It Was Dreddfully Fantastic

Cast: Karl Urban, Olivia Thirlby, Lena Headey, Wood Harris
Director: Pete Travis

For a long time we all have been waiting for a perfect action movie where there is no Super-hero but a bad-ass toughie. Lessons, protagonism and philosophy ruin the essence of action. A perfect action flick is the one where we get some gory stuffs, gunshots, some dark humor, rushing sequences and  a music to elevate all these up to a different level. With Dredd you are guaranteed to get everything. A perfect violence crime thriller with every element presented in pristine form. Right from the start, the movie assures you that you will be fed a great dose of insanity and in the end you have with you a head swirling on the tune of it.

The movie, set in future,  revolves around busting of a ghetto gang homed in a multi-storeyed led by an unattractive blood crazed lady called Ma-Ma. This gang deals in production and selling of drugs and their main product- Slo Mo - which slows the perception of time of the addicts. The slow motioned effects of this drug has been so wonderfully portrayed. Everything stops and you feel yourself to be the subject. Judge Dredd, character led by Karl Urban, is a ruthless executioner who believes in law and exterminates every one who goes against it. He teams up with a rookie who is a mind-reader too and very strategically uproots the gang.

The plot may not be the greatest, but it does not have to be. What matters the most is the presentation. And for that the movie wins a standing ovation. Cinematography, I must mention, is breathtaking - as good as it should be. The futuristic city - chaotic, gloomy and plagued by social malaise - speaks off its story. The slow motion acts are one of many great things about the movie. Who needs a description on acting now? Karl Urban is such a perfect fit for the lead role. With laconic dialogues in husky voice, the helmeted actor will surely win your heart. The character(of a rookie) played by Olivia Thirlby is very powerful. She is on a par with Dredd - witty and equally intelligent. The music is just divine. It keeps you on your toes every time. The thrilling sequences coupled with great background music will make your heart slip at times.

Dredd is what we have been looking for so long. It has been crafted very nicely. A perfect juxtaposition of brutality and violence! Leave everything behind and behold to those bloody sequences. It would very foolish mentioning what 3D effects have done to the movie. For those who enjoyed Kill Bill and District 13, here is Dredd satisfying the hunger of both.

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Barfi - The New Face Of Indian Cinema

“Man's mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions.” 

What will you remember the year 2012 for? I shall ever remember it for some of the greatest movies our quality deprived Indian Cinema produced. Seems like all the film-makers have suddenly realized that  all good work requires nothing but self-revelation. And they are working on it - producing results which the human race would have never expected of. They have suddenly realized that experience can let you experiment and that if it turns out to be successful, can lead you to a perfect evolution. Time's evolving. Yes the process has been little slow, but look what its fetching you. For those who used to believe in the power of cinema must be feeling very relieved, so am I.

It would be very derogatory for me to say anything about Barfi. If I start talking about it, may be I run out of words, because doing so is simply a gargantuan task.  Someone once said - "There are two types of films: those that employ the resources of the theater (actors, direction, etc...) and use the camera in order to reproduce; those that employ the resources of cinematography and use the camera to create". I say there exists a third category which involves the both in an appropriate proportion and produces something miraculous, something beyond imagination. Barfi is a combined effort of an immaculate direction, a great script and some never seen before acting. Gone are those days when it used to take a cheapo to cry in a directionless movie and get applauds from the lost souls. You now need to have a proper substance and then only you can leave an indelible imprint on the million minds. 

When it comes to portray disability on the celluloid, it takes something more than humanitarian efforts for the entire crew.  The characters have to speak with their eyes, their movements must speak. The direction has to be impeccable. Not a single emotion should escape the mind of the audience - immersive -  so should be the power of expression. An autistic person's role has to be the most difficult and needs a sorcerer's touch. I am simply reminded of Dustin Hoffman's role in Rain Man and Priyanka Chopra played it no less exceptional - one of the most touching performances I have ever seen. Ranbir Kapoor has properly fit himself in any kind of role he has ever been assigned. He is mute yet so expressive, funny yet so touching. And the love-story of these two disables has been so wonderfully and subtly knitted that once you are entangled you have no escape. 

Burfi opens to you doors to an ethereal world created through a poetic imagination. With all these excellence the team might have fetched themselves numerous awards already and yet again set examples for all the aspiring actors and directors.  All it takes for them to align to the same trend. Its the time we can see cinema riding the path of Resurrection. We were never out of talent but the ideas were just lacking. Movies like Kahaani, Paan Singh Tomar, Barfi and others have shown to the world how much potential we carry. With a sudden out-pour of fresh new ideas for last few months, the faith in cinema has certainly been restored. We can expect more and more stunners in coming times to blow and boggle our minds. 

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Gangs Of Wasseypur 2 : An Amazing Sequel

Orgasm: [awr-gaz-uhm]
an instance or occurrence of  intense or unrestrained excitement.

Cast: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Richa Chaddha, Huma Qureshi, Tigmanshu Dhulia, Piyush Mishra, Rajkumar Gupta, Zeishan Quadri, Reemma Sen
Direction: Anurag Kashyap
Duration: 2 hours 40 minutes

What started in Gangs Of Wasseypur 1 ended up in a perfect Cinematic Orgasm in Gangs Of Wasseypur 2 - an orgasm one of its kind which will still leave the viewers unsatisfied and demanding. The level of drama is higher and more intense, the bloodshed gorier, murders take a face of brutal gang-bangs, the love has turned into the most amusing sex which has ever appeared on celluloid, the fad turns into fashion, the dialogues more abusive and realistic and vendetta is more dreadful. A perfect sequel.

It is always a great appeasing sight when we witness something which has never been tried out or thought of in cinema. The characters named Definite, Perpendicular and Tangent - weird though - but genially apt. The Ganza being smoked every time and yes sometimes you have to try two matchsticks to light it up. Boys with issues of Chappals. Band Baaza playing at all events - deaths and celebrations. The lyrics ranging from folk to hinglish is so undulating that leaves you swaying all the time. The language too abusive but plunges in with dark humor. The Pager, Nokia 3310, internet and the movie takes along all the contemporary developments. Anurag Kashyap puts in every element of realism in the cinema.

The movie gathers devious performances from everyone. Assiduous Nawazuddin has acted very well depicting every emotions so nicely. Ladies have satisfied too much with Huma looking fabulous and Richa Chaddha acting more mature. Zeishan Quadri a.k.a Definite is a true precocious actor in making. He is a perfect crook with a lot of fire in him - a perfect fit for a great supporting role. The story is so nicely woven and then unwinds satisfactorily towards end. The Cinematography is brilliant capturing those dirty shady streets of an under-developed town. The music - such an aural delight.

Humor, love, drama, murders, celebrations and everything else is there painted beautifully on an endless unfathomable canvas which will definitely engross you infinitely. Not a single thing to gripe about. GOW 1 was a great thing and this one is even greater - plot wise, performance wise and greater on many other grounds. Go and check out yourself the new face of Indian Cinema. It's getting shinier. 

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The Dark Knight Rises : A Grand Finale

infinity

noun /inˈfinitē/  A point in space or time that is or seems infinitely distant. Have you ever imagined what lies beyond the point where our mind stops thinking? Has it ever occurred to you  that mind is very fragile and that it can withstand pressure to some certain extent? And have you ever thought what Cinema can do to you? Cinema holds the capacity to motivate the generations, to change minds and do not take me wrong it holds the capacity to manipulate masses. We are living in a world where we have to derive pleasure out of what we believe in. Cinema has earned itself beliefs and faiths of mankind over a century and so and there are some demigods who make sure that this string of faith and belief never breaks. Christopher Nolan is one such demigod who has never failed his followers. Movie to movie he has outdone himself. He has been pushing the viewers closer to experience of infinite level every time and this time he has hit the infinity with The Dark Knight Rises. We do not know where infinity is but he has surely achieved it. Such presentation, such grandeur, such chaos - who would have ever thought to experience this much? I never had and nor the whole fraternity did ever. The Dark Knight Rises is a cinematic phenomenon which could have never been imagined. Nolan has a great vision. A gift from Nolan to all who believe in cinema. Simply epic.   The movie had some great breath-taking performances. Christian Bale has done every bit of justice to the Batman role. The Catwoman was simply fabulous. She though initially seems an unnecessary character but has a great role to play. The movie saw the birth of the greatest villain in the history of cinema - Bane. So so powerful. Such a terrifying character. He will shatter your every expectation. Let's not compare him to the Joker, but I can certainly say no one else could play the Bane's role better. With a haunting creepy voice and great build-up his character has threatened Batman too much. And Hans Zimmer is a God himself. Music is one of most important aspect of this movie. Zimmer has given his best shot with this one. The music will keep you pumping every time.  This movie is a perfect masterpiece which contains every element of a great movie-making. No flaws whatsoever. It will keep you connected with the characters, with the story and puzzling your mind about what's going to happen next. For the entire time you will feel like you are taking a ride to some world else. You will be stunned-  moment to moment, time to time. You can not complain about your mind's inability to not to grasp what all you are dished out on the screen. Eventually the movie will have you wholly satisfied and relaxed leaving no doubts at all. What a perfect way to finish what he had started in 2005 with Batman Begins! I can just go on and on and talk about this movie for my whole life. Nolan has set a perfect example for all other film-makers. Let's see what future has in it for us. But it would seriously take a lot of potential to beat this legend Nolan has created. Nolan, you shall ever be blamed for the chaos that you have injecteded in the minds of millions.

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Serj Tankian's New Album : Harakiri

The third solo album- Harakiri, by Serj Tankian has released to mixed reviews by the fans and critics. Serj is quite a hard-working person, never remaining out of the limelight - continuously dropping off albums, be it solo or with the System. This time he returns to rock. Harakiri is quite a different approach this multifaceted guy has taken this time. One would certainly miss all the skull splitting growls and heavy metal riffs, nonetheless there are a lot of other things the album has to be provide.

The album kicks off with Cornucopia. The song talks about how we treat the Earth/nature and how sweetly it takes revenge in form of calamities. The second song Figure It Out  - targets upon the economic unbalance in the society by condemning the CEOs and how they murder freedom. The song has got a pace and is punkish. Ching Chime, the third song, is a totally different song. Melodic and rhythmic in every sense, the song has been given an Arabic touch - may be Armenian it is, but that makes the song so amazing. Probable the best song on the album. The next song Butterfly speaks about how the humans fall prey to their own deeds. Harakiri, the next song talks about the death of birds which Tankian had witnessed in New Zealand - which inspired him to write songs for this album. Both Butterfly and Harakiri fall in same category, nice treat for the ears they both are.


Occupied Tears, Deafening Silence and Forget me Knot are next three songs which are rather sung on a serious and sober note. Reality TV targets the dramatic lies of reality TV shows which in a way are insinuating us to believe all the bullshit they offer. The next one, Uneducated Democracy has got a signature style of Serj mixed with some punk elements. The song tells that democracy in hands of all illiterates is useless. Weave On is the last song on the album which speaks of the endurance and tolerance of the ladies who lost their families in the name of wars.

The album is a nice experimentation of hard rock and punk. The topical thoughtful songs will surely cheer the fans aloud. Ching Chime, Butterfly and Harakiri are among the best songs on the album. Other songs are also very much capable of giving enough aural pleasure. There are a number of projects lined up in future for Serj including a Jazz record, tour with System and some other albums too. He has certainly taken an onus to keep his fans busy.

My Ratings - 3.5/5

Song List -

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Cornucopia"	4:28
2.	"Figure It Out"	2:52
3.	"Ching Chime"	4:05
4.	"Butterfly"	4:10
5.	"Harakiri"	4:19
6.	"Occupied Tears"	4:22
7.	"Deafening Silence"	4:16
8.	"Forget Me Knot"	4:26
9.	"Reality TV"	4:09
10.	"Uneducated Democracy"	3:59
11.	"Weave On"	4:07

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