Just Watched: RA.One After hearing so many mixed reactions, I finally went and watched the film last evening and I think I understand why the reactions are so varied. This is a pretty enterprising film in many respects but as a movie, there isn’t really much to it. The funny thing is that this is also it’s biggest strength, as you know after a particular point that the mindlessness is an integral part of the proceedings. While the film could have been much better, it isn’t too tough to accept the end-result despite the fact that I, personally, have a lot of complaints. Shah Rukh Khan plays a double role and while he is pretty good as G.One, the protector from the virtual world and the film’s hero, his role as Shekhar Subramaniam, the game designer has every South Indian stereotype packed in and is hence a little too much to take in. Kareena Kapoor was very good, and I’m not saying this because I’m a big fan of her’s, but because she  actually did a decent job, other than looking extremely pretty. A lot more could have been done to develop her character so that there was more depth to it. Armaan Verma, the kid who plays the son to Shah Rukh and Kareena in the film was passable, though he was a little irritating at times. I really don’t understand why Shahana Goswami had no more screen time. There was hardly any point to having her there. Arjun Rampal as the final form of the villain the movie is named after was menacing, and very effective. In fact, the G.One-RA.One clashes were what made most of the film worthwhile. The cameos made the film interesting, especially the brilliant one by Rajinikanth. That was simply brilliant. Sanjay Dutt was also pretty good in one of the opening scenes of the film. Priyanka Chopra, who is in the same sequence as Dutt, was only eye-candy, but extremely irritating. She should stick to cameos and item-numbers and do only one movie every two years only if it is made by a good director, I don’t think she can act otherwise. If you look at the main weakness of the film, it would easily be the wanton copying of ideas from Hollywood. I mean, H.A.R.T. was exactly like the arc reactor in the Iron Man films, while the main premise in itself is very similar to TRON: Legacy. There were a number of rip-offs but I don’t think I want to go into them. At least this was better than Krrish, which had completely ticked me off when I’d watched it. I expected a lot more from the action sequences but they sort of fizzled out, especially the climax, which could have been way better. But then again, two scenes are spectacular – the brilliant car chase involving Kareena Kapoor; and the superb sequence involving the train right before the climax. Overall, there isn’t much to expect from this film, but going by what it stands for, it deserves applause, not too loud though. Personal Rating: 6.9/10
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Just Watched: RA.One

After hearing so many mixed reactions, I finally went and watched the film last evening and I think I understand why the reactions are so varied. This is a pretty enterprising film in many respects but as a movie, there isn’t really much to it. The funny thing is that this is also it’s biggest strength, as you know after a particular point that the mindlessness is an integral part of the proceedings. While the film could have been much better, it isn’t too tough to accept the end-result despite the fact that I, personally, have a lot of complaints.

Shah Rukh Khan plays a double role and while he is pretty good as G.One, the protector from the virtual world and the film’s hero, his role as Shekhar Subramaniam, the game designer has every South Indian stereotype packed in and is hence a little too much to take in. Kareena Kapoor was very good, and I’m not saying this because I’m a big fan of her’s, but because she  actually did a decent job, other than looking extremely pretty. A lot more could have been done to develop her character so that there was more depth to it. Armaan Verma, the kid who plays the son to Shah Rukh and Kareena in the film was passable, though he was a little irritating at times. I really don’t understand why Shahana Goswami had no more screen time. There was hardly any point to having her there. Arjun Rampal as the final form of the villain the movie is named after was menacing, and very effective. In fact, the G.One-RA.One clashes were what made most of the film worthwhile.

The cameos made the film interesting, especially the brilliant one by Rajinikanth. That was simply brilliant. Sanjay Dutt was also pretty good in one of the opening scenes of the film. Priyanka Chopra, who is in the same sequence as Dutt, was only eye-candy, but extremely irritating. She should stick to cameos and item-numbers and do only one movie every two years only if it is made by a good director, I don’t think she can act otherwise.

If you look at the main weakness of the film, it would easily be the wanton copying of ideas from Hollywood. I mean, H.A.R.T. was exactly like the arc reactor in the Iron Man films, while the main premise in itself is very similar to TRON: Legacy. There were a number of rip-offs but I don’t think I want to go into them. At least this was better than Krrish, which had completely ticked me off when I’d watched it.

I expected a lot more from the action sequences but they sort of fizzled out, especially the climax, which could have been way better. But then again, two scenes are spectacular – the brilliant car chase involving Kareena Kapoor; and the superb sequence involving the train right before the climax.

Overall, there isn’t much to expect from this film, but going by what it stands for, it deserves applause, not too loud though.

Personal Rating: 6.9/10

Just Watched: Contagion Over the years, Steven Soderbergh has time and again given us films that are gritty and of extreme social significance, with the exception of the Ocean’s Trilogy (Ocean’s Eleven, Ocean’s Twelve and Ocean’s Thirteen). He has, ever since, been come to be known as a thinking man’s director. It had been quite a while since I had seen any of the man’s films. The last film of his that I happened to see was The Girlfriend Experience, which showed a lot of promise but was, at the end of the day, a very underwhelming story about the life of a high-end escort. In fact, I wouldn’t hesitate to call it a failed attempt at prospective smut. Contagion looked promising primarily because of the cast. It was the first time in my living memory that three Best Actress Oscar winners from within a decade were doing the same film (Gwyneth Paltrow, Marion Cotillard and Kate Winslet). The film didn’t let me down at all. In fact, considering that I went in with lowered expectations, I was more than satisfied by it. Contagion is about the outbreak of a deadly disease and how the people affected by it deal with the infection. Told in a very docu-drama format, it goes into how doctors and other health officials handle the delicate situation to how desperate people can get to find a cure. With a grand ensemble cast, no one gets a lot of time on screen, except for maybe Laurence Fishburne, who is very restrained yet effective in his role. For me, the two actors who performed the best were Marion Cotillard and Matt Damon. Cotillard pitches in a remarkable performance as a World Health Organization (WHO) epidemician sent to track the origin of the virus. With the limited time she has on screen, she excels in each and every frame. Damon, on the other hand, plays a man who has to come to terms with a lot and still be in a position to weigh his reponsibilities. Kate Winslet was fabulous in her role and Gwyneth Paltrow was very good in what was probably the most important role in the film. Jennifer Ehle was the film’s surprise package for holding her own amongst such seasoned performers. The performance which annoyed me the most was Jude Law’s. I think he should stick to playing the pompous jackass in all his future films. Maybe that was the point of his role, but I was a little too annoyed by him overdoing things. It was also good to see Bryan Cranston in a major film after having been used to him in Breaking Bad. Demetri Martin being in this film was a pleasant surprise as it was good to see that he can do more than just stand-up comedy. The final scene of the film that shows us how the infection started is rather chilling and is a very realistic look at how doomsday may come upon us, without all the mind-boggling drama. Soderbergh, once again, proves that when it comes to showing social behaviour in reaction to an event by cutting across various lines, there is no one better than him. For him, it is a journey that has come full circle — from Sex, Lies, and Videotape and Traffic to Contagion. This film shows that he’s come of age, and is hence highly recommended. Personal Rating: 8.6/10
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Just Watched: Contagion

Over the years, Steven Soderbergh has time and again given us films that are gritty and of extreme social significance, with the exception of the Ocean’s Trilogy (Ocean’s Eleven, Ocean’s Twelve and Ocean’s Thirteen). He has, ever since, been come to be known as a thinking man’s director.

It had been quite a while since I had seen any of the man’s films. The last film of his that I happened to see was The Girlfriend Experience, which showed a lot of promise but was, at the end of the day, a very underwhelming story about the life of a high-end escort. In fact, I wouldn’t hesitate to call it a failed attempt at prospective smut.

Contagion looked promising primarily because of the cast. It was the first time in my living memory that three Best Actress Oscar winners from within a decade were doing the same film (Gwyneth Paltrow, Marion Cotillard and Kate Winslet).

The film didn’t let me down at all. In fact, considering that I went in with lowered expectations, I was more than satisfied by it. Contagion is about the outbreak of a deadly disease and how the people affected by it deal with the infection. Told in a very docu-drama format, it goes into how doctors and other health officials handle the delicate situation to how desperate people can get to find a cure.

With a grand ensemble cast, no one gets a lot of time on screen, except for maybe Laurence Fishburne, who is very restrained yet effective in his role. For me, the two actors who performed the best were Marion Cotillard and Matt Damon. Cotillard pitches in a remarkable performance as a World Health Organization (WHO) epidemician sent to track the origin of the virus. With the limited time she has on screen, she excels in each and every frame. Damon, on the other hand, plays a man who has to come to terms with a lot and still be in a position to weigh his reponsibilities.

Kate Winslet was fabulous in her role and Gwyneth Paltrow was very good in what was probably the most important role in the film. Jennifer Ehle was the film’s surprise package for holding her own amongst such seasoned performers. The performance which annoyed me the most was Jude Law’s. I think he should stick to playing the pompous jackass in all his future films. Maybe that was the point of his role, but I was a little too annoyed by him overdoing things.

It was also good to see Bryan Cranston in a major film after having been used to him in Breaking Bad. Demetri Martin being in this film was a pleasant surprise as it was good to see that he can do more than just stand-up comedy.

The final scene of the film that shows us how the infection started is rather chilling and is a very realistic look at how doomsday may come upon us, without all the mind-boggling drama.

Soderbergh, once again, proves that when it comes to showing social behaviour in reaction to an event by cutting across various lines, there is no one better than him. For him, it is a journey that has come full circle — from Sex, Lies, and Videotape and Traffic to Contagion. This film shows that he’s come of age, and is hence highly recommended.

Personal Rating: 8.6/10

Just Watched: X-Men: First Class I’ve been a fan of comics for a very long time despite not having read a lot of them (like many other fans have). When it comes to making a choice between DC Comics and Marvel Comics, I have always chosen the former while I do like Iron Man, which is my favourite Marvel character. Have never really been a fan of the X-Men as I never wanted to see a Marvel comic adaptation on the big screen. Honestly, the only reason I saw this film was January Jones, and the fact that the trailer actually seemed interesting. I didn’t have much expectations. I was in for a surprise, a pleasant one at that. Not only was this film brilliant, but it also managed to generate an interest for the X-Men franchise in me. The performances were a very important reason for this. James McAvoy was brilliant as Charles Xavier (who later becomes Professor X). January Jones as Emma Frost was cold and menacing, just the way a femme fatale should be. Honestly, it was difficult to take my eyes off her. Strange how she managed to do this after having played the American housewife in Mad Men, a show which, like this film, is set in the 1960s. The transition from Betty Draper to Emma Frost is truly fascinating. Kevin Bacon as the Sebastian Shaw was charmingly evil in just the right amounts. Jennifer Lawrence and Rose Byrne were adequate enough. Annabelle Wallis has a very small role, but I happened to remember her from somewhere. Turns out she was in some random Hindi film with Amitabh Bachchan. I didn’t even know her name till I looked her up because she seemed that familiar! Hugh Jackman and Rebecca Romijn have uncredited cameos too. The star of the show, however, is Michael Fassbender, who is magnificent as Erik Lehnsherr, who later goes on to become Magneto. This man has a bright future and it I’m waiting to see how he progresses. Matthew Vaughn has done a great job with this film and Henry Jackman’s background score is phenomenal, especially the wonderful Magneto theme. All this make the film entertaining and a delight to watch. Considering it managed to garner my interest in an entire franchise, it will rank high in my comic book adaptations list. The end result is, well, truly first class. Personal Rating: 8.3/10
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Just Watched: X-Men: First Class

I’ve been a fan of comics for a very long time despite not having read a lot of them (like many other fans have). When it comes to making a choice between DC Comics and Marvel Comics, I have always chosen the former while I do like Iron Man, which is my favourite Marvel character. Have never really been a fan of the X-Men as I never wanted to see a Marvel comic adaptation on the big screen. Honestly, the only reason I saw this film was January Jones, and the fact that the trailer actually seemed interesting. I didn’t have much expectations. I was in for a surprise, a pleasant one at that.

Not only was this film brilliant, but it also managed to generate an interest for the X-Men franchise in me. The performances were a very important reason for this. James McAvoy was brilliant as Charles Xavier (who later becomes Professor X). January Jones as Emma Frost was cold and menacing, just the way a femme fatale should be. Honestly, it was difficult to take my eyes off her. Strange how she managed to do this after having played the American housewife in Mad Men, a show which, like this film, is set in the 1960s. The transition from Betty Draper to Emma Frost is truly fascinating. Kevin Bacon as the Sebastian Shaw was charmingly evil in just the right amounts. Jennifer Lawrence and Rose Byrne were adequate enough. Annabelle Wallis has a very small role, but I happened to remember her from somewhere. Turns out she was in some random Hindi film with Amitabh Bachchan. I didn’t even know her name till I looked her up because she seemed that familiar! Hugh Jackman and Rebecca Romijn have uncredited cameos too. The star of the show, however, is Michael Fassbender, who is magnificent as Erik Lehnsherr, who later goes on to become Magneto. This man has a bright future and it I’m waiting to see how he progresses.

Matthew Vaughn has done a great job with this film and Henry Jackman’s background score is phenomenal, especially the wonderful Magneto theme. All this make the film entertaining and a delight to watch. Considering it managed to garner my interest in an entire franchise, it will rank high in my comic book adaptations list. The end result is, well, truly first class.

Personal Rating: 8.3/10

Just Watched: Pirates of the Carribean: On Stranger Tides Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) is back again, after four long years. Only this time, there’s no Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth  Swann (Keira Knightley) around. In Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, we saw him with the map the “Fountain of Youth”. This time around, there are a number of forces trying to reach the Fountain for their own selfish reasons. Sparrow meets Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) again and is obviously surprised to see him as a privateer working for the British empire. Then there’s Blackbeard (Ian McShane), the most fearful pirate of them all and the mysterious Angelica (Penélope Cruz), with whom Jack has a rather interesting history. Throw the Spanish conquistadors and some beautiful yet creepy mermaids in and you seem to be all set for an entertainer, and that is exactly what you get. But the down side is that it doesn’t really live up to all the hype, and that is a sad thing in any major film franchise. Rob Marshall, who is supposed to be a “safe” director manages to make most of the film predictable and this is something that doesn’t work for the film. Performance wise, I felt Johnny Depp could have been way better. His character is living up to the stereotype and is appearing a little stale although there are moments of brilliance. Geoffrey Rush is brilliant and so is Ian McShane. Judi Dench has scene too and she’s done pretty well in it. The star of the show has to be Penélope Cruz. Besides being drop dead gorgeous she charms you with her exuberance and also has an amazing on-screen chemistry with Depp. I don’t thing she’s gone wrong in a long time and I just keep becoming a bigger fan of her with every movie. Hans Zimmer’s music is wonderful too. If you want to have a fun evening at the movies, this film is a very good watch but lower your expectations a little bit for you may not get what you want. By the way, this is the first film I saw at Glitz Cinemas, Dehradun’s first multiplex, which is a good thing as Hollywood flicks used to be dubbed in Hindi before this for all the cinemas in town. Thankfully there’s an exception now. Personal Rating: 7.4/10
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Just Watched: Pirates of the Carribean: On Stranger Tides

Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) is back again, after four long years. Only this time, there’s no Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth  Swann (Keira Knightley) around. In Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, we saw him with the map the “Fountain of Youth”. This time around, there are a number of forces trying to reach the Fountain for their own selfish reasons. Sparrow meets Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) again and is obviously surprised to see him as a privateer working for the British empire. Then there’s Blackbeard (Ian McShane), the most fearful pirate of them all and the mysterious Angelica (Penélope Cruz), with whom Jack has a rather interesting history. Throw the Spanish conquistadors and some beautiful yet creepy mermaids in and you seem to be all set for an entertainer, and that is exactly what you get. But the down side is that it doesn’t really live up to all the hype, and that is a sad thing in any major film franchise.

Rob Marshall, who is supposed to be a “safe” director manages to make most of the film predictable and this is something that doesn’t work for the film. Performance wise, I felt Johnny Depp could have been way better. His character is living up to the stereotype and is appearing a little stale although there are moments of brilliance. Geoffrey Rush is brilliant and so is Ian McShane. Judi Dench has scene too and she’s done pretty well in it. The star of the show has to be Penélope Cruz. Besides being drop dead gorgeous she charms you with her exuberance and also has an amazing on-screen chemistry with Depp. I don’t thing she’s gone wrong in a long time and I just keep becoming a bigger fan of her with every movie. Hans Zimmer’s music is wonderful too.

If you want to have a fun evening at the movies, this film is a very good watch but lower your expectations a little bit for you may not get what you want.

By the way, this is the first film I saw at Glitz Cinemas, Dehradun’s first multiplex, which is a good thing as Hollywood flicks used to be dubbed in Hindi before this for all the cinemas in town. Thankfully there’s an exception now.

Personal Rating: 7.4/10

The cover of the first issue of RAVE, which came out in October, last year. RAVE is the newsletter of the University’s Student Activities Committee (SAC). The picture used for the design has been taken by me, on the Nagoa Beach, in Diu, and the designing has been done by Hitesh. The actual photograph can be found here. Both of us are on the three-member editorial board of the newsletter, the third member being Asmita. We’ll be coming out with our second issue soon. Hope it is better than the first. The theme of the first issue was Inception, which should explain the presence of the “One Simple Idea” line on top. Yes, the film did have that big an impact on all of us. The issue can be read online here, and downloaded here.
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The cover of the first issue of RAVE, which came out in October, last year. RAVE is the newsletter of the University’s Student Activities Committee (SAC).

The picture used for the design has been taken by me, on the Nagoa Beach, in Diu, and the designing has been done by Hitesh. The actual photograph can be found here. Both of us are on the three-member editorial board of the newsletter, the third member being Asmita.

We’ll be coming out with our second issue soon. Hope it is better than the first.

The theme of the first issue was Inception, which should explain the presence of the “One Simple Idea” line on top. Yes, the film did have that big an impact on all of us. The issue can be read online here, and downloaded here.