyways, the movie was highly watchable. so it gets 6/10 from me.
Darling (2007)
Comedy of Horrors..
Well, the previews said the movie will not only thrill you but also make you laugh. Problem is- Not only comic scenes are funny but horrifying scenes also belong to the same genre (Comedy).
The scenes that were intended to be thriller for the audience were either not horrifying or if they were, they were overshadowed by poor dialogs. Other problem is the performance of the lead cast. Isha does well but not esha. Though her acting looks improved but she is not a good ghost. She should have been made to see about 10-15 good horror movies before acting here. She looks totally out of sorts as a bhootni.
Other disappointment is Fardeen. Though body language is good. Dialog delivery and lack of emotion problem is still very much there like his previous movies. Also, the film is quite slowly paced. I believe such film should not exceed more than 100 minutes. and it was about 150.
Despite that, I've to admit that the film was somewhat entertaining. The Fardeen's friend was quite good with his catchy and entertaining one-liners. Moreover, the movie does manage to keep you interested to an extent.
So, a good time-pass flick for a boring evening but would be better off if you can wait for it to come on a movie channel. But one thing's for sure, this low budget entertainer from RGV will earn more money for the makers than his previous high-profile b-grader (Aag).
Heyy Babyy (2007)
Sajid's Inexperience Spoils It
Amount of disappointment I am getting these days seeing movies like Partner, Jhoom Barabar and now, Heyy Babyy is gonna end my habit of seeing first day shows.
The movie is an utter disappointment because it had the potential to become a laugh riot only if the débutant director, Sajid Khan hadn't tried too many things. Only saving grace in the movie were the last thirty minutes, which were seriously funny elsewhere the movie fails miserably. First half was desperately been tried to look funny but wasn't. Next 45 minutes were emotional and looked totally artificial and illogical.
OK, when you are out for a movie like this you don't expect much logic but all the flaws tend to appear when you don't enjoy the movie and thats the case with Heyy Babyy. Acting is good but thats not enough to keep one interested.
For the positives, you can take hot actresses, last 30 minutes, some comic scenes, good acting by the lead cast and the baby. Only problem is that these things do not come together properly to make a good movie.
Anyways, I read somewhere that It isn't a copy of Three men and a baby but I think it would have been better if it was.
Chak De! India (2007)
Predictable Yet Great
Bollywood finally Manages to Pull out a Wonderful Sports Movie and After some upsets, Yash Raj Production comes with a brilliant film (Though they have nothing to do with it (Except the money).. Real stars are indeed the hockey players, SRK and the director Shimit Amin).
Movie starts seven years back when Shahrukh Khan is accused of Match fixing in a hockey world cup final. After seven years, he returns to coach a hopeless Women hockey team. The rest of the movie deals with his journey to glory of the National team..
The things that stands out for me are.. the Team. Talented actresses gathered from all over the country have done a wonderful job. Acting was top class. Shahrukh Khan have played a character that suits his age and does seriously well. Hockey sequences are great and do give a feel of an international tournament. A nice blend of funny and amazingly inspiring dialogs adds to the brilliance.
However, the movie has its share of shortcomings. Most of the times, movie successfully manages to overshadow the predictable nature of the story, but the ending sequence was absolutely the same what i thought of before the movie started. We all knew what would happen in the end, but a bit of fine tuning would have made this film a masterpiece.
Anyways, 'Chak de India' is not just a brave attempt. It goes beyond that tag. It's a wonderful and a courageous attempt. A movie that manages to match the brilliance of Jo Jeeta Wahi Sikander.
Gandhi, My Father (2007)
Cut the Crap.. This movie is Good.
Gandhi My Father is a well made movie. It nicely portrays the life of Gandhiji's Eldest Son Harilal. His character, his differences with his father, his love for his family, his desire to stand on his own, his failure, his ego.. Akshaye Khanna completely justifies the role of Harilal. Just not him, everyone did well in the roles they played. Darshan Jariwala is the best on-screen Gandhiji I've ever seen. But I will cut three points as there were few shortcomings.
First, movie was fifteen-twenty minutes longer than it should have. Second, the movie needed more research into Harilal's character. Somewhere, the character looked incomplete. Also, his relation with his brothers was not shown. There was no mention of any other child of Gandhiji in the whole movie. I believe the character like Harilal should be having at least some differences his brothers as well, considering the egoist nature of Harilal.
Anyways, despite some shortcomings, I liked the movie. Recommended...
Apne (2007)
Apne is a brave Attempt
Too bad that I was just thinking for the past 1 month that this movie will be nothing but an ego show of the deols. I watched it yesterday and after the movie finished, I just thought- "We Indians rate the movie on the basis of what we see in promos.".. OK, just consider Tara rum pum, It began to bore me within fifteen minutes. The racing sequence was so pathetic.. I was wondering where this kinda race happens on this planet. The kids were equally worse.
Coming back to 'Apne', this will surely go down among the underrated films of 2007. I last saw a great sports sequence in a Hindi movie in 'Jo Jeeta Wahi Sikander'. And then, I saw it here. Boxing scenes were well directed, if not excellent. Acting of the three deols were equally good.
I don't usually favor emotional and long films. This film had both. it was long and highly emotional. But I didn't feel anytime that it was getting on me. May be thats what you call brilliant film making.
Partner (2007)
Loud, Funny at Times, but Unimpressive Overall
I was really geared up to watch when two of best movie critics tagged this movie as a 'laugh riot'. But the movie turned out be disappointing.
You will be advised to watch this movie keeping your brains at home but you simply can't ignore the flaws and the shortcomings.
1. The missile scene was total stupidity.
2. Katrina Kaif and Govinda pair looked awful. (He's 49 and she's just 24... more than double of her age) 3. Salman's comedy is less of acting and more of overacting.
4. Songs are good but interrupts the pace of the movie.
5. Some scenes were deliberately attempted by the movie makers to be funny, and 6. Poor and flawed story.
However, there are few pluses- 1. Govinda. Great Individual Performance.
2. Some scenes are actually quite funny.
3. Kattrina Kaif. Looks and Acting keeps on improving with every film.
4. Rajpal Yadav's Don sequences. Though under-utilized but hilarious.
So 4 good points, 6 bad ones.. this one gets 4/10.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)
Good but definitely Not worth the wait
I haven't read any of the harry potter books but I am well aware of the story so far. The thing that got me interested in this glassy wizard were the movies. First movie I saw was the fourth part and then I saw the rest three. I was so fascinated by the movies that I couldn't wait for the part 5. I then read the summary of book 5 and 6 on the Internet and was so impressed with the story which made me even more eager for the movie 5.
Finally, it released and I saw it on the same day. After the movie ended, I left the theater with mixed feelings- somewhere I felt cheated. I waited so long for the movie, expecting it to be helluva experience but it turned out to be an average film.
I believe the movie makers were over-focused on the story. Acting was fantastic as usual and I've no regrets. They all are brilliant actors. But I wanted to see some extraordinary scenes, action but it wasn't there. It was more of a documentary.
All the other movies left an impact on me, but this one failed to do so.
I may have said too much here, but I can conclude one thing for sure- For book fans, it is great. For movie fans like me, it is a disappointment.
Awarapan (2007)
Just Average.
Awarapan is another average kinda movie from Bhatt camp. Though these people do come with good movies sometimes like Kalyug and Ganagster. This movie is like their most of the releases... Fair.
It starts of well with some nice scenes that keeps you interested as well as curious but after that, it starts to drag and by the time it ends, the movie fails to make any impact.
The emotional quotient is too much to bear and below-par acting of the support cast doesn't help either. Emraan Hashmi does well but still needs to improve.
On the whole, a Just Average flick.
Live Free or Die Hard (2007)
Thank you Bruce.
I was never a big fan of die hard movies but this movie definitely made me one. It is simply awesome. A great mix of traditional die hard action and latest technology, this movie truly lives up to its potential. John McClane (Bruce Willis) is a cop whose daughter calls him an a*****e. He teams up with a young hacker (Justin Long) to stop a virtual terrorist attack that can ruin the entire country.
Action is top-class with enough scenes to keep you on the edge of your seat. And.. not to forget.. the regular die-hard one-liners are really hilarious.
Whatever you call it. Live free or die hard OR Die hard 4. this movie rocks and clearly beats all its predecessors.
Thank you Bruce.
Jhoom Barabar Jhoom (2007)
Jhoom....: A shame to Indian Cinema
Wanted to see Fantastic 4. Couldn't find a show at that time. Ended up seeing this movie.
Jhoom barabar Jhoom is a shame to Bollywood. I mean.. how could one think of making such a movie with such a stupid plot. I never expected it to be that bad being a Yash Raj movie. I know these people do exaggerate things when making movies, but this was something else.. It was terribly horrible or horribly terrible or terribly horribly bad..
This movie deserves no stars and no description (because the movie itself doesn't have any). But I'll still give it 1/10 because I started to laugh on the stupidity when the height of boredom had peaked. Amitabh bachhan comes out of nowhere in between the movie, every now and then, dressed in a Jack Sparow Outfit, singing Jhoom Barabar Jhoom. He looked like an idiot and that was the funniest part. Only respect that I could give this movie was that I didn't leave the theater in between.
Now I think Dhoom 2 was excellent, if this is good (as some morons will say).
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007)
A big Yo Ho Ho And A better Bottle Of Rum
Saw Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End and was prompted to write a review on one of the year's best movies.
If the Curse of Black Pearl gave you a good story, Dead Men's Chest was loads of fun. But POTC3 has both- great fun and a brilliant plot. The film truly belongs to Johny Depp (Sparrow) and Geoffrey Rush (Barbosa)- the two standout performances for me. Bill Nighy (Davy Jones) was also quite up to the mark.
Pintel and Ragetti again impress so does Lord Beckett. However, I feel 2 hours 45 minutes runtime is little long but the movie does manage you to keep on the edge of your seat. Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley once again prove that they are the worst actors in Hollywood. I didn't like their performances and felt as if they were begging the director for screen presence in the entire movie.
Watch it for Captain Jack Sparrow (Depp). He once again proves his versatility as an actor and is just brilliant and as usual funny. The moment you see him, you will always laugh in the film.
And for Sam Raimi, Please do watch this movie. This is how you make a sequel/trilogy. I give this one 4/5.
The Operative: No One Lives Forever (2000)
This game is simply awesome!!!
This game is just awesome. I could have given it full marks but the first level "misfortune in morocco" didn't impress me. Except that the game was a cool ride. I felt like a spy all the time.
AI is simply gr8 and they do respond to the sounds you make while walking and even the gun-silencers have some limitations giving it a real-like effect.
Guard conversations are highly funny with some adult humor. But sometime those conversations make you feel for the guards and you don't feel like killing them and that's the beauty of the game.
I had predicted the end villains/moles as soon as they were introduced in the game so didn't felt much of a suspense (because i played soldier of fortune 2 before, it had a similar storyline.. so you need not worry).
Sometimes, you also get a feeling of half-life while playing this game specially when you battle sharks with a crossbow and have steam coming out of pipes..
So, a really good game with a brilliant AI.. strongly recommended.
Spider-Man 3 (2007)
Why the world doesn't need a Spiderman?
All right, I spent 100 bucks to see this one because I was desperate to see despite the bad reviews this movie has got? This is what I have to say- Spiderman 3 is a disappointment and a big one indeed. I wish to suggest few names for this movie-
Spiderman and Mary Jane. Spiderman and Baby Goblin. Spiderman and Sandman. Spiderman and Venom. Spiderman and the new photographer. Spiderman and Miss Stacy. Spiderman and Aunty May. Confused-man.
And the best one suggested by good old friend 'Arjun Shankar' Peter Parker and family. And really, that's what it is.
These are not just names but eight stories desperately clubbed into a 2½ hours movie by the movie makers. Anyways, here's what the movie's all about-
-Spoiler Alert-
A happy Peter Parker who is excited that people are mad about Spiderman. A tensed Mary Jane (MJ) whose stage career is in jeopardy. A confused Harry Osborne who is yet to decide whether he actually needs revenge from Spiderman. But he finally decides and tries to kill Peter Parker. As an amateur goblin, he fails and loses. Peter rescues him and Osborne suffers an interim memory loss (like a normal character in an abnormal Ekta Kapoor serial). He forgets that Peter is Spiderman and they again become friends. But soon he remembers everything seeing his dad's portrait (again an Ekta Kapoor twist) and is back to his abnormal bad.
Then we have a Sandman aka Flint Marko who appears from nowhere as Uncle Ben's real killer. He escapes from prison and lands onto a huge pile of sand where some stupid experiment in underway which makes him Sandman. Police tells Peter than Sandman is the one who killed Uncle Ben and Sandy and Spidey start dhishum-dhishum after that.
Then there is a piece of trash called Venom who lands onto earth like a meteor and coincidentally finds the luna (bike) of Peter to hide (Wow) . He then silently develops and later gets into the body of Spiderman. We have a new spidey now. Black suited, strong and a selfish spidey. MJ (on pressure from baby goblin) ditches Peter and the bad Peter begins to date a model called Stacy who is the crush of Peter's rival photographer Eddie. Peter hits MJ accidentally and feels guilty. He then quits the new suit. Venom tries to find a new identity and coincidentally finds none other than Eddie who for some reasons, was there in the church where Peter was quitting Venom. Eddie now becomes new venom and is looking to take revenge from Spidey.
Baby Goblin realizes that Peter didn't kill his father when his servant, after so many years, tells him that his father (green goblin) killed himself. Baby Goblin and Spidey now form a tag team and take on Venom and Sandman. And the tag team Champions are Baby Goblin aka Osborne and Spiderman. But Osborne sacrifices himself and dies. Sandman compromises with Spidey and goes away and Venom is killed by Spiderman's knowledge of resonance theory. Venom is susceptible to bell-like sounds and Peter gathers few alloy rods and hits them continuously until venom vanishes. MJ and Peter again start their relationship and the story ends with Osborne's funeral.
However, the few pluses are there in the movie. Osborne's character was a bit confused but James Franco who played the role has acted quite brilliantly. Unfortunately, we will no longer see him in future sequels (if tried). Thomas Haden Church (Sandman) was quite good as well despite his outdated character.
So, the final question that arises is, have movie makers left something for spidey 4? Maybe. For example, A tiny piece of venom is still left with Peter's professor. We don't know exactly whether venom has died or not. Sandman may return as Uncle Ben's replacement. Aunt May is still alive. Peter is yet to marry MJ to produce a baby-spidey.
On the whole, Spiderman 3 is a disappointment which may prompt filmmakers to make a sequel to end the series on a high note. You can definitely watch the movie for action but don't expect anything else. And yes I forgot. While watching the movie, I was thinking that MJ will come out as a sultry and super-sexy spider-woman but that obviously didn't happen.
300 (2006)
300 is little cold
Well the movie starts off well. Acting is perfect. Gerald Butler looks good as King Leonidas.
But the movie's flaw lies in the way the movie is shown.
The visuals are highly unrealistic and it appears as if we're seeing a Harry Potter movie. The movie makers have invested a lot of money in visual graphics but should have made something that looks original (mebbe like Troy).
Othewise the direction, acting and the story is fine. So go for the movie, you won't be disappointed but too much of computerized graphics may leave you a little cold in the end.