Four Weddings & A Funeral - Super Eulogy & Prose by W.H Auden

Fell in love with this brilliant Eulogy that was delivered with so much passion in the movie 'Four Weddings and a Funeral'. The Eulogy is mostly a piece by W.H. Auden which is bound to move even the most hard hearted individual. Brilliant...

Oh...and By the Way, this is one of the super romantic comedies that i have seen Hugh Grant and the rest of the British Cast (Most having been seen in the more renowned 'Notting Hill') mouthing the most awesome dialogues in a very realistic setting make it one of my favourite British comedies.

Matthew talking about Gareth:
"The most splendid, replete, big-hearted, weak-hearted as it turned out, and jolly bugger most of us ever met. As for me, you may ask how I will remember him, what I thought of him.

Unfortunately there I run out of words. Perhaps you will forgive me if I turn from my own feelings to the words of another splendid bugger: W.H. Auden. This is actually what I want to say: "Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone, Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bonel, Silence the pianos and with muffled drum Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come. Let the aeroplanes circle, moaning overhead Scribbling on the sky the message 'He is Dead'. Put crepe bows 'round the white necks of the public doves, Let traffic policemen wear black, cotton gloves. He was my North, my South, my East, and West. My working week and my Sunday rest, My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song; I thought that love would last forever: I was wrong. The stars are not wanted now; put out every one, Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun, Pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood; For nothing now can ever come to any good. "

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.

Love Aaj Kal - I liked it, now go 'un - like' that!!!

Well, i liked this movie and before i give my short and sweet version of why that is, i just like to mention that I have become a big fan of Imtiaz Ali after 'Socha Na Tha' and 'Jab We Met'; two delightful movies which kept me really entertained. Also, these movies had that special quality to make you feel all warm and smiley inside which gives them additional charm. Hence i was anyways partial to ' Love Aaj Kal' before i even saw it.

Nevertheless i believe that there will be a wide divide between people who like this movie and others who hate it completely. Much more than most other movies. Anyways my take is that the acting was superb particularly by Rishi Kapoor and Deepika Padukone. Mira is seriously a work of art according to me and she really makes the character look natural. Compared to a Kareena of JWM, she has not played it over the top and this might put some viewers off but i think she is what defines THE character of the movie. Saif is good without being brilliant and rest of the star cast is decent. I really enjoyed the music too, particularly the ballads.

So here are my 5 reasons for liking the film:

1. Seeing a brazilian model (Giselle Monteiro) who cannot speak Hindi and dance, enact Harleen - Take a bow Gisellle.
2. Saif showing us dance steps that people like 'ME' also can follow!!
3. Deepika Padukone.
4. Rahul Khanna's Gay act (??) & Neetu and Rishi Kapoor's couple act at the end... Awesome cinematic moment.
5. I am an incurable romantic!! :P

Overall a slightly better than average movie, and a definite if you are on a romantic date :)

The Runaway Bride - "...And when I ride off into the sunset, I want my own horse"

I don't think this is the greatest romantic comedy ever made but i do know this. It tugs at heartstrings....and i simply adore the last 5 minutes of the film. In fact no one should miss the part when the end credits start to roll...it is really hilarious.

Anyways Richard Gere and Julia Roberts (My all time Favourite actress) make a fine pair and this actually looks like a Pretty Woman part 2 in reality. The chemistry is there and even a really weak script make this a very enjoyable watch. The rest of the ensemble cast manages well and some of the jokes/ pun cast are really good.

The one thing i really love about this movie is one dialogue that Maggie says to Ike at the end. Damn good line - and something i hope to use in person ;-)...The way she says it is so...so beautiful....

"Look, I guarantee there'll be tough times. I guarantee that at some point, one or both of us is gonna want to get out of this thing. But I also guarantee that if I don't ask you to be mine, I'll regret it for the rest of my life, because I know, in my heart, you're the only one for me"

Overall a nice weekend watch with your sweetheart!

3 pieces of dialogue from 'The Holiday'

I am a sucker for romantic comedies and love super lines from such movies. Here are a few gems from one such movie that i watched today and absolutely fell in love with. Why do i like it....well i can identify with some of them ;-)

Quote 1: I've found almost everything ever written about love to be true. Shakespeare said "Journeys end in lovers meeting." What an extraordinary thought. Personally, I have not experienced anything remotely close to that, but I am more than willing to believe Shakespeare had. I suppose I think about love more than anyone really should. I am constantly amazed by its sheer power to alter and define our lives. It was Shakespeare who also said "love is blind". Now that is something I know to be true. For some quite inexplicably, love fades; for others love is simply lost. But then of course love can also be found, even if just for the night. And then, there's another kind of love: the cruelest kind. The one that almost kills its victims. Its called unrequited love. Of that I am an expert. Most love stories are about people who fall in love with each other. But what about the rest of us? What about our stories, those of us who fall in love alone? We are the victims of the one sided affair. We are the cursed of the loved ones. We are the unloved ones, the walking wounded. The handicapped without the advantage of a great parking space! Yes, you are looking at one such individual. And I have willingly loved that man for over three miserable years! The absolute worst years of my life! The worst Christmas', the worst Birthday's, New Years Eve's brought in by tears and valium. These years that I have been in love have been the darkest days of my life. All because I've been cursed by being in love with a man who does not and will not love me back. Oh god, just the sight of him! Heart pounding! Throat thickening! Absolutely can't swallow! All the usual symptoms.

Quote 2: I understand feeling as small and as insignificant as humanly possible. And how it can actually ache in places you didn't know you had inside you. And it doesn't matter how many new haircuts you get, or gyms you join, or how many glasses of chardonnay you drink with your girlfriends... you still go to bed every night going over every detail and wonder what you did wrong or how you could have misunderstood. And how in the hell for that brief moment you could think that you were that happy. And sometimes you can even convince yourself that he'll see the light and show up at your door. And after all that, however long all that may be, you'll go somewhere new. And you'll meet people who make you feel worthwhile again. And little pieces of your soul will finally come back. And all that fuzzy stuff, those years of your life that you wasted, that will eventually begin to fade.

Quote 3: I have another scenario for you - I'm in love with you. I apologize for the blunt delivery, but as problematic as this fact may be, I'm in love... with YOU. I'm not feeling this because you're leaving, and not because it feels good to feel this way... which, by the way, it does, or did before you went off like that. I can't figure out the mathematics of this, I just know I love you. I can't believe how many times I'm saying it! And I never thought I'd feel this way again, so that's pretty phenomenal. And I realize that I come as a package deal: 3 for the price of 1. I know my package, perhaps in the light of day, isn't all that wonderful, but I finally know what I want and that, in itself, is a miracle. And what I want is YOU.

Khushi - My Top Pick for the Razzies

How can people make such movies...such utter s***...and how can distributors showcase such movies. Simple economics please, how do people make money...

Now the reason for my rant. Let me explain the basic premise of the movie...It's about a Navel, Kareena's navel, a bare (very sexy!) stomach and the navel there which because of a gust of wind is seen by her 'kinda' boyfriend - they look more like asexual mental cases, primates anyone?? - Fardeen Khan and then the proverbial 'hell breaks loose'...on everyone, more so the audience which by this time is tearing its head - cause no hair is left anyways. Kareena from then onwards starts fighting with Fardeen for 'very obviously' looking at the navel. This continues for 60% of the movie and our supposedly virile Hero is made to feel ashamed of his behaviour.

The rest of the movie is an interplay on extremely regressive themes on women studying beyond a point and having been bethroted even when they did not know about the guy - you see the movie needs action scenes with the hero finally using his pent up sexual frustration in bashing up the poor villanous sod and finally claiming his queen -and heroes doing something for their own country.

Coming to the most hilarious part of the movie, the narration is done by Amitabh Bachhan. Without saying anything about this really great icon of Indian Cinema, lets just focus on the dialogues at the very end narrated by the great man...which mention something about Khushi (Kareena) and Karan (Fardeen) getting married and having kids every year for 12 years...13 kids in all. Question is why 13? (still part of the narration)...Answer is: you see one year they had twins!!

The worst movie...ever!!

Straight - Why Vinay, Why?

Vinay Pathak, you either deserve better or you need to be butchered if you actually knew that this was going to be the final product. This movie is that bad...full stop!!

Now let me be honest here. I should have had an inkling when the ticket counter guy asked me if i was bringing along any 18 year old...unfortunately to my utter embarrassment, there were a couple of 50 year olds who were accompanying me...yup...My Parents (Wry Smile). They wanted to see a funny movie!

Now whats more funny is that this movie is about a 3o something virgin and his sexual - or lack of it - escapades and you can very well imagine my plight...it is definitely not a joke...

Coming to the movie, it is an extremely jittery ride and you tend to groan aloud when Vinay is fumbling around to understand whether he is gay or not. Take for example a scene where he dreams of a guy sleeping in his bed because a guy accidently or otherwise kissed him on the lips...and has a "morning shower" - Try to imagine the scene in your head...it just feels icky. Now why would the director - Parvati Gopalan in this case - try to have scenes like that is something beyond explanation.

Coming to the acting, Vinay Pathak comes across as an earnest character but this movie is too cheap for him. Same goes for Gul Panag, though i must say her dressing is hideous (what with the snake like bindis and kohl...ughhh). The other actors like Anuj Chaudhary, Siddharth Makkar, Ketki & Rasik Dave are quite good but what lets them all down is the amaterurish script. Hope they get better roles in the future.

Anyways, if you intend on watching a really funny - and mindless - comedy dealing with homosexuality, watch Dostana instead...atleast it will make you laugh!

Chandni Chowk to China - Kung Fu Hustle meets Bollywood

This movie is hilarious...exactly at those points where it is not intended to be!!

Now here is the sad part, since this is a Akshay Kumar movie - and i am inclined to say that i like his style of comedy and therefore i like to watch his clean masala flicks - i did not read the reviews and went to watch the film with very high expectations. They all came crashing down!!

Infact the movie starts very well. The first fight sequence and then the way the narration moves from China to India and then to the heroes abode is very gripping and just then Akshay gets a kick on the backside and so do we....the pain of those kicks linger throughout the film...

In fact i have one simple question for the director....why...why do you need to add those 15 odd minutes of akshay flying across delhi after getting kicked, or why do you need need the song sequence in the middle of a flight journey.They are not even FUNNY!!

The entire movie suffers from not knowing where its placed. Is it an action film showcasing Akshays kung fu skills. Is it a rip off of Kung Fu Hustle - must say without the meaning of that superb film - and a mix of bollywood or Is it a comedy where the director makes it such a bad movie that it actually becomes a masterpiece??

Sadly, None....though Kung Fu hustle is primarily the take for this movie even though it gets hidden under layers of bad acting and bad direction.

In a gist, the movie revolves around Sidhu (Akshay Kumar), Sakhi (Deepika Padukone), and Chopstick (Ranvir Shorey) travelling to China believing that Sidhu is a reincarnation of some great chinese warrior and who will deliver the residents of a particular village from evil in the form of Hosho. (Nusiance - atleast the names should have been of some sense. Hosho, & Chuchi being prime examples). In this adventure there is an interwoven plot of an indian daughter trying to find her chinese twin sister and a father who has amnesia, god only knows where the mother is....i have a gut feeling Nikhil would have remembered about her when he saw the film himself ;-).

There are some really amazing scenes though throughout the film. The first narration as i have mentioned earlier is very good. Another good scene is the flight scene about akshay loading the luggage...hilarious. The action sets are impressive most of the times. Unfortunately, just good scenes do not make a good film.

Couple that with bad acting..Oh lord!!...Akshay though is the only saving grace somewhat though even he goes very much over the top on many occasions. Deepika is extremely bad. Infact she does not even look that great throughout the film with her awful dressing style and stymied dialogue delivery. Same goes for Ranvir Shorey. In fact at one point of time i felt that the wig will come off for him.

I certainly did not have too many expectation of the director as i have not really appreciated Nikhil Advanis last couple of films Salaam e Ishq and Kal ho na Ho. These films atleast had good acting to speak of which carried them somewhat on the box office.

Musically also this film is weak. 5 music directors are just too many and do not give you a feel of the direction in which the music flows. Kailash Kher is good without being superlative. Everyone else is average.

Now let me come back to the point i made CCTC and Kung Fu hustle. The latter movie had a meaning with respect to the hero finding redemption and his pain was actually felt by the audience even though it was wierdly funny in its approach. In CCTC, the connect is just not there cause the cause identified looks so trivial. After the first shot where the villagers are shown to be under extreme stress, the entire movie shows them to be quite content. After all they dont seem to work after the first shot. Also, as far as redemption is concerned, it would have been better if akshay had been serious about the Kung Fu lessons or even the fact that he needs to overcome the physical injuries in extreme ways. Here it looks like a stroll in the park for the reigning bolly champ.

I have heard that it is semi autobiographical in nature. I am right now doubling over with laughter!!...if only...Sigh...

Finally , please carry shades in the theatre...u will need them near the climax when the screen increduously starts flashing white every couple of seconds. You will need them to protect your eyes...

Or better go watch SlumDog Millionaire - an experience you will not easily forget....