Blue Valentine

Rating : 7/10
Release Date : December, 2010
Time : 112 minutes
Director, Co-writer : Derek Cianfrance ; Co-Writers Cami Delavignie, Joey Curtis; Music Supervisor : Joe Rudge
Starring : Ryan Gosling, Michelle Williams, Faith Wladyka

Never seen a film which captures the desolation leading up to a break up as well as this one. A couple which falls in love and gets married now finds themselves growing apart even though he is a good father and faithful husband and she is a caring wife.




He is unambitious. She works for a doctor and dreams of a better life. She is crushed by the logistics of day to day life, the everyday burdens we all seem to carry heavily upon our shoulders, especially when money is an issue. He is happy being a father, a husband and cannot fathom what is going wrong.
Things are brought to a head when he plans a romantic weekend, just with his wife, their child left with grandparents. Will they find true love again ?


The movie is remarkable for its lack of histrionics, brilliant acting, screenplay and realistic portrayals. There is all the drama of a couple drifting apart due to no clear reason, not one big thing but hundreds of tiny little things which are laughable by themselves. There is the drama of one being content and the other restless. The anguish of one still in love and the other just carrying on, visibly so.


Love is a strange bird. I find more and more couples today struggle to remember what it was that made them fall in love, to remember the good and hold it in their heart vs all the tiny irritations of day to day life. This movie is a good reminder of what could be.

The Mechanic

Rating : 5/10
Release Date : 28th January, 2011
Time : 93 minutes
Director : Simon West ; Writer : Richard Wenk, Lewis John Carlino; Music : Mark Isham
Starring : Jason Statham, Ben Foster, Donald Sutherland, Tony Goldwyn, Jeff Chase, Mini Anden
There is probably nothing in this film that you’ve not seen before. Its about an assassin who trains the son of his mentor to become one, after killing the mentor. What makes the movie watchable is Jason Statham who displays all the skills which I’ve admired in him right from the days of Lock Stock And Two Smoking Barrels….


The film has portions which are unbelievable as is the case with most action films – shootings in the middle of the town, a secret hideout that doesn’t really seem very hard to find, bomb blasts but no sign of cops and sending a replacement killer for an important job without prior agreement etc.


The key to enjoying this film is to watch Jason shed his ‘action / Brit’ image and try his hand at something a bit more. Silent, introspective, thoughtful, the assassin he portrays is happy to do the bidding of his boss but not ready to be made a fool of. The relationship with Ben Foster is well brought out, as we see a wastrel gradually become an admirer and then a convert to Jason’s methods. In performance terms though I found Ben a bit cold and that’s why never cared for what becomes of him.



Its an enjoyable film if you know what to look for and what to ignore

Another Year

Rating : 7/10
Release Date : November, 2010
Time : 129 minutes
Director & Writer : Mike Leigh; Music : Gary Yershon
Starring : Jim Broadbent, Ruth Sheen, Lesley Manville, Oliver Maltman, Peter Wight, David Bradley, Martin Savage, Karina Fernandez, Imelda Staunton
A beautiful film showing the different ways we humans seek unhappiness or refuse to confront our problems head on.



We meet a woman who just wants to sleep, wants sleeping tablets but is unwilling to confront the issues which are making her insomniac. In a telling moment, when asked to remember the happiest moment of her life she can think of nothing



We meet Mary, who just wants a man and to be liked, though not necessarily in that order. Bright, vacuous (her car purchase telling us all we need to know about her ‘upstairs’ control room) and vivacious, fighting hard against age, desperate to find a man to the extent that she will hit upon almost anyone. Is a secretary but hates being called that.

We meet Ken. Unfit. Drinks more than your friendly neighbourhood fish. Smokes. Bemoans the change around him. How the friendly pubs have all become bars and lounges (its so true in UK, BTW, know several which have done so). How the young are noisy and intolerant of the elders. And he would love to have a companion.

We meet Joe. Bright. Helpful. Happy. But all the time being asked whether he’s found someone yet. And he just may have a surprise or two in store there.


And, most of all, we meet Tom and Gerri. The couple through whom we meet everyone else. The couple who are very relaxed, comfortable with each other, perfect companions, enjoying the different stages of life together. Who don’t really understand why people struggle so hard for happiness.


Its an interesting contrast provided – the happy couple vs the individuals and their issues. We see it all over the course of a year, with different seasons showcasing different chapters and introducing new characters. The contrast between Tom and his helpless elder brother was also nicely shown, underlining once again the importance of keeping pace with the times and the perils of over dependency (in this case on his wife).


It’s a slow, gentle movie. Barring a few minutes, there aren’t even any raised voices. Its all about characters, building sketches for us of different people. And I found it very interesting…

Ecclestone laughs off teams, News Corp interest

Bernie Ecclestone

Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone dismissed speculation about possible takeovers and rival series on Saturday as 'normal foreplay' to a new commercial agreement with teams and the governing body.

"There have been enough times people have wanted to do a breakaway and they haven't succeeded up until now," the 80-year-old told reporters at the Turkish Grand Prix when asked whether he was worried about the prospect of that re-emerging.

"We've had five or six 'Concorde Agreements' and there are always these sort of discussions going on beforehand. It's normal foreplay before these things happen."

The 'Concorde Agreement' between the commercial rights holders CVC, the governing International Automobile Federation (FIA) and teams expires at the end of next year. It is a lengthy and confidential legal document that sets out the commercial basis of the sport and division of revenues.

After a largely quiet 2010 where the racing was the main focus of attention, the paddock has again become a hotbed of intrigue with speculation about the future of the sport and what the main players are doing behind the scenes.

Rupert Murdoch's News Corp and Italian financial holding EXOR, which controls Ferrari through FIAT, have teamed up to explore the "possibility of creating a consortium" that could run the sport.

They plan to talk to potential minority partners and the main operators. Shareholders, who would include investment funds from Abu Dhabi and Bahrain, in the big four teams are expected to meet them next week.

Some in the paddock have speculated that, with News Corp as owner and promoter, the teams could go off and do their own thing to take control of the sport's revenues should any attempt to buy the rights from CVC be rebuffed or fall through.

Others see the rumblings as all part of a familiar game to exert pressure and extract better terms from Ecclestone in negotiations on a new agreement.

"They'll have to approach the people that own the shares and buy the shares won't they?," Ecclestone said when asked about the teams' desire to become stakeholders. "That's what normally happens.

"I go normally to a restaurant in London two or three times a week, not a lot of point in me going and saying to the owners that I want a share of the restaurant just because I eat there.

"These people are going to look bloody stupid with all their trucks and their uniforms if they've got nowhere to race. It's the same if I go to the restaurant and they've got no food to serve me."

Ecclestone, who has said Murdoch chances of taking over Formula One are "close to zero," also enjoyed a dig at News Corp's attempts to buy the 61 percent of London-based broadcaster BSkyB that it does not already own.

"They've been doing that for three years, so they've got plenty of practice of doing things and not succeeding," he said. "Trying and doing are two different thing"

Luv Ka The End

Rating : 7/10
Release Date : 6th May, 2011
Time : ~120 minutes
Director : Bumpy ; Writer : Ashish Patil; Music : Ram Sampath
Starring : Shraddha Kapoor, Taaha Shah, Jannat Zubair Rahmani

After a long time saw a youth film which got its lingo, tonality just right. It didn’t sound wannabe, the characters were endearing, it was fresh, peppy, touched on taboo topics and will possibly appeal to those who either belong to the well heeled youth or aspire to.



Rhea (Shraddha Kapoor) finds out that her boyfriend, Luv (Taaha), the man she was about to entrust her virginity to on her 18th birthday, is a total Casanova. She now wants to get even. Joining her in her admirable quest are her best friends, the well rounded, spunky Jugs and the vacuous, looks obsessed Sonia and an unlikely ally, the nerdy Kartikeyan. Helping Luv in his quest are his friends, the plump, women obsessed, Gollu, who’s throwing a party where only women wearing mini skirts will be allowed and Timmy, who’s so much into his looks / exercise that he talks to his biceps.

Other interesting characters include Karthikeyan’s brother, who’s choice of password will linger in memory for long. Rhea’s Dadi, who’s choice of language lingers in Rhea’s parents memory for longer. The precocious Minty, Rhea’s younger sister, who’s negotiation skills will put bankers to shame. And Sonia’s mom, who’s trying desperately to be with it.

The entire film spans a period of less than 24 hours, keeps it very tight, has some interesting twists and doesn’t have a dull moment. The girl’s attempt to buy drinks, the BBC concept, the conceptualisation of Rhea’s revenge, the diva’s (Natasha & her gang) vs the ordinary (Rhea & her gang), all provide great entertainment.



The background score, the bright colours, the jokes (Jugs has some of the best lines), the banter, the well etched characters, the songs, the slickness…all combine to give us an interesting viewing experience. The acting is very good as well. Shraddha, while not being the hottest thing on legs, manages to look convincing as the vulnerable girl next door. Taaha looks every inch the slick charmer. Each one fits the bill as if they were made for this part.

Kudo’s to Y Films in being able to pull this off. Its not easy to get it just right, its quite a fine line. They made us laugh, they made us cheer, they made us care. Its said ‘Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned’. Basis this film, it seems safe to say ‘Hell Hath no fury like a woman who’s been two timed’ !

Vettel not worried by missed session

Vettel

Vettel

Vettel

The Red Bull driver, the winner of the first two races, lost control of his car during a wet opening practice session, crashing heavily against the barriers.

As a result of the accident, Vettel was unable to run in the afternoon. However the world champion said the lack of running will not be a big problem.

"It makes it a bit more difficult, no doubt, but I don't think it will be a problem," said Vettel. "We know the track quite well from the past years, and in the end it was only one afternoon we had in the dry.

"We'll see. I'm still confident for tomorrow. Everything is open. It looks fairly close and I think it will be quite exciting tomorrow."

Vettel said he apologised to his mechanics and admitted the most important thing was that he was uninjured.

"You could see there was nothing I could do to stop the car from hitting the wall, so I think the most important thing is that I'm fine," he said.

"Unfortunately we couldn't get the car ready in time. There was a little bit too much damage. I'm sorry for the guys. I apologised because it was not my intention to damage the car.

"But this is racing and it can happen. I think the most important is that we are still here."

Turkish Grand Prix 2011: McLaren's Jenson Button sets the pace ahead of Fernando Alonso

Sebastian Vettel

Sebastian Vettel

British driver Jenson Button set the pace in Turkish Grand Prix practice on Friday while Formula One world champion Sebastian Vettel crashed in the morning and missed the entire second session.

Vettel, the championship leader after winning two of the first three races, gave his Red Bull mechanics plenty of extra work after spinning into the barriers at the rain-soaked Istanbul Park circuit.

The 23-year-old German, who has been on pole position for the past four races, spun at the exit of the challenging triple apex turn eight.

The session was red flagged with 27 minutes remaining, with marshals clearing mud off the track while the battered Red Bull was hoisted onto a flatbed truck and brought back to the pitlane.

"There was some water on the exit. There was nothing I could do," he said over the team radio after his car skidded down the barriers to a halt.

The damage was extensive and Vettel was a mere spectator in the afternoon when the sun made a weak appearance and temperatures rose notably. He will now go into the weekend with no dry weather mileage under his belt.

Fast & Furious 5

Rating : 6/10
Release Date : 6th May, 2011 (India)
Time : 130 minutes
Director : Justin Lin ; Writer : Chris Morgan, Gary Scott Thompson; Music : Brian Tyler
Starring : Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson, Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris, Matt Schulze, Sung Kang, Gal Gadot, Joaquim De Almeida, Elsa Pataky

A classic ‘Boys with Toys’ movie, with nary a dull moment, high levels of testosterone, bulging biceps and beautiful babes and a plot that is so full of loopholes, requiring a suspension of disbelief so huge, it could hold up the Worli Sea Link and its proposed extension.



Set in sunny Rio, it involves Vin Diesel, Paul Walker and a motley crew taking on the biggest druglord of the city because they have a chip containing vital information about where his money is stashed. Why this chip is in existence or in the location it was discovered is never explained but then we don’t get any time to ponder over such questions. Fists fly, cars crash, guns gorge bullets and people generally strut around stiffly. A heist along the lines of 'The Italian Job' is planned. To add to the chaos, the US Govt sends their best guy, Dwayne Johnson to track Vin Diesel and his merry men and he certainly does his best to add to the beefy biceps quotient.




The story is not important. The attempt throughout the film is to make you go ‘oooohhhh’. To make you see stunts that you’d never seen before. And in this they succeed. You spend most of the film wondering what lies ahead, what outrageous feat is going to be attempted next. Special mentions for the outstanding background score which makes the heart pulsate throughout the film and for Gal Gadot who achieves the same effect in a different way.




Most of what they show would have even Bond or Tom Cruise of MI questioning rationality or sanity but then this film is not for the faint-hearted. Its one mind boggling stunt after another, held together only in the loosest sense by a simplistic storyline. And its fun. Crazy, but fun.

Chalo Dilli

Rating : 3/10
Release Date : 29th April, 2011
Time : 116 minutes
Director : Shashant Shah ; Writer : Arshad Syed ; Music : Various
Starring : Vinay Pathak, Lara Dutta
Take every stereotype in the book. The Bong family that has to be carrying rasagullas. The Rajasthani goon who wears cool shades but also carry paan. The Delhi-ite who belches, farts, chomps noisily and eats gluttonously but has a heart of gold. And the Mumbai Miss Hoity Toity who runs a multi crore business, is strong / self dependent but eeks and shrieks at the sign of a cockroach. Now put it together in a road movie with a weak plot, stale jokes and clichéd situations. And you have a film that goes on and on and on before mercifully drawing to a close about 30-40 minutes too late.


Lara misses her flight to Delhi, has to catch one in cattle class which is diverted to Jaipur due to airport issues, and then when she hires a car to drive down to the capital, encounters a sleep-starved uncouth driver. In steps Vinay Pathak. Her co-passenger on the flight. Possibly the reason for her missing the earlier one. Surely the reason for her having to resort to music / headphones during the flight due to his loud chatter. And definitely the person who drives her up the wall as their journey encompasses an Ambassador, a bicycle, a camel cart, shared auto, a jeep and a train. Will they reach Delhi and what awaits them there is what is supposed to engross us through the film



An interesting premise is put to the sword here. A very weak script, a very poor dialogue writer (really cringe worthy, old jokes) and extremely amateurish production quality ensure that you see a film that feels like its been made on a budget. Acting by the lead pair is average but you feel for neither of them. Acting by everyone else is below average. The songs are very ordinary and the ‘Laila’ remix is downright awful, especially the crass video with Yana.


A piece of elastic can only be stretched so much and the film here tries to set a new record for doing so. Midway in the film you’re praying for the unlikely couple to actually reach their destination to relieve us. Or for them to be airlifted. Or for someone to come to their rescue. Anything but the amateurish sub plots that you see, all of which have been seen before.