Faster, and More Ferocious Than Ever

Brian o'Conner, protagonist of the series

                            Action movie buffs, car enthusiasts and quite simply, die-hard fans of one of the few movie series that hasn’t been ploughed into the ground quite yet have a reason to love 2013. The sixth instalment of the Fast and Furious series serves to provide nothing short of pure adrenaline surging entertainment, apart from knitting together a few gaps in what, till now, seemed to be a very randomly developing storyline.

                In a nutshell, the movie deals with how Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his crew of wanted street racers take out a rogue British Special Forces soldier, Owen Shaw (Luke Evans), being hired for the task by Diplomatic Security Service agent Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) in exchange for their acquittal, as well as valuable information regarding Toretto’s former love interest, Letty (Michelle Rodriguez), who was earlier presumed dead. Brian o’Conner (Paul Walker), Roman Pearce (Tyrese Gibson), Tej (Ludacris), Han Lue (Sung Kang), Gisele Harabo (Gal Gadot) and Mia Toretto (Jordana Brewster) reunite with Dominic to spread some vehicular mayhem in this grand sequel. In spite of having quite the cliché action flick plot, if you look at the series as a whole after watching the sixth part, the gradual transition from street racing to drug cartels and bank robberies and now international criminals isn’t really that badly constructed. It simply can’t be helped, however, if you are one who seeks some sort of fanciful enlightenment from an awe-inspiring tale that speaks to your soul. There are movies like this one that have a simpler sort of appeal to them, and aren’t quite entirely stupid.

Roman (Tyrese) gettin' some air

                As stated earlier, the film is an absolute treat for action movie fanatics. Staying true to its purpose, the film has numerous fast-paced, nail-biting car chases that retain the beauty of the previous movies, and yet do not feel redundant in the least. Fight sequences have gained prominence in the series since the fourth movie, and they have improved over the instalments, although it can’t be said that they’re special in any way. There’s a lot of good humour to be enjoyed as well, chiefly owing to Roman, who has already been thoroughly established as the clown of the series, though I must say, Tej totally killed it with “You’ve gone from Shaggy to Scooby. This is something we don’t doooo…” And what’s also important is that the humour is well placed, and doesn’t spoil the movie’s atmosphere one bit. For automobile fanatics, well, if you enjoy cinematic, dramatized races, you will have a swell time. I also personally liked the symbolism, however infinitesimal it may be, that lay in the Skyline and Charger models gifted to young o’Conner (or was it Toretto?). In addition to these rather worldly aspects, the film beautifully illustrates how man’s soaring planes and lethal tanks are naught in comparison to almighty gravity and a good tow cable.

                Among the many outrageous stunts performed in the movie, the one which has a love-stricken Toretto flying high, right out of his crashed Charger, to catch a forsaken, and rather bewildered Letty mid-air as the tank she’d helped steal is towed away to a watery grave, successfully touches intricately crafted cheesiness of the highest order. Thankfully enough, there isn’t any other scene which would make you scorn your very existence and fuel the urge to pluck your eyeballs out. Apart from that, one of the other flaws to be noted was the complete lack of reluctance on the crew’s part in flying down to meet Toretto when Hobbs first put the task in front of him, which I felt added some slight character inconsistency. I mean, they’re not a bunch of crime fighters who’d say “do or die” without a second thought. Especially not Roman. Another point to question is, why would Fenix (the scary looking guy in the flashback) hesitate in the least to shoot Letty? I always thought of him as a cold, merciless buffoon. In addition, obsessive gearheads might say it lacked tech-talk and a general street racing appeal, but in my opinion, it had just about as much of that as the first few movies. There isn’t much of anything else to slander this movie with. If you’re really intent on stating that the laws of physics were being inconsiderately mocked at every step, you should probably go film someone playing around with a driving simulator. As far as I’m concerned, they did a great job with the action sequences throughout, leaving out Toretto’s Astro Boy moment.

Dominic Toretto - unarguably one of the biggest badasses in cinema

                All in all, it’s definitely a movie worth watching, more than once even, depending on your taste. Having wrapped up pretty much all loose ends and set the stage for the next instalment through quite the spicy post-credits scene, the Fast and Furious team seems ready to deliver what is prospectively the grand conclusion to this enduring series, which certainly leads to speculations – will Sean Boswell (Lucas Black), the prodigal Drift King of Tokyo, return to play a major role in the final chapter? Will the events of Tokyo Drift, other than, quite obviously, Han’s death, have major repercussions on what’s to come? Will Braga (John Ortiz), the chief antagonist from the fourth instalment, escape from prison and add to the chaos? There’s a lot to expect from the next movie, set to roll out in 2014. In that respect, the upcoming Need for Speed movie will only do better if it has a story substantial enough to put down this well established franchise, which one would deem highly unlikely for obvious reasons. The F&F crew’s had a great run so far, and it’s dead certain that till the very end, they’ll ride, or die.

Bilbo, Snow and Thirteen Dwarves

It's been a while since I've written. College life, exams and other stuff got in the way. However, I got back home and went to see The Hobbit, with absolutely no clue about the storyline other than the fact that it was the prequel to the Lord of the Rings trilogy (which I, like most people on middle Earth really enjoyed). It was only 5 minutes before the movie that I learnt that it was in fact the first in the trilogy that is the prequel to the LotR trilogy.

Set in Middle Earth sixty years before The Lord of the Rings, the movie is about the adventures and journey of the hobbit Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman, amiable as usual). The opening scenes in which Bilbo's home in the shire is hijacked by Gandalf and the thirteen dwarves are pretty comical and set the tone nicely for the rest of the movie. Bilbo is made aware of his duties as the burglar if he chooses to help the dwarves in their quest to reclaim their home, the opulent Lonely Mountain from Smaug, the dragon. Why a dragon would want to spend its entire life surrounded by gold, I cannot comprehend. The flashback also describes how the unwillingness of the Elves to help the Dwarves in their time of desperate need led to years of loathing. And I always thought it was due to the disparity in looks. Although initially wary, Bilbo agrees to help out the dwarves in their adventure.

The movie then goes on to capture all the locales that make New Zealand the prized holiday destination that it is today in stunning 3D. Interspersed in the middle are Bilbo and the dwarves' escapades with mountain trolls and their chance encounter with Radagast the Brown, the oddest of wizards, who tells them about a mysterious presence that's been poisoning everything in its vicinity. This is followed by the return of the orcs. And yes, they look even more gross in 3D. The tragic backstory that's made the leader of the dwarves vow to not rest till he's exacted his revenge on the leader of the orcs is revealed and the movie goes on for another hour with the introduction of the Elves and some other known faces from LotR.

The most enjoyable moments of the movie occur toward the end when Gollum is finally introduced after Bilbo is separated from the dwarves who've been captured by the Goblins. Gollum has once again been beautifully crafted and voiced and his puzzle game with Bilbo makes for some real fun scenes, before Gollum's world falls apart on separation from his precious. Bilbo isn't so bad a burglar after all.

My only problem with the movie is that since most of the characters are seen in LotR, you are always aware that there is no real danger to them (and that all potentially deadly situations will be solved with Gandalf remembering that he's a wizard and chanting some spells). Otherwise, it's a nice movie to catch (especially with younger siblings who will definitely enjoy it more than you will) with some humour, beautiful visuals in 3D and lovable characters.

Keh Ke Le Li!

All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players:

They have their exits and their entrances;

And one man in his time plays many parts.

And each Wasseypuri, as Ramadhir Singh puts it, chooses to model his life on his favourite Bollywood hero, mouthing his dialogues and sporting his hairstyle.

For those who were shaken by part-1 (the ones with the high morals or weak stomachs), this is definitely a movie to stay away from. For those who were sucked deep into the Wasseypuri Duniya by the magic of Anurag Kashyap and Manoj Bajpai, GoW-2 is one heck of a film!

Shaken out of his reverie by the deaths of his father and older brother, the pot smoking, gun slinging Faizal Khan begins his quest to exact a terrible vengeance against his arch enemy, Ramadhir Singh and his goons- Sultan Khan et al.

One needs to realise that GoW was never meant to be the expeditious Lamborghini that speeds past you in an instant and leaves you gasping. Rather, it is the Rolls Royce that cruises slowly by your side, instilling in you a prolonged feeling of awe. The movie deliberately slows down on more than one occasion as the director indulges in it and draws you into his larger than life vision. A host of new characters get introduced, each with their own backstory, that leads to all their paths getting entangled, with their lives hanging delicately in the balance.

Running parallel to the mischief filled stories of Perpendicular, Tangent(see what I did there) and Definite, is the comical yet heartwarming love story of our hero(Nawazuddin Siddiqui) and his womaniya(Huma Qureshi). While GoW-1 was all about Sardar Khan's laundiyabaaji, the romance in part 2 has quite a few genuinely sweet scenes, especially the ones where Mohsina comforts Faisal with his favourite song. Huma Qureshi entices the audience with unexpected oomph, while Nawazuddin pulls off this aspect of his character with the same nonchalance that he does the rest of this multi-faceted character. The character of Definite is intriguing and Zeishan Quadri does full justice to it.

The soundtrack for this one is simply amazing and Sneha Khanwalkar, I hope, walks home with the awards later this year, for the eclectic collection of songs. The background music too builds up the tension (as easily as it diffuses it at times) and keeps you engaged throughout, building up to a dramatic climax.

The movie is directed brilliantly with the original vision of Anurag Kashyap really showing. Each kill is a spectacle, none more so than the one which happens with an amazing new version of Keh Ke Lunga blaring in the background! Not just the actual process of killing but even the buildup to many is done with great style and humour.

No amount of praise is enough for the brilliant actors of GoW and due credit must be given to the casting director as each actor blends into his/her role with unusual ease. Piyush Mishra's narration is praiseworthy and helps you cling on to every aspect of this wonderful tale. Overall, a bloody good watch and the most original movie to come out of Bollywood in quite some time.

Ab tak nahi dekhi toh jaldi theatre bhaag! Warna Faisal teri keh ke lega! Bhuje?

Cock and tail!

A small note before I begin the actual review. For this post and subsequent ones, I shall be reviewing movies as and when I watch them, and not immediately after their release. That being said, let's get right down to it!

Cocktail. Seldom has a movie been so aptly named. Because beneath all the layers of glitter and gloss, the movie is essentially a tale of cock chasing tail. Saif Ali Khan, for the umpteenth time in his career, plays the ladies' man(Gautam) who manages to charm, talk and guffaw his way into several pants. As always, it's fun watching him in this type of role(though the lines are starting to sound cheesier with every passing year). Deepika Padukone plays Veronica, the 'rich bitch' with the heart of gold, who gets everything she ever could have wanted from her parents but their time. (Am I the only one sensing a pattern here?)
However, as far as I see it, the (only) reason Cocktail will be remembered for will be the debut of the drop dead gorgeous, Diana Penty!

There are plenty of beautiful newcomers in Bollywood today. But there's something about Diana that clings on to a part of you. A model without an accent?! We like!
She enraptures you not just with her looks but also her 'oh-so-sweet' expressions, voice and simple portrayal of the eternally pure Meera. Meera's innocent exchanges with Gautam are sure to bring a smile to your face. Her constant displays of affection toward Veronica and the ensuing 'sacrifices', not quite.
Getting down to the story, Meera who is without a friend in London after getting dumped by her 'husband', is offered a home and comfort by Veronica. Veronica then, embarrasses Gautam in front of a few colleagues to get back at him for earlier having tried to woo Meera at the airport. The same night, she goes on to meet Gautam again at a club and ensues to seduce and 'share a bed' with him.

All three leads go on to then start living together, with Gautam and Veronica sharing a 'no strings attached' equation and Meera merely content to look after her 'bandhus' with fondness. Their world is perfect till the arrival of Gautam's mom(played by Dimple Kapadia), when Gautam introduces to her 'abla naari' Meera as his girlfriend. What follows is a holiday in Cape Town(where the background music unusually bears an uncanny resemblance to the ending score of Vicky Cristina Barcelona), the sexual awakening(well, not exactly...but you'll see what I mean) of Meera and the most predictable elements of every Hindi love triangle ever made.

Though the film does have some genuinely cute and funny scenes, it stretches on for far too long. You can't help but think that you'd have found the film quite enjoyable if it had ended about half an hour earlier, after a scene where the 3 leads sit across a table and supposedly talk things over.

Apart from 'Tumhi Ho Bandhu' and 'Daaru Desi', the music is nauseating with tracks like 'Jugni' being played in the background for I don't know how long.

Watch this if you must, but only for Diana Penty(who I've generously showed you quite a bit of in this review).