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Reviews
Paan Singh Tomar (2012)
A gritty tale in the life of another forgotten athlete but famous rebel...
Paan Singh Tomar is a good film, with some excellent moments and definitely worth a watch. Having said that, there are aspects of it that stop it from being considered in the exalted company of great cinema.
For one, the editing is a choppy in bits, moving from one scene to another rather abruptly. The titular characters motivations after achieving his main objective as a 'Baaghi' was not sketched out with one having to wonder, why does he keep doing this, what is the end goal. He's shown in too much of a positive light, which is a stark contrast to his actions. Probably, those bits were left on the editing table to make the film compact, but given the other wonderful aspects of the movie, you do wish that it was included somehow to give the story a sense of completeness.
Now coming to the good parts. Irrfan, excellent as always. The way he emotes through his eyes and body language is probably the best in the industry, if not one of the best in the world. You can feel Paan Singh's pain, anger, fleeting joys and viciousness radiating out of him, even in silence. Although, I did express qualms about the choppy editing and missing bits, the overall story is well paced and told, at no moment, lagging in pace. The side characters do a good enough job in sketchy parts, but the movie about Paan Singh Tomar, sticks completely around the central character throughout the duration, and with Irrfan playing it to such excellence, I doubt if anyone would complain.
Overall, it is a good film, that could have been an excellent film but for a few minor blips. Given the usual fare of movies, this definitely rises above the crowd.
Thor (2011)
A perfect popcorn entertainer...
The Marvel magic continues with Thor, as they create yet another throrouly enjoyable, fun, action packed and humourous adventure, where we're introduced to a bigger universe extending far beyond Earths realm.
What this movie does perfectly is ground the characters, and link them to our reality so that even though we're dealing with the mystical Frost Giants or the humoungous Destroyer, the characters do not appear other worldly or over powered to the existing superheroes.
The visuals are captivating, whether it be the splendours of Asgard or the chilly Jotunheim, the CGI is excellent. The story is crisply told, fast paced and simple, taking us across the realms and giving us a background to some really interesting, well written and well portrayed characters.
Chris Hemsworth nails the role of Thor with this charm, comic timing and of course good looks. He brings across the carefree, impulsive Thor while also showing a compassionate, gentle side to the character who'd otherwise have been all brawn and no brain.
Antony Hopkins is brilliant as ever, playing Odin Allfather with all the gravitas that the ruler of the nine realms should possess. He shows his steely, ruthless side, as well as his soft, wise nature with elan.
With Tom Hiddleston Marvel have struck gold when it comes to antagonist. His portrayal of Loki is by far the best negative character in the Marvel universe thus far. The God of mischief oozes charisma and brings out his underlying conflicts to perfection.
Natalie Portman and Stellan Skarsgard play important roles in helping Thor in his transformational journey, and we get small bits and pieces of Idris Elba and Jeremy Renners Heimdall and Hawkeye with a hope that they'd play meatier parts in future movies.
The action sequences are frequent and fun, there's a lot of humour, especially as Thor adjusts to the ways of the Earth and it keeps you engaged from the start to the end.
All in all, this film provides a perfect introduction to other worldly elements to be incorporated later in the MCU while managing to hold its own as a spectacle.
It may not be on par with Iron Man when it comes to a deep, rich story line, but it's the closest a movie in the MCU has come so far in touching those grand heights.
Iron Man 2 (2010)
A fun watch, that misses a punch...
Iron Man 2 is an enjoyable enough watch but does not reach the highs of its predecessor.
You get the feeling that this is a connector movie, building up to a bigger storyline, introducing new characters, exploring new dimensions of the existing ones, but in all this, the main story takes a hit and almost seems like an afterthought.
RDJ as Tony Stark is as brilliant as ever and carries the film effortlessly, Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts and Don Cheadle as Rhodey too do well and we see a deeper connect with Tony with the two of them. We're introduced to Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow, who gets one particularly deligjtlful action sequence, and get to see a bit more of Nick Fury.
Sam Rockwell clearly has a lot of fun playing the opportunitistic Justin Hammer, and Mickey Rourke does a good job of the main antagonist, Ivan Vanko. With Vanko Marvel tried for the first time to introduce a layered complex villian with a backstory, and yet while that starts off well, that track in the story is left for dead by the second half, and he's just the bad guy, doing bad things.
The movie plot suffers as a result and you feel less invested into the end game. This movie was always going to be a link, as there is a much larger universe to which it needed to integrate, but still, it could have invested more in the primary storyline to elevate this movie to the same exalted height of Iron Man.
Overall, an enjoyable film, has its moments of conflict, lots of humour and good action sequences.
The Incredible Hulk (2008)
Dark, thrilling tantaliaing, but just falls short..
The ugly duckling of the MCU, and yet had the potential to turn into its swan. The Incredible Hulk is a fun watch, very different from the usual MCU fare that we're now used to in 2020. It's dark, intense, devoid of humour, and more about the man behind the Mr.Green than the Hulk itself.
It is not an origins story, so that is a fresh side of the story. Bruce Banner's transformation story into the Hulk is covered as part of the opening credits scene, and then we're taken on a journey of a hunted man, on the run, desperate for a cure. There's action and adversity, lots of it infact, but it's the story of Banner that drives the movie.
Edward Norton does a great job bringing out the stark contrast in a vulnerable Banner and the Invincible Hulk. Liv Tyler makes Betty Ross believable and the two work well together.
Among the side cast William Hurt's Thunderbolt Ross and Tim Roth's Blonsky's suffer from inconsistent character development but both make the most of it, making the sudden changes in motivation and characters believable to an extent.
What brings the film down is that after an excellent first half, we get a very generic like for like antagonist, without any backstory or reason. General Ross who plays the primary antagonist in the first half, with his ruthless, win at any cost mentality, suddenly out of nowhere turns face. All this brings down what could have been a thrilling, dark tale of both external and internal conflicts, of how Dr. Banner comes to terms with his alter ego, how the Hulk goes from America's most wanted, to be a part of the Avengers initiative, but it was not to be.
Taking nothing away from it, The Incredible Hulk is a fun watch, excellent in parts, and a definite and welcome departure in tone to the usual Marvel fare, but a sloppy final half brings down what could have been the MCU's shining light, because this is where, and not Iron Man before it, that we get the first hints of a larger universe being built.
Pather Panchali (1955)
Poetry in motion...
A movie that, even half a century later, remains the best cinematic depiction of rural life.
We mostly watch movies for entertainment, and that's what they deliver. Very rare are those movies that touch you to the core, leaving you with a burden of thought in your mind and a tear in your eye. Pather Panchali is one such movie.
To think that this was the first work of a director using equipment that even in those times were outdated, is unbelievable. Each scene resonates with you, touching different corners of your soul.
There is hardly any dialogue in the film but the story unfolds through actions, emotions and ponderous silences. Yes, it is slow, but by choice. At no point does it feel cumbersome or plodding, but has a beautiful flow to it as you seamlessly move from one beautifully crafted setting to another, giving you time to immerse yourself into each, transporting you to the world of Apu and Durga.
Pather Panchali is a film that can be uttered in the same breath as the greats of world cinema. A bow to the master, Satyajit Ray, for this piece of perfection.
Tumbbad (2018)
Hidden gem of Bollywood
Tumbbad is a masterpiece. A folk tale told in its truest fashion, with layers of intricately weaved subtexts that serve to only enhance instead of distracting from the main story. It is a movie that truely reinvents the horror-fantasy genre in the Hindi film industry.
No words can convey the beauty of the cinematography, every scene is spellbinding. The director does an amazing job in imbibing every scene with equal measures of rustic charm and gloom that sets the tone for the story and holds it for its entirety.
The acting is spot on, the complexities and facets of the characters coming out in a nuanced fashion. The story is a simple folk tale but with a lot of subtexts and lessons to draw out of it.
The pacing of the film is perfect, you never feel weary. The story line flows like the deluge of rain falling down on Tumbbad, as it captivates, thrills and horrifies in equal measures.
It's a real pity that the movie going audience never gave this piece of art its dues, but it will go down as a cult classic with an ever growing fan following, reveling in the mastery at display.
Gupt: The Hidden Truth (1997)
A questionable sequence of entertaining events
Gupt has its flaws, and quite a few at that, but it is an entertaining and holds your attention till the end, although just about.
The story starts off at breakneck pace and keeps you immersed, but it gets repetitive and drawn out towards the end. A 30 minute time chunk could have easily been shaved off the runtime without losing too much in the way of plot integrity.
If you look past some of the over the top sequences, the story is immersive, a whodunit, that keeps you guessing for large parts of the film.
There are far too many characters in the film, mostly insignificant, which could have been greatly reduced. Having so many minor characters coming in and out and different points does hamper the development of the main cast.
Kajol does well with her limited screentime and underdeveloped character. Manisha Koirala too does her part, although her job for most parts is to up the glam quotient without too much in the way of getting into the motives of the character. Bobby Deol tries hard enough, and for most parts fits in, but given that he gets the most screentime and a multifaceted character, a lot more could have been done with it. As for the other characters, Om Puri makes a mark as the dogged police officer. Among the rest, there's nothing much to do, but some of them do come off as too irritating, some too irrelevant.
The songs are good, the background music catchy although again, too many song and dance sequences does begin to take a toll, and you wish they'd use the time to push the story ahead.
The editing is jarry with sudden cuts and scenes move at very sudden, irrational pace. It does lack in fluidity.
For all its negatives, it's still a very entertaining movie with a good story line at its centre and makes for a fun watch, without asking a lot from you.
Dil Se.. (1998)
A work of art, in all its perfections and imperfections.
Dil Se is a work of art. The beautifully captured landscapes, from the jungles of North East India, to the arid mountain deserts of Ladakh, the hauntingly beautiful soundtrack, the choreography, the story and the deeply flawed, yet vulnerable and real people living in it. It's all poetry in motion.
It's all so larger than life, that there are jarring moments, a sudden unexpected outburst, a quick scene change, or a tense situation bursting into song at an unlikely moment, but it works. You simply go with it, you feel the real emotions in the people, you see their purpose, it draws you in in its beautifully crafted world of grey characters, in a haunting setup and ensnares you.
Sometimes you get the feeling that you're watching a play instead of a movie, but the flow that is at times lacking is more than made up by the fact that you're thoroughly immersed into the setting and the characters from the start, and you cannot let go of them. There's an intrigue to their motives, a depth to their stories, that comes out in small delightful bits and pieces.
On a technical front, the cinematography, music and choreography are par excellence. It is beautiful beyond words and is what elevates the story, interesting as it is, into a different level.
The screenplay starts off by taking its time to flesh out the characters, but does struggle towards the end where the pace starts getting rushed and some details overlooked. You empathize with the editor, the movie does pack in a lot, and has a runtime to boot, but the sharp transitions from one setting to another are at times glaring.
Coming to the acting, everyone does their jobs to perfection. Both Shahrukh Khan and Manisha Koirala play deeply flawed characters and do a fantastic job of bringing out their characters deepest emotions, their wildest ticks and blending them into the narrative perfectly. There is a character building mid-section where the two first arrive in Ladakh till their parting. The entire sequence is absolute perfection and probably one of my favourite movie segments.
We also get some good side characters, who make an impact and provide a balance to the unpredictability of the primary characters. Whether it be the effervescent Priety Zinta, the strong willed Sabysachi Mukherjee, the little comic bits coming from Raghubir Yadav, and the dogged desperation of Piyush Mishra, characters that without the proper time or backstory being granted to them, bring out their personalities convincingly.
Overall, it is a movie that stays with you, after the ending credits role, whether it be with its songs or with its story or the characters, you're forced to dwell on them and that by itself marks it as a movie par excellence.
Iron Man (2008)
"I am Iron Man!"
A line that kick started a whole new universe of films. Going back to where it started all over again, never gets old.
We have Tony Stark's origin story and the beginning of his redemption arc told in a crisp, well paced fashion, replete with details and the occasional Easter eggs. His journey, starting off as a weapons manufacturer and 'believer in peace', progresses nicely into what he finally becomes at the end of the movie, harbinger of peace with his ultimate weapon, the Iron Man suit, opening up the doorways to bigger challenges and conflicts as part of a larger initiative (watch out for the post-credit scene).
The story is tight, and packed to the brim, well edited and feels like a complete package fit into 2 hours of runtime. The action set pieces are well shot and fast paced, the moments of drama, taught with quiet tension, and the humour helping to seamlessly transition from one to the the other.
Although for most of the movie we're with a brilliant, completely natural, made for the part, RDJ's Tony Stark, the support cast does a good job. Jeff Bridges's Obadiah Stane, and Gwyneth Paltrow's Pepper Pots make an impact. The character of Yinsin (Shaun Toub) is particularly memorable in a small but significant part, and could probably be credited to be the primary instigator in Tony's redemption arc that takes him into becoming Iron Man.
My only gripe with the movie is with the writing behind the antagonists, as they're not well fleshed out with their motives which appear a bit too generalist and unachievable. They're not established as a worthy enough threat to leave you in doubt about their ends. The movie is very black and white, with hardly any shades of grey, which leaves you wanting for a little more depth. Having said that, the movie, being played mainly from Tony Stark's point of view, we get the same information that Tony has, and nothing more, and given that it is an origins movie and the amount of information already packed in, it may have been a calculated omission.
Overall, it is a solid all-round entertainer that does its multi-fold job of introducing you to the Marvel multiverse, and leaving you wanting for more.