Invictus - Movie on DVD Review

Invictus - A beautifully crafted true story. A Must Watch

Nelson Mandela became the President of South Africa at the end of Apartheid, but was left with a country to re-build, a people to re-unite. Invictus is the story of one of these efforts to re-unite his people to mend the soul of the nation. He recognized that Rugby is a passion that can be used to divide and unite. He used it to inspire François Pienaar the captain of the team and to unite a country. As he said, "One Country, One Team!"

The story has a wonderful mood throughout, it keeps you gripped and that's due in part to music. The African music in the movie is mesmerizing. The story really makes you feel for the country and the amount its had to endure. It makes you know these men, Nelson and Francois and their road to that championship. I know this story is but a small page in Nelson Mandela's life but this movie shows you how much he cared for his nation and his people. His ability to forgive and move on and teaching his people to do the same.

The movie's leading stars both put in brilliant performances. Morgan Freeman looks hauntingly like Nelson Mandela, but for the fact that he's a few inches taller, you can't but think about the similarity in their appearances. As expected from him, his performance is flawless. The accent, the way he carries himself. There couldn't have been a better person to play the part. Matt Damon's portrayal of the Springbok team captain is earnest. One meeting with Mandela and he's a man inspired and he continually tries to inspire his team to play for entire nation.

All in all. For a movie on DVD. 4.5 on 5. Go watch it.


Rahul.

Raavan - Review

Raavan - This inspiration from Ramayana is worth a watch

The trailers of this movie have kept a lot of people in anticipation of another brilliant movie by Mani Ratnam. The movie does not disappoint. You are kept entertained and engrossed all through the 2 hours of the movie.

In this interpretation of Ram and Raavan, Raavan is the most hardened dacoit in town and Ram is the cop sent in to slay him where everyone else has failed. The movie is very differently styled from most other movies I have seen. The colors, the music and the mood of the movie all fit perfectly to create a very artistic movie. Oddly, that was one of the things that I said when I was leaving home to go watch the movie. "I don't really like Arty movies...I don't know if am going to really enjoy the movie". But I did. My mistake. I shouldn't have doubted that the movie would be quality.

But don't get me wrong the movie is far from brilliant. It's a good movie and worth a one time watch at the movies.Abhishek Bachchan tries his best to portray Beera as a mad, dangerous, gentle and at the and of the day a highly conflicted individual. And he does quite well in most regards. There are times in the movie where you really feel for his character. But he really does not have to put his hand at the side of his head every 15 minutes and shout "chaka chaka chaka chaka". It seems a strange way to show he's mad.Vikram, plays the role of the DSP to the best of his ability in his first hindi movie. This modern day crusader for good however is no way all pure. He's shown in very well constructed shades of grey. One felt that he would make a much better Raavan. Which is why I feel the Tamil version may actually be better. We'll let's see. I may just update this post once I've seen that one.Aishwarya Rai actually delivers one of her better performances. She plays the strong and willful Ragini with amazing grace.

Why should you watch this movie? If you want to see something different. Something that keeps you hooked till the very end and see something stunning for the eyes and ears. Mani Ratnam, A R Rahman. Way to Go!

I'd say 3.65/5

Rahul.

The One Day Overhaul

What do we do with ODI Cricket?

One Day Cricket the literal middle child of Cricket. Years ago, it was the dynamic, young version of cricket that would bring in some interest to the great game of cricket. Face it, how much ever we all love test cricket, no one could claim to have the time to watch 5 days of action. The one day game made sense. But fast forward to our generation and ODIs are today where Tests were back then. No one has the time to watch an entire day of cricket. People want fast satisfaction, introduce the 20/20. All said and done, the format is a raging success (due in major part to the IPL). Test cricket now is strong and most matches have results. The influx of ODIs and Twenty 20's have ensured that the style of cricket has changed (Tests have gone down the road of old wine, I suppose). So, that leaves us to ask, what of ODIs? Does cricket really need 3 formats?

The number of experiments that have been done with ODI's over the years tend to suggest that there is a problem with the format. There is a cut that does not seem to heal. Think about it. ODI's started as a 60 over game and very soon it was cut down to 50 overs a side. That's the format that most of us would remember growing up. 50 overs a side, fielding restrictions in the first 15 overs, no bouncers and amazing cricket. ODI's in the 90's was a joy to watch, with enigmatic players and fierce rivalries. The generation of Waqar, Wasim, McGrath, Warne, Walsh, Ambrose, Donald ensured a balance between the bat and ball. Brilliant batsman emerged who destroyed them. It was all part of the fun. But as time went on, pitches became better, bowlers were not as special.ODI's lost their balance, batsmen started dominating and the changes came in thick and fast.The One Bouncer Per Over, allowing bowlers to use all their skills. The Super Sub, allowing captains to swap out a player at one time in the game. The Free Hit, you can't get out the ball after a no-ball. The Power Plays, changing up the 15 over fielding restrictions into 3 slots. The Batting Power Play, giving control of one of the power plays to the batting side. The Referral, letting players question the umpire's decision. Some of these changes were for the good. They made sense, the bouncers and the free hits improved the quality of the cricket. The Batting power play introduced a new tactical angle to the game.

But none of these changes have been able to address the major problem of ODIs. The Middle Overs.The time in the game between the fielding restrictions and the final 5-10 overs where the batting team consolidates and the the bowling team tries to get it's weaker bowlers out of the way. It produces some dull cricket. The problem has been exaggerated with the introduction of T20s. The reason T20s are a success because they just cut out the problem in the ODI game. It's just a shorter, faster version of it's predecessor. But, I feel the T20s are missing something. They are missing the soul of the game. The game is too fast. It does not provide a chance for the a player to test all his skills. It does not allow a plan to be formed. And although T20 is the format of choice today, all of us would agree that ODIs are something different. They have a place of their own. All of us will remember sitting in front of our TVs and bitting our nails during a thrilling ODI. But not too many of us can remember too many T20s.

England and South Africa have already changed their domestic one day competitions to 40 overs a side. Shorter the game, shorter the boredom? Hmm.. I don't think so. That may not be the answer. 40 overs or 50 overs. It does not make too much of a difference. If there is a talk of a over haul. Over haul it the right way. Turn it out side down, inside out. Come up with something new. Something that will work. So is there an answer?

So, what do we do? Cricket Australia thinks they have the answer. Make the ODI a mini Test match. Break it down into a 4 inning game of 25 overs each.Okay, it's not a revolutionary idea. It's one that's made it's rounds in cricket for a long time. It's been whispered and discussed but never tired out. So here's it's chance. But how would it work? It would be no better than 2 back to back T20's if the teams restarted each innings with all 10 wickets intact. Don't worry, CA has the solution. Not only would the new ODI format carry over the runs, but also the wickets lost in the previous innings.What that means is that a batsman can bat only once and the second innings could potentially see only tail enders at the wicket. This may produce some really lopsided contests.

I think the CA model warrants and honest trial. People are assuming that the second innings could see only tail enders bat. But that may not be the case. You may land up seeing that captains are smarter than that. If they loose 2 or 3 wickets in their first time out, they are going to send out the tail enders to hold up the innings, so that the rest of the batsmen can have another chance the second time around.There might be a total re-structure in the way a team is selected. They may want 3 openers, 2 middle order batsmen and 3 all rounders in each team to bring in the balance. But there are other things that they could try. This is a 4 inning game but each person gets to bat only once. Am also assuming that each bowler will get only 5 overs each. So why not split the wickets as well? You can loose only a maximum of 5 wickets in an innings. This will allow teams to use their batsmen strategically based on the nature of the nature of the game and the pitch. They would also need a new follow on rule. So if the team batting second does not get within 100 runs of the oppositions score they can be asked to follow on. Of course the innings victory concept would still remain, if the team batting second bowls out the opposition twice for less than their first total. This may be an amazing way to watch the player cope with the pressures of the test match in a single day.

The 2011 World cup in South Asia may be the last of it's kind if the trials go well and world cup doesn't. I don't know how many people will miss it and how many will embrace the brave new world. But I don't expect major changes overnight after the world cup because if the world cup goes well Haroon Logart said nothing would change. And in India I don't expect the World cup to be a disaster. But I don't think that's the right attitude. It's a good idea and it should be at least tried at the international level as an experiment in bi-lateral series. It will take time to evolve and it must be given that opportunity. Maybe it should be a choice for bi-lateral series for teams to decide what format of ODI's they want to play, that would help experiment with ideas a the highest level.

Well.. just my thoughts..Also read what Harsha Bhogle & Dean Jones had to say on Split innings One dayers... I think the first article has some really valid points. But Dean Jones' idea would dilute the quality of the competition.

Rahul..
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POST SCRIPT: August 13th 2010 - Too many changes too soon.

Today, Cricket Australia (CA) announced that they have approved the Split innings one day competition for the upcoming one day season. The players are not happy that it will be all season long as they feel it will affect their World cup preparation, but the board says they have done what the fans want. That's not my problem with this change. The problem I have is with the number of changes they are making.

They could have just made the game 25 overs per side, with wickets carrying over, but they have tweaked it much more.. I think it will confuse players and fans. Here's the rundown of what they are doing,

• 45 overs a side - First innings will be 20 overs and the Second will be 25.

This one gives the second innings more time.
It makes sense. It's more important. It decides the game

• 12 players per side. Any 11 can bat and any 11 can field.

My biggest problem is with this change.
Cricket is a 11 man game. Stick to that.
This was tried before in a different way with the super sub and it didn't work.
Why again? It does not add value.

• Two Bouncers per over - Enough said.

This change is cool.

Enough of 400+ scores, go bounce those batsman out.

• 2 Balls throughout the game for each team

Really? - One new ball at each side which goes throughout both innings.
I don't know how this will work.
One ball may wear out more than the other, one may swing more than the other.
Where do you keep the other ball - with the umpire?

• 12 Overs for a bowler throughout the game

Yeah OK. So I need only 4 bowlers in the side.
That's good for most international teams, who don't play 5 bowlers anyway.
I think we may see teams playing just 3 specialist bowlers now.

• Insane Field Restrictions - Overs 1-5 = 2 fielders outside the circle; 6-20 = 4 outside; 21-25 = 2 outside, 26-45 = 4 outside & NO POWER PLAYS.

The first innings is slap, bang, boom and the second is supposed to even it out.
Yikes, all the best to the cricketers to remember this.
The power plays didn't add much to the game, it don't think it will be missed.

The trial is a big leap in itself. Why muddle with the entire game. This is trying to bite off more than you can chew. They are either trying to kill the idea or drive away the traditionalists. I still hope the trial goes well, but at the end of it some committee comes together and says, "Split innings makes sense, but these other rules don't".

Let me sign off with this quote from James Sutherland about the changes.

"The public told us to act and we have," he said. "The fans told us, through formal research, that they like ODI cricket best, but they want to see it refreshed and they want to see it with a short-form identity that is distinctively different from fast-emerging T20 cricket.

Read the entire article at Cricinfo

Rahul...

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Avatar - The Last Airbender - TV Series

Avatar - The Last Airbender - More than Just a Cartoon for Kids.

It took me 2 Weeks to get through 3 seasons of this animated series from Nickelodeon. From the Boy in the Iceberg to Sozin's comet, almost every episode of this animated series is worth a watch. The series does have a Anime flare to it added with a touch of American influences.

The story is set in a world that's divided into four nations based on the four main elements, Air, Water, Earth and Fire. In each of these nations there are people known as Benders, who can control these elements. The Avatar is a Bender, who masters all 4 elements and keeps the balance between the nations. Every time an Avatar dies, he is re-incarnated in the next element.

After the Fire Avatar disappeared, the Fire nation attacked the other elements in a bid to conquer the world and destroy the Avatar. But as you may expect he miraculously survived. The Last Air Bender.

The Avatar, known as Aang is found by two children from the southern Water tribe called Kitara and Sokka. The series chronicles their journey as the Avatar tries to learn the other elements in order to be able to beat the Fire Nation. Along the way they meet new friends and save many people, bringing hope where all was lost.

As all Good vs. Evil stories, you know who's going to win. But this series has some surprising nuances that I didn't expect in a kids show. If you are a fan of Sci-Fi or fantasy. If you like Anime, I'm sure you'll love this series. All the action, comic escapes, innocence and gripping story line that you'd expect is all in here.

It's a must watch. 4.5/5... Have Fun!

I was curious about the series because of the trailers for the upcoming movie. I wanted to know what it was about. When I started, never did I think I'd run through it at this pace. Now let's see if M. Night. Shamylan can do the series justice. Watching the trailers, I can see that the world of the Avatar is portrayed with all sincerity, but am not sure how much of the comic element would stay in the movie adaptation. Let's hope fr the best. The first part of a possible trilogy is slated for a July 2nd release.

Update July 25th 2011 - After seeing the reviews on this movie, I decided to give it a pass at the time. I started watching the movie a few days ago. It was the most boring thing I have seen in ages. I couldn't even get through an hour of the movie. It's way too compressed. They have tried to be faithful to the cartoon. But you really can't put an entire season into a 2 hour movie. I'll say watch the series, give the movie a pass.

Rahul..

A-Team Movie Review

The A-Team... There should have been a plan B

The re-make of this '80s TV series, does not really have too much in it to be a fun time at the movies. So much that my wife actually fell asleep on and off in the movie...

I went for the movie expecting something ridiculous. I saw a few reviews that said it was over the top and I assumed that would mean an hour and a half of nonsensical laughter.

Unfortunately, even though the movie is quite ridiculous, there aren't too many scenes that make you laugh or action sequences that make you go WOW other than, the one at the end with the cargo crate slight of hand.

But, this movie I suspect will do well on DVD and on TV. It's one of those movies that you watch because you have nothing better to do. I wouldn't recommend going to watch this movie at the theater. Give it a few months and catch it on DVD.

On the whole, the movie is just below average... 2.3/5 Watch it at your own risk. You may enjoy it

Rahul

Raajneeti - Review

RAAJNEETI - Action Packed Drama that loses itself along the way

Politics and Way beyond! This Prakash Jha movie tries to show the political system at it's worst with the corruption, violence, back stabbing and scheming associated with the political system. It's mixed with solid Indian movie masala in an attempt to make a blockbuster.

The movie is about politics in Madhya Pradesh, and about a political family. The family has held the state for decades.The movie starts of slow, introducing all the characters and trying to set the scene. But after the first 15 minutes the movie picks the pace and pulls you in. Right at the start you feel, oh man these guys are going to mess it up. With a filmy scene where Nana Patekar puts a baby in a basket in the river. Why did the upcoming Dalit have to be related to the biggest political family. Anyway, after a while you tend to forget that detail as the story pulls you in. Almost all the actors in this movie do their roles justice and you are at the edge of your seat.

The story of this political family of Bhanu Pratap & Chandra Pratap, is helped by a brilliant cast of actors, Arjun Rampal (Prithvi Pratap) & Manoj Bajpai (Veerendra Pratap) who play their sons vying for their father's crowns. You feel from the get go that this is a fireball waiting to explode. It would take just a spark. That spark was Bhanu Pratap getting a stroke. From there the party gets factionalized by the cousins as the story builds.

The illicit son Sooraj Kumar, played by Ajay Devgan is a youth Dalit leader who wants the best for his village and will stand up to any leader in his way.The final twist is added by the entry of the US return Samar Pratap (Ranbir Kapoor), you really don't know what he's doing in the movie at first, but as the story builds you realize that this is one of the best performances by this young actor.

All the actors are supported brilliantly by Nana Patekar, who plays the king maker and advisor of the family, Brij Gopal. The cunning and danger of this character is evident through out the movie.

When the movie started, my wife and I were trying to figure out which political party they are trying to depict. It took us 20 minutes to realize, all they had done was take the worst each of them had to offer and make this story. I guess the problem with the movie is that it tends to get very filmy every 20 mins or so. Brilliant potential. Horribly ended.

So, let me rate this movie this way. Except for the last 20 minutes, the movie is 3.5/5.

But for the slow drawn out ending & unnecessary plot twists I'm going to say the movie is just below average. But definitely worth a watch. All in all. 2.9/5

Rahul