The Amazing Spiderman (English)

A decade after the last ‘Spider-Man’ movie series starring Tobey Maguire and Sam Raimi came up; Sony Pictures have churned up a franchise reboot. With fresh faces and a new director, Marc Webb, Spiderman has become more realistic as it gets closer to its comic book roots and hits the screens with far more exciting stunts.

The story traces the character’s origins, his transition from a shy, nerdy and aloof schoolboy, Peter Parker to a superhero, Spiderman. One day in the boring life of Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield), he stumbles upon a lost research piece on cross-species genetics his dead father was working on. In an effort to find out what happened to his father, he reaches his former collaborator Dr Curt Connors at Oscorp.

Connors (Rhys Ifans) is working on a cure for his lost arm based on repties’ ability to grow new limbs and is under pressure from the corporate honcho Rajit Ratha (Irrfan Khan) to deliver results. Things go terribly wrong when Connors tests the new genetic concoction on himself and turns into the ‘Lizard’. Meanwhile, Parker has been bitten by a genetically altered spider and gains superhuman strength and spider skills.

The bulk of the 132 minute runtime is spent on how Parker comes into terms with his new powers, how losing Uncle Ben prompts him to turn superhero, his runs-in with the law and having some fun handling school bullies; all this when he is not busy with his girlfriend Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone). Towards the end, when the challenge of saving the city from the Lizard emerges, Spiderman is ready for the challenge.

After watching reboots, it is impossible to resist the temptation to compare the film with the previous versions, especially since they were successful in the past. Per se, it would be unfair to compare special effects since technology improves with the passing of time. Even otherwise, the latest edition is better than its predecessor.

One, better cast: Andrew Garfield (from ‘Facebook’ fame) gives a more realistic Peter Parker without making him look like a wimp as Maguire did. And it’s great that the series bid goodbye to Kirsten Dunst who didn’t look one bit like a superhero’s girlfriend. Emma stone who was seen recently in ‘The Help’ is an apt choice as Parker’s girl and confidante. The lead pair share some great on-screen chemistry.

The lead pair is effectively complemented by the villain in Rhys Ifans, Martin Sheen playing the father-figure Uncle Ben, Sally Field as Aunt May and Dennis Leary as Captain Stacy. Irrfan Khan’s role is best described as understated but effective. Surely, it’s way better than Anil Kapoor’s unfunny gig in Mission Impossible 4.

The second key improvement is the emphasis on Parker’s intellect as he uses technology to spin webs like in the comic books where he gets his natural web much later. Thridly, the transition from a regular kid to Spiderman is handled well. The subway train scene and the one in the abandoned shipyard are very well done.

A notable absence in the new film is Parker’s employer ‘The Daily Bugle’ and its editor who portrays spiderman negatively in the media. Here, he has a disbeliever in the local police chief Captain Stacy who also happens to be Gwen’s father. The famous line by Uncle Ben ‘with great power comes great responsibility’ is missing too.

The film is not without shortcomings. The weirdest thing is that the high-security Oscorp building seems to allow unfettered access to interns who seem to know everything that happens there; pretty amazing huh? In the climax scene, he may have lost his webbing machine, but why does he find it difficult to cling to surfaces?

Every relaunch attracts a new segment of the audience and so would this latest edition of Spiderman. What’s best is that the film-makers have ensured that the usual Hollywood superhero movie fans are kept happy too. For all the exciting action it has to offer with minimal drama sans sentimental garbage, ‘The Amazing Spiderman’ is a go!

Rating 7/10: Refreshing reboot with great lead-pair chemistry!

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Aashiqui 2 (Hindi)

For starters, I really wonder if this was actually a movie themed on love or was it a two hour plus lesson on ill-effects of alcohol addiction. Guess what, I haven’t been able to figure it out yet! The sequel to the 1990 musical hit ‘Aashiqui’ doesn’t match up to expectations. Here’s why:

The film begins at the scene of a rock concert by a fallen star Rahul Jayakar (Aditya Roy Kapoor) whose best days are already behind him and he is now suffering from heavy alcohol addiction that often gets him into trouble. After an incident that disrupts the concert, he drives around Goa, rams his car into a tree and goes around looking for booze. He then spots Arohi singing at a bar, discovers that she dreams of being the next Lata Mangeshkar and feels that she has the potential to get there.

The film actually never explains why Rahul is insanely addicted to alcohol, something that even true love can’t cure unlike what we see in most films. Here, one would also be reminded of ‘Woh Lamhe’ where a character’s troubles take her down the drain. In ‘Aashiqui 2’ though, it gets ridiculous at times, where the protagonist guzzles one bottle after another, neat, at a frequency as if it were plain water. And despite that, he hardly looks drunk. Rather, the actor was quite bad at playing drunk.

Continuing with the story, Arohi soon tastes success as a playback singer and wins the award for the best singer of the year, an event where he makes an unceremonious exit, and ends up drunk on his penthouse’s terrace. He is concerned about his problems having effect on her success. And despite this, Arohi chooses him over success saying that any success without him is of no avail.

‘Aashiqui 2’ can also remind you of Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s 1973 film ‘Abhimaan’ where a singer, Amitabh Bachchan’s character finds talent in Jaya Bachchan’s. Then they fall in love, and the green monster of jealousy strikes him when she becomes more successful. Despite some resemblance, ‘Aashiqui 2’ is more about Rahul coming to terms with his reality, building his dreams on Arohi and encouraging her to do better and his problems are drinking and unable to handle his fall well.

On acting, Aditya Roy Kapoor is decent but is not convincing enough. Surely, he has a bigger potential than what Director Mohit Suri has explored in this film. Shaad Randhawa who plays Vivek, his long time friend and manager is good. Some of the worst actors are those who played Arohi’s parents.

Shraddha Kapoor is good with emotional scenes and enacts the from-the-bottom-of-the-heart kind of love with all earnest. Her girl-next-door looks make her perfect for her role. Her performance is an improvement over her debut film ‘Luv Ka The End’. If you didn’t know it yet, she is the daughter of Shakti Kapoor and niece of Padmini Kolhapure. Obviously she got her looks from her mother.

What works is its 90’s charm of sweet love stories that aren’t about selfish backstabbing romances or suspense thrillers we see today. Neither does Rahul’s character despise her success at the cost of his own fall from grace, nor does Arohi dump him even when her career looks bright and his drinking problem is too much to handle. It’s about stories where they are willing to put everything aside for the sake of love with utmost honesty. Songs ‘Tum Hi Ho’ & ‘Sun Raha Hai’ are nice and are popular already.

Where it fails are some clichéd scenes and dialog. The situation of the girl’s parents over-the-top dramatic and what was the need for Rahul’s dad’s voice-over through phone calls? Also, a girl who sings his songs for a living can’t recognize him in one scene and she later recognizes him all of a sudden. And the scene from his apartment clearly isn’t Mumbai. Was an overseas location really necessary?

Still, there are a couple of scenes stand out as exceptions where Mohit Suri’s directorial talent is seen such as; ‘Tum Hi Ho’ song, Rahul’s exchanges with Vivek , his pep talk with Arohi before her first big recording. The one that takes the cake though is Rahul and Arohi’s conversation across the door.

The Verdict: If you are sucker for love stories, you’ll love the mushy element. If you only liked a couple of songs and care not about the rest, better watch the songs on YouTube. For those who detest Bollywood romances, keep away from it. Nonetheless, despite a few slippages here and there, the honest story and the deep love they portray keeps the film from totally going down the drain.

Rating 4/10: Master Class on Alcohol Addiction garnished with songs  

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Bombay Talkies (Hindi)

May 03, 1913 marked the day when motion picture was born in India, the day that Dadasaheb Phalke’s silent film ‘Raja Harishchandra’ was released. A bit of trivia there is that the female roles in the film were also played by male actors, and the acting talent was drawn from theatre.

Till date, the influence of theatre, and especially the roots from Sanksrit drama still play up in Bollywood’s films. Surely, we love all the extra drama, sometimes characters yelling out lines as if they were on a stage before mikes were invented and the truly inimitable song and dance.

And a film that is supposed to pay a tribute to a century of celluloid adventures of Bollywood that have enthralled not only Indians but even those abroad, ought to have been better. What was supposed to have been an extravagant celebration of cinema merely ends up like a moist firecracker.

‘Bombay Talkies’ is about four independent stories, directed by four reputed Bollywood directors, Karan Johar, Dibakar Banerjee, Zoya Akhtar & Anurag Kashyap. Any analysis of the movie would have to be broken up across each of these four short stories, rather short films of 30 minutes each.

#1 Ajeeb Dastaan Hain Yeh by Karan Johar has an urban couple Gayatri (Rani Mukherjee) and Dev (Randeep Hooda) whose lives go for a toss when a young gay intern Avinash (Saqib Saleem) enters their lives. The very predictable ending and the men kissing each other has a shock value and the story has actually no connection to the overarching theme of cinema or the centennial anniversary.

#2 Star by Dibakar Banerjee is probably the better one of the lot. It has Nawazuddin Siddiqui as Purandar who has failed at business and employment. Just then, out of the blue, comes an opportunity to act as an extra where he shares screen-space with a big star. This brings out the inner theatre actor in him that had starred in a couple of plays after his father, also an actor had passed away. The animated enactment that he performs for his daughter at the end is indeed very touching.

#3 Sheila Ki Jawaani by Zoya Akhtar is about a little boy called Vicky (Naman Jain) who is attracted to the idea of dressing up as a girl and yearns to be a dancer a la ‘Sheila’ from ‘Tees Maar Khan’. His father (Ranvir Shorey) is obviously annoyed at the idea. Nevertheless, the boy is supported by his sister. This segment has a cameo by Katrina Kaif who extols the idea of following one’s dreams. Still can’t really figure out whether there was even the remotest possibility of it being linked to the centennial.

#4 Murabba by Anurag Kashyap is quite decent. A young man from Allahabad, Vijay who, as per his ailing father’s wishes visits Mumbai to feed a Murabba to Amitabh Bachchan. He hangs around his Bungalow like many others who stand there for hours for a fleeting ‘darshan’ of the super-star. His money is drying up and he needs to hurry! On a stand-alone basis it would have made a good short film that on one hand, exalts the stars and then in the end, exposes the pointlessness of all fandom.

 Did you know? There was a real studio called ‘Bombay Talkies’ in Mumbai from 1934 to 1954 and produced 102 movies. It was a public limited company that was listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange. Founded by actor Himanshu Rai and financed by Rajnarayan Dube, some of the names associated with this marquee include Devika Rani, Ashok Kumar, Raj Kapoor, Mehmood Ali, Madhubala & Dilip Kumar.

The movie itself, however is absolutely underwhelming and leaves you a feeling of why did you even choose to watch this film. Some of the situations in some stories are so contrived, convenient and at times inappropriate too. One striking example of the absurdity comes from the first story, where an intern has the gall to make a first conversation loaded with innuendos to the assistant editor in his office. That is just one of the many things that won’t fit into any reasonable logic, outright.

Verdict: ‘Bombay Talkes’ is your typical pseudo-intellectual film. So, if you have a thing for parallel cinema, this is just the film for you. But, in the context of the occasion, it just not a film that pays tribute to a hundred years of Indian cinema. Only for that reason, I rate it as film that struggles to even make it to ‘average’. The montage of all the stars in the end, which is actually a bunch of green-screen stuff put together, doesn’t help either. So, don’t waste your money on this one!

Rating 4/10: Bollywood’s Centennial deserved a better tribute

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Ek Tha Tiger (Hindi)

Describe a typical love story: It begins as Boy meets Girl, they don't like each other initially, but love blossoms; then parents oppose and then the couple runs away. But they are chased by both the families who are out to finish them off. Now, just scale-up the scene to two countries, instead of families and you get 'Ek Tha Tiger'.

Timed for release on Eid, Salman's presence ensures a big collection at the box office, irrespective of how the movie actually turns out. Most multiplexes screened shows at hourly intervals across screens to make the best of the long weekend.

Salman Khan plays Tiger, a much sought after RAW field agent who has spent a decade away from home in many adventurous missions. Upon returning from Iraq, Tiger is assigned the task to collect information about an Indian-origin Irish professor (Roshan Seth) facing suspicion of selling missile secrets to Pakistan.

On his mission, he falls in love with Zoya (Katrina Kaif) who is soon revealed to be an ISI agent trying to hack into the professor's computer. At this point, it seemed as if the film would go the 'Mr. & Mrs. Smith' way, but rather sticks to its roots as a love story. Now, the two agencies, RAW & ISI are out to finish off Tiger & Zoya.

There are claims that story was inspired by real-life spy Ravindra Kaushik who is said to have served in the Pakistan Army and passed on valuable information to India. The similarity with the story would be that Kaushik fell in love with and married a local Pakistani girl, an uncanny resemblance with Ek Tha Tiger.

Talking about performances, Ranvir Shorey does a good job as Gopi, Tiger's friend and fellow agent who is later sent by his bosses to hunt down Tiger. Girish Karnad returns to the big screen after a long time and he plays Tiger's boss Shenoy. About Katrina & Salman's acting, lesser said the better. In any case, Salman's role is not as annoying or silly as most of his other roles are and he takes off his shirt only once.

The good part in the film is some awesome stunts and stunning visuals, the latter being the signature style of its director Kabir Khan, best remembered for 'Kabul Express'. The desert scenes are filmed in Turkey stand out, the best are those filmed in Cuba with a 60's charm. The good part is let down by a sloppy writing in some parts and a general lack of suspense or thrill, something germane to an espionage setting.

Although the film may perform well due to its star-cast and timing of its release, it will never be considered a good film by any segment of the audience. While the lack of an engaging story will not interest the discerning type, the lack of good songs that flow with the story will not go well with the masses. The popular song 'Mashallah' is played with the closing credits, a time when most people leave the movie hall.

Verdict: Salman fans may love the film and his critics may  flay it, some may just watch it for Katrina. At best, this entree will pass off as an average pastime flick.

Rating 5/10: Typical romance flavored with espionage; a pastime flick

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Murder 3 (Hindi)

The Bhatt camp has off late done good business with formula movies. 'Murder' series eponymously concerns murder mystery, 'Raaz' that has something to with the supernatural and 'Jism', well the name says it all. One common factor is skin-show and songs that go on to become hits. And there's the Emraan Hashmi factor.

First time Director Vishesh Bhatt is believed to have said that their films are "succeeding backwards". True, the quality is depleting but this hasn't really affected their business. So, is this movie a game changer for Bhatt camp or not?

An official re-make of the 2011 Spanish film "La cara oculta", the film is about a successful model photographer Vikram (Randeep Hooda) who finds his girlfriend Roshni (Aditi Rao Hydari) suddenly gone missing and the events that follow thereafter. One drunken night in a bar gets Vikram close to a hostess Nisha (Sara Loren) who soon start a romance. But Vikram's house seems to have some dark secrets.

The dullest part in the movie is the first half, which seems like a series of songs with a bit of story thrown in and is exceptionally boring. At first we are told how Vikram met Roshni in Cape town, and then dealing with his romance with Nisha. The hero is shown to be living alone in a palatial home on the outskirts of Mumbai. Wondering how on earth did he manage to commute everyday in a self-driven car! Phew!

And if you can manage to sit through this for an hour, then comes the surprise! The whole story goes into a different tangent from there on. Although a bit contrived, you soon accept it and flow along with the story. As with any suspense film, you are better off not knowing it till you actually see it. Then, the problem is that, by the time the film starts to get better, it may have alas, lost its audience already.

Randeep Hooda, who looks more a goon than an actor makes a sincere attempt to act, in a role where he is brooding and mysterious. The girls on the other hand outshine him. Sara Loren, who earlier made a debut as Mona Lisa in 'Kajraa Re' with Himesh Reshammiya is here with a changed name. And there's Aditi Rao Hydari playing the kind hearted girl who leaves everything behind to travel with her lover to India.

The biggest blunder is that the set hardly looks realistic. The home, which we are made to believe that it is from the pre-independence era doesn't remotely look like one. It is difficult to describe the lacunae further without discussing the suspense. Hence, leaving it at this so that you can figure it out. But for their own good the Bhatts need to pull up thier socks rather than stay in the 'succeeding backwards' comfort zone.

Given the kind of movie that 'Murder 3' is, it is an outright verdict is difficult. If you are looking for Emraan Hashmi style sleaze and songs a la Bhatt camp style, this movie doesn't have those. If are looking for edge-of-the-seat thrills throughout, then look elsewhere. Instead, if you are willing to sit through and daydream till interval time, your immense patience would be rewarded with a watchable suspense.

Rating 4/10: A watchable suspense in the second half 

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Kai Po Che (Hindi)

Chetan Bhagat should be one happy man! This is the third of his books to make it to the big screen, after 'One Night @ the Call Center' turned into 'Hello' and 'Five Point Someone' lit the screens as '3 idiots'. This time it is 'The 3 Mistakes of My Life'.

The film begins in the present day setting where Govind Patel (Raj Kumar Yadav) makes a slick presentation on his academy 'Sabarmati Sports'. He then picks up Omi Shastri (Amit Sadh) from a prison and they drive towards a stadium. On the way, the film cuts back to 10 years in the past, to a story of three friends, the third one being cricket freak and otherwise lazy Ishaan Bhatt (Sushant Singh Rajput).

The trio, who are otherwise not gainfully employed full-time, start off a business. While Govind is the more calculative businessman, Omi brings in the bucks by way of support from a doting uncle Bittu Mama who is a local politician and is keen to see Omi joining the party. Ishaan is the emotionally driven one and coaches cricket, something he loves most and from his experience as a district level player.

The business takes wings quickly and they are about to expand too. In the meantime, Ishaan has identified a local talent Ali, a shy boy and the son of Omi's uncle's political rival. And with Govind teaching Maths to Ishaan's sister Vidya (Amrita Puri), sparks fly between them and a new romance develops, unbeknownst to Ishaan. Suddenly, things are set to change when an earthquake strikes and riots happen!

'Kai Po Che' which stands for a cry when a rival's kite is cut in a kite festival, has a very earthly charm with realistic characters. In a way, not having star power for its lead actors works well in the film's favor allowing the script to prevail. While its lead actors and especially Raj Kumar Yadav & Sushant Singh Rajput do well, probably the most powerful performance comes from Manav Kaul as Bittu Mama.

Edited with precision mostly seen in Hollywood, 'Kai Po Che' has a runtime of hardly over two hours and manages to capture a whole gamut of events, transformation of characters and still managing to leave an overwhelmingly heavy feeling in the end. Nowhere is time lost for songs as Amit Trivedi's soundtracks blend into the setting and the story. The song 'Manjha' is already popular and works as its soul.

Real life events, the 2001 Gujarat earthquake and the 2002 riots that happened in the aftermath of the inhuman burning of pilgrims at Godhra where one of the key characters is shown to have lost his family in the fateful coach that was burnt. In what could be described as controversial, the film takes the liberty to portray one religious community as an aggressor and the other, mostly as a victim, thus playing it safe.

To sum up, 'Kai Po Che' is definitely recommended, irrespective of whether you watch it with friends or family. Let the hype around the movie not raise your expectations beyond what the movie can deliver. All that it has to offer is a drama that dwells on the lives of three friends and some events that seem to change their lives forever.

Rating 7/10: Must watch for a well told story and great editing

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Cocktail (Hindi)

Although 'Cocktail' was peddled as a movie for the those in their 20s, there was nothing in particular that pertained to the youth. In fact, if the writers thought that the 20's something generation was as shallow as their characters, they are surely mistaken. 'Cocktail' is just your average desi romance flick with some good songs.

The film opens with Gautam Kapoor (Saif Ali Khan) flirting with a flight attendant on the way to London, something he repeats with many girls in the film. On another flight is a newly wedded conservative girl Meera Gupta (Diana Penty) on her way to meet her husband of a sham wedding. And then there is the carefree Veronica D'Costa (Deepika Padukone) for whom partying is a way of life.

Circumstances lead to a helpless Meera finding shelter in Veronica's home. The two soon become close buddies. Gautam who is in a casual relationship with Veronica moves in with them. Later, after a run in with his mom and uncle who may not be approving of Veronica, he pretends that Meera is his girl. The two don't like each other much, but as the movie progresses, sparks fly between them.

While we are accustomed to seeing Saif in yippie playboy roles in 'Hum Tum', he must realize that many years have now passed since he did them. And his age now shows. Although his mom in the film Dimple Kapadia says he is 32, he surely looks a decade older, closer to his actual age, 42. Despite this glaring drawback, some of his Casanova antics are funny although some others are way overboard.

There was a quite a bit of noise about Diana Penty's debut but there is nothing remarkable about her. She is overshadowed by Deepika, both in the looks department and acting. In fact, Diana Penty was the first choice to play Ranbir's love interest in 'Rockstar' which eventually went to Nargis Fakhri. After watching cocktail, it was evident that if Penty was cast in Rockstar, the film wouldn't have had as much impact.

Deepika Padukone, for one, has actually learnt some acting skills. Compared to what she was in 'Om Shanti Om', she has come a long way. Also, she carries off her designer wear with aplomb. Amidst all the gloom, her acting is an asset to the film.

Where the film fails are with its poor writing and shallow characters who are seen partying around most of time as if they are on an unending holiday. None of them have must depth to their personality. Boman Irani & Dimple Kapadia contribute to some funny moments, but isn't enough to keep it going.

The worst thing about cocktail is that it aligns with the hypocritical Indian moral view where Veronica, the promiscuous party-girl is a bad girl while a god-fearing and docile type casted Meera is supposedly virtuous and gets the guy in the end. All this when our hero manages to 'patao' every other girl around except Meera. Maybe it's only the hunt that gets him interested in her rather than anything else.

Songs like 'Tumhi Ho Bandhu', 'Daaru Desi' are already runaway hits. But with Pritam being the Music Director, we would never know the source till one looks up YouTube with the search string 'pritam songs + copy' . As far as the Punjabi folk song 'Jugni' is concerned, the movie makers have purchased rights for its use.

'Cocktail' comes across as a confused film. Did they want to show a purely romantic flick like 'Love Aaj Kal' exploring urban relationships? Or did they want to play safe with some 'homely girl vs. party girl: who gets the boy' theme? Or was this meant to be a comedy? In fact, it is a cocktail of these three, with the recipe gone awry.

Now for the verdict: Don't be fooled by its name coz this cocktail isn't going to get you intoxicated. Probably, one can call it a mock-tail instead. Don't even watch it on TV.

Rating 4/10: Average fare romance flick with shallow characters

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