X-Men Origins : Wolverine (2009)
Posted by: vijayasimhabr on: July 5, 2009
I have watched all the X-Men movies, and I remember this one scene from the the very first movie. It is the opening scene for Wolverine, and he is in a caged fight and takes a few savage blows from the other guy, who is not a mutant by the way, and after some time, as if he is bored, with one punch smashes the other fighter down. The sound, the high contrast camera work, all add up to a fantastic image projection to the character that is Wolverine. However, after that other characters are introduced (it is, after all a X-Men movie) and the focus is evenly distributed on all the characters for the rest of the movie.
When this movie was announced, I was, like yahoooooooo. Finally, I can get a 2 ½ hour version of the 2 minute scene which I have described above. Well, I never got it!!!
The movie sucks. Wolverine has some cool powers. He can heal, from almost any injury (even death) and he has retractable claws (made of bone in the beginning of the movie and made of adamantium by the end of movie). However, in spite of being a Wolverine movie, we hardly see these powers being shown. He is supposed to be bad-ass, and he was bad-ass in the previous movies. In this movie though, he prefers to punch even if the other guy is ready to kill him. What’s up with that? This is especially evident in the fights he gets into (and there a lot of them). I was hoping that there would be at least one scene, where wolverine is cut apart like hell, and I will get to watch him heal and put himself back together. A scratch on the forehead and that is all you get to see.
Also, since this a origin movie, they do show the transformation scene. God, they screwed this up big time as well. The dude has just been changed from made of bones to made of adamantium, and he finds out he has been tricked into it. He is angry, and what does he do? He runs. Why should he run? I mean, he can’t be killed. He has just got some indestructible metal in his body, so he is that much more dangerous. So, show the anger buddy. Rip the whole place apart, instead of running around butt naked!!! Use the claws and split apart of some of the mooks around you. No, did not happen. The flash back scenes of him being transformed in the original X-Men movies are any day better than this.
Another thing about wolverine is his rivalry with sabre tooth. Some really nice situations are set up so that, they can battle it outl. They are both unkillable. So, I am thinking, oh yeah it is gonna some bloodfest (but no deaths as they can heal quickly) with all kind of physical damage. Nope, not happening. All I get are some fistfights. Heh, if I want fist fights I will watch some kannada movies (which I do anyway).
And, the sheer number of characters. There is this fat guy whose skin cannot be damaged, the guy who can teleport, a girl who turns diamond, guy with laser eyes, the guy who shoots guns like hell, the guy who can charge things up… there roles are so small and insignificant that you can edit all their scenes out, without affecting the movie in anyway. Some times, it almost feels like another X-men movie (without all the coolness) than a Wolverine movie.
For all I know, these guys have no story to tell, which is okay because I am a huge comic book fan and I watch a comic book movie not for its awesome plot, but I do expect awesome visuals and memorable action scenes. There isn’t a single such scene in the entire movie. They build up situations, but fail to live it up. However, not everything is uncool about the movie. Wolverine, as portrayed by Hugh Jackman is simply good, but the real prize winner is Ryan Reynolds as Wade Wilson. He is a mercenary who does not shut his mouth up. Wade is probably the only the thing the movie does not manage to screw up, but they gave him so little screen time. Bummer.
I will just go and rent the previous movies, and hope that I will forget this movie was ever made. Actually, the trailer for the movie was more cooler than the movie itself.
2 out of 4.
Savari (2009)
Posted by: vijayasimhabr on: July 5, 2009
How many times have all of us seen this happen (Both in real life and in movies)? Boy falls in love with girl. Does not waste a second in revealing his feelings. Girl, after days/weeks/months of pampering, finally makes up her mind, about to say yes, when something colossal happens (caste issue or guy has bad habits or her parents oppose it or hero’s brother is a rowdy or whatever the story writer can come up with) and she has to abandon him and does so without has much as a 15 day notice period. she has covered her tracks well enough, to make it almost impossible for the hero to trace her back. The movie starts at this point, setting Abiram on journey, which is the Savari in the title.
All kannada movies are love stories, so is this one. However, there are more elements of a road movie here with the romance details taking the back seat. As the journey starts, he is quickly joined by Gaali Seena (who always introduces himself as Seena, Gaali Seena 
), and soon they form this dynamic duo, going through the same set of events, which each of them reflecting on it differently. There is Abiram, son a multi-crore industrialist and then there is Seena, who is on the other end of the money spectrum and is actually a bike thief. As the Savari continues, Abiram reflects on his love story and how it crashed, and the farther his search for Janaki continues, the more he gets to know about life. He sees how life start’s, the difficulties common man faces through the life, and the end of it as well, all in a span of a week or so. I guess, it is pretty much what Janaki wanted from him, and as expected, accepts him at the end. Woman Power!!!
I watch a lot of Kannada movies, and can usually find 10s of flaws. In this one, though, the director is really smart and to some extent genre savvy. He keeps the movie length short (it runs at less than 2 ½ hours) and tight editing to the point that there is not a single irrelevant scene. For example, at one point, there is a confrontation between Abiram and a local goon. Any other director would have setup a rather long 10 minute fight sequence with 15 goons being bashed up by the hero with all the destructible parts in the location (vessels made of mud, glass bottles, road side tea stall, plastic chairs) destroyed. Here this whole fight scene is wrapped up in 30 second, once the point is driven home. I liked that. There is a item song, again, the bomb shell lady wear’s something believable and it is written into the story in a smart way, rather than seeming like a add-on. Of course, it is still there for your viewing pleasure.
Director dude, has focused more on getting the scenes tight and on the editing to worry about the acting, so not much of a emotion display by the hero and heroine, though the guy playing gaali seena is good enough. The songs are dead on, probably as dead on as Milana. Still, if only the same movie could have been made without the love story background, now that would have been a real achievement.
3 out of 4.
Quantum of Solace (2008)
Posted by: vijayasimhabr on: November 28, 2008
Seriously?? Bond movie guys, you think you are doing the right thing?
Yes, you wanted to reboot, and you did it nicely, but why the fuck in hell, would you ruin everything you did?
Ten minutes into the movie I know I am gonna be bored. Your new director cannot direct action scenes. That conclusion I reached in 10 minutes. I kept waiting, the next scene is going to change my opinion. That scene never came. What is with the bad editing? Spend so much on stunts and all, and I never get to see a full shot.
I have my checklist (inside my head), which looks pretty sad.
Was there the gun barrel sequence? No.
Was there a catchy song with nude women visuals? No.
Did bond say, “Bond James Bond”? No
Did he get to use cool toys? Oh wait, No. I mean come on. If you are really doing a realistic movie, would it not make common sense, for Bond to at least have a car which has bullet proofing? So, MI6 is so short of funds, it is going let its best agent run around in a Car without even basic safety. That too, when he is escorting a critical lead. Stop bullshitting me.
Was there any smart lines and bedding involved? No.
Is the villain really a villain? No.
Does he even have a scary plan? No.
Was there even a single memorable scene? No.
Is this a James Bond movie, other than the lead characters name? No. I am sorry, it is not.
Was I at least entertained? No. I felt like sleeping, but since I had paid 200 bucks, I was forced stay awake to get my moneys worth.
This movie sucks. I will just assume that this movie was never made. Good luck with the next one.
Mummy The Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008)
Posted by: vijayasimhabr on: August 20, 2008
What the hell!!! Take a decent franchise, waste loads of money and ruin it. I remember watching the first mummy after standing in a long queue, and again the second one in a smaller but respectable queue. A plot of course is not expected of it, but where is the humor and action synonymous to this movie.
I went to see Rick O connell and evy raise, and then do there best effort to kill another mummy. I liked the trailer, and I liked the shift of scene to China. Dissappointment is all I got! 200 rupees down the drain. Too many characters on screen, and nobody gets credit for anything. Some dude, who is Rick’s son unearth’s the mummy. That too in a very simple fashion with a few booby tricks thrown in for ‘effect’. You are in china, come up with some original tricks for gods sake. If Rick and eve are retired then why make a movie in the first place. Most of the action scenes are done by, oh wait, no not Rick, but his son. Again for what joy. I know the director cannot just ‘delete’ the fact that a son was introduced in the second movie, but I don’t see any problem why any of the scenes done by this son, could not have been done by Rick himself. Is Brendan Fraser getting too old to act in the next mummy movie? No wonder Rachel weiz did not want to act in garbage of a movie. There are so many characters in this movie. There is Rick, evy, his son, jonathan, some chinese babe, her mom. Not one of them have a single good scene. I don’t even want to mention the chinese mummy emperor because he is not even half as cool as the other mummies. Not worth watching. Just do not watch it. I say this with confidence, as the only other 5 individuals, who were sitting in the theatre with me, sure did not watch it.
Incredible Hulk (2008)
Posted by: vijayasimhabr on: July 5, 2008
Hulk Smashes, and How. I have seen the previous movie, and I must say, the new one is the movie I have been waiting for. Not having to compare to other super hero movies, because Hulk is no super hero. He is just some guy, who (like most other fiction dudes) by accident gets radiated by gamma rays (what else?), and gains this ability to become huge, green monster. The caveat is that, he has to be angry to become like that.
The approach taken in this version, is much more straight. Hulk is not about drama. It is about Hulk. Edward Norton, looks like a wimp, which is what Bruce Banner is. And Hulk is ungly and ferocious, which is what Hulk, and there is a awesome villain in the form of Abomination. There is the pretty lady, who is the only one Bruce loves. Hulk action is there, and there is a fantastic climatic battle, which is simply fantastic. The sound, the punches being pulled, everything is great. Awesome movie. Please go watch it.
Speed Racer ( 2008 )
Posted by: vijayasimhabr on: July 5, 2008
I loved it. One word, and I will say it again. I simply loved it. Washowski brothers, really blowed me away with their ability to keep things simple, and what an effort. I remember watching Speed Racer cartoon, when I was a kid. The cartoon was set in the 60s about this guy Speed ( yep, his name itself is Speed, and his family name is Racer ) and about cars fitted with unique mechanics and every show was about unique dangerous races. Washowski brothers have brilliantly transformed the cartoon into a wonderfull futuristic crazy CG world. Some people may have complaints, but for people like me, who watched the cartoon, the scenery fits perfectly.
The story is simple. Speed Racer is a great racer, who is invited to be part of Huge Enterprise by the villain, and hell the truth is this billionaire has been fixing races for years. Of course Speed, would not want any part it, and the rest of the movie is how he manages to win the greatest races of all, the Grand Prix. The movie has no plot. Just go to the theatres, with the entire family ( including kids, as there is no nudity or profanity. Yes, there is a kiss, but, well you get an onscreen warning about it. : ) ), sit back and be thrilled.
Iron Man ( 2008 )
Posted by: vijayasimhabr on: July 5, 2008
I am not very familiar with the source material of ‘Iron Man’, but I must say that it is a neat movie. Of Course, the movie is not as amazing as Spiderman or Batman. He’s got no genetic powers. He is just a regular guy wearing a powered suit. Tony Stark aka Iron Man is a billionaire genius, who after a episode of danger realises the ill effect his own destructive weapons have on the lives of other people. So, he decides to suit up, and start saving the world. The suit, which of course is awesome, but reminds me of two things. The way RoboCop used to walk, and the last flying scene from ‘Jingle All the way’. Nevertheless, this movie is a decent start to a franchise, but it does not have a real villain to boast of. Also, Iron Man takes forever to show up on screen, but I do like Robert Downey style in the movie, with his funny lines now and then. Good movie. You can definitely watch once, but make it a point to watch in a good movieplex with decent sound system or forget it.
Horton says Who (2008)
Posted by: vijayasimhabr on: July 5, 2008
The movie says the story of One Elephant i.e. Horton, and its simplest belief that every person is important, no matter how smaller they are. One fine day, Horton comes across a speck, from he hears a sound, and is convinced that the speck contains a person. A friendly elephant that he is, he is more than happy to tell anyone, about this speck especially children. This raises alarm, in a kangaroo, which thinks that Horton is corrupting the imagination of children in the jungle, motivated by a huge ego, wants to stop Horton from speaking about the really tiny person inside the speck. What follows is Hortons struggle to save the speck, which indeed houses the city of Whosville, which contains thousands of little people. Horton, manages to establish contact with the mayor of city, who is simply called mayor, and realises that the survival of tiny people depends on the safety of the speck, and pledges everything to ensure it.
The movie on a higher level, speaks of how ego can ruin things, and also to respect an individual for what he is, rather than how large or small he is. A wonderfull movie for kids as well as adults. Excellent animation, great imagination in every scene of Whosville, and wonderfull sound effects. Must see. My only complain is that, the movie is very short.
Gaalipata (2008)
Posted by: vijayasimhabr on: July 5, 2008
The movie is a collection of three love stories, which develop and end in a expected sort of way. It kick starts with a josh song ( other kannada movies try to do the same, but in this movie it really works ), followed the three leads, leaving behind bangalore city for some escape time to Mugilupete, a place where the hills are closer to the clouds. On arrival, they bump into three ( yep, exactly three. It could have been two or four? He he ) daughters, of the retired army colonel ( as if he knew 25 years ago, that 3 guys will drop by 25 years later ), and how all three fall in love and conclude with arrangements for marriage is what the movie is all about.
Each love story has its own developing ways. One pair has the gender roles reversed. Another pair with a huge age gap. The only normal, as you have come to know, story is of course between the lead pair, but again the director puts in a small kahani mein twist, so that drama can be put in regular intervals. The movie is funny, and has great songs. It does not have a great story to boast of and there is definitely no anti-clilmax. So, watch it for the neat, simple story and some great songs.
