IRON MAN 2 - REVIEW

IRON MAN - 2

So where did the last movie leave off. Oh yeah that's right, Tony Stark says he's Iron Man. OK, I thought they'd find a way around that and say that it didn't really happen. I was also dreading what this movie would be. I thought it would just be a money spinner. A cheesy rip-off of the first movie. But, I was wrong it was actually better.

The movie picks up with the Government asking Tony to hand over the Iron Man suit. I think you can guess how that request goes down. :) But from there on, the plot is stitched beautifully, with Ivan Vanko plotting and scheming to take Iron Man down. As with most Downey movies, you see his character fall down only to get up again better than before (not to be read as the bad guy wins - watch the movie, you'll understand - I'm not giving you the story).

How's the movie? It's great. The story is actually pretty good and it's different from other superhero movies and that's 'caus the hero is such an ass. Now if they could only find him some actual villains to fight Iron Man, the movie would actually get interesting. Really, Mickey Rourke just can't act. I'm glad he plays the Russian Ivan Vanko in the movie, that way he does not have too many lines. For the few that he has I don't think he does them justice.

I like Robert Downey Jr. I like his attitude and the way he portrays Tony Stark, and frankly he's the only shining light in the movie as far as acting goes. Oh no, wait. There was one more actor in this movie worth mentioning. Scarlett Johansson. She plays Stark's lawyer/bodyguard - and although she's got a very small role in the movie she plays it really well.

Don Cheadle finally gets to wear the suit and some of the scenes with him and Iron Man are quite cool. Especially in the big fight in the end. Ok, so now we have Iron Man's side kick as well. So what next? Iron Man 3? Or do we go straight to the Avengers ?

RATING : 3.75 on 5... (I'm not giving it a 4 because they should have made the Villain a bit more dangerous)

Rahul.

Note of congratulations to self :)

My 100th published Blog post. Wow, that took a long time.

I had similar blog about 3 years ago when I posted my 50th . I thought this would have come much sooner. Well I guess with me just blogging with reviews it does slow things down. Anyway - I'm going to keep going. I hope people keep reading.

Kick-Ass (Movie) Review

KICK ASS

Kick Ass, is a good 2 hours of Blood, Gore and Fun. It's about a teenage kid who decides to become a superhero. As he starts getting his ass kicked, he meets Hit Girl(Chloe Moretz), a 11 year old super hero is the real star of the movie. She fights crime with her father Big Daddy(Nicholas Cage).

Where Chloe's performance is brilliant and refreshing, Cage's performance was nothing short of terrible, he's literally wheezing through the performance. Chloe literally carries the movie & this pint sized superhero is one amazing act. Aaron Johnson who plays the role of Kick-Ass, is really just the narrator of the story, with a geeky goofy superhero thrown in here and there.

I'd say watch the movie, just because it's fun & I've not seen a movie worth watching in the theater's for a long time now. This is not a classic, but a lot of fun. 3/5.

Rahul

IPL on YouTube

I was really excited when I came to know that IPL would be available on You Tube and that they would be streaming the matches live was even better. But, then I heard that the matches would not be available in the US. That was a crushing blow... I thought that we would get to watch the IPL matches live. That would have been fun. Anyway, we at least got a consolation prize with the upload of highlights. Something is better than nothing I guess. A 3 hour game in 30 Mins is not so bad.

IPL On You Tube!

Rahul

Luck By Chance - Movie On DVD Review

As promised, here's the review for Luck By Chance. Another Hindi Film Industry story... It's a light story which goes along expected lines. Farhan Akhtar and Konkona Sen Sharma play their respective roles as usual with ease. I have never found myself thinking that they put an effort into acting or that their performances are over the top.

It's the canned, cliched and used a million times story of struggling actors and their life in the Hindi film industry. The movie centers on the life of Vikram Jai Singh , a theater actor, from Delhi and Sona, a bits and pieces actor, in Mumbai. It's the story of what happens when one of them gets the big break. The movie portrays so many of the movie industry's story lines and gossip in a very light and funny way. The movie is a satire while having a nice flowing story line. The number of special appearances from each and every actor in the industry was a bit too much. I guess I enjoyed this movie because I was sitting at home and this was a way to kill time and have a few laughs. There's not much story to write about here. By now, I'm sure you must have figured out the entire story. If you are bored one evening and don't know what to do, you could do much much worse than watching Luck By Chance. It's solid time pass. :)

I'd say 3/5...

Rahul

Karthik Calling Karthik - Review

Karthik Calling Karthik

Slick - That's the first word that came to my mind when I was watching this movie. You go through the story without for a second feeling like something is overdone or a scene under-performed.

I am very reluctant to write details about this movie in my review as it may give away parts of the plot. I am going to do this review in 2 parts. The first is just going be a review for those who want to know how the movie is. And second for those who have seen the movie and just wanted to read my blog, or for the strange person who wanted to know the details before they actually saw it. Either way, don't worry, am not giving away the plot in this blog. :)

Part 1: As the name suggests it's about Karthik Calling Karthik. The movie is really carried by this one line. Farhan Akthar plays the role with such ease that you forget that he's just 3 movies old. He plays the role of Karthik, a Accountant in a Construction company. The movie is about how he grows into his character and his love interest, played by Deepika Padukone. The movie flows beautifully, with both characters playing of each other with ease. The language in the movie is very much in tone with the setting as well. Hindi and English are used in appropriate amounts and you don't realize it when they switch between them. The music throughout the movie is mesmerizing and I loved it. Ok enough said. I thought the movie was really Good. So, I suggest if you are planning to watch it, go ahead.... it's worth it. You can read the rest of the review at your own peril. Because you may feel like I did, that this guy gave away too much of the story.

Part 2: OK here goes, I think KCK, is so brilliant because, just when you think you know what's going on it takes a turn, leaving you wondering what it is. KCK, begins with Karthik as a lost individual with psychological problems which arise from his childhood. He is madly in love with his co-worker Shonali, who does not even know he exists. He, in effect, is a door mat. Everyone just runs all over him. When he is at his wits end about to lose everything that mattered to him, he receives a call from another Karthik. From that scene on, the movie has this eerie edge to it. Farhan has this strange and amazing way to bring such strength and weakness into his voice that you find one Karthik who is this weak lost soul and the other is a strong force willing him along. With help from the guy on the phone, Karthik goes on to fix his life and get the girl of his dreams. Just when things seem to be going on predictably and you think hey this is just another one of those stories, hey it takes some pretty interesting turns. In the end the movie sorts its self out and all the questions are answered. But, at no point in the movie are you left disappointed or wanting for more. You will empathize with the character, and leave the theater saying great job. I did anyway.

I'll say this is another 4 on 5. I have seen quite a few good movies recently... This is the 3rd Hindi movie in recent times that I have given this rating. Wow. I'm actually impressed. Because I don't impress easily.

Farhan Akthar is a fast becoming one of my favorite actors. He has this strange easy way about him. He plays his parts so effortlessly that you find him really easy to relate to. This is only his second movie that I am watching. Very soon I'll be watching "Lucky By Chance" on DVD. Look out for that review.

Rahul.

My Name Is KHAN - Review

MY NAME IS KHAN

Well, I was pleasantly surprised. The trailers, the sneak peeks left me wondering. Was the movie too cliché, too full of song and dance routines. It was a Karan Johar movie after all.

The movie right from the get go was so polished. SRK plays the role of Rizwan Khan with such ease that even though you empathize with his character, who has Autism, you don't feel guilty laughing, when he does the most funny and child like things with total innocence. Of course less than two seconds later you find your heart strings being pulled by some beautiful moment. This movie pulls no punches, SRK with his head held down, walking around the country with so much of heart, that you can't miss it. One line that you hear in the movie over and over is "My Name is Khan - And I am not a Terrorist". It's filled with so much of meaning, but is at times over used.

The way in which the story is presented in a storytellers mode, is beautiful and you don't feel like you are going back and forth in the story. Kajol and SRK's chemistry has always been unmistakable and this movie is no exception. Their love story is so elegantly portrayed without ever taking the attention away from the main theme of the story.With the story opening up slowly and elegantly, literally blooming, I found every minute of the first half so captivating, that when the interval arrives you are in awe and are really worried that the second half is not going to live up to it.

Unfortunately, that is the case. Although the second half of the movie begins really strong and it takes the story forward, Karan Johar seems to drift and get too involved with almost super human feats. The movie would have been much better served as a story which continued only on his life and journey. The final scenes in the movie take away from a beautiful story and might have been avoided. But for these few scenes, this is one of the best hindi movies I have seen recently.For Karan Johan, I'll say one thing, most of his movies have these huge songs with a 100 extras singing and dancing in the background. I wouldn't say this movie does not have that, but all the songs fit perfectly into the story line. The story and concept is sweet and as I read rightly in some other reviews, sincerely executed.

The movie is 3.5 on 5 (but, just for the fact that it tugs at your heart so much I'll give it 4)

Rahul

Oh yeah.. About the other 2 hindi movies I liked as much as this one but didn't get a chance to review. They would be 3 Idiots and Kurbaan. I know 3 Idiots is no comparison as it's in another genre, and undoubtedly the best hindi movie ever. Kurbaan is a very elegant, thrilling story about terror that was really under rated. Saif Ali Khan and Kareena gave brilliant performances in that movie. With all the movies about 9/11.. MNIK and Kurbaan are 1 & 2.