Saw series

SAW V (2008)

This is the latest of what the Saw series has to offer. How Hoffman became the new Jigsaw, how he was involved for most of the killings and how he manipulates Agent Stahm is what the movie is all about.

But the Saw movies are really about gore, death games and brilliant philosophy by the frontal lobe tumour guy. And sad to say, this movie lacks all three. If you see this movie in isolation, its fantastic, but if you are an ardent Saw fan - then you'd find this movie, just mediocre. The beginning scene of the pendulum killing is very well shot.

The philosophy keeps pouring. Here Jigsaw explains to Hoffman the funda of giving everybody a chance. And never kill someone if they would readily kill themselves.

The best gift someone can receive is anonymity. Check out the movie if you dont believe me.

Rate - 3.5/5

Favourite Jigsaw quote - Your vengence will only hurt the ones you love.

Gadar, ab angrezi mein!

Partition (2007)

If Gadar were to be remade in English, this would be it. Its a strong story to begin with, removing all the melodrama from the hindi version and a heart-moving performance from the cast (Jimi Mistry & Kristen Kreuk) this movie is a beautiful piece of work.

The ending has Gian Singh dying at Lahore railway station which gives it a sort of brutality that partition literature is supposed to have (where it scores over Gadar) Neve Campbell does a fair bit by playing the jilted Englishwoman who loves the Sikh soldier who supposedly killed her younger brother at World War II.

The funny part is how they had some Indian words in this english movie which were hilariously mispronounced - like the word "puttar" I mean, if you are having the entire movie in english with punjabi peasants also speaking angrezi, why have a comic element like puttar??

Rate - 3/5

De Niro is da Man!

Awakenings (1990)

Four words baby - Robin Williams and Robert DeNiro. They steal the show. Esspecially DeNiro who plays a (?) Parkinson's catatonic patient swinging from psychotic to sober (which is actually a side-effect of L Dopa)

Robin Williams is a doctor who hates contact with humans is forced to work in "the garden" (A chronic hospital where patients are all in a vegetative state) and he tries a new drug (L Dopa) on his theorized Parkinson's patients who havn't moved in years yielding to intense tremor leading to catatonia. When the drug works, these patients magically awaken from their locked-in state.

A very well done screenplay. Originally written by Dr. Oliver Sacks, M.D. who also wrote the original book of the movie "At First Sight"

The movie also touches a cliche issue of how humans have forgotten the SPLs (small pleasures of life) the ever continuing rat race for power, money or fame. Well, I think thats the central idea of all of Oliver's works and i duly agree with him.

Ever wondered what you would do if you ever went out for a walk all by yourself? Watch the movie and understand yourself!

Rate - 4/5

The weight of the heart?

21 grams (2003)
This is one of those movies which you have no clue to where its going. but with some patience and a liking for Sean Penn (he is a true stud) you realize that every bit falls into place rather perfectly and every scene that looked stupid actually makes sense. Its one of the very few "time skewed" movies (in which multiple time plots are going on at the same time like Pulp Fiction, Memento, Irreversible - movies that experiment with time) which doesn't have a narration, which is very commendable on the directors part to make the story come alive without a constant voice in the head of the protagonist. (except the last scene when we finally hear what Sean Penn is talking inside his head)

Naomi Watts does a very good job and so does Del Toro.
But what I didn't get is the title. Why is it called 21 grams?

And how could I end the review without mentioning heart transplant. (thats why I ask does a heart weigh 21 grams? only??)
Rate - 4/5

Fuckin hilarious

Deshdrohi (2008)

I don't know why I ever saw this movie...I had a choice between teen patti and this, but my cunt friends preferred this. I'd like to thank then from the bottom of my heart for giving me one of the most hilarious 2 and 1/2 hours I've ever had.
Kamaal R Khan (KRK taken from SRK) simply rocks. He is a man of doesn't. He doesnt have looks, he doesnt have the talent to act and he doesnt have the body to hurt my grandma (that's why Gracy Singh does all the fighting for him) But what he has is the fucking balls to make this movie - not only because of the social issue that he addresses but also the strength to bear the ridicule that he will face. Not to mention the amount of money that he has to get Hrishta Bhatt romances around him.
Every dialogue, every movement, every facial expression of this man is a work of art. You really cant stop laughing even though you've seen this man run a thousand times. He runs like you've never seen a human being run. And the scenes are so haphazardly edited that you wonder if its the same movie that you are still watching. But KRK's brilliant comedy overshadows all the flaws of this movie.
On a serious note, because of the whole North Indians in Maharashtra, India being a free country and Raj Thackerey's MNS this movie has gained a lot of mileage and has been banned in this state. But I'm sure the movie is a massive blockbuster up north as a hard hitting political drama with KRK's performance is regarded as a national hero. But those people will never read my blog, probably because they cant (means or ability)
Rate - (i must really be insane to even rate this movie) 0.5/5
Only because of the extremely funny dialogues and expressions of KRK
personal reference - what do you get when you mix sufi and randhir? KRK!

Trust thy self!

O (2001)

Before I start out... yes, its an Othello adaptation. Yes, all the characters are very strong (of course, the story is. C'mon Shakespeare isn't Shakespeare for nothing!) and yes, Desmodenia is hot.

Since the obvious is out of the way, I love how the motif is changed in this movie. Its a basketball team whose coach is Hugo ie. Iago's dad. The coach always favours O who is the star "playa" and the MVP (and nigga, might I add...get the racial connection?) O is dating Desi (Julia Stiles) and his main man is Mike (Cassio) Now we all know how Hugo (Josh Hartnett) uses Desi & Mike to mess with the mind of O. The usual conflict of race, trust, brotherhood and lust that ensues is what the movie is all about.

Josh Hartnett gives a gripping performance but no actor outshines the truly immaculate, flawless, filled with conflict storyline of this movie. If Deewar is considered the baap of Bollywood scripts, Othello is the God of english literature.

If God were to reside in the mind of men, I wouldn't say that a different God lived in Othello than that of Iago. Iago was always a part of Othello. He listened to him because he wanted to listen to him. He only believed what he wanted to. No doubt he loved Desmodenia, but he ended up killing her not because he was provoked or blinded by deceit of other men, it was because he wanted to kill her. Somewhere, deep down inside, he knew she was too perfect to be true. And so to not let this perfection dissolve, he had to destroy it. Desmodenia and himself. Iago just laid out the path for Othello...

Rate - 3.5 / 5

Trivia - Which actor features in this movie as well as the 1995 Lawrence Fishbourne's Othello? Martin Sheen

I'd rather be lucky than good

Match point (2005)

The man who said "I'd rather be lucky than good" saw deeply into life. People are afraid to face how great a part of life is dependent on luck. It's scary to think so much is out of one's control. There are moments in a match when the ball hits the top of the net, and for a split second, it can either go forward or fall back. With a little luck, it goes forward, and you win. Or maybe it doesn't, and you lose.

I didnt write that (I wish I did) This is how this Woody Allen movie begins. And pretty much sums up the entire story. A young Irish tennis pro (Johnatthan Rhyff Myers) mixes with an English bloke, marries his sister, works for her fathers multi - million pound comapany, does his American-struggling-actress ex - fiance (Scarlett Johansen) and leads a happy and well balanced life while having an extra-marital affair.

Trouble comes when he cant get his wife pregnant but his mistress gets knocked up. So he plans to kill Scarlett. The plan, the execution and the escape is where the entire luck factor comes into play.

A brilliantly written story.They had this weird opera theme going on in the background and the movie seemed too lenghty (but I saw this back to back after "Proof" late in the night, so my opinion could've been compromized.) Johnatthan Rhyff Myers seemed blunted for emotions in some scenes.

The message that this movie patronizes is - If you're lucky enough, you can even get away with murder!

Rate - 3/5

I want to date a hot mathematician

Proof (2005)

This is a story of mathematicians. How am I a sucker for such movies! (Oxford Murders, Number 23, Good Will Hunting, 21, A Beautiful Mind, Hyper Cube and many more...)

But this movie also has brilliant performances. Gwenyth Paltrow plays the daughter of an insane yesteryears mathematician Anthony Hopkins who did some brilliant work back in the day. Now after his demise, a very important proof (something to do with prime numbers) is found and Gwenyth claims to have written it. Juggling between what she inherited from her father - the intellect and the insanity, she tries to explain to her boyfriend (also a mathematician and a student to her father) and her sister that she is the rightful author of the proof. But there is no proof that she has written the proof!

The movie is an adaptation from an award winning play. The play must be really good figuring the movie has strong screenplay and dialogues (and also some math, which many math & science movies lack)

All geniuses are insane but not all insanes are genious!

Rate - 3/5