[Movie Review] Dhoom 3: an out n out Aamir fare

Dhoom 3: an out n out Aamir fare
A review by Ritesh Garg.
(C) Rits Original 2013-14
Scorpiofury.blogspot.com

Wasn't it expected to be that way only? Even the lone Aamir basher staying in his mansion somewhere near the CCD outlet on the Band Stand (in Bandra) wouldn't put his money on the 'others' in this latest episode of the immensely 'milkable' Yashraj franchise. When the master perfectionist of the industry is in his full form (when was he last not in any way in your memory?) you just do not care about what role is being essayed by whom. They simply get redundant in the overall scheme of things and even their limited on-screen presence becomes annoying. That's not very surprising when these 'others' indeed are the clueless summer interns who get to break into some specialized course on management (or board) seats and every time they end up turning themselves into "poker faced" bummers who just got lucky in a "lottery of sperms". But when the attention span of the audience doesn't spare even the nation's (arguably the prettiest) heartthrob a thought the responsibility (of delivering) gets all the more manifold on the diminutive frame of the erstwhile (and original) chocolate hero. How does he more than make up for all the mediocrity around? Simply, by doubling the booster dose! And boy-o-boy! Oh boy! Does he make you go ga-ga with both of his avatars? He stands up (nothing unusual here) and delivers a knock out punch.

Quite matter-of-factly, Dhoom 3 is just Aamir and all of him in his full glory. Rest all is just noise. Noise of the thundering engines of those BMW superbikes which turn themselves into ichchadhaari boats and what not merely on the push of a button. Noise of the rest of the ensemble cast which is desperately (and quite uselessly) trying to prove worth of the numbers written on its paycheck in a screenplay which finds itself numbed with an utter lack of a storyline.

You won't be blamed for mistaking D3's action director to be its 'director' as two third of the 173 minute running time is picturized on the Chicago streets at a pulsating pace. Credit goes to the cinematographer for doing a good job here in what could very easily have been a monotonous repetetion of the same high voltage chase affairs. One sixth of the movie's length is spent on the delectable song & dance sequences which doesn't thankfully interrupt flow of the desi Fast n furious.

As for the performances, lesser said the better about the genetically precocious Uday Chopra but by playing second fiddle to a strong mainstream hero Abhishek Bachchan is digging up his career's grave with each such sub-par portrayals. If Kat keeps playing such dumb bimbo type roles very soon age is not going to be on her right side as other fresher faces wouldn't have to burn any midnight oil in their bid to latch on to such low hanging apples.

Aamir keeps surprising us with each of his screen adaptations but honestly even as a die hard fan of him I am a tad disappointed as to why did he agree to lend his credence to this otherwise tasteless dish! I am sure with the ensuing Christmas break this also would cross 300 Cr mark in this calendar year itself but knowing him as a 'thoughtful' exhibitioner I am sure he won't rate this one as his most proud selection.

Just for one of my true favourite's absolutely unadulterated performance D3 gets a seven on REndex. I know it's (favourably) biased but then life hasn't been so very impartial with yours truly.

(C) Rits Original
Scorpiofury.blogspot.com

[Movie Review] Goodfellas (1990).

Watched it again... only to remind myself what classic storytelling this is.. how three strong characters collide, erupt, and vaporize for a command at the screen. One after the other.

If you have not seen it yet, do not anymore.

C'mon. Just kidding:-) Get in touch with the crass, the raw, the ruth, and the blood.

Get in touch with the animal.

Get in touch with truth.

You will love it.

Wanna bet?:-)

[Movie Review] Raanjhanna (2013): Boy-o-boy!! Oh boy!!

I won't be blaming you for sneering at this somewhat tacky beginning to my thoughts. But this is precisely what I felt on countless occasions last evening while reluctantly watching Raanjhanna. I confess that I didn't care to see its review anywhere (which is what I normally do otherwise) to form an opinion about it as I simply didn't feel like doing it!! But when left with no suitable alternative at a multiplex ticket window & when “not entering inside it” was ruled out I gave my consent for watching this 2 week old release I certainly didn't have an idea what khaalis 130 minute entertainer was in the offing!

Few of my admirers (all of them could be counted on finger tips any way) have been requesting me for some time to review the movie I just finished watching & today I couldn't help do so. What ethereal concoction of drama, comedy, effortless performances & seasoned directorial tribute to the Indian cinema. Hats off to the entire team for coming up with THE masterpiece.

Dhanush may be light years away from the stereotypical image of a Bolly hero & you might have already seen quite a many sartorial art works on social media ridiculing him as the main lead but does he do justice to the faith shown in him by the avant-garde producer director duo. He takes to the popular Hindi cinema with such convincing & consummate ease as a Hilsa in the Hoogly waters. For this role of a vagabond turned road Romeo there couldn't probably be found a better choice than him. From his mannerism to a very typical dialogue delivery (in all likelihood dubbed by himself) to his own style of dancing with gaiety he leaves his mark on every single frame of his screen presence. He is simply just so endearing.

Sonam Kapoor has grown by leaps & bounds since her Cinderella affairs in her earlier avatars. Like all other cast of the movie she also does mesmerize you with her coming of age performance, initially as a vulnerable daughter than as a feisty comrade. Abhay Deol has perfected the art of portraying a gentleman and though no complaints from him whatsoever in a guest appearance one would expect from him to try something diabolical now to challenge himself.

Bindiya keeps teasing you as the wanna be love interest of Kundan but the real meat of a role was that of Kundan's Man Friday for all seasons Murari. He steals the show with punches after punches while bringing a smile on your face by being so rustic in usage of local UP slangs (many of you would get a sense of déjà-vu on hearing some of the very popular ones).

All in all, this movie has all the makings of being the flag bearer for India @ Oscars and it might just go in the history as the one with the most TV re-runs after its theatrical run is well over.

Illogically yours truly

Rits ;-)
(Ritesh Garg)

p.s.: Please find some time for putting in your feedback on this critique. You may want to also share it on my Twitter handle @Rits1011

[Movie Review] 3:10 to Yuma. 2007. English.

3:10 to Yuma.

Cowardice.

Humiliation.

Shame.

The heroism that brews in that brawl.

Heroes.

The making of one.

And the cost of being one.

It's not just another blood boiler from the wild west. It's a damn good short story. And an epic at that! Watch it. And it will put you back in touch with integrity, courage, and character.

[Movie Review] The Infidel. 2010. English (UK)

Finished watching it. Highly recommend it to anyone who has the slightest taste for Brit humor with a tinge of ethnic tension that only yields laughters when it unbuttons:-)

What would you do if you grew up a Muslim, and at 45 yrs of age you find out you were adopted from Jewish parents? An exquisite portraiture of religious intricacies and customs.

Go watch it. It will enrich your senses, and open your mind!

[Movie Review] Innocent Voices (Voces Inocentes). 2004. Spanish.

Although unpleasant, the way this movie recorded innocence and childhood getting muffled will make you think about how far we have come as a cultured race.

Chava (Carlos Padilla) became my instant favorite in the very first reels. He has an elusive yet extraordinarily expressive face. He really means it when he says he is the 'man of the house' amidst a missing father, a dedicated and loving mother, a younger brother, a cute little farty sister (yes you read that right), a few best friends, an angelic girlfriend, poverty, and guerrilla warfare.

It is really unfortunate that kids his age have to go through war and death when they should actually be attending summer schools to sharpen their favorite skills.

The village shown is as authentic as you would get (at least I thought so) with people eager to help each other even though their roofs cant help but let the rains through and the young kids get recruited to the army every year. And to think all this started because peasants opposed government's move to occupy private property.


The part that most affected me though was when Chava goes to his friend (Christie Maria)'s house to gift her a toad (watch the movie to know why), and all he finds is shreds of her dress in a burnt down war struck remains. The part where he copes with that incident, his performance is remarkable! In that one moment, I wanted to be that kid, and feel the pain he felt as his was squeezing Christie's dress-shreds close to his heart, shaking, and watching the toad jump away under tropical rains...

And did I mention Leonor Varela did one helluva job as a distressed single mother, who makes an honest living, and keeps her children away from all the political/anti-government propaganda? What prowess, what intimacy!

I still wish subconsciously that I could bring back his lost friends, the girl friend, his father, and his innocence, but I fear that would turn it into a senseless predictable flick. And then again, it is based on true stor(y)(ies).

'Innocent Voices' is the first movie in a long while that gets a perfect 5.0 rating from me. A must watch if you are open minded enough to appreciate international cinema!

[Movie Review] Funny Games. 2007. German.

Contrary to people who have been swearing that this is the most terrifying movie they ever saw, I found Funny Games to be quite funny!

First of all, NetFlix guys cheated. They show details of the English remake of the original German movie with Naomi Watts, but the online track actually plays the German one. Shame on them for this bait'n'switch trick!

And now to the movie itself. For originality, I wouldn't rate the movie high at all. It is a bad twist in the arm of a well scripted horror flick. The only problem is, it gets very predictable after a few scenes, and that's exactly when you start wondering why you started watching it.

Comic horror, torture, psycho-depiction, senseless gore: I watched it all...only in hope for one thing.. JUST ONE THING that would blow my brains away.

Unfortunately that didn't happen. And all I can remember from the movie now is the kid.

I would highly recommend AGAINST watching this one. My rating: 1.0/5/0. ( I wish I could go even lower. Perhaps I will!).