Reviews

This movie was mostly a waste of time. For a brief moment it gave me a Silver Linings Playbook vibe since the two main characters are dealing with mental health issues. However, the movie does not get serious except for may be the last 10-15 minutes. The comedy comes across as spoofy rather than funny. I was worried if I have let myself into watching a Stanley Kubrick movie whose movies have always left a terrible aftertaste in my mouth. A look at the credits told me it was written, directed and acted by the same guy. Seemed like self-indulgence to me. May be the movie might have appealed to a niche audience at the time it was released but it hasn't aged well. Natalie Portman was a headline name but even she can't save this one.

I found the movie mildly entertaining probably because it is a '93 movie that I am watching in '21. It is also not a movie you take too seriously or apply logic to. The hero (Mike Myers) is over the top whereas everyone else does a decent job. There are some good shots of San Francisco City.

I don't care for classics or cults that I don't understand and this one is right up that list. I find it particularly distasteful when large or key parts of the movie are a dream sequence that that audience was initially fooled into believing as real. The movie builds up reasonably well and then disappoints.

The movie goes into the life of an almost normal man with Down Syndrome. There is some admirable acting. However, the movie is not gripping but at just over 90 minutes it does not bore you either. There's only one English subtitles file on the internet for this movie and it isn't quite good. So, you need to interpret a bit. There are some parallels with The Station Agent where Peter Dinklage (aka Tyrion Lannister of Game of Thrones fame) plays an almost normal guy with dwarfism.

It is surprising how even after all these years you can come across a murder mystery movie that you can't crack yourself. I did not see the end coming and that's what I liked about the movie. That and the fine acting of Anthony Hopkins (who shows shades of his Hannibal character here) and Ryan Gosling. The mystery is not too complicated and hinges on just a couple of simple points that you miss until they are revealed to you.

This is yet another over-rated movie that involves multiple sub-plots linked together by a common thread. Unlike some better executions (Crash, Babel) where the sub-plots come together in a climatic fashion, there is no such excitement here. I am no expert but I couldn't even see how the three sub-plots were related besides a dog playing central role in all three of them.

My main grudge with this movie was the dialogues and language used. I had the subtitles on and and it was still difficult to grasp the proceedings because of the jargon and the complicated plot. Users who rated this movie highly used the word 'noir' to describe it. I am just an average movie goer and not some critic. So, that went over my head. Some of the characters (The Pin, especially and The Brain) were too flimsy. The suspense is barely gripping. Wouldn't recommend it.

As some of the synopsis/summaries say, this is indeed a wickedly dark comedy. What it also is, is a beautiful feel-good story about faith. No, no, no. Don't get me wrong. There's no evangelism or no preaching involved here. It's just that the movie makes you think while you are watching it and even after you are done with it. A few plot-lines may require a leap of faith and most audiences will be fine with that. I highly recommend this as a watch if you don't mind the subtitles.

This is somewhat of an offbeat movie to come out of the mainstream Hindi movie industry. The topic and the narration is refreshing. The setting in Bhopal (a non-metro city) helps. There's shock, humour and sadness in equal doses. I just wished the ending would have been more wholesome rather than leaving things unsaid. By the way, the movie certainly deserved the A (Adult) certification it was handed by the Film Certification Board and you'll realize in no time why it ran into controversies.

The movie has five loosely tied chapters (i.e. plots) and it makes use of a recurring theme of bringing those five chapters together in the climax. Think Babel or Crash, for example. The reason I didn't like the movie was my reliance on English sub-titles and being unable to to keep pace with the ties between the chapters. I kept losing track of some of the characters too. You need an attentive brain for that. I believe a better job could have been done of synchronizing up the chapters. The cinematography is almost documentary like is some places and doesn't feel polished.

The movie is so well-made that it makes the rather far-fetched idea of apes against humans quite believable and acceptable. Watching the previous two installments is certainly helpful to under a couple of plot-lines. The movie is high on the emotional quotient in a good way. For a moment, you hate your own kind (i.e. humans). Caesar's (the ape-leader) performance is top-notch. By the way, the poster is misleading. That scene never happens!

Every now and then the Hindi film industry comes out with a movie like this and you heave a sigh of relief that sensible movies are still being made. In other words, it is not just names that are being used to sell movies. Hindi Medium takes us through the troubles of a couple to get their child into the top 5 elementary schools of New Delhi. While some of the scenes and situations are over-the-top they are intentionally done that way so as to be satirical. However, they are all relatable since each one of us has went through these troubles ourselves or know someone who did. Irfan Khan and his dialogues are hilarious as always. The newcomer, Saba Qamar, also does a decent job. A highly recommended watch for everyone except fighting couples who are debating about which school to put their child in to.

When I watched this movie in the theatre it almost brought me to tears. I could feel everyone around was moved by the movie as well. The performances of the main characters deserve an ovation. It is a family drama, a reunion on the family heads' 50th wedding anniversary, with a major twist midway through the movie that I won't reveal. I showed this movie to my Mom (born in early 60s) and she loved it. Any Indian can possibly relate to some aspects of the movie from his or her own life. For people outside India or not familiar with the language, this is still a very good movie to watch to get a peek into the way people lead their lives here and the culture that you may have heard about. A friend told me the movie is adapted from a very successful Marathi play. The play obviously got more acclaim but the movie is no less. I highly recommend it.

There is no way I would have watched this movie if it was not recommended as a suggestion on Criticker or some article on the web. The movie is terribly slow to start. For the first 30 minutes you are actually begging for the movie to come alive. When it does, it does not make a lot of sense in spite of how hard you try. The entire movie never really leaves the radio station office and you will actually feel claustrophobic. The core of the movie seems implausible or not well handled. You keep wondering something will happen and make your time worth it till the end but nothing does. Just an utter waste of time. When I watched it, the movie was rated 6.8/10 on IMDb. I gave it 3. I guess it is one of those movies that people just love or hate. There is no middle ground here.

I was misled into watching this movie by a glowing newspaper review. I took the bait since it came from Aditya Chopra i.e. the same director who brought us Dilwale Dulhania Le Jaayenge which is an ageless romance drama. This movie was presented as the current generation version of it but it hardly was. Apparently, promiscuity is the middle name of every young girl and boy nowadays. Most of the movie is pointless. The movie was much closer to Shuddh Desi Romance which was another hang-your-head-in-shame kind of movie. That was based in India; this one's in Paris. Vaani Kapoor's dialogue delivery is terrible and her looks (jeez, that chin and jaw) don't compensate. Ranveer Singh is the saving grace here with his comic timing and the life he brings to his character. The truckloads of kissing (to hell with the opening of the movie) and skin show would have put a B-grade movie to shame. Poor Emraan Hashmi got a bad name for it while Ranveer Singh walks scot-free here - Don't watch it.

The first hour of the movie is a little jagged. Alia is shown as an effortless cinematographer who chases success, parties wildly and jumps from one boyfriend to another. Deep down she has issues. Cut to the time Shahrukh (SRK) walks in as the shrink and the movie really comes alive. Alia too really comes into her own then and actually outshines SRK. Their interactions are the heart of the movie. The movie now comes across as very realistic and ends on a beautiful note. Some may think it is a chick-flick but it ain't. You'll be belittling SRK's towering performance. Oh, you can't miss Goa in the movie. It is beautifully captured. The movie is definitely a must watch.

Before I start off, let me state that I have mostly liked Sanjay Gupta's movies - Kaante, Zinda, Plan and even Musafir. I have also had Aishwarya Rai as my wallpaper for the longest time and even enjoyed her acting in Devdas. So I went in with a positive vibe. Half an hour into the movie I realized it one of those that people walk out of. Aishwarya has done the worst possible acting she possibly could have. Add to it her looks. It's like age or marriage or pregnancy - whatever it is - has taken her acting skills and looks to the dumps. The movie's script is full of holes, everything is illogical and stitched up, stereotypes abound and the courtroom drama and law is a mockery. The only thing this movie is worth for is Irfan and his one-liners and, of course, the never before aerial shots of Mumbai.

What got me into the theatre for this movie was the fully-loaded star-cast and the look of the movie. The trailer reminded me of Zoya's previous - Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, which in spite of its widespread appeal was sort of a rip-off of Dil Chahta Hai.

Half an hour into the movie you realize this movie is totally pretentious. Everybody is shown as ultra-rich, larger than life with their first world problems. The backgrounds and locations (ooh...Turkey...because I already did Spain in my last movie) have to be fancy as if the Director is telling you - "Hey! I am rich, surrounded by people from the movie industry and industrialists and I'll thus make my movies for them. There are no average earners or poor people in this country." You cannot possibly connect with any character in the movie.

Let me rip into the characters one by one now that I have finished ranting about the movie - 1. Anil Kapoor - The ABSOLUTE WORST thing in this movie. All those articles praising his performance were paid pieces. He has "fake" written all over him in this movie. 2. Shefali Chaayaa - Boring throughout the movie, playing the ignored wife. Reminds me of her role in that two decade old drama called Hasretein on Zee TV. 3. Priyanka Chopra - She looks different and I do not mean that in a good way. Her acting is flimsy too. She should stick to singing and do her US TV shows/appearances. 4. Anushka Sharma - Yes. She had to be a hot bikini wearing and sleeping around Muslim dancer estranged from her family. Way to go Zoya in creating a fictional character. 5. Rahul Bose - Jeez. An impossible character whom can you see only in movies like this. They made a cartoon out of him. 6. Farhan Akhtar - Oh...he has to be creative and free-willing type in keeping with his Rock On! image and being the Director's brother. He is at least better than the ones above. 7. Ranveer Singh - By far the best thing in this otherwise pathetic movie. His acting and comic timing are perfect. Again, his characterization is flawed but his performance makes up for it. 8. Some British-Indian cute-face - She's there to add to the "fair" quotient. 9. The gnawing voice of the dog - It wasn't a couple of months later that I realized that it was Aamir's voice. Mr. Perfectionist can make mistakes too - Dhoom 3 and this movie, for example.

Firstly, if you have never liked Sonam Kapoor as an actress, DO NOT DARE and watch this movie. She is atrocious with her acting and her garish dressing sense in this movie. It was an assault on my eyes really. The only reason I watched the movie because the theatre that ran it ran Hindi movies after a break of over a year and I wanted to encourage the theatre. The only redeeming aspect of the movie is the actor - Fawad Khan. He's got grace and much better acting skills than Anil Kapoor's daughter and Rhea Kapoor's sister, both of whom are conveniently the producers of this movie. I have watched the previous two Khoobsurat installments starring Rekha and Urmila Matondkar. Both were miles ahead of this. Now if you are a Sonam Kapoor fan then please go ahead and take the risk.

The series used to be aired in India on the national broadcaster Doordarshan (Government owned) in the 1990s. The episodes have the charismatic Maneka Gandhi (a popular vegan in India with ancestral ties to Mahatma Gandhi) highlighting acts of animal cruelty across India in the name of food, sport, religion and human needs. A special focus is given to the slaughter of animals all over India in the name of religion and superstitious beliefs. The video clippings are extremely graphic with routine blood spills and animals kicking their legs in pain. You would do well to keep your lunch/dinner in while watching them! In the background, Maneka voices over in a soothing voice with simple English. If you find yourself watching videos uploaded by PETA activists you need to see this series. Unfortunately, it never received a good deal of attention in India and you would be hard pressed to get a hands on this series.