Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2

At two hours and ten minutes, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 is the shortest film in the franchise. And within these two hours and ten minutes, Potter fans are treated to a masterpiece of epic proportions.

Harry Potter is now closer to discovering and destroying Voldemort’s remaining horcruxes. Along this journey, he has to deal with devious goblins, fire-breathing dragons, new and untried hexes, guilty ghosts, cursed fiendfyre, old enemies and the promise of a new, hitherto undiscovered, truly terrifying Horcrux. And the poor lad’s work is never done. At the end of these gruesome tasks, he must face his nemesis : The Dark Lord...The most powerful evil magician of all times...the monster who has killed Harry’s parents, his godfather, his mentor and many more who have played a poignant role in Harry’s life. Fighting and vanquishing Voldemort means accepting death gladly. It means stepping into unchartered territory with sheer guts bolstered by hope and a prayer.

Part 2 is the tale of the ultimate battle...the battle between Good and Evil...the battle between ‘The Boy-Who-Lived’ and ‘The Vile-Noseless-Villain-Who-Refused-To-Die’. It is a setting that gathers up the slow threads of Part 1 and flings it headlong into a chaotic battlescene that is awe-inspiring and heart-wrenching in equal measures.

The movie, to put it mildly is *BRILLIANT*

The movie, to put it in the words of a true-blue Potter fan is *MIND-BOGGLINGLY-FANTASTIC*

Concentrating on the ‘Battle of Hogwarts’ meant that the entire movie could have disintegrated into a never-ending round of wand-duelling, muggle-worthy punching and the dire destruction of a set that holds a special place in our hearts. Thankfully, the director (David Yates) has played a beautiful game of explosive action combined with deliciously slow and intense moments.

SPECIAL CHARACTER MENTION:

~ ‘Snape’s Memory’; one of the best chapters in the book was converted into a perfect ten-minute montage that made my vision blurry with unshed tears. Alan Rickman is always a joy to behold and his rendition of the magnificent Snape leaves you satisfied that the movie did credit to the written word.

~ Prof. McGonagall has always been one of my favourite characters. Maggie Smith as the unbending teacher with a heart of molten gold has a few (but just enough) moments that make you whoop with glee (yes, I did indeed whoop with glee)

~ Neville Longbottom (Matthew Lewis) has come such a long way from being a scared student who quivered under the scathing disapproval of a long-suffering teacher. Tall, weary and covered with battle-scars....Neville is an unlikely hero who plays a crucial role. It helps that he has some wicked-cool lines to boot.

~ Oddly enough, I don’t have much to say on Harry, Hermione and Ron. Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) plunges forth with a quiet intensity. Hermione (Emma Watson) is a tad muted but her usual spunky self. Ron (Rupert Grint) has his endearing gormless act in place. Their combination works like a well-oiled spring; courtesy the long-standing familiarity and suffice to say, the trio keep you hooked.

At the end of it all, it was so much more than just that. It was a magical battle to end all the mini-squabbles. It was a shining symbol of the power of friendship, love and loyalty. It was the befitting end of a glorious era.The director, cast and crew tied up one of the greatest and most successful stories of our time into a fitting conclusion.

Glaring dissimilarities aside, fans will be hard-pressed to nitpick.

I want to write so much more. I want to write eloquent prose that conveys my affection for these fictional characters. I want to write a glowing statement of adulation for the author who can tell a tale like no one else.

Thank you, J.K.Rowling.

Thank you for your imagination that is so rooted in reality.

Thank you for reaffirming my belief that love, friendship and faith can brighten up the darkest corners of our minds.

Thank you for the magic...

Pirates of the Caribbean : On Stranger Tides

A handful of gibbering Anthropoids and the odd cachinnating Cockatoo are of the opinion that the fourth instalment in the Pirates of The Caribbean (POC) franchise is not a patch on the first. Well, d-oh...there’s a reason it’s called an "original"!

As for me, I will always be a fan of the scraggly, irreverent, semi-sozzled, kohl-eyed Captain Jack Sparrow. You don’t need to be a prepubescent tween or a snarky, think-I’ve-seen-it-all teenager or even a high-on-testosterone adult male to enjoy the mad trip. For an armchair traveller like me, Captain Sparrow is the best tour guide. EVER.

So what do we have in this offering?

King George II (Potter fans will recognize a Mr.Dursley under the additional layers of quivering blubber) has forced Capt.Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) to guide an expedition to ‘The Fountain of Youth’. Good ol’Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) has (allegedly) cleaned up his act and is now a well-shod privateer who will head aforementioned expedition. Barbossa has lost his leg and Jack's beloved ship, The Black Pearl. Angered by the loss of the latter, Jack escapes...only to fall into the clutches of the vile and villainous Blackbeard (Ian McShane): scourge of the high-seas, dabbler in dark-arts and father to the luscious Angelica (Penelope Cruz, being delightfully Spanish and shrewish). What ensues is a riotous trip loaded with fang-bearing mermaids, missionaries with six-packs, painfully pierced and tattooed zombies and ol’reliably-unreliable : Captain Jack Sparrow.

The plot may drag in places. The characters may have stilted moments. Old favourite may be absent. New entrants may lack the chutzpah of the veterans. But the Good Pirate holds the movie together with his eccentricities. He cuts a swash buckling, albeit grimy figure as he battles over tumbling barrels....leads doomed mutinies......romances the conniving Angelica....matches wits with the ever reliable Barbossa....and deals with the cool menace of BlackBeard.

In all, not a great flick but a watchable summer one, nevertheless.

Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows - Part 1

Writing a Potter movie-review without *spoilers* is next to impossible. True blue fans know exactly what happened to:
a) The Boy who lived
b) The Girl who sniffed disdainfully into her books
and
c) The Other Boy who played second-fiddle to The Boy who lived and didn’t like it one little bit!

If you expect me to dart around the places where the plot thickens and boils over, stop reading. Now. For the rest, here goes...

The penultimate instalment begins with a poignant scene where Hermione obliviates the memories of her parents, thereby burning her human bridges. The movie ends with Voldemort desecrating Dumbledore’s tomb and flicking the Elder Wand. And between these two moments, the plot unravels in an engaging collage of rip-roaring action, stagnant scenarios and eye-moistening moments.

The Half-Blood Prince ended with the brutal demise of Dumbledore and left Harry in the unfortunate position of leader-without-a-mentor. Potter and his magical entourage have their work cut out. They now know that the only decent chance that they have of stopping Voldemort (dark-wizard extraordinaire and all-time big baddie) is to find the Horcruxes. Looking for the much-maligned needle in a haystack would have been easier. No one knows where or what all the Horcruxes are. The trio of Harry, Ron and Hermione (with special mention for Hermione’s trusty little purse of unimaginable depths) are soon off on a long, confusing journey.

They make suicidal trips into The Ministry of Magic.....uncomfortable trips down memory-lane....and ghastly trips down the road of friendship. The individual loyalties and collective skills of the three Griffindorians is put to the test. In the course of their wanderings, they also learn about The Deathly Hallows (An invincible Elder Wand, A Resurrection Stone and An Invisibility Cloak); the possession of which makes the owner: A Master of Death.

The battle between Good and Evil dances along the horizon and before you know it, you are sucked into the fantastical world created by the marvellous Madame Rowling.

The movie stayed loyal to the book, with minor discrepancies. Where the book stumbled, the movie plodded along too. Where you gripped the book in terse anticipation, you clutched the unsuspecting arm of your poor friend too.

Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) was cheerily wan. His endearing combination of simmering anger and clumsy boyishness worked perfectly. Hermione (Emma Watson) was her usual gorgeous and articulate self. Ron (Rupert Grint), the weedy Weasley boy has become a buff, blustering, purple-in-the-face, jealous (almost)boyfriend and plays his role to the hilt. We get tantalising glimpses of a close-mouthed Snape (Alan Rickman) and a happily deranged Bellatrix Lestrange (Helena Bonham Carter). Ol’Voldy (Ralph Fiennes) hammed it up a bit in this addition. Somehow he never quite recaptured the insane vein that he aptly displayed in The Goblet of Fire. The rest of the cast makes you smile with their familiar portrayals. Luna Lovegood (Evanna Lynch), The Weasley Twins (James and Oliver Phelps), Mad-Eye Moody (Brendan Gleeson) and Dobby (voice of Toby Jones) stand out in particular.

One singular scene that deserves special mention was when Hermione reads out the tale of ‘The Three Brothers’ from the book: The Tales of Beedle The Bard. The animation that ensues is spell-binding. It swirls and accompanied by the narration pulls you right in.

The sets are grandiose, right from the home-grown charm of Fleur and Bill’s wedding to the sheer vastness of the Ministry to the various breathtaking pitstops that the trio make at regular intervals.

As for the argument over whether two instalments of the movie are justified....maybe not. I would have gladly pinned my tushie to the seat for a straight four hours and rooted for Potter till the very end. But on the other hand, I am also pretty chuffed to have an ultimate instalment to look forward to.

More Mayhem. More Action......and more importantly......More Magic.

July2011...Get.Here.Already!

Aisha

Aisha (Sonam Kapoor) is an upscale Delhiite. Life is a mad whirl of zipping around in her yellow Beetle, embellishing her already overflowing wardrobe with designer knick-knacks and playing matchmaker for her unsuspecting friends. A steady career appears non-existent and equally absent is her ability to stay out of other people’s lives.

Her nagging voice of conscience and at times, condescension is a member of her extended family – Arjun Burman (Abhay Deol). The “corporate-slave” as she pithily dubs him, can’t stand Aisha’s frivolous lifestyle or her penchant for playing God with relationships. Also acting as referee and sometimes cohort is her best friend, the eccentric and colourfully clad Pinky Bose (Ira Dubey).

But things start going awry for the DIOR-clad butterfly when she tries fixing up a distant, naïve cousin Shefali (Amrita Puri) with a host of mismatched prospectives. Aisha steps on one-too-many toes, loses out on some long-standing friendships and generally makes an unholy mess of events.

Does Sonam Kapoor make a sufficiently self-absorbed Emma? Does she help the “becharas” among her unsuspecting friends and make their lives 'better' ? Does she banter convincingly with a droll Deol?

She does…with a stunning fashion-sense and the odd vulnerability that plagues the seemingly confident amongst the society queens. Tall and lissome, Sonam has a certain softness that stops her character from denigrating into a witless clothes-horse.

The ensemble cast is perfect. Whether it’s the acerbic Pinky or the gushing panju small-towner, Shefali or especially the nouveau-riche, mithai-king’s son - Randhir Gambhir played to perfection by a blustering Cyrus Sahukar….the cast adds an element of newness to a story that could otherwise have remained cringing on the shelf of also-rans.

Interesting cameos by the muscle-bound Dhruv (Arunoday Singh), the shy but upright middle class boy - Saurabh (Anand Tiwari) and the stunning Aarti (Lisa Haydon) brighten up the proceedings. The icing on the cake is ofcourse Abhay Deol. With each movie, the actor leaves with you a contented smirk at his effortless acting and spot-on one liners.

The movie marks an enchanting foray into the world of Bollywood chick-lit. Fresh fashions – Realistic Acting – A desi reblending of the much-loved Jane Austen classic - Emma and the crowd-pleaser - Clueless – and a sparkling soundtrack; Aisha is definitely worth a dekko. Viewing comes advised with a never-ending supply of caramel popcorn AND a gaggle of your best and varied gal-pals.

INCEPTION

All you toffee-nosed intellectuals, mega-brains and (questionable) descendants of Einstein….let me know if you “get” the entire movie the first time you watched it. Me, I had gone armed with Wikipedia’s cut-by-cut plot breakdown and my friend had been well infused by her husband's seen-it-the-day-before review. And despite our respective revisions, it took us some time to grasp the madly spinning plot.

Dom Cobb (Leonardo Di Caprio) is an espionage agent with a difference. He is an extractor: a person who can enter into the dreams of others and extract hitherto inaccessible information. But this ability has cost him dearly. He has lost his wife – Mal (Marion Cotillard), isn’t allowed access to his children and has been banned from his home-country.

However he gets a chance to alter this bleak scenario when a client – Saito (Ken Watanabe) has a new job for him…a job with a twist. Instead of extracting ideas, Cobb will now have to implant an idea into the mind of Saito’s business rival’s son, Robert Fischer (Cillian Murphy). The job is to enter Fischer’s mind and plant the seed of an idea which will make him dismantle his father’s business and thereby prevent it from becoming a Global Energy monopoly.While Cobb’s right-hand man, Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is sceptical, Cobb agrees since he has done it before.

And thus begins the heist of unimaginable boundaries with a team comprising of:
~ Cobb – The ‘Inceptor’
~ Arthur – the Point-Man
~ Ariadne (Ellen Page) – the architect who will construct the world of the dream.
~ Eames (Tom Hardy) – a ‘Forger’ who will take on the identity of a target in the dream-world as and when required
~ Yusuf (Dileep Rao) – the chemist who formulates the sedatives needed to transcend different layers of the dreams.

A plan takes shape with the best minds at work, but no one has accounted for Cobb’s personal demons …..the dreams…the memories which he has buried deep in his sub-conscious…..dreams that intrude in the form of his late-wife, Mal....Mal who has the ability to put a massive spoke in the plans.

What follows is a tantalizing maze of shifting dream worlds….a sub-conscious labyrinth where dreams nest within dreams and no part of the brain is safe from invasion. But co-existing with supreme intelligence is also the Achilles’ heel of emotions. Cobb may formulate the best and most intricate of plans. But what happens when his dead wife makes an unwelcome entry into his job area….his simulated dream world….and wrecks untold havoc?

Moreover is Fischer’s mind so easily penetrable as the team has assumed? Will his mind not throw up antibodies to resist the invasion?

The movie isn’t only about the actors. It’s more about an ingenious plot….a wholly original concept that hasn’t been on the screen till now. Christopher Nolan has presented a movie that befuddles, shocks, awes, amazes and leaves you scratching your head in bemusement.

I had to come back and read trusty ol’Wikipedia’s monologue on the plot (again!!!)to understand what I just saw. And read it, you must….to understand how Nolan executed a venture that was ten years in the making.

INCEPTION is all about astounding sfx, commendable acting, fast-paced sequences and the biggest strength of it all: An Idea

Shrek Forever After

Happily Ever After can get a tad tiresome. For Shrek(Mike Myers), atleast. Whatever happened to villagers running scared or alternatively chasing you with pitchforks and torches? Whatever happened to making mud angels in the squelchy swamp mud?? Whatever happened to just putting up your toes and enjoying an eyeball martini?!?

The now fully domesticated Shrek is missing his old lifestyle. The midlife crisis has hit early and the present seems to be nothing but an endless rote of changing diapers, burping three babies and playing much-loved ogre to his large group of adoring friends. When he finally snaps and storms off from his kiddies’ first birthday party, he unfortunately (and conveniently) runs into the magic deal-maker; Rumpelstiltskin(Walt Dohrn). The wily creature, having witnessed Shrek’s outburst offers him a deal. In exchange for one day as a real ogre, Rumpelstiltskin asks for one day from Shrek’s childhood.

But beware of midgets bearing curlicue-scripted deals.

Unbeknownst to Shrek, ol’Rumpy has been nurturing a long-festering grudge against him. When a harried Shrek signs on the dotted line, he soon finds himself in an alternative reality. What he doesn’t know is that Rumpelstiltskin took the day Shrek was born.

So sure, the villagers scream and run at the sight of him now. But it’s also a place where his home has never existed. Rumpelstiltskin is the king of Far Far Away and is a dictatorial ruler to boot. Fiona(Cameron Diaz) is not his wife. She’s a fearsome warrior heading an underground resistance against the monarchy. Donkey(Eddie Murphy) doesn’t recognize Shrek and the suave Puss in Boots(Antonio Banderas) has degenerated into an obese, pampered pet. And as a final twist, Rumpelstiltskin declares that within 24 hours, Shrek, having never been born, will cease to exist altogether.

I ♥ The Shrek Franchise…shamelessly and unapologetically. I don’t care how many sequels they churn out. I don’t care if they are not exactly cinematic masterpieces. I will always love Shrek, Fiona, Donkey, Puss in Boots, Dragon, Gingee, The Three Pigs, Pinocchio and the rest of the enchanting cast. I don’t care if people find the wordplay tedious…it’s funny and a delightful poke-in-the-ribs of all the fairy tales that I have grown up reading. So maybe the makers couldn’t recreate the magic of the original SHREK. But they did do their fair share and should be applauded for creating characters that remain fresh with every new inning.

The last (or so they claim) instalment in the series is quite entertaining and has a healthy dose of reality stitched in. Even the most content amongst us wish for something more. Never happy, are we? And Shrek is no different. A loving wife, three beautiful kids and a crowd that adores him are not enough. And so begins the misadventure. The characters are achingly funny….whether it’s a crooning Donkey playing pack-mule cum radio or a wheezing Puss sliding inelegantly down his cat-pole. Fiona is still the soft-voiced feminist that puts all prissy princesses to shame. And the wonderful Shrek still manages to make you smile with his portrayal of a frustrated main-lead.

In all, a great soundtrack, whip-smart dialogue and an ensemble cast that almost always makes you break into one of Donkey’s signature grins.

The Princess And The Frog

Once upon a time (in the roaring twenties, to be precise), there was a little girl (no, she wasn’t a princess. Yes, I know the title mentions a Princess, but just bear with me, okay?!?).

When she wished upon The Evening-Star, she fervently hoped for a wonderful restaurant of her own: 'Tiana's Place'.... A glamourous eatery that would serve honest-to-goodness Louisiana cuisine. No Kiss-Happy Frog. No Prince. No Marriage to the CK Underwear-Model-Worthy Hero (yep, breaking the mould with a vengeance, wasn't she?)

She didn’t spend her days playing lead songstress to a bunch of cuddly woodland creatures. She didn’t perch herself at a castle window waiting for Prince Charming to whisk her away on his white steed. Nu-uh….she was too busy waiting tables at a grimy diner, saving up her earnings for her grand dream (ref. above to wonderful restaurant).

The girl is Tiana. She is also Disney’s first black heroine. AND she’s the shining star of The Princess and The Frog. Tiana is a hardworking blue-collar girl in New Orleans. She has no time for the frills and fancies that infect her ditzy southern belle of a friend; Charlotte LaBouff. Charlotte is the daughter of a very rich and doting sugar baron. Daddy dearest, unbeknownst to him is under the greedy radar of local voodoo witch doctor, Dr.Facilier (a.k.a. The Shadowman). Meanwhile, the handsome but broke Prince Naveen lands in New Orleans with the express purpose of bettering his financial prospects. He hopes to achieve this by marrying the empty-headed but seriously wealthy Charlotte. But Dr.Facilier, with a touch of shiver-me-timbers voodoo and underhanded schemes turns Naveen into a frog.

And no, Tiana will not…no way…kiss a blerggg…frog!!! However, playing on Tiana’s secret dream…kiss him she does….and LO!

And behold….

Tiana is now a pretty, emerald green frog………..

Yep, didn’t see that coming did you???

Taking the plot from there, the two bickering amphibians make their way through Louisiana’s dangerous bayou in search of the famous Mama Odie to reverse the spell. Accompanying them on this trip are a trumpet playing croc, Lou and a little worse for wear Cajun firefly, Ray. The couple discover love, loyalty and the surprising fact that dreams don't stay static. Hopes change, ideals change and plans most definitely undertake some drastic detours!

It’s comforting to see that Disney got it right after a very long time. The Princess and The Frog is a fabulous tale - engaging characters…..addictive music score and brilliant artwork. Ah, the artwork…..you could watch the movie for the artwork alone…..vintage and unadulterated Walt Disney. The charm of twenties New Orleans is captured in a burst of riotous colours. You can almost smell the gumbo that Tiana whips up. You supress a shiver as Dr.Facilier plays his fiendish games. You fall in love with the sidekicks for their bumbling charm and secret hopes. You feel like breaking into a fox-trot as Tiana’s dream comes alive in a song-and dance art deco number.

Original setting….quirky twist on a classic plot….and The Princess and The Frog makes you realize why Walt Disney was the Grand Poobah of 'em all! ....

(oh, and also.....why you're apparently never too old to enjoy a good ol' happily-ever-after!!!)

AVATAR

James Cameron’s mum had a dream of 12 feet-tall blue women and in course of time, The Na’vi were born. He wanted to create a movie that would make ‘Titanic’ look like a chick-flick…he wanted to unleash something huge that was choc-a-bloc with groundbreaking technology and exhilarating action, all neatly driving home an uncomfortable social-message………and Avatar was born.

The year is 2154, and in a distant planetary system we have an earth-like moon called PANDORA which houses the ecologically-conscious, blue-skinned humanoid race called ‘The Na’vi’. RDA corporation is mining Pandora in an attempt to lay their hands on the large deposits of a precious mineral called ‘Unobtanium’. Providing security and serving as merceneries are ex-marine forces led by the brutal human tank, Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang).

Since humans cannot survive unassisted in Pandora’s atmosphere, the only way to infiltrate Na’vi territory is to implant genetically engineered Human-Na’vi hybrids called ‘Avatars’ which are controlled by genetically matched human operators. Jack Sully(Sam Worthington) is one such operator. Taking the place of his dead twin-brother who was involved in the experiment, the paraplegic ex-marine is all bluster and raw-courage.

But an unfortunate accident as an Avatar leaves Sully alone and at the mercy of Pandora’s night-predators. Neytiri( Zoe Saldana), a female Na’vi saves his life and takes him back to her clan: Omaticaya-Mo’at. Jack in his Avatar learns the ways of The Na’vi, trains as a warrior under the tutelage of the haughty Neytiri and develops a growing respect for his eerily-beautiful surroundings. He falls in love with Neytiri and is soon initiated into the tribe.

Loyalties shift and the wiser Sully sees the folly of his employer’s ways. Attempts to convince the Colonel and the corporation fall on deaf-ears and open war is declared on the unsuspecting Na’vi. What ensues is kaleidoscopic chaos…destruction of a home, devastation of a race and the death of innocents.

It is now upto Jack Sully and his handful of supporters to turn tables on the system and bring some sanity to the proceedings…

Avatar scores on many points….it is like a plate of Turkish-delights for the fantasy/ sci-fi lover….the scenes are rich, bursting with colour and detail. The Nav’is are a gorgeous race …caring, socially adept and complete with the usual mixture of good and troublesome characters. Sigourney Weaver as the scientist Dr.Grace Augustine who heads the Avatar program pitches in with her reliably-brilliant performance. The military mutton-head Quaritch is custom-made for the role. He looks like a G.I.Joe villian who came to life and decided to wreck the maximum carnage in minimum time…or as he charmingly puts it “wrap it up…I want to be home for dinner”. Trudy Chacon (Michelle Rodriguez) reprises her tough-chick-with-a heart act and does a slap-up job of a security force pilot who is disgusted by the mindless-violence. Jack Sully, the newcomer, is truly likable….he starts off as a cocky-bloke (despite his infirmity), someone you would imagine chilling out at a bar surrounded by red-faced drinkers and gradually matures into a man with a mission…..a man who realizes the error of his callous ways and a man intent to bring about change.

The movie caters to all…the action-seekers, the fantasy-lovers, the technologically-inclined…and amidst all this, it strikes a socially relevant message. The movie couldn’t have released at a better time.

Go, watch and be amazed…(sorry, couldn't resist adding the last, cheesy bit)

P.S.I Love You

...am not big on mush…and chick-lit has lost the sparkle which used to attract me like a magpie. Needless to say, 'P.S.I love You' wasn’t my cuppa tea…atleast not when it first released. But suddenly, courtesy the bout of melancholy that strikes me every December, I found myself sitting through the whole movie...loving Holly & Gerry’s scruffy lil apartment (which frankly was a kitschy dreamy delight!)...laughing at Denise’s ballsiness...feeling that dull-ache in my heart over Holly’s mourning...being ever so slightly charmed by Daniel’s lopsided self-deprecation and goin' crash*bam*thud over William’s rugged awesomeness. And yep…I even cried a wee (wee) bit over the mother-daughter bonding at the end.

I would watch the movie again just to soak in all the lovely scenes. The colours were bright and cheery (despite the subject) …and at times quite awe-inspiring (read: Ireland countryside). Yep…good stuff there.

UP!

Carl Fredrickson is a chubby,nerdy lil boy in awe of the intrepid adventurer, Charles F.Muntz. Sharing his enthusiasm is the talkative tomboy Ellie. Ellie hopes to someday fulfil her dream of moving her clubhouse on the legendary Paradise Falls in South America.

As time goes by, Ellie and Carl get married and have an almost-idyllic life. Despite their inability to have children (or maybe because of it), they hold on to the dream of someday reaching the elusive falls. But financial obligations always intrude and just when the cherished trip is within sight, Ellie falls ill and passes away.

Carl is now a lonely, crotchety old man hanging tight to his memories and his cottage. All around him, the concrete jungle is laying down roots and threatening his little space. An unfortunate altercation with one of the site-men and Carl is ordered by the court to move into a retirement home.

But Carl (who was once a balloon salesman) has other plans up his sleeve. He uses what seem a like a gazillion helium balloons to lift his house UP and away from it’s foundations. He intends to fulfil the promise he made to Ellie. However he is unaware that he has an hapless stowaway in the form a Russell,
a Wilderness Explorer trying to earn his final merit badge for "Assisting the Elderly".

Together the two set off on an adventure of a lifetime, encountering a tropical flightless bird, Dug the dog with a talking-collar and an unlikely villain complete with a snarling team of henchmen (read:dogs).

UP is beautiful in it’s simplicity. Using an aging man as the protagonist, PIXAR weaves a tale that touches even the grittiest of hearts. One of the truly memorable bits is the montage of Carl and Ellie’s married life…silent shots accompanied only by the strains of a haunting melody, it leaves you with a knot in your throat.

And in the midst of the reaching-for-the-tissuebox moments, PIXAR does what it does best….full-on action, breathtaking animation, quicksilver dialogue. What you have is a film that offers something for all ages.

G*R*E*A*S*E

...watched GREASE (for the zillionth time) with my ladies. Danny Zucko still has the best moves this side of pelvic-town...Sandra Dee's petal-fresh act is still in place...and Rizzo still makes you ache with her hard-as-nails act. Love the movie...worship the soundtrack...and all I have to say is...shoobap sha wadda wadda yippity boom de boom!!!

Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince (Film-Review)

You cannot NOT love a Potter movie. Watching Rowling’s world recreated in painstaking detail exactly the way you imagined it, is always a fun ride. And yet….. being a Potter-purist might leave you a tad miffed where ‘Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince’ are concerned.

So we have a teenaged Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) flirting with a muggle-waitress (apparently, in a bid to dull the shock of losing Sirius and have some semblance of reality in his life). But before things can get off the ground, Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) whisks the reluctant hero off onto the first of many tasks to come. A retired professor Slughorn (Jim Broadbent) is reinstated as Potions Master. But what about Snape (Alan Rickman), you ask? Hovering like a malevolent bat, he seems to have much more sinister things up his cloak than usual.

Soon, Dumbledore is taking Potter along on trips down Voldemort’s memory lane (courtesy, The Pensieve). These flashbacks, coupled with one elusive memory involving Prof.Slughorn might hold all the clues necessary to bring about the destruction of Voldemort.

So yes, in essence things are moving along at a desired pace. You get glimpses into a young and even then, eerily-evil Voldemort’s life. Harry discovers a Potions textbook of an old student who goes by the pseudonym of ‘The Half-Blood Prince’ and uses it to do splendidly well in potions. There’s sufficient romantic angst what with Ron (Rupert Grint) snogging a tremulous (and irritating) Lavender Brown at regular intervals, much to Hermione (Emma Watson)'s impotent anger. Harry skitters around his new-found infatuation for Ginny Weasley(Bonny Wright). A grown-up Draco(Tom Felton) looks paler than usual, thanks to an impossible task set to him by The Dark Lord. And the Death-Eaters led by the deliciously sadistic Bellatrix Lestrange (Helena Bonham Carter) and an icky Greyback are wrecking havoc in Muggle and Wizard World alike.

Harry is at his wittiest-best…a tad cocky but endearing nevertheless... Ron plays his role of the blustering bloke with ‘an-emotional-range-of-a-teaspoon’ to the tee….Snape is his usual crisply-loathsome self. And Dumbledore is a joy to behold…as always.

On the downside, vital characters (Hermione, Tonks, Lupin etc) look like scenery while Ginny gets centre-stage. If you haven’t read the book (really?!?)….it won’t make a spot of difference. But if you have…well, get prepared for some serious revamping.

In all, spell-binding to watch for the special effects and sheer grandeur of the sets. More screen-time for a few favourites would have been nice. But in the end it’s Harry Potter…and for the loyalty you owe the wee-Potter lad… just for that…you go and watch and keep the whining to a minimum.

Stardust

For all those fantasy flicks/ fairy tales that claimed to be different, but turned out to be run-of-the-mill...this is originality, people! Based on the novel with the same name, by Neil Gaiman…the movie veers from the original, condenses the plot and still manages to deliver the goods.

The protagonist is Tristan Dunst (Charlie Cox), the quintessential country bumpkin who lives in a place called Wall (so named after a wall that separates the village from an alternate magical world). An ordinary shop-boy, he hopes to win the affections of the most-sought after girl in the village, Victoria (Sienna Miller, looking adequately snooty and empty-headed). She treats him like dirt and prefers the pretentious and well-turned out Humphrey. And Tristan in one of his many foolish attempts to woo Victoria promises her the stars or to be more precise…A Star, a single fallen star.

And thus begins his quest…

What our earnest hero doesn’t realize is that the Star is infact an injured, smart-talking girl called Yvaine(Claire Danes). And while she hasn’t exactly fallen from the sky, she was pretty much thrown to the ground by a ruby flung into the sky by a dying King (Peter O'Toole). Now why would he do a silly thing like that? The King is the ruler of a place called Stormhold. And his dying wish is that whichever of his surviving sons brings back the stone.....he shall be the next ruler of Stormhold. Easy-peasy!

So there’s Tristan…and now some throne-hungry kings out to get the star. But wait.....there’s someone else: a coven of three ancient and powerful witches known as the Lilim. Devouring the Star’s heart can restore their lost beauty and youth. So Lamia (Michelle Pfeiffer), the eldest and most powerful witch joins the mad race too.

Tristan and Yvaine have a rip-roaring adventure. They encounter unicorns, humans morphed into goats and ofcourse, Captain Shakespeare’s (Robert De Niro) flying ship. They burn Babylon candles, learn to dance, handle swords…and to top it all, get a spanking makeover too!

While Stardust doesn’t take itself as seriously as other fantasy flicks, it’s a delightful mix of a dream-cast, fabulous sets, seriously funny moments and a whimsical love-story. Charlie Cox is likeable, right down to his infectious smile and straightup honesty. Claire Danes shines (…and not just because she’s a star!!...couldn't resist that pun!) and renders a quip-a-minute. While Michelle Pfeiffer’s pixen features make her most suitable for the role of a fairy queen……she does resounding justice to the evil, conniving head witch. And then ofcourse, there is the ever-reliable Robert de Niro. As the crusty, rough-talking Captain Shakespeare who has a mighty secret in his Hollywood style-closet, he is a fantastic surprise.

In all, a good film that renews my love for all things extraordinary and unbelievable!

10 Items or Less

I like to catch an indie-flick once in awhile….there’s something about them that appeals to the contemplative side of my nature. Quick-silver dialogue, strong yet quirky characters and a storyline that stretches out like a long unwinding road. And then ofcourse, there's usually a message lurking somewhere in the background. 10 items or Less fulfills all the above and much more......

Morgan Freeman plays a successful actor, pushing 70 (infact, himself most probably!). Doing research for a new role that he may consider, he makes his way to a dead-end grocery store in LA. And there he befriends (or more like gets on the last nerve of) a beguiling yet cranky young store-member, Scarlet (Paz Vega). She works the '10 items or less' checkout lane and is unwillingly drawn into Morgan Freeman’s incessant questions and observations.

When Freeman is stranded with no way to get home, Scarlet reluctantly offers him a ride. And as they drive around the seamier side of LA, they form a bond…a good-old fashioned friendship. In Scarlet, Freeman’s sees himself …a proud, independent loner. He listens to her problems, spouts wisdom and encourages her to take a shot at the big-job interview she’s nervous about. The original big-time 'Hollywood', he’s exhibits an unaffected delight in all the things he has left behind. From retail-therapy to take-out services to connecting with another individual who is so much like him….he soaks in everything. And spits out a lot of his feel-good charm in return.

Morgan Freeman is perfectly natural, wreathed in smiles and curious as hell. For all the gritty and onerous roles he portrays, once in awhile he comes along with light-hearted gems like these. He probes and questions and yet never gets offensive. The feisty Scarlet matches wits with aplomb, the dialogue flows freely and most lines give you something to think about.

I watched this movie on a depressing day. And '10 Items or Less' proved to be the perfect antidote for a sour mood and a grumpy disposition.

Mamma-Mia!

20-year old Sophie Sheridan (Amanda Seyfried) lives on a picturesque Greek Island Kalokairi (actually Skopelos) with her single mother Donna (Meryl Streep). Sophie is about to be married to her sweetheart Sky, but the one dark spot in her perfect picture is the absence of her father. Snooping into her mother’s twenty-year old diary draws up three possible candidates :Sam Carmichael (Pierce Brosnan), Harry Bright (Colin Firth) or Bill Anderson (Stellan Skasgård). So she promptly gets the idea of inviting all three to her wedding, to find out who her real dad is. What ensues is a Greek Tragi-comedy with blunders, misunderstandings and discoveries all unashamedly adorned by ABBA’s popular numbers!


A musical which must be watched if you like

-*ABBA* or would settle for reminiscing about ‘dem good old days...
- Meryl Streep, the eternal bohemian having a middle-aged blast withj her girls; scatty Rosie (Julie Waters) and three-time divorcée Tanya (Christine Baranski).
- Pierce Brosnan looking dishy as ever in the classic white-shirt and dark-trouser combo(…although, whether he can carry a tune in a bucket, is up for discussion!) and the dapper Colin Firth who looks unfailing British and out-of-place as he can be!

- intense ultramarine seas, an island shimmering with lazy sun-rays, the tang of salty-air, red-faced locals and houses that appropriately capture the essence of all things greek and melancholic.


If you are perfectly okay with people breaking into song 'n' dance at the drop of a hat....then go watch the movie, mouth the lyrics, shimmy and make a sea of jazz hands! Sun-kissed and bursting with good cheer, this is another promising mood-lifter.

Why So Serious?

Batman and Lt.James Gordon continue their crusade against the mob in Gotham City. They want to incorporate the help of newly appointed D.A. Harvey Dent in their mission. But putting a spanner in the works is the hideously scary Joker. Which basically is what the plot is all about.....but the story, well that’s a whole new ball-game.

There are sufficient hi-jinx, special effects, super-amped vehicles, mind-boggling gizmos, swooping off from vertigo-inducing towers, and a cherried up batsuit to make you go W-OAH! and wince and duck in your seat and give you that oh-so-little head rush. The beauty of 'The Dark Knight' however lies in the actors, their interaction, the spit-fire dialogue and the under-lying message.

Christian Bale reprising his role as the caped crusader is sufficiently wooden and a tad bit cocky. After all it’s not every day you come across a man who is a billionaire by day and a vanquisher of evil forces by night. The fact that he is definitely easy on the eye helps too!! The unflappable Michael Caine as Batman’s butler/father-figure/man-Friday Alfred Pennyworth is the quintessential voice of reason. Morgan Freeman as the stolid Lucius Fox is quick with the witty repartee and well.....he’s Morgan Freeman!! Doing most of the donkey work is the harried Lt.James Gordon played by Gary Oldman. Weary and over-worked, he personifies the incorruptible , seasoned city-cop . Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart)…the golden boy of Gotham City oozes charisma and confidence. His descent into madness is tragic but wholly believable.

And then of course there is the mighty Joker... the deranged, schizophrenic clown. Complete with garish face-paint, staccato maniacal laughter and the absolute nonchalance with which he wrecks havoc.....this is the stuff that ice-cream and pickle nightmares are made off. The twitchiness, the edginess, the total anarchical stand and the desire to disrupt and destroy.....the late Heath Ledger does justice to all. Whether he’s showing his magic trick with a pencil or sauntering about crazily in a nurse’s outfit or relishing the inevitable collision.....he grabs eyeballs!

How long does it take for a running-smooth-as-oil city to descent into lawlessness? ...Does a hero want to stay a hero or does the darkness envelope every shred of sanity?... Is Batman the hero that Gotham city deserves? In all a superb movie which plunges comic book drama into something darker but though-provoking.

~R.I.P. Heath Ledger~

Sabrina

"A woman happily in love burns her soufflé, a woman unhappily in love, she forgets to turn on the oven. "

~ Baron St. Fontanel (Sabrina 1954)

Sabrina Fairchild (Audrey Hepburn) is the chauffeur’s young and scruffy daughter. They live in Long Island above the garage of their employers, the effluent Larrabees. Polishing cars and helping out her father, she is reconciled to a life of unrequited love. The object of her affections is the charming but feckless playboy, David Larrabee (William Holden). Her free time is spent perched atop trees, staring into the glorious dances where David waltzes one giggly socialite after another. At the other end of the spectrum, is David’s elder brother Linus Larrabee (Humphrey Bogart), businessman extraordinaire. With no place for emotions in his life, Linus is the problem-solver, the money-maker and the quintessential highstreet tycoon.

Sabrina is soon sent off to France for a cooking course by her father, who hopes that the distance and the charms of Paris will make her forget David. In between soufflés and sauces, Sabrina learns poise, charm and confidence. She learns how to live life and instead of scooting from her problems, decides to return to Long Island and try her luck with David once more.

A stunned David is predictably swooped off his feet by the new and sophisticated Sabrina. He pursues her with a single-minded determination, while conveniently forgetting the small detail that he is engaged to be married. Add to that the fact that the marriage is infact a merger between two prominent business houses and the foothold on which rests a million-dollar deal.

Enter Linus and his attempts to thwart the fledgling romance. He decides that the best course of action would be to woo Sabrina himself. While the plan seems to be proceeding splendidly, Linus had not taken into consideration how susceptible he himself would be to Sabrina’s considerable charms.

A refreshingly simple movie with the effervescent Hepburn steering it along, Sabrina is a delight to watch. Fifteen minutes into the first-half of the movie and you want to shed your brashness and cynicism, modulate your tone and bottle up some of that lovely freshness that Audrey Hepburn wears like a second skin.

It Happened One Night

I had always tagged “Dil Hai Ki Manta Nahin” as one of my all-time favourite movies. Mismatched lovers, a mad happy-trip and quick-moving dialogue.

It was only recently that I realized that the Aamir Khan starrer was infact a remake of the original “It Happened One Night”. Barring the song ‘n’ dance routine, practically every scene has been dutifully lifted from this 1934 screwball comedy.

Jaded and thoroughly spoilt heiress Ellie Andrews (Claudette Colbert) has married money-grubbing playboy “King” Westley. The marriage hasn’t been consummated yet and her father, the doting Alexander Andrews (Walter Connolly) wants the union annulled. But Ellie who’s always used to having her own way, escapes from her father…leaping off the family yacht. She decides to head off to New York to be reunited with her dubious lover.

On the bus-ride, she encounters smart talking, out-of-work newsman Peter Warne (Clark Gable). He strikes a deal with Ellie. In exchange for an exclusive scoop , he will duly deliver Ellie to New York.

What proceeds is a screw-ball adventure loaded with smart dialogue and typical “rich-girl-faces-real-world” scenarios. Throwing a spanner into the works is the fact that somewhere along the way; two opposites attract and inevitably fall in love.

A quick and snappy story with no long-drawn out sequences,”It Happened One Night” is an endearing film. A classic case of "Old is DEFINATELY gold"!!

"What other shenanigans could I possibly get upto???"

16-year old Juno MacGuff is quirky, laid-back, armed with a razor-sharp wit and a cynicism that sits well on her petite shoulders......and she’s also pregnant. The father is her best friend Paulie Bleeker. After running through a gamut of options, she decides to settle for the most pragmatic one : putting the baby up for adoption.

Enter the seemingly perfect couple: Vanessa and Mark Loring. An effluent yuppie twosome living in the suburbs, they seem earnest about adopting Juno’s baby. Things move quickly and pretty soon a closed-adoption contract is worked out. Therefore, Juno will have no contact with the baby, once she gives it up.

While Vanessa is a bit uptight and anxious, her husband Mark is more laid-back, willing to go with the flow. In him, Juno finds a kindred spirit.....a fellow lover of grunge music and horror movies.

As the movie traverses the four seasons.....Juno’s perception of the world around her and her relationships with her parents, Paulie Bleeker and the Lorings develop along with her advancing pregnancy.

An independent flick that captured the world’s fancy.....Juno is a droll and adorable movie. Teen pregnancy has been given a whole new treatment. Gone is the usual circle of angry recriminations…ugly confrontations... buckets of tears and the constant nagging guilt. In it’s place are supportive parents, cheeky but well-meaning friends and a sensible if slightly hysterical teen mother. The movie's strength lies in it's cheeky dialogue, loaded with wit and surprising insight.

Ellen Page as the quick-talking Juno is a delight to watch……her seemingly detached attitude towards her pregnancy might grate on your nerves, but then you realize that she’s just a teen facing a rotten situation but handling it in her typical “JuneBug” way.

A terrific ensemble cast, all of whom are lovable and memorable.....this is one movie that hits all the right buttons and makes you come out of the theater with a big fat smile on your face.

27 Dresses....and nothing to wear!!!

A no-brainer, 27 Dresses is your average chick-flick and holds no surprises. It revolves around Jane Nichols (Katherine Heigl); a reliable, never-say-no, general dogsbody. She adores weddings and all the sentimentalism that goes with it. Which ofcourse translates into being a bridesmaid at 27 weddings, doing all the dirty work and wearing some perfectly hideous dresses. Her filofax is jam-packed with wedding details and she scurries from one crazy-scene to another, while effectively maintaining a cheery front.

A silent observer to her spectacle is Kevin Doyle(James Marsden). Kevin is the writer of the local newpaper's "Commitments" section. Penning one more engagement/wedding announcement is likely to make him head screaming for the hills. In order to finally make it to the front-page and get out of what he calls the "taffeta-ghetto", he decides to write a feature on Jane, the eternal bridesmaid.

Adding to the sorry mess if the fact that Jane has been nursing a forever-crush on her boss, George (Edward Burns). But when Jane’s flighty baby-sister swoops into town, she manages to sink her polished claws into George and even draw out a marriage proposal from him. Jane does what every non-self-respecting heroine does. She accepts the inevitable and gets down to the thankless job of planning her sister's wedding and generally getting her feelings trampled upon.

Nothing new and we obviously know what’s going to happen next. But Katherine Heigl as the harried Jane lights up the screen with her effervescent charm and classic Hollywood looks. It’s a bit hard to imagine that such a pretty lady would have to play second-fiddle to her sister. James Marsden looks delightfully messy and keeps up the witty banter admirably.

27 Dresses is not great cinema......but it is light-hearted, frothy and has some mighty-interesting dialogues. You empathise and associate with the heroine.......hope that there's a Kevin Doyle around the corner and have a few laughs thrown in for good measure . Not a bad deal indeed!!