Harry Potter & The Order of the Phoenix: Beats Them All

Now this is ironic. Order of the Phoenix was my least favourite in the Harry Potter series. But it has turned out to be the most beautiful movie in the franchise.
Compared to the other books, OotP was overly long, and lacked that edge of the seat feeling that was inherent in other books. So I didn’t have too much hope from this movie. However, that was because I didn’t know who David Yates was. After watching this movie wide-eyed, I am ruing the fact that he didn’t get to direct the entire series.
The movie is an excellent adaptation of the book, and by using Umbridge’e words, “pruning what should be pruned”. Taking only the main storyline and sidelining the subplots, OotP is a fast paced and magical trip into Harry’s world. People who complain that details from the book are missing, are well, missing the point themselves. This is MOVIE for crying out loud. You can’t expect to make a faithful 10 hour monster… well not that Chris Columbus didn’t try that with the first two movies.
Yates knows exactly what he is doing. Instead of following the book word for word, he adds in scenes and great touches which would honestly make Jo Rowling proud. The scene in which Harry returns to the common room after the kiss, and discusses it with his friends is magic beyond words – not with special effects or technical wizardry, but the awkward smiles of the three characters fills the screen with warmth, as we suddenly realize how we’ve grown up with them. And how many must have noticed Ginny’s wistful look as Harry talks to Cho? It is these little things that make the OotP movie a fan’s delight.
The emotional stake is heightened and the scenes between Harry and Sirius do come across. The DA scenes have the required intensity, and the feeling of foreboding is brilliantly captured by Yates by using those dark blue colour tones so well. Luna Lovegood, by far my favourite character in the entire series is hilarious, almost exactly as I pictured her. We must see more of Evanna Lynch in the coming movies. Nicholas Hooper does a great job filling in for John Williams as the composer, and as any fan would tell you, as soon as Hedwig’s Theme starts playing in the background, your hair stand on end.
Imelda Staunton’s Umbridge does such a remarkable job as the cruel DADA teacher that you want to just get up and slap her on the face. And let’s not forget the trio – Rupert and Emma are great as always, but seriously, this is Dan’s movie through and through. His transformation as an actor has been nothing short of brilliant in this movie, there is no doubt he will go far indeed.
Overall, a perfect addition to one of the most memorable franchises in movie history. I cannot wait to see Yates working his magic with Half Blood Prince. And till then, I’m off to catch this move again.
PS – Why are there no criticisms? As a Pottermanic, I’m glad that they’re keeping such excellent production values for the movies, and I doubt there has been ay other book series that has been so lovingly brought to screen every single time. Really we don’t have much to complain about.

The End of an unforgettable trilogy

It’s official. Captain Jack Sparrow is THE iconic movie character of this generation, sharing space with other screen idols like Indiana Jones, Luke Skywalker and James Bond. Is that an exaggeration? I don’t think so. This is a character which is a completely original creation of the brilliant writing team, being neither based on an already established work of fiction or comic book. The life that Johnny Depp breathes into this character has made his popularity soar to an unbelievable extent, that the crowd at the theatre gave Sparrow such a rousing reception previously reserved only for Superstar Rajinikanth. Now that’s saying something indeed.
As for the movie itself. At World’s End is a clinical end to what has been one of Hollywood’s most satisfying trilogies. With the right dose for spectacular action, Indy-type adventure, and not to mention hilarious comedy, the Pirates series will always be remembered as a fine and cocky tribute to pirate lore. The extent that director Gore Verbinski has gone to film such a challenging, yet fantastical blockbuster has become a benchmark for every director aiming to give the action adventure genre a go.
World’s End takes off exactly where we left the franchise in Dead Man’s Chest. Jack has to be rescued from Davy Jones’ locker, and together with all the pirates lords of the world, thwart the East India Company’s plan to obliterate pirates forever. And seeing the Davy Jones has been forced into service of the EIC (due to reasons clear enough at the end of “Chest”), it is a tough ask indeed.
The only bone I’ve got to pick is that most of the time it is very difficult to understand what’s going on. The story gets muddled with so many sub plots, and it doesn’t help that the accents are so thick, that you do need subtitles to help you along. But hey, maybe that only helps in repeat viewing!
The series was always built on stupendous acting – and apart from Depp’s brilliant portrayal, the franchise has brought together three generations of actors who will look upon the series as a defining point in their careers, the veteran Geoffrey Rush and rising star Keira Knightley. One of the essentials of a blockbuster of this magnitude is a resounding theme tune – and Hans Zimmer’s score has become one that is now etched in memory, hummable and rousing.
AS you might have guessed, despite being an unabashed fan of the Pirates trilogy, I would like the series to end at this point. Stretching it simply because it is making money would only smear the adoration that we have for it. Like Jack Sparrow, the Pirates series will sail into the sunset, triumphant.

Spider-Man 3: It's critic proof

Ah, it’s great to meet an old friend. Especially when it has been 3 years since the last time I heard that familiar Danny Elfman theme tune, and the entire theatre erupting in joy at the opening notes, and the “Marvel” logo. Yes, I am a nostalgic idiot. I have a rule when I review a movie like Spider-Man. I leave my critic glasses at home, while I am all set in fanboy gear to revisit a character that has been an almost integral part of my childhood.
Spidey 1 and 2 were absolute blasts from the past, a good old fashioned nod at everything that we associated with the word “superhero”. It did get very good critical acclaim, though a lot of critics have taken their daggers out when it has come to Spidey 3. A lot of reasons, they say, why Spidey 3 is an embarrassment. Do I think so too? No way!
Maybe because I am too biased. Perhaps. It’s the big summer blockbuster season for crying out loud… what did you expect, “The Shawshank Redemption”? This is that time of the year when we go ‘oooh’ and ‘aaah’ at the screen, when we take the kids out during their school break, when we dust out our old comic books and pass them on, when we shriek and yell at the at-times crazy fantasy unfolding before our eyes. Critiquing a movie which lets us enjoy all that is not just snobbish, but also terribly ungrateful. It is because of crowd pleasers like Spidey that Hollywood is surviving today… and how! Do we wish Hollywood to become those too-arty-for-me cinemas of Europe which relies on government grants to be financially viable?
And a crowd pleaser it is. Its got special effects to gawk at, sympathies which keep oscillating, old fashioned heroism, and that familiar feeling of warmth when god triumphs over evil. I refuse to point out the holes in the screenplay, the over the top situations, and sequences that were unnecessary. Yes, it’s a movie with tremendous flaws, but who the hell cares? Movies like Spidey 3 are the reason our cinemas are still packed to the brim on opening weekend, why kids still reel out statistics of their favourite heroes and try to climb the wall with imaginary webs. This is what the movie going experience is all about.

Rocky still packs a punch!

Ah the good old days… Talk about an evening of nostalgia. That’s what you feel when you watch the final installment in the Rocky series, “Rocky Balboa”. Those lovable characters, those memorable places, and of course, that goose bump inducing musical score.

To a lot of people, Rocky had knocked himself out with the fifth film. Although I have only seen the first Oscar winning classic and Rocky II, from what I hear, the last film was a major flop and a living example of the Theory of Diminishing Returns. Rocky, the eternal underdog that we’ll always root for, definitely deserved a better farewell. And “Rocky Balboa” manages to do so in style. Balboa is crafted with veritable love for the character, and Stallone makes sure that Rocky remains a cultural icon for underdogs the world over.

Yes, I know Sylvester Stallone is old by any measure, but what makes Balboa so believable is that he doesn’t make any effort to cover that up. All through the movie, we see not too flattering references to his age, and he takes it with grace. He is retired, runs a restaurant while posing for fake punches with kids for photos, and wallowing in sadness over the death of his beloved wife. He needs to let those demons out, and a fight back into the ring is just the way to prove something to himself. Whoever wins doesn’t really matter anymore, but fighting back does.

No Rocky movie is complete without that oh-so-inspiring training sequence, with Bill Conti’s legendary “Gonna Fly Now” playing in the background. This iconic scene is basically what we have paid to see, and not surprising that the entire crowd in the theatre erupted in sheer energy when it started, culminating in Rocky running up those steps of the Philly Museum. Classic.

And then the fight itself. Rock-eeeeee, Rock-eeeeee goes the crowd, both on the screen as well as off it, when the man takes on someone half his age. He loses, yes, but he fights all the way through. And that’s what Rocky is all about.

The film is filled with odes to the previous films, and almost in waves, nostalgia rushes upon you with every reference. The most of course in the final scene when Rocky places a bouquet on his wife’s grave and paraphrases that immortal quote, “Yo Adrian! We did it”. During the closing credits, we see tourists from all over the world trying their hand at running on the famous “Rocky steps”, and of course Rocky himself doing it for the last time as the screen fades away.

Thanks for the ride, Rocky, for helping us underdogs believe in ourselves. We owe you one.

Guru: Mani Ratnam does it again

There aren’t many filmmakers like Mani Ratnam. After all, there aren’t many filmmakers who have the distinction of one of their films making it to TIME magazine’s Top 100 Films of the Last Century (the classic “Nayagan”, and just for perspective, the other movies on that list include Citizen Kane, Casablanca, Star Wars and ET).
What makes Mani so great is that every one of his films are class personified, but yet, he wont forget the roots of commercial Indian cinema – that it is meant to entertain. So despite making several films that are worthy of Oscar gold, his movies always have those ingredients which are typical of commercial fare – big budgets, exquisite commercial values, a marquee name A List cast, a bit of playing to the galleries, and of course, song-and-dance.
So it isn’t really a surprise that “Guru” is one of the best movies I have seen in a long, long time.
In what is essentially a career changing role for Abhishek Bacchhan, the son of screen god Amitabh Bacchhan, Mani Ratnam’s “Guru” is a sort-of biopic of the legendary Indian industrial tycoon Dhirubhai Ambani, the founder of Reliance Corporation. From a small town villager who immigrates to Turkey, selling oil cans on the streets of Istanbul, Gurukant Desai (Abhishek) returns to India to do “bijness”, and ends up creating a Fortune 500 company.
The movie chronicles how a dream can change an entire life, and millions of people too, with hard work and single minded determination. Guru is obsessed with money, and the only reason he marries his friend’s sister is because her father agrees to give a fat amount of dowry. But his wife (“The Most Beautiful Woman on Earth”, Aishwarya Rai) turns out to be a godsend, who stands shoulder to shoulder with Guru when they didn’t have enough money to have 2 square meals a day. Guru does his “bijness”, and he does so in style. He starts dealing in cloth, and with all the right moves, he aims to make his company make enough clothes that the entire country wears them – and this he does.
Of course, it is not a goody-goody propaganda story – Mani is too good for that. Guru isn’t someone who is a stickler for ethics. To achieve his dreams, he wavers out of the straight and narrow, and is actually proud of it. Like Guru himself says in the movie, “In my village, when people start talking bad things about you, consider that you are doing great progress”. With good connections within the bureaucracy, “Gurubhai” becomes a law unto himself. His mentor and newspaper editor (Mithun Chakraborty, an absolute revelation) is disgusted with the monster that he has created. He goes against his protégée, and takes it upon himself to expose to the world to what extent Guru can go to grab power.
The movie is filled with shots and lines that stick to you long after you’ve seen it. Look at how Mani uses weather to suit his purpose. In a beautiful scene where young Guru holds a blueprint of his first factory all alone in an empty field, it begins to rain, metaphorically signifying a bountiful harvest that will grow from that barren land. Sometime into the movie, when 25,000 beleaguered shareholders are demanding an explanation from Guru of all the corruption allegations, there is a heavy battering of rain, but this time it signifies gloom and bad days ahead. Brilliant, Mani.
Just like the Spielberg-John Williams combo, Mani returns with that musical genius A R Rahman, who delivers one kick ass soundtrack. The songs suit the situation, and when the background score decides to go into overdrive, it overwhelms even the visual scenes. Obviously no one could have done this better than Rahman.
But of course, we haven’t talked about the man of the moment – Abhishek Bacchhan. Being the son of the greatest actor India has produced is a HUGE act to follow. And for a while, it did look like Abhi didn’t have it in him, as most of his early films flopped. The last 2 years showed us a reassurance with Mani’s previous masterpiece, “Yuva”, and of course the cult bikes-and-babes series “Dhoom”. Guru simply proves, yes, he is the son of Amitabh. Some would say he did an equally good job in India’s tribute to The Godfather, 2005’s “Sarkar” but then, he was completely overshadowed by Amitabh who gave the performance of a lifetime as the family patriarch. No shadow this time though – Abhishek carries the role of Guru like a pro, from that naïve young man who comes to Mumbai for the first time, to that grey haired old cripple with a paunch. Something tells me there is a very proud father out there.
It is indeed a sad fact that despite Indian cinema being the biggest in the world in terms of audience numbers (one-third of humanity), it doesn’t get the worldwide attention it deserves because it doesn’t have the marketing muscle of Hollywood. The result is that even Hollywood drivel like John Tucker Must Die and Date Movie ends up earning more than the biggest Indian blockbusters. Oh well, it doesn’t matter – in which other country would there be imaginary weddings taking place all over to celebrate the real life wedding of Abhishek and Aishwarya?? We live for our cinema. And “Guru” is one of those movies that make us proud of our 120 year old filmmaking tradition.

Rating: 4.5/5

... AND FORWARDS

And like any year, 2007 is filled with so much anticipated movies, but here’s what I’ve shortlisted for myself, though not in any order

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix – Little Harry is all grown up in this fifth film, if the trailer is anything to go by. Personally, this book was the least favourite of the 6 so far, but who can miss a HP movie. I would have preferred to have Alfonso Cuaron come back for this one, but you can’t win everything. Oh I can almost feel that John Williams theme song building up the excitement…

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End – One of the things that I appreciated in POTC was that it was a completely original creation. It wasn’t based on a book, not a sequel, and not a remake. This trilogy will be complete this year, and we’ll miss Jack.

Spiderman 3 – I was personally not a big Spidey fan, because even though I liked the first two films, they didn’t exactly break any mould on the superhero genre, unlike the brilliant Batman Begins. Spidey 3’s trailer looks very promising though, with three villains. But more than that, Peter has to face the biggest problem of all – the significant other to Mary Jane named Gwen Stacy. Poor guy, he would’ve preferred another villain.

Ratatouille – I don’t even know what this movie is about. All I know is that Pixar is creating it. That should be enough.

Simpsons: The Movie – My most favourite TV sitcom is coming to the big screen, it’s been a long wait! As it is I laugh till my throat hurts at home, wonder what’s going to happen in the theatre. D’oh!

Sholay – I am a big fan of the original Sholay, which has become something like an icon of Indian pop culture as a whole. I have some reservations as to how Ram Gopal Varma would do justice to this cult classic, but I hope it’s good, no, bloody brilliant… for his sake. Amitabh as Gabbar – now that’s called a casting coup.

Lajjo – Mani Ratnam and Aamir Khan??!! What are we waiting for??

LOOKING BACK...

Now that the new year has come and gone, its time to look forward to the box office behemoths that 2007 has in store. But before we do that, lets look at 2006 in hindsight.

2006 was a humongous year for movies, both for Hollywood and Hindi films. Records kept breaking , but most importantly we got to see some really innovative tales unfold on screen. Big screen movie watching isn’t going anywhere. Here’s my top 5 list of the year

5. Cars – Yep, there is nothing like an animated movie from Pixar and Disney. In a year that was crammed with animated movies, it’s nice to see those familiar logos before the start of the movie, and like always, they delivered. Cars was the perfect feel good movie of the year, armed with a kick ass soundtrack to boot – I’m guessing “Life is a Highway” or “Real Gone” will win the Best Song Oscar this year.

4. Casino Royale – Finally, we got to see a Bond movie that was true to its roots. Sure Pierce Brosnan was a suave Bond, but his storylines kept getting strectched till it was hardly believable, almost becoming like spoofs of the Roger Moore era. Daniel Craig quite literally saved the day for the Bond fans with his gripping portrayal of the quintessential super spy. After all who could do it better than Bond… James Bond.

3. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest – When a movie breaks the $1 billion barrier, what’s there to criticize. Captain Jack Sparrow is one of the most original characters we have seen on screen after a long time, and with such terrific production values, POTC was the year’s most satisfying swashbuckling adventure.

1 & 2. Lage Raho Munnabhai & Rang De Basanti –
How often does two Hindi movies beat the Hollywood brigade? 2006 was one such weird year. I can safely say that these two movies were the gems of the year. I can’t remember the last time when I laughed so much in the theatre that it was almost embarrassing. Munnabhai is a triumph of writing, with such an ingenious storyline that even the most skeptic of skeptics couldn’t hold back their enthusiasm.
Rang De Basanti reaffirmed that Indian cinema can be both classy and commercial at the same time. Aamir Khan once again showed why he’s a class apart from the rest. I still feel the sepia toned flashbacks in and out of history is one of the most beautifully executed shots I’ve ever seen. Last heard, Rang De has got itself a BAFTA nomination, and two of its wonderful AR Rahman songs “Luka Chuppi” and “Khalbali” has been shortlisted for the Oscar Best Song list. What’s the bet it’ll win?

A Retrospective: Schindler's List

There are good movies. Then there are great movies. And then there are movies like Schindler’s List.
If you needed any confirmation that Steven Spielberg is pure genius, then Schindler’s List is what you need to pick up from your DVD store. For a person who has always been fascinated with history, I have always read up many books, lapped up every documentary on the Discovery channel and watched so many historical movies that I thought nothing could surprise me anymore. As far as the Holocaust was concerned, I did see the award winning Roman Polanski’s “The Pianist”, and I thought it was a great movie. Well, that’s before I saw Schindler’s List.
The movie is about a flawed profiteer in the Nazi era called Oskar Schindler, a proud member of the Nazi party. He runs a factory which produces enamelware, employing Jewish workers as they need not be paid. With a Jewish accountant, Itzak Stern for company, he sees his factory going from strength to strength… until the genocide starts and all employees are bundled into labour camps. During the movie, we see how this seemingly heartless and at times hateful businessman transforms into a messiah for the thousands of Jews who are being massacred mercilessly at Polish labour camps, and saving them from being sent to the dreaded Auschwitz concentration camp. By cleverly remaining within the Nazi party, Schindler is never short of funding, and he uses this money to buy out the Jews from the despicably nasty SS commander Amon Goth, on the pretext of running a new factory to make ammunition (he purposefully sees that none of the ammunition is usable)
Never before have I seen a movie so lovingly taken care of by its director till I saw Schindler’s List. Spielberg refused to take any money while filming this movie… and the love shows. There are countless scenes that make you shriek out in pain in unison with the characters, countless scenes that leave you gasping and depressed. The entire movie being in black and white, the effect pierces you with such ferocity that you wish it could just stop… then it hits you that this REALLY happened.
John Williams, the music legend, whose work includes such iconic soundtracks like Jaws, ET, Jurassic Park, Star Wars and most recently Harry Potter, gives an Oscar winning score that would melt even the coldest of hearts. It’s almost as if Spielberg obsessed over this story scene for scene, line by line, till he got it just right – and perfection just does not get better than Schindler’s List. Running for 3 ½ hours, I was so riveted by the moving drama on screen that time ceased to be a factor at all.
Ideally, I would really prefer that everyone, adult or child, should be made to watch this movie. Though I know it’s impractical because of the explicit nudity and graphic violence that pervades throughout. No doubt meant to shock us out of our wits, it succeeds, and how!
Every heartbreaking movie has that one special moment, that one particular scene when the viewer loses all self control and reaches for the handkerchief. Although there are many moments like that in Schindler’s List, the ultimate defining moment comes a few minutes before the end, when Schindler has to flee from the victorious Allied forces at the end of the War, as he is technically still a member of the Nazi party. He leaves his factory and all the thousands of workers are there to send him off. At this point, Schindler is completely bankrupt and penniless, as he has used all his money to buy the Jews to safety. Schindler looks at everyone and says that he should have done more, he could have saved more lives. He looks at a pin bearing the Nazi symbol on his shirt, and says, “This is made of gold. I could have had two persons for this, maybe one person. One person…”. And he completely breaks down on Stern’s shoulder… and I’m sure, so would have millions of viewers.
Would you believe it, that Schindler’s List AND Jurassic Park released in the SAME YEAR? Now that’s called sheer genius.