Damned United - Must watch for a football fan!

"They love me for what I'm not... ...they hate me for what I am." - The tagline says it all.

These are the utterances of Brian Clough, supposedly the Best English Football Manager not to have coached England. BTW this is the same guy who once said "Sir Alex has none of what i have two of and i not just referring to balls"!!. This guy took Derby county from the bottom of the second division to become the English Champions and then won 2 consecutive European Cups with Nottingham Forest, something which was as improbable as it is today.

However this is not the story of the achievements. Instead it is the story of his biggest failure when he coached Leeds United for just 44 days. It showcases his burning ambition to become better than Don Revvie which nearly destroyed him and his friendship with his best friend Peter Taylor, the assistant coach and guide who stayed by his side throughout.

Director Tom Hooper has done a fabulous job of properly fleshing the main characters of Clough and Taylor. However a small nitpick that i have is that of Taylor being shown as more important than Brian and his actual eccentric coaching brilliance not being truly represented. However my advice is that all folks should read a little about this team after having watched the movie.

All together it is a great movie for all football fans and really shows some great facets of the game and the league that we all love so much...so will recommend as a must watch! :-)

Wake Up Sid - Damn Refreshing!!

The one thing about this movie that really tugs at you is - What parts of the character of Sid or Ayesha is common to me. Is it just the carefree one or the one where i am craving for my independence or does it also include the one where i am rude to everyone i love. It did question my sense of reality and my sense of freedom today.

Anyways director Ayaan Mukherjee is spot on with this film about basically...growing up. And thankfully there are no cliches involved. Its really a very realistic portrayal of growing up in a upper middle class family and stumbling about till you find your own direction. A.K.A Dil Chahta Hai?...maybe in a certain sense but it looks at issues more deeply and there is no forced sentimentality. Which is what in my opinion makes the film so refreshing!

As far as the acting is concerned, Ranbir is par excellence. I have never seen a better portrayal of a confused individual in bollywood. Hrithik tried it in Lakshya but it came across as a caricature. Just watch the scene where he puts his face through the sunroof and feels the wind on his face. Its that raw feeling of understanding what is actually being portrayed and feeling the same in your senses too that gives any film the power to captivate people. WUS does that in most places. Again Konkona is brilliant. Superlatives can hardly convey the excellence that she showcases. And strangely enough, they look like a cute pair! The support cast is also good except Supriya Pathak who strangely underplays her role too much.

Coming to the music, Take a bow Amit Triwedi for the song Iktara. I have been a fan of this guy since the brilliant 'Aamir' and he again delivers a superb score. Keep an eye out for this guy. He sure is going places. And obviously Shankar Ehsaan Loy are superb as usual. The music complements the pace very well and at no time does it interfere with the narrative. In fact it enhances it quite a bit.

Finally Bombay - sorry Mumbai!! - has been beautifully showcased. You slowly start understanding what it is about the city that enchants so many people. Its a charming city in a lot many ways and that charm really come across on screen in WUS...Great work!

UP - Decent movie but cant be classified as great!

The best part about UP is one montage in the beginning of the film which shows the story about the lead characters Ed and Ellie just after they get married. Its a story within the story but for me it was the highlight of the film. Its a beautiful and a very realistic portrayal of emotions of a married couple who are absolutely in love and are there to support each other at all times. Trust me, but i have never seen such emotions being captured in real life. Hats off to the director Peter Doctor to bring this poignancy.

However, post that it all seems to be become very run of the mill. Sure there are great characters and superb animation but that is something expected from Pixar. Anything else would be blasphemy. And this is where the movie suffers. The story seems contrived and in a number of places i felt the the movie did not have its heart in the right place. It probably tries too much.

Just to give a contrast. If i just wanted to watch a brilliantly animated movie i would simply pick a DVD copy of a Japanese Anime. I go to watch movies created by Pixar to have a sense of feeling about the film. To understand baser emotions in a darkened hall. To feel love, friendship, family etc etc. I am sorry but i completely missed it in this film.

Its a good movie but it doesn't even come close to their earlier masterpieces like Wall-E and The Incredibles.