movies.. movies...

Alright, in the last 10 days, I got to watch 3 movies. Yea, I can see the raised eye brows and hear the surprise gasps. What can I say? It is raining good movies (should I say, big titles) in Hyderabad. After along draught, this was necessary. So, let me give a quick and dirty review.

Powered by: Chakpak.com	Jodhaa Akbar

Jodha Akbar : If you are one of those bollywood fans, who enjoys song and dance routines, who does not mind sitting through 3:30 hour long sagas, who rents cassette of every damn released desi movie for $1 from Indian stores, this movie is for you. If you are one of those who is born with a good taste, who crossed over to better movies after temporary insanity, you can happily pass this off. Believe me, you won’t miss a thing in life. I definitely have high regard for Ashutosh Gowarikar’s directing abilities. All the hard work and research he did can be clearly seen in the movie. But, Jodha Akbar, at the best, can be compared to docudramas that are generally telecast in History channel. After seeing pretty Aishwarya and a handsome Hritik for three hours one comes out of the theater, wondering where is the story? Seriously, for a much touted magnum opus of this scale, you better have a good story and at least some great scenes that will last forever in viewer’s mind. I was expecting something like the chariot race in Ben-hur or parting of the sea in Ten commandments. Nope, all I can remember is, pretty Aishwarya in a Rajput dress, Hritik raging with anger in a scene or two and the best, a sufi song. This movie only goes to show that we can make technically great movies and match Hollywood but we are still miles behind in Story, Screenplay and Editing. Forgot to mention, due credits should be given to Hritik and Aishwarya.

American Gangster: There are some movies you can catch on dvd and some you have to catch only on a big screen. With Denzel Washington and Russel Crowe I was expecting a movie of the second kind. The movie is very well made. The movie runs at such a frantic pace that it is impossible to get bored. Denzel and Russel just scorch the screen with their acting. But this movie just falls short of perfection. Why? I think its more to do with the subject. Cops Vs Drug lords is a topic beaten to death. I don’t think it excites the viewer any more and watching Russel Crowe playing honest cop was like watching LA Confidential all over. Nevertheless, you can watch this movie on DVD with out complain. If you like technical aspects of movie making, this is a must watch.

LionsforLambs: All hail Robert Redford. Here is a guy, in spite of being of the heartthrob of his era, dared to be different, avoided being typecast as a handsome, gun totting hero and became known for his good cinematic skills. When I saw the trailer of this movie, I was bowled by the cast. Robert Redford, Meryl Streep, Tom Cruise and Michael Pena. Wow, what an ensemble?
Let me get into story a little bit. There are three threads running in the movie, all happening at the exact time. (1) An upcoming senator (Tom Cruise) is giving an exclusive to a critically acclaimed, probing journalist (Meryl Streep). (2) Two soldiers (Michael Pena and another black guy) are fighting the US battle in Afghanistan. (3) Robert Redford, a professor in a west coast university is trying to talk one of his smart students about his apathy to life.
Redford tries to project anomalies of the contemporary American society in three different threads all bound to one another. I don’t want give any more details but I think this is a great movie. Actors did a great job. Tom Cruise as the preppy senator with lot of empty talk, Meryl Streep as the journalist with conscientious and Redford as a professor with a cause. After a wonderful performance in Crash, I thought Pena was underutilized in the movie. This is must watch movie for serious cinema lovers and all politics interested guys over there. Get the dvd tomorrow.