D A V I D

Bijoy Nambiar, who made his directorial debut with SHAITAAN, has now delivered a vissually thrilling piece of art-"DAVID". David opens to grip your senses but takes entire first half to establish the lead characters. It is towards the end of first half that you feel the need of speed despite the presence of some wonderfully  shot action scenes. Second half moves swiftly, but you can't ignore the length that proves to be demanding on your senses. However, climax holds a convincing surprise that makes you think.

As far as performances are concerned, Neil Nitin Mukesh delivers outstanding performance. In short, Neil nails the character. Monika Dogra looks gorgeous, but, her accent works against her in emotional scenes. Vikram's comic timing is great and shares superb chemistry with Tabu and Saurabh Shukla. Tabu is awesome as always. Vinay Virmani looks fresh and does a decent job.

The story lacks content and consistency.  In terms of filmmaking, David is an uncompromised experiment and steers clear of comfort zones crediting its viewers' capability to join dots without excessive spoon-feeding, a practice that eludes mainstream Hindi cinema. Camera work is top class with almost one third of the movie shot in black and white. 

DAVID is a strict no no for masala movie lovers. At times, it is too long & slow and demands patience. A shorter, snappier DAVID with a little less rambling and randomness may have led to a better payoff. There’s no denying Nambiar’s promise as an experimental, adventurous & aesthetically-sound filmmaker but his weak spot remains the same. His eye for dynamic visuals is yet to find its match in stories that speak.  Watch it for an excellent camera work (Some scenes are shot so brilliantly that it's worth to watch this film for them) , Hatke approach to story telling and some marvelous performances. David has enough sinew to offset its share of flaws.

A R G O

    “Some stories are so incredible, they can only be true. Argo is one such story.”

 "Argo" begins in November 1979, when activists, outraged over the US's granting of asylum to the recently deposed Shah of Iran, stormed and captured the US embassy in Tehran, eventually holding 52 Americans hostage for 444 days. The story centers on the extraordinary true story of six American consular employees who were able o flee from the compound, and the efforts of CIA exfiltration specialist Tony Mendez (Affleck) to get them out of the country.

Affleck’s third feature film as a director, Argo, presents this unbelievable hostage rescue mission on screen as a taut, well-paced suspense thriller with so much palpable tension throughout that along with you and the entire audience are on the edge. You know the story but the drama of how it unfolds is of aiming-for-an-Oscar-nod quality. The entire cast is terrific, led by Affleck himself playing Mendez in the movie, but veteran acting legends, John Goodman and Alan Arkin steal the show with their delivery of some of the smartest lines on film this year.

Unarguably, the full credit of one of one of the movies of the year goes to director Affleck, who has transformed himself from Oscar winning screenwriter ( for "Good Will Hunting") to mediocre leading man ("Daredevil", "Gigli") to directorial powerhouse ("The Town", "Gone Baby Gone"). However, "Argo" is an unmitigated triumph. Argo is a ferociously exciting thriller. Yes, it's based on facts. Yes, that's Hollywood code for truth-stretching. But, no, we shouldn't be worried about that, should we?

While his first two films served us notice that Affleck is a director capable of greatness, with “Argo,” he’s gone out and actually achieved it.

Lester Siegel( Alan Arkin) to Tony Mendez ( Affleck): “You want to come into Hollywood and act like a big shot without doing anything?”…..“You’ll fit right in!”

L O O P E R

              Stylish, Smart, Shocking, Sensational and Satisfying

Rian Johnson hits the ball right out the park with an extraordinary time-travel tale, LOOPER. But Looper is more than just a film on time travel. The story unfolds in the first 20 minutes or so and you’re introduced to a world in 2044. It is at this point that you marvel at the level of detailing achieved in writing out a setting of the future. It's a rip-roaring mind-bender that dodges the sci-fi-for-dummies approach (Resident Evil – really?) and hurls us into a world of existential curveballs and long-toss imagination.

It’s not so much the concept of Looper that blows your mind, but the precision and ingenuity of the narrative that impresses you. The ensemble performance is incredible. Willis and Levitt play off one another like they've been doing it for years, supporting roles played by actors big and small make their mark on the film and help the pair stand out, as well. The big surprise may be Emily Blunt. Gordon-Levitt, coming off the back of The Dark Knight Rises and 50/50, caps a terrific 12 months with a performance brimful of maturity. But as is the case with Willis he just loves to bring his A-game to great films. Going from brazen aggressive man to a hopelessly in love man to an insanely desperate man, he holds the film together. At one point he even turns into a terminator wiping out an entire mob a la the solo heroics of John McClane. "Yippee-ki-yay" moment of the film.

Looper is that rare breed of sci-fi films that serves up the right amount of entertainment, with the right level of intelligence. It’s almost like an equation that balances itself out, like a marvel of science and creativity. This movie is difficult to discuss without spoiling the big twists, as they are really what makes it soar. Suffice to say, this is a film that almost requires multiple viewings — not because it doesn't make sense or leave an impact the first time, instead precisely because of the impact it leaves. Go and grab it, before all the loops get closed.

PS: If you want to change the future, change the present.

Tip: Avoid impatient people while going for this movie. It will test your patience in initial half an hour. But, the wait is totally worth.

Good Old Days....

Remembered my college friends, with a smile

When I saw a few pictures, lying down the isle

Everyone seems busy a lot,

No one escaped the destiny's plot.

We had all kinds of characters,

Leader, lover, loner and Joker

But, no one can replace,

The fun of late night Poker.

The games we played, the moments we shared,

Those late night talks, and early morning walks,

The chit chat in canteen and sitting outside co-op,

Those parties and "chilling", in our very own lounge

Project reviews to campus interviews,

Nicknames to classroom games,

Cultural rehearsals to love proposals,

Short term crushes to classroom blushes

Everything is fresh in my mind,

I Wish life could just rewind,

Let's meet again and party hard,

Let's make those nights again go wild.

Chatting and laughing. We all were in elation,

Till the painful moment of separation,

Then came the time to say good byes,

We returned home with a tear in our eyes.

Today the life is full of adjustments,

Endless running and false commitments,

Time keeps moving, only memory stays,

I'll never ever forget, those good old days.

.........................................................................................................................

P.S. I've learned that good-byes will always hurt, pictures will never replace having been there, memories good and bad will bring tears, and words can never replace feelings. But, still we must take care of all our memories. For we can not relive them.

Let's Play.....

The weather has been hot

with monsoon nowhere close 

Outdoors will be nasty 

So movie is what I propose.

No need to dress all fancy 

and show off best of clothes

Exclusive it is – for you

No girlfriends and no Belles !!

And a few beverages would be nice

at a place somewhere close

Lets all beat the heat

and play it as it goes .....

Timeless Steel

Rahul Dravid: The Wall......When you think about Cricket as Gentlemen's game, there're very few names that cross your mind, and Rahul Dravid is definately one of them. A Champion Cricketer, Perfect Team man and truly a Gentleman. So, when Disney and ESPN cricinfo decided to come up with a book, they chose "Timeless Steel" as the title of that book. And when I came to know about this book, there wasn't a second thought In ordering this book even before it's release. 

This book gives his clear picture on being the most evolved cricketer in this era. RAHUL DRAVID - TIMELESS STEEL clears all your doubt if you hesitate to call him The Greatest Test Cricketer. Read this book to know how THE WALL acquired greatness, what’s Rahul Dravid's style of answering the critics, why is he referred as A Gentleman champion of timeless steel and dignity? 

The book is a collection of 30 pieces, which is written by people who have either played with him or know him for a long time. Some of the names include Greg Chappel, Sanjay Manjrekar, Sanjay Bangar, Suresh Raina, Aakash Chopra, Ed Smith, John Wright, Sambit Baland of course Vijeeta Dravid. The book also gives insight of some of his best knocks in Adelaide, Jamaica, Kolkata, Rawalpindi, Nottingham etc. It also includes Rahul Dravid's Bradman Oration Speech in Canberra 2011, which itself is worth owning as a piece of cricketing literature.

Timeless Steel is as much a celebration of a colossal cricketer as it is of an exceptional human being. It attempts to paint a picture of a cricketer who embodied the best traditions and values of the game, and a man who impressed many people who came in contact with him. It is a salute to Indian Cricket's go-to man.

If Batman was whatever Gotham needed him to be, Rahul Dravid was whatever Indian Cricket Team needed him to be.

The rise of a legend.....

Finally, I witnessed the rise of the dark knight, and it was epic.......The film isn’t good – it’s great, engrossing, surprising, thoughtful, inspiring and highly, highly entertaining. Chistopher Nolan deserves huge applause for making Batman a legend. Batman is not like any other superhero. He's an ordinary person, a protector of the Gotham city. Batman is just a symbol. That's what I like about batman. Batman is no superhero without Jim Gordon, Alfred Pennyworth and Lucius Fox. Similarly, Batman is incomplete without Ra's al Ghul, The Joker and Bane. 

“The Dark Knight Rises” takes on grand and ambitious themes, such as terrorism, corruption, salvation, and sacrifice. But can we expect anything less of a film as grand and ambitious as this one? In this way, “The Dark Knight Rises” is so much more than a superhero film; it’s a reflection of society. Tie that together with superb filmmaking from a true master, beautiful cinematography, a grandiose soundtrack that elevates your adrenaline and tugs at your heartstrings, and special effects to die for, and we have on our hands one of the best films of the year. Possibly THE BEST film of the year.

Whenever Gotham falls, he rises. He's neither a millionaire Bruce Wayne nor a superhero. He's whatever Gotham needs him to be. In “The Dark Knight,” Batman was the hero that Gotham deserved. In this film, he was the one that they needed.

Why do we fall?? so, we can learn to pick ourselves up. We can learn to RISE......