Saturday, July 26, 2014

Movie Review: The Grand Budapest Hotel..grand for perhaps a precious few



Some movies are perhaps made for too specific an audience. They are not for all and sundry and the majority perhaps wouldn’t know what is grand about them. I suspect The Grand Budapest Hotel might be one of those and I count myself in the majority for this one. That’s probably the only explanation as to why what seemed to me a perfectly ordinary movie, with a positively stellar starcast that have performed itsy bitsy roles given their abilities, is receiving such rave reviews from critics and review aggregators alike

The Grand Budapest Hotel exudes old worldliness from the opening credits itself. The entire movie is presented in a unique 4:3 format – a novel expression of the visual capabilities of the times the movie is set in. The canvas is filled nicely – almost as if the set pieces had been borrowed from older movies to make sure they don’t jar. Add to it the rather sophisticated voice over narration with high quality humor and you settle in for what would visually be an ornately designed and presented PG Wodehouse novel. Alas, what you get is far from it – especially from a ‘laughs’ perspective

Despite Ralph Fiennes leading the honors, completely in his element as the protagonist quirky concierge of the grand old establishment, the remaining characters are just dull, underdeveloped and lifeless – and far too many at that. Eminent names like Adrien Brody, Edward Norton, Jeff Goldblum, Jude Law and am missing some 10 others even as I mention these, are completely wasted in one dimensional ordinary characters. This is not as bad since most of the attention stays firmly focused on Fiennes and he delivers all the way. However, the plot development is banal, the jokes at times too asinine – some even reminding me of movies as bad as Housefull so you can get some idea. Add to that, despite clocking just 99 minutes, don’t be surprised if you find yourself nodding off every now and then given the pacing of the movie

There are some genuinely smart lines and a poignant underlayer if one wants to reflect and dig deeper. However, the entire tone and presentation of the movie was as if it just wanted me to have a good time so I don’t think it succeeds on that note either

Perhaps I am also being too harsh here. Maybe this is a movie of an era gone by – a generation I may never completely understand or appreciate. If you are an old worldly romantic, I’d say you still give it a shot and see if this movie indeed did justice. All others looking for something exciting, more in touch with today’s reality and pace – I won’t recommend a booking at The Grand Budapest Hotel. Of course, with Kick being the other option, its not a lot of choice either. Perhaps, you’d just be best waiting till next week

Sunday, July 13, 2014

Movie Review: Humpty Sharma ki Dulhaniya..DDLJ deserved better


 
First things first, this movie is not a tribute to DDLJ. Those who are calling it that, the film cast and crew included, need to look up the dictionary meaning of a tribute. This is pretty much a parody. Simply put, the script writer, director et al, looked at DDLJ and thought – where all can we make a change – no matter how nonsensical, illogical or downright silly it all gets. (Think Amazing Spiderman from Sam Raimi’s original creation). And thus, that script and some bad songs with hilariously bad lyrics later Humpty Sharma came to the theaters

The fact that it clocks a lesser 2 hours 15 minutes is a welcome relief, considering this is Bollywood and the agony could easily have been prolonged to 3 hours instead. One should be grateful. Another aspect to be grateful for is that the 2 leads make a valiant effort to lift a lifeless script and their sidekicks (or rather Varun’s sidekicks) have been blessed with some smart one-liners that make for a few fun moments. For everything else – especially the songs, you can curse Humpty Sharma ki Dulhania

This is the fourth film with Alia playing her fiesty avatar and while she fits the bill, she could certainly do with some variety in her characters. Speaking of characters, this movie hardly invests in them and while Raj and his Senorita Simran made efforts to find a place in your heart where you willed till the last moment that their story had a happy ending, you couldn’t care less whether Humpty and his lady love end up together or not. As for the other performances, much has been said of the performance of Ashutosh Rana, playing the Amrish Puri babuji counterpart. Personally, I just found his performance unnecessarily intense.

There are sparks here and there, where the story could’ve taken a fresh approach which made some sense. However, the proceedings thereon extinguish any such hope. Moreover, while some of the gags and one-liners may bring some laughs, you can’t help but shake the uneasy feeling that its all been done too many times before

While its not a tribute to the masterpiece of its time that DDLJ was, Humpty Sharma certainly makes you want to consider a re-viewing of that eternal love story (for the umpteenth time). In its own paradoxical way, that qualifies to be the best reason you would consider watching this revised Dulhaniya. If you have any other expectations – best to stay at home and watch Raj and Simran instead.

Sunday, July 6, 2014

Movie Review: Bobby Jasoos..some thrills but an ordinary case



It doesn’t have the spine chilling suspense and thrill of Kahaani. Nor towards the opposite end of the spectrum is it a typical case of a bumbling detective like the inimitable Pink Panther. No, Bobby Jasoos is a unique variety of its own – much like the local Hyderabadi brand it so faithfully adopts. But does it work?..Well..yes and no.

In parts, Bobby Jasoos gives you some clues of what could have been – genuinely hilarious moments, top notch disguises and a mystery that intrigues and interests you. However, as an overall package the movie succeeds in being just about an average watch.

Right from the opening credits, Vidya Balan tries too hard to convince you she can play the small town, loud mouthed Hyderabadi detective really well. One gets reminded more of her act in Ghanchakkar (the loud – mouthed Punjabi wife) than the Dirty Picture during this time. However, as the movie progresses, the bluster is thankfully replaced by thoughtful reflection and calm dialogue which is so much more up her alley. Ali Fazal though in a much smaller role, makes his presence felt, especially in the comedic scenes

When you are solving mysteries and hot on the heels on a case, you don’t go into the song and dance routine but since this is Bollywood, that is exactly what happens (since it can’t happen in the story, it happens as imagination)  Its not all on the songs – the pacing of the movie itself is equally to blame and despite just a two hour runtime and just 3 songs, you feel a distinct lack of pace. For a debutante director Samar Shaikh does a good job – though there is much that could have been better and you can’t help feeling that if the reins were with someone else, this might well  have been a different product.

The great revelation (of course I won’t reveal all) is a matter of perception – some might consider it a master stroke, I viewed it as an anti-climax and one that dug all kinds of holes into the plot – let’s just leave it at that

The real mystery for me is why some people are calling Bobby Jasoos Vidya’s finest work till date. I wouldn’t call it that – this is clearly one of her lesser accomplishments. For that you should watch Kahaani or Dirty Picture. If you really want to watch this detective at work – my advice to you would be to go with low expectations. Go in search of some fun moments with less focus on the case itself and you might just come back pleasantly surprised
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