I really didn’t expect that I would be reviewing Abhishek Bachchan’s latest debacle of a fantasy film ‘Drona’ had it not been for this article on Indiatimes. Well, the writer feels that Indians suffer from a Hindi film ‘inferiority’ complex (ya, the ‘inferiority’ is amiss in the original sentence) and so cannot appreciate brave attempts by desi directors. He goes on to draw a parallel between some recent crappy fantasy films of Hollywood like ‘The Mummy Part 3’ and ‘Wanted’.

Well, honestly I did not like either and the same goes for ‘Drona’ too. I can’t seem to understand that aren’t directors the least bit embarrassed to steal popular film plots (that are like epics), add their own masala (unrequired, of course) and create a complete disaster!

What made Abhishek (or even Jaya Bachchan for that matter) accept this film?
a. OK, the Bachchans wanted to launch Abhi baby as the next super hero what with Krissh stealing all the limelight (wonder when they will stop comparing their bonny boy to Hrithik). But why the Harry Potter theme? Did they actually think we’d be that stupid to fall for it!
b. Why use a phirang land? Honestly, I was kicked about this film when the trailers began showing in because I thought this film would probably take us back into mythological times. But no, all illusions were shattered.
c. What made the ultra modern chick Priyanka Chopra talk in ‘shudh’ Hindi. The recurring references to her father as ‘bauji’ were completely out of sync. I think ‘dad’ would have been more apt or else she should have worn a different outfit altogether.
d. Kay Kay Menon…just why in the world did you become Riz Raizada? A total let down.
e. The songs….ugggghhhh! As the fantasy mood began to be developed, a song would come and interrupt. On top that, they weren’t even hummable.
f. About Jaya Bachchan? Actually, I just sat and cringed through her cranky song of ‘ma-beta milan’.

That’s what I thought in the 40 minutes that I could tolerate ‘Drona’ for. After that, I decided to walk out of the movie theatre.

Animator Nina Paley’s Sita Sings the Blues bagged the Crystal for best feature (numero uno award) at the 32nd Annecy International Animation Film Festival held in France. This year definitely belongs to New York indie animators scooped the top two prizes. The second and third postions were occupied by Idiots & Angels (US) and Die Drei Räuber (Germany) respectively. Annecy is the industry’s leading international competitive festival that brings to you the best animation films around the world. The films selected and screened here belong to 4 categories: Feature films, Short films, Commissioned and TV films and Graduation films. Each variety employs different animation techniques in its production.

This year’s winner Sita Sings the Blues entwines the tale of a modern woman Sita and her husband Rama, with episodes from Ramayana ( the Indian epic) in a witty fashion. The plot involves around the life of this modern woman whose husband moves to India and then dumps her by email! The film has a feminist streak as the female character Sita is given voice while the male character Rama is shown as a strong but ‘silent’ man. Through highly stylized characters, the animation film beautifully reveals the pathos of a smart, young and modern woman being dumped by her spouse. Paley has cleverly blended traditional wisdom from ancient epic with contemporariness. She jocularly describes her film to be the greatest break-up story ever told! Her choice to tell this story through animation reflects her sensibilities for had the same story been shot in conventional non-animated manner…the effect on the audience perhaps would have been dull. It’s a must see animation indeed!!

Via EuroNews

After the box office flop Lady in the water (2006) M. Night Shyamalan’s fans were hoping that his next offering would be really ‘happening’. We’ve Sensed It. We’ve Seen The Signs. Now… It’s Happening .Specially, after films like The village (2004) and Lady in the… and now The (not-so) Happening, one can see the same fatigue taking over Shyamalan as seen over Ram Gopal Verma back home.

The auteur known for his films like Signs, The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable fails to achieve his old cinematic charisma. Full of disturbing graphics the film is a rather goofy thriller providing a scientific viewpoint to an apocalyptical story. In one line the movie is all about a family on the run from a natural crisis that presents a large-scale threat to humanity. That ’something in the air’ is turning normal people into self-destructive idiots doesn’t gel well with the people watching it. I would rather not like to comment on individual performances but the plot itself seems to be a comatosing one. Unless the only aim of the viewer is to escape the heat and head for an air-conditioned multiplex, the film doesn’t allure audiences at all, for it falls short on entertainment-value! The box office report confirms this fact, as The Happening happens to grab a mere $30.5 million for its domestic opening. (Compare this to $54.5 million earned by The Incredible Hulk.).

While this mediocre start may still be sustained for coming weeks in the west, I m left wondering how much will the movie rake in overseas collection? At home, it might still be a crowd puller had the director throw in a Rakhi Sawant’s item number for our desi audience loves thrillers that promise to thrill you beyond your intelligence!

Via YourMovieBuddyReviews/ Pluking

Disney hosted a special screening of their latest offering ‘The Aristocats’ at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood. Similar to a previous film by Disney that went by the name ‘Lady and the Tramp’ fifteen years earlier, the film’s a bagful of fun. Yes, ‘The Aristicats’ has a cat and her three kittens living happily in a plush mansion. Soon we witness the dying owner of the cats leave all her riches for them in a will and nothing to her butler. So, the vindictive butler kidnaps the cats and abandons them in the middle of nowhere. And here begins the adventurous journey of the feline creatures back home with the help of an alley cat.

All in all, the film is an assured fun ride that you will like taking with family. The animation is stylish and the characters are funny and full of life which will make them endearing to everyone. The new release features a virtual kitten game, a nostalgic behind-the-scenes featurette that showcases the music of the immortal Sherman Brothers, a deleted song, and much more.

Via Amazon

The year 2007 went very well for Bollywood. Can’t say the same about Hollywood’s business in India, I remember only ‘Blood Diamond’ and ‘I am Legend’. There is a reason why. To begin with, the bharatvaasis were quite taken by the desi flavor which brought them a spectacular treat of modern cinema.

Let’s starting from the beginning. Yes, Rahul Dholakia’s ‘Parzania’ comes to my mind first. A soul-stirring film set against the backdrop of the Gujarat riots, telling the real-life story of a Parsi boy who got separated by his family when his housing society was struck by the fundamentalists. The film was tense, no masala here, but it gave a very strong message of non-violence.

The next film that struck a cord with me was ‘Chak De’. And for the first time in my life, I was immediately caught by the performance of the 16 girls and didn’t have eyes for SRK alone (which is a big thing considering the die hard fan I am). The plot was lively, very real, and the social message was given so masterfully! The film presented two aspects about our country that our sports teams have innate talent but do not perform well due to the absence of team spirit. Second, sexism still prevails in our society and even in the hockey board. Despite not having any songs and dances, the film is a wholesome entertainer. Like the year, my list will end with Aamir Khan’s directorial debut ‘Taare Zameen Par’.

The movie was fabulously done and one just couldn’t stop the tears from trickling down the cheeks. Darsheel Safary was brilliant as the ‘affected’ kid victimized by the education system and his over-expectant father. It was a story about all of us. Yes, also add two more names to the list – the comic satire ‘Bheja Fry’ and the gruesome documentary ‘Black Friday’ based on the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts.

Return of Hanuman was a bagful of surprises. To begin with, yes Anurag Kashyap did move away from the serious cinema that he is so often characterized by. Many will also point at the quality of Indian animation. And I couldn’t agree better with these comments. But there is another aspect about the film that took my fancy. Well, there were no protests. Surprisingly, an Indian God was made a “cartoon” of and none had an issue with it. Not that I am complaining.

On a serious note, the film was funny. It was an interesting experience to witness Hanuman ji showing his naughty side to his so many bhakts. All gods like Brahma, Agni, Indra were presented with a very human side dipped in humor. Ditto for the much feared and revered demons, and the saints. The language was a classy blend of pure Hindi with words of the modern world. Imagine Lord Brahma using “not detachable” for Hanuman’s tail.

Looks like the Indian audience has begun to accept facts about its tradition and behavior with a pinch of salt. It was embarrassing for intelligent minds to see most Bollywood film releases caught in the snare of opposition in the name of culture, caste or religion. Even the actors like to throw tantrums if they are sportingly mimicked. But then, there are the likes of SRK who will surely enjoy the ‘Return of Hanuman’ to study the behavior of his simian counterpart. What say?

Whoop up all you fervent fanatics of Harry Potter!! Because his school of wizardry is here again to galvanize your fun and fervor…

The three celebrated stars, Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter), Emma Watson and Rupert Grint (who play Harry’s friends Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley), were out to Japan for the world premiere of “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,” the fifth movie from J.K. Rowling’s mega hit fantasy series.

David Yates, a Briton best known for the multifaceted TV thrillers “State of Play” and “Sex Traffic” directed “Order of the Phoenix”.

17-year-old Radcliffe, is just too proud to embody the role of Harry as he says, “He’s an icon. He is somebody whose character has gotten his generation of kids into reading. So it’s an honor to play him.” Radcliffe and his co-stars have been at the center of the Potter storm for almost half their lives.

The Harry Potter books seem to be most dominant in the domain of Popular-fiction; not only the best liked but also the most promoted! These books have been translated into 65 languages and sold more than 325 million copies since the first volume, “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone,” was published in 1997. Just imagine the voluminous devotees of Harry Potter!!

After this movie, the next Harry-related frenzy will be the publication of the seventh and final book, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” on July 21.

It is the Popular-fiction personas that ensnare the minds of the readers and the viewers. The actual authors and the actors get somewhere clouded by their prodigious fame!! Who do you know more- the well known Spiderman or the real hero Tobey??…the heart-throb Harry or the actor Radcliffe or the author Rowling??…!!

via centredaily