ZINDAGI NA MILEGI DOBARA (2011) - HINDI

           ZINDAGI NA MILEGI DOBARA directed and written by ZOYA AKHTAR was one of the most anticipated movie of the year. The film starred HRITHIK ROSHAN and KATRINA KAIF in the lead along with FARHAN AKHTAR and ABHAY DEOL who played prominent roles in the film.

          ABHAY DEOL(KABIR) is about to get married. KABIR's friends are FARHAN(IMRAN) and HRITHIK(ARJUN). The trio had planned that if any of them is getting married, they would go for a bachelor's trip to where they will visit three different places with each having a surprise for the rest in one location. So the three musketeers ARJUN, KABIR and IMRAN visit SPAIN for KABIR's bachelor trip. It is in this trip, the trio befriends KATRINA KAIF (Laila) and they together explore the beauty of SPAIN with some romances and various other drama happening to the trio in the trip.

         HRITHIK plays the role of a stock broker(ARJUN) who has a great thirst for money. Arjun is not so good at relationships as he sees money as his first goal and his job as the only means to earn so much money by the age of 40 and retire by age of 40. But FARHAN's character is completely different from arjun. Farhan(Imran) is a painter cum writer who seeks to meet his dad who left him and his mom some 20 years ago. Imran does not have a great deal for money, but he is very much interested in women. He is so good at enchanting women such that in the past he made the girl who was about to marry Arjun to become his girlfriend. Thus Arjun and Imran dont do well with each other because of this issue. ABHAY(KABIR) plays the role of a calm, cool guy who tries to please his Fiance who doesnt trust him and thinks that he is weak at women. Katrina plays the role of Laila, a trainer who trains people in deep sea diving as her summer vaccation job and spends her vaccation in spain to enjoy the beauty of SPAIN.

        The shots taken in spain were really awesome. Everything you would like to know about spain is shown in the film like Bull Fight, TOMATINA festival, etc. The funny fights between IMRAN and ARJUN added flavour to the film. The scenic beauty along with the romance of HRITHIK and KATRINA was a treat. I loved this film. Its a good film to pass time. To sum it up the film depicts the problems of the three friends have in their life and provides you a panoramic view on whether are they capable of overcoming it to achieve the goals of their life and lead a successful life.

MY RATING - 7.3/10

American History X (1998)

Director: Tony Kaye

Writer: David McKenna

Stars: Edward Norton, Edward Furlong and Beverly D'Angelo

My Review:

            American History X is one the best films I have ever seen. I would rate it the 2^nd best film of 1998 with only Roberto Benigini’s “Life is Beautiful above it of all the films that were released in that year. The film portrayed the life of Derek Vinyard, a racist and the leader of a gang of skinhead. Derek is arrested for murdering three men and is paroled after 3 years. Danny Vinyard, the younger brother of Derek is strongly influenced by his brother’s behavior. The life of Derek is brought to us through the words of Danny in his work called American History X.

            Edward Norton gave a great performance in the lead as Derek Vinyard. This performance fetched him an Oscar nomination for the Best Actor in the lead role. In this Oscar race, he was beaten by Roberto Benigini. I would rate this performance as the second best performance of the five that were nominated and the best was eventually crowned.  The role of Danny Vinyard was portrayed by Edward Furlong, who played the famous role of John Connor in The Terminator series. Furlong was the best pick for that role. The debutant director Tony Kaye directed only this feature film so far in his career apart from a number of documentaries. I personally believe the movie lovers have missed Tony Kaye for the past 12 years.

My Review: 8.8/10

The Last Samurai (2003)

 Director: Edward Zwick

Writers: John Logan (story), John Logan (screenplay)

Stars: Tom Cruise, Ken Watanabe and Billy Connolly

My Review:

            This film is one of my favorite films which starred Tom Cruise and Ken Watanabe. The Last Samurai is one of the few American films that portray the beauty of the Japanese culture. The plot of the film happens in 1870’s when the long American civil war had just got over. Nathan Algren (Tom Cruise) is an American civil war veteran who is hired by some Americans who wish to sell gun powders to the Japanese Emperor. But this westernization of the Imperial army has been condemned by the Samurai Warriors who are devoted to the sacred dynasty. Nathan Algren is hired to train the first set of combat soldiers in firearms and lead them in the attack against the Samurai Warriors. Samurai Warriors are led by Samurai Katsumoto (Ken Watanabe), a legend who is feared by everyone in Japan. Algren admires the Samurai tradition and their skills in fighting. The film narrates a story similar to that of 300 but in a different style.

            The performance of Ken Watanabe as Katsumoto was outstanding and it fetched him an Oscar Nomination. Tom Cruise also delivered a good performance as a lonely American in the midst of a number of Japanese. The drama in the film was beautifully portrayed by Edward Zwick. The background score composed by the legendary Hans Zimmer, added flavor to the film. The sounds and the scenarios were really awesome. The way the story was narrated and the climax sequences were the best. To sum it up, a good film from the bag of Edward Zwick with Ken Watanabe gaining prominence in the Hollywood.

My Rating: 7.9/10

The Last King of Scotland (2006)

Director: Kevin Macdonald

Writers: Peter Morgan (screenplay), Jeremy Brock (screenplay)

Stars: James McAvoy, Forest Whitaker and Gillian Anderson

My Review:

                The last king of Scotland is a film based on a novel written on the same name as that of the film by Giles Foden. This film stars Forest Whitaker as Idi Amin and James McAvoy as Dr. Nicholas Garrigan respectively. This film interweaves fiction with the historic past. This film depicts the brutality of Idi Amin, President of Uganda 1971-79 with the help of a fictional Character Dr. Nicholas Garrigan. Nicholas Garrigan who has just been qualified to practice medicine travels to Uganda to perform clinical duty and for adventure. There he befriends Idi Amin, a military commander who overthrows the president of Uganda and brings the country under his dictatorship.

                As the story moves on, the true face of Idi Amin is revealed to Dr. Garrigan. What does Dr. Garrigan confront is the rest of the film. Whitaker portrayed the role of Idi Amin, brainless brute as a Humorous person with pumped adrenaline which I liked very much. Both Forest Whitaker and James McAvoy have delivered their best performances. Their performances were praised by the critics all over the world. Whitaker for his role of Idi Amin claimed all the prestigious awards for acting- The Academy award, The Golden Globes, BAFTA and the SAG award. Kerry Washington’s performance was also good in the film.

                Kevin MacDonald made his directorial debut at the big screen in this film. He has taken a number of documentaries but this one took him to the next level of direction. The screenplay adapted in the film was good.  

My Review: 7.6/10

The Blind Side (2009)

Director: John Lee Hancock

Writers: John Lee Hancock, Michael Lewis

Stars: Quinton Aaron, Sandra Bullock and Tim McGraw

My Review:

            Well this film is one of the best films of 2009. I saw this film only after the Oscar was awarded to Sandra Bullock. Sandra Bullock’s performance was awesome. This film is based on the life incidents of Michael Oher, one of the best offensive tackles in the world of Football. Michael Oher, a giant kid from Mississippi who has no one to take care of him and no place to stay, is admitted in a school because of his ability to score hoops from anywhere.  Leigh-Ann Tughy (Sandra Bullock), the mother of SJ Tughy and Collin Tughy finds about Michael and provides him shelter in her home. She gets impressed by his behaviour and she brings him up.

            SJ Tughy (Jay Head) is the cutest of the cast. His role in the film is a big boost for the film. Whenever he and Michael appear in the screen, it’s like David and Goliath but in a comedy show. Sandra Bullock was great when she does anything for Michael. Quito Aaron who played the role of Michael Oher was also good. The scenes of his interview and Leigh-Ann teaching him how to play were excellent. Sandra Bullock won the three big awards for this film- The Academy Award, Golden Globes and the SAG Award.

My Review: 7.8/10

Conviction (2010)

Director: Tony Goldwyn

Writer: Pamela Gray

Stars: Hilary Swank, Sam Rockwell, Minnie Driver, Peter Gallagher

My Review:

                Conviction is a film based on a true story directed by Tony Goldwyn. Kenneth Waters (Sam Rockwell) is arrested and convicted for murder in the first degree and sentenced for life. Betty-Ann Waters (Hilary Swank), the little sister of Kenny and a mother of two, is not giving up on her brother and firmly believes that her brother is innocent. Betty-Ann decides to pursue law to become the Attorney of her brother. This film is all about the obstacles Betty-Ann faces in pursuing her penance of 18 years. Was her penance fruitful or a waste of life and career? Watch the movie to get the answer.

                Hilary Swank, the two time academy award winner was tailor made for the role. Whether it was a Mother, a Sister or an Attorney, she was impeccable and flawless. I loved every bits and pieces of her acting in this film. This film adds another feather on her cap.  Sam Rockwell was also good for his role of Kenny. He was great at scenes of his protest in the jail. Pamela Gray wrote the story very well. The way she described the characters was really good. The way the screenplay was adapted for the movie was great. Chipping in the clips from the past at right moments added spices and decorations to a beautifully served dish.

                Tony Goldwyn has directed this film to perfection. Paul Cantelon’s music was also good throughout the film. Especially the BGM when the credits roll off and the one before it were great. So Folks Conviction is one hell of a movie to watch and do not miss it. Feel the love for/of brothers and sisters, in fact it the only relation that last longer than any other. I being a little brother loved this film very much.

My Rating: 8/10

Moon (2009)

Director: Duncan Jones

Writers: Duncan Jones (Story), Nathan Parker (Screenplay)

Stars: Sam Rockwell, Kevin Spacey

My Review:

                Moon is a sci-fi drama that happens in the future where man had found a way to harvest energy from the largest source known to man, The Sun. The energy of the form of HE₃ is harvested on the Pink Floyd (The far side of the Moon) from the Sun and sent to the earth. “ The power of the moon is the power of our future”

                Sam Bell (Sam Rockwell) is under a three year contract on the Moon to harvest energy from the sun. He has only few weeks left in his contract and is very much excited to go back home. The long range communications to Earth are down for many years and not repaired due to budget cuts. But due to stress and excitement, he starts to hallucinate. This hallucination of him leads to a fatal accident. Then he is saved by Gerty, the robot.

                This story has a one big turning point after this, so I do not want to break your suspense. The entire film is on the shoulders of Sam Rockwell as he is the only human character in the film. The best scenes of the film were when Sam encounters the truth about him, when he shows his love for his daughter Eve and the Climax was at best. Sam Rockwell has delivered; he gave one of the best performances of his career. The music by Clint Mansell was good. The BGM throughout the movie was excellent. The story was well imagined and written and the way the plot was developed (Screenplay) was brilliant. Duncan Jones as a Director and Writer did great work in this film. The Visual Effects, Animation and the scenario were well chosen and perfectly executed.

My Rating: 7.9/10

Invincible (2006)

Director: Ericson Core

Writer: Brad Gann

Stars: Mark Wahlberg, Greg Kinnear and Elizabeth Banks

My Review:

                Invincible is a drama in the sport genre which narrates the life incidents of Philadelphia Eagles (NFL) superstar Vincent Papale. This biography starring Mark Wahlberg in the lead, portrayed how Papale got into the Eagles team and how did he perform. In 1976, due to budget cuts,a 30 year-old supply teacher Papale loses his job in the school.  His wife gives up on him and divorces him.  Then he works as a bartender and occasionally plays football with his friends in a parking lot. The then newly appointed coach for Eagles Dick Vermeil (Greg Kinnear) announces that he will conduct open tryouts for the team. Papale reluctantly appears for the tryouts and hence the legendary career of Vince Papale begins and it marked the golden period for the Eagles.

                The story was excellently narrated in the film. The football scenes were the best. During those scenes it feels as if we are watching a live match. Elizabeth Banks who performed the role of Janet Cantrell, was the perfect match for the role. The chemistry between Wahlberg and Banks were good. This biography was a plot driven film rather than a performance driven film. The Plot and the screenplay were the things that would keep you on the edge of the seat. Ericson core gave us a nice film, so do look at the life of the football star Papale who appeared for Eagles in 3 consecutive seasons.

My Rating: 7.3/10