The Village (2004)

(3/5)

Another brilliant movie from M. Night Shyamalan. But very badly bashed up by the critics all over the world. Everyone seems to be expecting M. Night Shyamalan to deliver only suspense thriller with hair-raising twists!

Well, it is a descent movie, but a little slow paced. Casting and dialogues are superb. Even the theme is not bad. Itz all about a village, with a small population. Everyone lives in fear of some mystical creatures called "Those We Don't Speak Of' in the surrounding Covington Woods. But one day the pact is broken, the creatures attack and finally a blind girl is forced to cross the woods, for her love. See the movie for more...

Couple of quotes from the movie:
Who'll pinch me to wake me up? Who'll laugh at me when i fall? Whose breath will I listen for... so that i may sleep? Whose hand will i hold... so that i may walk?

Sometimes we don't do things we want to do, so that others won't know we want to do them

What makes you think he has feelings for me?
He never touches you

(Lucious) Are you not angry you have no sight?
I see the world, Lucius Hunt. Just not as you see it.

How is it you are brave when all the rest of us shake in our boots?
I do not worry about what will happen, only what needs to be done.

It is amazing to witness which two people love chooses to unite. It follows no rules.

Ivy Walker: When we are married, will you dance with me? I find dancing very agreeable. Why can you not say what is in your head?
Lucius Hunt: Why can you not stop saying what is in yours? Why must you lead, when I want to lead? If I want to dance I will ask you to dance. If I want to speak I will open my mouth and speak. Everyone is forever plaguing me to speak further. Why?

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0368447/

Maalamal Weekly (2006/Hindi)

(2/5)

Priyadarshan, India’s one of the best comedy directors, basically from the south, is back again. All his previous hits were remakes of successful Malayalam movies in the 90s. Finally he is back with a brand new movie, this time solely written by him. The movie stars Ritesh Deshmukh, Reema Sen, Paresh Rawal, Om Puri, Arbaaz Khan, Shakti Kapoor, Asrani, Rajpal Yadav, Innocent etc...

The whole story is built around a poor village and a lottery ticket. The story as well as the performance is not so captivating. The first half of the movie feels a little stretched out. There is only one song, an item number by Rakhi Sawant (the famous baby doll). Priyadarshan did dare to tell a totally different story, when most of the film producers out there are selling patriotism, romance and the passion of youth. But in the second half, especially towards the end, director was successful in throwing the viewers into waves of laughter, rocking the whole theater. May be we have to correct that; the last impression is the lasting impression. I found a cheerful crowd walking out of the auditorium, teasing each other how uncontrollably they were laughing. Bottom line is, take a risk and give it a try.

Here is a list of Priyadarshan remakes, with the originals in bracket:
Gardish (Kireedam), Virasat (Thevarmakan), Doli Sajake Rakhna (Aniyathipravu), Hera Pheri (Ramji Rao Speaking), Hulchul (Godfather), Garam Masala (Boing Boing), Yeh Tera Ghar, Yeh Mera Ghar (Sanmanasullavarku Samadhanam), Muskurahat (Kilukkam), Hangama (Poochakkoru Mookuthi), Kyon ki (Thalavattom) etc..

Read more about the Priyadarshan here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Priyadarshan

Taxi No 9211(2006/Hindi)

(4/5)

The rough n tough versus the cute! That is Taxi 9211.

Chapter 1: Raghu Shastri (Nana Patekar)
Raghu is a taxi driver and doesn’t get along well with people. He is cynical, rude and much too straightforward. Nana Patekar steals the show as usual with his stunning performance.

Chapter 2: Jai Mittal (John Abraham)
Jai, spoilt son of a rich industrialist father, lives a life of indulgence. Wine, women and partying are what fill his days. Finally John proves there is more to him than a handsome face.

‘Taxi Number 9211’ tells the story of a day in the life of Raghu and Jai. The day when the above two chapters cross their lines. A day that changes their lives upside down, or rather downside up. A quite an eventful day! With slick editing, songs and overall a colorful and refreshing presentation, director has managed to glue the spectators to their seats. Sonali Kulkarni (Raghu’s wife) and Sameera Reddy (Jai’s gf) also did a pretty good job. A nice Indian adaptation of the Hollywood thriller 'Changing Lanes' (2002) and entirely shot in Mumbai City. I would say, a must see movie!

So what are you? What is your worth if one day you loose all the money you have? Your dear and near love you for the person you are or what you are made up of?

Fight Club (2006/Hindi)

(2.5/5)

The guys are out! Watch out... the gals are with them too!

I am not sure whether it was the magic of a whole bottle of Foster's and the sound system, but I think it is an entertainer, provided you go with a light heart for enjoyment and not as a serious thinker and a tough critic. There is not much of a story, neither there are any eye-wetting and pensive dialogues/scenes, nor even any touch of patriotism to pump up the blood! It is a mere entertainer, with some muscle, action, chicks and dance flicks.

The film has a huge array of casting... I guess almost every good looking guy with a good body in Bollywood is there in the film. It includes Zayed Khan, Ritesh Deshmukh, Dino Morea, Sohail Khan, Sunil Shetty, Ashmit Patel, Rahul Dev, Ashish Chaudhary – and beauties like Dia Mirza, Neha Dhupia and Amrita Arora. Amrita Arora is kewl, she is too much of a cat!

So, if in mood for some fun, give it a try! If you see movies only for an inspiring story, stay away. Dialogues and acting are only average. Music and action are at times catchy.