Movie Review: Django Unchained..is high class movie making..unrestrained

 

Django Unchained heralds the arrival of the ‘southerner’. You’ll get the full import of those words only once you watch the movie though and watch it you must. I haven’t been a great Tarantino fan. But Django Unchained tells me exactly why he deserves every bit of the adulation and respect that he gets if not more. If you don’t catch Django in the hall there is a rare piece of high quality cinema you are clearly missing

Despite his obsession with blood and gore still being clearly visible (some would call it his trademark and signature) with Django Unchained, Tarantino goes beyond and gives a lesson in superlative film-making. Beautiful cinematic shots, top notch writing, excellent use of background score and music, pacing of the scenes and then the directorial touches – the spray of red on white flowers, the sudden action when none was expected, the celebration of the hero and his arrival – Tarantino stamps his authority all over the movie with considerable aplomb. There is almost a sense of symphony that Tarantino manages amidst all the blood splatter and  gunfire, holding your attention  all throughout

As the icing on the cake, performances are absolutely top notch. Relatively speaking, Christoph Waltz and Jamie Foxx are in sparkling form making an unlikely but very promising partnership. Leonardo di Capricio comes in well into the second half but is menacing in his portrayal only to be outdone by a barely recognizable Sameul L Jackson. All in all, the stellar starcast delivers its value in solid gold so no complaints there either

If you have to complain (and only if you must) you could talk of the rather extended runtime seeing that it runs for what would be a rather painful 165 minutes. Especially since this includes a rather extended 20 minutes when all could have been wrapped up earlier but now as I reflect on it I realize that cutting out any scene would have robbed this gem of at least some of its sheen..I wouldn't change anything.

If you are not a fan of the rather dying form of movies known as westerners till date, this movie might well make you one. I can think of absolutely no reason not to recommend you watching this one, (unless you’ve got three little dimples in your skull in the area of stupidity, maybe :P) so go book your tickets today before Django rides off into the sunset

Movie Review: Jolly LLB…doesn’t make a very convincing case

Strictly average is how you would describe this highly anticipated flick with Arshad Warsi playing the lead role. There are a few glimpses of high quality cinema – some power packed dialogues, a twist in the tale or two, some impressive writing and a few genuine laughs. However, overall, when it comes down to the final verdict, you get the distinct impression that while the intent may have been honest and earnest, the execution and presentation definitely lacked finesse.

Jolly LLB starts off simple and straight-forward which suits its setting and characters. However, the transition of the characters, as they get confronted by new challenges and situations is rather abrupt and disjointed. What’s worse is that there are seemingly gaping plot holes and over-simplifications that are only too obvious in the first watch itself. Either there is a shocking lack of depth in the research or an attempt to be overtly sensational and melodramatic or maybe they could simply not think of any other way to move the plot forward. Whatever the reasons, the ploy fails miserably and you only end up shaking your head in disbelief in certain sequences

The 3 completely unnecessary songs don’t help matters either and act as further delays to an already uni-dimensional plot. The interval does leave you with a ray of hope with something unexpected and you come back eager for more of the same in the second half. However, what gets served thereon is pretty ordinary.  Watching this movie you can’t help but think that in all probability the director had a few good ideas and got so excited with them that he hurriedly put together a movie. With the right time and effort, Jolly LLB had every reason to be Jolly good. With time spent on etching out each character, getting the audience to love/hate them, it would have led to a winning argument. Alas, for reasons unknown, what we have ultimately is average fare that makes an unconvincing argument

As for the performances, you get an absolute saviour in the performance of Saurabh Shukla. The veteran actor is in his element as the blustery judge who looks more lazy than he really is and his dialogues and performance simply shine. He is probably the best reason to watch this movie. As Jolly, Arshad Warsi, puts in an earnest performance. However, since the character itself needs fine-tuning it doesn’t make as much of an impact. One’s heart does go out to the poor guy – a phenomenal sidekick actor, he just doesn’t manage to make the same impression as a lead. Boman Irani doesn’t look as convincing at first but his performance becomes better as the plot gathers momentum, resulting in a decent, but not vintage performance. Amrita Rao as the love interest, looks simple and pretty as always, but her dialogue delivery lacks conviction

 

Jolly LLB then, doesn’t make for a very convincing case for me and I wouldn’t argue in its favor other than for Saurabh Shukla’s show stealing performance and a handful of power pack dialogues. Still the final verdict is yours to make

Movie Review: Saheb, Biwi aur Gangster Returns..pretty impressively

Its not often, in fact, its quite rare that we have had a worthy sequel offering in Bollywood. With Race 2, Don 2, Dabbang 2, Jannat 2 coming to mind, the sequel is pretty much meant to be the money spinner, without much thought to plot development and a half decent script. However, Tigmanshu Dhulia clearly emerges as the exception to that rather depressing norm, with another fairly impressive second helping of this deceitful and intriguing set of characters

First things first, do you need to have seen the first movie to follow what happens in the sequel? Well, not really but I would definitely recommend that you do, since its a pretty decent watch. Moreover, it develops the main characters, and while the Gangster may have changed, the Saheb and Biwi are very much intact so you’ll follow proceedings a lot better if you do

Coming to the sequel itself, well the start is very impressive. Other than the background score being unnecessarily loud in certain sequences, the Saheb, Biwi and Gangster are introduced very well. The plot development is tight and gripping. There is a manner of subtlety in which scenes of hard-hitting politics are shown and one is reminded of epics like Godfather, Sarkar in certain scenes of directorial brilliance. If only the entire movie had proceeded along those lines..

As it stands though, there are too many sub-plots/ incidents that while being well depicted, do nothing much for the main storyline and end up slowing a narrative which is itself meant to be filled with treachery, intrigue and politics. Further, add the unnecessary song and dance that again does nothing for the plot and you have yourself a rather long 2 hours 25 minutes to endure in the hall.

Humor is used quite well and there is many a punch in the intelligent one liners and scenes that will have you guffawing every now and then. However, after a while, while you still laugh, it begins to feel over-done and you want to get back to the main plot

The main issue here, in my view, is that in Tigmanshu Dhulia, you have a pretty accomplished and intelligent but rather indulgent director which means he tries to put all his ideas in one movie, stretching it unnecessarily. With a taut script and delivery, Returns…would have struck a stunning blow but the extra runtime and scenes tend to dull the impact. I have a bit of bone to pick with the climax/ending as well, but wouldn’t want to ruin it for you guys, so will refrain.

In terms of performances, Jimmy Shergill clearly stands out as the proud, haughty but sharp Saheb while Irrfan is a close second (surprisingly). Mahie Gill is erratic as ever and while some scenes are delivered with perfection, others will make you grimace, wondering if this is the same actor performing. Soha Ali Khan, looks pretty and expressive in some scenes but is too stony faced and wooden in her performance. A special mention to Rajeev Gupta who plays his minor role as a bumbling politician to the T and brings many a laugh

To sum it up then, Returns..makes a solid re-appearance that is definitely worth the effort. While it could’ve been shorter and snappier, there’s not too much to complain about and you should certainly enjoy your time in the hall