Rush...to the nearest theaters now!

The Real People:

Directed by Ron Howard

Produced by Ron Howard & Others

Background Score by Hans Zimmer

Chris Hemsworth as James Hunt

Daniel Bruhl as Niki Lauda

Olivia Wilde as Suzy Miller

Alexandra Lara as Marlene

At a Glance:

A cinematic achievement. Its like watching a real race but with a many more better angles and views and lot more background story on the racers. 122 minutes literally zoom by and movie never really pauses, makes pits stops or falters from start to finish!

The People on Screen:

Dominated by the two male leads....the pace at which the characters are developed and the impression they leave is applaudable.

James Hunt played by Chris Hemsworth. The perfect depiction of charisma and confidence of a champion and of a stereotyped pro racer. Chris makes it swift and simple for the audience to relate to his attitude towards life and passion for racing. His cheerful expressions compete with his performance in the more grim and serious parts of the movie making it hard to choose where you like him better as an actor. I guess throughout.

Niki Lauda played by Daniel Bruhl. His straight forward and confident attitude make you believe in him all through the movie. This brilliant performance by Daniel conveys the message loud and clear within the first 15 minutes of the movie...that Niki Lauda was out there on serious business. He ensures that you establish a love-hate relation with the actual Niki character, never knowing whether to love and respect the man that he was or get annoyed by his frankness! A class A performance that contributes in a big way to feeling satisfied after watching this movie.

Suzy and Marlene played by Olivia Wilde and Alexandra Lara, respectively. The girls play an effective role in this narrative that solely focuses on its male protagonists. Olivia looks stunning in the movie and Alexndra looks great too. 

The Experience:

A super fast paced movie that gives you no time to think or find any flaws in its narrative. It makes you just sit back and enjoy the ride! Although there are some very disturbing scenes, but their effect on you only goes to prove how amazingly this movie has been executed. There are few but very good dialogues, and the final conversation between Hunt and Lauda gives all the substance that a a typical racing movie would not have (unless you are watching a Disney movie which intends to give the kids some life learnings). The race sequences are guaranteed to take you to the edges of your seats and there are some well-timed special FX (which take you through the engine and pistons of the F1 car)added into the story that makes you one with the racers, their cars and the full-on pressure! 

Been-O-pinion:

I rate it 4.5 out 5 for brilliance in execution, maintaining an absolutely engrossing pace and presenting such great performances on screen. If I am not mistaken, this is perhaps the best hollywood movie that I have seen this year, thus far. I have reserved 0.5 points just so that i may be able to give an opportunity to other movies coming up to win over this winner of the year so far!! This one MUST be watched in a theater...Today...rush rush Rush!

'

Satyagraha ...an important movie but flawed

Cast:

Directed by Prakash Jha

Produced by Prakash Jha & UTV

Music by Salim-Suleiman, Aadesh Srivastav, Indian Ocean, Meet Bros.

Lyrics by Prasoon Joshi

Amitabh Bachan, Ajay Devgan. Manoj Bajpai, Kareena Kapoor, Arjun Rampal & Amrita Rao

Overview:

The culmination of almost all the previous Prakash Jha movies. It is a bit of Gangajal, a bit of Raajneeti, some Aarakshan and overall a typical Jha product. It inherits the merits as well as the drawbacks and does not defy expectations in either space of being this socio-political film-maker's work. Extremely high quality performances, some good dialogues, powerful music and yet...flawed writing make the movie a perfect example of a movie that manages to be just good despite having the potential of being an excellent cinematic experience! 

Characters:

An ensemble cast, but more importantly, this movie is a rich canvass of supreme talent with each performance being brighter and better than the other. 

Amitabh Bhachan as Dwarka Anand. Not sure if I wanted Amitabh Bachan to have a meatier role because it was a mismatch of my expectations or because each frame he is in is so amazing that you can't ever have enough! His eyes, his expressions, his body language...it would be wrong even if I try to describe the perfection of this legend's acting. Its a pleasure.

Kareena Kapoor as Yasmin Ahmed. Perfectly restrained and mature performance. Her character may be poorly written and might raise lots of questions in your mind about how can a star reporter have nothing better to do than this...but as far as the performance goes....there is no one who could have looked more appropriate or done a better job than Kareena. She looks gorgeous and yet never glamorous.

Arjun Rampal as Arjun. A confusing character - maybe a bit more of black in this gray, but nevertheless, Arjun Rampal does a good job at portraying the role expected of him. He has been much better in some of his more recent movies though. 

Amrita Rao as Sumitra. She makes it obvious that she is out of practice and is having difficulties acting. However she suits the part she plays, if only she wasn't asked to deliver any dialogues! 

and then there is....

Manoj Bajpai as Balram Singh. I went into the movie thinking, "....you know what..its enough now. I have seen Manoj in enough of such roles." But boy...does this man know how to act. Its extremely difficult for an actor to play a predictable baddie role and yet exceed the expectations of his audience! He is mean, he is bad and he is wicked....but he is amazing! Makes you believe in how selfish and evil the politicians are and single handedly represents all the corruption in the system! Kudos!

Ajay Devgan as Manav. Wow! I say, "Ajay please dont do any more Rohith Shetty movies. Every time you do that, you take away a wonderful opportunity from us of seeing you in a serious role like this one." Despite the whole ensemble cast, it is on Ajay Devgan's shoulder that the entire execution of this movie lies. He pulls it all together from start to finish and perfectly expresses his suppressed internal and, when required, external anger. Full marks to Ajay!

Music:

The scope of songs in a movie like Satyagraha obviously is limited. The track "Aiyo Balam" is a very nice fusion track and of course the title track which is an adaptation of Raghupati Raghav is extremely powerful! The background score is very inspiring and definitely plays an important factor in expressing the emotions of the situations. 

Experience:

The movie arouses the right emotions in your heart. It angers you and inspires you to get up and do something... Bohot Ho Chuka hai Vishraam, Raghu Pati Raghav Raja Ram! 

The plot attempts to get as real as it can and in the process over-indulges itself in incorporating every complication and every debate of what is right and wrong into the 150 minutes. The end result...we get a movie that entangles itself into all the right issues, but loses track due to this and never is able to disentangle itself from anything at all. It is a must watch, but be ready to come out of it with a feeling of wanting more! 

Been-O-pinion:

I rate it 3 out of 5. Brilliant performance, some very important and relevant issues, great dialogues and a script that is very realistic in places and too immature in some others...makes this movie good...but prevents it from being how great it could've been. A movie that cannot and must not be skipped, but maybe a little delay in watching might not hurt.

The Conjuring - An Investigation worth Watching

Cast:
Directed by James Wan
Written by Chad & Carey Hayes
Based of investigations of Ed & Lorraine Warren
Music by Joseph Bishara
Vera Farmiga as Lorraine Warren
Patrick Wilson as Ed Warren
Lili Taylor as Carolyn Perron
Ron Livingston as Roger Perron

Overview:
The skeptics and non-believers, brace yourselves...this is a horror movie that justifies millions of people's fear of ghosts/spirits/demons! A very gripping plot which is uniquely integrated with the paranormal investigation conducted by the Warrens. The movie takes you through the events as they occurred in the lives of the Perrons from the perspective of the investigators.

Characters:
Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson as the Warrens give an honest and sincere performance as the paranormal investigators or spooks. Vera who plays the clairvoyant, depicts the emotional involvement extremely well and also expresses fear and courage almost simultaneously in a unique way. Patrick gives the more restraint performance and shows how tough it would be to balance your personal interests against the interests of the family that entrusts its life on you.
Lili and Ron as the Perrons are fantastic and completely make the audience feel what turmoil the actual Perrons must have gone through.
The daughters are adorable and play their parts efficiently.

Music:
Joseph Bishara composes some unique background tracks and blends in the spookyness and the eerie feeling into them. Sometimes just deep bass and sometimes loud orchestra...Bishara sure knows how to make music work for the horror genre.

Experience:
A few extremely thrilling moments give you the satisfaction of watching a horror movie, but its the character development worked into the script that makes this movie a distinguishing one. This is one of those movies whose climax, while being very exhilarating, still is able to make an emotional connection between the audience and the Perrons - a rare occurrence in a movie of this type. The trailer definitely should be avoided for those who want a couple of extra surprises that would make you jump in your seat. While the pace does seem to slow down intermittently, there is more going on in this movie than you expect.

Been-O-pinion:
I rate it 3.5 out of 5 for being able to balance the horror thrills, emotions and investigative drama so nicely (although a few more scares would have been better). It is a movie you shouldn't miss...it is one of the best horror movies to come out in recent times anyway!

Ek Thi Daayan - Movie Reviewed

Cast

Directed by Kannan Iyer

Emraan Hashmi as Bobo, the Baffler

Konkona Sen as Diana

Huma Qureshi as Tamara

Kalki Koechlin as Lisa Dutt

Music by Vishal Bhardwaj

Lyrics by Gulzar

Background Score by Clinton Cerejo

Overview:
A movie which takes Bollywood or rather tries to take Bollywood into a yet unexplored territory. Not a pure horror movie, not completely a thriller and not totally fantasy but a bit of all. A movie which I find rather hard to decide upon, whether it is good or bad. The director and the cast put in a 100% no doubt and that is one thing for sure that you take back as you exit the theater.


Characters:

The two characters whose names I am not aware about are the two kids who play the role of the younger Emraan Hashmi and his sister are brilliant and extremely cute. A major portion of the first half is carried off by these two characters. Pawan Malhotra plays a superb widower who is both tired of staying alone and of taking care of his kids. 

As for the remaining cast, I will try to express my opinion on them without divulging any key information.

Emraan Hashmi plays the talented Bobo, the magician and carries out his role with conviction and talent, both of which we have all gotten used to expecting from him. He expresses fear, confusion, anger and concern in the most believable manner that could have been in such a movie. 

Konkona Sen plays Diana, a name remarkably close to the word used in the title of the movie and looks true to the character that she plays. Her eyes are the key performers in this movie! Huma Quereshi plays Tamara, Emraan's love interest and comes across as an extremely promising actress. Even though she does not get a very meaty role, she lives up to the expectations of her character. Kalki plays Lisa Dutt from Canada and once again proves to be a reliable actress. 

Music:

Songs do not play a major role at all in the movie and its good to see that Kanna Iyer does not make the characteres lipsync to the songs unrealistically. Having said that, the songs are just average and apart from Yaaram nothing stands out.Gulzar writes equally average lyrics for this one.

The background score however, is a whole different story. As is the case with all horror movies, without the right background music, half the fun would be lost. Clinton Cerejo composes brilliant background tracks which have a very international feel to them. 

Experience:

If there is one adjective that I repeatedly associate with this movie in my mind, it is "Interesting". As you watch the movie, as a hindi cinema person, you may feel you are being taken into a genre which has never been seen before. The effort is definitely genuine but when you come out of the movie, you may be confused as I was - "Was this a good movie or a bad movie? I did get a few real jhatkaas but were they enough? But then, was giving meaningless scares and thrills really the point of this movie? I think not". Kannan Iyer definitely has potential of being a good storyteller.

Been-O-pinion:

I rate it 2.5 out of 5. It might have been a 3.5 too, but I would blame the script for not being able to get that extra point. The movie could've been a completely new experience and a thrilling one too...but in the end...this Daayan fails to leave a haunting impression in your minds - an objective that should have been kept above everything else! 

Kai Po Che - Movie Reviewed

Cast:
Directed by Abhishek Kapoor
Sushant Singh Rajput as Ishaan
Amit Sadh as Omi
Raj Kumar Yadav as Govi
Amrita Puri as Vidya
Music by Amit Trivedi
Lyrics by Swanand Kirkire
Background score by Hitesh Shoni

Overview: 

Ae Zindagi...humein sohbaton ka nasha hai; Yeh sohbatein, yaaron ki.....

Ae zindagi...humein hosh ki na tu dawa de....

Dua De...Dua De...

These lines of poetry from the song Meethi Boliyaan are as wonderfully written as the script of this movie. A movie that spans across real and extremely varied emotions, a movie that captures the ups and downs in the lives of three friends....wonderful.

Friendship at it's best

Characters: A movie completely driven by characters...you will have to allow me a few extra lines this time for this section. :) 
Sushant Singh....coming right outta the small television screens at home, takes a huge leap and gives one hell of a performance as Ishaan aka Iss. The character he plays may be complex, but not once does he show any signs of confusion in how to portray it....from dialogue delivery to body language....full marks!
Omi played by Amit Sadh....another great performance.... His transition from a sidekick who says yes to everything his charming friend says....to a young leader who shows all characteristics of leading yet being always overshadowed by either his uncle or circumstances is commendable. Another well expressed and enacted character.

A heart-warming moment of a bro
and sis captured magically!

Govi played by Raj Kumar Yadav....kudos! Kudos to the brilliance of the author who wrote this character, to the director who brought it out to the audience and last but not the least....to the actor who played this character!! Raj Kumar excels in his portrayal of Govi....a character that creates the perfect balance between the other two characters, which brings maturity to the whole situation and which shines brightly despite the subtlety and underplaying demanded of it.
Lastly, Vidya...played by Amrita Puri. Another subtle character that is omnipresent in the background constantly, yet never taking the full fledge glamour of being the "heroine" of the movie.

Music:
Just three songs, yet what amazing work....Swanand Kirkire and Amit Trivedi definitely need to work together more often. Amit Trivedi proves that he is one of the most talented musicians of our times! Background by Hitesh Soni is also worth a special mention....for its simplicity yet lingering feel....and most importantly...its "Just right" feeling.

Experience:

A moment between friends
captured...so skillfully!

A completely different experience from what you might have felt at the movies in a long time! This is a movie where emotions of all sorts are worked upon and tapped into. There are some beautiful moments and scenes in the movie that are executed and captured to perfection. The first half of the movie is sheer brilliance...while the second half, even though more eventful, is dulled, ever so sightly, due to too many things going on simultaneously and perhaps a tad bit too much talk on cricket! :)
Abhishek Kapoor deserves a pat on the back and an applause for handling the subject of friendship yet again....so skillfully and giving the audience a movie that goes beyond friendship into the the realms where friendship is tested against the odds of real circumstances.


Been-O-pinion:
I rate it 4 out of 5. A movie which I thoroughly enjoyed and truly felt for...and yet came out of it with one disappointing question in my mind....why on earth was this movie called Kai Po Che!!?? :) 

Life of Pi - A Book turned into Reality

Overview: To say that the movie is well executed and beautifully visualized, would probably not do full justice to the wonderful work frm director Ang Lee but still....it sets the expectations right. Great performances and awe-inspiring visuals make it a cinema-goers treat....while 3D might not be the only way to watch it....it is perhaps a better way to enjoy it.

Characters: Without much focus on other characters, like Tabu, who plays the mother of Pi Patel, Adil Hussain, who plays the role of the father....lets jump straight to Mr. Pi Patel himself. While both of them (Tabu and Adil) play an effective role, in all honesty. they probably have a total air time of 8-10 mins!!

Pi appreciating and fighting with God in a storm that
scares Richard Parker!

Suraj Sharma mainly, followed closely by Irrfan Khan play the role of Piscine Molitor Patel so convincingly that its hard not to feel connected with Pi - The Protagonist of this incredible human story.  The emotions are superbly expressed and most of the movie depends on these expressions which needed to be real, subtle yet not over-pronounced.
The bengal Tiger - Richard Parker is well integrated into the narrative just as in the novel and as the minutes go by...you cant help but feel for the tiger and also start understanding the importance of the relationship between Pi and Richard parker.

Richard Parker beginning to
respect Pi. 

 Music: Mychael Danna delivers a very appropriate background score for the movie and it is actually kept at a minimum. Mostly its the silence and the natural sounds, but some soulful compositions do get integrated seamlessly and relevantly.

Experience: A truly magical experience....a movie that lingers on for a long time in your eyes and memories after having watched it. The scenes so magnificently visualized from the novel keep playing back in your head. No doubt that the novel was an excellent piece of work by Yann Martel, but David Magee (screenplay) and Ang Lee (director) truly do justice to the book. No doubt that a movie cannot describe the various thoughts and philosophical detours that the author takes while writing a book or while explaining a scenario, but still, the movie manages to find a fine balance between visual effects and expressing the story as a true human story of perseverance, of spirituality, of friendship and of courage.

Been-O-pinion: I rate it 4 out of 5. It is one of the best adaptations of a book into a movie and deserves the big screen to enjoy and truly appreciate. Go ahead...enjoy Pi and Richard Parker....at then end...you will believe in God too! :)   

Barfi! - Reviewed

Overview: Cute...Simple...Intriguing...Fun...and Cute yet again....these are the words which can describe (perhaps still not do justice, but still...describe) both....the movie and the character Barfi that is brilliantly...again....BRILLIANTLY played by Ranbir Kapoor. A heart-warming journey, filled with moments that can not simply be forgotten; moments which stay with you much after you have left the theater. It is the story of Murphy aka Barfi! The tag line very aptly describes the feel of the movie - "This September...Dont Worry....Be Barfi!"

Characters: Oh boy! Where do I start....I guess a good place to start would be Saurabh Shukla who plays the inspector in the movie and in Barfi's life, who chases him at various points during the narrative and gives us the most fun-filled and genuinely funny and Charlie Chaplin-ish moments to laugh at. The character is very real and is excellently portrayed by Saurabh Shukla. 
Next up, Ileana D'Cruz....who plays Shruti. Not only does Ileana look amazing in the movie...she plays her character with tremendous conviction....manages to express everything through her eyes...despite the fact that she is the only major character who can actually speak in the movie! Her confusion, her internal debates, her hints of jealousy, her happiness....her pain....all come through to the audience through those eyes! Kudos to her! 
Priyanka....who plays Jhilmil....manages to make you forget that you are watching PC. Totally believable as the autistic Jhilmil....Priyanka definitely has given her best performance to date in Barfi! As you watch her....not even for one scene do you feel sympathetic....all you feel like saying is... "Oh...she is sooooo cute", with a little dampness in your eyes!
Finally.....Ranbir.....I think his real name ought to be changed to Barfi for the sheer cuteness and innocence with which he has performed this role! His mischief, his naughtiness, his pain, his hertache....his hopelessness....every human emotion is expressed through his eyes and body-language! BRILLIANT....BRILLIANT.....BRILLIANT! This is the performance of the year....!

Music: Pritam....Hats Off to you! There is no doubt that a filmmaker has so much to do with the music of the movie...and Anurag Basu proves that. Perhaps Pritam's best work to date was Life in a Metro...and now this amazing soundtrack....could this be a coincidence? I think not...! It is still hard to believe that the director who just churned out "Second Hand Jawani" and "Daru Desi" has composed tracks like "Kyon", "Ashiyaan" and "Ala Barfi"!! TWO THUMBS UP! Full marks to the lyricists....Sawanand Kirkire and Syed Quadri as well!

Experience: Enough said...for a movie which manages to qualify as one of the best films of the year without saying more than just a few words....It deserves accolades as it is! 
Special mention and appreciation for Anurag Basu....for executing such a simple yet complex story so deftly! When you watch the movie....you realize...that even though Basu could have stuck to a simple narrative...he chooses to narrate the story in a set of asynchronous flash backs...which might not appeal to all....but definitely keeps you engaged and makes sure you pay attention to the going-ons. While some might find the pace slow and the execution confusing....I think its a stroke of a genius!

Been-O-Pinion: I give it 4.... (out of 5).....a brilliant movie....with A-Grade performances....and a brilliant story-teller at the helm. Ranbir....Priyanka....Ileana and Basu....you guys deserve a standing ovation!!

The Dark Knight Rises - Reviewed

It is my pleasure to start my movie, music and food review blog with a movie like Dark Knight Rises. Without wasting much space and readers' attention....here goes....

The Dark Knight Rises 

Overview: Another movie showcasing Christopher Nolan's genius. A fitting conclusion to a superhero trilogy that will go down history as a classic trilogy! To set expectations right...right from the beginning, I'd like to mention that the movie suffers from a complex narrative and relies heavily on the audience's memory of the previous two parts but nevertheless it has an epic feel to it! 

Characters: Christian Bale's character gets a significant variety of emotions to play in this episode which is interesting. Michael Caine gets the best dialogues in the movie which might be preachy at times, however, his delivery makes them worth listening. Joseph Gordon plays a vital role and the turn of events during the climax leave us guessing what the future of this franchise might be. Tom Hardy plays Bane....the bad guy, and while he probably does a good job, he wears a mask throughout which annoys you most of the times owing to the fact that you hardly get to understand what he is saying. 

Music: Hans Zimmer's music deserves a special mention...and as would be the case with any Christopher Nolan movies....the movie wouldn't be the same without the haunting scores composed by Zimmer.

Experience: The build-up towards the climax and engrossing screenplay, while drai

ning you mentally, also manage to drown you into Gotham city and the darkness that envelopes it during the 2 hours 44 mins run-time. 

With 72 minutes of IMAX footage, it is a visual treat...but I do recommend a minimum of two times watch if you want to understand the proceedings in detail! A must watch if you are a Batman fan and a must-watch-in-Imax experience! 

Been-O-pinion: I give it 3.5 stars...the complexity and slow-pace at times prevents me from giving more!