Man Of Steel (2013) Review by Shivom Oza – Just Falls Short Of ‘Super’

3/5 Stars

Every superhero franchise has gotten an overhaul ever since Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy (Batman Begins, The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises) tasted success. This time, it's Superman's turn. 300 and Watchmen director Zack Snyder is at the helm of this story, co-written by David S. Goyer and Nolan. The trailer of Man Of Steel has generated a lot of hype among the audiences. Let's see if the film is worth all of it!

Man Of Steel gets a lot of things right. It mixes up the dark elements (which we associate with the recent Batman films) within the commercial space wonderfully. The screenplay and the dialogues are also a good mix of cheesy and hard-hitting.

Where the film falters is the length, the casting of the principal villain Zod and the never-ending, repetitive final face-off between Superman and his nemeses. However, it is a fine film. Trailer flattered to deceive a little bit, but then you all are going to watch it anyway. So, I must stop the ranting.

As planet Krypton is nearing destruction, Jor-El (Russell Crowe) and Lara Lor-Van (Ayelet Zurer), send their biological son, Kal-El (Henry Cavill), to Earth to carry their race forward.

While Jor-El and Lara Lor-Van do face resistance from Krypton's military commander, General Zod (Michael Shannon) (who has now turned hostile, and planned a coup against the establishment), Kal-El does get transported to Earth eventually.

Zod, along with his team of mercenaries, is caught, and is sentenced to spend all eternity in the Phantom Zone, an eternal living void.

Kal-El, who finds himself in a different environment altogether, struggles to adapt to the human world during his childhood. However, while growing up (with the name given by his adopted parents Jonathan Kent (Kevin Costner) and Martha Kent (Diane Lane), Clark Kent), he realizes the significance of the superpowers that he has been bequeathed from his place of origin.

Kal-El/Clark Kent is rechristened once more (SUPERMAN!), when he puts on his suit, and readies to wage a battle against Zod, who successfully managed to escape the Phantom Zone.

The first-half of the film (setting of the basic premise, the marvellous special effects in the Krypton sequence, Kal-El inadvertently showing-off his superpowers, the wonderful conversations between him and his adopted father, the introduction of Amy Adams, and to top-it-up Hans Zimmer's enchanting score) is terrific.

The film, especially in the first hour-and-a-half, wonderfully balances out the quirkiness of a commercial superhero film and the seriousness of a coming-of-age story.

It is in the latter half, when the film really begins to drag. The final face-off, involving a lot of hand-to-hand combat and innumerable explosions, between Superman and his nemeses lasts for almost an hour.

While the action and the special effects are brilliant, the repetitiveness of this never-ending last act does mar the impact, a trifle!

The dialogues of the film, especially the ones involving Kal-El and his two fathers (biological and adopted), are well-written and performed. Watch out for those scenes!

The highlight of the film is our superhero's bravado! There's a scene in which Zod is threatening Kal-El's adopted mother Martha. At this point, the man in the blue suit swoops in and beats the evil commander up to smithereens, while warning him to not threaten his mother. For the lack of a better word, such scenes are absolutely filmy, and manage to keep your interest alive!

The one major downside to the film is the runtime. With a shorter duration, the film could have been much better.

Not bereft of flaws, but entertaining enough.

Shivom Oza

Gippi (2013) Review by Shivom Oza - Over-the-top, Yet Delightful!

3/5 Stars

'Gippi' is about Gippi (real name - Gurpreet Kaur), played by Riya Vij, a 14-year-old overweight, ordinary-looking, clumsy, poor-in-sports, poor-in-studies, unpopular girl, who lives with her divorced mother, Pappi (Divya Dutt), and her adorable brother Booboo (Arbaz Kadwani) in Simla. Gippi's life revolves around her family, friends and her collection of old Hindi film songs. Being a huge fan of Shammi Kapoor, Gippi lets her hair down whenever/wherever his songs start playing.

The only time she starts to get insecure is when she attends school. Having to deal with the constant bullying by the most 'popular' girl in school, Shamira Chauhan (Jayati Modi), and her gang of girls, Gippi goes into a shell and starts thinking of herself as inferior to the other students. Moreover, having to deal with the physical, emotional and social changes that accompany a growing teenage girl; Gippi only gets more cranky and introverted. In order to impress everyone in school, Gippi befriends a much-older high school student, Arjun (Taaha Shah), and tells everyone that he is her boyfriend. But, the truth comes out when Arjun publicly tells Gippi that he always thought of her as a friend.

This gives Shamira and her friends one more reason to belittle their favourite target. The clash reaches such a level that Shamira challenges Gippi to stand against her in the student elections for the position of the head girl. So, the battle lines are drawn. Our much-troubled girl's brother, Booboo, and friends, Anchal and Ashish (Aditya Deshpande), who is terrific as the nerd besotted with Gippi, help her out in marking certain goals (Hot Body, Popularity, Boyfriend and the likes) that would make her win the elections. The film is about how Gippi overcomes the odds at school, in addition to helping her mother cope up with her father's (Pankaj Dheer) second marriage.

Another important part in the film is Kabir's (Mrinal Chawla), the most popular boy in the college. Watch out for what he does in the film!

The film showcases several delightful moments - Gippi and Anchal talking about puberty, Gippi's inspirational speech during the student elections, her equation with Pappi and Booboo, Gippi’s makeover among others. The actors, who play the school students, have done a brilliant job. These teenagers have been given the best scenes and lines, and they charm you with their effortless performances. Among the adults, it's only the formidable Divya Dutta who impresses. The rest of the cast, comprising Taaha Shah, Pankaj Dheer, actors playing the school professors among others, have poorly-written roles and so, don't quite leave an impact.

There are various outrageously over-the-top sequences in the plot. One of them involves an apparently-introverted Gippi, who assumedly gets stage fright, suddenly breaking into a dance in a bizarre costume, while giving her student election speech. While it may evoke a guffaw or two from the viewers, the scene does seem terribly out-of-place and isn't in line with what Gippi's character is supposed to be. Another low for the film is the underwhelming climax.

For films such as this one, which deal with the coming-of-age of an underdog, you would expect a cracker of an ending. However, what you get is a very tepid version. Even the music, composed by Vishal-Shekhar, doesn't quite stay with you. The only hummable number in the soundtrack is 'We're Like This Only', sung by Dadlani. The rest of the songs do not go well with the theme of the movie. Leaving these aforementioned drawbacks aside, 'Gippi' does pack in several feel-good moments and considering that it's been made by a debutante director Sonam Nair, the film is a decent effort. The best thing about this teenage movie was that it ENTIRELY revolved around a girl, which seldom happens in our part of the world. Obviously, we love 'Gattu', 'Stanley Ka Dabba' among other children-based films, but it's good to know that someone has made a 'Gippi'!

For those of us who've passed out of school and college, 'Gippi' is a fairly good nostalgic ride. Those of you who are still studying, you may watch and learn.

The film teaches you to get rid of your own insecurities and accept other people's weaknesses. And, one must add, it does a good job of doing that!

Shivom Oza

Iron Man 3 (2013) Review by Shivom Oza – ‘Stark’ly Delightful!

3/5 Stars

The third installment in the ‘Iron Man’ series, ‘Iron Man 3’ revolves around how Tony Stark battles the dreaded Mandarin, and tries to prevent him from causing havoc.

Even for someone who is not a big fan of superhero/adventure/science-fiction movies (me!), ‘Iron Man 3’ is immensely enjoyable. The film is all – Robert Downey, Jr., as expected. His one-liners and his affable charm, which works wonders for the franchise, have been utilized to their fullest yet again. While it is a visual spectacle, the 3D once again dilutes the impact (a trifle!).

The plot continues from where ‘The Avengers’ ended. A much-troubled Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) has been going through a rough time with his girlfriend, Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), owing to his unrequited obsession with his Iron Man suits.

Stark recollects an incident from 1999 in Bern, Switzerland, when he, along with a scientist Maya Hansen (Rebecca Hall), ignores feelers from the crippled Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce) about creating Advanced Idea Mechanics (a terrorist organization), which in turn will manufacture viruses.

As it turns out, Killian joins hands with a dreaded terrorist Mandarin (Ben Kingsley), over a decade later. In one of the bombings orchestrated by the duo, Happy Hogan, the security chief of Stark Industries, goes comatose. This enrages Stark, who issues a televised threat to the perpetrators and even lets out his address in the media so that the terrorists could get him!

If I tell you more about the film, you’ll cry ‘spoiler’! So, let’s cut this short and get down to how the film fares. There are a couple of jaw-dropping twists in the plot, which manage to make the film engaging enough over its 130-minute-duration.

The action scenes are very well choreographed and Tony, along with War Machine (James Rupert "Rhodey" Rhodes), do a great job pulling them off. The entire team behind the visuals (cinematography, VFX, editing etc.) has done an awesome job. Some of the scenes, especially the one in which Mandarin attacks Iron Man’s Malibu mansion, are absolutely breath-taking (despite the irritating 3D).

Robert Downey, Jr. plays Robert Downey Jr., and the rest of the cast members do well in their limited parts. Director Shane Black and Drew Pearce reinvent the audacious character of Tony Stark with this film. The entire track between Stark and Harley (12-year-old Ty Sympkins) is absolutely delightful! Watch out for the little boy, who does a wonderful job in this small role.

There’s a small funny bit after the end credits roll. The problem is that the credits roll for about 5-6 minutes. So, you’ll have to wait for that long. Besides the fact that you should go for the film anyway!

Shivom Oza

Deewaar (1975) Review by Shivom Oza – Must Watch For Its Performances And Dialogues!

3/5 Stars

‘Deewaar’, the Yash Chopra film made in 1975, is a classic tale about two brothers, who get caught on either side of the law.  

The principal characters of the film, labour union leader Anand Verma (Satyendra Kapoor), his wife Sumitra Devi (Nirupa Roy), elder son Vijay Verma (Amitabh Bachchan), younger son Ravi Verma (Shashi Kapoor) and Vijay’s love interest Anita (Parveen Babi), are essentially victims of circumstances.

Anand Verma is an upright labourer who stands up for his colleagues. However, circumstances force him to go against his principles, and wrong the people that he once stood for. The consequences of Anand’s actions are faced by his family.

Troubled by the constant taunts and humiliation from Anand’s (who eventually runs away) nemeses, wife Sumitra Devi is forced to move from their hometown to Bombay city. Here too, she finds it difficult to earn enough to bring her two children up. So much so, that Sumitra and Vijay have to go on about their menial jobs, just so that they can earn enough to send Ravi to school.

Vijay, who goes through the turbulent experience of having ‘mera baap chor hai’ (My father is a thief) inked on his forearm, gets deeply disturbed by all that happened to his family, and starts holding their poverty responsible for their family’s condition. He even refuses to go to the temple, as he has lost all faith in God!

The two sons grow up and while Ravi ends up becoming a police inspector, Vijay, owing to fate, gets on the wrong side of the law. ‘Deewaar’ is about how the drama unfolds between the two siblings!

The film captures several realities that we associate with the 1970s – the real estate boom, labour strikes, clout of the underworld, victimization of the poor etc. However, the basic essence of the film is about how there is no clear ‘wrong’ or ‘right’ on show. We may think of Vijay Verma as the villain of the story, but the crux lies in what forced him to do what he did!

The dialogues and the one-liners in the film are the scene-stealers. Who can forget the iconic ‘mere paas maa hai’ dialogue? The confrontation scenes between the Verma brothers are ‘power-packed’, not just for Salim-Javed’s writing but also owing to Bachchan and Kapoor’s performances.

Amitabh Bachchan, Shashi Kapoor and Nirupa Roy are terrific in their respective roles. Neetu Singh does a good job in her limited part. Parveen Babi, who plays Amitabh’s love interest, is shown as a liberated Indian woman who smokes, drinks, gets into relationships and is modern-in-thought and spirit.

Watch out for A.K. Hangal’s cameo in the film. The minor sequence, involving him, leaves a huge impact on the viewer’s mind.

The songs of the film are good, but certainly not extraordinary. ‘Keh Doon Tumhein’, sung by Kishore Kumar and Asha Bhosle, is a nice, peppy track and the pick of the lot! The plot may seem a bit bizarre at some portions, but considering that the film was made in 1975 and has been a reference point for so many screenplays written since then, ‘Deewaar’ should be watched!

‘Deewaar’ is not Yash Chopra’s best film. However, there are a couple of elements in it which should not be missed – performances and dialogues!

Shivom Oza

Lessons In Forgetting (2013) Review by Shivom Oza – The Good Kind Of Different!

3/5 Stars

Based on Anita Nair’s book of the same name, ‘Lessons In Forgetting’ revolves around a middle-aged, divorced man, J.A. Krishnamurthy, trying to discover the truth behind a fatal accident involving his estranged 19-year-old daughter, Smriti. In the process, the father encounters several inconvenient truths about his daughter.

The story of the film, a portion of which deals with the issue of female foeticide, is very relevant and poignant. Adil Hussain (we’ve seen him before in ‘Agent Vinod’, ‘English Vinglish’ and ‘Life Of Pi’) delivers a strong performance as the beleaguered father, who is trying to come to terms with his daughter’s rebellious past and tumultuous present. The rest of the cast, comprising Maya Tideman, Roshni Achreja, Raaghav Chanana among others, do a fine job. While the film has its share of flaws, it is socially relevant and offers a very different kind of treatment to the story. ‘Lessons In Forgetting’ is different (of the good kind!).

A middle-aged, divorced man, J.A Krishnamurthy (Adil Hussain) comes to know that his estranged daughter, Smriti (Maya Tideman), has been found severely injured near the beach at a small town in Tamil Nadu. The 19-year-old girl, found in a near-dead-state, is almost paralyzed and thus, bedridden and taken care of by a full-time nurse. 

J.A. Krishnamurthy, who is devastated after finding about his daughter’s fatal accident and her present medical condition, wants to find out the truth. So, he starts looking for clues that will lead him to find out what actually happened to his daughter. In the meantime, he crosses paths with a middle-aged woman, Meera, who has been going through a tumultuous time herself after being abandoned by her husband, and left behind to take care of her two children and her mother and grandmother all by herself.

The film also comprises a touch of the ‘Save the Girl Child’ issue. The social issue has been excellently tailored into the plot of the movie. There’s not a single moment, when you may find the film overtly educative/preachy! ‘Lessons In Forgetting’ is about several more aspects; parent-child relationships, life after separation, abandonment, teenage angst etc.

All the characters have been well-written, with the exception of Meera. Her backstory was not necessary at all. Although the actress playing this character (Roshni) has done a great job, Meera wasn’t required in the film at all. Her side of the story has been introduced in an elaborate manner, but left untouched thereafter. A few scenes in the film do make you introspect about certain things. You may reconsider the way you behave with your parents/children after watching the film. It strikes a chord there! Other notable aspects about the film are; the absolutely terrific opening credits of the film and the excellent background score (Kumaresh Ganesh). The dialogue delivery of the actors was very good, which is a rarity for English-language films made in India! However, subtitles could have been compiled in a better manner (as there are a few portions in Tamil).

‘Lessons In Forgetting’, ultimately, is about how you strive so hard to know the truth, but once you know it; you desperately want to forget it (makes sense?). Anyway, watch the film! Take a bow, director Unni Vijayan.

Shivom Oza

The Croods (2013) Review by Shivom Oza – Clichéd, But Entertaining!

3/5 Stars

The Croods are a good mix of ‘The Flintstones’ and the recently-released film, ‘Hotel Transylvania’. The film is about how the ‘world’s first family’ had to give up on their trusted shelter (the caves) to look for a new roof on their heads. In the process, they end up discovering the ‘new world’, which they had been hiding away from since time immemorial.

The film has a clichéd storyline. The plot has oft been used for several animated movies in the past. Although the concept works yet again, it makes the story a bit predictable. Also, the 3D was a big let-down. However, despite these two ‘big’ drawbacks, the film emerges as a thoroughly entertaining watch!

Armed with old-world sensibilities, the father Grug (Nicolas Cage) does not allow his daughter Eep (Emma Stone), to venture out into the open, fearing that she could be harmed. The daughter, whose rebelliousness increases with the number of restrictions imposed on her, ends up going out anyway. She discovers a new world, much different from what her ‘orthodox’ father had imagined. She meets and falls for the mysterious young boy, called Guy (Ryan Reynolds), from the new world. Trouble ensues when the caves are on the verge of destruction and the family has to look for a new home!

The animation is terrific, but the 3D is disappointing. The characters and their dialogues are well-written. Watch out for the banter between Grug and Guy, Grug and his mother-in-law and the camaraderie amongst ‘The Croods’! Although the first half moves along at a sluggish pace, the second half picks up pace and manages to keep you engaged. The kids will love these terrific characters and the over-simplified story.

It’s a clichéd story, but it entertains!

Shivom Oza

Scary Movie 5 (2013) Review by Shivom Oza – WATCH, Only If You Prefer This Genre!

3/5 Stars

‘Scary Movie 5’ is the fifth film in the ‘Scary Movie’ series. Presenting its brand of unbridled crass humour, the film spoofs renowned names such as ‘Paranormal Activity’, ‘Mama’, ‘The Cabin In The Woods’, ‘Evil Dead’, ‘Inception’, ‘Sinister’, ‘Black Swan’, ‘Rise of the Planet of the Apes’, ‘Insidious’ and ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’.

I frankly believe that the ‘Scary Movie’ series is not supposed to be taken seriously. So, those looking for cinematic brilliance, go watch something else. The film encompasses innumerable cringe-worthy scenes, abundant toilet humour, fair amount of obscenity and the lamest of gags. However, they do manage to entertain. So, the purpose is served. You will find this film immensely funny, if you have a fair idea about the aforementioned sources, which have been parodied.

There’s a small gag at the beginning of the film, involving Charlie Sheen and Lindsay Lohan. This is a fairly silly, yet funny, rip-off of the ‘Paranormal Activity’ series. Lohan gets possessed and ends up killing Charlie. The couple’s 3 children are trapped inside the dingy-looking ‘Cabin in the Woods’. They are encountered by Snoop Dogg and Mac Miller, who initially visit the Cabin hoping to score some fine weed.

The kids, who have grown to become a bit animal-like and eerie in their mannerisms under the influence of their ‘Mama’, are taken in by their uncle Dan Sanders (Simon Rex) and his partner Jody Sanders (Ashley Tisdale). Thereafter, most of the film is a take-off on the Jessica Chastain horror film, with the occasional tribute (?) thrown in to films such as ‘Inception’, ‘Black Swan’ etc.

This film is what you would call ‘time pass’ in colloquial terms. Certainly, this film would be a better bet than watching a big-budget drag of a sci-fi film or a listless, meandering, meaningful (self-proclaimed) motion picture. Watch out for the rip-roaring sequences involving the couple’s Hispanic house-help, Maria (Lidia Porto). The lead actress of the film, Ashley Tisdale looks stunning and is absolutely hilarious. The take-offs on ‘Black Swan’ are also certain to evoke guffaws from the audiences. The special appearances (Snoop Dogg, Mike Tyson, Usher, Bow Wow among others) perfectly get tailored into the insane plot. There’s humour involving sex, dope, faeces, ghosts, amputated body parts, the works!

This film was unabashedly, and unapologetically, silly.  Yet, it was funny. Plus, it’s only 86 minutes!

Shivom Oza

Murder 3 (2013) Review by Shivom Oza – The Bhatts Come Of Age!

3/5 Stars

‘Murder 3’ manages to incorporate all the elements of a ‘typical’ Bhatt film – great music, beautiful locations, decent performances, at least one horror element, interesting and improbable twists, ample number of lovemaking sequences and unintentionally funny dialogues. Starring Randeep Hooda, Aditi Rao Hydari and Sara Loren, the film is about how romances are marred by circumstances. Or something on those lines!

Vishesh Bhatt’s directorial debut packs a punch. Although there are several sequences where the tackiness does show through, the film largely remains a good effort. While it is not known if the story has been lifted from another source, it must be said that the plot is quite different and intriguing.

Vikram (Randeep Hooda) is a struggling photographer who moves with his girlfriend Roshni (Aditi Rao Hydari) from Cape Town, South Africa to Mumbai, India, in order to get a better career opportunity. On reaching Mumbai, Vikram gets enamoured by the lifestyle of the rich and the glamorous and gets too pally with one of his female colleagues. A few days later, Roshni mysteriously disappears. A grieving Vikram tries to pull back his life together and gets involved with a waitress Nisha, played by Sara Loren.

Now, who was the female colleague? Where did Roshni disappear? How did Nisha crop up suddenly? These are questions which will be best answered if you go watch the film yourself.

The film has its share of highs and low(s). While the lone low remains several badly-written scenes, the highs are far too many.  The film has great music by Pritam (terrific sounds of KK, Mustafa Zahid, Nikhil D’Souza and Shafqat Amanat Ali) and the guest composers of the popular band, Roxen. The screenplay, co-written by Mahesh Bhatt and Amit Masurkar, is crisp and gripping. Devendra Murdeshwar’s editing deserves lavish praise as at two hours, the film manages to keep you on the edge of your seats and the climax’s flourish is the icing on the cake. There are a few scenes wherein the humour creeps up unintentionally. However, these are minor blips and don’t affect the film much. Randeep Hooda has delivered a terrific performance. Even the female leads, Sara Loren and Aditi Rao Hydari, have done a fine job. One only wishes that the makers of the film would have promoted it differently. From the promos, ‘Murder 3’ did seem like another sleaze fest. However, the story is clearly the winner here. Films made by Bhatts usually end up making money, irrespective of the quality of their work or the mandate given by the reviewers. ‘Murder 3’ is a fine film and one hopes, that the Bhatts, who release a number of films in a year, don’t get complacent and keep getting better with every attempt. Vishesh carries forward the baton from here and going by his debut, things are looking bright for the production house.

‘Murder 3’ is not just another ‘Murder’ film, which promises a lot of skin-show. There’s good content, thankfully! 

Shivom Oza

Zero Dark Thirty (2013) Review by Shivom Oza – Half-baked Real-life Drama

3/5 Stars

9/11/2001 is a forgettable date. There’s no particular emotion that you can attach to this event. The first real feeling of being ‘unsafe’ crept into our consciousness when the most powerful country in the world was attacked by a bunch of terrorists and almost brought down to its knees.

Barely a few days after 9/11, a gruesome face was revealed to the world. That face was supposed to be responsible for the terrorist strikes, which brought down the World Trade Centre twin towers and took over 3000 lives. Soon, the face became synonymous with everything evil in the world. He became the ‘mascot’, so to speak, for terrorism. It was none other than the Al Qaeda leader, Osama Bin Laden. The US called for his head and began a mission to hunt the man down and eliminate him. In this film, the team, which is hunting down the most dreaded terrorist in the world, is spearheaded (although not initially) by Maya (Jessica Chastain). Other CIA persons include Dan (Jason Clarke), Joseph Bradley (Kyle Chandler) and Jessica (Jennifer Ehle). The film concentrates on the major events that lead to the killing of Osama in May 2011. In the interim, we are shown how the CIA goes about doing their job, which includes interrogation, building a good network in a foreign country, keeping an eye out for every possible clue and identifying connections between statements given by criminals/terrorists. It is a tough job, and the film shows it as it is. However, what the audiences are made to miss out on is proper explanation about every clue that the CIA gets in its run-up to finding Bin Laden. Names are thrown in, major terrorist strikes such as the 2005 London bombing and the Marriott Hotel blast among others are featured, more names are thrown in, assassination attempts are made on the CIA officers and more names are thrown in. This entire Osama manhunt is an absolutely brilliant subject to capture on celluloid. However, trying to fit in 8 years into an hour-and-half (regarding the first half of the film) is an impossible job. If one wishes to educate the viewer, more information should be dispensed through the work of art (film, book anything!). Here, it’s just one random event followed by another and suddenly, voila! We found Bin Laden’s carrier! YOU could have, but how do WE know? The main purpose for anyone to watch this particular film would be, besides being entertained, to actually know about how the US went about looking for the Al Qaeda leader. Sadly, it is not clear enough. 

The second-half, in comparison, is way more superior, owing to the fact that this section only covers a year or so in the lead-up to the final attack. It’s much more understandabe, swift-paced and follows a linear path (as all real-life based films should, ideally!). The actual mission ‘Operation Geronimo’ is definitely going to keep you on the edge of your seats. The final 30 minutes of the film are gripping and filled with emotionally-charged moments. As far as the performances go, everybody in the cast has done a fine job. Chastain has delivered a brilliant performance. However, it is not the best of the year. The locations could have been a huge problem. All the ‘Pakistan’ areas shown in the film were actually shot in Chandigarh, India. The locations have been perfectly altered to be made to look like they are cities in Pakistan. There are a few blips, such as shops bearing Hindu names and cars of Indian-make, but you can’t pan them down for everything. Their efforts to convert a small section of Chandigarh into Pakistan are commendable.

The screenplay, as already pointed out, bears several flaws. This film could have actually been a documentary series. The subject, as already mentioned, is first-rate and the story deserves to be told in a truthful, elaborate manner. 'Zero Dark Thirty' can be watched for entertainment. However, to know what actually happened, start looking for books and articles. Kathryn Bigelow, the director, has made a half-baked real-life drama. It is highly unsurprising that she hasn't bagged an Oscar nomination for Best Direction.

Just a thought - Don't believe the solution to terrorism lies in capital punishments, air raids, counter bombings, revenge and retribution. Let’s give peace a chance, till they don’t start doing the same.

Shivom Oza

Satyakam (1969) Review by Shivom Oza - Dharmendra, Dialogues Steal The Show

3/5 Stars

The film 'Satyakam' is a Dharmendra-Sanjeev Kumar starrer, directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee. Another slice-of-life representation by the legendary auteur!

The 1969 film, based on a Bengali novel of the same title, written by a renowned writer Narayan Sanyal, is a poignant tale about how a righteous individual had to give up his life, while trying to lead a truthful life. Dharmendra, Sanjeev Kumar, Sharmila Tagore and Ashok Kumar deliver brilliant performances in this melancholic drama.

The film revolves around Satyapriya Acharya's (Dharmendra) struggle to choose between right and wrong. For him, there has never been any choice - it has always been concurrent with the foundations of truth and honesty. Be it a normal class lecture, a work assignment, a building contract, a woman's chastity, accepting an 'impure' lady or any other matter, Satyapriya has always chosen the 'right' path. And for this, he has always ended up bearing the brunt of this self-centred society of the newly independent country. Satyapriya's fight against all the corrupt elements of the society takes such an intense turn that he starts questioning himself. Over his journey, his grandfather Satyasharan Acharya (Ashok Kumar), wife Ranjana (Sharmila Tagore) and his friend Narendra Sharma (Sanjeev Kumar) play an important, not necessarily instrumental, role.

An interesting line uttered by Dharmendra's Satyapriya in this film goes on the lines of 'Honest is not a policy. In fact, dishonesty is a policy. Honesty is religion to me.' The film is filled with similar thought-provoking gems. The writing team, comprising Bimal Dutta, Rajinder Singh Bedi and the original author Narayan Sanyal, come up with a profound story and screenplay. Hrishikesh Mukherjee has pulled off this satire, albeit with a tragic undertone, with impeccable perfection. There are a few blips on the way - the length, the underwhelming music and several editing errors. However, these mistakes can largely be attributed to the era in which the film was made.

It is a compelling watch and there are few scenes, which will certainly give you goose bumps if not a few tears. Dharmendra and the dialogue writers are clearly the winners here!

Shivom Oza

Special 26 (2013) Review by Shivom Oza – Remains What It Was Meant To Be - Special!

3/5 Stars

Neeraj Pandey impressed one-and-all with his gripping direction and storytelling in the 2008 film, 'A Wednesday', which starred Anupam Kher and Nasseruddin Shah. That film worked because of many reasons – a tight gripping screenplay, an impeccable script, flawless performances, crisp editing (100 minutes), no ‘stereotyping’ (in fact, the movie itself was somehow based on ‘anti-stereotyping’), no ‘Bollywood’ gimmick such as item numbers among many more. This one, ‘Special 26’, somehow goes back to the same school of filmmaking, which is more about gumption than gimmick! Based on true incidents, this Akshay Kumar-Anupam Kher-Manoj Bajpayee-Jimmy Sheirgill-Divya Dutt starrer is about the curious case of the fake CBI raids, which were conducted in the 1980s.

‘Special 26’ just stops short of being a gem! There are several flaws in this film. However, do watch it as seldom do Hindi film viewers get an opportunity to witness great stories.

We are introduced to this gang of four ‘fake’ CBI officers – led by Ajay (Akshay Kumar) and P.K Sharma (Anupam Kher). They conduct raids at the houses of corrupt politicians and businessmen and keep all the supposedly ‘seized’ money and jewellery for themselves. There is no particular reason why they do this. One might feel they are trying to get back at the corrupt politicians who are left scott-free after every allegation of corruption. It is also possible that this is their way of acquiring money through illegal practices. However, their acts do end up looking like public service, considering that the so-called thieves are getting into trouble. Yet, it is fun to watch these fake officers do their thing and even more fun is to witness the reactions of those who are being raided.

Now, these fun and games continue until the real CBI comes into play. Led by Waseem Khan (Manoj Bajpayee), CBI starts investigating into the matter and the film is set for a duel between the ‘fake’ and the ‘real’!

The plot, screenplay and dialogues are near-perfect. The cast is filled with acting powerhouses and they are even more brilliant than you would expect. Kajal Aggarwal does a decent job too. However, this film could have done away with her character, which is that of Akshay Kumar’s love interest. In fact, ‘Special 26’ could have done away with the entire romantic track, along with the songs. Another complaint with this film would be the beeping out of the cuss words. Completely respect the filmmaker’s decision to do away with the foul language in order to make the film suitable for a universal audience. Yet, the replacements for those abusive words are not top notch. Either beep out the abusive language completely or at least use better replacements. Isn’t our Hindi vocabulary rich enough to accommodate offensive, and universal, words? The third complaint with the film would be the use of chroma effect. Moreover, this effect has been used for relatively simple scenes, such as the long shot of the Kolkata skyline or the South Mumbai sea face. They could have changed the location instead of using the green screen effect, which kind of dilutes the impact of the respective scenes. The lone song that stands out in the soundtrack is ‘Dharpakad’ by the one and only, Bappi Lahiri! This catchy number plays out during the end-credits so stick around for that one!  The scenes have been brilliantly written –memorable moments include the raids conducted in Delhi and Kolkata, the banter between Anupam Kher and Akshay Kumar, Akshay’s penultimate scene with Manoj Bajpayee, Jimmy Sheirgill and Divya Dutta’s chemistry among many more.

The film has a few aberrations. However, it remains what it was meant to be – Special!

Shivom Oza

Gangster Squad (2013) Review by Shivom Oza – Enthralling Actioner!

3/5 Stars

Los Angeles, circa 1949, Brooklyn-born gang lord Mickey Cohen runs the show in Los Angeles. With the police and the politicians under his thumb, Cohen has been reaping the ill-gotten gains from his businesses in drugs, guns and prostitutes, and the occasional wire bets placed west of Chicago.

This is until a group of five men, from LAPD, take it upon themselves to rid Los Angeles of Cohen.

The trailer of the film, which was released sometime around June last year, created quite a stir amongst the audiences. The film itself, sadly, doesn’t quite match up to the electrifying promo. However, for all its intense action sequences, impeccable costumes, witty dialogues and superlative performances, ‘Gangster Squad’ is certainly worth a watch. It’s an ode to the great Hollywood mafia films of the 70s and the 80s. Doesn’t quite cut it like them, but ends up being an enjoyable ride anyway.

So, Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn) has been terrorizing everyone and anyone in Los Angeles, his own men notwithstanding. His act in the film, involves beating his foes to pulp (although, he maintains his boxing days are behind him), womanizing (his latest moll is the gorgeous Grace Faraday (Emma Stone)), dining with chief justices and politicians and tightening them under the noose, while going about handling his prospering ‘illegal’ businesses. The people fear him and the establishment is intimidated by him. Thus, comes the moment of reckoning for Sgt. John O’Mara (Josh Brolin). A tough cop, John doesn’t get bogged down by Cohen or his men. Strong enough to overpower three goons at a time and as honest as a mirror, John is summoned by Chief Parker (Nick Nolte) to ditch his police badge and head a group of vigilantes to not KILL, but destroy and eventually drive Cohen out of Los Angeles.

So, here they are, the loving husband John O’ Mara (his pregnant wife Connie O'Mara (Mireille Enos) doesn’t seem to agree), Det. Navidad Ramirez (hilarious, watch out for his lines) (Michael Peña), Det. Conway Keeler (great father-son track involving him) (Giovanni Ribisi), tough nut Det. Rocky Washington (Anthony Mackie), Det. Max Kennard (old-but-sharp) (Robert Patrick) and the inimitable Sgt. Jerry Wooters (Ryan Gosling). Together, this ‘gangster squad’ wreaks havoc on Cohen and his men.

Sean Penn is terrific as the menacing gang lord Michael Cohen. The diction, the dressing, the swagger and the evil instinct is very much inherent in the leading antagonist and Sean pulls the character off with élan. Josh Brolin is terrific as John O’ Mara. Understated during the emotional scenes, and belligerent in the action sequences, Josh delivers a fine performance.

Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone share sparkling chemistry. Emma’s introductory scene, where she is being regaled by the charming Ryan, is delightful. The dialogues in this film are beyond brilliant.

Here are a few exhibits,

Wordplay between Ryan’s Jerry and Emma’s Grace –

Grace - What’s your racket, handsome?

Jerry - I’m a Bible salesman.

Grace - You wanna take me away from all this and make an honest woman out of me ?

Jerry - No, Ma’m. I was just hoping to take you to bed.

Yet Another - 

Cohen’s Man – I’m so sorry Mr.Cohen. That will never happen again. I swear to God.

Sean Penn’s Cohen – You’re talking to God, so you might as well swear to me.

It’s not just the lines, but the way they look on-screen. The costumes and the sets are terrific, offering that irreplaceable nostalgia of the classic ‘gangster’ films. There are moments in the film, where the relentless action may irk you a bit, but thankfully, it does not overstay its welcome. At just under two hours, the film is paced quite well and manages to keep you engaged. Director Ruben Fleischer has made an enjoyable film. Full of pulp, this! There are a few inconsistencies, which mar the plot, such as the basic concept of ‘six men waging war against countless criminals’, the fact that Cohen never gets the squad killed despite knowing their whereabouts, and Grace moving in and out of her romantic liaison with Jerry so conveniently among a few more. However, the film, in essence, doesn’t make you wrack your brains over the plot.

‘Gangster Squad’ is a linear story, told in the most entertaining manner. It’s a one-time watch!

Shivom Oza

Hansa (2012) Review by Shivom Oza - Life In The Hills!

3/5 Stars

At a mystical Himalayan village in Kumaon; Cheeku, a seventeen-year-old girl battles the ugly world of bureaucrats and landlords, while searching for her absconding father. Her brother, Hansa, meanwhile, along with his friend, is being chased by a local bully Bunty, for he has stolen his five-rupee-coin. A marvellous take on life in the hills told through these two charming stories.

‘Hansa’ is a fine film. The young boy, who plays Hansa’s best friend, gives the best performance of the film. Although the story does slack a bit in the middle, the fine performances and the brilliant cinematography pull the film through.

The film, on the outset, tackles various issues – bureaucracy, sexual abuse, corruption, and childhood troubles among several more. There's a scene in the film where Hansa (Suraj) has borrowed his best friend's prized possession, a ball, and has inadvertently gotten it stuck on a treetop. The ball keeps hanging there, quite predictably, till the end of the film. During the run-time of the film, we are shown that sight again and again till the end. Abandonment forms a major crux of the film as both Hansa and his elder sister Cheeku (Trimala Adhikari) have been abandoned, along with their pregnant mother, in the hills. Cheeku is looking for her father, who has disappeared since a year, and is trying her best to save their house from being taken away by their lecherous landlord, Bajju Da (Kumud Mishra of ‘Rockstar’ fame). Cheeku’s younger brother, Hansa, steals the local bully’s five rupee coin and ends up becoming a strong suspect. The intimidating bully Bunty tries to get the better of Hansa, but is fooled by the little kid every time. While, Hansa and his best friend are on about their little adventure, Cheeku is facing all kinds of trials and tribulations over their home, the landlord’s indecent propositions, taking care of her pregnant mother and the search for her lost father. The concept of the film isn’t really anything different. It deals with issues that the people living in the hills face. Be it abandonment or dealing with increasing urbanization, these people start to find themselves alien in their own land. This aspect was well attributed in films such as ‘Anhey Ghorhey Da Daan’ and ‘Bom’. However, what makes ‘Hansa’ different is that it focuses on the same issues through the eyes of children. Debutante director Manav Kaul extracts wonderful performances from the actors, especially the two actors playing Hansa and his best friend. Can’t seem to find the name anywhere on the web, but the boy who plays Hansa’s close friend delivers the finest performance in the film. The scenes, involving both the friends, are absolutely delightful. The cinematography, by Sachin Kabir, wonderfully captures the serenity of the Himalayan foothills. The pace is meditative at some junctures in the screenplay, but overall, the film does manage to charm the viewer.

Although it’s a film which features children, the story will definitely strike a chord with adults. There are some very important issues that have been portrayed in the film. What works for this film is that it embeds within itself all these issues and still manages to entertain. While ‘Hansa’ is not the best film to come out of PVR Director’s Rare this year, it does work its charm. If not a theatre viewing, the film should definitely be watched on DVD. Try catching it on the big screen anyway! 

Given below are the show timings - 

HANSA Theatre Listings and Show Timings - Dec 28 to Jan 3
Mumbai
PVR Juhu	3.30 PM
PVR Goregaon	8.30 PM
PVR Phoenix Mills, Lower Parel	5.30 PM
PVR  Mulund	2.45 PM
PVR ECX, Kurla	2.30 PM
Pune
PVR Phoenix Marketcity, Vimaan Nagar	3.00 PM
Delhi NCR
PVR Anupam Saket	10.15 AM
PVR Naraina	10.00 AM
PVR MGF Mall, Gurgaon	10.05 AM
Bangalore
PVR Forum Mall, Koramangala	7.30 PM
PVR Orion Mall, Malleshwaram	10.00 PM
Ahmedabad
PVR Acropolis Mall	2.00 PM
Surat
PVR Rahul Raj Mall	3.15 PM

Shivom Oza

Hotel Transylvania (2012) Review by Shivom Oza – A Pleasant Monster Film!

3/5 Stars

A humorous take on the ‘Monsters v/s Humans’ saga, the film, ‘Hotel Transylvania’, is about a whimsical, harmless Dracula, who wants to protect his daughter from the ‘dangerous’ human world.

With spectacular animation, some great dialogues and several hilarious sequences, ‘Hotel Transylvania’ will turn out to be a riot with the kids. The screenplay is found wanting, in the sense that the main conflict isn’t convincing enough. However, it is a nice watch and will definitely keep you entertained.

Dracula (voiced by Adam Sandler), who is weary of anything and everything to do with humans, builds this hotel, which houses monsters and protects them from the dangerous human civilization. His hatred for that kind goes back to the time when his wife was forced to kill herself owing to the protests by the humans.

He has a daughter Mavis (voiced by Selena Gomez), whom he has kept confined in the Hotel for 118 years. Mavis is an inquisitive person and is keen to venture into the outside world, but her father always prevents her from doing so.

On the occasion of her 118th birthday party, which is attended by the who’s who of the monster world including Frankenstein, Murray the Mummy, Wayne and Wanda Werewolf, Griffin the Invisible Man among others, a human, 21 year old Jonathan (voiced by Andy Samberg) is the gate crasher at this exclusive monster hotel.

The problem arises when the Dracula realizes that Jonathan is getting closer to Mavis (who doesn’t realize that the boy is a human). He tries to keep Jonathan away from the monsters at the party and this comedy-of-errors leads to a lot of untoward, yet rib-tickling, incidents.

The film has plenty of delightful moments, thanks to the humorous dialogues and some rip-roaring sequences in the screenplay. Even the voiceovers, especially those of Adam Sandler, Gomez and Samberg, are wonderfully done. The lovely visuals, with a fairly decent augmentation thanks to 3D, are one of the better ones, among the animated films of 2012. One of the better moments of the film features the self-deprecating jokes by the monsters. Frankenstein, Dracula and Invisible Man end up being the butt of most jokes, and such lovely moments will definitely be relished by the younger audiences. Even the scenes in which Jonathan belts out contemporary music pieces and the old-fashioned monsters have a scandalous look on their faces are quite amusing.

The only problem with the film is that its conflict isn’t convincing enough. There is no real antagonist in the film. This aspect does diminish the engagement-level to some extent. Director Genndy Tartakovsky pulls off a fine animated film. The concept is quite unique and even the execution is very impressive.

The fun film will definitely work with the kids. The human-monster camaraderie and the monster-monster interactions are bound to keep the adults entertained as well.

Shivom Oza