1.
Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani - Vik Rating
- 3.0 Star. (Popular - 4.5)
I cannot be talking bad about this movie because 'a couple'
who has lot of influence on me loved it. It is a good entertaining typical
hindi movie. If you compare this with any other big budget crap then it is
great. Every 20 years you can rehash everything so I guess it is the modern
DDLJ. Lot of clichés though, but that shows my age, because in 20 years
everything can be copied as the average audience has not seen things so old...
except for people who are really old - like me. Any movie which still shows
that glasses is the only difference between being cool and not cool…. Got to lose
some points.
2.
Bajatey Raho - Vik Rating - 3.0
Star.
I have high expectations from Ranvir shorey and Vinay Pathak
movies and in that regard this disappoints. It is a good movie but never peaks
keeps going at a good steady pace. It is about regular people con a bank to
earn back lost respect of their father. It is funny in parts and Ranvir Shorey
is funny as usual.
3.
B.A. Pass - Vik Rating - 4.0
Star. (Popular – 3.0 Star)
This was a surprisingly good movie. This is about older
woman using a kid for her ‘uhumm’ pleasures, yes a hindi movie! And it is
pretty good. Once you get into the movie this takes you on a ride with the kid
growing up to everyone finding a solution to life…. Nicely done movie.
4.
Lootera – Vik Rating – 3.5
Star.
Did not check this out myself. But it seems to be a slow
nicely flowing love story a throwback love story set in 1950s? It is well done
and the actors who generally don’t do much have done well (Ranvir and Sonakshi).
5.
Zanjeer - Vik Rating - 1.0 Star.
This movie has lot of issues. It is exactly the same movie
as Bachchan’s Zanjeer. Generally when you remake an old classic you interpret
it differently in this one they didn’t care everything is almost the same. The
actor is horrible, he has this plastic expression stuck on him and he has
makeup on which makes him look like a mannequin. His hair are also stuck and
made up, I don’t know who to blame … probably the director (apoorva Lakhia –
who has an empaccable record of churning out garbage). Only bright spot is
piggy chops who generally over does her bubbly girl thing (which I like..
because I think it should be overdone) but along with it she does comedy and
she really knows how to do comedy which is a rarety among female leads. Only
Sridevi and Juhi used to do it.
6.
Bhaag Milkha Bhaag – 3.5 Star.
I am just mentioning this as a movie you can watch for those
fans who only rely on this blog to even know what are hindi movie names. I did
not see it but Sapna did say it was ok and if you like that genre of so called
real life athlete story you will love it.
7.
Nasha - 1.0 Star.
This is one of those movies which I wonder why I am watching
but because I have a Bheeshma pitamah in my house who has taken a vow to watch
all crap called ‘hindi movie’ I do my duty.
8.
Shorts – Vik Rating -4.5 Star.
(Popular – 2.5)
These are some short stories and it turned out to be very
good. A few stories are really well done. None of the stories are bad. A little too artsy maybe … hence the warning, if you only wanna
watch khans and kapoors then skip this. Shor and Mehfuz and Audacity are just
excellent short stories. You have a lump in the throat at the
end of Shor…. It is kind of a ‘saathiya’. Audacity is just excellent the way it ends
and Mehfuz is just awesome revenge drama.
9.
Sixteen – 1.5 Star.
Don’t remember though I think I saw this one. The teen movie
which are so well done in Hollywood are as bad in hindi. I don’t know why teens
have to be so clichéd in hindi movies.
10.
Shudh Desi Romance – 4.0 Star
This one starts with a lot of promise parineeti is cute, and
the guy is good too. Kind of a modern love story. Good new age cinema trying to
show something more than just the tried and trusted love stories, how kids don’t
want to commit even if they are in love and how just the thought of committing
makes them nervous. It is good stuff but somewhere after 2/3rd of it
is done, it continues to go in circles and never ends… you can watch the movie
from whatever point of time and it will be the same. Still very different and
good.
11.
Grand Masti - 2.5 Star.
The only movie in the ‘sex comedy’ genre in hindi. Like the
first one – Masti, this one also does not care about a story line or anything
else it stays true to making a ‘sex joke’ every frame. It is ok, if you like
this genre but due to lack on anything you can compare to in hindi this is
unique. Though if you are into this genre in Hollywood you would find this as
juvenile or completely kiddish. But I guess hindi ‘sex jokes’ are pretty
juvenile… we are not good at this.
12.
Chennai Express - 1.5 Star.
When you have one joke – Tamils don’t know hindi …. How many
different ways can you make this into a joke? Yes – the answer is 3 hours.
Again it has lot of clichés and again yes it shows my age. When I watch scenes
and say ‘this exact scene was done in a 90s movie…’ that is like a pathetic old
man. But why can’t they think up a new scene? SRK has reached a new low, the
way he acts just makes you embarrassed. I think he is still doing the same
thing that made him successful so can’t blame him, I guess times have changed.
Why am I writing – you should have watched it, because you were forced to –
because whatever movie makes money you have to contribute to it too.. right?
13.
Issaq - 1.0 Star.
Every year you get a couple of these, which are ‘love
stories’ done by a producer probably for his son. The movie will have nothing
new and will have bad actors and production value. Yes that one.
14.
Once Upon a Time in Mumbai Dobara -
0 Star.
Once in couple of years a movie arrives which gets a zero. Yes
this is the one. Easily the worst acting of Akshay ever (and that is saying
something, he has a long list in his early years). He is trying to be a poetic villain??
I guess… dialogues like – aadmi auraton ke hote hein mujhe mard chahiye… he won’t
stop. Every line has to be a ‘dialogue baazi and none of it works’. And then
there is Imran Khan…. The dude never acted but then no movie needed him to act….
In this one he looks like a buffoon. None of the star kids or rich kids living
in Mumbai should try doing a gangster… please. You look like a joker. What amazes
me that he says everything in the same way in the same tone and no one tells
him to break a sentence once in a while differently and change your voice modulation
a little!! Common …. O well this is not an article but a movie review. Sonakshi’s
role and the way she does it…. Ummm… I should just stop.
15.
Satyagraha - 3.5 Star.
If you survive the first half second half is pretty good. Surprisingly
the fiction is worse than the non-fiction. First half is fictional with Jha
setting up characters and has done an aweful job. It seems he is just not
interested and anything goes. It seems like a movie from 80s with typical big
industrialists and typical school masters. Once you are a certain age you and
could not get out of your times that what you make as a director. Anyway second
half follows completely the anna hazaare movement and though you know exactly
what happened it still very interesting to watch. Second half Bachchan did a
good job.
16.
Besharam - 2.0 Star.
As I don’t expect much out of a ‘star movies’ I didn’t find
it as bad as it was made out to be. The annoying part is it seems the entire
movie was made to make these scenes of real life parents and kid (rishi, neetu
and ranvir) into reel life… and it is height of being spoilt.
17.
Phata Poster Nikla Hero - 3.5 Star.
My favorite director – Rajkumar Santoshi is on a decline. Like
all of them, they start getting old and lose touch with new things. This movie
is not bad, again has a huge hangover from AAA which was evident in ajab prem
ki… and now in this one. It is a good movie you can watch if you are not doing
much. I watched half of it with a bunch of family during thanksgiving. You know
if you watch a movie with 8-10 critics not really wanting to watch but pass
smart comments and the movie lasts an hour – it is pretty ok movie. It tries a
few jokes some are good some fall flat. Not as bad as Besharam.
18.
Madras Cafe - 4.0 Star.
John Abraham has become a producer and thankfully choses
movies which are far better than his acting talent. He chooses to act in them
too…. Hopefully he will get that corrected soon. He did a good job according to
his standards in this one. This is about Rajiv Gandhi murder case pretty much a
fiction mixed with non-fiction not much of this is done in hindi films. Very
well made taut thriller. Global conspiracy, betrayal, cops, secret agency
nexus.. all is there. In your lifetime you get a jolt which gets you off your
innocence and makes you believe the world is a pretty ‘kutti’ place to be in.
Rajiv Gandhi murder was that moment for me, so I was pretty sad after watching
the movie. He was the first politician I ever noticed – young and dynamic. Anyway
all in all a good movie.
19.
Bombay Talkies - 4.5 Star. (Popular –
3.5)
Another movie with bunch of short stories. Some are good, I would
say – the movie ‘shorts’ was better than this, but this one has more big names.
I think all are pretty good stories – Dibakar Banerjee’s Star was awesome. It has
the kahaan guy Siddiqui in it. It was pure poetry. Then Karan Johar one – Ajeeb
dastaan hai yeh… was pretty well made. Zoya Akhtar’s – Sheila ki Jawaani is ok,
cute one. Murabba by Anurag Kashyap is typical Anuraag kinda movie, I loved this
one too. It was great.
20.
Jayanta Bhai Ki Luv Story – 1.5
Star.
Vivek Oberoi’s is in it. Nothing to write about. I think
left it inbetween was not bad but didn’t do anything great till the point I
watched. I will complete it someday and if something changes in my opinion I
will update.
21.
John Day - 3.5 Star.
Naseer is in the movie and has a feel of the movie ‘Wednesday’
a common man caught in web of mean world and decides to take revenge. The directorial
style is kind of Quentin Tarantino. Blood gushing headless people, biting
tongue… it all fits Randeep Hooda’s style, the only problem is it does not fit
with the entire film. Still pretty good movie.
22.
Boss - 1.0 Star.
The nadir of hindi movies has reached. The dabbang effect
is complete. Take a south indian hit and copy it with the same physics defying
cartoonish stunts, female lead is a prop who can’t do anything without the male
lead who in turn is pretty much a thug with no depth to his role. Just dance on
idiotic numbers in idiotic way and then bash a few people story is not needed –
yes there should be a twist in the end no matter how pathetic. Don’t get me
wrong – I watched the entire movie so it was not that bad. I just thought I
should write how popular indian movies are made. In fact once in a while you
like to watch it, but every other movie is like that.. then it becomes too
much.
23.
Dhoom 3 – 2.5 Star.
I watched half of it (that was the plan -with an infant), I went first time to a theater after
maybe a few years. As in all big movies there is no soul to the movie. It is
bunch of scenes made to make you go – Wow. But you really don’t. I enjoyed the
one where Abhishek goes up in air to meet the baddy and kicks him and comes
back sits in the motorcycle backseat. Anyway…. When you start getting annoyed
with – how is this possible.. question. That means there is something wrong in
knitting a story and direction. All films are unbelievable but if you get time
to think that… there is something wrong. I think Aamir for once was a misfit,
he doesn’t look like a biker kind of guy and his serious expression goes
against the grain of the movie.
