The Conjuring: Intelligent, suspense-thriller, horror and not at all for light hearted. Hats off to James Wan, the director!!!Super loaded special effects make the film stand out. With respect to story, The Conjuring isn’t anything new as compared to its same genre ones, it’s based on a real life case story but the oldie Goldie stuff is well placed, portrayed & creatively casted with furniture-banging exorcism so much that it carries a R-Rating. As the movie matures we feel as if the entire theater is holding its breath! Full credit to the director for putting life in some old haunted stuff from which many people evade themselves watching & making it fresh, juicy still serious, intense suspense. It also doesn’t leave my personal favorite, “The Others” far behind.

It’s a classic masterpiece which is thoughtfully designed from the very first thumping baby doll scares to the last closing squeaking credits shots. The show is set in an 150 year old Rhode Island house, where almost immediately moving in, the Livingston family (a couple & five daughters) start experiencing disturbing events right from their dog never entering the new house & found dead the very next day just when they weirdly & strikingly notice that clocks stop at 3:07 a.m. The chill continues till the family starts feeling the presence of a spirits which also results in scars on their bodies. It’s the just the start of 3rd stage(Possession) where demonologists, The Warrens are called in (Infestation & Oppression being the first two stages) & have a look & this is when it starts getting a lot interesting. The spirit seems challenged by the presence of Warrens & starts getting out of hand for what lies ahead are a series of incidences that follow which are breathtakingly terrifying.

Every masterpiece leaves us with some unforgettable scenes for an our lifetimes : “The clapping sequence scene” is one in which the audience not only hold onto their chairs but also laugh aloud when it’s over(I found myself saying whoo hoo when it was over…it’s just brilliantly made) “Do you wanna play, Clap Clap !!!” Ah awesome!!!

In the second half, the movie enters into its own pace with the spirit creating havoc & the audience getting goose bumps now & then because of James Wan’s cinematic scare tactics, hats off, yes again!! The use of crude technology like cameras that click photos when change in temperature, old fashioned tape recorders, UV light & sound detecting headphones are all witty inclusions indeed. All the actors deliver top class performance without any doubt & may be their acting goes unnoticed because it’s too scary around 🙂 All in all, it’s the unpredictability which steals the show for me. Stellar moments, the poster itself, the setting of a big oldish farmhouse on the lake, the picture perfect huge tree with bended branches, creaky doors, superb camera angles & placements, excellent screenplay well supported by sound effects make this a must watch if you are a horror movie goer.

So if you feel like going in there to watch, a Warning from my side: Enter but at your own holy risk !!! njoy :))

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Censor Rating = R. Running time=112 minutes. Number of times I saw my watch = 5-6 (I was irritated by getting scared a number of times 😉 ). My Rating=8.5/10 (My highest rating till date )

         Intelligence is defined as the having the capacity for thought and reason especially to a higher degree. Whereas Suspense is defined as an uncertain cognitive state.Reema Katgi’s Talaash is an intelligently made suspense film, intriguingly captivating drama of emotion, thrill & shiver which doesn’t allow u to take your eyes off the screen for a minute….till the end…I said Reema not Aamir because somehow she owns this baby, so well she has nurtured & of which Amir may I say is the father, she deserves kudos for her direction right from the slow song (remember in my earlier review I mentioned Skyfall’s slow song setting it up).On similar lines Talaash too sets it up & keeps u interested till the end of the drama. May be it takes us up to that level that u somehow do not accept the end…the graph just drops with a drastic negative slope.

I remember, it was Monday, 26th of November, 8:30 pm, I was driving back from office still getting over my Monday blues, on the signal, when the some radio station started blaring the ” Jee Le Zaraa .. Jee Le Zaraa “” promo song from the Friday release blockbuster when I recalled that I had to book the tickets. Took out my phone & launched the Book my show app, selected the dates & just when I was going to make the payment, the signal turned green; the next signal I made my payment.Refering to this because let me tell u one thing, where Talaash lets us down – its end of 2012 & the same story I bet wouldn’t have made any different if casted a decade ago. This is age of technology & u has no escape, the audience just knows that & wants that!

It’s a one of its kind combination – Two congruent equilateral triangles – Rani-Karina-Aamir  & Aamir-Zoya-Reema  with Aamir the common angle between them with Farhan Akhtar & Anurag Kashyap  adding the well timed dialogues …There’s a talk that Amir delayed the film & added the “Jiya Lage Na” song which apparently is my favourite of the lot. The story starts off with a sedan speeding straight  at you on a quite road & in a flash taking a ninety degree turn to the right zooming of the barricade into the waters, the driver an ivy league superstar- dead, no alcohol or drug traces, no other body marks!! Surjan Shekhawat (Aamir Khan) plays the inspectors role. Another story, that of Amir’s family- runs in parallel, Amir’s son Karan, drowned couple of years ago, which

Amir takes the blame on himself, is already a dad, missing his fatherhood duties. His wifey- Roshni (Rani Mukherji) still trying to come out of the pain n shock plays the perfect character of a matured housewife, arguably this might be the only film in which she appears before us with I would say “no make-up”. Aamir, during his duty as a cop investigating the accidental case comes in contact with prostitute, Rosie (Kareena Kapoor), who mysteriously is trying to captivate him & leading him to the next clues like that on a treasure hunt also trying to seduce him throughout the film, with Aamir not ready to budge eventually finding some mental solace. Kareena‘s attractively portrayed soft image, sultry eyes, beguiling features keeps the class of the flick going. As the story unwinds another good actor come to the stage, Nawazuddin Siddiqui,who has already made his mark in Kahaani,, Paan Singh Tomar , becomes the king pin trying to take the advantage of the situation on whose calls the story starts moving.

The interval seems kind of odd with the audience knowing who might be involved, an accident or a murder? But then, it turns out to be shrewdly timed one as the story unfolds further. Reema, as a director adding to her screen play experience from Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd. & Lagaan, as already mentioned shows brilliance with her camera work all over the film, superb direction, perfect angles & well supported background score by Ram Sampath.Everything about Reema’s work seems perfect except for the housewife- Rani Mukhurjee’s  French manicure 😛

Aamir – the perfectionist, the top paid actor in the industry, the only person on the planet who denied making his wax statue @Madame Tussauds takes the film on his strong shoulders. He shows his act & as we rightly associate him with a genius, plays his role to the fullest. Though, one might say that this flick is far below his recent previous ones. The two plots throughout the movie convolute & try to give the audience the intentional kick at the end. The second half seems not to have the same pace as the first, taking us towards the slow end. The movie fails to perform the second act which is the most important one in a suspense thriller. This one is a onetime watch film filled with unprecedented yet pale ending.

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Censor Rating = U/A.

Running time=139 minutes.

Number of times I saw my watch = 2.

My Rating=6.5/10.

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The Eon Productions $150 million, 23rd entry Skyfall, the much awaited 007 bond film is thrilling, gripping & entertaining.

Adele’s  theme song “This is the end-Hold your breath and count to ten-Feel the earth move and then-Hear my heart burst again” sets it up with its catchy tone & the quite 1960s pace. The chase begins in the Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar & is captivating indeed & well worth of a bond chase. The “TAKE THE BLOODY SHOT” is a one of its kind justifiable of the film’s perfect tenacity! Bond falling from the train is a one we’ll remember for a life time !And then, the cyber threats starts all over- unstoppable, unmatched, unthinkable & our Bond has to report to “M(ommy)” for THE RESURRECTION !

Three months ago, the boss lady M (Judi Dench) has lost the drive containing the identity of every agent embedded in terrorist organisation across the globe…& then the boss lady M has to “Think of her Sins” & then the Resurrection starts–> “007 reporting for duty”.

From London we travel all the way to Shanghai then to Macau. The traditional Chinese eve festival is wonderful to watch. The real kingpins: director-cinematographers Sam Mendes and Roger Deakins deserve more than a pat on their backs for producing such thrilling longish sequences that the first half seems to be a flyer & I realised it even more when the interval lights came on that none of us wanted a break- it’s that gripping. The reflecting neon light shot where bond goes to chase the assassin in the darkness on top floor is worth a mention. The “MI6 HQ blowing away is deafening! & the movie reassures that the Bond game is for the grown-ups & not young computer hacker freak who poses as Bond’s new  quarter master who tries instructing Bond only to find his own site hacked by the invincible,irresistible,indigenious cold blooded villain Javier Bardem -Silva. Silva’s two rat’s story is truly fascinating depicting of what lies ahead & what was all that going all till that point of the movie. His “…..Mo(o)mmy was very bad” takes an applaud !

But let me tell you, there are fewer of the fancy gadgets, the funky cars, the gorgeous woman (except the sultry shower moment which the director tries to steal) but there is the tuxedo, the martini & ah off course how can we forget the Bond’s fav Aston Martin DB5 !

The end, takes us to the olden days “Welcome to Scotland” kinds set up in an old mansion where it all started & as Silva says “It should have been here & it should have been this way”. Silva’s entry in the end in a helicopter with a loud speaker atop is another witty inclusion. The end does seem a bit stretchy n slow…no bond girls n no fancy gadgets takes away the Bond theme – which is a bit questionable and asking ourselves to differentiate it between a Bond and a Spy thriller- Do u feel so ?

And last, but not the least full marks to Daniel Craig as he seems mature-macho, razor -sharp and savvy as ever & completes a respectable hat trick & we wonder how many more will he make- one? Two?? …Remains to be seen. Nevertheless, Skyfall achieves a true Resurrection – A perfect fitting for the 50 years celebration of The Bond- James Bond …..as I sign off to wait for yet another thriller..yes our Amir’s Talaash…

Rating = PG 13.

Running time=143 minutes.

My Rating=7/10.

Ladies n Gentlemen,

Let’s forget the fiscal deficits, EU crisis, the GDPs,the FDIs,the scams, the corruptions, the releases we are working on, the targets n deadlines for a while for the dream Olympics are here hosted by arguable the most adorable &deserving city in the world. London will become the first ever city to host The Olympics three times ever in world history.

As Samuel Johnson has put it- “when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford.”& such is the aura of Olympics’ that:Coubertin’s refers in his Olympic creed:”the most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well.”

The origin of Olympics refers to the Greek-Heracles along with his father Zeus being the founders, building the Olympic truce & the stadium in 776 BC.The Olympics since then is considered the most competitively fought, especially memorable & undoubtedly respectable games – the world cup of worlds  cup so to say. None of the other cups/trophies are as great as the coveted “olive wreath” that a medallion is honored with(it is said that there were no medals but only olive wreaths presented to the winners earlier exemplifying that material goods such as  gold/silver/bronze medals presented today were of least importance) when one wins. The Olympic rings represent five intertwined rings and epitomes unity of the five inhabited continents & the colors rings—blue, yellow, black, green, and red unite all of us meaning every nation has at least one of them on its national flag.

Months before each Games, the Olympic flame is lit in Olympia in a ceremony that reflects ancient Greek rituals; Ben Ainslie, who won gold medals in Sailing at the Beijing 2008, Athens 2004 and Sydney 2000 Games was Britain’s first torch bearer & started the 70-day relay.

The Olympics 2012 will be inauguration by Queen Elizabeth II on 27th July 2012 (albeit the games will start with kick off on Wed 25th July) mark the start of the games & they will conclude on 12 August 2012 -competed for 39 disciplines, participated by over 10,000 athletes from 204/249 nations across the world. The event will bring together the world’s best athletes under one roof to display their respective best.

It’s the “Moment to shine” for each person who participates. It’s the moment each Olympian had been waiting for whether a first timer or second or a third…Canadian equestrian (horseman) Ian Millar participated in his 9th Olympics in 2008(Beijing), joining Austrian sailor Hubert Raudaschl as the sportsmen with most Olympic appearances while India’s tennis superstar Leander Paes will become (London 2012) only tennis player in the world to play a sixth Olympics & will get to walk in for the sixth straight time!

According to Sebastian Coe, the Olympic chief, all arrangements are done along with tight security measures especially since 7/7 bomb attacks on three Tube trains and a bus happened a day after London was awarded the games.Also,some wonderful new arrangements like 4,000 train services will run during the Games. Transport for London (TfL) has also built a £25 million cable car across the River Thames, the Emirates Air Line, to link 2012 Olympics venues- carrying up to 2,500 passengers an hour at heights above 50 meters (160 ft) in the air. The entire costing of the event is estimated to be @10Billion GBP.

Technology has changed the way we see the world, whilst 1936 Berlin Olympics, the world witnessed the first ever sports event to be broadcasted live, today we will lavishly sit in our living rooms & be closer to event than previous with the latest High Definition TV & I am sure till the next version of Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – the speed with which technology is progressing we will surely experience it in 3D 🙂

Some interesting Qs that will be answered during these Olympics are:

• Will Roger Federer complete a double-feat @London that no one has achieved so far?
• Will Usain Bolt break yet another mens 100mtrs WR?
• How many more Gold Medals will the champion American swimmer Micheal Phelps bag after setting a record for number of gold medals (eight gold at Beijing in 2008)at an Olympics. ?
• How many new World records will be set?
• Will the Chinese continue their domination as they did @home? Was it the home support last time or are we indeed seeing a shift of sporting power not just an economic – they were the leaders & won over 100 medals last time as hosts which included 50 Gold medals.@Athens 2004 the USA had topped the table with 35 Golds as well as @Sydney with 37 Golds.
• & Finally, will it be any different for India? We hope hockey brings in the past gold medal glory of Dhyanchand’s era.The last time gold medalist Abhinav Bindra in shooting,Leander Paes in tennis, Saina Nehwal in badminton, Vijender Singh in boxing are expected to do well while the last time bronze medalist Sushil Kumar will lead the Indian contingent at the 2012 London Summer Olympic Games and will be India’s flag bearer for London Olympics opening ceremony as well as the #1 woman archer Deepika Kumari (can she turn out to be the second person from Ranchi to put it  on global map?) or let’s hope n pray we get a new name to remember for a life time !

Notable Indian contribution for Olympic 2012:

Megastar Amitabh Bachchan carried the Olympic torch in London representing India; music maestro A R Rahman has teamed up with his ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ director Danny Boyle to compose a track for the inaugural event.

So, after all those hold ups,in-interesting logs, leaving behind the controversies – Dow chemicals, budget,broadcasting, ticketing, security-  things look in good shape for the events to light up the most famous city in the world. Mandeville  and Wenlock will be the mascots & your are welcome to buy the merchandise featuring them.

At this  moment, I am feeling really sad, that I will not be able to witness history & be right there ! So those of my friends out there in London & reading this blog – have a memorable show & let the games begin 🙂 we r ready to witness them!

We expected more from you Chris – The GODFATHER of suspense!.

DKR- The Legend Ends, the part three of the culminating sequel and one of the of the most awaited movies of 2012 has a sensational climax but fails to replicate its prequel. Remember, a third act, is always the hardest part, the part we call “The Prestige”- that the hardest part is to finish the trilogy to perfection without loopholes, this has been undoubtedly been done well by The GODFATHER of suspense. The film does hold us for almost three hours in the theater but misses “The Punch ” somewhere which you will agree only Mr Christopher Nolan could have been able to delvier.None the less it’s an exciting roller coaster ride and creditable performances byChristian Bale(Bruce Wayne) & Tom Hardy(Bane), complemented by Anne Hathaway, understandable roles planned by Sir Michael Cane(Alfred) and Morgan Freeman(Fox).

The ride starts eight years post referring to the earlier TDK where our Batman assumes the blame of Late Harvey Dent & goes into exile in his so called tech lab bangalow.That is timed by the return of the bad guy kid who has now grown up to come back and seeks vengeance to complete the plot drafted by the parent and destroy the Gotham City. When his presence is felt our Batman has to rise but he is weak, disturbed & incompetent. The sequence of events that follow takes him towards his duty to save Gotham to become more powerful & confident, to rise and to become stronger than before-supported by techie manager of Wayne Industries Mr Fox.

Except the start, the first half though seems to be a lot stretched, especially the first 40-50 mins where the story hardly unfolds with the escape of the most dangerous fugitive Bane. The early second half develops into a gripping thriller when the audience knows that our Batman has to return after being thrown into the world’s worst fearsome jail from where only the mask-man seems to have returned. The twists in the end however as already mentioned lacked the OMG EFFECT usually delivered by Mr Chris & is unsatisfying without the “aha moments”. The twist that Miranda & notBane has planned all that is going on doesn’t real change anything for the climax except batman getting “The slow knife” & extending the ride. The post life of the Batman too doesn’t really change anything other than him on his own deciphering the auto pilot code!

Strikingly, the batman’s neighbor in the jail cell suddenly starts to talk in native English giving Bruce lessons about soul therapy & getting out of the fear circle doesn’t convince the situation(Remember we have a translator earlier in the movie who seems to have been paid well by Bane to keep Bruce “alive” J so how does the neighbor ….errr…)

The good part: The performance, awesome screenplay, descent special effects for the batman’s vehicles, the start with the escape of Bane is laudable!

The bad part: The stretchiness, the climax, the same nuclear thing that’s shown in the hands of the Bane (or terrorist for that matter in other movies) threatening to blow away the city. The open unguarded coastline from where anyone can come into Gotham when the bridges are destroyed (on one side we have high tech flyers & other side not even submarines or jets??)The policemen are shown running into the Gotham city onto the streets to take on only death by tankers pointed at them doesn’t seem to fit the landscape of the movie.

I know, I am going against the tide here but the film didn’t really hit me forget hitting hard and one cannot even compare it with its sequel coz its nowhere near…each one of us paid 25% extra& waited 25% extra to watch this one & THAT 25% is missing. Watch it or not? Better watch it & decide for yourself!. Albeit this one will be a super hit & break some records (most of them will be attributed to THE RISE in tickets prices  n off course the hype) & will also get some nominations. So signing off….The good part doesn’t really eclipse the Bad Part & thus a 7/10 would be worth for Chris’s brilliance coz his legend could have risen even higher ….

The Shawshank Redemption.

Hope is a good thing may be the best of things & good things never die…yes good,pure,eternal things or people are not only always remembered for their goodness but this film will be always also on the top for it teaches us the power of will, hope & determination which Andy Dufresne as a character holds.

Stephan king the author has written such a inviolable script that it not only holds us till the end but also has lot of intermingled plots which keep teaching us what life is, how it keeps u pushing around, how well u can enjoy even though u are in the deepest of trouble & if u keep fighting with mental & physical strength will come out victorious. The best things in life can never be improved.Similarlly the director- Frank Darabont has delivered a perfect master piece. The film has its own slow flow which exemplifies the jail’s monotonous life.

Day in day out- the walls, no freedom, no change, no respite! Despite being convicted of killing his wife and her lover which only Andy knows he is innocent whilst others around him are top notch criminals with his great temperament to improve things in the jail in fighting circumstances demonstrates his perseverance; Andy the banker shows us how life can be lead with the least n limited resources when he shows his financial proficiency & suggests Captain Hadley with improved tweaks in his deal so that he profits from his tax gains. His sculpture hobby is something which grows with the length of the movie & eventually shows his character. His perpetual letter requests for granting more books to the library shows his fight which finally gets approved & the jail’s lib gets smthing “new” albeit all the books are old & donated 🙂

One of the most gratifying scene in the movie comes in between when Andy locks himself in the “announcement room” exercising freedom & plays the wonderful “Sull’aria Che soave zeffiretto” song from Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro” on the loud speaker which had never happened under the Norton Warden’s rule, this little shot captures the happiness on the faces of all the prisoners & gives them a feeling of imbibing freedom amidst the walls. Tommy the character introduced in the film is a real twist in the tail which keeps us thinking what happens next! Reid- the stuff getter guy is the only prisoner Andy trusts on & many shots revolve around them teaching truths of life to each other.Ried’s unforgettable dialogue comes when he smuggles a rope for Andy & in a lightning night, the camera focuses on his grim face in the background saying “That night was the longest night of life” !!!Brooks-The librarian’s character in the film where he feeds the cuckoo/crow in his pocket, after few months frees it when ready to fly is just touching. Further his discharged life from the jail which he refuses to accept also shows persons state of mind at that very age. Finally, the carvings “Brooks was here …..so was Reid ” are undoubtedly unforgettable.The film totally sponsors good for good & evil for evil attitude. Norton the Warden reaps exactly what he sows.

The perfect end to the movie comes as your hearts are fun filled with joy for the good has deservingly won and now u know why hope is the best of things & don’t be ashamed if you have tears in your eyes at this point as u have watched the best lifetime flick and are filled with satisfaction and for those who have missed this one till now simply means u havent lived life yet 🙂

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