Movie Review: R.I.P.D

This is the screen adaptation of the comic book of the same name by Peter M. Lenkov. If you are have no clue about the comic book, then this is about a department of police officials. The difference between R.I.P.D and any P.D in the world is that the former comprises of dead police men. After their death, they are inducted into R.I.P.D to apprehend the dead people who have escaped judgement and wandering on earth. Normal people cannot distinguish these aimless souls and hence it is up to R.I.P.D to capture them in order to transport these "deado"s to next life.

Did I pique your interest? If the answer to the question is yes, then let me assure you I had the same enthusiasm while reading the premise. Unfortunately, the director Robert Schwentke wastes a good opportunity of making a watchable action movie. If you are not familiar with Robert Schwentke, he is the same person who gave us R.E.D a couple of years. He seems to have a penchant for adapting comic books which has acronyms as the name. So we have R.E.D, R.I.P.D etc. Unlike the previous movie, he doesn't have an ensemble cast. But he is consistent in rendering an interesting premise into a boring movie.

Detective Nick Walker(Ryan Reynolds) is killed by his partner Bobby Hayes(Kevin Bacon) when the former decides to walk away from making easy money by stealing the unexpected gold unearthed as part of a drug bust. In between the journey from earth to afterlife, Nick is grabbed by Mildred Proctor(Mary-Louise Parker) in order to recruit him for R.I.P.D. Nick is also assigned a new partner Roy Pulsipher(Jeff Bridges) who was a US Marshal in the Wild West era.

One thing for sure, Ryan Reynolds needs to spend more time in choosing scripts. None of his comic book adaptation has turned out to be a watchable fare. If you have any doubts, think Green Lantern. What is Jeff Bridges doing in this movie? If you examine his character, it is an extension of Rooster Cogburn played in the Coen Brothers' adaptation of True Grit. But this alone cannot make the movie enjoyable. The odd couple theme of Nick and Roy falls apart because it is a rehash of cliches we have seen many times before.

The interesting part of Nick and Roy is normal living people see them as different people on earth. So Nick appears as an old Chinese man(James Hong) and Roy as a beautiful Russian blonde(Marisa Miller) to normal eyes. This is interesting but the treatment of this angle leaves a lot to be desired thereby taking all the humor that could have been associated with it.

Moreover, this movie is in 3D. Why? I am still asking myself. Stay away from this. This is not even worth sleeping through. I advice to spend your time wisely

Language: English

Genre: Action

Rating: *

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Movie Review: The Wolverine

I am not a comics fan. When X-Men was released in 2000, I stayed away from the movie. Later, I was hooked to the series after watching the excerpts on a long flight. The movie is about a group of misfits and teamwork. X-men are talented but it only makes sense when they are all working together. Among the X-men, Wolverine/Logan is the person who stands out because he hates teamwork. He can easily survive alone. With the unique talent of longevity that comes with self healing power, he has been doing that for centuries. So it is no surprise when the maker decide to create a spin-off from the X-men series featuring only the moody loner, Wolverine/Logan.

The role of Wolverine/Logan has been safe with Hugh Jackman for over a decade now. It is not only the physique but also the intensity brought into the role that has made us love Hugh Jackman's Wolverine/Logan. But the first outing, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, introducing the spin off was a letdown. Although it featured a lot of action scenes, it failed to connect emotionally. I thought the series was dead after the fiasco. When you are talking about Wolverine, all sins are pardoned when the next trailer is launched. Luckily, they have changed the director in the second outing.

This time, James Mangold is at the helm as the director. With him on-board, I hoped he would combine drama and action in this series just like how he did it in the remake of 3:10 to Yuma. Unfortunately for us, James Mangold infuses a lot of drama but fails in the action department. The movie starts off at an unspecified time after X-Men: The Last Stand has ended. At this point of time, Logan is a disillusioned warrior longing for Jean Grey(Famke Janssen). When the immortality has driven Logan into a recluse, Yoshida beckons him to Japan to bid farewell. Upon reaching Japan, Logan has to protect Mariko(Tao Okamonto) from Yakuza and Viper with the help of Yukio(Rila Fukushima). 

To watch Logan struggle with his demons is interesting. It makes the character more human. In the end, a lot of fleeting appearances of Jean Grey at many places in the movie spoils the experience. When the director and the script writers focuses on Logan's struggle, they spend less efforts on bringing a strong villain to movie thereby forgetting the series is also about action. By moving the setting to Japan, it provides an opportunity to match Logan's adamantium claws with samurai swords. The only action sequence that stands out is the fight on top of the bullet train. The first action sequence during the funeral is also good. But the shaky camera and the 3D works against it. This movie would have been far more enjoyable if the makers had used the traditional approach.

The most exciting part of the movie is the post credits. Luckily you don't have to wait an eternity for this portion to come. This is when Professor X(Patrick Stewart) and Magento(Ian McKellen) shows up to set the stage for the next one. I advice you to skip this one and wait for the next instalment. The man who started it all, Bryan Singer, is back as the director. Moreover, the cast is a mix of the oldies (featuring some of Bryan's initial cast and Matthew Vaughn's cast from X Men: First Class. The next installment is worth waiting for.

Language: English

Genre: Action

Rating: **

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Movie Review: D-Day

When diplomacy and international boundaries are the roadblocks, the head of the spy agency in India gives a last shot at apprehending the criminal by going ahead with a covert operation. Nikhil Advani, heavily inspired from theme which is featured many times before in Hollywood movies, attempts to transplant the scenario to the current socio-political context of India. If you are familiar with the works of Nikhil Advani, then you also know the director has left his comfort zone to attempt an entirely different genre. Nikhil's strong point is melodrama. This strong point appears at several places in this movie too but not in a positive way. In the end, the movie turns out to be a watchable fare because of the screenplay, the way in which the movie is shot, editing and some of the actors.

The screenplay by Nikhil Advani, Suresh Nair and Nikhil Vyas(the last two of Kahaani fame) is non-linear. The movie without wasting time puts us right in the middle of action in the first few minutes. The protagonists Wali Khan(Irrfan Khan), Rudra(Arjun Rampal), Zoya Rehman(Huma Qureshi) and Aslam(Aakash Daahiya) tries to nab an unsuspecting Goldman(Rishi Kapoor) after ambushing his convoy in the parking lot of the hotel where Goldman has arrived to take part in the pre-wedding party of his son. That is when the action is abruptly halted on the screen for the director and his screenplay pals to tell us how this operation was planned. This is a technique you see through out the movie. The trio shows us a scene and then take us through the chain of events that led to the scene. This can be at times confusing. But this is also a good way of laying out the movie to keep the viewer hooked to the proceedings. Most of us walk into movie with certain preconceived notions.This technique helps in shaking us out of it. To make the viewers feel they are in the midst of action, the cinematographer has used the shaky camera technique. This adds to the thrill.

It is a doomed operation. The plans do not work and the four operatives are abandoned by their country. To make matters worse, Goldman and the Pakisthani officials are on the lookout for these four operatives while Ashwini Rao(Nassar) who authorized this covert operation tries to get these operatives back to India. The role of Ashwini brings out the bureaucratic and political idiosyncracies. This forms the second half of the movie where Nikhil Advani decides to concentrate on the emotional turmoils of each operatives. This slows the second half especially Rudra's angle. This is a totally unnecessary backstory. Little is said about Aslam. They could have done the same about Rudra to make him more mysterious to the viewer. The whole movie is about suspension of disbelief. Telling nothing about Rudra would not have made us stretch this ability of ours more than what we have done already. Wali's backstory is essential for the plot while Zoya's is amusing which shows the difficulty of balancing work(especially espionage) and life. The second half could have been racier if Nikhil Advani had played the role of a ruthless editor to chop off the songs and also Rudra's love for the prostitute played by Shruti Haasan. Luckily for us, the director returns back to main theme after being lost for a few minutes.

Performance wise, the movie belongs to Irrfan Khan, Rishi Kapoor and Nassar. Irrfan's character, Wali, is complex to portray. He has been undercover for almost a decade for nabbing Goldman. He is also the man who convinces Ashwini to take up this mission but eventually is imbalanced by the fate of his family. At the end, he becomes a broken man unable to decide where his loyalties lie. The role is safe with Irrfan. Rishi Kapoor shows the various faces of Goldman very well. Goldman rarely becomes angry and when he becomes angry, you better stay out of the way. Otherwise he is always reasoning it out with everyone, even with his captors. These are the scenes which is enjoyable to watch because we know Goldman is playing with his captor's mind. Nassar is a surprising choice for the role. Hindi movies are not his forte although Nassar has effectively portrayed similar roles in Tamil movies. Nassar brings out the patriotic nature and the determination of Ashwini very well. Luckily, the director has allowed Nassar to dub in his voice thereby not diluting his performance despite having a pronounced South Indian accent.

There is a lot of blood and mutilation in the movie. So it should be out of bounds for kids. The movie is good attempt in making a thriller while heavily borrowing from Hollywood. There is a good amount of planning done on the project to customize it for our palette and also for how to tell a story. This is the best part of the movie. You may choose this movie if you have nothing else to watch in the multiplex.

Language: Hindi

Genre: Thriller

Rating: **

Tags: Movies,Irrfan Khan,Arjun Rampal,Rishi Kapoor,Nikhil Advani,Thriller

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Movie Review: Bhaag Milkha Bhaag

At the end of the movie, Milkha Singh(Farhan Akhtar) overcomes the demons in his life and participates in a race in a land where he lost most of his family. The climax has poetic justice written all over it. To be fair, the final race is thrilling too. Unfortunately, the thrilling climax comes at a point where the movie has already tested the patience of the audience. After telling a story about ordinary yet colorful life in Delhi-6, Rakesh Omprakash Mehra chooses to narrate the story of the Flying Sikh, Milkha Singh, on the screen. There is a "inspired by a true life" declaration at the end of the movie. This is to caution the viewers not to believe all what is seen on the screen. Even though the basic premise is inspired from the life of Milkha Singh, there is a lot of elements added or changed for entertainment.

The movie starts with Milkha Singh's losing out an opportunity to win the gold medal in the 1960 Olympics. After his return, an entourage sent by the Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, comprising of Coach Gurudev Singh(Pawan Malhotra) and Coach Ranveer Singh(Yograj Singh), pays a visit to Milkha Singh in order to persuade him to participate in the friendly races organized with the neighboring country. The story of Milkha Singh is slowly revealed in the train journey of this entourage from Delhi to Chandigarh. This is how Prasoon Joshi sets his screenplay. This is a good technique to hook the audience. Like a real conversation, the narrative meanders into many things except the answer to the question that started the conversation. Why is Milkha not willing to participate in the friendly races? We all have been part of the conversations where we have veered away from the topic. This is pardonable. Now if you add unnecessary footage, slow motion and jarring background to the above problem, the end result is horribly slow and unpardonable.

The triumph of the movie lies in a few performances and the action sequences (read it as running race). Farhan Akhtar, Pawan Malhotra and Yograj Singh, after a bad start, infuses life into this movie. Farhan Akhtar has built on his physique and appearance for the role. If you look at the old photos of Milkha Singh, you can see the resemblance. Farhan, being a good actor, easily slips into the role. Anyways, this is not a complex role to play but a physically demanding role to play. This is where Farhan succeeds. Pawan Malhotra is Gurudev Singh who is Milkha's first coach. Thank god! Pawan Malhotra makes sure the role does not degrade into the regular Punjabi speaking sidekick we often find onscreen. Pawan shows his calibre in the scenes where he pushes Milkha Singh to deliver the best or the move into the next phase of his racing life. Yograj Singh represents strength and stability. The role doesn't demand much except screen presence. This is what he brings to the table. He is gentle yet tough and can train an athlete.

The action sequences are beautifully executed. Being the story of an athlete, the movie has a lot of races. Although the races end up exasperating the viewer after a while, the race itself is an exciting piece to watch. In order to keep us glued to the seat, Rakesh Omprakash Mehra and cinematographer Binod Pradhan chooses many interesting compositions and angles. Moreover, the runners are real runners. You can feel their pain while running. Be it the way the runners breath during the race, the way their bodies are arched forward, the way their legs move, the way the muscles in the body ripple... You are in the middle of the race, closer than what is featured in the news channels.

There are many things which Rakesh Omprakash Mehra goes wrong. The tone used for the movie is dark. For a movie which deals in the triumph of the human spirit, this is the wrong tone. Being a movie set in 1950s, there is a big challenge on the locales used. Here, a lot of CGI is used. The CGI may be subtle but the entire frame looks unnatural. The movie tries to cover a lot of events which mars the pace of the movie eventually. A running time of 189 minutes is an eternity when the scenes are dragged for no reason with multiple angles, slow motions and music.

It is ironic when the movie inspired by the life of the Flying Sikh turns out to be very slow. Although this is a brave attempt, the end result is not a focused one. I advice you to stay away. Give it a try if the makers a ready to trim the length.

Language: Hindi

Genre: Drama

Rating: **

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Movie Review: Furious 6

I know it is the latest installment of The Fast and The Furious. But I am not sure what is the name of the movie. Is it Fast 6 or Furious 6? I remember seeing Furious 6 when the credits came out at the end. What is in a name? With the 5th installment Fast 5, the series had undergone a major revamp. Now, this is not only about spectacular car chases but a bunch of action heroes thrashing everything that comes in their way. On top of it, the location of action changes. The last outing was set in Brazil. This time, the location moves to Britain and then Spain.

When the movie starts, Dominic Toretto(Vin Diesel) is forced to bring back him team consisting of Brian O'Conner(Paul Walker), Roman Pearce(Tyrese Gibson), Tej Parker(Ludacris), Han Seoul-Oh(Sung Kang) and Gisele(Gal Gadot). Letty Ortiz(Michelle Rodriguez), Dominic's former girlfriend, turns up alive and is working for a former SAS agent turned mercenary Owen Shaw(Luke Evans). They have been creating trouble for Luke Hobbs(Dwayne Johnson). So Hobbs decides to turn to his previous foe who had temporarily helped in during Fast 5. As you can see, it is about family this time. Thankfully for us, the characters don't waste time to cry about the familial ties and virtues of big joint family. Instead they start to do what they are good at. Start chasing the bad guys in mean machines and engage in hand-to-hand combats.

The movie is directed by Justin Lin. This also marks the fourth collaboration for the director with respect to this series. In Fast 5, Justin Lin showed remarkable maturity in handling an action movie. The term maturity might sound silly while talking about an action movie. For an action movie, the director should be able to make us forget the silly or even non-existent plot line with stunt sequences that involves a good amount of suspension of disbelief. In this area, Justin Lin excels. In order to show the prowess of his bulky leading men, he pits them against a bulky villain. The final sequence when both of them literally join to thrash the villain is fun to watch. That is exactly what we look forward in an action movie. It is not only the men, the women also are thrashing each other! You can find Gina Carano and Michelle Rodrigeuz punching and clawing each other! There are car chases, the one on the freeway in Spain is noteworthy even though the ending of the chase makes you guffaw. The final sequence when they take down the aircraft is also a pleasure to watch. To hell with logic. We just want to watch some explosions!

I never look for performances while watching an action movie. It is not worth it. The performance matters when the genre is thriller. When you have a cast like this, there are some men who has to look menacing and the others  are there for comic relief. You get all of this. Unfortunately, the girls take a back stage because they are less in number. The Bristish actor Luke Evans is a formidable foe for the protagonists. He is able to match up to the huge star cast primarily with his performance. He is the only one standing out if you are analyzing the performances.

Go for it. You will like the stunts even though you might not always believe what is unfolding on the screen. If you think this is the end of the series, guess who turns up in a cameo just before the credits roll. Hold you breath. It is Jason Statham! Are you now looking forward to the next in the series? To be truthful, I am.

Language: English

Genre: Action

Rating: ***

For trailer, click here.

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Movie Review: Yeh Jawaani Hai Dewaani

An young director who writes sensitive script. An young actor who has not only great histrionic capabilities but also a handsome face. A production house which gives great emphasis on picture perfect frames. What do you expect when all these three combine together? If you say a great movie, then I will correct you. I expect only an entertainer. That is exactly what we get when all these three factors converge in the movie Yeh Jawaani Hai Dewaani. Forget the numerological play on the title. This is the same team which gave us Wake Up Sid. Although the end product is not as artistic as the first outing, this movie ends up being much ahead of the glossy trash we are subjected very often, if not every week.

Wake Up Sid was as much about breaking away as it was about growing up. This time around too, Ayan Mujerkji scripts and directs a theme which is about growing up even though we are not sure about whose growing up is he attempting to tackle until we have sailed comfortably into the movie well after the intermission. Is it about the studious Naina(Deepika Padukone) who is yearning to break the shackles of parental pressure or the adventurous Bunny(Ranbir Kapoor) who loves to push the envelope to enjoy a fast paced life. They are different as chalk and cheese. Yet the chalk is head over heels for the cheese. Is this going to work out?

It will be an insult to the director (who is also the script writer) to classify this as a love story, regular or different. It is not a love story although he falters in clearly defining the perspective to tell the story. Although the focus is on Bunny, he meanders from this perspective in the first half. With an excellent sense for melodrama and a penchant for great dialogues, Ayan Mukerji underplays the drama to achieve the opposite effect. His characters stay in our mind. Not all of the plots are necessarily happy endings as per conventional cinema wisdom but they are indeed giving hope for a happy ending. The writer in him succeeds in creating an array of supporting characters who behaves straight from life yet looks extraordinary. Ayan knows when to place a song in the movie. He places his songs with an intention to give us a boost and not to bore us to death. In this respect, the songs by Pritam helps too. Displaying a good ear for music, Ayan has worked on the background score also. Although a good attempt, it falls flat at times.

Ayan Mukerji's trump card is his leading man, Ranbir Kapoor. He is handsome. He can shake a leg. Sometimes, especially during the dance sequences, he is inspired by the same actor who inspired his grandfather. Yes, I am talking about Charlie Chaplin. Most of the time, he rises up to the script. Sometimes, even about it for instance when he walks away after the wedding torn between Naina and his future plans.  When he confronts Naina's photographer friend, the brat in him is for full display making us chuckle and sit up. This is one guy who can carry a movie. Be it Madhuri Dixit in a minuscule role or Kalki Koechlin, Aditya Roy Kapur and Deepika Padukone, he can outshine all of them.

The biggest winner in this enterprise is Dharma Productions not only in terms of money but also for quality cinema. This movie is much different from the superficial themes they have been regularly feeding us.

Go for it. This is the perfect recipe for viewing in a movie hall.

Language: Hindi

Genre: Drama

Rating: ****

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Movie Review: Iron Man 3

After the forgettable Iron Man 2, Jon Favreau steps down as the director and Shane Black dons the cap of the director in the third installment in this franchise. If you like filmography of Shane Black, it does not feature a big project like this in the past. Then it has also been the case when Jon Favreau started this franchise and also when Joss Whedon directed The Avengers last summer. Both of them hadn't directed a big project before. So what is wrong in Shane Black directing this one? After watching all the superheroes sharing the same screen space in the enjoyable escapist fare The Avengers from Whedon, what can possibly top the experience? A superhero movie had new standards set last summer.

Shane Black along with Dave Pearce is credited for the script. In a way, this is the curtain raiser for the action festival season of the year with summer marked with releases of this genre. In the latest installment, Shane Black decides to give us the raw Tony Stark(Robert Downey Jr). Tony is still cynic who is politically incorrect. He loves Pepper(Gwyneth Paltrow) and is slightly insecure when Aldrich Killian(Guy Pearce) reappears. This is not the only reappearance. The nerdy botanist Maya Hansen(Rebecca Hall) also reappears after the one-night stand 13 years upon which Tony asking her cautiously if she has brought a 12 year old package as a surprise from that night. When people are reappearing, the evil villain The Mandarin(Ben Kingsley) creates ruckus by destroying Tony's Malibu mansion. To top it, Jarvis and Happy Hogan are unable to help Tony. Thanks to the recent developments, Tony is stranded in the middle of nowhere no resources.

Shane Black creates the most ironic situation available for the protagonist. Coming to think of it, Tony is filthy rich. But all the wealth is of no use for him in this situation. It is the best recipe for drama. That brings us to another question. Do we really want to see such a Tony? I don't want to. Do I have a choice? The story is written that way. So let's overlook that. Is it an interesting movie? Even though the movie starts in an uninteresting way, Shane makes us forget about the bad start and forgive him with the spectacular finale. When the credits roll out, we are a satisfied audience. If you have the patience to sit through the never ending credits, you also get a conversational piece with Tony and another superhero as a bonus. How does Shane Black achieve it? The movie has steady stream of action sequences placed in timed intervals to jack up our adrenaline levels. Of course, CG plays a major role in creating the captivating action sequences. At time, the CG is very evident spoiling the experience. Probably, this is because of watching the movie in 3D. To think of it, this movie doesn't have to be in 3D. On the positive side, there are some hair-rising suit changes of the Iron Man, some of it happening mid-air.

All what I described above is the additional things which make the movie interesting. The main interesting point of the movie is Robert Downey Jr himself. Despite seeing Robert Downey Jr play this character in three different movies, we aren't bored yet. We want to see more of this character. He has overshadowed his co-actors in the previous movies, the most notable is the Avengers last summer. In this one too, he overshadows all other performers. There are only two performers the audience notices, Don Cheadle and Ben Kingsley. Don Cheadle plays the sidekick Rhodes who dons the suit to become Iron Patriot and has scenes written to make us laugh. We all know Ben Kingsley is talented. In this movie, he gets to show us how quickly he can change skins while portraying a character.

Go for it. Even though the movie starts off slow, the finale will satisfy the action lover in you.

Language: English

Genre: Action

Rating: ***

For trailer, click here.

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